Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Image(WASHINGTON) -- President Trump, on the morning after his return from the G-20 summit and his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said it's time to work "constructively with Russia."

The president also said the possibility of the U.S. lifting its sanctions against Russia didn't come up in his meeting with Putin.

Sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin. Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian & Syrian problems are solved!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

In other tweets on Sunday morning, Trump noted that the U.S. and Russia worked together to help negotiate a cease-fire in parts of Syria and said that in his meeting with Putin he pressed him about Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. election.

I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

...We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

The president also returned to frequent topics of his: accusing former President Obama of not acting in response to the alleged hacking, and raising questions about both the media's reporting on the revelations of the election interference and the Democratic National Committee's response.

...and safe. Questions were asked about why the CIA & FBI had to ask the DNC 13 times for their SERVER, and were rejected, still don't....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

...have it. Fake News said 17 intel agencies when actually 4 (had to apologize). Why did Obama do NOTHING when he had info before election?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

Trump's tweetstorm comes after Putin said at a press conference Saturday that he believes the U.S. president was "satisfied" with his answers to questions about Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

The Russian leader said Trump brought up the alleged election meddling and asked "many questions" about the topic.

"I answered all these questions as much as I could. It seems to me that he took note of this and agreed," Putin said in his native tongue at the televised press conference, which was translated by Russian news agency Interfax.

"He really was interested in some details. I, as far as I could, answered all this in detail," Putin added, when pressed further by reporters about the meeting with Trump. "He asked me; I answered. He asked clarifying questions; I explained. He appeared to me satisfied with these answers."

Putin said he reiterated to the U.S. president that there was no basis for such allegations.

"Our position is well-known," Putin told reporters. "There is no ground to believe that Russia interfered in the U.S. electoral process."

White House chief of staff Reince Priebus said Sunday that President Trump does not accept Putin's denial of Russian interference in the election and that he spent an "extensive" portion of the meeting discussing the topic.

Prior to the Russian president's press conference, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the media Friday that Trump raised the issue of election meddling. He said the U.S. president accepted Putins clear statements that Russian leadership hadnt interfered.

But a senior White House official, when asked by ABC News whether Lavrov's description of Trumps accepting Putin's denial of election interference was true, said, No, without providing further information.

During an off-camera briefing Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters that the alleged election interference was the first subject Trump raised at the meeting with the Russian leader.

"The president opened the meeting by raising the concerns of the American people regarding Russian interference in 2016 election. Putin denied such involvement, as he has done in the past," Tillerson said. "The two leaders agreed this is of substantial hindrance. They agreed to exchange further work regarding commitments of noninterference in the affairs of the U.S. and our democratic process as well as other countries.



Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
News / Education

by Stephen Jakes

The National Association of Youth Organizations (NAYO) an umbrella association of youth organizations in Zimbabwe and the NANGO Youth Sector Chair received with shock and reservation the decision by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to re-introduce proof of residence as a requirement for voter registration for 2018 elections.NAYO said it notes with concern how ZEC arrived at such an inconsiderate decision that seriously militates against youth rights, in particular their right to vote and their general rights as enshrined in Section 20 among other provisions of the National Constitution."It is general knowledge that young people are at the receiving end of the economic challenges; as evidenced by the rising unemployment rate. In that regard, the majority of the youth who constitute 67 percent (%) of the total population are not owners of properties, not employed, they do not have bank accounts and most of the youth don't have a place where they call their own home. With that background, of a very troubled generation of young people in Zimbabwe, who are being patriotic and determined to participate in national processes, ZEC wakes up in the morning to re-introduce the idea of a proof of residence to be able to attain the right to vote," said NAYO."We therefore call for the following action points: an immediate reversal of the idea to re-introduce the proof of residence by ZEC- as this brings more questions to their independence. To adopt the mechanism were people in need of registration to only affirm to a registration officer their physical address without providing proof of residence. We call for ZEC to Leave No Youth Behind in electoral processes by violating youth rights to vote through the introduction of segregatory measures on voter registration. We call for the Electoral Act to be harmonized to the national constitution and for ZEC to consider stakeholder consultations before making key decisions that affect the people, especially the vulnerable groups such as youth."NAYO said they call all young people not to be deterred by such a pronouncement, attempt and a potential discriminatory practice by ZEC and we call for ZEC to re-look at the proof of residence requirement."NAYO through the Leave No Youth Behind Campaign National Coordinating Committee will do all what it can to approach ZEC, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) if need be the Courts as a way to protect the rights of young people to vote and participate freely in national processes," said NAYO.
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

A shower is possible early. Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low near 60F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A shower is possible early. Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low near 60F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.
News / Health

by Staff Reporter

THE Government is considering an application that has been made by a Canadian international company to produce cannabis for medical purposes, a move that will see the country legalising the production and use of marijuana in selected areas, a Cabinet Minister has said.Macro-Economic Planning and Investment Promotion Minister Dr Obert Mpofu told captains of Industry at a Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce annual general meeting in Victoria Falls recently that a Canadian conglomerate has submitted an application to partner Government in the production of medical cannabis, also known as marijuana or mbanje, in one of the areas that has been earmarked for Special Economic Zones."We have received numerous inquiries from investors who want to participate in the SEZs and one of them is a big international company that wants to be involved in the production of cannabis. I also laughed and thought they were joking when I received the inquiry but they are serious. This seems to be big business," said Dr Mpofu.Contacted later to clarify, Dr Mpofu said Government was seriously considering the application adding that there was nothing wrong if the drug is used for beneficial purposes as some countries were already doing the same. Production and use of marijuana is illegal in Zimbabwe. Possessing of the drug can attract up to 12 years in jail."We have a variety of interests and we are considering all applications. This company is from Canada and it's one of the biggest conglomerates in that country and they are producing cannabis for medical purposes under strict conditions. I don't see anything wrong and I think if we legalise mbanje we will benefit medically because it is used for pain killers such as morphine. South Africa has done that," he said.In Canada the Government has issued at least 50 licences to a number of companies under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations.The companies are also authorised to produce, sell or provide dried and fresh marijuana, cannabis oils or starting material to eligible persons.According to Health Canada, routine inspections of licenced producers of cannabis for medical purposes are regularly conducted to verify compliance with the regulations.Compliance is normally achieved through a co-operative approach between the regulated party and Health Canada.Medical cannabis, also termed medical marijuana is a drug prescribed by doctors for patients to reduce nausea, vomiting and improve appetite but its use has not been widely tested due to production restrictions and other governmental regulations.Turning to the SEZs, Dr Mpofu said the concept will take into account the country's competitive advantage as Government seeks to achieve agenda 2030 and 2063.He said focus will be on those industries with a trickledown effect. Bulawayo, Victoria Falls and Harare have been identified as the first three pilots.Dr Mpofu implored local authorities to be alive SEZs, provide incentives and land to investors both local and foreign. He said the newly appointed SEZs board had already started work with countrywide consultations planned.Dr Mpofu also touched on corruption as he blamed the private sector for incentivising the vice."The private sector actually gives incentives to corruption. If there was no private sector there will be no corruption in the world. China has low levels of corruption because they use a command approach so we should all fight corruption," he said.
July 7, 2017

BAGHDAD  On June 27, the US Department of States Human Trafficking Report for 2017 took Iraq off its list, after the country had been listed in 2016 for recruiting children into combat.

The move raises questions about what Iraq could have done to get Washington to take this positive position for Baghdad, despite Human Rights Watch's having said in a report issued Aug. 30, 2016, that tribal militias backed by the Iraqi government recruit children to fight the Islamic State (IS).

On June 5, press reports accused some militias of opening centers in the Sunni provinces to train children and adolescents on how to use weapons.

These charges also included the Kurdistan Region in the country's north. The executive director of the children's rights division at Human Rights Watch, Zama Neff, said Jan. 6, Human Rights Watch documented 29 cases of child recruitment in which armed groups linked to the PKK [Kurdistan Workers Party] had recruited children in Sinjar and in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq  even though the group's commanders had pledged to end the practice.

On June 12, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor reported, The Kurdish Peshmerga and the PKK party also recruit children, targeting both Kurdish and Yazidi families and force them to fight and man security checkpoints. Such child recruitment is a war crime and contravenes UN Security Council resolutions 1612 (2005) and 1882 (2009). It also is a criminal act according to the domestic laws of Iraq.

International law prohibits the recruitment of children under the age of 15 as soldiers. This is also defined as a war crime by the International Criminal Court.

The Iraqi War Crimes Documentation Center considered Iraq to be in violation of this law in its June 17 report, which also noted the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) were training children to carry weapons.

The most prominent manifestations of child recruitment were when the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, one of the largest political blocs in the country, whose armed factions were fighting IS, trained children on how to use weapons in the city of Najaf in central Iraq on June 29. Critics compared these children to Ashbal Saddam (Saddams Lion Cubs) who fought for Saddam Husseins regime, which was was overthrown by the US invasion in 2003, while others compared them to the Lion Cubs of the Caliphate, fighting for IS.

All this prompted Human Rights Watch to demand June 29 that US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson put Iraq back on the US list of countries accused of recruiting children. However, the leader of the Islamic Supreme Council, Sadruddin Qabbanji, does not see why Iraq should be accused of such charges. On May 29, he told the media, The training sessions in Najaf are defensive physical activities, not armed training.

PMU leader Rayan al-Kaldani told Al-Monitor, Children who were trained on how to use arms never participated in battles because the PMU leadership rejects this and considers it a violation of children's rights.

He said, The PMU has enough fighters and doesn't need to recruit children. One of the reasons why Iraq was dropped from the US list is because it was able to put an end to individual cases that occurred in 2014 after IS invaded Iraqi cities and young men and women rushed to volunteer in the ranks of security forces. As soon as the security leaders discovered this, they prevented everyone under the age of 19 from volunteering to fight IS.

Kaldani added, The PMU has become a military structure like the rest of the military branches in the ministries of interior and defense, which has prevented spontaneous and uncoordinated volunteering. Washington is well-aware that children are not participating in the battles of the Iraqi army and the PMU, and that's why Iraq has been removed from the list of countries that recruit children in war.

Habib al-Torfi, a member of the parliamentary commission on human rights, told Al-Monitor, Iraq would not have been taken down from the list of countries that recruit children for war if it had not already overcome this phenomenon that is harmful to children.

He said, The PMU factions and the security forces have recently taken measures to prevent any patriotism-motivated attempt to involve children in the war. Iraq is a member of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the parliamentary Commission on Family and Children is keen on monitoring any violations that may occur.

Torfi said, Iraq was included in the 2016 list after tribes and armed groups sought to recruit even children to defend themselves against IS, which was recruiting children in areas it controlled to carry out suicide bombings and participate in battles.

Legal expert Tarek Harb told Al-Monitor, Iraq was put on that list mainly for political reasons; there were no actual facts supporting the Iraqi states [alleged] recruitment of children.

He added, Washington kept a close eye on Iraq last year and found that no child participated in the battles against IS. The Iraqi government punishes any armed faction that does not abide by the law of military service and the Internal Security Forces law, which prevent the involvement of those under the legal age of 18 years from joining the security service.

Harb said that only a few armed groups formed by tribes or parties were training children on how to use weapons but never allowed them to participate in battles.

Dropping the charges of child recruitment will restore the international communitys trust in Iraq and the country will gain support in its war on terrorism. It also creates an Iraqi generation that believes in peace, not violence, which gives it opportunities for quality education.
July 7, 2017

Egypt is taking action against the spread of jellyfish on its Mediterranean shores as vacationers to the country's north coast have complained about the growing phenomenon. The Egyptian Ministry of Environment has formed a marine science working group to study the phenomenon and come up with ways of dealing with it.

In recent weeks, vacationers and social media activists have raised concerns and questions about the increase of jellyfish along the north coast, with photos featuring the jellyfish on shores emerging on social network sites.

An Environment Ministry statement said the species causing the phenomenon is Rhopilema nomadica, or nomad jellyfish, native to East Africa and the Red Sea and which has been recorded as existing in the Mediterranean Sea for decades. The ministry said nomad jellyfish blooms seem to have spread further this year in the Mediterranean along Lebanon, Israel and Cyprus.

The blooms are not only hitting el-Arish, Port Said and Damietta in eastern Egypt but also Egypt's western coast, the ministry added.

The ministry also attributed the spread of jellyfish in seas and oceans of the world to climate change, pollution, illegal fishing and the decrease in numbers of sea turtles.

Some social media activists have cited the digging of the new Suez Canal, which was inaugurated in 2015, as a reason for the greater spread of jellyfish along the Mediterranean Sea. Water and environmental experts have expressed mixed viewpoints on this issue.

In 2014, Egypt began building the new Suez Canal alongside the existing historic 1869 waterway as part of a giant, multibillion dollar project that aims at expanding trade along the fastest shipping route between Europe and Asia.

Environmentalist Sara Refaat said several factors have caused the spread of jellyfish in the Mediterranean. One of the factors is pollution. People throw plastics in the Mediterranean Sea and sea turtles that feed on jellyfish eat those plastics instead. That has caused a dramatic decrease in their numbers and consequently an increase in the number of jellyfish, she told Al-Monitor.

The young environmental expert also said the original Suez Canal is among the factors behind the migration of the jellyfish from the Red Sea to the Meditterean Sea. When the Suez Canal was dug in the 1800s, a migration of marine species through the Suez Canal, usually from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, took place. The migration is called lessepsian migration, being named after Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French diplomat in charge of the canals construction. The nomad jellyfish invasion is generally attributed to have taken place in the 1970s.

The digging of the original Suez Canal has had a significant impact on the environment and the species living in the canal and the Red Sea. And so is the new Suez Canal. Any giant project definitely has an effect on the environment. But the Egyptian government should have openly clarified to the public the environmental consequences of building a new Suez Canal along the original one, Refaat said.

The Egyptian Ministry of Environment has denied that the digging of the new Suez Canal is a reason for the spread of the phenomenon, citing pollution, high temperature and hunting of sea turtles as being behind the increase.

Refaat said global warming is also a factor behind the spread of jellyfish. Jellyfish prefer to reproduce amid high temperature conditions. That is why their numbers increase during the summer season, Refaat said.

With rising rates of global warming, the world has been taking a raft of measures to curb the phenomenon.

The G-20, which met this week in Hamburg, Germany, endorsed new action to fight climate change. As chair of this years summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel had asserted that she seeks to push forward the goals of the Paris climate agreement. We need the climate-protection agreement, open markets and improved trade agreements in which consumer protection, social and environmental standards are upheld, Merkel said.

According to the Paris accord, which was adopted Dec. 12, 2015, each country is to determine its plans and regularly report its contributions to limit global warming.

In an interview with the privately owned newspaper Al-Watan, Environment Minister Khaled Fahmy said the government would support and protect species that feed on jellyfish, foremost among them sea turtles. We have managed to save sea turtles from vanishing in a number of areas in the Red Sea. That has a positive effect on keeping jellyfish from bothering vacationers there, Fahmy said.

The minister expected that the big blooms of jellyfish along the coast would end for the time being in August, adding that wave movements would help relocate jellyfish toward the north away from Egyptian coasts.

Refaat suggested that the Egyptian government cooperate with fishermen and start hunting jellyfish to reduce their numbers. That can be an innovative way of dealing with this phenomenon, especially as some countries import jellyfish and their people eat them, she added.
July 7, 2017

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  The internet has become the only outlet for Gazans to escape the concerns and problems resulting from the ongoing Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip since 2007.

However, Gaza has been barely getting any internet service due to increased power cuts that are leaving the citizens without electricity for 20 hours a day. On June 19, Israel reduced the electricity coming through the Israeli supply lines to Gaza from 120 megawatts (MW) to 48 MW, in response to a request from Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority.

Internet service is an important commodity for Gazans, as they cannot travel abroad due to the continued closure of the Rafah crossing.

Unemployed Gazan youth search for freelance work online in light of the growing unemployment rate, which reached 41.2% in the Gaza Strip, according to official statistics issued by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics published in July 2016.

The number of internet subscribers in Gaza is growing. According to a report issued by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in Gaza on May 7, the number of internet subscribers reached 116,793 at the end of the first quarter of 2017 compared to 94,958 during the first quarter of 2016.

There are four main companies in Gaza that supply internet to a number of subcompanies, which in turn sell their services to citizens: the Palestinian Telecommunications Company, Digital Communication, Mada and Fusion. These companies acquire their internet supply through Israeli companies such as Bezeq.

In light of the electricity crisis, Gazans rely heavily on rechargeable batteries as a source of energy to keep internet service provider distribution centers and home internet routers operating.

Ziad al-Sheikh Dib, the director general of licensing in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, The provision of internet services to citizens requires the installation of electricity-operated and battery-operated power plants that can run these circuits for seven consecutive hours in the event of a power outage. However, the problem of 20-hour power cuts prevents charging the batteries adequately, which affects the citizens ability to access the internet.

This crisis has provoked widespread discontent and anger across social media. Activist Abdallah Abu Sharekh wrote on his Facebook page on June 23, The reduction of internet hours in Gaza is a terrible violation of human rights and even a crime against humanity! This sparked reactions and comments such as, We can afford to cut everything but the internet, from activist Mohammed Allam.

Mahmoud al-Rayyes expressed his discontent over the internet crisis, because his work in the foreign exchange market has been adversely affected by the internet being cut for about six hours a day from his residence in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of northern Gaza City.

Following up on this market requires constant internet connection to monitor stocks that could fluctuate in seconds. But the internet cuts have lost me $1,700 in one week, Rayyes told Al-Monitor.

Habib al-Shawa, a student in the faculty of commerce at the Islamic University of Gaza, told Al-Monitor, Every minor crisis in Gaza surges until it deeply affects our lives. I am afraid that the internet cuts will turn into one of our chronic crises.

Talal Okal, a political science professor at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, told Al-Monitor that the worsening internet crisis cannot be tolerated and may lead to the deterioration of the security situation between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

He said, The internet crisis buildup is likely to increase the sense of isolation in Gaza as well as the unemployment rate. This leads to unrest that could ultimately turn into a military conflict between Gaza and Israel in order to force Israel to solve Gaza's problems, as an occupying state.

Sheikh Dib pointed out that as the crisis continues to expand, the number of those affected remains unknown. Some citizens have no access whatsoever to the internet for hours, while others suffer from the poor quality and speed of the service. However, he said, the continuation of the electricity crisis will further exacerbate the internet crisis.

He noted that the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology is constantly following up with all internet companies in Gaza to solve this problem. He added, The ministry provided some solutions to alleviate this crisis, such as installing solar cells to generate electricity for distribution centers or relying on external generators to charge batteries.

But Sheikh Dib pointed out that it is not possible to resort to external generators at night because of the loud noise they produce.

Khalil Abu Salim, the director of the Palestinian Telecommunications Company in Gaza City, told Quds News on June 28 that the 20-hour power cuts prevent internet providers from distributing the service, noting that the batteries in each distribution center only operate for four to six hours per day, after which they need to be recharged.

Salim pointed out that his company tried to install solar cells to generate electricity for the distribution centers, but the lack of solar panels in the Gaza Strip prevents him from doing so for many of his companys centers.

Despite Egypt's decision to bring Egyptian industrial diesel into the Gaza Strip on June 21 to operate the Gaza power plant, the situation remained as is due to Israel's reduction of electricity supply to Gaza, which means the internet crisis is heading toward further deterioration.
July 6, 2017

The Palestinian leadership is placing its main hopes for a two-state solution process on Egypt. While Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is well-aware of the close relationship the Donald Trump administration has with Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Ramallah estimates that only Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has the operational capacity to create a pragmatic Arab coalition in coordination with Washington. This coalition would not only work to deter Irans nuclear and regional terror ambitions, but will also focus on advancing a peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. This was conveyed to Al-Monitor by a senior Palestinian Authority (PA) minister who also deals with security matters and has the ear of Abbas. This minister is also in contact with Egyptian intelligence officials.

Cairo's relations with Ramallah are strained over the situation in the Gaza Strip. Contrary to Abbas, who wants the weakening of Hamas, Egypt wishes to strengthen Gaza economically and politically for the sake of security stability. But despite this disputed issue, Egypt remains the main ally of the Palestinians on statehood and regional strategy issues.

According to the PA minister, Egypts regional vision is to shape a new pragmatic regional coalition heavily supported by the Trump administration that will uphold Egypts leadership role in the Arab world on all political and security matters (less so on economic issues).

The minister noted that Cairo considers Tehran to be a threat to the stability of the region, especially in Syria and Lebanon, through its own forces and Hezbollah. Sisi was the driving force behind isolating Qatar because of Qatars ties with Iran and its allies, including Hamas. The Egyptian president pushed for parliament to approve on June 15 the turnover of the Red Sea islands Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia, in return for generous Saudi economic assistance.

Egyptian intelligence cooperation with Israel could actually enhance regional security cooperation with Washington. According to the senior official, Sisi understands that the creation of a security coalition with the United States demands progress on ending the Israeli occupation through a two-state solution process.

The heart and minds of the Egyptian people, especially the youth, are with their Palestinian brethren under occupation. A senior Egyptian diplomat in Tel Aviv told Al-Monitor that Egypt is laboring in the diplomatic arena on behalf of the Palestinians. Egypt has always been on the diplomatic forefront for Palestinian statehood, said the Egyptian diplomat on condition of anonymity. He also said that the Egyptian Foreign Ministry is thinking of a new regional system in the Middle East, in which a coalition of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states will set red lines for Iran and its allies in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Qatar and Yemen in terms of deployments of terrorist forces, the transfer of arms and finances to terrorists, and the positioning of chemical weapons. This coalition will work closely with the US administration.

Egypt sees this new regional structure  an alliance of the pragmatic Sunni states with the United States to defeat jihadi terror and end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict  as an important ingredient for both its national and regional security. Cairo is encouraged by the stronger anti-Iranian position of the Trump administration as opposed to the Barack Obama administration. In parallel, Egypt is pressing Trumps team in the White House and in the State and Defense departments for a double diplomatic track; a track that will handle both jihadi terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the same time.

Egypt is interested in holding a regional summit in Washington hosted by Trump, reconfirming the principles of the May 20 Riyadh summit and launching bilateral Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Yet according to the Egyptian diplomat, there are many obstacles on the path to such a gathering. The Arab side insists that the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative be the basis of any discussions for Israeli-Palestinian peace and regional stability. At this point, Trump refuses to accept this condition, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is strongly opposed to the initiative.

Furthermore, Cairo is frustrated that the US administration has not yet publicly accepted the two-state solution formula. The Egyptian diplomat referred to the meetings conducted on Jan. 30 by Jordanian King Abdullah II with Vice President Mike Pence, national security adviser H.R McMaster, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and presidential adviser Jared Kushner. The diplomat said that in his meetings, the king raised the same issues as Egypt, arguing in favor of the centrality of the Palestinian issue. The official added, We have much better access in Washington with this administration than with the previous one.

Analyzing the remarks of the Palestinian minister and those of the Egyptian diplomat, one can conclude that an intense Arab diplomatic offensive is underway vis-a-vis Washington. These diplomatic efforts are designed to link anti-Iran and terror policies with Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. Asked about these positions, a senior Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said that Israel would accept a double process between regional security issues and the Israeli-Palestinian issue, but Netanyahu insists that the regional security cooperation precedes the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. How does Washington see this? According to the PA minister, all sides seem to be plunged in constructive confusion.
July 3, 2017

Summer in Lebanon brings to mind the blazing sun, beaches and music festivals that fill schedules from June to September. The festivals are everywhere, from Beirut to Tyre, as well as in Baalbek, Beiteddine, at beach camps and as part of municipality events where different types of music animate the hot nights, with thousands of people joining in the fun.

Fete de la Musique is a French music festival that for 17 years has kick-started Lebanons long, hot summer of music. Beirut was the first foreign city to adopt this event, which was launched in France on June 21, 1982, by former Culture Minister Jack Lang. This music festival, organized and coordinated by the French Institute, sets up stages and concerts in the parks and squares of the city.

For the French Institute and embassy in Lebanon, this is indeed the highlight of our yearly cultural program, Veronique Aulagnon, the director of the French Institute, told Al-Monitor. It is one of the events where we are really on the first line. It goes way above our usual work as a support of culture in the country.

Unlike most of the summer festivals, Fete de la Musique is free of charge. This makes it appealing to young people and large families. For many struggling musicians, Fete de la Musique provides their first audience.

It is first a very strong symbol in a region touched by war and terrorism, Aulagnon said. Lebanese people have adopted it completely and the music festival is now rooted in their life. New activities and new venues join in every year. This year, some 15 cities participated and tens of thousands of people came to this event. It shows again how Lebanon is important in the region in terms of its cultural capital.

Born out of the impulse of former President Camille Chamoun in 1956, the Baalbek International Festival, the oldest in the country, takes its name from its location, an ancient Phoenician city with a beautiful old Roman temple. The festival showcases theater, dance, music and other performances with famous artists such as Angelique Kidjo, who will perform on July 16, and Ibrahim Maalouf, who performs on July 22.

Last year we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the festival, Nayla de Freige, the president of the Baalbek International Festival, told Al-Monitor. This year, we had a special show created by Lebanese artists especially for the festival, she said, referring to "Celebrating the Lebanese Nights" on July 7.

Freige said that there was a need to promote culture in the city of Baalbek, as it still had a reputation for instability. Baalbek is a very difficult place. We had to cancel two years in a row because of attacks in the region. Last year we moved it at the last minute. For the time being, all looks good.

Both Baalbek and the Byblos International Festival, which has taken place in the ancient Mediterranean city of Byblos since 1998, target a middle- and upper-middle-class audience, as the entry fee is considerable, although there are reductions for the locals and groups. Byblos program this year has international artists who will give seaside concerts. Latifa Lakis, the president of the festival, believes the festival both creates awareness of the citys heritage and encourages tourism through a good international and local program.

Besides Lebanons well-known and chic festivals, there are also multitudes of lesser known, small beach or mountain camp festivals that last two or three days and cater to different tastes. These smaller festivals are very careful to omit trouble with the authorities over drugs, nudity and other vices.

One of the oldest is Forestronika, which was a psytrance music festival from 2008 to 2014. It is now a two-day beach camp and will remain so until 2018, when the organizers plan to revert to the older version.

We chose to stop because several other festivals had been shut down by the authorities. Apparently, a lot of important people dont like young Lebanese partying in nature, Nicole Salwan, the co-founder of Forestronika, told Al-Monitor.

We wanted it to calm down before starting again, so we only held three to four musical weekends on the beach, with electronic DJs as well as live bands of world music, activities like yoga and body painting. It is full of positive vibes, with peace and love. The next event will be held July 15-16 in Damour, a city south of Beirut. It will combine the positive vibes of peace with a circus theme.

Another electronic camp, Hexaplex, focuses on two different stages once a year: one for psychedelic music and the other for more alternative music that aims to relax. We aim to reconnect people with nature [and help them] relax and get out of their corporate lifestyle, Randi Stephan, the co-founder of Hexaplex, told Al-Monitor. It is to connect with other people but also help achieve a sustainable lifestyle through workshops about renewable energy and permaculture.

Like Salwan, he also emphasized the need to thread carefully to avoid problems with the authorities. He keeps a watchful eye on drugs and nudity. Religious authorities used to shut down rock and metal concerts. Now when you do yoga, you are a Satanist, he said. We also pursue a no-drug policy with Skoun, a Lebanese addiction center that helps people with addiction problems to be treated and followed back to society. They also raise awareness and try to prevent drug use in Lebanon.

He added, After all, the only way to really open up is with meditation, not drugs, even though it is impossible to control everything that comes in [to the festival].

Some of the musical initiatives have started as gatherings of friends and have attracted a larger audience. Oakenfests organizer, Elsa Saade, holds the annual event at her familys estate by the sea in Lehfed. We were just a bunch of friends having fun and that turned to be bigger than expected, so we decided to turn our yearly gathering in an event with bands. Then we integrated writing and design workshops, Saade told Al-Monitor. We just want people to go out of the city and listen to music.

These small beach camps usually host around 1,000 people, while a new kind of festival, WickerPark, has attracted 3,000-4,000 visitors each year since 2011. This festival supports local independent artists while promoting a zero-waste environment.

To be honest, I was a young graduate who didnt want to work in an advertising company, Georges Junior Daou, the director and co-founder of WickerPark, told Al-Monitor. There was a real lack of festivals for local artists. We usually bring one famous band to attract people so they can discover other bands they dont know, playing indie, rock, punk and so on. It is a very cool festival. The next event is planned for the weekend of Sept. 9, and the band Who Killed Bruce Lee is expected to play, but the program is yet to be determined.
July 8, 2017

Since ascending to the throne 2 years ago, King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud has asserted a much more aggressive and assertive foreign policy than his predecessors. It is clear that Salman is a risk-taker. What is less clear is how successful he has been. The kingdom is bogged down in an expensive quagmire in Yemen, outmaneuvered by its rival Iran, and has broken the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Traditional alliances have fractured and opposition to Saudi policies is building on both sides of the Atlantic.

Traditional Saudi foreign policy since King Faisal has been reactive and cautious. The kingdom was risk averse. National security policy was often done by clandestine means; force was avoided. Kings were decisive but careful not to overextend their capacity.

Salman, however, was quick to intervene in Yemen in early 2015 to prevent Houthi rebels backed by Iran from taking control of the country. The war has become a humanitarian catastrophe for the Yemeni people and a military stalemate for the Saudi coalition. Cholera has broken out in 21 of Yemen's 22 provinces with over a quarter million cases reported. The fighting is barely changing the front line.

It is also a very expensive war for the king. The first nine months of operations cost over $5 billion. Now monthly military operations cost close to $700 million, according to one estimate. There are other hidden expenses in paying for the support of states such as Sudan that provide troops for the war.

The war has also stressed old partnerships. Oman refused to join the coalition. The king and Sultan Qaboos have not met directly since. Pakistan, the only Muslim nuclear weapons power, voted unanimously in its parliament to stay neutral and not send troops to fight against the rebels. Egyptian support is lukewarm.

Iran has been a major beneficiary. Iran spends a tiny fraction of the cost the Saudis spend in Yemen. Iran's proxies in Iraq and Syria are steadily gaining ground against their Sunni enemies. Iranian subversion is active throughout the Gulf and in the kingdom's Eastern Province.

Salman broke relations in 2016 with Tehran. The Saudis now openly sympathize with the regime's enemies. Former intelligence czar Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud has twice attended Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (People's Mujahedeen of Iran) conferences in Paris. But the Iranian regime is not intimidated.

The king precipitated the crisis with Qatar in the afterglow of the successful Riyadh summit in May that briefly seemed to unite the Muslim world behind the Saudis. Instead, the tiff with Doha has split the GCC. Oman has been further alienated from the kingdom. Pakistan's press has been sharply critical of the Saudi effort to shut down the Qatari news organization Al Jazeera and restrict Qatar's sovereignty. Pakistan has hundreds of thousands of guest workers in the GCC states and officially is neutral but the quarrel has further undermined the credibility of Saudi foreign relations in Islamabad and elsewhere.

The king suddenly canceled his plans to attend the G-20 summit in Hamburg 72 hours before it was opened. Instead, he sent a technocrat to represent the kingdom. According to the German accounts, the Saudis feared the summit would bring private pressure on the king to negotiate with Doha. The crown prince, Salman's favorite son, also avoided Hamburg. But the kingdom still has to pay the bills for dozens of rooms in the luxury Four Seasons Hotel. Saudi Arabia will host the G-20 summit in 2020.

The king's most successful foreign policy initiative has been to curry favor with President Donald Trump at the Riyadh summit. But the Yemeni war and the Qatari debacle is costing the kingdom support on Capitol Hill. The latest half billion dollar arms deal for the Yemeni battlefield only narrowly won support in the Senate (53 to 47). Now the Senate Foreign Relations Committee leadership says it will not consider further arms sales to any GCC state until the Qatar crisis is resolved. The Saudis are the most endangered because they need constant resupply to fight against the Houthis.

In London, the Saudis are also feeling the heat. A think tank has accused the kingdom of being the top financial backer of extremist mosques in the United Kingdom. The British prime minister is refusing to publish the results of a government investigation into the same issue, apparently because it comes to the same conclusion. The opposition Labor Party, which won big this summer, is calling for a halt to all arms sales to the Royal Saudi Air Force in particular and the kingdom more generally. The Saudi air force depends heavily on US and UK support and could be crippled by an arms embargo.

With low oil prices on the horizon for the foreseeable future, the kingdom is facing tough economic challenges. It cannot continue spending more money per capita on weapons than any other country. Its hopes for economic reforms will be futile if defense spending is not constrained. Today, the situation is eerily reminiscent of the shah of Iran's last years, when the bills for his arms deals could not be paid. The House of Saud is much more stable than the House of Pahlavi, but the Saudi economy is slipping into recession. It is time for a more traditional approach and a measure of prudence in foreign policy.
News / National

by Staff Reform

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has tentatively set the date for the next general election at no later than September 2018.This comes weeks after Laxton Group Limited was awarded a tender to supply ZEC with 3 000 biometric voter registration (BVR) kits. In an interview with Zimpapers Television Network last week, Justice Rita Makarau said the commission anticipated to complete voter registration by December this year and finalise a new voters' roll early next year.Justice Makarau said while the actual proclamation of the next elections was the prerogative of the President, the commission's preparatory exercise made it possible to hold elections before September 2018. "The proclamation is done by the President, it is outside our mandate, and we know, we are sure, that he will be guided by the Constitution and we are anticipating that elections will be not later than September 2018."We had initially ordered 1 500 BVR kits, but then we realised that time was not on our side and we had to renegotiate with the Laxton Group of Companies outside the initial tender document and this has seen us increase the kits to 3 000," she said."According to the agreement that we have signed with them they are supposed to bring the kits into the country 90 days from the date we make payment to them. I am happy to say Treasury has now availed full funding for the kits and soon we will be making the payment to Laxton."Justice Makarau dismissed allegations by opposition parties and the private media that ZEC worked with Israeli company Nikuv to rig the 2013 harmonised elections."The elections were not rigged, they reflected the will of the people of Zimbabwe," she said."We don't know who Nikuv is. As ZEC we have never worked with Nikuv, as ZEC we have no contract with Nikuv, current or past, and we do not intend to work with Nikuv in 2018. In short we do not know Nikuv."Justice Makarau said it was not true that ZEC was controlled by Zanu-PF in the discharge of its duties."We are not biased in favour of any political interest, we are not biased in favour of any political party and the perception that we are inclined to Zanu-PF is regrettable in our view," she said. "We are trying to minimise that perception by making sure that we are open to all political parties and treat them as equals before us."
July 9, 2017

Turkey-Iran ties may be getting stronger

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, briefing reporters on the July 7 meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, acknowledged a broader meeting of the minds when he said, Russia has the same, I think, interest that we do in having Syria become a stable place, a unified place, but ultimately a place where we can facilitate a political discussion about their future, including the future leadership of Syria.

The beginnings of a US-Russian understanding on Syria may be a welcome step toward a political settlement. It could also be a catalyst for a new alignment that brings Turkey closer to Syria and Iran, while testing the limits and extent of Moscows influence among the regional players.

The Trump-Putin summit probably raised more questions than answers in Damascus, Tehran and Ankara. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad cant like discussions about the future leadership of Syria, which at least in the US score means an exit for him. Iranian leaders may also worry that Moscow might entertain offers from Washington about how to pressure Iran, perhaps in return for sanctions relief, although there is no sign so far that this was discussed.

But while Tehran and Damascus may find themselves hunkering down, it is Ankara that may be positioning itself as a spoiler. Metin Gurcan writes, When it couldnt persuade the United States to stop cooperating with the YPG east of the Euphrates, [Ankara] turned its attention to west of the Euphrates.  especially in the area of Syria's Afrin canton controlled by the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG), and at Idlib, controlled by a motley collection of outfits mostly backed by Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lost faith in the United States as a reliable partner in addressing Turkey's primary interest in Syria, which is to thwart the advances of the YPG. While Gurcan rightly notes that Ankara no doubt finds that Moscow is easier to work with than the United States in northern Syria, Erdogan may nonetheless question whether Russia has the will or capacity to settle the score with the YPG on Turkeys terms, especially if there is a warming of US-Russian ties.

Turkey is already rethinking its Syria policy. It is a full partner, with Russia and Iran, in the Astana process. There is also shared interest among Syria, Turkey and Iran in preventing Kurdish autonomy. Iran, Turkey and Iraq have opposed the Kurdistan Region of Iraqs bid for a referendum on independence. The Kurdish backgrounds of the Islamic State operatives who committed the terrorist attacks in Iran on June 7 have amplified concerns about Kurdish separatism, as Fazel Hawramy reports.

The dispute with Qatar led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates is also pushing Turkey and Iran closer. Semih Idiz wrote last month that Erdogans support for Qatar is likely to force Erdogan to ease tensions with Tehran, which also backs Qatar, to avoid facing a new bout of isolation in the region. Tellingly, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was in Ankara literally within hours of the Qatar crisis' breaking out.

Ali Hashem reports, Decision-makers in Tehran understand well that Qatar and Turkey are one axis and are unlikely to fully accept Tehrans regional views. Yet despite these differences, Ankara and Doha dont regard Tehran as an enemy. This is enough to reach common ground on some differences thanks to Riyadhs harsh regional approach, which is seen by all three as endangering fragile regional stability. Another issue that raises concern in Tehran is the Saudi insistence on imposing Riyadhs agenda on its neighbors and unifying them under its anti-Iran banner, which if fulfilled might mean that the next Trump-backed Saudi step could be directly against Iran.

Such a realignment would test Putin, who welcomes and needs a US partnership to stabilize Syria, but whose leverage with Damascus, Tehran and Ankara could be weakened, rather than strengthened, by closer ties with the United States. Putins endgame is relief from US-led sanctions, and whether Trump can hold off the even more intensive bill pending before the House of Representatives. If no sanctions relief is forthcoming, Putin will have little interest in carrying Trumps water at the expense of his regional ties. Russia might therefore undertake an outwardly passive and inwardly supportive role that allows the regional parties to take the initiative against the Syrian Kurds or others. Moscow might see that as the winning hand.

For the United States, the Russian card should be played carefully, with full appreciation that Tehran, Ankara and Damascus will all have their say.

UNHCR notes "spontaneous returns" in Syria

The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, is seeing a notable trend of spontaneous returns to and within Syria in 2017.  The main factors influencing decisions for refugees to return self-assisted mostly to Aleppo, Hama, Homs, Damascus and to other governorates are primarily linked to seeking out family members, checking on property, and, in some cases, a real or perceived improvement in security conditions in parts of the country.

UNHCR estimates that 440,000 internally displaced people and 31,000 refugees in neighboring countries have so far returned to their homes in 2017, in addition to the return of 260,000 refugees, mostly from Turkey, since 2015.

The trend is fragile and complicated by uncertainty and dangerous security conditions in Syria. UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic said, While there is overall increased hope linked to the recent Astana and Geneva peace talks, [we] believe conditions for refugees to return in safety and dignity are not yet in place in Syria.  At this stage, and while UNHCR will be investing to help, with other partners, to improve conditions in accessible areas inside Syria, refugee returns from host countries can neither be promoted nor facilitated by UNHCR at this stage.

There are 6.3 million internally displaced Syrians and approximately 5 million refugees as a result of the war.

Turkey seizes Syriac properties

Ayla Jean Yackley reports, Turkish authorities have seized approximately 50 properties, totaling hundreds of thousands of square meters, from the Syriac Orthodox Church on grounds their ownership deeds had lapsed, church and community leaders said.

Among the properties are at least two functioning monasteries erected 1,500 years ago, said Kuryakos Ergun, the chairman of the Mor Gabriel Monastery Foundation. The loss of these monuments threatens the survival of one of Turkeys oldest indigenous cultures, she writes.

Yackley explains, Syriacs, sometimes called Assyrians, are heirs to a civilization in historical Mesopotamia that dates back as far as 3500 B.C., and many today still speak a dialect of Aramaic, the language of Christ. Most are Orthodox, but Syriacs belong to different Christian denominations. Their homeland of Tur Abdin, which translates as the Mountain of the Servants of God, is situated on a high plateau between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and is studded with more than 80 monasteries, most in ruins as a number of Syriacs have fled to Europe to escape poverty and persecution over the past half-century. For years, the titles of the properties now in question had been listed in the national land registry as belonging to villages where Syriacs lived. When those villages were incorporated as neighborhoods in the newly established greater municipality of the city of Mardin in 2012, their legal status was dissolved  along with their ability to own property, said Erol Dora, who is a Syriac and one of a handful of Christian lawmakers in the Turkish parliament.

She adds, Community leaders have said that early in the Syrian conflict, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then prime minister, invited the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate to return to Turkey, its seat from A.D. 37 until Turkey expelled it to Syria in 1925. The move did not materialize.
July 9, 2017

UNESCO's July 7 decision to name the old city of Hebron a World Heritage site in danger has been reassuring to many faithful believers around the world. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Foreign Minister Riyad Malki welcomed the vote while Israeli officials angrily attacked it and even mocked the decision by the UN agency.

The UNESCO decision used the English word Hebron and the Arabic word for the city, Al-Khalil. Al-Khalil means companion, a reference to the biblical words that called Abraham Gods companion. Safeguarding such a holy place should be a goal of members of all faiths. Palestinians argue that attempts at monopolizing such sites to one faith or using religion as an instrument of political power is not a helpful move.

Subsequent to the resolution, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it delusional in a Facebook post, and said that this time they determined that the Cave of the Machpela (Patriarchs) is Palestinian, meaning it is not Jewish. But the Los Angeles-based Jewish Journal, however, correctly reported that the resolution did not mention the Cave of the Machpela, and does not designate the site as Palestinian. It said Netanyahu may be inferring that designation based on the committees decision to accept the request from the state of Palestine. (UNESCO is one of the only international bodies to recognize Palestine as a state).

Israel had blocked a UNESCO delegation from visiting Hebron late last month.

After the vote, Israeli Ambassador to UNESCO Carmel Shama-Hacohen stormed the desk of the sessions chairman to protest how the secret ballot was conducted. The Times of Israel reported, The kerfuffle ended after the chairman, a Polish diplomat, called in security.

Press reports from Krakow, Poland, also said that in the immediate aftermath of the vote, Shama-Hacohen took out his cellphone and scornfully informed the committee: Its my plumber in my apartment in Paris. There is a huge problem in my toilet and it is much more important than the decision you just adopted.

Determining a particular religion's ownership of a site is often complicated, particularly for many holy places in Palestine and Israel. The Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) are unified in looking to Abraham as a giant prophet who had faith and courage to obey Gods commandment even when Abraham was called to sacrifice his own son. While Jews and Christians believe the son was Isaac, Muslims hold that the story told in the Quran about the event shows the son was Ismael.

On its main website, UNESCO says, World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located.

After a secret vote engineered by Israel, the committee members voted 12-3, with six abstentions, meeting the two-third majority needed to pass such important resolutions.

According to The Economist, among the 1,052 locations designated by UNESCO as World Heritage sites  of universal value to humanity  perhaps 20% have some connection with worship. Still, Alessandro Balsamo, a UNESCO official who processes new applications for World Heritage status, was quoted in The Economist as saying the UN cultural agency has no mandate to deal with religion as such.

Not every country in the world that has Jewish or Muslim or Christian sites must turn those sites over to the sovereignty of a country that has some kind of connection to that religion. Today, there are Jewish and Christian holy sites in Jordan, for example. Should Jordan relinquish these sites to Israel and the Vatican respectively? Of course not.

Palestinians in Hebron for centuries have kept and protected the Ibrahimi Mosque, where Abraham and his family are said to have been buried.

The Palestinian ambassador to UNESCO, Elias Sanbar, told The Guardian on July 7 that the question of religion had not been part of the so-called inscription process. Palestine has not inscribed a religion on the World Heritage list. Religion cannot be inscribed on such a list, Sanbar was quoted as saying.

The governor of Hebron, Kamel Ahmed, in a public statement distributed to the press, said, This decision shows that Hebron, with its cultural and human heritage, is important to the entire world and not just Palestinians.

Declaring Hebron as an endangered World Heritage site should not be seen as being anti-Jewish or anti-Semitic or pro-Palestinian. Instead, it should be seen as the governor of the city saw it, that the heritage of the city is much bigger than Palestinians and Jews. It should be preserved for generations to come.
An Alabama organization that supports survivors of sexual violence said it has stopped responding to victims because of a lack of funding.

Samatha Belville, executive director of the Shoals Crisis Center in Florence, said the nonprofit is no longer receiving funding from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA). When she contacted Gov. Kay Ivey's office, Belville said the agency was denied emergency funding.

Belville said sexual assault victims and their families in Florence must now travel more than 70 miles to Huntsville to seek help. Shoals Crisis Center, which serves six counties in northwest Alabama, is appealing to the Attorney General's office, she added.

"For now, we are researching options to continue our services to the community, which we have been providing for over twenty-five years," she said on Facebook.

Shoals Crisis Center, formerly known as Rape Response, helps sexual assault victims access medical care and legal and supportive services. The organization also provides a 24/7 crisis phone line and education for victims, family members and the community as a whole.

Belville is urging community members to donate to the Crisis Center or contact Ivey's or the Attorney General's office to express support of the mission.

ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said his organization has provided technical, one-on-one assistance to the Shoals Crisis Center for the past year to address issues related to the terms and conditions of six grants awarded to the nonprofit.

Because of the center's inability to adequately document grant expenditures and its failure to meet reported goals and objectives required, Boswell said ADECA terminated the grants to the Shoals Crisis Center last Thursday.

"While we regret this option, ADECA has a fiduciary responsibility to ensure grant terms and conditions are met per federal guidelines," he said in a statement Sunday night. "We will continue to work with the center's board of directors until the issue is resolved."

Boswell said the grant termination will have no impact on sexual assault victims.

"Resources, counseling, exams, etc. that are all critical to helping a victim become a survivor will continue to be available in the Shoals area and calls to the 24-hour crisis line will receive the appropriate attention and level of service needed," he said.

AL.com has also contacted Ivey's office for a statement and will update this story as more information is available.

This isn't the first time the Crisis Center has struggled to stay afloat. The TimesDaily reports the organization was in "crisis" early last year due to financial issues.

Updated at 8:42 p.m. July 9 to include a statement from ADECA.
Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 225,000 Americans have served as volunteers in 140 countries worldwide, working on behalf of the United States to create lasting change in all kinds of communities.

Among the 37 Peace Corps volunteers from Alabama (according to 2016 statistics) are two Murphy High School graduates from Mobile: Lila Raouf, 24, who recently finished her two-year assignment; and LoRen Burroughs, 26, who is about halfway through hers.

Lila Raouf lived in a large village in the Kyrgyz Republic, where her main project was teaching English at a local school. She reached more than 70 boys and girls with youth leadership camps, taught yoga and helped teachers plan their English lessons.

"Lila has had an extraordinary adventure in the Peace Corps that has allowed her a tremendous insight into world issues," said her mother, LaVada Raouf. "I am so proud of how she has faced the challenges of living in a developing country with resilience, determination, and hard work."

LaVada and her husband, Wael, recently reunited with Lila during a family trip to Turkey. "We are delighted to have her back after 30-plus months, and I am looking forward to all the great things she will accomplish going forward," LaVada said of her oldest daughter.

LoRen Burroughs is serving in an area of Botswana known for its tourism and safari industry. She works at a center for orphans and vulnerable children. Her primary work is creating a healthy and empowered youth community by educating them on topics such as leadership and self-esteem.

"LoRen has always amazed me," said her mother, Bernadette Burroughs. "Even as a little girl, she was smart and always showed great insight, was very caring and giving to anyone in need. She is one of a kind, and she is loved and adored by our family."

When LoRen's younger brother, London Curtis, who works as a model and actor, was asked by a casting director to describe the worst day of his life, he said it was the day his sister left for the Peace Corps - and he meant it.

Lila and LoRen recently answered questions about their Peace Corps service via email. Here are their responses:

Which college did you attend, and what was your major? When did you graduate?

Lila: I attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. I graduated four years later, in 2014, with majors in international studies and near Eastern languages and cultures.

LoRen: I graduated from the University of South Alabama in 2013 with a bachelor of science degree in healthcare management and community development. Afterwards, I received my master of science degree in community development from Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky.

What did you do between graduating and joining the Peace Corps?

Lila: I applied to the Peace Corps at the beginning of my senior year of college and was offered an invitation at my departmental ceremony of graduation. I had only a few months in between graduation and leaving for the Peace Corps. During that time, I worked and spent time with my family in Alabama.

LoRen: Following undergraduate graduation, I moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, for four months to intern at the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation as a health policy and advocacy intern within their Health Access Initiative. While there, I also volunteered at Heifer International, which is a global nonprofit organization based in Little Rock that aims to end global poverty and hunger by providing livestock and training to communities in need of sustainable assistance. After my time in Little Rock, I moved back to Mobile to begin a year-long AmeriCorps position, affectionately known as the "domestic Peace Corps," at Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Alabama.

Had you done much traveling outside the United States before your Peace Corps assignment?

Lila: Before Peace Corps, I had a fair amount of travel experience. My family has traveled internationally since I was a baby, mainly to visit family, but also for vacations. I studied abroad in Cairo, Egypt, during my undergrad.

LoRen: No, not at all. I received my first passport so that I could begin my Peace Corps service. As a Peace Corps volunteer, I always remind my colleagues of the privilege it is to travel and work abroad and how this ability to travel internationally is not accessible to all. I am grateful for the exposure that I received to Peace Corps and international development work throughout my undergraduate career, but I acknowledge that my exposure is not the norm, particularly as a minority woman from the South.

When did you become interested in joining the Peace Corps?

Lila: I became interested in the Peace Corps after returning from my study abroad experience in Egypt. Prior to this year, I had focused on international politics and diplomacy. After witnessing the political transition in Egypt, I decided I wanted to shift my interests from politics to development. I like working on the ground.

LoRen: I first became exposed to Peace Corps during my time at University of South Alabama because the sorority I belong to, Alpha Kappa Alpha, has a partnership with Peace Corps to promote awareness of Peace Corps within minority collegiate communities.

What made you want to become a Peace Corps volunteer?

Lila: I initially wanted to be a Peace Corps volunteer for the international development experience you receive. I was looking for a job that I could get hands-on experience with, and something that would allow me to travel.

LoRen: All the work that I have dedicated my adult life to stems from my altruistic nature and desire to do community work. Peace Corps seemed like a natural choice; to be able to travel abroad and do community, grassroots work has been a dream come true.

Where were you assigned, and what is your job there?

Lila: I was originally assigned to the community youth development program in Jordan. Six months into my service, our program was suspended, and I accepted a transfer to the Kyrgyz Republic in the English education program in April of 2015.

LoRen: I was assigned to Botswana, and my official title is HIV/AIDS civil society capacity building volunteer. I work at a community nonprofit organization that provides care, mentorship and psychosocial support to orphans and vulnerable children. My specific tasks revolve around adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights. I facilitate trainings, programming and initiatives centered on gender-based violence and its connection to HIV, reproductive health, female empowerment and children's rights advocacy.

What was your reaction when you found out where you were going?

Lila: I was really happy that I was invited to serve in Jordan; this was the program I wanted actually. I was upset that I had to leave Jordan, but relieved that my Peace Corps journey was not over and that they were offering me another service in the Kyrgyz Republic.

LoRen: I chose Botswana! Peace Corps gives you the opportunity to dictate your top three choices for country placement, and Botswana was my top choice. I chose Botswana because of its political stability and its prevalence rate of HIV. With an HIV prevalence rate of roughly 19 percent, I felt Botswana would be a good place for my skills in community development and health policy to be put to good use.

How did you handle leaving home/your family?

Lila: It's hard to imagine leaving home for two years. I remember being very anxious and nervous, but also really excited.

LoRen: It was difficult, but I was determined. My family did not understand my desire to leave, initially, but they soon came around (because they had no choice, my bags were packed!). My fiance and circle of friends provided so much love and support prior to my departure. Their support keeps me going, even now after being in country for almost a year.

What have you missed the most about home?

Lila: I think I have missed some aspects of American culture while being away. There is a lot of freedom in the United States that we don't realize we have until we live in another society were there aren't as many options of what to eat, where to go, what to do for fun, etc. And of course I miss Target and Chipotle.

LoRen: I genuinely miss people who understand me on a deep level. Being in a foreign country requires constant adaptation and continuous attempts to integrate and understand a culture unlike your own. I miss being surrounding by those I deeply relate to.

How long did it take you to adjust to life in your assigned country?

Lila: The first three months of your service is training, and this was a big adjustment period. I think I adjusted to Jordan quickly because I had a lot of culture and language experience prior to my service. But Kyrgyzstan was more difficult for me; it took me six months to really get into a routine living there.

LoRen: That's the thing: I am still adjusting. And I probably will still be attempting to adjust until my service ends. Yet, I have finally become comfortable in Botswana and my village. I have a routine, I have neighbors who I stop to chat with daily. I have a new favorite grocery store. I've begun to develop a sense of normalcy again. Botswana is home.

What do you like most about the country you're living in?

Lila: I love the textiles and handicrafts of Kyrgyzstan, specifically southern Kyrgyzstan, which is where I live. My site is situated where the Silk Road once was, so as you could imagine the clothes, rugs and other textiles are amazingly beautiful.

LoRen: I love that Batswana (Botswana citizens) have a deep connection to a culture that has sustained them for generations. Coming from America, I don't think there is such a thing as a "unified culture"; we are truly a melting pot in that way. In Botswana, culture is the underlying vein of every facet of life. It dictates how you greet elders, how you prepare your food, how you communicate with your colleagues. It is rooted in utmost respect for your fellow countrymen, and it is a beautiful thing to observe and be a part of.

What's your daily life like?

Lila: I am a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) volunteer in a village school. So I go to school almost every day in the morning until the afternoon. During school, I either co-teach or observe classes, provide feedback or advice to teachers, or conduct trainings or seminars. In the afternoon, I might go into the nearby city to buy groceries or run other errands.

LoRen: Peace Corps volunteers' schedules vary, but my daily life is extremely similar to my life in the United States prior to coming to Botswana. I work from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. I sit at a desk with my laptop, working on grant proposals or sexual health programming. I take a lunch break around 1 p.m. and sit with children at the center who eat lunch around the same time. After work, I usually walk to the grocery store to pick up food for dinner or to buy airtime (reloadable phone data). I go home, cook dinner, work out or practice yoga, and then it's bedtime.

Where do you live, and what's that like?

Lila: My village is Kengesh, which is about 20 minutes outside of Osh city, the second biggest city of Kyrgyzstan. My village is ethnically Kyrgyz, but the city is more diverse with a mix of Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Tajik, Russian and then foreigners. My village is rural, but since it is close to a city it sometimes feels like a big suburb. The homes are big and families have large plots of land and animals. People are always working, either in school, in their business or at home. Aesthetically, the village is beautiful. It has large trees along the streets, flowers everywhere, and cows and horses roaming about.

LoRen: I live in a large village with about 65,000 residents. There are grocery stores, coffee shops, hotels and even an international airport. On the continuum of extremely rural to more developed, my village definitely lies closer to the more developed end. I live in a small yellow house with a fence around it that barely keeps the chickens out of my yard. I have electricity and sporadic access to running water. Initially, going without running water for days at a time was difficult, but you'd be surprised how easy it is to adapt. My neighborhood is filled with children and working professionals. I walk everywhere, but I truly enjoy it. Peace Corps volunteers are not allowed to own or drive cars and that has been, surprisingly, a blessing in disguise. Being able to walk around my village gives me an opportunity to meet so many people and the opportunity to truly integrate.

What do you do for fun there?

Lila: For fun, I usually go into the city and get lunch with colleagues or other volunteers in the area. During the summer, I like to go to outdoor cafes to enjoy the weather.

LoRen: Other than being away from family and friends, my life, and hobbies, have not changed much. I read books on my Kindle, listen to podcasts or catch up with one of friends at one of the local coffee shops.

How often do you communicate with your family and friends, and by what means of communication?

Lila: I speak with my family almost every day via WhatsApp. It's really easy to keep in touch with family and friends across the world thanks to social media.

LoRen: Every day! I have access to messaging through Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp or video calls through Google Hangouts when connected to Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi is not as consistent as many may be accustomed to in the United States, but I am able to stay connected, one way or another, every day.

What's the best thing that's happened to you during your Peace Corps experience so far?

Lila: It's hard to choose one thing as being the best from my service. I feel like I have learned so much about the world through my Peace Corps experience. It's really eye-opening to see how different societies live: what they prioritize, how they work, how they celebrate, etc. Family truly is the center of life in both Jordan and Kyrgyzstan, and witnessing this has really changed how I want to live my life and what I find most important.

LoRen: So many wonderful things have happened to me during my service, it is hard to pinpoint one. My job working with adolescent sexual health and gender equity has been the highlight of my service, and I could not have asked for a better placement.

Has joining the Peace Corps changed your life? If so, how?

Lila: Peace Corps changed me definitely. I feel more capable and experienced. Not only did I gain incredible work experience, I feel like a better person now: more empathetic, patient, flexible, and understanding. I appreciate things that we take for granted in the US, like nature, good weather, and family.

LoRen: Without a doubt. Professionally, I have gained an insurmountable amount of practical skills in the field of nonprofit management, organizational development, gender equity, global health, and human rights. But, more personally, joining Peace Corps has been the most difficult decision I've had to make within my adult life. Leaving your home and starting anew in an unfamiliar place is never easy. But, for two years? It takes bravery and fortitude. Deciding to join Peace Corps solidified, for me, that I do possess these characteristics and I am stronger and more determined than I ever gave myself credit for being. It is a wonderful feeling.

My service has proven to me that nothing is too far out-of-reach; no matter your background or circumstances, the seemingly impossible is possible.

What do you plan/hope to do after you finish your service? (And when is that?)

Lila: I am traveling all summer and returning to Mobile in August. I am hoping to work in Mobile for a year or so, help out with some initiatives I feel passionate about and save up so I can pursue a MBA.

LoRen: I will complete my service approximately one year from now. After returning, I plan to devote my time to nonprofit work with a concentration on gender equity, children's rights and service to the marginalized, in one form or another.
With less than six weeks to make their cases with Alabama voters, seven Republican candidates in the special election for the U.S. Senate took their campaigns to Montgomery today.

The Montgomery County Republican Executive Committee hosted a candidate forum that drew all the major candidates except for Roy Moore.

Moore attended another forum held this morning in Vestavia Hills.

The Montgomery forum was held at the Farmers Market Cafe. The candidates gave opening remarks, fielded questions submitted in writing by attendees and made a final pitch in closing remarks.

Before and after the forum, candidates shook hands and mingled with an audience that packed the restaurant, known as a familiar stopping place for state politicians.

Sen. Luther Strange, U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks of Huntsville, state Sen. Trip Pittman of Baldwin County, physician Randy Brinson of Montgomery, physician James Beretta of Pelham, businessman Dom Gentile of Hoover and business consultant Bryan Peeples of Birmingham appeared.

Brooks won a straw poll taken during the forum, while Brinson finished second.

Voters will go to the polls Aug. 15 in the special primary to fill the seat Jeff Sessions left when he became U.S. attorney general. Ten Republicans and eight Democrats are running. Runoffs, if necessary, will be Sept. 26. The general election is Dec. 12.

Strange, appointed by former Gov. Robert Bentley to fill the seat until the special election, said Alabama needs a strong supporter of the Trump administration in Washington.

"President Trump is the greatest thing that's happened to this country," Strange said. "I consider it a Biblical miracle that he's there."

Strange got some applause when he called for the immediate repeal of Obamacare, which he called a "disaster." He said federal involvement in the health care system has gone far beyond providing a basic safety net for the neediest.

"We're going to take care of the most vulnerable citizens," Strange said. "But remember what this was intended to do, was to take care of disabled individuals and poor women and children. We have now turned it into a massive entitlement, just one example of the problems facing this country."

Brooks, who was a county prosecutor, county commissioner and state legislator before being elected to Congress, touted what he said was a public service career unmarred by ethical questions.

"In that roughly 30 years of public service I've never had an ethics complaint filed against me with the Alabama Ethics Commission and never had any kind of complaint filed with any federal government oversight agency," Brooks said. "So that's something that I offer, it's a track record you can look at to verify that I'll be as candid and honest as I can possibly be with you, and I'll put country and state before personal interest."

Brooks noted his endorsements from what he called "conservative thought leaders," Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and Mark Levin.

Pittman, who owns a tractor and equipment business in Baldwin County, said Alabama voters need to send a businessman to the Senate. Pittman also said his experience in the Legislature, including as chairman of both Senate budget committees, would be an asset in Washington.

"Somebody that actually has been in the process and has served in government, has balanced budgets, paid back debt and understands the interaction between the federal government and the state government and understand the consequences of any action has a reaction," Pittman said.

Pittman's campaign reported raising $302,000 during the second quarter of 2017, with more than 90 percent of the contributors from Alabama.

"I've raised my money from people in the state of Alabama. That's the people I'm going to represent," Pittman said.

Brinson said he has a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act and also talked about what he said was valuable international business experience that would be an asset on trade deals.

"I'm running because I'm tired of the corruption in Alabama and Washington," said Brinson, who took leave from his position as president of the Christian Coalition of Alabama to run for the Senate. "All our biblical values and convictions compel us to speak out against corruption, which I've done. I'm tired of our values and our faith being mocked by liberal elites. I'm tired of career politicians who say they're conservative, and then vote like liberals.

"President Trump wasn't supposed to win this election. He was an outsider, not a career politician. Well, neither am I. This is my first run for office and I'm proud to say I fully support President Trump's agenda. I'm ready to go to Washington to fight for the president's agenda. We need to build a wall, we need to fix our immigration process, we need to repeal and replace Obamacare before it totally collapses."

Gentile, who owns a commercial cleaning business, said he would not accept any money from political action committees. He said special interest influence is preventing the Republican leadership in Washington from making the changes needed.

"So until that goes away, people aren't going to make decisions in your best interest and in your grandchild's best interests and in your children's best interests," Gentile said. "It's just not going to happen."

Beretta, an anesthesiologist and pain management specialist, said the Affordable Care Act, which he called a "tax bill" rather than a health care law, should be repealed. He said Alabama needs a leader in Washington on health care, taxes and education and other issues to improve the quality of life in the state.

"That's what I'd like you to see in me," Beretta said. "Someone who will lead you in those areas. Especially bringing our children forward through better education, better quality of life."

Peeples, 37, noted that he was the youngest candidate in the field.

"My generation has been marginalized by the decisions that our federal government and our state government has enacted," Peeples said. "My generation has been through three economic downturns we are recovering from or are attempting to recover from.

"The American dream, the foundation on which this country was stabilized on, has been chipped away, over and over again for the last 30 years. It's time that we step up to take the reins of leadership and we start looking towards the future, we start seeing hope, and start looking for the better days that are in front of us."

Brooks received 50 votes in the straw poll. Brinson received 33, Strange 15, Pittman 14, Moore 11, Gentile 6 and four were undecided.

Edited at 8:07 a.m. to make minor change in results of straw poll.
During an early-morning traffic stop in Florence, a University of North Alabama officer fired multiple shots after the suspect tried to flee.

The shooting occurred just before 3 a.m. on July 9, during a traffic stop near Norton Auditorium at the intersection of Pine Street and Irving Street, according to Senior Trooper Johnathan Appling of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Authorities said the driver attempted to run over the officer and then fled the scene.

The officer fired multiple shots.

The driver was shot and injured, and fled the scene. She later crashed her red sedan into a utility pole at the intersection of Pine Street and College Street. The car flipped on its side.

The driver was taken to Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital in Florence for treatment. The extent of the injuries is not currently known.

Special agents with ALEA's State Bureau of Investigation are currently investigating the incident. The officer involved is on leave pending investigation.

Campus officers at UNA are certified police officers, and not security guards.

Once the investigation is complete, the findings will be turned over to the Lauderdale County District Attorney.
NASA has a message for Vice President Mike Pence: It's all good.

Pence created a social media uproar today when a photo taken during a tour of Kennedy Space Center in Florida showed him with his hand on a piece of the Orion spacecraft just below a sign that read "Critical Space Flight Hardware DO NOT TOUCH."

Pence himself soon joined in the online discussion, jokingly blaming the situation on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio:

The vice president also tweeted:

Okay...so this isn't exactly the first time this has happened. pic.twitter.com/6Y7b3UlJXe  Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) July 7, 2017

Rubio had a response of his own:

In fairness, I warned @VP that "you break it, you own it" https://t.co/X5ROcnDVCd  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 7, 2017

NASA issued a statement of its own later in the day.

"The (do-not-touch) signs are there as a day-to-day reminder, including the one visible on the titanium Forward Bay Cover for the Orion spacecraft," said Jen Ray Wang, a spokesperson for the U.S. space agency. "Procedures require the hardware to be cleaned before tiles are bonded to the spacecraft, so touching the surface is absolutely OK. Otherwise, the hardware would have had a protective cover over it like a thermal heat shield, which was nearby."

And just in case there was any doubt, NASA added a cheeky tweet of its own:
Most people have had the experience of coming into work only to be confronted with news that the email isn't working, or the phones are dead, or the website is down. On Tuesday, June 27, the workforce at the APM Terminals facility in Mobile arrived to find that nothing was working.

Not the office phones. Not the company email. Not the contact lists that were supposed to be instantly accessible on everybody's cell phones. Not even the scales used to weigh cargo due to be loaded on outgoing ships.

A complete data blackout is not a good situation to have at a container terminal that might unload 1,000 or 1,500 containers a day from incoming ships and has an inventory of 5,000 to 10,000 containers on its lots at any given time, waiting for their next move by rail or water or road. Before long, those at the Mobile operation realized this wasn't the result of a crashed server or a severed fiber line: They were caught up in a cyberattack wreaking havoc around the globe.

The ransomware attack named "Petya" was first detected in the Ukraine but it spread to governmental and corporate systems scattered across the world. Among the hardest-hit companies was the Denmark-based international shipping giant AP Moller-Maersk. Many Maersk operations, including many port facilities managed by its APM Terminals subsidiary, were locked out of their own systems.

For the first time since the attack, Brian Harold, the managing director of APM Terminals Mobile, has shared details of the unprecedented effort to get the Mobile facility up and running after the unexpected knockdown. Speaking on Friday, July 7, he said that while the terminal shut down only one day, the recovery effort is ongoing.

"You don't realize how important all of your IT systems are, until you're without all of them, all of a sudden," he said. The immediate challenge was to piece corporate lines of communication back together via cell calls and text messages. "The first couple of hours were pretty challenging," he said. "You really have to take a step back and say, 'Okay, I can figure this out. Where can I find this person's information, what was that person's phone number,' and then you're also receiving messages without a name attached to it. But we got all that stuff sorted out rather quickly."

Before long, Maersk and APM officials were getting a handle on the big picture through conference calls. Locally, Harold said, "We decided quickly to close business for that day."

But that didn't mean anybody was sitting still. With corporate email down, people started setting up temporary Gmail accounts and working to recover at least some of their contacts.

That might sound a little basic to anyone who's resorted to Gmail when their company email borked. But apparently it's not unusual even for multi-billion-dollar conglomerates. On June 29, shipping industry site splash247.com reported on Maersk's struggles, saying that Maersk, "arguably one of the most sophisticated, IT savvy shipping companies in the world" had been working "as if it had gone back in time to the mid-1990s."

According to the splash247.com report, a company official said that "Maersk's New Zealand staff had been keeping operations going manually, using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and hand written information to tell Port of Auckland and Port of Tauranga what to do with the cargo that needed to be unloaded off its ships."

In Mobile, with their own communications crippled, APM executives relied on the Alabama State Port Authority to help get word out to trucking companies and customers. ASPA's engagement was critical, Harold said: "They were proactive in communicating with us and putting out information releases to the port community about what we had going on."

The APM Terminals facility at the Port of Mobile is in the center of this view from the ninth floor of Mobile's Government Plaza. The photo was taken before two new container cranes were unloaded from the ship that brought them from China. (Lawrence Specker/LSpecker@AL.com)

Meanwhile, at a corporate level, APM and Maersk began sending out regular updates via social media, particularly Twitter. "There's no question," said Harold. "Social media was something that was still working as a means of communication, so we had to use everything that we had at our disposal."

Harold and others thought it would be feasible to get the Mobile terminal back in business in "manual mode." The first order of business, he said, was one that outsiders might not have expected. It wasn't about cranes and trucks and trains, it was about U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

"Every import that we're going to give to a trucker and let it go out the gate, first has to be released by U.S. Customs," he said. There's an electronic system for that - but, at least on APM's end, it was kaput.

"We had no visibility to what was and was not released," Harold said. "The first day, a lot of time was spent on [the question of] 'Can we even open on Wednesday?' And the real driver there was, 'Can we get communication with Customs?'"

Fortunately, Harold said, the customs office in Mobile has always been "outstanding to work with." They helped hammer out a system using external email accounts.

"Ultimately it is our responsibility to make sure that nothing that U.S. Customs has placed on hold is released, and we take that very seriously," Harold said. "So we weren't going to let anything get out the gate unless we were 100 percent sure that it was cleared by customs."

The next steps were to develop similar workarounds with trucking companies, and to establish a manual inventory system. "What's inside each container is important to somebody," he said.

Every container, including those coming in via truck to be loaded onto ships, comes with a lot of data, and usually that data is handled by electronic systems. With those dead, the trucking companies had to do just as much work as APM to fill in the blanks.

"I can't stress this enough," Harold said, "how closely we had to work with each individual truck driver to make sure they were giving us that information."

In the days after the attack, people driving past the terminal on I-10 sometimes noticed long lines of trucks backed up over the bridge leading to the terminal and lined up along exit ramps and side streets. While it might have looked chaotic, it actually was a sign that things were working - which wasn't the case at all the ports were the Petya attack had hit. Some remained closed, according to APM's bulletins.

At the time, Judith Adams, the Port Authority's vice president for marketing, said that "commerce can't stop, and that was the intent of this attack, to stop commerce."

Harold said he couldn't speak to the intent of the attack, but that he completely agreed with the "commerce can't stop" sentiment. He said that at APM Terminals in Mobile, it was that very sentiment that drove the all-hands-on-deck effort to make things happen. It was the sentiment that drove management and a largely union workforce, represented primarily by the International Longshoremen's Association, to set aside potential conflict and pull together.

"Everybody was very motivated around that statement," he said. "The workforce here has been very driven. People are tired from all the hours they've put in over the past couple of weeks, but what's motivated them, and me, has been just that: We're not going to let commerce stop here. We take way too much pride in our port, we take too much pride in the service we provide, and we value our customers too much to sit on our hands and just sulk at what happened. We figured out ways to get things done.

"It was, anything it took to get it done, was the mindset," he said.

Harold said that, ten days later, the APM Terminal was still striving for full recovery.

"From the time we reopened on Wednesday [June 28] until now, we've gotten better each day. I think our customers would say that as well," he said.

"The speed with which we're processing trucks is essentially back to where we were before the cyberattack happened," he added, though it still is taking more manpower to maintain that status. With the site's most critical systems back online, Harold said, "we're definitely on the back end of the recovery." He said he expects another "quantum leap" toward normalcy next week.

Cyber-attack update: July 4th, 6:00PM



Further details: https://t.co/k1WzQfEp7B. Please contact terminals directly for additional info. pic.twitter.com/s34iWsa9E0  APM Terminals (@APMTerminals) July 4, 2017

Meanwhile, in the thick of it all, the facility successfully welcomed two massive new container cranes that will greatly increase its capacity. That operation, at least wasn't slowed down by the cyberattack.

Harold said he couldn't predict what lessons Maersk and APM would draw from the incident, or what action it might take to prevent future attacks. But he said that for himself, the big lessons were about teamwork and disaster preparation.

"I'm proud of the fact that we were up and running within 24 hours of the cyberattack," he said. "I would attribute that to the relationships that we have with a lot of the key stakeholders. On any given day in the Port of Mobile, it really is a team effort. I mean, I've been amazed at how many different companies can pull together to try to accomplish something."

That's not something to be taken for granted in any port city, he said. "What I've seen in my time here, and I've been in the Port of Mobile for seven years, is that camaraderie among the port community is unmatched."

Another key factor, he said, was that the APM staff had gone through a variety of disaster-recovery drills over the years, giving them practice in how to handle a situation where one system or another was down. And that experience, he said, was vital to the terminal's efforts to rebound.

Disaster recovery planning can be a time-consuming headache, he said, but this helped demonstrate the value of having contingency plans in place. And maybe it also suggests the value of a more comprehensive drill.

"When it comes to disaster recovery, when you're planning it, you have to start at, 'What if we lose all of our capabilities? What if we lose all of our systems?' ... The work that we put into disaster recover, it certainly pays off."
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

A political analyst Vince Musewe has said the curse of Africa's resources has become the blessing for the pseudo revolitionaries liberation struggle predatory elite class in partnership with foreign predators.He said investigations Correspondent at the Financial Times, Tom Burgis published a book titled "The looting machine"."It is kaleidoscope of the penury of Africa caused by a coalition between an international predatory mafia and African Presidents and their predatory coalitions made up of the army, intelligence services and state institutions that are raping Africa's resources at the expense of citizens and economic development," Musewe said."It is a shocking saga of the deliberate underdevelopment and theft of Africa's resources by the very individuals who claim to have liberated Africa from colonialism. The looting machine is a well organised orchestrated partnership between China and African liberation struggle elite who initiate resource based exploitation projects in Africa fronted by Western consultants and middlemen with contacts in Africa's highest offices and families of the elite robbers."Musewe said from the DRC, to Angola, to the Niger, to Zimbabwe, nearly every African country has been duped by smooth-talking politically connected corporate criminals who peddle resource deals which significantly undervalue African resources"Reading this book left me with disgust and anger but we the new generation of Africans must do whatever it takes to reverse this rot," he said."African is not poor but poorly managed. (Ellen Johnson Sirleaf quote). Same applies to Zimbabwe."
Al Jazeeras Jamela Alindogan writes about her journey when covering the battle for control of Marawi.

Night veils Marawis face again.

It is Ramadan and the minarets are silent. The call to prayers have been replaced by the sounds of artillery bombs.

My back hurts from the flak jacket, so I sit and lean on a wall.

Everything is pitch-black from where I sit at the checkpoint, but I can still feel the movements of police, their sadness and exhaustion cutting through the dark.

Its the eighth day of the siege, and the strain is showing on everyone.

This is Marawi City in a time of war, a place where lines once clearly defined are now often blurred.

READ MORE: The battle for Marawi  Confusion and contradictions

A police officer comes up to me and asks if I have medicines because his colleague is running high with fever.

Of course, I say as I hand over some paracetamol.

Aerial bombardments are relentless, even in the dead of night. It no longer bothers me. I take out my notebook and I start writing, slowly at first.

But in the distance, I can hear the desperate howling of stray dogs. Their cries are unlike anything I have heard before. It sends me into a panic. There are dead bodies in the city yet to be retrieved.

We can all smell death.

I close my notebook and ask our team to leave our position immediately.

A colossal blunder

The government claims members of the Maute group have been cornered, but very few government officials admit that a military solution is enough.

Weeks before it happened, talks of an impending attack by terrorist groups was rife but the intelligence information coming in was sparse. Now, more than a month since the siege started, the whole situation is starting to look like a colossal blunder.

As the war continues, how does one even quantify loss from both sides? How does one measure security, let alone victory?

Perhaps these can only be weighed by the seemingly insurmountable amount of grief around us.

So much blood has been spilled in this city, and Marawi has turned desolate.

READ MORE: Rodrigo Duterte  One year on, as popular as ever

In the more than ten years that I have been covering Mindanao, I have learned how to identify an artillery strike from a grenade based on how they drop. I have also learned that if a bullet whizzes past me, it is a close call.

These days I am learning that the war in Marawi is unlike any other. Even a military officer admits the destruction in Marawi is worse than the burning of Jolo in 1974, during the time of martial law under the Marcos regime, when thousands of Moros perished.

I fear it may just be the start of another vicious cycle of violence.

Now, more than 30 years since the Marcos regime ended, this is how martial law begins.

In a little over a month, thousands of voiceless bakwits  men, women and children, young and old  cramp themselves in evacuation centres where they endure heat, despair, and persecution.

This is martial law, where ordinary civilians risk their lives to rescue those who remain trapped in the midst of fighting in the city.





Unlike top police officials who go around for photo ops in bulletproof gear, these volunteer rescuers venture into the city wearing white, plastic helmets and vests made of cloth, with prayers clutched in their hearts as their only protection.

This is martial law, where the state uniform means command in the midst of criticism, injury, and death, and where the cost on the military piles high as generals call on soldiers to pay the ultimate price.

The best of the military hardware is here. Thousands of soldiers have been deployed and air strikes have been relentless, with the police force also at the militarys disposal.

And yet the leadership of the military cant even commit themselves to saying when this will be over.

Another day, another deployment

Wildflowers stained with blood, a fading Arabic inscription on a wall, a broken shoe, a dead animal. This place is an image of destruction and death.

We drive near the besieged areas of Marawi and it is a city scarred, that much is clear. This place is a pile of rubble and steel; the streets are empty, and it is dirty and hot in here.

READ MORE: Rodrigo Duterte threatens to jail martial law critics

And yet, the worst is yet to come.

Lives were interrupted, and what is left of the city is far from comforting. One of these days, the military operations will stop, air strikes will cease, and the sound of fighting will be replaced by the sound of prayer as the people return to their city  a sound that will linger as the people continue their struggle towards peace and healing.

For the people of Marawi, this war means nothing but a lifetime of grief.
Three years on, a reporter and Ebola survivor speaks to some of the Liberians who were affected by the 2014 outbreak.

Monrovia, Liberia  The storm in Liberia began three years ago this summer. The word Ebola had first passed from radio to ear across the country in spring. In June, the disease was no more than an ethereal curiosity, vaguely menacing but thankfully confined to the faraway Guinean jungles and more likely to be the butt of a joke or conspiracy theory in Monrovia than cause for real concern.

But by the same month one devastating year later, nearly 5,000 Liberians had been killed by the disease. Many of them had been unceremoniously cremated at a remote site near a beach, the fragments of their bones dumped into oil drums or buried near pyres hastily set up by the government as part of a euphemistically dubbed safe burial programme.

Thousands more survived the disease, leaving foreboding treatment units for empty homes, their lives turned upside down by the loss of loved ones, with aching joints and heartache as the daily price on the ledger of their victory.





Those who encountered Ebola in those frantic months of mid-to-late-2014 share a strange bond: whether they are health workers who faced tragedy every day in the struggle to save lives, survivors who have been confronted with the imperative to move forward despite immeasurable loss, or journalists who found themselves near the heart of the outbreaks daily nightmares, there is a sense of disquiet at how quickly the storm appeared and then vanished.

Jarring memories that set the course of lives dwell in unvisited corners of the mind, not quite collecting dust but not shared generously either, framed by grief, guilt, and a cocktail of other emotions.

For most Liberians, the outbreak will always be a confusing footnote in the countrys modern history, an unsettling moment best left in the past lest it be conjured back into existence.

But for a few, the disease left deep marks. They will carry their memories of that panicked, terrible time with them forever.

Three years after it began, here are some of their stories.

Dr Jerry Brown

The doctor

When the Ebola crisis was at its peak of international news attention, in the autumn of 2014, a typical cable television viewer probably imagined an Ebola doctor as a European or American volunteer, moved by compassion and noble impulse to join the response. Without any doubt, there were many doctors who fit that archetype, and they were heroes.

But most of the health workers on the front lines of the response in Liberia were themselves Liberians. Nurses, technicians, and doctors were hit disproportionately by the virus, dying in high numbers, particularly in the early days of the outbreak when nobody was yet sure how to protect themselves. By the time the crisis wound down in the spring of 2015, 288 Liberian health workers were listed by the WHO as confirmed or probable Ebola cases.

In the summer of 2014, Dr Jerry Brown was the medical director at the Eternal Love Winning Africa hospital on the outskirts of Monrovia. Known as ELWA hospital, the facility was one of the first to care for Ebola patients. In August 2014, two American missionary doctors who were working there, Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, were infected and evacuated to the United States, signalling the start of Ebolas prominence in news bulletins across the world.

Now, Brown sits behind his desk in the administrative wing of the hospital, which was expanded into a maze of one-storey concrete units and reopened to great fanfare last year. The sound of the generator that powers his wing hums angrily in the background and his blue scrubs frame a face that smiles gently, almost sadly, as he remembers his months as an Ebola fighter.

After the two American doctors and a Liberian nurse fell ill, panic gripped staff members at the hospital and some urged Brown to close the hospital.

Some of them said, If I get infected I will come to your house and hug your wife,' he remembers, laughing at the memory of his colleagues fury over his decision to keep the emergency room open. But he says that despite the risks, closing the hospital would have led to preventable deaths for routine emergencies, pointing to a ledger with a list of procedures performed that summer. If I had shut the hospital down, what would have happened to those people?





By mid-August, the number of cases began to skyrocket in Monrovia, jumping from less than 100 new patients a week through most of July to nearly 300 a week. Doctors Without Borders opened a large treatment unit near ELWA, but the Liberian Ministry of Health asked Dr Brown to set up a parallel unit nearby.

We said we dont want any missionary doctors joining our unit, he recalls. We will do it as Liberians, as a Liberian staff. We didnt want any expatriates dying in our unit. If you want to give us support, we will take the supplies, but here we want to take care of patients on our own.

The unit, known as ELWA2, was set up to care for 60 patients, but was quickly housing upwards of 100, with some lying on mats on the floor. Doctors Without Borders had suspended the administration of intravenous rehydration, citing concerns over staff safety, but Browns unit continued to provide IV fluids to patients, sometimes directly into their jugular vein in a difficult procedure that carried the risk of infection for his staff. When he saw a colleague, another doctor, lying on a stretcher in a pool of blood, his staff began to bathe patients in their beds.

I said, the depression will kill these people. If [the protective equipment] we are wearing will protect us from the fluids, can anybody give me a reason why we cant give patients bed baths?

For months, he and his team worked between 12 and 15 hours a day, seven days a week.

What motivated my staff and myself to work harder was that every time we saw someone survive, it was a kind of jubilation. We felt that we had achieved some kind of victory, he says.

Sometimes, when I look at the things I did, I ask myself why was I so foolish? ... I think I was just moved by my quest to see someone live by Dr Jerry Brown

Of the first 49 patients that Brown and his staff treated in July and August, only one survived. But by September, the survival rate at his unit was as high as 45 percent. At night, he would pore over medical journals, hoping to glean any insight into how he might push it higher.

Finally, in February, after months in which he worked for as many as 12 hours a day in the unit, cases in Liberia had declined enough that Dr Brown felt it was time for him to leave.

Sometimes, when I look at the things I did, I ask myself why was I so foolish? What was the force driving me to do this? he says.

I think I was just moved by my quest to see someone live.

Now, Brown is back as the medical director and general surgeon at ELWA hospital, performing a variety of procedures for the low-income patients who visit the hospital.

The building where he fought Ebola has reverted back to its intended purpose of laundromat and cafeteria. He has tried to eat there only once. I began to imagine things that happened there, people dying, and I just walked away, he says.

Brown says he is surprised by how quickly the three years since the crisis have passed by, but that his experience treating Ebola patients changed him forever.

It made me more humble. Life as a whole is nothing to brag about. It can just go away at any time. I cant say Im a doctor and brag about it, because anything can happen at any time. It made me less afraid of death.

Foday Gallah

The ambulance driver

During the peak of the crisis, the sound of sirens was pervasive in Monrovia. Ambulances would screech along the main highways on their way to overcrowded treatment centres where they would often have to wait for hours for the patients they were carrying to be admitted.

The most ubiquitously visible ambulances were adorned with the picture and name of a local politician, Representative Saah Joseph, who had raised funds from abroad to purchase two used ambulances.

Foday Gallah, a stocky 38-year-old with a booming laugh and broad smile was one of the drivers selected by Joseph to work in the ambulances in the months before the outbreak. Gallah was a nursing student at the time with ambitions of becoming a doctor.

Now, amid the clink of silverware in an upscale hotel dining room near a pristine Liberian beach, Gallah remembers a time far removed from the peace and luxury that surrounds him.

I feel a lot of pride that I was able to help people in the midst of fear while others were running away by Foday Gallah

In the early spring of 2014, after the first few cases had put health officials in the country on edge, a few colleagues of Gallahs had been sent to northern Liberia to receive training on how to deal with Ebola patients. When they came back they said, Foday, what we saw, you have to be careful. It might just enter Monrovia, he says.

By summer, their prediction had come true, and along with the other drivers, Gallah began responding to dozens of calls every day across Monrovia.

We stopped responding to normal cases because, by then, doctors and nurses were running away, he says. We couldnt blame them because nobody understood the virus and they were running for their lives. But people needed to fill in the gaps so the country could be safe.

As cases mounted, the calls became more frequent and panicked. Sometimes, he would respond only to find hostile family members who refused to believe that their relatives were sick with Ebola. Other times, his patients would die in the ambulance en route to the treatment unit. The stress began to take its toll on him.

It was terrible, but as a leader, you had to brave the storm. Because if I had shown discouragement and fear, [the other workers] wouldnt be brave, so I had to muster the courage. But the fear was in me, he remembers.

Gallahs private telephone number became a direct line for scared relatives looking for someone to pick up sick family members and his life became a haze of manic journeys weaving through traffic across town. I never had what they call night, he says. In fact, at night, the calls would triple.

In August, Gallah received a call to pick up a few members of a family that had fallen ill. A few days later, he returned to the same house to pick up the rest of the family, who had also begun to show symptoms. En route to the ambulance, a young boy he was cradling in his arms vomited onto his protective equipment.

Less than a week later, Gallah decided to take his first day off in weeks. Midway through the day, while helping to disinfect a neighbours house, he began to feel feverish and experience pains in his joints.

I couldnt even stand, so I knew, he says.

Gallahs colleagues drove him to the Doctors Without Borders treatment unit. All the doctors and nurses knew me, he remembers. They were so downhearted, they just came in looking at me in sorrow.

For two weeks, Gallah fought the disease. Patients lying beside him died in front of his eyes, but he remained resolute, drinking juices that Joseph sent to him and steeling himself against the pain.

Finally, he received the news that he would survive.

When he returned home, Gallah was too weak to ride in the ambulance, but he began taking calls again, helping to direct his colleagues towards urgent cases.

At first, some of his neighbours avoided him and refused to shake his hand out of fear that he might still be carrying the virus.

I was ashamed to go around people, he says. Sometimes, I would just sit around by myself and cry. But once I cried it out, Id feel okay.

Slowly, the stigma subsided, and his community began to embrace him again. It was a turning point for me, he recalls. If my family and community can accept me, I can get over it.

Gallah struggled with joint pains and fatigue for months after being discharged, but he says that as time passed, hes come to terms with what he went through.

The first time I drove by the [Doctors Without Borders] unit, I cried. But now its normal, I just pass it by or go there for meetings, he says. Life has to go on.

I feel a lot of pride that I was able to help people in the midst of fear while others were running away. I feel proud that God was able to use me to help somebody.

Gallah is frustrated at what he feels is the Liberian governments neglect of health workers and survivors, and the countrys eagerness to quickly move on as soon as the death toll fell.

It happened, and I saw it, he says. I felt it. I lived with it.

Dominic Kollie

The survivor

I first met Dominic Kollie in September 2014. Kollie had contracted and survived Ebola a month earlier. A gaunt 22-year-old, he had lost 24 members of his family before being hired by Doctors Without Borders to work as a psychosocial counsellor for sick patients in the unit.

When we met again in February 2015, he was broken. He spoke mournfully of his family, with tears streaming down his face. He had been particularly close to his mother, and her loss had hit him hard. He told me that his life felt like an empty room.

Now, Kollie is nearly unrecognisable. He has put on what looks like 20 pounds of muscle and cuts an imposing figure in his camouflage Armed Forces of Liberia uniform. Just a year after being discharged from treatment, he was accepted as an army recruit. Speeding in and out of a choked Monrovia thoroughfare in a worn Toyota Corolla and blaring its horn at slow-moving taxis, he speaks in the clipped tones of a soldier. Kollie has carved out a new life for himself, and his resilience shows.

When Kollie entered boot camp in September 2015, he was still struggling with the joint and muscle pains common to most survivors.

It was a bit hard for me, he says, But I kept pushing until my body adjusted. Nothing was easy for me but I just had to fight it.

I lost a lot of people, and saw myself standing alone ... Why must such a thing happen to me? But you can never ask God why by Dominic Kollie

His drill sergeants told him ahead of basic training that they couldnt give him special treatment, but he said he didnt want it anyway. Occasionally, though, he was given extra rations to help his body regain its strength.

Once, during training another recruit tried to bully him, calling him a second-hand human because he had been an Ebola patient.

He kept saying it to provoke me, so I kept asking, I aint got strength, right? I aint got strength? Pop, he says, smiling at the memory of punching his rival in the mouth.

Military Police officers forced the two to apologise to one another, and a few days later the other recruit approached him privately. He said, I just realised the hardships you went through, I just felt it was a joke. And he hugged me, Kollie recalls, saying that the two went on to become friends.

After completing basic training, Kollie chose to become a medic, following a passion for medicine that he says he developed during his time working with Doctors Without Borders.

When Kollie graduated from a training module, he called another survivor, Helene Henry, to attend the ceremony. Henry had been a patient at the Doctors Without Borders unit where he was a counsellor. Nine of her family members had died there, including her husband.

She says that, at first, she didnt want to talk to Kollie, who had long hair and stubble. I was afraid because he had bushy hair. I was thinking, Oh, Ebola catching zokos and all?' (Zoko being the term for criminal in colloqua, Liberias hybrid English dialect.) Kollie assured her he wouldnt hurt her, encouraging her to eat and take her medicine.

After being discharged from the unit, Henry, now 32, was wracked with grief over the loss of her husband, mother, brothers and sisters. In those early days, before survivor support groups had coalesced to provide a forum for the living to share their anguish over what theyd lost and to help one another cope with the post-Ebola syndrome many faced, she struggled with debilitating depression.

It was difficult for me to the point where I wanted to kill myself, she says.

When Kollie invited her to attend his graduation in late 2015, she decided to take him up on his offer. After the ceremony, when he mentioned that he had a week off she invited him to spend it with her.

Now, Henry is pregnant with Kollies child, and the two have built a house together in Kakata, a city about an hours drive north of Monrovia.

Kollie describes his mother as an imposing figure who pampered him and, after her death, he was abruptly forced to take full responsibility for himself. Life was difficult for me, he says. But when I see myself now, I feel pride as a young man to have taken such a bold stand in life.

At times, though, he is still overcome by sadness over his lost family. I lost a lot of people, and saw myself standing alone, he says with a faraway look in his eyes. Why must such a thing happen to me? But you can never ask God why.

While Henry has embraced her new life with Kollie, she says she too still struggles with the memory of her husband.

Sometimes, I just go into my room by myself and sing, she says. I tried to feel that this has passed and I can continue my life, but I still find it difficult.

It changed me in the sense that the things I used to do, Im not doing them anymore. The people I used to be with, Im not with them anymore. So, its like starting my entire life over.

Garmai Sumo

The body collector

Thousands of miles away from the rain-soaked streets of Monrovia, Garmai Sumo sits on the couch in her brothers small home in a working-class neighbourhood of southwest Philadelphia.

Its the eve of her 31st birthday, and Sumo, a slight-framed young woman with a broad smile and penetrating gaze, is sipping on a glass of apple juice while she chats with her older brother, Wisdom Zio, 45, a mental health worker who moonlights as a reverend for a congregation of the West African immigrants who live in their neighbourhood.

For one year, beginning in June 2014, Sumo worked on a body team  one of the Red Cross units that was tasked with collecting samples from corpses that were suspected of having died from Ebola.

In August 2014, when the Liberian government decreed that anyone who died in Monrovia would be cremated rather than buried, the teams were given the thankless, brutal job of retrieving bodies from their homes.

Sometimes, youd go in the house and the whole family would be dead. But the younger ones would be there, crying, hungry. So, Id give money to go buy food for them. That helped me, positively, because I was there for them, and they wouldnt die of starvation, she says.

Everyone left me. Only my son, my mom, and God stayed with me by Garmai Sumo

Sumo volunteered for the team early in the outbreak. She was working as a nurse in a ward for tuberculosis patients when she walked into the office of a senior health official and proclaimed her intention to join the response.

He said, Sit down, youre too small. Why are you going to kill yourself?' she remembers. I said, No, I will fight.'

Sumo was the only woman on her team, a tight-knit group that found solace in dark humour, bonding during the long months they spent travelling across Monrovia, gathering the dead for the crematorium pyres.

For Liberians, burying dead relatives is a sacrosanct ritual, and the concept of cremation was as alien as it was sacrilegious. Sometimes, grieving relatives threw rocks at Sumo and her team, or threatened them with machetes.

By August, they were picking up dozens of corpses every day, sleeping in the 10-wheel flatbed truck at night when they couldnt make it home.

Bodies, bodies, bodies. Every day, she says. Not just one, not two, not 10, not 15. Increasing every day. Like, what is going on?

When Sumo talks about her memories of the crisis, her facial muscles tighten and she purses her lips. She grips one hand with the other in her lap, and at times her voice wavers.

I felt she was too much involved, Zio says. When I first heard she was into it, I literally cried. I felt shed taken on a suicide mission.

Sumos son Jeremiah, then eight years old, was ostracised in their neighbourhood. Other residents would refuse to allow him to touch the shared water pump at the local well. Tearing up, she says that her friends refused to socialise with her. Some of her neighbours accused her of taking part in a plot to steal parts from the bodies for magic rituals.

Everyone left me. Only my son, my mom and God stayed with me, she says.

As the crisis wound down, Sumo returned to her job treating tuberculosis patients. She told people that she was happy for her life to return to normal, but increasingly she felt weighed down by what shed seen and experienced.

By the end of 2016, Sumo had begun to exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, lapsing into dark moods that would last for days. In January of this year, her brother arranged for her to visit the US, hoping to find mental health treatment for her.

Now in Philadelphia, Sumo is still grappling with the psychological impact of the time she spent working with the burial team. Zio says that hell often find her alone on the couch, curled up into a ball and crying. But Sumo isnt an American citizen, and he hasnt been able to find affordable insurance for her to see a specialist.

She says that her worst moments come when she thinks about the orphaned children she saw, crying alone in the homes where their parents lay dead, with neighbours too afraid to take them in or bring them food.

When Im experiencing that mood, I dont like to go around anybody. Its like you see a vision, like a movie that you watched before and you imagine it, she says softly, looking down at her hands.

Sometimes, Sumo says she dreams that shes back in Liberia, trapped in a house where a child sits next to its mothers body, begging her for water.

In a flash, Sumo can transform back into the character that most journalists who met her during the crisis remember, flashing a magnetic smile and laughing deeply at a sly joke she makes about her companions in the room. Shes most animated when she talks about the charity shed like to set up in Liberia to assist Ebola orphans.

But she says that if she could go back in time, she would stop herself from volunteering to work with the team that day.

I would grab myself by the arm, she says. Because youre going to sacrifice yourself, and at the end of the day theyll tell you that you arent insured, you didnt sign any legal document. So why are you going there, for what reason?

Mosoka Fallah

The strategist

If there is one name that anyone touched by Ebola in Liberia knows, its Mosoka Fallah. Beloved by survivors, health workers, and journalists alike, Fallah is a gregarious, warm figure whose compassion and intelligence earned him accolades for helping to end Liberias outbreak months ahead of Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Fallah has been invited to speak across the world about the Liberian Ebola response, and he says theres one constant in every presentation he makes.

Every time he starts to speak about Ebola, he cries.

Fallah was raised in West Point, an infamous slum that occupies a peninsula in the centre of downtown Monrovia which hosted the most dangerous moment of Liberias outbreak  when the crisis threatened to spill over from medical to political.

The human suffering changed me. When people say you did a great job, I just say that I was trying to help my people by Mosoka Fallah

A Harvard graduate, Fallah was hired by French charity Action Contre le Faim in the early summer of 2014 to carry out contact tracing for what was then a minor outbreak.

In July, a Ministry of Health representative asked me, How long will it be before this is under control? I said, Give me two weeks,' he remembers, laughing.

By August, Fallah was working 100 hours a week, supervising contact tracing across Monrovia with his small team of health workers. As the outbreak grew in severity, he noticed that some members of his team were reluctant to go into infected communities, preferring to arrange day-long meetings.

I said, Gentlemen, Ebola is not won in a meeting. Ebola is won in the field,' he says, But if I had to demand those guys to put themselves at risk, I had to be there too.

In West Point, a community leader tipped him off about secret burials being carried out by residents who were mistrustful of the government and he realised that the disease had entered the densely populated neighbourhood.

I called [a Health Ministry official] and said the worst has happened. West Point has Ebola, he says.

By mid-August, the government was running out of places to house Ebola patients and their contacts. A mob in West Point attacked a holding facility that had been set up in the heart of the slum, releasing patients and looting the building. Fallah explains that residents were angry that patients were being brought in from outside of West Point, violating promises made by the government when the centre was opened.

The Liberian government responded by quarantining the neighbourhood and stationing police and army units at the entrances. The decision ended disastrously, with troops firing into a rioting crowd, killing a teenage boy.

Fallah understood that the forceful strategy the government had taken in West Point was backfiring, and he negotiated a plan with community leaders in the neighbourhood to recruit local youth to serve as deputised case finders for the Ministry of Health.

West Point was a blessing in disguise for us, he says. It sent a shockwave into us that we didnt want to militarise the response anymore. That was very good for us, and actually, the idea of community engagement for Ebola started in the midst of that situation.

The approach was a success, enabling cooperation between residents of West Point and health officials who had previously been unable to find hidden Ebola cases. The approach was subsequently scaled up across the city. Within a few months, the case rate in Monrovia declined dramatically, and the outbreak began to fizzle out.

While young, sharply dressed Liberian health officials knock on his office door, then sheepishly back away when faced by his hard glare, Fallah says his humanitarian streak was born during Liberias civil war. In 2003, during a period of heavy fighting in Monrovia, he worked with Doctors Without Borders, treating civilians who were wounded by gunfire and stray mortar rounds.

All my life, Ive been around great, selfless people, and I think it rubbed off on me, he says, dabbing his face with a tissue as he tears up.

When the outbreak ended, Fallah was hired to supervise a study on Ebola survivors, which helped force a breakthrough on the development of a vaccine. Across the country, there is not a survivor who does not know Fallah, and even the cremation team speaks kindly of him.

[The outbreak] changed me, he says. The human suffering changed me. When people say you did a great job, I just say that I was trying to help my people. I saw the house burning and I wanted to [put the fire out]. There are thousands who deserve to be honoured, who struggled to see the outbreak end.

Ashoka Mukpo

The reporter

At the height of Liberias Ebola outbreak, which captivated the world and, for a brief moment, became a powerful vector for the fears that citizens of wealthy nations project towards the rest of the world, reinforcing a view of poorer countries as dangerous, nasty places, I assumed the ignominious mantle of being the only Western journalist to come down with the virus.

It was a calamitous event for myself and my family, but the luck of owning a US passport meant that after a brief, disorienting period during which my public identity was reduced to the cable news-friendly blurb of Ebola survivor, I could continue my life without the crushing weight of grief and poverty faced by many of those with whom I share antibodies upon receiving their certificates of good health.

Still, for months after my bout with the illness, I had trouble walking up stairs, struggled with joint pains, and was taught a lesson in just how intertwined our minds are with our bodies. As someone who was used to being active and pushing my limits professionally, it was not easy to experience the weakness and physical toll that Ebola inflicts on the body.

At one point, while interviewing Foday Gallah, he made a comment that resonated deeply with my own experience. It felt like my identity couldnt be anything other than a survivor. I was just a survivor, he said. In some ways the attention the illness brought me was more overwhelming than the disease itself, something I try to remember every time Ive interviewed someone since then.

In some ways the attention the illness brought me was more overwhelming than the disease itself by Ashoka Mukpo

For reporters who work in dangerous places, it seems reassuring to believe that one is entirely in control of their own safety rather than subject to fate or luck. But to this day, I still dont know where or when I was exposed to the virus.

Just 48 hours before I was diagnosed, I was at a table with a reporter who had worked in conflict zones across the world. I asked him how he stayed safe. He thought about it for a moment, and said, You just play the odds.

Needless to say, that comment entered my mind more than once in the subsequent weeks. I made the choice to enter a dangerous situation and experienced the consequences of that decision. Like most of the people in this article, I would almost certainly make the same decision again.

Many survivors Ive met since my illness had it much worse than me. But what we all have in common  and what bonds us all  is that none of us have a choice but to move on. Life simply continues to unfold.

But for 11,325 people in West Africa, that privilege was not granted. There are no gravestones to remember those who were burned on the pyres. As time moves on, the distant footnote of Ebola will feel less and less tangible to most Liberians, but those who saw it up close will always remember.
Americas political class is increasingly mobilised against much of President Donald Trumps foreign policy  and how Trumps administration appears to make policy. Establishment voices exhort Trump to mitigate instability in his decision-making with staffed-up processes that recognise the significant measure of predictability required of the leader of the free world. But such process-focused exhortations say more about their authors ossified outlooks than about what is genuinely unique  and dangerous  in Trumps approach.





Parts of Trumps strategy have grown more conventional over his first half-year in office. But the unconventionality that still shapes much of his global posture is not a product of irregular process. It is a function of ideas that Trump campaigned on and took to the White House, with America First advisers like Steve Bannon who helped shape Trumps presidential quest.

Those chastising Trumps deviations from process norms miss the potency of his ideas  something his opponents did to their peril throughout last years primaries and general election.

Defying US global dominance as foreign policy direction

Trumps campaign reflected views he had long-held on US leadership, free trades downsides, and the real threats to American security. While his opponents embraced establishment orthodoxy that America must keep pursuing global dominance, Trump questioned whether such leadership really serves US interests. He appeared dubious about long-term allies  indeed, downright sceptical about Americas seemingly unconditional security ties to them  and more comfortable than most US elites with elements of classical balance-of-power thinking, including great power concerts and spheres of influence.

Economically, Trump stressed job losses from unfair trade practices and stupid US policies; as president, he claims to prioritise returning jobs to (largely pro-Trump) communities by reducing Americas biggest bilateral trade deficits(with China, Mexico, and allies like Germany, Japan, and South Korea). From this vantage, leading a liberal international order  precisely what the establishment implores him to do  actually prevents America from doing what Trump deems essential for economic renewal.

He wants to leverage access to the US market  and US security guarantees to allies  to elicit bilateral economic concessions. Trump simultaneously advocates a hard line against forces  like radical Islam and undocumented immigration  that, in his view, directly threaten Americans security and identity.

Trumps budget embodies these views. Boosting military spending underscores his pledge to combat real threats with overwhelming force. It also backs his interest in commercialising US military capabilities as tools to extract concessions from foreign partners. Cutting spending on other aspects of foreign operations helps Trump divest from what he considers unprofitable aspects of global leadership  (double-standard) human rights, (destabilising) democracy promotion, and (money-guzzling) nation-building. Trumps failure to fill sub-cabinet posts is similarly purposeful: He leaves many positions empty to divest from policies he disdains and limit congressional oversight.

Trump is failing to produce coherent alternative policy

Trumps critics bemoan these trends. But why should Trump  or future presidents  staff up for Washingtons next self-damaging war of hegemonic regime change, given Americas serial failures in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria? This is not meant to defend Trump. I, too, consider him dangerous. He is dangerous, though, not for challenging establishment orthodoxy but because he cannot translate his best campaign themes into coherent policy, grounded in new strategy.

Trump cannot do this partly because his own rendering of these themes is often incoherent. One pre-inaugural study notes how he could, in the same speech, denounce regime change, military occupation and nation-building in the Middle East while insisting that the US should keep the oil in Iraq and Libya after intervening there.





Then there is the influence of actors in Trumps administration who remain committed to more conventional policies, especially Americas continued pursuit of hegemony through global leadership. These include Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and National Security Adviser HR McMaster. Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner is a swing player, siding sometimes with establishment forces, sometimes with America Firsters.

One sees how these factors distort policy by examining Trumps evolving posture towards the Middle East, Asia, and Russia. Trumps interest in showing domestic audiences that, unlike President Barack Obama, he will command Muslims to fight an amorphous radical Islam by turning on fellow Muslims is producing truly perverse outcomes. These include worsening US-Iranian relations when America, for its own interests, needs more productive ties with Tehran.

They also include Trumps backing for Saudi-led efforts to coerce Qatar into surrendering its sovereignty to Riyadh. The Pentagon and Department of State have tried to pull Trump back from aligning one-sidedly with Riyadh. Trump has undercut their exertions, because a balanced stance doesnt let him claim to be whipping Americas Arab allies into line. If Trump takes this to the extreme, he will push America into yet another self-damaging quest for regime change.

From early in his presidency, Trumps interest in using economic and security levers to redefine relations with Asian partners has been interlinked with North Koreas nuclear and missile development. Pyongyangs weapons tests have given Trump openings to reassure Japan and South Korea of US security commitments  including by deploying Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in South Korea.





Trump wants to exploit this reassurance to renegotiate terms for these countries economic and security ties to the US; as he told South Koreans in April interviews, THAAD units he sent to defend them cost $1bn  money America expects in return. But building up US military assets in Asia without addressing Pyongyangs security needs through serious diplomacy will only accelerate its continued nuclear/missile development.

Trump likewise sees North Korean tests as openings to press China by expanding Americas Asian military posture. Trump said that, if Beijing does not help solve the North Korea problem in line with US preferences, America will solve it unilaterally. This wont get Beijing to squeeze Pyongyang as hard as Trump wants. But growing Americas military presence in Asia, without serious multilateral discussions on a reunified Korean state that would be denuclearised and strategically neutral, will escalate Sino-US tensions.

On Russia, establishment framing of Trumps initial meeting this week with President Vladimir Putin in terms of whether Trump put his finger to Putins chest miss what US-Russian cooperation could accomplish. The two leaders agreement on further deconfliction measures in Syria suggests Trump still has some of the interest-based impulses he displayed as a candidate. But efforts to normalise his policies risk barring him from forging productive ties to difficult yet capable players like Russia and Iran  limiting him to increasingly dysfunctional co-dependencies with allies like Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Trump claims to understand the costs to Americas power of its bipartisan drive for post-Cold War hegemony. But his policies could prove more counterproductively confrontational than George W Bushs.

Hillary Mann Leverett is the CEO of the political risk consultancy, STRATEGA. She served on the US National Security Council and State Department under Presidents George Herbert Walker Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W Bush. She is co-author of Going to Tehran: Why America Must Accept the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Abbas-El-Sisi meeting comes after signs of a rapprochement between Cairo, Hamas and ex-Fatah strongman Mohammed Dahlan.

Egyptian and Palestinian leaders have met amid signs of cooperation between Cairo and the Hamas group that could shake up Gazas political landscape and sideline the Palestinian president.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egypts Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met in Cairo on Sunday.

Officials close to Abbas said the Palestinian leader wanted to seek clarifications on what appears to be an emerging power-sharing agreement between Gazas Hamas rulers and an exiled Abbas rival, former Gaza strongman Mohammed Dahlan in the meeting.

Under the deal, parts of which have been confirmed by other parties involved, Hamas would retain control over Gazas security, while Dahlan would eventually return to Gaza and handle its foreign relations.

READ MORE: Gazas Game of Thrones  A fight to defeat resistance

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press news agency because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

Neither leader made any comments to the media after their meeting in Cairo. A statement by Egypts presidential spokesman stuck to generalities.

The two leaders, the statement added, discussed the latest developments in the Palestinians bid for statehood and ways to revive the peace process.

Dahlan was a key Fatah figure behind the Fatah-Hamas street clashes that erupted after Hamas victory in parliamentary elections in 2006, which eventually led to the violent takeover of Gaza by the group a year later.

Dahlan and Hamas have been bitter enemies, but their interests began to align in recent months. Dahlans desire to return from exile and one day succeed Abbas has coincided with Hamas growing desperation as Abbas has been applying greater financial pressure on Gaza.

READ MORE: Analysts  Qatar supports Gaza not Hamas

The emerging understandings between Egypt, Hamas and Dahlan could pose a serious political threat to Abbas and the prospects of Palestinian statehood in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, the lands Israel occupied in the 1967 Mideast war.

If implemented, such understandings would likely help ease Gazas decade of isolation, but would also deepen the Israeli-enforced disconnect between Gaza and the West Bank. The two territories lie on opposite sides of Israel.

Egypt has long accused Hamas of providing sanctuary as well as supporting Islamic militants fighting its security forces in the turbulent north of the Sinai Peninsula, a region that borders Gaza and Israel.

Also, Egypt has for a decade joined Israel in a blockade of Gaza, the densely populated coastal strip on the Mediterranean that Hamas has ruled for a decade.

However, relations between Egypt and Hamas appear to have recently thawed.

Hamas officials said the two sides have negotiated security arrangements for the Gaza-Egypt border to ensure that fighters operating in Sinai dont use Gaza as a refuge. In line with the agreement, Hamas has begun creating a security buffer zone along Gazas border with Egypt.

In return, Egypt has provided Gazas rulers with fuel for its power station, easing the rolling blackouts that have for long fed discontent among Gazas two million residents.

The Egyptian fuel shipments appear to have undermined the stepped up financial pressure on Hamas by Abbas.

READ MORE: Palestinians in Gaza reflect on 10 years of siege

The Palestinian president had hoped such measures, including subsidy cuts and a reduction in payments for Gaza electricity, would force Hamas to cede ground in Gaza and gradually turn the population against the ruling group.

In remarks on Saturday, Gaza-based Hamas leader Ismail Haniya lauded the new security coordination with Egypt.

Speaking a day after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group killed at least 23 Egyptian soldiers in the deadliest attack in Sinai in two years, he said Hamas was carrying out intensive measures on the border with Egypt to prevent any infiltration into Gaza after the attack.
Fatou Bensouda visits Doha to discuss violations of international accords committed by the blockading states.

The International Criminal Courts (ICC) chief prosecutor has expressed regret over the blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia and three other Arab states against Qatar.

On Sunday, ICCs Fatou Bensouda met Qatars Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha and discussed the violations of international accords as well as human rights abuses committed by the four blockading countries.

QNA, Qatars state news agency, reported that Bensouda praised Dohas mature handling of the crisis.

The meeting also dealt with fields of cooperation between Qatar and the ICC, QNA reported.

Earlier on Sunday, Bensouda also met with Qatars Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.

READ MORE: All the latest updates on the Gulf crisis

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar on June 5 and imposed a land, air and sea blockade on the country.

They also ordered Qatari citizens to leave their territories and took various steps against Qatari firms and financial institutions.

On June 22, the group issued a 13-point list of demands, including the shutting-down of Al Jazeera Media Network, as a prerequisite to lifting the sanctions.

Doha refused to accept the demands and the quartet now considers the list of demands null and void.

Kuwait, also part of the Gulf Cooperation Council, is mediating in the dispute.

The UK also stepped in as Boris Johnson, its foreign secretary, met Saudi-led groups senior officials on Friday before visiting Kuwait and Qatar on Saturday.
State TV says troops have reached the Tigris riverbank as ISIL fighters hold out in tiny area in Mosuls Old City.

Iraqi forces have reached the Tigris riverside as they inch closer to fully recapturing Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), according to state TV.

An on-screen headline on Iraqiya news on Sunday said Iraqi special forces have raised the Iraqi flag on the Tigris riverbank in the Old City of Mosul.

About 100 ISIL fighters had earlier been reported to be trapped in a sliver of the Old City along the Tigris.

Many of them threw themselves into the river as they faced imminent defeat on Sunday, according to Reuters news agency.

The agency also reported plumes of smoke over the Old City and decaying corpses of ISIL fighters lying on its streets. Scattered bursts of gunfire could be heard and several air strikes were carried out, it said.

IN PICTURES: The final push  Retaking Mosul from ISIL

Iraqi commanders said on Saturday that ISIL controlled just two blocks, and that their troops were just tens of metres away from defeating ISIL.

Officials have made similar pronouncements of victory being imminent over the past week, but progress appears to have slowed in recent days with ISIL fighters placing booby traps and bombs to block advancing troops.

Not over yet

Al Jazeeras Charles Stratford, reporting from Erbil in northern Iraq, said that fighting is still ongoing away from the Tigris River.

Its not over yet, he said. This area that Iraqi forces have reached on the Tigris River does not include these two blocks where heavy fighting continues.

As the battle rages on, the humanitarian crisis in Mosul is worsening, he said.

We are seeing more civilians coming across the front line, he said. Horrific stories are being told. Many of them are malnourished and seriously dehydrated. Very many of them are deeply traumatised by the months theyve spent hiding in their homes.

The fall of Mosul would be the biggest defeat yet for ISIL three years after it seized the city in a lightning offensive.

With air support from the US-led coalition, Iraqi forces launched the battle for Mosul in October, retaking the eastern part of the city in January and starting the operation for its western part the next month.

The eight-month battle for Mosul has ruined parts of the city, killed thousands of civilians and displaced nearly one million people.

On Saturday, jubilant police forces were seen flashing V-for-victory signs in Mosul and posing for selfies in front of each other, holding up ISILs black flag upside down.

Distraught women and children were seen clutching what few belongings they could carry. Hungry and haggard, they told AFP they had spent months being held as human shields by ISIL fighters.

Rebuilding Mosul

As the Iraqi forces make their final push, approximately half of the population of the city is still displaced, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said.

Tens of thousands of people are likely to return to the city in the near future, placing pressure on the Iraqi government and the international community to begin rebuilding immediately.





People from every ethnic, religious and socioeconomic group in Iraq have suffered as a result of this conflict, said Heidi Diedrich, the NRCs country director.

It is the responsibility of the international community now to help them rebuild their country and repair the divisions that helped to create the conflict in the first place.

The UN predicts it will cost more than $1bn to repair basic infrastructure in Mosul.

In some of the worst-affected areas, almost no buildings appear to have escaped damage and Mosuls dense construction means the extent of the devastation might be underestimated, UN officials said.

Mosul is the ISILs last urban bastion in Iraq.

While the armed group has lost much of the territory it once held in Iraq, Al Jazeeras Stratford said ISIL still controls a number of towns in Iraq, including Tal Afar, west of Mosul, and Al Qaim on the Syria-Iraq border.

By no means does this seemingly imminent victory by Iraqi forces in Mosul mean the end of ISIL in Iraq, he said. Theres still a lot more to do.
Opposition leader began march 25 days ago to protest an MPs conviction for revealing state secrets and other arrests.

Turkish main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu is preparing to hold a mass rally in Istanbul, marking the end of his 450km protest march from capital Ankara to the metropolis.

He started the March for Justice 25 days ago in protest of the conviction of Enis Berberoglu, an MP with his Republican Peoples Party (CHP), and other recent arrests in Turkey.

Kilicdaroglu has been followed by thousands of supporters along the way, including CHP deputies.

Berberoglu was sentenced to 25 years in prison last month for allegedly revealing state secrets to journalists on the transportation of arms to Syria.

Kilicdaroglu said in an opinion article published in the New York Times on Friday that his supporters and he were marching for democracy, justice and freedom from fear and authoritarian rule in Turkey.

RELATED: Erdogan slams CHP as opposition march nears Istanbul

He wrote: If democracy and rule of law are suspended, if people are afraid to freely express their views, if legislators are in prison rather than in the parliament, if the courts are incapable of serving justice, we stand up and call for justice with our words, with our bodies on the streets.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently slammed the march, saying that the CHP is collaborating with terrorist groups and forces that incite such groups against Turkey.

If you are launching a march for terrorists and for their supporters, something which you have never thought about doing against terrorist groups, you can convince no one that your aim is justice, he said.

This situation, which anyone who in their right mind can see clearly, is part of traps set up in Syria, Iraq, the Gulf, and Europe against our country, he added.

CHP expects masses

On the 25th day of his march, Kilicdaroglu is expected to walk from the neighbourhood of Dragos to Maltepe in Istanbul, where he will hold a rally that his party says it expects over a million people to attend.

Berberoglu was convicted of revealing state secrets by passing images to a newspaper appearing to show the search of National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) trucks en route to Syria in January 2014.

He is the first CHP deputy to be imprisoned in recent years, while mass arrests have targeted MPs of the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democracy Party (HDP) in recent months, including its leaders.

Turkey has been in a state of emergency after a coup attempt last summer which killed around 300 people and led to arrests and purges targeting tens of thousands of civil servants as well as journalists and opposition activists.
Police arrest 23 after hundreds confront KKK members protesting the removal of Confederate statue in Charlottesville.

At least 23 people have been arrested during a march in the US state of Virginia by supporters of the white supremacist group, Ku Klux Klan.

A few dozen Klansmen protesting against the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee in Charlottesville were met by hundreds of jeering counterprotesters on Saturday.

The two groups were separated by a metal barricade and a phalanx of armed police.

The Klan group shouted white power and brandished Confederate flags and signs with anti-Semitic messages. They marched past hundreds of people shouting racists go home and other chants.

READ MORE: Trumps America  Bring on the hate

State police threw tear gas containers to disperse the crowd and arrested two dozen people for failing to disperse as the rally ended.

The KKK rally was authorised on free speech grounds and lasted less than an hour.

City officials said about a 1,000 people were present at the march, of whom 50 were KKK members.

Confederacy statues and flags have been removed from public spaces across the US since 2015, after a white supremacist murdered nine black parishioners at a South Carolina church.

Critics of the monuments say they foster racism by celebrating leaders of the Confederacy in the pro-slavery South during the US Civil War.

Supporters say they represent an indelible part of US history and part of regional heritage.

Watching the rally in Charlottesville, Mason Pickett, a 60-ish retired businessman, said he regretted the citys decision to remove the nearly century-old bronze statue of Lee and his horse.

Statues can be good history, they can be bad history  you may not like it and you may love it, but its history, he said.

READ MORE: Debate over US Confederate monuments intensifies

But Tina Young, a 49-year-old lawyer, said it was past time to remove signs of the states Confederate past.

In Washington, DC, they have put up a Martin Luther King statue, they have an Afro-American museum, they have a Jewish museum, they made the public space more fair and balanced, she said.

As to Lee, she added, he did represent slavery, he did fight a war against our government which killed thousands and thousands of soldiers, he could have chosen the better side, but he didnt.

A legal battle is going on over the statues removal and no date has been set.

In its heyday in 1925, the KKK had as many as four million members.

These days it has from 5,000 to 8,000, mainly in the Deep South, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors and studies extremism in the US.
News / National

by Reuters

Zimbabwe's budget deficit will increase by nearly $120 million this year due to a maize subsidy, Reuters calculations show, in a scheme critics of President Robert Mugabe say will be open to abuse and saddle a troubled economy with more debt.Facing an election in 2018, Mugabe says the subsidy will make Zimbabwe self-sufficient in the grain and help struggling farmers.Mugabe's government announced the scheme last year as part of a command agriculture drive, saying it would pay farmers $390 a tonne for maize this harvest to encourage to plant. Nearly 70% of Zimbabwe's population is rural-based and survives on agriculture.The government has not said what it will do with the maize it has bought  essentially who it will sell to and for how much. That information is needed to work out how much the scheme will cost the government.However, the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe, a grouping of the 100 biggest private millers, has agreed to buy 800 000 tonnes of maize from the state for $194 million this season, or $242,50 a tonne, its chairman, Tafadzwa Musarara said.At this price, the government would lose $147,50 for every tonne it buys from farmers and sells to these private millers, totalling $118 million, according to calculations.Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa did not respond to requests for comment on the subsidy calculations.The final cost could be much higher if the government buys more grain, with the southern African nation forecast to grow 2,1 million tonnes of maize this year, financial analysts said.Zimbabwe is already in arrears for $7 billion of international debt  around 50% of GDP  and its domestic debt burden is growing rapidly as Mugabe's administration runs ever larger budget deficits.Domestic debt now stands at $4 billion after a 2016 deficit of $1,4 billion  from an initial forecast of just $150 million. This year's deficit forecast is $400 million. The budget does not include any command agriculture spending.Chinamasa issued a statement in the state-owned Herald newspaper on June 28 defending the maize subsidies:"The command agriculture programme was designed to (mobilise) sustainable and affordable funding for our agriculture so as to ensure food security, eliminate imports of food, to increase exports from this sector and reduce poverty."Despite government assertions that the subsidies will help farmers and feed the nation, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said the scheme is typical of the practices that have taken root during Mugabe's 37 years in power. He said it would benefit ruling Zanu-PF party members who acquired land after the violent eviction of 4 000 white commercial farmers from 2000."Who is benefiting? The same Zanu-PF elites who took the land," Tsvangirai said. "The Treasury has to fork that out and it's not sustainable. It's a fiscal nightmare."Chinamasa said in his statement that concerns about mismanagement had been dealt with and all beneficiaries of the agriculture programme would be held in a database.Mugabe (93), and who has been in power since independence from Britain in 1980, has personally defended the maize subsidy but the World Bank says paying above the market rate is not the answer. "Government intervention is both expensive and inefficient, especially the use of price support, as floor prices are set far higher than import-competing prices," it said in its latest Zimbabwe report published in June.An International Monetary Fund source, who declined to be named, said the subsidy would be difficult to monitor, funds could be funnelled to political interests and crops could be smuggled across borders.The command agriculture drive includes farmers receiving seed, fertilizer and chemicals with the proviso that they sell part of their crop to the state as repayment.Mugabe says the policy is the reason for Zimbabwe forecasting a maize harvest of 2,1 million tonnes this year, enough to meet local demand for the first time in 16 years.The IMF source and an agriculture expert at a Western aid agency said the forecast was more to do with heavy rainfall. Neighboring countries have also had bumper crops this season.Zimbabwe has since 2001 relied on imports and foreign donors to meet demand for maize. Drought, lack of financing and Mugabe's seizures of land from white farmers that hit commercial agriculture were blamed for low grain production over the years.Zimbabwe has banned grain imports to protect local farmers, just one year after a devastating drought left more than four million people in need of food aid.
Doctors say Liu Xiaobo wants to go to Germany or US for treatment and can be moved safely, but it needs to happen soon.

German and American doctors who visited sick Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in hospital say they believe he can be moved overseas for treatment.

In a joint statement on Sunday, the two doctors apparently contradicted statements by Chinese experts who maintain that a medical evacuation would be unsafe.

However, Joseph M Herman of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Markus Buchler of the University of Heidelberg said any evacuation would have to take place as quickly as possible.

Liu Xiaobo and his family have requested that the remainder of his care be provided in Germany or the United States, they said.

While a degree of risk always exists in the movement of any patient, both physicians believe Mr Liu can be safely transported with appropriate medical evacuation care and support.

READ MORE: Questions about Liu Xiaobos treatment in China prison

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate is being treated at a hospital in the city of Shenyang for late stage liver cancer.

He was diagnosed in May while serving an 11-year sentence for inciting subversion after he helped write a petition known as Charter 08 calling for sweeping political reforms.

The experts visit on Saturday came as Lius illness took a turn for the worse.

Chinese doctors said they have stopped using cancer-fighting drugs so as not to overwhelm his severely weakened liver.

Beijing has come under fire from rights groups over its treatment of Liu, 61, and for waiting until he became terminally ill to release him from prison.





Shang Baojun, Lius former lawyer and a close friend, said that during the consultation with the foreign experts, Liu was clear-headed and communicated smoothly, and could even speak English.

He again expressed a desire to go abroad for treatment, preferably in Germany, though the US would also be fine, and his family members said the same, Shang told The Associated Press news agency on Saturday.

We sincerely hope this request will be approved.

In a sign of the seriousness of Lius decline, his younger and older brothers and their wives were being allowed to see him, Shang said. At the hospital, Liu has been mostly accompanied by his wife, Liu Xia, and her brother.

A group of his friends fear he is near death and they issued an open letter earlier this week calling on the Chinese government to give them access to their ailing friend on humanitarian grounds.

The office of the United Nations human rights chief on Friday also expressed concern about Lius condition and said the UN should be granted access to both Liu and his wife.

Chinas foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Liu would be allowed to leave.
Officials say the child died from asphyxiation two months after Israeli forces shot tear gas at his home near Ramallah.

An 18-month-old Palestinian baby has died after inhaling tear gas during clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians nearly three months ago, according to Palestinian health officials.

The baby, Abdul Rahman Barghouti, died late on Friday from asphyxiation, following more than two months of treatment, Palestinian Ministry of Health spokesman Osama Najjar told Al Jazeera.

Najjar said that Barghouti was hospitalised after Israeli forces shot tear gas into his home and room in the occupied West Bank town of Aboud near Ramallah on May 19.

According to Palestinian news agency Wafa, clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians took place during a protest in support of Palestinian prisoners who were on hunger strike at the time.

Soldiers  randomly fired a large volume of tear gas at civilian homes, Wafa said.

READ MORE: 2016 deadliest year for West Bank children in decade

Najjar told Al Jazeera that Israeli jeeps blocked Palestinian ambulances from reaching Barghouti and medics had to go by foot to attend to the child and bring him to a hospital in Ramallah.

Because of the seriousness of his injuries, Barghouti was transferred to Hadassah hospital in West Jerusalem. Hospital officials were not available for comment.

An Israeli army spokesman told Al Jazeera on Monday that a child was brought from Aboud to Israel to receive medical treatment at Haddassah Hospital on May 19.

He was said to have been exposed to gas that risked his health. The child was treated and released from the hosptial after a week and a half, the spokesman said.

The spokesman added that on Friday, the child was brought by his family to the settlement of Halmish with no pulse. A paramedic in the settlement determined his death once he arrived.

The spokesman also said that there was no known relationship between the two cases.

Misuse of crowd control weapons

According to Israeli human rights group BTselem, at least 101 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in 2016, including 31 children.

Rights group Defense for Children International  Palestine (DCIP) has documented at least nine Palestinian children who have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers so far this year.

Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability programme director at DCIP, told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces continually misuse crowd-control weapons such as tear gas.

He said the misuse of such weapons is in violation of military regulations and international law.

READ MORE: Fatima Hjeiji  Seventh child killed by Israel in 2017

In May, a six-year-old Palestinian child was seriously injured after a tear gas canister fired by Israeli forces hit him in the back of the head.

At the time, the DCIP said in a statement that excessive use of less-lethal weapons and projectiles in crowded areas where children are present poses serious risks to children, especially very young children.

The organisation documented at least seven cases between January and May 20, 2017 in which Palestinian children were injured by crowd-control weapons used by Israeli forces.

In 2015, an eight-month-old baby died from tear gas inhalation in a village near Bethlehem.

The baby suffocated after Israeli forces sprayed tear gas at Palestinians during clashes in Beit Fajjar.

In a separate incident in 2015, a 54-year-old Palestinian man died owing to inhaling excessive tear gas fired by Israeli forces in the southern West Bank city of Hebron.

This article has been updated to reflect the Israeli armys response.
Initiative aims to secure compensation for companies, public institutions and individuals hurt by anti-Qatar blockade.

Qatar has announced the formation of a committee to pursue compensation potentially worth billions of dollars for damages stemming from the blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Gulf crisis.

Ali bin Fetais al-Marri, Qatars attorney general, told reporters on Sunday in the capital Doha that the Compensation Claims Committee would handle claims made by private companies, including major firms such as Qatar Airways, public institutions and individuals.





He also said the body would use both domestic and international mechanisms to seek compensation, and would hire overseas law firms to handle its claims.

You have people who have sustained damages, businessmen who have sustained damages, banks which have sustained damages. As a result of this blockade, al-Marri said.

And those who compelled these damages to happen must pay compensation for them.

Members of the newly formed committee include Qatars minister of justice and minister of foreign affairs.

Al-Marri said that the decision to pursue compensation for damages was not tied to the current state of negotiations between Qatar and the blockading countries.

The difference between politics and law is that in law there is continuity, unlike politics, which could be stopped by certain conditions, he said.

READ MORE: All the latest updates about the Gulf crisis

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar on June 5 and imposed a land, air and sea blockade on the country.

They also ordered Qatari citizens to leave their territories and took various steps against Qatari firms and financial institutions.

On June 22, they issued a 13-point list of demands, including the shutdown of Al Jazeera, as a prerequisite to lift the sanctions.

Doha rejected the demands and the quartet now considers the list null and void.

But the Gulf state of Kuwait is still trying to mediate the dispute.

The United Kingdom also stepped in as Boris Johnson, its foreign secretary, met the Saudi-led blocs senior officials on Friday, as well as visiting Kuwaits foreign minister and Qatars Emir separately in their countries on Saturday.
Deal brokered by US, Russia and Jordan to cover the provinces of Deraa, Suweida and Quneitra.

A ceasefire has come into force in southwest Syria after a deal was brokered by the US, Russia and Jordan.

The truce began at midday (09:00 GMT) on Sunday, in the provinces of Deraa, Suweida and Quneitra in the southwest, along the Jordan border.

A monitoring group said there had been no air strikes or clashes since the ceasefire started. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said calm was prevailing in the area.

A rebel official in Deraa city, speaking to Reuters news agency, also said there had been no significant fighting.

Al Jazeeras Natasha Ghoneim, reporting from the Turkey-Syria border town of Gaziantep, said the focus on the southern region was down to worries by US allies in the region.

This is an example of foreign interest at play and the interest of US allies, Ghoneim said.

The southwestern portion of Syria is a very geopolitically sensitive area. To the west you have Israel and to the south you have Jordan. Both of those countries have been very worried about violence spilling over their borders.

READ MORE: Russia, Turkey, Iran discuss Syria ceasefire in Astana

Similar agreements have been brokered in Syria in the past with the aim of getting the countrys peace process back on track following a prolonged civil war that began in 2011.

All have failed to halt the fighting for very long.

But in a statement issued late on Saturday, US National Security Adviser HR McMaster said the US was encouraged by the progress made to reach this agreement.

The United States remains committed to defeating ISIS [ISIL], helping to end the conflict in Syria, reducing suffering, and enabling people to return to their homes, he added. This agreement is an important step toward these common goals.

Syrian government forces had already announced a halt to combat operations in the three provinces.

The deal is separate to the four so-called de-escalation zones, which are being negotiated by Russia, Turkey and Iran.

Those talks broke down in Kazakhstans capital Astana last week, over the policing and precise borders of the areas.

Syrian rivals are to come together for a seventh time in Geneva in the coming days.

Diplomats from Russia, Iran, Turkey and the US were participating in the Astana talks along with UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura.
Thousands forced to evacuate after wildfires hit western US and Canada.

Wildfires barrelled across the baking landscape of the western US and Canada, destroying a smattering of homes, forcing thousands to flee and temporarily trapping children and counsellors at a California campground.

On Sunday, firefighters were contending with more than 200 wildfires burning in British Columbia that destroyed dozens of buildings, including several homes and two airport hangars.

The three biggest fires, which ranged in size from 14 to 20 square kilometres, had forced thousands of people to flee.

A combination of high temperatures and parched land has added to the difficulties of firefighters in California, which is regularly hit by wildfires at this time of year.

A look Friday evening as firefighters work on the #Alamofire in California  Video: @EliasonMike & the Santa Barbara County Fire Dept #CAwx pic.twitter.com/ZKz8zTLBL6  WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) July 8, 2017

In Northern California, a Butte County wildfire swept through grassy foothills and destroyed 10 structures, including homes, and led to several minor injuries.

Burned-out pickup trucks were left in ashes, surrounded by charred, leafless trees. The metal frame of a mobile home and a vintage stove were left standing in scorched debris at one site.

The blaze about 100km north of Sacramento grew rapidly to more than 18sq km and was nearly 20 percent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Southern California crews hope slightly cooler temperatures and diminishing winds will help in the battle on Sunday against major wildfires that have destroyed structures, closed a highway and forced evacuations.

One of two fires raging in Santa Barbara County grew to 31sq km, traversing a mountain range and heading south toward coastal Goleta.

The plan is to hit it with air tankers to keep it from moving to the south and to the east, said county fire captain Dave Zaniboni. Theres less heat and less wind, which makes things a little easier.

Crews were also using an air attack against another blaze about 80km north that exploded in size to 97sq km.

About 200 rural homes east of Santa Maria were evacuated after the fire broke out Saturday and was fed by dry gusts.
After agreement of a ceasefire in southwest Syria at the G20 summit, Trump said he wants to work together with Russia.

US President Donald Trump wants to work constructively with Russia, including on cybersecurity, despite confronting his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over alleged meddling in last years American elections.

While ruling out easing sanctions so long as the two countries remain at odds over Syria and Ukraine, Trump said on Sunday it was time for US-Russia relations to move forward, even though members of his own party said he should be mulling over new punishments.





Two days after his first face-to-face talks with his Russian counterpart on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Germany, Trump said he confronted Putin over evidence from the intelligence agencies that Moscow meddled in the US elections.

I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election, he said of Fridays meeting in Hamburg. He vehemently denied it. Ive already given my opinion.

But the US president said the two sides could work together on some areas, including Syria, where he said a ceasefire which began on Sunday would save lives.

Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia.

We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

But senior Republican senators, including former presidential candidate John McCain, poured scorn on the idea.

Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senates armed services committee, said on NBC that the cyber idea was not the dumbest idea Ive ever heard, but its pretty close.

McCain told a CBS interviewer that he was sure that Vladimir Putin could be of enormous assistance in that effort, since hes doing the hacking.

The US and Russian sides issued sharply conflicting accounts of Fridays meeting, with Putin saying on Saturday that Trump had been satisfied by his denials of any Russian interference in the polls.

OPINION: Trump and Putin  An awkward first date

There is no reason to consider that Russia interfered in the electoral process in the US, Putin said in comments carried on Saturday by the Interfax news agency. We did not interfere.

When asked later by reporters about Putins description of the talks with Trump, White House officials did not refute the assertion.

Syria has been a particular source of friction between the two countries, as Russia is a close ally of President Bashar al-Assad.

Moscow was furious when the Trump administration launched a cruise missile strike against Syrian forces in April, in retaliation for what Washington said was a chemical weapons attack by Assads regime against civilians.

Speaking on a visit to Ukraine, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Russia to take action to ease the bloody separatist conflict in the countrys east, which Kiev and the West believe is being fuelled by Moscow.

It is necessary for Russia to take the first step to de-escalate the situation in eastern Ukraine, Tillerson said as he made his first visit as Washingtons top diplomat to Kiev.
Main opposition chief joins demonstration against arrest of his party member after 25-day trek from Ankara to Istanbul.

The leader of Turkeys main opposition party has completed his 25-day March for Justice from the capital Ankara to Istanbul, joining his supporters at a rally against a judicial decision against one of his party members.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the head of Republican Peoples Party (CHP), told the demonstration on Sunday that the march was a new beginning.

No one should think the end of this march is the end. This march was our first step, Kilicdaroglu said. July 9 is a new step. July 9 is a new climate. July 9 is a new history.

Kilicdaroglu launched 450km trek on June 15 when CHPs Enis Berberoglu was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

He was convicted of revealing state secrets by giving the Cumhuriyet newspaper information on the transportation of arms to Syria in January 2014.

READ MORE: Erdogan criticises CHPs 450km march

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticised Kilicdaroglu when he launched his protest march, saying justice should be sought in parliament, not on the street.

He also said that Kilicdaroglu was trying to influence the judiciary through the trek which was against the law.

Sundays rally was guarded by 15,000 police officers, who were deployed by Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin to safeguard the demonstrators.

The US consulate issued a security message asking its citizens to exercise caution as terrorists have targeted political rallies in the past, and that demonstrations and large events intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused recently detained rights activists of having the same intentions as the perpetrators of a failed coup attempt last year.

The claim was rebuffed by Amnesty International, the rights group that has seen two of its top Turkey officials detained in a month.

Idil Eser, the director of UK-based Amnesty Internationals Turkey branch, was among the 10 people detained on Wednesday while holding a workshop at a hotel on Buyukada, an island in Istanbul.

Amnesty said that, in addition to Eser, seven other Turkish activists, two trainers  German and Swedish nationals, and the hotel owner were detained.

READ MORE: Turkey arrests head of Amnesty over Gulen links

Unfortunately, they gathered there for a meeting which has the nature of a continuation of July 15, Erdogan said on Sunday, referring to the date of the coup attempt last year.

Police forces raided [the hotel] based on information the intelligence [agency] received. And as a result of this raid, they were detained, he said in a televised news conference during the G20 summit in Hamburg.

Erdogan added that the rest of the process is up to the judiciary, which is expected to decide if the detainees will be charged or not.

Ludicrous move

Andrew Gardner, researcher for Amnesty International on Turkey, said that all the activists in custody were being questioned over was being members of an armed terrorist organisation.

This is a ludicrous accusation with no base. The workshop is a perfectly simple routine professional workshop, which human rights defenders would have all over the world. There is nothing suspicious, secret or illegal about it, he told Al Jazeera.





Gardner said that the locations of the detainees were unknown for 28 hours after they were taken into custody, adding that they were not allowed to talk to any relatives and had no access to their lawyers during that time.

What we hope and expect is, since there is absolutely no base for these detentions, for them to be released without further delay, Gardner said.

The detentions have been authorised for seven days, Amnesty said, adding that they can be extended for a further seven days without the activists being brought before a court.

Second arrest

Taner Kilic, the chairman of Amnesty International Turkey, was also arrested in early June for having alleged links to US-based religious leader Fethullah Gulen, who Turkey accuses of masterminding last years failed coup attempt. He is waiting for an indictment and to appear in court, potentially facing prison time.

Around 300 people were killed during the coup attempt and it led to arrests as well as purges targeting tens of thousands of civil servants.

READ MORE: Erdogan hails referendum victory

The government, which declared a state of emergency, say the purges and detentions are legitimate, aiming at removing Gulen supporters from state institutions and other parts of society.

Local and international rights groups, as well as many of Turkeys European allies, say the measures are arbitrary, claiming that the government is using the coup attempt as a pretext to silence opposition in the country.

Umut Uras is on Twitter, follow him on @Um_Uras
State secretary calls on Moscow to de-escalate Russia-backed conflict in east Ukraine, warning sanctions will remain.

The US secretary of state has called on Russia to honour its commitments and fully restore an oft-violated truce between Moscow-backed rebels and Ukraines government forces, saying Washington aims to restore Ukraines territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Rex Tillerson said on Sunday that it is necessary for Russia to take the first step to de-escalate the situation in the east part of Ukraine, pulling back heavy weaponry to lines agreed upon under a two-year-old accord known as the Minsk Agreement.

We are disappointed by the lack of progress under the Minsk agreement, he said at a joint briefing with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko after they held talks. We do call on Russia to honour its commitments.

He also urged the Kremlin to allow the OSCE, a pan-European security body, to carry out their responsibilities.

READ MORE: Russia and Belarus  Behind the media battle

Tillerson said sanctions against Russia would remain in place until Moscow reverses its actions, including the return of the annexed Crimean peninsula.

A primary goal of the United States is to restore Ukraines territorial integrity and sovereignty, he said.

The conflict, which has killed at least 10,000 people, as well as Russias annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, have pushed ties between Moscow and the West to their lowest point since the Cold War.

The US and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Russia, though Moscow has denied backing the rebels.

Tillersons visit to Ukraine followed a first face-to-face meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

Hawk on Russia

Poroshenko hailed US involvement and reiterated Tillersons commitment to seeking a negotiated peace deal.

Most of all we want peace in Ukraine. We firmly adhere to our commitments, he said.

Poroshenko was especially complimentary of Tillersons decision last week to appoint a special envoy for Ukraine negotiations, former US ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker, who is widely considered to be a hawk on Russia.

Volker will oversee US efforts to press Ukraine and Russia to fully comply with the Minsk Agreement, the peace accord that was reached in early 2015 in the capital of Belarus by the leaders of France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia but has yet to be implemented.

WATCH: PEOPLE AND POWER  Ukraine  A dangerous game

Under the Obama administration, the US had taken a hands-off approach to Minsk, allowing the Europeans to take the lead.

Speaking to a group of reform advocates at the US ambassadors residence, Tillerson praised Ukraines progress in combating corruption but made clear that more must be accomplished.

Ukraine has come a long way, he said. We want to acknowledge that, [but] we still have more to do.
World leaders are left frustrated at the G20 Summit as Trump takes US out of the climate change agreement.

This years G20 Summit of the worlds major economies was a tense and sometimes frustrating gathering, exposing the United States isolation globally on the key issues of climate and trade.

World leaders deplored President Donald Trump for pulling out of the landmark Paris Accord, and reaffirmed their commitment to fight global warming without the US.

Washington is now left in what some are calling a club of one.

Will the world continue to look to the US for leadership? If not, who will step into that role?

Presenter: Hazem Sika

Guests:

Marc Pierini  Visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe and former EU ambassador to Turkey and Syria

Molly McKew  Foreign policy expert and strategy consultant

Inderjeet Parmar  Professor in international politics at City, University of London
News / National

by Staff reporter

THE Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe's efforts to set up the Credit Reference Bureau (CRB) has received a major boost after banks submitted information on 90% of their loans to the registry as the central bank moves to clamp down on non-performing loans.CRB resumed its operations after Czech Republic credit checker, Creditinfo was in April last year awarded the tender by the apex bank to set up the system at a cost of $1,8 million with a view to improve credit risk management in the country's financial sector.RBZ governor John Mangudya last week told Standardbusiness that the CRB was working well and 90% of the bank loans had been put into the registry."We are quite happy with the response that has come from banks and we are also pleased by the response from other entities in the market," Mangudya said last week."The usage is good. Most banks have now given us the information."Almost 90% of their loans have been put into the registry and we are happy about that."The credit reference bureau is anticipated to improve the banks' non-performing loans (NPLs) ratio which declined to 7,87% as at 31 December 2016 from a peak of 20,45% courtesy of the disposal of loans to the Zimbabwe Asset Management Company (Zamco).While it is unknown whether the operationalisation of CRB will curb the accumulation of NPLs, Mangudya said the termination of Zamco was justified, saying the body had served its purpose of absorbing firms' bad loans from banks."Zamco said we will close for taking NPLs because we can't continue opening the window for it will cause moral hazards," he said."People were taking loans and becoming reckless and if the registry is working very well it means banks can now mitigate their risks by not giving loans to those individuals who don't pay back."The whole purpose of Zamco was to resuscitate companies and firms that had been incapacitated by NPLs."The window of two years was quite long for them to be resuscitated."There is no country in this world which does not have NPLs but the international acceptable level is between 5%-7,5%."We don't want them to go above that."As at December 31, 2016, sectors with the largest proportions of NPLs were individuals, commercial, mining and agriculture sectors, which constituted 18, 41%, 14,30%, 13,13% and 12,28% of total non-performing loans, respectively.Economist Clemence Machadu believes the system will allow lenders to sell their products and services on credit to access good customers with good credit background."The system will allow lenders and those who sell their products and services on credit to access good customers and for customers with a good credit background to obtain credit at better terms," he said."Right now banks are concentrating their lending on a small enclave of the population, mainly composed of secured loans which allow them to sell collateral when worse comes to the worst, as well as civil servants because they know they can easily get the money through the Salary Service Bureau."Banks hitherto didn't know about the characteristics of other clients, to enable them to come up with packages that suit such categories."Now they are able to widen that important understanding, and it will enhance lending confidence."If run efficiently, the bureau would ease banks' financial risks as they would now be able to first check whether the client is solvent or not before extending loans.This decreases the probability of bad debts and possibly drive banks to fund development projects.Of the $3,69 billion loaned by banks in 2016, a huge chunk amounting 28,7% went to individuals, agriculture got 16,7%, distribution 15,3%, services 14,95 % and manufacturing sector got 10,4%."I think it will change the architecture of lending and skew it towards the unusual suspects," Machadu said."Firstly, I see unsecured personal loans increasing, as banks use someone's credit history as "collateral" when lending."Again, I see lending to the informal sector increasing; because at the moment most of the requirements being asked for loans applications by banks are compatible to a highly formalised economy, which we are not."In Zimbabwe, only 5% of the working population is employed in the formal economy with 95% being employed in the informal sector."So where do they get the payslips or HR approval from? So, after this, more credible clients from the informal sector will certainly start accessing loans."However, economist Eddie Cross said setting up the CRB will make lending slower and more cumbersome."This is a double edged sword in that it will give lending agencies more information on which to base lending decisions while at the same time it will make decision making slower and more cumbersome and may restrict credit to otherwise sound investments," he said.
Warren Wilhelm, aka Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City, apparently identifies more with anti-Trump/anti-capitalistic protestors than he does those who heroically die preserving the peace.

To prove his true affections lie with those who embrace government-controlled wealth sharing, one day after a New York City police officer was gunned down as she ended her shift, Bill saw fit to leave town and head to a peaceful protest at the G-20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany.

For security purposes, the mayors press secretary, Eric Phillips, would not provide details about how much of the mayors trip would be at taxpayers' expense.

However, Phillips did admit that the trip came at the invitation of Andreas Dressel and Anjes Tjarks, the heads of parliamentary groups of the governing Social Democratic Party and the Green Party in Hamburg, on behalf of the Hamburg Zeigt Haltung coalition.

It stands to reason that a radical progressive like Bill de Blasio would proudly join those wreaking havoc in Hamburg. After all, Bill is associated with the anti-Semitic, pro-Sandinista organization Nicaragua Solidarity Network of Greater New York, as well as the communist-loving Service Employees International Union (SEIU) local 1199.

Author of the Progressive Agenda to Combat Inequality, de Blasio went to Washington, DC in 2015 to share a 13-point plan to reduce inequality, which included liberal standards such as increasing the national minimum wage to $15 an hour, national paid sick and family leave, national pre-K availability, and closing tax loopholes for big corporations.

Another reason Bill de Blasio fits in so well with the Welcome to Hell German protestors is his wealth of experience belittling police.

During a rowdy protest on the Brooklyn Bridge, after a group yelled What do we want? Dead cops!, rather than side with the good guys, de Blasio, imitated Barack the police acted stupidly Obama, and called the attack against law enforcement alleged.

Therefore, if Hamburg riot police used tear gas on Wilhelm and Co., indictments against German law enforcement should be viewed only as alleged.

In addition to loathing cops, anti-capitalist/pro-Marxist progressive Bill de Blasio views emerging industrialized nations as evil. Thats why the mayor was be the keynote speaker at the tolerant, diverse and nonviolent Hamburg Zeigt Haltung, or Hamburg Shows Attitude rally, which is coincidentally scheduled to take place in a fish market.

Hopefully, at the Festival for democracy and human rights, which was scheduled to follow the rally, the mayor had time to demonstrate real attitude by busting a move doing the de Blasio Smackdown dance.

But before he does, on behalf of politicians like Barack Obama, de Blasio will likely register liberal contempt for heads of state that stand for protectionism, exclusion and autocratic structures.

Mayor de Blasios will likely focus on his disdain for Trump's rhetoric and policy stances, as well as contempt for right-wing populist movements in Europe desperately trying to shield Western culture from Muslim migrant refugees terrorizing, raping and pillaging their way across the continent.

In Germany, de Blasio will have the opportunity to explain to malcontents how in New York City sharing wealth means investing $72.9 million in hotel rooms for the homeless and flying above a crumbling infrastructure in a helicopter during rush hour.

Maybe Mr. de Blasio will also explain to the tattooed communalists how it is that a failed mayor maintains a 60% approval rating despite destroying an already struggling school system, discriminating against the wealthy, and being investigated by New York State and federal prosecutors for campaign finance abuse.

From there the anti-stop-and-frisk mayor can discuss how the titular head of NYC sleeps soundly even though ten at-risk children died on the Social Services watch list. Not to mention, Alexander Bonds seeking mental help at St. Barnabas Hospital and being quickly released 4-days prior to placing a bullet in the back of Miosotis Familias head as she sat in an NYPD mobile command vehicle in the Bronx.

Speaking of responsibility, Bill de Blasio was mayor, when Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley assassinated police officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu at point-blank range as they sat in a squad car. At the time, the NYPD impugned de Blasio for stirring up hostility toward law enforcement by calling the Garner case profoundly personal.

Prior to Ramos and Liu being murdered, de Blasio publicly declared that to protect his bi-racial son and because of the dangers [Dante] may face, [he and wife Chirlane] had to literally train him . . . in how to take special care in any encounter he has with the police officers who are there to protect him.

If thats the case, Dante, the son of a socialist, is currently at Yale University paying $67,000 a year to be racially profiled and targeted by police just itching to administer a fatal stranglehold.

In the meantime, when Dantes father gets done inciting global discord on behalf of environmental protection, denouncing ethnic nationalism and America First populism, and opposing the free trade, if he makes it back in time for Officer Familias funeral, the sea of blue will likely turn their back on him like they did during Ramos and Lius funerals.

And who could blame them? While Miosotis Familia was being prepared for burial, Bill de Blasio was jetting to Germany, accompanied by a taxpayer-funded NYPD security detail

This mayors dismissive attitude toward New York City cops is reminiscent of Barack Obama disparaging the US military and then allowing a Marine to stand at attention holding an umbrella to shield him from drizzling rain. In like manner, Bill de Blasio scorns the NYPD then he commands a police security detail accompany and defend him should his sorry socialist butt be cannon-hosed by riot police at an anti-capitalist protest in Hamburg, Germany.

Jeannie hosts a blog at www.jeannie-ology.com.
Lets imagine you are standing in the open doorway of a plane -- standard government issued parachute strapped on tight, flying 12,500 feet above ground level and preparing to jump.

Now considering the typical belly-to-earth fall rate of around 115 mph, you will have approximately 60 seconds to enjoy the fall before having to pull the cord. At this point, would you feel safer knowing the parachute maker won the contract because they made the best parachutes available - or instead, that they won because they slashed their operation standards to come in at the lowest price? Its a no-brainer, you would pick the first one, of course, a quality-made parachute that will deliver you safely back to earth.

Unfortunately, the Department of Defense (DoD), along with other government agencies, are currently required to award government contracts based on a bidding process known as the Lowest Price Technology Acceptable (LPTA). The intended goal of LPTA is to protect taxpayers from waste, fraud, and abuse. It is an easy process to understand -- the award normally goes to the lowest priced offeror who submitted a technically acceptable proposal. There is no consideration given for the long-term durability, quality, or reliability of the product; just whether it technically fits the needs at the cheapest cost.

Dont get me wrong: the LPTA is a good and necessary solution for purchasing products like office supplies or, say, toilet seats. Remember when we learned that in the 1980s the government was paying $640 each for plastic toilet seats for our military planes? Under the LPTA, this type of price gouging is much less likely to occur.

However, the limited scope of the LPTA has become problematic. The term technically acceptable is not well defined. This lack of specificity leads some companies to purposely lowball their bids just to win the contract - even though they wont truly be able to deliver on the terms of their contract.

Once this inevitably occurs, the bidding process must be started all over again, wasting all of the taxpayer funds in the process. Even when a contracting officer tries to do the right thing by seeking out quality and durability along with the price, they face mountains of bureaucratic red tape trying to justify the extra expense.

In some cases, the DoDs requirement to buy cheap isnt just a matter of wasted time and money, but rather a matter of life and death. By example, the Battle of Wanat in Afghanistan suffered from a series of failures, not the least was the inferior automatic weapons our soldiers were given that turned white hot and jammed from non-stop firing. Our soldiers were not properly prepared or equipped for the four-hour battle that resulted in nine dead Americans and 27 wounded.

The space program is another area where it is only common sense that quality and reliability is just as important as price. Take, for instance, the current focus on reusable rockets. Aerospace engineers have been working to develop rockets that can be used multiple times, like an airplane, which will ultimately cause space flight to get a lot less expensive. The idea is great, but the execution has been less than ideal. Thanks to the LPTA policy -- not to mention a fair share of cronyism -- the SpaceX aerospace company has consistently been awarded contracts to build new, advanced rockets because they undercut their competition. Theres just one problem: some SpaceXs rockets seem to have a big problem with exploding upon takeoff.

Last year, as SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket exploded for the second time in 15 months, so too did $62 million taxpayer dollars  forcing NASA to delay commercial flights to 2018. SpaceX founder, Elon Musk, admits that while the loss of a rocket and its cargo can be costly and inconvenient, they aren't viewed as crippling blows to the company. And why should he, considering the American taxpayer is left picking up the tab for his failed attempts?

Dont get me wrong: Im not saying SpaceX should never receive another government contract; Im just saying that its wrong for appropriators to be blindly doling out our taxpayer dollars to Musk without taking other factors into account for each and every mission.

Musk keeps bringing in the money not by building the best rocket but by being a slick salesman and overpromising. He has done a great job of having cronies in all the right places. One congressman recently attached an amendment to the House version of the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act that requires the Air Force to only use SpaceX rockets, which are, coincidentally, produced in his congressional district. Eliminating competition is a terrible idea that often leads to higher costs and less efficiency. The Air Force is protesting the measure and has stated that this move will cost taxpayers $1.8 billion more than the departments current plan through the fiscal year 2027.

Awarding government contracts to low bidders without taking reliability into consideration is costing taxpayers millions of dollars that are not factored into the final sticker price. Fortunately, new legislation has been introduced to correct the obvious shortcomings of the LPTA process. The bipartisan Promoting Value-Based Defense Procurement Act, introduced by Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D., would direct the government appropriators to avoid LPTA criteria whenever possible when procuring complex information technology, systems engineering, technical assistance services and other knowledge-based professional services.

By making the appropriations process less robotic, this legislation will make the government run like a more efficient, streamlined business. It should be passed immediately so Americans can keep more of their hard-earned money tomorrow.
The government of Israel does not make an effective case for the rights of the Jewish people.

POINT I . Negotiations are for solving conflicting claims.

It is said that the government of Israel is prevented from negotiating with the Arabs who live in Judea, Samaria, and Aza, because they have no government which is authorized to negotiate, and to enter into an agreement, on their behalf.

That is true, but secondary. The essential point is that no negotiation should be conducted, unless both parties have some claim to the disputed property.

Example 1: I lent NIS 10,000 to Mr. B. He did not repay the principal of the loan, and he did not pay the interest on the loan. Inasmuch as Mr. B has no claim on my money, there is nothing to negotiate.

Example 2: M, a manufacturer, sold and shipped NIS 5,000,00 worth of goods to D, a dealer. Some of the goods were defective. D lost money, because it did not have enough goods on hand to meet customer demand. M has a claim against D: payment for the shipment. D has a claim against M: fewer sales than expected. When each party has a claim, there is something to negotiate.

Regarding the Land of Israel, there is nothing to negotiate. The Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people only

Ditto for unified Jerusalem, inclusive of the Temple Mount and the City of David. They belong to the Jewish people only.

The Temple Mount is sacred to the Jewish people only. The Moslem fairy tale, which does not reference Jerusalem, about a journey on a winged steed, is a laughable basis for Moslem barking about the Temple Mount. The fairy tale is rubbish (a) of itself; and (b) in contrast with the 4,000-year association of the Jewish people with the Land of Israel, beginning with the Patriarchs; and (c) in contrast with the 4,000-year association of the Jewish people with the Temple Mount, beginning with the presence of Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah.

The government of Israel falls down on its job of representing the Jewish people, by ignoring that only the Jewish people have historical, political, economic, and cultural connections of with the Land of Israel, inclusive of Judea, Samaria, Aza, Jerusalem, and the Temple Mount. The connections are irrevocable. To the contrary: Netanyahu, Herzog, Lapid, Livni, and others prattle about two states for two peoples. Their starting point is the falsehood that Arabs have a legitimate claim to the Land of Israel. In their view, there is something to negotiate. That is a disservice to the Jewish people.

POINT II . Language matters. Thats why lawyers choose their words carefully. That is why alleged and asserted are used by lawyers to maintain the idea that something is disputed. If I represent Mr. P, and he disputes that he signed a contract, my obligation is to say the asserted contract. I cut the ground out from under Mr. P, if I am careless with words, and I refer to the contract.

The government of Israel is careless with its words, to the detriment of the Jewish people. West Bank is used by the government of Israel, no matter that the term concedes the legitimacy of the illegal takeover by Jordan, in 19481949, of Judea and Samaria. The government of Israel should use Judea and Samaria, which concedes nothing.

The same for Aza  Aza, not Gaza. The latter term concedes the legitimacy of the illegal control of Aza by Egypt, which began in 19481949. The government of Israel should use Aza, which concedes nothing.

Also, it is harmful to the Jewish people for the government of Israel to use the term Gaza Strip. In the territorial context, strip indicates land which is politically different from nearby land. Aza means that the 140 square miles controlled by the Hamas terrorists are part of the Land of Israel. Gaza Strip means that the 140 square miles are not part of the Land of Israel.

Other words used, to the harm of the Jewish people, by the government of Israel, are Palestine and Palestinians. In fact, those words are associated only with Jews. E.g., Jewish National Home in Palestine; Palestine Post (now Jerusalem Post). Arabs resident in Judea, Samaria, and Aza usurped those words. The government of Israel goes along with the usurpation.

POINT III . The government of Israel aids the Arabs who live in Judea, Samaria, and Aza through banking services, car registrations, cement deliveries, electricity services, tax money, UNRWA support, and much else. Heres a news flash for Knesset members generally, and for Netanyahu and his cabinet particularly: theres a war going on. Its Jews vs. Arabs. Jews are the white hats. Arabs are the black hats. The war is winner take all. The term for aiding the enemy in wartime is treason. The term for Netanyahu shaking hands with Abbas, who murdered many Jews, is disgusting.

POINT IV . The story of Israel should be told to the world by the government of Israel, but is not. One starting point of the story is the Bible, and the association of biblical places with cities and towns in present-day Israel. The related starting point is that biblical figures, who lived in the Land of Israel, were Jews. Not Arabs. All that is ignored by the government of Israel.

Fast forward to the 20th century. The story of Israel has to include the Balfour Declaration (1917), the San Remo Conference (1920), and the Treaty of Sevres (1920). None of those significant events is mentioned by the government of Israel.

The extensiveness of the Jewish National Home in Palestine is not brought out by the government of Israel. The Jewish National Home in Palestine included present-day Israel, Jordan, and south Syria. The last of these took in the Golan Heights (the biblical Bashan). Over the past 100 years, the size of the Jewish National Home in Palestine has been cut, and cut some more. Israel today is 15% of the size of that which the Jewish National Home in Palestine should be. Division of present-day Israel between Jews and Arabs would be yet another cut in size.

Had the size of the Jewish National Home in Palestine not been illegally cut, there would be sufficient room to take in the Jews of Europe. They are threatened with pogroms by Jew-hating Arabs, who were allowed into Europe by globalist elitists. Yet, the Jews of Europe have no place to go. Present-day Israel, with a population of eight million, is bursting at the seams. Through advocacy of the two-state solution, the government of Israel does harm to the interests of the Jewish people.
The New York Times ran an article the other day called "Does God want you to spend $300,000 on college?" God couldn't be reached for comment, so the New York Times went to Notre Dame's Father John L. Jenkins. When Father Jenkins's response was unsatisfactory to the reporter, the reporter went to himself. It seems a better question would have been Does God want us to pay reporters to look for God when we could just ask New York Times reporters?  to which the answer would invariably be that He did, because The New York Times paid one.

These questions seem silly, but at their core, they're essential. The New York Times was not alone in reaching its decision about the $300,000 payment because it had the help of the Catechism. And within this Catechism the Times found a passage, and the passage said social justice ensures that every man is able to get his due.

What exactly this due is has yet to be described, but if we were to formulate any kind of a guess, we would guess that different men would formulate different answers. This is the reason we have "just" answers and "unjust" answers in the first place. For instance, what is the due owed to someone who believes that Notre Dame is worth $300,000? The still small voice within us says a $300,000 charge. What is the due owed a man who believes it's our duty to give every man what's coming to him? No comment could be gotten from Father Jenkins, but the book of 1 John leads me to believe that it's a wedgie.

What The New York Times has forgotten to mention is that the concept of dues is subjective. Many believe that it is the duty of others to listen to us, and it is the sincere opinion of others that in light of their schedules, they shouldn't. In fact, there are countless people around the world who rate themselves higher than they deserve, and the only ones to tell them otherwise are everybody else. Our bosses think we should get less, and we think we should get more; the artist thinks his work is better than all the other works, and most other artists disagree; and the mother thinks her child is more special than all the other children, which leads her to get in fights with the other mothers. The New York Times thinks its opinions are the same as God's. The one thing standing between us and an army of $75-an-hour burger-flippers and self-declared prophets is that we get to value what we value at the rate that we value it, and if somebody is charging us more, we walk. We choose, not them. And when the tables turn and we begin asserting our values to others, they choose, not we.

Against this principle of liberty stands social justice. Social justice at the bottom of the matter is a tyranny of valuation. It says, in effect, that someone is going to tell you how to feel about someone and that you have a duty to believe it. It doesn't matter how you actually feel. It doesn't matter if someone else is willing to pay you $300,000 because he agrees with you. What matters is that someone else, some spiritually enlightened micro-meddler, decides for you whether someone is pretty or praiseworthy or useful or brilliant, whether you owe him your time or your money or your body or your worship  that you're a tool for the furthering of another, not a thinking, breathing, loving, hating, dreaming being of the highest nature in nature, and that you ought to be respected as such.

Social justice is asking how God values Notre Dame instead of asking how you value it. And when God isn't available for comment, it asks a person to value it for you. It doesn't matter whether Notre Dame charges a hundred or a million. It matters whether this person, who is not you, who does not care about what you care about or share your religion or love your children or work as hard as you worked to earn what you earn or to build the college you built, agrees with the charge. As such, the question in social justice is never actually how much is charged or how you should feel. The question is who will decide it.

Jeremy Egerer is the author of the troublesome essays on Letters to Hannah, and he welcomes followers on Twitter and Facebook.
News / National

by Staff reporter

President Robert Mugabe is in Singapore for medical treatment for the umpteenth time this year amid concerns that his health problems are becoming a strain on the fiscus.Zanu-PF last night announced that Africa's oldest ruler had cancelled a rally scheduled for Lupane on Friday, an indication the latest trip was unplanned.Mugabe (93), quietly flew out of the country last Friday afternoon and this time State media did not announce his trip as it usually does when he leaves Zimbabwe or returns home.The Zanu-PF leader has dismissed previous reports that he suffers from prostate cancer, saying he only visits Singapore to get treatment for an eye problem.However, the increased frequency of his trips that peaked last year has fuelled more speculation about his health."He has gone for his routine medical check-ups," a senior government official said yesterday. "At his age, it is normal that he constantly needs medical attention."Information minister Christopher Mushowe refused to disclose reasons why Mugabe is in Singapore, just a few days after returning home from a trip to Ethiopia."It's a private visit," the minister said in a terse response.Mugabe spent close to three months out of the country in the first half of the year.The president spent a staggering 77 days out of the country between January and May as his love for foreign travel continued to drain the cash-strapped government.The trips excluding the latest Singapore visit have gobbled over $50 million, according to information from Treasury.Mugabe's government last year ran an $1,4 billion budget deficit and the figure is expected to increase this year due to an upsurge in foreign travels cost that stood at $53,27 million as of December, more than double the $23 million set aside by Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa for the purpose.Mugabe's office remained the biggest spender, chewing $30,7 million in foreign travels within 10 months in 2016.The money was than that spent on on critical ministries such Industry and Commerce, which had a $35 million budget and most referral hospitals that were allocated less than $1 million each.
It is gratifying to know that some individuals, scholars, and artists can keep their heads while all about them are losing theirs. On June 14, 2017, members of the Modern Language Association voted by 1,954 to 885 to refrain from endorsing the boycott of Israeli universities. A year earlier, the American Anthropological Association, though by a small majority, similarly voted down a resolution to boycott Israeli academic institutions.

Now, Debora Spar, president of the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts in New York, has repudiated an explicit argument for censorship in rejecting the call in a letter of July 5, 2017 by Palestinian and related groups and anti-Israeli activists to cancel "Israeli government-sponsored" performances by two Israeli theater companies, Haibima National Theater and the Cameri Theater of Tel-Aviv, at the Center in July 2017. The letter called on Lincoln Center "to respect the Palestinian civil society call for a boycott of those Israeli cultural institutions that are complicit in the denial of Palestinian rights." The letter was in fact initiated by the New York City Palestinian rights group Adalah-NY: The New York Campaign for the Boycott of Israel.

Their false rationale for this call for censorship was that the performances would be taking place "with support of Israel's Office of Cultural Affairs in North America." Their petition was based on the perverted conclusion that this support is not simply apolitical patronage, but a calculated effort to mask Israeli repression of the Palestinian people.

The fallacy is twofold. First, the Israeli Embassy was not trying to manipulate public opinion through its support; it was simply paying for the costs of the theater groups as government agencies do in the United States. The second fallacy is ironic: the play, the subject of the censorship, is "To the End of the Land," which stems from an anti-war novel by David Grossman, a left-wing activist Israeli writer often critical of Israeli policies in the West Bank.

President Spar issued an enlightened defense of the productions. She rebuffed this call of censorship of Israel and decided not to cancel the performances, writing, "[W]e seek to bring a wide range of ideas and voices to our stages each year[.] ... [W]e do not make political statements and hope that the art we present can stand on its own."

Palestinian and fellow-traveling other groups concerned to make political statements by boycott of Israel reveal that they have no such belief in a "wide range of ideas." Their narrow perspective was shown on March 29, 2012, when the English paper The Guardian published an open letter signed by 37 theater people protesting "with dismay and regret" the decision of Shakespeare's Globe Theater to invite the Israeli company Habima to participate in an international Shakespeare festival.

With a bizarre contention that even Einstein would not have been able to comprehend, the 37 held that because the Israeli troupe had once performed in the settlement of Kiryat Arba in Hebron, Habima participation would make the Globe festival complicit with "human rights violations and the illegal colonization of occupied land."

To its credit, the Globe management, in a careful, moderated defense of free speech, allowed Habima's performance, of "The Merchant of Venice," to go ahead, concluding that "active exclusion was a profoundly problematic stance to take because the question of which nations deserve inclusion or exclusion is necessarily subjective ... people meeting and talking and exchanging views is preferable to isolation and silence."

The attack on free expression in essence stems from the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement initiated by Palestinian groups in 2005. The movement has been the spur for anti-Israeli activity, though its members show little concern for any specific improvements for Palestinians in the disputed areas.

The crucial question is why gifted intellectuals, writers, and performers continue to participate in manifestations of Palestinian propaganda, the antithesis of their own professional values. The more than 60 signers of the letter of July 5, 2017 to the chairman of the Board and the president of Lincoln Center to cancel Israeli government-sponsored performances by two Israeli companies included Kathleen Chalfant, Caryl Churchill, Ken Loach, and Lynn Nottage, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for drama. Can these gifted people really believe the Palestinian argument that performances in New York by the Habima National Theater and the Cameri Theater of Tel Aviv are "part of Israel's strategy to employ arts and culture to divert attention from Israel's decades of violent colonization, brutal military occupation and denial of basic rights to the Palestinian people?"

Do they really accept the Palestinian diatribe that the theater troupes are the "pretty face" of Israel, an image presented so that Israel is not thought of in the context of war, but is making cynical use of the arts to cover up decades of denying Palestinian rights? If they do not believe this nonsense, they should deny it and assert the principles of free expression which the State of Israel is alone in the Middle East in illustrating.

Plato in The Republic wrote of the "bold flight of invention," usually recast as the "noble lie" that induces people to accept convenient fictions. Plato may have been correct in saying that such a fiction was not happening in his day but wrong in concluding it would be hard to persuade anyone that they could ever happen again.

Popular support for totalitarian regimes in the 20th century illustrate the reality. Intellectuals including George Bernard Shaw, GDH Cole, and Sidney and Beatrice Webb, among many others, were guilty of the noble lie in trying to persuade fellow citizens that the Stalinist Soviet Union was not a system pervaded by terror, mass executions, slave labor, gulags, and hunger, but was a new civilization.

For some time, advocates of the boycott of Israel have used the noble lie to influence well-meaning people genuinely interested in human rights. One case in question in 2017 is an attempt at censorship by literary figures at the annual World Voices Festival of PEN America. More than 240 well known writers, poets, and publishers, many of them familiar from earlier BDS events, called for rejection of funding to the festival from the Israel Embassy. Among them were Lucy Lippard, Michael Ondaatje, Alice Walker, Louise Erdrich, Junot Diaz, and Cornel West. The Embassy planned to contribute a small sum to help the expenses of airfare and hotels for Israeli writers selected to participate in the festival.

PEN International has been outspoken in the past, criticizing the Israeli government "for the killings and the reported deliberate targeting of certain journalists, media organizations, and their infrastructures, and the practice of administrative detention against journalists and other writers." At first, in 2017, PEN American Center said it was maintaining the Israeli contribution because it was against "cultural boycotts of any kind ... and there was a need to promote dialogue." But, as a result of pressure, the festival did proceed without Israeli government funding.

It is appropriate to ask if the signatories to the PEN letter, who, in addition to those named above, also include Angela Davis, Russell Banks, and Breyten Breytenbach, realize and approve of the fact that they are engaging not only in a cultural boycott, but in an act in violation of all principles of free expression. Do they understand they are puppets of a well organized political movement that is not averse to anti-Semitism?

The July 7, 2017 letter to Lincoln Center offers a false, hypocritical, and specious argument that it is not raising concerns about any artistic content or nationality, but rather about a repressive state agenda that repeatedly violates international law.

The basic problem is that the signatories of the letter, BDS advocates, know so little, if anything, of international law or of the realities of the Middle East. Information on a few of the realities might help them. They should be aware that Palestinian authorities are gross violators of international law. The Palestinian Authority glorifies murderers and pays salaries to terrorists. An example of this is that one murderer, Karim Younes, now imprisoned, was in May 2017 appointed a member of the Central Committee of Fatah. Younes, an Israeli Arab, kidnapped and murdered an Israeli soldier in 1980.

In his meeting with P.A. president Mahmoud Abbas in May 2017, President Donald Trump raised questions about the payments to Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli jails and to their families, who committed acts of terrorism. Abbas, who had actually raised salaries to the terrorist prisoners in 2010, refused to change policy.

PEN members, who wield a pen rather than a sword, should be less concerned with the payment of Israeli airfare, and more with the over 30 schools named after terrorists, including the notorious former grand mufti of Jerusalem, Amin al-Husseini, a Nazi collaborator who lived in Germany during World War II and met with Adolf Hitler in December 1941. Do they think terrorists and anti-Semites are desirable role models for Palestinian children?
This was a week of startling contrasts. The President reasserted (against a decades-long leftist attack on it) the significant achievements of Western civilization and the need to vigorously defend it. His speech prefaced the G20 meeting in Hamburg, where leftists rioted, burned, and looted while the G20 leaders ponced about and wined and dined in style, apparently oblivious to the havoc which their open border policies and multiculturalist mindset had birthed. As Trump worked successfully on trade and defense issues in Europe, his administration was quietly plugging security leaks and maladministration in our own bureaucratic underground.

A. Poland

Western Europe has been blinded by ideological nonsense. On the one hand it has worked assiduously to separate religion and politics. On the other hand, it has welcomed in hordes of Islamists. In contrast, to quote Zoltan Balog, Hungarys Minister for Human Resources in the case of Islam it is religion that determines politics.

Eastern Europe, in particular Poland, was the right place to defend Western culture and values. And Trump did so brilliantly to the great delight of the thousands who flocked to hear him.

Eastern Europe not only shows a greater understanding of Western culture than Western Europe does; these Eastern countries have also been far more generous to NATO, the bulwark of their independence and security. Culture and security go hand-in-hand: if you take your own culture and civilization seriously, you will be ready to defend them. A brief look at the NATO's members' military spending as a percentage of GDP shows that Poland meets the 2% target, unlike all the Western European countries. Only five of NATO's 28 members -- the U.S., Greece, Poland, Estonia and the U.K. -- meet the 2% target. Where is France? And Belgium? And Germany? And The Netherlands? "Unlike most of its NATO and European peers," Agnia Grigas, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, explained, "Poland has for the past two decades consistently viewed defense as a priority issue, and as a result, has been slowly but steadily emerging as the bedrock of European security". Poland -- unlike Belgium, Italy and other European countries -- is not a "free rider" but a trustworthy partner to its US ally. Poland showed loyal support to the United States both in Afghanistan and Iraq, where its troops fought the Taliban and helped to topple Saddam Hussein. It is no coincidence that President Trump selected Poland, a country that fought both Nazism and Communism, to call on the West to show a little willingness in its existential fight against the new totalitarianism: radical Islam. "The West will continue to have the military edge for a good time to come, but possessing weapons is one thing, and possessing the will to use them is another thing altogether", wrote William Kilpatrick, a professor at Boston College. "The West is strong militarily, but weak ideologically. It lacks civilizational confidence". That is why it is critical that Eastern Europe continues to be a strong voice of dissent in the EU project. It might provide just the cultural confidence that European bureaucrats dramatically lack -- at the peril of Europe itself.

David Goldman (Spengler), no stranger to such things, says the Trump address in Warsaw sent a message that was calculating and subtle and those who abhor Trump as an ignoramus should hang their heads in shame:

First, the United States has drawn a red line at the Polish border, making clear that America will shed blood if need be to defend its Polish ally. Second, the line is drawn around Poland, not Ukraine. The United States is prepared to reach an agreement with Russia over Ukraine if Russia stops destabilizing Ukraine and if it leashes its Iranian dog. The United States has sent a clear message -- as the president reminded his Warsaw audience -- that it will not tolerate the tolerance of terror by the Saudis or other Sunni allies. We expect Russia to do the same with its Shi'ite allies. That is tough, but realistic. Trump is willing to negotiate with the Russians, but from a position of strength, in solidarity with our allies who have suffered historically from Russian aggression, and with unambiguous lines in the sand. It was a brilliantly crafted speech, the slickest as well as the most inspiring foreign policy address of any American president since Ronald Reagan. Trump also gave Poland and other Eastern European countries critical backing in their fight against the European Union's attempt to force them to accept their quota of Muslim migrants.

Add this to news that we are selling Patriot Missiles to Poland to allow them to avoid Russian encroachment, and its clear Poland must be breathing a sigh of relief that Obama is finally out of the White House.

B. Helping Europe Avoid the Russian Energy Stranglehold on it

If you only read the mainstream nonstop promotion of the idea that producing sufficient and steady sources of energy is a bad thing, that we have reached peak energy, and Obamas ridiculous we cant drill our way out of it, you might have missed the significance one of the most important developments of the week. Energy supplies are the lifeblood of modern industrial societies. You cannot heat and cool your homes, transport goods, produce the products you need, defend your country or even fire up your computer without abundant, steady energy supplies. Europe needs it and thanks to our new energy policies, we have it to spare.

In Warsaw, as Ed Morrissey points out, Trump offered leaders from Poland and numerous other European countries long-term LNG deals to diversify their supplies and avoid creating undesirable political leverage with a certain large country to the East that has not hesitated to cut off natural gas supplies for political reasons. Trump didnt mention that nation. He didnt have to. It contains six letters beginning with R and ending with a. America stands ready, Trump declared at a news conference, to help Poland and other European nations diversify their energy supplies, so that you can never be held hostage to a single supplier. In previous years, Russia has turned off natural gas exports to certain countries whose policies displeased Putin. This approach of Trumps is another part of his tougher talk on trade, which seems to be working, as we wrote here. Liquefied natural gas exports are a key part of this presidents energy program and trade policy, which he intends to use to help balance trade deficits and exert favorable leverage on trading partners, China, for instance, where the U.S. buys $300 billion more per year than it sells. The United States has had an insatiable appetite for energy imports over the years. But thanks to the technical developments of fracking that tap into previously unreachable sources, the U.S. now has an immense abundance of natural gas.

C. Russia

The first meeting of Trump and Russian President Putin apparently went well and extended considerably beyond the allotted time set for it. At the end of which a new agreement was reached that promises to reduce civilian bloodshed and the threat of wider war in the Middle East.

It is set to take effect today. Details of the agreement are being worked out and as of this time I have not found anything more definitive than that the parties are working on a plan to deescalate the fighting in Southwest Syria, along the border with Jordan and Israel. How this will be monitored remains to be worked out. For obvious reasons Israel has indicated it will not allow Russian troops to monitor in its area.

D. On the Home Front

The Veterans Administration

Not all the good news is taking place overseas. At home, the slow process of dealing with bureaucratic rot and treachery is well underway.

When he ran for President, Trump promised hed clean up the Veterans Administration, a bureaucracy which was ill-serving Americas veterans. Hes keeping his word:

The VA has removed 526 employees since Jan. 20, according to the accountability report released on Friday. Agency officials have demoted another 27 employees and temporarily suspended an additional 194 employees for longer than two weeks. The list does not include the employees' names but shows their positions. "In addition to posting the adverse action information, Secretary Shulkin announced that he is requiring approval by a senior official of any monetary settlement with an employee over the amount of $5,000," the VA noted Friday. "Any settlement above this amount will require the personal approval of the undersecretary, assistant secretary or equivalent senior-level official within the organization in which the dispute occurs." Shulkin highlighted the new disclosure policy as part of his efforts to change the "culture" at the VA.

The Leakers of the Deep State

At the Wall Street Journal Kimberley Strassel reviews the leak crime wave originating in the deep state.

Citing the report of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, she notes the seriousness and scope of these leaks

The Trump leaks show the sweeping nature of this enterprise, coming as they have from U.S. officials, former U.S. officials, senior U.S. officials, intelligence officials, national security officials, Justice Department officials, defense officials and law-enforcement officials. One story cited more than two dozen anonymous sources. Alarmingly, the titles, and the nature of the information disclosed, indicate that many leaks are coming directly from the U.S. intelligence community. Whats been disclosed? The contents of wiretapped information. The names of individuals the U.S. monitors, and where they are located. The communications channels used to monitor targets. Which agencies are monitoring. Intelligence intercepts. FBI interviews. Grand jury subpoenas. Secret surveillance-court details. Internal discussions. Military operations intelligence. The contents of the presidents calls with foreign leaders. The analysis lays out the real and the assumed fallout. One clear example is the May stories hyperventilating that Mr. Trump shared classified intelligence with the Russians. Subsequent leaks suggested Israel provided the intelligence, about Islamic State. This revelation caused a diplomatic incident, and reportedly a change in the way Israel shares with the U.S. Even former Obama CIA Director John Brennan called the leak appalling. How many foreign allies are pulling back? How many will work with a U.S. government that has disclosed military plans, weapons systems and cybersecurity tactics? What have our enemies learned? One March story divulged sensitive FBI data on U.S. border vulnerabilities, in hopes of undercutting Mr. Trumps travel order.

In light of this report, I couldnt help laughing as I read Politicos take on the poor leakers shivering in their boots as the relentless Trump efforts to stop this is underway.

Heres a sample:

The reverberations have spread in the weeks since, and several national security officials outside the White House have spoken of a strategic thinning of the ranks -- limiting the number of people even read into certain sensitive matters, so that if something leaks, the suspects are obvious. The circles on this are so small, one U.S. intelligence official said of the various Russia investigations that have cast a shadow on Trumps White House. Information on Trump and Russia has been so limited there would be fewer and fewer sources, the official said, putting those who are talking at risk. Confirming [Russia news] is almost impossible, the official said. In some cases, the official added, information has been so choked down that if something comes out in the press, its either a bogus leak or, the official said, the relevant agency will know exactly where it came from. And, the official said, they had heard several other government organizations had started doing the same.

E. CNN

The agency targeted by Trump as fake news proved it in a series of undercover reports from Project Veritas, the ravings of CNNs Jim Acosta, and last but not least, its blackmailing of someone whod produced a gif of Trump flaying CNN in a professional wrestling satire.

That attack by CNNs sinister enforcer Andrew Kaczynski on Reddit user HanAssholeSolo was an outrageous act of overreach by the increasingly aggressive and hectoring left. It was the liberal media deciding that among its new roles is to police societys behavior and mores in the manner of the NKVD. Definitely one good thing to have come out of #CNNBlackmail is that the enemy has shown its true colors. But the far, far better news is that the good guys have fought back. And the best news of all is: were #winning.

Yes, we are winning. And Im not yet tired of it.
The Mayor de Blasio Show, and it is a heck of a show, has a new act. It turns out that Mr. de Blasio left his magnificently run city to participate in the G-20 demonstrations:

This makes sense once you remember that ostentatiously signaling one's virtuous opposition to Trump is the highest calling of a leftist politician right now. The police commissioner can handle the aftermath of the shooting of Miosotis Familia and the MTA can deal with the city's deteriorating subway system. But who's going to manage the very important task of grandstanding about the president to foreigners at a G20 protest halfway around the world? Most Democrats won't travel more than a few hundred miles to register their anti-Trump dissent. De Blasio's willing to cross the ocean. That's commitment.

To be fair, Mr. de Blasio will be back for the police officer's funeral. Nevertheless, it is a disgrace, not to speak of the incredible expense of protecting the mayor of a large U.S. city in the middle of a bunch of anarchists confronting the authorities.

It would have been an act of justice if he had been picked up by one of those German police keeping order. It would have been delightful to have Mr. de Blasio spend an evening in jail with a bunch of anarchists who'd probably jump on him once they learn that he is the head of the city where Wall Street is located.

As any New York City resident will tell you, and I know quite a few of them, the homeless crisis is a crisis, indeed, and the subway system is not exactly running as it used to.

Sadly, the financial center of the U.S. is run by a man who went to Cuba for his honeymoon. The city council is run by a woman who invited a terrorist to a parade.

This is bizarre, since the only people who honeymoon in Cuba are Cubans who are stuck in the island.

Prior to Castro, Cuba was a destination for many U.S. honeymooners, but they went to enjoy the fine hotels and beautiful beaches. They didn't travel to the island to acquaint themselves with the wonders of socialism or to live out "fidelista" fantasies.

De Blasio is sort of lucky. He runs a huge city dominated by one political party. There is no viable opposition and the GOP is dead. So Mr. de Blasio will likely be reelected and then head to Havana for a campaign rest.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk), (YouTube) and follow me on Twitter.
Ten million dollars is apparently nothing to a free spending socialist like Justin Trudeau, but it's pretty clear his sneaky little payoff to a Guantanamo-jailed terrorist, Omar Khadr, isn't going over well with the U.S. veteran he blinded.

According to the Daily Caller:

The wounded warrior who was blinded by Omar Khadrs grenade attack that killed Sgt. Chris Speer says Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau should be charged with treason. In an interview with the Toronto Sun on Saturday, Layne Morris says Trudeaus decision to reward the former al-Qaida terrorist with a formal apology and $10.5 million cash settlement feels like a punch in the face. I dont see this as anything but treason, said Morris. Its something a traitor would do. As far as I am concerned, Prime Minister Trudeau should be charged. Morris is also angry that Trudeau delivered the compensation money to Khadr in secret so that the settlement would be unknown to any U.S. court.

Paying anything to a sworn terrorist who killed our men and who will use his taxpayer winnings to kill us again, is a sign of pure insanity in the West. Was there a war on, or was there a legal dispute about terrorists' rights to take down the Twin Towers in 2001? Why are any of these people getting money? The sneakiness of the maneuver defies the imagination showing that people of Trudeau's ilk care so much about terrorists' feelings they are willing to pay billions from other people's money to succor them even as veterans go neglected. Yet they are just canny enough to know that the public won't stomach it - the public they have such contempt for - and do it in secret.

It goes to show how far gone the left is when it comes to matters of war and peace. To them, there is no such thing as war, there are only lawsuits to be litigated. This explains why these people can never be trusted with the powers that go with war. They will just find a way to pay off the enemy.

It's time to fix this problem from the stateside fast.
If New York Mayor Bill De Blasio thought that a quick trip to Hamburg, site of the G-20 Summit, would buttress his far left bona fides and put him in position to run for the Democratic presidential nomination, he is apparently mistaken.

De Blasio has been subjected to a torrent of abuse on social media, while some media outlets have also savaged him. The New York Post headlined their story, "Don't come back!" which was a theme taken up by Fox News host Eric Bolling who went on an epic rant skewering De Blasio.

The Hill:

And do us all a favor and listen to The New York Post, which speaks for millions of Americans and dont come back de Blasio. Don't come back, Bolling said on The Fox News Specialists. The Fox News host called de Blasio a disrespectful SOB," saying he went to Hamburg, Germany to deliver a keynote speech to anti-Trump, far-left goons riding at G-20 meetings. You aren't a social justice warrior, you are not a progressive for the people. You are a despicable, self-dealing clown who traveled to Germany to feed your need for cameras and microphones, he continued.

Bolling connects De Blasio's disrespect of the police with the trip:

Bolling slammed de Blasio for his absence in the wake of a the assassination of an NYPD officer and for what he claims are de Blasios past public displays of disrespect for cops. The Fox host pointed to the time when NYPD officers turned their back on de Blasio as tensions mounted between cops and the New York mayor over the death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man, at the hands of police and the assassination of two NYPD officers by a gunman. Bolling used the example to say "de Blasio is no stranger to disrespecting law enforcement." During a rally in Hamburg, Germany, on Saturday, de Blasio discussed his city's solidarity with the Germans and Americans' commitment to climate change despite Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris climate deal, New York 1 reported. "Our Earth depends on you. We will never stop fighting for our Mother Earth," de Blasio reportedly told the protestors. "We will never stop fighting against racism and xenophobia."

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

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Bolling also referred to De Blasio as "the lamest human being on the planet" which describes any number of liberals in America, but is especially appropos of De Balsio whose dismissive attitude toward the death of a police officer deserves all the invective that can be directed against him.

Of course, the far left activists looking for a champion in 2020 don't care about the optics of De Blasio's trip. All they care about is De Blasio's anti-Trump credentials. In that, De Blasio is second to none on the left so in that sense, he advanced his prospects by showing up in Hamburg just as the goons began to riot.
A police officer wounded in a shooting rampage in Baton Rouge last July that ended in the deaths of 3 policemen is suing Black Lives Matter for incitement to riot.

Reuters:

The lawsuit filed in a U.S. district court in Louisiana named DeRay McKesson and four other Black Lives Matter leaders as defendants and sought at least $75,000 in damages.

It came on the one-year anniversary of one of the deadliest days in modern U.S. history for law enforcement. On July 7, 2016, a black man angered by what he saw as deadly racial bias in U.S. policing launched a downtown Dallas sniper attack, killing five officers deployed at a protest decrying police shootings of black men.

McKesson was not immediately available for comment and Black Lives Matter leaders have denied accusations that their movement promotes violence against police.

About 10 days after the Dallas shooting, a decorated ex-U.S. Marine sergeant opened fire on police in Baton Rouge, killing three officers.

Baton Rouge had been hit by waves of protests after two police officers earlier that month killed a black man, Alton Sterling, under questionable circumstances. The incident was caught on video and sparked national debate.

The officer wounded in Baton Rouge, who was not named in the lawsuit, was shot by "a person violently protesting against police, and which violence was caused or contributed to by the leaders of and by 'BLACK LIVES MATTER'," the filing said.

Gavin Long, the black gunman who killed the Baton Rouge officers and was later shot dead, identified himself as a member of an African-American offshoot of the anti-government, mostly white Sovereign Citizen Movement, documents showed.
There are rare moments or events that either change the world or mark the beginning of a domino effect. Some events impact only a single country, while others spread out and touch every continent on earth, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall. Today the world is more dangerous than it has ever been. Bloodshed, terrorism, violence, political instability, ballistic missiles, all highlight the need to look for and locate the first and most important source of violence: the mullah-led regime in Iran.

In an underreported event in Paris, tens of thousands of Iranian dissidents gathered on July 1, 2017 to express their support for regime change in theocratic Iran.

The rally condemned the regimes flagrant violation of human rights and rebuked its ballistic missile program, as well as its destabilizing role in the Middle East. The participants cried loudly: terrorism and bloodshed will not end until Irans political regime is obliterated.

The rally was organized by the Peoples Mojahedin Organisation of Iran ( PMOI-MEK ), who was the first to expose the very existence of Irans nuclear program two decades ago.

The gathering has been addressed by hundreds of prominent international personalities, many high-level politicians, political leaders, military officials, religious leaders, and former diplomats from around the world. Such as :

New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, US, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, and several former Democraticlawmakers, as well as three active Republican congressmen: Reps. Ted Poe of Texas, Thomas Garrett of Virginia, and Robert Pittance of North Carolina. Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Governor Ed Rendell, and former French Foreign Minister Bernard Kushner were also there.

Prince Turki Al-Faisal called for Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iranian officials to be brought to justice for their crimes against the Iranian people, whom he described as the first victims of the Iranian regime.

The former New York City Mayor Giuliani asserted that: the new U.S. presidents view is far different from that of his predecessor, who led world powers to dramatically ease sanctions on the Iran with the 2015 Iranian nuclear accord.

Mr. Trump is laser focused on the danger of Iran to the freedom of the world, he added, unlike the Obama administration.

You, I, my government and your leadership, we see Iran in exactly the same way. The regime is evil and it must go. FreebIran, said Mayor Giuliani.

I think its fair to say that the Trump administration has much fewer illusions about the nature of the Iranian dictatorship. I think its fair to say that Secretary of Defense Mattis in his years in the Central Command understands exactly who the Iranian dictatorship is...I think its fair to say that the National Security Advisor, General McMaster, in his years of service in the Middle East, knows exactly who the Iranian dictatorship is, said former US presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.

Mrs. Rajavi the President-elect of Iranian resistance condemned the religious dictatorship of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and asserted that the regime is run by executioners, whove imprisoned or killed tens of thousands of opposition figures since coming to power in 1979.

Mrs. Rajavi called Iran s recent election a sham and accused President Hassan Rouhani of complicity in all of the regimes crimes against the Iranian people.

Overthrow is possible and within reach, she said. Iranian society is simmering with discontent and the international community is finally getting closer to the reality that appeasing the ruling theocracy is misguided.

The only solution is regime change, said Mrs. Rajavi

The IRGC must be placed on the blacklist, the mullahs must be isolated by the international community, and Irans seats must be handed over to the Iranian Resistance

She welcomed the statements made at the Arab, Islamic, American Summit in Riyadh against the Iranian regime and said, The ultimate solution to the crisis in the region and confronting groups like ISIS, is the overthrow of the Iranian regime by the Iranian people and Resistance.

The Trump administration is undertaking a 90-day review of its policies toward Iran. At a meeting on Saturday in Paris, the former American ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said he was certain the Trump administration would make a change in the leadership in Tehran a priority of its Iran policy. the New York Times wrote on July 2, 2017.

How can we sum this up?

Crucial events are powerful if we stand firm to act at right time, the voice of the event and our decision will be felt all over the world and will shape the future and accelerate the attainable goal. Reactionary forces and dictators definitely cannot tolerate it.
One President Obama's first day in office, he announced that he would close the terrorist prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Eight years later, Guantanamo is still open, although most of its inmates have been released - with catastrophic consequences. Up to 30% of released detainees have gone on to commit terrorist attacks - at least 12 former detainees have killed Americans.

Now the Trump administration is seriously considering sending more terrorists to the prison camp, despite universal opposition from human rights groups around the world.

The Hill:

The Trump administration appears to be making its first moves toward fulfilling a campaign promise to fill the Guantanamo Bay prison camp with bad dudes. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein visited the prison on Friday to get an update on current operations, the first concrete action the administration has taken on the facility since taking office. Up until now, Guantanamo has been running on autopilot; the executive order from former President Obama calling for the facility to be shut down is still technically the law of the land. But President Trump promised during the campaign to load it up with some bad dudes, and Sessions has called it a very fine place with no legal reason not to send new detainees there. Supporters of keeping the facility open and sending new detainees there are confident Trump will fulfill that promise, even if little movement has been made. We have taken off the table the silly ideas that the previous administration had about Guantanamo, said David Rivkin, constitutional litigator and a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies who served under Presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush in the White House counsels office and the Justice Department. Obama, having failed in his efforts to close the facility, left Guantanamo with 41 detainees. Five of those detainees were cleared for transfer by either the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force set up in 2009 or the interagency Periodic Review Boards set up in 2011. Shortly after Trumps inauguration, various draft executive orders floated around Washington that would have moved to fulfill Trump campaign promise to begin sending new prisoners to the facility. The orders would have revoked Obamas executive order and suspended any existing transfer efforts pending a new review. They also would have called for the continued operation of Guantanamo to hold and try members of al Qaeda, the Taliban and associated forces, including the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). But no such orders have been signed

It was always perplexing to listen to President Obama talk about Guantanamo. His explanation for closing the facility always centered on what other people thought about the prison camp. His contentions about keeping Gitmo open because it was "creating more terrorists" was always absurd on its face.

President Trump is, if nothing else, fairly pragmatic about what to do with captured terrorists. Perhaps he will also get the military tribunals off square one and have the judges get busy convicting the most dangerous of the terrorists. At the very least, giving them life sentences or the death penalty will make Guantanamo vitally necessary again. Not state wants the mastermind of 9/11, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in one of their prisons awaiting execution and no state should be asked to house him.

To believe Guantanamo is not necessary is to believe that ISIS and a rejuvenated al-Qaeda (not to mention other terrorist groups with an international reach) can be dealt with by civil authorities. Recall the reaction when Obama's justice department suggested that KSM be tried in New York. All those nice, clean liberals rose up and strongly opposed the idea. Would any city in the US act differently?

The facility is already in place. It would be a shame to see it go to waste for lack of inmates.
Merkel, who served as the host leader of this year's summit, said at a news conference that it was up to individual nations to decide who represents them, Bloomberg reported.

"The delegations themselves decide, should the president not be present for a meeting, who will then take over and sit in the chair, Merkel said, according to the report.

Ivanka Trump was part and parcel of the American delegation so that is something that other delegations also do. Its very well known that she works at the White House and is also engaged in certain initiatives.

A photo of the first daughter sitting beside British Prime Minister Theresa May and Chinese President Xi Jinping surfaced on Twitter, drawing some criticism, including from aides to former President Barack Obama.

Cabinet officials typically replace the president at high-level sessions when a stand-in is needed. Ivanka serves as an unpaid adviser to her father in the White House.

Ivanka was sitting in the back and then briefly joined the main table when the president had to step out, a White House official said in response to the photo.

The topic at hand reportedly concerned one of Ivanka Trump's projects, the World Bank finance initiative for women entrepreneurs.
A lawyer for the New York Times says that the defamation lawsuit by Sarah Palin against the newspaper should not go forward because the Times made "an honest mistake" in smearing the former vice president by trying to connect her to the shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise.

Has the word "honest" ever appeared in the same sentence as "The New York Times"?

NY Post:

There was an honest mistake in posting the editorial, lawyer David Schultz told Manhattan federal Judge Jed Rakoff. Last week, Palin sued the Times over a June 14th editorial that stated there was a direct link between one of Palins PAC ads and the shooting by Jared Lee Loughner. But theres no evidence he ever saw the ad, which placed Giffords district in stylized crosshairs. The Times issued a correction. On Friday, Palins lawyers argued that the Times knew the story was false. It was literally acknowledged the same day in another story in their paper, said Kenneth Turkel.

It appears to a non-legal person like me that Palin has the paper dead to rights - and the Times knows it. But libel laws are tricky - especially when a high profile public figure seeks to use them to gain satisfaction against a media outlet. The burden of proof is all on the public figure who must conclusively show that the media organization published a story with "malice aforethought." This is a very high standard to meet, almost demanding some kind of paper trail.

But if there was another story in the paper that day debunking the editorial's claim of a connection between Palin and the Scalise shooting, it sounds pretty damning.

The case will probably not go to trial unless Palin insists on getting satisfaction in open court. If that's the case, pop some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the show. That trial would be one for the ages.
News / Regional

by Stephen Jakes

Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) spokesperson Mbonisi Gumbo has urged Vice President Phelekezela Mphopoko to stop shading crocodile tears on issues of exploitation of Matabeleland resources."We find it strange that you have the guts to tell the people of Matabeleland not to allow their natural resources be taken away by the outsiders. Honorable Vice President, you must stop shading crocodile tears over Matabeleland. Ever since you became Vice President of Zimbabwe you have become a danger to your own people of Matabeleland," Gumbo said."MRP issued a press statement telling the Army to back off from Lupane Gas. The army is looting like they did in Chiyadzwa. Why did you and others in Matabeleland North within ZanuPF allow that if you were genuine about Matabeleland development? Of late you have been calling for Matabeleland people to safe guard their resources and be in charge of them as if you don't know the reason of their failure to do so."He said the single biggest problem in Matabeleland is the deliberate deployment of Shona people in Matabeleland."Both Zanu PF and MDC-T are guilty as charged. The importation of outsiders to be our MPs, Councillors, CEOs, directors, managers, teachers, Administrators, police officers and the rest of civil servants from Mashonaland has been the norm in Zanu PF and MDCT's misrule. If you are really genuine why don't you fix that first? Why not tell the people of Tsholotsho to vote MRP so that such issues will be resisted and eventually be corrected?. Honorable VP Mphoko what has gotten over you such that you have become so reckless?,"he said."At some point you said Gukurahundi was a Western conspiracy, exonerating the real culprits Mugabe, Chiwenga, Shiri and Mnangagwa among others. Now you come back claiming that your government is launching a reburial program for the victims of Gukurahundi without even talking to the victim's family, without even acknowledging the atrocities. You claim to be on a program to give survivors birth and identification documents but your Register general said the program is not meant for Gukurahundi genocide victims and survivors. Who is fooling who? "He said Mphoko should STOP making a fool of himself in Matabeleland."If you are genuine, what is so difficult for you to order your Cdes to stop looting from Matabeleland. Why telling villagers to resist something that you are failing to stop as VP?. We therefore appeal to you as the Vice President to join hands with MRP and the rest of Matabeleland in resisting Lupane Gas looting by Sakunda and the Army if you really mean what you said in Tsholotsho. Mthwakazi Republic Party remains the best option for Matabeleland and Midlands in next year's elections," he said."We will make sure that the people of Mthwakazi regain control of their resources, culture and destiny through their Right to self-determination. Hon Mphoko you have proved to us that you are powerless even in your capacity as the Vice President to Protect the interests of this region together with your fellows from Matabeleland you are a disgrace and its high time you step aside and allow MRP to take over. For peace and justice in our life time Mbonisi Gumbo MRP secretary for information and publicity."
The breakdown of civil order accelerates. The critical social bonds that constrain behavior in civilized society continue to disintegrate in tandem with the decline of families, in particular the absence of fathers from any role in childrearing among certain segments of society. History is full of examples of societies falling apart in the face of challenges after weakening themselves from within.

Chicago may be the best example, as certain sections of the city have become kill zones. But consider how far the rot has progressed. CWB Chicago reports:

Detectives are warning Near South Side residents of a robbery crew that includes a 6- to 8-year-old boy whos armed with a silver handgun. (snip) Each time, between three and nine robbers have approached victims and either demanded valuables or taken property by force before running away. (snip) The alert (below) describes the offenders only as black males between 6- and 20-years-old.

Robberies have been reported on sidewalks, in parking lots, and in an apartment building hallway, cops said.



Map showing the approximate locations of eleven related robberies, according to Chicago police. | Batch Geo

Hat tip: Peter von Buol
The Independence Day holiday provided a wonderful snapshot of the Chicago branch of the ruling class at play. If you follow the money of Chicago politics, you soon realize the importance of the role of a seemingly obscure local official, the Cook County Assessor. That office, currently occupied by Joe Berrios, who worked his way up the machine from precinct captain, has enormous powers to raise or lower property tax bills.

So how does a member of the Chicago Machine that rules politics in the city, county and state, and which brought us Barack Obama, honor our nations founding? Chicago City Wire reports:

Arriving home from long family weekends today, many Chicago homeowners went from relaxed to girding themselves upon greeting their new, much larger property tax bills in the mail. News of the specifics of this year's Cook County's big property tax hike came just in time to dampen 2017 Fourth of July celebrations. But Cook County Assessor himself, Joe Berrios, whose questionable, significantly higher property valuations drove much of the tax spike, doesn't appear stressed. Berrios was spied spending his 4th of July-- a Cook County government holiday-- yachting on Lake Michigan, hanging on the "Good Times," an 83-foot luxury boat owned by Chicago corporate lawyer Christopher D. Lueking. The Good Times, which was docked at the Chicago Yacht Club, holds 24 people and includes three bedrooms. It has its own Facebook page. Windy City Yachts ranks the "Good Times" as Chicago's fifth-largest.

Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios boards the "Good Times," Chicago's fifth-largest yacht. | Chicago City Wire

Nice. Berrios has come a long way from the Cabrini-Green hellhole housing project where he was raised. He was the first Hispanic member of the legislature in his political journey up the machine. But he went for the power, not for the glory. An assessor wants to stay out of the headlines luxuriating with the rich and powerful.

From the standpoint of any ruling class, it is far better to keep the real holders of power obscure.

Berrios is lucky that he is a Democrat. If he were a Republican, the Democrat media couldnt get enough of the story to satisfy their appetites.
Do you remember the video that was played at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Government is the Only Thing We All Belong To? The title of that video is the crux of the beliefs of the left, not just in the U.S., but everywhere. In contemporary America, Democrats have become congruent with the left, and the belief that the government owns us is a pervasive sentiment.

Why is this? Democrats, as a political party, have literally denounced religion, particularly Christianity. At that same Convention in 2012, the delegates filled the arena with loud booing during the attempt to reinstate the word God into the Democratic Party platform.

Persecution of Christians was practically Obama administration policy, including lawsuits of Christians refusing to subordinate their beliefs to government mandates. Even the Little Sisters of the Poor were made to suffer for refusing to be a party to forced distribution of contraceptives .

In her book, Godless: The Church of Liberalism, Ann Coulter writes:

Liberalism is a comprehensive belief system denying the Christian belief in mans immortal soul. Their religion holds that there is nothing sacred about human consciousness. Its just an accident no more significant than our possession of opposable thumbs. They deny what we know about ourselves: that we are moral beings in Gods image. In the absence of belief in a higher power, government naturally becomes the almighty deity. Without God, humans are soulless creatures no better than wild animals, and it stands to reason that they should not be trusted with personal freedoms. We must therefore belong to the government.

Then along came Donald Trump. He does not believe in big government. He dislikes politicians, regulations, and bureaucracy. The people he has hired in his administration have similar beliefs. The Republicans, who hold majorities in both houses of Congress, also believe in smaller government (for the most part).

Imagine, if you will, that your religion has been usurped by priests or ministers that do not share your beliefs. Imagine that Satan has been elected Pope. (No, Im not comparing Pope Francis to Satan. But there are a lot of strange things happening at the Vatican lately). This is the gut-wrenching horror that the left is currently experiencing. Their god is slowly dying, trampled on by heretics and blasphemers.

President Trump is not your typical politician. His penchant for prolific Tweeting is decidedly not presidential, at least to the true believers in government. Trump is a heretic in the Church of State. He does not take his role as secular Pope of the nation with the proper solemnity.

Trump says that he is modern day presidential. As such, the modern day president has set up his own rules. If these new rules failed him, it would be painfully obvious to him and his administration. But they havent, at least not to this point.

His Tweets have successfully driven his sworn enemies, the left and the leftist media, absolutely crazy to the point of making them lose focus on their mission to resist and sabotage his agenda. Instead they have become obsessed with his impropriety as the leader of their government religion. As a consequence, he deserves secular excommunication, aka impeachment.

Trumps strategy is winning. He needs to continue to use social media to isolate and completely cut the leftist media out of the loop.

The American left has shown itself to be dangerously unstable. For them, politics is not a trivial pursuit, it is a deadly serious bloodsport, and they play to win. On the other side, Trump is playing political rope-a-dope. Like Muhammad Ali bouncing against the ropes to dodge George Foremans powerful roundhouse blows in the Rumble in the Jungle, he is fending off the relentless attacks of the left with stealth and cleverness.

American politics can be distilled down to whether or not you believe in a higher power than government. We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Thus wrote Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence.

Are human rights endowed by our Creator, or bestowed by government? That is the basic question and conflict in America. In order to resurrect their government god, the Dems must destroy our Creator. But first, they must destroy our President.

Andrew Thomas blogs at Dark Angel Politics
Over at Power Line, Steven Hayward makes a striking, and funny, observation (boldface mine):

I join John in utter amazement (though not surprise) about the lefts freak out over Donald Trumps defense of the West in his terrific Warsaw speech. From the reaction John and others have highlighted, youd have thought Trump had called Russia an evil empire or something. (Heh.) I hope Trump continues this theme, and provides the left with more beclowning opportunities. If this keeps up Trump is going to carry 45 states in 2020. Who could have foreseen that Donald Trump would become the rhetorical successor to Solzhenitsyn at Harvard in 1978 or Pope Benedict XVI at Regensburg in 2006?

That's right, the smug, sanctimonious left has gotten so unmoored in its loathing for the West that it has ceded the title of defender of its hated Western Civilization to ... are you ready? ... Donald Trump. That's right, Donald Trump, real estate developer extraordinaire, man of gold-plated fixtures and brassy towers with his name on them, celebrity tabloid culture regular and reality TV star. Now - and there really is not arguing with it - he's also the world's foremost defender of Western Civilization.

Trump has been the voice of moral leadership not just on whether the West is worth defending, as he stated in Poland last week, but in taking the leadership on forbidding the use of chemical weapons in Syria, and in standing up for the helpless British baby victim of socialism, tiny Charlie Gard. Improbable as it sounds, such statements are the substance of moral leadership no matter what one thinks of the vessel. The whole thing is happening not because Trump is some particularly morally pure human messenger. Solzhenitsyn with his multiple marriages and poetry about raping German women made no pretenses to morality either even as he spoke out morally with such powe. He was eventually just chosen, as the biblical Jacob was chosen, flaws and all. So it seems is the role that Trump is now in. Trump speaks out when something needs to be said. The pope won't do it. Angela Merkel won't do it. Obama certainly won't do it. The cowardice on the left is very clear on that front, none of those people are willing to say anything that might make them unpopular within their social bubble. The Pope sometimes moves in that direction cagily after an outcry, but this isn't impressive. Trump will, however.

And that is not only the function of the office he holds, it's the fact that he is willing to use its bully pulpit to say the right thing that needs to be said. It's also a commentary on the widespread rot in the culture spread by the left in that there are so few voices of diversity, the soggy one-world-government attitude of the left is all over, taking Western Civilization for granted, while its crazed component in the universities and in the intelligentsia is still boiling with anti-Western lunacy. In that atmosphere, how could there not be an opening to defend Western Civilization for Trump? Who is smart enough to recognize it and run with it? Yes indeed, he really is the defender of Western Civilization - even as he might be the last guy we'd expect.

Could Tom Wolfe have imagined this one when he was writing about the Studio 54 scene Trump was a part of around the same time he was writing about Alexander Solzhenitsyn's 1978 Harvard speech, in Mauve Gloves and Madmen, Clutter and Vine? I don't think even Wolfe could have foreseen that one. Oh for the talents of Tom Wolfe to do the honors on this one.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called for regime change in Iran. He made the comments in a hearing on State Department budget for next year before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Secretary Tillersons testimony on Iran coupled with that of near unanimous Senate vote on Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017 bill condemning mullahs missile proliferation program, human rights record and destabilizating role in the Middle East was received in Tehran as a recipe for disaster. It is for the first time in nearly four decades of mullahs rule that a U.S. Secretary of State clearly calls for regime change. It might be a coincident that at the same time the strongest U.S. Senate vote to date against Irans religious dictatorship is passed with 98 votes out of 100.

The bill is also unique because while it targets most important issues involving the Iranian regimes provocative actions, it has not violated the nuclear deal or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) struck by Obama administration. It is an important reminder since the deal is often used as an excuse to give the regime in Tehran a free pass.

Some in the West were falsely led to believe that Hassan Rouhanis second term would reign in Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ambiguous missile proliferation program. In the weeks after the sham election and before his official inauguration it is abundantly clear that no such change is in Iranian political horizons.

They are taken by mistake if the new U.S. rulers think they can pressurize Iran with bills  in the Senate and Congress, Rouhani said in reference to a new Senate move, IRNA news agency reported on June 21. Earlier in his second term victory speech Rouhani vowed to continue with mullahs missile program.

On June 21, the Iranian opposition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the whistle-blower of mullahs nuclear and missile programs, held a press conference in its Washington office to give newly obtained information on the regime missile program from sources inside Iran. Its largest affiliate, the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (POMI/MEK), first obtained the information that IRGC with the help of North Korean engineers are developing and testing a variety of medium and long range missiles.

It is no secret that since the 2015 nuclear deal the Iranian regime has stepped up production and testing of ballistic missiles. It has been playing permanent host to scientists from North Korea, which has the know-how to build and launch atomic weapons. The mullahs regime sees North Koreas help and knowledge so crucial to its missile program that it has housed their scientists and technicians in Tehran.

NCRI says that IRGC is working in 42 missile sites. The regime is busy in development, manufacture, and testing of missiles by the IRGC. It also determined that at least one such center, located in Semnan Province, 52 miles southeast of Tehran, was actively collaborating with the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (Persian abbreviation: SPND), which had previously been identified as the institution in charge of nuclear weapons-related work in the Islamic Republic.

On the basis of specific intelligence, the IRGCs missile sites have been created based on North Korean models and blueprints, the NCRI said. North Korean experts have helped the Iranian regime to build them. Underground facilities and tunnels to produce, store, and maintain missiles have also been modeled after North Korean sites and were created with the collaboration of the North Korean experts.

NCRI also exposed in April secret facilities IRGC uses to enrich uranium. Something will never change with this regime. It is constantly looking for back doors when it comes to transparency and coming clean on its nuclear and missile programs. They two are indivisible components of keeping the mullahs regime afloat in the turbulent times.

A close examination of Iranian regimes ever growing harassment of its neighbors, not to mention its direct involvement in soon to be 7 years old Syrian war, harassment of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz and especially that of the US Navy vessels, demonstrate that it is not going to back off. General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an interview recently that Iran is harassing US and international maritime activities in the Persian Gulf. There have been reports of vessels originated from Iran carrying weapons for Houthis in Yemen. French navy patrolling the area near Bab-el-Mandeb intercepted a few of them last year.

Not taking into account the mullahs brutality at home, which is unprecedented in Irans modern history, the destabilizing role it has played in the region since day one is more than enough for the international community to draw the line.

The new sanctions bill is an effective first step to push back. Since its introduction the Iranian regimes official are terrified of consequences and some have called it mother of all sanctions or the black hole. It is obvious that a regime change policy which does not involve US military intervention requires putting some teeth into it in another way. The bill and similar measures such as outright black listing of IRGC as the main actor in all the regimes devious activities in Iran, in the region, and beyond requires such drastic measures. Recognizing the legitimate resistance of Iranian people against the regime is another undeniable component of a regime change.

Reza Shafiee (@shafiee_shafiee) is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
Opinion / Columnist

AS Africa attempts to stake its claim on the world economy, education that sheds light on global economics and markets becomes more important. This has seen Zimbabwean students go to study abroad and then returning with the objective of developing their country.Surprisingly the US, which is leading in technological innovations such as Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook and Dell, among others, has not been high on the list of Zimbabwean students. Dean of the Huston-Tilloston (HT) School of Business and Technology, Dr Steven Edmond, wants that to change, for all the Zimbabwean students that have come to the institution, which is in Austin, Texas, have excelled in their studies, even gaining traction on the competitive US employment market.Barney Mutumha, a young Zimbabwean who studied Accounting at HT, feels that the minority element of the university, which is one of the 104 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), helped him to settle down. "At HT I felt at home the first day I arrived on campus, I was surrounded with a lot of people from diverse backgrounds, with a lot who look like me," he says, with a grin.And Mutumha feels that the US education system is not rigid, but places more emphasis on one following their dreams, which saw him doing Accounting yet he had done sciences at A-Level in Zimbabwe "At HT I studied Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting, and studying in the HT opened up my mind to new ways of thought and new methods of processing ideas and information that I had never been exposed to."The liberal arts education allows one to fully explore different career paths and fields of study. Having studied Mathematics, Biology and Chemistry in high school in Zimbabwe, I wouldn't have imagined getting a degree in accounting under a British system," Mutumha, who is an intern at Texas Certified Development Company, says.And Dr Edmond purrs as he talks about Zimbabwean HT students over the years. "All of the Zimbabwean students who have attended HT during the 17 years that I have been at the University have chosen the disciplines of accounting and computer science. This means that they were in my academic unit, the School of Business and Technology, so I have first-hand knowledge of their school performances. And we are in Austin, Texas, which is one of the technology hubs of the United States."Most of these students earned perfect marks (100%) during their four years at HT. None earned marks of less than 89%. All of the faculty members have said that the Zimbabwean students are a joy to have in the classroom. They are hungry for knowledge and ask great questions. They are well disciplined at all times  both inside and outside the classroom," Dr Edmond says.After completing undergraduate studies at HT, students get a shot at other graduate universities in the United States that provide scholarships, and such partnerships include the University of Texas at Austin, Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama, and Bentley University in Boston, Massachusetts. Rufaro Mukahadzi, who graduated with a degree in Accounting from HT and is now working in the Treasury department at ERCOT (Electric Council of Texas), made history when she became the first HT student in 20 years to pass the Certified Public Accountant exam."I pursued a Master's in Professional Accounting degree at the Number One-ranked Accounting University in the US; at The University of Texas at Austin where I represented 2 (two) percent of Africans and African-Americans. HT provided a foundation for me to have been able to get accepted and graduate from such a prestigious school," she says.But Dr Edmond is never one to be outdone. "Rufaro, after receiving the Master's degree in Public Accountancy from the University of Texas at Austin, was the first HT student to pass the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam in over 20 years," he says with a wink. The affable Dr Edmond, who despite his diminutive stature has a warm countenance that lights up the whole room, beams at thought of another record-breaking Zimbabwean student, Sammy Mudede."Sammy Mudede from Zimbabwe was the first in HT University's 142-year history to have received the master's degree in Software Engineering from the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University," Dr Edmond gushes. And Mudede has been snapped up by Texas-based computer manufacturing giant, Dell."I am now employed at Dell as a Software Senior Engineer, developing Microsoft Windows software applications for Dell consumer laptop and desktop products. "My career aspirations are to continue to sharpen my software and technology product development abilities and widen my corporate influence as I climb higher up that career journey ladder," says Mudede. The Zimbabwean trio also said that they had been awarded scholarships at HT for them to complete their studies.Mutumha, Mudede and Mukahadzi received full academic scholarship for four years at the Dubois Honors Program. There are also other grants that one can apply for. Mudede wants to extend the red carpet to African-Americans in the US and Zimbabweans too."I'm also very passionate about giving back to the community by empowering the youth, specifically through increasing their awareness of education and possible career opportunities in the sciences. I am also involved in an educational non-profit, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), here in the US and I plan to now make a similar concentrated effort for my young brothers and sisters back in Zimbabwe, so watch the space!", Mudede says.And Mutumha also has advice for Zimbabwe students. "If you would like to study in the US I would encourage you to take the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) or GMAT (for graduate school) Take these tests seriously as they are used to screen students," Mutumha says. Dr Edmond looks up. "I want more Zimbabwean students at HT in accounting and computer sciences, we have the conditions for them to succeed here," said Dr Edmond.Abel Dzobo is a Zimbabwean who is currently at the University of Texas at Austin, under the Mandela Washington Fellowship. Feedback: abeldzobo@gmail.com
Opinion / Columnist

I have visited many countries in the world, but few invoke mixed emotions like Germany.On every visit I plan an excursion, not to the Alps Mountains or boat cruise along Rhine River, but to Buchenwald and Dachau Memorial sites.My next research project is to visit Auschwitz- Birkenau Concentration camp in Poland. Although the extermination of six million Jews took place more than 50 years ago, the pain and agony is still as excruciating as ever.I have seen people weeping during the tours, it's not an easy walk, it still rekindles sad and sordid memories. It reminds me of the infamy of Zimbabwe.Where was the world when Hitler committed these heinous crimes? Were the leading nations and religious institutions of the world ignorant of goings on or just indifferent to human suffering? The gas chambers are a sad reminder of the terrible things which have gone wrong in this world.The ill-treatment of Jews was inhuman, degrading and callous. The scale of human suffering was beyond comprehension and unprecedented. This prompted Allied Forces at the end of the Second World War to speak with one voice and give an undertaking to prevent future genocide. Never again!According to Jean Paul Satre the word "genocide" is said to have been coined by jurist Lemkin between the two world wars. The thing is as old as mankind and so far no society has existed whose structure has prevented it from committing this crime. The question is, "Do we learn from history?" Sadly, history has been repeating itself again and again in several countries including Africa.The world looked aside as the Zanu-PF government of President Robert Mugabe subjected some of the citizens to similar horrible abuse.The hatred and anger was directed at those perceived or suspected to be loyal supporters of Zapu and its leader Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, they were isolated, tortured and butchered.The deployment of Fifth Brigade in Matabeleland and some parts of Midlands provinces brought so much pain and suffering to an otherwise law-abiding and God-fearing people.It is estimated that 20 000 Zimbabweans were brutally massacred by government forces. This was a gross human rights violation and those responsible for the heinous act must be brought to book.The most notorious concentration camps were established in Bhalagwe near Nkomo's rural homestead and at Stezi Rest Camp in Gwanda, not far from Nkomo's farm.The locations of slaughter camps in the vicinity of Zapu leader's properties was definitely not coincidental, but a calculated political decision to subdue and demoralise local communities.The aim was to humiliate and emasculate Nkomo by any means possible.Tales abound of Gestapo style torture to which members of the DDT, as the brigade had come to be known, added sadistic dimensions: castration, exposure to hornets, forced intake of poison and head-butting trees until one lost consciousness.Few, the villagers claim, saw the insides of the fortified bunks and lived to tell the tales.There is an ordeal of an old man who suffered immeasurably under the hands of the notorious brigade.There is a harrowing story of a village alderman: "They tied my hands and feet with a rope and then suspended me on a pole between two trees and started beating me with large sticks and rifle butts for a long time, until I could no longer feel the pain. I am told that they used a bayonet to cut off my testicles. To drown out my screams and those of my wife, they ordered the others to sing loudly. Its obvious the fat one who had the bayonet was enjoying it, because he would spit in my face and ask why I was crying."I have learned that the first concentration camps in Germany were built after the mass arrests which accompanied Hitler's seizure of power in 1933.While these camps did not last for a long time in many cases, the number of new and large camps started to rise continuously during the second half of the 1930s.They formed a network which covered Germany and was extended subsequently to every occupied country.The names of these camps became synonymous with the traumatic experience such as hunger, cold, torture, and rape of women and the murder of millions of men, women and children.The concentration camp on Ettersberg Hill near Weimar was founded in 1937. Its first name was "Ettersberg Concentration Camp".The decision to select this site was made because it was close to Weimar, the capital of Thuringia, because of its proximity to exploitable clay and stone deposits and finally, because Suckle, the regional chief of the Nazi party, wanted to have a large contingent of SS troops stationed near Weimar.Buchenwald concentration camp saw the biggest increase among all concentration camps existing in the German Reich with the arrival of 8 463 persons during the weeks of September and October 1939.Transport came from Poland, from occupied Austria, from the Gestapo offices in central Germany and from the concentration camp of Dachau near Munich.This mass arrival led to the eruption of the largest dysentery epidemic up to this time. It broke out in a tent adjoining the mustering ground.The SS isolated this provisional camp which was overcrowded with Austrian Jews and Poles and allowed the majority of the inmates to die from hunger and cold.The first crematorium in the camp was built in the context of this mass killing.Every year of the war took more Austrians, Czechs, Poles, Dutchmen, Frenchmen, Belgians, Russians, Ukrainians, Jews, Sinti and Roman Gypsies, and finally people from almost every European country to the concentration camp of Buchenwald.The genocide of Jews, Sinti and Roman Gypsies started in the extermination camps established on occupied Polish territory after the attack on Soviet Union. The prisoners regained their freedom in 1945, following the defeat of Hitler by Allied Forces, subsequently a funeral was held to mourn the 51 000 victims of Buchenwald Concentration Camp.A declaration of survivors written by political prisoners was read in Russian, Polish, Czech, English, French and German during this ceremony. It went round the world as The Oath of Buchenwald and reads as follows:"Comrades, we anti-fascists of Buchenwald have come together today in order to honour the 51 000 prisoners murdered by the Nazi beasts and their accomplices in Buchenwald and its external commandos. 51 000 people have been shot, hanged, trampled on and beaten to death, suffocated, drowned, poisoned, killed by injections."A total of 51 000 fathers, brothers and sons died in agony because they were fighters against the murderous fascist regime. 51 000 mothers and wives and hundreds of thousands of children accuse the murderers."We survivors have witnessed the atrocities committed by the Nazis. We were powerless and full of rage as our comrade's fell. If anything kept us alive, it was the idea that the day of revenge would come!"Today, we are free! We thank the Allied American, British, and Soviet armies and all armies of freedom who fought for our lives and for the welfare of the whole world. We now remember FD Roosevelt, the great friend of anti-fascists in all countries, an organiser and initiator of the fight for a new democratic and peaceful world. Let us honour his memory."We Soviets, Frenchmen,Poles,Czechs,Slovaks,Germans,Spaniards, Italians,Austrians,Belgians,Dutch,Englishmen,Luxemburgers,Romanians,Yugoslavs and Hungarians of Buchenwald fought together against the SS, against the Nazi criminals and for our own liberation. We are inspired by one idea: Ours is a just cause and victory must be on our side."Speaking many is not over. Our sadistic tormentors are still free. For this reason, we swear at this place of fascist atrocities and by the whole world that we only give up the struggle when the last of the culprits has been sentenced by the court of all nations."Our slogan is to smash Nazism once and for all. Our ideal is to build a world of peace and liberty. That is what we owe to our murdered comrades and their families. To show that you are for this fight, lift your hand and take this oath."Taking a leaf from German, I hope during our lifetime we will witness the survivors of Gukurahundi genocide cry in unison proclaiming The Oath of Bhalagwe:The murderers of our families are still aliveOur sadistic tormentors are still freeFor this reason, we swear at this place.Tamsanqa Mlilo is a director at Mediation for Peace Centre, human rights activist and social commentator
United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit. VALDAMAR LANSKY, Petitioner - Appellant, v. JASON LENGERICH; THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF COLORADO, Respondents - Appellees. No. 16-1431 Decided: June 28, 2017

Before LUCERO, O'BRIEN, and MORITZ, Circuit Judges.

ORDER DENYING CERTIFICATE OF APPEALABILITY *

Valdamar Lansky, a Colorado prisoner proceeding pro se, seeks a certificate of appealability (COA) to appeal the district court's dismissal of his 28 U.S.C.  2254 habeas application. To obtain a COA, Lansky must make a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right. 28 U.S.C.  2253(c)(2). Because he hasn't made this showing, we deny his COA application and dismiss this matter.

In 2008, a Colorado jury convicted Lansky of four counts of sexual assault on a child. The trial court determined that Lansky was a habitual sex offender and sentenced him to four concurrent terms of 36 years to life in prison. The Colorado Court of Appeals (CCA) affirmed the conviction on direct appeal on July 29, 2010. Lansky didn't seek review by the Colorado Supreme Court.

In 2013, Lansky filed a petition for postconviction relief (PCR) in state court. The court denied that petition. Nearly one year later, Lansky attempted to appeal out of time the state court's denial of his PCR petition. In doing so, Lansky asserted that the state court's alleged failure to timely notify him of its denial of that petition constituted good cause sufficient to justify the late filing of his appeal. See People v. Baker, 104 P.3d 893, 896 (Colo. 2005). The CCA rejected that argument and dismissed the appeal as untimely.

Lansky filed this action on April 20, 2016. His amended petition for a writ of habeas corpus contains ten purported claims. First, Lansky assertsas he did in the CCAthat the state court failed to give Lansky notice that it had denied his PCR petition. The district court dismissed this claim, noting that challenges to a state's post-conviction remedy, rather than the underlying judgment, aren't reviewable in a habeas action. See Sellers v. Ward, 135 F.3d 1333, 1339 (10th Cir. 1998).

The district court dismissed Lansky's nine remaining claims as time-barred. The court noted that a one-year statute of limitations applies to Lansky's habeas claims. See 28 U.S.C.  2244(d)(1) (A 1-year period of limitation shall apply to an application for a writ of habeas corpus by a person in custody pursuant to the judgment of a State court.). The district court concluded that Lansky's statutory period began running on September 13, 2010, which was the date on which [Lansky's] judgment became final by the conclusion of direct review or the expiration of the time for seeking such review.  2244(d)(1)(A). The district court calculated this date by starting from July 29, 2010when the CCA affirmed Lansky's conviction on direct appealand then adding 46 daysthe time within which Lansky was required to seek certiorari of that affirmance in the Colorado Supreme Court. See Colo. App. R. 52(b)(3) (2009).

Next, the district court concluded that Lansky's PCR petition didn't toll the statute of limitations. See  2244(d)(2) (The time during which a properly filed application for State post-conviction or other collateral review with respect to the pertinent judgment or claim is pending shall not be counted toward any period of limitation under this subsection.). In reaching that conclusion, the district court noted that Lansky didn't file his PCR petition until 2013, after the one-year limitations period had already run. See Clark v. Oklahoma, 468 F.3d 711, 714 (10th Cir. 2006) (explaining that PCR proceedings initiated more than one year after final judgment don't toll limitations period).

Finally, the district court concluded that Lansky isn't entitled to equitable tolling. To benefit from equitable tolling, Lansky needed to demonstrate (1) that he ha[d] been pursuing his rights diligently, and (2) that some extraordinary circumstance stood in his way. Pace v. DiGuglielmo, 544 U.S. 408, 418 (2005). The district court concluded that Lansky didn't make either showing. With respect to the first requirement, the court noted that Lansky delayed filing this habeas action for more than five months after his PCR proceedings concluded. As for the second element, although Lansky asserted that the state court failed to give Lansky notice that it denied his PCR petition, the district court again noted that Lansky filed his petition after the limitations period had expired. Accordingly, the district court concluded that Lansky's claims are time-barred.

The district court then entered judgment against Lansky, and he now requests a COA. Because the district court dismissed Lansky's  2254 application without reaching its merits, we will grant a COA only if Lansky demonstrates both [1] that jurists of reason would find it debatable whether [his  2254 application] states a valid claim of the denial of a constitutional right and [2] that jurists of reason would find it debatable whether the district court was correct in its procedural ruling. Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484 (2000).

Lansky has failed to establish that jurists of reason would find it debatable whether the district court erred in dismissing Lansky's habeas claims as time-barred. Lansky merely asserts, as he did below, that [t]he reason for the time bar was that [the state court] failed to provi[de] [Lansky] timely notice of the denial of the [p]etition for [PCR]. Aplt. Br. 23. But Lansky filed (and the state court denied) his PCR petition after the one-year limitations period had already expired. Thus, the district court correctly ruled that the state court's alleged failure to timely notify Lansky that it had denied his PCR petition doesn't entitle Lansky to equitable tolling.

Lansky likewise fails to establish that jurists of reason would find it debatable whether the district court erred in dismissing Lansky's remaining habeas claimthat the state court failed to give Lansky notice it had denied his PCR petitionas non-cognizable. As the district court correctly noted, challenges to a state's post-conviction remedy aren't reviewable in a habeas action. See Sellers, 135 F.3d at 1339.

Because we conclude that reasonable jurists wouldn't debate the correctness of the district court's procedural rulings, we deny Lansky's request for a COA and dismiss this matter. See Slack, 529 U.S. at 485. Lansky's motion to proceed in forma pauperis is denied as moot.

Entered for the Court

FOOTNOTES

. This order isn't binding precedent, except under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. But it may be cited for its persuasive value. See Fed. R. App. P. 32.1; 10th Cir. R. 32.1.

. We liberally construe pro se pleadings. But we don't act as an advocate for pro se litigants. Garrett v. Selby Connor Maddux & Janer, 425 F.3d 836, 840 (10th Cir. 2005).

Nancy L. Moritz Circuit Judge
United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. JASON WAYNE CAREY, Defendant - Appellant. No. 17-7006 Decided: July 07, 2017

Before KELLY, MURPHY, and MATHESON, Circuit Judges.**

ORDER AND JUDGMENT*

Defendant-Appellant Jason Wayne Carey appeals from the sentence imposed after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of explosives. 18 U.S.C.  842(i)(1), 844(a)(1). Our jurisdiction arises under 28 U.S.C.  1291 and 18 U.S.C.  3742(a), and we remand to the district court to vacate the judgment and resentence.

Mr. Carey was sentenced to 60 months' imprisonment and three years' supervised release. 1 R. 4244. The PSR recommended a guideline range of 37 to 46 months, based in part on Mr. Carey committing the offense subsequent to sustaining one felony conviction of either a crime of violence or a controlled substance offense. U.S.S.G.  2K1.3(a)(2); see 3 R. 34. The prior violent felony was pointing a weapon at another person in violation of Okla. Stat. tit. 21,  1289.16. See 3 R. 4. But in United States v. Titties, 852 F.3d 1257, 1275 (10th Cir. 2017), we held that a conviction under this statute does not qualify as a crime of violence under the Armed Career Criminal Act. This definition resembles that found in the sentencing guidelines. The government concedes that this intervening decision controls here. Aplee. Br. at 4. Accordingly, we REMAND to the district court to vacate its judgment and resentence.

Entered for the Court

Paul J. Kelly, Jr. Circuit Judge
Transfer Ball: Alexis Sanchez staying at Arsenal unless Manchester City pay 80m

Transfer Balls: Alexis Sanchez news watch. Is the Arsenal striker leaving? Compare and contrast the Daily Star and other tabloid scoops:

Daily Star, July 4:

Alexis Sanchez will stay at Arsenal

Daily Star, July 9:

Arsenal waiting for Paris St-Germain and Bayern Munich to swoop for Alexis Sanchez  ARSENAL star Alexis Sanchez will reportedly be allowed to join Paris St-Germain or Bayern Munich  but not Manchester City.

Daily Star, July 9:

Alexis Sanchez happy to swap Arsenal for Chelsea this summer. Starsport exclusively revealed this weekend that the Gunners are not willing to sell the former Barcelona star to a title rival.

Daily Mirror, July 10:

Arsenal willing to sell Alexis Sanchez to Manchester City  but they want 80million for him

What news in the Mirror of Arsenals price?

Facts to support this tory: none.

Sanchezs desire to play for Manchester City: City are bolstered by the belief that the player is keen to link up again with Pep Guardiola.

And on the strength of that belief, and citing the Mirror as its source, the Sun thunders:

LEX IN THE CITY Arsenal willing to offload wantaway star Alexis Sanchez to Manchester City for 80million

In other news: the Mirror says Sanchez wants 400,000 a week to stay at Arsenal. Presumably, the Citizens are going to pay that for a man wholl be 29 in December, right?

Anorak

Posted: 9th, July 2017 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Chelsea, Manchester City, Sports, Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. SUNIL KUMAR KURAPATI, BHARATHI MALLIDI, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. U.S. CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES, SECRETARY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL, DIRECTOR, U.S. CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES, CHIEF, ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS OFFICE, U.S. CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES Defendants-Appellees. No. 16-16307 Decided: July 07, 2017

Before WILSON, JORDAN, and ROSENBAUM, Circuit Judges.

Sunil Kurapati and his wife, Bharathi Mallidi, appeal the district court's denial of their motion for attorney's fees. Kurapati and Mallidi filed the motion after the district court granted them summary judgment on their claim that the United States failed to provide them proper notice before revoking their immigrant visa petitions. In the motion, Kurapati and Mallidi argued that they are entitled to attorney's fees under the Equal Access to Justice Act because the Government's initial position in defending against the notice claimthat they lacked standingwas not substantially justified. The district court, however, rejected that argument. According to the court, the Government had a reasonable basis for its position since the law governing Kurapati and Mallidi's standing was unsettled. On appeal, Kurapati and Mallidi contest the court's substantially-justified determination, asserting that the Government's contention that they lacked standing was foreclosed by various precedents from outside this circuit and the Portability Provision of the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act.

Under the Equal Access to Justice Act, a district court shall award to a prevailing party other than the United States fees and other expenses,  unless the court finds that the position of the United States was substantially justified  28 U.S.C.  2412(d)(1)(A). A position of the United States is substantially justified if it is justified to a degree that could satisfy a reasonable person. Pierce v. Underwood, 487 U.S. 552, 565, 108 S. Ct. 2541, 2550 (1988) (internal quotation marks omitted). The position can be justified even though it is not correct; it can be substantially  justified if a reasonable person could think it correct. Id. at 566 n.2, 108 S. Ct. at 2550 n.2.

Reviewing the district court's substantially-justified determination for abuse of discretion, see id. at 55859, 108 S. Ct. at 254647, we must affirm. To establish abuse of discretion, Kurapati and Mallidi must show that the district court made a clear error of judgment. See Mann v. Taser Int'l, Inc., 588 F.3d 1291, 1302 (11th Cir. 2009). And they have failed to do so.

The Government's position on standing ultimately proved to be incorrect, but when the Government embraced the position, the position was reasonable. See Pierce, 487 U.S. at 566 n.2, 108 S. Ct. at 2550 n.2. The district court initially agreed with the Government's position and dismissed Kurapati and Mallidi's notice claim. Our court then reversed the dismissal, finding that Kurapati and Mallidi had standing. Kurapati v. U.S. Bureau of Citizenship & Immigration Servs., 775 F.3d 1255, 125960 (11th Cir. 2014) (per curiam). However, our opinion was the first opinion in this circuit to address the standing issue presented by Kurapati and Mallidi's notice claim. See id. Prior to that opinion, the issue was sufficiently unsettled to justify the Government's position. Neither the Portability Provision nor the decisions from outside this circuit upon which Kurapati and Mallidi rely rendered the position unreasonable. Indeed, the district court's initial agreement with the position cuts against such a finding. See Pierce, 487 U.S. at 566 n.2, 108 S. Ct. at 2550 n.2.

AFFIRMED.

FOOTNOTES

. The provision was codified at 8 U.S.C.  1154(j).

. Kurapati and Mallidi argue that, after we reversed the district court's dismissal, the Government acted unreasonably because it continued to contest standing. However, the record belies Kurapati and Mallidi's claim that the Government continued to contest standing.

PER CURIAM:
If youre considering a subscription to the Disney Plus streaming service, you may be wondering how much it costs. The service is available on both
Marysville, CA (95901)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening followed by mostly cloudy skies and a few showers after midnight. Low 41F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening followed by mostly cloudy skies and a few showers after midnight. Low 41F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
The smiling rebellion is beginning to understand that its face will freeze into a grimace at some point. The Spanish government is sticking to its guns, refusing to use dialogue as a political instrument, and its moderates are gripped by the Greek chorus call to defend Spain a la Don Quixote. A hurting, imperial Spain can be heard thundering; it is the State against the indomitable Gauls who resist in their village and must be attacked by land, sea and air. Fortunately and thanks to wise, common decisions the millennials of this democratic Spain went on an Erasmus scholarship and do not know who General Espartero was: Spains Duke of La Victoria went down in history for having stated that Barcelona must be bombarded every 50 years to keep it in check.

This week gave us a historic photograph when former Spanish presidents Felipe Gonzalez, Jose Maria Aznar and Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero gathered in a Grosse Koalition of sorts against the Catalan referendum. The picture clearly shows how strong the cement that holds together such apparently different bodies is. The photo was meant for those in Spain who favour a heavy-handed approach and it should make the remnants of the Catalan socialist party uncomfortable. Not even Zapatero himself is willing to stand up for his own political legacy. Reality, reactionary forces and his own inability devoured his reforming intuition. Zapateros dismal management of the recession did the rest.

The strategy that led the PP government and the PSOE to jointly pass Spains new national security law is the same strategy which they share against the referendum on independence. This law would allow the Spanish government to strip Catalonia of some of its powers and appoint some sort of regional viceroy. If the Partido Popular believes that the secession vote is unfeasible, it is equally incomprehensible that it might think it possible to bring back a beefed up civil governor to Catalonia.

When calls to keep calm begin, things are about to turn ugly; simplification and demands to show uncritical support and close ranks come next. It is also the right time for everyone to contemplate the price of their freedom and its limits, as well as whether they must surrender to the plans of someone else's rage.

Within the Catalan government, the temperature hit boiling point with Jordi Baigets words (1). Up until then, he had been a discreet minister who was loyal to former president Artur Mas. Baiget publicly doubted whether the vote on October 1 was actually feasible and voiced his discomfort for being kept in the dark about the independence strategy. President Puigdemont wasted no time in sacking him and appointing a substitute: Santi Vila, the cabinets unorthodox minister. This was seen as treason by the moderates in Puigdemonts PDECat party, as they fear not only the individual price to be paid over secession, but also what they regard as the subsumption of the centre-right within ERCs strategy. The liberal centre has yet to rebuild its ideological edifice and it will not be easy because Catalonias political party system imploded a while ago and one cannot picture the post-referendum scenario in todays terms. This reconstruction will be possible only once the conflict with Madrid and all related legal issues are resolved. Some within the PDCat cant stomach the fact that ERC is reaping the benefits of the independence process while, so far, only the PDCats leadership have had to face a court of law over the 2014 non-binding referendum.

Meanwhile, Puigdemont and Mas will have to push their troops to the boundaries of their nature and distinguish between gung-ho tweeting and the actual position of a weary public opinion that, for now, is more outraged by Madrid than by its own leaders. On Saturday the PDCat closed ranks with Puigdemont, despite this weeks hiccups. Many realise that the time has come to put aside some of their values so as to fight for the main objective: to hold the referendum and support the president. But unity must be renewed every step of the way.

The success of secession relies on persuading those who harbour doubts, who are aware of the hurdles, who set themselves a limit. They are the ones whose loyalty towards the president is unwavering, but who wish for a ballot, not a revolution. They hope to hold a referendum that can be recognised or, at the very least, respected by Europe. The success of the referendum depends, to a point, on those who will turn out to vote provided that no fingers are pointed at them; on running a clean campaign and whether what is being offered is better and the debate does not insult their intelligence and is mindful of their rights. Exceptionalities are poisonous. If they are needed to call the referendum and stand up to Madrids open challenge, they will need to be clear, explicable within the European framework and respectful of the debate. In the 2017 eurozone, wars are fought with ballots. One man, one vote; and thats that. The referendum will only be legitimate provided that the No voters and the undecided are respected.

_________

Translators note:

(1) Former Catalan Minister for Business Jordi Baiget was sacked recently following a newspaper interview in which he expressed doubts as to whether an independence vote would actually be held.
United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. REIDAR CARROLL ARDEN, Defendant-Appellant. No. 16-15175 Decided: July 07, 2017

Before TJOFLAT, WILLIAM PRYOR, and JULIE CARNES, Circuit Judges.

Defendant Reidar Arden appeals the district court's order modifying the terms of his supervised release to include four months of home detention with electronic monitoring. On appeal, Defendant argues that his supervised release revocation proceedings violated his due process rights because there was an insufficient factual basis to support Defendant's admission to having violated the terms of his supervised release. After careful review, we affirm.

I. BACKGROUND

In 2009, Defendant was found guilty of conspiracy, interstate transportation of stolen checks, and money laundering in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The district court sentenced him to 96 months' imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Upon his release from custody on the above convictions, Defendant began his term of supervised release in March 2014.

In July 2014, jurisdiction over his term of supervised release was transferred to the Southern District of Florida. Before Defendant's term of supervised release expired, the probation officer filed a petition with the district court alleging that Defendant had violated a special condition of his supervised release by engaging in employment that deals with telemarketing. According to the petition, Defendant was operating a website where he marketed his skills as a sentencing mitigation specialist.

At the supervised release revocation hearing, the district court explained that although it was not clear that Defendant had engaged in classic telemarketing, it appeared that he had been lying to probation about his employment. Following a brief recess between defense counsel and the Government, defense counsel informed the court that Defendant was prepared to enter an admission to the technical violation of supervised release. Defense counsel also stated that the parties recommended that the court modify Defendant's supervised release to include four months of electronic monitoring, with all other terms to remain the same. Defendant subsequently admitted the violation and indicated that he agreed with the parties' proposed resolution. Based on his admission and the agreement of the parties, the district court concluded that Defendant violated the terms of his supervised release and modified the terms to include four months of home detention with electronic monitoring. Defendant indicated that he did not have any objections to the manner in which the sentence was imposed.

Following the hearing, the district court entered judgment modifying the terms of Defendant's supervised release to include four months of home detention with electronic monitoring. The order stated that Defendant was responsible for paying for the cost of the electronic monitoring equipment.

II. DISCUSSION 1

Defendant argues for the first time on appeal that the district court violated his due process rights by accepting his admission to the supervised release violation because the Government did not present a sufficient factual basis to support the violation.

We review the district court's modification of the terms of supervised release for abuse of discretion. See United States v. Serrapio, 754 F.3d 1312, 1318 (11th Cir. 2014) (reviewing the modification of probation conditions for abuse of discretion); United States v. Frazier, 26 F.3d 110, 112 (11th Cir. 1994) (reviewing the revocation of supervised release for abuse of discretion). Defendant, however, failed to raise his due process argument before the district court, or challenge the modification of the terms of his supervised release. In fact, after a brief recess between the parties, defense counsel stated that Defendant was prepared to admit that he had violated the condition of supervised release and the parties were jointly recommending that the court modify Defendant's supervision to include four months of home detention with electronic monitoring. Upon further questioning from the court, Defendant admitted the violation and stated that he agreed with the parties' recommended course of action.

On this record, Defendant invited any error in the district court's acceptance of his admission to the violation of supervised release and subsequent modification of his supervision. It is a cardinal rule of appellate review that a party may not challenge as error a ruling or other trial proceeding invited by that party. United States v. Love, 449 F.3d 1154, 1157 (11th Cir. 2006) (quotations omitted). Because Defendant invited the district court to accept his admission to the violation and to modify the terms of his supervised release, we are precluded from reviewing Defendant's argument on appeal. See United States v. Silvestri, 409 F.3d 1311, 1327 (11th Cir. 2005) (Where invited error exists, it precludes a court from invoking the plain error rule and reversing. (quotations omitted)).

Accordingly, the district court's judgment is AFFIRMED.

FOOTNOTES

. The Government initially argued that Defendant's argument on appeal challenging the modification of the terms of his supervised release was moot because Defendant's four-month term of home detention with electronic monitoring had expired. We requested supplemental letter briefs from the parties on the mootness question. In particular, we asked the parties to address whether Defendant had suffered any collateral consequences as a result of his home detention, such that his appeal was not moot, despite the expiration of the term of home detention. Upon learning that Defendant was required to pay for the costs of electronic monitoring, and had partially paid for the costs already, the Government withdrew its mootness argument.

PER CURIAM:
The Indian Army launched the attack after Army jawan and his wife were killed and their three daughters injured in Pak firing.

The Indian jawans targeted the Hajira sector of PoK where villages  Bhaira in Tetrinote, Satwal in Abbaspur, Dhakki Chaffar in Abbaspur, Polaas and Chatri  came under the attack. (Photo: Representational)

New Delhi: The Indian Army retaliated to Pakistans ceasefire violation on Saturday and destroyed its border post near the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

According to reports, two Pakistani soldiers were killed and six others were injured in the retaliatory attack.

The Indian jawans targeted the Hajira sector of PoK where villages  Bhaira in Tetrinote, Satwal in Abbaspur, Dhakki Chaffar in Abbaspur, Polaas and Chatri  came under the attack.

The Indian Army launched the attack after Army jawan and his wife were killed and their three daughters injured when the Pakistani Army targeted forward posts and hamlets along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district.

The Pakistan Army violated the ceasefire and initiated indiscriminate firing from small arms, automatic weapons and mortars from 6.30 am on Saturday on Indian Army posts along the LoC.

Sepoy Mohmmad Shaukat of the Territorial Army, who was on leave, and his wife Safia Bi were killed when a mortar shell fired by the Pakistan Army exploded near their home in Karmara, a police officer said on Saturday.

Following the incident, India had lodged protest over the killing of the jawan and his wife after Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh in Islamabad was summoned.

Singh was summoned again on Sunday, claiming that more civilians were killed in firing by the Indian troops.

Singh was summoned again to "condemn and lodge protest over more civilian casualties at the LoC due to unprovoked ceasefire violations by India," Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement.
The ruling Trinamul Congress has accused the BJP of instigating violence in both Darjeeling and Basirhat.

Army redeployed after fresh violence erupted in Darjeeling hills where Gorkhaland supporters torched a police outpost, a toytrain station and clashed with the police at two places in Darjeeling. (Photo: AP)

Kolkata: The Army was recalled in Darjeeling after fresh violence erupted on Saturday, leading to the death of three people allegedly in police firing. The police refuted the allegations, saying only tear gas shells and rubber bullets were fired to disperse a violent mob.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also battling communal violence in North 24-Parganas, blamed the Centre for Saturdays escalation. Hitting out at the Centre for its alleged non-cooperation, she said that Delhi had not responded to her governments request for more Central forces to maintain peace in the Hills.

The ruling Trinamul Congress has accused the BJP of instigating violence in both Darjeeling and Basirhat.

The BJP is an ally of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM). Following the alleged police firing, protesters set fire to a number of government offices, police vehicles and a station of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, popularly known as the toy train, a world heritage site.

Read: WB: 3 BJP MPs detained on way to riot-hit Basirhat

Two Army columns have been deployed  one in Darjeeling and another in Sonada, where a railway station has been set on fire, Eastern Command spokesperson Wing Commader S.S. Birdi, said.

The Army had been withdrawn nearly two weeks ago from the hill districts where the Gorkhaland agitation has been raging for nearly two months. Ms Banerjee hit out at the Centre on Saturday, alleging non-cooperation in responding to her governments request for four companies of Central forces for maintenance of law and order in the Hills.

The violence in Darjeeling is a planned one. There are foreign links to this violence. We had sent requisitions for Central forces at least on four occasions in the last one month, but they didnt act. If we had got paramilitary forces in the right time, situation would not have aggravated and todays incident of violence would not have happened, Ms Banerjee said.

Read: Mamata Banerjee orders judicial probe into Basirhat riots

She alleged that the Central government is not cooperating at the behest of the BJP leaders in the state. You have become a political government and not working for the people of the country, she said.

While appealing to the agitators to shun violence she asserted that she is ready for talks. Let the government send food and essential items and allow the children to return to schools. If you allow it, we can even call them for talks in 10-15 days. she said.

The GJM leadership blamed the state government for failing to restore peace in the Hills and asserted that they would talk with the Centre and only on the one-point agenda of a separate state for Gorkhas.

Yashi Bhutia, a Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), was found dead with a bullet wound at Sonada on Friday night. GNLF leader Niraj Zimba alleged that Bhutia was shot dead by police around midnight, while he had gone to buy medicines for his ailing elder brother. A senior police official, however, claimed he was killed in infighting.

As GJM and GNLF people marched with his body on Saturday morning, they pelted stones at Sonada police station. Police retaliated with tear gas shells and rubber bullets and tried to disperse the mob.

The irate mob then set the police station ablaze. Protesters also set fire to the waiting room of a station of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. The office of the state forest department at Kalimpong was also set on fire, and the office of the police superintendent at Chowkbazar was ransacked as sporadic violence spread to Kurseong, Kalimpong and Mirik.

Later in the afternoon the GJM alleged that one Suraj Sundas was killed at Chowkbazar area and one Samir Subba at Singmari area in police firing. The police has refuted the allegations.
Baglay's comments came a day after Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa praised Burhan Wani who was killed in an encounter with Army.

Members of a non-governmental organization 'Youth Forum for Kashmir' chant anti-Indian slogans during a rally to mark 1st anniversary of the death Burhan Wani, who was killed by Indian troops last year. (Photo: AP)

New Delhi: India has hit out at Pakistan for glorifying terrorist Burhan Wani, saying Islamabad's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by 'one and all'.

In a strongly worded tweet, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said, "First @ForeignOfficePk read frm banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS (Pakistan army chief) glorifies Burhan Wani. Pak's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by one and all."

First @ForeignOfficePk read frm banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS glorfs Burhan Wani. Pak's terror suprt&spnsr'p need 2b condmnd by 1 & all  Gopal Baglay (@MEAIndia) July 9, 2017

Baglay's comments came a day after Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa praised Burhan Wani, a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist who was killed in an encounter with security forces last year.

Wani was responsible for several attacks against security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday paid tribute to Wani, saying his death "The blood rendered by Burhan Muzaffar Wani has infused a new spirit in the freedom movement. The Kashmiri people are steadfast to take their movement to logical conclusion.

Earlier this month, Pakistan dismissed the US designating Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin a "global terrorist", saying it was not a UN decision but a move by the Trump administration to "appease" India.

At the G20 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi targeted Pakistan in a veiled attack. Some countries were using terror as a tool to achieve political objectives and pressed for deterrent action collectively by the G-20 members against such nations, he had said.
Indian troops retaliated Pakistans firing and shelling in a befitting manner.

The exchange of small and medium weapons and mortar guns continued for a couple of hours, reports said. (Photo: Representational/AP)

Srinagar/Islamabad: A young couple was killed by a mortar shell fired by Pakistani troops in a fresh ceasefire violation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.

The officials identified the victims as Territorial Army sepoy Showkat Ahmed and his wife Safia. Their two children escaped with minor splinter injuries. Ahmed had taken leave and was staying at home.

The Pakistan Army violated the ceasefire and initiated indiscriminate firing from small arms, automatic weapons and mortars at 6.30 am on Indian Army posts along the LoC, a defence spokesperson said.

Indian troops retaliated Pakistans firing and shelling in a befitting manner. The exchange of small and medium weapons and mortar guns continued for a couple of hours, reports said.

After the exchange of firing, Pakistani authorities blamed Indian troops for violation of the November 2003 ceasefire agreement between the two sides.

In Islamabad, Pakistan summoned Indian deputy high commissioner J.P. Singh and claimed that two Pakistani civilians were killed and three injured in the firing from the Indian side. A military statement said the Indian forces fired small arms and heavy weapons along the Line of Control (LoC) in Chirikot and Satwal sectors. Two individuals, including a girl, were killed and three injured, the military said in a statement.

Director General, South Asia, Mohammad Faisal summoned the Indian diplomat and condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations.

The deliberate targeting of civilians is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws, said a foreign ministry statement.
Modi on Saturday met his UK counterpart during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit here and sought UKs help in this regard.

Hamburg: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday pressed upon his British counterpart Theresa May to ensure United Kingdoms cooperation to bring back economic offenders, amidst India working hard for the return of fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya and former IPL chief Lalit Modi.

Mr Mallya has been in the UK for months, escaping arrest warrants against him, while a court in London is also hearing a case regarding his return to India.

Prime Minister Modi on Saturday met his UK counterpart during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit here and sought UKs help in this regard. Both leaders also talked about the complete range of India-UK ties.

In a tweet after the meeting, external affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said the PM asked for UKs cooperation for return of escaped Indian economic offenders. Asked whether India seeking cooperation from the UK was limited to Mr Mallya or whether Mr Lalit Modi was also mentioned, Mr Baglay told reporters, I dont want to get into the specifics but the phrase used in the tweet is escaped economic offenders and it is plural.

These are the brief discussions at such forums where leaders mostly touch upon these top priority matters, he told reporters here.
A steady line of supplies is being maintained for the soldiers at the site signalling that Army is not going to wilt under pressure.

Both the countries had agreed to a mechanism in 2012 to resolve border flare ups through consultations at various levels. (Photo: Representational/File)

New Delhi: The Indian Army is ready for a long haul in holding onto its position in the Doklam area near the Bhutan tri-junction, notwithstanding China ratcheting up rhetoric against India demanding pulling back of its troops.

The Indian soldiers deployed in the disputed area have pitched their tents, in an indication that they are unlikely to retreat unless there was reciprocity from China's PLA personnel in ending the face-off at an altitude of around 10,000 feet in the Sikkim section.

A steady line of supplies is being maintained for the soldiers at the site, official sources said, signalling that Indian Army is not going to wilt under any pressure from China.

At the same time they sounded confident of finding a diplomatic solution to the dispute, citing resolution of border skirmishes in the past through diplomacy.

Though China has been aggressively asserting that it was not ready for any "compromise" and that the "ball is in India's court", the view in the security establishment here is that there cannot be any unilateral approach in defusing the tension.

Both the countries had agreed to a mechanism in 2012 to resolve border flare ups through consultations at various levels.

The mechanism has not worked so far in the current case as the stand-off near the Bhutan trijunction, triggered by China's attempt to build a road in the strategically important area, has dragged on for over three weeks.

New Delhi has already conveyed to Beijing that such an action would represent a significant change of status quo with "serious" security implications for India. The road link could give China a major military advantage over India.

Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Doklam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

China and Bhutan are engaged in talks over the resolution of the dispute in the area. India argues that since it is a tri-junction involving the three countries, it also has a say in the issue, specially in the backdrop of 2012 agreement between special representatives of the two countries, that have till now held 19 rounds of talks.

Bhutan has no diplomatic ties with China. As a close friend and neighbour, Bhutan enjoys diplomatic and military support from India.

Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.
The police on Saturday arrested 15 persons in this connection and forwarded to the court.

According to reports, Bijay and his family were exiled from the village since 2013 for allegedly practising sorcery. (Representational image)

Bhubaneswar: Overpowered by superstition, residents of an Odisha village allegedly meted out inhuman physical torture to three members of a family and forced them to eat human excreta on the charges of practicing sorcery, and thereby causing harassment to them.

The incident occurred in Balighai village under Soroda police limit in Ganjam district where Bijay Bisoi, his wife and son were forced to have feces for failing to pay Rs 5 lakh fine. The police on Saturday arrested 15 persons in this connection and forwarded them to the court.

According to reports, Bijay and his family were exiled from the village in 2013 for allegedly practising sorcery. When Mr Bisois youngest son Rohit approached villagers expressing desire to return, they convened a meeting on July 1 and asked the family to pay Rs 5 lakh fine. When Bijay expressed his inability to pay the amount, they were allegedly fed human excreta.
Violent clashes erupted in the Basirhat area of the district after a Class X student updated a controversial picture on Facebook.

New Delhi: In the wake of parts of West Bengal witnessing extreme violence, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led state is on the verge of becoming another Kashmir.

BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi said that people are not safe in Bengal any more.

"I want to say that Bengal is on the way to become Kashmir. Lot of people are getting killed, people are not safe. The government is not taking anything to control the situation. Bangladeshi's are entering India and living in India peacefully," said Lekhi.

Echoing similar sentiments another BJP leader Satyapal Singh said that Banerjee is encouraging communal forces.

"The situation at West Bengal has deteriorated because of the wrong policies used by Mamata Banerjee. Law and order situation has become worse, police has lost its identity. If the situation does not get stable soon, it would not be good for the country. We were not allowed visit Basirhat, this explains that Mamata Banerjee wants to hide the ground reality and facts. She is encouraging the communal forces," Singh said.

On Saturday, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that at least four companies of the Border Security Forces (BSF) forces that were deployed by the Centre were turned back by the West Bengal Government. According to the sources, the Centre had already sent 11 companies of personnel to Darjeeling to quell the unrest taken out by people demanding a separate Gorkhaland.

Hours before, Mamata accused the Centre of creating tension in the state. She alleged that there was non-cooperation from the Centre to curb violence in the state.

Mamata further said that the forces were not deployed on time, which further flared up violence around the West Bengal border.

The MHA sources further claimed that the state government has also not sent the sought detailed report on the Basirhat incident and this is causing a delay to convene a review security meeting.

Violent clashes erupted in the Basirhat area of the district after a Class X student updated a controversial picture on Facebook.

The boy was later detained by police, but the violence hasn't abated.

Fresh tension was reported in Basirhat area days after too forcing the police to lob tear gas shells and resort to baton charge even as the state government decided to ban some organisations for allegedly instigating people.
Prepares for long haul near border, refuses to wilt under any pressure from China.

A steady line of supplies is being maintained for the soldiers at the site.

New Delhi: The Indian Army is ready for a long haul in holding on to its position in the Doklam area near the India-China-Bhutan tri-junction, notwithstanding China stepping up its rhetoric against India demanding pulling back of its troops.

The Indian soldiers deployed in the disputed area have pitched in tents, in an indication that they are unlikely to retreat unless there was reciprocity from Chinas PLA personnel in ending the face-off at an altitude of around 10,000 feet in the Sikkim section.

A steady line of supplies is being maintained for the soldiers at the site, official sources were cited by news agencies as saying, signalling that the Indian Army is not going to wilt under any pressure from China.

At the same time they sounded confident of finding a diplomatic solution to the dispute, citing resolution of border skirmishes in the past through diplomacy.

Though China has been aggressively asserting that it was not ready for any compromise and that the ball is in Indias court, the view in the security establishment here is that there cannot be any unilateral approach in defusing the tension.

The Indian Army had last month made its first-ever military intervention of sorts on behalf of Bhutan by physically blocking Chinese troops from constructing a road in the Bhutanese Doklam area border territory near Indian border defences.

On 16 June, a PLA construction party entered the Doklam area and attempted to construct a road. It is our understanding that a Royal Bhutan Army patrol attempted to dissuade them from this unilateral activity. The ambassador of the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGOB) has publicly stated that it lodged a protest with the Chinese government through their embassy in New Delhi on 20 June, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) had earlier said.

In keeping with their tradition of maintaining close consultation on matters of mutual interest, RGOB and the Government of India have been in continuous contact through the unfolding of these developments. In coordination with the RGOB, Indian personnel, who were present at general area Doka La (Sikkim), approached the Chinese construction party and urged them to desist from changing the status quo. These efforts continue, the MEA had also earlier said.

In this context, the Indian side has underlined that the two governments had in 2012 reached agreement that the tri-junction boundary points between India, China and third countries will be finalised in consultation with the concerned countries. Any attempt, therefore, to unilaterally determine tri-junction points is in violation of this understanding, New Delhi had earlier said.
Television news reports said the Indian Army had destroyed three Pakistani posts near the LoC.

New Delhi: India on Sunday lashed out against Pakistan and for the first time specifically targeted the Pakistan Army directly over its support to terror.

After Pakistan Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa supported slain Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani, MEA spokesman Gopal Baglay said: First @ForeignOfficePk read from banned LeTs script. Now Pak COAS glorifies Burhan Wani. Pakistans terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by one and all.

News agency reports from Pakistan had earlier said its Army chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, had praised Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Wani who was killed in an encounter with the Indian security forces in July last year.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had on Saturday paid tribute to Wani, saying his death infused a new spirit in the struggle for freedom in the Kashmir Valley, the reports said.

The Indian diplomatic offensive came on a day when the Pakistan Army on Sunday shelled the areas of Khadi Karmara and Diwgar along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch district, in yet another violation of the ceasefire. No one was hurt in the Pakistani firing, the police said.

Television news reports said the Indian Army had destroyed three Pakistani posts near the LoC. In Islamabad, Pakistan summoned Indias deputy high commissioner J.P. Singh for the second consecutive day over alleged ceasefire violations along the LoC, claiming that more civilians were killed in the firing by Indian troops.

Targeting Pakistan on terror without directly naming it at the G-20 summit in Hamburg on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi as lead speaker at a session on the issue of terrorism had presented a 11-point action plan that called for action against nations sponsoring terrorism and a ban on officials of such nations entering the G-20 countries.

This demand was seen as a strong veiled attack on Pakistan at the forum. Mr Modi had referred to (Pakistan-based) terrorism and had said that hatred and carrying massacres were the only ideology of such terror groups. Some nations are using terrorism for achieving political goals, Mr Modi had said in a veiled but crystal-clear reference to Pakistan.
Earlier on Saturday, reports of the Bihar govt already being aware of the raids conducted at Lalu and family's premises were circulated.

Patna: The Bihar government on Saturday denied reports stating that they were intimated about the raids conducted on Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family in prior.

A press release by the Bihar government stated that the reports circulating about information of the raids being given to the senior officials of the state government, Bihar Chief Secretary and Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) are 'baseless'.

"The information regarding the same was given to the Bihar Director General of Police after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raids has begun, following which necessary arrangements were made," the press release stated.

Earlier on Saturday, reports of the Bihar government already aware of the raids conducted at Lalu and family's premises were circulated.

Earlier on Friday, the CBI registered a corruption case against Lalu Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejaswi Yadav; former Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Managing Director P.K. Goyal; and the wife of Lalu's confidante Prem Chand Gupta, Sujata on allegations of awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2006.

Read: Lalu Prasad Yadavs loyal vote bank holds JD(U) back

The CBI later questioned Rabri Devi and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav.

The case was registered on the allegations of awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of Hotels at Ranchi and Puri to a Private Company dealing with Hotels in the year 2006.

The investigative agency also conducted searches at 12 locations across Patna, Delhi, Gurugram and other places.

The RJD supremo, however, refuted the allegations against him and called it a political conspiracy hatched by the BJP.

Meanwhile, while conducting raids at Lalu Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti's premises today, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) recovered and seized various incriminating documents, electronic devices including mobile phones.
Chamling also said that Sikkim has already borne a loss of over Rs 60,000 crore while people in need of medical care were being affected.

The Sikkim chief minister said that the law and order in Darjeeling being a matter of the government of West Bengal, the loss and misery suffered by Sikkim could have been avoided. (Photo: Deccan Chronicle)

Gangtok: Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling on Saturday demanded urgent intervention of the Centre for early settlement of the Gorkhaland issue to safeguard the interest of Sikkim.

He said in case the issue was not addressed on priority basis, the Sikkim government might approach the apex court of India.

"I seek urgent intervention of Government of India and all the authorities concerned for early settlement of the situation to safeguard the interest of Sikkim from these hazards and constraints on priority," Chamling said through a press statement issued by the Information and Public Relations department of the state.

"In case of not addressing this issue on priority, the state government may have to approach the apex court of India in the larger interest of Sikkimese people for justice," the statement said.

Read: West Bengal writes to Centre on Sikkim CMs remarks

Stating that the inter-state ramifications of the Gorkhaland agitation and treating it "merely as a West Bengal issue" was not adequate, the chief minister noted that the present situation in Darjeeling Hills has had a direct impact on life of the people of Sikkim and that this issue must be looked into with utmost seriousness.

"Sikkim's geographical location having international boundaries with three countries - China in the North, Bhutan in the East and Nepal in the West, and the potential threat to the national security is a matter of supreme importance," the statement said.

"The only access to the rest of the country is through the state of West Bengal. Sikkim is sandwiched due to the agitation and prevailing law and order situation.

"As far as the national security is concerned, Government of India is appropriately handling the matter. We fully support Government of India's effort, which is addressing the national security in the best interest of our country," the statement said.

The Sikkim Chief Minister also said that the law and order being a matter of the government of West Bengal, the loss and misery suffered by Sikkim could have been avoided.

Read: Stir intensifies, no peace in sight

"The Gorkhaland agitation-related anguish of Sikkim is as old as the agitation itself. Sikkim bound vehicles have been targeted by fringe groups in Siliguri," it said.

"Trucks carrying essential goods, commodities and petroleum products are being ransacked right in the presence of the West Bengal Police, and it has been learnt that in some cases, the West Bengal police itself is overseeing the situation," it said.

The statement also said that people in need of immediate advanced medical care were affected. In addition, the economic development of Sikkim has also been affected.

The CM's statement also said that due to the unrest in the neighbouring state of Bengal, "Sikkim has already borne the loss of over Rs 60,000 crore."

"In the agitation related violence on NH10, Sikkim's only road link with the rest of the nation, over 5,000 vehicles have been vandalised and around 1,300 people (drivers and passengers) killed in the last 32 years of Gorkhaland agitation," it said.

Fresh violence on Saturday erupted in Darjeeling hills prompting the West Bengal government to call the Army back on the streets as Gorkhaland supporters torched a police outpost, a toy train station and clashed with the police.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), spearheading the agitation for a separate state carved out of West Bengal, claimed that two youths were killed in police firing and rejected West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's offer of talks.
The court, however, noted that cause of death could not be ascertained, but circumstantial evidence established he was killed by the trio.

The trio were arrested on May 23, 2011 and several items were found during the investigation which proved their guilt, the court said. (Representational Image)

New Delhi: A woman has been sent to jail for life along with two others by a Delhi court for killing her husband and throwing his body in a jungle.

Additional Sessions Judge Sanjeev Kumar handed down the jail term to victim's wife Prabha along with her friends Sachin and Sunil while holding them guilty of offences of

murder, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence.

"The recovery of skeleton/dead body/bones, clothes, motorcycle of the victim and car belonging to accused Prabha at the instance of accused Sachin and Sunil establishes their involvement in the murder of Rakesh, who was Prabha's husband," the judge observed.

The court also directed the Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to decide an appropriate compensation for the victim's father, who had lodged the complaint.

The case had come to the fore after Rakesh's father lodged a missing complaint alleging that his son went to his in-laws' house in south Delhi's Jaitpur area on May 7, 2011 to meet his wife, who was living separately due to their strained relation, but did not return the next day.

The police then traced Sachin and Sunil after going through call records of the woman, who was constantly in touch with the two men before the murder, which led to the recovery of Rakesh's bones from a jungle two weeks later.

The court, however, noted that the cause of death could not be ascertained, but the circumstantial evidence established he was killed by the trio.

They were arrested on May 23, 2011 and several items were found during the investigation which proved their guilt, the court said.

"I am of the considered view that circumstances from which the conclusion of the guilt can be drawn have been fully proved and circumstances are of conclusive in nature," it

said.

"All the circumstances are complete and there are no gap left in the chain of evidence. The proved circumstances are consistent only with the hypothesis of the guilt of all the

three persons and totally inconsistent with their innocence," the judge said.

During the trial, the trio submitted they were innocent and claimed to have been falsely implicated. They also sought leniency from the court citing difficult financial background.
According to the prosecution, the woman got married in 2003 and was treated cruelly by her husband and mother-in-law.

The court awarded seven years imprisonment each to the 35-year-old man and his mother. (Photo: Representational/File)

New Delhi: A Delhi court has sent a public servant to seven years in jail for repeatedly raping his sister-in-law and awarded the same prison term to his mother for abetting the crime.

The court said it has been proved that the man, who was suspended by the Railway department after lodging of the case, confined the woman and raped her and also threatened to kill her children, if she resisted his acts.

"I am of the opinion that prosecution has successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt that the accused man had forcibly confined the prosecutrix and raped her several times and also threatened to kill her children, if she did not maintain physical relations with him.

"It has also been proved by the prosecution beyond reasonable doubt that the accused woman (mother-in-law) had abetted the commission of offence of rape upon the prosecutrix by the man," Additional Sessions Judge Shail Jain said.

The court awarded seven years imprisonment each to the 35-year-old man and his mother. It also imposed a fine of Rs 21,000 and Rs 10,000 on the man and the elderly woman respectively and said that half of the amount be given to the victim as compensation. The court also directed the legal service authority to award appropriate

compensation to her.

According to the prosecution, the woman got married in 2003 and was treated cruelly by her husband and mother-in-law.

She had earlier lodged a case of sexual assault against her brother-in-law, who was arrested, and her in-laws were ressurising her to get him out on bail.

When he got bail, he along with her mother-in-law decided to teach her a lesson and confined her in a shanty for a month when she was repeatedly raped by the man, she alleged.

Later, she escaped from the shanty and approached the police for lodging an FIR against the man and elderly woman.

During the trial, the two accused claimed they were falsely implicated in the case. The court, however, said it was difficult to presume that the woman will falsely implicated the man for the second time for the same offence even when the first case was pending.

The woman convict sought a lenient view on the ground that she was a senior citizen and was suffering from various ailments. The man sought leniency, saying he has to take care of his wife and minor daughters.
The Faridabad police had a sketch of the accused and they received information that he had taken shelter in Dhule.

Mumbai: Faridabad police on Saturday arrested a man from Dhule, Maharashtra, who allegedly stabbed to death 16-year-old Junaid Khan on a Mathura-bound train on June 22. The police said the accused, who was not named, had confessed to the crime.

The Faridabad police had a sketch of the accused and they received information that he had taken shelter in Dhule. The Dhule police helped the Faridabad police find the accused.

A police official said, We cannot reveal the accuseds name. He is 32 years old and he was hiding here in Dhule for the past two weeks. We are questioning people in the area where he was hiding. Its not our investigation. We are just helping the Faridabad police.

On Thursday, Haryana police had announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh for information that would help nab the people who had attacked Junaid and brothers Hashim and Sakir Khan.

According to the police, the accused confessed to having stabbed Junaid inside the train when the teenager and his brothers were returning to their home in Khandawli village in Ballabgarh after Id shopping in New Delhi.

Going by the police sketch drawn with input from one of Junaids brothers, the accused is about five-feet-six-inches tall and muscular.

The accused allegedly called Junaid and his brothers beef-eaters and anti-nationals, and flung their skullcaps off their heads.

The police had arrested five people after the attack.
Ghanaian-born Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah from the Household Cavalry will take on a role that requires immense discretion.

According to staff policy published by Buckingham Palace in its annual report: 'The household aims to employ the best people from the widest available pool of talent...irrespective of gender, race, ethnic or national origin'. (Photo: AP)

London: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has appointed her first black equerry, a senior staff member in charge of assisting the royal household.

Ghanaian-born Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah from the Household Cavalry will take charge of one of the most important roles in the 91-year-old monarch's household.

The Afghanistan war veteran, known as TA to his friends, is thought to be the royal family's first black equerry, a role that requires immense discretion, The Sunday Times reported.

The 38-year-old moved to the UK from Ghana with his parents in 1982 and later studied at Queen Mary University of London and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Since then his illustrious military career has involved joining the Blues and Royals and becoming the first black British Army officer to be commissioned into the Household Cavalry.

He acted as an escort commander for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, in 2011 and in the same year commanded the Blues and Royals taking part in Trooping the Colour, the Queen's birthday parade.

It is understood that he is in a transition phase with the current equerry, Wing Commander Sam Fletcher, and will start in the role later this year.

According to staff policy published by Buckingham Palace in its annual report: "The household aims to employ the best people from the widest available pool of talent...irrespective of gender, race, ethnic or national origin".

Twumasi-Ankrah lives in London with his wife who works at the Victoria and Albert Museum and their two daughters.
President Trump added that he strongly pressed Vladimir Putin twice about Russian meddling in US election.

He also said the two men had discussed the implementation of a ceasefire in Syria which began today, saying 'it will save lives'. (Photo: AP)

Washington: US President Donald Trump said on Sunday it was time to work constructively with Russia, saying his counterpart Vladimir Putin had vehemently denied meddling in the 2016 election.

I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election, Trump said after returning from Europe where he met Putin for the first time. He vehemently denied it. Ive already given my opinion.....

Writing on Twitter, Trump said he and Putin had talked about the idea of setting up what he called an impenetrable cyber security unit to prevent hacking in future elections.

Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

He also said the two men had discussed the implementation of a ceasefire in Syria which began today, saying it will save lives.

Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!

...We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

Putin and Trump met on Friday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the German city of Hamburg, a meeting that was overshadowed by allegations that Russia sought to influence the outcome of last years US presidential election.

The US and Russian sides have issued sharply conflicting accounts of the meeting, with Putin saying on Saturday that Trump had been satisfied by his denials of any Russian interference in the polls.

Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said the Russian denials had been expected but cut no ice.

This is Russia trying to save face, she told CNN. And they cant. They cant.

Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections.
Haley also said that Russia was meddling with elections in other continents to create chaos within the countries.

Talking about the recent meeting of both the leaders of the US and Russia at the sideline of the G-20 summit, Haley said US President Donald Trump wanted to look Putin 'in the eye.' (Photo: AP)

Washington: After Russian President Vladimir Putin denied interfering in the 2016 US election, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said that the former made the statement just to "save his face."

"This is Russia trying to save face, and they can't," said Haley in an interview, as quoted by the CNN.

"Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections. Everybody knows that they're not just meddling in the United States' election. They're doing this across multiple continents, and they're doing this in a way that they're trying to cause chaos within the countries," she added.

Talking about the recent meeting of both the leaders of the US and Russia at the sideline of the G-20 summit, Haley said US President Donald Trump wanted to look Putin "in the eye."

"What he did was bring up right away the election meddling, and he did that for a reason," Haley said.

"One, he wanted Putin to basically look him in the eye, let him know that, 'Yes, we know you meddled in our elections. Yes we know you did it. Cut it out.' And I think President Putin did exactly what we thought he would do, which is deny it," she added.

Earlier, Putin has said that Trump "seemed satisfied" with his personal denial of meddling in the 2016 election.

Putin, in his first interview after meeting Trump, revealed that the latter asked him a number of questions regarding Russia's interference, reported the Independent.

Further, stressing on the same, Putin said that it would be better to take Trump's opinion as to whether or not he believed his denial.

"He asked questions, I replied. It seemed to me that he was satisfied with the answers," Putin said.

Putin's remark came after the diplomats of the US and Russia argued over what both the leaders actually said to each other during their bilateral meet at the sideline of the G-20 summit.

At first, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Trump accepted Putin's assurances that Russia was no way involved in the 2016 American election, as reported by the CNN.

Meanwhile as per the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the US President opened the session by "raising the concerns of the American people regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election."

As per reports, Russia asked for from the US to support their claim regarding its involvement in the election, which the US did not produce in the meeting.

As per Tillerson, both the leaders had a lengthy exchange on the subject.

"The President pressed President Putin on more than one occasion regarding Russian involvement. President Putin denied such involvement, as I think he has in the past," Tillerson said.

Meanwhile, Lavrov, speaking on camera in a separate briefing, said that, "President Trump said he's heard Putin's very clear statements that this is not true and that the Russian government didn't interfere in the elections and that he accepts these statements. That's all."
Tanveer has in several tweets over the past couple of days urged Swaraj to intervene.

Islamabad: A woman suffering from cancer in Pakistan has urged External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to help her visit India for treatment after her visa application was reportedly rejected by the Indian embassy in Islamabad.

Faiza Tanveer, 25, is suffering from a recurrent ameloblastoma, an oral tumour which is aggressive in nature.

She plans to visit the Inderprastha Dental College and Hospital (IDCH) in Ghaziabad and has paid Rs 1 million in advance for treatment, according to a Pakistani media report.

Read: Hyderabad woman trapped in Saudi, family seeks Sushma Swaraj's help

But the Indian High Commission in Islamabad rejected her medical visa application. Her mother claimed Tanveer's application was rejected because of deteriorating ties between the two countries.

That forced Tanveer to take to social media to move Indian authorities.

Tanveer has in several tweets over the past couple of days urged Swaraj to intervene. She has posted her photo and a video that showed her tumour.

In one of the tweets, she said, "Please help me save my life mam plz (sic)," and tagged Swaraj in the tweet. In another tweet, Tanveer said, "Sushma g please help me (sic)."

Please mera sath dain mujhy wishwas hai k ap ki sahaita mry lie kargar ho gi  Faiza Tanveer (@FaizaTanveer8) July 8, 2017

In June, an ailing child from Pakistan and his parents were issued visa for an emergency heart treatment after the family sought Swaraj's help.
PM asked for UK's cooperation for return of escaped Indian economic offenders, MEA spokesperson said in a tweet after Modi met May.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi emplanes for New Delhi after the successful visit to Israel and 12th G-20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany on Saturday. (Photo: PTI)

Hamburg: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday left for home after concluding his engagements at the G20 Summit in Germany, where the theme this year was 'Shaping an Inter-connected World'.

Following the two-day summit, G20 leaders committed to keep markets open, focus on reciprocity and non-discrimination, fight protectionism, unfair trade practices.

"Goodbye Hamburg! PM emplanes for Delhi after a successful visit to Israel and G20 Summit," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay tweeted.

Modi had flown to Hamburg from Tel Aviv, Israel, on July 7 in what was the first visit of an Indian prime minister to the Jewish nation.

He pressed upon his British counterpart Theresa May to ensure UK's cooperation to bring back economic offenders, amidst India working hard for the return of fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya and former IPL chief Lalit Modi.

Mallya has been in the UK for months, escaping arrest warrants against him, while a court in London is also hearing a case regarding his return to India.

Modi on Saturday met May during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg and sought UK's help in this regard.

Both leaders also talked about the complete range of India-UK ties.

In a tweet after the meeting, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said the Prime Minister asked for UK's "cooperation for return of escaped Indian economic offenders".

On economic offenders issue, Baglay said, "you have seen our tweet".

On whether cooperation from the UK was sought with just Mallya in mind, he said, "The tweet mentions economic offenders who have escaped from India and that is the answer".

PM @narendramodi meets UK PM @theresa_may on sidelines of #G20. Asks for UK's cooprn for return of escaped Indian economic offenders pic.twitter.com/VAwIp5ySvo  Gopal Baglay (@MEAIndia) July 8, 2017

To a query on whether Mallya was in focus in terms of escaped economic offenders discussed with May, Baglay said, "We have put out a tweet and the term used there is a plural...it's English language and people who know English should understand it".

Asked whether all on the list were discussed and no specific names were mentioned, he said, "I won't like to go into that and what we have said in the tweet is what our position is".

He called on G20 nations to do more to encourage manpower mobility to bring net value to host and source nations. Modi while speaking at a session on Digitalisation, Womens Empowerment and Employment: Borderless digital world represents opportunities but also risks, highlighted India's journey to the low-cost, world-class technology. He also asked the member nations to promote digitisation for strengthening labour markets and improving delivery of services.

The Prime Minister expressed strong personal conviction for gender empowerment and said that there was no real growth without empowering women, External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Gopal Baglay said. At the end of the session, he also asked the G20 nations to create a strong partnership for skilling, including exchange of best practices.

India and other G20 members made a strong commitment to fight corruption, including areas of public administration, by putting in place necessary institutional frameworks in their respective countries.

The leaders on Saturday adopted 'G20 High Level Principles on Organising against Corruption', which noted that corruption hampers the efficient and effective operation of government, as well as its fairness and impartiality of decision-making and the delivery of government services.

"A public administration, resilient against corruption, underpinned by a culture of integrity, accountability and transparency not only fosters citizens' trust but can also affect the attractiveness of a country as a business location," it added.

The G20 Anti-Corruption Action Plan 2017-2018 identifies public sector integrity and transparency including organising against corruption (such as structuring the public administration to detect and minimise corruption risks) as a priority.

Read: G20 needs to be forthcoming on climate change action: Modi

Fighting corruption in public administration should not only focus on measures targeting individual employees, responses to reporting of corruption and effective law enforcement. It should also build upon a comprehensive, transparent and accountable organisational structure that makes public administration more resilient against corruption, it said.

G20 countries have already committed themselves to a number of measures to strengthen transparency and integrity in the public sector, including requirements for the conduct public officials.

However, corruption prevention measures with regard to the organisational structure and work flow management are also essential for the fight against corruption, the leaders said.

Modi separately met Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

The G20, founded in 1999, comprises a mix of the world's largest and emerging economies, representing about two-thirds of the world's population, 85 per cent of global gross domestic product and over 75 per cent of global trade.

The members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US, and the European Union.
Trump had said that the US will withdraw from the accord, saying the deal benefited nations like India and China.

Unfortunately, the US stand remains against the Paris pact but all other members have shown strong support on climate change, Merkel, the German Chancellor, said. (Photo: AP)

Hamburg: India on Saturday joined 18 other G20 members to strongly support the fight against global warming by terming the Paris climate deal as "irreversible", leaving the US, which walked out of the pact, isolated.

The two-day G20 Summit saw the Indian side making "significant contributions" on resolve to counter terrorism and boost global trade and investment.

The Summit, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with top world leaders including host Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump, was however came under the shadow of unprecedented violent protests in this German port city where thousands of anti-capitalism protesters clashed with police and turned this harbour town into a fortress.

Read: Modi holds bilateral meetings with Abe, Trudeau on sidelines of G20 Summit

Unfortunately, the US stand remains against the Paris pact but all other members have shown strong support on climate change, Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, said.

She said the communique clearly mentioned the US dissent and the position of all other members. "Obviously it could not be a fully common position," Merkel told reporters.

"All G20 members except the US agree that the Paris agreement is irreversible," she said.

Trump in June announced that the US will withdraw from the Paris climate accord, saying the deal agreed by more than 190 nations unfairly benefited countries like India and China.

Trump's decision had drawn sharp criticism from international leaders, business groups and green activists.

Read: Donald Trump tells confidants US will leave Paris climate deal

The objective of the Paris Agreement is to prevent an increase in global average temperature.

The Agreement was adopted on December 12, 2015, by 195 parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, replacing its predecessor Kyoto Protocol.

It was finally ratified on November 4, 2016.

In the G20 communique, the leaders said they remained committed to fighting corruption, including through international cooperation and technical assistance.

They also resolved to advance effective implementation of international standards on beneficial ownership in domestic and cross border context.

The leaders also called for completion of the IMF quota reforms and a new quota formula by 2019.

They acknowledged that the malicious use of information and communications technologies can endanger financial stability.

The leaders said that digitalisation offered opportunity for creating new jobs but there was a need to impart necessary skills for the future of work.

They also called for the removal of market distorting subsidies and sought global cooperation to tackle excess capacity in industrial sectors.

The leaders recognised that legitimate trade defence instruments and will promote favourable environment for trade and investment.

They also committed to keep markets open and focus on reciprocity, non-discrimination, fight protectionism and unfair trade practices.

The grouping agreed to meet next in Argentina in 2018, followed by Japan in 2019 and in Saudi Arabia in 2020.
The Foreign Office spokesman said that 3 more civilians were killed in Chirikot and Satwal Sectors yesterday by the Indian troops.

The Director General today urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement; investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations; instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC. (Photo: PTI)

Islamabad: Pakistan on Sunday summoned India's deputy high commissioner here for the second consecutive day over alleged ceasefire violations along the LoC, claiming that more civilians were killed in firing by the Indian troops.

Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh was summoned again to "condemn and lodge protest over more civilian casualties at the LoC due to unprovoked ceasefire violations by India," Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement.

The Foreign Office spokesman alleged that three more civilians were killed in Chirikot and Satwal Sectors yesterday by the Indian troops, increasing the total civilian toll to five, including one man and four women.

Director-General (South Asia and SAARC) Mohammad Faisal who summoned Singh "condemned further unprovoked ceasefire violations" by the Indian forces.

He said "the deliberate targeting of civilians is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws."

During the meeting yesterday, Singh had conveyed to Faisal that the ceasefire violations were initiated by Pakistani troops in Poonch and Krishnaghatti sectors and the Indian forces only responded appropriately.

A strong protest was also lodged over the death of two Indian civilians in the yesterday's ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops.

The Director General today urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement; investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations; instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC.
Winning at trial, losing his son

Jesus Flores was found not guilty of abusing his son. But the baby is still being adopted out.

Antanette Reed, director of Kern County Department of Human Services, couldnt discuss the Flores case specifically but sent an email answering general questions.

Q: How can a child be removed from a parent found not guilty of abuse by a criminal court?

A: The juvenile dependency court process is very different than the criminal process.

The burden of proof is different in each court proceeding: criminal cases burden is "beyond a reasonable doubt" and juvenile cases the burden of proof is "more likely than not" (51%) it happened.

Ultimately in juvenile dependency cases the judge is making the decision based on ALL evidence presented, whereas in criminal cases a jury of 12 is making the decision based only on the information that is allowed to be presented.

Q: Why wouldn't the juvenile court process wait for the criminal process to play out?

A: The juvenile court can decide whether or not to delay the disposition of the juvenile dependency case until after a criminal matter is resolved if they choose to, but usually criminal matters don't resolve quickly and thus it is usually not in the best interest of the child to delay the dependency matter.

Q: Can the juvenile court process be unwound since the criminal process has deemed Flores not guilty?

A: In dependency cases, the child's parents or attorney can make a request to "unwind" the juvenile court process.
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China on Saturday successfully earned another place on the UNESCO World Heritage list, when its famous tourist spot Gulangyu Island obtained UNESCO World Cultural Heritage status.

Aerial photo taken on May 18, 2017 shows historic buildings on the Gulangyu island, southeast China's Fujian Province. Gulangyu island, famous for its varied architecture and multicultural history, was included on the UNESCO World Heritage list Saturday. The 41st session of the World Heritage Committee on Saturday decided to put China's Gulangyu historic international settlement on the prestigious World Heritage List as a cultural site. So far, China has 52 sites inscribed to the List. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)

That came one day after Hoh Xil in northwest China's Qinghai Province was put on the list as a World Natural Heritage site at the ongoing 41st session of the World Heritage Committee in Krakow, Poland.

The 21-member committee hailed Gulangyu - also known as Kulangsu  as a unique place which has witnessed the process of multicultural exchanges and integration. It says that the inscription serves as a magnet for international cooperation and financial assistance for heritage conservation projects.

Gulangyu facts

Gulangyu Island dates back over 3,000 years, and human activity was first recorded there about one century later.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
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In a high-profile meeting here on Saturday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reaffirmed their readiness to strengthen the partnership and cooperation between the two countries in the future despite differences in a trove of issues and severe challenges ahead.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Hamburg, Germany, July 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the ongoing Group of 20 (G20)summit in the German port city of Hamburg.

XI: JAPAN SHALL HONOR ITS WORDS ON HISTORY, TAIWAN

In the meeting, Xi said that Japan shall honor its words on issues related to history and Taiwan, and remove the distractions in bilateral relations with policies and concrete actions.

He also urged Japan to learn from history so as to ensure that bilateral relations run in the right direction and have a brighter prospect.

Xi noted that the sound neighborly relations between China and Japan concern not only the well-being of the two peoples, but also have an impact on Asia and the world at large. Xi noted that the sound neighborly relations between China and Japan concern not only the well-being of the two peoples, but also have an impact on Asia and the world at large.

China and Japan normalized their diplomatic relations 45 years ago after reaching key consensus on history, Taiwan and Diaoyu Islands, among other issues. Next year, the two nations will embrace the 40th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship.

The Chinese president said the two countries shall enhance their sense of responsibility at this moment, and seize the opportunities in the new era of bilateral ties.

In spite of twists and turns, and other severe tests in the past 45 years, the development of Beijing-Tokyo relations has rendered both sides many constructive inspirations, Xi said, calling for solid efforts to boost bilateral ties in accordance with the overall strategic direction of peace, amity and cooperation.

For Japan, it shall prove its willingness for better ties with China through concrete policies and actions, he added.

Political trust is the premise of the China-Japan relations, Xi said, referring to the four political documents and the four-point agreement that serve as the guiding principles of bilateral ties on properly handling issues related to history and Taiwan, among others.

These issues, vital to the political foundation of the China-Japan ties, bear no room for compromise or regress, or the bilateral relations will veer off the right course and slow down its pace of development, he said.

The Chinese president also welcomed Japan to join in the Belt and Road pragmatic cooperation, urging wide-range exchanges between the two sides on culture, education, media, local-level and youth in a bid to garner more public support for bilateral friendship.

ABE: JAPAN READY TO DISPLAY FORESIGHT IN BILATERAL RELATIONS

For his part, Abe said his country is ready to display foresight and add momentum to its ties with China, since the two countries, the world's second and third economies, respectively, are influential players on global and regional issues.

The Japanese leader eyed more high-level exchanges with China, adding that he is willing to enhance bilateral cooperation with China in such areas as economy and trade, finance, tourism, as well as the Belt and Road collaboration.

He also promised that regarding China's Taiwan, there is no change of Japan's stance inscribed in its joint statement with China in 1972.

Bilateral trust has been marred from time to time over Tokyo's reluctance on admitting its past war crimes, the attempt to annex China's Diaoyu Islands and adjacent islets in the East China Sea, and the initiative to abolish its post-war pacifist constitution that forbids the deployment of troops overseas for fight.

Tokyo was also a vigorous advocate of the so-called "China threat," frequently participating in military drills in Asia-Pacific with the United States, and selling weapons to the former Philippine administration when the Manila-manipulated South China Sea farce peaked to a failed arbitration last year.

SOURING RELATIONS BEHIND, SERIOUS ENGAGEMENT AHEAD

To patch up the bumpy relations and souring trust, China and Japan inked a four-point agreement in 2014, in which the two sides vowed to develop mutually beneficial relations, to face history squarely to overcome political obstacles in bilateral ties, to deter any escalation of confrontation via dialogue, consultation and crisis-management mechanism, and to resume political, diplomatic and security dialogues through bilateral and multilateral channels to enhance mutual trust.

These key principles came in the run-up to the high-profile Xi-Abe meeting in 2014 on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing. Since then, the once frozen exchanges between the two neighbors have showed some signs of thawing.

The Chinese president, while meeting in May with Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who arrived in Beijing for the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation on behalf of the Japanese government, urged joint efforts of both sides to ensure that bilateral ties run in the right direction.

He noted that Tokyo shall reflect on the reasons behind the souring ties, and take effective measures to improve mutual trust.

China welcomes Japan to join in the Belt and Road construction, Xi added.

Later in May, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi visited Japan and met with Abe, calling on Tokyo to accumulate "positive energy" and wipe out negative factors in bilateral relationship.

Yang also urged Japan to honor its words to take China as a partner rather than a rival, and properly handle issues related to Taiwan and history that bear vital impact on the foundation of mutual rapprochement.

Abe, for his part, said that regarding the Taiwan issue, Japan will abide by the principles established in the 1972 Japan-China joint communique that normalized bilateral relations.

Earlier in April, Japan released its diplomatic bluebook for 2017, describing its ties with China "one of the most important bilateral relationships," adding that Tokyo stands ready to cement cooperative partnership with Beijing.
A St. Petersburg Planet Fitness has become the first 24/7 solar powered club.

St. Pete Planet Fitness becomes 1st solar powered club

24/7 club now 99.5% reliant on sustainable solar power

SolarEdge website shows power usage

The Planet Fitness has partnered with Solar Energy Management to become a net-zero energy building.

The updated, energy efficient Planet Fitness, located at 5335 66th Street North, St. Petersburg, FL 33709, is now 99.5 percent reliant on sustainable solar power.

As a member of the St. Petersburg community, I am proud to be able to do our part in improving energy efficiency and contributing to a greener future, said Doug Kuiken, Planet Fitness franchisee. We encourage everyone to check out the club and see exactly how much power is being produced by the solar panels using monitors available in the hallway.

Clean, renewable solar energy was incorporated into the buildings redesign which involved the placement of 179 kilowatts of solar panels to feed energy throughout its 20,000 square-foot location. The install featured a solar power canopy and solar roof system fully integrated into the buildings infrastructure. As a result, more than 5,600 tons of carbon dioxide will be eliminated, the equivalent to the planting of more than 130,000 trees, and the buildings monthly energy bill will be reduced by 99 percent. In addition to the solar power overhaul, the fitness location also upgraded its lighting to LED fixtures to further maximize energy efficiency.

We are extremely excited to celebrate our first solar-powered Planet Fitness location system-wide, said Chris Rondeau, Planet Fitness' chief executive officer. We are proud to support Dougs work on this important initiative and always work closely with our franchise partners to support their enterprises, encourage innovation and reduce our environmental impact wherever possible.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron agreed on Saturday to promote bilateral relations and cooperation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Hamburg, Germany, July 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

"The Chinese side is willing to make concerted efforts with the French side to continue to view the bilateral relations from a strategic height and a long-term perspective, and work for a better development of our ties," Xi said during a meeting with Macron on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies in Hamburg, Germany.

Political mutual trust, pioneering and innovative spirit, and fruitful international cooperation have been the outstanding features of the China-France relationship, Xi added.

Both China and France are permanent members of the UN Security Council, that pursue an independent foreign policy, safeguard the international order with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter at its core, and advocate exchanges and learning from each other between different civilizations, Xi said.

"The China-France relationship has become increasingly strategic under current situation," he said. "It is our shared historical responsibility to maintain and promote the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership."

Xi proposed that the two countries increase high-level exchanges and take into account each other's core interests and major concerns based on the principles of mutual respect, trust, understanding and accommodation.

The two countries should also dovetail their development strategies, he said.

Xi called on the two sides to deepen cooperation in nuclear energy, aerospace and other traditional areas, while exploring cooperation in new areas such as agricultural food, finance and sustainable development, thus making the "pie" of their common interests even bigger.

Xi also suggested that the two countries enhance communication and coordination in international and regional affairs, and jointly push for the peaceful settlement of global and regional hotspot issues.

On China's relations with the European Union (EU), Xi said that China stands ready to develop a long-term and stable cooperative relationship with the bloc, and hopes France would continue to play a leading role in this regard and make more contributions to the China-EU trade, two-way investment in a bid to realize mutually beneficial win-win cooperation.

Pursuing a green, low-carbon and sustainable development path championed in the Paris Agreement on climate change conforms to the philosophy of China's endeavors to promote ecological progress and the country's latest development concept, Xi said.

China will earnestly fulfil its due obligations in the agreement in light of its own requirements for sustainable development, he added.

Echoing Xi's remarks on bilateral ties, Macron said that the two countries enjoy a long history of friendship and lauded their bilateral relationship as the best ever in history.

The French side highly values the France-China comprehensive strategic partnership and regards China as an important partner of cooperation and an important force in international affairs, Macron said.

He added that the French side is willing to enhance cooperation with China in a wide range of areas, including the economy and trade, investment, nuclear energy, auto manufacturing and food.

France and China share similar stances on major international issues, and the two countries should reinforce communication and coordination within such multilateral frameworks as the United Nations to jointly promote world peace and prosperity, Macron said.
Do you know who I am?

That, investigators say, was Florida resident Joseph Daniel Hudek IV demand to the flight attendants and passengers who fought him into submission after he grabbed for an exit door aboard a Seattle-Beijing flight.

The Delta Airlines flight was forced back to Sea-Tac International Airport after the Thursday evening incident. By Friday afternoon, Hudek, 23, was facing a felony charge in federal court.

Federal prosecutors claim Hudek assaulted a flight attendant after he began behaving erratically about an hour into the flight. Hudek, who appeared before a federal judge in Seattle, was described by reporters in the courtroom as bruised from the airborne fight.

Here's a sketch form inside the courtroom - note the bruise on his cheek. #komonews pic.twitter.com/Gz7Ykf8DXV  Mitch Pittman (@Mitch_Pittman) July 7, 2017

Flying on a dependent pass, Hudek had been seated in the first-class cabin of the Delta 767 for the flight to China. It departed at 5 p.m. and was off Vancouver Island when trouble started.

According to an FBI investigators account, Hudek was served a single beer on the flight and did not appear to be impaired. He began behaving strangely, though, questioning a flight attendant in the aircrafts forward galley.

FBI photo

PREVIOUSLY IN SEATTLPI: Beijing-bound Delta Airlines flight returned to Sea-Tac Thursday night after airborne altercation

Hudek popped into lavatory after asking the flight attendant a question. He emerged two minutes later, the investigator said, and rushed toward the emergency exit.

As Hudek reached the handle, two flight attendants grabbed him and tried to subdue him, the investigator said. Hudek is alleged to have pushed off the flight attendants before several passengers joined them in subduing Hudek.

Witnesses reported that Hudek twice punched one of the flight attendants and hit a passenger in the head with a bottle of dessert wine. Speaking with Seattle's KIRO/7, a passenger said a flight attendant broke two bottles of wine of Hudeks head.

"I tried to choke him and he just threw me off like a rag doll," the passenger told KIRO's Natasha Chen.

Hudek shouted Do you know who I am? or something similar, according to charging papers. The wine bottles did little to slow Hudek, the investigator said in court papers, but passengers were able to hold him down long enough for his arms to be bound with plastic ties.

Restrained, Hudek kept fighting, the investigator continued. Passengers held him down until the plane returned to Sea-Tac at 7:10 p.m.

Hudek had managed to move the emergency release level about halfway to its disarmed position. The door would not have opened at a high altitude  a fact not known to most of the passengers fighting Hudek near the emergency exit.

Port of Seattle Police Department officers responded to the plane and arrested the man. The flight attendant and another person were taken to Highline Medical Center in Burien with severe facial injuries.

The flight departed for Beijing again at 12:18 a.m.

Hudek was charged Friday with interference with a flight crew member. He remained jailed Friday.

Seattlepi.com reporter Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.
Tyrrell Park Riding Stables held their monthly open play day on Saturday, allowing riders to run their horses through their paces in the ring. The events are held on the second Saturday of the month and feature fun competitions in barrel racing and other events.
Wreck victims helped

We paid off our car the other day. While that would be a banner day for most people, it wasn't for us. Three years ago my two sons and I were the victims of a hit-and-run accident. A white work truck filled with men and welding equipment hit our vehicle on I-10 in Beaumont and fled the scene.

Why didn't they stop to check on us and give us their insurance information? One can guess why.

Our car hit the overpass sides, spun and swerved and lost a front wheel. The car was a total loss. I don't even want to think what could have happened if we were thrown over the side of the overpass. We suffered whiplash, concussions and months of therapy. We are, however, very thankful to the good people of Beaumont who stopped to render assistance to us and stayed with us until the police arrived.

The Beaumont Police Department was spectacular. They made sure we got to a safe place until my husband arrived from Houston and followed up to ensure we had all the information we needed. We are forever grateful to the good people of Beaumont. Thank you!

Elizabeth Leger, Katy

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Health bill hurts

As president of the American Council of the Blind of Texas, Inc. and Beaumont Area Council of the Blind, Inc., I wish to express my concern in regard to the recently release Senate health care Bill.

My greatest concern is the detrimental affect that this bill would have on the lives of persons with disabilities, seniors and others with a compromised financial status. Not to mention the harmful impact of the deep cuts to Medicaid. It is also working against the middle class and our economy in general.

I am sure that many others around the nation stand with me on this.

Kenneth Semien, Sr., Beaumont, President, American Council of the Blind of Texas, Inc. (ACBT), Beaumont Area Council of the Blind, Inc. (BACB)

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Let Obamacare work

Obamacare is working The Health and Human Resources Department had to release a report saying this. The new Republican health care bill will leave 22 million people without insurance. We end up paying for this as the emergency rooms will be full of cases that don't belong there but have no insurance. In Texas this includes veterans, children with disabilities, and the poor as Medicaid will be funded out. Rural hospitals will have to close. Older Americans or people with a pre-existing condition will not be able to afford insurance.

The Senate plan will do away with Obamacare and in place give us less coverage at a more expensive price. It gives a huge tax break to millionaires while charging the elderly up to five times more than they are paying now.

Our families, our state, and our economy cannot afford the Senate health care bill. Health care is not a privilege but a right of all Americans. Therefore I am calling for all senators as they return to Washington to protect the rights of Americans everywhere.

Geraldine Mueller, Houston

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Protect our water

I am writing to inform readers that the EPA has just proposed to repeal key protections for the drinking water of more than 11.5 million Texans.

After seeing what happened to the citizens of Flint, Michigan, it is hard to understate the importance of ensuring safe drinking water for all communities.

And that's why in 2015, the Clean Water Rule restored federal protections to 75 percent of Texas streams, which help provide drinking water to more than 11.5 million Texans. The rule also protects wetlands, which help filter out pollutants and provide wildlife habitat.

More than 800,000 Americans - including more than 34,000 Texans - urged the EPA to adopt the Clean Water Rule. Yet the new EPA is now proposing to dismantle it.

Repealing this rule the turns the mission of the EPA on its head: the agency charged with protecting our sources of drinking water would instead leave them open to pollution. It defies common sense, sound science and the will of the people of Texas.

The EPA should reconsider this reckless repeal and stand up for our drinking water.

Rachel Renier, Environment Texas, Austin

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Do you have something to say? Email us a letter to the editor at opinions@beaumontenterprise.com Make sure to include your name, mailing address and phone number so we can contact you to verify the letter, but only your name and city of residence will be published. You can also mail letters to The Enterprise, P.O. Box 3071, Beaumont, TX, 77704. The limit on letters is 200 words.
The following health IT vendor contracts and go-lives were reported during the past week.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services selected Cerner for a 10-year, $33 million contract.

Rancho Mirage, Calif.-based Eisenhower Medical Center completed a systemwide Epic EHR implementation.

Pinehurst, N.C.-based FirstHealth of the Carolinas converted to Epic information systems technology.

Toronto, Canada-based Humber River Hospital is building a command center with GE Healthcare.

Grupo Angeles Servicios de Salud, a healthcare organization in Mexico City, will adopt IBM's Watson for Oncology platform.

Two California medical centers signed two-year contracts with Los Angeles Network for Enhanced Services to improve care coordination for underserved populations.
PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
Lord Peter Hain says he believes that there will be a return to direct rule in Northern Ireland

The former secretary of state also believes there has been a "shocking dereliction of responsibility" by the British and Irish governments in Northern Ireland.

Speaking on the BBC's Sunday Politics programme, he said the return of direct rule would be an "absolute tragedy" at a "very dangerous time" and that Northern Ireland "deserves better than this".

Speaking on the Sunday Politics programme, Lord Hain said there was "nobody at the helm".

He added: "Nobody's taking any initiatives to really drive this forward. There's a sense of drift.

"We have secretary of state at the beginning of last week that it would all be sorted by the end of the week. He's been making those noises now for months.

"There has to be a sense of change. Someone has to get a grip. Northern Ireland deserves better than this."

The talks to re-establish a power sharing executive in Northern Ireland have been officially suspended after the two main parties, the DUP and Sinn Fein failed to agree on a number of key issues.

Read More

The NI Assembly has been suspended since January when the late Martin McGuinness resigned as Deputy First Minister over DUP leader Arlene Foster's refusal to stand aside during an investigation into the Renewable Heating Incentive scheme.
PACEMAKER BELFAST 09/07/2017 The annual Drumcree parade was again prevented from walking down the Garvaghy road on their return to Carlton Street Orange Hall. Photo Matt Bohill/Pacemaker Press

PACEMAKER BELFAST 09/07/2017 The annual Drumcree parade was again prevented from walking down the Garvaghy road on their return to Carlton Street Orange Hall. Photo Matt Bohill/Pacemaker Press

PACEMAKER BELFAST 09/07/2017 The annual Drumcree parade was again prevented from walking down the Garvaghy road on their return to Carlton Street Orange Hall. Photo Matt Bohill/Pacemaker Press

PACEMAKER BELFAST 09/07/2017 The annual Drumcree parade was again prevented from walking down the Garvaghy road on their return to Carlton Street Orange Hall. Photo Matt Bohill/Pacemaker Press

The Portadown Orange Order district master says local residents in Drumcree have spurned their invitation to talks about the controversial parade there.

The Drumcree parade dispute in Portadown, Co Armagh was a major flashpoint in the 1990s and early 2000s, with the annual event marred by intense violence on a number of occasions.

While tensions have dissipated over the last two decades, Portadown Orangemen continue to campaign to be allowed to walk along the predominantly nationalist Garvaghy Road. They hold a small protest every week.

The Parades Commission, the Government-appointed panel that adjudicates on contentious marches, has prohibited the Garvaghy section of the parade since 1998.

In its determination on the 2017 Drumcree parade, the Commission said preventing Orangemen from accessing the Garvaghy Road was "necessary, proportionate and fair".

Commissioners said there was no consensus between Orangemen and nationalist residents on the format of any potential future talks to mediate a resolution.

In the absence of any locally-agreed accommodation, the Commission said there would be a "high potential for public disorder" if the parade was allowed to proceed on its notified route.

'No one asked us for an apology'

Expand Close PACEMAKER BELFAST 09/07/2017 The annual Drumcree parade was again prevented from walking down the Garvaghy road on their return to Carlton Street Orange Hall. Photo Matt Bohill/Pacemaker Press / Facebook

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Whatsapp PACEMAKER BELFAST 09/07/2017 The annual Drumcree parade was again prevented from walking down the Garvaghy road on their return to Carlton Street Orange Hall. Photo Matt Bohill/Pacemaker Press

At the annual main Drumcree parade on Sunday, Darryl Hewitt, the Grand Master of Portadown District LOL (Loyal Orange Order) No 1 said the Portadown District of the Orange Order had "offered talks with a neutral chairman and neutral venue with no preconditions" but that the offer had "not received a favourable response at all from the residents".

He was referring to comments made in the Parades Commissions determination.

Mr Hewitt said: "They have also in the determination stated that the residents want an apology  what for Im not sure. Did they contact us to ask if we would issue an apology? No.

"Remember it is Portadown District that has offered talks with a neutral chairman and neutral venue with no preconditions - but this has not received a favourable response at all from the residents.

"Why have the residents been rewarded for this? Where is the threat of violence coming from? Its certainly not us.

"We were often told no talk, no walk, what about weve tried to talk, its time to walk".

'Pandering to republican agenda'

Mr Hewitt also accused the Commission of "pandering to a hard-line republican agenda".

He challenged Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire to dismiss the Commission members.

"They must go and the call from this place this afternoon is that the Secretary of State must show some mettle, and once and for all sack the whole lot of them," he said.

"However, we attempt to complete our parade each and every Sunday - a fact that most people in Northern Ireland are not aware of.

"This has been the case since July 1998 when our late District Master Harold Gracey said that we would remain on protest until our rights have been restored.

"Our resolve has not diminished over the weeks, months and indeed years.

"No-one should be in any doubt, Portadown District are in this for the long haul. We will not be deflected from seeking to achieve our objective."

A proposal to transfer the responsibility for regulating parades from Westminster to Northern Ireland politicians was agreed in the 2014 Stormont House Agreement.

That plan, which would have seen Stormont ministers developing a new way to manage parades and protests, has yet to materialise, amid ongoing political stalemate in Belfast.

DUP MLA for Upper Bann Carla Lockhart was at Drumcree on Sunday.

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Posting video and pictures on her Facebook page, she wrote:

"Here we stand we can do no other!

"Drumcree Sunday 2017 - once again Portadown brethren have been denied their right to return home from their annual church service at Drumcree Parish Church.

"A complete denial of their civil and religious liberties ... by an unelected quango called the Parades Commission.

"I want to commend the brethren for their stickability, determination and commitment to the cause!"
The Parades Commission has prohibited the Garvaghy section of the parade since 1998

Orangemen banned for 20 years from completing a controversial parade have insisted their determination to overturn the prohibition has not dimmed.

The Drumcree parading dispute in Portadown, Co Armagh was a major flashpoint in the 1990s and early 2000s, with the annual event marred by intense violence on a number of occasions.

While tensions have dissipated over the last two decades, Portadown Orangemen continue to campaign to be allowed to walk along the predominantly nationalist Garvaghy Road. They hold a small protest every week.

The Parades Commission, the Government-appointed panel that adjudicates on contentious marches, has prohibited the Garvaghy section of the parade since 1998.

At the annual main Drumcree parade on Sunday, Darryl Hewitt, the Grand Master of Portadown District LOL (Loyal Orange Order) No 1, accused the Commission of "pandering to a hard-line republican agenda".

He challenged Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire to dismiss the Commission members.

"They must go and the call from this place this afternoon is that the Secretary of State must show some mettle, and once and for all sack the whole lot of them," he said.

"However, we attempt to complete our parade each and every Sunday - a fact that most people in Northern Ireland are not aware of.

"This has been the case since July 1998 when our late District Master Harold Gracey said that we would remain on protest until our rights have been restored.

"Our resolve has not diminished over the weeks, months and indeed years.

"No-one should be in any doubt, Portadown District are in this for the long haul. We will not be deflected from seeking to achieve our objective."

In its determination on the 2017 Drumcree parade, the Commission said preventing Orangemen from accessing the Garvaghy Road was "necessary, proportionate and fair".

Commissioners said there was no consensus between Orangemen and nationalist residents on the format of any potential future talks to mediate a resolution.

In the absence of any locally-agreed accommodation, the Commission said there would be a "high potential for public disorder" if the parade was allowed to proceed on its notified route.

A proposal to transfer the responsibility for regulating parades from Westminster to Northern Ireland politicians was agreed in the 2014 Stormont House Agreement.

That plan, which would have seen Stormont ministers developing a new way to manage parades and protests, has yet to materialise, amid ongoing political stalemate in Belfast.
Police are appealing for witnesses after two men and a youth were injured in an altercation in West Belfast.

One man was arrested on Saturday following the incident which took place in a park near Lagmore Avenue on Friday night.

Police responded to reports of a fight shortly before 8.30pm.

According to the PSNI, a 26 year-old sustained a laceration to his head, a 19-year-old male was cut on his arm and a 15-year-old male received a puncture wound to his shoulder. All three males received treatment in hospital for their injuries which are not believed to be life threatening.

A 19 year-old-man was arrested in the west Belfast on Saturday, on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent. He was interviewed and subsequently released on police bail pending further enquiries.

Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident or anyone with any information that can assist police with their investigation to contact officers in Woodbourne Police Station on 101 quoting reference 1269 of 07/07/17 or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Volunteer members of Killybegs Coast Guard and the Sligo rescue helicopter which assisted in the search for the two men in Donegal [Photo: Killybegs Coast Guard Facebook page]

The bodies of two men believed to have drowned in a boating accident off the coast of Co Donegal have been recovered.

The men, from Lithuania, are understood to have departed in a small boat from Teelin pier after lunchtime on Saturday.

The body of one man, in his 50s, was found on the shore at Malinbeg, near Carrick, at around 10.30am on Sunday. He was discovered by a farmer whose land runs down to the coast.

Local gardai contacted the coastguard to help recover the body.

Around the same time a member of the public in Teelin reported that a car understood to belong to the two men was still parked at the pier side.

This prompted a search for the second man. It involved coastguard helicopter 118 from Sligo, Arranmore and Bundoran lifeboats and Killybegs and Bunbeg coastguard teams.

After a short search, the body of the second man, believed to have been in his 40s, was found in the water by coastguard officers close to Malinbeg.

A boat was recovered washed up on a rocky stretch of coastline.

The bodies of the men have been taken to Letterkenny University Hospital where a post-mortem examination will be carried out.

The Coroner's Office has been notified.
Donald Trump said he strongly pressed Vladimir Putin twice over Russian meddling in the 2016 US election

US president Donald Trump has tweeted that "it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!" after his G20 meeting with Vladimir Putin.

Mr Trump said he "strongly pressed" the Russian president twice over Russian meddling in the 2016 US election during their lengthy meeting at the world leaders' summit in Germany.

He said Mr Putin "vehemently denied" the conclusions of American intelligence agencies.

Mr Trump did not say whether he believed Mr Putin, tweeting that he has "already given my opinion."

Russia's foreign minister told reporters in Germany that Mr Trump took Mr Putin at his word over meddling, and US officials have not challenged this statement.

Mr Trump said previously he believed Russia was likely to have been involved in election hacking, but that other countries were too.

AP

Mr Putin said he left the meeting thinking that Mr Trump believed his in-person denials.

"He asked questions, I replied. It seemed to me that he was satisfied with the answers," said Mr Putin.

US secretary of state Rex Tillerson, who took part in Mr Trump's meeting, had suggested that the two sides effectively agreed to disagree on the meddling question so they could proceed to address other pressing issues like the civil war in Syria.

Officials announced during the trip that the two sides brokered a ceasefire in southern Syria that went into effect on Sunday.

Mr Tillerson told reporters: "We did not expect an answer other than the one we received".

Mr Trump tweeted that the two sides also agreed to create a cyber security task force to ensure that "election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded."

He also said US sanctions on Russia were not discussed during the meeting and that "Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian & Syrian problems are solved!"

AP
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Even government agencies can't always agree on whether "soy milk" is an appropriate term.

The dairy industry wants terms like soy, almond and rice milk to vanish from supermarket shelves because it says federal regulations define "milk" as derived from cows. But emails released in response to a lawsuit show the U.S. Department of Agriculture wanted to use "soy milk" in consumer education materials in 2011. That's even though the Food and Drug Administration warned that doing so would undermine its regulatory authority.

It's not the only disagreement around language in the food industry. Here are some other examples.

JUST MAYO

Hellmann's mayonnaise maker Unilever, sued the maker of a vegan spread called Just Mayo, saying that mayonnaise is defined as having eggs under federal regulations. That lawsuit was dropped. Later, however, the maker of Just Mayo worked out an agreement with the FDA to keep its name, so long as it made some changes to its label to make clear the product does not contain eggs.

"CHEESE FOOD"

In 2002, the FDA sent a warning letter to the maker of Kraft Singles, which the agency noted contained an ingredient that was not listed in the definition for "pasteurized process cheese food." Kraft now labels the Singles as a "pasteurized prepared cheese product."

WYNGZ

In 2011, The Colbert Show called out DiGiorno's new frozen meals with pizza and boneless "wyngz." The comedian cited a page on the USDA's website that said the odd spelling could be used for a product that is "in the shape of a wing or a bite-size appetizer type product," but not made entirely from wing meat.

"No other misspellings are permitted," the page says.

STRAINING FOR YOGURT

It was a milk protein concentrate at issue in a lawsuit over Yoplait Greek.

That ingredient isn't listed in the FDA's standard of identity for yogurt. What's more, the suit said General Mills relied on the ingredient to thicken its yogurt, rather than straining it the way other Greek yogurts are made.

"Not only was it not Greek yogurt, it wasn't yogurt at all," said Brian Gudmundson, the Minnesota lawyer who filed the suit.

The case was ultimately dismissed by the judge, who said the matter would be better handled by the FDA. Gudmundson said he reached out to the agency afterward, but nothing came of it.

Yoplait Greek's maker, General Mills, says it has since made recipe changes to its yogurts and it no longer uses milk protein concentrate in Yoplait Greek. The company had also noted in legal filings that the FDA said during a seminar that milk protein concentrate could be used in yogurt.

In 2002, the presence of milk protein concentrate in Kraft Singles was also called out in a warning letter from the FDA, which noted it was not listed as an ingredient in the definition for "pasteurized process cheese food." Kraft now labels the Singles as a "pasteurized prepared cheese product."

"COUNTERFEIT BUTTER"

It's not just soy and almond milk that have drawn the ire of the dairy industry. In 1886, dairy producers supported a federal tax on margarine, which was dubbed "counterfeit butter" by representative William Price of Wisconsin, a major dairy state. In 1902, that law was amended to increase the tax on margarine dyed to look like butter, says Ai Hisano, a business historian at the Harvard Business School.

Some states went so far as to prohibit the sale of dyed margarine, which was naturally white. Hence a vintage ad that declares Parkay margarine "Golden Yellow and ready to spread!"  with an asterisk noting, "in 26 states ."

To get around state bans, Hisano said margarine makers provided yellow solution capsules so people could dye the margarine themselves.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 08/07/2017 (1952 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Credit union signage, pamphlets and other promotional material that makes mention of banks, banker or banking will soon be prohibited material subject to criminal charges.

By updating how the Bank Act is interpreted and administered, the Superintendent of Financial Institutions wants to make it perfectly clear that credit unions are not banks.

It is not the preferred nomenclature.

Tyler Clarke/The Brandon Sun Sunrise Credit Union president/CEO Tim Klassen holds up a sign featuring a contraband word: Banking. Any reference to the word bank will soon be stricken from credit unions across the nation as a result of a federal regulators decision to ban the word by such institutions.

They are prohibiting bank references on credit unions websites and electronic mediums by the end of the year, on print materials by June 30, 2018, and physical signage by June 30, 2019.

In addition to their member-owned format, credit unions differ from traditional banks in that theyre provincially regulated instead of federally regulated.

While these differences are important  primarily, the member-owned component Sunrise Credit Union president/CEO Tim Klassen said that much of what they do is the same as what traditional banks undertake.

We do banking, he said, sharing a soon-to-be-banned word. We take deposits, we give loans 

The Canadian Credit Union Association is fighting the decision, the impacts of which they estimate would cost credit unions across the country as much as $80 million.

The Sunrise Credit Union will have to edit its website, where they count approximately 2,000 mentions of bank, as well as replace various promotional items.

Its difficult to say how much the change would cost them because they havent itemized everything, but Klassen summarized whatever expense they incur as being a waste of money.

Updating promotional material is one thing, but Westoba Credit Union chief innovation and culture officer Janet Wood said that the biggest change would be the language that employees use.

Banking, to us, is a verb, she said, adding; Telling us we cant use a verb is going to make it very different for us to do business  Weve always used a traditional banking model.

Credit unions will soon have to come up with new terminology, Wood said, suggesting that membership might soon be credit union-ing rather than banking.

Its going to be confusing for members, she said, adding that Westoba Credit Union would assist wherever required in the national associations fight against the use of bank.

The fight isnt over, but were certainly not very happy with where weve gone thus far, she said.

Klassen shared in this sentiment, adding that he doesnt quite know what to make of the anti-bank directive.

I dont know, he said. Its so silly.

 tclarke@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 08/07/2017 (1952 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A group of seven Wounded Warriors Canada members have banded throughout Westman to raise money toward the training of service dogs for past Canadian Forces members.

Directed at those with post-traumatic stress disorder, the service dogs provide a calming force.

You cant hide your emotions from a dog, canvasser James Milton said.

Tyler Clarke/The Brandon Sun James Milton and Jenny Exner with Wounded Warriors Canada are seen with the $25 coupon book they began selling door-to-door in Westman this week, and which they will continue to sell until the start of August.

They see right through you  They can pick up on things before its a problem, so theyre more than a companion. Their whole existence is to give you unconditional love and to keep you cool and centred.

Milton, based in Winnipeg, joined the Westman effort on Tuesday, where they plan on remaining until August, both knocking on doors and stationing themselves at local businesses in order to sell $25 coupon books, or Action Packs as they call them.

Milton was born at Canadian Forces Base Lahr, Germany, where his father was a warrant officer. He spent his childhood at various Canadian Air Force bases throughout the world.

Where his life took him on a different path, his twin brother, Jeff Milton, took the Canadian Forces route, reaching the rank of sergeant and spending time deployed to Afghanistan.

Im glad to help where I can because I know a lot of veterans and a lot of military people, Milton said, adding that one of these means of assisting those in the military is helping them get the service dogs some of them need.

The government doesnt provide enough funding toward service dogs, with the wait time to get a dog typically hovering around the two-year mark, he said.

Each one of the Wounded Warriors Canada canvassers has their own motivation for doing what they do, with fellow canvasser Jenny Exner noting that hers is out of respect for those who serve.

While she doesnt have a personal connection to the Canadian Forces, she said I get to walk around in my country doing the things that I do because of what these guys are fighting for.

Milton said that their reception at the doorstep thus far has been positive.

People are becoming aware of the service dogs and are becoming more willing to help because they know what they do, he said, adding that even those who havent contributed have been friendly.

More information on Wounded Warriors Canada can be found online at woundedwarriors.ca.

 tclarke@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB
The Citizens Assembly has voted to recommend that the Government urgently prioritise existing policies in relation to older people.

87% of the members recommend the introduction of a mandatory pension scheme to supplement the State pension.

86% recommend abolishing mandatory retirement based on age.

Age Action Ireland is welcoming the recommendations. Spokesperson Justin Moran says the Government could take one simple action to help address the 37% pensions gender gap.

"One single step which the Government could take which would make an enormous difference very quickly is to backdate the Homemaker's Scheme," he said.

"This only applies from 1994. Men and women who raised thir families in the 1970s and 1980s don't benefit from it and the scheme enables you to get a better, fairer State pension."
A Clare man and veteran of the French Foreign Legion has set off for Western Greenland to undertake a charity 250km solo-trek along the Arctic Circle Trail.

Dermot Cosgrove from Ennis, who now lives in Kilkee in West Clare, joined the French military at the age of 19.

The former soldier has spent the past 20 years working in remote parts of the word, mostly Africa.

The Artic Circle Trail is located 35km North of the Arctic Circle and will take the keen hiker from the West Greenland town of Sisimiut, cross country to the Russell Glacier and back to the town of Kangerlussauq.

The Arctic Circle Trail is one of the remotest in the world with only a very small number doing it every year. As the guy who has been advising me explained, in six trips on the ACT, hes only met other hikers on two of those occasions, Dermot said.

Dermot left Dublin for Copenhagen this morning and will continue onto Greenland tomorrow.

He will begin his epic expedition on Tuesday and hopes to raise funds for Irish Dogs for the Disabled.

The Cork-based charity provides assistance dogs to physically disabled people, many of whom are children.

Its the only charity in Europe who train specialist stability dogs that help people to walk. Dermot's sister Clare Cosgrove-Mungovan fosters dogs for the charity.

It costs 15,000 to raise, train and care for an assistance dog for over a lifetime. Dogs are provided to disabled partners free of charge and we receive no government funding.

Dermot has set a target of 15,000 for this charity undertaking and has already raised over 9,000.

The trek is expected to take Dermot about 10 days with 170km of the 250km route traversing wild rugged tundra. Dermot will also have to carry over 35kgs of survival equipment and food.

While he wont have any telephone communications where he will be, Dermot will have an emergency beacon in case he requires urgent assistance.

"The first thing I will do when I get to Greenland is to check in with the local police and search and rescue services to let them know where I will be and how long I will be out for, Dermot said.
Potential recruits can sample the first ever Virtual Reality experience of the Defence Forces today.

The army, Air Corps and Naval Service are hosting an Open Day at Farmleigh House in the Phoenix Park from 11am to 5pm.
Let Me Tell You is a new bespoke podcast series from



Hosts Daniel McConnell and Paul Hosford take a look back at some of the most dramatic moments in recent Irish political history from the unique perspective of one of the key players involved.


Gerry Adams called on the Irish Government to increase its efforts to "secure a positive resolution" for the undocumented Irish living in the US. He spoke during his two-day visit to the US.

Many use Irish passports and, in my short time here, some people have asked me about the campaign for votes in Irish Presidential elections. Others have taken the opportunity to raise concerns around the 50,000 undocumented Irish living there. I share those concerns, he said.

The Sinn Fein leader urged the Government to significantly up its game in its efforts to secure a positive resolution for the thousands of undocumented Irish living in the USA.

Since the election of President Trump, and the introduction of new measures by the administration to expel illegal immigrants, many in the Irish American community are living in fear and apprehension of the knock on the door. According to the USAs Immigration and Customs Enforcement branch of Homeland Security, there was a 37% increase in arrests on immigration charges in the first three months of President Trumps presidency.

Most undocumented Irish have lived in the USA for years. Some are married to US citizens and have children who go to school and have deep family ties now. They are good model citizens who contribute to their local communities and pay their taxes.

This is a vitally important matter for Irish citizens in the USA and for their families at home worried by their lack of legal status. There is an onus on the new Taoiseach to put in place an enhanced and more focussed strategy for progressing this issue in the months ahead.

Immigration reform is a huge political issue in the USA. It is supported by many on Capitol Hill and among those other ethnic groups also facing difficulty. The government must increase its engagement in the time ahead and intensify its lobbying campaign with the Trump administration and with congressional leaders.
Becoming a librarian was part of a family profession for Jessi Peterson of the Chippewa Falls Public Library.

Her mother works in Eau Claire, her brother at a Mayo Clinic library, her brother-in-law is an archivist in La Crosse. Theres no getting away from it, she laughs.

Peterson, who is the childrens services coordinator for the library, is among 25 library staff members from around the state selected to participate in the 2017 Youth Services Development Institute from Aug. 27-30 in Trego. The seminar is aimed at librarians in Wisconsin without graduate degrees in library science.

Her work at the library is being recognized in other quarters, too. A woman standing behind her in line at a local coffee shop recognizes Petersons face, but cant decide how to place it. The library! she finally realizes, and Peterson just laughs. She says shes recognized quite a bit in the community, but mostly by the children she helps at the library.

The Chippewa Falls native describes herself as just a big kid myself. Growing up, she didnt envision working among the shelves  although she grew up using the same library where she now works.

Music teacher, English teacher and veterinarian were on Petersons shortlist of careers. But she says shes very happy to now be serving a new generation of Chippewa Falls book lovers.

Her academic career began at Lawrence University in Appleton. After a year as a music education major, she returned to her hometown, worked for several years, then attended the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire to finish her degree in English literature and library science.

Although UW-Eau Claire has since discontinued its library science program, Peterson says, library enthusiasts can now attend Chippewa Valley Technical College for its Library and Information Services associate degree.

After college, Peterson worked for several years at Eau Claires public library, but she speaks more fondly of her experience in Chippewa Falls. (In Eau Claire) there were a lot more people, and jobs were much more compartmentalized, she said. Now, I get to do a little bit of everything.

Peterson clearly takes pride in her job  and takes nurturing Chippewa Falls youngest minds seriously. In the summer season, she describes having childrens programs nearly every day.

YouTube University has been a perennial favorite since its beginning, she says. This afternoon were watching clips about all things disgusting. Slimy things, gooelementary gross is good stuff. Most kids who come might not be allowed to watch YouTube at home because theres no good filtering mechanism. The kids think Im magic, because Im going to let them watch YouTube. But its not like that. Were going to curate YouTube.

Upcoming library programs include a Hobbit party in September to celebrate iconic fantasy character Bilbo Baggins birthday.

In addition to building programs, Peterson keeps a watchful eye over the childrens library section, pruning and adding materials based on kids and parents feedback.

Were always open to suggestions for materials. If theres a book series your kid is gaga about, I want to hear about it. I want to hit a base that the community is interested in, she says.

However, even the most enthusiastic of leaders needs support, and thats why Peterson says shes excited about attending the Youth Services Institute in August. Small libraries, even smaller than ours, can feel a little isolated. We might not necessarily have a connection with what other libraries are doing to serve their clientele.

The Youth Services Institute aims to fix that problem. It brings 25 of the states best youth services librarians together to exchange ideas and receive training to better their communities.

The library is all about sharing with each other, Peterson says. You borrow this book, you bring it back, then I can borrow it. The idea sharing (at the institute) is along those same lines.
A new study shows that about half of middle-aged people in Ireland are providing financial support to their parents, while a similar number are still giving money to their children.

The research from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing also reveals that only 3% of over 54s are actually receiving financial support from their offspring.
Update 3.15pm: Events have been taking place across the country to mark National Commemoration Day.

The annual event pays tribute to the Irish men and women who have died during conflict.

Earlier, President Michael D.Higgins and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar led a ceremony at Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin.

Always a wonderful ceremony in kilmainham to remember those who served and died in foreign wars. Great job as always by @defenceforces #dubw pic.twitter.com/dD5YU5ZXxo  Ted Leddy (@TedLeddy) July 9, 2017

That was a beautiful ceremony in Kilmainham for the Nation Day of Commemoration, proud to be there for @NLIreland pic.twitter.com/DPzVogVqsU  Dr Sandra Collins (@SandriCollins) July 9, 2017

Honoured to attend the #NationalDayofCommemoration in honour of all those #Irishmen and #Irishwomen who died in past wars @defenceforces pic.twitter.com/qMraUOigk3  Mark Mellett (@mark_mellett) July 9, 2017

An open day has also been taking place in the Phoenix Park to showcase the career opportunities available with the Defence Forces.

Captain John Forde says it is a chance to display the variety of work they do.

"Today the open day represents an opportunity to tell people about the roles and responsibilities of the many opportunities there are for people whenever they join the ranks of the Defence Forces, from the helicopter pilots to the explosive ordnance personnel and the opportunities overseas obviously," he said.

EarlierEvery Irish person who has died in past wars or on service with the United Nations will be honoured on the National Day of Commemoration today.

President Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will lead a ceremony at the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham in Dublin starting at 10.30pm this morning, to be followed by an Air Corps flyover.

Events will also take place in Waterford, Sligo, Kilkenny, Limerick, Galway and Cork.
The trial of Irish citizen Ibrahim Halawa has been adjourned in Cairo for the 26th time in almost four years.

He has now spent 1,423 days in prison, since his arrest in August 2013 at the age of 17. The trial has been rescheduled for July 16.
The British government has no role to play in the case of terminally ill baby Charlie Gard, the UK's Justice Secretary has said.

Lord Chancellor David Lidington expressed sympathy with the judges involved in the "heart-wrenching" case, which has seen the 11-month-old's parents in a protracted legal battle with hospital doctors.

His comments come after two United States congressmen said they would table legislation to give Charlie and his family US resident status in a bid to allow them to travel there for experimental treatment.

Connie Yates, Charlie's mother, has urged British Prime Minister Theresa May to support their case.

The boy's family are expected to join a demonstration outside Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) later after they vowed the "fight is not over".

Asked if it was right that judges could overrule the wishes of Charlie's parents, Mr Lidington told Sky News' Ridge On Sunday: "It is right that judges interpret the law, independently and dispassionately.

Justice Secretary @DLidington says it's right that judges rule on the Charlie Gard case "independently and dispassionately" #Ridge pic.twitter.com/VcioGGxCAR  Sophy Ridge on Sunday & The Take (@RidgeOnSunday) July 9, 2017

"As ministers and as a Government we have no role to play in the Charlie Gard case, as would be the case in any other proceeding in court."

Mr Lidington added: "I do not envy the judges who are having to take decisions on this.

"It must be incredibly pressured - probably emotional, under the judicial professionalism, a really emotional, heart-wrenching case for them to have to decide.

"But they are independent, they know their duty is to decide the case on the basis of what they genuinely consider to be in the best interests of Charlie himself."

The couple, both in their 30s and from Bedfont, west London, want to take their son to a hospital in the US for nucleoside treatment.

However, they lost a lengthy legal battle after judges ruled in favour of doctors at GOSH, who argued the therapy would not improve Charlie's quality of life.

Ms Yates and Charlie's father Chris Gard were buoyed by support from around the world, including from the pope and US president Donald Trump, and, in the latest twist, they have been offered the chance to become US residents.

In a joint statement, congressmen Brad Westrup and Trent Franks said: "Our bill will support Charlie's parents' right to choose what is best for their son, by making Charlie a lawful permanent resident in the US in order for him to receive treatments that could save his life."

Under a High Court ruling, GOSH is forbidden from allowing Charlie to be transferred for nucleoside therapy anywhere.

The case will come back to the High Court on Monday to hear fresh arguments following claims of "new information" from researchers at the Vatican's children's hospital.

Meanwhile, supporters of the family will deliver a petition of more than 350,000 signatures on Sunday calling on doctors at GOSH to allow the baby to travel and receive experimental treatment.

Charlie inherited the faulty RRM2B gene from his parents, affecting the cells responsible for energy production and respiration and leaving him unable to move or breathe without a ventilator. The therapy is not a cure.

GOSH describes experimental nucleoside therapies as "unjustified" but its decision comes after two international hospitals and their researchers contacted them "as late as the last 24 hours" to say they have "fresh evidence about their proposed experimental treatment".

GOSH also points out that the court ruling calls for Charlie's artificial ventilation to be withdrawn and he should receive palliative care only.

Ms Yates has said her son was "not in pain or suffering" and she had been given hope by international attempts to come to Charlie's aid.

Previous legal attempts by Charlie's parents failed as judges in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in London ruled in favour of GOSH doctors, while the European Court of Human Rights declined to hear the couple's appeal.

Charlie's case will be heard by Mr Justice Francis on Monday at 2pm, according to a High Court listing.
A proposal to relax Canberra's billboard ban has exposed an undercurrent of unease about what critics have dubbed "advertisement by encroachment" in Canberra.

The ACT Legislative Assembly's planning and urban renewal committee's inquiry into billboards attracted a record 163 submissions. The vast majority opposed any softening of the ban.

Ad Free Canberra's cheeky social media campaign drew attention to the billboard inquiry. Credit:Ad Free Canberra

However, about one in five touched on advertising on public transport and bus shelters which were outside the terms of reference.

"In recent years, billboard advertising has effectively been introduced by stealth with full wrap advertising on ACTION buses," Reuban Ingall wrote.
Investors are still puzzling over the outlook for Australia's dominant hardware chain Bunnings.

Bunnings has one of the world's highest profit margins among home improvement chains. It is expected to increase its profit margins this year, taking advantage of last year's demise of rival Masters.

"The next few months will be positive, they'll get a bunch of sales from that," one analyst said. "We expect [profit margins] to rise and stay high."

Beyond that, there are still concerns about Bunnings' expansion into the UK and Ireland, as well as questions marks about how much it needs to spend on introducing online sales ahead of the Australian expansion of the world's biggest online marketplace, Amazon.
Hi Nicole, I'm 35 and a recent single mum with two children, aged 2 and 5. Compared to some other single parents, I know I am very fortunate to be in a financial position where I own my own home (mortgage of $160,000 owing) and have an ongoing job in education where I currently work three days a week, earning $49,000 a year (plus 17 per cent superannuation). I also currently receive about $17,000 in child support per year. But I've taken a significant financial hit since the separation and now find myself having to run my household on one wage, as well as plan for the future as a single individual. I'd still ultimately like to retire by 60 (as I originally planned) and also be able to afford a yearly holiday, as well as provide my children with a range of educational experiences and extra-curricular activities (sport/music lessons). Can you please help with some financial goals I should look to achieve?  Natasha, Melbourne

You're right, Natasha though it might not feel like it as you stare at a future different than the one you imagined, you're doing OK. These are the three main points in your favour  and ways to optimise them:

Childcare fees can take a big bite out of the household budget, but choosing a public school when they hit school age can free up funds.

1. 17 per cent super. That is a rare and beautiful thing. Jump on ASIC MoneySmart's quick and easy superannuation calculator to forecast how much super you're on track for in retirement  just plug in the information you've told me, along with your current balance. You need $545,000 to afford a "comfortable retirement", says ASFA ($640,000 for a couple). At your age, time is on your side for compounding to work wonders. Getting a cheap fund that makes consistently good returns works far better wonders  compare yours at the Super Ratings website.

2. Your admirably low mortgage balance. Given property prices where you live, you probably have a remaining loan representing only about 20 per cent. Even so, ditching any debt frees up money each month. You can do this for "free" by remortgaging to the very best deal (your low balance means you can access it) and simply keeping repayments the same. Today's lowest rate for owner occupiers (up to 80 per cent loan-to-value ratio) is 3.64 per cent from loans.com.au. You can calculate on my free app at the Money Mentor Way how much this would save in money and time  if you're on an average rate now, it's $23,000 and nearly six years.
Elon Musk stole all the headlines  with a decent supporting role from South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill  on Friday, as the two men announced that Tesla's largest ever battery would be built 200 kilometres north of Adelaide.

Which is big news in itself, but those headlines are masking a subtle shift for investors. Well, subtle in pace, at least, but the ramifications are huge. Climate change might have become politicised  to say the least  but the changes to energy generation and storage are fast becoming almost completely economic  and that will have significant ramifications for the stock market.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk (left) and SA Premier Jay Weatherill announced the world's biggest lithium ion battery would be built in South Australia. Credit:Ben MacMahon

Mixing politics and investing is never a good idea. One blinds you to the other, which is neither good for your portfolio, or the country.

Those who've been hoping for groundbreaking technologies to revolutionise the world would have lost a fortune backing every ASX company with a dream, no matter how worthy.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The High Court overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for historic child sex offences in a judgment handed down April 7, 2020. In a unanimous decision all seven High Court judges found Victoria's Court of Appeal should not have upheld Pell's conviction It found the evidence could not support a guilty verdict.

Cardinal George Pell, Australia's highest ranking Catholic, has returned to Australia after being charged with historical sex offences.

The 76-year-old landed at Sydney Airport at 5.55am on Monday after flying in from the Vatican via Singapore.

The Australian Federal Police, NSW Police and private security contractors were waiting to escort Cardinal Pell from Sydney Airport.
Australian GPs are prescribing antibiotics at up to nine times recommended rates, a new study has found, in a trend that could see the emergence of deadly superbugs and put common medical procedures at risk.

Antibiotics are not recommended for people with chest colds caused by acute bronchitis or children with bronchiolitis. But patients with these conditions were given antibiotics in 85 per cent of cases, a study published in The Medical Journal of Australia has found.

Researchers believe that GPs were prescribing antibiotics at a rate four to nine times higher than recommended by clinical guidelines for acute respiratory infections including rhinosinusitis (which affects the nose and sinuses) and bronchitis.

Up to 4.61 million patients could have been inappropriately prescribed antibiotics.
Holidaymakers returning from the Sunshine Coast faced a nightmare journey back towards Brisbane on Sunday afternoon, after a single-vehicle crash.

A four-wheel-drive towing a trailer hit a tree about midday on the Bruce Highway near Elimbah, with paramedics taking an elderly woman with a back injury to Caboolture Hospital in a stable condition.

It should take drivers 15 minutes to travel between the Bribie Island Road and Roys Road exits, but on Sunday afternoon it took about an hour. Credit:7 News Queensland - Twitter

Australian Traffic Network reporter Olympia Kwitowski said southbound delays stretched back more than 25 kilometres along the Bruce Highway just after 3pm, between the Bribie Island Road and Roys Road exits.

Ms Kwitowski added that it would normally take drivers about 15 minutes to travel through the stretch of highway that had been transformed into a carpark but on Sunday afternoon it took about an hour.
In Andy Weir's novel-turned-Matt-Damon-movie The Martian, the protagonist endures the harsh terrain of Mars by using his own poop to grow potatoes. The idea isn't that outlandish. Over the last few years, a NASA-backed project has been attempting to simulate Martian potato farming by growing taters in the Peruvian desert. While early results were promising, new research suggests that survival of any life on Mars  much less potato-growing humans  might be more difficult than we thought. I blame Matt Damon.

Scientists at the University of Edinburgh tested how the bacteria Bacillus subtilis would react to perchlorates, which were first discovered in Martian soil back in 2008. Perchlorates are naturally-occurring (and sometimes, man-made) chemicals that are toxic to humans, but they're not always so bad for microbes. In fact, in the Atacama Desert in Chile, some microbes use perchlorates in the soil as an energy source. On Mars, perchlorates allow water to exist in a briny liquid form despite the planet's low atmospheric pressure.

Matt Damon in The Martian, lying to us all. Credit:20th Century Fox

However, when the researchers put B. subtilis in a bath of magnesium perchlorate solution similar to the concentrations found on Mars, and exposed the microbes to similar levels of UV radiation, the bacteria died within 30 seconds. Even when the researchers repeated the experiment on a Martian rock environment they made of silica, most of the bacteria still died. The depressing research has been published in Scientific Reports.

"Although the toxic effects of oxidants on the Martian surface have been suspected for some time, our observations show that the surface of present-day Mars is highly deleterious to cells, caused by a toxic cocktail of oxidants, iron oxides, perchlorates and UV irradiation," the researchers wrote. "However, we show the bacteriocidal effects of UV-irradiated perchlorates provide yet further evidence that the surface of Mars is lethal to vegetative cells and renders much of the surface and near-surface regions uninhabitable."
A Perth man has been charged after allegedly biting two police officers on their arms after he was arrested following a brawl in Northbridge on Saturday evening.

The incident occurred at around 11.15pm, when police bike patrol officers spotted a group of men fighting on the corner of Lake and James Streets.

The man will appear in Perth Magistrates Court on Sunday, Credit:Marina Neil/Fairfax Media

Police broke up the brawl and attempted to arrest one man they believed to have been involved.

However, the man is believed to have struggled with officers, broke free from arrest and fled the scene.
Istanbul: Hundreds of thousands of protesters have arrived in Istanbul in the culmination of a three-week March for Justice, delivering a powerful message against the government's crackdown on tens of thousands of workers over the past year.

The march, which has been led by politicians from Turkey's largest opposition party, the Republican People's Party, known as CHP, has drawn growing numbers of people as they have trekked since June 15 through the countryside from the capital, Ankara, to Turkey's first city, Istanbul.

The marchers ended their protest with a large-scale rally on the eastern side of the city on Sunday evening. Wearing T-shirts and carrying signs with the single word "adalet" or "justice", the demonstrators are calling for the return of an independent judiciary and swift and fair justice for the tens of thousands of people arrested or suspended from their jobs since Turkey's failed coup last year.

Despite their differences, however, the government and opposition leaders appeared to be taking great pains to prevent a major confrontation as the march reacheds its culmination. Sunday's rally was technically in breach of the state of emergency that has been in force since the coup attempt. Large numbers of police officers have escorted the march but have not interfered.
Over 1,200 mail-in votes added to Montco totals; Bucks still in limbo

Two of Montgomery County's three commissioners said they did not support disenfranchising more than 1,200 voters because of a handful of rule breakers
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Gibbs & Dandy has unveiled a nationwide charitable partnership with childrens charity, Barnardos.

The builders merchant has joined forces with Barnardos to support disadvantaged and vulnerable children across the UK, with a focus on young people who have spent their childhood in care.

Working closely with representatives from Barnardos, Gibbs & Dandy will be combining its expertise with fundraising to make a difference.

As well as hosting charity fundraisers over the year, the merchant will be extending its network of employment, training and skills service to ensure that young people, including care leavers, dont miss out on the support, advice and work opportunities available to those from different backgrounds.

Helen Miles from Barnardos said: Gibbs & Dandys support of our Care Leavers programme will play a huge role in transforming the lives of young adults nationwide.

Young people in care are the most vulnerable children in our society - almost two in every three children in the care system enter it because they have been abused or neglected  and they need our help.

The statistics for young people who spend their childhood in care are pretty tough: a quarter of all homeless people in the UK were in care as a child, and 24% of prisoners in England and Wales have experienced the care system at some point. And crucially, theres very little support for young people aged 16-21 who are leaving care, which is often when they need it most. This is where our Care Leavers programme steps in.

Not only will Gibbs & Dandys nationwide fundraising drive support and expand the Care Leavers programme to reach more young people than ever before, but the company will also be offering practical experience, providing new opportunities that can be all too rare for these kids.

From work experience to placements and apprenticeships, these hands-on experiences will give them a real taste of the industry and set them on the path to a skilled and successful career.

Were thrilled to be working in partnership with Gibbs & Dandy and its customers who we know are incredibly generous.

Neil Lawrence, managing director of Gibbs & Dandy, added: Were very pleased to be able to help raise vital funds for Barnardos Care Leavers scheme.

Our customers are a caring bunch and are always fantastic at getting behind the good causes being supported by their local branch.

We know that theyll jump at the chance to make a real difference to the lives of kids who need it most. Were very much looking forward to everyone getting involved in the great fundraising events well be holding throughout the year.
NJ man pushing shopping cart across America to help homeless vets

Morris County native Tommy Pasquale said he wanted to do something impossible. So he set off on a 3,000-mile journey from the Jersey Shore.
If youre planning a trip to Europe this summer, be forewarned: You may spend a lot of time explaining Donald Trump to the natives.

In our case, it started immediately, with the British immigration officer at Londons Heathrow Airport.

Are you from the Southern states? he asked. What he meant was: Are you Trump voters?

What has gotten into you people? he demanded. You used to be a model other countries wanted to follow. Now we watch you and shake our heads.

That was one of dozens of unsought conversations in three countries about the state of American politics. Europeans familiarity with the details of our national melodrama was sometimes startling.

Whats the real story about Melania? our British friend Naomi asked. Is she moving into the White House or not?

Europeans who once resented our superpower status now express sympathy for our troubles  even nostalgia for American leadership.

What about the famous son-in-law? asked Lala, our Italian neighbor, amused to catch Americans practicing the kind of clan-based politics Italians know. Is he the brains of the family?

If Trump is impeached, then Pence becomes president, right? asked Liliane, a German lawyer. Would he be worse?

Brits, Italians and Germans all asked whether Trumps presidency would be over by the end of the year. I described the complexities of impeachment, and how unlikely it was that a Republican-controlled Congress would go there. I reminded them of Italys Silvio Berlusconi, who won three elections and governed for nine years despite prosecutors efforts to bring him down.

Our European friends absorption in all things Trump goes beyond mere gossip, of course. They have gnawing concerns about an increasingly disorderly world  one in which the president of the United States, instead of bolstering stability, often seems to be a disruptor.

It wasnt a scientific sample by any stretch. But our conversations mirrored a Pew global survey released last week which found that Trump is unpopular across much of the world and that his unpredictability has shaken confidence in the United States.

For half a century, Europeans got used to thinking of the United States as a stable cornerstone of world politics  not always sophisticated in their eyes, not always right, but reliably there. Now that were less reliable, theyre more nervous. If the United States is making the world less stable instead of more stable, were all in deep , Lalas husband, Carlo, said in fluent American.

They know all too well that Europe  politically divided, militarily weak and economically listless  cant fill the empty role of the missing superpower.

Europe could be strong if countries knew how to work together, but they dont, said Peter, a German yoga instructor. Nationalism gets in the way.

Trump may have had one positive effect on continental politics, as Europes wave of nationalist populism appears to have ebbed. Trump-style anti-immigrant populists lost ground in three major elections this year: the Netherlands in March, France in May and Britain in June. In France, Trump virtually endorsed populist candidate Marine LePen; she was trounced by the Obama-style Emmanuel Macron.

We have learned from your example, Liliane joked.

There may be a silver lining for Americans, too. Europeans who once resented our superpower status now express sympathy for our troubles  even nostalgia for American leadership.

Many Europeans condemned George W. Bush for invading Iraq. Then they pouted when Barack Obama, whom they liked better, made it clear he was more interested in Asia. Now they see a president who thinks alliances are a scam and doesnt put much stock in the U.S. treaty commitment to defend Europe.

Europeans have plenty of reasons to worry about their future. Islamist terrorism has accelerated with attacks in England, France and Belgium. The European Union is in danger of falling apart. Russia is meddling in their elections and corrupting some of their governments. They still havent solved their massive unemployment problem.

In earlier times of trouble, American presidents stepped in with reassurances that the United States wanted a Europe that was prosperous, strong and united. Trump says, instead, that he sees Europe as a competitor, not an ally, and that he prefers his competitors to be weak, poor and disunited.

Italian columnist Beppe Severgnini recently compared Trumps America to a straying husband, but suggested that hed come home.

Go ahead, have your affairs, he wrote. But dont forget: Youre married to us.

Perhaps he had forgotten that Trump is already on marriage No. 3  and that he views wedding vows and treaties as open to renegotiation, just like real estate contracts.

Most Americans dont pay nearly as much attention to European politics as my Italian, British and German friends pay to ours. There are too many countries, too many elections. And the details of European economic integration are mind-numbing.

But perhaps we should listen more closely to our European friends.

Theyve noticed that, under Trump, an important alliance  one that has kept their continent peaceful for 70 years  is in danger of slipping away through neglect. They see what theyre losing, and theyre worried. Shouldnt we be too?
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Do you know your Gordons from your Hendricks? Your Bombay Sapphire from your Tanqueray? Then Look no further  staff at the Dog and Partridge pub, in Tutbury, are on the hunt for their first Gin-ius - and it could be you.

The establishment, on High Street, is searching for an aspiring gin experts to come up with a new gin creation, with the winner bagging themselves:

A years supply of gin

500 cash prize

the title of the pubs first official Gin-ius

To be successful, the chosen candidate must demonstrate a wide knowledge and a passion for the nations favourite spirit.

The Gin-ius will design a new gin cocktail to be added to the pubs menu later this year.

Donna Murray, general manager at the Dog and Partridge, said: Gin is undergoing a huge revival and many of us would agree a G&T is our tipple of choice.

But while we might think were a gin expert, how many of us can actually claim to be a fully-fledged Gin-ius?

Were putting this to the test by challenging our guests to share what makes them the ultimate Gin-ius. Whether you prefer a slice of lime, a dash of cordial or a splash of fruit liqueur, tell us why you think you deserve to be our resident gin advisor and you could bag yourself the ultimate gin-lovers prize  as well as the title of Chef & Brewers first official Gin-ius.

We cant wait to put Tutburys gin-eral knowledge to the test!

The search for Dog and Partridge's first ever Gin-ius is taking place to launch Chef and Brewers Summer Festival, which own the Tutbury pub.

The Dog and Partridge is launching its Glorious Gins range, offering guests a variety of gins to enjoy this summer including Bombay, Hendricks and Warner Edwards Rhubarbs gin.

To be in for a chance of being crowned the new gin-loving king or queen, Tutbury locals simply need to visit the Chef and Brewer website here, explaining why they think they could be the pubs first Gin-ius before Monday, August 7.
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I work on a contract basis in a large building that requires identification to enter. Its impossible to know everyone there, but over the past year, Ive noticed an increase in questions directed at me by staff members: Can I help you? and so on. They often seem suspicious of me, or even frightened. My response is to remain calm.
The lenders to and Essar Steel, both candidates for action under the insolvency and bankruptcy code (IBC), are also trying to involve global investors to get a better price for their equity.

A reference for insolvency has already been made in Essar's case and the latter has contested this at the Gujarat high court (HC). Such action is yet to be formally taken in Bhushan Steel's case.
A little over a year since forayed into a new product line, Pravesh steel doors, the company is ramping up its engagement with the sector. As it rolls out a more diversified range of products and gets more aggressive with its advertising and promotions, it is looking to leverage the trust that the Tata brand enjoys to make its mark in the home solutions market.
Amid bilateral tensions over the Sikkim stand-off, China on Saturday issued an advisory for its citizens travelling to India, asking them to take necessary precautions for their personal safety.

It is not a travel alert. It is an advisory asking Chinese travellers to be careful, an official of the Chinese foreign ministry told PTI in Beijing.

The advisory asked Chinese people travelling to India to pay close attention to the security situation and take necessary precautions.

The advisory, which is in Chinese and has Saturdays date on it, was issued through the countrys embassy in New Delhi.

It asked Chinese travellers to pay close attention to the local security situation, improve self-protection awareness, strengthen security, reduce unnecessary travel, pay attention to personal and property safety as well as to provide advance information to family and friends.

The Chinese travellers should pay attention to the situation, keep the communication open, carry personal identification, strictly abide by the Indian laws and regulations and respect local religious customs, the advisory states.

It also provides phone numbers of the consular section of the embassy in case of emergency.

On July 5, China had said that it will decide on issuing a travel alert for Chinese citizens visiting India depending on the security situation, playing down reports in the official media asking Chinese investors to be on alert in view of the stand-off in the Sikkim section.

China and India have been engaged in the stand-off in the Doklam area near the Bhutan tri-junction for the past three weeks after a Chinese Armys construction party attempted to build a road. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.
The riot that broke out in Mumbais Byculla Jail against an inmate suggests a deeper malaise in the Indian prison system. Riots rarely break out over single incidents (in this case, the death of an inmate, Manju Shette, whose autopsy revealed head injuries). They are an expression of cumulative rage at living conditions and the treatment of inmates.
President Donald Trump said back in January it would never happen, but it did. North Korea successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile, meaning it could maybe someday hit the West Coast with a nuclear weapon. Here is a major concern demanding answers, and here is one thing that will not work.

That would be for Trump to send North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a video in which the president grabs him, throws him to the ground and starts punching him in the face.

Trumps juvenile foray against CNNs juveniles may seem irrelevant, a trivialization of a dead-serious issue. But thats what Trump has been up to too much lately: trivializing, trading confidence in his presidency for pettiness.

Can he rise above that? He better, and he has in fact made good moves. One of the best early on in his presidency was to establish what seemed a good relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping. China is North Koreas biggest trading partner, has already hurt that nation with a coal boycott and could crush it practically overnight with enough similar measures. Through them, there could be peaceful nuclear disarmament, and the world could be a safer place.

But while it has been saying mostly the right things, China has done little, probably because it fears an eventual union of South and North Korea with the U.S. military sitting near its border. Trump has expressed disappointment even as his administration has taken some steps encouraging China to act. It is, for instance, selling $1 billion worth of weapons to Taiwan, a nation of islands China figures on swallowing one of these days.

Other Korean options are not pretty, as experts inform us. We could have an all-out bombardment during which the North Koreans would likely kill millions in South Korea, not so cheap a price. Taking out Kim and his regime sounds like a good idea, but how? South Koreas president says a smaller U.S. military presence there could maybe make the North relax and step back some, but probably not. An Atlantic magazine writer says the best of all the bad options would be simply to live with the risk, doing all we can to improve our missile defense. I dont think so.

I think the best course is to bring China around, and for two reasons. One is that even if a shattered economy does not change North Koreas attitudes, it could very well destroy the countrys ability to act on them. The second is that China is emerging as a superpower, and if we do not learn to work with the Chinese in a realistic, practical fashion, the consequences could be calamitous. The New York Times recently reviewed two books saying a U.S.-China war could be a real possibility at some point, and such a war could be world-crushing.

While there might be some advantage for China in letting North Korea further develop its nuclear capacities, the possibilities of disruptive hurt are hardly negligible. The United States would do well to be stern on some issues while seeking out means of mutually beneficial cooperation. It would make sense to try to return to something like the Obama administrations Asian trade pact to further invigorate our economy and help better balance power in Asia.

As much as some hate to admit it, Trump has his virtues, but tweets are not one of them. The more he looks like a tasteless, vindictive, small-minded, self-obsessed president, the less effective he will be. The world, not so unexpectedly, is a mess, and we need him to use his virtues to make it less of one.

I am sure no video of Kim was ever planned, but any such video breeds trepidation that whacks effective action as much as fists whack the guy on the floor. What we need soon is another sit-down session with Xi, Mr. President.
India on Sunday hit out at Pakistan for glorifying militant commander Burhan Wani, saying Islamabad's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by 'one and all'.

In a strongly worded tweet, External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Gopal Baglay said, " First @ForeignOfficePk read from banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS (Pakistan army chief) glorifies . Pak's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by one and all."





First @ForeignOfficePk read frm banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS glorfs . Pak's terror suprt&spnsr'p need 2b condmnd by 1 & all  Gopal Baglay (@MEAIndia) July 9, 2017

Baglay's comments came a day after Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa praised Wani, Hizbul Mujahideen commander who was killed in an encounter with Indian security forces last year.

Wani was responsible for several attacks against security personnel in Kashmir.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday paid tributes to Wani, saying his death "infused a new spirit in the struggle for freedom" in the Kashmir Valley.

(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.)
India-born former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta, who served a two-year prison-term on insider trading charges, has admitted that he made "errors and misjudgements" and apologised for letting his friends and fellow IIT associates down.

In one of his first public comments on his insider trading conviction after completing his prison term in March last year, Gupta told an IIT alumni meet in California he regrets that five years of his life were taken away from him and he hopes to tell his side of the story "in due course" once his appeal is decided upon.

"While I continue to fight the injustice in my case, I have to candidly admit that I made errors and misjudgements and for that I take full responsibility," Gupta said, addressing the second annual 'IIT Bay Area Leadership Conference' held in Santa Clara last month that was hosted by the 11000-member strong IIT Bay Area Alumni Association and attended by hundreds of top executives and entrepreneurs who had graduated from the prestigious Indian engineering institution.

Gupta, an IIT Delhi and Harvard Business School alumnus, expressed regret for failing to be a role model to the scores of young people in leading institutions he was associated with, including IIT, Harvard, Indian School of Business, McKinsey and Gates Foundation.

"They made me who I am and I was also fortunate enough to play a leadership role that shaped many of these institutions but most importantly I aspired to be a role model for many of the young people who were part of these institutions, who looked up to me.

"One of my greatest regrets is I did let them down. I want to apologise to all of you at IIT alumni that I really did not live up to the highest standards you would have rightly expected me to do. I genuinely ask for your forgiveness and understanding," Gupta said as the audience applauded.

Gupta expressed "regret" that five years of his life were taken away from him when he could have used them to contribute to philanthropic causes such as education and health.

Sounding a philosophical tone, Gupta said the last five years that were consumed by his insider trading case and his prison term have made him a "better person and better able to serve the institutions I so dearly like".

"During this time I saw the underbelly of our justice system, endured imprisonment and eight weeks of solitary confinement but very importantly got to know who my real friends are.

"I learnt a lot and was determined to come out of this experience a better person, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I wanted to deal with this situation with dignity, with grace, with forgiveness and humility, without anger or bitterness," he said.

Describing the last six years of his life as "extraordinary", the former McKinsey head said he believes that life is a series of experiences and "nothing is inherently good or bad. It is what you make of it".

Gupta, convicted in 2012 after a jury trial, is a free man now but is not giving up his legal battle to overturn his conviction, arguing in court papers that he served two years in jail for conduct that is not criminal as the government lacked evidence to show he "received even a penny" for passing confidential boardroom information to the now jailed hedge fund manager and his one-time friend and business associate Raj Rajaratnam.

(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.)
Faced with deficit rainfall in the month of July, the Maharashtra government on Sunday issued an advisory asking farmers to postpone their sowing schedule.

"So far sowing up to 35-40 per cent of the total cultivable area has been reported in the state. But the break in the monsoon has made conditions unfavourable for sowing in the whole last week.

"The state government has sent text messages to farmers asking them to delay their sowing plans till next advisory is issued," Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said.

Though the state government has issued the advisory today, the rainfall data of the state agriculture department stated that except for Amravati and Nagpur division -- remaining four divisions have received good rainfall in June, while the figures of July are on a lower side.

The rainfall data revealed that normal rainfall from July 1 to 9 for Konkan division is 1164.7 mm as against actual rainfall of 217.1 mm. It means Konkan division has received only 18.6 per cent rainfall.

Similarly, the Nashik division has received rainfall of 38.5 mm (16.3 per cent) Pune 49.1 mm (14.9 per cent), Aurangabad 9.6 mm (4.8 per cent), Amravati 20.4 mm (7.8 per cent) and Nagpur 54.2 mm (13.1 per cent).

"It clearly shows that the rainfall in July in the state is still very low and state needs more showers. The central part of Maharashtra -- is more fertile hence we need more showers there than in Konkan or eastern Vidarbha," said a senior officer from state agriculture ministry.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and BJP president Amit Shah tonight hailed the declaration of Ahmedabad as world heritage city by UNESCO.

"Just inscribed as UNESCO world heritage site: Historic city of Ahmedabad #India", UNESCO said in a tweet tonight.

PM Modi tweeted it is a matter of immense joy for India.





A matter of immense joy for India! https://t.co/qtCOxm8Kga  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 9, 2017

Expressing delight at the announcement, Rupani said in a tweet, "Thrilled to learn that Ahmedabad has been recognised as UNESCO World heritage city, first of its kind in India".

"Delighted to know that UNESCO has declared Ahmedabad as World Heritage City. Proud moment for every Indian," the BJP president said in a tweet.

Ahmedabad was in the race for the prestigious title along with Delhi and Mumbai.

The walled city of Ahmedabad believed to be founded by Ahmed Shah some six hundred years earlier has 26 ASI-protected structures, hundreds of 'pols' that capture the essence of community living and numerous sites associated with Mahatma Gandhi who lived here from 1915 to 1930.

In 1984, the first study for conserving heritage structures was carried out in the city. A heritage cell was also set up by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).

The city had featured in UNESCO's tentative list of world heritage cities on March 31, 2011.

(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.)
Over 90,000 trucks today stayed off road in Punjab to protest against the state government's move to disband truck unions.

There was a complete 'chakka jam' in the state as 93,000 trucks remained off road, All Punjab Truck Operators' Union, president, Happy Sandhu said today.

We neither transported goods nor foodgrain in protest against the state government's move of disbanding the 134 truck unions operating in the state, said Sandhu.

Truck operators have been protesting against a recent decision of the Punjab cabinet which had approved the Punjab Goods Carriages (Regulation and Prevention of Cartelisation Rules), 2017, which bars goods carriage operators from forming cartels or unions in the state.

The truckers' protest remained by and large peaceful, but protesting truck operators blocked traffic at a few places, said Sandhu. The truckers also raised anti-government slogans at several places, he said.

Sandhu said the truckers will intensify their protest if the state government did not rollback its decision.

"Punjab Markfed Chairman Amarjit Singh Samra today met us at Nakodar. He assured us that the issue will be addressed," said Sandhu.

Truck operators claimed that because of the abolition of truck unions, small truck operators would suffer the most as the big companies would take over the operations.

There are at present 134 truck unions comprising 93,000 trucks in the state, he said adding 70 per cent of truck operators were engaged in the transportation of foodgrain.

Notably, once the Punjab Goods Carriages (Regulation and Prevention of Cartelisation Rules), 2017 comes into force, no operator or permit holder of goods carriages shall be allowed to form a cartel, and thus denying freedom of choice to the consignors and consignees to engage the services of such operators or permit holders.

The rules also provide that no operator or a permit holder of goods carriages shall stop any operator or a permit holder of goods carriages who wishes to pick up goods from any town or city within Punjab in the normal course of their business.

(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.)
The Directorate of Forensic Science Laboratories in Maharashtra has developed a portable kit which can determine if a meat sample contains beef or not.

'Cow Meat Detection ELISA Kit' can provide results within half an hour, said K Y Kulkarni, director of FSL.

The development comes amid controversies surrounding beef ban. The BJP-led government in the state has enacted Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act which bans the slaughter of bulls too, besides that of cows.

"With this kit, officials would be able to examine meat samples on the spot," Kulkarni told PTI.

"We have been working on the kit for the last few months alongwith Hyderabad-based scientist Dr Bhanushali. All 45 mobile FSL vans in the state will have this kit soon," he said.

The kit will help police secure more convictions in cases of beef possession or transportation, he said.

If the meat sample fed into the kit contains beef, it turns yellow. Then it shall be sent for further confirmation to FSL, he said.

Each portable kit is expected to cost around Rs 8,000.

As the kit will help determine if the sample contains beef or not on the spot, police need not make arrests or seizures on mere suspicion, Kulkarni said.

(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.)
There are bridges on a 500-km road link from Moreh in India to Mandalay in Myanmar which cannot hold the weight of even a pickup truck. These structures are among the bridges that need to be rebuilt for inter-country coordination around the ambitious India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) connectivity project, in the works since 2015.
The European Union and Japan announced a broad agreement on Thursday that would lower barriers on virtually all the goods traded between them, a pointed challenge to US President Donald Trump on the eve of a summit meeting of world leaders in Germany.
Tensions between India and China escalate on and off. But the number of inbound tourists is on a rising trajectory.
After in-principle approval for strategic disinvestment in Air India, the Centre might move swiftly on its next round of strategic sales in central public sector enterprises (CPSEs).

The list, which the Cabinet will consider, include divesting 100 per cent stake in Ennore Port, Dredging Corp of India, Hindustan Lifecare and Karnataka Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals, and 51 per cent stake in Hooghly Dock and Port Engineers.

A formal proposal for strategic disinvestment may be placed for Cabinet approval in the next few weeks. It could be for all of these companies or one by one, said an official aware of the developments.

The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management is expected to put the note up for approval soon.

Dredging Corp is a listed company, in which the government holds 74.5 per cent. Plans for these companies have been floated and then withdrawn or not pursued a number of times in the past. But now there will be concrete movement as soon as the Cabinet gives its nod, the official said.

The Cabinet has given in-principle approval last month to divest Air India, beginning a long process to offload its stake in the debt-ridden national carrier.

Of the FY17-18 target of Rs 72,500 crore, Rs 46,500 crore is expected to come in from minority stake sales, buybacks, mergers, public listings and through the CPSE exchange traded funds. About Rs 15,000 crore is budgeted to come from strategic sale in and in the Specified Undertaking of Unit Trust of India (SUUTI). The remaining Rs 11,000 crore is expected to come from the earlier-announced plans to list five state-owned general insurance companies.




WASHINGTON  As the nation was preparing to celebrate its storied independence from the British crown, the president secured his place as historys greatest jester.

Or Americas first toddler president. Take your pick.

Trump did so by tweeting a doctored video clip of himself from several years ago in which he takes down wrestling magnate Vince McMahon and gives him a good pummeling. The new version superimposes the CNN logo on McMahons head. Get it? In the 28-second clip, Trump walks away from the fray unrumpled with nary a hair out of place.

Bizarre comes to mind. Absurd. Ridiculous. Funny, perhaps, to a certain sort. Embarrassing in the extreme to many Americans who would describe themselves as perpetually appalled. Whats next, Trump in his tighty whities atop Trump Tower punching an inflatable Vladimir Putin?

It is baffling to think that Trump is proud of himself and such high jinks, to put it charitably. We get that hes at war with the media, hardly an original concept at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. But no one has ever seen a U.S. president behave in such an idiotic manner. Most adults have a pause button in their brains that shields civilized society from impulsive, inappropriate behavior. For the president, every impulse is apparently irresistible.

For good reason, many in the journalism world have expressed deep concerns about the effect the video might have. CNNs response said in part: It is a sad day when the president of the United States encourages violence against reporters.

Weve already witnessed one such event this year when Montana congressional candidate Greg Gianforte assaulted a reporter for The Guardian, breaking his glasses. In a comedy, the audience might applaud the tough guy punching the obnoxious reporter, but this isnt a comedy. Please, someone tell the president.

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., whose recent book laments the absence of people behaving like grown-ups in America, reacted to the video-tweet in strong language, suggesting that Trump is trying to weaponize distrust toward the media. Its not as though the countrys media-haters need much encouragement to act out Trumps looney-tunes dreamscape. It only takes one.

All is not glum, however. There have been some truly humorous moments in the aftermath of the videos viral reception, principally from those defending Trumps cartoon presidency. The ever-earnest Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president in no way, form or fashion has ever promoted or encouraged violence. Hows that? Isnt this the same Trump who offered to pay the legal fees for anyone who got in hot water for punching out a protester at one of his campaign rallies?

To Trump supporters who find the wrestling video unobjectionable or, I suspect, hilarious in some cases, I would ask that they try to imagine the same video showing Barack Obama superimposing Fox News on someones face, punching him repeatedly and then smugly strutting away.

Very likely these same folks would have stormed the National Mall demanding the presidents impeachment.

As an opinion columnist who draws plenty of threatening hate mail, I fear less for my personal safety than for the integrity and security of our country. Ive covered politics off and on for 40 years, including writing a thrice-weekly column for the now-defunct Charleston Evening Post in 1980 leading up to the first Republican presidential primary in South Carolina.

Never during that time or since have I ever worried that a presidents behavior would embarrass the country on the world stage. Trumps most unpardonable offense isnt his implied threat to members of the Fourth Estate but his minimizing of the nations stature in the world. Our allies must shudder while our enemies devise new ways to celebrate. Trump may crack himself up, but he also shatters any pretense of our seriousness as a nation. So much for that shining city on the hill, not to mention the president as leader of the free world.

We look like fools because our president so convincingly plays one.

Trump, naturally, begs to differ. To his mind, hes acting perfectly presidential. His Twitter habit is simply a modern day presidential way of communicating. To this thought, homeland security adviser Thomas Bossert added that Trump is a genuine president expressing himself genuinely.

Well, theres that.

But the act of a president using modern technology doesnt necessarily convey presidential, as most define it.

And being genuine in Trumps case simply means hes a genuine fool.
A post-Brexit trade deal with the United States would not be enough to make up for leaving the European Union, British justice minister David Lidington said on Sunday, tempering Prime Minister Theresa May's enthusiasm about the US offer.
Prime Minister to interact with Chief Secretaries of States & Union Territories in New Delhi tomorrow

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with Chief Secretaries of all States/UTs in the National Conference of Chief Secretaries being organized by the NITI Aayog to further the spirit of cooperative and competitive federalism on Monday, 10th July.. Chief Secretaries from 30 States/UTs along with Planning Secretaries, Finance Secretaries, Health Secretaries, Agriculture Secretaries and Industry Secretaries will attend the Conference.The deliberations will cover a wide range of issues.

The focus will be on best practices in social and economic sectors across States. Various developmental indicators developed by NITI Aayog, in the areas of health, education, water management and digital transformation will be discussed to measure performance and progress of States and rank them appropriately to instill healthy competition among them. In addition interactive sessions on Agricultural Reforms, Health &Nutrition and Developmental issues have also been planned. Discussions on the financial position of the States/UTs post Fourteenth Finance Commission, Outcome based monitoring, DBT implementation and its progress, ease of doing business figure as key element of the agenda of the daylong National Conference.
Union Home Minister assures Sikkim CM all assistance from Central Government West Bengal Govt being requested to ensure that road link to Sikkim remains open

The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh spoke to the Sikkim Chief Minister Shri Pawan Kumar Chamling regarding the security situation in Sikkim and areas neighbouring West Bengal.In a telephonic conversation, Shri Pawan Kumar Chamling has apprised Union Home Minister that Sikkim is facing an acute shortage of supplies specially essential commodities such as medicines, baby milk powder, vegetables and petrol/diesel due to closure of the national highway, the critical road link to Sikkim.The Home Minister assured him that the Centre will ensure the safety & security of NH 10 and do everything possible to save people of the state from any misery and ensure essential supplies to the State of Sikkim.Shri Rajnath Singh has asked the Union Home Secretary Shri Rajiv Mehrishi to coordinate with West Bengal administration and ensure the safety, security and smooth traffic on NH 10.

The West Bengal Govt is being requested to ensure that the road link to Sikkim remains open.
Fresh clashes erupted early on Sunday in the streets of Hamburg following the end of the G20 summit, with protesters setting fire to a number of vehicles, the police said.

The protesters gathered after the close of the summit in the Schanzen district, a stronghold for extreme left radicals which has been the site of multiple confrontations since Thursday.

Armed with glass bottles and targeting vehicles, many of which they set on fire, the protesters were pushed back by the police, using water cannon and tear gas, the police said on Twitter.

The police said more officers had been injured, and more people arrested.

According to the most recent figures given by the police yesterday, some 213 police officers have been injured since Thursday, and 143 people have been detained. No accurate number for protestors injured is available.

On Thursday, a planned peaceful march by around 12,000 people protesting against globalisation turned violent.

Friday's clashes occurred as leaders from the world's 20 biggest developed and emerging economies began the two-day meeting focusing on trade, terrorism, climate change and other key global issues.

Hamburg, a vibrant port city, is a citadel of leftwing radicals and authorities had long been bracing for possible violence on the sidelines of the summit.

The German police officers' union GdP on Friday hit out at anarchist groups called the Black Bloc, accusing them of "hijacking peaceful demonstrations by tens of thousands of people to deliberately attack" police.

World leaders made concessions on trade and climate language to US President Donald Trump Saturday at the end of the most fractious and riot-hit G20 summit ever, in exchange for preserving a fragile unity of the club of major industrialised and emerging economies.

(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.)
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's PML-N party has threatened to reject the findings of a joint investigation team probing the Panamagate graft case against the Sharif family, threatening to push the country's politics to a precipice as the panel is set to submit its report on Monday.

The top leadership of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) on Saturday made it clear that the ruling party will not accept the findings of the JIT if the statements of a former Qatari prime minister Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani are not made part of the report.

Four federal ministers considered close to Sharif, 67, in a press conference raised questions on the functioning of the JIT, set up by the Supreme Court in May to investigate the Sharif family about its properties in London, and expressed reservations on the process of investigation.

"The JIT report will be compromised without his (Qatari prince) statements and we will not accept it," Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said in a joint statement.

Al-Thani in two letters written to the Supreme Court said that late Muhammad Shairf, father of Nawaz Sharif, had invested 12 million dirham in real estate business of the royal family.

According to letters by the Qatari royal, the money invested by late Sharif was returned to the family with profits. The Sharifs have maintained that the same money was used to buy properties in London.

However, opposition parties allege that the London properties was bought through ill-gotten money in 1990s when Sharif served twice as Pakistan's prime minister.

Local media had earlier reported that two members of the JIT had gone to Qatar to record his statement but it later emerged that they had gone to UAE for official work.

It is for the first time that PML-N has indicated that it might reject the report. But any such action may result in widespread unrest in the country.

Sharif's nemesis Imran Khan had already threatened that he would protest if the government tried to derail the probe.

The current crisis started after the Panama Papers showed that Sharif's children owned the London properties and manage them through offshore companies.

The six-member JIT set up in May by the Supreme Court is investigating the Sharifs for allegedly failing to provide the trail of money used to buy properties in London in 1990s.

The JIT questioned Sharif, his daughter and two sons, and several of his family members, close aides and top current and former officials.

It is expected to submit it report to the Supreme Court tomorrow at the completion of a 60-day deadline.

(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.)
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday it was time to work "constructively" with Russia, saying his counterpart Vladimir Putin had "vehemently denied" meddling in the 2016 election.

"I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election," Trump said after returning from Europe where he met Putin for the first time. "He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion....."





I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

Writing on Twitter, Trump said he and Putin had talked about the idea of setting up what he called "an impenetrable cyber security unit" to prevent hacking in future elections.

Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

He also said the two men had discussed the implementation of a ceasefire in Syria which began on Sunday, saying "it will save lives".

"Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!"





...We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

Putin and Trump met on Friday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the German city of Hamburg, a meeting that was overshadowed by allegations that Russia sought to influence the outcome of last year's US presidential election.

The US and Russian sides have issued sharply conflicting accounts of the meeting, with Putin saying on Saturday that Trump had been "satisfied" by his denials of any Russian interference in the polls.

Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said the Russian denials had been expected but cut no ice.

"This is Russia trying to save face," she told CNN. "And they can't. They can't.

"Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections.

(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.)
A woman was killed and eight others wounded after all nine people who had gathered for a party where a pregnant woman was to reveal her child's gender became victims of a mass shooting in Ohio.

According to a report by Fox News, officials said two men wearing all black opened fire at the gender reveal party.

Officers responded to a home in Colerain Township, located outside Cincinnati, around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, police spokesman Jim Love told FOX 19.

The pregnant woman was shot in the leg and suffered a miscarriage.

A witness to the shooting called 911 and said she was sitting outside the house in her car when she saw two men in hoods enter the home, open fire and run off, according to a recording of the call released early Sunday.

No arrests have been made in connection with the case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A team of researchers have developed a simple urine test to more accurately predict the recurrence of bladder cancer.

Researchers from the University Hospital of Lyon in France tested the urine of 348 bladder cancer patients for a faulty protein called TERT, and this was able to predict when the cancer was about to return in more than 80 percent of patients.

Usually, the standard method, called cytology, detected the return in only 34 percent of patients.

The new test detected bladder cancers that had not spread to the muscle wall, earlier than cytology, potentially helped doctors to start treatment sooner and before symptoms appear.

A researcher Alain Ruffion said, "The standard cytology test needs a doctor to look down a microscope to read the results, but the TERT test is read by a machine which is simpler, more accurate and available to use straightaway."

"While the TERT test costs slightly more than standard cytology, it is likely to become cheaper over time," Ruffion added.

The fact that the test does not react to urinary tract infections is very interesting because it shows that it is robust and unlikely to give misleading results, they researchers stated.

The discovery also suggests that further research is needed to understand more about the role TERT faults play in bladder cancer.

Senior information manager Anna Perman at Cancer Research UK said, "This promising study suggests a new and more accurate early warning system to detect whether bladder cancers are likely to return. Larger trials are now needed to see if this information could help more people survive by catching bladder cancer's return at its earliest stage."

The research is published in the British Journal of Cancer.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After the Haryana Railway Police yesterday arrested the main accused in the Ballabhgarh train lynching incident from Maharashtra's Dhule district, DSP Mohinder Sharma of Government Railway Police (GRP), informed that the accused will appear before the court today.

"The main accused was arrested in case of lynching of Junaid in a train. The lynching took place because of a quarrel over a seat. There is no involvement of any girl or beef in this case. The accused was brought to Faridabad and will be appear before the court today," DSP said.

Earlier there were speculations that the lynching took place due the argument over beef.

Meanwhile, the identity of the suspect has been kept as secret owing to legal reasons.

On June 22, Junaid Khan was allegedly lynched by unidentified persons on a local train while travelling from Ghaziabad to Mathura.

The incident took place when Junaid along with his brothers were returning to their village on Haryana after going to shop for Eid in Delhi.

Haseeb, Junaid's brother, said his skull cap was pulled off and his beard was tugged while the mob hurled abuses at them and were called "beef-eaters".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday filed a complaint against a tour and travel agent, along with his accomplices, after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) alleged that the Delhi based agent has been sending people from India to China in a suspected human trafficking case.

A case of criminal conspiracy, cheating and illegal human trafficking and violation of Emigration Act, under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 120-B, 420, and 370, was filed against Roshan Fernando, Kuldeep Mathur and other unknown persons.

Fernando was running his Devin Travel and Tour Pvt. Ltd, Shriram Business in Lajpat Nagar.

The complaint was lodged by a Nepalese woman named Purnima Thapa, who said that he had promised her a job with an attractive salary in China.

She alleged that she was sent to China on March 3 without a valid work permit, where she was working at a manufacturing plant in Weifgang.

The complaint registered by the CBI stated that the Chinese police raided and detained 12 Indians from the firm who were working without work permits.

Later on April 13, the officials of the Indian Embassy in China intervened into the matter and the Indian workers were repatriated, while Purinama was sent back to Kathmandu.

"Verification has further revealed that besides victim Purnima Thapa, there are some more Indians who were cheated by Roshan Fernando and their associates. The travel agency being run by Roshan Fernando is not registered with MEA," the FIR stated.

The CBI has now taken up the matter for investigation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain has said that Islamabad's friendship with China is the "cornerstone" of their foreign policy and this strategic partnership serves as an anchor for regional peace and stability.

President Hussain made these remarks during his meeting with Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang on Saturday.

He said that Pakistan and China are 'Iron Brothers', strategic partners and good neighbours.

President Hussain also emphasised on maintaining the momentum of high-level bilateral exchanges and enhance people-to-people contact between the two sides.

He said, the use of modern technology in the CPEC related energy projects would alleviate the energy crisis in Pakistan and play a key role in the country's long-term growth.

Pakistan's Science and Technology Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain, Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong and other senior officials were also present in the meeting.

The President said that bilateral cooperation in the field of Science and Technology is progressing well and hoped that the decisions taken during this visit will enhance the cooperation in this important area.

"We are also interested in benefitting from China's ambitious China-South Asian Countries Science and Technology Partnership Programme (CSA-STEP) and enhance our economic cooperation through Technology Transfer," he said.

President Hussain expressed satisfaction over 17 protocols that have been concluded so far in accordance with the Framework Agreement on Science and Technology signed between the two countries in 1976 and the 18th Protocol is being signed during this visit.

He underscored that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the latest example of excellent economic cooperation between the two sides.

President Hussain further said that Pakistan would continue to focus on further enhancing trade relations with China to bring them at par with bilateral political and strategic relations.

The Chinese Minister said that China and Pakistan have a long history of working together in various fields including science and Technology.

He offered to Cooperate in all sectors where Pakistan needs Chinese support including Maritime industry, Biodiversity, renewable energy, establishment of joint scientific labs for the young scientists and working together for the climate change for benefit of entire humanity.

(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.)
The Pakistan Army on Sunday claimed that it has allegedly destroyed two Indian Army posts along the Line of Control (LoC) and killed four Indian soldiers.

The Pakistan Army said the action was taken in response to the alleged "unprovoked firing by the Indian side from across the Line of Control (LoC) that killed five civilians (Pakistani civilians)" on Saturday.

"Pakistan Army befittingly responded on July 9, causing substantial losses to men and material. Two Indian Army posts firing on innocent civilians have been destroyed, four Indian soldiers killed," read a statement issued by the Pakistan Army Inter-Services Public Relations wing.

The statement further stated that, "it resolves to protect the civil population against unprovoked Indian aggression at any cost."

Meanwhile, the official spokesperson of Pakistani Armed Forces, Major General Asif Ghafoor also took to his twitter account to inform about the same and also released a video of Pakistani Armed forces allegedly destroying two Indian Army posts.

"In utter failure to cap remembrance of Wani's shahadat, Indian forces targeted innocent civ along LOC. Indian guns silenced effectively!," he tweeted.

Earlier on Saturday, on the occasion of the first death anniversary of the Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, the Pakistani Army claimed that Indian Armed forces allegedly resorted heavy shelling in different areas of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) from across the LoC.

As per reports, at least five Pakistani civilians, including four women were killed and ten others were injured.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On the occasion of Guru Purnima, Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala advocated that everybody should have a master in his or her life to attain peace and tranquility.

While talking to ANI, the 46-year-old actress said, "I'm here to take blessings from my master on the occasion of Guru Purnima. I am inclined to spirituality for many years, but from the past three to four years, the inclination has increased even more."

Adding, "I go to two places for my peace of mind - one is at a university near Chennai and the other one is in Haridwar to have blessings from Pilot Baba."

While speaking on the importance of having a 'Guru', the 'Mann' actress said, "I feel happy and relieved when I come here. Blessings of my master are really important."

On work front, the 'Dil Se' star said that recently she has completed the shooting for two films.

Guru Purnima is the first full moon night after summer solstice.

According to the Hindi calendar, it falls in the month of Aashad.

The day holds importance since it sees people across India thank their 'gurus' or teachers.

Apart from Hindus, Buddhists also observe the day to express their gratitude towards their teacher.

In the Indian culture, many claim the day came to being with yogis worshiping Sage Ved Vyas who penned down the four vedas, deeply revered by Hindus across the world.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he 'strongly' pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin about Moscow's meddling in last year's presidential election, but the latter 'vehemently' denied.

Giving an account of his meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Germany, the President said in his early morning tweets, "I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion."

Yesterday, Putin said his answers over Russia's alleged interference had satisfied Trump, following the two presidents' first face-to-face meeting on Friday.

Trump further said in his tweets that he discussed with the Russian leader "forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking and many other negative things, will be guarded and safe."

"We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!," Trump added.

"Questions were asked about why the CIA & FBI had to ask the DNC 13 times for their SERVER, and were rejected, still don't have it. Fake News said 17 intel agencies when actually 4 (had to apologize). Why did Obama do NOTHING when he had info before election? (sic)," the President added.

He also said that sanctions were not discussed at the meeting with Putin.

The meeting between the two leaders came amid controversy over collusion of Trump's campaign team with Russia. Trump and his administration are facing multiple investigations focussing on the Kremlin's role in the 2016 election meddling and whether members of his campaign possibly sought to collude with Russia.

A special counsel and several congressional committees are now looking into the issue.

Meanwhile, calling G 20 Summit 'a great success for the U.S.', Trump said that Washington explained to the forum that 'the U.S. must fix the many bad trade deals it has made.'

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Abdullah Zafar, a journalist associated with English daily The Nation, was allegedly taken away from his residence in Karachi on Sunday.

The Nation quoted Abdullah's father as saying that at least 10 to 15 men, two of them in police uniforms, came to their residence at 3:30am and took away his son after blindfolding him.

Abdullah has been covering political beat in the newspaper for the last three years.

Meanwhile, the Dawn said in its report that prior to this incident, the same men had "raided" his brother's residence in Shah Faisal Colony, and then brought him along when they came to his house, according to Abdullah's father.

The father also alleged that when he went to the Sachal police station, an officer received his application but "appeared to be reluctant to register the FIR" on his complaint.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A man sought External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's help to rescue his wife, who is facing torture in Saudi Arabia.

Macha Ravi said that his wife, who works in Saudi Arabia was being allegedly tortured and was also confined in a bathroom for four days.

The woman is a resident of Hyderabad.

He also appealed to the Central Government and Swaraj to get her back.

"I request Sushma Swaraj and Central Government to rescue my wife and bring her back to India, from Saudi," Ravi told ANI.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Mumbai Police on Sunday arrested a 20-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh's Pharenda, in case of rape of a minor girl, who is deaf and mute since her birth.

The girl, 14-year-old was found four and half months pregnant on December 6, 2016 when she complained about stomach ache.

A case of rape was registered in Boriwali Police Station but it was difficult to find out the culprit, as the girl was unable to give description of the accused.

The police then took help of various NGOs and experts who can communicate with deaf and mute people.

With this, the police were able to establish that the culprit was a laborer on some construction site near the victim's house.

After a lot of effort the police was able to make a list of suspects and finally zeroed on the accused, who fled to his home town after committing the crime.

A team of Mumbai Police was sent to Pharenda which brought him to Mumbai and where he was arrested on July 7, almost a year after committing the crime.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Opposition Presidential candidate Meira Kumar on Sunday reiterated her view that her fight is not against NDA Presidential candidate Ramnath Kovind but against Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) ideology.

"I respect Kovind. My fight is not against him but the ideology," Kumar said, while addressing a press conference here.

However, Kumar said it hurts her to know that a 'modern' India is presently talking only about caste, just because two Dalits have stood for the presidential elections.

"In the earlier elections, when other caste people stood, nobody talked about their caste but about their qualities, talent, achievements.

But now when Kovind and I have stood for the elections, people are talking about nothing else but caste. India wants to become a modern nation but this mindset is a mismatch with this," she said.

Kumar has always maintained that it is a fight between ideologies.

Earlier on July 4, she said, "This unity of 17 political parties is based on firm ideological positions - the philosophy, and the value system - which are so dear to me and which are so dear to most of the people of the country. That is why I have decided to make ideology - the lone plank of this contest."

Kumar, along with Kovind, has been campaigning for the upcoming Presidential polls.

Both will campaign in Meghalaya this week.

The election for the next President of India is to be held on July 17. President Pranab Mukherjee will demit office on July 24.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan Army on Sunday initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch sector along the Line of Control (LoC).

The Indian Army is retaliating strongly and effectively to the firings.

The fresh firing comes a day after an army jawan and his wife were killed and their three daughters were injured as ceasefire was violated in Poonch district.

The Pakistan Army targeted Indian posts and villages in Chakka da bagh and Kharri Karmara areas.

In retaliation, two Pakistani soldiers were also killed and six others were injured by the Indian security forces.

Reportedly 23 cease fire violations have occurred so far in June alone.

On June 29, two Indian Army jawans were injured when the Pakistani troops initiated firing along the LOC in Poonch.

On June 26, the Pakistani Army fired small arms and shelled mortars along the LoC in the Bhimbher Gali sector of Rajouri.

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A Pakistani woman, suffering from cancer, has written to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asking for her assistance in getting Visa to India.

Faiza Tanveer, who is suffering from ameloblastoma, an oral tumour, had submitted a medical Visa application which was denied by the Indian Embassy.

Things came to light when Tanveer commented on Swaraj's 'Eid Mubarak' tweet, by posting a video of her, highlighting the part of her mouth suffering from cancer.

She then tweeted Swaraj asking her to 'save her life', as she had already made half of the payment, but was unable to get a medical Visa.

According to Tanveer's mother, she was rejected a Visa by theEembassy citing the declining relationship between the two neighbours.

Tanveer had to visit the Inderprastha Dental College and Hospital (IDCH) in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad for her treatment.

However, the Embassy officials have told Tanveer that she can get a medical Visa if advisor to the Pakistan Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz writes to Swaraj regarding the same.

Tanveer's mother has appealed to both the politicians to help her daughter obtain a medical Visa.

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In secret, behind locked gates, our Nation's Oldest City dumped a landfill in a lake (Old City Reservoir), while emitting sewage in our rivers and salt marsh. Organized citizens exposed and defeated pollution, racism and cronyism. We elected a new Mayor. We're transforming our City -- advanced citizenship. Ask questions. Make disclosures. Demand answers. Be involved. Expect democracy. Report and expose corruption. Smile! Help enact a St. Augustine National Park and Seashore. We shall overcome!
A Pakistani woman allegedly suffering from cancer has sought help from India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, after the Indian embassy in Islamabad rejected her her medical visa application citing the deteriorating relations between the two countries.

Faiza Tanveer, who is suffering from a recurrent ameloblastoma, an oral tumor which is aggressive in nature had planned to visit the Inderprastha Dental College and Hospital (IDCH) in India's Ghaziabad city and had already paid Rs 1 million for the treatment, The Express Tribune reported.

According to the report, the Indian embassy officials informed Faiza's mother Parveen Akhtar that her daughter could get a medical visa if Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz wrote to Swaraj, requesting for it.

Faiza in her several tweets has urged Swaraj to intervene in the issue so that she gets a medical visa.

She also tweeted a video tagging Swaraj which showed her tumor.

Eid Mubarak. ?? ??????.  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) June 26, 2017

I know kbi nhi roka but es wkt india visa nhi dy rahy i know ap lpg boht kind hain india or pakistan dono humsaya mulk nhi blky hum ak hain  Faiza Tanveer (@FaizaTanveer8) July 8, 2017

Earlier, Swaraj had come to the rescue of a Pakistani man who was unable to get a medical visa for the treatment of his infant.

Swaraj had assured the Pakistani national that the Indian authorities will assist him with the process after the man identified as a civil engineer living in Lahore according to his Twitter bio, in a tweet questioned Swaraj and Pakistan Foreign Affairs Minister Sartaz Aziz that why his child had to suffer because of sour relations of the two nations.

"Why my bud suffers for medical treatment!! Any answers Sir Sartaaj Azeez or Ma'am Sushma??," tweeted @KenSid2.

Why my bud suffers for medical treatment!! Any answers Sir Sartaaj Azeez or Ma'am Sushma?? pic.twitter.com/p0MGk0xYBJ  Ken Sid (@KenSid2) May 24, 2017

To this, the Indian minister swung into action and replied with a tweet, "No. The child will not suffer. Pls contact Indian High Commission in Pakistan. We will give the medical visa.."

No. The child will not suffer. Pls contact Indian High Commission in Pakistan. We will give the medical visa. pic.twitter.com/4ADWkFV6Hthttps://t.co/OLVO3OiYMB  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) May 31, 2017
Prime Minister has reached the capital after concluding his two-nation tour.

Prime Minister Modi started his tour from Israel, where he signed seven agreements.

He also met the business community, where the CEOs of Indian and Israeli businesses signed MoUs worth over USD 5 billion on the sidelines of the visit.

The Forum also set up six Joint Committees covering start-ups, pharma and life sciences, homeland security, agriculture, energy and water sectors.

He later headed to Germany's Hamburg to attend the G-20 summit.

Prime Minister Modi, in the G-20 summit, called on for a debate in dealing with forced migration and pressed for a comprehensive and cooperative policy framework to distinguish legal migration.

Addressing a session at the G-20 meeting on India's Partnership with Africa, Migration and Health on the second day, Prime Minister Modi said the meet must walk the talk to facilitate technological and financial infusion in Africa.

He also held the bilateral talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni of Italy on the sidelines of the G-20 summit and talked about several issues of mutual interests and cooperation.

Later, he also met with his British counterpart Theresa May on the sidelines of the summit, urging for a greater cooperation for an extradition of absconding Indian economic offenders.

On Friday, the first day of the summit, Prime Minister met top leaders of the world- including U.S. President Donald Trump, his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and also with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

On Day 1, counter-terrorism and its funding dominated the discussions amongst the leaders of the world's 20 largest economies at the G-20 Summit in Germany.

On Friday, the Prime Minister had a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, and also, with his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday urged the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Janata Dal (United) to muster courage and compel Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav to step down from his post.

BJP leader Sushil Modi said that both leaders of RJD and JD(U) for the respect of Bihar must mount pressure on the alliance top rung seeking Tejaswi's resignation.

"If Tejaswi Yadav does not resign, my appeal to JD(U) leaders is to mount pressure on Nitish Yadav and get the work done. I will appeal the leader of RJD and JD(U) to show courage and ask Tejaswi Yadav to step down from the post of Deputy Chief minister," said Modi.

Another BJP leader Nand Kishore asked Bihar Chief Minsiter to clear his stand and speak up on the issue.

"Nitish Kumar must speak up. He should speak his mind on the issue and clear his stand," said Kishore.

Earlier on Friday, the CBI registered a corruption case against Lalu Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejaswi Yadav; former Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Managing Director P.K. Goyal; and the wife of Lalu's confidante Prem Chand Gupta, Sujata on allegations of awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2006.

The CBI later questioned Rabri Devi and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav.

The case was registered on the allegations of awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of Hotels at Ranchi and Puri to a Private Company dealing with Hotels in the year 2006.

The investigative agency also conducted searches at 12 locations across Patna, Delhi, Gurugram and other places.

The RJD supremo, however, refuted the allegations against him and called it a political conspiracy hatched by the BJP.

While conducting raids at Lalu Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti's premises yesterday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) recovered and seized various incriminating documents, electronic devices including mobile phones.

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Russia allegedly hacked into nuclear power plant systems and other energy companies of the United States.

As per a report published in the Washington Post on Saturday, the U.S. government officials said the Russian government-backed cyber intrusion was an attempt to access the networks of the companies.

As per the officials, no evidence has yet been found regarding breaching or disruption of the core systems controlling operations at the plants. The hackers have only accessed files related to the sites' business operations, like personnel.

Last month, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security had warned the energy sector regarding the threat of the hacking, though Russia's intrusion into the U.S. system is first of its known case.

The report came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to set up a bilateral cybersecurity working group.

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The Supreme Court will today pronounce sentence against liquor baron Vijay Mallya in the contempt case.

In the last hearing, the apex court had convicted him for contempt of court and summoned him to personally appear on July 10.

The apex court was hearing a plea by a consortium of banks, who moved the apex court after Mallya received $40 million from British firm Diageo Plc in February 2016 and allegedly transferred the money to his children, instead of repaying loans that he owes to the banks.

The absconding businessman was arrested by Scotland Yard last month on fraud allegations, which triggered his extradition process in the British courts.

However, Mallya was released on bail as he assured the court to abide by all conditions associated with extradition proceedings, including surrendering his passport.

On February 8, India had given a formal extradition request for Mallya through a note verbale. India had given a formal extradition request for Mallya as per the extradition treaty between India and UK through a note verbale, a diplomatic communication.

A joint team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also reached London.

Last month, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed that Mallya's extradition has been stratified by the Secretary of State of the U.K. Government and added that a warrant would soon be released against him.

The 61-year-old Mallya, who has been living in Britain since last year, was arrested by the Scotland Yard last month on the extradition request of India.

Within hours of his arrest, Mallya, who is accused of cheating and frauds, was released on bail by a London court.

The UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will argue the case on behalf of the Indian authorities.

Mallya, whose now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines allegedly owes more than Rs 9,000 crore to various banks, had fled India on March 2, 2016.

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Three Indian fishermen with one boat were detained on Saturday night by the Sri Lankan Navy, for allegedly engaging in illegal fishing practices at Palk Strait.

The arrest was made by a Fast Attack Craft (FAC) belonging to the Northern Naval Command yesterday.

The FAC attached to the Northern Naval Command was on a routine patrol when they arrested the Indian fishing poachers while they were practicing bottom trawling in Sri Lankan territorial waters.

The fishing trawler was brought to SLNS Elara in Kareinagar and the fishermen to SLNS Uththara in Kankesanthurei.

They were later due to be handed over to the Jaffna Assistant Director of Fisheries for further legal action.

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In an another swirl to the ongoing political upheaval in Nagaland, former chief minister T.R. Zeliang on Saturday wrote to Governor P.B. Acharya, claiming stakes to form Government in the state.

"34 Naga People's Front (NPF) MLAs (including me) out of 47, supported me to continue as the Leader of the Legislature party of NPF," Zeliang wrote in the letter to the Governor."

"7 Independent MLAs have also affirmed their support in favour of me taking the tally to 41 out of 59 in support of me," he further said.

Zeliang also mentioned that the MLAs have urged the incumbent Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu, who is a non-MLA, to resign and pave way for him to take over as the Chief Minister.

He said the MLA have supported him and have "also authorized him to stake claim before Governor to form a new NPF led DAN Govt in Nagaland."

"I request that I may be invited to form a new NPF-led DAN Government at the earliest," he wrote.

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With violence brewing in West Bengal, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday ensured completely safety and security to Sikkim, a neighboring state.

Singh took to Twitter and informed that he spoke to Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling and ensured him the safety and security of Highway 10, and asserted that the Centre will do everything possible to save people of the state from any misery.

"Spoke to Sikkim Chief Minister Shri Pawan Kumar Chamling regarding the security situation in the state and areas neighbouring West Bengal. I assured him that Centre will ensure the safety & security of NH 10 and do everything possible to save people of the state from any misery. I have asked the Home Secretary to coordinate with West Bengal administration and ensure the safety, security and smooth traffic on NH 10," tweeted Singh.

Yesterday, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that at least four companies of the Border Security Forces (BSF) forces that were deployed by the Centre were turned back by the West Bengal Government. According to the sources, the Centre had already sent 11 companies of personnel to Darjeeling to quell the unrest taken out by people demanding a separate Gorkhaland.

Hours before, Mamata accused the Centre of creating tension in the state. She alleged that there was non-cooperation from the Centre to curb violence in the state.

Mamata further said that the forces were not deployed on time, which further flared up violence around the West Bengal border.

The MHA sources further claimed that the state government has also not sent the sought detailed report on the Basirhat incident and this is causing a delay to convene a review security meeting.

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With China issuing a 'safety advisory' for its citizens traveling to India as well as to its nationals living in India, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Ram Madhav on Sunday said that the issue will be handled at a diplomatic level by the Government of India.

"Those issues will be handled at the diplomatic level by our government, everything will be sorted out. The India Foundation delegation is going on schedule to China," Madhav told media here.

China on Saturday issued a "safety advisory" for its citizens traveling to India as well as to its nationals living in India, asking them to pay close attention to personal safety and local security, reports the People's Daily.

The advisory was issued through the Chinese embassy in New Delhi.

It asked Chinese travelers to India to pay close attention to the security situation and take necessary precautions.

Chinese foreign ministry officials emphasized that it is an "advisory" and not an "alert" that was issued.

They didn't clarify the difference, but it's likely an "advisory" is milder than an "alert".

The advisory by China came a day after Chinese President Xi Jinping met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during in informal BRICS meeting in Hamburg, Germany, amidst the lengthy ongoing tension between India and China in Sikkim.

Just two days earlier, China had indicated that it was considering options on issuing a travel alert for citizens visiting India.

As per the new statement released by the Chinese Embassy, Chinese nationals in India have been asked to pay close attention to personal safety as well as local security situation.

There was also a possibility of a slowdown in Chinese investments in India, the state-run Global Times said in an editorial that listed the potential fallout of the border face-off.

"Violent attacks against Chinese personnel and companies may happen in India if the two countries see even small-scale military tension at the border," the article said.

"Many people believe Indian nationalism led to the country's independence from British rule decades ago but now it is gradually evolving into an internal factor behind the anti-Chinese sentiment, which is fuelled by ethnic and religious factors."

"The Chinese government attaches great importance to safety and lawful rights and interests of overseas Chinese citizens in accordance with the security condition of the relevant countries," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

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Eat wisely, as it may tell a lot about you. A study has recently revealed that people, who choose unhealthy food over healthy food in real time, had a lower self-control to resist temptation.

Researchers from Ohio State University in Columbus, USA watched in real time as people's hands revealed the struggle they were under to choose the long-term goal over short-term temptation.

But for those with higher levels of self-control, the path to the healthy food was more direct, indicating that they experienced less conflict.

"Our hand movements reveal the process of exercising self-control," said co-author of the study Paul Stillman.

"You can see the struggle as it happens. For those with low self-control, the temptation is actually drawing their hand closer to the less-healthy choice," Stillman added.

They involved 81 college students, who made 100 decisions involving healthy versus unhealthy food choices.

In each trial, they clicked a "Start" button at the bottom of the screen. As soon as they did, two images appeared in the upper-left and upper-right corners of the screen, one a healthy food (such as Brussels sprouts) and the other an unhealthy one (such as a brownie).

People who moved the cursor closer to the unhealthy treat (even when they ultimately made the healthy choice) later showed less self-control than did those who made a more direct path to the healthy snack.

The results showed that those who chose the candy bar at the end of the experiment were those with lower self-control.

"The more they were pulled toward the temptation on the computer screen, the more they actually chose the temptations and failed at self-control," Stillman noted.

Those with lower levels of self-control had mouse trajectories that were clearly different from those with higher self-control, suggesting differences in how they were dealing with the decisions.

"This mouse-tracking metric could be a powerful new tool to investigate real-time conflict when people have to make decisions related to self-control," he said.

The findings also offer new evidence in a debate about how decision-making in self-control situations unfolds, Stillman said.

The research will appear in the journal Psychological Science.

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Amid a bitter stand-off with Britain-based micro-chip company Imagination Technologies, Apple sent a stern message by opening an office in its proximity.

The tech giant planted its flag by renting a 22,500 square-foot office in St Albans just a few miles from Imagination's headquarters in Hertfordshire village of Kings Langley, the Telegraph reported on Saturday.

The company plans to use the office to develop its own graphics technology for Apple devices after it announced termination of its partnership with Imagination.

The development has led to fears in the Imagination camp that Apple will poach its talented staff.

In recent months, Apple hired a string of Imagination employees, including its former Chief Operating Officer John Metcalfe.

Imagination had earlier accused Apple of breaching ethics when the latter claimed that they would no longer need to pay royalties as they plan to stop using the Imagination graphics technology.

The Chief Executive of Imagination, Andrew Heath had challenged Apple's claim that it will be able to develop its own technology without infringing on Imagination's technology.

Imagination's technology currently forms the basis of the graphics chip featuring in every iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.

Disputing Imagination's claims, Apple maintained that they had sent two years' prior notice regarding the end of partnership.

"We valued our past relationship and wanted to give them as much notice as possible to adapt their future plans. We're disappointed in their response, which has been inaccurate and misleading," a spokesman of Apple was quoted as saying.

According to analysts, Imagination is not a viable business without royalties from Apple. The company had put itself up for sale last month.

--IANS

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An army of 300 highly trained dogs has been recruited by Britain's prison service to detect illicit drugs being smuggled into the country's prisons, Government Prisons Minister Sam Gyimah revealed on Sunday.

About 225 kg of illicit drugs and over 20,000 sets of cellphone and SIM cards were recovered from British prisons in 2016. The minister said criminals using drones to smuggle phones and drugs into prisons were jailed during the year for a combined total of over 40 years.

Gyimah said a huge haul of drugs and cellphones have been recovered since new detection measures were introduced to crack down on prison contraband, Xinhua reported.

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) said investment costing around $2.6 million has seen every British prison fitted with hand-held cellphone detectors and portable detection poles to step up the detection of illegal phones on prison landings.

Gyimah said 300 specialist prison dogs have been trained in drugs detection to help stem the flow of illicit substances into prisons, allowing prison guards to focus their efforts on reforming and turning around the lives of offenders.

The ministry said the measures are part of a much wider strategy to tackle the most pressing threats to security in prisons and backed by a strengthening of the frontline with 2,500 additional prison officers by 2018.

The latest statistics show that in 2016 prison staff recovered 225 kg of illicit drugs and in the same year recovered over 13,000 cellphones and 7,000 SIM cards, helping to thwart attempts by criminals to continue committing crime from their prison cells, said the MOJ.

Minister Gyimah said: "The current levels of violence, drugs and cellphones in our prisons is unacceptable. We have put in place a number of measures to help disrupt this illegal activity.

"These figures highlight the determination of prison staff to disrupt this behaviour, whilst at the same time sending a clear message that we will push to prosecute anyone who involves themselves in this kind of activity."

The government has introduced strict measures to prevent drugs in prisons including introducing legislation which makes the possession of psychoactive substances a criminal offence.

Meanwhile, a specialist squad of prison and police officers has been formed to tackle the threat drones pose to prison security.

Figures show that to date there has been a total of 35 arrests and 11 convictions of criminals involved in using drones to smuggle items into prisons, resulting in those convicted serving a total of more than 40 years in jail.

--IANS

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A state of emergency has been declared by the Canadian province of British Columbia (BC) as it battles over 180 wildfires, the media reported.

The federal government said on Saturday that it is monitoring the situation closely and is ready to provide assistance upon request, reports the BBC.

According to a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation news report, an estimated 7,000 people had been forced from their homes.

It is the first state of emergency declared by the province in 14 years.

The BC Wildfire Service said that lightning, strong winds and high heat were all contributing factors in the spread of the wildfires burning across hundreds of kilometres.

The BC Wildfire Service said that the Gustafsen wildfire burning near 100 Mile House, a town about 400 km north of Vancouver, reached a estimated size of 3,200 hectares by Saturday afternoon. About 120 firefighters are battling that blaze.

British Columbia experiences up to 2,000 wildfires a year but the majority are contained within 24 hours.

--IANS

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YSR Congress party president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy on Saturday alleged that the value of the corruption scandals of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is Rs 3.75 lakh crore.

He was speaking at the two-day plenary of the YSR Congress Party which began in Guntur district on Saturday. Reddy asked his party cadre to educate people on the massive corruption indulged in by Naidu's government during the last three years.

The Leader of Opposition in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly released a book titled 'Chandrababu - The Emperor of Corruption'. He claimed that the book has all the evidence of the scams.

He alleged that the land scams in the upcoming capital city Amaravati and coastal city Visakhapatnam are worth one lakh crore each. He claimed that prime lands in the coastal city were taken over by the leaders of the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

Jagan called upon his party workers to go to every village and inform the people about the government's corruption scandals.

Though the YSRCP had published the book last year, it updated the figures in view of the alleged new scams which came to light including the Visakhapatnam land scam. The book has details of 56 scams of the last three years.

He said people were eagerly waiting for an early end to the rule of Chandrababu Naidu. Stating that his father and late Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy was the only leader who lived in the people's hearts, Jagan said people were waiting for a government which will follow his ideals.

The plenary will focus on the strategy to be adopted for highlighting the failures of the TDP government and also chalk out a plan to win the 2019 elections.

YSRCP is the lone opposition party in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly.

--IANS

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Model-actress Emily Ratajkowski will only make movies where her character has more to do than just be a love interest.

"I'm always looking for scripts that pass the Bechdel test and this is definitely one where, for the first time, you see my character in their own world and their story through their perspective - not just a male perspective, and that's exciting for me," she told Britain's Glamour magazine, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

She doesn't want to get typecast as a "hot girl" so is thankful she still has a successful modelling career because it means she can afford to be choosy about her acting work.

"That's basically my strategy...and part of the reason I'm so grateful I have modelling and so many other things that I'm doing - because if I didn't have other ways of making money, I'd be like, 'Okay, I guess I'm doing the bathing-suit-girl role'," Ratajkowski said.

She's willing to wait as long as it takes to be able to "prove" herself as a credible and diverse actress.

"You really have to prove yourself in this industry and I'm very much up for the challenge. It takes a really long time to not only prove yourself, but also prove that you're more dynamic than just this one part of you that they see," she added.

--IANS

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A fight between two men that started on Facebook Messenger has allegedly led to the unfortunate death of a 14-year-old girl in the US, the media reported.

Mackenna Kronenberger was inside the bedroom of her home in Dayton, Ohio, when she was killed on Wednesday, Sky News reported on Sunday citing a court document.

The two men involved in the fight - Jason Tidwell and Dylan Angel - have been charged with murder.

The two 18-year-old men started a fight on the Facebook app and agreed to fight outside Tidwell's home.

According to witnesses accounts to police, they fought and Tidwell then got a gun from inside his home and began firing at Angel.

Angel then took a gun from his car and fired several rounds towards Tidwell's home.

At least one stray bullet used in the fight hit Kronenberger, killing her in the process, it was alleged.

Angel and Tidwell appeared in Dayton Municipal Court on Friday and are next due in court on July 14, the report said.

--IANS

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Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi came under fire from Leftist Opposition parties after he suggested Italy cap the number of asylum seekers it takes in, the media reported.

Critics charged Renzi -- who is the leader of the ruling centre-left Democratic Party and its candidate for the premier's post -- is courting rightwing voters ahead of the next national election, due in spring 2018, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

Italy's current policy is to take in tens of thousands of people fleeing war and famine in Africa and the Middle East, after they get rescued off unseaworthy boats along the so-called Central Mediterranean route from Libya to Sicily.

"Cap on migrant numbers. Renzi under fire: he's like Salvini," La Stampa national daily titled in reference to comments that Renzi is chasing supporters of Matteo Salvini, the leader of the right wing, anti-immigrant Northern League party.

Salvini's party made strong gains in local elections across Italy last month, which saw the Democratic Party lose key strongholds.

"Let's help migrants in their own homes. Controversy over Renzi's phrase, which resembles a League slogan," wrote La Repubblica daily paper.

"Let's help migrants in their own homes, Renzi's new slogan sets internet alight," Corriere della Sera daily similarly titled.

"Renzi chases the right on xenophobic grounds in hopes of picking up votes," Senator Loredana De Petris from the small opposition Italian Left (SI) party tweeted on Friday.

Italy has no moral duty to take everyone in, but it does have a moral duty to help those in need in their own countries, Renzi added. "Clearly we need to establish a cap on migrants, a closed number," the former premier said, adding that the responsibility for taking asylum seekers in must be spread out equally with other European countries.

"An excess of immigration doesn't do anyone any good," Renzi wrote.

On Thursday, the former premier also suggested Italy should withhold EU payments if partner countries don't do their part on migrants.

"Let us cut financing to countries who don't respect accords on migrants. They shut down European ports? We block European funds," Renzi tweeted on July 6.

Renzi's article was an excerpt from his book Avanti! (Italian for Forward!), due out next week.

--IANS

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Iranian military and security officials on Sunday congratulated Iraq on the victory in the battle to liberate Mosul from the rule of the Islamic State (IS).

"I am confident that defeat and vanishing of terrorism would be possible through real determination of the governments to fight against terrorism in a united front," Iranian Defence Minister Hossein Dehqan said, Xinhua news agency reported.

"This victory in Mosul will hopefully result in the complete defeat of proxy wars in the region," Dehqan said in a message to his Iraqi counterpart.

Also, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said on Sunday that liberation of Mosul is attributed to the leadership of religious figures, wisdom of Iraqi government and courage of Iraqi army and volunteer forces.

Shamkhani said that the victory of Iraqi forces against the IS also was a defeat for some cross-regional and regional states who were seeking proxy war in the Arab state.

He expressed the hope that the IS defeat would be the beginning of restoration of peace and stability to Iraq and development of the country at international arena.

The Islamic republic is prepared to help the Iraqi government and people in reconstruction of the liberated city and to send humanitarian aid to the displaced people, Shamkhani said in a message to the Iraqi government.

Mosul, the major city in northern Iraq, was totally liberated from the control of the IS on Sunday after 266 days of fierce battles which ended its three-year rule.

--IANS

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Khaltmaa Battulga of the opposition Democratic Party, a businessman and former judoka, is poised to win the Mongolian presidential election with more than 50 per cent votes, according to the preliminary results.

Miyegombyn Enkhbold, candidate of the ruling Mongolian People's Party (MPP), acknowledged defeat in the second round of the country's presidential election on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

The MPP recognizes the outcome of Friday's election and respects the choice of the Mongolian people, Enkhbold, Mongolia's parliament speaker, said in his first statement after the release of preliminary results of the presidential run-off.

So far, the counting of votes by Mongolians in European countries is still underway and the election's final result is yet to be officially announced, Xinhua reported.

"I exchanged views with the current Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj on organising the inauguration ceremony for newly elected president of Mongolia on July 10, on the eve of the Mongolia's national festival Naadam," Enkhbold said.

"After the announcement of the final results of presidential run-off by the country's General Election Commission, the Mongolian parliament will hold an irregular meeting to consider the preparation for the inauguration ceremony of a newly elected president," he added.

Over 1.2 million people cast their ballots in the seventh presidential election of the resource-rich country, with a turnout of 60.48 per cent.

--IANS

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Actor Shia LeBeouf has been released from prison following his arrest on suspicion of disorderly conduct and public drunkenness.

The 31-year-old was arrested in Savannah, Georgia, on Saturday, where he was filming for "The Peanut Butter Falcon" with Dakota Johnson and Bruce Dern.

According to the Chatham County Sheriff's Office, LaBeouf was taken into custody around 4 a.m., and was released later Saturday from Chatham county detention center after posting a $7,000 bond, reports cnn.com.

The Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department gave out a statement that the actor approached a bystander and a police officer asking for a cigarette. He became disorderly, using profanities and vulgar language when he wasn't given a cigarette.

He was told to leave the area but refused to and became aggressive toward the officer.

"When the officer attempted to place LaBeouf under arrest, LaBeouf ran to a nearby hotel. LaBeouf was arrested in the hotel lobby, where his disorderly behaviour continued," read the statement.

This is not the first time the "Transformers" star had trouble with the law.

In January, he was arrested in New York after the police said he got in a scuffle with a man at his own art exhibition. Those charges were later dismissed.

Other instances include arrests for public intoxication in 2015 in Texas and a driving under influence (DUI) in 2008 in California.

In 2014, LaBeouf pleaded guilty to one count of disorderly conduct after an outburst at a Broadway theatre. The star agreed to get alcohol abuse treatment as part of a settlement related to the incident.

--IANS

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The Manipur government is not considering any reversal of the decision, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said on Sunday in reply to the United Naga Council's demand for rollback of the creation of the seven new districts in the state.

Meanwhile, the scheduled talks on Monday between representatives of the central and state governments, and the UNC on the inflammatory issue have been put off. Official sources told IANS on Sunday that the central government representatives cannot make it due to "unavoidable circumstances" and so the talks have been deferred.

The previous Congress government in December 2016 created seven new districts in the state, which already had nine. The Nagas claimed that the new districts had encroached upon the "lands of the Nagas", which were left to them by their forefathers.

The government denied the charge, saying that there is no land belonging to any community and that the new districts were created for better administration and more equitable development.

In protest against the creation of the new districts, the UNC had imposed an indefinite economic blockade lasting nearly four months. It was lifted only after the BJP-led government took office in Manipur.

Soon after being released from prison, UNC President Gaidon Kamei said: "The demand for the rollback of the new districts is very much on our agenda. If this is not honoured, we will go back to the people for consultation on the next campaign."

The proposed talks were deferred as the government and the UNC do not see eye to eye on the issue. Officials fear that the Nagas have on their mind the re-imposition of the economic blockade.

The blockade was lifted in March on the understanding that the creation of the districts will be rolled back through negotiations.

--IANS

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US publishing giant Marvel will work together with a Beijing-based company to create its first-ever Chinese comic superhero.

The Disney-owned company, which has created iconic superheroes like Spiderman and Captain America, and Chinese company NetEase have signed an agreement to work together to create the first comic with a Chinese superhero.

Marvel has also authorised NetEase to release 12 copies of its comic stories online in China, including 'Guardians of the Galaxy', 'The Amazing Spider-Man' and 'Captain America', reports Efe news.

Movies based on Marvel comics have earned over 8 billion yuan ($1.18 billion) in China so far.

--IANS

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The Congress-led opposition's Presidential nominee Meira Kumar will arrive in the Madhya Pradesh capital on July 13 to seek support for her candidature.

Leader of Opposition Ajay Singh on Sunday said that Kumar would interact with the state legislators.

She would appeal to legislators of the Congress and other like-minded parties to back her candidature for the top post, he said.

Meira Kumar will also address Congress legislators at the party office here at 4 p.m. and fly back to Delhi later in the evening.

NDA's Presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind was in Bhopal on Saturday during which he addressed a meeting of BJP legislators and MPs and sought support for his candidature.

--IANS

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Sunday morning after concluding his two-nation visit.

He left Hamburg, Germany, on Saturday evening at 7.30 p.m., following the completion of the two-day G20 summit.

At the summit, Modi presented a 10-point agenda on fighting terrorism which was endorsed by the G20 leaders.

The first leg of the two nation tour was a historic visit to Israel. Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the country.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Modi raised the countries' bilateral relations to a strategic partnership.

--IANS

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Monday interact with Chief Secretaries of all states and Union Territories during a conference organised by NITI Aayog to "further the spirit of cooperative and competitive federalism".

Secretaries of finance, health, agriculture, and industry of states and UTs will also attend the National Conference of Chief Secretaries.

The deliberations will cover a wide range of issues. The focus will be on best practices in social and economic sectors across states, an official release said here.

Various developmental indicators developed by NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog in the areas of health, education, water management, and digital transformation will be discussed to measure performance and progress of states/UTs and rank them appropriately to instil a healthy competition among them.

Also, there will be interactive sessions on agricultural reforms, health and nutrition and developmental issues.

Discussions on the financial position of the states and UTs after the 14th Finance Commission, outcome-based monitoring, Direct Benefit Transfer implementation and its progress, ease of doing business figure as key element of the agenda of the daylong conference.

--IANS

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The crisis within Nagaland's Naga People's Front (NPF) government has further deepened with Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu on Sunday sacking four top ministers and 10 Parliamentary Secretaries following a demand for his removal.

His predecessor T.R.Zeliang, who wrote to Governor P.B.Acharya on Saturday, staking claim to form a new government, has arrived in New Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh to appraise them of the political situation in the state.

He would also meet Acharya in New Delhi on his return from Maharashtra on Monday.

Blaming Liezietsu for the political crisis in the state, Zeliang said: "The political crisis is caused by the undemocratic style of functioning of Liezietsu in both the party and the government.

"He (Liezietsu )is appointing his son (Khriehu) as his advisor, granting him the status of a cabinet minister without consulting the legislators."

Earlier, Liezietsu recommended the Governor remove Home Minister Yanthungo Patton, Power Minister Kipili Sangtam, National Highway and Political Affairs Minister G. Kaito Aye, Forest and Environment and Climate Change Minister Imkong L. Imchen from the cabinet.

The development comes a day after T.R. Zeliang staked claim to form a new government, saying he has the support of 33 NPF legislators and seven Independents.

Liezietsu, who is also the NPF supremo, has also sacked four NPF legislators and six Independent legislators, as Parliamentary Secretaries.

The Nagaland government issued notifications terminating the appointment of Zeliang as Advisor (Finance) and Nuklotoshi as Advisor to Chief Minister.

Apart from the sackings, the NPF Disciplinary Action Committee which met on Saturday also suspended 10 legislators from the party's primary membership.

Those suspended include Patton, Sangtam, Aye, Imchen, as well as Shetoyi, Nuklutoshi, Deo Nukhu, Naiba Konyak, Benjongliba and Zeliang.

Zeliang, along with 41 legislators, is camping at Borgos resort in Assam's Kaziranga National Park.

"All 41 of us are intact and we are waiting only for Governor Acharya to invite Zeliang to form the government," Imchen told IANS.

"We don't care about (suspension from the party) it because those people who have signed the suspension order do not have the grassroots support," he said but refused to divulge more details.

The fresh political instability has come at a time when Liezietsu is gearing up for the July 29 by-election from the Northern Angami-I assembly constituency.

Liezietsu was sworn in as Chief Minister on February 22 this year after Zeliang resigned following violent protest by tribal groups who were opposed to his move to hold civic polls with 33 per cent reservation for women.

The Chief Minister said that he was deeply pained by the recent disturbing developments affecting the normal functioning of the government.

"The current issue is within the NPF party and will be resolved at the earliest to bring about normalcy in the state. The mandate of the people will be respected and the present crisis will be resolved in the larger interest of the people of the state," he said.

Stressing that the NPF-led government will complete its full term, he appealed to the state's people to remain calm.

In the truncated 59-member assembly, the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland coalition government comprises 47 NPF legislators, four Bharatiya Janata Party and eight Independents.

Zeliang has even warmed up to his once bitter rival Neiphiu Rio, a three-time Chief Minister and now the lone MP from the state, who was suspended two years back for "anti-party activities", particularly against Zeliang.

--IANS

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India on Sunday said the Pakistan government was "reading" from Lashkar-e-Taiba's terror script in hailing Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani whose death on July 8 last year sparked months long deadly unrest in Jammu and Kashmir.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay condemned in a tweet the praises showered upon Wani and other Kashmiri militants by the Pakistan government and its army on his first death anniversary.

"First @ForeignOfficePk (Pakistan Foreign Office) read from banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS (Chief of Army Staff) glorifies Burhan Wani. Pakistan's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by one and all," Baglay tweeted.

The tweet was in response to Pakistan using Wani's death anniversary on Saturday to rake up the Kashmir issue.

Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Saturday that Kashmiris had the right to self-determination.

Bajwa said Hizbul Mujahideen militant Wani's "sacrifice" was "testimony" of his and his generation's "resolve" against "Indian atrocities."

Even Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif paid tributes to Wani, saying his death had "infused a new spirit in the struggle for freedom" in Jammu and Kashmir.

"The blood rendered by Burhan Wani has infused a new spirit in the freedom movement. The Kashmiri people are steadfast to take their movement to logical conclusion," Sharif said.

The Pakistan Foreign Office in Islamabad said in its tweet on Saturday that it condemned "India's deliberate targeting of civilians (in Kashmir) that is contrary to human dignity, international human rights and humanitarian laws".

--IANS

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday spoke to Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling and assured him of all support to ensure safety and security on National Highway-10 in the wake of the Gorkhaland stir in neighbouring West Bengal.

The Home Minister also assured the Chief Minister of ensuring availability of essential supplies to Sikkim.

"Spoke to the Sikkim Chief Minister regarding security in the state and areas neighbouring West Bengal. I assured him that the Centre will ensure safety and security of NH-10 and do everything possible to save the state's people from any misery," Rajnath Singh said in a series of tweet.

The national highway is Sikkim's only road link with the rest of the country. Last week, Sikkim-registered vehicles were vandalised in West Bengal during the ongoing Gorkhaland stir in the northern hills of West Bengal.

The incidents took place after Chamling supported the Gorkhaland demand.

During the conversation, Chamling apprised Rajnath Singh that Sikkim is facing an acute shortage of supplies, especially essential commodities like medicines, powder milk for babies, vegetables and petrol/diesel, due to closure of the national highway.

Rajnath Singh said he had directed Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi to coordinate with the West Bengal administration and ensure safety, security and smooth traffic on NH-10.

He also urged the West Bengal government to ensure that the road link to Sikkim remains open.

--IANS

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said after meeting his US counterpart Donald Trump, he believes an improvement in relations with Washington is in the works.

Putin also said again that Moscow never interfered in US presidential election in November 2016.

"It seems to me that if we build our relations the same way our conversation went, there's every reason to believe we can re-establish, however partially, the kind of interaction we need," Putin said on Saturday, Efe news reported.

With regard to the US President, he said: "Trump on television is very different from the real person," and explained that "he well understands his the person he's talking to, analyzes quickly, answers questions and responds to whatever comes up in the discussion".

As for his personal relations with Trump, the Russian President considers them "established".

Putin also said Trump brought up, not with one question but with several, the issue of Russia's interference in US elections.

"Our position is well known. I repeat, there is no reason to think that Russia interfered in the electoral process," Putin said, adding that Trump was apparently "satisfied with the answers".

To a reporter's question about whether Moscow plans to meddle in Germany's general elections on September 24, Putin answered that, if Russia didn't do that in the US, why would they do it in Germany.

Instead he spoke of the "good relations" with Germany, Russia's main trade partner in Europe, with which it shares big projects like the new natural gas pipeline Nord Stream II.

Moscow has no need to interfere in the elections of other countries, unlike some of the European media, which constantly talk about Russia's internal matters, he said.

Putin also referred to Trump's offer to Poland and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe to supply them with liquefied gas to reduce their energy dependence on Russia, and emphasized Moscow's defence of free markets and free competition, as long as they are not politicised.

In that context, he noted that Russia has a "clear comparative advantage" because its gas is cheaper.

--IANS

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A retired officer of the Jammu and Police was killed and his two sons injured in a road accident in the state's hilly Kishtwar district on Sunday, police said.

Former Deputy Superintendent of Police Hakka Din Sheikh was killed when his car rolled into gorge at Machi Pal in Kishtwar as he was on his way from Gandoh to Bhaderwah town, said a police spokesman.

Sheikh died on the spot and his two sons were injured and have been shifted to hospital, he added.

--IANS

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Actress Sonakshi Sinha along with her father and politician-veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha has shot a "beautiful" campaign that supports education for underprivileged girl child in India.

On Saturday, Sonakshi took to Twitter, where she shared a photograph holding her father and captioned it: "Shot something beautiful for Nanhi Kali...Go register if you want to support a great cause -- education of an underprivileged girl child!"

Shatrughan also shared a photograph of himself along with his daughter and mentioned that everyone should be treated equally.

"Shot with Sonakshi Sinha for a good cause Nanhi Kali. Society can only evolve when all are treated and educated equally," he captioned the image.

Project Nanhi Kali works to ensure every underprivileged girl child in India gets her right to education and dignity.

On the acting front, Sonakshi is busy shooting for her upcoming film "Ittefaq", directed by Abhay Chopra. It is an adaptation of the 1969 movie by the same name. It also stars Sidharth Malhotra.

--IANS

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Actress Kristen Stewart might have had an awkward encounter as she and her partner Stella Maxwell landed up in the same flight as her former boyfriend, actor Robert Pattinson.

Stewart was spotted arriving to Los Angeles from Paris with Maxwell on Friday, reported aceshowbiz.com.

Stewart was spotted in casual clothes as donned a grey graphic t-shirt along with funky blue trousers. Maxwel was seen sporting a crop top which she paired with a denim jacket and grey track pants.

Pattinson, meanwhile, was also seen in casual wear as he donned a grey t-shirt, grey jacket, and denim jeans.

Stewart has been dating Maxwell since late 2016.

--IANS

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A Kolkata-bound engineering student was nabbed at the airport here on Sunday evening after he was found to be carrying two Swiss knives in his shoes, police said.

"Central Industrial Security Force officials detained Prasenjit Ghosh, 21, after they found two Swiss knives concealed in his shoes while frisking," police official Kantilal Baidya told IANS.

Ghosh, an engineering student of a Kolkata-based institution, and three people accompanying him were handed over to police, he added.

Police would produce the four, all hailing from Tripura, in court on Monday.

Police were trying to find out the motive of the passenger for carrying the knives.

--IANS

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The ceasefire agreement reached between the US and Russia went into effect on Sunday in southern Syria, local media reported.

The ceasefire covers the provinces of Sweida, Daraa and Qunaitera, according to Xinhua news agency.

On Friday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the US and Russia reached a ceasefire agreement to quell fighting in southwest Syria.

He said the agreement, if it holds, may be a blueprint for other parts of the country. "This area in the south is our first show of success. We hope we can replicate that elsewhere," he said.

The ceasefire is part of the de-escalation zones' deal, which went into force last May in four Syrian areas including the southern part of Syria, where battles flared up again, prompting the US and Russia to agree to a ceasefire.

--IANS

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The goods and services tax (GST) roll-out has gone reasonably smoothly in the first week and the market is optimistic that the initial confusion will soon be sorted out. There are some storm clouds. Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu introduced new taxes. There are ongoing strikes by the textile industry in Gujarat and the match industry in Sivakasi. The Tamil Nadu theatre owners association also went on strike and is now negotiating for relief in state taxes.
The phrase marriages are made in heaven is cropping up all too often these days to describe unexpected partnerships. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used the phrase to describe the Israel-India partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to that country. Its a different story altogether but Netanyahu earlier said the same thing about Israels friendship with China. Closer home Rajiv Lall, the managing director and vice-chairman of Infrastructure Development Finance Company, used the phrase to describe the Mumbai-headquartered financial services firms proposed merger with the Chennai-based Shriram Group.
On Thursday, the Press Trust of Indias (PTI) Beijing correspondent quoted officials of the foreign ministry saying that the atmosphere was not appropriate for a meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 Summit in Hamburg. While the Ministry of External Affairs said no such meeting had been sought, the governments media minders suggested to journalists that the news report from Beijing had misquoted officials. There was, however, no clarification from the Chinese side on the PTI report. News channels were also reached out to request them not to play up the stand-off between the Indian and Chinese militaries near Sikkim as the matter was sensitive. Such caution is rarely exhibited with Pakistan.
Convocation addresses delivered by will be compiled and published by the HRD ministry in a 'gurudakshina' to him, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Sunday.

Felicitating Mukherjee, who was a teacher before plunging into in 1969, on the occasion of 'Guru Purnima', Javadekar said his life was an "exemplary" record of calibre, capacity and conduct.

He said Mukherjee represented all the teachers in the country.

"By felicitating Mukherjee, we are honouring all the teachers of this country," the human resource development minister said.

At the inauguration of three digital initiatives in the education sector -- Swayam, Swayam Prabha and Academic Depository on Sunday, Javadekar presented a small bag to Mukherjee containing a slate and stationery.

"Since I called him a teacher, there will be 'gurudakshina' (homage to a guru) as well. We will publish a compilation of his convocation addresses to various universities so that students can enlighten themselves from his valuable observations," he said.

Swayam aims at taking the best teaching-learning resources to all. Under Swayam Prabha, the government plans to telecast high-quality educational programmes through 32 DTH channels.

The Academic Depository will facilitate online verification of certificates.

Javadekar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi too was a "great political teacher".

"We learn from him everyday. How to think out of the box, we learn from him. Round the clock, he keeps thinking about the development of the country, 'antyodaya'...," he said.

Javadekar said the government would come up with integrated B.Ed courses so that students were able to decide after Class 12 on becoming teachers. They can take such integrated courses with graduation in a subject of their choice.

He said the government would ensure that teaching profession was not seen as the last career choice of the youths.

Javadekar said education expanded in the country in the past 70 years through the efforts of various governments.

"The British did not want it. But we have done it. Now using digital technology, it needs to be taken further," he said.

Mukherjee's term as the president will end on July 25. This will be an end of his active public life of about five decades.

The 81-year-old Mukherjee, who started his career as a lecturer in a college in West Bengal, retains his love for his favourite subject -- history. It reflected in the renovation of the President House Library in which various rare and historical books were restored.

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At least 16 persons died and two others injured in lightning strikes in seven districts of Bihar today.

Five persons died in Vaishali district, three each in Patna and Bhojpur, two in Saran while one each died in Rohtas, Nalanda and Araria districts, Disaster Management Department's Additional Secretary Anirudh Kumar told PTI.

Apart from the deaths, two persons were injured in Bhojpur district.

Kumar said the next to the kin of those killed would be given Rs 4 lakh as ex-gratia.

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The decomposed bodies of 19 Egyptian migrants were found in the Libyan desert overnight after the truck in which they were smuggled into the country overturned, the Red Crescent said today.

The bodies were buried in a cemetery near the Libyan border town of Tobruk, the organisation said.

It was unclear when the Egyptians died but their bodies were in a state of decomposition when found in a desert area near Tobruk in Libya's remote east.

Meanwhile a security official in Tobruk said a search was underway for a group of 29 other Egyptians reported missing by authorities in their country.

Since the 2011 overthrow of Moamer Kadhafi, Libya has been riven by chaos, making it the main gateway for African migrants heading for Europe on dangerous Mediterranean crossings.

Human traffickers have exploited the instability to boost their lucrative but deadly trade.

Egyptians have travelled to Libya for decades, to look for jobs in the oil-rich North African country or to use it as a transit route to Europe.

Since January 1,00,000 migrants have made the perilous sea journey to Europe, around 85,000 of them arriving in Italy from Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The United Nations says more than 2,200 migrants have died this year attempting to make the crossing.

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A 19-year-old student of class XI was shot dead by two youths in the Gandhinagar locality here last night.

According to SHO, K P Singh, the body of the victim - Vimal - with bullet injuries was found some distance from his house.

The body has been sent for postmortem and investigations are on, he said.

Irate locals protested the killing and demanded that the culprits be arrested. The police have registered a case and have launched a manhunt, the official said.

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At least three people, including two women and a child, were killed and 12 injured today in a hand grenade attack in Pakistan's northwest restive tribal region, officials said.

The incident occurred in Kalosha village of Azam Warsak area in South Waziristan Agency.

Some unknown attackers threw hand grenade at the house of Gleen Khan Wazir. Personal enmity is behind the attack, police said.

The attack also left 12 people injured and the condition of two of them were critical. The injured were referred to a hospital in Multan.

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Life was today affected in North Dinajpur district during the 12-hour bandh called by the BJP in protest against the killing of a party worker.

Shops and markets were closed. Being Sunday offices and educational institutions remained closed. Some state buses plied with police escort, police said.

BJP workers damaged two government buses and three lorries, they said.

Thirty four BJP workers were arrested for allegedly indulging violence, they said.

A BJP worker was killed at Chopra yesterday.

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Two bike-borne men snatched the bangles of a 50-year-old woman travelling in an auto and fled after firing in the air, just a short distance away from the police headquarters in New Delhi's ITO area.

The woman was travelling from east Delhi's Shakarpur to Hauz Kazi this evening when the incident happened, the police said.

The bike-borne men overtook the three-wheeler she was in and snatched her 'kadas'. She suffered injuries as she tried to resist, they added.

While fleeing, the miscreants fired in the air to scare off anyone looking to follow them. No one was injured in the firing, the police said.

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The BJP-led NDA foresees smoother transaction of business in the Rajya Sabha from the Winter Session of Parliament as it is confident of getting its candidate elected to the post of vice-president, who is the chairman of the Upper House.

Things will turn more favourable for the government from the next year's Budget Session when the BJP, which is currently behind the Congress in numbers in the Upper House, will emerge as the largest party while the strength of the opposition will decline, party sources said.

Of the 790 members of the both Houses of Parliament, who form the electoral college for the vice-presidential poll, the NDA enjoys a comfortable majority and the BJP sources claimed that they can get close to 550 votes due to support from many regional parties.

The vice-president is the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha and has the final say in the matters of the House.

The sources said the NDA will opt for a candidate well- versed with the parliamentary proceedings.

The government's agenda has often met huge resistance in the Rajya Sabha where it is short of a majority and the House has at times adopted motions which have embarrassed it.

Though the NDA will not get a majority in the House during the term of this government, its strength will increase substantially during the next Budget Session.

The sources said the government can push its legislative agenda during its last full year in the office on the back of more coordination with non-NDA regional parties like the AIADMK, the BJD and the TRS.

From now till the first week of April 2018, at least 72 elected members will retire.

The BJP will score big from Uttar Pradesh where it enjoys an unprecedented majority in the assembly.

It has only one member in the 10 who will retire in April but is now in a position in the state assembly to win nine of those vacant seats at the cost of the Samajwadi Party, the BSP and the Congress.

In Maharashtra, the BJP and its ally Shiv Sena have two seats among the six to fall vacant in April but they can easily get four members elected.

Likewise, numbers of the Congress will go down by around 10 seats from the current 58. The BJP's tally can go near 70 from the current 56.

In a first for the Aam Aadmi Party, its members will enter the Rajya Sabha for the time in January when they will replace three Congress members from Delhi.

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Senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy today hailed the CPI's stand on various administrative issues and criticised those of the CPI(M), specially on the issue of removal of encroachments on government land.

Lauding CPI's stand on various administrative issues, the Chandy said the key partner in the ruling LDF was speaking the language of the people of Kerala.

The former chief minister criticised the CPI(M) stand on the issue of removal of encroachments from the government land, saying it was not as per the wishes of the people.

"The stand taken by the CPI on the issue of clearing encroachments from the government land has been accepted by the people," Chandy told reporters in Kottayam.

"But the CPI(M) stand on the matter is just contrary to that of the CPI," he said.

Asked if the Congress planned to invite CPI into the fold of the party-led UDF in the state, the former chief minister said, people still cherish the era of the party's alliance with CPI in Kerala in the 70s.

"Congress, CPI, Kerala Congress and Muslim League all used to work together in Kerala ... People have not forgotten that era," Chandy said.

The CPI had ruled the state in the 70s with the support of the Congress.

Chandy's statement assumes significance in the wake of widening differences between the CPI(M) and CPI over various administrative affairs, including on the Revenue Department's drive against encroachers of the government land at the ecologically sensitive Munnar hills in Idukki district.

The CPI(M) had expressed displeasure over the CPI- controlled Revenue Department's anti-encroachment drive at Munnar in April last, during which a 30-feet tall metal cross was pulled down.

The differences came to fore recently when CPI abstained from a meeting convened by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram to discuss the Munnar issue.

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Commander-in-chief of Myanmar Defence Forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, arrived here on a two-day visit, accompanied by a sixteen-member delegation.

General Hlaing was received by Major General Anil Puri, the General Officer Commanding of Golden Katar Division upon his arrival, a Defence release said.

"Commander-in-Chief, Myanmar Defence Forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is on a two-day visit to Ahmedabad starting today," it said.

On the first day of his visit, he went to the Sabarmati Ashram and Riverfront, accompanied by his wife, the release said.

"They were spiritually very touched by the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. They were enthralled to visit the focal point of non-violence conceptualised by Mahatma Gandhi. The delegation was particularly impressed by the scenic beauty of the Sabarmati River Front," it said.

Tomorrow, General Hlaing and other members of the delegation will visit Amul Dairy plant at Anand, TATA NANO plant at Sanand as well as Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute (GERMI) in Gandhinagar, said the release.

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A constable was injured as he accidentally shot himself while cleaning his rifle here, the police said today.

He was rushed to nearby hospital where his condition is said to be "serious".

Rajendra, a Palwal resident, was deployed in Budhena village to provide security to a family when the incident occurred this morning, a police spokesman said.

"Rajendra couldn't record his statement as he is serious," the spokesman added.

The police are probing into the incident.

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A Samajwadi Party leader and municipal corporator was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Kotwali police station area here today, the police said.

The 35-year-old corporator, Arif, a resident of Ismail Nagar, was targeted when he was at a saloon, SSP Manzil Saini said.

Following the incident, a large posse of police personnel was deployed as tension gripped the area.

Shadab, 34, suffered injuries in the incident.

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BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav on Sunday hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee saying the current unrest in her state was "a home-grown project" of the ruling Trinamool Congress for "political advantage".

He also said cow protection was a "sacred mission" but people must understand that they cannot lynch anybody under the pretext of protecting it as "life was more sacred".

Delivering a speech on "Integral Humanism - eternal and ever contemporary", organised by a group -- 'Awareness in Action' -- here, Madhav said, "Today, if you see the unrest in Bengal it is actually a home-grown project of Mamata Banerjee, because in unrest lies her political advantage."



"Does it really pain you (Banerjee) that in your state on one hand Gorkha people are agitating, you don't listen to them and on the other hand there are communal riots?" he asked.

"You only blame others, you have no answer to it," Madhav said.

Banerjee had yesterday accused the Modi government and the BJP of trying to "disturb peace" and of "deliberate and total non-cooperation".

She had alleged that the Centre's refusal to send CRPF personnel, as demanded by the state government, had led to the current situation in the Darjeeling hills where the indefinite shutdown entered its 25th day today.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the event, Madhav said the Trinamool Congress was "squarely responsible" for the "grave" law-and-order situation in West Bengal.

On the issue of cow protection, Madhav said for Indians everything was sacred.

"We are a worship-centric society, but the country has to understand this sacredness properly... Cow is sacred, cow protection is sacred, but remember life is the most sacred thing," he said, adding the sacredness of cow was to be protected, but one cannot spoil the "sacredness of life".

"You cannot lynch anybody in the name of protecting something," the BJP leader said.

To a question about China reportedly denying VISAs for a scheduled trip of the India Foundation, a think tank with links to the BJP, Madhav said it had been settled and the delegation was going there as scheduled.

On China issuing advisory to its people visiting to India, he said, "Those issues will be handled at a diplomatic level by our government. Everything will be sorted out."



Amid bilateral tensions over the Sikkim standoff, China had yesterday issued an advisory for its citizens travelling to India, asking them to take necessary precautions for their personal safety.

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A ceasefire set to take place in southwest Syria today is a priority and will help defeat the Islamic State terror group, and end the conflict in the war-torn country, the US has said.

"At noon local time tomorrow,a de-escalation zone in southwest Syria will begin to take effect. Such zones are a priority for the United States,and we'reencouragedby the progress madeto reach this agreement," US National Security Advisor, Lt. Gen. H R McMaster said yesterday.

"After achieving this hopeful step with the governments of Russia and Jordan,President Trumpdiscussedthe agreementwithmany world leaders at the G20 Summit, includingPresident Erdogan (Turkey), Prime Minister (Theresa) May (UK), and Chancellor Merkel (Germany)," he said.

McMaster said the United States remains committed todefeating ISIS,helping to end the conflict in Syria and reducing suffering to enable people to return to their homes.

"This agreement is an important step toward thesecommon goals," he said.

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Deputy Prime Minister of Yemen Abdulmalik Abduljalil Al-Mekhlafi will arrive here tomorrow on a four-day visit, during which a range of issues, including enhancing bilateral ties and the safety of Indians living in the strife-torn Arab country, is likely to be discussed.

Al-Mekhlafi, who is also Yemen's foreign minister, will hold talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday covering the expanse of bilateral ties as well as situation in Yemen and the Middle East.

In 2015, as the situation grew out of control following a civil war in Yemen, India had evacuated 6,700 people, including the nationals of 41 countries, under 'Operation Raahat'.

The issue of safety of Indians is likely to figure in the talks between Swaraj and Al-Mekhlafi.

They are also likely to discuss the issue of containing the increasing challenge of terrorism. Terror groups like the al-Qaeda and the Islamic State are said to have bases in parts of Yemen resulting in instability in the country.

Al-Mekhlafi is schedule to visit Agra.

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The European Union has hailed the defeat of the Islamic State group in Mosul as a "decisive step" in fighting terrorism but called on Iraqis to work together to improve their country.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi earlier announced that pro-government forces had retaken the second city from IS after a months-long battle that killed thousands of civilians and forced nearly a million people from their homes.

"The recovery of Mosul from the hands of (IS) marks a decisive step in the campaign to eliminate terrorist control in parts of Iraq and to free its people," the EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and its aid commissioner Christos Stylianides said in a joint statement yesterday.

But they urged Iraqis to pick up the pieces of their country, parts of which were easily overran by IS three years ago.

"It is now essential that a process of return and the re-establishment of trust between communities begins, and that all Iraqis are able to start building a shared future," they said.

IS still controls swathes of western Iraq including much of the desert Anbar province and rival forces, which largely cooperated against the jihadists in Mosul, are expected to compete for a share of the spoils.

Abadi himself has faced accusations of incompetence and corruption in his government, and followers of popular cleric Moqtada Sadr have staged large protests in Baghdad calling for electoral reform.

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France's finance minister urged his European counterparts today to do more to chase down tax due from the European operations of US tech giants such as Google, Amazon and Facebook.

Bruno Le Maire's comments addressed an issue which has aroused fierce controversy: the complex tax arrangements of multinational corporations under fire for slashing European tax bills by shifting revenue across borders.

"I have just come back from the G20 meeting in Hamburg and I can tell you that the present age is not one for the weak," Le Maire told an economic symposium in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence.

"When you are opposite (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, opposite (US President Donald) Trump or next to (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan, then it is time Europe got a grip and defended its interests, making Google, Amazon and Facebook pay the taxes they owe European taxpayers," said Le Maire to loud applause.

France had had web search behemoth Google in its sights for years and fiscal authorities last month issued a consultative judgment pending a final ruling later this month that Google should not be let off the hook for a 1.115 billion euro (USD 1.3 billion) claim.

In May, Google agreed to pay 306 million euros to settle a tax dispute in Italy, where it was under criminal investigation for booking 2009-2013 profits generated in the country in Ireland.

That move echoed a similar settlement with Apple two years ago.

Apart from the tax focus, Brussels last month hit Google with a record 2.4-billion-euro fine for illegally favouring its shopping service in search results, in a fresh assault on US firms that risks the wrath of President Trump.

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A newborn girl was allegedly sold by her mother for Rs 5,000 in Khammam district of Telangana as could not raise the child due to poverty, police said today.

The woman, who gave birth to her sixth child on Friday at a government hospital, allegedly sold the baby girl to another woman of Bhadrachalam town yesterday with the help of a sweeper at the hospital, Khammam Assistant Commissioner of Police P V Ganesh said.

"The mother is saying that due to her poor economic condition she is unable to look after the baby. Hence, she sold the baby with the help of a sweeper for Rs 5,000," the ACP told PTI over the phone.

The elderly woman who had bought the baby said she took the infant as she did not have a grand-daughter.

She, however, immediately brought the baby back to the hospital and handed her over to her mother, the senior police officer said.

The ACP said that the Integrated Child Development Services officials are now taking care of the infant.

The woman, who has four daughters and a son, told mediapersons that her husband, a rickshaw puller, was a "drunkard" who spent all their on liquor.

The woman who bought the baby claimed innocence saying she only offered the sum of Rs 5,000 for treatment of the woman's son who was ill.

A case under sections of Juvenile Justice Act was registered against the baby's mother, the woman who purchased the her and the sweeper, the ACP said, adding that a probe is on.

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Representatives of several farmers' outfits were today detained by the police when they tried to take out a rally to demand a crop loan waiver in the Gandhi Nagar area here.

The farmer organisations did not have requisite permission for the rally, the police said.

Around 16 farmers' representatives, who were trying to march from Vivekanand Hostel to Gandhi Circle here, were taken to Pratap Nagar police station, SHO Gandhi Nagar Surendra Kumar said.

Several farmers' groups had on June 22 called for a shutdown in 45,000 villages in Rajasthan today and had scheduled a rally in Jaipur to raise their demands.

"We had sought permission on June 30, but were denied to hold a rally on July 8. It was done to suppress the farmers' voice. We were taken into custody even as we were holding a peaceful protest," national president of Kisan Mahapanchayat Rampal Jat said.

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With a week still to go, Wimbledon's grass courts already are not the lush lawns players -- and TV viewers -- are accustomed to seeing early in the tournament.

Novak Djokovic noticed the ball bouncing differently in some patches.

Roger Federer and his opponent slipped during their third-round match.

The two past champions are wondering what sort of work can be done on the middle Sunday, when there is no competition, so the court conditions improve when action resumes with all 16 fourth-round singles matches scheduled for Monday.

"The first two matches I didn't see any significant difference. But I was hearing a lot of comments from the other players. They were complaining. Especially on the outside courts," Djokovic said after beating Ernests Gulbis in straight sets at Centre Court yesterday.

"Today, I could see there is a difference in grass, in (the) turf itself. It was a bit softer, I would say, especially around a couple of feet inside and outside, around the baseline area," said Djokovic, a three-time champion at the All England Club. "I haven't had that kind of experience before in Wimbledon, to be honest. I mean, the courts are always perfect here."



Federer followed Djokovic on Centre Court and described it as "a tad slippery" after losing his footing during one point in a victory over Mischa Zverev, who also took a tumble.

"But I didn't feel like it was unsafe," said Federer, who has won seven of his record 18 major titles at Wimbledon.

"Maybe you don't want players to feel that way, because the moment you become scared of moving properly, it's really difficult to play, I must admit. The last thing we want to see is horrible injuries."



Some players voiced concerns about the court conditions over the opening week, including Kristina Mladenovic of France and Alison Riske of the United States, who each fell early during their second-round match on Court 18 on Thursday.

Riske, who won the match, said afterward that the dirt "is like ice."



Measurements taken throughout Wimbledon's first week show the grass courts are as healthy as they have been in recent years, according to Neil Stubley, the head of courts and horticulture at the All England Club.

"We looked at the baselines and the areas that they thought there was an issue," Stubley said. "We didn't feel there was. The Grand Slam supervisor and assistant referee didn't believe that there was either. When you look at the comparisons of other courts ... They were in or around the same condition as the other courts."



Very little rain has fallen over the first six days of the tournament, which Stubley said led to more wear on the courts.

Still, although he acknowledged the courts are under stress, he said there's "not a doubt" they will hold up throughout Wimbledon's second week.

"Because we have daily monitoring, we can keep a very tight rein on everything," he said. "It never gets to the point where it's ever going to get away from us because we're on top of it every single day."



Still, Djokovic was sure that something wasn't quite the same as in the past.

"I'm sure they know what they're doing. They know their job the best in the world. But you can see that there is a slight difference in the quality of the grass," he said. "This year seems like it's a bit softer."



Noted Federer: "They have time to figure out how they're going to prep (the courts) for Monday.

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Following are the top stories from the northern region at 2115 HRS:



DEL46 JK-LD NORMALCY



Srinagar: After two days of restrictions and strike, life in Kashmir returns to normal and the authorities restore all internet services which had been suspended in view of the first death anniversary of Hizbul Mujahideen "commander" Burhan Wani.

DEL2 JK-ATTACK



Srinagar: A CRPF jawan injured in a grenade attack by militants on a security forces' camp in Tral area of Pulwama district in Kashmir, police say.

DES13 GST-CHIEF



New Delhi: A key intelligence agency tasked with checking evasion of Goods and Services Tax (GST) gets its new chief. Senior bureaucrat John Joseph has been appointed Director General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence.

DES1 RJ-CURRENCY



Jaipur: The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Rajasthan Police detain three persons after Rs 2.76 crore in demonetised currency was allegedly recovered from their possession.

DES31 UP-MAURYA



Allahabad: Road development in Uttar Pradesh is likely to receive a major boost with the conversion of more than 100 state and district roads into national highways, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya says.

DES6 HRD-GOLWALKAR-NATIONALISM



New Delhi: RSS ideologue MS Golwalkar's views on nationalism have been "misunderstood and maligned" and need to be put in "correct" perspective, according to a body affiliated to the HRD ministry. By Gunjan Sharma



DES5 UP-YOGI-FILM



Gorakhpur (UP): Yogi Adityanath's spiritual leanings are well known but not many are aware that the chief minister is a writer at heart who provided the story concept and theme of a film based on the guru of Baba Gorakhnath. By Sangita Bakaya



DES16 UP-AMBULANCE-BODY



Banda (UP): A family in Banda district forced to carry a body of their relative on a rickshaw for postmortem after health officials allegedly refuse to provide an ambulance, in yet another incident of apathy to the poor.

DES17 CIC-HUDCO-GIFTS



New Delhi: The Central Information Commission asks the state-run HUDCO to disclose the details of those who have received the ostentatious Mont Blanc pens, iPhones and iPads as gifts from the CMD of the housing finance body in the last three years.

DES25 DL-GORKHA-PROTEST



New Delhi: With a 110-metre long national flag, Gorkhaland supporters march in the national capital to reinforce their demand for a separate state and the immediate imposition of President's Rule in West Bengal.

DES35 NCR-NEPALESE WOMAN MOLEST



Gurgaon: A Nepalese woman was allegedly molested by three persons at a night club at MG Road here and her husband brutally beaten up by the trio when he tried to intervene in the matter, police say.

NRG22 DL-WOMAN RAPE



New Delhi: A 38-year-old woman allegedly raped by a man on the pretext of helping her get a job following which the accused has been arrested here.

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Following are the top stories from the western region at 1700 hrs.

BES 2 MH-MOLESTATION-ARREST



Mumbai: Police arrests a 57-year-old yoga teacher for allegedly molesting a woman during his classes in Sewri here.

BES 3 CG-CHEATING-ARREST



Raigarh: A BJP worker arrested for allegedly duping his colleague on the false promise of giving a government job to his wife by claiming to be the representative of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh.

LGB 1 MH-COURT-MURDER



Thane: Thane court acquits four persons, including the wife of builder Jagdish Varma, who was killed here in 2013, for want of sufficient evidence.

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A 42-year-old Frenchman suspected of plotting attacks with two Belgian brothers was charged with terror offences today, a judicial source said.

The suspect was identified as Salah Ghemit, who was known to authorities before his arrest, and was charged with arms possession and having links to extremist groups, the source said.

Ghemit is believed to be connected to Akim and Khalid Saouti, two brothers charged in Brussels on Wednesday with belonging to a "terrorist group". They were believed to be planning an attack with a large stash of weapons including Kalashnikov rifles.

The pair, arrested in the Brussels suburb of Anderlecht, are brothers of convicted jihadist Said Saouti, a member of the Kamikaze Riders, a notorious bikers' club based in the Belgian capital.

Last year, Saouti was jailed for six years for recruiting people to jihadist organisations and supporting the Islamic State (IS) group on social media.

A source close to the probe said authorities feared the three men were planning "an imminent attack in France or Belgium."



The French suspect has previously been jailed four times for acts of violence and theft and was put under surveillance after leaving prison in May 2015 where he was believed to have been radicalised.

He was then observed making several trips to Belgium, where he met the Saouti brothers with all of them seen handling bags at a garage in Anderlecht.

One of the bags they were seen handling was found at the French suspect's home, containing several kilos of jewels, the source said. Investigators also found jihadist propaganda and footage of suicide attacks on his computer.

Investigators from a joint Franco-Belgian operation had on Wednesday confirmed arresting a 42-year-old man just outside Lille on suspicion of links to the Kamikaze Riders who was planning a "violent attack".

France and Belgium have suffered a string of deadly attacks claimed by the Islamic State group in recent years.

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The Haryana government is contemplating a policy to reward the farmers who grow crops other than water-guzzling ones like paddy, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said today about the move aimed at water conservation.

Amounts ranging from Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 per acre will be given to the farmers implementing the policy, he said.

"For the first time in 30 years, success has been achieved in delivering water to the tail end in areas like Bahal and Loharu.

Several schemes have been implemented by the government to promote micro irrigation. The government has increased the irrigation budget by 20 per cent this year," he said while addressing a public meeting at Rakhi Garhi village.

Khattar also announced the Industrial Training Institutes would be renamed as Kaushal Vikas Kendra (KVK) in the state.

He said 800 courses would be provided in these centres to make the youth eligible for employment.

"Unemployed youths are being given a monthly salary of Rs 9,000 in lieu of 100 hours of work under the Saksham Yuva scheme," he said.

He urged the youth to prepare themselves for self employment.

The chief minister alleged that opposition parties were misleading people about the Pradhan Mantri crop insurance scheme.

He informed that by paying only 1.5 to 2 per cent premium, farmers are getting insurance cover from Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000.

Khattar said the compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre was recommended in the Swaminathan Commission's report, but in the first year after coming to power in October 2014, the state government has made it Rs 12,000 per acre.

"Earlier, the previous Congress government paid Rs 6,000 per acre compensation," he said.

The chief minister said an international fruit market would be set up on 600 acres of land at Gannaur to enable the farmers engaged in horticulture to get a bigger market to sell their produce.

Meanwhile, Khattar announced that the Siwani region will be included in Hisar district.

"For the past 21 years, people of Siwani town and surrounding villages were demanding their inclusion in Hisar district instead of Bhiwani," he added.

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Global healthcare company GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd is investing Rs 1,000 crore in a new state-of-the-art pharmaceutical unit in Karnataka and is looking at enhancing its global pipeline in areas like respiratory drugs and vaccines in India.

"We are investing Rs 1,000 crore in a new state-of-the- art pharmaceutical factory in Vemgal, Karnataka. The factory will initially supply a range of solid dose form products. The factory will commence production in 2018 and produce more than 8 billion tablets and 1 billion capsules a year," the company said in its annual report.

"We will focus on securing reliable supply of our high- quality medicines to patients through our manufacturing facility in Nashik, Maharashtra and our upcoming facility in Vemgal, Karnataka. We will continue to bring the best of our innovative global pipeline in areas like respiratory and vaccines to our patients in India," India managing director A Vaidheesh said.

The company is assessing new products from its global respiratory and vaccines pipeline and reviewing these for a possible launch in India. In addition, it is also reviewing complementary inorganic opportunities, the company said, adding that nearly 30 per cent of global pharmaceutical volumes sold by is sold in the country.

The drug major is also upgrading its existing Nashik facility. In compliance with the respiratory free strategy and the WHO requirement for the segregated manufacturing of hormonal products, GSK India has invested Rs 115 crore to construct a dedicated facility for the manufacturing of Eltroxin. The new eltroxin facility will be fully operational in 2018.

The company said it continues to enjoy a leadership position in many of the therapy areas in which it provides solutions to patients. Six of the company's brands feature in the top-50 IPM brand list, namely Augmentin, Calpol, Zinetac, Betnovate-N, Betnovate-C and Synflorix. The company has also taken initiatives to re-engineer its business model to maintain competitive margins, it said.

GSK India strives to derive profitable volume growth in a competitive and partly price-controlled generic market by focusing on delivering quality products. It is also enhancing its technological capabilities to optimise its medical and field force engagement with healthcare professionals.

The company welcomed the government's move of doctors prescribing low-cost generic medicines.

The company also applauds the government's efforts to ensure the quality of generic drugs approved by the state FDAs.

"We understood that these may now require bio-equivalence studies to be conducted for all drugs for category II and category IV of the biopharmaceutical classification system.

"However, we urge that such quality assurance measures should be extended to existing licensed generics also in the interests of patients. In addition, there should be an emphasis on adherence to global manufacturing standard certified by the World Health Organisation," it said.

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Tamil Nadu match manufacturers association today called off their over seven-day-old strike against the levy of 18 percent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on their products following an assurance given by the state government that their concerns would be raised at the GST council.

Around 300 match manufacturing units were on strike in Tuticorin and Virudhunagar districts against the 18 per cent GST imposed on both mechanised and semi-mechanised units matches.

The Vice President of the National Match Manufacturers Association T Raju told reporters here that they were temporarily calling off the stir on an assurance from State Minister Kadambur C Raju that their plea would be taken up with the GST council, he said.

The decision was also taken considering the huge losses incurred by the industry and the plight of the workers, he added.

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The ideologies and principles that Indians believe in and due to which the country is united, are under threat, the Opposition's presidential nominee Meira Kumar claimed today adding that she has asked MPs and MLAs to vote according to their conscience.

Here to seek support from the National Conference (NC), Congress and independent legislators in her bid to get elected to the country's highest office, Kumar said the opposition wanted to make the poll - an election of principles.

"These are the principles which are close to my heart and to the hearts of most of the people of this country. India is united because we believe in these principles. There are so many religions in the country, so many cultures, ideologies and languages, but despite that, the country is united only because of these principles," she said.

Kumar said that the presidential poll was an opportunity to stop a "danger that is lurking against the principles and the ideologies" on which the country was based.

"Since some time now, a danger is lurking on these principles and ideologies and if that is not stopped immediately, then it is possible that the coming days will be lost in the dark." she claimed.

So, the presidential poll was thought as a good opportunity to tell the people of the country that there are people to talk about the things they believe in since centuries, Kumar said.

"Seventeen parties have come together to tell you that," she said.

Kumar said that she had written letters to all the members of the collegium - the MPs and the MLAs - irrespective of the parties or the states they belong to and told them that this was a historic opportunity to take a decision to make the country move forward and make a new India according to new thinking in real sense.

She said that when such historic decisions are to be taken, the voice of the conscience has to be heard.

"So, I have appealed to them to listen to the voice of their conscience and support me," she said.

Asked how confident she was of the numbers, Kumar said "I think the numbers are immaterial before the voice of the conscience".

Kumar is pitted against NDA's Ram Nath Kovind in the presidential poll, voting for which will take place on July 17.

"The President has to totally apolitical. This post is above politics. But the process of election to this post is political, because political parties have nominated both the candidates, so this whole process is political.

"But once someone becomes the President, it is expected, he may or may not do so, but it is expected from them to become apolitical and rise above the narrow considerations of politics," she said.

Asked about Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar not supporting her, Kumar replied that "this happens in life and most often in politics that some friends have such thinking".

Questioned whether she would make an appeal to him and other such parties, who were not part of the either the NDA or the UPA, Kumar said she has appealed all.

"I just said that I have written to all the honourable members of the collegium regardless of their party affiliation, regardless of what states they come from," she said.

The former Lok Sabha Speaker said she wants an atmosphere of peace to return to Jammu and Kashmir.

"It (Kashmir) is a beautiful place and as they say it is heaven on earth. The people here are angels as well. I have been coming here and have seen a very beautiful Kashmir. The people are not only beautiful in their looks, but at heart also. I want peace and calm here as soon as possible," she said.

Addressing the media, NC president and Member of Parliament, Farooq Abdullah, said the opposition had come together to stop communalism in the country.

"We have come together to stop the current situation in the country where communalism is on the rise. We pray to God to make the country stronger where people of every religion and language live with dignity. This (presidential election) is a fight for that," he said.

Win or loss is in the hands of God, but we all have vowed to fight for bringing back those principles this country was based on, Abdullah said.

We congratulate her that she has taken this burden on her shoulders, he said referring to Kumar.

"This burden is not just for the presidential polls, but she has to shoulder this responsibility in the future as well and take this country out of these difficulties," Abdullah said.

Earlier, Kumar addressed a joint meeting of legislators and senior leaders of NC and Congress. CPI(M) MLA M Y Tarigami was also present in the meeting.

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The Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Acharya Devvrat, today urged people to shed "orthodox mindset" and "rise above casteism" to make India the most developed nation.

Devvrat, addressing a gathering at Gaiety Theatre here, said conservative thinking is not allowing us to achieve the goals of development which can be accomplished with unity and brotherhood.

He said there should be no discrimination within human beings as it leads to bitterness in the society.

"No such discrimination was witnessed in our old culture and it was during the middle age that the seeds of casteism and creed were sown in our society," he said.

The Himachal governor said this kind of "narrow mindedness" can be a "serious threat" to the unity and integrity of the nation and urged that it be weeded out.

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Two persons were injured when activists of a pro-Hindu outfit and a group of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees allegedly clashed over a petty dispute on the city outskirts, police said today.

A Hindu Munnani Coimbatore Rural Secretary Ramesh and one of the refugees were injured in the incident that occurred around midnight yesterday at Boluvapatti, they said adding both had been hospitalised.

Police said a Hindu Munnai worker in the area had intervened when two groups of the refugees clashed over a dispute while playing volleyball in their camp.

Angered over his interference, some refugees allegedly assaulted him.

Hearing about this, a group of Hindu Munnani functionaries and workers rushed to the spot and questioned the refugees, resulting in a clash between them.

In the melee, Ramesh suffered sickle injuries on his head. A refugee also was injured in the clash, police said.

Police personnel have been deployed in and around the camp and investigations were on, they added.

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India is actively trying to join the export control regimes, the Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia Group, notwithstanding China's attempts to stonewall its bid to enter the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

An official said work on applying for a membership of the Wassenaar Arrangement had begun.

An entry into the two groups can help strengthen India's non-proliferation credentials and build up a strong case for it as the country seeks an entry into the 48-member NSG.

The government also recently approved SCOMET (Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment, and Technologies) items, mandatory under the Wassernaar Arrangement.

Through the revised list of items, India also seeks to send a message about its larger commitment to non- proliferation.

Twenty-eight states are common members of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the Australia Group, the Wassenaar Agreement and the NSG -- the four non-proliferation groups.

India is a member of the 35-member MTCR, which it joined last year. Membership in Wassenaar and Australia Group would give India a chance for a closer interaction with member- states and also hold up its credentials, despite not being a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Membership to these groups is by consensus, as in the NSG.

Indian had applied for NSG membership last year, but its bid is primarily being blocked by China, which maintains that the signing the NPT is a prerequisite for entry into the bloc.

Neither China nor Pakistan is a member of either of the two groups.

Rakesh Sood, a former special envoy of the Prime Minister for disarmament and non-proliferation, said India had been working with these export control regimes.

A team from the 41-nation Wassenaar Arrangement had visited New Delhi early this year, he said.

Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, head of nuclear and space initiative at the Observer Research Foundation, said entry into the Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia Group would help remove "scepticism" about India's NSG bid among some nations, which are still on the "edge".

"India's membership to the NSG still looks very uncertain at this point of time due to the stiff opposition from China. In the meantime, its membership in other groups will give India additional opportunities to interact with the countries who are members of all four non-proliferation groups," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Indian Army is ready for a long haul in holding onto its position in the Dokalam area near the Bhutan tri-junction, notwithstanding China ratcheting up rhetoric against India demanding pulling back of its troops.

The Indian soldiers deployed in the disputed area have pitched in tents, in an indication that they are unlikely to retreat unless there was reciprocity from China's PLA personnel in ending the face-off at an altitude of around 10,000 feet in the Sikkim section.

A steady line of supplies is being maintained for the soldiers at the site, official sources said, signalling that Indian Army is not going to wilt under any pressure from China.

At the same time they sounded confident of finding a diplomatic solution to the dispute, citing resolution of border skirmishes in the past through diplomacy.

Though China has been aggressively asserting that it was not ready for any "compromise" and that the "ball is in India's court", the view in the security establishment here is that there cannot be any unilateral approach in defusing the tension.

Both the countries had agreed to a mechanism in 2012 to resolve border flare ups through consultations at various levels.

The mechanism has not worked so far in the current case as the standoff near the Bhutan trijunction, triggered by China's attempt to build a road in the strategically important area, has dragged on for over three weeks.

New Delhi has already conveyed to China that such an action would represent a significant change of status quo with "serious" security implications for India. The road link could give China a major military advantage over India.

Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

China and Bhutan are engaged in talks over the resolution of the dispute in the area. India argues that since it is a tri-junction involving the three countries, it also has a say in the issue, specially in the backdrop of 2012 agreement between special representatives of the two countries, that have till now held 19 rounds of talks.

Bhutan has no diplomatic ties with China. As a close friend and neighbour, Bhutan enjoys diplomatic and military support from India.

Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.

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An Indian-origin 'wealthy' businessman in the UK has submitted plans for a new third runway at Heathrow airport, claiming to lower costs by five- billion pounds, a media report said today.

Surinder Arora, a hotel tycoon, has put his proposal to the government's public consultation on Heathrow.

Ministers have expressed a preference for the airport's plans for a new runway and terminal costing 17.5 billion pounds, BBC reported.

Heathrow said it was already considering some of the ideas, and wanted to lower the cost too, the report said.

Arora Group's proposals include changing the design of terminal buildings and taxiways, and reducing the amount of land it is built on, it said.

Arora said: "We want passengers to be at the heart of our plans and the current monopoly at Heathrow, which over-charges airlines and in turn raises fares for passengers, is not the right model for the future. Heathrow needs competition and innovation which puts passengers and airlines at the heart of the expansion project".

"One of the options we have proposed to the government includes a possible shift of the runway so that it does not impact on the M25 and M4, as we know the M25 junction being affected threatens the deliverability of the whole project.

"We appreciate this is a politically sensitive issue but it is merely an option with additional savings of 1.5 billion pounds, whereas the rest of our proposals save up to 5.2 billion pounds (USD 6.44 billion) without the need to amend the runway location," Arora said.

Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways' owner IAG, welcomed the proposals and said: "The government should look closely at Arora's proposal as it would significantly reduce costs."



British Airways is Heathrow's biggest customer.

An airport spokeswoman said: "Heathrow's expansion proposals are supported by the government and have widespread cross-party political, business and union support".

"We continue to develop our plans to improve passenger experience, reduce the impact on local communities and lower the cost so we deliver expansion at close to current charges.

"Some of the options we are looking at sound similar to those suggested in this submission, and we will welcome views on these in the public consultation later this year," the spokeswoman said.

Construction will not begin for at least three years, and it could be delayed by legal challenges over the runway's environmental impact.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "The government has made it clear that it believes a new north-west runway at Heathrow is the best scheme to deliver the economic and connectivity benefits this country needs.

"New capacity will increase competition between airlines resulting in lower fares for passengers," the spokesperson said.

The Department for Transport has estimated a new runway at Heathrow would bring economic benefits to passengers and the wider economy worth up to 61 billion pounds, and create as many as 77,000 additional local jobs over the next 14 years.

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JD(U) national General Secretary K C Tyagi, who was on his way to attend a 'mahapanchayat' at Mandola village, was detained at Sonia Vihar here today.

The district administration had yesterday said that it will not permit any political party to stage a protest at the construction site of a housing project in Mandola village.

The locals had called for the mahapanchayat to press their demand for an increase in compensation amount for their land.

Speaking to reporters at police lines here, the JD(U) leader and Rajya Sabha member termed the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government as "anti-farmers" and one trying to "mute voices of cultivators".

He said the state government was intending to create "Mandsaur-like situation" here.

Tyagi said the cultivators' demand for increased compensation will be raised in the Upper House.

Additional District Magistrate (executive) Gyandra Singh said motorcade of the JD(U) leader was stopped at the border of Soinya Vihar Loni.

"Tyagi was detained and brought to police lines. Later on he and his supporters were released," he said.

On the other hand, SDM Loni, Atul Kumar said the agitating farmers have agreed for a dialogue with the administration.

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Mango growers of Uttar Pradesh have suffered losses this year due to poor production owing to adverse weather conditions.

"This year mango production will be between 10 lakh tonnes to 15 lakh tonnes only. There is 70 per cent drop in mango production as compared to previous year. The exports from UP are also negligible as due to low production, mango growers are not able to export it", President All India Mango Growers Association (AIMGA) Insram Ali told PTI.

"Some mango growers are exporting, but the total export will be very less", he said.

"Last year there was bumper production of about 44 lakh tonnes mangoes. But this year production has gone down by one-third," Ali said.

Last year, due to bumper produce, the juicy mangoes were in the reach of common man and the rates hovered between just Rs 20-40 a kg but this year it is over Rs 50 per kg.

The mango belts in Uttar Pradesh, which include Lucknow (Lucknow, Malihabad, Bakshi-ka-Talaab), Saharanpur and Sambhal-Amroha-Muzaffarnagar districts had registered poor flowering this season due to which mango lovers abroad had to be disappointed, he said.

In Uttar Pradesh, mango is produced in 2.5 lakh hectare.

Popular varieties like chausa, dashehari, fazli, gulab khas, langra, mallika and amrapali are produced in the state.

Renowned mango grower Haji Kalimullaha Khan, a Padamshri awardee and known for developing a rare technique for growing more than 300 varieties of mangoes of different shapes, sizes and hues on one tree, said there was a decline in mango production this year.

The Lucknow belt, which produces world famous Dussehri mangoes besides langda and chausa, alone comprises 30-40 per cent of the state's annual mango production.

During 2010, the total arrival of mango in the market from Lucknow region was roughly 87,000 tonnes. The corresponding figures for 2008 and 2009 stood at 52,000 tonnes and 34,000 tonnes, respectively, official sources said.

Delhi is the biggest market for Uttar Pradesh mangoes, followed by Punjab.

About the state government's 3-day mango festival which ended yesterday, Ali said, "The event was just a show off and hardly benefited mango growers".

A three-day mango festival was organised by the UP tourism department to promote mango growers and mango product manufacturers.

The mouth-watering biryani synonymous with the City of Nawabs acquired a fruity flavour with a dash of mango during the festival.

Aam biryani, murg-aam and aam-murg korma were among the many other dishes prepared from mango, the king of fruits.

A number of other dishes prepared from mango like aam malai tikka, aam shahi paneer and aam kaleji were also displayed on the table at the event.

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India and Israel both survive in a very hostile neighbourhood and with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden visit to the Jewish country, the two democracies are seeing a new high in relations.

The one big lesson India needs to learn from Israel is to rise again from failures.

Israel is also referred to as a 'start-up nation'. Modi gave a clarion call that India should also 'start up and stand up'.

Modi says "innovation is the biggest goal towards the route of development. Israel has always promoted innovation and technology."



The one big thing that differentiates the Indian and Israeli innovation system is way the Israelis accept failure, and failed entrepreneurs are not stigmatised.

In the past, India and Israel have not looked eye-to-eye. For decades India was leaning towards Palestine and the relationship got transformed during the Kargil conflict, when Israel came to India's rescue by supplying sophisticated weapons which helped push back the Pakistani infiltrators in the Kargil zone.

Since then, the relationship has grown by leaps and bounds.

India launched an Israeli spy satellite, TecSAR, in 2008. India also bought a similar satellite from Israel, RISAT-2, to keep an eye on its hostile neighbours, this was cooperation at the government level.

After the visit by Modi, the space agencies of the two countries can now start cooperating in earnest now.

Today Israel is a power house of high technology. If India's mission to succeed as 'Start Up' country has to go forward there is a lot to learn from the original 'Start Up Nation' Israel.

Many lessons need to be learnt like from seeing the working of one of the top ten most successful venture capital companies JVP, a technology powerhouse.

Located in the heart of the Negev Desert where nothing grows, JVP Cyber Labs is rated one of the best. It nurtured infant ideas and in the last few years it helped create 120 companies worth USD 1.3 billion.

But, what gives Israel a unique start up ecosystem?



YoavTzruya, Partner at JVP Cyber Labs at Beer Sheva in Israel said, "One of the basic cultural differences that exist in Israel as a start up nation is how we look at failure. In Israel we do not penalise failure per se. We look at the entrepreneurs, who created their companies that failed, as people who have gained from their experience."



"We have been asked by many countries around the world to replicate it, the successful model of innovation, and always culture was an obstacle. People that founded start up and failed were looked down upon. It is critical actually to embrace failure, learn from it rather than look down upon it," he said.

Israel nurtures the start-up environment. Incubators are set up by the Israeli government, which used to give USD 600,000 risk free loan to promising starts ups.

If companies fail they don't need to pay back the loan but if they succeed they pay back a 3 per cent annual royalty.

Israel is an acknowledged world leader in the use of solar and water technology.

Israel is a very dry country. Unlike India it is not blessed by the monsoons which bring bountiful rain for us. Israel may lack in rain, but the country has deployed high technology to catch every drop, even waste water is fully recycled. Today Israel is using water as a weapon of peace.

Pipes are Israel's weapons of defence against perpetual water shortage. Invented in Israel, drip irrigation is the most common thing in the country.

This spectacular success story has been emulated worldwide, where by drop by drop water is supplied to the roots of the plants. Every litre of water irrigates almost 10 times more area than in India.

In the Middle East, it is not just oil that is inflammable, countries have gone to war over water. The lack of water is cause for constant tension but sharing technology could offer solutions.

Abraham Tenne, till recently chairman, Water Development Agency said, "Israel is a leader in water technologies. Today water is a bridge for peace and not a target for war. Israel is teaching its neighbours, Jordan and Palestine, techniques for saving water."



In Israel, it is a miracle seeing first-hand how the desert is blooming ever since Israel started using precision agriculture. Israel and India have a deep cooperation in the field of horticulture, with many farmers in Punjab and Gujarat beginning to use Israeli technology.

Juicy red tomatoes, coloured bell peppers are all grown in the deserts of Israel. The sun and sand of desert is fertilised with recycled water to bring about a green revolution in the parched soils.

Lior Paster, water engineer, Igudanwater for agriculture facility said, "We collect sewage of 2.5 million people and treat it and send it to the south in good quality for agricultural use, appropriate for crops, vegetables, fruits and flowers."



Despite Israel's love for high technology, it has not permitted any genetically modified crop to be grown by its farmers.

Today Israel exports fruits, vegetables and flowers to Europe from its parched landscape.

Jack Gilron of Zukerbrg Institute for Water Research, SedeBoqer, said, "Israel is very water scarce. In the last 15 years, we drought-proofed the country using enough sea water desalination to take care of two-thirds of our domestic needs. We recycle 70 per cent of our municipal waste water for agriculture."



"Between those two actions we have protected our country from drought. There are lot of companies here in Israel which are looking to collaborate with India in the area of water treatment and protecting water resources."



There are many lessons that India could learn from Israel. One big lesson being learning to accept failure as a stepping stone to success.

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At least 19 people were killed in separate incidents of lightning strike in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, while the flood situation in Assam deteriorated today as a fresh death took the toll to 26.

In the national capital, however, it was a hot and humid day with the minimum and maximum temperatures settling above normal levels.

The maximum temperature was recorded at 38.5 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal, while the minimum settled at 29.6 degrees Celsius, two degrees Celsius above normal.

Humidity levels oscillated between 87 and 42 per cent.

One more person lost his life in Karimganj district of Assam, taking the flood-related toll in the state to 26, while nearly five lakh people are hit across 15 districts.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, 1,096 villages were inundated and nearly 41,200 hectares of crop area have been damaged in the floods.

Currently, the Brahmaputra river is flowing above the danger mark at Nimatighat in Jorhat, Tezpur in Sonitpur, along with Dibrugarh, Goalpara and Dhubri towns.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and assured him of all central help.

In Bihar, at least 16 people died and two others got injured in lightning strikes in seven districts, where light rainfall occured in some areas. One or two places in the northeast parts witnessed heavy rainfall.

Five people died in Vaishali district, three each in Patna and Bhojpur, two in Saran and one each in Rohtas, Nalanda and Araria districts, an official said.

Besides, two persons were injured in Bhojpur district. Patna recorded the highest rainfall of 48 mm, followed by 3 mm in Bhagalpur and 0.6 mm in Gaya.

With several parts of Uttar Pradesh receiving heavy rains, water levels in major rivers have started rising with Ghaghra and Sharda flowing above the danger mark at some places.

According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), Sharda river was flowing above the danger mark at Shardanagar, while the Ghagra was flowing above the danger mark at Elgin Bridge and Ayodhya.

Other rivers which have been rising include Rapti, Kwano and Burhi Rapti.

Heavy rains have lashed some parts of the state with Bhinga recording 75 mm, Ayodhya 55 mm, Bansi 41.4 mm, Palliakalan 23.8 mm rainfall.

In Ballia district, at least three people were killed and four others injured in a lightning strike.

Rajasthan received light to moderate rain in some parts, while Churu was recorded as the hottest place with a maximum of 42.2 degrees Celsius.

Bharatpur, Jaipur, Udaipur, Kota and Ajmer divisions received rain while the mercury made an upward swing at most places since yesterday.

Rains eluded most parts of Himachal Pradesh as the monsoon remained weak and the lower hills continued to reel under sultry weather while the sky remained overcast in the state capital that witnessed drizzle in the evening.

In Punjab and Haryana, too, sultry weather conditions prevailed at most places in the absence of any significant rainfall as the arrival of southwest monsoon got a bit delayed.

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Czech director Valclav Kadrnka's psychological drama "Little Crusader" won the Grand Prix at the 52nd edition of the Karlovy Vary international film festival.

Set in the past, the film features Karel Roden as as a knight forced to confront his own deepest inner fears when his young son goes missing after running away from home inspired by stories of the Crusades.

It is the first time in 15 years that the festival's famous Crystal Globe for main prize has gone to a Czech film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Slovakian filmmaker Peter Bebjak received the best director honour for "The Line", about a cigarette smuggling syndicate that works the Ukrainian border with Slovakia.

While, best actress trophy was jointly shared by Jowita Budnik and Eliane Umuhire for their roles in Polish feature "Birds Are Singing in Kigali".

Alexander Yatsenko won the best actor award for his role in Boris Khlebnikov's "Arrhythmia".

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A man, who police claimed was a sympathiser of right-wing outfits, was attacked by some people on a motorbike at Kuthar near here, days after an RSS activist was fatally stabbed at Bantwal.

Tension prevailed in the area following the attack.

Chiranjeevi (24) was riding home on a two-wheeler after a workout in a gym last night when three people attacked him from behind with sharp-edged weapons and fled from the spot, police said.

The victim, however, managed to reach a nearby hospital on his bike and called up some friends for help before collapsing there, they said.

According to hospital sources Chiranjeevi was currently out of danger.

Police said the victim was a sympathiser of right-wing organisations, including the RSS, but not an activist.

Police Commissioner T R Suresh and other top police officials have visited the crime spot and the hospital.

RSS worker Sarath's death on Friday following an attack on him at Bantwal on July 4 had created tension in the district, where prohibitory orders were in force.

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A Kolkata-bound passenger was apprehended at the airport here today for allegedly concealing two swiss knives in his shoes.

The incident was reported around 10:00 am when CISF officials detected some metal objects while frisking the passenger, identified as P Ghosh.

Ghosh was asked to remove his shoes which were placed on the X-ray screening system. It revealed that a knife was concealed in each shoe, officials said.

Ghosh and his three companions were handed over to police, they said.

The four hail from Tripura.

Police were trying to ascertain the motive of the passenger for carrying the knives, they said.

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A man was tied to a tree and beaten by five people for allegedly having an affair with a married woman in the Mavanda Kala village of Sikar district, police said today.

Mahipal Saini, a resident of Jatala village, had gone to Mavanda Kala village to meet the 25-year-old woman yesterday.

The couple was caught by the woman's in-laws who then thrashed them and tied Saini to a tree last night.

Saini was today rescued after villagers informed the police about the incident.

"We have booked the woman's husband Shankar Lal along with Bhagwana Ram, Umrao, Ranjeet and Ashok under relevant sections of the IPC on a complaint lodged by her, acting SHO Neem Ka Thana Sadar, Bheem Singh said.

The couple was taken to a hospital for treatment and medical examination, Bheem Singh said.

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Patna witnessed moderate rainfall today making the weather pleasant with the Met department predicting heavy rainfall across Bihar in the next 48 hours.

A bulletin from the Met office said light rainfall occurred at some parts of Bihar, while heavy rainfall occurred at one or two places in north east parts of the state.

Patna recorded the highest rainfall of 48 mm today, followed by 3 mm in Bhagalpur and 0.6 mm in Gaya, it said.

The highest maximum temperature was recorded in Patna at 35.4 degrees Celsius, followed by 33.9 deg C in Gaya, 32.5 deg C in Bhagalpur and 32.3 deg C in Purnea, the bulletin said.

The Met department has forecast heavy rainfall across the entire state in the next 48 hours.

Patna may witness generally cloudy sky with intermittent rains tomorrow and Gaya may have moderate rains, the bulletin said.

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are the "educationally most disadvantaged community" among the minorities, a panel formed by a government-funded agency has said, advocating a three-tier model to tackle the educational backwardness.

The panel has recommended that the communities be empowered through a three-tier model of institutions--central schools, community colleges and national institutes. It suggests the creation of infrastructure to proffer education at primary, secondary and tertiary levels by opening 211 schools, 25 community colleges and five national institutes.

It has suggested the proposed schools could follow the Kendriya Vidyalaya or Navodaya Vidyalaya pattern while the community colleges may be based on open access model.

When contacted, Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told PTI the recommendations are in line with the government campaign to empower the minorities educationally.

"We are currently studying the report. We will figure out the components which can be easily implemented. We will try to implement the do-ables from the next academic year," he added.

On December 29 last year, the Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) had formed the 11-member committee with Afzal Amanullah, former secretary with the government, as its convenor.

The MAEF is a non-profit and non-political social services organisation funded by the ministry.

"The educationally most disadvantaged community among minorities in India are the . They are lagging behind in literacy, enrolments and in successful completion of courses at primary, secondary and tertiary levels," the committee has observed in the report.

According to the 2011 Census data, literacy rate among was 68.53 per cent against the national average of 72.98 per cent. The difference in enrolment rate for Muslims (74 per cent) and the remaining population (83 per cent) is also "sharp", the panel said.

"We feel the three-tier model...Would have a very positive and salutary effect in tackling the educational backwardness of the minorities and getting their children into the mainstream where they become proud contributors to the development of our nation," it said.

The committee has suggested national institutes-- different from the university system and IITs/IIMs-- should be established through an Act of Parliament.

It has proposed establishing 211 central schools: one in each minority concentrated block of the 167 identified minority-dominant and concentrated districts.

The remaining 44 are proposed to be established in minority-dominant and concentrated cities.

The schools should have sufficient infrastructure like buildings, classrooms, library, laboratory and facilities such as mess, it has recommended.

They will be co-educational, will give free education and follow the CBSE curriculum from class I to XII with three streams of education - arts, science and commerce.

The community colleges will charge low tuition fees and are proposed to provide tertiary education opportunities in arts, commerce, science and skill-based courses like health sciences, hospitality, textile and leather technology, fashion designing and media industry.

The community colleges would be set up one each in 25 states and enhance the employability of its students, the reports has said.

The national institutes are proposed to be set up for providing education in areas such as science and technology, health and allied sciences, architecture planning and design, climate change and disaster management and renewable energy and food security.

These will offer programmes of masters, doctoral and post-doctoral levels and their research infrastructure is envisioned to be at par with international standards, it has suggested.

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With the Supreme Court being told that the vault 'B' of the historic Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, one of the richest shrines in the country, should be opened, a debate has taken flight in Kerala over the matter.

While a member of the erstwhile Travancore royal family, Ashwati Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi, said they were against the opening of the vault 'B' as it was "against the god's will", another member, Aditya Varma, today said the family would not blindly oppose it.

Gowri Lakshmi Bayi maintained that the vault had never been opened and only its ante-chamber had been opened earlier.

Varma though said the decision of the Thantri (the head priest) on the matter was final.

"The final word rests with the Thantri. We will not oppose," he told a television channel.

Meanwhile, Devaswom Minister Kadakkampally Surendran said that as the matter was before the apex court, the royal family could inform it about its anxiety.

He added that the report of the amicus curiae (an impartial adviser to a court of law in a particular case) that the vault 'B' was opened earlier, was unlikely to be wrong.

The minister also said he did not know the reason for the royal family's opposition to the opening of the vault and added that the government was ready to hold discussions with them in this regard.

Coming down heavily on the royal family, veteran CPI(M) leader V S Achutanandan said those who feared the opening of the vault were to be suspected.

"The B vault should be opened and a stock taken of its belongings as per the recent observations of the Supreme Court," he said.

When the matter had come up before the apex court last week, senior counsel Gopal Subramanium, who is the amicus curiae in the matter, had told the court that the 'Kallara' (vault) B of the temple should be opened as it was closed "on the apprehension that there is some mystical energy".

He had also said that experts too were of the opinion that the vault should be opened because it had been opened earlier as well.

"Vault 'B' may have more than one chamber... Nothing but useless suspicion is being generated about what is there in the vault," Subramanium had told a division bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar.

The sprawling temple, an architectural splendour in granite, was rebuilt in its present form in the 18th century by the Travancore royals, who had ruled southern Kerala and some adjoining parts of Tamil Nadu, before the integration of the princely state with the Indian Union in 1947.

Even after India's independence, the temple continued to be governed by a trust controlled by the erstwhile royal family, for whom Lord Padmanabha (Vishnu) is the family deity.

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Pakistan today summoned India's deputy high commissioner here for the second consecutive day over alleged ceasefire violations along the LoC, claiming that more civilians were killed in firing by the Indian troops.

Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh was summoned again to "condemn and lodge protest over more civilian casualties at the LoC due to unprovoked ceasefire violations by India," Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement.

The Foreign Office spokesman alleged that three more civilians were killed in Chirikot and Satwal Sectors yesterday by the Indian troops, increasing the total civilian toll to five, including one man and four women.

Director-General (South Asia and SAARC) Mohammad Faisal who summoned Singh "condemned further unprovoked ceasefire violations" by the Indian forces.

He said "the deliberate targeting of civilians is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws."



During the meeting yesterday, Singh had conveyed to Faisal that the ceasefire violations were initiated by Pakistani troops in Poonch and Krishnaghatti sectors and the Indian forces only responded appropriately.

A strong protest was also lodged over the death of two Indian civilians in the yesterday's ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops.

The Director General today urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement; investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations; instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC.

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To cash in on the just rolled-out goods and services tax, which is very positive for the logistics sector, leading logistics player Patel Integrated Logistics has decided to invest over Rs 80 crore to set up 10 warehouses together measuring over 1 million sqft in the key traffic regions.

"Goods and services tax is the best reform that has happened to the logistics industry. As the new tax reform was in the making for long, we have finalised plans to set up as many as 10 warehouses with a built-up space of over one million sqft across the country over the next two years at an investment of over Rs 80 crore," Patel Logistics Chief Financial Officer Mahesh Fogla told PTI over the weekend.

He said the first warehouse is being set up in Bengaluru for which the company has already taken land from the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board on a 99-year lease. "We will invest around Rs 10 crore in this facility which will be ready in a few months."



In the first phase more such facilities will come up in Ahmedabad, Chennai, and Gurgaon this financial year itself, while the second phase, which will begin next year, will see our warehouses in Pune, Mumbai and Hyderabad, Fogla said.

For the Bengaluru facility the company has already secured a Rs 5 crore loan from Sidbi, he said, adding the rest of the funds will be internally managed.

Currently, it has only one warehouse in Chennai, he said, adding new warehouses will be located on 2-3 acres, and will also be on long-term lease ranging from 40 to 99 years.

When asked about the savings deriving from GST, he said the new tax regime that dismantles border check posts will ensure at least 30-40 percent rise in truck trips a month. Now a truck makes around 10 trips a month to Delhi from Mumbai. This can easily be 13-14 trips now, he added.

"Similarly, the savings on fuel will be around 5-10 percent. So we see GST adding at least Rs 3-4 crore savings to us on a monthly basis," Fogla said, adding they have already started hiring more drivers to meet the rising demand.

He also said since GST registration is mandatory to operate now, small unorganised players who have GST registration will have to look for alliances with large players to continue in the business or get merged with them.

GST has increased the taxation on the sector to 5 percent from 4.5 percent earlier but the industry is hurt by the absence of input credit under GST, which it wants the government to rectify, he said.

He expects road transport revenue to rise to 50 from the 40 percent now and accordingly air cargo revenue dipping to 50 percent from 60. Last year, Rs 250 crore of its Rs 450 crore sales came from air cargo segment.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) set to intensify its protest over SYL canal issue tomorrow, the police of the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana have announced traffic diversions on major routes.

"We have reviewed the situation. Sufficient security arrangements have been made for the smooth flow of traffic. Also, four companies of paramilitary forces have reached the state," Haryana DGP B S Sandhu told PTI over phone.

Anticipating disruption in movement of traffic on national and state highways, police have announced traffic diversions on many routes in both the states.

Haryana's main opposition INLD will hold protests at many points from 9 AM to 3 PM tomorrow, including Lalru-Chandigarh Road, Ambala-Shambhu border, Narwana- Dhanauri, Ratia-Budlahada Road (Jakhal point) in Fathehabad district and Dabwali on Haryana-Punjab border.

Punjab Police Patiala Range IG, A S Rai said traffic would be diverted to routes including Ghanaur-Pehowa and Panchkula-Nada Sahib.

"We have deployed nearly 1,000 Punjab Police personnel to maintain law and order. Senior rank police officials, including SPs and DSPs, would also be stationed at key locations," he told PTI.

In the wake of the INLD's protest, Punjab's state-owned transport undertakings--PRTC and Punjab Roadways--have decided not to ply their Haryana and Delhi bound buses tomorrow.

"We have decided to suspend services of 100 buses going towards Haryana and Delhi. The suspension will remain effective from 9 AM till 5 PM tomorrow," Punjab Roadways Managing Director, Bhupinder Rai said.

"No PRTC bus will go to Delhi on July 10 in view of the call given by INLD to stop buses," Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC), MD, M S Narang said.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today lashed out at INLD alleging that they were doing politics on the SYL issue.

"INLD and Congress have no issues, so both the parties just want to save their nearly eroded political existence in the name of farmers and SYL," he said addressing a public gathering at Rakhi Garhi in Hisar district.

Stating that the Supreme Court hearing on the SYL case would be held on July 11, the chief minister noted, "A day before, INLD is doing drama in the name of sealing borders. Will we get the water of SYL by stopping vehicles?"



Haryana Agriculture Minister O P Dhankar said the state's claim on SYL was strong legally and the INLD threat to prevent the entry of Punjab vehicles into Haryana will "not only dent the claim but also spoil the peaceful atmosphere in the state".

INLD has said its General Secretary Abhay Singh Chautala would visit designated protest spots by air to oversee the campaign and encourage workers.

The party led by former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala had asked the Centre and the Haryana government to make immediate announcement on construction of SYL canal and warned that otherwise the "situation in the state may turn bad".

The INLD also lashed out at the BJP-led Haryana government for trying to "scare" party workers by calling in paramilitary forces in the state, and accused the chief minister and his council of ministers of maintaining a "stoic silence" over the river water issue.

"We will not allow any vehicle from Punjab to enter Haryana even if we are lathi-charged or bullets are sprayed on us. We will block the roads completely. We do not care about bullets. We will not hesitate to sacrifice our lives," INLD general secretary and Leader of the Opposition in the Haryana Assembly, Abhay Singh Chautala had said.

However, he said emergency service vehicles like ambulances will not be stopped during the agitation.

Notably, in February, several INLD leaders, including Chautala, were stopped from marching to Punjab to undertake the digging of the SYL canal.

Punjab has been maintaining that it does not have surplus water to share with Haryana.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Mehsana district authorities have cancelled the permission granted earlier to Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani for taking out a march on July 12 to mark a year of the Una Dalit thrashing incident.

Mevani, however, said the 'Azadi Kooch' (Freedom March) would go ahead as planned, from Mehsana town to Dhanera in Banaskantha district.

The permission granted on June 27 for the stir was revoked yesterday by the executive magistrate of Mehsana who cited a fresh advisory issued by the local police about the law and order situation.

"Looking at the present law and order situation, the police has submitted a fresh report with us and claimed that the rally may cause breach of peace and public order. Thus, we hereby cancel the permission granted on June 27 to hold the rally on July 12," said the written order of the executive magistrate.

Mevani alleged that the permission had been revoked at the behest of BJP-led Gujarat government.

"The permission was revoked at the last moment as the BJP government realised that the march would create an anti- BJP atmosphere in the state and would dent their prospects in the upcoming Assembly polls. We will not bow down to such tactics and will take out our march," the Dalit leader said in a statement.

According to the co-convener of Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch, Kaushik Parmar, a delegation would meet the Mehsana collector tomorrow on the issue.

"We intend to meet the collector tomorrow to make a representation from our side. As per some past judgements of the Supreme Court, the applicant must be heard before denying permission. If the authorities remain adamant and refuse to give permission, we will take out the march without it," said Parmar.

Before the march, Dalit activists are scheduled to address a large gathering in Mehsana town in the morning.

The key agenda of the march is to mount pressure on the Gujarat government to allocate agricultural land to Dalits, so that they can start a new life with dignity, Mevani had said last month.

In Una, Dalit youths were paraded and flogged for allegedly skinning a dead cow, an incident that caused nation-wide outrage after its video went viral.

Thousands of Dalits, led by Mevani, had then taken out a 10-day march from Ahmedabad to Una to protest atrocities on their community.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nagaland plunged into a political crisis today with former Chief Minister T R Zeliang staking claim to form a new government by ousting the incumbent Shurhozelie Liezietsu.

Zeliang claimed support of 41 of the 59 MLAs in the state Assembly and wrote to Governor P B Acharya, urging him to invite him to form the new Naga People's Front (NPF)-led DAN government at the earliest.

Following Zeliang's move, Liezietsu sacked four ministers and 11 parliamentary secretaries.

Zeliang, who had to step down on February 22 following statewide protests against holding of polls to urban local bodies with 33 per cent reservation for women, asserted that he had got the support of 41 MLAs after a majority of ruling NPF legislators rebelled against Chief Minister Liezietsu.

In a letter to the governor, Zeliang said that at a meeting of the Legislature Party of the NPF on June 4, 34 party MLAs (including him) out of the total 47, supported him to be their leader and wanted him to stake claim to form a new government.

The MLAs also urged Liezietsu, who is yet to become a member of the Assembly, to resign and facilitate Zeliang to become the new chief minister, the letter said.

Zeliang also claimed that seven Independents had also affirmed their support to him taking the tally to 41 out of 59 legislators.

The 34 NPF legislators, who have extended their support to Zeliang, have been camping at a resort in Kaziranga in Assam, where they held a meeting last evening, NPF sources said.

They told PTI last night that 33 MLAs were in Zeliang's camp, while 11 each were in the camps of Liezietsu and Lok Sabha MP and former chief minister Neiphiu Rio.

The rest of the MLAs in the 60-member House are maintaining neutrality.

Meanwhile, the chief minister dismissed four ministers -- Home Minister Y Patton, Power Minister C Kipili Sangtam, Forest Minister Imkong L Imchen and PWD (NH) minister Kaito Aye.

The chief minister had late last night issued separate termination orders against 11 parliamentary secretaries and TR Zeliang who was the financial advisor to the chief minister (cabinet status).

The political crisis arose at a time when Liezietsu, also the NPF president, is gearing up for the July 29 by-election from the Northern Angami-I Assembly seat, vacated by his son.

Khriehu Liezietsu, son of the chief minister, had resigned on May 24 to enable his father to contest and be an elected member of the assembly to continue in office.

Liezietsu had taken over from Zeliang on Februrary 22 this year following the state-wide protest against the holding of election to the urban local bodies with 33 per cent reservation for women.

This is the fourth time in the NPF-led DAN government when MLAs are active in ousting an incumbent chief minister.

Since 2014 when Neipheu Rio resigned as chief minister to contest the Lok Sabha polls, the NPF government faced similar crisis twice in 2014 and 2015.
Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today left for Istanbul to represent India at the 22nd World Petroleum Congress even as the size of his delegation was truncated by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

He will be "chairing a Ministerial Session on the subject 'Current Economic Strategies in Indian Oil & Gas Sector' and a Plenary Session on 'Supply and Demand Challenges for Oil, Gas and Products'," an official statement said here.

Pradhan is also scheduled to hold several bilateral meetings with petroleum ministers of other countries visiting at WPC from July 10-12.

Besides, he will launch an event on Hydrocarbon Exploration & Licensing Policy (HELP) as a part of process of promoting the upcoming oil and gas bidding rounds in India.

While the statement did not say who are accompanying the minister, sources said the PMO had curtailed the size of his ministerial delegation to 7 from 12 proposed by his ministry.

Those authorised to travel to WPC include his Private Secretary Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, Oil Secretary Kapil Dev Tripathi, Joint Secretary (International Cooperation) Sanjay Sudhir and DGH Atanu Chakraborty, they said.

Indian Oil Corp (IOC) Chairman Sanjeev Singh and Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) Chairman and Managing Director Dinesh K Sarraf have also been approved to travel.

Sources said the PMO did not give permission to five others including Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) head MK Surana, Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) Chairman D Rajkumar, GAIL India chief BC Tripathi and Oil India Ltd Chairman Utpal Bora.

Some of the executives who have been denied permission were to speakers at different sessions.

"The tri-annual WPC Conference is widely recognised as the 'Olympic' of the oil and gas industry," the statement said.

It added that the event attracts ministers, CEOs of oil and gas MNCs, experts and academics from the hydrocarbon sectors and it provides an ideal forum to showcase potential of India's hydrocarbon sector.

WPC will also offer an opportunity to highlight the country's recent policy reforms to international investors and interact with policy makers, technologists, scientists and entrepreneurs, among others, so as "to attract foreign investments into India's growing oil and gas sector", it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nestled in a bylane and away from the hustle and bustle of Delhi's chaotic Paharganj area, lies a quaint "Jewish oasis" where weary Israeli travellers stop by to feel at home.

At the corner of the bylane, dotted with bilingual-- English and Hebrew--commercial signboards, a flight of stairs takes visitors to a world, which could well be mistaken for a traditional household in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.

Welcome to Chabad House, a rendezvous point, a community centre and a watering hole, all rolled into one, for Israelis to "meet, greet and eat" together, and after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to that country, the place is brimming with excitement.

"From weary tourists to people visiting India for business purposes, they come first to the Chabad House and seek guidance for hotel and lodging facilities in Delhi as much as for socialising with fellow countrymen.

"Travellers, who are visiting other parts of India and transiting through the city, also come here just to experience a slice of Israel. They pray, eat kosher food, share Israeli snacks, celebrate Jewish festivals and make merry," Rabbi Akiva told PTI.

And the centre is indeed a home away from home, the room on the first floor of the House, replete with Jewish paraphernalia.

Rabbi Akiva takes his seat surrounded by a library of books on Judaism stacked up against the walls while kippah- wearing men perform tefillah (Jewish prayer) in one corner, while a group of backpackers chat up, share 'Bamba' (famous Israeli snack) and exchange pleasantries in another, before moving to their hotel rooms or the next destinations.

Nitzan Zeira and Shir Arzuan, two friends from Tel Aviv, who stopped by at the Chabad House before travelling to Dharamsala, are super excited that Modi became the "first Indian PM to visit my country".

"We Israelis have been travelling to India in good numbers, and we really hope that after Modi's visit, the tourist influx from India to our side would go up.

"I left Tel Aviv for Delhi, the day the Indian PM arrived there. During my stay here, I read about and saw pictures on Internet of his (Modi's) meeting with our PM (Benjamin Netanyahu) and the Jews of Indian-origin there. I felt very happy. The visit would surely bring the two countries closer," Zeira told PTI.

Modi during the visit had also met 11-year-old Moshe Holtzberg, the Israeli child who lost his parents in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, a gesture that has warmed the hearts of Israelis, from Delhi to Tel Aviv.

"For us, this was the most touching gesture from India. More so, because Moshe's parents--Rivka and Gavriel Holtzberg--were killed by terrorists at the Nariman House (Mumbai's Chabad House), where they were serving as its emissaries," Akiva said.

After the terrorist attack, the house has been provided with round-the-clock police security.

A Chabad House is a community centre for disseminating traditional Judaism by the Chabad movement. These houses are run by a Chabad Shaliach (emissary), his wife - a Shlucha - and his family.

Rabbi Akiva is the Shaliach at Paharganj's Chabad House. "We moved two places in the vicinity before settling here off Main Bazaar Road. It was established in 1993, the first in Delhi. A second one came up some years ago in Vasant Vihar," he said.

The atmosphere inside the House is very homely, as his three little daughters play with guests, while Akiva and his wife offer them hospitality and guidance to feel at ease in a new country. Giant portraits of the Rebbe, the late leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, adorns the walls on the first floor, and the second floor, which houses a restaurant offering Jewish cuisine.

"The Chabad House is a part of a Jewish community network, headquartered in Brooklyn in New York. Around the world there about 5,000 such houses while in India the number is close to 20, including at Manali, Pushkar, Dharamsala and two in Delhi," adds Akiva, who moved to India six years ago from Israel.

Outside in the street of bustling Main Bazaar, a mid-air hanging vinyl-made signage in Hebrew points towards the Chabad House in the bylane, while many shops and tour operators display bilingual advertisements.

"It is like a 'Little Israel' and most of the foreign tourists coming here are from that country. This is the peak season and from Delhi, they mostly move to Leh, Ladakh, Dharmasala or Manali as their next destination.

"Delhi is their transit point, but economy accommodation and a Chabad House at the heart of this place, make Paharganj very attractive to them. In my travel agency, on an average 20 Israelis are booking tickets on a given day, and sometimes that number swells to 60," says Anil Bhardwaj, who runs a tour agency from his office near the House.

In the streets, an Indian is likely to bump into a Israeli national, among other foreigners, he says. Guest houses and hotels are packed with Israelis tourists.

"Close to 90 per cent of our guests are Israelis. We display bilingual signage and notices (English and Hebrew) for their benefit," says a reception staff at Ajay Guest House, as he shows the booking register with 'Israeli' crowding the nationality column.

Twenty-three-year-old Dor Pinhas, after serving in the Israeli Defence Force has come to India on a maiden visit. "Chabad House makes me feel I'm in Israel. It is like home, we get our culture and our food and language and people."



Ruth Slashman, a Jewish woman, who moved to Jerusalem from Washington few years ago, visited the House, to seek help in "finding a good hotel" and Rabbi Akiva guided her to a place in Connaught Place.

"We are thrilled that Indian PM visited Israel. Not many Indians know about Israel, but I think it is a good thing in a way, as they do not have any bias or prejudice about it. I really hope now, after Modi's visit, Indians will begin to look at Israel from a different perspective and choose it as their travel destination," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
has pulled out of the last oil block it held in Peru, trimming its overseas assets to just two properties in Myanmar.

The billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led firm had in 2007 set up Reliance Exploration and Production (REP) DMCC primarily for acquiring overseas assets.

It had steadily acquired 17 conventional oil and gas assets, including four in Peru, three in Yemen (one producing and two exploratory), two each in Oman, Kurdistan and Colombia and one each in East Timor and Australia. It last bagged two oil and gas exploration blocks in Myanmar in 2014.

But the company slowly exited most of its international assets.

In its latest annual report for 2016-17, RIL says it has "withdrawn from Block 39" in Peru. RIL held 10 per cent interest in the block. Anglo-French oil and gas company Perenco held 55 per cent stake in the block while PetroVietnam of Vietnam held the remaining 35 per cent.

RIL said it is awaiting formal assignment of its interest to the existing partners.

The company now is left with just two exploration blocks in Myanmar  M17 and M18. RIL holds 96 per cent stake in each of the two blocks with the remaining 4 per cent being with a local company.

For Block M17, the company has sought an "extension for study period" from Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise or MOGE, the annual report said.

RIL's domestic oil and gas business portfolio, which at one point of time comprised of 42 blocks or fields, has shrunk to five conventional oil and gas assets and two coal-bed methane (CBM) blocks.

As part of its upstream (hydrocarbons exploration and production) portfolio rationalisation, the company has been exiting those assets which it feels are not going to give good return on investment.

According to the annual report, the company's present domestic portfolio comprises the flagging KG-D6 block in the Krishna Godavari basin, Mahanadi basin block of NEC-25, CB-10 in Cambay and GS-01 in Saurashtra basin.

Besides, it also has a stake in Panna/Mukta and Tapti oil and gas fields in the Arabian Sea. However, Mid and South Tapti fields have been abandoned after production tapered, it said.

Also, it has two CBM blocks in Madhya Pradesh.

RIL had in February 2011 announced a "transformational" deal when UK's BP picked up 30 per cent stake in its 23 oil and gas blocks for $7.2 billion. However, in August that year, the government allowed them to form a partnership in only 21 blocks.

Since 2012, RIL and BP have been pruning their portfolio, shedding not so viable acreage. They are now left with just three blocks -- the producing KG-DWN-98/3 or KG-D6 block in Bay of Bengal, gas discovery areas of NEC-OSN-97/2 (NEC-25) and CB-ONN-2003/1 in Cambay basin.

In the US, it also has a stake in three shale gas producing properties.
Donald Trump's eldest son, son-in-law and then-campaign chairman met with a Russian lawyer shortly after Trump won the Republican nomination, in what appears to be the earliest known private meeting between key aides to the president and a Russian.

Representatives of Jr. And Jared Kushner confirmed the June 2016 meeting to The Associated Press after The New York Times reported yesterday on the gathering of the men and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower.

Then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended, according to the statement from Jr.

He described it as a "short introductory meeting" during which the three discussed a disbanded program that used to allow US citizens to adopt Russian children. Russia ended the adoptions in response to American sanctions brought against the nation following the 2009 death of an imprisoned lawyer who spoke about a corruption scandal.

Trump Jr. Said he invited the other two Americans, was asked to attend by an acquaintance not named in the statement, and was not told beforehand with whom he would meet.

"It was not a campaign issue at that time and there was no follow up," he said.

Kushner lawyer Jamie Gorelick said her client already disclosed the meeting in a revised filing of a form that requires him to list meetings with foreign agents.

"Mr. Kushner has submitted additional updates and included, out of an abundance of caution, this meeting with a Russian person, which he briefly attended at the request of his brother-in-law, Jr. As Mr. Kushner has consistently stated, he is eager to cooperate and share what he knows," she said.

Later yesterday, a spokesman for the president's outside legal team contended that participants in the June meeting "misrepresented who they were and who they worked for."



However, the spokesman, Mark Corallo, would not say specifically who misrepresented themselves or how they did so. Unlike Kushner, Trump Jr. Does not serve in the administration and is not required to disclose his foreign contacts. The newspaper reported yesterday, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, that Manafort disclosed the meeting to congressional investigators questioning his foreign contacts.

Manafort helmed Trump's campaign for about five months until August and resigned from the campaign immediately after the AP reported on his firm's covert Washington lobbying operation on behalf of Ukraine's ruling political party. He is one of several people linked to the Trump campaign who are under scrutiny by a special counsel and congressional committees investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign and potential coordination with Trump associates.

Manafort has denied any coordination with Russia and has said his work in Ukraine was not related to the campaign. The newspaper said Veselnitskaya is known for her attempts to undercut the sanctions against Russian human rights abusers.

The Times also said her clients include state-owned businesses and the son of a senior government official whose company was under investigation in the United States at the time of the meeting.

(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.)
Meira Kumar, the opposition's presidential candidate, today said she had respect for her rival NDA contestant Ram Nath Kovind, but the upcoming election was a battle of two ideologies.

On a day-long visit, former Lok Sabha speaker Kumar met the Congress MLAs and MPs from Punjab and Haryana to seek their support for the July 17 presidential poll.

"Earlier, the presidential election used to be a fight between two individuals. For the first time, it is going to be a contest between two ideologies," 72-year-old Kumar said at a press conference here in the evening.

She was accompanied by senior Congress leaders Salman Khurshid, Asha Kumari, Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar and Haryana Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Kiran Choudhary.

To a query, the five-time Lok Sabha MP said, "This is an election to the country's highest office...I respect Kovindji, my fight is not against him, but against his ideology."



To another query, she said it was a "sad situation" that the presidential poll was being dubbed as a 'Dalit vs Dalit' contest.

"When an election to the highest office is being held, the Dalit issue is being raised. Earlier, the capabilities, merits and achievements of the two candidates used to be discussed and no one talked about their caste," she said.

Kumar lamented that since the battle this time was between her and former Bihar governor Kovind, both of whom were Dalits, nothing else was being discussed apart from their caste.

"We are in the 21st century and India wants to become a modern country. But, this kind of a mindset is a mismatch when it comes to the aspirations of a modern nation," she said.

Earlier, Kumar described India as a multi-religious country, where the people followed different faiths.

"We have been taught to respect all and everyone respects their religion. But, we have also been taught to show more respect to the other religions," she said.

Kumar said it was "unfortunate" that the country was divided on the basis of caste and creed.

"But, as per the ideology and principles we have been following, our constant endeavour has been to put an end to these caste differences as these result in discrimination, oppression of the downtrodden, weak, Dalits, women, backward sections and tribals," she added.

Kumar said India always stood up against communalism and casteism. "But now, we have been seeing that these (communalism, casteism) are being promoted and therefore, we are worried. We feel that the coming days are going to be dark," she added.

Asserting that 17 political parties had pledged their support with her in the presidential poll, Kumar said, "Some of them may have differences of opinion on several issues, but they are united on this (communalism and casteism) and have decided to raise their voice."



She claimed that this "voice" was not of the 17 parties or her alone, but "of the majority of people living in this country".

Asked if the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was supporting her candidature, Kumar answered in the affirmative. "We are getting their support," she said.

She refused to comment on Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's assertion that the opposition should have announced its candidate for the presidential poll before the ruling NDA, saying, "What can I say to this."



While the Congress, which stormed to power in Punjab in March after a gap of 10 years, has 77 MLAs in the 117-member state Assembly, the AAP has 20 legislators and its ally, the Lok Insaaf Party, has two.

The SAD-BJP coalition has 18 MLAs (15 Shiromani Akali Dal, three BJP) in the Punjab Assembly.

Of the Lok Sabha members from Punjab, the Congress has four, the SAD three, the BJP had two, but its Gurdaspur MP Vinod Khanna passed away recently, the AAP has four, two of whom have been suspended by the party.

In the Rajya Sabha, while the Congress and SAD have three members each, the BJP has a lone member from the state in the Upper House of Parliament.

In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, the ruling BJP enjoys a majority with 47 MLAs and the support of five Independents, while the Congress has 17 legislators.

The SAD and the BSP have a legislator each in the Haryana Assembly, while the principal opposition, the INLD, has 19.

Of the Lok Sabha MPs from Haryana, the ruling BJP has seven, the INLD has two and the Congress has one.

Of the five Rajya Sabha members from the state, the BJP has one. Media baron Subhash Chandra, an Independent candidate, was last year elected to the Upper House of Parliament from Haryana with the saffron party's support.

The Congress has two Rajya Sabha members from Haryana, while the INLD has one.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
South Africa suffered a top-order slump after inflicting a collapse on England to leave the hosts well-placed for victory in the first Test at Lord's today.

The Proteas were 25 for three in their second innings at tea on the fourth day, needing a further 306 runs to reach their imposing victory target of 331.

Only once, when the West Indies made 344 for one against England in 1984 thanks mainly to Gordon Greenidge's brilliant double century, have a side posted more than 300 in the fourth innings to win a Lord's Test.

South Africa's hopes of achieving a similar feat now appeared to rest with Hashim Amla, the star batsman 11 not out at tea after JP Duminy was out to the last ball before the interval.

- Bairstow's day -



==================



The day was turning into a triumph for England's Jonny Bairstow, who had starred with both bat and gloves.

He made a valuable 51 after being dropped on seven before he was last man out in England's second innings 233.

While Bairstow, the son of late former England wicket- keeper David Bairstow, has often been praised for his batting, his glovework has attracted criticism.

But he held a catch of which England wicket-keeping great Alan Knott would have been proud to dismiss Heino Kuhn when he dived low down the legside to grab a left-handed chance following the opener's glance off James Anderson.

Kuhn was out for nine, his second single figure score of a disappointing Test debut.

And South Africa's 12 for one became 12 for two when stand-in skipper Dean Elgar (two) drilled a return catch to off-spinner Moeen Ali who hung on to the hard-hit chance.

Duminy then hammered a pull off Mark Wood and Ali held a good catch at short midwicket.

It represented a remarkable turnaround for England who, after resuming well-placed on 119 for one, lost seven wickets in the morning session to be 182 for eight at lunch.

Former captain Alastair Cook was 59 not out overnight and Gary Ballance unbeaten on 34.

The pair found runs hard to come by against a South Africa attack now back to full strength with Vernon Philander returning after being unable bowl Saturday having been hit on the hand while batting.

Cook, in his first Test since resigning the captaincy had added just 10 runs to his score when he drove uppishly at fast bowler Morne Morkel and was well caught in the covers by Temba Bavuma.

Ballance hung his bat out and was caught behind for 34 as the towering Morkel took two wickets for one run in 10 balls.

Joe Root, fresh from his first innings 190 in his first Test as England captain, fell for just five when, having seen Keshav Maharaj turn one sharply, he played on to a straighter ball from the left-arm spinner.

Ben Stokes (one) was then so plumb lbw to fast bowler Kagiso Rabada he 'walked' before the umpire's finger was raised.

Elgar, leading the side in the absence of Faf du Plessis on paternity leave, then jokingly ran across to put his hand over the bowler's mouth -- with Rababa banned from next week's second of a four-Test series at Trent Bridge for swearing at Stokes after dismissing him in England's first innings.

Rabada meanwhile put a finger to his lips to indicate he too would remain silent this time.

Bairstow then lofted Maharaj to long-off, where Philander dropped a seemingly simple catch under grey skies.

The ball also crossed the boundary rope -- one of four fours in five balls that Bairstow struck off Maharaj.

But tailender Wood (28), who hit well-struck boundaries off both Maharaj and Morkel, helped Bairstow add 45 for the ninth wicket.

Bairstow fell when he was stumped by opposing keeper Quinton de Kock slogging at Maharaj, who finished with a fine return of four for 85 in 32.1 overs.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Special prayers were held near the Pahalgam base camp of the annual Amarnath yatra today, marking the commencement of the pilgrimage.

Amid chanting of vedic hymns, ceremonies of Bhoomi-Pujan, Navgrah-Pujan, Chhari-Pujan and Dhawajarohan were performed at Pahalgam on the occasion of 'Vyas-Purnima' that marks the commencement of the annual pilgrimage of Swami Amarnath Ji traditionally, a statement by Mahant Deependra Giri, custodian of the holy mace, said here.

He said these were important rituals prior to the main course of the annual pilgrimage.

A sizable number of seers and pilgrims participated in the rituals as the sound of conch shells reverberated the atmosphere.

Giri said people of the state, irrespective of their caste, creed or religion, have been cooperating, assisting and encouraging the pilgrims from across the country and even abroad for the annual pilgrimage.

Prayers were also offered at the historic Martand Temple at Mattan in Anantnag.

The custodian of the holy mace also thanked the state administration for making arrangements for the occasion.

Meanwhile, on the 11th day of the yatra today, 8,167 yatris paid obeisance at the holy cave. Cumulatively since the beginning of the pilgrimage on June 28, 1,3,4771 yatrishave had the 'darshan' at the shrine.

The cave shrine is located at a distance of 46 kms from Pahalgam and 14 kms from Baltal. The pilgrimage is scheduled to conclude on Shravan Purnima on August 7.

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US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said today that he misses his oil industry "colleagues, partners and competitors" as he accepted an award at the World Petroleum Congress, hosted by Turkey this year.

Council President Jozsef Toth described Tillerson, who is from Texas, as "a man born with oil in his veins" before presenting him with the Dewhurst Award, named after the founder of the congress.

The former ExxonMobile chief expressed his gratitude and said he shared the award with the company's employees.

Tillerson arrived in Istanbul today after a visit to Ukraine, where he reaffirmed US support for the country as it struggles with a Russia-backed insurgency.

He met with Turkey's foreign minister and was scheduled to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later today.

Tillerson said the US and strategically located Turkey would collaborate for "greater energy security." The next World Petroleum Congress is scheduled to take place in Houston, Texas in three years.

"On behalf of the United States, let me just say, I hope I am there in 2020," he said.

"I'll be there, in some capacity, one way or another, because I'm never going to forget my friends and my colleagues and my partners in this extraordinary industry delivering energy to the world.

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US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held talks with Turkish leaders in Istanbul on issues ranging from Syria to last year's failed coup.

After arriving from Ukraine, Tillerson met with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu yesterday and later held talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, officials on both sides said.

No statement was issued after the late night talks at the Istanbul residence of Erdogan by the Bosphorus.

Tillerson, the former chief executive of energy giant Exxon Mobil, earlier addressed the opening ceremony of the World Petroleum Congress, notably mentioning the defeat of last year's failed coup against Erdogan.

"Nearly a year ago, the Turkish people, brave men and women, stood up against coup plotters and defended their democracy," Tillerson said.

"I recognise their courage and honour the victims."



Turkey's relations with the United States plummeted in the final months of former president Barack Obama's administration but Ankara has hoped for an improvement under Donald Trump.

But it is furious that Trump has continued and even expanded Obama's policy of supporting the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) as the main fighting force on the ground in Syria against Islamic State (IS) jihadists.

Ankara considers the YPG a terrorist group and the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has waged an insurgency inside Turkey since 1984.

But Washington is openly arming the YPG and the group is heavily involved in the US-backed operation to oust IS jihadists from their stronghold of Raqa.

Turkey has not ruled out a new cross-border operation in Syria against the YPG, which could spark a dangerous escalation with the US.

Meanwhile, Ankara has achieved no more progress on its aim of extraditing the alleged mastermind of the July 15 coup attempt, the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen.

Gulen denies any link with the botched putsch.

Turkey is also pressing the US for the release of Turkish Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab and Mehmet Hakan Atilla, chief executive of Halkbank, who were arrested on charges of helping Iran violate sanctions.

The United States, meanwhile, is pushing Turkey over the case of Andrew Brunson, a US pastor arrested in the western city of Izmir in October over alleged links to Gulen.

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US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Russia today to take the "first step" to ease the bloody separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, which Kiev and the West believe is being fuelled by Moscow.

Tillerson said sanctions will remain in place against Russia "until Moscow reverses their actions".

"It is necessary for Russia to take the first step to de-escalate the situation in the east part of Ukraine," Tillerson said as he made his first visit as Washington's top diplomat to Kiev.

"We are disappointed by the lack of progress under the Minsk agreement," he added at a joint briefing with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko after they held talks.

Tillerson's visit to Ukraine followed a first face-to- face meeting between President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin on Friday at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

The conflict as well as Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 have pushed ties between Moscow and the West to their lowest point since the Cold War.

"We do call on Russia to honour its commitments," Tillerson said today, referring to a peace deal aimed at halting the conflict between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russia rebels.

Tillerson urged the Kremlin "to respect the ceasefire, by pulling back the heavy weapons and (allowing) the OSCE (pan- European security body) tocarry out their responsibilities" under the deal struck in February 2015.

More than 10,000 people have been killed since the pro- Russian insurgency began in April 2014, which Kiev and the West accuse Moscow of orchestrating.

The US and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Russia, though Moscow has denied backing the rebels.

"The US and EU sanctions on Russia will remain in place until Moscow reverses their actions," Tillerson stressed.

Efforts to secure a peace deal have foundered as the fighting has dragged on, and neither side appears prepared to make concessions.

Tillerson said he had appointed a special envoy to allow Washington to be more involved in a peace process overseen by Germany and France.

Poroshenko hailed US involvement and reiterated his commitment to seeking a negotiated peace deal.

"Most of all we want peace in Ukraine. We firmly adhere to our commitments," Ukrainian leader said.

Tillerson also commented on another key bone of contention between Trump and Putin at the G20: allegations of Russian interference in US election campaign, in favour of the Republican candidate.

On Friday, Trump broached the issue with the Russian leader in Hamburg, and Putin denied it.

"In all candidness we did not expect an answer other than the one we received," Tillerson told reporters today in Kiev.

"What we agreed on the cyber front is to explore a framework ... On how to deal with these very complex issues of cyber threats, cyber security, cyber intrusions," he added.

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TDP MP J C Diwakar Reddy, who had allegedly created a ruckus at the Visakhapatnam airport last month after he was not allowed boarding by IndiGo for being late, was today denied a ticket to Vijayawada from here by TruJet, a regional airline.

The airline later offered apologies to the controversial Lok Sabha member and initiated action against its staff, who denied ticket to him, sources said.

A top official of the airline said TruJet has not issued any travel ban on Reddy.

"A secretary of the MP had approached TruJet for ticket to travel to Vijayawada this morning. As there was a ban imposed by some airlines, the staff had denied ticket to Reddy. However, when the issue came to the notice of the senior management, they offered apologies to the MP," a source at the airport said.

When contacted, Diwakar Reddy downplayed the issue saying that the airlines has tendered an apology and he would not take up the matter seriously.

"This (TruJet denying ticket) is a small issue. But there are several complaints against IndiGo. I will move a privilege motion against them in the coming Parliament session," Reddy told PTI.

Umesh Vankayalapati, Managing Director, Turbo Megha Airways, which operates under the brand name TruJet, said they are inquiring into the issue.

He also said his airlines had not issued any travel ban on the TDP MP from Andhra Pradesh.

He said the staff at the airport counter might have been in a dilemma whether to issue ticket or not.

"We are trying to get a clarification from the Aviation Ministry, because this kind of situation should not be repeated. We have not imposed any ban (on Reddy). We are inquiring into the whole issue," Vankayalapati said.

Almost all domestic airlines in India have announced flying ban on the TDP lawmaker following his alleged unruly behaviour with IndiGo staff at Visakhapatnam airport on June 15.

Reddy had allegedly gone on the rampage, pushing an airline staffer and throwing a printer on the floor, after he was denied boarding by IndiGo for being late.

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US President Donald Trump today ruled out lifting sanctions against Russia unless the Syrian and Ukrainian issues are resolved, even though he favoured to work "constructively" with Moscow.

Describing his two-hour-long meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Hamburg on the sidelines of the G20 Summit on Friday as successful, Trump, in a series of tweets on his return from Hamburg, said he discussed a series of issues with Putin.

This was the first meeting between the two leaders.

Trump said he discussed with Putin alleged meddling of Russia in 2016 American elections, cyber security and negotiated a successful ceasefire in Syria.

However, sanctions were not part of the discussion, the US president said.

"Sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin. Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian and Syrian problems are solved!," Trump said in one of the seven tweets to his more than 33 million followers.

Trump said the G20 Summit, which among others was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was a success.

"The G20 Summit was a great success for the US - Explained that the US must fix the many bad trade deals it has made. Will get done!," he said.

The rest of his tweets were about his discussion with Putin.

"I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion.

"We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!," said the US president, adding that they also discussed cyber security.

In another tweet, Trump said, "Putin and I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, and many other negative things, will be guarded and safe".

"Questions were asked about why the CIA and FBI had to ask the DNC 13 times for their SERVER, and were rejected, still don't have it.

"Fake said 17 intel agencies when actually 4 (had to apologise). Why did Obama do NOTHING when he had info before election?," Trump said in separate tweets.

Russia has been supporting Syrian President Bashar al- Assad who has come under sharp criticism from the US and its western allies over Syrian forces' alleged use of chemical weapons on civilians.

The US has been criticising Russia after it annexed Crimea during a 2014 political upheaval in Ukraine. The Russian takeover of Crimea has resulted in clashes in some parts of eastern Ukraine.

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An undertrial, arrested two days ago, died in police custody at Dharmasala in Jajpur district, police said today.

Gayadhar Tarai (40), arrested in connection with an incident of bomb attack on Saturday, died last night.

The family members of the deceased alleged that Gayadhar had been tortured in police custody and held the police responsible for his death.

"I saw many injury marks on many parts of the body. He was beaten black and blue in the custody," his elder brother Rabindra said.

Police claimed that Gayadhar had complained of abdomen pain in custody and he was admitted to the Dharmasala Community Health Centre (CHC) where he died.

But the CHC authorities said they received Gayadhar brought dead.

Jajpur Superintendent of Police Charan Singh Meena said, "we have sent the body to the district headquarter hospital for post mortem to ascertain the exact cause of the death. A DSP level officer is enquiring into the incident and action will be taken against the cops if found guilty".

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Throwing mangoes is no child's play here.

It is a highly revered event held as part of the unique annual 'mangani' (mango) festival of the temple of Karaikal Ammaiyar, the only woman saint among the 63 Saivaite 'Nayanmars', ardent devotees blessed by Lord Shiva.

Devotees throw mangoes when the utasav idol of "Pichandavar" (Lord Shiva) is taken out in a procession through the streets, the main event of the festivities, believing the fruits would reach the God.

Legend has it that Karaikal Ammaiyar was a pious young woman named Punithavathi who lived in this town, now part of union territory of Puducherry, in 5th century AD.

One day Lord Siva disguised himself as a Saint and appeared before her seeking food. She offered him food along with one mango which was kept for her husband.

Later when her husband asked for the mango, the woman was in a quandary and prayed to God after which the fruit fell on her hands from nowhere. Baffled, her husband concluded she was a supernatural being and left her.

Punitavathi then prayed to Lord Shiva to take away her beauty. Her flesh dried up and she became an old woman and an attendant of the God.

She then came to be known as Karaikal Ammaiyar and went on to sing several sacred hymns, becoming one among the 63 Nayanmars.

It is believed that Punithavathi gave the mango to the saint on the full moon day in the Tamil month of 'Aani' (June-July) and symbolising it, devotees throw mangoes on the day during the celestial procession, held yesterday this year.

The mangoes are considered a 'prasadam' (offering) to the God, symbolysing the salvation attainment of Ammaiyar through the medium of the fruit.

This year, the four-day festival commenced with Vigneshwara Pooja on Thursday and concluded today.

The main event of the "Pitchandavar" procession was held yesterday when the utsav idol of saint incarnation of Lord Shiva is taken out through the streets of the town.

Alarge number of devotees threw mangoes on the idol. The streets were filled with mangoes and its juice and wore a bright yellow colour.

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The Uttar Pradesh Congress today demanded a high-level probe into the death of seven persons from consumption of toddy in Azamgarh district's Kewathiya village.

A delegation led by state Congress senior vice-president Rajesh Mishra will also visit the village and interact with the families of the victims, a party statement said here.

Holding the state government responsible for the incident, the party alleged that illegal liquor trade was "flourishing" in Uttar Pradesh.

"The illegal liquor trade is flourishing under the patronage of the (state) government, which eventually results in tragedies like this," Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar said in the statement.

Condoling the deaths, he alleged that the law and order situation in the state had deteriorated and the confidence level of criminals were at an all time high.

The victims had consumed toddy on July 6 and the first five deaths were reported the following day. Yesterday the toll mounted to seven after two more persons died during treatment at a hospital in the district.

Since the incident, 12 people have been hospitalised, a senior police official said, adding that eight people have been arrested since July 7 and 1,000 litres of toddy seized in raids.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had taken a strong note of the deaths after which three policemen and six employees of the Excise Department were suspended.

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A 24-year-old woman today committed suicide after her husband was hacked to death in Gulauli village here, police said.

Police said her father and brothers, have been implicated in her husbands's killing.

The woman, called Roli, committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan in her room today, police said.

Her husband, Lala Ram (25), was hacked to death while he was going to his fields on his bicycle early today.

An FIR for Lala's killing has been lodged by his family in which four people, including Roli's father and brothers, have been implicated in the crime.

The accused are absconding, police said.

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In a latest case of honour killing in Pakistan, a 25-year-old woman was stabbed to death allegedly by her brother for "disgracing the family" by marrying a man of her choice in Punjab province.

Nazia eloped with the man in Sherakot area against the wishes of her family last month, a senior police officer said.

Mohammad Ishaq, the brother of Shazia, lodged a missing complaint accusing the man of kidnapping her but later withdrew it when both the parties reached an agreement and Nazia came back to her house.

Yesterday, Ishaq stabbed Nazia to death for "disgracing the family" by marrying of her choice, the officer said, adding that Nazia's parents were present in the house but no one came forward to save her life.

After committing the crime, Ishaq fled.

A case of murder was registered against Ishaq and others on the complaint of Nazia's elder sister.

Killing of women relatives in the name of honour is a menace still prevalent in many parts of Pakistan.

More than 1,000 women are killed every year by their relatives on the pretext of defending what is seen as family honour.

In July last year, a 36-year-old woman was shot dead by her brother and his son in Karachi as they suspected her of having an affair with a man, while her husband was working in Saudi Arabia.

In April last year, police arrested a man in Karachi for slitting his teenage sister's throat and watching her bleed to death after he found her talking to a man on her mobile phone.

The conviction rate in such cases is very low because the complainants, usually the relatives of the victims, withdraw the cases.

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Winds of change are blowing slowly across the shop floors of Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Auto and Yamaha with women taking up tools to partake in manufacturing of two-wheelers, hitherto a male bastion.

As the call for women empowerment gets louder, these major two-wheeler manufacturers are responding with an aim to create a culture where women can stand shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts to contribute to the growth of the companies.

Most importantly, the companies found that not only women were as good as men in manufacturing jobs, their presence improved working atmosphere at the shop floors.

In 2012, Yamaha Motor India experimented with 'Pink Assembly Line' initiative in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh government to run an assembly line for scooters managed entirely by women workers.

Under the initiative, 200 women were hired to undergo an apprenticeship programme approved by the state government. After completion of the 3-year programme, today women workers at shop floors account for about 5-6 per cent of the total of around 8,000 workers at its manufacturing plants.

Similarly, Hero MotoCorp initiated 'Project Tejaswini' to bring in women workforce in its manufacturing operations, while Bajaj Auto has an assembly line at its Chakan plant which is run by an all-women team producing high-end bikes like Dominar 400 and Pulsar RS 200.

Recollecting how the 'Pink Assembly Line' initiative managed to shatter stereotypes, Yamaha Motor India Chairman Hiroaki Fujita told PTI: "Through this particular initiative we were also able to break the belief that women in North India were not open to working on shop floors in the factories."



The programme empowered women from weaker sections of society to stand on their feet and help them make an even larger contribution to their families and to their communities, he added.

After running successfully for three years, the programme encouraged more women to join Yamaha's factories, Fujita said.

"I am proud to say that today we have managed to build a better culture in Yamaha where both males and females can work together at the shop floors and contribute in the most effective way towards the growth of the company," he said.

Market leader Hero MotoCorp isn't allowing itself to be lagging behind on this front as well.

"We have successfully implemented 'Project Tejaswini' to introduce women associates at our shop floors," Hero MotoCorp Chief Human Resources Officer Sanjay Jorapur said.

He further said: "At Hero, we have more than 150 women associates in our three facilities - at Neemrana and Haridwar plants and at the Global Parts Centre (GPC)."



For Hero MotoCorp, according to Jorapur, the initiative to bring more women at manufacturing is a "step towards becoming an employer of choice and a great place to work".

Bajaj Auto President (Business Development & Assurance) S Ravikumar said there are 313 women working in different plants of the company.

"At Chakan plant, which is our model factory we have an all-women line manufacturing high-end bikes like Dominar 400 and Pulsar RS 200. This shows the capability of women to do highly skilled job even in manufacturing," he said.

Stressing that women as are good as their male counterparts, Ravikumar said: "One of the positives that we found is that working atmosphere improved substantially at shop floors with women joining the workforce."



The beginning has been made, he said, and many more women would continue to follow the path in future.

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A 57-year-old yoga teacher has been arrested for allegedly molesting a woman during his classes in Sewri here, police said today.

The accused, Shivram Raut, who has been conducting yoga classes for the last few years, was arrested from his residence in Wadala last night, a senior officer said.

"The accused conducts yoga classes every Sunday at a school in Sewri. During the sessions, he asked the woman to keep sexual relations with him to attain 'moksha' (liberation) and also indulged in indecent behaviour with her," the officer said.

The woman and her husband approached R A K Marg police station in Sewri and filed a complaint against Raut last week. Based on the complaint, police conducted a probe and arrested the accused from his house.

"The accused has been booked under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outage her modesty), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of woman)," the official said adding that he will be produced in the Metropolitan Magistrate Court today.

The victim's husband, who also attended Raut's yoga sessions, said, "He has been running yoga classes for the last six years and exploiting women students. Following our complaint, another three-four women have come forward with similar complaints against the yoga teacher."



Further investigation into the case is on, police said.

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Maintaining that the Centre was not playing big brother role, Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman today suggested that any state could forego its share of GST if it wanted to lessen the tax burden.

Sitharaman, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, made this remark referring to the agitation by Tamil Nadu film industry over the high rates of tax on cinema tickets.

"In fact, they (Tamil film industry) have no issue with the GST. It is the additional 30 per cent local bodies tax levied by the state government that they are agitated about," the minister told reporters here today.

"The Centre didn't play big brother role in fixing rates (under GST). If it (tax rate) has been agreed, it has been collectively agreed by the GST Council, a body representing 29 states and seven Union Territories and a lone member (the Centre).

"GST Council is a constitutional committee and the correct strength of it is in the states. This is a classic example for cooperative federalism," the minister pointed out.

GST rates were fixed by following the revenue-neutral philosophy, she added.

Asked why liquor and petroleum products were not brought under the ambit of GST, she said the states requested that a decision on them be deferred.

"It is on the request of the state governments that petroleum products and liquor are not yet brought under GST," she said.

Sitharaman said problems related to the implementation of GST were "largely settled" and the Centre was conducting a public interaction week across the country to enhance awareness among traders.

Replying to another question, the union minister said GST would be favourable for investments as the tax structure would be uniform across the country.

"Investors now need not worry about tax rates, say in Andhra Pradesh or Odisha. Also, they can have clear assessment of the costs (on raw materials) as there is a single tax. GST will also help exports as the logistic cost will reduce," the minister noted.

Later, she addressed traders and industry representatives to clarify doubts on GST.
As India works hard to ensure return of fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today pressed upon his British counterpart Theresa May to ensure UK's cooperation to bring back economic offenders.

Mallya has been in the UK for months, escaping arrest warrants against him, while a court in London is also hearing a case regarding his return to India.

Modi today met May during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit here and sought UK's help in this regard.

Both leaders also talked about the complete range of India-UK ties.

In a tweet after the meeting, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said the Prime Minister asked for UK's "cooperation for return of escaped Indian economic offenders".

Mallya, who is wanted in India for Kingfisher Airlines' default on loans worth nearly Rs 9,000 crore, has been in the UK since March 2016.

In April, he had attended a central London police station for his arrest and was released on conditional bail a few hours later after providing a bail bond worth 650,000 pounds, assuring the court of abiding by all conditions associated with extradition proceedings, such as the surrender of his passport and a ban on him possessing any travel documents.

India and the UK have an Extradition Treaty, signed in 1992, but so far only one extradition has taken place under the arrangement - Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel, who was sent back to India last October to face trial in connection with his involvement in the post-Godhra riots of 2002.

"Prime Ministers @narendramodi and @theresa_may met and held talks on the complete range of India-UK ties," India's PMO said in a tweet.
(Shanghai)  In a nod to increasingly international palates in Chinas commercial capital, fast-food giant Yum China Holdings Inc. rolled out its first Taco Bell Mexican restaurant in Shanghai at the start of the year, complementing its more established KFC and Pizza Hut chains.

But fans of the U.S. chain will be surprised to find the Chinese rendition is more upscale than its American cousin, and includes many tweaks to its traditional menu. The first concept store, which will ultimately be followed by more, pays tribute to Southern California culture, including a motif of surfboards on the brightly lit ceiling.

Another unique feature is the restaurants transparent kitchen, and also the inclusion of alcoholic beverages. The stores opening in Shanghais Lujiazui financial district marks a second try at China for the chain, following a previous attempt about a decade ago with a more traditional sit-down format and table service.

A half-year after its grand opening, store manager Will Cao sat down with Caixin Global in the trendy eatery to talk about his experience overseeing the restaurants rollout. A native of Shanghai, he started working at KFC after graduating from college in 2007 and has been a fast-food fan ever since.

Cao stands in front of Taco Bells restaurant in Shanghais Lujiazui financial district. The store is the US fast food chains second try in the city, following a previous attempt about a decade ago. Photo: Yang Ge/Caixin

Cao: Mexican food was a foreign concept to me. I was previously a KFC store manager. I like to try new things, sample new foods. Whenever new stores open, I will often go to try them out. A manager from KFC once asked me if I wanted to join a new chain, so I went in for an interview. In the end, they chose three of us for different positions. I got picked as the restaurant manager.

Caixin: How are Taco Bell and KFC different?

Cao: First off, there are KFCs everywhere in China; its a very common brand. To let us get a sense of Taco Bell culture, they sent us to the U.S. for six weeks. During that time, we learned about their products. I thought it was really cool and innovative. The two brands are quite different. At that time we went to California, where young people would come by for a bite after surfing, so it felt quite young. This is what were trying to do here. The interior design also has a California feel.

Caixin: Is the China Taco Bell the same as in the U.S.?

Cao: Its not the same. The design style is different, and the food also has some changes for local tastes. For example, U.S. Taco Bells use cold, shredded cheese in their products. In our tacos here we use hot, melted cheese. Our customers here like to get a mouthful of thick, gooey cheese when they take a bite. So we changed many of our products like this. When we began we just put a spoonful of cheese in our products. But then customers would say to us: Why is there so little cheese? So we put two spoonfuls. We also discovered customers like cheese thats long and stringy.

Caixin: Any other menu modifications?

Cao: Products like shrimp avocado rolls  you wont find these in America. This is our process of localization. In fact, you could say that all of our products arent completely different from the U.S. They tend to borrow some American methods in how theyre created. But, for example, the mozzarella cheese in this taco is based on local tastes.

Caixin: Your soft taco shells are also different from American ones. The shells in America are thin, whereas the ones here are quite thick, more like pitas. Why did you make this change?

Cao: In making a taco meal, we needed some tacos that were crispy and some that were soft. So the first kind we called beef crispy tacos, and the second type we called spongy tacos that would be soft and chewy to bite.

Taco Bell Shanghais transparent kitchen puts a new twist to the upscale restaurant. The Chinese menu also includes alcoholic beverages and melted, gooey cheese to better suit local tastes. Photo: Yang Ge/Caixin

Cao: Right. But even here, when I was in America they would add rice and beans. In China, we dont add rice and beans into the burritos because we discovered that Chinese people dont like to mix these kinds of staple items with their main dishes.

Caixin: In terms of store design, did you completely redo the Taco Bell concept for China?

A: Our entire store design is a bit more modern. But its still in line with our brand concept, which is a Mexican food restaurant from California. Its very sunny, American Mexican food.

Caixin: Have you made any adjustments since opening the store in January?

Cao: Recently, weve added two new drinks  one is a cocktail, one is a smoothie. The cocktail is selling quite well now. Customers like to take pictures and post them on their WeChat Moments, because we make our drinks very attractive. Customers give us a lot of suggestions on (restaurant ratings site) Dianping, including about the music we play.

Caixin: Besides the cocktails, what other products are selling well?

Cao: Beef tacos and the double taco meal.

Caixin: What kinds of people typically come here to eat?

Cao: Most of them are white-collar workers from the surrounding office buildings, like the Ping An Bank and Citibank towers. About 20% to 30% of our customers are foreigners. There are also lots of tourists. But the majority is white-collar workers. At lunchtime its white-collar workers; in the afternoon its tourists. In the evenings, its white-collar workers and tourists.

Caixin: Do customers like to sit and linger?

Cao: That depends on the time. For example, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., customers pretty much just eat and leave. In the evening customers like to have a glass of wine and chat for a while.

Caixin: Are there any differences between the work environment here and at KFC?

Cao: Each brand has its own culture. Our partners here are younger, more cool. Its the same way for the activity level. The emphasis of the two brands is different.

Caixin: What are Yums plans for Taco Bell in China?

Cao: The development team is already looking at locations in Beijing, but there are still no specific plans. We still have a lot of work to do. Its not like KFC, which can quickly expand after selecting new locations and outfitting the stores, then bring in people and its set to go. Taco Bell is a new concept right now. Our products and beverages, including alcohol, are different from Yums other brands.

Contact reporter Yang Ge (geyang@caixin.com)

Caixin Hot Pot is a regular feature that introduces you to the colorful array of players in todays China  from the leaders of top U.S. companies doing business here to the migrant woman selling noodles from a push-cart.
Thursday, July 6, 2017 at 2:38AM

You may or may not be familiar with Chinese search giant Baidu but you might be hearing more from them in the future as they partnered with 50 companies to help develop their self-driving car platform. Some of the big names in the auto and tech industries have joined them, including Ford, NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Intel. Baidu wants its Apollo platform to turn into a global program that can compete against the likes of Alphabets Waymo and Ubers own autonomous vehicle. This even puts them up against the likes of its partner Fords own self-driving initiative.

Baidu wants to position Apollo as an open source software platform, though. Thus, drawing the comparison with Android. So that hardware and car makers can quickly deploy and customize the system. It is in essence the Android of the autonomous driving industry but more open and more powerful, said Qi Lu, Baidus chief operating officer, at Baidu Create, the companys inaugural artificial intelligence conference. Apollo is not solely Baidus. It belongs to everyone in the ecosystem. And as we and our partners contribute to the platform in our areas of specialty, we all gain more, with the results far greater than just our own.

Source: The Verge
"In the short term it is very likely that businesses are going to find that their inputs for utilities  energy, water, gas  are going to rise. And that's an issue," she said.
A handful of brave Canberrans faced off in a chilli-eating competition on Sunday that had hospitalised one punter on Saturday. While no one was carted off in the waiting ambulance, some entrants could be seen throwing up - near catatonic - after bowing out.
From the smallest of pugs to the largest of German shepherds, and almost every breed in between, more than 2500 dogs - and their owners - converged on Exhibition Park for the International Dog Show and Trial Extravaganza.
"We don't think there will be enormous numbers of greyhounds, the industry in the ACT is a small part of a much larger industry in NSW. We think the important thing is to care for these greyhounds, so we can ensure animal welfare is always paramount for us," he said.
"This is the first time this [smart drumline] technology has been used in Australia and we're seeing fantastic results, that's why we're rolling it out to other parts of the state," Mr Blair said.
Speaking to a German newspaper, Handelsblatt, the 63-year-old, reportedly worth more than $300 million, said his decision to go public with his disapproval "was not easy for me, because it concerns my son. But I am forced to do so in order to preserve the interests of the House of Hanover and the property, including cultural property, which has been its property for centuries.
With only 40 to be made, and all of them sold out, the delivery of each Lamborghini Centenario is something of an event.



Weve already seen the first few examples delivered in locations like the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Paris, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and London, and now another has been handed over to its owner in Toronto.

One of just 20 Centenario Roadsters, this black example with red trim was delivered to an unidentified customer in the Canadian metropolis by Grand Touring Automobiles. The dealer operates two locations in the Greater Toronto area, handling such marques as Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce and (of course) Lamborghini.

The result of a carefully orchestrated operation that could have been a chapter in a spy novel, the delivery was the culmination of a two-year process worth approximately $4 million in Canadian funds, or about $3.1 million US. The handover of what is, and may remain, Canadas only Centenario took place in a private ceremony at the customers residence, but unless the new owner plans on keeping it in the garage (which we sincerely hope he doesnt), it wont be a secret for much longer. The 7.0-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine with its 770 horsepower and a screaming exhaust note will see to that.

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Sales of Cadillac vehicles in China are continuing to boom as the American automaker prepares for the country to soon become its largest market.



In June, a total of 12,886 Cadillacs were sold in China compared to the 9,552 sold in June 2016, representing a 34.9 per cent gain. Whats more, year-to-date sales in China for 2017 sat at 80,357 at the conclusion of last month, 75.4 per cent more than the 45,818 sold there in the same time period last year.

The significance of these numbers cant be underestimated. In January, Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen said that China could become the companys largest market within three years, but based on the latest figures, China may outstrip the United States as Cadillacs most important market by the end of this year.

In year-to-date sales in the U.S., Cadillac has shifted 72,073 units compared to the aforementioned 80,357 in China. It is very likely that sales in China will continue to increase in the coming months, and by the time 2018 ticks around, the Asian nation could very well surpass the States. Heck, Cadillac is also building the CT6 Plug-in Hybrid in China, showing just how important the country has become to it.

PHOTO GALLERY
Want to see a display of McLarens, old and new? You could head to Woking and try to score a tour of the McLaren Technology Centre, where the company showcases a rotating display of its finest creations in the atrium. Or you could visit the Louwman Museum in the Netherlands, where an exhibition of the British racing team and supercar manufacturers vehicles will be on display over the course of the summer.



Situated in The Hague, the Louwman Museum has brought together 16 McLarens for the exhibit, ranging in vintage from 1971 to 2016 and including among them numerous racing and road cars from the companys history.

Included in the display are sold-out, limited-edition supercars like the P1 GTR, 675LT Spider and 12C 50th Anniversary Edition. From what we can see, theres also a 650S Can-Am Edition, a new 570GT, a Le Mans-spec F1 GTR, a Can-Am racer, a bare rolling chassis, and seven grand-prix racers  one of which, despite European regulations, was apparently allowed to be displayed with the original Marlboro branding.

It all looks like a sight to behold for fans of The House That Bruce Built, gathered in a suitable setting. So if youre heading to the Benelux region over the next couple of months, consider swinging through The Hague to check it out.

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Auto imports from the United States will have to become more appealing in their design, more affordable or fuel-efficient in order to benefit from President Trumps attempts to renegotiate a trade deal with South Korea.



Trump met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last week and said that the U.S. would look to fix trade imbalances with their key ally, thus creating a level playing ground for U.S. automakers, among other things.

Despite brands such as Ford, GM and Chrysler registering nearly double the imports last year, their sales account for just 1% in the South Korean market, where Hyundai and Kia dominate, reports Autonews.

Addressing non-tariff barriers would not fundamentally raise the competitiveness of U.S. cars, said a senior Korean government official, who preferred to remain unnamed, in an interview with Reuters.

What we really want to say to the United States is: make good cars, make cars that Korean consumers like.

With that in mind, in South Korea, U.S. models are seen as inferior to German cars in terms of brand image, sophistication and fuel economy, with the exception of Tesla Motors and GM Bolt, as electric vehicles have grown in popularity.

According to U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, theres a quota in the current trade deal that acts as an obstacle to boosting imports. This quota allows U.S. automakers to bring in 25,000 vehicles each year that meet U.S. safety standards. Should an automaker decide to modify its cars to meet Korean safety standards in order to bring in more than their quota of one model, it would cost them up to $75 million.

PHOTO GALLERY
The Penti-Con 2017 Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer In costume for Penti-Con Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer Penti-Con attendees Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer Attendee in original costume Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer Manning a booth at the event Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer Virtual reality 1 2 3 4 5

Penticton's first pop culture convention brought in a big crowd of colourful characters to the Penticton Lakeside Resort on Saturday.

Billed as being out of this world, The Penti-Con 2017 was just that all day long.

"We are fitting in as much geeky stuff as we can into one day," said Jo Scofield, one of the local organizers. "And it has been well attended. We blew the numbers we hoped for out of the water."

The event featured everything from Dungeons & Dragons to armour making, with a cosplay contest for people who attended in costume.

There were kids' potions classes, a kids' costume contest on the main stage, more than 50 vendors, a virtual reality booth as well as stormtroopers coming and going.

Megan Irving and Anneka Erikson with The Handmade Empire, from Kelowna, were busy selling handmade mugs and jewelry.

"We are both enormous nerds, so it's great to have this in Penticton and great to have more than one," said Irving.

Ashley Johnson, of Kelowna, who sells cosplay prints and art prints, said she was having a good time.

"I came out to promote myself here and I like being around nerdy people," she said.

While Megan Shiosaki, from Penticton, one of the many costumed attendees, wore her own original costume.

"It's really to get out and meet people and do a little shopping and I really love dressing up," she said. "It's fun and nobody is looking at you like you are weird."

Scofield said the organizers plan to incorporate into a non-profit and put on more events, with Penti-Con expanding to two days next year.
Firefighters continue to battle the devastating Water's Edge fire in Kelowna's Mission district.

Dramatic photos by Castanet staff and from neighbours, as well as boaters on Okanagan Lake, show the progression of the major structure fire.

Send your news, photos and video to [email protected]
Photo: Jon Manchester

Interior Health CEO Chris Mazurkewich has issued the following statement on the B.C. wildfire crisis and IH's response to keep patients safe:

Interior Health teams across IH West are working closely with emergency officials from several agencies to respond to the wildfire activity around the communities we serve.

Together, we are carefully considering the best options for our patients and staff who are located where significant wildfire activity is ongoing.

Since Friday, we have evacuated residential and assisted living sites in Ashcroft; all patients in 100 Mile District General Hospital; and we are continuing to relocate our residential care and assisted living residents in 100 Mile to other communities. The Emergency Department at 100 Mile remains open. The Ashcroft hospital is closed.

We are currently taking steps to evacuate patients from Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake, as well as residential care and assisting living clients. This is a precaution due to unpredictable wildfire activity around the city.

Our teams have worked through the night ensuring each person goes to the facility that best suits his or her individual needs. We are also staying in close contact with First Nations leaders to see what health supports are needed for First Nations communities hard hit by the wildfires.

We understand that families may not know where their loved one has been relocated, which is why we have set up a central phone line through our Patient Care Quality Office where these answers will be provided.

I want to reassure the public and families of residents and patients that the majority of individuals in our care from both 100 Mile and Ashcroft are all safely in their new temporary accommodations. We will keep you updated on the progress of the evacuations in Williams Lake.

Our employees and physicians on the ground at all affected sites have performed their duties with remarkable calm, even those facing personal losses to the fires. Their commitment to patients is truly heroic.

This is one of the gravest situations Interior Health has faced in terms of such widespread natural disaster impacting our services. We are extremely fortunate to have so many dedicated, calm and clear thinking people at all levels within Interior Health and within the many partner agencies working with us.
Photo: The Canadian Press In this Friday, Nov. 4, 2016 file photo, Donald Trump Jr. campaigns for his father Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Gilbert, Ariz.

Donald Trump's eldest son, son-in-law and then-campaign chairman met with a Russian lawyer shortly after Trump won the Republican nomination, in what appears to be the earliest known private meeting between key aides to the president and a Russian.

Representatives of Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner confirmed the June 2016 meeting to The Associated Press Saturday after The New York Times reported Saturday on the gathering of the men and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower. Then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended, according to the statement from Donald Trump Jr.

He described it as a "short introductory meeting" during which the three discussed a disbanded program that used to allow U.S. citizens to adopt Russian children. Russia ended the adoptions in response to American sanctions brought against the nation following the 2009 death of an imprisoned lawyer who spoke about a corruption scandal. Trump Jr. said he invited the other two Americans, was asked to attend by an acquaintance not named in the statement, and was not told beforehand with whom he would meet.

"It was not a campaign issue at that time and there was no follow up," he said.

Kushner lawyer Jamie Gorelick said her client already disclosed the meeting in a revised filing of a form that requires him to list meetings with foreign agents.

"Mr. Kushner has submitted additional updates and included, out of an abundance of caution, this meeting with a Russian person, which he briefly attended at the request of his brother-in-law, Donald Trump Jr. As Mr. Kushner has consistently stated, he is eager to co-operate and share what he knows," she said.

Later Saturday, a spokesman for the president's outside legal team contended that participants in the June meeting "misrepresented who they were and who they worked for." However, the spokesman, Mark Corallo, would not say specifically who misrepresented themselves or how they did so.

Unlike Kushner, Trump Jr. does not serve in the administration and is not required to disclose his foreign contacts. The newspaper reported Saturday, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, that Manafort disclosed the meeting to congressional investigators questioning his foreign contacts.

Manafort helmed Trump's campaign for about five months until August and resigned from the campaign immediately after the AP reported on his firm's covert Washington lobbying operation on behalf of Ukraine's ruling political party. He is one of several people linked to the Trump campaign who are under scrutiny by a special counsel and congressional committees investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign and potential co-ordination with Trump associates.

Manafort has denied any co-ordination with Russia and has said his work in Ukraine was not related to the campaign.

The newspaper said Veselnitskaya is known for her attempts to undercut the sanctions against Russian human rights abusers. The Times also said her clients include state-owned businesses and the son of a senior government official whose company was under investigation in the United States at the time of the meeting.
It's an emotional thing when you see co-workers in the predicament that our people were in today, said Kelowna Fire Department deputy fire chief Lou Wilde, following a full day of fighting a massive blaze that destroyed an under-construction condo building and damaged an adjacent occupied building.

Early on in the fight, four firefighters became trapped inside the building, and were forced out onto an east-facing balcony. The fire quickly tore through the building, blocking their exit, and forcing them to rely on help from below.

After several harrowing minutes, firefighters brought a ladder to their balcony, and the four firefighters crawled down to safety. One of them was taken to Kelowna General Hospital with burns to his hands, where he will spend the night. Two others were taken to the hospital for heat exhaustion.

It's a big deal when we have an incident like today. It's a wake up call, Wilde said.

He attributes the rapid burn of the building to its unfinished state.

It's in a vulnerable state in that condition, so the fire spread through the building very quickly, far quicker than what you would experience in a regular occupied building with drywall and suppression systems, he said.

The roof of an adjacent building, this one occupied, caught fire, but the blaze was kept to the east end of the building, thanks in part, to the building's fire suppression system and cinder block firewall.

While Wilde wouldn't speculate on the cause of Saturday's fire, he said a construction crew that was working on the building made the initial call to 911.

A resident of the partially burned building said she saw a man working on the building with a torch, before a fire got away from him and tore up the side of the building.
Photo: The Canadian Press Bill Hillmann, a 35-year-old American from Chicago, lies in a hospital bed after being gored at the San Fermin bull running Festival, in Pamplona, northern Spain, on Saturday.

One of the two Americans gored Saturday during this year's second running of the bulls in the Spanish city of Pamplona is swearing that he will run again before the festival is over.

Bill Hillmann, a 35-year-old writer who also was gored three years ago at the San Fermin festival, was in stable condition. The bull that led the pack thrust its horn into Hillmann's buttocks before flipping him onto the street.

"In a split second he was on me. I tried to jump, but he hit me in the butt," the Chicago resident told The Associated Press by telephone from a hospital in Pamplona.

"I flew up in the air and landed on my back. I didn't know I was gored at first," he said. "Then people started telling me I was gored and pulled me over to the medics. I pulled down my pants and there was blood."

Despite his run-in, Hillmann says his love for the chaotic and treacherous spectacle of Pamplona's rampaging bulls hasn't wavered.

"I am probably going to run tomorrow or the next day, sure at this festival," he said. "I am already walking. The first time, I wasn't walking for a week."

Hillmann's wound was less severe than those of a 22-year-old American who also was gored on Saturday. Identified by the regional government of Navarra only with the initials J.C., he was in serious condition after his left arm was impaled and he was dragged for several meters (yards) before the bull flung him off and stormed over him. WBBM Chicago identified him as Jack Capra, of California, who told the station it had been his first running with bulls.

Three other Americans, two Frenchmen and three Spaniards  all men  needed hospital treatment for injures received during Saturday's frantic and crowded run of thrill-seekers. Two Americans and a Spaniard also were gored on Friday.

Hillmann was in Pamplona for a 12th consecutive year to brave the bulls and ran on Friday.

He was gored in the early stages of the run, when the bulls from the ranch of Jose Escolar confirmed their reputation as being unpredictable.

The bulls completed the 930-yard (850-meter) cobbled-street course in just over four minutes  well over the average of three minutes  because one bull broke away from the rest and turned around.

The other five plowed into the slower-moving crowds, knocking many runners down as they manoeuvred through the narrow streets and wooden barricades.

Hillmann described this second goring as "just a tick" compared to his first one in 2014, which produced two thigh wounds he called "traumatic."

Hillmann, like scores of foreigners, discovered the San Fermin festival thanks to Nobel Literature laureate Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises."

"It changed my life. It made me want to be a writer, to run the bulls, to come to Spain," he said. "When I got here everything in the book was still here, but a thousand times more. And it just keeps getting more interesting. People think this is just crazy people running. There is real art. If you pay attention, you can see it."

Hillmann claims to have participated in over 300 bull runs across Spain at traditional summer festivals. He has written a guide on bull running, along with a novel, and was back in Pamplona to make a documentary featuring him as a bull runner.

"The thing is that when you run, you always have doubts because you are taking a decision that can end your life," he said. "There is a shadow that follows you. Sometimes I don't run because I don't feel right. I usually get premonitions. Not today. I felt good today, but it didn't go my way."
Photo: Dean Kraft Wildfire burning near Princeton, Saturday.

Here are some facts on the wildfire situation from April 1 to July 7 in British Columbia:

Total fires: 463

Total area burned: About 113 square kilometres.

Total fires by region: Coastal 50; Northwest 30; Prince George 126; Kamloops 68; Southeast 59; Cariboo 130.

Total area burned by region: Coastal 1.69 square kilometres; Northwest 1.44 square kilometres; Prince George 9.2 square kilometres; Kamloops 45.64 square kilometres; Cariboo 54.53 square kilometres; Southeast 83 hectares.

Fort McMurray wildfire: The wildfire that swept through Fort McMurray, Alta., was just under 5,900 square kilometres in size when it was considered under control on July 5, 2016, about two months after it started.
Photo: The Canadian Press A wildfire burns on a mountain behind a home in Cache Creek, Saturday.

Here are some numbers on the wildfires that are burning across British Columbia:

Number of fires: More than 173 fires were reported on Friday alone, with fire crews battling 183 blazes across the province at one point on Saturday.

Locations: Crews focused Saturday on the largest fires that forced thousands from their homes in the communities of Ashcroft, Cache Creek, 100 Mile House, 105 Mile House, 108 Mile House and 150 Mile House.

Firefighters on scene: 1,000, supported by heavy equipment and helicopters. An additional 600 personnel were backing them up, plus another 200 contractors. Another 260 firefighters were coming from other parts of Canada.

Evacuees: Precise numbers for the entire province were not released, but the Cariboo Regional District estimates as many as 6,000 people were forced from their homes.

Structures burned: Officials have not released figures, but Cache Creek Mayor John Ranta said a fire burning between Ashcroft and Cache Creek destroyed dozens of buildings, including at least five houses, 30 trailer park homes and two hangars at a regional airport. Eight of the fires burning in the province were threatening homes or other structures.

Fire sizes: The three major fires near 100 Mile House, Cache Creek and the Williams Lake airport range in size from 14 to 20 square kilometres.
Photo: CTV Police at scene of Surrey stabbing.

A teenager was taken to hospital in Surrey overnight after an apparent stabbing.

About 1 a.m., RCMP received multiple 911 calls reporting an altercation at a residence on the 5600 block of 148th Street, near Highway 10.

Police located a 16-year-old male who had received several wounds from an unknown edged weapon after an altercation with several other youths.

The victim was taken to hospital in serious condition, and the others fled the scene prior to police arriving.

All the youths are known to each other and the incident was targeted, not random, police say.

Officers were interviewing witnesses and canvassing the neighbourhood for additional evidence.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or CrimeStoppers.
Photo: Maryland Zoo

A three-week-old baby giraffe has been placed in intensive care at a Maryland zoo after a sudden change in its bloodwork.

The calf, Julius, has been struggling since he was born June 15 at The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. He received a plasma transfusion from a giraffe in Ohio a few days after he was born.

In a statement Saturday, the zoo said the changes in Julius' bloodwork are "a serious concern for the giraffe care and veterinary teams." He is receiving hour-by-hour care, and efforts are continuing to feed him by bottle.

Julius was six feet tall and 143 pounds at the time of his birth, but initial tests showed the newborn had insufficient antibodies to protect him from disease.
Photo: The Canadian Press Kori Doty plays with their child Searyl in Slocan.

A parent's request to exclude their child's sex on government-issued identification is pushing past the boundaries of gender stereotyping, experts say.

Kori Doty, a Slocan parent who identifies as transgender and prefers the pronoun they, refused to provide the sex of their child Searyl to the government when they were born in November.

Doty said it was a victory when Searyl's provincial health card arrived in the mail in April displaying a "U" instead of an "M" or "F" to designate the child's sex.

Vancouver-based lawyer barbara findlay, who advocates for gender-free identification, said race is no longer recorded on birth certificates or other identification because it's personal information and gender should be treated the same way.

"One's sex, one's gender identity is as personal a piece of information as how you identify your race and it shouldn't be on ID documents," said findlay, whose legal name is not capitalized.

Historically, the government used information about gender to distinguish who  specifically men  could own property or vote, findlay said. Since those barriers no longer exist, she said it's unnecessary to continue displaying gender on ID documents.

"I'm not imposing a non-binary gender identity on my kid, I'm just holding the space for them to figure out who they are without the application of a rigid assumption," Doty said.
Photo: The Canadian Press

President Donald Trump said Sunday that "it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia" after his lengthy meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Germany. But he is still avoiding the question of whether he accepts Putin's denial that Russia was responsible for meddling in the 2016 election.

Speaking in a series of tweets the morning after returning from a world leaders' summit in Germany, Trump said he "strongly pressed" Putin twice over Russian meddling during their meeting Friday.

Trump said that Putin "vehemently denied" the conclusions of American intelligence agencies that Russian hackers and propagandists tried to sway the election in Trump's favour. But Trump would not say whether he believed Putin, tweeting only that he'd "already given my opinion."

Trump has said he believes that Russia probably hacked the emails of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton staffers, but that other countries were likely involved as well.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov first told reporters in Germany on Friday that Trump had accepted Putin's assurances that Russia hadn't meddled  an assertion Putin repeated Saturday.

"He asked questions, I replied. It seemed to me that he was satisfied with the answers," Putin said.

But White House chief of staff Reince Preibus took issue with Putin's characterization. "The president absolutely didn't believe the denial of President Putin," Priebus said on "Fox News Sunday."
Photo: Gerri Logan Wildfire burning near Princeton, Saturday.

Relentless wildfires across B.C. have firefighters working around the clock to get them under control  but the end still isn't in sight says the BC Wildfire Service.

B.C. declared a state of emergency on Friday following 173 fires breaking out in the Interior and Cariboo region, forcing thousands of households to evacuate. Firefighting crews were battling a total of at least 183 wildfires by the end of the day Saturday.

Fire information officer Jody Lucius said Sunday morning that as of late Saturday, the Ashcroft fire was at 4,200 hectares in size and is still out of control.

The wildfire near Princeton grew to 1,500 hectares and is rapidly growing. There are 60 firefighters, two rotary aircrafts and heavy equipment personnel on site. It is also out of control, said Lucius.

"That one, originally, we had a really hard time getting a good size on it because there was so much smoke on the ground," she said. "We actually had in the first day or so quite a few challenges with firefighters being able to access the site from the ground, so we didnt have an updated estimate on it for quite a while."

There are several fires burning in the Little Fort area, with the largest being near Thuya Road, which is estimated at 300 hectares and out of control.

Two fires near Dunn Lake are also out of control, and according to Lucius, "they are very close together."

"We are talking about them as one," she said. "We had thought they might run together to form one larger fire yesterday, as of my last report yesterday that hadn't happened."

They are estimated at a combined 120 hectares.

"There are structure threatened by that one, and there are evacuation alerts in and around the Little Fort area," Lucius said.

Officials estimate 3,000 households have been evacuated across the Cariboo region as well as in Princeton and Ashcroft.

The BC Wildfire Service is asking that the public avoid Highway 5 and Highway 24 in the Little Fort area and refer to DriveBC for alternative routes.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
UPDATE: 3:45 p.m.

People evacuated from the condo building in Kelowna had a few minutes on Sunday to remove valuables from their units at the Water's Edge.

Charlene Hodgson was at the farmers' market when she got word that the building next to hers was on fire.

They called me and told me they had some bad news and the condo next door was on fire," she said.

On Sunday she was removing her belongings from her home.

They have given each floor a 45-minute window, she said. They have to have supervised escorts up stairs and out.

Fire crews are focused on getting rid of smoke and extinguishing the last of the fire inside the condo building that was under construction on Truswell Road. It collapsed Saturday after a massive fire tore through the structure.

Kelowna Fire Chief Travis Whiting said crews did everything they could to attack the fire.

Pretty much every piece of apparatus that we had we threw at this, he said. This is a big fire so we didnt hold anything back by any means.

Whiting said crews are still soaking the embers of the collapsed building to get the smoke down.

Meanwhile, he said the fire next door caused only so much damage.

"The bulk of the units are actually in very good shape, the crews did an amazing job in holding the line," he said.

Crews worked on three sides to extinguish the fire, including from a boat in the water.

The cause of fire is still being investigated and he would not release any further information.

"Obviously, there have been some ideas floating around but until we know exactly what it is we want to be cautious," said Whiting.

UPDATE: 3:10 p.m.

All evacuation orders related to the Waters Edge on Truswell Road fire have now been rescinded but some residents are still unable to return to their property, according to the Emergency Operations Centre.

The press release states:

The evacuation order for Waters Edge (65 units) at 3865  3885 Truswell Road has been rescinded but residents are still unable to return to their property. The strata manager of Waters Edge has been in contact with owners to arrange escorted access into some units. Residents of Waters Edge can call the strata manager at 778-478-0444.

The evacuation order for Walnut Grove (37 units) at 549 Truswell Road has also been rescinded. Residents can contact the property manager at 250-764-4221 for more information.

Approximately 20 units were impacted at Waters Edge Phase One and Walnut Grove. Homeowners will need to work directly with their property owners/managers and insurance companies.

As well, the evacuation order for Charles M Suites (11 units) at 559 Truswell Road and all single family homes on Truswell and Capozzi Roads have been lifted. Single family home addresses include:

3814 Capozzi Road

3820 Capozzi Road

3828 Capozzi Road

3832 Capozzi Road

3838 Capozzi Road

3848 Capozzi Road

3854 Truswell Road

3858 Truswell Road

3896 Truswell Road

The evacuation order for Mission Shores (54 units) at 3880 Truswell Road has also been lifted.

Residents who cannot return home should register at the reception centre at the Salvation Army, 1480 Sutherland Ave. The reception center is open between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday.

People are being reminded to stay clear of the general area as it remains a restricted access area.

UPDATE: 12 p.m.

Work is underway to remove much of the debris that has now filled the street on Truswell Road.

Crews are still battling the fire and more information is expected on Sunday about what plans are being made for Water's Edge residents.

UPDATE: 11 a.m.

Deputy Fire Chief Lou Wilde said the focus will be getting as many people back into their homes as possible after a blaze ripped through one condo building and spread to another on Truswell Road.

Evacuation orders that were put in place for Charles M Suites at 559 Truswell Road and all single family homes on Truswell and Capozzi Road will be lifted as of 11 a.m. Sunday.

Evacuation orders for Mission Shores at 3880 Truswell Road will be lifted at 1 p.m. as additional time is required to ventilate smoke from the parkade.

Smoke still filled much of the sky on Sunday morning as firefighters worked to hose down the smouldering building.

Water's Edge units on Truswell Road and Walnut Grove are all under an evacuation order.

"Fire suppression work is ongoing," said the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations in a release.

"Plans are being made to provide limited escorted access to Waters Edge residents to secure essential items such as prescription drugs."

People who have been evacuated are being directed to Salvation Army at 1480 Sutherland Avenue.

For more information visit this link.

ORIGINAL: 10:50 a.m.

Firefighters worked through the night on a blaze that gutted a condo building on Truswell Road.

Water's Edge North building, a six-storey condo, collapsed after being completely engulfed in flames after a fire broke out at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

The fire spread to the building behind which was quickly evacuated.

Crews on scene Sunday morning were still working to extinguish the building still had smoke coming out of it.

At least two fire truck were working on the blaze and fire investigators are expected to be on scene today.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.
Photo: @TedTednewhouse Homes pictured in Ashcroft as wildfire came through.

UPDATE: 8:58 p.m.

Premier-designate John Horgan flew into Kamloops Sunday to meet evacuees from wildfires in the Southern Interior.

Outgoing Premier Christy Clark said Horgan's incoming government has been briefed on the establishment of a $100-million fund to provide impacted communities and residents the resources needed to rebuild.

Speaking to reporters in the afternoon, Horgan said the outgoing government has been very co-operative and that he would honour the $100 million Clark had committed to, adding that the province would likely provide even more support as the cost of the disaster grows.

"Whatever is needed to make sure that people are whole after this, we're going to make sure that happens," he said, after meeting with officials in Kamloops.

Horgan said he spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Sunday afternoon, who assured him the federal government stood ready to help.

"To have the prime minister say the federal government is there for us when we need it is very reassuring," he said.

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said Ottawa has agreed to federal assistance.

Highway closures trapped Cache Creek resident Jacquie McMahon and her husband overnight Friday on the north side of Lac La Hache, near the 100 Mile House wildfire.

"The orange glow on both sides of us was so surreal and it was growing, growing, growing," said McMahon, whose home was spared in the fire.

"I just lost my mom (in March), and mom always told us: 'Never go anywhere without everything you need.' "

She added, wiping away tears. "So we had everything we needed. And thank goodness."

A provincewide state of emergency was declared Friday after about 140 new fires ignited and crews grappled with intense winds. The government said the state of emergency allows it to more easily co-ordinate a response to the crisis.

On Saturday, 98 new fires sprang up and existing fires grew in size.

The four biggest fires ranged in size from about 20 to 44 square kilometres and drove thousands from their homes in the communities of Ashcroft, Cache Creek, 100 Mile House, 105 Mile House, 108 Mile House, 150 Mile House and the Alexis Creek area.

Dozens of public parks in the Cariboo and Chilcotin region were closed to the public.

ORIGINAL: 12:11 p.m.

by Alanna Kelly

Firefighters are battling nearly 200 wildfires burning across British Columbia that have destroyed dozens of building, homes and air hangars.

Premier Christy Clark said the first priority during this period of extreme wildfire activity in the interior is to ensure the safety of those impacted.

More than 1,000 firefighters have been deployed to battled the blazes and try to contain the flames.

Today, the Province is announcing a $100-million fund that will provide impacted communities and residents the resources needed to rebuild, announced Clark as she heads to visit Kamloops.

Premier-designate John Horgan will also visit Kamloops on Sunday to meet with those impacted by the wildfires.

Cliff Chapman, the deputy manager at the Kamloops Fire Centre, suggested Saturday was a day he'd never forget.

"I've been in this business for 17 years, from crew all the way up to where I am now, and I haven't experienced a day like we experienced yesterday," he said.

A wildfire at Ashcroft is now 4,400 hectares in size and many structures have been impacted due to the blaze.

A provincewide state of emergency was declared Friday after about 140 new fires ignited and crews grappled with intense winds. The government said it would allow it to more easily co-ordinate a response to the crisis.

On Saturday, the winds eased slightly, but 98 new fires sprang up and existing fires grew in size.

The three biggest fires ranged in size from about 14 to 20 square kilometres and drove thousands of people from their homes in the communities of Ashcroft, Cache Creek, 100 Mile House, 105 Mile House, 108 Mile House, 150 Mile House and the Alexis Creek area.

- with files from The Canadian Press.
A large fire that destroyed a condo building has evacuated many people in the surrounding area on Truswell Road.

The moment of the fire and aftermath was captured by Castanet staff, neighbours, as well as boaters on Okanagan Lake and sent to our newsroom.

You can send your news, photos and video to [email protected]
Photo: Sam Nakatsu

UPDATE: Monday 5:45 a.m.

The BC Wildfire Service reports there are now 225 fires burning across the province.

Twenty-seven new wildfire starts were reported on Sunday alone.

ORIGINAL: Sunday 2:30 p.m.

The number of wildfires in B.C. doesn't look to be easing off anytime soon, according to fire information officer for the BC Wildfire Service, Kevin Skrepnek. Up to 7,000 people may have been evacuated.

On Sunday at 1 p.m. representatives from the BC Wildfire Service and Emergency Management BC (EMBC) gave an update on the wildfires consuming the province.

"It is going to be very dependent on what the weather brings us over the next little while," Skrepnek said. "From a more realistic perspective, we're looking at hot and dry conditions certainly for most of the province for the next five to seven days."

With a provincial state of emergency in place, B.C. residents will likely not see relief anytime soon. The combination of wind and heat fuels the fires, according to Skrepnek.

Today we had 220 wildfires burning across the province." he said. "Yesterday, another very active day we had a little under 100 fires start, yesterday alone."

The exact number of evacuees is not known according to Chris Duffy, executive director, Operations and Recovery Transition for EMBC.

"I don't have a lot of solid numbers there [evacuees] yet," he said. "Some of the numbers that I do have with me  1,800 evacuees registered in Williams Lake, that are being directed to Prince George and about 1,200 people registered at 100 Mile; overall might be in the neighbourhood of 7,000, again that number is fluid."

Since April 1, there has been over 20,000 hectares burned due to wildfires according to the B.C. Wildfire Service.

"Right now our estimate for hectares burned across the province is 23,697," Skrepnek said. "Now that is a huge estimate, I have absolutely no doubt that number is quite a bit bigger because we have so many unknowns out there, in terms of what is going on."

The number of hectares burned across the province at this time is considered to be lower than usual because most of the fires didn't spark until recently, he said.

"If you were to look at the 10-year average or even compare it to some of our previous seasons, that's actually a fairly low number, the reason being is up until a few weeks ago this has actually been a fairly quiet fire season, but obviously we have a had a flurry of activity over the last few days."

Currently, there are over 1,000 firefighters province-wide attempting to put out the blazes and more are being brought in from out of province.

"There is a tremendous amount of effort being put in right now," Skrepnek. "A lot of women and men out there are doing everything they can to try and put containment around these fires and trying to keep people safe."
As it turned out, it took more than a drenching downpour on Saturday afternoon to put a damper on this years Bluegrass in the Grass festival at Dickinson College.

The torrential rainstorm that struck Carlisle around 3:30 p.m. actually did shut down the 22nd annual music festival at the end of Michael Cleveland and Flamekeepers musical performance, but not for long. After a half-hour wait, veteran band Dismembered Tennesseans took the stage as the rain dispersed.

We had close to 4,000 people here before the rain, but most of them never left, explained event director Davis Tracy. We have to turn off the sound equipment when it rains like that.

Im amazed at the amount of people who stayed through the rain, festival staff member Andy Wolf said.

Audience members Elaine and Richard Shughart of Dickinson Township didnt leave when it rained, they said. Instead, they rode out the storm tucked inside the entrance of a spacious college hall.

We try to make it here every year, Elaine Shughart said. We enjoy the sense of community here, seeing everyone who comes out. I love the music and I love the atmosphere, being out on the fresh air. Its a beautiful setting.

The beautiful setting of the Dickinson campus makes the Bluegrass in the Grass unique from other music festivals, Tracy said. Plus, the one-day festival, free to the public, offers a wide variety of musical styles.

We make a concentrated effort to have a variety of bands here. Were not straight bluegrass. The Charm City Junctions might make you think that youre in Ireland. We try to engage more people in American folk music with a variety of (performing) interpreters, said Tracy, the retired director of Dickinson College Counseling Center and a former psychology professor.

Tracy hosts a bluegrass radio show on Dickinsons radio station, WDVC 88.3 FM, which exposes him to a variety of national artists, most of whom are eager to perform at the annual festival that Tracy initiated in 1996 to a crowd of just 300. People want to come here (to perform) and everyone wants to come back, he noted.

Saturdays lineup included the Bing Brothers Band featuring Jake Krack from West Virginia, Mile Twelve from Boston, Charm City Junction from Maryland, Mike Cleveland and Flamekeeper from Indianapolis, and of course, Dismembered Tennesseans from the Volunteer State. Each act performs twice during the day-long festival to give everyone a chance to hear them, Tracy said.

The festival is organized by volunteers and hosted by Dickinson College, which provides annual seed funding and substantial logistic support, according to Saturdays event program. Other financial support comes from more than 200 private donors, area businesses that purchase program ads, and food and drink vendors at the event. Participating musicians are paid for their performances and also provided with free housing and food.

Brian Gorham, of Carlisle, gets a first-hand view of each years bluegrass festival because he lives near Dickinson College. He enjoys coming and going throughout the day to see whats playing, he said.

I like seeing how big the crowd gets here. This seems to really draw a lot of people, Gorham noted. It looks like it gets bigger every year.
HARRISBURG  Negotiators in Pennsylvania's nine-day-old budget stalemate signaled that they were having difficulty reaching agreement Sunday on a deal to scrounge more than $2 billion to patch up the state government's tattered finances.

Closed-door talks in Pennsylvania's Capitol came a day before Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's midnight Monday deadline to make a decision on the main appropriations bill in a $32 billion budget package. Wolf stayed out of sight over the weekend.

With the Legislature led by anti-tax Republican majorities, those discussions have centered on another big expansion of gambling in the nation's No. 2 commercial casino state and borrowing roughly $1.5 billion against future revenues from Pennsylvania's share of a landmark 1998 multistate settlement with tobacco companies.

Friction on Sunday revolved around Wolf's insistence that lawmakers produce $700 million to $800 million in reliable revenue, such as tax increases, to help the state avoid another downgrade to its battered credit rating.

House Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-Indiana, told rank-and-file Republicans that an agreement was close Sunday afternoon. But he also suggested to reporters that Wolf should start thinking about which parts of the spending bill to veto because Republicans were not willing to meet his demands.

"The administration has consistently said they need more revenue than some of the options that we provided and we, basically, at least from a House perspective, reached the extent of what we're willing to offer," Reed told reporters Sunday afternoon.

Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny, said Wolf wants more money that can be counted on every year, rather than one-time cash infusions that will not avoid another credit downgrade, Costa said.

"The governor wants recurring revenue," Costa said. "A sufficient amount of recurring revenue to meet the bond-rating issue has not been presented yet."

Negotiators have said little publicly about their private discussions, particularly about what sort of tax increases were under discussion.

Wolf has steadfastly pushed a tax package he frames as making corporations pay their "fair share," including slapping a production tax on drilling in the Marcellus Shale, the natural gas reservoir that made Pennsylvania the nation's No. 2 natural gas state.

Senate Republican leaders have acknowledged that some sort of tax increase will likely be part of a final package, but have not said exactly what they were considering, or how much.

"We're trying to be as creative as possible," said Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre.

Pennsylvania has struggled with an entrenched post-recession deficit, and credit downgrades in 2012 through 2014 have left it with among the nation's lowest credit ratings. The $1 billion-plus shortfall in the just-finished fiscal year was state government's biggest since the recession.

The House held a brief session Sunday and the Senate remained in session Sunday, largely as a sidelight to the private budget discussions.

Signing the entire appropriations bill  it packs about $31.4 billion for the current fiscal year and $400 million that will go on the books of the last fiscal year  or letting it become law on its own would be unconstitutional without the funding to underwrite it, Reed said.

"I don't think the responsible thing to do would be just to let that budget become law," Reed said.

Legislation carrying approximately $600 million in aid to Penn State, Pitt, Temple, Lincoln and Penn awaited the passage of a revenue package.

The fiscal year began July 1. Without a signed budget plan in place, the state has lost some of its spending authority, although the Wolf administration has said it anticipated no program or service interruptions, at least through Monday night.

For the second straight year, the Legislature sent an on-time, bipartisan spending bill to Wolf, but with no plan to pay for parts of it.

Last year, Wolf let the plan become law without his signature when the 10-day signing period expired  despite questions about whether the move was constitutional  and lawmakers delivered a $1.3 billion funding package three days later.


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The Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2017, and Angewandte Chemie is marking this event with a special issue that highlights Australian and German chemistry.

In an Editorial, Christopher Barner-Kowollik, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, discusses the strong connection between the chemical communities in Germany and Australia despite the large distance between them. Collaborative funding does exist for bilateral cooperations, however Barner-Kowollik recommends that research ties between the two countries are strengthened through joint funding initiatives, linking academia and industry, and organizing joint symposia. Agreements between universities and chemical societies will further strengthen cooperation.

Given how advanced communication technology has become, the distance between the two countries no longer restricts collaboration between Australia and Germany, so that the potential to forge even stronger ties between the two communities is very promising indeed.

Also of Interest
Dr. Vanessa Grubbs gave her now-husband, Robert Phillips, a kidney after dating him for just nine months. Grubbs became a kidney specialist as a result of the experience. She's also an advocate for African-American kidney patients. (Vanessa Grubbs)

Dr. Vanessa Grubbs lay in a hospital bed, her stomach doing somersaults, even as a smile played at the corners of her mouth.

A nurse gave her Valium through the IV in her left arm, and then Grubbs was wheeled off to the operating room, where a surgeon would extract one shiny pink kidney from deep within her abdomen.

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Grubbs, who is not a woman given to halfway gestures, not only gave a kidney to the man she loved on that day in April 2005  she did so after dating him for only nine months.

"A lot of people thought I was insane," she recalled.

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"We weren't officially engaged, but it's not like we were teenagers. We had (chuckles)  how do you say it? We'd been to the circus, seen all the rides. So we kind of knew what we wanted in a partner; we knew where we were going."

Grubbs married her boyfriend, Robert Phillips, now the CEO of a Sacramento nonprofit, four months after the surgery. And she didn't stop there.

Distressed by the racial disparities in health care she encountered during her husband's medical odyssey, she shifted course professionally, pursuing advanced training in the demanding field of nephrology, or kidney treatment.

She also became an advocate for African-American patients, who have to wait nearly two years longer than whites to get life-saving transplants.

Grubbs, 47, an associate professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco, and the author of the new book "Hundreds of Interlaced Fingers: A Kidney Doctor's Search for the Perfect Match," recently discussed her journey and her goal of educating the public about kidney disease.

She and her husband live with her teenage son in Oakland, Calif.

The following is an edited transcript.

Q: How is your husband doing?

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A: He's doing well. After the hospitalization, he never required dialysis again  knock on wood! He immediately felt better, and he immediately started doing things  planning for his future. He works full time.

The kidney was never considered perfect. He's a big man, and my kidney was considered relatively small for him. The kidney function tests never came down to normal. But for us, it's good enough  good enough to keep him (healthy), hopefully, for the rest of his life. It's been 12 years now, and things are about the same, so we're really happy about that.

Vanessa Grubbs and Robert Phillips get married Aug. 6, 2005, about four months after Vanessa gave Robert a kidney. (Vanessa Grubbs)

Q: Do I have this right, the background photo on your Twitter profile is a detail of a kidney?

A: (Laughs.) Yes, I'm going to change that one. No one understands it, but to me, it's really gorgeous. That's the kidney on an electron-microscopic level. It was pictures like that I saw when I was (doing advanced training) that really made me feel awe of the kidney for the first time. Sadly, you don't really have to delve into nephrology when you're a medical student.

Q: I was surprised by the figure that African-Americans wait two years longer than white people for kidney transplants. Why is that?

A: I think a lot of things go into it. For example, when you think about the process of what it takes to actually get from needing a kidney to getting one. First, you have to know that you have kidney failure, which means you have to be in care, which makes it hard to do if you're uninsured  and particularly if you're feeling well.

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The thing about kidney failure is that people feel really well until it's almost time to start dialysis, for the most part. So you have to know that something's wrong, you have to be in care, you have to be referred to a nephrologist and then that person has to look at you and think about kidney transplant and talk to you in a way about it that sounds like a good idea to you, then actually make the referral.

So a lot of things happen long before you even get to the transplant center, and then they have their set of rules and make the decisions about who gets a kidney in their closed space. It's not a transparent process, which to me always brings up flags in terms of what's happening. So I do think there is (that) part of just the actual transplant center, but there are many steps before anyone gets there that contribute to the fact that blacks and people of color, in general, are slower to get the transplant than whites.

Q: If there was one thing you could change to make things more equitable, what would it be?

A: I think the way to get past our own personal biases, conscious and subconscious, is more automation. For example, a central lab where everyone's results go, and when a person hits a certain level, it triggers a response: "This is what's going on with you. Talk to your doctor about it" or, for the physician, "This person has hit this level of kidney function. Have you considered transplant or whatever else, and if not, why not?"

I think these kinds of fail-safes would get past a lot of the issues that make people stumble along the way.

Q: Is there any movement toward doing that?

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A: Not that I'm aware of. Our health care system is so disjointed, and the fact that everyone is doing their own thing means that we're nowhere near having a unified system.

Q: Is the average person doing enough to monitor his or her kidney health?

A: There's so much that people aren't aware of, from the basics to these larger societal issues. People should understand that high blood pressure and diabetes are two of the major risk factors for kidney disease in this country; it explains two-thirds of the kidney failure that we see.

Q: What can we do?

A: People should get at least an annual physical, so they can get the blood and urine tests. Those simple things can detect a problem very, very early.

nschoenberg@chicagotribune.com

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@nschoenberg

RELATED STORIES:

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One person was killed and five others were injured in a single-vehicle crash on the West Side, according to police. (Elvia Malagon / Chicago Tribune)

A woman was killed and five other people were injured early Sunday after a silver Chrysler minivan crashed into a light pole, causing the vehicle to catch fire, according to police.

About 1:55 a.m., the minivan was heading west in the 5500 block of West Harrison Street in the South Austin neighborhood when it apparently crashed into the pole, police said.

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Responding police officers pulled the people out of the minivan, according to the Chicago Fire Department. The two officers were able to pull the survivors to safety as the vehicle caught fire, police said.

A woman whose age and identity was not released was pronounced dead at the scene. A 29-year-old man was taken to Loyola University Medical Center, where his condition was stabilized. A 30-year-old woman was taken in serious condition to Stroger Hospital, and a 20-year-old woman was taken in serious condition to Mount Sinai Hospital.

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A 31-year-old woman was taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, and a 44-year-old woman was taken to Stroger Hospital, where her condition was stabilized.

The Chicago Fire Department reported that all five surviving victims were in serious to critical condition.

The crash happened on the same block as Loretto Hospital's emergency room entrance.

Check back for updates.
A 27-year-old man was shot dead during an argument late Saturday on the South Side, according to police. (Elvia Malagon / Chicago Tribune)

Leslie Ross-Wells was spending Saturday night downtown when she got a call from her nephew that made her reach for her inhaler.

"They killed 'Little Greg' on 67th and Halsted," she remembers her nephew telling her.

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"I dropped my phone and had to use my inhaler," Ross-Wells said.

She jumped in a cab and was among the crowd of relatives and friends who raced to the emergency entrance of St. Bernard Hospital. Her nephew, who she identified as Gregory Johnson, was taken there after he was shot about 11:20 p.m. Saturday in the right shoulder and right arm.

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The family had not yet been told that Johnson, 27, had been pronounced dead at the hospital. His mother had gone inside the hospital to speak to officials. The crowd waited outside for the news.

"I don't think he's alive," she said.

About a mile away in the 6600 block of South Halsted Street, officers were already working the scene of the shooting as a homicide.

More than 30 evidence markers, which included casings, were spread across Super Save gas station and spilled onto Marquette Road. Officers took photos of a vehicle that was parked outside of a White Castle. Officers were also seen inside the nearby Checkers.

Ross-Wells and police said Johnson had been involved in an argument with another man. She didn't know what started the argument.

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The fatal shooting comes 27 years after Johnson's father and Ross-Wells' brother, Gregory Freeman, was shot dead in Chicago during a fight. At the time, Gregory Freeman was 19 years old and Johnson was only a few months old. In 2007, Ross-Wells' other brother died from complications from a gunshot wound.

In April, one of her cousins, Fredrick Stewart, was fatally shot in the South Shore neighborhood.

"I don't know how to cope," Ross-Wells said.

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She said Johnson had two young children. He was quiet and family-oriented.

"I just want everyone to know that he was loved," she said. "And he loved just as hard as we loved him."

After her brother was killed, Ross-Wells was among those who helped raise Johnson. She put her hands on her head as she became teary-eyed.

"That was my baby," she repeated.
A 30-year-old father of two was denied bail Saturday for allegedly sexually assaulting three women in separate incidents in the south suburbs.

DeAndre Wilson, of south suburban Park Forest, is accused of three sex assaults that took place in April, in May and last Thursday, prosecutors said at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.

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For nearly 10 minutes, prosecutors described in graphic detail how Wilson in each case stalked his victims  following them in a car or on foot  as they walked to work or school, grabbed them at gunpoint, and led them to secluded areas nearby, where he assaulted them.

In the most recent attack, last Thursday in the 14100 block of South Clark Street in south suburban Riverdale, prosecutors said Wilson grabbed a woman at gunpoint as she walked to a nearby Metra station. The woman fought back against her attacker, who was eventually captured by police.

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Authorities recovered a weapon that was later determined to be a BB gun, prosecutors said.

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"It was a BB gun?" asked Judge Peggy Chiampas, who sat stonefaced as she heard the details. It wasn't clear whether the same weapon was used in all three assaults. As prosecutors laid out the case, the mother of Wilson's two children left the room in tears as two other relatives looked on.

After an April 5 sex assault in the 14200 block of South School Street in Riverdale, Wilson allegedly apologized to the victim after the assault. In the second attack, on May 15 in the 300 block of Wilshire Street in Park Forest, Wilson told the victim he wanted to rob her, but moments later told her he wasn't interested in the items he'd taken, prosecutors said.

Wilson, of the 200 block of Minocqua Street in Park Forest, was charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault, armed robbery and aggravated kidnapping, authorities said. He worked for Lapham-Hickey Steel, according to his arrest report, but his employment wasn't immediately confirmed.

Surveillance videos captured parts of an attack, prosecutors added. Calling the attacks "brutal and heinous," Chiampas called Wilson "a danger to the public" and remanded him to custody.

Dressed in a black T-shirt and jogging pants, Wilson's eyes widened and he wiped his forehead as he walked back to the lockup. He is set to go before a judge at the Markham Courthouse for a hearing Tuesday.

wlee@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @MidNoirCowboy
A gang-related quarrel over a stolen bike during the Fourth of July holiday led to gunfire that left an innocent bystander dead and a young gang member wounded in the North Austin neighborhood, prosecutors said in court Saturday.

Two teens, Darius Coakley, 18, and Devin Sanders, 17, were each charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in the Fourth of July shooting in the 1600 block of North Major Avenue.

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Killed was Tyrone Burdine, 56, an innocent bystander who prosecutors said was chatting with neighbors and enjoying the holiday. A 19-year-old man was also struck in his back.

On Saturday, Judge Peggy Chiampas denied bail for Coakley, who stood before her in a black hoodie with a large photo of a young man on its back with gold lettering that read "King Durk." Sanders, of the 5500 block of West Potomac Avenue, was ordered held without bail the day before by Judge James Brown.

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Both teens are set to return to court next week.

The shooting was sparked on the holiday when the 19-year-old, his 12-year-old cousin and several other friends and relatives found an unclaimed bicycle at Galewood Park and took it for themselves, prosecutors said. The 19- and 12-year-old were associated with the Mafia Insane Vice Lords, prosecutor Craig Taczy told the court.

The group wound up at a White Castle near North and Central avenues, when Sanders and another man arrived in a black Volkswagen. Inside the restaurant, Sanders, a member of the P-block faction of the Four Corner Hustlers gang, accused the 19-year-old of stealing his little sister's bike, and a fight broke out between both groups, Taczy said.

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The scuffle was broken up when Coakley arrived, pulled a handgun from his waistband and threatened the 19-year-old and his group. That group left the business, including the 12-year-old, whom Coakley also threatened with the gun, Taczy said. Coakley denied any gang affiliations, according to his arrest report.

A short time later, Sanders and Coakley followed the cousins in the car to an alley on Major Avenue. Sanders, sitting on the windowsill of the passenger door, fired several shots at the fleeing victims, prosecutors said. One of those shots struck Burdine, who was "standing in his yard, talking to neighbors and enjoying the Fourth of July holiday," Taczy said.

Sanders continued firing from the moving vehicle, eventually striking the 19-year-old in the back. Multiple witnesses called 911 and gave descriptions of the Volkswagen.

Burdine, of the Major Avenue address, was struck in the head and taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he was later pronounced dead, authorities said. The other victim was taken to the same hospital, where he was treated and released.

Members of Burdine's family couldn't be immediately reached for comment.

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wlee@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @MidNoirCowboy
A Greenpeace banner with the words "resist" and "defend" was removed from Chicago's Trump Tower on July 7, 2017. Seven people were arrested. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune) (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

Environmental activists who raised a banner at Trump Tower in protest of President Donald Trump's agenda caused thousands of dollars in damage to the River North skyscraper, according to prosecutors.

Four people appeared Sunday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on felony charges after they were accused of hanging a Greenpeace banner with the words "resist" and "defend" from Trump Tower's 16th-terrace.

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Jeremy Alpert, 43, of the 100 block of South Avenue in Glencoe; Taylor Blevons, 27, of the 600 block of North Martin Lane in Deerfield; Wendy Jennings, 38, of Minneapolis; and David Khoury, 47, of Leslie, Ark., were charged with felony criminal damage to property and misdemeanor reckless conduct.

While some of the defendants appeared to smirk in their mugshots, all four stood stone-faced with their hands behind their backs as assistant state's attorney Craig Taczy recounted how the group's 100-by-30-foot banner turned into a "wind sail" forcefully tugging on the railing on the 16th floor terrace.

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Alpert and Blevons are accused of going to Trump Tower's 16th floor terrace to lower nylon ropes to the ground level, where Jennings and Khoury are believed to have dressed as construction workers, with hard hats and safety vests, and used cones to block the walkway, according to Taczy.

The defendants hoisted the banner and tied it to the terrace's stainless steel railing that has panels with windows.

"As the banner was being raised, the stainless steel railing that held the banner was severely damaged from surrounding winds that made the banner swing in the manner of a wind sail, damaging brackets that held the windows in place," Taczy said.

Structural damage to the building was estimated to cost over $10,000, Taczy said. Repairs to the windows and railing were reported to Chicago police as about $15,000. And the custom-made brackets that held windows were valued at $1,500 each, with four needed per window.

Judge Donald Panarese Jr. allowed the four defendants to be released with electronic monitoring and the out-of-state defendants to travel home and to work. However, Panarese cautioned each they could be tried and sentenced in absence if they don't return to court.

"Go home, and come back," Panarese said.

Their next court date is scheduled for Friday. Conditions of their release prohibit them from visiting Trump Tower as well.

Lincoln Square residents Jessica Bryant, 31, and Shirley Sexton, 54, who were also accused of being on the Trump Tower terrace, each face a misdemeanor charge of reckless conduct, according to Chicago police. Both are from the 4900 block of North Western Avenue.

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A seventh suspect, who was on the walkway during the demonstration, still hasn't been tracked down or identified by police, Taczy said.

The banner appeared Friday to hang from cables strung from a terrace restaurant and bar in the high-rise along Wabash Avenue, across the river from Wacker Drive, according to police and witnesses.

The word "resist" was in a black arrow pointed at Trump's name on the building. The word "defend" was over a picture of the Earth.

Greenpeace, a global environmental group, took credit for the banner.

"This action demonstrates that we will not accept the threats that the Trump administration poses to people here and around the world," the organization said, quoting one of the people who hung the banner.

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"Ignoring the science of climate change and removing us from the Paris Climate Agreement is just another indication that the billionaires who have hijacked our democracy are putting the short term profit of corporations over people and the planet," added the statement from Blevons.

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The banner clung to the building as people kayaked on the river and tourists took architecture boat tours, enjoying the sunny weather after a rainy morning.

Around 2:30 p.m. Friday, traffic on the river was halted as the banner was cut down and drifted into the water. People on Wacker cheered, though some groaned they were unable to get selfies with the banner.

At the time, police said five women and two men were arrested and faced possible charges of damage to property and trespassing.

tbriscoe@chicagotribune.com

rsobol@chicagotribune.com

afigueroa@chicagotribune.com
In this June 6, 2013 file photo, a sign stands outside the National Security Agency (NSA) campus in Fort Meade, Md. The NSA has detected specific activity by the Russian spy agency, the FSB, targeting American energy firms, according to two officials. (Patrick Semansky / AP)

WASHINGTON  Russian government hackers were behind recent cyber-intrusions into the business systems of U.S. nuclear power and other energy companies in what appears to be an effort to assess their networks, according to U.S. government officials.

The U.S. officials said there is no evidence the hackers breached or disrupted the core systems controlling operations at the plants, so the public was not at risk. Rather, they said, the hackers broke into systems dealing with business and administrative tasks, such as personnel.

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At the end of June, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security sent a joint alert to the energy sector stating that "advanced, persistent threat actors" - a euphemism for sophisticated foreign hackers - were stealing network log-in and password information to gain a foothold in company networks. The agencies did not name Russia.

The campaign marks the first time Russian government hackers are known to have wormed their way into the networks of American nuclear power companies, several U.S. and industry officials said. And the penetration could be a sign that Russia is seeking to lay the groundwork for more damaging hacks.

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The National Security Agency has detected specific activity by the Russian spy agency, the FSB, targeting the energy firms, according to two officials. The NSA declined to comment. The intrusions have been previously reported but not the attribution to Russia by U.S. officials.

The joint alert from the FBI and DHS, first reported by Reuters on June 30, said the hackers have been targeting the industry since at least May. Several days earlier, E & E News, an energy trade publication, had reported that U.S. authorities were investigating cyber-intrusions affecting multiple nuclear-power-generation sites.

The malicious activity comes as President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday acknowledged "the challenges of cyberthreats" and "agreed to explore creating a framework" to better deal with them, including those that harm critical infrastructure such as nuclear energy, according to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in remarks to reporters. On Saturday, Putin told reporters that he and Trump agreed to set up a working group "on the subject of jointly controlling security in cyberspace."

The Russian government, which is the United States' top adversary in cyberspace, targeted U.S. infrastructure in a wide-ranging campaign in 2014.

Moscow has demonstrated how much damage it can do in other countries when it goes after energy systems.

In December 2015, Russian hackers disrupted the electric system in Ukraine, plunging 225,000 customers into darkness. Last December, they tested a new cyberweapon in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, capable of disrupting power grids around the world.

The recent activity follows the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that the Kremlin was behind a campaign to interfere with the 2016 election through hacking and information warfare. Putin has denied such meddling.

The working group that is being set up will also address "how to prevent interference in the domestic affairs of foreign states, primarily in Russia and the U.S.," Putin said.

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The U.S. officials all stressed that the latest intrusions did not affect systems that control the production of nuclear or electric power.

"There is no indication of a threat to public safety, as any potential impact appears to be limited to administrative and business networks," the DHS and FBI said in a joint statement Friday.

One nuclear power company that was penetrated, Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp. in Kansas, issued a statement saying that "there has been absolutely no operational impact to Wolf Creek." The reason is that the plant's operational computer systems are completely separate from the corporate network, spokeswoman Jenny Hageman said. "The safety and control systems for the nuclear reactor and other vital plant components are not connected to business networks or the Internet," she said.

In general, the nation's 100 or so commercial nuclear power plants are safer from cyberattack than other energy plants because they isolate their control systems from the open Internet, said Bill Gross, director of incident preparedness at the Nuclear Energy Institute.

According to U.S. officials, fewer than a dozen energy companies, including several nuclear energy firms, were affected by the latest Russian cyber-reconnaissance campaign.

While nuclear-power companies are fairly well protected, electric-power plants are less so, experts said.

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"It's a plausible scenario that the adversaries in electric power business networks could pivot to the industrial networks," said Robert Lee, founder and chief executive of Dragos, a cyberfirm that focuses on industrial control systems. "But it's still not a trivial matter to compromise the industrial systems."

Dragos last month issued a report analyzing a new Russian cyberweapon that can disrupt electric power grids. Dubbed CrashOverride, the malware is known to have affected only one energy system - in Ukraine in December. But with modifications, it could be deployed against U.S. electric grids, Dragos concluded.

While the current campaign shows no signs - at least not yet - of disrupting the companies' operations, it is not clear what the adversary's true motive is, officials said.

"In some sense, this could be significant if this is precursor planning," said one U.S. official, who like others interviewed spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. "That's what all cyber bad guys do. They do reconnaissance and they try to establish a presence and maintain access. This in my mind was a reconnaissance effort - to scope things out and figure out" points of entry.

The same actor has also targeted energy and other critical sector firms in Turkey and Ireland, said John Hultquist, director of intelligence analysis at FireEye, a cyberthreat-intelligence firm. He added that the firm has found evidence that the adversary has been hacking into global energy firms since at least 2015.

In their alert, the DHS and FBI stated that the hackers are using spearphishing emails and "watering hole" techniques to ensnare victims. A spearphish targets a user with an authentic-looking email that contains attachments or links embedded with malware. In this case, the hackers often used Microsoft Word attachments that appeared to be legitimate resumes from job applicants, the agencies said. In a watering-hole attack, an unsuspecting victim navigates to a website laced with malware, infecting his or her computer. In both cases, the adversary sought to collect victims' log-in and password data so that they could sneak into the network and poke around.

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Galina Antova, co-founder of the cyberfirm Claroty, said: "There's no need for hype and hysteria, but this is an issue that should be taken seriously because of the state of the industrial networks" - in particular the non-nuclear systems.

The current cyber-campaign, dubbed Palmetto Fusion by the government, is significant as a warning, officials said. "It signals an ability to get into a system and potentially have a continued presence there, which at a future date, at someone else's determination, might be exploited to have an effect" that could be particularly disruptive.

The Washington Post's David Filipov and Damian Paletta in Hamburg contributed to this report.
Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap speaks during a voter registration meeting at the National Association of Secretaries of State conference Saturday, July 8, 2017, in Indianapolis. (Darron Cummings / AP)

INDIANAPOLIS  State election officials voiced doubt Saturday that adequate security measures can be adopted before 2018 elections to safeguard against the possibility of a foreign government interfering in U.S. elections.

That's according to attendees at a weekend gathering of the National Association of Secretaries of State, whose conference was held amid an uproar over a White House commission investigating President Donald Trump's allegations of voter fraud and heightened concern about Russian attempts to interfere in U.S. elections.

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The Department of Homeland Security said last fall that hackers believed to be Russian agents targeted voter registration systems in more than 20 states. And a leaked National Security Agency document from May said Russian military intelligence had attempted to hack into voter registration software used in eight states.

But both Republican and Democratic Secretaries of State, who are responsible for carrying out elections in many states, said they have been frustrated in recent months by a lack of information from federal intelligence officials on allegations of Russian meddling with the vote. They say that despite the best efforts by federal officials, it may be too late in to make substantive changes.

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"I'm doubtful," said Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap, a Democrat. "We shouldn't feel like we've been tied to a chair and blindfolded ... It's very hard to help further instill public confidence that you know what you're doing if you don't have any information."

The conference in Indianapolis, which began Friday, is being attended by officials from 37 states. The FBI and Homeland Security attempted to allay fears by holding a series of closed-door meetings Saturday on voting security.

"This is a new thing and it takes a while to get things running and everybody talking," said Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, a Republican. "I think this is something we will build on and it will get better over time."

There is no indication so far that voting or ballot counting was affected in the November election, but officials are concerned that the Russians may have gained knowledge that could help them disrupt future elections.

The gathering took place while Trump was in Germany for the Group of 20 summit, which included a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said Saturday that he thinks Trump accepted his assurances that Russia didn't meddle in the U.S. presidential election.

It also comes one week after the commission investigating Trump's allegations of election fraud requested voter information from all 50 states, drawing bipartisan blowback. The request seeks dates of birth, partial Social Security numbers, addresses, voting histories, military service and other information about every voter in the country.

Trump has repeatedly stated without proof that he believes millions of fraudulent ballots were cast in the November election, when he carried the Electoral College but lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The commission was launched to investigate those claims and is being chaired by Vice President Mike Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who sent the information requests.

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"I do think that this is an odd time to be forming a national database of some kind if we're so concerned about security," said Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill, a Democrat.

The U.S. does not have a federalized voting system, relying instead on 9,000 different voting jurisdictions and more than 185,000 individual precincts. Officials believe that makes it difficult for hackers to have any major effect on the vote. If Kobach succeeds in obtaining the information he seeks, it could gather voter data for the entire U.S. in one centralized place.

Kobach was not in attendance at the weekend event and could not be reached for comment, prompting Democrats to reiterate their skepticism of the commission's intent. They expressed concern that the information could be used to justify stringent new voter security procedures making it more difficult for people to cast a ballot.

Dunlap, who is a member of Trump's commission, says Kobach's push for the voter data "spooked" people because it impacts "how individual citizens feel about their sovereign right to democratic self-governance."

That includes some of Kobach's fellow Republicans.

"We still have some questions that need to be answered that only Kris Kobach can answer," said Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, a Republican who has yet to determine whether his office will release the data. "I don't think he made a good decision in this effort because of the way he chose to go through with it."

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It remains unclear exactly how the data will be used for. Pence spokesman Marc Lotter said the commission will look for potential irregularities in voter registrations and advise states on how they can improve their practices.

But many secretaries of state say all or parts of the requested data are not public in their states. Some Democrats have said the commission is merely trying to provide cover for Trump's unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have said they will refuse to provide the information sought by the commission. The other states are undecided or will provide some of the data, according to a tally of every state by The Associated Press.

Associated Press writer Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, contributed.
U.S. President Donald Trump casts shadows on the wall as he walks with Poland's President Andrzej Duda at the end of a joint press conference, in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, July 6, 2017. (Czarek Sokolowski / AP)

WASHINGTON  At least one thing is known about the meeting between presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin: They met.

But for the first time? Or again? Depends on which accounts from Trump you choose to believe.

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At home and abroad over the past week, the U.S. president made a number of assertions at odds with reality, about the stock market, the "blazing" economy, NATO and more. But the curious lack of clarity on his personal history with the Russian leader perhaps stood out.

Here's a look at his statements on that subject over time, and a variety of other assertions in recent days:

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TRUMP, in a chronological mashup of statements from 2013 to 2016 on whether he had met Putin: "I met him once." "Yes. One time, yes. Long time ago. Got along with him great, by the way." ''I got to know him very well because we were both on '60 Minutes,' we were stablemates." ''I never met Putin. I don't know who Putin is." ''I don't think I've ever met him. I mean if he's in the same room or something. But I don't think so." ''I didn't meet him. I haven't spent time with him. I didn't have dinner with him. I didn't go hiking with him. I don't know  and I wouldn't know him from Adam except I see his picture and I would know what he looks like."

PUTIN: "I never met with him."  June, NBC interview.

PUTIN: "I am very happy to meet you, Mr. President."  remarks in a brief, public portion of their meeting Friday.

THE FACTS: We don't know. But there is no public record of a prior private meeting.

Trump initially claimed to have met Putin during business meetings in Russia or when he owned the Miss Universe beauty pageant, which was held in Moscow in 2013. As a foreign policy neophyte, he found it advantageous before his presidential campaign and during the early part of it to claim a relationship with Putin, to show he had the right stuff to deal with a world leader. When he risked appearing too close to Putin later in the campaign, he changed his story.

This much is known: Trump and Putin were only "60 Minutes" ''stablemates" because they were on the same program. Trump's segment was taped in New York; Putin's in Russia.

TRUMP, on whether Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. elections: "Nobody really knows." He added: "So, it was Russia, and I think it was probably others also."  news conference in Poland on Thursday.

NIKKI HALEY, U.S. ambassador to the U.N.: "Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections."  on CNN's "State of the Union," taped for broadcast Sunday.

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THE FACTS: The weight of evidence supports Haley's certainty more than her boss' equivocation. Multiple U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia meddled in the campaign, and for the purpose of giving Trump an advantage over Democrat Hillary Clinton. The full scope of the interference has not been established, nor whether Russian officials colluded with Trump associates in the campaign.

White House officials said Trump confronted Putin about the interference in their private meeting Friday. Kremlin officials had a different account, saying Trump appeared accepting of Putin's denials that Moscow did anything untoward to shape the election.

In Poland, Trump argued alternately that it could have been Russia, probably was Russia and indeed was Russia, while insisting it could have been other countries, too, and adding: "I won't be specific."

TRUMP: "No matter where you look, the economy is blazing. And on every front we're doing well. And we do have challenges, but we will handle those challenges  believe me."  remarks at Fourth of July event at White House.

TRUMP: "Really great numbers on jobs & the economy! Things are starting to kick in now, and we have just begun! Don't like steel & aluminum dumping!"  tweet Monday.

THE FACTS: The economy is not blazing. At best, it's at a controlled burn.

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The performance under Trump has been remarkably close to the relatively tepid growth under President Barack Obama, a record Trump criticized as a candidate. Most economists agree that any president is unlikely to suddenly transform an economy in a matter of months.

The economy grew at a sluggish annual pace of 1.4 percent during the first three months of the year. Growth can be uneven on a quarterly basis. But Federal Reserve officials estimate the economy will grow 2.2 percent this year, 2.1 percent in 2018 and 1.9 percent in 2019. That is pretty close to growth of roughly 2 percent during the recovery under Obama.

Trump can celebrate a 4.4 percent unemployment rate, but that builds on progress made during Obama's tenure. The lower unemployment rate has also translated into smaller job gains under Trump.

Monthly job growth has averaged 180,000 during the first six months of 2017, compared with an average of more than 186,000 last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

TRUMP: "Dow hit a new intraday all-time high! I wonder whether or not the Fake News Media will so report?"  tweet Monday.

THE FACTS: Peaks and valleys during the day generally don't make for screaming headlines. Investors generally pay more attention to where stock market indexes stand when trading ends at 4 p.m. Because those markets have been setting records for months, Monday's intraday peak wasn't that notable, though the financial media reported on it. The stock market has been rising under Trump's watch, as it rose under Obama's since 2013.

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TRUMP: "When I say that the stock market is at an all-time high, we've picked up in market value almost $4 trillion since Nov. 8, which was the election. $4 trillion  it's a lot of money. Personally, I picked up nothing, but that's all right. Everyone else is getting rich. That's OK. I'm very happy. "  Energy meeting with European leaders in Warsaw on Thursday.

THE FACTS: Everyone else is not getting rich. Most Americans lack meaningful stock market investments. Research by New York University economist Edward Wolff found that just 10 percent of the U.S. population owns 80 percent of stock market wealth.

Also, it's likely the rising stock market has indeed benefited him personally. Financial disclosures show the president has multiple brokerage accounts and extensive stock holdings. He owns shares in Apple Inc. (up 24 percent year-to-date), Caterpillar Inc. (up 15 percent) and Microsoft Corp. (up nearly 12 percent) among other companies. Even if Trump didn't buy into the recent stock market gains, his existing shares probably received a boost.

TRUMP, on NATO's core pledge: "To those who would criticize our tough stance, I would point out that the United States has demonstrated not merely with words but with its actions that we stand firmly behind Article 5, the mutual defense commitment."  speech in Warsaw on Thursday.

THE FACTS: Rather than showing a commitment with his actions, Trump has sown confusion with his words. Article 5 has only been used once  by other NATO members, to come to the defense of the U.S. after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Trump suggested during the campaign that NATO members lagging on their own military spending might not be able to count on the U.S. to come to their aid if attacked. And he pointedly did not endorse Article 5 at a NATO meeting in May, unnerving some allies. In June, though, he said: "I'm committing the United States to Article 5." Those words won't be tested with action until or unless a NATO member is attacked.

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TRUMP: "We just approved a big pipeline also  the Keystone Pipeline. It was under consideration for many, many years, and it was dead, and I approved it in my first day of office."  Warsaw energy meeting.

THE FACTS: He did not approve it on his first day in office. During his first week, on Jan. 24, Trump signed an order asking TransCanada to re-submit its application to build Keystone XL, which had been blocked by Obama. Trump suggested at the time that more negotiations would be required with TransCanada before he would approve the project. The project actually got the go-ahead in late March.

TRUMP: "Americans know that a strong alliance of free, sovereign and independent nations is the best defense for our freedoms and for our interests. That is why my administration has demanded that all members of NATO finally meet their full and fair financial obligation. As a result of this insistence, billions of dollars more have begun to pour into NATO. In fact, people are shocked. But billions and billions of dollars more coming in from countries that, in my opinion, would not have been paying so quickly."  Warsaw speech.

THE FACTS: The notion of money pouring into NATO because of his tough talk is one of Trump's most frequent fictions. The actual issue is how much NATO countries spend on their own military budgets. They agreed in 2014, well before he became president, to stop cutting military spending, and have honored that. They also agreed then to a goal of moving "toward" spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on their own defense by 2024. Most are short of that and the target is not ironclad. His tough talk is aimed at nudging them toward that goal.

Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Lolita C. Baldor, Nancy Benac and Lynn Berry contributed to this report.
Six months ago, state Rep. Mary Flowers began with an ambitious plan.

Following a Tribune investigation that found pharmacists frequently dispensed dangerous drug combinations after rushing through or skipping required safety reviews, she crafted legislation designed to ensure that safety was a top priority in Illinois pharmacies.

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The South Side Democrat wanted to limit the hours pharmacists could work each day and the number of orders they could fill each hour. She wanted half-hour meal breaks and two extra 15-minute breaks on full shifts. And she wanted whistleblower protections for pharmacists who speak out.

Flowers had union support for her proposals. But pharmacy lobbyists were fiercely opposed, a position illustrated early on when they sat side-by-side at a witness table in Springfield and testified against her bill.

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Since then, Flowers has abandoned her hopes for a quick resolution. As lawmakers gathered in special session to address the budget impasse, the House sent Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner a bill to create a task force on pharmacy safety  one that is not required to return with recommendations for changes in Illinois laws or regulations until the fall of 2019.

Recalling the pushback from pharmacy lobbyists, Flowers said, "I was really amazed at how they came in swinging  as if everything is OK and they just needed a tweak here and a tweak there."

Creating a task force is a classic legislative move, one that indicates supporters of a proposal failed to get adequate backing immediately and agreed to negotiations in hopes of keeping the issue alive.

Rauner, who previously told the Tribune he was concerned that Flowers' initial proposal would increase costs but not improve safety, is now reviewing the much milder task force legislation.

The next front of the battle may be in Chicago, where Springfield's slow pace has led Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, to seek city-only changes modeled after Flowers' legislation. At a City Hall hearing in March, a CVS pharmacist alleged the company put "profits over people," testifying that speed was a higher priority than checking prescriptions properly.

CVS, which was among the pharmacies that made changes following the Tribune investigation, quickly rejected the allegation.

Burke told the Tribune he hopes the Finance Committee, which he chairs, and the full City Council will vote on his proposal by the end of July.

The clash over pharmacy workplace rules in Illinois  complete with competing special interests and millions of dollars in campaign contributions  represents a test case for change elsewhere in the U.S.

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"Illinois is Ground Zero," said Carmen Catizone, executive director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. "If nothing changes, then a message is sent across the country that, 'Perhaps pharmacists need to be more diligent, but the accountability hasn't changed.'"

Opposing sides

In December, the Tribune reported that the newspaper had conducted tests in 255 pharmacies and found 52 percent failed to warn that a drug combination could cause a dangerous interaction. Several pharmacy chains, including CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and Costco, have said they would make safety improvements.

The next month, Rauner announced an initiative that, among other features, would require pharmacists to counsel customers with new prescriptions or changes in their medication. The Rauner proposal is working through a regulatory review process that still could take months to complete.

The investigation also inspired Flowers to introduce legislation she hoped would reduce prescription drug errors and drug interactions by improving working conditions in pharmacies.

Her strongest ally was Teamsters Local 727, which represents 650 Chicago area pharmacists and interns at CVS and Jewel-Osco stores. The union  more associated with blue-collar jobs than pharmacy lab coats  largely shaped the Flowers bill and embraced her call for a whistleblower clause. Union members have said they worry that working at an assembly-line pace leads to mistakes that put consumers at risk.

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On the other side of the debate were the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, whose members include Walgreens, CVS and Walmart; the Illinois Pharmacists Association; and the Illinois Health and Hospital Association. They argued Flowers' proposed restrictions would go too far, would be too costly and looked unnecessary, citing safety changes already on the books or in the works.

In Illinois, the special interests on both sides of the fight have been steady political contributors for decades.

The Teamsters' top five campaign funds active in Illinois gave virtually all their $1.3 million in donations between January 2015 and the opening months of this year to Democrats, according to an analysis by Kent Redfield, a campaign finance expert and professor emeritus of political studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

The Teamsters, Redfield noted, channeled those donations heavily toward the war chests run by House Speaker Michael Madigan, head of the Illinois Democratic Party, and Senate President John Cullerton.

"One of the biggest contributions that we make is to the Democratic Party in Illinois," said Will Petty, executive director of Teamsters Joint Council 25, which oversees union locals throughout the state. "And why do we do that? We have seen a history and tradition of that party also being sympathetic to union-friendly legislation and workers rights."

On the other side, IRMA and five big retail chains with pharmacies contributed a total of about $950,000 to state politicians' funds dating to January 2015, often spreading money around to rank-and-file lawmakers in amounts ranging from $250 to $9,000, Redfield's analysis showed.

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Walgreens led all pharmacy chains giving directly to Illinois politicians, sending $297,000 in contributions to various statewide officials, legislative leaders and roughly 80 percent of the 177 lawmakers overall, Redfield found. The Deerfield-based company said the firm has a "responsibility" to back candidates whose policies support healthier lives and it does not think contributions influence legislative votes.

IRMA President Rob Karr, who lobbied against the original Flowers legislation, said decisions about donations from its political fund are guided by the "general temperament and approach of the recipient to decision-making." Karr said the group does not rate lawmakers based on particular votes and noted that IRMA years ago became one of the first major groups to prohibit donations during legislative sessions.

CVS Health said in a statement that it has not donated to lawmakers in 2017 and that it makes contributions to "support policies that help provide access to care, improve quality and help reduce overall health care costs." Wal-Mart said it works with "lawmakers and stakeholders on many issues that impact our customers."

The hospital group and its five affiliates  concerned the Flowers bill would require more staff and restrict operations  gave about $1.1 million to state politicians since January 2015. About 90 percent of lawmakers, Redfield said, received money from the groups.

A spokesman for the hospital group said the political committees contribute to "elected officials  regardless of party affiliation  who are working to address those issues and the challenging health care environment facing hospitals."

Redfield, author of the book "Cash Clout," said donations help special interests build long-term friendships.

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"It isn't that you're buying a vote for 500 bucks or a $1,000 on either side," Redfield said. "You're cultivating a relationship. The contributions facilitate getting the phone call returned, getting the meeting set up."

The outcome

When Flowers first aired her proposal, she stared down from the top row of seats in a legislative committee room and into the eyes of pharmacy lobbyists eager to kill her bill.

The more she asked questions at that February hearing, the more she sounded frustrated. Rank-and-file pharmacists and their union had told her in person and by email that they feared the increasing corporate pressure to do more and faster work was putting patients in jeopardy.

One Peoria pharmacist had emailed that increasing duties  from offering generic medicines to dealing with privacy laws, opioid regulations and flu shots  were forcing pharmacists to "to work with an agility of an octopus, which in turn jeopardizes the health care" of patients.

When lobbyists at the hearing suggested such concerns were "allusions" and "anecdotal," Flowers responded sternly.

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"To say this is imaginary or nonfactual ... those are your alternative facts," she said. "I'm not having it."

Though Rauner's separate initiative to change counseling requirements fell short of the pharmacy overhaul Flowers wanted, the Republican governor's move hung over the hearing.

"We are making substantial improvements, right?" Republican Rep. Keith Wheeler of Oswego asked pharmacy lobbyists.

Karr quickly agreed.

"So I can go back and tell my constituents who may be concerned about this issue, the issues have already been addressed to a great degree?" Wheeler continued. "More may be coming, but this is already a great start?"

The interaction seemed to reinforce lawmakers' hesitations about embracing Flowers' bill.

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Later, Wheeler said no one wants pharmacists making mistakes and that he expected Flowers to bring back a new version of her bill. But he said he looked at her legislation at the time from the viewpoint of a small pharmacy.

"If we make it harder for them to financially survive," Wheeler said, "then we make it harder on patients."

Rep. Mike Zalewski, D-Riverside, also had hoped to improve consumer safety at pharmacies and teamed up with Flowers. But he feared putting her bill up for a vote in the full House would backfire.

"I felt like, if we tried to be too ambitious early on in the process, that the stakeholders ... were going to probably kill her bill, kill any effort at pharmacy reform," he said in a recent interview. "And I tried to take a more moderate approach."

Looking to gain political leverage, Zalewski spied an opportunity. The state's pharmacy act was set to expire Jan. 1, a common process that allows legislators to consider whether changes are needed. Typically, legislators renew such regulatory laws for 10 years.

But Zalewski moved to extend that period by two years, to Jan. 1, 2020. Then, working with Flowers, Zalewski set the task force's deadline for November 2019, positioning lawmakers to make timely demands for changes to the law.

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Karr said what he hopes for now is "a rational, fact-based discussion of how to advance the practice of pharmacy in Illinois."

Waiting until November 2019 also keeps the pharmacy issue off the front burner during 2018 legislative contests and that year's high-profile governor's race. Zalewski said modernizing the state's pharmacy system may require additional fees  something tougher for lawmakers to accept in an election year.

Despite settling this spring for a task force, Flowers said she will press the panel to endorse the same sweeping changes she first introduced and maybe add a few more items to her list.

"I am still getting emails," Flowers said. "I expect more people to tell their stories. I expect pharmacists to come out and tell their stories. I expect people who suffered from drug interactions to tell their stories. They are the lucky ones. They lived to tell their stories."

rlong@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @RayLong
Members of St. Spyridon's women's club display their homemade Greek pastries that were for sale during Greek Fest on Sunday. (Frank Vaisvilas/Daily Southtown )

Members of Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church in Palos Heights celebrated the institution's 100th anniversary in the Southland with its famed Greek Fest this weekend.

James Korbakes, president of the church's parish council, said he discovered the annual fundraising event also started with the founding of the church in 1917 after he read church board meeting minutes from that year mentioning the festival.

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For a century, Greek Fest has been all about the homemade food.

"That's what everyone comes for," Korbakes said.

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Grills in the church's parking lot Sunday sizzled with shish kabob gyros and Greek chickens as customers line up to fill their plates.

Inside the church's gymnasium, members of the women's club sold baklava and other Greek sweets for a few dollars in containers with labels that read "Made with love."

"It's the best Greek food you can find," said Chris Kolyvas, of New Lenox, and one of the church's nearly 400 members.

Randy McNichols, of Darien, was finishing up a visit with his father at the nearby Park Villa retirement home when he followed his nose to Greek Fest.

He said he didn't know about the festival beforehand, but he knew he was hungry, and Greek Fest didn't disappoint.

"This is excellent Greek chicken," he said.

Brian Gavaghan, of Orland Park, said he had a "taste for feta" on Sunday and found himself at Greek Fest with his daughter.

He said he wanted to pick up some Orthodox informational brochures for a friend and decided Greek Fest would also provide a fun way to get a taste of Greek culture.

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Korbakes said a live band played traditional Greek folk songs Saturday while people danced with the occasional shout of "Opa!"

On Sunday night, visitors were treated to a demonstration of traditional Greek dancing by the church's youth group as well as professional performers.

But for most of the afternoons, crowds were sparse even though there were a few carnival rides and games.

Still, Korbakes said Greek Fest usually draws between 2,500 and 3,000 people over the two-day event.

"A lot of people come in just for the food and then leave," Korbakes said.

There were plenty of to-go boxes and bags of food for people stopping by.

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Admission was $2 for adults, and food was a few dollars more. Korbakes said the event is the church's largest annual fundraiser, which helps pay for overhead expenses and mission trips.

The church was started in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood and moved to Palos Heights in 1976.

The church's sanctuary area is adorned in the traditional Byzantine style and includes large frescos painted in Greece.

"We're very proud of the church," Korbakes said.

He said church organizers are also planning a 100th anniversary gala Oct. 15 at Georgios Banquets in Orland Park.

Korbakes said organizers for that event are trying to arrange a loan of Saint Spyridon's relics from the island of Corfu in Greece.

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Frank Vaisvilas is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
What to expect next in the Frisch vs. Boebert CD-3 race

Final results in the race won't be known until Friday, Nov. 18, after clerks in all 27 counties upload final counts. So what happens between now and then?
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Film "Dahufa," China's first animated movie labeling it "PG-13", has received critical acclaims from the country's animation circle in advanced screenings.

Poster of Dahufa [Photo provided to China Daily]

The upcoming movie, which is set to open across China on July 13, recently held a series of previews during its promotional tour.

Centering on the titular person, a short martial arts master born to safeguard the fictional Yiwei State, the tale follows his adventure to rescue the nation's crown prince in a town populated by peanut-headed humanoids.

The movie targeting adults contain some bloody, violent scenes as well as sort of soft-porn lines.

But even with these contents, the movie is reckoned to build a serious theme to examine freedom and dignity, according to some animators.

Du Jun, CEO of the hit animated franchise Kuiba's producing company Vasoon Animation, says the movie ponders over human nature.

As China hasn't adopted a rating system by ages, the producers highlight on some trailers and posters to warn the movie is not fit for audiences younger than 13 years old.

Yang Zhigang, more known for his stage name Busifan, reveals on his Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalence to Twitter, that the movie will also have two voice-over versions, respectively in Mandarin and Cantonese.
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About 4,000 firefighters from Inner Mongolia and neighboring Heilongjiang Province try to extinguish the lightning-induced fire. [Xinhua]

A lightning-induced fire engulfing 1,500 hectares of forest in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in north China has been put out, local authorities said.

The fire broke out Thursday. About 4,000 firefighters from Inner Mongolia and neighboring Heilongjiang Province, together with a dozen helicopters were dispatched to extinguish the blaze.

All open fire had been put out by 8 p.m. Saturday. The firefighters continue to search for smoke points.

The forest is part of the Greater Hinggan Mountains in north and northeast China.

According to firefighters, the Greater Hinggan Mountains have seen a longer period with high temperatures and severe drought this year, which has made it difficult for preventing and putting out fires.
One of the populist promises with which Donald Trump ensured his election to the U.S. Presidency concerned a rapid solution to the nuclear proliferation problem on the Korean peninsula. The rhetoric of the early months of his Presidency focused on blatant sabre-rattling, clearly implying that diplomacy had failed and that the U.S. was prepared to contemplate a military solution. In this way Trump hoped to deter the DPRK from proceeding further with missile testing, and to claim an easy foreign policy success.

However, the recent DPRK long-distance missile test appears to have demonstrated that Trumps aggressive deterrence policy has failed. Trump proclaimed earlier this year that a DPRK ICBM capacity would not be allowed to happen, Now it has. The timing of the missile test, on the U.S. national day of July 4, conveyed an unmistakable message. It may even be that Trumps threats accelerated the DPRKs preparations.

American attempts at deterrence may have been checked by counter-deterrence. Confronted by a situation which they had promised would never be allowed to occur, what will the Americans do next?

It is most unlikely that the U.S. will allow their warlike rhetoric to intensify. If one carries on uttering empty threats one renders oneself ridiculous. Of course the military power of the U.S. is far superior to that of the DPRK, but that will not help. It must be clear to all Americans that military action would lead firstly to incalculable devastation, and secondly to unpredictable international ramifications as all regional powers would be dragged into involvement in some shape or form. The threat is not credible. The price of intercontinental war would be completely unacceptable, and the concept unthinkable.

But another aspect of the timing of the missile launch, though probably not specifically included in the DPRKs planning, was its proximity to the state visit of Chinas President Xi Jinping and his summit meeting with President Putin of Russia.

On the same day that the DPRK launched the missile, President Xi told Russian media that relations between China and Russia were currently at their "best time in history," and that Russia and China were each other's "most trustworthy strategic partners." Following the DPRK missile test, both leaders called for a freeze on further tests, but balanced this by a statement by the accompanying foreign ministers that the U.S. and the ROK should abstain from carrying out joint exercises. This comes after presidents Xi and Putin had earlier voiced their objection to the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system (THAAD) in the ROK. President Xi was quoted by Xinhua on July 3 as saying that the THAAD deployment "seriously undermines the strategic security interests of China."

As has become normal practice in the new phase of Chinese diplomacy, the Sino-Russian accord was underpinned by a solid economic commitment: A $10 billion investment fund was announced for cross-border infrastructure projects linked to the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union.

The result of the events of the last week is that responsibility for the management of the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula is seen to have moved towards the two neighboring states of China and Russia. The problem is not susceptible of any instant solutions, but the situation does need intensive managing.

And it does not currently look as though the U.S. has much of a role at present. There is as yet no sign of any revival of the six-party talks which formed the generally accepted format for negotiation around the turn of the millennium. Though the United States and China maintain some concerns in common regarding the averting of nuclear conflict and proliferation on the Korean peninsula, recent American actions have not really facilitated smooth cooperation. In fact the American mishandling of this issue may have placed the U.S. in a less favorable position for playing a useful role in this crucial situation.

The scene now moves to Hamburg in Germany, where the Chinese and Russian presidents meet other world leaders at the G20 summit on July 7. Clearly the Korean issue will feature prominently in the leaders discussions. It is notable that, in advance of the formal meeting, President Xi has sought out the new ROK President Moon Jae-in to assure him of Chinas support and friendship.

It is clear that, if a Sino-Russian solution to the peninsular problems is to succeed, the ROK will have to play a part in this. In the meeting between the two leaders, President Xi emphasized the progress made in the 25 years since the establishment of China-ROK diplomatic relations, and made it clear that China supported the new ROK government's efforts to restart contact and dialogue with the DPRK. It is clear that China favours a regional solution to this problem, albeit one which fully respects resolutions of the UN Security Council.

Tim Collard is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/timcollard.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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The Egyptian Foreign Ministry is following up the issue of the 19 people believed to be Egyptians who were found dead in a desert area in northeastern Libya, the ministry's spokesman said in a statement on Saturday.

"The Egyptian embassy in Tripoli, currently operating from Cairo, was informed by its sources at the Libyan Red Crescent that the dead bodies of about 19 persons were found in the Libyan desert area between Tobruk and Ajdabiya," Foreign Ministry's spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in the statement.

He added that the identities of only seven of them have been verified, noting they most likely have been killed by smugglers during an illegal immigration attempt.

"The Foreign Ministry is closely following up the issue to identify the rest of the bodies," the spokesman said, adding that measures are being made to transfer the seven identified bodies back home.

Egypt has been working with Libya's neighboring states to reach a political settlement in the conflict-stricken country, which is currently engaged in a civil war and run by two rival administrations, one in the capital Tripoli and the other in Tobruk city in the east.

Egypt seeks Libya's stability to maintain the Egyptian national security, secure its western borders and uproot cross-border terrorism, according to security experts.

Suffering terrorism at home, Egypt is concerned about its western borders with eastern Libya that have once been a point of infiltration of militants back and forth between the two countries.

The Egyptian forces destroyed in two airstrikes in May and June at least 27 vehicles loaded with weapons and ammunition while attempting to infiltrate into Egypt through the western borders with Libya.

The Egyptian leadership of President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi supports the self-proclaimed Libyan national army led by strongman Marshall Khalifa Haftar and the parliament-backed government in Tobruk.

Tobruk's administration was internationally recognized before the Libyan Presidential Council (PC) was established in 2015 to run a unity government in Tripoli as per a UN-brokered peace deal between Libyan factions reached in Skhirat, Morocco.
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The two-day Group of 20 (G20) summit in Hamburg ended on Saturday with no consensus on the climate change.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders attending the 12th Summit of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies pose for a group photo in Hamburg, Germany, July 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement as "regrettable", as she closed the summit and presented the G20 declaration.

But she said all the other 19 members of G20 agreed that the Paris climate accord was irreversible and remained committed to it.

On the other most focused issue of free trade, although the G20 leaders reached an agreement on free trade, it seemed there were strong differences among members, as Merkel said in her remarks "the talks were very difficult."

"You can notice that controversies within the G20 are substantial about trade and climate change, even about multilateralism itself," Dr. Dirk Messner, Director of German Development Institute told Xinhua during the Summit.

The co-chairman of Think 20, a think tank for G20, said that international community has changed dramatically in the last three years, which posed new challenges to G20 leaders.

He said 2015 was a very important year for multilateralism. In this year, the Paris Agreement was achieved and the 2030 Agenda was signed by all the nations around the world. But 2016 was "a shock" as U.S. President Donald Trump made the year "very difficult for multilateralism".

The year of 2017 is again different as Britain started procedure of exiting from the European Union and Trump announced getting out from the Paris climate change agreement, he noted. Fortunately, the French election went well, serving as a great relief for the world.

Compared to the Hangzhou Summit in China last year, he added, G20 leaders are dealing with a more complex world this year in Hamburg.

Professor Gu Xuewu, director of the Center for Global studies at Bonn University told Xinhua, "it would be not easy to reach agreements at the Hamburg Summit".

So it needs a more powerful G20, according to Dennis J. Snower, President of Kiel Institute for the World Economy, also co-chairman of T20.

He was echoed by Messner, "G20 is even more important, and we need to rebuild it".

G20 represents 80 percent global GDP, 80 percent of global trade and 80 percent of global resources and consumption, "If G20 can't solve our global problems, no one else can solve it " Messner said, "They are responsible."

Snower added that the global economy is "basically and completely integrated", so the problems generated are also interdependent, such as climate change, financial crisis, cyber security and terrorism.

"These problems cross national boundaries and can only be solved multilaterally," Snower said.

According to Messner, as the United States' global influence is weakening in many aspects, the importance of the European Union as well as the importance of China rises automatically.

John J. Kirton, co-director of G20 Research Group at University of Toronto, also thought China is emerging as a leader in the compliance of G20 Summits outcomes and pushing forward G20 Agenda.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed on Saturday that the Group of 20 (G20) members should build a digital economy that is friendly to growth and employment.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan attend a concert of the 12th Summit of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies in Hamburg, Germany, July 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

He made the remarks while attending a two-day G20 summit in the German port city of Hamburg.

"We should actively adapt ourselves to digital evolution, foster new economic drives, advance structural reforms and promote integrated development of digital and real economy," said Xi.

To this end, he proposed to implement the G20 Digital Economy Development and Cooperation Initiative and the New Industrial Revolution Action Plan, both adopted at last year's summit in Hangzhou, China.

The Chinese leader urged all members to cope with risks and challenges so as to steer digital economy toward openness and inclusiveness, adding that the G20 bloc needs to expand access to digital economy and reduce the digital divide between the North and the South.

"We need to pay attention to digitized production and the impact of artificial intelligence on employment in various nations, and to take active employment policies," he added.

The Chinese president also called on all parties to create an international environment favorable to the development of digital economy, better integrate their respective development strategies, and jointly improve the level of digital application..

"We should push for the construction of a peaceful, secure, open and cooperative cyberspace, and explore ways to build multilateral, transparent and inclusive international trade rules in digital sectors," he added.
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President Xi Jinping on Friday met with British Prime Minister Theresa May amid the Group of 20 (G20) summit, calling for more stable, rapid and sound development of bilateral relations.

President Xi Jinping meets with British Prime Minister Theresa May in Hamburg, Germany, July 7, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Xi recalled his meeting with May on the sidelines of the G20 summit held in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou in September last year when the two leaders reaffirmed the general direction of the "Golden Era" of bilateral relations.

With efforts of both sides, the two countries have deepened strategic mutual trust and promoted pragmatic cooperation in various fields to a high level, Xi said.

As 2017 marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Britain diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level, the development of bilateral ties face new opportunities, Xi said.

China is willing to work with Britain to lift the global comprehensive strategic partnership for the 21st century to a higher level, so as to better benefit the two peoples, he added.

Xi stressed that bilateral relations should be cultivated on the basis of reinforced strategic mutual trust.

The two sides should adhere to the principle of mutual respect and equality, and respect each other's core interests and major concerns, he added.

The two countries should maintain close high-level exchanges and institutional dialogues in various fields, so as to make top-level planning for a sustainable and stable development of bilateral ties, he said.

Xi said that strengthening pragmatic cooperation is the pillar in developing China-Britain relations.

The two countries should strengthen pragmatic cooperation in various fields and enhance the synergy of the two countries' development agendas within the framework of the the Belt and Road Initiative, he said.

The two countries can also deepen cooperation in finance and nuclear energy sectors, as well as promote people-to-people exchanges, he added.

He said that cementing international coordination is a highlight in the development of bilateral relations.

The two countries should strengthen cooperation and coordination in international and regional issues, deepen exchanges within multilateral frameworks, such as the United Nations, the G20 and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Xi said.

China and Britain need to seek common ground while shelving differences, and preserve the overall development of bilateral ties through concrete efforts to achieve more stable, rapid and sound development of bilateral relations, he added.

May said that Britain is committed to boosting the global comprehensive strategic partnership for the 21st century between the two countries, and sticking to the general direction of the "Golden Era" of bilateral relations.

Britain values China's great influence on major global issues, while the two sides share common interests in many fields, she said.

Britain will give full play to the bilateral high-level dialogue mechanisms, expand cooperation with China in such fields as trade, investment, culture, and security, as well as closely communicate and coordinate with China on international and regional hotspot issues, she added.
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With broad grins and a warm handshake, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin warmed up for their historic encounter on Friday under the shadow of US outrage about alleged Russian election meddling and nagging questions about potential Trump campaign collusion.

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, July 7, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Ahead of a formal, sit-down meeting, Trump and Putin were seen exchanging pleasantries as a leaders' retreat got underway in Hamburg.

As officials gathered around a table, Trump outstretched his hand to Putin and then patted his elbow and both men smiled. A brief video clip shows Trump casually patting Putin on the back as they stand side by side.

Video of the exchange was posted to Facebook by the German Cabinet. It was the first known in-person interaction between the two men, who have spoken by telephone since Trump was inaugurated in January.

The two leaders planned later on Friday to hold longer talks on Syria and other issues on the sidelines of the G20 summit of industrialized and developing nations.

The White House said it has scheduled 35 minutes for the meeting.

"Much to discuss," Trump tweeted before the encounter.

When asked if Putin was looking forward to the talks and whether he had lots of questions for Trump, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he did.

The heavily anticipated meeting is being closely scrutinized for signs of how friendly a rapport Trump and Putin will have. Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, had notoriously strained ties to Moscow, and Trump has expressed an interest in a better US-Russia relationship.

But deep skepticism about Russia in the US and ongoing investigations into whether Trump's campaign coordinated with Moscow during last year's election have made a detente politically risky for Trump.

As leaders gathered at a summit hall in Hamburg for a group photo, Trump and Putin stood on opposite sides of the tableau. Putin chatted casually with German Chancellor Angela Merkel before taking his spot for the photo next to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

After the cameras snapped away, Merkel, in the center, dismissed the group with a firm nod of the head.

In the lead-up to the meeting, Trump, during a speech in Warsaw on Thursday, urged Russia to "cease its destabilizing activities in Ukraine and elsewhere and its support for hostile regimes including Syria and Iran, and to instead join the community of responsible nations in our fight against common enemies and in defense of civilization itself".

But much of the focus both in Washington and Moscow will be on whether Trump broaches the issue of Russia's meddling in the election.

During a news conference in Poland on Thursday, Trump again refused to accept the conclusion by multiple US intelligence agencies that Russia had interfered to try to help him win in November.

He said it could have been Russia, but that other countries could have meddled, too.

"Nobody really knows for sure," Trump said.

US lawmakers and investigators continue to look into Russia's interference, along with possible collusion between Trump campaign associates and Russian officials. That puts Trump under intense scrutiny over how he handles the sit-down with Putin.

The list of their meeting would include issues range from Syria, Iran to Ukraine, and the Korean Peninsula.
TUNIS - Tunisia and China signed on Friday three agreements to boost commercial cooperation between the two countries.

The agreements were signed at the fifth edition of the forum "Tunisia-China: A Partnership for the Future" hosted by the Arab Institute for Business Leaders (IACE) in the capital Tunis.

The agreements involve a mega-project to build a commercial complex worth $65 million in Tunisia, which covers an area of 200,000 square meters.

According to IACE President Ahmed Bouzguenda, the long-awaited agreements benefit from China's Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes.

Tunisian senior officials and representatives from a dozen of Chinese multinational enterprises and banks attended the forum.
PHNOM PENH - Cambodia exported 94,720 tons of milled rice to China in the first six months of 2017, up 101 percent compared to the same period last year, according to a government report on Friday.

China is the top buyer of Cambodian rice, followed by France, Poland, Britain and the Netherlands, said the report compiled by the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export.

According to the report, Cambodia exported a total of 288,562 tons of milled rice to 56 countries and regions during the January-June period this year, up 7.6 percent over the same period last year.

The Southeast Asian country produced over 9 million tons of paddy rice a year. With this amount, it has more than 3 million tons of milled rice left over for annual export, according to the Agriculture Ministry.
BEIJING - Every work day, rain or shine, fast-food couriers shuttle through the streets of downtown Beijing, delivering lunches and dinners for white collar workers, and their presence is ever increasing.

The catering industry creates at least 1.6 million jobs nationwide every year, according to industry insiders. The number will be much bigger considering new employment in catering-related sectors such as couriers. This new growth, including new industries and business models, contributed around 70 percent of all new jobs created in the country's cities last year, official data showed.

In recent years, China has seen more than 13 million new jobs created for urban residents each year, with the country's registered urban unemployment rate at around 4 percent.

To ensure stable employment, China has rolled out an array of pro-employment policies for graduates, the redundant, the disabled and migrant workers, while the country's entrepreneurial wave has helped fuel job creation.

At the opening ceremony of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2017, also known as Summer Davos, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said that employment was always a development agenda priority, as it was fundamental to inclusive growth.

In the past three years, the number of market entities in China increased by a daily average of 40,000.

"This is a remarkable achievement for a developing nation with more than 1.3 billion people, and it is also an important contribution to world inclusive growth," the premier said.

Robust economic development has contributed to improving China's international competitiveness. The ascent of the country's global competitiveness was reflected by a report published by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) business school in Switzerland.

China was rated the 18th most competitive among 63 economies in 2017, compared with 25th in 2016, according to the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2017.

Among the four competitiveness factors in the yearbook, China ranked second in "economic performance." China also topped the three sub-indices of "domestic economy", "employment" and "labor market."

The indicators that stood out among the most improved economies were related to government and business efficiency as well as productivity, and these economies "have maintained a business-friendly environment that encourages openness and productivity," said Arturo Bris, director of the IMD World Competitiveness Center.

"If you look at China, its improvement of seven places to 18th can be traced to its dedication to international trade. This continues to drive the economy and the improvement in government and business efficiency," he said.

The view was echoed by Wang Changlin, deputy director of the Academy of Macroeconomic Research, who said that the competitiveness of China mainly came from steady economic growth and employment driven by innovation and entrepreneurship.

Thanks to supply-side structural reforms to create new sources of growth, the Chinese economy is steadily shifting from investment-fueled growth toward a growth model that draws strength from consumption, services and innovation.

Pan Jiancheng, an official with the National Bureau of Statistics, said economic growth was better than expected and more optimized in structure in the first half of the year, with indicators pointing to solid growth, increasing jobs, stable prices and a sound balance of international payments.

Both the industrial and service sectors are improving, while consumption has become a major engine for growth, suggesting the "inherent momentum" of the economy had been enhanced, Pan said.

Consumption contributed 77.2 percent to economic growth in the first quarter, up from 64.6 percent the prior year. Services contributed 61.7 percent of Q1 GDP. High-tech industry's value-added output for January-March increased 13.4 percent, according to official data.

While steady employment pointed to an optimistic economic outlook, challenges remain.

There are both quantitative and structural problems. On the one hand, more than 15 million people, including nearly 8 million college graduates, will enter the job market this year. On the other hand, technical and skilled workers are badly needed.

Authorities should step up policy support, including further tax cuts while allocating more subsidies to small and medium enterprises, which provide more than 75 percent of urban jobs, said Zhou Tianyong, professor at the Party School of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
Investors check out stock quotes at a brokerage in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. [Photo by Su Yang/For China Daily]

China's equity market is expected to improve in the second half of this year as investor sentiment is brightening in a largely stable macroeconomic environment, said analysts.

Growth momentum remains robust as shown by the first-quarter GDP growth of 6.9 percent year-on-year, the strongest quarterly real growth since the third quarter of 2015.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index began the year at 3,158 points and ended at 3,192 on June 30, the last trading day in the year's first half.

Analysts said the SCI is likely to end the year around 3,400, implying a 7.6 percent rise for this year.

Similarly, sectoral indexes such as those for public utilities, infrastructure, consumption and healthcare are expected to gain in the range of 5 to 12 percent this year.

Even other key equity markets such as Shenzen and Hong Kong are expected to rise in the range of 3 to 7 percent this year.

Such a rise is expected as the fundamentals of China's economy are positive for long-term growth, which supports investor sentiment in the market, analysts said.

Also, the inclusion of Chinese A shares in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index marks another milestone in the internationalization of Chinese equities, they said.

Ma Lei, Chinese equities portfolio manager at Fidelity International, said the country's capital market will become more attractive for global asset managers and there will be more investments in China's onshore market.

In the long term, innovation will drive growth in all sectors, including fast-moving consumer goods and textiles, as against the current view that it is related only to high-tech, industrial and scientific research, he said.

FMCG and textiles have so far relied heavily on marketing and branding, he said. "Today, if a clothing company invents a high-performance fabric, such a breakthrough would likely be the result of innovation. Such a company's valuation will grow fast. Bright prospects await companies with outstanding innovative capabilities and products across consumer-related sectors, services and industrial segments, which will drive growth over the next decade," said Ma.

Zhou Hao, senior economist of emerging markets with German lender Commerzbank, said that China is likely to see another property slowdown amid a cooling of the property market in the big cities and rental yields dropping to a low level.

China's headline growth has stabilized due to housing investment picking up over the past few quarters. However, the leading housing investment, and housing prices, indicate that the property sector is likely to experience a deceleration in the second half of this year.

"It's expected that capital may flow from the property market to the equity market," said Wang Hanfeng, an analyst with CICC, in a research note.

China's GDP growth is likely to moderate somewhat in the coming quarters due to the property slowdown, but growth is still expected to be 6.5 percent or above, said Zhou.

"For the remainder of this year, we would expect to see two large policy changes in China: a focus on the real economy and further mergers in State-owned enterprises," said Zhou.

Deleveraging is also a factor that needs to be taken into consideration, other analysts said.

"This year is to China's shadow banking regulation what 2014 was to China's local government financing vehicles regulation. We anticipate a moderate decline in the prevailing yields and reassured funding for infrastructure projects in the near term. We raised exposure to banks and infrastructure proxies, and cut cash levels from 3 percent to zero," said Wendy Liu, chief China strategist at Nomura Securities.

Upgrading of manufacturing and consumption will have an obvious impact on the equity market, with enterprises' profitability expected to rise soon, thanks to rising incomes of people, drop in commodity prices and tax cuts, said Wang of CICC.
More middle schools in China are offering Russian language courses, as students have shown a growing interest in learning the language at the secondary school level, educators said.

The Russian program at Jianwen Foreign Language School, a high school in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, attracted only 24 students when it was established in 2011. But the number of students expressing interests in the program swelled quickly, especially after the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, according to Li Guangming, vice principal of the school.

"Now the program of our school has almost 250 students," he said. "About 80 graduates of the program were accepted by higher education institutions in Russia, such as Saint-Petersburg State University and the Russian Academy of Arts."

Many people know that the English language has long been a dominant foreign language taught at middle schools of China and is tested annually in China's gaokao, the national college entrance exam.

But few know that there was a time when Russian also played a similar role in China's middle schools, particularly in provinces that border Russia, such as Heilongjiang, said Huang Mei, director of the School of Russian Language and Culture at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

"Although such a situation is no longer all-pervading in today's China, there have been signs, in recent years, that Chinese people's interest in learning the Russian language is reviving," she said. "One of key reasons is that the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative has facilitated close exchanges and cooperation between China and Russian, as well as other Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan and Ukraine, where the language is also used among local people."

No 14 Middle School of Wuhan, Hubei province, for example, used to offer Russian language courses between 1985 and 2002, but ceased for the following 15 years.

In September last year, the school cooperated with the University of Moscow in Russia to resume the teaching of Russian as a language, and opened a "Russian language experimental class", with plans to recruit 40 students.

"But to the surprise of the school authorities, more than 400 students and parents attended the introduction meeting and showed interest of joining the class," said Li Yanxia, director of the school's admissions office.

She found that the more a parent knew about the Belt and Road Initiative, the more he or she would support children to join the experimental class.

"The mother of a student I know is doing tea businesses with Russia and knows well about the export of Chinese tea to Russia. She has confidence in the need for talent who can speak the Russian language," Li Yanxia said.

Students admitted to the program need to study China's high school courses and the Russian language for two years. They then attend a one-year preparatory course at the University of Moscow before sitting the university's entrance exam, she said.
LANZHOU - Vice-Premier Liu Yandong Saturday called for enhancing education in underdeveloped areas amid efforts to fight poverty.

"Education is the fundamental way to stop the intergenerational transmission of poverty. Children living in poor areas must be ensured conditions to receive education and pursue their dreams," Liu said at a conference on poverty reduction held in northwest China's Gansu Province.

She called for improving school conditions in compulsory education, increasing the quantity and quality of teachers in rural areas and providing special care for left-behind children whose parents work away from their hometown.

"Children should receive fair and sound education at the beginning of their life," she said.

She also called for developing occupational education and providing students with economic assistance to help them enter higher schools and obtain employment.

China plans to lift all its poor rural population above the poverty line before 2020. At the end of last year, there were still 43 million rural people living in poverty.
The Belt and Road Initiative has provided and will continue to provide graduates of the Russian language major with better employment prospects, according to instructors of the language.

Feng Cheng, principal of Henggou High School offering the Russian language as part of its curriculum in Xianning city, Hubei province, said the implementation of the initiative will bring China and Russia closer together, which means more young people who can speak the Russian language will be necessary.

Huang Mei, director of the School of Russian Language and Culture at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said Chinese government branches with a consistent need for talent with Russian language abilities, such as the ministries of commerce, foreign affairs and culture, used to be the top employers of the graduates from the school.

Now more companies, especially energy and finance industry giants, such as China National Petroleum Corporation and some State-owned banks, are extending olive branches to students of Huang's school.

"Some hired our graduates as they have set up branch companies in Central Asian countries where the Russian language is widely used, and need people who can speak the language to work and expand the businesses there," she said

"Others that don't have businesses in those countries at present have also 'booked' our graduates as part of their talent reserve program, in case that they will need employees with these language abilities in the near future," Huang added.

She said the job market for Russian language graduates is also changing, and those mastering the Russian language and an official language of a Central Asian country at the same time are particularly in short supply and are extremely well-received in the market.

"To meet such demand, we have set up bilingual majors, such as Uzbekistan language plus Russian, Belarusian language plus Russian, Turkmen language plus Russian and so on. All are very popular among students and receive quite a number of applications," Huang said.
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Pan with her students during a class break. [Photo by Zou Hong/chinadaily.com.cn]

Pan Yulian's face lit up when 8-year-old Munisar Parmut opened her small hand to reveal a few precious cherriesa gift to a special teacher more than nine times her age. Pan, 74, gave the girl a hug before sending her into the classroom in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region's Kashgar prefecture.

Pan has been tutoring children from all ethnic groups in the neighborhoodat no costafter school hours for 25 years. Despite her low income, she managed to turn a 26-square-meter room in her house on the outskirts of Shule county into a classroom.

Munisar is one of the 2,000 children who have benefited over the years. She has been attending Pan's classes every day after school, and sometimes on weekends, for about a year.

"Grandma Pan is very strict with our homework and we are all a bit scared of her," Munisar said. "But I know she wants the best for us. I gave my cherries to her just to let her know that I am grateful."

Pan, who claims both Han Chinese and Uygur ancestry, had the idea of offering childrenmainly those in primary schoolfree tutoring after noticing that many parents didn't have time or were otherwise unable to help their children with homework.

As a high school graduate, Pan believed she could do something for those children so they could keep up with their classmates and wouldn't mix with the wrong crowd.

"I could have made a fortune by being a translator, but the children's future is more important. For me, their progress and appreciation are the best rewards. It's something money can't buy," Pan said while flipping through a child's exercise book. She pauses on a page where the child wrote a message: "Grandma Pan I love you and please take care yourself."

Pan asks the children to be punctual and kind to others. "I want them to know that becoming a good person is more important than getting a good grade," she said.
Cheng Guohua (far left), director of the Xiantao Se-enriched Industry Development Office, talks about Se-enriched rice planting with Wang Jiuju (third from left), vice president of China Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation (COFCO) Xiantao at the COFCO rice farming culture corridor in Xiantao, Central China's Hubei province, July 6, 2017. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Yufan is a "longevity" village with 46 people over 80 years old in Zhenchang county of Xiantao city, Central China's Hubei province. The oldest people in the village are about 101 years old.

People are amazed that so many people have reached such great ages, but until 2013, no one knew the reason why. In that year, Hubei Provincial Geological Survey found out that the soil in Xiantao is naturally enriched with selenium, also known as Se, and that selenium is one of the 14 essential trace elements that is good for human health.

To better use the natural resources and tap business opportunities brought by the Se-enriched soil, the Xiantao Se-enriched Industry Development Office was established at the beginning of 2016.

"The Xiantao government has made great efforts to promote innovative, eco-friendly planting of Se-enriched rice and beans and the cooperation with the China Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation (COFCO) sets a very good example in Se-enriched rice planting", said Cheng Guohua, director of the Xiantao Se-enriched Industry Development Office.

After identifying Se-enriched soil in Xiantao, COFCO signed a 14-year land transfer contract with farmers to plant Se-enriched rice in Lilinzui village, Sanfutan county in the suburb of Xiantao city.

"We use an efficient rice sowing method by spreading seeds directly on the land instead of the nursery and transplanting method, which can save time and reduce labor costs. We also use an advanced production model by connecting the company planting base and farmers. This can improve labor productivity so that the farmers income per hectare can increase 50 ($7.35) to 100 yuan every year," said Xiao Fenglin, COFCO Xiantao's production manager.

To guarantee food security and protect the natural environment, only organic fertilizer and bio-pesticides can be used and the herbicide used for Se-enriched rice planting is also green. The whole production, processing, storage and logistics are all mechanized, said Wang Jiuju, vice president of COFCO in Xiantao.

Within two years, Xiantao has developed 26,666 hectares of Se-enriched rice and local residents' income has been hugely increased, Cheng said.

In addition to planting Se-enriched rice, Xiantao also has developed Se-enriched food brands, such as "Xi Lai Fu" bean paste, which embodies people's best wishes that selenium can bring blessings to Xiantao.

Yuan Youyuan, managing director of Xi Lai Fu, has invested about 30 million yuan since the company's was established in September and the company's profit rate is about 20 percent. Yuan is very optimistic about the future of the Se-enriched bean paste industry and would like to establish Xi Lai Fu as a national food brand.

"Natural, organic and Se-enriched bean in Xiantao is anti-cancer, healthy and can make people live longer. All the beans we use to produce bean paste are collected directly from the farmer and no food additives are added during the production process. We want to make Xi Lai Fu bean paste a world famous brand like Lao Gan Ma chili sauce," Yuan said .

Since the Hubei Se-enriched Industry Development Plan was launched in 2015, a great many new business opportunities have emerged and local income has greatly increased, but Xiantao always puts environmental protection ahead of economic benefits, Cheng said.

To make sure organic fertilizer is used to plant crops, people mix poultry manure and crop straw, a source of rural pollution, to produce biological fertilizer. This fertilizer also provides good nourishment to pleurotus eryngii. To turn waste straw into precious fertilizer, Xiantao produces a lot of pleurotus eryngii and has established an eco-friendly planting industry chain, Cheng added.
Hamburg invited to help construct Belt and Road

By An Baijie in Hamburg | China Daily | Updated: 2017-07-08 07:01

President Xi Jinping welcomed G20 Summit host city Hamburg to participate in the building of the Belt and Road, given that the city is well situated to help connect China and Europe.

Xi made the remarks on Thursday while meeting with Olaf Scholz, mayor of Hamburg, shortly after his arrival from Berlin for the summit of many of the world's leading economies on Friday and Saturday.

The city is an important port in Germany, which is among the first European countries to cooperate with China, Xi said.

The president noted that Hamburg is one of the European cities with the highest concentrations of regional offices opened by Chinese companies. It also is a key seaport for the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, linking China with Europe and other areas, as well as an important terminus for China-Europe cargo rail express services, he said.

Xi said that China appreciates the welcoming attitude that the mayor of Hamburg has expressed repeatedly toward Chinese companies.

China backs Germany's hosting of this year's G20 Summit, which is expected to achieve positive outcomes by building on the accomplishments of last year's summit in Hangzhou, he added.

Scholz expressed support for the Belt and Road Initiative, saying that Germany would like to participate.

Many Chinese companies are investing in Hamburg, the mayor said, and the city would like to enhance cooperation with China in all areas.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/08/2017 page3)
The highlight of the celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong to China was the three-day visit by President Xi Jinping. The president visited the construction site of the West Kowloon Cultural District and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, officiated at the military parade at the garrison and inaugurated the new chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region.

The most noteworthy part of Xi's visit was his speech at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on July 1, after the SAR administration led by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was sworn into office. Many key points of the speech were long-standing policies. And I believe the central part of Xi's speech was about implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle, specifically his four main points.

First, he referred to the "one country" principle as the roots of a tree which must run deep and strong to hold the tree stable. This reference is clearly in response to the repeated provocation by the opposition to challenge the central government's authority over the SAR. Opposition parties have long been trying to use "two systems" to resist "one country". In recent years, the opposition camp has stepped up its rhetoric and used terms like localism, self-determination and even "independence". The Basic Law has already guaranteed Hong Kong a very high degree of autonomy and the repeated use of these inflammatory slogans can only be interpreted as an attack on China's sovereignty. Therefore, Xi had to be very straightforward with his points when he drew a "red line" for those impermissible behaviors.

Second, Hong Kong residents are very proud of their tradition of upholding the rule of law. Yet there is a fair amount of resistance to the promotion of the Basic Law. Efforts to promote the Basic Law have always been defamed as brainwashing by many, especially those in the education sector.

The key messages of the Basic Law, such as the "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China", is something that everyone can and should understand.

Third, almost everything in the SAR has been politicized. Many people are obsessed with partisan attacks and society seems to be consumed by petty differences. This is leading us nowhere. There are golden opportunities, such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Greater Bay Area project, for Hong Kong to seize; there are also many problems waiting to be solved, such as stagnant economic growth, shortage of housing, poverty and the aging population.

Years of political bickering have torn our city apart. We have wasted too much time and attention on trivial disagreements that benefit no one but politicians in the opposition. Finally, the central government is willing to lead the way by seeking broad common ground while setting aside major differences. It is ready to communicate with anyone who genuinely supports the principle of "one country, two systems" and the Basic Law, regardless of their political views or position.

The opposition parties should change their mentality and attitude and try to work constructively to solve our common problems. And the new administration should display more goodwill by inviting the opposition for dialogue. Actually, it has started doing that.

Xi's speech is a timely review of the implementation of the "one country two systems" principle. Xi has a thorough understanding of the current situation of Hong Kong and has offered us suitable and workable solutions to our problems. I sincerely hope this would be the beginning of the end of the polarization of our community.

Xi reminded us that we ought to focus on development as the top priority since it holds the golden key to resolving various issues in Hong Kong.

The author is an executive member of the New People's Party in Hong Kong and a former civil servant.
The world media's attention is focused on the on-going G20 Leaders Summit in Hamburg, Germany. But there seems to be little momentum going into Hamburg. The air has been let out of the global summitry balloon.

Last year, China as the summit host had the good fortune of building on the Paris climate change agreement adopted in December 2015 and signed in April 2016. China also did a lot of advanced diplomacy, and invested heavily in the gala.

This time, the governments of many of the leading economies are focused instead on domestic issues. The biggest deflator is the United States, where President Donald Trump's fixation on putting "America First" and preference for state-to-state bargaining have left the US in a spoiler role.

Trump's decision to pull his nation out of the world compact on climate change was not received happily by the G20 host and chair Germany.

Brexit and the disastrous electoral result for the ruling British Conservative Party have left the United Kingdom in a position of diminishing significance going into the summit. It is a long way from the heady days of Gordon Brown, former British prime minister, leading the global charge into the London G20 in April 2009.

The on-going domestic troubles in a number of the emerging economies have meant the loss of some of the new dynamism in global governance of the last decade. South Africa, to its credit, is still trying to strengthen commitments on African development in Hamburg.

Canada and Australia, the traditional middle powers, are in wait-and-see mode, despite their activist sounding diplomatic rhetoric.

It is not surprising, therefore, that hope for the summit has been pinned on Germany and China, and whether they can inject some momentum. The good news is that the truly transformative structural changes that China and Germany are bringing to the world are already happening, and have been going on for four decades. These changes have unpinned the transition to a multipolar world, and are of much greater significance than G20 summits.

Since the 1980s, German corporations, small, medium and large, have shown themselves to be some of the most proactive and committed partners to China. Volkswagen, Siemens, BASF, Lufthansa and many other small and medium-sized German companies started investing when China was far from being the "world's factory". They have been integral ingredients in China's success.

Germany, from the era of former chancellor Helmut Schmidt to incumbent Chancellor Angela Merkel today, has proven itself to be an exceptionally reliable and committed partner of China. Few other countries, including my own (Canada) can match the German record.

More recently, Germany has also distinguished itself by working with China on international currency. It may come as a surprise to casual observers that Beijing has been one of the most reliable partners to eurozone. In return, Merkel expressed her country's gratitude, standing beside Chinese President Xi Jinping in Frankfurt, in March 2014, and declared Germany's support in internationalizing China's currency, the renminbi.

For the Hamburg summit, Beijing and Berlin have pledged to ensure consistency between the agendas and outcomes of last year's summit in Hangzhou and those of the on-going one.

Beijing has declared that it will spare no effort in helping the Hamburg summit achieve success, and to strengthen China-Germany cooperation under the G20 framework.

In early June, Merkel said Germany must expand its partnership with China in a "time of global insecurity". Both countries want to send a "clear signal" about their shared desire to maintain an open world economy, free trade and globalization, though in a fairer direction. They both want to encourage the G20 countries to speed up the implementation of the Paris climate change accord, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and to support African development.

Ironically, the G20 summits tend to gain some relevancy when the hosts can tie the agenda to the deeper national interests of the major G20 member states. For instance, one of the more significant outcomes from last year's Hangzhou summit was the strategic work of the Green Finance Study Group. However, China's world leading issuance of green bonds is due to the fact that Beijing is committed to green finance regardless of whether or not there is a "G20".

Germany as the G20 chair is hesitant to spend further after millions of migrants arrived in Germany over the past three years, and with the domestic election coming in early fall.

Despite these limitations for Berlin, Hamburg is an opportunity for Beijing to not only support the German G20 chair, but also to smooth over the bilateral trade and investment tensions with Germany.

The Sino-German relationship needs to be put back onto more sustainable and strategic footing if Germany and China are to help manage the new uncertain multipolar world. This means addressing the alleged discrimination that German companies experience in China, and limited access to Chinese markets for German exporters. The watchword is "reciprocity".

The author is an associate professor of Political Economy at York University, Canada.
Xi, Trump meet on ties, hot-spot issues on G20 sidelines 2017-07-09 07:21:29 Xinhua President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, meets to discuss bilateral ties and global hot-spot issues on the sidelines of a G20 summit.

HAMBURG, Germany - President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, met here Saturday to discuss bilateral ties and global hot-spot issues on the sidelines of a Group of 20 (G20) summit.

Xi told Trump that stronger China-U.S. ties are conducive to stability and prosperity and serve the interests of both peoples and the international community in a complex world where various conflicts emerge.

Noting that the two countries have made new progress in bilateral cooperation in many fields since the Mar-a-Lago meeting despite some sensitive issues, Xi urged joint efforts with Trump to keep bilateral ties on track and coordinate in international affairs.

Xi also stressed that the two countries should stick to mutual respect and win-win cooperation, expand practical cooperation in various fields and strengthen coordination on international and regional issues, so as to keep China-U.S. relations healthy and stable.

The two leaders agreed to maintain close high-level exchanges and promote strategic mutual trust.

China and the United States have decided to hold the first round of a comprehensive economic dialogue on July 19, and launch the first round of a law enforcement, cybersecurity, social and cultural dialogue at an early date.

With altogether four high-level mechanisms, the two countries aim to improve mutual understanding and boost practical cooperation.

Noting that the 100-day action plan initiated after the two presidents' meeting at Mar-a-Largo in April has achieved new progress, Xi said the two sides are discussing a one-year cooperation plan.

On advancing military ties, Xi suggested that the two countries' defense ministers carry out an exchange of visits as soon as possible.

He also called for concerted efforts on such affairs as the China visit by the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff in August, the first dialogue between the joint staffs of the two countries' militaries in November, and the Chinese navy's participation in the U.S.-led 2018 Pacific Rim military drill.

The two countries should respect each other's core interests and major concerns, and properly address differences and sensitive issues, said Xi.

For his part, Trump hailed the "wonderful relationship" with Xi and expressed confidence in the "success" in addressing common problems together with China.

The U.S. president noted that U.S.-China relations are developing well, with China being an important trade partner to the United States and playing an important role in international affairs.

Trump said his country is willing to expand dialogue and win-win cooperation with China in all relevant fields and maintain communication and coordination on major international and regional issues.

The pair also had an in-depth exchange of views regarding the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Xi said China is firmly committed to denuclearizing the peninsula, safeguarding peace and stability on the peninsula, and solving the issue through dialogue and consultation.

China, Xi said, has repeatedly made clear its principled stance that while making necessary responses to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's violations of UN Security Council resolutions, the international community should also increase efforts in promoting dialogue and controlling the situation.

He also reiterated to Trump that the Chinese side opposes the U.S. deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in South Korea.

The two leaders agreed to continue close communication and coordination on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

They also exchanged views on boosting bilateral coordination and cooperation within the framework of the G20.

Trump was scheduled to pay a state visit to China later this year.

Xi and Trump set a constructive tone for the development of China-U.S. relations during their talks at the Mar-a-Lago resort in the U.S. state of Florida in April. The meeting was the first face-to-face communication between the two heads of state since the new U.S. administration took office.

In Florida, the two presidents spent more than seven hours in in-depth discussions, gained better understanding of each other, cemented mutual trust, reached consensus on many major issues, and built up a good working relationship.
Xi, Abe meet on ties, reaffirm readiness to strengthen partnership 2017-07-08 18:56:23 Xinhua Japan should honor its words on issues related to history and Taiwan, and remove the distractions in bilateral relations with strategies and concrete actions, says Xi.

HAMBURG, Germany - In a high-profile meeting here on Saturday, President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reaffirmed their readiness to strengthen the partnership and cooperation between the two countries in the future despite differences in a trove of issues and severe challenges ahead.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the ongoing Group of 20 (G20)summit in the German port city of Hamburg.

XI: JAPAN SHALL HONOR ITS WORDS ON HISTORY, TAIWAN

In the meeting, Xi said that Japan shall honor its words on issues related to history and Taiwan, and remove the distractions in bilateral relations with policies and concrete actions.

He also urged Japan to learn from history so as to ensure that bilateral relations run in the right direction and have a brighter prospect.

Xi noted that the sound neighborly relations between China and Japan concern not only the well-being of the two peoples, but also have an impact on Asia and the world at large. Xi noted that the sound neighborly relations between China and Japan concern not only the well-being of the two peoples, but also have an impact on Asia and the world at large.

China and Japan normalized their diplomatic relations 45 years ago after reaching key consensus on history, Taiwan and Diaoyu Islands, among other issues. Next year, the two nations will embrace the 40th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship.

The Chinese president said the two countries shall enhance their sense of responsibility at this moment, and seize the opportunities in the new era of bilateral ties.

In spite of twists and turns, and other severe tests in the past 45 years, the development of Beijing-Tokyo relations has rendered both sides many constructive inspirations, Xi said, calling for solid efforts to boost bilateral ties in accordance with the overall strategic direction of peace, amity and cooperation.

For Japan, it shall prove its willingness for better ties with China through concrete policies and actions, he added.

Political trust is the premise of the China-Japan relations, Xi said, referring to the four political documents and the four-point agreement that serve as the guiding principles of bilateral ties on properly handling issues related to history and Taiwan, among others.

These issues, vital to the political foundation of the China-Japan ties, bear no room for compromise or regress, or the bilateral relations will veer off the right course and slow down its pace of development, he said.

The Chinese president also welcomed Japan to join in the Belt and Road pragmatic cooperation, urging wide-range exchanges between the two sides on culture, education, media, local-level and youth in a bid to garner more public support for bilateral friendship.

ABE: JAPAN READY TO DISPLAY FORESIGHT IN BILATERAL RELATIONS

For his part, Abe said his country is ready to display foresight and add momentum to its ties with China, since the two countries, the world's second and third economies, respectively, are influential players on global and regional issues.

The Japanese leader eyed more high-level exchanges with China, adding that he is willing to enhance bilateral cooperation with China in such areas as economy and trade, finance, tourism, as well as the Belt and Road collaboration.

He also promised that regarding China's Taiwan, there is no change of Japan's stance inscribed in its joint statement with China in 1972.

Bilateral trust has been marred from time to time over Tokyo's reluctance on admitting its past war crimes, the attempt to annex China's Diaoyu Islands and adjacent islets in the East China Sea, and the initiative to abolish its post-war pacifist constitution that forbids the deployment of troops overseas for fight.

Tokyo was also a vigorous advocate of the so-called "China threat," frequently participating in military drills in Asia-Pacific with the United States, and selling weapons to the former Philippine administration when the Manila-manipulated South China Sea farce peaked to a failed arbitration last year.

SOURING RELATIONS BEHIND, SERIOUS ENGAGEMENT AHEAD

To patch up the bumpy relations and souring trust, China and Japan inked a four-point agreement in 2014, in which the two sides vowed to develop mutually beneficial relations, to face history squarely to overcome political obstacles in bilateral ties, to deter any escalation of confrontation via dialogue, consultation and crisis-management mechanism, and to resume political, diplomatic and security dialogues through bilateral and multilateral channels to enhance mutual trust.

These key principles came in the run-up to the high-profile Xi-Abe meeting in 2014 on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing. Since then, the once frozen exchanges between the two neighbors have showed some signs of thawing.

The Chinese president, while meeting in May with Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who arrived in Beijing for the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation on behalf of the Japanese government, urged joint efforts of both sides to ensure that bilateral ties run in the right direction.

He noted that Tokyo shall reflect on the reasons behind the souring ties, and take effective measures to improve mutual trust.

China welcomes Japan to join in the Belt and Road construction, Xi added.

Later in May, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi visited Japan and met with Abe, calling on Tokyo to accumulate "positive energy" and wipe out negative factors in bilateral relationship.

Yang also urged Japan to honor its words to take China as a partner rather than a rival, and properly handle issues related to Taiwan and history that bear vital impact on the foundation of mutual rapprochement.

Abe, for his part, said that regarding the Taiwan issue, Japan will abide by the principles established in the 1972 Japan-China joint communique that normalized bilateral relations.

Earlier in April, Japan released its diplomatic bluebook for 2017, describing its ties with China "one of the most important bilateral relationships," adding that Tokyo stands ready to cement cooperative partnership with Beijing.
ISLAMABAD - China and Pakistan have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation on science and technology under the Belt and Road Initiative.

The agreement was made on Saturday during a meeting between Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain and visiting Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang who is here for the 18th Session of the Pak-China Joint Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation.

The Chinese minister said China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and bilateral ties enjoy a smooth development with the steady construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, adding that cooperation on science and technology is an important content in the bilateral relations.

Wan, also vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, said the two sides have carried out a series of pragmatic cooperation such as joint laboratory construction and young scientists' exchanges.

He added that China is willing to strengthen cooperation on scientific and technological innovation with Pakistan under the Belt and Road Initiative and provide support to build a community of innovation.

For his part, Hussain said Pakistan cherishes the friendship with China and expressed thanks for China's long-time support, adding that Pakistan is willing to carry out substantial cooperation on scientific and technological innovation under the Belt and Road Initiative with China.

He said both sides should develop more channels on people-to-people exchanges and joint research and development so as to boost socio-economic development.

Also on Saturday, Wan and his Pakistani counterpart Rana Tanveer Hussain attended the inauguration ceremony of Pakistani Subcenter of China-South Asia Technology Transfer Center and signed two agreements on cooperation.

Proposed by China in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aiming at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of Silk Road.
Iraqi Federal Police celebrate in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq July 8, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

MOSUL, Iraq - Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced on Sunday "victory" over Islamic State in the city of Mosul, his office said.

"The commander in chief of the armed forces (Prime Minister) Haider al-Abadi arrived in the liberated city of Mosul and congratulated the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people for the great victory," said a statement from his office.

Reuters
If there's one word that may come to define the common approach to tackling the global political and economic challenges of the early 21st century, it's "interconnected".

Not only is it the key description of the Belt and Road Initiative, which involves 64 percent of the world population, but it also is the theme of the 2016 and 2017 summits of the Group of 20 states, which collectively account for 80 percent of the global economy.

China and Germany, the previous and current summit hosts, are strong defenders of globalization.

In September 2016, the G20 Summit in Hangzhou called for the building of an "interconnected" world economy. Germany has chosen "Shaping an Interconnected World" as the theme for this week's summit in Hamburg.

That is not a coincidence, but a testimony to the two major economies' shared stance at this global crossroads. They are excellent examples of success in mutual cooperation, free trade and globalization.

But rather than obstacles to trade, their social, cultural, governance and economic differences are complementary. They show the reason for the strengthening of ties that has paved the way for cooperation and synergies on key policies like the Made in China 2025 plan and Germany's Industry 4.0 strategy.

However, a recent rise in isolationism, protectionism and unilateralism poses a challenge to interconnection. Examples include the America-first policy, the UK's Brexit vote and the US withdrawal from the Paris climate accord.

Yet terror attacks in European capitals and the refugee crisis across the region stem from political turmoil in the Middle East and are not just local but global challenges. Stock markets across the world affect each other much more than they did just a few years ago.

In Hamburg, China will back German proposals on joint efforts on climate change, free trade, economic globalization, poverty and terrorism.

Such reciprocity arises from a shared vision and a sense of responsibility to the rest of the world, or the "human community sharing the same destiny", as President Xi Jinping put it.

After the US withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has put climate change high on the agenda at Hamburg. It's an issue that exposes the risk of division and the necessity of being interconnected.
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HAMBURG, Germany - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday urged the BRICS members to unswervingly promote the building of an open world economy, multilateralism and common development.

He made the appeal at an informal leaders' meeting of the emerging-market bloc, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, ahead of a Group of 20 (G20) summit in the German port city of Hamburg.

The BRICS leaders exchanged views on the current international political and economic circumstances and the G20's priorities, and reached important agreements on strengthening BRICS unity and coordination, jointly improving global economic governance and promoting sustainable development.

"Currently, the global economy is showing some positive signs, and the prospects for the development of BRICS countries are growing brighter in general, which is very inspiring," said Xi, who presided over the meeting.

However, there have also emerged some challenges that require the BRICS countries to watch closely and handle properly, he added, pointing out that this year's G20 summit comes at a critical moment when the global political and economic situation is undergoing profound adjustments.

Noting that the BRICS countries are all important G20 members, he called on the bloc to support Germany as the host of the summit, and to send a signal that the G20 is committed to fostering partnership, building an open world economy, and boosting global economic growth.

"The BRICS countries should uphold the spirit of partnership that features openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, strengthen unity and cooperation, safeguard common interests and seek interconnected development," he said.

The Chinese leader proposed that the BRICS countries need to unswervingly promote the building of an open world economy, safeguard the multilateral trade system, and steer economic globalization towards openness, inclusiveness, universal benefit, balance and win-win results so that all the people can benefit from economic growth and globalization.

"We should unswervingly follow multilateralism," he said, urging the five-member bloc to push for political and peaceful settlement of regional conflicts and disputes as well as peaceful co-existence of different nations.

He added that the BRICS members should advocate the full use of multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, so as to jointly negotiate international rules, build partnerships and deal with all sorts of global challenges.

Xi also called on the BRICS leaders to improve global economic governance and consolidate the role of the G20 mechanism as the premier platform for international economic cooperation.

The BRICS countries, he suggested, should push all major economies to better coordinate their macroeconomic policies, implement the consensus reached at the Hangzhou and all other previous G20 summits, and create an environment conducive to the development of emerging-market economies and developing countries.

"We should unswervingly promote common development," he added, urging the BRICS nations to push the G20 to follow through on the achievements of last year's Hangzhou summit, including an action plan on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and an initiative to support industrialization in Africa and the least developed countries, so as to support their capacity building and help them stride forward in their development.

Noting that the BRICS leaders will gather in the southeastern Chinese seaside city of Xiamen for this year's summit in two months, Xi said preparations for the event are proceeding smoothly.

Xi added that he looks forward to working with other BRICS leaders to ensure that the Xiamen summit, themed "deepening the BRICS partnership and opening up a brighter future," will deliver fruitful results, so as to inject fresh impetus into BRICS cooperation, offer new solutions on improving global governance, and make new contributions to global economic growth.

The BRICS leaders agreed that the emerging-market bloc is facing both challenges and opportunities at the moment.

They stressed that the BRICS countries should maintain the sound momentum in their cooperation in political, economic and cultural areas, deepen practical cooperation in all sectors, and boost the unity and influence of the emerging-market bloc.

They also vowed to push the G20 to send out positive messages, promote the building of a more just and reasonable world order, and foster a stable, open, inclusive and all-win development environment for emerging-market economies and developing countries.

The BRICS leaders also voiced unanimous support for China to host the upcoming summit, and pledged to work with China to achieve positive results at the Xiamen meeting.
HAMBURG, Germany - The two-day Group of 20 (G20) summit in Hamburg ended on Saturday with no consensus on the climate change.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement as "regrettable", as she closed the summit and presented the G20 declaration.

But she said all the other 19 members of G20 agreed that the Paris climate accord was irreversible and remained committed to it.

On the other most focused issue of free trade, although the G20 leaders reached an agreement on free trade, it seemed there were strong differences among members, as Merkel said in her remarks "the talks were very difficult."

"You can notice that controversies within the G20 are substantial about trade and climate change, even about multilateralism itself," Dr. Dirk Messner, Director of German Development Institute told Xinhua during the Summit.

The co-chairman of Think 20, a think tank for G20, said that international community has changed dramatically in the last three years, which posed new challenges to G20 leaders.

He said 2015 was a very important year for multilateralism. In this year, the Paris Agreement was achieved and the 2030 Agenda was signed by all the nations around the world. But 2016 was "a shock" as U.S. President Donald Trump made the year "very difficult for multilateralism".

The year of 2017 is again different as Britain started procedure of exiting from the European Union and Trump announced getting out from the Paris climate change agreement, he noted. Fortunately, the French election went well, serving as a great relief for the world.

Compared to the Hangzhou Summit in China last year, he added, G20 leaders are dealing with a more complex world this year in Hamburg.

Professor Gu Xuewu, director of the Center for Global studies at Bonn University told Xinhua, "it would be not easy to reach agreements at the Hamburg Summit".

So it needs a more powerful G20, according to Dennis J. Snower, President of Kiel Institute for the World Economy, also co-chairman of T20.

He was echoed by Messner, "G20 is even more important, and we need to rebuild it".

G20 represents 80 percent global GDP, 80 percent of global trade and 80 percent of global resources and consumption, "If G20 can't solve our global problems, no one else can solve it " Messner said, "They are responsible."

Snower added that the global economy is "basically and completely integrated", so the problems generated are also interdependent, such as climate change, financial crisis, cyber security and terrorism.

"These problems cross national boundaries and can only be solved multilaterally," Snower said.

According to Messner, as the United States' global influence is weakening in many aspects, the importance of the European Union as well as the importance of China rises automatically.

John J. Kirton, co-director of G20 Research Group at University of Toronto, also thought China is emerging as a leader in the compliance of G20 Summits outcomes and pushing forward G20 Agenda.
BEIJING - President Xi Jinping returned to Beijing on Sunday after state visits to Russia and Germany, and attending the 12th G20 summit in Hamburg.

Invited by Russian President Vladimir Putin, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Angela Merkel, Xi paid state visits to the two countries from July 3 to 6, and attended the G20 Hamburg summit from July 7 to 8.

Xi left Hamburg for Beijing on Saturday evening local time.

Xi's entourage returned to Beijing with him, including his wife Peng Liyuan; Wang Huning, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee; Wang Yang, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice premier; Li Zhanshu, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee; and State Councilor Yang Jiechi.
BERLIN -- German media and scholars have spoken highly of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the country for promoting bilateral ties and global cooperation.

Xi paid a state visit to Germany at the invitation of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin and attended the 12th G20 summit in Hamburg on July 4-8.

Leading German newspapers and magazines have reported the talks between Xi and Merkel, and Xi's speech at the summit with front-page headlines and cover stories.

Merkel referred to "the times of world turmoil" and said that Germany and China could contribute to its appeasement, said Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

The German government sees China as a reliable partner, said Frankfurt Rundschau.

While the influence of some countries has decreased, Germany and China together have the biggest playing field to push forward global goals under G20. The more both speak with one voice, the higher is the possibility for the summit to be successful, said Handelsblatt.

Professor Thomas Heberer, a well-known China watcher from Germany's Duisburg-Essen University, said Xi took up "the major role" to promote a cooperative and open world economy.

German journalist and publisher Magrit Manz who had worked in China, called China "a reliable and sober partner under G20", saying the country's economic image worldwide has improved through its "Belt and Road Initiative" and the synergy of "Made in China 2025" and "Industry 4.0" strategies.

Professor Dennis Snower, president of Germany's Kiel Institute for the World Economy, said Xi's proposals on G20 members' cooperation in digital economy and the new industrial revolution are "of great importance", which require the joint action of developed and developing countries under the multilateral framework.

Fan Xuan, editor-in-chief of Europe Times based in Hamburg, said that the two popular pandas arriving in Berlin ahead of Xi's visit made the two countries more connected and culturally integrated.
President Xi Jinping with US President Donald Trump on Saturday in Hamburg, Germany YAO DAWEI / XINHUA

Second meeting of presidents promotes trade, military plans

The latest meeting between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, was productive and reassuring to the world, experts said, as it confirmed ongoing discussions about an ambitious economic cooperation plan and a sequence of meetings involving senior military officers.

The two presidents' second meeting this year, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, took place amid widespread concern about tensions on the Korean Peninsula and a US warship's recent intrusion into Chinese waters in the South China Sea.

Both leaders agreed to maintain close high-level contact and to reinforce strategic mutual trust, a news release from the Foreign Ministry said.

The first round of a comprehensive economic dialogue was set for July 19, and Beijing and Washington will launch at an early date their first law enforcement and cybersecurity dialogue, as well as their first social and cultural dialogue, it said.

During his meeting with Trump, Xi noted that the two sides are discussing a one-year cooperation plan, and that the 100-day economic cooperation action plan initiated after the meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Largo in April has made new progress.

On military-to-military relations, Xi proposed that the two countries' defense ministers exchange visits as soon as possible. He called for concerted efforts on such matters as the visit to China in August by the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, the first dialogue between the joint staffs of the two countries' militaries in November and the Chinese Navy's participation in the United States-led 2018 Pacific Rim military drill.

Trump hailed his "wonderful relationship" with Xi and expressed confidence in "success" in addressing common problems, together with China, according to the White House.

Xi said both sides should respect the core interests and major concerns of each other and appropriately tackle their differences and sensitive issues.

The two sides should have mutual respect, seek win-win results, expand pragmatic cooperation in all fields and reinforce coordination with respect to global and regional issues, Xi said.

The two leaders agreed to further communication and coordination on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Xi said the international community should increase efforts in promoting dialogue and controlling the situation when responding to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's violations of UN Security Council resolutions.

Also, Xi reiterated China's objection to the deployment of the US Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in the Republic of Korea.

Teng Jianqun, director of the Department for American Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said the personal ties between Xi and Trump are adding to people's hope for upcoming meetings, including Trump's state visit to China later this year.

Chen Fengying, a senior researcher on the world economy at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said the way the two countries work with each other on economics and trade "directly influences the improving process of the world economy".

Two-way trade is increasingly reciprocal, meeting the needs of both sides and the world, and any bilateral trade imbalance should be viewed with a cool head, Chen said.
President Xi Jinping's weeklong trip to Russia and Germany, which wrapped up on Sunday, made a positive contribution to world economic growth and improving global economic governance, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters on Sunday.

In particular, the president's proposals, with both macro and micro perspectives for economic globalization, won wide recognition and praise at the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Wang said, adding that Xi's solutions showed long-term vision and feasibly opened more spaces for global economic growth.

Thomas Heberer, a well-known China watcher at Germany's Duisburg-Essen Uni-ver-sity, said Xi took up "the major role" of promoting a cooperative and open world economy, as the United States adopts a more inward-looking protectionism under its president, Donald Trump.

Speaking at the summit in Hamburg on Friday, Xi said "the global economy is still plagued by deep-seated problems and faces many uncertainties and destabilizing factors". He offered China's solution to the problem: building a more open world economy and seeking more inclusive global economic growth.

"We must remain committed to openness and mutual benefits for all so as to increase the size of the global economic pie," Xi said.

He called on all sides to foster new sources of growth, adding that he believes promoting innovation and addressing development are part of the answer.

At the summit, Xi also stressed the need to improve global economic governance. He urged the G20 members to strengthen macroeconomic policy coordination and forestall risks in financial markets.

"Those who work alone add; those who work together multiply," Xi said, quoting a German proverb.

During his state visit to Russia, Xi described China's relationship with Russia as "the best ever in history". He also agreed with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on further aligning the China-led Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union, and building bilateral ties into a "ballast stone" for world peace and stability.

Visiting Germany, Xi told German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the development of China-Germany ties over the decades is a "story of success" that has delivered real benefits to the two peoples. The two leaders agreed to step up bilateral cooperation within the Belt and Road framework.

Dennis Snower, president of Germany's Kiel Institute for the World Economy, said Xi's proposals regarding G20 members' cooperation in the digital economy and the new industrial revolution are "of great importance" and require the joint action of developed and developing countries under a multilateral framework.

Xinhua contributed to this story.
A federal court settlement that requires Hobby Lobby Stores to pay a $3 million fine for illegally importing thousands of ancient Iraqi artifacts is casting a cloud over the much-anticipated Museum of the Bible associated with the store's owners just as the museum prepares to open near the National Mall.

Hobby Lobby president Steve Green also chairs the board of the Museum of the Bible, and the Green family is the museum's major funder. In a civil complaint filed Wednesday, federal prosecutors said that the craft store chain that Green leads had smuggled more than 3,000 items into the United States including clay tablets and seals - precisely the sort of item in the museum's collection, which contains many items donated by the Green family.

Though the items seized by the U.S. government were shipped to Hobby Lobby, not the museum, scholars say the federal case is a blot on the $400 million museum set to open in November.

"They put scholars in a situation where it becomes very ethically difficult for someone to engage in those collections in any way, other than to criticize them," said Donna Yates, an archaeologist who specializes in the study of antiquities trafficking and art crime. "Are they going to come to the museum, somebody who's doing significant Biblical research or linguistic research, where they're going to publish [about] material that's very likely to be stolen?"

The federal complaint described many layers of suspicion surrounding Hobby Lobby's purchase of 5,500 artifacts for $1.6 million in 2010: The company never met the dealer, and wired payments to seven different bank accounts. The items arrived in 10 packages at three different Hobby Lobby addresses, labeled only "ceramic tiles" and "clay tiles (sample)."

In a statement, Green said, "We have accepted responsibility and learned a great deal." Hobby Lobby said that the company made "some regrettable mistakes" because officials didn't understand the rules for properly bringing antiquities into the country.

The statement said that the craft store chain - widely associated with its 2014 Supreme Court victory ensuring that devout religious business owners like the Greens do not have to provide coverage for contraception for their employers - started collecting ancient artifacts in 2009. The pursuit of these items was "consistent with the Company's mission and passion for the Bible," Hobby Lobby said. The company said it planned to preserve the artifacts and offer them for scholars to study.

That project sounds much like the goal of the Museum of the Bible, where Green has promised to house more than 44,000 Biblical texts and artifacts to lure serious researchers and flashy interactive exhibits to attract tourists.

But for its part, the museum - a nonprofit organization which is not a subsidiary of the craft store company but is led by the same man - said in a statement on Thursday that the artifacts implicated in the federal case were never part of its collection.

"The Museum of the Bible was not a party to either the investigation or the settlement. None of the artifacts identified in the settlement are part of the Museum's collection, nor have they ever been. The Museum adheres to the current Association of Art Museum Directors standards on the Acquisition of Archaeological Material and Ancient Art, as well as guidelines set forth by the American Alliance of Museums," the museum's statement said.

It also said that the institution "aims to be the most technologically advanced museum in the world."

Robert Cooley, the vice chairman of the museum's board, said that the museum's ethical standards are different from the standards of Green, the chairman.

"The curators and the director of the collection department have professional standards they go by. The museum does not accept collections without full documented provenance and credibility records," he said. "Every item in the museum is documented."

Numerous other board members and staff members declined to comment on Thursday, directing a reporter to the museum's public relations representative.

Cooley, the president emeritus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, is an archaeologist by training himself who has supervised excavations in the Middle East.

"We maintain our standards at the museum. And if any collection, be it the Green family or any other family that donates, does not meet the standards that we require, then we do not take that collection," he said.

Candida Moss, the co-author of a forthcoming book on the Green family's rapid acquisition of Biblical antiquities and attempts to promote the influence of Christianity on public life, said that the museum has tried to distance itself from its chairman and his craft stores since the media began reporting on his antiquities acquisitions two years ago.

"The Greens remain very much involved. Green is still head of the board," she said. "The fact is, they're not as separate as they claim. Many of the artifacts will be on loan from the Green collection. There are other items in their collection that scholars are asking questions about."

Brent Clark, an Oklahoma lawyer also working on a manuscript about the Green family, agreed: "Steve Green is going to be in charge of that thing, come hell or high water." But Clark doesn't think the federal case will blunt tourist interest in the museum.

"Keep in mind the Greens are successful merchants to the middle class. They've always been marketing silk flowers and fake Christmas trees to the middle class, and it's made them rich," he said. "Their instincts tell them that thousands of people are going to get on buses in Cincinnati, Ohio, to go see it, and they're probably right."

It's the university researchers who are most likely to be dissuaded from coming to the museum.

"Individual scholars will have to ask themselves to what extent are they willing to be complicit," Moss said.

Yates, the art crime expert, said that many major journals of archaeology research refuse to publish articles based on artifacts whose provenance can't be proven, and researchers won't be willing to do work that they can't publish.

Several scholars, including Yates, said the federal complaint filed Wednesday left them convinced that Hobby Lobby had willfully ignored their own lawyers and other experts, not just that the company had been unaware that they might be importing looted Iraqi goods.

"Basically everyone should be suspicious of any antiquity for sale without a provable history," Yates said. "Dealers should be telling people that it's kind of an obvious thing. When we're talking about Iraq, it's even more obvious. That this stuff is dodgy, it's not news. It's a known thing in the market. If an object doesn't have a history that proves that it is legal, you just assume that it is illegal, because it probably is."

Joel Baden, Moss's co-author, said that the Green family's interest in buying thousands of ancient artifacts likely spurred bad actors in Iraq to steal the items in the first place.

"If Hobby Lobby is willing to buy them, people will be willing to loot for them because there's a market for them," he said.

The federal settlement requires Hobby Lobby to send thousands of items back to Iraq. But in many respects, the damage is already done.

"The absolute most important thing for an archaeologist is context. And that's exactly what these antiquities have lost," Yates said. "We may not be able to tell if this one came from a whole library, or this was kept in a temple, or they were individual records. We've lost absolutely all of that information. All we have are the little tattered remains of what's written on the tablets."

"It's a huge loss," she continued, "and all of us could benefit from this information, learning about ourselves and our past."
A massive 1,033-pound hammerhead shark was caught in the waters off of Texas City, breaking the 37-year record of 871 pounds set in 1980, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Tim McClellen, of Texas City, reeled in the record-breaking shark during the 55th Annual Texas City Jaycees Tackle Time Fishing Tournament on July 9, 2017.

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A photo of McClellen standing by his impressive catch was shared on Facebook by the tournament's organizers on Sunday, July 9. The photo shows the shark is over twice as long as he is tall.

Chron.com has reached out to McClellen through social media and have yet to hear back from him yet. When he returns our request for comment, this story will be updated.

While McClellen took home the first-place prize of the shark category in the tournament, two other men also reeled in impressive shark catches as well.

Sergio Roque took home second place with his 964-pound tiger shark and James Massa Jr. brought in an 817-pound tiger shark for the third place prize, according to the tournament's leaderboard online.

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The Texas City Jaycees host the annual Tackle Time Fishing Tournament to raise money for charities including Operations Santa Claus, Family Living Seminars, Special Olympics and Tackle Time.

According to the tournament's rankings online, other remarkable catches from this year's tournament include a 175-pound stingray caught by Steven Bage and a 123-pound gar caught by Emily Maniscalco.

Click through the gallery above to see the huge catches as well as the state record holders for largest fish caught off the Texas shores, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife data.

The tournament began June 30 and ran through July 9. To see the impressive weights of the first-prize winner in each category, visit the Texas City Jaycee leaderboard here.

MORE BIG CATCHES: Anglers snare sharks, other catches at Galveston Fishing Pier
Dayton ISD will have its first Proof of Residency Event Wednesday, July 12. All returning students must provide residency verification at one of these summer Proof of Residency events. Additionally, these will be held July 25 and Aug. 3.

The Texas Education Agency (TEC 25.001) and DISD Board Policy mandate that districts verify students' eligibility for enrollment. To meet that requirement, Dayton ISD will hold three different residency verification events this summer. All returning students will be required to provide proof of residency for enrollment in Dayton ISD for the 17-18 school year.

While the proof of residency events enable the district to verify residency and meet state mandates, they also use these opportunities to allow families to submit applications for free/reduced lunches, schedule transportation services, double-check zoning for elementary campuses, and update family and emergency contact info. This year, they will also have medical staff on hand to provide vaccinations. If your child needs any vaccinations, they can get them during PoR. The first vaccination will be $14 (per child), and each additional vaccination will be $10 (per child). They will be free with Medicaid and CHIP, but please bring a copy of your card.

Dayton ISD has set aside three different days and times this summer to allow greater flexibility and convenience to families in choosing the best time to attend. All Residency Verification events will be held at Dayton High School, and are come-and-go. Please make plans to attend during the scheduled time on one of the dates listed below:

- Wednesday, July 12, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

- Tuesday, July 25, 2 to 7 p.m.

- Thursday, Aug. 3, 1 to 6 p.m.

All returning students must provide proof of residency. If your child attended Dayton ISD in 2016-2017 and plans to attend Dayton ISD in 2017-2018, you will need to bring your proof of residency during one of the events listed above.

Families who do not have proof of residency in their name but who are district residents (living with another district resident or living in a home belonging to a district resident) are encouraged to get a utility bill in their name before these events occur. This will simplify the process.

Families who cannot provide a utility bill verifying residency will need to submit a signed and notarized Residency Affidavit and acceptable proof of residency for the district resident. Please note that submitting a Residency Affidavit will generate a home visit by a resource officer.

Students are not required to attend with their parents, but are welcome to do so.

These are come-and-go events. The district said they hope to get families in and out quickly.

Enter DHS from the cafeteria/staff parking lot.

Students who do not provide proof of residency for the 17-18 school year during one of these three events will be withdrawn from Dayton ISD.

Students who do not provide proof of residency and are withdrawn will need to enroll during New Student Enrollment and provide all necessary enrollment documents.

Students who do not provide proof of residency and are withdrawn will not have a class schedule available at Open House.

A parent or guardian must bring a photo ID and proof of residency on one of the scheduled days. Please also be prepared to make updates/corrections to family information including address, home and cell phone numbers, and emergency contacts during that visit.

If the parent or guardian is unable to attend one of the scheduled events, they must send a copy of their photo ID, along with current proof of residency with whoever attends on their behalf. This person MUST also have a signed notice from the parent giving them permission to make changes to the student's family information, including permanent address, mailing address, home and cell phone numbers, and emergency contacts.

Current utility bills (electricity, gas, water, telephone, cable, satellite) which show the home address and the name of the parent/guardian are acceptable forms of proof of residency. Cell phone bills, utility bills more than 30 days old (or without a date altogether), disconnect notices, property tax statements, insurance documents or handwritten notes are not acceptable as proof of residency.

If you have any questions about Residency Verification, contact the PEIMS department at 936-258-2667 or visit the district website for more details at www.daytonisd.net.
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TULSA, Okla. - An Oklahoma prosecutor said Saturday that he was shocked when a judge declared a mistrial in the case of a white former Tulsa police officer who fatally shot his daughter's black boyfriend.

It was the third mistrial in nine months for former Tulsa police officer Shannon Kepler, and all of the trials have been overseen by District Judge Sharon Holmes. Kepler doesn't deny shooting 19-year-old Jeremey Lake but claims he was acting in self-defense. Kepler testified that Lake was armed, although police didn't find a weapon on Lake or at the scene. The shooting happened shortly after Lake had started dating Kepler's then-18-year-old daughter, Lisa.

Case to be re-evaluated

Attorneys said jurors deliberated for just 2 to three hours on Friday before saying they were deadlocked 6-6. Holmes reminded jurors that the trial had started June 27 and asked whether that changed their minds. When they said no, the judge declared a mistrial.

"I have never experienced that procedure before in my life," Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said, noting that judges often tell juries to continue deliberating to try to reach a unanimous verdict in such circumstances.

"I was just hopeful that the court would have followed prior procedure and have the jury deliberate more," Kunzweiler said. The judge had told the previous juries in the case to continue deliberating after jurors reported they were deadlocked. She did not immediately return a message left at her office on Saturday.

But defense attorney Richard O'Carroll said the procedure was not unusual and that the prosecution's case - not the jury- was to blame for the mistrial.

"It's frankly bad manners to blame the jury," O'Carroll said. "This thing has been sensationalized since the very beginning."

Kunzweiler said he will re-evaluate the case and decide before an Aug. 1 status conference whether to try Kepler for a fourth time.

Unlike the previous two trials, Holmes had instructed jurors that they could convict Kepler of first-degree murder or the lesser charge of manslaughter. Manslaughter carries a sentence of four years to life in prison, while the sentence on a first-degree murder conviction is life in prison.

Jury position unclear

Kunzweiler said it was unclear whether the jury's deadlock was six for conviction and six for acquittal or six for murder and six for the lesser charge of manslaughter. Although previous juries could not agree on the murder charge, jurors in his first trial convicted Kepler of recklessly using his firearm.

Kepler, who retired from the force after he was charged, was a 24-year-police veteran who said he was trying to protect his daughter, who had run away from home and was living in a crime-ridden neighborhood.

O'Carroll said Lisa had been in and out of a homeless shelter after her father prohibited her from bringing men into his house.

Juries in Kepler's previous two trials, in November and February, deadlocked 11-1 and 10-2 in favor of guilt before Holmes declared mistrials after up to 12 hours of deliberations in each case.
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WASHINGTON - Russian government hackers were behind recent cyber-intrusions into the business systems of U.S. nuclear power and other energy companies in what appears to be an effort to assess their networks, according to U.S. government officials.

The U.S. officials said there is no evidence the hackers breached or disrupted the core systems controlling operations at the plants, so the public was not at risk. Rather, they said, the hackers broke into systems dealing with business and administrative tasks, such as personnel.

At the end of June, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security sent a joint alert to the energy sector stating that "advanced, persistent threat actors" - a euphemism for sophisticated foreign hackers - were stealing network log-in and password information to gain a foothold in company networks. The agencies did not name Russia.

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The campaign marks the first time Russian government hackers are known to have wormed their way into the networks of American nuclear power companies, several U.S. and industry officials said. And the penetration could be a sign that Russia is seeking to lay the groundwork for more damaging hacks.

The National Security Agency has detected specific activity by the Russian spy agency, the FSB, targeting the energy firms, according to two officials. The NSA declined to comment. The intrusions have been previously reported but not the attribution to Russia by U.S. officials.

The joint alert from the FBI and DHS, first reported by Reuters on June 30, said the hackers have been targeting the industry since at least May. Several days earlier, E & E News, an energy trade publication, had reported that U.S. authorities were investigating cyber-intrusions affecting multiple nuclear-power-generation sites.

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The malicious activity comes as President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday acknowledged "the challenges of cyberthreats" and "agreed to explore creating a framework" to better deal with them, including those that harm critical infrastructure such as nuclear energy, according to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in remarks to reporters. On Saturday, Putin told reporters that he and Trump agreed to set up a working group "on the subject of jointly controlling security in cyberspace."

The Russian government, which is the United States' top adversary in cyberspace, targeted U.S. infrastructure in a wide-ranging campaign in 2014.

Moscow has demonstrated how much damage it can do in other countries when it goes after energy systems.

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In December 2015, Russian hackers disrupted the electric system in Ukraine, plunging 225,000 customers into darkness. Last December, they tested a new cyberweapon in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, capable of disrupting power grids around the world.

The recent activity follows the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that the Kremlin was behind a campaign to interfere with the 2016 election through hacking and information warfare. Putin has denied such meddling.

The working group that is being set up will also address "how to prevent interference in the domestic affairs of foreign states, primarily in Russia and the U.S.," Putin said.

The U.S. officials all stressed that the latest intrusions did not affect systems that control the production of nuclear or electric power.

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"There is no indication of a threat to public safety, as any potential impact appears to be limited to administrative and business networks," the DHS and FBI said in a joint statement Friday.

One nuclear power company that was penetrated, Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp. in Kansas, issued a statement saying that "there has been absolutely no operational impact to Wolf Creek." The reason is that the plant's operational computer systems are completely separate from the corporate network, spokeswoman Jenny Hageman said. "The safety and control systems for the nuclear reactor and other vital plant components are not connected to business networks or the Internet," she said.

In general, the nation's 100 or so commercial nuclear power plants are safer from cyberattack than other energy plants because they isolate their control systems from the open Internet, said Bill Gross, director of incident preparedness at the Nuclear Energy Institute.

According to U.S. officials, fewer than a dozen energy companies, including several nuclear energy firms, were affected by the latest Russian cyber-reconnaissance campaign.

While nuclear-power companies are fairly well protected, electric-power plants are less so, experts said.

"It's a plausible scenario that the adversaries in electric power business networks could pivot to the industrial networks," said Robert Lee, founder and chief executive of Dragos, a cyberfirm that focuses on industrial control systems. "But it's still not a trivial matter to compromise the industrial systems."

Dragos last month issued a report analyzing a new Russian cyberweapon that can disrupt electric power grids. Dubbed CrashOverride, the malware is known to have affected only one energy system - in Ukraine in December. But with modifications, it could be deployed against U.S. electric grids, Dragos concluded.

ODD ONE OUT: U.S. stands alone in climate fight

While the current campaign shows no signs - at least not yet - of disrupting the companies' operations, it is not clear what the adversary's true motive is, officials said.

"In some sense, this could be significant if this is precursor planning," said one U.S. official, who like others interviewed spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. "That's what all cyber bad guys do. They do reconnaissance and they try to establish a presence and maintain access. This in my mind was a reconnaissance effort - to scope things out and figure out" points of entry.

The same actor has also targeted energy and other critical sector firms in Turkey and Ireland, said John Hultquist, director of intelligence analysis at FireEye, a cyberthreat-intelligence firm. He added that the firm has found evidence that the adversary has been hacking into global energy firms since at least 2015.

YOUNG TALENT: Texas pre-teen shows cyber security experts how easy it is to hack children's toys

In their alert, the DHS and FBI stated that the hackers are using spearphishing emails and "watering hole" techniques to ensnare victims. A spearphish targets a user with an authentic-looking email that contains attachments or links embedded with malware. In this case, the hackers often used Microsoft Word attachments that appeared to be legitimate resumes from job applicants, the agencies said. In a watering-hole attack, an unsuspecting victim navigates to a website laced with malware, infecting his or her computer. In both cases, the adversary sought to collect victims' log-in and password data so that they could sneak into the network and poke around.

Galina Antova, co-founder of the cyberfirm Claroty, said: "There's no need for hype and hysteria, but this is an issue that should be taken seriously because of the state of the industrial networks" - in particular the non-nuclear systems.

The current cyber-campaign, dubbed Palmetto Fusion by the government, is significant as a warning, officials said. "It signals an ability to get into a system and potentially have a continued presence there, which at a future date, at someone else's determination, might be exploited to have an effect" that could be particularly disruptive.

- - -

The Washington Post's David Filipov and Damian Paletta in Hamburg contributed to this report.

Click through above to see a by-the-numbers look at how vulnerable the industry is to attacks.
Sensible said: Absolutely friggin right it's a good thing, but you are a lard arse! Click to expand...

Yep, I agree 100%. I'd make a terrible President.So, you do NOT like Lard-***** that are just average citizens with no political power or influence over the average American's life.BUT, you DO like, and approve of, a ******* Lard-*** that DOES have immense political power and can most definitely impact the lives of not only Americans but a great many people the world over.TOLD you you were one weird dude.
One person was rushed to the hospital after a wreck on Interstate 45 slowed Sunday traffic north of Houston.

Around 11:40 a.m., a two-vehicle wreck drew first responders to southbound I-45 and Crosstimbers.
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox is nearly as active on Twitter as United States President Donald Trump is. That's definitely where the similarities end though.

Fox has not been quiet about his disdain for the American leader and his antics have garnered him more than a little bit of attention. In a series of videos Fox has told Trump "You're fired!", he's taunted him over the proposed border wall and the size of his inauguration crowd.
The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p.
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AKRON, Ohio - A man accused of sexual assault was found dead Sunday morning at the end of an Akron police standoff, according to multiple reports.

Akron police went about 4 a.m. to a house on the 2000 block of Thurmont Road in Northwest Akron after receiving a call from a woman who said she was being sexually assaulted at gunpoint, WKYC reports.

When officers arrived, the woman escaped from the house, leaving the sexual assault suspect inside, WEWS reports. Police tried to enter the house, but the suspect fired gunshots at the officers.

Police fired back and then surrounded the house, according to WEWS.

A SWAT team was called to the house to try and make contact with the suspect, but they were unsuccessful, Fox 8 reports. After several hours, "chemical munitions" were placed in the house and officers went inside.

Police inside found the suspect dead, WEWS reports. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds, but it's unclear if any of those wounds were self-inflicted or if he was struck when officers returned fire. The Summit County Medical Examiner will determine his cause of death.

The officers involved - one two-year and one three-year veteran of the department - have been placed on administrative leave while Akron police complete their criminal and internal investigations, according to WKYC.

Cleveland.com is working to learn more about the incident. This post will be updated if new information becomes available Sunday.

If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Museum of Art presents seven groundbreaking films released in 1967 - and celebrating their 50th anniversary this year - in "The Summer of (Movie) Love" film series, which kicks off Tuesday, July 11 with the classic "In the Heat of the Night," and runs through August 29.

Here's the schedule;

July 11 at 1:30 p.m.; July 14 at 7 p.m. -

July 16 at 1:30 p.m.; July 18 at 1:30 p.m. -

July 21 at 7 p.m.; 23 at 1:30 p.m. -

July 30 at 1:30 p.m.; August 1 at 1:30 p.m. -

August 8 at 1:30 p.m.; August 11 at 7 p.m. -

August 18 at 7 p.m.; August 20 at 1:30 p.m. -

August 27 at 1:30 p.m.; August 29 at 1:30 p.m. -

For more details about each film, click here.

All films will be shown from 35mm film in Morley Lecture Hall. Admission to each is $11; CMA members $8.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Sears Holdings will close 43 more stores in the next three months, including the Kmart store on Rockside Road in Garfield Heights.

The latest round of closures, announced to employees on Friday, will hit eight Sears and 35 Kmart locations, adding to the 265 closings already announced by the company this year. Kmart stores in Toledo and Dayton are the other Ohio locations on the new list.

The company said the stores will close by early October. Liquidation sales will begin as early as Thursday.

The closings are part of a plan to "focus on our best stores and return to profitability." Sears Holdings CEO Eddie Lampert said in a blog post Friday. "This is part of a strategy both to address losses from unprofitable stores and to reduce the square footage of other stores because many of them are simply too big for our current needs."

The company will focus on "smaller, specialized concept stores" that "allow us to focus on some of our stronger categories," Lampert said.

Once the nation's largest retailer, Sears had 2,073 locations five years ago. The latest closings reduce the number to 1,140.

Store closings and, in some cases, bankruptcies have hit well-known brick-and-mortar retailers this year, including J.C. Penney, Macy's, Payless, H.H. Gregg, Gander Mountain and MC Sports.

Sears Holdings, in its annual report last March, acknowledged its continuing decline in sales "indicate substantial doubt exists related to the company's ability to continue as a going concern."
WILLARD, Ohio - Six-year-old Elsiy Lara Lopez seems oblivious to the conversation about her father's future while she plays with his iPhone.

But when he is asked if he is prepared to be deported to Mexico on July 18, she stiffens and cries, "No, no, daddy can't go away."

Hearing her plea, Jesus Lara Lopez looks away from the little girl on his lap. His eyes tear up and he struggles for words of comfort that do not come.

Barring a last minute reprieve, Lara Lopez will board a plane at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport on July 18 for a one-way trip to Mexico City, leaving behind a wife and his four American citizen children.

Lara Lopez, 37, is invisible to most Americans. Like many undocumented workers, he lived under the radar, mostly working in fields picking fruits and vegetables, though today he works in a Pepperidge Farm food packaging plant. He may have packed the Pepperidge Farm goldfish in your cupboard.

He has no criminal record. With a valid work permit issued by the federal immigration officials several years ago, he has supported his family. He has paid taxes and never used public assistance for welfare, food stamps, housing or unemployment compensation.

Yet, Lara Lopez is among the tens of thousands of immigrants being swept up in President Donald Trump administration's directive to immigration authorities to deport thousands of people in the United States illegally.

In the first 100 days of the administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested more than 41,000 individuals who are either known or suspected of being in the country illegally. This reflects an increase of 37.6 percent over the same period in 2016, according to ICE's website.

In making his case for increased deportation efforts, Trump campaigned with the families of victims of crimes committed by illegal immigrants. He vowed to removed "bad hombres" from the country.

Yet, ICE these days is not limiting its deportation efforts to criminals. Anyone found to be in the country illegally is subject to removal.

According to ICE, "Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly has made it clear that ICE will no longer exempt any class of individuals from removal proceedings if they are found to be in the country illegally."

"ICE agents and officers have been given clear direction to focus on threats to public safety and national security...but when we encounter others who are in the country unlawfully. We will execute our sworn duty and enforce the law," the ICE website says.

Jesus Lara Lopez comes to America

Lara Lopez, unable to find a job where he lived in Chiapas, Mexico, he came to Florida to work picking vegetables in 2001.

Soon, he moved to Willard, 70 miles southwest of Cleveland in Huron County, where large farms frequently need migrant workers to plant and pick their crops.

For years, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (now Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE) did not seem to notice him, though ICE was always in his mind.

Then in 2008, he was pulled over for a minor traffic violation. He was cited for not having an Ohio driver's license, which as an undocumented immigrant he could not get. The Huron County sheriff's deputy reported his status to ICE. He was given an order of deportation in 2008, which he appealed to an immigration judge. He was allowed to stay and work.

In 2011 he lost the appeal, but was given permission to remain and work until if and when the deportation order was activated. Each year he checked in with immigration officials and had routinely been given an "order of supervision" with a work permit while his case was reviewed. He had expected to be able to remain, since his case was a low priority.

In March, Lara Lopez was told to report to the Brooklyn Heights ICE office. He was nervous. He had heard stories about people reporting for what they thought would be a routine appointment, and being told they were going to be deported. Some even advised Lopez not to go.

"All the other times I went there the people were quite considerate," Lara Lopez recalled through translator Lynn Tramonte, deputy director of America's Voice, an immigration reform group.

"We waited a long time to see an agent," he said. "When he came out, he seemed mad. I had given him my tax records, employment history and letters of support from people.

"He put a bracelet (ankle monitor) on me and told me to get ready for deportation. I asked why he put on the ankle bracelet? I was not a criminal. They didn't answer."

David Leopold, a Cleveland lawyer specializing in immigration issues, is fighting to allow Jesus Lara Lopez home. (Michael Sangiacomo / Plain Dealer)

His lawyer, David Leopold of Cleveland, questioned the order.

"Since 2008, Jesus did everything ICE asked him to do. He showed up every time he was asked, and did whatever they wanted. He presented all his tax records since 2002, showing he has been a taxpayer, which is more than our president has done,'' Leopold said.

"He held down jobs and raised a family. He never collected welfare, food stamps, unemployment compensation or housing assistance. He has never been in trouble with the law, he attends church and is the kind of person we want to live here."

Khaalid Walls, spokesman for ICE, said the government sees things differently.

"He was ordered removed in 2011 by an immigration judge," said Walls. "In an exercise in discretion, the agency has allowed him to remain free from custody to final(ize) his departure plans."

Tramonte said that previously, it had looked like he was going to be able to work things out and stay. "After all, he worked hard and raised a family, isn't that what America is about? But then, just as his goal was in sight, they yanked it away," she said.

Lara Lopez had found a comfortable home in Willard, making friends among the people at the Church of God of Prophecy. The jobs he found got better. He met a woman and they married. Last year, they bought a house.

"Things are different now," he said. "I'm sad, but I have to be strong for my family. My wife is frightened because without me she won't be able to make the house payments on her job alone."

"He said he can see his whole life -- the life he's wanted and worked so hard for -- and it's right there in front of him," Tramonte said. "He was so close. Now they (ICE) are killing his dreams and he does not know what he can do."

"And he wants to know why." she said.

When called for comment on the case, ICE spokesman Walls responded only by saying deporting Lara Lopez was "consistent with enforcement priorities."

Leopold called those priorities "a numbers game," where the focus for enforcement shifts from concentrating on deporting criminals to deporting anyone in the country who lacks documentation.

"Officially, ICE wants to deport what Trump called 'the bad hombres,' people who have committed crimes like murder and drug dealing," Leopold said. "But they are also deporting people like Jesus in huge numbers, people who have committed no crimes."

ICE's website doesn't disagree, pointing out the rise in non-criminal arrests increased from approximately 4,200 in 2016 to more than 10,800 in 2017.

"Cases like this are an incredible waste of ICE resources that only make it harder for the agency to identify and remove dangerous criminals," John Sandweg, the former acting director of ICE under the Obama administration, said in a news release he sent out after being contacted by America's Voice. "The Administration's focus on the low hanging fruit of the enforcement system only allows the bad guys to remain at large, weakening our public safety."

Tramonte said so far 33,000 people have signed a petition asking ICE to allow Lara Lopez to remain in the United States. Some of the letters of support can be seen here. They plan to continue to ask people to sign the petition.

Josefina de Anda, who lives across the street from Lara Lopez, is one of those who supports him.

"We go to church together, he's a good neighbor and a good guy," she said. "He's one of those people who is always ready to help out when he's needed. He has done nothing wrong, I don't think what's happening to him is right.

"What's going to happen to his four children when he's sent away," she asked. The children are Eric, 13; Edwin, 11, Anuar, 10, and six-year-old Elsiy.

"And that little girl, oh, she loves him so much. Everywhere he goes, she's right beside him. This is going to be really hard on her if he is sent away."

Leopold said he has reached out to Ohio congressmen and senators. "A call from the right politician could help," he said. But none have taken up the request.

The offices of U.S. Representatives Bob Gibbs and Jim Jordan did not return calls for comment on this story.

Local impact

Anny Sterling helps run the Church of God of Prophecy, which serves about 250 people from the Hispanic community in the Willard area. She said these days there is a shadow over them. She does not know how many people in her church are undocumented, but knows they exist. She does not ask.

She said in previous years, the number of migrants increases in the early spring through the fall as farmers hire workers to plant the crops, maintain the fields and harvest them.

"We would see all these apartments all over town being rented by people and families," she said. "There would be life everywhere. Not so this year. The units are not being rented, people are afraid to come here."

Thousands of workers are needed in the early spring to prepare the fields and plant radishes, lettuce, peppers and other early crops. Migrant workers have become such a part of daily life that the Willard economy is dependent on them, since local residents don't want the jobs.

Willard City Manager Jim Ludban said about 20 percent of the city's population is Hispanic. (Michael Sangiacomo / Plain Dealer)

Willard City Manager Jim Ludban said that there are plenty of good jobs going unfilled in this city of 6,000.

"Just drive around and you'll see help wanted signs everywhere," he said.

The three local farms that employ so many migrants, have declined to comment on the current employment situation. The New York Times recently quoted them as saying they lost millions of dollars of crops that could not be harvested because of the lack of manpower.

Jon Keeling, the director of communications for the Ohio department of Jobs and Family Services, said the number of unemployed people in all of Huron County is very low.

"In May of this year, only 314 people filed for unemployment and 1,650 had continuing claims," Keeling said. "In May of 2011, there were 549 initial claims filed and 4,040 people were getting continuing unemployment benefits. This indicates that a lot of people have gotten work."

But while high employment numbers are good, it makes it more difficult to get people to work in the labor-intensive, difficult jobs of planting and harvesting crops - even though they pay up to $18 an hour, twice the state minimum wage

At first, Ludban was not particularly sympathetic to Lara Lopez' situation.

"He came here illegally and he was caught, that's the way it is," he said. "But you could say that even though you don't like how a person came here, there should be more avenues to citizenship for people like him. I hope this works out for him."

Lara Lopez said he prays constantly for God to soften the hearts of the people at ICE.

"I don't know what will happen," he said. "I will return to my mother and two sisters in Chiapas, but there is less work there now than there was when I left years ago. My father died when I was a baby and I have been sending money home. How will I get a job that will allow me to support my mother and send money back here to support my family?"

Lara Lopez said he doesn't resent the government for his situation. "I just don't understand," he said through Tramonte. "Where is their heart? Why do they want to take me away from my family? My family is everything to me, it's all I have."

.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Nine people were shot - one fatally - late Saturday at a gender reveal party in a Cincinnati suburb, reports say.

The shooting happened about 11:30 p.m. Saturday in Colerain Township, a suburb northwest of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. First responders found a 22-year-old Indiana woman dead inside a small home and soon located eight surviving victims.

Some of the victims are children, a Colerain Township police spokesman told WLWT News 5. They were being treated at Cincinnati Children's Medical Center. The injured children are 8, 6 and 2, Colerain Township police chief Mark Denney said at a Sunday afternoon press conference, the Associated Press reports.

The five adult victims were taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. One was in critical condition, three were in fair condition and the fifth victim was stable, WLWT News 5 reports.

One victim told WKRC Local 12 that she was pregnant and was shot in the leg. She said she lost her baby due to her injury.

Investigators learned that there was a gender reveal party at the home Saturday night, and the shooting appears to have happened while many of the victims were gathered around a TV, the Enquirer reports. No motive for the shooting has been revealed.

Witnesses told police that two men were seen leaving the house shortly after the shooting, according to the Enquirer, but no official suspect information has been released by police.

If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.
Stolen car, Columbia Road: A resident called police about 9:30 a.m. June 26 to report his 2007 Chevrolet Impala had been stolen overnight. The resident said he parked his car outside his apartment about 8 p.m. the previous evening and the car was seen again at about 11 p.m. However, by 8 a.m. June 26 the car was missing. The car is valued at about $2,500.

Shoplifting, Great Northern Mall: Police were called about 4 p.m. June 27 to Macy's department store regarding a suspected female shoplifter. A store loss prevention officer saw a woman other than the suspect gather $170 worth of Nike clothing, including shirts and shorts, and leave them inside the store near an exit before leaving. Security then saw the suspect enter the store, grab the "staged" merchandise and leave the store without paying. Security apprehended the suspect, who initially struggled, outside the store. The suspect is charged with petty theft. The suspect told police she was standing outside Macy's when a man and a woman she did not know offered to pay her to steal the clothing for them. The suspect also told police she uses cocaine.

Theft, Brookpark Road: Walmart security called the police to their store June 27 about a male store employee who was accused of shoplifting. Security on numerous occasions over a one-month period watched the employee take, and frequently eat in the store, candy and beef jerky without paying for the items. The suspect also took coffee, sugar and cologne, according to police. The value of the items totaled $77. Police charged the suspect with misdemeanor theft.

Bike theft: A resident came to the police station June 29 to report a bicycle was stolen from their garage between June 24 and June 25. The report does not indicate the victim's address.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Saturday's crime and courts comments section.
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The governor of Qatar's central bank believes the country's economy will be able to fully withstand any financial shocks brought on by the dispute in the Gulf, and welcomed outsiders to investigate its accounts and money flows. "We're not guilty," Abdullah Saud Al-Thani told CNBC in an exclusive interview Sunday. The central banker referred to the accusations placed by other Arab nations that accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism. "We have no challenges, we welcome those to review all our books, they are open," he added. Qatar still finds itself excluded and singled out by its near neighbors. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Bahrain are leading a boycott against Qatar, and since last month have severed diplomatic and transport ties.

Qatar's central bank governor Sheikh Abdullah bin Saud al-Thani attends a meeting with other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) central bank chiefs in Kuwait City on March 24, 2010. GCC central bank chiefs are meeting to discuss progress towards regional monetary union. YASSER AL-ZAYYAT | AFP | Getty Images

Doha denies charges that it supports terrorism, and denies that it has allied itself with regional foe Iran. Qatar is now seeking compensation for damages from the blockade. On Thursday evening, the four Arab nations released a joint statement pledging new political, economic and legal steps against Qatar, according to Reuters. Still, the country's central banker dismissed the allegations that have beset the country. "Qatar has already had a good and unique system. We have laws established against all these kinds of terrorists ," Al Thani told CNBC. "We work with the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and other institutions to establish our laws and audits and reviews."

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Qatari stock markets have sunk lower on the boycott and the country's currencythe riyalhas seen wild fluctuations, while credit ratings agencies have warned on a period of uncertainty for the nation. However, Al-Thani told CNBC that while the bank has noticed money outflows from some non-residents, the size of them wasn't particularly significant. "There is more [money] coming in," he said, confirming that inflows are exceeding the outflows.

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During Maria Klawe's 11-year run as president of Harvey Mudd College, she's turned the school's prestigious computer science program into a hotbed for aspiring female developers.

Graduates from the small Southern California college are all over the industry, at places like Google , SpaceX, Yelp and Airbnb. Despite her role championing women in tech, Klawe has long been reluctant to recommend that her graduating studentsparticularly femalesseek out emerging venture-backed companies.

The "bro culture" is bad enough, she said. On top of that, young founders typically avoid investing in human resources, making it even more difficult to address problems that arise.

Klawe is currently on summer vacation, but she took some time this week to talk to CNBC, in light of the multiple sexual harassment and sexism scandals that have hit the venture capital industry of late, and amid the ongoing crisis at Uber.

"For ages, we've been talking to students about whether they want to go to start-ups or not because they tend to have virtually no HR," said Klawe, who previously held board seats at Microsoft and Broadcom. "If something goes wrong, it's a matter of luck whether you have management that cares about these issues."
Add Lynne McKee to the chorus of critics casting doubt on Hobby Lobbys claims of innocence after paying a $3 million fine to settle allegations of smuggling looted Iraqi artifacts into the country.

Im not feeling sorry for them, said McKee, manager of the Benton County Fairgrounds and former head of the FBIs international art theft section. Its like a little slap on the wrist.

Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Hobby Lobby operates a chain of more than 600 arts and crafts stores around the country, including one in Albanys Heritage Mall. The closely held firm has estimated sales of $4 billion a year.

The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Homeland Security Departments Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division announced the settlement on Wednesday. A civil complaint filed in federal court outlines what the government claims was a scheme by the company to illegally import thousands of ancient clay tablets and other culturally significant objects that it knew or should have known were protected by law.

As part of the settlement, Hobby Lobby agreed to pay the $3 million fine and forfeit more than 5,500 artifacts the government alleges were looted from Iraq. The trove includes roughly 1,500 clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform writing from ancient Mesopotamia in present-day Iraq, as well as 500 cuneiform bricks, 3,000 bullae (balls of clay imprinted with seals), 35 clay envelope seals, 13 extra-large cuneiform tablets and 500 stone cylinder seals.

The company, which has been amassing a large collection of historic manuscripts and other materials related to the Bible since 2009, paid $1.6 million to five unnamed antiquities dealers who shipped the materials to the United States. According to the complaint, the dealers used a number of deceptive tactics to evade scrutiny by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents, including false declarations stating the objects originated from Turkey or Israel, bogus invoices that understated the shipments value and phony labels that described the contents as ceramic tiles or clay tiles (sample).

Government attorneys described the whole arrangement as fraught with red flags and noted that Hobby Lobby executives apparently ignored warnings from an expert hired by the company who said there was a high likelihood the objects had been looted from Iraq and therefore could not be purchased legally.

Nevertheless, Hobby Lobby officials did not admit guilt as part of the settlement. Rather, the company issued a statement claiming it was more naive than culpable.

The company was new to the world of acquiring these items and did not fully appreciate the complexities of the acquisitions process, the statement reads in part.

McKee, for one, isnt buying it.

Obviously, you know what youre getting into, she said. If youre spending $1.6 million on art, you know.

McKee, a former museum curator who led the FBIs international art theft unit from 1997 to 2005, was part of a team sent to the Middle East in 2003 to repatriate cultural artifacts stolen from Iraq during the turmoil that accompanied the U.S. invasion of the country. Gangs of professional art thieves stole thousands of ancient objects from the National Museum in Baghdad and pillaged archaeological sites throughout the country, often targeting clay tablets and seals like the ones in the Hobby Lobby case because they would be easier to sell on the black market than more unique and identifiable works of art.

These are exactly the kinds of items that move on that market, McKee said.

This is not just Iraq history  this is biblical and cradle of civilization history, she added. So much came from the Middle East.

Some of the buyers for stolen art are gullible or unscrupulous private collectors, but museums also help fuel the trade in illegal artifacts. Modern cultural patrimony laws are supposed to prevent institutions and individuals from importing protected objects, yet it continues to happen  as evidenced by the flood of Iraqi artifacts that poured out of the country after the war.

Hobby Lobby officials have not stated what they planned to do with the artifacts they purchased in this case and did not respond to a request for comment for this story. However, it appears likely that some if not all of the objects were intended for the Museum of the Bible, a 430,000-square-foot institution under construction in Washington, D.C.

Hobby Lobby President and CEO Steve Green, a devout Christian, is chairman of the museums board of directors, and his family has reportedly donated more than $800 million to the project.

In the formal statement issued Wednesday, the company claims it has implemented new acquisition policies based on standards set by the Association of Art Museum Directors. The statement also contains a personal pledge from Green.

We have accepted responsibility and learned a great deal, Green is quoted as saying. Our entire team is committed to the highest standards for investigating and acquiring these items. Our passion for the Bible continues, and we will do all that we can to support the efforts to conserve items that will help illuminate and enhance our understanding of this Great Book.

McKee said she hopes the company will live up to its promises, but she also points out that the only reason the trade in stolen artifacts exists is that there seems to be no shortage of buyers willing to look the other way.

The problem with looting is that its market-driven  nobodys going to steal this stuff if they cant sell it, she said.

As long as theres a market, people are going to steal it, and here in the United States were one of the major markets. We drive illegal art traffic worldwide.
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In America, we're still kind of making it up as we go along.

That's Old Sacramento, which, no, isn't buried under what is now East St. Louis, but actually the modern and vibrant city of Sacramento! Back in 1861-62, Old Sacramento was devastated by floods that killed thousands and left the streets underwater for three months. So, over the course of 15 years, two and a half miles of the city were raised by nine feet, because sometimes keeping mad scientists on the municipal payroll really pays off. Parts of Old Sacramento have been lovingly preserved, a permanent testament to America's history and a bygone way of life. Other parts of Old Sacramento look like you'll get de-boned by a fucking vampire if you're caught there past sundown.

Rebecca Crowther/Center for Sacramento History

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And when you're underground, it's always past sundown.

Sacramento isn't the only city to find new life on top of its own corpse. The Great Seattle Fire of 1889 forced the city to rebuild 31 blocks, and while they were exploring bold ideas like "fireproof building materials," they also decided to elevate the city above the swampy tidelands the original streets had been built on. But by the time they started regrading the streets, some buildings had already been rebuilt, sort of like when your landlord didn't tell you that you were evicted until after you finished retiling your bathroom. That resulted in the Seattle Underground, a city below the city, once home to the urban blight of opium dens and gambling parlors, now home to the urban blight of tourists and the walking tours that prey on them.
Bob Harris, in his letter of June 1, argues much like too many liberal judges who have sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States and then go on to work to dismantle it. All you have to do instead is to read it. No matter how human the right to health care may be, it is not there. Moreover, the Declaration of Independence is not a part of it.

The Ninth Amendment does give us the freedom to rights not mentioned in the Constitution, but the Tenth Amendment rules that the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or the people. This protects us from a tyranny by the central government to a great extent.

As I see it, therefore, the State of Oregon may adopt a right to health care as long as it respects the other rights mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, but to incorporate it there will require the consent of three quarters of the states of the union. Usually the two houses of Congress first pass the desired amendment each by the required two thirds majorities and then submit it to the states for ratification by their legislatures.

H.R. Richner

Albany (July 6)
My Great Grandfather, Pietro Cassinelli, an Italian emigrant, arrived in Dayton, Nevada in the late 1880s after working his way across America as a cowboy. Within a few years, he and his cousin, Bert, acquired a ranch along the Carson River. There, he and his wife Theresa, raised a family of 12 children, one of whom was my Grandfather, Pete.

When I was a boy working on Petes ranch in Sparks years later, he told me about a petrified forest with many logs of petrified wood he had seen near the ranch in Dayton where he had grown up and went to school in the early 1900s. This is the same ranch now known as the Ricci ranch on the south side of the Carson River in Dayton.

My brother-in-law, Phil Hanna, who has moved to Dayton with my sister, Rae, recently turned me on to something that Mark Twain wrote in Chapter 26 of his classic book, Roughing It.

When describing some of the mineral resources of Nevada, Twain remarked Lately evidences of bituminous coal have been detected. My theory has ever been that coal is a ligneous formation (Ligneous meaning resembling wood).

Twain was skeptical about the idea of coal existing in Nevada until he spoke to a Captain Burch on the subject and was told that in the region of Dayton, Burch had seen petrified trees the length of two hundred feet. This established the fact that huge forests once existed in this remote area. This firmed up in Twains mind that coal may also actually exist in Nevada. Coal and petrified wood both take millions of years to form under ideal conditions deep below the ground.

Now, lets jump forward to modern times. My family and I enjoy hiking, rock hunting and exploring the many hiking trails in and around the region. Occasionally, we find a few pieces of petrified wood but nothing like the two hundred foot trees described in Mark Twains Roughing It. There was one particular area near my great grandfathers ranch where we did find an abundance of petrified wood ranging in size from a few inches to over one foot in diameter.

In the same area we also found some long trenches, obviously dug over 100 years ago, that were surrounded by a few fragments of petrified wood. This was an indication that the petrified forest described to me by my grandfather and written about by Mark Twain in Roughing It did actually exist. All the huge logs have obviously been taken away, and we have no idea who took them or where they ever ended up.

Amazingly, some of the pieces we have found are black and have the appearance of coal, except they have the wood grain typical of petrified wood. This is likely what Mark Twain mistook for coal when he wrote Roughing It. Our theory has always been that the black petrified wood was caused by the trees being in some ancient forest fires or perhaps knocked down during a volcanic eruption millions of years ago and being covered over with hot volcanic ash. This would have turned the wood black like charcoal and buried it until it became petrified.

My family and I believe we have re-discovered what remains of the petrified forest described by Mark Twain in his book about his travels through Nevada in the 1860s.
Pa. Dems could flip the House of Reps. Here's what that might mean
There should have been no surprise at David Camerons defence of austerity policies in a speech to businessmen last week. The opponents of so-called austerity couch their arguments in a way that makes them sound generous and compassionate, he told a conference in the South Korean capital Seoul, choosing his words carefully.

But if anyone was going to stand up for the age of austerity, it was Cameron. He effectively invented the expression, first using it in his speech to the Tory spring conference in Cheltenham in April 2009.

It will fall to this party to offer the responsible politics the country wants in this age of austerity, he told them.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, shakes hands with former Prime Minister of Britain David Cameron at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea last week

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Gordon Browns premiership was disintegrating thanks to a lethal cocktail of reckless Labour spending and the banking crash.

When Brown tried to blame the latter, calling it the age of irresponsibility, Cameron and George Osborne had to come up with a response  and fast.

Ever keen to outfox wily Brown, they came up with their own soundbite riposte. And so the age of austerity was born.

By that, they meant that austerity was already upon us  partly because of Browns profligacy. They also aimed to show that only they had the guts to impose the necessary cuts to end austerity and get back to prosperity, with the nations books back in order.

It was good enough to help them win the 2010 Election  just  and they received the endorsement of outgoing Labour Treasury Minister Liam Byrne, who left a note in his office for his successor, saying: Sorry, theres no money left. Austerity Dave and George were true to their word and, with the help of their Lib Dem Coalition partners, went ahead  largely  with the cuts they had promised.

Unfortunately, the age of austerity slogan worked rather too well. It has become so associated with the Conservatives that their political foes talk as though the Tories didnt just invent the term, but invented the very concept itself and wanted to impose Gradgrind-style poverty on the poor populace for its own sake.

Time to end Tory austerity was the Corbynista clarion call that inspired huge numbers of young people to vote Labour at the Election.

No wonder, when anyone aged under 27 has spent virtually their entire adult life in an era when the Conservatives have allowed, encouraged even, the notion that they are synonymous with the term austerity.

Mr Corbyn used the theme in a speech yesterday, declaring: We saw at Grenfell Tower the terrible consequences of austerity. The same theme is found in calls to end the pay cap, and to give more to schools and hospitals. It would be motherhood and apple pie all round if only the rotten Tories would give up their obsession with an age of austerity.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, talks with Mr Cameron

One of the main reasons the expression appealed to Cameron and Osborne was that they thought it would scotch claims that they were too young and lightweight to take the tough measures to mend the economy.

When Brown vowed to end the age of irresponsibility in late 2008, he added another jibe  that this was no time for a novice.

At the time, Cameron was 41 and Osborne was 37. Well show Brown whos a novice and turn the tables on him, thought the pair, who in the pre-crash days had been offering voters a naively optimistic sunlit uplands of permanent prosperity if the Tories won power.

They swapped it for the pessimistic gloomy lowlands of austerity as much as an act of political machismo as one borne of necessity.

Now, eight years later, with Dave and George gone, and a sea change in the political mood, Theresa May is stuck with the austerity tag. Like a bad smell, some Tories would argue.

It was she who famously said in 2002 that the Tories had become known as the Nasty Party. The Austerity Party is not much nicer.

If, as some Ministers fear, Mrs Mays wobbly Government collapses and is replaced by a Corbyn-led regime elected on a no more Tory austerity platform, the Conservatives will find it hard to point the finger of blame at others.

It is not so-called austerity, as Cameron said last week. The Tories called it that themselves.
We stand at a moment of huge national significance. Our economy is fragile. We are beset by inequalities dividing young from old, North from South, rich from poor. We need major investment in housing and transport infrastructure. And then, of course, there is Brexit, a process that will determine all our futures for generations to come.

So where, then, is the recognition of the role of business, whether that be a small business or multinational company? All too often, the answer is nowhere to be heard  not from the Government, and not from the Opposition.

Yet without Government backing for our trade and industry, Britain will falter.

Aviva's chief Mark Wilson describes his concerns for business as independence from the EU for the UK looms. Pictured above: British Prime Minister Theresa May met with U.S President Donald Trump during the G20 summit on July 8, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany to discuss a post-Breixt deal

Which leads me to ask this: when did beating up business become the national sport in this country? When did we begin to revel in the grievous self-harm inflicted by our apparent disdain for enterprise and commerce?

Business should be up front and centre, yet it is not even in the squad, let alone on the playing field. And already the results of this omission are worryingly clear.

It should be obvious to everyone that this is a time in which we need strong leadership and brave policy-making to instil consumer confidence and to back British companies. Instead, as we plot our way through these difficult times, the mood is of palpable uncertainty.

Thats why the lack of that support from both Government and Opposition is so utterly baffling. Ive worked all around the world and, in most countries, business success is celebrated. Good companies are rightly seen as champions of the national interest.

Of course, its true that businesses and business people have made mistakes  on occasion with serious consequences to individuals, and even to the nation as a whole.

There is understandable anger when business gets it wrong. Do we need to continue working to earn the trust of our customers? Yes. Do we also have a vital role employing people, supporting the economy and binding people together? Without a doubt.

We need someone like French President Emmanuel Macron, says Aviva's chief Mark Wilson

Yet here in the UK, we love to bash commerce. For some time now, virtually all political rhetoric about business has been negative or during the recent Election campaign, entirely missing. In some quarters, big business is a pejorative term.

Since the referendum a year ago, the Government has become curiously detached from business. I can only assume its because the pollsters have decided there are no votes in supporting our companies.

Here is just one frustrating example: for years companies like mine have wanted to invest in our national infrastructure  transport, energy and so on. For years, Government has said it would like to help. The positive intent is there, but the results are not.

And its not just big business that feels left out in the cold. Many of Avivas 15 million UK customers are small businesses, sole traders and others trying to create jobs and prosperity. I hear regularly about the difficulties presented to them by, among other issues, recruiting the best people whichever country theyre from, getting access to funding, and ever-abundant red tape.

Whether the shopkeeper in Norwich, the small business owner in York or the tech entrepreneur in Hoxton, they want Government to understand the impact on business of the big decisions theyre making. Yet too often they feel our leaders at best are unsympathetic.

Surely, you might think, the dangerous waters of Brexit would concentrate political minds. The uncertainty is like kryptonite to investment.

Research by Aviva, the company I run, shows that families monthly income has now dropped to its lowest level in two-and-a-half years. Household debt is up by a third to a record high and savings are at a 50-year low.

Full disclosure: Im a New Zealander. But as a Kiwi who loves living in the UK, I want this country to thrive. I voted Remain but Im not a Remoaner. It is no longer about whether we leave the EU  but about how we leave it.

So here is my three-point plan for a better post-Brexit Britain. First, we need to focus less on what we dont want. The danger with the current approach is that both sides obsession with red lines makes much-needed compromise much harder to attain.

For example, both sides would benefit from sensible market access for services as well as goods. Services account for nearly half of everything Britain sells to the EU. It makes no sense to cut off our nose to spite our face by not seeking to preserve this access.

Second, we need our leaders to be bold and promote confidence, just as President Macron has in France. Such national self-confidence is crucial for the trade deals we must strike with other countries in parallel to the Brexit negotiations.

It may be tough for our Governments trade negotiators but we simply cant afford to wait until we leave the EU to start free trade talks with other markets. Only last week, the EU announced that it had formally agreed an outline free trade deal with Japan, the worlds third-largest economy.

Were being left behind. We have to get to work now and urgently explore trade deals with willing partners. Consider China. The Government was far-sighted enough to support a Chinese-backed development bank against the wishes of the US. I have lost count of the number of times senior Chinese officials have approvingly mentioned this to me. It stands us in good stead with that country. Lets start a dialogue.

The Government should also prioritise trade missions that open doors for our small and medium-sized businesses to sell more overseas.

Third, we need a new deal for greater infrastructure investment, whether thats extra airport capacity or investment in the countrys social fabric.

life insurers and pension funds in the UK have been investing in the real economy for centuries but at the moment a series of policy and regulatory own goals are stopping UK plc kickstarting a new era of major investment.

Major social problems can be addressed when business and Government work together. Aviva, a 321-year-old British insurance company which last year paid out 34 billion in benefits and claims to customers, has worked with Government to put the brakes on the whiplash and fraud epidemic  saving motorists 40 annually.

In recent days, at long last, weve heard encouraging noises of a fresh Government approach  an apparent willingness to try to understand business better.

Thats the only way Britain will make Brexit work and see economic growth in the tricky years ahead. Perhaps well stop beating up business for sport.

Wed do well to embrace the lessons of a different sport. Yesterday, the All Blacks and British Lions showed what exceptional performances can be achieved with national pride, passion, teamwork and a plan. I hope the Government was watching.

Mark Wilson is chief executive of Aviva
A mother who gave birth to her baby girl at 23 weeks weighing a tiny 460 grams has revealed how her daughter miraculously defied the odds of survival.

Nicole Todd and her partner Zac Spindler, from Sydney's Penrith, welcomed their baby daughter Lana June Spindler on Valentine's Day in February.

But after she was born prematurely, little Lana remained in hospital after suffering multiple health problems, including bleeding on the brain, a punctured heart and lungs, 9 News reported.

Baby Lana June Spindler was born prematurely at 23 weeks weighing a tiny 460 grams

Nicole Todd and her partner Zac Spindler welcomed their baby daughter Lana June Spindler on Valentine's Day in February - but she was only released last Thursday following

Ms Todd said she was rushed to hospital after she 'knew something wasn't right'.

And after giving birth three months before the due date, her baby daughter was left fighting for her life.

'She [Lana] was holding on by a thread,' Ms Todd said.

'Her lungs speared like tissue paper because she was so premmie [sic].'

Raw photographs shows the tiny premature baby holding her mother's hand as she battled against her condition.

Little Lana arrived home for the first time last Thursday after she was released from hospital

After she was born prematurely, Lana remained in hospital after suffering health problems

But one of the hardest challenges for the new parents was having to go home without their little girl.

'Leaving her for the first time was the hardest thing we've ever done,' Mr Spindler said.

But the brave girl proved herself to be a fighter after spending nearly five months undergoing treatments at the Nepean Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

The parents couldn't contain their excitement when they finally brought their baby home

The humble parents praised the hospital staff for their incredible efforts of caring for their baby.

'They were just on our side, right there from day one. They did an amazing job, we couldn't be more thankful for them,' Ms Todd said.

Last Thursday, little Lana finally arrived home for the first time after she was released from hospital.
At first glance, this real estate photograph appears to show a rustic kitchen with timber floors and crafted antique windows.

But an eagle-eyed onlooker noticed something different about the image of the Melbourne property that was listed up for sale on Bell Real Estate's website.

So can you spot what's unusual in this professional picture?

At first glance, this real estate photograph appears to show a rustic kitchen with timber floors - but an eagle-eyed onlooker noticed something different... So can you spot it?

Upon closer inspection, there's a cheeky three-year-old boy poking his head from the dining room into the kitchen.

And much to the family's surprise, his mother said she wasn't aware about her son Henry's photobombed until a friend brought it to their attention.

Jenny McAdam said she doesn't know how little Henry manage to sneak his face into the frame after keeping a close eye on him away from the photographer.

'We were huddling in the laundry locking him in. Even the real estate agent was helping me keep him out of the shots,' Ms McAdam told News Corp.

Upon closer inspection, there's a cheeky three-year-old boy poking his head into the kitchen

Family friend Lorelei Vashti shared the photobomb on Instagram after Henry made the shot

'I just don't understand it because he usually refuses to have his photo taken.

'But he loves doing whatever he's told not to do... so I guess that's why he was so keen to get out of the laundry and see what the photographer was up to.'

Family friend Lorelei Vashti shared the hilarious photobomb on Instagram.

'I am literally obsessed with this kid who snuck into his family's professional 'house for sale' photo shoot,' she wrote.

'DISCLAIMER: I actually know this kid and this house, it's fantastic and you should all buy it and move out to Belgrave with us.'
Most newlyweds would be furious if an uninvited guest sidled into their wedding photos.

But Ben and Emily Shaw were delighted by the unexpected addition to their snaps.

Princess Eugenie stopped to pose for pictures with the couple after they spotted her passing on the street outside the register office in Maidstone, Kent.

Special guest: Newylweds Ben, left, and Emily Shaw, right, with Princess Eugenie on Friday

'Amazing' surprise: The Shaws, pictured, said it was 'amazing' that Eugenie stopped for photos

The Shaws, who live in London, said they had planned a 'low-key' ceremony but that they were thrilled the 27-year-old royal had brought a touch of star power to proceedings.

Mrs Shaw, 31, said: 'We're just in Maidstone for the day and are having the proper wedding back home in London tomorrow.

'This was such a shock, I couldn't believe it. It was so nice of her to take photos with us.'

Mr and Mrs Shaw, who met whilst studying at Cardiff University 12 years ago, were standing outside the office at Archbishop's Palace with family and friends when they saw the princess.

Good spirits: Eugenie, 27, mingled with guests before moving on to her next engagement

Royal surprise: Eugenie, pictured in a monochrome dress, outside the register office

Eugenie, who was wearing a striped monochrome shirt dress, stopped for pictures and appeared in good spirits as she spent time mingling with guests.

She later attended the graduation ceremony at the European School of Osteopathy, of which she is patron.

Ben, 30, added: 'We thought today would be a low-key affair before the big day tomorrow with family and friends, but this was amazing.'

The Shaws will enjoy a short trip to Majorca before a longer honeymoon to Sri Lanka later this year.
When did waiters stop using notepads? I think it happened some time around the rise of the artisan coffee house, when suddenly it was no longer hip to use something as retro as paper and pen.

Whatever the reason, the trend caught on. I have no idea why. And it drives me absolutely barking mad.

You go for dinner with friends, and each of you orders a starter and a main and drinks.

The poor, notepad-less waiter will stand there with a confused expression on his face, attempting to memorise everything.

Writer Elizabeth Day has lamented waiters' lack of notepads for taking down orders, as she believes no notepad leads to stress for all parties involved and incorrect dishes arriving at dinner tables everywhere

He gives a small nod every time a new dish is mentioned, but you know its not going in. Sweat breaks out on his brow. Sweat breaks out on your brow.

The waiters eyes acquire a sheen of panic when you begin ordering side dishes.

As you notice his increasing discomfort, you feel guilty for wanting too many things, so you speed up. Once its done, he makes a mad dash to the kitchen.

When the order arrives at the table, there will inevitably be mistakes.

That side of creamed spinach? Forget it. The steak? It will be served medium, not rare. The jug of tap water you asked for? Not a chance.

Its not the waiters fault. Its an impossible task.

I dont expect the person taking my order to demonstrate impressive feats of memory. Im not sure why its necessary. A lack of a notepad doesnt add to the ambience.

It serves no obvious purpose and seems simply to have been introduced to make life difficult.

I say bring back notepads for waiters. And bring my tap water while youre at it.

The Party by Elizabeth Day (4th Estate, 12.99), out July 13
COOL OFF IN PLYMOUTH

For a saltwater swim, head to Tinside Lido. By the sea at the tip of Plymouth Hoe, the Thirties pool has been beautifully restored

For a saltwater swim, head to Tinside Lido. By the sea at the tip of Plymouth Hoe, the Thirties pool has been beautifully restored. It also has three water fountains.

INSIDER TIP: Pack your suncream  there is a sunbathing terrace with loungers and deckchairs.

DETAILS: Relax at The Grosvenor, just an eight-minute walk from the pool, double rooms from 80 per night. Swimming costs 4.75 for adults and 3.75 for children, every oneactive.com/centre/tinside-lido

SPLASH AT SALTDEAN

Saltdean Lido, east of Brighton, has reopened after years of closure

Saltdean Lido, east of Brighton, has reopened after years of closure. The beautiful 40m pool is heated, and there are food stalls throughout the summer.

INSIDER TIP: The changing rooms arent finished, so bring a towel.

DETAILS: Enjoy a sea-view room at Artist Residence from 165 to 310 over summer, artistresidence brighton.co.uk. Swims 7.50 adults, 5 concessions, saltdeanlido.co.uk

PLUNGE INTO PENZANCE

The triangular Art Deco Jubilee Pool near Penzance harbour opened in 1935 and has been given a new lease of life

The triangular Art Deco Jubilee Pool near Penzance harbour opened in 1935 and has been given a new lease of life.

INSIDER TIP: Yoga, paddle-boarding and an inflatable assault course will be offered this summer.

DETAILS: Chapel House in Penzance from 150 per night, chapel housepz.co.uk. Standard sessions cost 5 for adults, 3.50 for juniors, jubileepool.co.uk
WHAT'S NOW AND HOW TO DO IT: SHOWER SHORTCUTS

Those of us who prefer not to spend hours on our beauty regimes will welcome the latest time-saving products  because now you can just about do it all in the shower.

No time for a face mask? Blithe Patting Splash Mask Energy Yellow Citrus & Honey takes 30 seconds to brighten skin during your morning shower. The Sanctuary Spa Wet Skin Moisture Miracle is infused with nurturing apricot and avocado.

There are even after-sun products that will save you time. Institut Esthederm Micellar After Sun Shower Gel works while moisturising to help maintain your tan. St Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower Lotion produces a gradual, sun-kissed glow.

Elsa McAlonan reveals how to save time by getting your beauty regime done in the shower with new products that let you make a face mask and even lather on a fake tan underwater

RACE YOU THERE

Elizabeth Ardens Eight Hour Skin Protectant (27, Debenhams) is the all-purpose cream you need to rescue any holiday skin or hair concern.

A travel must-have, the multi-use balm rescues dry skin, frizzy hair, ragged cuticles and errant eyebrows. And now its had a makeover, with new limited-edition packaging.

Around The World With Eight Hour depicts some of the sights from iconic cities around the world  its definitely one to pop in your flight bag.

GWYNETH'S FAB FACE SPRITZ

No wonder so many jet-setting celebrities, such as actress Gwyneth Paltrow, are fans

As the warm weather continues, try the handbag-sized Avene Thermal Water Spray (3, Boots for 50ml) to refresh dehydrated skin.

Its especially useful to rejuvenate tired skin on a long-haul flight. No wonder so many jet-setting celebrities, such as actress Gwyneth Paltrow, are fans.

THIS WORKS

Described as summer in a bottle, Charlotte Tilburys Unisex Healthy Glow (35, charlottetilbury.com) goes one step further than normal moisturiser.

The grey-coloured cream contains pigments that transform as they are blended in, to create a subtle tan to enhance tired skin in an instant.

SHOULD EYE CREAM BE KEPT IN THE FRIDGE?

Yes, storing skincare products such as eye cream in the fridge can be beneficial, especially if you have puffy eyes. Cold temperatures tighten blood vessels, which will reduce the swelling, says Joanne Dodds from hairtrade.com.

Puffy eyes tend to be worse during hot weather, so it pays to pick products that deal with the problem, such as Origins No Puffery (25, origins.co.uk). It has a cooling, roll-on applicator and contains cucumber to help reduce under-eye bags almost immediately.

Sarah Chapman Skinesis Eye Recovery also works brilliantly when kept in the fridge. It has a powerful blend of peptides, antioxidants and vitamins that reduce puffiness and help repair and rebuild collagen so the skin is firmer, correcting any sagging.

3 OF THE BEST: SUMMER SERUMS

IN YOUR 50S: Vichy Idealia Life Serum Helping to address the effects of diet, sun exposure and pollution on skin, this is a light-weight formula that also makes pores look tighter. Wear beneath your foundation for an extra glow. boots.com Shop

IN YOUR 60s: Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster This works like a daily multivitamin for skin. Its enriched with orange and green tea extracts, to keep skin smooth. johnlewis.com Shop

IN YOUR 70s: Clinique Smart Custom Serum Apply this in the morning and evening to minimise the appearance of fine lines. You can then apply make-up straight away. clinique.co.uk Shop

SHAMELESS INDULGENCE

Guerlains iconic Terracotta bronzer is a true hero product. Launched in 1984, it was the first product of its kind and its still a best-seller worldwide.

And this year it has been updated for summer. The Terracotta Chic Tropic compact (49, johnlewis.com) has a stunning art deco design and has been super-sized in a reusable tin, decorated with a Twenties- inspired palm tree pattern.

The powder inside looks almost too good to use  with shades of gold and coral mixed with the bronzing pigments. This makes it suitable to use as a bronzer, highlighter and blush all at once to subtly lift the cheekbones.
I.T. writes: In November 2015, I received a cold call from Imperial Collectables Limited, which I have regretted answering ever since. They persuaded me to invest my savings in art. I bowed to pressure and put 18,800 into four pieces.

Then last November, I received a call, advising me that due to Brexit my four pieces of art would fall in value by as much as 60 per cent, but if I invested a further 50,000 I would be included in an insurance scheme that would guarantee my investment.

I did not pay this and I took delivery of the art. I have now approached professional valuers.

Rogues' gallery: One of the four works of art that cost 18,800. THe collection is now valued at less than 1,000

One firm says the art is worth less than 5,000 in total. To my horror, two major auction houses both came up with a total valuation of under 1,000. Do you have any knowledge of Imperial Collectables?

Let us deal with the easy questions first. Why would Brexit reduce the value of works of art that can be sold anywhere in the world and in any currency? How could a further investment somehow include insurance that would compensate for that reduction?

None of this makes sense, except as a final attempt to squeeze more cash out of you and other victims before Imperial Collectables is abandoned by the tricksters who have already relieved you of 18,800 for works of art worth a fraction of that, yet supposedly offered as profitable investments.

Signs are that the company has in fact been abandoned.

It was supposed to file details of its ownership with Companies House last October but failed to do so. Interestingly, officials began proceedings to have the company struck off, but suddenly suspended action in January. This often means an investigation has been opened.

Imperial Collectables is based in Bromley, the area of South London that is home to more scams than you can shake a stick at.

But while its location is a bit of a red flag in itself, the name that jumps out of company records is that of Nicola Jane Surin. The 36-year-old is the sole director of the business and  unless something has changed  its owner as well. Surin is already in my files.

She was sales manager at a scam investment company called London Carbon Neutral. An investigation by the Governments Insolvency Service two years ago found that this was part of a corrupt network of eight firms, all involved in various rip-off schemes.

One of the eight businesses was Blakeney Bridge Wine. It and London Carbon Neutral were based at the same address in Croydon in South London.

Questions: Why would Brexit reduce the value of works of art that can be sold anywhere in the world and in any currency? (Pictured: One of the four works bought by the reader)

From there, telephone salesmen cold-called potential victims. The official who headed the investigation says that investors who could not be persuaded to buy carbon credits were then offered wine investment instead  and vice versa.

All eight companies were shut down by the High Court.

Local sources add that Nicola is related to Noel Surin, one of the people behind Worldwide Wealth Collections, a scam investment company that went into liquidation in 2012.

I invited Nicola Surin to comment, but attempts to find her at the contact address she gave to Companies House failed. The address belongs to a business centre in Croydon, where staff said she was not known.

You reported Imperial Collectables to Action Fraud last January. The fraud agency passed your evidence to Surrey Police in April. Surrey Police did not respond to my requests for a comment or my offer to publish an appeal for other victims to come forward.

But if any victims  or anyone with evidence  would like to contact me, I will do whatever I can to get this taken seriously.

Mystery of payment going back 38 years Mrs L.M.H. writes: Yorkshire Life takes 69 each year from our bank account and has been doing so for at least 20 years. I cannot find out what this payment is for and my husband, who is not in good health, cannot remember. I have written to various companies, including Aviva and Legal & General, but without success. Can you help? At my request, you contacted your bank and discovered the sort code and account number that receives the annual payments. I managed to trace these back to an account at HSBC in South London. The account belongs to Aviva, which now runs Yorkshire Life following a series of mergers and takeovers. Staff at Aviva were helpful and dug out old records showing that your husband started a policy in 1979, apparently as part of a package deal linked to his company pension. The policy provides life cover only. In other words it only pays out on death and is not any kind of savings policy. It expires on July 27 next year, but if Mr H dies before then, the policy pays 25,000. The next premium is due on February 1, but if you want to save yourselves 69, you can cancel it and cover will end on January 31 next year.

No need for Aegon to delay payment to daughters estate Ms A.J.P. writes: My daughter passed away in May last year. We are still waiting for the inquest to be completed, but an interim death certificate was issued and I obtained a Grant of Letters of Administration as she died intestate. I have managed to sort out most of her estate, including life insurance and a modest pension, but Aegon is dragging its feet over an even smaller pension pot. The last correspondence from Aegon even asked whether my daughters father was still alive. In fact, he died in 1988. I am not clear why the interim death certificate was not enough for Aegon. The fact that your daughter had died  and that there was proof of this  should have been sufficient. The company told me: Aegon is very sympathetic to Ms Ps situation. In order to settle the pension fund we needed some key information, including details of the bank account to pay the proceeds to, as well as a full death certificate. The coroners report was finally issued on June 6 and Aegon has confirmed to me that it has now made the payment to the estate.
A renewed love affair with vinyl is creating a surge in demand for old turntables and record players. It means equipment that was thrown away as obsolete junk just a few years ago can fetch hundreds  sometimes even thousands  of pounds.

Here, Toby Walne goes for a spin to find how to make money and great music from vintage hi-fi.

Valuable: The high-end Linn Sondek turntable for home listening Linn Sondek record

Invest in a classic turntable

Sales of vinyl passed three million for the first time in 25 years this year. Enthusiasts keen to find something suitable to spin their new discs on are turning to old players that were previously just cluttering up the house or collecting dust in the attic.

The most sought-after equipment is now viewed as a shrewd investment  rising in value as collectors scramble for pieces that survived the cull of the decades when vinyl was deemed out-of-date.

Steve Ansell, owner of vintage hi-fi specialist Hifi Hangar in Bordon, Hampshire, says: There has been a real surge of interest.

With a few pounds in your pocket you can buy a vintage turntable where the music sounds better than most CD players  a format which is now far more likely to be viewed as obsolete in the future.

Classic hi-fi offers better value than new equipment that is not always built to last as it once was. You are unlikely to lose money by investing in a quality turntable  and have the added return of enjoying great sounding music.

He suggests a 200 budget is a good place to start for a decent sounding quality turntable. This includes a Thorens 150 Mk II introduced in 1969 and the Ariston RD11 that came out in 1971.

Others such as a Goldring Lenco GL75 from 1969 and Rega Planar 3 from 1977 can sell for similar prices but may require you to invest separately in a tone arm and cartridge, the parts that hold the all important stylus needle, to push the final bill up by 100 or more.

Passion: Sarah and Steve Anwell say you can start on a budget of 200

At the top end of the price scale is the Linn Sondek LP12 launched in 1972. The Glasgow-based firm is still going strong.

You can spend 25,000 on a limited edition LP12  such as a 40th anniversary turntable that had a plinth made from Highland Park distillery oak casks.

Even if you buy an early Linn Sondek without tone arm or cartridge, you will not see any change from 1,000 thanks to a huge following that always keeps prices high.

Ansell says: There was a huge explosion in the number of manufacturers making quality turntables that started in the 1950s. Today you have a vast range of choice  many are fantastic value.

The Garrard 301 is another high-end turntable with legendary heritage since its launch in 1954. Grey enamel examples can be picked up for 800 but you should also budget at least a further 250 for a quality tone arm, such as an old SME 3009, and further 200 for a cartridge, such as a Shure V15.

Other turntable makers whose values rarely fall include Pink Triangle  relaunched as The Funk Firm in 2005, Pro-Ject and Michell Engineering.

The latters founder, John Michell, designed a Transcriptor turntable in 1964 that appeared in the 1972 Stanley Kubrick movie A Clockwork Orange. Pristine examples can sell for 2,000 or more.

The turntable can be sold as just the plinth, motor and platter. You then separately buy a tone arm and cartridge  the latter contains the stylus needle that reads the music in the vinyl grooves.

A specialist dealer can offer advice on finding the right balance. These include Hifi Hangar, London-based Audio Gold and Sevenoaks Sound and Vision. Trading websites include Hifi In Touch and Hifi For Sale.

Some vinyl records are becoming investments as well... The rebirth of vinyl has been helped by a new generation of music lovers  encouraged by modern musicians such as Ed Sheeran, Fleet Foxes and Royal Blood who release their latest LPs on vinyl. Favourites such as David Bowie, The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac have also re-released their best albums on vinyl in recent years. But it is not just new vinyl that is in demand  particularly rare and sought-after old records that once sold for just a few pence in charity shops or at car boot sales are now becoming an investment. Industry bible the Rare Records Price Guide offers guidance on the value of singles and albums  as well as all important codes to look out for to indicate whether you have a first pressing. A 1958 seven-inch single Thatll Be The Day by The Quarrymen is listed as the most valuable record at 100,000. John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison recorded it in a booth on 78rpm acetate before they became The Beatles. Other vinyl treasures include a 1977 release of God Save The Queen by The Sex Pistols on A&M Records. The punk rock band was dropped for bad behaviour and all but nine copies of the 25,000 original singles that were pressed survived being destroyed  and are now worth 8,000 each. Steve Ansell, of Hifi Hangar, believes the appeal of vinyl is not only the quality of the music but also the packaging. He says: Playing a record is a ritual. There is something special about picking up vinyl, removing it from the sleeve and playing it  often while reading sleeve notes or lyrics. This has a timeless appeal that you do not get from streaming or CDs.

Consider vintage experts

Key to the appeal of a classic turntable is that even if the equipment is half a century old, it will still be compatible with modern hi-fi speakers and amplifiers  enabling you to get the best from vintage separates.

Yet many audiophiles believe that often an amplifier of a comparable age to the turntable can make a great match.

Amps that use valves offer warmth rarely found in modern microchips and can produce a lush sound sought by many vinyl lovers.

Favourites such as David Bowie have also re-released their best albums on vinyl in recent years

In the era from the 1950s to the 1980s when the ability to play vinyl was a standard part of a stereo system, a phono stage  often referred to as a phono pre-amp  was included in the amp. This boosts the signal from the turntable.

Because modern amps are more used to amplifying the signals from CD players and streamed music, you often have to buy a separate phono stage box that plugs into the new amp to help boost the turntable signal.

This extra costs anything from 50 upwards  and modern hi-fi owners should always budget for this.

Robin Brunson, of vintage hi-fi dealer Audio Gold in Finsbury Park, North London, says: A trusty old amp like a late 1970s Pioneer SA-8800 with lots of great retro knobs and dials can cost 300.

It offers fabulous value for money compared with modern equipment and is a real nostalgic treat.

Later amps from the 1980s  such as those by Creek, NAD, Arcam and Audio Lab  can also be solid investments for driving a classic turntable. You should budget at least 200 for a decent old amp.

Speakers of the era can also blast out an authentic sound but unfortunately, unlike other hi-fi separates, are not so easy to repair if they break.

Cassette decks have a limited appeal for most listeners but there are legendary classics  such as a 1980s Nakamichi Dragon  selling for up to 1,000.

Morale booster: Robin Brunson with a 'trench' gramophone

Turntables are not to be confused with record players  which differ in that they have the amp within the unit. Among those, the most sought-after old record players are the small suitcase-sized designs many people grew up with in their bedroom. T

he sound quality can be dubious but the appeal is nostalgic. Dansette is one of the most sought-after brands, whose heyday was in the 1950s and 1960s.

Favourites like the Dansette Monarch or Bermuda can sell for 500 in pristine condition  but less than 100 if showing their age.

Go back to a bygone era

The first record players were known as phonographs and played cylinders rather than records.

Invented by Thomas Edison in 1877, it was not until a decade later that Emile Berliner started to sell them. A 19th Century Berliner Gramophone is a piece of history that can be worth up to 10,000.

Berliner later branded record players with a His Masters Voice logo. It featured a Jack Russell called Nipper who was originally pictured sitting on a coffin listening to the voice of his dead owner.

The re-branding was first used in 1901 for the HMV Johnsons Victory gramophone player. This player today with its original horn is worth about 2,000.

More robust gramophones followed that were strong enough to be played in the trenches to boost the morale of troops during the First World War.

These include a 1915 Decca portable gramophone in a leather case that cost 4 at the time  but now sells for more than 200 if kept in working order.

Robin Brunson, of Audio Gold, says: There is nothing like the sound of a record as it starts turning on the player it was originally designed for.

Back in the groove: The demand for old turntables has surged

You can listen to an old recording through streamed music or on a CD but it often only really comes to life when played on vintage equipment of the era.

He explains that fans of vinyl are dipping back in time to earlier equipment not just because of the sound  the earliest using faster-spinning 78s  but also because the furniture of a century ago can be attractive.

His company even hires out some of the vintage hi-fi equipment as props for TV, film and advertising.

Other convenient earlier hand-cranked wind-up models include portable HMV picnic models from the 1920s and 1930s that can sell for 200. These originally cost 6  three weeks wages for the average earner.

As with all the early record players, it is not able to play modern 33rpm or 45rpm records but only works for discs to be played at 78rpm and uses a steel needle stylus that must be regularly replaced. They can damage modern records played on them.

One of the most impressive horned record players is the EMG Xb gramophone of the mid-1930s with an oversized 34-inch papier-mache horn. Rare survivors can fetch 3,000 or more.

By the 1930s record players had just started to be powered by electricity that used valves to produce a warm sound that did not require horn amplifiers. Models including a radio were called radiograms.

Some have highly collectable retro designs.

For example, a 1959 Dynatron Berkeley Radiogram  a brand that had a Royal Warrant  is a fine piece of wooden furniture that doubles up as both a record player and vintage radio and sells for 700.

Just because you have an old stereo system does not mean you have to live in the past  it can easily be adapted to play streamed music.

Handy: You can use your mobile to stream songs through an amp

Stream music on an old stereo

Anyone with internet in the home can enjoy millions of tracks accessed through a smartphone, tablet or laptop  and played through an old stereo.

All that is required is a streaming device that costs from 20 and plugs into the back of an amp.

You can then pipe music wirelessly using your smartphone as the control for streaming music.

Alan Porter, a spokesman for hi-fi connection company Lindy, says: You do not need to be an audiophile geek to use this equipment  just take it out of the box and plug it into a spare socket that you should find at the back of your old amp.

He adds: The device can speak to your smartphone or laptop through Bluetooth without the need for lots of confusing wires.

A Lindy Bluetooth Music Adapter costs 20. Others to consider include a 30

Google Chromecast Audio.

The music streaming industry is dominated by Spotify. Others worth considering include Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited and Tidal.
Business confidence is down by nine percentage points compared with the start of the year, according to a survey seen exclusively by The Mail on Sunday.

Uncertainty brought about by Brexit is the biggest challenge facing the Government, according to the latest SME Confidence Tracker, a quarterly survey of more than 1,000 small and medium enterprises from funding provider Bibby Financial Services.

Fifty-nine per cent of respondents said that uncertainty caused by Brexit is damaging to the Government's ambition for a more productive and prosperous economy.

Business confidence is down by nine percentage points compared with the start of the year

The research was conducted throughout the recent General Election period and on the eve of the first anniversary of the UK's decision to leave the EU.

Only 40 per cent said they were expecting sales to increase over the next three months. In the first quarter, 49 per cent were anticipating a rise in sales.

Edward Winterton, UK chief executive of Bibby Financial Services, said: 'Financial markets don't like uncertainty, but neither do small and medium-sized businesses.

'We have seen a strong decline in business confidence over recent weeks and we are now starting to see investment being delayed, which will have further impacts on the economy.

'Our research in the first quarter showed that two-fifths of SMEs felt that Brexit would make no difference to their business. However, our latest findings reveal a significant step-change in attitudes amongst SMEs.'

The survey revealed that finding new suppliers (32 per cent of companies) was the third largest area of investment in the second quarter of this year, behind staff training (37 per cent) and office equipment (33 per cent).

Forty-six per cent of company bosses said the UK workforce lacked the skills needed to enable competitiveness and raised questions about how the UK would fare in accessing talent once it has officially exited the EU.

29 per cent of companies wanted the Government to prioritise lower business rates for small businesses

As part of the survey, SME owners selected their priority demands for the Government. One in five would like it to negotiate a new trade deal with the EU, while 15 per cent want it to establish a trade deal with the EU under World Trade Organisation rules.

And 29 per cent of companies wanted the Government to prioritise lower business rates for small businesses.

Winterton said: 'Many SMEs would now like to see the Government get on with the job of negotiating a deal that works for both the UK economy and local business communities alike.

'Business rates are also a key priority for SME owners. We would welcome any move to reform business rates, which threaten our independent high street shops.

This has been an ongoing concern for SMEs for some time and needs to be addressed effectively if we are to maintain our standing as a great place to do business.'

On Friday, the British Chambers of Commerce attended a high-level Brexit meeting with the Department for Exiting the EU and other representatives from the business world.

Business organisations have called on the Government to seek to maintain the economic benefits of the single market and the customs union until a comprehensive final settlement is agreed and implemented.

The BCC has also called for negotiators to agree to start the trade elements of the talks as early as possible, to give businesses on both sides greater confidence and clarity.

BCC director-general Adam Marshall said: 'Most businesses are a long way away from the theoretical debates we hear in Westminster, and just want answers to the practical, real-world questions they face.

'Will our goods get stuck at border crossings? Who can we hire, and for how long? Who do we pay VAT to? Whose regulations and standards do we need to comply with?' and so on.'
The number of cyber attacks targeting UK-based businesses increased by more than half in the second quarter of 2017, according to a new report.

Through analysis of real-time attacks, business internet service provider Beaming calculated that firms were, on average, subjected to almost 65,000 internet-borne assaults each in the three months, an increase of 52 per cent on the first quarter.

The number of cyber attacks targeting UK-based businesses increased by more than half in the second quarter of 2017

While two-thirds of attacks hitting corporate firewalls targeted connected devices such as networked security cameras and building control systems, there was a substantial increase in attempts to infiltrate company databases, it said.

On average, each UK business experienced 105 attempts to take control of their database applications every day in the second quarter, compared with 14 in the first.

Meanwhile, one in three small to medium-sized enterprise owners believe that a cyber attack on their business is a matter of when not if, according to a survey of 500 firms by insurer PolicyBee.

Bosses at nearly one in five firms said that the threat of cyber crime kept them awake at night.
A sheriff in an Ohio county with record numbers of drug deaths in recent years is sticking to his longstanding refusal to allow deputies to carry an overdose antidote.

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones remains opposed for safety reasons because, he asserts, people can become hostile and violent after being revived with naloxone.

The drug is known as it's brand name Narcan and can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Deputies in neighboring counties in southwest Ohio do carry it.

'I don't do Narcan,' Jones told The Cincinnati Enquirer. 'They never carried it. Nor will they. That's my stance.'

Butler County sheriff Richard Jones (file above) is sticking to his long-standing refusal to allow deputies to carry overdose-reversal drug Narcan

The Butler County Sheriff (file above) says he remains opposed for safety reasons because people can become hostile and violent after being revived with Narcan. Deputies in neighboring counties in southwest Ohio do carry it

He insisted that he's not heartless, but the cost of repeatedly administering Narcan is 'sucking the taxpayers dry.'

'All we're doing is reviving them, we're not curing them,' Jones told NBC News on Friday. 'One person we know has been revived 20 separate times.'

But he added, 'We don't go there and let people die.'

'Here in Ohio, the live squads (paramedics) get in there about the same time and they're more equipped to use Narcan,' Jones told NBC News

'The people who use drugs don't usually like the police and they turn violent once they're revived.

'Some police departments that use Narcan won't even allow police to use it unless there's two officers on the scene.

'The police feel unsafe using this Narcan because they have to get down on their knees, squirt it into their nose, and the people they are saving are not happy to see them. They're angry as hell.'

Health professionals say people coming to after being given naloxone (file above)are often groggy and confused and may experience withdrawal but do not typically become violent

County emergency crews administer naloxone, and the Butler County Health Department has been offering free kits to relatives and friends of people with addiction.

'There's no law that say police officers have to carry Narcan,' Jones told NBC News. 'Until there is, we're not going to use it.'

Jones' latest comments came after a city councilman in Butler County's Middletown drew national attention with his suggestion that emergency crews should stop responding to people who repeatedly overdose.

Jones (file above) said there isn't a law requiring officers to carry Narcan and 'until there is, we're not going to use it'

Councilman Dan Picard also suggested that people who overdose should be forced to perform community service to make up for the cost of an emergency run.

Middletown's city manager responded with a statement that the city continues to respond to every call.

Health professionals say people coming to after being given naloxone are often groggy and confused and may experience withdrawal but do not typically become violent.

Ohio is among the states hit hardest by the opioid crisis. Butler County, near Cincinnati, had a record 192 drug overdose deaths last year.

The county coroner has said it is on pace for other record year in 2017.

Jones, an early supporter of Donald Trump's Republican presidential campaign, has gotten national attention before on his tough talk on illegal immigration.

He has written to the Mexican government, calling for reimbursement for housing in the county jails immigrants in the U.S. illegally.
An Omaha man has been arrested on suspicion of making threats against Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa.

Robert Simet, 64, was arrested by FBI agents in Omaha for his alleged threats against Ernst, who is serving her first term in the Senate.

He is accused of telling employees at a motorcycle dealership that he knew she was scheduled to speak there on Friday and that he 'could kill her.'

'All Congress members should be killed,' Simet allegedly stated.

Robert Simet (left in arrest photo), 64, was arrested by FBI agents in Omaha for allegedly threatening to kill Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (right) of Iowa

One of the employees became alarmed and reported Simet to the FBI.

Simet will be taken to Council Bluffs, Iowa, for an initial court appearance on July 11.

He is charged with threatening to assault a federal official.

One of Simet's longtime friends, Dr. Glenn Hurst, told the Omaha World-Herald: I wasnt surprised when I heard about what he said, but I know those threats werent based in reality.

Simet is accused of telling employees at a motorcycle dealership that he knew Ernst (file above) was scheduled to speak there on Friday and that he 'could kill her.' He was arrested by FBI agents and is being held without bail

'I want people to know that hes not a bad guy. Hes a sick guy.

Hurst, who said he's known Simet for over 20 years, said that roughly 10 years ago, Simet suffered a psychotic break and 'everything changed.'

He said that Simet told him that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was hearing voices.

Simet is being held without bail at the Pottawattamie County Jail.

Ernst's office referred questions to U.S. Capitol Police, which said Friday it does not comment on ongoing investigations.
Pope Francis warned world leaders at the G20 summit against forming 'dangerous alliances' that could harm migrants and the poor.

Francis said, 'I worry about very dangerous alliances among powers that have a distorted vision of the world: America and Russia, China and North Korea, Putin and Assad in the war in Syria' in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

He added that the summit in Hamburg, Germany worried him, and advised Europe not to close its borders off to migrants.

Pope Francis warned world leaders at the G20 summit against forming 'dangerous alliances' that could harm migrants and the poor

Francis said, 'I worry about very dangerous alliances among powers that have a distorted vision of the world.' Listed among them were America's alliance with Russia

European Union states are at odds over how to cope with a huge influx of migrants, many fleeing war and poverty in Syria, Afghanistan and other countries

Francis, the first non-European pope in 1,300 years, said: 'Our main and unfortunately growing problem in the world today is that of the poor, the weak, the excluded, which includes migrants.'

'This is why the G20 worries me: It mainly hits immigrants,' he added.

On Friday, Francis reminded world leaders of the 30 million people trapped in conflict and famine, especially in Africa and Yemen.

He also called Europe the 'richest continent in the whole world' and urged it not to close off its borders.

European Union states are at odds over how to cope with a huge influx of migrants, many fleeing war and poverty in Syria, Afghanistan and other countries.

While leaders at the summit agreed to support free trade and fight terrorism during the meetings on Friday and Saturday, they could not reach a consensus on migration.

The leaders disagreed on whether to pursue United Nations sanctions such as asset freezes and travel bans against criminals smuggling people from Africa and the Middle East to Europe.

Members of the European Union were largely in support of such sanctions, but several other countries opposed it.

And during a working session on migration and health in Africa on Saturday, Trump stepped out for a bilateral meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, while First Daughter Ivanka Trump took over his seat at the table.

The 79-year old Argentine (pictured during Trump's visit to the Vatican in May) has been vocal about his support for migrants, and urged Europe not to see them as criminals. He also criticized Trump's proposal to build a border wall

The 79-year old Argentine has been vocal about his support for migrants, and urged Europe not to see them as criminals.

Francis made his pointed comments in the presence of top EU leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel in May, asking: 'What has happened to you, the Europe of humanism, the champion of human rights, democracy and freedom?'

Francis also famously slammed Trump during the presidential campaign, saying his proposal to build a wall along the southern US border showed he was 'not Christian'.
A blistering heat wave broke a long-standing record in Los Angeles on Saturday, while several wildfires broke out across Southern California, where an excessive heat warning was issued three days ago.

In downtown Los Angeles, temperatures reached 98 degrees on Saturday, shattering the previous record high of 95 degrees after 131 years.

Flames in Santa Barbara trapped about 90 children and 50 camp counselors at the Circle V Ranch before they were safely evacuated. More than 300 residents in the county were also evacuated from their homes.

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A blistering heat wave broke a long-standing record in Los Angeles on Saturday when temperatures reached 98 degrees

Records were also set in Long Beach and Burbank, where the mercury rose to 96 degrees and 105 degrees respectively

The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning along the Santa Barbara South Coast and interior sections of Southwest California starting Thursday (pictured, the crowds at Knott's Soak City in Buena Park)

The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning along the Santa Barbara South Coast and interior sections of Southwest California starting Thursday.

The heat, which reportedly peaked on Friday and Saturday, was accompanied by elevated moisture moving up from Mexico that added to the humidity.

Along with Los Angeles, records were also set in Long Beach and Burbank, where the mercury rose to 96 degrees and 105 degrees respectively.

Both Palmdale and Woodland Hills recorded highs of 110 degrees.

Many Southern Californians flocked to beaches and searched for water, shade and air conditioning to escape the heat.

Temperatures are expected to dip by five to 10 degrees by Sunday, with the region cooling off over the course of the next few days, according to the Todd Hall of the NWS.

A wildfire quickly tripled in size over about eight hours in Santa Barbara County, covering nearly 30 square miles on Saturday

Pictured, the flames near Cachuma Lake and Highway 154 in Los Padres National Forest

Jim Berglund sprays water while defending his home as a wildfire approaches in Oroville

Five helicopters dropping water and four planes spraying fire retardant were also attacking the flames, but only about 10 percent of it was contained

A wildfire quickly tripled in size over about eight hours, covering nearly 30 square miles on Saturday.

The fire sent a huge plume of smoke over northern Santa Barbara County and southern San Luis Obispo County.

Hot, dry gusty winds contributed to the spread and forced evacuation orders for nearly 300 people in the region. The American Red Cross opened a shelter for the evacuees.

County fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni said more than 1,000 firefighters were deployed to the fire and more were on their way.

Five helicopters dropping water and four planes spraying fire retardant were also attacking the flames, but only about 10 percent of it was contained.

In the middle of the afternoon, Santa Barbara officials sent out alerts to residents and campers near Cachuma Lake to evacuate when another fire started near Whittier Camp, Zaniboni said.

The flames, which burned at least 200 acres, temporarily trapped about 90 children and 50 camp counselors at the Circle V Ranch before they were safely evacuated, a fire official said.

The fire eventually spread to both sides of Highway 154 and was 'completely out of control,' Zaniboni said.

The lake, which was nearly bone dry last summer after the severe drought, is popular for camping, boating and fishing. Residents were also ordered to leave cabins in the Los Padres National Forest.

A second fire in Santa Barbara temporarily trapped about 90 children and 50 camp counselors before they were safely evacuated. Pictured, a firefighter near Oroville on Saturday

A third wildfire about 10 miles near Oroville grew to more than 1.5 square miles and destroyed 10 structures on Saturday

Five residents and one firefighter suffered minor injuries, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

A third wildfire burning in the Sierra Nevada foothills north of Sacramento destroyed 10 structures.

Fire officials say the blaze near Oroville grew to more than 1.5 square miles Saturday.

Five residents and one firefighter suffered minor injuries, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Residents were ordered to evacuate from several roads in the rural area as flames climbed tall trees.

Pictured, a plane dropping fire retardant spray in Oroville, where the blaze grew to cover more than 1.5 square miles

Pictured flames surrounding a marijuana plant near Oroville on Saturday

Residents were ordered to evacuate from several roads in the rural area (pictured, a structure leveled in the fire near Oroville)

Five residents and one firefighter suffered minor injuries, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (pictured, trucks burned out near Oroville on Saturday)

Farmers also noted an increase in cattle deaths as a result of the heat.

A board of supervisors in Tulare County, where dairy farmers own more than half a million cows, extedend a local state of emergency.

The local rendering facility had a mechnical breakdown, exacerbating the need to dispose of the carcasses.

'Cow mortality, that happens every day,' Tom Tucker, the county assistant agricultural commissioner, told the Porterville Recorder.

'It's the heat that has made it worse. It hasn't stopped. We are losing our cows, and it is at an extreme.'

An estimated 4,000 to 6,000 cattle have died in the last month, Fresno County officials told KGPE-TV.
Police are hunting a man in a camouflage suit who sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl and later grabbed a teenager by the throat.

The young girl said she was grabbed from behind and dragged into nearby bushland while walking to school on May 15 in Narara on the NSW Central Coast.

There she was bound with cable ties and sexually assaulted until she escaped and ran to school where she raised the alarm and was taken to hospital.

Police are hunting a man in a camouflage suit who sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl and later grabbed a teenager by the throat

The young girl said she was grabbed from behind and dragged into nearby bushland while walking to school on May 15 in Narara on the NSW Central Coast

Less than three weeks later on June 4, the same man grabbed an 18-year-old woman by the throat as she walked through a laneway near Narara Railway Station about 4.30pm.

The predator tried to drag her away but she kicked him and ran away while calling for help, but the man just walked away.

The man was aged in his mid-20s and 175-180 centimetres tall with a chubby build, greying blonde hair, and blue eyes.

After multiple interviews with both victims, police were able to describe the distinctive camouflage outfit he was wearing during the attacks.

He was wearing a Ghille suit including a top and pants with dark camouflage colouring and fake leaves attached to it

The outfit included matching gloves to prevent transfer of fingerprints or DNA during attack

It was a Ghillie suit including a top and pants with dark camouflage colouring and fake leaves attached to it, with matching mask, gloves and backpack.

Police said the clothing might not exactly match each other as they may not have been bought at the same time.

The gear is usually worn by military snipers trying to stay hidden for hours at a time, but is widely available through army surplus stores.

'It's only a matter of time before we arrest you,' sex crimes squad commander detective Superintendent Linda Howlett said on Sunday.

He was also wearing a camouflage backpack during the two attacks

Police said the clothing might not exactly match each other as they may not have been bought at the same time

'There are a number of people we're actually looking at and speaking to as well.

'As you can imagine, it has been a difficult process, particularly for the younger girl, who has bravely relived the incident over and over to help us.'

Superintendent Howlett called on the public to contact police if they had seen the man or had any information about his whereabouts.

'The offender went to a fair amount of trouble to wear that particular outfit, obviously wanting to disguise his identity,' she said.

'You might not have knowledge about the sexual assault itself but if you're aware of anyone - a neighbour, a friend - who has an outfit like that and in particular the hat if they can contact police.

The young girl said she was bound with cable ties (pictured) and sexually assaulted until she escaped and ran to school where she raised the alarm and was taken to hospital

Superintendent Howlett said police were concerned the attacker might strike again.

'The incidents occurred in areas that are well-used by locals, and would require a certain amount of familiarity to be in the right place at the most opportunistic time,' she said.

'It would be difficult to get around suburbia wearing these clothes without drawing attention to yourself, so we believe he'd know the best routes to use to go unnoticed.'
A bystander has captured the moment he confronted a woman after she crashed her car while allegedly drink driving.

The man was on scene to record the aftermath of the woman smashing her vehicle into a pole on a side road of Queensland's Gold Coast on Friday.

He claimed the incident occurred while the woman had three young children in the car, Nine News reported.

A man has confronted a woman following a car accident for allegedly drink driving

The confrontation came after the woman crashed her car into a pole on Queensland's Gold Coast on Friday

'She has a baby and two young kids inside and I asked her to come out,' the man can be heard saying in the video he filmed.

He can be seen in the vision holding up a set of car keys which he says belonged to the woman after seizing them from her.

He also claims that the woman driver was slurring her speech as the crumpled wreck of her car sat against the pole.

Police are reportedly investigating the incident and charges are yet to be laid, with the woman and children taken to hospital for treatment.
Criminal gangs are targeting men and women looking for love, the boss of one of the worlds biggest dating sites has admitted.

Grant Langston, chief executive of eHarmony, said the victims hand over money to fraudsters after being spun sob stories in a practice known as catfishing.

In some cases women have lost hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Grant Langston, chief executive of eHarmony, said the victims hand over money to fraudsters after being spun sob stories in a practice known as catfishing. Pictured: A stock image of online dating

Mr Langston, whose US-based company has 70 million members in more than 30 countries, told The Mail on Sunday: It is almost always crime organisations behind it.

He said it is mostly women, typically older, who report it as men are too embarrassed.

The victim never meets the fraudster, who is usually part of a gang in places such as Africa or Vietnam.
The bitter Cabinet infighting over Brexit is an unsightly war of attrition which could lead to disaster for the British economy, the European Parliaments chief negotiator warned last night.

Guy Verhofstadt said the battle between soft Brexiteers, led by Chancellor Philip Hammond, and hard Brexiteers lining up behind David Davis, had thrown negotiations with Brussels into confusion  because the EU did not know which type of Brexit the British Government was pursuing.

Mr Verhofstadt, the architect of the European Parliaments negotiating strategy, told The Mail on Sunday that time is running out for the Government to avert the economic damage caused by leaving the EU without a deal.

Guy Verhofstadt said the battle between soft Brexiteers, led by Chancellor Philip Hammond, and hard Brexiteers lining up behind David Davis, had thrown negotiations with Brussels into confusion

Verhofstadt also said that General Election result threw more confusion to Brexit negotiations. Photo shows Theresa May at the G20 summit in Hamburg

What started as a catfight in the Conservative Party has now turned into an unsightly war of attrition, he said.

Mr Verhofstadt, the former Belgian Prime Minister, was responding to the growing rift between Mr Hammond and Theresa May over the Brexit strategy.

Mr Hammond, who fears that a cliff edge departure from the EU would be harmful to British businesses, said at the G20 summit in Hamburg this weekend that it would be madness not to seek the closest possible arrangement with the EU. His approach contrasted with Mrs Mays attempt to use the G20 to talk up the prospect of post-Brexit, non-EU trade deals with US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Hard Brexiteers back the uncompromising approach of Brexit Secretary Mr Davis, who is more bullish about severing trade ties with Brussels.

They suspect Mr Hammond is effectively trying to block Brexit by fighting to retain our membership of the EUs customs union and single market.

Brexit Secretary and 'hard' brexit advocate, David Davis arriving for a Cabinet meeting

Mr Verhofstadt said the infighting which followed Mrs Mays Election disaster  she had been expected to sack Mr Hammond from the Treasury if she had won a majority  had thrown the entire Brexit process into chaos.

The key question for us is: does the hard Brexit being pursued command the support of the British Parliament? asked Mr Verhofstadt.

Brexit should reflect the views of all British people, not just one wing of the Conservative Party. It seems to me that narrow party political interests are being put before the national interest.

Under the red lines drawn up by Mr Verhofstadt, a transitional agreement between the EU and UK would be allowed for three years after 2019, and UK citizens would be able to apply to retain their rights as EU citizens.

The European Parliament will vote on any final Brexit deal reached by the UK and the European Union after Article 50 negotiations are complete.

Mr Verhofstadt said that without clear Government agreement on the type of Brexit they wanted to achieve, it would prove difficult to secure a deal in time for the March 2019 deadline.

He said: The economic damage wrought by a hard exit or a collapse in talks would be bad for all of us, but I have little doubt the UK economy will be hit hardest.

The UK Government still has choices, but time is running out.
Police have arrested after he allegedly strangled his stepfather to death and then posted photos of the body on social media.

Cops eceived a call Saturday morning about a possible homicide in Bowie, 27 miles southwest of Baltimore

After finding the body of a 65-year-old man suffering upper body trauma, police began looking for the suspect.

'It's sad, it's right in front of you, it's hard to fathom I saw him yesterday and not today, it's heartbroken,' neighbor Andrea Dickson told ABC 7.

Police arrived at the home in Bowie Maryland on Saturday morning after receiving a call about a possible homicide

Police arrested the suspect after he led police on a car chase back to Bowie. Pictured is an unrelated car that crashed into a police vehicle

Police have arrested a man accused of killing his stepfather and posting photos of the body on social media. Pictured are Prince George County officers standing outside the murder scene

Prince George's County police say they later spotted the stepson at a nearby mall. He then led police on a car chase back to Bowie.

The chase ended there after a foot chase with the suspect's arrest.

The suspect allegedly posted selfies of him with the body on Twitter. Police say the online photos have been taken down.

Police have not yet identified either the victim or the suspect.

A police spokesman said the stepson has a history of domestic disputes, including with his stepfather.
Linda Nolan was targeted by a sick hoaxer posing as a Manchester Arena attack victim after she shared details of her cancer battle

Linda Nolan was targeted by a sick hoaxer posing as a Manchester Arena attack victim after she shared details of her incurable cancer.

The caring actress exchanged hundreds of messages with the fraudster, thinking she was helping a young woman lying in hospital after surviving the blast.

Linda, 58, also spoke with the woman for hours on the phone and even discussed her own breast cancer.

This was the same disease that took the life of her sister, Bernie, four years ago, Antonia Paget of The Mirror reported.

Linda also got her sister, Colleen, to send best wishes to fake 25-year-old 'Emily Hughes' live on Loose Women.

But the sick hoaxer faked her own death the day before Linda was due to visit her in hospital.

The star realised she had been fooled after she noticed the Manchester Arena death toll had not risen beyond 22.

Linda told The Mirror: 'This is a vile human being. How sick can a person get?'

The caring actress exchanged hundreds of messages with the fraudster, thinking she was helping a young woman lying in hospital after surviving the blast

Linda also got her sister, Colleen, to send best wishes to fake 25-year-old 'Emily Hughes' live on Loose Women

The troll began the campaign of torment by contacting Linda a week after the attack claiming to be 'Emily's' sister.

She claimed Emily, 'her biggest fan', was having surgery to amputate her leg and would love a call.

The troll created numerous fake Facebook profiles posing as Emily's loved ones who also got in touch with Linda.

The pair gave each other pet names, 'mumma bear' and 'baby bear'.

When Linda heard from Emily's phone from 'Luke' saying she had died, the actress was distraught

Lancashire Police were contacted but said no crime had been committed. Pictured: Coleen and Linda Nolan

When Linda heard from Emily's phone from 'Luke' saying she had died, the actress was distraught.

She said: 'My family had also started to become suspicious and they found out that the Facebook profiles I had been talking to were faked.

'When I found out it was all a hoax I just thought 'why?'

Lancashire Police were contacted but said no crime had been committed.
A man will face court today charged with the murder of a young father who was stabbed and left to bleed to death by the side of the road.

Axel Boreski was found in a pool of blood on Leighton Road in Halls Head, south of Perth, about 5am on Saturday after he called an ambulance, but died in hospital.

A 22-year-old man was arrested on Saturday night and will face Perth Magistrates Court on Sunday charged with murder.

Axel Boreski (R) is being mourned by his partner Lashana Poulter (L) after he was stabbed to death early on Saturday morning, and a man is now charged with his murder

Homicide detectives and police cordoned off the street (pictured) where the incident happened

His girlfriend Lashana Poulter said she was struggling to process the 27-year-old's death and was 'taking things a minute at a time'.

'It still feels like a horrible dream... I love you so much babe. I hope you know just how much you meant to me. Nothing is ever going to change that,' she said.

'You were there for me when I needed you the most and I have no idea how I am going to survive without you.

'We had so many plans for our future but now they will never come to be and that cuts me so deep. I love you Axel with all of my heart and I know that you are still watching over us.

Axel Boreski (pictured) was on his way home after a night out when he was stabbed at 5am

Mr Boreski was an aspiring illustrator who was due to start TAFE next semester, and is survived by four-year-old daughter Summer, and three-year-old stepson Dallas.

'He was a loving father and stepfather, he was the sort of person who would do anything to help others. He would give the shirt off his back if need be,' Ms Poulter said.

Other relatives also left tributes on social media to the much-loved young man, as police hunted for the murder weapon.

'My son was stabbed in the heart this morning he is dead. Axel we are all going to miss you so much our hearts are broken we love you my boy,' his mother Adele Lee said.

His grandmother Agnes Wharton said: 'We can't believe you are not here with us anymore, it just doesn't seem real. You were such a beautiful person and a great father, and always a joy to be around.'

Axel Boreski (pictured) leaves behind a four-year-old daughter and a three-year-old stepson

Other relatives also left tributes on social media to the much-loved young man, as police hunted for the murder weapon

Police divers (pictured) were called in to search a nearby canal for evidence, possibly for a murder weapon

Mr Boreski's father said his son did not go out often and when he did he would sometimes ask his dad for a lift home, but did not that night as he knew his father was having car troubles.

A GoFundMe page has raised more than $2,000 for this funeral expenses so far.

Homicide detectives cordoned off the street where Mr Boreski was killed, and police divers were soon called in.

Divers trawled a nearby canal under a bridge looking for evidence, although it is unclear whether they were searching for a murder weapon.

Two men in their 20s were questioned about the attack on Saturday but only one man was charged so far.
An expensive Australian primary school program has been slammed by experts for perpetuating stereotypes by determining the personality traits of children through quizzes.

Kids as young as seven are classified as one of four Australian animals - the wombat, kangaroo, dolphin or eagle - in personality tests through the AusIdentities program that cost schools up to $5000.

The animal classification is based on their answers to questions about how they colour-in or what type of teacher they like.

Students as young as seven are classified as one of four Australian animals - the wombat, kangaroo, dolphin or eagle - in personality tests

The tests are part of the AusIdentities program that cost schools up to $5000

The program is inspired by the American Myers-Briggs personality testing and the works of Jung, Keirsey, Berens and more

The result is reflective of the animal type's characteristics - such as the playful, active and enthusiastic dolphin that thrives on movement or change, or the naturally curious eagle that makes for good independent learning.

Dolphins are kind, peaceful, self-aware and thrive under a kind or compassionate teacher, while wombats are more introverted, dependable and likely to sit quietly in class.

The program is inspired by the American Myers-Briggs personality testing and the works of Jung, Keirsey, Berens and more.

But experts have criticised the program and its tests for wasting thousands of dollars for material that has little to no educational value.

'This is just another educational fad, it's complete rubbish,' Professor Linda Graham, of Queensland University of Technology's education faculty told The Daily Telegraph.

'What is this even meant to tell you? Children's personalities are not formed and all the evidence has been don't label them because it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.'

But experts have criticised the program and its tests for wasting thousands of dollars for material that has little to no educational value

Michael White, who created AusIdentities 15 years ago, told the Telegraph about 15,000 kids were using it at 350 schools.

A spokesman for The Department of Education and Training in Queensland told the Telegraph that they had requested AusIdentities to remove any of their logos from its website.

'The Department does not promote or endorse this program,' the spokesman said.
A Texas teenager was suspended from his cookie store job after a customer became upset when he paid for a police officer's order.

Zachary Randolph, 18, was suspended from his job at a Great American Cookies mall after he bought a police officer a brownie out of his own wages on Sunday.

The teen from Katy, Texas, said upper management put him on temporary leave for a week because another family complained that he didn't buy their cookies as well.

Randolph said the customers in line who overheard the interaction became upset and threatened to beat him up because he was racist and promised to get him fired.

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Zachary Randolph, 18, (left and right with his mother) was suspended after buying an officer a brownie while he was working at Great American Cookies at Katy Mills Mall in Texas on Sunday

Another customer allegedly complained that Randolph didn't buy his cookies and became threatening. Randolph was written up for the incident (pictured)

The incident gained national attention after Randolph's mother Tami Kurtz Randolph posted about what happened in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

In a post that has since been shared more than 6,000 times, she wrote: 'Since when does buying a police officer a cookie give anyone else a reason to attack someone.

'And when did a Corporation want to FIRE someone for being KIND, taking what a customer said or did, regardless of how hateful they are.'

Randolph said he was working a normal shift at his job at the Katy Mills Mall when a police officer who worked at the mall placed an order for a $2.75 cheesecake brownie.

The teenager said he wanted to show his appreciation for the official protecting and serving his community.

Speaking to Fox 26, he said: 'He's just a really nice guy and on top of that he has a badge. That's enough for me to buy him something. That's the least I can do.

'A lot of people I know my age don't support police officers. I don't think it's fair.'

A family behind the officer in line witnessed what happened and allegedly became upset when they asked for free treats, and Randolph declined.

Randolph was working at a local Great American Cookies location (stock photo) when the incident happened

Randolph added to Click 2 Houston: 'They were asking if I was going to buy them a cookie. And I told them both, "No. They don't have a badge. I'm sorry."'

Randolph said the situation then escalated when a middle-aged man become upset and threatened him.

Tami added: 'This customer started verbally attacking him, calling my son a racist, and threatened to beat him up. His wife threatened to go back there and slap him.

'The middle aged man sat down his little daughter and tried to come behind the counter to attack him. Thankfully his coworker defused the situation. The man then said "I will get you fired".

Randolph said he removed himself to the back room while his co-workers took care of the angry customers.

The following day he was told in a text to 'bring all of his stuff' into a meeting with management, where he was reportedly told the 'upper managers want him fired' due to the customer's complaint against him.

However, his manager refused to fire him, instead suspended him for a week and wrote him up, according to the Facebook post.

Tami wrote: '(The warning) says "he bought a cookie for a police officer and a customer wanted to physically fight him" it does state if this happens again he will be terminated.'

Great American Cookies at Katy Mills Mall later reversed its decision and offered its apologies to Randolph (pictured with his family after his high school graduation)

However, due to the attention the incident brought, Great American Cookies reversed its decision.

In a statement released to the Houston Chronicle, Biju George, owner and operator of the Great American Cookies at Katy Mills Mall, said: 'On behalf of Great American Cookies Katy Mills, we owe the employee an apology.

'It was never an issue that he purchased a brownie for a police officer, but rather the events that unfolded with another customer in line at the time.

'However, after further review, we realize that the employee was in fact in the right and we continue to reach out to him and his mom to issue an apology.

'The corrective action and suspension was reversed immediately and we hope to connect with him today.'


An image has emerged on social media of two lurking venomous predators hidden inside a family's home, puzzling Facebook users attempting to point the mysterious creatures out.

In a post on the Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 page, followers have been encouraged to 'Spot the snake!' above a photo of what appears to be a living room.

'Bonus points for species AND how many snakes there are!?,' the post reads.

In a post on the Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 page, followers have been encouraged to 'Spot the snake!' above a photo of what appears to be a living room (pictured)

More than 100 comments appeared on the post with punters taking guesses as to where the snakes lay.

'Three look like carpet snakes while two look like tree snakes? Possibly 6th snake coming from under lounge next to white thingy,' one person wrote.

'Looks like a snake on the floor next to white basket,' said another.

'Is there 3? 1 on the table, 1 next to the TV unit and 1 in the ceiling,' a woman said.

Many commenters were quick to point out the cleanliness of the home with one commenter citing 'All I can see is mess!'

More than 100 comments appeared on the post with punters taking guesses as to where the snakes lay (pictured)

'For more of a challenge, spot a cleaning product,' said another.

In actual fact, two snakes can be spotted hiding within the ceiling rafters.

The two brown tree snakes are found in the top left corner of the frame.

Their species have two small fangs found at the back of their mouth and are blamed for taking out a large population of native birds in Guam.
At least four people were injured when a gunman opened fire outside a Norwegian nightclub.

The victims were taken to the hospital from the music venue Blue in Oslo with non-life threatening injuries, police said.

One man, said to be in his 20s, was arrested and police are not searching for other suspects.

At least four people were injured when a gunman opened fire outside the Norwegian nightclub, Blue. One man was arrested, police said

Two of the victims were bouncers, police told Verdens Gang. All four were taken to the hospital having escaped critical injuries (pictured, a general view of the venue Blaa, or Blue)

Initial reports said as several shots broke out inside the venue around 2.30am Sunday.

But police now believe the shooting took place just outside the building, according to the Norwegian paper Verdens Gang.

Two of the victims were bouncers, police told Verdens Gang. All four were taken to the hospital having escaped critical injuries.

The suspect, who was previously known to the police, was arrested. A gun was recovered at the scene, according to Verdens Gang.

Kool G Rap, a hip-hop artist from Queens, New York, was performing at Blue in the Grunerlkka district along the Akerselva River on Saturday night.

The rapper's partner Maya Parusheva-Wilson told Dailymail.com he left the venue shortly after his performance and did not witness the shooting.
In a light moment, Trump retrieved a Marine's hat that was blown off by the wind before chasing after the cap when it flew off for the second time.

Trump seemed to be in high spirits after he returned home from the G20 summit in Germany, clapping his hands as he approached Marine One in Maryland on Saturday.

While the president was walking towards the aircraft, a Marine who was guarding the helicopter had his hat fly off.

Trump bent over and placed the hat back on the serviceman's head but the cap went flying once more, sending Trump and his military escort chasing after it.

The gesture was commended by CNN, despite the known tensions between the news outlet and the president.

President Trump retrieved the hat of a US Marine that was blown off on Saturday. The president bent down to grab the hat (left) before placing it on the serviceman's head (right)

Trump was walking to Marine One after landing at the Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland

The clip begins as Trump walks towards the helicopter following his arrival at the Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

The white hat of a Marine suddenly falls a few feet in front of Trump and he stops mid-stride while he is talking to another uniformed man.

Trump then steps forward and picks the hat off the ground and walks over to the Marine and places the cap on his head, patting the man on the shoulder.

However, the chopper's blades are making it far too windy, sending the hat flying off again.

Trump chases after the hat but lets the other military man place it squarely on the Marine's head.

Before Trump boards the helicopter, he pats the Marine once more on the side.

It was a light gesture for the president and even CNN commented on the moment.

An anchor said: 'You got to come watch this. This was actually a light moment. We just wanted to play it for you.

'He's trying to right the ship here and help out the Marine who is standing alongside it and can't move from his position.'

However, the chopper's blade made it much too windy and the Marine's hat flew off again

Trump and another military man chased after the cap before the president boarded the helicopter to fly to the White House

Trump had just returned from his four-day trip to Poland and Germany, for the G20 summit.

His overseas visit made ripples at home and internationally, when Trump had his first face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin hailed the meeting, saying Saturday he thinks Trump accepted his assurances that Russia didn't meddle in the US presidential election.

He added that their conversation could be a model for improving ties between the two countries.

Speaking to reporters after the two-day Group of 20 summit in Germany ended, Putin said he and Trump had a long discussion about the allegations of Russian interference in last year's election that have dogged Trump's presidency.

The Russian leader said he reiterated his 'well-known' position that 'there are no grounds' for the allegations.

It was revealed on Saturday that Trump's eldest son Don Jr arranged a meeting between his father's campaign aides and a lawyer linked to the Kremlin just two weeks after he won the Republican nomination last year.

Trump had just returned from a four-day overseas trip for the G20 summit. He had his first face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin (pictured)

Standing out: Donald Trump was seen wearing an American flag pin to the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany - unlike the other attendees, who wore the G20 badge

Trump also made headlines on Saturday when photos from the international meeting showed he was the only world leader not wearing a special G20 pin.

Instead he chose to don an American flag, which sent his supporters into a frenzy of approval online - but Barack Obama did it first, donning an American lapel pin at last year's G20.

Trump's apparent challenge to the G20 status quo is a small one, but to his followers a deeply symbolic one.

His whole election campaign was based around rejecting the ties to other countries that had been developed by successive Republican and Democrat administrations.

They included promising to throw out international trade deals that he said were bad for America - such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership - and levying heavy taxes on goods manufactured in Mexico.

He has also gone his own way with climate change, withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement to the disquiet of many other international leaders.
New York is the city that never sleeps  and that's doubly true for residents in Brooklyn who live next to the Big Apple's loudest lover.

Olga Valerio, a 49-year-old hairstylist from Bay Ridge, publicly acknowledged being the source of noise generated by intense lovemaking that has her neighbors phoning the city to complain in record numbers.

The man who apparently brings her to heights of ecstasy in bed is 26-year-old companion, handyman Byron Perez.

In 2015, DNAinfo reported that a total of six complaints were phoned in to the city's 311 hotline by residents at 7201 Ridge Boulevard  and that's just within a three-month period.

That's because Valerio and Peretz were audibly in the throes of sexual bliss in her fourth-floor apartment  and she's not afraid to admit it.

Olga Valerio, a 49-year-old hairstylist from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, publicly acknowledged being the source of noise generated by intense lovemaking that has her neighbors phoning the city to complain in record numbers

The man who apparently brings her to heights of ecstasy in bed is 26-year-old companion, handyman Byron Perez

'It's natural, it's normal,' Valerio, a mother of four, told the New York Post.

'I never thought that this would happen, but it happened. I didn't know that we were doing it too loud!'

It turns out the couple had left the bedroom window open, which resulted in neighbors being woken up in the wee hours of the night.

Valerio said she felt the need to step forward because it was widely assumed in the neighborhood that her daughter, Dahiana Valerio, who is much closer to Peretz's age, was responsible for the excessively loud moaning and groaning.

Valerio said she felt the need to step forward because it was widely assumed in the neighborhood that her daughter, Dahiana Valerio (above), who is much closer to Peretz's age, was responsible for the excessively loud moaning and groaning

This isn't so, the daughter told the Post. She said she has only been staying with her mother temporarily after a fight with her ex-boyfriend

Dahiana said the publicity made her feel awkward  particularly because she is mindful of what her family thinks

This isn't so, the daughter told the Post.

She said she has only been staying with her mother temporarily after a fight with her ex-boyfriend.

Her mother was initially hesitant to go to the media  particularly in light of the age disparity between her and Peretz.

'I don't feel old, but people start to talk, you know? I wasn't sure I wanted to be in that kind of situation,' she told the Post.

'At the beginning I was so embarrassed, but now I'm okay with it. I said, "If I need to tell the whole story, I'll do it".

'I'm doing this for Dahiana.'

Dahiana said the publicity made her feel awkward  particularly because she is mindful of what her family thinks.

'My father is like really old-fashioned, very caught in the old traditional ways, so for him it was like, "What? You're in the paper with your mom's boyfriend?"' Dahiana said.

'My mom and I have always had a good relationship, but not open like that,' she said.

An aspiring musician who goes by the stage name D Magic, Dahiana says the notoriety has suitors knocking on her mother's door, believing that 'the acorn doesn't fall from the tree.' She said one man offered her $40,000 for a night in bed even though she's visibly pregnant

An aspiring musician who goes by the stage name D Magic, Dahiana says she is working on her first Reggaeton single, which is due for release later this summer.

The notoriety has suitors knocking on her mother's door, believing that 'the acorn doesn't fall from the tree.'

She said one man offered her $40,000 for a night in bed. Men aren't even deterred by the fact that she's visibly pregnant.

'The thing is that people think freak,' she told the Post.

'They think that if you're that loud, if you're in the paper as being the loudest in the five boroughs, in their mind they're like "Oh my god, she must really enjoy sex".'

Not so, she says.

'Am I loud? I wouldn't know, but I am a very passionate woman, passionate about sex,' she said.

When asked if she heard her mother having sex, she said: 'I haven't heard her, thank God.'
An Australian journalist's brutal takedown of US President Donald Trump has gone viral.

The ABC's political editor Chris Uhlmann was reporting on the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany when he delivered a scathing analysis of Mr Trump which set Twitter alight.

'He was an uneasy, lonely, awkward figure at this gathering and you got the strong sense some of the leaders are trying to find the best way to work around him,' Mr Uhlmann said on the Insiders program.

Australian ABC journalist Chris Uhlmann (pictured) set Twitter alight on Sunday with his analysis of US President Donald Trump while reporting on the G20 summit

'Donald Trump's a man who craves power because it burnishes his celebrity.

'To be constantly talking and be talked about is all that really matters and there is no value placed on the meanings of words.'

In his two-minute long report, Mr Uhlmann said Mr Trump had no desire or capacity to lead the world, leaving the G20 the G19.

'We learned that Donald Trump has pressed fast forward on the decline of the United States as a global power,' Mr Ulhmann said.

Mr Uhlmann said Mr Trump (pictured) 'craves power because it burnishes his celebrity'

Mr Uhlmann's comments quickly went viral as people took to Twitter to voice their opinion on the ABC journalist's report

He also took aim at Mr Trump's use of Twitter, saying he 'barks out bile in 140 characters' and 'wastes his precious days as President'.

Mr Uhlmann's comments immediately had Twitter talking, with people praising the journalist for his analysis.

'This is a brutal and honest two minute analysis,' one tweeted.

Another posted: 'Bravo [Chris Uhlmann]! I have read everything on Trump but never seen it put together so concisely and eloquently. Hope this analysis goes viral in US'.

The G20 summit brings together the leaders of the world's top 20 economies.
An elderly patient was mistaken for dead by paramedics who failed to check for signs of life, triggering a legal battle between the Health Services Union and Ambulance NSW.

Police ordered a morgue van to collect the 'corpse' of the 72-year-old Belrose man, who does not wish to be identified, after concerns he suffered a heart attack in early November last year, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Paramedics did not check for signs of life and left the scene. But the man, who was 'cold' and 'blue', started showing signs of life after he was left lying on his garage floor under a blanket, with police calling ambulance services again.

An elderly patient was mistaken for dead by paramedics who failed to check for signs of life in early November last year

The incident has triggered a legal battle between the Health Services Union and Ambulance NSW

The incident has triggered a controversial dispute between the union and the organisation over who is responsible for verifying death on scene.

The union is taking Ambulance NSW to court over its victimising treatment of senior paramedic and union delegate Gregory Bruce by demanding he do a refresher course.

The union has accused the organisation of victimising and unfairly targeting Mr Bruce because of his union activism.

But the victimisation claim was dismissed by Industrial Relations commissioner Peter Newall of the long-serving Narrabeen intensive care specialist paramedic, who said there was no evidence.

In a tendered statement, police told Mr Bruce and his partner Nicholas Nolan that the man was dead, 'cold', and had been on the floor for 'hours', when they arrived at the scene last year.

'I stood at the doorway and looked at the patient who was partially under a blanked (sic) slightly around the corner and in a poorly lit room,' Mr Bruce said.

'All I could see were the limbs which were blue and I took this for blood pooling.'

He asked the female police officer if a verification of death certificate was needed, to which she replied 'no'.

Police ordered a morgue van to collect the 'corpse' of the 72-year-old Belrose man, but he later started showing signs of life

The patient described the ambulance services' actions as 'incompetent' and displaying a 'lack of common sense'.

'Police are not medicos. Ambulance officers should have more jurisdiction and knowledge than the police. They may have been in a hurry but they should've checked.'

A NSW Ambulance spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia a paramedic underwent remedial training as a result of the organisation's investigation into a patient safety issue.

'The matter was heard before the Industrial Relations Commission with the Commissioner finding in support of NSW Ambulance.'
Although the iconic Studio 54 was known for its wild celebrity parties, Donald Trump was the 'boring' guy at one of the world's most famous nightclubs.

Trump was not the life of the party during the club's heyday in the 1970s and 1980s, according to the joint's former owner.

Mark Fleischman revealed in his new tell-all book that the president 'wasn't a lot of fun' but noted that he liked 'looking at beautiful women' who filled the club.

Trump has even admitted he was a regular at the debauchery-filled spot, crassly saying that he 'would watch supermodels get screwed.'

Donald Trump (pictured in 1988) was 'boring' at the wild parties at Studio 54 in New York City during the 1970s and 1980s, the club's former owner revealed on Saturday

The iconic nightclub (pictured in its heyday) was known for its wild celebrity parties and drugs. However, Trump was said to not have drank or do any drugs while at the club

Fleischman bought the club in the 1980s and spoke to Page-Six about the legendary party spot where Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger and Cher all frequented.

He plans on revealing on what really happened at the parties, where drug use was wide-spread, in his new book called Inside Studio 54 launching September 19.

Fleischman said: 'There were drugs all over the place  thats what fueled it. I partied with the people who loved cocaine.'

He added that Trump was a regular at the club but 'he never touched drink or drugs. He liked looking at beautiful women, even though he was married to Ivana.

'Trump wasnt a lot of fun  when youre in a crowd drinking and drugging and one person isnt, that person seems boring.'

Even Trump has admitted he has spent time at the wild club.

Trump said: 'I would watch supermodels getting screwed, well-known supermodels getting screwed, on a bench in the middle of the room.

'There were seven of them and each one was getting screwed by a different guy.

Former owner Mark Fleischman said Trump liked 'looking at beautiful women' but he was married to Ivana at the time (pictured together in 1982)

The mystique of Studio 54 stills intrigues people 40 years after the club opened on New York's West 54th Street.

Photos show the glamour the club had, with David Bowie, John Travolta and Michael Jackson among the VIPs to skip the permanently enormous lines and embrace the hedonism within.

The club was consistently mobbed as clubgoers angled to get in, often shouting the owners' names or trying to curry favor with famed doorman Marc Benecke - who said maps were even sold showing how to get in through subway tunnels.

Original club owners Ian Schrager and co-founder Steve Rubell went to prison for tax evasion.

Rubell later died of AIDS; Schrager got a pardon this past January from President Barack Obama.

Photos show the glamour the club had, with David Bowie, John Travolta and Michael Jackson among the VIPs. Owner Steve Rubell (left) with Michael Jackson, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and Cherie Currie of The Runaways

One of the most iconic photos from Studio 54 is Bianca Jagger riding a horse into Studio 54 for her birthday in the 1970s

A born and bred New Yorker, Rubell was said to guard the club's door like his life depended on it, letting in only those he considered glamorous enough.

It soon developed a reputation for being the world's most exclusive, hardest to get in to nightspot.

He forever sought the perfect combination of black and white, straight and gay, - something he called 'mixing the salad' and would tell people to go home and change or rather more bluntly 'you're ugly, you're not coming in.'

But all good things come to an end and Studio 54 closed in 1979 when Revenue agents stopped the music and arrested Rubell for tax-evasion after finding bags of undeclared cash.
Survivors of the Bourke Street rampage have spoken out, revealing horrific details of the terrifying moments a car ploughed through pedestrians in Melbourne.

Mohan Kumar and Nethra Krishnamurthy are two of many innocent bystanders whose lives were drastically impacted on January 20 of this year.

The married couple who work for different IT companies in the same building at 385 Bourke St each had a moment to spare early in the afternoon.

Survivors of the Bourke Street rampage Mohan Kumar (pictured right) and Nethra Krishnamurthy (left) have revealed horrific details of the terrifying Bourke St attack

Their realisation of the impending attack came when it was too already late (pictured with their son and Ms Krishnamurthy's mother)

Having returned from maternity three days earlier leave Ms Krishnamurthy was to visit her son's daycare nearby while her husband was to grab a coffee.

They met in the foyer of their building and headed out together, through the glass doors and down the stairs.

Their memories from what happened next are disjointed. Their realisation of the impending attack came when it was too already late.

They stepped out into the path of the red vehicle taking out anyone in its path.

Bodies were flung into the air. Mr Kumar jumped to the left falling onto the street.

'Oh, my God, this is happening here,' he thought, picturing the ramming incidents that happened earlier where terrorists drove their cars through crowds of people.

Bodies were flung into the air. Mr Kumar jumped to the left falling onto the street while Ms Krishnamurthy was hit

Dimitrious 'Jimmy' Gargasoulas is accused of the rampage in Melbourne

Ms Krishnamurthy's injuries would suggest she turned, before her body was moved more than 20m, bouncing off the car.

Her major organs ripped and punctured and would soon embark in a recovery process that would take her 40 days to leave the hospital.

'I was screaming so loud I could hear my own voice down Bourke St,' he said.

He had never screamed before, suddenly viewing the world so differently.

Six people died as a result of the tragedy on January 20 as police admitted it was a 'relief' more were not killed. Pictured is an overturned pram at the scene

Police had been monitoring Melbourne the vehicle's driver Dimitrious Gargasoulas for hours

As blood poured from his wife of nine year's head, two of his colleagues, who were trained in first aid, tended to her injuries.

The ambulance arrived and took the couple who have one child to the hospital.

Once there, an ultrasound would reveal internal bleeding. Her liver was lacerated and intestines ripped. She had no bleeding from her brain and her spinal cord had not been impacted.

She did however have vertebrae fractures, a punctured lung and fractured ribs.

Emotions ran through Mr Kumar, who after a short-while broke down, crying uncontrollably.

For the forseeable future their lives were changed. Now, the couple are rebuilding their lives as Ms Krishnamurthy completes her recovery.

They later revealed they had seven or eight opportunities to intercept the maroon Holden Commodore but were directed to call the pursuit off, the Police Association secretary said

Six people died as a result of this tragedy.

Police had been monitoring the vehicle's alleged driver Dimitrious Gargasoulas for hours.

Police later revealed they had seven or eight opportunities to intercept the maroon Holden Commodore but were directed to call the pursuit off, the Police Association secretary said.

Detective Senior Sergeant Ron Iddles said police believed they could have safely intercepted and rammed the vehicle, but all attempts were called off because of risk to public safety.
A woman has died and three others have been injured in a fatal crash between a yellow Ferrari 360 Spider worth $160,000 and a Ford Falcon sedan.

The crash occurred about 1.05pm on Sunday on Avon Road in Cockatoo, about 45 kilometres south-east of Melbourne.

A 33-year-old mother from Point Cook who was a passenger in the Ferrari died at the scene, while the 45-year-old driver is assisting police with their inquiries was taken to hospital by ambulance, Nine News reported.

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A yellow Ferrari 360 Spider worth about $160,000 was involved in a fatal crash in Melbourne

The two-way car crash involving a Ford Falcon had three other people injured in the smash

Detective Sergeant Andrew Lawrence told the station that the Ferrari was on the wrong side of the road when the impact occurred.

A Victorian Ambulance spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia another woman was airlifted to The Alfred Hospital after suffering pelvic and chest injuries following the crash.

She is in serious but stable condition.

Two other passengers were taken to the Dandenong hospital by road with one of them suffering serious injuries.

A Victorian police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the next of kin of the deceased had yet to be notified.

Investigation into the cause of the crash was still ongoing.

Following the crash, police expect Avon Road between Phillip Road and Bird Road to remain close to all traffic for several hours while the police continue their investigations.

Following the crash parts of Avon Road was closed for several hours for police investigations
The Church of England has taken the first step towards introducing services for people who are changing sex.

The move was ordered yesterday by the Churchs parliament, the General Synod, which said there was a need for transgender people to be welcomed and affirmed in their parish church.

Bishops voted 30 to two in favour, while 127 lay members voted for and 48 against, and clergy backed the motion 127 to 28. They rejected a move to delay the development of transgender prayers after hearing from a vicar who spoke of a five-year-old in his congregation who is transitioning from Nathan to Natalie.

The General Synod (pictured) is considering a motion that there is a need for transgender people to be 'welcomed and affirmed in their parish church'

The Reverend Chris Newlands said the Church should offer Natalies parents not just a grudging acceptance, but the full support and affirmation they will need as they journey together with Natalie on a path leading to transition to her new gender identity.

Rev Newlands, who is vicar of Lancaster, said nearly half of young transgender people say they have attempted suicide.

However, other Synod members said the Church should consider the practical and religious concerns around the issue before rushing to devise new services.

Theologian Ian Paul said: This is not just putting the cart before the horse. It is putting the cart five miles ahead of the horse.

The vote came as a million people celebrated Pride weekend in London, which marks 50 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality.

On Sunday the meeting in York will decide on a diocesan synod motion on 'welcoming transgender people', tabled by the Rev Chris Newlands of Blackburn.

A vote is cast during the meeting at the Church of England General Synod at the University of York

The C of E has stated its 'fundamental belief' is that baptism can only be received once, therefore there is 'no possibility' of the Synod approving a service re-baptising individuals in their new gender.

Rev Newlands' motion says it 'seeks to ensure that the C of E engages seriously with the issue of providing the opportunity of a liturgical marking of a person's transition which has the full authority of the C of E, as an appropriate expression of community and pastoral support to trans people'.

The motion recognises that it cannot require clergy to offer to perform such a service if they 'cannot in good conscience offer support in a liturgical marking of a person's transition'.

Should a member of the clergy not agree, it hopes that they 'may have the generosity to point anyone who asks to a church where the clergy are willing to provide such a liturgy'.

The motion calls on the House of Bishops 'to consider providing some nationally commended liturgical materials which may be used in parish churches and chaplaincies to provide a pastoral response to the need of transgender people to be affirmed following their long, distressing, and often complex process of transition'.

On Saturday Christian gay rights campaigner Jayne Ozanne's motion called on the C of E to endorse a statement branding the therapy 'potentially harmful' with 'no place in the modern world', signed by professional bodies including the Royal College of GPs and the UK Council for Psychotherapy in January.

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, said during the debate: 'The sooner the practice of so-called conversion therapy is banned, I can sleep at night.'
A recreational drone pilot has been fined $900 for hazardous flying near guests at a high-profile media wedding in regional NSW.

The video is understood to have caught the attention of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority after it was posted on social media.

Today show presenters Peter Stefanovic and Sylvia Jeffreys shared drone footage from their Kangaroo Valley wedding in April.

A recreational drone pilot has been fined $900 for flying near guests at a high-profile media wedding in regional NSW - speculated to be that of Peter Stefanovic and Sylvia Jeffreys

However, it was not certain whether this was the same video that earned the pilot a hefty fine from the aviation regulator.

CASA would not confirm the identity of the pilot but said the fine was issued last month after the video was investigated, and paid in full.

Drones must not fly closer than 30-metres to vehicles, boats, buildings or people, according to CASA's drone safety rules.

Director of aviation safety Shane Carmody said CASA would continue to issue fines when people break the rules

'If you fly a drone it is your responsibility to fly by the rules and stay safe at all times,' he said in a statement on Sunday.

The video is understood to have caught the attention of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority after it was posted on social media

Today show presenters Peter Stefanovic and Sylvia Jeffreys shared drone footage from their Kangaroo Valley wedding in April (pictured)

The high-profile couple tied the knot on April 1 in a lavish celebration in Kangaroo Valley, southwest of Sydney, in front of more than 160 guests.

Guests included Pete's brother and best man Karl, Today's Lisa Wilkinson and Richard Wilkins among other Channel Nine stars.

Media personality Belinda Russell and husband Mark Calvert also attended as well as 60 Minutes producer Grace Tobin and presenter Amelia Adams.

Holly Valance was an unexpected guest, however the star was said to have a solid friendship with the bride and groom.

The wedding was extensively covered on social media with dozens of shots of the couple saying 'I do', popping champagne, and posing after the ceremony.

The high-profile couple tied the knot on April 1 in a lavish celebration in Kangaroo Valley, southwest of Sydney, in front of more than 160 guests

The wedding was extensively covered on social media with dozens of shots of the couple saying 'I do', popping champagne, and posing after the ceremony

Sylvia shared the first image of the couple after tying the knot to her Instagram account just hours after they wed, captioning the shot with: 'Best day of our lives'.

The party continued at the reception, where Peter's brother Karl set tongues wagging during a bizarre wedding speech to the tune of Oasis' Champagne Supernova.

His song touched on the bride's great behind,' as well as 60 Minutes' child abduction bungle - which saw 9 News journalist Tara Brown spend two weeks in a Lebanese jail.

Performing alongside his brother Tom, Karl sang: 'Someday you will find him/In a Beirut jail like Tara/ Hes more like Ray Martin/ Hes better than Ray Martin.'
Seven species of potentially deadly exotic ants were seized by biosecurity officials last month after they were listed on classifieds website Gumtree.

Biosecurity officers from the Department of Agriculture raided a Canberra home last month and confiscated the non-native insects.

At least of one the species has caused multiple cases of anaphylaxis abroad, and all exotic ant species pose a threat to native wildlife.

Biosecurity officers seized several species of exotic ant (pictured) from a home in Canberra

Exotic ants (pictured, stock image) can pose a danger to native wildlife and are hard to eradicate

The Department of Agriculture made the seizure (pictured) after a tip from a member of the public

A member of the public tipped off the Department of Agriculture about the sale of the invasive insects online, the Canberra Times reported.

The head of biosecurity operations at the department, Nico Padovan, warned that exotic ants are dangerous and hard to get rid of.

'They are predators and foragers, with single queen [ants] possessing vast reproductive capacities, making them difficult to eradicate if established,' he said.

'While they may seem small and harmless, exotic ants can pose a huge risk to our environment and way of life, and represent a significant biosecurity risk to Australia.'

The seized invasive exotic ant species were being sold openly on classifieds website Gumtree

Exotic ants (pictured, stock image) can be expensive and difficult to eradicate, costing taxpayers millions

One of the seized species has been identified as Tetraponera rufonigra, commonly called the Bi-coloured Arboreal ant.

The Asian ant species is known to have caused severe allergic reactions in Thailand.

A reproductive colony was also taken from the home, which was treated for biosecurity risks by the ACT Parks and Conservation after the seizure.

Eradicating invasive ant species is difficult and costly, with the federal government spending more than $150million on the problem over the past few years.

Mr Padovan said that his department was dedicated to detecting online sales of exotic ant species, and that sellers trading in the insects would be caught.

'When it comes to biosecurity and protecting Australia, we are unashamedly antsy,' he said.
Kim Jong-un has warned Donald Trump he is pushing North Korea to the brink of nuclear war after the US and South Korea conducted a life-fire exercise on the peninsula.

The test was in response to North Korea's successful attempt to fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last week.

The test sparked global alarm as it suggested North Korea now possessed an ICBM capable of reaching Alaska, a major milestone for the reclusive, nuclear-armed state.

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Kim Jong-un has warned the United States and South Korea they face a nuclear war if they continue to push North Korea with continuing military drills involving B-1B Lancer bombers

North Korean despot Kim Jong-un oversaw the Inter-Continental Ballistic missile launch

US President Donald Trump, pictured arriving back in Washington yesterday

Saturday's drill, designed to 'sternly respond' to potential missile launches by the North, saw two US bombers destroy 'enemy' missile batteries and South Korean jets mount precision strikes against underground command posts.

The North's state-run Rodong newspaper accused Washington and Seoul of ratcheting up tensions with the drill, in an editorial titled 'Don't play with fire on a powder keg'.

'The US, with its dangerous military provocation, is pushing the risk of a nuclear war on the peninsula to a tipping point,' it said, describing the peninsula as the 'world's biggest tinderbox.'

During Saturday's drill, long-range B-1B Lancer bombers reportedly flew close to the heavily-fortified border between two Koreas and dropped 2,000-pound bombs.

Pyongyang described the joint drill as a 'dangerous military gambit of warmongers who are trying to ignite the fuse of a nuclear war on the peninsula.'

'A small misjudgment or error can immediately lead to the beginning of a nuclear war, which will inevitably lead to another world war,' it said.

Tension has been high as the US administration under President Donald Trump and the North's regime under leader Kim Jong-Un have exchanged hostile rhetoric for months.

Tension further escalated after Tuesday's ICBM test, a milestone in the North's decades-long quest for weapons capable of reaching the US.

The impoverished, isolated country has staged five nuclear tests - including two last year - and has made a significant progress in its missile capability under Kim, who took power in 2011.

In another drill held after the ICBM test, US and South Korean troops fired ballistic missiles simulating an attack on the North's leadership 'as a strong message of warning,' the South's military said at the time.

The US Missile Defense Agency said Friday it would soon test an anti-ballistic missile system in Alaska.
Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah looking dapper at Royal Ascot in 2015

The Queen has picked the first black man to hold the role of equerry, one of the most important positions in the royal household.

Ghanaian-born Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah, an Afghanistan war veteran and officer from the Household Cavalry, is thought to be preparing to take over the role from Wing Commander Sam Fletcher later this year.

Twumasi-Ankrah's royal career so far has included acting as escort commander at the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall's wedding in 2011, as well as commanding the Blues and Royals at the Queen's birthday parade - but his new role will mean he could spend more time at Her Majesty's side than even her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.

Since Prince Philip announced that he will be stepping down from public duties this autumn, the new equerry could be the most visible man by the monarch's side.

Twumasi-Ankrah (photographed during Trooping The Colour on Horse Guards Saturday June 12 2010) is an Afghanistan war veteran and officer from the Household Cavalry. He is thought to be preparing to take over the role from Wing Commander Sam Fletcher later this year

Twumasi-Ankrah's royal career so far has included acting as escort commander at the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall's wedding in 2011, as well as commanding the Blues and Royals at the Queen's birthday parade

Twumasi-Ankrah, 38, told the Sunday Times that as a young child he used to watch the trooping of the colour with fascination.

He said: 'I would have never imagined that one day I'd command the regiment which I'd fallen in love with.

'From what I've seen in the UK, our cultures really do mix and if I'm not a good example of that I really don't know what is.'

What does the Queen's equerry do? The Queens equerry is an officer from one of the armed services, who takes on the role for three years. The role includes generally assisting Her Majesty in her public duties. Previous equerries have had responsibilities such as being in charge of the Queen's treasured horses. The Queen's equerry would also be expected to look after the carriages, coaches and Rolls-Royces used at state ceremonies including Trooping the Colour and the State Opening of Parliament. Advertisement

The paper said the Queen is thought to have picked Twumasi-Ankrah personally from a group of candidates.

The Household Cavalry's official Twitter page posted today and said: 'Major T-A is a Regimental legend & couldn't be a better fit for the Equerry job.'

The role of equerry, which involves personally assisting the Queen in her public duties, has often been associated with scandal.

Equerry to George VI, Peter Townsend, caused drama in royal circles when he and Princess Margaret, the Queen's sister, became romantically involved.

The Battle of Britain fighter ace, 16 years Margaret's senior and a father of two sons from a dissolved marriage, helped her write the emotional statement in which she announced that, 'mindful of the Church's teaching', she would not marry him.

Since Prince Philip announced that he will be stepping down from public duties this autumn, the new equerry could be the most visible man by the monarch's side

Equerry to George VI, Peter Townsend (left), caused drama in royal circles when he and Princess Margaret, the Queen's sister, (below Townsend) became romantically involved. In another more recent scandal in the role of equerry, Major Simon Robinson (right with his former wife, Amelisa) resigned from his post in 2010 amid allegations of an affair

The pair separated because the conservative times meant she could not wed a divorcee.

In another more recent scandal in the role of equerry, Major Simon Robinson resigned from his post in 2010 following the break up of his marriage.

He lost his coveted 'job for life' as Crown Equerry amid speculation at the time of an extra-marital affair, which he denied furiously.
Drugs, mobile phones and 'a number of other contraband items' have been found in a dramatic raid at Sydney's Parklea Correctional Centre.

It comes after a video showed a prisoner holding a knife, a 'slasher' razor and what he claimed was the drug 'ice' as he filmed himself inside a cell at the notorious jail.

No methamphetamine was found in Saturday's search, despite the explosive footage appearing to show the inmate holding a large quantity of the drug.

'The search found four mobile phones and chargers, steroid tablets and a number of other contraband items,' a Corrective Services NSW spokesperson said.

Drugs, mobile phones and 'a number of other contraband items' have been found in a dramatic raid at Sydney's Parklea Correctional Centre. A prisoner is seen being led away as authorities conduct the search

No methamphetamine was found in Saturday's search, despite an inmate showing what appeared to be a large amount of the drug in explosive footage obtained by Daily Mail Australia. Above, authorities search for contraband during Saturday's raid

Buprenorphine, used to treat opioid addiction, was also discovered as 40 staff and nine detection-K9s conducted the raids.

Footage shows correctional officers dismantling what appears to be a small television before uncovering several white packages.

The inmate who showed off his drugs and weapons in a video uploaded to YouTube claimed some of the contraband was given to him by prison guards, including the mobile phone he was filming on.

'Recording inside of Parklea Correctional Centre. On a day-to-day basis this place is a dead set joke,' the prisoner said.

'Right know I'm in my cell, I've got a mobile phone. Why have I got a mobile phone? It's because screws are bringing mobile phones into the jail.'

He continued to question why he has been allowed to walk around his cell while he showed off the contraband on camera.

Footage shows correctional officers dismantling what appears to be a computer monitor before uncovering several white packages

Prisoners are handcuffed outside their cells as authorities conduct the dramatic raids

'Why am I carrying around a knife? Why does that need to be in my hand at this point in time?' he asked.

'Why have I got a slasher? Why do I need to slash people?'

The prisoner continued to hold up a number of other items to the camera, including a metal bar which he said came off a television.

'That there alone will rip skin, damage ya [sic],' he said.

He then displayed a small plastic bag which he said contained the drug 'ice'.

'Why have I got it? Because I can,' the prisoner said.

Corrective Services NSW said they viewed the incident as a very serious breach of security and immediately launched a multi-team investigation.

A male prisoner can be seen in a video he filmed himself holding up a 'slasher' razor while asking 'Why have I got a slasher?'

The male prisoner also claimed he had the drug 'ice' inside his jail cell at Parklea Correctional Centre in Sydney's west

The prisoner filmed himself holding a knife while in his cell inside Sydney's Parklea Correctional Centre as another inmate watched on

'CSNSW is meeting with the operator of Parklea Correctional Centre, GEO Group, [on Monday] to discuss security and safety concerns,' the statement said.

'CSNSW takes a zero-tolerance approach and uses a range of methods to track down and confiscate contraband.'

The statement noted that prisoners go to 'extraordinary lengths to introduce contraband'.

'Any suggestions that contraband is introduced by staff are immediately investigated,' the statement read.

NSW Corrective Services Minister David Elliott said no stone will be left unturned as the incident is investigated.

'I was horrified when I saw the YouTube video and immediately called for an investigation,' Mr Elliott said.

The man claimed in the video he captured inside his cell the contraband had been given to him by prison guards

The prisoner is pictured holding a metal bar which he said came from a television

'I have asked CSNSW to review the contract to see what penalties could be imposed if there has been a failure by the operator.

'CSNSW have requested that the video be taken down.'

Daily Mail Australia also contacted GEO Group Australia Pty Ltd.

In May, prison officers intercepted contraband which outsiders had tried to smuggle into the facility.

Four mobile phones stuffed inside a one lite carton of milk, tobacco, white powder and flick knives were among the items seized in the area between the centre's perimeter fence and the prison walls.

An inmate filmed his fellow cell mate while talking through the various contraband in the cell

Corrective Services NSW said in a statement to Daily Mail Australia searches for illegal and banned items are conducted by centre staff on a day-to-day basis (stock image)

Three months earlier, a 27-year-old inmate at the Parklea Correctional Centre was rushed to hospital after he was stabbed in the neck by another prisoner.

The facility was also forced to change numerous locks throughout the complex after a prisoner allegedly stole a set of keys in December last year.

And the maximum security centre was embroiled in a staff attack at the beginning of 2016 when 40 prisoners attacked guards.

Officers had to barricade themselves inside a safe room while special ops detained the inmates.
Counter-terror police at Scotland Yard have begun performing 'lie detector' tests on informants for the first time.

The unprecedented move has been set up amid fears that police are not receiving enough high-quality intelligence about terrorists within the UK.

The polygraph tests will target members of the criminal underworld, who often have their own questionable motives for supplying information on potential terrorists.

The scheme will be overseen by Mark Rowley, Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer

Mark Rowley, Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer, will oversee the scheme.

The shake-up comes after a spate of atrocities in the UK, where 36 people were killed in four attacks over four months.

Some said the attacks had shown that MI5 and the police had failed to effectively coordinate or gather enough intelligence.

In the wake of the Manchester Arena attack it emerged that the bomber Salman Abdei was among the 20,000 extremists known to MI5.

He was once placed under 24-hour surveillance by police, before a decision was taken to redeploy resources.

Italian terrorist Youssef Zagba, who took part in the London Bridge attacks, was able to enter Britain twice - despite being monitored by police in his home country.

The Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abdei was once placed under 24-hour surveillance - before police redeployed resources

Security services in Italy say they informed Britain about the dangers Zaghba posed and marked him as a suspected foreign fighter.

But he was still allowed to enter Britain twice through Stansted airport.

Zaghba's mother, Valeria Collina, told the Telegraph that she'd warned police about her son.

Italian police warned British security services about Youssef Zaghba, who took part in the London Bridge attack

She said: 'I told the Italian police everything I knew and asked them to pass that on to the British authorities.

'Because the Italian police found nothing incriminating they had to let him go. They could not have done more.'

In the wake of the attacks, Theresa May had pledged to review MI5 protocols.
A retired British GP who accompanied several people to euthanasia clinics in Switzerland is now planning his own death.

Michael Irwin, 86, believes he is now living 'on borrowed time' and says he doesn't want to be a family burden or end up in a nursing home.

The former Medical Director of the UN, who lives in Surrey, wants another British doctor to administer a combinations of sedatives and pain medication so he enters a coma, which would hasten his death.

Michael Irwin, 86, believes that he is now living on 'borrowed time'

Mr Irwin told the Sunday Times that he didn't want to 'overstay his welcome'.

He said: 'At 86 I am living on borrowed time as so many men, born like myself in the UK in 1931, are now dead. I am now existing beyond my sell-by date.

'I would not want to wait to the bitter end with suffering becoming more and more unbearable. I am not sad about dying. I have had a wonderful life.

'I certainly do not want my relatives and friends to remember me as an increasingly decrepit person.'

Mr Irwin has no terminal condition, but has difficulty walking, progressive kidney failure and raised blood pressure.

Mr Irwin is hoping that a British doctor will administer a combination of pain relievers and sedatives which will enable him to fall into a coma

He has long been an advocate for assisted suicide. In 1999 he stood as a 'Campaign for Living Will Legislation' candidate in the Kensington and Chelsea parliamentary by-election.

He only received 97 votes but he continued with his campaigning, becoming president of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies.

In 2003 he was arrested for trying to buy sleeping pills for a terminally ill friend of his.

No charges were filed, but in 2005 he was struck off the General Medical Council.

Since then he has continued to advocate passionately for the 'right to die' and has accompanied several patients to euthanasia clinics in Switzerland - which has earned him the nickname 'Dr Death'.

Mr Irwin has been a passionate advocate for assisted suicide for nearly 20 years, earning him the nickname 'Dr Death'

In 2009 he established the Society for Old Age Rational Suicide.

Mr Irwin's advocacy has coincided with an increased support in the UK for euthanasia.

A recent YouGov poll of nearly 1,650 people found that 68 per cent agreed that doctors should be allowed to give terminally ill patients enough pain medication to hasten their death.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland however assisted suicide remains a crime. Those convicted could face up to 14 years in prison.
Theresa May, pictured with husband Philip at church, is considering tougher action against those who abuse and harass politicians, particularly online

Abuse and intimidation of politicians could be treated in the same way as hate crime under plans being considered by Theresa May.

The Prime Minister has ordered a review of the law after a string of Conservative candidates came forward with tales of horrifying abuse by Left-wing activists during last months general election.

One Tory candidate described how she felt genuine fear as she campaigned to win her seat and was left too afraid to leave her home.

Government sources yesterday said the review was still in its infancy as officials seek to gain more information about the nature and scale of the problem.

But action could include making political motivation an aggravating factor when judges are considering sentences for abuse.

This would allow courts to punish offenders with longer sentences, as they can when factors such as a victims race or sexuality are involved.

A Government source said: The Prime Minister has been shocked by the evidence of intimidation and harassment she has heard from colleagues. She is determined to stamp it out.

Mrs May has ordered her new No 10 policy unit to draw up plans to better protect MPs, many of whom have been subjected to intimidation, death threats and attacks.

The unit will speak to MPs about their experiences before coming up with proposals aimed at tackling the growing problem.

Details of the plans came after more MPs stepped forward to reveal the scale of intimidation they had faced on the campaign trail.

Many said the abuse they experienced this year was the worse they had ever known.

Andrea Leadsom, the Commons Leader, brought up her concerns in Cabinet about how MPs were treated after hearing stories from colleagues.

Plymouth MP Johnny Mercer (file picture with his wife Felicity outside Parliament) described how a member of public hurled obscenities at him and his wife on the eve of the election

It is understood one feature of the review will be the repeated defacement and destruction of Tory posters during the campaign.

In one case, Nazi swastikas were drawn on the posters of Cornish Tory MP Sheryll Murray.

Nigel Evans, the Tory MP for the Ribble Valley, revealed yesterday how he was forced to call the police after he was subjected to verbal abuse and then pushed outside a pub in Clitheroe, Lancashire.

He said: I have been canvassing in ten general elections and many by-elections but this election just gone has left a worrying taste in my mouth.

On Saturday Yvette Cooper condemned online abuse directed at Labour MP Luciana Berger, who has been targeted by supporters of party leader Jeremy Corbyn over her past criticism of him (file picture)

Byron Davies, who lost his seat in Gower to Labour, said he had received two death threats online during the campaign.

If this is the sick way politics is going, it will be a very sad world, he told The Sunday Telegraph.

A female candidate in her 30s, who lost in a Labour-held seat, said she felt genuine fear after being targeted for abuse.

The unnamed candidate said: When youre a candidate in a safe Opposition seat, you know that it will be tough.

'But for the first time in my life, I felt genuine fear from the people attacking me, particularly on social media.

She said she was shocked that there was no adequate protection for candidates, which left her with feelings of anxiety and loneliness.

I didnt feel safe to go out or be at home alone, she said.

I made sure I had a group around me at all times when I was campaigning. She said the police were sympathetic, but there was nothing they could really do.

Her abusers even sent unpleasant messages to her family. She added: It has made me think whether I really want to be an MP  the level of abuse and intimidation you face.

I feel it will reduce the talent pool of people willing to put themselves forward, which is bad for democracy.

Tory MP Sheryll Murray exposed the campaign against her in South East Cornwall at Prime Minister's Questions (pictured)

Tories have revealed signs branded with Nazi swastikas, posers defaced and online harassment (pictured)

Conservative MP Johnny Mercer described how his wife, Felicity, was intimidated by a Labour supporter who yelled at her as they campaigned in Plymouth on the eve of the election.

Last week Mrs May said she had been absolutely shocked at the number of colleagues who had talked to her about intimidation, harassment and bullying during the campaign.

She said: There can be no place in our democracy for behaviour like that. Im determined to do something about it. Im determined to stamp it out.

Labour MPs who do not support Jeremy Corbyn should be ousted, says film director Ken Loach.

He said the party needed representatives in Parliament who are committed to this programme and will not work against it.

Speaking to a crowd of 200,000 at the Durham Miners Gala, Mr Loach said MPs should face a mandatory reselection process before adding: Because we cannot have the disgusting attacks that went on against Jeremy in the last Parliament. We need a united movement.
Police have arrested a waiter who slit a customer's throat while he had breakfast in a Spanish seaside town about to host a famous festival.

The shocking crime happened just after 8am on Saturday at a cafe bar in the town of Benicassim - scene of the annual FIB festival which kicks off this Thursday.

Local reports said the 56-year-old Spanish victim was having a coffee and reading a paper on the bar terrace when his assailant attacked him from behind with a knife.

A Spanish man was killed when his throat was cut by a staff member at this cafe in Benicassim, Spain, while he ate breakfast on Saturday

The cafe had the unfortunate name Bar La Alegria - Happiness Bar in English.

Witnesses watched in horror as the victim slumped forward on the table, where he was later pronounced dead.

The suspect, arrested at the scene without offering any resistance, has been described as Chinese.

Investigators are said to be probing whether the suspect was suffering from a mental illness or had previous run-ins with the victim.

Both the unnamed victim and the detainee lived locally. The dead man, an engineer thought to run an electrical testing company, was a regular at the breakfast bar.

The murder came just days before the start of the annual music festival which attracts tens of thousands Britons every year

One witness said police found him sitting at his table as he had been when he was attacked - with his paper on the table alongside a cup of coffee and a brandy.

CCTV cameras reportedly show no signs of any argument before the murder.

Benicassim is famous for its annual music festival, which this year runs from July 13 to 17.

This year's headline acts include Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The Weekend and Kasabian.

The festival, often known simply by its abbreviation of FIB, is very popular with British and Irish music fans and is regarded as one of Europe's biggest rock and indie festivals.

Since the first festival in 1995, artists who have played include Primal Scream, Depeche Mode, The Chemical Brothers and Morrissey.
Sir Vince Cable today predicted Brexit might not happen as he prepares to seize the Liberal Democrat leadership.

The former business secretary claimed division inside both the Tory and Labour parties was damaging the prospects of getting a deal.

And the leading remoaner forecast failure would see the public swing behind the Liberal Democrat pledge to hold a second referendum on whether Brexit goes ahead.

The remarks will infuriate Brexit supporters who insist the mandate of the Brexit referendum must be respected and not deflected by bitter Remain campaigners.

Sir Vince Cable (pictured today on the Andrew Marr show) today predicted Brexit might not happen as he prepares to seize the Liberal Democrat leadership

The Liberal Democrats were largely rejected by the electorate at last month's election, finishing the poll with just 12 seats and less than 8 per cent of the vote

The Liberal Democrats were largely rejected by the electorate at last month's election, finishing the poll with just 12 seats and less than 8 per cent of the vote.

The poor results prompted Tim Farron to quit as leader and Sir Vince appears likely to take over unopposed in 12 days time.

He told the BBC's Andrew Marr: 'I don't think the public voted to have cuts in their standard of living.

NO BAD SEX HERE! CABLE SAYS RACY NEW NOVEL IS 'DISCREET' Sir Vince Cable has said he hopes his new book is a 'thriller', adding although 'it isn't actually about sex, the sex is very discreet'. The likely next Lib Dem leader has penned a novel, which is called Open Arms, that will be released in the autumn. BBC interviewer John Pienaar asked: 'You've just written a novel about sex and political intrigue, just how racy is this book?' Sir Vince replied: 'Well it isn't actually about sex, the sex is very discreet, it's not going to win the bad sex award, but it is I hope a thriller and it's written, I suppose it's part of the Robert Harris genre, not as good as that obviously, I'm a beginner.' Advertisement

'People will realise we did not vote to be poorer.

'The question of continued membership will once again arise.

'A lot of people are keeping their heads down - I am beginning to think that Brexit might never happen.'

Sir Vince said under his leadership the Liberal Democrats would continue to support a policy of asking Britain to vote a second time on the final deal.

He insisted voting again would give the nation a chance to escape a bad deal.

Tory MP Damien Moore, who beat the Lib Dems to win Southport for the Tories for the first time since 1997, told MailOnline: 'What Sir Vince said fundamentally goes against the will of the British people in a decision that was only taken a year ago.

'I think he is talking up supposed splits so that decision is not reached.

'What is clear from the general election is the parties of leave achieved more votes and the Prime Minister is still more trusted to deliver a good Brexit deal.'

Sir Vince said division, fuelled by weakness around Theresa May (pictured at church in Maidenhead today), made Brexit less likely

Former Cabinet minister Owen Paterson told BBC's Sunday Politics: 'I'm afraid Vince is behind history, we are going to leave, we are on target.'

He said '85 per cent of the electorate voted for parties that want to leave' the European Union.

'If we do not deliver a proper Brexit, which means leaving the single market, leaving the customs union and leaving the jurisdiction of the ECJ and taking back control, as we made very clear in the referendum, there will be absolutely appalling damage to the integrity of the whole establishment - not just political, the media and the judicial establishment,' he warned.

The former business secretary claimed division inside both the Tory and Labour parties was damaging the prospects of getting a deal

In his interview, Sir Vince also endorsed 'moderately' higher taxes under his leadership and backed a review of tuition fee policy.

Sir Vince also offered the prospect of a new home for disgruntled Labour MPs who face being forced out over their continued opposition to Jeremy Corbyn.

He said: 'We have a generous policy on refugees - we will give them food and accommodation.

'Jeremy Corbyn had a good election. But there is an element of a bubble about it.

'He is very pro Brexit, a hard Brexit. When that becomes apparent, divisions in the Labour Party will become more clear.'

Plotters against May have had 'too much sun and warm Prosecco' and the public want her to get on with the job, top minister warns

Plotters who want to oust Theresa May before the summer recess have had 'too much sun and warm Prosecco', a top minister claimed this morning.

David Lidington dismissed claims allies of Brexit Secretary David Davis were on manoeuvres as 'gossip'.

The Justice Secretary said the public wanted the Government to get on with running the country in the aftermath of the election.

Pressure on Mrs May dramatically escalated last night after it emerged that former Tory Cabinet Minister Andrew Mitchell said she had lost all authority and should go.

It was claimed today hard-line Brexiteers want the PM out of No 10 - even if the price is letting Jeremy Corbyn in for a 'short dose' of left-wing government.

Justice Secretary David Lidington (pictured today on the Andrew Marr show) dismissed claims allies of Brexit Secretary David Davis were on manoeuvres as 'gossip'

David Davis is a favourite to succeed Theresa May. Pictured: Mr Davis posing with two women wearing T-shirts with the slogan 'DD for me' across their bosoms in 2005

Mr Mitchell, a close personal and political ally of Brexit Secretary David Davis  the favourite to succeed Mrs May  told a secret Commons dinner that the party needed a new leader.

The intervention came as Grant Shapps, the former Tory Party chairman, accused Mrs May's former aides Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill of briefing damaging stories against him.

And three senior former ministers today went public with demands for Mrs May to dramatically soften her Brexit plans.

Mr Lidington told the BBC's Andrew Marr there was no substance to claims of a plot.

He said the stories were caused by MPs going to 'rather too many summer parties for their own good'.

'The summer parties is the key to this.

'I've been in parliament 25 years and almost every July a combination of too much sun and too much warm prosecco leads to gossipy stories in the media.

'But the key thing is the public's had an election, I think they want politicians to go away and deal with the real problems people in this country are facing.'
A heartbroken couple have revealed how delays at a scandal-hit maternity unit led to the death of their longed-for baby.

Alba May's brain was being starved of oxygen during labour but a midwife failed to alert a more senior colleague for 40 minutes.

It was another 30 minutes before the baby - conceived using fertility treatment - was delivered.

By then the lack of oxygen had caused such serious brain damage that Alba May died 62 hours after being born.

Mother Rochelle Pemberton had waited three long years to conceive Alba May with husband Wesley and had endured two failed attempts at fertility treatment.

Devstated parents Wesley and Rochelle Pemberton: A postmortem confirmed their baby Alba May had severe oxygen starvation to her brain after inhaling lumps of meconium (baby faeces) into her lungs

They decided to have their baby at the North Middlesex Hospital in North London which has had serious problems with patient safety.

Rochelle said: 'No new parents expect to leave the hospital without their baby and the pain you feel when you do is indescribable.

'Wesley and I have suffered immeasurably from losing Alba May.'

Rochelle, 34, of Enfield, North London, said: 'While nothing will ever bring her back, we want to know that if mistakes have been made so other parents won't have to suffer the same tragedy.'

North Middlesex Hospital has a recent history of maternity failures. Six months ago the Care Quality Commission found examples of bullying, harassment and discrimination among staff at all levels and this was putting mothers and babies at risk.

Office worker Wesley, 38, told how he cradled his daughter in his arms in her final few hours.

He said: 'She looked so perfect, but inside her head there was so much brain damage that she couldn't have survived. We want answers from the hospital because we believe this shouldn't have happened.'

A postmortem confirmed Alba May had severe oxygen starvation to her brain after inhaling lumps of meconium (baby faeces) into her lungs.

The hospital's investigation found that besides delays, the hospital's own guidance for staff didn't have correct advice on meconium inhalation and there were delays by other staff in getting speedy delivery of Alba- May.

Rochelle said: 'No new parents expect to leave the hospital without their baby and the pain you feel when you do is indescribable

The meconium had been detected in Rochelle's waters at the birthing centre - run by midwives but the newly-qualified midwife, failing to understand its significance, and did not take action for 40 minutes.

The baby was eventually delivered by a doctor on a neighbouring ward but by then damage had been done.

Alba May was transferred to nearby Homerton Hospital where doctors tried to reverse and limit the brain damage by cooling her down on a special mattress, but she died on August 12 last year.

A spokesman for North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust said: 'Our investigation shows that unfortunately the midwifery team did not pick up signs of possible foetal distress early enough in what was otherwise a low risk labour.

'We have discussed all the findings with the staff concerned and we have changed our procedures to ensure that we provide better care in future.'

Neither hospital has reported Alba May's death to the coroner. But a leading obstetrician said an inquest is needed.

A spokesman for North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust said: 'Our investigation shows that unfortunately the midwifery team did not pick up signs of possible foetal distress early enough in what was otherwise a low risk labour

Professor Philip Steer, editor of the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynae, has questioned why Alba May's death was not reported to the coroner.

He said all deaths of children under 18 should be reported to a coroner for safeguarding purposes and particularly in this case where the baby's death may be linked to lack of medical treatment.

Last year a new mum died at North Middlesex after staff allegedly failed to give her anticlotting medication following the birth of her child.

Another baby died in the womb after doctors allegedly abandoned plans for an emergency caesarean on the mum, and instead left her unmonitored for three hours on a trolley while a consultant carried out a pre-planned caesarean on another patient.

Irwin Mitchell lawyer Sarah Wealleans, representing the Pembertons, said: 'It is important for Rochelle and Wesley to get definitive answers as to why Alba May died.'
Plotters who want to oust Theresa May before the summer recess have had 'too much sun and warm Prosecco', a top minister claimed this morning.

David Lidington dismissed claims allies of Brexit Secretary David Davis were on manoeuvres as 'gossip'.

The Justice Secretary said the public wanted the Government to get on with running the country in the aftermath of the election.

Pressure on Mrs May dramatically escalated last night after it emerged that former Tory Cabinet Minister Andrew Mitchell said she had lost all authority and should go.

It was claimed today hard-line Brexiteers want the PM out of No 10 - even if the price is letting Jeremy Corbyn in for a 'short dose' of left-wing government.

Justice Secretary David Lidington (pictured today on the Andrew Marr show) dismissed claims allies of Brexit Secretary David Davis were on manoeuvres as 'gossip'

David Davis is a favourite to succeed Theresa May. Pictured: Mr Davis posing with two women wearing T-shirts with the slogan 'DD for me' across their bosoms in 2005

Mr Mitchell, a close personal and political ally of Brexit Secretary David Davis  the favourite to succeed Mrs May  told a secret Commons dinner that the party needed a new leader.

The intervention came as Grant Shapps, the former Tory Party chairman, accused Mrs May's former aides Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill of briefing damaging stories against him.

And three senior former ministers today went public with demands for Mrs May to dramatically soften her Brexit plans.

Mr Lidington told the BBC's Andrew Marr there was no substance to claims of a plot.

He said the stories were caused by MPs going to 'rather too many summer parties for their own good'.

'The summer parties is the key to this.

'I've been in parliament 25 years and almost every July a combination of too much sun and too much warm prosecco leads to gossipy stories in the media.

'But the key thing is the public's had an election, I think they want politicians to go away and deal with the real problems people in this country are facing.'

A 'kamikaze' group of Right-wing Tory MPs said they are ready to risk handing power to Jeremy Corbyn. They believe ousting Theresa May (pictured in Maidenhead today) will kill off moves to 'reverse' Brexit

Rumours of a plot against Mrs May went into overdrive today when reports of Mr Mitchell's view of the PM emerged in the Mail on Sunday.

A Conservative MP present at the gathering on June 26 said: 'Mr Mitchell effectively said she was dead in the water.

EX-MINISTERS CALL FOR MAY TO BACK DOWN ON THE ECJ Three former Tory ministers broke cover to demand Theresa May u-turn on her approach to the European Court today. The Prime Minister has insisted the ECJ can have no role in Britain after Brexit. But the firm stance means the UK must leave a Europe-wide body on nuclear power regulation - even though it is older than the European Union. Ed Vaizey, Nicky Morgan and Damian Grieve, all ministers under David Cameron, led the new revolt today as they said Britain should stay on Eurotom. Critics will say the trio are no more than embittered remainers. But the issue of nuclear regulation is an issue on which they could find support on the Opposition benches - leaving Mrs May acutely vulnerable to defeat were she to hold her line. In a joint article for the Sunday Telegraph, the ex-ministers said: 'There appears never to have been an ECJ case involving the UK and Euratom. But it does require us to continue to allow the free movement of nuclear scientists. 'For this reason, it appears, the Government has determined the UK should leave. 'This makes no sense. The UK must remain a beacon for global talent after Brexit - indeed, that is the Government's stated aim.' Advertisement

'He said she was weak, had lost her authority, couldn't go on and we needed a new leader. Some of us were very surprised and disagreed with him.'

Mr Mitchell saw to play down - but not deny - the claim today, insisting: 'This is an overheated report of a private dinner conversation.'

The disclosure came amid growing reports that allies of Mr Davis have urged him to challenge Mrs May.

A sense of panic in the Tory high command grew last night as:

Mr Mitchell, who was forced to resign as Chief Whip in 2012 after swearing at a Downing Street policeman in the 'Plebgate' scandal, did not mention Mr Davis in his comments at the 'One Nation' Commons dining club of Tory MPs, of which he is the secretary.

Nor is there any suggestion Mr Davis himself is plotting against Mrs May, who marks a year in No 10 on Thursday.

Publicly, he has said it would be a 'catastrophe' if she stepped down, though he has not ruled out standing for the leadership if she quits.

However, well-placed sources say allies of Mr Davis are trying to gain support from Tory MPs to oust Mrs May, with a coup followed by his 'coronation' as her successor.

They hope to persuade rivals such as ambitious Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and 'soft Brexit' Chancellor Philip Hammond not to oppose him on the grounds of unity.

Davis cheerleaders say that would avoid a divisive Tory leadership contest which could trigger another General Election  and the possibility of victory for Mr Corbyn. Labour are currently six points ahead in the polls.

If Mr Davis were to become PM, Mr Mitchell would be expected to make a return to the Cabinet.

Brexit Secretary David Davis arriving for a Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in January. Well-placed sources say allies of Mr Davis are trying to gain support from Tory MPs to oust Mrs May, with a coup followed by his 'coronation' as her successor

Many plotters say Mr Davis, who unlike Mrs May campaigned for Britain to leave the EU, would have a much better chance of getting a good Brexit deal from Brussels.

They fear that if Mrs May clings to power, Brexit will be 'watered down'  or even reversed  as pro-Remain MPs and EU chiefs prey on her weakness.

One hardline Tory Brexiteer said: 'We have been campaigning for decades to leave the EU and will not stand by as it is diluted or derailed by Remainers or by a lack of leadership.

'If replacing Mrs May safeguards Brexit and risks Corbyn getting in to No 10, it's not as bad as losing Brexit. A brief dose of a Left-wing Government is not the end of the world. In the 1970s it spawned our greatest PM, Margaret Thatcher.'

But the 'kamikaze' plot was condemned as 'infantile' last night by Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames.

He said: 'It is grossly irresponsible talk by people who regard ideological purity as more important than the national interest.

'Most Conservative MPs and party members are determined to rally behind Mrs May. Any Tory who thinks electing a proto-Marxist Government is better than losing a hard Brexit is barmy.'

Some pro-Brexit MPs say Mrs May's lack of authority after the Election makes it more difficult for her to achieve the hard Brexit they want, if necessary by walking away with no deal. They say Thatcherite Mr Davis has no such issues.

Mr Mitchell, who was forced to resign as Chief Whip in 2012 after swearing at a Downing Street policeman in the 'Plebgate' scandal, did not mention Mr Davis in his comments at the 'One Nation' Commons dining club of Tory MPs, of which he is the secretary

Brexiteer MPs are alarmed by reports that suggest Britain could end up with a deal like Norway's  leaving the European Union in name but staying in the single market and continuing to pay billions into EU coffers, though with little power to curb immigration and no say in decision-making.

The MPs say such a deal would make a mockery of last year's referendum. Technically, Britain cannot reverse its decision to leave the EU in March 2019, although Brussels chiefs have indicated that if Britain had a change of heart they would co-operate.

Writing in today's Mail on Sunday, Mr Davis's former deputy Brexit Minister David Jones accused pro-EU Conservative MPs of hatching a 'cunning plot to stymie Brexit'.

Mr Jones said their aim was to allow it to proceed but 'on such ludicrously pro-Brussels terms, we might as well have stayed exactly where we were. We will have left but not left. Just like the Eagles' Hotel California, we can check out but we can never leave.'

If such a move succeeded it would 'shatter Tory credibility for decades to come a prospect too nightmarish to contemplate.'

Asked if he had said Mrs May should stand down, Mr Mitchell told The Mail on Sunday last night he would not comment 'on what I may or may not have said at a private dinner. A lot of private conversations are going on.'

Yesterday, Mrs May was teased over her leadership prospects at the G20 press conference in Hamburg. Asked if she would still be Prime Minister when Donald Trump made his planned visit to the UK, she said: 'I am looking forward to welcoming him to the country.'

He's a political bruiser, and I got the bruise to prove it

PROFILE - BY SIMON WALTERS, POLITICAL EDITOR

I have had a few run-ins with politicians over the years. But none has ever actually hit me physically, except David Davis. I had written something that irked him and as he passed me by he gave me a 'friendly' cuff round the head. One of those friendly cuffs that nearly knocks you off your chair and leaves your ears ringing.

Ex SAS Reservist Davis, a Thatcherite and Brexiteer, revels in his image as a working-class bruiser with brains. If the Tories want to bury their 'posh' image, making him PM should do it. Raised in a council house by a single mother and educated at a tough South London grammar school, he makes Jeremy Corbyn, growing up in a Shropshire pile, look to the manor born.

Davis's disdain for political correctness has not always served him well.

In his disastrous leadership battle with David Cameron in 2005, he crassly posed with two women wearing T-shirts with the slogan 'DD for me' across their bosoms. Likewise he recently texted 'I'm not blind' to a pal amid reports he playfully tried to kiss Diane Abbott.

Mind you, it's tame by Trump standards. And he defies stereotype. He once bragged to me that in his 1960s schooldays he single-handedly faced down a gang of bullies who tormented a gay boy. I told him I didn't believe him and would track down the gang leader. I did  and it was more or less true.

Critics maintain Davis is flawed. 'He is vain and when things go wrong, he blows up and walks away,' said a former aide.

As Shadow Home Secretary, he resigned his safe Tory seat to fight a by-election after losing a Commons vote. Davis called it principle; detractors called it attention-seeking. The scars of being abandoned by your father at birth, as Davis was, can run deep.

But since becoming Brexit Secretary, he has confounded those who said his fighting talk would be exposed as bluster, earning plaudits for his cool handling of negotiations.

By the time Britain quits the EU in 2019, Davis will have turned 70. If Theresa May quits before then, some say the Tories should pick a younger leader like Stephen Crabb or Priti Patel, both in their 40s. But Davis supporters say let him complete Brexit as PM and he will step down selflessly so a young tyro can fight the next Election in 2022.

They all say that.

'Reversers' must not be allowed to destroy my party with their treason

COMMENT - BY DAVID JONES, FORMER BREXIT MINISTER

Ex Welsh Secretary David Jones today warned Remain MPs must not split the Tories with 'treason (file picture)

Parliament exists to reflect and enact the will of the people  not to subvert it. But amid the heat of high summer, it looks very much as if a plot is under way at Westminster.

A plot to stymie the clear, unequivocal wish of the British people to leave the EU, as expressed in last year's referendum.

And it is, I very much regret to say, a plot that may yet succeed if MPs who truly respect that referendum result allow this conspiracy to proceed.

It is also a plot that would cause immeasurable damage to the Conservative Party for a generation, if not for ever.

Now, this may come as a shock to some of my fellow Brexiteers.

They may, naively, think that as Theresa May has already invoked Article 50  the legal trigger beginning the Brexit process  the leaving process is irreversible.

We either reach an acceptable deal by March 30, 2019, as I hope and expect, or we don't.

Either way, we're out  based on legally prescribed EU procedure  on a fixed date in just under two years' time.

Game, set and match, as Wimbledon umpires say.

But fanatically pro-EU MPs, both Labour and misguided Tory ones, too, have hatched a cunning plot.

Yes, we will leave the EU at that appointed time but on such ludicrously pro-Brussels terms, that we might as well have stayed exactly where we were. Still in the single market, with all the free movement of people that entails? Tick.

Still locked inside the customs union and unable to take advantage of a host of new free-trade deals with the rest of the world? Tick.

Still subject partly or wholly to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice? Tick.

And perhaps, most damagingly, of all, still having to send billions of British taxpayers' pounds to Brussels each year? Tick again.

In other words, we will have left, but not left.

Just like the Hotel California, as rock group Eagles put it: We can check out, but we can never leave.

Of course, this deceit on the British people won't be done in an instant.

It will be done over the next 18 months, slowly and gradually.

We will be told that this vital interest means we must stay in the single market, or that this essential cause means the customs union must still apply.

But eventually, the Remainers in both the Commons and the House of Lords  or Referendum Reversers as they are now known  will have successfully pulled the wool over voters and defied the expressed wish of the nation.

Such a subversion of last year's clear referendum result would shatter the credibility of my party for decades to come.

How could we ever promise to honour any Election pledge ever again? Who would believe us?

The consequence would be political chaos and, who knows, the sight of Jeremy Corbyn marching into Downing Street at the head of a hard-Left Labour government, with all its dire consequences for the country.

BUT even worse, by overturning the referendum result, we will have rendered the solemn expression of the nation's wishes null and void. Meaningless.

At a stroke, we will have plunged a dagger into democracy's heart.

Of course, such is the zeal of the Reversers for clinging to Brussels' apron strings, that such a treason against the British people will be worth it. A price worth paying, in their terms.

As I said, some of my Brexiteer colleagues will find this scenario absurd. Utterly implausible.

But its very implausibility is what may bring it to pass unless right-minded MPs are alerted to the danger now.

It is a prospect too nightmarish to contemplate.

We must wake up now if we are to prevent it.

PS. Thinking of running against the DD, Boris? Then maybe it's time to smarten up your act

Even his critics concede Boris Johnson is a smart man... though that clearly only applies to his brain, not his looks.

While Theresa May is hailed for her style and David Davis is usually seen in a sharp suit, the Foreign Secretary has been pictured jogging at various times in baggy pink shorts, ridiculous beanie hat and shabby fleece. What would Lord Palmerston say?
Rock band Green Day have hit back at criticism they 'ignored' the tragic death of a Brighton-based acrobat by claiming they were half a mile away and not told about the incident.

Pedro Aunion Monroy, 42, plummeted 100ft to his death from a glass box at the festival in Madrid, Spain.

The group's frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said they were backstage and knew nothing about the incident until hours later.

The 45-year-old guitarist today posted a lengthy statement on their website to completely refute the claims.

Green Day (pictured) have hit back at criticism that they 'ignored' the death of an acrobat at a music festival in Madrid

Pedro Aunion Monroy, who lived in Brighton, fell 100ft to his death at the Mad Cool festival

In a Facebook post on Thursday, the 42-year-old tagged British boyfriend Michael Sell (right), writing: 'I can't wait to see my beautiful boyfriend. Love, come to my arms!!!!!'

Mr Monroy was a director of In Fact performing arts company based in Portslade, Brighton

Mr Armstrong said the band is as heartbroken as everyone else at the loss of the acrobat.

He said the band were only told there was some sort of security issue causing a delay and had 'no clue' as to what had happened.

His comments come as a full investigation begins into the talented Spaniard's death which will determine if it was due to human error or external factors.

At this stage, it is believed the entertainer might have had trouble with his safety ropes as he performed breathtaking tricks in the box suspended over the audience.

Many of the spectators thought it was all part of the act or that it was a dummy which had fallen onto the stage.

Just hours before the accident, Mr Monroy posted a poignant message to his partner.

In a Facebook post, he tagged British boyfriend Michael Sell with a drawing of the couple together.

He wrote: 'I can't wait to see my beautiful boyfriend. Love, come to my arms!!!!!'

The horrific accident happened as the performer was descending in an illuminated box for a stunt during a break between British Band Alt-J and the US rockers.

Shocking footage showed the acrobat falling from the box in front of 35,000 people in the crowd at the Mad Cool Festival in Spain.

Mr Monroy was a director of In Fact performing arts company based in Portslade, Brighton.

In Spain his aerial dance group performed under the name Ciadehecho.

The statement issued by Mr Armstrong in full says: 'Last night at the Mad Cool festival in Spain there was a horrific accident. An acrobat by the name of Pedro was killed during his performance before Green Day played our show.

'We are so sad for Pedro and his family and we pray for them in this time of grief. I can't imagine how much suffering the friends and family are going through. '

'Many of you are wondering why we continued to play our show after the accident.

'Green Day did not hear about the accident until after our show was over. We didn't even know there was an acrobat performance at all, these festivals are huge.

'There are so many things happening at the same time it's impossible to keep up with every performer/artist.

'We were in a back stage compound about a half mile away from the main festival stage. We were warming up ready to go at 11:25 pm.

'15 minutes prior our tour management was told by local authorities to wait to go on stage because there was some sort of security issue.

'Security issues are a normal occurrence and procedure at any show.. we were NOT told why which is also normal.

'We waited as we were instructed. Still, we had no clue there was any such accident. We were given the ok. The band jumped into vans and drove to the main festival stage.

Billie Joe Armstrong posted the lengthy message on the band's website and said the band 'did not even know there was an acrobat performance'

A statement from Green Day said: 'A very brave artist named Pedro lost his life here tonight in a tragic accident. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends'

One festivalgoer told MailOnline: 'The acrobat was moving inside a lit up cube which was then slowly hoisted up to roughly 100ft'

'This was to be the last show of our European tour and we were all so excited to play our hearts out one last time.

'We were on stage at around midnight and played around two and a half hours. Everything seemed normal. The crowd and fans had a good time.

'We got off stage and drove back to our artist compound. It was there when we were told the shocking news about Pedro. All of us were in disbelief. '

'I don't know why the authorities chose not to tell us about the accident before our concert. All we know is what was said after our concert.

'This has never happened in the 30 years Green Day have been performing live. If we had known prior to our performance we most likely would not have played at all.

'We are not heartless people. The safety and well being at any of our concerts absolutely comes first. What happened to Pedro is unthinkable. Once again we are heartbroken for his friends and family.

'We are also shocked and heartbroken for anyone that had to witness this tragedy.'

The organisers of the event, the Mad Cool Festival, said they decided to continue with the show because of the panic or disruption which might have been generated among the crowd.

In their own full statement, they said: 'We, the festival management, would like to publicly express our absolute grief and desolation regarding the incident that happened yesterday while choreographer, dancer and workmate Pedro Aunion was performing.

'We would like to express our love and support to all his family and friends at this hard and devastating time.

Tributes were paid to Mr Monroy during the festival last night with a tribute to his work.

He had hoped to develop his acrobatic show with amazing stunts in the UK. It is believed his funeral will take place today.

His sister confirmed on social media that the artist had lost his life after falling 100ft from a suspended cage in front of 35,000 people at the Mad Cool Festival.

'I regret to tell you he died today,' his sister Estefi Chaje posted on Facebook.

'He was doing what he loved the most... We are devastated.'

Disturbing footage shows the acrobat falling from the box in front of 35,000 people in the crowd at the Mad Cool Festival in Spain

Paramedics could be seen helping the man as he lay on the floor, but it was later confirmed he died as a result of his injuries

Police consulted with festival organisers before allowing it to continue, El Mundo reported

Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong in concert at Sheffield Arena on July 3, 2017

Jorge Gomez, who works at the festival, said: 'We saw a person on the ground who was the artist, the acrobat. We were right there in the place ten seconds after some people saw him falling and we attended him immediately.

'After ten seconds we started advanced CPR (heart-lung resuscitation). We have done everything we can, but it was impossible to save him.'

Javier Erquiaga tweeted: 'Ashamed of you. An artist died just 20 meters from you and you still play. Worst band on the planet.'

British actor Adrian Randle wrote: 'I couldn't in good faith stay to watch Green Day perform after that. Thoughts go out to the family of the performer. '

Disturbing footage shows the acrobat plummeting to the ground in front of a screaming crowd.

One festivalgoer told MailOnline: 'It was all part of a tribute to Prince.

'The acrobat was moving inside a lit up cube which was then slowly hoisted up to roughly 100ft and he fell almost straight after it reached that height.

'It was a mixture of confusion, shock and disbelief.

'There's been no attempt to clarify the situation by the organisers either.'

Paramedics could be seen helping the man as he lay on the floor, but it was later confirmed he died as a result of his injuries.

Police consulted with festival organisers before allowing it to continue, El Mundo reported.

The cause of the accident is being investigated.
The Vatican's third most senior figure cut a lonely figure in a hotel lobby before attending Sunday mass during a stopover to face historical sex charges in Australia.

Cardinal George Pell, who is Australia's most powerful Catholic leader, was in Singapore on his way back home from Rome to have his day in court.

He was spotted looking pensive in his hotel before meeting another man and going to 10.30am mass at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd in Singapore's Civic District.

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Cardinal George Pell (pictured) was spotted looking lost in thought in a Singapore hotel lobby on Sunday

Cardinal George Pell (pictured) is the Vatican's third most senior figure and Australia's most powerful Catholic

Pell refused to comment or answer questions when confronted by a Seven News reporter as he got into a car.

Cardinal Pell, who serves as the Pope's treasurer, is the highest-ranking official to be charged in the sex abuse scandal that has dogged the Catholic Church for years.

The former Archbishop of Sydney and Melbourne has vehemently denied the charges, saying that he is innocent and looking forward to clearing his name.

'I'm looking forward finally for having my day in court. I'm innocent of these charges, they are false. The whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me,' ' Pell said after news of the charges broke.

Pell (pictured, right) refused to answer questions about the charges, and attended 10:30 mass

'I'm looking forward finally for having my day in court. I'm innocent of these charges, they are false,' said Pell (pictured) after news of the charges broke

'All along I have been completely consistent and clear in my total rejection of these allegations.

'These matters have been under investigation now for two years.'

'There have been leaks to the media. There has been relentless character assassination. Relentless character assassination!'

It is unknown how long Cardinal Pell will remain in Singapore, and when he will arrive in Melbourne to face court.

Victoria state police deputy commissioner Shane Patton confirmed the charges last month: 'Cardinal Pell is facing multiple charges in respect of historic sexual offences. There are multiple complainants relating to those charges.'

Cardinal Pell (pictured) has denied all of the charges, and says he is looking forward to clearing his name

'I'm innocent of these charges, they are false. The whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me,' said Cardinal Pell (pictured, centre)

'Cardinal Pell has been treated the same as anyone else in this investigation. Advice was received and sought from the office of public prosecutions, however ultimately, the choice to charge Cardinal Pell was one that was made by Victoria Police.'

Victoria Police have not specified the charges and have refused to elaborate on them.

Cardinal Pell has hired top criminal barrister Robert Richter, QC, to help defend him in court, and was granted a leave of absence by the Pope to return to Australia.

Days after Cardinal Pell was charged, Pope Francis dropped the the head of the Vatican office that handles sex abuse cases.

Cardinal Pell (pictured) is making a stopover in Singapore after returning to Australia to face historic sex charges

After Pell (pictured) was charged, Pope Francis dropped the head of the Vatican office that handles sex abuse cases

German Cardinal Gerhard Mueller was prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office that processes and evaluates all cases of priests accused of sexual offences, but his mandate was not renewed.

Cardinal Mueller, who was appointed by former Pope Benedict, has clashed publicly with Pope Francis in the past.

He has been replaced by Monsignor Luis Ladaria Ferrer, a Spanish Jesuit and ally of Pope Francis.

CARDINAL PELL'S RISE THROUGH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH June 8, 1941 - Born in Ballarat, Victoria December 16, 1966 - Ordained a Catholic priest 1971-1972 - Assistant priest Swan Hill parish 1973-1983 - Assistant priest Ballarat East parish 1973 - Shared St Alipius presbytery with Gerald Ridsdale (later revealed as Australia's worst pedophile priest) and Monsignor William McMahon 1973-1984 - Episcopal Vicar for Education in Diocese of Ballarat; founding member of Catholic Education Commission of Victoria 1981-1984 - Principal of Institute of Catholic Education (now merged with Australian Catholic University) 1984 - Administrator of Bungaree parish July 16, 1987 - Ordained as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Melbourne 1987-1996 - Parish priest Mentone, Bishop for the southern region of Melbourne 1988-1997 - Chair of Caritas Australia May 27, 1993 - Accompanies Ridsdale to his first court appearance. Later says it was a mistake to show priestly solidarity and he did not know full extent of Ridsdale's crimes June 16, 1996 - Appointed Archbishop of Melbourne by Pope John Paul II August 16, 1996 - Installed as archbishop October 1996 - Announces Melbourne Response protocol for handling sex abuse complaints in Melbourne archdiocese March 26, 2001 - Appointed Archbishop of Sydney by Pope John Paul II May 10, 2001 - Installed as archbishop April 21, 2003 - Awarded Centenary Medal by Australian government September 28, 2003 - Elevated to the Sacred College of Cardinals by John Paul II 2005 - Appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia February, 2007 - Appointed to Council of Cardinals on Organisational and Economic Problems of the Holy See April, 2013 - Appointed by Pope Francis to group of eight cardinals to advise on government of the universal Church and study plan for revising Apostolic Constitution of Roman Curia May, 2013 - Gives evidence to Victorian parliamentary inquiry into handling of abuse by religious and other organisations in Melbourne February 25, 2014 - Appointed as Prefect for the newly-created Secretariat for the Economy, Holy See March 2014 - Gives evidence to Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Sexual Abuse in Sydney August 2014 - Second royal commission appearance via videolink from the Vatican, to Melbourne hearing on the Melbourne Response February 29 - March 3, 2016 - Third royal commission appearance, via videolink from Rome hotel conference room to Sydney; hearing on church's handling of abuse allegations in Ballarat diocese and Melbourne archdiocese. June 29, 2017 - Charged with multiple, historical sex offences, set to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on July 18. Source: The Australian Associated Press Advertisement

Cardinal Pell has been defended by former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who said that his old friend is, 'a very fine man indeed.'

He has also received widespread support from senior figures within the Catholic Church.

The Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher stated: 'The George Pell I know is a man of integrity in his dealings with others, a man of faith and high ideals, a thoroughly decent man.'

The Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart echoed these sentiments, saying that Cardinal Pell deserves a fair trial.

Cardinal George Pell (pictured) has been defended by former Prime Minister Tony Abbott

Vatican insiders have cast doubts on whether Cardinal Pell (pictured) will be able to return to Rome

'The Archbishop is conscious of the Cardinal's many good works which have been acknowledged both nationally and internationally,' he said.

'It is a matter of public record that Cardinal Pell addressed the evil of sexual abuse in the Church on becoming Archbishop of Melbourne in 1996.'

However, Vatican insiders have said Cardinal Pell will not be allowed to return to the Vatican, even if he is found not guilty.

'That is the end of the road for George Pell in the Vatican, regardless of the outcome, he will be pensioned off when the court case finishes,' a Vatican insider told The Australian.

Cardinal Pell is likely to lose his high profile role as the Pope seeks to limit the damage of the charges to the Catholic Church's reputation.
The mother of a Sydney teenager who was brutally bashed by gatecrashes at a 16th birthday party has made a desperate plea to find his attackers.

The 16-year-old was punched in the face before his head was stomped on when a group of uninvited guests arrived at the party in Matraville, in Sydney's east, on Friday.

'I rushed to the hospital and saw him from the distance with tubes all over him. I thought he was never going to wake up,' his mother told Seven News.

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The mother of a Sydney teenager who was brutally bashed by gatecrashes at a 16th birthday party has made a desperate plea to find his attackers

'I rushed to the hospital and saw him from the distance with tubes all over him. I thought he was never going to wake up,' his mother (left) said

'The hardest thing that I've ever had to see in my life... I thought I was going to lose my son.'

The teenager, who remains in hospital, had three of his teeth knocked out in the brutal attack.

'We've spoken to a number of witnesses already,' Inspector Aaron Wundealich, of Eastern Beaches Police, said on Sunday.

'I describe the assault being cowardly, very vicious and certainly unacceptable within our community.'

The 16-year-old boy was punched in the face before his head was stomped on when a group of uninvited guests arrived at the party in Matraville in Sydney's east on Friday

The teenager, who remains in hospital, had three of his teeth knocked out in the brutal attack

A police spokesperson said the gatecrashes arrived at the party about 10.30pm when they began causing trouble.

'After refusing to leave, they assaulted a 59-year-old man by punching him in the face,' the spokesperson said.

'They also punched a 32-year-old man who was working as a private security guard at the event.

'Other guests became involved in the altercation and it spilled into a side access path.'

No arrests have been made and investigations are ongoing.

The alleged offenders stomped on the teen's head and neck, causing serious facial injuries. Pictured is the house where the party took place
Ross Kemp (pictured) is said to believe that a documentary he made about racist groups made him a target for new-nazi Anders Breivik

A far-right terrorist who slaughtered 77 people in Norway reportedly had Ross Kemp marked down on his 'hitlist'.

Mr Kemp, a former EastEnders star, is said to believe that his documentary about racist groups made him a target for neo-nazi fanatic Anders Breivik.

Speaking to the Daily Star Sunday, Kemp: 'I got a call and was told Anders had a hit list and I was on it.

'It was a bit of a shock.

'He'd already done the damage he was going to do and he was already in prison by this point.'

Breivik murdered 77 people in the Norwegian terror atrocity six years ago - he is believed to have had Mr Kemp down as a 'race traitor' in his rambling manifesto.

It comes after the soap star turned danger zone reporter revealed he he wanted to kill a sex trafficker who said he had killed 300 children.

Breivik detonated a fertiliser bomb outside the Oslo government headquarters - killing eight.

Breivik murdered 77 people in the Norwegian terror atrocity six years ago. He is pictured in court in January this year where he accused Norwegian authorities of breaching his human rights

Neo-nazi fanatic Breivik (left and right) is believed to have had Mr Kemp down as a 'race traitor' in his rambling manifesto

After the bomb attack on the Norwegian government headquarters, Breivik would go on to gun down a further 69 people at a summer camp

He would later gun down a further 69 people at a summer camp on the island of Utya.

He was jailed for 21 years in 2012 and is biding his time inside a cushy three-room cell until his release.

He is said regularly play video games, read books and newspapers, use gym machines and also has access to a computer.

He had alleged that his human rights were being breached because he was restricted to solitary confinement for five years - arguing the conditions were 'inhumane' and 'degrading'.
A 17-year-old girl was accidentally shot in the leg and hand on a rural Queensland property on Saturday night.

The teenage girl was on a private property at Devereux Creek near Mackay in Queensland, on Saturday when she was accidentally shot.

Paramedics responded to a call for help shortly before 9pm and the girl was rushed to Mackay Base Hospital.

Paramedics responded to a call for help shortly before 9pm and the girl was rushed to Mackay Base Hospital (pictured)

She was in a stable condition on Sunday morning, the Daily Mercury reported.

Queensland Police told Daily Mail Australia the shooting was the result of an 'accidental discharge'.

The firearm was moved from one place to another when it went off, according to the Daily Mercury.

A Queensland Police spokesman said no charges had been laid and the incident was still under investigation.

The 17-year-old girl was reportedly visiting the rural Queensland property when she was shot.
Majorca was on alert again on Sunday after a new shark sighting.

Police were sent to the area around Cala Major near Palma after being told a blue shark had been spotted.

They were not able to detect the animal's presence in an initial sweep along with lifeguards on jet skis.

The Spanish coastguard were called to Cala Major, in Majorca, on Sunday to reports of a shark in the water 12 days after another creature was found (file image)

None of the beaches in the area were closed as it was around 7am and there were not many people in the water.

Civil Guard officers were due to sweep the surrounding coastline again just after midday to check for signs of the animal.

The new alert was sounded amid rumours the blue shark killed after being captured last month was not necessarily the same one that forced the closure of a string of Majorca holiday beaches including Cala Major just west of the island capital.

Witnesses said the fish put down by experts from Palma Aquarium after it was taken to shore with a serious injury caused by a fish hook, looked smaller than the one blamed for the panic along a stretch of coastline running from Illetas beach near Magaluf to Can Pastilla.

Extraordinary pictures showed terrified bathers running out of the sea on June 24 as a blue shark believed to be around eight foot long - and known as a tintorera in Spanish - headed towards families with children on lilos.

Three beaches ended up being closed briefly over two days although no-one was hurt.

Brit Tim Prottey-Jones, who filmed the shark spotted at Illetas beach, claimed after authorities announced it had been captured that the one he caught on film was a different shape and colour.

The musician, from Mill Hill East, north London, told journalists: 'I am not really not sure if the authorities have captured the correct shark to be honest.

Tourists fled the waters around Cala Major last month as this blue shark was seen swimming close to shore before being captured

'The one they seem to have caught is not like the one I saw on the beach. I would say the shark I saw was about six foot long but this one appears much smaller.

'It also seemed a lot darker in colour but I am not a shark expert so it could have been a trick of the light.

'They have obviously found the shark very quickly - if they have found it.'

A blue shark was blamed for an attack on a swimmer off a popular Ibiza holiday beach in May which left him needed emergency hospital treatment.

The Spanish pensioner was treated for a two-inch gash to his hand just over a week ago after being bitten off the beach at Playa d'en Bossa, home to famous clubs like Ushuaia and one of the most popular destinations on Ibiza for British and Irish tourists.

Several people are said to have left the water after the incident, although the beach was not closed to swimmers.

First aiders launched a search for the fish but abandoned their hunt after about an hour when they failed to find any sign of it.

The bite victim, an 82-year-old man, was discharged from Can Misses Hospital near Ibiza town following treatment, some four hours after he had been admitted.

Blue shark are one of the most common species of sharks in the Mediterranean.

The same type of shark was blamed for an attack on a holidaymaker in Elche near Alicante last July.

The 40-year-old victim was rushed to hospital and given stitches to a wound in his hand.

First aiders described the bite as 'large' and said he had come out of the sea with blood streaming from the injury.

The drama happened at Elche's Arenales del Sol beach.

The red flag was kept in place for around two hours when bathers were allowed back in the water.

Tourists were ordered out of the water last August in the Costa del Sol resort of Fuengirola after bathers said they had spotted a shark.

Lifeguards on jet skis helped kids on dinghies and from an inflatable water park near where the shark was spotted to safety as colleagues ran along the shoreline blowing on whistles and ordering swimmers out of the water.

Fuengirola beach, one of the most popular of the Costa del Sol with British and Irish tourists, was closed for five hours while patrol boats searched for the fish.

The red flag was hoisted along nearly two miles of coastline.

The beach was eventually reopened after nothing untoward was found.
Casey Anthony 'blacked out' her daughter Caylee's death and still does not know how she died, one of her trial lawyers has claimed.

Cheney Mason, who represented Anthony along with Jose Baez in 2011, claimed this week that his famous former client 'shut out' her daughter's grisly death and went into 'Casey world' during her sensational murder trial in Orlando, Florida.

'I believe that Caseys mind, in some dimension, I guess the common word would say "snapped." She didnt go crazy by any means  but blackout  completely a blackout  of what went on and what happened,' he told Law Newz.

'Casey...grieved and comprehended differently than anyone else what happened. She went into what I call Casey World. She shut it out,' he added.

Two-year-old Caylee was had not been seen for a month before she was eventually reported missing by her grandmother in 2008.

Casey Anthony's trial lawyer Cheney Mason (pictured above together in 2011) said she 'blacked out' her two-year-old daughter's death

As the investigation into her disappearance unfolded, Casey lied to police about where she had last seen the toddler.

Caylee's remains were eventually discovered wrapped in a blanket and dumped in a wooded area near the family home in December 2008

Two-year-old Caylee's remains were found wrapped in a blanket in a wooded area near the family home in December 2008

Traces of chloroform were later found in Casey's abandoned car. Someone had also researched the chemical on the family computer.

Prosecutors alleged that the young mother killed her daughter accidentally while trying to sedate her with the substance.

The defense denied their theory and suggested that Casey's father George was to blame for the toddler's death.

They also aired accusations he had sexually abused Casey when she was a little girl, an allegation he vehemently denies.

After a highly publicized trial, Casey was acquitted of murder and manslaughter but was convicted of lying to police.

At one stage before the verdict was returned, Mason said he watched as she 'shivered' and 'shook' in the courtroom while listening to a grief counselor give testimony.

'She just snapped . . . when that testimony came out, I was sitting next to her, and I dont remember whether I had my arm on her shoulder or was just holding her hand there while that testimony was going on, but she started shaking, and shivering, and she cried . . . all the time Ive known her, and all the times Ive seen her, I had never seen this.

Mason said Anthony 'shivered' and 'shook' during her trial. She went into 'Casey world' and 'grieved differently' to others, he said

The 31-year-old broke her silence in February this year in an interview with The Associated Press. She told them she slept 'pretty good' at night despite her daughter's death

'It was clear to me  my personal opinion  that it was the first time she consciously was actually aware that her daughter had died.'

After her acquittal in 2011, Casey retreated from public view. She lived quietly in Florida until earlier this year when she broke her silence with an interview with The Associated Press.

Unrepentant as she spoke for the first time since she was cleared of Caylee's death, Anthony told how she sleeps 'pretty good' at night and doesn't give a 's***' what others think of her.
The heartbroken parents of one-punch attack victim Thomas Kelly claim 'something catastrophic' happened to his brother at a notorious college before he killed himself.

Stuart Kelly, 18, committed suicide in July last year, four years after Thomas was killed in a coward-punch attack during a night-out in Sydney's Kings Cross.

Ralph and Kathy Kelly suspect hazing at Sydney University's St Paul's College left their son 'broken' and claim he was targeted because of his brother's death.

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The heartbroken parents of one-punch attack victim Thomas Kelly claim 'something catastrophic' happened to his brother at a notorious Sydney college before he killed himself

Stuart Kelly, 18, committed suicide in July last year, four years after Thomas was killed by in a coward attack during a night out in Kings Cross

'He went off to university for one night at a college and he came home a different person the following day,' Ms Kelly told Channel Nine's 60 Minutes program.

'It just changed him, he was broken.'

The emotional parents said Stuart spent just 18 hours boarding at the college - which has a long history of sexism, misconduct and bullying - and burst into tears when they picked him up.

'We hadn't seen him cry since Thomas died... he was just sobbing uncontrollably,' Ms Kelly said.

'He came home and he went into his room and he basically didn't come out for the next couple of months.

'So you can only assume that something catastrophic happened to him that made him feel the way he did.'

'He went off to university for one night at a college, and he came home a different person the following day,' Kathy (pictured right with Stuart and Ralph) said

Thomas Kelly was killed in 2012 during a night out in Sydney's Kings Cross

Stuart was 14 years old when his older brother died after being randomly punched while walking in the Sydney nightspot with his girlfriend.

Stuart went on to campaign heavily against alcohol-fuelled violence and to support the work of the Thomas Kelly Foundation.

'I carry a deep scar that you cannot see. It's always there, it never leaves,' he said in a famous speech in 2015 calling for an increase in penalties for offenders.

The campaign, coupled with the death of one-punch attack victim Daniel Christie in 2013, eventually led to the controversial lockout laws being introduced by the NSW government the following year.

But Ms Kelly said their family's support for lockout laws had made them a target of abuse, including death threats.

'There were death threats and things like that to our family. What does that do to an 18-year-old?' she said.

'People were saying ''let's kill the rest of the Kelly dogs off'' and things like that.'

Ms Kelly said she believed Stuart would still be alive today had his brother not have been killed.

Stuart and Thomas Kelly are pictured together as young children. Both died when they were just 18

Sydney University's St Paul's College - which has a long history of sexism, misconduct and bullying

Ralph and Kathy Kelly arrive for a press conference in Sydney in 2014. Ms Kelly said their family's support for lockout laws had made them a target of abuse, including death threats

Earlier this year, in separate and unrelated matters to those concerning Stuart Kelly, Daily Mail Australia uncovered explosive allegations of rampant sexism and bullying at St Paul's College.

Several women revealed the extent of the 'sl** shaming' emanating from the college, which was founded in the 1850s and has a tainted history including giving awards to men accused of gang rape.

Following sporting seasons, St Paul's students would allegedly throw alcohol and drug-fuelled sex parties in the college's Rogers Room, which they referred to as the 'Bone Room'.

The 'Bone Room' floor would be covered in mattresses.

This social media post suggested the group of women were heading to a party at St Paul's College's 'Bone Room'

Several men and women can be seen kissing as they attend a party inside the 'Bone Room'

Students attending would be told to bring a woman based on specific criteria including hair colour, skin colour, weight and sexuality.

One woman told Daily Mail Australia she was invited by a senior student and told to go with a younger St Paul's student.

'Seniors would invite you to sleep with you rather than the ''freshers'' (first year students) who bring the girls,' she said.

The college announced a review into its culture last month and said in a statement it was 'appalled by the attitude expressed about women'.

'The Council has determined today to seek the opportunity for the College to participate in the review of colleges at the University of Sydney being undertaken by Elizabeth Broderick & Co,' the statement read.

A woman appears to ride a bike through the 'Bone Room' inside St Paul's College

Several women, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed the extent of the 'slut shaming' emanating from the college, which was founded in the 1850s and has a tainted history including giving awards to men accused of gang rape

In 1977, an 18-year-old female was bashed, raped and killed on St Paul's main oval. No one was ever charged over her murder and it remains a cold case.

Just weeks after that horrific murder, a male student who was one of four to gang rape another student was handed an 'Animal Act of the Year Award' by his peers.

Three decades on in 2007, the college was again embroiled in controversy when a post prior to the 'Jazz Dinner Dance (JDD)' surfaced on Facebook.

It urged 'gentlemen' to purchase a ticket because it was the kind of event 'at which a College girl dreams of losing her virginity'.

In 2009 the college again made headlines when it was revealed students had started a 'Define Statutory: Pro-rape, Anti-consent' group on social media.

For confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14.
A Special Forces soldier blinded in attack by an Guantanamo detainee who was given millions by the Canadian government says Justin Trudeau is guilty of treason.

Layne Morris, was injured and another soldier was killed when a 15-year-old Omar Khadr in a firefight with US Marines in Afghanistan in 2002.

He was captured, and the teen spent the next ten years in Guantanamo Bay where he was tortured and interrogated.

Now Khadr, 30, who has since returned to Canada, has won $8 million ($10.5 million CAD) from the Canadian government after winning his wrongful imprisonment suit for the abuse he sustained while in prison.

But Morris, who was blinded in one eye by the attack, said the news felt, 'Like a punch in the face,' Toronto Sun reported.

Layne Morris, a Special Forces soldier blinded in attack by an Guantanamo detainee (left) who was given millions by the Canadian government says Justin Trudeau (right) is guilty of treason

'We didn't understand the deal but we didn't think that the government would do a behind-the-scenes move like that.

'I don't see this as anything but treason,' added Morris. 'It's something a traitor would do. As far as I am concerned, Prime Minister Trudeau should be charged.'

Morris, a 55-year-old special forces sergeant, said it felt like the Canadian government made a 'dirty deal' with the cash settlement to avoid being exposed to an American court.

His wife Leisl said that Khadr's transportation from Guantanamo to Canada in September 2012 was 'just as secretive.'

'President Obama moved him in the middle of the night back to Canada and nobody even knew. He sure gets special treatment,' she said.

The Special Forces soldier said he doesn't understand why the government would pay out to 'the enemy' - even if they were tortured as a minor in Guantanamo Bay.

Canadian Omar Khadr (pictured at his lawyer's home in Edmonton, Alberta in 2015) has received a $8m settlement from the Canadian government

Khadr (seen left being interrogated aged 15 and right in an undated handout photo) was Guantanamo Bay's youngest detainee. The Canadian government said that in allowing him to be tortured at that age it broke two UN conventions, for which it has now apologized

'You don't ever do anything to aid and abet the enemy,' Morris said. 'We were fighting the terrorists. They were the bad guys. Something is really off here.'

He even warned that the compensation could end up back in the hands of terrorists as he warned Khadr's father was a chief fundraiser for Osama Bin Laden.

'As a general rule... you keep money out of the hands of people who build bombs or would throw hand grenades at our soldiers,' said Morris.

Khadr's military trial drew criticism because he was captured at age 15 and seriously wounded during a four-hour battle at an Afghanistan al-Qaida compound in 2002. Khadr's lawyers and human rights groups contended he was groomed to be 'child soldier' and should have been sent home for rehabilitation.

They said Speer died in a battlefield killing that did not amount to a war crime.

Khadr was prohibited under the deal from calling witnesses at his sentencing hearing who would support defense claims that he was a 'child soldier,' forced into fighting the U.S. by a radical father who was an associate of Osama bin Laden.

Khadr killed US Marine Christopher Speer (right) with a grenade when marines raided the Al Qaeda base where his father had left him. Speer's wife is now trying to get Khadr's money

'The fact that the trial of a child soldier, Omar Khadr, has ended with a guilty plea in exchange for his eventual release to Canada does not change the fact that fundamental principles of law and due process were long since abandoned in Omar's case,' Edney said in 2010.

Military prosecutors in the case portrayed Khadr as a dangerous terrorist. Khadr spent 10 years at Guantanamo, and was transferred to Canada in 2012 to serve the remainder of his sentence.

Khadr was taken to Afghanistan by his father, a senior Al Qaeda member, in the late 1990s; his dad later died in a battle with Pakistani forces in 2003.

Khadr, meanwhile, had been made an apprentice to a group of bomb makers. They were raided by the US in 2002, starting the firefight that would see him incarcerated.

He said that he was duped into being an Al-Qaeda recruit from an early age.

'When you grow up in an environment where these things are normal, you just do them, you don't think about the morality, you don't think about the rights and wrongs,' he told CBC.

'I am a different person, but being the young person that I was I could have been easily influenced with any surrounding environment I was in, so it was just unfortunate that I was in this particular [one].'

Lawsuit: In this file photo, Tabitha Speer, widow of Sgt. 1st Class Chris Speer, is seen next to former sergeant Layne Morris in 2010

After being detained, Khadr spent a decade in Guantanamo Bay, where he was tortured during interrogation; he was returned to Canada to live out the remainder of his sentence in 2012, and released in 2015.

In 2010, the Canadian Supreme Court ruled that the Canadian government had breached his rights by sending intelligence agents to interrogate him and sharing the results with the US.

The government had also breached UN conventions against torture and for children's rights by allowing him to be interrogated at the age of 15, it said.

Khadr had originally sought $16 million ($20 million Canadian) from the authorities before the settlement was agreed. He also received an apology along with the cash.

He says he is a changed man now, and believes the money will help him move on from his imprisonment.

'I never was angry or upset about what happened,' he said. 'It's been hard you know, finding jobs or going to school and stuff with my past reputation.

Omar Khadr (seen leaving court in 2015) was taken from Canada by his dad when he was ten. He was returned to the country to finish his sentence in 2012, and released on parole in 2015

'So this is going to help me move forward.'

However, others are also moving forward with plans of their own.

Tabitha Speer - the widow of U.S. soldier Christopher Speer who was killed in the same attack that blinded Morris - filed a joint $134 million wrongful death suit with Morris.

She filed a court application two weeks ago, and attempted an emergency injunction to stop him from receiving the money, The Huffington Post reported Wednesday.

Lawyer Don Winder, who represents Speer's widow and St Layne Morris, who was injured in the attack that killed Speer, said they filed an application a few weeks ago in Canada. It has yet to be heard.

'We will be proceeding with that application and trying to make sure that if he gets money it goes to the widow of Sgt Speer and Layne Morris for the loss of an eye,' Winder said.
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The judge in the Charlie Gard case has dismissed tweeted interventions from the Pope and Donald Trump.

Mr Justice Francis told the High Court only dramatic new evidence could save the desperately ill 11-month-old. He challenged Charlies parents  Connie Yates and Chris Gard  to provide it within 48 hours.

They want the courts to allow their son to have experimental treatment rather than for his life support to be withdrawn. President Trump and Pope Francis have issued dramatic tweets backing the familys stance.

But the judge insisted he would not be swayed by what has become a vociferous campaign. He said he would rule not on the basis of tweets or things that are said to the Press but on the basis of clear evidence.

During an emotional hearing at the High Court, Charlie's parents and lawyers acting on behalf of Great Ormond Street Hospital clashed over whether there was any new evidence to submit over the 11-year-old's condition.

Doctors claim Charlie's body has grown but his head has not, a fact which is disputed by Charlie's parents Chris and Connie Yates, who have been given 48 hours to provide circumference measurements proving otherwise.

The judge admitted the head growth was an issue, after GOSH lawyer Katie Gollop said it had not grown in three months and that there was 'no prospect of Charlie becoming a normal boy.

But an angry Connie told the judge: They measured it this morning and it has gone up by 2cm in a week. His head has grown I promise you. Chris added: They are fudging it.

The youngster's heartbroken father also yelled out that Great Ormond Street was 'lying' to the judge and stormed out of the High Court after doctors said keeping him alive 'is against his welfare'.

The parents of Charlie Gard have been given two days to submit new evidence that illustrates how experimental drug treatment could improve the health of the critically-ill baby

Doctors claim Charlie's body has grown but his head has not, a fact which is disputed by Charlie's parents Chris and Connie Yates (pictured), who have been given 48 hours to provide circumference measurements proving otherwise

Charlie's Army were outside the High Court this afternoon demanding Charlie is flown to the US as a judge agreed to a new hearing on Thursday

Charlie's legal team say seven experts from the US and Europe now believe their son is not irreversibly brain damaged and claim new evidence proves he could benefit from experimental drug treat

But Katie Gollop QC for Great Ormond Street said: 'Some of this new evidence that was said to be new is not new', adding some of it dates back to 2003.

Chris Gard shouted to her 'when are you going to start telling the truth?' and said to the judge: 'They are lying to you'. He would later leave the room and slammed the door and Miss Yates also said: 'It's not the truth.'

'Charming but deadly': The lawyer presenting the case for GOSH The lawyer presenting the case that Charlie Gard should be allowed to die has been described as 'charming but deadly'. Katie Gollop QC told the High COurt that there was 'no prospect of Charlie Gard becoming a normal boy' in her capacity as legal representative for Great Ormond Street Hospital. A specialist in healthcare law, she was involved in the Harold Shipman public inquiry and won six out of seven trials during 2016. In her profile on the Serjeant's Inn website, she is described as a 'quick witted, down to earth, tireless and client focused advocate who likes to win'. Advertisement

Outside court Charlie's army of supporters chanted his name, waved banners and held prayers led by a controversial US pastor in the UK for the hearing.

The judge said he may not make a 'final determination' on Thursday. But he said he wanted Charlie's parents to spell out any new evidence and explain their case.

He said he wanted to know what had changed and said he would make decisions on the basis of 'clear evidence'.

'I will hear new evidence,' said the judge. 'I am not going to rake over facts.' He said he would analyse the case 'calmly and fairly'.

Miss Yates told the judge: 'He is our son. Please listen to us.' After today's hearing, a spokesman for the family said that 'if Charlie is still fighting then they are still fighting'.

He added: 'Baby Charlie and Charlies parents are thankful for the outcome of the hearing in the high court today.

'Charlies parents look forward to new evidence being heard before the high court this Thursday that will result in Charlies parents taking him either to the US or Italy for ground-breaking treatment.

'Mum and dad say that if Charlie is still fighting then they are still fighting. Lastly but not least Charlies parents wish to thank the continued support of millions of supporters of baby Charlie from around the world.'

Outside court Charlie's army of supporters chanted his name, waved banners and held prayers led by a controversial US pastor as the hearing went on this afternoon.

Connie Yates and Chris Gard (pictured today) arrive at the High Court to beg Mr Justice Francis to grant them a 'miracle' - but both would interrupt the emotional hearing

The couple want their son to have two to three months grace to be given experimental nucleoside treatment that has had good results with children with similar forms of mitochondrial disease

Supporters bowed their heads in prayer outside the High Court as the hearing started

One young supporter had a babygro saying he was part of Charlie's Army and carrying the #Charlie'sFight hashtag

Mr Justice Francis, who ruled earlier this year that Charlie should be allowed to die, opened the hearing by telling their lawyers: 'You are going to have to persuade me that something new or dramatic has changed'.

Charlie's lawyers then said that the judge should be replaced as they demanded a new two-day hearing to decide their son's fate later this month.

THERAPY AT CENTRE OF DEBATE OVER WHETHER CHARLIE CAN BE HELPED By Sam Greenhill and Alison Smith-Squire for the Daily Mail The treatment Charlie Gard's parents long to try is a drug called nucleosides therapy. It replaces deoxynucleosides, which are naturally produced in healthy people, to repair DNA. It has never been tested on anyone with the rare strain of mitochondrial disease Charlie suffers, but has had some success on patients with a similar strain. Despite its experimental nature, Charlie's parents believe it must be worth a try. But doctors said it would only cause him more pain, and the High Court agreed. Now the court has been asked to think again. The debate involves two issues  if the disease itself can be treated, and whether there is any point in trying to do so if Charlie is brain-damaged. Today's High Court hearing is about whether the therapy has a chance of reaching Charlie's brain by crossing the 'blood-brain barrier', which separates the blood stream from the brain's fluids. The court had ruled there was 'no evidence' it could do so. But seven international scientists wrote a letter last week declaring there was actually 'substantial direct and indirect evidence clearly demonstrating' that the drug can cross the blood-brain barrier. Advertisement

He ruled out a two-day hearing and said he was 'troubled' by this and read aloud a statement from a member of staff at GOSH saying the doctors were under 'extreme strain' while the case dragged on.

Mr Justice Francis said: 'Staff feel it is desperately unfairness to Charlie' to keep treating him 'week after week knowing that every step they take for Charlie is against his welfare.'

In response to calls for him to step down the judge responded: 'I did my job and will continue to do so', adding: 'There is not a person alive who would not want to save Charlie'.

Mr Justice Francis set out that he had already heard 'very clear evidence' that structural brain damage cannot be reversed and that Charlie's body is growing but his head is not.

His mother Miss Yates was seen shaking her head and saying 'no, no' in response before Grant Armstrong, for Charlie's family, suggested Mr Justice Francis was the wrong man to hear the case.

Mr Armstrong told the court that new evidence put forward by seven experts from across Europe say a drug from the US could lead to 'dramatic clinical improvements' for Charlie.

He added that if there was 'a chance for Charlie' and it was a chance that was 'worth taking'.

But lawyers for Great Ormond Street Hospital said they were struggling to identify new evidence or new research.

Katie Gollop QC said: 'Some of this new evidence that was said to be new is not new', adding references in the seven scientists' letter referred to research in 2003, 2007, 2012 and 2014.

A guardian independently representing Charlie said the same to which Mr Gard interrupted proceedings again and said: 'We're his voice'.

His parents want their son to have two to three months grace to be given experimental nucleoside treatment that has had good results with children with similar forms of mitochondrial disease.

Mr Justice Francis had ruled in April that ending life-support treatment would be in Charlie's best interests after a High Court trial.

Specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where Charlie is being cared for, have said therapy proposed by a doctor in America is experimental and would not help. Doctors say life-support treatment should stop.

Charlie's parents asked European court judges in Strasbourg, France, to consider their claims after losing battles in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in London. But Strasbourg judges have refused to intervene.

Rev Patrick Mahoney outside the High Court in London for a hearing in the latest bid to see Charlie gard treated with an experimental therapy

Supporters of Charlie Gard used loud speakers to chant his name and ask for justice while others had posters begging the judge to save the little boy

Rev. Patrick Mahoney (right) said he was finally able to come in and pray with Charlie Gard and his parents (pictured) - and he held prayers outside the High Court today

Before the hearing the parents made another plea to save their son.

Today Miss Yates said: 'I don't know what we'd be like if we lost him. We have been very close to losing him on two occasions. I just hope we get another miracle and he gets that chance to live'.

She added: 'If he was suffering, I couldn't do it, I promise'.

If they lose Charlie's life support will be shut off - if they win Charlie could be flown to America or Rome for experimental treatment now backed by seven experts opposed to Great Ormond Street's plans to end his life.

'I think parents know when their children are ready to go and they've given up and Charlie is still fighting'.

She added: 'We are living on a a knife edge but we are staying strong. We have hope to carry on', adding the support from Pope Francis and US President Donald Trump had 'saved his life so far'.

Great Ormond Street requested the hearing after seven top doctors suggested the new therapy might work and Mr Justice Francis, who previously ruled 'with the heaviest of hearts' that life support must be withdrawn, will hear the latest arguments.

Connie and Chris believe experimental medication from the US has a 10 per cent of working and they still believe he has the chance to be a 'normal boy' even though his London doctors claim he is irreversibly brain damaged.

Miss Yates told The Sun: 'We don't want him to be in the ground, we want him to be riding a bike. There's 18 children currently on this medication, they're all getting stronger, they're all getting better. It's a miracle what happens'.

She told BBC News today: 'I wouldn't be able to sit there and watch my son suffer and be in pain. He still gets enjoyment. We could take him to the park. He wakes up, he enjoys his tickles, he watches videos on the iPad'.

She added: 'I hope they can see there is more of a chance than previously thought and hope they trust us as parents and trust the other doctors'.

Miss Yates said that the case of Ashya King highlights where doctors can get it wrong.

She said: 'His parents took their son out of the country and were arrested. They ended up getting their son the treatment, and it worked. He is now at school and that treatment is now coming to the NHS. Sometimes parents are right'.

The interest of the Pope and US President Donald Trump in Charlie's case has 'saved his life so far', his mother has said.

Ms Yates told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Yeah, they have saved his life so far.

'It turned it into an international issue. There are a lot of people that are outraged by what is going on. We have got new evidence now so I hope the judge changes his mind.'

She said that 'sometimes parents are right in what they think' and it is not simply that they do not want to switch off life support.

She said the family now have seven specialist doctors - two from the US, two from Italy, one from England and two from Spain - who are supporting them.

She added: 'We expect that structural damage is irreversible but I have yet to see something which tells me my son has irreversible structural brain damage.'

The parents of eleven-month-old Charlie Gard (pictured) were joined by an 'army of supporters' to deliver a 350,000 signature petition to Great Ormond Street hospital calling for him to go to the US for treatment

The brave couple spoke to the media and their supporters outside the Great Ormond Street Hospital yesterday

Chris Gard and Connie Yates released this new picture of their son Charlie and are 'overwhelmed' after Donald Trump and the Pope offered their support

In a moving press conference yesterday his parents made a last plea for their baby to be given experimental treatment.

They were boosted by a 350,000-signature petition asking Great Ormond Street to stop insisting it would be kinder for Charlie to be allowed to die.

In another twist, the couple were joined by a controversial pastor who flew in from Washington to pray for them.

Rev Patrick Mahoney declared God has already played a part by making Donald Trump and Pope Francis speak out for the sick 11-month-old.

Charlie's parents yesterday accused Great Ormond Street and the courts of blocking their hope of taking him to America for therapy for his mitochondrial depletion syndrome.

Mr Gard, 32, said the hospital was 'fantastic' but added: 'Unfortunately, they are not specialists in Charlie's condition  the specialists are in America, where we want to go.'

He said there was no evidence of his son having catastrophic brain damage, despite doctors' claims. 'His brain is affected but this medicine can get into the brain and help that,' he said.

PAEDIATRICIAN SAYS OUTSIDE INTERVENTIONS IN CHARLIE GARD CASE ARE 'UNHELPFUL' Britain's leading paediatrician said outside interventions in the Charlie Gard case are unhelpful. Neena Moodi, the president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, hit out at comments made by US president Donald Trump and Pope Francis. Professor Modi wrote: 'Only the family, the doctors treating Charlie, and now the legal teams involved, know the details of complex issues that define his situation. 'These issues  unknown to us and all those voicing opinions  will have been considered very carefully in reaching any decision. This is why interventions by external agencies or individuals, no matter how well-intended, are unhelpful. 'When situations are hopeless or unbearable or life is limited, the focus of care rightly shifts to ensuring death is pain-free, dignified, and in the presence of loved ones. 'The case of Charlie Gard is no different. Amidst the sea of voices and opinions, the public deserves to know how such decisions are made.' Advertisement

'He should have had this chance a long time ago. He deserves his chance at last. Let's get Charlie the treatment he needs.'

Miss Yates, 31, said the new evidence from seven scientists  whose letter last week persuaded Great Ormond Street to reopen the court case  meant Charlie now had a 10 per cent chance.

The seven specialists include the American doctor offering to treat Charlie, and a colleague, neither of whom can be named for legal reasons.

The seven specialists include the American doctor offering to treat Charlie, and a colleague, neither of whom can be named for legal reasons. Two others are from the papal children's hospital in Rome, two are from the Vall d'Hebron research institute in Barcelona, and the seventh is an award-winning clinical geneticist at Cambridge University.

'We feel that that's a chance worth taking,' she said. 'We've been fighting for his medication since November. Parents know their children best. He's our son, he's our flesh and blood.

'We feel that it should be our right as parents to decide to give him a chance at life, for a medication that's just oral medicine, with no known major side effects.'

Charlie's condition, which saps energy from his organs and muscles, means he cannot breathe without an artificial ventilator.

Great Ormond Street doctors say he is irreversibly brain damaged, deaf, blind, and quite possibly in pain.

They have told the High Court it was 'not a tolerable situation to leave a child in'. Mr Justice Francis agreed, and was backed by the Appeal Court, Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights, which all ruled it would be kinder to let Charlie die.

His death has been 'scheduled' twice already, but both times the hospital postponed the removal of his breathing tube.

Miss Yates said: 'We wouldn't be able to sit there and watch him in pain, and suffering. We're not like that, we're not evil.

'We're not doing this for us. I absolutely believe this medication will work. I'm not a doctor but I feel like I am an expert in his condition now.'

Two American congressmen have announced they will table legislation in Washington to give Charlie and his family resident status to help them travel for treatment.

Yesterday the couple were supported in person by Rev Mahoney  a radical pastor repeatedly arrested for protesting against abortion in the United States.

He set up a $5,000 (3,880) fundraising page online to travel to London and 'save Charlie's life'.

At the press conference outside Great Ormond Street, he gripped Mr Gard's arm and prayed for 'their precious, beautiful son who has captured the imagination of the world'.

He said: 'I cannot say how impressed I am by their heroism, and the fact that these two people have stood against the courts, bureaucrats, governments and hospital administration to fight for the life of their son. There is no greater power than the love of parents.'

The 11-month-old has twice survived plans to end his life support in the past two weeks

Connie and Chris paid a visit to the chapel at Great Ormond Street Hospital as they continue to hope they can take him to America for treatment

The US President previously tweeted: 'If we can help little Charlie Gard, as per our friends in the UK and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so'

THE JUDGE WHO WILL DECIDE CHARLIE'S FATE Mr Justice Francis  set to hear Charlie Gard's case today  is one of the most junior High Court judges By Sam Greenhill and Alison Smith-Squire for the Daily Mail Once described as 'the smoothest family law silk at the Bar', Mr Justice Francis  set to hear Charlie Gard's case today  is one of the most junior High Court judges. He was appointed to the court's family division and awarded a knighthood last year. Educated at Radley College, an independent boys' boarding school in Oxfordshire, he went on to study at Downing College, Cambridge. The judge, who is married with three children, was called to the Bar in 1981 and in more than 30 years as a barrister he specialised in divorces of the wealthy. In 1999 he was appointed a recorder, or part-time judge, and he achieved the rank of Queen's Counsel in 2002. In 2011 he was made a deputy High Court judge. The 59-year-old lists his hobbies in Who's Who as 'sailing, theatre and wine', and is a member of the Royal Solent Yacht Club. In 2014 the Bar Awards named him 'Family Silk' of the year while Chambers and Partners, which ranks lawyers, said he had 'terrific attention to detail and is deadly in cross-examination', and 'doesn't miss anything'. The Legal 500, another legal rating service, has described Mr Justice Francis as 'the smoothest family law silk at the Bar', adding: 'He is extremely knowledgeable and a great advocate.' Advertisement

The 63-year-old pastor, who posted on Facebook a photo of himself smiling with Charlie's parents, credited his own appeals to God for the involvement of Mr Trump and Pope Francis.

'Great Ormond Street said nothing yesterday but has previously insisted its doctors had explored every medical treatment for Charlie and concluded the proposed therapy 'would be futile and would prolong Charlie's suffering'.

It added: 'This is not an issue about money or resources, but absolutely about what is right for Charlie.'

Yesterday the stance was backed by Neena Modi, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

She said that doctors were bound by the law, which puts the interests of a child above its parents.

The professor added: 'When situations are hopeless or unbearable or life is limited, the focus of care rightly shifts to ensuring death is pain-free, dignified, and in the presence of loved ones.'

The High Court is expected to rule in the case later this week.

MOTHER OF 'MIRACLE' TODDLER BACKS CHARLIE'S FIGHT FOR LIFE The mother of a 'miracle' toddler who survived a serious illness despite her life support machine being turned off has called for Charlie Gard to be granted the chance to undergo a pioneering treatment. Lydia Germon was given just 24 hours to live when she was born in October 2015 with Dandy-Walker variant - a brain abnormality which caused her head to swell. The toddler, of Swansea, has also suffered with sepsis and meningitis and had her ventilator switched off in January 2016 when doctors said there was 'nothing that could be done', but she kept fighting leading to her condition improving. Lydia Germon was given just 24 hours to live when she was born in October 2015 with Dandy-Walker variant - a brain abnormality which caused her head to swell Parents Bethan and David initially wanted to take her to the US for an experimental treatment only for the NHS to eventually perform a life-saving surgery. Mrs Germon, 29, told the Mirror her daughter 'outlived doctors' expectations and said Charlie Gard should be given the same chance. She said: 'If any treatment is going to give a child like Charlie or Lydia a better chance of life, they should have it. 'Unless you have been in a hospital and watched your child on a ventilator, you won't understand.' Advertisement

The evangelical pastor with a thirst for publicity: Controversial American reverend joins Charlie Gard's parents - after setting up a fundraising site to pay for the trip

For months, the parents of desperately ill Charlie Gard have been at his hospital bedside hoping beyond hope for a miracle.

Now, a controversial figure has joined them from across the Atlantic, bringing with him an evangelical zeal which seems to know no bounds  not to mention a philosophy he has summed up thus: 'Fasten your seat belts baby, it's going to be a wild ride.'

Step forward the radical Reverend Patrick Mahoney, a 63-year-old ordained minister in the Reformed Presbyterian Church and self-styled 'Christian social, political and human-rights activist' who has been arrested more than once for protesting over the issues he feels most passionate about.

The married father of three describes himself as an 'outspoken prophetic voice for ending the violence of abortion'.

Christian Defense Coalition Director Reverend Patrick Mahoney is arrested in front of the Supreme Court in Washington in 2000, during a demonstration against abortions

n 1992, Rev Mahoney, along with three other anti-abortion campaigners, was sentenced to up to six months in jail for violating a restraining order prohibiting him from demonstrating in front of an abortion clinic in Houston, Texas

Reverend Patrick Mahoney, a 63-year-old ordained minister in the Reformed Presbyterian Church and self-styled 'Christian social, political and human-rights activist'

In 1992, Rev Mahoney, along with three other anti-abortion campaigners, was sentenced to up to six months in jail for violating a restraining order prohibiting him from demonstrating in front of an abortion clinic in Houston, Texas, though it is unclear whether he spent time behind bars.

His readiness to defy authority attracted international attention when he was arrested twice in Beijing's Tiananmen Square for leading protests for religious freedom and human rights during the 2008 Olympics in China.

Now, in an astonishing twist to the story that's divided the world, he appears to be the Gard family's new spokesman.

For his latest mission, Rev Mahoney jetted in to England from his native United States last Thursday on a 'faith journey', as he put it, to lead a campaign 'to save Charlie's life' after setting up a fundraising website to pay for the trip.

He wanted to pray next to Charlie and his parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates, but the hospital was, at first, resistant because of 'security reasons' and would not let him into Charlie's room, according to Rev Mahoney.

'It is an outrage that Great Ormond Street Hospital has denied a pastor from praying for Charlie Gard and offering spiritual help to his family,' he said.

In an astonishing twist to the story that's divided the world, he appears to be the Gard family's new spokesman

'I was invited by Charlie's parents Connie and Chris to come from America to pray for Charlie, and it is stunning that I was denied from doing this.

'In 40 years of pastoral ministry, I have never once been denied the right to pray over a patient in a hospital.

'This continues to show Great Ormond Street Hospital's disregard for the wishes of Charlie's parents. First the hospital denies care, and now they deny prayer.'

Charlie's mother professed herself to be 'heartbroken' at the decision to refuse Rev Mahoney entry.

But he proved as irrepressible as ever and the decision was later reversed, allowing the American to say what he called 'one of the most important prayers I have ever prayed in my life' over Charlie in his hospital room.

Sharing a photograph of himself with the family on social media, Rev Mahoney, who is a grandfather, declared: 'Wonderful update and victory. The hospital did allow me to go pray with Charlie.

'Here I am with his parents, Chris and Connie. Let's believe for a miracle and that Great Ormond Street hospital would continue do the right thing.'

Married for 44 years this August to wife Katie, who is a lifestyle coach, Rev Mahoney's first job as a pastor was in New York, where he worked with gang members and troubled youths.

The Mahoney family moved to the Washington DC area in 1992, when he became a director of the Christian Defense Coalition, which fights to protect public expressions of faith. Today, he and his wife live in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Three years ago, he acted as a spokesman for a disease-stricken teenager in the US and expressed 'outrage' on behalf of the girl's parents when a judge in Massachusetts awarded custody of the youngster to the state.

Rev Mahoney reportedly said the parents believed that their daughter was being 'treated as a pawn and piece of property'.

Now, he has taken up the cudgels in similar fashion on behalf of Charlie. Recently, Rev Mahoney said: 'One of the main issues concerning Charlie Gard is this.

'If the government, courts and hospital officials can tell loving parents how they are to raise and care for their children and force them to do as they wish, then the role of parents and a free society are in grave danger.'

Beneath another photograph of himself with Mr Gard and Miss Yates recently posted on Facebook, Rev Mahoney  who does not appear to be averse to self-promotion  wrote: 'This is what the revolution looks like! Here I am in London with Chris and Connie.

'They have stood against hospital officials, the courts, judges, government bureaucrats and the entire system to fight for the life of their son and they are winning!

'This shows there is nothing that compares to the heart and love of a mother and father.'

Whatever his precise motivation might be, Rev Mahoney is clearly determined to take control of the situation.

After the interventions of the Pope and US President Donald Trump on behalf of the ailing little boy, you might think the story could not surprise us any more.

But as they might say where Rev Mahoney comes from you ain't see nothing yet.
A gunman on a boat in Washington State who had stripped naked hours after firing shots at the shoreline was shot dead by police officers.

The man started firing shots aimed at Bainbridge Island shoreline from a boat anchored in the waters of Eagle Harbor around 9pm, KOMO reported.

When Bainbridge Island police officers arrived, the man, who has not been publicly named, reportedly began firing at authorities.

Bainbridge Island Police Chief Matthew Hammer said the gunfire lasted roughly two hours and then stopped just before 11pm.

Bainbridge Island Police Chief Matthew Hammer (above) said the gunman had been firing at the Bainbridge Island shoreline from a boat before officers arrived. He was shot and killed by officers around 12.30am

When the suspect appeared on the boat's deck around 12.30am, he was naked.

The man climbed into a dinghy behind the boat and then climbed back into the cabin of the main boat before emerging with a rifle that he aimed at police officers, KOMO reported.

Officers then opened fire on the gunman, and he was fatally wounded.

No one else was injured and Hammer added that there were reports of other boats that were shot at.

No one else was injured during the incident. Bainbridge Island is located in Puget Sound; it is a 35-minute ferry ride from Seattle

'All the officers involved in the situation acted with the utmost professionalism and took every step to handle the situation in the most judicious manner,' Hamner said, according to KIRO7.

'I cannot fully express my gratitude to all of the officers involved and our regional law enforcement partners that responded to the situation.'

Bainbridge Island is located in Puget Sound; it is a 35-minute ferry ride from Seattle.

Ferry services were briefly stooped while the incident unfolded before being cleared to resume.

The Washington State Patrol is leading the investigation into the shooting.
Two mischievous brothers hopefully learned their lesson after prank calling their police department.

The elementary age boys in Fulshear, Texas, called their police station 25 times because they 'thought it was funny' and 'did not want to go to bed'.

They even gave the police the wrong address to confuse them.

When their mom found out, she made them each write a letter to apologize and explain.

Two mischievous elementary age brothers in Fulshear, Texas, prank called their police station 25 times. When their mom found out, she made them both write letters to the police department to apologize and explain (pictured)

'I thought that it was funny, to call you and try to send you to the wrong house, to make you think that the people in that house did it, and because I did not want to go to bed,' one of the brothers wrote.

The other explained: 'I am very sorry that I called you when there wasn't any emergency. We kept saying the wrong adress (sic) to trick you. We did it because we thought it was funny.'

Their mom then brought the two young boys to the Fulshear Police Department where the boys hand delivered their apologies.

One brother wrote in his apology: 'I am very sorry for calling you all those times, Could you forgive me, and allow me to stay in this house without sending me to jail. I promise that is never going to happen again in my whole life.'

The other added: 'Please forgive me. I will do anything to get out of jail if you send me there. I promise not to do it again. I want to stay home. I would never do that again.'

After the boys walked into the Fulshear Police Department and apologized, the officers accepted their apologies immediately and posted their letters to Facebook with this post

A Facebook post by the Fulshear Police Department on Saturday said the boys came into the station looking dejected with their apologies in hand.

'As the two young siblings marched into the Fulshear police station with their sad faces and heads down, they promptly apologized and offered these letters of explanation,' the post reads.

'We all make mistakes, it's how we own those mistakes that makes us whole again.

'We commended their mom and immediately accepted their apologies. Their sad faces turned into smiling faces, as they exited the station.

'We have to admit we were smiling as well.'
GOP mayoral candidate for New York City Nicole Malliotakis, 36, was sent an anonymous letter making fun of her looks and calling her 'ugly'

New York City mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis allegedly has been sent a letter making fun of her looks and calling her 'ugly'.

The letter, sent to the Staten Island Republican Assemblywoman's home, was reported to police on Wednesday, according to the New York Daily News.

Accompanying the note, reportedly, were photographs and letters cut out from a newspaper.

'It's more creepy than threatening,' a source told the newspaper.

The unsigned letter and envelope, which did not list a return address on it, were taken to an NYPD crime lab to see if fingerprints or DNA can be detected.

Malliotakis campaign officials confirmed the letter was given to police but have not provided comment on the incident.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Malliotakis's camp for further details.

The 36-year-old Assemblywoman is trying to become New York City's first female mayor.

She is the presumptive GOP nominee now that real estate executive Paul Massey has dropped out of the race.

However, several political science experts say Malliotakis will have a tough hill to climb if she expects a victory.

Currently, Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, is well ahead of any named or potential challenger in the polls.

A May 17 Quinnipiac survey showed he had a 60 percent approval rating - his highest yet - and would defeat Malliotakis 64-to-21 in a potential race.

The same poll said 84 percent of likely voters 'don't know enough about Malliotakis'.
Child rapist and killer Levi Belfield has complained he is being victimised by Milly Dowler's sister Gemma in her new book.

Belfield admitted raping and killing the 13-year-old girl in January 2016 some 14 years after the murder.

Milly Dowler's sister Gemma has written a book outlining her family's heartbreak following her sister's murder near Walton-on-Thames in 2002.

Former wheel clamper Levi Belfield was convicted of the 2002 murder of Milly Dowler

A friend of the 49-year-old serial killer told the Sunday Mirror that he is 'not a nutter, not a fruitcake' and insisted he has not read the new book.

He said: 'I am aware I may be their justice at present and this may ease their pain with the knowledge that the perpetrator of these horrendous crimes is behind bars. However, I am innocent.'

Milly's body was discovered in woods near Yateley Heath in Hampshire six months after she vanished.

Belfield, who is a former wheel clamper, had been convicted of the murders of Amelie Delagrange, 22, and Marsha McDonnell, 19. He had also been convicted of the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy.

Gemma Dowler, pictured, wrote book outlining her family's 15-year-long ordeal

Commenting on the book, he said: 'I havent read it. I dont want to read it I am sure it is heartbreaking, but I am not their closure.

'Thats the truth, I am not a nutter, I am not a fruitcake. I didnt do it.'

Belfield, who has converted to Islam, claimed he had been subjected to prejudicial media reporting.

The three-time killer is being held at HMP Frankland, which is also home to Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe and Soham killer Ian Huntley.

Bellfield, who now calls himself Yusuf Rahim, lived 50 yards from where Milly vanished but did not become a suspect until he was arrested by police in London for the other crimes in 2004.

After he had been convicted of Milly's murder Bellfield yawned as he was led from court.

When he refused to return to the Old Bailey for sentencing the next day, Mr Justice Wilkie said Bellfield had 'not had the courage' to come to court.

Bellfield subjected Milly's family to the 'appalling anguish' of many months of not knowing what had become of her, the judge had said.

He added: 'But most cruel of all, in an attempt to divert responsibility from himself, he instructed his lawyers in this trial to expose to the world her most private, adolescent thoughts, secrets and worries, and sought to hint that she was a dark, unhappy and troubled person.'
Donald Trump has revealed US plans to form an 'impenetrable cyber security unit' with Russia, before again blaming Barack Obama for not stopping the Russian interference.

Trump fired up his Twitter account on Sunday morning and sent out a series of statements about his meeting with Putin at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, this week.

The president's first tweet focused on what he claims are 'bad trade deals' with Europe, before turning his attention to the Russian election hacking.

'I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion.....,' he wrote, running out of characters mid-sentence.

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Donald Trump claimed on Twitter he confronted Vladimir Putin over Russia's interference in the 2016 election at the G20 summit. Trump and Putin are pictured laughing

'...We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!

'Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded.. ... and safe.'

Later in the day, Trump again tweeted about the Syria ceasefire, suggesting it could be a topic discussed heavily in the week ahead.

'Syrian ceasefire seems to be holding. Many lives can be saved. Came out of meeting. Good!' he wrote. The ceasefire deal was reached by the US, Russia, and Jordan, calling it a 'de-escalation agreement'.

The agreement followed weeks of secretive talks between the three countries in Amman to address the buildup of Iranian-backed forces near the Jordanian and Israeli borders.

Earlier, Trump's cyber plan was almost immediately attacked, with Florida Republican Marco Rubio blasting the proposal.

'Partnering with Putin on a "Cyber Security Unit" is akin to partnering with Assad on a "Chemical Weapons Unit",' Rubio wrote.

'We have no quarrel with Russia or the Russian people. Problem is with Putin & his oppression, war crimes & interference in our elections.'

Democrat Adam Schiff also trashed the plan, speaking with CNN on Sunday morning.

'How can we really believe the president pressed Putin hard, when only the day before he was denying whether we really knew Russia was responsible?' Schiff said.

'What kind of a tough negotiator, the way the president likes to portray himself, goes into a negotiation betraying his own position the day before? Calling into question the probity of his own intelligence agencies, that just doesn't make any sense.

'Then to say, "OK it's been resolved now we can move on", I don't think we can move on. I don't think we can expect the Russians to be any kind of a credible partner in some cyber security unit, I think that would be dangerously naive for this country if that's our best election defense, we might as well just mail our ballot boxes to Moscow.'

Meanwhile, Trump, as he is wont to do, was then directing his Twitter bile towards the Democrats and President Obama.

'Questions were asked about why the CIA & FBI had to ask the DNC 13 times for their SERVER, and were rejected, still don't....,' he wrote.

'...have it. Fake News said 17 intel agencies when actually 4 (had to apologize). Why did Obama do NOTHING when he had info before election?'

"How can we really believe that the President pushed Putin hard?" says @RepAdamSchiff #CNNSOTU https://t.co/t1NIurJmI1  CNN (@CNN) July 9, 2017

'I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion,' Trump wrote on Twitter Sunday morning

Donald Trump discussed his meeting with Putin, attacked the DNC and President Obama, called out 'fake news', and said Russia will not face new sanctions - all in the space of six tweets

Trump returned to Twitter on Sunday afternoon to talk-up the ceasefire in Syria, which was reached after weeks of negotiations between the US, Russia, and Jordan

The president's claim about President Obama not doing anything is not true, as it has previously been revealed Obama spoke to Putin about the hacking in September, and he worked in the final few months leading up to the election to ensure no voting systems could be hacked.

Democrats have also spoken about why Obama did not do more, with Al Franken telling MSNBC's Morning Joe last month the former President and his team: 'didn't want to look like they were putting a thumb on the scale and that's why they didn't do more'.

Trump's claim about the four intelligence agencies is also factually incorrect, as six chiefs - DIA Director General Vincent Stewart, NSA Director Michael Rogers, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, and National Geospatial-Intelligence Director Robert Cardillo - all said 'Russian intelligence agencies' were behind the election hacking, CNN reports.

A few minutes later on Sunday morning, Trump revealed he did not discuss potential punishments for Russia's meddling in the election.

'Sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin. Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian & Syrian problems are solved!' he wrote.

The tweets come after it was revealed members of his team - including Donald Trump Jr and Jared Kushner - met with a Kremlin lawyer at Trump Tower just two weeks after he won the Republican nomination last year.

Putin and Donald Trump are pictured during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg on July 7

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump shake hands during their meeting at the G20 summit in Germany this meet

Trump then accused President Barack Obama of not stopping Putin from hacking the election. Obama is pictured meeting with Putin during a G20 meeting in September 2016

The Trump Tower meeting, which took place on June 9, 2016 and has never before been disclosed, was attended by then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort, Kushner, and Don Jr - who is accused of organizing the meeting, the New York Times reports.

This is the first confirmed meeting between Trump associates and figures tied to the Russian government, according to the Times, which cited confidential government records.

'It was a short introductory meeting,' Trump Jr told the Times. The newspaper identified the Russian attorney as Natalia Veselnitskaya.

The wife of a former deputy transportation minister, Veselnitskaya is best known for her public attacks on American sanctions legislation aimed at Russian human rights abusers.

The Magnitsky Act imposed visa bans and asset freezes on Russian officials linked to the 2009 death in prison of Sergei Magnitsky, a 37-year-old Russian whistleblower.

Russia has demanded that the US repeal the legislation since its passage in 2012.
A police chief says he is willing to hire 'paedophile hunters' to help snare online predators.

Jeff Cuthbert, Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent Police, says he wants to hire them as special constables, so they can work with officers to make arrests.

In the past year seven online perverts have been caught by paedophile hunters in the Gwent force area alone.

The groups ensare paedophiles online before exposing them when they meet

Mr Cuthbert said: 'What we don't know of course is how many potential perpetrators have got away with it because it's not been done properly or walked away because it's not stood up in court, so it's a question of balance.

'The message is lets work together.

'Of course there are training implications, it would have to be done in a planned way - the right way - but I think in terms of the principle, it's the right way forward.'

The Home Office has previously said it does not agree with self-styled online vigilantes who track down and confront child groomers.

The sister of schoolgirl April Jones (pictured), who was murdered in the Gwent area, has backed the idea

But the idea has been backed by the family of murdered schoolgirl April Jones - who was killed by paedophile Mark Bridger in 2012.

April's sister Jazmin Jones, 17, believed not enough was being done to protect child sex victims.

She said: 'I understand that people want these paedophiles off the streets because they are protecting their own children and their family's children.

'I think the police need to sit down with people from these groups and actually talk about what's going on, and say 'to get a conviction you need to do this, this and this and you can't do this'.

There is some controversy about the groups' methods. Violence broke out earlier this year at a shopping centre in Kent during a sting

'But there's so many things that could go wrong if the police do not step in and help out.'

Paedophile hunter groups typically create fake profiles to pose as children in internet chat rooms and wait for child groomers to get in contact with them.

The stings are often recorded live and the video is uploaded to social media to expose the predators online.

However there's been some controversy about the methods used by paedophile hunter groups.

Police say that revealing the identity of suspected paedophiles could jepordize investigations

In April violence broke out at the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent when a vigilante group called The Hunted One set up a sting to ensnare a paedophile.

Chief constable Simon Bailey, of the National Police Chiefs' council, said that paedophile hunters could jepordize police investigations.

He said that revealing the identity of suspected paedophiles could give suspects 'the opportunity to destroy evidence before the police can investigate them.'

A Home Office spokesman said: 'The issues of child protection understandably matters greatly to people, but they should allow the police and law enforcement agencies to do their vital work by not taking the law into their own hands.'
Reginald Robinson was found guilty of sexual harassment by staff at Howard University

A college law professor has been found guilty of sexual harassment because he gave students a test question about a bikini wax.

Reginald Robinson included the question in a test for students at Howard University in Washington D.C. in September 2015.

It described a hypothetical situation in which a person sued a beauty salon claiming to have been touched inappropriately by a therapist after falling asleep while undergoing a bikini wax.

The question asked whether a court would support the person's claim against the salon owner as opposed to the therapist and if it would even be upheld given that the person had consented to the somewhat invasive wax on their genitals.

Two students complained to the university. claiming that the question made them feel as though they had to reveal if they had ever undergone bikini waxes themselves.

They said they did not like the use of the word 'genitals', according to The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).

A lengthy investigation was launched and on Thursday, it concluded that Robinson was guilty of sexual harassment.

As a result, he has to undergo sensitivity training, have all of his test questions screened by another member of staff and his classes will be supervised.

The university also warned that he could face termination if other students complain about him.

Students complained about this question which Robinson included in a test exam in 2015

The university in Washington D.C. found Robinson guilty of sexual harassment after a lengthy investigation

Robinson is outraged by the university's decision which he said stops him from being able to properly educate students.

'My case should worry every faculty member at Howard University, and perhaps elsewhere, who teaches in substantive areas like law, medicine, history, and literature. Why? None of these academic areas can be taught without evaluating and discussing contextual facts, especially unsavory and emotionally charged ones.

'I also cant prepare my students adequately for legal practice if I cant teach them new developments and require them to read unedited, unfiltered cases,' he said in a statement.

The university did not respond to DailyMail.com's request on Sunday morning. A spokesman for FIRE slammed its findings.

'Robinsons test question clearly does not constitute sexual harassment.

'Howards overreaction to a simple hypothetical question is a threat to academic freedom and a professors ability to effectively teach students,' they said.
Alaska may have been worried about a Japanese invasion during WWII and they most certainly needed to fret over a possible Soviet Union attack during the Cold War, but lately the state isn't worried about any international threat.

With North Korea's test an intercontinental ballistic missile last week, many have speculated that Anchorage, Alaska, is the country's only realistic shot of reaching the United States, but folks in the city don't seem to worried.

'I'm worried about moose, not missiles,' said Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz to the Washington Post.

With North Korea's test an intercontinental ballistic missile last week, many have speculated that Anchorage, Alaska, is the country's only realistic shot of reaching the United States, but folks in the city don't seem to worried

'I'm worried about moose, not missiles,' said Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz to the Washington Post

'Bears, not bombs.'

Other things occupy the minds of Alaskans, who are enjoying a fine salmon season.

'It's not something that keeps me up at night,' said Christine Homan, an elementary school teacher.

Todd Sherwood, an attorney who served in the Air Force for 15 years, said that any American military action in retaliation to North Korea would be 'disproportionate' and severe.

He said: 'I'm more worried about whether I'm going to fall off my paddleboard on an Alaska glacier lake this summer, and I'm not all that worried about that.'

Michael Carey, a journalist and historian who grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, commented that Alaska's dismissal of a North Korean threat partially stems from their history with actual superpowers.

On June 3, 1942, the town of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, was bombed by the Japanese during the Second World War.

On June 3, 1942, the town of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, was bombed by the Japanese during the Second World War. Days later, the Aleutian islands of Attu and Kiska, were occupied

Days later, the Aleutian islands of Attu and Kiska, were occupied.

During the Cold War, civil defense drills, siren tests, blackout curtains and radioactive isotopes in milk were common in the 50s and 60s in Alaska.

Today, there are still homes in Anchorage with fallout shelters and Carey said that proximity to Russia made the fear real.

'We knew, if the balloon went up, as they said it, that Fairbanks would be a smoking irradiated ruin,' Carey said.

'The Russians were a really serious adversary we feared and respected. Just the hairdo of our friend Kim, he's just a sendup.

'We're supposed to think the fate of Earth is determined by North Korea? It might be, but it's just so easily laughed at.'

During the Cold War, civil defense drills, siren tests, blackout curtains and radioactive isotopes in milk were common in the 50s and 60s in Alaska

And people are certainly not afraid of North Korea.

Ben Clayton - 65, and a retired Anchorage fire captain - claimed that he wasn't worried and added: 'Here's the deal. We've always been within reach of nuclear weapons, we've got some proximity to some fairly well-known bad actors.'

Clayton said that Alaska has a number of military bases solely for responding to these types of threats but worried that the current leadership in Washington D.C. made things unpredictable.

The westernmost Alaskan town, Adak, is so far from Anchorage that it is in another timezone. Once a Navy base that was home to thousands of people, it was known for specialized radar that was part of the country's missile defense system. Today, only 100 people live there

He said: 'There was a period of time when I thought the State Department and the professional diplomats and, God help us, the president, could keep it even. This is a true political black swan event.'

The westernmost Alaskan town, Adak, is so far from Anchorage that it is in another timezone. Once a Navy base that was home to thousands of people, it was known for specialized radar that was part of the country's missile defense system.

Closing in the 1990s, about 100 people live their today. While they may be worried about the twice-weekly jet service, they are not phased by North Korea at all.

'You'd have to be pretty crazy to pick Adak as a target,' said Adak resident Elaine Smiloff.

'What's the reward for that?'

Anchorage does have a response plan for many types of disasters, claimed Berkowitz. But North Korea does not seem to be the 'threat' that will prompt action.

'I'm worried about Juneau's ability to come up with a fiscal plan. I'm worried about Washington's ability to come up with a solution on health care,' he said.

'Those are things that have more impact on people here.'
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said President Donald Trump did not buy Vladimir Putin's denial of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

'The president absolutely did not believe the denial of President Putin,' Priebus told Chris Wallace during an appearance on Fox News Sunday.

Shorty after the meeting Friday between Trump and Putin, two different accounts came out, with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his counterpart, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, diverging on whether Trump believed Putin's denial.

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White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said Sunday that President Trump 'absolutely' did not believe Russian President Vladimir Putin's election meddling denial

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus (left) sat down with Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace (right)

Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace (pictured) pushed Chief of Staff Reince Priebus on whether President Trump said some in the U.S. have 'exaggerated' Russian meddling claims

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) is pictured shaking hands with President Donald Trump (right) as the two met for the first time on Friday during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany

Tillerson said the two world leaders had a 'very robust and lengthy exchange on the subject,' adding that the president 'pressed President Putin on more than one occasion regarding Russian involvement. President Putin denied such involvement, as I think he has in the past.'

Lavrov, in his own debrief of the meeting, said that Trump accepted Putin's assurances that there was no Russian involvement in the 2016 election.

Soon after, a senior Trump administration official said that wasn't the case.

Additionally, Lavrov said that Trump 'mentioned that certain circles in the U.S. are still exaggerating, although they cannot prove this, the topic of Russia's interference with the U.S. election.'

On Fox News Sunday, Wallace asked if that portion of the conversation, citing Lavrov's account, was true.

'No, that's not true,' Priebus answered, before going on to say that Trump 'absolutely' did not believe Putin's denial.

Priebus, who was not in the room, applauded the president for bringing up Russian meddling multiple times in his two and a half hour meeting with the Russian leader, which took place in Hamburg, Germany at the G20.

'This was not just a five minute piece of the conversation, this was an extensive portion of the meeting and after going at it with President Putin more than once, two times, maybe even three times, the president at that point, after spending a large part of the meeting on the subject, moved on to other topics,' Priebus explained.

The White House chief of staff also pushed back on the assertion that Trump didn't fully believe the U.S. intelligence agencies that have placed full blame on Russia for election year hacks that targeted Democratic institutions.

'He's answered the question many times,' Priebus said. 'They probably meddled in the election.'

'They did meddle in the election,' he said, going one step further.

'The one thing that he also says, which drives the media crazy, but it's an absolute fact, is that others have as well. And that's true. China has, North Korea has, and they have consistently over many, many years,' Priebus also said. 'So yes, he believes that Russia probably committed all of these acts that we've been told of, but he also believes that other countries also participated.'

Wallace then moved on to the bevvy of tweets the president sent out Sunday morning, including one that said 'Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!'

The Fox News Channel host wanted to know if this signified that the country would be let 'off the hook' for its meddling scheme.

'No it doesn't mean they're off the hook, but what it means is that we're not going to forego progress simply because we have a disagreement in regard to this meddling in the United States election,' Priebus answered.

Priebus said it would be beneficial for the U.S. to work with Russia on issues like Syria, in which a cease-fire was negotiated at the G20, as well as ISIS and Ukraine.

'You can walk and chew gum at the same time, Chris,' he added.

More generally, Priebus also heralded the president for having a successful G20.

'The president set the stage in Europe, the leaders of the G-20 came to the president, he was a star in Hamburg, and no one can take that away,' the chief of staff said.
Scientists have turned to new DNA testing method to determine if a platypus thought to have been extinct in South Australian wilderness for the past 100 years had made a comeback following reports of its sightings in May.

The undocumented sightings recorded at Adelaide foothills had sparked a flurry of excitement among locals who were elated the mammals had made a comeback to its wilderness.

Now scientists and an ecologist are trying to determine the authenticity of the sightings by testing the water at the Sturt Gorge recreational park where the mammals were recently seen by locals.

South Australians have sighted platypus in the wild after 100 years of absence (stock image)

SA Government ecologist Jason van Weenen had set up four stop-motion cameras in the area but fail to record any sightings of the wild platypus.

Scientists from the Australian Water Quality Centre (AWQC) at SA Water used a cutting-edge DNA equipment to determine if the mammal had been in the water.

The group gathered 22 water samples from the area where the mammals were last seen.

The samples are now at its laboratory undergoing tests with results expected to be known in several weeks time.

SA ecologist Jason van Weenen had set up four stop-motion cameras but fail to find anything

SA Water Laboratory Services senior manager Karen Simpson told the ABC the technology had wide capabilities to do a variety of things which includes tracking endangered animals in the area.

'We aren't actively pursuing this, but it would also be possible to take samples from water bodies in Tasmania, to see if there's any chance of detection of a Thylacine [Tasmanian Tiger],' she said.

The DNA testing could also check and see if Tasmanian Tigers were still around (stock image)

AWQC molecular scientist Lisa Teakle said the testing sites were chosen based on people's reports of when the animals were last seen or possible habitat.

'We basically have to burst open the cells, take the DNA out, get rid of all the cellular debris, then purify the DNA that's present,' Ms Teakle said.
Armed US immigration officers could be stationed at airports in the UK under plans being discussed between the White House and Westminster.

Under the plans British passengers would have their visa paperwork checked before boarding flights, allowing them to skip some queues after arriving in America.

But there are fears it could drive up the price of tickets as it remains unclear who will foot the bill for immigration officers to live in this country.

Armed US immigration officials could be stationed at UK airports under plans being negotiated between Westminster and the White House

Manchester Airport (pictured) and Edinburgh Airport are said to be keen on the idea, thought it also needs approval by the UK government

Both Manchester and Edinburgh Airport are said to be eager to join the scheme.

Heathrow bosses are believed to have turned the idea down because the obstacles involved in bringing immigration officers to this country are insurmountable.

Meanwhile Gatwick declared that it has 'no plans' to participate in the scheme.

Home Office officials confirmed that the plans were being discussed. While it would be up to each airport to negotiate a different process with US authorities, the scheme would need overall approval by the government.

The US already has special immigration checks in six countries around the world, with more than 600 law enforcement officers are stationed at 15 locations.

Pre-clearance operations in Dublin and Shannon in Ireland opened in 2008.

Meanwhile bosses at Heathrow (pictured) are concerned about the issues of bringing hundreds of immigration officers to the UK amid uncertainty over who will pay

An industry insider told the Press Association that the US was very keen for pre-clearing and it is unlikely that the question of whether officers are armed would be a deal-breaker.

The source said: 'They are much more concerned about having pre-clearing granted than they are about having their officers walking around like in the US.

'The real challenge is who's going to pay. The US wants airports to pay for it; airports will say 'that's fine' but then increase charges to airlines.

'I would imagine airlines would pass on some of that additional cost to flight users,' he added.

He said if airlines were not prepared to foot the bill then the plan may not happen.
Americans have flocked to social media to react to an Australian journalist's brutal take-down of US President Donald Trump and his behaviour at the G20 summit.

ABC political editor Chris Uhlmann delivered a scathing analysis of Mr Trump at the G20 summit in Germany when he appeared on the Insiders program on Sunday.

'He was an uneasy, lonely, awkward figure at this gathering and you got the strong sense some of the leaders are trying to find the best way to work around him,' Uhlmann said.

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Australian ABC journalist Chris Uhlmann (pictured) set Twitter alight on Sunday with his analysis of US President Donald Trump while reporting on the G20 summit

Since his scathing rant went to air on Sunday, thousands of people took to Twitter to support Uhlmann and commend him on his eloquent delivery.

'Australian reporter Chris Uhlmann sums up in two minutes what every progressive in America has been trying to say for a year. Pitch perfect,' Nathan Dame said.

'Wow. A searing assessment of the President of the United States by political editor Chris Uhlmann of Australia's ABC,' Bradd Jaffy said.

Support for the ABC journalist continued to flow throughout most of the day on Sunday, with hundreds of Americans joining the chorus of those praising Uhlmann.

'[He] is the first journalist to accurately assess the reign of Donald Trump, and what he just did to America,' the Rebel Action Network tweeted.

'Sadly, your assessment of Trump is dead-on. We Americans and the world deserve better than this incompetent, incoherent ignoramus,' Shelly Sure said.

Mr Uhlmann said Mr Trump (pictured) 'craves power because it burnishes his celebrity'

'Trump has brought shame on America, he is the laughing stock of the world,' PrairieWind Creation said.

During Uhlmann's two-minute speech, he also took aim at Mr Trump's use of Twitter, saying he 'barks out bile in 140 characters' and 'wastes his previous days as president'.

'To be constantly talking and be talked about is all that really matters and there is no value placed on the meanings of words.'

While the majority heaped praise on Uhlmann and supported his message, he was not without his critics.

U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump arrive to the Elbphilharmone for the dinner during the G20 Summit

'Chris Uhlmann you didn't just insult President Trump, you insulted 47 of our states. We don't need you or your broke like minded thinkers,' Martha Wolkonsky said.

'No one cares about his opinion. He's a fool. His opinion is worth no more than dirt,' Nelson Taylor said.

'Trump is doing an incredible job for Americans. We don't need to hear what these idiots have to say. They are not pro America.'

An Australian tweeting from an account titled 'Bring Back Abbott' slammed the journalist's account as 'partisan bile'.

'Chris Uhlmann you didn't just insult President Trump, you insulted 47 of our states. We don't need you or your broke like minded thinkers,' Martha Wolkonsky said

Mr Uhlmann took aim at Mr Trump's use of Twitter, saying he 'barks out bile in 140 characters' and 'wastes his precious days as President'

'Chris Uhlmann is a staunch lefty, married to a Labor MP. His nasty analysis of Donald Trump is nothing more than partisan bile,' he said.

Uhlmann is married to Labor MP Gai Brodtmann, but he was a former senior advisor to conservative Christian independent Paul Osborne.

He was also considered a conservative political commentator.

While he sent Twitter into meltdown, Uhlmann himself remained silent on social media on Sunday.
Britons have just 100 days left to spend their round pounds before they are removed from circulation - with officials revealing that one in three people still have them.

People are being urged to dig out the currency from wallets, piggy banks and crevices in sofas before they lose their legal tender status on October 15.

They can spend, bank or donate them to charity with 800million of the old version already returned.

The new 12-sided pound coin, the shape of which resembles the old threepenny bit, entered circulation in March and boasts new high-tech security features to thwart counterfeiters.

Britons have just 100 days left to spend their round pounds

By mid-July, there will be more new coins in circulation than old, the Treasury said.

One pound coins were first launched on April 21 1983 to replace 1 notes.

The Royal Mint has produced more than two billion round pound coins since that time.

The production of the new coins follows concerns about round pounds being vulnerable to sophisticated counterfeiters.

Around one in every 30 1 coins in people's change in recent years has been fake.

The Treasury said research suggests one in three people still have old pound coins stashed away.

The new 12-sided pound coin, the shape of which resembles the old threepenny bit, entered circulation in March and boasts new high-tech security features to thwart counterfeiters

But sharp-eyed collectors have spotted slight flaws in some of the new coins and have been trying to sell them online for up to 5,000 times their face value.

Several people have found slightly imperfect versions which its maker Royal Mint blames on the speedy production process.

It said in a statement: 'As you would expect, we have tight quality controls in place, however variances will always occur in a small number of coins, particularly in the striking process, due to the high volumes and speed of production.'

Some of the faulty versions are being auctioned online on sites like eBay for as much as 5,000.
A respected coffee farmer in Hawaii was forced to leave his wife and three children and return to Mexico after living in the US for 28 years.

Andres Magana Ortiz, 43, came to America illegally when he was 15 to follow his mother. He eventually moved to Hawaii to pick coffee as a migrant worker.

Now he is one of the most respected coffee farmers in the Kona district and has played an important role in the coffee industry in Hawaii.

Andres Magana Ortiz, 43, was forced to leave his three children (pictured) and his wife in Hawaii to return to Mexico after living in the US for 28 years

Ortiz, pictured hugging two of his children, came to America illegally when he was 15 to follow his mother and pick coffee. Now he is one of the most respected coffee farmers in the Kona district

After an appeal to a March deportation order was denied, Ortiz was ordered to leave again. He was granted a 30-day reprieve in June and agreed to leave voluntarily if an agreement could not be reached. On Friday, Ortiz left Hawaii for Mexico. He is pictured in the airport

Ortiz has been trying to get legal citizenship and his wife and daughter have both filed for permission to let him stay in the country as the relative of a citizen.

He even had Hawaiis congressional delegation trying to intervene on his behalf.

However, the Department of Homeland Security ordered him to report for removal in March, NBC News reported.

After his lawyer appealed the order, he was ordered to leave again, but was granted a 30-day reprieve in June and agreed to leave voluntarily if an agreement could not be reached.

Ortiz left Hawaii on Friday night. He even paid for his own tickets to return to Morelia in central Mexico, where he no longer has any family.

'We said our goodbyes at home,' his daughter Victoria Magana Ledesma, 20, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

'My dad decided it was better for my brother and my sister to not go all the way to the airport,' she said of her 12 and 14-year-old siblings.

Ortiz even had Hawaiis congressional delegation trying to intervene on his behalf

Ortiz has played an important role in the coffee industry in Hawaii and is a well-respected member of his community

Even though Ortiz has been trying to get legal citizenship and his wife and daughter have both filed for permission to let him stay in the country as the relative of a citizen, the Department of Homeland Security ordered him to report for removal

'Very, very sad and very disappointed in many ways, but theres not much I can do,' Ortiz told KNHL at the airport.

'Just follow what I have to do and hopefully, in a little bit, things can get better.'

But Ledesma said the family is 'still fighting to get him back here'.

After his lawyer appealed his initial deportation order from March, Ortiz's case gained national attention when a 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals judge criticized the Trump administration's order to deport him.

'President Trump has claimed that his immigration policies would target the "bad hombres",' Judge Stephen Reinhardt said in his opinion.

'The government's decision to remove Magana Ortiz shows that even the "good hombres" are not safe.'

However, Reinhardt said the 9th Circuit lacked authority to block the deportation order.
A group of rogue Argentinian generals are planning to plant their country's flag on the Falkland Islands, it is reported.

The nighttime operation, due to take place in September, would see 14 commandos fly to a remote part of the islands in two helicopters along with a flag and cameras.

Photographs of the operation would then be published days before the next election in order to humiliate the government and unseat President Mauricio Macri.

Fourteen Argentinian commandos would be flown by helicopter to a remote part of the Falklands where they would plant a flag, photograph it, then leave by boat under plans by rogue generals, it has been claimed (file image)

The raid, which was sanctioned by at least one general in the Argentine Air Force, was revealed to US contractors by an officer opposed to the plot and reported by the Sunday Express.

Commandos would be flown by US-made Bell helicopters to a mountainous part of the Falklands before being extracted by fast boats, it is reported.

President Macri has been informed of the plot and has launched an investigation, the newspaper claims.

President Macri has been facing a backlash from nationalists over his decision to tone down the anti-British rhetoric espoused by predecessor Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

De Kirchner is planning to make a return to politics by running for Congress in October, shortly after the alleged operation would have taken place.

Sources told the paper an RAF Chinook helicopter has been placed on permanent standby - ready to ferry troops to the point of any incursion.

Images of the stunt would be released ahead of mid-term elections in an attempt to embarrass President Mauricio Macri in the hopes of returning nationalist predecessor Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to power

Argentina has claimed the islands since 1833, saying it inherited them from the Spanish on independence and that Britain expelled an Argentine population.

Its attempt to take the islands by force in April 1982, drew a swift response from former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

The 10-week war, which killed about 650 Argentines and 255 Britons, is widely remembered in Argentina as a humiliating mistake by the brutal and discredited dictatorship ruling at the time.

In the islands, where plans for oil production to start in 2017 could further boost the flourishing local economy, most residents are determined to maintain the status quo.

In a 2013 referendum on sovereignty, 99.98 per cent of the population voted to remain part of the UK - with only three voters wanting to return to Argentine rule.
Wildfires continued to barrel across the baking landscape of the western US and Canada, destroying several homes and forcing thousands to flee from areas of British Columbia, California and Wyoming.

As the fires continued to blaze across the west, evacuation orders were lifted in areas of Montana and Colorado where wildfires had burned previously.

In Northern California, a Butte County wildfire swept through grassy foothills and destroyed 10 structures, including homes, and led to several minor injuries.

Burned-out pickup trucks were left in ashes, surrounded by charred, leafless trees. The metal frame of a mobile home and a vintage stove were left standing in scorched debris at one site.

The blaze about 60 miles north of Sacramento grew rapidly to more than seven square miles and was 20 per cent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

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Flames from a wildfire surround a lawn statue near Oroville, California on Sunday. Evening winds drove the fire through several neighborhoods leveling homes in its path

The blaze about 60 miles north of Sacramento grew rapidly to more than seven square miles and was 20 per cent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

A firefighter sprays water as flames from a wildfire consume a residence near Oroville on Sunday

The area burning was about 10 miles south of Oroville, where spillways in the nation's tallest dam began crumbling from heavy rains this winter and led to temporary evacuation orders for 200,000 residents downstream.

On Saturday, authorities issued an evacuation for about 250 homes threatened by the fire

After five years of severe drought, California got a big break with record rainfall and snowpack in parts of the state this year that has delayed the start of fire season in some places, but has also led to explosive vegetation growth that could fuel future fires.

Some 180 wildfires raged over a massive section of Western Canada's British Columbia on Saturday, prompting the evacuation of 3,000 households and the province's first state of emergency in 14 years.

Cliff Chapman, the deputy manager at the Kamloops Fire Centre, suggested Saturday was a day he'd never forget.

'I've been in this business for 17 years, from crew all the way up to where I am now, and I haven't experienced a day like we experienced yesterday,' he said.

A car and house are engulfed in flames as the 'Wall Fire' burns through a residential area in Oroville on Saturday

Firefighters remove a US flag as flames from the 'Wall Fire' close in on a luxury home in Oroville Saturday

Firefighters scramble to halt the forward progress of the 'Wall Fire' as flames are seen along Forbestown Road in Oroville Saturday

The blazes were scattered across hundreds of kilometers of the interior portion of the province, burning through bone-dry forests used for logging and rolling grasslands that are home to ranches.

High temperatures and winds complicated firefighting efforts.

'The weather situation is not favorable,' said John Rustad, provincial minister in charge of firefighting operations.

'There is very aggressive fire behavior that makes it very difficult to directly attack.'

The spate of wildfires began on Friday, when 138 new fires were reported, most of them sparked by lightning in dry electrical storms.

No injuries or deaths were reported. Provincial officials said they did not know how much damage had been caused, though evacuees said they had left behind farm animals and witnessed destruction of homes and other buildings.

Inmate firefighters battle a wildfire near Oroville on Saturday, July 8, 2017. The fast-moving wildfire in the Sierra Nevada foothills destroyed structures, including homes, and led to several minor injuries, fire officials said

Firefighters battle a wildfire as it threatens to jump Forbestown Road near Oroville

An inmate firefighter cooks a burrito on a burning log during the 'Wall fire' near Oroville Saturday

Some evacuees made their way to a make-shift emergency center at a sporting facility in Kamloops, some 250 kilometers northeast of Vancouver.

Some people said they were not given adequate time to pack up their goods. Others, who had been away from their homes on vacation, feared they would lose cherished belongings in the fires.

Chalky red fire retardant dust was splashed on some vehicles that passed through areas that were sprayed with the substance from 'water bomber' planes used to fight the fire.

Canada's federal government on Saturday offered to help British Columbia respond to the fast-spreading wildfires, though provincial authorities said they may have enough resources already.

Rustad said that he expected about 260 personnel from other jurisdictions in Canada to support a team of more than 1,600 people helping respond to the fire.

'We are bringing a tremendous amount of resources to bear,' he said, noting that their main priority was 'to keep people safe'.

British Columbia last declared a state of emergency in August 2003, which was also to deal with wildfires.

Smoke from wildfires blankets the area as motorists travel on the Yellowhead Highway in Little Fort, British Columbia on Saturday. More than 180 fires were burning, many considered out of control, as the BC government declared a province wide state of emergency to co-ordinate the crisis response

A helicopter carrying a bucket picks up water while battling the Gustafsen wildfire near 100 Mile House BC Saturday

A wildfire burns on a mountain behind a home in Cache Creek, British Columbia, in the early morning hours of Saturday

In Colorado, residents of nearly 500 homes outside the ski town of Breckenridge were allowed to return home Friday night.

On Saturday, authorities lifted an evacuation order in Landusky, Montana, in the Little Rocky Mountains south of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation.

A grass fire in northwestern Colorado had burned 18 square miles and was spreading in several directions at once because of wind patterns from passing thunderstorms, fire spokesman Chris Barth said.

A wildfire in southern Wyoming grew to three square miles. An unknown number of cabins remained under evacuation orders.

A plume of smoke rises as impending flames from the 'Wall fire' approach Forbestown Road near Oroville

Doors lay in a pile of rubble after a fire tore through a residential neighborhood near Oroville

The remains of a recreational vehicle rest in a clearing after a wildfire burned through the property on Saturday near Oroville

A pair of wildfires egged on by record-breaking heat in Southern California quickly spread, threatening hundreds of homes and forcing evacuations at a popular lakeside campground and a summer camp.

The fire that started early Saturday afternoon in Santa Barbara County had spread to both sides of Highway 154 and was completely out of control, county fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni said.

About 90 children and 50 counselors were stuck at the Circle V Ranch and had to take shelter until they could be safely evacuated.

High temps and dry gusts tripled the size of another Santa Barbara wildfire to nearly 30 square miles over eight hours and forced evacuations of about 200 homes in a rural area east of Santa Maria, fire spokesman Kirk Sturm said.

CalFire firefighter Jake Hainey, left, and engineer Anna Mathiasen watch as a wildfire burns near Oroville on Saturday

Sean Greenlaw views his truck covered in fire retardant as a smoke plume billows in the background near Oroville

A charred desk rests outside a residence after a wildfire burned through the property on Saturday near Oroville

In the middle of the afternoon, Santa Barbara officials sent out alerts to residents and campers near Cachuma Lake to evacuate as the fire started near Whittier Camp, Zaniboni said.

The lake, which was nearly bone dry last summer after the severe drought, is popular for camping, boating and fishing.

Residents were also ordered to leave cabins in the Los Padres National Forest.

The fire burned at least 4.7 square miles, including a portion of the Cachuma Lake campground, and was 10 per cent contained.

While the wildfires broke out across Southern California, where an excessive heat wave warning had been issued for several days, a blistering heat wave broke a long-standing record in Los Angeles on Saturday.

A blistering heat wave broke a long-standing record in Los Angeles on Saturday when temperatures reached 98 degrees

Records were also set in Long Beach and Burbank, where the mercury rose to 96 degrees and 105 degrees respectively

The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning along the Santa Barbara South Coast and interior sections of Southwest California starting Thursday (pictured, the crowds at Knott's Soak City in Buena Park)

In downtown Los Angeles, temperatures reached 98 degrees, shattering the previous record high of 95 degrees after 131 years.

The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning along the Santa Barbara South Coast and interior sections of Southwest California starting Thursday.

The heat, which reportedly peaked on Friday and Saturday, was accompanied by elevated moisture moving up from Mexico that added to the humidity.

Along with Los Angeles, records were also set in Long Beach and Burbank, where the mercury rose to 96 degrees and 105 degrees respectively.

Both Palmdale and Woodland Hills recorded highs of 110 degrees.

Many Southern Californians flocked to beaches and searched for water, shade and air conditioning to escape the heat.

A wildfire quickly tripled in size over about eight hours in Santa Barbara County, covering nearly 30 square miles on Saturday

Pictured, the flames near Cachuma Lake and Highway 154 in Los Padres National Forest

Jim Berglund sprays water while defending his home as a wildfire approaches in Oroville

Temperatures are expected to dip by five to 10 degrees by Sunday, with the region cooling off over the course of the next few days, according to the Todd Hall of the NWS.

Farmers also noted an increase in cattle deaths as a result of the heat.

A board of supervisors in Tulare County, where dairy farmers own more than half a million cows, extedend a local state of emergency.

The local rendering facility had a mechnical breakdown, exacerbating the need to dispose of the carcasses.

'Cow mortality, that happens every day,' Tom Tucker, the county assistant agricultural commissioner, told the Porterville Recorder.

'It's the heat that has made it worse. It hasn't stopped. We are losing our cows, and it is at an extreme.'

An estimated 4,000 to 6,000 cattle have died in the last month, Fresno County officials told KGPE-TV.

Five helicopters dropping water and four planes spraying fire retardant were also attacking the flames, but only about 10 percent of it was contained

A second fire in Santa Barbara temporarily trapped about 90 children and 50 camp counselors before they were safely evacuated. Pictured, a firefighter near Oroville on Saturday

A third wildfire about 10 miles near Oroville grew to more than 1.5 square miles and destroyed 10 structures on Saturday

Five residents and one firefighter suffered minor injuries, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

Pictured, a plane dropping fire retardant spray in Oroville, where the blaze grew to cover more than 1.5 square miles

Pictured flames surrounding a marijuana plant near Oroville on Saturday

Residents were ordered to evacuate from several roads in the rural area (pictured, a structure leveled in the fire near Oroville)
The deal between the Conservatives and DUP to keep Theresa May in No 10 could be challenged in court over claims it breaks bribery laws, it emerged today.

Green Party campaigner Ciaran McClean is trying to raise 20,000 on a crowd funding website.

Mr McClean says the confidence and supply agreement between the Tories and the Northern Ireland party founded by Ian Paisley also threatens the Good Friday Agreement's impartiality clauses.

The campaign has already raised more than 15,000 toward its fundraising goal.

Mrs May struck the deal to secure the 10 DUP votes in the Commons in return for 1billion in extra funding for Northern Ireland. It gives her a slender majority in Parliament on Brexit, Budget and confidence votes.

Green Party campaigner Ciaran McClean is trying to raise 20,000 on a crowd funding website to launch a judicial review over the Tory-DUP deal (file picture)

At 4.30pm on Sunday, the Crowd Justice campaign had raised 15,867 of its 20,000 target with 29 days of the campaign to go

Mr McClean said: 'This horrifies me. It's straight bribery  money for votes.

'The deal flies in the face of the Good Friday Agreement, under which the Government is obligated to exercise its power with 'rigorous impartiality' on behalf of all the people in the diversity of their identities and traditions.

'The Government is threatening hard won peace with their pact with the reactionary DUP.

'I wish to hold the Government to account for their actions through the Courts in a judicial review.'

Mr McClean is being represented by the Edwin Coe law firm in his effort.

Senior partner David Greene told the Guardian: 'This case is of huge public importance and demonstrates that individuals can call governments to account and the importance of that capability in a democracy.'

At 4.30pm on Sunday, the campaign had raised 15,867 of its 20,000 target with 29 days of the campaign to go.

Theresa May (left in Maidenhead today) struck the deal with DUP chief Arlene Foster (right in Belfast last week) to secure the 10 DUP votes in the Commons in return for 1billion in extra funding for Northern Ireland

Chief whips Jeffrey Donaldson (seated left) for the DUP and Gavin Williamson (seated right) shook hands on the deal on June 26 (pictured)

Donations have been made by 712 people and success would cover legal fees to present the judicial review to court - but not to pursue the court case to its conclusion.

Alberto Costa, former government lawyer and now Tory MP for South Leicestershire, told the BBC the investment given to Northern Ireland as part of the deal was not a 'personal inducement' and Mrs May had a constitutional duty to form a government.

He said the deal was 'transparent and lawful' and the bribery claim was 'vexatious' and 'totally without merit'.
Joseph Daniel Hudek IV allegedly attacked two Delta flight attendants and a passenger an hour into a flight from Seattle-Tacoman International airport to Beijing, China on Thursday night

The man who violently interrupted a Delta flight from Seattle to China appeared in federal court as his grandfather stated he was shocked by his grandson's actions.

Joseph Daniel Hudek IV allegedly attacked two Delta flight attendants and a passenger an hour into a flight from Seattle-Tacoman International airport to Beijing, China on Thursday night.

'He's a great kid, he's a real good guy; he works hard, saves his money, I don't know what happened,' his grandfather, Joseph Hudek said to Q13.

Hudek added that his grandson had been visiting Beijing to see a friend and that Joseph was a frequent flier with no previous incidents.

'This is so out of character of him, I can't believe it,' Hudek said.

He also said that Joseph's mom is also an employee with Delta.

Joseph was accused of trying to open the exit door before the assault took place. Prosecutors said the 23-year-old was able to turn the door lever 90 degrees, enough to disarm.

The chaos from Joseph's attack on the plane. 'He's a great kid, he's a real good guy; he works hard, saves his money, I don't know what happened,' his grandfather, Joseph Hudek said to Q13

Hudek added that his grandson had been visiting Beijing to see a friend and that Joseph was a frequent flier with no previous incidents.

The Tampa, Florida, native appeared in US District Court, wearing a beige jail uniform and sporting a scrape or bruise below his right eye.

The prosecution showed photos from inside the plane, showing the chaos and disarray the man had caused.

Hudek did not speak during the hearing. His attorney, Robert Flennaugh II, declined to comment.

One flight attendant and a passenger were taken to a hospital after suffering severe facial injuries, authorities said.

Joseph was accused of trying to open the exit door before the assault took place. Prosecutors said the 23-year-old was able to turn the door lever 90 degrees, enough to disarm

Perry Cooper, a spokesman for the Port of Seattle, described the injuries as non-life-threatening.

A probable cause statement written by FBI special agent Caryn Highley said Hudek was sitting in the first row of the Boeing 767's first-class section.

He asked a flight attendant for a beer before takeoff, and was served one, but he exhibited no sign of being intoxicated and ordered no other alcoholic drinks, the attendant told authorities.

About an hour into the flight, while the plane was over the Pacific Ocean northwest of Vancouver Island, Hudek went into the forward restroom.

He came out quickly, asked the attendant a question, and went back in, the agent wrote.

The Tampa, Florida, native appeared in US District Court, wearing a beige jail uniform and sporting a scrape or bruise below his right eye

When he came out again two minutes later, he suddenly lunged for the exit door, grabbed the handle and tried to open it, Highley wrote.

Two attendants grabbed him, but he pushed them away, and the attendants signaled for help from several passengers and notified the cockpit by telephone, the complaint said.

Hudek punched one flight attendant twice in the face and struck at least one passenger in the head with a red dessert wine bottle, it said.

As the struggle continued, a flight attendant grabbed two wine bottles and hit Hudek over the head with each - breaking at least one of them, Highley wrote.

According to one flight attendant, 'Hudek did not seem impacted by the breaking of a full liter red wine bottle over his head, and instead shouted, 'Do you know who I am?' or something to that extent,' the complaint said.

Joseph was charged with interfering with a flight crew, which carries a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

He was ordered, by a judge, to stay behind bars until next Thursday's detention hearing.
At Warwick Crown Court, Zohair Tomari, pictured, was found guilty of rape in relation to the incident involving the 17-year-old girl

A sex offender abducted and sexually abused two 13 and 14-year-old girls - while on bail for raping another teen.

Zohair Tomari, 20, who is believed to be from Syria, invited his 17-year-old victim and her 15-year-old friend to his flat in August 2014 after befriending them.

Once there, the twisted attacker plied the older girl with alcohol before slapping and punching both and pulling out a knife.

Tomari, who claimed to be from Morocco in his pre-sentence report but now claims to be from Syria, told the terrified teenager that the more she cried the more he would hit her, before proceeding to rape her.

Police arrived at the scene after the youngest girl was reported missing at which point the other informed them of the incident.

But the rapist was granted bail and went on to traffic two younger girls, aged 13 and 14, as they walked to a friend's home in the early hours of the morning in August last year.

The pair were enticed into a car - in which Tomari was a passenger - and given drink and cigarettes before being led to a flat in Foleshill, Coventry, where he sexually assaulted them.

At Warwick Crown Court, Tomari, of Longford in Coventry, was found guilty of rape in relation to the incident involving the 17-year-old girl and jailed for a total of 12 years and nine months for both incidents on Thursday.

The court heard how Tomari had been jailed at Coventry Crown Court in January this year after being convicted of trafficking for child sexual exploitation and sexual assaults in relation to the other incident.

He will also have to serve an additional seven years on licence, and has been ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

In relation to the first attack, Judge Andrew Lockhart QC, sentencing, told Tomari: 'Behaviour of this nature is abhorred in virtually every civilised country on this earth.

'Sadly, then you were granted bail, and you committed other offences for which you are now in prison.

'I am driven to conclude you are dangerous. I can see no end to the danger you pose.'

At Warwick Crown Court, pictured, Tomari was found guilty of rape in relation to the incident involving the 17-year-old girl

Jeremy Janes, prosecuting, claimed that Tomari had befriended the 17-year-old victim and her 15-year-old friend, and invited them to his flat.

The older girl said that both she and the youngster were punched and slapped by Tomari, and she was threatened with a knife and told she 'better be careful' or she would be going to Hillfields, Coventry, to 'open your legs for anyone'.

During the night, two calls were made to police, one just before 10pm and one just before 3am, but neither was completed.

Speaking about the calls, Mr Janes said: 'The obvious question is 'Why, if there was no problem between them?'

Tomari then went on to traffic the two young girls in August last year.

The pair went to the police about the horror incident after being driven back to the city centre by the sex offender.

Tomari was handed a nine-and-a-half year sentence for child sexual exploitation and sexual assaults in relation to the that incident and, once half that sentence has been served, an extended sentence of eight years for the rape of the 17-year-old will begin.

Speaking after sentencing, a Home Office spokesman confirmed they would consider deporting Tomar.

He said: 'Foreign nationals who abuse our hospitality by committing crimes in the UK should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them and we have removed more than 37,000 foreign offenders since 2010.

'More than 6,100 foreign national offenders were removed from the UK in 2016/17.'

He added that all foreign nationals given a custodial sentence were considered for removal.
Republicans, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., balked at President Trump's proposal to form an 'impenetrable Cyber Security unit' with the Russians to deter future election hacking.

'It's not the dumbest idea I've ever hard, but it's pretty close,' Graham told Chuck Todd Sunday on Meet the Press.

His sentiment was echoed by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who also scoffed at the plan in a series of tweets.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said President Trump's idea to form a 'cyber security unit' with the Russians to prevent future hacking was 'pretty close' to the dumbest idea ever

Meet the Press host Chuck Todd (left) queried Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. (right), on President Trump's latest tweets about Russia

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., was among the Republicans who smacked down President Trump's idea, which he tweeted Sunday morning, to partner with the Russians on cyber security

Sens. John McCain (left) and Marco Rubio (right) gave sarcastic responses to President Trump's idea that the Russians would be a good partner on cyber security

President Trump tweeted the idea Sunday morning, giving more details about what he discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday at the G20 in Hamburg, Germany

'While reality & pragmatism requires that we engage Vladimir Putin, he will never be a trusted ally or a reliable constructive partner,' Rubio wrote. 'Partnering with Putin on a "Cyber Security Unit" is akin to partnering with Assad on a "Chemical Weapons Unit,"' the senator added.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaking to John Dickerson on CBS News' Face the Nation, also gave an eyeroll of a response.

'I am sure that Vladimir Putin could be of enormous assistance in that effort since he's doing the hacking,' McCain said.

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., another frequent critic of the GOP president, also thought the idea wasn't too bright.

'This obviously should not happen--& obviously will not happen. Why the President of the United States would tweet it is inexplicably bizarre,' Sasse wrote on Twitter.

President Trump started off his Sunday by sending out a series of tweets in which he defended his meeting with President Vladimir Putin on Friday at the G20 in Hamburg, Germany.

'I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion.....,' Trump said.

'...We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!' he continued.

'Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded..,' Trump added.

That comment received the most raised eyebrows.

Hours later, Trump tweeted an addendum.

'The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesn't mean I think it can happen. It can't-but a ceasefire can,& did!' he wrote Sunday night.

Graham was asked about it at the top of his sit-down with Todd.

The South Carolina Republican praised Trump for his speech in Poland, but then slapped him for the meeting with Putin, which he labeled 'disastrous.'

'Two hours and fifteen minutes of meetings; Tillerson and Trump are ready to forgive and forget when it comes to cyber-attacks on the American election of 2016,' Graham tsk-tsked.

'Nobodys saying, Mr. President, the Russians changed the outcome. You won fair and square. But they did try to attack our election system,' the senator pointed out.

'They were successful in many ways and the more you do this, the more people are suspicious about you and Russia,' Graham added.

The Trump-Russia situation has put the South Carolina Republican in a bind, Graham said, because he agrees with Trump's actions on other foreign policy issues.

'Hes doing a good job in Afghanistan, North Korea and ISIL. But when it comes to Russia, hes got a blind spot,' Graham said. 'And to forgive and forget when it comes to Putin regarding cyber-attacks is to empower Putin and thats exactly what hes doing.'

Graham, however, said he thought it was a positive sign that Trump didn't want to lift sanctions on Russia for dismembering Ukraine.

But the senator urged the president to sit down with the head of the CIA, FBI, DNI and NSA if he still doubts who's responsible for last year's hack.

After Friday's meeting with Putin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Trump accepted the Russian president's assurance that the Kremlin's fingerprints weren't all over the hacking efforts, aimed mainly at Democrats.

A White House quickly denied that was the case and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said the same thing Sunday.

'The president absolutely did not believe the denial of President Putin,' Priebus told Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace.

Priebus went on to say that Trump has said 'many times' that the Russians 'probably meddled in the election,' before adding, 'they did meddle in the election.'

But the chief of staff also added that the president believes there are other culprits too.

'The one thing that he also says, which drives the media crazy, but it's an absolute fact, is that others have as well. And that's true. China has, North Korea has, and they have consistently over many, many years,' Priebus said.

'So yes, he believes that Russia probably committed all of these acts that we've been told of, but he also believes that other countries also participated,' the chief of staff added.

Graham called on Trump to stop with the hedging.

'He is literally the only person I know of who has any doubt about where Russia attacked our election in 2016,' the senator stated.

'But the more he talks about this in terms of not being sure, the more he throws our intelligence communities under the bus, the more he's willing to forgive and forget Putin, the more suspicion,' Graham said.

'And I think it's going to dog his presidency until he breaks this cycle,' the Republican added.
Kate Steinle (above), 32, was shot dead allegedly by Mexican national Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez

The father of Kate Steinle says that he doesn't want his daughter's name to be at the center of political controversy following the passage of a bill that targets undocumented immigrants.

Kate Steinle, 32, was shot dead allegedly by Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, 45, a Mexican national with a long criminal record who was allowed to remain in the country due to the city's controversial sanctuary policies.

Lopez-Sanchez has pleaded not guilty to killing Steinle.

Her tragic death immediately caused an uproar and became a rallying cry for President Donald Trump's immigration policies while on the campaign trail.

The House of Representatives passed a bill last month known as 'Kate's Law' in June, and it increases maximum penalties for undocumented immigrants who illegally enter the country multiple times after they have been deported.

Lawmakers invoked the 32-year-old woman's death while trying to pass the bill.

The woman's father, Jim Steinle, told the San Francisco Chronicle that he wants her name to be kept out of it and the immigration debate.

'I don't know who coined 'Kate's Law,' he told the newspaper. 'It certainly wasn't us.'

Lawmakers have invoked her death while trying to pass a bill called 'Kate's Law', that targets undocumented immigrants. The bill passed the House last month, and now her father, Jim Steinle (right), wants her name to be kept out of the immigration debate

After the bill was passed, Trump urged the Senate to act to 'save American lives.'

'Opposing these bills, and allowing dangerous criminals back into our communities, our schools and the neighborhoods where our children play, puts all of us at risk,' Trump said at the time.

Speaking about 'Kate's Law,' Attorney General Jeff Sessions said last month that '[Kate] would still be alive today if only the city of San Francisco had put the public's safety first. How many more Americans must die before we put an end to this madness?'

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., said 'Kate's Law' would not have had an impact on the Steinle case, noting that Steinle was killed in July 2015 by an immigrant who had been mistakenly released by the federal Bureau of Prisons.

The proposed bill 'would not have kept Kate Steinle's killer off the streets,' Gutierrez said.

'Instead, we are voting on a bill to put other people - in different circumstances - in jail for longer periods of time. It is a bait-and-switch strategy: Use a horrible tragedy to sell a policy that would not have prevented that death, so that you put more immigrants in jail for longer periods of time,' he argued.
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There were dramatic scenes this weekend as revellers wrestled with hundreds of wild horses in Spain at the annual Rapa Das Bestas, or 'shearing of the beasts'.

Held in Sebucedo, in the north-western region of Galicia, the 400-year-old Fiesta brings together horses living free in the mountains and mostly men who measure their strength by trimming the animals' manes.

The event, which is traditionally held of the first Saturday, Sunday and Monday of July, brings thousands from across Spain and the world to watch.

The horses must first be herded down from the mountains by Aloitadores, or fighters.

Once they have been brought into the 'curro' - the pen where the animals are held - the men grapple with the creatures in a bid to keep them still while they are groomed.

While the foals are simply marked, the adults have their manes and tails trimmed.

But it's no mean feat. Photos show the fighters desperately trying to man-handle the wild animals into submission as crowds cheer them on.

The event has previously come in for strong criticism from animal rights groups, with activists raising concerns about the distress and pain caused to the horses.

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Grimace: A reveller tries to hold on to a wild horse during the Rapa das Bestas traditional event in the village of Sabucedo, north-western Spain. Held in Sebucedo, in the north-western region of Galicia, the 400-year-old Fiesta brings together horses living free in the mountains and mostly men who measure their strength by trimming the animals' manes

The men use just their hands to try and grapple with the creatures, with some men seen mounting the horses

A man and a woman try to tear down a wild horse to cut horsehair. The event, which is traditionally held of the first Saturday, Sunday and Monday of July, brings thousands from across Spain and the world to watch

Headlock: Spanish horse fighters get a firm grip around a horse's head as they prepare to trim it's mane and tail

Fierce: Some of the horses turned on each other during the scuffle, with one pictured biting another horse on the neck

Three men grapple with a wild horse before attempting to trim its mane, with one almost losing his balance as he jumps onto the animal's back

Hold on tight: A man grimaces as he grabs hold of the horse's mane as his two friends watch

Animal cruelty? The event has previously come in for strong criticism from animal rights groups, with activists raising concerns about the distress and pain caused to the horses

A Spanish horse fighter gets a firm grip around a horse's head as he prepares to trim its mane and tail during the festival

There were dramatic scenes in Sabucedo as the festival-goers wrestled with the animals

Hot to trot: Once the festival is complete the wild 'beasts' are released and herded back to their natural habitat in the rural mountains

A reveller grabs a horse by the ear as another holds the animal in an armlock as they try to hold it still

Wild: A pair of horses fight while they are held in the 'curro', the pen where the animals are held as spectators sit around and watch

Distress: While in the holding pen the horses are in close contact with other animals leading some to exhibit signs of stress

Saddle up: One participant appears to be enjoying himself as he rides bareback on one of the horses as his accomplice tries to grab hold of its hair

A horse looks to be in distress as it is knocked over by three men as they attempt to hold it still to be trimmed

Determined: A man is seen jumping onto a horse's back as another grabs the animal from behind

A reveller tries to hold on to a wild horse by its ear during the event

The men risked being crushed as they attempted to cut the horses' hair

It takes four 'Aloitadores' (fighters) to cut the mane of this wild horse, with one man holding out the horses tail

Bear hug: Two men attempt to restrain a horse by clamping their arms around its head

A young boy is seen taking part in the action as he grabs a foal by the ears. While the adult horses have their manes and tails trimmed, the foals are simply marked

A woman and two children took part in the action, with the woman seen holding a horse by the ears to be trimmed

In need of a trim: Wild horses are seen galloping down from the mountains as they are rounded up at the festival

Villagers round up wild horses on the hills of Sabucedo before bringing them into the town for the event

Horses big and small were rounded up by villagers. More than six-hundred horses roam freely in the hills

Men wearing T-shirts bearing the festival's logo grapple with horse as it attempts to escape

Hold on tight: Two men grapple with a large horse as they try to trim its mane

Spectators take photos as the event unfolds. The festival was declared to be of National Touristic Interest in 1963, and was awarded the status of International Touristic Interest in 2007

This photo shows chaotic scenes at the festival as three men desperately try to wrestle a horse into submission
Valerie De La Valedene died in the Galapagos Islands in June 2014

The family of a woman who died in the Galapagos Islands in 2014 are planning to return to the scene of her death to prove it she was murdered and did not commit suicide as claimed by local police.

Valerie De La Valdene was found dead in the home she rented in Puerto Ayora in June 2014. She was 48-years-old and died of a single gunshot wound to the head.

Local police ruled her death a suicide, noting that there was lots of empty alcohol bottles in the home at the time and the fact that she was found lying next to a gun and a cell phone.

Valerie was an award winning underwater photographer who had been living on the island for years. At the time of her death, she was also suffering from bipolar depression.

Her father, 73-year-old Guy De La Valedene, still lives in Florida, where she grew up. He and her brother believe she was murdered and are determined to prove it.

They say the fact that there was no gunpowder on her left hand, but that there was some on her right, proves that someone else killed her.

A broken string of pearls was also found at the scene and her safe had been almost emptied.

Valerie was an award winning underwater photographer and had lived in the region for years

Valerie's father Guy De La Valdene (left) is determined to solve the mystery surrounding her death

Locals who were friends with the woman also told authorities that she was being threatened in the weeks before her death and say she also had information linking local officials to drug deals.

She was also married to a local man who was decades older than her. Her family say the union was out of convenience and to allow her to travel to remote locations to take photographs without being bothered by officials.

Her brother plans to travel to the Galapagos Islands later this year to ask more questions.

'We just want to show that we are still interested and still doing something,' Guy De La Valdene told The Miami Herald.

As part of the investigation into her death, Valerie's skull was exhumed from her grave in 2015.

Her father is in the process of trying to have it returned to him so that he can rebury it.
Shia LaBeouf has been released from a Georgia jail after posting $7000 bond for charges of public drunkenness after getting aggressive over a cigarette

Shia LaBeouf has been released from a Georgia jail after posting $7000 bond for charges of public drunkenness after getting aggressive over a cigarette.

The 31-year-old actor was arrested in a hotel lobby at 4am on Saturday by the Savannah Police Department and released, according to the Chatham County Sheriff's Office via the Hollywood Reporter.

LaBeouf also faces charges of disorderly conduct and obstruction.

According to police, the Holes star asked a bystander for a cigarette to which he was told no, prompting him to be disorderly, 'using profanities and vulgar language in front of the women and children present.'

After he was to leave, police say LaBeouf refused and became irate towards an officer. He ran to the hotel to avoid arrest.

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The 31-year-old actor was arrested in a hotel lobby at 4am on Saturday by the Savannah Police Department and released, according to the Chatham County Sheriff's Office via the Hollywood Reporter

The actor is currently in around the Savannah area filming his new movie, The Peanut Butter Falcon, along with Dakota Johnson.

It's not the Transformers star's first time in a cell, having been arrested five times before.

In February 2005 he was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, after ramming a neighbor's car with his in a road rage incident.

It's not the Transformers star's first time in a cell, having been arrested five times before

In June 2014, LaBeouf was charged with disorderly conduct and criminal trespass at New York's Studio 54 theater, where he swore and spat at police according to his arrest report

In July 2008 he was arrested for drunk driving after being involved in a crash in Los Angeles, and refusing a breathalyzer test at the scene.

Police later confirmed the accident was not his fault; he was t-boned by the other driver who ran a red light. His truck rolled and crushed his left hand, causing extensive injuries.

In June 2014, LaBeouf was charged with disorderly conduct and criminal trespass at New York's Studio 54 theater, where he swore and spat at police according to his arrest report.

The actor arrives at his court case for the incident in 2014

In January of this year he was arrested after an altercation at his He Will Not Divide Us anti-Trump protest / performance art

In January of this year he was arrested after an altercation at his He Will Not Divide Us anti-Trump protest / performance art.

He was also arrested in November 2007 for misdemeanor criminal trespassing while loitering in a Walgreens pharmacy and refusing to leave.

A warrant was issued for his arrest in March 2008 after he failed to turn up for court over an unlawful smoking incident in Burbank, but it was recalled when his attorney eventually turned up the following day.

In February 2011 he was also lead away by police in handcuffs after a fight at a bar in Sherman Oaks, but no arrest was made.
Calls have been made to investigate a trust founded by a man who falsely claimed to have lost a relative in the Grenfell Tower blaze.

Ibrahim El-Nour, who set up Grenfell Victims and Survivors Trust, said his auntie was killed in the tragedy in White City last month, but this weekend admitted the woman was just a someone who hailed from the same part of Sudan as him.

The official government taskforce set up to help survivors of the fire even helped deliver flyers on behalf of El-Nour's organisation, urging residents to attend a meeting.

After the get-together on June 30 at the Westway Centre descended into chaos amid the phoney claims of El-Nour, residents have asked police to investigate.

Damage seen to the doomed tower block - Grenfell Tower - after a raging fire ripped through it

Queen Elizabeth II meets members of the community affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower in west London during a visit to the Westway Sports Centre which was providing temporary shelter for those made homeless in the disaster. It was here the meeting of the Grenfell Victims and Survivors Trust (GVST) was held on June 30

Last month, the official government team went around survivors' hotel rooms with leaflets asking them to meet at the centre which has been a hub of the relief effort in the aftermath of the blaze.

The invitation read Grenfell Victims and Survivors Trust (GVST) would be the independent organisation that would be 'the recognised body that takes full ownership of all current and future issues relating to the victims and survivors of Grenfell,' according to the Sunday Times.

The Prince of Wales meets local residents during a visit to the Westway Sports Centre

El-Nour's group advertised a retired police commander and the area Dean of Kensington the Rev Mark O'Donoghue would be speaking.

The GVST's 60-year-old founder said he had set up the group with the best intentions having talked to officials and even a government minister.

But the retired police chief said he only attended because he thought it was the official trust and abandoned the meeting when it turned to chaos.

O'Donoghue mirrored the officer's thoughts, and told the Sunday Times it seemed the only reason he had been invited was to give the group a 'veneer of respectability'.

A volunteer working with survivors told the paper the GVST appeared 'out of nowhere' and started delivering flyers and a spokesman from the taskforce said it had offered support to several groups.

He said: 'The Grenfell Response Team offered support to a number of groups who were helping local people, including providing space for meetings and help with distributing leaflets.

'This support was provided on the same basis to all organisations.'

On the night of the meeting on June 30, prominent lawyer Jo Maugham QC who has vowed to offer his services to survivors for free tweeted: 'Apparently my name is being used to endorse the "Grenfell Victims and Survivors' Trust".

'I know nothing of this organisation.'
Josh Duggar has filed a lawsuit against Arkansas officials over the release of information regarding reports that he sexually abused his sisters when they were children.

Four of the 29-year-old's sisters filed a separate lawsuit, which he rescinded a request to join, against the Springfield officials, Washington County officials and a magazine.

The lawsuit, filed on Thursday, claims Duggar's right to due process was violated and his privacy was invaded, and $75,000 is being sought in damages, lawyer's fees and a jury trial.

Josh Duggar, 29 (Pictured left, in March 2014, and right, in February 2015 with wife Anna) has filed a lawsuit against Arkansas officials after information was released regarding reports that he sexually abused his sisters. The lawsuit claims Duggar's right to due process was violated and his privacy was invaded, and $75,000 is being sought in damages

The 19 Kids and Counting star (third from left, in April 2012) claims in his lawsuit that Springdale officials responded to In Touch Weekly's May 2015 Freedom of Information Act request by 'hastily and recklessly' allowing release of the offense and incident reports

The 19 Kids and Counting star claims in his lawsuit that Springdale officials responded to In Touch Weekly's May 2015 Freedom of Information Act request by 'hastily and recklessly' allowing release of the offense and incident reports.

He says the poorly redacted reports contain identifying information including his and both of his parents' names, the family's address, and clearly identified one of the alleged victims as his then-five-year-old sister.

Melissa Reeves, a spokeswoman for Springdale released an email statement by 'legal counsel', reported the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

'It is unfortunate that now, at this late date, the plaintiff has chosen to file a misguided lawsuit against dedicated public servants and seeking damages from public tax dollars,' the statement said in part.

In May, four of Duggar's sisters - Jill Dillard, Jessa Seewald, Jinger Vuolo and Joy-Anna Forsyth - sued Northwest Arkansas officials claiming police documents were improperly released to a magazine that published the information.

Duggar, then-age 14, revealed in March 2002, July 2002 and March 2003 that he had inappropriately touched young girls in the family home to his parents, Jim Bob and Michelle.

The Duggars took their son to report what he had done to the Arkansas State Police, but the corporal didn't report the matter to the state's child abuse hotline as required by law.

In May, four of Duggar's sisters sued Northwest Arkansas officials, claiming police documents were improperly released to a magazine that published the information (Pictured, Josh and Anna with their children Mackynzie, left, and Michael, seated)

TLC canceled 19 Kids and Counting in July 2015, two months after the magazine began publishing its stories. Days after the show's cancellation, a hack of the cheating website Ashley Madison revealed that Josh Duggar (back row, fourth from left) had been a member since 2013

The lawsuits contend that police assured the family information from the investigation would only be available to law enforcement, juvenile court and child services personnel.

Springdale police were unaware of any allegations against the eldest Duggar until 2006 when someone anonymously called the abuse hotline. However, by then, the statute of limitations had expired.

TLC canceled 19 Kids and Counting in July 2015, two months after the magazine began publishing its stories.

Days after the show's cancellation, a hack of the cheating website Ashley Madison revealed that Josh Duggar had been a member since 2013.

Josh Duggar resigned as a lobbyist for a group run by the conservative Family Research Council and acknowledged wrongdoing in a public statement on May 21, 2015.
An Islamic activist has caused outrage after claiming the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster were 'murdered' by Zionists who fund the Conservative Party

An Islamic activist has caused outrage after claiming the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster were 'murdered' by Zionists who fund the Conservative Party.

Nazim Ali, a director of the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), was accused of whipping up hatred in a speech he made at an anti-Israel rally just days after the fire.

He said: 'As we know in Grenfell, many innocents were murdered by Theresa May's cronies, many of which are supporters of Zionist ideology.'

Police are investigating Mr Ali over the comments, The Sunday Telegraph reported, which he made at the Al Quds Day march in London on June 18.

Mr Ali, a managing partner at a west London health clinic, also told crowds: 'Let us not forget that some of the biggest corporations who have supported the Conservative Party are Zionists.

'They are responsible for the murder of the people in Grenfell, in those towers in Grenfell, the Zionist supporters of the Conservative Party.'

Al-Quds Day was initiated by Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to support the Palestinian cause.

The IHRC, which organised the London event, supports the political wing of Hizbollah.

Nazim Ali was accused of whipping up hatred in a speech he made at an anti-Israel rally just days after the fire. Circled: A protester believed to be Mr Ali

Mr Ali, a director of the group, introduced Jeremy Corbyn as the event's keynote speaker in 2012, although the Labour leader did not attend this year's event.

The IHRC rose to controversy when it bestowed Islamophobes of the Year awards to the murdered staff of Paris magazine Charlie Hebdo.

It claims it is a human rights organisation that supports 'everyone's rights... regardless of whether we disagree with them'.

Anti-Semitism monitoring group The Community Security Trust slammed Mr Ali's comments.

It said: 'In any circumstances, these comments would have been utterly hateful. But to hang them on what happened at Grenfell Tower beggared belief.'

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'We received an allegation of anti-Semitic comments and it is being investigated by detectives from Westminster CID. The inquiry continues.'

Mr Ali said: 'As we know in Grenfell, many innocents were murdered by Theresa May's cronies'. Pictured: A firefighter weeps after the disaster

Mr Ali told The Sunday Telegraph: 'You have not presented what I said accurately in the wider context of what was said in the prelude to the minute's silence for Grenfell.

'As presented it sounds somewhat inelegant To say that some of Theresa May or the Tory party's supporters are Zionists is hardly controversial.'

MailOnline has contacted the IHRC for comment.
The unsurprising moment a shark bites a man after he tried to grab it by the tail was caught on video.

Footage shows two men trying to pull the small tiger shark that was hooked on a fishing line towards the shore near Johnnie Mercer's pier in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina on June 29.

The short clip shows one of the men trying to grab the shark's tail, but he was unsuccessful and it was able to swim a short distance away.

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Footage shows two men trying to pull the small tiger shark that was hooked on a line towards the shore near Johnnie Mercer's pier in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina on June 29 (scene above)

The short clip shows one of the men trying to grab the shark's tail (scene above), but he was unsuccessful and it was able to swim a short distance away

The man then tries again to grab the the small tiger shark, but the shark had other plans and viciously bites the man on his hand.

Blood can be seen gushing into the ocean water as the man retreats back to shore.

The man quickly exited the water holding his injury.

The roughly 4-foot-long shark was eventually pulled near the shore and had the hook removed before it was released back into the ocean, according to WWAY.

The man then tries again to grab the the small tiger shark, but the shark had other plans and viciously bites the man on his hand. Blood can be seen gushing into the ocean water as the man retreats back to shore (scene above)

'Sharks are wild animals and so we definitely don't want to be messing around with any wild animal,' educator Gail Lemiec from the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher told WWAY.

There's no information about the man's injuries.

When emergency officials arrived to the pier, the man had already disappeared.

So far, in 2017 there have been 26 reported shark attacks in the United States.

Eighteen of them occurred in Florida and one in Hawaii.

Last month, a woman in Concord, North Carolina lost her arm to a huge shark while snorkeling.
Shocking photos show a bullfighter being tossed into the air and gored by a raging bull during the San Fermin festival in Spain.

The wounded banderillero assistant bullfighter had to be carried out of the ring after the attack, although the extent of his injuries is not known.

A picador fighter was also knocked off his horse after plunging a spear into a bull during the evening event.

Shocking photos show the banderillero assistant bullfighter being tossed into the air and gored by a raging bull during the San Fermin festival in Spain

The bullfighter's hat flies off his head as the bull tosses him into the air while spectators watch in horror

Today is the third day of the week-long festival, which sees bulls chase red-scarved runners through the streets of Pamplona, followed by bullfights in the evening.

Tonight's bullfight followed the third running of the bulls in which four people - including three Spaniards and a Frenchman - suffered minor injuries caused by knocks and falls.

Sunday's events were relatively peaceful compared to the first two days of the festival, in which four Americans and a Spaniard were gored during the daily bull runs. None suffered life-threatening injuries.

Commenting on Sunday's run, hospital spokesman Tomas Belzunegui described it as 'tranquil'.

The banderillero lies on the ground after being gored by the bull as bullfighters try to distract it

The banderillero lies curled up on the ground after the vicious attack, which saw him tossed into the air

The banderillero appears to have blood coming out of his mouth as he is carried out of the ring

A Picador assistant bullfighter falls from his horse after stabbing a bull from the Puerto de San Lorenzo ranch with a lance during a bullfight at the San Fermin Fiestas in Pamplona

The Picador falls to the ground after stabbing the bull, which then charges into his horse

Sunday's run featured bulls from the Puerto de San Lorenzo ranch, who completed the 930-yard cobbled-street course in just two minutes and 22 seconds.

That is well under the average of three minutes for the run that weaves through the city center.

A brown bull named Huracan, or Hurricane, broke away early and sped ahead through the parting crowds of runners, several of whom barely dodged its swinging horns.

Huracan came close to catching a runner when it hooked a horn in the pant leg of a young man entering the bullring, lifting him along the wall before dragging him for a few yards. The man apparently escaped unscathed.

The nine-day San Fermin fiesta attracts tens of thousands of partygoers from Spain and abroad.

It was popularized by Nobel Literature laureate Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises.

Revellers run in front of a Puerto de San Lorenzo fighting bull during the third running of the bulls at the San Fermin Festival, in Pamplona

A reveller is tossed by a calf during the third running of the bulls at the San Fermin Festival
A student is taking online gambling giant bet365 to court after it refused to pay her 1million winnings after her successful flutter on horse racing.

Megan McCann was just 19 years old when she staked nearly 25,000 on 12 horses across four races in June 2016, winning 985,000 plus her initial bet back.

But bet365 has said it will not honour the wager because it believes Miss McCann's stake was provided 'by a third party' which constitutes a breach of its rules.

Student Megan McCann said she is entitled to 1million winnings after a successful 25,000 wager on horse races at events including Bath, pictured (file picture)

She bet on 12 horses in four different races at courses including Kempton, pictured, in June 2016 but was told she could not have her winnings because a 'third party' provided her stake

According to the Daily Telegraph, Miss McCann, now 20, of Belfast, has filed a writ in the High Court in Northern Ireland accusing the firm of breach of contract.

The paper reported documents show the student was 'congratulated' by bet365 on winning her wager on a live chat on its website.

A day later she was told the money would be processed within 48 hours after passing a series of questions around her identity, including her star sign.

But her account was then suspended and closed, with bet365 understood to be accusing Miss McCann of 'fraud and cheating', which she denies.

The bets were made on races at Bath, Kempton and Naas in Ireland on June 22, 2016, through 960 13 each way bets on 12 horses.

They were made via 'lucky 15' bets, which are a special form of accumulator that require a person to make four selections - in this case horses - and can result on up to 15 payouts depending on how many selections come in.

Miss McCann is now taking bet365 to the High Court in Belfast and is claiming more than 1million in damages. Pictured is bet365's headquarters in Stoke

Miss McCann is demanding damages of more than 1million for breach of contract after lawyers filed her writ in Belfast against bet365, which is licensed and regulated by the government of Gibraltar.

According to the Telegraph, she claims the rule about staking her own bet was 'buried in the terms and conditions' which were 'too lengthy and complex' and 'much too vague' to understand.

One legal document written to bet365's representatives seen by the paper said: 'Our client's case is very straightforward. She placed a bet with your client. She won. She is entitled to her winnings'.

Bet365 has confirmed an investigation took place into the circumstances of the wager and that the firm was 'satisfied' winnings are 'not payable' and expects any trial to uphold its decision.

MailOnline has contacted bet365 for comment.
Cardinal George Pell has returned to Australia to face historical sexual abuse charges in Melbourne at the end of the month.

The 76-year-old was pictured leaving Sydney Airport early on Monday morning after flying in from the Vatican via Singapore.

Pell didn't answer questions from reporters before he was whisked out a delivery exit, manned by Australian Federal Police officers, accompanied by a small entourage, Nine News reported.

He left in one of two hire cars waiting outside the airport for him.

It's not clear how long he will remain in Sydney before his court hearing in Melbourne later this month.

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Cardinal George Pell was whisked out of a delivery exit after arriving at Sydney Airport on Monday morning

Cardinal George Pell has touched down in Sydney to face historical sexual abuse charges

The 76-year-old arrived in his native Australia on Monday after being spotted in Singapore

In a statement issued on behalf of Pell later on Monday morning, it was revealed that he had taken several days to return home to Australia on medical advice.

'Cardinal George Pell has returned to Australia to defend sexual abuse charges,' it said.

'When he was told of the charges by Victoria Police Cardinal Pell said in Rome that he totally rejected the allegations, was completely innocent of the charges and would return to Australia to vigorously defend himself and clear his name.

'His return today the bshoukld not be a surprise.'

It added: 'Before leaving rome the Cardinal consulted his doctors and on their advice took several days to return home breaking his journey in a number of places to avoid long-haul flights.

'Cardinal Pell will not be making further comment other than to say he is grateful for the numerous messages of support he continues to receive.'

Pell didn't answer questions from reporters before he was whisked out a delivery exit and into one of two hire cars waiting for him

Pell is on leave of absence to defend himself and will appear in a Melbourne court on July 26

Dressed in casual attire, he was seen sitting with a friend at an ice-cream shop in Singapore on Saturday in a video obtained by the Nine Network.

The clip was taken by a tourist, who told Pell that his mother want wanted to know if he was innocent.

'Tell her that I am,' Pell replied.

Channel 9 published the video on its Facebook page late on Saturday and said it had been taken earlier in the day.

The video marked the first time he has been seen in public outside Rome since police charged him.

Victoria Police charged Pell, a former Melbourne and Sydney archbishop and Ballarat priest, with multiple sex offences on June 30.

Pell, Australia's most senior Catholic, was spotted at an ice cream shop in Singapore

Victoria Police charged Pell late last month, making the Vatican economy minister the highest-ranking Church official to face such accusations

It makes the the Vatican economy minister the highest-ranking Church official to face such accusations.

But Pell, Australia's most senior Catholic, has insisted he is innocent and is looking forward to fighting the charges in court.

The cardinal , a top adviser to Pope Francis, has taken a leave of absence as the Vatican's financial chief to fight the charges.

He told reporters in Rome in June that the laying of charges had strengthened his resolve to prove his innocence.

'There has been relentless character assassination,' he told reporters in Rome after the charges were laid.

'I'm looking forward, finally, to having my day in court.

'I'm innocent of these charges. They are false. The whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me.'

He is due to appear in a Melbourne court on July 26.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was reportedly 'stunned' at how President Donald Trump discussed interference in the US election with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

Tillerson, the only high-level American official allowed in the room, allegedly urged the commander-in-chief to hit Putin hard on the matter.

However, he did not expect when Trump unceremoniously began the meeting by reportedly saying to Putin: 'I'm going to get this out of the way: Did you do this?'

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (pictured, at the 22nd World Petroleum Congress opening ceremony on Sunday in Istanbul) was reportedly 'stunned' that President Donald Trump opened his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday by asking: ''I'm going to get this out of the way: Did you do this?'

Other Trump aides were not sure if the president would even bring up the suggestion of Russia hacking in the election 'although he was leaning towards challenging' Putin on the subject, reported The New York Times.

The US and Russia have presented different accounts of the way the conversation on the topic played out.

Tillerson told reporters that Trump and Putin had a 'robust and lengthy exchange' about it and that Putin vehemently denied Russia had disrupted the electoral process.

Putin also reportedly said the US-Russia relationship was 'too important not to move forward' from the events of last year.

The Secretary of State added that he and Trump didn't expect anything other than a denial from Putin.

But Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters at the G20 summit: 'US President Trump said that he heard firm assertions from Russian President Putin that it is not true and that Russian authorities have not meddled in the election.'

Lavrov added that Trump 'said that he accepts these assertions'.

The US and Russia have given different versions of how the conversation surrounding the topic went. While Tillerson says the US had a 'robust and lengthy exchange' about the topic, Russia counters and says Trump 'agreed' the country didn't hack the US election (Pictured, Putin, left, and Trump meet at Friday's G20 summit)

During a press conference on Saturday, Putin also said that Trump 'agreed' Russia didn't hack the US election.

'He asked many questions on the subject, I tried to answer them all,' Putin said. 'It seemed to me that he was satisfied with the answers.'

Trump has not yet held a press conference to address the topic, and he did not publicly speak on the matter until Sunday morning when he fired off a series of tweets.

'I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion,' Trump wrote.

'Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!'
Two transgender men are claiming to be the first in Britain to give birth to a child in what is a story of a pair of very modern fathers.

One claims he became pregnant after a one-night stand while he was on a gender transition programme while the other was legally male but paused hormone treatment to conceive via a sperm donor.

Here the Daily Mail looks at both of their stories.

Scott, 23, lived as a girl until 2015. He got pregnant after a drunken one night stand with a friend

The first British man to give birth became pregnant after a one-night stand.

Scott Parker was already living as a man when he conceived daughter Sara last August.

He was on a gender transition programme but had not started hormone treatment.

He gave birth on April 29, seven weeks before Hayden Cross who had been thought to be the first British man to do so.

Scott Parker, 23, claims to be the first transgender man to give birth in Britain after having daughter Sara, left, in April. Pictured right is Mr Parker when pregnant

The 23-year-old graphic designer said the unplanned pregnancy following a drunken fling with a male friend was his lucky, last chance to have a child normally.

He said: I did want to have my own children, and I had thought about how it might be possible with fertility treatment, but in the end I just wrote it off as something that is not going to happen.

'I thought Im a man now  I cant have children. Now I have everything. I am the man I am meant to be and a parent.

'I want others to know they can do it too. It is wonderful that attitudes are changing and people like me can celebrate being a parent.

Mr Parker, whose maternity card used the gender-neutral title Mx rather than Mr, said he had spent five weeks chest-feeding his beloved daughter.

He added: She is beautiful and I feel so fortunate, and I think I am doing pretty well as a parent.

He hopes that when Sara and Mr Crosss daughter grow up it will be more normal for children to have been born to men.

Mr Parker, who asked to have his surname changed for media reports, said he knew as a child he was born the wrong sex.

He began living full time as a man in May 2015, switching his first name by deed poll to Scott.

His partner, who asked not to be named, intends to adopt Sara and become her legal parent. He also was born female and is transitioning to become a man.

Saras biological father does not want to be involved in the babys life.

Mar Parker, pictured left with his daughter and right as a young girl, became pregnant after a one night stand

Mr Parker was placed on the NHS transition programme in June 2016, two months before he became pregnant, and is a patient at the gender identity clinic at Charing Cross Hospital in West London.

He is due to be given a testosterone injection this October which will set in motion irreversible physical changes.

He is also planning to have an operation to remove his breasts next year and surgery to transform other organs.

I knew that my chest would get bigger [in pregnancy], but that I was going to have surgery one day and theyll be gone, he said.

And I might be having a lot of oestrogen now, but Im going to have testosterone eventually and that will be fine. There were days when I felt uncomfortable with my body. I tried to cover my chest as much as possible and wear baggier clothes.

He added: This was pretty much the only opportunity Ill have to have a child free of medical intervention. It was the perfect chance.

He said being a pregnant man caused some confusion and a hospital clerk at his 12-week scan assumed he was in the wrong place.

But he added: Everyone in the medical field has referred to me as dad since we moved to Brighton.

They were wonderful about me being a pregnant man and giving birth. I was the first they had come across so they were keen to learn and accommodate me.

'When I didnt want to go to the antenatal classes with women, my midwife discussed everything that I needed to know on a one-on-one basis. She was amazing.

Pictured: Mr Parker's daughter Sara following a 32-week scan at Royal Sussex County Hospital

Mr Parker was induced on April 28  ten days overdue.

Sara was delivered the following morning in a birthing pool after a six-hour overnight labour.

Mr Parker said his mental health nurse mother, bricklayer father and three sisters all supported his transition and his pregnancy.

Older relatives were also supportive, but would accidentally use his birth name or say things like Go back to mummy to his daughter.

Mr Parker said he would tell Sara the story of her conception when she was older, explaining that he gave birth to her.

He said: Ill tell her that I was born exactly the same way you are now but Im a boy. Im a girl who grew up to be a big boy.

Hayden, 21, lived as a girl until 2011. He got pregnant after contacting a sperm donor on Facebook

A man who gave birth said yesterday that he hoped his child would grow up to be a daddys girl.

Hayden Cross, 21, said his world was complete with the arrival of Trinity-Leigh and vowed to look after her like any single dad.

Despite still having reproductive organs he said he did not feel like a mother and had taken drugs to stop his body producing milk because he did not want to breastfeed.

Mr Cross was legally male when he paused transgender hormone treatment to conceive using a sperm donor he had met on Facebook.

Hayden Cross, pictured, says he is the first man in Britain to give birth after having daughter Trinity-Leigh by caesarean three weeks ago

The Daily Mail reported on Saturday that the former Asda worker gave birth to 6lb 7oz Trinity-Leigh by caesarean three weeks ago.

At the time he was believed to be the first British man to have a baby, but it later emerged that Scott Parker from Brighton had beaten him by a few weeks.

Mr Cross is listed as Trinity-Leighs mother on her birth certificate, but will restart his gender transition programme next month.

Being a dad all came naturally to me, he told the Sun on Sunday. As soon as I held her my paternal instincts just kicked in.

I care for her as any single dad would. I wanted a boy at first but now I am so glad I had a girl. Now she can be a daddys girl.

Mr Cross has taken medication to stop his body producing milk and has restarted strapping his breasts down with a thick elastic material.

Mr Cross, pictured, paused hormone treatment to get pregnant via a sperm donor he met on Facebook

He hopes to have them removed next year as part of the next stage of his transition which is expected to include having his ovaries removed.

I hate the fact I have them (breasts). It doesnt feel right. I dont even like talking about them, it is horrible when I look in the mirror, he said.

I want to get on with the programme and become who I am supposed to be.

Mr Cross, who has lived legally as a man for the last three and a half years, will also resume taking testosterone, a process which has already left him with a deeper voice and facial hair.

Restarting his transition means he will not be able to have more children.

But he is unconcerned, saying the moment his daughter was placed in his arms he felt his world was complete. Mr Cross hopes his transition will be over by the time Trinity-Leigh is old enough to talk.

He gave birth at the maternity wing of Gloucestershire Royal Hospital just 48 hours after his mother Christine Edgeworth had her fifth child.

Mr Cross had a troubled upbringing, was always a tomboy and was excluded from a girls school aged 14. The following year he started cutting off his hair and stopped wearing girly clothes. He would play with his brothers rather than his sister.

Mr Cross had wanted to freeze his eggs but medical chiefs refused to authorise the 4,000 procedure.

He decided to have a child straight away by finding a sperm donor online.

He found a now closed Facebook group where someone agreed to supply him for free. The sperm was handed over in a pot at the door of Mr Crosss flat in Gloucester and he inserted it himself using a syringe.

He discovered he was pregnant two weeks later but has had no contact with the biological father and does not know his identity.

Mr Cross, pictured as a girl aged six, will now continue testosterone treatment

Conceiving left him with mixed emotions he said, feeling both happy but also realising he was backtracking temporarily on his transition to a man.

While many were supportive of his pregnancy, there were some extreme reactions. Ive had death threats, people threatening to beat me up, he has said.

But a lot of people dont really understand the situation. I want them to be more aware.

His pregnancy and sex change also caused tensions in his family, with an uncle warning the child could grow up confused.

Her grandmother said she struggled not to use his birth name.

Mr Cross has said he wants his daughter to go to a private school.
Donald Trump Jr says he took a meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer because he was offered information 'helpful' to his father's presidential campaign - but he did not know who he would be meeting before hand.

And the president's son says when the appointment on June 9, 2016 set up by an 'acquaintance' turned out to be with Natalia Veselnitskaya, it became clear her real agenda was to discuss adoption with him.

He says she used the lure of 'dirt' on Hillary Clinton to make him meet her and ended up making 'no sense' when she began making claims about Russians funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting his father's opponent.

Trump Jr was speaking out on Sunday in response to a New York Times report that he agreed to meet the lawyer because she offered him compromising information about Clinton.

The latest developments, Trump opponents say, adds further fuel to suspicions that officials with the president's campaign actively colluded with the Kremlin to tilt the election in their favor.

The meeting, first reported by the New York Times on Saturday, took place just two weeks after Trump won the Republican nomination, and was with Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya.

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Donald Trump Jr., the New York Times reports, set up a meeting with a Kremlin-linked Russian attorney after being promised damaging information on Hillary Clinton

President Donald Trump's eldest son arranged a meeting between his father's campaign aides and a lawyer linked to the Kremlin, Natalia Veselnitskaya (above), just two weeks after Trump won the Republican nomination

The wife of a former deputy transportation minister, Veselnitskaya is best known for her public attacks on American sanctions aimed at Russian human rights abusers

The president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, sat in.

On Sunday, the Times reported that damaging information on Clinton motivated Trump's son to set it up, though said it was unclear if Veselnitskaya followed through with that promise.

In a statement Sunday, Donald Trump Jr. said he had met with the Russian attorney at the request of an acquaintance.

'I was asked to have a meeting by an acquaintance I knew from the 2013 Miss Universe pageant with an individual who I was told might have information helpful to the campaign,' the president's eldest son said in a statement.

'I was not told her name prior to the meeting. I asked Jared and Paul to attend, but told them nothing of the substance. We had a meeting in June 2016.

President Donald Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner (pictured) sat in on a meeting between Kremlin-connected lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, Donald Trump Jr. and Paul Manafort

'After pleasantries were exchanged the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms. Clinton,' the eldest Trump son said.

'Her statements were vague, ambiguous and made no sense.

'No details or supporting information was provided or even offered,' he continued. 'It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information.

'She then changed subjects and began discussing the adoption of Russian children and mentioned the Magnitsky Act.

'It became clear to me that this was the true agenda all along and that the claims of potentially helpful information were a pretext for the meeting. I interrupted and advised her that my father was not an elected official, but rather a private citizen, and that her comments and concerns were better addressed if and when he held public office.

'The meeting lasted approximately 20 to 30 minutes. As it ended, my acquaintance apologized for taking up our time. That was the end of it and there was no further contact or follow-up of any kind. My father knew nothing of the meeting or these events.'

This is the first confirmed meeting between Trump associates and figures tied to the Russian government, according to the Times, which cited confidential government records.

It is also the first time that Trump's son was known to be involved in a meeting of this nature.

Donald Trump Jr. mentioned nothing about Clinton when first asked about the meeting on Saturday.

'It was a short introductory meeting,' Donald Trump Jr. told the Times on Saturday.

'I asked Jared and Paul to stop by. We primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children that was active and popular with American families years ago and was since ended by the Russian government, but it was not a campaign issue at the time and there was no follow up.'

On Sunday, Donald Trump Jr. noted that after the conversation about Clinton, Veselnitskaya switched gears to talk about the Russian adoption issue.

'It became clear to me that this was the true agenda all along and that the claims of potentially helpful information were a pretext for the meeting,' the Trump son said.

It is the first time that Trump's son, Donald Jr. (far right), was known to be involved in a meeting of this nature. Donald Jr. is seen with President Trump (second from right), Ivanka Trump, and Eric Trump in this January 11, 2017 file photo

The meeting was also attended by Paul Manafort, who was at the time Trump's campaign chairman. Manafort is seen above on July 18, 2016

The wife of a former deputy transportation minister, Veselnitskaya is best known for her public attacks on American sanctions aimed at Russian human rights abusers.

The Magnitsky Act imposed visa bans and asset freezes on Russian officials linked to the 2009 death in prison of Sergei Magnitsky, a 37-year-old Russian whistleblower.

Russia has demanded that the US repeal the legislation since its passage in 2012. President Vladimir Putin was so enraged by the law that he halted American adoptions of Russian children as retaliation.

WHO IS NATALIA VESELNITSKAYA? Lawyer known for waging harsh public campaign the 2012 Magnitsky Act

She is married to a former deputy transportation minister of the Moscow region

She is also the family lawyer for Denis Katsyv, the son of senior Russian government official Pyotr Katsyv

Katsyv's real-estate company Prevezon was under investigation by the Department of Justice at the time of the meeting

Prevezon allegedly laundered millions of dollars into New York City real estate

The case was settled for approximately $6 million in May Advertisement

The Times also said Veselnitskaya's clients include state-owned businesses and the son of a senior government official whose company was under investigation in the United States at the time of the meeting.

On Saturday, Veselnitskaya told the Times that 'nothing at all about the presidential campaign' was discussed at the meeting and after 10 minutes either Manafort of Kushner walked out.

She added that she had 'never acted on behalf of the Russian government' and 'never discussed any of these matters with any representative of the Russian government,' she also told the Times.

Trump promised a rapprochement with Moscow as he campaigned for president but many US lawmakers, including many of his fellow Republicans, have sought to take a tough line against Russia.

Kushner lawyer Jamie Gorelick said her client already disclosed the meeting in a revised filing of a form that requires him to list meetings with foreign agents.

'Mr. Kushner has submitted additional updates and included, out of an abundance of caution, this meeting with a Russian person, which he briefly attended at the request of his brother-in-law, Donald Trump Jr. As Mr. Kushner has consistently stated, he is eager to cooperate and share what he knows,' she said.

Unlike Kushner, Trump Jr. does not serve in the administration and is not required to disclose his foreign contacts.

The newspaper reported Saturday, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, that Manafort disclosed the meeting to congressional investigators questioning his foreign contacts.

Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Trump's personal lawyer, told the paper Sunday 'the president was not aware of and did not attend the meeting.'

Ties between officials close to Trump and Moscow have drawn scrutiny from the FBI and Congress in light of assessments that the Russian government hacked the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's email account.

The goal was to sway the election toward Trump and away from Clinton, intelligence officials said.

Former FBI director Robert Mueller is leading the investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to hack the election.

Both Russia and the Trump campaign deny this.

In a meeting that ran longer than either side had planned, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed alleged Russian meddling in the U.S. election on Friday, but agreed to focus on better ties rather than re-litigating the past.

Trump, a Republican who called it an 'honor' to meet with the Russian president, drew swift criticism from Democrats at home, who accused him of dismissing US intelligence agencies and giving Putin's denial, reiterated on Friday, of Russian interference too much weight.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany that Trump had 'positive chemistry' with Putin during the meeting, which lasted some two hours and 15 minutes.

He opened their discussion by pressing Putin about 'the concerns of the American people regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election' and had a robust exchange, Tillerson said.

The Russian president has denied any meddling in the US democratic process last year and Moscow has asked for proof that it took place.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Trump accepted Putin's assertions that the allegations, backed by US intelligence agencies, were false.

Tillerson said they both sought to move on.

In a meeting that ran longer than either side had planned, Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin discussed alleged Russian meddling in the US election on Friday but agreed to focus on better ties rather than litigating the past

'The presidents rightly focused on how do we move forward from what may be simply an intractable disagreement at this point,' Tillerson said.

That explanation did not sit well with Democrats.

'Working to compromise the integrity of our election process cannot and should not be an area where 'agree to disagree' is an acceptable conclusion,' said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in a statement.

On Thursday in Poland Trump gave lukewarm support to the view that Moscow interfered in the 2016 political process.

On Sunday, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus tried to thread the needle saying that Trump 'absolutely' did not buy Putin's denial, though added that Trump believed the Russians 'probably' meddled in the presidential election.

Having an active day on Twitter, Trump added: 'I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion.....'

Though he didn't articulate what it is.
A man has been charged with first degree murder for the death of his pregnant ex-girlfriend who was found naked in a vacant Michigan home.

La'Diamond Meyer's ex-boyfriend, Willie Wilborn, allegedly used blunt force to the head and stabbed the expecting mother in her abdomen. He had the charges read to him on Thursday for the murder of the 23-year-old whose children walked to a neighbor's house in Detroit, Michigan, to get help as she died.

'The little boy said, 'My daddy hit her across the head with the broom and he stabbed her,' said the neighbor who found the body of the mother to Click on Detroit.

La'Diamond Meyer's ex-boyfriend, Willie Wilborn, allegedly used blunt force to the head and stabbed the expecting mother in her abdomen of her Detroit, Michigan home

'The little boy said, 'My daddy hit her across the head with the broom and he stabbed her,' said the neighbor who found the body of the mother

The mother's children ranged from eight months to five years old.

'She was five months pregnant. You didn't only take hers, you took another life as well as her,' said Meyers' sister, Sheila Calvin.

Calvin said Meyers cared deeply for her children.

'You took my sister, someone who we'll never see again, someone who her kids won't see. It's about how her kids are going to feel now,' Calvin said.

Meyer's family said that the mother and her children had moved into the abandon home, months ago, as a means to get away

Meyers and Wilborn had been dating on and off for four years, according to the victim's family.

They added that Wilborn had been abusive and controlling, and that police and child protective services were called on numerous occasions. He even had been convicted of criminal sexual conduct.

Meyer's family said that the mother and her children had moved into the abandon home, months ago, as a means to get away.

On June 28, the estranged couple had an argument and the father was nowhere to be found when news of the mom's death was announced.

While the four children had been inside the home when their mother was killed, the neighbor who found the body became suspicious when she saw the kids outside unattended, seeking help.

Neighbors said that the mom often kept to herself but it was clear that she loved her children

'The little girl was riding a scooter,' she said.

'I said, 'Where is your mom and dad?' She said, 'Mom is sleeping and dad's at work.''

Neighbors said that the mom often kept to herself but it was clear that she loved her children.

'She was always out with the kids, playing with the kids and doing the best that she could,' her neighbor said.

'No one would have ever thought that something tragic like this would have happened.'

Wilborn faces life in prison and he was quickly denied bond.

The children are staying with a family member.
Theresa May, pictured, will try to shore up her leadership as Prime Minister by asking Labour for help delivering Brexit

Theresa May will relaunch her leadership tomorrow with an appeal to Labour to help deliver Brexit.

In a surprise move, the Prime Minister will reach out to Labour, saying Jeremy Corbyn has a duty to 'contribute, not just criticise' after her snap election produced a hung parliament.

Mrs May is seeking to shore up her leadership amid renewed speculation she could face a challenge within months.

Former Tory chief whip Andrew Mitchell did not deny a reports yesterday that he told a private meeting of MPs that the PM had lost all authority and must quit.

Downing Street has also been forced to deny rumours she could quit this summer.

Justice Secretary David Lidington yesterday urged Tory plotters to calm down, saying rumours were being fuelled by MPs who had enjoyed 'too much sun and too much warm prosecco' at summer parties in Westminster.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said the vast majority of MPs understood that provoking a leadership challenge would be a disaster.

In a speech tomorrow, Mrs May will insist that her desire to continue in office is 'undimmed' despite last month's shattering election result, which saw her surrender her Commons majority.

But she will also acknowledge her weakened position in Parliament, with an appeal to Labour to help deliver 'bold' reforms.

She will say Britain faces a period of 'great national change' in the wake of last year's Brexit vote.

But she insists she retains an 'unshakeable sense of purpose' to build a fairer country.

Some ministers fear they could be left presiding over a 'zombie parliament' unable to agree on anything.

But the Prime Minister will urge other parties to co-operate on a range of issues, including Brexit.

Mrs May will acknowledge that the election result was 'not what I wanted', and has left her facing 'a rather different reality' in Parliament.

She says it is vital for the Tories to 'win the battle of ideas, both in Parliament and the country'.

But she will add: 'I say to the other parties in the House of Commons, come forward with your own views on how we can tackle these challenges as a country.

'We may not agree on everything, but through debate and discussion ideas can be clarified and improved and a better way forward found.

'It is in that spirit that we will take this agenda forward in the months ahead.' Mrs May will say that Britain is at a 'critical time in our history'.

And she will warn her party that it faces a choice between being 'timid or bold'.

'We can play it safe, or we can strike out with renewed courage and vigour, making the case for our ideas and values and challenging our opponents to contribute, not just criticise,' she will say.

Her appeal to Jeremy Corbyn, pictured, and Labour will be seen as 'high-risk' and an attempt to stop the Government's legislative programme from being halted

The appeal to Labour will be seen as a high-risk strategy designed to prevent the Government's legislative programme grinding to a halt.

The acknowledgement that Mrs May could need opposition support to drive through her programme will underline fears that she may be forced to compromise on aspects of Brexit.

Her speech tomorrow will be delivered as she launches the Taylor report on the so-called gig economy, which is expected to call for stronger rights for people in insecure jobs.

She will cite it as an example of the kind of issue where political parties can work together.

Diehard Tory Remainers are plotting with Labour to force Mrs May to back down over her insistence that European judges should be barred from meddling in the UK after Brexit. The Prime Minister has said the European Court of Justice should have no role in the UK once it leaves the EU.

But ahead of the publication of the Repeal Bill on Thursday, ex-culture minister Ed Vaizey yesterday wrote an article with Labour MP Rachel Reeves calling for compromise over the role of the court  allowing the UK to continue participating in the Euratom treaty, governing nuclear co-operation.

The controversial Tory-DUP deal could face legal action over claims it breaks bribery laws.

Theresa May agreed an extra 1 billion in funding for Northern Ireland in return for DUP support on key votes at Westminster, but Green Party campaigner Ciaran McClean says the deal breaches the terms of the Bribery Act.
An Amazing Race contestant has announced he is running for a US Congress seat to represent his district of Tennessee.

Justin Kanew, 38, is no stranger to races - he competed twice on The Amazing Race's popular worldwide competition in 2009 and 2011, where he was a fan favorite.

Kanew, a writer and producer, is hoping he still has the public's favor when he runs for Tennessee's seventh district for the 2018 election, he revealed at the start of July.

Despite having no background in politics, the Democrat said he was motivated to run because he disproved Trump's decision to dismantle Obamacare.

Justin Kanew (right) is running for a US Congress seat in Tennessee, he announced in early July. The writer and producer appeared on The Amazing Race game show in 2009 and 2011 (pictured with his teammate Zev)

The Democrat said he was motivated to run because he disapproves of the new Republican healthcare plan. Pictured: Kanew with his wife and 15-month-old child

The father-of-one will be running against long-time Republican seat-holder Marsha Blackburn, who has held the office since 2003.

Kanew moved from Los Angeles to Williamson County, Tennessee, around a year ago because he wanted a better community to raise his 15-month-old daughter in.

Writing on his campaign website, Kanew said: 'In this moment I feel we all need to do everything we can to keep our country and our community headed towards a brighter future.

'Middle Tennessee is a truly special place, with special people who deserve a representative willing to actually listen to them, and stand and fight for them, particularly when it comes to health care, education, family issues, and justice.'

Kanew said he felt compelled to run for Congress because he was frustrated with Trump and didn't approve of the Republican's alternative healthcare proposal.

Kanew (pictured with his wife) will have his first public appearance as a candidate on July 20. Primaries are in August and election day is in November

Speaking to Tennessean, he said: 'It's a cruel bill and we need as many people as possible in Congress that are are willing to fight against something like this.

'This is exactly the kind of thing that shows there are people putting corporations and the wealthy ahead of the people of Tennessee.'

Despite being a staunch critic of Trump and his policies, Kanew does think they are similar because they aren't career politicians.

He said to PEOPLE: 'Im not a career politician but I think in many ways thats a plus.

'I think this election showed career politicians arent necessarily what people are looking for right now.'

Kanew added on his website: 'This campaign isn't about Left vs. Right, it's about Right Vs. Wrong.

'Yes I'm running as a Democrat, but I hope when you get to know me you'll realize that "D" next to my name stands for "Decency" more than anything else.'

Kanew will have his first public appearance as a candidate on July 20. Primaries are in August and election day is in November.

Kanew competed with friend Zev Glassenberg (pictured together). Glassenberg was the show's first contestant to have Aspergers Syndrome

Kanew appeared on CBS' Amazing Race twice with his friend Zev Glassenberg, who has Aspergers Syndrome.

Glassenberg was the first contestant on the show who had the condition and the team was a fan favorite.

The two met working as camp counselors and remained close friends ever since.

It was Kanew who took Glassenberg to Las Vegas so Glassenberg could lose his virginity.
Former chief whip Andrew Mitchell, pictured, who quit after the 'Plebgate' row, is said to have told MPs Theresa May is 'weak' and must resign

As a no-nonsense Chief Whip, Andrew Mitchell never hesitated to throw his weight around to enforce loyalty to party leader David Cameron.

Mitchell learned the black arts of party discipline in the whips office when John Major was Prime Minister and fighting a losing battle with his MPs over Europe. Mitchells mentor then was the deputy chief whip, one David Davis.

The pair have been close friends ever since, and now Mitchell stands accused of plotting to install Davis, the Brexit Secretary, in 10 Downing Street in place of Theresa May, whom Mitchell is alleged to have written off as effectively dead in the water.

Its reported that during a secret Commons dinner last month, Mitchell said May was weak and had lost her authority, and that the party needed a new leader.

Mitchell has never been a fan of May. He backed Boris Johnson in the last Tory leadership contest.

And after May became PM, he was disappointed and surprised not to be recalled to the frontline like David Davis, who had been on the backbenches since 2008.

Mitchell is still sore about that, says one senior Tory. Hes always harboured grudges.

Usually, former chief whips are an invaluable reference point for party leaders who hit difficulties.

So for Mitchell to be associated with moves against a weakened Prime Minister at such a delicate point in the Brexit process is damaging for his reputation.

But he has form. When Iain Duncan Smith was leader between 2001-03, and the subject of repeated plots against him, the hand of Mitchell was never far from the assassins dagger.

Though Mitchell  a vocal supporter of foreign aid  had been a campaign manager for Davis in the 2005 party leadership contest, when Cameron won he swiftly switched allegiances and was rewarded with a frontbench role.

Moved to Chief Whip in 2012, he relished the revival of his old nickname Thrasher, which dates back to the days when he was a prefect at Rugby School.

Talking tough to wayward MPs is one thing. But Mitchell, whose flashes of anger were legendary, overstepped the mark when he raged at police officers in Downing Street in the infamous Plebgate row.

They were merely doing their job in telling him to use a different gate. And despite his denials that he used the public school insult plebs, many fellow MPs said it was entirely in keeping with his character.

The courts agreed. In 2014, Mitchell lost a High Court case against The Sun over what hed said to the Downing Street police, which cost him a small fortune in legal fees.

Mitchell, 61, who resigned after the Plebgate row, certainly enjoyed a gilded youth that ensured he has an unshakeable certainty about his place in the world: Rugby School, president of the Cambridge University Union Society, the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, the fourth member of his family to become an MP.

Mitchell, pictured left and right, is said to have never been a fan of May and 'holds a grudge' about not being recalled to the front bench following her rise to power

Today, he leads a comfortable life  the product of family wealth and a pre- Westminster career with the investment bank Lazard.

In 1879, his ancestors set up El Vino wine merchants, which has two bars in London that are favourites with lawyers and City figures.

It was sold more than ten years ago, and Mitchell banked 630,000 for his 9 per cent stake.

He loves to flaunt his knowledge of wine, and has a magnificent cellar in his 3million house in one of the most fashionable squares in Islington, north London.

He and his doctor wife Sharon, one of his most vocal supporters, also have a property in the Midlands.

With most Tories expecting May to soldier on, its now clear that even if Mitchells old pal Davis is the next PM, there is no guarantee he will go straight back into Cabinet.

Davis is irritated by Mitchells latest political misjudgment.

As a result, the former party enforcer might have to thrash around on the backbenches a little longer as a punishment for his disloyalty to the Tory leader.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who once called the Guantanamo Bay detention camp a 'very fine place', visited the prison on Friday as the Trump Administration signals a move to reverse former President Barack Obama's efforts to shut it down.

Sessions traveled to the military detention facility in Cuba with his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, and National Intelligence Director Dan Coats, to gain 'an up-to-date understanding of current operations,' Justice Department spokesman Ian Prior said.

While Trump promised to 'load it up with some bad dudes' after Obama whittled down the prison's population from 242 to 41, he has not publicly announced any policy on the prison's future.

On his first trip there since becoming attorney general, Sessions said it was a 'perfectly acceptable' place to detain new terrorism suspects, as opposed to holding them in the U.S. and having his own Justice Department try them in civilian courts.

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Attorney General Jeff Sessions (left) traveled to the military detention facility in Cuba with his deputy, Rod Rosenstein (right) on Friday and called it a 'perfectly acceptable' place

While Trump promised to 'load it up with some bad dudes' after Obama whittled down the prison's population from 242 to 41, he has not publicly announced any policy to do so

'Recent attacks in Europe and elsewhere confirm that the threat to our nation is immediate and real, and it remains essential that we use every lawful tool available to prevent as many attacks as possible,' Prior said.

Even as an Alabama senator, Sessions has long been a vocal supporter of the continued use of Guantanamo and its military commissions, calling it a 'very fine place for holding these kind of dangerous criminals.'

'We've spent a lot of money fixing it up,' Sessions told the conservative radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt in a March interview.

'And I'm inclined to the view that it remains a perfectly acceptable place. And I think the fact is that a lot of the criticisms have just been totally exaggerated.'

President Donald Trump said during the presidential campaign that he wanted the detention facility open and promised to 'load it up with some bad dudes.'

And while executive orders to send new prisoners there have been drafted, Trump has not signed off on them.

The embrace of Guantanamo Bay now represents a complete reversal of eight years of efforts to close the detention center, which opened on the base in January 2002 to hold and interrogate suspected enemy combatants.

The embrace of Guantanamo Bay now represents a complete reversal of eight years of efforts to close the detention center under Obama (pictured in May)

The Obama administration sent no new detainees there, and though it didn't fulfill a promise to shut it down, it whittled the population from 242 to 41.

That includes seven currently facing charges by military commissions. All are in the pretrial stage, including the five men charged with planning and aiding in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack.

Obama's Justice Department maintained that the U.S. civilian court system was the most legally sound forum in which to prosecute terror suspects captured in the U.S. and overseas and cited hundreds of convictions in New York and other cities as proof.

Yet Sessions and other Republicans have long expressed concern that civilian courts afford legal protections to which suspected terrorists are not entitled.

He has warned that valuable intelligence can be lost if a detainee is advised of his right to remain silent and to have a lawyer.

Rosenstein, however, has said he expects terrorism cases to be handled through civilian trials.

President Donald Trump said during the presidential campaign that he wanted the detention facility open and promised to 'load it up with some bad dudes'

And while executive orders to send new prisoners there have been drafted, Trump has not signed off on them (pictured, a file photo at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base)

Former Attorney General Eric Holder sought unsuccessfully in 2009 to move the suspected ringleader of the Sept. 11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and four alleged co-conspirators from Guantanamo to New York for trial.

Though the plan was derailed by political opposition, Holder has since expressed vindication as the military tribunal system at Guantanamo stalled. It is likely to be years before the men go before a jury of military officers.

The other military commission death penalty case, of the alleged mastermind of the deadly October 2000 bombing attack on the USS Cole in Yemen, has been similarly bogged down for years in pretrial litigation.

Both have stalled largely due to issues related to the fact that the defendants were held for years in clandestine CIA facilities and subjected to treatment now widely regarded as torture.

Sessions lamented delays in the military system, telling Hewitt it is time to 'get this thing figured out.'

'By now, we should have worked through all the legal complications that the Obama administration seemed to allow to linger and never get decided, so nothing ever happened,' he said.

But, he added, 'In general, I don't think we're better off bringing these people to federal court in New York and trying them in federal court where they get discovery rights to find out our intelligence, and get court-appointed lawyers and things of that nature.'
A British newspaper executive is being quizzed by police in Dubai on suspicion of killing his wife.

Expat Francis Matthew, 60, editor-at-large of the Gulf News, has been in custody since last Wednesday.

Matthews 62-year-old wife Jane was found dead at their home in the Arab state last Tuesday.

Expat Francis Matthew, 60, editor-at-large of the Gulf News, has been in custody since last Wednesday. He has been accused of killing his wife Jane, 62

Their son John was believed to have travelled to Dubai to try to visit his father in custody today.

Staff at the influential English-language daily newspaper  where Matthew has worked for 22 years  have been told their bosss wife was killed.

Last night Abdul Hamid Ahmad, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, confirmed Matthew had been arrested on suspicion of killing his wife.

He said: His wife is dead, and she has been killed, at their home. Francis Matthew unfortunately is still in custody with the police.

Their son John was believed to have travelled to Dubai (pictured) to try to visit his father in custody today

Further than that, we have no idea exactly what is happening, and are trying to see him to get the right things from him directly. He is still being questioned by the police. I am trying, and my managers are trying, to get permission to see him tomorrow.

He said that the arrest of public school-educated Matthew had come as a huge shock to the newspapers staff.

Francis has worked here for more than 20 years and I have worked closely with him, he said. He is a very respected man, talented and hard-working. He loves his work, loves his family, and is very committed and loyal.

He is respected by all his colleagues here, who are shocked by the news. He is loved by everybody in Gulf News.

He has many contacts and is very well-known here.

Mr Ahmad said he had met Mrs Matthew occasionally and they were a very happy couple, and she a very nice lady.

He said Matthews brother had also flown out from his London home, where a family friend said yesterday he did not wish to comment. Mrs Matthews brother, who lives in Scotland, also declined to comment.

The death penalty is legal in Dubai, although it is rarely carried out.

There was no official statement from police or prosecutors yesterday, but sources in the Gulf state told the Mail that Matthew had called police to the couples home where officers discovered his wifes body. It is understood he was found not to be under the influence of alcohol.

One source said: He is currently being investigated on suspicion of assault leading to death.

Matthew and his wife, who was born in Kensington, West London, were married in Chippenham, Wiltshire, in 1985.

He went to 38,000-a-year Winchester College, in Hampshire, and has written on career website LinkedIn: At Winchester, I majored in sciences with biology, chemistry and maths A-levels, supported by a fourth A-level in history of art that woke me up to the wider world of the mind.

He studied Arabic and Islamic studies at Exeter University, graduating in 1979, and worked at The Economist before heading to the Gulf in 1990. He helped launch a newspaper called Xpress three years ago.

The Foreign Office said: We can confirm the death of a British national in Dubai on July 4 and are providing support to the family at this sad time.
New York city Mayor Bill De Blasio has been widely condemned for skipping a vigil held in honor of an assassinated cop to attend a G20 summit protest.

The mayor was absent from the vigil held on Saturday in commemoration of Misostosis Familia.

The 48-year-old officer who was shot in the head on Wednesday while sitting in her marked vehicle in the Bronx.

Embattled De Blasio attended the 12,000-strong protests to 'disrupt the summit', where more than 200 police officers were injured.

Critics slammed him for contributing to an 'anti-police' atmosphere but the mayor said in response that he is still performing his duties as mayor and 'feels deeply' for the slain officer's family.

'All the issues that need to be attended to, I'm attending to every day, regardless of where I am,' de Blasio said on Friday. 'I feel so deeply for Officer Familia's family.'

New York city Mayor Bill De Blasio - pictured speaking at the G20 summit protest - has been widely condemned for missing a vigil held in honor of a slain officer

The mayor rather attended this anti-capitalist demonstration, where more than 200 police officers were injured

The mayor delivered two speeches at the 12,000 strong protests. Police say a small minority sparked the clashes against the police

In his speech at the protests, the mayor called this time in America's history as an 'identity crisis' - a subtle stab at the current administration's policies.

'My nation isn't broken, but my nation is going through an identity crisis,' he said. 'It's on its way somewhere, and I know it's somewhere good because I see what happens in the neighborhoods in my city, I see the process of change underway.'

He then gave a not-so-subtle critique of Trump's controversial stance on the Paris climate deal.

The mayor's critics say he should have rather attended the vigil held in honor of this police officer, Miosotis Familia, who was shot in the head on Wednesday

'American cities are signed on to the Paris Accords. We will do it ourselves.'

His decision to attend the protests has brought on a barrage of critique.

'New York City right now is mourning the loss of a police officer who was dedicated to the city of New York, and we have our mayor who's just gone to Germany to join protesters,' Sergeants Benevolent Association President Ed Mullins said.

'We're not seeing any type of leadership that comes out and explains . . . the police are not your enemy.'

Perhaps in an attempt to save face, the mayor - accompanied to the protests by his son, Dante, who will be working in Germany this summer - praised the police force in the first of the two addresses to the crowd.

'Our right to protest is directly related to the fact that our police protect us,' he said.

'So help me by joining in applause and thanks for the police.

'There have also been great acts of bravery and restraint.

'Remember, our police are working men and women, too.'

According to his spokesperson the mayor - scheduled to be back in the country on Sunday - had booked the trip two weeks before Familia was killed and still decided to embark on the trip because he would be in time for the funeral, which is scheduled for Tuesday.

Hundreds gathered at the vigil held in the 46th precinct in New York on Saturday night.

The wake and the funeral - which are open to the public - will take place on Monday and Tuesday at the World Changers Church in the Bronx. Authorities are expecting 25,000 at the funeral.

In his address to the crowd De Blasio critiqued the policies of President Trump - pictured in April - , specifically his stance against the Paris climate deal
Nobu in Londons Shoreditch opened last Saturday  the first hotel in the UK from this trendy, no-carbs brand.

Design wizards: Rooms at Nobu provide a restful sanctuary with an artistic urban twist

Its a new and innovative building, with overhanging floor slabs and a frayed edge on one side that makes it look as if the construction company has downed tools and buzzed off prematurely.

This is a big opening (143 rooms, 240-seat restaurant, sushi bar, 18-seat chefs table) and its different, clever and expensive. Were paying 275 without breakfast for the smallest category of room, knowing only too well that dinner will be a further 150.

The tried and trusted east meets west theme is in full throttle, with wood screens that slide across the sealed windows, squiggles on the concrete walls, sexy pink lighting, low-slung futon-type bed and cosy bathrooms that have gold rectangular basins and walk-in showers.

Half the joy of a hotel is staying somewhere radically different to your own digs. Job done, here.

Stylish: East London creativity meets understated Japanese luxury at Nobu's first UK hotel

Leaving my wife in the room, I go down to reception and tell a smartly-dressed Frenchman that at these prices I expect a few bottles of complimentary water. He doesnt just agree but says he will arrange for two glasses of comp champagne to be delivered to our table by way of an apology. Impressive.

The corridors are black, gold and dimly lit. So dimly lit that my wife cant find the elevator and so takes the stairs and ends up first in the rubbish bin area and then in a laundry room where a female member of staff takes her by the hand and leads her to the restaurant on floor minus two.

Its a fabulous use of space  the bar and restaurant that is, not the laundry room.

Striking: The hotel's jagged exterior looks as if workmen downed tools and left prematurely

The slinky bar is massive and theres an open air dining area split into terraces on four levels. Staff are friendly and omnipresent and although the whole confection is of the moment you wont feel out of place if youre not quite of the moment.

Just be prepared to pay 5 for a double espresso in the morning by way of a hangover.
It's the controversial new reality TV series which following the lives of some of Australia's most glamorous mothers-to-be.

And Sunday's season premiere of Yummy Mummies was packed full of drama, with egos colliding ahead of Adelaide's 'biggest Versace-themed baby shower'.

The episode saw pregnant Melbourne socialites Lorinska Merrington, Jane Scandizzo and Rachel Watts clash with flashy label-loving Maria DiGeronimo from Adelaide.

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'I can't do Burberry, I need something gold!' The Yummy Mummies collide at a Versace-themed baby shower in premiere of Channel Seven's controversial new reality TV series

Opening with Lorinska, Jane and Rachel shopping in their stilettos before grabbing mocktails from a bar, the women bemoaned how other pregnant women dress.

'You know something that I just cannot stand?' Lorinska said. 'Really frumpy maternity clothes. I just don't think there is a need for it.'

Rachel agreed, adding: 'Some mums, I just feel like they lose it through pregnancy... like people are still seeing them. You're pregnant - it doesn't mean you're dying!'

The pressure is on: The Melbourne socialites went with Lorinska to help her pick out which 'push present' her husband, ex AFL player Andrew Merrington, should buy her

ricey! After some browsing, the ladies settled on a $99,000 rare olive green diamond ring

They later went with Lorinska to help her pick out which 'push present' her husband, former AFL player Andrew Merrington, should buy her.

After some browsing, the ladies settled on a $99,000 rare olive green diamond ring.

'$99,000? That b***h better be pushing out a watermelon!' Rachel exclaimed.

Competition time! After becoming obsessed with her Melbourne rivals' Instagram account, Adelaide's Maria decided to invite the women to her baby shower so she could suss them out

Meanwhile in Adelaide, Maria was frantically planning 'Adelaide's biggest baby shower' with help from her 'Donatella Versace lookalike' mother, Margherita, 60.

Spitting the dummy at being unable to have the function centre's largest room, Maria grew even angrier when she discovered Lorinska, Jane and Rachel's Instagram page, Melbourne Yum Mums.

After becoming obsessed with seeing posts of the women's glamorous lives, Maria decided to invite the women to her baby shower so she could suss them out.

Will she measure up? Arriving in Adelaide, the Melbourne women were doubtful of Maria's 'yummy mummy' credentials as they made the long journey from the airport to her house

'We're kind of in the bush': The three women were unimpressed with how far Maria's house was from the airport

After the women accepted, Maria decided she must change her baby shower's Burberry theme.

'I've gotta change this whole theme, I can't do Burberry, I need something gold,' she said. 'We should do Versace.'

Arriving in Adelaide, the three Melbourne women were doubtful of Maria's 'yummy mummy' credentials as they made the long journey from the airport to her house.

Making an entrance! The Victorian socialites arrived at Maria's Versace mansion, complete with a Porsche in the driveway

'So we're in the car on the way to Maria's house and there's lots of trees around - we're kind of in the bush,' Jane said. 'It does feel like woop woop.'

Arriving, the Melbourne mums were taken aback at Maria's 'Chanel powder room' and Versace-themed chamber.

'You couldn't even count it there was just so much of it everywhere,' Jane said.

'What's there not to like about Versace?' Maria asked, before explaining: 'I actually don't wear anything other than designer normally.'

Too much? Arriving, the Melbourne mums were taken aback at Maria's 'Chanel powder room' and Versace-themed chamber

That's a lot of clothes! They were given a tour of Maria's nursery and walk-in wardrobe

Suprising! 'I actually don't wear anything other than designer normally', Maria explained

After getting to know each other, the pregnant women began discussing where they stand on breastfeeding in public.

While Lorinska and Maria were against it, Rachel and Jane said they had no problem with feeding their baby while out and about.

Later Maria took the women on a tour of her nursery and walk-in wardrobe, both rooms stuffed with Christian Dior Bottles, Prada handbags, Armani dresses and Burberry shirts.

Meanwhile Maria's mum had been working on a special baby show surprise for her daughter - a dance.

Secret project: Meanwhile, Maria's mother had been working on a special baby show surprise for her daughter - a dance

'This guy is giving me what I need': Practicing her moves with hunky dance instructor Orlando, Margherita got a little hot under the collar

Practicing her moves with handsome dance instructor Orlando, Margherita got a little hot under the collar.

'This guy is giving me what I need,' she said. 'Oh my gosh - he was hot!'

On the day of the baby shower, tensions were running high as Maria put the finishing touches on her Versace-themed event and tried to find a table big enough for the gifts.

But things hit a snag when her mother panicked that Maria's white dress will not be fancy enough to impress the Melbourne mums.

Stressful: On the day of the baby shower, tensions were running high as Maria put the finishing touches on her Versace-themed event and tried to find a table big enough for the gifts

'Maria you are not going to wear this': But things hit a snag when her mother panicked that Maria's white dress will not be fancy enough to impress the Melbourne mums

'Maria you are not going to wear this - those girls, they're going to laugh at you!' Margherita exclaimed.

'I don't care,' Maria replied.

'Maria has this white dress its not a Versace look,' Magherita said. 'After all, those yummy mummies are coming and I don't want them to look at Maria and think, "Oh, this is nothing".'

Back at their hotel room, the Melbourne mums were getting ready, with Lorinska eager to see how Maria's event measured up to her plans for an extravagant shower back home.

'I can't wait for this baby shower - bring it on,' she told the girls.
She rose to fame after promoting herself as a 'prim and proper socialite' from Melbourne in 2014.

But My Kitchen Rules' Ash Pollard has shaken off her conservative persona, shedding her clothes to promote a new cookbook.

The former 'etiquette expert' has stripped down and 'discovered my sexuality' in a steamy photoshoot to accompany her recipes, Yahoo7 reports.

'Ive discovered my sexuality': Ash Pollard unveils raunchy new look to promote cookbook as she claims to not 'give a flying f**k' about critics of her scantily-clad persona

In promotional shots the I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! contestant can be seen showing off her pert derriere in red panties as she licks cake from her hand suggestively.

Ash told Yahoo7 the shoot showcased her chameleon personality and how she had become more comfortable in her own skin.

'As the years have gone by, as you grow older, you change, you grow into yourself. Ive discovered my sexuality,' she explained.

That's different! Ash rose to fame after promoting herself as a 'prim and proper socialite' from Melbourne in 2014's My Kitchen Rules

Confortable: Ash told Yahoo7 the shoot showcased her chameleon personality and how she had become more comfortable in her own skin

The bubbly blonde, who also competed on Dancing With The Stars in 2015, hoped her empowering photoshoot could inspire others.

'Women are sexualised and often you feel pressured to keep that to yourself but I feel Im in a position of power sometimes to really motivate women around me in a positive way,' Ash said.

Rubbishing claims that her 'prim and proper socialite' persona on 2014's MKR was an act, Ash claimed she didn't care what detractors had to say about her new look.

'I feel Im in a position of power sometimes to really motivate women around me': The bubbly blonde hoped her empowering photoshoot could inspire others

'I actually dont give a flying f**k what anybody thinks,' she declared boldly.

Since appearing on My Kitchen Rules, Ash has gone on to star on two more reality TV series, most recently I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!

During her time in the South African jungle the feisty blonde made waves thanks to her frequent clashes with The Bachelor's 'villain' Keira Maguire.
Jonathan Cheban has weighed in on Rob Kardashian's social media blowup, which saw Rob post revenge porn of his ex Blac Chyna.

'I never really see Rob. I see what everybody else sees,' Jonathan, 43, told DailyMail.com at private boat party hosted by The Fat Jewish for the launch of PINK PARTY Rose with Bubbles.

He also said Saturday of Rob: 'Maybe he didnt go about it the right way... I feel like he should apologize about the way he did it.'

Giving his view! Jonathan Cheban has weighed in on Rob Kardashian's social media blowup, which saw Rob post revenge porn of his ex Blac Chyna

Thirty-year-old Rob uploaded a string of startling posts to social media on Wednesday, including a photo he claims Chyna sent him of herself with no underwear on, and a brief video clip of Chyna kissing another man in Rob's bed.

Rob accused Chyna - by whom he has an infant daughter named Dream - of drug use, infidelity, and having plastic surgery after giving birth.

When Instagram yanked his profile, he took the show to Twitter, claiming the mother of his child 'had a baby out of spite'.

Swanky party! Jonathan, at a private boat party hosted by The Fat Jewish for the launch of PINK PARTY Rose with Bubbles, that Rob 'should apologize about the way' he expressed his anger

In Rob's home state of California, posting revenge porn is a misdemeanor carrying an up to six-month prison sentence and a $1,000 fine.

On Friday, attorney Lisa Bloom - recently famous for giving a press conference with Kathy Griffin after Kathy posed with an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump's severed head and was fired from CNN - tweeted: 'I represent Blac Chyna.'

The daughter of Gloria Allred continued: 'I just gave Rob Kardashian notice that we'll be in court Monday seeking restraining orders against him. More to come'.

Social media star: The Instagram celebrity rocked a pink outfit with blue boots

Only the best! Spotted at the DJ booth of the swanky affair was none other than Diplo himself

During his chat with DailyMail.com at this boat party, which took place off New York City, Jonathan also dished about his film acting debut, a thriller called By Any Means.

'I like reality, Ill probably stick to reality. Im not good with scripts, Im good with real life,' conceded Jonathan, whose new film's currently available on iTunes.

Spotted at the DJ booth of the swanky affair was none other than Diplo himself.
She has been caught up in a storm after being accused of cheating by former fiance Rob Kardashian.

But Blac Chyna shrugged off the ongoing controversy by cramming her curves into a floral catsuit and sharing the results on social media on Saturday.

The former stripper was looking surprisingly demure as she pranced around in her eye-catching outfit for her latest modelling shoot, which she posted on Snapchat.

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Early doors: Blac Chyna gave her fans a weekend treat by sharing images of herself in a floral catsuit on Snapchat on Saturday

Things can only get better: She also share a picture of her adorable baby daughter Dream

The eyelash entrepreneur, whose real name is the rather more conventional Angela White, looked like she was having a great time as she stood next to a bizarre horse sculpture, which was almost as colourful as her private life.

And, in what may have been a self-consciously symbolic moment, the 29-year-old was pictured as as she walked up a primrose path.

As if that was not enough, the one-time exotic dancer also shared some adorable snaps of her daughter Dream, who was born last November.

The mother-of-two's public relations drive comes after more topless pics of the beauty appeared online  this time posted by one of the men she's accused of cheating with.

Fine filly: Blac was somewhat overshadowed as she posed next to a dramatic equine statue

Rearly impressive: She showcased her bulbous bottom by posing with her back to camera

Heading down the primrose path: Maybe the cerebral former stripper was making a statement

Her baby Tyga: She was also spotted taking her son King Cairo out to lunch

Having a whip-round? She was also spotted carrying a wicker basket as she headed inside

Rapper Rarri True shared two pictures of himself in bed with the 29-year-old on Thursday, in an apparent attempt to taunt her hosiery tycoon ex Rob Kardashian.

And in a dramatic development, it emerged the self-styled hip hopper has returned $136k worth of jewellery he gifted her. He is said to have returned three items in total, according to TMZ.

On Wednesday her on-off fiance Rob made a shocking emotional outburst on social media in which he accused her of cheating, as well as uploading explicit images of the mother of his child.

Getting the show on the road: The star heading into the studio beside a garish pink car

Tiny prancer: The excitement reached fever pitch as she walked and danced

Group session: Just when it seemed it could not be any more thrilling some extras appeared

Warming up: Before her big moment she attempted to perform some dance moves

The eyes have it: Seven-month-old Dream gave an adorable glance as she sat in her chair

Before shacking up with sock magnate Rob, Blac famously dated his half-sister Kylie Jenner's now ex Tyga from November 2011 to late 2014.

She was also engaged to the handsome rapper for almost two years.

The exes share three-year-old son King Cairo Stevenson.

Rumours surrounding Kylie and Tyga's blossoming romance started surfacing around October 2014.

Baby love: Blac, real name Angela White, also shared a plethora of cute snaps

Making a statement: She also shared a snap of herself with her son King Cairo in front of a Defiant logo

What a shocker: A topless photo of the demure reality television personality was posted online on Thursday by a man she is accused of cheating with

Trouble in paradise: Rob Kardashian uploaded explicit images of Blac and accused her of cheating on him
He returned back to Australia last month, after a three-month stint in rehab in the US.

And swimming legend Grant Hackett looked happy and healthy as he was spotted for the first time on the Gold Coast, on Saturday.

The 37-year-old cut a casual figure as he enjoyed brunch with a mystery blonde, who is believed to be a family member, stopping at two eateries on the day.

Out and about: Embattled swimming champion Grant Hackett looked happy and healthy while out with a mystery blonde on Saturday. He was spotted for the first time since returning home last month after his three-month stint in rehab

Downtime: The 37-year-old cut a casual figure as he enjoyed time with a mystery blonde, believed to be a family member, stopping at two eateries on the day

Grant stepped out in a white T-shirt with a black jacket and tracksuit pants.

He wore a black cap and sunglasses, while his pal wore black and white leopard-print leggings with a long sleeve black top.

The pair were spotted enjoying the sunshine and sitting outside a cafe and at one point, gave each other a hug.

Low key: Grant stepped out in a white T-shirt with a black jacket and tracksuit pants

Support system? The pair were spotted enjoying the sunshine and sitting outside at one cafe and at one point, gave each other a hug

At the end of last month, Grant arrived back in Australia from the US, where he sought treatment in Los Angeles.

His decision to enter rehab came after he was arrested in February, following a disturbance at his father's home on the Gold Coast.

He went missing from the home after an alcohol-fueled argument with his father.

On the move: His pal wore black and white leopard-print leggings with a long sleeve black top

Back to it: At the end of last month, Grant arrived back in Australia from the US, where he sought treatment in Los Angeles

He was arrested after reportedly 'going off' and 'stabbing a chopping board,' but he was later released without charge.

As he returned to Australia after his rehab stint last month, he vowed to stay away from alcohol, which he has described as a 'destructive' influence, Nine News reported.

'I'll be celebrating in many different ways now,' he said at the time.

The triple Olympic gold medallist said he was pleased to be back on home soil and was keen to see his two children again.

He said his time in rehab had been 'great... very reconstructive and healthy for me' and added he had been surrounded by friends while overseas.

Struggles: His decision to enter rehab came after he was arrested in February, following a disturbance at his father's home on the Gold Coast

Last month, he told Kyle and Jackie O about his battle with anxiety and depression and how it led him to using alcohol and Stilnox to get to sleep, but rejected claims he is an addict.

He revealed he first started drinking and using sleeping pills in 'bits and pieces' while going through his 2013 divorce with Candice Ally - the mother of his children.

'By no means would I do something every day,' Grant said.

'Everyone says you are an addict or you are this or you're that or the other I wasn't doing something every day.

Being honest: He recently revealed he first started drinking and using sleeping pills in 'bits and pieces' while going through his 2013 divorce with Candice Ally

'I wasn't waking up and going 'aw I need to drink some alcohol, aw I need to take this.'

'I would get to those periods after many weeks or many months of not doing anything and I would use something to numb that state (of anxiety).'

He revealed the argument with his father earlier this year, was about his brother Craig who had punched him in the face a month earlier.

Grant had posted a photo of himself on Instagram a day after his arrest, sporting a black eye and bloody face and saying his brother had 'beat the s*** out of me' during a dispute in January.

Truths: He revealed the argument with his father earlier this year, was about his brother Craig who had punched him in the face a month earlier (he's seen with a pal)

Taking to social media: Grant had posted a photo of himself on Instagram a day after his arrest, sporting a black eye and bloody face

His past: In February 2014, he was spotted wandering around Melbourne's Crown casino half-naked after taking Stilnox

Grant said the feud was about him not wanting to let his brother into his home.

It's not the first time his behaviour had caused concern.

In February 2014, he was spotted wandering around Melbourne's Crown casino half-naked after taking Stilnox.

Last year, he was escorted off a Virgin Australia flight for allegedly tweaking a fellow passenger's nipple.

He told Kyle and Jackie O that he 'didn't mean to grab anyone inappropriately' on the flight, and said he was simply rushing to find his son at Crown, who had taken off from the hotel room.
She's the lovable veteran actress, who's currently starring as Ruth Stewart on long-running soapHome And Away.

And on Sunday, Georgie Parker spoke to Stellar magazine about why she's chosen to keep her 16-year-old daughter Holly out of the spotlight.

Speaking about her views on social media, the 52-year-old star, who's spent nearly 30 years on TV screens, said she's never felt the need to be a celebrity mother.

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Golden girl: On Sunday, Georgie Parker spoke about how she's managed to maintain a private family life after nearly 30 years in the industry

'I don't talk about my family at all,' said Georgie.

'Especially for children, I think it's not their career - it's mine! So I would never drag her into the spotlight. She can start her own life and be known for who is, not who her mother is.'

That's definitely been a conscious choice,' she continued.

Her truth: Speaking about her views on social media, the 52-year-old said she's never felt the need to be an Australian celebrity mother to her 16-year-old daughter Holly

Keeping her family private: 'Especially for children, I think it's not their career - it's mine! So I would never drag her into the spotlight. She can start her own life and be known for who is, not who her mother is'

Georgie who was not much older than her daughter when she started her career, married Steve Worland in 1999 and became a first time mum the following year.

Today, the much loved TV personality is an active user of social media, boasting 134,000 Instagram followers.

But although regularly sharing pictures of herself and her cast mates, not one photo can be found of her husband or daughter.

Popular: Today, the much loved TV personality is an active user of social media, boasting 134,000 Instagram followers

Much loved: But although regularly sharing pictures of herself and her cast mates, not one photo can be found of her private family

Resilient: Speaking to the Daily Telegraph last year, the star said although she enjoyed social media, she didn't have time for online trolls.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph last year, the star said although she enjoyed social media, she didn't have time for online trolls.

'There's nothing you can do, they'd have a problem with Mother Teresa if they wanted to,' she said.

'If I do get a mean comment I delete it straight away - out of sight out of mind. I'd recommend [young actors] do the same.'

Star: Georgie is a Gold Logie award-winning actress
She's had her fair share of drama since bursting onto the TV screens on The Only Way Is Essex.

And Amber Turner turned heads as she made her way to her pal Megan McKenna's restaurant MCK Grill on Saturday night.

The 23-year-old TOWIE star oozed sex appeal as she flashed a snippet of her toned stomach and lean legs in an edgy, rock-chic inspired ensemble.

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All eyes on her! Amber Turner, 23, turned heads as she made her way to her pal Megan McKenna's restaurant MCK Grill on Saturday night

Amber looked absolutely incredible as she strutted her stomach in the super trendy look - which consisted of the stomach flashing crop top.

The top featured the logo 'Loving Life' and complemented her thigh-skimming leather skirt.

The tiny bottoms put emphasis on the reality sensation's enviably toned pins - which were boosted in a pair of towering, open-toe heels.

Ensuring no element of glamour was left behind, Amber donned a glamorous coat of make-up and sported immaculately styled blonde tresses.

Sexy: The TOWIE star oozed sex appeal as she flashed a snippet of her toned stomach and lean legs in an edgy, rock-chic inspired ensemble

Sensational: Amber looked absolutely incredible as she strutted her stomach in the super trendy look - which consisted of the stomach flashing crop top

Fashionista: The top featured the logo 'Loving Life' and complemented her thigh-skimming leather skirt

Joining Amber was her equally stylish pal who opted for a satin khaki bardot style top and skinny white jeans.

The reality star recently celebrated six months since joining the TOWIE cast by posting a glamorous throwback from her first scene.

Amber made a memorable entrance on the show when she cheated on her boyfriend of four years Jamie Reed, 34, with co-star Dan Edgar, 26.

The passionate liaison brought Amber and Jamie's long-term relationship to an abrupt end.

Pins on parade: The tiny bottoms put emphasis on the reality sensation's enviably toned pins - which were boosted in a pair of towering, open-toe heels

Squad: Joining Amber was her equally stylish pal who opted for a satin khaki bardot style top and skinny white jeans

Bikini babe: The reality star recently celebrated six months since joining the TOWIE cast by posting a glamorous throwback from her first scene

Jamie, who made a comeback to the show after leaving in 2012, put his heartache behind him when he moved on with stunning model Jade Lewis.

Jamie recently confessed it was hard being around his former flame following their dramatic break-up and would even like her to move to Australia for some time.

Speaking on The Showbiz Show, he said: 'Its all kind of settling down now. With my ex girlfriend and what she did - the Twitter response has been so nice.

'The people on the streets have been so nice. I dont want to say that it has wasted four years...I just hope that she is happy.

'But I would like Amber to spend a couple of years in Australia. In the nicest possible way! So in a couple of years time we could meet and say what happened.'
He's been enjoying the single life since breaking up with The Bachelorette's Sam Frost last year.

And Sasha Mielczarek was spotted with a stunning blonde during a fun night out on Saturday.

The 32-year-old took to his Instagram story to share a Boomerang edited selfie with model Saskia Wotton, but told fans they're 'just mates.'

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Enjoying the single life? Sasha Mielczarek shared a selfie with a stunning blonde, on his Saturday night out

The blue-eyed beauty posted the snap on her social media account first, along with the caption: 'Love him.'

Sharing the same feelings, Sasha also posted the same photo and wrote: 'Love her,' on the image.

However, he added, '#justfriends' to the image for his legions of followers.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Sasha Mielczarek for comment.

She's a stunner! The 32-year-old took to his Instagram story to share a Boomerang edited selfie with model Saskia Wotton

Gal pal: Sasha also posted the same photo and wrote 'Love her' on the image

Bikini babe! However the former Bachelorette added '#justmates' to the image to clarify their status to his legions of followers

Saskia works as a brand manager and appears to be quite the social butterfly, judging by her Instagram page.

She is pictured in a series of bikini-clad selfies and workout snaps, suggesting she is into health and fitness.

This comes after he showed of his sense of humour, wearing skimpy American flag themed bikini for a comical photo posted to celebrate the Fourth of July.

Social butterfly: Saskia works as a brand manager and appears to be quite the social butterfly

Health and fitness: She is pictured in a series of bikini-clad selfies and workout snaps, suggesting she is into health and fitness

The well wishes appeared to be a day late, with the image posted to Sasha's Instagram on Wednesday July 5.

Sasha captioned the image: 'I profusely apologise for this horrible image I'm leaving you all with (some of you may have already seen it)... but Happy Independence Day to all my American compadres! Have a few 'pigs ears' for me'.

Fetching! He may have struck out after ending his romance with The Bachelorette Sam Frost but Sasha Mielczarek hasn't lost his sense of humour

The former reality star showed off his toned abs in the risque outfit, with the bikini bottoms sitting very low on his torso.

He completed the illusion with bright red lipstick, a blonde wig and a stuffed bikini top.

Sasha has just returned home from a male bonding experience with Kris Smith in New Zealand.

And it appears the pair are about to take their bromance to the next level.

Split: Sasha announced his split from Sam Frost in December last year

Close: Sasha has just returned home from a male bonding experience with Kris Smith in New Zealand

The reality TV hunks are rumoured to be going into business together, The Daily Telegraph reported on Tuesday.

'Two good looking blokes like Kris and Sasha - who could say no to them?' a source told the publication.

After hitting it off in January, the friends have since appeared at several public events together.

The insider revealed Kris and Sasha, who share that same talent agent, have previously joked about working together, but it is unclear what they are planning.
It had been claimed that Holly Willoughby could be in line to host I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here with Declan Donnelly if Ant McPartlin needs to spend more time in recovery.

But unfortunately for fans of the This Morning presenter, the reports are 'total nonsense', with a representative for the categorically denying the allegations.

According to the Daily Star, ITV bosses are already trying to plan ahead in case the presenter, who is currently in rehab, doesn't feel up to the stint in Australia.

Jane of the jungle? Holly Willoughby's representatives have denied claims she could be in line to host I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here with Declan Donnelly

A source close to Ant told the paper: 'I'm a Celeb is ITV's biggest show of the year so they're keen to get a plan in place should Ant want to continue his down time.

'Holly is the number one choice, she's the nation's favourite and already a huge fan of the show - the perfect Jane of the jungle to Dec's Tarzan!

'She's wholesome, fun and has the experience needed to pull off the comedy links expected of the presenters.'

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Ant for comment.

Backup: ITV bosses are reportedly trying to plan ahead in case the presenter, who is currently in rehab, doesn't feel up to the stint in Australia

Ant checked into rehab after confirming he planned to battle his demons in June.

The star admitted he had spiralled into depression and substance abuse following a painful knee injury and fertility issues.

His statement to the publication read: 'The first step is to admit to yourself you need help. Ive let people down. Im truly sorry.

'I feel like I have let a lot of people down and for that Im truly sorry. I want to thank my wife, family and closest friends through this really difficult time.

Troubles: Ant checked into rehab after admitting he had spiralled into depression and substance abuse following a painful knee injury and fertility issues

'I have spoken out because I think it is important that people ask for help if they are going through a rough time and get the proper treatment to help their recovery.'

He has been battling his condition for two years after an operation on his knee went wrong, leaving him in constant pain. Following his knee operation he began taking the opioid painkiller Tramadol and became addicted.

I'm a Celebrity is one of ITV's most popular shows, regularly pulling in more than 10 million viewers a night in November and early December.

Ant and Dec are ITV's star duo and have racked up 16 National Television Awards for Best Presenter.

Top talent: A source close to Ant told the Star: 'She's wholesome, fun and has the experience needed to pull off the comedy links expected of the presenters'

The pair, who have hosted I'm a Celebrity since the show's beginnings in 2002, also present two of the channel's highest rated shows; Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway and Britain's Got Talent.

Their packed schedule means the duo are usually completely busy from November to June every year.

After the Geordie pair, Holly is arguably ITV's most prized talent.

Flagship programme: I'm a Celebrity is one of ITV's most popular shows, regularly pulling in more than 10 million viewers a night in November and early December

The television veteran is a hit with viewers and has presented Celebrity Juice and Dancing on Ice as well as This Morning.

Holly and her co-star Phillip Schofield are close friends with Ant and Dec.

The group of friends uphold an annual tradition of going to Ant's house after the National Television Awards.

Good mates: Holly and her co-star Phillip Schofield are close friends with Ant and Dec, and the pair always go back to Ant's house after the National Television Awards

Holly and Phil addressed Ant's admission on This Morning on June 19.

Phil said: 'We wanted to take this moment to send our love and best wishes to our mate Ant.

'As you may have seen hes checked into a rehab clinic for help with substance abuse, prescription drugs and alcohol.'

Holly called the television presenter 'brave' for coming clean about his struggles.
James Stunt is attempting to tear up his prenuptial agreement with heiress Petra Ecclestone.

The contract, signed before their lavish wedding at an Italian castle in 2011, would have limited any payout from the daughter of Formula 1 billionaire Bernie Ecclestone to 16 million.

The latest twist in the couples bitter divorce battle arose during court proceedings on Friday.

Petra, pictured left, is embroiled in a bitter battle with her estranged husband James Stunt, pictured right, over their 5.5billion fortune

According to sources close to Ms Ecclestone, Mr Stunt, 35, is trying to wriggle out of the agreement to get a bigger slice of her fortune.

Earlier reports wrongly stated that it was Ms Ecclestone who wanted to dismiss the deal as she was made to sign it under duress.

Ms Ecclestone, 28, is estimated to be worth 2.5 billion, while tycoon Mr Stunt was once reported to be worth 3 billion, although it is not clear how he made his fortune.

Bernie Ecclestone paid out one of the biggest settlements in British legal history when he divorced Petras mother Slavica in 2009, handing her 500 million.

Last night, Ms Ecclestone declined to comment.
She was up against some stiff competition.

But Jaime King snatched the best dressed crown when she attended the Mamas Making It Summit in Los Angeles on Saturday.

The grinning actress looked like she was having a great time as she turned heads on the red carpet at the event in the trendy West Hollywood area.

Little black delight: Jaime King looked in fine form in an eye-catching dress at the Mamas Making It Summit in Los Angeles on Saturday

The 38-year-old looked in fine form indeed in her little black dress, which boasted a plunging neckline held together by alarmingly dainty buttons, tights and silver stilettos.

But she was far from the only fine filly who turned heads after trotting along to the exciting event.

For model Nicole Trunfio, Bachelorette favourite Ali Fedotowsky, who drew stares thanks to her comical hat, and Shiva Rose were also there.

The thrilling bash was held by the members-only Fashion Mamas network and feature six panelists working in the fields of design, blogging, philanthropy and modelling.

Taking the plunge: Her daring frontal split was held together by flimsy fasteners

A stand-up gal: The actress no doubt broke out some of her favourite one-liners for her talk

A model attendee: Professional clotheshorse Nicole Trunfio was another stunner

Earlier this year Jaime starred in the movie Bitch with Jason Ritter.

The two performers star in the film about a woman played by Marianna Palka who deals with an insane crisis involving her husband (Jason) and his sister-in-law (Jaime).

It was released in theaters in January, winning mediocre reviews.

Jaime has been married to director Kyle Newman for seven years now. They are parents to two children: James, three, and Leo, one.

Hatagirl: TV personality Ali Fedotowsky drew stares thanks to her comical hat
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He's been hosting a series of speaking dates with US professional wrestler John Cena across Australia.

And on Sunday, Karl Stefanovic arrived in Sydney via private jet with the WWE superstar, 40, before their scheduled performance at The Star.

The Today host, 42, brought along his model girlfriend Jasmine Yarbrough for the exclusive flight, following the couple's weekend trip to Queensland.

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Flying in style! On Sunday, Karl Stefanovic (left) arrived in Sydney via private jet with his girlfriend Jasmine Yarbrough (centre) and John Cena (right) ahead of the WWE wrestler's speaking date at The Star

Business and pleasure! The Today host, 42, brought along his Jasmine for the exclusive flight with the 16-time WWE world champion, following the couple's weekend trip to Queensland

Karl appeared to be continuing his post-divorce style transformation with a wide-brim black fedora, a winter coat and dark denim jeans.

Fashion designer Jasmine, 33, also looked effortlessly chic in an all-black ensemble and wore her blonde hair in a messy updo.

John Cena, a 16-time WWE world champion, was smartly dressed in a light shirt which showed off his very muscular physique.

Looking good, Mr Stefanovic! Karl appeared to be continuing his post-divorce style transformation with a wide-brim black fedora, a winter coat and dark denim jeans

She's a beauty! Jasmine, 33, looked effortlessly chic in an all-black ensemble and wore her blonde hair in a messy updo

So nice... he wore it twice! Karl wore the same hat he was wearing at Gold Coast Airport on Friday, after a flight from Sydney

The future's bright! Jasmine, who is based in Los Angeles, has been spending plenty of time with Karl recently

In the past few days, Karl has already hosted two nights of 'An Evening With John Cena' in the Gold Coast and Melbourne.

While it's unclear how educated Karl is on professional wrestling, John's website is calling the pairing 'a match made in heaven.'

Meanwhile, John took time out of his schedule to visit terminally ill Geelong teenager Bryce McKiernan while in Victoria over the weekend.

Speaking tour: Karl has been hosting a series of 'live interview' events with John Cena (pictured) across Australia

Generous: John took time out of his schedule to visit terminally ill teenager Bryce McKiernan in Victoria over the weekend

Giving back: John is known for visiting sick children while on tour with WWE, as well as his tireless work for Make-A-Wish

Karl's relationship with Jasmine has made headlines since the couple were spotted canoodling on a boat in Sydney Harbour back in February.

The Channel Nine star had separated from his wife, former ABC journalist, Cassandra Thorburn the previous year.

The couple - who share three children, Jackson, River, and Ava - had been married for 21 years before their split.

New love! Karl's relationship with Jasmine has made headlines since the couple were spotted canoodling on a boat in Sydney Harbour back in February. He was previously married to former ABC journalist Cassandra Thorburn for 21 years

Ready for the show! Karl looked delightfully dapper in his brown boots as he carried luggage from the private jet to the car

Stylish as always! Jasmine, who paired skinny black trousers with a long coat, is the founder of shoe company Mara & Mine

No expenses spared! It looks like the budget for John's speaking tour extended to the use of private jet services
Roxy Jacenko has been enjoying a lavish break in the luxury Alila Villas Uluwatu resort with her two children and jailbird husband, Oliver Curtis.

And despite the tropical setting, it seems the 37-year-old hasn't strayed from her rigorous workout regime.

The PR maven looked ultra fit in an Instagram snap on Sunday, that saw her flaunting her incredibly toned midriff in a skimpy crop top and workout shorts.

Abs-olutely ripped! Roxy Jacenko, 37, took to Instagram on Sunday, flaunting her toned midriff in a skimpy crop top and workout shorts, as she continued her Bali vacation

Roxy highlighted her washboard abs and sculpted biceps in a green and white jungle-themed crop top, which she coordinated to match her phone case.

She paired the bright top with loose fitting grey sport shorts, opting to leave her drawstring untied.

In keeping with her regular selfie style, Roxy left most of her face cropped out, ensuring her mid section was the focus.

Working on that bod: The PR maven has clearly made time for workouts during the lavish getaway, sharing daily workout snaps to Instragram

Shredded: The mother-of-two regularly takes to Instagram, flaunting her cleavage and washboard abs in skimpy attire

A later image saw Roxy making use of the resort's home gym that features stunning grassland views.

The mother-of-two was seated at an assisted pull-up machine, drawing attention to her very toned back.

One fan wasn't surprised to see the blonde beauty working out, writing: 'Trust you to be at the gym on your holiday!'

Family unit: Roxy is currently enjoying her first family vacation, since husband Oliver Curtis' release from prison

Roxy is currently enjoying her first family vacation, since husband Oliver Curtis' release from prison.

Oliver served 12 months at Cooma Prison, for conspiracy to commit insider trading.

The couple as well as their children Pixie, five, and Hunter, three, having been making use of the luxury resort's facilities.
His search for love on Channel Nine's Married At First Sight resulted in being brutally 'friend zoned' by Michelle Marsh.

And Jesse Konstantinoff offered fans a glimpse of his single life on Friday, as he shared a fully NAKED photo of himself on Instagram.

The 31-year-old Adelaide fruit seller risked flashing his own banana while flaunting his nude frame in a bizarre mirror selfie at the gym.

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Enjoying the single life? Married at First Sight's Jesse Konstantinoff shared a NAKED gym selfie on Friday, as he begins his post-reality TV body transformation

In the photo, Jesse had a rather concerned facial expression and it was unclear if there were other men in the changing room.

Jesse hinted he was at 'day one' of his body transformation, writing in the photo's caption: 'Still a long way to go'.

It appeared the up-and-coming male model had spent some time away from the gym, as he wrote: 'Finally made it back'.

Feeling confident! It appeared the up-and-coming male model had spent some time away from the gym, as he wrote in the caption: 'Finally made it back'

While Jesse felt confident enough with his body to pose naked in a changing room and share a photo with his 59,000 followers, he admitted he had some work to do.

Nevertheless, he declared his commitment to his new healthy lifestyle by adding the inspirational hash tag: 'Don't quit now'.

It is possible Jesse's rumoured girlfriend and ex-Bachelor contestant Steph Dixon has motivated the retail professional to get in shape.

Not giving up! While Jesse felt confident enough with his body to pose naked in a changing room and share a photo with his 59,000 followers, he admitted he had some work to do

Former Married At First Sight star Nick Furphy recently shared a video on Instagram which suggested Jesse and Steph were now dating.

The rumoured couple would have plenty to talk about, after they were both left heartbroken on TV dating shows.

Jesse was paired with Michelle Marsh on MAFS earlier this year, however they were unable to get past the 'friendship' stage.
She has been showing her support for younger sister Petra Stunt since details of her bitter divorce battle from husband James came to light.

And Tamara Ecclestone shared a defiant selfie of herself cosying up to the 28-year-old blonde, putting on a united front as they enjoyed some quality family time together.

The 33-year-old Formula One heiress can be seen posing with her arm around Petra, heads close together as they showcased their close bond.

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Sister, sister: Tamara Ecclestone shared a defiant selfie of herself cosying up to sister Petra Stunt, putting on a united front as they enjoyed some quality family time together

'When your best friend is your sister', Tamara captioned the snapshot.

The girls' fans rallied around them in this tough time, enthusing, 'So beautiful ..so lucky to have each other', and 'Sending my love to Petra hope she is ok'.

Tamara also posted a cute picture of her daughter Sophia, three, posing on a pony kitted out to look like a unicorn at what appeared to be Petra's celebratory 'divorce party' this weekend.

Fifi beamed as she posed atop the animal, which boasted a pink mane and a faux horn.

Celebrating: Tamara also posted a cute picture of her daughter Sophia, three, posing on a pony kitted out to look like a unicorn at what appeared to be Petra's celebratory 'divorce party' this weekend

It was reported last week that Petra planned to celebrate the eviction of her estranged husband James by staging a 'street party', as event planners were seen delivering goods to her 100million mansion.

The daughter of billionaire Bernie was seen returning to the couple's property in west London, on Tuesday, days after her estranged husband left and moved into a hotel in London.

Famed event planners Banana Split were seen dropping off party equipment for the weekend's bash, including candy floss makers and a bouncy castle, ahead of a gathering to celebrate after Mr Stunt was kicked out of the mansion.

A pygmy goat and two alpacas are among the animals that have been ordered for Petra's party, according to a list that was taken into the home by an assistant.

Cute: Tamara and her husband Jay Rutland enjoyed a family outing at an art exhibition preview with Sophia in London last week

Last week, a friend of Tamara's revealed how Petra's mother Slavica was so happy to see the back of Mr Stunt that she planned to throw a street party.

Petra is divorcing the father of her three children six years after their lavish 12million ceremony which took place in an Italian castle.

She is embroiled in a bitter battle with her estranged husband over their 5.5billion fortune.

The pair have hired some of the countrys most high profile divorce lawyers to represent them in High Court hearings, which are expected to start next month.

Their 158million mansion in Los Angeles and a Grade II-listed pile in the fashionable west London district  worth up to 100million  are expected to be just some of the assets fought over.

Bernie spoke last week for the first time about his daughter's divorce from her husband James Stunt, telling MailOnline: 'She has suffered an awful lot and I couldn't bear for her to suffer any more'.

Split: Petra is divorcing James Stunt, the father of her three children, six years after their lavish 12million ceremony which took place in an Italian castle.

He added: 'I don't like to see marriages broken up unnecessarily, she tolerated it for quite a long time. He has caused enough aggravation for Petra'.

Extraordinary details of their bitter marriage were laid bare during a highly charged court hearing last month.

F1 boss Bernie said: 'It wasn't a divorce hearing, it was simply for Petra to be able to go back to her house.

'The case was for the judge to tell him to leave. It is a rather super house to live in which he would like people to believe he owns but he doesn't'.

A friend of Petras 33-year-old sister Tamara said: The marriage has been terrible for a year and tricky for two.

Slavica [Petras mum] is so delighted she has had the courage to split from him that I think she is going to throw a street party.

'She and Tamara have been worried sick for ages and the whole family has felt that he traded on the Ecclestone name.
On behalf of President Tran Dai Quang, PM Phuc invited the RoK and Australian leaders to attend the 25th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting slated for this November in Vietnam. They thanked and accepted the invitation with pleasure.

He highly valued the RoK President sending a special envoy to Vietnam shortly after he was sworn into office, saying the move showed that President Moon attached importance to the two countries strategic partnership.

The two sides agreed to increase high-ranking visits and meetings amid the 25th founding anniversary of their diplomatic ties this year. The countries will bolster cultural exchanges and economic, trade and investment cooperation in order to raise bilateral trade to USD100 billion in 2020.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (L) meets with President of the Republic of Korea

Moon Jae-in in Hamburg on July 7 th .



Highlighting the RoKs role as the biggest investor and the third largest trade partner of Vietnam, PM Phuc asked the RoK to import more advantageous products of Vietnam, like agro-forestry-fishery products, and to work closely with his country to effectively implement the Vietnam-RoK Free Trade Agreement.

He also asked the Northeast Asian nation to continue helping Vietnam take part in the RoKs global supply chains, pay attention to technology transfer and support industries in Vietnam, and support Vietnam to access concessional loans of the International Development Association after 2017. He also hoped the country will help Vietnamese women who married RoK citizens better integrate into the local society.

For his part, President Moon pledged to order relevant agencies of the RoK to review and promote the implementation of Vietnams cooperation suggestions. He added that the RoK Government will better care for the Vietnamese women marrying RoK citizens so that they can integrate into the local society more easily and become part of his countrys cultural diversity.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (L) and his Australia counterpart Malcolm Turnbull



At another meeting, PM Phuc and his Australia counterpart Malcolm Turnbull expressed their delight at the strong progress in their countries relations, discussing ways to strengthen the enhanced comprehensive partnership.

They agreed to continue reinforcing political trust through all-level delegation exchanges, especially at high levels.

Turnbull invited the Vietnamese PM to attend the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in 2018 and visit Australia on this occasion.

The Government leader of Vietnam lauded Australias assistance to his country in such fields as climate change response, reform-innovation, startup support, and improvement of the private sectors capacity.

He said the potential for bilateral economic-trade cooperation remains huge, asking Australia to facilitate the entry of Vietnamese products into the country, especially tropical fruits and aquatic products.

PM Turnbull stressed Australia wants to lift its relations with Vietnam to a strategic partnership, adding that the more than 200,000 Vietnamese-Australians and 25,000 Vietnamese students in Australia provide a very important foundation for bilateral ties.

He also emphasised that his country will keep supporting Vietnam to successfully organise the APEC Year 2017.

Regarding the East Sea issue, the Australian and RoK leaders echoed Vietnams viewpoints on the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation in and overflight over the East Sea, and on the peaceful settlement of disputes on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Also on July 7th, PM Phuc had brief talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Senegalese President Macky Sall, Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, and the head of the Saudi Arabian delegation./.
She's the model and 'social media influencer' who brought plenty of sex appeal to this year's season of My Kitchen Rules.

But Betty Banks was cooking up a controversy on Sunday after posting a photo of herself on top of the sacred indigenous site Uluru, in the Northern Territory, with some fans labelling her culturally insensitive.

The reality TV chef took to Instagram to share the holiday snap, which showed her posing in a white T-shirt, tight leggings and pink and black trainers.

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Cooking up controversy? My Kitchen Rules' Betty Banks (pictured) was labelled culturally insensitive by her Instagram followers after posing on top of Indigenous sacred site Uluru

Betty accessorised with a pair of dark sunglasses, slung a camera over her shoulder, and tied a pink sweater around her slim waist.

'How's everyone going,' she captioned the post. 'I'm currently in the NT for some much-needed adventure with my love. Adventured to Uluru/Ayers Rock yesterday... such a beautiful sight to see! I just kept saying WOW!'

However, Betty's photo drew criticism from some of her Instagram followers as they questioned her decision to climb the sacred site.

Insensitive? Betty is the model and 'social media influencer' who brought plenty of sex appeal to this year's season of My Kitchen Rules

'Are you really on the Rock? Why did you climb it?' one follower asked.

Another fan wrote: 'Thought they stopped letting people climb Uluru seeing as it's sacred to indigenous people. Still looks beautiful!'

One critic went even further, saying that Betty was showing 'no respect'. They wrote: 'Ms Banks, I'm a fan of yours, but climbing the rock it NOT ON! #norespect.'

Uluru is considered sacred to the Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people of the Central Australian desert.

No offence: Betty was quick to apologise for any offence caused, pointing out that it is legal to climb the rock and she did so using a sanctioned pathway

Betty was quick to apologise for any offence caused, pointing out that it is legal to climb the rock and she did so using a sanctioned pathway.

She explained: 'I apologise if I caused any disrespect to climbing this beautiful rock, but the pathway to climbing it was opened and there was a guided trail which included metal ropes to climb.

'It's such a beautiful rock to experience and I wanted to share how breathtaking it was,' Betty added.

One of her followers replied, writing that while climbing the site wasn't prohibited, the traditional owners still frown on tourists visiting the scared site.

Dispute: One of her followers replied, writing that while climbing the site wasn't prohibited, the traditional owners still frown on tourists visiting the scared site

'It's not "prohibited" but the traditional owners ask visitors to respect their wishes and customs and not to climb. Pretty easy to find the info with a quick google,' they commented.

Betty responded: 'Thanks for that. When we were there, it was a total different experience though. We actually walked up meeting a few traditional owners on this beauty of a rock.'

It is believed Betty was accompanied on her trip by her boyfriend, an Alice Springs police officer and father-of-one called Billy.
She was infamously dumped by fiance Brad on Channel Seven's Bride and Prejudice earlier this year.

And Courtney Cole is looking slender than ever, uploading a revealing mirror selfie to Instagram on Sunday.

The 19-year-old reality star flaunted her super tiny waist and lean legs in a cropped T-shirt and skimpy workout shorts.

Trying to get Brad's attention? Bride and Prejudice star Courtney Cole, 19, flaunted her VERY slender waist in a cropped T-shirt and skimpy workout shorts to Instagram on Sunday, after being dumped by her fiance

Courtney's photo appeared to have been taken in a communal bathroom, with another gym-goer visible to the side of the frame.

The blonde tied a black Nirvana T-shirt in a knot just under the bust, drawing attention to her teeny waist.

Courtney's lean legs were also highlighted with a pair of skimpy, skin-tight Nike shorts.

The petite beauty swept her tresses into an effortless ponytail and accessorised with reading glasses perched on her head.

Busy in the gym: The reality star regularly takes to Instagram, showing off the results of her intense workout regime

The fitness enthusiast hinted that she has been spending much of her spare time in the gym.

'I don't have any other photos to upload,' Courtney captioned what appeared to be a post-workout selfie.

The star's slimmed down frame is not the only change to her look, having undergone breast enhancement surgery from an A cup to a C cup.

Cosmetic enhancements: The star's slimmed down frame is not the only change to her look, having undergone breast enhancement surgery from an A cup to a C cup

Courtney underwent the breast augmentation in April after saving $9000 for the confidence boost.

'I just wanted to have something that was a bit more than what I have, nothing drastic,' she told Daily Mail Australia last month.

The teen counted herself lucky with the surgery, revealing she was 'up and shopping within four days' of the procedure and is delighted with the results.

In profile: Courtney confirmed to Daily Mail Australia last month that she has been getting lip fillers done for 'probably a year or so', despite previous denials

Courtney also confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that she has been getting lip fillers done for 'probably a year or so', despite previous denials.

'If I wanted to get anything done it's not that big a deal,' Courtney said. 'It's that obviously there is a fair amount of people looking at what I do at the moment.'

Courtney appeared on the Channel Seven forbidden relationships show with Brad, 19, earlier this year.

Bride and Prejudice documented the couple's wedding plans and volatile relationship, which ended when Brad dumped Courtney during his Kings Cross buck's night due to her 'bridezilla' attitude.
He came, he saw, he coupled.

And after new boy Theo Campbell rocked the boat by pairing up with Jonny Mitchell's beau Tyla Carr, Love Island producers were forced to deny they have upped security in case the rivals come to blows.

Viewers watched with bated breath as the cocksure Theo choose Tyla to couple up with - much to the anger of besotted Jonny - while viewers took to Twitter to share their delight as love rat Jonny seethed in his chair.

Tense: Love Island bosses have denied drafting in extra security after Jonny Mitchell and Theo Campbell clashed during a surprise recoupling. Fighting over Tyla Carr, the pair faced off in dramatic scenes on Friday night's show

It had been reported that show bosses had upped the security following the most dramatic and aggressive scenes of the series so far.

'Producers want to make sure everyone in the villa is kept safe,' a show source told the Star on Sunday.

'It is understood there will be rows between contestants but a physical fight won't be tolerated. If things get too heated, security reps will storm in and put a stop to it.'

A spokesperson told MailOnline there was 'no truth' to the claims.

After being forced to choose the one remaining girl, Amber, Jonny stood up and called the new islander a b*****d for his decision to take Tyla away from him.

In retaliation, Theo stood up and shouted: 'B******? You're a b******! Dry your tears mate!'

Fuming: Viewers watched with bated breath as the cocksure Theo choose Tyla to couple up with - much to the anger of besotted Jonny

Face off: The Love Islanders turn on each other as new boy Theo squares up to Jonny after saying he'll steal Tyla

On the cobbles: As the tense scenes progressed it looked in the moment as if the pair were close to ending up in fisticuffs and show bosses are to have moved swiftly to ensure it couldn't happen again

As the tense scenes progressed it looked in the moment as if the pair were close to ending up in fisticuffs and show bosses swiftly denied it would happen again.

Later, talking about Theo, Jonny said: 'He's f****d himself, the guy is a f*****g idiot.'

And Theo hit back: 'The guy is a tuna melt.'

Meanwhile, Amber also hit the roof when new stunner Georgia Harrison chose Kem Cetinay to couple up with leaving Amber Davies enraged.

Melt central: Theo and Jonny both hurled insults at each other following the beef

Amber was then seen screaming at Georgia: 'He's my boyfriend, you picked my boyfriend!'

Following the episode, ex-Islander Tyne-lexy Clarson took to Twitter to slam the 'poor response' from the girls.

In a series of tweets, Tyne-lexy explained that she thinks Georgia was right to 'stay true to herself'.

MailOnline have contacted ITV2 for comment.

Meanwhile, Amber also hit the roof when new stunner Georgia Harrison chose Kem Cetinay to couple up with leaving Amber Davies enraged
He's set to grace Australian screens as the latest Bachelor, having been rejected by Georgia Love in last year's The Bachelorette.

And Matty Johnson flaunted his physical appeal, in a snap shared to Instagram on Sunday.

The 30-year-old opted to go shirtless, showing off his sculpted abs while shoveling out dirt to make way for a pool.

Put to work! The Bachelor's Matty Johnson, 30, looked incredibly buff in a snap shared to Instagram on Sunday, as he dug out dirt to make way for a pool

Matty appeared relaxed as he posed for the photo, which saw the reality star and hired help with shovels in hand.

The Channel Ten personality's ripped physique was on display, opting to wear just a pair of black shorts, hung low on his hips.

Tagging the location as Bondi Beach, Matty captioned the snap: 'Phase 1: Dig massive hole. Phase 2: Take shirt off. Phase 3: Hire someone to build pool'.

Defined: The Channel Ten personality is known for his physical appeal, including his washboard abs and defined arms

Sneak peek: Channel Ten has been sharing updates of Matty in the Bachelor mansion, including snaps from within the gym

Fans were quick to tag their friends and gush over Matty's dazzling good looks.

One took it upon herself to add in a fourth step for the social media star, commenting: 'Phase 4: call Holly'.

While others were eager to get the hunk's attention, offering to help out with pool construction.

Bachelor buff: The Bondi local has clearly been keeping himself in great shape during filming for his stint on the Bachelor

Matty was announced as the latest Bachelor in March after being left heartbroken by the rejection of Bachelorette Georgia Love last year.

'I feel so privileged that Ive been given the opportunity to be The Bachelor. Without question, the most exciting part is the chance to meet the girl I'm going to spend the rest of my life with,' he said in an official statement.

Channel Ten has been sharing other updates of Matty in the Bachelor mansion, including snaps from within the gym.

One picture of the good-looking brunette was captioned: 'Just a quick Matty J update: Punching above his weight? Hardly'.

Looking for love: Matty J was announced as the latest Bachelor in March after being left heartbroken by the rejection of Bachelorette Georgia Love last year
Eloise, Ben and Diana will head into Monday's MasterChef pressure test after plating up lacklustre reinterpretations of the classic Beef Wellington.

Eloise's take on the classic dish was deemed 'distinctly unattractive' by judge Matt Preston as a liver parfait she attempted failed to set.

It was a tense battle that saw fellow contestants Arum, Eliza and Tamara soar to the top three, with Arum making it a double, also winning the mystery box challenge.

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Lacklustre: Eloise's take on Beef Wellington saw her hit the bottom three thanks to an 'unattractive' liver parfait on Sunday's episode of MasterChef Australia

The challenge, set by guest judge Shannon Bennett, gave the contestants just four ingredients: Moreton Bay Bugs, potatoes, porcini or cep powder, and sunrise limes - which Shannon explained was a cross between a mandarin, a cumquat and a lime.

With the judges only tasting the most intriguing three, it was Arums cep powder ice cream with sunrise limes, sunrise lime syrup and potato chips that eventually won the day.

Despite Arum thinking that he may have gone too left-of-centre with his dish, he won the challenge unanimously with Shannon declaring the dish an evolution of the tongue.

Head start: Arum gained a formidable 30 minute advantage after taking out top honours in the mystery box challenge

New take: Arum was asked to pull a knife from a block, all of which had a dish written on it. He pulled out Beef wellington and decided to spruce up the classic dish with a steak tartare

Eloises Sunrise lime parfait, fondant potatoes, potato chips and a cep caramel, and Karlies Potato chips with a cep salt, poached Moreton Bay bug tails, were also praised by the judges, but it was Arums adventurous dish that stole the show.

As a reward, Arum was given a mammoth 30 minute head start and access to Shannon as mentor for the 're-invention test'.

Arum was asked to pull a knife from a block  all of which had a classic dish written on it. He pulled out beef wellington and decided to spruce up the classic dish with a steak tartare.

Meanwhile, Karlie decided to eschew beef altogether to make a sweet wellington - a pastry enveloped caramalised pineapple - while Diana decided on a Malaysian influence with a Beef rendang pie.

Karlie decided to eschew beef altogether to make a sweet wellington - a pastry enveloped caramalised pineapple - while Diana decided on a Malaysian influence with a Beef rendang pie

It was tough going for Karlie who, with five minutes of cook time left, had nothing ready to plate up so she used her power pin to get an extra 15 minutes

Ben went for a Dutch influence with a bitterballen, or beef croquet, while Sarah went for a Middle Eastern-style wellington with lamb crusted in pistachio and wrapped in brick pastry.

Like Karlie, Eloise decided to go without beef in her dish and created a chicken liver parfait with sauteed mushrooms, pickled mushrooms and puff pastry discs.

While it was plain sailing for Arum, Eliza and Tamara, it was a different story for Eloise who had trouble getting her liver parfait to set.

Missed the mark: Ben's bitterballen was deemed to not have nailed the essence of the Wellington while Diana's beef rendang pie was not given enough time to cook

Judge Matt Preston, while praising the quality of her pastry discs, explained that her runny parfait was 'unattractive'.

'The puddle of runny liver is distinctly unattractive and it's such a pity because this (is) delicious,' he said.

It was also tough going for Karlie who, with five minutes of cook time left, had nothing ready to plate up so she used her power pin to get an extra 15 minutes.

Ben's bitterballen was deemed to not have nailed the essence of the Wellington while Diana's beef rendang pie was not given enough time to cook.

'You've got to get your cooking mojo back,' Matt told the bottom three as they now head into Monday night's pressure test to avoid elimination.

Underwhelming: Matt Preston, while praising the quality of Eloise's pastry discs added that her runny parfait was 'unattractive'
Just days after being told his nose could turn black and fall off if he undergoes more surgery, the Human Ken Doll was seen merrily partying in Las Vegas.

Rodrigo Alves, 33, from Brazil, has dedicated his life to becoming Barbie's perfect match, going under the knife countless times.

But this week he received the damning news that he could actually lose his entire nose if he chose to tinker with it again.

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Fears: Rodrigo Alves, 33, aka the Human Ken Doll hit Las Vgas in style being told his nose could turn black and fall off if he undergoes more surgery

Complicating the situation, Rodrigo wants the procedure because he says he cannot breathe out of it as a result of three previous rhinoplasty surgeries.

However, the back-to-back operations have left the skin tissues so badly damaged, they will die if Rodrigo attempts to have any more work done.

Unperturbed by the harrowing revelation, Rodrigo took to Sin City on Friday with pals to dabble in the high roller lifestyle.

Dressed in a red velvet tuxedo, the Human Ken Doll struck a typically flamboyant figure as the Champagne flowed throughout the night.

What happens in Vegas: Rodrigo hopped in a flash car and head down to the strip for boozing

Rodrigo was attending a beauty and cosmetic surgery convention in the city and was seen comparing the expo to Disney Land.

Then meeting up with a friend, he hopped into a flashy motor and drove down the Vegas Strip for a night of dancing and drinking.

Human Ken Doll was seen enjoying cocktails while abrasive electronic dance music played in the background.

Dapper: Rodrigo was attending a beauty and cosmetic surgery convention in the city and was seen comparing the expo to Disney Land

Night out: Then meeting up with a friend, he hopped into a flashy motor and drove down the Vegas Strip for a night of dancing and drinking

Warning: Rodrigo had so many procedures on his nose, it could now turn black and fall off

Reaching out: The 33-year-old Brazil native, who now splits his time between London, Marbella and Los Angeles, consulted two doctors in a new episode of Botched

Meanwhile, a teaser for Sunday's episode of Botched shows Rodrigo as he consults Drs. Paul Nassif and Terry Dubrow hoping they will be able to repair the damaged appendage.

But Nassif can't even examine him thoroughly because Rodrigo's nostrils are so tight, an otoscope won't fit in them.

The doctor then tries to insert a small, thin tool up the patient's nose, but the nostrils are completely blocked.

Rodrigo at one point developed a MRSA infection on his nose caused by a staph bacteria. 'This is one of the worst results and complications that I've seen in my entire career,' Nassif says in the video.

The patient, meanwhile, can barely contains his nerves as he awaits the diagnosis.

'I feel like crying right now. I'm holding back not to cry, because I'm actually extremely worried,' Rodrigo says. 'That's why I'm here.'

But the physician does not have good news for him.

Complicated:Rodrigo wishes he could get another procedure done, but the back-to-back surgeries have left the skin tissues so damaged, they will die if he tries to have more work done

Bad results: Rodrigo at one point developed a MRSA infection on his nose caused by a staph bacteria, which one of the doctors called one of the worst complications he's seen

Check-up: In a preview clip, Dr. Paul Nassif can't even examine him thoroughly because Rodrigo's nostrils are so tight, an otoscope won't fit in them

'The issue is that what we call the soft tissue envelopethat's the skin. By you having three surgeries in a period of 12 to 15 months destroyed your tissue. The skin's no good,' he says.

It can take up to a year or two for the skin to heal fully after a rhinoplasty, which is why Rodrigo's nose suffered so much.

Nassif then breaks a devastating news to Rodrigo, who hopes that one more surgery could salvage his nose.

Partying up a storm: He was seen hanging out at the Wynn Casino before attending the Aesthetic Show, recently

Chatting away: Rodrigo proved popular among the attendees

Ready to go: He looked slick in a three-piece suit with smart shoes to boot

'Your nose on the inside you have no airway. And it's short. So this is all scarred together. And now, since you just had surgery three months ago, it's going to scar down more. It's in a healing phase,' the surgeon explains.

Rodrigo tries to interject, but the doctor continues.

'If you try to insult your skin one more time now while it's healing, there's a high possibility that if you let one of these doctors touch your nose now, this will turn back and then die and fall off.'

Transformation: Getting three rhinoplasties in 12 to 15 months is extreme, but it is just a small part of the work Rodrigo has had one over the years

Upon hearing those words, Rodrigo gaspsand the preview ends before doctors can unveil their options for a potential reconstruction.

Getting three rhinoplasties in 12 to 15 months is extreme, but it is just a small part of the work Rodrigo has had one over the years.

As a young man, he became unsatisfied with his physical appearance and decided to resort to plastic surgery. He has since claimed that he's not addicted to the procedures, but rather, that they help him be the best version of himself.

Rodrigo's many surgeries have cost him an estimated half a million dollars so far.

In his pursuit of what he believes is a perfect look, he's had a face, neck and eye lift, silicone implants to give him the appearance of six-pack abs, and earlier this year had plans to undergo a risky procedure to change the color of his eyes in India.

However, it's unclear whether the surgery could happen. While in New Delhi, Rodrigo had posted on his Instagram account about being 'very disappointed'. In the US, doctors had refused to perform the surgery purely for cosmetic reasons.
She is recovering after a brawl with ex-boyfriend Jeremy McConnell left them both with horrific injuries.

But Stephanie Davis, 24, put the drama to one side as she enjoyed quality time with her baby son Caben-Albi, six months, pictured in a sweet Instagram shot shared on Saturday.

The adorable snap, which did not show the former Hollyoaks star's face, showed the sleeping infant cradled in his mother's arms, looking cherubic in a blue and white onesie.

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'My happy place': Stephanie Davis, 24, put the drama to one side as she enjoyed quality time with her baby son Caben-Albi,six months, shown in a sweet Instagram shot shared on Saturday

His former Celebrity Big Brother star mother appeared to be clad in a floral patterned silver onesie as she held onto his hand.

Showing her relaxed state of mind, she captioned the photo: 'Most beautiful thing I ever did see. Milk and cuddles fast asleep on Mummy. My happy place. Best thing in the whole world' followed by a string of heart emojis.

A second photo showed a candlelit dinner for three, with the table boasting a delicious meal of what appeared to be parma ham wrapped chicken breast and potatoes, finished off with a large garlic bread.

She added the hashtags #lovecooking and #relax to her post.

#relax: A second photo showed a candlelit dinner for three, with the table boasting a delicious meal of what appeared to be parma ham wrapped chicken breast and potatoes, finished off with a large garlic bread

Last Sunday, Stephanie and Jeremy suffered horrendous injuries following an explosive row, which left Stephanie with five fractured ribs, a broken nose, a black eye.

And now The Sun have claimed that Stephanie Davis and Jeremy McConnell had to be separated by police in another row just three days earlier.

The pair were reportedly at a hotel in East London when the blazing argument ensued.

'The night manager called the police': The Sun claimed that Stephanie and Jeremy had to be separated by police in another row just three days before an explosive fight which left the Hollyoaks star with five fractured ribs

An onlooker at the hotel told Sun Online: 'We were in the hotel reception and we saw this girl very distressed running out of the hotel crying.

'It was clear something had gone on and the night manager called the police'.

A spokesman told MailOnline: 'Police were called at 02:49hrs on 29 June to a disturbance between a man and a woman at the Hotel Alto in Ilford Hill, Ilford.

'Officers attended the location. No criminal allegations were made.'

'We saw this girl very distressed running out of the hotel crying': The pair, who share seven-month-old baby Caben, were reportedly at a hotel in East London when the blazing argument ensued, and reportedly had to be separated by police

This comes after Stephanie launched into a public tirade over her ex-boyfriend, accusing him of 'never paying child maintenance' and 'giving her chlamydia'.

She took aim at her former Big Brother co-star via a series of now-deleted tweets, following reports of Jeremy enjoying a night out with Love Island star Shannen Reilly McGrath in Dublin - days after their split.

The former Hollyoaks star branded the Irish model 'disgusting' - appearing to address their blazing hotel brawl that had left her with five fractured ribs, a broken nose, a black eye - as well as bruises all down her arms and legs in the pictures.

Angry: Stephanie had launched into a public tirade over Jeremy via Twitter on Friday, accusing him of 'never paying child maintenance' and 'giving her chlamydia'

Stephanie had been arrested on suspicion of GBH on Sunday following an explosive row with Jeremy - who too appeared to suffer a multitude of injuries - in a hotel.

Following her arrest, Jeremy claimed to MailOnline that Stephanie is pregnant with their second child.

Fuelled by his appearance in Ireland with reality star Shannen, Stephanie took to Twitter to vent about her former flame, as she penned: 'How people are so narrow minded. He has NEVER paid child maintenance!! For his own son! Lived in my home RENT FREE!!

'History repeats it's self saying marks were from a deep tissue massage and out with women AGAINNNNN after announcing MY personal news.

Raging: The former Hollyoaks star, 24, branded the Irish model (pictured) 'disgusting' - appearing to address their blazing hotel brawl that had left both stars with injuries

Angered: Fuelled by his appearance in Ireland with reality star Shannen, Stephanie took to Twitter to vent about her former flame, making a series of accusations about Jeremy

'Is DISGUSTING!! All I have covered for him out with the typical sl*gs fro another news article, you thought apps were following him... Pleaseeeeeeeeee it's laughable and the abuse I am getting after all I did for that lad is DISGUSSTTIINGGGGGGGFFFF.

'People may loose there family members, that doesn't give them the right to do what he has done!! Over and over! He's done NO AFTER CARE.

'After assault and revenge porn and more assault he thinks I should take it! I did EVERYTHING for that lad, he relapsed used coke.

'After ALL I have defended him. People go through MUCH worse, that doesn't give u the right to ABUSE the people u love. End off.'

Despite signing off, Stephanie continued to air her thoughts about her ex. She added: 'Now let him go out with girls he's SL*GGED and called sl*gs for press... History repeats it's self right? Can no one see this pattern??

Drama: The former Hollyoaks star appeared to reference their blazing hotel brawl where both she and Jeremy appeared to suffer injuries, along with his claims she is now pregnant

'Pregnant as , as the voice notes say, * I've got u this time no one will ever touch you with two kids I'm ok as a lad your f**ked u look like a sl*g.

'Ps any women get away from DV no matter how many children, u can't scare me anymore. I'll be a good mum unlike u as a father!

'I will NO LOMGER STAND FOR WHAT HES SAID! Him saying it's over when I should have ended it along time ago!! Now I'm STRONG! U don't destroy people you love, funny how he can put me through SO MUCH, the he snaps. MENTAL.

'I stayed with him to HELP him. And BELIEVED HIM. But the way I loved him, which was TRUE love, he wouldn't have HURT me over and over..

Scathing: Stephanie had also accused Jeremy of 'giving her chlamydia'

'As well as giving me chlamydia from some sl*g he sh*gged and gave me it when he KNEWWWWW he had it.

'And to the trolls thinking I sell things like him... imagine how MUCHHHHHHH I could have got from all he's done to me. I'm saying this to make u girls aware. IF A MAN LOVES U, HE DIESNT WANT TO HURT U Fact!

'U may love someone BUT they love them selfs more. BE HAPPY.BE FREE.

'Was pregnant alone for 9 months ALONE while he LIED AND SH*GGED & didn't pay child maintenance till this day,but has the girls sweet talked while he did me....Sickening for you. Madness these narrow minded people think. After I did EVERYTHING for that lad. #evil/sl*gcanthide.

'As long as it feeds that coke habbit right? Profile deleted. No man. Goodbye guys.'

MailOnline have contacted a representative for Stephanie. A representative for Jeremy was not available for comment.

'Was pregnant alone for nine months': She alluded back to Jeremy's cheating past in the tweets

Her tirade comes after he is said to have suffered a broken nose and fractured eye socket during their shocking brawl.

Speaking about the explosive showdown, Jeremy had claimed to MailOnline that their 'toxic relationship' is over for good with no chance of any reconciliation.

He claimed their fight began immediately after Stephanie's pregnancy announcement, saying: 'Steph then looked at my phone and saw that I was following some other woman. She just went mental at me and kicked off.

'She was going mental I had not even met this woman but was just following her. She would not listen and stormed off to go to the pub and refused to go to the scan.'

He said he followed Stephanie to a local pub near to the Royal Chase Hotel in Enfield where they were staying.

'We were in the pub and having a few drinks. I had two or three and so did Steph which I thought was off as she was pregnant. She was also smoking and I told her a pregnant woman should not drink and smoke.

'She told me it was her life and she could do as she wanted... She was screaming and shouting and being abusive. She would not listen and for five to ten minutes just kept screaming at me.'

Exes: Jeremy (pictured) has claimed Stephanie is pregnant following their shock hotel brawl. The couple share son Caben-Albi, seven months

Recalling the build-up to their brawl, he said: 'She just told me that she was pregnant. I was pretty shocked as it wasn't planned, but to be honest I was excited.

'She told me that she was going to have a scan at the hospital later that afternoon. The pregnancy was not planned and given our history together took me by surprise. I was pleased, but still in a bit of a shock.'

Stephanie was arrested and taken to Enfield Police station. She was later rushed to hospital and released at 3am on Tuesday morning after being bailed until July.

Photos of the star arriving at a friend's house showed her with scratch marks on her neck, face and nose and blood on the sleeve of her grey track suit top.

In one photo she tenderly clutched her stomach.

Over: Jeremy has now claimed their 'toxic relationship' is over for good with no chance of any reconciliation following their shock hotel room brawl

Friends claimed the row began when McConnell smashed Davis's phone which contained treasured photos of their son.

However, he insists he did not harm the former actress, explaining: 'There is no way I touched her. She was the one who attacked me. I did not punch her and touch her.'

Two months ago Stephanie had talked about having a second child with heavily tattooed Jeremy and even talked about marriage.

But since they began seeing each other having appeared on Big Brother they have been involved in a stormy relationship.

Jeremy has spent time in rehab and Stephanie has previously spoken about how drink and drugs has affected their relationship.
He's known for his love of surfing and made headlines after he snapped his surfboard while tackling giant waves on the Gold Coast in June.

And it seems Chris Hemsworth, 33, has taken his passion to a whole new level, with him apparently purchasing a brand new board every single week.

His friend and Channel Seven reporter Luke Munro divulged the Hollywood star's expensive hobby at a network celebration on Tuesday.

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Splashing cash! Chris Hemsworth (pictured) buys a new surfboard every week, according to his Channel Seven news reporter friend Luke Munro

Addressing a VIP crowd, Luke revealed the information during festivities celebrating the news team's first Gold Coast birthday party.

It comes after footage of the presenter, who is a former professional surfer, towing the Thor actor onto waves with a jet ski aired on television.

According to the Courier Mail, Luke was pressured into discussing his personal relationship with Chris on stage.

Where does he store them all? Luke Munro revealed the Hollywood star's expensive hobby at a Channel Seven celebration on the Gold Coast on Tuesday

'I have never met a more enthusiastic surfer,' Munro said.

Chris often promotes Bondi Beach-based surf board brand Emery on Instagram, where he has almost 11 million followers.

And he has also posted multiple photos of himself working out while wearing Emery branded clothing.

According to the Gold Coast Bulletin, board shaper Alan Emery has worked closely with Chris to custom design boards specifically for his frame.

The Avengers star has previously rubbed shoulders with 11-time world champion Kelly Slater in Fiji.

Chris isn't the only member of his family to enjoy surfing, as his father and younger brother, Liam, also like hitting the waves.
Their romance started on 2015's Love Island and they welcomed their first baby in May.

But Cally Jane Beech, 25, and Luis Morrison, 22, have sparked speculation that they have split after posting cryptic tweets last week.

The model wrote 'If you u love something let it go ... only then will you really know', a tweet which did not go unnoticed by her 87,000 followers.

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Gone their separate ways? Love Island's Cally Jane Beech, 25, and Luis Morrison, 22, have sparked speculation that they have split after posting cryptic tweets last week

New parents: The speculation comes just two months after the couple welcomed baby daughter Vienna

The rumour mill swiftly began turning with one of Cally's fans writing 'When you have a baby, it's the hardest time for any couple don't give up' while another concerned follower added 'Are you and luis ok?'

And the day before Luis posted 'The grass is never greener' with Cally swiftly responding 'N u already know this' followed by a thumbs up emoji.

Cally's representative declined to comment when approached by Mail Online.

A representative for Luis has also been contacted.

The couple's relationship hasn't been smooth sailing in recent months, with Cally-Jane admitting in an interview with New! Magazine she didn't speak to Luis for two weeks before she went into labour in May.

Rumour mill: Cally tweeted 'If you u love something let it go' sparking concern among her followers that she and Luis had parted company

Cryptic: Cally posted the mysterious tweet on Saturday after previously admitting the couple's relationship had been placed under strain

Further fuel to the fire: Luis posted a cryptic tweet of his own saying 'the grass is never greener'

Swift response: Cally was quick to respond to Luis' comment 'n u already know this'

New arrival: The couple announced their pregnancy in October last year with Vienna arriving on May 7

During the interview, Cally was honest about her first experience of motherhood, revealing that fierce arguments with Luis half way through her pregnancy contributed to the unsettling time.

'I think we took on a lot at the same time,' she explained of the tense second half of her pregnancy. 'You know at the start of the relationship you have a honeymoon period - I want that all the time.'

She went onto explain that the stress of moving to a new house near Leeds in January and Luis starting a business contributed to the arguments, which ultimately led Cally to decide to stay with her mum two weeks before the birth, admitting the couple needed a break.

'We weren't really talking before I went into labour - I just didn't want it to turn into another argument,' she said. 'It was only about two weeks that we weren't speaking. I said "I'll just call you if I go into labour."'

Loved up:The couple had appeared rock solid since starting their relationship in 2015

Devoted dad: The couple regularly share sweet snaps of themselves with their daughter

Difficult nine months: The star has previously spoken out about her 'traumatic pregnancy'

In the end Luis was by Cally's side throughout her gruelling 32 hour labour which resulted in an emergency caesarean when Vienna's heart rate plummeted.

Cally was reunited with former flame Luis on Love Island's first rebooted season in 2015 and the pair instantly became a couple once more, before announcing their pregnancy in October.

On May 7 the happy couple revealed they had welcomed a baby girl who they named Vienna.

The couple have been candid about their gruelling route to parenthood as shortly after the birth Cally voiced her dismay on social media as she questioned the modern day 'labour procedures'.

Where it all began: Cally was reunited with former flame Luis on Love Island's first rebooted season in 2015 and the pair instantly became a couple once more

Cally shared a note reading: 'Just wanted to say Hull women's at Children hospital midwifes and student nurses was absolutely fantastic with me from the moment I went into labour couldn't be more grateful they never left my side...

'However I can't get something off my brain and i need to say I definitely do not agree with today's labour procedures at all, a woman knows her own body and if I didn't listen to mine my labour result could have been a whole lot worse and Iv thought about this every time I look at my baby.

'I find it actually upsetting to talk about my labour with my mum and luis who had to experience it with me and that's really sad at such a special time (sic)'.
Ben Affleck has taken his relationship with Lindsay Shookus to a new level.

The 44-year-old actor has been pictured on several dates with the SNL producer in London and LA in recent weeks.

But now Lindsay, 37, is living in Ben's new home according to People.

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Domestic bliss: Ben Affleck, 45, is living with new girlfriend, Lindsay Shookus, 37, in his LA home according to People

'They are spending time together in L.A. Lindsay is staying at Bens new house,' a source said.

The new duo recently stepped out on Thursday for dinner in Los Angeles as well.

'They had dinner at Giorgio Baldi last night. They arrived in a limo. They looked happy. They had a quick dinner and then returned to Bens house,' the source added.

UsWeekly claims the two have been seeing each other 'on and off' for over two years.

Creeping out: It was reported that Ben was having an affair with Lindsay during his marriage to Jennifer Garner in 2015; (pictured Tuesday)

Dating diva: Lindsay has been on several dates with Ben recently including one on Thursday night to Giorgio Baldi; (pictured Friday)

'Ben and Lindsay started their affair in 2015. They were not casually dating  they were having a full-blown affair,' an insider said.

'They were sleeping together, sending each other cute texts and meeting up whenever they could.'

Which means the relationship was happening as Ben was still married to his wife of ten years Jennifer Garner.

UsWeekly claims that Jennifer and Lindsay's ex-husband Kevin Miller were both heartbroken when they found about the affair in 2015.

Once happy homestead: This is an aerial shot of Ben and Jennifer's home where Jennifer and their children still reside

Too close for comfort: Ben is now living in this home, with Lindsay as reported, which is just down the street from Jennifer's estate

However, a source close to Ben denied the claims, insisting the couple have only been dating for three months.

'Lindsay was not what led to the end of their marriage. They had a ton of other problems' the insider said.

Dailymail.com has contacted Ben's rep for comment.

Co-parenting: Ben and Jennifer took their three children - Violet, 11, Seraphina, eight, and Samuel, five - to a 4th of July party on Tuesday

Meanwhile, a separate source revealed to UsWeekly that Jennifer is 'OK' with Ben and Lindsay's romance and explained that the actress knew about the relationship and chose to go on vacation with her ex last month.

The duo took a trip to the Caribbean together with their three children - Violet, 11, Seraphina, eight, and Samuel, five - ahead of July 4.

The entire family was also spotted attending the 4th of July Parade and festivities in Brentwood on Tuesday.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has arrived in Ukraine, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported.

Tillerson's plane landed at Kyiv's Boryspil airport at around 09:50 local time on Sunday. The U.S. delegation was met by First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Vadym Prystaiko and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.

After he left the plane, Tillerson was greeted with bread and salt, then he got into a car and left the airport's zone.

Tillerson is scheduled to hold talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kyiv on Sunday.

"Secretary Tillerson makes his first official visit to Kyiv, Ukraine on July 9, where he will meet President Poroshenko and with young reformers from government and civil society," the U.S. Department of State said in a statement on the visit. "The Secretary will reaffirm America's commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, while encouraging the Government of Ukraine to continue implementing reforms that will strengthen Ukraine's economic, political, and military resilience."

On the same day, the Secretary will travel to Istanbul, Turkey, where he will meet with senior Turkish officials to discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues. He will stay in Turkey until July 10.
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Jackie Cruz sure knows how to enjoy her Orange Is The New Black paychecks.

The raven-haired actress took another holiday this year - this time to beautiful Ischia, a volcanic island in the Gulf of Naples in Italy.

The 5ft10in star was seen walking around the pool of her hotel in a pretty yellow one-piece swimsuit by Surf Souleil that showed off her enviable curves and at one point went near the harbor to take a few photos.

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What a looker! Jackie Cruz of the TV series Orange Is The New Black looked sensational in her yellow bathing suit by Surf Souleil as she soaked up the sun in Ischia, Italy

Fancy: The suit was yellow with splashes of baby blue. And the item had a nifty belt with gold beads

The 30-year-old New York native appeared to be at ease as she talked to a man who was shirtless as he enjoyed a drink under a straw umbrella.

Her suit was eye-catching with its bright color and sexy design.

The pattern also had splashes of baby blue. And the item had a nifty belt with gold beads.

Snap happy: The 5ft10in star was seen walking around the pool of her hotel in a pretty yellow one-piece swimsuit that showed off her enviable curves and at one point went near the harbor to take a few photos

He look me over! The star wore her hair down and had a splash of bright pink lipstick on

She needs to get her shot just right: Here the TV sensational climbed the stairs over massive boulders to get the right frame

At one point she added black slippers as she walked around the pool chairs.

Later she drank a beer out of the bottle and snacked on edamame as she held her phone and showed off a pretty pink bandanna in her hair.

Her several tattoos were also on display as she had a few on her arm and one on her hip.

The star usually vacations in Miami, so this trip to Italy is out of the norm for the character actress.

Her dude: The 30-year-old New York native appeared to be at ease as she talked to a man who was shirtless as he enjoyed a drink under a straw umbrella

Snapping away: She took aim at her date as she leaned over to get something

Cheers: Later she drank a beer out of the bottle and snacked on edamame as she held her phone and showed off a pretty pink bandanna in her hair

Ischia is known for its mineral-rich thermal waters. Hot springs bubble up at Maronti Beach, in the south.

The beach has views of medieval Aragonese Castle, linked to Ischia by a stone bridge. Nearby, 18th-century Palazzo dellOrologio houses the Sea Museum, devoted to Ischias fishing tradition.

Jackie - who plays Flaca on the hit Netflix series OITNB - says her breakthrough role on the series turned out to be life-changing.

'Orange changed my world,' she told Teen Vogue in October 2015.

'And I'm so grateful and thankful and honored to be a series regular... Going from being a day player to a series regular was kind of a dream come true.'

The show has been on the air since 2013. She plays Marisol 'Flaca' Gonzales opposite Taylor Schilling, Laura Prepon and Uzo Aduba.
She's got an age-defying body, looks to die for and an impressive acting career to boot.

But Elizabeth Hurley proved she was the full package on Sunday, when she let on that she's a dab-hand in the garden.

Seen fooling around at her English country manor, the 52-year-old appeared green-fingered with a hose in hand, all the while showing off her jaw-dropping body.

Eye-popping: Liz Hurley spent Sunday cooling off in the garden in a string of super-sexy swimsuits that sent her Instagram following into meltdown

With a watering tool in hand, the British actress posed in a skimpy purple swimsuit that served up an eyeful of her cleavage and her lean legs, as she stood poised.

Playfully distracting for the obvious, she captioned the image: 'Someone's gotta do it' as she proceeded to water her plush, green lawn.

Earlier that day, Liz had been frolicking in a teeny red bikini, this time performing impressive yoga poses at her leisure, with one leg extended in the air.

Fooling around: Liz was also pictured in her pink bikini, fooling around and doing yoga

Not only is Elizabeth handy with garden tools, but she's apparently fearless with an axe in hand too, after regaling fans with a tale about how she once saved son Damian's life, this weekend.

On Sunday, Liz revealed she had once cut off a snake's head, in order to save her son, now 15.

According to the Mirror, the 52-year-recalled the moment she had seen the dangerous creature slither towards her son's cot during a past holiday to Spain - and compared her brave reaction to that of the Three Musketeers.

Don't mess with me: On Sunday, Liz revealed that she had once cut off a snake's head with an axe, in order to save her son Damian

Liz, better known for her striking natural beauty as a model, explained that she had sprung into the bold action after seeing the snake approach her son in his bed, while abroad.

She explained of her heroic behaviour: 'Once, when we were in Spain, a snake slithered towards his Moses basket and I leapt over a table like d'Artagnan and cut its head off with an axe.'

Giving a playful warning for the future, she then added protectively: 'Note to others: never get between a lioness and her cubs.'

Terrifying: Elizabeth recalled the moment she had seen a snake approach the Moses basket that Damian (now 15, above) was sleeping in at the time

The brunette beauty has a famously close relationship with Damian, now 15, who she shares with American businessman Steve Bing.

Elizabeth recently spoke to Closer magazine about her decision to take time away from the spotlight to raise her son, after his arrival back in 2002.

She said in the intimate interview: 'Looking after my son became my No. 1 task, and it was a joy to have someone else on whom to focus. I was 36 and had been worrying about myself for quite long enough.'

'I stopped doing movies and TV for the first eight years of his life, and I don't regret it for a moment. I always put him first.'

Knight in shining armour: Likening her behaviour to that of the Three Musketeers, she explained: 'I leapt over a table like d'Artagnan and cut its head off with an axe'

Liz and Damian even recently proved their chemistry on screen as well as off, after starring in an episode of The Royals together - where he took on the part of Prince Hansel in her popular E! drama.

The talented teen portrayed the spoiled German monarch, who embarks on a new career as a reality star.

He was an immediate hit with the audience, one viewer summing it up by saying: 'Damian Hurley aka Prince Hansel is so fabulous! I like him already!'

Speaking on ITV's Lorraine last year, the Estee Lauder model explained that while her son does not want to be an actor, he took to the project like a duck to water - and loved working with his mum every day, even if to wind her up.

Worth every second: Elizabeth recently about her decision to take time away from the spotlight to raise her son, revealing: 'It was a joy to have someone else on whom to focus'

She said of the period of filming: 'We shoot right across the the summer holidays so actually there's not a lot of choice in that but thank goodness he enjoys it even more than I do.

'So he sets my alarm every morning, he gets out my clothes for me, he runs my lines with me, and bullies me all day long!'

Discussing his future in the industry, she then added jokingly: 'I don't know if he will be an actor. I think he will be in show business. He might be behind the camera.

'He's quite despotic when he's making his own little mini movies, he's quite good at it. I think he wants to run a studio, maybe employ his ageing geriatric mother. We'll see, you never know.'
Rob Kardashian showed an ugly side to himself when he slammed Blac Chyna and shared nude photos of her on Instagram earlier this week, an act that could land him in jail.

His mother Kris Jenner has yet to comment on the scandal with reports she's 'angry' at her 29-year-old son for his vulgar and illegal actions. Instead, the 62-year-old TV producer has escaped the chaos with a European vacation.

DailyMail.com found her enjoying an al fresco lunch at Hotel du Cap in the South Of France on Sunday where she sipped rose wine with friends as well as longtime boyfriend Corey Gamble.

No worries here: Kris Jenner looked to not have a worry as she sipped rose wine at the Eden Roc in Hotel du Cap in the South of France on Sunday in photos obtained by DailyMail.com

Stylish: The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star looked pretty in a white lace dress with a beige-and-black Panama hat. The reality TV standout added mirrored aviator sunglasses, silver sandals and a white Dior purse

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star looked pretty in a white lace dress with a beige-and-black Panama hat.

The reality TV standout added mirrored aviator sunglasses, silver sandals and a white Dior purse.

The mother of six looked slender and tanned as she talked to 10 people at her large table on the back patio at Eden Roc.

Gamble was dashing in a white shirt and he seemed to dote on the ex-wife of Bruce Jenner, who now goes by Caitlyn.

Still together: Her date appeared to be longtime beau Corey Gamble

She sipped on a glass of rose wine and started her meal with a watermelon salad. Later she enjoyed salmon and avocado sushi.

'She was in good spirits and happily greeted everyone who came and said hello,' a source told DailyMail.com.

'Kris was so relaxed and really enjoyed her lunch with friends. The whole Rob and Chyna debacle looked to be the furthest thing from her mind.

There she goes: Kris was also seen stepping onto a power boat named Naka as her friends followed behind

She made it: Jenner didn't stumble as she made her way onto the boat; she was likely heading to a yacht

'Other diners were commenting on how great she looked and how happy she was with her boyfriend.'

Later Kris was seen boarding a speed boat named Naka as several friends followed.

Jenner is said to be very angry with Rob after he posted nude photos of his ex fiancee Chyna on Instagram. He also shared photos of her before she went in for cosmetic surgery.

Rob's choices could land him in jail because in the state of California there are strict laws against posting 'revenge porn.'

Pretty in polka dots: Kris was also seen in this lovely dress paired with red heels and a cross-body purse as she went to dinner with Corey on Saturday evening in Portofino

Blac Chyna's attorney revealed they are 'exploring all legal remedies' against Rob.

The 30-year-old shared several nude photographs of his on-off girlfriend on Instagram as he accused her of cheating on him with eight men in less than a month.

But Kardashian's Instagram meltdown may have broken California's 2013 revenge porn laws where it is considered a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Police officials say they have not yet received any criminal report.

But Chyna's attorney, Walter Mosley, said he is already investigating potential legal action.

He's in trouble: Jenner is said to be very angry with Rob after he posted nude photos of his ex fiancee Chyna on Instagram. He also shared photos of her before she went in for cosmetic surgery; seen in March 2016

This is not legal: The 30-year-old shared several nude photographs of his on-off girlfriend on Instagram as he accused her of cheating on him with eight men in less than a month

'I am exploring all legal remedies and protections available to my client at this time in attempts to best advise her on how she may want to proceed,' he told People.

'Revenge porn is illegal in CA and it certainly appears to me that Rob has violated this criminal law,' LA lawyer Lisa Bloom has said.

Bloom, who recently won a victory for her client Mischa Barton after her ex posted revenge porn of the actress, said that even the fact that Chyna 'liked' one of the images on Instagram does not affect her case.

Legal brass: 'Revenge porn is illegal in CA and it certainly appears to me that Rob has violated this criminal law,' Chyna's LA lawyer Lisa Bloom has said; seen in LA on Thursday

Courts must prove is that he had possession of a private image of an 'intimate body part of another identifiable person' and intentionally posted it online with the intention of causing distress. The distribution of the image then must lead to the victim's distress.

A text message exchange, Kardashian posted online, makes it clear that he had asked Chyna to take and send him the intimate picture - telling her she was beautiful and he needed it to masturbate to.

Ready to fight: Chyna has not only lawyered up, she has also been seen looking incredible as she hits the town in LA; seen on Friday

At no point did he ever mention in that exchange that he would share that picture with millions.

The little one: Rob and Chyna share daughter Dream, seen here in a Snapchat clip from this week

'Kardashian's conduct epitomizes 'revenge porn'  a jilted ex unable to handle rejection and jealousy in a mature way who aggresses by sexually exposing another individual,' Bloom said.

Not only could Kardashian be facing six months in jail and a $5,000 court fine, the revenge porn also opens him up to a lawsuit from his ex.

Bloom believes that the mother-of-two could get millions if she sued for damages, if she got a sympathetic jury.

Kardashian's Instagram page was a blocked hours after he began his rant about Chyna, and posted the naked pictures, before he moved to Twitter.

He claims Chyna sent him the picture on July 4 before sleeping with another man.

'This is from Chyna yesterday to me. I never been so disrespected in my life. I just bought her 250K of jewelry yesterday. This woman is so disrespectful and I don't care,' he wrote.

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The Network Ten breakfast program is known for its lively and opinionated hosts.

And The Daily Telegraph reported on Monday that Studio 10 will be extended for an hour each day, as of next week.

Poking fun at co-host Joe Hildebrand, Sarah Harris said: 'I'll have to spend more time with Joe but that's a small price to pay for making so many other people happy.'

You'll be seeing more of them! The Daily Telegraph reported on Monday that Network Ten's morning talk show Studio 10 will be extended for an hour each day, as of next week

'We just love doing the show and the audience keeps telling us they want more of it so we couldn't be happier to give it to them,' Sarah, 35, continued.

'Unfortunately this means I'll have to spend more time with Joe but that's a small price to pay for making so many other people happy,' she joked.

Joe Hildebrand, 41, added: 'We did a lot of research and the result that kept coming back was that my co-hosts wanted to spend a lot more time with me.'

Friendly rivals: Poking fun at co-host Joe Hildebrand, Sarah Harris said: 'I'll have to spend more time with Joe but that's a small price to pay for making so many other people happy'

Studio 10, having originally aired from 8.30am until 11am, will run from 8.30am to 12pm as of next Monday.

Rival programs, The Morning Show on Channel Seven and Today Extra on the Nine Network, will continue to air from 9am to 11.30am weekdays.

The talk show - which also stars Ita Buttrose, Denise Drysdale and Jessica Rowe - marks a positive for a struggling Network Ten.

Banter: Joe Hildebrand, 41, added: 'We did a lot of research and the result that kept coming back was that my co-hosts wanted to spend a lot more time with me'

Shares in Network Ten, Australia's third biggest free-to-air TV network, fell to just 16 cents in June.

Ten's board put the company into administration on June 14, with corporate advisory group KordaMentha taking control of the station behind The Project, The Biggest Loser, The Bachelor and MasterChef.

Ten's chief executive Paul Anderson previously told a media conference 'this is extremely disappointing for all of us'.
She reportedly split from her second husband Nicholas Tsindos, 29, in May, after 14 months of marriage.

And according to Monday's The Daily Telegraph, Jodhi Meares has shunned publicity on her business line, to avoid discussing details of the reported split.

The publication stated that the 46-year-old rejected promotional opportunities for her fashion label The Upside just last month.

Her lips are sealed! According to Monday's The Daily Telegraph, Jodhi Meares, 46, has turned down interviews for her label The Upside, out of fear of being asked about her rumoured split with Nicholas Tsindos, 29

The news outlet reported that Jodhi sold her Sydney unit in May for $2.4 million and has since been enjoying a lavish European getaway.

The former wife of Australian billionaire James Packer appears to have parted ways with Nicholas, her photographer 'ex' notably absent from her social media.

Meanwhile Jodhi has kept fans updated with her travels in France, posting photos to Instagram enjoying time in the sun with friends.

The ring is off! Jodhi Meares did little to dispel separation rumours while on holiday in France, stepping out without her wedding ring

An insider reportedly told The Daily Telegraph back in March that the model-turned-designer couldn't make her long distance relationship work with Nicholas, who is nearly two decades her junior.

'The designer and her Australian-born photographer husband agreed to separate earlier this month,' the source was quoted as saying.

The insider also cited Jodhi's time-split between Los Angeles and Nicholas' Australian home base as a factor in the split.

Nicholas and Jodhi married in secret during a Hawaiian getaway in December 2015.

Life's a beach! Jodhi Meares soaks up the sun during carefree holiday with friends following 'split' from second husband Nicholas Tsindos

News of the split came six months after Jodhi's ex-husband and close friend, James Packer, apparently tipped $800,000 into her fashion label.

Jodhi famously wed billionaire James Packer Back in 1999, before splitting three years later.

The pair remain friendly, with James's private Consolidated Press Holdings having recently taken a 20 per cent stake in The Upside, which Jodhi established in 2014.
The Real Housewives of New York City's Bethenny Frankel sported full make-up (including lashes) and cinched her $30 black 'Boss' tank top to expose her midriff while meditating on Sunday morning.

The 46-year-old reality star - who boasts 3.8M social media followers - captioned her Instagram: '#SundayVibes Lotus pose helps to calm the brain especially after a long week. How was urs?'

The Skinnygirl mogul's 'zen' post came the day after her rumoured flame, event planner Russ Theriot, shared his own meditation snap.

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'Lotus pose helps to calm the brain': The Real Housewives of New York City's Bethenny Frankel sported full make-up (including lashes) and exposed her midriff while meditating on Sunday

'#declutter the mind #morning #meditation': The 46-year-old reality star's 'zen' post came the day after her rumoured flame, event planner Russ Theriot, shared his own meditation snap

'They're very into each other': Things are said to be 'casual' between Frankel and the 37-year-old Crew Of Events owner following their Hamptons beach stroll back on June 11

The 37-year-old Crew Of Events owner wrote on Instagram: '#declutter the mind #morning #meditation #justbreathe.'

Things are said to be 'casual' between Frankel and Theriot, according to E! News, following their Hamptons beach stroll back on June 11.

On Saturday, Bethenny - who split with banker Dennis Shields in May - gushed that motherhood was 'the only job that really matters' in response to a Twitter fan.

Split with banker Dennis Shields in May: On Saturday, Bethenny gushed that motherhood was 'the only job that really matters' in response to a Twitter fan

Caught in between: The I Suck at Relationships author has nothing but love for her 'peanut' aka seven-year-old daughter Bryn, whom she shares custody with ex-husband #2 Jason Hoppy

The I Suck at Relationships author has nothing but love for her 'peanut' aka seven-year-old daughter Bryn, whom she shares custody with ex-husband #2 Jason Hoppy.

On June 27, the 46-year-old pharmaceutical sales exec was charged with two more counts of stalking (on top of three other stalking and harassment charges) the raven-haired socialite.

According to People, Hoppy - who was arrested on January 27 - is due back in Manhattan Criminal Court on August 8.

Drama: On June 27, the 46-year-old pharmaceutical sales exec was charged with two more counts of stalking (on top of three other stalking and harassment charges) the raven-haired socialite

Separated in 2012! According to People, Hoppy - who was arrested on January 27 - is due back in Manhattan Criminal Court on August 8

It's been a year since the longtime warring exes officially finalized their 2012 divorce.

Fans can catch more of Frankel on the ninth season of TRHONYC, which airs Wednesdays on Bravo.

The former talk show host will also serve guest judging duties on the ninth season of Shark Tank, which premieres in September on ABC.

'We're getting ready for Mexico!' Fans can catch more of Frankel on the ninth season of TRHONYC, which airs Wednesdays on Bravo
She's a busy mom of three, actress and fashion entrepreneur so no doubt Reese Witherspoon is pleased to have some time off.

But she couldn't share the news without promoting her Southern-living inspired Draper James brand.

The 41-year-old Big Little Lies star posted a snap of herself in a halter-neck dress with a jazzy pattern of pineapples that she captioned: 'Hellllooooo weekend!'

'Hellllooooo weekend!' Reese Witherspoon chilled out in 'the perfect summer dress' from her Draper James' brands partnership with Net-a-Porter in this snap she shared on Saturday

And she added the hashtag 'VacationModeON!'

The beautiful blonde went on to share that the knee-length frock is the result of DP's partnership with Net-a-Porter.

The DP website described the cotton sateen halter as 'the perfect summer dress. With its fit-and-flare silhouette, front slit at the side, and punchy print' - a steal at $400.

Reese paired it with blue mirrored shades as she stood at the bottom of a white staircase outside a house with a pink cocktail in hand.

Ready for her hols: The 41-year-old shared this snap before the July 4 holiday, captioned, 'This is what trying to pack for a vacation with a toddler looks like' referring to son Tennessee

She continued the laid-back vacation vibe by going without shoes, revealing her red-painted toenails.

Last week the Oscar winner, who shares four-year-old son Tennessee with her talent agent husband Jim Toth, posted Instagram snaps showing her packing before the July 4 holiday.

'This is what trying to pack for a vacation with a toddler looks like,' she dished as she sat on a pink suitcase dressed, naturally, in a blue and white Howdy T-shirt ($55) from Draper James.

She also showed off four of her line's purses as well as a hat.

Beach time: The actress shared this snap of herself with daughter Ava, 17, and son Deacon, 13 - her kids with ex Ryan Phillippe - and Tennessee, four, her son with agent husband Jim Toth

The actress didn't say where she and her family were going on vacation but she has posted snaps of herself with her children on a beach on Instagram.

Aside from Tennessee, Reese also has son Deacon, 13, and daughter Ava, 17, with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe.

Reese has had a great year so far with her HBO mega hit Big Little Lies that also starred Laura Dern and Nicole Kidman. There has been talk about a sequel.

And she has a comedy Home Again coming out in September. The film is directed by Hallie Meyers-Shyer and co-stars Lake Bell, Candice Bergen and Robb Derringer.
Jennifer Garner doesn't seem to need a shoulder to cry on.

The 45-year-old actress looked to be in great spirits as she headed to church in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on Sunday by herself. Later she was joined by all three of her kids: Violet, 11, Seraphina, eight, and Samuel, five.

This comes after People claimed SNL producer Lindsay Shookus has moved in with Garner's ex Ben Affleck, 44. He is reportedly renting a home down the street from the mansion he used to share with Jennifer.

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I'm A-OK! Jennifer Garner doesn't seem to need a shoulder to cry on. The 49-year-old actress looked to be in great spirits as she headed to church in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on Sunday by herself

Easy style: The Alias vet looked toned in her summer outfit. Garner paired a black T-shirt with a flirty white skirt with black designs on top and black piping

I ain't no sucker: The brunette beauty has been a class act since her split from Ben in 2015; she has since given a very honest interview to Vanity Fair

The Alias vet looked toned in her summer outfit.

Garner paired a black T-shirt with a flirty white skirt with black designs on top and black piping.

The 13 Going On 30 actress added black strappy sandals and carried a leather purse. Black cat-eye sunglasses looked chic.

She nailed it: The 13 Going On 30 actress added black strappy sandals and carried a leather purse. Black cat-eye sunglasses looked chic

Nothing slows her down: The mother of three does not seem to be in mourning for her marriage

This comes after some surprising news that her soon-to-be ex-husband Ben - they have filed for divorced but not finalized it yet - has moved in with his new lady love.

'They are spending time together in L.A. Lindsay is staying at Bens new house,' a source said.

Mommy duty: Later she was joined by all three of her kids: Violet, 11, Seraphina, eight, and Samuel, five

She's tops: Jennifer seems to be a hands-on mother as she often takes her kids out

Now on to lunch? The Catch And Release actress was likely taking her three kids out for a bite to eat after church

The new duo recently stepped out on Thursday for dinner in Los Angeles as well.

'They had dinner at Giorgio Baldi last night. They arrived in a limo. They looked happy.

'They had a quick dinner and then returned to Bens house,' the source added.

UsWeekly claims the two have been seeing each other 'on and off' for over two years.

They share? The custody agreement that Ben and Jen have is not known but it appears the kids are living with her while he visits

Maybe she was too good? Garner is not only a super mom, but she has a very successful career that includes two dozen movies

Domestic bliss: Affleck, 45, is living with new girlfriend, Lindsay Shookus, 37, in his LA home according to People

Creeping out: It was reported that Ben was having an affair with Lindsay during his marriage to Jennifer Garner in 2015; (pictured Tuesday)

Dating diva: Lindsay has been on several dates with Ben recently including one on Thursday night to Giorgio Baldi; (pictured Friday)

'Ben and Lindsay started their affair in 2015. They were not casually dating  they were having a full-blown affair,' an insider said.

'They were sleeping together, sending each other cute texts and meeting up whenever they could.'

Which means the relationship was happening as Ben was still married to Garner.

UsWeekly claims that Jennifer and Lindsay's ex-husband Kevin Miller were both heartbroken when they found about the affair in 2015.

Once happy homestead: This is an aerial shot of Ben and Jennifer's home where Jennifer and their children still reside

Too close for comfort: Ben is now living in this home, with Lindsay as reported, which is just down the street from Jennifer's estate

However, a source close to Ben denied the claims, insisting the couple have only been dating for three months.

'Lindsay was not what led to the end of their marriage. They had a ton of other problems' the insider said.

Dailymail.com has contacted Ben's rep for comment.

Co-parenting: Ben and Jennifer took their three children - Violet, 11, Seraphina, eight, and Samuel, five - to a 4th of July party on Tuesday

Meanwhile, a separate source revealed to UsWeekly that Jennifer is 'OK' with Ben and Lindsay's romance and explained that the actress knew about the relationship and chose to go on vacation with her ex last month.

The duo took a trip to the Caribbean together with their three children ahead of July 4.

The entire family was also spotted attending the 4th of July Parade and festivities in Brentwood on Tuesday.
She's had fans at her feet begging for slimming secrets, but it was Holly Willoughby's sartorial choice that was the subject of serious envy on Sunday.

The mum-of-three looked simply sensational as she attended the final day of British Summer Time held in London's Hyde Park in a vibrant wrap-over dress.

The This Morning presenter, 36, commanded attention on her arrival to the music festival, as she flaunted her plentiful bust and accentuated her newly-slender frame.

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Stunning: Holly Willoughby, 36, looked simply sensational as she attended the final day of British Summer Time held in London's Hyde Park

Holly looked just incredible in the summery design that boasted a vibrant colour block pattern on one side.

Her frock featured skimpy spaghetti straps and a low-cut neckline, cinching in at the waist to accentuate her svelte physique, before billowing out into a full skirt.

The presenter teamed her stylish ensemble - that appeared to complement her golden glow - with a tan-hued pair of studded gladiator sandals,

Holly wore her blonde tresses up into a tousled up-do, leaving the front sections of her bonce down to frame her face.

Gorgeous: The This Morning presenter commanded attention as she stepped out in a vibrant wrap-over dress that stole a look at her plentiful bust and accentuated her slender frame

She opted for a subtle make-up to complete her evening attire and finished off her look with a slick of rose pink lipstick across her lips.

Appearing in high spirits, Holly was beaming from ear-to-ear as she made her way into the music event that has been taking place in Hyde Park over the last two weekends.

It no doubt came as a welcome distraction for the star who has found herself topic of conversation, thanks to her recent weight loss regime.

While Holly has wowed fans with her results, she has found herself subject to some criticism from her social media followers, who have questioned her on where her 'bust' and 'curves' have gone.

Beauty: She opted for a subtle make-up to complete her evening attire and finished off her look with a slick of rose pink lipstick across her lips

Smile: Appearing in high spirits, Holly was beaming from ear-to-ear as she made her way into the music event that has been taking place in Hyde Park over the last two weekends

And as the furor around her body shape continued, Holly was left unimpressed when Loose Women star Nadia Sawalha had commented that she was 'disappearing' live on air.

However, many more fans have been blown away by Holly's weight loss and have been urging her to reveal her secrets when it comes to staying in shape. They penned: 'You look so amazing! Would love to know your amazing weight loss secrets!; What have you been doing to stay so trim!?; I need those legs.'

Holly, meanwhile, was joined by fellow presenter and former Strictly Come Dancing star Laura Whitmore at British Summer Time.

Celebrity pals: Holly had been joined by fellow presenter and former Strictly Come Dancing star Laura Whitmore at British Summer Time

Elegant: Laura cut a demure figure in a chic polka dot mini dress that she teamed with a pair of strappy black espadrilles

Laura cut a demure figure in a chic polka dot mini dress that she teamed with a pair of strappy black espadrilles.

Despite the elegant design of her frock, Laura - who is often a regular on the festival circuit - still teased a look at her slender pins underneath, thanks to its semi-sheer material.

But making sure to avoid any possible wardrobe blunders, the former MTV star had sported a thigh-grazing black slip underneath her dress.

She wore her lighter locks down past her shoulders in a blow-dried style and finished off her ensemble with glamorous make-up and a personalised metallic handbag that had her initials 'L.W' emblazoned across the front.

Chic: She wore her lighter locks down past her shoulders in a blow-dried style and finished off her ensemble with glamorous make-up and a personalised metallic handbag

She was in the stands to see the likes of The Lumineers and Stevie Nicks take to the stage.

Clad in an all-black ensemble Stevie performed a series of her hits for the huge crowds that had gathered as British Summer Time comes to a close.

Headlining the festival on its final day had been Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, while The Killers had closed the show the night before.

Kings of Leon also had a headlining set at the festival that spans over six days, along with Justin Bieber and Phil Collins.

Fun-filled day: She was in the stands to see the likes of The Lumineers and Stevie Nicks (pictured above) take to the stage
Tia Mowry-Hardrict donned a patterned swimsuit for a beach day while continuing her birthday festivities on vacation in Maui on Sunday.

It was the first time the Tia Mowry at Home host - who turned 39 on Thursday - was seen in a bathing suit since claiming she lost 20 pounds in a June Instagram post.

The actress appeared to be having fun during her getaway.

Birthday girl! Tia Mowry-Hardrict donned a patterned swimsuit for a beach day while continuing her birthday festivities on vacation in Maui on Sunday

Her image: It was the first time the Tia Mowry at Home host - who turned 39 on Thursday - was seen in a bathing suit since claiming she lost 20 pounds in a June Instagram post

Tia - who relies on stylist Judy Kaufman - paired her cleavage-baring one-piece with hoop earrings and waist-length braids coiffed by hairstylist duo Kendra Garvey and Lena Jaye.

Mowry-Hardrict also enjoyed a snorkling session while relaxing on the picturesque Hawaiian isle.

The beauty was joined for her fun in the surf by her younger brother Tavior.

The German-born, Glendale-raised presenter also had her mother Darlene and her six-year-old son Cree with her, but there was no sign of her husband of nine years, Cory Hardrict.

Taking the plunge: Here the star can be seen after taking a swim in the ocean

Cute suit: Tia - who relies on stylist Judy Kaufman - paired her cleavage-baring one-piece with hoop earrings and waist-length braids by Kendra Garvey and Lena Jaye

Flippers: Mowry-Hardrict also enjoyed a snorkling session while relaxing on the picturesque Hawaiian isle

Siblings: The beauty was joined for her fun in the surf by her younger brother Tavior

The 37-year-old All Eyez on Me actor was likely hard at work filming his role as Officer Cole Hammond in Crackle's 10-episode drama The Oath.

Cory will next play Drill in the Netflix Groundhog Day-style comedy Naked - which begins streaming August 11 - alongside Marlon Wayans, Regina Hall, and Dennis Haysbert.

Meanwhile, Tia shared an old family portrait to wish her two-minute-older twin sister, Tamera, a happy birthday on Thursday.

Family: The German-born, Glendale-raised presenter also had her mother Darlene and her six-year-old son Cree with her, but there was no sign of her husband of nine years, Cory Hardrict

'Let the season begin!' The 37-year-old All Eyez on Me actor was likely hard at work filming his role as Officer Cole Hammond in Crackle's 10-episode drama The Oath

Starts streaming August 11! Cory will next play Drill in the Netflix Groundhog Day-style comedy Naked alongside Marlon Wayans (pictured), Regina Hall, and Dennis Haysbert

'Happy Birthday sissy!' Mowry-Hardrict - who boasts 11.4M social media followers - wrote on Instagram.

'So happy to share this thing called life with you!'

The Mistresses actress just partnered with Kin Community to host her 20-episode digital series Quick Fix, which premieres in August on YouTube.

'So happy to share this thing called life with you!' Meanwhile, Tia shared an old family portrait to wish her two-minute-older twin sister, Tamera, a happy birthday on Thursday
Ukraine counts on the assistance of American partners in the settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"We want peace in Ukraine most of all. We have firmly been adhering to the commitments undertaken as part of the Minsk process. We count on the help of our partners - the United States - in the Normandy format and expect that Russia rationally comprehends this situation," Poroshenko said at a joint briefing with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Kyiv on Sunday.
He shocked fans when he showed off his five-stone weight loss in 2015.

And Chris Moyles looked smart as he flaunted his slim figure with girlfriend Tiffany Austin at British Summer Time in Hyde Park.

The Radio X DJ, 43, arrived at the London festival in a leather jacket as he posed with his long-term love.

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Lucky in love: Chris Moyles showed off his dramatic five-stone weight loss as he posed with his girlfriend Tiffany Austin at British Summer Time in Hyde Park

Chris teamed his jacket with a black T-shirt and trousers and looked comfy in a pair of grey Adidas trainers.

The DJ shielded his eyes with a pair of tinted sunglasses as he put his arm around Tiffany.

The American talent manager kept it casual in a white sleeveless vest and flared jeans.

She wore her dark brown locks down and paired her simple look with brown wedges.

On the down low: The DJ's secret romance with Tiffany was rumbled when reports surfaced in February that the couple were 'getting serious' after dating for a year and a half

Chris, who attended BST last week with Tiffany, had cut his hair since his last appearance at the festival.

The DJ's secret romance with Tiffany was rumbled when reports surfaced in February that the couple were 'getting serious' after dating for a year and a half.

Tiffany reportedly works in artist management and is from Beverly Hills, where Chris spent a lot of time during his three-year career break until 2015, according to The Sun.

Dressed down: Chris teamed a leather jacket with a black T-shirt and trousers and looked comfy in a pair of grey Adidas trainers

'They have been going out for at least a year and a half but have done well to keep it on the down low,' a source told the publication.

'They are both very laid back, so neither has made a big song or dance about it or splashed soppy pics across social media.

'Though they do make a great couple and are already getting serious. They are both really happy.'

The insider claimed Tiffany even moved to London from Los Angeles at the end of last year so she could spend more time with Chris.

Indeed Chris confirmed that he was dating a mystery woman who didn't live in London, during an interview with the Guardian last February.

He divulged that his secret girlfriend wasn't 'in the business' - which fits the profile of Tiffany, who is in artist management.

Summer chic: Holly Willoughby also attended the London festival on Sunday in a blue, orange and pink dress with simple sandals

The DJ added firmly at the time: 'I've never really wanted to get married and I've never really wanted to have kids.'

Chris was previously rumoured to be dating Love/Hate actress Aoibhinn McGinnity, who he first met after watching her perform in 'Elf The Musical' in Dublin.

Chris has recently shocked fans by showcasing his jaw-dropping five stone weight loss.

Gauzy glamour: Laura Whitmore showed off her svelte physique in a transparent polka dot dress with a monogrammed pink handbag

And he has been admirably open about his battle with weight, and his fitness goals.

Having built a career on early morning broadcasting, Chris has admitted that a lifestyle like that can play havoc with your health.

Dubbing it 'the fat breakfast DJ stage' in the past, Chris has now credited his weight loss with running and ditching junk food.

Although he first showcased the fruits of his fitness labours back in 2014, the appearance on Wednesday proved that he has kept up with his new lifestyle - despite being a morning DJ on Radio X.
She has become a world-renowned model for high end designers.

And Suki Waterhouse was on trend as she was spotted working the sidewalk like a runway for a photo shoot on Sunday.

The 25-year-old beauty looked exquisite in a fashion forward ensemble as she posed on top of a bench in New York City.

Pin-up pretty: Suki Waterhouse, 25, was spotted working the sidewalk like a runway for a photo shoot on Sunday

Daring to impress, the British-born stunner draped a red houndstooth coat over a sheer white blouse that left her ample bosom take center stage.

The established actress slipped into a tight and short black patent leather mini skirt that revealed her gorgeous gams.

Throwing caution to the wind, the model virtualy went makeup free as she rocked a touch of eye shadow and a bit of berry on her lip.

She kept her trademark blonde locks long and loose as they cascaded over her petite shoulders.

Simply stunning: The beauty looked exquisite in a fashion forward ensemble as she posed on top of a bench in New York City

In one pose, she threw her hand up to her forehead as if she was saluting an invisible giant in front of her.

Another shot had her hands on her derriere as she pushed out her chest to accentuate her lovely assets.

While Suki shot to fame as the face of Burberry, she is now carving out an alternative career as an actress.

Model life: In one pose, she threw her hand up to her forehead as if she was saluting an invisible giant in front of her

To date she has made an appearance in Pride And Prejudice And Zombies, Love, Rosie and Insurgent.

More recently the British star, who previously dated Bradley Cooper, has been filming on the set of new thriller Assassination Nation.

Suki has been romantically linked with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story actor Diego since January, after the pair were spotted looking close during a trip to Mexico in January.

The young starlet was reportedly dating Game of Thrones actor Richard Madden, however her recent appearances with Diego suggested she's already moved on.
To Poldark fans, they are siblings Demelza and Drake  so the sight of Eleanor Tomlinson and Harry Richardson kissing might lead some to choke on their cornflakes.

But this amorous display was not part of some extraordinary plotline in the BBC drama rather a first glimpse of the secret off-screen romance between the co-stars.

The Daily Mail can reveal the pair are dating and enjoyed an intimate stroll through Wimbledon last week, where they were seen kissing and cuddling.

Loved-up: Harry Richardson hugs his co-star Eleanor Tomlinson, who plays his sister in Poldark

At one point in the shopping trip, Australian heart-throb Richardson, 24, swept Miss Tomlinsons flame-red hair back from her face before cheekily pulling her closer by her dress.

Neither made any attempt to hide their feelings from passers-by, and as they waited for a taxi 25-year-old Miss Tomlinson, wearing a lace dress with tan heels, stepped forward to steal a kiss.

An onlooker said: They looked really loved-up and were very touchy feely, cuddling and kissing right next to a pub. At one point someone shouted get a room.

They went into several shops and walked all around Wimbledon Village before getting in a taxi together. Considering what a recognisable couple they are for anyone who watches Poldark, they were being very open.

Cheeky: At one point in the shopping trip, Australian heart-throb Richardson, 24, swept Miss Tomlinsons flame-red hair back from her face before cheekily pulling her closer by her dress

It is thought the pair grew close during filming for the third series, in which Richardson has appeared topless several times. The news may disappoint the fans who have said that Miss Tomlinson and Aidan Turner, who plays her husband Ross Poldark, would make a good couple.

Representatives of Miss Tomlinson and Richardson did not respond to requests for comment yesterday.
Her non-stop party seems to have taken her from Los Angeles to Paris, then to London and now Greece.

But Kendall Jenner didn't seem one bit fatigued - rather, wilder than ever - on Sunday as she was pictured heading into the sea at a raucous Mykonos beach party, fully-clothed and with champagne in hand.

The international supermodel was watched on by BFF Bella Hadid, who stood on the shoreline in a white thong bikini and a cover-up while Kendall was dunked in the sea by a friend.

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Model behaviour: Kendall Jenner was spotted running into the sea at a Mykonos beach party on Sunday, fully-clothed and clutching champagne

Kendall exhibited something of a wild-child streak as she went barefoot into the water with her drink in hand.

Feeling fancy-free, the stunner was still wearing her little black dress and her signature high level of glamour in shades and gold jewellery.

But her LBD proved see-through when she was dunked by another party goer and unwittingly flashed her nipples by going braless.

You're going to get it now: The braless brunette was dunked up the water by a model pal

Capturing it all: While Bella Hadid stayed dry, she captured the whole thing on camera

Party hard star: Kendall was wreckless as she headed further into the water with her champagne bottle

Dancing hard: She lifted her dress as she treaded water and danced on the shoreline

Watch my dress: But one cheeky friend headed straight for her with the intention of pushing her under

You'll live to regret it! Kendall was pushed into the water in all her clothes

Embrace it! She was then splashed in the water by fellow party goers

Kendall looked less than impressed with the friend, who had jumped on her back in a playful fashion, submerging her in knee-height water.

Yet it didn't stop party-hard Kendall, who joined revellers further in as they danced and sang to each other.

Later, Kendall wrapped up in a beach towel but continued to boogy and splash with her feet in the water.

Bella seemed to be more sensible on the shoreline, choosing instead to snap pictures of everyone else.

Still singing: Luckily, she saw the funny side as she splashed about in her clothes

Cheeky monkey: Another of the models seemed intent on dunking Kendall

Joker: The gal pal got extremely close and personal with the model

Close contact: They were both in especially playful moods

Laugh out loud: Kendall and her model friends seemed to be having the time of their lives

Kendall and Bella have flown to Greece from UK, where they were soaking up London PRIDE in the British capital.

London Pride is an annual extravaganza of love laid which aims to encourage and embrace the LGBT community.

More than 25,000 people took part in the gala parade, with up to 1 million people watching in central London.

As part of the festivities, a rainbow flag is to be projected onto the Houses of Parliament for the first time.

Watching from the shoreline: Bella was more sensible, keen to keep herself dry

Carrying on the party: A wet Kendall headed for the sand in search of a towel

Scooped up: Instead, she found the arms of a hunky partygoer, who seemed to be with the group

You spin me round: He scooped her up and span her around, despite being dripping wet

Celebrating love: Kendall and Bella took to the streets of London on Saturday for the eagerly anticipated annual Pride Parade 2017

Kendall also briefly reunited with her sister Kylie as the group soaked up Wireless festival in a brief stopover.

Since flying out on Los Angeles last weekend, Kendall and Bella have been working hard in the French capital, Paris.

They have both formed a huge part of Haute Couture Fashion Week, getting involved in everything from catwalks to nightlife, as well as attending the shows.

Telling the tale: Kendall returned to Bella, who was completely dry in her thong bikini

Carrying on: Kendall wrapped a towel around her middle to keep her dry, but kept partying

Poking fun: Kendall whipped fellow partygoers' clothes out of the water

Having a laugh: She seemed to be making new friends during her time on the beach

Keeping warm: The sundown party seemed to go into the early evening

Close friends: It seemed like a model crowd and a never-ending party

Girls' holiday: Kendall and Bella have flown across from London

Keep the party going: While in the UK, they partied hard at London PRIDE

Wasting no time! Kendall had inititally been in a hurry to jump in with the others

Taking the time: But she took the time to remove her bright white shoes

Having fun: Champagne bottles lay strewn on the shoreline after a fun night
Australian supermodel Jessica Hart and her billionaire beau Stavros Niarchos III have split, according to reports.

NW magazine claim the pair parted ways because of his reluctance to 'settle on a wedding date.'

Indeed the blonde beauty has been spied without what was thought to be an engagement ring on her left finger, over the past few months.

Is it over for good? Australian supermodel Jessica Hart and her billionaire fiance Stavros Niarchos III have split, according to reports

Jessica, who has been with Stavros for almost seven years, is said to be devastated over the breakup.

'She mapped out her entire future around Stavros and now she feels like he totally led her on,' source allegedly told NW.

'She genuinely loves than man... she wanted to have babies with him and he made out her was on the same page.'

The way they were: Jessica and Stavros are pictured in New York in 2012 in happier times

The magazine claims that Stavros would not 'agree on a date' for their impending nuptials after Jessica 'had most of the wedding planned for over six months'.

Jess and Stavros confirmed their relationship in 2011, but never officially announced that they were engaged.

Speculation of a potential wedding woes began back in April when Jess was spied without her ring on her finger.

Rumours surfaced as early as 2014 that the genetically blessed couple were set to get married in the near future.

Long term lovers: Jess and Stavros confirmed their relationship in 2011, but never officially announced that they were engaged

The couple seem content living a relatively low-key life with each of their busy schedules.

Stavros previously dated former Hollywood 'it' girls Mary-Kate Olsen and Paris Hilton.

The Greek hunk has been dating Ballarat-born Jessica since 2011.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Jessica for comment.
Kenny star Shane Jacobson has announced his engagement to his long-time partner Felicity Hunter.

The actor told New Idea magazine he got down on bended knee and proposed to the mother of his three children during a romantic dinner at a popular restaurant.

But his proposal was almost ruined by The Bachelor's Tim Robards and Anna Heinrich.

Happy news: Kenny star Shane Jacobson has announced his engagement to his long-time partner Felicity Hunter. Pictured here at this year's Logies

The reality TV couple were dining at the same eatery, and Shane's wife was more excited about their presence than the couple's meal.

'I proposed in a restaurant but it was so weird,' he explained.

'So Tim and Anna from The Bachelor were at the same restaurant. Fliss was so excited and all I was thinking about was proposing. They rained on my parade! I knew she was going to say yes, but there was a lot of pressure on it.'

Raining on his parade! But his romantic proposal was almost ruined by The Bachelor's Tim Robards and Anna Heinrich

Lots of laughs: The actor said he regalled in telling his tale to the genetically-blessed couple when he later bumped into them at the Logies

The actor said he regalled in telling his tale to the genetically-blessed couple when he later bumped into them at the Logies.

Shane and Felicity share three children together, and the actor has another son from a previous relationship.

The family live on a farm in Victoria, and are planning on a 'weekend-long celebration filled with family, friends and good food' for their nuptials, Shane told the magazine.

'It will be all the family, lots of bands, it's going to be a lot of fun,' he explained.

Meanwhile, Shane who will also be hosting Channel Seven's upcoming kids variety show Little Big Shots.

He recently said the show is a perfect canvas for them to be unpredictable.

'[The kids are] not being judged  in fact, there are no judges on the show. Its just about us celebrating what kids can do and being themselves,' he told Stellar.

Happy couple: Shane and Felicity share three children together, and the actor has another son from a previous relationship

Earlier in June, Shane and his brother Clayton Jacobson (who directed Kenny) joined forces to do another comedy film together called Sibling Rivalry - 11 years after their runaway hit.

Speaking to the News Corp of the new project, Shane said: 'No one can argue like siblings, because you have all of their history as a great memory or incredibly good ammunition.'

Clayton added that the familial connection combined with the success of Kenny meant that not much pitching was required to get the project off the ground.

'The funny thing is we haven't had to do much of a pitch, because as soon as we say the name of the film...and that I'm co-starring in it with Shane, everyone goes: 'I'm in!' We literally don't get to say much more than that.'

Like Kenny, Sibling Rivalry, which is currently filming in rural Victoria, was co-written by Shane and Clayton.
Their relationship has been tumultuous from the get go, but Olivia Attwood and Chris Hughes' romance came to a halt on Sunday night's episode of Love Island.

With tensions rising between the pair, a disgruntled Olivia admitted she 'can't be herself' around her beau, prompting him to tell her that they 'can't be together'.

Viewers watched on as the couple found them locked in crisis talks about their romance, with Olivia appearing to break Gloucestershire lad Chris' heart by choosing to 'take a break' from him.

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Heartbroken: Chris Hughes was left in floods of tears as Olivia Attwood called time on their relationship during Sunday's episode of Love Island

Things had been looking up for the duo, despite having hit several rocky patches since first getting together, and Chris confessed that Olivia had become his 'comfort' in the villa when choosing her to re-couple with just days ago.

He told Olivia that he 'truly believes she is the most beautiful girl' he has ever met her and his sweet speech seemed to delight his squeeze, as she showered him with kisses moments after coupling up with him once more.

However, fans have now learnt that all is not well between the pair, with Olivia's insecurities about her romance with Chris coming up to surface again.

She had previously claimed that he 'doesn't get' her and pointing out their differences once more, Olivia was left irked after seeing Chris comfort new girl Georgia Harrison.

'Taking a break': She had told Chris that she wanted to cool off their romance, as she felt she couldn't be herself around her beau

Tough decisions: Chris had told Olivia that she had to decide what she wanted for the couple, insisting he wants her to be happy and not have to change who she is to be with him

Olivia claimed that his loyalties should have lied with Kem Cetinay and Amber Davies, as Georgia had just broken up the couple to pair with Kem, but Chris had told the former TOWIE star she had 'done nothing wrong'.

Venting to Kem and Amber, Olivia said: 'He's so busy. I can't stand people like that. He has no loyalty. Those two people have f**ked this house.

'We don't see eye-to-eye and it does stress me out.'

Chris argued that he doesn't like seeing anyone made to feel uncomfortable and that's why he had made sure to check on Georgia to see if she was alright.

But Olivia hit back: 'You want to be the nice guy, but you can't always do that. It's not your job to make everyone feel welcome.

Awkward: Tensions rose between the couple when Olivia branded Chris 'fake' for supporting new girl Georgia Harrison following her heated confrontation with Amber Davies

Drama: She had chosen to couple up with Kem Cetinay in the latest re-coupling, prompting Amber to lose her cool with Georgia as she and Kem are in an official relationship

'He has no loyalties': Olivia questioned why Chris would support Georgia and not his two friends in the villa, but he insisted he hates seeing anyone being made to feel uncomfortable

'You're not a bad person, that's just the way you are. But for me that's not the right thing to do.'

Admitting he is finding Olivia's mixed reactions towards him 'tough to deal with', Chris was seen tearing up in the beach hut and claimed: 'Emotionallyh it is draining. I've been in relationships in the past where it takes it out of me... deep down I am a sensitive guy.'

Olivia told him that she doesn't think he does anything intentionally to annoy her, but they aren't on the same page as each other. Her comments prompted Chris to tell her that the pair shouldn't be together.

He said: 'You feel like it's me holding you back, so you can't be with me. I want you to be happy. If you're telling me when you're around me you can't be you. That's f**king sh*t.'

Sad: The row appeared to heighten the differences between the pair, with Olivia telling the Gloucestershire lad they were not on the 'same page'

Breaking down over Olivia's tendency to hold her real feelings back from him, Chris vented in private: 'How the f**k am I supposed to know if someone is alright if they're not telling me? I feel like I'm suffocating in here.'

His candid conversation with his current flame came to close with Olivia admitting she felt like she was 'treading on eggshells' around Chris, and him telling her that they 'shouldn't be together'.

'That's the harsh reality of it,' he said. 'Because I care about you, we shouldn't be together. Otherwise we're going to have moments like this all the time.'

He then asked Olivia to make a decision on the couple's future and while she admitted that she didn't want to walk away as it would be the 'worst feeling ever', she finally revealed that she wanted the pair to take a break.

Tension: While Chris admitted Olivia's mixed reactions towards him were 'suffocating' him, she confessed that the pair's romance could continue

All over: Chris asked Olivia to make a decision on the couple's future and while she admitted that she didn't want to walk away, she wanted the pair to take a break

Upset: Her decision left a heartbroken Chris in tears as he came to terms with their split alone in the beach hut

Cut up: Asked to relay his feelings over the breakdown of his romance, Chris stuttered: 'I can't even f**king speak'

Her decision left a heartbroken Chris in tears and as he tried to relay how he was feeling in the beach hut, he stuttered: 'I can't be with someone like that... I can't even f**king speak.'

Olivia, meanwhile, told the girls that she was already feeling much better.

Amber claimed that a break is 'the best thing' for the pair, prompting Olivia to say: 'I need it emotionally and mentally. I do feel better already because I'm not worrying about him. I'm just worrying about me.

'I want to grab hold of his face and kiss him, but I don't want to. He needs the space from me to take what I'm saying seriously.'

'I feel better already': Olivia, meanwhile, seemed much more positive and told the girls she needed the break 'emotionally and mentally'

Fans were quick to rush to Twitter to share their thoughts on the split, with many admitting their opinion of Chris has now changed since his first few days in the villa.

Seeming to set his sights on a slew of girls in the villa, Chris' cocky attitude towards 'grafting' had put viewers off, with many branding him 'arrogant'.

However, since seeing his sensitive side come to light, many are now championing the reality star, with one fan claiming he has gone from a 'zero to a hero'.

Many praised Chris for not turning against newcomer Georgia Harrison and comforting her, while others claimed they 'felt sorry' for him in light of his split with Olivia.

'Chris has gone from zero to an absolute hero': Fans rushed to Twitter in light of the couple's break and insisted their opinion of Chris had changed after seeing his sensitive side

'Poor Chris!' No longer thinking he was 'arrogant' or 'cocky' like his first few days in the villa, viewers admitted they 'felt sorry' for Chris and insisted he had 'done nothing wrong' by comforting newcomer Georgia

They penned: 'Hated Chris at the start and loved Liv, now my opinions have completely swapped over hate the girl and think he deserves better.

'How have I gone from hating Chris to crying when he cries. I looooooove him!

'Out of nowhere Chris has gone from zero to absolute hero in my eyes.

'First time I've had any time for Chris - felt sorry for him.

'I didn't like Chris to begin with but I actually really like him now feel genuinely sorry for him.

'Actually feel for Chris, he has done nothing wrong whilst being with Olivia.

'Whys Olivia getting mad at Chris for being nice and welcoming? Breaking my heart to see Chris cry #LoveIsland.'

Love Island continues at 9pm on ITV2.
A file picture released by the family of Liu Xiaobo taken on March 14, 2005 shows 2010 Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo, left, and his brother Liu Xiaoxuan

Chinese doctors treating ailing Nobel Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo warned US and German medical experts he is too sick to travel abroad for care, the hospital looking after him said in a statement Saturday.

The foreign doctors visited Liu, China's most prominent democracy advocate, at the hospital in the northeastern city of Shenyang following international pressure for China to let him go abroad or allow him to choose his own treatment.

Beijing has come under fire from human rights groups over its treatment of the activist and for waiting until he became terminally sick to release him from prison more than a month ago.

But the hospital said the experts concurred that Liu has been afforded top medical care from renowned doctors.

The First Hospital of China Medical University said Liu, 61, was visited by American oncology expert Joseph Herman from the MD Anderson Cancer Center and German doctor Marcus Buchler from Heidelberg University.

The doctors, who were invited by the hospital at Liu's family's request, found that Liu had excess abdominal fluid and was in serious condition, the hospital said on its website.

They suggested that Liu undergo an MRI to evaluate his liver condition and decide if he should undergo radiotherapy or another type of intervention.

Asked by the foreign experts about the possibility of sending Liu for treatment abroad, Chinese doctors replied "the process of transferring the patient is unsafe".

"We have no better method" of treating Liu, it quoted the international experts as saying in response to a question about whether the laureate would receive more effective treatment overseas.

"The American and German specialists have fully endorsed the treatment programme and measures by the group of national experts," it said.

If his liver function improves, doctors could consider immunotherapy, but for now Liu will continue supportive therapy to alleviate the pain and "elevate his quality of life," the hospital added.

Pictures posted on the hospital's web site showed the two experts examining Liu, who is in a hospital bed and appears emaciated and weak.

In a separate statement, the hospital said that he is having "difficulty eating," but continues to receive "nutritional support, pain reduction and general supportive treatment".

A spokeswoman from the US Embassy declined a request for comment.

- 'Chinese government's responsibility' -

Patrick Poon, a China researcher from Amnesty International, said Beijing had never wanted to grant Liu's wish to travel overseas for treatment.

"It's entirely the Chinese government's responsibility if the Nobel laureate eventually passes away without fulfilling his wish to leave China," he said.

The doctors' visit comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping is in Hamburg, Germany, for a G20 summit ending Saturday.

The United Nations human rights office demanded Friday that the UN be given access to Liu, but as world leaders met with their Chinese counterpart in Germany, they remained largely silent on laureate's fate.

"Beijing's horrific intransigence in this case requires all possible international pressure to create some peace and freedom for Liu Xiaobo and (his wife) Liu Xia," said Human Rights Watch's China director, Sophie Richardson.

"Beijing won't give that away for free."

- 'Subversion' -

Liu was arrested in 2008 after co-writing Charter 08, a bold petition that called for the protection of basic human rights and reform of China's one-party Communist system.

He was later sentenced to 11 years in prison in December 2009 for "subversion" after calling for democratic reform. At the Nobel ceremony in Oslo in 2010, he was represented by an empty chair.

He is also known for his efforts to help negotiate the safe exit from Beijing's Tiananmen Square of thousands of student demonstrators on the night of June 3-4, 1989 when the military violently suppressed the protests.

A group of his friends fear he is near death and they issued an open letter earlier this week calling on the Chinese government to give them access to their ailing friend on "humanitarian" grounds.

A friend of Liu's, who asked to remain anonymous due to the case's sensitivity, told AFP that both his younger and older brothers are set to visit him in hospital for the first time this weekend.

But "Liu's friends are still not able to meet him," Poon said, which "speaks a lot about the restrictions Liu and his family face".
English-born striker Dom Dwyer scored for the United States -- his second goal in as many matches for his adopted country

The United States gave up an equalizer to draw 1-1 with Panama on Saturday to open Group B action in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Nashville, Tennessee.

English-born striker Dom Dwyer scored for the United States -- his second goal in as many matches for his adopted country putting the US up 1-0 in the 50th minute.

But Bruce Arena's men couldn't make the lead stand up as Miguel Camargo answered for Panama to insure the two strongest teams in the group shared the points.

That opened the door for Martinique to finish the day atop the group B standings after a 2-0 victory over Nicaragua.

Excellent work from Kelyn Rowe on the left side set up Sporting Kansas City forward Dwyer, who became a US citizen just three months ago, pursuing his football dream Stateside after he was told he wouldn't make it in England.

Rowe easily got past Michael Murillo and moved deep down the left flank before sending a low cross into the penalty area where Dwyer turned and fired a left-footed shot into the right-hand corner of the net.

The US goal galavanized Panama, who saw Camargo's blast from 20 yards out go over the bar two minutes later, then saw a brilliant chance go begging when Ismael Diaz somehow fired over the bar from a couple of yards out after a header by Gabriel Torres had been saved by a diving Brad Guzan.

Edgar Barcenas also narrowly missed before the determined Panamanians pulled level.

Barcenas' cross set up Torres, who forced Guzan into another save, but New York City FC's Camargo was there to bury the rebound.

Few quality chances followed, although the USA thought a penalty should have been awarded in the 82nd when captain Alejandro Bedoya came down after tangling with defender Luis Ovalle.

Both teams had opportunities in the scoreless first half.

The hosts' best chance came in the 26th as Kellyn Acosta put a ball through to Rowe -- whose shot went straight to Panamanian keeper Jose Calderon.

Camargo then tested Guzan with a curling shot from the edge of the area and both teams came close in first-half stoppage time.

The US, five-time winners of the regional championship, will be aiming to sharpen up defensively when they face Martinique on Wednesday in Tampa, Florida, where Nicaragua and Panama will also clash.

"There's positives to take from the game," Dwyer said. "We're definitely disappointed not to get three points. But there's a lot to build on."

In the second match of the double-header, Kevin Parsemain opened the scoring when he headed in a cross from Johan Audel in the 35th minute. Martinique extended their lead in the 66th when, moments after coming on, Steeven Langil launched a solo run from midfield and finished from close range.
MtGox, which claimed it once hosted around 80 percent of global Bitcoin trading, shuttered in 2014 after admitting that 850,000 coins -- worth around $480 million at the time -- had disappeared from its vaults

The former CEO of collapsed Bitcoin exchange MtGox heads to trial in Tokyo next week on charges stemming from the disappearance of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the virtual currency from its digital vaults.

Frenchman Mark Karpeles -- once the high-flying head of the world's busiest Bitcoin trading platform, who reportedly lived in an $11,000-a-month penthouse and spent money lavishly, including on prostitutes -- is facing embezzlement and data manipulation charges.

"He is keeping calm as the trial gets underway," his lawyer Kiichi Iino told AFP, adding that Karpeles plans to plead his innocence.

The 32-year-old was first arrested in August 2015 and released on bail nearly a year later over allegations he fraudulently manipulated data and pocketed millions worth of Bitcoins.

MtGox, which claimed it once hosted around 80 percent of global Bitcoin trading, shuttered in 2014 after admitting that 850,000 coins -- worth around $480 million at the time -- had disappeared from its vaults.

The company initially said there was a bug in the software underpinning Bitcoins that allowed hackers to pilfer them.

Karpeles later claimed he had found some 200,000 of the lost coins in a "cold wallet" -- a storage device, such as a memory stick, that is not connected to other computers.

Tokyo-based MtGox filed for bankruptcy protection soon after the cyber-money went missing, leaving a trail of angry investors calling for answers and denting the virtual currency's reputation.

- Still missing -

Frenchman Mark Karpeles is facing embezzlement and data manipulation charges

Karpeles, who said he is working as an IT consultant, is active on social media and has commented on issues concerning Bitcoin but not on details of his criminal case.

"The charges (against Karpeles) only cover a subset of the issues which were happening at MtGox, so I don't expect that we will find out most of the information we want to know," said Kolin Burges, a British investor who said he lost several hundred Bitcoins in the MtGox collapse.

"I've not had any back yet but hopefully, eventually all the creditors will get a small percentage of their money back from the bankruptcy distribution," he told AFP.

Around the time of his 2015 arrest, Karpeles' mother told Japan's top-selling Yomiuri newspaper that her son was a "genius" who learned computer languages at age three and started making simple programmes by the time he was five.

In 2006, Karpeles wrote on his blog that computer crime was "totally contrary to my ethical principles".

But four years later, a Paris court sentenced him in absentia to a year in prison for hacking. He had come to Japan to work for a web development company around 2009 and later got involved with the Bitcoin exchange.

In the wake of the MtGox scandal, Japan passed a bill stipulating that all virtual currency exchanges must be regulated by its Financial Services Agency.

Virtual currencies are generated by complex chains of interactions among a huge network of computers around the world, and are not backed by any government or central bank, unlike traditional currencies.

Bitcoin has suffered hacking incidents including one last year in which a major Hong Kong-based exchange Bitfinex suspended trading after $65 million in the virtual unit was stolen.

- Soaring popularity -

Despite the demise of MtGox and concerns about security, Bitcoin and hundreds of rival digital currencies are becoming increasingly popular and accepted by merchants worldwide.

Bitcoin remains the most popular. Its market value has ballooned to more than $42.9 billion, according to the website coinmarketcap.com.

The unit has seen wild volatility during its short life, soaring from just a few US cents to around $2,500 now, more than double its value just a few months ago.

Backers say virtual currencies offer an efficient and anonymous way to store and transfer funds online.

Critics argue the lack of legal framework governing the currency, the opaque way it is traded and its volatility make it dangerous.

Bitcoin's reputation was damaged when US authorities seized funds as part of an investigation into the online black market Silk Road.
Newly appointed U.S. special representative for the Ukrainian settlement Kurt Volker will stay in Ukraine for several days to resolve issues of bilateral cooperation, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"I am very grateful that just within several hours after his appointment, Kurt Volker's joined your delegation. We welcome him and thank you for your decision that he is going to remain with us for several days so that we do not suspend the issue, and without a delay, could start effective cooperation just a few hours after the appointment," Poroshenko said at a joint briefing with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Kyiv on Sunday.

Poroshenko expressed the hope that Volker's experience, combined with his determination, will speed up the negotiation process and ensure the implementation of the Minsk agreements by the Russian Federation.

As reported, Tillerson on Friday, July 7, appointed former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Volker as a special representative for Ukraine, who will coordinate the U.S. State Department's efforts to settle the situation in eastern Ukraine.
Qataris write on a wall bearing a portrait of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani that has become a symbol of Qatari resistance during the Gulf diplomatic crisis

More than a month since the start of the diplomatic crisis gripping the Gulf, hopes of a swift resolution seem as remote as a summer downpour in the desert.

Both sides -- the group of Saudi-led allies against Qatar -- seem as entrenched in their positions as ever and as unlikely to find a face-saving solution for all as at any time since the conflict erupted on June 5.

"I think that this crisis has a way to go still," said Kristian Ulrichsen, a Gulf analyst with the Baker Institute at the US-based Rice University.

He is not alone.

A weary US State Department this week signalled its belief that the row -- which has seen Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt sever ties with Qatar over claims it supports Islamist extremists -- will rumble on, at best, for some time.

"We believe that this could potentially drag on for weeks. It could drag on for months," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on July 6.

Saudi allies blockade on Qatar

The first days of July had offered a tiny, hopeful glimpse of a resolution as the region awaited Qatar's response to the list of 13 onerous demands placed on Doha by the Saudi-led bloc.

But a defiant Qatar, which denies the charges of supporting extremism, then called the demands -- such as closing broadcaster Al-Jazeera and the Turkish military base in Doha -- "unrealistic".

In return, Saudi and its allies threatened further sanctions, while Qatar hit back, labelling the four Arab states "siege countries".

"There will be no lifting of the sanctions any time soon, I can't see that happening," said Andreas Krieg of the Defence Studies Department at King's College London.

The crisis seems to be in deadlock.

- Long, drawn-out row -

"It appears that Saudi Arabia and the UAE underestimated Qatar's ability to very quickly bring on board major regional powers such as Turkey and Iran," Christopher Davidson, an expert on Middle East politics at Britain's Durham University, told AFP.

"In this context, pushing forward with any form of cross-border intervention seems unlikely, with instead a long drawn out slow-bleed of Qatar's economy probably being the preferred Saudi-UAE strategy."

So what happens next?

On the diplomatic front, the push is coming from the West with the visit of British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson to the region this weekend, followed by the scheduled arrival of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in regional mediator Kuwait on July 10.

In Nauert's statement she also warned the conflict "could possibly even intensify".

This could manifest itself in two ways.

On the sanctions front, attention appears to be turning to regional political organisations and, more tentatively, trade.

There has been much speculation that Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain will seek to push Qatar out of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council either through suspension or expulsion.

Reports in the Saudi media have suggested this could be the next step in Qatar's isolation though it is unclear if there would be enough votes to carry this through.

Krieg speculated that Saudi Arabia instead might manoeuvre to penalise Qatar through its membership of the Arab League.

On trade there has been suggestions that Saudi Arabia and the UAE may present international companies with a choice of doing business with them or Qatar, not both.

That though is far from a risk-free strategy, Ulrichsen said.

"Such a move may rebound on Riyadh and Abu Dhabi if it calls into question the vulnerability of commercial decisions to political interference," he said.

Krieg added that such a move could ultimately backfire on Saudi Arabia's own attempts to restructure its economy, in any post-oil world.

It is also unlikely that international companies would cave in to such orders.

Following a decision on July 4 by Qatar Petroleum to expand gas production by 30 percent, using joint ventures with international businesses, companies were reportedly already forming an orderly queue for contracts.

One Saudi-based commentator, Abdulrahman Al-Rashed, though insisted recently that Qatar will "fold" but make concessions beyond the "spotlight".

It is unclear, however, what those might be.

"There are no apparent areas of concession. This looks like it will go down to the wire," said Davidson.
Activists Protest Against Health Care Bill At Senator Marco Rubio's Florida Office

The United States, entangled in conflict overseas and struggling economically, was at a fraught moment when the president called for a national health care overhaul.

The country "now spends more than $75 billion annually on health care... yet despite this huge annual national outlay, millions of citizens do not have adequate access to health care."

That observation could have been offered by current President Donald Trump, or predecessor Barack Obama. But it was Richard Nixon's lament, way back in 1972.

The US has a longstanding reputation for world-class medicine, doctors and hospitals, but for decades it has also been riddled with gaping holes that have left millions without health insurance.

Every president in living memory -- including Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary -- has made some kind of effort to plug the gaps. But the problems persist to this day, only multiplied.

During the 1970s, health care costs represented seven percent of the US economy. Eight presidents later, that figure has ballooned to 18 percent.

The rate is half again more than that of France, with results worse than most other wealthy nations. An American girl born today is expected to live four years less than her French counterpart.

- Public, private -

Republicans today are seeking a fresh overhaul. When the Senate re-convenes Monday after a 10-day break, Trump will be under intense pressure to find a middle path that wins over enough conservatives and moderates in his party.

At the heart of today's problem is the US system's split personality -- part private, part public -- which complicates broader efforts at reform.

From the late 1920s, Americans began purchasing private insurance coverage. After World War II, US companies started offering their employees health insurance, and millions signed on.

But that did little to help unemployed, poor or elderly citizens. In 1965 the federal government stepped in, creating the Medicare program for those age 65 and above and Medicaid for lower income and disabled Americans.

Tens of millions still fell through the cracks.

Then came 2010's Affordable Care Act (ACA), Obama's signature domestic achievement, which lowered the share of uninsured to about 10 percent. While that is a historic low, 26 million Americans remain without coverage.

Health care expenses have swelled in part due to lack of government regulation. Costs increased each year at an unsustainable rate, along with the advent of new technologies like MRI scanning and 3D mammography.

"This is the only industry where technology advances have increased costs instead of lowering them," wrote journalist Steven Brill in his 2015 book "America's Bitter Pill."

"When it comes to medical care, cutting-edge products are irresistible; they are used -- and priced -- accordingly."

In the United States, if you break a leg, the (private) hospital sends your (private) insurer the bill, which typically amounts to several thousand dollars for a few hours in the emergency room. Each examination, X-ray and follow up incurs new charges.

With "Obamacare," a move was made to shift away from the costly and inefficient fee-for-service model to payments to hospitals based on quality of care.

But "we're still a system based on volume of care versus value of care," Howard Bauchner, editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Medicine Association, told AFP.

"Until value or bundled payments become more comprehensive, it's not clear to me that the rate of rise of costs will be contained."

- Political compromise -

Bill Hoagland, senior vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center and a former top Senate budget staffer, says health care reform has been a priority for seven decades, with Congress struggling to rein in costs.

"There's one way to control costs in this country, which is something that Americans don't like: that is price controls," he said in an interview.

"This is a country that prides itself on the private sector and choice, (not) the fear that government comes in and over-regulates our health care and dictates to us which doctors we see or hospitals we go to."

The public-private duality is so deeply entrenched that most Democratic presidential candidates have dropped the idea of a public single-payer system for all, like those in Europe. Only far left figures like Senator Bernie Sanders embrace that option.

Republicans, for their part, have long promised to dismantle Obamacare and reduce the role of government. But some in the party's centrist wing oppose such dramatic separation, making full repeal of the ACA unlikely.

Hoagland believes Democrats and Republicans ultimately will need to compromise in order to contain surgings costs and expand coverage.

Time is short. At current trending, health expenditures will account for 20 percent of GDP by 2025.
US President Donald Trump waves as he boards Airforce One after the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, likely the stormiest such gathering in years

During a difficult visit to Europe Donald Trump appeared out of sync with traditional allies, struggling to show that unorthodox strategies toward rival powers Russia and China can deliver results.

At one point Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Angela Merkel exchanged a knowing glance as the US president veered off on another tangent.

What were to be remarks about women entrepreneurs had become a Trumpian soliloquy on his daughter Ivanka's merits and his paternal failings.

"If she weren't my daughter it would be so much easier for her," Trump said. "It might be the only bad thing going for her."

A few feet away, Merkel and Trudeau's nervy laughs were corporal acknowledgment that Trump's political peers are still unsure how to take the mercurial 71-year-old.

Throughout the meeting there was a sense the president of the United States, leader of the so-called "indispensable nation," has shifted positions, leaving everyone else struggling to correct.

- Start with friends-

In Warsaw, on the first stop of his four day trip, Trump sought to reassert his claim to lead the free world.

Like a king riding along the cavalry frontline, he sounded the charge against terrorism and bureaucracy, which he painted as threats to Christian civilization.

He embraced allies by affirming his commitment to NATO's mutual defense clause, satisfying long-standing demands to be clearer about the alliance.

But for many, Trump's idea of the West as a group of nations that "cry out 'We want God'" -- a West of high borders and fierce nationalism -- seemed out of kilter with the times.

"It is no accident that he gave this speech to a country with an ultra-conservative and Eurosceptic government," said Thomas Wright of the Brookings Institution.

"The great risk," Wright added, is that Trump's remarks "begin dividing Europe into old and new -- or those who don't like him and his message and those who do."

Trump's claim to be the guardian of Western values was further undermined by a press conference that saw sustained attacks on the free press and a downplaying of Russia's election interference.

- Time to move on -

Later at the G20 in Hamburg, Trump appeared even more clearly outside the policy mainstream.

The artful drafting of a joint communique saw world leaders banding together without the United States: in the fight against climate change, it was 19 in favor and a lone Trump against.

"To get 20 of your friends to agree where to have dinner together tonight is really hard," said top Trump economic advisor Gary Cohn, denying US isolation.

Trump's efforts to reset relations with global rivals were equally vexed.

During a historic two-hour-and-sixteen-minute meeting with Vladimir Putin, the US president effectively agreed to put Russia's 2016 election interference in the past -- a major concession to Moscow.

"After very substantive dialogue on this, they agreed to move on to other discussions," said Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.

But that bought few tangible benefits beyond a possible ceasefire agreement for southern Syria.

Officials are hopeful the measure, effective from noon Sunday, can stem the bloodletting and open the door for a broader cooling of the vicious six-year civil war -- but such ceasefires have come and gone many times before.

For months, negotiators in Amman had been searching for something much more durable: a safe zone, enforced by troops, which would secure Jordan's border and allow the regime's opponents their own territory.

That prospect still seems distant.

"The best possible outcome is that this 'agreement' becomes a building block for more US-Russian cooperation in Syria," Cliff Kupchan of Eurasia group told clients in a research note.

"But the emerging truce also faces significant obstacles, and its fate is unclear at best."

On North Korea, Trump appeared unable to translate weeks of sustained public pressure and angry tweets on China into meaningful diplomatic progress.

Across the table from Trump, Xi Jinping offered little indication he would impose the type of sanctions that could make Pyongyang think twice about developing ever-more powerful long range nuclear missiles.

Trump was left to abandon his own sense of urgency.

"It may take longer than I like, it may take longer than you'd like... but there will be success in the end, one way or the other," he said.

With his ideological hardline and diplomacy failing to live up to his "winning" rhetoric, Trump's second foreign visit left "America first" at risk of becoming "America alone."
Uber Co-founder and CEO Travis Kalanick stepped down from his job, as the company tries to clean up a corporate culture that has sparked charges of harassment and discrimination

A growing chorus of voices denouncing sexist culture is echoing through male-dominated Silicon Valley, knocking a number of internet industry executives from their perches.

Accusations concerning the lack of women in tech jobs and unfair, or downright crude, treatment endured by some in the industry have simmered for years, occasionally reaching a boil.

Now increasing numbers of women are going public with complaints of gender-based discrimination -- in some cases leading men to step down.

Uber's embattled chief executive Travis Kalanick resigned last month, yielding to pressure from investors seeking to clean up the company's allegedly toxic corporate culture.

Eileen Naughton says Google fosters a culture where women feel empowered to speak up when they've been discriminated against or harassed

His departure capped a rocky period for the global ridesharing giant, which has been roiled by disturbing reports of cutthroat workplace conditions, harassment and discrimination.

Before Kalanick's departure, Uber said it had fired 20 people after examining 215 claims of discrimination, harassment, unprofessional behavior and bullying.

- 'Despicably unfair' -

June also saw venture capitalist Justin Caldbeck take an indefinite leave of absence from Binary Capital in Silicon Valley in the face of allegations he made sexual advances towards female entrepreneurs interested in funding.

"To say I'm sorry about my behavior is a categorical understatement," Caldbeck said in released statement.

"The power dynamic that exists in venture capital is despicably unfair."

In his statement, Caldbeck referred to the influence gap between male venture capitalists and female entrepreneurs as "frightening," and called the environment "gender-hostile."

A few days later, tech sector investor Dave McClure confessed to being "a creep" for making "advances towards multiple women in work-related situations, where it was clearly inappropriate."

"I selfishly took advantage of those situations where I should have known better," McClure said in an apology posted online.

"My behavior was inexcusable and wrong."

The public apologies came in the wake of a New York Times article in which a dozen women in the technology world denounced what they saw as a culture of harassment, some pointing specifically at McClure or Caldbeck.

"It's important to expose the type of behavior that's been reported in the last few weeks, so the community can recognize and address these problems," Stitch Fix founder and chief executive Katrina Lake was quoted as saying in the Times story.

- Double-whammy -

Women in Silicon Valley face a double-whammy, said French entrepreneur Eliane Fiolet, because the tech companies as well as the world of finance here are male dominated.

Fiolet -- who settled here and co-founded successful technology website Ubergizmo -- estimated that women represent a scant 10 percent or so of the tech sector.

Concerns about a lack of diversity in Silicon Valley have caused tech giants to implement programs to cultivate richer gender and racial mixes on company campuses.

Google told AFP that in the past three years at Google, the proportion of women in tech roles at the company has grown from 17 percent to 20 percent, and that of women in leadership roles has risen from 21 percent to 25 percent.

Overall, women make up 31 percent of Google employees and nearly half of the management team, according to the company.

"Improving the representation of women in technical roles is something the entire tech industry is working toward," said Eileen Naughton, Google's vice president of "people operations."

Google policies ban discrimination and harassment, with punishments including termination. New hires are also given "unbiasing training" during orientation at the company.

"It's important to foster a culture where women feel empowered to speak up when theyve been discriminated against or harassed," Naughton said.

- Blurred lines -

Katheline Coleman, who came to Silicon Valley from Canada in 2013, told AFP she was struck by how much of a man's world it was.

"What is apparent now with all recent testimonies from female founders is that there is definitely a blurred line between business meetings and happy hours," Coleman said, referring to after-work social gatherings that typically involve alcohol.

"These dire happy hours have been a place of choice of rogue VCs and sexual predators."

Debate over gender equality in Silicon Valley flared up in 2012 when Ellen Pao sued over allegations of gender discrimination.

Following a public trial in San Francisco a jury rejected those charges against a prominent venture capital firm, in a case seen as a proxy trial of Silicon Valley sex bias.

But Fiolet reasoned that taking concerns public -- even without pursuing cases in court -- can be effective because it can prompt boycotts in an internet industry where public image is important to keeping users.

A #DumpUber campaign, for example, gained traction after a former engineer there made a public grievance in a blog post -- significantly adding to the pressure for change at the company.
The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in southern Japan has risen to 18

The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in Japan's south has risen to 20, local media reported Sunday, as rescue teams continued their search for survivors.

Swathes of Kyushu -- the southernmost of Japan's four main islands -- have been left devastated after overflowing rivers and torrential downpours swept away roads, houses and schools this week.

Thousands of people have been evacuated to makeshift shelters in school gyms and public buildings, but many remain stranded, with emergency services battling through thick mud and rain to try to reach them.

Some 250 people were still cut off by Sunday, the Kyodo news agency said. Collapsed bridges and waterlogged ground on steep hillsides were hampering rescue efforts, according to media.

A total of 20 people have died while more than 20 remain unaccounted for in the Fukuoka and Oita prefectures, Kyodo reported.

The government was doing its "utmost" to recover those missing or stranded, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga earlier said in a rare weekend press conference.

Five people were in critical condition, Suga said, with the government still trying to ascertain if their injuries were a result of the severe weather.

Swathes of Kyushu -- the southernmost of Japan's four main islands -- have been left devastated after torrential downpours in the region

Television footage showed rescue helicopters held up at a makeshift heliport -- unable to fly because of the downpours, while people prayed for the safety of their family members.

More than 50 centimetres (20 inches) of rain deluged parts of Kyushu in 12 hours on Wednesday, prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to warn of possible significant damage.

Rains have continued intermittently since, with up to 22 centimetres recorded in Fukuoka in the past 72-hour period.

Japan's weather agency on Sunday warned of continued heavy rains and mudslides in northern Kyushu.
A cloud of smog shrouds the skyline of Los Angeles in California, which has committed to uphold the 2015 Paris climate deal despite Donald Trump's decision to take the US out of it

G20 countries have managed to avoid a total bust-up with Donald Trump over climate change, leaving the door open for Washington to return to the Paris Agreement -- but at the cost of risky concessions.

After the US president decided last month to pull out of the hard-fought deal to combat global warming, climate change was always going to be centre-stage at this week's gathering of the G20 -- major economies that are together responsible for the vast majority of harmful emissions.

Ultimately, the final joint statement after the summit in Hamburg underlined that the 2015 Paris deal is "irreversible", while "taking note" of Washington's decision to quit the agreement.

The key risk for defenders of the global pact is that other countries could now follow Trump's lead.

The ink was barely dry on the G20 statement before Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened not to ratify the deal without financial concessions.

"After that step taken by America, the position that we adopt is in the direction of not passing it in parliament," Erdogan said.

- Grounds for optimism? -

The rest of the G20 made an exceptional concession to the US by letting through a passage in their joint declaration specifically referring to Washington's position.

It confirms that the US is committed to lowering its emissions, so long as this is compatible with economic growth.

Andrew Light of the World Resources Institute said this was the most interesting line in the text, indicating it stood in "stark contrast" with Trump's arguments about pulling out in which he claimed that "fulfilling our commitments to Paris would hurt our economy".

French President Emmanuel Macron remains hopeful Donald Trump can be convinced to return to the Paris climate agreement, but Germany's Angela Merkel said she "did not share the optimism

Celine Bak of Canada's Centre for International Governance Innovation hailed the wording as "a clear victory for the G20, which knew how to formulate a statement that could allow President Trump to re-integrate into the Paris accord."

She is not alone in hoping Washington could be brought back into the fold.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he "never gives up hope on convincing" Trump to change his mind on the Paris deal, while British Prime Minister Theresa May also said she believed such a return was possible.

"It's good to be optimistic, but there comes a point where that turns into naivety," said Francois Julliard of Greenpeace France.

"Yes, the United States could come back to the Paris accord, but right now, in concrete terms, they're disengaging."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, for her part, said she "did not share the optimism" of those hoping for a change of heart.

- US backs fossil fuels -

A problem for the optimists is that the US passage of the statement could help cracks grow in the united global front on climate change.

The G20 statement clearly stated Washington's wish to continue using and selling fossil fuels that are a main driver of global warming

It clearly states Washington's wish to continue using and selling polluting fossil fuels.

"The strength of the Paris accord was that it was universal," said Julliard.

"Today we have one country -- and not just any country -- that is going to launch a parallel process of negotiations with countries that want to go into fossil fuels."

But Alden Meyer of the US Union of Concerned Scientists insisted the concession to America's attachment to oil and gas "will do nothing to slow the accelerating shift away from polluting fossil fuels towards a global economy powered by clean, renewable energy."

Ultimately, analysts say, US officials went into the G20 talks seeking to tout their enormous shale gas and oil reserves to other countries -- notably to Eastern European nations dependent on Russian gas.

"Trump's speech and visit to Poland (on the eve of the summit) are testament to that," said Bak.

Despite the uncertainties thrown up by the US manoeuvres, the rest of the G20 appear to be forging ahead with joint efforts on climate change -- with the notable exception of Turkey, which has now signalled it wants its own concessions.

Macron announced a new summit on climate change in France on December 12, notably to tackle the thorny issue of how to finance the shift to a cleaner economy.
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A Marshall Islands-based military expert has cast further doubt on claims that a blurry photograph shows famed US aviatrix Amelia Earhart alive in the territory in 1937.

The fate of the legendary American and her navigator Fred Noonan during their round-the-world flight is one of aviation's greatest mysteries, and has fascinated historians for decades.

Earhart and Noonan vanished on July 2, 1937 after taking off from Lae, Papua New Guinea, and the prevailing belief is that they ran out of fuel and ditched their twin-engine Lockheed Electra in the Pacific Ocean near remote Howland Island.

But a documentary being aired on the History Channel -- "Amelia Earhart: The Lost Evidence" -- claims to have unearthed a beguiling new clue about what happened to the pair.

The program suggests that Earhart, who was seeking to become the first woman flier to circumnavigate the globe, and Noonan may have survived and been taken prisoner by Japanese forces.

It cites a blurry black-and-white photograph discovered in the National Archives in Washington, purportedly showing the pair in the Marshall Islands after their capture.

But military expert Matthew B. Holly told AFP the photo appeared to have been taken about a decade earlier.

"From the Marshallese visual background, lack of Japanese flags flying on any vessels but one, and the age configuration of the steam-driven steel vessels, the photo is closer to the late 1920s or early 1930s, not anywhere near 1937," he told AFP.

Holly, an American living in Majuro, has spent decades identifying the locations of lost US aircraft and the identities of American servicemen killed in action in the western Pacific nation.

He added that by January 1937 the Japanese had closed most of Micronesia to foreign vessels, "including Marshallese commerce, which is obviously flourishing in this photo.

"Additionally, there are no Japanese sailors to be seen."

- 'Laughable' -

There is no dispute that the photo shows the dock at Jabor Island in Jaluit Atoll, which was the headquarters for Japan's administration of the Marshall Islands between World War I and World War II.

During the 1920s and early 1930s, Japanese businesses flourished on Jaluit, purchasing copra -- dried coconut flesh used to make coconut oil -- from Marshall Islanders.

But The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR), which has spent decades trying to figure out what happened to Earhart and Noonan, also disputes that they are the pair in the photo.

Executive director Richard Gillespie previously told AFP the photo was "laughable" as a piece of evidence.

"This is just a picture of some people on Jaluit wharf," he said. "Where are the Japanese? Where are the soldiers?"

Marshall Islanders have also claimed over the years that Earhart and Noonan survived an emergency landing and were captured by the Japanese.

Two years ago, American investigators additionally said they had located parts of Earhart's plane on Mili Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

But Holly maintained it was unlikely the photo was taken in 1937.

"Generally, there would be a series of photos in the same folder which could have also time-dated the photo," Holly said.

"There is no date of 1937 associated with this photo."
Despite his age, the ruling ZANU-PF party has nominated Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, 93, as its candidate for next year's elections

Zimbabwe's 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe is in Singapore for a "routine medical check-up", state media reported Sunday.

"President Mugabe on Friday left the country for Singapore for a routine medical check-up," the Sunday Mail newspaper reported.

The paper said the veteran ruler is expected back in Zimbabwe midweek.

Mugabe's medical trips to the Southeast Asia city state have become more frequent in recent years. His previous visit was in May, also said to be for a "routine medical check-up".

In 2011 and 2014 he had eye surgery in a hospital in Singapore.

Mugabe now walks with difficulty and sometimes dozes off during meetings.

His health has been the subject of increased speculation in recent years and authorities in March arrested two journalists over a report alleging that he was "in bad shape"

In 2016, the government had to deny that he had died abroad during his annual vacation.

Mugabe has declined to name a successor and his ruling ZANU-PF party has been riven by factionalism for years.

Despite Mugabes advanced age, the party last year endorsed him as its candidate for the 2018 general elections.

The leader is not the only African president currently abroad for treatment for an undisclosed condition.

Nigeria's Muhammadu Buhari has been in London since May 7, and his lengthy absence has caused political uncertainty in Africa's most populous nation.

Angola's President Jose Eduardo dos Santos recently spent a month in Spain for medical treatment and on Monday officials announced that he had gone back for what was described as a "private visit".
Opposition fighters drive a tank in Syria's southwestern Quneitra province in June 2017

A ceasefire brokered by the United States, Russia and Jordan brought quiet Sunday to frontlines in southern Syria ahead of fresh UN-sponsored peace talks on the country's six-year conflict.

A monitor said clashes and shelling had halted in the three southern provinces covered by the truce, Daraa, Quneitra, and Sweida, as it went into effect at noon local time.

The ceasefire deal was announced Friday by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and comes as Syrian government and opposition delegations are due to attend a new round of talks in Geneva from Monday.

"The main fronts in the three provinces between regime forces and opposition factions have seen a cessation of hostilities and shelling since this morning, with the exception of a few scattered shells fired on Daraa city before noon," said Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The monitor said the ceasefire was holding by early Sunday evening. In Washington, US President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter Sunday that he was pleased fighting had not resumed.

"Syrian ceasefire seems to be holding. Many lives can be saved. Came out of meeting. Good!" he tweeted.

The Syrian regime had announced its own unilateral ceasefire on Monday but fighting had continued on front lines in the three provinces.

The ceasefire deal comes after regime allies Russia and Iran and rebel backer Turkey agreed during talks in May in the Kazakh capital Astana to set up four "de-escalation" zones in Syria.

Implementation of that deal has been delayed as the three sides try to agree who will monitor the zones, one of which is located in southern Syria.

- Rebels concerned -

There has been no official comment from Syria's government on the announcement, and there was no mention of the ceasefire on state television's noon news bulletin.

The Al-Watan newspaper, which is close to the regime, quoted the head of Syria's parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee suggesting the agreement was negotiated in consultation with Damascus.

"No details on the agreement were presented, but the Syrian state has background on it," Boutros Marjana told the newspaper.

"The final word on adding southern Syria to the 'de-escalation' zones belongs to the Syrian state, and there is coordination with Russia on that," he added.

On Friday, before the ceasefire deal was announced, a delegation of rebel factions that attended talks in Astana expressed opposition to any ceasefire for just one part of the country.

In a statement, the factions said they were concerned about "secret meetings and understandings between Russia, Jordan and America on a deal for the south of Syria, separate from the north."

Such an agreement "would divide Syria, as well as the delegation and the opposition, in two."

- 'Suitable atmosphere for talks' -

The United States has largely stepped back from involvement in the diplomatic process to resolve the Syrian conflict since President Donald Trump took office in January.

A car loaded with belongings of a displaced Syrian family drives past destroyed buildings in a rebel-held area of the southern city of Daraa in May 2017

Trump said he had discussed the conflict with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in a series of tweets on Sunday, two days after they met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

"We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives," he wrote on Twitter.

"Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!"

Earlier on Saturday, Trump's national security adviser HR McMaster had described ceasefire zones as "a priority for the United States".

Washington's involvement in the agreement has been interpreted as a sign it may be cautiously re-engaging with efforts to end the war, which has killed more than 320,000 people since it began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.

Jordan borders the southern area covered by the truce and is a key supporter of the main moderate rebel faction there.

Israel, which has occasionally launched what it describes as retaliatory fire against government positions in Quneitra province, said it would "welcome a genuine ceasefire in Syria".

"But this ceasefire must not enable the establishment of a military presence by Iran and its proxies in Syria in general and in southern Syria in particular," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

A UN official on Saturday said the deal created positive momentum ahead of the Geneva talks resuming.

"It helps create a suitable atmosphere for the talks, and we will see that on Monday," said Ramzi Ezzedine Ramzi, deputy to UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura.

Expectations for the seventh round of UN-sponsored talks remain low however, with little prospect of a major breakthrough.
Senegal's President Macky Sall is hoping to fend off a record number of opposition lists in parliamentary elections on July 30, including one led by his predecessor, 91-year-old Abdoulaye Wade

Senegal kicked off campaigning Sunday for parliamentary elections later this month, with a record number of candidates vying to weaken President Macky Sall -- including 91-year-old ex-leader Abdoulaye Wade.

Wade, president from 2000 to 2012, has been living in France for the past several months, but was expected to return to Dakar on Monday to lead the campaign for his Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS).

"I will campaign, but not the same way as when I was young," he told a local television station Friday.

A parliamentary victory for the opposition would give Wade the means to obtain an amnesty for his son, Karim, who enjoyed considerable ministerial powers under his father, but was sentenced to six years in prison in 2015.

Karim Wade was also ordered to pay a fine of more than 210 million euros for "illicit enrichment".

He received a presidential pardon in June 2016 and now lives abroad, and an amnesty would lift any doubts over his eligibility in politics, observers said.

Another list of candidates will be fielded by the mayor of Dakar, Khalifa Sall, who has been jailed since March on suspicion of embezzling about $2.9 million in city funds, charges which he has denied.

Sall's lawyers have asked a court to grant him conditional release in order to lead the campaign, ahead of his expected run against the president -- with whom he is not related -- in 2019.

An effort to present a united opposition front fell apart in May over differences between supporters of Wade and those of Sall on who should head the shared list of candidates.

That led to a record 47 lists being presented to voters, up from 24 in the 2012 vote, with 165 seats up for grabs on the July 30 election.

The opposition parties hope to secure a majority that would force President Sall into a "cohabitation" government, which would hamstring his ability to push his agenda through parliament.
The United States says it is disappointed by the lack of progress in peace talks on Donbas, eastern Ukraine, therefore a U.S. special envoy has been appointed for Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has announced.

"We are disappointed by the lack of progress under the Minsk agreement, that is why we are appointing a special representative to put additional impulses. We will be coordinating carefully with the Normandy members as well, along with yourself and the Russian Federation's government to see if we can now may progress and make progress in a more prompt fashion as well," Tillerson said at a joint briefing with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kyiv on Sunday.

Tillerson says that the U.S. goal in Ukraine is to restore the country's territorial sovereignty and integrity.

"The United States has already contributed more than $600 million since the beginning of this crisis. We also think it's very important that we seek the safety and the security of all Ukrainian citizens regardless of their ethnicity and nationality, or their religion," he said.

He added he had reiterated in talks with the Russian leaders that Moscow should take the first step to de-escalate the situation in the east part of Ukraine, namely tp cease fire and withdraw heavy weapons, allowing OSCE monitors to carry out their responsibilities.
A picture taken on July 9, 2017, shows a general view of the destruction in Mosul's Old City

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory in the "liberated" city of Mosul on Sunday, his office said, after a gruelling nearly nine-month battle against the Islamic state group.

Abadi "arrives in the liberated city of Mosul and congratulates the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people on the achievement of the major victory," his office said in a statement.

A photo on Abadi's official Twitter account showed him dressed in a black military uniform and cap as he arrived in Mosul to announce the recapture of the city.

The fighting did not seem to be completely over yet, with gunfire still audible in Mosul and air strikes hitting the city around the time the premier's office released the statement.

Iraqi forces launched the Mosul operation in October, first fighting their way to the city, retaking its east and then assaulting its western side, where some of the heaviest fighting occurred.

The battle has taken a heavy toll on civilians, pushing more than 900,000 people to flee their homes, only a fraction of home have returned, according to the United Nations.

And security forces have also suffered heavy losses, with thousands killed and wounded, though official casualty figures have not been released by Iraqi authorities.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have since regained much of the territory they lost.

The recapture of Mosul does not however mark the end of the threat posed by IS, which holds territory elsewhere in Iraq and is able to carry out frequent bombings in government-held areas.
Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman

Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Sunday denied reports of a "breakthrough" in talks with Hamas over returning Israeli citizens and bodies of soldiers held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

According to Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, Israel and Hamas were on the brink of an initial deal in which the Islamist Gaza rulers would provide information over the missing Israelis in return for the release of groups of prisoners.

Two Israeli soldiers, Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, are believed to have been killed in the 2014 war in Gaza and their remains held by Hamas.

Three Israeli civilians, all said to be mentally unstable, are also believed to have entered Gaza and to be held by Hamas.

They include Avera Mengistu, an Israeli Jew of Ethiopian descent, and two Muslim Bedouins, Hisham Al-Sayed and Juma Abu Ghanima.

"We have no contact with Hamas. There's an ongoing effort to release our soldiers and civilians held in Hamas captivity," Lieberman said in an interview with Galey Israel radio.

"And there's no breakthrough."

While Israel says it does not speak directly with Hamas, indirect negotiations with the Islamist movement lead to the 2011 deal which saw it release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held for five years.

"We don't negotiate with terror organisations," Lieberman said, calling the Saturday report "psychological warfare" by Hamas.

A source close to Hamas told AFP that "negotiations are underway with Western parties to reach a partial deal involving a swap of information about the fate of prisoners of (Hamas armed wing) Al Qassam Brigades for the release of prisoners from occupation prisons," or Israel.

"The deal would be for prisoners released in the Shalit deal who were rearrested since," the source said, noting that "the final points have not yet been crystallised."

Following the Shalit deal, Israel commissioned a number of experts to set forth binding principles in negotiations on abducted soldiers which stipulated that lower numbers of prisoners could be released, and there should be no negotiations over remains.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett meanwhile spoke out against releasing "live terrorists for the bodies of our soldiers," calling instead to "increase the pressure and hurt Hamas so holding the bodies is no longer worth it."
Mosul's iconic leaning Al-Hadba minaret before and after Islamic State group jihadists blew it up on June 21, 2017 along with the adjacent Great Mosque of al-Nuri

Mosul, wrested from the Islamic State jihadist group on Sunday, is Iraq's second city and one of its cultural jewels.

The jihadists seized it in a lightning offensive in June 2014 that humiliated Iraq's security forces, who launched their massive operation to retake it in October last year.

Here are some facts about Mosul:

- Trading hub -

The Mosul area is rich in oil and the city straddles the Tigris River about 350 kilometres (220 miles) north of Baghdad, and 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Iraq's biggest dam.

It has long been a trading hub between Iraq, Syria and Turkey, and its population was once a mosaic of Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, Christians and other minorities.

Muslin, the fine cotton fabric that is one of the city's best-known products, derives its name from "Mosul".

The city controls key supply routes in northern Iraq, notably a highway to the border with Syria and its second city of Aleppo.

- IS lab -

Mosul's population, which has fallen from a peak of around two million, now comprises mostly Sunni Arabs, and after Saddam Hussein was defeated the jihadist group Al-Qaeda took root there.

On June 10, 2014, fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seized the city, and on June 29, ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed an Islamic "caliphate" that included Mosul, the Syrian city of Raqa and large patches of territory in Iraq and Syria.

He named it the Islamic State, and made his first public appearance on July 5 at Mosul's famed Great Mosque of al-Nuri.

IS militants turned the city into an urban model for their state, setting school programmes, operating hours for shops and dress codes. The sale of alcohol and cigarettes was forbidden.

The city's historic centre was dotted with church spires, and it was home to an estimated 35,000 Christians when IS arrived. Christians were ordered to convert, pay a special tax, or leave, and almost all fled.

- Cultural demolition -

Starting in July 2014, IS began to destroy Shiite Muslim mosques and sanctuaries, some of which had been richly adorned and stood for centuries.

Militants burned thousands of rare books and manuscripts in the city's vast museum and smashed priceless statues.

IS rigged the Nabi Yunus shrine -- revered by both Muslims and Christians as the tomb of Prophet Jonah -- with explosives and blew it up. It also destroyed the Prophet Seth shrine.

The extent of the damage to the archaeological site where the Nineveh ruins lie in east Mosul is not yet clear.

The Old City of Mosul, on the western side of the river, is also considered of major cultural value. On June 21, as Iraqi forces advanced in the Old City, the jihadists blew up the Nuri mosque and Mosul's iconic leaning minaret, known as the "Hadba" (Hunchback), which had been a symbol of the city for centuries.

- Troubled history -

Mosul was conquered by Arabs in 641 and reached its cultural peak in the 12th century before falling to Mongols in 1262, and then to Persians and Ottomans.

The city became part of Iraq when the country was created out of the ashes of the Ottoman Empire in the 1920s.

Britain annexed the oil-rich region in 1918, to the dismay of France which sought to attach it to Syria, under a French mandate.

Nineveh has always been a border region, keenly contested by its rival communities and their powerful supporters in neighbouring states.

In the early years of this century, Mosul proved a bastion of Saddam's most dedicated supporters who became a foundation of IS, and extortion and protection rackets in the city were a major source of jihadist funding before it was overrun.
A member of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces removes an Islamic State group flag in the town of Tabqa, near Syria's Raqa, on April 30, 2017

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory Sunday in the "liberated" city of Mosul, the Islamic State group's last urban stronghold in Iraq, as the IS Syria bastion Raqa is surrounded.

- ISIL created -

- April 9, 2013: Al-Qaeda in Iraq chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi says Al-Nusra Front, a jihadist group battling the Syrian regime, belongs to his Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and is fighting for an Islamic state in Syria.

A day later, Al-Nusra pledges allegiance to Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, distancing itself from Baghdadi. In early 2014 Al-Qaeda disavows ISIL completely.

- Syria's Raqa falls -

- January 14, 2014: ISIL conquers Raqa city in northern Syria after fierce fighting with rival rebels. Raqa, the first provincial capital to fall entirely from regime hands, becomes the jihadists' Syrian stronghold.

- Iraq's Mosul captured -

- June 10, 2014: ISIL launches a lightning offensive in northwestern Iraq, seizing second city Mosul and sweeping across Sunni Arab areas bordering the autonomous Kurdistan region. Tens of thousands of Christians and Yazidis flee.

- 'Caliphate' proclaimed -

- June 29, 2014: ISIL declares a "caliphate" in territories it has seized in Iraq and Syria.

It rebrands itself the Islamic State (IS) and declares its chief Baghdadi "caliph" and "leader for Muslims everywhere".

- US-led coalition -

- August 8, 2014: US warplanes strike IS positions in northern Iraq in response to an appeal from the Iraqi government. In September an international coalition is formed to defeat the group.

- September 23: The US and Arab allies launch air strikes on IS in Syria.

- IS losses in Iraq -

- March 31, 2015: Iraq announces the "liberation" of Tikrit, 160 kilometres (100 miles) north of Baghdad. IS had controlled Tikrit for nearly 10 months.

- February 9, 2016: Sunni-majority Ramadi, capital of Anbar province, is recaptured from the jihadists, who had overrun it the previous May.

- June 26: Iraqi forces recapture Fallujah after two and a half years beyond government control.

- IS defeats in Syria -

- January 26, 2015: IS is driven out of the Syrian border town of Kobane after more than four months of fighting led by Kurdish forces backed by coalition air strikes.

- August 6, 2016: The Syrian Democratic Forces coalition of Arab and Kurdish fighters backed by US air strikes recaptures the northern Syrian town of Manbij.

- August 24: Turkish troops and Syrian rebels retake the border town of Jarabulus, during Operation Euphrates Shield, which also targets Kurdish militia.

- February 24, 2017: The Turkish army announces that it has taken full control of the northern town of Al-Bab, the IS last bastion in Aleppo province.

- March 2: Syrian troops backed by Russian jets complete the recapture of the historic city of Palmyra from the IS. The city had previously changed hands several times.

- The battle for Mosul -

- October 17, 2016: Some 30,000 Iraqi forces backed by US-led air support launch a vast operation to retake Mosul.

Three months later they retake the east side of the city and turn their attention to the west.

June 29:, 2017 Iraq announces it has recaptured the iconic Nuri mosque in Mosul's Old City. The Iraqi premier calls it a sign of IS's impending defeat.

June 30: A senior Iraqi commander says Iraq will declare the liberation of Mosul in the "next few days."

July 9: Abadi declares victory in the "liberated" city of Mosul after days of fierce fighting during which Iraqi forces battled to retake the last two IS-held areas near the Tigris River.

- The battle for Raqa -

- November 5, 2016: The SDF launches an operation to capture Raqa.

- June 6, 2017: The SDF enters Raqa, seizing a quarter of the city and cutting off the last IS escape route by the end of the month.

- July 2: SDF fighters pierce Raqa from the south for the first time.

- July 4: US Central Command says SDF forces have penetrated the wall surrounding Raqa's Old City where a few hundred diehard jihadists are making a last stand.
US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, testifying last month before Congress

The United States will crank up pressure on China to ensure that it implements sanctions against North Korea over its missile tests, Washington's ambassador to the United Nations pledged Sunday.

After North Korea conducted its intercontinental ballistic missile test last week, Nikki Haley said that while the US wanted to avoid conflict, it was determined to halt North Korea's nuclear drive.

"The fact that they launched an ICBM test is hugely dangerous not just for us, but for so many of our friends in the world, and we've got to put a stop to it," Haley told CBS television.

Haley told the UN Security Council last week that the US planned a new resolution which would ramp up sanctions on North Korea but also ensure that existing measures are enforced.

China is North Korea's main ally and the US has become increasingly frustrated at what it sees as Beijing's failure to ensure the existing sanctions against the regime of Kim Jong-Un are fully implemented.

"It will be very telling based on how other countries respond -- whether they want to hold Kim Jong-Un's hand through this process or whether they want to be on the side of so many countries who know that this is a dangerous person with the access to an ICBM," said Haley.

- 'We're going to fight hard' -

"So we're going to fight hard on this. We're going to push hard not just on North Korea, we're going to push hard on other countries who are not abiding by the resolutions and not abiding by the sanctions against North Korea.

"And we're going to push hard against China because 90 percent of the trade that happens with North Korea is from China, and so while they have been helpful, they need to do more."

While the Trump administration has tried to enlist China's help in persuading North Korea to put the brakes on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, it has shown signs of giving up on Beijing.

Trump raised eyebrows last month with a tweet concluding that China's efforts had "not worked out," and Washington recently slapped sanctions on a Chinese bank linked to North Korea and infuriated Beijing with announcement of a new arms sale to Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province.

Asked if China had let the US down, Haley said that "they actually followed through on the things that we asked them to," including by suspending coal imports, choking off a key source of hard currency for Pyongyang.

"Now we have to say, okay, clearly that's not enough," she said.

"With the Security Council resolution that we're negotiating now, we don't expect a watered down resolution, it will be very telling as to whether China works with us, which we are hoping that they will."
French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire (L) said after the G20 meeting that "it is time Europe got a grip and defended its interests, making Google, Amazon and Facebook pay the taxes they owe European taxpayers"

France's finance minister urged his European counterparts Sunday to do more to chase down tax due from the European operations of US tech giants such as Google, Amazon and Facebook.

Bruno Le Maire's comments addressed an issue which has aroused fierce controversy: the complex tax arrangements of multinational corporations under fire for slashing European tax bills by shifting revenue across borders.

"I have just come back from the G20 meeting in Hamburg and I can tell you that the present age is not one for the weak," Le Maire told an economic symposium in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence.

"When you are opposite (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, opposite (US President Donald) Trump or next to (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan, then it is time Europe got a grip and defended its interests, making Google, Amazon and Facebook pay the taxes they owe European taxpayers," said Le Maire to loud applause.

France had web search behemoth Google in its sights for years and fiscal authorities last month issued a consultative judgment pending a final ruling later this month that Google should not be let off the hook for a 1.115 billion euro ($1.3 billion) claim.

In May, Google agreed to pay 306 million euros to settle a tax dispute in Italy, where it was under criminal investigation for booking 2009-2013 profits generated in the country in Ireland.

That move echoed a similar settlement with Apple two years ago.

Apart from the tax focus, Brussels last month hit Google with a record 2.4-billion-euro fine for illegally favouring its shopping service in search results, in a fresh assault on US firms that risks the wrath of President Trump.
A picture taken on July 9, 2017, shows smoke billowing following an airstrike by US-led international coalition forces targeting Islamic State group in Mosul

Britain's Defence Minister Michael Fallon praised Iraq on Sunday for defeating the Islamic State group in Mosul but warned that more has to be done to combat the jihadists.

Earlier on Sunday Iraq announced victory against IS in the northern city, the country's second largest, from where the group declared a self-styled caliphate three years ago.

Battles have raged for months, leaving thousands dead and wounded, while nearly a million people have fled.

"I congratulate Prime Minister (Haider) Abadi, and the Iraqi forces who have been fighting on the ground with great bravery and care against a brutal opponent," Fallon said in a statement.

"Daesh has total disregard for innocent civilian life and we should welcome their defeat in a city that was ground zero for their so-called caliphate," he added, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

As part of Britain's involvement in the US-led coalition against the jihadist group, Fallon said British forces had struck 750 targets in the battle for Mosul.

But "there is still more to do" around the city and in the broader region, Fallon said.

"This barbaric group remains dug in west of the Euphrates and clearing operations in and around Mosul will be needed because of the threat from improvised explosive devices," he added.

As the Iraqi prime minister visited troops in Mosul on Sunday, gunfire and explosions were still audible.

IS holds territory elsewhere in Iraq and in Syria, where the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are battling to oust the jihadist group from its stronghold Raqa.

The coalition against IS launched military operations in the two countries in mid-2014, while Iraqi forces launched their campaign to recapture Mosul in October.
Forces loyal to Libya's Government of National Accord man a checkpoint in the Hay al-Andalus neighbourhood of Tripoli in March 2017

Forces loyal to Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord on Sunday battled rival forces in the Garabulli region east of the capital, witnesses said, drawing condemnation from the UN.

Witnesses said the fighting pitted pro-GNA forces against fighters loyal to former prime minister Khalifa Ghweil who refuses to recognise the UN-backed government.

It broke out when Ghweil's forces, ousted from Tripoli in recent weeks, regrouped around Garabulli preparing to attack the capital, the witnesses said.

Pro-GNA forces backed by dozens of tanks and pick-up trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns deployed east of the capital heading for Garabulli on the weekend, the witnesses said.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) denounced on Twitter what it called the "attack on Tripoli".

It said attacks "meant to threaten the capital's security are deplorable" and "must end".

"Political grievances must be resolved through dialogue, not military force," it added.

Ghweil was ousted from power when the GNA took office in March 2016.

On Friday the GNA warned in a statement groups it described as "outlaws" against attempting to advance on Tripoli, adding that it had instructed security forces to prevent an assault on the capital.

Libya has been wracked by chaos since the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with rival authorities and militias battling for control of the oil-rich country.

The North African country has rival administrations, with the authorities in the east not recognising the Tripoli-based GNA.
This file photo taken on March 23, 2017 shows Kuwaiti social media activist Thamer al-Dakheel Bourashed putting his laptop inside his suitcase at Kuwait International Airport in Kuwait City before boarding a flight to the United States

Kuwait Airways said Sunday that a ban on laptops and tablets in the cabins of its US-bound flights had been lifted by Washington.

"Now our passengers flying from Kuwait International Airport to #JFK in #NY will be able to use all of their personal electronic devices," the emirate's flag carrier said on Twitter.

The United States in March barred all electronic devices larger than a mobile phone in the cabins of direct flights to the US from 10 airports in Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa, only allowing them in hold luggage.

The ban was brought in after intelligence officials learned of efforts by jihadists from the Islamic State group to produce a bomb that could be hidden inside such devices.

For the same reason, Britain also banned similar-sized electronics from the cabins of direct flights from six countries.

Etihad Airways on Sunday became the first airline to benefit from the lifting of the ban, with flights from the airline's base in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi no longer affected.

Dubai-based Emirates, Turkish Airways, Qatar Airways and Saudi Arabia's national airline have all said their passengers are now allowed to bring personal electronics on board direct flights to the US.
A 4-1 home victory over CAPS United of Zimbabwe in Algiers ensured USM of top place in Group B with 11 points from six matches

USM Alger of Algeria and Al Ahly Tripoli of Libya reached the CAF Champions League quarter-finals Sunday as 2016 runners-up Zamalek of Egypt bowed out with 10 men.

A 4-1 home victory over CAPS United of Zimbabwe in Algiers ensured USM of top place in Group B with 11 points from six matches.

Ahly Tripoli caused an upset by holding five-time African champions Zamalek 2-2 in Cairo and finishing runners-up with nine points.

Zamalek, whose only win came in the opening series of matches at home to CAPS, finished third on six points, ahead of the Harare club on head-to-head records.

Already-qualified Esperance of Tunisia sealed first place in Group C by trouncing Saint George of Ethiopia 4-0 in the Tunis suburb of Rades.

Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, who had also secured a last-eight place with a game to spare, drew 1-1 with V Club of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Pretoria.

Unbeaten Esperance accumulated 12 points, defending champions Sundowns nine and Saint George and V Club five.

Etoile Sahel of Tunisia, Ferroviario Beira of Mozambique, Wydad Casablanca of Morocco and record eight-time champions Al Ahly of Egypt are the other quarter-finalists.

USM had CAPS under the cosh from the kick-off and it was only a matter of time before they breached a brittle defence.

Ziri Hammar, with a sizzling shot, and Okacha Hamzaoui gave the Algerians a 2-0 half-time advantage that was extended when Oussama Darfalou scored 12 minutes from time.

Abbas Aminu pulled one goal back for outclassed CAPS only for Darfalou to strike again with a tap-in two minutes from time.

Zamalek kicked off knowing a win would take them into the knockout phase of the elite African club competition unless CAPS triumphed in Algeria.

Basem Morsy gave the Egyptians an early lead, but the match turned pear-shaped for the Cairo "White Knights" in first half stoppage-time.

Mahmoud Hamdy was sent off for a penalty area foul and Anis Saltou converted the spot-kick to draw Ahly Tripoli level.

The Libyan outfit took the lead midway through the second half when Vianney Mabide from the Central African Republic scored.

Nigerian Marouf Yousef equalised for Zamalek with 15 minutes remaining, but a third goal that would have earned a quarter-finals place eluded them.

Goals from Khalil Chemmam and Bilel Mejri gave Esperance a two-goal half-time lead and Haythem Jouini and Ali Machani completed the rout.

A 35th-minute goal from captain Thabo Nthethe for Sundowns was cancelled by Cameroonian Yazid Atouba 17 minutes before time.

The quarter-finals will be played in September.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says there is no change for the better in the policy of the Russian Federation regarding Donbas.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Secretary of State, I have to mention that we do not see any change in Russia's behavior yet," Poroshenko said at a joint briefing with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Kyiv on Sunday.

Poroshenko added he had briefed Tillerson on the situation in Donbas, the violation of the peace agreements by the Russian side, as well as on the restriction of the movement of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.
PARAMARIBO, Suriname (AP) - A prosecutor on Wednesday recommended a 20-year prison sentence for President Desi Bouterse for his role in the December 1982 killing of 15 prominent political opponents in this South American country.

Prosecutor Roy Elgin told a court in a summation of evidence from a trial that has dragged on for years that there is sufficient proof that Bouterse was present when troops under his command summarily executed opponents of his then-military dictatorship.

The executions of union leaders, activists and journalists inside a colonial fort in the capital city of Paramaribo are referred to in Suriname as the "December killings," and are considered one of the most significant political events in the country's modern history.

Prosecutor Roy Elgin, center, and judges Cynthia Valstein-Montnor, left, and Rewita Chatterpal, take their seats at a court in Paramaribo, Suriname, Wednesday, June 28, 2017. Elgin is calling for a 20-year prison sentence for Suriname President Desi Bouterse for his role in the December 1982 killing of 15 prominent political opponents in the South American country. (AP Photo/Pieter Van Maele)

Bouterse has previously accepted "political responsibility" for the killings but insists he was not present.

Elgin said testimony from a union leader who was spared execution and other evidence proves Bouterse was there.

"As military leader, he was not only present during the summary executions, he also decided the fate of the victims," Elgin told the three-judge panel. "He behaved like a judge, and robbed his victims of their most valuable possession, their life."

The court has not yet set a date for when it will rule on whether to accept the prosecutor's findings but it is not likely for several months at least. The prosecutor's summation must still be read for each of more than 20 other defendants also charged in the case.

Bouterse, who was not in the courtroom, was the military leader of Suriname from 1980 to 1987. He was elected president in a parliamentary vote in 2010 and re-elected in 2015. He has not yet commented on the recommended sentence but is scheduled to speak Thursday at a ceremony to commemorate victims of political violence in Suriname.

A spokesman for the president, Clif Limburg, dismissed the case as "nothing but a political trial" on his daily talk radio show. Bouterse lawyer Irvin Kanhai criticized it to reporters outside the court.

"I am not impressed by the so-called evidence presented by the prosecutor, not impressed at all," Kanhai said. "You will eventually see how we will deal with this," he added.

Hugo Essed, a lawyer for relatives of the victims, said the families were hopeful after so many years of delay.

"We are, of course, very happy the prosecutor has debunked all the stories of Bouterse, who has always persisted he is innocent," Essed said. "We expect nothing but Bouterse actually getting convicted for a 20-year prison sentence, in a few months from now."

The trial has been under way since November 2007. Bouterse pushed through an amnesty law shortly after he was elected but it was ruled unconstitutional. Last year, he directed the country's attorney general to immediately halt the legal proceedings against him in the interests of national security but the court ruled he could not do so since proceedings had already started.

Bouterse was convicted by a court in the Netherlands in absentia of drug trafficking in 1999 but cannot be extradited under Surinamese law.

Prosecutor Roy Elgin arrives in court in Paramaribo, Suriname, Wednesday, June 28, 2017. Elgin is calling for a 20-year prison sentence for Suriname President Desi Bouterse for his role in the December 1982 killing of 15 prominent political opponents in the South American country. (AP Photo/Pieter Van Maele)

Irvin Kanhai, the attorney representing Suriname's President Desi Bouterse, talks to the press in Paramaribo, Suriname, Wednesday, June 28, 2017. Prosecutor Roy Elgin is calling for a 20-year prison sentence for the Suriname leader for his role in the December 1982 killing of 15 prominent political opponents in the South American country. (AP Photo/Pieter Van Maele)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Everybody needs a shoulder to lean on now and then. A walrus calf at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska, is getting one 24 hours a day.

Trained staff members, working in pairs, are touching, massaging and cuddling a calf all day and all night as part of its recuperation. The calf, estimated to be about 6 weeks old, was found last month without its mother several miles outside Nome.

Walrus are highly social and spend two years with their mothers, said Jennifer Gibbins, marketing and communications director for the center.

CORRECTS DATE - In this Friday July 7, 2017, photo provided by Alaska SeaLife Center, Dr. Kathy Woody, veterinarian at the Alaska SeaLife Center, left, and Brett Long, husbandry director, examine a walrus calf currently in the Center's I.Sea.U critical care unit in Seward, Alaska. The calf was found on a mining barge in Nome, Alaska, and transported to the SeaLife Center, which is the only facility in Alaska that holds permits to care for stranded marine mammals. Center officials estimate the calf was two weeks old when it was found. (Jennifer Gibbins/Alaska SeaLife Center via AP)

"They need constant contact," Gibbins said. "Part of the caregiving is providing that constant contact and tactile interaction.

The calf was spotted in mid-June on the deck of a mining barge. The walrus was still on the barge the next morning and the barge crew summoned wildlife experts.

The SeaLife Center is dedicated to marine research and education and features a public aquarium. It's the only facility in Alaska that holds a permit for marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation.

When the calf reached Seward on June 17, it weighed 120 pounds (54 kilograms) and was extremely lethargic.

"He was severely dehydrated," Gibbins said. "That was really the first concern."

The calf initially was fed with a tube down its throat that sent food directly to the stomach. It was considered a hopeful sign when the animal began bottle feeding about a week later.

The calf now sucks down up to a liter of formula seven times a day. As the calf rehydrated and recuperated, he became more active, curious and plump. He now weighs 143 pounds (65 kilograms).

"That's a pretty dramatic change in a short time," Gibbins said.

The cuddling is critical, Gibbins said.

"One of the unique things about walrus is that there is a very high level of maternal investment with a calf," she said. "They are with their moms for two years in the wild."

Twenty staff members have been trained to be with the little guy. He leans on them and sometimes lies on them. Sometimes he sucks their arms. Gibbins calls it nursing behavior.

"An infant human might be sucking on your fingers. That's what they're doing," she said.

Walrus have practical reasons for refined touching. They use their hundreds of short, highly sensitive whiskers to search for clams and other seafood on the ocean floor, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

A sea otter, ringed seal and two harbor seals also are receiving care. Most of the center's rehabbed animals return to the wild but the young walrus won't be.

"We can care for this calf. We can take care of its health. We can give it some good social interaction. But we cannot teach that animal how to be an animal in the wild," Gibbins said. "That's why they're non-releasable."

No decision has been made on placement. The SeaLife Center will determine what facility can give it the best veterinary and social care.

"This walrus needs to be with other walrus," she said. The center expects to house the animal through summer and into the fall.
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) - A fire in the office tower that houses El Salvador's Treasury Department has killed at least one person, while air force helicopters swooped in to rescue two people from the roof.

About 22 people were injured by Friday's fire, which burned about four floors of the 10-story office building in the country's capital of San Salvador. Most suffered burns, contusions or respiratory problems.

About 50 people were trapped at one point on upper floors of the building, and one person was injured when he jumped from the building. All the others were eventually evacuated, including the two plucked from the roof.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) - President Donald Trump did what he had to do: He confronted Vladimir Putin about the issue of Russian interference in last year's U.S. elections during his much-anticipated first meeting with the Russian president.

Under intense pressure to do so from his Democratic opponents and even some fellow Republicans, Trump would have been pilloried even before he got home from his European trip had he not broached the subject.

The president can now point to the Putin meeting when challenged on whether he's been tough enough on the Russians.

President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit, Friday, July 7, 2017, in Hamburg. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

But it's still to be seen how forcefully Trump will deal with the issue going forward to prevent future meddling and to ensure consequences for what's already occurred. On Saturday, he didn't address specific questions about the meeting with Putin, describing it as "tremendous."

"If anything, we've seen Russia continue to pursue similar tactics in the French election. If anything, it feels to be intensifying, and if we now say we're done with this, we are not adequately protecting our country," said Heather Conley, a Europe expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.

Putin said Saturday in a news conference that Trump asked many questions about Russian meddling in the U.S. election and they had a long discussion on the topic. He said he thinks Trump believes his denial that Russia played no role in the 2016 election, but added, it's best to ask Trump himself.

That appeared at odds with that of U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who said Friday that Trump was "rightly focused on how do we move forward from what may be simply an intractable disagreement at this point."

Without knowing exactly what Trump said to Putin on the issue during in their two-hours-plus meeting, it's hard to know whether Trump's approach toward to the matter has shifted significantly.

Tillerson, who sat in on the meeting and briefed journalists afterward, said Trump opened the session by "raising the concerns of the American people regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election."

Trump pressed Putin on the matter more than once, Tillerson said. Putin, in turn, denied involvement and asked for proof.

"The fact that the issue came up should not be a surprise," said Derek Chollet, a former Obama administration official and senior adviser for security and defense policy at the German Marshall Fund in Washington, adding that it "would have been a shock had the issue not come up."

What matters, Chollet said, are the specifics of what the two presidents discussed about election meddling, the points Trump agreed or disagreed with, and how much Putin dominated the conversation.

Tillerson said the leaders agreed to work together on staying out of each other's elections processes.

But Trump has sent mixed signals about how seriously he regards the matter.

Deeply frustrated by the suggestion that his 2016 victory may have been tainted, Trump has held back from fully endorsed the findings of multiple U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia meddled in last year's presidential election to help him win.

Just Thursday, the day before he and Putin met, Trump leveled his latest critique of America's intelligence apparatus while standing on Polish soil, waffling on whether Russia was involved and saying that Moscow was probably behind the meddling but that other countries may be guilty, too.

"Nobody really knows," he said.

Trump has tried to shift the focus away from what steps he will take to safeguard U.S. elections to what then-President Barack Obama did after he was briefed before the election about what Russia was up to. Trump has alleged that Obama didn't do anything to stop Russia because he expected Democrat Hillary Clinton to win anyway. Obama, for his part, has said that he confronted Putin about the issue when they were at an international conference last year and told the Russian to knock it off.

Tillerson said Trump and Putin are "rightly" focused on moving relations between their countries forward from what he called an "intractable disagreement."

But U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat and vice chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, said that whatever Trump told Putin would have carried more weight if the president hadn't "equivocated" about who was behind the election interference.

"It would also have had more force if he had not again criticized the integrity of our intelligence agencies, among whom there is unwavering agreement about Russia's active interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election," Warner said.

Thomas Wright, a senior fellow and director of the U.S.-Europe center at the Brookings Institution, said the Trump administration hasn't shown itself to be sincere about wanting to prevent future attacks and has shown a determination to build a partnership with Russia, despite the worries of some European allies who fear Moscow's aggressive tactics.

"They're basically checking the box on certain things they feel like they'll get in trouble if they don't do," Wright said.

Trump will get some credit for raising the elections issue with Putin. But he still has plenty of convincing to do regarding his resolve in standing up to the Russians.

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EDITOR'S NOTE - Darlene Superville has covered the White House for The Associated Press since 2009.

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Associated Press writers Josh Lederman and Vivian Salama in Washington contributed to this report.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks on a press conference after the second day of the G-20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany, Saturday, July 8, 2017, where the leaders of the group of 20 met for two days. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, pool)

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit, Friday, July 7, 2017, in Hamburg. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U.S. President Donald Trump, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during the G20 summit in Hamburg Germany, Friday July 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcellus Stein)
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) - The United States and Russia struck an agreement Friday on a cease-fire in southwest Syria, crowning President Donald Trump's first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It is the first U.S.-Russian effort under Trump's presidency to stem Syria's six-year civil war.

The cease-fire goes into effect Sunday at noon Damascus time, according to U.S. officials and the Jordanian government, which is also involved in the deal.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who accompanied Trump in his meeting with Putin, said the understanding is designed to reduce violence in an area of Syria near Jordan's border that is critical to the U.S. ally's security.

U.S. President Donald Trump, right, greets Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, prior his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, during the G20 summit in Hamburg Germany, Friday July 7, 2017. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

It's a "very complicated part of the Syrian battlefield," Tillerson told reporters after the U.S. and Russian leaders met for more than two hours on the sidelines of a global summit in Hamburg, Germany.

Of the agreement, he said, "I think this is our first indication of the U.S. and Russia being able to work together in Syria."

For years, the former Cold War foes have been backing opposing sides in Syria's war. Moscow has staunchly backed Syrian President Bashar Assad, supporting Syrian forces militarily since 2015. Washington has backed rebels fighting Assad. Both the U.S. and Russia oppose Islamic State militants and say they're focused on rooting out the extremist group.

The potential pitfalls for the cease-fire are clear - not least the challenge of enforcing it.

Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russian military police would monitor the new truce. But Tillerson said that was still being worked out. A senior U.S. State Department official said the two countries were close to a deal on that issue and hoped to finalize it in the coming days, raising the prospect it could take effect Sunday with no clear sense of who is policing it.

That the deal was announced before all the details were ironed out was a clear indication of how eager the U.S. and Russia were to cast their leaders' first meeting as a success. Officials said the deal had been in the works for weeks or months, but came together in time for the meeting.

The deal marks a new level of involvement for the Trump administration in trying to resolve Syria's civil war.

Trump ordered some 60 cruise missiles to be fired at a Syrian air base in April after accusing Assad's forces of a deadly chemical weapons attack. But his top military and national security advisers pointedly said they had no intentions of intervening to oust Assad. And they stopped short of endorsing Russian-led or U.N. peace mediation efforts between Assad's government and rebel groups.

Israel also is part of the agreement, one U.S. official said, who like others wasn't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity. Like Jordan, Israel shares a border with the southern part of Syria and has been concerned about a spillover of violence as well as an amassing of Iranian-aligned forces in the south of the country.

Jordanian government spokesman Mohammed Momani confirmed the accord in a statement that made no reference to Israel's participation. Syrian government forces and its allies will stay on one side of an agreed demarcation line, and rebel fighters will stick to the other side. The goal is also to enable aid to reach this area of Syria, Momani told state media. U.S. officials said the U.S., Russia and Jordan had only agreed on that demarcation line last week, clearing the way for a cease-fire to be worked out.

The deal is separate from an agreement that Russia, Turkey and Iran struck earlier this year to try to establish "de-escalation zones" in Syria with reduced bloodshed. The U.S., wary of Iran's involvement, stayed away from that effort. Follow-up talks this week in Kazakhstan were unable to produce agreement on finalizing a cease-fire in those zones.

Previous cease-fires in Syria have collapsed or failed to reduce violence for long, and it was unclear whether this deal would be any better.

Tillerson said the difference this time is Russia's interest in seeing Syria return to stability. It's an argument top U.S. officials such as former Secretary of State John Kerry cited regularly amid his failed efforts to end a conflict that has killed as many as a half-million people, contributed to Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II and allowed IS to emerge as a global terror threat.

Tillerson also repeated the U.S. position that a "long-term role for the Assad family and the Assad regime" is untenable and voiced his belief that Russia might be willing to address the future leadership of Syria, in tones reminiscent of Kerry. Up to now, Assad has rejected any proposals that would see him leave power, contributing to an impasse that has prolonged Syria's suffering.

Earlier in the week, Syria's military said it was halting combat operations in the south of Syria for four days, in advance of the new round of Russian-sponsored talks in Kazakhstan. That move covered the southern provinces of Daraa, Quneitra and Sweida. Syria's government briefly extended that unilateral cease-fire, which is now set to expire Saturday - a day before the U.S. and Russian deal was to take effect.

The U.S.-Russian cease-fire has no set end date, one U.S. official said, describing it as part of broader discussions with Moscow on lowering violence in Syria.

The agreement may also reflect Iran's increasingly prominent role in Syria.

Washington has been resistant to letting Iranian forces and their proxy militias gain strength in Syria's south, a position shared by Israel and Jordan. Friday's deal could help the Trump administration retain more of a say over who fills the power vacuum left behind as the Islamic State is routed from additional territory in Syria.

In recent weeks, U.S. forces have shot down a Syrian aircraft that got too close to American forces, as well as Iranian-made drones. A renewed government offensive against Western-backed rebels and Islamic militants in the contested province of Daraa also is sparking tensions, and Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters have shifted south to join the fight.

Israel has also struck Syrian military installations on several occasions in the past few weeks after shells landed in the Israeli-controlled side of the Golan Heights. Ahead of the deal, media reports in Israel have suggested unease at any arrangement that relies on Russia policing areas near its frontier.

Implications for Syria aside, the deal marks the biggest diplomatic achievement for the U.S. and Russia since Trump took office. Trump's administration has approached the notoriously strained relationship by trying to identify a few limited issues on which the countries could make progress, thereby building trust for a broader repair of ties.

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Lederman and Salama reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Zeina Karam in Beirut, Lebanon, contributed to this report.

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On Twitter, reach Josh Lederman at https://twitter.com/joshledermanAP , Vivian Salama at https://twitter.com/vmsalama and Ken Thomas at https://twitter.com/KThomasDC

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit at the G20 Summit, Friday, July 7, 2017, in Hamburg. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
State-by-state responses to a request for detailed voter data from President Donald Trump's Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, which is investigating whether there was voter fraud in last year's election.

ALABAMA

Undecided

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said there are questions he wants answered before agreeing to turn over the information, including how secure the information will be. Merrill also noted that while the state makes the file available to political parties, others must buy the information. It would cost around $32,716 to purchase the entire file.

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ALASKA

Partial

Division of Elections Director Josie Bahnke says she will respond as she would to any request for voter information. Some information, she said, can be provided, such as voter names, voting histories and party affiliations. But other information is considered confidential and would not be provided.

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ARKANSAS

Partial

Arkansas says it's received the letter and will only provide publicly available information but not Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers or information about felony convictions or military status. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson says he recommended the secretary of state not release all of the information, calling the panel's request too broad.

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ARIZONA

Deny

Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan has done an about-face and now says the state will not provide extensive voter registration information to the Trump administration. In a statement July 3, the Republican said the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity's request raises privacy concerns. The state had previously said it would provide some records.

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CALIFORNIA

Deny

"California's participation would only serve to legitimize the false and already debunked claims of massive voter fraud," Secretary of State Alex Padilla, a Democrat, said in a statement.

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COLORADO

Partial

Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams, a Republican, said he will provide some of the requested information. State law prohibits releasing Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers or dates of birth.

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CONNECTICUT

Partial

Connecticut's secretary of state says her office plans to comply in part. Denise Merrill says in the spirit of transparency the state will share publicly available information. She says the state will ensure the privacy of voters is honored by withholding protected data.

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DELAWARE

Undecided

Delaware's election commissioner says she is meeting Monday, July 10, with directors of the three county election offices to discuss the issue and will provide an update afterward. Delaware officials have previously said they will not comply with the request for sensitive information, including dates of birth, Social Security numbers and felony history. The elections commissioner has said they are allowed to give out name, address, political party and voting history. But she also has said elections officials have been overwhelmed with calls and emails asking that they not share their information. She is working with her deputy attorney general to see if there is a legal ground not to send anything.

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DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Deny

"The best thing I can do to instill confidence among DC residents in our elections is to protect their personally identifiable information from the Commission on Election Integrity. Its request for voter information, such as Social Security numbers, serves no legitimate purpose and only raises questions on its intent. I will join leaders of states around the country and work with our partners on the Council to protect our residents from this intrusion," Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement.

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FLORIDA

Partial

Secretary of State Ken Detzner said the state will hand over information that is already public record. But Detzner said Florida law prohibits the state from turning over driver's license information or Social Security numbers. He also said the state would not turn over the names of voters whose information is protected, such as judges or police officers.

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GEORGIA

Partial

"The Georgia Secretary of State's office will provide the publicly available voter list. As specified in Georgia law, the public list does not contain a registered voter's driver's license number, Social Security number, month and day of birth, site of voter registration, phone number or email address."

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HAWAII

Undecided

Hawaii hasn't received the request, election officials said.

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IDAHO

Undecided

State Election Director Betsie Kimbrough said the office will fulfill the request if Secretary of State Lawerence Denney, a Republican, determines it complies with state public records law. The state allows handing over voter registration records that include voting history, but not Social Security numbers or dates of birth.

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ILLINOIS

Deny

Ken Menzel, general counsel for the Illinois State Board of Elections, said in a letter to the commission that Illinois law limits the release of voter information to political committees and government entities, subject to a requirement that that the information not be released to the public. Menzel says that because the commission's request indicates the data provided will be made publicly available, the state cannot provide it. Menzel also has said that under Illinois law some information, such as Social Security and driver's license numbers, is not released.

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INDIANA

Partial

"Indiana law doesn't permit the Secretary of State to provide the personal information requested by Secretary Kobach. Under Indiana public records laws, certain voter info is available to the public, the media and any other person who requested the information for non-commercial purposes. The information publicly available is name, address and congressional district assignment," Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson said in a statement.

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IOWA

Partial

Statement from Secretary of State Paul Pate: "My office received a letter from the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity late Wednesday and has not yet responded to it. There is a formal process for requesting a list of registered voters, as specified in Iowa Code. We will follow that process if a request is made that complies with Iowa law. The official list request form is available on the Iowa Secretary of State's website, sos.iowa.gov. Some voter registration information is a matter of public record. However, providing personal voter information, such as Social Security numbers, is forbidden under Iowa Code. We will only share information that is publicly available and complies with Iowa Code. I am attending a national meeting of Secretaries of State next week, where the Commission's letter will likely be discussed."

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KANSAS

Partial

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is vice chairman of the commission, but even his office does plan to provide the last four digits of Social Security numbers because that information is not available to the public under Kansas law, spokeswoman Samantha Poetter said. All information that is publicly available will be provided.

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KENTUCKY

Deny

"As the commonwealth's secretary of state and chief election official, I do not intend to release Kentuckians' sensitive personal data to the federal government," Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes said in a statement. "The president created his election commission based on the false notion that 'voter fraud' is a widespread issue. It is not."

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LOUISIANA

Partial

Secretary of State Tom Schedler, a Republican, won't provide personal voter information such as Social Security numbers or birth dates. He says the commission can have the information that is publicly available - but only if it buys it like anyone else has to. Schedler calls the effort a politically-motivated federal overreach. "The President's Commission has quickly politicized its work by asking states for an incredible amount of voter data that I have, time and time again, refused to release," Schedler said in a statement. "My response to the Commission is, you're not going to play politics with Louisiana's voter data, and if you are, then you can purchase the limited public information available by law, to any candidate running for office. That's it." He added: "The release of private information creates a tremendous breach of trust with voters who work hard to protect themselves against identity fraud. That's why it is protected by six federal laws and two state laws. This Commission needs to understand clearly, disclosure of such sensitive information is more likely to diminish voter participation rather than foster it. I have been fighting this kind of federal intrusion and overreach, and will continue to fight like hell for the people who trust me with the integrity of our election process."

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MAINE

Deny

Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said he won't comply with the request. After consulting with the attorney general, Dunlap said Maine's Central Voter Registration system is considered confidential by statute, conflicting with the election commission's intention to make the information public. Also, Maine law doesn't allow access to information such as Social Security numbers, full birth dates, voter participation history or party affiliation.

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MARYLAND

Deny

Maryland's election commissioner denied the request after receiving an opinion from the Democratic attorney general, who said disclosure of the requested information is prohibited by law and who also called the request for information "repugnant," and said it appears to be designed only to intimidate voters and indulge Trump's "fantasy" that he won the popular vote.

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MASSACHUSETTS

Deny

A spokesman for Secretary of State William Galvin said the state's voter registry is not a public record, and information in it will not be shared with the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.

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MICHIGAN

Partial

A spokesman for Republican Secretary of State Ruth Johnson said the department will provide publicly available information but would exclude data including Social Security and driver's license numbers and full dates of birth. Fred Woodhams also said the commission would have to make a freedom of information request to get the data.

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MINNESOTA

Deny

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat, announced he would not share the data with Trump's commission.

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MISSISSIPPI

Deny

Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, a Republican, said in a statement Friday that he had not received the request for information from the Trump commission, but another secretary of state had forwarded the correspondence to him. In a federal court case after a contentious U.S. Senate primary in Mississippi in 2014, a group called True the Vote sued Mississippi seeking similar information about voters, and Hosemann fought that request and won. Hosemann said if he receives a request from the Trump commission, "My reply would be: They can go jump in the Gulf of Mexico, and Mississippi is a great state to launch from." Hosemann also said: "Mississippi residents should celebrate Independence Day and our state's right to protect the privacy of our citizens by conducting our own electoral processes."

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MISSOURI

Partial

In Missouri, Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said he is happy to "offer our support in the collective effort to enhance the American people's confidence in the integrity of the system." Ashcroft spokeswoman Maura Browning said the state is providing only publicly available information. She said that means no Social Security numbers, no political affiliations and no details on how people voted.

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MONTANA

Partial

Montana director of elections and voter services Derek Oestreicher said the secretary of state's office will not release personal or confidential information such as Social Security numbers and birth dates. Information already available publicly in the state's voter file includes a voter's first name, last name, registration status, if they are active or inactive and the reason the voter is designated as active or inactive. Voter information does not include party affiliation because Montana has an open primary system and voters do not register under any a specific party.

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NEBRASKA

Partial

Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale, a Republican, says he's willing to provide publicly available information, but only with assurances that the data won't be used in a way that runs afoul of state law. State law prohibits the use of data for commercial purposes and does not allow the release of Social Security numbers. Additionally, the law doesn't allow the release of information such as felony convictions or whether a voter's registration status is active or inactive, so Gale won't release that. He said he has concerns about voter privacy and wants assurances that the information is protected in any kind of national database.

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NEVADA

Partial

Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske says her office will provide public information only, but not Social Security numbers or how people voted. The state will turn over voter names, addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, party affiliation and turnout.

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NEW HAMPSHIRE

Partial

New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, a member of the commission, said his office will provide public information: names, addresses, party affiliations and voting history dating to 2006. Voting history includes whether someone voted in a general election and which party's primary they voted in. Gardner spent several hours on Independence Day taking calls from angry residents, and said the next day that he disagrees with critics who say he lacks legal authority to send voter roll information. He said he's asking the state attorney general for an opinion.

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NEW JERSEY

Partial

New Jersey election officials said Wednesday that they are reviewing the request but would only release information that is publicly available. Robert Giles, director of New Jersey's division of elections, said that no information has been released and noted the deadline for a response is July 14. He said no information will be given out if it doesn't "follow the appropriate legal process for information requests."

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NEW MEXICO

Deny

Democratic Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse-Oliver says she will never release personally identifiable information for New Mexico voters that is protected by law, including Social Security numbers and dates of birth. She also declined to provide information such as names and voting histories unless she is convinced the information is secured and will not be used for "nefarious or unlawful purposes."

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NEW YORK

Deny

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his decision not to comply with the commission's request for information. He said state laws include safeguards to protect sensitive voting information and that the state "refuses to perpetuate the myth voter fraud played a role in our election."

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NORTH CAROLINA

Partial

North Carolina's elections board will provide voter data requested this week by President Donald Trump's commission investigating alleged voter fraud. But the records will not include personal information deemed confidential in state law, including dates of birth and Social Security numbers.

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NORTH DAKOTA

Partial

North Dakota, the only state that does not have voter registration, does require identification at the polls and does have a central database of voters, compiled with the help of state Transportation Department records and county auditors. However, the information can be used only for "election-related purposes" under state law, such as compiling poll books for elections. "We certainly can't comply with that part of the request, but we are going to submit a response," Deputy Secretary of State Jim Silrum said.

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OHIO

Partial

Secretary of State Jon Husted, a Republican, issued a statement saying voter registration information is already public and available to the commission but that he will not provide the last four digits of voters' Social Security numbers or their driver's license numbers. He also said voter fraud is rare in the state and that bipartisan boards have conducted reviews of credible reports of voter fraud and suppression after the last three federal elections. Those results are in the public domain and available to the commission, he said. He added, "In responding to the commission, we will have ideas on how the federal government can better support states in running elections. However, we will make it clear that we do not want any federal intervention in our state's right and responsibility to conduct elections."

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OKLAHOMA

Partial

A spokesman for the Oklahoma State Election Board said the state will not provide the last four digits of voters' Social Security numbers. "That's not publicly available under the laws of our state," said Bryan Dean. He said the commission's request will be treated like any other from the general public. The election board will tell the panel to fill out an online form asking for the information. Oklahoma's voter roll is routinely provided to political campaigns, the press and other groups that ask for it.

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OREGON

Partial

Secretary of State Dennis Richardson, a Republican, wrote a letter to the commission saying it could receive a statewide list of voters for $500, just like anyone else. However, he noted that he is barred legally from disclosing Social Security and driver's license numbers. Two members of Oregon's congressional delegation and Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, had urged Richardson to refuse the request. Richardson said in the letter that there is "very little evidence" of voter fraud or registration fraud in Oregon.

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PENNSYLVANIA

Partial

Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, wrote a letter saying the state will not cooperate, but said the state will sell the commission the same data the public can purchase. It cannot be posted online, however.

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RHODE ISLAND

Partial

Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea says she won't share some of the requested voter information, including Social Security numbers or information regarding felony or military status.

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SOUTH CAROLINA

Deny

The state's election commission said in a statement that "release of voter data to anyone who is not a registered South Carolina voter is not permitted by state law. The agency may only provide voter data to registered South Carolina voters."

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SOUTH DAKOTA

Deny

A spokesman for South Dakota Secretary of State Shantel Krebs says the state will not share voter information with the Trump commission.

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TENNESSEE

Deny

"Although I appreciate the commission's mission to address election-related issues like voter fraud, Tennessee state law does not allow my office to release the voter information requested to the federal commission," said Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett, a Republican.

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TEXAS

Partial

Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos said Friday he will provide the commission public information and "protect the private information of Texas citizens." Much of the information requested - including names, addresses, date of birth and party data - are already publicly available in Texas. Social Security numbers cannot be released under Texas law. Publicly available voter registration lists in Texas also do not include information about military status or criminal history.

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UTAH

Partial

Republican Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox says he will send information classified as public, but Social Security numbers and dates of birth are protected.

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VERMONT

Partial

Vermont's top election official, Democrat Jim Condos, said Friday he is bound by law to provide the publicly available voter file, but that does not include Social Security numbers or birth dates. Condos said he must first receive an affidavit signed by the commission chairman, as required by Vermont law. He said there is no evidence of the kind of fraud alleged by Trump. "I believe these unproven claims are an effort to set the stage to weaken our democratic process through a systematic national effort of voter suppression and intimidation," he said.

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VIRGINIA

Deny

"At best this commission was set up as a pretext to validate Donald Trump's alternative election facts, and at worst is a tool to commit large-scale voter suppression," said Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat.

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WASHINGTON

Partial

Secretary of State Kim Wyman, a Republican, says her office will send the commission names, addresses and birth dates of registered voters because they are public record. She will not send Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers or other information.

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WEST VIRGINIA

Partial

The office of Republican Secretary of State Mac Warner said in a statement that state law prohibits disclosing Social Security and driver's license numbers, phone numbers and some other details. The office also notes that it can charge $500 for the voter registration list and another $500 for data that shows elections in which each voter cast a ballot.

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WISCONSIN

Partial

Administrator Mike Haas issued a statement Friday saying most of the information in the state's voter registration system is public, including voters' names, addresses and voting history. The state does not collect any data about a voter's political preference or gender, he said.

He said the state routinely sells the information to political parties, candidates and researchers. It would charge the presidential commission $12,500 for the data, the maximum amount allowed under agency rules, Haas said. State law doesn't contain any provisions for waiving the fee, he said.

Wisconsin law allows the commission to share voter birth dates, driver's license numbers and Social Security numbers only with police and other state agencies, and the presidential commission doesn't appear to qualify, Haas said.

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WYOMING

Deny

Wyoming Secretary of State Ed Murray said in a statement he would "safeguard the privacy of Wyoming's voters because of my strong belief in a citizen's right to privacy." He also expressed concern that the request could lead to "federal overreach."

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Information compiled by Associated Press reporters in each state and the District of Columbia.
BEIJING (AP) - American and German specialists saw imprisoned Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo on Saturday and confirmed that he is in the final stages of terminal liver cancer, the hospital treating him said.

China allowed the two doctors to travel to the northeastern city of Shenyang to see the country's most prominent political prisoner following international criticism of Beijing's handling of Liu's illness and calls for him to be treated abroad.

The First Hospital of China Medical University said in a statement on its website that the two foreign experts "fully affirmed" Liu's treatment plan so far, but that Liu's prognosis was grim.

In this image taken from Jan 6, 2008, video footage by AP Video, Liu Xiaobo looks at documents in his home in Beijing, China. According to a statement Friday, July 7, 2017, on the website of the First Hospital of China Medical University, the Chinese medical team charged with treating imprisoned Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo has stopped using cancer-fighting drugs so as not to overwhelm his severely weakened liver, raising concerns that China's most prominent political prisoner is critically ill. (AP Video via AP)

"But the patient is suffering from advanced liver cancer that has metastasized to his entire body and is at the end stage," the hospital said. Liu has accumulated a large amount of abdominal fluid, the statement said, calling his condition "quite serious."

The hospital said the experts were Dr. Markus W. Buchler of Heidelberg University in Germany and Dr. Joseph Herman of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas.

It was impossible to independently verify the hospital's description of Buchler's and Herman's views on Liu's illness. A source familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of discussions confirmed that the American and German experts had seen Liu and spoken to his family.

Shang Baojun, Liu's former lawyer and a close friend, said that during the consultation with the foreign experts, Liu was "clear-headed and communicated smoothly, and could even speak English."

"He again expressed a desire to go abroad for treatment, preferably in Germany, though the U.S. would also be fine, and his family members said the same," Shang told The Associated Press. "We sincerely hope this request will be approved."

The experts' visit comes as Liu's illness has taken a turn for the worse. Chinese doctors said Friday that they have stopped using cancer-fighting drugs so as not to overwhelm his severely weakened liver.

On Saturday, the hospital said that the doctors may review MRI scans and further assess Liu's liver function before deciding on whether to use radiation therapy, immunotherapy and other treatments.

"We will continue to provide nutritional support, pain relief and other forms of supportive care to improve the patient's quality of life as much as possible," the hospital's statement said.

In a sign of the seriousness of Liu's decline, his younger and older brothers and their wives were being allowed to see him, Shang said. At the hospital, Liu has been mostly accompanied by his wife and her brother, both of whom have been largely unreachable by the outside world due to restrictions by Chinese authorities.

Beijing activist Hu Jia, a family friend, said the relatives' visit was a sign that the authorities have acknowledged Liu's rapid deterioration.

"I think the authorities are in crisis mode. They too are not sure if Liu Xiaobo will pass away soon because his condition is quite obviously worsening," Hu said.

"They don't want to bear too great a responsibility in this respect," he said, referring to the act of allowing Liu to be with his brothers at a critical stage. "The authorities think by doing this they could at least be accountable to the outside world and say Liu was with his loved ones at the very end."

Liu's two brothers, who were traveling from their homes in southern and northeastern China, were being closely monitored by state security agents along the way - making it difficult to maintain contact with them, Hu said.

Beijing has come under criticism from Western governments for not fully releasing Liu, who was diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer in May while serving an 11-year sentence for inciting subversion by advocating sweeping political reforms that would end one-party rule. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, the year after he was convicted and jailed by a Chinese court.

The office of the United Nations human rights chief on Friday also expressed concern about Liu's condition and noted that the Chinese government has provided no further information to the U.N. office for more than 24 hours.

Spokeswoman Liz Throssell said at a briefing in Geneva that the U.N. should be granted access to both Liu and his wife.

China's foreign ministry had no immediate response to a request for comment Saturday.

FILE - In this Thursday, June 29, 2017, file photo, an online video clip shows China's jailed Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo lying on a bed receiving medical treatment at a hospital on a computer screen in Beijing. According to a statement Friday, July 7, 2017 on the website of the First Hospital of China Medical University, the Chinese medical team charged with treating imprisoned Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo has stopped using cancer-fighting drugs so as not to overwhelm his severely weakened liver, raising concerns that China's most prominent political prisoner is critically ill. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) - At least one thing is known about the meeting between presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin: They met.

But for the first time? Or again? Depends on which accounts from Trump you choose to believe.

At home and abroad over the past week, the U.S. president made a number of assertions at odds with reality, about the stock market, the "blazing" economy, NATO and more. But the curious lack of clarity on his personal history with the Russian leader perhaps stood out.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit, Friday, July 7, 2017, in Hamburg. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Here's a look at his statements on that subject over time, and a variety of other assertions in recent days:

TRUMP, in a chronological mashup of statements from 2013 to 2016 on whether he had met Putin: "I met him once." "Yes. One time, yes. Long time ago. Got along with him great, by the way." ''I got to know him very well because we were both on '60 Minutes,' we were stablemates." ''I never met Putin. I don't know who Putin is." ''I don't think I've ever met him. I mean if he's in the same room or something. But I don't think so." ''I didn't meet him. I haven't spent time with him. I didn't have dinner with him. I didn't go hiking with him. I don't know - and I wouldn't know him from Adam except I see his picture and I would know what he looks like."

PUTIN: "I never met with him." - June, NBC interview.

PUTIN: "I am very happy to meet you, Mr. President." - remarks in a brief, public portion of their meeting Friday.

THE FACTS: We don't know. But there is no public record of a prior private meeting.

Trump initially claimed to have met Putin during business meetings in Russia or when he owned the Miss Universe beauty pageant, which was held in Moscow in 2013. As a foreign policy neophyte, he found it advantageous before his presidential campaign and during the early part of it to claim a relationship with Putin, to show he had the right stuff to deal with a world leader. When he risked appearing too close to Putin later in the campaign, he changed his story.

This much is known: Trump and Putin were only "60 Minutes" ''stablemates" because they were on the same program. Trump's segment was taped in New York; Putin's in Russia.

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TRUMP: "No matter where you look, the economy is blazing. And on every front we're doing well. And we do have challenges, but we will handle those challenges - believe me." - remarks at Fourth of July event at White House.

TRUMP: "Really great numbers on jobs & the economy! Things are starting to kick in now, and we have just begun! Don't like steel & aluminum dumping!" - tweet Monday.

THE FACTS: The economy is not blazing. At best, it's at a controlled burn.

The performance under Trump has been remarkably close to the relatively tepid growth under President Barack Obama, a record Trump criticized as a candidate. Most economists agree that any president is unlikely to suddenly transform an economy in a matter of months.

The economy grew at a sluggish annual pace of 1.4 percent during the first three months of the year. Growth can be uneven on a quarterly basis. But Federal Reserve officials estimate the economy will grow 2.2 percent this year, 2.1 percent in 2018 and 1.9 percent in 2019. That is pretty close to growth of roughly 2 percent during the recovery under Obama.

Trump can celebrate a 4.4 percent unemployment rate, but that builds on progress made during Obama's tenure. The lower unemployment rate has also translated into smaller job gains under Trump.

Monthly job growth has averaged 180,000 during the first six months of 2017, compared with an average of more than 186,000 last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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TRUMP: "Dow hit a new intraday all-time high! I wonder whether or not the Fake News Media will so report?" - tweet Monday.

THE FACTS: Peaks and valleys during the day generally don't make for screaming headlines. Investors generally pay more attention to where stock market indexes stand when trading ends at 4 p.m. Because those markets have been setting records for months, Monday's intraday peak wasn't that notable, though the financial media reported on it. The stock market has been rising under Trump's watch, as it rose under Obama's since 2013.

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TRUMP: "When I say that the stock market is at an all-time high, we've picked up in market value almost $4 trillion since Nov. 8, which was the election. $4 trillion - it's a lot of money. Personally, I picked up nothing, but that's all right. Everyone else is getting rich. That's OK. I'm very happy. " - Energy meeting with European leaders in Warsaw on Thursday.

THE FACTS: Everyone else is not getting rich. Most Americans lack meaningful stock market investments. Research by New York University economist Edward Wolff found that just 10 percent of the U.S. population owns 80 percent of stock market wealth.

Also, it's likely the rising stock market has indeed benefited him personally. Financial disclosures show the president has multiple brokerage accounts and extensive stock holdings. He owns shares in Apple Inc. (up 24 percent year-to-date), Caterpillar Inc. (up 15 percent) and Microsoft Corp. (up nearly 12 percent) among other companies. Even if Trump didn't buy into the recent stock market gains, his existing shares probably received a boost.

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TRUMP, on NATO's core pledge: "To those who would criticize our tough stance, I would point out that the United States has demonstrated not merely with words but with its actions that we stand firmly behind Article 5, the mutual defense commitment." - speech in Warsaw on Thursday.

THE FACTS: Rather than showing a commitment with his actions, Trump has sown confusion with his words. Article 5 has only been used once - by other NATO members, to come to the defense of the U.S. after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Trump suggested during the campaign that NATO members lagging on their own military spending might not be able to count on the U.S. to come to their aid if attacked. And he pointedly did not endorse Article 5 at a NATO meeting in May, unnerving some allies. In June, though, he said: "I'm committing the United States to Article 5." Those words won't be tested with action until or unless a NATO member is attacked.

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TRUMP: "We just approved a big pipeline also - the Keystone Pipeline. It was under consideration for many, many years, and it was dead, and I approved it in my first day of office." - Warsaw energy meeting.

THE FACTS: He did not approve it on his first day in office. During his first week, on Jan. 24, Trump signed an order asking TransCanada to re-submit its application to build Keystone XL, which had been blocked by Obama. Trump suggested at the time that more negotiations would be required with TransCanada before he would approve the project. The project actually got the go-ahead in late March.

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TRUMP: "Americans know that a strong alliance of free, sovereign and independent nations is the best defense for our freedoms and for our interests. That is why my administration has demanded that all members of NATO finally meet their full and fair financial obligation. As a result of this insistence, billions of dollars more have begun to pour into NATO. In fact, people are shocked. But billions and billions of dollars more coming in from countries that, in my opinion, would not have been paying so quickly." - Warsaw speech.

THE FACTS: The notion of money pouring into NATO because of his tough talk is one of Trump's most frequent fictions. The actual issue is how much NATO countries spend on their own military budgets. They agreed in 2014, well before he became president, to stop cutting military spending, and have honored that. They also agreed then to a goal of moving "toward" spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on their own defense by 2024. Most are short of that and the target is not ironclad. His tough talk is aimed at nudging them toward that goal.

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Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Lolita C. Baldor, Nancy Benac and Lynn Berry contributed to this report.

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Find AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd

U.S. President Donald Trump casts shadows on the wall as he walks with Poland's President Andrzej Duda at the end of a joint press conference, in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, July 6, 2017.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
NEW YORK (AP) - Four days before Alexander Bonds ambushed and killed a New York City police officer, he was in a hospital emergency room getting a psychiatric evaluation. The hospital released him the same day.

Now the hospital's actions are under a state review ordered by the governor. St. Barnabas Hospital says it handled Bonds appropriately and welcomes the inquiry.

The decision was one psychiatrists across the country make regularly: whether patients pose enough danger to themselves or others to require hospitalization. Practitioners say that it's often a difficult call to make and that even an experienced evaluator can't predict someone's behavior.

Ambulances are seen parked at the entrance to the Emergency Room of St. Barnabas Hospital, Saturday, July 8, 2017, in the Bronx borough of New York. Four days before he ambushed a New York City police officer with a bullet through a window, Alexander Bonds underwent a psychiatric evaluation at St. Barnabas hospital that released him that day. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

"Most of the time, it's very complicated. You're trying to make an assessment: Is the person going to a home? Is there family? Are they reliable? What was the specific reason they were brought in? Is that likely to occur again?" said Bea Grause, president of the statewide hospital and health system association HANYS and a former emergency room nurse.

Bonds, 34, evidently had a history of mental health problems. There were antidepressant and anti-psychotic medications in his apartment, and his girlfriend told officers she took him to St. Barnabas for the psychiatric evaluation July 1, police said.

He was observed for seven to eight hours in the emergency room, where he was seen by a physician and then a psychiatrist, hospital spokesman Steven Clark said.

"We believe the proper protocols and standards were met," he said.

By the night of July 4, Bonds' paranoid, erratic behavior worried his girlfriend enough that she called police to look for him. They didn't find him before he marched up to a parked police vehicle and shot through the window just after midnight, striking Officer Miosotis Familia in the head. Soon after, officers shot and killed him after they say he drew a weapon on them.

The state Health Department said it plans to interview St. Barnabas staffers, conduct inspections and examine records to review Bonds' case and the hospital's policies and prescribing practices.

Under state law, people can be involuntarily hospitalized for at least 48 hours if they pose a substantial risk of causing serious injury to themselves or others.

"If you're making a determination that someone's a danger to themselves or others, you better be pretty clear about it. Because you're taking away their liberties," said Grause, whose association represents hospitals and nursing homes.

Psychiatrists caution that the risk can be difficult to pinpoint.

"While psychiatrists can often identify circumstances associated with an increased likelihood of violent behavior, they cannot predict dangerousness with definitive accuracy," the American Psychiatric Association said in a 2012 position statement.

Doctors and other hospital staffers can encounter agitated emergency room patients they've never seen before.

While paying close attention to what patients say and do, doctors also might test to determine whether a medical problem or medication might be spurring the behavior. They consider whether the cause could be alcohol or illegal drugs, a clue sometimes illuminated by observing patients for hours. They may look into whether someone has dementia.

Some patients arrive clearly violent, and others are just having a bad drug reaction that will wear off. But "there's this vast gray area in the middle that takes a lot of experience, a lot of knowledge and balancing all of the factors that go into a good assessment," said Dr. Vivian Pender, a New York City psychiatrist and public affairs representative for the New York County Psychiatric Society.

Police have been working to determine Bonds' motive in shooting Familia. Bonds, who had served prison time for a 2005 armed robbery, had railed about police and prison officers in a Facebook video last September.

Familia, 48, was a 12-year New York Police Department veteran and a mother of three. She was selfless, "incredibly funny" and full of warmth and wisdom, her 20-year-old daughter, Genesis Villella, said Friday.

She "went to work every day proud to do her job, to protect us," Villella said.

Police officers hug in front of the 46th Precinct in the Bronx borough of New York, Thursday, July 6, 2017. Police officer Miosotis Familia, who worked out of the 46th Precinct, was shot to death the day before, ambushed inside her command post RV by an ex-convict who once ranted online about his treatment in prison and about police getting away with killing people, authorities said. He was later killed after pulling a gun on police. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

This April 10, 2013 photo released by the New York State Department of Corrections shows Alexander Bonds, also known as John Bonds. A New York City police officer was shot to death early Wednesday, July 5, 2017, ambushed in a marked police vehicle by Bonds with a revolver who was later killed by officers. (New York State Department of Corrections via AP)
ONEIDA, Wis. (AP) - Katherine Kirk shot a 7-under 65 on Saturday to open a four-stroke lead in the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic, and move into position to challenge the tour's 72-hole record.

Coming off a career-best 63 on Friday, the 35-year-old Australian reached 20-under 196 in the first year event at Thornberry Creek - the Oneida Nation-owned resort near Green Bay.

"I've been playing pretty well lately, trending at least in the right direction," Kirk said. "I like this golf course. It suits my eye, and I think it's going to take another low one tomorrow. You saw some really good scores out there today. It's not over until it's over, right?"

Katherine Kirk eyes a putt during the third round of the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic golf tournament Saturday, July 8, 2017, in Oneida, Wis. (Jim Matthews/The Post-Crescent via AP)

The LPGA Tour record for 72 holes is 27 under, set by Annika Sorenstam in the 2001 Standard Register Ping in Phoenix and matched by Sei Young Kim last year in the Founders Cup, also in Phoenix. Sorenstam shot a record 59 in the second round.

Kirk played the first five holes in 1 over with a birdie on No. 1 and bogeys on Nos. 3 and 5. She rebounded with a birdie on No. 6, ran off four straight on Nos. 8-11 and added birdies on 13, 15 and 17. On the par-4 18th, she saved par with a 15-footer after finding the right fairway bunker and hitting her approach well left.

"I know I can putt well, but I think I'm like pushing the limits right now," Kirk said. "It's fun.... It's unexpected, but you certainly take them when you can."

She won the last of her two tour titles in 2010.

South Africa's Ashleigh Buhai was second after a 65. She's winless on the LPGA Tour.

"Obviously, Katherine is playing really well," Buhai said. "I saw I got within one at one stage, and then I looked again, and she was back to three ahead. She obviously made a lot of birdies and I felt I made as many as I could. Tomorrow, will be fun between the two of us."

Buhai had seven birdies in a nine-hole stretch in the middle of the round.

"I hit the ball really solid," Buhai said. "I made a bogey on my first hole and after that I hit 17 greens in a row. I just kind of favored to the side of the pin that you had to, and I rolled in a few 15-footers. I was cautious at some times, and then I knew when I could be aggressive. Overall, good ball-striking, and you have to roll in the putts."

Japan's Ayako Uehara (65) and England's Jodi Ewart Shadoff (66) were tied for third at 13 under, and Suzann Pettersen (66) was another stroke back along with Tiffany Joh (66), Cristie Kerr (67), Angel Yin (67), Megan Khang (67), Jaye Marie Green (70) and Sandra Gal (72). Gal shot a 64 in the morning in the completion of the suspended second round on the rain-softened course.

"I'm obviously going to tee off a little bit earlier than the leaders, obviously try and post a number," Pettersen said. "That's all I can do at this point. ... I love the way they set it up. They invite us to make eagles, go for greens. Hopefully, they'll do that tomorrow, as well, and everyone will keep seeing low numbers."

Top-ranked So Yeon Ryu, No. 3 Lexi Thompson and No. 4 Lydia Ko are among those taking the week off before the U.S. Women's Open next week at Trump International in New Jersey.

Katherine Kirk, right, chats with Jaye Marie Green during the third round of the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic golf tournament Saturday, July 8, 2017 in Oneida, Wis. (Jim Matthews/The Post-Crescent via AP)

Sandra Gal eyes a putt during the third round of the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic golf tournament Saturday, July 8, 2017, in Oneida, Wis. (Jim Matthews/The Post-Crescent via AP)
A summit of the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany and the Russian Federation may take place as early as this summer, after a phone conversation in the Normandy Four format is held, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"After my meeting and telephone conversations in Berlin, Paris, as well as meetings in Hamburg, understanding has been reached that a telephone conversation of the Normandy Four leaders is most likely to take place in July. And we do not rule out that we'll be able to arrange a summit following these phone talks. Its venue is still undecided, but we are determined to hold a decisive, accelerated, practical, detailed dialogue both in the telephone format and at the summit this summer," Poroshenko said at a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Kyiv on Sunday.

According to the president, Ukraine is not interested in delaying such negotiations, because "Ukraine pays a high price - its heroes are wounded and killed" every day.
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (AP) - A pair of Santa Barbara County wildfires quickly spread Saturday, threatening hundreds of homes and forcing evacuations at a popular lakeside campground and a summer camp where flames temporarily trapped children and counselors, a fire official said.

The fire that started in the early afternoon had spread to both sides of Highway 154 and was "completely out of control," county fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni said. About 90 children and 50 counselors were struck at the Circle V Ranch and had to take shelter there until they could be safely evacuated.

The fire was one of three in the state that grew quickly as much of California baked in heat that broke records in parts of Southern California.

Vintage trucks burned by the Wall fire rest in a grove near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. The forested area burning is about 10 miles south of Oroville, where spillways in the nation's tallest dam began crumbling from heavy rains this winter and led to temporary evacuation orders for 200,000 residents downstream. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

A record that stood 131 years in Los Angeles was snapped when the temperature spiked at 98 degrees downtown. The previous record of 95 degrees was set in 1886, the National Weather Service said.

Excessive heat sent Southern Californians flocking to beaches and in search of water, shade and air conditioning to escape the heat.

Forecasters warned that triple-digit temperatures up to 110 degrees would be common in some inland areas and could be deadly for the elderly, children and outdoor workers. Air quality reached unhealthy and very unhealthy in areas inland from Los Angeles.

High temps and dry gusts tripled the size of another Santa Barbara wildfire to nearly 30 square miles (about 77 sq. kilometers) over eight hours and forced evacuations of about 200 homes in a rural area east of Santa Maria, fire spokesman Kirk Sturm said.

After five years of severe drought, California got a big break with record rainfall and snowpack in parts of the state this year that has delayed the start of fire season in some places, but has also led to explosive vegetation growth that could fuel future fires.

In Northern California, a Butte County wildfire swept through grassy foothills and destroyed 10 structures, including homes, and led to several minor injuries.

Burned-out pickup trucks were left in ashes, surrounded by charred, leafless trees. The metal frame of a mobile home and a vintage stove were left standing in scorched debris at one site.

The blaze about 60 miles north of Sacramento grew rapidly to more than 4 square miles (nearly 11 sq. kilometers) and was 20 percent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The area burning was about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of Oroville, where spillways in the nation's tallest dam began crumbling from heavy rains this winter and led to temporary evacuation orders for 200,000 residents downstream. On Saturday, authorities issued an evacuation for about 250 homes threatened by the fire.

In the middle of the afternoon, Santa Barbara officials sent out alerts to residents and campers near Cachuma Lake to evacuate as the fire started near Whittier Camp, Zaniboni said.

The lake, which was nearly bone dry last summer after the severe drought, is popular for camping, boating and fishing. Residents were also ordered to leave cabins in the Los Padres National Forest.

The fire burned at least 4.7 square miles (12 sq. kilometers), including a portion of the Cachuma Lake campground, and was not contained.

A stove stands in front of a structure leveled by a wildfire near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. Residents were ordered to evacuate from several roads in the rural area as flames climbed tall trees. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Vintage trucks burned by a wildfire rest in a grove near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. Residents were ordered to evacuate from several roads in the rural area as flames climbed tall trees. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Flames from a wildfire consume an all-terrain vehicle near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. Residents were ordered to evacuate from several roads in the rural area as flames climbed tall trees. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported that several residents and one firefighter suffered minor injuries. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Flames surround a marijuana plant as a wildfire burns near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. Residents were ordered to evacuate from several roads in the rural area as flames climbed tall trees. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

A helicopter drops water while battling a wildfire near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. The fast-moving wildfire in the Sierra Nevada foothills destroyed structures, including homes, and led to several minor injuries, fire officials said Saturday as blazes threatened homes around California during a heat wave. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Firefighters battle a wildfire near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported that several residents and one firefighter suffered minor injuries. Residents were ordered to evacuate from several roads in the rural area as flames climbed tall trees. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Ice-cream vendor Jose Villa, 65, from Sinaloa, Mexico, cools off on the edge of Echo Park lake in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 8, 2017. An excessive heat wave in Southern California set records in several cities, breaking a mark set for the date in Los Angeles 131 years ago, the National Weather Service said. Around noon, the downtown temp spiked at 96 degrees, topping the 1886 record by a degree. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Josh Principe cools off his dog Kira on the edge of Echo Park lake in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 8, 2017. An excessive heat wave in Southern California set records in several cities, breaking a mark set for the date in Los Angeles 131 years ago, the National Weather Service said. Around noon, the downtown temp spiked at 96 degrees, topping the 1886 record by a degree. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Heat rising from the sand ripples the image of umbrellas at Manhattan Beach, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. Crowds flocked to Southern California beaches to escape a triple-digit heat wave inland. Crowds flocked to beaches to seek relief from triple-digit heat across Southern California. An excessive heat wave in Southern California set records in several cities, breaking a mark set for the date in Los Angeles 131 years ago, the National Weather Service said. Around noon, the downtown temp spiked at 96 degrees, topping the 1886 record by a degree. (AP Photo/John Antczak)

A Los Angeles Dodgers fan shields herself from the sun prior to a baseball game between the Dodgers and the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, July 8, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

A lifeguard scans a crowded shoreline at Manhattan Beach, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. Crowds flocked to beaches to seek relief from triple-digit heat across Southern California. An excessive heat wave in Southern California set records in several cities, breaking a mark set for the date in Los Angeles 131 years ago, the National Weather Service said. Around noon, the downtown temp spiked at 96 degrees, topping the 1886 record by a degree. (AP Photo/John Antczak)

Firefighter Kern Kunst battles the Wall fire near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. According to CalFire, the blaze has scorched 1,000 acres and destroyed 10 homes. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Inmate firefighters battle the Wall fire near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. According to CalFire, the blaze has scorched 1,000 acres and destroyed 10 homes. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Flames from the Wall fire descend a hillside near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. According to CalFire, the blaze has burned 1,000 acres and destroyed 10 homes. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

People in pedal-powered boats take advantage of a breeze creating cooling spray from fountains in Echo Park Lake near downtown Los Angeles, Thursday, July 6, 2017. A heat wave blanketing the U.S. Southwest has toppled temperature records, raised wildfire danger and sent residents to pools, beaches and even fountains for cool relief. Officials warned people to avoid strenuous activity during the day on Friday, when the worst heat was expected across Southern California. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
LOS ANGELES (AP) - About 94,000 customers were without electricity Saturday night after the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power shut down a power station in the northeast San Fernando Valley that caught fire, the agency said.

The fire at the station in the Northridge/Reseda area of Los Angeles started about 6:52 p.m. and involved equipment that carries high-voltage electricity and distributes it at lower voltages to customers in the surrounding area, the department said.

The department shut off power to the station as a precautionary move, and it is restoring power now that the fire has been put out. Initially, 140,000 customers were without power. That number had been cut to 94,000 by 11 p.m.

The Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles at twilight is blacked out, the only light coming from a laptop computer screen in a home, foreground, and from a few others with backup power, as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said about 140,000 people are without electricity after the agency shut down a power station in the northeast San Fernando Valley that caught fire Saturday, July 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

The power outage comes as much of California baked in heat that broke records. A record that stood 131 years in Los Angeles was snapped when the temperature spiked at 98 degrees downtown.

People reported losing power in Porter Ranch, Winnetka, West Hills, Canoga Park, Woodland Hills, Granada Hills, North Hills, Reseda and Chatsworth, KABC TV reported.

Shortly after the blaze broke out, firefighters found a huge container of mineral oil that is used to cool electrical equipment on fire, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey told the Los Angeles Times.

Firefighters had the blaze under control by 8:30 p.m. and were able to put it out by 9 p.m., Humphrey said. "These were fierce flames, with smoke towering more than 300 feet into the sky," he told the newspaper.

No one was injured.

Firefighters rescued people who were stranded in elevators, Humphrey said.
BEIRUT (AP) - A month into the battle to capture the Islamic State group's self-styled capital, U.S-backed Syrian forces have encircled the militants inside Raqqa, breached their fortified defenses and inched closer to the heart of the city. Yet the battle has barely begun.

More than 2,000 militants are holed up with their families and tens of thousands of civilians in Raqqa's center, the city's most densely populated quarters.

Although a fraction the size of Iraq's Mosul, Raqqa's urban warfare may prove as grueling, and those fighting the extremists risk being dragged into side battles with other groups in Syria's complex civil war.

This frame grab from video released Thursday, July 6, 2017 and provided by Hawar News Agency, a Syrian Kurdish activist-run media group, shows U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters in the eastern side of Raqqa, Syria. The campaign to seize Raqqa City from IS has begun in earnest last month, when the Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by coalition airstrikes and U.S. special forces, launched a multi-pronged campaign on the city, after securing its countryside during months of fighting. (Hawar News Agency, via AP)

In Raqqa's case, the Syrian Kurdish militia that is the main U.S. ally against IS has been rattled by Turkey's mobilization on the other side of the country. Turkey is threatening to launch an offensive against a Kurdish enclave in western Syria with the help of Syrian opposition fighters. Turkish troops have mobilized near the border, and the recent Turkish shelling of Kurdish villages killed at least three civilians.

Kurdish officials warned that Turkey's moves threaten to derail the Raqqa campaign by forcing the Kurdish militia to redeploy to defend its enclave.

Syria observers also point to the lack of capabilities and training of the U.S-backed Syrian fighters, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, compared to the Iraqi troops battling IS militants in Mosul and the surrounding Nineveh province since August.

"So (Mosul) is actually a yearlong campaign. I don't think Raqqa will take that long, but it will take time," U.S. special envoy Brett McGurk told the Dubai-based Al-Aan TV during a visit to the Raqqa front last month. He refused to specify a timeline.

Another issue is who will run Raqqa once the militants are driven out. The area's Arab population is likely to oppose any control by the Kurds, who are the dominant faction of the SDF. The U.S.-led coalition has said a local council formed by the SDF will govern.

Meanwhile, the Syrian government has vowed it will rule Raqqa, and its forces nearby could try to take advantage of the shifting situation and step in.

The coalition last week estimated some 2,500 militants remain in Raqqa. Senior members and foreigners are believed to have evacuated, and most of those who remain are believed to be Syrian fighters and tactical commanders.

They have used many of the same tactics as in Mosul, showing a similar level of organization and discipline. They deploy suicide car bombs and armed drones against advancing fighters and launch street battles in the dead of night. They carry out surprise counter-attacks in areas already recaptured by the SDF.

"This defense is designed to draw out the fight and drive up the cost for the coalition and the local population," said Jennifer Cafarella, a Syria expert at the Institute of War Study.

Last year's battle for the northern town of Manbij, which is half the size of Raqqa but was an important transit hub for IS, lasted over two months and ended with the militants retreating with hundreds of civilians as hostages.

In this case, the militants so far appear determined to fight to the end. If that's the case, the SDF will have to "exterminate everyone before seizing control of Raqqa," said Rami Abdurrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Assad's ally Russia has also made clear it opposes giving the Raqqa militants any exit corridor because they would then head to Deir el-Zour, where the Syrian government is waging its own campaign against IS, Abdurrahman said.

Since June 6, SDF fighters have waged assaults on Raqqa from the east, west and north, seizing around 20 percent of its districts. Last week, they moved across the Euphrates River, which defines Raqqa's southern side, completing the encirclement. From there they punched into the Old City in the center.

But it remains to be seen which side is more overstretched by fighting on four fronts. The militants at one point counter-attacked, seizing parts of one eastern district, al-Sinaa, and it took the SDF days to wrest it back.

SDF fighters face belts of improvised explosives around the city, said Col. Joseph Scrocca, a coalition spokesman.

As they try to get through the bomb-laden streets, the militants hit them with heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, explosive-laden drones and snipers, he said. "There is still a lot of hard fighting to go."

An estimated 50,000 to 100,000 civilians are believed to still be in Raqqa, caught in the crossfire.

The Observatory reported 224 civilians have been killed by airstrikes, including 38 children, 28 women and one of its own activists. Fighting and airstrikes also killed 311 IS militants, while the SDF lost 106 fighters, the Observatory reported.

Abdalaziz Alhamza, a founding member of the group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, which has monitored events in the city since the IS takeover in January 2014, said SDF forces don't advance without a blanket of airstrikes that have kept the civilians locked up in their homes with shrinking supplies of water and food.

Alhamza's uncle was killed last week while getting water from a well in a school nearby. Alhamza said when the first airstrike hit, the uncle rushed to help children taking refuge in the school, then a second strike killed him. He had to be buried in the school because his family couldn't reach his body, Alhamza said, speaking from New York.

His group documented 27 people killed while fetching water at the river in the past month. Drinking river water has also spread water-borne diseases and a fear of cholera, he said.

At the same time, IS has continued arrests and executions of residents accused of collaborating with the coalition or violating the group's extreme interpretation of Islamic laws. One woman was stabbed in the heart with a knife for an undetermined violation, and some were crucified for not fasting during Islam's holy month of Ramadan, he said.

This frame grab from video released Thursday, July 6, 2017 and provided by Hawar News Agency, a Syrian Kurdish activist-run media group, shows Syrian citizens looks to U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters in the eastern side of Raqqa, Syria. The campaign to seize Raqqa City from IS has begun in earnest last month, when the Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by coalition airstrikes and U.S. special forces, launched a multi-pronged campaign on the city, after securing its countryside during months of fighting. (Hawar News Agency via AP)

This frame grab from video released Thursday, July 6, 2017 and provided by Hawar News Agency, a Syrian Kurdish activist-run media group, shows residents gathering in a house after liberated by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters in the eastern side of Raqqa, Syria. The campaign to seize Raqqa City from IS has begun in earnest last month, when the Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by coalition airstrikes and U.S. special forces, launched a multi-pronged campaign on the city, after securing its countryside during months of fighting. (Hawar News Agency via AP)
BEIRUT (AP) - The Latest on the conflict in Syria (all times local):

10:15 p.m.

President Donald Trump has called for expanded cooperation with Russia over Syria as a cease-fire brokered by the two powers and Jordan came into effect.

FILE - In this Friday, July 7, 2017, file photo U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 Summit in Hamburg. A separate US-Russia-brokered truce for southern Syria, brokered by the U.S. and Russia, is meant to help allay growing concerns by neighboring Jordan and Israel about Iranian military ambitions in the area. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

The agreement followed weeks of secretive talks between the U.S., Russia and Jordan in Amman to address the buildup of Iranian-backed forces near the Jordanian and Israeli borders.

An uneasy calm marked the early hours of the truce, which covers three war-torn provinces in southern Syria. A local opposition activist says "a lot of anxiety" remains, because residents see no mechanisms to enforce it.

The cease-fire is the first tangible outcome following months of strategy and diplomacy between the new Trump administration and Russian President Vladimir Putin's Moscow.

Shortly after the agreement came into effect, Trump tweeted that the cease-fire "will save lives."

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3 p.m.

President Donald Trump says a cease-fire in southern Syria brokered by the U.S. and Russia "will save lives" and is calling for further cooperation with Moscow.

In a tweet published shortly after the truce came into effect on Sunday, Trump wrote: "We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!"

The cease-fire between the Syrian government and the rebels was brokered by Russia, the U.S. and Jordan. Both Jordan and Israel fear that Iranian-backed forces allied with the Syrian government will establish a lasting presence along their borders.

Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on the cease-fire on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg last week.

Several cease-fires have been declared over the course of Syria's six-year-old civil war. None have lasted very long.

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12:45 p.m.

Israel says it would "welcome a genuine cease-fire" in southern Syria so long as it doesn't enable a military presence for Iran and its proxies along Israel's border.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's comments were Israel's first since the cease-fire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin went into effect midday Sunday.

Israel has repeatedly said it will not allow Iran, which is a close ally of the Syrian government, to set up a permanent presence in Syria. It has carried out a number of airstrikes in Syria against suspected shipments of "game-changing" weapons bound for Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Netanyahu says he conveyed his country's concerns once again last week to both Putin and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Netanyahu says both said they understand Israel's position and took it into account.

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Noon

An open-ended cease-fire in southern Syria brokered by the United States and Russia has come into effect.

The cease-fire, announced after a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hamburg last week, is the first initiative by the Trump administration in collaboration with Russia to bring some stability to war-torn Syria.

No cease-fire has lasted long in the six-year-old Syrian war.

U.S.-backed rebels, Syrian government forces, and Islamic State militants are all fighting for control of southern Syria.

The latest truce, which began at noon (0900 GMT) Saturday, is intended to allay concerns of neighboring Israel and Jordan about Iranian-backed and government-allied forces at their borders. The truce does not include the IS group.
DOHA, Qatar (AP) - Qatar's government said Sunday it is forming a committee to pursue compensation for damages stemming from its isolation by four Arab countries.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic ties and severed air, land and sea links with natural gas-rich Qatar last month, accusing it of a list of grievances including supporting extremism. Qatar has denied the allegations, and has characterized the bloc's ultimatums as an affront to its sovereignty.

Qatari Public Prosecutor Ali Al-Marri told reporters in the Qatari capital, Doha, that the committee will handle claims made by private companies, public institutions and individuals.

He gave few details, but said the body would use both domestic and international mechanisms to seek compensation, and will hire overseas law firms to handle its claims.

"You have people who have sustained damages, businessmen who have sustained damages, banks which have sustained damages. As a result of this blockade." he said. "And those who compelled these damages to happen must pay compensation for them."

Members of the newly-formed committee include Qatar's minister of justice and minister of foreign affairs.

The Gulf state of Kuwait has been trying, unsuccessfully so far, to mediate the dispute.

On Friday, the anti-Qatar bloc accused Qatar of thwarting all efforts aimed at resolving the rift and said it intends to "continue its policy aimed at destabilizing security in the region."

Al-Marri insisted that the decision to pursue compensation for damages is not tied to current state of negotiations between Qatar and the four bloc countries.

"The difference between politics and law is that in law there is continuity, unlike politics, which could be stopped by certain conditions," he said.
Romelu Lukaku has confirmed he will be joining Manchester United from Everton.

Pre-empting an official announcement by the clubs, the Belgium striker said in an interview with ESPN that he chose United despite a late offer from Premier League champion Chelsea, his former team.

"My mind was already set," the 24-year-old Lukaku said. "I gave my word, and I don't look back ... I was already mentally preparing to be part of the team."

FILE - In this Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016 file photo, Everton's Romelu Lukaku celebrates after scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Everton at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England. Romelu Lukaku has confirmed on Sunday, July 9, 2017 he will be joining Manchester United from Everton. Pre-empting an official announcement by the club, the Belgium striker said in an interview with ESPN that he chose United despite a late offer from Premier League champion and former team Chelsea. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira, File)

Lukaku had a medical examination Saturday in Los Angeles, where he is currently on vacation. He is set to move for 75 million pounds ($97 million).

He said he spoke to close friend Paul Pogba, the United midfielder and world's most expensive player, about the move.

"He (Pogba) was explaining to me how it went at the club, and it triggered something in my head," Lukaku said. "When the opportunity came, I didn't have to think twice. I'm really excited."

Lukaku, a powerfully built, 6-foot-3 (1.90-meter) striker, links for a second time with manager Jose Mourinho, who sold the player to Everton in 2014 when at Chelsea. Lukaku had failed to establish a first-team place at Chelsea and had to spend most of his time on loan, first at West Bromwich Albion and then Everton.

"You know, we were together under different circumstances," Lukaku said. "Obviously, the first time when I met him, I was still a young kid, and I was eager to play. And he understood my decision why I left at the time. I returned on the pitch.

"Now I'm 24. I'm a grown man. He sees the maturity that has grown throughout the years."

Bolstering his strike force has been a priority for Mourinho ahead of his second season in charge at United after Zlatan Ibrahimovic was released.

Lukaku was the second highest scorer in the Premier League last season, netting 25 goals as Everton finished seventh in the standings. United was a place higher but still qualified for the Champions League by winning the Europa League.

Police said Saturday that Lukaku was arrested at a house he was staying at in Beverly Hills after officers warned him five times to turn down the music at a party. Lukaku was scheduled to appear in Los Angeles Superior Court on Oct. 2.

United plays the LA Galaxy in a preseason friendly next weekend.

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Steve Douglas is at www.twitter.com/sdouglas80
HELSINKI (AP) - The leaders of Sweden and Japan have demanded that North Korea halts missile tests, and pledged increased cooperation in the U.N. Security Council.

During a visit to Sweden by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Swedish counterpart Stefan Lofven described the tests as a "threat to global peace ... and security."

Abe condemned the April attack in central Stockholm when the driver of a stolen truck killed five pedestrians and injured 14 people. Abe said that Japan and Sweden would work together to combat terrorism.

Swedish prime minister Stefan Lofven, right, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attend a press conference after their meeting in Stockholm, Sunday, July 9, 2017. Shinzo Abe is in Stockholm for a two day visit. (Maja Suslin/TT via AP)

Both leaders also discussed increasing bilateral trade ties as the two countries prepare to celebrate the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year.

Abe's visit to Stockholm was the first leg of a Nordic tour, which also takes him to Finland and Denmark.
MOSUL, Iraq (AP) - Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi congratulated Iraqi troops Sunday in the streets of Mosul for driving Islamic State militants out of most of the city. But airstrikes and sniper fire continued amid the revelry, and the extremists stubbornly held small patches of ground west of the Tigris River.

Over the nearly nine-month campaign, Iraqi forces - backed by airstrikes from the U.S.-led coalition - reduced the IS hold on Iraq's second-largest city to less than a square kilometer (less than a mile) of territory.

Still, al-Abadi and Iraqi commanders stopped short Sunday of declaring an outright victory against the extremists, who have occupied Mosul for three years. Losing Mosul would be a major defeat for the Islamic State, which has suffered major setbacks in the past year.

Iraqi Special Forces soldiers celebrate after reaching the bank of the Tigris river as their fight against Islamic State militants continues in parts of the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

"We are glad to see normal life return for the citizens," al-Abadi said, according to a statement from his office. "This is the result of the sacrifices of the (country's) heroic fighters."

Dressed in a black military uniform, the prime minister met field commanders, kissed babies and toured a reopened market in western Mosul. At one point, he briefly draped an Iraqi flag on his shoulders.

A few kilometers away, special forces commanders climbed over mounds of rubble on the edge of Mosul's Old City to plant an Iraqi flag on the western bank of the Tigris, marking weeks of hard-fought gains in the heart of the congested district.

Suddenly, two shots from an IS sniper rang out, sending the men scrambling for cover. The flag was retrieved and planted farther upriver behind a wall that protected it from a cluster of IS-held buildings nearby.

"We've been fighting this terrorist group for 3 1/2 years now," said Lt. Gen. Abdul Wahab al-Saadi of the special forces. "Now we are in Mosul, the east part was liberated, and there's only a small part left in the west."

Al-Saadi emphasized that despite the flag-raising, the operation to clear Mosul of the militants was ongoing. Behind him, a group of soldiers and local journalists recording the scene sang a traditional Iraqi victory ballad.

Lt. Gen. Jassim Nizal of the army's 9th Division said his forces achieved "victory" in their sector, after a similar announcement a day earlier by the militarized Federal Police.

Soldiers danced atop tanks to patriotic music even as airstrikes sent up plumes of smoke nearby.

But the backdrop to the moments of revelry was a grinding conflict and widespread devastation.

Inside the Old City - home to buildings that date back centuries - the path carved by Iraqi forces leveled homes, shattered priceless architecture and littered the narrow alleys with corpses decomposing in the summer heat.

Less than an hour after the flag-raising, special forces Lt. Col. Muhanad al-Timimi was told that two of his men were shot by an IS sniper, and one of them had died.

"He was one of our best," al-Timimi said. "He just got married six months ago."

Blocks from the army celebrations, a line of weary civilians walked out of the Old City, past the shells of destroyed apartment blocks lining roads cratered by airstrikes.

Heba Walid held her sister-in-law's baby, which was born into war. The parents of the 6-month-old, along with 15 other family members, were killed last month when an airstrike hit their home. When Walid ran out of formula, she fed the baby a paste of crushed biscuits mixed with water.

Inside IS-held territory, the extremists are using human shields, suicide bombers and snipers in a fight to the death that has slowed recent Iraqi gains to a crawl.

Islamic State militants seized Mosul in the summer of 2014 when they swept across northern and central Iraq. That summer, the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, appeared at Mosul's al-Nuri Mosque and declared a caliphate on territory it seized in Iraq and Syria.

Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul in October. The fierce battle has killed thousands and displaced more than 897,000 people.

Last month, as Iraqi troops closed in on the Old City, the militants destroyed the al-Nuri Mosque and its famous leaning minaret to deny the forces a symbolic triumph.

U.S.-backed Syrian forces have encircled and pushed into the Islamic State's de facto capital of Raqqa in neighboring Syria after a month of fighting, although a long battle lies ahead.

More than 2,000 militants are holed up with their families and tens of thousands of civilians in Raqqa's center, the city's most densely populated districts.

The extremists still hold several smaller towns and villages across Iraq and Syria.

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Salaheddin reported from Baghdad. Associated Press writer Salar Salim in Mosul contributed.

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, center, holds a national flag upon his arrival to Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. Backed by the U.S.-led coalition, Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants in October. (Iraqi Federal Police Press Office via AP)

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, center right, shakes hands with Lieutenant General Raid Shaker Jawlat, center left, the commander of Iraqi federal police upon his arrival in Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. Backed by the U.S.-led coalition, Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants in October. (Iraqi Federal Police Press Office via AP)

Iraqi soldiers walk in a damaged street as Iraqi forces continue their fight against Islamic State militants in parts of the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, center, holds a national flag upon his arrival to Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. Backed by the U.S.-led coalition, Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants in October. (Iraqi Federal Police Press Office via AP)

Iraqi Army soldiers gather to celebrate their gains as their fight against Islamic State militants continues in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Iraqi civilians sit inside a house as they wait to be taken out of the Old City during fighting between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

A boy sits next to a defaced drawing of the Islamic State flag while waiting in a house to be taken out of the Old City during fighting between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants, in Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

An Iraqi Special Forces soldiers drives a humvee through the Old City as the fight against Islamic State militants continues in Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Iraqi security and civilians celebrate while holding national flags as they wait for the final announcement of the defeat of the Islamic state militants, in Basra, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. Backed by the U.S.-led coalition, Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants in October. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani)

Iraqi security and civilians celebrate while holding national flags as they wait for the final announcement of the defeat of the Islamic state militants, in Basra, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. Backed by the U.S.-led coalition, Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants in October. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani)

Iraqi security and civilians celebrate while holding national flags as they wait for the final announcement of the defeat of the Islamic state militants, in Basra, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. Backed by the U.S.-led coalition, Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants in October. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani)

Iraqi security and civilians celebrate while holding national flags as they wait for the final announcement of the defeat of the Islamic state militants, in Basra, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. Backed by the U.S.-led coalition, Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants in October. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani)

Iraqis celebrate in Tahrir square while holding national flags as they wait for the final announcement of the defeat of the Islamic state militants, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. Backed by the U.S.-led coalition, Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants in October. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

Iraqis celebrate in Tahrir square as they wait for the final announcement of the defeat of the Islamic state militants, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. Backed by the U.S.-led coalition, Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants in October. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

Iraqis celebrate in Tahrir square while holding national flags as they wait for the final announcement of the defeat of the Islamic state militants, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. Backed by the U.S.-led coalition, Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants in October. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

Iraqi security forces deploy as civilians celebrate in Tahrir square while holding national flags as they wait for the final announcement of the defeat of the Islamic state militants, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. Backed by the U.S.-led coalition, Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants in October. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Iraqis celebrate in Tahrir square while holding national flags as they wait for the final announcement of the defeat of the Islamic state militants, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. Backed by the U.S.-led coalition, Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants in October. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

Iraqis celebrate in Tahrir square while holding a giant national flag as they wait for the final announcement of the defeat of the Islamic state militants, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. Backed by the U.S.-led coalition, Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants in October. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

Iraqis celebrate in Tahrir square while holding a giant national flag as they wait for the final announcement of the defeat of the Islamic state militants, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. Backed by the U.S.-led coalition, Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants in October. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Iraqis celebrate in Tahrir square while holding national flags as they wait for the final announcement of the defeat of the Islamic state militants, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. Backed by the U.S.-led coalition, Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants in October. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
JUBA, South Sudan (AP) - For the second year in a row, the world's youngest nation will not have any official celebrations to mark the anniversary of its birth because of the widespread suffering caused by its ongoing civil war.

"We did not feel it was appropriate to spend whatever little funds we may have to celebrate, when our people are hugely affected by the economic crisis," said South Sudan President Salva Kiir in an address to the nation on Sunday. "It's difficult for many people to afford even one meal per day."

Six years after South Sudan gained independence, the country is ravaged by fighting, severe hunger, mass displacement and accusations of war crimes by government and opposition forces.

President of South Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit speaks on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of his country's independence at the presidential palace in Juba, Sunday, July 9, 2017. For the second year in a row, the world's youngest nation will not have any official celebrations to mark the anniversary of its birth because of the widespread suffering caused by its ongoing civil war. (AP Photo/ Samir Bol)

For the country's 11 million people, what began with optimism has turned into a day of mourning.

Six years ago, on July 9, Martha Athieng slaughtered a bull with her family and friends and danced around her village.

"We all hoped for a better life," said Athieng. "We never knew we'd start killing each other."

When the war broke out, Athieng's husband and mother in law were both shot dead in fighting that erupted in her town in Jonglei state. Sitting in the dirt in Mingkaman, a village that's not her own, Athieng said she prays for peace so she can return home and rebuild her life. A visit to Mingkaman by The Associated Press days before the anniversary confirmed the suffering across the country.

During four years of fighting, South Sudan's situation has gravely deteriorated.

Roughly 4 million people have been forced to flee their houses, more than half of them children, said the Norwegian Refugee Council. Six million people - half the country's population - are in need of food aid and almost 2 million South Sudanese are living as refugees in neighboring countries.

"South Sudan's independence day is overshadowed by conflict and an unprecedented food crisis," said country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council, Rehana Zawar.

In his address to the nation, Kiir said the only solution is peace and he called on all armed groups to renounce violence and respect the cease-fire.

Earlier this year, the government declared a unilateral cease-fire, however reports of fighting by government forces have continued.

Four days ago the opposition reported government attacks on rebel-held territory. "They're randomly shelling and killing people along the way," said opposition spokesman, William Gatjiath Deng.

Kiir also urged the international community to support the national dialogue, announcing that the government has earmarked about $200 million for this "crucial national project."

However experts say what South Sudan needs now are less words and more action. "The national dialogue is a political game," said Jacob Chol, professor of comparative politics at the University of Juba. "It's not a participatory process, the president just wanted to bring everyone together to feel in control. I won't be surprised if nothing changes."

The U.S., which played an important role in helping South Sudan to reach independence, sent a somber statement marking the anniversary.

"The United States remains deeply committed to a stable and inclusive South Sudan, and stresses once again that there is no military solution to this conflict," said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert. "On this day meant to celebrate South Sudan's creation, we call upon South Sudan's leaders and all parties to end this self-destructive violence, to return to political dialogue, and to help South Sudan realize its full potential."

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AP writer Josh Lederman in Washington, DC, contributed to this story.
BOSTON (AP) - For centuries, sailors have shouted their own language aboard - "Hoist sail!" ''Prepare to come about!" ''Anchors aweigh!"

Now they're teaming up with conservationists to put a new twist on another ancient cry - "Whales ho!"

The sport of sailboat racing and nonprofit groups are floating new guidelines aimed at increasing awareness of the majestic mammals and reducing potentially fatal collisions with endangered North Atlantic right whales and other species.

In this September 9, 2010 photograph provided by Whale and Dolphin Conservation organization, two humpback whales crest next to a sailboat on Stellwagen Bank off the coast of Cape Cod, Mass. The sport of sailboat racing and nonprofit groups are floating new guidelines aimed at increasing awareness of the majestic mammals to reduce potentially fatal collisions with endangered North Atlantic right whales and other species. (Heidi Hansen/Whale and Dolphin Conservation photo via AP)

The guidelines were just incorporated into two major open-ocean sailing competitions - the Marblehead to Halifax race starting Sunday from Massachusetts and stretching to Nova Scotia; and last week's Vineyard Cup regatta off Martha's Vineyard.

Race crews for both events were given customized information telling them where whales were likely to congregate along their courses.

Collisions can be rough on competitors - and crippling or deadly for whales.

Marine scientists said last month that six rare right whales died in Canadian waters in the past few weeks. Preliminary investigations suggest collisions with vessels likely were to blame for at least two of those deaths, and another whale died after becoming entangled in fishing gear.

Federal law requires all boats to slow down in shipping channels known to be frequented by whales. But that doesn't always help animals in the open Atlantic, where racing sailboats are moving fast.

"In the last year, at least two sailors in open ocean races collided with whales during the competition and had to be rescued," said Monica Pepe, policy manager for Whale and Dolphin Conservation, a conservation and research organization based in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

"We're hopeful that the information we've shared will help to keep everyone safe and help sailors know what to look for while also encouraging them to report any sightings of whales in distress along their courses," Pepe said. Organizers hope the America's Cup and other major races eventually incorporate it, she said.

Sailors are given tips to navigate safely around whales; contact information for authorities in case they see a whale or sea turtle that's entangled or otherwise in distress; and reminders on keeping debris out of the ocean. It's tailored to each race; course maps are overlaid with any nearby whale habitat.

The Audubon Society of Rhode Island and the New Bedford Whaling Museum helped Pepe's group launch the initiative, which has been dubbed "Sharing the Seas."

The joint effort also involved US Sailing, the sport's national governing body, and Sailors for the Sea, a Newport, Rhode Island-based group that promotes responsible ocean stewardship among sailors.

Anne Coulombe, co-director of the Marblehead to Halifax race, calls the information "critical to the safety of our racing crews as well as to marine life."

"We thought it essential to include it in our skipper's packets," she said.

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Follow Bill Kole on Twitter at https://twitter.com/billkole . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/William%20J.%20Kole .
The United States has assured its Ukrainian partners that sanctions against Russia will not be lifted until Ukrainian territory has been liberated, and the Minsk peace agreements on Donbas have been implemented, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"We have also discussed the sanctions in detail, and there has been confirmation that lifting the sanctions is out of the question if the Minsk agreements have not been implemented and Ukrainian territory has not been liberated," Poroshenko said at a joint briefing with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Kyiv on Sunday.

The two officials also touched on the issue of the Russian occupation of Crimea.

"Mr. Secretary of State has assured me that Crimea always remains on the agenda and the issue of securing territorial integrity and ending the illegal annexation of Crimea is also a firm condition for lifting the sanctions from the Russian Federation," Poroshenko added.

"U.S. and EU sanctions on Russia will remain in place until Moscow reverses the actions that triggered these particular sanctions," Tillerson said in turn at the briefing after the bilateral meeting.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump said Sunday that "it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia" after his lengthy meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Germany. But he is still avoiding the question of whether he accepts Putin's denial that Russia was responsible for meddling in the 2016 election.

Speaking in a series of tweets the morning after returning from a world leaders' summit in Germany, Trump said he "strongly pressed" Putin twice over Russian meddling during their meeting Friday.

Trump said that Putin "vehemently denied" the conclusions of American intelligence agencies that Russian hackers and propagandists tried to sway the election in Trump's favor. But Trump would not say whether he believed Putin, tweeting only that he's "already given my opinion."

President Donald Trump smiles as he walks on the South Lawn upon arrival the White House in Washington, Saturday, July 8, 2017, from the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Trump has said he thinks Russia probably hacked the emails of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton staffers, but that "other people and/or countries" were likely involved as well. He said ahead of the meeting that, "Nobody knows for sure."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov first told reporters in Germany on Friday that Trump had accepted Putin's assurances that Russia hadn't meddled - an assertion Putin repeated Saturday after the Group of 20 summit. Putin said he left the meeting thinking that Trump had believed his in-person denials.

"He asked questions, I replied. It seemed to me that he was satisfied with the answers," Putin said.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did not answer directly when asked Sunday if Trump had accepted Putin's denial, but told reporters in Ukraine that Trump's conversation with Putin on election interference went "about the way we expected." Tillerson was the only other American official in the room.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also declined to say whether Trump accepted Putin's denial. "Why would President Trump broadcast exactly what he said in the meeting? Strategically that makes no sense," Mnuchin said. "He's made it very clear how he feels. He's made it very clear that he addressed it straight on."

But White House chief of staff Reince Priebus took issue with Putin's characterization.

"The president absolutely didn't believe the denial of President Putin," Priebus said. He said Trump had spent a "large part of the meeting on the subject," but wanted to move onto other subjects.

He and other administration officials said Trump did not want Russian interference in last year's election to prevent him from working with Putin's government on other issues, including the civil war in Syria.

"You know, the past, I don't know if we will ever come to an agreement, obviously with our Russian counterparts on that. I think the important thing is how do we assure that this doesn't happen again," Tillerson said.

Tillerson said that, "In all candidness, we did not expect an answer other than the one we received" from Russia.

"Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections," added Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. "This is Russia trying to save face."

But in a show of U.S.-Russian cooperation, officials announced during the trip that the two sides had brokered a cease-fire in southern Syria that went into effect Sunday. Trump tweeted that the deal "will save lives."

The two sides also agreed to create what Trump described in a tweet as "an impenetrable Cyber Security unit" to ensure that "election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded."

However, the idea drew widespread ridicule and Trump sent out another tweet Sunday night in which he seemed to back off: "The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesn't mean I think it can happen. It can't-but a ceasefire can,& did!"

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was among critics of the task force on Twitter and Sunday morning news shows.

"It's not the dumbest idea I've ever heard, but it's pretty close," Graham said, adding that, when it comes to Russia, the president has "a blind spot."

"And to forgive and forget when it comes to Putin regarding cyberattacks is to empower Putin and that's exactly what he's doing," he added.

Another Senate Republican, Marco Rubio of Florida, said on Twitter that "partnering with Putin on a 'Cyber Security Unit' is akin to partnering with Assad on a 'Chemical Weapons Unit.'" Rubio was referring to Syrian President Bashar Assad and his regime's use of chemical weapons against its own citizens."

Former Defense Secretary Ash Carter equated the move to "like the guy who robbed your house proposing a working group on burglary."

And Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said that expecting Russia to be a credible partner in any cybersecurity initiative "would be dangerously naive for this country."

"If that's our best election defense, we might as well just mail our ballot boxes to Moscow," he said.

Haley, however, defended the move, arguing that working with Russia on cybersecurity "doesn't mean we ever trust Russia. We can't trust Russia and we won't ever trust Russia. But you keep those that you don't trust closer so that you can always keep an eye on 'em and keep them in check."

Trump also tweeted Sunday that sanctions against Russia were not discussed at his meeting with Putin, seemingly contradicting comments made by Tillerson in Germany. Tillerson told reporters that the president had taken "note of actions that have been discussed by the Congress" in the meeting. Congress has been pushing to increase sanctions on Russia and make them harder for Trump to lift.

Haley and Schiff spoke on CNN's "State of the Union," Mnuchin on ABC's "The Week," Priebus on "Fox News Sunday," and Graham on NBC's "Meet the Press."

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Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report from Kiev, Ukraine.

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Follow Colvin on Twitter at https://twitter.com/colvinj

President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon arrival the White House in Washington, Saturday, July 8, 2017, from the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - The pressure is on Republican senators - from congressional leaders, conservative groups and impatient GOP voters - to fulfill a seven-year-old promise to scrap much of Democrat Barack Obama's health care law. But back home, Republican governors who have experienced some of the upside of the law are warning their GOP senators to first, do no harm.

For these governors, the issue is less about delivering a triumph to President Donald Trump and more about not blowing a hole in state budgets and maintaining health care coverage for constituents. In the critical next few weeks, some governors are uniquely positioned to press home-state Republican senators who could deny Majority Leader Mitch McConnell the votes he needs to pass a Republican health care bill.

"We are the voice of reality," Nevada GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval told The Associated Press.

FILE - In this Friday, June 23, 2017 file photo, Gov. Brian Sandoval, left, and U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., give a news conference in Las Vegas where the senator announced he will vote no on the proposed GOP healthcare bill. A handful of Republican governors, including Sandoval, who support some of the key pillars of former President Barack Obama's health care law are among the main reasons Senate leaders cannot persuade enough Republicans to get behind their repeal-and-replace effort. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)

Sandoval said he has been in regular contact with Nevada Republican Sen. Dean Heller to discuss the ramifications of the evolving GOP plan. Heller, who faces a tough re-election next year, has joined Sandoval in opposing the current measure.

For wary Republicans, the main concerns about the GOP plan are rolling back premium subsidies that help people buy private insurance policies and phasing out the expansion of Medicaid, the federal-state insurance program for the poor, disabled and many nursing home patients. In Nevada, more than 220,000 residents have gained coverage through Medicaid expansion, 13,000 of them children.

"They set policy, but we're the ones who have to develop the budgets, develop the care, develop the plans, work directly with the people," Sandoval said. He said if money is reduced, governors will be left to decide among unpopular choices: "Raise a tax or limit coverage or change eligibility requirements" for coverage.

Heller is listening.

"I cannot support a piece of legislation that takes insurance away from tens of millions of Americans and tens of thousands of Nevadans," he said recently.

Ohio's John Kasich has been one of the most outspoken GOP governors in criticizing GOP proposals. That has increased pressure on Ohio GOP Sen. Rob Portman, who announced his opposition to the bill after McConnell abruptly postponed a vote.

"My concern all along has been, could low-income Ohioans get access to the health care they need and more specifically, the treatment for the opioid epidemic?" he told reporters this past week.

Portman said he has discussed with Kasich various financing options that would ease any changes to Medicaid while not gutting drug treatment programs. One McConnell proposal would be to provide an additional $45 billion over a decade for states' drug abuse programs.

In Arizona, GOP Gov. Doug Ducey has called Obama's law "a disaster" and stopped short of outright opposition to McConnell's version. But he has urged Republican Sens. Jeff Flake and John McCain to shield states from extensive Medicaid cuts. The program covers 1.9 million Arizonans, nearly 28 percent of all residents. The expansion alone covers 400,000.

Both senators have yet to indicate how they'd vote on a GOP bill.

Alaska's Bill Walker, an independent who identifies as a conservative, has had regular contacts with the state's two Republican senators - Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan - over what the Republican health care overhaul will mean for his state. Alaska has some of the highest health care costs and greatest medical needs in the country.

Traditional Medicaid covers about a quarter of Alaska's 740,000 residents, while the expansion benefits 34,000 more.

Murkowski has said she doesn't have enough information to vote for the GOP plan. She has opposed the elimination of federal money for Planned Parenthood, a provision of the bill.

McConnell has little wiggle room. With 52 Republican senators, just three defections leave him short of a majority. Democrats are unified in opposition.

The Republican leader has said he plans to introduce yet another version of the bill after Congress returns on Monday. But McConnell also said that if he is unable to get 50 votes for the GOP plan, he would try to shore up insurance markets, a legislative step that would involve Democrats.

In Nevada, Sandoval and Heller have a public service record that has overlapped since 1994, when Sandoval won a seat in the Nevada Legislature and then-Assemblyman Heller was elected to the secretary of state's office. Sharing a moderate approach in their conservativism, they have a relationship going back decades.

"He trusts me to give him information," the governor said, "and he trusts me" for speaking up for people who have benefited from the Medicaid expansion.

When scandal forced out Republican Sen. John Ensign in 2011, Sandoval tapped then-Rep. Dean Heller to fill the Senate seat.

Asked whether he would consider endorsing one of Heller's challengers if the senator eventually voted to roll back Medicaid, Sandoval laughed.

"No," he said. "Absolutely not."

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Barrow reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; Bob Christie in Phoenix, and Dan Sewell in Cincinnati contributed to this report.

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Follow Noon and Barrow on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AlisonNoon and https://twitter.com/BillBarrowAP
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - The national carriers of Jordan and Kuwait announced Sunday that passengers will once again be allowed to carry personal electronics, including laptops, on board U.S.-bound flights, ending a ban that had been imposed in March.

The U.S. had issued the ban over concerns Islamic State fighters and other extremists could hide bombs inside laptops.

Royal Jordanian said Sunday it had implemented "enhanced security measures" in line with U.S. Department of Homeland Security requirements. The airline did not describe the new measures.

Kuwait Airlines said the decision to lift the ban came after U.S. officials inspected the carrier's security measures.

In March, the U.S. had banned laptops from airplane cabins on direct, U.S.-bound flights from 10 cities in the Middle East and Turkey.

Several of these airlines have received clearance in recent days to lift the ban.

Royal Jordanian operates 16 weekly non-stop flights to Chicago, New York and Detroit.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - For more than 90 minutes, 15-year-old Jaquin (jah-KWAHN') Thomas' motionless body hung from a New Orleans jail window bar before anyone noticed.

The suicide last fall was the second in a year at the new jail, which was supposed to help solve a myriad of longstanding problems: suicide attempts, inmate violence, drug use and guards using too much force. Instead, Jaquin's suicide refocused attention on the conditions at the notoriously dangerous lockup, where reform has been slow.

U.S. District Judge Lance Africk has repeatedly lamented years of little or no progress in implementing court-ordered changes, although he expressed optimism at a hearing in June that a new jail director can turn things around.

In this 2014 photo released by Jeanine McNeal, Jaquin Thomas, 14, poses for a photo in the yard of family friend McNeal in New Orleans. Thomas was arrested in July 2016, at age 15, and accused of murder and eventually sent to the New Orleans jail to await trial. He killed himself Oct. 17, 2016. (Jeanine McNeal via AP)

"Needless to say," Africk said, "15-year-olds should not be hanging themselves in the jail."

Jaquin landed in adult jail when he and his uncle were charged with second-degree murder. Police said Jaquin and 35-year-old Tyrance Chancellor forced their way into a New Orleans apartment. There was a scuffle inside; Hasahn Shawl, 24, was shot to death.

The motive is unclear, but Shawl's mother, Trellis Hughes, said she believes Chancellor had a disagreement with her son over a woman.

A witness told police Chancellor exited the apartment and said, "I don't know why Jaquin shot him."

Thomas was taken to a juvenile facility, but with prosecutors pursuing a murder charge, he was transferred to adult jail. The exact date of his transfer is unclear but he was there by early September, according to a lawsuit filed by his family. He killed himself Oct. 17.

He had an absentee father and an often-incarcerated mother. At 4, he was among tens of thousands of evacuees during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He wound up in the care of his grandmother, Tina Thomas. She, too, had evacuated New Orleans, settling in her small hometown of Ville Platte, 160 miles (250 km) away.

Before Jaquin's death, a teacher, a minister and others told a judge in letters that he was well-behaved, respectful and enthusiastic about sports. A cousin, Barbara Thomas, said Jaquin was industrious, helping her husband fix bicycles and lawnmowers.

"He fixed one for himself and cut grass during the summer," she recalled.

Jaquin loved visiting relatives in New Orleans, his grandmother said - the big city held more interest for him.

Last summer, he visited his uncle, Tina Thomas' brother, there.

"The last thing my brother told me: 'I'm not going to let nothing happen to him,'" Thomas said.

She said Jaquin worked with Chancellor at car washes, and the calls to her dwindled. The last time she talked to him before he was arrested, she detected slightly slurred words. She worried he was using drugs.

Jail was jarring for him.

Jeanine McNeal, a family friend who visited, said inmates stole his food and beat him. A sheriff's office attorney confirmed at a City Council hearing that Jaquin was hurt in a fight with a 16-year-old armed-robbery suspect weeks before the suicide.

"My child was scared out of his wits," Tina Thomas said. "He was like a little lamb with a bunch of wolves."

The sheriff's office said a guard was supposed to check on inmates in Jaquin's area every 15 minutes. An investigation found that then-Deputy Keriana Alexcee spotted Thomas at a desk in his cell writing something (a suicide note was later found); 40 minutes later, surveillance video "captured the inmate standing on a stool inside of his cell, reaching for the area of the cell's window."

Alexcee passed the cell four times before noticing Thomas' body suspended under the window - 90 minutes after he's believed to have lost consciousness, an arrest warrant said. She pleaded not guilty to malfeasance.

About a year before the suicide, inmates were moved from the deteriorating, aging Orleans Parish Prison complex to a new jail, dubbed the Orleans Justice Center. Tasked with running it, Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlon Gusman hailed the move as a major step.

About six months after it opened, inmate Cleveland Tumblin, 63, hanged himself in a shower. An expert testifying in court said precious time was lost because a guard couldn't open the shower door from the outside.

Jaquin Thomas died seven months later. A third suicide occurred this spring. An inmate overdosed this year, and, inmate lawyers say there was a lengthy, violent disturbance last March. Jail monitors said the facility was no cure for decades of poorly trained, overworked guards; inadequate health care; and other problems.

The Orleans Justice Center is, in effect, under new management. Gusman was under pressure for failure to achieve reforms he agreed to in 2012 to settle a lawsuit by inmate advocates and the U.S. Justice Department. He agreed to cede authority over the jail to a "compliance director."

Former Maryland corrections chief Gary Maynard began work in October. The depth of problems he faced quickly became clear.

Judge Africk expressed confidence in Maynard, who's undertaking training and hiring efforts. But Africk said he doesn't expect quick change: "Future tragedies and tears are inevitable."

Thomas' family has sued jail officials, the city and district attorney, seeking unspecified damages.

Hughes, mother of the man Jaquin was accused of killing, said it's been hard to bear public sympathy for Jaquin. While the Thomas family said he should've been under constant supervision at the jail, Hughes questions why he wasn't better supervised as a teen on the streets. "Who was watching him the morning my child was killed?" she said.
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (AP) - The Latest on wildfires in the western U.S. and Canada (all times local):

3:58 p.m.

Two major wildfires in California have sent nearly 8,000 people fleeing to safety.

This photo provided by KEYT-TV shows smoke looming above Broadcast Peak behind a fire break along a ridge line east of Cachuma Lake in Santa Barbara County, Calif., Sunday, July 9, 2017. Wildfires barreled across the baking landscape of the western U.S. and Canada, destroying a smattering of homes, forcing thousands to flee and temporarily trapping children and counselors at a California campground. Southern California crews hope slightly cooler temperatures and diminishing winds will help in the battle Sunday. (John Palminteri/KEYT-TV via AP)

Fire officials said on Sunday 4,000 people evacuated and other 7,400 were told to prepare to leave their homes as a fire swept through grassy foothills in the Sierra Nevada, about 60 miles north of Sacramento.

A California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman said that fire has burned nearly 8 square miles (20 sq. kilometers) and has destroyed at least 10 structures.

Mary Ann Aldrich said additional homes were destroyed overnight. An inspection team is trying to determine the extent of the damage.

In Southern California, some 3,600 people evacuated as a result of a wildfire in the Santa Ynez Valley east of Santa Barbara. The fire sent hundreds of campers, including a group of 90 children, scrambling when it began Saturday and burned on both sides of State Route 154.

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1 p.m.

Destructive wildfires burning across the West have charred a handful more buildings and led to more evacuations.

In rural Arizona, fire officials say three homes were among 10 buildings that were burned. The wildfire there has led to the evacuation of the entire town of Dudleyville, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Phoenix.

A wildfire burning in near Summer Lake in south-central Oregon has destroyed a hunting cabin and an outbuilding.

In California, officials expanded evacuations around a wildfire that had destroyed 10 buildings in rural Northern California.

More than 200 wildfires were burning in the Canadian province of British Columbia, forcing thousands to flee.

And in Nevada, fire officials have ordered evacuations for a wildfire that is near the same area where another blaze has already burned for days. Officials said a dozen homes are threatened but that the situation benefited from having firefighters nearby.

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9:55 a.m.

California crews are hoping slightly cooler temperatures and diminishing winds will help in the battle against three major wildfires that have destroyed structures, closed a highway and forced evacuations.

One of two fires raging in Santa Barbara County grew to 12 square miles (31 square kilometers) early Sunday, traversing a mountain range and heading south toward coastal Goleta. There is minimal containment and flames have shut down State Route 154.

County fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni says crews will use air tankers to attack that fire and another one about 50 miles north that exploded in size to 37.5 square miles (97 square kilometers).

At least 10 buildings have burned in a blaze in Northern California's rural Butte County that has forced 3,500 people from homes.

In Wyoming, fire managers say good weather has helped them make progress fighting a wildfire burning in beetle-killed trees.

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8 a.m.

Wildfires barreled across the baking landscape of the western U.S. and Canada, destroying a smattering of homes, forcing thousands to flee and temporarily trapping children and counselors at a California campground.

A pair of wildfires egged on by record-breaking heat in Southern California quickly spread, threatening hundreds of homes and forcing evacuations at a popular lakeside campground and a summer camp.

In Northern California, a Butte County wildfire swept through grassy foothills and destroyed 10 structures, including homes, and led to several minor injuries.

Firefighters were contending with nearly 200 wildfires burning in British Columbia that had destroyed dozens of buildings, including several homes and two airport hangars.

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10 p.m. SATURDAY

A pair of California wildfires have quickly spread, threatening hundreds of homes and forcing evacuations at a popular lakeside campground and a summer camp where flames temporarily trapped children and counselors, a fire official said.

The fire that started early Saturday afternoon in Santa Barbara County had spread to both sides of Highway 154 and was "completely out of control," county fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni said. About 90 children and 50 counselors were struck at the Circle V Ranch and had to take shelter there until they could be safely evacuated.

In other parts of the West, evacuation orders were lifted in Colorado and Montana towns threatened by wildfires, while air and ground crews battled a growing grass fire in northwestern Colorado.

A plane drops retardant while battling a wildfire near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. The fire south of Oroville was one of more than a dozen burning in the state as firefighters worked in scorching temperatures to control unruly flames. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

CalFire firefighter Jake Hainey battles a wildfire near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. The fire was one of more than a dozen burning in the state as firefighters worked in scorching temperatures to control unruly flames. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

FILE - This Wednesday, July 5, 2017 file photo provided by Tony Cooper a wildfire burning near Breckenridge, Colo. The fire has not spread much since this dramatic flareup. Residents in the mountain town are under orders to be ready to leave if that changes but, in the meantime, it continues to welcome visitors that help drive its economy. (Tony Cooper via AP, File)

The remains of a recreational vehicle rest in a clearing after a wildfire burned through the property on Saturday, July 8, 2017, near Oroville, Calif. The fire south of Oroville was one of more than a dozen burning in the state as firefighters worked in scorching temperatures to control unruly flames. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Jim Berglund sprays water while defending his home as a wildfire approaches on Saturday, July 8, 2017, near Oroville, Calif. Although flames leveled Berglund's barn, his home remained unscathed as the main fire head passed. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Jim Berglund sprays water while defending his home as a wildfire approaches on Saturday, July 8, 2017, near Oroville, Calif. Although flames leveled Berglund's barn, his home remained unscathed as the main fire head passed. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

A charred desk rests outside a residence after a wildfire burned through the property on Saturday, July 8, 2017, near Oroville, Calif. The fast-moving wildfire in the Sierra Nevada foothills destroyed structures, including homes, and led to several minor injuries, fire officials said Saturday as blazes threatened homes around California during a heat wave. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
STUART, Fla. (AP) - The rector of an Episcopal church in North Carolina is facing criminal charges in Florida after police say he pointed a gun at another vehicle in an apparent road rage incident.

Media reports say 35-year-old Rev. William Rian Adams is charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Martin County, Florida records show he was released from jail on $15,000 bail.

State troopers say a pickup truck driver was closely following a Corvette on Florida's Turnpike and tried to pass the car when its driver pointed a handgun at him. Troopers then stopped Adams in the Corvette.

Records show Adams is rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in Fletcher, North Carolina. Church officials didn't immediately respond to a call seeking comment and no attorney was listed for Adams.
A Team USA gymnastics doctor has reportedly signed plea deal after admitting sexually abusing young girls.

Dr. Larry Nassar, 53, is charged with multiple counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct after six athletes who sought treatment for injuries with him as minors accused him of assault.

Documents obtained by The Detroit News and the Lansing State Journal show a guilty plea has been signed by the doctor.

A formal plea agreement hasn't been filed with the court.

Michigan sports doctor Larry Nassar (left and right) has reportedly signed plea deal after admitting sexually abusing young girls

Last week, an Ingham County judge ordered Nassar to stand trial on the sex assault charges, while he separately faces child pornography charges in federal court.

Nassar and Michigan State are also being sued by dozens of women and girls, while a motion filed Friday in federal court seeks to add 23 more plaintiffs.

Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics is a defendant in some of the lawsuits.

One of his victims had described the sexual abuse she suffered aged 11 at the hands of Nassar, during a 2012 appointment for a heel injury.

She told the court, at an earlier hearing, how the Michigan sports doctor has asked her father to leave the room before he penetrated her with his fingers. At the time, she hadn't said anything because she was embarrassed and thought it might be a legitimate procedure.

'I remember lots of pain,' the 16-year-old, identified as victim A, told a judge.

Defense attorney Shannon Smith talks to her client Dr. Larry Nassar during his preliminary hearing on sexual assault charges on Friday in Michigan

Nassar, 53, is charged with multiple counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct after six athletes who sought treatment for injuries with him as minors accused him of assault

The case involves seven women or girls, although dozens of others have also accused him of sexually assaulting them and are suing him in federal court.

Nassar was a doctor at Michigan State University and at USA Gymnastics, which trains Olympians and other elite athletes. He's accused of molesting the women and girls with his hands but denies wrongdoing.

The 16-year-old, who was abused while seeking treatment for an injured heel, described the doctor as being 'quite sweaty' during the alleged assault and 'into it' but did not have an erection, according to MLive.

She said he also touched her labia majora, clitoris and the inside of her vagina while rubbing the thigh of the leg that had a painful heel.

She said she came forward after reading other gymnasts' accounts last year in an Indianapolis Star story about Nassar.

'Everything in my mind clicked, and everything crystallized, of him abusing girls,' she told the outlet.

Larissa Boyce (right), now 36, revealed how she was one of the first to accuse Team USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar of sexual abuse when she was 16 years old (left), but she was ignored for decades before dozens of other victims came forward. 'Everyone thought I was a liar' she said

The subsequent months have been tough.

'There have been lots of nights where I just cried and cried,' she said.

Another 16-year-old girl had testified on May 12 that she went to Nassar to help her back, but she said he never indicated that he would be touching her private areas with ungloved hands.

Another alleged victim, 18, said that while the doctor went inside of her vagina with his fingers he peppered her with questions such as 'Does this feel better? Does this take your pain away?'

She also said he opened her rectum with tape but didn't touch it, and told her he did this for all the Olympians. She said she's having a hard time concentrating on her senior year in high school because of the trauma.

Dantzscher was first seen by Nassar at age 13 after she earned a spot on the US junior national team in 1995 but complained of back pain

US national rhythmic gymnastics champion Jessica Howard (right) and US team gymnast Jeanette Antolin (left) have also alleged abuse at the hands of Nassar

'This has taken over and has been on my mind all the time. It's like I can't get away,' she testified.

Nassar is facing four separate criminal cases, including one alleging he had child pornography.

Three former Team USA gymnasts, including an Olympic medalist, previously detailed claims of sexual abuse allegedly at the hands of the same doctor.

Sydney Olympics bronze medalist Jamie Dantzscher, US national rhythmic gymnastics champion Jessica Howard and US team gymnast Jeanette Antolin revealed the allegations of abuse by Dr Larry Nassar on 60 Minutes in February.

'He would put his fingers inside of me and move my leg around,' Dantzscher told the program. 'He would tell me I was going to feel a pop and that that would put my hips back and help my back pain.

'It happened all the way to the Olympics in Sydney, until I was 18.'

Dantzscher filed a lawsuit against Nassar in California last September as 'Jane Doe', but gave up her anonymity for the 60 Minutes interview.

Howard, who was the national rhythmic gymnasts champion from 1999 through 2001, said she had a severe hip problem when she was 15 and USA Gymnastics suggested she go to a camp called Karolyi Ranch to work with Nassar.

'He started massaging me. And he had asked me not to wear any underwear. And then he just continued to go into more and more intimate places,' she said.

Howard, who was the national rhythmic gymnasts champion from 1999 through 2001, said she had a severe hip problem when she was 15 and started being treated by Nassar

Antolin, a US team member from 1995 to 2000, said she only realized last year what she thought was treatment had been abuse after speaking with other gymnasts

'I remember thinking something was off but I didn't feel like I was able to say anything because he was, you know, this very high-profile doctor. And I was very lucky to be at the ranch working with him.'

The Karolyi ranch near Houston, Texas is an extensive training camp for Team USA gymnasts run by coaches Bela and Martha Karolyi.

The athletes would stay in cabins for the duration of the camp, which is where Nassar was on hand to treat the girls.

Nassar, who treated elite US gymnasts as Olympic team physician from 1996 to 2015, is accused by former athletes of inserting un-gloved fingers into their anuses and vaginas and fondling their breasts.

Nassar has denied the charges, saying he conducted only legitimate medical procedures.

Antolin, a US team member from 1995 to 2000, said she only realized last year what she thought was treatment had been abuse.

'It was like a light bulb went off,' Antolin said. 'I trusted this man. Just knowing how vulnerable I was as a kid, to not know something like that would be inappropriate, just ruined me.

'I remember being uncomfortable because of the area. But in my mind, I was like: "If this helps, I'll do anything".'

California attorney John Manly is representing more than 40 women in a lawsuit against USA Gymnastics for failing to protect his clients.

He says Nassar may have abused hundreds of girls over more than two decades, many at the ranch training headquarters.

'This is somebody who is a serial predator. But the story here is that no one was watching to protect these girls, and they (USA Gymnastics and the Karolyis) put medals and money first.'
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Police in the Maine city of Portland have captured a large lizard that's been on the loose in a residential neighborhood.

Residents of a Deering home spotted the lizard in their backyard Thursday. Police say the lizard , an Argentina black and white tegu, was living under a shed in an old groundhog burrow.

An animal control officer was able to capture the reptile in a net Saturday by using hardboiled eggs as bait.

The Portland Police Department posted on Facebook a photo of animal control officer Ruu Weist holding the lizard, which she described as "actually very friendly, if headstrong and stubborn."

The Portland Press Herald reports (http://bit.ly/2tXnH2Q ) that the officer says the owner had apparently lost the female lizard while he let her sunbathe on his porch.

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Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com
WARD, Colo. (AP) - A teen staffer at a Colorado camp fought off a bear after waking up Sunday to find the animal biting his head and trying to drag him away.

The 19-year-old woke up at around 4 a.m. to a "crunching sound" with his head inside the mouth of the bear, which was trying to pull him out of his sleeping bag as he slept outside at Glacier View Ranch 48 miles (77 kilometers) northwest of Denver, Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill said. The teen punched and hit it and other staffers who were sleeping nearby yelled and swatted at the bear, which eventually left, she said.

The staffer, identified only as Dylan, was treated briefly at a hospital and released.

This still frame from video provided by KMGH-TV shows a teen staffer at a Colorado camp, who gave only his first name, Dylan, describing how he fought off a bear after waking up to find the animal biting his head and trying to drag him away at the camp near Ward, Colo., Sunday, July 9, 2017. The 19-year-old was awakened around 4 a.m. to a "crunching sound" with his head inside the mouth of the bear, which was trying to pull him out of his sleeping bag as he slept outside at the camp 48 miles (77 kilometers) northwest of Denver. (KMGH-TV via AP)

The teen told KMGH-TV that the bear dragged him ten to 12 feet before he was able to free himself.

"The crunching noise, I guess, was the teeth scraping against the skull as it dug in," said the teen, who teaches wilderness survival at the camp owned by the Rocky Mountain Conference of Seventh Day Adventists.

Dylan and the other staffers were near teepees where 12- and 13-year-old campers were sleeping. None of them were hurt.

Black bears aren't usually aggressive but have attacked several people in the West in recent weeks.

A woman and her dogs were attacked on Tuesday after they apparently surprised an adult bear and her cub in a huckleberry patch in the Idaho Panhandle National Forests.

Last month, black bears killed two people in Alaska in separate attacks.

Sixteen-year-old Patrick "Jack" Cooper of Anchorage was killed after he got lost and veered off a trail during a mountain race south of Anchorage. Mine contract worker Erin Johnson of Anchorage died and her co-worker was injured in a mauling about 275 miles northeast of Anchorage.

Black bears will defend their young and have been known to paw and bite tents with food inside. After the Colorado attack wildlife officers did not find any food that would have attracted the bear so they have set bear traps in the area and plan to continue a search for the bear with scent dogs on Monday.

The bear's behavior was so atypical that any bear found in the traps in the next few days will likely be euthanized and officials will test later to see if it was the same bear involved in the attack using DNA evidence, Churchill said.
NEW YORK (AP) - The carousel roof at the Playland amusement park in New York caught fire Sunday, but no one was injured and the historic ride was not damaged, officials said.

Video posted on Twitter showed the area around the carousel blocked by firetrucks Sunday as crowds of people milled about in the distance. A white plume of smoke could be seen billowing over the roof as firefighters blasted water onto it. The fire was contained in about an hour.

Peter Tartaglia, deputy commissioner of Westchester County Parks, Recreation and Conservation, said people were immediately evacuated from the ride. But the park was not closed as firefighters battled the blaze. He told the Journal News the cause was still undetermined.

In this image made from a video by News12 Westchester (News12WC), firefighters extinguish a blaze in the carousel at the Playland amusement park in Rye, N.Y., Sunday afternoon, July 9, 2017. Images posted on Twitter by News12WC showed the fire under control about an hour after it broke out. It wasn't clear if the inside was damaged or if it was just the roof. (News12WC via AP)

Tartaglia said the fire started on the left side of the carousel's dome roof.

"Our engineers will need to look at that building in order to determine when we can open that ride," he told the newspaper.

According to the Rye, New York, amusement park's website, the carousel was constructed in 1915 and has 66 horses and three chariots that circle a rare organ.

Playland is about 31 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of New York City.
ONEIDA, Wis. (AP) - Katherine Kirk won the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic on Sunday, matching Ashleigh Buhai with a birdie on the final hole for a one-stroke victory.

Four strokes ahead of Buhai entering the round, Kirk made a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th for a 2-under 70. She finished at 22-under 266 in the first year event at Thornberry Creek - the Oneida Nation-owned resort near Green Bay.

"I'm glad I didn't have to play extra holes, I'll tell you that, because I don't know how it would have turned out," Kirk said. "To make that putt was huge. I had a good line on it, obviously, and I'm just so happy. ... Ashleigh played great all day. I put the pressure on her. Pretty fun finish there. I knew I had to make it."

Katherine Kirk reacts after just missing a birdie putt on the ninth green during Round 4 of the Thornberry Creek LPGA golf Classic, Sunday, July 9, 2017 in Hobart, Wis. (Jim Matthews/The Post-Crescent via AP)

The 35-year-old Australian won her third LPGA Tour title and first in 152 starts since the 2010 Navistar LPGA Classic. She also won the 2008 Canadian Women's Open.

"Winning out here is hard, and it's a lot harder than when I first did it, that's for sure," Kirk said. "We've got so much talent out here now, it's definitely hard to win. I think, too, I'm like the 15th-oldest player on tour, so certainly if you're looking at age, it's more in favor of the younger generation these days. Hard work pays off. That's all I can say. I'm grateful for the opportunity to still be playing, and I still love it, and I've got a great team of people behind me, and I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them."

Kirk earned $300,000 and secured a spot next week in the U.S. Women's Open.

"Just winning is totally unexpected, and obviously getting in the Open is unexpected," Kirk said. "I've got to scramble and get a flight out there now and get my caddie out there and get accommodation. ... It's always fun to play in majors, and I'm carrying probably the best form into a major than I ever have before for me. That's going to be exciting. I just hope I can have enough energy to get me through the week."

She had six birdies and four bogeys Sunday after opening with rounds of 68, 63 and 65.

Buhai, from South Africa, shot a 67.

"We both played great this week," Buhai said about Kirk. "Today, 5 under, no bogeys. I had three lip-outs on the back nine, but I hit the putts and the shots that I had to just keep hitting. Finally on 18, it was just a little close, and enough to think maybe I could hole the putt, but the two shots Katherine hit on 16 and 18 to work it around trees were fantastic, so all good to her."

South Korea's Sei Young Kim was third at 20 under after a 63.

"I have good momentum," Kim said. "I'm very looking forward to next week, so exciting. I can't wait for next week."

Thailand's Pornanong Phatlum shot a career-best 62 - also the best round of the week - to finish fourth at 19 under.

"Tee shot pretty good and also putting very good," Phatlum said. "Like no three-putt, and then can make eight birdies and one eagle. Really fantastic."

Final group players Ashleigh Buhai, left, Ayako Uehara and Katherine Kirk have a large gallery following their group during Round 4 of the Thornberry Creek LPGA golf Classic, Sunday, July 9, 2017 in Hobart, Wis. (Jim Matthews/The Post-Crescent via AP)

Ashleigh Buhai hits from the ninth fairway during Round 4 of the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic, Sunday, July 9, 2017 in Hobart, Wis. (Jim Matthews/The Post-Crescent via AP)

Pornanong Phatlum hits a fairway wood on the ninth hole during Round 4 of the Thornberry Creek LPGA golf Classic, Sunday, July 9, 2017 in Hobart, Wis. (Jim Matthews/The Post-Crescent via AP)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - Sen. Bernie Sanders has ventured into a stronghold for President Donald Trump to urge West Virginia's Republican senator to resist efforts to repeal much of Barack Obama's health care law.

Speaking to hundreds of supporters Sunday in Morgantown, Sanders said if GOP Sen. Shelley Moore Capito's opposes her party's health care bill, it would "make all of the difference" in derailing the legislation. He urged the West Virginian to resist any deals from Senate Republican leaders, saying no tweaking would "undo the massive damage" the bill would cause.

The existing bill would fail if just three of the 52 Republicans vote no, since all Democrats oppose it. Capito was among at least a dozen Republican senators who recently publicly opposed or expressed qualms about it, forcing a postponement of a vote.
SYDNEY (AP) - The most senior Vatican cleric to ever be charged in the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal returned to Australia on Monday to stand trial in his home state on charges alleging he sexually assaulted multiple people years ago.

Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis' top financial adviser, avoided waiting media when he arrived at Sydney Airport on a flight from Singapore. He had declined to comment in Singapore over the weekend as he made his way home from Rome.

The 76-year-old cleric is due to appear in a court in the Victoria state capital, Melbourne, on July 26 on what Victoria Police described as multiple counts of "historical sexual assault offenses" - meaning crimes that generally occurred years ago. There is no statute of limitations on such crimes in Australia. Police said there were multiple complainants, but have released no other details.

In this image made from video, Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis' top financial adviser, sits in the back of a car as he leaves Sydney Airport Monday, July 10, 2017. Pell avoided waiting media when he arrived at Sydney Airport on a flight from Singapore. The most senior Vatican cleric to ever be charged in the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal returned to Australia on Monday to stand trial in his home state on charges alleging he sexually assaulted multiple people years ago. (CHANNEL 9 via AP)

Pell is free ahead of his court hearing, during which he can formally apply for bail.

When police announced the charges last month, Pell vowed to fight the allegations, saying: "The whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me."

On Monday, the Sydney archdiocese said the cardinal had made multiple stops on his journey to Australia to avoid long-haul flights, based on the advice of his doctors. Last year, Pell said he was too ill to make the long flight back to his home country to testify before a government inquiry into how the Catholic Church and other institutions have responded to child sex abuse allegations.

"When he was told of the charges by Victoria Police, Cardinal Pell said in Rome he totally rejected the allegations, was completely innocent of the charges and would return to Australia to vigorously defend himself and clear his name," the archdiocese said in a statement. "Cardinal Pell will not be making further comment other than to say he is grateful for the numerous messages of support he continues to receive."

Pell has taken a leave of absence to fight the charges in Australia and has said he intends to return to the Vatican to continue his work as a prefect of the church's economy ministry.

The pope thanked Pell for his "honest" work and collaboration, and said he would wait for Australian justice to run its course before making a judgment himself.

For years, Pell has faced allegations that he mishandled cases of clergy abuse as archbishop of Melbourne and, later, Sydney. But more recently, Pell himself became the focus of a clergy sex abuse investigation, with Victoria detectives flying to the Vatican to interview him last year.

In this image made from video, Cardinal George Pell, center, Pope Francis' top financial adviser, walks to get into a car to leave Sydney Airport in Sydney Monday, July 10, 2017. Pell avoided waiting media when he arrived at Sydney Airport on a flight from Singapore. The most senior Vatican cleric to ever be charged in the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal returned to Australia on Monday to stand trial in his home state on charges alleging he sexually assaulted multiple people years ago. (CHANNEL 9 via AP)
Imprisoned Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo has been seen by American and German specialists who confirmed he is in the final stages of terminal liver cancer, a hospital says.

China allowed the two doctors to travel to the north east city of Shenyang to see its most prominent political prisoner.

It follows international criticism of Beijings handling of his illness and calls for him to be treated abroad.

Liu Xiaobo looks at documents. (AP)

The First Hospital of China Medical University said the two experts on Saturday fully affirmed Mr Lius treatment plan so far but his prognosis was grim.

The patient is suffering from advanced liver cancer that has metastasised to his entire body and is at the end stage, the hospital said.

Mr Liu has accumulated a large amount of abdominal fluid, the statement said, saying his condition is quite serious.

154 Nobel Laureates call on #China to allow #LiuXiaobo & #LiuXia to travel to the US for medical treatment https://t.co/miNZOGTIpd pic.twitter.com/xv5PMGev3m  Freedom Now (@freedomnoworg) June 29, 2017

The hospital said the experts were Dr Markus W Buchler, of Heidelberg University in Germany, and Dr Joseph Herman, of the MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Texas.

It was impossible to independently verify the hospitals description of their views. A source familiar with the situation confirmed the experts have seen Mr Liu and spoken to his family.

The visits come as his illness has taken a turn for the worse. Chinese doctors said on Friday that they have stopped using cancer-fighting drugs so as not to overwhelm his severely weakened liver.

On Saturday, the hospital said the doctors may review MRI scans and further assess Mr Lius liver function before deciding on whether to use radiation therapy, immunotherapy and other treatments.

We will continue to provide nutritional support, pain relief and other forms of supportive care to improve the patients quality of life as much as possible, the statement said.

In a sign of the seriousness of Mr Lius decline, his younger and older brothers and their wives were allowed to see him, said Shang Baojun, his former lawyer.
Labour needs to be a broad-based party and its supporters must stop engaging in vitriolic abuse online, Yvette Cooper said as she set out the steps needed to put Jeremy Corbyn in 10 Downing Street.

The senior Labour MP warned that the Donald Trump approach to politics was normalising hatred and the problem was not confined to the right wing.

She highlighted the unacceptable and utterly shameful abuse directed at Labour MP Luciana Berger, who has been targeted by supporters of Mr Corbyn over her past criticism of the leader.

(Danny Lawson/PA)

'I'm sick of the vitriol poured on Diane Abbot, Luciana Berger and more. It is strait out of the Trump playbook' @YvetteCooperMP #FabSummer  The Fabian Society (@thefabians) July 8, 2017

And she also defended BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg, who has been subjected to vitriol from all sides.

Ms Cooper, who will again chair the influential Commons Home Affairs Select Committee after being elected unopposed, said the kinder, gentler politics espoused by Labour leader Mr Corbyn must be part of the partys path to power.

Her four-point plan also involves staying a broad-based party  a clear warning to the Labour left which is stepping up moves towards forcing MPs to face a mandatory reselection process, viewed by some on the right as an attempt to oust them in favour of Corbyn loyalists.

Labour must also chart a course for a progressive Brexit, and overcome the new and growing divide between cosmopolitan and thriving cities and the smaller towns which are struggling.

My @thefabians spch; need for politics of kindness not Trumps vitriol or attacks on @HackneyAbbott & @lucianaberger https://t.co/6A36qE13ZY  Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) July 8, 2017

Ms Cooper, speaking at the Fabian Society conference in London just hours after Theresa May met Donald Trump in the margins of the G20 summit, lashed out at the US president and condemned the Prime Ministers failure to speak out against him.

Referring to Mr Trumps use of Twitter, she said: These arent just harmless rants from a sad man in his bedroom.

This is the bully pulpit of the most powerful man on the planet, broadcast direct to millions of people, echoed and amplified by the Breitbarts, the cheerleaders, the echo chambers.

Ms Cooper, who set up the Reclaim The Internet campaign to challenge online abuse, said she was sick to death of the vitriol poured out from all sides towards Laura Kuenssberg.

It is her job to ask difficult questions. It is her job to be sceptical about everything we say. Nothing justifies the personal vitriol, or the misogyny.

Condemning the abuse aimed at Liverpool Wavertree MP Ms Berger, Ms Cooper said: Frankly Labour Party members should be united in supporting Luciana, not targeting her or trying to intimidate her. Unacceptable always in the Labour party. Utterly shameful against someone who has stood up to fascists, someone who is on maternity leave.

Nor is there any excuse for vitriolic abuse against our opponents. During this general election campaign some Tory women MPs and candidates were targeted with unacceptable personal abuse from the left.

And weve seen Labour supporters at rallies holding placards with the severed head of Theresa May.

Maybe it was meant as a joke. It isnt funny.
The United Nations has welcomed an agreement between the United States and Russia for a cease fire in south west Syria.

It is set to go into effect at noon local time on Sunday as part of a renewed effort to stem the six-year civil war and the UN said it would enable upcoming peace talks.

The United States and Russia struck an agreement for the cease fire as President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin met in Hamburg, Germany, during a G20 summit.

Trump and Putin discuss Syria. (AP)

UN deputy special envoy to Syria Ramzy Ramzy said the agreement is a step in the right direction.

He said he hopes other areas in Syria will see similar agreements to reduce violence.

Mr Ramzy is in Damascus ahead of a new round of UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva on Monday.

Sec. Tillerson: @POTUS and Russian President Putins meeting was constructive. This is an important relationship. https://t.co/bfs8p22h9w  Department of State (@StateDept) July 7, 2017

This marks the first US-Russian effort under Mr Trumps presidency aimed at the conflict in Syria. The nation of Jordan is also involved in the agreement.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the aim is to reduce violence in an area of Syria near Jordans border that is critical to that countrys security.

Officials said the deal had been in the works for weeks or months, but came together in time for the Trump-Putin meeting.
Celtic have a fresh injury fear ahead of next weeks Champions League opener after Scott Brown limped off during their 9-0 thrashing of Shamrock Rovers.

The Hoops have already lost Dedryck Boyata for the next three months after he ruptured knee ligaments in last weeks warm-up clash with Slavia Prague.

There are now fears skipper Brown could also miss Fridays crunch qualifier with Linfield in Belfast after lasting barely half an hour at the Tallaght Stadium.

Celtic captain Scott Brown limped off against Shamrock

 BR on Scott Brown: "His achilles was a little bit sore and we just need to assess that over the next couple of days. Nothing too serious."  Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) July 8, 2017

The Scotland midfielder was replaced by Nir Bitton after 32 minutes and trudged down the tunnel at half-time with his knee heavily strapped, leaving boss Brendan Rodgers to pray his influential captain has not suffered lasting damage.

That injury worry aside, Celtic were utterly untroubled as they swatted the Dubliners aside.

Mikael Lustig fired them ahead with a composed finished before Stuart Armstrong doubled the Parkhead sides advantage.

Moussa Dembele - making his first appearance since injuring his hamstring in the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final  and Scott Sinclair then got themselves on the scoresheet before the break.

Second-half goals from James Forrest, Sinclair, Armstrong, Jonny Hayes and Tom Rogic completed a resounding win.

Rodgers told Celtic TV after the match: His (Browns) Achilles was a little bit sore and we just need to asses that over the next couple of days, but nothing too serious I dont think, but we will see how that is.
Charlie Gards parents said they believe an experimental treatment can help their terminally ill son as they urged the courts to give him the chance he needs.

The couple emerged from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) to thank supporters from around the world for backing their call to allow the 11-month-old to be given a medication available abroad.

His mother Connie Yates and father Chris Gard said they reluctantly left baby Charlies bedside to express their gratitude to the hundreds of thousands of people who have signed a petition supporting them.

Their case will go back to the High Court on Monday to hear fresh arguments following claims of new information from researchers at the Vaticans childrens hospital.

The pair remain hopeful ahead of the hearing and said they will continue to fight for Charlie to have the treatment.

Ms Yates told the Press Association: I absolutely believe this medication will work. Im not a doctor but I feel like I am an expert in his condition now.

GOSH has today applied to the High Court for a fresh hearing in the case of Charlie Gard. See full GOSH statement: https://t.co/6xRK56G7Zj  GOSHCharity (@GOSHCharity) July 7, 2017

The 31-year-old said they have the support of seven specialists around the world, including one in England, and called for people to trust us as parents and trust the other doctors who are experts in this condition.

Two United States congressmen also said they would table legislation to give Charlie and his family US resident status in a bid to allow them to travel there for treatment.

Ms Yates said she accepts not everyone will agree with her and her partners position but maintained their son is not suffering as the lengthy legal battle continues.

Breakthrough! New evidence 2 suggest nucleoside therapy CAN cross the blood brain barrier to save Charlie! 10%chance of working! pic.twitter.com/OpImZYuY6l  The Charlie Gard Foundation (@charliesfight) July 7, 2017

She said: Theres a lot of misinformation out there in the media, but that happens, youve got to take that. But basically we wouldnt be able to sit there and watch him in pain, and suffering.

Were not like that, were not evil. Were not doing this for us. Hes our son. We want whats best for him.

The family lost their plea for Charlie to undergo the experimental medicine after judges ruled in favour of doctors at GOSH, who argued it would not help.

Under a High Court ruling, the hospital is forbidden from allowing Charlie to be transferred for nucleoside therapy anywhere.

The parents of Charlie Gard, Connie Yates and Chris Gard

Ms Yates, who clutched a small soft toy as she spoke, described it as horrible, absolutely horrible having to begin saying their goodbyes more than a week ago when they said they were told Charlies life support could be switched off.

Speaking to reporters earlier before handing the petition to the hospital, Ms Yates said: Hes our son, hes our flesh and blood. We feel that it should be our right as parents to decide to give him a chance at life.

She added: There is nothing to lose, he deserves a chance.

She said the medicine, which they described as non-invasive has an up to 10% chance of working and has no known major side effects.

Connie Yates and Chris Gard

Mr Gard, 33, said there is no evidence Charlie has catastrophic brain damage, but admitted they would have to let him go if he was allowed to have the treatment but began to suffer.

He said: If we won the court case and we got to America and then within the first week of treatment he started suffering and he was in pain we would let him go. This isnt about us. This is about Charlie and giving him the chance he needs.

Supporters, some of whom had travelled from the US, held banners and placards reading Save Charlie Gard as his parents spoke to the press.
John Spencer has insisted the British and Irish Lions would have won their Test series in New Zealand with just one more weeks preparation.

The Lions 2017 tour manager is determined to see the famed touring outfit receive extra preparation time for future tours.

Warren Gatlands squad pulled off a drawn series against the back-to-back world champion All Blacks against all odds, having flown out to New Zealand just two days after the Premiership and PRO12 play-off finals.

The Lions opened their tour with a patchy 13-7 win over the Provincial Barbarians just three days after arriving in New Zealand, but shrugged of all those problems to win the second All Blacks Test 24-21, and draw the third 15-15.

Spencer insists the Lions are making good progress on convincing rugbys global administrators to add an extra weeks preparation to future Lions tours, but also conceded another week this summer could have made all the difference against New Zealand.

Asked if the Lions would have won the All Blacks series with an extra weeks preparation, Spencer replied: My honest opinion is yes; the preparation is extremely important. But I think were making very positive steps already, to talk about and rectify that situation.

Tour manager John Spencer. (David Davies/PA)

Ive received incredible cooperation from the board on that, and there are four of us who are ex-Lions there who know about the intensity and preparation. What I would say is that gold medals are won on the training pitch a long time before they are won on the match pitch.

The Lions thrilling 15-15 draw in Auckland on Saturday night could not stop New Zealand extending their unbeaten run at Eden Park to 40 games, but both teams still come out of the series with some sense of satisfaction.

The Lions only ever led New Zealand for three minutes across the entire three-Test series, but still managed to emerge with a share of the spoils.

Captains Kieran Read and Sam Warburton were jointly presented with the series trophy, leading to a set of awkward-looking post-match shots.
The British and Irish Lions held back-to-back world champions New Zealand to a Test series draw in a hugely-impressive 2017 tour.

Here, Press Association Sport runs the rule over the six weeks spent battling the All Blacks by Warren Gatlands squad.

Moment of the tour

HIGHLIGHTS

First Test

Eden Park, Auckland

30-15

Sean O'Brien try

##LionsNZ2017

https://t.co/UIOKIkmHzm  British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 3, 2017

Sean OBrien finished one of the all-time great Lions tries, albeit en route to the 30-15 first Test defeat at Eden Park. The Lions might have lost that Test series opener, but they put the All Blacks firmly on alert with a score that will resonate across the ages. Liam Williams scythed clear from his own 22, thanks in no small measure from an astute and subtle blocking line from Ben Teo. Jonathan Davies picked up the baton from Williams, before exchanging passes with Elliot Daly and then offloading the scoring pass to the lurking OBrien. Some 80 metres from start to finish, to stun the All Blacks in their Auckland stronghold.

Star man  Jonathan Davies

Congratulations Jonathan Davies named by squad The Standard Life Investments Lions Lion of the Tour! https://t.co/FkDXJJQvLI #LionsNZ2017 pic.twitter.com/cG3XGlIEZu  British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 8, 2017

The Wales centre excelled from start to finish, dismissing all his Lions rivals for the 13 shirt, and then making a fine statement across three top performances against the All Blacks. His two big hits on Jordie Barrett in the 15-15 drawn final Test showed everything about his industry and application, to add to no little talent.

Stat of the tour

The Lions only led the All Blacks for a total of three minutes across the entire three-Test series, but still managed to emerge with a one-all draw.

Three men to boost their reputations

The England hooker had never started a Test match until the Lions series, but excelled from the off in all three All Blacks encounters. The Saracens star will now be intent on heaping the pressure on England captain Dylan Hartley for the number two starting shirt in boss Eddie Jones side.

Kyle Sinckler during the tour match against the Highlanders

The Harlequins prop arrived on tour as perhaps the third-choice tighthead  and left as the clear understudy to Irelands Tadhg Furlong, who is now himself clearly the best number three in the northern hemisphere. Sinckler so often struggles to contain his latent fury and aggression. But if he can control his anger then he now has the chance to push himself to the front of Englands queue as Jones premier tighthead prop.

The Worcester centre was extremely hard done by to be dropped after a fine first Test showing where he completely shut down Sonny Bill Williams.

Three men to endure a testing tour

The Leinster centre was expected to thrive on Lions duty after stunning the All Blacks with a tub-thumping performance when Ireland dispatched New Zealand 40-29 in Chicago last November. But he was simply unable to push himself into Test contention. And then to add insult to his frustrations, Henshaw suffered a torn pectoral muscle in the 31-31 Hurricanes draw which ended his tour prematurely.

George North leaves the field after the tour match against the Highlanders

The Wales battering-ram wing was the standout star of the Lions 2013 series win in Australia. But four years on, the Northampton paceman struggled for any kind of form, despite being handed plenty of opportunities to impress. North then suffered a hamstring injury in the Hurricanes draw, and was ruled out of the remainder of the trip.

Englands fleet-footed outside centre was a late inclusion in the Lions squad, when boss Warren Gatland insisted he could not tour without the Bath star. The former London Irish midfielder simply failed to fire however, and was left trailing way behind Jonathan Davies in the race for the Test 13 shirt.
US president Donald Trump has tweeted that it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia! after his G20 meeting with Vladimir Putin.

Mr Trump said he strongly pressed Mr Putin twice over Russian meddling in the 2016 US election during their lengthy meeting at the world leaders summit in Germany.

He said Mr Putin vehemently denied the conclusions of American intelligence agencies.

Mr Trump did not say whether he believed Mr Putin, tweeting he has already given my opinion.

Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel talk at the G20 summit

Russias foreign minister told reporters in Germany that Mr Trump took Mr Putin at his word over meddling and US officials have not challenged this statement.

Mr Trump said previously he believed Russia was likely to have been involved in election hacking but that other countries were too.
British and Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton has revealed he was ready for 20 minutes of extra-time at the dramatic third Test conclusion against world champions New Zealand.

And Warburton admitted it would have been good to see a winner after the Eden Park clash ended 15-15 and resulted in a first drawn Lions Test series since 1955.

I was expecting to go again, said Warburton, after Owen Farrells 78th-minute penalty tied things up.

Kieran Read and Sam Warburton

It has been a privilege to be part of this special @lionsofficial group. Thanks for the incredible support for the team #AllForOne pic.twitter.com/otsWDBs0tV  Sam Warburton (@samwarburton_) July 9, 2017

I didnt actually realise it was a drawn series. I was ready for 20 minutes of extra-time.

I was trying to drink as many electrolytes as I could because I was cramping up, but then I realised everyone was shaking hands and I thought: `Oh, its a drawn series.

You never think it is going to go down to that situation, so I never looked into what would potentially happen.

If I had to, I would probably have tossed a coin and gone for the win, with extra-time or a golden point or something. I think it would have made for an amazing climax. I think it would be nice to see a winner.

Obviously, as players, you always want to win, but I guess we have done the Lions jersey proud and I am sure people will be looking forward to the next tour in four years time.

Its a little bit cheesy, I guess, but rugby was the winner. People make up rivalries but we know these players.

"I think the boys are realising what an incredible achievement it is."

-Tour Manager John Spencer https://t.co/nZfyBfadV2#LionsNZ2017 pic.twitter.com/ah7PGQqFem  British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 9, 2017

I played against them (All Blacks) in three Tests (for Wales) last year, three Tests this year. We chat quite a lot and they are all top blokes, real nice guys.

It was really enjoyable on the pitch. You have a bit of niggle sometimes but most of the time you are helping each other off the floor and weve got a lot of respect for each other, so there is a lot of good friendships between the two dressing rooms.

Despite the overall success of their New Zealand tour, debate and speculation about the Lions future will continue to rage in some quarters.

But Wales star Warburton, who has now led the Lions to unbeaten Test series performances in Australia and New Zealand, has no doubt where the best of British and Irish belong in rugby unions bigger picture.

Speaking on behalf of the players, we would always want the Lions to happen, he said.

I am sure most players would say the Lions is the most special thing you will do in your international career. I think its a must that the Lions should continue.

With the schedule, I was never daunted by it because we had a big squad of quality players.

If we can come to New Zealand and achieve what we have achieved against some of the best club sides in the world, then we should be confident we can go anywhere and achieve that.

I think weve proved the tour can work on the current schedule. It does make it difficult and obviously the odds were stacked against us, but at least we know it can work in future.

I know there are things that are over my head when it comes to the finances and the politics of it, but from a playing perspective I would like to give my opinion.
Xander Schauffele came from three shots behind to register his debut PGA Tour win at the Greenbrier Classic thanks to a birdie at the 72nd hole.

The 23-year-olds two at the par-three last, after hitting his tee shot to three feet, saw him post a 14-under total and he secured the title when Robert Streb, in the final group immediately behind, failed to do the same from the back fringe.

Schauffeles three-under round of 67 was two better than any of his fellow challengers could manage with Colombian Sebastian Munoz, who had led on each of the previous three days, shooting a 72 to slip to joint third.

Xander Schauffele

Strebs 69 was good enough for second outright with Jamie Lovemark a stroke further back, alongside Munoz, on 12 under.

A birdie on the 72nd for @XSchauffele gives him the solo lead in the clubhouse. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/rvgnnMAUdy  PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 9, 2017

Some consolation for Streb, Munoz and Lovemark was that they all secured qualification for the Open later this month along with Schauffele, who finished joint fifth in Junes US Open.

I am lost for words. This has changed my life. I need a little time to take it all in, Schauffele said in his post-round interview.
TRIPOLI, July 8 (Reuters) - Libyan coast guards rescued about 85 migrants off the shore east of Tripoli on Saturday but about 40 more migrants were believed to be missing, a coast guard officer said.

The migrants were rescued about six miles (10 km) north-west of the town of Garabulli after fishing boats spotted them at sea, said Muammar Mohamed Milad, a local coast guard official.

"Due to the heavy load on the rubber boat, the wooden base got broken and it started sinking," said Milad.

"According to the survivors about 40 others are missing, including seven children," he said. The body of one woman was had already been recovered.

Garabulli, about 50 km (30 miles) east of the capital, is a common departure point for migrants trying to reach Europe. Smugglers usually cram the migrants into flimsy rubber boats with homemade wooden bases.

Most make it to international waters where they are picked up by ships and taken to Italy, but some are intercepted by the Libyan coast guard, or break down or sink in Libyan waters.

The vast majority of migrants trying to cross to Europe by sea use the central Mediterranean route between Libya and Italy.

More than 85,000 migrants have arrived in Italy so far this year. Some 2,150 are known to have died attempting the crossing over the same period, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

(Reporting by Ahmed Elumami; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
By Andy Home

LONDON, July 7 (Reuters) - The zinc funds-fundamentals pendulum has swung again.

Back in May funds were beating a collective retreat from the London zinc market after a second failed attempt at the big-number $3,000-per tonne resistance level.

The London Metal Exchange (LME) three-month price troughed at $2,427.50 on June 7, since when it has bounced back to a current $2,783.00.

Funds have returned with a vengeance, according to LME broker Marex Spectron, which estimates they have gone from net short at the start of June to net long. Indeed at over 20 percent of open interest speculative length is back to levels last seen in January.

What's caused this sharp shift in positioning?

The short answer is LME stocks. While the headline number continues to tick lower, now down by 146,600, or 34 percent, on the start of the year, "live" on-warrant tonnage has slumped to levels not seen since 2007.

There were 109,100 tonnes of net new cancellations over the course of June, leaving on-warrant inventory standing at a depleted 70,350 tonnes.

LME time-spreads have tightened accordingly, the benchmark cash-to-three-months period <CMZN0-3> trading close to level after being in relatively comfortable $19-per tonne contango just a month ago.

Disappearing visible inventory has rekindled zinc's stop-start bull narrative of supply shortfall.

FOOLED AGAIN?

LME inventory levels have been a false friend for zinc's many bull admirers in recent times.

Stocks have for years now been highly concentrated in New Orleans, a location that has seen mass movement between on- and off-market storage driven not by physical market but by financing drivers.

The most recent manifestation was the appearance of 22,100 tonnes of zinc in LME sheds in New Orleans at the start of May.

Since then, however, total inflow into the LME storage system has amounted to just 125 tonnes and that at Port Klang in Malaysia.

There are still grounds for caution, particularly in the form of the large short position sitting on the LME's July prime prompt date (July 19).

Representing between 30 and 40 percent of open interest <0#LME-FBR>, will it be closed out, rolled or physically delivered?

We won't have to wait long to find out, but countering the potential for more smoke and mirrors is a real tightening in the zinc supply chain in the North American market

Although it's dropped out of the headlines, the strike at the CEZ refinery in Canada, North America's second-largest producer of refined zinc, is rumbling on into its fifth month.

CEZ is majority owned by the Noranda Income Fund but is in essence a tolling plant for Swiss powerhouse Glencore and members of Canada's United Steelworkers union were making their views heard at Glencore's annual meeting on May 24.

Noranda Income Fund has been tight-lipped about the impact. Its last official comment in March, one month into the strike, was that it was maintaining production at 50-60 percent of 275,000-tonne per year capacity.

First-quarter production, only partly reflecting the impact of the Feb. 12 walk-out, slid to just over 50,000 tonnes from 73,000 tonnes in the previous quarter.

Second-quarter results are now pending but the ongoing loss of units is somewhere in the mix at New Orleans, which holds the only LME-registered zinc stocks in the United States.

SHANGHAI STOCKS SLUMP

There's more in the mix as well.

Everyone's watching China. As the world's largest processor of mined concentrates into refined zinc, the country is on the front-line of the tightening in the raw materials segment of the supply chain.

The collective betting is that it is only a matter of time before China's import demand heats up as domestic production fails to keep pace with demand.

That hasn't happened yet.

Refined zinc imports are running at subdued levels. Despite an acceleration in April and May, the cumulative year-to-date tally is 138,700 tonnes, down 46 percent on last year's levels and 2016 wasn't a bumper import year either.

That said, there are signs of stress in China's zinc market.

Stocks held in Shanghai Futures Exchange (ShFE) warehouses have, like the LME, been rapidly depleted since the start of the year.

Despite a small week-on-week bounce to 66,947 tonnes, the headline figure has fallen by 85,877 tonnes since January. The last time ShFE stocks were this low was all the way back in 2009, when the Shanghai zinc contract was still in its infancy.

National refined metal production was down by almost 10 percent in May with several large operators taking maintenance downtime.

Zinc concentrate imports have surprised on the upside with inbound flows up 25 percent so far this year.

That partly reflects strong imports from Peru (up 40 percent) but also higher imports from second-tier suppliers such as Russia (up 218 percent), Myanmar (up 149 percent) and Iran (up 55 percent).

The overall impression is of a smelter sector that is actively thrifting and simultaneously trying to tap new sources of supply.

Hoarding physical metal in anticipation of stronger Chinese zinc import demand is the other dimension of the LME stocks picture.

PENDULUM SWINGS

The zinc pendulum has swung from poor technicals to constructive fundamentals over the space of the last month and the funds are responding by getting back in on the long side.

There is still a lot of uncertainty out there as to the real state of play in the physical market and LME stock levels are only one component of the puzzle and an historically unreliable one at that.

But at current levels the London zinc market is starting to look like an increasingly tight space, particularly for short-position holders.

But there is one in particular, that one sitting on the July date, that merits attention. Its actions will determine the next swing of the funds-fundamentals pendulum.

(Editing by Susan Thomas)
By Ben Cooper

SYDNEY, July 9 (Reuters) - Vote counting has begun in Papua New Guinea (PNG), signalling an end to a general election marred by poor organisation and opposition accusations of electoral roll irregularities, which experts said could ignite protests.

Voting was set to finish across the country on Saturday, but with a large number of people unable to cast ballots due to out-of-date electoral rolls and logistical problems, ballot boxes were still open in some provinces on Sunday.

Tension in PNG has been high for months amid a groundswell of unrest following allegations of corruption against Prime Minister Peter O'Neill.

The frustration among voters unable to cast ballots could trigger new unrest, analysts said.

"There's always some degree of violence and malfeasance in a PNG election, however no one expected the electoral roll to be this bad," Jonathan Pryke, director of the Lowy Institute of Policy's Melanesia Unit, told Reuters.

In June 2016, a student protest turned violent when police opened fire, injuring dozens.

International observers said the use of an electoral roll from 2012 polls meant many people, in highland regions in particular, were denied the chance to vote.

Sam Basil, leader of the junior opposition Pangu Party, told Reuters 9,000 voters in his constituency of Bulolo, on the north coast of the main island, had been unable to cast ballots because of irregularities.

He said polling was expected to finish across PNG on Monday.

Observers expect a tight race between O'Neil's party and that of his main rival, former Treasurer Patrick Pruaitch.

Whoever wins faces a difficult economic outlook with a budget deficit that has ballooned in recent years amid a slump in oil and gas prices. A 2016 drought crippled farming and brought production at its largest copper mine to a halt by cutting off river transport and therefore fuel supplies.

Moody's downgraded PNG's credit rating to B2 in April last year, reflecting balance of payments pressures that have been compounded by the slump in global commodity prices.

Despite its mineral wealth, which includes Exxon Mobil's $20 billion LNG plant, most of the country's nearly eight million people live at subsistence level on islands, atolls and in remote mountain village. (Reporting by Ben Cooper; Editing by Robert Birsel)
PHNOM PENH, July 9 (Reuters) - The U.N. cultural organization added an ancient temple site in Cambodia to its world heritage list, the government said on Sunday, bringing the number of heritage sites in the Southeast Asian country to three.

Sambor Prei Kuk, or "temple in the richness of the forest" in the Khmer language, located 206 km (128 miles) north of the capital Phnom Penh, is home to numerous temples, ten of which are octagonal.

"Some of these elements, including lintels, pediments and colonnades, are true masterpieces," UNESCO said on its website.

UNESCO said the area had been identified as Ishanapura, the capital of the ancient Chenla Empire, a Khmer civilization that flourished in the late 6th and 7th centuries and preceded the Khmer Empire.

Its remains cover an area of 25 square kilometers. The site has become increasingly popular with foreign tourists.

"The decision of the UNESCO's World Heritage Committee is another massive pride for the nation," the Ministry of Culture of Fine Arts said in a statement on Sunday.

Tourist arrivals in Cambodia rose 5 percent to five million last year. About 5.5 million tourists are expected to visit the country this year.

Two other sites in Cambodia already have heritage status, including the popular Angkor Wat in Siem Reap province where parts of the "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" film were shot.

Angkor Wat and Preah Vihear, an 11th century temple on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, were listed as World Heritage Sites in 2004 and 2008, respectively.

Sambor Prei Kuk was added to the list on Saturday along with other sites in China and India.

Tibetan rights groups criticized UNESCO's decision to extend world heritage status to an extensive plateau area in a heavily Tibetan area, saying it reinforces Chinese control of the region. (Reporting by Prak Chan Thul, Editing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Himani Sarkar)
By Francesco Canepa and Tulay Karadeniz

BERLIN/ANKARA, July 9 (Reuters) - Germany began on Sunday to pull its troops out of a Turkish air base where they have supported international operations against Islamic State following a row with Ankara over access, a German defence ministry spokesman said.

The withdrawal from the Incirlik base, approved by the German parliament last month, marks a further step in one of many bilateral disputes, ranging from a post-coup clampdown by Ankara to Turkish political campaigning in Germany.

German tornado jets were due to keep operating out of Incirlik at least until the end of July as part of a mission providing reconnaissance aircraft to support U.S.-led coalition operations against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

In the meantime the necessary material was to be moved to a new air base in Jordan, where the planes are scheduled to be deployed by October.

A German air tanker refueller left Incirlik for the Jordan base on Sunday, the ministry spokesman told Reuters.

A Turkish official confirmed that the withdrawal had started, saying Germany's defence minister had informed her Turkish counterpart of the withdrawal date when they met during the NATO summit in Brussels.

Turkey had refused to allow German lawmakers to make what they saw as a routine visit to the base, saying that Berlin needed to improve its attitude towards Turkey first.

Germany had banned some Turkish politicians from campaigning on its soil for a referendum on giving Erdogan sweeping new powers

Ankara responded by accusing Berlin of "Nazi-like" tactics and reigniting the dispute over Incirlik.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday that a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had revealed "deep differences" between the two NATO allies.

(Reporting By Francesco Canepa; editing by John Stonestreet)
What does Patali know about politics that Harini doesnt know?

Sri Lanka is going through great pains to get its economy in order after the
Putin Trump handshake became the key photo moment a t the G20 summit held in Hamburg, Germany. A new cease fire in Syria, brokered by Jordan, United States and Russia was announced as a means to argue that the meeting between the two leaders generated a positive outcome. Apart from opaque terms describing the ceasefire agreement that came out of the meeting nothing substantial was revealed. Liberal and conservative media pundits in the United States provided extremely contradicting spins to the meeting. The summit clearly represented a major divide of opinion on how to shape the future of the global trading agenda; a development that concerns the rest of the world.

The G 20, a mere informal grouping of heads of central banks that was set up in the aftermath of Asian financial crises became a head of State affair in the aftermath of the crash of the Lehman brothers in 2008 which led to the 2008 financial crises leaving a trail of political and economic upheavals that are creating major crises globally. From populist political movements, mass political protests, attacks on the liberal economic project and the crises of political democracy are all symptoms of this metastasise in the global order. Yet when the group that represents nearly 85% of the global GDP and a 2/3 of all humanity, when a fault line appears on the global trading lifelines that should be a focus on concern

The recent global political developments since the last summit which was held in China in 2016 seem to have rattled global political leaders across the board. From Trump to May and to the radical left which was protesting in Hamburg is a sign that the global multi lateral liberal economic order is stalling and in crisis mode. Making American and British leaders to believe in a more regulated, closed and nationalist trading agenda which pitted them against the EU leadership, German Chancellor, President Xi Jingping of China, Russian President Putin to the Japanese Prime Minister who represented a unified front of continuous support for the globalist agenda of deepening and widening international trade and creating more trading opportunities and easing trade barriers.

The Trump-Putin handshake may represent some kind of a detente or a symbolic move to thwart any cold war between the two countries, Trumps and Putins global agenda represents a pure antithesis. While Trumps make America great slogan doubles a vague policy statement calls for more protectionism across the board and his administrations pull out of Paris Climate agreement does represent an end to American interest in global governance. Yet Putin in the build up to the Summit clearly acknowledged that he was looking forward to meeting up with Trump.

Putins statements in the sidelines of the G20 summit in a meeting with BRICS leaders went under-reported, where he commented about Russias position on global trade and climate change. Where he said: We oppose the growing protectionism in the world. Illegitimate trade and financial restrictions with obvious political implication are aimed at eliminating competitors. It curtails business ties, results in a loss of trust between economic participants. It is tearing apart the very fabric of the world economy.  Referring to the Paris climate deal he said, Russia accepts the Paris accord signed last April as an international legal framework for joint work on climate regulation. Putins statement and Russias position on the global financial and trading agenda seem pretty much in sync with what the EU, Japan, India and almost all the member states of G20 represent.

While Trump has set up a major probe into US Steel purchases claiming that it was over reliant on global suppliers and hinting at curbing import of Steel to the United States from the European Union as part of his domestic political agenda to reaffirm faith in the hardcore nationalist Trump supporters which may come at a cost. On 6 June, a day before the G20 summit, EU and Japan unveiled a new free trade agreement in which both parties have agreed for a relaxation of duties of many imports from both sides. While Prime Minister Abe represents a new breed of aggressive nationalist leaders, his global agenda still envisions deepening and widening connections with the global trading order for advancing Japanese economic interests.

G20 group represents nearly 85% of global GDP and a 2/3 of all humanity



Trump -Putin handshake may be a symbolic move to thwart any cold war between the two countries



G20 clearly represented a major divide of opinion on how to shape the future of global trading agenda



Thus Sri Lanka seems to have adopted or rebranded a main arch of its foreign policy as commercial diplomacy



Many are not aware that it was the G20 that President Bush turned to

Abe heralded the agreement as leading to a creation of the largest industrial economic zone among the advanced economies of the world, in reality while the final touches are still being done to the agreement, mainly on dispute resolution, it enables big Japanese auto makers to access a larger market share in Europe and be free of the 10% duty that is imposed on vehicle imports to Japan. Auto makers Toyota and Honda are both looking at gaining a larger foothold in the region similar to its presence in North America. The Europeans in return will be able to access the highly protected food market in Japan especially in terms of Dairy products.

Thus the liberalizing trade agenda seems with all its ills as the most preferred way forward by most of the G20 members whilst the United States, United Kingdom, the traditional champions of this agenda, has watered down the rhetoric in support given their own domestic political trajectories and ramifications. Such conflicting agendas seem to have set the bloc in a collision course, whilst China seems to be the one country that can avert an ultimate disaster. Chinas belt and road initiative was highlighted by President Xi as an alternative approach, providing options for everyone to reap the benefits of Chinas version of global economic integration where his argument is that belt and road (OBOR) offers a win-win for all, it will boost domestic economies from the Far East, Central Asia to Europe while driving Chinese economy into prosperity.

Many are not aware that it was the G20 that President Bush turned to. When the American economy went into crises, he reached out to Brazilian President Lula da Silva to gain an emergency injection of cash to the US economy. The Bush administration quickly realized the value of the G20, which led to it spearheading the summit to be held in the United States in November of 2008. Nine years on it is vital to locate and identify real and present dangers that the world economy is facing using this important forum instead of emphasizing the politics of performance such as handshakes, group pictures or rolling of eyes of participating leaders or their spouses.

A final observation from this years G20 summit was that most of the issues and important conversations that grabbed media attention as well may have policy repercussions were all products of meetings that took place in the sidelines of the summit. The key summit in the last few years seems to demonstrate signs of ceasing and stalling. A high point was in 2014, when President Barack Obama was trying hard to emphasize the importance of adopting a climate change agenda the resistance came from Australian Prime Minister Abbot who was also the host.

This was the same year where tensions with Russia was riding sign on the back of Russian invasion of Ukraine, thus it seems an optimistic assessment of sideline meetings can be similar to that of a natural by-pass that may lead to more productive outcomes. It symbolizes how informal groupings that are shaping the future of global governance mechanisms are slowly taking over the more rigid formal institutions such as WTO, IMF or the UN. From Modi Xi Jing Ping, Putin- Trump, Trump, May to BRICS leaders meeting the G20 seems more of a venue rather than an actual international organization.

Thus Sri Lanka seems to have adopted or rebranded a main arch of its foreign policy as commercial diplomacy, what we need in this rapidly transforming global policy agenda is a foreign policy that is nimble and adaptive enough to persist and endure; commercial diplomacy if done rightly minus the partisan political tinkering represents a pragmatic move, how the policy will be implemented and applied remains to be seen.



The writer is the Director, Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS)
Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne instructed officials to investigate the prices of lab tests of private hospitals and laboratories, which violated price ceiling for full blood count and antigen tests.

Earlier, the Health Ministry informed private hospitals and laboratories to continue price ceiling on full blood count at Rs. 250 and dengue antigen test at Rs. 1,000 until further notice.

Accordingly, all private hospitals are required to implement the new prices and issue the blood reports to the patients within half an hour.

Ministry said several complaints, had been received claiming that some private hospitals had violated the direction and warned that strict action would be taken against the private hospitals and laboratories if they violate the health ministry direction.
For 13 years, Colombo PRIDE has been an exercise in increasing the visibility of the LGBTIQ community and thereby bringing to the attention of the public, the issues faced by the Community throughout Sri Lanka. Colombo PRIDE therefore, has been about forming a collective LGBTIQ identity, emphasising the existence of the community and providing the LGBTIQ persons, their family and friends a safe space to proudly be themselves, without fear of persecution or violence and to meet other people in similar circumstances.

Most persons belonging to the Sri Lankan LGBTIQ community continue to live in the closet and hide their gender identity or sexual orientation in order to blend into society. The goal of Colombo PRIDE is to challenge and change the stereotypical expectations that have been imposed on us, whether we are LGBTIQ community members or not.

PRIDE celebrations throughout the world are about celebrating diversity. Anyone and everyone who believes that human rights are for everyone can and should participate in celebrations of diversity, like PRIDE. Colombo PRIDE is no exception to this. We are proud to say that each and every year Colombo PRIDE is attended by people from all walks of life, religions, ethnicities, gender expressions, socio-economic status, colours, sizes, nationalities, sexual orientations and gender identities.

Colombo PRIDE opened this year with a Corporate Round Table discussion which was aimed at sensitising CEOs and persons empowered to take decisions for and behalf of their companies to change their human resource policies to support diversity in the workforce. The importance of having an LGBT-friendly workplace from a purely business perspective was emphasised to provide equal opportunities for LGBTIQ community members so they could work in environments that were welcoming to them.

"Most persons belonging to the Sri Lankan LGBTIQ community continue to live in the closet and hide their gender identity or sexual orientation in order to blend into society"



The Bus Parade was our take on a PRIDE Parade where we drove around Colombo in a Double Decker bus with the participation of members and allies of the community. Much like international Pride events that have welcomed Sri Lankan citizens to walk in their parades, we wholeheartedly welcomed citizens from other countries who marched with us in solidarity. What kind of values do we hold if we denied them that?

The Film Festival, Art and Photography and Music and Dance festival was an educational experience about queer culture and encouraged community members to express their queer identities. This provided our exceptionally talented members of the community with a platform to showcase their talents. This also celebrates the queer expression, encouraging community members to express without boundaries.

After thirteen years we understand that not every organisation can tackle every problem. We have selected to specialise in certain fields and we strive to do it to the best of our best capabilities and being in a stable position we at EQUAL GROUND wanted to encourage other LGBTIQ organisations and individuals to continue the good fight.

Idea Junction was organised to bring these organisations together to present the kind of work they did. We invited organisations that worked at grass root levels to better LGBITQ lives, organisations that focused on youth SOGI, groups that worked with the trans community, PLHIV organisations that function as community support systems to come together to share ideas and their work with the general public.

"The first thing to bring about a positive change for the LGBTIQ community is to change the laws and policies and end the institutionalised harassment of the LGBTIQ community"



Being a small island nation, Sri Lanka has been exposed to many waves of thinking ranging from predominantly South Asian countries to European regions. Our identity has evolved to reflect a mixture of all of this. With the increase in globalisation and the advent of social media, the LGBTIQ identity also has begun to reflect varied perspectives. Our singular agenda, if any, is freedom of expression and human rights for all gender and sexual orientations. How individuals choose to express their identity is up to them, we do not carry a nationalist or an international agenda. Where would our value system lie if we hindered a persons cultural identity? We do not want to be hypocritical to our own value systems as an LGBTIQ Advocate organisation.

In addition to the form Colombo PRIDE takes, we have to pay attention to the happenings in Sri Lanka. Past experience has shown us that extremist elements in society exist, and that such elements can and will resort to violence simply due to ideological differences. This is the reason behind choosing hotels or diplomatic cultural centres such as the Gothe-Institute to host our events. Safety of our community members is paramount when organising such events.

In addition to Colombo PRIDE, EQUAL GROUND has worked hard to sensitise law enforcement officers, members of the clergy and of the general public through sensitising workshops which have been conducted in over 12 districts.

We have established a number of field officers throughout the island to assist community members in emergencies such as domestic violence, police harassment and exploitation and sexual abuse. We maintain three separate hotlines offering counselling support for Women, Trans persons and other community members.

"Visibility of the existing community encourages new members to reach out and embrace themselves. Which is why, Colombo PRIDE has always been an important event to the LGBTIQ Community and will continue to be so"



The EQUALITY Magazine portrays members of the community in a positive manner encouraging people to embrace their queerness without fear and shame.

The 134 Campaign led by EQUAL GROUND is promoting the review and repeal of Sections 365 and 365A of the Penal Code. Our effort is also to collect testimonials from various members of the LGBTIQ and Ally communities to discuss the importance of Equal Rights for LGBTIQ persons. The first thing to bring about a positive change for the LGBTIQ community is to change the laws and policies and end the institutionalised harassment of the LGBTIQ community. Parallel to this change, ideally, misconceptions prevalent throughout society need to be addressed through an open and honest discussion about topics such as gender, sexuality and human rights.

Visibility of the existing community encourages new members to reach out and embrace themselves. Which is why, Colombo PRIDE has always been an important event to the LGBTIQ Community and will continue to be so.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Saturday he would come up with a new proposal shortly to include provisions in the Constitution that would prohibit Governments from interfering with internal matters of three main Buddhist Chapters.

The Prime Minister said this at the opening of the Weli Maluwa at Ruwan Weliseya in Anuradhapura over the weekend.

I will come up with proposal to include a clause in the Constitution that the Government cannot get involved in deciding on the matters relating to the three Nikayas, followed by Sri Lankan Buddhists."

He added that Therawada Buddhism had suffered during the reign of King Mahasen, where the Maha Vihara in Anuradhapura was destroyed by the Vaithullayas, while killing some monks. The Vaithulayas were controlling Abhayagiriya and Jethawanarama temples at that time. It was these monks of Maha Vihara, who spread the Therawada Buddhism to several countries such as Laos and Thailand.

The Premier pointed out that after the division another generation of monks had to be brought down from Thailand and set up the Asgiriya and Malwatte Chapters. Later those who ruled this country decided to safeguard all the Chapters and made the Government bound by the Constitution to safeguard Buddhism.

However, this tradition was broken by the rulers of this country around five years ago. The Mahanayake was threatened by them as he allowed one of their opponents to hold a Pooja at Dalada Maligawa. They threatened to divide the Malwatte Chapter and set up another Chapter.

They went on to the extent of constructing a Stupa taller than Ruwan Weliseya in Anuradhapura, which is not possible as per the traditions, norms and beliefs. These rulers are bound by the tradition to tender an apology to the Mahanayake of Malwatte Chapter and to sweep the premises of Ruwan Weliseya and other sacred places of worship in repentance, he added.

He said he would bring in a clause to the new Constitution under which government intervention in deciding on the composition of the three chapters would be prohibited. (Yohan Perera)
Power interruption has been reported in Panadura,Kalutara, Mathugama, Horana, Ambalangoda and Galle areas this evening due to the tripping of Biyagama- Pannipitiya line.

Power and Renewable Energy Ministry Media Secretary Pathum Pasqual said the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) engineers are investigating the matter and will restore the electricity as soon as possible. (Thilanka Kanakarathna)
Chemical weapons attack in Khan Sheikhoun

The US, two weeks ago, came out with allegations of potential preparations for another chemical weapons attack by the Syrian regime that would likely result in mass murder of civilians, and for which, the US said, it would have to pay a heavy price. The White House did not give any details of these preparations - just as in April it offered no evidence that the Syrian government was to blame, before the US carried out an illegal airstrike on a Syrian airbase from which, it alleged, the Assad regime launched a chemical weapons attack in Khan Sheikhoun.

Earlier last month the shooting down of a Syrian aircraft in Syrian airspace by a US jet led to an escalation of tensions with Russia, Syrias ally, with whom US and a coalition of forces are jointly fighting IS (Islamic State). Analysts have warned that such incidents make the possibility of a regional or global war more likely.

Against the backdrop of these developments some have argued that the USs real motive is not to defeat IS but to ratchet up public support for a war to destabilize Syria and gain control over strategically-located parts of it bordering Iraq.

Adding credence to this view is the fact that new, groundbreaking investigative reporting on the April 4th poison gas incident in Khan Sheikhoun by Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh, was blacked out in the US and UK media. The London Review of Books which commissioned the piece declined to publish it, reports say. It eventually appeared in the German newspaper Die Welt, along with the transcript of a conversation between a security advisor and an American soldier on duty at a key base in the region (reproduced in full below).

"Earlier last month the shooting down of a Syrian aircraft in Syrian airspace by a US jet led to an escalation of tensions with Russia, Syrias ally, with whom US and a coalition of forces are jointly fighting ISIS"



Reports on Syrian preparations for another chemical weapons attack came hard on the heels of the publication of Hershs story, along with a sudden media re-focus on findings of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on Khan Sheikhoun that were already known. But these reports completely ignored Hershs revelations. Jonathan Cook, writing in Counterpunch, argues that No serious journalist could write up either story, according to any accepted norms of journalistic practice, and not make reference to Hershs claims. ... Any publication that has covered either the White House-Pentagon threats or the rehashing of the OPCW report and has not mentioned Hershs revelations is writing nothing less than propaganda in service of a western foreign policy agenda trying to bring about the illegal overthrow of the Syrian government. And so far that appears to include every single US and UK mainstream newspaper and TV station.So what were Hershs findings that powerful western political-military establishments found so threatening? In the Welt Am Sonntag article of 25.06.17 titled Trumps Red Line Hersh revealed that the Syrians did plan an attack in Khan Sheikhoun (there were intercepts to prove it) targeting the site of a high level jihadist meeting, using conventional explosives. Details of the plan had been provided by the Russians days in advance to US and allied forces coordinating operations in the region. The basement of the building was used as storage for rockets, weapons and ammunition, as well as products that could be distributed for free to the community, among them medicines and chlorine-based decontaminants for cleansing the bodies of the dead before burial. The meeting place  a regional headquarters  was on the floor above, Hersh wrote. He said the evidence suggested that there were more than one chemical responsible for the symptoms observed in the victims which would not have been the case if the Syrian Air Force  as opposition activists insisted  had dropped a sarin bomb, which has no percussive or ignition power to trigger secondary explosions. According to Hershs source - a senior adviser to the American intelligence community  President Trump ordered a retaliatory strike against Syria despite the CIA and DIA not having evidence that Syria had sarin or used it. Did they plan to use sarin? No. But the president did not say: We have a problem and lets look into it. He wanted to bomb the shit out of Syria, Hersh quoted the source as saying.

This conversation was provided to Seymour Hersh. It is between a security adviser and an active US American soldier on duty on a key operational base about the events in Khan Sheikhoun. We have made abbreviations: American soldier (AS) and Security Advisor (SA). Welt Am Sonntag is aware of the location of the deployment. For security reasons, certain details of military operations have been omitted.



(Transcript courtesy Welt Am Sonntag)

April 6, 2017

American Soldier: We got a f****n problem

Security-Adviser: What happened? Is it the Trump ignoring the Intel and going to try to hit the Syrians? And that were p*****g on the Russians?

AS: This is bad...Things are spooling up.

SA: You may not have seen Trumps press conference yesterday. Hes bought into the media story without asking to see the Intel. We are likely to get our a***s kicked by the Russians. F*****g dangerous. Where are the godamn adults? The failure of the chain of command to tell the President the truth, whether he wants to hear it or not, will go down in history as one of our worst moments.

AS: I dont know. None of this makes any sense. We know that there was no chemical attack. The Syrians struck a weapons cache (a legitimate military target) and there was collateral damage. Thats it. They did not conduct any sort of a chemical attack.

AS: And now were shoving a s**t load of TLAMs (tomahawks) up their a**.

SA: There has been a hidden agenda all along. This is about trying to ultimately go after Iran. What the people around Trump do not understand is that the Russians are not a paper tiger and that they have more robust military capability than we do.

AS: I dont know what the Russians are going to do. They might hang back and let the Syrians defend their own borders, or they might provide some sort of tepid support, or they might blow us the f**k out of the airspace and back into Iraq. I honestly dont know what to expect right now. I feel like anything is possible. The Russian air defence system is capable of taking out our TLAMs. This is a big f*****g deal...we are still all systems go...

SA: You are so right. Russia is not going to take this lying down

SA: Who is pushing this? Is it coming from Votel (General Joseph L. Votel, Commander of United States Central Command, editors note) ?

AS: I dont know. Its from someone big though. . . . This is a big f*****g deal.

AS: It has to be POTUS.

AS: They [the Russians] are weighing their options. Indications are they are going to be passive supporters of Syria and not engage their systems unless their own assets are threatened. In other words, the sky is f*****g blue.



April 7, 2017

SA: What are the Russians doing or saying? Am I correct that we did little real damage to Russia or Syria?

AS: We didnt hit a damn thing, thankfully. They retrograded all their aircraft and personnel. We basically gave them a very expensive fireworks display.

AS: They knew where ships were and watched the entire strike from launch to end game.

AS: The Russians are furious. Claiming we have the real Intel and know the truth about the weapons depot strike.

AS: They are correct.

AS: I guess it really didnt matter whether we elected Clinton or Trump. F**k.

AS: No one is talking about the entire reason were in Iraq and Syria in the first place. That mission is f****d now.

SA: Are any of your colleagues p****d or is everyone going along with it and saying this is OK

AS: Its a mad house. . . .Hell we even told the Russians an hour before impact

SA: But they clearly knew it was coming

AS: Oh of course

AS: Now Fox is saying we chose to hit the Syrian airfield because it is where the chemical attacks were launched from. Wow. Cant make this s**t up.

SA: They are. I mean, making it up

AS: Its so f****n evil!



April 8, 2017

AS: Russians are being extremely reasonable. Despite what the news is reporting they are still trying to deconflict and coordinate the air campaign.

SA: I dont think the Russians yet understand how crazy Trump is over this. And I dont think we appreciate how much damage the Russians can do to us.

AS: Theyre showing amazing restraint and being unbelievably calm. They seem mostly interested in de-escalating everything. They dont want to lose our support in the help with destroying ISIS.

SA: But I get the feeling they are simply trying this approach for as long as they feel it might work. If we keep pushing this current aggressive stance theyre going to hit back.
Sri Lankas first heart transplant surgery had been successfully performed at the Kandy General Hospital, the Health Ministry said today.

A heart of a 24 year-old donor was transplanted to a 34-year-old woman, whose heart was 12 percent nonoperational, Director of the Kandy Hospital Dr. Saman Ratnayake said.

He said two the kidneys of the donor too were transplanted to two patients. He said both the heart and the kidney recipients were under the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Kandy GH.

The health condition of the patients is stable and the doctors are monitoring the situation, Dr. Ratnayake said.

Heath Ministry said specialists from the hospitals in Kandy, Peradeniya, Anuradhapura, Borella Lady Ridgeway and Welisara Chest Hospital joined in the surgeries for the transplant.

Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne had also phoned and appreciated the doctors, who successfully performed the surgery.(Darshana Sanjeewa)
Expressing Shock at the Sri Lankan Parliament passing a new Bill to prevent Tamil Nadu fishermen from fishing in their traditional waters in Palk Bay, the chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said the new legislation was a severe setback to the diplomatic efforts being taken to resolve the issue amicably.

He urged the prime minister Narendra Modi to direct the External Affairs Ministry and the Indian Mission in Sri Lanka to lodge Indias strong protest against the move.

Under the provisions of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Amendment) Bill of Sri Lanka, the fishing trawlers, as well as fishing gear used in the Lankan territorial waters, would be confiscated, fishermen imprisoned for two years and huge fines up to 50,000 Lankan Rupees will be imposed.

The chief minister urged the prime minister to direct the authorities concerned to immediately, appropriately and effectively respond to this latest move by Lanka which would permanently hit the livelihood of our fishermen in the Palk Bay, both by registering our strong protest against the move and ensuring that necessary provisions were made in the new legislation to exempt the traditional waters of Palk Bay from its purview.

Stating that the new legislation of Lanka would deny the fundamental rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen under the Constitution of India, he said moving such a Bill at this crucial juncture of transition towards a permanent solution it was nothing but a harsh step to undermine the diplomatic efforts of the Centre to sort out the sensitive issue.

Palaniswami further said a livelihood issue of this nature should be better resolved through promotional and development measures to introduce alternative modes and technologies, and not through such abrupt bans and punitive measures.

He also said that Palk Bay was the historic and traditional fishing area of Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu and the historical rights of the Indian fishermen were simply signed away as part of the ill-advised Indo-Lankan agreements of 1974 and 1976 which also unilaterally ceded Katchatheevu to Lanka without having any foresight or concern on the plight of our innocent fishermen.

It may be recalled that already 50 fishermen from TN and 143 fishing boats had been under Lankan custody and the state government had, during the joint working group meetings and the ministerial level meeting in Colombo on February 2, raised the issue of release of fishing boats.(Indian Express)
wo and-a-half years after the spectacular election victory of January 8, 2015, President Maithripala Sirisena appears to be facing one of his biggest conflicts in the National Unity government which was formed after the parliamentary elections in August 2015.

The conflict erupted in an unprecedented way at the Cabinet meeting last Tuesday. According to Cabinet spokesmen and media reports, the main issue was the alleged delays in probing allegations of multimillion rupee frauds and corruption by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, his family members and top officials. Other issues include disputes over huge development projects such as the Hambantota Port and Trincomalee port development schemes in association with China and India.

In a strange twist of politics, President Sirisena claimed that United National Party frontliners were responsible for dragging on the probes on the huge frauds or corruption allegations against Rajapaksa family members and associates. He said that if he were given the Law and Order Ministry and the Justice Ministry, he would see that these investigations were completed within three months the VIP culprits brought to justice and the money returned to the country. The ministers concerned, Sagala Ratnayake and Wijedasa Rajapakshe, later issued statements clarifying their positions. Mr. Ratnayake, who is in charge of the police department, said his conscience was clear and he had acted according to the rule of law. Mr. Rajapakshe also denied any wrong doing, claiming he had only made some inquiries from the Attorney Generals Department regarding some cases.

The President did not name Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe but his outburst came after the premier submitted a Cabinet note seeking clarification on what the government should do relating to the Anti-Corruption Committee Secretariat (ACCS) whose term ended on June 30, according to our sister paper the Sunday Times.

According to sources close to the Premier, the only advise or guidance given to the States investigative arms and the Attorney Generals Department is that they should obtain substantial documentary evidence before filing cases against the former regimes VIPs for alleged frauds or corruptions. They say this is based on the hallowed judicial concept that in a court of law, allegations have to be proved beyond any reasonable doubt. Otherwise the case will apparently be dismissed by the courts and this would be a big blow to the government.

There are questions as to whether President Sirisena accepts this principle or fears that the UNP has some ulterior motive in delaying the cases including those against former Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga and Gamini Senarath who was the former Presidents Chief of Staff. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party at present is divided between the Sirisena faction and the Rajapaksa faction. Some media reports have implied that about 18 more Sirisena faction MPs may defect to the Joint Opposition or the Rajapaksa group but these reports have been denied by SLFP officials. Some SLFP ministers have implied or alleged that UNP frontliners are delaying the probes on allegations against the Rajapaksas and associates, with the ulterior intention of further splitting the SLFP and giving the UNP a better chance of victory at the provincial or local council elections scheduled to be held in the coming months.

Whatever the charges or motives and whatever pressure President Sirisena is facing, most analysts believe there is no option but to continue with the National Unity government where both major parties came together for the first time since independence in 1948. The President and the Prime Minister are still known to have a close relationship because they were the key actors in the dramatic crossover of November 2014. They are also sincerely committed to the vision of building a peaceful, just and all inclusive society with religious and racial unity in diversity. We hope the commitment to this noble vision will be maintained despite conflicts or controversies that may continue to arise.
At a time when the autonomy of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is a raging debate, especially post-demonetisation, here comes a book by former RBI governor YV Reddy, Advice and Dissent, recounting a fascinating anecdote wherein, when asked about the institutions autonomy, he told a journalist: The RBI has full autonomy. I have the permission of my finance minister to tell you that.

Remind Reddy about this incident and he says that the autonomy issue has been unnecessarily raised now and that it had been settled back. Jawaharlal Nehru had said that the RBI was independent  not from the government but within the system of the government, he says, adding that today a lot more coordination is required between different agencies of the government and the RBI.

Advice and Dissent is an insiders saga on how the government and the RBI work. But throughout, to his credit, the author has resisted the temptation of sensationalising things. His subdued approach is evident when he narrates the RBIs crackdown on the Sahara group, despite the fact that Reddy believed his life was under threat because of this very case.

I was assured that there was no basis for such fears, he recalls. His matter-of-factly approach can also be seen vis-a-vis his bittersweet relations with then finance minister P Chidambaram. So much so that Reddy, who was RBI governor between 2003 and 2008, had thought of quitting his job twice, but stayed on after the intervention of then PM Manmohan Singh.

His (Chidambarams) image as a reformer pushing for double-digit growth was, in his view, being dented by my caution to the extent of resisting implementation of some of his policies, Reddy writes in Advice and Dissent, adding that Chidambaram even had to cancel a foreign visit as he could not face investors due to his "poor" reform record.

But a decade down the line, Reddy downplays the rift. Dont take my resignations too seriously. Actually, in four years, I thought of resigning only twice, says he with a smile. Our relationship, despite such ups and downs, was based on mutual respect; it was not antagonistic, as some of us would like to believe.

Advice & Dissent: My Life in Public Service, by YV Reddy; HarperCollins; Rs 799.

The high point of the book, however, is when Reddy talks about his association with NT Rama Rao, calling him an honest and innovative politician. NTR was a charismatic man who was always in search of new ideas. But what made him stand out was his penchant for taking tough decisions.

One gets the most incisive analysis on NTRs personality, in Advice and Dissent, when Reddy reveals how the then Andhra Pradesh CM looked at intellectuals. Whenever he found an intellectual whom he fancied, NTR liked to court him, but once the intellectual settled down in the harem, he would lose interest and pursue other intellectuals, Reddy writes.

Reddy also reveals how NTR, despite his larger-than-life persona, hankered after applause on trivial issues. He would ask the author to vindicate if he was indeed a great man and that his handwriting resembled a string of pearls! Manmohan Singh, too, gets a glowing review in the book. Reddy rates him highly as an economist, saying his role in Indias liberalisation in 1991 remains unparalleled.

He had the advantage of being always in India, unlike many other economists. He has been a witness to successes and setbacks.

When asked about his not-so-successful stint as PM in UPA-II, Reddy gives a one-line reply: Whenever he had full freedom to take decisions, he did well.

The former RBI chief answers as much as he doesnt! But on the role of Narasimha Rao, his reply isnt ambiguous. There should be no confusion that Rao was the main force behind the 1991 saga. Everyone knew by the mid-1980s that the socialist system wasnt working. The same technocrats and bureaucrats were there, so how could they take credit. What made the difference was the presence of Rao in that critical juncture.

Reddy also praises PM Narendra Modi, despite being critical of his demonetisation move. Modi has taken a few bold steps  like GST and the one on benami properties  which the political class has been avoiding for decades. Even his note ban move vindicates his decisiveness, though I am critical of the RBI being armtwisted for curbing black money  if that was the objective of demonetisation  as it should instead have been done by the income tax department.

The RBI may not be autonomous from the government, but as Nehru said, it definitely needs autonomy within the system of the government".
Has China lost its gamble on a Himalayan ridge in Sikkim? It is too early to say, but some lessons can already be drawn from the scuffle between the Indian Army and the People's Liberation Army in Doka La, near the trijunction between Tibet (China), India and Bhutan.

The episode started when China began building a road on Bhutanese territory without informing Thimphu.

Beijing was certainly not expecting that India would come to the rescue and defend the small kingdom. China, which dreams of becoming a "Big Power", attempted to change the status quo south of the Doklam plateau on the Bhutan-Tibet border.

Statement

On June 29, the Royal Government of Bhutan, which had held 24 rounds of talks on the issue with China so far, explained the situation in a statement: "On 16th June 2017, the Chinese Army started constructing a motorable road from Doka La in the Doklam area towards the Bhutan Army camp at Zompelri.

"Boundary talks are ongoing between Bhutan and China and we have written agreements of 1988 and 1998 stating that the two sides agree to maintain peace and tranquillity in their border areas pending a final settlement on the boundary question... The agreements also state that the two sides will refrain from taking unilateral action, or use of force, to change the status quo of the boundary."

Bhutan conveyed to Beijing that the construction of the road inside Bhutanese territory was a direct violation of the agreements and that it would affect the ongoing demarcation process.

On June 30, 2017, the MEA too issued a press communique underlining that "the two governments had in 2012 reached agreement that the trijunction boundary points between India, China and third countries will be finalised in consultation with the concerned countries.

"Any attempt, therefore, to unilaterally determine tri-junction points is in violation of this understanding."

Beijing was well aware that the area has been under dispute for several decades; already some 50 years ago, nasty letters were exchanged between Delhi and Beijing on the issue.

The first lesson of the present episode is that India is eons behind China in terms of communication. Though Beijing broke its pledge to Bhutan and India, the constant threatening statements by their spokesperson made it sound as if Beijing was the aggrieved party.

In 2003, China's Central Military Commission approved the concept of "Three Warfares", namely: (1) the coordinated use of strategic psychological operations; (2) overt and covert media manipulation; and (3) legal warfare designed to manipulate strategies, defence policies, and perceptions of target audiences abroad.

The Chinese spokespersons efficiently demonstrated how, even when wrong, you can make it appear that it is the other parties, Bhutan and India in this case, who are the culprits.

History

Take the case of the 1890 Convention between Great Britain and China relating to Sikkim and Tibet. The Chinese ministry of foreign affairs' spokesperson managed to convince most of the Indian and foreign media of the importance of the treaty.

Beijing, however, forgot to mention that the two main stakeholders, Tibet and Sikkim, had not even been consulted by the then "Great Imperial Powers".

Tsepon WD Shakabpa, the famous historian, in his Tibet: a Political History, explained that in 1890, a convention was drawn up without consulting the government of Tibet: "six articles related to Tibet, and since (Tibet) was not represented at the Convention, those articles were not allowed to be put into practice by the Tibetans."

Shakabpa added: "The British were aware that China exercised no real power in Tibet at that time; but it suited their interests to deal with the Manchus, because of the advantages they gained from the Convention."

An unequal treaty in Chinese parlance! The Manchus agreed to "offer" Sikkim to the British as they were afraid that Tibet and Britain might enter into direct negotiations with London; therefore, they signed the treaty to forestall such a possibility.

In 1904, Capt Francis Younghusband anyway mounted a military expedition to Tibet to make the recalcitrant Tibetans sign their first agreement with the Crown.

Wedge

China has always been interested to create a wedge between India and Bhutan. In 1966, in similar circumstances, for the same disputed place, the Dokham plateau, the Chinese government attempted to convince Delhi that Bhutan did not require India's support "as it was an independent country".

The Communists did not accept that Delhi could advise Bhutan; they crudely wrote: "inheriting the mantle of British imperialism, the Indian Government has all along been pursuing an expansionist policy and bullying its neighbouring countries."

As at present, the Bhutanese government had issued a press statement on October 3, 1966: "The Government of Bhutan have, for some time, been concerned with reports received from its patrols of a number of intrusions by Tibetan grazers and Chinese troops in the Doklam pastures which are adjacent to the southern part of the Chumbi Valley."

It concluded that the area has been traditionally part of Bhutan, and China had never disputed "the traditional frontier which runs along recognisable natural features." However, later, China started claiming large strategic chunks of Bhutan's territory.

Incidentally, Article 1 of the much quoted 1890 Convention placed the trijunction at Gipmochi: "The line commences at Mount Gipmochi on the Bhutan frontier, and follows the above-mentioned water-parting to the point where it meets Nepal territory."

According to Sikkimese records, Gipmochi is in Batang La, 5km north of Doka La. It means the territory south of Batang La is indeed Bhutanese, and therefore India did not "trespass" into Tibet. So, why all this fuss?
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,...
A lawful assembly became an unlawful assembly on Saturday afternoon when approximately 50 Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan fulfilled their promise of descending upon Charlottesville in support of its Confederate statues.

For weeks, city officials urged residents to ignore the rally, but that call did not sway the more than 1,000 people who encircled Justice Park with chants, drum circles and signs vehemently condemning the North Carolina-based white supremacy group.

Their rally lasted only 45 minutes, but as the Klan members were escorted by city and state police to their vehicles, they were eclipsed by cohorts of anti-racist groups deriding the Klan and the police in equal measure.

By 4:40 p.m., police declared the scene on High Street an unlawful assembly. After two hours and three canisters of tear gas, authorities had arrested 23 people connected to the protest.

Since Friday, city authorities have been prepping the recently renamed Justice Park for the rally, which Klan members applied for back in May as a response to the citys decision to remove the statues of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from what was then named Lee Park. The decision put Charlottesville in the mix of a nationwide debate over the treatment of Confederate monuments and their racial implications in a modern historical context.

Alternative events focus on unity, history Business owners, city officials, the Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP, civic leaders and a coalition of local clergy helped organize the "Unity Cville" events.

City Councils February decision to remove the statue has been a lightning rod for right-wing politicians and pro-white groups from all over the state, who claim the city is overstepping its bounds by taking down elements of Southern heritage. Rallying under that ideology, the Klan applied for a 3 p.m. assembly beside the statue of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson that was expected to bring more than 100 Klansmen; as expected, the number of protesters outpaced the roughly 50 who showed by the hundreds.

Police plans for KKK rally included barricades, tear gas in effort to protect At 10 a.m. close to 200 officers from the Virginia State Police and local police departments gathered to go over the days operation.

Hours ahead of the rallys start time  and not long after city workers had to clear a splash of red paint from the Lee statue  scores of members from Black Lives Matter, Charlottesvilles Showing Up for Racial Justice, Charlottesville Solidarity and other activist groups engulfed Justice Park, waving signs, singing chants and dancing in drum circles.

When black lives are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back! one chant rang out.

The rally, well-publicized by local and national media alike, drew non-locals from both sides of the argument. Phil Wilayto, editor of the Richmond-based community newspaper The Virginia Defender, came to Charlottesville to support efforts to remove the Confederate statues and oppose the Klans presence.

For 11 years, weve been calling for the Confederate statues of Monument Avenue to come down, so were out here today to show solidarity with the people of Charlottesville, support their struggle and Charlottesvilles struggle to take down the statues, and ask for their help in getting rid of the ones in Richmond, Wilyato said.

On the other side of the fence, Brandy Fisher of West Virginia said she came to oppose the removal of the statues. She was quickly targeted in a barrage of arguments with anti-Klan protesters offended by her hat bearing the Confederate flag.

I, apparently, am wearing a Confederate flag so theyre mad and calling me racist and calling me a Klan member when all Im doing is protesting the removal of our historical statues, Fisher said. I feel like if we remove the statues, were going to make the same mistakes in the future. If you dont look to your past, youre going to screw up your future.

Asked if she supported the Klan, Fisher said she wouldnt care who was holding the rally so long as it was defending the Confederate monuments, but that she doesnt agree with all of the Klans views because theyre racist, and Im not racist.

I dont have a problem with black people, or Mexicans, or Israelis, or [Afghans] or Asians, she said. A person is a person, I take them each individually. I dont agree with all the white people, either, because some of them are pretty damn ignorant.

As the rallys start time drew closer, the crowd thickened and tensions rose as thickets of protesters stationed themselves in and around the Klans expected entrance point. At 3 p.m., with the Klan still nowhere in sight, police had to pull a Crozet man, draped in the Confederate flag, from the protesting crowd.

Speaking to police outside of the crowd, Chris Dudley remained defiant in his opposition to the protest, stating that Gen. Jackson was a hero, and that if it werent for him, none of yall would be here. Dudley said he and his girlfriend had come to the rally alone, but they were later spotted standing amongst the Klansmen.

It wasnt until 3:45 p.m. that the Klan finally appeared; dozens of state police officers formed a two-sided human wall stretching across High Street, parting the sea of protesters for a troop of Klansmen dressed in black shirts or white robes, clutching Confederate flags and signs bearing their white-supremacist creeds.

As some raised their arms in Nazi salutes and others let out a chant of white power, the Klan group was met with a chorus of dissent from the crowd, who called for them to be removed from the park and the city. The Klans rebuttals were often drowned out by the protesters, with some using whistles and noisemakers to quell the Klans cries.

Asked why they decided to come to Charlottesville, Klan member James Moore again expressed a desire to retain symbols of white supremacy while deriding City Councilor Wes Bellamy, who came under scrutiny last fall when offensive tweets were unearthed from his Twitter page.

These are the kinds of people were electing into the government here in Charlottesville ... Wes Bellamy is racist against white people but the thing is, nobodys worried about what Wes Bellamy is saying if its about white people, Moore said.

Bellamy was out of town, celebrating his one-year wedding anniversary.

Condemning the Jewish press, as well as President Donald Trump, whom Moore wrote off as a puppet, the eight-year Klansman said his group did not hate anybody, but rather identified as a white separatist organization.

By around 4:25 p.m., the cavalcade of Klansmen was escorted back out of the park and to their vehicles by police, drawing ire from the crowd of protesters, aghast that the authorities would be accommodating of such a radical group. High Street and its nearby side streets filled with hundreds who continued to rail against the Klans presence, alighting tensions with the state and city officers, several of whom had donned riot gear.

At 4:40 p.m., police declared the scene an unlawful assembly as officers continued to push the crowd back and allow the Klansmen to leave. Multiple reporters from The Daily Progress witnessed members of the crowd being brought to the ground by police and taken away in hand ties. At one point, a member of the crowd deployed a can of pepper spray, a city official said, and when a large crowd refused to leave High Street, a line of officers in riot gear donned gas masks and set off canisters of tear gas.

They just started grabbing us, telling us to leave, and we couldnt go anywhere, said Sara Tansey, who was arrested on East High Street and said she was charged with misdemeanor obstruction of free passage of others. They started grabbing us when we refused to leave.

By 6:15 p.m., 23 people in total had been arrested, said a city spokeswoman, though she said she was unaware of the exact charges levied against the arrestees, or if they were still being detained. Three individuals had to be transported to the hospital: two for heat-related issues and one for an alcohol-related issue.

Speaking after the rally, former Blue Ribbon Commission Chairman Don Gathers said he was proud of the size of the protest but disappointed with the polices behavior in the aftermath, calling it unnecessary.

Now its just devolved into this. Its truly sad. The police, I was so proud of them up until this point, and now this, Gathers said. They treated the Klan members one way: with respect. But then, the folks who came out to stand up to oppression, this is what you do to them?  Our citizens deserve better than this.

The Charlottesville Police Department has not yet released a statement about the arrests or incidents that followed the protest.

In a statement posted to Facebook, Mayor Mike Signer wrote that the police succeeded in executing their strategy of protecting the First Amendment and public safety before and during the rally. He called the aftermath of the rally an unfortunate event.

All in all, I believe that we came out of this difficult day stronger than before  more committed to diversity, to racial and social justice, to telling the truth about our history, and to unity, Signer wrote. On a very hot day, we made lemonade out of a lemon  from North Carolina, no less.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Video: KKK arrives at Justice Park. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/charlottesvillekkk?src=hash">#charlottesvillekkk</a> <a href="https://t.co/rXmlA9qXVX">pic.twitter.com/rXmlA9qXVX</a></p> The Daily Progress (@DailyProgress) <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyProgress/status/883782904777781250">July 8, 2017</a></blockquote>

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The crowd of protesters heaved like a wave.

Charlottesville police officers were pushed back as a few counter-protesters broke through a barricade at Justice Park on Saturday, ahead of the planned Ku Klux Klan rally.

Officers quickly grabbed the five people who made it through, restrained them and led them out of the park. Outside of the barricade, state police wearing full riot gear  including helmets, visors and body armor  cleared a pathway to let the members of the Loyal White Knights of the KKK into the park.

For Charlottesville police, keeping all participants safe and ensuring everyones right to free speech was the goal of Saturdays rally.

* * *

Police have been strategizing for weeks after the KKK applied to hold a rally in Charlottesvilles Justice Park in May to protest the removal of its Confederate monuments.

Planning for 100 Klan members from the North Carolina group to show up on Saturday, police also had to prepare for an unknown number of KKK supporters and counter-protesters. Much of the focus and challenge of the operation turned to keeping the opposing groups apart  while still allowing them to hear one another.

The park itself offered a unique layout for police to plan how to keep both officers and citizens safe, according to Capt. David Shifflett, incident commander for the operation. Dividing the park into five zones, police set up 100 metal barricades to keep space between the different groups in the hope of avoiding altercations.

Using the Albemarle County General District Court building as a natural barrier, Shifflett said that left just three sides of the park that needed to be heavily manned. With the statue of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson in the middle of the park, much of the rally participants would be forced into two zones, making it easier for police to keep an eye on things.

One challenge of the park layout was its proximity to the Downtown Mall. If things got out of hand and police declared the gathering an unlawful assembly  meaning everyone needed to leave  police feared most people would stream toward the mall.

Its not an ideal situation and could push problems to the mall, where alternative events are taking place, Shifflett said.

In that were to happen, the contingency plan was to send more officers to protect the mall.

The day before the event, Charlottesville parks and recreation employees went through the park, clearing away overgrown vegetation and any loose bricks or rocks that could become weapons. Setting up the metal barricades, five zones were erected, including one dedicated specifically to the KKK.

If a command briefing in late June, Charlottesville police leaders expressed concerns about keeping the two groups apart from one another. Consulting the commonwealths attorneys office, police determined the barricades were legal, as long as the groups were able to speak to one another. Officers also could stop people from crossing them as long as they were clearly labeled with police tape.

If we get these two groups together, theyre going to be fighting, said Maj. Gary Pleasants.

Another concern was the intangible. Not knowing which groups would be coming to the rally greatly concerned police, who spent significant time collecting intelligence about different groups who might show up.

Our concern is the unknown, Chief Al Thomas said at the briefing. Our concern is the group that wasnt polite enough to file an assembly permit six weeks in advance. Are we going to be prepared for that?

Lets try living in the future, he said. Lets anticipate and figure out whats coming our way to protect this community.

* * *

Charlottesville police also stayed in contact with the KKK in the days leading up to the rally to try to coordinate an escort for the group and learn more about their plans. Wanting to get the Klan in and out of the park as quickly as possible, police planned to have the group park in a central location just behind the Charlottesville Albemarle Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

Once there, police would be able to escort the group into the park, where they could hold their rally.

Theyre going to be wearing the full robe with the hat, Shifflett said in the briefing. We had a discussion about the mask covering their faces in public. That absolutely will not be tolerated.

In the event of arrests, police set up a station at the Charlottesville Circuit Court, complete with a video feed to the magistrate. Police also would use plastic flex cuffs to restrain people and/or a gurney to carry anyone who was uncooperative, according to Shifflett.

I think it improves safety for the officer and the person were arresting, said Shifflett. Were trying to reduce the chance of injury for officers and the person being arrested.

The SWAT team also created a plan of action that included having multiple snipers on roofs surrounding the scene to act as eyes in the sky. A trauma surgeon from the University of Virginia Medical Center also would be at the scene in case of major injuries.

I think the biggest thing to remember is to be prepared to adapt, Capt. Victor Mitchell said in the briefing. We can do all the planning in the world, and something is going to happen that we havent even thought of.

So, just be prepared for it.

* * *

At 10 a.m. Saturday, close to 200 officers from the Virginia State Police, Charlottesville, Albemarle County and University of Virginia police departments, as well as the Charlottesville and Albemarle County sheriffs offices, gathered to go over the days operation.

Protect people, even if you dont agree with them, Thomas told the group. Our job is to keep people safe.

Youre going to be challenged, he said. The potential for violence is real. We do not take this lightly, and were very mindful of that.

As of Saturday morning, instead of the anticipated 100 Klan members arriving at the park, police said they were expecting closer to 40. Several of them would be carrying weapons, both openly and concealed.

Following the mornings briefing, state police searched the park for weapons and explosives. Officers were then on their posts by noon, three hours ahead of the rallys expected start time of 3 p.m. To free up city officers for the event, Albemarle County police worked the Charlottesville streets and answered calls for service.

Nearby, the Charlottesville Fire Department and Charlottesville Albemarle Rescue Squad had fire engines and ambulances at the ready, should the worst happen, according to city Fire Chief Andrew Baxter.

Were ready with an ambulance strike team in case there are a large amount of patients, Baxter said. It might sound a little excessive, but our job is to think about what could happen. We want excess capacity.

By noon, the streets around the park were closed to traffic and people started trickling into the park. Up in the command center in a building near the park, police, fire and EMS leaders kept an eye on things with camera feeds of the park. Watching as small groups of protesters arrived in the park, police carefully watched for weapons and bulky bags.

As 3 p.m. hit, the crowds had swelled in size. After a few protesters broke through a barrier, the rally remained peaceful as the KKK took their place in the park. Protesters yelled Shame and No cops, no KKK, no racist USA as the Klan members waved Confederate flags and pro-KKK signs.

Police then escorted the group back to their cars on Fourth Street but were held up for about 10 minutes while protesters blocked the Klans exit. At that point, police declared the gathering to be an unlawful assembly and began moving people back up Fourth Street.

Once the Klan left, the protesters turned their attention to police. Shouting insults and asking, Wheres Sage Smith?  a black, transgender woman who went missing in 2012  the protesters followed state police troopers and Charlottesville officers onto East High Street. When scuffles broke out and the group refused to disband, state police in riot gear formed a human barrier near the Juvenile and Domestic Relations courthouse.

After warning the group to leave several times, police set off three canisters of tear gas. The yellow gas floated on the wind, causing a burning sensation in the eyes and throat. Several protesters began dousing their faces with bottled water to stop the effects.

Once the group disbanded, another altercation took place outside of the Charlottesville Circuit Court and several protesters threw items at police. Breaking up the second group, police and citizens alike began leaving the park.

Having attended several briefings and assessed the days events, Thomas said the operation all went according to plan. Police made 23 arrests and there were just a few minor injuries to police. Three citizens were taken to the hospital  two for heat-related symptoms and one for alcohol-related problems.

I think everyone handled it well, Thomas said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Mosul on Sunday and congratulated the armed forces for their "victory" over Islamic State after nearly nine months of urban warfare, bringing an end to jihadist rule in the city.

Islamic State's defeat in Mosul three years after taking the city is a major blow for the hardline Sunni Islamist group, which is also losing ground in its operational base in the Syrian city of Raqqa, where it has planned global attacks.

The group, however, still controls territory in Iraq and is expected to revert to more conventional insurgent tactics such as bombings as its self-proclaimed caliphate falls apart.

The battle for Mosul - by far the largest city to fall under the militants' control - has left large areas in ruins, killed thousands of civilians and displaced nearly one million people.

"The commander in chief of the armed forces (Prime Minister) Haider al-Abadi arrived in the liberated city of Mosul and congratulated the heroic fighters and Iraqi people for the great victory," his office said in a statement.

Airstrikes and exchanges of gunfire could still be heard in the narrow streets of Mosul's Old City, where the group has staged its last stand against Iraqi forces backed by a U.S.-led international coalition.

Abadi met commanders in west Mosul who led the battle, but he has yet to issue a formal declaration that the entire city has been retaken for the group which is also known as ISIS.

Still, French President Emmanuel Macron - whose country is part of the coalition that has conducted airstrikes and provided training and assistance to Iraqi forces on the battlefield, welcomed the defeat.

"Mosul liberated from ISIS: France pays homage to all those, who alongside our troops, contributed to this victory," Macron said on his Twitter account.

Iraq still faces uncertainty and long-term stability will be possible only if the government contains ethnic and sectarian tensions which have dogged the country since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

The fall of Mosul exposes fractures between Arabs and Kurds over disputed territories, and between Sunnis and the Shiite majority.

"FIGHT TO THE DEATH"

The group vowed to "fight to the death" in Mosul, but Iraqi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasool told state TV that 30 militants had been killed attempting to flee by swimming across the River Tigris that bisects the city.

Cornered in a shrinking area, the militants resorted to sending women suicide bombers among the thousands of civilians who are emerging from the battlefield wounded, malnourished and fearful, Iraqi army officers said.

The struggle has also exacted a heavy toll on Iraq's security forces.

The Iraqi government does not reveal casualty figures, but a funding request from the U.S. Department of Defense said the elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), which has spearheaded the fight in Mosul, had suffered 40 percent losses.

The Department of Defense has requested $1.269 billion in U.S. budget funds for 2018 to continue supporting Iraqi forces, which collapsed in the face of the few hundred militants who overran Mosul in 2014.

Backed by coalition airstrikes, an array of Iraqi forces gradually clawed back territory from Islamic State until reaching Mosul, the group's de facto capital in Iraq, last October.

It is almost exactly three years since the ultra-hardline group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a "caliphate" spanning Syria and Iraq from the pulpit of Mosul's medieval Grand al-Nuri mosque.

Abadi declared the end of Islamic State's "state of falsehood" a week ago, after security forces retook the mosque - although only after retreating militants blew it up.

The United Nations predicts it will cost more than $1 billion to repair basic infrastructure in Mosul. In some of the worst affected areas, almost no buildings appear to have escaped damage and Mosul's dense construction means the extent of the devastation might be underestimated, U.N. officials said.

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Seven of the 19 bodies have been identified so far

Cairo is investigating the deaths of Egyptians found in the Libyan desert and believed to have died during an illegal attempt to migrate to Libya, a statement from the foreign ministry read on Saturday.

The Egyptian Embassy in Libya, currently operating from Cairo, was informed by Libyan Red Cross sources that 19 bodies were found in the desert area between Tobruk and Ajdabiya, the statement added.

Only seven bodies were identified -- those who carried their Egyptian identification cards. Authorities are currently working to identify the rest.

Egyptian authorities, according to the statement, coordinated with Libyan authorities to transfer the bodies to Egypt.

The seven identified hailed from Upper Egypts Assiut and Minya governorates and the Deltas Kafr El-Sheikh governorate.

The ministry said that the illegal migration attempt was being controlled by gangs active in that area.

Despite a warning from the Egyptian government against travel to Libya, the country is still frequently used as a transit point for migrants from Egypt and other nations seeking to navigate the Mediterranean for Europe. Egypt shares more than 1,000 kilometres of border with Libya.

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Egypt is set to participate in meetings of the global coalition against Daesh in Washington D.C. from 11 to 13 July, a statement on the ministry's Facebook page read on Wednesday.

Abu-Zaid said that the strategic communication work group meetings of the global anti-Daesh coalition come amid significant strategic developments.

The spokesperson underscored the importance of Egypt's participation in such meetings to give a comprehensive vision of the war against terrorism.

"The importance of the upcoming meetings comes in light of recent measures taken by some Arab countries against Doha for its support and financing of terrorist organisations, which places an additional challenge in front of the coalition in which Qatar is a member," Abu-Zaid said in the statement.

The upcoming meetings follow major retreats by Daesh from its previous strongholds in Iraq's Mosul and Syria's Raqqa.

The last meeting of the coalition took place in Washington, D.C on 22 March.

Egypt, which is facing an Islamist insurgency led by Daesh group in North Sinai has agreed to join the 60 nations global coalition, but has not made mention of any international military role.

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Mahindra Holidays is looking to add around 600 rooms to its inventory in the next 2-3 years. (Representational Image)

New Delhi: Mahindra Holidays and Resorts India Ltd (MHRIL) is looking to add around 600 rooms to its inventory in the next two to three years as part of its expansion plans going forward.

The company had a total inventory of 3,152 rooms across 49 resorts by the end of 2016-17, the Mahindra Group firm said in its annual report 2016-17.

The company expects the pace of room inventory growth to remain strong, "with four ongoing greenfield projects adding around 600 units in the next two-three years", the report said.

MHRIL is currently working on four projects, two in Himachal Pradesh in Naldhera and Kandaghat, one each in Assanora in Goa and expansion at Ashtamudi in Kerala, which are in different stages of planning and development, it added.

"The 116-unit property in Naldhera, being developed by a subsidiary company, is expected to open shortly," the report said.

Increasing room inventory in line with membership additions continues to be a key focus area, the company said. It is also looking for inorganic growth going forward in addition to utilise its land banks.

"Besides, the company is also considering attractive opportunities for acquisition and leases in various parts of the country," the report said.

The company also has land bank at ten destinations in six states. Efforts are on to expand this further. Some of the existing resorts also have additional land that can be used for further expansion, it added.

In his address to shareholders, MHRIL Chairman Arun Nanda said there has been a very healthy increase in room inventory across various resorts. "In 2009-10, your company had around 1,500 rooms. This has doubled to 3,000+ rooms at the end of 2016-17, making your company the largest leisure hospitality player in India," he said.

In its 20th year, the company has 2.18 lakh members who have a choice to avail holidays across 49 resorts, he added.

Mahindra Holidays currently has a pan-India presence through its network of resorts across destinations, including hill stations, beaches, backwaters, wildlife sanctuaries, forts and heritage destinations.

It is also present in international destinations such as Bangkok, Innsbruck (Austria), Kuala Lumpur and Dubai. In addition, Club Mahindra members have a choice to visit the company's Finland based subsidiary HCR Management Oy's 32 exotic resorts in Finland, Sweden and Spain.
New Delhi: The GST provision called the e-way bill, which requires goods worth more than Rs 50,000 to be pre-registered online before its movement, is likely to kick in from October after a centralised software platform is ready, a top official said.

The provision would be implemented after infrastructure for smooth generation of registration and its verification through hand-held devices with tax officials is ready.

The information technology platform for the e-way bill system is being developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) along with GST-Network -- the company which has developed the IT backbone for the new indirect tax regime.

The Centre has also decided to relax the timeline provision under which the e-way bill will be generated by GSTN for 20 days for goods travelling more than 1,000 km. Earlier, this was 15 days.

As per the provision, GSTN would generate e-way bills that will be valid for 1-20 days, depending on distance to be travelled -- one day for 100 km, 3 days (100 to less than 300 km), 5 days (300-less than 500 km) and 10 days (500-less than 1,000 km).

The GST Commissioner may extend the validity period of e-way bill for certain categories of goods. "We hope the e-way bill can be implemented in three months time as by then, we hope to develop the infrastructure for consolidated e-way bill," a top official said.

Although the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has been rolled out from July 1, a centralised e-way bill could not be implemented as the rules and forms were not ready. "The e-way bill rules may be taken up in the next meeting of the GST Council on August 5. After the rules are in place, the NIC and GSTN would develop an all India platform for a consolidated system," another official said.

Since states like West Bengal, Kerala, Bihar, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh already had a robust e-way bill system, the GST Council in its meeting last month has allowed the states having e-way bill rules to continue with the existing form till a central format is built.

Originally, GSTN was to develop the e-way bill platform, but last month only the GST Council decided to rope in NIC to develop it since it was felt that in the initial days of GST roll out, GSTN would be busy with other works like solving issues like registration and invoice generation.

The draft e-way bill rules, which was made public in April, provide that the person in-charge of conveyance will be required to carry the invoice or bill of supply or delivery challan, and a copy of the e-way bill or the e-way bill number, either physically or mapped to a Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) embedded on to the conveyance.

The rules authorise the tax commissioner or an officer empowered by him on his behalf to intercept any conveyance to verify the e-way bill or the number in physical form for all inter-state and intra-state movement of goods.

Physical verification of conveyances can be carried out on specific information of evasion of tax, as per the rules. The officer will be required to submit a summary report of every inspection of goods in transit within 24 hours and the final report within three days of inspection.
The Hyderabad-based biotech company is an affiliate of Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of global drug major Sanofi.

Vijayawada: Shantha Biotechnics has decided to shift its proposed Insuman cartridges project to Telangana as against its earlier preferred location in Andhra Pradesh.

Insuman cartridges are used to produce Insulin for diabetic patients. According to sources, Shantha Biotechnics chairman K.I. Varaprarasad Reddy has decided to set up the unit in Telangana as the Andhra Pradesh government had ignored his proposal to establish a factory that could have employed 200 at the initial stages and brought in an investment of Rs 85 crores.

The Hyderabad-based biotech company is an affiliate of Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of global drug major Sanofi.

Sources said Shantha had approached the AP government with a detailed project report. The proposed unit will be second Insuman factory globally after the one in Frankfurt.

While the full project estimate is around Rs 500 crore, the initially cost is about Rs 85 crore. For this, the company requires around 14,000 sq mtrs. With the officials not responding on this, Mr Reddy had reportedly met Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for about 4 to 5 times.

However, with even Mr Naidu not reacting positively, Shantha had withdrawn its proposal to have its project at Vizag and shifted to Telangana.

The Telangana government welcomed the proposal and had provided all the facilities for the project. Responding to this newspaper, industries secretary Solomon Arokiaraj said he is unaware of this proposal as he is working as industries secretary since a year during which he hadnt received such proposal and further said that this proposal might have been prior to his posting.
So here is the thing. One blogger has accused Anurag Basus forthcoming Jagga Jasoos of seeming inspired by the Tintin comics. Anurag, of course, completely denies the allegation. Just as he had denied lifting scenes from Charlie Chaplin films in his previous film Barfi.

Displaying no pre-release jitters  he is busy indulging in his favourite stress-busting activity  cooking. He says, Let the film release. Doodh ka doodh, paani ka paani ho jayega.

However, the films producers are taking no chances. They have set into motion an in depth examination of the films content looking for shreds of inspiration from extraneous source.

Lets not forget, the same studio had burnt its fingers with the directors previous film Barfi, which had scenes lifted directly from Charlie Chaplin films.

Says a source, Anurag does have a reputation for lifting scenes. One of his early films, Saaya, was lifted from a Hollywood film Dragonfly. Anurags Tumsa Nahin Dekha was inspired by Arthur. With copyright laws being what they are, Disney is taking no chances. The entire Tintin comparison is being explored to avoid litigation after release.
Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed on Sunday in Cairo with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas the latest efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, state news agency MENA reported.

Sisi stressed during the meeting Egypts "unwavering commitment to finding a fair and comprehensive solution that would guarantee the rights of Palestinians to having their own independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital."

He also reiterated that the Palestinian issue is a top priority for Egypt, and that reaching a permanent solution is crucial for restoring security and stability in the Middle East and establishing economic development and progress in the region.

Abbas informed El-Sisi of the latest efforts to gather international support for the two-state solution, and highlighted US efforts to revive peace talks.

Abbas arrived in Cairo on Saturday with a delegation including Palestinian intelligence chief Maged Farah.

The visit comes a few days after a Hamas delegation visited Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials on the resumption of Palestinian national reconciliation efforts.

The elected head of Hamas' political bureau Ismail Haniyeh described the meeting as the start of a "new page" in Egypt-Hamas relations.

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Incidents of people trying to do bizarre things with their body have been reported several times, and this has been known to land them in trouble, even proving fatal in some cases. Not long ago a man was found to be swallowing metal plates and other objects believing yoga helped him do anything.

Now doctors in Kota are baffled to find 150 pins inside 56-year-old Badrilal Meena who says that he has no idea how they got inside his body. The pins are lodged everywhere in his body including arms, feet, neck and even his windpipe and arteries, with one being so rusted that it couldve been inside for six months.

Meena had to visit six hospitals to get pins removed from his body and doctors say its a miracle that he didnt suffer long term damage. It was also a challenge to remove the pins since they were also lodged in places like his esophagus and the carotid artery through which the brain gets oxygen.

He lost 30 kg in search of a hospital to take up his case and by the time he found help, Meena was fragile and chances of survival seemed bleak for him. Even though Meena and his family members insist he didnt insert them, hospital authorities recommended psychiatric evaluation saying that people sometimes pierce or hurt them in depression and dont remember it later.

As of now 91 needles have been removed from Meenas body as he is recovering well after a complex surgery.

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A recent CCTV footage exposed the torture of a child at a playschool in Kochi, thanks to the conflict between the proprietor and her employee. But not every child, savaged by caregivers, is fortunate. The world seldom gets to know what happens to special children, the most vulnerable and exploited lot because they can seldom express their trauma. There was uproar over the news of a 16-year-old special child being assaulted with a cane by a male warden and beaten black and blue blindfolded by the headmistress of a Kochi-based residential school for special kids. Parents of special children, under the banner of Togetherwecan, a Facebook group, has been campaigning against the illegal and inhumane practices at numerous private therapy centres  of which there is no record  which offer speech and language, behavioural and occupational therapies and special education classes.

The parent advocacy group filed a public interest litigation at Kerala High Court on May 2 demanding among others standardisation of therapy for neurological disorders by introducing a syllabus, formation of a regulatory authority to check malpractices and transparency by letting the parent in the therapy room. A viral Facebook 10-minute video posted by Ms Padma Pillai, entrepreneur and the mother of a 12-year-old autistic boy, sheds light on the motive of the parent advocacy group which wants to protect rights of the children who are unable to express themselves. All parents who have taken their children for therapy have had bad experiences at therapy centres. Children are being verbally and physically assaulted behind closed doors. Parents are not let in, claiming that children would not cooperate. As long as children cant communicate what transpires in the room during sessions that last around an hour, no action can be taken. Though the district collector suggested installing CCTVs in rooms, many were not willing. We also talked to special educators and found that the claim about children being non-cooperative is sham. We wont, any more, let rights of their children be violated, says Ms Pillai.

This is not an overnight development. There have been many instances of special children being tortured by inexperienced therapists. In 2015, Ms Preetha Anups six-year-old autistic son suffered a fracture at a therapy centre in Kochi. The mother waited outside the room during occupational therapy sessions, little realizing that her child was crying. Only when his arm was fractured did parents realised the torture he was subjected to. My child had to be operated as his arm was broken. The most shocking response was from the head of the centre, an occupational therapist, who claimed that the child had lesser bone density. We did tests and confirmed that there was nothing wrong with his bones. It never occurred to us that the child was being tortured when he appeared exhausted after each session and kept crying. We were told that it was normal; we didnt realise we were being cheated, Ms Anup says.

More shocking was when they learnt that it was a physiotherapist, who handled the occupational therapy session that went awry. However, they didnt sue the centre because by the time they gathered the strength to speak up, it was late and there were no chances of presenting evidence. Togetherwecan, in 2015, brought the issues to the attention of the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, which checked the centres, reviewed the complaints and listed out recommendations, including laying down best practices, setting up district-level panels of experts and parents, setting guidelines for therapy centres and bringing all those under a regulatory body. However, the recommendations took two years to get printed as an official order, which is yet to be implemented.

Parents are often ignorant, scared

Many parents, most of them on condition of anonymity, share their bitter experiences and unending shuttling between therapy centres unsure of the best chance for their child to become less dependent on others. Many are unaware of the proper therapy practices and therapists dont brief them properly. The helplessness and ignorance of parents are being exploited to the core. They dont protest fearing rejection and isolation at the centres, faced by many who dared to. Also, there are no ways to know if they are approaching a bogus centre. There is absolutely no monitoring, says Seema Lal, psychologist and petitioner, who filed the PIL.

Ms Lal had to bear the brunt for participating in the parent advocacy programme against malpractices and filing the PIL by facing a smear campaign on social media for defaming occupational therapists. These are genuine demands. We dont want to tarnish any particular centre. There should be a government alternative to private therapy centres, she adds. Health and Social Welfare Minister K.K. Shylaja said strict action would be taken against perpetrators and that only the service-minded should step into the field.

However, Seema has a different opinion, They need not be service-oriented. They can make money, but they should do their job properly. Do the therapy correctly and guide the parents along the right path. Focus on home-based programmes by involving parents and equipping them to handle their kids instead of misguiding them stating that only therapists can help the children. Parent empowerment is the need of the hour. Instead of begging for mercy and attention, they need to realise that therapy and education is the right of their child.

- Seema Lal, psychologist

Transparency is need of the hour

Mr Joseph Sunny, occupational therapist and director of Kochi-based therapy institute, Prayatna, says transparency at sessions is a must. Despite our state leading in health sector, early intervention therapy is not given due importance. The only government centre that offers paediatric occupational therapy in the state is Child Care Centre at Thiruvanan-thapuram Medical College; the rest are private institutes. We need taluk and district-level centres. Many cant afford private therapy. At our centre, we offer up to 50 per cent concession for the deserving, but thats the maximum. We too need to pay our professionals. Mr Sunny, also the president of the State branch of All India Occupational Therapists Association, feels it is high time the state government constituted a council to regulate therapy professionals.

Priority should be given to the panel for therapists than centres. Qualified practitioners lack a regulatory body in the state. Outside Kerala, if any malpractice is brought to notice, strict action like derecognition takes place. Our association is doing its bit by collecting details of occupational therapists working in Kerala. Sadly, owing to malpractices of a few, everyone gets branded. There are hundreds of dedicated therapists, but due to isolated cases, everyones reputation is tarnished, he rues.

- Joseph Sunny, therapist
Accused had been misbehaving with the victims for months. (Photo: File)

Dholpur (Rajasthan): Rajasthan police on Sunday arrested a security guard for sexually abusing two children in a 'Child Communication Home'.

Accused had been misbehaving with the victims for months and had also threatened them.

The security guard has been arrested and sent to judicial remand.

District Collector Shuchi Tyagi said, "We have registered a case and are questioning the accused on this matter. Currently, two employees from the ' Child Communication Home' have been suspended."

An FIR has been registered against the security guard under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 376 (rape) and under relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act.
BJP MLA H Raja Singh said if Hindus won't respond to violence in Baduria and Basirhat like they did in Gujarat, Bengal will soon turn into Bangladesh. (Photo: ANI)

Hyderabad: Amid the ongoing tension in West Bengal's Baduria and Basirhat districts, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA H Raja Singh waded in controversy by appealing to the Hindu community in the state to respond the way Hindus in Gujarat reacted in 2002.

"Today, Hindus are not safe in the West Bengal state. Hindus in Bengal should respond to people involved in communal violence as Hindus in Gujarat did. Otherwise, soon Bengal will turn into Bangladesh." Singh said.

He also blamed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Government for ongoing tensions in the states by alleging that the latter is supporting those who are spreading communalism.

"The state government is supporting those who are spreading communalism. I want to appeal to those who are secular that if you want Bengal's Hindus to be safe and secure then you have to be more aware. If you failed to attain security in the state then you will also face the consequences like Hindus in Kashmir faced, will also be banished like Kashmiri Hindus," he added.

The Congress Party on Sunday slammed the BJP, saying, that by mentioning Gujarat riots, Singh is trying to claim that Narendra Modi-led government's persecution in Gujarat was justified.

"The BJP is trying to provoke riots and violence in Bengal. BJP's Bengal unit is fighting with the TMC. The statements by Raja Singh are shameful. By mentioning Gujarat riots, he is trying to claim that Modi government's persecution in Gujarat was justified," Congress leader Meem Afzal told ANI.

Another grand old party leader Tom Vadakkan said that such statements clearly indicate the politicization of situation in Bengal.

On Saturday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she "will ask for judicial inquiry into incidents at Baduria and Basirhat area.

"For over a month there has been unrest in the hills. Centre is not cooperating to maintain law and order in Darjeeling," she said.

Violent clashes erupted in Basirhat area of the district after a Class X student updated a controversial picture on Facebook.

The boy was later detained by police, but the violence hasn't abated.

Fresh tension was reported in Basirhat area days after too forcing the police to lob tear gas shells and resort to baton charge even as the state government decided to ban some organisations for allegedly instigating people.
Burhan Wani was responsible for several attacks against security personnel in J&K. In picture: Members of the non-governmental organisation hold posters of Wani during a rally to in Lahore, Pakistan. (Credit: PTI)

New Delhi: India has hit out at Pakistan for glorifying terrorist Burhan Wani, saying Islamabad's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by 'one and all'.

In a strongly worded tweet, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said, "First @ForeignOfficePk read frm banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS (Pakistan army chief) glorifies Burhan Wani. Pak's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by one and all."

Baglay's comments came a day after Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa praised Burhan Wani, a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist who was killed in an encounter with security forces last year.

Wani was responsible for several attacks against security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif yesterday paid tribute to Wani, saying his death "The blood rendered by Burhan Muzaffar Wani has infused a new spirit in the freedom movement. The Kashmiri people are steadfast to take their movement to logical conclusion.

Earlier this month, Pakistan dismissed the US designating Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin a "global terrorist", saying it was not a UN decision but a move by the Trump administration to "appease" India.

At the G20 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi targeted Pakistan in a veiled attack. Some countries were using terror as a tool to achieve political objectives and pressed for deterrent action collectively by the G-20 members against such nations, he had said.
The Indian Army targeted the Hajira sector of PoK where 6 villages came under attack. (Photo: PTI/Representational)

New Delhi: The Indian Army retaliated to Pakistans ceasefire violation on Saturday and destroyed its border post near the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

According to reports, two Pakistani soldiers were killed and six others were injured in the retaliatory attack.

The Indian jawans targeted the Hajira sector of PoK where villages  Bhaira in Tetrinote, Satwal in Abbaspur, Dhakki Chaffar in Abbaspur, Polaas and Chatri  came under the attack.

The Indian Army launched the attack after Army jawan and his wife were killed and their three daughters injured when the Pakistani Army targeted forward posts and hamlets along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district.

The Pakistan Army violated the ceasefire and initiated indiscriminate firing from small arms, automatic weapons and mortars from 6.30 am on Saturday on Indian Army posts along the LoC.

Sepoy Mohmmad Shaukat of the Territorial Army, who was on leave, and his wife Safia Bi were killed when a mortar shell fired by the Pakistan Army exploded near their home in Karmara, a police officer said on Saturday.

Following the incident, India had lodged protest over the killing of the jawan and his wife after Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh in Islamabad was summoned.

Singh was summoned again on Sunday, claiming that more civilians were killed in firing by the Indian troops.

Singh was summoned again to "condemn and lodge protest over more civilian casualties at the LoC due to unprovoked ceasefire violations by India," Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement.
A steady line of supplies is being maintained for the soldiers at the site, signalling that Indian Army is not going to wilt under any pressure from China. (Photo: PTI/Representational)

New Delhi: The Indian Army is ready for a long haul in holding onto its position in the Doklam area near the Bhutan tri-junction, notwithstanding China ratcheting up rhetoric against India demanding pulling back of its troops.

The Indian soldiers deployed in the disputed area have pitched their tents, in an indication that they are unlikely to retreat unless there was reciprocity from China's PLA personnel in ending the face-off at an altitude of around 10,000 feet in the Sikkim section.

A steady line of supplies is being maintained for the soldiers at the site, official sources said, signalling that Indian Army is not going to wilt under any pressure from China.

At the same time they sounded confident of finding a diplomatic solution to the dispute, citing resolution of border skirmishes in the past through diplomacy.

Though China has been aggressively asserting that it was not ready for any "compromise" and that the "ball is in India's court", the view in the security establishment here is that there cannot be any unilateral approach in defusing the tension.

Both the countries had agreed to a mechanism in 2012 to resolve border flare ups through consultations at various levels.

The mechanism has not worked so far in the current case as the stand-off near the Bhutan tri-junction, triggered by China's attempt to build a road in the strategically important area, has dragged on for over three weeks.

New Delhi has already conveyed to Beijing that such an action would represent a significant change of status quo with "serious" security implications for India. The road link could give China a major military advantage over India.

Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Doklam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

China and Bhutan are engaged in talks over the resolution of the dispute in the area. India argues that since it is a tri-junction involving the three countries, it also has a say in the issue, specially in the backdrop of 2012 agreement between special representatives of the two countries, that have till now held 19 rounds of talks.

Bhutan has no diplomatic ties with China. As a close friend and neighbour, Bhutan enjoys diplomatic and military support from India.

Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.
While the country is not new to caste-based politics, sadly, the poor and the downtrodden are at the receiving end always. A recent round of meals that the State BJP President B.S. Yeddyurappa shared with several Dalit families at their homes, snowballed into a huge controversy. Mr. Yeddyurappa and his team first received flak for ordering food from outside which started after a Dalit youth filed a complaint with the Mandya district police against Karnataka BJP chief, accusing him of practising untouchability. Is this his bid to win brownie points and widen his voter base - the polls are due either later this year or in May next year.

Joyeeta Chakraborty finds that most young people do get that politicians play the caste card with impunity. But unlike the rural youngster, hardly a handful of the urban millenial will give their stamp of approval to such cynical politics.

When I read about i,t I was like, this is not right. These parties follow no religion when it comes to politics and casteism has always ruled the roost. For Congress, it is always with SC/STs or Dalits. They need to know that the public has observed them for years and we know what their plans are," says 26-year-old Lokesh who works in an insurance firm.

Lokesh and his friends have one thing in common, none of them like politics, be it Karnataka or India. "We have lost interest in politics because of these wicked games and nothing beneficial coming out of afterwards. Not many youngsters are interested in politics and do not wish to follow it. You now know why" stresses 23-year-old Clement who looks pretty miffed about the developments. "I hate politics and the way it has corrupted the whole system," chimes in Rajender.

"Man can go to any extent to make name and fame and Indian politics is the biggest example of that. Look at how they play dirty, for seats and to win elections. This is how it is. This is the truth," scoffs Clement. "Eating meals in Dalit homes to demonstrate how just is their side, will not work anymore. The Dalit community needs help after the whole eating is done, with proper education opportunities, healthcare and jobs. Where is that?" questions Lokesh.

"If this is how our country is going to go on, then trust me after a few years the youth won't even go out to cast their vote.I mean who will they vote for when all their dirty politics comes to light. The truth is no one is spared from the power. Look at Kejriwal now, he's become irrelevant" says Clement who adds that sadly the common man who wants bring about change does not even have the option to even stand against these mighty politicos as they have no power or standing in the society.

"With this kind of politician, how can society change?" he asks. The three friends make a valid point. "After all these dinner dates with nothing coming out of it, none of it even helped save the life of Rohit Vemula."

"Show me one instance when the lives of the Dalits they have meals with, changes for the better," they said. Nothing is done to ease their troubles once their purpose is served, he adds. The youth is now more aware but becoming rapidly disinterested. What we need is a non-discriminatory environment for everyone, not just Dalits. Right you are, Lokesh!
Hyderabad: Irrigation minister T. Harish Rao on Sunday accused the previous Congress regime of not taking up two hydroelectric and irrigation projects in the region which had resulted in a Rs 1,000-crore loss.

Speaking to mediapersons in the evening along with Medak MP K. Prabhakar Reddy and MLC M. Srinivasa Reddy, he said Rs 1,000 crore was the cost of the Congress governments not taking up work on the Pulichintala and Jurala hydroelectric projects which were sanctioned in 2006.

He said the faulty construction of the Jurala hydroelectric project had led to its submergence during floods. It cost the government Rs 250 crore to repair and restore the unit.

Had these projects been constructed in time, there would not have been additional burden on the TRS government for purchasing the power at a higher cost, Mr Harish Rao said.

They cannot criticise us since we are doing an excellent job in both these sectors, but we can dig out their history on their inefficiency in completing the projects, Mr Harish Rao said.

He asked what the Congress leaders were doing when the irrigation component was pushed in the Pulichintala project to benefit Coastal AP, and not the power component which was meant for TS.

Elsewhere, Mr Palla Rajeswara Reddy, Whip in the Council, said the only correct fact regarding the Pulichintala hydel project TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddys statement was that it was conceived by the Congress in 2006.

The project was executed and completed by the TRS government within three years. He said till 2014 the Congress government could not started the works and the TRS government prepared and executed the detailed project report.
Fifty three kilometres from Mysuru, there is a little known village with huge historical significance and said to have great mythological belief by name Dharmapura in Hunsur taluk. And over a 1000 year old Sri Chennakeshava temple with hoysala architecture, and over a 700 year old Shiva temple said to be built by Hoysala rulers are situated in the village. People of this village till date, believe and claim that only truth, righteousness that is Dharma alone, and Hindu community, alone sustain here. And this entire village is filled with innumerable astounding beliefs. Although there are no scientific proofs, Villagers object them to be called as superstitious beliefs, and they have incidents as examples for each of their beliefs.

Among many such beliefs, one of the main one villagers claim is that strangely buffalos dont survive in this village. And villagers also claim that, muslims fear to stay in the village as they either do not prosper or do not survive at all in this village.

There are 1600 cows, 130 goats and 400 sheeps in the village but not a single buffalo. It is also said that even pigs dont survive here, says Veterinarian in the village Dr Subramanya H K.

In 1985, while government distributed 300 buffaloes to villagers, each one died in different ways within a fortnight. Our own buffalo got stuck in sludge and died. Many villagers brought buffaloes to test if the fact was true, but none have survived so far, recalls Somanna M a villager.

A vast village with a population of 3389 people belonging to 786 families, has people from 16 different castes of Hindu community. All of them are said to be living with good co-ordination. But not a single non Hindu family especially from Muslim community is found here.

Rich Muslims who have come here for business, have lost all the wealth and have left village debt ridden, though villagers co-operated well with them. Few years ago a Hindu boy was in love with a Muslim girl. And the girl got converted to Hindu community, and the couple got married. Yet they moved to different village for livelihood. A muslim man who came here for some work and stayed overnight few years ago, was found dead in the morning. So Muslims fear to reside here, and even if a muslim comes they return back during the day time, they dont stay overnight in Dharmapura, village leader, R Vishwanath.

People with truth alone can survive in this village, those with ego and other negativities, suffer on their own. Those who suffer guilt cannot enter Eeshwara temple at all, they are said to be prevented by a cobra, which is usually not seen by anyone else except those with guilt. Funny yet true. It is also believed that daughters of the village who come back and settle along with their families in Dharmapura prosper well, infact 20 percent of the village is filled with them," Mr Gavi Nayak a villager and a gram panchayat member, adds.

While 64 year old Somshetty a former village head, believes that (buffaloes don't survive, muslim can't sustain in the village) all this is a result of a curse in the past, there is no scientific evidence for any of these, he agrees.

But according to a phd scholar who has done research on this village, Shilpa Shree T S, According to old timers of the village, in Mahabhararatha, Mayura dwaja ruled Manipura. While Thamra dwaja, son of Mayura dwaja had tied the horse of Ashwameda yaga of Arjuna, Thamra dwaja had defeated Arjuna. Krishna and Arjuna who disguised themselves as brahmins had told Mayura dwaja that their only son was caught by a lion when they were crossing a forest, and the lion had demanded half the flesh of Mayura dwajas body to release their son. And Mayura dwaja got ready to give half the flesh of his body. At that point of time Krishna in disguise, was impressed by his truthfulness and gave darshan to Mayuradwaja. Also Dharmaraya who was heading to Swargarohana, wanted to see truthful Mayura dwaja, and on the way he sees two villagers sharing the gold which they had got in the ground equally and was impressed by their truthfulness. Since Dharmaraya visited the place, Mayura dwaja named the place as Dharmapura, she adds.

The tale of Mayura dwaja, Brahmin and the Lion is infact mentioned in Jaimini bharatha katha sangraha, claims Narayan, a writer from the village.

According to Prof Shalva Pille Iyengar, Head of Department of Ancient History and Archaeology at KSOU, Also as per the inscription available in Sri Channakeshava (one of the 24 avatharas of lord Krishna) temple in Dharmapura, Narasimha (1), son of Sri Vishnuvardhana of Hoysala kingdom merged Aridavalike, thogaravaadi, bhuvanahalli and named it as Dharmapura. And it is he who got Sri Channakeshava temple built in Hoysala architecture with 5.5 feet tall statue of lord Sri Channakeshava, and beautiful pillars and sculptures on the lines of Belur Channekeshava temple, carved on stone (Cloritic cyst) in the village in 1162 AD. Also the last kings of hoysala dynasty have built Eeshwara temple in the village over 700 years ago, he said. He added, Since Dharmapura has such huge mythological significance related to Dharma, only Dharma, truth is said to sustain in this village. And since buffalo is created by Vishwamithra, which is said to be against dharma Buffalos dont survive here, according to villagers only. But such beliefs are not found in any records, Dr Shalvapille Iyengar said.

Sri Channakeshava temple is declared Protected Monument

Director of archaeology and monuments, Government of Karnataka has declared Sri Channakeshava temple in Dharamapura as protected monument. According to Dharmapura gram panchayat PDO, Chandraiah G N, Hunsur MLA, H P Manjunath, who is also the parliamentary secretary of Tourism and Industries department, has got Rs 1.60 Crores sanctioned for the development of Sri Channakeshava temple in the village. There is no tourists flow to temple, due to lack of publicity, although devotees come from different places.

Harijans fear that entering temple will ruin their lives

Harijans fear entering Sri Channakeshava and Eeshwara temples in the village

Somshetty of Dharmapura village shared, Also there is a Moodana kere in the village from where the water is used to wash Gods (statues) of Sri Channekeshava and Eeshwara temples. The lake is not connected to any river or storm water drain, but it never dries. There are 500 ST and 500 SC families, two Brahmin, 80 Kuruba, 10 Lingayat , 40 Namdari, 12 Eediga families, 30 Vishwakarma, two Balegara shetty, four Vokkaliga, 40 Kumbarshetty, three Maadiga, 10 Nayana Kshathriya, 20 Madivala and three Haavaadiga families in the village. All the communities live with great co-ordination. Though Harijans form major chunk they fear entering these two temples and touch the water in the lake. In the past when they entered the temples, houses in their entire colonies had caught fire over 40 years ago. So they themselves fear to enter the temples. But there are nine other temples including Aadishakthi, Mahadeswara, Byraveswara, Veeranjaneya and others. And they enter all these temples, he said. But Prof Shalva Pille Iyengar, says, Sri Channakeshava temple is being built as per Sri Vyshnava philosophy propounded by Sri Ramanujacharya. And Sri Ramanujacharya advocated for entry of Harijans to temples, he said.
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has expressed the EUs solidarity with Egypt in its war against terrorism following the Friday attack by militants in North Sinai that killed or injured 26 army personnel.

Mogherini said in a phone call with Egypts foreign minister Sameh Shoukry on Sunday that the EU supports Cairos vision that eradicating terrorism necessitates putting an end to financial and ideological support for terrorists.

On Friday, car bombs targeted a security checkpoint near Rafah in North Sinai, with the army killing 40 militants in subsequent operations, the army said in a statement.

The phone call between Shoukry and Mogherini also tackled the latest developments on the diplomatic situation with Qatar, with Shoukry telling the EU representative that the four Arab countries leading the boycott against Doha are determined to push the small Gulf country to change its policies of financing terrorism.

Last week, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates pledged new measures against Doha following the small Gulf countrys refusal of their initial list of 13 demands to resolve the crisis.

Last month, the four Arab states severed diplomatic ties and transport links with Qatar, accusing the oil-rich Gulf state of supporting terrorism and maintaining close ties with Iran. Doha has denied the accusations.

Mogherini and Shoukry also reviewed the preparations for the meeting between Egypt and the European Union to be held later this month to strengthen Egyptian-European relations in the coming period.

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CHENNAI: Union urban development minister M. Venkaiah Naidu lashed out at former Union minister P. Chidambaram for his double standard on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and alleged that Chidambaram lacked common sense. Making it very clear that the Congress party was never opposed to the idea of GST in Parliament, he said As the then finance minister, Chidambaram had said that the country is ready to embrace GST. Now, as opposition leader supporting the GST he had said in the Rajya Sabha that there can be no such thing as perfect a bill as the GST.

But, he (Mr Chidambaram) wrote an article for an English daily saying the bill is not perfect. He is a very learned person. I dont want to join in a debate with him. I dont have that much knowledge also. The only thing is many people in the country like me do not have that much level of knowledge. They dont understand him and so dont bother about him because they have common sense only, Mr Venkaiah said, tearing into the Congress leader for his alleged double standard on the GST.

Speaking at a conference on MODI (Making of Developed India) and GST, held under the joint auspices of ICAI, South Indian Hotels and Restaurants Association, World Tamil Economic Foundation and Arma Medical Foundation, here on Sunday, Mr Venkaiah who also holds the Information and Broadcasting portfolio, said the GST is a good and simple tax regime. When we found there were many flaws in the bills, many of them were fixed by addressing them, he added.

Quoting Mr Chidambaram again, he said the Congress leader had gone on record saying the GST is far too important legislation which will last for the next 100 years. Pointing out that he was neither an expert in the economy nor on taxation, the minister fired another barb at Mr Chidambaram and others opposing the GST saying, I am the only son of an ordinary farmer. So, I dont have that much knowledge except common sense. Why all this? Why not one rate? There cannot be a single rate for now.
Guwahati: Former Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang and senior leaders of the Nagaland Peoples Front are likely to meet state governor PB Acharya on Monday in Guwahati.

Saying Acharya will be Guwahati on Monday, sources in the rebel camp said that most of the NPF MLAs, who were at a resort near the Kaziranga National Park and Kohima, were also arriving in Guwahati.

Pointing out that Zeliang had sought an appointment with the governor, sources said at least 41 NPF MLAs out of 47 had given their consent for the ouster of Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu.

Nagaland Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu on Sunday also sent a recommendation to Raj Bhavan for the dismissal of four ministers and 10 parliamentary secretaries, but the decision was pending as Acharya was in Guwahati on Sunday.

The Chief Minister sought the removal of home minister Yanthungo Patton, power minister Kipili Sangtam, national highway and political affairs minister G Kaito Aye, and forest-environment and climate change minister Imkong L Imchen from the Cabinet.

Earlier, in a letter to the governor, former chief minister TR Zeliang, who was forced to quit due to an agitation by civil society groups four months back, staked claim to forming the government again.

He told the governor that he had the support of 41 legislators. The legislators also urged the present Chief Minister, Shurhozelie Liezietsu, who is a non-legislator, to resign and pave the way for me (Zeliang) to take over as Chief Minister, he said in his letter.

Claiming the support of 34 (including himself) out of the 47 NPF legislators, he informed the governor that seven Independents had also affirmed their support to him. In the letter, Zeliang said the legislators wanted him to continue as leader of the NPF legislature party and also authorised him to stake claim to form a new NPF-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland government.

He said a meeting of the NPF legislature party was held on July 4 at his residence.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu in an official notification terminated the appointment of Zeliang as adviser (finance) to the state government.

Zeliang said, however, that he had already resigned from that post. The problem started with the appointment of the Chief Ministers son Khriehu Liezietsu as his adviser with Cabinet status and pay.
Patna (Bihar): The Bihar government on Saturday denied reports stating that they were intimated about the raids conducted on Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family in prior.

A press release by the Bihar government stated that the reports circulating about information of the raids being given to the senior officials of the state government, Bihar Chief Secretary and Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) are 'baseless'.

"The information regarding the same was given to the Bihar Director General of Police after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raids has begun, following which necessary arrangements were made," the press release stated.

Earlier on Saturday, reports of the Bihar government already aware of the raids conducted at Lalu and family's premises were circulated.

Earlier on Friday, the CBI registered a corruption case against Lalu Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejaswi Yadav; former Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Managing Director P.K. Goyal; and the wife of Lalu's confidante Prem Chand Gupta, Sujata on allegations of awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2006.

The CBI later questioned Rabri Devi and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav.

The case was registered on the allegations of awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of Hotels at Ranchi and Puri to a Private Company dealing with Hotels in the year 2006.

The investigative agency also conducted searches at 12 locations across Patna, Delhi, Gurugram and other places.

The RJD supremo, however, refuted the allegations against him and called it a political conspiracy hatched by the BJP.

Meanwhile, while conducting raids at Lalu Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti's premises today, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) recovered and seized various incriminating documents, electronic devices including mobile phones.
Bengaluru: Sixteen Congress MLAs are ready to jump ship and join the BJP ahead of next years elections to the Legislative Assembly, according to senior BJP leader C T Ravi.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, the senior leader and former minister disclosed that a list of these 16 MLAs has been finalized, and final round of talks are on with them. They are waiting for an appropriate time to join the BJP. Perhaps after November or December, these Congress MLAs will take a final call to join the BJP, Mr. Ravi added.

On the instructions of party president, Amit Shah, the state unit of BJP has decided to woo leaders of all parties. Therefore, even leaders of JD (S) have been sounded and some are set to join the BJP.

The party, however, will not assure tickets to these leaders, Mr. Ravi said adding Yes. It is true. Any leader joining the party will ask for tickets to contest next years elections. But the party is not in a position to give hundred percent assurance to all of them. After weighing the pros and cons, post the entry of new leaders into BJP, the state and central leadership will take a call on giving tickets to them. Mr Ravi said: "Mr. Shah has instructed us to accommodate as many leaders from Congress and JD (S). He told us one of the success formula for landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections was entry of leaders of other parties into BJP. If a potential leader joins the BJP from Congress or JD(S), he will definitely dent the vote bank of his original party. Welcoming leaders of other parties is also one of the election strategies of the party. I am not in a position to disclose the names and other details of these MLAs who are interested to join our party..
New Delhi: In wake of parts of West Bengal witnessing extreme violence, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led state is on the verge of becoming another Kashmir.

BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi said that people are not safe in Bengal any more.

"I want to say that Bengal is on the way to become Kashmir. Lot of people are getting killed, people are not safe. The government is not taking anything to control the situation. Bangladeshi's are entering India and living in India peacefully," said Lekhi.

Echoing similar sentiments another BJP leader Satyapal Singh said that Banerjee is encouraging communal forces.

"The situation at West Bengal has deteriorated because of the wrong policies used by Mamata Banerjee. Law and order situation has become worse, police has lost its identity. If the situation does not get stable soon, it would not be good for the country. We were not allowed visit Basirhat, this explains that Mamata Banerjee wants to hide the ground reality and facts. She is encouraging the communal forces," Singh said.

On Saturday, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that at least four companies of the Border Security Forces (BSF) forces that were deployed by the Centre were turned back by the West Bengal Government. According to the sources, the Centre had already sent 11 companies of personnel to Darjeeling to quell the unrest taken out by people demanding a separate Gorkhaland.

Hours before, Mamata accused the Centre of creating tension in the state. She alleged that there was non-cooperation from the Centre to curb violence in the state.

Mamata further said that the forces were not deployed on time, which further flared up violence around the West Bengal border.

The MHA sources further claimed that the state government has also not sent the sought detailed report on the Basirhat incident and this is causing a delay to convene a review security meeting.

Violent clashes erupted in the Basirhat area of the district after a Class X student updated a controversial picture on Facebook.

The boy was later detained by police, but the violence hasn't abated.

Fresh tension was reported in Basirhat area days after too forcing the police to lob tear gas shells and resort to baton charge even as the state government decided to ban some organisations for allegedly instigating people.
Patna: The political buzz in Bihar intensified on Sunday as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, on his return to Patna after staying away from the state capital for several days, immediately cancelled all important meetings, including his weekly Lok Samvad programme, that were scheduled for Monday. The political heat is also likely to rise further in Patna on Monday as RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav has called a meeting of his party legislators to discuss the future course of action.

While the Congress has extended its full support to the RJD, a long studied silence from the Nitish Kumar camp has given rise to murmurs and uncertainty in the Grand Secular Alliance. The RJD leaders are likely to raise this issue during the meeting on Monday. Mr Kumar has been staying away from Patna, where the political temperature had gone up considerably in the past one week after the CBI raided the property of Lalu Yadav. his wife Rabri Devi and his family members, including his son Tejashwi, who is Bihars deputy Chief Minister.

The CMO issued a statement citing Mr Nitish Kumars ill-health as the reason for the cancellation of the Lok Samvad programme. But in political circles, the move is being regarded as his attempt to avoid uncomfortable questions on his ties with the RJD in the wake of these development. Insiders said Mr Kumar also wanted to avoid sharing space with deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, against whom the CBI has registered an FIR. Pressure has been mounting on Nitish Kumar to remove Tejashwi Yadav, but so far he has not given any signals about his plans  on whether he intends to drop Tejashwi Yadav from his Cabinet immediately or wait for the CBI to file a chargesheet against him.

He has, however, called a meeting of his party leaders on Tuesday to discuss the future course of action after the CBI raids on Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family. On Sunday, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said Mr Kumar's silence on the issue has damaged the tag of "good governance". He said that earlier on many occasions thet "the chief minister sought the resignation of many Cabinet ministers after their names figured in corruption cases... Nitish Kumar must show courage and force deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav to resign as he had done when Jitan Ram Manjhi's name had surfaced in a corruption case and (he) was asked to resign within four hours of taking the oath".
Indias principled stand on terrorism is one of righteous indignation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed this again at the Hamburg G-20 summit, reiterating the need for collective action by world powers. Mr Modi urged collective and comprehensive action, going to the extent of saying officials of nations that support terror shouldnt be allowed near G-20. The problem is that if the United States and China are present  both prop up Pakistan despite its propensity to sponsor terror in India and Afghanistan  there can never be a consensus and it all tails off into tokenism. India may well feel shortchanged on this critical global priority.

The US may oppose the Haqqani Network and act against a terror outfit like Al Qaeda that has the capacity to reach and hurt America. But when it comes to Pakistan-based networks conducting cross-border attacks on India, the US will only be sympathetic, or sometimes proactive as in declaring Hizbul Mujahideens Syed Salahuddin a global terrorist. None of the groups in Pakistan attacking India were named, though many in West Asia have been. India is on its own in preventing attacks on its soil. This was made clear by the formal response to the PMs entreaties at G-20.

The G-20 was also hit by the biggest protests ever seen, reflecting public anger against governments and leaders. How seriously it is regarded was perhaps shown by the way Ivanka Trump sat in her dads seat a few times the US President left the room! Issues like climate change, free trade and protectionism showed up deep divisions.
Oracle on Friday launched its first Digital Hub in Bengaluru, which will provide small and midsize businesses (SMBs) access to the cloud solutions and resources they need to power digital transformation.

The new facility, one of the five Digital Hubs set to open in Asia Pacific, highlights Oracle's commitment to better serving the midsize market in the new cloud economy. India's new Digital Hub, part of a global network of best practice centres for SMBs, will help small and midsize businesses leverage Oracle Cloud solutions to streamline operations, boost innovation and gain a platform for growth.

The hub will house Oracle's new digital sales team and focus on helping more midsize organisations transition to the cloud quickly and easily. With a distinctive Indian feel, and exuding the energy of a start-up, the team will provide timely, personalised and effective support to customers, using the latest collaboration tools, techniques and technologies to transform the buying experience.

"The cloud is democratising IT; you just need a web browser or a mobile phone app to take advantage of it. What's more, it has incredible transformation potential for small businesses, enabling them to do things they have never been able to do before, at an affordable price, such as use technology to streamline business processes, gain access to an easy-to-use platform for innovation, and digitise their customer experience. We are simplifying the buying process to help these smaller organisations, as well as branch offices and line of business departments, digitally transform their business," said Francois Lancon, Senior VP, Oracle Japan and Asia Pacific.

Customers that want to buy entirely online can utilise the click-to-buy Oracle Accelerated Buying Experience. In addition to the simplified buying experience, Oracle's Digital Hubs will provide a complete suite of cloud applications, platform, and infrastructure services as both standalone services and as bundles. The range of choices empowers small businesses to select solutions that directly address their goals or issues.

"The Oracle HCM cloud solution has completely transformed our HR engine to match our fast growth and has given us the freedom to do more with less. It has helped us achieve the right blend of process modernisation and increased efficiencies. The analytics that come embedded enabled us to gain the right insights to drive more contextual collaboration and engagement, and make faster and better operational decisions," said Vivek Vinayak Purekar, VP and global HR head, Simeio Solutions .

The Digital Hub's work with SMBs complements theOracle Startup Cloud Accelerator Programme, which aims to fuel cloud-enabled innovation among startups around the globe.

Following the pilot program in Bangalore, Oracle recently expanded locations across the globe, including opening two new centres in Delhi-NCR and Mumbai to provide mentorship and technology resources to local startups.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
There is an increased chance that the Touch ID will no longer be offered on the iPhone 8, as analysts believe that Apple is slated to give up on this feature entirely.

Samsung has long been a rival of Apple and every smartphone flagship that the company has launched was considered as an iPhone rival. But statistics have always shown that the devices manufactured by the South Korean firm had little or no impact on sales of its Cupertino-based rival.

And this is what has happened this year as well, with Canaccord Genuitys analyst T.Michael Walkley stating that the sales of the iPhone 7 have remained steady since and even increased in June, as opposed to all the expectations which predicted a drop.

It was widely believed that the iPhone sales would decline substantially after the arrival of the updated Samsung Galaxy lineup, the Galaxy S8. But this is not the case. The iPhone 7 is selling better despite the outdated design and Apple has expecting increasing figures in anticipation of the iPhone 8 launch.

At a minimum, we expect the new iPhone to include an OLED screen (produced by Samsung initially with potential second sourcing in 2018 from Japan Display, Sharp, and AU Optronics) with very high screen to body ratio, the elimination of the home button, fast or accelerated charging, improved stereo speakers, fewer color SKUs, 64GB and 256GB memory options, and possibly improved water resistance. We also anticipate 3D sensing technology for facial recognition, wireless charging and a full glass body design, he says.

There is an increased chance that the Touch ID will no longer be offered on the iPhone 8, as analysts believe that Apple is slated to give up on this feature entirely.

The iPhone is slated to come with 3D facial recognition system which would provide biometric authentication  something similar on the lines of the Galaxy S8s face recognition system.

The iPhone 8 is projected to launch this September, alongside updated iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus.

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Talking about the recent meeting of both the leaders of the US and Russia at the sideline of the G-20 summit, Haley said US President Donald Trump wanted to look Putin 'in the eye.' (Photo: AP)

Washington: After Russian President Vladimir Putin denied interfering in the 2016 US election, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said that the former made the statement just to "save his face."

"This is Russia trying to save face, and they can't," said Haley in an interview, as quoted by the CNN.

"Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections. Everybody knows that they're not just meddling in the United States' election. They're doing this across multiple continents, and they're doing this in a way that they're trying to cause chaos within the countries," she added.

Talking about the recent meeting of both the leaders of the US and Russia at the sideline of the G-20 summit, Haley said US President Donald Trump wanted to look Putin "in the eye."

"What he did was bring up right away the election meddling, and he did that for a reason," Haley said.

"One, he wanted Putin to basically look him in the eye, let him know that, 'Yes, we know you meddled in our elections. Yes we know you did it. Cut it out.' And I think President Putin did exactly what we thought he would do, which is deny it," she added.

Earlier, Putin has said that Trump "seemed satisfied" with his personal denial of meddling in the 2016 election.

Putin, in his first interview after meeting Trump, revealed that the latter asked him a number of questions regarding Russia's interference, reported the Independent.

Further, stressing on the same, Putin said that it would be better to take Trump's opinion as to whether or not he believed his denial.

"He asked questions, I replied. It seemed to me that he was satisfied with the answers," Putin said.

Putin's remark came after the diplomats of the US and Russia argued over what both the leaders actually said to each other during their bilateral meet at the sideline of the G-20 summit.

At first, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Trump accepted Putin's assurances that Russia was no way involved in the 2016 American election, as reported by the CNN.

Meanwhile as per the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the US President opened the session by "raising the concerns of the American people regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election."

As per reports, Russia asked for from the US to support their claim regarding its involvement in the election, which the US did not produce in the meeting.

As per Tillerson, both the leaders had a lengthy exchange on the subject.

"The President pressed President Putin on more than one occasion regarding Russian involvement. President Putin denied such involvement, as I think he has in the past," Tillerson said.

Meanwhile, Lavrov, speaking on camera in a separate briefing, said that, "President Trump said he's heard Putin's very clear statements that this is not true and that the Russian government didn't interfere in the elections and that he accepts these statements. That's all."
For the second year in a row, the world's youngest nation will not have any official celebrations to mark the anniversary of its birth because of the widespread suffering caused by its ongoing civil war.

"We did not feel it was appropriate to spend whatever little funds we may have to celebrate, when our people are hugely affected by the economic crisis," said South Sudan President Salva Kiir in an address to the nation on Sunday. "It's difficult for many people to afford even one meal per day."

Six years after South Sudan gained independence, the country is ravaged by fighting, severe hunger, mass displacement and accusations of war crimes by government and opposition forces.

For the country's 11 million people, what began with optimism has turned into a day of mourning.

Six years ago, on July 9, Martha Athieng slaughtered a bull with her family and friends and danced around her village.

"We all hoped for a better life," said Athieng. "We never knew we'd start killing each other."

When the war broke out, Athieng's husband and mother in law were both shot dead in fighting that erupted in her town in Jonglei state. Sitting in the dirt in Mingkaman, a village that's not her own, Athieng said she prays for peace so she can return home and rebuild her life. A visit to Mingkaman by The Associated Press days before the anniversary confirmed the suffering across the country.

During four years of fighting, South Sudan's situation has gravely deteriorated.

Roughly 4 million people have been forced to flee their houses, more than half of them children, said the Norwegian Refugee Council. Six million people  half the country's population  are in need of food aid and almost 2 million South Sudanese are living as refugees in neighboring countries.

"South Sudan's independence day is overshadowed by conflict and an unprecedented food crisis," said country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council, Rehana Zawar.

In his address to the nation, Kiir said the only solution is peace and he called on all armed groups to renounce violence and respect the cease-fire.

Earlier this year, the government declared a unilateral cease-fire, however reports of fighting by government forces have continued.

Four days ago the opposition reported government attacks on rebel-held territory. "They're randomly shelling and killing people along the way," said opposition spokesman, William Gatjiath Deng.

Kiir also urged the international community to support the national dialogue, announcing that the government has earmarked about $200 million for this "crucial national project."

However experts say what South Sudan needs now are less words and more action. "The national dialogue is a political game," said Jacob Chol, professor of comparative politics at the University of Juba. "It's not a participatory process, the president just wanted to bring everyone together to feel in control. I won't be surprised if nothing changes."

The U.S., which played an important role in helping South Sudan to reach independence, sent a somber statement marking the anniversary.

"The United States remains deeply committed to a stable and inclusive South Sudan, and stresses once again that there is no military solution to this conflict," said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert. "On this day meant to celebrate South Sudan's creation, we call upon South Sudan's leaders and all parties to end this self-destructive violence, to return to political dialogue, and to help South Sudan realize its full potential."

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Gill, 45, received one anti-Muslim email on May 24 from an account in Hayes' name, and two additional messages May 31, the report said. (Photo: AP)

New York: A Pakistani-origin leader of the Democratic Party in Vermont in the US has been threatened with a series of anti-Muslim emails asking him to "get out" of the state, media reports said.

Faisal Gill, who took over as the Chairman of the Vermont Democratic Party in March and believed to be the first Muslim leader of a state political party in the US, received three threatening emails within a seven-day period in May.

Christopher Hayden, 48, of Burlington in Vermont was arraigned in June on a charge of disturbing the peace by electronic means with a hate-crime enhancement, Chittenden County State's Attorney Sarah George was quoted as saying by the Burlington Free Press.

The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of two years and three months, George said. Hayden pleaded not guilty and was released on conditions, George said.

The case was first reported Friday by Vermont Public Radio. Gill, 45, received one anti-Muslim email on May 24 from an account in Hayes' name, and two additional messages May 31, the report said.

The final two emails used racial and ethnic slurs. The writer told Gill that it was his "last chance" to "get out of my Green Mountains." "Get out or we will make you wish you did," in a separate email, the writer told Gill.

Gill, who had never met Hayden, said he was deeply disturbed and alerted Burlington police. "I do hope that he gets a sentence that makes him realise that he cannot do these kind of things any more," Gill said in an interview.

George, the prosecutor, believes the threats were based entirely on Gill's religion.

"Any time that an individual is targeted and threatened based on their nationality, religion or ethnicity, I find it extremely concerning and a threat to the integrity of our entire country," George said.

In late 2015, Hayden denied a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after police said he had threatened to kill a man while using racial slurs on Burlington's Church Street Marketplace.

George confirmed that the case involved the same man. Hate crimes are on a chilling upward trajectory in the US, particularly since the presidential election.
He also said the two men had discussed the implementation of a ceasefire in Syria which began today, saying 'it will save lives'. (Photo: AP)

Washington: US President Donald Trump said on Sunday it was time to work constructively with Russia, saying his counterpart Vladimir Putin had vehemently denied meddling in the 2016 election.

I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election, Trump said after returning from Europe where he met Putin for the first time. He vehemently denied it. Ive already given my opinion.....

Writing on Twitter, Trump said he and Putin had talked about the idea of setting up what he called an impenetrable cyber security unit to prevent hacking in future elections.

Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

He also said the two men had discussed the implementation of a ceasefire in Syria which began today, saying it will save lives.

...We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!

Putin and Trump met on Friday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the German city of Hamburg, a meeting that was overshadowed by allegations that Russia sought to influence the outcome of last years US presidential election.

The US and Russian sides have issued sharply conflicting accounts of the meeting, with Putin saying on Saturday that Trump had been satisfied by his denials of any Russian interference in the polls.

Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said the Russian denials had been expected but cut no ice.

This is Russia trying to save face, she told CNN. And they cant. They cant.

Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections.
Officials believe that preparing students to plan for whats next will help, not hurt, the students

Washington: A high school in the US state of Chicago has introduced a new controversial requirement which states that students hoping to graduate from the school must provide evidence they have a plan for the future.

Starting in 2020, the plan championed by Democrat Mayor Rahm Emanuel students must show theyve been accepted into college, or the military, or into a trade or gap-year program, or have secured a job, the Washington Post reported. The idea is to raise expectations and thus produce better outcomes for students.

We are going to help kids have a plan, because theyre going to need it to succeed, Mr Emanuel said. You cannot have kids think that 12th grade is done.

Officials believe that preparing students to plan for whats next will help, not hurt, the students. However, critics are worried that students who have completed four years of high school will be handicapped if denied a diploma.

Critics say Mr Emanuels idea is an empty gesture that does nothing to address the fact that many teenagers are graduating in impoverished, violence-racked neighborhoods with few jobs, columbiatribune.com reported.
President Donald Trump, center, meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in before the Northeast Asia Security dinner at the US Consulate General Hamburg (Photo: AP)

Seoul: Two US bombers flew to the Korean Peninsula to join fighter jets from South Korea and Japan for a practice bombing run as part of a training mission in response to North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear programs, officials said Saturday.

US military officials described the mission Friday as a defensive show of force and unity from the three allied nations and said it demonstrated "the ironclad US commitment to our allies."

"North Korea's actions are a threat to our allies, partners and homeland," Gen. Terrence O' Shaughnessy, US Pacific Air Forces commander, said in a statement from Pacific Air Forces. "Let me be clear: If called upon we are trained, equipped and ready to unleash the full lethal capability of our allied air forces."

The US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers from Andersen Air Force Base at the island of Guam conducted a 10-hour sequenced bilateral mission with South Korean and Japanese fighter jets, the statement said.

"US bombers and Republic of Korea fighters are just two of many lethal military options at our disposal," said Lt. Gen. Thomas Bergeson, US Forces Korea deputy commander. "This mission clearly demonstrates the US-ROK alliance remains prepared to use the full range of capabilities to defend and to preserve the security of the Korean Peninsula and region."

When the B-1Bs reached the Korean Peninsula, they were joined by South Korean F-15 fighter jets and US Air Force F-16 fighter jets. The B-1Bs practiced what officials called "attack capabilities" by releasing inert weapons at the Pilsung Range.

As the bombers returned to Guam, they flew over the East China Sea with F-2 fighter jets of the Koku Jieitai, or Japan Air Self-Defense Force, the statement said.

"The US-Japan alliance and the relationship between our militaries are stronger than they have ever been," said Lt. Gen. Jerry P. Martinez, US Forces Japan commander. "We continue to train with our Japanese allies to ensure we are ready to defend ourselves from attack."

President Donald Trump and the leaders of South Korea and Japan, who met during the G-20 summit in Germany, on Friday issued a joint statement condemning the North's recent test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile and calling it a global threat that demanded "maximum pressure" in response.

A day earlier in Poland, Trump said the US was considering "some pretty severe things" in response to North Korea's actions. While he offered no specifics, he has not ruled out military action.

North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said its intercontinental ballistic missile is meant to overcome US hostility and enable the North to "strike the very heart of the US at any given time."
Pyongyang described the joint drill as a 'dangerous military gambit of warmongers who are trying to ignite the fuse of a nuclear war on the peninsula.' (Photo: AP)

Seoul: North Korea on Sunday lashed out at a live-fire drill the US and South Korea staged in a show of force against Pyongyang, accusing Washington of pushing the peninsula to the "tipping point" of nuclear war.

The allies held the rare live-fire drill as tensions grew over the peninsula following the North's first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test held last week.

The test sparked global alarm as it suggested North Korea now possessed an ICBM capable of reaching Alaska, a major milestone for the reclusive, nuclear-armed state.

Yesterday's drill, designed to "sternly respond" to potential missile launches by the North, saw two US bombers destroy "enemy" missile batteries and South Korean jets mount precision strikes against underground command posts.

The North's state-run Rodong newspaper accused Washington and Seoul of ratcheting up tensions with the drill, in an editorial titled "Don't play with fire on a powder keg."

"The US, with its dangerous military provocation, is pushing the risk of a nuclear war on the peninsula to a tipping point," it said, describing the peninsula as the "world's biggest tinderbox."

During yesterday's drill, long-range B-1B Lancer bombers reportedly flew close to the heavily-fortified border between two Koreas and dropped 2,000-pound (900 kilogram) bombs.

Pyongyang described the joint drill as a "dangerous military gambit of warmongers who are trying to ignite the fuse of a nuclear war on the peninsula."

"A small misjudgment or error can immediately lead to the beginning of a nuclear war, which will inevitably lead to another world war," it said.

Tension has been high as the US administration under President Donald Trump and the North's regime under leader Kim Jong-Un have exchanged hostile rhetoric for months.

Tension further escalated after Tuesday's ICBM test, a milestone in the North's decades-long quest for weapons capable of reaching the US.

The impoverished, isolated country has staged five nuclear tests -- including two last year -- and has made a significant progress in its missile capability under Kim, who took power in 2011.

In another drill held after the ICBM test, US and South Korean troops fired ballistic missiles simulating an attack on the North's leadership "as a strong message of warning," the South's military said at the time.

The US Missile Defense Agency said Friday it would soon test an anti-ballistic missile system in Alaska.
Hamburg: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday left for home after concluding his engagements at the G20 Summit in Germany, where the theme this year was 'Shaping an Inter-connected World'. Following the two-day summit, G20 leaders committed to keep markets open, focus on reciprocity and non- discrimination, fight protectionism, unfair trade practices.

"Goodbye Hamburg! PM emplanes for Delhi after a successful visit to Israel and G20 Summit," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay tweeted.

Goodbye Hamburg ! PM emplanes for Delhi after a successful visit to Israel and G20 Summit pic.twitter.com/euIs2Qf5N7  Gopal Baglay (@MEAIndia) July 8, 2017

Modi had flown to Hamburg from Tel Aviv, Israel, on July 7 in what was the first visit of an Indian prime minister to the Jewish nation.

He pressed upon his British counterpart Theresa May to ensure UK's cooperation to bring back economic offenders, amidst India working hard for the return of fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya and former IPL chief Lalit Modi.

Mallya has been in the UK for months, escaping arrest warrants against him, while a court in London is also hearing a case regarding his return to India.

Modi today met May during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit here and sought UK's help in this regard.

Both leaders also talked about the complete range of India-UK ties.

In a tweet after the meeting, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said the Prime Minister asked for UK's "cooperation for return of escaped Indian economic offenders".

On economic offenders issue, Baglay said, "you have seen our tweet".

On whether cooperation from the UK was sought with just Mallya in mind, he said, "The tweet mentions economic offenders who have escaped from India and that is the answer".

To a query on whether was Mallya in focus in terms of escaped economic offenders discussed with May, Baglay said, "We have put out a tweet and the term used there is a plural... it's English language and people who know English should understand it".

Asked whether all on the list were discussed and no specific names were mentioned, he said, "I won't like to go into that and what we have said in the tweet is what our position is".

He called on G20 nations to do more to encourage manpower mobility to bring net value to host and source nations. Modi while speaking at a session on Digitalisation, Women s Empowerment& Employment: Borderless digital world represents opportunities but also risks, highlighted India's journey to the low-cost world-class technology. He also asked the member nations to promote digitisation for strengthening labour markets and improving delivery of services.

The Prime Minister expressed strong personal conviction for gender empowerment and said that there was no real growth without empowering women, External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Gopal Baglay said. At the end of the session, he also asked the G20 nations to create a strong partnership for skilling, including exchange of best practices.

India and other G20 members made a strong commitment to fight corruption, including in public administration, by putting in place necessary institutional frameworks in their respective countries.

The leaders today adopted 'G20 High Level Principles on Organising Against Corruption', which noted that corruption hampers the efficient and effective operation of government, as well as its fairness and impartiality of decision-making and the delivery of government services.

"A public administration, resilient against corruption, underpinned by a culture of integrity, accountability and transparency not only fosters citizens' trust but can also affect the attractiveness of a country as a business location," it added.

The G20 Anti-Corruption Action Plan 2017-2018 identifies public sector integrity and transparency including organising against corruption (such as structuring the public administration to detect and minimise corruption risks) as a priority.

Fighting corruption in public administration should not only focus on measures targeting individual employees, responses to reporting of corruption and effective law enforcement. It should also build upon a comprehensive, transparent and accountable organisational structure that makes public administration more resilient against corruption, it said.

G20 countries have already committed themselves to a number of measures to strengthen transparency and integrity in the public sector, including requirements for the conduct of public officials.

However, corruption prevention measures with regard to the organisational structure and work flow management are also essential for the fight against corruption, the leaders said.

Modi separately met Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

The G20, founded in 1999, comprises a mix of the world's largest and emerging economies, representing about two-thirds of the world's population, 85 per cent of global gross domestic product and over 75 per cent of global trade.

The members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US, and the European Union.
According to staff policy published by Buckingham Palace in its annual report: 'The household aims to employ the best people from the widest available pool of talent...irrespective of gender, race, ethnic or national origin'. (Photo: AP)

London: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has appointed her first black equerry, a senior staff member in charge of assisting the royal household.

Ghanaian-born Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah from the Household Cavalry will take charge of one of the most important roles in the 91-year-old monarch's household.

The Afghanistan war veteran, known as TA to his friends, is thought to be the royal family's first black equerry, a role that requires immense discretion, The Sunday Times reported.

The 38-year-old moved to the UK from Ghana with his parents in 1982 and later studied at Queen Mary University of London and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Since then his illustrious military career has involved joining the Blues and Royals and becoming the first black British Army officer to be commissioned into the Household Cavalry.

He acted as an escort commander for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, in 2011 and in the same year commanded the Blues and Royals taking part in Trooping the Colour, the Queen's birthday parade.

It is understood that he is in a transition phase with the current equerry, Wing Commander Sam Fletcher, and will start in the role later this year.

According to staff policy published by Buckingham Palace in its annual report: "The household aims to employ the best people from the widest available pool of talent...irrespective of gender, race, ethnic or national origin".

Twumasi-Ankrah lives in London with his wife who works at the Victoria and Albert Museum and their two daughters.
The advisory was issued through the Chinese embassy in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

Beijing: China on Saturday issued a safety advisory for its citizens travelling to India amid the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops at Doklam area in the Sikkim sector.

"It is not a travel alert. It is advisory asking Chinese travellers to be careful," an official of the Foreign Ministry said.

The advisory asked Chinese travellers to India to pay close attention to the security situation and take necessary precautions.

The advisory was issued through the Chinese embassy in New Delhi.

On July 5, China had said that it will decide on issuing travel alert for Chinese citizens visiting India depending on the security situation, playing down reports in the official media asking Chinese investors to be on alert in view of the standoff at the border.

China and India have been engaged in the standoff in the Doklam area near the Bhutan tri-junction for the past three weeks after a Chinese Army's construction party attempted to build a road. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which

Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.

Earlier on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping had urged the BRICS countries to seek "political and peaceful settlement" of "regional conflicts and disputes".

Xi made the appeal at an informal leaders' meeting of the BRICS, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in the German city of Hamburg, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Islamabad: Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday paid tributes to militant commander Burhan Wani, saying his death "infused a new spirit in the struggle for freedom" in the Valley.

Sharif in a message on the first death anniversary of Wani's killing said that India cannot suppress the voice of the people of Kashmir through use of brute force.

Wani, a commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed in an encounter with Indian security forces on this day last year.

"The blood rendered by Burhan Muzaffar Wani has infused a new spirit in the freedom movement. The Kashmiri people are steadfast to take their movement to logical conclusion," he said.

Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan's political, diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiris for their right to self-determination.

He also emphasised the need for implementing the United Nation resolutions on Kashmir and asked India to accept their right of self-determination of Kashmiris.

Earlier, Police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in strength across Kashmir to handle any security challenges to foil the separatists' plan to hold a rally on Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani.

Curfew was imposed in Tral, the native town of Wani, in Pulwama district as a precautionary measure to maintain peace in the valley, a senior police official said.

The joint separatist camp, including Hurriyat Conference factions led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik-led JKLF, has asked the people to march to Tral to pay tributes to Wani.
This is not the first time that Air India (AI) has been the subject of uncomfortable conversations. The national airline has accumulated losses of over Rs 55,000 crore and debt of Rs 52,000 crore with no end in sight for its troubles. A quick comparison of AIs performance in FY16 with its competitors drives the point home.



In spite of low oil prices, AI has struggled to break even operationally. Repeated bailouts in the past failed to cure AI of its ills. If anything, government support is only harmful to the aviation industry in India as funding AI with taxpayers money distorts price discovery in an otherwise free market.



Experiences from across the world tell us that these problems are not unique to AI. Consumer-facing businesses in a competitive market cannot be run with restrictions and obligations that come with being a public sector company. Overregulation, union issues, poor management and political interference are a common theme across these companies.



We need not look far for examples of such companies. BSNL could not adjust to growing competition in the telecom space. From profits of Rs 8,900 crore in FY 06, the company made losses of Rs 3,900 crore in FY 16, in the face of intense competition. In aviation itself, a number of countries had to divest their flag carriers after repeated attempts to rescue them. A typical example being the national carrier of Switzerland, which was grounded in 2001 as a result of continuing losses, complex structure and heavy debt. The Swiss government liquidated the carrier and encouraged the creation of a successor airline taking over most of the routes, aircraft and staff.



The successor airline was then sold off to a leading European airline and is among its most profitable divisions today. The public good benefits of AI, such as remote connectivity, can be achieved by the government using more economically efficient means. The first round of Regional Connectivity Scheme is being supported by a paltry viability gap funding or Rs 205 crore per year. The key to successful divestment is ensuring a transformational change in the organisation once it is sold. While partial divestment, if successful, can lead to a higher value to the government later, the chance of success falls drastically if the new owner does not have full control of the company. Case in point: a key airline in Italy is once again in dire financial straits less than three years after it was rescued by a Gulf-based airline major, which bought 49% stake in the ailing carrier in 2014. But persisting labour issues and carrying over legacy culture pushed the carrier back into the red.



To realise the most value out of divesting AI, in addition to looking at selling it as a whole, the government should consider selling AI's domestic and international operations separately. Different players in the market value one or the other more. For instance, international operations of AI can be very valuable to many domestic players which are looking to expand internationally. Air Indias international landing and parking slots across the world will fetch a premium from potential buyers. Recently a pair of slots in Heathrow was bought for $75 million. Air Indias domestic operations, however, may not be very attractive to domestic carriers. On the other hand, many Gulf carriers are looking to get a slice of the fast-growing domestic aviation market in India. Acquiring AIs domestic operations can allow them a good market position along with preferred domestic slots as well as other facilities at airports.



Air Indias interests in other profit-making entities like AI Transport Services, AI-SATS should be sold off separately and the proceeds can be used to reduce the debt burden. Similarly, real estate should be hived off into a different company and sold off, with proceeds used to reduce debt.



Right time

There are a number of favourable factors that make this the right time to divest. Fuel prices are low and are expected to remain flat for foreseeable future, making airlines an attractive business. Airport infrastructure across India is lagging behind air travel growth. Mumbai and Delhi, accounting for over 36% of total domestic traffic, are already facing constraints on giving out new slots to airlines. This leads to higher ticket price realisation and higher passenger loads, further contributing to airline profitability. Passenger load factor in India increased from 68% in 2006 to 82% in 2016. Air Indias landing and parking slots will be prized in this environment. Internationally, airlines are increasingly favouring point-to-point service due to improvement in fuel efficiencies of aircraft. Air India, with slots across countries, is well suited for it.



The government must first reduce the gigantic debt burden on AI before divesting. Out of Rs 52,000 crore debt, about Rs 22,000 crore is used for financing aircraft purchases while the remaining is for working capital. The working capital debt must be taken over by the government before divesting while debt used for financing aircraft should be passed on to the buyers. The government should also take steps to ensure that the interests of AI employees are protected. When Mumbai and Delhi airports were privatised, the new owners had to make employment offers to at least 60% of the existing workforce.



A similar arrangement could be made in this case, too, with the remaining employees offered voluntary retirement. The time is right for divesting AI. The government must act decisively and divest it completely while ensuring its employees get a fair deal. The sum of parts of AI may be greater than the whole.



The government should consider selling international and domestic operations separately. Selling real estate and other profitable businesses separately can help the government in reducing the working capital debt before taking it over. If its done right, this will strengthen the reformist image of the government and set a precedent for dealing with other loss making government companies. It will also prevent further wastage of valuable tax money and ensure that this will be the last time we will have this unpleasant conversation.



(The writer is partner at Strategy&, part of PwC Network)


Germany's VIR credited the increase to a 'calmer situation [in Egypt] and good value for money'

Egypt is one of the countries making a comeback among German tourists this summer season and has scored the highest increase in booking, Germany's tourist news website fvw, which has been reporting tourism news for the past 45 years, reported recently citing two new surveys.

The surveys, carried out by the German Travel Association (DRV) and the internet travel retail association VIR (Verband Internet Reisevertrieb), confirmed that mediterranean countries are the top destinations for German tourists.

VIR chief Michael Buller said Egypts comeback is due to a calmer situation [in the country] and good value for money.

Other Arab countries making a comeback among German tourists are Morocco and Tunisia while Spain, Majorca in particular, is the clear number one foreign destination. Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta also saw substantial growth in bookings.

While Egypts Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh Airports were not among the top three destination airports, they registered the highest growth rate of over 600 percent.

Hurghadas Airport rose from seventh to fourth place compared to the same time last year, fvw reported.

Egypt's tourism industry suffered acutely after a Russian passenger jet crashed in Sinai in October 2015, killing all 224 people on board, mostly holidaymakers.

However, the country saw a 51 percent rise in the number of tourists visiting Egypt during the first quarter of 2017 compared to the same period last year.

Germany topped the list of visiting tourists during the first three months of 2017, followed by Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, China and the United Kingdom.

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After amassing a debt of around Rs 52,000 crore, Air India (AI) is once again for sale. Prospective buyers are looking at various options, including buying the whole stakes. The government is yet to come out with the contours of the stake sale. Market leader IndiGo has made public its interest in buying AI's international operations as it plans to expand its business. Questions have also been raised as to why should the government run an airline. Some feel it is best left to the experts and the private sector.



Many talk about legacy issues, manpower pool, debt and how the national carrier lost out in the race. Lack of imagination at the top and the chalta hai attitude of the workforce led to the downfall of the airline, many believe. The airline has a working capital loan of Rs 30,000 crore and Rs 20,000-22,000 crore loan on airline purchase.



The latest problem could be linked to the decisions taken during the UPA regime on aircraft purchase, lease of aircraft and giving up profit-making routes. The CBI has already registered three cases, saying these decisions had caused loss of tens of thousands of crores of rupees to the exchequer.



The CBI FIR states that the order to purchase 111 aircraft for Rs 70,000 crore caused financial loss to the already stressed national carrier. Initially, AI had not decided on buying so many aircraft. However, the number rose from 28 in 2004 to 111 later. The FIR states that leasing of a large number of aircraft without due consideration, proper route study and marketing or price strategy was unwarranted. Aircraft were leased even while the acquisition process was on.



The airline also gave up profit-making routes and timings in favour of national and international private airlines  12 international and domestic routes, including Bengaluru-Bhubaneswar and Bengaluru-Ahmedabad sectors. The FIR is damning on the decision making process when it states, It is claimed that on the directions of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, issued in conspiracy with private domestic and foreign airlines, Air India withdrew its services from many profit-making routes and gave away its routes to private and foreign operators without taking any reciprocal benefits. The FIR further states that private airlines, namely Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines (now defunct), GoAir, IndiGo, SpiceJet, Paramount Airways etc., started operating and made profits on routes vacated by AI. On lucrative routes like Mumbai-Dubai or Mumbai-Ahmedabad, AI reduced flights and gave its opponents a major market share. Foreign airlines were given unrestricted entry into India and major routes were given to them without taking any reciprocal benefits for the national carrier.



These are still allegations yet to be proved in a court of law. But if true  several AI watchers vouch for the veracity  it shows how systematically the national carrier was made a deadwood. Left parties have already raised a hue and cry over the disinvestment plan. The CPM says Air India was crippled and burdened with debt due to monumental miscalculation and certain wrong decisions taken by successive governments at the Centre and the airline is now being made the scapegoat and sought to be privatised.



It appears that the national carrier was treated by the government as something that should be sold at any cost. While the government should not discriminate private players, many actions taken were counter-productive to AI. The airline was not allowed to flourish, with roadblock after roadblock hampering its growth. However, in the past couple of years, the airline was on a recovery path and had posted an operational profit. The question is how did AI amass such a debt? Why did it land in such a financial mess? Why is Air India not the preferred airline? Is only the UPA regime at fault? Did the decision not to buy aircraft between 1998 and 2004 have a negative impact on the national carrier? Who is responsible for this? The country needs to know as the national carrier is now for sale.

DH News Service
A CRPF jawan was injured in a grenade attack by militants on a security forces' camp in Tral area of Pulwama district in Kashmir, police said today.



The ultras fired a UBGL grenade at a joint camp of CRPF and police at Aribal in Tral town at 10.30 pm yesterday, a police official said.



He said a CRPF constable was injured in the grenade explosion. He was taken to a hospital here and the doctors said his condition was stable.



No militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack which came on the first death anniversary of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani.
A woman suffering from cancer in Pakistan has urged External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to help her visit India for treatment after her visa application was reportedly rejected by the Indian embassy here.



Faiza Tanveer, 25, is suffering from a recurrent ameloblastoma, an oral tumour which is aggressive in nature.



She planned to visit the Inderprastha Dental College and Hospital (IDCH) in Ghaziabad and paid Rs 10 lakh in advance for treatment, according to a Pakistani media report.



But the Indian High Commission in Islamabad rejected her medical visa application, the report said.



Tanveer's mother claimed that her application was rejected because of deteriorating ties between the two countries.



That forced Tanveer to take to social media to move Indian authorities. Tanveer in several tweets over the past couple of days has urged Swaraj to intervene. She has also posted her photo and a video that showed her tumour.



In one of the tweets, she said, "Please help me save my life mam plz (sic)," and tagged Swaraj in the tweet. In another tweet, Tanveer said, "Sushma g please help me (sic)."



Last month, an ailing child from Pakistan and his parents were issued visa for an emergency heart treatment after the family sought Swaraj's help.
As G20 leaders continued their Summit discussions for the second day here today, US President Donald Trump today walked up to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "an impromptu interaction".



Arvind Panagariya, sherpa for India at the Summit, tweeted about the "interaction", along with pictures of the two leaders and others just before start of the second day of working sessions of the G20 Summit ending today.



"In an impromptu interaction at the G20 Summit, POTUS (President of the US) waves to the PM, walks to him, other leaders gather around. Gr8 moments," Panagariya tweeted.



He further described the interaction as "some memorable moments just before the second day of the G20 Summit begins".



Panagariya, also the vice-chairman of government think- tank Niti Aayog, is representing India in the negotiations for the leaders' communique.



Besides a series of bilateral meetings, Modi had brief chats with various leaders at the Summit, including with IMF chief Christine Lagarde and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Wrapping up his second European tour, President Donald Trump and Asian allies searched for consensus today on how to counter what the president called the "menace" of North Korea after its test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.



"Something has to be done about it," Trump said as he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. In a separate meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump said the two were tackling "the problem and menace of North Korea."



The White House said after the meeting with Abe that the US was "prepared to use the full range of capabilities" in defense of Japan. Trump and Abe committed, the White House said, "to redoubling their efforts to bring all nations together to show North Korea that there are consequences for its threatening and unlawful actions."



The Trump administration has tried to pressure Beijing to rein in North Korea, a major trading partner, to halt Kim Jong Un's development of nuclear weapons before they have the ability to threaten the U.S. homeland. Trump has voiced his frustration in recent days that China hasn't done more, suggesting he may be moving on.



But during his meeting, Trump told Xi, "I appreciate the things that you have done relative to the very substantial problem that we all face in North Korea."



Trump's extensive slate of meetings with Abe, Xi, British Prime Minister Theresa May and others came on the final day of the annual Group of 20 summit, which has been marked by violent demonstrations by anti-globalization activists. Trump also had a brief, unscheduled meeting with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the situation in Syria.



Abe, speaking through a translator, noted that the security situation in the Asia Pacific region has become "increasingly severe" due to North Korea's push to develop its ballistic missile and nuclear program. Abe said he wanted to "demonstrate the robust partnership as well as the bonds" between Japan and the US on the issue.



North Korea's successful test launch of an ICBM was a major milestone in its long-term effort to build a missile that could carry a nuclear warhead to attack the United States.



The issue was a frequent topic of discussion at the summit, and the White House said earlier that the U.S., South Korea and Japan were pressing for additional measures against North Korea to demonstrate the "serious consequences" for its latest provocations.



The three nations have been calling for "early adoption" of a new UN Security Council resolution and additional sanctions to demonstrate to Pyongyang the consequences of its actions.


Meanwhile, the all-party meeting of the hill parties, which was scheduled to take place on July 18, has been advanced to July 11.



The GJM has claimed that four persons were killed during police firing after clashes broke out between pro-Gorkhaland supporters and police in various parts of the hills yesterday.



The police, however, denied the reports of firing and said it did not fire a "single shot."

M S Rai, chairman of the Rai Development Board, resigned last night in protest against the alleged killings. The GJM also rejected Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's offer of talks yesterday.



The violence erupted again in Darjeeling today on the 25th day of pro-Gorkhaland stir, with agitators setting aflame a police camp, injuring four police personnel and attacking a BDO office at Pokribong.The GJM activists also took out a rally at Chowkbazar with the bodies of Suraj Sundas and Sameer Subba who were allegedly killed in police firing.The GNLF also took out a procession at Sonada with the body of Tashi Bhutia who too was allegedly killed in police firing.The protesters also attacked the Sonada police station and torched a part of it in what was second such attack in two days.The Sonada police station was attacked yesterday too, by protesters. A police booth was also set ablaze in Darjeeling by the protesters.In the afternoon today a huge mob attacked a BDO office and a police camp at Pokribong and set it on fire as several police personnel were also beaten up.
A recent report by authored by Anviti Chaturvedi on police reforms released in June this year by PRS analyses and explains the various constraints and issues faced by our police forces.

The key findings of the report sourced from PRS suggest:



Police accounts for about 3% of government spending

While state police forces are responsible for maintaining law and order and investigating crimes, central forces assist them with intelligence and internal security challenges (e.g., insurgencies).

Expenditure on police accounts for about 3% of the central and state government budgets.



An overburdened police force

State police forces had 24% vacancies (about 5.5 lakh vacancies) in January 2016. Hence, while the sanctioned police strength was 181 police per lakh persons in 2016, the actual strength was 137 police. Note that the United Nations recommended standard is 222 police per lakh persons.

86% of the state police comprises of constabulary. Constables are typically promoted once during their service, and normally retire as head constables. This could weaken their incentive to perform well.

Crime per lakh population has increased by 28% over the last decade (2005-2015). However, convictions have been low. In 2015, convictions were secured in 47% of the cases registered under the Indian Penal Code, 1860. The Law Commission has observed that one of the reasons behind this is the poor quality of investigations.





Improving police infrastructure

CAG audits have found shortages in weaponry with state police forces. For example, Rajasthan and West Bengal had shortages of 75% and 71% respectively in required weaponry with the state police.

The Bureau of Police Research and Development has also noted a 30.5% deficiency in stock of required vehicles (2,35,339 vehicles) with the state forces.

However, funds dedicated for modernisation of infrastructure are typically not utilised fully. For example, in 2015-16, only 14% of such funds were used by the states.





Holding police accountable
Egypt is currently working to end a Saudi ban on imports of Egyptian strawberries implemented by the Gulf country on Saturday, agriculture minister Abdel-Moneim El-Banna said on Sunday.

El-Banna said in press statements his ministry is in talks with Saudi officials to resolve several problems related to the export of a number of products, including strawberries, as a prelude to the reintroduction of exports to the Gulf country, which imposed the ban in June but put it in effect this week.

The minister stressed that Egyptian experts will be presented with Saudi conditions for resuming Egyptian crop imports.

"A new system will be implemented that will boost the quality of agricultural products for local customers as well as exports to foreign markets. These measures would help in resolving outstanding issues and open new foreign markets for Egyptian products," El-Banna added.

According to media reports, sample tests on a shipment of Egyptian strawberries showed that pesticide residue was higher than the international standard, with Egypt not doing enough to warn the companies that have committed violations.

The head of Egypt's Agriculture Export Council, Abdel-Hamid El-Demerdash, predicted over the weekend that both Saudi Arabia and the UAE would revoke a ban on Egyptian imports of strawberries and pepper respectively before the upcoming 2017/2018 export season.

In April, the UAE joined a number of countries that banned imports of pepper from Egypt.

El-Demerdash said that his council participated in visits sponsored by the agriculture ministry to the Gulf countries to present officials with the measures undertaken by Egypt to ensure the safety of export products.

El-Demerdash stressed the importance of regional exports for Egypt, noting that the country exports 50 percent of agricultural crop exports to Arab countries, amounting to 1.8 million tonnes of product worth $1 billion yearly.

From September 2016 to May 2017, Egypt exported some 3.2 million tonnes in agricultural produce worth $1.7 billion.

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In a first, the Indian merchant navy officers across the country, who work behind for country's foreign exchange, will be honoured by conferring Pegasus awards at a Maritime event to be held here on October 13.



Licorne, a unit of the Unicorn Group, will be presenting the award to 50 merchant navy professionals that include ship captains, technical engineers, chief officers and Second-grade engineers for their overall performance.



Unicorn Group chairman Arul Anthony Joseph said on Sunday that the event, which is the first of its kind in the country, will be held once in two years.



He said that the function in future will be held at Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Gujarat. According to him, a high-level jury comprising maritime experts has been constituted to evaluate the candidates.



"Nomination process has successfully commenced and in full swing", said Joseph. He also said that the merchant navy officers' extraordinary contributions in the sea will be considered for the awards.



The ceremony will also host a get-together of merchant navy officers. "This will motivate thousands of cadets studying in various Maritime universities, who were invitees for the function," he added.




About Gen Kapoor, the report said though he was not directly connected with the case, he was not "well advised" in accepting a membership of the society, adding that that it did not seem he had adequately weighed the implications of accepting a flat in the complex.



The Indian Navy had raised security concerns as the 31 storey building overlooked several of its key installations. The housing complex, built on defence land, was originally for Kargil war heroes and those who had lost their spouses in the war.



The defence ministry probe found a number of other senior military officials guilty and said all those found involved in the scam or those who had turned a blind eye to the irregularities should not be engaged in any employment or services by the government.



The Bombay high court, in an order last year, blamed members of the housing society, who it said happened to be close relatives of highly-placed bureaucrats or related to politicians or ministers, for conspiring with them to grab a plot.



Former navy chief admiral Madhavendra Singh, who was also allotted a flat in the housing society, has also been named in the report.



The report said though he was not involved in the scam, he was ineligible to become a member of the housing society as he gave a misleading undertaking stating that he did not own any house in Mumbai.



According to the findings, almost all the military officials found guilty in the scam were given flats in the complex.



Then Defence minister A K Antony had on December 9, 2010, ordered a CBI probe to fix responsibility among armed forces and defence estates officers in the scam.



The probe agency was also asked to look into commitments made for allotment of flats in the society for Kargil widows and martyrs' families.



The preliminary findings of the ministry's probe brought out a "criminal conspiracy" at the local level in the Army and defence estates to give up the land, which was in the Army's possession till 1999-2000, in favour of the housing society.

A Defence Ministry inquiry committee has suggested prohibiting top Army officers indicted in the Adarsh housing society scam from all future government appointment taking a cue from the Antrix-Devas case.Those found guilty by the panel include two former Army Chiefs Gen N C Vij and Gen Deepak Kapoor and former Vice Chief Lt Gen Shantanu Choudhary.Several senior officers like Lt Gen G S Sihota, Maj Gen A R Kumar, Maj Gen Tejinder Singh and Maj Gen T K Kaul are among the top officers, who were indicted by the panel, set up by the defence ministry at the instruction of the Bombay High Court, which is hearing the case.Attention in the Adarsh scam so far has been centred on the wrong-doing and irregularities by the politicians and bureaucrats concerned with the approval process, who exploited their positions to become beneficiaries of Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society (ACHS), ostensibly promoted for the welfare of Kargil heros [sic] and war widows. As we have found, perhaps as great a role was played by the military and Defence Estate officers involved, said the 199-page report.The report, authored by retired bureaucrat Rajan Katoch and Lt Gen Ravi Thodge (retd), didn't mince words for the top brass of the armed forces involved in the scam."The conduct of the officers in this case for personal benefit at the expense of public interest cannot be allowed to rest without action. In public perception, the Services have always been held in very high esteem. This perception was impacted by this case, it said.While Gen Vij appears to have provided a protective umbrella; Lt Gen Choudhary is a leading defender of ACHS in the courts now. Gen Kapoor's membership of the ACHS conveys a sense of discouragement to those who may have wanted to safeguard armys interests and speak out against the wrongdoing.Huge damage to the image and credibility of the Services was caused due to the actions of a few officers who for their vested interests, abdicated their responsibilities to safeguard the public interest and security of the country, the report said recommending actions against them.The government can consider the option of taking action for debarring some or all of these officers from any future employment or contract with the Central Government or any of its bodies or participating in any Committees. Such an action was taken by the Department of Space in 2012 in the case of a former Secretary, Department of Space in the Antrix Devas case, it saidThe Central Bureau of Investigation filed its charge sheet on the scam in 2012 against about 50 accused including at least six Army officers. The trial is yet to begin.
The Opposition party DMK in Tamil Nadu asked the Union Government to stall its proposal to divest 100 per cent of its shares in the Kamarajar Port near the State capital.



DMK working president M K Stalin, in a letter to Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, urged him to dispassionately understand the feelings of the people of the State before taking any unilateral and hasty decision to privatise the Port.



"It is not just a Corporate Port but it engineers the economic growth of the State and the nation", he said.



Stating that any prudent administrator would not allow an economically viable and highly profitable port to be privatised jeopardising the interests of all the stakeholders. Stalin has also pointed out that the Annual Reports published by the government says the port was a profit-making institution and it could never be allowed to be trusted in the basket of ports to be privatized.


Felicitating Mukherjee, who was a teacher before plunging into politics in 1969, on the occasion of 'Guru Purnima', Javadekar said his life was an "exemplary" record of calibre, capacity and conduct.

He said Mukherjee represented all the teachers in the country.



"By felicitating Mukherjee, we are honouring all the teachers of this country," the human resource development minister said.



At the inauguration of three digital initiatives in the education sector -- Swayam, Swayam Prabha and National Academic Depository today, Javadekar presented a small bag to Mukherjee containing a slate and stationery.



"Since I called him a teacher, there will be 'gurudakshina' (homage to a guru) as well. We will publish compilation of his convocation addresses to various universities so that students can enlighten themselves from his valuable observations," he said.



Swayam aims at taking the best teaching-learning resources to all. Under Swayam Prabha, the government plans to telecast high-quality educational programmes through 32 DTH channels.



The National Academic Depository will facilitate online verification of certificates.



Javadekar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi too was a "great political teacher".



"We learn from him everyday. How to think out of the box, we learn from him. Round the clock, he keeps thinking about the development of the country, 'antyodaya'...," he said.



Javadekar said the government would come up with integrated B.Ed courses so that students were able to decide after Class 12 on becoming teachers. They can take such integrated courses with graduation in a subject of their choice.



He said the government would ensure that teaching profession was not seen as the last career choice of the youths.



Javadekar said education expanded in the country in the past 70 years through the efforts of various governments.



"The British did not want it. But we have done it. Now using digital technology, it needs to be taken further," he said.



Mukherjee's term as the president will end on July 25. This will be an end of his active public life of about five decades.



The 81-year-old Mukherjee, who started his career as a lecturer in a college in West Bengal, retains his love for his favourite subject -- history. It reflected in the renovation of the President House Library in which various rare and historical books were restored.

Convocation addresses delivered by President Pranab Mukherjee will be compiled and published by the HRD ministry in a 'gurudakshina' to him, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said today.


After Ahmedabad became the first city of India to get the World Heritage City tag last night, the UNESCO tweeted "Just inscribed as UNESCO world heritage site: Historic city of Ahmedabad #India".



The Prime Minister, in a tweet today said, "A matter of immense joy for India!".



Shah termed it as a "proud moment" for every Indian, while Rupani said he was "thrilled" to learn about Ahmedabad being recognised as the UNESCO World Heritage City.



The decision was taken at UNESCO's World Heritage Committee Meeting at Krakow in Poland. The 600-year-old city has now joined the ranks of Paris, Vienna, Cairo, Brussels, Rome and Edinburgh and put India on the world heritage city map.



A proposal in this regard was sent to the UNESCO in 2010 at the behest of Modi, who then Chief Minister of Gujarat.



"It is truly an honour to stand here with the delegation of India to witness the inscription of a city with over 600 years of unbroken history," India's ambassador and permanent representative Ruchira Kamboj said in her thanks message to the chair.



"The journey began in 2010 when Prime Minister Modi proffered the dossier of Ahmedabad to UNESCO," she said.



She posted her short speech on Twitter.



"For over 600 years, it has stood for peace as a landmark city where Mahatma Gandhi began India's freedom struggle. It has stood for unity with its elegant carvings in its Hindu and Jain temples, as well as standing as one of the finest examples of Indo-Islamic architecture and Hindu-Muslim art," she said in her speech.



"It epitomises the UN's objective of sustainable development as it accelerates in its development...chosen to be one of India's first smart cities, while preserving its ancient heritage," she said.



Ahmedabad was in competition with New Delhi and Mumbai for the title.



The walled city of Ahmedabad was founded by Ahmed Shah. It has 26 ASI-protected structures, hundreds of 'pols' that capture the essence of community living and numerous sites associated with Mahatma Gandhi who lived here from 1915 to 1930.



It is constituted out of residential settlements 'Pol' and has a specific scale of its community based settlement grouping. Several of such settlements combined together forms a 'Pur' neighbourhood.



The historic city has several 'Pur' neighbourhoods forming the entire fortified historic city. These various 'Pur' have its own urban structure which is self-sufficient for the communities, where each 'Pol' once again is a self- sufficient unit.



In 1984, the first study for conserving heritage structures was carried out. A heritage cell was also set up by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).



The milestone was Ahmedabad's entry into UNESCO's tentative list of world heritage cities on March 31, 2011 and preparation of the Ahmedabad dossier.



"Thrilled to learn that Ahmedabad has been recognised as UNESCO World heritage city, first of its kind India," Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani tweeted.



"Delighted to know that UNESCO has declared Ahmedabad as World Heritage City. Proud moment for every Indian," Shah said in a tweet.



Ahmedabad residents celebrated the new identity for their city in various ways.



The declaration of six-hundred year old Ahmedabad as a world heritage city by the UNESCO was hailed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
Bringing the fight for power close to ruling Telugu Desam Party, opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy declared that YSR Congress Party if voted to power, will implement phased prohibition of liquor in Andhra Pradesh. However, the ban will be in three phases starting from a massive awareness programme with provisions for rehabilitation of addicts. Party chief Jaganmohan Reddy unveiled his phased prohibition programme at the second and last day of third -party plenary on Sunday at YSR Grounds near Guntur.



Jagan also said that he would take six-month long Padayatra on 27 October from his fathers resting place in Idupulapaya to Tirumala and from there to Ichapuram, a total of a 3000 km. Just like my father YS Rajasekhara Reddy who undertook maha padayatra, I would like to touch upon all the lives on the way. I will explain them the evils of alcohol, Jagan said. He laid out a nine-point agenda for the cadre to follow in the run up for the ensuing elections.



He also introduced political strategist Prashant Kishor to party plenary and said that the party is seeking his help in formulating strategies for the elections. He the one who played a key role in bringing victory for Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar. We will also benefit from his knowledge, Jagan declared.



Earlier during the plenary Jagan accused Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of amassing Rs 3.75 lakh crore through corrupt practices. He released a book titled 'Chandrababu - The Emperor of Corruption'. The opposition leader said that the book has all the evidence how Naidu and his men used the lands in Amaravati and Visakhapatnam to make money in ingenious ways. The book has details of '56 scams' of the last three years. He said that people were eagerly waiting for an early end to the rule of Chandrababu Naidu.


Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday instructed the Home Secretary to coordinate with West Bengal government to ensure smooth traffic on National Highway 10 connecting Sikkim so that it gets supplies.



Singh also spoke to Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling regarding the security situation in Sikkim and areas neighbouring West Bengal where protests are taking place over the demand for Gorkhaland.



Chamling told Singh over the phone that Sikkim was facing an acute shortage of supplies, especially essential commodities like medicines, baby milk powder, vegetables and petrol and diesel due to the closure of the national highway, the "critical road link" to Sikkim.



"I assured him that the Centre will ensure the safety and security of NH 10 and do everything possible to save people of the state from any misery," Singh tweeted.



"Singh has asked Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi to coordinate with West Bengal administration and ensure the safety, security and smooth traffic on NH 10," an official statement said.



The West Bengal government is being requested to ensure that the road link to Sikkim remains open, it said.



The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) request came as several incidents were reported in the past week when Sikkim-registered trucks were vandalised and looted by unidentified miscreants in Siliguri.



The violent incidents were reported after the Sikkim chief minister supported the demand of Gorkhaland and also wrote to the Centre saying it was a justified and long-pending demand of the people of the Darjeeling hills.


External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met Geeta, the mute and deaf woman who returned to India from Pakistan in 2015, and enquired about her wish to get married.

Twenty-three-year old Geeta went missing on July 6 for about 30 minutes from the institute for speech and hearing impaired in Indore where she is living since October 2015 after her return from Pakistan.

She was traced by the police within 30 minutes after her disappearance at around 4 pm.



Swaraj, who played a pivotal role in getting Geeta back, yesterday met her in Indore and enquired about her well being.



According to director of the institute, Monika Punjabi Verma, Swaraj interacted with Geeta and spoke about her prospects of getting married.



"She (Swaraj) asked Geeta, how she was doing in studies? She also told Geeta that MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was excited and ready to extend all possible help to her to get married," Verma told PTI.

Verma said even two-and-a-half month ago, when Swaraj had met Geeta, she had asked about her wish to get married.



"I think Geeta showed willingness to enter into the wedlock," she said.

When asked about Geeta's sudden disappearance from the institute on Thursday, Verma said she had gone to a temple.

Geeta was reportedly just 7 or 8 years old when she was found sitting alone on the Samjhauta Express by the Pakistan Rangers at the Lahore railway station.



She was adopted by Bilquis Edhi, a Pakistani philanthropist attached to the Edhi Foundation, and lived with her in Karachi till October 2015, before returning to India.



However, despite efforts officials have not been able to locate her family. Several couples visited the institute in the recent past and claimed Geeta to be their daughter, but she did not recognise any of them.


Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah, in Bengaluru, today made an appeal to the people to maintain peace and warned of strict action against those involved in instigating communal hatred.



Chiranjeevi (24) was attacked when he was riding home on his bike last night after a workout in a gym.



Three persons came behind him on a motorcycle, attacked him at a deserted spot with swords and fled, police said, adding that Chiranjeevi himself rode to a nearby hospital after calling up his friends and collapsed there even as they rushed to the spot.



Police said Chiranjeevi was a sympathiser of right wing organisations, including RSS, and not an activist.



Police Commissioner T R Suresh and other top officials visited the spot where Chiranjeevi was attacked and the hospital.



Officials said he was out of danger. The district is already tense after the death of an RSS worker Sarath Madivala on Friday following an attack on him in Bantwal on July 4.



Police had used mild force yesterday to disperse clashing groups of people in Bantwal while the body of Madivala was being taken to his home in a procession at Kandur.



Prohibitory orders are in force till July 11 in Puttur, Sullia, Belthangady and Bantwal in coastal Dakshina Kannada district following recent communal clashes in some areas, according to police.



The orders were initially enforced in Bantwal from May 27 following skirmishes between two groups. Later, it was extended to the four taluks as violence spread.



The murder of a Social Democratic Party of India worker at Benjanapadavu in Bantwal on June 21 further escalated tension, forcing authorities to extend prohibitory orders.



Meanwhile, in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah told reporters, "I have directed police to take strict action against whoever indulges in instigating communal hatred".



He urged people of the coastal region to maintain peace and not pay heed to rumours.



"Mangaluru region has been known for communal harmony for hundreds of years...recently a few people were involved in communal instigation for their political benefits. Whoever it is, whether Bajarang Dal, RSS or PFI, let them be from any religion...if they indulge in such activities government will take merciless action," he added.



The opposition BJP flayed the Congress government for its 'failure' in maintaining law and order.



"Serious law and order issues are arising in Karnataka and our people are seized of the matter. The government (state) has to act against the culprits," BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav told reporters here on the sidelines of a event.



Union minister and former Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda alleged that the state government was directly responsible for the incidents.



"For the last 15 days, Dakshina Kannada district is burning, but the state government has not taken any initiative to prevent these sorts of activities. The district in-charge minister and other ministers are indirectly supporting and provoking in Dakshina Kannada," Gowda said.



He referred to Siddaramaiah's visit to the district two days back, saying the Chief Minister did not have the patience to call a meeting of police officers and review the security situation there.



"I think it is the total failure of the government which is solely responsible for all these activities,"hesaid,adding that the Chief Minister has to be more responsible as there is no Home minister in Karnataka.



Gowda also said that he has apprised the Home Ministry about the situation in Dakshina Kannada

A man, who police claimed was a sympathiser of right-wing outfits, was attacked by some people on a motorbike at Kuthar near here, days after an RSS activist was fatally stabbed at Bantwal.Tension had prevailed at the spot following the attack.
From abuse to manhandling and misuse of authority, KSISF personnel appear to have earned notoriety among Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) employees, according to documents which show a trail of complaints against the constables.



The July 6 incident that saw Metro employees retaliating after a Karnataka State Industrial Security Force (KSISF) constable slapped an electronics maintenance staffer with the BMRCL seems to be an outburst of pent-up anger.



Documents provided by BMRCL sources show Metro staffers handled previous issues as per the protocol, by writing to the chief security officer (CSO).



Most of the complaints were dealt with internally. At least thats what we were told. It has been about a year since KSISF personnel were posted. While most of them are professional, some have constantly created problems for us as well as passengers, a BMRCL staffer said.



The only exception was in May when the CSO alerted the KSISF commandant after a constable slapped a passenger. The passenger had come at the Cubbon Park Metro station along with his wife and child.



The constable on duty abused him and asked him to get out over a silly reason. Finally, when the passenger was about to leave, the constable followed him and slapped him hardly, the complaint says.



Documents show the same constable had picked up an issue with a senior HAL official last year. Though the HAL official threatened to file a case, the issue was settled internally. After the slapping incident, he was relieved from Metro services but brought back later, KSISF sources said.



Free Metro ride



Some months ago, a constable used the concession travel card at the Vidhana Soudha station to help his brother travel for free on Metro. His card was later seized. Besides the Metro staff, security guards and housekeepers also complained about the high-handedness of the constables.



Finally, more than 10 such employees wrote a letter, accusing a constable of abusing them without a reason. He threatened to kick us if we do not follow his orders. We have complained about the issue 20 times but to no avail, they stated.



Many issues did not make news. We helped a KSISF constable when he was cornered by 15 lawyers. He had abused two lawyers the previous day at the Central College station. We talked to them and settled the issue, a staffer said.



Sources said some constables lack of professionalism tarnished the reputation of the entire force.

We have no police powers. We are a security force with a set of guidelines and we should stick to them. Some of us dont get that, a constable said.




Engines roared and sputtered and wheels threw up dust as over 400 Jawa Yezdi bikes gathered at the St Josephs Indian High School grounds on Sunday to celebrate the 15th International Jawa Cz Yezdi Day.



The event, organised by Bangalore Jawa Yezdi Motorcycle Club (BJYMC), was not only a celebration of the bikers trustee rides but it was also an attempt to set a Guinness world record for the largest parade of Yezdi motorcycles.



In 2015, BJYMC and another club Jawa Nanna Jeeva entered the Limca Book of Records for the largest gathering of out-of-production Jawa Yezdi bikes in India.



We wanted to make it to both Guinness and Limca at the same time but since Guinness has a lot of rules, we decided to split them up, said Jose Martin, secretary of BJYMC.



Guinness does not recognise a gathering of bikes for a record so the club is attempting to be the largest rally of out-of-production Jawa Yezdi bikes.



We are the first in the category so Guinness told us that we needed a minimum of 200 bikes to take part in the rally. We had 407 bikes this morning, Jose said.



The parade of 407 bikes rode 5 kilometres, around Kanteerava Indoor stadium, towards Chinnaswamy Stadium and MG Road before returning to the grounds.



The ride was documented with the help of Jeepers of Bangalore, who made sure that every bike completed the ride, as required. The footage and related documents will be sent to Guinness for approval.



The Bengaluru riders were joined by many others from Mysuru, Mangaluru, Puducherry, Mumbai, Pune, Kerala and Kanyakumari. Lani Zena Fernandez and her brother rode all the way from Puducherry to be part of the celebrations in Bengaluru. Lana was born in 97 and she rides a 96 Roadking.



My father has a garage with many different bikes and that is where I get my passion for them. I learned to ride on Yezdi B-type when I was 16, she said.



Following the parade, riders who had achieved feats on their bikes were awarded. Venkatesh, who used to part of the Research & Development team of Ideal Jawa (India) Ltd in Mysuru, and 84-year-old veteran rider R Chakravarthy were also felicitated at the event.






RJD president Lalu Prasad has convened a meeting of all party legislators here on Monday.



The meeting, which will be chaired by the RJD chief, is likely to discuss the emerging political situation, particularly the growing demand by the BJP to sack Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav from the Nitish Cabinet, in the wake of a series of raids by law enforcing agencies.



The meeting assumes significance as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar returned to the state capital on Sunday from Rajgir, where he was supposedly recuperating for the past three days.



Nitish, however, maintained a studied silence and avoided any interaction with the media following the CBI raids at Lalus house and the lodging of an FIR against Tejashwi.



The BJP, which held an urgent meeting of its legislators and MPs from Bihar, demanded that Nitish, who has shown zero tolerance towards corruption, ask Tejashwi to quit.



We have demanded that the RJD MLAs raise this issue in their Monday meeting and urge Lalu to appoint senior leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui, currently the finance minister in the state, as the deputy chief minister in Tejashwis place, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi told DH.



The RJD, however, rejected this demand. The entire RJD is standing by Lalu Prasad like a rock. Those who are demanding Tejashwis resignation should first seek the resignation of Union Minister Uma Bharti, who has been chargesheeted in a criminal conspiracy case, said Bihar RJD president Ram Chandra Purvey.



No to switch sons posts



Sources, however, said that in the case of Tejashwis imminent arrest, the party would like Lalu to replace him with his elder son Tej Pratap (incumbent health minister) as the deputy chief minister.



The RJD legislature party meeting has been convened on Monday to take stock of the fresh political situation and chalk out strategies on how to counter the BJP propaganda to defame Lalu and his

family, clarified party spokesperson and legislator Shakti Yadav.



Meanwhile, Nitish, who, as JD(U) national president, has convened the state party executive meet here on Tuesday, will not hold his weekly Lok Samvad programme on Monday, as he said to be unwell.




India on Sunday lambasted Pakistan for glorifying Hizbul commander Burhan Wani, who was killed by the security agencies last July.



Criticising Pakistan for its public support to Wani, India asserted that Islamabads terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by one and all.



First @ForeignOfficePk read from banned LeTs script. Now Pak COAS (Pakistan army chief) glorifies Burhan Wani. Paks terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by one and all, tweeted the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay.



The Indian reaction follows a strong public support from Pakistan with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday paying rich tributes to Wani, observing that his death infused a new spirit in the struggle for freedom in Kashmir.



Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, too, praised Wani. The Indian security establishment considers Wani as a militant leader, who not only planned attacks against the security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir, but was also a popular recruiter who lured Kashmiri youth to join militancy.



Ever since he was killed, the northern state erupted in protests against the security establishment and the administration. The clashes with the security agencies led to the killing of nearly 100 people from the state, so far, with many more sustaining serious eye injuries from pellet guns used by the government forces to quell the protests.



The army and paramilitary forces have intensified their operations in Jammu and Kashmir with the deployment of additional forces.



The MEAs reaction comes days after Londons Birmingham City Council withdrew permission to the organisers of a rally to commemorate Wanis death, following a strong protest by the Indian high commission.



India issued a note verbale to the UK foreign office, asking London to stop the rally, which was billed as a Kashmir Rally. The officials suspect Islamabads hand behind the rally.




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Almost 3,000 extra pints had to be brought in to the city's five-day annual summer beer festival  which ended on Sunday lunchtime in Derby's Market Place.

Thirsty visitors to the 40th annual Camra Derby City Charter Summer Beer Festival had already downed 26,496 pints of beer before extra supplies were brought in.

In addition, the 9,000 festival-goers drank 200 bottled beers, 4,128 pints of real cider and 116 cases of world beers.

Festival chairman Russ Gilbert said the event had been "very successful" and he was already looking forward to the 41 annual event next July, and the 2018 Winter Ales Festival at the Roundhouse from February 21 to 24.

He said: "We had 352 beers from 125 breweries, including 97 in Derbyshire. The oldest brewer was Greene King, which dates back to 1799, and the newest was one set up this year called Turning Point, which is based is Kirby Moorside in Yorkshire.

"I am particularly pleased that we had 122 new members sign up to Camra, which is a record at the event."

Around 230 volunteers worked the sessions each day  starting last Wednesday and ending at 2pm on Sunday  Mr Gilbert said: "We changed the set-up round a bit in the marquee and I think it worked better this year.

Each year, people from around the world either visit or volunteer at the event. This year, Mr Gilbert , said he was contacted by Robert Sutton, of Houston in Texas, who had seen the event on the internet and intended visiting.

Mr Gilbert said: "He came to every session and then he sent me an email to say how much he had enjoyed the events and added, 'Hat's off to Derby'. Mr Sutton added he loved the festival, had enjoyed going to city restaurants recommended by volunteers and had been to see the ceramic poppies on display at the Silk Mill.

"It's great when someone takes the trouble to come and then has a great time.

"This and everything else have provided a great backdrop to the 40th anniversary and it's amazing to see how many people are still visiting and working at the festival who first came in 1978.

"Work will begin in September on the 14th winter festival and then we will look forward to next year's summer event, which I hope to chair once again."
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Derby has attracted stinging criticism, with the city branded a hotbed of crime and a tinderbox of social disharmony that's ready to ignite.

One anonymous poster on the site ilivehere.co.uk described the city as "just a haven for vandalism, robbery, muggings and the rare shooting" and "number one for mayhem and social disorder".

There are relatively few scathing reviews of Derby with just a handful of seemingly bitter individuals taking the time to vent their spleens.

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The city gets off fairly lightly compared to Coventry, for example, described as "the hell-hole of Britain", "a miserable place that drains you of life" and, quite simply, "a dump".

That said, Derby appears to have a few individuals out there who have developed a severe animosity towards the city and its suburbs.

In one post, Derby is described as "a ticking timebomb".

Furthermore, some of the erudite deconstruction of the city's culture appears to be out of date . One online review alludes to "the infamous club known as Zanzibar", a nightspot that shut down back in 2010 after a decade in business.

One anonymous poster blasted Chaddesden women for "shouting abuse at bus drivers".

Surprisingly, Spondon comes in for a great deal of unwarranted stick. One individual appears to have a particular axe to grind, arguing that the area is "slowly being taken over by the chav scurge". Another branded the area "racist and horrid" and its residents "absolutely tragic and useless".

With all this in mind, it is worth remembering that Derby has a lot going for it.

It can justifiably claim to be the real ale capital of the UK and hugely popular and regular Campaign for Real Ale beer festivals attest to this.

(Image: Peter Banks)

Parks at Markeaton, Darley and Allestree show that there are beautiful green spaces close to the city centre and it is home to Arboretum Park, the nation's first public park.

And for those in search of the great outdoors and fresh air, the city's proximity to Derbyshire's Peak District means residents are within a short drive of some of the UK's most beautiful scenery.

It is also worth remembering that Derby is a land of opportunity for those with the right skills. Aero engines are designed, tested and built here by Rolls-Royce, and technology rarely comes more advanced.

The city holds an important position as the home of Bombardier's Litchurch Lane site, Britain's last remaining train manufacturing plant.

So, for those with the right knowledge and experience, there are great job opportunities in Derby.

The city has is an ultramodern velodrome at Derby Arena and plans are in place for a 10-lane state-of-the-art 50m swimming pool.

And there are worse places to live. Nottingham is described on ilivehere.co.uk as "a putrid tumour of social rot in the heart of England".
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An eagle-eyed Derbyshire schoolboy, who spotted a spelling mistake in a book written by celebrity David Walliams, has received a thank you.

Youngster Ronny Shires saw the error on page 168 of his favourite writer's book, called Gangsta Granny.

The nine-year-old told his mum, Karinne, and asked her if he could contact the publisher, Harper Collins, because "David wouldn't like to see he's made a mistake".

She agreed and allowed him to email Harper Collins who sent him a letter of thanks in reply saying they would amend all future copies of the book. And they also sent him a rare first edition copy of a different David Walliams book, which he had signed.

Ronny, of Horsley Woodhouse, said: "It was amazing, I couldn't believe it when I got the packet from the publisher and the book was signed by David Walliams.

"He is one of my favourite writers and I took it to show my teacher who said I should put the signed book in a sealed bag and lock it away because in the future it will be worth thousands of pounds."

Ronny, a Horsley Woodhouse Primary School pupil, spotted the mistake while he was reading the book to his mum.

He said: The sentence reads 'The privy. It's an old world for toilet,' but it should read 'old word' and not 'old world'.

"I know that David Walliams would not like it if one of his books had a spelling mistake so I asked my mum if I could write to his publisher and tell them.

"She let me email them and then this happened.

"In their note they said they will change all new copies of the book so it is correct and it was only after a while that I realised David Walliams had signed the book too.

"I have seen him on Britain's Got Talent and now he has sent me a signed book.

"It is brilliant."

Ronny lives at home in Main Street with mum Karinne, 34, who works at Next in Giltbrook, dad Craig, a shift manager at Reckitt Benckiser, in Sinfin Lane, Derby, and his younger sister May, who is five and also attends Horsley Woodhouse Primary School.

He said as well as the David Walliams books, his other favourite books include JK Rowling's Harry Potter series and the Captain Underpants tales, by Dav Pilkey.

And he hasn't ruled out a career as an author himself when he is older.

Ronny said: "If I come to the Derby Telegraph I might help you write some stories."

Karinne said she was proud of her son for what he had done.

She said: "He loves reading and David Walliams is one of his favourite writers so for him to get this for what he did is really lovely and we are really grateful to the publishers."
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Police intelligence suggests that the practice of 'skimming' cashpoints is becoming more prevalent.

This type of scam involves tampering with ATM in order to steal bank cards or record card details. These techniques directly target the customer and can lead to significant financial losses.

With this in mind, we've put together a list of everything you need to know about how to recognise cashpoint scams.

Here's what to watch out for when you withdraw cash from an ATM:

A blocked or loose card slot may indicate a scam

Sometimes called a 'Lebanese Loop', this is a strip of metal or plastic designed to trap a bank card in the slot. Thieves return to the cashpoint to retrieve jammed cards after the customer leaves. Police say that the scam can be identified if the card slot sticks out further than other parts of the machine.

A bulky card slot could mean a skimmer device is in place

Often indistinguishable from a genuine card reader, they are usually placed on top. The device may not appear flush against the card machine, leaving a gap where the reader doesn't touch the pin pad.

Look out for a loose or spongey pin pad

A pin pad that feels thicker than normal or loose could be a fake. Certain counterfeit pin pads allow thieves to register your PIN number and then transfer it to a criminal device.
A church schools' inspector has rated a Derbyshire primary school as "outstanding" for the way in which it has "strong leadership at all levels" and "meets the needs of all of its pupils".

The top rating for Scargill C of E Primary School comes less than six months after an inspector from Ofsted initially rated the school as "inadequate" and then following a complaint and a re-inspection, this was upgraded to "requires improvement", together with an apology for the way the previous inspection had been carried out.

The newest inspection outcome of "outstanding" led the school's head teacher to remark that it had been "an eventful year".

Church schools undergo two separate types of inspection  Ofsted and also the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS). The SIAMS determines the distinctiveness and effectiveness of a church school.

In the latest report, church inspector Lizzie McWhirter said that the West Hallam school, which has 398 pupils on roll, is a "welcoming and nurturing Christian community grounded in a strong Christian ethos".

In her report, she said that pupils were "proud to be Scargill citizens" and displayed Scargill values such as generosity, respect and forgiveness in daily life, linking them to biblical teaching.

She also praised the partnership between the school and nearby St Wilfrid's Church and added: "Strong leadership at all levels, good governance and dedicated staff ensure excellent team work within a supportive Christian environment. As a result, pupils grow in confidence and achieve well."

The report states that the school, through its distinctive Christian character, is outstanding at meeting the needs of all learners and that the impact of collective worship on the school community is "outstanding". The inspector found that the effectiveness of the religious education was good and that the effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a church school was outstanding.

Head teacher Andrew Poole said: "I am proud of our whole Scargill family. To be rated as 'outstanding' is a wonderful end to an eventful year."

There were only two points highlighted as areas to improve, which had already been identified by the school. These were to embed monitoring of religious education by the school's governors and to extend the programme of visits and visitors to enable pupils to meet people of all faiths more frequently and deepen their knowledge of Christianity.

Webster, chair of governors, said: "The governors were delighted that the SIAMS report described the Scargill we know and love. We have reorganised our committee structure to include a school improvement forum, which will help the governors to monitor RE and collective worship more efficiently and effectively."

Rev Gill Turner-Callis, rector at St Wilfrid's Church, added: "I am so pleased to have received this confirmation from the inspector that our school is 'outstanding' in its spiritual and relational life, as well as in its religious education. This is a true reflection of the ethos of the school and my sincere thanks to the children, parents, teachers and governors who make Scargill what it is

Ofsted first inspected the school last November and the draft report was received in January to be sent out to parents and local media. Senior staff at the school also contacted Ofsted to query some of the points made by the inspection team. In a move that Ofsted itself has acknowledged is rare, the inspectorate did not officially publish the first report and agreed to visit the school again.

Three key areas of the school's effectiveness were assessed as "good" after inspectors returned to the school in January. The new report also praised the school for its broad and balanced curriculum and the teaching of phonics.

Areas which required attention, according to the second set of Ofsted inspectors, are school leadership and governance, teaching and assessment and safety, behaviour and welfare.
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We're heading for summer and families may be looking to pick up a late-deal holiday for half term.

But wait a minute! A quick comparison online shows that the price for a holiday in May can more than double if you want to take it in half-term week.

We found one holiday flying out of East Midlands Airport with a popular operator that cost 295 per person for seven days flying out on Sunday, May 20, and this rose to 699 per person if you fly out at the start of half-term week on Sunday, May 27.

That's 404 extra per person, an increase of 136%. Yes ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY SIX PER CENT!

No wonder then that parents find it hard to resist taking their children out of school for a week for a break in the sun that doesn't break the bank.

But, be warned, there is the chance that your children might miss something crucial, such as an introduction to long division, and head teachers in Derbyshire were given new advice by the county council for this school year about children being taken on holiday during term time.

Derbyshire County Council said that, from the start of this school year on September 1, 2017, if requested by schools, it would consider issuing a penalty notice for any period of holiday absence which has not been authorised by the head teacher "regardless of a child's wider school attendance".

Thousands of 60 penalty notices have been handed out for unauthorised school absence by the authority over the past five years but a challenge in the Supreme Court by a parent from the Isle of Wight had threatened to change the rules on the situation.

Challenging parent Jon Platt had battled for two years against the fine he had received for taking his daughter out of school for a term-time holiday and argued that his daughter had still attended "regularly" as she had had very high attendance the rest of the time.

But the challenge failed in April last year when the Supreme Court ruled that attending school "regularly" means "in accordance with the rules prescribed by the school".

Following the ruling, Derbyshire County Council told its schools they needed to check their rules regarding attendance in relation to unauthorised absence and term-time holidays.

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The head teachers were told that they should ensure the rules were clear and available for parents and carers and that the responsibility was with head teachers to decide whether a pupil's absence can be authorised or not.

If an absence is unauthorised, the head teacher can ask the council to issue a penalty notice. If this request was made then a notice would be sent to the parent or carer.

Currently, the 60 fine, per parent per child, jumps to 120 if people fail to pay within 21 days of the fine being issued. If parents do not pay within 28 days, they can be taken to court and if found guilty, could end up with a criminal record and face a fine of up to 2,500, court costs or even a jail sentence of up to three months.

More than 4,500 penalty notices have been issued to Derby parents for taking children on holiday in term-time without permission in the past four years  netting the city council at least 275,000 in fines. And the last school year up to July 2017 saw the authority issue 1,479 fines - its highest annual figure yet.

Although Derby City Council has not issued any fresh advice following the Supreme Court judgement but, after the ruling, a spokesperson said: "We believe our children's right to education is paramount and the council works very hard to ensure that all children attend school regularly.

"The judgment confirms that if, despite support, parents or carers do not send their children to school it is appropriate that steps are taken to address that.

The only current exceptions where a child can miss school lawfully are when the child is too ill to attend school or if the parent has had advance consent from the school rendering their absence as "authorised".

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A police cordon remains in place and an investigation has been opened into what caused a fire which broke out in an outbuilding attached to a convenience store in Chaddesden.

Nearby flats and buildings had to be evacuated after the blaze started at the One Stop store, in Wood Road, on Saturday night at about 8.10pm.

On Sunday morning, the charred and blackened roof timbers of the outbuilding were stark against the morning sky and revealed the ferocity of the blaze.

But, thanks to the efforts of firefighters from across the area, the flames did not spread to the main One Stop store and it was business as usual on Sunday morning.

A fire investigation has opened but the cause of the blaze has not been revealed. Derbyshire police, who were called to close the road, said it did not open again until about midnight.

Staff at the store were staying tight-lipped about the situation on Sunday morning and Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said that a report was expected later in the day.
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A Derbyshire lorry driver who tried to bite one cop, and 'grabbed and squeezed the testicles' of another has had his jail term slashed by top judges.

Alex Johnson ran amok during a three-month period between July and September last year. He assaulted police officers three times, also hitting a man at a wedding and driving a motorbike into his girlfriend's ex-partner.

The 27-year-old, of Wyndale Drive, Kirk Hallam, was mentally unstable at the time and had "attempted to commit suicide" over the same period.

Johnson admitted three counts of assault with intent to resist arrest and two of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was jailed for a total of 34 months at Nottingham Crown Court on February 14.

However, at London's Criminal Appeal Court, Mrs Justice May cut that to 20 months, and also reduced an 18-month driving ban to 11 months, the Derbyshire Times reports .

The judge, sitting with Lord Justice Treacy and Judge Martyn Zeidman QC, heard that, before launching an attack on two policemen, Johnson had boasted that the last time he was arrested it 'had taken 11 men to hold him down'.

One of the same officers he attacked during that incident had the misfortune to be sent to arrest him a second time months later, and got his nether regions painfully grabbed for his trouble. Mrs Justice May said: "It was not the first time he had been in trouble for offences of violence."

And Lord Justice Treacy said: "The policeman had his testicles grabbed and squeezed, which is a very painful thing."

"Johnson's troubled mental state seems to have been driven by substance misuse," he added.

Lawyers for Johnson argued that his total sentence for all the offences was far too long. The initial attack on the two officers was a single incident and, whilst he tried to bite one of them, he didn't actually succeed. Mrs Justice May ruled the 34-month sentence "excessive" and reduced it by over a third.

She also cut the driving ban after hearing of the impact a longer disqualification would have on Johnson's livelihood.
By Philip B. Duffy

6 July 2017

(WHRC)  This opinion piece by WHRC President Dr. Philip B. Duffy was published in the Newport (R.I.) Daily News on 3 July 2017. Dr. Duffy was responding to an op-Ed published in the same paper by Princeton physicist William Happer, who claimed that climate change is a problem that does not exist.William Happers widely-published op-ed supporting US withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement (Trump is right to withdraw from this international sham) is a stunning sequence of false and misleading statements supporting the absurd proposition that climate change is good (a problem that does not exist). Happer is wrong about the agreement, and so wrong about the science that it is shocking to contemplate that the author of this fable may be in contention to be the presidents Science Advisor.It would take far more space than is available here to rebut point by point each of Happers deceptions. One particular whopper is the suggestion that it would be perfectly fine, if not beneficial, to let the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) rise to 1,000 or 2,000 parts per million (ppm), compared to 280 ppm in the pre-industrial age and 400 ppm in 2017. Those higher levels are so far beyond what climate scientists normally study that we probably dont know all of the damaging consequences that would ensue. Even at todays CO2 concentration we see increases in extreme weather events, reduced crop yields, more wildfire activity, and increased water scarcityall of which have been attributed to human-caused climate change (and all of which Happer falsely claims are not seen). It may be of further interest to note that during past epochs when carbon dioxide was as high as 1,000 to 2,000 ppm, sea level is thought to have been about 200 feet higher than it is today. That would literally alter the landscape, obliterating coastal regionsincluding major citieseverywhere. (As a resident of Cape Cod, I would hate for my community to disappear.) This enormous prehistoric sea level rise resulted from disintegration of the major ice sheets covering Greenland and Antarctica, which is beginning to happen again now. That is why, contrary to Happers assertion (There is no sign of the accelerated rate of rise predicted by alarmists), the rate of global sea level rise has in fact nearly doubled in recent decades.Looking beyond the nonsensical pseudo-science Happer propounds, one has to ask, if global warming is beneficial, then why did virtually every country on earth make an agreement intended to stop it? Even Trump himself, in announcing the US withdrawal from the Paris agreement, did not try to argue that climate change is not a problem. Indeed, he implicitly acknowledged that it is, by promising to negotiate our way back in to Paris. That plan, by the way, makes no sense, since national commitments under the agreement were not negotiated in the first place. Each country simply decided what it was comfortable with in terms of a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reported that commitment to the UN. If Trump truly feels that it is too difficult for us to meet our Paris commitments, he can simply change them, with no need to negotiate anything with anyone.Instead of pretending that climate change is not a problem, or that it is too difficult to solve, our so-called leaders should be heading the effort to address it. China, realizes that addressing climate change furthers its self-interest, and is making enormous investments in renewable energy. Thats why China appears to have already met its primary commitment under the Paris agreement, 13 years ahead of schedule.Instead of promoting the false hope that we can revive the coal industry, whose decline is a result of cheaper alternatives rather than Obamas Clean Power Plan which never went into effect, we should aggressively develop and deploy cleaner alternatives, as China and other nations are doing.Fighting climate change is in our self-interest, and its also in our interest to be part of the international process for doing that. Only Syria and Nicaragua are not involved, and Nicaragua refused to join because they view the Paris agreement as too weak! Rather than advancing pseudo-science about the supposed benefits of warming, our scientific community should be promoting a healthy and informed debate about the best policies for limiting it.
By Christiana Figueres, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Gail Whiteman, Johan Rockstrom, Anthony Hobley, and Stefan Rahmstorf

28 June 2017

(Nature)  In the past three years, global emissions of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels have levelled after rising for decades. This is a sign that policies and investments in climate mitigation are starting to pay off. The United States, China and other nations are replacing coal with natural gas and boosting renewable energy sources. There is almost unanimous international agreement that the risks of abandoning the planet to climate change are too great to ignore.The technology-driven transition to low-carbon energy is well under way, a trend that made the 2015 Paris climate agreement possible. But there is still a long way to go to decarbonize the world economy. The political winds are blustery. President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will withdraw from the Paris agreement when it is legally able to do so, in November 2020.The year 2020 is crucially important for another reason, one that has more to do with physics than politics. When it comes to climate, timing is everything. According to an April report1(prepared by Carbon Tracker in London, the Climate Action Tracker consortium, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany and Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut), should emissions continue to rise beyond 2020, or even remain level, the temperature goals set in Paris become almost unattainable. The UN Sustainable Development Goals that were agreed in 2015 would also be at grave risk.Thats why we launched Mission 2020  a collaborative campaign to raise ambition and action across key sectors to bend the greenhouse-gas emissions curve downwards by 2020 (www.mission2020.global).As 20 leaders of the worlds largest economies gather on 78 July at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, we call on them to highlight the importance of the 2020 climate turning point for greenhouse-gas emissions, and to demonstrate what they and others are doing to meet this challenge. Lowering emissions globally is a monumental task, but research tells us that it is necessary, desirable and achievable.After roughly 1C of global warming driven by human activity, ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are already losing mass at an increasing rate. Summer sea ice is disappearing in the Arctic and coral reefs are dying from heat stress  entire ecosystems are starting to collapse. The social impacts of climate change from intensified heatwaves, droughts and sea-level rise are inexorable and affect the poorest and weakest first.The magnitude of the challenge can be grasped by computing a budget for CO2 emissions  the maximum amount of the gas that can be released before the temperature limit is breached. After subtracting past emissions, humanity is left with a carbon credit of between 150 and 1,050 gigatonnes (Gt; one Gt is 1  109 tonnes) of CO2 to meet the Paris target of 1.5 C or well below 2 C (see go.nature.com/2rytztf). The wide range reflects different ways of calculating the budgets using the most recent figures.At the current emission rate of 41 Gt of CO2 per year, the lower limit of this range would be crossed in 4 years, and the midpoint of 600 Gt of CO2 would be passed in 15 years. If the current rate of annual emissions stays at this level, we would have to drop them almost immediately to zero once we exhaust the budget. Such a jump to distress is in no ones interest. A more gradual descent would allow the global economy time to adapt smoothly. [more]
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This weekend, youngsters from all over Alabama are participating in state tournaments being hosted in towns across the Wiregrass, an area I truly believe to be the loveliest corner this state has to offer, well, except for the hefty gnats that I believe have been sent by the Russians to obstruct our outdoor life. You win, Vladimir, you win. UNCLE!

The best part about the kids being here? Their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles oh yeah, and their pocket books. This is a showcase of our community. Billy Powell and his crew at the Enterprise Parks and Recreation Department are heaped praise every time I talk to people in other towns.

I grew up in Marion, which was as pretty as a small town there was in the sixties and seventies. Corruption and failure to lead have most of that community now sporting boarded windows and poverty on display at every intersection. Lets not become Marion.

However, even this section of Sweet Home Alabama appears to have soured lately with its barrage of violence. Im proud to call the Wiregrass my home, but hate it when the headlines seem to have a common theme about shootings and drugs in any form or fashion. I feel as if Im back in places such as Little Rock, Arkansas, where a long pattern of such acts makes its reputation well earned; e.g. Montgomery, Selma, Pritchard, and parts of several other cities in this state. We DO NOT want to become associated with those communities, which at times give Chicago a run for its money on turbulent behavior. On second thought, Chicago had 101 shot with 15 fatalities over the Independence Day four-day weekend, so even though anyone there should duck in case a stray bullet comes whistling by, keep your chin up Chicago, you will always be Number 1.

But whats caused the spike in crazy acts of violence? Is it the heat? I know the gnats have driven me mad at times. Are people doing the copy cat thing and taking a cue on how not to act from other parts of the country? Perhaps something original, such as doing something which your town can be proud, is a better idea.

This is an area many people see each summer going to and from the beach. They stop to get gas, eat at our diners, perhaps even stay the night at our hotels. If an area gets a reputation, with social media as it is today, people will soon not stop. We are far from that point, and lets keep it that way. Fortunately (I guess?), violence seems to be taking place everywhere you look these days, so maybe no one has noticed when we have people go rogue.

Turning our heads on this will not make it go away. We should all worry. All it takes is an initiative by someone that decides to lead. Its good to see the city shine for the youth each summer around tournament time. Hopefully, we can keep shining for the rest of the year. Even the gnats have calmed down a little.
The great civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King stated in his I Have a Dream speech in 1963 , I have a dream that my four little children [His dream was for all black citizens] will one day ....not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. There are those today who violently decry that they want to be judged by the color of their skin, regardless of their character, that their lives matter just because of the color of their skin. I am not discounting that there is reason for some to feel mistreated because of skin color, but in most cases in todays America, if the character were there, the mistreatment and prejudice would not be there or at least, to the extent that it is.

Some seem to feel the section of The Declaration of Independence that Dr. King quoted in his speech,  truths to be self-evident, that all men...are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness , means they should be given happiness by the government. Note that it says pursuit of happiness. It seems to me that there a lots of folks who think that the government is required to guarantee happiness, not the right to pursue (or strive for) happiness, which requires personal effort and responsibility for ones choices and actions.

I was struck by Larry Elders commentary in July 3 Dothan Eagle regarding the notion that money will not solve the problems of those who feel oppressed. Just consider the billions of dollars that have been spent for the Great Society program, and things are worse than they were before.

Mr. Elder stated for those who feel oppressed, quote: The formula is simple, but it requires effort: Hard work wins; you get out of life what you put into it; you cannot control the outcome, but you are 100 percent in control of the effort. Go to school, study, work hard, arrive early, stay late, pay attention to detail, and be honest. [Have character] This is the best anti-poverty program ever conceived.

That is how one makes ones life matter, regardless of race or ethnicity or economic status. Be a responsible, productive, contributing member of society to the extent that you are capable; and not an irresponsible, dependent, non-contributing member of society.

Gary Martin

Dothan
The political activist said the need of the hour was to bring together different energies in the country.
If she finds out who I am maybe shell get disappointed. Peter Parker

If you are nothing without the suit, then you shouldnt have it. Tony Stark

real reporters not bloggers.  Tony Stark

I can be your guy in the chair.  Ned

Just some of the lines that stood out for me from the Spiderman Homecoming movie.

Seen it twice and looking back, it was definitely an entertaining and punny movie with all the highschool humor that still works.

While it was set in an age-group I no longer relate to, I guess this franchise was made for the Millenials so they can have the same love we had (like our times the Xenials) for our favorite comic book heroes .

I would have enjoyed it better had I not seen it first and second time on 4DX cinema. It was so hard to enjoy and concentrate on their movie while somebody is shaking your chair like riding a rollercoaster. Yep, 4Dx kinda mimics Spidermans moves so you will tumble and get beaten up literally.

As for Tom Hollands portrayal of Spiderman he did very well and this franchise was more of like building his character as a super hero after an origin story except here was younger than he should or the way I remember Spider /Peter Parker the photojournalist. But then again this was building him to join the Avengers being mentored by Ironman/Toy Stark and Happy Hogan. I think started Spiderman after highschool. The cartoons I remember watching on TV .

Oh, all the scenes with Michael Keaton and Ironman are my favorite. Plus those web thingy upgrades are cool and fresh.

The Ned and Peter duo was also great to see. Very very entertaining!

Thank you Oppo Philippines for the movie date treat!

BTW, you too can get a chance to watch the Spiderman Homecoming for free plus exclusive Spiderman Marvel merchandise.

Catch the web-shooting action of Spider-man: Homecoming with OPPO F3 Black Edition. O-Fans can get a chance to win two (2) movie tickets to watch the much-awaited movie by simply joining OPPOs giveaway contest. Participants will simply visit the OPPO Philippines Facebook fan page to join and follow the simple instructions to earn raffle entries.

Experience as well the OPPO F3 Black Editions sleek metal and gorgeous matte black body, along with its dual selfie camera that lets you capture wide selfies to a larger area. The 16MP front camera with beautification 4.0 allows the best natural looking selfies even at night thanks to its screen flash feature. All these on a 5.5 Full HD JDI screen, 4GB of RAM for multitasking and ample 64GB storage for heavy data users.

Movie ticket giveaway

Fans of OPPO Philippines Facebook page simply needs to visit http://bit.ly/OPPOSpidey to enter the contest to earn raffle entries. Participants can join until 11:59PM of July 11, 2017 and winners will be announced by the following day, July 12, 2017. A total of 150 winners will win two (2) movie tickets to watch Spider-man: Homecoming with a friend

***

Incidentally, did you know that HOOQ, the largest video-on-demand service in Southeast Asia recently brought Filipino social media superstars Donnalyn Bartolome and Wil Dasovich to the world premiere of Spider-Man Homecoming last June 28, 2017 at the TCL Chinese Theaters in Hollywood, U.S.A. for a once in a lifetime experience.



Joining them were Sheila Paul, Head of Marketing for HOOQ Philippines and YouTube producer/manager Jako de Leon.

The Philippine entourage was able to meet Spider-Man cast members Laura Harrier who plays Spider-Mans love interest Liz, as well as Filipino-American actor Jacob Batalon in a breakthrough role as Spider-Mans best friend Ned. They were also able to meet internet superstar Zach King, Orange is the New Black Star Selenis Leyva, US Champion ice dancers Alex and Maia Shibutani among others.
There was always more grassroots support for Obamacare than against it

Senate Majority Leader John Cornyn wants 22 million American know that freedom is coming, thanks to Trumpcare.

People wont lose their insurance, he argued on Twitter, theyll choose not to be insured.

Fact checking Trumps GOP is like trying to quell a fire with fertilizer  shit just explodes and everything stinks. But you know the vast majority of 22 million Americans uninsured by Senate Trumpcare are on Medicaid, 14-15 million in the Senate bill. That means theyll go uninsured rather than move from Medicaids $0 deductibles, in most cases, to pay for Trumpcare plans with $6,000 deductibles.

What a choice!

Another 4 million will just straight-out lose their employer health coverage because of the end of any threat of a penalty for businesses that dont offer coverage. I guess Cornyn might argue theyre choosing go uninsured because they didnt pick assisted-suicide instead.

That leaves about 3-4 million Americans who will actually choose not to be insured, many of them older Americans being forced to pick financial solvency over insurance coverage because of the horrendous costs of Trumpcare, which generally offers them higher premiums and deductibles, though Donald Trump promised the exact opposite.

Big loser in Senate health plan?

A 64-year-old making ~$43K a year in Anchorage.

They go from $20K subsidy under ACA to zilch.  Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) June 22, 2017

What Im wondering is: If there are so many people eager to shed their insurance coverage, where the hell are they?

If 22 million Americans are dying to be uninsured, youd think there would be at least one spontaneous pro-Trumpcare rally. Youd think this wouldnt be least popular bill in decades, possibly ever. Youd think Republicans would be proud to go out and defend the amazing freedom to die theyre offering in bulk.

Where are the millions of Americans who demanding their pre-existing conditions back?

But nothing.

Republican Members of Congress wont even report the numbers of calls their receiving for Trumpcare and the number of GOP Senators holding town hall meetings is so small, you could probably drive around the country on a moped and catch most of them.

Where is all the outrage at Obamacare from the summer 2009 when an allegedly non-partisan group called the Tea Party carefully coordinated rage at Democrats who were daring to insure tens of millions and add benefits and life to the Medicare trust fund?

You could say it was fake grassroots and that movement wouldnt have happened without the prodding of Fox News and Koch-funded groups. But the outrage was real. Turns out it was just more pointed at our first black president in general and not the actual idea of the government expanding health insurance, an idea which becomes more popular all the time, especially as Republicans try uninsure millions.

The truth is the grassroots movement against Obamacare was good at building a network of local activists who have fed off the GOPs other vast investments in state networks, gerrymandering and voter suppression. But the real grassroots effort in favor of Obamacare won in 2010 and its on the march today.

Our pal Andrew Sprung explains:

The Tea Party protests against the ACA-in-progress at Town Hall meetings in the long hot summer of 2009 have become part of American political lore. Whats less well known is that progressive groups supporting health reform fought back on the spot, often with equal or superior manpower and local impact. The media preferred the screamers, of course. There was a massive coordinated effort led by Health Care for American Now (HCAN), an umbrella organization for groups committed to universal healthcare, formed in the runup to the 2008 election. Member groups ability to muster supporters provided vital support that kept many representatives and senators committed to passing the bill that became the ACA.

HCAN disbanded after the ACA became law. The Tea Party didnt, mostly because the Tea Party was just an activated strand of the GOP base deciding to become more active.

The partys hard core believers and GOP donors like Sheldon Adelson, who stands to pull in a $480 billion tax break from Trumpcare over the next 10 years, are among the 12-38 percent of America who supports Trumps bill.

But even they arent willing to go shout about it.

[Meme generated at ImgFlip]
Considered to be the Ten Best UFO Photos Ever Taken I am sure that we could add more pictures to this list but these are considered ten o...
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The skeleton is an essential part of our body and yet there is still a lot unknown about it. Bones can seem straight-forward to study, but their complex composition at the nanometre scale makes them a challenge. This weekend, scientists from Aarhus University in Denmark are delving into the core of bones on ID13.

When doctors diagnose diseases like osteoporosis, they generally base themselves on X-rays showing a smaller density of bones than what is normal. However, there can be individuals with dense bones that are still prone to unprovoked fractures and other with low density bones and with a low risk of fractures. Scientists are trying to get to the heart of bones, in order to understand, in the long term, how bone diseases appear.

Bone is formed primarily from collagen fibrils, calcium phosphate nanoparticles, water and non-collagenous macromolecules. It is traversed by a network of cells, called osteocytes, which are located in lacunae interconnected by canaliculi that are only a few hundred nanometre in diameter, the LCN. Osteocytes are constantly formed by the bone as it repairs itself.

The bone matrix around the LCN differs in structure and composition from the surrounding normal bone matrix and is enriched in non-collagenous proteins. Today we have cartoon-like images on how bones look but there are disagreements in the community about the details, explains Henrik Birkedal, the leader of the team. And he adds The LCN makes up a sizeable portion of bone, yet almost nothing is known about the biomineral organisation or the distribution of oligo-elements in the bone matrix linked to the LCN. This information is important to ultimately understand bone properties and the role of osteocytes, which are thought to play a key role in maintaining bone and controlling calcium levels in the body.

Placing the sample in the experimental hutch.

Birkedal and his team will try to map the nanocrystals and oligo-elements by combining diffraction and fluorescence computed tomography on ID13. We need beams that can go under 100 nanometres, as well as outstanding detectors such as what we have on ID13, explains Birkedal. We are actually attempting to break a resolution record, aiming for a 50-nanometre beam, so it is a challenging experiment.

Getting down to this small beam sizes is not easy and it has been the subject of a long-term project collaboration between ID13, the Fraunhofer Institute of Materials and Beam Technology (Dresden, Germany) (Adam Kubec, Sven Niese) and the Erich Schmidt Institute of Materials Science (Leoben, Austria) (Jozef Keckes). The team very recently achieved a 35 nm beam by Multilayer Laue lenses, which will help researchers like Birkendal and his group to answer their scientific questions.

This is not the first time the Birkedal group is at the ESRF. Previous experiments on ID16 already concluded that there are additional void spaces in bone that were not previously accounted for.

On the beamline's control hutch.

The team is hoping to get a picture of the distribution of oligo-elements and calcium around the LCN (through fluorescence), as well as its mineral properties (through diffraction). The ultimate goal is to come up with improved models of bones hierarchical structure and osteocyte formation, which will help to understand bone mechanics.

The team, from left to right: Morten Bormann Nielsen, Maja stergaard, Nina Klln Wittig, Jonas Palle, Henrik Birkedal and ESRF local contact Tilman Grunewald.

Text by Montserrat Capellas Espuny




Timor-Leste, Indonesia vote for total ban on nuclear weapons On July 7, 2017, Timor-Leste and Indonesia joined 120 other UN members in supporting the growing international consensus to abolish nuclear weapons. Both countries voted in favor of a new UN treaty prohibiting the nuclear weapons. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will open for signature by states at the United Nations in New York on 20 September 2017 and take effect once 50 nations have ratified the treaty..



The text of the treaty can be found here: http://www.undocs.org/en/a/conf.229/2017/L.3/Rev.1



More info here on the treaty can be found here: https://www.un.org/disarmament/ptnw/index.html see also: UN News Centre: UN conference adopts treaty banning nuclear weapons

Full text of the treaty https://asiapacificreport.nz/2017/07/08/timor-indonesia-vote-for-nz-backed-gift-for-future-nuclear-free-ban/ Timor, Indonesia vote for NZ-backed "gift for future" nuclear-free ban



July 8, 2017



UN disarmament chief Izumi Nakamitsu flags new challenges facing the disarmament agenda in the 21st century. Video: UN News



Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk



Timor-Leste and Indonesia have both joined the growing international consensus to abolish nuclear weapons.



Both countries --along with New Zealand -- voted in favor of a new UN treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons,



The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will open for signature by states at the United Nations in New York on September 20.



Television New Zealand reports that Aotearoa/NZ and more than 120 other states voted in favour of the final text of the treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons during the final session of the UN Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons in New York.



New Zealand was a vice-president of the UN conference and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade worked over the past five years on the initiative to ban nuclear weapons.



"Its potential to end the threat of nuclear destruction is a gift for future generations,"



However, Foreign Affairs Minister Gerry Brownlee said none of the states that took part in the negotiations actually possess nuclear weapons, reports TVNZ.



We need to be realistic about the prospects of this treaty leading to a reduction in nuclear weapons in the short term. However, the treaty is an important step towards a world free of nuclear weapons, which has been a long-held goal for New Zealand.



The treaty bans the development, testing, production, manufacture, possession, transfer, use or threat of use, deployment, installation or stationing of nuclear weapons and other nuclear explosive devices.



Nuclear-armed states have a "clear pathway" to join the treaty as well, and destroy their nuclear weapons in a time-bound, verifiable and irreversible manner.



"Some countries like New Zealand have already enacted a national ban on nuclear weapons. This treaty now provides the first legal prohibition on nuclear weapons at a global level," Brownlee said.



New Zealand is expected to be one of the first states to sign and ratify the treaty when it opens for signature. By PMC Editor July 8, 2017Timor-Leste and Indonesia have both joined the growing international consensus to abolish nuclear weapons.Both countries --along with New Zealand -- voted in favor of a new UN treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons, reports ETAN The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will open for signature by states at the United Nations in New York on September 20.Television New Zealand reports that Aotearoa/NZ and more than 120 other states voted in favour of the final text of the treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons during the final session of the UN Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons in New York.New Zealand was a vice-president of the UN conference and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade worked over the past five years on the initiative to ban nuclear weapons."Its potential to end the threat of nuclear destruction is a gift for future generations," Peace Movement Aotearoa said.However, Foreign Affairs Minister Gerry Brownlee said none of the states that took part in the negotiations actually possess nuclear weapons, reports TVNZ.We need to be realistic about the prospects of this treaty leading to a reduction in nuclear weapons in the short term. However, the treaty is an important step towards a world free of nuclear weapons, which has been a long-held goal for New Zealand.The treaty bans the development, testing, production, manufacture, possession, transfer, use or threat of use, deployment, installation or stationing of nuclear weapons and other nuclear explosive devices.Nuclear-armed states have a "clear pathway" to join the treaty as well, and destroy their nuclear weapons in a time-bound, verifiable and irreversible manner."Some countries like New Zealand have already enacted a national ban on nuclear weapons. This treaty now provides the first legal prohibition on nuclear weapons at a global level," Brownlee said.New Zealand is expected to be one of the first states to sign and ratify the treaty when it opens for signature. SUPPORT ETAN! ETAN is "A voice of reason, criticizing the administration's reluctance to address ongoing human rights violations and escalating oppression in West Papua and against religious minorities throughout Indonesia." Noam Chomsky Donate Today!
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HOUSTON  After a week of traveling the state, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz finally got what he was looking for.

For nearly an hour Saturday, the Republican from Houston hosted a town hall meeting about veterans issues with hardly any interruptions from protesters who overtook similar events in Austin and, to a lesser extent, Dallas earlier in the week.

Meanwhile, his announced Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke of El Paso, also was in Houston on Saturday, making the case to his supporters about why they need to help him defeat Cruz next year.

Cruz took his stage first, starting his meeting at noon at a hotel where only about 40 protesters lined the streets outside to lob complaints via bullhorns and picket signs about Cruzs positions on health care reform and veterans issues. In Austin, more than 200 greeted him when he arrived at a similar town hall meeting.

The relative calm came even as Senate leaders Saturday were warming up to giving Cruz a chance to present a major amendment to their health care reform plan, according to the Washington Post. Until now, GOP leaders have passed on the Cruz amendment, worried that it could make the bill even harder to win support from more moderate senators.

I am encouraged by the directions that the conversations are going, Cruz said Saturday after the meeting. Weve been working for many months trying to find common ground.

His amendment would let insurance companies offer plans that dont include some benefits mandated by Obamacare, as long as they offer other plans that do. Under President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act, insurers were required to provide what were deemed as essential benefits such as maternity care, mental health coverage and emergency room trips.

Cruz said his plan would do something that is a must in any reform bill: lower premiums.

The key to accomplishing our mandate is lowering premiums, Cruz said, adding that his amendment would do that by offering more affordable insurance plans even if they cover less.

As Cruz was ending his meeting, ORourke was just getting started 11 miles away at a pub. More than 200 people jammed the place to hear ORourke promise to take on Cruz next year.

Between shaking hands with supporters, ORourke said its bad news if Cruzs amendment gains steam.

His amendment ends up driving millions of people out of health care or quality health care, ORourke said.

He said people would have access to inferior health care plans that dont cover everything they might need, and that is no solution at all.

ORourke is planning his own veterans town hall meeting Monday in Somerset, southwest of San Antonio, to talk about veterans who are discharged from the military but dont get adequate care because they did not leave the service honorably.

ORourke said that a lot of times, the reasons the veterans were discharged tie to what they experienced in the service, yet they dont get adequate care after they leave.

The event Monday will be held from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at American Legion Post 443, 20295 Somerset Road. Its open to the public.

jeremy.wallace@chron.com
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Spotting movement out of the corner of her eye, Georgina Schwartz points her binoculars to the sky as she motions the group behind her to join in.

This isnt the San Antonio womans first venture into bird-watching, although it was for many who followed her lead.

Is that a plane up there? Schwartz asked.

Excitement quickly followed.

No, she said, gleefully, its a big white bird.

In the cool early hours of Saturday morning, Schwartz joined several aspiring bird-watchers for her monthly tour of local bird species at Judson Nature Trails in Alamo Heights. The group, part of the San Antonio Audubon Society, is a mishmash of experience levels, from novices just trying to dip their toes into the bird-watching waters to self-identified professionals who scout for avians every day.

With more than 40 years of experience, Schwartz is the designated leader of the group, but there are two other experienced bird-watchers who joined her Saturday.

Its being useful, I think, bird-watchers are compulsive, Schwartz said, when asked why shes bird-watched for so long. A friend once told me that my hobby was a lot like my job, and I was a hematologist. When you do that, youre classifying blood cells; here, youre classifying birds.

Many of the more experienced birders said there isnt a time when they stop learning, especially with the next rare species just waiting to be spotted.

For Rick OBrian, 75, getting to spend time outdoors is reason enough to come back every month.

When else do you get to dress up like Jungle Jack Hanna and its not even Halloween? said OBrian, a San Antonio resident who has bird-watched for about three years.

For a few hours Saturday, Schwartz and the group classified several local, general species of birds that are plentiful for the region  including the mockingbird. Some of the biggest hits of the day, Schwartz said, was spotting a bronzed cowbird, red-tailed hawks and a cuckoo.

Thats a summer bird, thats a good bird, Schwartz told the group, referring to the cuckoo.

Thats the advantage of having multiple eyes, she added. If Im looking down, then someone else finds a prized bird.

It takes both sight and hearing to excel at being a birder, Schwartz said. Oftentimes, if a bird is difficult to find, a watcher can rely on the birds familiar call to categorize it, she said.

This lady will catch more birds in one day than I will in a lifetime, said Ozza Regueira, a San Antonio resident who has gone on five of Schwartzs tours over the past year and a half.

About halfway through the trail, Schwartz paused to test how much information the group had absorbed.

And now what did I say about mourning doves?

Many in the group just looked around at each other, at the ground or at the trees for another bird.

Heck if I know, someone in the group said quietly.

Thats OK, Schwartz said, because bird-watching is something that doesnt always come easy to everyone. Theres one primary piece of advice she offers beginners: Learn to take your time. It can be complicated to classify a species.

Patience is something you have to have. A lot of the greatest birders Ive known have been patient, more so than I ever am, she said. Besides, if you dont like it, go do something else and come back. Everybody is welcome.

fmilburn@express-news.net
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As president and CEO of the San Antonio Food Bank, Eric Cooper often encounters children who should be enjoying playtime but instead are fretting over where theyre going to get their next meal.

Last summer, he met a small boy in a local school cafeteria filled with giggling children. The boy wasnt laughing. He sat in a corner by himself, devouring his lunch.

Did you get enough to eat? Cooper asked the child.

Yes, sir, thank you, sir, the boy replied.

You know were going to be here tomorrow, Cooper said.

The youngster nodded and said hed be back.

To have gotten himself to the site, riding his bike or however he did, just to get a meal, Cooper said later, sends a pretty strong message.

During the 11 weeks of summer when schools are closed, nearly all of the children who rely on a school cafeteria for their everyday meals wont have regular access to food, studies show. That prompted the San Antonio Food Bank to partner with local school districts, churches, community centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs, apartment complexes, parks and nonprofits for the Summer Meals Program.

Its heartbreaking, Cooper said. Thats really want they want to do, they want to play, be with their friends. Im always humbled when kids show up and say, Im here because we heard there are free meals here.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture-sponsored Summer Food Program serves children 18 and younger. It continues through August 18. The students in the summer program receive free or reduced school breakfast and lunch meals throughout the year. According to the food bank, there are more than 200,000 economically disadvantaged students in Bexar County.

Heather Guzman, the food bank childrens program manager, said the summer program is one of two federally funded programs for kids. The other is the child and adult care feeding program that runs August through May, to help children who receive reduced lunches through the school year. Guzman said the food has low-sugar content, low-sodium content, whole grains and is prepared fresh daily at 4 a.m. for delivery to 191 locations for kids to eat on site.

We want to educate the kids and introduce them to items theyve never seen before, she said. Really its teaching them they can eat healthy even though on a budget and start them on a healthy path so they can influence their family and grow up eating healthier as well.

Cooper said the food bank also ships food to sites where parents can get groceries to take home to prepare meals.

Eagles Flight Advocacy & Outreach, founded by Pam Espurvoa Allen, is a grassroots partner of the food bank. Shes partnered with Last Chance Ministries to feed nearly 1,000 children since the program began June 1.

The food bank delivers up to 10,000 pounds of food each week to the West Side location.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, volunteers gather at the church at 404 Brady to set up brown paper bags filled with fresh fruit and vegetables, canned goods, snacks, juices and other food items to help families get through the week. The food pantry is open Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Allen has worked with several organization to feed children since 2009. Her efforts started small, she said, feeding refugee children and less fortunate children, growing to distributing food to different sites around the city. Along with the food bank, shes also teamed up with Redeemers Praise Church, Big Homies and five other groups to feed children and families within the area.

This year has been our biggest effort in feeding more children, Allen said of personal and private donations which have helped provide groceries for families and lunches for children. Its amazing, theres been such an outpouring. It's very sad that our children are hungry and we have to do something to prevent that.

Friday, a long line of parents, many with kids at their sides, formed in the foyer of the church to pick up bags and boxes of groceries.

For the past six months, Amanda Martinez, a mother of four boys, has driven from the Marbach Road and Loop 410 area each Wednesday and Friday for the program. By the time she arrives at the food pantry, the aromas of earthy vegetables and juicy fruit fill the room. Some residents are already leaving, pulling carts or carrying boxes of food back to their homes nearby.

Its such a good feeling to be able to bring food to our table, Martinez, 23, said. Its everything the kids need to feed them well.

For more information, call 210-431-8310 or email fooddrive@safoodbank.org.

vtdavis@express-news.net
Noel Gallagher dedicated 'Don't Look Back In Anger' to the victims of the Manchester terror attack during his London gig on Saturday (08.07.17).

Noel Gallagher

The former Oasis musician's High Flying Birds are supporting U2 on their 'Joshua Tree' tour and Noel joined the rockers on stage to perform the song, which has become an anthem for the people of his native Manchester following the bombing in the city in May.

Noel dedicated the performance to "the people of Manchester, Grenfell Tower, London Bridge".

Saturday's performance was the first time Noel has sung the song in public, since the attack.

Noel was slammed by his brother Liam for failing to perform at a benefit gig at the Emirates Old Trafford last month for the victims of the terrorist attack in the city.

But rather than performing at the event in Manchester, Noel instead decided to donate all the profits from the hit song to the We Love Manchester campaign.

The row over Noel's absence from the gig was initiated by Liam, who took to Twitter to apologise for his brother failing to appear at the event.

He wrote on the micro-blogging website: "What an amazing night last night pure love vibrations nobody comes close to Manchester love forever LG x

"Oh and if anybody's seen rkid tell him he can come out now as you were LG x

"Manchester id like to apologise for my brothers absence last night very disappointed stay beautiful stay safe LG x

"Noels out of the f***ing country weren't we all love get on a f***ing plane and play your tunes for the kids you sad f**k (sic)"

However, it's since been claimed that Noel wasn't actually invited to perform at the event in Manchester.

A source said: "Noel has been getting a real bashing for not being at the gig, which is totally out of order. He's been hugely supportive of the cause but hasn't gone public as, in his mind, it's not about him.

"The fact he wasn't asked to even perform at any point by any of the organisers makes a mockery of Liam's claims."
Jersey Shore may have been off the air for some time now, but that hasnt stopped the shows original cast from filming an anniversary special for the past few weeks in Point Pleasant Bleach and Asbury Park.

Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi

The shows most memorable women  Jenni JWoww Farley, Deena Nicole Cortese, Sammi Sweetheart Giancola and of course, Nicole Snooki Polizzi have been posting pictures of their reunion on their various social media accounts, just a few months after the gang had said theyd be up for making a short but sweet comeback.

MTV however dont seem to be behind the reunion, so theres no telling when and where the new episodes will air if and when we eventually get any.

Having kicked off in 2009 and lasting six seasons, the MTV reality show spawned the hugely successful British version of the franchise, Geordie Shore, which is still airing to this day.

JWoww had previously said however that she wouldnt be able to do a full series with the gang, instead hoping to enjoy a nice vacation with each other for like 10-14 days.

Nothing more because wed end up killing each other, she added. Im old now. I cant handle a hangover like I did.

Well keep you updated on more Jersey Shore news as and when we get it.

by Daniel Falconer for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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Fethiye Times News  our pick of whats been going on in Fethiye and around the region over the last week.

US laptop ban lifted on Emirates and Turkish Airlines

Emirates and Turkish Airlines have said the cabin ban on laptops no longer applies on their flights to the US.

In March, the US banned laptops and other large electronic devices to and from eight mostly Muslim nations, fearing bombs may be concealed in them.

Emirates, which flies to the US from its Dubai hub, said it worked with US authorities to meet new security rules.

Turkish Airlines said it was also now allowing passengers travelling to the US to take their laptops onboard.

The two airlines are now in the same position as Etihad, which saw the ban lifted on Sunday for its flights from Abu Dhabi.

Emirates said in a statement: Effective immediately, the electronics ban has been lifted for Emirates flights from Dubai International Airport to the USA.

Turkish Airlines said on Twitter that all electronic devices would be allowed on its US flights from Wednesday.  Courtesy of BBC News

Well have to wait and see if UK airlines will also lift the ban.

TUI Big Holiday Beach Clean

The TUI DS Summer 17 Big Holiday Beach Clean is an annual activity where beach clean ups are held in all TUI destinations. The clean ups are carried out to make a difference to the local areas, helping to keep beaches clean for locals, guests and also to help the environment..

One of the clean ups took place on Karatas beach and in the forest around the Sensatori Hotel in Fethiye on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for TUI said The local people were happy to see the clean up and were taking an interest and asking what we were doing. It was nice to see so many people who were having BBQs in the forest, collecting litter themselves and putting it into the rubbish sacks dotted around.

She went on to say We collected 25 sacks of litter and rubbish in the end, mostly wet wipes, plastic plates and cups, some nappies, paper napkins and plastic bottles.

The message to everyone using the local beaches, forest and picnic areas is Please take your rubbish home with you

7.8 percent tax added to alcoholic beverages in Turkey

A 7.8 percent special consumption tax was added to alcoholic beverages in July, in line with Turkeys producer price index in the first half of the year.

As a result an average increase of 4-4.5 Turkish Lira is expected for a 70cl bottle of Rak.

Turkey makes price increases in alcohol products and tobacco products twice a year according to their share in the domestic producer price index.

Easy shopping at IKEA Bodrum

IKEA Bodrum have a new Order and Pick Up Point where you can order and pick up items from IKEA Bornova in Izmir. You can pick up your purchases from the Bodrum Pick up Point without any delivery fee.

Specially trained sniffer dogs, Alc and Cimen, find stashes of cannabis in Kabak Bay

Gendarmerie teams, with specially trained dogs, found cannabis in three different locations in the Kabak Bay district of Fethiye during an operation carried out on Saturday night.

The teams concentrated on the people and areas the dogs, Alc and Cimen, reacted to. During the search, a small amount of cannabis was seized in the bag of a holidaymaker on the beach.

Two further amounts were found in bungalows and tents of local campsites.

Legal action has been taken against the three offenders.

Turkish Money

The British Pound bought 4.66 Turkish Lira (TL) by the close of business on Friday.

The week before it was selling for 4.58TL.

Weather Forecast

Heres your weather forecast for the week ahead.
Amazon.com has announced that it will create 1,500 full-time hourly associate roles at its first Utah fulfillment centre in Salt Lake City. Amazon employees at the 855,000-plus square-foot fulfillment centre will pick, pack, and ship smaller customer items, such as books, electronics and toys. The facility will enable Amazon to better serve customers.We are excited to continue growing our team with the first fulfillment center in Utah, said Akash Chauhan, Amazons vice president of North American operations.

Amazon.com has announced that it will create 1,500 full-time hourly associate roles at its first Utah fulfillment centre in Salt Lake City. Amazon employees at the 855,000-plus square-foot fulfillment centre will pick, pack, and ship smaller customer items, such as books, electronics and toys. The facility will enable Amazon to better serve customers.#

In Utah, there are already more than 30,000 authors, sellers, and developers growing their businesses and reaching new customers on Amazon products and services. This new facility will enable us to better serve customers and improve Prime membership benefits, Chauhan said.We applaud Amazons decision to invest in Utah. The state of Utahs talented workforce and business-friendly environment allows innovative companies like Amazon to thrive. Their investment in Salt Lake Citys Northwest Quadrant will be a significant economic driver to attract new high-paying jobs and diversify our economy, said Governor Gary R Herbert.We extend a warm welcome to Amazon and its new fulfillment centre. We consider this a perfect pairing, as Amazon and Salt Lake City are both known for our customer service and ease of doing business. We are very excited for the 1,500 new full-time jobs Amazon will create in our community, and look forward to a long future of working together, said Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski. (SV)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Maharashtra Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil on Saturday said the party workers may "hit the streets" if the upcoming Bollywood film Indu Sarkar, set in the Emergency period, is found to be maligning its leaders.

"We have sought chief minister Devendra Fadnavis' intervention over the release of the film as there is talk that history has been distorted. The film is based on the lives of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Congress leader Sanjay Gandhi," said the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly.

"If our apprehension that history has been distorted is found to be true, it will hurt people's sentiments. If an attempt has been made to malign the image of Congress leaders, party workers may hit the streets in protest. The CM should intervene to prevent untoward incidents and maintain law and order," Vikhe-Patil said according to a report by the Press Trust of India.

In a letter addressed to Fadnavis, the Congress leader said, We understand the film is based on Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi. It has wrongly depicted some aspects of their lives and politics. If the film is released, it would hurt the sentiments of a large number of people and party workers. It also appears there is an attempt to distort history. Therefore, it would be appropriate to first show the film to those concerned and ensure there is nothing objectionable to invite the wrath of the party workers. I appeal to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to take serious note of the situation that would arise if the film is allowed to be released in its current form. It could create a law and order problem if party workers demonstrate on streets. Therefore, to avoid any untoward incident, Fadnavis should step in to stop the release of the objectionable portions in the film," said Vikhe-Patil according to a report by The Indian Express.

Madhav Bhandari a spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), reportedly retorted to the request in the letter by saying, The Congress leaders demand amounts to pre-censorship. It shows their intolerance. It is unconstitutional. If they have any objection, they should write to the director and producer of the film. Or they can seek private screening or bring it to censor boards notice," according to the same Indian Express report.

Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam had recently written to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) expressing his concern over the portrayal of Indira Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi and other Congress leaders in the movie. "There should be a screening of the film for Congress leaders ahead of its release", Nirupam had demanded in his letter to CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani

However, Madhur Bhandarkar, the director of Indu Sarkar refused to screen the film for anybody before the censor cleared it. He also stated that it doesn't talk about any individual leader but uses the Emergency  imposed by the Indira Gandhi-led government in 1975  as the backdrop.

Indu Sarkar is slated to release on 28 July.

With inputs from PTI
Veteran Bengali and Hindi cinema actor Sumita Sanyal passed away at the age of 71. The actress breathed her last at her Kolkata residence at Deshapriyo Park.

Sanyal had done a considerable amount of work in the Bengali film industry and was highly lauded for the same. She made her debut in a Bengali film called Khokhababur Pratyabartan in 1960. Sanyal had acted in over 40 Bengali films including Sagina Mahato opposite famous Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar in 1961 and had the titular role in the movie Kuheli alongside Sandhya Roy and Biswajit.

However, she is best known for her role in Bollywood blockbuster Anand in 1970 opposite Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna. She is also remembered dearly for her performances in Hindi movies like Guddi, Aashirwad and Mere Apne.

Sanyal had also acted in a number of Hindi films and television serials along with performing professionally on stage and in a theater group associated with the notable Ranga Sabha.

She was originally known as Manjula Sanyal and was born in the town of Darjeeling in the Bengal Presidency during the era of the British India. Sanyal was married to the well known film editor Subodh Roy.

Many noteworthy personalities have expressed their grief over Sanyal's death and offered condolences to her family. Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal offered her condolences to the actress' family via Twitter.

Saddened at the passing of veteran actress Sumita Sanyal. My condolences to her family, friends and fans

 Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) July 9, 2017

Bengali superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee also tweeted that he was saddened to hear about Sanyal's death.

Saddened to hear about the demise of the veteran actress Sumita Sanyal

May her soul rest in peace

 Prosenjit Chatterjee (@prosenjitbumba) July 9, 2017

With inputs from agencies
I saw Tubelight in the company of a young, vocal single-screen style audience that has moved to multiplexes, strewing popcorn in the aisles and hurling high-pitched critique at the screen when it runs low on patience. During this film, it ran out of patience every ten minutes, often vacuously hissing Bhai Bhai. Not that Kabir Khans sophomore outing with Salman playing golden-hearted dimwit wasnt at all engrossing - it had its moments. I actually teared up a couple of times, even as 18 year olds cackled on the recliners next to me. But 30 minutes into Tubelight and it was as clear as the Ladakh skyline that this was no Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

A bit of a shame, really. Ive enjoyed Kabir Khans oeuvre - Kabul Express was refreshing, Ek Tha Tiger smashing good fun and Im probably in an elite club that liked Phantom despite the odd spectacle of Katrina dodging bullets through Syria and Karachi in make-up and Instagram-worthy hair. (Khan should hang out more with Neeraj Pandey for intel on female sleuths) Bajranji Bhaijaan hit the pan-Indian sweet spot and Tubelight seemed like it would a thematic follow-up with similar elements - an effortless new child actor, the wonderful Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub replacing Nawazuddin Siddiqui - though saddled with a character nowhere as winsome as Chand Nawab and Salman occasionally pulling corny faces, but also restrained. Additionally, they had a sprightly Chinese actress. Unfortunately, the feel-good moments didnt come together as a cohesive, magical tale of hope and belief. Post-interval, when Li Leings father is assaulted, someone yelled Ghar mein first-aid nahi hain kya? which had a couple of rows erupting into giggle fest. The couple next to me started snogging. A toddler approached the aisle for a walk, guarded by his parents. I Ubered for salvation.

Cross border do-goodery

Khan is part of only a handful of filmmakers in Mumbai who can pull off the big ticket feel-good blockbuster. Lynch me, but Im not a big fan of Raju Hiranis sunshine brand of moral lessons cloaked in college-dorm puns and overstated humour. Anurag Basus macaroon-coloured world of fantasy and gentle heartbreak is much more delightful. The filmmakers off-screen fart simulating and nipple-pinching antics... not so much.

Kabir Khan is the full package, on and off-screen. Hes good looking, articulate and urbane, but not in a posh, alienating way. His simple, neat storytelling style is perfect backdrop to throw in pan-Indian messages of ekta and bhaichaara and gentle political digs woven into silly songs about chickens and selfies. Khans secret sauce, his leitmotif, is travel. But its not the aimless wandering of confused lovers on the streets of Corsica and Vienna. His characters cross borders and brave bullets atop postcard-perfect glaciers only for higher purposes. Without forced melodrama, the filmmaker manages to drive audiences to emotional crests, like Manmohan Desai did. Khan has admitted to have been influenced by the 70s masala hitmaker of multi-starrers that made you sing, dance, cry and believe in God and goodness. Bajrangi Bhaijaans Bhardo jholi meri... shot at Ashmuqam Dargah near Pahalgam gave me goose bumps, bringing back wonderful childhood memories of Rishi Kapoor lip synching to Shirdi-wale sai baba in Amar Akbar Anthony. Khan did one better though; he eliminated the annoying blind ma, crawling towards the shrine

Touch and Go

Out of the 13 super hit films that Manmohan Desai directed, Amar Akbar Anthony attained cult status. Naseeb (1981) remains a personal favourite but its still no patch on the Hindu-Muslim-Christian bonhomie of the former. The pan-Indian feel-good cult blockbuster has a life of its own and even filmmakers know they cant re-orchestrate it. Hirani has moved from Gandhigiri and didactic aliens to directing the Sanjay Dutt biopic, where one guessing theres no cause for either hilarity or moralizing. Basu successfully helmed Murder and Gangster before moving to sweeter things.

Khan is being smart and changing up things too, while continuing to be obsessed with cross-border politics. His next will reportedly move deeper into Indo-Sino territory featuring a zookeeper wandering into China in search of a panda to save his zoo back in India. (He got me at panda; where do I sign up for advance tickets!) After two bright child artists, animals might be the strategic filmmakers next master stroke. Its a travesty that Indian cinema hasnt yet awoken to the emotional tug of four-legged drama. (Imtiaz Ali has already shifted his attention from love of the human kind to canine, producing a short film, Bruno and Juliet which narrates the unusual friendship between two dogs) Im currently obsessed with the 2016 British biographical drama A Streetcat Named Bob, so Khans move from little humans to fat, furry animals sits very well with me, as it could with audiences across gender, caste and age.

But Khans panda had better not pull a Tubelight. He could nurse Salman Khan back from a coma, or get the nation(s) singing Hindi-Chini bhai bhai. Managing the delicacies of the inherent Hindu nationalist overtones of that slogan is Khans headache. All his audience is rooting for is a tear and smile inducing blockbuster, once again.
New York: After she was missing for two weeks, Hollywood actor Donal Logue's daughter Jade has been found safe and sound.

The Gotham actor confirmed her safety on social media on Saturday afternoon, reports variety.com.

Donal first took to Twitter for help with locating his 16-year-old daughter, a transgender, on 27 June after she was last seen here near Brooklyn's Barclay Center.

Thank you ALL for the love and support. We are good. Kasey and I wish to thank the NYPD. FBI, @MissingKids and countless others.  donal logue (@donallogue) July 8, 2017

While the actor didn't go into too much detail regarding their family reunion, he did make sure to thank the New York Police Department, the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in his message to fans. According to tmz.com, an NYPD-FBI joint task force located Jade unharmed at a friend's house in North Carolina on Saturday morning. She has since made her way home. Donal's former wife and Jade's mother Kasey Smith also confirmed her daughter's return home on Twitter. "Beyond grateful," she wrote. It's unclear whether or not Donal's most recent tweet asking his daughter to return home was what sparked her re-emergence, or if she was simply found by authorities. On Thursday, he shared a childhood photograph of Jade, adding, "C'mon home, you sweet, beautiful soul."

Jade, cmon home, you sweet, beautiful, soul. We love and miss you dearly. pic.twitter.com/7bTCpL0kr1  donal logue (@donallogue) July 7, 2017

Jade first went missing one week after her 16th birthday on 26 June.
Beijing: US publishing giant Marvel will work together with a Beijing-based company to create its first-ever Chinese comic superhero.

The Disney-owned company  which has created iconic superheroes like Spiderman and Captain America  and Chinese company NetEase have signed an agreement to work together to create the first comic with a Chinese superhero.

Marvel has also authorised NetEase to release 12 copies of its comic stories online in China, including Guardians of the Galaxy, The Amazing Spider-Man and Captain America, reports Efe news.

Movies based on Marvel comics have earned over 8 billion yuan ($1.18 billion) in China so far.
Los Angeles: Actor Shia LeBeouf has been released from prison following his arrest on suspicion of disorderly conduct and public drunkenness.

The 31-year-old was arrested in Savannah, Georgia, on Saturday, where he was filming for The Peanut Butter Falcon with Dakota Johnson and Bruce Dern.

According to the Chatham County Sheriff's Office, LaBeouf was taken into custody around 4 am, and was released later on Saturday, 8 July, from Chatham county detention center after posting a $7,000 bond, reports cnn.com.

LaBeouf had once again landed himself in trouble as the actor has been arrested on suspicion of public drunkenness and disorderly conduct according to Chatham County Sheriffs Office jail records.

Police said LaBeouf became furious after he was refused a cigarette by someone he approached. An officer was nearby.

"He became disorderly, using profanities and vulgar language in front of the women and children present. He was told to leave the area and refused, becoming aggressive toward the officer. When the officer attempted to place LaBeouf under arrest, LaBeouf ran to a nearby hotel," said the police according to The Hollywood Reporter. "LaBeouf was arrested in the hotel lobby, where his disorderly behaviour continued," claimed the report.

LaBeouf's jail bond was set at $7,000 and all the charges against him were filed under misdemeanors.

This is not the first time LaBeouf has been arrested for allegedly being drunk and disorderly in public. The Transformers actor was arrested in 2014 after he disrupted a Cabaret performance in New York.

With inputs from agencies.
Los Angeles: Actor Nelsan Ellis, famous for his role as Lafayette Reynolds on HBO's True Blood, is dead. He was 39.

The actor died on Saturday after complications from heart failure, reports variety.com.

"We were extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Nelsan Ellis. Nelsan was a long-time member of the HBO family whose groundbreaking portrayal of Lafayette will be remembered fondly within the overall legacy of True Blood. Nelsan will be dearly missed by his fans and all of us at HBO," a statement issued on behalf of HBO read.

True Blood creator and executive producer Alan Ball echoed HBO's epitaph in a statement of his own. "Nelsan was a singular talent whose creativity never ceased to amaze me. Working with him was a privilege," Ball said.

Ellis's The Help co-star Octavia Spencer broke the news on Instagram on Saturday morning, saying: "Just got word that we lost (Nelsan). My heart breaks for his kids and family."

Born in Harvey, Illinois, in 1977, he and his siblings moved to Alabama to live with their aunt before Ellis decided to move back to Chicago at age 15. At 17, he joined the Marines, but quit shortly after. After studying at the Illinois State University, Ellis went on to get his BFA from Juilliard, where he just so happened to be a class above his eventual True Blood costar, Rutina Wesley.

After a single season on Fox's The Inside opposite Rachel Nichols and Adam Baldwin and an episode of Veronica Mars, Ellis was then cast in the role that would define his career - gay short order cook Lafayette Reynolds.

After 80 episodes over the span of seven seasons, Ellis walked away with a handful of sought after awards: Two Satellite Awards, an Ewwy for best supporting dramatic actor, and a NewNowNext Award for actor on the brink of fame.

Following the success of True Blood, Ellis moved from TV to film, landing key roles in movies like Get On Up, The Stanford Prison Experiment, Little Boxes, The Butler and The Help. The actor was seen in a lead role on the just-wrapped fifth season of Elementary.

"Crushed today by the loss of my friend and castmate Nelsan Ellis," said True Blood co-star Joe Manganiello. He added: "He was a wonderful person, a pioneer, and a one of a kind artist. RIP."

Ellis is survived by his grandmother, his father and his son, Breon, as well as seven siblings.
Jamnagar: Arrested for his alleged role in the RDX and arms landing at Gosabara coast in Porbandar for the 1993 Mumbai serial blast, Kadir Ahmad was remanded today in police custody for 12 days by a Jamnagar court.

Ahmed was handed over to local police here by the Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS), which arrested him yesterday from Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh in a jointly operation with Uttar Pradesh ATS.

An arrest warrant had been issued against Kadir in 1995 by a TADA court after his alleged role in procuring and distributing two AK-47 was revealed, but he had been on the run for the last 24 years and was arrested yesterday.

He was handed over today to Jamnagar police in connection with an FIR lodged against him at Jamnagar city police station in 1993.

"We had sought his remand for 20 days but the court granted only 12-day remand," Jamnagar deputy superintendent RH Jadeja said.

The police told the court that they wanted to question Ahmed's role in distributing two AK-47 rifles with the help of other accused, Yakub Ayub Takla and Salim Kutta, both of whom were arrested earlier and put on trial.

Kadir was part of a conspiracy in which fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim had dispatched a huge cache of RDX and arms, including AK-47 rifles to Gujarat from Karachi via sea route in 1993.

The contraband had landed at Gosabara coast in Porbandar district in the state, which were then distributed to Dawood's accomplices and other conspirators in Mumbai, Surat and several towns in Uttar Pradesh.

A conspiracy to this effect was allegedly hatched in Jamnagar, where a case under various sections of TADA, IPC, Arms Act and Explosives Act was registered.

"The police have so far arrested 45 accused in this connection, and Ahmed is the 46th accused. The remaining ones out of a total 61 accused in the case are still on the run," Jadeja said.
New Delhi: Now that Ahmedabad has been declared a World Heritage City by UNESCO, historians, urban planners and others hope that policy-makers will stop looking at heritage as a "burden".

The historic city of Gujarat, said to be founded by Sultan Ahmad Shah in the 15th century, was on Saturday accorded the UNESCO honour, the first Indian city to get the status.

The 600-year-old city has now joined the ranks of Paris, Vienna, Cairo, Brussels, Rome and Edinburgh and put India on the world heritage city map.

"This is wonderful news and I hope it will make people look at heritage differently and open up the doors to many other old cities, which have the potential of becoming World Heritage Cities," noted urban planner and architect AGK Menon said.

He expressed the hope that policy-makers and others would not consider heritage as a burden and "anti-development".

The city of Delhi was nominated by India in 2015 for the same category but the Centre pulled out of the race towards the end of the process.

Menon, former convener of the Delhi chapter of the heritage group, INTACH, which had prepared the dossier for Delhi's nomination, said the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and the state government as well as the people all worked "very hard to make this dream a reality".

The honour, he said, was a "lesson" for civic bodies around the country, including in Delhi, to look at heritage as an asset as Ahmedabad did, and "preserve, conserve and restore" heritage sites for posterity.

The decision was taken during the ongoing 41st session of the World Heritage Committee in the Polish city of Krakow, which acknowledged the preservation efforts made by the city in keeping its historical fabric intact.

The city's historic characteristics include densely-packed traditional houses ('pols') in gated traditional streets ('puras') with features such as bird feeders, public wells and religious institutions.

Heritage activist Sohail Hashmi, who conducts regular walks in Old Delhi, was elated to learn about the recognition but sounded a word of caution.

"It is indeed a moment of pride for all of us. But this achievement comes with a price. We know Delhi's nomination was withdrawn because many decision-makers thought it (the UNESCO tag) would hamper urban infrastructure expansion," he said.

He said it was ironical that the central government had recently approved an amendment to a heritage-related legislation to allow construction near protected monuments.

"So, tomorrow, if they try to build a flyover near an iconic heritage building, the UNESCO may withdraw the tag," Hashmi said.

The government in May had approved amendments to a law for allowing construction of Centre-funded infrastructure projects within the limits of "prohibited area" around protected monuments.

"But I am hopeful that Ahmedabad will show the way to other cities, state and local governments and the Centre to go for heritage conservation. Old buildings, havelis, kothis and mansions would be restored and adaptively reused instead of being knocked down," he said.

Almost all old cities, he said, had preserved their historic fabric.

"Besides Delhi, cities such as Mumbai, Patna, Allahabad and Madurai could get the heritage tag," he said.

Delhi is home to three World Heritage Sites: Humayun's Tomb, Red Fort and Qutub Minar.

Ahmedabad has 26 ASI-protected structures, hundreds of 'pols' that capture the essence of community living and numerous sites associated with Mahatma Gandhi who lived there from 1915 to 1930.

In 1984, the first study for conserving heritage structures was carried out in the city. A heritage cell was also set up by the AMC, the first civic body to do so.

The city had featured in UNESCO's tentative list of world heritage cities on 31 March, 2011.

Expressing delight at the announcement, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had tweeted yesterday, "Thrilled to learn that Ahmedabad has been recognised as UNESCO World Heritage City, first of its kind in India".

Delhi-based young heritage activist Vikramjit Singh Rooprai, who has also conducted walks for various public representatives, including many MLAs in the city, said Ahmedabad achieved this because of the "unwavering enthusiasm" of the people.

"I feel a bit sad that Delhi, which also deserves to be a World Heritage City, missed the bus in 2015, but Ahmedabad's achievement is something we must all take pride in. It has become the first city in India to get the UNESCO tag, and we must all rejoice in it and take lessons from the city," he said
Jammu: The Amarnath yatra was resumed from Jammu on Sunday after a day-long suspension due to apprehensions of a law-and-order situation in the Valley.

Over 1.34 lakh pilgrims have so far paid their obeisance to the ice-lingam of Lord Shiva at the cave shrine at an altitude of 3,888 metres in the south Kashmir Himalayas.

"Today (Sunday), on the 11th day of the yatra, 8,167 pilgrims paid obeisance at the holy cave. As of now, a total of 1,34,771 yatris have had a darshan at the cave shrine," said an official spokesman.

A batch of 4,411 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu on Sunday morning in a convoy of 140 vehicles, said officials.

The authorities had on Saturday clamped a curfew in three towns of the Kashmir Valley, including Tral, and imposed restrictions on the movement of people in the rest of the Valley to foil the separatists' plan to take out a rally to mark the first death anniversary of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

Police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in strength across the Valley.

A total of 29,705 pilgrims and sadhus have left the Jammu base camp for the cave shrine since the 40-day yatra began on 28 June.

Fourteen persons, including a security officer, have died during the pilgrimage this year.

The yatra began in the backdrop of an intelligence warning of a terror attack, which prompted the authorities to mobilise the "highest level" of security measures, including satellite-tracking.

The pilgrimage is scheduled to conclude on the Shravan Purnima (Raksha Bandhan) on 7 August.

The cave shrine is located at a distance of 46 kilometres from Pahalgam and 14 kilometres from Baltal.
Assam's Kaziranga National Park has deployed three drones to monitor the movement of flood-hit animals and protect them from poachers, The Tribune reported.

Vehicles defying the 40 kmph speed limit on the 45-km arterial national highway stretch along the park are being fined Rs 5,000 keeping in view the safety of animals, the report added.

Transport commissioner Ashutosh Agnihotri told The Times of India that the transport department has posted police officers to check speed of the vehicles passing through Kaziranga.

Regular floods in Assam kill several animals in Kaziranga every year. Many animals drown, while others are hit by vehicles as they stray away from the sanctuary in search of safe havens.

With nearly 40 percent of the 430 Square kilometre area of Kaziranga still under water and animals frequently crossing the national highway 37 for reaching highlands across Karbi Anglong, park officials are hard pressed to monitor animal movements as well as vehicle speed to avoid animal casualty, according to The Times of India .

Every year, flood-besieged animals fall prey to tribesmen in Karbi Anglong, who hunt them for meat. The New Indian Express quoted Forest minister Pramila Rani Brahma as saying, Last year, a large number of animals were killed for meat.

This year, the Assam forest department is using three methods to thwart flood-time poachers . While officials have set up village defence parties (VDPs) to protect animals, they have brought in tea estate workers to help the forest rangers. This is in addition to the drones that are being used to keep a watch on animals as they retreat higher and higher, said the report.

Kaziranga authorities said the move is paying off. The VDPs work round the clock. They not only protect the animals, they give us useful inputs about poachers, park official Satyendra Prasad Singh was quoted as saying in the report.

An estimated 4.25 lakh people in 17 districts of Assam have been affected in this first chapter of the annual deluge in Assam. The toll so far stands at 24 according to The New Indian Express report.
Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress Sunday claimed it has 'definite proof' that foreign powers are behind the ongoing unrest in the Darjeeling hills.

"There has been support from foreign lands to the unrest in the hills and we have definite proof of that," Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee said.

"We will fight to keep West Bengal united and we will never let it be divided," said the parliamentary affairs and education minister.

He said a handful of people are supporting those who want to divide West Bengal. They are working against the people in the hills.

The scenic hills erupted in fresh violence on Saturday as supporters of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), spearheading an agitation for a separate Gorkhaland, clashed with the police and set fire to a toy station and a police post. The GJM leadership claimed four of its supporters were killed in police firing.

TMC also criticised BJP for bringing people 'from across the border' and instigating violence in West Bengal.

Speaking to reporters at the TMC Bhawan here, Chatterjee said there have been constant attempts to destroy the communal harmony of the state and the BJP, with support from its government at the Centre, has been behind it.

"There have been consistent attempts to destroy the communal harmony in West Bengal. And we have been noticing that people from across the borders are coming to this part of the land with support of the BJP, and creating trouble here and trying to instigate people and spread violence with their hate speeches," Chatterjee said.

The TMC leader alleged that BJP leaders in West Bengal are trying to initiate sporadic violence with support from the Centre.

"We are seeing that a few BJP leaders in the state, with the blessings of their government at the Centre, are trying to initiate violence in different places in the state in a planned manner," Chatterjee said.

The TMC will protest against this "conspiracy" and spread the message of communal harmony as well as development works of the state government and will also take to the streets, he said.

A central team of the BJP comprising party MPs Meenakshi Lekhi, Om Mathur, and Satyapal Singh, was Saturday stopped from visiting the communal clashes-hit Basirhat area in West Bengal and detained.

Meanwhile, blaming the state government in failing to contain the communal violence in Baduria and its adjoining areas in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal Left Front chairman Biman Bose Sunday said a peace rally will be organised in the city on 12 July.

West Bengal had witnessed a communal violence in Baduria and its adjoining areas in North 24 Parganas district since last Monday over an objectionable Facebook post.
New Delhi: With a 110-metre long national flag, Gorkhaland supporters on Sunday marched in the national capital to reinforce their demand for a separate state and the immediate imposition of President's Rule in West Bengal.

Protestors belonging to the Gorkha Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti (GSSS) in New Delhi demanded the Centre's intervention in removing paramilitary forces with immediate effect.

"The West Bengal government is treating common people like terrorists and killing them. The central government should remove paramilitary forces and terminate the services of the Director General of Police," GSSS president Kiran BK told PTI.

The protesters marched from Rajghat to Jantar Mantar carrying the flag, depicting 110 years of their struggle for separate state.

The march culminated at Jantar Mantar where they joined their co-supporters who had been protesting for three weeks now.

"Just like Bengalis have their identity, we are fighting for ours. We are getting killed for seeking the rights we deserve. The Centre should look into the issue," said Stuti Thami of Darjeeling, adding that she was "ready to die" but not to stay under the West Bengal government.

Some of the placards that protesters carried criticised the BJP for its "attitude before and after the elections".

The Gorkha Janmukti Marcha (GJM) on Sunday planned to take out rallies against the alleged killing of its supporters in police firing in Darjeeling as the indefinite shutdown in support of their demand for a separate Gorkhaland entered the 25th day amid a strict vigil by the army and the police.

The army was re-deployed on Saturday after fresh violence erupted in the Darjeeling hills where Gorkhaland supporters torched a police outpost, the toy train railway station and clashed with the police at two places.
New Delhi: A man has been arrested for raping an eight-year-old girl in New Delhi, the Delhi Police said on Sunday.

The 32-year-old man lived in the same building as the victim's family and was their landlord's son-in-law, a police officer said.

He attacked the girl, a third grader, on Friday evening when she went out to play near her house.

Initially hesitant to tell her parents, she told them about the incident on Saturday after which the girl's parents filed a complaint with the police and the accused was arrested.

"The girl's medical examination has confirmed rape," the officer said.

The police said that the accused man worked as a cleaner at a hospital.
Washington: Top Democratic party leaders slammed US president Donald Trump for meeting his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Germany, describing the move as an "embarrassment" for the country. They also slammed Trump for forming a joint working group with Russia on cyber security.

"While a few good things came out of this summit, overall it was an embarrassment to our country and our ideals. Clearly the lowest moment of all was his meeting with Vladimir Putin on several counts," Senate minority leader Charles Schumer said.

Trump and Putin met on Friday on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in the German city of Hamburg. The meeting comes amid

allegations by the US intelligence community that Russia sought to influence the outcome of last year's US presidential election.

"The reports from President Trumps private, two-hour meeting with Putin leave the American people asking why the president continues to fawn over Putin instead of standing up for the integrity of Americas democracy," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said.

"US intelligence officials have concluded with high confidence that Russia intervened in the 2016 election, but Trump still refuses to accept this truth," she said.

Pelosi said setting up a joint working group on cyber security with the country that hacked US election infrastructure is a nonsensical and absurdly inadequate response to the Russian threat. "Yet, the Trump administration and Republicans continue to ignore Democrats' calls for a truly independent, American-led commission to protect our democracy from further foreign meddling," she said.

Schumer said it is clear that Trump is not willing to be the guardian of American interests when it comes to dealing with Putin. "Rather than decisively confronting the Russian president head on, the president seemed to acquiesce to Putin's denial, almost certainly paving the way for future Russian interference in our elections," he said.

However, Trumps top Cabinet and administration officials defended his handling of the meeting with Putin. "I think president Trump handled the meeting brilliantly, okay? It was very clear what started as a 30-minute meeting and president Trump made it very clear in addressing the issues around the election," treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters.
Pune: A 25-year-old man allegedly set vehicles on fire in a slum near Parvati area of Pune city in the wee hours on Sunday in which 27 bikes and a tempo were gutted, the police said.

However, nobody was injured in the incident.

The man, identified as Nilesh Patil, was arrested this afternoon under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

As per the information given by a Dattawadi Police Station official, the incident occurred between 1 am and 1.45 am when a two-wheeler was set on fire in the Janata Vasahat locality in Parvati area, which soon spread and engulfed other vehicles parked in the proximity.

"After a major fire broke out in the area engulfing the vehicles, people living in the vicinity alerted fire brigade and police and the fire was doused subsequently. The total of 27 bikes, a tempo, and two bicycles gutted in the arson," the official said.

He said the police picked up Patil on suspicion and during interrogation he "confessed to" having committed the crime in an inebriated condition.

There has been a spurt in the incidents of setting vehicles on fire in various parts of the city and the reason behind most of such cases was found to be a personal enmity.

In June 2015, 85 vehicles, mostly two-wheelers from six different residential societies and a commercial building in Sinhgad Road area, were set on fire.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in New Delhi on Sunday morning after concluding his two-nation visit. He left Hamburg, Germany, on Saturday evening at 7.30 pm., following the completion of the two-day G20 summit.

At the summit, Modi presented a 10-point agenda on fighting terrorism which was endorsed by the G20 leaders.

Modi on Saturday met Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni and South Korean president Moon Jae-in and discussed ways to boost bilateral ties and cooperation at the global level. Modi also met with heads of Mexico, Argentina, the UK and Vietnam on the sidelines of the global event. On Friday, on the first day of the Summit, Modi held bilaterals with Japan's Shinzo Abe and Canada's Justin Trudeau.

Before embarking for Germany, Modi visited Israel, becoming the first Indian prime minister to visit the Jewish nation. During the three-day visit, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Modi raised the countries' bilateral relations to a strategic partnership.

With inputs from agencies
Terrorists hurled a grenade at a temporary police post at Tral's Aripal village in Pulwama district on Saturday night in which one Special Police Officer (SPO) suffered minor injuries, according to media reports.

J&K: Terrorists hurled grenade on a temporary police post at Tral's Aripal in Pulwama district, last night. One SPO suffered minor injuries. pic.twitter.com/qCEaBqjlPV  ANI (@ANI_news) July 9, 2017

Jammu and Kashmir authorities imposed curfew in three towns including Tral, the native town of slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, to foil the separatists' plan to hold a rally on Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the militant commander.

Police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in strength across Kashmir to handle any security challenges.

The joint separatist camp, including Hurriyat Conference factions led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and Yasin Malik-led Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), on Saturday asked the people to march to Tral to pay tributes to Wani, who was killed in an encounter with security forces in 2016.

Normal life came to a standstill in the Valley due to a strike call given by the separatists. The curfew had also been imposed in Sophian town of south Kashmir and Trehgam in north Kashmir's Kupwara district.

According to The Times of India report, Burhan Wani supporters pelted stones on security forces in Tral on Saturday. The report added that pro-Pakistan songs were played on loud speakers in local mosques in the town.

With inputs from PTI
Jammu: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said ensuring the protection of the state's special position under Article 370 while extending the GST to Jammu and Kashmir was the great achievement for the PDP-BJP government.

The chief minister said one of the major benefits of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is that it has brought the people of two regions, particularly traders, on the same page during the hectic discussions before its implementation in the state.

Interacting with members of industrial and trade bodies after inaugurating a modernised and upgraded Udyog Bhawan here on Sunday, she said that the state has a specific geographic position which is not so conducive to business activities.

People in general, and the business community of the state in particular needed to be given some protection and guarantee, Mehbooba said, adding she was thankful to the Centre that it conceded to the requests and sensitivities of the state government and incorporated necessary safeguards in the Presidential Order on the GST.

She assured the members of the industry that the government would continue to support them as it feels that local industry was an important source of employment for the youth and plays a significant role in local economy.

The chief minister said the state government would continue to support local industry and extend all incentives and concessions to it in the SGST regime which were in vogue earlier.

Earlier, deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh said the government was keen to develop local industry in the state.

He said that a dedicated power distribution system was being put in place to ensure round-the-clock electricity to the industrial estates in Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier, the chief minister inaugurated the modernised and upgraded Udyog Bhawan at Railhead which has been redone with the use of local art pieces like Khatamband and other woodworks.

She also formally unveiled the data centre there which would have online stocking of items by the SICOP besides GIS mapping of all the industrial estates.

It would also have an application tracking system by which any industrialist o entrepreneur can access the status of his or her complaint or request anytime.
On Sunday, millions of Indians will celebrate Guru Purnima, the first full moon night after the summer solstice. It is celebrated as a day of teachers as students express their gratitude to them. The festival is celebrated by both Hindus and Buddhists. It is said that the celebration is related to the yogis worshipping Sage Ved Vyas on this day.

The festival also got attention from unexpected quarters. The US space agency, NASA tweeted out a picture of the full moon as it listed out the various names it is called by, namely Guru Purnima, Hay Moon, Mead Moon, Ripe Corn Moon, Buck Moon and Thunder Moon. The tweet had been retweeted over 5,000 times at the time of publication.

Full moon this weekend - called Guru Purnima, Hay Moon, Mead Moon, Ripe Corn Moon, Buck Moon, or our favorite,  THUNDER MOON  pic.twitter.com/XLufAdoDEQ  NASA Moon (@NASAmoon) July 7, 2017

The tweet came from the NASA Moon twitter handle which is dedicated to updates about the moon. It was later retweeted by the official NASA twitter handle too. Now it is doubtful whether NASA meant the tweet as a celebration of the Indian festival, but it was still enough to set off Indian twitterverse.

Some were thankful to NASA for recognising the festival and wished them a happy Guru Purnima as well:

Thankyou for recognising Guru Purnima, or Teacher's Day as per vedic practices. Wish you all a blessed Guru (Teacher) Purnima (Full moon).  Ajit Kumar Singh (@the_ajitsingh) July 8, 2017

While others were busy telling NASA about space:

Guru Purnima moon aligns the closest in the night sky to the center of our galaxy - which is the densest (Guru) area of the Milkyway  Author Ramadas (@sky3102bce) July 7, 2017

#GuruPurnima

Moon shines by reflecting light of the sun,and glorifies it,all disciples can dazzle like the moon by gaining from their Gurus pic.twitter.com/vIrTls2gQx  Dileep Kumar (@DileepKumar_) July 8, 2017

Some people were deeply worried about NASA's reputation:

My God. Now, NASA with be labelled a Communal organization, affiliated to RSS.

 Suresh Kochattil (@kochattil) July 8, 2017

Nasa will also lablelled as SANGHI.    (@JAIRAMKHEMKA) July 8, 2017

Now #NASA will b calld an organization which works under @RSSorg   surnermahiteja (@mahiteja022) July 8, 2017

At least one guy got it right though:
Chandigarh: Police on Sunday said that interrogation of the main accused in the lynching of 16-year-old Hafiz Junaid was being done in Faridabad to get to the bottom of the incident.

"We are interrogating him. It is an ongoing, open investigation. A final picture will emerge only after completion of the interrogation," Government Railway Police (GRP) deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Kamal Dev told media in Faridabad on Sunday.

"The accused was identified after a thorough, continuous effort over the last 15 days by our teams," Dev said.

The accused, who was arrested from Dhule in Maharashtra on Saturday, will be produced in a court in Faridabad on Sunday and police remand will be sought.

The accused, aged 30 years, whose identity is not being revealed by the police quoting legal provisions, belongs to Palwal district in Haryana. He was working as a security guard in a private company in Delhi, Dev said.

He added that the accused stayed at his home (in Palwal district) and went to Dhule later to someone known to him. He started working there.

The DCP said that the murder weapon, a knife, was yet to be recovered. He said the accused had admitted to the crime.

"There is no reference to beef in the complaint of the victims and also questioning of the accused," Dev said in reply to a question whether the killing was linked to objections over beef.

Hafiz Junaid was brutally beaten and stabbed to death on a local train at Ballabhgarh in Haryana last month by a group of people following an argument over seats.

The murder triggered nationwide outrage.

Junaid and cousin brothers Hasim Moin and Shakir Moin had boarded the EMU train going from Ghaziabad to Mathura after Eid shopping on 22 June. The accused, along with around a dozen other persons, boarded the train at Okhla and ordered Junaid and his brothers to give them their seats.

When they refused, they brutally beat the three and also stabbed them and dumped them at Asaoti railway station in Palwal district.

The police have made five arrests earlier in this case.
Islamabad: Pakistan says it has summoned Indian diplomat after five civilians were killed by "unprovoked" Indian fire across the Line of Control in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

The foreign ministry announced the move on Sunday, a day after Pakistan's military said Indian forces had shelled two areas.

India said Pakistani shelling across the Line of Control killed an off-duty soldier and his wife on Saturday, calling it an "unprovoked" violation of a 2003 cease-fire agreement.

The two nuclear-armed rivals have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, which both claim in its entirety, since gaining independence from British colonial rule in 1947. The Himalayan region is split between Indian and Pakistani-controlled zones separated by the heavily militarized Line of Control.
Srinagar: Life in Kashmir Valley returned to normal on Sunday after two days of restrictions and strike as the first death anniversary of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani remained by and large peaceful.

There were no restrictions on the movement or assembly of people anywhere in the Valley on Sunday, officials said.

Restrictions were lifted after two days this morning as the situation remained by and large peaceful on Saturday on Wanis first death anniversary, they said.

"There were few incidents of stone-pelting on Saturday, but by and large the situation remained under control and peaceful," the officials said.

A woman was injured when she sustained multiple pellet injuries in one such clash in Shopian town.

Authorities had imposed curfew in three towns - Shopian and Tral in south Kashmir and Trehgam in north - while strict restrictions were enforced elsewhere in the Valley on Saturday.

The separatist camp, including Hurriyat Conference factions led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and the Yasin Malik-led JKLF, had called for a strike on Saturday.

Restrictions had also been imposed in parts of Kashmir, including in five police station areas of Srinagar  the summer capital of the state  on 7 July as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order.

Internet services were also snapped on Thursday night as a precautionary measure.

However, this morning, life returned to normal as shops and other business establishments opened across the Valley, while public transport also plied smoothly.
In an unfortunate turn of events, highlighting the growing distress in India's agriculture sector, a Madhya Pradesh farmer has been forced to use his two young daughters to plough his field due to financial constraints, ANI reported on Sunday.

Madhya Pradesh: Financial crisis forces a farmer in Sehore's Basantpur Pangri to use his two daughters to pull the plough in their fields. pic.twitter.com/DFR5wEJt9E  ANI (@ANI_news) July 9, 2017

The incident, which took place in Madhya Pradesh's Basantpur Pangri in Sehore district, has now come under the scanner of the state government. Speaking to ANI, Ashish Sharma, the deputy public relations officer of the state government, urged the farmer to not use children for farming. Sharma added that the government would be looking at ways to help him tide over his financial crisis.

The farmer instructed not to use children for such activities. Whatever help he can be given, admin is looking into it: Ashish Sharma, DPRO pic.twitter.com/2wJjum27HZ  ANI (@ANI_news) July 9, 2017

Madhya Pradesh has been in the news lately over the growing farmer crisis.

As of now, 38 farmers have committed suicide in the last five weeks.

In June, the farmers took to the streets to demand a loan waiver and better minimum support prices for their produce, among other things.

However, on 6 June, the protest turned violent in Mandsaur, with police resorting to firing, which led to the deaths of six farmers. Chouhan announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore to the kin of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh to those seriously injured during the protest.

The Centre rushed 1,100 anti-riots police personnel to Mandsaur after the state home ministry wrote to the Union home ministry, asking for additional security forces. According to sources, the protesters outnumbered the CRPF men during the protests.

Chouhan appealed to the farmers to maintain calm and said that a solution will be found through dialogue.The state government also appointed Justice JK Jain (retired) to head the one-member judicial commission to probe the police firing.

Chouhan also went on an "indefinite" hunger strike to protest against the Mandsaur violence. However, he ended the fast on the same day, leading to Congress slamming the fast as "sham".

"Shivraj Singh Chouhan's fast is a drama...it is a sham, he should answer why a case of murder has not been filed in the death of five farmers in Madhya Pradesh," party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters in New Delhi.

Blaming BJP for making "false promises" over providing better prices to farmers for their produce, Congress said it has been unable to give minimum selling price to the farmers.

With inputs from PTI
Imphal: The Manipur government is not considering any reversal of the decision, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said on Sunday in reply to the United Naga Council's demand for rollback of the creation of the seven new districts in the state.

Meanwhile, the scheduled talks on Monday between representatives of the central and state governments, and the UNC on the inflammatory issue have been put off. Official sources told IANS on Sunday that the central government representatives cannot make it due to "unavoidable circumstances" and so the talks have been deferred.

The previous Congress government in December 2016 created seven new districts in the state, which already had nine. The Nagas claimed that the new districts had encroached upon the "lands of the Nagas", which were left to them by their forefathers.

The government denied the charge, saying that there is no land belonging to any community and that the new districts were created for better administration and more equitable development.

In protest against the creation of the new districts, the UNC had imposed an indefinite economic blockade lasting nearly four months. It was lifted only after the BJP-led government took office in Manipur.

Soon after being released from prison, UNC President Gaidon Kamei said: "The demand for the rollback of the new districts is very much on our agenda. If this is not honoured, we will go back to the people for consultation on the next campaign."

The proposed talks were deferred as the government and the UNC do not see eye to eye on the issue. Officials fear that the Nagas have on their mind the re-imposition of the economic blockade.

The blockade was lifted in March on the understanding that the creation of the districts will be rolled back through negotiations.
WHY DONT YOU READ THESE?
Much is being said and written about Narendra Modi's historic visit to Israel, a first by an Indian prime minister in the two nations' diplomatic history. However, the gift the Indian prime minister brought with him for his Israeli counterpart is no less special.

Modi gifted Benjamin Netanyahu replicas of two sets of relics from Kerala, regarded as key artifacts of the long Jewish history in India. They comprise two different sets of copper plates that are believed to have been inscribed in 9-10th century, the PMO tweeted. One of the inscriptions is believed to be a cherished relic for the Cochin Jews in India, while the second set is believed to be the earliest documentation of the history of Jewish trade with India.

While mementos handed over to grace ties with other nations adds to the diplomatic camaraderie, Modi's special attention to these exchanges shows that the prime minister is a thoughtful and gracious guest. Choicest of gifts have often been picked ahead of Modi's foreign trips, keeping the recipient in mind. These gifts also seem reflective of the relationship between India and the receiving country, while signifying India's rich cultural heritage.

For his US visit, Modi picked an array of gifts signifying close ties between the US and India. Modi presented US First Lady Melania Trump a traditional, handcrafted silver bracelet and hand-woven shawls from Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Modi also gave Donald Trump a folio containing an original commemorative postage stamp issued by India 52 years ago to mark the death centenary of US president Abraham Lincoln.

The stamp honoured the memory of a great American President & symbolized closeness of the ideals for which Lincoln stood & which drove Bapu. pic.twitter.com/VsMDnwsDX7  PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 26, 2017

On his visit to Saudi Arabia, Modi gifted King Salman a replica of Cheraman Juma Masjid. Located in Thrissur district of Kerala, the Cheraman Juma Masjid is believed to be the first mosque built in India by Arab traders around 629 AD. The prime minister, in a series of messages, conveyed the significance of the mosque in highlighting the important place that Islam has in the Indian subcontinent. The local folklore goes that that the Cheraman king was also the first to embrace Islam after he received a divine dream, which he could interpret only with the help of Arab traders.

When Modi visited Uzbekistan, he carried a specially commissioned replica of Khamsa-i-Khusrau by the 13th century Sufi poet, Amir Khusrau, according to Modi's website. Apparently, it is believed that while Khusrau was born in India's Uttar Pradesh, his father originally hailed from Uzbekistan  again establishing historical links with the central Asian nation known for its mosques and mausoleums while highlighting how Urdu, an Arabic language, grew and blossomed in India.

For Iran's Supreme Leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei, Modi picked a rare seventh century manuscript of the Holy Quran written in Kufic script and attributed to the Prophet's son-in-law Hazrat Ali, according to NDTV. "The specially commissioned reproduction of rare 7th century manuscript of the Holy Quran is attributed to Hazrat Ali, the fourth Islamic caliph and first Shia Imam," the article states. Modi gifted Sumair Chand's Persian translation of Ramayana to Iran President Hassan Rouhani along with some collections of Mirza Ghalib's works in Persian. "Translated into Persian in 1715 and copied in 1826, the Ramayana is a rare manuscript and contains over 260 illustrations  possibly the largest number in any hand-written Ramayana manuscript," the article added.

In another rather poignant gesture, Narendra Modi gifted Nawaz Sharif a shawl for his elderly mother. Recounting a conversation with Sharif as he handed over the gift, Modi said that Sharif had earlier told him about his weekly visits to his mother, and how they watched Modi meet his mother on television together. The moment had made Sharif emotional, he had recounted. Modi, thoughtful of this little exchange, remembered to send a gift for Sharif's mother. Nawaz Sharif's daughter Mariyam was also overwhelmed with the move and even tweeted a picture of the gift.

Thank u v much PM @narendramodi for the beautiful shawl for my grandmother. My father personally delivered it to her pic.twitter.com/QGj1qA2BQ2  Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) May 27, 2014

Modi again touched many hearts when he stopped over for a surprise visit in Lahore, on his way back from Afghanistan. He wished Sharif a happy birthday and also congratulated him on his granddaughter's wedding. Sharif reciprocated the move by wearing a pink Rajasthani turban gifted to him by Modi at the wedding ceremony.
Patna: After spending three days in Rajgir, away from the Bihar capital where the political climate has heated up following CBI raids on RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday returned to his official residence here, officials said.

"Nitish Kumar is back in Patna after spending three days in Rajgir in Nalanda district," an official of the Chief Minister's Office here said.

With Nitish Kumar back in Patna, now all eyes are on him to see when he will break his silence over the CBI raids on RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family.

So far Nitish Kumar, who is also president of JD(U), has maintained a studied silence on the CBI raids on Lalu Prasad. "He may break his silence soon," a JD(U) leader considered close to Nitish Kumar said.

The RJD along with the JD(U) and Congress is part of the Bihar ruling alliance, headed by Nitish Kumar.

In the last two days, opposition BJP leaders have repeatedly demanded Nitish Kumar break his silence and take action against Lalu's two sons  Tejashwi Yadav, who is Deputy Chief Minister and Tej Pratap Yadav, who is Health Minister  for their alleged involvement in corruption. Some BJP leaders have demanded that Nitish Kumar should end his party's alliance with the RJD.

According to JD(U) leaders, during his stay in Rajgir, about 100 km from here, Nitish Kumar visited different tourist places. "On Saturday Nitish Kumar visited Ghora Katora and on Friday he visited another tourist place," a party official said. It is expected that the JD-U will react to the incident as per directives of Nitish Kumar.

JD(U) spokespersons are also keeping a distance from the media and have not reacted to the raids. "JD(U) spokespersons are following instructions from Nitish Kumar and not saying anything on the issue," the party official said.

The CBI on Friday carried out raids at 12 places in Patna, Delhi, Ranchi, Puri and Gurugram in connection with the case involving Lalu Prasad and his family members.

The CBI has registered the case against Lalu Prasad, his wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav, former Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) managing director PK Goyal, and Lalu Prasad's confidante Prem Chand Gupta's wife on allegations of awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2006.

In the same year, the hotels were transferred to the IRCTC.

Lalu Prasad was the Railways Minister between 2004-09.
Thiruvananthapuram: With the Supreme Court being told that the vault 'B' of the historic Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, one of the richest shrines in the country, should be opened, a debate has taken flight in Kerala over the matter.

While a member of the erstwhile Travancore royal family, Ashwati Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi, said they were against the opening of the vault 'B' as it was "against the god's will", another member, Aditya Varma, on Sunday said the family would not blindly oppose it.

Gowri Lakshmi Bayi maintained that the vault had never been opened and only its ante-chamber had been opened earlier.

Varma though said the decision of the Thantri (the head priest) on the matter was final.

"The final word rests with the Thantri. We will not oppose," he told a television channel.

Meanwhile, Devaswom Minister Kadakkampally Surendran said that as the matter was before the apex court, the royal family could inform it about its anxiety.

He added that the report of the amicus curiae (an impartial adviser to a court of law in a particular case) that the vault 'B' was opened earlier, was unlikely to be wrong.

The minister also said he did not know the reason for the royal family's opposition to the opening of the vault and added that the government was ready to hold discussions with them in this regard.

Coming down heavily on the royal family, veteran CPM leader VS Achutanandan said those who feared the opening of the vault were to be suspected.

"The B vault should be opened and a stock taken of its belongings as per the recent observations of the Supreme Court," he said.

When the matter had come up before the apex court last week, senior counsel Gopal Subramanium, who is the amicus curiae in the matter, had told the court that the 'Kallara' (vault) B of the temple should be opened as it was closed "on the apprehension that there is some mystical energy".

He had also said that experts too were of the opinion that the vault should be opened because it had been opened earlier as well.

"Vault 'B' may have more than one chamber...nothing but useless suspicion is being generated about what is there in the vault," Subramanium had told a division bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar.

The sprawling temple, an architectural splendour in granite, was rebuilt in its present form in the 18th century by the Travancore royals, who had ruled southern Kerala and some adjoining parts of Tamil Nadu, before the integration of the princely state with the Indian Union in 1947.

Even after India's independence, the temple continued to be governed by a trust controlled by the erstwhile royal family, for whom Lord Padmanabha (Vishnu) is the family deity.
New Delhi: India on Sunday hit out at Pakistan for glorifying militant commander Burhan Wani, saying Islamabad's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by 'one and all'.

In a strongly worded tweet, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Gopal Baglay said, " First @ForeignOfficePk read frm banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS (Pakistan army chief) glorifies Burhan Wani. Pak's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by one and all."

First @ForeignOfficePk read frm banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS glorfs Burhan Wani. Pak's terror suprt&spnsr'p need 2b condmnd by 1 & all  Gopal Baglay (@MEAIndia) July 9, 2017

Baglay's comments came a day after Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa praised Wani, Hizbul Mujahideen commander who was killed in an encounter with Indian security forces in 2017.

Wani was responsible for several attacks against security personnel in Kashmir.

Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday paid tributes to Wani, saying his death "infused a new spirit in the struggle for freedom" in the Kashmir Valley.
Islamabad: Calling Pakistan and China "iron brothers", president Mamnoon Hussain has said the $ 50 billion CPEC is the latest example of "excellent economic cooperation" as the two countries agreed to enhance ties in the science and technology sector.

China and Pakistan on Saturday made an agreement to strengthen bilateral cooperation in science and technology sector under the belt and road initiative.

The agreement was made during a meeting between President Hussain and visiting Chinese minister of science and technology Wan Gang who is here for the 18th Session of the Pak-China Joint Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation.

In the meeting, Hussain said use of modern Chinese technology in the CPEC related energy projects would alleviate the energy crisis in Pakistan and play a key role in the country's long-term growth.

India has objected to the $ 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, (CPEC) which is part of the Silk Road.

"We are also interested in benefitting from China's ambitious China-South Asian Countries Science and Technology Partnership Programme (CSA-STEP) and enhance our economic cooperation through Technology Transfer," the president said in a statement.

The Chinese minister for science and technology said that China and Pakistan have a long history of working together in various fields, including science and technology.

"He offered to cooperate in all sectors where Pakistan needs Chinese support, including maritime industry, biodiversity, renewable energy, establishment of joint scientific laboratories for the young scientists and working together for the climate change for benefit of entire humanity," according to the statement.

The president also noted with satisfaction that 17 protocols have been concluded so far in accordance with the framework agreement on science and technology signed between the two countries in 1976 and the 18th Protocol is being signed during this visit.

He said that Pakistan and China are 'iron brothers', strategic partners and good neighbours. He added that "friendship with China is the cornerstone of our foreign policy and our strategic partnership serves as an anchor for regional peace and stability".

He emphasised to maintain the momentum of high-level bilateral exchanges and enhance people-to-people interaction.

The president underscored that the CPEC is the latest example of "our excellent economic cooperation".

Scientific knowledge and technology can bring value addition to CPEC projects, he added.

"We are keen to incorporate this knowledge in our industry for value addition of local raw materials and finished products," he said.

The president said that Pakistan would continue to focus on further enhancing trade relations with China to bring them at par with bilateral political and strategic relations.
Islamabad: A woman suffering from cancer in Pakistan has urged external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to help her visit India for treatment after her visa application was reportedly rejected by the Indian embassy.

Faiza Tanveer, 25, is suffering from a recurrent ameloblastoma, an oral tumour which is aggressive in nature. She planned to visit the Inderprastha Dental College and Hospital (IDCH) in Ghaziabad and paid Rs 10 lakh in advance for treatment, according to a Pakistani media report.

But the Indian High Commission in Islamabad rejected her medical visa application, the report said. Tanveer's mother claimed that her application was rejected because of deteriorating ties between the two countries. That forced Tanveer to take to social media to move Indian authorities.

Tanveer in several tweets over the past couple of days has urged Swaraj to intervene. She has also posted her photo and a video that showed her tumour.

In one of the tweets, she said, "Please help me save my life mam plz (sic)," and tagged Swaraj in the tweet. In another tweet, Tanveer said, "Sushma g please help me (sic)."

Last month, India issued a medical visa to a two-and-a-half-month-old baby from Pakistan, suffering from a heart disease, after his father sought intervention of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.

Ken Sid, a Pakistani national, reached out to Swaraj through the social media platform for a medical visa for his son, who has a heart complication which cannot be treated in Pakistan.

Swaraj's intervention came after the infant's father brought the matter to her notice on Twitter.

"It is heartening to see humanity prevailing despite many differences. Thank you for your efforts. Humanity prevails! God bless everyone," the child's father tweeted.

An official at the Indian High Commission said that a four-month medical visa has been issued to the family so that the boy could undergo heart surgery in India.

Ailing Pakistanis frequently to travel to India on medical visas to seek treatment for complicated health problems.

Indian hospitals have previously reported receiving around 500 patients from Pakistan every month. Many of the unwell needed a liver transplant, which costs between Rs 20-30 lakh.

In 2015, five-year-old Basma from Pakistan had been granted a visa to India for an emergency liver transplant surgery.

There are now many tales like hers, sometimes with footnotes on how the travelling patients were helped financially by Indians.

However, the visa process for travellers who want to visit India for medical reasons has slowed amid rising tensions between the two countries over a number of reasons, including the issue of cross-border terrorism and Pakistani military sentencing to death Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav on charges of espionage.
New Delhi: Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday assured the Sikkim government that the Centre will ensure the security of national highway 10, the lifeline of the landlocked state, which is facing crisis of essential commodities in the wake of protests and counter-protests over the demand for Gorkhaland in neighbouring West Bengal.

During a telephonic conversation with Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling, the home minister discussed the security situation in the state and areas neighbouring West Bengal.

"I assured him that the Centre will ensure the safety & security of NH 10 and do everything possible to save people of the state from any misery," he tweeted.

Spoke to Sikkim Chief Minister Shri Pawan Kumar Chamling regarding the security situation in the state and areas neighbouring West Bengal.  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 9, 2017

Singh also directed Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi to coordinate with the West Bengal administration and ensure the safety, security and smooth traffic on NH 10, which connects Siliguri in West Bengal with Sikkim capital Gangtok.

I assured him that Centre will ensure the safety & security of NH 10 and do everything possible to save people of the state from any misery  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 9, 2017

I have asked the Home Secretary to coordinate with West Bengal administration and ensure the safety, security and smooth traffic on NH 10.  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 9, 2017

Reports said traffic between Siliguri and Gangtok was affected as drivers of West Bengal-registered vehicles stopped plying to Sikkim.

There have been several incidents reported in the past week when Sikkim-registered trucks were vandalised and looted by unidentified miscreants in Siliguri.

Chamling had 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".

Sikkim transporters are on an indefinite strike demanding the immediate arrest of the miscreants who carried out attacks against Sikkim vehicles at Siliguri.

They are also demanding that West Bengal give assurance of providing safety to Sikkim-registered vehicles.

Expressing concern over vandalism of Sikkim-registered vehicles in West Bengal, Chamling had said he is planning to move the Supreme Court in this regard.

"I am in regular contact with the Union government on the issue and thinking of approaching the Supreme Court to settle the issue at the earliest," he told a meeting in Chisopani in South Sikkim district on Wednesday.
Kolkata: Life returned to normal in riot-hit Baduria and adjacent areas of North 24 Parganas district on Sunday after communal violence broke out over a Facebook post earlier in the week.

"Everything is normal now in Baduria, Swarupnagar, Deganga and Basirhat. There has been no problem anywhere in the district for the last 36 hours or more. People are trying to resume normal life and we are keeping everything under watch," a senior police officer said.

Though internet services remained suspended in and around the area, locals came out to the streets to resume normal life as shops, market places opened on a sunny Sunday.

Large number of state police and central paramilitary forces were posted in the area to keep close watch on "every proceedings", the senior police officer told PTI.

There was no report of any untoward incident from Baduria and nearby areas in Basirhat sub-division of North 24 Parganas district.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced a judicial inquiry into the communal violence that rocked Baduria and Basirhat in North 24 Parganas district. Banerjee had also accused the Modi government and the BJP of trying to "disturb peace" and "destroy" the federal structure by allowing people from across the border to enter the state and vitiate the atmosphere.

The West Bengal government had transferred the Superintendent of Police of North 24 Parganas district and the Inspector General of Police (South Bengal).
New Delhi: The Indian Army is ready for a long haul in holding onto its position in the Doka La area near the Bhutan tri-junction, notwithstanding China ratcheting up rhetoric against India demanding pulling back of its troops.

The Indian soldiers deployed in the disputed area have pitched in tents, in an indication that they are unlikely to retreat unless there was reciprocity from China's PLA personnel in ending the face-off at an altitude of around 10,000 feet in the Sikkim section.

A steady line of supplies is being maintained for the soldiers at the site, official sources said, signalling that Indian Army is not going to wilt under any pressure from China.

At the same time they sounded confident of finding a diplomatic solution to the dispute, citing resolution of border skirmishes in the past through diplomacy.

Though China has been aggressively asserting that it was not ready for any "compromise" and that the "ball is in India's court", the view in the security establishment in New Delhi is that there cannot be any unilateral approach in defusing the tension.

Both the countries had agreed to a mechanism in 2012 to resolve border flare ups through consultations at various levels.

The mechanism has not worked so far in the current case as the standoff near the Bhutan trijunction, triggered by China's attempt to build a road in the strategically important area, has dragged on for over three weeks.

New Delhi has already conveyed to China that such an action would represent a significant change of status quo with "serious" security implications for India. The road link could give China a major military advantage over India.

Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

China and Bhutan are engaged in talks over the resolution of the dispute in the area. India argues that since it is a tri-junction involving the three countries, it also has a say in the issue, specially in the backdrop of 2012 agreement between special representatives of the two countries, that have till now held 19 rounds of talks.

Bhutan has no diplomatic ties with China. As a close friend and neighbour, Bhutan enjoys diplomatic and military support from India.

Of the 3,488 kilometres-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220 kilometre section falls in Sikkim.
Three Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu have been apprehended by the Sri Lankan navy, ANI reported on Sunday.

Tamil Nadu: Three Indian fishermen with one boat apprehended by Sri Lankan Navy at Palk Strait.  ANI (@ANI_news) July 9, 2017

This comes after a series of arrests by the island nation this year, claiming that Tamil fishermen illegally entered Sri Lankan waters.

Eight fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on 6 July for fishing in the island nation's territorial waters.

The navy personnel also seized two boats of the fishermen belonging to Kottaipattinam in Pudukottai district late last night, Fisheries Department Assistant Director Chandrasekhar said. All the fishermen were taken to Kagesanthurai.

The Tamil Nadu government, on two separate occasions in the last one month, requested Centre to intervene on the issue and take necessary steps in the right direction to ensure that Indian fishermen were not repeatedly held by Sri Lankan naval officers.

The Tamil Nadu government expressed concern on 26 June over the "alarming increase" in number of "attacks" on Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy and sought the Centre's intervention for release of all the 42 captured.

Referring to a spate of "distressing" arrests of Indian fishermen from his state in the month of June, Chief Minister E Palaniswamy said such apprehensions have had a "demoralising impact" on fishermen as well as the people of the state.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he raised the issue of arrest of 14 fishermen in two separate instances by the Lankan navy on 24 June.

Tamil Nadu finance minister D Jayakumar, on 30 June had requested External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to take steps for the release of Indian fishermen along with their boats from Sri Lankan authorities.

Palaniswamy had also requested the prime minister to order the external affairs ministry to register a strong protest with the Lankan authorities over the continuous abductions. The chief minister also sought the immediate release of the fishermen.

With inputs from PTI
Chandigarh: With the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) set to intensify its protest over SYL canal issue on Monday, the police of the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana have announced traffic diversions on major routes.

"We have reviewed the situation. Sufficient security arrangements have been made for the smooth flow of traffic. Also, four companies of paramilitary forces have reached the state," Haryana DGP BS Sandhu told PTI over phone.

Anticipating disruption in movement of traffic on national and state highways, police have announced traffic diversions on many routes in both the states.

Haryana's main opposition INLD will hold protests at many points from 9 am to 3 pm on Monday, including Lalru-Chandigarh Road, Ambala-Shambhu border, Narwana- Dhanauri, Ratia-Budlahada Road (Jakhal point) in Fathehabad district and Dabwali on Haryana-Punjab border.

Punjab Police Patiala Range IG, AS Rai said traffic would be diverted to routes including Ghanaur-Pehowa and Panchkula-Nada Sahib.

"We have deployed nearly 1,000 Punjab Police personnel to maintain law and order. Senior rank police officials, including SPs and DSPs, would also be stationed at key locations," he told PTI.

In the wake of the INLD's protest, Punjab's state-owned transport undertakings  PRTC and Punjab Roadways  have decided not to ply their Haryana and Delhi bound buses on Monday.

"We have decided to suspend services of 100 buses going towards Haryana and Delhi. The suspension will remain effective from 9 am till 5 pm tomorrow," Punjab Roadways Managing Director, Bhupinder Rai said.

"No PRTC bus will go to Delhi on 10 July in view of the call given by INLD to stop buses," Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC), MD, MS Narang said.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday lashed out at INLD alleging that they were doing politics on the SYL issue.

"INLD and Congress have no issues, so both the parties just want to save their nearly eroded political existence in the name of farmers and SYL," he said addressing a public gathering at Rakhi Garhi in Hisar district.

Stating that the Supreme Court hearing on the SYL case would be held on 11 July, the chief minister noted, "A day before, INLD is doing drama in the name of sealing borders. Will we get the water of SYL by stopping vehicles?"

Haryana Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar said the state's claim on SYL was strong legally and the INLD threat to prevent the entry of Punjab vehicles into Haryana will "not only dent the claim but also spoil the peaceful atmosphere in the state".

INLD has said General Secretary Abhay Singh Chautala would visit designated protest spots by air to oversee the campaign and encourage workers.

The party led by former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala had asked the Centre and the Haryana government to make immediate announcement on construction of SYL canal and warned that otherwise the "situation in the state may turn bad".

The INLD also lashed out at the BJP-led Haryana government for trying to "scare" party workers by calling in paramilitary forces in the state, and accused the chief minister and his council of ministers of maintaining a "stoic silence" over the river water issue.

"We will not allow any vehicle from Punjab to enter Haryana even if we are lathi-charged or bullets are sprayed on us. We will block the roads completely. We do not care about bullets. We will not hesitate to sacrifice our lives," INLD general secretary and Leader of the Opposition in the Haryana Assembly, Abhay Singh Chautala had said.

However, he said emergency service vehicles like ambulances will not be stopped during the agitation.

Notably, in February, several INLD leaders, including Chautala, were stopped from marching to Punjab to undertake the digging of the SYL canal.

Punjab has been maintaining that it does not have surplus water to share with Haryana.
Hyderabad: Barred by domestic airlines for his rude behaviour at Visakhapatnam airport last month, TDP MP JC Diwakar Reddy faced more embarrassment as TruJet refused to fly him on Sunday.

The regional airline later apologised to Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader saying the staff could have assumed that he was still under the flying ban.

An aide of Lok Sabha member from Anantapur wanted to book the ticket for Hyderabad-Vijayawada but the staff at the ticketing counter at Hyderabad Airport refused to issue the ticket.

TruJet, which was not among the airlines which barred the MP from flying after he created ruckus at Vizag Airport, has apologised to Reddy.

Earlier, on Saturday night the minister was reportedly not allowed to board SpiceJet flight from Hyderabad to Vijayawada. He had reached Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad but was informed by the airline staff that he can't board the flight.

The MP, who returned after two-week long vacation abroad, again failed in his attempt to fly on Sunday morning. He then left for Vijayawada by road.

Reddy had gone on a vacation abroad after the 15 June incident at Visakhapatnam airport.

He had shouted at IndiGo officials, tried to throw a printer on the floor and pushed a senior airline official after he was denied boarding pass for reporting late for his flight from Visakhapatnam to Hyderabad.

The 73-year-old however, later flew by the same flight as he had reportedly sought intervention of Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, who was present at the airport.

Raju, who is also from the TDP, however denied helping the MP in boarding the flight. The minister also said there was no need for a probe as the CCTV footage has a time stamp too.

Following the incident, various airlines including Air India had barred him from flying.

TDP president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu had expressed unhappiness over the MP's behaviour and had advised him to apologise to the airline staff. He, however, has not yet tendered an apology.
In what appears to be a bizarre suicide pact, impoverished villagers are walking dangerously close to tigers in Uttar Pradeshs dense Pilibhit forest, hoping to be killed by the hulking, 500-pound wild cats.

And then, get their half eaten bodies picked by family members and kept in sugarcane fields  so they can demand compensation from the government.

In India, deaths caused by wild animals outside forests are compensated with a Rs 10 lakh purse, (but) not inside tiger habitats.

This is a dangerous trend  totally shocking, but a grim reality,  says Kailash Prakash, DFO of the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, which is spread across 602 kms, close to the Nepal border, and has a little over 50 tigers, including eight tigresses with cubs. The 50 plus figure is an increase of 10 more tigers from the last census conducted in Pilibhit reserve in 2016, suggesting an increase in the tiger population.

As many as three deaths in a fortnight, stretching between 16 June 2017 and 1 July 2017, have been ascribed to this cause by the forest department officials in Pilibhit, after families of those killed by tigers said the deaths took place in sugarcane fields bordering the forests. They (the families) even argued that the tigers were man-eaters and comfortable wandering deep into human territory.

Forest department officials didn't take the villagers at face value, and did not sanction the compensation for the last three deaths.

At a community gathering on Wednesday, 5 July 2017, in Meetha village near the reserve, angry villagers accosted wildlife officials. Typical of man-eaters, the tigers, after killing four villagers, were now eating their victims rump-first (as they would after killing deer). These are panic attacks, warnings that you should not enter the forest, shot back DP Srivastav, forest officer, Mala Range, where as many as seven deaths were reported since 16 February 2017.

The villagers, who looked visibly annoyed, shouted: The tiger came to our backyards, in the sugarcane fields where we work. Srivastav instantly showed a video recorded by a wildlife official showing villagers lifting the body of one of the victims from the forest and keeping it close to the sugarcane fields. Srivastav also showed photographs of villagers trying to falsely create pug marks of tigers by using cloth-covered fists.

To cite an example, conservator of forests VK Singh, who was present at the community gathering, told villagers that he had inspected the site and found claims of the villagers totally false. It is evident you are lying because you have your eyes on the cash. The clothes of Nunkini Devi, the latest victim, were found inside the forest. And we have evidence of tractor treads leading into and out of a forest, to the sugarcane field where her body was relocated. The tractor travelled a little over 1.5 km, Singh told the villagers who all fell silent.

The first round of battle was won, then arguments started  as if in an open court  on why mostly elders were going to the forest. In a near pandemonium situation, the crowd showed its dissent when told the move to send the elderly was deliberate and planned meticulously to seek compensation, and that wildlife officials had gathered enough evidence.

Srivastav said investigations conducted by Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), a central government agency, showed elderly villagers confirming on tape their willingness to go into the forest and get killed by the wild cats so that their family members get compensation. Sensing it was easy cash, a local leader  Srivastava informed the villagers  was even exhorting the villagers to hike the compensation to Rs 50 lakhs.

The investigations done by Kalim Athar of the WCCB concluded poor villagers were submitting to be killed by the wild cats because of the compensation package. The interests of the villagers increased following rumours that the compensation package would be hiked to Rs 50 lakh per death and Rs 10 lakh for injuries causing total disability. The WCCB probe examined tiger attacks, analysed individual cases after locating the body and conducted scores of interviews with the locals. The WCCB has now decided to refer the matter to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

The NTCA will act now but what the villagers are doing is dangerous, they are forcing the tigers to become man eaters, Athar, currently in Lucknow, said in a telephonic interview.

He said during his investigations, many elderly people confessed to him that they were keen on the cash from the government and hence, willingly walking into the forests. Unemployment is high in Pilibhit, a town known for producing world class flutes and villagers routinely go to forests to collect firewood and katurua, a black-coloured vegetable that grows like mushrooms at the base of Saal trees and tastes like mutton, costing a little over Rs 300 per kilo. For the last three weeks, wildlife officials have put a total ban on sale of katurua in the local market.

Leave aside those who are going to collect firewood and katurua, the rest are being pushed by their family members, it is very clear. Once a villager dies, all that matters is cash, said Athar. This week, villagers blocked the highway between Pilibhit and Tanakpur, demanding cash for a person who they claimed was attacked by a tiger, leaving him with bruises and lacerations. They were removed only after intervention by local cops.

We checked the person, he had some minor scratches. Now, it is near impossible to say with certainty whether the tigers are at fault. We cannot declare a tiger man-eater without investigating its killing habits. But what I find strange is that the villagers are not pushing us for declaring the tigers man-eaters but (are) only keen on the cash, says Srivastav. A tiger attacks because it sees a human being as an intruder in the forest, and ends up doing most of the damage. Most of the attacks and killings in Pilibhit are chance encounters, sparked when the villagers surprised a resting tiger.

There is another crisis.

Unlike other tiger habitats, villagers live cheek-by-jowl with wild animals in Pilibhit forest that was declared a tiger reserve in 2008 and added to Indias 40 Project Tiger locations to become the 41st reserve. Hence, it's easy to get killed in the forest, and, it's doubly easy for villagers to bring the half eaten body and feign the death occurred near their homes.

Some of the villagers admit the trend to push elders into the forest was growing in Pilibhit. The entire family is involved, they think the cash will help them build homes in the Pilibhit city, start a business, even acquire agriculture land. If this continues, Pilibhit will become a dangerous place. Tigers will turn man-eaters and prowl close to the villages, says Raghubir Singh, 57, a farmer.

He found support from his neighbour, Net Ram, who said villagers were willing participants in the whole affair because they realise they were not earning enough from agriculture and their children were without jobs. Instant cash always helps, even if it comes at the expense of someone, says Ram.

And some of them even admitted to the wildlife officials when they came to survey, adds Ram.

But increased heat on the villages from both police and wildlife officials, has made the locals wary. Last week, three journalists and two wildlife officials bore the brunt of villagers' fury after it was conclusively proved by the wildlife officials that the villagers were faking pug marks near their homes to raise false alarms.

Now, some of the villagers say it would be wrong to put a motive to such deaths. Gobind Lal, neighbour of Nunkini Devi, says he has not heard if anyone willingly went to the forest but he is genuinely worried the killings are on the rise. Tigers travel great distance, so we do not know if one tiger is responsible for all the killings. Even if the death has happened inside the forest, it's a death caused by an animal. They are angry and afraid, so their tempers are running high, says Lal.

There are other troubles. Worried they could be attacked by the big cats, students rarely go to schools in Bankati and Methi villages, always accompanied by their parents. Crops have also suffered. With villagers unable to protect their fields at night, nilgai and wild boars have caused considerable damage.

Kailash Prakash says tigers' conflict with humans are arising precisely because people are repeatedly frequenting the fragile forests in which the wild cats live. Tiger are unaccustomed to human encroachments. And this is happening in Pilibhit. There is a section of people who want deaths to continue, without realising they are setting a dangerous precedent, says Prakash.

Sitting at his office in Pilibhit city, Prakash said there are also efforts to educate villagers against sending people to the forests. Plans are on to fence the forest with steel rod nets. The fencing should be over in four months' time, depending on availability of funds. And then, the tigers will have quieter hunting grounds.

Now, two elephants and armed wildlife guards have been combing the forest since the last death, working in expanding concentric circles, hoping to find the tiger responsible for the death of Nunkini Devi, the latest victim. Close by, anxious villagers watch the operation.

It is Pilibhits latest wait and watch game, thrilling but extremely dangerous.

An earlier version of this report stated that the WCCB conducted its investigation in concert with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which the Fund has since denied. That section of the article has been amended to reflect WWF's clarification.
In yet another incident of government apathy, a family in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh was forced to carry the body of a relative in a cycle-rickshaw after they were denied an ambulance on Sunday, ANI reported.

Banda (UP): Dead body of man carried in a rickshaw followed by Government Railway Police (GRP) constable sitting in an e-rickshaw. (July 8) pic.twitter.com/r2e515Mji8  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 9, 2017

The report added that the body was found on the railway track near Atra Station. When the Government Railway Police (GRP) tried to get an ambulance from nearby hospitals, no one came forward to help.

"After getting no response from any of the hospital, we advised the family to take the body for post mortem in a rickshaw," GRP official, Sepak Diwakar Singh was quoted as saying by ANI.

With no help from hospitals, the bereaved family had to carry the body in an open rickshaw for postmortem, Zee News reported.

In May this year, a video footage of an Assam resident carrying the body of his three-year-old son on a two-wheeler from a government hospital near Bengaluru went viral. After receiving flak on social media, the body was taken back home decently in an ambulance. In Uttar Pradesh's Etwah, in the same month, a labourer was forced to carry the body of his 15-year-old son over his shoulder after he was allegedly denied help by doctors at a government hospital.

In June, a man in Bihar had to reportedly carry his wife's body on a motorcycle after he was allegedly denied a mortuary van by a hospital. Expressing its displeasure over the incident, the National Human Rights Commission had sent a notice to Bihar government.
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Sunday demanded a high-level probe into the death of seven persons from consumption of toddy in Azamgarh district's Kewathiya village.

A delegation led by state Congress senior vice-president Rajesh Mishra will also visit the village and interact with the families of the victims, a party statement said here.

Holding the state government responsible for the incident, the party alleged that illegal liquor trade was "flourishing" in Uttar Pradesh.

"The illegal liquor trade is flourishing under the patronage of the (state) government, which eventually results in tragedies like this," Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar said in the statement.

Condoling the deaths, he alleged that the law and order situation in the state had deteriorated and the confidence level of criminals was at an all time high.

The victims had consumed toddy on 6 July and the first five deaths were reported the following day. On Saturday, the toll mounted to seven after two more persons died during treatment at a hospital in the district.

Since the incident, 12 people have been hospitalised, a senior police official said, adding that eight people have been arrested since 7 July and 1,000 litres of toddy seized in raids.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had taken a strong note of the deaths after which three policemen and six employees of the excise department were suspended.
West Bengal BJPs workers on Sunday came out on the streets of North Dinajpur district in protest of the killing of their colleague and vandalised buses, trucks and stopped vehicles from plying on road, ANI tweeted.

According to the news agency, BJP workers allegedly vandalised two buses and a truck in Raiganj and stopped movement of vehicles.

#WATCH BJP supporters, observing strike in North Dinajpur, allegedly vandalized two buses & a truck in Raiganj; stopped movement of vehicles pic.twitter.com/Uizeoi5lik  ANI (@ANI_news) July 9, 2017

The party had called for a bandh to protest of the death of a BJP worker, who, according to Hindustan Times, had died on Saturday after clashes broke out between BJP and TMC workers in North Dinajpur district's Chatragach which falls under Chopra police station.

According to the daily, Sankar Chakraborty, North Dinajpur district BJP secretary had claimed on Saturday that "one of their supporters named Bijoy Singh was killed when alleged Trinamool Congress activists fired at them while they were holding a meeting at Chatragach".

The BJP leader had also claimed that four of their supporters were injured in the incident and admitted to Chopra Health centre in serious condition.

Meanwhile in riot-hit Baduria, life returned to normal on Sunday after communal violence broke out over a Facebook post earlier in the week.

"Everything is normal now in Baduria, Swarupnagar, Deganga and Basirhat. There has been no problem anywhere in the district for the last 36 hours or more. People are trying to resume normal life and we are keeping everything under watch," a senior police officer said.

Though internet services remained suspended in and around the area, locals came out on the streets as shops and markets opened on a sunny Sunday.

Large number of state police and central paramilitary forces were posted in the area to keep close watch on "every proceeding", the senior police officer told PTI.

There was no report of any untoward incident from Baduria and nearby areas in Basirhat sub-division of North 24 Parganas district till evening.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced a judicial inquiry into the communal violence that rocked Baduria and Basirhat in the North 24 Parganas district. Banerjee had also accused the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to "disturb peace" and "destroy" the federal structure by allowing people from across the border to enter the state and vitiate the atmosphere.

The West Bengal government had transferred the Superintendent of Police of North 24 Parganas district and the Inspector General of Police (South Bengal).

On Sunday, BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi likened the situation of West Bengal to that of Kashmir and said that that people are not safe in Bengal any more, reported ANI.

I want to say that Bengal is on the way to become Kashmir. Lot of people are getting killed, people are not safe. The government is not taking anything to control the situation. Bangladeshi's are entering India and living in India peacefully," said Lekhi.

According to ANI, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Saturday that at least four companies of the Border Security Forces (BSF) forces that were deployed by the Centre were turned back by the West Bengal Government. Sources said that the Centre had already sent 11 companies of personnel to Darjeeling to quell the unrest taken out by people demanding a separate Gorkhaland.

Hours before, Mamata accused the Centre of creating tension in the state. She alleged that there was non-cooperation from the Centre to curb violence in the state.

Meanwhile on Saturday, West Bengal BJP president had met West Bengal Governor KN Tripathi and demanded that the Centre should immediately impose President's Rule as the law and order situation in the state has "completely broken down".

"Today, we met the governor and informed him about the grim situation in the state. The state government in collaboration with anti-national elements is directly responsible for the complete breakdown of the law and order situation.

We have requested the governor to talk to the central government and send the recommendation for imposition of President's Rule in the state," state BJP president Dilip Ghosh had told reporters after the meeting.

It also demanded that all families affected in the riots be compensated by the state government.

The BJP took out a procession from their state party office in central Kolkata on Saturday demanding immediate arrests of those involved in the riots and restoration of peace in Baduria and Darjeeling Hills where a movement for a separate state of Gorkhaland is on.

With inputs from agencies
Kohima: The internal crisis within the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) government in Nagaland has further deepened with Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu sacking 10 of his parliamentary secretaries following a demand for his removal, an official said on Sunday.

The development comes as former chief minister TR Zeliang on Saturday wrote to Governor PB Acharya and staked claim to form a new government. He claimed he has the support of 33 NPF legislators and seven independent legislators.

In the wake of the demand for his removal, Liezietsu, who is also the NPF supremo, terminated four NPF legislators and six independent legislators, as parliamentary secretaries.

The Nagaland government issued notifications terminating the appointment of Zeliang as Advisor (Finance) and Nuklotoshi as advisor to chief minister.

Apart from sacking the legislators, the NPF Disciplinary Action Committee which met on Saturday also suspended ten legislators as primary and active members of the party.

Those suspended include home minister Yanthungo Patton, power minister Kipili Sangtam, national highway and political affairs Minister G Kaito Aye, forest and environment minister Imkong L Imchen, besides, Shetoyi, Nuklutoshi, Deo Nukhu, Naiba Konyak, Benjongliba and former chief minister Zeliang.

Zeliang along with 41 legislators are camping at Borgos resort in Kaziranga National Park in Assam to discuss the transition of power.

"All 41 of us are intact and we are waiting only for Governor Acharya to invite Zeliang to form the government," forest and environment minister Imkong L Imchen told IANS.

"We don't care about (suspension from the party) it because those people who have signed the suspension order do not have the grassroots support," Imchen said, while refusing to divulge further.

Governor Acharya is in Maharashtra and he is expected to return to Nagaland in a few days.

The fresh political instability has come at a time when Liezietsu is gearing up for the 29 July by-election from the Northern Angami-I Assembly constituency.

Liezietsu has however voiced confidence that the crisis within the NPF would be resolved at the earliest.

Liezietsu was sworn in as chief minister on 22 February this year after Zeliang resigned following violent protest by tribal groups who were opposed to his move to hold civic polls with 33 percent reservation for women.

The chief minister said that he was deeply pained by the recent disturbing developments affecting the normal functioning of the government.

"The current issue is within the NPF party and will be resolved at the earliest to bring about normalcy in the state. The mandate of the people will be respected and the present crisis will be resolved in the larger interest of the people of the state," Liezietsu stated.

Noting that the NPF-led government will complete its full term, the beleaguered chief minister appealed to the people of the state to remain calm.

In his letter to Governor Acharya, Zeliang said "The legislators also urged the present chief minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu, who is a non-legislator, to resign and pave way for me (Zeliang) to take over as the chief minister."

Claiming support of 34 (including himself) out of the 47 NPF legislators, he also told Acharya that seven Independent legislators have also affirmed their support in his favour.

The legislators wanted him to continue as leader of NPF legislature party and also authorised him to stake claim to form a new NPF-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland government.

In the truncated 59-member assembly, the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland coalition government comprises 47 NPF legislators, including ten suspended, four Bharatiya Janata Party and eight Independents.

Interestingly, Zeliang has even warmed up to his once bitter rival Neiphiu Rio, a three-time Nagaland chief minister.

Rio, the lone Lok Sabha member from Nagaland, was suspended a couple of years back for "anti-party activities", particularly against Zeliang.
Bhopal: The Congress-led opposition's presidential nominee Meira Kumar will arrive in the Madhya Pradesh capital on 13 July to seek support for her candidature.

Leader of Opposition Ajay Singh on Sunday said that Kumar would interact with the state legislators.

She would appeal to legislators of the Congress and other like-minded parties to back her candidature for the top post, he said.

Meira Kumar will also address Congress legislators at the party office here at 4 pm and fly back to Delhi later the same evening.

NDA's Presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind was in Bhopal on Saturday during which he addressed a meeting of BJP legislators and MPs and sought support for his candidature.

Earlier on a visit to Patna on Saturday, Kumar had said, "Yeh vichardhara ki ladai hai, mere liye yehi hai," at Sadaqat Ashram, the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters on the final day of her three-day visit to Bihar to seek support for her candidature.

Before leaving for Ranchi to campaign, she said that in India, since ancient times, people used to respect their own religion and at the same time respect other religions. "It is an age-old tradition of our country."

She said that Bihar is her birthplace. "Yehi meri janambhumi hai, I am proud of it."
Bengaluru: BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav on Sunday hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee saying the current unrest in her state was "a home-grown project" of the ruling Trinamool Congress for "political advantage".

He also said cow protection was a "sacred mission" but people must understand that they cannot lynch anybody under the pretext of protecting it as "life was more sacred".

Delivering a speech on "Integral Humanism  eternal and ever contemporary", organised by a group  'Awareness in Action'in Bengaluru, Madhav said, "Today, if you see the unrest in Bengal it is actually a home-grown project of Mamata Banerjee, because in unrest lies her political advantage."

"Does it really pain you (Banerjee) that in your state on one hand Gorkha people are agitating, you don't listen to them and on the other hand there are communal riots?" he asked.

"You only blame others, you have no answer to it," Madhav said.

Banerjee had on Saturday accused the Modi government and the BJP of trying to "disturb peace" and of "deliberate and total non-cooperation".

She had alleged that the Centre's refusal to send CRPF personnel, as demanded by the state government, had led to the current situation in the Darjeeling hills where the indefinite shutdown entered its 25th day on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the event, Madhav said the Trinamool Congress was "squarely responsible" for the "grave" law-and-order situation in West Bengal.

On the issue of cow protection, Madhav said for Indians everything was sacred.

"We are a worship-centric society, but the country has to understand this sacredness properly... Cow is sacred, cow protection is sacred, but remember life is the most sacred thing," he said, adding the sacredness of cow was to be protected, but one cannot spoil the "sacredness of life".

"You cannot lynch anybody in the name of protecting something," the BJP leader said.

To a question about China reportedly denying VISAs for a scheduled trip of the India Foundation, a think tank with links to the BJP, Madhav said it had been settled and the delegation was going there as scheduled.

On China issuing advisory to its people visiting to India, he said, "Those issues will be handled at a diplomatic level by our government. Everything will be sorted out."

Amid bilateral tensions over the Sikkim standoff, China had on Saturday issued an advisory for its citizens travelling to India, asking them to take necessary precautions for their personal safety.
New Delhi: The Opposition is likely to put up its joint candidate for the vice-presidential election and may decide on the name during its strategy meeting in Parliament on 11 July. Sources said that the non-NDA parties are seeking to keep the Opposition unity intact and feel that even if it is a losing fight it should not be left uncontested.

The vice-presidential contest is heavily stacked in favour of the ruling dispensation which has a majority of around 550 votes out of a total of 790 members of both Houses of Parliament, who comprise the electoral college for the vice-presidential election.

The electoral college that votes for the vice-president, who is also the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha, consists of 543 elected and two nominated members of the Lok Sabha besides 233 elected members and 12 nominated members of Rajya Sabha.

Around 18 non-NDA parties are expected to attend Tuesday's meeting convened by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Parliament Library. Party vice-president Rahul Gandhi and a host of leaders from other parties like the NCP, RJD, TMC, SP, BSP, DMK, the Left parties, and other smaller parties are also likely to attend.

The parties are also likely to discuss the Opposition floor management strategy for the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which starts on 17 July, as it comes in the wake of raids on RJD chief Lalu Prasad.

"In the battle of ideologies, this is an election that the Opposition should contest and it is likely to contest and should not be left uncontested," said a senior leader.

The sources said that though no name has yet been discussed, it is likely that some of the names that did the rounds for the presidential election may also figure for the post of vice-president. These include names of Gopal Krishna Gandhi and Prakash Ambedkar, which the Opposition was contemplating for fielding in the presidential election.

Every party had been asked to give in their suggestions during the meeting. The opposition is likely to take a final call on the election during this meet.

Sources added that there could be some informal discussions with some opposition leaders ahead of Tuesday's meeting on the vice-presidential candidate.

CPI national secretary D Raja said, "So far no names have have been given by the Congress or any other party. Since there is no time left, it is possible that a name may be finalised at the meeting."

The term of present incumbent Hamid Ansari, who has held the post for two successive spells, comes to an end on 10 August. The candidate of the ruling NDA, which has a majority in the Lok Sabha and received the support of parties such as the AIADMK and BJD for the presidential poll, is likely to win the contest, given its strength in Parliament.

The scrutiny will take place on 19 July and the last date for withdrawing from the electoral battle is 21 July. Polling, if required, will take place on 5 August and the votes will be counted on the same evening. No whip can be issued by political parties, as the

election is through a secret ballot.

Secretary general of the Rajya Sabha, Shumsher K Sheriff, is the returning officer for the election.

During the last vice-presidential election in 2012, Ansari secured 490 votes and Jaswant Singh, who was the then Opposition candidate, secured 238 votes. In 2007, Ansari won the election by securing 455 votes, while Najma Heptulla secured 222 votes and Rasheed Masood secured 75 votes. In the 2002 vice-presidential election, NDA nominee Bhairon Singh Shekhawat secured 454 votes against opposition's Sushil Kumar Shinde, who secured 305 votes.

Four vice-presidents have so far been elected unopposed  first vice-president of India S Radhakrishnan (1952 and again in 1957), Mohammad Hidyatullah (1979) and Shankar Dayal Sharma (1987).
Amaravati: YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress on Sunday virtually released its manifesto for the 2019 Andhra Pradesh elections promising among other things to make the state liquor-free in a phased manner.

Delivering the valedictory address at YSR Congress' two-day plenary at Nagarjuna Nagar on Sunday afternoon, the YSR Congress president asked the party rank and file to take the newly-coined slogan "Anna Vastunnadu...Bhavishyattu Manade" ('Elder brother is coming, future is ours') to every household in the state.

Reddy, currently the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, announced a nine-point agenda for his future government wherein he promised a slew of sops to farmers, women, students and pensioners.

"The future is ours. Once I become chief minister, I will bring back the golden rule of our late leader (and his father) YS Rajasekhara Reddy. Tell this to everyone in the state and ask them to be assured of it.

"I have a strong desire to become the chief minister. I want to rule (the state) for 30 years in a manner that will make every household keep my picture, along with that of my late father, after my demise," Reddy said.

The YSRC chief accused incumbent chief minister Chandrababu Naidu of "betraying" the state after making "false promises" ahead of the 2014 elections.

"A case in point is the loan waiver for farmers. Though the farmers' debt burden was over Rs 87,000 crore, Chandrababu waived only Rs 11,000 crore and even that amount was not fully paid (to banks). But, as soon as I become chief minister, I will distribute Rs 50,000 to each small and marginal farmer holding less than five acres of land," he said.

Reddy said a price stabilisation fund with Rs 3,000 crore and a calamity relief fund with Rs 2,000 crore would be created to aid farmers in distress.

He also said the women self-help groups would be given Rs 15,000 crore.

Reddy said the liquor prohibition would be enforced in three phases, beginning with the complete eradication of belt shops (unauthorised vends in villages), followed by a vigorous campaign listing the ills of liquor consumption.

"Simultaneously, we will increase liquor prices to such a level that only crorepatis will be able to buy it. And then we will ban liquor completely in the state," he said.

He said the social security pensions would be enhanced to Rs 2,000 per beneficiary from the current Rs 1,000.

At the plenary, Reddy formally announced the appointment of Prasanth Kishor as the political strategist of his party.

"Like he helped Narendra Modi become prime minister in 2014, Kishor will guide us to victory in 2019," he told his party cadre.
Kabul: At least 200 militants have been killed over the past week as Afghan forces crack down on the Taliban in Nawa district of Helmand province, the police said on Sunday.

The government forces backed by helicopter gunships have been targeting Taliban positions over the past week, Xinhua news agency quoted a senior police official as saying.

The security forces would spare no efforts to restore stability in the troubled district, he said.

Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Majahid said the militants, who are in control of Nawa district over the past year, have foiled security forces' design to recapture the isolated district.

Majahid claimed that nine security personnel were killed and the government forces offensive to recapture the district has been repulsed.

Nawa, Marja, Sangin and a few more districts of the poppy growing Helmand province have been the scene of fierce fighting over the past few years.
London: Scotland Yard has started using lie detector tests on terror informants to ensure the quality of the intelligence is strong, according to a media report.

The Metropolitan Polices counter-terrorism command have launched a top-secret scheme to get their sources undertake polygraph examinations in an attempt to weed out lies and misinformation, The Sunday Times reports.

The programme, which is believed to be unprecedented in British policing, is an attempt to verify intelligence from people who are often of questionable integrity as they themselves operate in the criminal underworld.

"We are not prepared to discuss this," Scotland Yard said in reference to the scheme.

News of the scheme, overseen by Mark Rowley, Britains most senior counter-terrorism officer, has emerged in the wake of four terrorist attacks in the UK in four months that killed 36 people.

Some blamed the attacks on a failure of intelligence, although MI5 and the police say they are overstretched and grappling with a heightened terror threat after the emergence of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

British Pakistani Khuram Butt, who led the London Bridge attack last month, was once placed under 24-hour surveillance by police before a decision was taken to deploy finite resources elsewhere.

British prime minister Theresa May has asked UK security services to review their protocols after it also emerged MI5 had been warned that the Manchester Arena suicide bomber, Salman Abedi, was dangerous.
Paris: French president Emmanuel Macron on Sunday hailed Iraqi pro-government troops and their allies for taking control of Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) group.

"Mosul liberated from Daesh (another name for Islamic State). Homage from France to all those, with our troops, who contributed to this victory," Macron tweeted after Islamic State forces lost control of Iraq's second city, their last urban stronghold.

Mossoul liberee de Daech : hommage de la France a tous ceux, avec nos troupes, qui ont contribue a cette victoire.  Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 9, 2017

Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi earlier declared victory in the "liberated" city and lauded "the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people on the achievement of the major victory," his office said.

The retaking of Iraq's cultural jewel came after a gruelling nearly nine-month battle to retake the northern city after three years of rule by the jihadists.

The declared victory marked an epic milestone for Iraqi security forces, who had crumbled in the face of an Islamic State onslaught in 2014 as the group swept across much of Iraq's Sunni Arab heartland to proclaim a self-styled "caliphate" straddling Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

A French armed forces spokesman had said on Wednesday that the French fighter jets had launched 600 air strikes against Islamic State in Mosul since the start of the battle to retake the city in support of Iraqi troops.
Mosul: Islamic State militants threw themselves into the River Tigris on Sunday, trying to flee the battlefield in Mosul as they faced imminent defeat by Iraqi forces fighting to dislodge them from their last pocket in the city.

A US-trained elite Iraqi force in the Old City of Mosul reached the Tigris riverside, state TV said, indicating that the insurgents' last redoubt is on the verge of falling.

After eight months of combat that has ruined parts of the city, killed thousands of civilians and displaced nearly one million people, Iraqi officials say victory is close.

The militants have been driven from all but a patch of territory on the western bank of the Tigris bisecting Mosul, where they have staged a last stand in the narrow alleys of the Old City.

Plumes of smoke rose over the Old City on Sunday and the decaying corpses of Islamic State fighters lay in the streets. Scattered bursts of gunfire could be heard and several airstrikes were carried out.

Iraqi military spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Rasool, told state TV earlier on Sunday that 30 militants had been killed attempting to get away by swimming across the Tigris.

Later, Iraqiya News ran and on-screen headline saying: 'Forces from the Counter Terrorism Service raised the Iraqi flag on the Tigris river bank in the Old City of Mosul.'

Islamic State vowed on Saturday to "fight to the death" in Mosul.

Cornered in a shrinking area of the city, the militants have resorted to sending women suicide bombers among the thousands of civilians who are emerging from the battlefield wounded, malnourished, and fearful.

The battle has also exacted a heavy toll on Iraq's security forces.

The Iraqi government does not reveal casualty figures, but a funding request from the US Department of Defense said the Counterterrorism Service, which has spearheaded the fight in Mosul, had suffered 40 percent losses.

The United States leads an international coalition that is backing the campaign against Islamic State in Mosul by conducting airstrikes against the militants and assisting troops on the ground.

The Department of Defense has requested $1.269 billion in US budget funds for 2018 to continue supporting Iraqi forces.

Without Mosul  by far the largest city to fall under militant control  Islamic State's dominion in Iraq will be reduced to mainly rural, desert areas west and south of the city where tens of thousands of people live.

It is almost exactly three years since the ultra-hardline group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a "caliphate" spanning Syria and Iraq from the pulpit of the medieval Grand al-Nuri mosque.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared the end of Islamic State's "state of falsehood" a week ago, after security forces retook the mosque - although only after retreating militants blew it up.

The United Nations predicts it will cost more than $1 billion to repair basic infrastructure in Mosul. In some of the worst-affected areas, almost no buildings appear to have escaped damage and Mosul's dense construction means the extent of the devastation might be underestimated, UN officials said.

The militants are expected to revert to insurgent tactics as they lose territory.

The fall of Mosul also exposes ethnic and sectarian fractures between Arabs and Kurds over disputed territories or between Sunnis and the Shiite majority that have plagued Iraq for more than a decade.
Baghdad: Mosul was the largest city in the "caliphate" proclaimed by the Islamic State group and its loss is a huge blow to the jihadists' statehood experiment - but not a fatal one.

The northern Iraqi city was where Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made his only known public appearance in July 2014, announcing himself to the world as "caliph" during a Friday sermon at a mosque in the Old City.

It took tens of thousands of Iraqi forces backed by Western warplanes and special forces nearly nine months to defeat the jihadists, who leave behind them a heavily damaged city and exhausted security forces.

With Mosul, a city that had a population of around two million three years ago, the "caliphate" loses one of the main hubs of its administration and Islamic State one of the most potent symbols of its might.

"It is a major blow to Islamic State's prestige," said David Witty, an analyst and retired US special forces colonel.

The recapture of Mosul, hailed as a decisive step towards ending this unprecedented episode in the history of modern jihad, is the latest in a long string of setbacks for Islamic State.

At its peak, the jihadist group controlled a territory roughly the size of South Korea or Jordan and with a population of more than 10 million. It has now lost more than half of the land and three quarters of the population.

And a major offensive on its other de facto capital, the Syrian city of Raqqa, is gathering momentum.

The group  whose motto was "remain and expand"  has not conquered new areas around the core of its "caliphate" since 2015, but has lost thousands of fighters and is less attractive to foreign jihadists than it once was.

The fall of Mosul further reduces the so-called caliphate's territorial contiguity, leaving more pockets of Islamic State-held land completely isolated.

Yet analysts warn it is too early to declare final victory.

"We should not view the recapture of Mosul as the death knell for Islamic State," said Patrick Martin, Iraq analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, adding the group "still holds significant urban terrain," notably in Syria.

Years of instability

Even in Iraq, where the jihadists lost more ground and only retain seven percent of the territory they once had, declaring the caliphate dead "implies that Islamic State can no longer control terrain and govern," he said.

Yet "if security forces do not take steps to ensure that gains against Islamic State are sustained for the long-term, then it could theoretically resurge and recapture urban terrain," Martin said.

As it attempts to save the remnants of the caliphate, the group is likely to intensify a transformation it has already begun by focusing more of its resources on guerrilla attacks and bombings.

"In the near-term in Iraq, Islamic State will switch to terrorism and insurgency instead of trying to openly control major areas," Witty said.

Martin said there was already a pattern of major Islamic State attacks following military setbacks.

The deadliest ever bomb attack in Baghdad, in which more than 320 people were killed in 2016, came after the jihadists lost their emblematic bastion of Fallujah.

The group also staged a major commando attack on the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk days after the launch of the assault on Mosul, which was Iraq's biggest military operation in years.

With its dreams of statehood on hold, Islamic State is expected to revert to those types of attack and do everything it can to deny the Iraqi government any claim it has been eliminated.

"It is very easy to see this coming, and Iraq will likely be plagued by insecurity for years to come," Witty said.

The reach of Islamic State ideology remains one of the greatest threats in the world after three years that saw foreign affiliates mushroom far beyond the core of the "caliphate" and thousands of foreign fighters join the battlefield, with some returning home.
Washington: Donald Trump's eldest son, son-in-law and then-campaign chairman met with a Russian lawyer shortly after Trump won the Republican nomination, in what appears to be the earliest known private meeting between key aides to the president and a Russian.

Representatives of Donald Trump junior and Jared Kushner confirmed the June 2016 meeting to The Associated Press after The New York Times reported Saturday on the gathering of the men and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower. Then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended, according to the statement from Donald Trump junior

He described it as a "short introductory meeting" during which the three discussed a disbanded program that used to allow US citizens to adopt Russian children. Russia ended the adoptions in response to American sanctions brought against the nation following the 2009 death of an imprisoned lawyer who spoke about a corruption scandal.

Trump junior said he invited the other two Americans, was asked to attend by an acquaintance not named in the statement, and was not told beforehand with whom he would meet. "It was not a campaign issue at that time and there was no follow up," he said.

Kushner lawyer Jamie Gorelick said her client already disclosed the meeting in a revised filing of a form that requires him to list meetings with foreign agents. "Kushner has submitted additional updates and included, out of an abundance of caution, this meeting with a Russian person, which he briefly attended at the request of his brother-in-law, Donald Trump junior. As Kushner has consistently stated, he is eager to cooperate and share what he knows," she said.

Later, a spokesman for the president's outside legal team contended that participants in the June meeting "misrepresented who they were and who they worked for." However, the spokesman, Mark Corallo, would not say specifically who misrepresented themselves or how they did so. Unlike Kushner, Trump junior. does not serve in the administration and is not required to disclose his foreign contacts.

The newspaper reported Saturday, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, that Manafort disclosed the meeting to congressional investigators questioning his foreign contacts. Manafort helmed Trump's campaign for about five months until August and resigned from the campaign immediately after the AP reported on his firm's covert Washington lobbying operation on behalf of Ukraine's ruling political party.

He is one of several people linked to the Trump campaign who are under scrutiny by a special counsel and congressional committees investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign and potential coordination with Trump associates. Manafort has denied any coordination with Russia and has said his work in Ukraine was not related to the campaign.

The newspaper said Veselnitskaya is known for her attempts to undercut the sanctions against Russian human rights abusers. The Times also said her clients include state-owned businesses and the son of a senior government official whose company was under investigation in the United States at the time of the meeting.
Washington (United States): US President Donald Trump said Sunday it was time to work "constructively" with Russia, saying his counterpart Vladimir Putin had "vehemently denied" meddling in the 2016 election.

"I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election," Trump said after returning from Europe where he met Putin for the first time. "He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion....."

Writing on Twitter, Trump said he and Putin had talked about the idea of setting up what he called "an impenetrable cyber security unit" to prevent hacking in future elections.

He also said the two men had discussed the implementation of a ceasefire in Syria which began on Sunday, saying "it will save lives".

"Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!"

Putin and Trump met on Friday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the German city of Hamburg, a meeting that was overshadowed by allegations that Russia sought to influence the outcome of last year's US presidential election.

The US and Russian sides have issued sharply conflicting accounts of the meeting, with Putin saying on Saturday that Trump had been "satisfied" by his denials of any Russian interference in the polls.

Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said the Russian denials had been expected but cut no ice.

"This is Russia trying to save face," she told CNN. "And they can't. They can't.

"Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections."
Hamburg: G20 countries have managed to avoid a total bust-up with Donald Trump over climate change, leaving the door open for Washington to return to the Paris Agreement  but at the cost of risky concessions.

After the US president decided in June to pull out of the hard-fought deal to combat global warming, climate change was always going to be centre-stage at this week's gathering of the G20  major economies that are together responsible for the vast majority of harmful emissions.

Ultimately, the final joint statement after the summit in Hamburg underlined that the 2015 Paris deal is "irreversible", while "taking note" of Washington's decision to quit the agreement. The key risk for defenders of the global pact is that other countries could now follow Trump's lead.

The ink was barely dry on the G20 statement before Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened not to ratify the deal without financial concessions. "After that step taken by America, the position that we adopt is in the direction of not passing it in parliament," Erdogan said.

The rest of the G20 made an exceptional concession to the US by letting through a passage in their joint declaration specifically referring to Washington's position. It confirms that the US is committed to lowering its emissions, so long as this is compatible with economic growth.

Andrew Light of the World Resources Institute said this was the most interesting line in the text, indicating it stood in "stark contrast" with Trump's arguments about pulling out in which he claimed that "fulfilling our commitments to Paris would hurt our economy".

Celine Bak of Canada's Centre for International Governance Innovation hailed the wording as "a clear victory for the G20, which knew how to formulate a statement that could allow President Trump to re-integrate into the Paris accord." She is not alone in hoping Washington could be brought back into the fold.

French president Emmanuel Macron said he "never gives up hope on convincing" Trump to change his mind on the Paris deal, while British prime minister Theresa May also said she believed such a return was possible.

"It's good to be optimistic, but there comes a point where that turns into naivety," said Francois Julliard of Greenpeace France. "Yes, the United States could come back to the Paris accord, but right now, in concrete terms, they're disengaging."

German chancellor Angela Merkel, for her part, said she "did not share the optimism" of those hoping for a change of heart.
Hamburg: Warning against complacency in the current phase of global economic recovery, IMF chief Christine Lagarde has asked the members of G20 group, which includes India, to step up reforms by reducing trade barriers and subsidies to promote a level playing field.

Complementing the G20 leaders for adopting an action plan to strengthen the global financial safety net during the two-day Summit that ended on Saturday night, Lagarde said the world needs to continue to collaborate to address risks and ensure strong, sustained, balanced and inclusive growth.

"An essential part of this effort must be to reduce trade barriers, subsidies and other measures that distort trade.

"We can strengthen global trading system by reaffirming our commitment to well-enforced rules that promote competition while creating a level playing field," she said.

Lagarde, who met various G20 leaders at the Summit, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, called for urgent action to strengthen global growth and build inclusive economies while keeping away from complacency.

The IMF chief said in a post G20 statement that in her discussions with leaders she noted the good news that the global economic recovery is on track, broad-based, and expected to continue into next year.

"At the same time, I warned about complacency and risks, including elevated financial vulnerabilities, low productivity, and rising inequality," she said.

"The current period of growth should be used as an opportunity: to further safeguard the financial sector by building up capital buffers and strengthening corporate and bank balance sheets," Lagarde added.

She said the current period of recovery must also be used to address the issue of stagnant real wages which can undermine the recovery and fuel discontent, and to confront the problem of excessive current account imbalances - with both surplus and deficit countries playing their part.

Among immediate priorities, she also suggested increasing productive infrastructure investment, promoting financial inclusion especially for women, investing in human capital and accelerating labour market reforms.

Lagarde further said: "I strongly welcome the G20's focus on climate change, the sustainable development goals, and the challenges facing low-income countries.

"I commend, in particular, Germanys leadership in launching the Compact with Africa, which is designed to boost private investment across the continent.

"The countries involved in the first wave of this effort are already receiving support from the IMF - to help strengthen their macroeconomic frameworks and institutions, including by increasing support for capacity development."

Noting that the Hamburg Action Plan includes an emphasis on strengthening the global financial safety net, with a strong, quota-based, and adequately financed IMF at its centre, she welcomed the G20 Leaders highlighting the importance of the IMF in continuing to provide capacity development in the area of anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism.
Hamburg: Fresh clashes erupted early on Sunday in the streets of Hamburg following the end of the G20 summit, with protesters setting fire to a number of vehicles, the police said.

The protesters gathered after the close of the summit in the Schanzen district, a stronghold for extreme left radicals which has been the site of multiple confrontations since Thursday. Armed with glass bottles and targeting vehicles, many of which they set on fire, the protesters were pushed back by the police, using water cannon and tear gas, the police said on Twitter.

The police said officers had been injured, and many people arrested.

According to the most recent figures given by the police on Saturday, some 213 police officers have been injured since Thursday, and 143 people have been detained. No accurate number for protesters injured is available.

On Thursday, a planned peaceful march by around 12,000 people protesting against globalisation turned violent. Friday's clashes occurred as leaders from the world's 20 biggest developed and emerging economies began the two-day meeting focusing on trade, terrorism, climate change and other key global issues.

Hamburg, a vibrant port city, is a citadel of left-wing radicals and authorities had long been bracing for possible violence on the sidelines of the summit.

The German police officers' union GdP on Friday hit out at anarchist groups called the Black Bloc, accusing them of "hijacking peaceful demonstrations by tens of thousands of people to deliberately attack" police.

World leaders made concessions on trade and climate language to US President Donald Trump Saturday at the end of the most fractious and riot-hit G20 summit ever, in exchange for preserving a fragile unity of the club of major industrialised and emerging economies.
Athens: Greek police said on Saturday that they had made eight arrests, including six Serbian nationals, after an American tourist was beaten to death in a bar on the island of Zante.

Police said they detained the Serbians after viewing CCTV footage, having already arrested a Greek barman and a British bouncer of Serbian origin after a violent altercation Thursday night in the popular resort of Lagana.

The eight are suspected of fatally battering Bakari Henderson, a 22-year-old African-American who was with a group of friends, following an argument.

A police source told AFP that both groups had been drinking heavily.

Greek media reported that the parents of the victim, who suffered serious head injuries and was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital, were expected to arrive on Zante later Saturday.

Alcohol-related violence also led to the 2011 death in Lagana of a 19-year-old British tourist following a fight with two Greek taxi drivers.

Three years earlier, two bar workers fatally beat an Australian tourist on the island of Mykonos.
Doha: Qatar's government says it is forming a committee to pursue compensation for damages stemming from its isolation by four Arab countries.

Qatari public prosecutor Ali Al-Marri said in a press conference on Sunday that the committee will handle claims made by private companies, public institutions and individuals.

He gave few details, but said the body would use both domestic and international mechanisms to seek compensation.

Members of the newly formed committee include Qatar's minister of justice and minister of foreign affairs.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic ties and severed air, land and sea links with Qatar last month, accusing it of supporting extremism. Qatar has denied the allegations, and says the bloc's ultimatums are an affront to its sovereignty.
London: An Indian-origin 'wealthy' businessman in the UK has submitted plans for a new third runway at Heathrow airport, claiming to lower costs by $6.44 billion, a media report said on Sunday.

Surinder Arora, a hotel tycoon, has put his proposal to the government's public consultation on Heathrow.

Ministers have expressed a preference for the airport's plans for a new runway and terminal costing 17.5 billion, BBC reported.

Heathrow said it was already considering some of the ideas, and wanted to lower the cost too, the report said.

Arora Group's proposals include changing the design of terminal buildings and taxiways, and reducing the amount of land it is built on, it said.

Arora said: "We want passengers to be at the heart of our plans and the current monopoly at Heathrow, which over-charges airlines and in turn raises fares for passengers, is not the right model for the future. Heathrow needs competition and innovation which puts passengers and airlines at the heart of the expansion project".

"One of the options we have proposed to the government includes a possible shift of the runway so that it does not impact on the M25 and M4, as we know the M25 junction being affected threatens the deliverability of the whole project.

"We appreciate this is a politically sensitive issue but it is merely an option with additional savings of 1.5 billion, whereas the rest of our proposals save up to 5.2 billion ($6.44 billion) without the need to amend the runway location," Arora said.

Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways' owner IAG, welcomed the proposals and said: "The government should look closely at Arora's proposal as it would significantly reduce costs."

British Airways is Heathrow's biggest customer.

An airport spokeswoman said: "Heathrow's expansion proposals are supported by the government and have widespread cross-party political, business and union support".

"We continue to develop our plans to improve passenger experience, reduce the impact on local communities and lower the cost so we deliver expansion at close to current charges.

"Some of the options we are looking at sound similar to those suggested in this submission, and we will welcome views on these in the public consultation later this year," the spokeswoman said.

Construction will not begin for at least three years, and it could be delayed by legal challenges over the runway's environmental impact.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "The government has made it clear that it believes a new north-west runway at Heathrow is the best scheme to deliver the economic and connectivity benefits this country needs.

"New capacity will increase competition between airlines resulting in lower fares for passengers," the spokesperson said.

The Department for Transport has estimated a new runway at Heathrow would bring economic benefits to passengers and the wider economy worth up to 61 billion, and create as many as 77,000 additional local jobs over the next 14 years.
Mosul: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory in the "liberated" city of Mosul on Sunday, his office said, after a gruelling nearly nine-month battle against the Islamic State (IS) group.

PM Al-Abadi arrives in Mosul to announce its liberation and congratulate the armed forces and Iraqi people on this victory pic.twitter.com/bUtkj7z88A  Haider Al-Abadi (@HaiderAlAbadi) July 9, 2017

Abadi "arrives in the liberated city of Mosul and congratulates the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people on the achievement of the major victory," his office said in a statement.

A photo on Abadi's official Twitter account showed him dressed in a black military uniform and cap as he arrived in Mosul to announce the recapture of the city.

The fighting did not seem to be completely over yet, with gunfire still audible in Mosul and air strikes hitting the city around the time the premier's office released the statement.

Iraqi forces launched the Mosul operation in October, first fighting their way to the city, retaking its east and then assaulting its western side, where some of the heaviest fighting occurred.

The battle has taken a heavy toll on civilians, pushing more than 900,000 people to flee their homes, only a fraction of home have returned, according to the United Nations.

And security forces have also suffered heavy losses, with thousands killed and wounded, though official casualty figures have not been released by Iraqi authorities.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have since regained much of the territory they lost.

The recapture of Mosul does not however mark the end of the threat posed by IS, which holds territory elsewhere in Iraq and is able to carry out frequent bombings in government-held areas.
Charlottesville: Supporters of white supremacist group Ku Klux Klan marched in Charlottesville, Virginia on Saturday to protest the planned removal of a statue of General Robert E Lee, who oversaw Confederate forces in the US Civil War.

The Klan marchers were met by hundreds of jeering counter-protesters in this quiet university town, where the protest by the notorious white power group was authorised by officials in Virginia on free speech grounds.

Dozens of marchers  some carrying Confederate flags, a handful in the distinctive white hood worn by Klan members  paraded past hundreds of people shouting "racists go home!" and other chants. The two groups were separated by a metal barricade and a phalanx of armed police.

Critics say the far right, both here and across the United States, has been energised by Donald Trump's election to the presidency.

Be it the Ku Klux Klan, the alt-right or generic white supremacists, these conservatives have found a new cause in defending the Confederate flag and monuments in the US South that recall the era of slavery. They are outdated, awful symbols of racism for many Americans, who are mobilising to have them taken down from public places.

Anti-Klan protesters in Charlottesville got an early start overnight, throwing red paint on the bronze equestrian statue of the saber-wearing Confederate general. City workers were scrubbing the paint off early Saturday.

Watching the scene, Mason Pickett, a 60-ish retired businessman, said he regretted the decision by Charlottesville  which he said had become an "ultraliberal city, even socialistic" -- to remove the statue.

"Statues can be good history, they can be bad history  you may not like it and you may love it, but it's history," he said.

But Tina Young, a 49-year-old lawyer, said it was past time to remove signs of the state's Confederate past. Virginia and other Southern states had had plenty of time to do so, she said.

"In Washington, DC, they have put up a Martin Luther King statue, they have an Afro-American museum, they have a Jewish museum, they made the public space more fair and balanced," she said.

As to Robert E Lee, she added, "he did represent slavery, he did fight a war against our government which killed thousands and thousands of soldiers, he could have chosen the better side but he didn't."

Two dozen arrests

The debate about the legacy of key figures in many former Confederate states extends from Louisiana to Georgia and the Carolinas, and even in Washington, where a stained glass window in the National Cathedral depicts a Confederate soldier. Slaves in Washington were freed only a year after the start of the Civil War.

No major battle in that 1861-1865 war was fought in Charlottesville, population 50,000. But its passions have been stirred.

A pro-Democratic town linked to the university founded in 1819 by retired president Thomas Jefferson, people in Charlottesville said they abhor the planned arrival of members of the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, a small white supremacist group based in North Carolina.

City officials said about a thousand people were present at the march, of whom about 50 were KKK members. About two dozen people were arrested, mostly for failing to disperse as the rally ended, officials said.

A wounding decision

Just a few of the demonstrators wore the white hoods so emblematic of the group and part of the costume associated with lynchings and cross burnings. In this town of handsome red brick buildings, the decision in February to remove the Lee statue after years of debate has left deep wounds.

And it is actually on hold, as a judge suspended the town council's narrow decision for six months until a court reviews the case.

"Robert E. Lee has a lot of admirers across the South, partly because Southern education has taught that he was this noble man who was a gentleman and worked very hard after the war for reconciliation," said Kristin Szakos, the town councillor behind the drive to bring down the statue. "For a lot of people he is also more problematic, especially in the statue where he is depicted in full battle gear, riding against the United States of America," she added.

"We have lots of ways to learn history that aren't giant statues overlooking our downtowns."

In its heyday in 1925, the KKK had as many as four million members. These days it has from 5,000 to 8,000, mainly in the deep South, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors and studies extremism in America.
Abu Dhabi: Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar has met with UAE leaders for talks on military cooperation, state media said on Sunday, days after announcing the retaking of second city Benghazi from jihadists.

Haftar, who has visited the United Arab Emirates regularly in recent months, held talks with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan Saturday on "joint cooperation between the two countries... in combating extremism and terrorist organisations," state news agency WAM said.

The United Nations in June released a report accusing the UAE of supplying helicopters and other military aircraft to Haftar in violation of a UN arms embargo.

Haftar, the head of the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army, on Wednesday announced the "total liberation" of Benghazi, three years after it was overrun by jihadists.

Six years after the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi, chaos continues to engulf Libya as militants fight for power and access to the country's vast oil reserves.

The unrest has provided fertile ground for extremist groups, some with ties to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

The UAE in May hosted a meeting between Haftar and rival Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), in a bid to mediate in the political conflict.

Haftar does not recognise the authority of the Tripoli-based GNA, instead of backing an alternate government based in the country's east.
Shanghai: US and German medical experts who examined Chinese Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo said on Sunday that it was safe to transport him abroad for cancer treatment, contradicting the assertions of Chinese doctors.

The statement by the foreign physicians, who visited China's most prominent democracy advocate, looked likely to add to international pressure on China to release him for treatment overseas.

The First Hospital of China Medical University in the northeastern city of Shenyang, where Liu is being treated for late-stage liver cancer had said on Saturday that it was "unsafe" for him to travel due to his deteriorating condition.

But American oncology expert Joseph Herman from the University of Texas' MD Anderson Cancer Center, and German doctor Markus Buchler of Heidelberg University, who visited Liu on Saturday, said otherwise.

"While a degree of risk always exists in the movement of any patient, both physicians believe Mr Liu can be safely transported with appropriate medical evacuation care and support," they said in a joint statement.

"However, the medical evacuation would have to take place as quickly as possible."

Their statement added that both of their respective institutions had agreed to accept Liu for treatment.

Beijing has come under fire from human rights groups over its treatment of the activist and for waiting until he became terminally sick to release him from prison more than a month ago.

Liu, 61, and his family want him released to seek treatment abroad.

Rights activists and Chinese dissidents accuse Beijing of stalling and falsely claiming he is too sick to travel for fear of giving Liu a platform to speak freely overseas.

"The statement by the two experts shows that the Chinese authorities lied when the hospital released the statement yesterday," Amnesty International China researcher Patrick Poon said.

"The Chinese government should face it instead of covering up and faking news any more. They should respect Liu Xiaobo's wish to leave the country before it's too late."
Seoul: North Korean state media have sharply criticised a recent practice bombing run by two US B-1B bombers on the Korean peninsula, calling it a dangerous move raising the risk of nuclear war.

A commentary Sunday in the ruling party's Rodong Sinmun newspaper accused the US of "reckless military provocations" and said the danger of nuclear war is reaching an extreme pitch. The commentary was reported on in English by the state Korean Central News Agency.

Two US Air Force bombers released inert weapons Friday on a training range in South Korea. South Korean F-15 and US F-16 fighter jets joined them in the drill. The bombers also flew with Japanese F-2 fighter jets over the East China Sea on their way back to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.

The 10-hour mission came three days after North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile on the Fourth of July, America's Independence Day. President Donald Trump and the leaders of South Korea and Japan, meeting during the G-20 summit in Germany, issued a joint statement condemning the launch.

US military officials described the bomber mission as a defensive show of force and unity that demonstrated "the ironclad US commitment to our allies."
Lahore: In a latest case of honour killing in Pakistan, a 25-year-old woman was stabbed to death allegedly by her brother for "disgracing the family" by marrying a man of her choice in Punjab province.

Nazia eloped with the man in Sherakot area against the wishes of her family last month, a senior police officer said.

Mohammad Ishaq, the brother of Shazia, lodged a missing complaint accusing the man of kidnapping her but later withdrew it when both the parties reached an agreement and Nazia came back to her house.

On Saturday, Ishaq stabbed Nazia to death for "disgracing the family" by marrying of her choice, the officer said, adding that Nazia's parents were present in the house but no one came forward to save her life. After committing the crime, Ishaq fled.

A case of murder was registered against Ishaq and others on the complaint of Nazia's elder sister.

Killing of women relatives in the name of honour is a menace still prevalent in many parts of Pakistan. More than 1,000 women are killed every year by their relatives on the pretext of defending what is seen as family honour.

In July last year, a 36-year-old woman was shot dead by her brother and his son in Karachi as they suspected her of having an affair with a man, while her husband was working in Saudi Arabia.

In April last year, police arrested a man in Karachi for slitting his teenage sister's throat and watching her bleed to death after he found her talking to a man on her mobile phone. The conviction rate in such cases is very low because the complainants, usually the relatives of the victims, withdraw the cases.
Karachi: Pakistan on Sunday released 78 Indian fishermen held for trespassing into its territorial waters, officials said.

"The fishermen were released from Karachi's Landhi jail," an official of the provincial home department of Sindh, Naseem Siddiqui told AFP.

The freed fishermen are expected to cross over into India on Monday.

Siddiqui said "298 Indian fishermen are still imprisoned and will be released on completion of the verification of their nationalities by India."

Indian and Pakistani fishermen are frequently detained for illegal fishing since the Arabian Sea border is not clearly defined and many boats lack the technology to fix their precise location.

The fishermen often languish in jail, even after serving their terms, as poor diplomatic ties between the two neighbours mean fulfilling bureaucratic requirements can take a long time.

Relations between India and Pakistan have plummeted since a deadly attack on an Indian army base in the disputed region of Kashmir in September, that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in full and have fought two wars over the mountainous region
There is considerable enthusiasm over the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping during the informal BRICS meeting on the sidelines of the recent G20 summit. Earlier, the Chinese media said that there would be no meeting and talks between the two leaders.

The Chinese foreign ministry also ruled out a meeting, saying that the atmosphere was not conducive for such talks, even as our Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified no meeting had been sought. Obviously, these Chinese announcements of no meeting and no discussion was for the consumption of the Chinese public and to create the impression that India requested for such a meeting which was rejected by China  to talk of the Chinese threat of supporting Sikkim independence  an obvious distraction from the suppression of Tibetans and Uighurs in Xinjiang.

There was no logic to such bluster. China knew full well that Modi and Xi would have to meet at the informal BRICS meet at Hamburg hosted by China, in the run up to the 9th BRICS summit which be hosted by China from 3 to 5 September at Xiamen City.

But eventually the website of Chinas Peoples Daily displayed the photograph of a smiling Modi and Xi holding hands and standing alongside the presidents of Brazil, Russia and South Africa at Hamburg. In fact, Modi and Jinping held an informal meeting and had a conversation on a range of issues, as intimated by the MEA spokesperson. Whether the Sikkim standoff came up during the discussion is not known but most likely it would have not been mentioned by either leader.

At the BRICS informal meet, Xi called for peaceful settlement of regional conflicts and disputes, expressed appreciation for Indias strong resolve against terrorism as well Indias success in economic and social development.

He also called for consolidation of the G20 as the premier platform for international economic cooperation. Xi also expressed appreciation of progress made by BRICS under the earlier stewardship of Modi.

Modi too, praised the progress made by BRICS under Xi, while emphasising the need for cooperation aimed at global economic recovery. He called for G20 to collectively oppose terrorism financing, franchises, safe havens, support and sponsors. Referring to the introduction of GST in India, Modi advocated a collective stand against the practice of protectionism, specifically in spheres of trade and movement of knowledge and professionals, while also reiterating Indias commitment in implementing the Paris Agreement. While Xi mentioned the significance of the Paris Agreement and the need for it to be implemented, his alluding to terrorism was limited mentioning Indias strong resolve.

Utopians in India appear upbeat at Xi's mention of peaceful settlement of regional conflicts and disputes, not knowing what lies behind the mask and the fake smile. It may be recalled that Modi and Xi met on 9 June at the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit at Astana, Kazakhstan where both leaders concurred that bilateral differences should not lead to disputes.

But even as Xi shook hands with Modi and smiled away (as in Hamburg), it has now emerged that during the night of 8 and 9 June, People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops were breaking bunkers of the Royal Bhutan Army on the Doka La Plateau, in clear violation of the written Bhutan-China agreement that pending final boundary settlement, peace and tranquility be maintained along the boundary and both sides refrain from unilaterally altering the status on ground.

So, there is no cause for optimism. China will continue to maintain, as she is doing now, that there is no dispute because the Doka La property is Chinese territory. This, even as another blatant lie of China has been exposed by Claude Arpi who exposing that Tibet was not signatory to the Sikkim-Tibet Treaty of 1890 that China has been flouting in order to claim Doka La. Arpi also highlighted that leaving aside 1890, China did not agree to a treaty on the Bhutan-Tibet and Sikkim-Tibet borders until as late as 1960.

This was another fact that China did not mention when it went about using the 1890 document as the basis of its claim over Doka La. China pretends there was no need to get the treaty approved by the Tibetan government but China had no control over Tibet in 1890, and was merely represented by a resident, which means precisely zilch.

Chinas move to illegally occupy the Doka La Plateau is based on the three principles of ambiguity, deception and deceit she has been using since time immemorial. Xi may be endeavouring to imitate the smile of Buddha but behind this mask lies Chinas genocide in Tibet.

Subsequently, the joint statement of the G20 stated, "We, the leaders of the G20, strongly condemn all terrorist attacks worldwide and stand united and firm in the fight against terrorism and its financing. These atrocious acts have strengthened our resolve to cooperate to enhance our security and protect our citizens. Terrorism is a global scourge that must be fought and terrorist safe havens eliminated in every part of the world.

At the G20, Modi equated Pakistan-based terrorist groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed with the Islamic State and Al- Qaeda, saying their names may be different but their ideology was the same, and that some countries were using terror as a tool to achieve political objectives even as he pressed for collective deterrent action by G20 members.

Modi presented an 11-point Action Agenda, which included G20 nations exchanging terrorists lists, easing and expediting of legal processes such as extradition and concrete steps to choke the supply of funds and weapons to the terrorists. This may well be the narrative in the forthcoming 9th BRICS Summit too, but will it stop China backing Pakistani terrorism and terrorist leaders? Will it stop China threatening that she can destabilise North East India, if required?

The world witnessed anti-capitalist protesters setting fire to cars, barricades, rubbish bins and wooden pallets outside the venue of the G20 summit at Hamburg. These poor souls apparently have no idea what type capitalist scorched earth policy China is unleashing through its One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative covering over 60 countries comprising 30 percent of global GDP and 60 percent of world population.

Many are yet to realise that it will bury many countries in debt, especially in the developing world, ushering the worst kind of capitalism: Both economically and physically, a sample of which can be gauged from listening to Dr Umar Johnson describing how the Caribbean and Africa are being colonised by China. The astute Chinese plan to will give the lions share to Chinese companies and Chinese colonisers, while throwing some bones towards the country that the OBOR passes through.

As to the Sikkim standoff, it will last, even expand as China hopes India will wilt. But by now it should be known that China is a conceited bully that will only respect if it is slapped back and slapped hard rather than offering the other cheek. The writing on the wall is pretty simple: if India de-escalates, China will occupy Doka La and continue its policy of pig-headed intrusions elsewhere.

If China escalates on basis that no one will intervene to assist India, the price for China will be equally high not only at the point of clash but by way of global response to OBOR, Chinas future lifeline.

India's best option is to hold fast until China agrees to mutual de-escalation.

The author is a retired lieutenant-general of the Indian Army
Jerusalem: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday welcomed the ceasefire in Syria but warned that Israel would not allow Iran and Hezbollah to establish a military presence in the neighbouring country.

"Israel will welcome a genuine ceasefire in Syria," Netanyahu said at his weekly cabinet meeting, referring to a ceasefire agreement reached Friday between the US and Russia to quell fighting in southwestern Syria, Xinhnua news agency reported.

"This ceasefire must not enable the establishment of a military presence by Iran and its proxies in Syria in general and in southern Syria in particular," he added.

Netanyahu said that Israel will continue to monitor developments beyond its disputed border with Syria, "while strongly upholding our red lines."

He explained that these red lines include preventing Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based, Iran-backed militia that fights along President Bashar al-Assad's army, from growing in Syria.

"Israel will prevent Hezbollah, or Iranian forces, from establishing a ground presence along our border, and prevent the establishment of an Iranian military presence in Syria as a whole," said Netanyahu.

The ceasefire agreement was achieved after meetings between US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 conference in Hamburg, Germany.
Hamburg: British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday that she's looking forward to welcoming US President Donald Trump to London, but both sides still are working to find a "suitable date."

May also said she was optimistic about hoped-for future trade pacts with the US and other countries after meeting Trump at the Group of 20 summit.

Trump said a deal between the US and Britain, which is leaving the European Union, would be "great for both countries" and can be achieved quickly.

Trump also squashed speculation that he would not be visiting London after all, saying that "we'll work that out" and he will be making the trip.

May was the first world leader to visit Trump at the White House earlier this year, bringing an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II for Trump to come to London this year on a state visit.

But opposition to the idea mounted quickly. Some Britons called the invitation premature given the divisiveness of the US presidential race and Trump's political inexperience. Last month, London's mayor called for the invitation to be rescinded after Trump criticized the mayor's response to a deadly extremist attack.

May said Trump made clear "that he was very keen to come to London." She said she looked forward to welcoming him and "we are working on what a suitable date would be for such a visit."

Britain's government is keen to secure new trade deals with the US and other global partners after its departure from the EU, expected in 2019 after divorce negotiations. Trump, who gave an enthusiastic welcome to Britain's vote last year to leave the European bloc, held out the prospect of an early agreement.

"We're working on a trade deal, which will be a very big deal, and a very powerful deal, great for both countries," he said as he met May in Hamburg. "And I think we'll have that done very, very quickly."
I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Applewas the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Theheaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness ofbeing a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed meto enter one of the most creative periods of my life.-- Steve Jobs

Few people want to be fired from their jobs, and many who are fired will not be looking back appreciatively like Steve Jobs did. If you're wondering why, exactly, people get fired, the answer is for lots of reasons.

Below are five broad reasons why people get fired, each with many examples.

Common reason No. 1 why people get fired: Dishonesty

It should come as no surprise that if you're not honest, or outright lie about one or more things (such as on your resume), it will not go over well.

Another kind of dishonesty is when you falsify company records, such as on time sheets, expense reports, or financial statements. Embezzling is another example of dishonest (and illegal!) behavior that can get you fired.

Common reason No. 2 why people get fired: Violating company policy

This reason manifests in many ways because most companies have lots of rules and policies. There may be rules, for example, related to:

Attire

Vacations, sick time, and time off

Dating coworkers

The use of company equipment for personal reasons

Keeping confidential company information confidential

Insider stock trading

Sexual harassment

The use of drugs or alcohol while on the job

Conducting a side business while at work

Whatever your company's rules and policies are, it's best to know them and follow them. If you're using a company computer for a personal business, frequently making personal telephone calls, or under the influence of alcohol while at work -- you're engaging in the kinds of behaviors that can lead to trouble.

Common reason No. 3 why people get fired: Insubordination

Another reason why many people end up losing their jobs is insubordination. An example of this is when you're asked to do something by your supervisor and you defiantly say "No." Well, yes, that's an apt example, but there are less blatant ways to exhibit insubordination. For example, after being asked to do something, you might simply just not do it. Or you might do something else that makes more sense to you.

This kind of situation can arise if you suddenly have a new boss who you don't respect for some reason. Perhaps he or she is 20 years younger than you, for example, or has much less experience than you do in your field of work. Or maybe new rules are introduced that you don't like, or don't feel are necessary. Rules are rules, though, and your employer expects all employees to follow them.

If you're not following orders because you see them as unethical or problematic in some other way, your best bet is voicing your concerns -- perhaps first with your supervisor, and then the human resources department.

Common reason No. 4 why people get fired: Poor performance

A major reason for many firings is poor performance. There are, of course, lots of ways to be a poor performer, some of which, such as drinking on the job or not following orders, fall into the categories above. Here are more ways that you might be a poor performer:

Working very slowly and not getting all your work done.

Producing work that is very sloppy or full of errors.

Being unprofessional in your work, especially with customers or clients.

Being absent or late to work a lot.

Abusing the company's sick-leave policy.

Sleeping on the job.

Common reason No. 5 why people get fired: Poor judgment

Finally, there's poor judgment. You might exhibit poor judgment by complaining about your company, or your boss, on social media -- which might also be against company policy. You might spread rumors at work and gossip a lot. Maybe you're visiting inappropriate websites while at work. These kinds of actions reflect poor judgment and can get you fired.

Many of the reasons above that might get one fired can happen if you're facing troubles at home, or if you're not in the right job. Maybe your current job is too difficult or doesn't make the most of your skills. Instead of misbehaving and looking bad -- and possibly ending up fired -- consider seeking help. You might talk over the situation with your boss, or with your human resources department, to try to find a win-win solution.

The $16,122 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,122 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.

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What happened

Units of midstream MLP Energy Transfer Partners (NYSE: ETP) tumbled 7.1% in June, according to data from S&P Market Intelligence, after several issues plagued the company last month.

So what

Energy Transfer Partners started off the month with some good news, announcing early on the first of June that its $4.78 billion Bakken Pipeline had finally commenced commercial service and was transporting oil from the Bakken Shale to the Gulf Coast as well as points in between. The pipeline would save money for refiners such as Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX) -- which is also a 25% stakeholder in the system -- because they'd no longer need to use more expensive rail or trucks to get low-cost Bakken oil to their refineries.

But the tide quickly turned after a Reuters report later in the day revealed that regulators found signs of diesel in a drilling fluid sample collected from a spill that happened near Energy Transfer's Rover gas pipeline construction project in Ohio this past April. That spill is causing delays for the $4.2 billion pipeline, which the company had expected to complete later this year. Meanwhile, the presence of an undocumented substance in the drilling fluids gave several environmental groups more reason to urge The Army Corps of Engineers to step in and halt construction of the project. That's an ominous sign, considering these groups caused significant delays in completing the construction of the Dakota Access section of the Bakken Pipeline.

Those issues on the Dakota Access Pipeline would come back to haunt the company later in the month, when a federal judge ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers didn't adequately consider the impacts of an oil spill under a key waterway in North Dakota. The judge ordered a new environmental analysis and said he'd consider stopping the flow of oil until the Army completed its review. While a subsequent ruling will allow the pipeline to continue transporting oil while the Army conducts the additional environmental review, the judge could still shut it down. If that were to happen, it would have a significant impact on Energy Transfers' future earnings, as well as impact partners like Phillips 66, which is banking on the oil and cash flow from the system.

Now what

June was a rough month for Energy Transfer Partners, which is facing legal battles on two of its largest pipeline projects. While a permanent halt to both systems is unlikely, the uncertainty surrounding a potentially lengthy delay weighed on the stock last month. So there's still plenty of headline risk, since an unfavorable outcome from any of its legal battles could cause another wave of selling.

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Matt DiLallo owns shares of Phillips 66. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Though retirement should, in theory, be a milestone to look forward to, many Americans are overwhelmingly worried about their golden years. In a 2016 Transamerica survey, half of baby boomers said they're concerned that their savings won't cover their retirement costs. Meanwhile, a recent survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that 30% of current workers overall feel stressed about retirement.

Given the unknowns of retirement, it's natural to be apprehensive about leaving that steady paycheck behind. But if you want to retire with more confidence, here's what you need to do.

1. Know your costs

One reason so many workers worry about retirement is that it can be tricky to predict how much money you'll need in the future. But if you prepare for a number of key expenses -- those that are likely to eat up the largest chunks of your budget -- you'll be in a better position to cover your remaining costs as they fluctuate.

One such major expense is healthcare, and the numbers, unfortunately, aren't pretty. According to recent projections, the average healthy 65-year-old couple today will spend $400,000, if not slightly more, on healthcare costs throughout retirement. And that's just an average, so if your health is poor, you might spend more. But daunting as that number may be, it at least gives you a figure to work with. So if you're a couple who's anticipating a 25-year retirement, you can plan on spending roughly $16,000 on annual medical costs. If you have a known health issue, you'll want to adjust that number upward. Either way, the key is get a handle on what could be your greatest expense down the line.

Then there's housing to think about. While you can't predict exactly how much it'll cost to maintain your home over time, you should know that most homeowners spend anywhere from 1% to 4% of their properties' value on annual upkeep. If you have an older home, which tends to be the case for retirees, and it's worth $300,000, you can plan on needing $12,000 a year to keep it standing to be on the safe side. Factor in what you're paying in property taxes, homeowner's insurance, and a mortgage (assuming you're carrying one into retirement), and from there, you can nail down your long-term housing costs.

While healthcare and housing are only two of the expenses you'll face as a senior, because they tend to be the most sizable, knowing what to expect can help you map out the rest of your budget accordingly. That way, you'll get a sense of how much savings you'll actually need.

2. Evaluate your savings

Once you come up with a solid estimate of what your retirement expenses will entail, you'll need to make sure you have enough income to cover them. Of course, that income can come from several places -- your Social Security benefits, investments, part-time work, and, of course, your retirement plan. And while you can estimate your eventual Social Security payments online, the only way to know if you're saving enough independently is to take a look at your IRA or 401(k) balance, come up with a reasonable yearly withdrawal rate based on your anticipated expenses, and see if that rate is feasible given the amount you have to work with. If it isn't, you'll need to save more money before you can feel comfortable retiring. It's really as simple as that.

3. Step up your retirement plan contributions

If you think your retirement savings are right where you need them to be, congratulations -- because you're probably among the minority of folks who can make such a claim. Not only do one-third of today's workers have no money set aside for retirement at all, but according to the Economic Policy Institute, more than 40% of baby boomers aged 55-64 have no long-term savings to show for either.

If you're behind on savings and want to feel good about retiring, no matter where you are in your career, now's the time to ramp up those contributions. Currently, workers under 50 can put up to $18,000 a year into a 401(k) and $5,500 a year into an IRA. If you're 50 or older, these limits increase to $24,000 and $6,500, respectively. Assuming you're in the latter category, maxing out a 401(k) for just five years will leave you with more than $132,000 to add to your nest egg, even if your investments only generate a relatively conservative average annual 5% return during that time.

Now if you only have a year or two left before you're hoping to retire, and your savings aren't close to where they should be, you'll rethink some aspect of your plan. That might mean working a few extra years to beef up your IRA or 401(k), or coming up with a part-time work arrangement during retirement to generate enough income to fill that gap. The point is to do what it takes to come up with the money you know you're bound to need.

The key to retiring with confidence is to not go in blindly. If you do your research, you can get a pretty solid estimate as to how much money you'll need down the line. It may not be perfect, but it'll get you close enough. From there, it's really just a matter of seeing how much income your savings will give you, and taking steps to compensate for whatever shortfall might exist. If you follow these steps, you can enter retirement with the peace of mind that comes with being prepared.

The $16,122 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,122 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.

The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The leaders of Sweden and Japan have demanded that North Korea halts missile tests, and pledged increased cooperation in the U.N. Security Council.

During a visit to Sweden by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Swedish counterpart Stefan Lofven described the tests as a "threat to global peace ... and security."

Abe condemned the April attack in central Stockholm when the driver of a stolen truck killed five pedestrians and injured 14 people. Abe said that Japan and Sweden would work together to combat terrorism.

Both leaders also discussed increasing bilateral trade ties as the two countries prepare to celebrate the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year.

Abe's visit to Stockholm was the first leg of a Nordic tour, which also takes him to Finland and Denmark.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Russia on Sunday that it must take the first steps to reduce tensions in eastern Ukraine and that American and European sanctions would remain in place until Moscow reversed course in the region.

In surprisingly blunt language just two days after presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met in Germany, Tillerson said Russia should use its influence with separatists in Ukraine's east to fully restore an oft-violated truce, end harassment and attacks on international monitors and pull back heavy weaponry to lines agreed upon under a two-year-old accord known as the Minsk Agreement. He said a primary goal of the United States "is to restore Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty" and that would be "required in order for the U.S. and Russia to improve our relationship."

"It is necessary for Russia to take the first steps to de-escalate the situation in the eastern part of Ukraine," Tillerson told reporters at a joint news conference in Kiev with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. "This is necessary for us to make any movement."

"We do call on Russia to honor its commitments that were made under the Minsk accords and to exercise influence over the separatists in the region that they have complete control over," he said, adding later: "The U.S. and E.U. sanctions on Russia will remain in place until Moscow reverses the actions that triggered these particular sanctions."

Tillerson's tough talk clearly pleased Poroshenko, who has long complained about Russian interference in his country's east and has watched nervously as the Trump administration has sought to improve ties with Moscow. He thanked Tillerson for the continued U.S. commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and expressed deep appreciation for his "symbolic and timely visit immediately after the meetings at the G-20 in Hamburg" where Trump met with Putin.

Poroshenko was especially complimentary of Tillerson's decision last week to appoint a special envoy for Ukraine negotiations, former U.S. ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker, who is widely considered to be a hawk on Russia.

Volker will oversee U.S. efforts to press Ukraine and Russia to fully comply with the Minsk Agreement, which lays out a roadmap for reducing the conflict that has claimed some 10,000 lives over the past three years. The accord was reached in early 2015 in the capital of Belarus by the leaders of France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia but has yet to be implemented. Under the Obama administration, the U.S. had taken a hands-off approach to Minsk, allowing the Europeans to take the lead.

"We are disappointed by the lack of progress under the Minsk process and that's why we are appointing a special representative," Tillerson said.

Poroshenko, who said Volker would remain in Ukraine for the next several days, maintained that a resolution to the crisis "needs only the political will of Moscow."

"Kiev did not plan, did not start this war," he said. "It was planned and started in Moscow. That's why the keys to peaceful settlement are in Moscow."

Russia denies charges that it is actively involved in the insurgency, but has said that in order for peace to take hold, Kiev must agree to political reforms that would give the east greater autonomy. The Ukrainian government contends that political reform depends on an end to the violence.

Tillerson and other U.S. officials for some time have been pushing Ukraine to press ahead with reforms that would curb corruption and improve governmental transparency.

Speaking to a group of reform advocates at the U.S. ambassador's residence, Tillerson praised Ukraine's progress in combating graft but made clear that more must be accomplished.

"Ukraine has come a long way," he said. "We want to acknowledge that, (but) we still have more to do," he said. "This is all about securing Ukraine's future: making the place attractive for investors, being attractive to their European neighbors."

After a meeting later Sunday with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Poroshenko called on the world body to take a more active role in addressing Ukraine's problems.

"We came to agreement with the secretary-general that Ukraine and the whole world today need strong and decisive actions by the UN like never before," Poroshenko said.

---=

Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed.
Studies routinely show that investors who simply buy the cheapest stocks (determined by virtually any metric), as well as the smallest stocks by market value, tend to outperform the stock market average. With that in mind, consider these three mid-cap value exchange-traded funds below, which boast strong historical returns helped by low fees, higher yields, and diversified portfolios made up of stocks that meet basic "value" parameters.

The most diverse mid-cap value ETF

The iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF uses a simple rules-based methodology to pick the best mid-cap value stocks from a universe that includes the 800 smallest stocks of the Russell 1000 Index. The market cap-weighted fund selects stocks based on price-to-book ratios, projected growth (I/B/E/S estimates), and historical sales growth, ultimately selecting fewer than 600 stocks from the 800 stocks in its universe of potential picks.

As is typical with value-oriented funds, the iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF tends to overweight certain sectors like financial services (18% of assets), real estate (15% of assets), and utilities (10% of assets), which tend to trade at lower multiples than other sectors. And although the fund has a natural bias toward larger companies (which are given a heavier weighting in market cap-weighted funds), the largest companies in the index are far from household names.

Stocks owned by the ETF generally make up about 63% of the market value of the Russell Midcap Index, thus making it only modestly different from a simple mid-cap blend ETF. Over the most recent 15-year period, performance has been exceptional, as investors enjoyed returns of approximately 10.3% per year, putting it well ahead of about 83% of ETFs in the niche. For that level of performance, its annual expense ratio of 0.25% is easily justifiable.

The low-cost mid-cap value ETF

Vanguard's cost leadership in index funds extends into the world of market capitalization-based indexes, which includes its very popular Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF. The ETF selects stocks by ranking all stocks by market cap, and selecting from stocks, which are smaller than the largest 85% of companies by market cap but larger than the smallest 70% by market cap.

Stocks that make the "value" cut have to filter favorably through fundamental screens, which include price-to-book ratios, trailing and forward price to earnings, dividend yield, and price to sales. The cheapest stocks make the cut, resulting in a portfolio that is biased to consumer cyclicals (20% of assets), financials (20% of assets), and technology (12% of assets).

With about 200 holdings, it is the most concentrated of any fund on this list, which may be a disadvantage for investors who prefer funds with wider diversification. Furthermore, the fund has a shorter operating history, but performance has been strong since inception. It ranks in the top 15% of mid-cap value funds over the most recent 10-year period, beating the category average by about 1.4% per year. Low expenses are a primary driver of performance, as investors pay just 0.07% per year to own the fund.

A "Smid-cap" value ETF

The iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Value ETF gets a spot on this list for offering a unique portfolio that goes further down into small-cap territory with companies that are half the size of its competitors.

Like the others on this list, the iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Value ETF uses a value framework to select stocks from a larger index. The underlying index gives value scores to stocks that make up the S&P MidCap 400 index based on price-to-book, price-to-sales, and price-to-earnings ratios. Ultimately, it picks about 70% of stocks in the S&P MidCap 400 index for the value-oriented ETF, resulting in about 280 stocks in its portfolio.

Like the funds above, this ETF has a bias toward slow-growing financials (20% of assets), which it marries with beefy positions in industrials (14% of assets) and technology stocks (12% of assets).

The big difference maker is the fund's willingness to invest in smaller companies. Its average holding had a market cap of approximately $4.2 billion, compared to an average of roughly $11 billion for the Russell fund and $12 billion for the Vanguard fund.

Over the most recent 15-year period, it outperformed the mid-cap category average by 1% per year, putting it in the top 20% of mid-cap value funds. Its edge was smaller compared to the small cap value category, which it outperformed by 0.4% per year over the same 15-year period. Given an annual expense ratio of just 0.25% per year, it may be a best fit for those who want a mid-cap fund that ventures into small-cap territory.

Mid-cap value ETFs for every need

Each mid-cap value ETF on this list offers something different. For broad diversification, look no further than the iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF, which has twice the number of holdings as the Vanguard fund and three times the number of holdings as the competing S&P 400 MidCap tracker.

When it comes to expenses, the Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF is the best pick, given that the competing funds on this list have annual expense ratios that are nearly four times larger than Vanguard's low-cost leader. Finally, the iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Value ETF is the best pick for those who want exposure to truly tiny companies, as it effectively blends the traditional definition of small- and mid-cap stocks with a portfolio that is more heavily weighted toward small caps than mid caps that make up the majority of the other two ETFs by assets.

To be sure, any of the above could be a very good pick, if only because they are all certifiably cheap. According to recent data from the Investment Company Institute, the average actively managed mutual fund carried an expense ratio of 0.82%, more than three times higher than the expenses levied on the highest-cost funds on this list and nearly 12 times higher than Vanguard's Mid-Cap Value ETF.

While there are few guarantees in investing, it is mathematical certainty that the lowest-cost funds have the best probability of outperforming. These low-cost ETFs thus offer a great way to add mid-cap value stocks to your portfolio with minimal costs.

10 stocks we like better than iShares S&P MidCap 400 Value IndexWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

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Jordan Wathen has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday that he misses his oil industry "colleagues, partners and competitors" as he accepted an award at the World Petroleum Congress, hosted by Turkey this year.

Council President Jozsef Toth described Tillerson, who is from Texas, as "a man born with oil in his veins" before presenting him with the Dewhurst Award, named after the founder of the congress.

The former ExxonMobile chief expressed his gratitude and said he shared the award with the company's employees.

Tillerson arrived in Istanbul on Sunday after a visit to Ukraine, where he reaffirmed U.S. support for the country as it struggles with a Russia-backed insurgency.

He met with Turkey's foreign minister and was scheduled to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later Sunday.

Tillerson said the U.S. and strategically located Turkey would collaborate for "greater energy security." The next World Petroleum Congress is scheduled to take place in Houston, Texas in three years.

"On behalf of the United States, let me just say, I hope I am there in 2020," he said. "I'll be there, in some capacity, one way or another, because I'm never going to forget my friends and my colleagues and my partners in this extraordinary industry delivering energy to the world.
What a butthead.

Hollywood bad-boy Shia LaBeouf was arrested in Georgia Saturday morning for being drunk and disorderly after a stranger wouldnt give him a cigarette, TMZ reported.

LaBeouf, 31, was cuffed and taken into custody in Savannah around 4 a.m. for public drunkenness, disorderly conduct and obstruction, after the stranger refused to spot him a cancer stick and the actor flew off the handle.

The former Disney star then attempted to avoid arrest by running to a nearby hotel, where he was nabbed.

He became disorderly, using profanities and vulgar language in front of the women and children present, police said in a statement.He was told to leave the area and refused, becoming aggressive toward the officer.

The sometimes troubled actor was released from jail after posting a $7,000 bond, police said.

The actor had recently been filming The Peanut Butter Falcon in the area.

Click here to read more in the New York Post.
After Hillary Clinton appeared to collapse at the 9/11 anniversary ceremony on Sunday, her doctor confirmed she had been diagnosed with pneumonia prior to the event. Now, critics are questioning the Democratic presidential nominees health, her actions following the memorial, and the threat she may have posed to public health.

Clinton, 68, reportedly retreated to her daughter Chelseas Manhattan apartment, where she rested before emerging around noon and telling reporters, Im feeling great. She greeted a young girl and put her hand on her shoulders to take a photo.

The former Secretary of State was diagnosed with pneumonia and put on antibiotics on Friday, her physician, Dr. Lisa R. Bardack, said in a statement.

Despite the criticism, several experts who have not treated Clinton said her reported symptoms and actions at the event suggest she had common bacterial pneumonia and did not threaten the health of those around her during the public appearance.

Its not too surprising that she has a pneumonia, Dr. Frank Esper, pediatric infectious disease specialists at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, one of those experts, told FoxNews.com. Shes under a lot of stress, and the rigors of the campaign can lead you to be more susceptible to getting sickness.

According to the National Institutes of Health, millions of Americans are diagnosed with pneumonia each year.

Pneumonia is a very common infection if you go around to the people you work with, youll have a hard time finding someone who hasnt had it in the last 10 years, Esper said. Almost everybody has it several times through their life.

Bardack neither revealed what type of pneumonia Clinton has, nor did she clarify whether it was a bacterial or viral infection of the lungs. Bacterial infections are not contagious, while viral infections are.

Viral respiratory infections are most common in late fall and early spring, so her illness is likely bacterial, Dr. Robert Kotloff, chairman of pulmonary medicine at Cleveland Clinic, told FoxNews.com. Bacterial pneumonia can be treated on an outpatient basis, and patients are advised to take it easy without further restrictions.

There are more serious diagnoses that require hospitalization and, in some cases, care in an intensive care unit, but it doesnt sound like this particular situation fits those criteria, Kotloff said.

While some critics claim Clinton fainted while leaving the 9/11 event, its unlikely she actually lost consciousness, Dr. Amesh Adalja, infectious disease specialist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, told FoxNews.com. Adalja said she may have been felt dizzy or felt faint, and, if that was the case, going to her daughters home rather than a medical facility was appropriate.

Its not uncommon for someone thats being treated for pneumonia to have symptoms of fatigue and [feeling faint], said Adalja, a member of the Infectious Disease Society of America's (IDSA) public health committee. Sometimes those episodes are transient and will pass with a little bit of rest, laying down, drinking fluids, and theres no need for further concern.

Adalja added that Clintons physicians likely counseled her on which pneumonia symptoms to expect.

She was not looking too short of breath, not wearing an oxygen tank, so she probably has a mild case of community acquired bacterial pneumonia, said Adalja, adding that with antibiotics, patients usually have a very robust recovery.

However, it usually takes five to 10 days for an individuals immune system to eradicate most viruses, after which point they are no longer infectious, Esper said. The immune system also wanes with age, which may make a patient Clintons age contagious for a slightly longer illness.

Depending on the specific virus that caused the pneumonia, a patient may be rundown for weeks and have a cough for months, Esper added.

The lungs are extremely sensitive to infection, and it takes a lot to get well, he said. [Patients are] not coughing up infectious particles their lungs have been scarred a little, and theres an inflammatory response. Theyre coughing up basically sterile material.

While campaigning in Cleveland last week, Clinton had a coughing fit, which the campaign attributed to allergies. It's possible Clinton may have assumed that symptoms from an earlier viral infection were due to allergies, Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University, told the Associated Press.

Clinton has stayed in the public eye since her diagnosis, but that doesnt mean there should be concern that shes spreading disease, experts like Adalja and Kotloff agree.

For the overwhelming majority of bacterial organisms that cause pneumonia in adults, theyre not communicable from one individual to another, Kotloff said. In that way, I dont think the child was put into jeopardy.

Its possible Clinton has whats known as walking pneumonia, the common moniker applied to patients who do not need to be hospitalized, experts said.

The majority of patients will just have a bad cough and need to go home, need chicken soup, need rest to give their immune system time to eradicate this germ, Esper said, noting that, according to the ISDA , more than 1 million people over age 65 get pneumonia each year, which does not mean there are 65 million people hospitalized.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the pneumococcal vaccine for all adults age 65 and older and its unknown whether Clinton received it. However, even if Clinton had been vaccinated, the formula protects only against the most common bacterial form of pneumonia, pneumococcal disease.

There are a multitude of other organisms that cause pneumonia. More than 50 percent are caused by organisms other than pneumococcus, Kotloff said. Getting the vaccine does not dramatically reduce the likelihood of getting pneumococcal disease, it significantly reduces the likelihood of getting life-threatening complications from pneumococcus.

The vaccination is also recommended for all children younger than 5 years old. Pneumonia is the leading cause of death among children under age 5, accounting for 15 percent of all child deaths in 2015, according to the World Health Organization.

An individuals current health and health history do not make them more susceptible to pneumonia, Kotloff said.

It can affect an otherwise perfectly healthy individual, whether they are elderly or even young adults. In general, stress and a heavy schedule that lead to exhaustion can certainly have an effect on the immune system, Kotloff said. Someone acquiring pneumonia does not in any way imply that they have an underlying health condition.
The parents of terminally ill 11-month-old Charlie Gard said on Sunday their son "deserves a chance" to be taken to the U.S. for an experimental treatment that could improve his condition.

Connie Yates and Chris Gard spoke outside London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, where Charlie has been kept since November, after delivering a petition signed by more than 350,000 people urging the hospital to allow the baby to be taken to the United States.

"He's our son, he's our flesh and blood and we feel that it should be our right as parents to decide to give him a chance at life," Yates said. "For a medication that is just an oral medicine, no known major side effects, you know, there is nothing to lose. He deserves a chance."

CHARLIE GARD'S DISEASE AND LEGAL CASE: AN EXPLAINER

Charlie's father said there is no evidence he has "catastrophic brain damage," adding, "He should have had this chance a long time ago. They said it wasn't fair to leave him on a ventilator for three months with a treatment that they didn't think was going to work, he's now been left for seven months with no treatment, so he could have had it twice over. He deserves this chance at last and hopefully we will get it."

Charlie's case is expected to be back in Britain's High Court on Monday. The hospital requested the hearing because of new medical information from researchers at the Vatican's children's hospital suggesting experimental treatment might possibly be useful.

U.S. lawyer Catherine Glenn Foster, who is helping the family, said Sunday, "this new evidence involves the therapy itself and the percent success rate, and the likelihood that it will significantly help Charlie."

Connie's mother had called on Theresa May to help, but Justice Secretary David Lidington told Sky News that although the case is "heart-wrenching" the government has "no role to play."

CHARLIE GARD: WHY HIS STRUGGLE MAY SOON BE OURS

"It is right that judges interpret the law, independently and dispassionately," he said. "As ministers and as a government we have no role to play in the Charlie Gard case, as would be the case in any other proceeding in court."

Charlie inherited the faulty RRM2B gene from his parents, which affects the cells responsible for energy production and respiration, leaving him unable to move or breathe without a ventilator. The therapy he has been offered is not a cure.

Unless the court hearing produces a change, the hospital is barred by a series of court decisions from allowing the baby to be taken elsewhere for treatment.

Two American congressmen have added their support and are trying to offer the Gard family the chance to become U.S. residents.

Read more from Sky News.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Charlie Gard is eleven months old. He has a rare brain disease.

There is a chance that his life could be saved -- at a hospital in America -- a hospital that could provide an experimental treatment.

Charlie's mom and dad raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the journey.

But the British courts said no -- a judge ruled that doctors could take the little boy off life support without parental consent. The doctors say there is no hope - Charlie cannot breathe on his own - and he has brain damage. And they say the boy's parents have no right to determine his fate.

Charlie's mom and dad are devastated.

The European Court of Human Rights declined to hear the case -- in essence handing down a death sentence. It's ironic that a court that oversees Human Rights - does not believe Charlie Gard has a human right to live.

They do not believe that Charlie's mom and dad have a right to decide what is best for their child. The court believes the responsibility rests with the doctors in white coats. And the doctors believe that it would be in Charlie's best interest if he simply died.

The pope has tried to intervene -- so has President Trump -- urging the British government to have mercy. But so far -- their pleadings have fallen on deaf ears.

So as it now stands - Charlie Gard could very well be dead before his first birthday - sentenced to death by the British government -- because doctor's believe that's what's best.

Read more from ToddStarnes.com.
As someone who regularly speaks to biblical prophesy as it relates to the end of the world, I once was asked, When you think about the future, what scares you?

Without hesitation, I responded, Lawlessness.

Lawlessness is now becominga normal part of mainstream culture.

The ambush shooting of a New York City police officer demonstrates the spirit of lawlessness that exists in our world. This is more than a random and isolated assassination; this is a war on our way of life and the foundation we hold dear.

This weeks tragedy came on the heels of James Hodgkinsons shooting of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and four others. Hodgkinson somehow justified his behavior because he did not approve of the politics of President Donald J. Trump. Maybe it's time to look deeper than one's political views and identify the real problem that exists in society.

The epidemic of violence is more than a plank in a political platform or a topic for talk radio; it will not be resolved with the passage of new, tougher laws because it is not simply a civil matter. It is a symptom of the much deeper and wider spiritual problem. A major shift appears to be taking place, indicating a new and threatening level of lawlessness in the United States, from the pinnacle of government to the living rooms of every community.

Our nation is great, in part due to government, laws, and order that we have enjoyed. Laws are designed to promote justice, and resolve conflicts. The Rule of Law militates against the right of an individual to decide for themselves, which laws are right and which laws are wrong. Without law, we have anarchy, fear and the erosion of civilization.

Lawlessness is more than breaking the civil or national law. This is because lawlessness is not the action of violating the established laws of a nation; lawlessness runs much deeper and is by nature spiritual. Scripture recognizes the authority of government and even goes so far to say that they are appointed by God for the good of all mankind (Romans 13:1-3).

The corrosive and destructive spirit of lawlessness is not primarily a consequence of defying the law. It also includes the absence of the love for his fellow man. It is quite possible (and all too common) for people to be model, law-abiding citizens with regards to the laws on the courthouse books, but if they do not have genuine love for God and for neighbor, then they are contributing to the problem of lawlessness.

When society fails to respect the law, fear is elevated as disorder rises with the result that social patterns begin to change and residents feel disconnected from other members of society. Communities crumble, and trust is absent from the vocabulary, except as a memory.

For America, perhaps our finest hour came after 9/11, which was an eye-opening alert that evil from outside was making its way in. We responded to our national shock by pulling together, foregoing personal concerns to help others in greater need, consoling those who had lost loved ones, and rebuilding what external terrorists thought they had destroyed.

But to believe that America has somehow risen above the spirit of lawlessness that is spreading across the world is both foolish and naive. In the years since 9/11, the pendulum has swung far in the opposite direction, revealing that this spirit has not been subdued. Our nation is being torn apart by inner-city strife, the dispute over immigration, the epidemic of addiction and more. In addition, we have begun to witness a startling disregard for Gods Law.

What once was shocking and abhorrent to most people is now widely accepted. The threat of lawlessness from without, while still a cause for much concern, is far less frightening than the potential consequences of extended, ongoing weakening of our internal moral compass.

We have become like the Prodigal Son who longs to return to the father. Remembering a time when things were better. America is not perfect, but America is great. During times of turmoil, struggle, and war we have demonstrated our resolve and our faith in God. The character and essential qualities of our great nation lie just below the surface of struggles. I, for one, am confident in our future.
If you believe science is demystifying the universe, consider Tabbys star, widely hailed as the weirdest sun in the galaxy. As far as I can tell, MIT-trained astronomer Matt Muterspaugh said recently, Every telescope that can look at it right now is looking at it right now.

Named after Tabetha Boyajian, an astrophysicist at Louisiana State University, the super-strange object located in the constellation Cygnus was unexpectedly discovered in 2009 in photographs taken by the powerful Kepler space telescope. Planet hunters, an online army of volunteer citizen-astronomers, were combing the photos for evidence of extraterrestrial, Earth-like worlds  so-called exoplanets.

Out of more than 150,000 stars, this particular one caught their eye because of the occasional, pronounced, and inexplicable dips in its brightness. Every star, including our own sun, shines inconstantly, but typically the variabilities are subtle. Not so with this object  initially labeled KIC 8462852  so the planet hunters promptly alerted a team of professional astronomers led by Boyajian, who back then was at Yale University.

Alien megastructures? Picture massive, alien-made space stations, for instance, orbiting Tabby and eclipsing its starlight in dramatic and unpredictable ways. Needless to say, this is the scenario the popular media is eating up.

After exhaustively analyzing the photographic evidence, she concluded the peculiar dips recorded by the Kepler telescope over a four-year period defied classification. The dips were erratic and sometimes shockingly deep. At first, Boyajian explains, Tabbys brightness was steady. But then it lost a fifth of its total flux [brightness], then nothing again, and then it had a huge collection of dips of varying shapes and depths.

Of the many possible explanations, the one tentatively favored by Boyajians team is that Tabby is encircled by a swarm of irregular comet fragments. Occasionally, those fragments pass between the star and us, causing the abrupt, oddly-shaped dips in brightness. The larger the fragment, the greater the dimming.

Other relatively prosaic explanations blame the sporadic occultations on, take your pick, asteroids, dust clouds, or planetesimals. Like the comet fragments scenario, any one of these possibilities could cause Tabby to look like a flickering light bulb.

Penn State astronomer Jason Wright, who is working with Boyajian, has other ideas. Among what he calls hypotheses with unclear plausibility  far-fetched explanations of the head-scratching enigma that cannot be ruled out  is this one: alien megastructures. Picture massive, alien-made space stations, for instance, orbiting Tabby and eclipsing its starlight in dramatic and unpredictable ways. Needless to say, this is the scenario the popular media is eating up.

Today, Boyajians team continues monitoring Tabbys baffling dips and is no closer to a convincing explanation for them. Indeed, the mystery has so thoroughly and widely caught the publics imagination that she created a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the research. For $25 or more, you can even help name the dips, as though they were hurricanes. The latest, mysterious sharp drop happened just weeks ago and on July 4 was ceremoniously named Celeste.

One day, no doubt, Boyajian and her growing legion of supporters will solve the mystery of Tabbys star. But, make no mistake, science will never rid our existence of mystery. To the contrary, science appears destined to widen and deepen it.

For in its mighty efforts to solve a single mystery, science invariably stumbles upon the unexpected  as we saw happen with the planet hunters, who were searching for life-friendly worlds. Even more telling is the discovery in recent decades that only five percent of the universe is actually visible to us; the rest  ninety-five percent  is hidden in the form of dark matter and dark energy.

The net effect is that the cosmos is now vastly more mysterious to us than when our ancestors first stared up at the heavens and wondered what was out there. Today, more than ever, we truly know how very little we know.
So, youre stepping out on your spouse for a few hours of bliss with that special someone. Wine? Check. Flowers? Check. Call Verizon to let them know where youll be? Ummm

Thats what youre doing if you set off to your rendezvous carrying your cellphone. That nearly ubiquitous part of modern life is not just a way to call and text. Its also a tracking device. That means your service provider knows where you are, as long as youre carrying your trusty, ultra-slim BFF.

But should the government be able to get its paws on that information?

Thats what the Supreme Court must decide. By agreeing to review a case called United States v. Carpenter, the high court is wading into particularly treacherous waters. The issue: Should an individuals presumed right to privacy outweigh the ability of our law enforcement to use modern technology to solve crimes?

Amorous trysts are one thing. Taking your cell phone with you to rob a bank is something else. If the information that your cell phone transmits to your carrier confirms your presence at the bank while its being robbed, is that something the police should know?

Curt Levey, president of the Washington-based Committee for Justice, thinks not. A smart criminal would remember to turn their cell phone off at the moment when theyre committing a crime, Levey told me. But its a slippery slope to more intrusive tactics. Pretty soon, the government will be interested in where you were as much before and after the crime as they can get. And thats where it gets dangerous. They will want to know your state of mind or whether you met with some co-conspirators, they will want as broad a record of your location as they can find.

Levey says he understands why other tracking devices, like an E-Z pass that records comings and goings over turnpikes, bridges and tunnels, might be fair game. But, he says, With cell phones, you really would have stop using them, and thats just not possible if you want to have any sort of functional life. There are certain phrases whether in the Constitution or elsewhere that scream out for change and modernization. Reasonable expectation of privacy depends entirely on what times you are living in.

And thats the point. There are circumstances under which there is a tension with privacy, but it is an entirely sensible and necessary concession to make in the interest of protecting the country, says Frank Gaffney, founder of the Center for Security Policy. At the end of the day there is a public interest in being able to access crucial information where there is not a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Its a close call, but Bellwether thinks that, in an age of terrorism and high-tech chicanery, law enforcement authorities cant be denied access to data that will help solve crimes and keep us safe. Whether its a wandering Lothario or an up-to-date thief, if youre up to no good, leave your smart phone at home.
Mark my words  the wind is turning. Donald and Melania Trump are leaders  persistent, consistent, from the heart. Some expected this, many did not. But underestimating these two would be a profound mistake.

The first clear turn signal was the Inauguration speech. It was concise, incisive, blunt and uncompromising. No more blah-blah and calculated pampering, national self-derision or happy talk for the sake of media approval. No more pretending personal differences and sincere opinions were bad, individual character and national sacrifice irrelevant, honor and history no longer material.

To those who wished America would again be proud of who we are, the speech affirmed that long tunnels do end and light does exist, even after years of economic and moral malaise, even with security threats mounting and international respect declining. The future is what we make it; it should be an extension of our proud past, not a departure from it.

Then came the disciplined and bipartisan State of the Union speech. Those clad in white on the Left, who dared not clap or stand, could barely believe their ears. The president was compelling, honest, and inclusive. He spoke to all Americans, not just supporters. He validated them, offered answers, summoned higher angels. The Left was confused.

Next came the Middle East Peace speech  direct and sincere and hopeful that leaders, Shia, Sunni, Jewish and Christian, might lay down swords for a moment, and imagine what might be possible. Take a look at what those leaders said after that speech. Not in decades had such hope been entertained. Americas pledge to lead is believed. It should be.

Then came the Kennedy Center speech on July 1. Here, the president made a bold promise  to all Americans. Faith  whatever your faith  will be respected. "My administration will always  defend your religious liberty. He added, We don't want to see God forced out of our public square," and no one is going to stop you from practicing your faith or saying what's in your heart."

Understand the importance. Trump was resetting our national compass. His words could have come from Episcopalian George Washington, Deist Thomas Jefferson, Dutch Reformed Theodore Roosevelt, Baptist Jimmy Carter, Presbyterian Ronald Reagan, or Roman Catholic John F. Kennedy.

Then, the speech on Wednesday in Poland  a speech about what really matters, a signal as clear as Reveres lantern from the Old North Church. He spoke of Polands intergenerational commitment to freedom, holding democracy dear, living by faith and courage, preserving Western values. And he spoke of Americas historic role in doing the same.

The continuity and progression of this presidents unfolding worldview as revealed in these speeches shows one of hope, expectation, impatient for results, and insistent on accountability.

How soon we forget  that leaders come from all walks, and that many are underestimated long before being appreciated.

Ronald and Nancy Reagan were just B movie actors  remember? He was no intellectual, would trigger Armageddon, and was hopelessly sold on American exceptionalism. Nancy was even worse  just a former starlet.

The result of their leadership? The most robust economy in decades, 18 million new jobs, a tax cut for all Americans, the end of the Soviet Union, and respect for America in the world.

Today, we have a new president and First Lady, again underestimated. He has vision, lives by hope, and is willing to risk all for it. He has done and said more in six months than most presidents in an entire term.

And Melania Trump, like Nancy Reagan, has been deliberately underestimated and diminished, her depth and talent unacknowledged. Yes, she is a model. Yes, she is a devoted mother.

She was also born in Titos Soviet-dominated Yugoslavia, in Slovenia; secretly baptized, strived, survived and became an American citizen. She speaks six languages, including English, French, Italian, German, Serbo-Croatian, and Slovene. How many of her liberal detractors can speak even three? Or know anything like the hardship of her youth? How many have her patience and poise?

Which brings us back to that new wind blowing, and what it means. The Trumps are a team, like the Reagans. And what they bring America may have been best foretold by another underestimated leader, one who ended up saving Western civilization. Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it, Winston Churchill said. May we all.
President Donald Trumps eldest son, son-in-law, and then-campaign chairman met with a Russian lawyer shortly after Trump won the Republican nomination, in what appears to be the earliest known private meeting between key aides to the president and a Russian.

Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushners attorney confirmed the June 2016 meeting of the men and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower. Then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended, according to the statement from Donald Trump Jr.

It was a short introductory meeting. I asked Jared and Paul to stop by. We primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children that was active and popular with American families years ago and was since ended by the Russian government, but it was not a campaign issue at that time and there was no follow-up, said Donald Trump Jr. in a statement released to Fox News. I was asked to attend the meeting by an acquaintance, but was not told the name of the person I would be meeting with beforehand.

Trump Jr. does not serve in the administration and is not required to disclose his foreign contacts.

Kushner lawyer Jamie Gorelick, told Fox News in a statement: As we have previously stated, Mr. Kushners SF-86 was prematurely submitted and, among other errors, did not list any contacts with foreign government officials. The next day, Mr. Kushner submitted supplemental information stating that he had had numerous contacts with foreign officials about which he would be happy to provide additional information."

"He has since submitted this information, including that during the campaign and transition, he had over 100 calls or meetings with representatives of more than 20 countries, most of which were during transition," said Gorelick. "Mr. Kushner has submitted additional updates and included, out of an abundance of caution, this meeting with a Russian person, which he briefly attended at the request of his brother-in-law, Donald Trump Jr. As Mr. Kushner has consistently stated, he is eager to cooperate and share what he knows.

Manafort helmed Trumps campaign for about five months until August and resigned from the campaign immediately after the Associated Press reported on his firms covert Washington lobbying operation on behalf of Ukraines ruling political party. He is one of several people linked to President Trump who are under scrutiny by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and congressional committees investigating Russian attacks on the U.S. during the 2016 campaign and potential collusion with Trump associates.

Manafort has denied any coordination with Russia and has said his work in Ukraine was not related to the campaign.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Congress returns from its July 4 recess Monday with Republicans hard-pressed to accomplish a number of legislative goals in short order  and their top-priority, a health care bill, in jeopardy of collapsing.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., sounded a dire note Sunday about the passage of any plan the GOP-controlled Senate has in the works to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

Clearly, the draft plan is dead, Cassidy, whose own overhaul plan remains on the sidelines, told Fox News Sunday. Is the serious rewrite plan dead? I dont know. I have not seen the serious rewrite plan. It is a heck of a way to do business.

Cassidy, a doctor, also expressed uncertainty about Texas Sen. Ted Cruzs plan that proposes bare-bone insurance policies, suggesting hes uncertain about exactly how the Cruz plan works.

CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS MUST WORK THE MARGINS TO PASS KEY LEGISLATION

Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., suggested over the recess that he might need bipartisan help to fix parts of ObamaCare if he cannot craft an major overhaul bill that will get support from at least 50 of his 52 senators.

In overhauling ObamaCare, the GOP-led Congress is trying to give President Trump his first clear legislative win nearly six months after Republicans took full control of Washington.

Meanwhile, Congress has other pressing issues, including passing tax reform, spending bills and a budget before the September 30 deadline for the federal government to technically run out of money.

And with lawmakers having just three weeks of work before an August recess, some Republicans are suggesting cancelling or at least shortening the break.

The House in May passed its own plan to replace ObamaCare as the 2010 health care law continues to falter under rising premium costs while offering Americans few policy options.

McConnell is struggling to find GOP votes for a similar package that would replace the Affordable Care Act  ObamaCare's official name  with one easing insurance coverage requirements, cutting Medicaid, erasing penalties on people not buying insurance and repealing tax increases on the well-off.

He called off a pre-recess vote on the measure -- which he'd written privately -- as it became clear it would lose. Whether Democrats would help fix the law is unclear. They acknowledge changes are needed but say they wont participate in a full repeal-and-replace effort.

A vote is expected no earlier than the week of July 16.

Still, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus expressed optimism Sunday morning about passage.

I don't think it's in half as much trouble as the media wanted to be in, he told Fox News Sunday. If anyone can get it done, Mitch McConnell, President Trump working together with a Senate can.  Whether it'd be before August recess or during August recess, the president expects the Senate to fulfill the promises it made to the American people.

And Trump tweeted later in the day: "For years, even as a 'civilian,' I listened as Republicans pushed the Repeal and Replace of ObamaCare. Now they finally have their chance!"

Meanwhile, none of the 12 annual spending bills financing federal agencies is finished, and disagreements have slowed work on a tax overhaul. And no one knows what bargains will be needed to assure autumn passage of a bill extending government borrowing authority and avoiding a crushing federal default.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters Friday that he'd "prefer" to pass the budget in July, suggesting it might linger until fall, adding to Congress' late-year mountain of work.

Some conservatives, meanwhile, want to include measures to cut spending as part of any extension of the government's borrowing authority.

But Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin reiterated Sunday on ABC's "This Week" that the administration prefers a straightforward extension, without including contentious agreements on spending cuts.

Defense hawks have scoffed at Trump's proposed 2018 military budget as insufficient and are adding billions more.

The House is slated to vote this week on a sweeping policy bill that takes issue with Trump's proposed trim to missile defense spending as North Korea pushes its development of weapons capable of striking the United States.

The defense bill would provide $696 billion for the Pentagon. It has $28.5 billion more for core Pentagon operations than Trump requested, including an additional $2.5 billion for programs aimed at shielding the homeland from missiles. There's extra money for new jet fighters, ships and additional active duty troops.

And a Senate panel this week holds a confirmation this hearing on Trump's choice to replace ousted FBI Director James Comey.

Nominee Christopher Wray, a white-collar defense lawyer with a strong law enforcement background, was a high-ranking official in George W. Bush's Justice Department. He later represented New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the Bridgegate scandal.

Trump fired Comey in May as the FBI investigation into Russian meddling in the presidential election pressed on. Members of the Judiciary Committee are certain to press Wray on how independent he would be from Trump.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
You hear a lot about polls in politics. But uou dont hear a lot about poles, and you should.

Major legislative agenda items are won and lost at the margins. Its one thing to marshal the core of a majority in Congress to support a broad policy position like repealing ObamaCare or something more nebulous like tax reform. Its another enterprise to usher a controversial bill to passage.

Big bills are won on the edge. Successful presidents and congressional leaders vacuum most of the easy votes from the middle of the playing field. But they then must play to within a millimeter of the chalk line to cajole the handful of congressional skeptics to support their initiative.

Those outliers may agree in principle with an agenda item, but not the specifics. Thats where legislative engineers attempt to tweak a bill to lure just the right number of lawmakers to vote yes and pass the bill.

And this is what brings us to the issue of poles in politics. Political poles.

You heard about this a lot when House Republicans struggled in the spring to approve their health care bill. First they had some moderate Republicans on board.

Then that support slipped when House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., courted the conservative House Freedom Caucus. Then some more changes. With that, the GOP brass managed to move a few moderates like Reps. Tom MacArthur, R-N.J., Martha McSally, R-Arizona, and Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., into the yes column.

MacArthurs own amendment helped. But they lost other moderate GOPers like Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa. So, the leadership and President Trump had to go to the poles. Everything else was filled up. Either they were going to convince some very conservative Republicans or some very moderate Republicans to vote yes or they werent.

In the end, Ryan and others charmed just enough Republicans from both poles, to vote yea. The House approved the package 217 to 213.

Its not so much that political leaders can threaten recalcitrant lawmakers into submission. They have to read the political atmosphere to concoct a legislative solution modeled to the circumstances.

In the case of the health care bill, many House Republicans ultimately wanted to make good on their longtime campaign promise to repeal and replace ObamaCare. The bill wasnt perfect. It was just good enough.

Perhaps the most persuasive argument was one the Republican brain trust never had to make. Rank-and-file Republicans knew they had opportunity to upend ObamaCare now, considering the fact that Trump, a Republican, is in the White House and the GOP holds majorities in the House and Senate.

The polar issue is augmented in the Senate compared to the House.

Moderates like GOP Sens. Susan Collins, Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, Alaska, will demand very different things compared to fellow Republican Sens. Ted Cruz, Texas, and Mike Lee, Utah.

House Republicans possessed a wider turning radius to address these problems. But the Senate breakdown doesnt do Republicans many favors.

The GOP possesses Senate 52 seats. Forty-eight senators caucus with the Democrats. Republicans are angling for just 50 yeas with the hopes that Vice President Pence would break the tie.

Talk about playing to the edge of the field.

There are arguments that the bully pulpit doesnt exist when it comes to the presidency.

That could be true -- except when the president or congressional leaders need to flip just a vote or two. However, the bigger problem remains at the poles. Fix one issue to placate the moderates and youve broken something with the conservatives. Or vice versa.

Regardless of the outcome on health care, Republicans realize they are already dealing with poles on the next big issue facing Congress: tax reform.

There are two primary GOP credos: lower taxes and lower deficits. Thats why its extraordinary to hear some Republicans whisper privately about raising taxes on wealthy earners as a part of tax reform. By the same token, other GOPers suggest a willingness to drive up the deficit to score lower tax rates.

Naturally, achieving lower tax rates without increasing the deficit involves threading a needle -- and it would be done at the poles of the Republican party.

Tax reform is challenging enough. But tax reform can be very personal. Certainly all sorts of organizations and industries will push for Congress to retain particular tax shelters. That will involve dealing with a handful of lawmakers at the margins.

Ryan endorses ideas like a border adjustment tax, which helps U.S. exports and could impact imports. Navigating the vagaries of tax reform certainly requires buy-in at the edges.

In the best of scenarios, it will be a struggle for the GOP to draft a tax reform plan that manages to lower taxes without spiking the deficit. Its unclear how the math would work.

In other words, the Treasury Department could see less revenue if taxes are lower. That said, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, has been relentless in preaching a pro-growth mantra.

He argues that lower taxes would bolster economic growth. A more muscular economic engine would flood the Treasury with revenue, driving down the deficit.

It will be interesting to see how the Congressional Budget Office evaluates various iterations of the GOPs legislative blueprints. Recall how many Republicans upbraided the CBO for its appraisals of the House and Senate GOP health care bills.

Congressional Republicans opened a can of worms in taking on the nonpartisan office. Will some Republicans use CBO forecasts of meager economic growth or skyrocketing deficits as reasons to oppose tax reform?

Not all. But some will. And those members are important to watch if they are at the margins.

Ironically, it could be a little easier for Republicans to assemble a tax-reform package if they enlisted Democrats. Granted, youre dealing with the poles there, too. There are liberal Democrats who would be willing to vote yes on a soak the rich premise.

There are conservative Republicans who would vote yea because the extra revenue curbs the deficit. But the poles can be even more polarizing when youre grappling with members of your own party. In those cases, the Earth is smaller. It might not be that far to the equator. But the sides are more entrenched despite being closer together.

So its up to the poles of the Republican party when it comes to finishing the health care bill and potentially advancing tax reform. GOP leaders and President Trump just have to figure out a way to solve both puzzles without everything tipping off its axis.
Mayor de Blasio flew all the way to Hamburg, Germany, to praise that citys police in a speech  while cops back home continued to mourn, without him, the assassination of one of their own in The Bronx.

Our right to protest is directly related to the fact that our police protect us, Hizzoner told a crowd of thousands at the outdoor Hamburg Shows Attitude rally protesting the G-20 summit Saturday. So help me by joining in applause and thanks for the police, he said as the crowd cheered.

There have also been great acts of bravery and restraint, he said. Remember, our police are working men and women, too.

But Hamburg police werent feeling the love, despite the praises of Burgermeister de Blasio. By Saturday night  after two days of rioting  more than 200 Hamburg cops had been injured by a rowdy minority of bottle- and firebomb-tossing protesters, according to CNN.

And back home, the mayor missed an evening vigil honoring slain NYPD Officer Miosotis Familia at the 46th Precinct station house where she worked in The Bronx.

Familia, 48, a mother of three, was shot in the head early Wednesday by a cop-loathing parolee as she sat in a police command vehicle.

Its disgraceful that the mayor is anywhere but at this ceremony right now, vigil attendee Maria Rinaldi, 53, of University Heights, told The Post.

I get where hes at right now, said precinct neighbor Caesar Montez, 61. But this is your city. You need to be here when a tragedy like this happens.

De Blasio gave two speeches Saturday during his all-expenses-paid junket to Hamburg.

The first was in the morning, at the citys Thalia Theater, where he avoided any mention of filth or delays as he praised the New York City subway system, calling it a metaphor for a harmonious society.

Riding the subways are people of all faiths and people of all backgrounds, he said.

You have the rich and the poor, people of all faiths and all backgrounds, cramped in close together.

And I like it as a metaphor because its not perfect, its not necessarily the way you want to live, to be the sardine in the sardine can. But what you notice is there is a working harmony.

The mayor spent much of his second outdoor rally speech distancing himself from US conservatives.

My nation isnt broken, but my nation is going through an identity crisis, he said. Its on its way somewhere, and I know its somewhere good because I see what happens in the neighborhoods in my city . . . I see the process of change underway.

De Blasio was accompanied at both speeches by his 19-year-old son, Dante, a Yale University undergrad who is spending the summer in Berlin.

After the rally, de Blasio gave a series of softball interviews to local media, who asked him how much German he could speak and how he and Dante were enjoying their visits.

But he refused to take any more questions when a Post reporter approached to ask for a response to the criticism he has received  from police, political opponents and New Yorkers  for leaving the city just one day after Familias assassination to grandstand on a global stage.

It seems the mayor hasnt learned anything from the men and women [in blue] who turned their backs on him in the past, said Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association  in a reference to angry cops turning their backs on the mayor at past events.

No one in uniform is surprised by de Blasios show of disrespect, said Pat Lynch, president of the Patrolmens Benevolent Association.

Read more from The New York Post.
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus on Sunday suggested a recent news story about President Trump and his advisers meeting last summer with a Russian lawyer is part of a large political smear campaign orchestrated by a group that pushed out the largely discredited Steele dossier.

The individual who set up the meeting may have been affiliated with Fusion GPS, which is an opposition research firm that is being subpoenaed and talked to by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Priebus told Fox News Sunday.

Priebus was responding to a story posted Saturday afternoon by The New York Times about the June 2016 meeting, shortly before Trump won the Republican presidential nomination, between a Russian lawyer and Trump, Jared Kushner and political adviser Paul Manafort.

The story is among many attempting to connect the Trump presidential campaign to Russia meddling in the 2016 White House race.

The possible connection between the meeting and Fusion GPS was reported first by Circa.com.

Circa reported Saturday that the presidents legal team thinks the meeting may have been part of a larger election-year opposition effort aimed at creating the appearance of improper connections between Trump family members and Russia that also included a now-discredited intelligence dossier produced by a former British intelligence agent named Christopher Steele who worked for a U.S. political firm known as Fusion GPS.

Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Trumps legal team, told Circa that lawyers have learned that the person who sought the meeting is associated with Fusion GPS, a firm that according to public reports was retained by Democratic operatives to develop opposition research on the president and which commissioned the phony Steele dossier."

Priebus said Sunday that the Senate committee is questioning Fusion GPS about its role in putting together that phony dossier.

So, this is a developing story, he continued. I dont know much about it other than it seems to be on the end of the Trump individuals, a big nothing burger but may spin out of control for the (Democratic National Committee) and the Democrats.

Fusion GPS is reportedly run by three former Wall Street Journal reporters and has helped Planned Parenthood.

The dossier largely included reports of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.

The news media began reporting widely on the dossier in fall 2016, the homestretch of the White House race, but the unverified reports have since largely been dismissed as fake news.
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said Sunday that President Trump didnt believe Russian President Vladimir Putin when he personally told Trump that his government didnt meddle in the 2016 White House race and denied Trump saying the alleged meddling was exaggerated.

Thats not true, Priebus told Fox News Sunday. The president absolutely did not believe the denial of the Russian president.

Trump and Putin on Friday met face-to-face for the first time, at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

Trump critics, convinced that his presidential campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election, argue the president didnt press Putin hard enough on the issue.

Russias Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, said hours after the meeting that Trump had accepted Putins assurances that Moscow was not behind the meddling.

Trump administration officials quickly pushed back, saying Lavrov's account was not accurate.

Priebus said that Trump twice, maybe even three times pressed Putin on the issue before having to move ahead to other pressing issues.

He also pushed back on a New York Times story posted Saturday afternoon about a June 2016 meeting, before Trump won the GOP nomination, between a Russian lawyer and Trump, Jared Kushner and political adviser Paul Manafort.

Priebus said Sunday that he didnt know much about the meeting, except that it was about a Russia-U.S. child adoption program and that Kushner had disclosed it in an amended document.

It was a nothing meeting, said Priebus, who suggested the story is part of a larger opposition-research effort by Trump critics. I don't know much about it other than it seems to be on the end of the Trump individuals a big nothing burger. But it may spin out of control for the Democratic National Committee.

On the Russia issue, Priebus also said Trump, as he has said before, believes Russia likely meddled in the 2016 races.

Hes addressed this issue many times, he said. Yes, he believes that Russia probably committed all of the acts that weve been told of, but also thinks that other countries were involved, as they have been for years.
Sen. Marco Rubio on Sunday blasted President Trump for announcing hes working with Russian President Vladimir Putin on cyber security, saying such a deal is like partnering with Syrian President Bashar Assad on a Chemical Weapons Unit.

Rubio, R-Fla., made the comment in a series of tweets after Trump met personally with Putin last week and earlier Sunday tweeted: Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded  and safe.

Rubio, who has had an uneasy relationship with Trump at least since competing against him in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, tweeted: Partnering with Putin on a Cyber Security Unit is akin to partnering with Assad on a "Chemical Weapons Unit.

Assad has purportedly ordered chemical weapons attacks on civilians opposed to his regime, in the countrys years-long civil war.

Russia meddled in the 2016 White House race, according to members of the U.S. intelligence community.

Trump, during the 2016 primaries, called Rubio Little Marco. And in a largely final attempt to defeat Trump, Rubio insulted Trump by saying he had small hands.

On Sunday, Rubio also tweeted: We have no quarrel with Russia or the Russian people. Problem is with Putin & his oppression, war crimes & interference in our elections, and While reality & pragmatism requires that we engage Vladimir Putin, he will never be a trusted ally or a reliable constructive partner.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was critical of Rubio's tweets.

I think very highly of the senator," he told ABC's "This Week." "But  I think this is a very important step forward. What we want to make sure is that we coordinate with Russia, that we're focused on cybersecurity together, that we make sure that they never interfere in any democratic elections or conduct any cyber security. I think is a very significant accomplishment for President Trump."

South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, another former 2016 presidential contender, was critical of the Trump-Putin idea.

"It's not the dumbest idea I've ever heard, but it's pretty close," he told NBCs Meet the Press. "The more you do this, the more people are suspicious about Russia.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Russia on Sunday that it must take the first steps to reduce tensions in eastern Ukraine and that American and European sanctions would remain in place until Moscow reversed course in the region.

In surprisingly blunt language just two days after presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met in Germany, Tillerson said Russia should use its influence with separatists in Ukraine's east to fully restore an oft-violated truce, end harassment and attacks on international monitors and pull back heavy weaponry to lines agreed upon under a two-year-old accord known as the Minsk Agreement. He said a primary goal of the United States "is to restore Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty" and that would be "required in order for the U.S. and Russia to improve our relationship."

"It is necessary for Russia to take the first steps to de-escalate the situation in the eastern part of Ukraine," Tillerson told reporters at a joint news conference in Kiev with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. "This is necessary for us to make any movement."

"We do call on Russia to honor its commitments that were made under the Minsk accords and to exercise influence over the separatists in the region that they have complete control over," he said, adding later: "The U.S. and E.U. sanctions on Russia will remain in place until Moscow reverses the actions that triggered these particular sanctions."

Tillerson's tough talk clearly pleased Poroshenko, who has long complained about Russian interference in his country's east and has watched nervously as the Trump administration has sought to improve ties with Moscow. He thanked Tillerson for the continued U.S. commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and expressed deep appreciation for his "symbolic and timely visit immediately after the meetings at the G-20 in Hamburg" where Trump met with Putin.

Poroshenko was especially complimentary of Tillerson's decision last week to appoint a special envoy for Ukraine negotiations, former U.S. ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker, who is widely considered to be a hawk on Russia.

Volker will oversee U.S. efforts to press Ukraine and Russia to fully comply with the Minsk Agreement, which lays out a roadmap for reducing the conflict that has claimed some 10,000 lives over the past three years. The accord was reached in early 2015 in the capital of Belarus by the leaders of France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia but has yet to be implemented. Under the Obama administration, the U.S. had taken a hands-off approach to Minsk, allowing the Europeans to take the lead.

"We are disappointed by the lack of progress under the Minsk process and that's why we are appointing a special representative," Tillerson said.

Poroshenko, who said Volker would remain in Ukraine for the next several days, maintained that a resolution to the crisis "needs only the political will of Moscow."

"Kiev did not plan, did not start this war," he said. "It was planned and started in Moscow. That's why the keys to peaceful settlement are in Moscow."

Russia denies charges that it is actively involved in the insurgency, but has said that in order for peace to take hold, Kiev must agree to political reforms that would give the east greater autonomy. The Ukrainian government contends that political reform depends on an end to the violence.

Tillerson and other U.S. officials have for some time been pushing Ukraine to press ahead with reforms that would curb corruption and improve governmental transparency.

Speaking to a group of reform advocates at the U.S. ambassador's residence, Tillerson praised Ukraine's progress in combating graft but made clear that more must be accomplished.

"Ukraine has come a long way," he said. "We want to acknowledge that, (but) we still have more to do," he said. "This is all about securing Ukraine's future: making the place attractive for investors, being attractive to their European neighbors."
President Donald Trump and son Donald Trump Jr. pushed back Sunday on a New York Times story that states the younger Trump and other members of the president's campaign met in June 2016 with a Russian lawyer with the expectation of getting damaging information on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Trump Jr. said he was asked by an acquaintance to meet with the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, who was described to him as somebody who might have information helpful to the campaign.

The president's eldest son also said that Veselnitskaya claimed to know about "individuals connected to Russia [who] were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms. Clinton."

Trump Jr. said he ended the meeting after about 25 minutes, upon concluding that Veselnitskaya's statements were "vague, ambiguous and made no sense."

"It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information," he said.

The Times story is a follow-up to an initial report about the meeting that was posted online Saturday. The report states the meeting points to the central question in federal investigations about whether the Kremlin meddled in the 2016 presidential election and whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russian officials.

The accounts of the meeting represent the first public indication that at least some in the campaign were willing to accept Russian help, Sunday's report states.

The Times reported that Trump Jr. was initally asked about the Veselnitskaya meeting on Saturday and said only that it was primarily about allowing Americans to adopt Russian children and mentioned nothing about Mrs. Clinton.

On Sunday, Trump Jr. said that Veselnitskaya's claims of having potentially helpful information were a "pretext" for the meeting's true agenda -- the adoption issue.

Mark Corallo, a spokesman for President Trumps outside legal team, said, The president was not aware of and did not attend the meeting."

Several investigations into allegations of Russian meddling and possible collusion with the Trump campaign -- include an FBI probe and at least two congressional investigations -- have yet to produce clear evidence that the president or anybody on his campaign team colluded with Russia to defeat Clinton.

The meeting with Veselnitskaya was also attended by Paul J. Manafort, Trumps campaign chairman at the time, and Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, according to The Times.

The Trump and Trump Jr. statements were included in The Times story Sunday.

Manafort and Kushner have disclosed the meeting in amended government documents. Kushner responded to the Saturday story, but neither has so far publicly commented on the Sunday report.
Authorities say a 10-year-old boy slipped while playing in a culvert with his two brothers and was swept into a pipe leading to a Connecticut river. His body was found hours later.

Captain Geoff Morgan of the Branford Police Department says the boys were playing near the culvert at about 1 p.m. Friday when the child lost his footing, fell from an embankment and was swept into the 4-foot-wide (1.2-meter-wide) pipe.

Morgan says police used divers, sonar and a drone to search from the point where the boy went missing down to Branford Harbor on Long Island Sound.

Morgan says the body was found three hours later about 500 feet (152 meters) from where he disappeared.
Family members say retired Vice Admiral Diego "Duke" Hernandez, once the highest-ranking Hispanic officer in the U.S. Navy, has died. He was 83.

A statement Sunday on behalf of Hernandez's widow, Sherry Hernandez, says Hernandez died Friday after a long illness at his Miami Lakes home.

It says Hernandez was the top-ranking Hispanic on active duty for several years in the 1980s and served as Navy ambassador to many Latin American militaries and institutions. His military awards included the Silver Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Hernandez commanded the U.S. Third Fleet in the Pacific and held senior posts at the U.S. Space Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, both in Colorado. Hernandez also led 147 combat missions during the Vietnam War.

Funeral services will be July 15.
Robert and Jean Terry stood looking up at the Colorado Freedom Memorial under a row of names. Your brother was 14th  I see him, they said pointing above on the wall.

The Terrys came to visit and remember her brother Raymond Stolte who was killed in WWII.

The Freedom Memorial is dedicated to all from Colorado who died while defending freedom.

But July 3rd, someone vandalized it causing at least $55,000 in damage.

Stolte's name is just one panel over from the glass that someone smashed the day before Independence Day.

"It's hard to understand the mindset of someone that would damage something like this, Robert Terry said. You know it's just beyond my comprehension.

Some of their friends are also among six thousand names of those who died from Colorado.

More than half of whom never made it back home but were buried overseas.

"They were headed back to the fire base when the IED went off under his vehicle, said John Harris whose son Blake was killed in Iraq 10 years ago and now appears on the memorial.

"I think it's an affront to every family member that has a name on the memorial."

"Their kids are on this memorial, said Colorado Freedom Memorial founder Rick Crandall. So whoever breaks it you broke a piece of glass you broke the heart of families whose hearts have been broken enough already. I mean this is beyond sick to me."

Read more from FOX 31 Denver.
Governor Mark Dayton faced protesters on Lake Mille Lacs on Saturday after a temporary ban on Walleye fishing. After getting off the lake, the governor canceled a meeting with business owners in the area.

Boats full of protesters circled the governors boat as he tried to draw attention to the nationally recognized bass fishing in Lake Mille Lacs.

Protesters oppose the current three week ban on walleye fishing. The ban will be in effect until July 27, in an attempt to preserve the breeds population.

We couldnt catch a fish because we had these boats circling around us, Governor Dayton told Fox 9. Im here to emphasize the positive. Im here to talk about the positive fishing in Mille Lacs.

Signs of the increasingly popular bass fishing were not hard to find on the lake. Bass boats and fishermen not part of the protest were scattered across most of the lake.

But, for the walleye industry, recent bans and limitations have hurt business.

Resort owner Greg Thomas said his profits have dropped by 75 percent in recent years.

This bass fishing is all about people with their beautiful ranger boats, said Thomas. They come up and they put nothing in our economy.

While he supports conservation, he worries current plans stop short of a solution.

If I could talk to Dayton today, I would say let people harvest fish, there are plenty of fish in this lake, said Thomas.

Read more from FOX 9.
An Arizona man naked and on drugs has been arrested wandering near a Walmart store in Tempe.

Robert Kanoff, 49, was taken in by local authorities just before 11 p.m on July 4 after receiving a call about a man donning nothing but shoes, having been dropped off by two people who thought it would be funny for him to be naked, a police spokesperson from the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office stated.

POLICE ARREST MAN FOR ALLEGEDLY THREATENING SEN. FLAKE'S STAFF

SUSPECT IN ASSAULT ON DELTA FLIGHT HEADED TO COURT

Kanoff, who admitted to having taken drugs earlier and walking through Walmart, was reportedly charged with indecent exposure, public sexual indecency and possession of dangerous drugs. Court records show that just a week earlier the suspect had completed a court-mandated drug program after being arrested in January 2016 for drug possession.

He appears no longer to be in custody.


The rector of an Episcopal church in North Carolina is facing criminal charges in Florida after police say he pointed a gun at another vehicle in an apparent road rage incident.

Media reports say 35-year-old Rev. William Rian Adams is charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Martin County, Florida records show he was released from jail on $15,000 bail.

State troopers say a pickup truck driver was closely following a Corvette on Florida's Turnpike and tried to pass the car when its driver pointed a handgun at him. Troopers then stopped Adams in the Corvette.

Records show Adams is rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in Fletcher, North Carolina. Church officials didn't immediately respond to a call seeking comment and no attorney was listed for Adams.
A New York man staged his own kidnapping to scam his mother out of the "ransom" money, police say.

Michael Sorbera, 31, of Long Island was charged with grand larceny and conspiracy after cops went to his home Friday.

It was determined he was not kidnapped," Nassau Police spokesman Steve Zacchia told WCBS-Radio. He was not in extreme danger.

The woman, 62, and also of Long Island, feared the worst when she got texts from Sorbera saying he was in trouble, the station reported.

A short time later she got a call informing her that her son had been kidnapped.

The caller was a man whose voice she didnt recognize.

Police said the caller told the woman he would harm her and her son if she didnt wire money to Western Union, the station reported.

The police said that during the call the woman spoke to her son.

Sorbera confirmed that he had been kidnapped and begged his mother to send the money, according to the station.

The ransom amount wasnt specified by cops.

The station reported that instead of sending the money, the woman called police.

Newsday reported that Sorbera was arraigned on the charges in court and ordered held on $10,000 bond.
One woman was killed and eight other people, including three children, were injured late Saturday after two men wearing all black opened fire at a gender reveal party in Ohio, officials said.

One of those injured was the pregnant woman who was giving the party. A gender reveal party is where friends and family gather to announce the sex of the baby. The unidentified woman told Fox 19 that she lost her child, a boy, after being shot in the leg.



Officers responded to the home in Colerain Township, outside Cincinnati around 11:30 p.m., said police spokesman Jim Love. He told Fox 19 that five adults and three children were all watching television in the living room when the men began shooting handguns.

"They were all there for a very positive reason when somebody opened fire," Love told FOX 19.

At a news conference Sunday, Colerain Township Police Chief Mark Denney said that none of the eight people wounded appeared to have life-threatening injuries, including the children, who are ages 8, 6 and 2.

The 22-year-old has been identified as Autum Garrett, of Huntington, Ind.



Denney said the two gunmen who fled on foot haven't been identified or arrested. He wouldn't discuss details of the investigation into the shootings.

There were no indications of a forced entry by the gunmen, who entered the house through the front door, Denney said. He said it's unclear why the victims were shot.



"We don't know if they were targeted, or this was intended for someone else," Denney said.



Colerain Township called in the Cincinnati Police Department to process the crime scene, which included a search of the home after police obtained a warrant.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Read more from FOX 19.
Fifteen-year-old Jaquin (jah-KWAHN') Thomas was arrested a year ago this month. He was accused of murder and eventually sent to the New Orleans jail to await trial.

That's where he killed himself last fall and became one of the symbols of how a new jail facility that opened in 2015 failed to solve the old jail's problems of inadequate security and violence.

An arrest warrant for the guard who was supposed to be watching Thomas says the teen's lifeless body hung motionless from a jail window bar for 90 minutes before anyone noticed.

A federal judge has noted the suicide while lamenting slow progress in reforms at the jail. However, he also has expressed confidence in a new director working to improve training and staffing at the lockup.
Wildfires barreled across the baking landscape of the western U.S. and Canada, destroying a smattering of homes, forcing thousands to flee and temporarily trapping children and counselors at a California campground.



Here's a look at the wildfires blackening the West.



BRITISH COLUMBIA



Firefighters were contending with more than 200 wildfires burning in British Columbia that had destroyed dozens of buildings, including several homes and two airport hangars. The three biggest fires, which ranged in size from 5 to 8 square miles, had forced thousands of people to flee.



"We are just, in many ways, at the beginning of the worst part of the fire season and we watch the weather, we watch the wind, and we pray for rain," outgoing Premier Christy Clark told reporters in Kamloops.



Rob Schweizer, manager of the Kamloops Fire Centre, said it had been an unprecedented 24 hours.



"We probably haven't seen this sort of activity that involves so many residences and people in the history of the province of B.C.," he said.



NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

In Northern California, a Butte County wildfire swept through grassy foothills and destroyed 10 structures, including homes, and led to several minor injuries.



Burned-out pickup trucks were left in ashes, surrounded by charred, leafless trees. The metal frame of a mobile home and a vintage stove were left standing in scorched debris at one site.



The blaze about 60 miles north of Sacramento grew rapidly to more than 7 square miles and was nearly 20 percent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. At least 750 homes remained threatened and hundreds more were evacuated.



"We're hopeful about holding the lines," fire spokeswoman Mary Ann Aldrich said Sunday. "There's been progress."



The area burning was about 10 miles south of Oroville, where spillways in the nation's tallest dam began crumbling from heavy rains this winter and led to temporary evacuation orders for 200,000 residents downstream. On Saturday, authorities issued an evacuation for about 250 homes threatened by the fire.



SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA



Southern California crews hope slightly cooler temperatures and diminishing winds will help in the battle Sunday against major wildfires that have destroyed structures, closed a highway and forced evacuations.



One of two fires raging in Santa Barbara County grew to 12 square miles, traversing a mountain range and heading south toward coastal Goleta.



"The plan is to hit it with air tankers to keep it from moving to the south and to the east," said county fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni. "There's less heat and less wind, which makes things a little easier."



There was minimal containment and flames shut down State Route 154. About 90 children and 50 counselors were stuck Saturday at the Circle V Ranch and had to take shelter until they could be safely evacuated. Buildings have burned but officials weren't yet sure if they were homes.



Crews were also using an air attack against another blaze about 50 miles north that exploded in size to 37.5 square miles. About 200 rural homes east of Santa Maria were evacuated after the fire broke out Saturday and was fed by dry gusts.



ELSEWHERE IN THE WEST



Firefighters have been able to build containment lines around about half the wildfire that forced the evacuation of hundreds of people near Breckenridge, Colorado. The fire has not spread since it broke out Wednesday and was still less than a square mile Sunday.



In rural Arizona, fire officials say three homes were among 10 buildings that were burned. The wildfire there has led to the evacuation of the entire town of Dudleyville, about 100 miles southeast of Phoenix.



A wildfire burning in near Summer Lake in south-central Oregon has destroyed a hunting cabin and an outbuilding.


Two gunmen opened fire at a woman's gender reveal party near Cincinnati, wounding the expectant mother, who said she lost the baby.

Colerain Township Police Chief Mark Denney said 22-year-old Autum Garrett, of Huntington, Indiana, was killed, and eight people including the pregnant woman and three young children, ages 8, 6 and 2, were injured in the shooting Saturday night.

The pregnant woman later told WXIX-TV that she lost her child, a boy, after being shot in the leg.

Denney said friends and family gathered for a party to learn the gender of the pregnant woman's unborn child when the gunmen opened fire with handguns in the living room of the home.

The two gunmen, who fled on foot, have not been identified or arrested. Denney declined to discuss details of the investigation into the shootings.

There were no indications of a forced entry by the gunmen, who entered the house through the front door, Denney said. He said it was unclear why the victims were shot.

"We don't know if they were targeted, or this was intended for someone else," Denney said.

Colerain Township called in the Cincinnati Police Department to process the crime scene, which included a search of the home after police obtained a warrant.
North Korean state media sharply criticized the U.S. on Sunday for a recent practice bombing run on the Korean peninsula, calling it a dangerous move raising the risk of nuclear war.

A commentary in the ruling partys Rodong Sinmun newspaper accused the U.S. of reckless military provocations after two U.S. Air Force B-1B bombers released inert weapons on Saturday in a training session in South Korea.

Sundays comments were reported in English by the state Korean Central News Agency; the news agency said that the recent drill increased the threat of a nuclear war.

The drill on Saturday was a show of force that came just days after North Korea conducted the first successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile that can hit Alaska.

2 US AIR FORCE B-1 BOMBERS FLY NEAR NORTH KOREAN BORDER IN SHOW OF FORCE

The two B-1 bombers flew 2,000 miles from Anderson Air Force Base in Guam to conduct a precision strike training exercise with South Korean fighter jets. The bombers were also joined by Japanese fighters during their flight.

The Air Force, in a statement, called the mission a "demonstration of the ironclad U.S. commitment to our allies."

The bombers, which can carry 84 500-pound bombs, fired releasing inert weapons at the Pilsung Range. The mission took 10 hours, according to the statement.

"North Korea's actions are a threat to our allies, partners and homeland," Gen. Terrence O' Shaughnessy, the Pacific Air Forces commander, said. "Let me be clear, if called upon we are trained, equipped and ready to unleash the full lethal capability of our allied air forces."

HOLDING NORTH KOREA AT BAY -- WHAT TRUMP NEEDS TO DO

Amid heightened tensions with North Korea, the U.S. will conduct a flight test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), an element of the nations ballistic missile defense system, Fox News has learned. The test, which will be conducted by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), is scheduled to take place this month.

The Associated Press and Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.
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North Korean state media have sharply criticized a recent practice bombing run by two U.S. B-1B bombers on the Korean peninsula, calling it a dangerous move raising the risk of nuclear war.

A commentary Sunday in the ruling party's Rodong Sinmun newspaper accused the U.S. of "reckless military provocations" and said the danger of nuclear war is reaching an extreme pitch. The commentary was reported on in English by the state Korean Central News Agency.

Two U.S. Air Force bombers released inert weapons Friday on a training range in South Korea. South Korean F-15 and U.S. F-16 fighter jets joined them in the drill. The bombers also flew with Japanese F-2 fighter jets over the East China Sea on their way back to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.

The 10-hour mission came three days after North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile on Fourth of July, America's Independence Day. President Donald Trump and the leaders of South Korea and Japan, meeting during the G-20 summit in Germany, issued a joint statement condemning the launch.

U.S. military officials described the bomber mission as a defensive show of force and unity that demonstrated "the ironclad U.S. commitment to our allies."
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Pakistan summoned India's deputy high commissioner in Islamabad Sunday after five civilians were killed by "unprovoked" Indian fire across the Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir region. In a separate 'goodwill gesture' it also released scores of Indian fishermen held for illegal fishing in its territorial waters.

The Foreign Ministry said J.P. Singh was summoned a day after Pakistan's military said Indian forces had shelled two areas. India said Pakistani shelling across the Line of Control killed an off-duty soldier and his wife, calling it an "unprovoked" violation of a 2003 cease-fire agreement.

The two nuclear-armed rivals have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, which both claim in its entirety, since gaining independence from British colonial rule in 1947. The Himalayan region is split between Indian and Pakistani-controlled zones separated by the heavily militarized Line of Control.

Also on Sunday, Pakistan released 78 Indian fishermen in the southern port city of Karachi. The fishermen were held for illegally fishing in Pakistani waters last year, said Muhammad Naseem Siddiqui, a government official.

Siddiqui said they were held in various jails and were being released as a "goodwill gesture" by the Pakistan government. He said they boarded a train bound for Lahore under police escort where they will be handed over to Indian authorities Monday at the Wagah border crossing.

India and Pakistan regularly arrest each other's fishermen for illegal fishing in their poorly delineated territorial waters, often detaining them for months.
An open-ended cease-fire in southern Syria brokered by the United States, Russia, and Jordan went into effect Sunday.

The agreement, announced Thursday after a meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, went into effect at noon, and is the first initiative by the Trump administration in collaboration with Russia to bring some stability to Syria.

Trump tweeted Sunday, "We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!"

The initiative followed weeks of talks in the Jordanian capital, Amman, to address the buildup of Iranian-backed forces, in support of the Syrian government, near the Jordanian and Israeli borders.

The three brokering nations did not specify mechanisms to monitor or enforce the truce.

A resident and local opposition activist in Daraa, near the Jordanian border, reported calm in the opening minutes of the truce.

A FRACTION OF MOSUL, SYRIA'S RAQQA NO LESS CHALLENGING

"There's still a lot of anxiety," said Ahmad al-Masalmeh. "We've entered the cease-fire but there are no mechanisms to enforce it. That's what concerns people."

Six years of fighting and siege have devastated Daraa, one of the first cities to see large protests against President Bashar Assad in 2011.

It remains contested by U.S.-backed rebels and Syrian government forces supported by Russia and Iran. Large swaths of the city have been reduced to rubble by government artillery and Russian air power.

The government maintains it is fighting against terrorist groups. The Al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee is one of the most potent factions fighting alongside rebels in Daraa.

UN SAYS TRUCE DEAL IN SOUTHERN SYRIA WILL HELP PEACE TALKS

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel would welcome a "genuine cease-fire" in southern Syria so long as it doesn't enable Iran and its proxies to develop a military presence along the border.

The truce covers the Quneitra, Daraa, and Sweida provinces, where the government and the rebels are also fighting Islamic State militants, who are not included in the truce.

No cease-fire has lasted long in the six-year-old Syrian war.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Fredericksburg Police Department is asking for public assistance in attempting to identify an unknown black male in suspicious activity that occurred earlier this evening in the 300 block of Riverside Manor Boulevard.

At approximately 6:27 p.m., the Communications Center received a call that a teenage male was acting suspicious with a three-year-old girl. The female's mother approached the suspect who fled toward the tree line in the 300 block of Riverside Manor Drive and River Road. Patrol officers responded and a K-9 track was executed.

The suspect is described as shirtless, wearing light-colored shorts, and had a white t-shirt or towel draped around his neck.

The investigation is active and ongoing. The Fredericksburg Police Department asks that anyone with information about the incident call the police immediately at 540-373-3122.

To make an anonymous tip, send a text to 847-411 and text FPDtip followed by your tip. Or, download the free FPD Tip app available for Android and iPhones. To download the app, search FPD Tip in the Google Play Store or iTunes App Store.
CHARLOTTESVILLE  After seeing the Ku Klux Klan in the movies, Jabril Carter thought he knew a little bit about what to expect Saturday. But coming face to face with around 50 Klan members rallying in Charlottesville stirred something deeper he couldnt easily explain.

My adrenaline is pumping right now, the 23-year-old cook said as he paused on the chaotic downtown streets of the progressive college town he grew up in. It hurt my soul, man.

Carter was part of a group of young African-American men who stood directly in front of the Klan rally, taunting the robe-wearing, Confederate flag-waving group as a crowd of protesters estimated at over 1,000 drowned out the Klans white-pride speeches.

The 45-minute rally in Justice Park  newly renamed as part of Charlottesvilles push to rid itself of public parks designed to honor the Confederacy while elevating African-American history  was mostly peaceful due to a massive police presence involving more than 100 Charlottesville and Virginia State Police personnel.

Protesters hurled a few water bottles and pieces of fruit at the ralliers, and a few Klansmen shouted racial slurs and directed white-power salutes at the crowd. Direct physical confrontations were avoided as police escorted the Klan members in and out of the park and enforced a strict barricade between the two groups.

The rally was supposed to begin at 3 p.m., but got off to a late start apparently due to the logistical difficulties of safely moving the Klansmen through the crowd encircling the fenced-off demonstration area.

Police arrested several protesters who tried to block the entrance to the park before the Klan members entered around 3:45 p.m. Tensions escalated after the Klan group left the rally site. Protesters rushed through the streets trying to track the Klan and block roads as police tried to allow vehicles to exit.

Unable to reach the Klan members, several protesters shouted angrily at the police for protecting the group, chanting: Cops and the Klan go hand in hand!

Using a bullhorn, police told the group to disperse and warned that chemical agents would be used on anyone who stayed. After a group of protesters formed a line across High Street near the citys courthouses, police shot three tear gas canisters into the crowd around 5 p.m.

In a statement Sunday morning, city officials said 22 people were arrested. On Saturday, officials had reported that 23 were arrested.

Most appeared to be anti-Klan protesters, but officials could not immediately provide the affiliations of those arrested. Three people were hospitalized; two for heat-related issues and one for alcohol, officials said.

The Klan rally was the latest flashpoint in a summer of unrest in Charlottesville, where the City Council voted to strip the names of Confederate generals from two parks and begin the process of removing statues of Robert E. Lee and Thomas Stonewall Jackson. In May, alt-right figure Richard Spencer, a leader of the new wave of white identity groups, participated in a torch-lit rally around the Lee statue. Alt-right groups are planning to return to the city next month for whats being billed as a bigger rally to Unite the Right.

Saturdays Klan rally took place in the shadow of the Jackson statue in what used to be Jackson Park.

Klan members held signs with anti-Semitic and anti-black slurs. In interviews, several members said they came to Charlottesville to protect white history and argued that white people alone are told they have no right to racial pride.

Israels got a wall around their country. Why cant we have a wall around ours? said Douglas Barker, one of a few Klan members who spoke to reporters. They believe in preserving their own race. Why is it wrong for the white man to preserve their own race?

Many of the Klan members declined to give their names or say where they were from, but several who did said they had come from out of state.

Several shouting matches broke out before the rally between the protesters and a handful of people displaying Confederate flags who said that even though they dont support the Klan, the statues should still be preserved.

City leaders and University of Virginia President Teresa A. Sullivan had encouraged the Charlottesville community to avoid the Klan rally. A slate of alternative events was organized to give people other outlets and avoid drawing attention to the Klan.

Groups like this come to communities like this for the purpose of incitement and controversy and a twisted kind of celebrity, Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer said in an interview after swinging through the park in the early afternoon. The victory over them is to deny them that and keep on not only telling our story but refusing to be intimidated away from the sort of work we have been doing that has made us a target for these kinds of groups.

Plenty of others wanted to meet the Klan head-on, insisting on countering hate with direct resistance. The park was a full-blown spectacle even before the Klan arrived, with drum circles, singing and a man wearing nothing but a loincloth shimmying in front of a street preacher.

Sarah Fitzgerald, 23, of Staunton, said that even though Klan members have the right to free speech, the crowd that dwarfed the Klan has every right to counter it with their own.

That we are still allowing this straightforward hate group to still have a voice at this time in this country, its just crazy, Fitzgerald said.
TROUPE TO HOLD CAMP FOR SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS

Stage Door Productions seeks campers for the eighth annual Stage Door Stars summer camp. Stage Door Stars is a division of Stage Door Productions whose mission is to serve children and young adults with special needs by offering opportunities in theater education, performance and outreach.

Camps are staffed by special education professionals, fine arts teachers, theater directors and choreographers. Trained volunteers serve as one-on-one support for the campers.

This summer, Stage Door Stars will host their summer camp at Massaponax High School on July 31-Aug. 4 from 1 to 4 p.m. The camp is open to individuals with special needs aged five through 22 years.

This year campers will work on the play SUPERHEROES: With Great Power Comes Ordinary Responsibility by Ian McWethy. During the camp, participants will take part in art, dance, music and theatre as they explore the theme of superheroes. Experienced campers will have the opportunity to complete some advanced production work with the staff. Camp will conclude with a final performance on Aug. 4, at 3 p.m. for friends and family.

No experience is necessary. Visit stagedoorproductions.org/Stars-Camps/ for more information and to register a camper. Tuition is $200, and the deadline to register is July 11. Call 540/903-3808 or email info@stagedoorproductions.org for more information.

BLUE STAR MUSEUMS OFFER FREE ADMISSION

Ongoing through Labor Day, all Washington Heritage Museums sites are participating in Blue Star Museums. Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and museums across America. Each summer since 2010, Blue Star Museums have offered free admission to the nations active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve, from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop is located at 1020 Caroline St.; Mary Washington House is located at 1200 Charles St.; and the Rising Sun Tavern is located at 1304 Caroline St. More information may be found at arts.gov/national/blue-star-museums#!VA.

RACSB SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR ANNUAL AWARDS

The Rappahannock Area Community Services Board is accepting nominations for its annual Distinguished Volunteer Awards. These prizes are given to volunteers who have shown creativity, initiative, leadership and dependability while helping individuals with behavioral health concerns or developmental disability.

Additional information, a list of previous award winners, and the nomination form are available at rappahannockareacsb.org.

Nomination forms must be submitted by Aug. 18 to RACSB, Attn: Amy Umble, Public Information Officer, 600 Jackson St., Fredericksburg, VA 22401. Nominations may also be faxed to 540/371-3753; or emailed to aumble@rappahannockareacsb.org. For more details, call 540/904-2314.

JUNIOR RANGERS RETURNS TO PARK

Junior Rangers, an annual tradition at Belle Isle State Park, is back with a new twist. Children aged 9-12 will meet in the Picnic Area during the week of July 17-21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Each day the Junior Rangers will venture back in time with the help of the Northern Neck Time Machine and a little imagination. The children will investigate how the land has changed over the centuries and who might have visited the area before it was Belle Isle State Park. Rangers will take part in activities that made the Northern Neck unique, including crabbing, canoeing and even mapping the land just like John Smith.

This program has a fee of $6 per child, per day, and registration is required. To register or for more information, call the Camp Store at 804/462-5030.

PROJECT COLLECTS

VETERANS STORIES

The Veterans History Project was created in 2000 by Congress as part of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. VHPs mission is to collect, preserve and make accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.

VHP relies on volunteers to interview veterans to contribute to the permanent library collection by submitting audio and video interviews along with documentation. To learn more about the project and download the field kit visit loc.gov/vets.

GUILD OFFERS ART CLASSES IN K.G.

The King George Art Guild continues its tradition of supporting art education by offering childrens summer art classes from July 31-Aug. 4, for students ages 6-16. Art teachers Ms. Carrol Morgan and Daniel Christie will teach three daily sessions from 9-10:30 a.m.; 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; and 1-2:30 p.m. with each class limited to 15 students.

Classes will be held in the art room at King George Elementary School. Activities will include drawing, painting, and printmaking. The classes are free, and all supplies are provided. Pre-registration is required. Call Carrol Morgan at 540/760-6928; or email xmorgan@hotmail.com to register or for information.
Jerome Jerry Ulman, proprietor of Ulmans Jewelry, was presented the 2017 Ethics in Business Award at the annual installation banquet for the Rappahannock-Fredericksburg Rotary Club. This award is given annually to a local business person who demonstrates the highest ethical standards in his or her business practices and adheres to the Rotary Four-Way Test. Ulman was recognized for his integrity, trustworthiness and treating customers in a caring and fair manner. Ulmans Jewelry, family owned and operated since 1928, is known for treating its customers as family. In addition to receiving the ethics award, Ulman was named a Paul Harris Fellow, which carries a $1,000 donation in his name toward the eradication of polio, producing clean water and the promotion of peace worldwide.
Naval Support Activity South Potomac bid farewell to outgoing Commanding Officer Capt. Mary Feinberg at a June 21 change of command ceremony at the Naval Support Facility Dahlgren Parade Field. Rear Adm. Charles Chip Rock, commandant of Naval District Washington, presided over the ceremony that also welcomed aboard NSASPs new commanding officer, Capt. Michael OLeary.

Rock extolled the many accomplishments Feinberg achieved during her three years at the helm of NSASPan activity that encompasses three bases in two states.

Feinberg was at the helm when the Navys last coal-fired power plant was decommissioned in October of 2015 to make way for a more energy efficient natural gas and steam-powered plant. Feinberg said the decommissioning was my proudest MILCON [Military Construction] moment and added that the old Goddard Power Plant had been in operation for nearly 70 years, long past its intended service life. The NSF Indian Head Community Center was also established during Feinbergs tenure.

At NSF Dahlgren, NSASP completed numerous projects under Feinbergs leadership, including opening a $13 million fitness center, renovating one of the Child Development Centers, an addition to the Aegis Training and Readiness Center and a $28 million submarine ballistic missile facility.

Rock presented Feinberg with Legion of Merit before turning the podium over to the outgoing leader.

Feinbergs last official duty as commanding officer of NSASP was to recognize one of the Sailors whose dedication Feinberg wanted to acknowledge. She presented Yeoman 2nd Class Petty Officer Tyrone Powell with his Yeoman First Class Petty Officer badges through the Meritorious Advancement Program. The program allows senior leadership to recognize and reward sustained superior performance by their Sailors by advancing them in rank.
SPOTSYLVANIA HIGH SCHOOL

Rachel Sinclair, who attends the Spotsylvania High and Commonwealth Governors School, has earned a $750 college scholarship for an essay she submitted to the 2017 Alzheimers Foundation of America Teens Scholarship contest.
With the population boom in Stafford County over the past several decades came more shopping options, restaurants, residential developments and business opportunities. But that growth also brought some negative consequences, including more crime.

At the end of May, four people, including a juvenile, were arrested in connection with a shootout on Garrisonville Road in North Stafford.

Just days later, a suspicious call led to a brief lockdown of North Stafford High and Park Ridge Elementary schools. The Stafford Sheriffs Office discovered no suspects and determined that a threat did not exist; however, the community remained shaken.

What is happening to Stafford? one resident posted on Facebook afterward.

Despite these incidents, the countys crime rates have remained fairly flat over the past five years, according to a Stafford Sheriffs Office report summarizing criminal activities between May 2013 and May 2017.

The number of reported crimes to date this year is 5,192, compared to 5,351 at the same time in 2016 and 5,560 in 2015.

Crimes against persons is at 8.3 percent for 2017, compared to 8.7 percent in 2016 and 7.8 percent in 2015. Additionally, criminal arrests are at 2,176, compared to 2,079 in 2016 and 2,165 in 2015.

The state as a whole did not fare as well. In 2016, Virginia experienced more than a 10 percent increase in violent crimemurder, rape, robbery and aggravated assaultcompared to 2015, according to the Virginia State Polices annual crime analysis report.

Sheriff David Decatur said crime rates are only one way to measure performance, and not all crimes are reported, but the fact that crime has remained flat in Stafford as the population has grown is a good indicator that the county is staying a step ahead of crime.

Decatur credits the flat crime rate to multiple factors including an improvement in hiring and retention because of more competitive pay for deputies, and strong partnerships with county supervisors, schools and local businesses.

He also said a robust criminal justice system anchored by a strong and involved community plays a critical role in preventing crime from gaining a stronghold. Consequently, the Sheriffs Office places a lot of emphasis on community policing and engagement.

Community policing has been a part of our culture and DNA for several decadesit is part of the fabric of who we are, Decatur said. We are building trust and relationships with the community.

Community policing and communication

For Decatur, effective community policing requires stepping outside the traditional law enforcement role and becoming part of the community. The idea is to help prevent crime by building ties with the community.

One of the most important aspects of community policing is being transparent and keeping the public informed, Decatur explained

Even though the countys crime rate has been flat, and Decatur believes Stafford is a safe community, the publics perception is important. Oftentimes, the biggest challenge to effective policing in a growing population is keeping pace with how quickly information is disseminated on social media, he explained.

In emergencies, social media can become a hotbed for misinformation. The Sheriffs Office works to combat this by getting information out to the public as quickly as possible via Twitter, Facebook, email alerts and other mechanisms.

We realize if we dont quickly get that information out, people wont know what is going on, he said. If you dont fill in the blanks as much as you can, people will fill them in for you.

The Sheriffs Office is always looking for more tools to increase the rate at which they get information to the public. It recently launched a new social networking toolthe Next Door Appwhich connects people within their neighborhoods so they can share public safety information, such as news of a break-in.

Users can also contact law enforcement with information and questions about crime in their neighborhood. So far, 8,000 residents in Stafford have signed up.

It is a great way for citizens to be plugged in and get the information they need, he said.

Community programs and partnerships

A major part of community engagement and crime prevention is building relationships with schools and local businesses. According to Stafford Commonwealths Attorney Eric Olsen, nowhere is this more important than in addressing criminal and risky behaviors in youth.

Olsen was hired in 1989 as a prosecutor in the Commonwealths Attorneys Office. With the population closer to 60,000 than todays 145,000, the county was a very different place.

In those days, Olsen seldom encountered a case involving a juvenile who had committed a gun offense. Fast forward nearly 30 years, and he now sees these types of cases occurring every few months.

While it is difficult to watch anyone engage in behaviors that will lead them down a destructive path, Olsen said it is particularly hard to see it happen to a juvenile.

By the time a case reaches my desk, it is usually too late, Olsen said.

In response, Olsen partnered with the Sheriffs Office on an initiative called Youth-At-Risk, which aims to identify risky behaviors in youthsuch as substance abuse, sexting and bullyingbefore it is too late.

YAR uses the slogan See? Care. Call. It is based on the well-known phrase, If you see something, say something.

This is an opportunity to try to either prevent stuff from happening or to get involved early so it doesnt escalate, Olsen said. That is the role of a forward-thinking sheriffs office.

The YAR Committeewhich comprises parents, business owners, educators and law enforcementdisseminates information on education, prevention and intervention strategies to the public.

The committee already collaborates with schools, and is in the early stages of launching a new partnership with local businesses. Olsen said businesses, especially stores that sell alcohol and tobacco, are well-positioned to be the eyes and ears of the community.

Michelle Gibbons, co-chair of the committee, said it has designed a new logo, education pamphlet and a sticker that businesses can put in their windows to show they are a YAR partner and have pledged not to engage in criminal behavior, such as providing alcohol or tobacco to minors.

If a business observes risky behaviors, they can call and report it, she explained.

In addition to YAR, the Sheriffs Office hosts a number of community-based programs and events targeted toward youth.

For example, the cadet program gives high school students between the ages of 14 and 20 the opportunity to receive law enforcement training and learn about police careers. One of the most popular features of the program is the ride-along, which offers cadets the chance to ride on patrol with deputies and observe law enforcement work first-hand.

The Sheriffs Special Star Force Cadet Program is a similar initiative and the first of its kind in the state. The SSSF gives youth with intellectual challenges the opportunity to experience the various duties of a law enforcement officer.

Perhaps the most popular of all the Sheriffs Office events is National Night Out, which attracts children and adults alike. Each year, thousands of residents come together for free food, games and activities. The main event takes place in August at Stafford Marketplace, but neighborhoods can also participate by holding block parties.

It is the culmination of the whole year, and a great way to build new relationships and strengthen existing ones, Decatur said.

Eye to the future

At the end of the day, however, Decatur said the everyday interactions with the community are what make the biggest difference. As the countys population continues to expand, community policing will play an increasingly important role.

It is not just the big programs, it is the everyday encounters that are most important for us, Decatur said. Every good relationship needs to have trust, respect and transparency.
The secretive nonprofit Virginians for a Better Future mailed an unknown number of fliers to Virginia voters to support Lt. Gov Ralph Northam and attack former congressman Tom Perriello in the closing days of the Democratic gubernatorial primary. The source of the $184,000 behind the campaign may never be disclosed because the group claims it is not a PAC.

]After filing its legal paperwork in Delaware two weeks before Virginias gubernatorial primaries, Virginians for a Better Future quickly got to work promoting its idea of social welfare.

On its founding document, filed in a state with famously relaxed incorporation laws that serve as a magnet for shell companies, the tax-exempt nonprofit described its mission as supporting public policies that promote the ability of Virginians to prosper and thrive, particularly in health care, education and employment.

In practice, that meant launching a $184,000 advertising campaign to support Lt. Gov. Ralph Northams bid for the Democratic nomination for governor and attack Northams primary opponent, former congressman Tom Perriello.

Backed by virtually every Virginia Democrat in state and federal office, Northam defeated Perriello by almost 12 percentage points, a surprisingly wide margin that made the last-minute attack ads seem almost moot. With both Democratic campaigns spending millions on TV advertising, no one has suggested the Virginians for a Better Future adswhich painted Perriello as a phony progressive who couldnt be trusted on abortion rightstipped the outcome. Perriello called the ad campaign is the kind of thing that correctly disgusts people about politics, but he seemed to quickly move on from it after the primary and said hell fully support Northam.

But with Perriello running an outsider, anti-corporate campaign that put him at odds with the Democratic establishment and business interests behind a pair of natural-gas pipelines Perriello opposed, the ads raised the question of who exactly spent a sizable amount of money on negative digital ads, mailers and robocalls despite a public rebuke from Northam. Because the group is organized in a way that allows maximum secrecy, the identity of the donor or donors behind the ad campaign might never be disclosed.

Were trying to keep a very low profile on this, Michael McShane, a little-known Democratic consultant from the Charlottesville area who serves as the groups only public face, said in a brief interview last month. McShane, who signed his name on official records as the groups treasurer and incorporator, abruptly ended the phone call after being asked if the group would disclose its donors. He later said in follow-up messages that the organization has filed all paperwork required by the state.

The limited paper trail that exists, made up mainly of a series of independent spending reports filed with the state Department of Elections, points to a larger network of activity beyond McShanes Keswick address.

Several reports had markings showing they were faxed from the D.C. office of heavyweight law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Another came from a Chicago area code with the initials SASMF. A report faxed June 10 had a cover sheet from an even more mysterious locale: a UPS Store in a strip mall outside Boston. Skadden Arps did not respond to a request for comment.

NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, an abortion-rights group that backed Northam, has denied involvement in the ad campaign, as has Dominion Energy, the politically potent utility Perriello crossed with his anti-pipeline stance and calls to reduce the influence of energy monopolies.

Because the organization is incorporated as a social welfare group, or 501(4), with a larger advocacy mission beyond the governors race, Virginians for a Better Future is exempt from the campaign finance disclosure rules that apply to candidates and political action committees.

The murkiness surrounding 501(4) groups was a key element of the controversy regarding the U.S. Supreme Courts Citizens United decision, which allowed corporations and nonprofits to freely spend on political communications. The gray area between social advocacy and politics was also at the center of the 2013 Internal Revenue Service scandal over tea party groups being targeted for extra scrutiny.

Other states have taken steps to close reporting loopholes for 501(4)s, but a Republican-sponsored bill to force social welfare groups to disclose their donors failed this year in the Virginia General Assembly. In April, Northam called for legislation to fix the dark money issue, pointing to a 2015 law passed in Montana that requires all groups to disclose their funding sources regardless of tax status if they spend money to try to sway an election within 60 days of the start of voting.
Budweiser may be the King of Beers, but its newest beer labels remind Virginians that the state motto is Thus Always to Tyrants.

Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Budweiser, this week started a marketing campaign that features new labels for its beer packaging in the 11 states where the company has breweries, including Virginia.

In those states, the Budweiser name on beer cans and bottles is being replaced temporarily by the states name, in what the company describes as a tribute to the communities that have brewed its top-selling beer for generations.

Anheuser-Buschs 1.2 million-square-foot brewery in James City County near Williamsburg opened in 1972 and has about 580 employees, with a $53 million payroll.

Our new state bottles and cans celebrate the homes of our breweries and the communities that support them, said Ricardo Marques, vice president of Budweiser.

Also, the Budweiser slogan King of Beers is being swapped on the labels with each states motto. In Virginia, thats Thus Always to Tyrants.

The motto is printed on the beer labels in English, not in the Latin Sic Semper Tyrannis, which is whats on the Great Seal of Virginia along with a figure of Virtus, the goddess of virtue, who holds a spear and rests her foot on the chest of a supine figure representing tyranny.

Sic Semper Tyrannis also is, infamously, what John Wilkes Booth is said to have shouted after he shot President Lincoln.

The special labels will be on Budweiser packaging in Virginia through September.

Other states with Budweiser breweries that will have special labels are California (where there are two breweries), Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Texas. Labels also will include patriotic elements such as the lyrics to the National Anthem.

The new labels come as major beer companies are trying ways to attract consumers and compete with local craft breweries.
Two white, stained, cotton robes that may have belonged to men who met with others at Thomas Jeffersons tomb in the summer of 1921 to form a Charlottesville chapter of the Ku Klux Klan were shown to the media and a few others behind closed doors Thursday.

After pulling two of the 26 robes in its museum collectionand following requests from local activists, academics and journaliststhe Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society held a private conference to discuss the origins of the robes and how they came into the historical societys possession.

On those robes are patches bearing a cross and a drop of blood, echoing the blood spilled at Jeffersons gravesite when the members of the new Klan chapter in the city held a ceremony that year.

 [T]he Ku Klux Klan has been organized in this city, The Progress reported on June 28, 1921.

Hundreds of Charlottesvilles leading business and professional men met around the tomb of Jefferson at the midnight hour one night last week and sealed the pledge of chivalry and patriotism with the deepest crimson of red American blood.

Historical society President Steven Meeks said the robes were donated in 1993 by a local resident who found them in a wooden crate in a shed in an eastern part of the city. He said a Certificate of Knighthood, dated June 6, 1926, also was donated to the Society at that time.

The robes were displayed publicly from 2005 to 2006 and from 2010 to 2015, when they were loaned to the Legacy Museum in Lynchburg, which specializes in African-American history.

Without consulting the donor, the historical society decided not to reveal who the items belonged to, where they were found or who had donated them. Meeks said they have identified the names of two Klan members associated with the artifacts.

That is the decision the society has taken at this point, Meeks said.

They were donated to us nearly 25 years ago, he said. I think its fair to say that things have changed, and [with] the current climate of things, we just dont think its right to release the names.The effort to have the historical society display the robes and other Klan artifacts was spearheaded by University of Virginia professor and activist Jalane Schmidt.
ACCORDING to many news outlets, President Donald Trump has declared a war on science. Yet judging from at least one recent decision, the opposite is true. The Trump administration is trying to prevent policies based on junk science.

A key example is the administrations denial of an activist petition to ban agricultural uses of the pesticide chlorpyrifos, which farmers have safely used for decades. This decision makes sense when you consider the history.

Residential uses of chlorpyrifos, such as for bug spray, were phased out starting in the year 2000, but not because it was proven dangerous. Rather, chemical company Dow Agrosciences voluntarily phased out home uses because Environmental Protection Agency regulations proved too expensive.

In 2007, the Pesticide Action Network and the Natural Resources Defense Council petitioned the EPA to ban agricultural uses of this chemical. EPA began a safety review in 2009, which is required every 15 years, and indicated it would answer the petition as part of that review. But since such reviews take many years, activists sued, and a court ordered EPA to make a final decision by March 2017.

The EPA appeared to favor approval, but it shifted course in 2016, deciding to base its risk assessment on a single epidemiological study produced by Columbia Universitys Center for Childrens Environmental Health.

EPAs reliance on this study proved problematic for multiple reasons, including an activist agenda among the researchers involved, weak findings and a flawed study design.

The childrens health centers website reveals that the organization is not simply interested in unbiased scientific research. The website explains that the centers goal involves generating new findings that can be used to remove chemicals from the marketplace. The center brags about how its research had advanced government regulation.

It also lists partner organizations on its website that include both Pesticide Action Network and the Natural Resources Defense Councilthe groups petitioning for the ban. To top it off, the center is also funded in part by the EPA, which then uses the research to push the agencys own agenda.

Perhaps the childrens health centers activist slant would not be much of a concern if the study had a compelling finding, but instead it only reported a statistical association (a relationship between two or more variables).

In the study, researchers measured womens exposures to chlorpyrifos during pregnancy and then tested their babies for developmental delays. Children born to women with relatively higher chlorpyrifos exposures scored lower than those born to mothers with the lower exposures.

At first blush, this might sound compelling, but statistical associations do not prove cause-and-effect relationships and sometimes happen by chance or because of researcher bias. Such results should be replicated before drawing conclusions, yet similar studies found no such associations.

But perhaps much more problematic are serious flaws in the study design. EPAs Science Advisory Panel proved highly critical of the centers study at a meeting in March 2016. The meeting report called EPA reliance on a single study premature and possibly inappropriate.

In addition, panel members criticized the study design and methodologies, voicing concerns that a large fraction of the data was basically fabricated because exposure was too low to measure. At least one Science Advisory Panel member questioned the plausibility of health effects given the fact that human exposures are so minute, in the low parts per trillion.

The childrens health center failed to make its data available and did not follow government research standards known as good laboratory practices, which are designed to promote transparency and reproducibility that are necessary to validate scientific research. Nonetheless, EPA released a revised risk assessment in November 2016 that relied on the centers research.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt rejected the petition on March 29, rightly repudiating the use of junk science to push unwarranted and counterproductive regulations. Not only was the EPA relying on junk science, the ban would have cut agricultural productivity and made food more expensive.

Farmers need chlorpyrifos to fight numerous crop-destroying insects that attack a wide range of fruits and vegetables including oranges, corn, nuts, grapes, sugar beets, alfalfa, wheat, soybeans and more. Few adequate alternatives exist to chlorpyrifos for many crops, so a ban would reduce yields and increase prices for nutritious fruits and vegetables, discouraging consumption of these healthy foods.

Pruitts action sets an important pro-science precedent for the agency moving forward, which it is hoped will continue.

Angela Logomasini is a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a free-market public policy organization in Washington. She wrote this for InsideSources.com.
AS the finishing touches are made to the brick-and-granite tribute that is the Stafford Armed Services Memorial honoring our regions veterans from every war, carefully choreographed events are being planned for warriors and families searching for serenity.

The July 15, 10 a.m. dedication of the memorial near the Stafford County Government Center will be a painful reminder for many veterans and active-duty service members of the price of vigilance while defending the nation against all enemies foreign and domestic.

The words of past and present warriors at the ceremony will be significant, and the scheduled pomp should be measured with respect for the need for healing.

With 35 percent of the areas population made up of veterans and their families, the keynote address by Marine Corps Commandant Robert Neller will be critical to a war-weary community.

Some words and views worthy of consideration are found in a book by retired Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, President Trumps national security adviser. McMaster tells the painful and controversial truth in his novel, Dereliction of Duty, which chronicles how President Lyndon B. Johnson, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara and others deceived the public and the nations military and premier defense tacticians, forcing our involvement in Vietnam. Such deceit led to the deaths of 58,000 of my fellow brothers and sisters in Southeast Asia.

For local veterans, heartfelt words from Neller or Ron Christmas, the retired Marine lieutenant general who followed orders without question in Vietnam, as I did, carry more sway than anyone. An endorsement by Christmas, a member of the countys Armed Services Memorial Commission, helped Supervisor Bob Thomas, who was a sergeant in the Marines, win the Republican nomination for the 28th House District seat in the June primary.

At the dedication, I hope politics will be kept to a minimum. Its not a time for military or election bravado.

Most of those attending the dedication will be veteran families, including mothers of the fallen, such as Coleen Lamar, whose son Marine Sgt. Donald J. Lamar II was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2010.

Decades ago, former longtime Stafford supervisor Alvin Bandy, a World War II Army veteran himself, shared with several Planning Commission members his dream of a local memorial honoring veterans. That desire was resurrected by the Lamar family searching for a way to honor their son with a street named after him. Judiciously, the Lamars request and Bandys concept were expanded and have come to fruition in the memorial honoring not one veteran, but all who have served and their families.

The event will feature patriotic music from the Marine Band, a choir and a color guard representing all branches of the armed services, but there also should be time for quiet reflection.

We need words not from warriors, but from worshipers like Thomas Democrat opponent, Joshua Cole, whos an associate pastor with Union Bell Baptist Church. While he is not a veteran, I hope Cole will be present; perhaps he can aid those still suffering and in need of healing.

And theres the need to recognize the ethnic and racial diversity of our military and local community, with its increasing minority population.

Like many other combat veterans, I have wrestled with whether to attend a ceremony that can bring out the very elements so many of us try to avoidarrogant, posturing politicians or military officers and noncommissioned officers seeking deference from those they no longer command.

The reality is that military service is relatively short for the heart and soul of the Department of Defensethose who enlisted and had their voluntary servitude marked by the brutal carnage that combat entails. A rationale individual doesnt miss that or glorify it. But as painful as facing those memories can be, veterans and their families should attend.

After the ceremony is over, Ill sit alone on the granite bench by the main wall sponsored by my veteran son and me, like others in quiet reflection. Then, we will finally have a place to gather in silence, praying for peace while trying to forget what nightly remains unforgettable.

Daniel P. Cortez of Stafford is a political writer and broadcaster. He is active in veteran and minority affairs. He can be reached at dpcortez1969@yahoo.com.
LAST NOVEMBER, scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency, after extensive analysis and review of the scientific literature, determined that the pesticide chlorpyrifos presented a serious health risk, including long-term damage to childrens brain development.

Under vital and long-standing public health laws, this should have been enough to ban the use of chlorpyrifos.

But in March, the new EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, after meeting with the CEO of the company that manufactures this chemical, overruled his agencys own research by allowing chlorpyrifos to stay on the market.

Its a perfect example of this administrations attitude toward science and evidenceand how their efforts to sideline science will put people at risk.

So much depends on a healthy relationship between the federal government and science. American industries have been built on the foundation of federal research, and Americas public depends on science for their health and safety, from weather monitoring to reducing dangerous pollution.

Federal scientists helped contain the risk of the Ebola virus and save the bald eagle from extinction. And science-based public safeguards like the Clean Air Act have saved millions of livesdrawing on the best available information to make sure that our air and water, our communities and workplaces, even the food and medicines we buy are safe and healthy.

The promotion of science is written into our Constitution and bipartisan support for science has made us a global leader.

Despite all that, the Trump administration already has an emerging pattern of undermining science. In just a few months, the administration has delayed or canceled science-based protections, dismissed or ignored scientific advice, altered scientific information on agency websites and created a hostile environment for scientific staff.

Appointees with little scientific background, or serious conflicts of interest, have been named to key roles at science-focused agenciesincluding Scott Pruitt, who sued the EPA to block science-informed rules on mercury and ozone before being named to head the agency.

And if the presidents budget proposal, including not only reduced funding but a reduced workforce, were adopted, it would utterly gut the federal governments scientific resources and the agencies that implement and enforce science-based laws. We could lose a generation of expertise and deter young scientists from public service.

Meanwhile, the administrations allies in Congress have pushed a package of bills that sharply constrain how the federal government can use science. These bills would cut science out of the decision-making process and make it much harder for federal agencies to act on scientific information to protect public health, safety and the environment.

In the end, its not scientists who are the most threatened by the administrations actions. Its the families whose children would suffer serious nervous-system damage from chlorpyrifos exposure, or be susceptible to asthma attacks from ozone pollution. Its employees who could get sick from beryllium or silica in their workplace. Its parents who wont be able to know how much sugar food companies are adding to the food they buy their kids. Its the people whose water sources could be polluted by mining runoff, or who live near chemical facilities that wont be required to have plans in place for a disaster.

Low-income neighborhoods, communities of color, young children and seniors are all put at higher risk if we dont listen to science and act on it in the public interest.

We all deserve access to the best information and the benefits of science. This isnt a partisan issueadministrations on both sides of the aisle have misused sciencebut the scale of political interference weve seen in just the few short months since President Trumps inauguration is striking.

We need stronger scientific integrity policies to protect scientists ability to follow their research wherever it leads and speak out without fear about their findings.

Thats why its encouraging to see the scientific community is more engaged than ever. The stakes are high. Federal science can make our country stronger, healthier and more prosperousor political interference could devastate our nations critical scientific enterprise.

Andrew A. Rosenberg is director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.
Elect Democrats to fix Staffords problems

Since 2002, Ive watched stores and restaurants come and go, and commercial construction sites be abandoned. I often shrug and accept that nothing lasts in Stafford. Then I spend my money in other counties.

Ive watched the Stafford County Board of Supervisors squeeze the school budget while approving new developments. More residents, students and cars, but where are the new businesses, new schools and improved infrastructure?

The traffic in Stafford is hideous. I thought the Interstate 95 express lanes would improve our commute to D.C., but instead these toll lanes that can cost residents a lot, and still we are stuck in traffic. Quality of life suffers when it takes 40 minutes to get out of your neighborhood.

I am concerned with Staffords direction. The board seems to disregard the county Comprehensive Plan, while it ignores recommendations from the Planning Commission, Airport Authority and School Board. They are offering tens of millions of our taxpayer dollars to the developer of Aquia Town Center to coax Harris Teeter to do business here, and now they want more!

Six out of the seven members of the supervisors are Republicans, and elections are in November. If you dont like countys direction, then get involved now and support the Democrats.

Yolanda RogersAnglin is running for the boards Aquia District seat, Gregory Bundrick for Falmouth District, Tracey Bell for Hartwood District and Laura Sellers for Garrisonville District. For the House of Delegates, Josh Cole is running for 28th District seat and Steve Aycock is seeking the 88th District seat. On Nov. 7, vote for the Democrats.

Stephanie Carter

Stafford
The Spotsylvania County School Board is scheduled to appoint former member Amanda Blalocks successor on Mondaya seemingly simple task since only one person applied for the job.

Kassie Palmer, 49, a community impact manager for Rappahannock United Way, is expected to fill the vacant Lee Hill District seat until at least the end of the year. Voters will have their say during Novembers election, when Palmer goes up against challenger Lisa Phelps, who did not seek the appointment.

Blalock stepped down last month after moving to another home in the county outside the Lee Hill District.

Palmer, the only person to formally apply for the appointment, will deliver a five-minute introductory speech at Mondays meeting followed by a closed-door interview with the School Board. Members will likely vote to appoint her after the private interview.

Ten residents, including Blalock and the chair of the Spotsylvania Democratic Committee, expressed support for Palmers appointment at a public hearing late last month. Fill the seatwell figure the rest out in November, Spotsylvania resident Kim Wyman said.

Nobody expressed opposition at that hearing, though some residents previously told the School Board they thought the seat should remain vacant until Novembers election. The issue reflects the running feud between the School Board and some Republicans, with each side accusing the other of playing politics.

Mike Smith, who recently addressed the School Board on behalf of the Fredericksburg Virginia Patriots tea party group, noted that state code says elected school boards may fill vacancies within 45 days, but does not make it a requirement. Board members should leave the choice to votersand appoint the winner one day after the electionrather than fill the seat now, he said, calling it the right thing to do.

The residents of the Lee Hill District know best who to represent them and not a board of six individuals who do not live in the Lee Hill District, nor represent the voters of the Lee Hill District, Smith said. Board of Supervisors Chairman David Ross, former chair of the Spotsylvania Republican Committee, echoed that perspective in an email to School Board Chair Erin Grampp.

But Palmer, a former Parent Teacher Organization president at Lee Hill Elementary School, said withholding an appointment would be unprecedented. The districts residents deserve a representative they can contact with questions or concerns, she said.

I dont agree with the logic of not filling the seat, she said. I do understand the concept that, this close to an election, a board choosing somebody is possibly awkward. But since no one else applied, I dont feel the board is making a choice for the voters.

If several people had applied, she said, she would have encouraged the School Board to look at candidates who did not plan to put their names on the ballot.

Blalock announced in May that she would resign at the end of June.

She ended up stepping down June 12 after School Board member Kirk Twiggwho has butted heads with his colleaguesand the local tea party questioned her eligibility to serve. They noted that she listed her new Chancellor District address on a form declaring her independent candidacy for the 88th District House of Delegates seat held by Mark Cole, RSpotsylvania.

Blalock, who maintains she did nothing wrong, said she rented her former home through June so that she could maintain residency in the Lee Hill District and serve until the end of the fiscal year, June 30.
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The Legislature left Salem on Friday with some of its big-ticket items punched, most notably a $5.3 billion package to pay for improvements to Oregon's road, bridges and other transportation infrastructure.

But lawmakers were unable to make much progress on other big issues, most notably reforms to Oregon's tax structure and its public pension system. Legislative leaders said they laid the groundwork to make progress on those issues during the 2019 session (the scheduled 2018 session typically is too short to give full consideration to major policy changes).

Maybe the reasoning is that the state's financial shape will be so tenuous by 2019 that some action will be required. Or maybe it will take another two years for lawmakers working on these issues to build the coalitions they need to effect meaningful change.

Something like that happened with this year's transportation bill, in which a bipartisan committee of lawmakers spent two years traveling the state, gathering information about transportation needs in every corner of Oregon.

Sometimes, though, it's just one person who takes on the burden of building a coalition to the point where it starts to get significant traction.

Consider the example set nearly 50 years ago, when Linn County dairy farmer (and Corvallis native) Hector Macpherson Jr. worked to lay the groundwork for Oregon's land-use planning laws. Jim Moore, the director of Pacific University's Tom McCall Center for Policy Innovation and a longtime observer of Oregon politics, mentioned Macpherson's efforts during a recent segment on Oregon Public Broadcasting's "Think Out Loud," and I followed up with a call to Moore.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Moore noted, Oregon lawmakers had passed some land-use legislation, but those measures were baby steps. Enter Macpherson, a longtime student of land-use issues even before he was elected to the state Senate for the 1971 session.

After that session, Moore recalled, Macpherson got the OK from legislative leaders to see if he could build some real momentum on land-use issues. Macpherson convened study groups and talked to people around the state. In those discussions, the Oregon Encyclopedia notes, Macpherson was driven by a pair of core beliefs: that land ought to be treated as a precious resource in which the public had an interest and that local planning processes had to be created to guard against unchecked sprawl, which he thought would undermine Oregon farming and forestry.

Moore noted that Macpherson was in a unique position to talk to people throughout the state: He was a Republican farmer with a deep interest in land-use issues, so doors opened for him both in Salem and rural Oregon. The result of Macpherson's work was 1973's landmark Senate Bill 100, which overhauled the state's land-use processes.

Macpherson paid a political price for the work: He lost his re-election bid in 1974. Although the Watergate scandal had triggered a backlash against Republicans nationwide, there's no doubt that Macpherson's land-use work cost him some support.

Moore worries that Oregon's politics may have reached the point where it's become virtually impossible for one person to build the kind of coalition that Macpherson did on a contentious issue.

"In this day and age, I don't think a single person could do it," Moore said.

For starters, as partisanship has become an increasingly important player in Oregon's politics, it's hard to imagine a political figure becoming as well-positioned on both sides of the aisle as Macpherson was in 1971. Frank Morse, the moderate Republican senator from the mid-valley, worked for years trying to reform parts of Oregon's tax system, but eventually resigned from the Legislature in frustration. The tax-reform mantle lately has been taken up by Democratic Sen. Mark Hass of Beaverton, but his ties to the Portland metro area likely limit his effectiveness in other parts of the state.

"It's just hard to see who would be able to play the role" that Macpherson did in state politics, Moore said.

Also, Moore noted, it's hard to imagine that legislative leaders would give a newer member such a wide-ranging assignment on a tough issue. Macpherson's charge, Moore said, essentially was to "go out and see what you can do."

Hard to imagine, yes. But in an era when the Legislature as a whole isn't making much progress on the big issues, it might require the efforts of one persistent lawmaker to get the job done. (mm)
Cult pub is over 400 years old : Zum Gequetschten in Bonn to close

Bonn The traditional Bonn pub Zum Gequetschten, which is more than 400 years old, will close at the end of the year.

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It is the favourite pub of many Bonn Carnival societies. The Beuel City Soldiers and the Bonnsche Chinese are regulars of the Zum Gequetschten brewery pub. However, this tradition will end midway through the 2017/2018 Carnival season. The cult Bonn pub on Sternstrae will close its doors on 31 December. A lease extension is out of the question for us, because the lease conditions are no longer acceptable, explained restaurant manager, Klaus Booke, when asked by the General Anzeiger.

Booke says the rents are no longer economical. As well as the rent for the pub, the costs of outdoor catering have also risen. The bar business is not what it was 20 years ago, says Booke. Other traditional Bonn bars such as Hahnchen or Im Baren have already closed.
650 year anniversary of Putzchens Market : Nostalgic fairground rides in the shadow of the Munster

Bonn The city of Bonn is running a historical funfair in the city centre until 16 July as part of the celebrations for the 650th anniversary of the Putzchens Market.

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Lord Mayor Ashok Sridharan officially opened a ten day public festival of a very special kind at the Munsterplatz on Friday evening: a nostalgic funfair in the shadow of church towers.

Two months before the next Putzchens Market (8-12 September), the city of Bonn is offering residents a historical funfair to celebrate 650 years of the Putzchens Market, complete with a market crier and his well-known call: All aboard, please. The ride is about to start.

The fair runs until next Sunday, 16 July. Until then, Bonners can enjoy a Ride into Paradise, a Swan flight or a ride along Route 66 to their hearts content. With seven rides, a shooting range and three fairground organs, the historic funfair will bring ten days of nostalgic flair to Bonn city centre.

I cant believe it! I rode on this swing carousel at the Putzchens Market as a young girl and have wonderful memories of it, said Elisabeth Frings. The 72-year-old was a regular at the Putzchens Markt in her younger years.

The rides date from between 1900 and 1960 and have all been restored. Fairground men Hubert Markmann and Jakob Schleifer advised employees of the city market office on the selection.

The highlight of the festivities will be a big parade on Sunday, 9 July. Around 50 historic tractors and groups on foot with more than 500 participants will parade through the city centre from 2pm. The parade will start at Bottlerplatz and then go to Friedensplatz, Sternstrae, Markt, Remigiusstrae, Munsterplatz, In der Surst, Poststrae and Vivatsgasse before returning to Bottlerplatz. There will be three commentary points: in Sternstrae (on the corner of Kasernenstrae) at the Old Town Hall and on the Munsterplatz.

So what drives showmen to painstakingly restore historic funfair rides in this digital age? Richard Muller from Essen, who has a dodgems ride from 1950 says: I grew up with it. It is an important part of my life and nurtures my yearnings for youth.
Trump Confronts Putin on Russia's Meddling in US Election

By VOA News July 07, 2017

U.S. President Donald Trump "pressed" Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Moscow's meddling in last year's U.S. presidential election at their first face-to-face meeting Friday, according to U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Tillerson said Putin denied Russian involvement in the election, although the two leaders had a "very robust and lengthy exchange on the subject."

"The president pressed President Putin on more than one occasion regarding Russian involvement," Tillerson told reporters after the two leaders' meeting that overshadowed the gathering in Hamburg, Germany, of the leaders of the world's 20 largest economies.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who also attended the meeting, later said that Trump accepted Putin's statements that Russia had not interfered in the election.

Tillerson said the two leaders agreed to continue the discussion, with the intent of securing a commitment from Russia not to meddle in U.S. affairs in the future. He said there was no sign that the two countries would ever agree on the issue, so both leaders were focused on moving forward.

There are several ongoing investigations into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia and interfered in last November's U.S. presidential election.

At a joint news conference Thursday in Warsaw with Polish President Andrzej Duda, Trump addressed Russia's involvement. "I think it was Russia, but I think it was probably other people and/or countries," Trump said. "Nobody really knows for sure."

Trump's stance on the issue has been somewhat at odds with the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia meddled in the election and with testimony his own nominees presented before Congress.

The meeting also produced an agreement designed to de-escalate fighting in Syria. The two leaders agreed to a cease-fire in southwestern Syria, a deal that increases U.S. involvement in the effort to resolve the Syrian civil war.

Israel and Jordan, which share a border with southern Syria, also have agreed to the cease-fire, which is set to take effect Sunday.

Although both the U.S. and Russia oppose the Islamic State militant group in Syria, the two countries have thrown their support behind opposing sides in the war. The U.S. supports rebel forces who are opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has the support of Moscow.

The agreement could give the U.S. more influence over who fills a leadership void that is developing as Islamic State is forced out of its most important Syrian strongholds.

The U.S. and Russia have been negotiating the cease-fire for some time, and it came to fruition at the formal bilateral meeting that was highly anticipated by the international community.

The meeting was fraught with symbolism as Trump, still new to the world of global diplomacy, sat down with Putin, a former KGB agent, who came to power in what amounted to a Kremlin coup 17 years ago.

The meeting was closely scrutinized for signs of how the two leaders interacted. Relations between Putin and former President Barack Obama were strained, and Trump repeatedly has said he would like to improve ties with Russia.

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Inherent Resolve Strikes Target ISIS in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, July 8, 2017  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 29 strikes consisting of 76 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 24 strikes consisting of 30 engagements against ISIS targets yesterday:

-- Near Abu Kamal, two strikes destroyed three ISIS oil-refinement stills, nine oil barrels and a storage tank.

-- Near Shadaddi, a strike destroyed two ISIS oil-refinement stills and two oil barrels.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, three strikes destroyed two ISIS oil-refinement stills, two vehicles, two oil tankers and a front-end loader.

-- Near Raqqa, 18 strikes engaged 16 ISIS tactical units and destroyed 17 fighting positions, two vehicles and a tunnel.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted five strikes consisting of 46 engagements against ISIS targets yesterday:

-- Near Beiji, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed three vehicles.

-- Near Mosul, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed 19 fighting positions, 10 medium machine guns, two weapon caches, an artillery system and a rocket-propelled-grenade system; damaged 13 fighting positions; and suppressed a mortar system.

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike destroyed a front-end loader.

July 5-6 Strikes

Additionally, officials reported today that 13 strikes were conducted in Syria and Iraq on July 5-6 for which the information was unavailable at the time of yesterday's update:

-- On July 5 near Mosul, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed 13 medium machine guns, four rocket-propelled-grenade launchers, four improvised bombs, three fighting positions, a sniper position, an ISIS-held building, a tank, a vehicle, a command-and-control node and a weapons cache; damaged 15 fighting positions; and suppressed a sniper team.

-- On July 5 near Raqqa, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed a fighting position, a front-end loader and an unmanned aerial system launch site; and suppressed 17 fighting positions and a sniper team.

-- On July 6 near Mosul, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed a fighting position, a medium machine gun and a command-and-control node; and damaged two supply routes.

-- On July 6, near Raqqa, eight strikes engaged seven ISIS tactical units and destroyed five fighting positions, a recoilless rifle, a weapons cache and an ISIS-held building.

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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U.S. B-1B Bomber Flights Demonstrate Commitment to South Korea

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii, July 8, 2017  As part of the continuing demonstration of the U.S. commitment to its allies against the growing threat from North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear programs, two U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, conducted a 10-hour sequenced bilateral mission yesterday with South Korean and Japanese fighter jets.

The mission is in response to a series of increasingly escalatory actions by North Korea, including the July 3 launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, officials said.

"North Korea's actions are a threat to our allies, partners and homeland," said Air Force Gen. Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, Pacific Air Forces commander. "Let me be clear, if called upon we are trained, equipped and ready to unleash the full lethal capability of our allied air forces."

The B-1B's flew to the Korean Peninsula, where they were joined by South Korean F-15 fighter jets and U.S. Air Force F-16 fighters. The B-1B's practiced attack capabilities by releasing inert weapons at the Pilsung Range.

Preserving Region's Security

"U.S. bombers and Republic of Korea fighters are just two of many lethal military options at our disposal," said Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Bergeson, U.S. Forces Korea deputy commander. The mission clearly demonstrates that the U.S.-South Korea alliance remains prepared to use the full range of capabilities to defend and to preserve the security of the Korean Peninsula and region, he added.

En route back to Guam, the B-1B's flew and integrated with Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2 fighter jets over the East China Sea.

"The U.S.-Japan alliance and the relationship between our militaries are stronger than they have ever been," said Air Force Lt. Gen. Jerry P. Martinez, U.S. Forces Japan commander. "We continue to train with our Japanese allies to ensure we are ready to defend ourselves from attack."

U.S. Pacific Command maintains flexible bomber and jet fighter capabilities in the Indo-Asia-Pacific theater, retaining the ability to quickly respond to any regional threat to defend the U.S. homeland and in support of U.S. allies, officials said.

(From a Pacific Air Forces news release.)

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China claims India is stirring up trouble in Doklam

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 10:32, July 08, 2017

BEIJING, July 7 -- A Foreign Ministry spokesman on Friday objected to India's attempts to stir up disputes over the Doklam region.

The Indian sides claims that, according to a 2012 India-China agreement, the tri-junction point of China, India and Bhutan will be decided by consulting with the Bhutan side, which means China and India have recognized their divergence on the issue.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the so-called tri-junction point, just as its name implies, is a point, rather than a line or an area.

He said, on the tri-junction, the Convention Between Great Britain and China Relating to Sikkim and Tibet(1890) stipulates that the Sikkim section of the China-India boundary commences at Mount Gipmochi in the east.

However, the trespass by the Indian troops took place at the Sikkim section of the China-India boundary over 2,000 meters away from Mount Gipmochi and has nothing to do with the tri-junction, said Geng.

The Indian side, by disregarding of the boundary convention, assumes the whole Doklam region as part of the tri-junction. This is obviously an attempt to confuse the public, he added.

Some opinions hold that the 1890 convention has ceased to have any significance, because the situation changed after the Sino-Indian Border Conflict in 1962.

In response to a question on whether India has recognized the delimitation of the Sikkim section of the China-India boundary since 1962, Geng said successive Indian governments had repeatedly confirmed the 1890 convention in written form, with no disagreement on the boundary alignment at the Sikkim section.

Once the border treaty was signed, its legitimacy and effectiveness was not affected by changes of governments or state systems, said Geng.

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Haley denounces Russia for 'meddling' in elections on 'multiple continents'

Iran Press TV

Sat Jul 8, 2017 10:6PM

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has decried what she refers to as Russian "meddling" in the world elections, including the 2016 presidential vote in the United States.

"Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections," Haley told CNN in a pre-taped interview for "State of the Union" aired on Saturday.

Probes are underway to determine whether there was a collusion between Russia and associates of now-US President Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign and transition.

Under pressure ever since, the president has hesitated to condemn Russia, arguing that other countries could have been involved.

"Everybody knows that they're not just meddling in the United States' election," Haley said. "They're doing this across multiple continents, and they're doing this in a way that they're trying to cause chaos within the countries."

The US government is itself known for cases of meddling in remote countries' policies and elections as well as vociferous support for regime change projects.

"And it's not just going to be us saying this. I think you're going to hear other leaders come out and say, cut it out, we're not going to put up with it," said the US envoy to the UN.

In another appearance on CBS News, she also asserted that the ongoing FBI and congressional probes mean the Russians will face consequences.

"President Trump still knows that they meddled," she told CBS News in a pre-taped interview for "Face the Nation." "President Putin knows that they meddled, but he is never going to admit to it. And that's all that happened."

Trump met Putin during the G20 summit in Hamburg, where he brought up the issue.

In a declassified report released in January, the intelligence community concluded that Russia helped with the New York billionaire's campaign effort ahead of winning the White House, an allegation dismissed both by Moscow and Trump.

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Al-Shabab militants behead 9 civilians in southeastern Kenya

Iran Press TV

Sat Jul 8, 2017 2:10PM

Suspected Takfiri al-Shabab terrorists have decapitated at least nine people in an attack on a pair of villages in southeastern Kenya, near the border with restive Somalia.

The deadly attack was carried out overnight on Saturday, when some 15 suspected al-Qaeda-linked militants stormed the two neighboring villages of Jima and Poromoko in the Kenyan coastal district of Lamu, near the Somali border, gathering their civilian victims together before beheading them, Kenyan local police and officials said.

A senior police officer at police headquarters in the capital Nairobi, speaking on the condition of anonymity, also confirmed the brutal incident. "It is true, we have lost nine people in today's attack," he said, without providing further details.

According to villagers, most of the heavily armed assailants appeared to be ethnic Somalis. The victims "were slaughtered like chickens", said a villager, who witnessed the incident.

Residents of the two villages had called the police a day earlier, reporting the presence of al-Shabab militants in the area, but no police forces were apparently deployed in the area to boost security.

The Somalia-based terror group has for years conducted deadly cross-border attacks in Kenya but it has rarely decapitated the victims.

The Saturday attack was carried out in the vicinity of Pandanguo village, where terrorists killed three police officers in an attack on a police post in Lamu on Friday.

The al-Shabab group has vowed retribution on Kenya for deploying troops in 2011 to Somalia to help its fragile central government curb the terror group, which last year became the deadliest terrorist organization in Africa.

In recent months, the terror group has increased attacks, using homemade explosive devices, killing at least 46 people in Lamu and Mandera districts.

The increase in attacks can pose a security threat against Kenya's August 8 presidential election.

In Somalia, al-Shabab militants have been pushed out of all major urban strongholds and ports, but they continue to stage attacks on targets in smaller, more remote areas.

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India, bracing for protests, puts Kashmir on lockdown

Iran Press TV

Sat Jul 8, 2017 9:38AM

India has placed Kashmir under high security order and deployed tens of thousands of government forces to the volatile Himalayan region on the death anniversary of a popular pro-independence figure.

The curfew was enforced in the Indian-administered Kashmir on Saturday, with the government cutting off all internet services and blocking all roads leading to Tral, the hometown of the 23-year-old Burhan Wani, the independence figure who was killed in a shootout with Indian troops last July.

"I have never seen restrictions of this magnitude before," said one local speaking on condition of anonymity, adding that residents would be shot if they left their homes.

Reports said businesses remained closed in the main city of Srinagar, and authorities seized thousands of motorbikes to prevent people traveling between villages in the area.

Wani's death in July 2016 sparked a large wave of violent protests across Kashmir. Nearly 100 people lost their lives and over 12,000 were wounded in the ensuing crackdown.

The anniversary comes at a time of heightened tensions along the Line of Control, the de-facto border that divides the disputed Himalayan territory between India and Pakistan.

Angry locals clash with security forces

Witnesses and police also said clashes erupted when a number of people found their way to their homes blocked and started pelting stones at government forces. Security forces were prompted to fire tear gas in order to disperse the crowd. No one was immediately reported injured in the clashes.

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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Qatar rejects Saudi-led bloc's new claims

Iran Press TV

Sat Jul 8, 2017 4:50AM

Qatar has rejected new claims by a Saudi-led bloc of countries that it "finances terrorism" and intervenes in their internal affairs.

"The State of Qatar's position on terrorism is consistent and known for its rejection and condemnation of all forms of terrorism, whatever the causes and motives," the state Qatar News Agency quoted a senior Foreign Ministry source as saying on Friday.

The bloc, consisting of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, severed diplomatic ties and cut all land, sea, and air routes with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of supporting terrorism and destabilizing the region, allegations denied by Doha.

They later issued a 13-point list of demands for Doha to meet in order for the relations to be restored. Among them was that Qatar close a Turkish military base, limit its ties with Iran, and "compensate" the sanctioning countries. They also demanded that Al Jazeera, a media network that has reportedly been critical of Saudi Arabia and the other boycotting countries, be closed.

Qatar has said those demands reveal how the Saudi-bloc's pretext for the severance of ties with Doha, i.e. the accusation that Qatar sponsors terror, is just that: a pretext. Doha has refused to meet the "unreasonable" demands, but it has also voiced readiness for a negotiated solution to the standoff.

Foreign ministers from the bloc of countries boycotting Qatar met in Cairo on Wednesday. They later released a statement, saying Doha's rejection of the demands "proved" its link with terrorism.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry official dismissed the claim as "baseless" and tantamount to "defamation." The source said, however, that Qatar was ready to "cooperate and review all claims that do not contradict the sovereignty of the State of Qatar."

The foreign ministers of the boycotting countries also said the list of the collective demands was now void and they pledged further political, economic, and legal steps against Qatar. This is while at least one of the Saudi-led countries had previously said no further escalation of the dispute was planned.

'Too rich to be worried by sanctions'

Also on Friday, Ali Sharif al-Emadi, the Qatari finance minister, told The Times that his country's huge financial reserves, built on the sales of natural gas over decades, meant it could withstand the sanctions by the Saudi-led countries.

"We have sovereign wealth funds of 250 percent of gross domestic product; we have Qatar Central Bank reserves; and we have a Ministry Of Finance strategic reserve," he said.

"Bahrain and Egypt, they are at junk bond level," he said. "If you look at Saudi Arabia, they are having genuine issues with their finances."

"We are the fastest growing country in the region, 40 percent faster than the nearest GCC country (the UAE)," he added, referring to the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council.

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Trump Wins Concessions On Climate, Trade As G20 Leaders Agree On Summit Statement

Rikard Jozwiak July 08, 2017

HAMBURG, Germany -- U.S. President Donald Trump has secured key concessions on trade and climate in the final communique of the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Hamburg, in what German Chancellor Angela Merkel characterized as a need for compromise.

Following a two-day summit in which tensions over climate and trade simmered, the 19 other members of the club of major industrialized and emerging economies acknowledged in the final summit statement on July 8 Washington's decision under U.S. President Donald Trump to withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate accord.

The communique also conceded to the U.S. side's wish to include language on fossil fuels that other leaders had balked at.

Addressing reporters on the second and final day of the summit, however, Merkel told news conference that she was "very happy" that all of the other members agreed that the Paris accord was "irreversible."

Describing the negotiations over climate and other issues as "complicated," Merkel stressed that her role as host included facilitating "compromising," adding that the group could "achieve more together than individually."

The final day of talks followed another night of violent riots near the venue -- clashes between antiglobalization activists and police that have overshadowed the summit of leaders of the world's major industrialized and emerging economies.

Trade was another disputed issue during the talks, and the final statement left room for Trump to push forward with his "America First" trade policy, which has hampered consensus on globalization and trade since he took office in January.

A European Union official close to the negotiations told RFE/RL that aides worked until 2 a.m. on the G20 summit's joint statement before reaching consensus to include free-trade language on fighting "protectionism," which Washington had been reluctant to agree to, the official said.

But the communique included for the first time the right of countries to protect their markets with "legitimate trade-defense instruments."

Leaders attending the summit included Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and China's President Xi Jinping as well as European and Asian leaders.

The section on climate change had remained the subject of disagreement as leaders went into negotiations early on July 8. Reuters quoted an EU official as saying earlier on July 8 that there was a "critical mass of countries" that objected to including the reference to fossil fuels in the G20 communique.

The final statement included language sought by the U.S. side, noting Washington would "work closely with other countries to help them access and use fossil fuels more cleanly and efficiently."

The standoff over the climate issue came as world leaders this week stepped up pressure on Trump in the wake of his announcement that the United States would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.

"We are not renegotiating the Paris agreement -- that stays. But I want to see the U.S. looking for ways to rejoin it," British Prime Minister Theresa May told the BBC.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Paris will host a summit on December 12 to make further progress on the 2015 Paris climate agreement and to mobilize private and public financing for projects committed to in the agreement.

Macron was also quoted as saying that he still hoped to convince Trump to change his mind about withdrawing from the agreement.

On the final day of talks, Merkel, Putin, and Macron agreed during a working breakfast that a cease-fire deal for eastern Ukraine, known as the Minsk peace accords, must be implemented.

At the end of the summit, Merkel said that there was no glossing over the fact that there had been "very, very slow" progress in implementing the accords aimed at ending years of fighting in eastern Ukraine.

Merkel said she would hold four-way phone talks with the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and France following a more procedural conversation with Macron and Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

Putin, who held talks with Trump in a highly anticipated meeting the previous day, met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and, separately, with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker later on July 8.

An EU official told RFE/RL that the Putin-Juncker meeting was "an open and frank meeting between the two leaders, who know each other for many years, on issues of common interests."

Meanwhile, Merkel said that "deep differences" remained between her and Erdogan after they met on the sidelines of the summit.

She stressed that Turkey's role in managing the migrant crisis and other conflicts were "honored" at the gathering of leaders.

Merkel added that Turkey's mass arrests of alleged state enemies after last year's coup attempt and a dispute centered on a NATO base show "deep differences" that were not swept under the table.

The first day of the Hamburg meeting was overshadowed by rioting and vandalism by small factions of radicals among an estimated 100,000 antiglobalization protesters who took to the streets of Hamburg.

As Trump and Putin met for more than two hours on the sidelines of the summit on July 7, smoke hovered over the city from dozens of torched cars and barricades that were set on fire by demonstrators outside.

After a day of burning, looting, and other havoc by radical protesters -- including members of the anticapitalist Black Bloc movement -- police managed to clear the streets of downtown Hamburg by the early morning of July 8 using armored vehicles, water cannons, and tear gas.

Authorities said more than 200 police had been injured in the violence in recent days and more than 200 demonstrators had been detained.

Despite the unrest on the streets, Trump praised Merkel's handling of the summit in comments at the start of the second day, saying the German chancellor had "been amazing and done an incredible job."

"Your leadership is absolutely incredible and very inspiring," Trump said.

Trump has previously appeared to have tense relations with Merkel and has slammed the U.S. trade gap with Germany and Berlin's military spending relative to its gross domestic product, criticism that has angered the German political establishment.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, TASS, and Interfax

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/g20-final-day- communique/28603062.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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Putin: Trump Seemed To 'Agree' With Denial Of Russian Election Meddling

RFE/RL July 08, 2017

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he held an in-depth discussion with U.S. President Donald Trump about Moscow's alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, and that his counterpart seemed to agree with Russia's position that there were "no grounds" for such accusations.

Putin made the comments at a July 8 news conference following the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, where he met with Trump the previous day.

The Russian president expressed cautious optimism about the prospect of improving ties with Washington that remain battered over the conflicts in Ukraine, Syria, and what U.S. intelligence agencies call a Kremlin-directed hacking and influence campaign aimed at helping elect Trump.

"There is every reason to believe that we will be able to at least partially reestablish the level of cooperation that we need," Putin told reporters.

Putin's account of his talks about alleged Russian election meddling, however, differed from the U.S side's portrayal.

Putin, who has repeatedly and emphatically denied the meddling charge, told reporters in Hamburg that Trump asked "several" questions about the alleged Russian influence campaign.

"Our position is very clear, and I stated it: there are no grounds to believe that Russia interfered in the U.S. electoral process," Putin said, adding that Trump took his position "into account" and seemed to "agree."

"But frankly, you should ask him about his opinion on this," Putin added.

Putin's comments of the discussion echoed an earlier claim by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Trump "accepted" Putin's denial of Russian meddling.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gave a differing account, saying the issue was "something that may be an intractable disagreement at this point."

He added that Trump pressed Putin "on more than one occasion" about Moscow's involvement in the U.S. election, and that Putin had denied any interference by the Kremlin in the election.

The White House later issued a statement refuting Lavrov's claim.

Trump, who has advocated for better ties with Moscow, has said that while Russia was likely responsible for the hacking, other actors could have been behind it as well.

'Tremendous Meeting'

Originally scheduled to last 35 minutes, the talks between Putin and Trump went on for two hours and 15 minutes as they discussed the wars in Syria and Ukraine, the crisis over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, cybersecurity, and Russia's alleged election meddling.

In his first public statement about his talks with Putin, Trump early on July 8 said that it had been a "tremendous meeting."

Putin, meanwhile, told reporters in Hamburg later in the day that "the Trump that you see on TV is very different than the real Trump."

Both sides also said Trump and Putin had focused heavily on a newly announced cease-fire deal for southwestern Syria reached by Russia and the United States on July 7.

Tillerson said that details about the cease-fire deal still need to be resolved.

But Lavrov told reporters that Russian military police would monitor the cease-fire, that it would go into effect at noon on July 9, and that a monitoring center would be set up in Jordan  which is also party to the deal.

The agreement is separate from the deal reached by Russia, Turkey, and Iran on so-called "de-escalation zones" that is being worked out in an attempt to separate combatants in Syria's six-year civil war.

Putin said in Hamburg that he believed Washington has become "more pragmatic" about the Syrian civil war under Trump, who has previously said he wants to team up with Moscow to battle Islamic State (IS) militants.

"It seems to me that the U.S. position [on Syria] has become more pragmatic. There is a comprehension that if we combine our efforts, we can achieve a lot," Putin said.

While Trump has repeatedly called for improving ties with Moscow, his administration has continued to publicly maintain pressure on Russia -- including with sanctions -- over its seizure of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and backing of armed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Those punitive measures were introduced under Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, who had a visibly icy rapport with Putin and whose administration was loathed by the Kremlin.

Trump's administration has also been dogged by the U.S. intelligence conclusion that Russia meddled in the U.S. election.

Both the U.S. Congress and the FBI are investigating the hacking and contacts between associates of the U.S. president and Russian officials, and any serious push for detente with Moscow is would almost certainly face stiff resistance from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Washington.

The host of the G20 summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said after the conclusion of the final day that she hoped for more dialogue between Washington and Moscow.

"It is a start," Merkel told reporters, adding that there are some global problems that require cooperation between the two former Cold War foes.

"It can only be a good thing if there is an honest, frank dialogue," she said.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, TASS, and Interfax

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-us-putin-trump- differing-reactions-meeting/28603119.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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'Everybody Knows' Russia Meddled in US Elections - US Ambassador to UN

Sputnik News

21:34 08.07.2017(updated 02:08 09.07.2017)

"Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections," US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said in an interview clip aired Saturday.

Speaking to CNN's State of the Union, Haley said that US President Donald Trump brought up alleged election meddling in his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, to let Putin know that "yes, we know you did it, and cut it out."

Russia has consistently denied all allegations that there was any state sponsored interference in the US's presidential election last year, a suspicion still the subject of many official investigations, few of which have turned up much public, concrete evidence. Trump has so far refused to clearly point the finger at Russia, though in Haley's telling, that's what happened in his meeting with the Russian president.

"Everybody" also knows a lot of other stuff, according to Haley. "Everybody knows that they're not just meddling in the United States' election," she said. "They're doing this across multiple continents, and they're doing this in a way that they're trying to cause chaos within the countries."

"And it's not just going to be us saying this. I think you're going to hear other leaders come out and say, cut it out, we're not going to put up with it," she stated.

When now-French President Emmanuel Macron's campaign was hacked on the eve of the election, eyes turned immediately to Russia  only for the head of France's cyber security agency to later say they'd found no trace of Russian involvement.

Haley made the same assertion in comments to CBS on Saturday, and went on to say that Russia needs to understands that there will be "consequences" for their alleged meddling.

"Not just Russia," she said in response to a question about what those consequences might be. "Any country needs to know that there are consequences when they get involved in our elections. The one thing we don't want is for our political process to ever be influenced or tainted in any way. And I think that we have to make sure that we're always strong on that point and let everyone know that we're not going to put up with it."

The US has so far said "cut it out" to Putin several times, apparently, expelled 35 Russian diplomats and slapped new sanctions on Russian businesses and individuals. As to what further consequences there may be, Haley said, "you're going to have to ask the President."

Reports about any actual exchange about Russia's alleged hacking during the meeting of the two leaders are conflicting.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Russian reporters after the meeting, "The US president said that he heard clear statements from President Putin about this being untrue and that he accepted these statements." US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, on the other hand, said Trump pressed Putin on the issue more than once, and when Putin of course denied the allegations, the US president decided it was time to move on.

 Sputnik

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US Bombers Hold Live-Fire Drills Near North Korea

By VOA News July 08, 2017

U.S. bombers, jointly with South Korean forces, have conducted rare, live-fire drills near the border with North Korea, according to the South Korean military.

The South Korean military said in a statement that the drill was designed to "sternly respond to the series of North Korea's ballistic missile launches."

The military said two U.S. B-1B Lancers, deployed from Anderson Air Base in Guam, joined by U.S. and South Korean jet fighters in the eastern province of Gangwon, dropped weapons in a simulated destruction of an enemy ballistic missile launcher and underground facilities.

North Korea carried out a test launch earlier in the week of an intercontinental ballistic missile, complete with a re-entry vehicle that could allow it to be equipped with a nuclear warhead.

U.S. military officials estimated the missile had a range of 5,500 kilometers, potentially putting parts of the northwestern United States within Pyongyang's reach.

U.S. President Donald Trump said after North Korea's missile launch that he is prepared to do "some pretty severe things" to stop North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

"They are behaving in a very, very dangerous manner and something will have to be done," he said. "There are consequences for their very, very bad behavior," the president said.

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Police Clamp Down in Indian Kashmir on Anniversary of Militant Leader's Death

By Anjana Pasricha July 08, 2017

Thousands of troops patrolled Indian Kashmir on Saturday as authorities imposed widespread restrictions to foil protests planned for the anniversary of a local militant leader, Burhan Wani, whose killing in 2016 by armed forces has pulled the Himalayan region into a fresh spiral of violence after several years of relative peace.

Internet services were shut down and police raised barricades between neighborhoods. Shops and businesses remained closed in the Kashmiri capital, Srinagar.

Police fired tear gas in at least four places where protesters attempted to march in the streets.

The tightest security was in Tral village around the house of Wani, who had joined the Hizbul Mujahideen militant group and is regarded as a hero in Kashmir. He belonged to a new rank of social media savvy young rebels who used Facebook and other social media to draw fresh recruits.

The call for a strike to mark Wani's killing was given by local Kashmiri separatist leaders and by a Pakistan-based militant commander, Syed Salahuddin, whom the United States last week added to its list of global terrorists.

Violent protests

Kashmir has been restive ever since widespread violent street protests that erupted after his killing.

"The mood is defiance, not much has changed in the past one year since his killing," said Shujaat Bukhari, editor of Rising Kashmir newspaper. Calling Wani a "trigger" for a situation that had been simmering for a long time, Bukhari said "He became a rallying point, in a way he united Kashmiris in their anger and angst against the Indian state."

The present round of unrest in India's only Muslim majority region has shattered a long spell of relative calm that Kashmir witnessed following a violent separatist insurgency in the 1990s.

And this time, civilians are playing a greater role in the unrest. Many young students are taking part in street protests, where crowds pelting stones often target security forces. Officials estimate that about 100 local youth have joined the ranks of militants, and in villages it is not uncommon for people to resist counter militancy operations.

Lacking 'political engagement'

Analysts say New Delhi's failure to engage in a political dialogue in the region is fanning the anti-India sentiment.

"The continuous absence of political engagement in Kashmir and the continuous denial on part of Delhi that says there is nothing to be addressed politically has made the situation more complex in the past one year," according to Bukhari.

India blames Pakistan-based militant groups for stoking the unrest in Kashmir. Pakistan denies the allegation.

Meanwhile, Indian officials said two civilians were killed and two children were wounded by gunfire from Pakistani troops along the line of control that divides the region between the two countries.

Even as the situation in Kashmir has deteriorated, cross-border shelling between Indian and Pakistani troops also has become more intense, with each side accusing the other of violating a mutual cease-fire.

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IS Claims Responsibility in Deadly Sinai Attack

By VOA News July 08, 2017

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack that killed at least 23 soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula.

IS made the claim late Friday in a statement on its website. Egyptian officials said a suicide car bomber had attacked a military checkpoint in northern Sinai earlier in the day.

In the wake of the attack, which occurred near the border town of Rafah, dozens of masked militants descended on the site in vehicles and shot at the 60 soldiers present with machine guns, security officials said.

When the attack subsided, the militants apparently took weapons and ammunition from the checkpoint before fleeing, the officials said. Some militants were killed in the shootout, and some of their vehicles were abandoned.

According to the IS statement, a second car bomber struck an army convoy sent to reinforce the embattled soldiers. That claim was circulated by supporters and picked up by the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadi websites.

The Friday attack was considered one of the deadliest against the military in the past two years. Egyptian army officials said they had foiled other attacks in the area during the day, part of a coordinated effort.

On Saturday, meanwhile, Egyptian police said they had killed at least 14 militants in raids carried out at a training camp near Ismailia. Officials said the militants were wanted in connection with recent attacks on security forces in the Sinai.

Egypt has been battling an IS insurgency on the peninsula since 2013, when the military ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi after mass protests.

Some information for this report came from AP.

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US will test THAAD system in Alaska: Official

Iran Press TV

Fri Jul 7, 2017 10:36PM

The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) says it will soon test an anti-ballistic missile system amid rising tensions over North Korea's increased missile tests.

On Tuesday, North Korea announced it had successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), claiming it could "reach anywhere in the world."

US intelligence agencies said the missile was most likely a new ICBM with an estimated range of 5,500 kilometers (3,400 miles), capable of hitting Alaska.

The MDA said Friday that it will test the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in the coming days at the Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska in Kodiak, Alaska.

THAAD "will detect, track and engage a target with a THAAD interceptor" rocket in "early July," Chris Johnson, a spokesman at the MDA, said.

"The test is designated as Flight Test THAAD (FTT)-18," Johnson added, but did not give further details.

Unsettled by North Korean missile and nuclear programs, the United States has adopted a war-like posture, sending a strike group and conducting joint military drills with North Korea's regional adversaries Japan and South Korea.

On Tuesday, military forces of the US and South Korea launched surface-to-surface missiles in reaction to North Korea's recent test-launch of an ICBM.

THAAD, which is a ground-based missile system that can defend against short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles at the terminal stage of flight, became operational in South Korea in May.

Seoul and Washington reached an agreement over the THAAD's deployment in July last year, declaring that the objective is to protect South Korea against North Korea's alleged missile threats.

Pyongyang has expressed its strong opposition to the move, saying the US advanced missile system in the South would destabilize the region's security by upsetting the military status quo.

North Korea says that it is developing arms as deterrence against the US and will not abandon the missile and nuclear programs unless the US ends its hostility toward Pyongyang.

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U.S. To Test Missile Defense In Alaska Amid Growing North Korean Threat

July 08, 2017

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency says that it will within days test a sophisticated anti-ballistic-missile system, after North Korea this week launched a missile deemed capable of striking Alaska.

The Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to be tested is designed to intercept and destroy short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

The agency said the test against a ballistic-missile target will be conducted in "early July" at the Pacific Spaceport Complex on Alaska's Kodiak Island.

Though such exercises are planned months in advance, it comes after North Korea on July 4 for the first time test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) deemed capable of reaching Alaska and Hawaii.

THAAD is not designed to stop an ICBM -- that job is left primarily to the ground-based Midcourse Defense system, which has a much lower success rate than THAAD.

THAAD is the same system the United States recently deployed in South Korea and is touted as "100 percent successful" so far.

China and Russia opposed THAAD's deployment in Korea, saying it would destabilize the power balance in the region.

THAAD batteries are also installed in Guam and Hawaii to stop an intermediate-range missile from North Korea.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-test-missile-defense-alaska- amid-growing-north-korean-threat/28602841.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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Iran fully backs Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New York, July 8, IRNA -- Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, referring to Iran as being one of the victims of weapons of mass destruction, stressed Tehran's full support of Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty on Saturday morning.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran totally supports the goal of this treaty on banning ownership, usage or threatening to use nuclear weapons," said Reza Najafi, Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agancy (IAEA) after the ratification of the treaty.

"Iran's suggestion on making a free-nuclear-weapon zone in the Middle East is one of the brazen efforts of Iran in eliminating the threat posed by these weapons in the region," he said reminding the dangers of the Zionist regime nuclear weapons in the tricky region of the Middle east.

Referring to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei's Fatwa (a ruling on a point of Islamic law) banning the usage of weapons of mass destruction and considering them as Haram (something forbidden by God in Islamic rules and laws), Najafi pointed out that Iran is a victim of weapons of mass destruction and appreciated the conference measure in referring to the world's religious leaders' endeavors' to total annihilation of nuclear weapons.

Several different countries' envoys in IAEA following three weeks of discussions and survey passed the treaty legally, 70 years after the US using of nuclear weapons in Hiroshima and 50 years after concluding Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), on total banning the of production, testing, acquirement, possession, accumulation, transferring, usage or threatening to use under any circumstance on Friday in the United Nations Headquarter.

Also based on this treaty after being stringent, the holders of nuclear weapons are obliged to declare a list of their nuclear weapons and their production facilities to the United Nations Secretary-General and immediately de-operationalize them and then based on a scheduled program which has to be passed by all the member countries start to annihilate them under the international supervision and verification.

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Iran's IAEA envoy hails UN treaty banning nuclear weapons

Iran Press TV

Sat Jul 8, 2017 5:39AM

The Iranian ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says the Islamic Republic, as a major victim of weapons of mass destruction, fully supports the United Nations' recent adoption of a global treaty banning nuclear weapons.

Reza Najafi made the remarks on Saturday hours after 122 countries endorsed the legally binding Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons during a conference at the UN headquarters in New York despite the boycott by the nuclear powers and their allies.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly supports the objective of the treaty which bans possessing, using or threatening to use nuclear weapons in the world," Najafi said.

Iran is itself a victim of weapons of mass destruction, he said, highlighting the religious decree (fatwa) issued by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei describing any use of nuclear arms as forbidden.

He also hailed the UN conference negotiating the treaty for making a reference in the document's text to the contribution of religious leaders to efforts towards nuclear disarmament.

The Netherlands opposed the treaty and Singapore abstained from voting.

Elayne Whyte Gomez, president of the UN conference, said the vote was "historic," emphasizing that the treaty was "the first multilateral nuclear disarmament treaty to be concluded in more than 20 years."

"It's been seven decades since the world knew the power of destruction of nuclear weapons and since day one there was a call to prohibit nuclear weapons," she noted.

None of the nine countries possessing nuclear weapons  the United States, Russia, Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel  supported the treaty. Many of their allies also followed suit.

In a joint statement, the UN ambassadors from the US, Britain and France said their countries do not intend to ever become party to the treaty.

The treaty "clearly disregards the realities of the international security environment" and "is incompatible with the policy of nuclear deterrence, which has been essential to keeping the peace in Europe and North Asia for over 70 years," the statement read.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Najafi reminded the threat posed by Israel's nuclear weapons in the Middle East region.

He also pointed out that Iran's proposal for the establishment of a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (NWFZ) in the Middle East is an example of the country's efforts to rid the region of the threat.

The Tel Aviv regime, which pursues a policy of so-called deliberate ambiguity about its nuclear bombs, is estimated to have 200 to 400 nuclear warheads in its arsenal. It has refused to allow inspections of its military nuclear facilities or to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The nuclear ban treaty will be opened for signatures in September and come into force after 50 countries have ratified it.

It came 70 years after the US military's deadly atomic bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II.

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Iraqi government forces fully recapture Mosul's Old City

Iran Press TV

Sat Jul 8, 2017 12:41PM

Iraqi government forces have wrested complete control over the Old City of Mosul, which served as the last bastion of Daesh Takfiri terrorists in the Arab country's second largest city.

The spokesman for the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, Brigadier General Yahia Rasoul, announced on Saturday that army troops had regained control over the strategic area, where Daesh leader Ibrahim al-Samarrai aka Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the extremists' self-styled "caliphate" back in July 2014.

The media bureau of the Iraqi Defense Ministry also stated that government forces had killed 35 Daesh members and wounded six others while they were sneaking from the western flank of Mosul into the eastern side.

It noted that Federal Police forces finished their combat missions in the Old City by retaking Nujaifi Street as well as al-Toub and Souk al-Sagha neighborhoods, which had all previously been marked as the last pockets remaining in Daesh's grip.

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.

Daesh chief judge, 11 terrorists killed in airstrikes west of Mosul

Meanwhile, a local source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network that a dozen Daesh terrorists died in three Iraqi Air Force strikes that targeted their convoy in the city of Tal Afar, located 63 kilometers west of Mosul.

Daesh burns self-proclaimed Diyala governor to death

Separately, the Daesh terror group has reportedly burned its self-proclaimed Diyala governor to death on charges of dereliction of duty.

A local source, requesting anonymity, said the top-ranked extremist was killed in al-Hawijah district, situated 45 kilometers west of the oil-rich northern city of Kirkuk on Friday.

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Countdown begins to Daesh collapse in Iraq's Mosul

Iran Press TV

Sat Jul 8, 2017 9:53AM

Daesh is on its last legs as Iraqi forces are expected to win back full control of the city of Mosul, the Takfiri terrorist group's last urban stronghold in the Arab country in the next few hours.

"We are seeing now the last meters and then final victory will be announced," Iraq's state TV reported on Saturday. "It's a matter of hours."

Fighting currently rages on in Mosul's densely-populated Old City, where Daesh elements have put up stiff resistance in the face of advancing Iraqi army soldiers and allied fighters.

Iraq's state TV quoted a military spokesman as saying that the militants' defense lines were collapsing.

Reports coming out of the city say Daesh terrorists are reported to be fighting for each meter with bombers, snipers and grenades, forcing Iraqi security forces to fight house-to-house in the Old city.

"They (terrorists) never surrender. Old Mosul will be their graveyard," said Iraqi General Abdel Ghani al-Assadi, a commander in Iraq's elite Counter Terrorism Service.

Another commander, Lieutenant Colonel Haider Hussein, also confirmed that the militants have resorted to bombers in the last areas where they are entrenched.

Sometimes with their families, he said, "they wait in the houses, and when our forces enter, they open fire or blow themselves up."

Meanwhile, Iraqi commanders estimated that foreigners make up more than three quarters of the remaining Takfiris in Mosul.

"Most of them come from countries such as Algeria, Morocco or Tunisia," said General Abbas al-Jabouri, a commander of the police Rapid Response force.

Separately on Saturday, Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network, said 35 Daesh elements, who had fled the Old City and were trying to infiltrate into the city's east, were killed and six others were arrested.

On Friday, an Iraqi federal police officer said clashes left 83 terrorists dead in the same region.

Three Daesh bases were destroyed and a bomb manufacturing factory and a tunnel were uncovered, he added.

Mosul fell to Daesh in 2014, when the terror outfit began its campaign of death and destruction in Iraq.

The Iraqi army soldiers and allied volunteer fighters have been leading the Mosul liberation operation since October 2016. They took control of eastern Mosul in January and launched the battle in the west in February.

The battle for Mosul has already displaced 90,000 people, about half the city's pre-war population, according to aid organizations.

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Iraqi Army Says Mosul Victory Imminent, IS Vows To 'Fight Until Death'

July 08, 2017

Iraqi military commanders say their forces are "tens of meters" away from defeating the Islamic State (IS) group in Mosul, as the extremist group vowed to "fight to the death" in the city.

"Our units are still continuing to advance.... Not much is left before our forces reach the river." Iraq's Joint Operations Command said on July 8.

Iraqi officials have made similar pronouncements over the past week as security forces have pushed the militants in a sliver of the Old City along the Tigris River.

A U.S. General told AFP news agency by phone from Baghdad that "an announcement is imminent."

"I don't want to speculate if it's today or tomorrow but I think it's going to be very soon," Brigadier General Robert Sofge told AFP.

IS militants -- estimated to number in the hundreds -- occupy less than one square kilometer of territory in Mosul's Old City, a densely populated area of narrow streets and buildings. The militants are using civilians as human shields, making it difficult for U.S.-led warplanes to attack them.

Sofge told AFP that some militants are trying to blend in with fleeing civilians by shaving their beards and changing their clothes, while others are playing dead then detonating explosive vests as Iraqi security forces come close.

Female IS fighters have also blown themselves up amid groups of displaced civilians.

IS militants have also placed numerous booby traps in every structure they have occupied.

"They are doing as much damage as they can during these final moves," Sofge said.

Iraq's Joint Operations Command issued a statement saying that 35 IS members were killed and six captured while they were trying to escape from Iraqi forces across the Tigris River from west Mosul.

Earlier on July 8, dozens of Iraqi soldiers celebrated amid the rubble on the banks of the Tigris without waiting for a formal victory declaration. A Reuters correspondent said that some soldiers danced to music blaring out from a truck and fired machine guns into the air.

The IS news agency Amaq reported "fierce fighting" around the riverside district of Maydan and said that its fighters "were holding onto their fortified positions."

In another online post, Amaq said that IS militants were "collectively pledging to fight to the death in Maydan."

IS militants seized Mosul in 2014 along with large swathes of Iraqi and Syrian territory.

The offensive to retake Mosul from IS militants began in October. Iraqi forces declared eastern Mosul "fully liberated" in January.

Their urban offensive against IS militants in the more densely populated western side of Mosul began in late January.

With reporting by dpa and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iraq-army-says- mosul-old-city-fully-retaken/28603130.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 Forces Poised to Declare Victory in Mosul

By VOA News July 08, 2017

Iraqi security forces said Saturday that they expected to declare victory in Mosul within hours, which could eliminate the Iraqi half of the Islamic State caliphate.

"Our units are still continuing to advance," the Joint Operations Command said. "Not much is left before our forces reach the [Tigris] river."

Earlier Saturday, an Iraqi military spokesman said on state television that militant defense lines were collapsing.

"We are seeing now the last meters, and then final victory will be announced," the spokesman said.

An Iraqi declaration of victory "is imminent," U.S. Brigadier General Robert Sofge told the AFP news agency in Baghdad.

Iraqi officials predicted the defeat of IS several times over the past week as forces confined the militants to a small area of Old Mosul along the Tigris. In recent days, however, the pace of troop advancement had slowed.

Iraqi forces are using coalition airstrikes and ground support for the offensive to take back Mosul, by far the largest city seized by Islamic State in its offensive three years ago when the ultra-hard-line group declared its caliphate over adjoining parts of Iraq and Syria.

Eight months of fighting has devastated much of Old Mosul, including the landmark 850-year-old Grand al-Nuri mosque and its leaning 45-meter minaret that jihadists recently blew up.

Stripped of Mosul, Islamic State's dominion in Iraq will be reduced to mainly rural, desert areas west and south of the city, where tens of thousands of people live. The militants are expected to keep up attacks on selected targets across Iraq. They have promised to "fight to the death."

The United Nations has predicted it will cost more than $1 billion to repair basic infrastructure in Mosul. Iraq's regional Kurdish leader said Thursday in a Reuters interview that the Baghdad central government had failed to prepare a post-battle political, security and governance plan.

The offensive has damaged thousands of structures in Mosul's Old City and destroyed nearly 500 buildings, satellite imagery released Thursday by the United Nations showed.

In some of the areas hit hardest, almost no buildings appear to have escaped damage, and Mosul's dense construction means the extent of the devastation might have been underestimated, U.N. officials said.

Some information for this report came from Reuters and AFP.

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Once a US Ally, Pakistan Now Looks to China, Russia

By Paul Alexander, Noor Zahid July 08, 2017

Once a key ally in the U.S. war on terrorism, Pakistan finds itself increasingly isolated from Washington amid allegations that it harbors more than a dozen terrorist groups. Instead, it has been steadily cozying up to China and Russia.

Both of America's primary rivals have been taking advantage of Pakistan's paranoia about India, and gaps in Washington's global influence as President Donald Trump continues to form his foreign policy in the strategic region.

Pakistan's relations with three of its four neighbors  Afghanistan, India and Iran  are at a low point. And instead of trying to rein in extremism, the government appears to be feeding the growing conservative movement with no sign of backing off a controversial blasphemy law that has led to repeated mob violence.

Experts say 13 of the approximately 60 U.S.-designated global terrorist organizations are based in Pakistan, mostly in the tribal region that borders Afghanistan.

Major militant groups include the Pakistani Taliban and the Haqqani Network, along with Laskar-e-Jhangvi, Jaish-e-Muhammad and Jundullah. And despite denials that Islamic State has a presence in the country, the terror group has claimed responsibility for recent attacks there.

Two U.S. lawmakers introduced legislation last September to designate Pakistan a terror state over its inability to curb homegrown militancy and the threat it poses to its neighbors. Republicans Ted Poe and Dana Rohrabacher accused Pakistan of harboring global terrorist leaders and supporting terror groups, including the Haqqani Network, which targets Afghan and U.S.-led NATO forces in Afghanistan.

"If they [Pakistanis] do not change their behavior, maybe we should change our behavior toward Pakistan as a nation," Sen. John McCain said during a recent visit to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

State sponsor of terrorism?

Former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, said Pakistan should be designated as a state that is sponsoring terrorism.

"The Haqqani Network, which is an ally of al-Qaida and Taliban extremists, has operated as Pakistan's proxy," Khalilzad told VOA recently. "If Pakistan refuses to move against the Haqqani Network sanctuaries, the U.S. should consider actions against the sanctuaries, including striking them."

Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's ambassador to the United States in 2008-11 and now director for South and Central Asia at the Hudson Institute in Washington, has advice for Trump.

"... for Pakistan, the alliance has been more about securing weapons, economic aid and diplomatic support in its confrontation with India," Haqqani wrote recently in an op-ed column in The New York Times.

"The Bush administration gave Pakistan $12.4 billion in aid, and the Obama administration forked over $21 billion. These incentives did not make Pakistan more amenable to cutting off support for the Afghan Taliban.  Mr. Trump must now consider alternatives," Haqqani wrote.

Pakistan also has done little about the thousands of unregistered Islamic schools known as madrassas, which are linked to an increase in militancy in the Afghan-Pakistan region. The schools nurture militant ideology and are known to provide foot soldiers for the Taliban.

Sense of victimhood

Instead, Pakistan has portrayed itself as a victim of terrorism and a staunch ally in the U.S. campaign.

A statement issued after a National Security Committee meeting on Friday in Islamabad said, "No other country in the world has done as much for global safety and security as Pakistan at a huge cost of both men and material."

Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakariya said the allegations about the Haqqani network's presence in tribal areas are mere rhetoric.

"This is only aimed at putting the blame of their own failures on Pakistan," he said.

The reality on the ground is different. Just three weeks ago, the most recent drone attack in Hangu, a Pakistani district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, eliminated a Haqqani Network commander. Officials confirmed his identity to local media.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan and India of allowing terrorists to use their territory to plot and carry out cross-border attacks. Both countries make nearly identical claims against Pakistan.

India blames the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba group for attacks in 2008 in Mumbai that killed more than 150 people, including six Americans. Afghanistan blames the Haqqani Network for a bombing in Kabul's diplomatic area that killed at least 150 and injured more than 450.

Paranoia about India

At the center of Pakistan's actions and policies are its fears about India. The two countries have fought three wars, and another is always a threat. Both sides have nuclear arsenals capable of destroying the subcontinent several times over.

Last month, the U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on Syed Salahuddin, the Pakistan-based chief of Hizbul Mujahideen, one of the major anti-Indian militant groups fighting in Kashmir, saying he poses "a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States."

Islamabad criticized the move and said militants fighting New Delhi's rule in Kashmir are involved in a "legitimate" struggle for freedom.

Relations with Kabul have taken a downturn this year after terror attacks in Pakistan that it claims were at least planned by extremist groups in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has closed border crossings for lengthy periods and has begun construction of a border fence with Afghanistan.

In May, Tehran warned Islamabad that it would hit bases inside Pakistan if the government does not confront Sunni militants who carry out cross-border attacks. Ten Iranian border guards were killed and one abducted by militants last month.

While President Trump has yet to come up with a policy to deal with Pakistan's worsening quagmire, China has stepped in as part of what appears to be a concerted effort to expand its sphere of influence. It currently is involved in a major mutually beneficial project to build a network of roads and other infrastructure from its territory to Pakistan's Gwadar port in order to provide a shorter route to the Persian Gulf.

Russia, too, has been making diplomatic overtures and recently participated in joint naval exercises off Pakistan.

VOA's Afghan, Urdu and Deewa Services contributed to this article.

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Ensuring Syria's territorial integrity extremely important: Russian president

Iran Press TV

Sat Jul 8, 2017 5:27PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his optimism about the prospects of a solution to the years-long crisis in Syria, saying what is of utmost importance is the Arab country's "territorial integrity", which is to be ensured.

The Russian leader made the remarks during a press conference on the sidelines of the 12th summit of the Group of Twenty (G20), the world's biggest economies, held in Germany's northern city of Hamburg on Saturday, the second and final day of the conference.

"It's laborious, but extremely important work to ensure Syria's territorial integrity," Putin said, adding, however, that with due respect to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, he is not a Syrian citizen to talk about the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"Mr. Tillerson is a much respected person. We love and respect him. But he's not a Syrian citizen, after all, and the future of Syria and the political future of President Assad should only be determined by the Syrian people", Putin said, in a reference to Tillerson's remark about Assad having "no role" in Syria.

The Russian president's comments came as the Kurdish fighters belonging to the US-backed Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) are currently engaged in a fierce battle against Takfiri Daesh terrorists in Raqqah, the terror group's de facto capital in the Arab country, in a bid to dislodge them from the embattled city, which was overrun by Takfiri elements in March 2013.

Turkey regards the YPG as the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been fighting an insurgency against the Turkish state for decades. Ankara deeply fears that the YPG will permanently hold parts of land in northern Syria after finishing with Daesh, putting the Turkish government at odds with Washington.

What has further infuriated Ankara about the US is Washington's move in arming the YPG fighters in their fighting against the Daesh. Although US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis promised Ankara that Washington would take back the weapons and equipment it had supplied to the YPG after curbing Daesh in Raqqah, Turkey says they will never return their weapons.

The YPG on Wednesday claimed that there would likely be a military confrontation between Kurdish fighters and Turkish troops as Ankara was preparing to launch a major offensive in northern Syria, calling it a declaration of war.

Elsewhere in his remarks, President Putin said that "we see no Turkish preparations for hostilities in northern Syria", adding that Moscow was in "contact with Kurds" in the Arab country.

On Friday, Putin and his American counterpart Donald Trump reached an agreement to create de-escalation zones in southern Syria. The Russian president described the move as "one of the breakthroughs" during Friday's talks with Trump.

The de-escalations zones "should become a prototype of such territories, which would be able to cooperate with each other and with the official [government in] Damascus," Putin said on Saturday. He also added that agreements on de-escalation zones in the Middle Eastern country must include outline of their boundaries and monitoring of their security.

The Russian president said Washington seemed to play a more "pragmatic" role in resolving the Syrian crisis, however, it "doesn't seem to have changed drastically [compared to the Obama administration], but there's an understanding that we can achieve a lot by joining forces."

Syria has been hit by deadly foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. Russia and the United States have been supporting opposing sides in the conflict in Syria with Moscow backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Washington backing militants fighting to topple the Damascus government.

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UN official welcomes partial truce in southwestern Syria

Iran Press TV

Sat Jul 8, 2017 1:18PM

The United Nations deputy special envoy for Syria has appreciated an agreement for ending fighting in southwestern Syria as positive, saying it could help efforts to reach permanent peace in the Arab country.

Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy said on Saturday that the ceasefire reached between the United States, Russia and Jordan, which will go into effect as of Sunday noon local time, would help the political process in Syria.

"This is a step in the right direction... All of this leads to supporting the political process," Ramzy said in a briefing with reporters in Damascus one day after the deal was announced in Hamburg, Germany.

The UN official said the initiative could be a boost for peace talks that are going to be held under the auspices of the UN. He hoped that other areas in Syria could experience similar truce agreements to reduce the violence on the ground.

Ramzy is in Syria just two days ahead of the start of peace negotiations on in the Swiss city of Geneva. Previous rounds of talks between representatives of the Syrian government and various opposition and militant groups have failed to produce lasting peace in Syria. The warring parties have also attended separate rounds of talks in Kazakhstan, where Iran, Russia and Turkey, as three main stakeholders of the conflict, have been pursuing similar de-escalation agreements.

The truce deal for southwestern Syria is the first of its kind between the United States and Russia as Washington, a main opponent of the Syrian government, is becoming more interested in supporting the political process.

More than 300,000 people are thought to have been killed in more than six years of militancy in Syria. The government has repeatedly blamed regional states and their allies in the West for the spread of violence.

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U.S.-Russian Cease-Fire Deal Touted As Start Of Syrian Peace Efforts

RFE/RL July 08, 2017

The United States and Russia have announced a cease-fire deal in southwestern Syria in their first attempt at peacemaking in the war-torn country since President Donald Trump took office.

The cease-fire, due to start on July 9, was announced after a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 7 at the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

The deal appeared to give Trump a diplomatic achievement at his first meeting with Putin, though it was months in the making.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called it the "first indication of the U.S. and Russia being able to work together in Syria" and said it would be followed by peacemaking efforts in other parts of Syria.

"We had a very lengthy discussion regarding other areas in Syria that we can continue to work together on to de-escalate the areas and the violence, once we defeat [the Islamic State extremist group]," he said.

Tillerson said Russia and the United States would "work together towards a political process that will secure the future of the Syrian people."

While the two countries back opposing sides in Syria's six-year civil war, Tillerson said by and large their objectives in Syria "are exactly the same."

Russia and Iran are the main allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while Washington supports some of the rebel groups fighting to topple him.

A senior State Department official later said the deal could be the beginning of a more robust pacification effort in Syria, where more than half a million people have been killed and millions displaced from their homes.

"Some months ago, we made a conscious decision to focus on one part of the conflict initially, and that was the southwest. For a variety of reasons, it seemed like a more manageable part.... That doesn't preclude a desire on our part to look at other parts of Syria in the coming weeks and months," he said.

"We are starting with fairly modest ambitions," he said, but the administration hopes the deal "sets the stage for a more auspicious environment for what we ultimately hope is a productive political process that can, that could lead to a more substantial and permanent resolution of the underlying conflict."

Previous cease-fires have failed to hold for long and it was not clear how much the actual combatants in Syria -- Assad's government, armed Syrian rebel groups, and Iranian-backed militias -- are committed to this latest effort.

The Syrian government and the Southern Front, the main grouping of Western-backed rebel groups in southwest Syria, did not immediately react to the announcement. The Syrian government had already announced a unilateral cease-fire in parts of the area.

One group of Syria rebels involved in Syrian peace negotiations said it had "great concern over the secret meetings between Russia and Jordan and America to conclude an individual deal for southern Syria in isolation from the north."

It called the cease-fire for only one region bordering Jordan an "unprecedented event" that "divides Syria and the opposition."

It was not immediately clear which areas of southwestern Syria would be covered by the cease-fire, but earlier talks between the United States and Russia about a "de-escalation zone" covered Deraa Province, on the border with Jordan, and Quneitra, which borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon welcomed any cease-fire in Syria but wanted to see results on the ground.

"The recent history of the Syrian civil war is littered with cease-fires, and it would be nice...one day to have a cease-fire" that succeeds, he said.

With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-russian-cease-fire-deal-touted-start-syrian- peace-efforts-putin-trump-tillerson-hamburg- g20-summit/28602842.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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Turkish Intelligence Believes Amnesty International Preparing Coup in Country

Sputnik News

00:22 09.07.2017(updated 00:23 09.07.2017)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused on Saturday the international human rights organization Amnesty International of preparing a new coup attempt in the country, citing intelligence data.

ANKARA (Sputnik)  On Wednesday, Director of Amnesty International Turkey Idil Eser and seven other Turkish human rights activists, as well as German and Swedish nationals, were detained during a conference on the Buyukada Island near Istanbul.

On Thursday and Saturday, Amnesty International demanded their release. At a press conference after the G20 summit in Hamburg, one of the journalists reminded Erdogan that Amnesty International had been defending him when the then-Turkish authorities arrested him for four months in 1997. The journalist also called for the protection of detained human rights activists.

"They put me in prison because I read a poem. Why they (activists) were detained, not arrested, but detained for now? According to intelligence, they gathered in a hotel on Buyukada Island to discuss some way to continue the attempted coup, and so our police detained them. Now their case will be examined in court, I do not know what will be revealed as a result of the investigation," Erdogan said.

In July 2016, a failed military coup took place in Turkey, leaving over 240 people killed and some 2,000 injured. After the incident, Ankara introduced an official state of emergency in the country. Following the coup, thousands of people, mostly officials, legal and educational workers, were detained or dismissed over alleged ties to the movement of US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, accused by Ankara of masterminding the coup. Gulen has rejected the accusations and has condemned the coup attempt.

 Sputnik

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Germany, France, Russia stress Ukraine truce implementation

Iran Press TV

Sat Jul 8, 2017 10:11AM

The leaders of Germany, France and Russia have underlined the importance of implementing a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine that was agreed under the Minsk agreements.

A German government spokesman said on Saturday that Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, had met in Hamburg on the sidelines of the Group of 20 major economies, known as the G20, and agreed that the Ukraine truce must be "implemented comprehensively."

Meanwhile, the Kremlin complained that the Minsk accords were being implemented "too slowly," stressing that there needs to be measures leading to a genuine ceasefire in Ukraine.

"There is an understanding that effective measures should be taken, which would lead to real ceasefire on the frontline and to ensure military hardware withdrawal," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk have witnessed deadly clashes between pro-Russia forces and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations in April 2014 to crush pro-Moscow protests there.

The government in Kiev and pro-Russian forces signed a ceasefire agreement in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, in September 2014.

They agreed on 12 points, including pulling back heavy weapons, releasing prisoners, setting up a buffer zone on the Russia-Ukraine border, and allowing access to international observers.

The warring sides also inked another truce deal, dubbed Minsk II, in February 2015 under the supervision of Germany, France and Russia.

Since then, however, both parties have on numerous occasions accused each other of breaking the cessation of hostilities.

The Ukraine crisis has left almost 10,000 people dead and over 23,000 others injured, according to the latest figures provided by the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

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Merkel, Macron, Putin Agree On 'Comprehensive' Implementation of Ukraine Peace Deal

Rikard Jozwiak July 08, 2017

HAMBURG, Germany -- The leaders of Germany, France, and Russia have agreed that the Minsk agreements on ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine "should be comprehensively implemented," a German official tells RFE/RL.

The characterization of the meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, suggested no significant progress on efforts to bring peace to eastern Ukraine.

Moscow's role in fighting that began in April 2014 between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists prompted Western sanctions against Russia.

A 2015 cease-fire deal under the Minsk agreements was brokered by Germany and France -- together with Russia and Ukraine -- in a bid to end the fighting.

But hostilities have continued in the war that has killed more than 10,000 people.

The United States and the European Union have accused Moscow and the separatists of failing to uphold their commitments under the Minsk agreements -- including the withdrawal of heavy weaponry from the front lines in eastern Ukraine and restoration of Ukrainian-government control over border crossings with Russia.

Despite substantial evidence of Moscow's support, Russia denies the accusations by Washington, Brussels, Ukraine, and NATO that it is backing the separatists with troops and weaponry.

The Kremlin has also repeatedly accused the Ukrainian government of reneging on its obligations under the 2015 accord.

"There was agreement that the truce proposed in the Minsk agreements should be comprehensively implemented," the German official told RFE/RL about the meeting between Merkel, Macron, and Putin.

A second German officials told RFE/RL that the main goal of the working breakfast was to bring the recently elected French president up to speed on talks between Germany, France, Russia, and Ukraine about the implementation of the Minsk agreement, which was brokered by Macron's predecessor, Francois Hollande.

That official also said that during the working breakfast with Putin in Hamburg, Merkel and Macron raised the issue of the safety of monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) who work in eastern Ukraine.

The United States on June 22 accused Russia-backed separatists there of a campaign of "violence and harassment" against the OSCE monitors aimed at preventing them from reporting truce violations.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said 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 OSCE vehicles carrying monitors.

In April, an American paramedic was killed and two OSCE monitors were wounded in separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine when their vehicle hit explosives.

"The incidents are part of a broader effort to keep the international community from seeing what is happening in eastern Ukraine," Nauert said.

Speaking in Moscow on July 8, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that implementation of the Minsk accords had been too slow and that a genuine cease-fire was necessary.

"There is an understanding that effective measures should be taken, which would lead to real cease-fire on the front line and ensure military hardware withdrawal," Peskov said.

The second German official told RFE/RL on July 8 that Berlin welcomed the appointment by Washington a day earlier of Kurt Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, as a special U.S. envoy to negotiate over the fate of war-racked Ukraine.

The official said Germany saw Volker's appointment as an attempt to complement the peace initiative spearheaded by Berlin and Paris.

Volker was set to accompany U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on a trip to Kyiv for talks on July 9 with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

With reporting by Reuters and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-merkel-macron -putin-talk-minsk-implementation/28603258.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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#first lady First lady meets with patients, workers at Cambodian hospitals First lady Kim Keon-hee visited two hospitals in Cambodia on Friday where she encouraged patients and workers and pledged to donate medical equipment, the presidential office said....

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Tillerson, Newly Named Envoy for Ukraine Crisis Head to Kyiv

By Nike Ching July 08, 2017

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has named former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker to serve as Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations.

The announcement came ahead of Tillerson's first official visit to Kyiv Sunday, where he will meet with President Petro Poroshenko to discuss ways to help end the conflict in eastern Ukraine and support the country's ongoing reform efforts.

"The United States remains fully committed to the objectives of the Minsk agreement," Tillerson said in a statement Friday, referring to the cease-fire deal that Moscow and Kyiv agreed to in 2015.

Ukraine negotiations

Volker, who will accompany Tillerson to Ukraine, will also engage regularly with all parties handling the Ukraine negotiations under the so-called Normandy Format  Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine.

In an interview with VOA's Ukrainian Service recently, Volker laid out his vision on Ukraine.

"We need to have Ukraine, which is a sustainable, resilient, prosperous, strong democracy, so that it would be attractive to the regions in the East, and [be the place] where disinformation and propaganda attacks don't really have much traction."

Although Tillerson is seeking to rebuild trust with the Russians, Washington dismissed speculation that it will cut a deal with Moscow over Kyiv.

"There certainly is no intent or desire to work exclusively with Russia," a senior State Department official said earlier this week. "This is a multiparty issue, resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine."

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the U.S. would not be backing away from concerns of Russia's support of rebels in eastern Ukraine.

"We believe that the so-called rebels are Russian-backed, Russian-financed, and are responsible for the deaths of Ukrainians," Nauert said Thursday in a briefing. "We continue to call upon the Russians and the Ukrainians to come together."

Make clear support for sovereignty

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst told VOA Friday that Tillerson should make it clear of "U.S. strong support for Ukraine sovereignty and territorial integrity, U.S. recognition that Russia is conducting a war in Ukraine, and U.S. willingness to provide necessary support."

Herbst said he expects Poroshenko to bring up the massive Russian cyberattack against Ukraine during Sunday's meeting with Tillerson, and the U.S. "has a great deal to learn" from what Ukraine has done to counteract these Russia attacks.

"I suspect we will see more cooperation in the future," Herbst added.

Tillerson had told U.S. lawmakers that the United States should not be "handcuffed" to the 2015 Minsk agreement in case the parties decide to reach their goals through a different deal.

Senior officials later clarified that Washington would "not exclude looking at other options" as the U.S. is still fully supportive of the Minsk agreements.

"The Minsk agreements are the existing framework," a senior State Department official said. "There is no better option out there."

Ukraine agenda

In Ukraine, Tillerson will also meet with young reformers from government and civil society, as Washington is encouraging Kyiv to continue implementing "reforms that will strengthen Ukraine's economic, political and military resilience."

The government of Ukraine said Washington and Kyiv would soon sign a number of agreements boosting defense cooperation, according to Poroshenko after he met with U.S. President Donald Trump last month. Ukraine's foreign minister said the deal would involve defensive weapons only.

"We've neither ruled out providing such weapons to Ukraine nor have we taken a decision to do so," a senior State Department official said when asked about a possible defensive weapons deal earlier this week.

The so-called Minsk II agreement is a package of measures to alleviate the ongoing conflicts, including a cease-fire, between Moscow-backed rebels and government forces in eastern Ukraine. It was agreed to by Ukraine, Russia and separatists in February 2015.

VOA's Ukrainian Service contributed to this report.

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US, UK, France boycott UN treaty to ban nuclear weapons

Iran Press TV

Sat Jul 8, 2017 5:11AM

The United States, along with Britain and France, say they will never become party to a global treaty that was endorsed by 122 countries at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The United Nations on Friday took a historic step in the effort to rid the world of nuclear weapons, adopting for the first time a legally binding global agreement that would ban nuclear weapons since their invention.

However, the conference was boycotted by all nuclear-armed nations and many of their allies. None of the nine nuclear powers  the United States, Russia, Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel  is supporting the treaty.

The US, UK and France, permanent members of the UN Security Council, said in a joint statement Friday that the treaty "clearly disregards the realities of international security" which make deterrence a necessity.

"France, the United Kingdom and the United States have not taken part in the negotiation of the treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons. We do not intend to sign, ratify or ever become party to it," the statement said.

"This initiative clearly disregards the realities of the international security environment. Accession to the ban treaty is incompatible with the policy of nuclear deterrence, which has been essential to keeping the peace in Europe and North Asia for over 70 years."

The three countries reiterated their continued commitment to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), a 1968 pact that aims to prevent the spread of the nuclear weapons outside the original five nuclear powers: the US, Britain, France, Russia and China.

The United States was the first country to develop nuclear weapons and is the only country to have used it against another nation. The US currently has an estimated 7,000 nuclear warheads, second only to Russia.

The 10-page UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was finalized this week after months of talks undertaken by negotiators from 129 member nations, of which 122 countries voted in favor of the treaty.

The treaty requires of all ratifying countries to "never under any circumstances to develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices."

"The world has been waiting for this legal norm for 70 years," Elayne Whyte Gomez, the chairwoman of the negotiating conference and Costa Rica's ambassador to the UN, said at the conclusion of the vote, as representatives burst into applause.

The vote "the first step to prevent a handful of militaries holding the world hostage with their nuclear arsenals," said Rebecca Johnson of the London-based Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy.

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Force India is still not confirming reports that DTM frontrunner Lucas Auer will get his first F1 test in August.

Austrian Auer, who is F1 legend Gerhard Berger's nephew, is personally sponsored by BWT, the company who convinced Force India to paint its cars pink for 2017.

The 22-year-old is also partly supported by Force India's engine supplier Mercedes, whose boss Toto Wolff said: "If he's in a car in Hungary, or a Force India, it's not up to us to communicate that."

Wolff's reference to Hungary is the post-grand prix 'young drivers test', set to take place after the Budapest race early in August.

Force India is still not confirming the news about Auer, however.

"When we are ready to announce something, I am sure you will be happy," said Force India sporting boss Otmar Szafnauer.

"We are impressed with Lucas -- he is doing a great job in DTM," he told APA news agency.

Szafnauer denied that a test for Auer would simply be due to his connections with BWT, the team's main sponsor.

"It must be a combination," he said. "If he is a good driver, and it is someone who we want to see how he goes in a formula one car, we give them the opportunity.

"If it is Lucas, you can be sure that it is not just a commercial deal," he added.

(GMM)
Learn about the Elders, 20th century artisans who have kept key Cherokee craft traditions alive, in a talk by Western Carolina University professor Anna Fariello at 6:30 p.m. July 11 at the Asheboro Public Library, 201 Worth St. in Asheboro.

Fariellos appearance, part of the North Carolina Humanities Councils Road Scholars program, is free and the public is invited.

Focusing on the key traditions of basketry, pottery and carving, this highly visual event recognizes the Elders and the thousands of unnamed makers who created and maintained traditions during centuries past.

Fariello is author of the From the Hands of our Elders series, which includes three books and a website produced to share important archival collections of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians with the general public. For this project, she was honored in 2013 with a Guardians of Culture Award from the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums.

For information, call 336-318-6803.

Greensboro stamp club meets on 2nd Tuesday

The Greensboro Stamp Club meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month at Lindley Park Recreation Center, 2907 Springwood Drive in Greensboro. There are no dues or obligations. Often, the club has an small auction, or sale of surplus philatelic items, supplies or albums.

At the clubs next meeting on July 11 the program, History and Scope of Aerophilately will be presented. A presentation about the 1933 Chicago Century of Progress with an emphasis on the Baby Zep stamp issued in honor of the Trans-Atlantic dirigible will be offered Aug. 8.

For information, contact Hank Gutman at 336-294-0326 or at hgutman@att.net.

Shepherds Wheels honors 3 volunteers

The Shepherds Center of Greensboro recently recognized three outstanding Shepherds Wheels volunteers  volunteers: William Poole, Floyd Nesbitt and Jennie Oncea.

Poole has driven people to grocery stores, banks, shopping and for errands for more than 15 years. He is named the most senior of seniors for the program.

Nesbitt has been a volunteer for 12 years, but in the past year he drove 73 senior riders and donated hundreds of hours of his time, while driving more than 1,696 miles.

Oncea has served as the online and on-phone volunteer coordinator of Wheels for more than five years.

Its Fashion store to open at Four Seasons

Its Fashion will open its newest store July 13 in Four Seasons Town Centre in Greensboro.

The value-priced fashion retailer offers trendy looks found in mall specialty stores at low prices.

The Greensboro store carries the latest junior-inspired fashions for juniors and junior plus sizes, as well as jewelry, shoes and accessories.

Shakayla Cowan of Salisbury will manage the new store. She has been with Its Fashion for three years.
Former Guilford County judge Joe John thought that it might be persuasive to throw the book, the Good Book, at the Republican majority a few weeks back.

Nowadays a Democratic legislator from northern Raleigh, state Rep. John chose a passage from the 23rd chapter of Exodus, part of that section known as the Laws of Justice and Mercy.

Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits, the retired member of the N.C. Court of Appeals recited in his baritone, authoritative voice on the House floor.

It didnt work.

The majority party pressed ahead with a $23 billion budget that contains language striking out a $1.50 surcharge on certain court fees that translated into about $1.7 million yearly in legal aid to low-income residents.

Before the new budget took effect, three nonprofit law firms had been splitting that money to help provide free legal assistance to people living in poverty or slightly above.

The money did not go to help criminal defendants, but rather to assist people of limited means involved in such civil-court matters as home foreclosure, renter eviction, disability cases, veterans benefits, disaster relief and restraining orders against violent domestic partners.

Were representing the most vulnerable people in our society who dont have a lot of resources, said George Hausen, executive director at Legal Aid of North Carolina  the largest of three groups providing legal services at no cost to indigent state residents. If we had done something unethical or wrong, it would be another story.

More puzzling, he noted, this money was not even tax dollars.

The surcharge did not technically qualify as a tax and had no direct impact on the budgets bottom line because it was included in court costs paid only by those found guilty of offenses ranging from speeding to more serious criminal misdeeds, Hausen said.

But the funds were vital for an organization already overwhelmed with requests for assistance from people who simply do not have the wherewithal to afford private counsel, he said.

Were very selective, but even now we cant serve everyone who comes forward and needs our help, said Hausen, whose nonprofit serves all Triad counties.

Guidelines generally limit client income to 125 percent of the federal poverty level, roughly $30,000 for a four-person household, but the cap can climb to 187.5 percent in some situations.

Repealing the act

After Johns biblical admonition fell on a majority of deaf ears, both houses of the General Assembly approved the budget largely along party lines, overrode Gov. Roy Coopers veto and put the budget into effect last weekend to cast in stone  for at least the next year  cuts to Hausens group, another that serves the Charlotte metro and a third that helps the poor in western North Carolina.

Hausen said the thing that really galls him is that legislators not only eliminated the $1.50 court surcharge, they also used the unlikely vehicle of a budget document to totally repeal the general statute proclaiming North Carolinas moral commitment that even its most indigent residents should have a shot at legal representation in the civil courts.

They did away with that statute, the Access to Civil Justice Act, in a single sentence on page 343 of the state Houses revised budget, an action the House took with no floor debate about the larger issue of a state abruptly rescinding such an important commitment and with some representatives not even aware that this renouncement was included in the budgets mundane prose.

An added impact of repealing the Access to Civil Justice Act is that it places a potential roadblock in the path of future legislators who might wish to resurrect the practice of providing financial support for Legal Aid of North Carolina, Legal Services of the Southern Piedmont in Charlotte and Pisgah Legal Services in Asheville.

The statute was the enabling legislation that permitted money to flow to three legal-aid groups through the State Bar Association, so by repealing the act, they made it more difficult to get these funds restored, Hausen noted.

Losing safety and security

Hausen said that Legal Aid of North Carolina reaped about $1.3 million per year from the court surcharge, less than 10 percent of its annual budget.

The cuts wont trigger immediate layoffs, he said, because his nonprofit group has a rainy day fund to prepare for such emergencies. There will be consequences down the road, Hausen said, but he cannot say for sure what they are.

In Charlotte, the picture is clearer. The manager at Legal Services of Southern Piedmont already knows that the $130,000 yearly stipend his group has lost eventually will mean the departure of two staff members in an office that now deploys 18 lawyers.

That means several hundred people per year who need legal assistance wont be getting it, said Southern Piedmont director Kenneth Schorr. People who are in danger of losing their safety and security.

In Greensboro, groups that work with Legal Aid of North Carolina are mystified by its misfortune and concerned about what it will mean for their clients.

We are constantly referring folks who dont have representation to Legal Aid, said Brett Byerly, executive director of the Greensboro Housing Coalition.

Lawyers from Hausens group were particularly helpful in handling the recent crisis at Summit Executive Center near downtown, where people were living in squalid conditions that included inoperable windows, power outlets that did not work and bedbug infestation, Byerly said.

The attorneys helped forge rent abatement agreements that enabled tenants to save enough money that they could afford to move elsewhere, he said.

Theyre not taking cases to court that arent very egregious, Byerly said. Were not talking about the sink drain that doesnt work. Were talking about uninhabitable conditions.

Legal Aid lawyers also play an instrumental role in helping to safeguard victims of domestic violence, said Catherine Johnson of the Guilford County Family Justice Center, which refers about 15 percent of its clients to the local program.

With 12 attorneys on its Greensboro staff, Legal Aids specialty is helping victims secure permanent restraining orders that require the abuser to leave the wounded party alone and may impose other conditions, the justice centers director said.

That can secure safety for an individual who really is in crisis, Johnson said, noting that Legal Aid attorneys have done this type of work with domestic violence for a really long time and have expertise that makes the partnership pretty meaningful.

Making a difference

Unlike the rest of its caseload, the Legal Aid program renders help to victims of domestic violence regardless of their financial situation so its legal staff can intervene in a crisis affecting someone who could afford to hire a private lawyer.

Legal Aid attorneys know that they make a difference in peoples lives but dont always find out how much, said Janet McAuley-Blue, managing attorney in the groups Greensboro office.

McAuley-Blue said that message was driven home a while back when she encountered a former client she helped years before by preventing the womans abusive husband from taking their children with him to a foreign country where he planned to relocate.

She was like, If it hadnt been for you, I probably never would have seen my children again,  McAuley-Blue said. She said that her daughter had become a nurse and her son was a pilot.

The cases affecting lower-income clients dont always end up in court battles; in fact, the opposite is more often true, Legal Aid officials say.

In a recent local example of that, McAuley-Blue said, the office helped a Greensboro woman secure disability benefits for her 59-year-old father who had suffered serious neurological injuries in a car wreck decades ago, but who never sought government assistance and lived in his deceased parents dilapidated house with no running water, no electrical power and no heat in the winter.

He literally had to walk to the nearest park to get water, said the daughter, who asked to remain anonymous.

Domestic violence

In addition to stripping the $1.50 legal-aid surcharge, the state Houses original version of its budget eliminated another 95-cent surcharge in court assessments specifically for victims of domestic violence who need legal help  money also distributed to Legal Aid and its two counterparts through the State Bar Association.

State Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Greensboro) said that GOP legislators backtracked on that plan and put the money back into the budget when they apparently realized what a firestorm of controversy and public-relations nightmare it likely would have provoked.

But Harrison said the opposition party went astray persisting with the similar $1.50 rollback by enacting public policy out of the public eye and without the normal, up-front discussion that occurs in legislative committees formed to screen such changes in law.

It seems particularly odious to me because it didnt get the benefit of committee discussion, Harrison said. I dont know how you could justify it. Its a petty, mean, spiteful assault on a particularly important part of our judicial system.

Hausen said he was blindsided by word of the elimination of the $1.50 surcharge after getting positive reports about his programs prospects in the budget from legislators on both sides of the aisle for most of the six-month session.

Whose idea was it?

Scuttlebutt in Raleigh was that state House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) was strongly behind the legal-aid cuts at the behest of an important political supporter, Gaston County District Attorney Locke Bell.

Moore did not respond to several telephone and email inquiries from the News & Record last week about his support for the measure.

Bell, a Greensboro native, said in a telephone interview Friday morning that he did not know anything about the cuts or why they had been made, and that he had no part in making them happen.

They need to stay off Facebook or wherever they are getting that, Bell said of those who have suggested he had a hand in the cuts.

State Rep. Jon Hardister (R-Greensboro) said before voting for the budget, he consulted leaders on the Appropriations, Judiciary and Public Safety Committee who believed indigent legal services could be run more efficiently and advocated for the cuts.

To be honest, Im still not sold on that as a good idea, Hardister, the House majority whip, said of the legal-aid cut.

But he said that a massive document like the 2017-19 state budget, by its very nature, is going to include features that each legislator likes, dislikes or just does not enthusiastically endorse.

He supported the judiciary part of the new budget that includes the legal-aid cut because the spending plan also boasts such countervailing virtues as allocating $25 million for bringing an end to North Carolinas practice of prosecuting 16- and 17-year-olds as adults, $10 million to fight opioid addiction, and millions more to make the court system function more efficiently by hiring more clerks and updating technology, Hardister said.

Former Guilford resident and judge John said he spoke on the House floor so passionately in favor of the $1.50 surcharge because he has seen up close the value of providing legal services to those who need it but otherwise could not afford it.

My very first job in the legal profession was with the Greensboro Legal Aid Foundation, he said, referring to a local precursor to the statewide program now in effect to help lower-income residents. We did some good work even back then.

When he went on to become a judge in Guilford District and Superior Court during the 1980s, John said he was always glad to see Legal Aid attorneys on hand to represent someone who otherwise would have to go it alone.

It puts the judge in a bind trying to referee the interaction between a trained attorney and a layman who might have right on his side, but who simply lacks sufficient knowledge and experience in the court system to carry it off, the former appellate judge said.

As a practical matter, having a Legal Aid attorney present is a benefit because at least you have someone there for both sides with some legal expertise, John said. It just creates a more level playing field.
GREENSBORO  Cone Mills built Lake Jeanette in 1942 to supply water to its textile mills, but in the past 30 years the waterway has come to offer much more to the hundreds of people who live around its shores.

The lake still supplies some water to International Textile Groups Cone Denim plant on North Church Street, but now it serves mostly as a scenic backdrop to the tranquil neighborhoods that have been developed there.

Now, some of those residents are wondering how much that will change if a proposed sale of the waterway goes through later this month.

The Lake Jeanette Homeowners Association currently leases the lake and the 50-foot buffer around its perimeter from International Textile Group. Under the terms of its lease, the association is in charge of keeping common areas clean, enforcing lake rules and operating the lakes primary point of entry  the members-only Lake Jeanette Marina at 5026 Bass Chapel Road.

The associations 1,165 homeowners do not actually own the lakefront but, rather, lakeview lots. An explanation of the buffer on the associations website says: This natural buffer provides a screening of back yards, outdoor furniture, grills, patios, etc. when viewing the shoreline from the water.

The marina offers pontoon boats and canoes for rent. Members can use their own motorized boats as long as they follow a 7 mph speed limit to minimize wakes and erosion.

Local resident Jess Washburn and Charlotte businessman J.Will Dellinger hope to buy Lake Jeanette and Buffalo Lake, which is another International Textile Group property a few miles to the south. In a letter to residents, Dellinger promised to honor the lease that the homeowners association signed with the textile company.

But according to Steven Black, the homeowner associations attorney, members are worried that the prospective owners might raise the speed limit on the lake or open it to public use  a sentiment they echoed at a packed meeting in late June. A majority of the 300 residents in attendance said they dont want changes in how the lake is managed.

According to their letter, Dellinger said thats their intention.

We have no plans to drain the lake, open the lake up to the public, make drastic changes to the current buffer or damage the existing tranquility of the current landscape, Dellinger wrote. We are considering a plan to allow tasteful private docks for private property owners where feasible.

Black said that while property owners overwhelmingly didnt want any changes they are having open discussions with the prospective owners.

Mayor Nancy Vaughan has a few questions about the sale of Lake Jeanette and Buffalo Lake. Among them: the dimensions of the buffers, what restrictions were placed on homeowner access and what zoning may govern their operations.

Its the best of all worlds for the neighbors and the buyer to have the best agreement, Vaughan said. Its certainly not the role of the City Council to stick our nose in where its not needed.

Answers may be coming.

Dellinger said in his letter that his group will draw up a plan and schedule a meeting soon with the homeowners associations board.

Steve Burns, a resident of The Pointe subdivision at Lake Jeanette, said hes encouraged by the response from the potential owner.

Burns said he doesnt want to see jet skis or wild activity on Lake Jeanette, but would like to see more people able to enjoy the waterway.

Just looking at it is great, he said, but I want people to be able to use it.
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MAYODAN  For the 11th straight year, the congregation at Woodbine Baptist Church in Mayodan was joined by fellow Rockingham County residents, as they celebrated Americas independence by recognizing those that protect or have protected the values this country was founded on.

The sanctuary was filled with active and retired service veterans on the morning of July 3 for God Bless America Day.

Alongside our greatest heroes were family members and local officials dedicated to honoring, remembering and reminding others of the sacrifices made to protect our freedom.

On Sunday, every hymn, designation, speech and performance was dedicated to those that didnt question their call to service.

Their faith and strength to do so, built around the nations motto of, In God We Trust.

One of those heroes is Woodbine member William Hassell Blackard, who served in the Army during World War II. Blackard was acknowledged for his service with a flag that flew over the nations capital in his honor, at the request of Congressman Mark Walker.

Herman East, a 20-year veteran of the Air Force, presented the recognition.

"Hassell probably has never told you what he did at the end of the war or what his duties were," said East to the congregation. "..At the end of the war, part of his duties were transporting the German and Austrian people who were displaced during the war back to their homes and villages."

Blackard, a lifelong Mayodan resident, received a standing ovation from service goers as he accepted the flag that flew over the nation's capital on May 8 in his honor, at the request of Congressman Mark Walker.

"I appreciate this," said Blackard following a long ovation that continued after he spoke.

Following his recognition, all veterans of all foreign wars were recognized at center stage during the March of the Patriots.

The amount of attendants remaining in the congregation dwindled down as each service medley played and veterans or family members representing them, made their way to the front of the church.

Those remaining in their pews stood in awe, with an appreciation for the sheer amount of men willing to fight to protect their way of life and beliefs.

One of those men was featured speaker Terry Snyder, the founder of Operation North State, a nonprofit organization that offers seven support services to deployed troops and veterans from North Carolina.

I had the opportunity to attend this event three years ago. I dont think I ever had an event touch me as much as that event did, Snyder said.

Operation North State was founded in December of 2010. Snyder began the volunteer organization after a conversation with friends led to him pondering what more he could do for active troops and service veterans from the state.

An effort which started by sending care packages with North Carolina amenities such as Texas Pete hot sauce and Our State Magazine to troops serving across seas.

Now ONS offers several successful programs, such as the NCCARES Christmas Box Project and eight Top Shelf Fishin Festivals.

Those festivals have provided an unmatched ability to offer recreational therapy to disabled veterans.

Over the last year, approximately $543,000 was delivered by Operation North State in support services to veterans living state of North Carolina.

Snyders message was simple: helping others in need starts with grassroots efforts.

"I can't hardly watch the news because it's like we're not getting anything right," said Snyder. "That is so wrong. We are getting a lot right. Don't quit believing in grassroots USA and don't quit believing in what you're doing in this community.

I applaud this church and the community for what you've put together with this program. I encourage you to keep it going."

Prior to the closing of the program, Senior Pastor Thane Barnes offered a message focused on scripture found from Luke 7: 1-10  which gives an account of the faith of a centurion  a commanding officer in the Roman army.

His message was that its one thing to be a soldier and its another to be a son through the spiritual authority of Jesus Christ.

There is a difference between being obedience or obedient because you have to and doing it out of love, Barnes said.

There is a difference between the motivation of I have to do this and moving toward a place where I 'want to do this. There is a difference between being known by a people, like this Roman soldier was, and being known by God as one of his friends and one his children. A soldier he was, an important man. But he recognized the fact that his importance had a limit.

"We can do a lot of things, some important things, but we cannot earn our way to God and our relationship with him, based upon how good we are.
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GREENWICH  For 18 years, Princess Erfes warm smile and diplomacy has made her corner of Town Hall a haven for those in need.

Friday, as she packed up mementos of her years working for Greenwich and stopped to chat with friends, officials and residents, she said she found it hard to say goodbye.

It hasnt hit me yet that its the last day, Erfe said Friday. Maybe thats why Ive been keeping everything up. This is a very emotional day. Working for the town is where I grew up. This is where I got all my gray hair. Its a sad day. Ive loved working here. Ive worked with amazing people.

Erfe, the towns longtime community development administrator, is moving to Saratoga Springs, N.Y., to be with her longtime boyfriend. Its a step into the unknown for her, she said, but shes ready, now that her daughter, Samantha, has graduated from Stanwich School as part of the class of 2017.

She has no firm job offer or specific plan. Her experience working in government and as the person who helps local nonprofits navigate through the towns grant landscape would make her a valuable employee in another government job or at a college or hospital. Or she may go back to school, she said, and get a masters degree in health care management.

Erfe, who was born in the Philippines, started working in Greenwich in 1999 at age 19, taking a part-time position in the towns Assessors Office.

Within a few years, Erfe was full-time; by 2004, she was employed in the Community Development office under the legendary Nancy Brown. Three years later, she succeeded Brown as head of the office. Now, her office includes herself  the only full-time employee  and Barbara Johann, who works 15 hours a week.

You put in a lot of time but its all worth it, Erfe said. You work with so many people and I didnt really even think about it until I said I was leaving, but so many of these agencies thanked me for my help and I said, No, were helping each other to help the community.

The Community Development office oversees the distribution of federal dollars to local human service nonprofits through the Community Development Block Grant program and other state grants. For years, she has helped allocate money to and fill out paperwork and contracts for groups like Kids in Crisis, Meals on Wheels and Family Centers.

Its really challenging, especially after the economic crash in 2008, Erfe said. The need increased multiple times and the funding dropped. We were getting 10 percent cuts when people needed help more than ever. I dont know how the agencies did it. Its frustrating to see all these great agencies trying to do all they can to help the community and theres not enough government financial support.

Among those who have worked closely with Erfe over the years is Alexis Voulgaris, who has spent nearly a decade on the Community Development Block Grant Advisory Committee, which makes the yearly recommendations that Erfes department administers.

What wont I miss about Princess? Voulgaris asked. In addition to being incredibly organized and respectful and thorough, she is incredibly kind. She is a very warm person and was so easy to work with at a challenging job.

One of Erfes tasks on her final day was meeting with Voulgaris and First Selectman Peter Tesei about the CDBG Committees recommendations for 2018.

Everyone universally acknowledges Princesss pleasant and positive demeanor, Tesei said. She never has a negative thing to say and is always looking for the positive in people and things.

Accolades from the towns movers and shakers have poured in.

Everyone talks about Princess and her beautiful smile, said Selectman Drew Marzullo. And it is true. Her hard work and dedication to a job that helped thousands of people every year will last forever. I always enjoyed being around Princess because, no matter what, you left feeling good about yourself. She will be missed tremendously.

Board of Estimate and Taxation Chairman Michael Mason said the town would miss her and her expertise.

Princess was always a pleasure to work with, he said. From CDBG to special projects for grants and the Parsonage Cottage loan with the Housing Authority, the town will miss her great work. She was always so well received and appreciated by the BET, the RTM and town entities. We will all miss her and wish her the best in her future endeavors.

Mary Lee Kiernan, a former BET member and member of the CDBG committee, now is working with Erfe on the other side of the table as president and CEO of YWCA Greenwich, which relies on community block grant money to help pay for its programs, including its domestic abuse services.

She combined expertise with intelligence and integrity and diplomacy, Kiernan said.

Friday, as she packed up photographs, inspirational plaques and the gifts and remembrances of so many years in her office, Erfe had a few minutes to think about a successor who is expected to be announced in the next few days.

Just get to know the community, she said. Get to know the agencies. This town is very supportive. All you have to do is treat everyone respectfully. It doesnt matter if its the first selectman or the person coming in to clean out your garbage. Treat everyone equally.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
GREENWICH  A parent entering a second-grade math classroom in September will see students designing their own lessons.

The children will be moving around, working at different tasks that they have chosen to explore the idea of, say, subtraction. They will be discussing math with each other, not just the teacher.

The teacher will hop from student to student, making sure they are on the right track and answering questions, but only as a guide, not the autocrat telling the students how to learn.

This is the vision Irene Parisi, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and professional learning for Greenwich Public Schools and her team of teacher and administrators have for the widely anticipated elementary math pilot.

Selected to participate in the district pilot in January, 19 teachers have been working with Parisi and others for months with one objective: figuring out how to let public school students learn math at their own pace in a classroom setting.

An expansion of Greenwichs personalized learning focus, the pilot will allow students to progress through the math curriculum at their own pace as they master each concept. It will be deployed in some grades at Glenville, Hamilton Avenue, International School at Dundee, Julian Curtiss, North Mianus and Parkway Schools in the next school year.

It focuses our teachers energies on each individual student, said Jill Gildea, superintendent of Greenwich Public Schools, of the math pilot approach. Gildea, who assumed her position in Greenwich on July 1, recently began adding her input to the pilot preparation. Previously, the pilot was overseen by Interim Superintendent Sal Corda.

"This is probably going to be one of the most exciting things that takes place in the district because the impact of this truly has transformative potential," said Corda.

Over the course of the spring, a team of 32 administrators, principals and teachers met each Wednesday afternoon to discuss how to change their current teaching practices to fit the new model.

Education consultant Karin Hess, who helped develop content for the states standardized Smarter Balanced Assessment, created the competencies -- list of skills  for K-5 math education for the new pilot. The skills are based on what students should master for their age, such as how to count whole numbers for younger students or how to manipulate fractions for older children.

Hesss competencies are different from Greenwich Public Schools current math curriculum because they group what students should know into grade bands  for example K-2  instead of individual grades. That means under Hesss math pilot model, students might spend three years mastering the same broad math concepts  counting, adding and subtracting  as opposed to spending one year on more limited math strategies  like dividing whole numbers.

Were moving beyond the idea of just grade placement, said Parisi.

Hess spent three days with the math pilot teachers in May and June helping them understand what their students should know.

In late June, education consultant Greg Tang, author of the New York Times bestseller The Grapes of Math, took Hess's competencies and taught the educators how to teach them. His workshops focused on how to teach students to reason their way through math problems instead of memorizing math algorithms and trying to apply them without understanding.

All Im trying to do for kids is make sense of things, Tang told the math pilot teachers. Solve through reasoning versus grinding: that is truly what nobody is teaching students to do.

Tang showed the educators how to teach students to regroup numbers, compare them and apply the strategies to mentally solve equations with multiple unknowns.

"I'm not an academic about it. I'm a practical person," said Tang. "It's really just to help the teachers figure out how does personalized learning translate in the classroom in terms of their teaching."

Leaving Tang's workshop, math pilot teachers shouldered "swag bags" with new tools for their classrooms next year: colorful blocks, tokens and Tang's class kits, which feature math games developed by Tang for K-5 students.

Some of the math pilot classrooms next year may also feature new furniture. In the Greenwich High School media center, math pilot teachers and administrators tried out blue swivel chairs with movable desk arms, standing desks and other items by manufacturer Red Thread that may be part of their classrooms.

Pedagogy has to match the space and space matches the pedagogy, said Parisi. Weve had a lot of conversation about the new spaces we were creating in the classroom to support the strategy of personalized student learning.

Math pilot teachers will meet again in July and August to prepare for the new school year, Parisi said. The math pilot team still needs to develop report cards or other methods that will allow parents to know how their child is performing even when each child is learning math slightly differently.

The teachers are also working on developing a flexible curriculum, including resources that will allow children to go deeper than the current math lessons if they desire, and designing lessons that will allow students to choose how they learn, Parisi said.

They also must create new ways of assessing how students demonstrate what they learn  whether an oral presentation, illustration, video, written statement or another way.

A lot of it is going to be the mindset, the student ownership, the student voice in all of this. Thats going to be significant because weve already seen the power of that, said Parisi. So the question is, how do we do more of that.

emunson@greenwichtime.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson
iOS has had widget support for nearly three years now and Google has had the Calendar app on iOS for even longer. You'd think that in all this time Google would have made a widget for the app but you'd be wrong.

Well, not anymore. In the latest update of the app, Google has finally added support for widgets. You can now add the Calendar widget and it will show you the first few entries in your calendar and you can tap Show More to see the full size widget with more entries.

Alternatively, you can also 3D touch the Google Calendar icon on select iPhones and get the new widget.

The update is now available on the App Store.
If you've ever used Windows on a higher DPI display and some older Win32 apps in particular, then you can definitely relate to the issue of proper scaling. Since the company's own crisp-display Surface product are not immune to such issues either, it only makes sense for the US giant to start tackling it one way or another.

Well, the old Redmond giant sure took its time on this one and the approach is definitely an "alternative" one, but the new Windows 10 Build 16237, currently seeding to Windows Insider users finally shows some progress. What Microsoft did in this version is change the way the OS reacts to DPI adjustment and how it informs applications to adapt accordingly. Currently, if the DPI setting gets adjusted by the user or automatically, by connecting to a display or docking/undocking certain types of devices, the only way to let the new values dissipate throughout all the apps is to log out of your account and log back in. Microsoft is trying to do that on the fly, dynamically, so that most apps only require a relaunch to adjust.

Now, this probably won't fix all the issues, especially with some legacy applications that have refused to scale whatsoever. But who knows. It might just be enough of a kick to get them to cooperate. If not, it sure is a good first step.

There are a few other new Insider features in this release as well. Microsoft Edge can now read aloud with word and line highlighting for all websites and PDFs. This should be a great addition to the already rich suite of accessibility options. Another highlight is a visual and partially functional update to the notification center. Notification buttons have been scaled up and centrally aligned along the full length of the panel. The "x" icon is now an arrow, which makes more sense in describing the "dismiss" action. The first actionable notification is also expanded by default.

The all new Emoji Panel supports emoji 5.0, as well as type to search. You can also get a quick "translation" of any given emoji by hovering on it. Naturally, there are a lot more improvements and numerous bug fixes under the hood as well. You can check them all out in detail at the source link.

Source
Published on 2017/07/09 | Source

A still from a video clip showing Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops in World War II

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A rare 18-second film clip went on public display for the first time Wednesday showing Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops in World War II.

The footage, which shows a group of clearly distressed young women lined up against a wall, is valuable evidence against persistent denials from Tokyo.

Taken in 1944, the film shows seven women who had been taken prisoner in China's Yunnan Province near the border with Burma after U.S. and Chinese troops liberated the region from occupying Japanese forces. A Chinese officer is seen talking with one of the women, while the others avert their eyes in silence.

A team headed by Prof. Jung Chin-sung at Seoul National University spent two years combing through the archives of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

Kang Sung-hyun, a member of the team, said, "Dr. Kim Han-sang, who is our resident researcher in the U.S., texted me a photo early in the morning. After checking it, I couldn't go back to sleep". He said the footage "is more powerful than a thousand words".

Kang Sung-hyun (right) at Seoul National University poses with an assistant researcher.

There is ample documentary evidence that the Japanese Imperial Army was directly responsible for rounding up the sex slaves, but so far only four photos of the time of their plight have surfaced.

"I wondered who took those photos and where". Kang said, "And I found out that it was shot by Sergeant Edwards Fay, a cameramen of the U.S. Army Signal Corps".

Due to limited resources, only a few members of the Korean team were able to go to NARA in Maryland. NARA houses 10 billion documents and more than 300,000 film records. Finding footage of the Korean sex slaves was tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack.

"There was no catalogue or index so we couldn't do a broad search", said Kang, who has traveled to NARA over the last 10 years. "The film had to be treated with chemicals to preserve it. My hands swelled up after half an hour, but I wasn't allowed to wear gloves for dear of damaging the film, and my eyes developed problems after I touched them with my bare hands".

Kim discovered the clip after searching through hundreds of canisters of film.

What happened to the women in the footage? Kang said, "They were freed from Japanese captivity but were then held in an Allied prison for almost a year and a half. Five of the seven are Korean, and they were all rescued by the Korean provisional government and returned home", Kang said. "My guess is that they all probably died".
BRISTOL, Tenn.  Local emergency personnel stopped for a Cajun meal Saturday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Bristol, Tennessee, where organization leaders say theyre seeing some success after a shakeup this spring.

The VFW Patton-Crosswhite Post 6975, on West State Street, hosted a Louisiana-style low country boil in appreciation of the communitys firefighters, police officers, paramedics and veterans. The meal, consisting of seafood, potatoes, sausage, vegetables and spices, drew a number of guests.

During Saturday afternoons event, post commander Jerry Greer spoke with guests about the VFWs services. One goal, he said, was to increase membership, especially because many law enforcement officers are veterans.

This past March, the local posts commander was removed from office due to dire financial problems and shrinking membership.

Were still struggling, but were doing stuff like todays event, Greer said. For us to even be here now, with our doors open, is quite a feat based on where we were.

The posts profit and loss statements are not great, he added, but theyre better than what they had been. And May, he said, was the best month in eight years financially.

Back in March, the post was roughly $30,000 in debt. Part of that was from two years of back taxes owed to the city and Sullivan County, as well as unpaid bills to the gas company, a roofing company and for trash collection.

We are still two years behind on our property taxes for Sullivan County and Bristol, but we are able to pay off our bills, Greer said. We are catching up. We still have a long way to go.

The post is working with the city and county to pay those property taxes, and Greer said he doesnt expect them to shut the buildings doors.

We want the community to know that were still here, Greer said. Weve been here since 1949.

During the past few months, Greer said the building has been cleaned, various upgrades have been made, membership has increased, and events continue to be planned.

We want to get the stigma away from being your granddads crusty old VFW, he said.

Greer, a retired Air Force veteran, added that more people, including the posts 12 officers, have become involved in improving the VFW.

Theyve also discovered that former Gen. Douglas MacArthur is a life member of the Bristol post. His name is on a plaque at the VFW.

All of this stuff that were diving into history-wise has revitalized this place, Greer said. Its about making sure we do right for the veterans and the community.

The post continues to assist local veterans.

Were doing things post-wise that we have not been able to do in years because everyone was concentrated on the canteen, Greer said. Were not a bar. We are the Veterans of Foreign Wars, with a mission, and were finally starting to meet that mission.

A pro-wrestling benefit is scheduled July 29 at the VFW on State Street.
I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings. But August is quickly approaching, and with it, school. Yes, I know  for some parents, the thought of sending little Johnny or Susie back to school is nothing short of euphoric. But there is a group of people who will assume responsibility for them, and they do so fully aware of the joy they will receive by time spent with them.

While parents usually have only one Johnny or Susie, teachers sometimes have a class full, which, along with other factors, can make it tough to build important relationships.

I can attest to that: My wife is a teacher, and I am confident my mother couldnt wait to share me with a teacher. As a child, I was not smart enough to figure out that labels like adventure-some, all boy, imaginative and handful were not always compliments. I can recall in viv-id detail the look of consternation on my teachers faces.

However, I also remember when a teacher helped my parents realize I couldnt read or write very well; I had a learning disability. I remember the additional help those teachers provided, often after school  on their own time. Late one fall afternoon, I came home and discovered my teacher sitting in our living room with my mother. She was just passing by and dropped in to catch my mom up on how I was doing. I was a royal pain, and yet several teachers took a special interest in me as a student and a person  the result of which is, well, here I am writing a piece for the paper.

You might be tempted to think that the days of teachers taking a special interest in students are long past, but they arent. Granted, there are some teachers who simply go through the motions, but that isnt true for the most part. For instance, last spring, at one elementary school in the area, two teachers were concerned about a student who was absent. It wasnt like him to miss school. They called his home, but there was no answer, so after school, they went to his house.

The student lived with his father; his mother had passed a few years ago. When they arrived at his home, they discovered his father had died sometime during the night. The young man was home alone with his deceased father and did not know what to do. Those teachers went above and beyond making sure that student had all he needed in the coming days.

What you may not realize is how important the relational aspects are for students to succeed. Kathyrn Wentzel, a professor in the University of Marylands Department of Human Develop-ment, suggests, These relationship qualities are believed to support the development of stu-dents motivational orientations for social and academic outcomes. In other words, when teachers are allowed time to develop relationships with students as people, to create a sense of caring and community in their classrooms, and to learn about their lives, their students tend to flourish.

The only trouble is, there are mounting challenges that impinge on a teachers time and ability to connect relationally with their students.

While many teachers still attempt to build relationships, they are often hampered by overly burdening standards; raises and job security based on scores and data points; and picketers upset that schools are teaching about religions or beliefs contrary to their own. Other teachers are hamstrung by inadequate resources, budget worries and of course, parental intrusion of the wrong sort.

But we can help.

We can offer our support in a way that may encourage them to invest relationally with students and that acknowledges the special interest they take in their students. It certainly does not come with a financial bonus.

Volunteer with Reading Buddies, which furthers our teachers literacy efforts. There are a lot of teachers who stay after school to help students overcome some academic hurdle because they know the childs parents are disengaged or unable to help. Reading levels also often determine the trajectory of a persons life.

Find out from teachers what their students tangible needs are. There are teachers who have secretly raised money, found clothes or shoes or food to help their students. Donate where you can.

Start thanking them for their service to our community. I know other teachers who have prayed and wept because they knew students that were dealing with things no kid should have to. Send a teacher a note of encouragement  even if it is not your childs teacher.

At the very least, just before you hit send on that irate email to little Johnny or Susies teacher, stop and think. Their teacher might be doing all they can to help them.
Nearly 80 PA people have been charged for Jan. 6 riot. Three are dead.

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Seth P. Hunt Jr., Burke County Public Schools newest Board of Education member, has occupied his seat for six months now and said it didnt take him long to understand that the board puts students first.

The board appointed Hunt in November to serve out the term of veteran board member Catherine Thomas. Thomas vacated her seat due to growing commitments outside of Burke County that pulled her away from her board duties.

Hunt said of his experience thus far on the board, It has been more gratifying than I ever thought it would be. I get bored easily intellectually, but the things we deal with as board members hold my attention. It is most enjoyable to be a part of this board. While the board doesnt agree on everything, every board member is focused on the education of our children.

Hunt said he sought the vacant seat because of the impact public education had on his young life, and he wanted to make a difference in this generation of students.

Serving on the board is something I really wanted to do, not just to do something nice, but to be a part of something that is good for our kids and Burke County, he said. I wanted to be a part of a group that is making a positive difference in the lives of children.

As a youngster growing up in Wilson County in eastern North Carolina, Hunt was the son of a school principal and teacher assistant.

I was an average student, Hunt said. I didnt apply myself as I should have. Now, I want students to understand when they graduate from high school or a community college or university that their education is just beginning. It is so true that education is life long, and if you can master the basics, you can successfully navigate life.

Hunt graduated from Saratoga Central High School and went on to get a degree in political science from Atlantic Christian College, which is now Barton College. While his career paths took various turns throughout his life, the one constant has been his servant leadership. Hunt has been a sheriffs deputy, an EMS dispatcher and a small town mayor. He also spent 15 years as the CEO of state institutions, the majority of which was at Broughton Hospital. He finished out his career as the special executive to the facility director at the J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center. In 2015, the year Hunt retired, the state recognized his years of service with the N.C. Order of the Long Leaf Pine, a prestigious honor the governor awards.

Brougton Hospital brought Hunt to Burke County 23 years ago, and he now thinks of it as home. Hunts wife, Scarlett, recently retired as a teacher with Burke County Public Schools and their son, Prior, is a graduate of Patton High School and Appalachian State University and plans to attend law school. Hunt said he and his wife have enjoyed being involved in the community and feel blessed by it.

Hunts professional experience with education includes overseeing residential schools at the Longleaf Neuro-Medical Treatment Center, the North Carolina School for the Deaf and Broughton Hospital.

Hunt sees the role of the school board as a buffer between what is handed down from Raleigh into the classroom. His goal is to help find balance between teachers teaching the curriculum that is set for them and giving them the tools they need to do their job.

I feel for teachers and how the pressures of testing and other measurements complicate the curriculum, he said. I dont want to be a blockade, but a mitigating force so teachers can actually teach. They know their jobs, and I want them to be able to do it. I am proud of our teachers and staff and all they do day in and day out to make our schools work. They provide for our children in an untold number of ways. There is no way to recognize everything they do as they do so much more than we see or hear about. They dont do it because they want the accolades. They know the effect they are having on kids lives, just like the two to three teachers who had an impact on my life as I was growing up.

Looking ahead, Hunt said he is equally excited about the direction Morganton and Burke County are headed in.

I am looking forward to the growth of our school system overall as Burke County grows, he said. There are exciting things getting ready to burst, and this is an exciting time to live in Burke County.
LENOIR  The Granite Falls mother charged with slaying her 12-month-old son last week has been receiving in-home services from the Caldwell County Department of Social Services since January, according to a press release.

Fridays social services statement included details about the departments contact with the Brewer family before mother Heather Ray Brewer was charged with second-degree murder.

The department received a child protective services report regarding Rodney Lee Brewer Jr. on Jan. 4, 2017, alleging concerns of improper medical/remedial care.

The department had no history of contact with the family prior, according to the release.

Upon completion of an assessment at the time, it was determined in-home services were needed to ensure continued compliance with medical and developmental services for the child, according to the release.

The services included education about child development, speech and physical therapy, community-based rehabilitation services, budgeting assistance, feeding and nutritional education and instruction, monitoring physical health, and monitoring the condition of the home, according to the release.

Social services representatives also maintained face-to-face contact with all household members.

In addition to relatives and other professionals, the department was present in the home multiple times per week during the provision of in-home services, according to the release, which led up to Brewers late June murder charge.

No further protective services reports were received by the department.

Caldwell County Sheriffs Office investigators received a report of abuse with physical injuries June 28, more than six months after social services received a report, and the infant died June 29 at Levine Childrens Hospital in Charlotte, according to a previous press release.

Brewer made her first appearance before Caldwell County District Court on Thursday morning in Lenoir on the second-degree murder charge, a Class B1 felony, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.

District Court Judge Wes W. Barkley presided over the first appearance hearing.

District Attorney David Learner represented the state, and attorney Bruce Cannon represented the defendant.

Brewers bond is set at $1 million, and the probable cause hearing will be July 27 in Caldwell County District Court in Lenoir.

Cannon said he and his client would seek a bond reduction hearing at a later date.
At least 20 houses of Muslims were set afire on Saturday night after a minor Rajput girl went missing in Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh.

A 16-year-old Rajput girl of Chhipaner village of Sehore went missing after her school on July 4. Later, villagers registered a complaint at the local police station alleging that a Muslim youth had kidnapped her, sparking communal tension in the village.

On Saturday evening, people of Hindu community allegedly attacked the houses and torched 20 houses in Chhipaner and neighbouring Narayanpur villages, police sources said.

While minor injuries were reported from victims, most of them fled their houses to save their lives, police said.

A heavy police force was deployed in the area after the incident.

A resident of the village, Akbar Khan said, There was tension in the area for the past four days. They attacked our houses and set them on fire. We somehow managed to escape safely but we are scared of returning to our homes.

A resident, requesting anonymity, alleged that the girl has eloped with the youth, but the family is making it a prestige issue and creating trouble for Muslim families residing in the area.

Superintendent of police, Sehore, Manish Kapuriya said the situation was under control now.

A case has been registered against 50 people under various sections of IPC and 12 of them have been identified by the police.

District collector Tarun Kumar Pithode visited the villages and announced compensation to the victims.

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Congresss Kisan Sammelan (farmers convention) in Lahaar of Madhya Pradeshs Bhind district, close to Gwalior, will signal its readiness for the 2018 assembly polls and also whether the partys Dabra spirit can be revived.

The Dabra spirit is the holy grail for Congress unity. In 1993, the late Madhavrao Scindia initiated a conclave of senior Congress leaders in Dabra, a small town 45 km from Gwalior, just before the 1993 assembly elections where they managed to bury the hatchet and succeeded in coming to power besting the BJP.

The parallels are obvious. The show at Laahar will be Madhavraos son, Jyotiradityas, and all senior Congress leaders, including former Union minister Kamal Nath, AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh, leader of Opposition Ajay Singh, senior state leader Suresh Pachauri, Congress state president Arun Yadav will be among the present.

The Scindias, erstwhile rulers of Gwalior state, have held sway in the entire region for decades even though BJP has been in power for the past 17 years in the state.

Also, Lahaar is Congress MLA Govind Singhs constituency, and the fact that he is closer to Digvijaya Singh than Scindia has not gone unnoticed in political circles. Now, it remains to be seen how things pan out on the unity front.

Ajay Singh, son of late Congress leader Arjun Singh who was part of the Dabra conclave, told HT, Though the Dabra spirit was of a different era, it is also true that for the past two-three months we are moving in that direction and the Lahaar convention is a step towards it.

Loud and Visible

The preparations for the sammelan are visible all around. In Gwalior, posters portraying party unity span on the busy road outside the railway station and elsewhere in the city, appealing all to join the Kisan Sammelan.

Local rallies are being taken out by Congressmen, and several vehicles, with blaring loudspeakers reminding people of the convention, have been doing the rounds of the city for the past few days.

Over 2,000 vehicles will accompany Scindias rally from Gwalior to Lahaar and it will take around four hours to reach Lahar as all the leaders will be greeted at several places along the route.

Tapping into Farmers Anger

With the BJP government on the back foot, the rally, focussing on the farmers crisis, is aimed at the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, 16 months away.

There is palpable anger among farmers, especially after the killing of six farmers in police firing and lathi-charge in Mandsaur in the first week of June. The farmers are demanding loan waiver and remunerative price for their crops.

State Congress spokesperson, K K Mishra said the party has been raising farmers issues through Kisan Sammelans and meetings in state in the past one month. It started with Scindiajis satyagraha in Bhopal and was followed by kisan sammelans in Mhow, Khalghat and Mandsaur.

After Lahar, two other Kisan Sammelans will be organised in Veerpur in Gwalior and Churhat in Sidhi district, which is Ajay Singhs constituency.

BJP puts up brave front

The BJP too realises the Congresss game plan and for the last one month the chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been trying to douse the farmers anger through a slew of measures  visiting the families of those killed in police firing and announcing compensation of Rs 1 crore for them, purchasing onion at Rs 8 per kg, waiving power bills of small and marginal farmers, and taking out a Kisan Sandesh Yatra where party leaders meet farmers.

The BJP is officially trying to put up a brave front and is dismissive of the Congress.

BJP state spokesperson, Deepak Vijayvargiya says the Congress does not have credibility, leadership or organisation in the state.

They are doing this with an eye on the polls, and not due to genuine concern for farmers, he said.

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On the occasion of Guru Purnima, Bollywood actors took to Twitter and expressed gratitude for their teachers and mentors. While Amitabh Bachchan thanked his parents, Ayushmann Khurana expressed his gratitude for filmmaker Shoojit Sircar. Suniel Shetty thanked his mother for being the first and best teacher in his life.



Guru Purnima is the first full moon night after summer solstice. According to the Hindi calendar, it falls in the month of Aashad. The day holds importance since it sees people across India thank their gurus or teachers.

Heres a look at the Twitter timelines of Bollywood celebrities this Sunday:

T 2480 -            ,               pic.twitter.com/O38hkBRWTW  Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) July 9, 2017

T 2480 - In life there have been many that have left a learning for me, but what I received from my Parents was the best and the highest ! pic.twitter.com/gec4WB89xz  Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) July 9, 2017

Possibly the best definition of #GuruPoornima *     *, *    *....... * + *  Suniel Shetty (@SunielVShetty) July 9, 2017

No man can reveal to you aught but that which already lies half asleep in the dawning of your knowledge #GuruPurnima #NaseeruddinShah  pic.twitter.com/mhvqo6NN3e  Randeep Hooda (@RandeepHooda) July 9, 2017

Learnt everything from him without him ever making me feel as if he were my teacher. #MyFatherMyGuru #GuruPurnima Miss him more than ever. pic.twitter.com/P74p4HE7vn  Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) July 9, 2017

My father. My guru. My inspiration . My world. Will miss you Papa #GuruPoornima pic.twitter.com/91FNZVodre  Suniel Shetty (@SunielVShetty) July 9, 2017

In remembrance of the greatest Guru I ever had. My Guru Died .. #GuruPurnima https://t.co/76AE0p2Mqo  Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) July 9, 2017

Fortunate are the ones who find the true guru who one day frees you even from himself.my Pranam to all my gurus #GuruPurnima  Prasoon Joshi (@prasoonjoshi_) July 9, 2017

On #GuruPurnima a big THANK YOU  to @_SanjayGupta @nikkhiladvani @sujoy_g David sir, Induji. Have learnt so much over the years from them!  Milap (@zmilap) July 9, 2017

Grateful to be blessed by his grace & presence in my life .. Have deep love for my guru, guide and master #Tarneiv ji .. #GuruPurnima  pic.twitter.com/ysnh3ZGbAu  Rahul Dev Official (@RahulDevRising) July 9, 2017

Manisha Koirala advocated that everybody should have a master in his or her life to attain peace and tranquility. The 46-year-old actress told ANI, Im here to take blessings from my master on the occasion of Guru Purnima. I am inclined to spirituality for many years, but from the past three to four years, the inclination has increased even more. I go to two places for my peace of mind - one is at a university near Chennai and the other one is in Haridwar to have blessings from Pilot Baba.

Apart from Hindus, Buddhists also observe the day to express their gratitude towards their teacher.

In the Indian culture, many claim the day came to being with yogis worshiping Sage Ved Vyas who penned down the four vedas, deeply revered by Hindus across the world.

(With ANI inputs)

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Nidhhi Agerwal, who is from Bangalore, will soon be making her acting debut alongside actor Tiger Shroff in Munna Michael. However, bagging a film in Bollywood hasnt been easy for her. Although her parents supported her decision to enter the film industry, her relatives warned them against letting her be part of the big bad world of Bollywood.

My parents are very trusting. They have always supported my decisions. Sometimes I feel they trust me too much. But people around them, rishtedaars were like, Tum akele Mumbai kaise bhej sakte ho? recalls Nidhhi, who gave four auditions for the Sabbir Khan directorial.

Sharing her experience of the initial days in Mumbai, Nidhhi adds, When I came in, I started hearing stories about everything that happens here [casting couch, nepotism etc]. But these things exist everywhere, even in the corporate world. Its just that Bollywood is a public profession, so word gets out. But I have never had a casting couch experience. No one has every approached me.

The actor adds that this has a lot to do with the kind of person she is. Maybe it has never happened because I dont become friends with someone very quickly. I am either working or Im at home. I dont go out partying... Koi scope hi nahi tha, says Nidhhi.

Goodnight  A post shared by Nidhhi Agerwal (@nidhhiagerwal) on Jul 7, 2017 at 9:24am PDT

Another problem that she faced when she moved to Mumbai was getting a place to stay. I was looking for a house, but wasnt able to find one. People did not want to rent out their place to me. My dad had to come and meet my landlord. He had to assure him that he and my mom would keep coming to visit me. I have no clue why they didnt want to give me the place. They were like, Are you going to live alone? Theyd ask me what I was doing in Bombay and all, recalls Nidhhi.

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A Parliamentary panel has sought details from the government on giving in-principal approval to its divest stake in Air India even as modalities are being worked out for the proposed divestment to revive the debt- laden national carrier.

Officials from the ministries of finance and civil aviation as well as from Air India are expected to provide views this week to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture.

On June 28, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave in-principle approval for considering strategic disinvestment of Air India and five of its subsidiaries.

The Parliamentary committee will hear the views of the ministry of civil aviation, department of investment and public asset management (ministry of finance) and Air India on the disinvestment of the airline on July 12, as per the panels schedule.

Sources earlier said the committee had discussed the governments decision at its meeting held on July 5 and later decided to seek details on the same.

The 31-member panel is headed by Trinamool Congress member Mukul Roy and has 21 MPs from the Lok Sabha. The members include those from the Congress, BJP, BJD, SP, CPI (M) and TDP.

A group of ministers, headed by finance minister Arun Jaitley, would be looking into various aspects related to Air India. It would look into the treatment of unsustainable debts of the national carrier, hiving off certain assets to a shell company and de-merger and strategic disinvestment of three profit-making subsidiaries, among others.

Air India, which has a debt burden of more than Rs 52,000 crore, is staying afloat on taxpayers money. The previous UPA government had extended bailout package worth little over Rs 30,000 crore to the national carrier for a 10-year period starting from 2012.

The national carriers main grouping -- the Air Corporations Employees Union (ACEU) -- is opposed to the disinvestment. The ACEU represents Air Indias non-technical staff and has nearly 8,000 of the airlines total 21,137 employees as members.

On July 12, the panel is also expected to consider and adopt the draft reports on the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2016 and the Major Port Authorities Bill, 2016.
The Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) is planning satellite-based mapping of all the properties under its domain with a view to develop an efficient and transparent system of handling revenue matters.

GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping is the call of the dayDehradun has expanded significantly and its not possible to manually visit each and every household for recording property details anymore. We are currently exploring the works of various companies in this field and will call for tender (for GIS mapping) soon, Dehradun municipal commissioner Ravneet Cheema told Hindustan Times.

A Geographic Information System is designed to store, retrieve, manage, display and analyse all types of geographic and spatial data. The software allows production of maps and other graphic displays of geographic information for analysis and presentation.

Cheema said if everything goes according to the plan, Dehradun will be the first urban local body in Uttarakhand to introduce GIS mapping of properties.

Municipal corporations in cities like Hyderabad, Kanpur and Delhi have already adopted the GIS mechanism and expanded their property tax base significantly through it over the years.

Cheema, who returned recently from an official visit to Hyderabad, said that the Hyderabad municipal corporations tax collection increased by three to four times after introduction of the GIS mapping.

They managed this feat without increasing tax rates. We clocked in over 15 crore (during 2016-17) through property tax and are hoping that our tax collection too would go up by at least 2-3 times as it (the GIS mapping) will help bring in a number of households and commercial establishments under the tax net, she said.

The GIS mapping will also help the DMC in identifying encroachments and illegal constructions, besides enabling it to verify details submitted by locals through the self assessment process of house tax submission, she added.

In the past, the DMC was pulled up by the central and state finance commissions over its failure to introduce GIS mapping.

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DEHRADUN: Activists have flayed the government for introducing a compulsory dress code for teachers and education officials at a time when the schools are reeling under a shortage of infrastructure facilities.

The education department made it compulsory to wear light blue shirts and steel grey pants (men) and light blue saree or suit ( women) for teachers, officials and other employees from August 1.

Alleging skewed focus by giving preference to issues of lesser importance, activists demanded that the government shows an equal promptness in improving conditions of government schools.

Around 23% government schools lack drinking water facilities for children while no separate space is available for midday meals in around 36% schools studied , according to the Right To Education (RTE) Forum-Uttarakhand survey report in 2016. As many as 35% schools didnt have toilets for girls while 40% lack facilities such as electricity and phone connections.

By showing promptness in such non-serious matters (of fixing the dress code) that have little connection with improving quality of education, the government is revealing where its focus lies, RTE fourm state convener Raghu Tiwari told Hindustan Times. It (dress code) is nothing but an attempt to divert the public attention from real issues that actually affect the state-run schools, especially in remote, mountain areas.

Activist Anoop Nautiyal asserted that the government should work on bringing in systemic changes in the entire ecosystem of education. The focus should be on resolving the core issues faced by students as well as the problems faced by teachers.

Notably, the Uttarakhand high court on June 30 warned the education officials to stay prepared for a salary cut, if they were unable to provide adequate infrastructure in government schools within six months. It also warned the government of recommending imposition of the Article 360 of the Constitution (that mandates declaration of a financial emergency) if the state lacked money to take care of schools. It directed officials to slash unproductive expenses on luxurious items and divert the necessary funds to the education system.

Education minister Arvind Pandey said the dress code would ensure teachers and officials remain present on duty full time. As for other issues, we are working actively and taking steps to improve infrastructure and quality of education in our schools.

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People of all ages from Lalkuan and Bindukhatta took out a protest march in Nainital districts Lalkuan on Sunday morning, demanding justice for hotel management student Ramesh Bisht.

Ramesh, 20, died on late Wednesday night in Gurgaons DLF Phase 3, after being allegedly pushed from the fifth floor by the owner of the paying guest accommodation in which he was staying. The PG owner, Satbir Singh, and his two sons  Rohit and Rahul  along with eight other men allegedly thrashed Ramesh and his friends on Wednesday night. Singh allegedly pushed him from the fifth floor of the building, resulting in his death.

Three police teams are one the lookout for Singh and his sons.

Rameshs father Ratan Singh Bisht has vowed to not let the criminals go away. Only two people have been arrested until now. But the main culprit (the PG owner) is still free. Just because Ramesh was not from Gurgaon but from a village in Uttarakhand, the police is taking it lightly, he had said.

On Friday night too, the residents had taken out a candle light march demanding justice for the family of Ramesh and for immediate arrest of the landlord.

Residents of Lalkuan and Bindukhatta reached the Martyrs memorial in Lalkuan and took out a demonstration to the main markets and streets of Bindukhatta. The demonstrators raised slogans against the Haryana government for its laxity in arresting the culprits. The protesters reached the Lalkuan Kotwali to submit a memorandum to the district magistrate, demanding that the case be transferred to Nainital district.

Pradesh Congress Committee member Beena Joshi said the people would continue the agitation till the perpetrators were caught and brought to justice. Lalkuan Police station in-charge Ravi Saini said the people handed him a petition demanding that the case be transferred from Haryanas Gurgaon to any police station in Nainital district.
An off-duty Uber taxi driver allegedly raped a 38-year-old woman at his Ghaziabad home after picking her from Karkardooma court in New Delhi, police said on Sunday.

The woman suffers from a medical condition which impairs her ability to remember things.

The 45-year-old cabbie was arrested and charged with sodomising the woman and brutally beating her up when she resisted the sexual abuse.

Read: Woman with memory loss raped: How cops chased forgotten details, nailed accused

The woman lives in east Delhis Trilokpuri with her children. She doesnt have a job and is saddled with domestic troubles.

A domestic issue brought her to Karkardooma court in east Delhi on Thursday. After finishing her court work, she was standing near gate number 4 when she met the cabbie.

During their conversation, she mentioned her desperation and asked him if he could employ her as a maid or get her a job elsewhere.

The driver told her he would let his wife decide and asked her to accompany him to his home in his car. They went to his home in Gokal Dham Society near the Hindon river in Ghaziabad, said Ravinbdra Yadav, the joint commissioner of police (eastern range).

The cabbies wife and four children were not at home and the man allegedly used the opportunity to rape and assault the woman. He brought the woman to the gates of the court complex and dumped her there, before driving away.

The car is attached to app-based taxi service Uber, but police found it was not hired by the woman.

In deep pain, the woman visited a government hospital in east Delhi.

Doctors there realised she was sexually assaulted and called police, said Nupur Prasad, the deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara).

When police spoke to her, she couldnt remember either the identity of the suspect or the name of place she was taken to.

We helped her recollect her conversation with the driver. She gradually remembered the accused mentioning Gokal Dham Society, said an investigator.

Police looked up for localities named Gokal Dham in New Delhi before shifting to Noida and Ghaziabad. Its a small housing society in Ghaziabad. When she was taken to the locality the next day, the victim helped us identify the home and pointed out the accused when he was sighted, the investigator said.

The taxi driver has not committed any crime before, police said.

When contacted for a response, Uber said police have not approached the company yet about the alleged crime.

Whats been described is deplorable and something no one should ever go through. Once approached, we will cooperate with local authorities to support their investigation and proceedings in any way possible, a spokesperson said.

The rape charge could dent Ubers image in India, though the cabbie was off duty. The web-based taxi service was blacklisted in New Delhi in 2014 after a woman passenger reported she was raped by a driver contracted to the American company.

The case caused uproar after it emerged that the suspect was previously charged with rape but obtained a character reference signed by a police officer that was forged. Uber was accused of not running background checks on its drivers.

The case reignited a debate about the safety of women in Asias third-largest economy, especially New Delhi, which is often dubbed Indias rape capital.

(with agency inputs)
Delhi Police have increased security at the Hauz Khas Village following recent incidents of terror attacks abroad. Police said they are focusing on shops and restaurants in the area because it attracts a large number of foreigners.

Iswar Singh, deputy commissioner of police (south) dismissed social media reports that police has banned ladies night at the Hauz Khas Village.

Singh said police have spoken to excise department officials to ensure that only licensed restaurants are operational and also that the liquor would not be served to those aged below 25 years. Apart from this, the traffic police has also been roped in to conduct stringent checks at the exit of the village to curb drink-driving.

In January, a 30-year-old Punjab resident died after smashing a beer bottle on his head. The man, who was in an inebriated condition, had reportedly had a scuffle with a few bouncers. Also on July 6, a woman, who refused to be identified, took to Twitter alleging that she was nearly abducted by a drunk men at Hauz Khas Village. She, however, refused to file a police complaint.

Also in February, a 23-year-old woman was offered a lift at Hauz Khas Village and gang-raped by two men at a park near the area.
A 30-year-old woman was allegedly duped of Rs4,22,000 in April and the first week of May by a man claiming to be a general surgeon in California deputed to a UN peacekeeping mission in Kabul.

The woman, a Sector 56 resident, said in her complaint that she came in contact with the man, Dr Amardeep Raghuraj, in March through a matrimonial site.

The two chatted for a while, shared family backgrounds and pictures on WhatsApp and the woman was convinced that she wanted to marry Raghuraj. He told her that they would marry when he came to India in April for a three-month holiday, said Sector 56 station house officer (SHO) inspector Arvind Kumar.

According to the complaint, the man asked for Rs 37,000 on April 10 saying he was facing some problems in returning from Kabul. Kumar said the woman transferred the amount into the bank account of one Vikas Kumar in Patna.

Later in April, she was again asked to transfer Rs1,45,000 in the bank account of one Suresh Yadav in Faridabad and later Rs1,35,000 in a Raj Kumars bank account in Noida, the complaint said.

The man said that the money was needed for insurance and since he was in Kabul on a peacekeeping mission, the amount was huge, said Kumar, who is also the investigating officer in the case.

On May 1, the woman transferred Rs65,000 to an account and on May 4, she again credited Rs40,000 to Yadavs account in Faridabad.

Once all the transactions were made, Raghuraj switched off his phone and couldnt be reached, according to the police

The woman and her family panicked and tried contacting him and his family but in vain.

She finally registered a complaint with the Gurgaon police cyber cell on May 10 and an FIR was registered on Saturday in the Sector 56 police station. The FIR was registered under IPCs sections 419 (cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating) and 66 D of the IT Act (cheating by impersonation using computer).

After the cyber cell verified all the transactions and the facts stated by the complainant, we registered the FIR, Kumar said.
A fight turned ugly on Saturday evening on the MCG ground in Saraswati Enclave in Sector 37 when one person fired at his rival, just missing the shot.

The fight, which took place near the sabji mandi, was over the supply of electricity, the police said.

While the fight took place around 5.30pm, two of the four accused were arrested on Saturday night itself.

It was only later that the Gurgaon police realised that the two arrested, Rahul and Bahrat, had served two years in Tihar jail in Delhi recently and had got bail only a month ago.

When we verified their criminal background, we found out that both of them were out on bail. They had been serving time in Tihar for kidnapping a businessman in Delhi in 2012, sector 10 Station House Officer, inspector Sandeep Kumar, said.

The sequence of the events leading to the fight was that Naveen Singh, who was shot at, had been supplying electricity and generators to the MCG ground where numerous street vendors sell iron materials, clothes and food items.

Four men  Rahul, Bahrat, Ashwani and Monu  came on Saturday evening and started arguing with Singh over electricity supply.

The four accused said that they wanted to supply generators and electricity to the shops and the small bulbs that the vendors use. A fight broke out and the four beat up Singh, Kumar said.

He said after beating the 22-year-old, one of them took out an unlicensed pistol and fired at Singh. The bullet narrowly escaped him.

What followed was total chaos and all four ran away while Singh rushed to the police station and filed an FIR. The FIR was filed under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 307 (attempt to murder) and 34 (criminal acts by several persons) of the Indian Penal Code and 25-54-59 of the Arms Act.

Kumar said all four lived in Kadipur village and the two were arrested from nearby area. The police also recovered the illegal country-made pistol from them.

The SHO said that the criminal background of the other two accused is also being verified. He said those arrested are hardened criminals.
An Indian-American professor and her team have developed a new handheld, lowcost device that will soon check cervical cancer without using a painful speculum.

Nimmi Ramanujam and her team of researchers at Duke University in North Carolina say the pocket colposcope, which can connect to a laptop or mobile phone, could even lead to women being able to self-screen.

Ramanujam has developed the all-in-one device which resembles a pocket-sized tampon. Her team asked 15 volunteers to try the new integrated design and more than 80% said they were able to get a good image.

According to Ramanujam, The mortality rate of cervical cancer should absolutely be 0% because we have all the tools to see and treat it. But it isnt. That is in part because women do not receive screening or do not follow up on a positive screening to have colposcopy performed at a referral clinic.

We need to bring colposcopy to women so that we can reduce this complicated string of actions into a single touch point.

Ramanujam said that current standard practices for cervical cancer screening require a speculum (a metal device designed to spread the vaginal walls apart), a colposcope (a magnified telescopic device and camera designed to enable medical professionals to see the cervix), as well as a highly trained professional to administer the test.

The device, developed with funding from the National Institutes of Health, has a colposcope design that resembles a pocket-sized tampon with lights and a camera at one end. It also includes an inserter through which the colposcope can be inserted to make the entire procedure speculum free.

Weve applied for additional funding from the NIH to continue these efforts, Ramanujam said, while noting that the team is working on regulatory clearance for the device, which they hope to receive by the end of 2017.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, with more than 500,000 new cases occurring annually worldwide. In the United States, physicians diagnose more than 10,000 cases each year.

While more than 4,000 American women die of the disease each year, the mortality rate has dropped more than 50 per cent in the past four decades, largely due to the advent of well-organised screening and diagnostic programs.
Director Christopher Nolan and actor Mark Rylance didnt know quite how famous Harry Styles was before Dunkirk. The young people in their lives certainly did.

I dont think I was that aware really of how famous Harry was before casting the pop star in the upcoming World War II epic, Nolan said Friday. I mean, my daughter had talked about him. My kids talked about him, but I wasnt really that aware of it. So the truth is, I cast Harry because he fit the part wonderfully and truly earned a seat at the table.

Styles, 23, who gained fame with One Direction and recently launched his solo career, plays a British soldier in Nolans suspense-thriller about the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers from Dunkirk, France, in May and June of 1940.

Rylance, also featured in the film, said he learned of Styles from his 11-year-old niece.

She was just more excited than anything Ive ever done because I was going to be acting with Harry Styles, said Rylance, who has won an Oscar and three Tonys. I went up in her estimation. I won the Harry!

Styles described his first days on set as overwhelming.

Id say realizing the scale of the production was very overwhelming. I think whatever you imagine kind of a giant film set to be like, this was very ambitious even by those standards. You know the boats and the planes and the volume of bodies ... it was pretty amazing.

Harry Styles in a still from Dunkirk.

Dunkirk opens in North American theaters July 21. It also features Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy, and stars newcomer Fionn Whitehead.

Styles, who recently added 56 dates to his upcoming solo world tour, said his One Direction bandmates were supportive of his acting dreams.

They are big fans of Chris, too, and I think theyre excited to see it, Styles said.

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Actor Shia LeBeouf was released from prison following his arrest on suspicion of disorderly conduct and public drunkenness.

The 31-year-old was arrested in Savannah, Georgia, on Saturday, where he was filming for The Peanut Butter Falcon with Dakota Johnson and Bruce Dern.

According to the Chatham County Sheriffs Office, LaBeouf was taken into custody around 4am, and was released later Saturday from Chatham county detention center after posting a $7,000 bond, reports cnn.com.

The Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department gave out a statement that the actor approached a bystander and a police officer asking for a cigarette. He became disorderly, using profanities and vulgar language when he wasnt given a cigarette.

He was told to leave the area but refused to and became aggressive toward the officer. When the officer attempted to place LaBeouf under arrest, LaBeouf ran to a nearby hotel. LaBeouf was arrested in the hotel lobby, where his disorderly behaviour continued, read the statement.

This is not the first time the Transformers star had trouble with the law.

In January, he was arrested in New York after the police said he got in a scuffle with a man at his own art exhibition. Those charges were later dismissed.

Other instances include arrests for public intoxication in 2015 in Texas and a driving under influence (DUI) in 2008 in California.

In 2014, LaBeouf pleaded guilty to one count of disorderly conduct after an outburst at a Broadway theatre. The star agreed to get alcohol abuse treatment as part of a settlement related to the incident.

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Three Tamil Nadu fishermen were on Sunday arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing in the island nation waters.

The fishermen from Jagadapattinam in Pudukottai district were detained off Karainagar in northern Sri Lanka, a state fisheries official said.

They were later taken to Kangesanthurai port, fisheries assistant director Sivakumar said.

This is the second instance of arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Lankan Navy this month. Earlier, on July 6, eight fishermen, also hailing from Pudukottai district, were taken into custody and their two boats seized.

There has been a spurt in the detention of Indian fishermen by Sri Lanka since last month, when more than 50 fishermen were held, prompting state Chief Minister K Palaniswami to seek the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure their release.
The Pardhis tribes fascination for silver ornaments helped the Madhya Police nab six alleged thieves from the community in Ujjain on Friday after they had looted 82 kilograms of silver from a jewellery shop 1800 km away in Tamil Nadus Airyalur on May 27.

The six-member gang also stole 150 gm gold in the heist and returned to Ujjain.

Initially flummoxed by the thieves preference for silver, the Tamil Nadu police found that the Pardhis tribe in Madhya Pradesh is known for its love of silver. Criminals from the tribe concentrate more on stealing silver whenever they rob a shop or a house.

For the Pardhis, silver is a sign of luck as the idols of their deities are made of silver.

They feel themselves wealthy and safe from all kinds of trouble in their lives if they have at least one ornament or bullion of silver, Shibani, an activist who has been working for the uplift of the community told HT.

After learning about the Pardhis, the Tamil Nadu police contacted their Madhya Pradesh counterparts. After a brief probe, the MP police located the accused in Ujjain and arrested them on Friday. Police seized some ornaments from their possession.

Ujjain additional superintendent of police Rajesh Sahay said, The thieves from Pardhi community have a fixed modus operandi and as silver is held pious in their community, they give preference to stealing silver jewelry.

Sahay said the trend of stealing silver ornaments over gold was witnessed in more than two dozen cases of robberies by Pardhi community in the past few years.

He said the gang probably thought that they wouldnt be caught because the secne of crime was far away but it was their love for silver that helped the police to crack the case.

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India has exposed itself to Chinas interference in Jammu & Kashmir by sending Indian troops to disrupt Chinese soldiers from building a road in the Donglang region, the state media said on Sunday.

If Pakistan requests, a third country can dispatch soldiers to the Valley, said an article in the nationalist tabloid Global Times, adding that Indian soldiers invaded Chinas Donglang (or Doklam) to serve Indias interests, not Bhutans.

Even if India were requested to defend Bhutan's territory, this could only be limited to its established territory, not the disputed area. Otherwise, under India's logic, if the Pakistani government requests, a third country's army can enter the area disputed by India and Pakistan, including India-controlled Kashmir, said the article written by Long Xingchun, director of the Centre for Indian Studies at China West Normal University.

Indian and Chinese border troops are locked in a standoff in the Donglang region, near the Sikkim border, which is controlled by China but is also claimed by Bhutan.

Interestingly, China has repeatedly said that Donglang is part of its territory since ancient times; its for the first time that a Chinese academic said it is actually disputed.

Indian troops invaded China's Doklam area in the name of helping Bhutan, but in fact the invasion was intended to help India by making use of Bhutan, Long wrote. India controls Bhutan's defence and diplomacy, seriously violating Bhutan's sovereignty and national interests. Indians have migrated in large numbers to Nepal and Bhutan, interfering with Nepal's internal affairs. The first challenge for Nepal and Bhutan is to avoid becoming a state of India, like Sikkim, the article added.

Long wrote about Indias hegemonic diplomacy in south Asia and claimed New Delhis policies have violated international laws and norms.

For a long time, India has been talking about international equality and non-interference in the internal affairs of others, but it has pursued hegemonic diplomacy in South Asia, seriously violating the UN Charter and undermining the basic norms of international relations, he wrote.

Through mass immigration to Sikkim, ultimately leading to control of the Sikkim parliament, India annexed Sikkim as one of its states, the article said.

Referring to the Siliguri Corridor that connects mainland India to the states in the northeast, the article said it was New Delhis concerns about the geographical connection that triggered the standoff.

This incursion reflects that India fears China can quickly separate mainland India from northeast India through military means, dividing India into two pieces. In this case, northeast India might take the opportunity to become independent, the article said.

It added: India has interpreted China's infrastructure construction in Tibet as having a geopolitical intention against India. India itself is unable to do the same for its northeastern part, so it is trying to stop China's road construction.
PATNA Chief minister Nitish Kumars return to state capital on a rain-soaked Sunday afternoon, after a four-day rest and recuperation trip to the resort town of Rajgir, about 100 km south east of the state capital, set the political temperature in Bihar soaring.

Speculation in political circles was fired by a report suggesting that back channel parleys had been initiated between leaders of ruling grand alliance constituents, the RJD and JD(U), to find a mutually acceptable response to the situation arising out of naming of deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, in a FIR filed by the CBI.

Tejashwi, younger son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, has been named in a CBI FIR in connection with what has come to be known as land for railways hotels scam, in which hotels were leased out to private parties who allegedly transferred valuable land as quid pro quo to entities which in turn gave it to Lalus family members.

Following Fridays CBI raids on Lalus Patna home and other places, the opposition BJP has been pressing CM Kumar to drop Tejashwi from his ministry, citing instances from Nitish headed NDA rule in Bihar (2005-13) when those who were named in criminal cases had been made to resign.

Late afternoon on Sunday, top sources indicated two senior leaders of the RJD had met Parliamentary Affairs minister Shrawan Kumar earlier in the day to initiate back channel talk to find a way out of the ticklish situation created by the FIR naming Tejashwi.

Shravan Kumar did not take calls on his mobile phone to confirm or deny that backchannel talks had been initiated.

The matter has turned tricky, with the BJP pressuring CM Kumar to show whether his zero tolerance policy on corruption applied to the Tejashwi case.

The RJD emissaries are reported to have tried to impress upon JD (U) leadership to accept the line that the CBI FIR against Yadav should be accepted as politically motivated case, instead of being treated as a direct case of corruption.

The talks came ahead of an important meeting of the RJD legislature party on Monday, at which 80 RJD MLAs, the biggest party block in the 243-member Bihar assembly, will take stock of the situation and decide their next course of action.

The RJDs meeting will precede JD (U) district presidents' scheduled meeting with party national president and CM Nitish Kumar, on Tuesday.

The JD (U) has now invited party MLAs and MLCs to the meet to take a view on naming of Tejashwi in the CBI FIR and his expressed disinclination to resign on his own, at this stage.

To put pressure on an image conscious Kumar, the BJP has cited the cases of resignation of several ministers, including Jitan Ram Manjhi, (who later became CM), who was dropped within 4-hours of his induction into the ministry in 2005 for figuring in a vigilance case.

Among the way out options being presented by the RJD leaders is for the CM to accept that the case against Tejashwi was politically motivated and did not call for an expeditious call on his resignation as deputy CM.

However, if the CM was found to have made up his mind to adopt a hard line and wanted Tejashwis resignation, the RJD leaders were inclined to float the idea of his elder brother, health minister Tej Pratap Yadav, succeeding him as deputy CM.

The cancellation of CMs weekly Lok Samvad programme, on Monday, appeared to indicate he was fully seized with the issue at hand and may face the media only after taking a call on the matter.

SPECULATION Efforts on to find mutually acceptable response to the situation arising out of naming of deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav in an FIR filed by CBI

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The spate of farmer suicides in Madhya Pradesh continues unabated. A debt-ridden farmer on Sunday killed himself by jumping in front of a train in Madhya Pradeshs Sagar district, taking the number of farmer deaths to 43 in 28 days.

Tekram Kurmi, 48, was the owner of six acres of land in Pipariya village under the limits of Garhakota police station. Tekram owed money to the bank and moneylenders besides his crop was also ruined, his family said.

Tekram went for a walk on Sunday morning, after which his family was informed that he killed himself by jumping in front of a train near Girwar railway station.

RN Tiwari, the officer in-charge of Garhakota police station, confirmed that the farmer committed suicide by jumping in front of a train. He, however, said the reason behind the suicide was not yet known. He said the Government Railway Police (GRP) is investigating the case.

Earlier, on July 5, three farmers committed suicide.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Madhya Pradesh has categorically ruled out waiving of farmers loans.

Farmers in Madhya Pradesh had launched a protest last month demanding better prices for their produce and debt relief.

On June 6, five protesting farmers were killed in police firing in Madhya Pradeshs Mandsaur district, while one injured farmer died later.

Though the protest was called off following the governments intervention, farmers have been ending their lives over debt and other problems.

To pay tribute to the farmers killed in Mandsaur, farmers leaders began the Kisan Mukti Yatra on July 6 with the assistance of social institutions.

The Yatra will pass through six states and reach Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on July 18 where the farmers leaders will speak on the anti-farmer policies of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government.
A controversial BJP legislator from Hyderabad has called upon Hindus in West Bengal to strike back at communal elements like they did in Gujarat in 2002.

Party MLA T Raja Singh, who is known for his fiery speeches, was reacting to the violence that had recently engulfed Baduria and Basirhat in West Bengal over a blasphemous Facebook post.

In a Twitter video that has now gone viral, Singh can be seen alleging that the Mamata Banerjee government was supporting communal elements while ignoring the plight of Hindus in the eastern state. Hindus in Bengal should respond to people involved in communal violence just like the Hindus in Gujarat did. Otherwise, Bengal will turn into Bangladesh soon, he said. The Bengal tigers should wake up and unite in order to protect themselves.

Singh exhorted members of the majority community to become aware of certain ground realities. If you dont demand security, you will be banished from your own state like Kashmiri Hindus, he added.

When contacted by HT, Singh defended his Twitter video statement. For the last few days, I have been receiving messages from Hindus in West Bengal about how they are being subjected to violent attacks. Muslims are targeting Hindu properties, outraging the modesty of Hindu women and killing people. But the Mamata Banerjee government has failed to come to their rescue. Instead, it is supporting Muslims, he alleged.

Singh went on to allege that the Mamata government was turning a blind eye to the infiltration of Bangladeshi Muslims into the state. Thats why I am warning Hindus that West Bengal could meet the same fate as Kashmir one day, he said.

However, the MLA said his intention was not to incite violence. I just mentioned that Gujarati Hindus had come together to defend themselves against communal elements in 2002. In the same way, Hindus in West Bengal must come together against these communal elements, he said.

This is not the first time Singh, who represents the Goshamahal constituency, has hit the headlines for making incendiary remarks. On April 5, he had publicly declared that he would behead anybody who opposes the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. If anybody has the guts to say he will stop the construction of the Ram Mandir, let him come forward. I will behead him, the BJP MLA was heard saying.

In July 2016, Singh had justified the assault of Dalits by cow vigilante groups at Gujarats Una. On another occasion, he described Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan as a murderer of Hindus who was responsible for the attacks on BJP and RSS activists in that state.

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Facebook on Sunday blocked the official page of a local Kashmir weekly and deleted a post of its cover showing slain militant Burhan Wani for not following community standards, shocking its editors who demanded immediate restoration of the page.

Kashmir Ink, a sister publication of Valleys leading English daily Greater Kashmir, had shared the cover of their latest issue which has a sketch of Wani and the headline: Kashmir: A year after Burhans death.

The unrest in Kashmir since Wanis killing on July 8 last year has left more than 100 dead and thousands injured, many blinded by pellets.

The issue, as is evident from the cover, talks about the current situation in Kashmir after a year of an incident which rattled the valley. And whose ripples refuse to ebb still, said noted political cartoonist Suhail H Naqshbandi, whose sketch of Wani was on the cover.

He said some ignoramus folks reported the post to Facebook authorities who decided to censor it.

A message from Facebook said the temporary block will last for 24 hours, and you wont be able to post on Facebook until its finished.

We removed the post below because it doesnt follow the Facebook Community Standards, the message said, and warned that those who repeatedly post things that arent allowed on Facebook may have their accounts permanently disabled.

This is completely unjustified, said Majid Maqbool, the Executive Editor of Kashmir Ink, adding that Facebook did not give any prior intimation before taking the extreme step.

He also said that we had Burhan Wani on our front cover earlier in the year as well, but the official Facebook page was not blocked nor was the cover image removed.

Our official page should be restored soon so that our online readers are able to see and access the latest issue, he demanded.

When Facebook Blocks Pages

Facebook has removed several posts in the past which were supposedly sympathetic to Kashmiri militancy.

In February last year, Facebook pulled down a cartoon by Kashmiri cartoonist Mir Suhail depicting roots growing out of Afzal Gurus grave in Tihar jail and connecting to roots of a large tree named Kashmir.

Suhail was also barred from posting anything new on his page as Facebook removes any comments posted by anyone that praise or support terrorist groups or their actions.

At the peak of last years summer unrest in Kashmir, a number of FB users, including noted scholars Dibyesh Anand, of the University of Westminster, and Huma Dar, of the University of California, Berkely, had complained that their posts, mostly related to Wani, have been removed for violating Facebooks Community Standards.

There were many users who also said they were blocked after they put Wanis photo as profile picture.

In May this year, Baroda-based artist Rollie Mukherjee, known for her paintings depicting the pain of the strife-torn Valley, was blocked by Facebook.

Facebook spokespersons have been repeatedly quoted in media reports as saying that their Community Standards prohibit content that praises or supports terrorists, terrorist organisations or terrorism and that they remove it as soon as made aware of it.

We welcome discussion on these subjects, but any terrorist content has to be clearly put in a context which condemns these organisations or their violent activities, a spokesperson was quoted in one media report.

The action came a day after Kashmir authorities banned internet in the region to check any untoward incident on the occasion of Wanis death anniversary. Broadband and 2G mobile internet services were restored very late on Saturday.

As a news and events platform, shouldnt we even talk about something which is affecting our lives on a daily basis? asked Naqshbandi about the magazine, which is, however, available on the stands in Kashmir.

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A woman suffering from cancer in Pakistan has urged external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to help her visit India for treatment after her visa application was reportedly rejected by the Indian embassy.

Faiza Tanveer, 25, is suffering from a recurrent ameloblastoma, an oral tumour which is aggressive in nature.

She planned to visit the Inderprastha Dental College and Hospital (IDCH) in Ghaziabad and paid Rs 10 lakh in advance for treatment, according to a Pakistani media report.

But the Indian High Commission in Islamabad rejected her medical visa application, the report said.

Tanveers mother claimed that her application was rejected because of deteriorating ties between the two countries.

That forced Tanveer to take to social media to move Indian authorities.

Tanveer in several tweets over the past couple of days has urged Swaraj to intervene. She has also posted her photo and a video that showed her tumour.

In one of the tweets, she said, Please help me save my life mam plz (sic), and tagged Swaraj in the tweet. In another tweet, Tanveer said, Sushma g please help me (sic).

Last month, an ailing child from Pakistan and his parents were issued visa for an emergency heart treatment after the family sought Swarajs help.
A Lajpat Nagar-based travel agent was booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for allegedly sending people to China for jobs without valid work permits.

The case was registered on a complaint from the external affairs ministry after some of his clients working without valid papers were detained by the Chinese authorities.

A complaint against Roshan Fernando, who runs Devin travels and tours Ltd, was lodged by a Nepalese woman, Purnima Thapa, who said he had promised her a job with an attractive salary in China.

Fernando and an associate had allegedly taken over Rs one lakh from Thapa for the job.

On March 3, she was allegedly sent without a valid work permit to China, where she worked in a plastic item manufacturing plant in Weifgang.

The Chinese police raided the firm and detained 12 Indians who were working with valid passports but without work permits.

The Chinese authorities repatriated the Indians, while Thapa, being Nepalese, was sent to Nepal.

Verification has further revealed that besides victim Purnima Thapa, there are some more Indians who were cheated by Roshan Fernando and their associates. The travel agency being run by Roshan Fernando is not registered with MEA, the CBI FIR alleged.

Thapa later asked Fernando to return the money that he had charged for the job. He issued a cheque which was also dishonoured.
PATNA The Congress unequivocal backing for RJD chief Lalu Prasad on the issue of the CBI raids on his premises, on Friday, appeared to mark a shift in the stand of the party, which had shown a clear inclination towards the chief minister Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) in terms of the equations within the ruling grand alliance.

BPCC chief Ashok Chaudhary and Congress legislature party leader Sadanand Singh, known for their proximity with Kumar, visited Prasads residence after the raids, reportedly on the directive of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) leadership.

Not only did they express solidarity with the RJD chief, but also expressed their support for his younger son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who is under pressure from the opposition BJP to resign as deputy CM after the CBI named him in an FIR in the land for railways hotels case.

The Congress backing for RJD chief came on the back of Lalu-led partys support to the Congress backed opposition Presidential candidate Meira Kumar. Nitish has, on the other hand, angered the Congress by announcing the JD(U)s support for NDA Presidential candidate, Ram Nath Kovind, till recently the governor of Bihar.

As such, after their meeting with Prasad at his 10, Circular Road residence in Patna, Choudhary and Sadanand Singh not only attacked the BJP-led government at the Centre for targeting the RJD chief and his family out of political vendetta, but also declared that they were with Prasad in his hour of crisis.

Soon after returning from New Delhi, former Union minister Akhilesh Prasad Singh had criticised Kumar for his observation over the Congress ideology and dared him to clarify if he wanted to remain in the GA or team up with the BJP. Senior Congress leader Prem Chandra Mishra also backed Lalu on the raids.

The JD(U)-Congress chasm expressed itself when Nitish moved to the resort town of Rajger to recuperate just ahead of Meira Kumars arrival in Patna last week to seek support for her candidature.

As the Congress leadership waited for the CMs reaction to the BJPs demand for Tejashwis sacking, there were signs that Lalus onslaught on the saffron brigade had qualified him as a major keg in the bid for a united opposition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

A senior AICC leader said although the Congress would strive to ward off any crack in the Grand Alliance, for its larger political strategy, the party would rely more on Lalu Prasad, who had proved to be a more tested and trusted ally than the JD(U).

However, the Congress capacity for manoeuvre was limited, considering it had just 27 MLAs to the RJDs 80 and the JD(U)s 71 in the 243 member Bihar assembly.

BLURB

As Congress leadership waited for Nitishs reaction to BJP demand for Tejashwis sacking, there were signs that Lalus onslaught on saffron brigade qualified him as major keg in bid for united Oppn against PM Modi in 2019 Lok Sabha poll

BLURB

After meeting Prasad, Choudhary and Sadanand Singh attacked the BJP-led government at the Centre for targeting RJD chief and his family out of political vendetta and also declared that they were with Prasad in his hour of crisis.

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Tension may rise in Darjeeling on Sunday when the bodies of the three persons killed over the last two days will be cremated.

While Tashi Bhutia will be cremated at Sonada, about 20 km from Darjeeling town, the last rites of Samir Gurung and Suraj Sundas are scheduled to be performed in Darjeeling itself.

Samir Gurung was a cook in a home stay near Ropeway Singamari. Bhutia used to run a beef shop in Sonada. Sundas was a daily wage earner.

However, locals were apprehensive whether police would allow the bodies to be brought to the town for cremation as it may fuel tension in a town roiled by violence for a month.

It has been raining heavily in Darjeeling since Sunday morning. Police officers are hoping the rain will help in keeping the situation under control.

Throughout Saturday, angry protesters fought pitched battles with the police and set fire to a toy train railway station, government offices, traffic police outpost and police vehicles. The administration again asked for deployment of the army that went back to the barracks only about a week ago.

On Saturday night, the agitators made an unsuccessful attempt to set ablaze the subdivisional office at Kurseong. A rural library in Ghayabari suffered partial damage after a fire burnt some books. Agitators also tried to set on fire an irrigation department office at Gorubathan in Kalimpong district.

Read more: Doors for talks on Gorkhaland with Mamata govt closed forever, says GJM

In the evening, GJM assistant secretary Binay Tamang rejected chief minister Mamata Banerjees offer, saying if they have to talk to anybody, it would be the Centre and only on one agenda of a separate state.

The chief minister had said in Kolkata that she was open to dialogue if the agitators shun violence.

Sunday was the 25th day of the unbroken spell of total stoppage of public life as part of an indefinite bandh called to press for the formation of Gorkhaland. There is no public transport operating in the Darjeeling hills.

The Internet remains shut down as the government struggles to tackle the agitation. But despite chain of violence since June 8, the police have not made a single arrest.

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A newborn girl was allegedly sold by her mother for Rs 5,000 in Khammam district of Telangana as she could not raise the child due to poverty, the police said on Sunday.

The woman, who gave birth to her sixth child on Friday at a government hospital, allegedly sold the baby girl to another woman of Bhadrachalam town on Friday with the help of a sweeper at the hospital, Khammam assistant commissioner of police PV Ganesh said.

The mother is saying that due to her poor economic condition she is unable to look after the baby. Hence, she sold the baby with the help of a sweeper for Rs 5,000, the ACP told PTI over the phone.

The elderly woman who had bought the baby said she took the infant as she did not have a grand-daughter.

She, however, immediately brought the baby back to the hospital and handed her over to her mother, the senior police officer said.

The ACP said the Integrated Child Development Services officials are now taking care of the infant.

The woman, who has four daughters and a son, told mediapersons that her husband, a rickshaw puller, was a drunkard.

The woman who bought the baby claimed innocence saying she only offered the sum of Rs 5,000 for treatment of the womans son who was ill.

A case under sections of Juvenile Justice Act was registered against the mother, the woman who bought the baby and the sweeper, the ACP said, adding that a probe was on.
The faction-riddled Madhya Pradesh Congress has planned to put up a unity show at a farmers rally at Lahaar on Monday as it looks for a winning formula ahead of the 2018-assembly polls.

The kisan sammelan-- billed as the biggest farmers rally the party has organised in the recent past-- though is essentially a show of partys four-time MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, all Congress stalwarts from the state are expected to attend it, party sources said.

Former union minister Kamal Nath, AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh, leader of the Opposition Ajay Singh, senior state leader Suresh Pachauri, Congress state president Arun Yadav among others will share the dais to revive the partys Dabra spirit.

The Dabra spirit is the Holy Grail for the Congresss unity in the state. In 1993, late Madhavrao Scindia, initiated a conclave of senior Congress leaders in Dabra, a small town some 45 km from Gwalior, just before the 1993 assembly elections where they managed to bury the hatchet and succeeded in coming to power defeating the BJP.

The BJP, which wrested power back from the Congress in 2003, is ruling the state for the past 17 years.

Among others, many attribute the partys poor show in the state, to differences among senior state Congress leaders.

But in the growing discontentment among farmers, especially after the killing of six cultivators in police firing and lathi charge in Mandsaur in the first week of June, the Congress sees a political opportunity to dethrone the BJP.

The farmers are demanding loan waiver and remunerative price for their crops.

The party has been raising the farmers issues through kisan sammelans and meetings in state in the past one month. It started with Scindiajis satyagraha in Bhopal and followed by rallies in Mhow, Khalghat and Mandsaur, said state Congress spokesperson K K Mishra.

After Lahaar in Bhind district, two other rallies will be organised in Veerpur in Gwalior and Churhat in Sidhi district. Churhat is the assembly constituency of Ajay Singh, son of former Congress leader late Arjun Singh.

Singh, whose father was part of the Dabra conclave, talking to Hindustan Times said, Though the Dabra spirit was of a different era, it is also true that for the past two- three months we are moving in that direction and the Lahaar convention is a step towards it.

The fact that Lahaar is the constituency of Congress MLA Govind Singh, who is more close to Digvijaya Singh than Scindia, too has not gone unnoticed in the political circles.

The party, meanwhile, has pulled out all the stops to make the rally a success.

In Gwalior, the busy road outside the railway station and elsewhere in the city are dotted with posters appealing the people to join the rally.

The party functionaries are also taking out rallies at the local level and making announcements about the Lahaar rally over loudspeakers for the past few days.

Congress sources said Scindia and other leaders will go in a cavalcade of over 2000 vehicles from Guwalior to Lahaar, covering the distance of 77 kilometers in about four hours. Leaders will be greeted at several places along the route.

The BJP, which is on the back foot over the farmers agitation is, however, trying to put up a brave front, dismissing the Congresss bid to revive its electoral fortune in the state.

The Congress does not have credibility, leadership or organisation in the state. They are doing this with an eye on the assembly polls. They do not have genuine concern for farmers. Let them do it. We hold such sammelans four times every year, said BJP state spokesperson Deepak Vijayvargiya.

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on his part has been trying to douse the farmers anger through a slew of measures.

He visited the families of those killed in police firing in Mandsaur and announced an ex gratia of Rs 1 crore each for the next of kin of the slain farmers. His government also announced to purchase onion at Rs 8 per kg and waive off power bills of small and marginal farmers.

The BJP is also taking out a Kisan Sandesh Yatra where party leaders will meet the farmers.

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In Keralas Kasargod district, Islamic State is luring young Hindus with money. The terror organisation has a rate card which carries the amount  one lakh to 7 lakh  given to IS recruits to convert Hindu girls. The rates are five lakh for a Hindu Brahmin girl, seven lakh rupees for a Sikh Punjabi girl and 4.5 lakh for a Hindu Kshatriya girl.

At least, this is according to a report broadcasted on a national English news channel in June. The basis of the rate card was a fake WhatsApp message which had been doing the rounds for more than a year.

It was one of the many distorted stories that were shared on social media and one which the news channel fell for.

Apart from influencing the political discourse and triggering communal violence, these stories  often in the form of image with text written on it  can result in explosive situations when circulated in an already charged atmosphere. For more than two months, villagers in Jharkhand, a child trafficking hub, were receiving WhatsApp messages carrying pictures of purported details of child traffickers including their attire. The result? In May, villagers lynched seven men to death mistaking them for kidnappers.

It is in this backdrop that organisations such as AltNews, Boom and SM Hoaxslayer have taken it upon themselves to call out fake news. They monitor social media to identify information which prima facie appears false, verify it and if the information is fake, relay the correction.

Watch: How are fake forwards, images and videos identified.

It was an AltNews investigation that found out the truth about the IS rate card while Boom ran a reverse search to prove that the image of man and a little girl with blood on their faces, with accompanying text saying that they were making India secular by playing Holi with the blood of a cow, was actually a picture from Egypt.

With the surge of digital platforms and the penetration of smartphones, fake news reaches many more people than before. Which means that by the time websites debunk fake news, proving that an image or video is flawed, it has already been shared and believed by thousands of people.

GOVT HAS TO STEP IN TO CHECK FAKE NEWS: PRATIK SINHA, CO-FOUNDER, ALTNEWS

Pratik Sinha, co-founder, AltNews at his Ahmedabad office. (Sidhharaj Solanki/HT Photo.)

In August 2016, Pratik Sinha, Ahmedabad-based techie and founder of the website truthofgujarat participated in a more than 300 km long march on foot from Ahmedabad to Una to protest the flogging of Dalit men. Concerned to see that there was hardly any media coverage of the march, Sinha, and a friend decided to launch a digital outlet to talk about peoples issues. Debunking fake news was one of the objectives of the site. When they eventually launched AltNews in February this year, their posts on fake news attracted far more attention than the other features of the site. Since then, they have done numerous fake news breaks.

We keep track of social media. We also keep getting messages from people asking us to verify forwards which do not appear genuine to them, says Sinha. Thirdly, we look for virality of an item on social media. For example, during Prime Minister Modis visit to the US last month, his loyalists circulated a video claiming that it was Modis cavalcade in the US. The video went viral. We checked and found that it was footage of Barack Obamas entourage from 2010, says Sinha.

The possible impact a fake news item can have on people is also a parameter. On June 28, there was a protest titled Not In My Name in different cities to condemn increasing incidents of mob lynching over beef. An English news channel ran a story claiming that Indian organisers were roping in people from Pakistan to organise similar protests there. Sinha found out that a Pakistani girl wanted to conduct a protest on the same lines in her country. She got in touch with one of the Indian organisers asking him if he could post the Pakistani protest information on his Facebook page. So, it was the Pakistani girl who initiated the conversation and not the Indian organisers, as the news channel would have you believe. Such news items can influence peoples perceptions, says Sinha.

Exposing fake news also made him realise that ideology is not the only driving factor for people involved in spreading half-truths, particularly through sites such as postcard.news and hindutva.info. Money is a big incentive. They have understood that if you write about Prime Minister Modi, Yogi Adityanath or the Indian Army, you will get more clicks and thereby more advertisements, he says.

Above: A fake news break by AltNews

Another emerging pattern is the appearance of a fake video coinciding with a major political event in the country. When the mainstream media was debating the Left versus RSS battle in Kerala, a fake video went viral showing a man being stabbed multiple times. The video claimed that it was an RSS worker being murdered by a Left worker. In fact, it was a video from Mexico.

People getting lynched by mobs is one very visible consequence of fake news. But thats not the only impact. Sinha recalls a four-minute video that was supposedly of a Hindu Marwari girl from Andhra Pradesh married to a Muslim man; she was being beaten up and burnt alive by a few people belonging to the Muslim community, all because she was apparently not wearing a burqa. It is actually a video from Guatemala. People have been sharing it since February 2016 and not a comma has been changed. It shows the kind of degenerative affect such footage has on peoples minds, says Sinha.

However, he is yet to come across any evidence which points to the spread of fake news being organised, except for a few times when he noticed people associated with the BJP directly or indirectly forwarding such messages on WhatsApp or retweeting them. But then anyone can fall for fake propaganda. I cannot equate that to say that it is organised, he says.

Given the scale at which fake news is spreading and how people believe in it blindly, Sinha says that sites such as AltNews are not enough to fight the menace. The government should put a solid mechanism in place to fight fake news and put out advisories telling people that this is a fake video, please do not circulate it. Newspapers and news channels should carry these advisories. Also, social media platforms, particularly WhatsApp have a crucial role to play, he says.

Report suspicious images, videos to AltNews at contact@altnews.in

POLITICIANS MAKE UNSUBSTANTIATED CLAIMS WHICH PEOPLE LAP UP: JENCY JACOB, MANAGING EDITOR, BOOMLIVE

Team of boomlive.in at their Mumbai office. (Aalok Soni/HT PHOTO.)

In 2014, Govindraj Ethiraj, former editor-in-chief of Bloomberg TV India, started the not-for-profit platform, Factchecker.in to fact-check policy-level news. It wasnt long before he realised the need for a platform that examined everyday news too. Enough reports, videos, forwards and statements seemed to be dubious, misrepresentations or outright lies. Thats how Boom, initially launched along with Factchecker as a news portal, turned into an independent digital journalism initiative, around the end of 2016.

Especially after the election of Trump, news from around the world was being broadcast through WhatsApp and social media with velocity despite having no veracity, Ethiraj says. We realised there was a huge gap in what the media was trying to say and what people were believing, so we decided to use Boom to break down every such story.

Booms four-member team works towards debunking at least two to three news items every day. Managing editor Jency Jacob checks WhatsApp groups for bizarre forwards and images that might need closer examination. The team does exhaustive web searches to look for plagiarism, does reverse searches for images to find their source and digs through news archives of credible sources like the Associated Press. Boom also has a helpline number, where people can send in any news item that sounds like a hoax. The first step usually is trying to get in touch with the person who posted the news on social media. That starts off the trail, says Jacob. With WhatsApp that becomes difficult.

Boomlive.in reported that the above image, circulated as that of a man a girl with cow blood on their faces, was not from India and had nothing to do with cow.

The way they see it, there are two types of fake news: the kind with malicious intent, to defame someone or spread communal tension, like an image that recently did the rounds on Facebook. It featured a man and a little girl with blood smeared on their faces, with the accompanying text saying that they were making India secular by playing Holi with the blood of a cow. Booms research found that the photo of that of people from Egypt. It had nothing to do with India or cows.

The other kind of fake news relates to food, health and wellness, and counters scientific research. Boom recently looked at a viral video claiming the presence of plastic in rice. They helped prove that while grains may be adulterated, there was no evidence of plastic impurities in the grains.

While the truth may be obvious to the team (and even many readers), much of Jacobs efforts go into checking and cross-checking the stories verified by his team of three journalists. We will face a huge credibility hit if our fact-checking is proved wrong, so we have to be extra cautious always, says Jacob.

Other hoaxes get priority when theyve been shared by someone well-known. Politicians often make unsubstantiated claims and state random figures, which readers lap up, says Jacob. We do all the background research and then contact the person who has made the claim. Sometimes, they are apologetic, other times they are offended, but thankfully we have got no major threats so far.

What theyve got are trolls who dont like hearing they were wrong. Jacob recalls how a few weeks ago,a user tweeted to his 47,000 followers a video that seemed to show an IS terrorist being taken down by a sniper. The video went viral. Boom traced the footage back to the AP archives and showed it to be a recording of a Venezuela hostage situation from 1998.

The user took down the video as soon as he heard from Boom, but his followers bristled. They pulled out old tweets of mine and started targeting me personally, says Jacob, while laughing it off.

The explosion of news outlets and easy accessibility of digital news has made the circulating of fake news easy. People will believe in anything, because no one knows what a genuine source for news is. Sadly, while 230 million people have WhatsApp, they do not always have access to newspapers to verify what was sent to them, explains Ethiraj. What also comes as a surprise to us is how politicians and powerful public figures cite numbers or share pictures which are clearly fake.

Report suspicious images, videos to Boom at its helpline number 7700906111

PEOPLE ARE GULLIBLE. ONE POST IS ENOUGH TO CAUSE COMMUNAL HATRED: PANKAJ JAIN, FOUNDER, SMHOAXSLAYER

Mumbais Pankaj Jain, 39, is a businessman by day and a hoax slayer by night. He was fed up of being bombarded by inane, fake news through family and friends WhatsApp groups. In August 2015, he created a Facebook page called Social Media Hoax Slayer.

Im the guy who has long debates about the veracity of stories at family functions and gatherings with friends, he says. I soon realised that people were gullible and one message was enough to cause communal hatred. Thats when I decided I needed to reach out to a larger number of people.

By October, he had also launched a website, smhoaxslayer.com. His Facebook page now has 56,000 followers and his Twitter account, 12,000.

I spend a few hours updating the website after work every day, says Jain. Its the constant requests on chat and WhatsApp from people asking me to verify information that get really difficult to manage single-handed.

His system of cross-checking information usually involves a thorough Google search. He has become good at spotting Photoshop modifications.

The first step is always to reverse-Google search an image. Then I look for signs of tampering, he says.

For example, he says, a recent viral picture showed political activist and proud teetotaller Hardik Patel sitting beside a bottle and glass of alcohol. It was clear that they had been added to the picture, because they had no shadow, he says.

In other cases, he relies on government reports and statistics. And sometimes, just common sense.

Recently, actor and politician Paresh Rawal shared a fake story on Twitter about former President APJ Abdul Kalam saying Pakistan had tried to get him to betray India. I saw that the text had spelling and grammatical errors and wondered how someone like Paresh Rawal could fall for such an obvious hoax. I pointed it out to him on Twitter, Jain says.

The downside, Jain says, is that he gets quite a few threats and angry messages; people call him anti-national. One guy said he knew where I lived and would take care of people like me who spread false news, says Jain, laughing.

At the same time, he gets a lot of appreciation from people.

In the end, I know I am just a curious guy who believes in statistics and proof, he says, and wants others to do the same.
Odisha police arrested four persons from two different southern towns of the state on Saturday for running an illegal telephone-exchange on behalf of incarcerated gangster Chhota Rajan.

The four were allegedly involved in routing international extortion calls through a device called SIM box to phones in India at the behest of a Rajan associate to conceal the identity of the callers by giving an impression that calls were made from local numbers.

It falls under cyber crime and a first-of-its-kind offense busted in the state, police said.

Chhota Rajan, aka Rajendra Sadashiv Nikhalje is currently serving a seven-year jail term in a fake passport case.

Rajan is accused in over 85 cases, ranging from murder to extortion, smuggling and drug trafficking, lodged with police in Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and the CBI.

The gangster was deported to India by Indonesia in November 2015 after being on the run for almost three decades.

The police got a whiff of the Odisha gang when Suresh Pujari, a Hong Kong-based associate of Rajan, recently demanded Rs 2 crore from a Mumbai-based real estate businessman over phone.

While tracing the call the Mumbai crime branch found the calls originated from Berhampur. Subsequently, they contacted us after which we arrested three persons from Berhampur and one from Chhatrapur town, said Berhampur additional SP Trinath Patel.

The accused Laxminarayan Sharoff (31), Pradeep Kumar Choudhury(27), Suresh Kumar Satpathy and Santosh Kumar Satpathy ran the illegal telephone exchange from a shop named S. World in Berhampur town.

The police seized 5 SIM boxes, several fake SIMs, fake ID proofs from them. They have been booked under sections 420, 467, 486, 471, 34 of IPC and section 66 (b) and 66 (c) of Information Technology Act, 2000.

These Chinese-made SIM boxes with the capacity to accommodate 32 to 64 SIMs were bought from two companies - G B Ventures (Delhi) and Mega Voice (Ahmedabad).

The Berhampur operators were getting the share of extorted money from those two farms, said the additional SP.

The SIM box acted as a mini telephone exchange, which is illegal as per Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. Its difficult to trace such calls as the device camouflages the callers identity. We have never come across such cases of cybercrime in the state, said Patel.
A fresh round of violence in the Darjeeling Hills on Saturday left three people dead, with mobs targeting the world heritage toy train, an office of the ruling Trinamool Congress and a police vehicle.

Authorities say only one person was killed but the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), which is leading the stir for a separate state to be carved out of West Bengals northern hills, claims police shot dead three people.

The revived stir for Gorkhaland has hit normal life and kept tourists away from the popular Himalayan resort. Schools, offices and businesses have been shut for almost a month. Vehicles, too, stay off the roads.

Here are 10 things to know about the renewed stir for Gorkhaland and the unrest in Darjeeling:

1) The current phase of violence started on June 8 when GJM leaders led a protest demonstration demanding chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who was chairing a cabinet meeting in Darjeeling that day, take back the decision making Bengali a compulsory subject in all schools, including those in the Darjeeling Hills. The Nepali-speaking majority was upset over the decision to impose Bengali on them.

2) To quell the violence that spread quickly after GJM supporters clashed with police in Darjeeling, the government called in the army.

3) The chief minister later exempted Darjeeling schools but by then the agitation against the imposition of Bengali had revived the demand for a separate. The hill parties, which held several meetings, unanimously resolved to step up the struggle for Gorkhaland. The BJP joined the meetings.

4) On June 15, police raided the GJM office and the home of its leader, Bimal Gurung, after the outfit called for an indefinite shutdown that continues to this day.

5) Three protesters were killed and many wounded allegedly in police firing in Darjeeling on June 17. The chief minister denied that three young men were killed by police bullets.

6) To bring situation under control, the government blocked internet services on June 17. The ban continues.

7) A Gorkhaland movement coordination committee was formed on June 29 with representatives from 15 parties and organisation to lead the struggle for a separate state.

8) Violence flared up on July 8. Three persons were killed in alleged police action as protesters vandalised government buildings and set fire to a toy train station and damaging police vehicles, forcing the administration to call the army back barely a week after it had left.

9) Mamata Banerjee said she was ready for talks with the hill parties if they return to the path of peace. The offer was shot down, with Gorkha leaders saying they didnt want a dialogue with the state government.

10) The chief minister has blamed the BJP, an ally of the GJM, for stoking unrest, accusing the Centre of disintegrating federalism by refusing to send paramilitary forces to curb the violence. She also sees a foreign hand. The violence in Darjeeling is a planned one. There are foreign links to this violence, Banerjee has said.

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Fresh attacks on public property were reported in the Darjeeling hills on Sunday as arsonists torched an abandoned police outpost and barracks, while pro-statehood supporters held a peaceful march with the bodies of three men killed in alleged police firing.

Army soldiers have taken position on rain-clad roads and squares, replacing West Bengal policemen and paramilitary troopers. The state government called in the military just a week after it was withdrawn from the restive hills.

Thousands of people marched in funeral processions with the bodies of Tashi Bhutia, a meat shop owner who died at Sonada on Friday night, and Suraj Sundas and Samir Gurung in Darjeeling town.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), spearheading the movement for a separate Gorkhaland state to be carved out of West Bengals tea-growing hill districts, said they were killed in police firing. But the police dismissed the charge, saying not a single shot was fired.

Gurung was a cook at a homestay and Sundas was a daily wage labourer. They were killed during Saturdays clashes in which several policemen were reportedly wounded, but authorities did not make any official statement.

The marches were peaceful but arsonists set ablaze a police outpost and barracks barely three hours after the procession at Sonada, where a station of the world heritage toy train of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was torched on Saturday.



The police buildings were empty and no one was guarding them.

With a 110-metre national flag, Gorkhaland supporters marched in the national capital too on Sunday to reinforce their demand for a separate state. They asked the Centre to intervene and remove paramilitary forces with immediate effect.

The Gorkha leaders rejected chief ministers offer for talks if peace returns to the hills in the next 10-15 days.

A meeting of the hill parties, which was scheduled for July 18, has been advanced to July 11.

Binay Tamang, the GJM assistant general secretary, said the campaigners will speak only to the Centre and the agenda should be granting statehood.

But the Centre hasnt shown any intention of intervening in the crisis, which began early June after the Trinamool Congress government made Bengali a compulsory subject for students in all schools in the state.

The majority in Darjeeling speaks Nepali and they opposed the governments move. The language protest resurrected the regions demand for a separate state that dates back to the British era.

Chief minister Banerjee has accused the Centre of fomenting the fire in Darjeeling, which is represented by the BJP in Parliament. She alleged the unrest could have been nipped at the onset if the BJP-led central government had sent troops on time.

The BJP denied the charges and warned that West Bengal could turn into a bigger problem.

Party leader Meenakshi Lekhi said: I want to say that Bengal is on the way to become Kashmir. The government is not doing anything to control the situation.

Echoing similar views, party colleague Satyapal Singh said chief minister Banerjee is encouraging communal forces.

The fresh violence in Darjeeling posed a twin challenge for Banerjee, who is battling communal clashes at Basirhat in North 24 Parganas. The Trinamool accuses the BJP, an ally of the GJM, of instigating violence in both places.

(With agency inputs)

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Union home minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Sikkim chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling on Sunday and assured him of all support to ensure the safety and security of national highway 10 -- the states only road link with the rest of the nation -- in the wake of agitations there last week.

Spoke to Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling regarding the security situation in the state and areas neighbouring West Bengal. I assured him that Centre will ensure the safety and security of NH 10 and do everything possible to save people of the state from any misery, Rajnath Singh said in a series of tweets.

Spoke to Sikkim Chief Minister Shri Pawan Kumar Chamling regarding the security situation in the state and areas neighbouring West Bengal.  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 9, 2017

Last week, Sikkim-registered vehicles were vandalised in West Bengal during the ongoing agitation for Gorkhaland.

The incidents took place after Chamling supported the demand for a separate Gorkhaland state.

Rajnath Singh said he has also asked home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi to coordinate with the West Bengal administration and ensure safety, security and smooth traffic on NH 10.
The suspected knifeman in the murder of teenager Junaid Khan on a suburban train in Ballabgarh worked as a private guard in New Delhi and was looking for a job in Maharashtras Dhule, where he was hiding after the June 22 attack.

The 32-year-old man from Haryanas Palwal district, whose identity cannot be revealed because of legal reasons, was caught after a fortnight-long hunt and produced before a Faridabad court on Sunday. He was remanded in police custody for two days.

The news of his arrest delighted Junaids family, which want the killer to be sent to the gallows.

I appeal to the authorities to pronounce the death penalty for the accused and arrest the remaining people involved in the case. Such incidents are happening every day in every part of the nation. We are living in fear, said Junaids father Jalaluddin Khan.

The boys mother too demanded the capital punishment.

My son was innocent. I lost him as no one came to his rescue. Exemplary punishment should be given to all the accused, but the man who stabbed Junaid should be hanged, she said.

The muscular man of medium height was part of a lynch mob that attacked 16-year-old Junaid, his two brothers  Mohammad Hashim and Shaqir Khan  and cousin Mobin after an altercation over seats on the Mathura-bound train. The brothers were returning to their Ballabgarh home after Eid shopping in New Delhi.

The mob called them beef-eaters and anti-nationals, and flung their skullcaps off their heads.

It was the latest in a string of fatal attacks on Muslims. Junaids murder triggered national outrage and protests as it became the latest example of growing religious intolerance in India.

Police said the main suspect stayed at his home for at least three days after the attack and went to Mathura, Vrindavan and Dhule to evade arrest. He was caught near a temple in the Sakre township on Saturday.

He had visited relatives in Sakre before and even worked there for some time, an officer said.

The man has allegedly confessed during interrogation to have killed Junaid.

He was carrying a knife he had bought at Shivaji market in the Capital, railway police superintendent Kamal Deep Goyal said.

The accused got down at Asaoti railway station and fled on a motorcycle. Two men were on the bike but the biker, who is not an acquaintance, gave him a lift.

Footage from surveillance cameras near the railway station helped catch the suspect, besides the sketch made from Hashims description of the knifeman. It was not an easy case to crack as thousands of people travel between New Delhi and Mathura every day on suburban trains.

Police are trying to find the knife, a crucial piece of evidence that the suspect is said to have thrown away after the attack.

Goyal said the fight that triggered the fatal attack was initially between the Khan brothers and a man called Rameshwar, who was among the five people arrested earlier for the murder. Fellow passengers joined the brawl soon after and the crowd swelled.

The officer, however, gave the benefit of doubt to the brothers allegation that the crowd called them beef-eaters or if the banned meat has anything to do with the attack.

We have been saying from Day One that there was no issue of beef on the train. The complainant also didnt mention it in the FIR. The accused denied the charge. The bone of contention was the seat, the police superintendent said.

(With agency inputs)

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Students across the country will now be able to access high-quality educational programmes as the HRD ministry launched 32 DTH channels on Sunday, along with a number of other digital initiatives in the field of education.

At the inauguration of three digital initiatives Swayam, Swayam Prabha and National Academic Depository  human resource development (HRD) minister Prakash Javadekar said convocation addresses delivered by President Pranab Mukherjee will be compiled and published as guru dakshina to him.

Felicitating Mukherjee  who was a teacher before he plunged into politics in 1969  on the occasion of Guru Purnima, Javadekar said his life was an exemplary record of calibre, capacity and conduct, adding that Mukherjee represented all teachers in India.

Since I called him a teacher, there will be guru dakshina as well. We will publish compilation of his convocation addresses to various universities so that students can enlighten themselves from his valuable observations, he said. Talking about the initiatives, he said Swayam aims at taking the best teaching-learning resources to all. Under Swayam Prabha, the government plans to telecast high-quality educational programmes through 32 DTH channels, whereas National Academic Depository will facilitate online verification of certificates.

The government has also decided to adopt a 17-point action plan for this year, including building digital campuses. The plan covers measures such as universal adoption of digital education and digital financial transactions in campuses from the current academic year. Javadekar added that the government would come up with integrated B.Ed courses so that students can decide on becoming teachers after Class 12. They can take such integrated courses with graduation in a subject of their choice.
India on Sunday said Pakistans support for terrorism should be condemned by all and criticised the neighbouring countrys army chief for glorifying Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani on his first death anniversary.

Wani was killed in a gunfight with security forces in south Kashmir on July 8, 2016. His death triggered months of violent street protests in Kashmir that left 100 people, most of them civilians, dead.

Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay tweeted on Sunday:

First @ForeignOfficePk read frm banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS glorfs Burhan Wani. Pak's terror suprt&spnsr'p need 2b condmnd by 1 & all  Gopal Baglay (@MEAIndia) July 9, 2017

He was referring to Pakistan army chief Qamar Javed Bajwas remarks that Wanis sacrifice was a testimony of his and his generations resolve against Indian atrocities.

Sacrifices of #BurhanWani & generations against Indian atrocities are a testimony of their resolve, Pakistan army spokesperson Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor had on Saturday quoted Gen Bajwa as saying on Twitter.

Not just Bajwa, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, too, paid tributes to Wani, saying his death infused a new spirit in the struggle for freedom in the Kashmir Valley.

Sharifs eulogy came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused his country of using terror as a tool to achieve political objectives and pressed for deterrent action by against such nations.

Addressing the G20 summit in Hamburg, Modi equated Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad to Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda, saying their names might be different but their ideology was the same.

The US has declared Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin a global terrorist. The announcement came just hours ahead of Modis meeting with American President Donald Trump on June 26.

Pakistan dismissed the tagging, saying it was not a UN decision but a move by the Trump administration to appease India.

Salahuddin called for Hafta-e-Shuhuda (martyrs week), beginning July 7, to commemorate Wani.

Ties between the two countries have been in a free fall following a series of militant attacks in 2016, including the audacious Pathankot airbase siege and an attack on an Uri army camp that left 19 soldiers dead, which India blamed on Pakistan.

The death sentence awarded to an Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav by a Pakistani military court on charges of spying has only worsened the situation. India has taken the matter to International Court of Justice, which has put the death sentence on hold.
After a battle that lasted nearly nine months and caused the displacement of an estimated 920,000 people, the Iraqi government announced on Sunday that its army had retaken the city of Mosul from the Islamic State (IS).

The fall of Mosul brings hope and trepidation to the families of 39 Indian construction workers who were taken prisoner in the city in 2014. The relatives of the abductees are asking the Indian government to secure their return.

One of the Indians who was captured, Harjit Masih, managed to escape. During a press conference in May 2015, Masih said that, a few days after their capture, the workers were all lined up and shot. According to Masih, he feigned death, fled, and returned to India, where he was held in custody for months. The rest of the workers, he said, were almost certainly killed during the shooting.

The government has not accepted Masihs account. The information we have so far is that they are alive, because we have no other information to prove that they are not alive, said Gopal Baglay, an external affairs spokesman, on June 16.

The external affairs ministry did not issue a formal statement on Sunday. One official privy to the developments spoke to HT on the condition of anonymity. The government has been doing everything possible to bring them back, the official said. We never abandoned hope. I cannot tell more about this due to the sensitivities involved.

According to two different officials with knowledge of the situation, one of the governments sources in Mosul reported last month that some Indian workers were hiding in a church in the city.

India has sought the help of countries in the region. During a meeting in New York on September 29, 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the president of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, to pass on information he receives about the captive workers. Abbas told Modi that the prisoners were still alive.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has met the relatives of the abducted men on 12 different occasions. The last such meeting was held in early June.

Most of the workers hail from Punjab. HT spoke with some of their family members on Sunday.

The last time we met the minister, we were told that the Indian government knew the location of all 39 people, said Gurpinder Kaur, whose brother, Manjinder Singh, is among those missing. They even said that once the area is freed from ISIS, the government will be able to establish contact with them.

Other family members shared Kaurs cautious optimism. Harbhajan Kaur (no relation) is hoping for the return of her son, Harsimranjit Singh. She said that Swaraj had assured her that all the boys were safe. This has brought a big sigh of relief to the family, said Kaur. The government must respond immediately.
With the Iraqi forces freeing Mosul from ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), a glimmer of hope has emerged for the families from Punjab and elsewhere who are waiting for the return of 39 youths the terror group kidnapped in June 2014.

As most of the youths, who have not made any contact with their families ever since, belong to Punjab, their families here now want the Indian government to take urgent measures to bring them back.

YOUTH FROM PUNJAB AND OTHER AREA STUCK IN MOSUL Manjinder Singh, Bhoewal village (Amritsar) Jatinder Singh, Sialka village (Amritsar) Harsimranjit Singh, Babbowal village (Amritsar) Sonu, Chawinda Devi village (Amritsar) Gurcharan Singh, Jalal Usma village (Amritsar) Kawaljit Singh, Roopa Wali (Batala) Nishan Singh, Sangowana village (Amritsar) Harish Kumar, Batala Malkit Singh, Batala Ranjit Singh, Manawala (Amritsar) Rakesh, Qadian (Gurdaspur) Govinder Singh, Murar village (Kapurthala) Dharminder Kumar, Talwandi Jhira village (Gurdaspur) Balwant Rai, Dhadde village (Jalandhar) Kamaljit Singh, Choni Kalan village (Hoshiarpur) Gurdeep Singh, Jaidpur village (Hoshiarpur) Kulwinder Singh, Khanke village (Jalandhar) Roop Lal, Baath Kalan village (Jalandhar) Surjit Mainka, Churu Wali village (Jalandhar) Davinder Singh, Chak Deshraj village (Jalandhar) Ravinder Kumar, Jagatpur Pritpal Sharma, Dhuri (Sangrur) Aman Kumar, Himachal Pradesh Inderjit, Himachal Pradesh Sandeep Kumar, Himachal Pradesh Vidhya, Bihar Santosh Kumar, Bihar

Gurpinder Kaur of Bhoewal village in Amritsar, whose brother Manjinder Singh is among those stuck in Mosul, said, If the Iraqi forces have really succeeded in getting Mosul free from the ISIS, it is a great news for us. Now, the Indian government should not take even 24 hours to act and get back them back as soon as possible.

These families have already met external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj at least 12 times to seek her intervention. Gurpinder said, Last time, when we met the minister, we were told that the government was aware of the location of all 39 persons. They had even said once the area is freed from ISIS, the government will be able to establish contact with them.

If they have tried to make contact with Manjinder since, she said his phone stopped working 10-12 days before they lost contact with him in June 2014.

Harbhajan Kaur of Babbowal village in the district, who too is waiting for her 26-year-old son Harsimranjit Singhs return, said, Harsimranjit went to work in Iraq in 2013 but we just want him back. We went to meet Sushma Swaraj last month and she assured us that all the boys were safe and they will be evacuated once Mosul is freed. We hope the government does the needful immediately.

Seema of Chawinda Devi village near Majitha in the district, who is waiting for her husband Sonu, said, This has given us hope. Union minister Sushma Swaraj had assured us that once things normalise in Mosul, the government will bring everyone back.

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At least 19 people were killed in separate incidents of lightning strike in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, while the flood situation in Assam deteriorated today as a fresh death took the toll to 26.

In the national capital, however, it was a hot and humid day with the minimum and maximum temperatures settling above normal levels.

The maximum temperature was recorded at 38.5 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal, while the minimum settled at 29.6 degrees Celsius, two degrees Celsius above normal.

Humidity levels oscillated between 87% and 42%.

One more person lost his life in Karimganj district of Assam, taking the flood-related toll in the state to 26, while nearly five lakh people are hit across 15 districts.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, 1,096 villages were inundated and nearly 41,200 hectares of crop area have been damaged in the floods.

Currently, the Brahmaputra river is flowing above the danger mark at Nimatighat in Jorhat, Tezpur in Sonitpur, along with Dibrugarh, Goalpara and Dhubri towns.

A boy carries fresh drinking water on head as he wades through flooded water at Padder parr village in Karimganj district, Assam on July 7, 2017. (PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and assured him of all central help.

In Bihar, at least 16 people died and two others got injured in lightning strikes in seven districts, where light rainfall occured in some areas. One or two places in the northeast parts witnessed heavy rainfall.

Five people died in Vaishali district, three each in Patna and Bhojpur, two in Saran and one each in Rohtas, Nalanda and Araria districts, an official said.

Besides, two persons were injured in Bhojpur district. Patna recorded the highest rainfall of 48 mm, followed by 3 mm in Bhagalpur and 0.6 mm in Gaya.

With several parts of Uttar Pradesh receiving heavy rains, water levels in major rivers have started rising with Ghaghra and Sharda flowing above the danger mark at some places.

According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), Sharda river was flowing above the danger mark at Shardanagar, while the Ghagra was flowing above the danger mark at Elgin Bridge and Ayodhya.

Other rivers which have been rising include Rapti, Kwano and Burhi Rapti.

Heavy rains have lashed some parts of the state with Bhinga recording 75 mm, Ayodhya 55 mm, Bansi 41.4 mm, Palliakalan 23.8 mm rainfall.

In Ballia district, at least three people were killed and four others injured in a lightning strike.

Rajasthan received light to moderate rain in some parts, while Churu was recorded as the hottest place with a maximum of 42.2 degrees Celsius.

Bharatpur, Jaipur, Udaipur, Kota and Ajmer divisions received rain while the mercury made an upward swing at most places since yesterday.

Rains eluded most parts of Himachal Pradesh as the monsoon remained weak and the lower hills continued to reel under sultry weather while the sky remained overcast in the state capital that witnessed drizzle in the evening.

In Punjab and Haryana, too, sultry weather conditions prevailed at most places in the absence of any significant rainfall as the arrival of southwest monsoon got a bit delayed.
India-born former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta, who served a two-year prison-term on insider trading charges, has admitted that he made errors and misjudgements and d for letting his friends and fellow IIT associates down.

In one of his first public comments on his insider trading conviction after completing his prison term in March last year, Gupta told an IIT alumni meet in California he regrets that five years of his life were taken away from him and he hopes to tell his side of the story in due course once his appeal is decided upon.

While I continue to fight the injustice in my case, I have to candidly admit that I made errors and misjudgements and for that I take full responsibility, Gupta said, addressing the second annual IIT Bay Area Leadership Conference held in Santa Clara last month that was hosted by the 11000-member strong IIT Bay Area Alumni Association and attended by hundreds of top executives and entrepreneurs who had graduated from the prestigious Indian engineering institution.

Gupta, an IIT Delhi and Harvard Business School alumnus, expressed regret for failing to be a role model to the scores of young people in leading institutions he was associated with, including IIT, Harvard, Indian School of Business, McKinsey and Gates Foundation.

They made me who I am and I was also fortunate enough to play a leadership role that shaped many of these institutions but most importantly I aspired to be a role model for many of the young people who were part of these institutions, who looked up to me.

One of my greatest regrets is I did let them down. I want to apologise to all of you at IIT alumni that I really did not live up to the highest standards you would have rightly expected me to do. I genuinely ask for your forgiveness and understanding, Gupta said as the audience applauded.

Gupta expressed regret that five years of his life were taken away from him when he could have used them to contribute to philanthropic causes such as education and health.

Sounding a philosophical tone, Gupta said the last five years that were consumed by his insider trading case and his prison term have made him a better person and better able to serve the institutions I so dearly like.

During this time I saw the underbelly of our justice system, endured imprisonment and eight weeks of solitary confinement but very importantly got to know who my real friends are.

I learnt a lot and was determined to come out of this experience a better person, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I wanted to deal with this situation with dignity, with grace, with forgiveness and humility, without anger or bitterness, he said.

Describing the last six years of his life as extraordinary, the former McKinsey head said he believes that life is a series of experiences and nothing is inherently good or bad. It is what you make of it.

Gupta, convicted in 2012 after a jury trial, is a free man now but is not giving up his legal battle to overturn his conviction, arguing in court papers that he served two years in jail for conduct that is not criminal as the government lacked evidence to show he received even a penny for passing confidential boardroom information to the now jailed hedge fund manager and his one time friend and business associate Raj Rajaratnam. PTI YAS PMS
A day after staking claim to form the next Nagaland government with 34 of the 47 MLAs in the ruling Naga Peoples Front (NPF), former chief minister TR Zeliang left for the national capital to meet governor PB Acharya on Sunday. The two are expected to meet on Monday, after Acharya returns to Delhi from Mumbai.

Zeliang said he would also try and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Rajnath Singh. The political crisis in Nagaland today is caused by the undemocratic style of functioning of (chief minister) Shurhozelie Liezietsu in both the party and the government, Zeliang said before leaving a high-end resort in Assams Kaziranga.

He had checked into the resort with at least 30 NPT legislators on Saturday morning. Ironically, most of these MLAs had forced Zeliang to quit in February  replacing him with a reluctant Liezietsu.

Liezietsu is the NPF president and the chief minister. He made his son (Khriehu) his advisor, granting him the status of a cabinet minister. They are calling the shots despite not being elected members themselves. Therefore, the MLAs do not feel secure ahead of the assembly elections next year, Zeliang said.

The former chief minister, in a letter to the governor on Saturday, said he enjoys the support of 41 MLAs in the 60-member assembly with an effective strength of 59. Khriehu had resigned last month to help his father contest the July 29 by-election from the Northern Angami-I seat.

Liezietsu needs to win this seat to continue as chief minister.

NPF, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party, is the dominant partner in the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland government. While there are four BJP legislators in the alliance, eight independents  all of whom resigned as Congress MLAs two years ago  support the government. Seven of the eight independent MLAs are with us (and the BJP is sure to side with the NPF), Zeliang said.

Liezietsu removed Zeliang as the finance advisor to the chief minister on Saturday evening, although the former chief minister tendered his resignation at the same time. He also sacked four ministers and 11 parliamentary secretaries loyal to Zeliang.

On Sunday morning, the NPF issued a statement announcing the suspension of 10 party MLAs  including Zeliang, Y Patton, G Kaito Aye and C Kipili Sangtam  who were powerful ministers until Saturday evening.

The suspended NPF leaders  who still remain MLAs  will be bound by a party whip in case there is a trial of strength on the floor of the house, a letter signed by NPF working presidents Hushka Yepthomi and Apong Pongner said.

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Pakistans Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif paid tributes to militant commander Burhan Wani on Saturday, saying his death infused a new spirit in the struggle for freedom in the Valley.

Sharif in a message on the first death anniversary of Wanis killing said that India cannot suppress the voice of the people of Kashmir through use of brute force.

Wani, a commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed in an encounter with Indian security forces on this day last year.

The blood rendered by Burhan Muzaffar Wani has infused a new spirit in the freedom movement. The Kashmiri people are steadfast to take their movement to logical conclusion, he said.

Sharif reaffirmed Pakistans political, diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiris for their right to self- determination.

He also emphasised the need for implementing the United Nation resolutions on Kashmir and asked India to accept their right of self-determination of Kashmiris.
Pakistan on Sunday summoned Indias deputy high commissioner in Islamabad for the second consecutive day over alleged ceasefire violations along the LoC, claiming that more civilians were killed in firing by the Indian troops.

Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh was summoned again to condemn and lodge protest over more civilian casualties at the LoC due to unprovoked ceasefire violations by India, Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement.

The Foreign Office spokesman alleged that three more civilians were killed in Chirikot and Satwal Sectors on Saturday by the Indian troops, increasing the total civilian toll to five, including one man and four women.

Director-General (South Asia and SAARC) Mohammad Faisal who summoned Singh condemned further unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian forces.

He said the deliberate targeting of civilians is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws.

During the meeting on Saturday, Singh had conveyed to Faisal that the ceasefire violations were initiated by Pakistani troops in Poonch and Krishnaghatti sectors and the Indian forces only responded appropriately.

A strong protest was also lodged over the death of two Indian civilians in Saturdays ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops.

The Director General on Sunday urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement; investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations; instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC.
The Centre as well as states choose political affiliations over merit in appointing government counsels, a practice that has to be curbed to reduce judicial backlog, the law commission has said.

In a letter to the prime ministers office, the panel has also red-flagged excessive workforce and suggested a ceiling on the number of lawyers a department can have.

Dont appoint 200 government counsels when you only need six, we have said, a law commission member told HT earlier this week, adding certain states crowded their legal departments with acolytes of the ruling party who lack legal merit and cases drag on.

Indian judicial system is painfully slow. Around 31 million cases are pending in the countrys various courts and the government is the litigant in 46% of these cases.

Without bringing down cases involving the government, it is not possible to cut down pendency. Governments often reward political loyalty when picking lawyers to represent it in various courts.

All departments should be made to fix the number of counsels and follow the income tax departments model of assessing their performance every six months, the commission suggested.

The recommendations, which were submitted in the last week of June and will be the basis of Indias much-awaited national litigation policy, also called for a nodal agency to save litigation, time and process in disputes involving government departments.

A high-powered committee of secretaries under the cabinet secretary should coordinate between different departments.

The judiciary and the government have been at loggerheads over the ever-growing mountain of pending cases. The judiciary blames poor infrastructure and vacant posts of judges for the pendency, as the two sides slug it out over the appointment procedure of senior judges, which the government says is opaque.

The litigation policy draft would soon be presented before the cabinet for approval, sources said.

The policy has been in the works for seven years, with the Centre making the first push in June 2010 but the draft drawn up by law minister Veerappa Moily didnt make much progress.

In May this year, the PMO roped in the law commission to put together a draft that would be created from the legal perspective and not the bureaucracys, a minister told HT.

In disputes between departments or a department and an employee, previous judgments in similar cases should be used to grant relief rather than going for a fresh round of litigation, the commission has said.

It also said the two-month notice rule be followed before filing of cases. The provision in the code of civil procedure says a written notice be sent to the government or the official and the aggrieved party, which could be the government, another department or a citizen, wait for two months before taking up the matter in the court.

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With a 110-metre-long national flag, Gorkhaland supporters marched in the national capital on Sunday to reinforce their demand for a separate state and the immediate imposition of Presidents Rule in West Bengal.

Protestors belonging to the Gorkha Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti (GSSS) demanded the Centres intervention in removing paramilitary forces with immediate effect.

The West Bengal government is treating common people like terrorists and killing them. The central government should remove paramilitary forces and terminate the services of the director general of police, GSSS president Kiran BK told PTI.

People take part in a protest march demanding Gorkhaland from Rajghat to Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Sunday. (Arvind Yadav/HT PHOTO)

The protesters marched from Rajghat to Jantar Mantar carrying the flag, depicting 110 years of their struggle for separate state.

The march culminated at Jantar Mantar where they joined their co-supporters who have been protesting for three weeks now.

People take part in a protest march in New Delhi on Sunday demanding Gorkhaland. (Arvind Yadav/HT PHOTO)

Just like Bengalis have their identity, we are fighting for ours. We are getting killed for seeking the rights we deserve. The Centre should look into the issue, said Stuti Thami of Darjeeling, adding that she was ready to die but not to stay under the West Bengal government.

Some of the placards that the protesters carried criticised the BJP for its attitude before and after the elections.

The Gorkha Janmukti Marcha (GJM) planned to take out rallies on Sunday against the alleged killing of its supporters in police firing in Darjeeling as the indefinite shutdown in support of their demand for a separate Gorkhaland entered the 25th day amid a strict vigil by the army and police.

The army was re-deployed on Saturday after fresh violence erupted in the Darjeeling hills where Gorkhaland supporters torched a police outpost, the toy train railway station and clashed with the police at two places.
Although shaken by the CBI raids on Friday at the residence of party chief Lalu Prasad and registering of FIRs against him and his younger son, deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, in connection with the land for railways hotels scam, the RJD leadership has decided to go ahead with its all India anti-BJP rally here on August 27.

Top RJD sources said the partys proposed  BJP Bhagao, Desh Bachao rally would be held at any cost so that Lalu and his family could portray themselves as victims of the BJPs vendetta politics for trying to forge opposition unity ahead of the 2019 parliamentary polls.

As such, a meeting of RJDs legislators has been convened on Monday at which endorsement of Lalus leadership, backing for his son Tejashwi and unity in the party will be reiterated and legislators would be asked to mobilise support for the rally.

It would also be emphasized at the meeting that there was no threat of defection by RJD MLAs.

But, for all the professed bravado, RJD leaders were sceptical in private whether the proposed rally would be as impressive as planned, if Lalu and Tejashwi landed up behind bars weeks ahead of the August 27 event. Without Lalu and a second rung leadership to oar the event, it would be a poor show, said a party leader.

There are also doubts in thje RJD as to whether leaders like West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, BSP chief Mayawati, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh or the Congress top brass would attend the rally if Lalu was not there to steer the show.

However, Bihar RJD senior leader Ashok Kumar Sinha said Lalus morale had been boosted by the support he had received from the Congress and regional leaders, following the CBI raids. The RJDs core voters - Yadavs, Muslims and Dalits were angered by the CBI raids and throng the rally to express their support for him.

Whether Lalu is in jail or out of it will not impact the rally, Sinha insisted.

RJD leaders consider the rally to be crucial for the Lalu and family playing the victim for taking on the saddron brigade and the RJDs chiefs hope of becoming a pivot of opposition unity ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. As such, it came as no surprise that Lalus 10, Circular road residence in Patna hummed with activity, on Sunday.

Soon after meeting Lalu, former minister Raghunath Jha, shown among those who had donated land to the RJD chiefs sons for reasons unexplained, said there was no cause for Tejashwi to quit the ministry in the wake of the FIR against him, when similarly placed Uma Bharti was not resigning as union minister.

The Yadav scions, Tejashwi and Tej Pratap, remained confined to their home. An engagement of the deputy CM, to attend a meeting of the partys youth cell, was cancelled on Friday due to the raids. Otherwise, he has had no official engagement in last two days, said Sanjay Yadav, a close aide of Tejashwi.

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Textile traders in Ahmedabad will go on an indefinite strike from Monday to mount pressure on the government to roll back 5% GST on cloth.

The decision was taken on Sunday during a meeting of traders associated with three major textile markets in the city, including Maskati Cloth Market Association, New Cloth Market and Panchkuva Cloth Market, a release by these associations said.

5% GST on cloth is not acceptable to anyone who is in the textile business. To raise our voice against this tax, all the textile markets in the city will go on indefinite strike from tomorrow, as traders will refrain from any kind of transaction, the joint statement said.

Textile traders in Surat are already on an indefinite strike for last one week. On Saturday, thousands of traders took part in a massive rally to protest against the 5% GST rate.

Union minister Parshottam Rupala on Sunday asked traders to engage in talks with the Centre to resolve the issue instead of staging protests.

The intention behind rolling out GST was to give a boost to trade and business, not to harass people. I agree that traders are agitating because they are facing some problems due to this new tax structure. But, the issue can be resolved with dialogue with the government, Rupala told reporters.

Meanwhile, people associated with the Kite Manufacturers Association registered their protest against 5% GST on the kite making industry in a unique way by organising kite flying festival on Sabarmati Riverfront.

We have organised this kite flying festival to register our protest against 5% GST imposed on us. Earlier, there was no tax on kite making. Most people who make kites are illiterate and do not understand anything about tax structure. We want the government to revoke GST, otherwise, we will have to shut our business, said a kite maker, Nasruddin.
One person was killed when supporters of two political parties clashed in North Dinajpur district, police said. The clashes took place at Chatragach under Chopra police station of the district.

Sankar Chakraborty, North Dinajpur district BJP secretary claimed that one of their supporters named Bijoy Singh was killed when alleged Trinamool Congress activists fired at them while they were holding a meeting at Chatragach.

The BJP leader also claimed that four of their supporters were injured in the incident and admitted to Chopra Health centre in serious condition.

The Trinamool Congress denied the BJP allegations. Local TMC leader Hamidur Rehman instead alleged that BJP workers attacked the TMC activists when they were holding a meeting at Chatragach.

A bandh has been called by BJP tomorrow in the district to protest against the killing, Chakraborty said.
The toll in the liquor tragedy in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh rose to 18 with eight more men dying on Saturday but the administration has confirmed only 12 deaths.

District Magistrate CB Singh has ordered a probe into the tragedy.

The eight men who had fallen ill after drinking spurious country-made liquor in different villages in Raunapar and Jiyanpur areas were admitted to government hospitals after their condition turned critical. While four of them died in hospitals, the other four died on way to the BHU hospital, Varanasi.

The tragedy began to unfold late Thursday night in Raunapur area. In the intervening night, ten people had died.

Police have launched an operation against illicit liquor producers.

Nine people have been arrested from different locations in Raunapar and Jeeyanpur area of the district, Azamgarh superintendent of police Ajay Sahani told HT.

A case has been registered against the nine men under relevant sections of the IPC. Further investigation are on, he said.

Five police teams have been deployed to arrest those involved in selling spurious liquor.

The exact cause of death would be clear after the post mortem report, the district excise officer said.

A three member team comprising joint excise commissioner JB Singh, additional excise commissioner Ram Sagar Tiwari and joint excise commissioner Gorakhpur zone SP Rao visited Jiyanpur and Raunapur villages on Sunday where they recorded statement of the kin of the deceased.
About two weeks after a young Muslim boy was killed on board a train for being a suspected beef eater, the same EMU local between Mathura and Delhi was hurtling down the tracks.

A lifeline for residents of Ballabhgarh in Haryana from where 16-year-old Junaid Khan hailed, the train was sparsely crowded. In a compartment sat Junaids younger brother Afzal and cousin Faisal along with a few Muslim traders.

Everybody was sitting back and engaging in banter until the conversation turned to Junaids lynching on June 22. The mood suddenly turned grim.

Sabir Ali, a vegetable trader, insisted those behind Junaids killing were twisted in their heads. In my experience, Hindu-Muslim relationship is fine. We live and work next to Hindus. No problems. It is only the politicians who gain from dividing the communities. This cow business is all about votes, right? he asked.

Junaids brothers kept quiet but another co-passenger jumped in. You are totally right, Kundan Sharma, a middle-aged businessman agreed. Its all about politics.

Junaids mother Saira Junaid at her home in Khandawali village in Ballabhgarh. Saira and her daughter Rabiya are still inconsolable, their wails often echoing through the village. (Arun Sharma/HT photo)

But what Sharma added thereafter sent tempers flying. But we must also consider the influence of bahari taqate (external forces) Pakistan, Bangladesh, he said after a few seconds of silence, turning the compartment into a war zone.

You think we are from Pakistan? Sabir Ali retorted, shaking with outrage. Here, check my phone! See if it has a Pakistani sim card.

I dont mean you, a somewhat startled Sharma replied in defence. Ali responded, Pakistan means nothing to us. The terrorists are terrorists. They have no religion. Indians Muslims love India.

Everyone should love India, added Sharma. There is no country like our country in the whole world.

Junaids brothers stayed silent, their faces turning pale with horror at the words. Their destination was just 10 minutes away. On getting down at Ballabhgarh station, they told HT they are not too keen to step out of the safety of their village anytime soon. Even thinking about it gives me a fright, said Faisal.

Family members of Junaid Khan at Khandawli village in Faridabad district of Haryana. Since that day, no one in the village dares to take that train again, said Jalaluddin, Junaids father. (Arun Sharma/HT photo )

Symbol of fear

Its because of this fear that no one in his village, Khandawali, seven km into Ballabhgarh, had got on a train since Junaids killing.

His father, 50-year-old Jalaluddin Khan, cant remember when people in his village stopped travelling out of fear last. Junaids brothers got on the train this Thursday only in the company of HT reporters.

June 22 changed everything for the village. Before that, he said, the local trainsa series of them pass Ballabgarh station on their way to Delhi every day-- were the common mode of transport for the villagers: cheap and quick. The villagers, mostly Muslims, used to travel to Delhi regularly for work and to meet relatives.

Since that day, no one in the village dares to take that train again, said Jalaluddin. Fear has set deep in the hearts of everyone here.

My sons wear a kurta, topi and beard. Its not a coincidence that only they were attacked in a compartment full of people. The train has become a symbol of fear for the villagers now the father said.

We have been assured that they will nab the man who stabbed him (Junaid) in two days, said Hashim Khan, Junaids brother who accompanied him in the train. If not, my family will sit on a hunger fast, said his father.

Measuring grief

Inside Junaids home, his mother Saira and sister Rabiya are still inconsolable, their wails echoing through the village.

Junaid, mere masoom bachche kyon chale gaye tum (Junaid my innocent son, why did you leave us?) the mother cries out lying on a cot.

Even as the family grieves, local politicians, relatives, police and railway officials keep dropping in at their single-storeyed house.

Amod Verma, who works at Haryana Railway's claims department, at Junaids village to settle compensation claim. (Arun Sharma/HT photo)

One such visitor was an officer from Haryana Railways department for claims of injury and death while on-board a train. A college graduate was summoned by the family to interpret Amod Maliks elaborate instructions on filling the forms and attaching relevant documents. Then, said Malik, the papers would go to a court where a judge will decide, based on the investigating officers testimony, if the claims stand.

A death in the train calls for a compensation of Rs. 4,00,000. Under railway rules, the loss of a thumb stands for Rs. 1,20,000; the loss of two fingers of one hand is worth Rs. 80,000.

But as the government calculates the value of Junaids life, his family reels from his death.

Faisal Khan and Afzal Khan had gone to Asaoti station to look for their brothers blood on the platform. It took them some time, but they finally found a blotch of dried blood between the bottom of stairs and an electric pole on Platform 3. But this isnt Junaids blood, said Afzal, convinced of his instinct.

Junaid wasnt the only bleeding man to be thrown out by the mob on that platform. Shaqir Khan, his younger brother, who had climbed into the train at Ballabgarh station after getting a panicked call from Junaid, was also stabbed multiple times until the train reached the next station, Asaoti, and left to die a few metres from Junaid.

This is Shaqir s blood, said Faisal. This is the spot where he must have landed.
Exercising ones franchise is the fundamental right of every citizen but not a duty, the NDA government has told the Supreme Court, ruling out the possibility of making voting compulsory in the country.

The Centre said this on Friday in response to a 2015 petition filed by one Satyaprakash, who wanted mandatory voting to be enforced in India  as is the case in Argentina, Belgium and Brazil. He cited the example of Gujarat, the only state in the country to introduce this concept, in support of his plea.

The Union ministry of law and justices affidavit, which relied on the law commissions report to counter the petitioners demand, stated that making voting compulsory would be undemocratic. The countrys election law provides citizens not only with the right to vote but also to refrain from voting during electoral exercises, it added.

The Election Commission had taken a similar stand in court. Freedom of expression means not only providing voters the right to vote but also the right to not vote, the poll body told the court.

Referring to an earlier verdict that resulted in the introduction of the NOTA (None Of The Above) button in electronic voting machines, the governments counsel said the characterisation of voting as a right and not a duty has received judicial support as well.

The Centre rejected the petitioners claim that compulsory voting would improve the quality of political participation and awareness among the people. Even the law commissions report on electoral reforms had found the proposal undesirable because it was expensive, illegitimate and difficult to implement, it said.

The government also questioned the top courts decision to entertain such a plea. It called for judicial restraint in dealing with matters such as policy-framing and law-making, considering that they lie exclusively in the legislatures domain. Low voter turnouts are not due to legislative or procedural deficiencies but inadequate social and general awareness, it added.

A bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar then asked the petitioners counsel  senior advocate Nidhesh Gupta and Vipul Maheswari  to justify the plea in the wake of the governments response.

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Final year students of Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) at the University of Rajasthan (RU) will have to write a new paper from this academic session. The paper on Indian management thought and business leaders will have five units, said Naveen Mathur, professor of business administration at the university.

Last year, the university had incorporated lessons from the Indian epics in the syllabus of MCom (Business Administration), Master of Human Resource Management and Master of International Business.

The first unit of the new paper includes topics such as spirituality, Indian ethos and values, western values vis-a-vis Indian values and applications of yoga in management. The second unit has dimensions of Vedic management, Bhagwad Gita, Ramayana and Kautilyas Arthashastra and the third unit deals with Indian thinkers such as Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, SK Chakraborty and CK Prahlad.

The fourth and fifth units of the paper are devoted to Indian business leaders including JRD Tata, RK Bajaj, GD Birla, Dhirubhai Ambani, Narayana Murthy, Azim Premji, Lakshmi Mittal and Sunil Bharti Mittal.

The university has also recommended six books for the BBA final year students. Among the recommended books are publications such as Vedic Management by S Khanna and Bhagwad Gita As Viewed by Swami Vivekananda.

The addition in the BBA syllabus was made in the last academic session, but will find its way into the books from this session. Mathur, who was also the convener of the departments board of studies that took the decision, said that India has a rich intellectual history and its imperative to acquaint students with that history.

In addition, we need to subvert the Macaulays system that is prevalent even today, years after the British rule ended, said Mathur.

Macaulay, a British academic, was instrumental in introducing English and western concepts to education in India during mid nineteenth century. The knighted Britisher was known to be condescending towards Indian texts.

While the Indian epics and thinkers are only additions in the BBA, some western thinkers were compromised to accommodate the Indian epics and thinkers in the postgraduate courses.
If you want to fill up a college admission form but do not have an identity document, do not worry. You can use your Facebook account to fill up the form, according to a directive issued by the Rajasthan college education department.

The education department, in its admission policy for 2016-17, has allowed Aadhaar and Bhamashah cards as well as Facebook and Gmail accounts for single sign on identity (SSOI) registration. Earlier, only Aadhaar and Bhamashah cards were allowed for SSOI registration.

The move has come at a time when the Centre is trying to make Aadhaar card mandatory to avail of all essential services.

During a training for the online admission process held in the state capital in May, participants were informed that the college education department has this time allowed Facebook and Gmail accounts for SSOI registration, said Lalita Mehta, principal of the Government Girls College in Barmer. We have informed the students about this.

Taking advantage of this facility, thousands of students have filled up forms using Facebook accounts. Mehta, however, said that it cannot be figured out how many students have used Facebook accounts for SSOI registration.

I was worried as I dont have an identity card. Governments new directive  recognising Facebook and Gmail accounts as identity documents -- solved my problem, said Praveen Singh Mithi of Barmer.

PR Choudhary, principal of the Barmer government college, said, We have informed students about the college education departments directive. Many students have used this option.

After new norms for SSOI registration were decided, a workshop was organised at the Government Girls College Barmer in which officials from the information and technology department and e-mitra operators participated. E-mitra operators were guided on SSOI registration with Facebook and Gmail accounts.

Though left with no option, college authorities have expressed shock, saying the directive has created new hurdles for them. Anyone can generate a fake Facebook account. In such a scenario how we can differentiate between fake and genuine application forms? asked a college official, refusing to be identified.
Two Mumbai trekkers were rescued after a five-hour long rescue operation from Raigad district on Sunday after they survived a 200-foot fall as they were coming down a hill.

The incident took place around 3pm on Sunday afternoon at Peb Fort or Vikatgad, near Neral, Matheran, which is 2,500 feet above sea level. It is located the north-eastern side of Panvel on the Mumbai-Pune expressway and is 53km from Mumbai.

This is the third incident in Maharashtra in the last three weeks after 55 students were stranded near Devkund in Raigad district, between two streams of the Kundalika river. In another incident during the last week of June, two people lost their lives during the same trek at Devkund.

According to the Raigad and Navi Mumbai police, 15 people have died, and 50 others hurt at various waterfalls and hilly areas around Mumbai since the beginning of the monsoon season.

On Sunday, the trekkers, Harsh Pitesh Mehta, 28, and Rutika Kapasi, 21, and both residents of Kandivli, suffered serious injuries, said police officers. While the girl had a severe head injury the boys leg was fractured. Both were rescued around 8.30pm on Sunday evening.

The rescue operation was carried out by close to 20 people, including four police personnel, three members of Nisarg Mitra Panvel rescue team and locals from the area. Since it has been raining heavily at this hilly area, the trek is very slippery. On their way back from the trek, the girl slipped very close to a ridge and in an attempt to save her, the boy tried to grab her hand. But unfortunately both slipped and rolled almost 200-feet down the hill, said Somnath Jadhav, assistant police inspector, Neral police station. While the locals immediately began the rescue, our police and rescue teams reached the spot with ropes and climbed down to rescue them.

According to members of Nisarg Mitra Panvel rescue team, there were 600 people that went for the Peb Fort trek on Sunday. Our team rescued 150 people who were behind the two trekkers that had fallen, said Sachin Shinde, rescue team leader.

He added since the two were injured, they could not move. This made the rescue operation difficult but we managed to pull them up, said Jadhav. The two were brought down using stretchers and rushed to the nearest hospital for further treatment. Their parents reached the base of the trek and rushed them to a hospital in Panvel. They are out of danger and will be fine.

Jadhav added that they had already been directed to install a warning signage at the base of the trek to follow basic protocols of safety before climbing. We will request citizens to avoid this trek till September, he said.

Another Mumbaiite who completed the trek before the incident took place said it had rained heavily, making the trek quite difficult. There was heavy rain and thundershowers for about half-an-hour, which made it very difficult for us to grip during the trek down, said Arpit Shah, trekker from the Mask Group in Mumbai. We saw police personnel rush up and were told a serious incident had happened.

HT had reported on June 29 that trekkers from across Mumbai had come up with a list of spots that are unsafe for vacationers, amateur trekkers and picnickers till September (see box).

Experts said the trek to Peb Fort was difficult for amateur trekkers. We identify this trek as moderately difficult for experienced trekkers but a good 10 to 15 foot patch is not very easy to climb and with the flow of water from local waterfalls, people need to be careful in these areas, said Navi Mumbai resident Utkarsh Erandkar, an experienced trekker with Guerrilla Adventures

The weather bureau said Matheran received 15mm rain between 8.30am and 5.30pm on Sunday. Shinde said heavy rain continued throughout the trek down to the base camp.

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In a crowd funding project to save a three-year-old child from the city who is fighting blood cancer, over 250 people from 20 countries have raised Rs15 lakh in the last 45 days.

Aadya needs to undergo a life-saving bone marrow transplant in a month that will cost Rs25 lakh. Her father, Suresh Nair, overwhelmed by the help, is now trying to raise the rest of the money.

Suresh said that Aadyas diagnosis came as a shock for the family last year as the family had no history of cancers. Last year in March, the doctors told us that she has acute lymphoblastic leukemia (a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell)). She was put on chemotherapy which went on till December 2016, said Suresh, who works in a private firm and lives in Kalyan.

The treatment cost the family about Rs15lakh and money was pooled in spending every penny of savings, chief ministers relief fund, Sureshs employers, colleagues, family members and friends. We had loans on our heads and I am the sole earning member of the family but we were happy that our daughter is cured, Suresh added.

However, in May this year, Aadya had a relapse and the doctors suggested that a bone marrow transplant is the only option to save her life. Unfortunately, the child relapsed and her treatment consists of chemotherapy followed by bone marrow transplant. She is a young and active child and so far tolerated the treatment well but her only chance of survival is the transplant, said doctors from H N Reliance Hospital where Aadya is being treated.

When there was no possible way to raise funds, Suresh opted to start a crowd funding campaign in June with website Impact Guru, hoping that some part of the amount can be raised through the platform. Within 45 days, more than 256 donors raised Rs15,44,254, almost 60% of the cost of the surgery.

It came as a pleasant surprise for even us. We have had many families who approach us to raise funds for the treatment of their kin, but when we saw Aadyas pictures and heard about the case, we really hoped the child can undergo the surgery, said Piyush Jain CEO & Co-founder Impact Guru.

Suresh said while he is thankful to people from Australia, UK, USA, Brazil and other middle eastern countries who have donated for the treatment. I dont know these people and havent met them ever, but I wont ever forget their efforts to help me save my daughters life, Suresh said.
A day after her mother passed away in Pune, a 37-year-old woman, who moved to the US with her husband two years ago, jumped to death from the 27th floor of a posh building in Thane on Sunday.

The police said that the woman, Hetal Dhiraj Parmar, was being treated for depression.

Her husband is an IT engineer in the US. The couple does not have any children.

The incident came to light when the watchman saw the body lying on the ground at Rustomjee Building in Majiwada at 3.30am.

She flew from the US to Mumbai after she was informed about her mothers death, said the police. She reached Mumbai late on Saturday night and switched off her mobile phone. Her father and mother-in-law had gone to the airport to receive her. As her phone was off, they could not contact her. The in-laws waited at the airport till early morning and was told by the watchman about their daughter-in-laws death. They rushed to hospital, said S Lokhande, deputy commissioner of Zone 5.

The in-laws said that Hetal was close to her mother and that they were planning to go to Pune in the afternoon, said the police

We are still trying to find out the reason behind the death. We have taken the statement of her in-laws. We have registered an accidental death report with Kapurbawdi police station, added Lokhande.

READ

Man posts video on how to commit suicide, jumps from 19th floor of Mumbai hotel

Mumbai couple, daughter commit suicide, note talks of depression, ill health

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The city students who cleared the joint entrance test (JEE) for National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs), the premier pharma science institutes, may have to drop a year, as they are yet to receive their graduation results from the University of Mumbai.

The JEE holds the key to 800 seats of MBA Pharmacy and MPharm at seven NIPERs across the country. Around 100 students from the colleges affiliated to MU have made it to the list of top 1000 rankers.

The counselling process for admission to MBA Pharmacy course at NIPERs will begin on Monday and will continue till Wednesday. The counselling for MPharm will take place next week between July 17 and 19. The results are unlikely to be declared any time soon, because till last month the varsity had assessed less than 20% of around 20 lakh answer sheets.

The varsity has requested NIPER Mohali, which is carrying out admission process this year, to grant provisional admission to its students. However, the premier institute has not accepted the request.

Our admission process was declared in April. The students cannot be admitted without results as we dont we have a provision for the waiting list. We dont even allow students to shift from one institute to the other after the counselling process. If we admit these students, we may have to face litigations and other legal complications, said Raghuram Rao, director NIPER Mohali. I feel sorry for these students, he added.

This year, MU adopted an on-screen marking process for the assessment process, in the place of traditional pen-and-paper evaluation. The decision caused a huge delay in the results, as MU couldnt appoint an agency for a long time and the technical glitches continue to plague the system.

According to Rao, MU is the only varsity that has failed to declare results before counselling. Students from more than 200 universities took the entrance test this year. If a university fails to declare results on time, NIPERs seek access to the results of the pharma aspirants directly from varsity. The varsity has failed to provide even those confidential results.

The aspirants are heart-broken. What is the point of studying hard for four years and getting good rank? We will now lose a year. And whats the guarantee that we will perform as well next year as we have done this time? said an aspirant.

Deepak Wasave, incharge director, Board of Examination and Evaluation at MU, couldnt be reached for a comment.

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As many as 12 people were rescued after a fire broke out at a 10-storey residential building in Worli on Sunday afternoon. Residents had climbed the upper floors to escape the smoke, said firefighters. No one was reported injured.

The disaster management department received a call at 4:30 pm, saying Himalaya building on RJ Thadani Marg near Flora Hotel had caught fire. The blaze was confined to the electric wiring, electric installation, false ceiling, clothes, split AC unit, iron and wooden furniture in a locked flat on the fifth floor.

Eight fire engines, five jumbo water tankers and an ambulance doused the flames within three hours. The fire was extinguished after we broke open the locked flat and cut the electric supply, said PS Rahangdale, chief fire officer.

An official said the high-rises firefighting system was defunct. We regularly send notices to societies, asking residents to follow fire safety norms. We send compliance notices, asking them to fix their firefighting systems. Despite this, we come across structures that either do not have firefighting systems, or those that are defunct, he said.

According to section 3 (3) of the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006, the owner or occupier of each building must give the fire brigade a fire safety compliance certificate issued by a licensed private agency in January and July. This is to ensure that firefighting equipment is installed in each building and that it is well-maintained.
Orientation programmes that give new first-year degree students an idea about what to expect beyond academics have become a common feature at Mumbai colleges.

The programmes, which highlight what the colleges are planning to introduce for the students in this academic year, including new cells to engage students, workshops to better prepare those interested in higher education as well as focus on social work, have been there for some time but colleges are looking at the ideas with new vigour.

Jai Hind College in Churchgate plans to start an Entrepreneurship Cell to help turn students business ideas into reality with the help of industry experts. Students have some very bright ideas and we want to help them the best way possible. The college will try and bring industry experts to help students understand the work that goes into launching start-ups, said Ashok Wadia, principal of the college. He added that the college will also start workshops and courses from the first-year of the degree courses to prepare students for competitive exams for higher education courses, post their graduation.

Since the academic programme is taken care of with regular lectures, more focus is being given to co-curricular activities that can help students in the long run. Many colleges also conduct a host of add-on certificate courses to help build a better Curriculum Vitae for students when they leave college.

At R A Podar College in Matunga, emphasis will be on introducing value education among other things, including academics. Value Education is a subject for junior college students and we hope to take this subject a notch higher for the degree students. Academics cannot be the whole and soul of college education, and we want to ensure we are teaching the right values to our students, to make them better human beings when they step into the real world, said Sobhana Vasudevan, principal of the institute. She added that the college has already asked their staff to come up with ideas that could be introduced in the upcoming academic year, starting mid-June.

Social work has always been given high regard by colleges and students too have found out the importance of the same. At UPG College in Vile Parle, the institute hopes to introduce students to more forms of social work in order to raise more responsible citizens. For any higher education degree abroad, the education institutes demand that we participate in social work and the fact that our college encourages us to do so, it comes as an advantage to us, said Akriti Patel, a second year student.

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The Maharashtra government is considering handing over tribal land in Palghar, near Mumbai, to the Taiwanese firm Foxconn, which has committed to invest $5 billion in the state, sparking protests.

The land is part of 2,766 hectares acquired in the mid-1960s as part of an ambitious plan for a dairy project to supply 1.25 lakh litres of milk a day to Mumbai. This plan was a non-starter for various reasons and the land was lying unclaimed, with some of the original owners continuing to farm their plots.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, has constituted a committee under the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) chief to study how much of this land can be set aside for industries.

State chief secretary Sumit Mullick said, Yes, there is a proposal to transfer some of the dairy land at Dapchari to MIDC. There was a meeting with the CM and a committee is looking into the modalities.

A senior state official said, The MIDC is hoping to get at least 500 hectares. We can offer this land to Foxconn instead of land at Talegaon or Khopoli as we originally promised. The company will also be more interested in this location due to its proximity to Mumbai.

The MIDC has already shown a portion of the land to Foxconn executives about two months ago, amid protests and demonstrations from local villagers.

A dairy farm at Dapchari Village in Palghar. (Kunal Patil/HT Photo)

Vinod Dumada, a local activist from the Adivasi Ekta Parishad, an NGO in the region, said, As the dairy project never took off as planned, there was a large portion of land, especially at Vankas village in the Dahanu taluka, where the government never physically took possession of the land. Over the years, tribal families went back to farming the land. They were recently threatened once again when officials came with people from a private foreign company to measure the land.

The villagers are not willing to trust the state government again. The gram panchayat of Vankas, where MIDC officials recently visited, has passed a resolution opposing industrial development and demanding that the state government either implement the dairy project as planned or return the land parcels to the families they originally belonged to.

Sulbha Suresh Gadag, sarpanch of Vankas village, said, When the government acquired land for the dairy project our fathers and grandfathers were told that the next three generations will get employment opportunities from this. They could not keep that promise even for one generation. Now industries will only pollute our environment and water bodies and make life worse.

Goats frolic across Vankas village in Palghar. (Kunal Patil/HT)

An official from the state animal husbandry department said, The meeting with the chief minister in March was to see how much of this land could be given to the industries department. The committee will take stock of land already in use, land under encroachment and litigation, and any requirement for planned projects of the animal husbandry and the dairy department. It will accordingly calculate the area that can be given for industries.

The Maharashtra government acquired 2,766 hectares in Dahanu and Talasari talukas, now in the Palghar district, in 1960-1966 for a grand Dapchari Dairy Project aiming to supply 1.25 lakh litres milk to Mumbai a day. The government wanted to rehabilitate dairy units from Mumbai to Dapchari and other villages in the vicinity and generate jobs for local tribals.

The project, however, failed as dairy units from Mumbai had apprehensions about shifting out and the government could not make the project commercially sustainable.

HT visited the area to find that the gau-shalas, a veterinary college and medical facilities, and other dairy-related infrastructure lying vacant and derelict in the middle of a lush green sprawl.

HT visited the area to find that the gau-shalas, a veterinary college and medical facilities, and other dairy-related infrastructure lying vacant and derelict in the middle of a lush green sprawl. (Kunal Patil/HT Photo)

According to information from the dairy development department, the government bought the land from 1,071 tribal families and three non-tribal families disbursing a total compensation of Rs39.96 lakh. The state rehabilitated the project-affected families on 263 hectares of the total 2,766 hectares it acquired.

An official from the animal husbandry department said the state government was within its rights to transfer land acquired for a specific public purpose for some other public purpose. He said so far the state government has diverted at least 115 hectares of the Palghar land for a rubber research centre, a border check post, electrification, horticulture and fisheries.

The abandoned dairy project at Dapchari village. (Kunal Patil/HT)

The development of industries in tribal areas of the Palghar district will also be beneficial to the local population as it will generate large-scale employment opportunities and will pave the way for the overall development of the region, he added.

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While the first merit list for admissions to class 11, first year junior college (FYJC) sections will be out on Monday (July 10), education activists have complained that colleges are charging higher fees than those approved by the government. They alleged that the committee formed by the government to look into the fee-hikes has not been functional.

Over 2.4 lakh aspirants have applied for admissions to nearly 800 junior colleges in Mumbai this year. Activists said that although the fees to be charged by the colleges are printed in the admissions manual, colleges ask students to pay more during admissions.

According to a study by Syscom, a Pune-based non-government organisation (NGO) fighting to bring transparency to the admission process, colleges receiving government grants charge Rs5,000 to 6,000 from each student. This is much more than Rs300 prescribed by the government.

Fees in aided institutes are fixed by the government because they get salary and non-salary grants from them, said Vaishali Bafna, member of the NGO, who is one of the petitioners in a public interest litigation filed by them against the state education department.

Colleges are charging extra amounts under the guise of insurance, development fund, building fund, among others. We have received complaints from several students last year that they were asked to pay more than what was mentioned in the manual when they approached the colleges for admission, said Bafna.

The states education department had agreed to form a panel to probe into the complaints and direct colleges to collect fees according to the rules this year. This was done after the association put its concerns before the department in November last year.

But the committee has not come up with any recommendations or action plan even as college admissions are scheduled to start from Tuesday (July 11).

The fees for aided institutions were to be fixed by the government, but it has not been done, said BB Chavan, deputy director of education.

The department has not taken cognizance of these malpractices, even though they had assured that they would look into it, said Bafna. She added that the NGO might have to move the Bombay high court once again if the department continues to ignore the situation.

Similarly, fees for unaided seats, self-financed courses too need regulation, said activists. Currently, there is a massive gap between what students pay for aided and unaided seats even in the same college.

Bifocal courses such as computer science, electrical maintenance can cost Rs13,500 in KC College, Churchgate and Rs 25,000 at Jai Hind College. This is still cheaper than Swami Vivekananda School and Junior College, Chembur charging Rs30,000 for computer science.

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A suspended jail official filed a written application against deputy inspector general of prisons (DIG) Swati Sathe on Sunday.

The move comes days after screenshots of WhatsApp messages showing Sathe seeking support for the six jail staff arrested for the brutal assault and murder of convict Manjula Shetye went public.

The jail official, Hiralal Jadhav, said an FIR should be filed against Sathe as she tried to destroy evidence. His letter is a clear indication of rivalry amongst officials in the state prison department.

Jadhav had been suspended for sexually harassing a woman constable. An internal probe was ordered into the issue. HT has a copy of his application, in which Jadhav said Sathe tried to protect the staff  jailer Manisha Pokharkar, and constables Bindu Naikade, Waseema Shaikh, Shital Shegaonkar, Surekha Gulve and Aarti Shingne  and frighten eye-witnesses into staying quiet.

His application was sent to commission of police (Mumbai) office, Nagpada police station and crime branch unit 3, which is investigating the Shetye murder case.

Sathe allegedly sent messages to senior prison officials, asking them to support their six accused sisters. In one of the messages, Sathe blamed the media for the arrests. After the texts went public, she wrote to her superiors requesting to be removed from the team investigating the murder.

The government accepted her request and the inquiry has now been handed over to inspector general Rajvarhan Sinha.

On June 23, Shetye died after jail officials allegedly assaulted her. Her death triggered violent protests. As many as 200 prisoners, including former media bigwig Indrani, were booked for rioting, assault and mischief with fire.
A 26-year-old high school teacher from Santacruz lost Rs4.20lakh in cyber crime after a man clandestinely exchanged his card with hers at an ATM kiosk, said the police. He offered to help her as she had some problem in withdrawing money from the ATM.

The fraud later used the womans card to withdraw Rs4.2lakh from her account.

On June 14, the woman went to her bank in Santacruz to deposit money which she wanted to transfer into her sisters account. After depositing the money, she went to withdraw money from an ATM.

She told the police she inserted the ATM card but could not access her account.

A man standing nearby told her that she was not inserting the card properly. He asked for her card and inserted it in the ATM slot. He then told her to enter the PIN, which he noticed. However, she was unable to withdraw money. He told her to try another ATM. There too, her card did not work, said an officer from Santacruz police station.

Meanwhile, the man stealthily left the first ATM, said the officer. When she approached her bank, saying that the card was not working, she was told to apply for a new one.

She got to know about the fraud on June 26 when her brother called her up about the debited amount . Although, she received messages on the transactions, they were not read, said the officer.

The womans bank told her that the card, which was not working, belonged to a woman from Gujarat and was blocked. She then realized that the man who had met her at the ATM exchanged her card with the blocked one.

She has filed an complaint with the police which are on the lookout for the man.

Advocate, cyber law, Vicky Shah said, The liability is completely of the customer. She should not have trusted the stranger. The bank will not take responsibility for the fraud. If she wanted to take assistance, she should have approached the branchs official in case of any doubt. She should have refrained from taking help from strangers.

Imposter promises to unlock card, dupes man of 18K

A 71-year-old man was duped of Rs18,000 by an imposter who took details of the victims ATM card on the pretext of unblocking it. The incident took place last month when the senior citizen, a retired government employee, received a phone call, said the police. The caller, who posed as a an executive from the mans bank, informed him that his card had been blocked.

The senior citizen told the caller that he would check with his bank next day why his card has been blocked. The imposter further told the man that there was no need to visit the bank as they had an online facility to check the status of the card. He gave his card details to the caller, which led to the loss. Vicky Shah, a cyber law expert, said, If it is found that the imposter was using a SIM card issued on forged documents then the telecom service provider could also be made a party to the case.
Heavy rain in the city has led to a rise in swine flu cases in the western suburbs in the past two weeks, according to doctors.

Dr Tanu Singhal, an infectious disease expert at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Andheri, said she gets 20 patients suffering from flu every day, of whom 10 test positive for H1N1 virus.

The situation is much different compared to last year. This year, H1N1 virus is at its peak. Although I dont know the exact figures, there were fewer cases last year, she added.

In the past two to three weeks, there has been at least a 50% rise in cases of H1N1, said Vasant Nagvekar, infectious disease expert at Lilavati hospital, Bandra, adding he has been treating patients suffering from swine flu since May 15.

We usually get cases of influenza during winter. The H1N1 virus is at its peak between September and December. I didnt expect to come across these many cases at this time of the year, said Dr Prahlad Prabhudesai, consultant chest physician, Lilavati Hospital,

Bandra.

Ishwar Satwani, 64, a resident of Khar, who is among five members of his family suffering from swine flu, believes he got infected at a seminar he attended recently.

After spending 25 days in Nanavati Hospital, Vile Parle, he considers himself lucky to be alive. I had developed severe respiratory problems, said Satwani.

Doctors said since some of the symptoms of swine flu include vomiting, fever, throat pain, body ache and diarrhoea, patients often confuse it with viral fever or gastroenteritis. But a person with very high fever (104 degrees Celsius and above) and chills needs to get himself tested for H1N1, say doctors. Flu spreads rapidly, so it is advisable that people take precautions like wearing

a face mask. Relatives of patients need to use a hand wash all the time to ensure the virus doesnt spread, said Prabhudesai.

We expect people to develop an immunity towards the virus in the next few years. That will bring down the death toll too, said Singhal.
The Hindu Yuva Vahini, a religious youth outfit founded by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath in 2002, called for an emergency meeting in Greater Noidas Swarn Nagri on Sunday, after a few posters put up by it were found torn.

Chainpal Bhati, president of the outfits Gautam Budh Nagar unit, said he suspected that the act was part of a larger conspiracy. Bhatis face was found torn off from more than a dozen posters. I had invested a huge sum of money to put up the posters across the district. But they were found torn in Swarn Nagari, Dadri roundabout and Eicher roundabout. Hoardings that were atop electricity poles were left untouched, but others were tarnished. This is a deliberate attack, Bhati said.



It seems that the increasing influence of our outfit in GB Nagar has troubled a few people to the extent that they are engaging in such acts, he claimed.

The organisation called for an emergency meeting of its members on Sunday. After the posters were found torn, our president called for a meeting immediately to tackle this issue, said Navin Sharma, a volunteer.

We have raised the issue with the party seniors. From now on, we will identify people involving in the act and file police complaints against them, Bhati said.

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A group of politicians led by Rajya Sabha member KC Tyagi on Sunday were detained by the police on their way to meet the disgruntled farmers of Mandola village.

Uttar Pradesh Housing Board had acquired farmers lands for its Mandola scheme in Ghaziabad. The village is currently in the limelight as the farmers have restarted their demand seeking hiked land compensation and have launched an indefinite fast from Sunday.

Tyagi was detained near the Delhi border and brought to the Harsaon police lines on Sunday afternoon, but said that a delegation of Parliamentarians will soon head to Mandola.

He said that he is already in talks with Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh, Sharad Yadav of Janata Dal (United) and CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechuri over the issue of Mandola farmers.

The farmers want hiked compensation as per the new Act. The state government and the district administration have shown a stepmotherly treatment. During the recent agitation, the farmers, including women, were beaten up by the police and denied them medical examination. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed power in UP highlighting the issues of farmers, but their conduct is not appreciated in Mandola, Tyagi said.

There have been nearly a 45% increase in farmer suicides in the last three years and a payment of Rs 2,335 crore to sugarcane farmers in UP is still pending. We still appeal to the state government and the district administration to look into the demands made by Mandola farmers. Otherwise, a major agitation will be launched and the state government will have to take the responsibility, he said.

Ahead of Tyagis visit, the district magistrate on Saturday had promulgated prohibitory orders. During earlier meetings with farmers, the district administration has clarified that the issue of compensation hike can only be directed by the Supreme Court as the petitions of the farmers were already dismissed by the Allahabad high court.

Ghaziabad police detained Tyagi along with nearly 100 supporters and politicians who sympathised with the farmers in their bid to demand a hike in land compensation.

The Mandola Housing Scheme, estimated to construct nearly 12,000 affordable housing units, is under construction in Loni near Delhi border. The project, pegged at Rs 3,000 crore, is already facing delays. According to UP Housing Board officials, only 4,000 flats got occupied till now; another 4,000 were being constructed and bookings were reduced due to unjustified demands by the farmers. The board is in possession of nearly 2,300 acres of land, out of the total 2,610 acres planned for the scheme. For the land it acquired, it has paid a compensation at the rate of Rs 1,100 per square metre.

We detained the Rajya Sabha member and others near Sonia Vihar border. They were trying to proceed to Mandola, but prohibitory orders are already clamped. They were later taken to police lines and detained. In case the farmers want more compensation, they must move Supreme Court. They have disrupted construction activities and are causing delay to the project, said Gynendra Singh, additional district magistrate.

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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader HS Phoolka on Sunday decided to quit as the leader of Opposition in Punjab assembly to continue fighting cases of 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims in Delhi courts.

Phoolka, MLA from Dakha assembly constituency, told Hindustan Times that he has made up his mind and requested AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal to relieve him from the position within a week.

I have to resign to be able to appear in courts for riot victims. As leader of Opposition, I cannot appear in any cases. I tried to look at other options, but it did not work, he said.

Also Read | Ready to give up cabinet minister status to fight riots cases: HS Phoolka

Phoolka, a Supreme Court lawyer, was caught between leading the party MLAs in the state assembly and continuing his fight for justice for victims of the 1984 riots and he chose the latter. After the state assembly polls, the AAP had emerged as the principal opposition party with 20 seats while the Congress returned to power with a near two-thirds majority.

The MLA was elected leader of the AAP legislature party on March 16 and become the leader of Opposition in the state assembly. Later, the Delhi Bar Council disallowed him from continuing his legal practice, citing that he held an office of profit being the leader of Opposition with a cabinet minister rank.

Recommends 3 MLAs as probable candidates

Phoolka recommended names of MLAs Sukhpal Khaira, Kanwar Sandhu and Aman Arora as probables for the post of leader of Opposition in the Punjab assembly. The leader of legislature party can be elected from among them as per the choice of other party MLAs. I will resign once the new leader is elected, he said.

Earlier, the AAP leader had openly expressed the desire to continue appearing in riots cases he was fighting on behalf of victims. Sought permission to do 84 carnage case pro bono, Bar Council should realise, it doesnt amount to practice, rather should encourage it. Seek review, he tweeted last week after the council disallowed him from appearing in cases against Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and others. He had also asked the council if he could continue to appear in court in riots cases by giving up the cabinet minister status, but it did not help.

Fresh race for the post likely

The resignation is likely to trigger a fresh race among the party legislators for the leadership position in the state assembly. Both Khaira, the only AAP MLA with some prior political experience, and Sandhu, a former editor who headed the partys poll manifesto committee, were among the contenders for the position of leader of Opposition in March also.

Khaira, a firebrand leader, was made the partys chief whip. When Bhagwant Mann was made the state unit president, he had announced his resignation from the post. Arora is co-president of the state unit.

That the AAP has been lacking cohesion was also visible in last months budget session where the party leaders kept trying to outdo or contradict each other.

The party had started by taking on the Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress government, but was soon playing second fiddle to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) which not only managed to give an impression that they were strategising together towards the end of the eight-day session, but also hogged the limelight. There was unease in the party on this, as Khaira hit out at the Akalis immediately thereafter, calling the SAD and the Congress two sides of same coin.

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Poor communication between the orthopedics department and Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) outlet at the PGIMER has caused harassment to patients who were scheduled to undergo surgeries on Saturday.

Within few days of its inauguration, issues have started to leak out and a blame game has begun between the doctors and the AMRIT officials.

On Saturday, two patients were called for a surgery after a week long wait but the surgery never happened. Owning to this, one patients blood pressure also dipped.

An 80-year-old had to undergo bipolar arthroplasty (surgical procedure that replaces one-half of the hip joint with a prosthetic, while leaving the other half intact) and second one, 55 year-old, had to undergo revision hip arthroplasty.

The doctors say they couldnt perform the procedure as the patients could not get ortho implants from AMRIT outlet.

The patients are here, doctors are ready and entire team is here, yet we are not able to operate as the officials from AMRIT outlet are saying that they want at least 48 hours time, said one of the surgeons.

For revision arthroplasty, AMRIT provides equipments of only one company. However, in such cases, we need equipments of various important companies in the operation theater, as we dont know which companys implant was used earlier, he added.

What AMRIT officials have to say?

The patient that was to be operated on Saturday was a case of revision arthroplasty and such cases are planned much in advance. This patient was also lying in operation theatre for almost a week. The doctor never informed AMRIT officials in advance that equipments are required, said an AMRIT official.

He added that instead of communicating with AMRIT, the doctor called a supplier who informed them at 12am.

We provide implants of at least five topmost companies, but we should be inform a little in advance, so that we can arrange all equipments, he said.

Will resolve all issues

The initiative is in the initial stages and some problems will come. However, we are looking into every problem and it will be sorted out immediately. Initially, there will be some reluctance but soon things will be sorted out, said Dr Kaushal.

At the PGIMER, it is mandatory that purchase of all ortho implants will happen through the AMRIT outlet. Earlier, doctors directly used to deal with company dealers and would refer patients to dealers.

A question was raised on this practice and PGIMER passed instructions that doctors will not deal with company dealers.

The facility of provision of ortho implant at AMRIT outlet was started by Union health secretary, CK Mishra on June 27.

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If Africa is on your list of must-see places, do visit Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, which is home to some spectacular architectural wonders. The people of Eritrea have long said their capital Asmara is like no other city in Africa, and on Saturday the United Nations agreed, designating it a World Heritage site.

The proclamation ends a long-running quest by Eritrean authorities to have the citys unique architecture, which includes an art-deco bowling alley with coloured glass windows and a petrol station built to resemble a soaring aeroplane, recognised by the UN cultural body, UNESCO.

Its also a rare example of positive world recognition for an African nation that is a major source of migrants fleeing across the Mediterranean to Europe due to the countrys repressive policies.

Architects whose designs were unwelcome in conservative European cities found a place in Asmara at a time when about half of the citys population was Italian and the city was known as Piccola Roma, or Little Rome. (Shutterstock)

The citys recognition as a heritage site of outstanding universal value fills us with tremendous pride and joy, but also with a profound sense of responsibility and duty, said Hanna Simon, Eritreas permanent delegate to UNESCO. The decision was taken at a meeting of the World Heritage Committee in the Polish city of Krakow.

A former Italian colony, most of the futuristic designs of the Eritrean capital date back to the rule of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini from 1936 to 1941.

Architects whose designs were unwelcome in conservative European cities found a place in Asmara at a time when about half of the citys population was Italian and the city was known as Piccola Roma, or Little Rome.

The Ende Mariam church in Asmara, Eritrea. (Shutterstock)

While the modernist architecture of other Eritrean cities was destroyed during a decades-long war of liberation from Ethiopia, Asmaras survived and was declared a national monument by the government in 2001, which refers to it as Africas City of Dream (sic).

But efforts to restore the marble facades and Roman-style pillars of the citys theatres and cinemas have been hampered by a shortage of money and local expertise, city authorities say.

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Britains Queen Elizabeth II has appointed her first black equerry, a senior staff member in charge of assisting the royal household.

Ghanaian-born Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah from the Household Cavalry will take charge of one of the most important roles in the 91-year-old monarchs household.

The Afghanistan war veteran, known as TA to his friends, is thought to be the royal familys first black equerry, a role that requires immense discretion, The Sunday Times reported.

The 38-year-old moved to the UK from Ghana with his parents in 1982 and later studied at Queen Mary University of London and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Since then his illustrious military career has involved joining the Blues and Royals and becoming the first black British Army officer to be commissioned into the Household Cavalry.

He acted as an escort commander for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, in 2011 and in the same year commanded the Blues and Royals taking part in Trooping the Colour, the Queens birthday parade.

It is understood that he is in a transition phase with the current equerry, Wing Commander Sam Fletcher, and will start in the role later this year.

According to staff policy published by Buckingham Palace in its annual report: The household aims to employ the best people from the widest available pool of talent...irrespective of gender, race, ethnic or national origin.

Twumasi-Ankrah lives in London with his wife who works at the Victoria and Albert Museum and their two daughters.
An open-ended cease-fire in southern Syria brokered by the United States, Russia, and Jordan came into effect on Sunday at noon.

The agreement, announced on Thursday after a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, is the first initiative by the Trump administration in collaboration with Russia to bring some stability to war-torn Syria.

It followed weeks of secretive talks in the Jordanian capital, Amman, to address the buildup of Iranian-backed forces, in support of the Syrian government, near the Jordanian and Israeli borders.

The three brokering nations did not specify mechanisms to monitor or enforce the truce.

A resident and local opposition activist in Daraa, near the Jordanian border, reported calm in the opening minutes of the truce.

Theres still a lot of anxiety, said Ahmad al-Masalmeh. Weve entered the cease-fire but there are no mechanisms to enforce it. Thats what concerns people.

Free Syrian Army fighters in Quneitra, Syria on July 8, 2017. (Reuters)

Six years of fighting and siege have devastated Daraa, one of the first cities to see large protests against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011.

It remains contested by US-backed rebels and Syrian government forces supported by Russia and Iran. Large swaths of the city have been reduced to rubble by government artillery and Russian air power.

The government maintains it is fighting against terrorist groups. The al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee is one of the most potent factions fighting alongside rebels in Daraa.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday his country would welcome a genuine cease-fire in southern Syria so long as it doesnt enable Iran and its proxies to develop a military presence along the border.

The truce covers the Quneitra, Daraa, and Sweida provinces, where the government and the rebels are also fighting Islamic State militants, who are not included in the truce.

No cease-fire has lasted long in the six-year-old Syrian war.
North Korea lashed out at a live-fire drill the US and South Korea staged in a show of force against Pyongyang, accusing Washington of pushing the peninsula to the tipping point of nuclear war.

The allies held the rare live-fire drill as tensions grew over the peninsula following the Norths first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test held last week.

The test sparked global alarm as it suggested North Korea now possessed an ICBM capable of reaching Alaska, a major milestone for the reclusive, nuclear-armed state.

Saturdays drill, designed to sternly respond to potential missile launches by the North, saw two US bombers destroy enemy missile batteries and South Korean jets mount precision strikes against underground command posts.

The Norths state-run Rodong newspaper accused Washington and Seoul of ratcheting up tensions with the drill, in an editorial titled Dont play with fire on a powder keg.

The US, with its dangerous military provocation, is pushing the risk of a nuclear war on the peninsula to a tipping point, it said, describing the peninsula as the worlds biggest tinderbox.

During Saturdays drill, long-range B-1B Lancer bombers reportedly flew close to the heavily-fortified border between two Koreas and dropped 2,000-pound (900 kilogram) bombs.

Pyongyang described the joint drill as a dangerous military gambit of warmongers who are trying to ignite the fuse of a nuclear war on the peninsula.

A small misjudgment or error can immediately lead to the beginning of a nuclear war, which will inevitably lead to another world war, it said.

Tension has been high as the US administration under President Donald Trump and the Norths regime under leader Kim Jong-Un have exchanged hostile rhetoric for months.

Tension further escalated after Tuesdays ICBM test, a milestone in the Norths decades-long quest for weapons capable of reaching the US.

The impoverished, isolated country has staged five nuclear tests -- including two last year -- and has made a significant progress in its missile capability under Kim, who took power in 2011.

In another drill held after the ICBM test, US and South Korean troops fired ballistic missiles simulating an attack on the Norths leadership as a strong message of warning, the Souths military said at the time.

The US Missile Defense Agency said Friday it would soon test an anti-ballistic missile system in Alaska.
Donald Trumps eldest son, son-in-law and then-campaign chairman met with a Russian lawyer shortly after Trump won the Republican nomination, in what appears to be the earliest known private meeting between key aides to the president and a Russian.

Representatives of Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner confirmed the June 2016 meeting to The Associated Press Saturday after The New York Times reported Saturday on the gathering of the men and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower. Then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended, according to the statement from Donald Trump Jr.

He described it as a short introductory meeting during which the three discussed a disbanded program that used to allow US citizens to adopt Russian children. Russia ended the adoptions in response to American sanctions brought against the nation following the 2009 death of an imprisoned lawyer who spoke about a corruption scandal. Trump Jr. said he invited the other two Americans, was asked to attend by an acquaintance not named in the statement, and was not told beforehand with whom he would meet.

It was not a campaign issue at that time and there was no follow up, he said.

Kushner lawyer Jamie Gorelick said her client already disclosed the meeting in a revised filing of a form that requires him to list meetings with foreign agents.

Mr. Kushner has submitted additional updates and included, out of an abundance of caution, this meeting with a Russian person, which he briefly attended at the request of his brother-in-law, Donald Trump Jr. As Mr. Kushner has consistently stated, he is eager to cooperate and share what he knows, she said.

Later Saturday, a spokesman for the presidents outside legal team contended that participants in the June meeting misrepresented who they were and who they worked for. However, the spokesman, Mark Corallo, would not say specifically who misrepresented themselves or how they did so.

Unlike Kushner, Trump Jr. does not serve in the administration and is not required to disclose his foreign contacts. The newspaper reported Saturday, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, that Manafort disclosed the meeting to congressional investigators questioning his foreign contacts.

Manafort helmed Trumps campaign for about five months until August and resigned from the campaign immediately after the AP reported on his firms covert Washington lobbying operation on behalf of Ukraines ruling political party. He is one of several people linked to the Trump campaign who are under scrutiny by a special counsel and congressional committees investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign and potential coordination with Trump associates.

Manafort has denied any coordination with Russia and has said his work in Ukraine was not related to the campaign.

The newspaper said Veselnitskaya is known for her attempts to undercut the sanctions against Russian human rights abusers. The Times also said her clients include state-owned businesses and the son of a senior government official whose company was under investigation in the United States at the time of the meeting.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday hailed Iraqi pro-government troops and their allies for taking control of Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) group.

Mosul liberated from Daesh (another name for IS). Homage from France to all those, with our troops, who contributed to this victory, Macron tweeted after IS forces lost control of Iraqs second city, their last urban stronghold.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi earlier declared victory in the liberated city and lauded the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people on the achievement of the major victory, his office said.

The retaking of Iraqs cultural jewel came after a gruelling nearly nine-month battle to retake the northern city after three years of rule by the jihadists.

The declared victory marked an epic milestone for Iraqi security forces, who had crumbled in the face of an IS onslaught in 2014 as the group swept across much of Iraqs Sunni Arab heartland to proclaim a self-styled caliphate straddling Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

A French armed forces spokesman had said Wednesday that the French fighter jets had launched 600 air strikes against IS in Mosul since the start of the battle to retake the city in support of Iraqi troops.
Key dates in the offensive against the Islamic State group in Iraqs northern city of Mosul where on Sunday Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory.

The battle begins

 October 17, 2016: Iraqi forces launch the assault to recapture Iraqs second city, conquered by IS in June 2014. A month later jihadist groups supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made his only public appearance in Mosul, to urge Muslims worldwide to move to the recently proclaimed caliphate straddling Iraq and Syria.

Tens of thousands of army, police and counter-terrorism troops are thrown into the long-awaited offensive with crucial support from a US-led coalition.

In two weeks dozens of surrounding localities are recaptured, including the Christian town of Qaraqosh around 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Mosul.

Entering Mosul

 November 1: The army says it has entered Mosul city for the first time since 2014.

 November 3: Baghdadi breaks a year-long silence, urging followers to fight to the death for Mosul.

 November 8: Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighters say they have reached Bashiqa, a dozen kilometres north of Mosul.

 November 13: Iraq says it has recaptured Nimrud, an ancient city southeast of Mosul.

 November 23: Shiite-dominated paramilitary units known as the Hashed al-Shaabi say they have cut IS supply lines between Mosul and the jihadists Syrian stronghold Raqa, 400 kilometres to the west.

The Iraqi forces face strong resistance from the jihadists who carry out numerous suicide attacks.

Key dates in the fight for control of the Iraqi city of Mosul after the Iraqi government declared the liberation of the city on Sunday. (AFP Photo)

East Mosul retaken

 December 29: Government troops end a two-week pause and launch the second phase of their assault on east Mosul.

 January 8: Iraqi units reach the Tigris River that divides Mosul and take up positions near one of the citys five bridges, all now destroyed.

 January 24: The Joint Operations Command coordinating the fight says the east has been fully liberated.

Battle for west begins

 February 19: Abadi announces the start of the battle for west Mosul, with Iraqi forces backed by coalition air power and support from coalition advisers.

 February 24: Iraqi forces seize full control of Mosul airport and enter their first west Mosul neighbourhood.

 March 12: A US envoy says Iraqi troops have cut all roads into western Mosul, trapping remaining IS fighters inside.

 March 14: Iraqi forces say they have captured the citys train station after reaching other symbolic sites such as the regional government headquarters and the citys museum.

Old City

 May 4: Iraqi forces launch a second front in northwestern Mosul to further seal the siege on the Old City. Aid groups say jihadists are holding tens of thousands of civilians as human shields.

 May 16: A military spokesman says almost 90 percent of west Mosul has been recaptured.

The United Nations says that hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have fled Mosul over the past seven months.

 June 18: Iraqi forces, backed by coalition air strikes, launch an assault to retake the Old City, where remaining IS fighters are entrenched.

 June 21: IS fighters blow up Mosuls iconic leaning minaret and the adjacent mosque where Baghdadi made his only public appearance.

A week later, troops retake the mosque ruins which Abadi hails as a sign of ISs impending defeat. Iraqi forces battle the last few hundred jihadists in Mosuls historic centre.

Mosul falls

 July 9: Abadi declares victory in the liberated city during a visit to Mosul, his office says.

This marks an epic milestone for the Iraqi security forces, who had crumbled in the face of an IS onslaught across Iraqi in 2014.

In the final days of the battle, the fight grew tougher as Iraqi forces fought to retake the last two IS-held areas near the Tigris River
Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Sunday denied reports of a breakthrough in talks with Hamas over returning Israeli citizens and bodies of soldiers held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

According to Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, Israel and Hamas were on the brink of an initial deal in which the Islamist Gaza rulers would provide information over the missing Israelis in return for the release of groups of prisoners.

Two Israeli soldiers, Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, are believed to have been killed in the 2014 war in Gaza and their remains held by Hamas.

Three Israeli civilians, all said to be mentally unstable, are also believed to have entered Gaza and to be held by Hamas.

They include Avera Mengistu, an Israeli Jew of Ethiopian descent, and two Muslim Bedouins, Hisham Al-Sayed and Juma Abu Ghanima.

We have no contact with Hamas. Theres an ongoing effort to release our soldiers and civilians held in Hamas captivity, Lieberman said in an interview with Galey Israel radio. And theres no breakthrough.

While Israel says it does not speak directly with Hamas, indirect negotiations with the Islamist movement lead to the 2011 deal which saw it release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held for five years.

We dont negotiate with terror organisations, Lieberman said, calling the Saturday report psychological warfare by Hamas.

A source close to Hamas told AFP that negotiations are underway with Western parties to reach a partial deal involving a swap of information about the fate of prisoners of (Hamas armed wing) Al Qassam Brigades for the release of prisoners from occupation prisons, or Israel.

The deal would be for prisoners released in the Shalit deal who were rearrested since, the source said, noting that the final points have not yet been crystallised.

Following the Shalit deal, Israel commissioned a number of experts to set forth binding principles in negotiations on abducted soldiers which stipulated that lower numbers of prisoners could be released, and there should be no negotiations over remains.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett meanwhile spoke out against releasing live terrorists for the bodies of our soldiers, calling instead to increase the pressure and hurt Hamas so holding the bodies is no longer worth it.
Nepals main opposition party will not support a constitution amendment bill aimed at addressing the grievances of Madhes-based parties, its leader said on Sunday.

Madhesi parties have demanded the amendment to the statute as a precondition for their participation in the local election slated for September 18 in Province no 2, considered the Madhesi heartland.

We will not allow its passage, said CPN-UML leader KP Sharma Oli in his hometown Jhapa on Sunday.

It has a hidden design to split Hill, Mountain and Tarai ( Madhes) regions, he said. It is also against the national interest, so the UML is not going to support it.

Olis hardline position comes as CPN-UML has emerged victorious and had a better showing than ruling Nepali Congress, the largest party in parliament, in the first and second rounds of local elections.

The victory is being attributed to UMLs pro-nationalist agenda, strong leadership of Oli and the partys sleek organisational base after Oli became its chairman two years ago.

A two-thirds majority is required to pass the constitution amendment bill in parliament. Those favouring the amendment do not enjoy majority. Only a split voting in UML-led opposition alliance will ensure two-thirds majority.

The UML dubbed the amendment as an anti-national move designed to split Nepal that also disturbs the ethnic harmony existing for centuries. Ruling Nepali Congress, Maoist Center and some other parties have called it a necessity of the county to bring on board all sections of society.

Several violent agitations have taken place in Madhes since the promulgation of the constitution, leaving at least 60 people dead and scores, including security personnel, injured.

Oli, a leftist leader once seen as close to India, now has very acrimonious relations with New Delhi following the infamous blockade of Nepal-India border in the wake of the Madhesi uprising.

He also criticised the ruling Nepali Congress and CPN (Maoist Center) for not holding any consultations with his party before tabling the amendments in the House.

But the ruling parties dismissed Olis stance as just a pressure tactic because UML is also seeking some kind of credit for constitution amendment proposal and wants to be part of consultations.

Our precondition is to withdraw the constitution amendment proposal tabled in the parliament first, Oli said. Then we can discuss how relevant it is and whether it should be approved or not.

The erstwhile government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal  Prachanda had tabled a constitution amendment bill in parliament on reviewing the demarcation of some federal boundaries and making constitution Madhes-friendly including ensuring the presence of Madhesi people in various state organs on the basis of population ratio.
Pakistan on Sunday released 78 Indian fishermen held for trespassing into its territorial waters, officials said.

The fishermen were released from Karachis Landhi jail, Naseem Siddiqui, an official of the provincial home department of Sindh, told AFP.

The freed fishermen are expected to cross over into India on Monday.

Siddiqui said 298 Indian fishermen are still imprisoned and will be released on completion of the verification of their nationalities by India.

Indian and Pakistani fishermen are frequently detained for illegal fishing since the Arabian Sea border is not clearly defined and many boats lack the technology to fix their precise location.

The fishermen often languish in jail, even after serving their terms, as poor diplomatic ties between the two neighbours mean fulfilling bureaucratic requirements can take a long time.

Relations between India and Pakistan have plummeted since a deadly attack on an Indian army base in the disputed region of Kashmir in September, that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan- based Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Qatars government says it is forming a committee to pursue compensation for damages stemming from its isolation by four Arab countries.

Qatari Public Prosecutor Ali Al-Marri said in a press conference Sunday that the committee will handle claims made by private companies, public institutions and individuals.

He gave few details, but said the body would use both domestic and international mechanisms to seek compensation.

Members of the newly formed committee include Qatars minister of justice and minister of foreign affairs.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic ties and severed air, land and sea links with Qatar last month, accusing it of supporting extremism. Qatar has denied the allegations, and says the blocs ultimatums are an affront to its sovereignty.
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he and Russias president had discussed forming a cyber security unit, an idea harshly criticised by Republicans who said Moscow could not be trusted after its alleged meddling in the 2016 US election.

Tweeting after his first meeting with President Vladimir Putin on Friday, Trump said now was the time to work constructively with Moscow, pointing to a ceasefire deal in southwest Syria that came into effect on Sunday.

Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

Republican Senators Lindsey Graham, an influential South Carolina Republican who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Marco Rubio of Florida, who opposed Trump for their partys presidential nomination, blasted the idea.

Its not the dumbest idea I have ever heard but its pretty close, Graham told NBCs Meet the Press program, saying that Trumps apparent willingness to forgive and forget stiffened his resolve to pass legislation imposing sanctions on Russia.

Rubio, on Twitter, said: While reality & pragmatism requires that we engage Vladimir Putin, he will never be a trusted ally or a reliable constructive partner.

Partnering with Putin on a Cyber Security Unit is akin to partnering with (Syrian President Bashar al) Assad on a Chemical Weapons Unit, he added.

Trump argued for rapprochement with Moscow in his campaign but has been unable to deliver because his administration has been dogged by investigations into the allegations of Russian interference in the election and ties with his campaign.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating the matter, including whether there may have been any collusion on the part of Trump campaign officials, as are congressional committees including both the House and Senate intelligence panels.

Those probes are focused almost exclusively on Moscows actions, lawmakers and intelligence officials say, and no evidence has surfaced publicly implicating other countries despite Trumps suggestion that others could have been involved.

Moscow has denied any interference, and Trump says his campaign did not collude with Russia.

I dont think we can expect the Russians to be any kind of a credible partner in some kind of cyber security unit, Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told CNNs State of the Union program. If thats our best election defense. We might as well just mail our ballot boxes to Moscow, Schiff added.

Separately, US government officials said that a recent hack into business systems of US nuclear power and other energy companies was carried out by Russian government hackers, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.

The newspaper said government officials and US industry officials confirmed this was the first time Russian hackers were known to have breached US nuclear power company networks.

Trump said he had raised allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election with Putin. I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. Ive already given my opinion.....

He added: We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!

The United States, Russia and Jordan reached a ceasefire and de-escalation agreement for southwestern Syria on Friday, as Trumps administration made its first attempt at peacemaking in the countrys six-year-old civil war.

The ceasefire was holding hours after it took effect on Sunday, a monitor and two rebel officials said.

In another tweet, Trump said,

Sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin. Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian & Syrian problems are solved!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

The United States has imposed sanctions on Russia for its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Trump appeared to contradict his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, who told reporters Trump had told Putin that US lawmakers were pushing for additional sanctions against Russia.

The US Senate has passed legislation which would put into law sanctions, including on mining and other industries, previously established via former President Barack Obamas executive orders. The bill must pass the House of Representatives before it could go to the White House for Trumps signature.

Hes not willing to do anything about it, so it makes me more committed than ever to get sanctions on President Trumps desk punishing Putin, Republican Graham said of Trump.
US President Donald Trump took a conciliatory tone on Saturday at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where the leaders agreed to keep working on two pressing issues  the nuclear threat posed by North Korea and bilateral trade irritants.

However, his efforts seemed to be undermined by the White House, which erroneously referred to Xi Jinping as the president of the Republic of China, which is Taiwans formal name. Chinas formal name is Peoples Republic of China.

The White House made the diplomatic blunder in a transcript of Trumps public remarks with Xi at the start of a bilateral meeting at an international summit in Germany.

Its an honour to have you as a friend, Trump told Xi, telling him he appreciated actions he had already taken on North Korea.

As far as North Korea is concerned, we will have, eventually, success. It may take longer than Id like. It may take longer than youd like. But there will be success in the end one way or the other, Trump said.

The Chinese leader has told Trump previously that Beijing expects Washington to continue managing relations based on the One China principle that rules out formal contacts with Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.

The White House did not immediately comment on the diplomatic blunder.

So Xi and Trump are friends now? "And it's an honor to have you as a friend." pic.twitter.com/CWCZj4ZLfD  Bill Bishop (@niubi) July 8, 2017

The Trump administration has made new arms sales to Taiwan, imposed sanctions on two Chinese citizens and a shipping company and put China on a global human trafficking list. It also accused a Chinese bank of laundering money for Pyongyang.

The White House is also debating trade actions against Beijing, including tariffs on its steel exports and a few days before the G20 talks, Trump complained that trade between China and North Korea had grown.
Lorenzo Simonelli is house hunting in Houston's Inner Loop and is looking for Italian restaurants to check out now that he has become the CEO of the new Baker Hughes. He sat down with the Houston Chronicle at his north Houston office to discuss the transition, his role and the new company that trades on the New York stock exchange as BHGE. Edited excerpts follow:

Q: Your family still runs an estate and vineyard in Tuscany. Why depart from the Italian family business?

A: My father was the first in the family who decided agriculture and that way of life was changing. He went into banking, and I moved to London at age 9. Now it's a great hobby.

Q: How would you describe your rapid rise within General Electric?

A: Essentially, this is the one company I've been with my whole career. Clearly there's a performance aspect - working hard and achieving good results. But mentors were key for giving me advice. I've never said to myself, "I'm going to go and take a job and go and knock on the door." It's always been an aspect of "It's time you go and do this; it's time you progressed." It's been a career path. I'm always open to new opportunities and always challenging myself. I've always made it very clear I wanted to run a business.

Q: What are some advantages of Baker Hughes and GE joining forces?

A: We want to work with customers based on outcomes. If you just provide them the old way, saying this is the cost per hour, then you're not necessarily helping them on a productivity level. We offer the entirety of "the GE store." For instance, Baker Hughes moves tools a tremendous amount. So does GE Oil & Gas. But, since GE ships a far larger volume than Baker Hughes ever did, GE's rates are much more attractive.

Q: Despite the promotion to head Baker Hughes, you were also just a finalist for the overall GE CEO role. What was that like?

A: To be on a selection process for running General Electric is a great honor. Notwithstanding the outcome, it was a terrific process to go through and also one that I think helps me continue to develop and makes me even more ready from a BHGE perspective. What happens in the future is the future. My conviction is you do what you need to do well and things in the future take care of themselves.
Blair Garrou has been involved with nearly every big new initiative to help boost Houston's tech startup scene over the past two decades and now serves as managing partner for Mercury Fund, Houston's largest local venture capital firm. In that post, he's working with the Greater Houston Partnership to bring more investment dollars to Houston companies, working from a report by Accenture on how to build a better tech industry.

Q: So how did this project get started?

A: I think it was just an overall opportunity, looking at other cities that were building these tech ecosystem hubs that were great at attracting millennial talent but also these high-paying jobs. Some cities do that to diversify their economy. I think other cities do that to allow their own corporations to be on the leading edge.

One of the leading indicators around whether your city is an innovation hub is startup activity and venture capital investment. Houston over the last 10 years has fallen behind in both startup activity and venture investment. And this was brought to the attention of the Greater Houston Partnership, Mayor Turner and others, and they pulled people together to say: "How have other cities solved this problem?" These best practices of things like seed accelerators, "fund of funds" which invest in venture funds, none of these are new ideas. These are ideas that other cities and states have put to work, and some have perfected. Accenture was brought in to wrap all these ideas together and put their stamp of approval on it, and a lot of us are really excited about that report.

Q: This isn't the first time Houston has tried to nurture tech startups. Why do you think it will work better this time around?

A: I started my entrepreneurial career with a group called the Houston Technology Center, back in 1999, when it was getting off the ground. Then the HTC had a formal report put together by McKinsey, which walked down the pathway of "how do you build a more robust tech ecosystem?" But these were all with what worked back in the '90s.

Well, fast-forward 20 years. Things are a lot different now. So Houston needed newer infrastructure in order to help the entrepreneurs of the future. And a big piece that we're focused on now is, how do you fix these corporate innovation gaps? Ever since the financial crisis, these R&D departments have been shed all across the U.S. And so R&D is very difficult to come by. A lot of corporations in these cities have used these tech ecosystems to help supplement that, and that's what we want to do in Houston.

And it's not just buying from a startup. Some of this is about their own employees. How do they train them in entrepreneurship, outside of sending them to an MBA program, by immersing them in a tech innovation district with other startups so they can begin thinking differently? I think what's been missing over these 10 years is a road map that shows us what we have, but also what we're missing.

Q: The Accenture report recommends a focus on three areas: robotics, the industrial internet of things and cybersecurity. Why those?

A: A lot of times, the internet of things, you think about consumer wearables. But the industrial internet of things talks about all the datapoint coming out of sensors on an industrial plant. Think about all the sensors on a drill site, or at the port, that could be used to get real time analysis to those corporations on how better to run their business.

You could think about the industrial internet of things serving us in the medical complex. Robotics can lend itself in medical devices as well. The one area that the Accenture report underscored is data science. All of our industries are being transformed through data analytics and artificial intelligence. How will data science play a role in moving Houston into the next century?

Q: On that point, were you disappointed to see the University of Texas back off its plan to build a data science center in Houston?

A: I think more education is needed in this city as to the importance of data science. From a strategy office perspective, we are supportive of that and all efforts to bring more data science education to Houston to train the next wave of data scientists. We're gonna need it. Think back to the movie "The Graduate." People were telling their kids to be in plastics, polymer science. People should be telling their kids now "data science."

Q: So explain this "fund of funds" you're putting together.

A: Corporate fund of funds were pioneered in Detroit by the Renaissance VC fund and a gentleman by the name of Chris Rizik. And he came up with a model that essentially said, "Let's have the Fortune 500 companies of Michigan form a fund" because these companies would like to drive these innovation bridges, but they also care about the innovation ecosystem of Michigan. But what is most important is not putting the capital to work but actually having that venture capitalist be active within the community. They'll come in, they'll teach classes, they'll mentor at the local seed accelerators, they'll start helping companies, they'll talk about VC from their area of the country. That then informs others how it's done, and by them being here, getting comfortable, they start putting money to work.

RELATED: In a city where bigger is better, can Houston build a startup scene?

You want smart people who've done this before to come to our community and help guide us along. We don't have enough venture capitalists here to begin with. So how do we import those from the coast to keep things moving? Make sure those venture capitalists are active in Houston, and the big piece is that the corporations that are invested in the fund of funds, the expectation is that they will give innovation liaisons to the VCs for whom the fund of funds invests in. If they know the industry better, they're more apt to invest into digital oil field solutions. We've seen this work really well in Michigan and Ohio.

Q: Why hasn't the Houston Technology Center been able to foster the growth that you're looking for?

A: Where HTC has had the most success has really been finding entrepreneurs who are spinning out of corporations and giving them the tools they need to do a startup. There's been a handful of companies that they've worked with that have gone on to great success. But perhaps the question about HTC is: "Have they been successful in nurturing transformative or disruptive companies?" The innovation ecosystem that we're trying to build is one that really nurtures disruptive technologies for the next generation. Currently, the way you build a startup ecosystem is that you have to build entrepreneurial density. You have to pack them in. Density is almost the No. 1 element of what makes an ecosystem work. Houston is spread out. Our space is our liability. So we have to figure out how to draw them together.

Q: So what does that mean for the HTC?

A: The one thing about an innovation economy is that you can't be selective about who the winners and losers are going to be. You need to make room for all comers. And you need to let the market, the entrepreneurs, decide where they find value and where they don't. For years, Houston has allowed organizations to exist because they exist. When startups are no longer needed because the market says we don't need your product, they go away. Why shouldn't startup development organizations go the same way? And I think what you're seeing in Houston is a transformation from the old to the new.

Q: In this new effort to attract and grow startups, what are the cities to beat?

A: A number of West Coast startups have developed platforms to provide connectivity for data science in the industrial internet of things. Houston is an industrial center. This is an area where we have deep expertise and we should be one of the top innovation centers in the U.S. In Silicon Valley, they're trying to take those models and apply them to the industrial sector, even though they don't understand those markets. So why not create the tech right here?

If you go to Chicago, you'll see a lot of emerging areas in web and mobile and fin tech, with all the commodities trading that goes on in Chicago. If you look at Cincinnati, Procter & Gamble, Kroger, Nielsen, a lot around brand and consumer data, that's an area where they can be successful. These cities have done a great job of carving out their own success stories. A lot of people ask, how can we become the next Silicon Valley? That's not the question. The question is, how can we become the next Cincinnati?
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HALLETTSVILLE - Ronald Ridgeway was "killed" in Vietnam on Feb. 25, 1968.

The 18-year-old Marine Corps private first class fell with a bullet to the shoulder during a savage firefight with the enemy outside Khe Sanh.

Dozens of Marines, from what came to be called "the ghost patrol," perished there.

At first, Ridgeway was listed as missing in action. Back home in Texas, his old school, Sam Houston High, made an announcement over the intercom.

But his mother, Mildred, had a letter from his commanding officer saying there was little hope. And that August, she received a "deeply regret" telegram from the Marines saying he was dead.

On Sept. 10, he was buried in a national cemetery in St. Louis. A tombstone bearing his name and the names of eight others missing from the battle was erected over the grave. His mother went home with a folded American flag.

But as his comrades and family mourned, Ridgeway sat in harsh North Vietnamese prisons for five years, often in solitary confinement, mentally at war with his captors and fighting for a life that was technically over.

Last month, almost 50 years after his supposed demise, Ridgeway, 68, a retired supervisor with Veterans Affairs, sat in his home here and recounted for the first time in detail one of the most remarkable stories of the Vietnam War.

As the United States marks a half-century since the height of the war in 1967 and '68, his "back-from-the-dead" saga is that of a young man's perseverance through combat, imprisonment and abuse.

He was 17 when he signed up with the Marines in 1967. He was 18 when he was captured, 19 when his funeral was held and 23 when he was released from prison in 1973.

"You have to be willing to take it a day at a time," he said. "You have to set in your mind that you're going to survive. You have to believe that they are not going to defeat you, that you're going to win."

B B B

About 9:30 on the morning of Feb. 25, Pfc. Ridgeway's four-man fireteam charged an enemy trench line.

The curving trench seemed empty when they got there. But as Ridgeway and the others made their way along it, suddenly an enemy grenade dropped in.

"We back around the curve," he recalled. "It blows up."

"We throw a couple grenades," he said. "We backed off.  Then we realized the firing (from Marines) behind us had almost died down to nothing."

When they stood up to look around, they saw North Vietnamese soldiers walking through the underbrush toward them. "I guess they thought we were all dead," he said.

"We cut loose on them," he recalled. "They were easy targets."

Ridgeway had been part of a platoon of about 45 men sent out from the besieged Khe Sanh combat base, in what was then northern South Vietnam, to find enemy positions and perhaps to capture a prisoner.

The enemy's noose around the Marine base had been tightening, with heavy mortar and artillery fire, and the patrol was hazardous. Six thousand Americans were surrounded by 20,000 to 40,000 North Vietnamese soldiers.

On that foggy morning, the patrol's leader, 2nd Lt. Donald Jacques, 20, strayed off course and was drawn into a deadly ambush, Jacques's company commander, Capt. Kenneth Pipes, said.

More than two dozen Marines, including Jacques, were killed.

One of the Marines in the trench with Ridgeway, James Bruder, 18, of Allentown, Pa., was cut down as the enemy returned fire, according to author Ray Stubbe's book about Khe Sanh, "Battalion of Kings."

"Stitched him across the chest and killed him," Ridgeway remembered.

The fire team leader, Charles Geller, 20, of East St. Louis, Ill., took a peek, and a bullet creased his forehead, knocking him down.

"Everybody's dead," Geller said, according to Stubbe's book. "Everybody behind us is dead.  What are we going to do?"

They had to retreat. Geller left first, running back across the field where they had charged, followed by Ridgeway.

The son of a Southern Pacific railroad worker, Ridgeway came from a working-class neighborhood of Houston. He had a younger brother.

His parents were divorced. He had left high school and joined the Marines because "I wanted to get away," he recalled.

As he and Geller ran to the rear, they came upon Willie Ruff, 20, of Columbia, S.C., who was lying on his back with a broken arm.

"We were in a hurry," Ridgeway said. "But we stopped. He was wounded."

As Geller knelt beside Ruff, a bullet hit Geller in the face, leaving a terrible wound. Then Ridgeway was struck by a round that went through his shoulder. All three men were now down.

"All we could do was lay there and play dead," he said. "We were in the wide open."

Ridgeway said he drifted in and out of consciousness. When Geller, who was delirious, got to his knees, the enemy threw a grenade, killing him.

Ridgeway said the North Vietnamese then began shooting at Marines who had fallen in front of their trenches. "They're popping the bodies to make sure they're dead," he said.

One bullet hit the dirt near him. A second glanced off his helmet and struck him in the buttock, he said.

"When that hit, it jarred the body," he said. "They figured they got me. Left me for dead and kept working their way down past me."

Ridgeway passed out again. When he woke up, it was dark and American artillery was pounding the area.

Ruff said he had been hit again and begged Ridgeway not to leave him. Ridgeway said he wouldn't. At some point that night, Ruff died.

Ridgeway was awakened the following morning by someone pulling on his arm. He thought at first it was fellow Marines.

But when he looked up, he realized it was a young North Vietnamese soldier trying to pull off his wristwatch.

B B B

After the firefight, the shattered survivors of the patrol made it back to the combat base, and the dead were left on the battlefield.

A rescue mission was deemed unwise by higher-ups, who feared losing even more men and depleting the base's defenses, according to Pipes, who is now retired and lives in California.

In a telephone interview, he said that with binoculars, he could see Marines' bodies strewn on the battlefield. "It was worse than agony," he said. No further patrols outside the combat base were immediately permitted.

"We couldn't go get them," he said. "They laid out there for six weeks."

On March 17, he wrote to Ridgeway's mother: "I am sorry that I can offer no tangible basis for hope concerning Ronald's welfare."

Finally, on April 6, the Marines were able to return to the battlefield, Pipes said.

What was left of the dead was brought back to Khe Sanh's temporary morgue, where Pipes and others went about the grisly task of identifying the dead. "There wasn't much there but bones and shoes and boots  (and) dog tags," he said.

In the end, of the 26 missing and presumed killed in action on Feb. 25, remains of all but nine were positively identified, according to Pipes and Stubbe.

The unassociated body parts were sent home and placed in two caskets that would be buried beneath a large tombstone bearing the nine names of those unaccounted for, Stubbe said.

The day of the funeral at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery was sunny and cool. Ridgeway's mother attended, and there were flags and solemn honors. A newspaper photographer took pictures.

Far away, in North Vietnam, the rainy season was on, and Ridgeway was in his seventh month as a POW.

B B B

As he sat alone in his windowless cell beside a wooden bed and the bucket he used for waste, Ridgeway went about creating a "make-believe" life.

He had no one to talk to, and he was only allowed out once a day to empty the bucket.

So he imagined that he was somewhere else, that he owned a pickup, that he had a wife and children, that he would go fishing.

It was a mental exercise, he said, and he found that spending three days in his make-believe world would take up a whole day in solitary.

Ridgeway said that by then, his captors considered him a "die-hard reactionary" and all Marines "animals."

He hadn't cooperated with his guards. He had lied to interrogators, pretended he was a green kid who had never fired his rifle and gave them bogus military information.

The startled North Vietnamese soldier had locked and loaded his rifle when he realized Ridgeway was alive that morning.

Ridgeway expected to be killed. "You didn't hear about prisoners being taken," he said. But he was bandaged, fed and marched away, through Laos and into North Vietnam.

He spent time in several jungle camps, held in wooden leg stocks, and he eventually wound up in enemy prisons.

He got lice, malaria and dysentery and lost 50 pounds. He wore pink-and-gray-striped POW pajamas and rubber sandals, all of which he brought home with him when he was freed.

He was beaten with bamboo canes and tied up during interrogations.

One interrogator the Americans named "Cheese" - because he seemed to be the big cheese - was especially cruel.

He spoke English and sat up on a high chair as he questioned POWs tied on the floor. When he nodded his head, a guard would strike the prisoner with the bamboo cane.

He had a face like a rat, Ridgeway recalled, and was a "mean  sadistical son of a b----."

Ridgeway said he didn't dwell on the notion that people back home might think he was dead. They would be fine. His job was to survive.

In January 1973, he was in North Vietnam's notorious Hanoi Hilton prison when his captors abruptly announced that the POWs were to be freed as part of a peace agreement before the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam.

When the list of POWs being released became public, Ridgeway's name was on it.

Back in Houston, his mother banged on a neighbor's door and said, "Ronnie's alive!"

B B B

Ridgeway was released March 16, 1973. He came home, got married and went to college.

"I came back in basically one piece," he said. "I came back able to live my life.  We went over with a job to do. We did it to the best of our ability. We were lucky enough to come back."

Several months after his return, he and his wife, Marie, went to Jefferson Barracks to see his tombstone, which was later replaced.

"It brought back memories," he said. "The loss of life of those that I knew. It was a solemn experience."

Carved in the surface were the words "Ambushed Patrol Died in Vietnam Feb. 25, 1968."

Eight names from the top: Ronald L. Ridgeway.
President Donald Trump's trip to Poland and the Group of 20 summit in Germany is yet another reminder that his presidency has the qualities of a three-ring circus, with activity coming from a variety of directions all at the same time and with no easy way in the moment to decide what is most important or credible.

Two events dominated the president's European visit: his eagerly anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday and his tone-setting speech about the future of the West a day earlier in Warsaw. Each rightly drew worldwide attention. Both could prove to be potential foundational moments in the Trump presidency.

But there were other discordant moments that distracted from the big set pieces. They were a reminder of how difficult it is to find consistency or predictability in Trump's presidency. They included the president's public equivocation about Russian interference in the 2016 election and his dissing of U.S. intelligence capabilities during a news conference in Poland, and then a bizarre and inaccurate tweet on Friday morning about John Podesta and Russian hacking hours before Trump was to see Putin.

No recent meeting between world leaders came with such advance hype as the session between Trump and Putin. That's because no relationship has been more fraught for Trump, because of Russia's efforts to meddle in his behalf during the election backdropped by Trump's regular expressions of admiration for Putin.

This was more than an opportunity for Trump and Putin to get acquainted and to take a measure of each other, more than a moment for photo ops and handshakes and other trappings that often signify little. Dangers from North Korea's nuclear pursuits, the war in Syria (where the two agreed to try to enforce a cease-fire in the southwestern part of the country) and the overall fight against the Islamic State demanded serious and presumably frank discussions.

That their meeting lasted far longer than scheduled - at two hours and 15 minutes, it was more than twice as long as planned - was not a surprise. The leaders of the nations with the world's biggest nuclear arsenals and with clear differences about many issues had a potential agenda that could have kept them together hours longer. The lengthy meeting was a constructive sign, given the state of the relationship.

What isn't known is what Trump, who is quick to judge the strengths and weaknesses of people, made of Putin. Did he emerge from their two hours of talks and sparring with a different impression of the Russian leader? Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the two had good chemistry. Trump is susceptible to flattery. Did he leave with a feeling that Putin was more trustworthy or less trustworthy than when he entered the room?

Then, of course, there was the elephant in the room, which was Russia's role in the U.S. election. Pregame speculation questioned whether Trump would even address it face to face. He did, but there were conflicting accounts of what was said on that topic.

Tillerson said Trump had started the meeting by raising the issue of Russian interference and that Putin had offered what is his standard denial that the Russians did anything nefarious during the 2016 campaign.

Just how forcefully Trump pressed the issue - Tillerson said the president brought it up more than once - is so far unknown. There was no immediate indication of any softening of the sanctions imposed by the Obama administration in retaliation to the hacking, which has been a Russian goal. But the readouts suggested that Trump had no appetite for a sustained argument about Russia's behavior.

As he has signaled in other interactions with other world leaders, Trump is transactional and therefore willing to look past such things as human rights abuses and other transgressions that have drawn rebukes from previous U.S. administrations as he pursues other goals. Whether that approach will produce desired results hasn't been given a full test, although it has not prompted the kind of tough action by China toward North Korea that Trump wants.

Tillerson told reporters in Hamburg that neither leader was eager to re-litigate the past, that their differences on Russian meddling were "intractable" and that each was looking for a way to put the relationship between these two adversaries on firmer and more positive footing.

On one key point, the accounts of the meeting were at odds. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Trump had listened to Putin's denial of interference, had accepted those statements and had dismissed the investigation into Russian interference. Tillerson said Putin, despite the denials, had nonetheless agreed to talks about noninterference in U.S. elections.

What Trump said in response to Putin's denial is a critical question, given what he said the day before at a news conference. Asked by reporters on Thursday whether he fully accepted U.S. intelligence findings of Russian interference, Trump again declined to give a clear answer. "I think it could very well have been Russia, but I think it could well have been other countries," he said. Trump added that "a lot of people interfere" and have been for some time. "Nobody really knows for sure," he said.

If that is Trump's true belief, and he has said it often enough over many months to make it seem as though it is what he thinks, then how exactly did he raise the issue directly with Putin, and how forcefully did he press the case when Putin offered his denial? Having raised it with the Russian leader, is that the end of it for the president, at least in terms of what he plans to do either to punish the Russians or aggressively look to prevent a repeat performance in 2018 or 2020?

His true feelings may have come out on Friday morning when he tweeted, "Everyone here is talking about why John Podesta refused to give the DNC server to the FBI and the CIA. Disgraceful!" There are any number of inaccuracies in that tweet, and Podesta, on a road trip with his wife, pointed them out in a response published by The Washington Post. Trump's tweet was a reminder that, on matters related to Russia and the election, the president continues to look for diversions and digressions, raising more questions about what transpired in his meeting with Putin.

Trump's speech in Warsaw drew more positive reviews than his address to NATO when he was in Europe in May. In Poland, he unequivocally reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to Article 5 of the NATO treaty dealing with common defense. In May, he pointedly did not.

His speech was nationalistic in tone, yet different from some in the past. Critics found the speech still too dark in tone. The Economist called it a departure from past administrations, and not that far from the "American carnage" language of his inaugural address, a philosophy that champions closed borders and that does not celebrate pluralistic values.

More positively, the Wall Street Journal said that, in his "affirmative defense of the western tradition," Trump "offered the core of what could become a governing philosophy." The editorial ended with this statement, "It was an important and, we hope, a defining speech - for the Trump presidency and for Donald Trump himself."

That, like the question of what Trump truly thinks about Putin, Russia and the interference in American democracy, is the persistent puzzle about this president. Are speeches like the one he gave in Warsaw genuine expressions of his views or more the assembled consensus of his advisers? Are his views expressed best in readouts by advisers from his private discussions with the likes of Putin, or by what he says during his infrequent news conferences or his more frequent tweets? Answers still to come.
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Laneita Brewer awoke to chaos in her Crosby apartment building early Saturday as residents fled their units, shouting warnings of a fire that had engulfed part of the complex.

She corralled her cat and beat on her neighbor's door, knowing that the disabled man would need assistance evacuating. She helped him to safety and watched as flames consumed the building next to hers at the Crosby Square Apartments, sending plumes of acrid smoke high above the burning roof.

Nine fire departments battled the fast-moving blaze, which killed three people and displaced 85 others in a pre-dawn emergency in northeast Harris County. By mid-morning, the modest building in the 15000 block of FM 2100 had become a smoldering ruin.

Teresa Boykin, a Crosby resident, stopped for gas at the Chevron station across the street just after 6 a.m. Her 20-year-old son noticed the smoke and went inside the convenience store to ask someone to call for help.

"It went so fast: From smoke to fire, just like that," she said. "I was so afraid of people being inside so early in the morning like that."

Flames were already shooting through the roof when Crosby Volunteer Fire Department crews arrived around 6:15 a.m., said Rachel Moreno, a spokeswoman for the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Residents described panic and terror as crews arrived with orders for a complete evacuation of the complex that sent them scrambling to alert neighbors. Jennifer Dominguez and her husband awoke to incessant knocking on the door to their apartment, located in a building untouched by the fire.

"When we got out, the fire was really bad," she said. "The flames were really high, and there was so much smoke."

Most residents fled to Crosby Middle School, but three hadn't been located after the evacuation. Family and friends formed a worried knot outside the complex, waiting for hours for news of their whereabouts.

They cried and embraced upon learning that their bodies had been found inside. The residents, a 14-year-old boy, a 20-year-old woman and a woman in her 30s, had been living in the complex for more than two years, said Angelica Parker, a relative.

The news of their deaths moved other residents to tears as they lingered outside.

Brewer, whose unit was in a second building damaged in the fire, recalled the woman in her 30s as a kind neighbor who had recently gotten married. She lived with her daughter, the 20-year-old woman.

"It's just so tragic," she said. "She was just a happy person all the time."

The apartment complex, managed by a company called Blue Abby, is a cluster of low-rise buildings constructed in the 1980s, according to county records. Blue Abby's website says the units are undergoing "major rehabilitation."

Residents said improvements are long overdue. Several people recalled smaller fires in recent months, as well as other maintenance issues.

Brewer, who has lived in the complex for four years with her two adult daughters, said she has dealt with a leaky roof and a bee infestation that required the removal of two walls. The air conditioning unit caught on fire several months ago, she said, forcing the three woman to evacuate. Christina Smith, owner of Dun-it Freight in Crosby, said Brewer is among five of her employees who have lived at the complex in recent years. The other four have since moved out. One, she said, left after a fire broke out in his apartment as crews did rehabilitation work.

"These apartments need to be condemned," she said.

The manager of the complex, who was at the fire, declined to comment.

The fire was the second in recent months to destroy part of a Crosby apartment complex. Crosby Plaza Apartments, located about 1  miles away, sustained serious damage during a blaze in March.

Crosby ISD is working with the Red Cross to assist residents displaced by Saturday's fire. Donations can be delivered to the Churches United in Caring at 944 Church Street.

Brewer waited for permission from crews to assess the damage to her apartment. She was relieved to learn the flames spared her bedroom, where she keeps several valuables inherited from family members who recently died.

Asked where she would go next, she shook her head and shrugged.

"A lot of us don't know," she said.

Cindy George contributed to this story.
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North Korea is a country in isolation, a place where most citizens don't have access to the Internet or the means to travel abroad. In 2010, the New York Times described the country as a "'hermit kingdom,' so poor that there is almost no supply of concrete, bricks or window glass. People suffer shortages of rice, gasoline and even underwear."

And yet. It's been able to expand its weapons technology at an astounding rate. Earlier this week, it test launched an intercontinental ballistic missile that experts say could have reached Alaska. How has the North been able to make big weaponry advances that experts considered a couple of years away at best?

The answer: North Korea has been developing its nuclear weapon systems expertise for decades. It boasts a cadre of well-trained scientists and engineers and a vast, international financial network that's both supplied the necessary raw materials and funded a billion-dollar weapons development program. And it doesn't hurt that Kim Jung Un has made the nuclear weapons program a top priority, orienting his entire country toward that goal.

"When you have a strategic line, a single-minded focus on nuclear and economic development, and you're able to politically mobilize and entire state infrastructure to that end, it provides a lot of potential momentum," says Scott Snyder, a North Korea expert and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. "That's what Kim Jung Un has done."

North Korea launched its missile development program in 1980. At first, its strategy was to buy old Soviet missiles from third parties such as Egypt and Syria, says John Schilling, a North Korea expert and aerospace engineer who contributes to 38 North, a website devoted to events concerning North Korea. Once the North Korean engineers had the old missiles, they reverse-engineered them so that they could produce their own copies.

The country imported experience too, Schilling says. As the Soviet Union neared collapse, North Korea hired Russian engineers who weren't being paid at home. They brought them to Pyongyang to both work directly on North Korean programs, and to train North Koreans.

North Korea also had relationships with Iran and Pakistan, Schilling says. "Initially, these seem to have been one-way affairs - North Korea sold Iran missiles to use in their war with Iraq, and Pakistan (or at least A.Q. Khan) sold nuclear technology to North Korea," he wrote in an email. "But as all three nations developed their skills, this turned into more of an equal partnership with information and technology flowing between all three nations." (Abdul Qadeer Khan is the founder of Pakistan's uranium-enrichment program and has been accused of aiding the proliferation of nuclear weapons in other countries. )

At first, these efforts led to some trial and a lot of error. Not so anymore. Today, the regime is "much more efficient and effective" at producing weapons in-house, says Ken Gause, a North Korea expert at the Center for Naval Analyses. "They're not making the same mistakes over and over again."

Indeed, Schilling says that they're mostly able to build their rockets in-house. "They do still need to import some specialized parts and components, particularly electronics, but this is done mostly on a black- or grey-market basis," he writes. And it's not hard. "It doesn't need to be done on a large scale, and it doesn't need anyone else's active collaboration, so it would be very difficult to stop," he says.

The country's speedy weapons development in the past few years, Snyder says, can be attributed to Kim Jung Un.

Kim Jung Il, Un's father, initially developed the nuclear weapons program. But it wasn't an overriding priority, Snyder says, and it moved at a "plodding pace." When Un assumed power, Snyder says he "stepped on the gas peddle," making missile development his top priority. That's in part a political calculation - Un was young when he took over the country, and untested. The program was a source of domestic legitimization. It also helped Un counter the perception that North Korea is vulnerable internationally, a weak state surrounded by strong states.

Un sees an ability to strike with nuclear weapons as the key to his legitimacy. All of which makes slowing the program down at this point a nearly impossible aim. "If North Korea wants a nuclear program, North Korea is gonna get one," Gause says. "And we're gonna have to live with it."

Of course, there are still some hurdles the country needs to overcome.

Right now, its strongest warhead can detonate at about 20 kilotons, similar to Nagasaki. Reaching the abilities of an American missile warhead (which yield 100 to 475 kilotons) will require "fundamentally new designs," Schilling says. That's still a couple of years away he predicts.

The country has also so far failed to show that it can fit a nuclear warhead into a missile. But that doesn't bring Schilling much comfort.

"Every nation with North Korea's level of demonstrated expertise in nuclear weapons development has at least been able to fit their low-yield nuclear warheads into missiles," he writes. North Korea has published mock-ups of how they would do it, and Schilling calls them "plausible." He also notes that very few countries have actually demonstrated that their missiles and warheads work together.

Even the United States and Russia have done it only a handful of times. "Mostly, nations test their missiles and warheads separately and trust that they will work when brought together," he wrote. "If the North Koreans felt compelled to put one of their warheads on one of their missiles and fire it tomorrow, odds are it would work."
MOSUL, Iraq - Iraq's prime minister entered the city of Mosul on Sunday to declare victory in the nine-month battle for control of the Islamic State's former stronghold, signaling the near-end of the most grueling campaign against the group to date and dealing a near-fatal blow to the survival of its self-declared caliphate.

On a walk through the city's eastern districts, Haider al-Abadi was thronged by men holding cameraphones as music blared and others danced in the streets.

"The world did not imagine that Iraqis could eliminate Daesh," he said, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. "This is all a result of the sacrifices of the heroic fighters who impressed the world with their courage."

But in a sign of how tenaciously the Islamic State has fought, even as Abadi was touring the town the sound of airstrikes echoed through the skies and smoke rose from the last pocket of territory the militants control, thought to be no more than 200 yards long and 50 yards wide.

The confusion of that moment came as a reminder that even though a complete victory now seems assured, it has come at a tremendous price. On a walk through its oldest quarters on Sunday, the stench of bodies filled the air. Between the rubble and rebar were the arms of a young child, still wrapped in pale pink sleeves.

As he toured the city, Abadi met commanders in west Mosul who led the battle but did not make a formal speech declaring the city free of militants, though one had been expected.

The battle drawing to a close was the toughest yet in the Islamic State war, one that lasted far longer than anticipated. When the offensive was launched last October, U.S. officials were privately predicting a two-month fight, and expressed hope that mass civilian displacement and widespread destruction could be avoided.

Instead, the fight lasted for nine months, longer than the siege of Stalingrad and longer than the final Allied push into Germany in World War ll. It has cost thousands of lives, uprooted hundreds of thousands of people and shattered vast stretches of the city.

And the declaration of victory does not end the war. The Islamic State cannot now roll back the array of forces ranged against it. It is on a path to defeat in the Syrian city of Raqqa, the original capital of the militants' so-called state, where an offensive launched by U.S.-backed Kurdish and Arab forces is making progress. But that battle is still only just getting started.

Over the past three years since the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the existence of a "caliphate" in Mosul, his group has been driven out of 60 percent of the territory it once controlled in both Iraq and Syria, according to the U.S. military.

But that still leaves it in control of an extensive chunk of land spanning the border of the two countries and several other pockets, including key towns such as Hawija, Tal Afar and Qaim in Iraq and most of the entire province of Deir al-Zour in Syria.

As the battle for Mosul has demonstrated, the Islamic State is prepared to fight for every inch it holds, even as the neighborhoods its cadres lived in are destroyed around them. U.S. officials won't put a timeline on how much longer the war will last, but most analysts predict it will continue throughout this year and perhaps much of 2018.

And even after that there is the question of how and when the defeated militants will seek to regroup in the shadows of the ruined cities they have lost, to wage the kind of insurgency that fueled their rise in the decade before their conquests.

"Talk about complete military defeat is one thing. What ISIS devolves into is another discussion. Will they revert back into a terrorist organization?" asked Col. Ryan Dillon, the U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad.

"The loss of Mosul means ISIS is no longer the same, for better or worse. It's no longer the quasi-state that it projected itself to be. But everything achieved against the group is fragile. The ideology is still there, the appeal is still there, and so are the divisions that helped them take power," said Hassan Hassan, a resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.

There is also the question of rebuilding Mosul. Many of the hundreds of thousands of people who fled the fighting to refugee camps nearby will find their homes destroyed. The scale of the misery is vast, and far from being adequately addressed.

Thousands of civilians had poured out of the Islamic State's shrinking redoubt in recent weeks, many of them in tears as they stumbled to safety. Stuck between the militants and the U.S.-led coalition airstrikes propelling the campaign to save them, many said they had spent weeks with barely any food or water. Without medical care, the wounded had died in or under their homes.

Mosul was the largest city to fall to Islamic State control. Three years after the caliphate was declared here at the medieval mosque, that building lies in ruins, after the Islamist militants blew it up as Iraqi forces moved in.

The United Nations predicts that at least $1 billion will be required to rebuild Mosul's basic infrastructure. More extensive reconstruction could cost billions more.

In parts of western Mosul, streets have been leveled. Rubble and twisted rebar are piled high through the alleyways, burying mattresses, flip-flops and other remnants of the lives Islamic State fighters built there. No one here knows how many civilians also remain under the rubble of their homes.

In the final days of the battle, commanders said militants had sent suicide bombers out among fleeing civilians and used children as human shields in the winding alleyways of the Old City.

Standing amid the ruins, Staff Sgt. Rasoul Saeed said the fight had been "incomparable."

"It is the hardest battle we have ever fought. At the end we are bogged down in alleyways, without vehicles, alone against the enemy," he said.

In Mosul's eastern districts, the first to be recaptured from Islamic State , a relative lack of damage has seen life return to some kind of normality. The sidewalks were bustling Sunday night with fast food shops running a roaring trade.

But residents said the legacy of three years of Islamic State rule would be hard to forget. "They tortured me in their prison without mercy because I once served as a police officer," said Karam Abu Taif, his voice wavering on the verge of tears.

"Everyone here has a story now," he said. "I cannot forget. We will not forget."

---

Sly contributed to this report from Beirut.
The president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., acknowledged attending a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer tied to the Kremlin, one of the first confirmed encounters between President Donald Trump's inner circle and a Russian national during the presidential campaign.

In a statement distributed Saturday evening, Trump Jr. confirmed he had participated in a "short introductory meeting," which, per his request, was also attended by Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, and the chair of the Trump campaign, Paul Manafort.

"We primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children that was active and popular with American families years ago and was since ended by the Russian government, but it was not a campaign issue at that time and there was no follow-up," Trump Jr. said in the statement. "I was asked to attend the meeting by an acquaintance, but was not told the name of the person I would be meeting with beforehand."

The meeting was reported Saturday by the New York Times.

Kushner's lawyer said in a statement that the president's son-in-law had disclosed the session previously on his security clearance forms. But the new public report adds to the roster of curious private meetings between Trump allies and Russians during and after the campaign.

The meeting between the Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and the president's inner circle became public the day after President Trump met in Germany with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time. Trump questioned Putin about Russian meddling during the 2016 election; the Russian leader denied any such interference.

Veselnitskaya is well known to advocates of sanctions against Russia, particularly the Magnitsky Act, which prohibits U.S. interaction with Russians alleged to have committed human rights violations. Congress's passage of the law in 2012 angered Putin and led him to retaliate by halting American adoptions of Russian children.

The adoption issue is frequently used as a talking point by opponents of the Magnitsky Act, said William Browder, an American financier who worked in Russia and lobbied for the sanctions, which are named after an auditor Browder employed, Sergei L. Magnitsky. Magnitsky died in a Russian prison under mysterious circumstances in 2009 after exposing a corruption scandal.

The act lists the names of individuals in Russia, including judges and other public officials, effectively blacklisting them from doing business in the United States.

"I can't imagine that she brought up anything during the Trump Tower meeting other than the Magnitsky Act," said Browder, who recalled Veselnitskaya defending her Russian clients against money-laundering allegations made by the U.S. government connected to a tax fraud that Magnitsky uncovered. The case was settled in May.

Veselnitskaya also had a major role in a public-relations campaign to repeal the Magnitsky Act that included a documentary film shown in Washington last year, Browder said.

Veselnitskaya did not return requests for comment from The Washington Post on Saturday.

Veselnitskaya told the New York Times that the participants in the meeting discussed the Magnitsky Act and the adoption issue. "Nothing at all was discussed about the presidential campaign," she said, according to the Times. "I have never acted on behalf of the Russian government and have never discussed any of these matters with any representative of the Russian government."

Manafort's lawyer declined to comment on the Times report.

An attorney for Kushner, Jamie Gorelick, issued a statement emphasizing that the meeting had been disclosed earlier by Kushner.

"As we have previously stated, Mr. Kushner's SF-86 was prematurely submitted and, among other errors, did not list any contacts with foreign government officials. The next day, Mr. Kushner submitted supplemental information stating that he had had 'numerous contacts with foreign officials' about which he would be happy to provide additional information," the statement said. " . . . Mr. Kushner has submitted additional updates and included, out of an abundance of caution, this meeting with a Russian person, which he briefly attended at the request of his brother-in-law, Donald Trump Jr. As Mr. Kushner has consistently stated, he is eager to cooperate and share what he knows."
HAMBURG, Germany - President Donald Trump and other world leaders on Saturday emerged from two days of talks unable to resolve key differences on core issues such as climate change and globalization, slapping an exclamation point on a divisive summit that left other nations fearing for the future of global alliances in the Trump era.

The scale of disharmony was remarkable for the annual Group of 20 meeting of world economic powers, a venue better known for sleepy bromides about easy-to-agree-on issues. Even as negotiators made a good-faith effort to bargain toward consensus, European leaders said that a chasm has opened between the United States and the rest of the world.

"Our world has never been so divided," French President Emmanuel Macron said as the talks broke up. "Centrifugal forces have never been so powerful. Our common goods have never been so threatened."

The divisions were most bitter on climate change, where 19 leaders formed a unified front against Trump. But even in areas of nominal compromise, such as trade, top European leaders said they have little faith that an agreement forged today could hold tomorrow.

Macron said world leaders found common ground on terrorism but were otherwise split on numerous important topics. He also said there were rising concerns about "authoritarian regimes, and even within the Western world, there are real divisions and uncertainties that didn't exist just a few short years ago."

"I will not concede anything in the direction of those who are pushing against multilateralism," Macron said, without directly referring to Trump. "We need better coordination, more coordination. We need those organizations that were created out of the Second World War. Otherwise, we will be moving back toward narrow-minded nationalism."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who hosted the summit in the port city of Hamburg, said there had been some areas of agreement. But she did little to hide her disappointment about U.S. actions on climate change.

"Wherever there is no consensus that can be achieved, disagreement has to be made clear," Merkel said at the end of the summit. "Unfortunately - and I deplore this - the United States of America left the climate agreement."

"I am gratified to note that the other 19 members of the G-20 feel the Paris agreement is irreversible," Merkel said.

Perhaps as a way to emphasize global unity - minus the United States - Macron announced there would be another climate summit in Paris in December to mark the two-year anniversary of the climate accord.

On trade, G-20 leaders agreed to try to address what the White House claims is a global steel glut. Trump officials have threatened to restrict steel imports, risking the start of a global trade war, after it has repeatedly alleged that China subsidizes the industry, which helps it lower prices and put U.S. steel jobs at risk.

The promises to draw up policy changes on steel production were a victory, White House officials said.

But with the U.S. decision to impose steel restrictions still up in the air, Merkel said Saturday's agreements did little to resolve the future.

"The negotiations remain difficult, but we have been able to get satisfactory results in place," Merkel said. "Now, what's going to happen tomorrow or the day after, I cannot make any predictions on."

One official said that Europeans were sharply unsettled by their encounters with Trump - and they recognized that may be the intention of the White House.

"It seems clear that President Trump is committed to being less predictable and not necessarily seeing predictability as positive in foreign policy," said the European official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly assess the White House.

The summit came after Trump softened his opposition to some other multilateral institutions. After challenging the NATO defense alliance, he endorsed its all-for-one, one-for-all principles just ahead of the G-20 summit. And Trump has agreed to abide by the North American Free Trade Agreement, so long as it can be renegotiated.

White House officials also saw the potential to draw a win from the Hamburg summit, even if their expectations were measured. They hoped to explain Trump's priorities and find compromises, even small ones.

Their assessment of the outcome was sharply different from Merkel and Macron's cautious tone.

"It's been a really great success," a senior White House official who was not authorized to speak on the record said Saturday before Trump departed for the United States. "We are going to get some of the priorities of the administration" out of this summit.

White House officials pointed to several minor changes to the G-20's official statement on trade policy, saying it better reflects the Trump administration's point of view.

"We recognise that the benefits of international trade and investment have not been shared widely enough," the G-20 countries said in a joint statement. "We need to better enable our people to seize the opportunities."

Similar language was not in the G-20 agreement in 2016 before Trump's election.

The White House also won a bitter battle over its desire to include language that promoted U.S. fossils fuels in the final statement - wording that European leaders sharply opposed.

Trump also prodded other countries to intensify a review of the overproduction of steel, something Trump alleges has ravaged the U.S. steel industry because it cannot compete with cheaper prices from countries such as China. In response to the White House push, the G-20 agreed to share information about steel production by August and to publish a formal report with recommendations by November. There probably will not be consequences if the deadlines are missed, but it creates a formal process for the White House to amplify its complaints.

Global steel manufacturing has soared, with China accounting for half the world's production, compared with 15 percent in 2000, although the United States imports relatively little from China. Beijing agreed to the new G-20 steel requirements on Saturday.

Although the shifts may constitute short-term victories for Trump, one former senior official with the International Monetary Fund said Washington may have incurred long-term losses.

"It comes at a cost of eroding U.S. leadership," said Eswar Prasad, a senior professor at Cornell University. "If even in calm times such rifts are exposed, it could make it more complicated for the group to work together in more complicated circumstances."

Trump also had the chance to forge one-on-one relationships with leaders as the summit unfolded around him. It included his first face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which stretched more than two hours, and also his first post-election meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Relations between the United States and Mexico have been strained since Trump took office, in part because of the U.S. leader's insistence that Mexico would pay for the creation of a new wall along the U.S. border. When reporters were briefly allowed in the room for their meeting on Friday and he was asked whether he still wanted Mexico to pay for the wall, Trump responded "absolutely."

Pena Nieto did not agree to pay for the construction of the wall during the meeting, and a person briefed on the discussions said Trump did not press the issue during their talks.

There were other signs that Trump enjoyed the visit. At a dinner and reception for world leaders and their spouses Friday night, Trump was among the last to leave. At an event Saturday morning to announce an initiative to fund female entrepreneurship, Trump called Merkel "incredible," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "spectacular," and declared that World Bank President Jim Yong Kim "would be a great appointment."

On Twitter, Trump called the summit a "wonderful success" that was "carried out beautifully" by Merkel. He also said he had "an excellent meeting on trade & North Korea" with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Still, Trump did little to celebrate the G-20's outcome. President Barack Obama typically marked the end of global summits with a news conference, weighing in on issues he and other leaders discussed.

And on Saturday, many other world leaders, including Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, held lengthy briefings with reporters in Hamburg.

Trump had a different plan. When the summit ended, the president and his aides got in their motorcade, went right to the airport and flew back to the United States.

- - -

The Washington Post's Isaac Stanley-Becker and Abby Philip contributed to this report.

- - -

Video: Angela Merkel 'deplores' U.S. decision to leave Paris Climate Accord

German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her strong disapproval of the U.S. decision to leave the Paris Climate Accord at a news conference following the G-20 summit on June 8. (Meg Kelly / The Washington Post)

Short URL: http://wapo.st/2sYVYdy

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I often tell my girls that all you need to succeed in life is duct tape and kindness. After reading a recent commencement speech by Chief Justice John Roberts, I think I'll add bad luck to the list.

The speech, given to his son's ninth-grade class, is getting clicks online not just because the head of the U.S. Supreme Court quotes Bob Dylan and Socrates, but because Roberts offers some unconventional wisdom.

"I hope that you will be treated unfairly, so that you will come to know the value of justice," he says. "I hope that you will suffer betrayal, because that will teach you the importance of loyalty."

Instead of wishing the privileged young men good luck, he wishes them, at least from time to time, bad luck, "so that you will be conscious of the role of chance in life and understand that your success is not completely deserved and that the failure of others is not completely deserved, either."

Only Malcolm Gladwell, author of the 2008 best-seller "Outliers," could say it better.

The point made by Gladwell and Roberts - that success is not merely a product of merit but of circumstance - adds complexity to the American notion that anyone who works hard enough will make it big.

Some do, of course, despite tremendous odds. They're the outliers. But at some point, they had some help.

A couple of weeks ago, I spent several days in New England with two busloads of outliers, high-performing Houston high school students who weren't born into wealth or privilege. They are aiming to attend elite colleges despite coming from mostly minority, low-income families with parents who may not speak English.

I began writing about the program, EMERGE Fellowship, in 2013 when co-founder Rick Cruz was getting the nonprofit off the ground. Cruz, himself a Yale graduate, was teaching elementary math at a Houston public school when he began to realize how many bright, motivated students were missing opportunities to attend college because they had no one to guide them through the applications, testing, or even selecting the right courses years in advance to qualify at top-tier universities. He also realized that elite colleges, unlike some state-funded schools close to home, have the resources to support first-generation students, counsel them through the academic and emotional challenges of college, and vastly increase the likelihood of their graduation.

EMERGE fills the void, and more, even taking students on tours to visit colleges with more prestige and beauty than they could have imagined. The students bring the merit; EMERGE provides the circumstance. And even that circumstance requires some good luck. Of 1,400 applicants, only 270 were selected for the program this past year.

Games and tears

On our trip, students who seldom leave their Houston neighborhoods boarded a plane. Driving through western Massachusetts, they marveled out the bus windows at mountains that rivaled skyscrapers. They balanced sessions with college staff on financial aid and admissions with exercises that helped them bond with peers and chaperones. Those ranged from old-fashioned potato sack races to a soul-baring assignment in which each student drew a "life map" with symbols that defined his or her experiences. Tears flowed as students revealed struggles: pressure to succeed, bouts of homelessness, parents who don't talk. Chaperones - unofficial mentors - offered an ear, and the kind of understanding and encouragement that might be scarce at home.

In sessions with college staff, the questions were overwhelmingly about money - whether the school is "need-aware," for instance, or "need-blind," meaning the college doesn't consider whether you can pay before deciding to let you in. EMERGE targets colleges and universities that meet a certain threshold and many that offer full rides for students whose families earn around $70-80,000.

Some schools we toured cover everything from books to a winter coat- a real one, for a real winter the likes of which Houston has never seen. Other perks seemed almost unbelievable - to the kids, and to me, a graduate of that big state school in Austin. Things such as free music lessons or study-abroad programs whose costs are included in regular tuition and financial aid packages. Yale provides a personal librarian to every freshman. One tiny, picturesque school, Williams College, at the base of a mountain, has a winter study period in which students can take fun classes such as math of Legos or make up their own class, or - as one student did - talk the school into funding a trip to Antarctica so she could study penguins.

Share obstacles

Students dutifully took notes as admissions officials doled out advice and even allowed students to critique real applications and try to figure out which got in. On essays: project your unique voice, energy and even vulnerability in a personal narrative. On SAT scores: they're not everything, sometimes they're even optional, but re-taking the test to improve your score shows commitment. On challenging courses: max out on what your school has to offer, even if it's not that much.

Most importantly, students were encouraged to provide context in their applications, as to the personal obstacles they had overcome in their young lives - everything from caring for siblings to struggling with undocumented immigration status.

Those obstacles, and the grit it took to overcome them, college staff explained, could be a student's ticket in.

The trip was eye-opening for 16-year-old Elizabeth Gonzalez, who said she tends to be shy in groups and was nervous about going so far from home.

"It was a life-changing moment on a personal level and academically," said Gonzalez, an East Early College High School student who kept adjusting glasses that were missing a temple on one side. "You learn that you have a chance."

She wasn't sure where she wanted to go - someplace small, she said, and she was impressed with the all-women school, Smith College. But she no longer felt alone in her quest.

Julissa Alcantar-Martinez, principal at Northside High School, said she has chaperoned several of these college tours so she can learn how to better prepare her students back home, including the ones who didn't make the cut for EMERGE. She's picked up helpful tips: MIT won't even consider applicants if they haven't taken advanced calculus, so she added it to her offerings. She learned about a common application that saves her students money over applying to colleges individually.

She's been told that her students should speak more forcefully and learn how to work a room. She keeps that in mind when she's helping them prepare for interviews.

I ask her why colleges such as Harvard or Yale, which pick from the cream of top performers, would try so hard to lure disadvantaged kids from some of the roughest schools in Houston.

Because one of those kids could discover the cure for cancer, she says. Because the kid whose parents didn't have the money to pay for SAT prep may have been balancing a night job that taught him about hard work, determination and cooperation, skills that can't be learned in a book.

"I think they recognize that we haven't even tapped out on the potential in this country," she said. "The economic divide is huge. If we don't touch some of these kids and offer them opportunity, they're never going to leave their neighborhoods."

And they may never leave the reluctant parents who might not have wanted them to go in the first place. Some, the principal says, even try to dissuade their children from attending college, for many reasons: money, fear, pride.

"There's a lot of that crabbing effect," she says. "If you're going to go, I'm going to pull you back down because you're not better than us. So, we teach kids: don't feel guilty. You've got an opportunity that you've earned. It's time to go."

Struggled academically

Luz DeLeon, a 19-year-old Northside graduate, sat at the base of an auditorium at Skidmore where the walls were hung with golden framed portraits of scholars in academic garb - all older, all white, all male except for one. She told the students how she had been in their place, in the EMERGE program, and had accepted Skidmore's offer without even telling her parents. How she had breezed through high school, but struggled some academically at the elite school.

"You have to realize, other students may have been able to go to a private school, or have a private tutor," DeLeon told them. "Even if you feel like you're not smart enough, not good enough, you're going to be OK."

Well, yes, with a little help.

We can't control luck - good or bad. It is the way we respond that makes all the difference.
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After a week of traveling Texas, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz finally got what he was looking for during an hourlong town hall meeting in Houston: A reprieve from protesters concerned mainly about health care cuts.

The Republican from Houston hosted his town hall about veterans issues with hardly any interruptions from critics who overtook similar events in Austin and, to a lesser extent, Dallas earlier this week.

Just 11 miles away from Cruz' town hall, U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, an El Paso Democrat, was making the case to his supporters why they need to help him defeat Cruz in 2018. More than 200 people jammed the Gorgeous Gael, a pub near Rice University, to hear O'Rourke promise to take on Cruz next year.

Only about 40 protesters lined the streets out front of the Sheraton Brook Hollow Hotel to lob complaints via bullhorns and picket signs about Cruz's positions on the health care reform and veterans issues. In Austin, more than 200 greeted Cruz when he arrived at a similar town hall meeting.

That relative calm came even as U.S. Senate leaders on Saturday were warming up to giving Cruz a chance to present a major amendment to their health care reform plan, according to the Washington Post. Until now, GOP leaders have passed on the Cruz amendment, worried it could make the bill even harder to win support from more moderate Senators.

"I am encouraged by the directions that the conversations are going," Cruz told the Chronicle on Saturday. "We've been working for many months trying to find common ground."

His amendment would let insurance companies offer plans that do not include some benefits mandated by Obamacare, as long as they offer other plans that do. Under President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, insurers were required to provide what were deemed as essential benefits like maternity care, mental health coverage and trips to the emergency room.

Cruz said his plan would do something that any reform bill must accomplish: Lower premiums.

Cruz said his amendment would do that by offering more affordable insurance plans - even if they cover less.

'Gigantic bureaucracy'

While a few critics in Houston did infiltrate the hotel ballroom where Cruz addressed about 100 people organized by a conservative leaning veterans group called Concerned Veterans for America, he mostly went unabated as he described his solutions to fixing the problems with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Cruz called the VA a "gigantic government bureaucracy" that is inefficient and unresponsive.

He used his time to tout reforms that would allow veterans to more easily choose doctors outside of the VA health care system. The VA has a limited program of allowing that now, but Cruz said it is loaded with structural flaws.

"Every veteran should have the right to choose your own doctor," Cruz said. "If you want to go to the VA, you've earned that right, you bled for it. But on the other hand, if you want to go to the local doctor down the street, you should have that choice."

Cruz said a more expanded choice program would force competition onto the VA - much like what happened to the United States Post Office when private carriers started competing more aggressively with them.

"I'm a passionate believer in competition," Cruz said. "Competition improves quality."

Cruz also used the event to tout his own recently introduced legislation to require the VA to hire a chief information technology officer to modernize the VA and to better catch things like bogus wait lists uncovered three years ago.

While Cruz didn't mention Obamacare at all during his presentation, after the meeting he spent nearly 40 minutes in exchanges with supporters and his critics as he walked around the ballroom until he and his staff were the last few people in the room.

'Jacked up premiums'

Houston resident Jan Forney was one of those who confronted Cruz afterward, telling him flatly she was worried about what the Senate health care plan and his amendment would mean to those with pre-existing conditions who now have coverage under Obamacare.

"What I'm seeing is very scary," Forney said. "I'm alarmed."

Cruz held Forney's hand and told her that "Obamacare has jacked up premiums" and made health care unaffordable to too many working-class people. He said his amendment would offer people more affordable options to make sure they get coverage. He said people with pre-existing conditions would get more help to pay premiums under the plan the Senate is working to pass.

O'Rourke said it's bad news if Cruz's amendment gains steam.

"His amendment ends up driving millions of people out of health care or quality health care," O'Rourke said.

He said people would have access to inferior health care plans that doesn't cover everything they might actually need and "that is no solution at all."

O'Rourke is planning his own town hall-like forum on Monday in San Antonio to talk about veterans who are discharged from the military but don't get adequate care because they did not leave the service honorably. O'Rourke said a lot of times, the reasons they were discharged tie back to what they experienced in the service, yet they don't get adequate care after they leave.
Shortly before Thanksgiving 2016, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. James Moriarty was texting with his sisters about a trip he was looking forward to once his deployment was over.

Moriarty, 27, and his sister Rebecca, 34, were planning to go to Bogota, Colombia, to spend the holiday with 31-year-old Melissa Moriarty, their sibling who lived there.

"I was planning to surprise him at their airport with a mariachi band, a joyful and exciting welcome to a beautiful country that I used to call home," Melissa Moriarty wrote.

James Moriarty never made it to the reunion with his sisters. The day after texting with them, he and two other American soldiers were fatally shot outside a Jordanian air base.

Their accused assailant, a Jordanian soldier named Ma'arek Abu Tayeh, is being tried in a military court in Jordan's capital, Amman.

"Jimmy never made it to Colombia to visit me," Melissa Moriarty wrote in a statement that will be entered in the trial. "We would not spend Thanksgiving together. Nor Christmas. Nor this birthday or any birthday or any future birthdays. All plans have been canceled, forever."

Moriarty was raised in Houston and graduated in 2007 from Strake Jesuit. He enlisted in the Army soon after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin.

The sisters' impact statements, obtained by the Houston Chronicle, tell the story of two siblings devoted to their younger brother, who was killed Nov. 4, 2016 along with two other Green Berets: Staff Sgt. Matthew Lewellen, 27, and Staff Sgt. Kevin McEnroe, 30.

The three members of the Army's 5th Special Forces Group from Fort Campbell, Ky., were in Jordan to train Syrian rebels. Abu Tayeh is accused of attacking their convoy at a checkpoint at King Faisal Air Base, located about 145 miles south of Amman.

In her letter to the military judge, Col. Mohammad Afeef, Rebecca Moriarty said the months since her brother's death have been "pure hell."

"I love my brother more than anyone else in this world. He was the most important person in my life," she wrote. "Every day, I fight to even get out of bed but I do it for fear of losing my job if I don't. The stress of the whole situation is almost unbearable."

Handling 'shameful'

Both sisters and their father, Houston attorney James Moriarty, have been critical of the way they believe Jordan has handled the entire incident. At first, Jordan, an important U.S. ally in the battle against ISIS, accused the three Americans of accidentally firing off one of their weapons, causing Abu Tayeh to believe the base was under attack. Only later did Jordan acknowledge that its soldier was solely responsible.

The three Americans "were doing honorable work for your country and to so quickly be betrayed and to have Jordan immediately blame them for the incident without any investigation is shameful. The continued support in Jordan for the murderer is even more offensive," Rebecca Moriarty wrote.

Family saw video

Family members of the three slain Green Berets were able to watch a surveillance video of the shooting. Investigators concluded Abu Tayeh fired about 60 rounds with an M-16 rifle during the attack.

"His murderous actions are deliberate. His actions are aggressive. His actions demonstrate intent to kill for over five minutes during which time my brother waves his arms in the air, shouting in both English and Arabic, 'We are Americans! We are friends!' " wrote Melissa Moriarty, who now lives in Houston.

The family said Staff Sgt. Moriarty spent the last six minutes of his life trying to defuse what he thought was a misunderstanding.

"My brother's last words were 'friend,' " Rebecca Moriarty wrote.

Abu Tayeh has been charged with murder. The military tribunal is scheduled to reconvene on Monday and Rebecca Moriarty will be there. Melissa Moriarty said she and her father will be joining her the following weekend. A verdict is expected later this month.
The must-have accessory for the sartorially inclined legislator during the special session won't be a seersucker suit for the hot Austin summer or custom-made boots from the legendary Rocky Carroll, who passed away last month.

No. The only thing legislators will need is a shiny little button that reads, "Sunset and Sine Die."

Those lapel pins represent a call for sanity during the special session, which begins July 18 and lasts up to 30 days: Approve the must-pass sunset bill and adjourn. Without that sunset bill, important state agencies like Texas Medical Board will be forced to shut down.

Everything else on the governor's agenda is little more than the wish list of campaign consultants desperate for the political equivalent of a sugar rush after a biennial session that failed to pass any truly appealing meat-and-potatoes bills.

The most likely outcome will be an abridged version of the regular six-month version: The Senate passes bad bills and the House blocks them. If Gov. Greg Abbott wants to see some real action after the sunset bill passes, he'll tell the Legislature to save the Battleship Texas from disrepair or address coastal storm surge protection. Or, if the governor is feeling gutsy, he could call for a school finance reform bill.

Instead, we're stuck with 19 issues that run the gamut from banal to bizarre.

There are items to override local voters on everything from tree regulations to permitting processes and municipal spending. There's a property tax proposal that restricts how locally elected governments can raise revenue but, as Chronicle reporter Jeremy Wallace wrote last week, won't actually reduce homeowners' bills. And there's, of course, the once-dead bathroom bill. Abbott has apparently taken a plunger to the Pink Dome commode where Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, flushed the unnecessary statewide regulation on how transgender Texans use the potty.

At this point, Straus looks like the last sane man up in Austin. Texas Democrats are in a coma - Texas Monthly declared their Senate caucus to be little more than furniture under the Pink Dome. Pro-business conservatives, once the most powerful and prominent political creatures in Texas, are now an endangered species. Straus is one of the last survivors. But it wasn't concerns about boycotts or opposition from tech companies that convinced Straus to block the bathroom bill. Straus was moved by his own sheer humanity - a desire to stop the Legislature from bullying the weak.

Before the end of the regular session, Straus was presented with a compromise version of the bathroom bill that he had been assured was legally crafted to merely abridge local nondiscrimination ordinances. As Austin journalist Lawrence Wright describes in his must-read New Yorker article about Texas politics, Straus didn't even glance at the bill.

"I'm not a lawyer, but I am a Texan," he said. "I'm disgusted by all this. Tell the lieutenant governor I don't want the suicide of a single Texan on my hands."

There's a documented pattern of depression and suicide in the transgender community, but no pattern of transgender Texans assaulting folks in restrooms.

We have a state maternal mortality rate on par with developing nations and a failing school finance system that increasingly relies on property taxes. Those issues get little more than a task force or commission during the special session.

But when it comes to the political red meat, no expense is spared hoisting transgender Texans into the spotlight and promising to use government power to halt the menace that has apparently invaded our stalls and urinals.

If you want things to change, then start thinking now about donating to and volunteering for the right candidates in the March 2018 primary and November 2018 election. Look for Texans who believe that government should be run with a heart as big as the Lone Star State. That's the sort of attitude we hope will never go out of style up in Austin.

Until then: Sunset and sine die.
Act of kindness

Regarding "Man won't have to walk to his job anymore" (Page A13, June 29), the story about a random act of kindness was truly inspiring. Thank you for printing this refreshing news. It is a heartwarming story, and we wish 20-year-old Justin Korva a bright future as the recipient of a very good deed by Andy Mitchell and his friends.

Bianca Cunningham, Houston

Enroll Texans first

Regarding "Texas colleges see plunge in foreign applications" (Page A1, Thursday), here is a novel idea to the leaders of our state's colleges and universities: Enroll Texans. It is wrong to turn away Texans -even those not in the top 7 percent or 10 percent of their class - who want to attend our state's public universities for those from out of state and other countries.

Janice Jucker, Houston

Slippery slope

Regarding "A birthday wish for our beloved nation" (Page A15, Monday), Cele Keeper's essay was elegant, poignant, and at the same time bitingly true. Indeed it appears that the bigots, the narrow-minded zealots and the haters have conjured up some sort of ill-gotten belief that they are the truthsayers, that their brands of disrespect, intolerance and indecency are somehow cloaked in the robes of reality.

We as a nation, as a melting pot of people, as human beings had come so far less than 10 years ago. Now in less than 10 months we have begun the slide down that slippery slope, backward toward repression and fear of anyone who may be different.

Do I rail against the self-serving Legislature/administration as the root of many of the problems? You bet. But even more so, I rail against the misguided and uninformed voters who put these men in a position to do such harm.

Mary Quinn, Houston

Troubling parallels

Regarding "NPR's Fourth of July tweet draws angry responses" (Page A11, Thursday), the article states that the long tweeting out of the entire Declaration of Independence by NPR was "met with angry responses from supporters of President Donald Trump who seemed to believe the tweets (which were some of the founders' criticisms of King George III) were a reference to his (Donald Trump's) presidency."

Well, that justifies what I wrote on July 4th, after reading the entire Declaration of Independence in that morning's paper.

It was not just me who saw a large parallel between the Founding Fathers' criticism of King George and what our seated president is doing to our nation. I was shocked by the parallel and apparently not alone in that!

Rusti Stover, Houston

Methane safeguards

Regarding "Methane emissions rules hamper job creation" (Page A17, Wednesday), I'm extremely disappointed that the EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is attempting to roll back methane pollution rules.

The oil and gas industry is the largest industrial source of U.S. methane emissions with rising rates of pollution and, by every scientific measure, there is more methane in our atmosphere now than any other time in history. That's dangerous for human health. The current regulation requires companies to invest in leak-detection technology. That's a common-sense standard to reduce pollution and avoid waste. And as the Environmental Defense Fund's Ben Ratner points out, methane-capturing technologies and leak-detection firms are also creating jobs.

Pruitt denies the central role of greenhouse gas emissions play in climate change. Once again he ignores the mission of the EPA and the concerns of the American people.

Rachel Renier, Houston
Let's ask a simple question: What, exactly, is the U.S. secretary of State supposed to do?

The State Department's website provides a helpful answer: "The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President's chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President's foreign policies through the State Department."

Now let's ask the deeper question: If this is what the State Department's own website thinks America's chief diplomat is supposed to do, then is Rex Tillerson actually the secretary of state? I have my doubts.

This is not a minor issue. Right now the Trump administration is attempting to defuse a mini-crisis in the Persian Gulf, in which Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council is pressuring the country that hosts the largest U.S. military base in the region. There is also the much larger crisis of North Korea test-firing an ICBM and the United States left with no good policy option. And finally, there are the Trump-created crises of the United States retreat from global leadership and the fast erosion of America's standing in the world.

This is a moment when the United States needs the secretary of state to do his job. As the New York Times noted 10 days ago, however, it is far from clear whether Tillerson is acting as President Donald Trump's chief foreign affairs adviser. Their public disagreements over Qatar are just the tip of the iceberg:

"Some in the White House say that the discord in the Qatar dispute is part of a broader struggle over who is in charge of Middle East policy - Mr. Tillerson or Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and a senior adviser - and that the secretary of state has a tin ear about the political realities of the Trump administration. Others say it is merely symptomatic of a dysfunctional State Department that, under Mr. Tillerson's uncertain leadership, does not yet have in place the senior political appointees who make the wheels of diplomacy turn.

"But criticism from Mr. Trump's aides is not Mr. Tillerson's only problem. In recent days, each of his top priorities hit a wall. His effort to enlist China to force North Korea to give up its nuclear and ballistic missile programs has gone nowhere, as the president himself acknowledged last week. The Russians, angry about a congressional move to impose new sanctions, disinvited one of his top diplomats - leaving that crucial relationship at its lowest point since the Cold War.

"And in Congress, where Mr. Tillerson once found members willing to give deference to his efforts to reorganize and shrink the State Department, there is now anger and defiance about the extent of those plans."

More recent analyses have been just as scathing. How has Tillerson wound up in such an untenable position?

Recall what international relations scholar Robert Jervis wrote in March when he described Tillerson as the "weakest secretary of state ever":

"The secretary of state draws his or her power less from the U.S. Constitution or the laws than from five sources: backing from the president, advice and support from his or her department's career officials, admiration from and alliances with other leaders in the government, praise from the press and public, and positive evaluations of his or her competence and power by foreign diplomats. These individuals and groups do not act independently but rather depend on each other and interact to build up or tear down the secretary's power. Perceptions and reality blend as to be seen as powerful or weak, and that can readily become self-fulfilling in the Washington echo chamber."

Let's consider how Tillerson's relationship with these five sources has evolved in recent months:

1. Foreign diplomats. Tillerson has flailed badly. The same Times story notes, "Three foreign ambassadors - one from Asia and two from Europe - said they had taken to contacting the National Security Council because the State Department does not return their calls or does not offer substantive answers when it does."

Similarly, a Southeast Asian ambassador told the Los Angeles Times' Tracy Wilkinson, "There's just no one to talk to at the State Department." Wilkinson's story suggested that key allies preferred dealing with Jared Kushner to Tillerson. Even in the Middle East, presumably an area where Tillerson's network should be pretty good from his ExxonMobil days, Steve Coll, the author of "Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power," told Bloomberg, "This is not yesterday's Saudi Arabia, and Tillerson's relationships with the old guard are inevitably somewhat out of date." It would appear that Tillerson has few allies in the foreign diplomatic corps.

2. The press. If Tillerson has strained ties with his foreign counterparts, his relationship with the press is even worse. He got off to a bad start in this area and communications adviser R.C. Hammond has not helped Tillerson's case with his treatment of reporters. The primary themes of Tillerson press coverage in recent weeks has been that he's too walled off by his inner circle or that he's flip-flopped on a Middle East policy or that he's ignoring State Department experts. Neither Tillerson not his team are doing a good job of spinning.

3. Other foreign policy principals. The one positive angle in the press coverage on Tillerson is that he seems to have forged a good relationship with Secretary of Defense James Mattis. That's not nothing.

On the other hand, Tillerson seems to have lost a lot of credibility in Congress, which is definitely a problem. He also seems to have run afoul of the White House staff, with reports of him losing his temper with two different White House aides. The very fact that those stories ran suggests that the White House staff feels no concern about roasting him in public. I can certainly sympathize with Tillerson's side in these disputes, but the fact that he has created enemies inside the White House undercuts his standing.

4. The State Department. It would be hard to overstate just how badly Tillerson has alienated the professionals in the building. Tillerson's endorsement of severe budget cuts has likely been the biggest problem for him, but hardly the only one. Simply put, the so-called secretary of state has crushed the morale of America's diplomats. Max Bergmann, who served in the department from 2011 until earlier this year, visited Foggy Bottom recently and wrote the following for Politico:

"As I made the rounds and spoke with usually buttoned-up career officials, some who I knew well, some who I didn't, from a cross section of offices covering various regions and functions, no one held back. To a person, I heard that the State Department was in 'chaos,' 'a disaster,' 'terrible,' the leadership 'totally incompetent.' This reflected what I had been hearing the past few months from friends still inside the department, but hearing it in rapid fire made my stomach churn. As I walked through the halls once stalked by diplomatic giants like Dean Acheson and James Baker, the deconstruction was literally visible. Furniture from now-closed offices crowded the hallways. Dropping in on one of my old offices, I expected to see a former colleague - a career senior foreign service officer - but was stunned to find out she had been abruptly forced into retirement and had departed the previous week. This office, once bustling, had just one person present, keeping on the lights."

Meanwhile, Tillerson relied on the consultant firm Insigniam for guidance and feedback into reforming the State Department's bureaucracy. This firm surveyed 35,000 State Department and USAID employees. The Wall Street Journal's Felicia Schwartz has seen the report, and it's not all that pretty for Tillerson:

"State Department employees indicated to Insigniam that they are concerned both about the Trump administration and about Mr. Tillerson's leadership.

" 'People question if these two groups understand the role the Department of State plays in forwarding the interests of the United States in the world,' " the report says.

"One respondent quoted in the report said: 'I am concerned that the dramatic reduction in budget, paired with extended staffing gaps at the most senior level, will result in the loss of not only an exceptionally talented group of people from our ranks, but will hamper our impact to fulfill our mission for decades to come.' "

It is safe to say that Tillerson has alienated most of Foggy Bottom. Which leaves us with ...

5. The president. To be fair, other secretaries of state have kept their distance from the building, from the press, and from foreign governments but went on to be successful. The key to that strategy is fostering a close relationship with the president. And one can see that this has been where Tillerson has put all of his chips. He has adhered to Trump's draconian budget cuts to stay in his good graces. According to Politico, he has met face-to-face with Trump 37 times this year. Clearly, Tillerson thinks that more face-time with Trump will translate into more influence over policy - and, in turn, more perceived influence by external observers.

There is a sound logic to this gambit. The only problem is that the president is Trump, a man so mercurial and inconstant that no amount of face time will keep him on a consistent path. He has therefore contradicted his secretary of state on numerous occasions, such as climate change and Qatar. The White House appears to be thwarting all of Tillerson's staffing choices at Foggy Bottom. The American Conservative's Mark Perry sums up the current state of play after Trump overruled Tillerson on Qatar:

"A close associate of the secretary of state says that Tillerson was not only 'blind-sided by the Trump statement' but 'absolutely enraged that the White House and State Department weren't on the same page.' Tillerson's aides, I was told, were convinced that the true author of Trump's statement was U.A.E. Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba, a close friend of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner. 'Rex put two-and-two together,' his close associate says, 'and concluded that this absolutely vacuous kid was running a second foreign policy out of the White House family quarters. Otaiba weighed in with Jared and Jared weighed in with Trump. What a mess.' The Trump statement was nearly the last straw for Tillerson, this close associate explains: 'Rex is just exhausted. He can't get any of his appointments approved and is running around the world cleaning up after a president whose primary foreign policy adviser is a 36-year-old amateur.' "

The contrast between Tillerson and Mattis here is revealing. The secretary of defense has butted heads with the White House on personnel and policy as well. Nonetheless, Mattis has also been better at playing nice with the press, boosting morale inside the Pentagon, and forging links with other countries. Unsurprisingly, he is viewed as more successful in getting his way on policy matters.

Mattis has been a good secretary of defense in a difficult situation. Furthermore, by the State Department's own definition, Mattis appears to be functioning as the secretary of state as well.

It's nice that Rex Tillerson found a job to transition from CEO of ExxonMobil to retirement. But maybe he should just hand over that job to someone who actually wants it and knows what to do with it.

Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He wrote this commentary for the Washington Post.
WASHINGTON - Many American journalists and others correctly objected to President Trump's lambasting of the U.S. media in his speech Thursday in Poland, noting that his words were damaging to our international status and democracies around the world.

Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, tweeted that Trump "dilutes respect for American democracy & gives license to autocrats to crack down on their own media." Haass also was critical of Trump's denigrating of the U.S. intelligence community.

How dare the president diminish his country's revered institutions (please, hold your laughter until the end) while abroad? Clearly, the man is a bitter, narcissistic autocrat, one would have been justified in thinking.

Then Friday, as the world turned toward the much-anticipated meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump, it seemed the media were, without much self-awareness, committing the same sins for which they'd blasted Trump - basically undermining the president on foreign soil.

There was no mistaking a negative trend among commentators as they imagined what might transpire between the two world leaders. If the media weren't consciously trying to undercut the president's authority while he was overseas, then unconsciously, they were doing a pretty good job.

No wonder Trump voters hate us. It would seem that even his harshest critics could have found ways to highlight his likely success than broadcast to the world the many reasons why he'd probably fail. Karma suggests at least this much. Moreover, it's hard to claim the moral high ground when one is guilty of same. Besides, isn't it written somewhere in The Human Handbook that you can pile on your brother in your own backyard, but not when he's in someone else's. Finally, Trump is the only president we have. When he's traveling abroad as this week to the G-20 summit, his success and failures belong to us as well.

I don't mean to suggest we scribes and pundits should have been a cheering squad. But it's important to fairly consider why journalists are in such disfavor among a majority of Americans. Is Trump's aggressiveness toward the media, to some extent, earned? He's not the first president to dislike the Fourth Estate, but he may be the president most disliked by the media since Richard Nixon.

As it turned out, Trump's meeting went well enough with our principal geopolitical adversary (hat tip: Mitt Romney). No canines were paraded to establish whose dog was "bigger, stronger, faster," as Putin once bragged to President George W. Bush upon presenting his hound in Russia. (Putin had met Bush's Scotty on one of his visits to the U.S.)

Trump did reportedly bring up the hacking of the U.S. election, and the two did discuss Syria. Both topics were the source of much speculation beforehand: If Trump didn't bring up the hacking, then Putin, who admires power, would feel the victor and Trump would be guilty of dereliction of duty. This, more or less, was the overarching consensus. Excepting only those who gather in the Fox News green rooms, Trump was predicted to fail in his first meeting with Putin.

Or, did we in the media hope he would fail? This is a question every journalist must ask him- or herself. Let's be honest: If Trump didn't stand up to Putin - and several scenarios involving a fire hydrant suggest themselves - then critics' early warnings about his dangerous inadequacies would have been confirmed. If he did well, or emerged with some value gained, well, it's a good thing shovels are cheap. Many of us have dug some cavernously deep holes.

Let me be clear: I'm not a fan. But this doesn't mean I don't want Trump to be a successful president. He has given Americans and the world few reasons to admire, respect or trust him. But admittedly, we journalists don't spend much time looking for positives. Some would say, that's not our job. Holding the powerful accountable is our job. While true, our success as a democratic nation requires a balance of contending views.

As wrong as I believe Trump was to air his personal grievances on the world stage, we often are wrong, too.

Some watched Trump's Poland speech and found it tedious and meaningless. Others heard him say: "The fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive. Do we have the confidence in our values to defend them at any cost? I declare today for the world to hear the West will never, ever be broken, our values will prevail, our people will thrive, and our civilization will triumph."

These were powerful, important words, let the record show.

Parker's email address is kathleenparker@washpost.com.
One morning last November while I was in homeroom, there was an announcement over the intercom unlike any I had ever heard before - one of my high school's graduates had just been killed in Jordan. His name: Staff Sgt. James Moriarty, an Army Green Beret serving in Jordan, and a 2007 graduate of Strake Jesuit College Preparatory.

When I heard the news of Sgt. Moriarty's death, I was numb. It was not the first time I had heard about American soldiers dying in the Middle East; thousands of Americans have died there in the past 16 years. But even though I had never met or heard of him before, just a few years ago he had studied in the same classrooms, walked in the same hallways, perhaps had some of the same teachers.

I don't know why, but Sgt. Moriarty's death piqued my interest, so I did some research about his death. I was surprised at what I found, but I was also moved to reflect more deeply on what his death - and the deaths of so many other American soldiers - means to us back here at home.

Sgt. Moriarty and his team, stationed in Jordan, were on their way back from training a group of Syrian rebels when they were stopped in front of their base by a Jordanian soldier, 1st Sgt. Marik al-Tuwayha. Tragically, as news reports have confirmed, al-Tuwayha did not follow proper rules of engagement and opened fire on the American soldiers. Two died quickly, while Sgt. Moriarty returned fire before being gunned down as well. Al-Tuwayha was shot by the fourth American soldier, but survived.

Early reports of the incident suggested that it was an accident; the Jordanian government initially described it as a "tragic misunderstanding." Then it was considered a potential act of terrorism. But an investigation of al-Tuwayha found no links to terrorism. In an abrupt change to the months of defending their soldier, Jordanian officials in April announced al-Tuwayha would be tried in a military court. Hearings on murder charges took place last week, according to a Washington Post report, and are set to continue Monday. Al-Tuwayha has pleaded not guilty.

We may never know with certainty just what precipitated the incident that took the lives of Sgt. Moriarty and his fellow soldiers. But a bigger question looms for us all: Why were they there in the first place?

According to news reports, they were part of a CIA program training Syrian rebels to fight against both the Syrian government and terrorist groups. After several years of training rebels to fight in a conflict that does not affect us, we are still involved there - apparently with no end in sight.

Our involvement in the Syrian civil war has been a puzzling situation. We have poured billions of dollars into funding rebel groups, but some of these rebels have aligned themselves with terror groups the U.S. is trying to defeat. At the same time, the Russians, aligned with the Syrian government, are reportedly attacking the U.S.-backed rebel groups.

The complex entanglement of alliances and factions involved in Syria, and the Middle East in general, makes it too easy for unfortunate incidents to occur, such as the one that took Sgt. Moriarty's life.

And so I ask: Do those who call for continued U.S. military action in the Middle East fully understand the quagmire which we are sinking deeper into? They should see our troops as people, not tools to advance a political agenda. Every American soldier who dies in the Middle East is one more son, daughter, parent or sibling who doesn't return home; one more family with one less person to share memories and spend holidays with; one more headstone standing prematurely in a graveyard among thousands for the same tragic reason.

I believe we need to ask some serious questions about U.S. foreign policy, which has created more instability and less safety in the world:

Why is it that we Americans must spend our blood and our money to police the world?

Why doesn't our government place more emphasis on diplomacy first?

Why do we spend more than a quarter of the federal budget on war?

Why do we have to sacrifice our civil liberties for a foreign policy that does not make us any safer?

The tragic death of my fellow alumnus, Sgt. James Moriarty, is one more example of the growing human cost of the questionable wars we fight. Isn't it time that we start debating why our government continues to involve us in endless war?

Neeley, a 2017 graduate of Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, will attend Trinity University in San Antonio in the fall.
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Last year the Chair of the Youth Justice Board, Charlie Taylor, produced a comprehensive review of the youth justice system in England and Wales with a bank of recommendations for government. The MoJ responded to this review committing to deliver a range of measures which have considerable potential to go on reducing the number of children and young people in the youth justice system and the secure estate.

With Brexit centre stage and the prospect of a leadership challenge in the Conservative Party any time soon the MoJ is in no rush to drive these initiatives forward. It should. These are three of the policies the government has pledged to deliver which could have the biggest impact on the youth justice system:

Continuing to support local approaches to keep young people out of custody

The government has promised to continue to ring-fence grants for the provision of youth justice within local authority funding and go on supporting Youth Offending Teams across the country. The government also recognise the importance of giving local authorities more autonomy and flexibility to go on constructing their own approaches to individual lives and circumstances.

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Earlier this week David Lammy, Labour MP for Tottenham, who is currently chairing an independent review of the treatment of, and outcomes for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals in the criminal justice system, spoke about the importance of bringing justice closer to communities. Lammy suggests that elders and members of the community should take an active part in hearings and in determining appropriate sentences for children who break the law. Under Lammy's recommendations the responsibility, and accountability if things go wrong, is shared with the community to which the child belongs, and to which he or she will return. Lammy noted that Highbury Magistrates' Court is a "long, long way" from the Broadwater Farm Estate in his constituency. "Why is it we're not doing justice on the Broadwater Farm Estate?" he asked.

Looking ahead the government may well seek to change the nature of referral orders and do more to champion successful Community Court programmes especially in light of the publication of Lammy's review in September. For example the "Peer Court", which involves young volunteers aged 14 to 25 holding their peers to account in a formal hearing when they have broken the law for the first time. This programme uses restorative principals; looking for ways for victims and offenders to positively move on from crime and places that restoration firmly in the local community. This was first piloted in Hampshire, implemented by PC Mark Walsh through the support of the Police and Crime Commissioner at the time, Simon Hayes, and has been a terrific success, cutting out offending behaviour before things escalate. It has achieved a 97% offender attendance and engagement rate, which is very impressive and the current re-offending rate is very low.

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Better education within the secure estate

Currently, amongst the young people that we're sending into secure institutions, two thirds are not engaged in any sort of education when they arrive often having been out of school for long periods of time through truancy or following exclusion. Only 1% of young people sentenced to less than 12 months achieved 5 or more GCSEs (or equivalents) graded A*-C including English and Maths. That's why, key to the transformation that the government want to see in the youth justice system, is education.

The government's decision to pilot two secure schools in the north and the south of the country should be embraced. Through this scheme the government will work closely with the Department for Education to ensure that these are run, governed and inspected as schools, drawing on the expertise and experience of successful alternative provision schools. These new secure schools will give greater freedoms to their head teachers to recruit staff and commission services.

The closure of many institutions within the last ten years and the restructuring of the secure estate has meant some young offenders end up in custody a long way from home with Youth Offending Teams operating from a distance; young people end up isolated from their family with fewer family visits. The government's vision for secure schools recognises the need to address this. Further down the line the government may well look to ensure that young offender institutions and secure training centres are replaced by these establishments, situated in the regions in which they serve, and focused on developing crucial life skills and opportunities for young people.

Providing the skills and training necessary for resettlement after custody

The government state in its response to Charlie Taylor's review that it is committed to developing a new Youth Custody Apprenticeship Pathway that will begin in custody and ensure that all children and young people are in education, training or employment on release.

Currently over two thirds of young offenders released from secure institutions reoffend within a year of release and numbers continue to rise. Supporting and providing young people with training, employment and education before and on release and measuring the number of young people who go on to secure full-time jobs is therefore imperative.

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The secure estate is severely understaffed and stretched but with the government's pledge of 20% more staff on the front line in Young Offender Institutions, the promise of a dedicated officer for every young child and the appointment of Youth Justice Officers throughout the estate there is clearly space to improve in the training and advise given to young people in the system.

There are many exciting initiatives taking place which the government can do more to promote and roll out. For example, Leeds Rhinos Rugby Club runs sessions for the boys from Weatherby Young Offender Institution each week and the institution is also training boys as army cadets. This is increasing confidence and self-esteem and building vital skills for the future.
MOHAMAD ABAZEED via Getty Images

American democracy is broken and drone strikes are the symptom; so said a Bush appointed US Federal Judge last week.

She was handing down judgment in a case brought by Faisal bin Ali Jaber, a Yemeni environmental engineer who lost his brother-in-law and his nephew in a 2012 US drone strike. Faisal's relatives, Salem bin Ali Jaber and Waleed bin Ali Jaber, were back in their native village of Khashamir for a wedding. Salem was an anti Al-Qaeda imam while Waleed was a police officer. In August 2012, after Salem had preached against Al-Qaeda, three men came to Khashamir, asking to speak to him. Concerned these men were militants, Salem asked Waleed to accompany him to the meeting. As the five of them sat down outside the local mosque, a US drone launched a barrage of Hellfire missiles, killing them all.

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Faisal does not want money from this case. Yemeni authorities already handed him a plastic bag full of unmarked American greenbacks. At first he refused the offer. He did not want a shady pay-off. He later accepted after elders in his village explained the victims' families were badly struggling.

He does want justice: an apology and a finding that the strike was unlawful. Last week, US judges said they could not grant his simple request. Yet, in doing so, one of them, Judge Brown, uttered some of the most stinging criticism of the US drone programme to date. Judge Brown called drone strikes an "outsized power" while questioning who still stands to keep them in "check". She does not think Congress is up to the task, calling their oversight a "joke -- and a bad one at that". She exhorts Congress and the Government to establish "a clear policy for drone strikes and precise avenues for accountability." Reading through the lines, the judgment is best summarised as follows: "This is an outrage, but the law binds me."

Judge Brown's critique has global reach. In Britain, there is mounting evidence of UK involvement in US assassinations. A former CIA official said that the UK takes part in preparing "target packages", "hits" and sits in a joint operations room with the US in Yemen. The Intercept reported that RAF Menwith Hill, a base in Yorkshire staffed by 600 British personnel serves as the eyes and ears of the programme.

By warning of diplomatic Armageddon, the UK Government has-so far--persuaded our courts that they have no business in scrutinising how the UK helps the US assassinate people around the world.

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Yet Judge Brown's powerful rebuke to the assassination game, surely blows this argument out of the water. Invoking "civilizational peril" and lamenting the consequences for American credibility around the globe she concludes "It is up to others to take it from here". British judges and lawmakers should now feel emboldened to take the UK Government to task over its complicity in the drone programme. Accountability and transparency are needed now more than ever.

The new US President, Donald Trump, has drastically increased drone strikes. Trump's failed adventures in Yemen have led to the death of children and even a US Navy SEAL. With the stroke of a pen, Trump has discarded Obama's much vaunted safeguards, highlighting the dangers of unchecked lethal powers in the hands of the few. The programme was never a sound way to combat terrorism in the hands of Obama. In Trump's hands, it's a disaster.

The strike that killed Faisal's relatives is a prime example of how counterproductive the drone programme is. It is killing the people America needs to support in order to defeat extremism. This struggle will not be won by killing all those we deem threats. When we make mistakes, no matter how small in number, others step into the breach. In Yemen, the number of Al Qaeda members tripled between 2009 and 2012, at the height of Obama's covert drone campaign. Our efforts against terrorism will only succeed if we stay true to our principles, including the rule of law and democracy.
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, said he'd like to see Massachusetts enact a single payer system first, and then the federal government can replicate it later.

Neal Talks Health Care In Recent Berkshire Visit



Neal spent time discussing various issues, though health care was the top, with reporters after announcing a grant for Fairview Hospital on Thursday. GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.  A single payer health care policy has been picking up steam and support among Democrats locally and nationally.

It had been a key part of Bernie Sander's presidential platform. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth recently called for such a program to be considered. And Massachusetts state legislatures have put forth a bill to study on moving to one.

But U.S. Rep. Richard Neal is somewhat more reserved about bringing such a program to the federal level. He says he'd like to see Massachusetts enact single payer first, and then the federal government can replicate it.

"I think when you reorganize 20 percent of the national economy, you need to do it on a fact-based initiative," Neal said on Thursday.

Neal didn't reject single payer, but rather said he'd like for state leadership to implement it first. That's the same path forward as what happened with the Affordable Care Act. Massachusetts created a model of universal care first, and then the national lawmakers could review and learn lessons from that when crafting their own.

"The ACA was modeled on what we did in Massachusetts. Let's see if we can emulate the same here," Neal said.

What Neal is more focused on right now is protecting Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act. Neal says hospitals in Massachusetts are dependent on that revenue and he doesn't want to see those programs gutted.

"These hospitals are heavily dependent on Medicare and Medicaid. The rule of thumb is about two-thirds [of revenue from those two programs]. If you go to Mercy in Springfield and Holyoke Hospital, those numbers are north of 80 percent," Neal said.

The Affordable Care Act is particularly under threat as Republican leaders and President Donald Trump have called for the repeal. Republican leaders had put forth plans to repeal and replace the ACA, but struggled to find support. More recently there have been calls for repealing it and then working on a replacement program later.

"I hope that they don't come back and say we're going to repeal and then wait until after the next election cycle to tell us what's going to happen after the election. That will satisfy a political issue but I'm not sure that it satisfies the policy side of the issue," Neal said.

Neal says repealing the ACA will mean 23 million people will lose insurance. He says that while the ACA isn't perfect, it can be fixed.

"You cannot deny today that 23 million more Americans have health insurance than before the Affordable Care Act. But you can't put your head in the sand either and say there haven't been some problems with it. The problems, overwhelmingly, have been in the single-market space. The individual who purchases private health insurance. It is about 8 percent of overall expenditure but is about 100 percent of the bad stories," Neal said.

"If we were in a more reliable and stable political system, we would have gone back and repaired these things."

Neal says the bickering in Washington over the health care system is getting in the way of progress on other issues.

"Before you go forward with health care before you go forward with tax reform, you need a budget. It is just kind of interesting that if you heard for years with the Obama presidency we couldn't pass a budget, well, they can't pass a budget now. It is an example of how strident political debate has become across the nation," Neal said.

"I think there are more crusaders in public life than there are legislators. I think there are more people who are very good at the microphone. And I think there are some of us very interested in policy, who have spent decades doing this. I think you always look for a modicum of where you can find common ground and if we were to lower our voices, for example on health care, we could find a path forward."

All of the debate over health insurance policy is causing harm to the industry, he said, because insurance companies and hospitals are stuck wondering what will happen on the federal level, and how it will impact them.

"You can't plan if you don't know what is going to be there. One of the things they've done is provide uncertainty to insurance markets everywhere. It is causing the private insurance groups to back off a bit because they don't know how to plan. Hospitals don't know how to plan for reimbursement schedules. On one hand, they are saying they are going to repeal but without saying what they are going to replace it with, causes great uncertainty," Neal said.

Neal's statements on health care were delivered to reporters on Thursday after the congressman announced a $100,000 grant to help Fairview Hospital develop a more robust service network with community partners. Neal said there are provisions in the ACA which help protect rural hospitals like Fairview, which is more reason he opposes Republican plans to repeal the act.

He said rural hospitals across the country are struggling. The county has already lost one hospital in the former North Adams Regional. Since then Berkshire Medical Center has taken over the property and restored some, by not all, of the services. Neal said he'd be supportive of efforts to restore a full-service hospital there, but "it is a big lift."

"If you didn't have a star in the health care galaxy in Berkshire Medical Center, you may have ended up with nothing there. I think that Berkshire Medical was able to put together what they have is a good start. Many of the problems they had at the hospital in North Adams were well advanced when I became the U.S. Rep for that area. I recall visiting and you could see by the testimony that there was a series of structural differences and I think as time goes on, I'm certainly more than willing to try for a full-service hospital," Neal said.

"But, I must tell you, it is a big lift. Today there are not many hospitals across the country, if any, that say they will reopen after they have closed their doors."
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren received a standing ovation from crowd. BCC President Ellen Kennedy welcomes the community and addressed the importance of higher education. State Reps. Tricia Farley-Bouvier and Paul Mark reflect on the loss of their colleague, Gailanne Cariddi. Mayor Linda Tyer spoke to FDR's Four Freedoms in her introduction of Warren. Warren spoke to a number of issues, saying the focus for congressional Democrats right now is health care. State Sen. Adam Hinds called out numbers that were on cards handed out to participants to ask their questions. Warren paced the stage as she answered questions from the audience. There was a long line to enter the college. Mayor Linda Tyer with Warren. The senator was mobbed by press following the event. The line to have pictures taken with the senator. PreviousNext

Health Care Dominates Warren's Town Hall in Pittsfield



Warren was greeted with cheers at Saturday's packed town hall meeting at BCC. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The most pressing issue before U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren right now is the proposed federal health care bill.

And that's what she spent most of her time discussing with more than 800 people who attended her town hall at Berkshire Community College on Saturday.

The Democrat has been holding town hall meetings throughout the state, using most of the time to answer questions posed by the audience. She opened with remarks about the health care bill, and fielded numerous questions related to it.

"I think health care shows us what is going on in Washington right now and what is going on in this country right now. The Republicans have on the table a plan and they describe it as a health care plan. I actually want to be blunt about it. It is not a health care plan. It is a tax cut," Warren said. "The heart and soul of what their bill entails is tax cuts, not for most of us but tax cuts for a handful of millionaires and billionaires."

Warren expects to be back in Washington in "another 48 hours" to debate health care. She rejects the Republican bill that would repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a new plan. Warren said the plan would cut costs for the wealthy, paid for by the middle class. Those with disabilities, people over the age of 50, and people with pre-existing conditions would carry the cost burden, she said.

"This is us. These are our neighbors. These are our families. And the proposal from the Republicans is just cut, just break the back of the program. Cut, cut, cut, and why? Because it is too generous? No. Because it is not working? No. But cut because that is the only way they can produce tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires," Warren said. "If this isn't a moment to stand up and fight back, then I don't know when it comes."

She particularly defended Medicare and Medicaid, and called for expansion of those programs. Warren said two-thirds of people in nursing homes, people with disabilities, and people with children with complex medical needs all rely on Medicaid.

"We need to talk about how to expand access. Medicare has worked so well for people over 65 and I think our conversation should be how to expand Medicare for more and more Americans. Ultimately, as Democrats, we believe that health care is a human right and our job in Washington should be to figure out how to expand coverage and drive down costs," Warren said.

Warren said the Affordable Care Act "wasn't perfect" but can be fixed. She filed bills with Vermont's U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders to import prescription drugs from Canada and a bill to get Medicaid to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to drive down the costs.

"What we are looking for on our side is more coverage at a lower cost. We have got to get the cost down. We've got to get it down for families. We've got to get it down for the government. We need to bring down the cost of health care," Warren said.

Warren said she isn't alone in rejecting the Republican plan. She said people throughout the country have looked at what the bill actually means, the number of people who would lose insurance, what will happen to the cost of plans, and what will happen to people with pre-existing conditions, and have opposed it. She said it is the only bill since 2008 that is more unpopular across the country than the bank bailout.

"It is not just unpopular in places like Massachusetts, where we made a commitment in 2006 saying we really believe in trying to get everyone covered and we understand the urgency of starting to bring down the costs. It is not just in California or Oregon where it is unpopular. The best analysis shows that repeal of the Affordable Care Act and replace it with the Republican bill is under water, more people dislike it than like it, in all 50 states and the District of Columbia," Warren said.

One woman from the audience asked what she could do to help. Warren told the crowd to get involved with political groups and organize behind issues, where voices can be heard louder. Secondly, she told people to talk about it to everyone they know, particularly those who live in states with Republican senators.

"We need to defend the Affordable Care Act and that's what we are doing in Washington right now. We need to defend health care for millions of Americans. We need to defend access to Medicaid and private insurance to keep costs down, that's part one. Part two is we need to make our current health care system better. We need to do that by reducing costs," Warren said.

But health care wasn't the only topic discussed during the hour and a half session. A young man told the senator that he was worried about going to college because of the costs and student debt. Warren said she's filed a bill to refinance student loans to lower interest costs. She said she wants to rework the system so that the federal government isn't profiting off student loans.

"Seventy percent of young people who graduate from state universities have to borrow money to get through. The federal government is making a profit off the backs of our students," Warren said. "After you count the bad debts, the administrative costs, we're on target right now to make tens of billions of dollars in profit from young people who have to borrow money to go to school. That is morally reprehensible."

The debt burdens that students are taking on are having consequences on the economy, she said. She said more and more younger Americans are not purchasing homes or newer vehicles because of their debt.

Another man asked about the United State's stance on Syria. Warren said there needs to be a more in-depth plan for what to do after driving ISIS out and there needs to be a broader conversation about what tools are available other than military force.

"The United States needs a cohesive strategy," she said.

Another asked about the allegations that Russia launched a cyber attack to influence the outcome of the election. Warren said right now officials are in the process of collecting all of the facts, but those in the intelligence community are "quite confident" that the Russians did so. President Donald Trump is making statements to move on from it, she said, but it is a "direct danger to the United States" that another country could do that and wants there to be consequences for doing so.

She handled an array of issues from a welcoming crowd. So many people showed up that college officials had to turn people away after filling not only the Boland Theater but also an overflow room. Warren was greeted by cheers and eruptions of support throughout the event.

She got a roaring cheer when she said she's planning to run for re-election in 2018.

State Reps. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, D-Pittsfield, and Paul Mark, D-Peru, opened the event with recollections of state Rep. Gailanne Cariddi, who died last month. They told stories of interactions they had with her and mourned her death. Mayor Linda Tyer followed the pair to introduce the senator, rallying the audience, and specifically citing the "Four Freedoms," as outlined by Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

"Sen. Warren is on our side and today is our chance to show her we are with her," Tyer said, which led to loud cheers throughout the auditorium.

State Sen. Adam Hinds moderated the question-and-answer session, though little moderation was needed. Those who wanted to speak were given numbers and Hinds pulled from a hat to determine who got to speak and when.

Afterward, the senator stayed to have her picture taken with a long line of supporters.


Julia Bowen, center, flanked by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Mayor Richard Alcombright on Saturday after receiving a certificate of recognition from the senator. Her husband, Brad Svrluga, is at left. ADAMS, Mass.  It's not every educational leader who gets a bridge, or two, named after them. But that's exactly how Julia Bowen will be remembered.

Bowen shepherded the Berkshire Arts and Technology Public Charter School over the past 14 years, bridging its beginnings as a three-grade school in rented rooms to a middle and high school in its own renovated and expanded building.

Her legacy as executive director at BArT was cemented in the school on Friday when co-founder Charlie Toomajian made a guest appearance to unveil the newly dedicated "Julia Bowen Bridge," a connecting span located on the upper level of the school.

Toomajian, who made the trek from South Dakota for the celebration, said BArT's beginnings were not always the easiest and the school met opposition and even legal action from North Adams.

He said Bowen lead the school valiantly the entire time.

"We went through some tough times and through the whole thing Julia was right there and the bridge is a good idea because she was a bridge from that to what we see now," he said. "She was in charge of everything  and we want to congratulate you on the absolutely wonderful job that you have done."

Pam Johnson, another school founder, presented a similarly named scholarship in Bowen's name, the Julia Bowen Bridge to College Scholarship, that is funded at $50,000.

Bowen announced in October of last year that she would leave the school to explore new career options. She was honored Friday evening by old friends, colleagues and community leaders who noted her accomplishments. However, Bowen thanked the BArT community, which she said was just as integral to the school's success.

"If there is one thing I learned from this job it is that anything is possible if the right team is in place and that team right here in this room tonight," Bowen said. "You are the ones who have been here for BArT and members of our community in in some form or fashion over time and you are who I want to toast."

"We know what we have worked so hard on here for so long but we also know our students continue to struggle," Bowen said. "This is precisely what is needed and I am so grateful everyone shares that vision."

Former executive director of the Massachusetts Charter School Association Marc Kenen spoke and said Bowen created one of the best charter schools in the commonwealth.

"BArT is an amazing example of what a charter school can be and that is all thanks to Julia's leadership, her strength, her commitment, and passion," he said. " She created this amazing public school option  and the best part of my job is to see schools like this grow."

North Adams Mayor Richard Alcombright noted that the relationship between BArT and the city may not always have been the best but the school has become a great educational option for local children.

"As a former member of the McCann School Committee and as the chairman of the North Adams Public School Committee, I am a staunch supporter of educational venues that give children choices," he said. "Our kids need every opportunity they can get to help them succeed."

Alcombright also read citations from state Sen. Adam Hinds' office and from the late state Rep. Gailanne Cariddi's office. He said he believes it was one of her last acts.

"What is so fascinating about this is about two weeks before Gail passed I asked her to do this citation," he said. "The Monday after she passed ... her aide came in and gave this to me, so I have to think this is one of the last official acts Gail did."

Former Gov. Jane Swift also praised Bowen and read a citation from Gov. Charlie Baker's office.

Bowen's husband, Brad Svrluga, also read a message from former Gov. Mitt Romney, who vetoed a bill that would have placed a moratorium on charter schools in 2004  and ended BArT before it began.

"It is what state government is supposed to do: lay a solid policy foundation and eliminate obstacles to empower community leaders with big ideas to thrive and succeed," he read. "The extraordinary part of the equation is you and your commitment and passion ... which has resulted in a remarkable institution that has touched so many students."

Svrluga also read a letter from former Gov. Deval Patrick.

"You took the BArT community to exemplary heights," Svrluga read. "Well done. Leadership isn't easy but when it is done with ambition, compassion and a spirit of service it makes a lasting difference. I am proud to know you."

Bowen was also surprised on Saturday by a certificate of recognition from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who gave her a hug at her town hall meeting.

Last to speak on Friday was BArT co-founder Bo Peabody who said the fear and challenges the school faced throughout the years only made it stronger.

"All entrepreneurial success ... come down to one thing: it is a delicate dance of between courage and fear and a lot of people celebrate with courage but we forget fear," he said. "The fear plays a huge role. The fear is what creates the opportunity in the first place. It creates the vacuum and the need."

"It also builds the strength and is why BArT is a success and strong enough to lose Julia  otherwise it may not have been as strong. So let's raise a glass to fear its important but of course, the real thanks goes to the courage."
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Ahead of their Twickenham Stadium gigs this weekend, U2 reached out to London's firefighters, many of whom risked their lives and gave everything to combat the Grenfell Tower blaze.

The NME reports approximately 50 firefighters and their guests were invited to a private performance as part of the band's soundchecks and rehearsals on Saturday, with a chance to meet the band backstage afterward.

The performance featured a truncated version of their full stage show, as the band played the following hits: 'The Little Things That Give You Away', 'Where The Streets Have No Name', 'California (There Is No End To Love)' (snippet), 'I Still Havent Found What Im Looking For', 'Red Hill Mining Town', 'Miss Sarajevo', 'Beautiful Day', 'Starman' (snippet), 'Mysterious Ways', and 'Vertigo'.

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Apart from the length, the rehearsal show played out pretty much like the full affair, with a guest named Louise even being invited onstage to dance with Bono.

Professional cameras were not allowed into the rehearsal performance, though attendees captured much of the excitement on their phones.



The gigs are part of U2's Joshua Tree World Tour, celebrating 30 years since the release of the band's fifth studio album, with this leg of the tour seeing support from Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.
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Tributes have poured in for the acrobat who plunged to his death in front of thousands at a Spanish rock festival.

UK-based Pedro Aunion Monroy was described by his friend as a beautiful person inside and out whose energy, humour, altruism and smile will be missed by so many.

The 42-year-old had been performing at Mad Cool Festival in Madrid when he fell from a height of around 100 feet. The Spaniard, who appeared to be wearing a harness, was inside a box hanging from a crane.

Paramedics attempted to save the aerial dancer, but he died at the scene.

His family said they were devastated, adding that Mr Monroy had been doing what he liked most, a show at Mad Cool.

Heartbroken friends and fans took to social media to pay tribute to the acrobat they described as a funny, handsome and talented friend and sent their condolences to his family and boyfriend.

Friends from Buenos Aires, in Argentina, wrote on his Facebook page: In your passage through Buenos Aires, we had the privilege to meet you; we learned to love you for your sensitivity, tenderness, kindness humour and optimism. We are very sad for uou departure, we are going to miss you so much. We will always take you in our hearts and thinking."

Chris Rogerson, from Brighton, also wrote: "Such a lovely soul, we trained together in rugby last year and I remember him sliding round in the mud as he wouldn't wear studded boots! From the moment you first met Pedro he was such a warm and kind hearted person. Thoughts are with his family and friends."

Sergio Cittadino added: "Whoever met you knows well what an exceptional soul you were  thoughtful, kind and immensely generous. You will be missed Pedro  your selflessly giving out warmth and light through your beautiful, open, honest smile is what I want to remember you for. I feel honoured to have met you. Rip, my gorgeous friend."

According to his Facebook profile, the former actor trained at the the Royal Conservatory of Dance in Madrid and had lived in Brighton for at least two years.

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In a final tragic post on Thursday, the performer, from Madrid, uploaded an illustration showing him and his partner with the message: "I can't wait to see my beautiful boyfriend.

"Love, come to my arms!!!!!"

Mr Monroy, who also worked as a massage therapist at the Grand Hotel Brighton, was director of In Fact, a theatre company in south London.

His performance was scheduled in a half-hour slot between British indie band Alt J and the US punk rock band Green Day, who were due on stage at 11.25pm.

Witnesses described the chilling sight of the acrobat plummeting to the floor, while pictures posted on social media showed paramedics fighting to save him.

Despite the incident, Green Day's performance went ahead as planned spectators and fans took to social media to slam the decision of the festival organisers as "shameful".

Esther Ortega tweeted: "His name was Pedro Aunion Monroy. He was a beautiful dancer, choreographer and friend. He lost his life and you go on playing. Shame on you."

Steve Antony said: "My thoughts go out to Pedro Aunion Monro's boyfriend and family. Shame on you @madcooldestival for carrying on the show."

Adrian Randle, an actor from Birmingham, tweeted: "Did I just see someone die?" He added later: "I couldn't in good faith stay to watch Green Day perform after that. Thoughts go out to the family of the performer."

In a statement the California band later indicated they had been unaware of the severity of the incident.

"We just got off stage at Mad Cool Festival to some disturbing news," it said.

"A very brave artist named Pedro lost his life here tonight in a tragic accident. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends."

Organisers of the Mad Cool festival defended their decision to carry on with the first performance, citing "mandatory" security measures.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. 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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

A statement said: "In this situation it was officially deemed unsafe to have a large mass of people moving all at once, with the possibility of violent reactions, due to a sudden cancellation of an event of 45,000 people."

They said the three-day event would go on as scheduled to "pay tribute to all the artists that work everyday showing their talent in front of admiring and appreciative audiences".

"Pedro was a person totally committed to art, he deserves all our respect and admiration and we strive to ensure this," the statement added.

A later performance by British band Slowdive was cancelled.

Additional reporting by agencies.
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Lyricist Tim Rice and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber have protested against a lyric change to their musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which premiered in 1970.

A group of schools in New Zealand had altered a line in the song Close Every Door, sung by Joseph behind prison bars, from the original: Children of Israel are never alone ... for we have been promised a land of our own. The lyrics were changed to read Children of kindness instead, reports The Telegraph.

While speaking at the Chalke Valley History Festival, Rice said he had only found out about the change via Twitter, adding: They were doing the Joseph songs and they changed 'Close Every Door', the last line, 'Children of Israel are never alone', they changed it to 'children of kindness are never alone', which was obviously being politically correct or something.

"[They] interpreted the song completely wrongly, and what a rotten thing. And I only heard about it because someone tweeted me and said 'did you approve this change?' I said I did not approve it and I hadn't heard about it. It was quite a big thing, it was for all schools in the Wellington area in New Zealand."

"We came down on them like a ton of bricks and they said ... we wanted to make it easier for the children. I thought the point of teaching was to teach children to cope with hard things in life. This was moronic," he continued. "I mean Joseph is an innocent story straight from the Bible and these people in New Zealand thought we were making statements about Israel and Palestine  bonkers."



Lloyd Webber later backed Rice in the dispute, telling The Observer: Tim is quite right. You cannot reinvent a Bible story. That song is a serious moment and a key point in the show. It is about the connection Joseph suddenly makes with Israel. Tim was paraphrasing the Bible and it should be kept that way.

The local council has since apologised and said the change will be dropped, adding that a community coordinator made an error in judgement. The coordinator for the New Zealand arts festival where the song will be performed in September said: Action has been taken over the weekend to ensure that the original song words are all reinstated with immediate effect.
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A model with a unibrow has spoken out about how people have called her an ogre.

Scarlett Costello, a 19-year-old model who is studying art in Brooklyn, New York, told Teen Vogue that most people praise her for defying feminine beauty ideals with her thick eyebrows and hairy armpits.

But Ive gotten some negative comments as well. People have called me an ogre and a pretentious feminist, she told Teen Vogue.

Im a big believer in the idea that everyone looks the best the way their genes intended them to. The confidence of embracing natural beauty is what makes it great, she added.

Growing up, Costello's mother encouraged her to appreciate her thick brows. When she was 15, she decided to grow her eyebrows out. I figured it was more me, she said.

When she first started modelling, Costello waxed her eyebrows but let them form back into a unibrow after he modelling agency Ford Paris suggested it would help her score more bookings.

Costello counts artist Frida Khalo, who famously had a monobrow and moustache, as her inspiration for her look, as well as stylist Brittany Byrd, whose eyebrows are pink.

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A trans man has claimed that he is the first man to give birth in the UK.

Scott Parker, 23, from Kent, gave birth to his daughter Sara on 29 April at the Royal Sussex County hospital in Brighton.

The graphic designer made the claim a day after Hayden Cross, who is also a trans man, revealed he had given birth to his daughter Trinity-Leigh on 16 June.

Parker told the Mail on Sunday he feels so fortunate to have his beautiful daughter. He also spoke of how he feared he would not be able to have children after coming out as a man.

Parker had not started hormone treatment when he became pregnant, and postponed his medical transition in order to protect the health of his child.

I am the man I am meant to be and a parent. I want others to know they can do it too, Parker, who lives in Brighton, told the newspaper.

Asked to comment on Crosss birth, Parker said he was overjoyed.

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He also praised medical staff for respecting his decision to transition, and for calling him dad throughout his pregnancy.

Parker conceived his child with after a one-night-stand with a friend in August last year. The biological father does not want to be involved in Sara's life. However, the graphic designers partner, who asked not to be named, now plans to adopt Sara.

The interview comes a day after Crosss family confirmed that he had given birth to Trinity-Leigh by caesarean section on 16 June.

Cross, from Gloucester, stalled his medical transition in order to conceive. He used a sperm donor he found on Facebook after the NHS refused to freeze his eggs.

Having a biological child has always meant a lot to me, he said earlier this year. Ive always wanted kids.

Cross told The Sun his daughter is perfect in every way.
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Criminal gangs are using online dating sites to steal hundreds of thousand of pounds from their victims, the boss of eHarmony has said.

Fraudsters are using a technique known as catfishing, where a person uses a fake identity to attract those looking for genuine dates, to trick victims into sending them money.

The culprits will often build trust with potential victims before begging them for money to help them with an emergency situation, for instance a mugging or medical treatment. In extreme cases, victims can part with hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Catfishing is also used to fool people into believing they are dating someone else.

Grant Langston, chief executive of the dating service that boasts 70 million members in over 30 countries, told The Mail on Sunday that crime organisations are almost always behind catfishing money scams.

His admission comes at a time when fraud against dating app users in the UK is at an all-time high.

10 Famous People You Could Date On Tinder Show all 10 1 /10 10 Famous People You Could Date On Tinder 10 Famous People You Could Date On Tinder Hilary Duff A year after splitting from her husband Mike Comrie, the newly single Lizzie McGuire child star has started a profile on Tinder so she can date normal folks, like you or I. 10 Famous People You Could Date On Tinder Leonardo DiCaprio OK, so the days of Titanic poster boy Leo might be dead in the water, but that hasn't stopped famous lady's man Mr DiCaprio from making himself publicly available. According to "a source" he's been swiping away as a "Leonard". Getty Images 10 Famous People You Could Date On Tinder Katy Perry "Im really deep on Tinder so I dont have a whole lot of time," the pop singer told one radio station following her split from John Mayer for the umpteenth time last year. Getty 10 Famous People You Could Date On Tinder Shane Warne Lock up your mothers - Shane Warne is just 13km away, according to his profile. The former cricketer landed himself in hot water via the dating app when a mother-of-two from Adelaide cashed in on their apparently steamy Tinder hookup. 10 Famous People You Could Date On Tinder Lindsay Lohan Imagine Lindsay Lohan's face when she was happily swiping through Tinder one day and came across her own brother? Look who I just found on @tinderapp ... hey bro, she tweeted. 10 Famous People You Could Date On Tinder Chris Pine Whether he's actually on there RIGHT NOW, at this VERY MOMENT, remains unclear. But Chris Pine did tell Cosmopolitan recently: I have a couple of buddies who use Tinder. Whatever eases the process is great, since it can be awkward or uncomfortable meeting someone. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth 10 Famous People You Could Date On Tinder Lily Allen Is very much married to a builder. But that hasn't stopped her enjoying the contagious swipe action in her spare time. Just discovered tinder, the singer wrote on Twitter. *waves goodbye to life* 10 Famous People You Could Date On Tinder Ed Sheeran What do you mean you wouldn't want to date pop music's favourite Fraggle, Ed Sheeran? Well you can't. "I got offered the first verified Tinder account," he admitted. However, he added: "I did say no. I haven't got time to go on loads of dates." He wants to play music, or something. No idea. Getty Images 10 Famous People You Could Date On Tinder Britney Spears Jimmy Fallon added the singer to the app himself in September 2014 after she split up from David Lucado. Whether she used it or not... Getty Images 10 Famous People You Could Date On Tinder Samuel Preston OK, so we've swung down market somewhat. See also Calum Best and the entire cast of Made In Chelsea. They're all on there. Happy swiping.

Users of dating apps and websites in the UK were conned out of over 39m in 2016, according to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau.

A woman only identified as Nancy, a 47-year-old single mother from North Yorkshire, lost 350,000 after she was duped by a fraudster.

I wasnt comfortable, and then I got so far in I couldnt get myself out, and I didn't want to walk away having lost 50,000 or what-have-you, so you keep going in the hope that youre wrong and this person is genuine, she explained to the BBC.
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The Government has been accused of being 20 years too late with the introduction of a hepatitis vaccination scheme for newborn babies for the first time this autumn,

Paul Desmond, the executive director of the Hepatitis B Foundation, told The Independent that politicians had a psychological blindness over its failure to test and treat migrants for the Hepatitis B virus when they arrive in the UK.

Babies born in the UK after 1 August will now be injected at 8, 12 and 16 weeks old as part of a universal childhood immunisation scheme announced by a Public Health England green book report last week.

But Mr Desmond said that the NHS is 20 years late in the race.

Hepatitis B is a blood-borne liver infection which can cause cancer or scarring of the liver and affects around 180,000 people in the UK.

The virus is most common in east Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where prevalence is around 6.2 per cent compared to 0.4 per cent in the UK.

The disease is preventable by immunisation, which the World Health Organisation has recommended be provided in every country since 1992.

Some 83 per cent of the worlds population has received the three doses necessary to prevent the disease, but up until now, the UK was one of only six EU and European Free Trade Association countries not to have a universal vaccination programme.

Its partly that the Government dont want to talk about migrants arriving with infectious diseases and partly that they dont want to talk about getting it wrong, said Mr Desmond. Its unfortunate that the virus has come to the forefront of political life in an era of wanting to be politically correct."

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA 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 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Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. 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Pointing to the discrepancy in treatment between the UK and other nations, he added: Weve got the only unvaccinated black and minority ethnic children on earth. Weve brought in lots of communities from places in which Hep B is endemic, and denied them vaccines.

And now were rolling the vaccination out without explaining the background, which is an epidemic. The new scheme is two generations too late. Weve allowed so many children to catch Hep B unnecessarily.

The UK is a very low-prevalence country for Hepatitis B infection, with an overall infection rate of under 1 per cent, according to Public Health England (PHE), the Department of Healths executive agency.

But the number of pregnant women infected with the virus almost tripled in the last year, with prevalence increasing from 0.14 per cent in February 2016 to 0.4 per cent in June 2017, according to reports published by PHE.

In inner city areas where populations with origins in endemic countries are higher, it reports the figure is is more than twice as high.

Mr Desmonds foundation tests, treats and diagnoses cases of Hepatitis B and C and estimates there is a backlog of 10 million people in the UK who should receive a vaccination against Hepatitis B.

He points to the failure to test migrants from endemic regions before they enter the country, contrary to international guidelines that suggest testing for the virus in those arriving from countries with prevalence of more than 2 per cent.

The European Centre of Disease Prevention and Control indicates that 53 per cent of carriers of the Hepatitis B virus in the EU were born outside the region.

Dr Sema Mandal, consultant in immunisation, hepatitis and blood safety at Public Health England, said: Hepatitis B vaccination has been used widely and safely for many years, since 2000 around 150 million doses have been given to children.

A PHE spokesperson refused to comment on suggestions it was bringing the vaccine in too late, saying that the decision to roll it out this year was taken with commercial availability and cost effectiveness in mind.
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Iraq is declaring victory over Isis in Mosul as Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, wearing black military uniform, arrived in the city to congratulate his soldiers at the end of an epic nine-month-long battle.

Elite Iraqi government forces raised the countrys flag on the banks of the Tigris River this morning, though Isis snipers are still shooting from the last buildings they hold in the Old City.

The magnitude of the victory won by the Iraqi government and its armed forces, three years after they suffered a catastrophic defeat in Mosul, is not in doubt.

A few thousand lightly equipped Isis fighters astonished the world by routing in four days an Iraqi garrison of at least 20,000 men equipped with tanks and helicopters. The recapture of Mosul now is revenge for the earlier humiliation.

The devastation in the city is huge: the closer one gets to the fighting in the centre, the greater the signs of destruction from air strikes. Wherever Isis made a stand, Iraqi forces called in the US-led coalition to use its massive firepower to turn whole blocks into heaps of rubble and smashed masonry.

A volunteer medical worker, who wished to remain anonymous, said that on bad days some 200 to 300 people with injuries had turned at my medical centre. I hear stories of many families dying, trapped in basements where they had been sheltering from the bombs.

Isis gunmen have slaughtered civilians trying to escape from areas they held.

Jasim, 33, a driver living behind Isis lines in the Old City, died when an Isis sniper shot him in the back as he tried to cross the Tigris over a half-destroyed bridge.

Two months ago, he was in touch with The Independent by phone after he had been wounded in the leg by a coalition drone attack.

After a while, I felt a severe pain on my leg, and after few moments I realised I was injured, he said. I partly walked and partly crawled to a small temporary clinic nearby, but they could not treat my leg properly."

Abdulkareem, 43, a construction worker and resident of the al-Maydan district, where Isis is making its last stand, spoke to The Independent last week about the dangers facing him and his family.

We can hear the roar of the bombing and the mortar fire, he said. But we dont know whether it is the Iraqi army, the coalition air strikes or Daesh [Isis].

A few days later, an air strike hit his house. Friends said he was badly injured.

 Iraq PM Haider al-Abadi hails 'big victory' in Mosul

Away from the present battle zone in Mosul, many districts are deserted and only passable because bulldozers have cut a path through the debris.

In a side street in the al-Thawra district, where some buildings were destroyed, a crowd of people, mostly women in black robes which covered their faces as well their bodies, were this weekend frantically trying to obtain food baskets donated by an Iraqi charity.

These women are from Daesh families, so I dont have much sympathy for them, said Saad Amr, a volunteer worker from Mosul who had once been jailed by Isis for six months in 2014.

I suffered every torture aside from rape, he recalled, adding that men from Isis families had been taken to Baghdad for investigation, but evidence of their crimes is difficult to obtain so most would be freed. The prospect made him edgy.

Asked about popular attitudes in Mosul towards Isis, Saad, who works part-time for an Iraqi radio station, said that three years ago in June 2014, when Isis captured Mosul, some 85 per cent of people supported them because the Iraqi government forces had mistreated us so badly. The figure later fell to 50 per cent because of Isis atrocities and is now about 15 per cent.

Ahmed, Saads brother who lives in East Mosul, said later that he was nervous because so many former Isis militants were walking about the city after shaving off their beards.

In a medical facility in a converted shop in al-Thawra, a wounded Isis fighter who had been hit in the face by shrapnel from a mortar round, was lying in a bed attached to a drip feed.

You cannot talk to him because he is still under investigation, warned a uniformed guard. A further 30 Isis suspects were being held in a mosque nearby, though these are more likely to have been administrative staff rather than fighters.

Saad said that the behaviour of Iraqi combat troops, particularly the Counter-Terrorism Service, also known as the Golden Division, towards civilians was excellent and the soldiers often give their rations to hungry people. He was more dubious about how incoming Iraqi army troops and police would act towards local people.

In pictures: Mosul offensive Show all 40 1 /40 In pictures: Mosul offensive In pictures: Mosul offensive A doctor carries an Iraqi newborn baby at a hospital in Mosul, Iraq July 18, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi girls play at a yard of a school in Mosul, Iraq July 18, 2017alal Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A woman on crutches who is a relative of men accused of being Islamic State militants is seen at a camp in Bartella, east of Mosul, Iraq July 15, 2017. Picture taken July 15, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A displaced girl, who fled from home carries a doll at Hamam al-Alil camp south of Mosul, Iraq July 13, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi federal police members and civilians celebrate in the Old City of Mosul on 9 July 2017 after the government's announcement of the "liberation" of the embattled city. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said he was in "liberated" Mosul to congratulate "the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people on the achievement of the major victory" AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A picture taken on 9 July 2017, shows a general view of the destruction in Mosul's Old City. Iraq will announce imminently a final victory in the nearly nine-month offensive to retake Mosul from jihadists, a US general said Saturday, as celebrations broke out among police forces in the city. AFP In pictures: Mosul offensive Members of the Iraqi federal police raise the victory gesture as they ride on a humvee while advancing through the Old City of Mosul on 28 June 2017, as the offensive continues to retake the last district held by Islamic State (IS) group fighters. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Smoke billows as Iraqi forces advance through the Old City of Mosul on 26 June 2017, during the ongoing offensive to retake the last district held by the Islamic State (IS) group. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi man wearing the green scarf of the Shi'ite faith kisses an Iraqi Army soldier on safely reaching the Iraqi forces position as Iraqi civilians flee the Old City of west Mosul where heavy fighting continues on 23 June 2017. Iraqi forces continue to encounter stiff resistance with improvised explosive devices, car bombs, heavy mortar fire and snipers hampering their advance. Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A picture taken from the inside of an Iraqi forces armoured vehicle shows residents walking through a damaged street as troops advance towards Mosul's Old City on 18 June 2017, during the ongoing offensive to retake the last district still held by the Islamic State (IS) group. Military commanders told AFP the assault had begun at dawn after overnight air strikes by the US-led coalition backing Iraqi forces. They said the jihadists were putting up fierce resistance. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi Army soldiers advance in a destroyed street after an Iraqi forces airstrike targeted an Islamic State sniper position 17 June 2017 in al-Shifa, the last district of west Mosul under Islamic State control. IS snipers, as well as car and suicide bomb attacks continue to hinder the Iraqi forces efforts to retake the final district. A series of airstrikes by Iraqi helicopter gunships attempted to hit multiple Islamic State sniper positions in al-Shifa. Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier frisks a displaced Iraqi man at a temporary camp in the compound of the closed Nineveh International Hotel in Mosul on 16 June 2017 which was recovered by Iraqi troops from Islamic State group fighters earlier in the year. A screening centre set up in the compound's fairgrounds sees a constant stream of Iraqis fleeing the battle for Mosul, awaiting their turn to be checked by the Iraqi forces who are searching for suspected Islamic State (IS) group members. The small fairground lies at the end of a pontoon bridge across the Tigris recently opened to civilians that is the only physical link between the two banks of the river. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqis staying at the al-Khazir camp swim in a river near the camp for internally displaced people, located between Arbil and Mosul on 11 June 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi government forces drive on a road leading to Tal Afar on 9 June 2017, during ongoing battles to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi policeman carries a poster bearing an image of Mosul's iconic leaning minaret, known as the "Hadba" (Hunchback), on 22 June 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqis stand in line to receive food aid in western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood on 7 June 2017, during ongoing battles as Iraqi forces try to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. Living conditions in Mosul have again deteriorated since the start of the Iraqi government's offensive on the city in October in which they retook a large part of the west of the city. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Displaced Iraqis carry lightbulbs and sacks as they evacuate from western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood as government forces advance in the area during their ongoing battle against Islamic State (IS) group fighters on 13 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) flashes the victory gesture as he patrols in western Mosul's al-Islah al-Zaraye neighbourhood on 13 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi army soldiers from the 9th armoured division on a truck flash the sign of victory as they drive back from Mosul to the town of Qaraqosh (also known as Hamdaniya) Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Members of Iraqi forces flash the sign of victory on their vehicle as they advance towards Hammam al-Alil area south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi security forces gestures in Hammam al-Alil, south of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi children, one flashing the sign of victory, greet Iraqi army's soldiers from the 9th armoured division in the area of Ali Rash, adjacent to the eastern Al-Intissar neighbourhood of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Peshmerga forces look at a tunnel used by Islamic State militants near the town of Bashiqa, east of Mosul, during an operation to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier takes a photograph with his phone as his comrade stands next to a detained man, whom the Iraqi army soldiers accused of being an Islamic State fighter, who was fleeing with his family in the Intisar disrict of eastern Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iranian Kurdish female members of the Freedom Party of Kurdistan (PAK) hold a position in an area near the town of Bashiqa, some 25 kilometres north east of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi families, who fled their homes in Hamam al-Alil, gather on the outskirts of their town Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Displaced people walk past a checkpoint near Qayara, south of Mosul, Iraq AP In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi families who were displaced by the ongoing operation by Iraqi forces against jihadists of the Islamic State group to retake the city of Mosul, are seen gathering in an area near Qayyarah In pictures: Mosul offensive A boy who just fled Abu Jarbuah village is seen with his family at a Kurdish Peshmerga position between two front lines near Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi child eats a pomegranate upon the arrival of Iraqi forces in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive People who just fled Abu Jarbuah village sit as they eat at a Kurdish Peshmerga position between two front lines near Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A couple who just fled Abu Jarbuah village are escorted by Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Women carry a boy over a wall as civilians flee their houses in the village of Tob Zawa, Iraq AP In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier and a civilian ride a motorbike as smoke rises behind them, on the road between Qayyarah and Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi forces, wearing a skull mask, waits at a checkpoint for people fleeing the main hub city of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier sits at a checkpoint in an area near Qayyarah Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi men prepare food portions for Iraqi forces deployed in areas south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi forces celebrate upon the arrival of vehicles bringing food to them Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi childen smoke cigarettes upon the arrival of Iraqi forces in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi forces distributes drinks to children in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty

The Iraqi government victory is very real, but it also has its limitations. The weakness of the Iraqi forces is that they depend on three elite units, notably the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), the Emergency Response Division and the Federal Police, backed up by the devastating air power of the US-led coalition.

The CTS combat units, perhaps less than 3,000 men, have been the cutting edge of the military offensive in Mosul and have suffered some 40 per cent casualties.

This shortage of effective military units may make it difficult for Baghdad to consolidate its victory. This became clear during our five-hour drive to Mosul from the Kurdish capital of Irbil 60 miles away to the east, as we tried to find a road where the innumerable checkpoints would let us get through.

Driving across the Nineveh Plan east of Mosul, a land of ruined and abandoned towns and villages, most of the checkpoints were manned by Hashd al-Shaabi, the Shia group much feared by the Sunni Arabs of Mosul.

We crossed the Tigris by a pontoon bridge near Hamam al-Alil. Here there are camps for some 100,000 displaced people from Mosul. A few days earlier some 160 Isis fighters had staged a surprise counter-attack in Qayara district, killing soldiers and police along with two Iraqi journalists.

Travelling north towards Mosul, the police posts would not at first permit us to pass, so we circled round the city to the west travelling on a winding track through rocky scrubland where there were a few impoverished hamlets in which the houses were little more than huts and from which their inhabitants had fled.

For half a dozen miles not far from Mosul, there were no Iraqi security forces and we became nervous that US planes or drones might mistake our two vehicles for an Isis suicide bombing mission and attack us. We turned back to the main road and finally persuaded a police post to let us to use the road running past Mosul airport and a row of bombed out factories.

Our journey showed that the Iraqi government may have the won the nine-month struggle for Mosul  the battle of Stalingrad was only five and a half months long  but the war is not quite over. Isis may be able to regroup as it did before in 2007-11. Out in the vast desolate deserts of western Iraq and eastern Syria, its fighters can still hide and plan their revenge.
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A new personal assistant selected by the Queen is to become the first black equerry in British history.

Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah, a Ghanaian-born officer who fought in the Afghanistan war, will fill one of the most important roles in the royal household, The Times reports.

As an equerry, Major Twumasi-Ankrah  known as TA to his friends  will act as one of the Queens most-trusted attendants, assisting her with official engagements and welcoming high profile guests to royal residences.

Recommended Wimbledon allow Murray to break dress code for cameo in Royal Box

Historically, the role was created for someone to look after the cavalrys horses, but in modern times an equerry is expected to be publicly visible as an aide at the Queens side.

The appointment is said to be especially important now the Duke of Edinburgh is set to retire from public life this year.

Major TA, 38, moved to the UK from Ghana with his parents in 1982. He studied at Queen Mary University in London and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

He joined the Blues and Royals to become the first black British Army officer commissioned into the Household Cavalry and acted as escort commander for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011.

In the same year, he commanded the Blues and Royals taking part in the Queens birthday parade.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA

He lives in London with his wife, Joanna Hanna-Grindall, who works as the Victoria and Albert Museums corporate partnerships manager.

Buckingham Palace has been accused of racial discrimination in the past.

In 2001, Elizabeth Burgess, a former personal secretary to Prince Charles, brought forward a claim for constructive dismissal, alleging she had been subject to discrimination by other members of staff.

She told a tribunal the household at Highgrove estate wanted a white face, adding: There were always black jokes and names going round because it is the royal family and it is still very protected.

The claims were dismissed by the princes solicitor as outrageous and Ms Burgess lost her claim.

Staff policy published by Buckingham Palace states: The household aims to employ the best people from the widest available pool of talent ... irrespective of gender, race, ethnic or national origin.

Speaking on film for a documentary on Britains open and democratic society, Major Twumasi-Ankrah said: As a young child, watching the her majesty the Queens birthday parade on television, I would have never imagined that one day Id command the regiment which Id fallen in love with.

He added: From where I sit and from what Ive seen in the UK, our cultures really do mix and intermingle, and if Im not a good example of that I really dont know what is.

Major Twumasi-Ankrah is currently in a transition phase with the current equerry Wing Commander Sam Fletcher and will take over fully by the end of the year.
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Brexit will create an alarming mess for nuclear power stations in the UK, experts have warned, saying it could even cause major power cuts.

Scientists say leaving the Euratom agency that oversees nuclear safety in Europe will cause widespread confusion and have a potentially devastating impact on the industry in Britain.

Possible consequences include a reduction in foreign investment in UK nuclear power facilities, the loss of thousands of jobs and Britain losing its place as a world leader in new nuclear technologies.

Professor Roger Cashmore, chair of the UK Atomic Energy Agency, told Buzzfeed News the current situation was alarming and a mess.

Although the treaties relating to Euratom are separate to those keeping Britain in the EU, the agency requires members to be under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which Theresa May has insisted the UK must withdraw from as part of Brexit.

It is unclear how the UK will replace the procedures and regulations currently managed by Euratom. These cover the transportation of nuclear materials around Europe. Britain is a major producer of enriched uranium, which is used in nuclear fuel, and exports much of the material to other EU countries. The UK Government also owns a third of Urenco, the European uranium-enrichment company.

Unless new treaties relating to the transportation of nuclear materials between Britain and the EU are agreed quickly, the UK could run out of nuclear fuel within two years, meaning nuclear power stations would be unable to produce energy.

What experts have said about Brexit Show all 11 1 /11 What experts have said about Brexit What experts have said about Brexit Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond The Chancellor claims London can still be a world financial hub despite Brexit One of Britains great strengths is the ability to offer and aggregate all of the services the global financial services industry needs This has not changed as a result of the EU referendum and I will do everything I can to ensure the City of London retains its position as the worlds leading international financial centre. Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Yanis Varoufakis Greece's former finance minister compared the UK relations with the EU bloc with a well-known song by the Eagles: You can check out any time you like, as the Hotel California song says, but you can't really leave. The proof is Theresa May has not even dared to trigger Article 50. It's like Harrison Ford going into Indiana Jones' castle and the path behind him fragmenting. You can get in, but getting out is not at all clear Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Michael OLeary Ryanair boss says UK will be screwed by EU in Brexit trade deals: I have no faith in the politicians in London going on about how the world will want to trade with us. The world will want to screw you  that's what happens in trade talks, he said. They have no interest in giving the UK a deal on trade Getty What experts have said about Brexit Tim Martin JD Wetherspoon's chairman has said claims that the UK would see serious economic consequences from a Brexit vote were "lurid" and wrong: We were told it would be Armageddon from the OECD, from the IMF, David Cameron, the chancellor and President Obama who were predicting locusts in the fields and tidal waves in the North Sea" PA What experts have said about Brexit Mark Carney Governor of Bank of England is 'serene' about Bank of England's Brexit stance: I am absolutely serene about the  judgments made both by the MPC and the FPC Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Christine Lagarde IMF chief urges quick Brexit to reduce economic uncertainty: We want to see clarity sooner rather than later because we think that a lack of clarity feeds uncertainty, which itself undermines investment appetites and decision making Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Inga Beale Lloyds chief executive says Brexit is a major issue: "Clearly the UK's referendum on its EU membership is a major issue for us to deal with and we are now focusing our attention on having in place the plans that will ensure Lloyd's continues trading across Europe EPA What experts have said about Brexit Colm Kelleher President of US bank Morgan Stanley says City of London will suffer as result of the EU referendum: I do believe, and I said prior to the referendum, that the City of London will suffer as result of Brexit. The issue is how much What experts have said about Brexit Richard Branson Virgin founder believes we've lost a THIRD of our value because of Brexit and cancelled a deal worth 3,000 jobs: We're not any worse than anybody else, but I suspect we've lost a third of our value which is dreadful for people in the workplace.' He continued: "We were about to do a very big deal, we cancelled that deal, that would have involved 3,000 jobs, and thats happening all over the country" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Barack Obama US President believes Britain was wrong to vote to leave the EU: "It is absolutely true that I believed pre-Brexit vote and continue to believe post-Brexit vote that the world benefited enormously from the United Kingdom's participation in the EU. We are fully supportive of a process that is as little disruptive as possible so that people around the world can continue to benefit from economic growth" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Kristin Forbes American economist and an external member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England argues that the economy had been less stormy than many expected following the shock referendum result: For nowthe economy is experiencing some chop, but no tsunami. The adverse winds could quickly pick up  and merit a stronger policy response. But recently they have shifted to a more favourable direction Getty

Almost 20 per cent of the UKs electricity supply currently comes from nuclear power stations.

You could be doing your writing by candlelight on a typewriter by 2025, Professor Cashmore said.

Britain also has a large nuclear research sector, with a number of projects working on nuclear fusion. Much of this research benefits from EU funding that would be lost if the UK leaves Euratom.

Leaving Euratom puts large question marks over the research, Professor Cashmore said. But its also cutting off investment to this high-tech industry.

Brexit could also reduce foreign investment in new UK nuclear power stations, of which several are planned, experts said.

A Government spokesperson said: The UK supports Euratom and will want to see continuity of cooperation and standards. We remain absolutely committed to the highest standards of nuclear safety, safeguards and support for the industry.

Our aim is clear we want to maintain our mutually successful civil nuclear co-operation with the EU.
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The owners of Butlins holiday group helped fund parents campaigns against the term-time holiday ban, it has been revealed.

Bourne Leisure, which also owns Haven caravan parks and Warner Leisure Hotels, provided the Parents Want a Say grassroots organisation with free use of its media agency for PR and lobbying services.

Jack Irvine, executive chairman of Media House International, said Bourne Leisure had asked him to help with the very interesting campaign.

He told the Sunday Times: Butlins, like every other holiday company in the UK, has quite a long holiday season, yet there is this mad rush for places during the very brief six-week school holiday period.

Anything to ease that pressure is good news and good business.

The findings follow a long legal battle lost by Isle of Wight father Jon Platt, who was taken to the Supreme Court after refusing to pay a 60 school absence fine.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA 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

Mr Platt had been penalised for taking his daughter out of school during term-time for a holiday to Florida, sparking debate over school attendance measures and exploitative pricing set by holiday companies.

Parents Want a Say is one of several campaign groups set up by parents against a change in the law brought in during 2013 that meant schools could not grant leave to pupils during term time outside of exceptional circumstances, for instance an illness or family death.

Media House International lobbied MPs on behalf of the campaign group and sent out press releases accusing the government of unfairly criminalising hard-working families with the ruling.

The agency also wrote letters to the Department for Education, the Local Government Association, the National Association of Head Teachers and the National Union of Teachers.

Mr Irvine added that it struck him as illogical and redolent of the nanny state that parents were allowed to home-school their children but not take school pupils out on holiday for a few days..

He said Media House International had not charged Bourne Leisure any extra for its work with Parents Want a Say between 2014 and 2016.


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Republican congressmen have pledged to make Charlie Gard a US citizen to support his British parents in their battle to keep an ill baby's life support machine turned on.

Brad Wenstrup and Trent Franks said they would introduce a private bill to Congress when lawmakers return from recess next week in a bid to save the ill baby.

The Republicans said in a statement that his parents, from London, have refused to give up hope and that in the US Charlie could receive treatments that could save his life.

They have advocated for him fiercely. They have raised over 1 million to pay for their son to receive experimental treatment in the United States. They have kept fighting for his life.

They added: Should this little boy to be ordered to die  because a third party, overriding the wishes of his parents, believes it can conclusively determine that immediate death is what is best for him?

The congressmen are strongly pro-life. Mr Franks said this week that unless Congress defunded family planning clinic Planned Parenthood, the new health care bill in the US would be "blown to smithereens".

US President Donald Trump also tweeted support for the 11-month-old, who suffers from a rare condition called mitochondrial depletion.

If we can help little Charlie Gard, as per our friends in the UK and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so.

The Republicans vow comes after Great Ormond Street Hospital applied to the UKs High Court for another hearing to consider new evidence of possible treatment from the Popes hospital and a hospital in the US.

 Vatican hospital offers to care for Charlie Gard after Pope and Donald Trump tweet support

GOSH said in a statement: Two international hospitals and their researchers have communicated to us as late as the last 24 hours that they have fresh evidence about their proposed experimental treatment.

And we believe, in common with Charlies parents, it is right to explore this evidence.

Great Ormond Street Hospital is therefore giving the High Court the opportunity to objectively assess the claims of fresh evidence.

 Charlie Gard's father in plea to 'give my boy a chance'

The U-turn comes after GOSH doctors unanimously decided there was nothing they could do for Charlie and the courts barred him from being taken to the US.

A New York hospital said it would either treat Charlie in the US or ship an experimental drug to the UK. The Popes hospital in Rome wrote a letter to GOSH about an experimental nucleoside therapy which should be tested on mice first. The Vatican hospital said there was insufficient time to perform these studies and urged GOSH to reconsider Charlies treatment.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA 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 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Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA

Charlies condition has resulted in brain damage. He cannot breathe without a ventilator, blink, move or swallow.

His mother, Connie Yates, told LBC that she would tell Theresa May: I really, really want you to support us and help give Charlie this chance. I did actually find your statement quite encouraging as you said if theres new information you hope that Great Ormond Street would do whats in the best interest of Charlie and there is new information now.

She added: "Im pleading with you as the Prime Minister of our country to help one of your citizens, to support us like others are supporting us."

Pro-life protesters gathered outside the British embassy in Washington DC this weekend to keep his life support machine turned on.

Protests will also take place in London on Sunday, attended by Ms Yates and his father Chris Gard.
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The mother of terminally-ill baby Charlie Gard has asked Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) to let him go to the US for experimental treatment, saying: Theres nothing to lose, he deserves a chance.

Connie Yates was speaking at a protest outside a London hospital, where supporters were delivering a petition of more than 350,000 signatures, calling for the 11-month-old to travel to the US.

Along with Charlies father Chris Gard, she had earlier vowed that the fight for their baby to receive experimental treatment was not over.

In a series of posts on the @charliesfight Twitter account, the family thanked supporters for sharing their sons story across the world.

Recommended Hospital applies for fresh hearing of Charlie Gard case

Charlie has a rare genetic disorder that causes brain damage and prevents muscles from developing.

His parents, both in their 30s and from Bedfont, west London, want to take their son to a hospital in the US for experimental therapy they believe could prolong and improve his life.

But they lost a lengthy legal battle after successive judges ruled in favour of doctors at GOSH, who argued the treatment would not improve the infants quality of life and say his life-support machine should be switched off.

A hugely emotional public debate has raged worldwide over Charlies case, with US President Donald Trump and Pope Francis both wading in.

The @charliesfight account, run by family members, tweeted: A HUGE thank you to all you out there supporting and sharing Charlies story! Please keep going! The fight is not over!

 Charlie Gard's father in plea to 'give my boy a chance'

Supporters are to stage a rally near to the hospital on Sunday afternoon after delivering the petition.

Charlies parents have spoken to the father of Ashya King, a young cancer patient whose parents took him out of hospital and abroad for proton beam therapy not offered on the NHS, The Sun reported.

Brett King, 54, accused GOSH doctors of making a boardroom decision on Charlies case and told the paper: Theres no logic in refusing them.

But GOSH said its doctors believed the treatment would be futile and could prolong the boys suffering.

Charlies family were joined by an American pastor who travelled to the UK to pray at his bedside and tweets from the campaign account suggested he had initially not been allowed on the neonatal intensive care unit, which cares for seriously ill infants.

But Patrick Mahoney, a pastor at the Church on the Hill in Washington DC, later said he had been able to pray for a miracle alongside the parents.

It comes after GOSH said last week that it had applied to the High Court for a fresh hearing in light of claims of new evidence relating to potential treatment for his condition.

The decision was prompted by claims of new information from researchers at the Vaticans childrens hospital.

Clinicians from the Bambino Gesu paediatric hospitals neuroscience department said tests in mice and patients with a similar, but not the same, genetic condition as Charlie had shown dramatic clinical improvements.

Charlie inherited the faulty RRM2B gene from his parents, affecting the cells responsible for energy production and respiration and leaving him unable to move or breathe without a ventilator. The therapy is not a cure for the condition.

GOSH describes experimental nucleoside therapies as unjustified but its decision comes after two international hospitals and their researchers contacted them as late as the last 24 hours to say they have fresh evidence about their proposed experimental treatment.

Under a High Court ruling, GOSH is forbidden from allowing Charlie to be transferred for nucleoside therapy anywhere.

GOSH also points out that the ruling calls for Charlies artificial ventilation to be withdrawn and states he should receive palliative care only.

Ms Yates said her son was not in pain or suffering and she had been given hope by international attempts to come to Charlies aid, including from the Pope and President Trump.

GOSH said it was acting in Charlies best interests and it would now be for the High Court to make its judgement on the facts.

Doctors describe his condition as exceptionally rare, with catastrophic and irreversible brain damage.

GOSH said on Friday it still believed that the treatment would be futile, despite the new High Court referral.
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The Eurasian lynx could be stalking through British woodlands within months after plans were submitted to reintroduce the species, absent from Britain for about 1,300 years.

Campaigners have applied for a licence to import six of the wildcats, which were hunted to extinction in the UK, and release them in Northumberland's Kielder Forest.

The Lynx Trust said the animals, which can grow to 1.3m in length, "belong" in Britain and there was a "moral obligation" to bring them back.

The cats' return would also generate millions of pounds for rural communities by attracting tourists, according to the group.

But the proposal has met with opposition from sheep farmers, who claim their livestock would be put at risk.

Recommended Dartmoor lynx recaptured after three weeks on the run from zoo

The scheme would initially involve six lynx, four females and two males, being imported from Sweden and fitted with GPS tracking collars for a five-year trial.

The trust applied to Natural England for permission to release the cats after it carried out a 20-month consultation of locals and wildlife organisations. No date has been set for the proposed reintroduction but they cats could return to the UK by the end of 2017 if the plans are approved.

The trust said in a statement: "In many other countries Eurasian lynx reintroduction has proven exceptionally low-conflict and wonderfully beneficial for the local communities that live alongside them, and we do sincerely hope that these cats, which thrived here for millions of years, do have the opportunity to prove they can still fit into both our ecology, and alongside local communities like those across the Kielder region."

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migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 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Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. 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The group chose the forest for the trial due to its large size, few roads, and abundance of deer, the lynx's favourite prey.

Lynx belong here as much as hedgehogs, badgers, robins, blackbirds - they are an intrinsic part of the UK environment, Dr Paul O'Donoghue, the trust's chief scientific adviser, told the Guardian. "There is a moral obligation. We killed every single last one of them for the fur trade, thats a wrong we have to right."

 Conservation group working to reintroduce lynx to UK forests

He said the reintroduction of the lynx to Germany's Harz mountains had led to the region becoming a "thriving ecotourism destination", adding: "We thought we could do exactly the same for Kielder."

The National Sheep Association, which represents farmers, said it "fully opposed" the proposal.

"Even if compensation were offered, it will not make sheep mortalities acceptable and, given the general publics reaction to some of the harrowing images caused by domestic dog attacks and their expectation of high animal welfare, I cannot see how distressing attacks caused by a wild animal will be accepted," said chief executive Phil Stocker.

"The species has been absent from the UK for thousands of years, and our countryside now is far too fragmented and built up to support a viable population of lynx."

But the Lynx Trust insisted fear of the cats was not justified.

You will never see a lynx running across an open field chasing down prey - they cant do it, " said Dr O'Donoghue. "They are the epitome of a forest specialist - their coat is dappled."

He said research across Europe, home to roughly 10,000 wild lynxes, had found the cats kill only one sheep every two-and-a-half years.

There are also no recorded attacks on humans by lynx.
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Tens of thousands of people paraded through central London for the annual Pride festivities, marking 50 years since homosexuality was decriminalised.

Watching the marchers were up to a million more revellers in one of the worlds largest celebrations of LGBT+ rights.

The event was described by London Mayor Sadiq Khan as the best antidote to the tragedies which have befallen the country in recent months.

"We've had a horrible last few weeks, Mr Khan told attendees in Trafalgar Square.

We've had terror, we've had tragedy. You know what the best antidote to sorrow, the best antidote to sadness, to bereavement, to hatred, is Pride In London."

The emergency services played a key role in the parade, with staff involved in the response to the London Bridge attack and Grenfell Tower leading the colourful march from Regent Street through the city.

The emergency services had pride of place in this year's festivities (REUTERS/Neil Hall)

They were joined by flag bearers from around the world and revellers from across the country.

A highlight of the day for many came when the girlfriend of an on-duty British Transport Police officer proposed to her along the route.

The unnamed couple were met with rapturous applause when the woman bent down on one knee and presented the police officer with a ring. She said yes.

Balloons and flags add to the colour during Pride (Jonathan Brady/PA Wire ) (Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)

There were also some political overtones to the march, with some attendees holding banners condemning Northern Irelands Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), with whom the Conservative party recently made a deal to secure a working majority in Parliament.

Mr Khan was met with cheers when he condemned the governments controversial partnership.

He said: "You (the Government) may have done a deal with the DUP but there will be no backtracking on LGBT+ rights. There will be no backtracking on women's rights."

People take part in the Pride in London Parade in central London (Jonathan Brady/PA Wire ) (Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)

Prime Minister Theresa May, away at the G20 in Hamburg, also released a video message supporting Pride, which was played at the event.

She said the UK "will continue to stand up for human rights, directly challenging at the highest political levels governments that criminalise homosexuality or practice violence and discrimination against LGBT+ people".

She added: "And here at home too, we must continue to stand up for true equality and respect for everyone, right across our United Kingdom.

London Pride 2017 Show all 14 1 /14 London Pride 2017 London Pride 2017 Revellers in Trafalgar Square in front of the National Portrait gallery take part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London EPA London Pride 2017 A man wearing two hats attends the Pride in London Festival Getty London Pride 2017 Protesters demonstrate during the Pride in London Festival in London. This year's London Pride event marks 50 years since homosexuality was decriminalised in England and Wales under the 1967 Sexual Offences Getty London Pride 2017 The parade passes Nelson's Column as revellers take part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London, EPA London Pride 2017 Members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community take part in the annual Pride Parade in London on July 8 AFP London Pride 2017 Revelers enjoy the Pride London Parade in London. The Parade attracts an estimated crowd of 1 million onlookers, while around 26,500 people are taking part in the annual Parade making this the city's biggest one-day event and one of the world's biggest LGBT+ celebrations. AP London Pride 2017 Revellers take part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London EPA London Pride 2017 A participant sits on a rainbow coloured flag during the Pride in London Parade in central London PA London Pride 2017 Two men sit on a rainbow flag painted on the pavement at Oxford Circus as revellers take part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London, Britain EPA London Pride 2017 Revellers take part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London EPA London Pride 2017 A woman from the homeless charity 'Crisis' takes part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London EPA London Pride 2017 Revellers wave their flags as they take part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London EPA London Pride 2017 A woman walks past a shop front decorated with the Pride flag colours Getty London Pride 2017 People ride a tube escalator decorated with the Pride flag colours Getty

"We must stamp out homophobic bullying in schools, and drive down homophobic and transphobic hate crime."

A rainbow flag was projected onto Westminster Palace for the first time, which Lord Fowler, Speaker of the House of Lords, said would demonstrate the UK's support for those living in countries around the world where people are persecuted for being gay.

With the UKs threat level still at severe  meaning an attack is highly likely  security was tight at the event, with armed and plain clothes officers joining constables on the streets. But by late evening, the day appeared to have passed without any major incident.
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Hate crimes involving racial and religious discrimination have soared at an unprecedented rate since the Brexit vote, The Independent can reveal, prompting warnings that minority groups feel more vulnerable than ever.

Police figures obtained through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests show incidents surged by 23 per cent  from 40,741 to 49,921  in the 11 months after the EU referendum, compared with the same period the previous year, marking an unparallelled rise.

Eleven of the 32 police forces in England and Wales that responded to the FOI requests saw reports of race and faith-based hate crimes increase by more than 40 per cent, with several regions including Gwent, Nottinghamshire and Kent soaring by more than half in a year.

The record figures consolidate previous indications that the Leave vote on 23 June last year prompted a wave of hate crimes based on religion and ethnicity, and have lead to calls for the Government to urgently review its response to such reports.

Gwent in Wales saw the highest increase, with the number of incidents rising by 77 per cent, from 367 to 649. Reports of racially and religiously aggravated hate crimes also rose considerably in Kent (66 per cent, from 874 to 1,452), Warwickshire (65 per cent, 286 to 471) and Nottinghamshire (57 per cent, 681 to 1,071).

The number increased in every region except the City of London, which is the smallest territorial police force in England and Wales, both in terms of geographic area and head count.

Previous Home Office figures reported that race and faith-based hate crimes had decreased by 0.4 per cent in 2011/12, before climbing by seven per cent the following year, 16 per cent in 2014 and 17 per cent in 2015  making the latest 22 per cent figure an unprecedented annual rise.

Brexit racism and the fightback Show all 9 1 /9 Brexit racism and the fightback Brexit racism and the fightback Demonstrators protest against an increase in post-ref racism at London's March for Europe in July 2016 PA Brexit racism and the fightback These cards were found near a school in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, the day after the EU referendum Twitter/@howgilb Brexit racism and the fightback Getty Brexit racism and the fightback Romford, Essex, June 25 @diamondgeezer Brexit racism and the fightback A worker at this Romanian food shop was asleep upstairs at the time of this arson attack in Norwich on July 8, but escaped unharmed. Hundreds later participated in a love bombing rally outside the shop to express their opposition to racism and their support of the shop owners. JustGiving/Helen Linehan Brexit racism and the fightback This neo-Nazi sticker was spotted in Glasgow on June 26 Courtesy of Eoin Palmer Brexit racism and the fightback But after news emerged of neo-Nazi stickers appearing in Glasgow, some in the city struck back with slogans of their own. Courtesy of Eoin Palmer Brexit racism and the fightback Getty Brexit racism and the fightback More signs began to appear in some parts of the UK, created by people who wanted to show their opposition to post-referendum racism Courtesy of Bernadette Russell

It comes after previous figures showed that in the months following the EU referendum, hate crimes to regional police forces rose considerably.

Incidents reported in the past year have included a Muslim woman being dragged along the pavement by her hijab, two Polish men being attacked in the street, killing one of them, and a Muslim man and woman being squirted with acid, leaving them with life-changing injuries.

When informed of the new figures, faith groups and organisations representing foreign nationalities told The Independent they had noticed a significant rise in race and faith-based hate crimes to the extent that they had become a UK-wide phenomenon, and urged the Government to take urgent action to review their approach to such crimes.

Speaking specifically on hate crime against Muslims, Iman Atta, director of Tell MAMA, said: We have seen significant rises in hate incidents and crimes against Muslim communities in areas such as Greater Manchester, Kent, Liverpool and Wales, and these correlate with the findings of The Independent through an FOI request.

The reality is that anti-Muslim hatred is no longer isolated to pockets of the United Kingdom, and it is a phenomenon that affects mainly visible Muslims at a street level, with the vast majority of victims being women and perpetrators male.

We cannot also deny the fact that anti-Muslim sentiment has been amplified heavily through far right anti-Muslim networks, and these need to be shut down and challenged and social media companies have far more to do in this area.

Founder of Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND), Sufyan Ismail, added that the recent terror attacks had also provoked a spike in hate crime which will have contributed to the new figures.

Our Islamophobia Response Unit has seen a considerable rise is hate crime cases reported to us; many Muslims are feeling more vulnerable than ever, Mr Ismail said.

We have dealt with 23 cases alone since the April attacks. The nature of these cases we have seen have varied from a large FTSE 100 company summarily dismissing their Muslim employees, to attacks on public transport, and a number of schools denying their pupils prayer facilities.

We call upon the government to urgently review incitement to religious hatred legislation, as its currently unworkable and thus efficiently exploited the far-right and elements of right-wing press to continually demonise Muslims and stir up intense hatred against them.

One victim of such hate crime is Nahella Ashraf, 46, who was wearing a headscarf when she was racially assaulted and spat on by a stranger as she sat in a restaurant in London earlier this year.

Ms Ashraf, from Manchester, told The Independent she was left shaken after a man sitting behind her, who was smartly dressed and well put together, grabbed her from the side and tried to pull her out of her seat, before launching a barrage of racist remarks and spitting in her face.

Recommended Hate crimes rise by up to 100 per cent across England and Wales

Wed been in there for about 45 minutes and wed all finished eating. There was a guy sat behind me. I assumed he was getting up to leave but he grabbed me and was screaming at me, she said.

He just grabbed me from the side, my arm. It felt like he was trying to pull me out of my seat. The first thing I remember him saying was something about him not tolerating people like me. Right in my face.

She added: It was racist. He kept saying those kinds of people. He couldve grabbed the white woman on the side of me that wouldve been easier, but he went for the Muslim woman in the crowd.

Ms Ashraf, who is a member of campaign organisation Stand Up To Racism, said she and her Muslim friends had noticed a marked rise in hate crime against them since the Brexit vote: I think weve seen more since the referendum, theres no doubt about it. But definitely over the last couple of years weve become more cautious when were out and about.

A lot of Muslims I know, especially my female Muslim friends, have commented on how its gotten worse. Were a bit more careful about where we go. Were an easy target nowadays.

The increase in racially and religiously aggravated crimes have also been felt by EU nationals, many of whom have noticed heightened antagonism against them.

In August 2016, the Polish Embassy in London has said it was shocked and deeply concerned by reports of xenophobic abuse directed against the Polish community following the Brexit vote. Two months later, a Polish man was attacked and killed in a suspected hate crime.

Nicolas Hatton, co-founder of campaign group The3Million, which represents EU nationals in the UK, said they had also noted a rise in Europeans being targeted by a small minoritiy of British people since the EU referendum, and urged that this rise lies strongly with the Government.

British people didn't vote against EU citizens, but to leave the EU. Having said that, the refusal of the Prime Minister to guarantee the rights of EU citizens encouraged a small minorities of white disfranchised British to behave pathetically, said Mr Hatton.

Jeff Cuthbert, Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent, the region that saw the biggest increase in race and faith hate crime, observed that some groups had "undoubtedly" used events such as the Leave vote to fuel hate crime attacks.

We have seen an increase in the reporting of hate crime in Gwent over the last year. In some respects, this is to be welcomed as hate crimes were traditionally underreported across the UK. It provides a clear indication that people have more confidence in reporting crimes of this nature," Mr Cuthbert told The Independent.

The increase could be attributed to a number of factors. Some groups have undoubtedly used events such as the decision to leave the EU and recent terror attacks as an opportunity to spread their message of hatred, division and intolerance. However, hate crime will not be tolerated in Gwent and there will be consequences for the perpetrators.

The figures showed that reports in South Yorkshire rose by 57 per cent and Hertfordshire by 44 per cent, while in Merseyside the figure rose by 26 per cent, 18 per cent in Greater Manchester and 15 per cent in London.

The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) said that in response to a rise in hate crime incidents following major events such as Brexit police forces across the country had taken a robust approached to addressing such offences, but that any level of hate crime is unacceptable.

A spokesman said: We know that national and global events have the potential to trigger short-terms rises in hate crime, and we saw this following the EU referendum last year. Police forces took a robust approach to addressing these crimes and engaging with communities, and we have typically seen these spikes return to expected levels within a few days.

Any level of hate crime is too high and unacceptable. We remain committed to helping people feel safe and secure as they go about their lives, so more officers have been deployed on visible patrol routes and forces continue to reach out to all communities to provide reassurance, strengthen our bonds and deal with tensions.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA

Victims and those feeling vulnerable should report any incident of hate crime to the police on 101, or using our True Vision website (www.report-it.org.uk). In an emergency, always dial 999.

Responding to the figures, a Home Office spokesperson said: Hate crime is not acceptable and those who commit these offences should be prosecuted. Our Hate Crime Action Plan has encouraged further action against hate crime across the police and criminal justice system.

This includes encouraging more victims of hate crime to report it to the police. The plan also aims to challenge the beliefs and misperceptions that lead to hate crime and to support victims.
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Counter-terrorism officers have reportedly started asking their informants to take lie detector tests in a bid to improve the quality of intelligence.

Sources who work with the police will face polygraph examinations under an initiative recently launched by Scotland Yard.

The rigorous questioning is designed to help detectives spot misinformation from informants whose integrity is in doubt due to their criminal associates and background.

It will be overseen by the Metropolitan Polices assistant commissioner Mark Rowley, who leads national counter-terror policy, according to The Sunday Times.

Questions have been raised over the reliability of MI5 and police intelligence following a spate of terrorist attacks in the UK that left 36 people dead over the last four months.

The security services are reviewing their procedures at the request of Theresa May after it emerged that they were warned repeatedly about Manchester bomber Salman Abedi, who had links to the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, an al-Qaeda affiliate.

The Prime Minister also wants to weaken encryption and increase censorship on the internet, and plans to force technology firms to allow spies and agencies read everyones private communications.

She has accused internet companies of providing terrorists with safe spaces where they can upload extremist content.

 Theresa May: We do need to have international regulations in cyber space to stop terrorism

Police and security services have pointed to a lack of resources as they take on an unprecedented terror threat from Isis.

Ms May is to make cutting off funding for terrorists the centrepiece of her G20 negotiating goals, and is set to urge the international community to crack down on permissive environments for terrorist financing.

Speaking ahead of the G20 summit, the Prime Minister said: We know that the terrorist threat is evolving. We have seen the threat spread out of Syria and Iraq  into other countries and online.

G20 Protesters take Hamburg Show all 8 1 /8 G20 Protesters take Hamburg G20 Protesters take Hamburg German riot police use water cannons against protesters during the demonstration during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS G20 Protesters take Hamburg German riot police clash with protesters during the demonstrations during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS G20 Protesters take Hamburg Riot police move in through the smoke from a smoke bomb during the "Welcome to Hell" rally against the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany AFP/Getty Images G20 Protesters take Hamburg Riot police use water cannon to put of burning bins as a protester runs off after the "Welcome to Hell" rally against the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany AFP/Getty Images G20 Protesters take Hamburg Protesters throw beer bottles as they shield themselves from water cannon spray during the "Welcome to Hell" rally against the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany AFP/Getty Images G20 Protesters take Hamburg A firefighter works at the scene where a number of cars burnt down during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS G20 Protesters take Hamburg The interior of a burnt down car is seen as firefighters work in the background during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS G20 Protesters take Hamburg German police remove a protestor who is blocking a street at a demonstration during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS

As we deny physical space to terrorists to operate in theatre, we must outpace the terrorist methodology as it develops to attack other vulnerable targets and increases inspired attacks.

We must therefore combat the threat from every angle. This includes taking measures against permissive environments for terrorist financing, and monitoring the dispersal of foreign fighters from battle.

We can change the balance of the fight when we work together and I am confident that through these efforts we will defeat the scourge of terrorism and our collective values will prevail.
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The president of one of the most influential business groups in the country has warned Theresa May not to rush into a trade deal with the US.

Paul Drechsler, president of the Confederation of Business Industry (CBI), criticised the Prime Minister for seeking to make headlines instead of setting out the facts and evidence to the British public, when she met President Donald Trump at the G20 summit in Hamburg.

Mr Trump told reporters he expected a "very, very big deal" to be completed "very, very quickly".

Speaking on Sky News, Mr Drechsler, who campaigned with the CBI to remain in the EU, warned against the UK entering a "bear hug" with the US.

He said: "One has to recognise, not every trade deal is necessary a good and fair deal for both parties. The US has one of the best negotiating teams in the world in terms of trade deals.

"We don't want to walk into a bear hug and I would be wary of trying to be too fast on a trade deal. The important thing is to know what we want to achieve, what the objectives are and what the trade-offs are.

"A trade deal is a dog-eat-dog activity, it is not a diplomatic activity. And what worries me is that we are not honest to people about all these big issues so we are going for headlines rather than the facts and evidence."

Ms May promised global trade deals as the UK prepares to leave the EU but Chancellor Philip Hammond previously said the deals would make only limited difference to the British economy, because of the large proportion of UK exports that are services rather than physical goods.

Mr Drechsler's comments come days after the director-general of the CBI, Caroline Fairbairn, said the UK should not leave the single market and the customs union until a final Brexit deal is struck.

The CBI, which represents 190,000 businesses, called on Government ministers to "build a bridge from the end of the Article 50 process in March 2019 to the new deal" in order to maximise stability and certainty and "avoid a damaging cliff-edge".

The negotiations for a UK-US trade deal have not yet started and Mr Trump did not reveal any further details.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA 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

But hours after the US President's comments in Hamburg, Justice Secretary David Lidington said a trade deal between the US and the UK would not offset the damage caused by Brexit.

Speaking on BBC's Andrew Marr Show, he said the deal "would not be enough on its own" but "would be a very good thing to have, as would trade deals with the emerging economies of Asia and Latin America".

But Conservative MP for Stratford-on- Avon, Nadhim Zahawi, stressed the importance of the UK-US deal. He told Sky News: "I think the US being our closest ally - both for security and economically - will want the UK to succeed and do well and flourish with a new relationship with Europe. A strong Europe and a strong UK is good for the US. Let's not forget that and let's not talk down our relationship with America."
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Britons visiting the US could undergo longer waiting times and more security after reports that US immigration officers could be stationed at UK airports.

People boarding transatlantic flights might soon clear immigration before arriving in the US.

The plan which is being negotiated in Washington and Whitehall will resemble US preclearance operations at Dublin and Shannon airports in Ireland.

A Home Office spokesperson told The Telegraph, Discussions are ongoing with the US.

The US government negotiates with airports directly as each airport would need to adapt its operations accordingly.

However, the introduction of preclearance operations would also require approval by the UK Government, the Home Office added.

Travelling with the laptop ban: step by step Show all 7 1 /7 Travelling with the laptop ban: step by step Travelling with the laptop ban: step by step Cynthia's laptop is carefully wrapped Cynthia Drescher Travelling with the laptop ban: step by step Cynthia's then given an form to fill in Cynthia Drescher Travelling with the laptop ban: step by step Then it's boxed and bagged individually Cynthia Drescher Travelling with the laptop ban: step by step The laptop is given a business class tag Cynthia Drescher Travelling with the laptop ban: step by step It's individually labelled and marked as fragile Cynthia Drescher Travelling with the laptop ban: step by step On arrival, the laptops are waiting at baggage claim Cynthia Drescher Travelling with the laptop ban: step by step Result: the laptop has survived Cynthia Drescher

Airlines might be required to pay for US immigration staff and their families to live in the UK, and extra costs could then be handed down to passengers.

As well as extra expense, passengers will likely be asked to turn up at the airport earlier to undergo questions from US officials in addition to the normal security checks.

Two airports  Manchester and Edinburgh  are reportedly considering the scheme.

It could take up to five years to be implemented, and raises questions over whether American immigration staff would be armed, a usual custom in the US.

US Secretary of Homeland Security, John Kelly, and his predecessor, Jeh Johnson, have both publicly supported establishing pre-clearing immigration procedures in the UK as they say it could improve flight security and shorten waiting times at arrival.
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MPs have said they are living in genuine fear after they received death threats and abuse during the general election campaign.

Theresa May has ordered a No 10 policy unit review into the issue, inviting MPs to share details of their experiences as evidence gathering.

Cabinet held a discussion earlier this week about intimidating electoral practises after the issue was raised by Andrea Leadsom, leader of the House of Commons.

Former Conservative MP Byron Davies, 64, received two death threats online a few weeks before the election, in which he lost his Gower seat.

He was threatened with being strung up if he showed his face again in a particular area, he told The Sunday Telegraph.

A female candidate in her 30s, who was running for a safe Labour seat, said attacks on social media left her feeling genuine fear.

It has made me think whether I really want to be an MP, she said.

Tory MP Nigel Evans described a new low in campaigning after he was screamed at by a man in the New Inn pub in Clitheroe on St Georges day.

You are a terrorist, child murderer, go back to Swansea, you are not welcome here, he was told.

Earlier this week, Sarah Wollaston, Conservative MP for Totnes in Devon, told The Guardian she felt she was being forced out of town by abusive words on her office building.

General Election 2017: Big beasts who lost their seats Show all 7 1 /7 General Election 2017: Big beasts who lost their seats General Election 2017: Big beasts who lost their seats Nick Clegg Darren O'Brien General Election 2017: Big beasts who lost their seats Gavin Barwell Getty General Election 2017: Big beasts who lost their seats Angus Robertson General Election 2017: Big beasts who lost their seats Nicola Blackwood PA General Election 2017: Big beasts who lost their seats Alex Salmond PA General Election 2017: Big beasts who lost their seats Rob Wilson Rex Features General Election 2017: Big beasts who lost their seats Ben Gummer PA

But she insisted Labour MPs had suffered worse abuse.

Twitter trolls have been convicted for death threats to Angela Eagle, Stella Creasy and Luciana Berger.

Nimco Ali, a candidate for the Womens Equality party, was sent a letter threatening her life and signed Jo Cox.

The first Conservative MP to speak out was 61-year-old widow Sheryll Murray, who talked at PMQs two weeks ago about receiving death threats and having her door urinated on.

Hardly kinder, gentler politics, she said of the behaviour.

Ms May said she was determined to stamp it out and highlighted the disproportionate number of attacks on female MPs.
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A trade deal between the UK and the US would not be enough to offset the damage caused by Brexit, a cabinet minister had admitted.

David Lidington, the Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, said even a big new trade deal with the US would not replace the benefits of being in the EU single market and that deals with other countries would be needed too.

It wouldnt be enough on its own, no, he told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show. But it would be a very good thing to have, as would trade deals with the emerging economies of Asia and Latin America.

The Justice Secretary said Brexit would give the UK the flexibility to make new trade deals with other countries.

One of the frustrations sometimes about being part of the EU is that, while the mass of the EU gives it leverage in international trade, it moves sometimes at a tortoise-like pace because all the member states have to agree a common negotiation position, he said.

Having the nimbleness and the flexibility [after Brexit], well still be the fifth or sixth biggest economy in the world, that does give us some opportunities.

Mr Lidington, a vocal Remain supporter, said he did not regret saying during the referendum campaign that Brexit would be a catastrophe for British business and the UK economy.

I took a very firm view in that campaign that I thought British interests, both strategic and economic, were best served by saying in the EU, he said.

But the people took a different decision, as they were democratically entitled to do, and I dont think if you call yourself a democrat you can somehow say we should just set that aside and ignore it. That would do immense harm to public confidence in democracy.

Mr Lidington also blamed ongoing leadership gossip on too much warm Prosecco.

He said: I think the summer parties is the key to this. I have been in Parliament 25 years and almost every July a combination of too much sun and too much warm Prosecco leads to gossipy stories in the media.

The key thing is this: the public has had an election, I think they want the politicians to go away and deal with the real problems that the people of this country are facing.

On Sky News's Sophy Ridge on Sunday he praised the Prime Minister's performance, adding: I see somebody who is very determined to lead and get on with the job.

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

Mr Lidington was speaking hours after Mr Trump gave Theresa May a boost by saying the UK and the US would strike a trade deal very, very quickly.

There is no country that could possibly be closer than our countries, he said before meeting Ms May at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

We have been working on a trade deal which will be a very, very big deal  a very powerful deal, great for both countries and I think we will have that done very, very quickly.

Under EU rules, official talks between the US and the UK over a future trade deal cannot begin until Britain formally leaves the EU in March 2019.

The meeting between Mr Trump and Ms May lasted for around 50 minutes and focused largely on trade. Downing Street said the discussion was entirely positive.

Mr Trump confirmed that he hopes to finalise plans for a state visit to the UK.

Well work that out, he said.
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Celebrations at the annual Pride In London event are the "best antidote" to the terror and tragedy of recent weeks, Sadiq Khan has told thousands gathered in the city.

The Mayor of London said this year's event was the biggest ever, as he addressed revellers in Trafalgar Square.

Members of the emergency services who helped in the aftermath of terrorist attacks and the Grenfell Tower fire disaster launched the march.

Staff from the Metropolitan Police, London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade were nominated to take part after helping in response to terrorist atrocities and the Grenfell Fire disaster, organisers said.

They joined flag bearers representing countries around the world, including those where it is still illegal to be LGBT+.

Mr Khan told the crowd: "We've had a horrible last few weeks. We've had terror, we've had tragedy. You know what the best antidote to sorrow, the best antidote to sadness, to bereavement, to hatred, is Pride In London."

Mention of the DUP, which the Conservative Government struck a deal with following the general election, drew boos from the crowd.

Mr Khan warned that the arrangement with the Northern Ireland party, which is anti-gay marriage and anti-abortion, would not change the status quo in London.

To huge applause, he said: "You (the Government) may have done a deal with the DUP but there will be no backtracking on LGBT+ rights.

"There will be no backtracking on women's rights."

Many in the crowd booed earlier when a video message from Theresa May was played.

In it, the Prime Minister reiterated the UK's pledge to encourage other countries to ensure equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation, and to take a stand against hate crime at home.

She said the UK "will continue to stand up for human rights, directly challenging at the highest political levels governments that criminalise homosexuality or practice violence and discrimination against LGBT+ people".

She added: "And here at home too, we must continue to stand up for true equality and respect for everyone, right across our United Kingdom.

"We must stamp out homophobic bullying in schools, and drive down homophobic and transphobic hate crime."

More than 26,000 people are estimated to have taken part in the parade which began north of Oxford Circus on Regent Street, watched by a crowd expected to number around one million.

London Pride 2017 Show all 14 1 /14 London Pride 2017 London Pride 2017 Revellers in Trafalgar Square in front of the National Portrait gallery take part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London EPA London Pride 2017 A man wearing two hats attends the Pride in London Festival Getty London Pride 2017 Protesters demonstrate during the Pride in London Festival in London. This year's London Pride event marks 50 years since homosexuality was decriminalised in England and Wales under the 1967 Sexual Offences Getty London Pride 2017 The parade passes Nelson's Column as revellers take part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London, EPA London Pride 2017 Members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community take part in the annual Pride Parade in London on July 8 AFP London Pride 2017 Revelers enjoy the Pride London Parade in London. The Parade attracts an estimated crowd of 1 million onlookers, while around 26,500 people are taking part in the annual Parade making this the city's biggest one-day event and one of the world's biggest LGBT+ celebrations. AP London Pride 2017 Revellers take part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London EPA London Pride 2017 A participant sits on a rainbow coloured flag during the Pride in London Parade in central London PA London Pride 2017 Two men sit on a rainbow flag painted on the pavement at Oxford Circus as revellers take part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London, Britain EPA London Pride 2017 Revellers take part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London EPA London Pride 2017 A woman from the homeless charity 'Crisis' takes part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London EPA London Pride 2017 Revellers wave their flags as they take part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London EPA London Pride 2017 A woman walks past a shop front decorated with the Pride flag colours Getty London Pride 2017 People ride a tube escalator decorated with the Pride flag colours Getty

The parade, taking a 1.4-mile route through the city, comes after what is believed to be the world's largest Pride festival, with over 100 events having taken place since Saturday 24 June.

The march is also marking 50 years since the Sexual Offences Act 1967, which decriminalised homosexuality in England and Wales.

As part of the annual Pride weekend, a rainbow flag will be projected on to the Palace of Westminster for the first time.

Lord Fowler, Speaker of the House of Lords, said the move will demonstrate the UK's support for those living in countries around the world where people are persecuted for being gay.

The large-scale event is taking place as the country's threat level remains at severe, with police warning people to be vigilant as they enjoy the celebrations.

The Metropolitan Police said it is involved in high visibility police patrols, including both armed and unarmed officers, as well as plain clothes officers.

Press Association
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The US ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Nikki Haley has called the decision to recognise the West Bank city of Hebron as a Palestinian World Heritage site, an affront to history.

Ms Haley warned that the landmark ruling by United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organisation (Unesco) will undermine the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

She said it discredits an already highly questionable UN agency.

Her comments came within hours of the UNs main cultural heritage body, awarding the old city of Hebron, endangered status and recognising it as a Palestinian area.

Hebron is an especially contentious territory, because both Jews and Muslims revere a same site as the traditional burial place of the biblical patriarchs and matriarchs.

Jews call it the Tomb of the Patriarchs, while for Muslims it is the Ibrahimi Mosque.

Outraged Israeli officials have said the Unesco vote negated the deep Jewish ties to the biblical town and its ancient shrine, while their Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it "another delusional decision by Unesco"

Ms Haley added to the criticism on saying it was "tragic on several levels", adding: "It represents an affront to history."

 Soldiers drag 8-year-old from house to house in Hebron for over an hour

She said: It undermines the trust that is needed for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process to be successful. And it further discredits an already highly questionable UN agency. Todays vote does no one any good and causes much harm.

The US confirmed it is currently evaluating the appropriate level of its continued engagement at Unesco.

Ms Haley has previously boasted about cutting more than $500m (387m) from the UN's peacekeeping budget.

The move was the latest chapter in Israel's uneasy relationship with Unesco, an agency it accuses of being an anti-Israeli tool that makes decisions out of political considerations.

The 12-3 vote, with six abstentions, came on a secret ballot at an annual UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Krakow, Poland, following a proposal from Palestinian representatives.

The decision obliges the World Heritage committee to review its status annually.

"This is a historical development because it stressed that Hebron and the Ibrahimi Mosque historically belong to the Palestinian people," said Palestinian Minister of Tourism Rula Maayah.

But Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said Unesco's "automatic Arab majority succeeded in passing the proposed resolution that attempts to appropriate the national symbols of the Jewish people."

Recommended Haley boasts about cutting peacekeeping budget

She added: "This is a badge of shame for Unesco, who time after time chooses to stand on the side of lies."

Mr Netanyahu expressed outrage that Unesco determined the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron "is a Palestinian site, meaning not Jewish, and that the site is in danger."

"Not a Jewish site?!" he asked sarcastically. "Who is buried there? Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca and Leah  our patriarchs and matriarchs!"

Mr Netanyahu pointed to extremists blowing up religious sites in the Middle East and said, "It is only in those places where Israel is, such as Hebron, that freedom of religion for all is ensured."

Hebron is part of the West Bank, a territory captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. The international community considers it to be occupied.

 Trump says he will fight for peace deal between Israel and Palestine

Palestinians claim the West Bank is an integral part of a future independent state, a position that is widely backed internationally.

Israel says the territory's fate, along with other core issues like security, should be resolved in negotiations.

In the meantime, Israel has built dozens of settlements in the West Bank housing about 400,000 Israelis. The Palestinians  and most of the world  consider these to be illegal obstacles to peace. Israel says the future of the settlements also must be decided through talks.

Several hundred ultra-nationalist settlers live in heavily guarded enclaves in Hebron, amid about 170,000 Palestinians. There is frequent friction between the two populations.

Additional reporting by agencies.
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The Canadian province of British Columbia has advised around 3,000 people to evacuate and declared a state of emergency as wildfires sweep through the territory.

More than 138 new wildfires broke out on Saturday alone, raising the total to about 240, according to local media reports.

More than 1,800 firefighters were tackling the fires and a further 260 were coming to their aid from other parts of Canada. Saskatchewan was sending three air tankers and 30 firefighters.

"Given the current wildfire situation and the expected increase in wildfire activity, the province is taking this extraordinary measure of declaring a provincial state of emergency," Todd Stone, British Columbia's transportation and emergency management chief, said in a statement.

John Ranta, the mayor of Cache Creek, one of the areas where local residents were ordered to evacuate, said at least five properties had been destroyed by fire as well as 30 trailer park homes and two hangars at an airport.

One firefighter said: "I've been in this business for 17 years... and I haven't experienced a day like we experienced yesterday."

Weather conditions are further fuelling the conflagration. The Weather Network said that a ridge of high pressure was keeping up temperatures, pushing hot, dry desert air through the Prairies. Lightning storms also lit up the skies in many parts of the province.

Yesterday was an extraordinary day in terms of fire activity across the province, Kevin Skrepnek, chief information officer for the BC Wildfire Service, told the National Post.

Were focusing now on public safety, keeping these fires away from communities, protecting transportation routes, things like that.

In pictures: Chile forest fire Show all 9 1 /9 In pictures: Chile forest fire In pictures: Chile forest fire View of a forest fire in Pumanque, 140 km south of Santiago. The Chilean government declared a state of emergency in several central areas due to forest fires that have destroyed more than 35,000 hectares of woods so far Getty Images In pictures: Chile forest fire A firefighter helicopter helps try to put out a forest fire in Pumanque, 140 km south of Santiago Getty Images In pictures: Chile forest fire A firefighter drinks during works to put out a forest fire in Pumanque, 140 km south of Santiago Getty Images In pictures: Chile forest fire A firefighter works to put out a forest fire in Pumanque Getty Images In pictures: Chile forest fire The Chilean government declared a state of emergency in several central areas due to forest fires that have destroyed more than 35,000 hectares of woods so far Getty Images In pictures: Chile forest fire View of a forest fire in Pumanque, 140 km south of Santiago Getty Images In pictures: Chile forest fire Burnt land is seen after forest fires in a town called Cauquenes in the Maule region, south of Chile Reuters In pictures: Chile forest fire View of a fire in Pumanque, 140 km south of Santiago Getty Images In pictures: Chile forest fire Firefighters work to put out a fire in Pumanque Getty Images

He added that around 120 firefighters were deployed to build fire guards to impede the progress of the blazes.

The last time British Columbia declared a state of emergency was in 2003.

Factors which triggered the emergency include weather conditions and man-made causes. In an interview with the Globe and Mail, Mr Skrepnek said: A big driver of activity yesterday was the lightning we were getting, but there were definitely human-caused fires in there as well  which is frustrating, given that those are preventable fires.
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Donald Trumps lawyer has claimed his comments about the women who accused him of sexual assault and harassment should not be taken literally.

The argument came in response to a lawsuit brought by former Apprentice candidate Summer Zervos, who is accusing the President of defamation after he said on the campaign trail that she was lying about being groped and kissed by him without consent.

The allegedly defamatory statements [by Mr Trump] were made during a national political campaign that involved heated public debate in political forums, lawyer Marc Kasowitz wrote in a 53-page memo.

Recommended Summer Zervos files defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump

Statements made in that context are properly viewed by courts as part of the expected fiery rhetoric, hyperbole and opinion that is squarely protected by the First Amendment.

Mr Kasowitz is also defending the President for the investigation of his ties to the Russians during the campaign.

Mr Trump denied all accusations from more than a dozen women accusing the now President of sexual assault or harassment.

 Donald Trump falsely claims sexual assault allegations against him have been largely debunked

On the campaign trail, he repeatedly called the women liars, crazy, sick fame-hungry and pointed to their physical appearance to suggest they were not attractive enough to receive that kind of behaviour.

You take a look. Look at her. Look at her words. You tell me what you think. I dont think so, he said.

 Adult film actress Jessica Drake becomes 11th woman to accuse Donald Trump of sexual misconduct

Ms Zervos was the only accuser to file a lawsuit, claiming he aggressively grabbed and kissed her when she went to see him in Beverly Hills about a job opportunity, one year after she appeared on the fifth series of the reality television show.

Mr Kasowitz also argued that the President could not be sued in state court while serving in office, and that Ms Zervoss allegations were designed to hurt Mr Trumps campaign. He maintains that the case should be dismissed or delayed.

Ms Zervoss lawyer, Gloria Allred, said she would seek the Presidents testimony under oath during the lawsuit and would also try to obtain outtakes from The Apprentice to showcase his allegedly inappropriate behaviour with women.

Ms Zervos is not suing the President for sexual assault. Ms Zervos decided to pursue her case of defamation after she saw the leaked 2005 Access Hollywood video in which Mr Trump bragged to host Billy Bush about grabbing womens genitals.

She added she was not seeking monetary compensation, and only wanted to repair her reputation.
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Donald Trump's son has posted an edited clip from the film Top Gun depicting him shooting down CNN, in an apparent escalation of the feud between the US news network and the American President.

Shared on Instagram and Twitter by Donald Trump Jr, the footage was doctored to place his father in the seat of Tom Cruise's fighter jet in the 1986 action movie as he blasts a missile at an enemy plane overlaid with the broadcaster's logo.

It comes a week after the US leader shared a wrestling meme in which he body slammed an opponent whose face is covered by CNN's branding. The President frequently berates the network, calling it "fake news".

After his original post of the edited wrestling video, Mr Trump was accused of inciting violence against journalists.

Donald Trump Jr, the President's eldest child at 39, described the Top Gun clip as "one of the best I've seen" as he shared them on social media alongside laughing emojis.

The video shows the jet covered by CNN's logo exploding in a fireball after being hit by the missile.

Donald Trump Jr shared the video after it was posted on Twitter by @OldRowOfficial, which captioned the tweet: "Hey CNN, we heard you like memes."

Trump supporters lapped up the latest dig at the network which has been on the receiving end of the President's most spiteful attacks on the media. But many other social users did not see the funny side.

Jessica Ellis tweeted: Reporting this for targeted harassment. This is disgusting.

One Instragram user wrote: "What the hell is wrong with this family? Have they no shame? Wow."

Recommended Donald Trump tweeted a video of himself beating up CNN

The President was widely criticised last week for posting the wrestling meme, an edited clip of his cameo at a WWE Wrestlemania show in 2007.

He shared the video, in which he repeatedly pummels and throws to the floor WWE chairman Vince McMahon - whose head is covered by the CNN logo - with a hashtag branding the broadcaster "fraud news".

It is a sad day when the President of the United States encourages violence against reporters, the network responded in a statement.

Mr Trump's Homeland Security adviser later denied the tweet encouraged attacks on journalists.

"No one would perceive that as a threat. I hope they dont, Thomas Bossert said. "I do think hes being beaten up in a way on cable platforms that he has a right to respond to."

Donald Trump Jr and his brother have been running the Trump business empire since January (AP)

Anti-media rants have been a regular feature of Mr Trump's presidency and the billionaire frequently denounced accused the press of covering his election campaign unfairly.

He has repeatedly branded the media "fake news" and referred them as "the enemy of the American people".

Mr Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin kicked off their first one-one-one meeting at the G20 summit by trading disparaging comments about the reporters gathered to cover it.

At a photo op before their private G20 summit meeting, Mr Putin leaned in to US President, gestured to the journalists in the room, and asked: "These are the ones hurting you?

"These are the ones. You're right about that, Mr Trump responded.

The brief aside drew outcry from journalists, many of whom pointed to troubling media landscape in Moscow.

Almost 60 journalists, including Putin critics and reporters who have exposed political corruption, have been murdered in Russia since 1993.
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Donald Trump said he "strongly pressed" Russian President Vladimir Putin twice about claims the Kremlin interfered in last year's US presidential election.

The US leader has been dogged by accusations that Kremlin backed hackers aided his campaign to win the White House.

But after leaving the G20 summit in the German city of Hamburg, Mr Trump tweeted: "I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion..."

The first face to face meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Putin was a highly anticipated moment of the summit as the leaders of the world's largest economies gathered in Germany.

The pair had been scheduled to meet for half-an-hour, but ended up talking for over two-hours.

In the end Mr Trump's wife Melania was sent in to end the meeting, but she was unable to stop the pair from talking for another hour, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said.

Despite US intelligence agencies having repeatedly said evidence showed Russia interfered in the election, Mr Trump has refused to blame Russia.

Pressed on the issue during a press conference in Poland, Mr Trump said that "nobody really knows for sure" who interfered in the 2016 election, adding: "I think it was Russia and I think it could have been other people countries."

While President Trump continues to doubt whether Russia acted alone in its efforts to influence the presidential race, US intelligence agencies have agreed Mr Putin directed the cyber attacks.

The Russian leader has always denied the claims and it came as no surprise he kept the same line during his meeting with Mr Trump.

Her told reporters after the meeting that Mr Trump had accepted his strong denials of the accusations.

Writing on Twitter, Mr Trump added: "Putin and I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking and many other negative things will be guarded...and safe. Questions were asked about why the CIA & FBI had to ask the DNC 13 times for their server and were rejected, still don't have it.

He added: "Fake News said 17 intel agencies when actually 4 (had to apologise). Why did Obama did nothing when he had info before election?"

The Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence wrote in a report published in January they had "high confidence" Russian spies had tried to interfere in the election on the order of President Putin.

Not all 17 intelligence agencies were working on investigating interference in last' years US election, but the four that were concluded the same thing.

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, offered a much more forceful view of the meeting with Mr Putin.

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 an interview with CNN, she said: [Mr Trump] wanted him to basically look him in the eye, let him know that yes, we know you meddled in our elections. Yes we know you did it, cut it out. And I think President Putin did exactly what we thought he would do, which is deny it. This is Russia trying to save face. And they cant. They cant.

She added: "Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our election. Everybody knows that they're mot just meddling in the United States' election."

About his meeting with Mr Putin, Mr Trump also tweeted: "We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!

"Sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin. Nothing will be done until Ukrainian & Syrian problems are solved!"

From his time in Hamburg, Mr Trump concluded: "G20 summit was a great success for the US. Explained that the US must fix the many bad trade deals it has made. Will get it done!"
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A former US spy says that Donald Trump is being trolled by Vladimir Putin on the topic of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

After the first face to face meeting between the two world leaders in Hamburg at the G20 summit this week, Mr Trump insisted that he had pressed Mr Putin on the issue. The Russian president, meanwhile, fell back on an old line: Show me the proof.

Mr Putin has an information dominance over Donald Trump. Donald Trump does not live in an area where he even believes his intelligence agencies  he disparages them, Malcolm Nance, a retired US Navy cryptologist, said on MSNBC.

Recommended Donald Trump leaves people confused about comments on Ivanka

The Russian president may have his critics, Mr Nance said, but his use of his intelligence agencies is much more advanced than Mr Trumps.

Its the ultimate trolling for Vladimir Putin to say ok give us the evidence, like all the evidence, you know? Let us know where we failed in our collection activities and where we succeeded in our successful propaganda warfare against you, Mr Nance said.

Mr Trump has received plenty of criticism for his perceived handling of questions related to meddling in the 2016 election. The President has vocally questioned US intelligence agencies on the issue, which contend that Russian sources were involved in the hackings. And, Mr Trump has publicly stated that he thinks investigations into the hacking are bogus, and politically charged to damage his presidency.

The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images

Mr Putin has challenged US intelligence sources as well, arguing that any evidence linking the Kremlin to the 2016 election meddling could have been fabricated or altered to be deceiving.

Just after Mr Trump returned from his trip abroad in Europe, the Presidents former campaign manager stepped up to say that Mr Putins denial of involvement meant that the story is over.

Now the President has taken this issue directly to the president of Russia and raised it, Corey Lewandowski said on Fox News. So, now I think the issue is officially dead.
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North Korea has accused the US and South Korea of pushing the region to the "tipping point" of nuclear war.

Pyongyang was furious after the US deployed two bombers near its border in a show of force that it slammed as a "military provocation". It warned a nuclear war "would inevitably lead to another world war".

The US Air Force bombers dropped inert weapons over a training range in South Korea and fighter jets from both countries took part in rare live-fire drills.

Bombers reportedly flew close to the fortified border, which splits the Korean peninsula into two, and dropped 900kg bombs.

Tensions escalated in the peninsula after North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile, believed to be capable of hitting targets as far away as Alaska.

Donald Trump's administration and North Korea's Kim Jong-Un have also exchanged hostile rhetoric for months.

North Korea, which is banned from testing or developing missiles under UN resolutions, has been working to develop a nuclear-tipped ICBM capable of hitting the US, ignoring repeated warnings from the international community.

The military drill by the US and South Korea saw American bombers destroy missile batteries and South Koreans jets deliver precision missile strikes on an underground command post, the AFP reported.

US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers, left and second from left, fly with South Korean and US fighter jets over the Korean Peninsula, South Korea. Photo provided by the South Korea Defense Ministry. (South Korea Defense Ministry via AP)

But an editorial titled "Don't play with fire on a powder keg" published in the state-run North Korean Rodong newspaper said the drill making war more likely.

Describing the Korean peninsula as "the world's biggest tinderbox", the article said: "The US, with its dangerous military provocation, is pushing the risk of a nuclear war on the peninsula to a tipping point."

The paper described the exercises as a "dangerous military gambit of warmongers who are trying to ignite the fuse of a nuclear war on the peninsula".

"A small misjudgment or error can immediately lead to the beginning of a nuclear war, which will inevitably lead to another world war," it added.

The article also justified North Korea's weapons' tests as "legitimate and justified measures" amid increasing "threats of nuclear war" against Pyongyang by Washington.

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

US military officials described the exercise as a defensive show of force and unity that demonstrated "the ironclad US commitment to our allies".

The US Missile Defence Agency said it would soon test an anti-ballistic missile system in Alaska.

A South Korean air force spokesperson also said the drill was a response to the series of ballistic missiles launched by North Korea.

Additional reporting by agencies.
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A United Nations treaty banning nuclear weapons has been welcomed by survivors of the deadly atom bomb attacks on Japan which ended the Second World War.

Setsuko Thurlow, who survived the Hiroshima blast, was a 13-year-old schoolgirl when she was near to the hypocentre of the explosion on August 6, 1945.

I have been waiting for this day for seven decades and I am overjoyed that it has finally arrived, she told the Japan Times. This is the beginning of the end of nuclear weapons.

Recounting what happened in the aftermath to survivors, she said: Their hair was standing on end  I dont know why  and their eyes were swollen shut from the burns. Some peoples eyeballs were hanging out of the sockets. Some were holding their own eyes in their hands. Nobody was running. Nobody was yelling. It was totally silent, totally still. All you could hear were the whispers for water, water.

How do you describe a hell on Earth?

Toshiki Fujimori, assistant secretary-general of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organisations also hailed the adoption of the treaty.

I never would imagine this treaty was going to be concluded," he said. I think it is the collective effort of the humanity of all the people that came together here at the United Nations.

The United Nations first-ever adoption of the nuclear weapons ban was agreed by a total of 122 countries, with only the Netherlands opposed and Singapore abstaining.

Dutch foreign affairs minister Bert Koenders said the Netherlands supported the ban on nuclear weapons but was concerned over issues with the resolution itself. Particularly, how checks and controls would be adhered to.

Costa Rican Ambassador Elayne Whyte Gomez, president of the UN conference on prohibiting nuclear weapons was jubilant. We all feel very emotional today. We feel that we are responding to the hopes and to the dreams of present and future generations  that we undertake our responsibility as a generation to do whatever is in our hands to achieve and to move the world toward the dream of a world free of nuclear weapons.

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The treaty will enter into force three months after the document is ratified by 50 countries. It is legally binding for an unlimited period. The text of the charter also bans threats to use nuclear weapons.

In direct reference to A-bomb survivors, victims of the atrocity, which killed more than 140,000 people, will be provided with medical care and rehabilitation.

However, none of the countries known or believed to have nuclear weapons - the US, Britain, Russia, North Korea , France, India, Pakistan, and Israel  is backing the pact.

Nikki Hayley, the US Ambassador, agreed in principle on the ban but suggested we have to be realistic, according to Time magazine.

She added that North Korea would be cheering such a ban on nuclear weapons, leaving US residents at risk.
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London, July 8 (CNA) A Taiwanese group advocating for same-sex marriage took part in the 2017 Pride in London gay and lesbian parade on Saturday, holding banners with the slogan "First Country in Asia" to publicize the fact that Taiwan will soon become the first Asian country to grant same-sex couples the legal right to marry.
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One of Pope Francis' most senior advisers is travelling home to his native Australia to face multiple sex charges.

Cardinal George Pell has taken a leave of absence as the Vatican's financial minister last month after being accused of a string of sexual assaults alleged to have taken place years ago.

The cardinal, the highest-ranking Catholic Church official to face such charges, has insisted he is innocent and said he would return home to clear his name.

Australia's Channel 9 broadcast footage of the 76-year-old on a stop-off in Asia as he makes his way to Melbourne to appear in court.

Video taken by a tourist shows Cardinal Pell in casual clothes with a companion outside an ice-cream shop in Singapore. The tourist told the cleric his mother wanted to know if he was innocent.

"Tell her that I am," he replied.

It is the is the first time the cardinal has been seen in public outside Rome since police charged him. He is due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on July 26.

Victoria state police said Cardinal Pell would face multiple counts of "historical sexual assault offences," which are alleged to have happened years ago.

 Cardinal George Pell Maintains his innocence in wake of sexual assault charges

There are multiple alleged victims but police have released no further details of the accusations.

The cardinal appeared before reporters at the Vatican press office after the claims emerged, forcefully denying allegations and denouncing what he described as a "relentless character assassination" in the media.

"I repeat that I am innocent of these charges. They are false. The whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me," he said.
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Ukraine is in talks with one of Frances biggest energy businesses to construct a 969m solar facility at the derelict Chernobyl nuclear reactor plant and its surrounding area.

Ostap Semerak, Ukraines minister of ecology, said Engie is starting a pre-feasibility survey, bankrolled by the French government, next week. The results should be published by the end of the year.

Frances experience in nuclear is one of the reasons that we wanted to work with them, Mr Semerak told The Washington Post. They approached us after we announced our intention to develop renewables in Chernobyl.

An Engie spokesman verified that the company is in consultation with the Ukrainian government but refused to reveal any further details on the project.

Pietro Radoia, a solar analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said: Ukraine has good solar irradiation, but a low level of confidence from investors and the consequent prohibitive cost of financing. Engie might find a way around if it uses corporate financing though.

Chernobyl was the scene of the worlds worst nuclear accident in 1986, causing 56 direct deaths. However, estimates suggest the death toll could be as high as 4,000 because of radiation exposure-related cancer fatalities.

A 30km exclusion zone remains around the reactor that set fire during a safety test.

Despite the area remaining contaminated and a large quantity of radioactive material still at the demolished reactor, Ukraine is looking at using Chernobyl as a base for renewable energy.

According to Mr Semerak, more than 60 companies are engaged in discussions concerning various schemes at the deserted nuclear power plant.

Chinese companies GCL System Integration Technology Co and China National Complete Engineering Corp have evinced an interest in planning a 1-gigawatt solar project on the site.

Radiation ecologists report that radiation had practically no impact on the flora and fauna surrounding the area.

The Life Span Study has found no evidence that nuclear radiation causes multi-generational genetic damage.

In 2006, the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation reported: Although those exposed as children and the emergency and recovery workers are at increased risk of radiation-induced effects, the vast majority of the population need not live in fear of serious health consequences due to the radiation from the Chernobyl accident.

Mr Semerak is confident about the future of the plant. The big question at this time last year was would anyone be interested, would anybody want to build renewables in a territory thats limited, polluted?

He added: We werent sure. Now we at least have some of the answers.
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Anti-globalisation protesters involved in a third consecutive night of clashes with police in Hamburg are crazy, according to some refugees in the city.

Police used water cannon trucks against rioters, who hurled iron rods and pavement blocks at authorities, even after G20 leaders had left the city.

If people did this in Egypt they would be shot, said Ibrahim Ali, a 29-year-old Egyptian who came to Hamburg in 2011.

The state provides everything: housing, unemployment benefits and education. Yet those people are not happy. I don't get it.

Ali was one of three refugees serving beer, falafel and humus to protesters leaving the Sternschanze quarter, as rioters came under pressure from police special units.

"They are crazy. I can't believe my eyes," said Mohammad Halabi, 32, a Syrian who arrived in Germany as a refugee some 18 months ago.

G20 Protesters take Hamburg Show all 8 1 /8 G20 Protesters take Hamburg G20 Protesters take Hamburg German riot police use water cannons against protesters during the demonstration during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS G20 Protesters take Hamburg German riot police clash with protesters during the demonstrations during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS G20 Protesters take Hamburg Riot police move in through the smoke from a smoke bomb during the "Welcome to Hell" rally against the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany AFP/Getty Images G20 Protesters take Hamburg Riot police use water cannon to put of burning bins as a protester runs off after the "Welcome to Hell" rally against the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany AFP/Getty Images G20 Protesters take Hamburg Protesters throw beer bottles as they shield themselves from water cannon spray during the "Welcome to Hell" rally against the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany AFP/Getty Images G20 Protesters take Hamburg A firefighter works at the scene where a number of cars burnt down during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS G20 Protesters take Hamburg The interior of a burnt down car is seen as firefighters work in the background during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS G20 Protesters take Hamburg German police remove a protestor who is blocking a street at a demonstration during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS

"They have such a beautiful country and they're destroying it."

But Halabi says he cannot be angry at the German chancellor Angela Merkel, who took the decision to welcome refugees into the country.

Without her I wouldnt be here, he said.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators have been protesting at the G20 international forum of world leaders.

German chancellor Angela Merkel has condemned their actions.

I have every understanding for peaceful demonstrations but violent demonstrations put human lives in danger, she said.

More than 200 officers have been injured, although it is not clear how many protesters were injured.

Many have been gathering in black bloc formations with dark clothing and masks, a protest tactic used by demonstrators associated with the anarchist movement.

Reuters.
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Hundreds of thousands of people joined a rally in Istanbul at the end of a 25-day march for justice against the government of the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The opposition Republican Peoples Party leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, led the 280-mile walk from Ankara to Istanbul after his deputy leader was imprisoned in June.

Mr Erdogan has spearheaded a large-scale government crackdown against opponents in the wake of a failed coup against him last summer, and was granted sweeping new powers following a controversial referendum in April.

If only there was no need for this march and there was democracy, media freedoms, if civic society groups could freely express their opinions, Mr Kilicdaroglu said.

The opposition leader was once seen as weak but has emerged as the voice of many Turks, even prompting comparisons to Mahatma Gandhi, who led peaceful protests against British rule in India.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of main opposition Republican People's Party, speaks during a rally to mark the end of his 25-day long protest, dubbed 'Justice March', against the detention of the party's lawmaker Enis Berberoglu in Istanbul (Umit Bektas/Reuters)

Mr Kilicdaroglu told Reuters his three-week march had helped Turks cast off a shirt of fear since emergency rule was imposed after the coup attempt.

The 68-year-old attracted relatively modest support in the early stages of his march, but numbers swelled in the final days, with hundreds of thousands carrying banners and the Turkish flag as they demanded rights, law, justice.

The government has accused Mr Kilicdaroglu of supporting terrorist groups with his protest and violating the law by attempting to influence the judiciary.

Mr Erdogan claims to be cracking down against those who support militant organisations, but the government definition of what constitutes backing terrorism is so broad it has led to the arrest of thousands of civil servants, journalists, campaigners and other workers.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talks to media (REUTERS)

Parliamentarian Enis Berberoglu was sentenced last month to 25 years in prison for revealing state secrets after he allegedly leaked documents to an opposition newspaper suggesting the Turkish government had armed jihadists in Syria. A journalist by profession, the opposition party's deputy leader has long been a thorn in Mr Erdogan's side.

In a New York Times article on Friday, Mr Kilicdaroglu called the case against Mr Berberoglu the last straw in a series of anti-democratic moves by the government targeting tens of thousands of Turkish citizens - politicians, journalists, academics, activists or ordinary citizens.

After last year's aborted coup, the government imposed a state of emergency leading to the arrest of more than 50,000 people and the dismissal of 100,000 civil servants. A dozen legislators from a pro-Kurdish opposition party have also been jailed.

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

Among the marchers were ordinary citizens, sacked public employees and several high-profile figures, including novelist Asli Erdogan and leading Kurdish politician Ahmet Turk, both released from prison pending trial on various terror-related charges, and Yonca Sik, the wife of a prominent journalist currently in jail.

The detention of human rights activists and leading journalists has drawn international condemnation and damaged the countrys bid to join the European Union.

Organisers said the protest expressed a collective, non-partisan desire for an independent and fair judicial system. No party flags or slogans were allowed on the march.

Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said 15,000 police officers were providing security at the post-march rally, according to state news agency Anadolu.
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Plans appear to be under way to begin fulfilling Donald Trumps promise to pack USs Guantanamo Bay prison with bad dudes.

During his election campaign last year, Mr Trump said he would load it up when he became president. Last week US Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy Rod Rosenstein visited the detention camp in Cuba, along with National Intelligence Director Dan Coats, to gain an up-to-date understanding of current operations, the Justice Department said.

Mr Sessions has been in favour of continued use of Guantanamo since his days as an Alabama senator. He told ABC News it was a very fine place for holding these kind of dangerous criminals.

Weve spent a lot of money fixing it up, Mr Sessions said in a separate interview with the Salem Radio Network. And Im inclined to the view that it remains a perfectly acceptable place. And I think the fact is that a lot of the criticisms have just been totally exaggerated.

Former detainee Mohamedou Ould Slahi wrote a memoir about his time in the prison camp, describing being sexually assaulted by women interrogators, blindfolded, beaten, shackled and deprived of water. Another inmate, Canadian citizen Omar Khadr, was awarded a settlement rumoured to be around $8m (6.2m). A 2010 Supreme Court of Canada ruling found that Canadian officials violated his rights when they interrogated him at the prison.

Bomb plot 'ringleaders' were freed from Guantanamo Bay Show all 2 1 /2 Bomb plot 'ringleaders' were freed from Guantanamo Bay Bomb plot 'ringleaders' were freed from Guantanamo Bay 285231.bin REUTERS Bomb plot 'ringleaders' were freed from Guantanamo Bay 285232.bin AP

Guantanamo Bay opened as a detention facility in 2002 and was used to hold foreign terror suspects after the 9/11 attacks and the US invasion of Afghanistan. The detainee population is down to around 41 men. At its height, nearly 800 prisoners were kept here.

Former President Barack Obama had signed an executive order for the prison camp to be shut down, arguing it was being used a recruitment ground for terrorist groups. Plans to revoke Mr Obamas reforms have strong support from David Rivkin, a fellow at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies who served under Presidents Reagan and George HW Bush in the White House counsels office and the Justice Department. We have taken off the table the silly ideas that the previous administration had about Guantanamo, he told Washington newspaper The Hill.
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Beiruts racecourse, which hosted monarchs and movie stars in its chic heyday and survived Lebanon's civil war, is struggling to secure its future after years of slow decline.

The Hippodrome marked its centenary last year. But it has an ageing clientele, must fend of private developers and has lost revenue to illegal gambling.

Now it is seeking a younger crowd and new investment from city authorities.

Beirut's racecourse past and present Show all 23 1 /23 Beirut's racecourse past and present Beirut's racecourse past and present Jockeys compete during a horse race at Beirut Hippodrome Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present Racegoers place a bet before the horse racing starts at Beirut Hippodrome Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present Jockey Mohammad Hassan, nicknamed as Sisi, is weighed on a scale at Beirut Hippodrome Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present Racegoers queue at a betting stall in Beirut Hippodrome Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present A Lebanese National flag and posters depicting the jockeys' dress codes hang on a wall at Beirut Hippodrome Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present A cashier hands a betting slip to a racegoer at Beirut Hippodrome Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present Racegoer Elias Yousef (2nd L) attends a horse race at Beirut Hippodrome Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present Jockey, Mohammad Hassan, known as Sisi walks across a room at Beirut Hippodrome Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present Racegoer, Jamil Helo, 85, sits on a bench as he holds his betting slip during a horse race at Beirut Hippodrome Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present Racegoer, Jamil Helo, 85, sits on a bench as he holds his betting slip during a horse race at Beirut Hippodrome Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present People watch a horse race at Beirut Hippodrome Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present Jockeys compete during a horse race at Beirut Hippodrome, Lebanon, in 1992 Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present Jockey Mohammad Hassan, known as Sisi, poses for a photograph at Beirut Hippodrome Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present A horse cart is pictured at Beirut Hippodrome Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present A bullet-riddled wall is pictured at Beirut Hippodrome Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present A man grooms a horse at Beirut Hippodrome Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present Jockeys compete during a horse race at Beirut Hippodrome, Lebanon, in 1992. Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present A racegoer looks at his betting sheet during a horse race at Beirut Hippodrome Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present A man grooms a horse at Beirut Hippodrome, Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present People attend Flower Day at Beirut Hippodrome before Lebanon's civil war Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present Jockey Mohammad Hassan, known as Sisi, gestures as he rides a horse at Beirut Hippodrome, Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present Syrian jockey, Mohannad Ghorly, prepares for the second round of the horse race at Beirut Hippodrome Reuters Beirut's racecourse past and present People watch a horse race at Beirut Hippodrome, Lebanon Reuters

Its director general Nabil Nasrallah is studying the draft of an advertisment for family-friendly night races, a move he hopes will bring in more youthful punters.

Would it be better to use the phrase 'back a winner' or 'guess a winner'? he wonders.

He proposes using what is rare patch of green in Beiruts centre as a park on days when there is no racing, and hopes to restore the racecourse to its past glories with development projects.

The city authorities, which own it, have not yet put in the money, he says.

On white plastic chairs in the concrete stands, amid the chatter of conversation and the gurgle of water pipes, most men watching the horses one recent Sunday are middle-aged or older.

Many had patronised the Hippodrome since its 1960s heyday, when the city painted itself as the Paris of the Middle East and races drew a glittering high-society crowd.

All the presidents of republics and officials visiting from abroad used to come here, like the Shah of Iran, [Saudi] King Abdulziz and the king of Greece. It was one of the most prestigious and beautiful places in Beirut, Nasrallah says.

Back then the original elegant grandstand was filled with spectators and 15 horses ran each race, instead of five now.

The grandstand was smashed in the fighting when Israel occupied Beirut in 1982.

The Hippodrome was for years on the Green Line, the front between Lebanon's warring factions in the 1975-1990 civil war, and nearby city buildings still bear the marks of bullets and shrapnel on their ripped facades.

We had more than 10,000 people coming from east and west, from the different sides, for race meetings, says Nasrallah of races during the war. Unlike other crossing points on the front line, the racecourse was not a target for snipers.

But the Gulf sheikhs who used to race their thoroughbreds here now have racecourses in their own countries, although Islamic law bars the gambling that attracts many punters in Beirut.

Elias Yousef, a dandified 76-year-old barber sporting a scarlet handkerchief in the breast pocket of his white linen jacket, says he bets up to 100,000 Lebanese pounds (51) a week.

It's my sickness, he says.

Nasrallah says that illegal gambling had reduced the volume of bets placed with official bookies at the racecourse.

In the VIP suite in the stand, five men sit around a table overlooking the course, filling ashtrays, emptying coffee cups and waving white betting slips.

They cheer raucously, ribbing a retired judge who had backed a horse that was disqualified for an infraction after romping home in first place.

A bell rings and spectators walk over to the white fences of an exercise yard to cast expert eyes over the horses before they run the next race.

There is a murmur of excitement and everybody rushes towards the stand, craning their necks for the start of the race.

Come on! Come on! the crowd shouts in Arabic and French. All eyes are fixed on the red dust of the track as the horses thunder past.

The winning jockey is a Syrian, a tiny man in orange and black colours, sweat and red dust staining his face. He came to race in Lebanon after the war in Syria began, he says.

After the race, he and the other jockeys gather in the weighing room, taking turns to sit in the harness of a wrought-iron scale while a man slowly adds weights until it tilts.

Outside, Jamil Helo, aged 85, sits waiting for the last race. He has come to the races in Beirut since 1965.

Sometimes I win a little, sometimes I lose a lot, he says.. It's in my blood.

Reuters
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A self-styled atheist Muslim author says liberals have stifled criticism of Islam and allowed Donald Trump supporters to hijack debate about the religion from a position of xenophobia and bigotry.

Ali Rizvi claimed those on the left and right of the political spectrum are unable to distinguish between Islamic ideology and Muslim identity, preventing honest conversations about the link between religion and terrorism.

And he accused liberals of maintaining a devastating double standard by attacking the illiberal beliefs of Christian fundamentalists while branding people Islamophobic for condemning similar views held by Muslims.

The writer, who was born in Pakistan, suggested that the lefts blind spot about Islam had created an opportunity for the Trumpian right to descend into bigotry and demonise Muslims.

 Trump urges Muslim leaders to fight Islamic extremism

In an interview about his new book The Atheist Muslim, he told Vox: I think the left has a blind spot when it comes to Islam and the right has a blind spot when it comes to Muslims.

When Christian fundamentalists like Pat Robertson say something that's homophobic or misogynistic, people on the left descend on them like a ton of bricks.

Theyre very comfortable with criticising and satirising fundamentalist Christianity.

But when it comes to Islam, which has many of the same homophobic and misogynistic teachings, they throw their hands up, back off, and say, whoa, hold on, we must respect their religion and culture.

Mr Rizvi grew up in a Muslim family, living in Libya and Saudi Arabia before he settled in Canada.

Although he is an atheist, he said he still enjoyed aspects of Islamic culture such as Eid and Ramadan.

He harshly criticised Donald Trumps divisive rhetoric and his repeated efforts to ban people from mainly Muslim countries from travelling to the US.

Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban Show all 20 1 /20 Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-1 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-2 Protestors rally during a protest against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump singed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-3 Protestors rally during a protest against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump singed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-4 SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JANUARY 28: Demonstrators hold signs during a rally against a ban on Muslim immigration at San Francisco International Airport on January 28, 2017 in San Francisco, California. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday that suspends entry of all refugees for 120 days, indefinitely suspends the entries of all Syrian refugees, as well as barring entries from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering for 90 days. Stephen Lam/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-5 A crowd of protesters gathers outside of the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse as a judge hears a challenge against President Donald Trump's executive ban on immigration from several Muslim countries, on January 28, 2017 in Brooklyn. The judge issued an emergency stay on part of Trump's executive order, ruling that sending refugees stopped at U.S. airports back to their countries would be harmful. Yana Paskova/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-6 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the new immigration ban issued by President Donald Trump at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-7 NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: Protestors rally during a demonstration against the new immigration ban issued by President Donald Trump at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-8 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the new immigration ban issued by President Donald Trump at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-9 Getty Images Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-10 Getty Images Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-11 NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-12 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-13 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-14 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-15 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-16 Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump signed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-17 NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: Protestors rally during a protest against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump singed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-18 Protestors rally during a protest against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump singed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-19 Protestors rally during a protest against the Muslim immigration ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 28, 2017 in New York City. President Trump singed the controversial executive order that halted refugees and residents from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Stephanie Keith/Getty Protestors rally at JFK Airport against Muslim immigration ban jfk-protest-muslim-ban-20 Passengers wait in line to check in at the American Airlines terminal at JFK International Airport August 10, 2006 in the Queens borough of New York City. British authorities arrested 21 people and halted a anallegedly terrorist plot to use liquid explosives concealed in carry-on luggage to blow up airliners traveling between Britain and the U.S. Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff said that the plot appeared to be directed at U.S. carriers flying out of Heathrow. such as United Airlines, American Airlines, Continental Airlines. Stephen Chernin/Getty

Those on the right paint all Muslims with the same brush, he told Vox.

Blanket bans like that include many people like me, because we have Muslim names and come from Muslim-majority countries.

Mr Rizvi agreed that political, economic and social factors have contributed to violence in the Muslim world, but added that the Quran contains some violent passages that completely fit the actions of Isis.

Recommended In the age of Islamic literalism remember the man who fought back

Islam is neither a religion of war nor a religion of peace. It's just a religion, like any other religion, he added.

The hard truth is there is a lot of violence endorsed in the Quran, and there are other terrible things, as there are in the Old Testament."

Mr RIzvi has previously summed his views up by tweeting: The left is wrong on Islam. The right is wrong on Muslims.
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The White House mistakenly referred to the Chinese leader Xi Jinping as the president of Taiwan just hours after Donald Trump spoke of his wonderful relationship with Mr Xi.

The US leader spent 90 minutes discussing trade and the nuclear threat from North Korea with Mr Xi at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

He struck a friendly chord with the Communist Party chief, telling him it was an honour to have you as a friend ahead of the highly anticipated meeting.

But an official transcript of the occasion, released by the White House, referred to Mr Xi as president of The Republic of China, which is the official name for Taiwan.

The mix-up was ridiculed by China experts, who pointed out that Taiwans leader Tsai Ing-wen is a democratically elected woman, and is considered a political rival of Mr Xi.

Patrick Chovanec, a former professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, was reminded of former President George Bushs gaffes.

I remember when Bush Admin announced the anthem wrong, but this is pretty bad, he tweeted.

The academic was referring to a diplomatic gaffe in 2007 when Mr Bushs team played Taiwans national anthem as a Chinese ambassador attended the opening ceremony of a China-financed stadium on the island of Grenada in the Caribbean.

 Ivanka Trump plays significant role standing in for Donald Trump at G20

Chris Lu, who worked in former president Barack Obamas White House team, tweeted: Ouch. White House just referred to Xi Jinping as leader of Republic of China, which is Taiwan. #AmateurHour.

Press Secretary Sean Spicers office released the official transcript, which quoted President Trump talking about China as a great trading partner.

It is unclear how the gaffe could affect relations between the pair which have been strained at times since Mr Trump took office.

Shortly after his presidential inauguration, the US leader looked to have sparked a potentially damaging diplomatic row with China after speaking to Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory and complained after Mr Trump upset decades of diplomatic precedent.

 Donald Trump and Sean Spicer kiss on SNL

In December, the president said in an interview that he didn't feel "bound" by the decades-old one China policy unless the US could gain concessions from China in trade and other areas.

Washington has robust unofficial relations with the island and provides it with arms to guard against Beijing's threat to use force to reunify with it.

However, the pair appeared to have mended relations after Mr Xi visited the US leader at his Mar-a-lago beach resort in Florida.
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A group of demonstrators were arrested after displaying a banner featuring a picture of the planet with the words defend and resist at Trump Tower.

Chicago police stated that there were imminent charges against the Greenpeace protestors after the incident last week as the US leader attended the G20 Summit where the President was left isolated over his country's stance on climate change.

It is thought five men and two women will be charged, although police are still examining possible damage to property and trespassing, according to US broadcaster WGN news.

The environmental group released a statement saying: "Activists with Greenpeace USA are at Trump International Hotel in downtown Chicago, preparing to send a message that the Trump Administration can't ignore."

Greenpeace tweeted that this was a peaceful, creative and non-violent protest.

Another tweet warned: "The Trump administration is attacking our communities & our planet. We will #RESIST!"

The protestors failed in their attempt to take the banner up to the 25th floor of the US presidents headquarters on Fifth Avenue in New York, where a 20-foot Trump sign is fastened.

On Saturday, Greenpeace activists were in Hamburg, Germany, where US president Trump attended the G20 summit. Protestors climbed on to a bridge and unfolded a sign saying: "G-20: End Coal."

The G20 summit ended with strong words from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, criticising Trump. "Unfortunately - and I deplore this - the United States of America left the climate agreement, or rather announced their intention of doing this," Merkel said.

The US president faced widescale condemnation after deciding that the United States would pull out of the climate change agreement, which aims at reducing carbon emissions to mitigate the effects of global warming.

Trump has tweeted that the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.

Lisa Murray's climate change photography Show all 12 1 /12 Lisa Murray's climate change photography Lisa Murray's climate change photography Dinka cattle herders starting their migration in South Sudan Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography A Dinka woman fetches water in South Sudan Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Veronica in South Sudan preparing tea outside her home, recently ravaged by heavy flooding Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Children playing in Vietnam. When it floods, transport to and from school is a major challenge Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Sugeng, a fish and crab farmer from Indonesia who suffers financially every time the area floods Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Tan, a vegetable farmer, learning new methods through Oxfam in Vietnam Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Maluk, a 19-year-old from Tonj South, South Sudan Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Normally this farmer in South Sudan would be harvesting sorghum, but rains are late so the hunger season continues Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Herders bringing home their cattle in Afar, Ethiopia Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Farmers harvesting chilli in Ethiopia Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography A woman in Tigray, Ethiopia, scares birds away from her crops with a slingshot Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Irula tribe woman in Tamil Nadu Lisa Murray

The US is the largest emitter of annual greenhouse gases than any other country, suggests figures from the World Resources Institute.

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, global warming has a significantly and costly effects on our communities, contributing to increased coastal flooding, wildfires and drought.
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A ceasefire brokered by the US, Russia and Jordan began in south-west Syria on Sunday, in the latest attempt at international peacemaking during the six-year war.

The proposal was announced at the G20 summit on Friday, after a two-and-a half-hour meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Lt Gen HR McMaster, the White House national security adviser, said: The United States remains committed to defeating Isis, helping to end the conflict in Syria, reducing suffering and enabling people to return to their homes.

This agreement is an important step toward these common goals.

The agreement could be the forerunner to continued cooperation in Syria, said US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who was present at the meeting between Trump and Putin, according to CNN.

Sergei Lavrov, Russias foreign minister added: This is our first indication of the US and Russia being able to work together in Syria.

In pictures: US missile strike against Syria Show all 7 1 /7 In pictures: US missile strike against Syria In pictures: US missile strike against Syria The guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) launches a tomahawk land attack missile in the Mediterranean Sea AP In pictures: US missile strike against Syria The United States military launched at least 50 tomahawk cruise missiles at al-Shayrat military airfield near Homs, Syria, in response to the Syrian military's alleged use of chemical weapons in an airstrike in a rebel held area in Idlib province EPA In pictures: US missile strike against Syria Shayrat airfield in Syria Getty Images In pictures: US missile strike against Syria US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) fires a tomahawk land attack missile in Mediterranean Sea Reuters In pictures: US missile strike against Syria US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) fires a tomahawk land attack missile in Mediterranean Sea Reuters In pictures: US missile strike against Syria President Donald Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., after the US fired a barrage of cruise missiles into Syria in retaliation for this week's gruesome chemical weapons attack against civilians AP In pictures: US missile strike against Syria Syria's President Bashar al-Assad Reuters

Russian military police, together with the US and Jordan, will ensure security around the de-escalation zone, officials said. The truce will be monitored through satellite and drone images as well as observers on the ground, according to a Jordanian official.

The ceasefire began at midday (09:00 GMT) on Sunday, in the areas of Deraa, Suweida and Quneitra in the south-west, as well as along the Lebanese border.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said calm was prevailing in the area, reporting that there have been no air strikes or clashes since the ceasefire began.

Precise details of the ceasefire have not been made public, but the UK-based human rights organisation cited credible sources saying that the agreement provides for the withdrawal of non-Syrian fighters allied with al-Assads regime from the truce area.

The London-based monitor also hopes that humanitarian aid deliveries can get through to the ceasefire region, and aims for the gradual repatriation of Jordanian refugees.

A rebel official in Deraa city also added that there had been no significant fighting, according to Reuters.

Similar truces have been negotiated in Syria previously, to continue talks ending the civil war which began in 2011. So far, all have failed.

It remains unclear to what extent both sides  the Syrian government forces, who have not yet commented on the ceasefire, and the main rebels in the south-west  were committed to this latest effort.
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Motorists driving to France this summer could face a fine of up to 135 (119) if they fail to display a sticker on their windscreen showing how much pollution it emits.

Those driving traditional fuel cars registered before 1997 or diesel cars registered before 2001 will be completely banned from the streets of Paris from 8am to 8pm on weekdays.

A CritAir scheme introduced in January makes it compulsory for private vehicles driving in Paris, Lyon or Grenoble to display the sticker.

These range from a green badge for fully electric cars to a grey one for diesel cars registered between 1997 and 2000.

The peripherique highway circling Paris is excluded from the legislation, meaning motorists using it to drive to the south of France or Alpine ski resorts will not have to display the stickers.

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 cost of ordering one is 4.80 (4.24) for drivers of foreign-registered vehicles and it can take up to a month to arrive.

Over 6.5 million have been ordered in France so far, after a law passed in 2015 gave French councils statutory powers to regulate vehicle circulation depending on how green a vehicle is.

Similar powers have existed in Germany since 2008, which has 53 restricted circulation zones.

Research by the French environment ministry indicates that pollution causes 48,000 premature deaths a year in the country.

Paris has become known for its stringent anti-pollution legislation on cars under Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo, who says she operates an anti-car policy. French environment minister Nicolas Hulot has announced sales of petrol and diesel vehicles will be banned in France by 2040.

Strasbourg, Lille and Bordeaux are due to join the sticker scheme from September onwards.
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In April 2016, a young woman living in Northern Ireland took abortion pills she ordered from the internet. Her housemates reported her to the police, and the Public Prosecution Service decided to bring her to trial.

The maximum sentence she faced was life imprisonment; she received a three-month suspended sentence. I felt I had to do something.

I already worked with Alliance for Choice, the local campaigning group on abortion rights, but I realised how important it was to do more. Since then, every Saturday Ive volunteered to work on the stall they set up in Belfast city centre, providing information about what the abortion law is in Northern Ireland and asking people to get involved.

The Alliance for Choice slogan, printed across the stall table, is #trustwomen. It seems obvious  women know their own bodies and their circumstances. They are the ones we should be listening to when it comes to abortion. Yet every week a man, or group of men will respond with misogynistic comments at us as they walk past: Why would I do that? ... With an iron? Sure.

The only time they spare us such witty remarks is when there is a man covering the stall. On a good day I just find this irritating, but sometimes it feels like the manifestation of what we are up against: men who wont ever have to deal with being pregnant, yet have no problem voicing their opinions on the subject  just because they can.

One of the most striking things I see on the stall every week is the amount of misinformation around abortion rights (or lack thereof) in Northern Ireland. The recent change in policy to allow Northern Irish women free abortions on the NHS is a huge step forward, but many people who I spoke to assumed that was already the case.

 Philip Hammond indicates NHS will fund abortions for Northern Irish women

People approach us and say that they dont want the law like in England; they just want what we have at the moment. But they dont realise that Northern Ireland doesnt even allow abortion in cases of rape, incest or fatal foetal abnormalities.

In fact, the only time women are granted access to abortions in Northern Ireland is if their life is in imminent danger. Last year, 16 legal abortions were performed in the country, while according to the BBC more than 700 women travelled from Northern Ireland to England to gain access to abortion. From the Republic of Ireland, it was more than 3,000.

The lack of accurate information among the general public isnt surprising. In Northern Ireland, each school can determine its own approach to sex education. Theyre not really required to explain pregnancy, let alone abortion.

If it is a sunny day, the anti-abortion group Precious Life are likely to be out with their stall, asking people to sign a petition to keep in place the draconian abortion laws in Northern Ireland. Their stall includes graphic images of foetuses, which drives people to us; parents frequently tell us they are disgusted by having to explain the pictures to their children.

One Saturday, a group of teenage girls came up to us crying because they had tried to question the message at the pro-life stand, who had threatened to call the police if they continued. They had been discussing their friends need for mental health support after being raped and having an abortion.

These teenagers understood that the trauma was the rape, travelling for an abortion and the lack of support, but the pro-life movement refused to listen.

Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights Show all 5 1 /5 Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS

I like to think that when Im on the stall, any woman who has had an abortion and sees us knows that they have support: that their choices are valid and that its the Government and society that needs to progress.

Another woman who works with me on the stall told me she does so for anyone who has just discovered they are pregnant and doesnt want to be, so that they know they do have choices and there is support out there.

While working on the stall means Im faced with the stark reality of peoples prejudice and ignorance about the issue, Im heartened every week by the increase in engagement. The majority of interactions are positive: people thanking us for being out, old ladies giving a thumbs up across the street with a big smile, and women lifting piles of the leaflets and postcards to bring to their family and work.

Many people may not want to legalise abortion altogether, but they still dont believe women should be sent to jail.

The fight for abortion rights can sometimes feel overwhelming and never-ending, but things wont change if we don't keep fighting. Unless theres a protest on, the stall will continue to be out come rain or shine.
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It feels like the place of women in politics has taken a few steps backwards this week, as those at political extremes have marginalised and demeaned female politicians.

Luciana Berger, the MP for Liverpool Wavertree, was told by the newly elected Labour Party executive committee that she needs to apologise to Jeremy Corbyn for not supporting him in the past and that she must get on board quite quickly now  she will have to be answerable to us.

While the comments were political, the aggression and hatred directed towards women are so much more extreme than those experienced by men. As Yvette Cooper acknowledged: Shamefully, during this general election campaign weve seen Tory women MPs and candidates targeted with some vile abuse. Berger was shrew-tamed by the newly elected executive and arguably threatened with deselection for failing to pass a loyalty litmus test.

Last year, Berger resigned from the Shadow Cabinet following concerns about the divisiveness within the Labour party under Corbyn. The openness with which she is being pressured into changing her position to get in line with a doctrine she is clearly uneasy with is chilling.

 The 20 new appointments to Labour's front bench

One neednt agree with Bergers political views to be concerned that she is being targeted. To echo the rallying cry for female politicians globally who are being harangued by men, I hope that nevertheless she persists.

At the same time, our first female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, is being denied her statue in Parliament Square on the grounds that it may be vandalised. Regardless of her politics, Thatcher was extraordinary, persistent and deserving of the statue.

Its telling that this is even a discussion  no one is talking about removing Winston Churchills statue because of the danger of vandalism, and there are many who can look askance at his policies. Nor is it proposed that other controversial male figures be removed, such as Jan Smuts, former prime minister of South Africa and segregationist whose views are surely not supported today.

Would there be such a discussion if it was a male prime minister who had taken us from the Winter of Discontent and laid the groundwork for economic stability and growth? Men are allowed their flaws, regardless of how fundamental, yet Thatcher is being held to a different standard.

There is a whiff of male-dominated political groups and parties using political arguments to marginalise women.

Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Show all 13 1 /13 Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Ida Wells An African-American journalist and activist born in Mississippi in 1862, she wrote prolifically on the fight for womens suffrage as well as the struggle for civil rights. She documented the practice of lynching black people in the southern states showing how it was often used as means of controlling or punishing black people who competed with whites rather than as a means of justice for crimes. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Lotifa El Nadi Egypts first female pilot born in 1907 in Cairo. Although her father saw no need for her to pursue secondary education, expecting her to marry and have a family, she rebelled and worked as a secretary and telephone operator at a flying school in exchange for lessons as she had no other means to pay for the training. Her achievements made headlines around the world when she flew over the pyramids and competed in international flying races. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Frida Kahlo A Mexican painter and activist born in Mexico City in 1907, her work has been celebrated internationally as emblematic of Mexican national and indigenous traditions and by feminists for its honest depiction of female experience. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Lina Bo Bardi A Brazilian architect, born in Italy in 1914, she devoted her life to the promotion of the social and cultural potential of architecture and design. She is also celebrated for her furniture and jewellery designs. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Olga Skorokhodova A Soviet scientist born into a poor Ukranian peasant family in 1911, she lost her vision and hearing at the age of five. Overcoming these difficulties in a remarkable way, she became a researcher in the field of communication and created a number of scientific works concerning the development of education of deaf-blind children. She was also a teacher, therapist and writer. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Miriam Makeba A South African singer and civil rights activist born in Johannesburg in 1932, she was forced to work as a child following her fathers death. She became a teenage mother after a brief and allegedly abusive marriage at 17, before she was discovered as a singer of jazz and African melodies. After becoming hugely successful in the US and winning a Grammy, she became involved in the civil rights struggle stateside as well as in the campaign against apartheid in her home country, writing political songs. Upon her death, South African President Nelson Mandela said that her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Sally Ride An American astronaut and physicist, she was born in Los Angeles in 1951 and joined NASA in 1978 after gaining her PhD. She became the first American woman and the third woman ever to go into space in 1983 at the age of 32. Prior to her first space flight, she attracted attention because of her gender and at press conferences, was asked questions such as, Will the flight affect your reproductive organs? She later worked as an academic at the University of California, San Diego. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Halet Cambel A Turkish archaeologist born in 1916, she became the first Muslim women to compete in the Olympics in the 1936 Berlin games as a fencer. She declined an invitation to meet Adolf Hitler on political grounds, and after the conclusion of the Second World War, she trained as an architect and later worked as an academic in Turkey and Germany. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Ada Lovelace An English mathematician and writer born in 1815, she became the worlds first computer programmer. The daughter of poet George Byron, she is chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine, and was the first to recognise the machine had applications beyond pure calculation, creating the first algorithm intended to be carried out by such a machine. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Rukmini Devi An Indian dancer and choreographer credited with reviving Indian classical dance, she was born in 1904 and presented her form of dance on stage even though it was considered low and vulgar in the 1920s. She features in India Todays list of 100 people who shaped India having also worked to re-establish traditional Indian arts and crafts and as an animal rights activist. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Cecilia Grierson An Argentine physician, reformer born in Buenes Aires in 1859, she became the first woman in Argentina to receive a medical degree having previously worked as a teacher. Women were barred from entering medical school at the time, so she first volunteered as an unpaid lab assistant before she was allowed to train as a doctor. She was acclaimed for her work during a cholera epidemic before going on to found the first nursing school in Argentina. The harassment she experienced at medical school helped make her a militant advocate for womens rights in Argentina. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Lee Tai-young Koreas first female lawyer and judge born in 1914 in what is now North Korea, she was also an activist who founded the countrys first legal aid centre and fought for womens rights throughout her career. Her often mentioned refrain was, No society can or will prosper without the cooperation of women. She worked as a teacher, married and had four children before she was able to begin her legal career after the Second World War, becoming the first woman to enter Seoul National University. She also fought for civil rights in the country and was arrested in 1977 for her beliefs, receiving a three-year suspended sentence and a ten year disbarment. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Suzanne Lenglen A French tennis champion born in 1899, she popularised the sport winning 31 championships and dominating the womens sport for over a decade. She was the first female tennis celebrity and one of the first international women sports stars, overcoming a childhood plagued with ill health including chronic asthma  which continued to plague her in her adult life. At 15, she became the youngest ever winner of a major championship and lost only seven matches during her entire career. She received widespread criticism for her decision to turn professional, but defended her right to make a decent living in the days when the grand slam tournaments paid a relative pittance to the winners.

If we want more women in politics, this needs to be addressed. Why would women stick their necks out to be in the frontline when this is how we are treated? The role of being in parliament is a privilege one which must go both ways. The #MoreinCommon movement which was initiated after the tragic murder of Jo Cox will wither if we cannot do the right thing by those who are in the forefront.

The current political landscape is volatile and polarised, and were losing touch of what really matters. Politics needs good people, not perfect people. The UK is a diverse nation that is made up of different ethnicities, religions, life experiences, and is 51 per cent female. We need that representation in politics, and in the memorials we create.

The current situation demands a new era of awareness and engagement on the part of politicians. They have to be willing to listen to those outside the bubble, which at the moment is middle class, white, and male. They need to place national interest and the long-term interests of their constituents above self-interest and ego. Constituents have responsibilities to stay informed, to speak up and to hold elected officials to account. Politicians need to be close and accessible rather than distant and unreachable.

We all deserve politicians and parties on the right side of history. We must create a new home for those who, like me, currently find that speaking up for what is sensible feels more and more radical.

Annabel Mullin is a Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesperson for Kensington
Local gardai contacted the coastguard to help recover the body

The bodies of two men believed to have drowned in a boating accident off the coast of Co Donegal have been recovered.

The men are understood to have departed in a small boat from Teelin pier after lunchtime on Saturday.

The body of one man, in his 50s, was found on the shore at Malinbeg, near Carrick, at around 10.30am on Sunday. He was discovered by a farmer whose land runs down to the coast.

Local gardai contacted the coastguard to help recover the body.

Around the same time a member of the public in Teelin reported that a car understood to belong to the two men was still parked at the pier side.

This prompted a search for the second man. It involved coastguard helicopter 118 from Sligo, Arranmore and Bundoran lifeboats and Killybegs and Bunbeg coastguard teams.

After a short search, the body of the second man, believed to have been in his 40s, was found in the water by coastguard officers close to Malinbeg.

A boat was recovered washed up on a rocky stretch of coastline.

The bodies of the men have been taken to Letterkenny University Hospital where a post-mortem examination will be carried out.

The Coroner's Office has been notified.
Resistance to crop protection products and reduced availability of sprays due to changes in legislation are impacting on weed control, it has been warned.

The head of the Teagasc Crops Research Programme, John Spink, said high yields and effective control of weeds, pests and diseases were critical to aid profitable tillage production.

A key message from the Teagasc Oakpark Tillage open day was the use of an integrated approach to pest management, from sowing dates to spraying to help save costs and reduce resistance.

Wicklow adviser Martin Bourke says that many farmers may have sprayed unnecessarily for aphids this year, as they did not examine crops.

"We have to change our mindset and be more aware of integrated pest management," he says. There are a lot of natural enemies around at the moment that would help kill off aphids such as hoverflies and ladybirds.

"We need to be wary that we could be upsetting the balance."

Pyrethroid comes in at around 4/ha, while the seed treatment costs around 450/tonne, which adds around 25/ha onto winter barley costs.

"The seed treatment is probably the safer way to go as it is going into the soil, whereas the sprays are being sprayed above ground and it is more likely they could be damaging natural predators.

"We are just at the very early stages of trying to figure out what is going on in the whole area of resistance. We need a lot of joined-up thinking to cross the dots and come up with solutions," said Mr Bourke.

The first year of trials into the control of Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) showed a high level of pressure in some areas. Teagasc's Louise McNamara said the untreated crops had quite high levels in their winter barley sown in the coastal area of Cork.

She warned that the mild winters have been a risk factor for aphids as they are "frost hardy" and without a sustained drop in temperature, they are more likely to overwinter. Ms McNamara says early-sown autumn crops and late-sown spring crops are more at risk of BYDV.

Studies are under way into 'knock-down resistance', or KDR, which was first identified in the UK in 2012 and here in 2013. Ms McNamara said that research has indicated that aphids carrying the KDR gene, which makes them less susceptible to pyrethroids, occur in all the major grain- growing regions.

"But it is only the grain aphid and only one clone of the grain aphid. So it is not all the aphids in your crop," she emphasised. "What we are trying to work on is understanding whether aphids carrying this gene translates to resistance in the field. Do the treatments still work?"

Teagasc's Ciaran Collins warned farmers to be aware that machinery is the number one way of spreading weeds such as sterile brome throughout the farm.
Schweiter Technologies, which is listed in Switzerland, has agreed to buy the company, saying Athlone's products would "ideally complement" its own range. Stock photo: Depositphotos

Plastics business Athlone Extrusions is to be sold to a Swiss buyer for 48m.

Schweiter Technologies, which is listed in Switzerland, has agreed to buy the company, saying Athlone's products would "ideally complement" its own range.

The deal is expected to be complete by the end of the month, Schweiter said in a statement.

"Athlone Extrusions has one of the largest-scale production sites in Europe. It has a very experienced sales team, with local representatives based in several European countries and a total workforce of 175," it added.

Athlone had sales of around 62m in 2016. Founded in 1971, the company has had multiple changes of ownership. In February, this newspaper revealed that the business was in talks with a potential buyer. Athlone was advised on the sale by IBI Corporate Finance.

It was floated on the Irish Stock Exchange in the late 1990s, before being bought by the Barlo group. Sean Quinn's Quinn Group later bought Barlo and then Athlone's management bought the business from Quinn in 2004.

It manufactures plastic sheets, which are used in the manufacture of vehicles, shower trays and bath panels, office equipment and furniture.

The deal will see a pay day for shareholders, including James McGee, the chief executive who was nominated in the International category of EY's 'Entrepreneur of the Year' competition last year.

In the year ending September 30, 2014, the company completed a restructuring of its balance sheet, with the support of shareholders and lenders, which saw its debt slashed from around 53m to around 28m.

That year, the group also wound up its defined benefit pension scheme.

Schweiter has a market capitalisation of more than 1.6bn and the Athlone deal comes as it sells its textile machinery-making division for around 100m, leaving it to focus on its so-called '3A Composites' division, which makes plastics and other building materials.

The division has been sold to another Swiss firm called Rieter. "Schweiter Technologies is convinced that the sale of this business to Rieter makes good industrial sense, the company said.

Athlone will now sit in the 3A Composites division. "The acquired business will gain strength and improved market position through access to the wider 3A Composites network of production plants and personnel across Europe," Schweiter said.
Last month, representatives of 35 Irish-owned medtech companies attended a cross-market workshop co-ordinated by Enterprise Ireland's US, German and French offices. The aim was to explore three of the most important challenges - regulation, reimbursement and export. Despite participants coming from different sectors and geographic regions, a number of common themes emerged. Stock photo

With a history of medical innovation, Ireland has given the world the portable defibrillator, the modern stethoscope and the hypodermic syringe. Today however, regardless of technical brilliance, bringing a new medical technology to the market involves many challenges.

Last month, representatives of 35 Irish-owned medtech companies attended a cross-market workshop co-ordinated by Enterprise Ireland's US, German and French offices. The aim was to explore three of the most important challenges - regulation, reimbursement and export. Despite participants coming from different sectors and geographic regions, a number of common themes emerged.

While most first-time medtech developers are largely aware of what is required to achieve regulatory authorisation, some underestimate the extent of what is involved in getting reimbursement approval from health insurers.

Worth an estimated $155bn (136bn) annually, the US accounts for about 43pc of the global medical device market. Getting authorisation from the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) can be a slow process but most attendees agreed that the FDA is fair and transparent about the steps required to navigate the regulatory process.

Reimbursement by health insurers is often less straightforward. The US has a very complicated reimbursement system, with multiple coding systems for using a device, and hundreds of payers with different incentives and coverage decisions.

When targeting this market, Irish medtech companies are advised to do their homework early. With sufficient planning, a single clinical study can supply all the data required for both regulatory authorisation and reimbursement approval, saving the time and costs of multiple studies. Even small design modifications down the line could affect the regulatory classification, establishment of a predicate device or the ability to use an existing reimbursement code.

Likewise, an upfront analysis of realistic timelines and price points can provide a vital indicator of whether your product or solution is ever likely to achieve timely approval and worthwhile profit margins.

Irish companies should take advantage of pre-submission meetings with the FDA to establish a good relationship, ensure proper classification and develop well-designed submissions and studies.

Medtech developers also need to engage with other stakeholders early on. You could have an amazing new device, but if it doesn't fit into a physician's workflow, it won't be used. Equally, if it doesn't address a significant pain point for payers, it won't be reimbursed.

Finally, it's important to know when to ask for professional help, as getting a complex device to market is likely to require assistance from a seasoned consultant.

Another theme that emerged from the day was how priorities in the industry are constantly changing. Irish companies need to be aware of the evolving concerns of providers, payers and, increasingly, patients. US health system managers, for example, are actively looking for value-based care solutions.

Another consideration is that, the European Union's market authorisation system is seen as easier and faster as it simply involves qualifying for the CE mark. However, there are signals that the EU may soon move closer to the FDA model and this may impact on the tendency for Irish medtech developers to target European markets before the US.

Enterprise Ireland plans to hold follow-on workshops to help medtech companies further diversify into new markets. In addition, later this year, we will be bringing 250 international medical technology companies to Ireland for MedInIreland 2017, providing the 70 participating Irish companies with opportunities to network with potential buyers and partners.

Our biennial showcase of Irish medtech innovation and expertise is on October 19.

Ryan Murphy is a life science executive with Enterprise Ireland, Boston
The fast food giant McDonald's is scaling back its head office operations in Ireland, with the business set to be managed from the UK. Photo: PA

The fast food giant McDonald's is scaling back its head office operations in Ireland, with the business set to be managed from the UK.

The managing director of the Irish business, Adrian Crean, is to leave the business this month and sources said he would not be replaced. The Irish operation has been judged to be one of the most successful in the world.

McDonald's has operated in Ireland since 1977 and employs 5,000 people in 92 outlets.

"For over a decade, the Irish business has been part of the UK and Ireland business unit and we have recently made some operational changes to reflect that structure," a spokeswoman for McDonald's said.

"In a planned restructuring, operations at the Dublin office are being scaled back. We are currently in a consultation process with our employees and are not able to give specific details while the new corporate structure is being finalised.

"However, Adrian Crean will be stepping down as McDonald's Restaurants of Ireland managing director at the end of July."

In 2015, pre-tax profits for the Irish business increased to 14m.

This followed revenues at the business increasing by 5pc to 85m, thanks in part to new openings.
Ireland's entrepreneurial roots are short and shallow. Contrary to the story that we usually tell ourselves, and one that officialdom loves to spout, the history of Irish business successes is a slim volume. Things are certainly improving, but there are still too few home-grown, internationally competitive companies. An acknowledgement that too many young people aspire to the professions, rather than business, and that too many choose immigration over entrepreneurialism, would be a useful starting point in focusing more on the problem.

This column has made the same point on occasion in the past. It came up again in relation to how we have taken advantage of one of our greatest resources: the sea.

Ireland is the only island nation anywhere in the world in which seafood does not have a long and central position in the country's cuisine. That is but one example of how we have not used and developed the resource that surrounds us.

While the latest research* from the Socio-Economic Marine Research Institute (SEMRI) at NUI Galway shows that Ireland's 'blue economy' has grown more rapidly than the wider economy in recent years, it is still small.

When compared to our two north Atlantic island neighbours, it is very small, whether measured by the share of employment it generates or of GDP. The figures are charted in the accompanying graphic, but the starkest figure is that Iceland generates 11 times more of its economic activity from the ocean-related activity than does Ireland. (The argument that joining the EEC/EU is the reason for this is such utter twaddle that is not worth wasting time on here).

Rather, it reflects a very long history of turning our backs on the sea, in contrast to all other peoples on the western seaboard of Europe, who have made the most of their oceanic opportunities. That goes without saying for Britain, France and Spain, all of which acquired salt water empires hundreds of years ago.

But consider two smaller countries which are better comparisons. In the 1500s, when the age of exploration was in full swing, Portugal and the Netherlands had populations similar to that of Ireland at the time (around a million people).

Both also had problems with larger powers muscling in on their territory: the Dutch fought the 80-years war with the Spanish from the 1560s and the Portuguese were, on the point of a pike, absorbed into the kingdom of their Iberian neighbour for 60 years from 1580.

None of this prevented either country from taking to the high seas and trading their way to riches. Portugal's influence can be seen today, from Macau to Malacca and Goa to Rio de Janeiro, while traces of Dutch heritage are still to be found across the Indonesian archipelago and around the Caribbean.

These small nations were at the forefront of the age of exploration because they developed cutting-edge boat-building and navigation technologies which got them both to the Spice Islands and beyond. By contrast, Ireland's biggest contribution to European maritime technology was the currach, which got us as far as the Aran Islands.

If we have not traditionally been an innovative and entrepreneurial people, fortunately there are plenty of signs of change. Three aspects of the ocean economy would appear to offer good opportunities for those who want to build businesses - aquaculture, tourism and products and services in the advanced marine technologies space.

1) Aquaculture

Over the past 30 years, the world's fisherfolk have been catching roughly the same amount of fish. That is despite the planet's population almost doubling over that period. The reason more fish are not being caught is because stocks are increasingly strained. Put simply, the world's oceans are being over-fished. Our waters are no exception.

But that's not to say that the world is not consuming more fish. It is. But all of the increase in the supply of fish has come from aquaculture. Farmed fish now account for half of all the seafood consumed globally.

Despite the growth in fish consumption, both at home and abroad, fish farming is still a cottage industry. According to SEMRI, around 1,000 people were employed in the sector last year, down on pre-crisis times. Turnover has risen, but at 160m, many multiples of this figure could surely be generated, given that Ireland has thousands of kilometres of coastline.

2) Tourism

The hospitality sector accounts for a big chunk of the economy. Ireland has more visitors per capita then many higher-profile countries which are synonymous with tourism, including France and Spain.

Getting visitors to spend more and getting them to go to places that are less frequented are two imperatives.

Places like Galway, Westport and Dingle may be approaching tourism-saturation point. Anti-tourism backlashes could be in store. Fewer, but higher-spending visitors must be the objective in order to avoid this.

Diffusing visitors is another objective. The Wild Atlantic Way has been wildly successful. But more could still be done for the most peripheral places. This columnist has family roots in north-west Mayo. You can still drive a long way in that part of the world without encountering a single visitor.

3) Advanced marine technologies

Products, such as marine robots, and services, including geo-informatics and yacht design, offer lots of potential.

High value-to-volume ratios, which make shipping costs relatively insignificant, and services, which make it entirely irrelevant, are the sort of niches in which a small, island economy should be specialising.

The latest SEMRI report shows turnover in the advanced marine technologies sector surged by three-quarters in the two years to 2016. Employment expanded by a quarter.

These are pretty spectacular growth rates. But they are from a very low base. Just 700 people were employed as of last year and turnover stood at 140m. If we turn and face the sea, there is an ocean of opportunities that could do a lot to strengthen an economy which is too dependent on foreign enterprise.

* http://www.nuigalway.ie/semru/documents/semru__irelands_ocean_economy_2017_online.pdf
Q I have moved into a senior position in the medtech company where I have worked for seven years. My new role sees me managing people I have worked alongside for many years.

I am confident there should be no issues with the majority. However, I have already identified that I will have an issue with one person. While I have a good personal relationship with them, their work practices need a lot of improvement. I feel I need to confront them on a number of performance issues -such as their timekeeping and productivity. How do I do this without losing the personal relationship we have?

A A workplace promotion is to be commended, so you should feel empowered and confident about your capabilities to lead, and direct a team. As a manager you are expected to know and administer company policies and procedures in order to build your credibility with your team and other members of the management team.

The rules cannot be bent for certain co-workers, so this must be made clear from the outset. You need to become an authentic role model to gain loyalty and respect from your new team. Set the parameters immediately through individual conversations in order to acknowledge the recent change. The relationship has changed on both sides, so it is just as awkward for them.

If you have an emotional connection you will have a hard time setting those feelings aside when needed. Friendship shouldn't influence decisions on performance, pay or dealing out assignments.

Nip the situation in the bud. You might be tempted to put off the awkward chat but everyone benefits from a timely and honest approach. Even if your co-worker is annoyed about the conversation, they will eventually respect your situation. Your position isn't about trying to be popular; it's about leading others to achieve results.

Gather all facts. The best way to make sure that this conversation goes smoothly is to prepare. Review all of the details - then have examples ready to discuss so you have backup ready.

Know your HR policies. Review all policies on the problem. If you wish to have a HR representative present then do so but that might be overkill for an initial chat. You need to know the next steps in procedures, so take charge of the situation.

Measure your empathy. You have an existing friendship so you can gauge how the conversation will go and how they will react. As they are receiving negative feedback or a disciplinary action and may feel you are disappointed in them, be ready for the chat taking a more emotional turn. Don't let empathy keep you from staying professional. Be sympathetic but remember the end goal.

Agree the objectives Know what you want to accomplish from this chat - will it lead to a performance plan now or is it an initial discussion? Be ready to set clear expectations and agree the next meeting. Don't drag the meeting on too long. Resist the urge to apologise - they are in charge of their own destiny. Let them make suggestions on how to improve their performance.

Build up the Trust If your friendship is valid then a difficult conversation can be overcome and may even create a stronger working relationship. They need to feel that you trust them to make the necessary changes and that you will support them.

Confidentiality rules As a manager, this is a golden rule - no matter how tempted, the discussion stays between you and the individual. If they want to discuss it with others, that is their prerogative.

A difficult conversation can only make you stronger as a manager; they put you out of your comfort zone and can improve your communication, negotiation and overall people skills. For any difficult conversation, it is important to remain professional at all times and treat each and every employee fairly and with respect so your credibility as a manager can never be questioned.

Michelle Murphy is Director of Collins McNicholas, Recruitment & HR Services Group, which has six offices in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Sligo, Athlone and Limerick. Send your career questions to sundaybusiness@independent.ie
Deputy Mayor Pam McConnell dead at 71By Shawn Jeffords, Political Bureau ChiefFirst posted: Friday, July 07, 2017 04:14 PM EDT | Updated: Friday, July 07, 2017 11:40 PM EDTA long-time city councillor and anti-poverty crusader has died.Deputy Mayor Pam McConnell, who served as councillor for Ward 28 (Toronto Centre-Rosedale), died suddenly Friday, after being hospitalized with a lung illness earlier this week. She was 71.The veteran councillors passing rocked her colleagues, who were in mid-session when they received the news. The meeting broke briefly with stunned silence filling the chamber at City Hall, then interrupted only by loud sobs from some of her close friends weeping openly at their desks. Council re-grouped five minutes later, holding a minute of silence, before adjourning for the day.Mayor John Tory broke the news to the public, offering a few brief words on McConnell. He praised her many accomplishments, such as leading the citys poverty reduction strategy and helping make the revitalization of Regent Park a reality.We knew her as a women who proudly and enthusiastically and energetically served her city and the people of Toronto for more than 35 years, he said. I dont think there is any question whatsoever that Toronto is a better and fairer place, thanks to her service.Councillor Paula Fletcher said McConnell had been struggling with lung and breathing problems for some time. She was admitted to hospital earlier this week with an unknown breathing condition and her status deteriorated. Her death is a shock to everyone, she said.Speaking on behalf of all my colleagues, our hearts are simply broken today that she left so quickly, she said.Fletcher spoke to reporters, surrounded by council colleagues, holding a picture of McConnell at the controls of a bulldozer. The picture was snapped at the start of the Regent Park revitalization.It was one of the most important projects in the city of Toronto and in the country of Canada, Fletcher said. She moved mountains in a quiet way in our city and she leaves a very, very, very big hole for all of us to fill.McConnell first entered public life in 1982 when she was elected to the Toronto District School Board. In 1994, she was elected to city council. Amongst McConnells more high-profile roles were her term as Toronto Police Services Board chairman from 2004 to 2005, and serving as one of the citys deputy mayors since 2014.In 2013, she was honoured with the Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal for her decades of public service.City flags will fly at half mast until the day of her funeral. That date has not been announced. A book of condolences has been set up at City Hall, which Tory was the first to sign.HOW POLITICIANS ARE REMEMBERING MCCONNELL:When you can emerge from a career as long in public life as she had and have as many friends as she has, that is a remarkable statement in and of itself. - Mayor John ToryPam was deeply loved by her community and deeply loved by her colleague councillors. There are many reasons for that. Certainly, among them are her passion for this city, her passion for children, her passion for social justice to build an inclusive and equitable Toronto. - Councillor Joe MihevcShe always said we have to find the island. The place we can all agree on. So, I cant tell you how many times we swam to an island with Pam. That, being all members of council, no matter which side youre on. - Councillor Paula Fletcher
State transport company CIE has warned trade unions they will no longer be consulted on a rescue plan for the company's troubled pension funds because of their attitude to talks.

In a letter to officials from all unions in the company, CIE's head of human resources, Declan Carlyle, accused worker representatives of "obfuscation and misrepresentation" over the issue.

He also blamed recent pay rises across the CIE Group for increasing the pressure on pensions. The deficit in all CIE pension schemes was 288m, it is understood. The tone of Carlyle's letter makes clear that the pension issue threatens to become yet another front in the series of industrial relations battles that have dogged public transport recently.

Carlyle said he was writing the letter following "another futile conciliation conference" at the Workplace Relations Commission last month after unions had been invited to discuss funding proposals "on foot of alarming deficits and increasing volatility which had the potential to threaten future retirement benefits across the group".

"Regrettably, the seriousness attached to this matter by CIE since 2015 has been scorned upon by the TUG [trade union group]. Further, the complexity of the matter has been compounded as a result of pay agreements between the TUG and some CIE subsidiary companies," said the letter.

Carlyle warned that "we have now reached a critical point regarding the continued involvement of the TUG in this process" and there was a legal obligation on the trustees of the schemes to submit new proposal to the Pensions Authority before the end of 2017. The company was attempting to develop a set of measures it could present with the unions to the trustees but "clearly time is running out for CIE's preferred process".

"If the TUG's stance continues to be one of obfuscation and misrepresentation of the matters at hand, including erroneously alleging CIE has not contributed to one of the schemes in accordance with the recommendations of the actuary, then ClE will have no choice but to hand the entire matter to the trustees to resolve, as they see fit, with no role for the TUG in that process," he said.

CIE's stance was "not deliberately designed to provoke the TUG, it merely reflects the position we, and others with statutory obligations find ourselves in. CIE must take cognisance of the onerous responsibility that will be placed on the trustees of both schemes if they alone are to formulate and submit a set of rectification proposals to the Pension Authority and the timeframe remaining available for them to do so", he said.
The grant for day-to-day living costs (known as the maintenance grant) is up to 3,025 for eligible undergraduate and PLC students - or up to 5,915 for students from families in most financial need. (Financially disadvantaged postgraduate students can also now get the 5,915 grant). Stock photo: Getty

A student grant can be worth as much as 12,000 to some students, and first-time applicants now have only three days left to apply for the grant. Having a late application in could delay your grant - meaning it could be well into the college year by the time you (or your child) receives it, if they get it at all.

The grant for day-to-day living costs (known as the maintenance grant) is up to 3,025 for eligible undergraduate and PLC students - or up to 5,915 for students from families in most financial need. (Financially disadvantaged postgraduate students can also now get the 5,915 grant).

There is also a grant worth as much as 6,270 towards the cost of tuition fees, essential field-trip expenses and the student contribution charge. This grant, known as the fee grant, is available to eligible undergraduate and postgraduate students. Some students qualify for both the fee grant and the maintenance grant.

Here are five things you need to know if applying for the student grant this year.

The deadlines

The deadline for applying for the first time is July 13. You don't need to fill out a new grant application if you are merely renewing your grant, although you do need to apply to renew the grant. As the closing date for renewals was June 15, you have already missed that deadline if you haven't yet renewed.

You might still be able to renew if you missed the deadline, but get in touch with Susi as soon as you can. "We will still be open for grant applications for a certain amount of time after the deadlines but we will prioritise the applicants that come into us before the deadlines," said Graham Doyle, a spokesman for Student Universal Support Ireland (Susi), which runs the grant scheme.

Should either or both of your parents be self-employed, don't wait until they have filed their tax return before you apply. This is one of the biggest mistakes made by students, according to Doyle. It is income earned in 2016 which must be declared on the application forms.

As the latest deadline for self-employment tax returns for 2016 is mid-November 2017, many self-employed parents will not have made a return for 2016 by the time their child needs to apply for the grant. However, students with self-employed parents should still apply on time and give an indication of their parents' income for 2016, advised Doyle.

Waiting until the Leaving Cert results or CAO offers are out before applying for the grant is another mistake often made by students, according to Doyle. "Students should apply to SUSI and put down their first choice of course on their application," he said. "They should also make sure to tick the Susi option on their CAO forms."

The income to tot up

About 22,000 people were refused a grant last year and one of the main reasons was because their income - or the income earned by certain people connected to them - was too high, according to Doyle.

The income earned by parents, guardians, spouses and students comes into play when determining whether or not a grant is paid.

The income of your parents or your guardian will not be taken into account if you are applying for the grant as an independent student. To be treated as an independent student, you must be a mature student who does not ordinarily reside with your parents or guardian.

Remember, if you are an independent mature student who is married, in a civil partnership or living with someone, the income of your spouse, civil partner, or cohabitant - as well as your own income - will be taken into account for your grant application.

It is not just the income earned in a job which matters for the student grant. Various sources of income are considered, including rental income; income from investments, savings and private pensions; lump-sum payments from retirement and redundancy; gifts or inheritances; the state pension and certain other social welfare payments; and income from the sale of property or other assets.

Some income is disregarded for the purposes of the student grant and this includes child benefit, the blind pension, rent supplement, and up to 4,500 of income earned by a student during the Christmas, Easter or summer holidays.

The income limits

Undergraduate or PLC students won't usually get a full grant if their income, or their family's income, is over 39,875. However, should there be more than three dependent children in the student's family or more than one child in the family attending college, the student could get a full grant even if their income is above 39,875 - depending on exactly how much income is earned. For example, a family with between four and seven dependent children, could earn up to 43,810 and still qualify for the full grant, while a family with eight or more children could earn up to 47,575.

You may still qualify for a grant if your family's income is over these limits -but it would be a percentage of the full grant.

Remember, it is the number of dependent children in a family which is taken into account when deciding the income threshold for the grant. Susi considers a dependent child to be one who is under the age of 16 or a child aged 16 or more but in full-time education or unfit to work due to a medical condition.

For those students who are from families in most financial need and who qualify for the higher grants of 5,915 (maintenance grant) and 6,270 (fee grant), the total household income should be no more than 23,000.

Along with income, how near a student's home is to college will determine whether or not he or she qualifies for the full grant.

Students who live more than 45km from their college are entitled to a higher grant than those living within a 45km radius.

The latest changes

There have been some changes to student grants this year, which could make it easier to get one. For example, the higher maintenance grants of up to 5,915 are available to financially disadvantaged postgraduate students again. The reintroduction of this grant for such students reverses a budgetary cut in 2012.

Under another change, students who previously dropped out of a college course, and who are returning to third-level education to study after a break of five years, can now apply for the student grant. It is also possible for the student to complete a PLC course within the five-year break period, receive a maintenance grant from Susi for that PLC course and still qualify for a higher-education grant when he or she returns to college (as long as the five-year break rule from higher education is met). Should you have received a grant for a college course before, it is still possible to get a grant from Susi under this so-called 'second chance' provision.

The alternatives

Should you find that you or your child no longer qualifies for a student grant - or you expected to get one but didn't, you may be able to get a student or educational loan from your bank. Some banks offer interest-free overdrafts and loans to students which could be worth exploring - as long as you can afford to repay the loan on time.

Bank of Ireland, for example, offers an interest-free preferred faculty loan to certain students. The bank also offers a student loan of up to 1,000, which charges 1pc interest.

Avoid student credit cards as the interest charged on credit card purchases starts from 18.25pc, with higher interest charged on cash withdrawals.

This is expensive credit and could lead to debt problems down the line.
Property firm Double Property Group, a player in Ireland's social-housing sector, said the raising of investment thresholds in January this year had rendered the Immigrant Investor Programme "dead in the water" in terms of stimulating investment. Stock photo: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

A radical plan to delve into property assets to ease a future pension crisis has been outlined at the Citizens' Assembly.

A professor of social policy at UCD suggested a Fair Deal-type pension top-up scheme that would "claw back" up to 200 a week from elderly property owners with assets of around 200,000.

Dr Micheal Collins outlined his plan at yesterday's meeting at The Grand Hotel, Malahide, to discuss the challenges and opportunities of an ageing population.

He said: "Ireland is unique to the scale of home ownership. It's how we keep our wealth. And as Irish homeowners, it seems to me a bit mad that if people die and leave huge amounts after them, relative to their standard of living up to their death, it's passed to another generation and the past 10 to 15 years of their life their wealth in that [property] is of no value to them.

"We shouldn't look past the fact there's a big bank of wealth there. If there's potential to tap into that, to use some of the resources, get back some of their savings, their estate will be smaller, the inheritance tax might be better."

The assembly, which continues today, also heard that people in their late 40s were already victims of discrimination in the workforce, as calls were made to allow workers to continue careers into old age.

Justin Moran, head of advocacy at Age Action, said the majority of people receiving Jobseekers' Allowance now were those forced to retire from their jobs but who were not yet of State pension age.

"You can go on Jobseekers' benefit until you get the State pension but you're losing 50 a week," Mr Moran said.

"In 2021, when the pension age rises to 67, it will get even more difficult. That 65-year-old [currently] doesn't have to be on the dole, they can get a job with Facebook or Google but it doesn't work like that.

"Age discrimination kicks in in the late 40s and there are more 65-year-olds on Jobseekers than any age in this country because of the mandatory retirement clause."

Emily Logan, chief commissioner for the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, said it was a key human right in "maintaining dignity" to allow older people access to social welfare.

She said the case of Michael and Katherine Devereux had illustrated the need to assure older people are afforded such human rights.

Mr and Mrs Devereux were initially separated under the Fair Deal Scheme but were united after an extensive campaign in the media led by their family.

"This was an act of inhumanity as the Taoiseach described," Ms Logan told the assembly.

"It's possible to consider individual cases to provide a more humane approach."

Mary Murphy, from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, said some people were experiencing "double discrimination" in the workforce when reaching pension age and that it was vital this was prevented.

She added that around 80pc of the 2.4bn State pension pot "goes to top earners and there's a male bias in that, too. You have to have the full information if we are taking the human rights and equality model to pensioners".
On a remote stretch of Germany's border with Poland, invisible waves of carbon monoxide blow from the east. The Germans suspected that the Polish coal industry was breaching EU regulations but have struggled to prove it.

A cleantech operation based in Longford and Dublin had the answer. Air Synergy produces specially patented, self-powering street lights, that it can also equip with anything from air monitors to wifi, that are to be installed to monitor pollution along the border.

Air Synergy's technologists spent years developing the technology behind these 'smart poles'. The engineers found ways to make airflows more efficient, in the process redesigning the concept of a wind turbine. No longer is it necessary to erect hundred-metre high poles and fans that dominate the landscape.

Using combinations of this wind technology, solar and rechargeable batteries, Air Synergy can install self-powering applications - such as the smart poles - that are discreet and can be used in a wide variety of situations, for example lighting, security cameras, wifi and monitoring.

A key advantage is that there is no need to dig up the ground to run electric cables.

But what the company had not done effectively was to find markets into which to sell the new technology. The problem was that it was so busy inventing groundbreaking technology, it had neither the time nor the skill set to turn its attention to commercialising its products.

When private equity investors stepped up with new investment of 16m in recent years, that all changed. A new focus on commercialisation and the pursuit of markets globally was needed.

Enter Gerry Butler, the highly-experienced former chief executive of Xtra-vision and HMV Ireland. Butler had been behind the transformation of both companies into online players after they had been bought out of administration by private equity firm Hilco.

Last December, he was appointed ceo of Air Synergy and has since brought in former Aryzta executive Martin Kelly as chief operating officer.

"The challenge facing Air Synergy was to turn its highly regarded technological ideas into commercial success stories. We were brought on board to restructure and bring Air Synergy to the commercial world," said Butler.

"It was run by a very smart group of technologists but it was not commercial."

The key for Butler was to bring the right processes and structures to the company. His skill set is all about restructuring and growth, whereas Air Synergy had been very focused on the technology itself.

"Air Synergy was at a place that is common with technology companies when they are run by technologists. Technology people do things that I could never dream of. I can talk to you about the technology but I can't design it.

"This is a potentially global company with fabulous technology but it needed a commercial vision," said Butler.

The highly technical nature of the products was a key challenge when trying to bring them to market, particularly as they require certifications from trade bodies or government departments.

"If you don't have a business background, you don't fully appreciate or understand the deadlines and you could be burning up money,"

"A pre-revenue company is generating no income, so you are raising money and spending it. It's like having a hole in a ship. You can keep throwing the water back out but at some stage you have to stop the hole. You have to commercialise and move forward."

The first thing he did was cut costs by 1.3m.

"We had a range of engineers who were designing products but who were not focused on a sales pipeline," he said. "What Martin and I bring is a market knowledge and international perspective. I clearly know what I am not good at. I cannot design turbines. But what I do have is a skill for managing businesses into a profitable business."

Crucial to the success of the restructuring was buy-in from the whole team and Butler is confident that the company has the right people, in the right positions doing the right things.

"The inventors of the technology are getting ready to develop phase two and three of this technology and the sales people's job is to go and sell it. Our job as management is to create an environment that allows them to achieve this."

The refocusing appears to be working. Air Synergy has now taken three of its patented products to market and is offering global organisations, companies and municipalities more economical, environmentally friendly methods of extracting power from air. The company has established a global partnership with Flex, one of the world's largest component manufacturers, and this, according to Butler, gives Air Synergy the global reach it needs to sell its innovative product line.

The German border application was just one example of the new focus on finding buyers. Orange County in California is also interested in using Air Synergy's poles to monitor smog levels by placing them around the city in areas where there is no grid connection.

The company has also just done a deal with Lidl here in Ireland, installing an initial smart pole at the retailer's new Drogheda outlet, as well as a deal with energy giant Veolia in Germany.

Butler says a number of other major contracts are almost ready to be announced. Indeed, he plans to launch Air Synergy in 10 or more countries within the next 12 months and has set a target turnover of 30m by 2018.

"There's no country in the world that can't take some of our products," he said. "But the biggest challenge we face is choosing which countries and why. Our skill sets are about directing the company in a positive way and in a logical sequence. What we have undertaken to do is to re-identify the actual market for the products. The technology experts in the company had identified great products but not the actual markets in which they should be sold."

For now, said Butler, Air Synergy is concentrating on four major international markets: Ireland for proof of concept, UK "because it is on our doorstep", Brexit notwithstanding, and the two really key markets of Germany and the US.

He is not shy about his ambition now that the company has met many of the initial challenges.

"We believe that with a fair wind this will become one of the major growth stories of Irish business in the next five years.

"Its products are patented. It has groundbreaking technology and there is nothing else like it anywhere else in the world. It is now a case of harnessing that and commercialising it."
Question My daughter uses Snapchat a lot with her friends but there seems to be a new feature that identifies her on some sort of map. She's only 13 and I don't want her to be exposed to unwanted attention. What should I do?

Answer The feature you're talking about is called 'Snapchat Map' - it's supposed to let Snapchat users see where their friends are so they can spontaneously meet up or add a bit more context to their messaging or 'stories' (short video blogs).

Obviously, the thought of a 13-year-old girl's presence suddenly appearing on a public internet map is alarming to a parent. But it doesn't really work like that, at least not by default.

To use Snapchat Map, users have to go looking for the feature and switch it on. (Although some users say that they were prompted by the app to try it out.) If you don't do this, you won't appear on any map.

Even if you switch it on, you'll be asked to choose exactly who can see you on the map. Here, you have three possible options. The first is "my friends", meaning your position is shared with established 'friends'. If you choose this option, a small cartoon avatar representing you will overlay the geographic location you're in whenever you open and use Snapchat. The other two sharing options on Snapchat Map are "select friends", where you have to manually pick friends you'll allow to see your location, and "ghost mode", which hides your presence but lets you see where your (fully participating) friends are on the map.

Of these options, the one that parents may be worried about is the first choice: "my friends". That is the most public version possible. Obviously, the concern is that teenagers sometimes allow connections to social media friends they've never physically met or know little about. The lurking fear is that one's child inadvertently becomes 'friends' with a predator and then that child makes his or her physical presence visible on a map.

However, know that there are a few basic safeguards built in specifically so that this doesn't happen. The first one is that location-sharing is off by default. That means that Snapchat isn't putting you on the map as a new core part of the service. It's not like ads on Facebook or Twitter, things baked into the system that you can't avoid.

The second safeguard is that even if you choose the most public "my friends" map option, you only show up on the map when you're actually in the app and using it. In other words, if you have your phone off or it's on and you're not using Snapchat, you're not visible on the map.

There is a third point worth making, especially for those who aren't that familiar with how Snapchat works (which is almost everyone in Ireland over the age of 45). You can't share your location with Snapchat Map to anyone who is not already your 'friend'. This is an important point - Snapchat isn't built to make you as publicly searchable as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You can't really look people up on it. It's primarily made as a messaging and video blog service where everything posted or sent is deleted after seconds, minutes or hours.

Having said all that, there are things you can ask your daughter to do. If she wants to use Snapchat Map, ask her to use it in 'ghost mode' (explained above). If you want to definitively remove any location-tracking of your daughter by Snapchat, ask her to turn off the 'location' switch next to the Snapchat app in your phone's settings.

Email your questions to caomahony@independent.ie
In June 2015, UK pub chain JD Wetherspoons was hit by a cyber attack. More than 650,000 emails and some staff details were stolen. When the breach was discovered, the company's founder and chairman sounded an interesting note on security. "As far as I'm concerned, there's no need for Wetherspoon to hold customer information in future," said Tim Martin, promising that the company would "try to store the absolute minimum amount".

And last week, Wetherspoons, founded by Tim Martin, came good on that promise when it announced it was deleting its entire email database. Chief executive John Hutson explained why in a final email to customers.

"Many companies use email to promote themselves, but we don't want to take this approach, which many consider intrusive. Our database of customers' email addresses, including yours, will be deleted. In future, rather than emailing our newsletters, we will continue to release news stories on our website."

"Thank you for your custom," the email concluded, "and we hope to see you soon in a Wetherspoons pub."

Some might see the destruction of such a valuable database as drastic. But given the risk and overheads associated with storing personal information, you can't argue with a focus on getting bums on seats, rather than emails into a database. And the cost of keeping data is only going to get more onerous with the onset of the EU's new General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, in May of next year.

The GDPR applies to any business that keeps data on European customers. Any business that uses such data for marketing or other purposes must have that person's unambiguous consent and must keep an audit trail that proves the customer hit all the relevant tick boxes when their data was collected. Consumers will also be able to demand details of all the personal data that marketers keep about them, including how this data is used. As a result, marketers need to get ready to justify every piece of data that they have collected and how it is used. They also need improved systems for retrieving datasets quickly when requested by consumers.

There may be trouble ahead for those who don't. Trouble means fines. When the GDPR comes into effect, companies that are found to be non-compliant are facing a two-tiered approach to sanctions. Lesser incidents could result in maximum fines of either 10m or 2pc of the company's global turnover, whichever is greater.

More serious violations could result in fines of up to 20m or 4pc of the company in question's global turnover; again, whichever is greater.

Aside from the fines, there is also a risk of reputational damage and loss of customer trust. For some companies. data breaches are a PR disaster waiting to happen.

So what should companies do and should other companies be looking to follow Wetherspoons' lead?

Well, the first step is the application of some common sense. Hoarding data for vague or intermittent marketing is no longer worth it. Businesses should be examining each and every dataset, whether it's emails, cookies or other personal information to ensure the cost of maintenance is less than the revenue they deliver.

For some, the risk may outweigh the return. These companies may decide to take the Wetherspoons route at this point. Everyone else who chooses to hold onto their data needs to get their houses - and databases - in order.

That means companies need to audit the permissions and consent associated with each customer and interrogate how they are currently being stored and processed within their CRM platforms. This could result in some uncomfortable conversations over ownership in some companies, where the IT function still retains control of customer data.

Where consent cannot be proven or the provenance of existing data is unknown, companies may need to delete records or risk fines. They also need to review current data-collection processes to ensure consumers have full control over the permissions around the data they provide. Another recommended step is a review of contracts with third parties; data processors and providers.

The line that data is the new oil has become a bit of a cliche at this stage. But perhaps it's more apt than it seems at first glance. Yes, data is the fuel for a new digital economy. But like oil, it's got a risky side. It is expensive to extract, refine and keep - and disastrous if it leaks.

Dublin Information Sec 2017, Irelands cyber security conference, addresses the critically important issues that threaten businesses in the information age. Tickets for the event at the RDS in Dublin can be booked here.
542,000 businesses and homes - at least a quarter of the population - won't see any broadband until at least 2019. (Stock picture)

Another week, another reported delay in rural broadband rollout. It now looks likely that 542,000 businesses and homes - at least a quarter of the population - won't see any broadband until at least 2019. Even by 2021, 200,000 premises will still be left in the lurch, according to the Government.

For those now designated to remain in a broadband-free zone for the next four to six years, what does life look like?

Here is a list of 20 basic work-related activities that hundreds of thousands will not be able to take advantage of over the next half-decade.

1 Work email: It seems like the most undemanding online service in the world. But sending and receiving emails when you have no broadband (and almost no mobile signal) is a real problem in some Irish rural communities.

Managers from small businesses such as Moran Motors in Longford village Legan (officially named as having the worst broadband in Ireland) frequently need to leave the town to send emails via a mobile signal. "I have had to climb a tree to see if I can get a mobile signal to send an email," said Anica Louw, head of the world-renowned Shawbrook School of Dance, which is also located in Legan.

2. Booking a flight or hotel: Many travel arrangements are now done online. Ryanair imposes a surcharge of 50 if you can't check in online and need to do it at the airport. Hotels and rental cars, meanwhile, are now entirely handled online through services such as Booking.com or apps such as Hotel Tonight.

3. Taxes: Filing and researching taxes is a one-way street online. From motor taxation to business-related fees, the Revenue Commissioners are now requiring more and more official transactions on their website.

4. Banking: Irish banks are closing rural branches in the expectation that those communities can adapt to online banking in the same way as urban customers have. There are now extra charges for those who need paper statements.

5. Utility bills: Like banks and the Revenue, utility companies, such as the ESB, Eir and Bord Gais, all expect bills to be managed and paid online. If not, customers are charged extra.

6. Critical farming administration: Farmers have been told that they will be required to complete their EU Basic Payment Scheme applications online.

7. Growth and development aid: Getting access to grants and subsidies from trade bodies, such as Enterprise Ireland, is now mostly initiated online. Even researching them is valuable work: there are hundreds of 5,000 'innovation voucher' grants available to small businesses who can apply for them.

8. Applying for a job: Recruitment is mostly done online now. Those seeking work without access to broadband are at a fundamental disadvantage. There are even some extreme cases where a handful of multinationals (one in particular, in Cork) are less likely to employ you if you don't have access to a minimum level of broadband at home. This isn't draconian, it's a reasonable expectation that you live in the modern world.

9. Remote working when you're in a job: Most forms of remote working in Ireland fall into two categories - those who do it by arrangement and those who do it by necessity. Highly-paid multinational firms have an allowance for some workers to log in from home and work a full day. Others will allow you to work from home when you have the occasional personal requirement, such as in the case of an ill child. But both scenarios are dependent on access to broadband.

10. Keeping your communications costs at a reasonable level: It is possible to get satellite broadband into a business in rural areas. But the cost is four to five times (and sometimes more) of a conventional urban broadband service. This puts an onerous burden on a rural business trying to compete with an urban one.

11. Basic marketing: Figures from the Government suggest that when small firms engage an online strategy, they see an average increase in sales of 21pc. They also see an average increase in customer enquiries of 84pc.

12. Pricing comparisons: Constant awareness of what your competition is charging and offering is almost impossible without regular online access.

13. How-to videos for small problems: Whether it's work-related or domestic, YouTube has now become a global repository of how-to videos in solving practical or technical problems. A broadband connection is crucial for this.

14. More vulnerable to thieves: Modern security systems almost all involve live online monitoring alerts. Mostly, these are live streams that can be accessed from a smartphone through systems such as Nest. The disadvantage to CCTV cameras that don't have cloud-backup capability is that thieves have a reasonable chance of destroying evidence if there's no relay to a back-up service.

15. Inability to back up crucial files: One of the most important defences against cyber attacks or physical disasters such as fires is the ability to back up critical information up online.

16. No tenders for valuable public sector contracts: Council, government and state body contracts, worth millions every year, are all tied up in public tender notices on services such as etenders.gov.ie. Missing out on these is a huge chunk of potential business foregone.

17. Not being able to collaborate on projects with colleagues or customers: The rise of online collaboration in real time, using basic software, is becoming the norm for young companies in Ireland. It is impossible to do this without broadband.

18. Less chance at exporting: Government-quoted figures say that three out of five small firms that engage online start to export naturally.

19. Recruiting staff: The same government-quoted figures say that an SME with good broadband engagement recruits 1.4 times more employees than those without.

20. Becoming a third-tier businesses: Figures from the European Commission's recent Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) show that when small firms in Ireland get access to broadband, they outperform European competitors. As such, Ireland ranks first out of 28 countries when it comes to small firms selling online, turnover from eCommerce and cross-border ecommerce.
Bono has thanked Britain for looking after the Irish as U2 played to a packed Twickenham Stadium.

The rock star hailed London capital of the world as the band played the latest gig in The Joshua Tree tour, celebrating the album of the same name released 30 years ago.

He said the band were boys when they first came to the city and went on to reflect on Irish immigrants coming to Britain.

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As green, white and orange Iights illuminated the stage, Bono described the scene as a subliminal message from the motherland.

He said: We came to this great Great Britain and we thank you for looking after the Irish.

Bono expressed thanks for the safety and sanctuary given, adding: We hope that wont stop.

The band played for more than two hours and performed all the songs from The Joshua Tree album including With Or Without You and Where The Streets Have No Name, before belting out more recent hits such as Vertigo and Beautiful Day.

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Released in March 1987, The Joshua Tree was drawn from U2s relationship with the United States and beat Princes Sign O The Times to the best album prize at the 1988 Grammy Awards.

The band dedicated one of the last songs of their set  Ultraviolet  to murdered MP Jo Cox who was shot and stabbed on June 16 last year as she arrived for a constituency surgery in Birstall.

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The mother-of-two had been elected as Labour MP for the Batley and Spen constituency just 13 months earlier.

Before the song, Bono said she lived her life championing the lives of others, adding: Jo Cox, you light the way.

For the last song, the band were joined on stage by Noel Gallagher for a rendition of Dont Look Back In Anger.
Eighteen people have been arrested and five cars were seized as part of an extensive garda operation yesterday.

Gardai from the Northern Divisional Crime Task Force were joined by other garda units in carrying out Operation Thor Retail Day of Action.

A number, but not all, of these arrests occurred at the Pavilions and Omni Shopping Centres in Dublin.

The operation focused on warrant execution, checkpoints, public relations and arrests.

Gardai said those arrested in the lead up to the operation had outstanding warrants.

The five cars seized were found to be in breach of Road Traffic Acts in and around the shopping centres.

In a statement Gardai said there were eight detections in the course of the operation for offences including theft and fraud.

"A number of other crimes that came to light as a result of the operation will be followed up with positive lines of inquiry having been developed, according to the statement.

Gardai also established public relation stands to impart crime prevention advice to the public while Sergeant Peter Smith liaised with local store owners and security.
The Mercedes and Audi no longer sit in the drive of the house in Clane owned by the one-time charity boss Paul Kelly.

Neighbours hardly see him. His daughter is rarely seen on the horsey circuit since her showjumper was stolen from stables in Longford days after the scandal about her father's financial misspending exploded so spectacularly at Console, the suicide charity he founded, this time last year.

There is no doubt that as a result of Kelly's actions, he and his family are suffering the fallout of the biggest single financial scandal to hit an Irish charity in years. But so far, he has escaped any public examination of the alleged corporate chicanery and misspending of public and donated funds under his stewardship of Console.

The Charities Regulator, John Farrelly, told a conference recently that he will use legislation against charities that are at risk or break the law. But the regulator has been granted powers to investigate charities only since September, which means the goings-on at Console are beyond his remit.

And one year on from the spectacular collapse of Console, which was liquidated within weeks of the scandal erupting, Kelly has yet to explain how more than 600,000 of the charity's funds were spent.

Liquidator Tom Murray is nearing the end of his work on winding up the beleaguered charity. According to one informed source, the liquidator's unpublished report shows that questions remain over more than 600,000 in spending.

The Charities Regulator has now urged the liquidator to do whatever is necessary to ensure that any outstanding Console assets are retrieved and put to proper charitable use.

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At a meeting with the liquidator last month, the regulator said it "expressed its position" that "all action required should be taken to ensure that any charitable assets are identified and used for the charitable purpose they were donated for."

On top of that, the Sunday Independent has learnt that the Office for the Director of Corporate Enforcement also appears to have stepped up its investigation into alleged breaches of corporate law at the charity. It has begun interviewing key witnesses in the past month.

Even still, David Hall, who was appointed to review the charity when the scandal broke, said there is still no conclusive report on what went on at what remains one of the country's "single biggest charitable scandals".

"As a sector, where are the lessons? How do you prevent this from happening again? There are no consequences. No naming, no shaming, no findings, no sanctions. Nothing," he said.

Hall was appointed by solicitors Aidan Eames the morning after Prime Time broke the bizarre story of Kelly as a man with a "history of deception" yet who had gone on to rack up questionable spending and salaries of more than 1m in three years - most of it coming from public donations or the State.

An audit by the Health Service Executive (HSE) uncovered a trail of expenditure by Kelly, his wife Patricia, and son Tim, and a web of company fakery that helped him conceal it from the authorities. Over three years, the family racked up spending of almost 464,000 on 11 credit cards, on foreign travel, hotels, designer clothes and groceries.

Directors were unaware they had been purportedly appointed to the board. Patricia Kelly drew a salary even though Console's charitable status forbids directors from being paid and Kelly had claimed she was an unpaid "volunteer". They both drove top-of-the-range company cars, an Audi and a Mercedes, which cost the charity more than 87,000.

The scandal evolved into a breathless caper as Hall and accountant Tom Murray chased down the assets they believed belonged to the charity, while the Kellys ran for cover.

Only after a High Court injunction, did they relinquish the company cars, credit cards and a computer hard drive that was taken from the office.

Kelly's history of deception just added to the drama, as stories unfolded of how he had passed himself off as a priest, doctor, pilot and, according to one former colleague, as a social worker in Cumbria. He still clings to some of the vestiges of his former life as a feted charity boss. He refused a request from organisers last year to return his People of the Year Award.

One of the saga's most bizarre twists involved a 40,000 showjumper called Ecapitola. Hall got a tip-off that the Kellys had bought a 40,000 horse for his daughter which was in stables in Longford. Before Hall could get to it, the horse was stolen.

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Not many people would have known then that Kelly's daughter Robyn and her mare Ecapitola were staying at the stables outside Longford town owned by Gerry Flynn, the former Army commandant and showjumper. Robyn rode out his horses in return for lessons. According to Flynn, Robyn Kelly was "very upset" by the publicity surrounding her father as the Console scandal unfolded. One night, as the scandal still raged, Gerry Flynn took a phone call from a man claiming to be a detective sergeant with the Criminal Assets Bureau in Dublin.

"He said, 'You have a horse there on your property'. I said, 'Yes, I have'. He said, 'Do you have anything else there'? 'Well, the girl is staying here', I said. 'She has a car and a horsebox here as well'," Flynn told the Sunday Independent.

The man arranged to call the next day with a "Garda vehicle" and a female Garda in case Kelly's daughter was upset. Flynn was away when they called. But when his wife told him that the "gardai" were two men in plain clothes and in an unmarked car, Flynn became suspicious and reported it.

Gardai have been investigating ever since but so far, have found no trace of the horse. One of the suspects is a man who has links to organised crime and who lives in Kildare. He was arrested and questioned last year but released without charge. Kelly has said the horse was purchased with money he transferred to his wife from one of his pensions.

Hall regarded the horse as a distraction from more immediate troubles at the fast-imploding charity.

After threatening to sue the HSE at one point for money to keep it open, Hall asked the High Court to liquidate the charity and proposed another organisation, Pieta House, take on its clients and staff.

According to Hall, the 346 clients, the 19 people a day who rang the suicide helpline, and the staff, who felt particularly betrayed, were "forgotten" in the Console saga.

"There was a very, very difficult conversation in the Ashling Hotel where one of the staff likened what she had been put through to being abused. She felt she'd been violated by Kelly," Hall recalled.

Despite the question marks over corporate practices at Console, he registered a new business called Sanctuary Counselling last September, offering programmes to help employees facing difficult and challenging times.

If the business is trading, then it is low key. Kelly was forced to remove the website because of the publicity about his new business. The High Court heard last year Kelly and his wife were living on welfare payments of 300 a week and 6,700 in savings but had monthly repayments of more than 5,000 to service mortgages of 428,000 and 225,000 on their two homes. Their living expenses were 396 a week.

In his only public comments since his fall from grace, Kelly said he was "looking for a future" and trying to find ways of employment.

Last Wednesday, a modest green 19-year-old Opel Astra was parked in the driveway of Kelly's home in Alexandra Manor, Clane. Kelly emerged shortly after 10am and returned just before 6pm. The electric gates swung open as he approached. Wearing blue jeans and a pale-blue shirt, he stepped out of the car, removed a black laptop bag and strode towards the house as the gates closed behind him.

When we requested a moment of his time, he turned and asked: "Who's there?" On learning who we were, he said, "No," shaking his head firmly and walking towards his front door. He rebuffed a second attempt to request an interview the following morning as he left his house.

A neighbour has seen a notable increase in Garda patrols around Alexandra Manor in the past 12 months. Another local said Kelly's absence in the village was noticeable. Restaurants and cafes which the Kellys frequently visited are no longer regular haunts.

"I am not convinced Console is over. I am not convinced the full story is out yet," said Hall. "I have a lingering view that there is still more there, from talking to people. It is still like a dirty dark cloud hanging there."
Ibrahim Halawa's trial in Egypt has been adjourned for the 26th time.

The 21-year-old Irishman was jailed after being arrested during Muslim Brotherhood protests in Cairo in August 2013.

Hearings for Ibrahim - who has now spent 1,423 days in prison - have been adjourned and delayed numerous times over the last four years.

However, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Coveney said he welcomed today's further progress in the trial.

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"Diplomats from the Irish Embassy were in the court again in Cairo earlier today for the latest hearing in the court case, and there is further encouraging news of progress in the trial," he said after today's latest hearing.

"The last of the prosecution witnesses were called today, and the Judge confirmed that no further prosecution witnesses will be called."

Minister Coveney said he spoke by telephone earlier today with the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry.

"I raised with him my concerns about Ibrahim Halawas situation and stressed my commitment to seeing him returned to Ireland as soon as possible," he said.
The LE Eithne as seen by the Air Corps during the annual Naval Exercise. Photo: Irish Defence Force/Flickr

Naval Service crews may be given a bigger role in combating the criminal gangs netting huge profits from people smuggling and exploiting migrants in the Mediterranean.

Minister with responsibility for Defence, Paul Kehoe is currently carrying out a review of the part being played at present by the Naval Service in rescuing the migrants.

And he is seriously considering a proposal that the Irish should switch from its existing deployment with the largely humanitarian-focused Operation Pontus to Operation Sofia, which is the EU's mission to prevent illegal immigration in the Med.

That review has been under way for the past couple of months but is thought likely to be close to a conclusion.

The Naval Service flag ship, LE Eithne first deployed to the Med in May 2015.

Since then, five Naval vessels, including LE Niamh, LE Samuel Beckett, LE Roisin and LE James Joyce, have all taken part in Pontus.

In 2015 and 2016, there were three separate missions each year, mainly concentrated on the summer months when migrant crossings are most frequent.

Each mission usually lasts for 9 to 12 weeks.

Since deploying with Pontus, the Naval Service crews have rescued a total of 16,808 people.

The LE Eithne returned to the Med in May.

Although the performance of the crews has given a boost to all Defence Forces personnel and added to Ireland's standing as a leading contributor overseas mission, senior Naval Service officers believe Ireland could benefit even more taking part in Sophia.

This mission is mandated to:

* disrupt the people smuggling and trafficking operations in the Med

* contribute to information exchange and the implementation of the United Nations arms embargo

* support building up the capacity of the Libyan coastguard and Navy

* Identify, capture and dispose of vessels and other assets used or suspected of being used by migrant smugglers or traffickers

* disrupt the activities of the criminal gangs by countering the activities, thus preventing further loss of life at sea and reducing the suffering and exploitation of migrants.

A decision to allow the Naval Service take part in Sophia is subject, as in most overseas missions, to the triple lock mechanism, which means UN, government and Dail approval must be given before it can go ahead. Ireland would be part of a 25-state response to the migrant crisis by countering the trafficking gangs.

As part of a multi-lateral mission, the Naval Service would also benefit from access to a wider range of information and intelligence, which would enhance the security of deployed personnel and assets.

It would also help increase the professional capacity of the crews across a range of Naval skills.

The LE Eithne currently has 70 Naval personnel on board along with two medics from the Army and Air Corps.

Last October Mr Kehoe initiated a new awards scheme in which special operational medals were presented for the first time to members of the Defence Forces, who were deployed abroad on non peace support missions.

Since then, recipients have included the crews of the ships deployed in the Mediterranean.
Sinn Fein has been criticised by the Government after it voted against proposals to establish an EU counter-terrorism committee.

Defence Minister Paul Kehoe said he was disappointed to see political parties vote against measures that would help to protect European nations from attacks.

The European Parliament voted on Thursday to set up a temporary special committee to address weaknesses in the fight against terrorism across the EU. The committee will examine and evaluate the terrorist threat on European soil and look into any potential faults and malfunctions that might have allowed recent attacks.

MEPs voted overwhelmingly to set up the special committee with 527 votes in favour, 73 against and 36 abstentions.

Sinn Fein has been criticised after it joined France's Front National in voting against the proposal.

Mr Kehoe said it was in the country's best interests that information was shared between member states to prevent terror attacks.

"It is disappointing, but not surprising, that some political parties would vote against such measures," he said. "Ireland's interests, and those of our European partners, are best served by working together to enhance our efforts to counter the threats of international terrorism."

Sinn Fein, whose MEPs include Lynn Boylan, Matt Carthy and Liadh Ni Riada, condemned recent terror attacks but said personal freedoms must be protected.

"Instead of more anti-terror laws taking away civil liberties, the existing frameworks and laws should be used more efficiently in order to combat terror," said a spokesman.

"The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) already has a counter-terror remit. Any new terrorism committee would simply dilute the role of LIBE and either form of terrorism committee proposed would be an avenue toward greater EU militarisation.

"The EU was founded to protect civil rights and prevent the spread of conflict, not to create a fortress Europa."

Fine Gael MEP Brian Hayes said the European Parliament's decision would help governments fight terrorism.

"Terrorism is by its very nature international. Look at the attacks in London, Paris and Brussels," he said.

"Sinn Fein's stance in opposition to this committee is just another example of how unfit they are for government. They remain set apart from the European political mainstream."
Scroll of honour: Director of Chester Beatty Library Fionnuala Croke and Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald with Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado of Japan Photo: Tony Gavin

Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado of Japan was on hand to open a special collection of world-famous scrolls in Dublin yesterday, but only after she cast her eye on them first.

The princess, who holds degrees from Cambridge and a PhD in Arts from Osaka University, examined the treasures with Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald in Chester Beatty Library yesterday.

She said she was thrilled to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ireland and Japan by launching the 'Preserved in Partnership: Treasures of Japanese Art' exhibition.

However, what seemed to please her most was the glorious weather that greeted her outside Dublin Castle yesterday morning.

"The 60th birthday is called the Kanreki in Japanese. For us it marks a time of great celebration because it marks the completion of the zodiac cycle.

"I would like to thank the Government and the people of Ireland for their warm welcome and for having produced this amazing weather.

"You offer a window through which visitors, not only Irish people, may see different cultures and ways forward."

The conserved works featured in the exhibition are all examples of Japan's rich tradition of pictorial storytelling.

The scrolls feature intricate paintings, poems and beautifully executed calligraphy.
Fr Joe Mullan is relieved he isn't on the move from his parish in Dublin's leafy Rathgar. A priest's lot means he can be moved at short notice at the whim of his bishop. There was a time when you were parish priest for life, not any more.

"It did affect me this time last year because I had finished six years [in Rathgar] but I was given the possibility of an extension. It can be an absolutely gut-wrenching experience for priests," the 56-year-old parish priest explains.

Ordained 31 years ago, he went into Clonliffe College seminary just after Pope John Paul II's visit in 1979 and was ordained in 1986.

Over his three decades of priesthood, he has moved 'house' eight times, including four years while he studied communications and youth pastoral theology in London. "I have plenty of experience of moving. The really demanding moves for me were the two times I moved from a parish - firstly when I left Iona Road after seven years and then Lusk after four years."

The son of a Co Down dentist, he is one of seven children. Boarding school at Castleknock College led him to join the priesthood in Dublin.

Asked about concerns raised at the ACP meetings over the financial well-being of priests, he explains that his salary as a Dublin priest is 24,500.

"It is not big money, we would never be able to afford a mortgage on our salary. Somebody told me the other day that their mortgage was 1,600. We earn 2,000 a month gross so you can neither afford to buy a property or to have a pension but it is more than adequate for our day-to-day living."

Though many look enviously at priests who live mortgage-free, this leaves them "dependent" on their diocese because they live and work in the presbytery. But Fr Joe emphasises: "We live perfectly well. I have never seen a hungry priest and I've never been hungry as a priest."

As a member of the Dublin finance committee overseeing priests' payment, he says one of the concerns priests have is their reliance on the people who come to Mass to financially sustain the salaries of priests in ministry and the retired priests of the diocese.

"As Mass numbers go down, the money also drops. We used to have 20m a year to support the priests of Dublin, now we have less than 10m. But it also takes less money to look after fewer priests - there used to be 1,000 priests in Dublin, now there is less than half that number."

Challenges

As to concerns about priests' ability to cope with loneliness and the number of priest suicides, he believes that as with any profession "we are challenged to maintain a healthy psychological and emotional life. If you are the type of person who can join your energy to the people who share what you do, there is support. But there are those who are more anti-social, people who didn't really do the group thing; that is to do with personality and just the way people are". They are more vulnerable to loneliness and isolation.

Referring to the stark findings of last year's Towers Watson report on the decline of priest numbers in Dublin, he acknowledges: "When you look at the facts and statistics, it looks pretty miserable."

But he stresses: "We can't change what Towers Watson is telling us but we can all choose how to live inside it, and to live inside it with as much heart as we possibly can. We know we will become fragile and vulnerable as we age but people have an amazing capacity to surround that with help and care and assistance."
The girlfriend of a British Transport Police officer has acted on the #LoveHappensHere hashtag and proposed at Pride in London 2017.

The woman got down on one knee to ask her partner, who shes been with for five years, for her hand in marriage.

And the crowd absolutely loved it.

The video has received a lot of attention online, with congratulations flooding in for the pair, who wished to remain unnamed.

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The 23-year-old officer who was proposed to can be seen nodding and putting the ring on before hugging her fiancee in front of a jubilant crowd.

Isnt that just beautiful?
W Shanghai  The Bund opened its doors in the heart of one of the worlds most energetic cities. With limitless views overlooking the Huangpu River, W Shanghai will set the scene on the North Bund.

Anthony Ingham, Global Brand Leader, W Hotels Worldwide said, Our hotels across the world are incredibly unique- each reinterpreting its destination through design that is both hyper-local and yet, clearly W. The electrifying design of W Shanghai  The Bund is no exception, solidifying its position as a global flagship for W that is sure to attract both guests and savvy locals alike.

Designed by the acclaimed G.A Design, the hotel showcases an exciting combination of historic and modern influences, such as Hai Pai  the art of combining the old and the new, East and West. This is evident in both the hotels location, perfectly positioned between the Suzhou Creek and the Huangpu River, as well as the surrounding locale, where Art Deco buildings sit alongside opulent Chinese mansions. W Shanghai  The Bund draws upon colonial gamour and futuristic motifs, with nearly all guestrooms featuring views of the Huangpu River due to the uniquely curved frame of the buildings edifice.

Upon arrival, guests will be greeted by neon light installations throughout the hotels Living Room (the W brands take on the staid hotel lobby). For centuries, Shanghai-locals have honored the Lilong tradition, in which wet laundry is hung on lines to dry at varying heights down narrow laneways. This installation was designed as a modern reinterpretation of this classic scene. The Welcome Desk (reception area) features a kaleidoscopic fixture, mirroring the constant flow of guests through the area. The Melting Qipao pattern, a representation of Shanghai as a melting pot of cultures, can be seen on the walls of the WC (restroom).

W Shanghai  The Bund features 374 stylish guestrooms and suites, each appointed with the signature W bed adorned with a cheeky pillow in the shape of Shanghais famous Xiaolongbao (soup) dumpling and chopsticks. Thirty-five of the rooms are suites, including the Cloud on the Bund, which includes highlights such as a LED wall and a hanging bed. The duplex Extreme WOW Suite (the brands take on the presidential suite) boasts more than 4,000 square feet of living space, along with a hanging neon installation in the shape of lips blowing out dragon smoke. In addition to the epic views of the Huangpu River and iconic Pudong skyline, all rooms also feature switchable privacy glass and Nespresso Coffee machines.

W Shanghai  The Bund offers five intriguing places to socialize and dine. The Kitchen Table, with its interactive open kitchen, is inspired by a modern New York bistro and celebrates the legacy of Shanghais flourishing trade. YEN showcases the next evolution of Cantonese dining where traditional dishes are reinterpreted. Pre-dinner cocktails at LIQUID AT YEN, a hidden speakeasy, is the perfect evening prelude to transport guests to the glamorous golden years of Shanghais 1920s cocktail scene featuring a handcrafted selection of concoctions mastered by the on-site Cocktail Professor. The playfully elegant WOOBAR transforms from a daytime lounge into a vibrant evening cocktail bar. And finally, WET (the hotels pool) and WET BAR offer incredible sweeping views of the electric Shanghai skyline.

Mixing work with play, guests will be captivated by nearly 6,000 square meters of meeting and events space. At more than 2,000 square meters, the Great Room is the largest hotel event space in Western Shanghai, and boasts 6.2-meter ceilings in a setting inspired by an opulent expression of the Golden Age. The entrance to the Great Room features a series of oversized mirror collages with a Qipao motif, overlaid by a delicate Art Deco-inspired screen, reflecting the tension and contrasts between old and new Shanghai. The 660-square-meter Mega Room, in addition to the Studios and Strategy spaces, all cleverly adapt their industrial charm to perfectly suit each event.

The AWAY Spa offers massages, body treatments, facials and quick fixes, all set to leave guests glowing. Guests can also step into the ultra-modern FIT gym that offers 24/7 access to the newest Technogym equipment, or take part in a yoga or tai chi class on the hotels wooden deck.

For bookings click here.
A little over-hyped: the Volvo XC60 is a real looker and premium class but not perfect

I returned to Donegal for a few days' holiday at the end of last month, exactly a year after visiting the county for the first time as the guest of the Wild Atlantic Way marketing initiative.

We and Sam the dog returned to Rathmullan House on the banks of Lough Swilly on the opposite side to Buncrana, which most impressed us last year.

We returned at our own expense after being guests of the WAW last year. And it didn't disappoint again, although the weather once more failed to rise above mediocre.

One year it will, so we can live in hope.

Last year for our trip to the north-west, we were testing the new Volkswagen Tiguan SUV which since then has been rather over-shadowed by its siblings in Audi and SEAT.

The Audi Q5 is a really lovely premium SUV which is a joy to drive but begins to be frighteningly expensive as the options are added in.

At the other end of the scale, the SEAT Ateca is a truly excellent buy - more sporty and stylish than the Tiguan and better value. I have tried diesel and petrol and the latter suits the Ateca better, giving the car a refreshing lightness of touch.

This year for our sojourn, we were testing the new Volvo XC60, which is a lovely looking and ultra-safe SUV with some very intelligent crash-avoiding tech on board.

There are some annoyances; the rear doors should open wider, the sat-nav is temperamental and took us way out of our way on more than two occasions and there's a fair bit of road noise in an otherwise well-built and sturdy car.

Yet some might think that the XC60 is over-hyped. Its driving didn't deliver in the same way our hotel on the banks of Lough Swilly did. The driving is confident but the steering feel is rather limp and the automatic gearbox didn't have the immediacy I wanted, yet once it eventually kicked in, it delivered in spades.

The XC60 has been a massive success since its launch nine years ago. It now has a real premium class cabin and the overall Volvo architecture is a winner.

The last version was one of the best-selling premium SUVs and Volvo's top-earner, and this one will do better, despite my caveats.

The test model was very well accessorised but did cost 60,045 which pits the car against Mercedes and BMW, if not with a slight premium.

The former especially is building some of the best cars in the world now but there is a certain cache about the Swedish marque, but then I was for many years a committed Saab man.

We had a good holiday and did a lot of driving in some pretty bad weather.

It was good to be cocooned in such a safe car as the XC60.

*****

Volvo made news last week when it announced plans to build only electric and hybrid vehicles starting in 2019, making it the first major automaker to abandon cars and SUVs powered solely by the internal combustion engine.

This is very laudable but the whole dynamic of a car can change with extra weight being added, so the company should tread carefully.

The move came in the same week that France said it would outlaw the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2040. The move to electric can only gather pace which puts up all sorts of challenges in tax revenue, the future of petrol stations, infrastructure and the possibility of a nation's transport fleet being compromised by cyberattacks creating massive power surges.

Meanwhile, I read in the Daily Telegraph that an economist at Stanford University has predicted that virtually all new cars on American roads within a decade will be self-drive electric vehicles. And he isn't alone in this prediction.

The main reason lies in lithium-ion, the key component of car batteries. The cost of this material has fallen by 73pc since 2010 and is forecast to fall further. By 2025, this falling cost will make electric vehicles cheaper than internal combustion engines. Sam Hall, a senior researcher at Bright Blue, believes that rather than reach for regulation like France, governments should be accelerating this market-driven transition through incentives and infrastructure investment.

A transport system dominated by electric vehicles requires a different refuelling infrastructure. Government loan guarantees could unlock the necessary private investment for this by lowering financing costs.

Many experts believe charging will take place at home or at work, when vehicles are stationary for long periods. So planning guidance should encourage new properties to have charging facilities.

The only reason Macron's government has been able to propose a total ban is because markets are on course to deliver this outcome in any case.
Fifty years ago, an artistic fellow built a wall with empty beer bottles held in place with mortar at his cottage in the hills of south Co Dublin. The chimney breast was similarly enhanced (and may remain so), a memento from nights of singing, storytelling and music from that heady era of the 1960s.

These bottles were not of the conventional shape of Uncle Arthur's traditional brew but squat, tubby containers of a design-of-the-day which now perhaps may only be seen in the brewery's museum.

That bottled wall came to mind when I read about a young Algerian engineer who is building entire houses in a desert with used plastic bottles - items of waste which are engulfing the planet.

These bottles are filled with sand to form circular homes which will protect thousands of refugees from the harshness of the elements where temperatures can rise to above 50C, making it impossible for humans to venture outside for any length of time.

Tateh Lehib Braica, 27, works with a team in Tindouf in an area where there are around 90,000 refugees from Western Sahara.

His project began when, after college, he decided to build a home for his grandmother in one of the camps using sand-filled 1.5-litre plastic bottles instead of bricks. The bottle walls are assembled using cement with a mixture of earth and straw that acts as insulation.

The circular shape of the homes stops dunes from forming during sandstorms and, with white-painted exteriors, reduces the impact of solar rays by up to 90pc.

A double roof with ventilation space and two windows at different heights to encourage air-flow all help keep down temperatures. Each house needs about 6,000 bottles.

Tateh had been to Algiers University and the University of Las Palmas and his plastic bottle house idea was chosen by the UN refugee agency in Geneva as a pilot project. So far, more than 25 houses have been built in five Sahrawi refugee camps.

He is naturally proud of his achievement (especially, he says, of making his grandmother "very happy") and his ambition is to build a home for every family in the camps. (This story, in greater detail, was originally reported by Pablo M Costa in El Pais, the leading Spanish daily paper, and subsequently appeared in The Guardian).

Nearer home, Natalie Fee of Bristol, who has worked in media, has pointed out that one million plastic bottles of water are bought around the world every minute, an incredible statistic. Along with other enthusiasts, she has begun a campaign to collect empty bottles - starting along the banks of the Avon - in order to re-use them at local water fountains.

Her enterprise is called Refill and it began because of her compassion for birdlife and seeing a film about albatross chicks being choked on plastic scraps which have polluted the oceans. Businesses with taps are approached to 'sign up' and so far about 200 have done so.

The idea is spreading in the UK and someone in Dublin has expressed an interest. Plastic pollutes every natural system on the planet and only half of all empty bottles are recycled, very few of them for house-building.
If government was only about photo-ops and designer socks then anyone with a personal trainer and spin doctor could do it. But it isn't. Government is about deciding complex issues where the arguments for and against are finely balanced and the best outcome is still going to disappoint as many people as it pleases.

These are the decisions that keep you awake at night. Yes, the plush office, extra staff and chauffeur-driven ministerial car can make the job quite comfortable, but the realisation that the choices you make can detrimentally affect the real lives of real people is the modern-day equivalent of the guy at the back of the chariot whispering "remember thou art mortal" in the ear of a great roman general or tribune about to receive their great tribute.

Taking these tough decisions tests more than your political mettle, it also challenges your core beliefs. This new Taoiseach, and his not-quite-so-new Government, will be faced with a tough decision over the coming weeks, and the early indications suggest that he will make the wrong call based on a right-wing outlook which does not accord with the public mood.

That decision is how to use the small, and it may turn out to be very small, amount of money the Government will have left within its "fiscal space" after all the existing spending commitments and costs of the public sector pay deal are met.

On last Thursday's RTE Prime Time, the Taoiseach declined to exclude the possibility of funding tax cuts by cutting some expenditure and/or raising indirect taxes. As was reported in this paper last week, no matter how he juggles the figures, there is no way I can back any plan that denies increases for carers, people with disabilities or pensioners. The increases given to them over recent years have not kept pace with the increasing cost of living and that means they have, in real terms, been losing out.

Varadkar cannot emulate his Tory heroes and heroines and look to fund tax cuts by cutting already under-funded supports and services or by raising indirect taxes, a route that most adversely hurts the least well off, a growing section in our society, as the recent Unicef Innocenti Report showed.

One in five children in Ireland is now growing up in a jobless household, it is one of the highest rates in the developed world. This simply cannot be allowed to continue. The internal criticisms of the senior, junior and super junior ministerial appointments highlighted the difficulties the new Taoiseach is having in delivering on all the promises made to TDs to beat Minister Simon Coveney within the parliamentary party. Varadkar should not attempt to play up to these disgruntled TDs and senators by favouring a further shift to the right.

The right may well be in the majority inside the Fine Gael party rooms, but they are not in a majority in the Dail. Indeed, they are not even in a majority among his own party activists.

As a Social Protection Minister, Varadkar saw himself as sort of a game keeper, constantly trying to catch people out, when in fact his role was to support people who need the State's assistance. His bogus welfare cheats campaign neatly summed up that approach, though the Government had to climbdown on it this week.

The fear is that he plans to take the approach he adopted in Social Protection and roll it across the entirety of Government. Pitting sections of our society against each other is a sad echoing of Thatcher and Tebbit. The Taoiseach is entitled to his centre-right dogmas and beliefs. I am sure from my time as his opposite number that they are sincerely and deeply held, but until he obtains his own mandate with a government with its own secure majority, he has neither the authority nor the capacity to impose them on anyone.

Like those ancient Roman tribunes, he would do well to heed the warnings now and not wait for the whispers to turn to screams.

Willie O'Dea is a Fianna Fail TD for Limerick and Spokesperson on Social Protection
There is much reference these days to the "people who get up early in the morning" and how they are the most deserving of resources when Budget 2018 is delivered.

But working hard and getting up early is not new and not just a phenomenon of the so-called 'squeezed middle'.

The Sunday Independent has over the past two weeks written about private and voluntary nursing homes, the Fair Deal scheme - and charges for services that are not covered by this scheme.

The people who own, manage and work in private and voluntary nursing homes are people who get up early in the morning (and in the night and on weekends), to make sure residents have their health and social care needs met 24/7, 365 days per year.

Nursing homes provide care to people who worked very hard throughout their lives and contributed to society. These people deserve resources to meet their needs - and that is at the heart of what the Sunday Independent has been examining.

There is a perception that the Fair Deal scheme covers everything at a nursing home. Unfortunately, there are many exclusions. The State support and resources for Fair Deal are limited, and charges for services expressly excluded are a direct and foreseen consequence of this. Private and voluntary nursing homes are not causing the charges, they are just delivering the scheme within the parameters set by the State - and in effect have become messengers for communicating and implementing the State's shortfalls in resourcing people's health and social care needs in nursing homes.

Unlike residents in public nursing homes, those in private and voluntary nursing homes are discriminated against in terms of charges for services excluded under the scheme, and also in terms of access to primary care services. The private and voluntary nursing home providers are left with a pricing model that, in the words of the DKM report published by the Department of Health in 2015, "operates in an ad hoc manner, lacks rationale, consistency and fairness".

The pricing model is not open to independent appeal and is run by a monopoly purchaser, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF). It specifically excludes the cost of many care needs, and discriminates on access to primary care services.

The Sunday Independent has said these costs are hidden. I take issue with this. These costs are not hidden but are clearly listed in each resident's contract for care and agreed on admission.

What is hidden is that the State deliberately and specifically does not pay all the costs associated with people's care, and that the HSE discriminates against nursing home residents on the basis of their address.

There have been politicians from the Department of Health willing to comment on private and voluntary nursing homes this week, demanding transparency. But their own department isn't willing to be transparent. A review of Fair Deal and the pricing of the scheme by NTPF, has been ongoing since 2012. The last promise was that it would be published by June 1 this year. This date has come and gone.

The newly-appointed Minister for Older People Jim Daly confirmed that it is on his desk and we welcome his commitment to publish.

It is not that nursing home residents can expect great news, as a recent reply to a parliamentary question said there are "no plans to amend the services covered by the scheme" and residents of private and voluntary homes will have to keep paying for services excluded under Fair Deal. But at least when it is published, it lets a mature debate begin about the true cost of care and its long-term financing. As an organisation, Nursing Homes Ireland has long proposed a forum on these issues. To date ,the Department of Health has obstructed the formation of such a forum.

The CSO statistics published last week were welcome news: as a society, we are living longer, and this further highlights the responsibility on Government to establish such a forum to plan for the care requirements of our ageing population.

The political consensus in the Oireachtas on the reorientation of the health service from acute to community care (as laid out in the recently published Slainte care report) is welcome, too. This commitment must be acted upon.

The reality is that if the State doesn't grapple with the issue of Fair Deal and its shortcomings, care will fall back on families, on the State in public homes and our already stretched acute hospitals.

The net cost to the Exchequer of the HSE providing these services are multiples of two to seven times the cost of private and voluntary nursing homes providing the same. If that is what happens, the people who get up early in the morning to pay taxes won't be able to go to bed with the burdens that fall on them.

Tadhg Daly is chief executive of Nursing Homes Ireland
A teenager in an orange sash took a selfie as she marched up the Lisburn Road. The Flag Parade was flanked by armed police, monitored from the sky by helicopters, and filmed on phones from a hundred different angles.

Tweeted, then retweeted. Liked and shared.

A curious coalition; the merging of our new digital, stateless, online identities - with the antiquated, Luddite concept of identity involving flags and patriotism.

But a quick look on social media will tell you flags are big business in July. Canada Day was on July 1. The Star Spangled Banner got its run out on July 4, and Bastille Day in France is next week.

In Ireland we have a blind-spot on nationalism. We consider our nationalism as different, exempt, detached from its traditional toxic far-right baggage. We see our nationalism as separate from the nationalism that spawned people like Nigel Farage, Geert Wilders, Marine Le Pen - or the nationalism that caused Brexit and elected Trump.

We claim our nationalism is different because of the complicated history between our peoples. However, a similar refrain rang out across the Balkans in the 1990s, as towns were wiped out in hours, and buried in mass graves.

But those people didn't have smartphones. They didn't have the internet or social media to find out what was happening to them. Surely we couldn't fall for anything like that again, now we all have Facebook? Now that we're all wired up to The Matrix, information junkies, constantly in the loop?

But instead of making us more cynical and world weary, this endless flow of information has made us more gullible. Social media has reduced us to a pack of spooked wolves seeking reinforcement of our existing viewpoints, and attacking anything we don't understand.

The ultimate irony is that in these Post-Truth times, nationalism is sold to us on Twitter. Donald Trump has 33 million followers. Responding to criticism last week that his use of Twitter was not presidential, Trump agreed that it wasn't presidential. He said it was 'Modern Presidential'.

Trump realises that our lives have moved online. He recognises that we are no longer analogue creatures, we're carefully curated digital representations of physical entities.

You may regard this new reality a dystopian wasteland - a bleak place punctuated by selfies, pornography and neon virtue-signallers. A lonely dimension over-populated by narcissists, frantically swiping left and right - under constant video surveillance. Or you might consider our new digital reality as an interconnected utopian paradise. A place of unrestricted freedoms and possibilities where you can talk to anybody, anywhere, anytime. But whether you're perched over the toilet in a tin-foil hat, or selling weapons, drugs and black-market organs on the dark net, one essential truth remains: however you regard it, our new digital reality has no borders.

It exists everywhere and nowhere - above and beyond all notions of nation.

So for how much longer can our stateless virtual identities co-exist with our old-fashioned notions of nation? How much longer can we continue to define our identity by where we were born, as opposed to where we exist? And as we move further into the age of the artificial intelligence and automated machines, what relevance will celebrations of nationality hold?

The British elections demonstrated how this new reality of digital representation can penetrate further into untapped voter demographics than doorstep electioneering and traditional print media ever could. Jeremy Corbyn understands our new reality much more than Theresa May.

Mark Zuckerberg understands our new reality more than anybody - he helped create it. With his cheesy smile and geeky all-American awkwardness, Zuckerberg is the most influential news editor in the world.

It's a position that's never previously existed. Zuckerberg's sphere of influence is so truly global that he could win almost any election in almost any state in the world. Nobody has ever wielded that amount of 'soft-power' before. And we gave it to him, without any elections. Without any flags, anthems, flutes or drums.

So perhaps social media represents the ultimate instant democracy: thumbs up, or thumbs down? Governing our new digital environment, a virtual place where flags and patriotism are as outdated as postage stamps and phone boxes.
The suggestion that Ireland should follow Britain out of the EU - "Irexit" - got quite some attention last week. Ray Bassett, a former diplomat, argued in a 42-page document published in London that Ireland should actively explore leaving the EU. His central contention is that the UK is more important to Ireland than the EU. In his judgement, choosing Britain over Europe is the best option for Ireland and its people.

He is right about considering every option but wrong in his conclusion.

Countries should always weigh up their options. In this regard Bassett is perfectly correct in raising the issue and exploring it. But when the costs and benefits of staying in the EU on the one hand, and throwing our lot in with London on the other, are all weighed up, there really isn't much of a choice to be made.

Let's start with the Ireland-Britain dimension. If Ireland declared that it was prioritising its relationship with the UK over its membership of the EU, as Bassett advocates, how would London react and what sort of bilateral relationship could be constructed?

Given that London doesn't know what it wants from its most important trading partner - the EU - and has an enormous task ahead in dealing with Brexit, adding the complication of negotiating a new arrangement with Ireland would be yet another headache. Given how small Ireland is relative to the EU and the US, any Dublin-London deal would get a low priority and have to compete for attention with China, India and South America's trading bloc, Mercosur. It would take years for an Ireland-UK deal to be done. The country would languish in a worst-of-both-worlds limbo, out of the EU and with no new Ireland-UK arrangement.

Underpinning Bassett's analysis is a curious view of how other countries see Ireland. He believes Britain is much better disposed towards this country than mainland European states, and seems to think everyone in continental Europe wakes up every day thinking about ways of doing Ireland down.

The truth is that power and interests determine how countries behave towards each other. For Ireland, dealing with Britain, France and Germany always poses challenges because they are more powerful, and when our interests clash we can come off badly. We may not like that, but that is how the world is.

If Ireland were to leave the EU and its legal framework (which lessens the role of raw power in inter-state relations, something that benefits small countries most), it would have to deal other countries on a bilateral basis and without being able to fall back on the EU's Court of Justice. All serious analysts of international affairs recognise that small countries do better in multilateral settings, not least because they can form coalitions to protect their interests. It is surely significant that the word "multilateral" never appears in Bassett's document.

If that is the context, exactly what kind of arrangement would Ireland seek to have with Britain outside the EU, and would Dublin aim for a single market and customs union covering both islands? Such details are not explored in any depth in Bassett's paper and, to be blunt, the paper does not demonstate a clear understanding of the details, particularly with regards to trade issues (his CV does not specify any trade or EU roles during his diplomatic career).

This is evident when he discusses food. It is implicit in his report that Irish agricultural exports to the UK would be best protected if Ireland left the EU and did a bilateral deal with Britain. That, however, is very far from certain. If Britain decides to cut import taxes on cheaper agricultural produce from non-EU countries - the likes of Australia and Argentina - Irish farmers' most important market will all but disappear. Britain's decision on whether to go for a cheap food policy will not be influenced by Ireland one way or the other. Therefore, if Ireland left the EU and Britain went down the cheap food route, Irish agriculture would then have the worst of both worlds: no British market and no EU common agricultural policy payments (those CAP payments, incidentally, get one passing mention in the entire 42 pages).

If the Ireland-Britain case for Irexit is very weak, the wider economic case is non existent. Contrary to frequent comment, the UK is not Ireland's biggest trading partner. It is now in third place, accounting for only 15pc of two-way trade in goods and services. The other 26 members of the EU account for more than twice as much.

It is also important to note that Ireland's second biggest trading partner is now the US. The reason transatlantic trade has become so important for the Irish economy is because American companies are based here in large numbers. They are here not for the Irish market of 4.8 million people, but to gain access to the EU's single market of 500 million people. For Ireland to leave the EU, even if it were the softest of Irexits, would involve new barriers to trade with Europe. That would not only reduce commerce with our most important trading partner by far (the EU), it would also negatively affect our second most important partner, the US. Moreover, if American companies come to believe that there is even a small chance of Ireland quitting the EU, they would reduce new investment. Some companies which are already here would look at other locations in Europe.

Despite companies moving out of Britain because of Brexit, Bassett doesn't seem to see Irexit as a threat to investment, and that is despite Ireland's dependence on foreign firms being much greater than Britain's. Instead, he thinks that the biggest threat to foreign investment in Ireland is possible future changes to the corporation tax regime in Europe. Indeed, so great is the threat he believes that it is one of the reasons Ireland should leave the EU.

This is a failure of logic. Most foreign companies are here for the European market first. Low corporation tax is an added and secondary benefit. Outside the EU, Ireland could have zero rate of corporation tax but it would be of little benefit without full EU market access.

And then there is the euro. Leaving the EU would almost certainly involve changing currency. As Greece has shown in recent years, it is very hard to see the bottom of the abyss when a small country considers leaping from a currency union of which it is a part.

Bassett's study acknowledges the risk that a new Irish currency could fall in value, thereby making repayment of euro-denominated debts massively more expensive, but blithely states: "Hopefully, a relaunched Irish currency would hold its value, especially in the longer term, to ensure that the country's large foreign debt (a relic of the EU Bailout and its consequences) would not rise unduly".

For somebody to advocate a course of action which could destroy peoples' lives and businesses on the basis of a hope is extraordinary. As extraordinary is the claim that Ireland Inc's foreign debts are all down to the bailout. Not only is that false in relation to the Government's debts, it suggests a complete ignorance of the debts of companies and banks based in Ireland, which owe foreign creditors a scarcely conceivable 4.7 trillion.

With each passing day Brexit is proving to be a bad idea for Britain. Ireland is much more dependent on European markets for jobs and prosperity than our neighbour. It is also a small country that does not have the clout a nuclear armed, permanent member of the UN security has. Irexit would be a catastrophe for Ireland. If anything, Bassett's report last week simply underscores that.
The Lake District has joined an illustrious list of places around the world as it becomes a World Heritage Site.

The region, in north-west England, was announced by culture organisation Unesco as the latest addition to a list that includes the Taj Mahal, Grand Canyon, Macchu Picchu and Stonehenge among others.

Lord Clark of Windermere, who chaired the Lake Districts bid, said the decision to recognise the regions culture, art and literature, as well as its landscape, was momentous.

There arent many UK regions more beautiful, so what better way to celebrate than looking at some of its stunning scenery?

This is Lake Windermere, the largest body of water in England at 10.5 miles long.

But Windermere is just one of many stunning lakes, as hinted at by the name. Buttermere can be just as breathtaking.

Confusingly, theres actually only one lake in the Lake District called a lake  Bassenthwaite Lake.

The rest are all known as meres, tarns and waters. So heres the Lake Districts one proper lake.

On occasion the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, can take things up a notch. Here they are over Derwentwater.

Even when they dont make a proper appearance, their effects can still be impressive  take this purple sky reflected over Tewet Tarn, with the famous Blencathra mountain on show, as an example.

Ullswater can be particularly striking, especially with the snow-capped mountains behind it.

The Lake District is home to Englands highest mountain, Scaffel Pike, which stands at 978 metres (3,210 feet) above sea level. Here it is, in between Lingmell and Scaffel.

Taking home the treble, the Lake District is also home to Englands deepest lake  Wastwater, which descends 74 metres (243 feet).

It became a National Park in 1951, second only to the Peak District.

It covers 912 square miles, with 41,100 people living in the parks boundaries.

To win the bid the Lake District had to prove it was a cultural landscape of international significance.

The famed landscape was obviously one factor, but so were some of the countrys most beloved writers including Beatrix Potter, who owned Hill Top Farm, and poets William Wordsworth, Samuel Coleridge and John Ruskin.

The Lakes also boasts sites of historical importance such as King Arthurs Round Table, said by English Heritage to be a neolithic earthwork henge believed to be the legendary monarchs jousting arena.

The UK now has 31 World Heritage Sites including the city of Bath, the Tower of London, Canterbury Cathedral and the Giants Causeway.
Barely a day goes by without Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau doing something that gets the internet talking.

Whether its his flashy socks, a blossoming bromance or something hes said, Trudeau knows how to command attention.

Another example of this came at the G20 summit in Hamburg where world leaders are meeting.

Despite holding the highest office in Canada, the 45-year-old seemingly decided he fancied doing something else for the day.

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The prime minister greeted reporters at the summit while sitting at the front desk, blending in with those around him and presumably prompting more than a few double takes, according to Wall Street Journal writer Anton Troianovski.

Do you think hes getting a bit bored?

Its been a busy summit for Trudeau between discussing climate change with Angela Merkel and pledging $20 million for women entrepreneurs in developing countries.

Of course, there was also time for a catch-up with another popular politician  Frances Emmanuel Macron.

Nothing will keep those guys apart.
Air France will offer as from this winter one additional flight to San Jose, Costa Rica on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle. A service connecting San Jose on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle will also be available to customers for the first time during the summer season as from 1st April 2018.

With Air Frances increased frequencies between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and San Jose by Boeing 777-300 (468 seats), Air France will offer 2,808 seats per week this winter thanks to 3 weekly services.

Flight times operated (in local time) during the 2017-18 winter season -

AF430 : leaves Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 13:25, arrives in San Jose at 17:55;

AF431 : leaves San Jose at 20:15, arrives at Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 13:30 the next day.

Flights operated on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays on departure from Paris.

Year-round service to San Jose

Air France will pursue this dynamic after winter by offering the Paris-Charles de Gaulle  San Jose service for the first time during the summer season with 2 weekly flights operated by Boeing 777-200 (312 seats) as from April 1, 2018.

Flight times operated (in local time) as from April 1, 2018

AF430 : leaves Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 13:10, arrives in San Jose at 16:50;

AF431 : leaves San Jose at 19:10, arrives at Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 13:45 the next day.

Flights operated on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Additionally, Air France customers will be able to reach San Jose with 2 daily flights in summer and winter operated by Copa Air Lines, as a continuation of the services connecting Paris-Charles de Gaulle to Panama City operated by Air France. Passengers thus benefit from a single ticket for their entire trip, a wider choice of flights to Costa Rica, baggage transfer to their final destination and the possibility to earn Miles on all code-shared flights.

A leader in Central and South America and the Caribbean in terms of seat capacity, Air France-KLM serves 25 destinations in this region and offers up to 260 weekly flights on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol.
Jeremy Corbyn was about to finish a speech in Durham when a woman joined him on stage and interrupted him.

Heres exactly what happened.

How did Corbyn react to the woman on stage?

As people booed, the woman appeared to be pleading with the Labour leader to speak to her.

She was led off stage by security, but Corbyn calmly said he would talk to her after he finished his address.

Why was Corbyn in Durham?

He was there to address crowds at the Durham Miners Gala, which he said was Europes biggest demonstration of working class culture.

Organisers said 200,000 people were expected for the traditional Big Meeting of brass bands and pit banners, which culminates in political speeches on the Old Racecourse.

Corbyn, who watched some of the parade from the County Hotel balcony, praised the traditional Gala, which organisers said was the biggest since the 1960s.

He said: Its incredibly important for everyone to be here today.

It is the most amazing demonstration of community strength.

Its grown out of the struggles of the miners during the 19th, 20th and now in this century, its a community event.

What did Corbyn say in the speech?

In the wide-ranging speech, he invited Theresa May to step down and call a general election.

There were chants of Ooh Jeremy Corbyn from the crowd throughout the afternoon and he was cheered loudly when he finished, holding his arms aloft.

Speaking ahead of addressing the crowd at the Gala, Corbyn said he would tackle Donald Trump on environmental issues if he was the Prime Minister attending the G20 summit.

If he were in Theresa Mays place, he said he would also challenge the economic orthodoxy of austerity, which he said was creating inequality around the world.
Wayne Rooney has completed his dramatic move back to boyhood club Everton and revealed that the Toffees never left his heart.

The 31-year-old left Merseyside 13 years ago to considerable anger from the blue half of Liverpool, and has scored against them more than a few times since.

But Manchester Uniteds record goalscorer did have a way to secretly continue his support for Everton.

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Rooney said hes been wearing Everton pyjamas for the past 13 years  and the fans love it.

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Rooney, who made his Everton debut at 16 and left two seasons later, has had a topsy-turvy relationship with the fans of his boyhood club since leaving.

While at Everton he once unveiled a vest that read once a blue always a blue after scoring, but Toffees fans unveiled a banner that read once a blue, now a red, in our hearts, you are dead on his first return to Goodison Park in a United shirt.

His every touch was jeered by the crowd on every return that followed, leading Rooney to kiss the United badge in front of the Everton fans twice.

But Rooney has quietened down significantly on the pitch since those early days, and in 2011 there were signs that his relationship with Everton was on the mend after he sent this frankly bizarre tweet.

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A move back to the Toffees has been on the cards for a while now, with Ronald Koeman wanting to seal the return.

Wayne has shown me that ambition that we need and that winning mentality  he knows how to win titles and Im really happy hes decided to come home, the Dutchman said after the free transfer was complete.

He loves Everton and he was desperate to come back. He is still only 31 and I dont have any doubts about his qualities. Its fantastic hes here.

Heres hoping its a happy return.
US President Donald Trump has called for expanded co-operation with Russia as a ceasefire brokered by the two powers and Jordan for southern Syria came into effect.

The ceasefire covering three war-torn provinces is the first tangible outcome following months of strategy and diplomacy between the new Trump administration and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Trump tweeted that the ceasefire, which came into effect at noon on Sunday, "will save lives".

"Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!" he posted on Twitter shortly after the agreement came into effect.

A resident and local opposition activist in Daraa, near the Jordanian border, reported calm when the truce began.

"There's still a lot of anxiety," said Ahmad al-Masalmeh. "We've entered the ceasefire but there are no mechanisms to enforce it. That's what concerns people."

Six years of fighting and siege have devastated Daraa, one of the first cities to see large protests against President Bashar Assad in 2011.

It remains contested by US-backed rebels and Syrian government forces supported by Russia and Iran. Large areas of the city have been reduced to rubble by government artillery and Russian air power.

The agreement followed weeks of secretive talks between the US, Russia and Jordan in Amman to address the build-up of Iranian-backed forces, in support of the Syrian government, near the Jordanian and Israeli borders.

Israel has repeatedly said it would not allow Iran, which is a close ally of the Syrian government, to set up a permanent presence in Syria. It has carried out a number of air strikes in Syria against suspected shipments of "game-changing" weapons bound for Hezbollah in Lebanon.

It has also struck Syrian military installations several times this year after shells landed inside the Israeli-controlled side of the Golan Heights.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel would welcome a "genuine ceasefire" in southern Syria as long as it does not enable Tehran and its proxies to develop a military presence along the border.

The Trump administration has also ordered air strikes against the Syrian government and Iranian-backed militias, in a break with Obama administration policy.

The strikes, including one on a government air base in central Syria, drew only muted responses from Moscow.

No ceasefire has lasted long in the six-year Syrian war, and no mechanisms have been publicly set out to monitor or enforce this latest effort.

It was announced on Thursday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg after a meeting between Mr Trump, Mr Putin and their top diplomats.

The Syrian government maintains it is fighting a war against terrorist groups. The al Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee is one of the most effective factions fighting alongside rebels in Daraa.

The truce covers the Quneitra, Daraa and Sweida provinces, where the government and rebels are also fighting Islamic State militants, who are not included in the agreement.

AP
Donald Trump Jr does not serve in the administration and is not required to disclose his foreign contacts

Donald Trump's eldest son, son-in-law and campaign chairman met a Russian lawyer shortly after the tycoon won the Republican presidential nomination.

It appears to be the earliest known private meeting between key aides to the president and a Russian.

Representatives of Donald Trump Jr and Jared Kushner confirmed the June 2016 meeting to the Associated Press after the New York Times reported on Saturday on the gathering of the men and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower.

Then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended, according to a statement from Donald Trump Jr.

He described it as a "short introductory meeting" during which the three discussed a disbanded programme that used to allow US citizens to adopt Russian children.

Moscow ended the adoptions in response to American sanctions brought after the 2009 death of an imprisoned lawyer who spoke about a corruption scandal.

Mr Trump Jr said he invited the other two Americans, was asked to attend by an acquaintance not named in the statement, and was not told beforehand who he would meet.

"It was not a campaign issue at that time and there was no follow-up," he said.

Kushner lawyer Jamie Gorelick said her client disclosed the meeting in a revised filing of a form that requires him to list contacts with foreign agents.

She said: "Mr Kushner has submitted additional updates and included, out of an abundance of caution, this meeting with a Russian person, which he briefly attended at the request of his brother-in-law, Donald Trump Jr.

"As Mr Kushner has consistently stated, he is eager to co-operate and share what he knows."

Later on Saturday, a spokesman for the president's outside legal team said participants in the June meeting "misrepresented who they were and who they worked for".

However, the spokesman, Mark Corallo, would not say specifically who misrepresented themselves or how.

Unlike Mr Kushner, Mr Trump Jr does not serve in the administration and is not required to disclose his foreign contacts.

The newspaper reported on Saturday, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, that Mr Manafort disclosed the meeting to congressional investigators questioning his foreign contacts.

Mr Manafort ran Mr Trump's campaign for about five months until August and resigned from the campaign immediately after the AP reported on his firm's covert Washington lobbying operation on behalf of Ukraine's ruling political party.

He is one of several people linked to the Trump campaign who are under scrutiny by a special counsel and congressional committees investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign and potential co-ordination with Trump associates.

Mr Manafort has denied any co-ordination with Russia and has said his work in Ukraine was not related to the campaign.

The newspaper said Ms Veselnitskaya is known for her attempts to undercut sanctions against Russian human rights abusers.

It also said her clients include state-owned businesses and the son of a senior government official whose company was under investigation in the US at the time of the meeting.

AP
Policemen stand behind a burning barricade in Hamburg (Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa via AP)

Anti-globalisation activists rioted for a third night in Hamburg, with 186 protesters arrested, even after G20 leaders had left the city.

Cars were torched, stores looted, bikes burned in street barricades and windows smashed during the three days of violence and 476 officers were injured.

German police again used water cannon trucks against rioters who attacked them with iron rods and pavement stones.

They detained another 225 people temporarily, apart from the arrests.

Foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel condemned the violence and said a Europe-wide investigative team should search for suspects.

He added: "Germany's reputation is severely affected internationally by the events in Hamburg."

The city's police president Ralf Meyer said he was proud of the 20,000 officers who managed to provide security for the many international leaders and their delegations.

But it was deplorable that so many of the officers were injured and that the violent riots could not be prevented, he added.

The city's interior minister, Andy Grote, said they had not expected this kind of brutality by leftist extremists, adding: "We had to deal - detached from the actual events at the summit - with ruthless acts of violence by criminals."

Hamburg's officials said those who suffered from the destruction would quickly receive financial support from the government.

The overwhelming majority of the tens of thousands who took to the streets protested peacefully against the G20 summit, demanding quicker action against global warming and more help for refugees.

German chancellor Angela Merkel hosted the summit which was held on Friday and Saturday.

Guests included Prime Minister Theresa May, US president Donald Trump, Russian president Vladimir Putin and many other international leaders who held talks on contentious issues like climate, trade, terrorism and migration.

AP
Iraqi troops have celebrated after driving Islamic State militants from some of their last strongholds in Mosul, but heavy fighting continued a few blocks away.

Lieutenant General Jassim Nizal of the army's 9th Division said his forces had achieved "victory" in their sector, after a similar announcement by the militarised Federal Police.

His soldiers danced to patriotic music on tanks even as air strikes sent plumes of smoke into the air nearby.

Iraqi state TV reported that prime minister Haider al-Abadi had arrived in the city to declare victory over IS in the eight-month operation to drive the militants out of the city.

State TV quoted Mr al-Abadi as saying he "congratulates the fighters and the people on the big victory" in the key city, even as fighting continued in a small sector in the city.

Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul in October. IS now controls less than a square kilometre of territory in the Old City, but is using human shields, suicide bombers and snipers in a fight to the death.

The militants captured Iraq's second largest city in a matter of days in the summer of 2014. Lt Gen Nizal acknowledged that many of his men were among those who fled the city at that time in a humiliating defeat for the country's armed forces.

"Some things happened here, that's true," he said. "But we have come back."

Much of Mosul's Old City and surrounding areas have been devastated by months of gruelling urban combat. On Sunday a line of tired civilians filed out of the Old City on foot, past destroyed apartment blocks lining the cratered roads.

The loss of the city would mark a major defeat for IS, which has suffered a series of major setbacks over the past year.

US-backed Syrian forces have pushed into the group's de facto capital, the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, but a final victory there could be months away, and the extremists still hold several smaller towns and villages across Iraq and Syria.

AP
Cornered Islamic State militants in Mosul set off suicide bombs and threw themselves into the Tigris river to escape advancing Iraqi forces yesterday, as the fight for the city entered what the army said was its "final hours".

Commanders last night said Mosul would soon be back under their full control, ending the biggest urban battle since World War II.

The jihadist group promised to fight to the death for the tiny remaining sliver of land they still held on the western side of Iraq's second city. But on the streets of the Old City, Isil's last redoubt, troops were already celebrating. Jubilant soldiers tore down the black flag which had flown over Mosul for three years, hoisting up the Iraqi flag in its place.

"We are seeing now the last metres and then final victory will come," said Iraqi state TV. "It's a matter of hours."

Dozens of insurgents were killed yesterday and others tried to escape by swimming across the Tigris, which cuts the city in half, state TV added. Most of those making a stand were foreigners, they said.

The battle for one of the group's most important territories had brought fighters from all over the world. Iraqi commanders say the militants were contesting every inch with snipers and suicide bombers, forcing security forces to fight house-to-house in the densely populated maze of narrow alleyways.

"The battle has reached the phase of chasing the insurgents in remaining blocks," the Iraqi military said. "Some members of Daesh have surrendered."

The fall of Mosul - the city whose looted central bank was used to fund Isil's vicious campaign - is a major step forward in the campaign to crush the terrorist group.

The brutal nine-month US-backed offensive to recapture Iraq's second city cost the lives of thousands of civilians and countless more Iraqi forces.

Civilians who managed to escape have been rescued hungry and severely shell-shocked from months of virtual siege. Some crawled, some hobbled out from the wreckage of their bombed-out neighbourhoods. The youngest carried the oldest and children grappled with bags containing their family's worldly belongings, struggling in the 50C heat.

To get to waiting Iraqi forces they had to walk past the 12th century Great Mosque of al-Nuri, from where Isil leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made his first and only appearance declaring their caliphate.

In one of its final acts of spite, the jihadists had rigged and blown up one of Iraq's most revered sites to prevent the troops claiming it as a propaganda victory.

The Iraqi Security Forces (ISOF) were tested to their limits in the battle, according to local sources.

With ISOF units depleted by casualties, Iraqi federal police and army units carried out most of the fighting in the west. Many of these units relied on coalition air strikes, which resulted in high civilian casualties.

Nearly one million people have been displaced by the fighting, creating a humanitarian catastrophe which brought the UN and charities to their knees.

"We surpassed our worst case scenario a month ago," said UN humanitarian coordinator for Iraq Lisa Grande.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Lady's first: Russia's president Putin greets Melania Trump before his talks with her husband Photo: Mikhail Klimentyev, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

On the day that the G20 hosted a Women's Empowerment working lunch, US President Donald Trump went the extra mile to make sure he empowered the women in his own family.

Months after appointing his daughter Ivanka as one of his official advisers, Mr Trump sent the former model to stand in for him at a G20 leaders' meeting.

It came hours after his wife Melania charmed President Vladimir Putin at an official dinner, having already been sent into a meeting between her husband and the Russian premier as a messenger by the US delegation.

Yesterday morning Ivanka (36) took up the seat reserved for the President during the third working session of the G20 leaders while her father attended meetings elsewhere at the summit.

G20 leaders often send proxies to working sessions while they hold bilateral meetings with other leaders, but it is thought to be the first time a leader's daughter has fulfilled such a role.

The President's wife has also been called upon by the US delegation, after it emerged she was sent in to Mr Trump's lengthy one-on-one meeting with Mr Putin to try to wind up their conversation.

Mr Trump spent two hours and 16 minutes with Mr Putin on Friday, and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson disclosed that presidential aides became exasperated that the President was allowing it to overrun for so long. Slots of 30 minutes are usually allotted for each bilateral meeting.

Mr Tillerson said: "They even sent in the First Lady at one point to see if she could get us out of there, and that didn't work either  We went another hour after."

At the dinner that followed, Mrs Trump was seated next to Mr Putin, and appeared to be getting on well as they smiled during their conversations.

The First Lady was rarely seen or heard from during the early months of her husband's administration. But during the president's first two trips abroad, she's taken on a far more prominent role.

Mrs Trump introduced her husband ahead of his speech in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday - and was spotted sitting in on Trump's bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday. She had been invited to attend by the president, said her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham.

Grisham added via email that it's "not uncommon for the president to ask Mrs. Trump to be present for many different meetings."

Mr Trump, meanwhile, was sitting next to Argentina's first lady, Juliana Awada, voted the most elegant first lady in the world by Hola! magazine last year.

At a concert before the dinner the Trumps sat next to the French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte.

President Trump has faced criticism in the United States for giving his family too much power in his administration - Ivanka's husband Jared Kushner, who is also at the G20, was appointed as one of his chief advisers when Donald Trump took office in January, and he promoted his daughter to her current official role in March.

A White House spokesman said: "Ivanka was sitting in the back and then briefly joined the main table when the President had to step out."

President Trump also supported his daughter at a women's entrepreneurial finance event, a project spearheaded by her.

Ivanka Trump and the World Bank rolled out a new fund that aims to help female entrepreneurs access capital, financing and other support. World Bank president Jim Yong Kim said the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative fund had so far raised $325m (285m) from various governments.

Mr Trump applauded his daughter's efforts to help female entrepreneurs, joking that "if she weren't my daughter, it would be so much easier for her".

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
US President Donald Trump (L) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attend the panel discussion "Launch Event Women's Entrepreneur Finance Initiative" on the second day of the G20 Summit in Hamburg

President Donald Trump waves as he and first lady Melania Trump arrive at Andrews Air Force Base, Saturday, July 8, 2017, in Andrews Air Force Base

An Australian reporter's damning speech on President Donald Trump is going viral today.

Political editor of the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) Chris Uhlmann described Donald Trump as "uneasy, lonely and awkward" at the G20 meetings.

Mr Uhlmann said the president has "no desire or capacity to lead the world".

The journalist said other leaders at G20 were trying to work around Trump and claimed the United States "was left isolated and friendless" on the issue of the Paris Climate Accord.

He added that the billionaire was only concerned with his celebrity and placed no value on the meaning of words.

Mr Uhlmann further criticised the lack of a statement condemning the North Korea missile tests.

Expand Close US President Donald Trump (L) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attend the panel discussion "Launch Event Women's Entrepreneur Finance Initiative" on the second day of the G20 Summit in Hamburg / Facebook

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"We learned that Trump has pressed fast forward on the decline of the United States as a global leader. He managed to isolate his nation and to confuse and alienate his allies and to diminish America," he said.

Mr Uhlmann warned that Trump's actions will cede power to authoritarian states like China and Russia who will "forge a very different set of rules for the 21st Century".

Expand Close US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping Photo: REUTERS/Saul Loeb / Facebook

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"Some will cheer the decline of America but I think we'll miss it when it's gone," he added.
Climate bill: US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a panel discussion on women entrepreneurs, held as part of the G20 summit yesterday in Hamburg Photo: Michael Ukas/Getty

US President Donald Trump defied other world leaders over climate change last night as he refused to renege on his decision to leave the Paris Agreement on greenhouse gas emissions.

Trump had hoped that some of the other members of the G20, such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey, would be tempted to join him by walking away from the Paris accord, brokered by the United Nations in 2015.

Expand Close First daughter: Ivanka Trump, adviser to the US President Photo: Getty Images / Facebook

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A succession of leaders tried to persuade him to rejoin the deal during conversations at the summit in Hamburg. After he refused to do so, the other G20 countries issued a communique stating that the Paris Agreement was "irreversible", while the US conceded that emissions must be reduced. And the final version had to contain separate paragraphs setting out the positions of the US and the rest of the G20.

Last month Trump announced America had withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, but said he intended to negotiate a re-entry or an entirely new accord "on terms that are fair to the US".

Instead, Trump said America would seek its own alternative path to cleaner energy.

Diplomats from the G20 nations worked through the night on Friday in an attempt to agree the wording of the climate change section of the final summit communique. It said: "We take note of the decision of the US to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. The US affirms its strong commitment to an approach that lowers emissions while supporting economic growth and improving energy security needs. The leaders of the other G20 members state that the Paris Agreement is irreversible."

Other G20 leaders were quick to distance themselves from a paragraph put in at Trump's insistence, saying the US would work with others to "help them use fossil fuels more cleanly".

At one point during the talks, French president Emmanuel Macron pulled out his mobile phone and waved it around to make the point that a phone bought by a Frenchman in the US but made in China showed the nature of global trade and the need to avoid protectionism.

Angela Merkel, who pledged in advance as host that the summit would defend the Paris Agreement, admitted the talks had been "difficult". The German chancellor repeated the line that "Europe must take its fate into its own hands" - which she also said after meeting with Mr Trump at the G7 in Italy.

"I can only call things as they are," she said. "There are certain areas where we have achieved good results, but I don't want to hide from you that things are still very difficult on trade. I can't make any predictions about what will happen tomorrow or the day after."

Mrs Merkel was left defending her decision to hold the G20 in a major city centre after a second night of riots saw an entire neighbourhood under the control of anti-capitalist protesters for several hours.

Many local residents of Schanzenviertel, just outside the summit venue, were left to fend for themselves as protesters looted and torched shops, including several international clothing stores.

More than 20,000 people took part in largely peaceful protests in the city yesterday afternoon. "We were aware of the peaceful protests, which remind us that many people out there expect results," Mrs Merkel said.

"We have to make a very clear distinction between peaceful protest, which spurs us on and encourages us, and this sort of blind fury. It appears there were some people who have no interest in real progress, but who just want to destroy."

Separately, Russian president Vladimir Putin hailed his first face-to-face meeting with Trump, saying he believes the US leader accepted his assurances that Russia did not meddle in last year's US election.

Mr Putin added that their conversation could serve as a model for improving ties between the two countries.

Speaking to reporters after the two-day G20 summit ended, Putin said he and Trump had a long discussion about the allegations of Russian interference in last year's election which have dogged the Trump presidency.

The Russian leader explained that he reiterated his "well-known" position that "there are no grounds" for the allegations.

"He asked many questions on the subject, I tried to answer them all," Putin said. "It seems to me that he has taken note of that and agreed, but it's better to ask him..."

US intelligence agencies have concluded that the Russian government helped direct a sophisticated effort to tilt the 2016 presidential election in Trump's favor. Trump has been reluctant to accept that conclusion.

"It could very well have been Russia, but I think it could well have been other countries," Trump said as recently as Thursday. "I think a lot of people interfere. I think it's been happening for a long time."

The US agencies say Russian hackers stole and released emails with the intent to damage Hillary Clinton and help Trump. Since the election, there have been breaches of other computer systems in the US, many of which are suspected to be tied to Russia.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Donald Trump took a conciliatory tone at his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping where the leaders agreed to keep working on the nuclear threat posed by North Korea and bilateral trade irritants.

Trump also said it may take time to rein in North Korea's nuclear programme - but after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, he said he was confident Washington and Beijing could eventually reach a successful conclusion.

Trump, who has urged Xi to use China's economic leverage to pressure Pyongyang, said he appreciated what Xi has done. Trump expressed impatience with China after North Korea tested a missile that some believe has the range to reach the US Pacific Northwest.

For his part Xi said China's navy will join will join next year's US-led Pacific Rim military exercises - which may cause head-scratching, given China's island-building project in the South China Sea.
Wildfires have swept across wide areas of the western US and Canada, destroying homes, forcing thousands to flee and temporarily trapping children and staff at a California camp ground.

A pair of wildfires sparked by record-breaking heat in southern California quickly spread, threatening hundreds of homes in Santa Barbara County, spreading to both sides of Highway 154, county fire Captain Dave Zaniboni said.

About 90 children and 50 counsellors were stuck at the Circle V Ranch and had to take shelter until they could be safely evacuated.

High temperatures and dry gusts tripled the size of another Santa Barbara wildfire to nearly 30 square miles over eight hours and forced evacuations of about 200 homes in a rural area east of Santa Maria, fire spokesman Kirk Sturm said.

Santa Barbara officials sent out alerts to residents and campers near Cachuma Lake to evacuate as the fire started near Whittier Camp, Mr Zaniboni said.

The lake, which was nearly bone dry last summer after the severe drought, is popular for camping, boating and fishing. Residents were also ordered to leave cabins in the Los Padres National Forest.

Expand Close A helicopter drops water while battling a wildfire near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday (AP Photo/Noah Berger) / Facebook

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The fire burned at least 4.7 square miles, including a portion of the Cachuma Lake campground.

In northern California, a Butte County wildfire swept through grassy foothills and destroyed 10 structures, including homes, and led to several minor injuries.

The blaze about 60 miles north of Sacramento grew rapidly to more than seven square miles and was 20% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The area burning was about 10 miles south of Oroville, where spillways in the nation's tallest dam began crumbling from heavy rains this winter and led to temporary evacuation orders for 200,000 residents downstream.

On Saturday, authorities issued an evacuation for about 250 homes threatened by the fire

After five years of severe drought, California got a big break with record rainfall and snow in parts of the state this year that have delayed the start of fire season in some places, but has also led to explosive vegetation growth that could fuel future fires.

In Colorado, residents of nearly 500 homes outside the ski town of Breckenridge were allowed to return home on Friday night.

On Saturday, authorities lifted an evacuation order in Landusky, Montana, in the Little Rocky Mountains south of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation.

A grass fire in north-western Colorado had burned 18 square miles and was spreading in several directions at once because of wind patterns from passing thunderstorms, fire spokesman Chris Barth said.

A wildfire in southern Wyoming grew to three square miles. An unknown number of cabins remained under evacuation orders.

In Canada, firefighters were contending with nearly 200 wildfires in British Columbia that had destroyed dozens of buildings, including several homes and two airport hangars.

The three biggest fires, which ranged in size from five to eight square miles, had forced thousands of people to flee.

The province has been sending as many firefighters as it can to contain the flames -- more than 1,000 were battling the fires on Saturday, backed by hundreds of support staff.

Cliff Chapman, deputy manager at Kamloops Fire Centre, said: "I've been in this business for 17 years, from crew all the way up to where I am now, and I haven't experienced a day like we experienced yesterday."
The leader of Turkey's main opposition party has completed his 25-day "March for Justice" and joined hundreds of thousands of supporters at a rally protesting against a large-scale government crackdown on opponents.

Republican People's Party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu led the 280-mile march from Ankara to Istanbul after a parliamentarian from his party was imprisoned in June.

The march grew into a protest against the massive crackdown on people with alleged links to terror groups that began after a coup attempt last summer.

"If only there was no need for this march and there was democracy, media freedoms, if civic society groups could freely express their opinions," Mr Kilicdaroglu said on Friday.

Once seen as feeble in his role as opposition leader, he has emerged as the voice of many Turks and been likened to India's Mahatma Gandhi, who led a non-violent march against British colonial practices.

Tens of thousands of people have joined him throughout his march in scorching heat, chanting "rights, law, justice".

Hundreds of thousands greeted him while waving Turkish flags and flags emblazoned with the word "justice".

Organisers said the event expressed "a collective, non-partisan desire for an independent and fair judicial system". No party flags or slogans were allowed on the march.

The government has accused Mr Kilicdaroglu of supporting terrorist groups through his protest. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he is violating the law by attempting to influence the judiciary.

Turkey's definition of supporting terror is so broad that it has caused an impasse in the country's bid for European Union membership.

Parliamentarian Enis Berberoglu was sentenced last month to 25 years in prison for revealing state secrets for allegedly leaking footage to an opposition newspaper suggesting that Turkey's intelligence service had smuggled weapons to Islamist rebels in Syria.

In a New York Times article on Friday, Mr Kilicdaroglu called the case against Berberoglu "the last straw in a series of anti-democratic moves" by Mr Erdogan's government "targeting tens of thousands of Turkish citizens - politicians, journalists, academics, activists or ordinary citizens".

After last year's failed coup, the government imposed a state of emergency leading to the arrest of more than 50,000 people and the dismissal of 100,000 civil servants. A dozen legislators from the pro-Kurdish opposition party have also been jailed.

Ordinary citizens, sacked public employees and high-profile figures joined Mr Kilicdaroglu on his march, including n ovelist Asli Erdogan and leading Kurdish politician Ahmet Turk, both released from jail pending trial on various terror-related charges, and Yonca Sik, the wife of a prominent journalist currently in prison.

Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said 15,000 police officers were providing security at the post-march rally.

AP
Harrisburg Mayor Steve Sciascia was first to file as the election cycle for the Nov. 7 muncipal elections began at noon Friday.

Sciascia is seeking reelection, while the Concord mayoral race heated this week when Mayor Scott Padgett announcing that he would retire at the end of this term, ending a 16-year run.

District 4 Councilman Alfred Brown Jr., Bill Dusch, the former chairman of United Way of Cabarrus County, and Willie Clay all filed Friday afternoon to run for Padgetts seat.

Concord District 3 Councilwoman Ella Mae Small filed for reelection, as did District 5 Councilman Lamar Barrier. Terry L. Crawford is challenging Barrier.

So far no one has filed in Concord District 4.

Kannapolis candidates

Incumbent Kannapolis City Councilman Darrell Jackson, Mayor Darrell Hinnant, Councilwoman Dianne Berry and Councilman Doug Wilson all announced in May that they would be seeking reelection.

Berry and Wilson filed for reelection Friday and Tony McBride also joined the Kannapolis City Council race.

Dennis P. Johnson filed to run for Kannapolis Mayor against incumbent Mayor Darrell Hinnant.

Harrisburg races

Two other candidates filed for Harrisburg races besides Sciscia. Town Councilman John Booth filed for reelection. Troy Selberg also filed to run for Town Council. There are three seats up for election.

Councilman Chad Baucom announced via a Facebook post that he would not seek reelection.

"After almost eight years of service on the Harrisburg Town Council, I would like to genuinely thank you for your support. It has been an incredible honor and privilege to serve you, and although I will not be seeking re-election in 2017, I am more optimistic than ever about the future of our community," Baucom said.

No candidates filed for Mount Pleasant or Midland races Friday.

The filing period continues through noon, Friday, July 21. The election is Tuesday, Nov. 7.
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Last week, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officers shot and killed 45-year-old Aaron Bailey following a short pursuit on the citys northwest side.

According to IMPDs statement, Bailey led officers on a short vehicle chase, which ended in the intersection of 23rd and Aqueduct streets after Baileys vehicle crashed. Two officers approached the vehicle and shots were fired, striking Bailey. He was taken by ambulance to Eskenazi hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The loss of any life in our city is a tragedy, and my thoughts and prayers are with all individuals and families affected by (the) incident, said Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett in a written statement. Our residents expect that IMPD will stringently follow protocol by fully investigating and reviewing the actions that were taken.

Steve Carlsen, dean and rector of Christ Church Cathedral, released the following statement, which circulated on social media: Aarons criminal history has been shared widely. Yet, Aaron was more than his record. He is a beloved child of God. He was a member of a community of recovery. He was a runner. He was a father and a friend. And to us at Christ Church Cathedral he was a neighbor, a guest and a volunteer. Aaron volunteered all day at the Strawberry Festival this year. He attended our Sunday breakfast for several months. He ran with our members in the group Back on My Feet. Many people mourn his death and are deeply troubled that another unarmed Black man has been shot  this time in our own city

It has been reported that at the time of his death, Bailey had a warrant out for his arrest and the monitoring device he was wearing was inoperable due to a dead battery.

Theres been a lot of conversation around the background of Aaron Bailey, said IMPD Chief Bryan Roach. (IMPD) was clear early on that that doesnt matter. What matters is what happened in the moment.

Following Baileys death, many members of the African-American community expressed outrage and called for an investigation to be conducted into the use of force.

On June 30, the African American Coalition of Indianapolis released the following statement on the fatal shooting: We mourn for Aaron Bailey and with his family and loved ones over the terrible tragedy surrounding the loss of his life. We have witnessed numerous communities across the country experience the tragic loss of unarmed community members in police action shootings that have raised the question do Black lives matter? While we respect the role of IMPD in our community, we have learned that Indianapolis is not immune from this terrible situation  where again a community is left with questions after the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black person. This situation has angered, frustrated and frightened people in our community. Compounding on the tragic loss of life is a sense that the justice system has failed many of the Black victims of police-action shootings nationwide. We have witnessed too many failed indictments in the grand jury process, which too often leaves larger questions about the efficacy of the criminal justice system for all citizens.

For our part, members of the African American Coalition of Indianapolis have already expressed their concerns to IMPD Chief Bryan Roach. Lines of communication that have been open and meant to encourage community and police relations remain so, yet a trust gap persists. We will redouble our efforts to ensure that there is a just outcome for all parties involved. We are working with other concerned citizens on the broader issues of training, transparency, engagement and accountability. We are also calling for an independent investigation by a committee composed of law enforcement, civic leaders and concerned citizens. We intend to continue to monitor the investigation process and we expect IMPD and the Marion County Prosecutors Office to provide regular updates moving forward. We understand that the best of IMPD protects and serves. IMPD is our police department and it is incumbent upon us to work together to continue to define the type of police interactions we desire as citizens.

Signers of the statement include the following organizations: 100 Black Men of Indianapolis, Alpha Alpha Omega Chapter of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc., Alpha Mu Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Circle City (IN) Chapter of The Links Inc., Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis, Exchange at the Indianapolis Urban League, Indiana Black Expo, Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis Urban League, Marion County Bar Association Inc. and the National Council of Negro Women, Indianapolis Section.

Use of excessive force by law enforcement officers can no longer be tolerated in our communities. The lack of accountability erodes trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve, which impedes the ability to solve crime, said Chrystal Ratcliffe, president of the greater Indianapolis chapter of the NAACP in a written statement. The NAACP is committed to a proactive approach to police shootings and all other forms of police brutality. Our solution to this egregious problem is accountability.

Roach shared that since the incident he has had a number of conversations with community groups and late last week spoke with the FBI concerning the shooting. The FBI, he said, will share their findings with the Department of Justice should this become a civil rights case. He added that the department is being sensitive to the feelings of community residents concerning the objectivity of investigations regarding police-involved shootings.

To the extent that I can, I understand those perceptions and that they are reality in a lot of peoples minds. I also understand that its being seen as a race issue, and we as a department need to do whatever we can to make that distrust and that fear, if it exists, on both sides go away.

Roach said that over the last year, the department and subject matter experts have been reviewing IMPDs use of force policy. Additionally, they have gone through the process of having their training curriculum critiqued and are planning to roll out implicit bias training for all officers.

Over the weekend, dozens of community residents and some of Baileys family members gathered downtown for a rally to raise awareness of both his death and an effort by organizations like DONT SLEEP to garner an independent investigation into his death.

Satchuel Cole, vice president of DONT SLEEP, said the purpose of the demonstration was to let law enforcement officials and others know the gravity of their dedication to this cause. Cole shared that a petition has been shared with IMPD leadership and that a number of conversations have been held between the organization and the department since the shooting.

We are making some progress there, she said. We actually came up with the petition in 2014, so this isnt anything new. Weve been gaining signatures on it for quite a while now and obviously trying to get IMPD to acknowledge the petition so that they could bring about changes, she said.

The Equity or Else: Accountable IMPD Policing Reform petition has 790 signers so far and calls for: a revision of officer training curriculum, mandatory training in nonviolent crisis intervention, an annual report on deadly (and excessive) force as well as disciplinary outcomes from said force and, in the place of a grand jury process, a governor-issued executive order to have a special prosecutor oversee all criminal investigations regarding officer involved fatalities and in-custody deaths, among other requests. The complete petition is available to view on naptowndontsleep.org.

We wanted (demands) in writing because we want IMPD to take us seriously and know that these are the changes we are seeking. Also, it is very transparent so that the community can go online and see exactly what we are asking and can give us critiques if so needed, said Cole.

She also noted that a YouCaring.com account was created with the goal of raising $3,000 for Baileys funeral expenses. As of Recorder press time, a little over $1,300 had been pledged.

Funeral services for Bailey will be held on Saturday, July 8, at 10 a.m. at New Day Pentecostal Church, located at 1058 Miley Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46222.
In retaliation to Pakistan's continuous violation of the ceasefire, Indian army on Sunday killed 2 Pakistan soldiers and injured six others. According to News18, three civilians were also killed and 17 were injured. The casualties were reported in Hajira sector in PoK. Villages in PoK that came under fire from Indian army are Bhaira in Tetrinote, Satwal in Abbaspur, Dhakki Chaffar in Abbaspur, Polaas and Chatri.

AFP

Indian army took the action after an Indian army jawan and his wife was killed when Pakistan troops resort to mortar and small-arm firing at the civilian areas along the LoC in Poonch sector on Saturday morning.

MOhammed Showkat and his wife Safia Bi had died after a 120 mm mortar shell fell on their house at Karmara village near LoC. Their two daughters also got injured.
Days after police arrested the killers of 16-year-old Junaid who was lynched in a moving train near Delhi weeks ago, his father Jalaluddin had demanded death penalty for all the accused, ANI reported on Sunday.

The prime accused was arrested within a fortnight from Maharashtras Dhule and police says that the accused has confessed to his crime. Identified as Naresh Rakh, he was detained by Haryana Police on Saturday afternoon.

Indian Express

Rakh was detained in the Sakri police station limits on Saturday afternoon by the Haryana Police, Dhule Superintendent of Police M Ramkumar told The Sunday Express. After making a police diary entry, the team took Rakh to Haryana.
Mahindra Group executive chairman Anand Mahindra, Tech Mahindra vice-chairman Vineet Nayyar and CEO C P Gurnani all individually apologised on Friday over the way an employee at Tech Mahindra was asked to resign with immediate effect after the person's recorded conversation with an HR personnel went viral online.

AFP

"I want to add my personal apology. Our core value is to preserve the dignity of the individual & we'll ensure this does not happen in future," Mahindra tweeted on Friday. His tweet came in response to a tweet by Gurnani that expressed regret over the manner of the discussion and which assured that the company had "taken the right steps to ensure it doesn't happen in future."

The employee, whose name is not known, was asked to resign, as part of the company's restructuring plan, by 10 am the next day, and despite repeated pleas for more time, the HR executive curtly tells the employee that was not an option and referred several times to the employment contract that gives the employer the right to fire an employee instantly.

"Cost optimisation is happening at the company and your name is part of that list. If you can put in papers we will be treating it as a normal exit with June 15 as last working day, if not, we will be sending you a termination letter and don't expect anything from the company including experience letter or basic salary," the HR executive is heard saying on the call.

I want to add my personal apology. Our core value is to preserve the dignity of the individual & we'll ensure this does not happen in future https://t.co/yBxAxvFZlc  anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) 7 July 2017

On social media, while some welcomed the apologies, others felt they would have little impact on the way firings happen in India. "This looks to be a pattern firing people over the phone & threatening w/o fear," a tweet read.

"Do u really expect us2 believe that TopMgmts r not aware of how their culling decisions r put into action by HR? Or U sorry cause of the tape?" another tweet said.

The sacked employee is heard pleading that he was not on the bench and that his performance in the last few years has been good. But he is told that his sacking has nothing to do with his performance but is a part of the company's "cost optimisation" plan. "The company reserves all the rights to talk to the associate to leave the company at any moment paying unpaid basic salary," the employee is told.

BCCL

HR experts said it was not unusual for employees to be asked to leave instantly, but they felt the script in the particular instance was harsh. "HR teams have pressures to deliver on the target," an HR professional said on condition that he not be named.

Ronesh Puri, managing director of Executive Access, a leading executive search firm, said the business environment has changed much in the past few years and that has led companies to become more clinical in these matters. "They keep emotions aside and do what is best for the company," he said.

Companies, he said, fear that if the employee stays for too long after he's asked to go, he would spread an atmosphere of negativity as he feels he has been wronged.

Clinical separation

"Companies have become more clinical in these matters. They keep emotions aside and do what is best for themselves. It's different in Europe, where they prefer to take a larger view and talk gracefully to try and smoothen the exit " - Ronesh Puri, managing director, Executive Access

There were the good times when employees whose skills were in demand would leave their resignation letters in the drawer and call their managers to inform them that they wouldn't be turning up for work the following day. It's cyclical. Today, it's quite common to let go off employees at short notice in India and they have very little bargaining power. The challenges faced by the IT sector will only put to test the ability of employees to constantly upskill themselves." - an HR professional
As tensions escalates at the Indo-China border, Beijing has released a safety advisory to its citizens travelling to and living in India. "The (Chinese) embassy in India has issued a safety advisory to its people asking them to pay attention to their safety and avoid unnecessary travel," a Chinese government official told IANS.

bccl/representational image

The travel advisory was issued on July 7 and is for a month.

China gave no reason for issuing the advisory.

bccl/representational image

"They have been asked to contact local police or the Chinese Embassy in Delhi," the official added.

The advisory comes as Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in a stand-off in Doklam region in Sikkim sector since mid-June, which has led to marked unease in ties.
A United Kingdom court has convicted a Birmingham drugs gang for trying to smuggle heroin with Euro 10 million (Rs 73.66 crore approx) from Pakistan. The gang had hidden the drugs inside industrial machinery shipped from Lahore, but were arrested following an investigation by National Crime Agency (NCA).

The quantum will be announced by Birmingham Crown Court next Friday.

Handout

Ameran Zeb Khan, 38, Mohammed Ali 36, and Sajid Hussain 32 had organised two container shipments from Lahore to be transported to London via Karachi in February and July last year.

British Border Force officers searched the July, they found 165 kg of powdered heroin after cutting open the lathes. After seizing the heroin, the NCA and BF officers reassembled to the machine and sent it to the said address.

Handout

Omar Isa, 36 and Imran Arif, 35, took delivery of the lathes, unaware NCA officers were filming them and recording their conversations.

Other key members in group were Rajesh Patel, 52, who used his business to provide paperwork for the shipment and Mohammed Ashraf Khan, 49, who handled logistics.
The Sikkim standoff between India and China is likely to get intense further as none of the armies are ready to back off. Indian army too seems to have decided to not to concede ground this time as the soldiers have pitched in tent and supplies too have been regular to the area of Doklam where both armies are positioned which means that army had decided for a long haul this time.

According to the sources, Indian army had dig its heels in the sector and is in no mood to retreat. According to the army sources quoted by PTI, army is ready for a long haul in holding its position in the Doklam area near Bhutan tri-junction. The Indian soldiers deployed have pitched in tents which again indicates that a retreat is unlikely unless the Chinese initiate it.

AFP

Though army sources claimed that they are confident of finding a diplomatic solution to the issue, the army is not going to wilt under the Chinese pressure. China over a week has been saying that its wont back off and the ball is in Indias court.

The dragon has also threaten India and said that if war takes place, India will suffer bigger losses than the losses it had taken in 1962 war. In reply, Defence minister Arun Jaitley has said that India of 2017 is way different from India of 1962.

China has been building road on Bhutan tri-junction and India has been opposing it as it gives China an advantage at the time of military conflict against India. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Doklam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

AFP



Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.


For nearly six months now, the corridor has been the classroom for scores of kids at a government-run primary school. Day after day, kids as young as four have had no desk to sit but the hard floor, exposed to hot winds, dust and, of late, rain spraying into their makeshift classroom. Besides their first lessons in alphabets and numbers, these kids are being asked to learn a lot more.

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In their rightful place, meanwhile, sit stacks of old, broken furniture and sundry items, and textbooks belonging to the block education office meant for disbursal across Gurugram. Two of the six classrooms this primary school, just 500 metres from mini-secretariat - the seat of the Gurugram administration - has are serving as godowns for the education department.

"The remaining four classrooms too are very small. Some of the classes have more than 70 students and they do not fit in one room," Om Prakash, principal of the Government Shivaji Nagar Primary School, told TOI on Saturday.

toi

The latest shocker from the government's education system comes after instances of students sitting on the floor for board exams and of a toilet being converted into a classroom (for a sociology MA class at Dronacharya Government College in 2014) because there wasn't enough money to build more classrooms.

The Shivaji Nagar primary school shares the two-acre campus with two other schools - Government Middle School-Shivaji Nagar and Government Primary School-Om Nagar. "Over a month ago, the water tank became dysfunctional. Then, last Thursday, water supply from the civic body stopped. I had to request MCG to dispatch a tanker to cater to the children's needs," said Prakash.

afp/representational image

For the 210 children who study at the Shivaji Nagar primary school, there is just one toilet, which remains soiled and stinky because there is no sanitation worker to regularly clean it up. "I spend Rs 1,400 from my pocket every month to get the toilet cleaned," said Prakash.

The principal wrote a letter (a copy of which is with TOI) to block education officer Sushil Gaur on July 6, apprising him of the school's problems. District elementary education officer Ram Kumar Phalaswal said he was aware of the situation and claimed to have directed the principal to auction off the stuff in the classrooms. "If they need my permission, I will give it," he said. Asked if he was aware of the situation, Rao Narbir Singh, MLA from Gurgaon's Badshapur constituency and a cabinet minister in the Manohar Lal Khattar regime, promised action in two days.
Indian army efforts of putting 1000 troops on the LoC to curb the traditional infiltration routes this year in Baramulla have paid dividends as the army has killed number of terrorists trying to sneak in. Indian army had foiled 25 bids of infiltration by terrorists in which 45 terrorists were killed.

After controlling the inflow of terrorists from the older routes, the army now has received inputs that Pakistan may come up with new routes and area may be that new route through which Pakistan will try to send terrorists in.

AFP

However, Gurez area too is highly guarded by seven battalions which include three battalions of BSF. "When we felt that the terrorists may start using these routes, the 8 Rashtriya Rifles battalion was deployed in the Baramula sector which is looked after by the 19 Division of the force and that is why we saw incidents where terrorists got killed in groups of four to six," an Army officer said.

Six terrorists were killed on 27 May in the Rampur sector Brigade under Baramulla division area along with the elimination of Pakistan Border Action Team (BAT) in Uri sector.

According to an India today story, the army has already taken steps to protect Gurez from the infiltration, where the peaks are as high as 14000-15000 feet.

"Since entering from the lower areas has not been possible, terrorists must have been reluctant to enter due to the high rate of interception by us. But they will definitely try some other areas to push in terrorists," the officer said.

AFP

In the recent months, more than 90 terrorists have been killed in different encounter and ambushes by security forces as the army has been told carry out relentless operations against the terror machinery in Pakistan.
In the worst violence since the beginning of the current unrest over Gorkhaland, three persons were killed in alleged police firing in Darjeeling and the Sonada toy train station set on fire, prompting Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Saturday to appeal for peace and offer talks with the Hills parties.

afp

The Sonada station, along with a local police station and a traffic police booth, was set ablaze by demonstrators after the death of Tashi Bhutia, a Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) supporter, late on Friday evening.

Also Read: Internet Services Suspended In Darjeeling As Protests Over Demand For Gorkhaland Enter 13th Day

afp

The Chawkbazar and Motor Stand areas in the heart of Darjeeling turned into a war zone as GNLF and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) workers tried to march with Bhutia's body to Sadar Hospital for an autopsy on Saturday. In the ensuing clash with police, Suraj Soondas, 35, died of bullet injuries.

Also Read: Locals Help Stranded Tourists With Food And Water As Protests Continue In Darjeeling

The violence continued even as the procession moved downhill towards Singmari and Patlewas, where the GJM's party office is located. In another clash with cops, a person identified as Samir Subba was killed near Singmari. An unidentified person was injured.

afp

Two columns of the Army were called out in Sonada and Darjeeling on Saturday afternoon. While police remain tightlipped on Friday evening's firing at Sonada - a stronghold of pro-Gorkhaland supporters - Banerjee called for restraint and said the death would be probed.

Also Read: Darjeeling Braces For A Huge Unrest As Gorkhaland Activists Call For A Month-Long Bandh

"Shun violence and allow the government to supply food and offer minimum services to the people of Darjeeling. This is my appeal. If you agree to my appeal, we can have a meeting in 10-15 days," she said.

afp

The CM also accused the Centre of "non-cooperation", and claimed the crisis could have been averted through timely deployment of central forces. GNLF spokesperson Neeraj Zimba alleged that Bhutia, who had gone out to buy medicines, was shot by police without provocation. "There are no prohibitory orders under Section 144 and people have a right to move around. This is murder," he said.

Also Read: Hotels Run Out Of Food, Ask Guests To Leave As Unrest Intensifies In Darjeeling

The violence at Sonada railway station spread to Darjeeling town, with Gorkhaland supporters clashing with cops at the taxi stand at Chawrasta. After Soondas' death, matters went out of control with a mob setting fire to police vehicles and vandalizing police kiosks.

afp

One of the vehicles set ablaze was parked at the district magistrate's office. CCTV cameras along Hill Cart Road and Lebong Cart Road were damaged. The mob also vandalized the office of DSP (town) and one belonging to the supplies department. TMC office at Judgebazar was also torched.

The Army was finally called out around 3pm. While one column moved to Sonada, the other remained at Darjeeling.
On the second day of G-20 summit on Saturday, US President Donald Trump walked up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "an impromptu interaction".

afp

"In an impromptu interaction at the G20 Summit, POTUS (President of the US) waves to the PM, walks to him, other leaders gather around. Gr8 moments," tweeted Niti Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya who is sherpa for India at the summit.

ap

Modi could be seen making a point or two to Trump. Later Trump's daughter Ivanka, who is an adviser in the White House, shook hands with Modi too.

Panagariya also posted pictures of Modi and Trump greeting each other just ahead of the working sessions on his twitter time-line. He described the interaction as "some memorable moments just before the second day of the G20 Summit begins".

In an impromptu interaction at G20 Summit, POTUS waves to the PM, walks to him, other leaders gather around. Gr8 moments pic.twitter.com/LzvLlfqaB2  Arvind Panagariya (@APanagariya) July 8, 2017

Panagariya represented India in the negotiations for the leaders' communique.

ap

Modi had several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the G-20 summit, including one with British PM Theresa May, besides chats with a host of leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel and IMF chief Christine Lagarde.

reuters

Modi had his first meeting with Trump barely 10 days ago in Washington where the US President declared that ties between the two countries had "never been stronger".
In a joint operation with the Delhi police, the Mumbai crime branch on Saturday arrested Adil Khan (23), the main accused in the murder of a 21-year-old aspiring air hostess in Delhi on Wednesday, along with his two associates. A hunt across four states led to the arrest in Mumbai of Mohammad Adil, the man who had stabbed 21-year-old Riya Gautam in east Delhi. Riya succumbed to injuries on Thursday.

twitter/ani

In a well-coordinated operation in which Delhi Police shared real-time inputs with police in UP, Mumbai and Gujarat, a team from Unit 9 of Mumbai Crime Branch took in Adil and two associates from Bandra early on Saturday.

Adil, who was seen on CCTV stabbing Riya Gautam outside her Ram Nagar Colony home, in Delhi's Mansarovar area on Wednesday, fled to Mumbai with his associates Junaid Ansari (19) and a juvenile. They were picked up from a relative's house in Behrampada, Bandra (East).

"After he killed the girl on Wednesday, police teams raided Adil's ancestral home in Aligarh and suspected hideouts in Dahod and Vapi in Gujarat, where his relatives live," said Ravindra Yadav, joint commissioner (Eastern Range). "He was finally detected in Behrampada in Bandra after he tried to contact a friend about a safehouse."

On interrogation, Adil, also known as Munne Khan, claimed that he was in a romantic relationship with Gautam for three years. When she ended it abruptly and without telling him why, his friends in Aligarh convinced him that the girl had used him to fulfil her needs. It was then, he confessed, that he decided to kill her.

twitter

Adil came to Chhota Bazar in Shahdara on July 1, where he bought three knives for Rs 120. He then asked a friend, Junaid, and a juvenile to carry out a reconnaissance of Gautam's daily route. The latter two were also arrested in Mumbai on Saturday.

On Wednesday, Adil phoned Gautam and asked her to meet him near her house. When she left home, Junaid and the minor followed her to the rendezvous. There, the conversation between Adil and the girl degenerated into an argument. When he tried to attack her, she ran into a shop, but Adil managed to stab her a number of times.

After the incident, the trio got on a Phatphat Sewa vehicle and reached Anand Vihar ISBT, from where they went to Aligarh via Mathura. On the way, Adil asked his foster father to take his mother and brother and hide in Ghaziabad. Soon after, the three youths boarded a train to Mumbai.

bccl/representational image

Nine teams lead by Nupur Prasad, DCP (Shahdara), launched a technical surveillance and detected him travelling by train and stopping at Dahod in Gujarat on Thursday. "However, when the police team reached the place, he had left by another train," said Prasad. "We asked the railways to give us the list of stoppages of the train and alerted the state police concerned."

Mansarovar police tracked his mobile to Mumbai and sought help from Mumbai Crime Branch unit 9, which tracked him to Behrampada. "We traced Adil's relatives and arrested him and his friends," said assistant inspector Nitin Patil.

The cops recovered the knives used in the murder and efforts are being made to recover other case materials. The three have been charged with murder and criminal conspiracy.
While the efforts to raise awareness and save the Great Barrier Reef from destruction are ongoing, United Nations cultural body UNESCO has voted to leave the Great Barrier Reef off its "in danger" list

Reuters

The decision was taken at a UNESCO committee meeting in the Polish city of Krakow. It allows Australia's conservative government to dodge political embarrassment and potential damage to the country's lucrative tourism industry,

"We're taking every action possible to ensure this great wonder of the world stays viable and healthy for future generations to come," Australia's Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg told Australian Broadcasting Corporation Radio.

Australia's management of the Great Barrier Reef has come under sustained criticism amid the biggest ever coral die-off as a result of the strongest El Nino in 20 years, a weather event that scientists believe is exacerbated by climate change.

Reuters

Eager to head-off charges that it was failing the World Heritage Site, which was recently pegged at being worth $56 billon to Australia, the Coalition government of Malcolm Turnbull lobbied all 21 UNESCO members.

Australia's commitment to tackling climate change has been questioned by the government's lingering love affair with fossil fuels. Coal is the country's second-biggest export earner and the government is supporting a new $4 billion mine planned by Adani Enterprises which would ship millions of tonnes of coal through the waterways of the Great Barrier Reef.

Reuters

Adani's Abbot Point terminal, located adjacent to the reef, would also need to be expanded to accommodate all the extra traffic. This, environmentalists claim, would release plumes of soil and debris over the reef, causing damage to its ecosystem.

"An endangerment listing, as tragic as that would be, would be a more realistic representation of the state of reef and would at least force the federal government to act on climate change," said Alix Foster Vander Elst, Greenpeace Australia Pacific campaigner.

Reuters

Despite endorsing Australia's management plan, the World Heritage Committee did express "serious concern" about the health of the reef.

It urged Australia to accelerate its efforts to improve water quality, describing it as "essential to the overall resilience of the property".
Is there any doubt that trees are vital to our existence? They are the mother of all mothers for absorbing the carbon dioxide were constantly breathing out. However, trees have suffered the brunt of industrialisation, urbanisation and humans rebellion from nature. And theres the utter dependence of humans on wood. Its use is omnipresent, ubiquitous that has also led to the crash and burn of acres and acres of forest.

Steinar Engeland/Unsplash

The Norwegian government has decided that it will no longer buy products linked with tropical deforestation. What this means is that the government will not sign contracts with any company that destroys forests. By committing to this, Norway has become the first country in the world to have a zero deforestation policy.

Cosmic Timetraveler/Unsplash

Norway has also called on other countries such as The UK and Germany to follow suit.

Les Anderson/Unsplash

One step in the right direction to save the lungs of the earth.
Cities in China are using facial recognition to tackle jaywalkers, by naming and shaming them on public screens at intersections. Four provinces are reportedly using the system to keep pedestrians from crossing roads when the light is red, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Hardware has been installed at various crossings with cameras that to detect when a person is crossing the road. The equipment then takes a photo and 15-second video if the person is crossing while the light is red, and then posts both of them with the jaywalker's name and home address on a digital billboard near the intersection, saying theyve been caught. The system uses facial recognition to cross reference the persons face with photos in a provincial police database.

According to reports, the new system has captured more than 6,000 incidents of jaywalking since it was installed in early May in Jinan, an eastern Shandong province. Traffic police then offer the offenders the chance to pay a $3 fine, or take a half-hour course on traffic rules, as well as assisting a traffic officer for 20 minutes. In addition, the local traffic police department also publishes the offenders information on its Weibo account (local Chinese social media).

Since the new technology has been adopted, the cases of jaywalking have been reduced from 200 to 20 each day at the major intersection of Jingshi and Shungeng roads, a Jinan police officer was quoted telling Xinhua by AFP. The move comes hot on the heels of a video on Weibo earlier this month, showing a local Chinese woman being hit by a taxi on a crosswalk, before then being run over by a car. She later died of her injuries.
Guru Purnima is celebrated in India to honour the gurus or teachers, but it also marks the beginning of the first full moon night after summer solstice. And, thats why NASA wants to remind us its significance by tweeting a picture of a big, bright moon.

Full moon this weekend - called Guru Purnima, Hay Moon, Mead Moon, Ripe Corn Moon, Buck Moon, or our favorite,  THUNDER MOON  pic.twitter.com/XLufAdoDEQ  NASA Moon (@NASAmoon) July 7, 2017

On July 7th, NASA tweeted four names for the full moon day, including Guru Purnima. The day is also said to be an auspicious day in the Hindu calendar, as the legend say that Sage Vyas recited Rig Ved, Sama-Veda, Yajur-Veda, and Atharva-Veda to Lord Brahma on this day.

Apart from Guru Purnima, the day also observed as Hay Moon, Mead Moon, Ripe Corn Moon, Buck Moon or Thunder Moon.

My God. Now, NASA with be labelled a Communal organization, affiliated to RSS.  Suresh Kochattil (@kochattil) July 8, 2017

NASA acknowledging Guru Purnima made many Indians happy. Some wished NASA Happy Guru Purnima, whereas someone also accused NASA of being a communal organisation, affiliated to RSS! (LOL! When would we ever learn?) Sigh!
Putin: We Can Restore Relations With US



Trump different in real life than on TV.



Video July 08, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - The Donald Trump seen on television is different from the one in real life, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the G20 summit, adding that after his meeting with the US leader in Hamburg, he felt like relations between the two countries could at least partially be restored.

As for personal relations, I think that they are established, Putin said of his Friday meeting with Trump. I think that if we continue building our relations like during our conversation yesterday, there are grounds to believe that well be able to  at least partially  restore the level of cooperation that we need, Putin said.

Putin said that the issue of alleged Russian meddling in the US election was addressed by Trump during their conversation.

Putin reiterated that there is no reason to believe that Russia meddled in the US electoral process in 2016.

He [Trump] asked many questions on that subject. I answered those questions as best I could. I think he took it into consideration and agreed with me, but you should really ask him how he feels about it, the Russian president said.

Regarding cybersecurity, the Russian leader said that he and Trump agreed that there should never be a situation of uncertainty, especially in the future, in this sphere.

The US president and I agreed that well create a working group and work together on how to jointly monitor security in cyberspace, how to ensure unconditional compliance with international legal norms, and how to prevent interference in internal affairs of foreign countries, Putin said.

If we manage to organize this work  and I have no reasons to doubt that  then there will be no more speculation on this topic [of Russia meddling], he added.

Speaking on the allegations of Moscows interference in the affairs of foreign countries, Putin blamed the foreign media for doing exactly that in Russia.

If you analyze the German, French and European media, in general  theyre the ones who are constantly meddling in our internal affairs. But we feel confident and it doesnt bother us , he explained.

The situation in Syria was also addressed during the press conference, with Putin saying the new US administration had a more pragmatic stance on the issue.

I think the [US] position became more pragmatic. It doesnt seem to have changed drastically [compared to the Obama administration], but theres an understanding that we can achieve a lot by joining forces, he said.

This approach by Washington made possible the agreement on the southern de-escalation zone in Syria, which was one of the breakthroughs during Fridays talks with Trump, the Russian president added.

Putin stressed the importance of the de-escalation zones for maintaining the territorial integrity of the Syrian state after the conflict.

The de-escalations zones should become a prototype of such territories, which would be able to cooperate with each other and with the official [government in] Damascus, he explained.

The Russian president addressed comments by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and other Washington officials, who insisted that the Syrian conflict would be not be solved while President Bashar Assad remains in power.

Mr Tillerson is a very respected person and the bearer of a Russian order. He has been decorated with the Order of Friendship. We love and respect him. But hes not a Syrian citizen, after all, and the future of Syria and the political future of President Assad should only be determined by the Syrian people, he said.

This article was first published by RT -

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.

See also -

Putin set a trap and Trump fell into it

Trump: Meeting with Putin was tremendous
The Stink Without a Secret

By Craig Murray

July 08, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - After six solid months of co-ordinated allegation from the mainstream media allied to the leadership of state security institutions, not one single scrap of solid evidence for Trump/Russia election hacking has emerged.

I do not support Donald Trump. I do support truth. There is much about Trump that I dislike intensely. Neither do I support the neo-liberal political establishment in the USA. The latters control of the mainstream media, and cunning manipulation of identity politics, seeks to portray the neo-liberal establishment as the heroes of decent values against Trump. Sadly, the idea that the neo-liberal establishment embodies decent values is completely untrue.

Truth disappeared so long ago in this witch-hunt that it is no longer even possible to define what the accusation is. Belief in Russian hacking of the US election has been elevated to a generic accusation of undefined wrongdoing, a vague malaise we are told is floating poisonously in the ether, but we are not allowed to analyse. What did the Russians actually do?

The original, base accusation is that it was the Russians who hacked the DNC and Podesta emails and passed them to Wikileaks. (I can assure you that is untrue).

The authenticity of those emails is not in question. What they revealed of cheating by the Democratic establishment in biasing the primaries against Bernie Sanders, led to the forced resignation of Debbie Wasserman Shultz as chair of the Democratic National Committee. They also led to the resignation from CNN of Donna Brazile, who had passed debate questions in advance to Clinton. Those are facts. They actually happened. Let us hold on to those facts, as we surf through lies. There was other nasty Clinton Foundation and cash for access stuff in the emails, but we do not even need to go there for the purpose of this argument.

The original Russian hacking allegation was that it was the Russians who nefariously obtained these damning emails and passed them to Wikileaks. The evidence for this was twofold. A report from private cyber security firm Crowdstrike claimed that metadata showed that the hackers had left behind clues, including the name of the founder of the Soviet security services. The second piece of evidence was that a blogger named Guccifer2 and a website called DNC Leaks appeared to have access to some of the material around the same time that Wikileaks did, and that Guccifer2 could be Russian.

That is it. To this day, that is the sum total of actual evidence of Russian hacking. I wont say hang on to it as a fact, because it contains no relevant fact. But at least it is some form of definable allegation of something happening, rather than Russian hacking being a simple article of faith like the Holy Trinity.

But there are a number of problems that prevent this being fact at all. Nobody has ever been able to refute the evidence of Bill Binney , former Technical Director of the NSA who designed its current surveillance systems. Bill has stated that the capability of the NSA is such, that if the DNC computers had been hacked, the NSA would be able to trace the actual packets of that information as those emails travelled over the internet, and give a precise time, to the second, for the hack. The NSA simply do not have the event  because there wasnt one. I know Bill personally and am quite certain of his integrity.

As we have been repeatedly told, 17 intelligence agencies sign up to the Russian hacking, yet all these kings horses and all these kings men have been unable to produce any evidence whatsoever of the purported hack. Largely because they are not in fact trying. Here is another actual fact I wish you to hang on to: The Democrats have refused the intelligence agencies access to their servers to discover what actually happened. I am going to say that again.

The Democrats have refused the intelligence agencies access to their servers to discover what actually happened.

The heads of the intelligence community have said that they regard the report from Crowdstrike  the Clinton aligned private cyber security firm  as adequate. Despite the fact that the Crowdstrike report plainly proves nothing whatsoever and is based entirely on an initial presumption there must have been a hack, as opposed to an internal download.

Not actually examining the obvious evidence has been a key tool in keeping the Russian hacking meme going. On 24 May the Guardian reported triumphantly , following the Washington Post, that

Fox News falsely alleged federal authorities had found thousands of emails between Rich and Wikileaks, when in fact law enforcement officials disputed that Richs laptop had even been in possession of, or examined by, the FBI.

It evidently did not occur to the Guardian as troubling, that those pretending to be investigating the murder of Seth Rich have not looked at his laptop.

There is a very plain pattern here of agencies promoting the notion of a fake Russian crime, while failing to take the most basic and obvious initial steps if they were really investigating its existence. I might add to that, there has been no contact with me at all by those supposedly investigating. I could tell them these were leaks not hacks. Wikileaks. The clue is in the name.

So those 17 agencies are not really investigating but are prepared to endorse weird Crowdstrike claims, like the idea that Russias security services are so amateur as to leave fingerprints with the name of their founder. If the Russians fed the material to Wikileaks, why would they also set up a vainglorious persona like Guccifer2 who leaves obvious Russia pointing clues all over the place?

Of course we need to add from the Wikileaks Vault 7 leak release, information that the CIA specifically deploys technology that leaves behind fake fingerprints of a Russian computer hacking operation.

Crowdstrike have a general anti-Russian attitude. They published a report seeking to allege that the same Russian entities which had hacked the DNC were involved in targeting for Russian artillery in the Ukraine. This has been utterly discredited.

Some of the more crazed Russiagate allegations have been quietly dropped. The mainstream media are hoping we will all forget their breathless endorsement of the reports of the charlatan Christopher Steele, a former middle ranking MI6 man with very limited contacts that he milked to sell lurid gossip to wealthy and gullible corporations. I confess I rather admire his chutzpah.

Given there is no hacking in the Russian hacking story, the charges have moved wider into a vague miasma of McCarthyite anti-Russian hysteria. Does anyone connected to Trump know any Russians? Do they have business links with Russian finance?

Of course they do. Trump is part of the worldwide oligarch class whose financial interests are woven into a vast worldwide network that enslaves pretty well the rest of us. As are the Clintons and the owners of the mainstream media who are stoking up the anti-Russian hysteria. It is all good for their armaments industry interests, in both Washington and Moscow.

Trumps judgement is appalling. His sackings or inappropriate directions to people over this subject may damage him.

The old Watergate related wisdom is that it is not the crime that gets you, it is the cover-up. But there is a fundamental difference here. At the centre of Watergate there was an actual burglary. At the centre of Russian hacking there is a void, a hollow, and emptiness, an abyss, a yawning chasm. There is nothing there.
MSM, Still Living in Propaganda-ville





The stakes in U.S.-Russia relations could not be higher  possible nuclear conflagration and the end of civilization  but the U.S. mainstream media is still slouching around in propaganda-ville, says Robert Parry.



By Robert Parry

July 08, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - As much as the U.S. mainstream media wants people to believe that it is the Guardian of Truth, it is actually lost in a wilderness of propaganda and falsehoods, a dangerous land of delusion that is putting the future of humankind at risk as tension escalate with nuclear-armed Russia.

This media problem has grown over recent decades as lucrative careerism has replaced responsible professionalism. Pack journalism has always been a threat to quality reporting but now it has evolved into a self-sustaining media lifestyle in which the old motto, theres safety in numbers, is borne out by the fact that being horrendously wrong, such as on Iraqs WMD, leads to almost no accountability because so many important colleagues were wrong as well.

Similarly, there has been no accountability after many mainstream journalists and commentators falsely stated as flat-fact that all 17 U.S. intelligence agencies concurred that Russia did meddle in last Novembers U.S. election.

For months, this claim has been the go-to put-down whenever anyone questions the groupthink of Russian venality perverting American democracy. Even the esteemed Politifact deemed the assertion true. But it was never true.

It was at best a needled distortion of a claim by President Obamas Director of National Intelligence James Clapper when he issued a statement last Oct. 7 alleging Russian meddling. Because Clapper was the chief of the U.S. Intelligence Community, his opinion morphed into a claim that it represented the consensus of all 17 intelligence agencies, a dishonest twist that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton began touting.

However, for people who understand how the U.S. Intelligence Community works, the claim of a 17-agencies consensus has a specific meaning, some form of a National Intelligence Estimate (or NIE) that seeks out judgments and dissents from the various agencies.

But there was no NIE regarding alleged Russian meddling and there apparently wasnt even a formal assessment from a subset of the agencies at the time of Clappers statement. President Obama did not order a publishable assessment until December  after the election  and it was not completed until Jan. 6, when a report from Clappers office presented the opinions of analysts from the Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Security Agency  three agencies (or four if you count the DNIs office), not 17.

Lacking Hard Evidence

The report also contained no hard evidence of a Russian hack and amounted to a one-sided circumstantial case at best. However, by then, the U.S. mainstream media had embraced the all-17-intelligence-agencies refrain and anyone who disagreed, including President Trump, was treated as delusional. The argument went: How can anyone question what all 17 intelligence agencies have confirmed as true?

It wasnt until May 8 when then-former DNI Clapper belatedly set the record straight in sworn congressional testimony in which he explained that there were only three contributing agencies from which analysts were hand-picked.

The reference to hand-picked analysts pricked the ears of some former U.S. intelligence analysts who had suffered through earlier periods of politicized intelligence when malleable analysts were chosen to deliver what their political bosses wanted to hear.

On May 23, also in congressional testimony, former CIA Director John Brennan confirmed Clappers description, saying only four of the 17 U.S. intelligence agencies took part in the assessment.

Brennan said the Jan. 6 report followed the general model of how you want to do something like this with some notable exceptions. It only involved the FBI, NSA and CIA as well as the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. It wasnt a full inter-agency community assessment that was coordinated among the 17 agencies.

After this testimony, some of the major news organizations, which had been waving around the 17-intelligence-agencies meme, subtly changed their phrasing to either depict Russian meddling as an established fact no longer requiring attribution or referred to the unanimous judgment of the Intelligence Community without citing a specific number.

This unanimous judgment formulation was deceptive, too, because it suggested that all 17 agencies were in accord albeit without exactly saying that. For a regular reader of The New York Times or a frequent viewer of CNN, the distinction would almost assuredly not be detected.

For more than a month after the Clapper-Brennan testimonies, there was no formal correction.

A Belated Correction

Finally, on June 25, the Times hand was forced when White House correspondent Maggie Haberman reverted to the old formulation, mocking Trump for still refus[ing] to acknowledge a basic fact agreed upon by 17 American intelligence agencies that he now oversees: Russia orchestrated the attacks, and did it to help get him elected.

When this falsehood was called to the Times attention, it had little choice but to append a correction to the article, noting that the intelligence assessment was made by four intelligence agencies  the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Security Agency. The assessment was not approved by all 17 organizations in the American intelligence community.

The Associated Press ran a similar clarification applied to some of its fallacious reporting repeating the 17-intelligence-agencies meme.

So, you might have thought that the mainstream media was finally adjusting its reporting to conform to reality. But that would mean that one of the pillars of the Russia-gate scandal had crumbled, the certainty that Russia and Vladimir Putin did meddle in the election.

The story would have to go back to square one and the major news organizations would have to begin reporting on whether or not there ever was solid evidence to support what had become a certainty  and there appeared to be no stomach for such soul-searching. Since pretty much all the important media figures had made the same error, it would be much easier to simply move on as if nothing had changed.

That would mean that skepticism would still be unwelcome and curious leads would not be followed. For instance, there was a head-turning reference in an otherwise typical Washington Post take-out on June 25 accusing Russia of committing the crime of the century.

A reference, stuck deep inside the five-page opus, said, 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.

Though the Post did not identify the country, this reference suggests that more than one key element of the case for Russian culpability was based not on direct investigations by the U.S. intelligence agencies, but on the work of external organizations.

Earlier, the Democratic National Committee denied the FBI access to its supposedly hacked computers, forcing the investigators to rely on a DNC contractor called CrowdStrike, which has a checkered record of getting this sort of analytics right and whose chief technology officer, Dmitri Alperovitch, is an anti-Putin Russian emigre with ties to the anti-Russian think tank, Atlantic Council.

Relying on Outsiders

You might be wondering why something as important as this crime of the century, which has pushed the world closer to nuclear annihilation, is dependent on dubious entities outside the U.S. government with possible conflicts of interest.

If the U.S. government really took this issue seriously, which it should, why didnt the FBI seize the DNCs computers and insist that impartial government experts lead the investigation? And why  given the extraordinary expertise of the NSA in computer hacking  is some of the most critical technical intelligence on Russia [coming] from another country, one that doesnt inspire the NSAs confidence?

But such pesky questions are not likely to be asked or answered by a mainstream U.S. media that displays deep-seated bias toward both Putin and Trump.

Mostly, major news outlets continue to brush aside the clarifications and return to various formulations that continue to embrace the 17-intelligence-agencies canard, albeit in slightly different forms, such as references to the collective Intelligence Community without the specific number. Anyone who questions this established conventional wisdom is still crazy and out of step.

For instance, James Holmes of Esquire was stunned on Thursday when Trump at a news conference in Poland reminded the traveling press corps about the inaccurate reporting regarding the 17 intelligence agencies and said he still wasnt entirely sure about Russias guilt.

In public, hes still casting doubt on the intelligence communitys finding that Russia interfered in the 2016 election nearly nine months after the fact, Holmes sputtered before describing Trumps comment as a rant.

So, if you thought that a chastened mainstream media might stop in the wake of the 17-intelligence-agencies falsehood and rethink the whole Russia-gate business, you would have been sadly mistaken.

But the problem is not just the question of whether Russia hacked into Democratic emails and slipped them to WikiLeaks for publication (something that both Russia and WikiLeaks deny). Perhaps the larger danger is how the major U.S. news outlets have adopted a consistently propagandistic approach toward everything relating to Russia.

Hating Putin

This pattern traces back to the earliest days of Vladimir Putins presidency in 2000 when he began to rein in the U.S.-prescribed shock therapy, which had sold off Russias assets to well-connected insiders, making billions of dollars for the West-favored oligarchs, even as the process threw millions of average Russian into poverty.

But the U.S. mainstream medias contempt for Putin reached new heights after he helped President Obama head off neoconservative (and liberal interventionist) demands for a full-scale U.S. military assault on Syria in August 2013 and helped bring Iran into a restrictive nuclear agreement when the neocons wanted to bomb-bomb-bomb Iran.

The neocons delivered their payback to Putin in early 2014 by supporting a violent coup in Ukraine, overthrowing elected President Viktor Yanukovych and installing a fiercely anti-Russian regime. The U.S. operation was spearheaded by neocon National Endowment for Democracy President Carl Gershman and neocon Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Victoria Nuland, with enthusiastic support from neocon Sen. John McCain.

Nuland was heard in an intercepted pre-coup phone call with U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt discussing who should become the new leaders and pondering how to glue or midwife this thing.

Despite the clear evidence of U.S. interference in Ukrainian politics, the U.S. government and the mainstream media embraced the coup and accused Putin of aggression when ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine, called the Donbas, resisted the coup regime.

When ethnic Russians and other citizens in Crimea voted overwhelmingly in a referendum to reject the coup regime and rejoin Russia  a move protected by some of the 20,000 Russian troops inside Crimea as part of a basing agreement  that became a Russian invasion. But it was the most peculiar invasion, since there were no images of tanks crashing across borders or amphibious landing craft on Crimean beaches, because no such invasion had occurred.

However, in virtually every instance, the U.S. mainstream media insisted on the most extreme anti-Russian propaganda line and accused people who questioned this Official Narrative of disseminating Russian propaganda  or being a Moscow stooge or acting as a useful fool. There was no tolerance for skepticism about whatever the State Department or the Washington think tanks were saying.

Trump Meets Putin

So, as Trump prepares for his first meeting with Putin at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, the U.S. mainstream media has been in a frenzy, linking up its groupthinks about the Ukraine invasion with its groupthinks about Russia hacking the election.

In a July 3 editorial , The Washington Post declared, Mr. Trump simply cannot fail to admonish Mr. Putin for Russias attempts to meddle in the 2016 presidential election. He must make clear the United States will not tolerate it, period. Naturally, this is a difficult issue for Mr. Trump, who reaped the benefit of Russias intervention and now faces a special counsels investigation, but nonetheless, in his first session with Mr. Putin, the president must not hesitate to be blunt. 

On Ukraine, Mr. Trump must also display determination. Russia fomented an armed uprising and seized Crimea in violation of international norms, and it continues to instigate violence in the Donbas. Mr. Trump ought to make it unmistakably clear to Mr.Putin that the United States will not retreat from the sanctions imposed over Ukraine until the conditions of peace agreements are met.

Along the same lines, even while suggesting the value of some collaboration with Russia toward ending the war in Syria, Post columnist David Ignatius wrote in a July 5 column , Russian-American cooperation on Syria faces a huge obstacle right now. It would legitimize a Russian regime that invaded Ukraine and meddled in U.S. and European elections, in addition to its intervention in Syria.

Note the smug certainty of Ignatius and the Post editors. There is no doubt that Russia invaded Ukraine; seized Crimea; meddled in U.S. and European elections. Yet all these groupthinks should be subjected to skepticism, not simply treated as undeniable truths.

But seeing only one side to a story is where the U.S. mainstream media is at this point in history. Yes, it is possible that Russia was responsible for the Democratic hacks and did funnel the material to WikiLeaks, but evidence has so far been lacking. And, instead of presenting both sides fairly, the major media acts as if only one side deserves any respect and dissenting views must be ridiculed and condemned.

In this perverted process, collectively approved versions of complex situations congeal into conventional wisdom, which simply cannot be significantly reconsidered regardless of future revelations.

As offensive as this rejection of true truth-seeking may be, it also represents an extraordinary danger when mixed with the existential risk of nuclear conflagration.

With the stakes this high, the demand for hard evidence  and the avoidance of soft-minded groupthink  should go without question. Journalists and commentators should hold themselves to professional precision, not slide into sloppy careerism, lost in propaganda-ville.

Investigative reporter Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories for The Associated Press and Newsweek in the 1980s. You can buy his latest book, Americas Stolen Narrative, either in print here or as an e-book (from Amazon and barnesandnoble.com ).

This article was first published by Consortium News -
The First Putin-Trump Meeting Yields.. ..Something Very Close To Nothing

By The Saker

July 08, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - First, we have the manner in which the Americans have been preparing the G20 summit. As we all know, in diplomacy actions count as much, or even more, than words. Here are just a few of the actions recently taken by the Americans in preparation for the G20 summit and Trumps first meeting with Putin (in no particular order):

Going down this list, you got to admire the American sense of timing and diplomacy

But, seriously now,

It does not really matter of these actions are just the result from imperial hubris and delusion, a complete lack of diplomatic education, the consequences of simple and straightforward human stupidity or all part of some diabolical plan to set the US on a collision course with the entire planet. What matters is the mind-blowing arrogance of it all, as if the USA was a white knight in shining armor worthy only of praise and adulation and as if the rest of the planet was composed or rowdy schoolchildren who needed to heed the words of their principal and better start behaving or else get a good spanking from Uncle Sam.

If that is how Trump hopes to make America Great Again he might want to consider other options as that kind of attitude makes America (he means the USA, of course) look not great but arrogant, out of touch and supremely irritating. Lets talk on the world, everybody at the same time seems to be the grand plan of this administration.

The result of all these diplomatic efforts were predicable: nothing.

Well, almost nothing. Here is what nothing looks in diplomatic language:

According to Foreign Minister Lavrov Presidents Trump and Putin,

were motivated by their national interests (who would have thought?!) and they agree on a number of concrete measures:

an acceleration of the procedure to appoint new ambassadors  RU-US and US-RU they discussed the Russian diplomatic facilities seized by Obama they create a work group to discuss a number of issues including terrorism, organized crime, hacking and cybersecurity. they discussed Syria and the Ukraine and talked for 2 hours and 15 minutes.

According to RT , Russia and the US agreed on a ceasefire in the Daraa, Quneitra and As-Suwayda provinces of Syria. That is very good, of course, but this is in the one corner of Syria (southwest) were very little action is taking place (right now all the important stuff is taking place between Raqqa and Deir-Az-Sor). Oh, and there are de-escalation zones already in place in the southwest:

=====

So unless Trump and Putin are keeping something really important secret, it seems that this summit has yielded exactly what I feared it would : nothing, or something very very close to nothing. If we find out later that in spite of everything, the two sides did discuss something of importance and agreed on something important, I will post and update here. And, believe me, nobody will be happier than me if that happens.

But, alas, it appears that many months of a sustained Neocon campaign to make darn sure that Russia and the US could never seriously collaborate have been very successful.

So where does this all leave us, the million of people who had at least *some* hopes about Trump being an outsider who could try to make some real changes happen and maybe liberate the United States from the Neocon regime in power here since at least Bill Clinton (if not earlier)?

On February 14th of this year, following the anti-Flynn coup and Trumps betrayal of his friend, I wrote that its over folks and Trump betrayed us all. I took a lot of flak for writing this, especially since I had come strongly on Trumps side against Hillary during the campaign. Sadly, I believe that my conclusions in February are now proven correct.

I understand while some will want to present this meeting as, if not a success, then at least good start or a semi-success. For one thing, being the bearer of bad news never made anybody popular. Second, those who support Trump or Putin (or both) will want to show that the leader they support achieved something. Finally, if both sides report that the meeting has been a success, who are we to say otherwise?

I dont know about anybody else, but I always have and always will call it as I see it. And what I see is simply nothing or something very close to nothing. Sorry folks, I wish I could say something else.

As for apportioning blame for this non-event, I place 100% of the guilt on the US side which did everything wrong with an almost manic determination and which will now find itself in the rather unenviable position of fighting pretty much the entire planet all on its own. Oh, sorry, I forgot. Poland unconditionally supports the USA and Trump!

Well, good for them. They richly deserve each other.

The Saker
Putin And Trump Stage-manage A Win-win Meeting





With a ceasefire in southwestern Syria in the works, meeting proves diplomacy beats demonization



By Pepe Escobar

July 08, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - From the start, the positive chemistry in the Mother of All Sit-Downs was a given. The format  with only the four principals, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and two translators  prevented any leaks. What was originally scheduled for 35 minutes went on for 2 hours and 16 minutes, and not even an impromptu appearance by First Lady Melania Trump  they were late for the Elbphilharmonie pomp and circumstance  managed to stop the flow.

They needed to deliver. They needed headlines. They got plenty. Including a possible first step at real cooperation; a ceasefire deal in southwestern Syria. Yet the real headline is that diplomacy beats demonization.

Still, from the toxic, overwhelmingly Russophobic Beltway point of view, that dystopia masquerading as a summit  the actual G-20  was a mere backdrop; the only thing that mattered in this parallel G-2 was confirmation of an obsessive narrative; Russian interfered in the US elections.

Spin City gave us slightly conflicting views. Tillerson admitted intractable differences but stressed Trump was rightly focused on how do we move forward, while an uncharacteristically irritable Lavrov said Trump had accepted Putins denial, adding what is, in fact, the real clincher; Putin wants proof and evidence of Russian interference.

That wont happen. The Russian hacking tsunami ebbs and flows, always following the same pattern ; accusations by some proverbial anonymous official or expert, usually debunked. If the acronym jungle of US intel had concrete, definitive evidence, that would have been splashed on every single front page long ago.

The real test for a possible reset will be the US-Russia ceasefire in southwestern Syria. Tillerson and Lavrov had been discussing it for weeks now. And its a Russian idea.

Essentially, that would lead towards American/Jordanian peacekeeping forces near the Golan ; Damascus allowing Iranian and Russian peacekeeping forces around the capital; Turkey ensconced between Jarablus and Al-Bab in the north with Russians around them; and the Americans in the northeast all the way to Raqqa alongside the Kurdish YPG.

In a nutshell; a regional balance of power which, assuming it holds, might slowly lead towards a final all-Syria settlement.

Jordan  and Israel  are not warring parties in Syria, and yet the deal directly concerns them. Its not clear whether US forces will have to be back to Jordan. Its not clear how the ceasefire will complement the Astana negotiation  the actual top frontline decider  involving Russia, Iran and Turkey. Its not clear whether Daesh will be eradicated for good. Its not clear whether the Pentagon will stop sporadically attacking the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).

The real big story

And then, theres the big story of the G-20 in Hamburg, which actually started three days earlier in Moscow, in a full-fledged official summit between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Xi repeatedly extolled the strategic alliance, or the fast-growing, pragmatic cooperation, or even the special character of Chinas ties with Russia .

Putin once again pledged to support the New Silk Roads , or One Belt, One Road initiative (Obor), by all means, which includes its interpenetration with the Eurasia Economic Union (EEU).

The Russian Direct Investment Fund and the China Development Bank established a joint $10 billion investment fund.

Gazprom and Chinas CNPC signed a key agreement for the starting date of gas deliveries via the Power of Siberia pipeline; December 20, 2019, according to Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller. And that will be followed by the construction of Power of Siberia-2.

They kept discussing a military cooperation roadmap.

And at a closed Kremlin meeting the night before their official summit, in which they clinched yet another proverbial raft of deals worth billions of dollars, Putin and Xi developed a common North Korea strategy; dialogue and negotiation, coupled with firm opposition to the THAAD missile system being installed in South Korea.

Xi, in an interview to TASS, had already expounded on US missile defense  an absolute top priority for the Kremlin  disrupting the strategic balance in the region.

This was Putin and Xis third meeting in 2017 alone. At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana, Putin had already hinted that this one, in Moscow, would be a major event in bilateral relations.

The giveaway: thats where they not only deepened their joint strategy for Eurasia integration but also coordinated their common approach to Trump at the G-20. This is what a strategic partnership is all about.

How to restart a reset

Considering the toxicity levels in the Beltway, Putin and Lavrov went to the G-20 harboring no expectations that a package deal could be achieved between Russia and the US.

They knew this would be a strictly political meeting  and not economic; an easing of sanctions was out of the cards.

They also knew theres not much Trump could offer to the Russian economy. This exhaustive report sets the record straight.

Even under sanctions, Russia should expect a handsome recovery, with an expected growth of 3% to 4% in 2017. There has been an extraordinary decrease in the share of oil & gas revenue in Russias GDP. Russia has the lowest level of imports (as a share of the GDP) of all major countries. And the clincher; Russia must focus on China, the East, and the rest of the world.

Thats already happening. At the BRICS meeting on the sidelines of the G-20, they called for a more open global economy and for a rules-based, transparent, non-discriminatory, open and inclusive multilateral trading system.

Putin and Lavrov faced Trump and Tillerson knowing full well that

political factions in the US wont waiver in their mission to keep the tension with peer competitors Russia and China at a very dangerous level.

At the same time, they knew Trump and Tillerson really aim for a reset  incipient as it may be at the start.

Syria is an ultra-complex case where the sphere of influence is mostly Iranian but the hard, cold facts on the ground and in the skies are mostly Russian. With this ceasefire deal, its as if Putin and Lavrov are inviting a losing Washington to be part of a solution that satisfies  sort of  all parties, including Israel and Turkey.

Trump did not make any substantial concessions in Hamburg, at least according to what both Tillerson and Lavrov volunteered to disclose. The Beltway is barking that Trump gave Putin a win. As usual, theyre wrong; Putin and Trump stage-managed a win-win.

This article was first published by Asia Times -

Russia expert Stephen Cohen explains why Trump-Putin meeting was a huge win for the world (Video)
Home Iraq: Will Tony Blair Finally Stand Trial for His Part in the Supreme International Crime? By Felicity Arbuthnot I think most people who have dealt with me, think Im a pretty straight sort of guy, and I am. (Tony Blair, BBC On the Record, 16th November 1997.) On 30th November last year, Michael Gove, currently UK Environment Minister, pretty well unloved by swathes of the population whatever Ministry he heads, declared, at the post Chilcot Inquiry debate in Parliament regarding Tony Blairs role in dragging the UK in to a monumental tragedy for which history will not forgive: History, I think will judge him less harshly than some in this House do. Deciding whether or not to illegally invade Iraq was a finely balanced act, fantasized Gove. It was not. It was a pack of lies, many of which came from the Blair regime, as confirmed by Colin Powells delusionary address to the UN on 5th February 2003, in subsequently unearthed correspondence and of course, the Chilcot Inquiry. On 15th September 2004, the then UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, in an interview with the BBC World Service, asked if the invasion was illegal, stated: Yes, if you wish. He continued without caveat: I have indicated it was not in conformity with the UN Charter. From our point of view and from the Charter point of view it was illegal. Blair, his Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw and his Attorney General Lord Goldsmith did not face a Nuremberg type trial  and surreally, Blair, after his 2007 resignation was appointed Middle East Peace Envoy. Straw and Goldsmith went back to business as usual. However, after fourteen years, maybe two million deaths, the decimation by ISIS, the US, and the UK of Iraqs (Mesopotamias) history, culture stewardship and witness, over millennia, to one of the worlds great, ancient civilizations, there is a chance that Antony Charles Lynton Blair, Jack Straw and Lord Goldsmith may yet face a Court of Law. In April this year the UK Attorney General, Jeremy Wright, intervened in an attempt to halt a private prosecution of the three brought by General Abdul-Wahid al-Ribat, former Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army under Saddam Husseins government. The Attorney General argued that the basis of the case, the crime of aggression the supreme international crime as enshrined in the Nuremberg Tribunals, did not apply in British law and that the former Prime Minister, Blair and his Ministers had: implied immunity as former Head of State and government Ministers, therefore offence not made out  Allegations involve potential details being disclosed under the Official Secrets Act for which Attorney General and Director of Public Prosecutions consent are required. (1) The implication seemingly being that those consents would not be forthcoming. However, in direct contradiction, relating to the argument regarding the crime of aggression: In his 2003 memo on the legality of the Iraq war (Lord) Goldsmith, then Attorney General, appeared to concede the key point of those now seeking his prosecution. Aggression is a crime under customary international law which automatically forms part of domestic law , he wrote in an advice to then Prime Minister Blair prior to the invasion. (2) Nevertheless the case was dismissed by the Judge at Westminster Magistrates Court. The legal team for General al-Ribat, led by Michael Mansfield QC and lawyer Imran Khan are not easily deterred. Mansfield has been described thus: The radical lawyer has become an icon in a disenchanted age  (Mansfields) high profile victories take on a hallowed significance: the good guys against the rotten state  with a flourish of his insolence and a refusal to shut up they flock to him  and he looks after them all. The Establishment loathes him. (Guardian, 25th October 1997.) Imran Khan: is one of the most highly regarded human rights layers in the country and a rebel with many causes. (The Lawyer, 17th June 2015.) My objective is to make sure the State is held accountable, he is quoted as saying. This week, on Wednesday, 5th July, General al-Ribats case returned to the High Court in an appeal which is being heard by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, and Mr. Justice Ouseley. The General had been motivated, Mansfield told the Court, by the findings of the Chilcot Inquiry that the Iraq invasion was unnecessary and undermined the United Nations. Mansfield summarised the reports findings as: Saddam Hussein did not pose an urgent threat to the UK, intelligence reporting about [Iraqi] weapons of mass destruction was presented with unwarranted certainty, that the war was unnecessary and that the UK undermined the authority of the UN Security Council. Nothing could be more emphatic than these findings, he said. It was an unlawful war. He further argued that in 1945:  when the British prosecutor, Sir Hartley Shawcross, opened the cases against Nazi leaders at the Nuremburg war crimes trials at the end of the second world war, he acted as though the crime of aggression had already been assimilated into English law. (3) James Eadie , QC. representing the Attorney General, Jeremy Wright stated that: The crime of aggression is not know to English law and does not exist in the statute book. Sabah al-Mukhtar , of the Arab Lawyers Network, commented of the case: This is just looking at whether the first Court was right in refusing to entertain the case. The Magistrates Court dismissed it on the grounds that Tony Blair had immunity and that the crime of aggression was not part of English law. Many think they were not correct on that. The case can be brought in Britain since the British were part of the occupying forces in Iraq, thus General al-Ribat, now living in exile is: under the European Convention on Human Rights, deemed to have been within the jurisdiction at a relevant time. The High Courts decision has been reserved to allow a further week for the Generals legal team to make additional specified submissions. If the Appeal is not dismissed: the issue of whether the crime of aggression exists in English law will be sent up to the Supreme Court to decide. It has not been Blairs week. In the light of the Court hearing, Sir John Chilcot  who headed the seven year Inquiry in to the decimating attack on Iraq and found that the Blair Cabinets decisions on the matter had been far from satisfactory  broke a year long silence in an interview with the BBC. Asked if the former Prime Minister had been as truthful with him and the public as he should have been, Sir John replied: Can I slightly reword that to say I think any Prime Minister taking a country into war has got to be straight with the nation and carry it, so far as possible, with him or her. I dont believe that was the case in the Iraq instance. Millions would surely agree, including a swathe of the media, as encapsulated by media correspondent Roy Greenslade (4) exactly a year ago, on the publication of the Chilcot Inquiry. The sub-heading was: Without exception, the feral beasts of the press tear the former Prime Minister apart over the Iraq invasion, leaving his reputation in tatters. A few front page examples were: Chilcot Report into Iraq war delivers harsh verdict on Blair (Financial Times); A monster of delusion (Daily Mail); Weapon of mass deception (Sun); Blairs private war (Times); Blair is worlds worst terrorist (Daily Star) and Spinning on their graves (Independent). The Mail cited: the duplicitous, dishonest, secretive, shallow and incompetent conduct of Tony Blair In November 2011: In Kuala Lumpur, after two years of investigation by the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission (KLWCC), a Tribunal (the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal, or KLWCT) consisting of five Judges with judicial and academic backgrounds reached a unanimous verdict that found George W Bush and Tony Blair guilty of crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, and genocide as a result of their roles in the Iraq War. (5) Of relevance to this weeks case may be that: The Tribunal also added several recommendations to its verdict: 1) Report findings in accord with Part VI (calling for future accountability) of the Nuremberg Judgment of 1945 addressing crimes of surviving political and military leaders of Nazi Germany; 2) File reports of genocide and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in The Hague; 3) Approach the UN General Assembly to pass a resolution demanding that the United States end its occupation of Iraq; 4) Communicate the findings of the tribunal to all members of the Rome Statute (which governs the International Criminal Court) and to all states asserting Universal Jurisdiction that allows for the prosecution of international crimes in national courts; and 5) Urge the UN Security Council to take responsibility to ensure that full sovereign rights are vested in the people of Iraq and that the independence of its government be protected by a UN Peacekeeping Force. It is ten years nearly to the day (27th June 2007) since Blair left Downing Street, left Iraq bathed in blood and tears and walked off to make millions and a joke of all peace stands for, as a Peace Envoy. Perhaps, at last, justice may have a chance, one which might set a precedent and also deter any politician or leader from embarking on the supreme international crime, ever again. Heres fervently hoping. Notes 1. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/16/tony-blair-iraq-war-prosecution-attempt-goes-back-to-court 2. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/apr/16/uk-attorney-general-in-bid-to-block-case-against-tony-blair-over-iraq-war 3. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jul/05/tony-blair-should-be-prosecuted-over-iraq-war-high-court-hears 4. https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2016/jul/07/national-newspapers-savage-tony-blair-over-the-chilcot-report 5. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/11/20111128105712109215.html This article was first published by Global Research - Copyright  Felicity Arbuthnot, Global Research The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. What's your response? - Scroll down to add / read comments Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. Click here to comment on our Facebook page
They turned the Obamas into an American version of a royal family and then used his personal popularity to make the case for war crimes and bank bailouts.

July 08, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Donald Trump is a national embarrassment. Corporate media pundits have declared this statement to be true and millions of people are in agreement. As a candidate and as president Trump has certainly deviated from norms of acceptable public behavior, but how much does that really matter? Trumps latest social media tirades do stand out in comparison to other politicians and heads of state. But when one considers what this country is like, the outrage over comportment doesnt amount to very much.

Consider that the United States has the worlds largest prison population, more than two million people. Consider again that this mass incarceration system has been targeted specifically against black people, and that one eighth of all imprisoned people on the planet are black Americans.

The atrocities of the law enforcement system dont stop there. Death at the hands of police is the fate of an average of three people every day in the United States. And those deaths are rarely punished. They are accepted as collateral damage for the maintenance of white supremacy.

Many Americans love to brag that theirs is the richest country in the world. There are certainly big banks, rich individuals and trillions of dollars in the treasury but the masses of people rarely benefit from this wealth. This country routinely ranks near the bottom when compared to other developed nations in any measure of how it treats its people. It is now considered a  second tier  nation in terms of the wellbeing of its citizens.

Death at the hands of police is the fate of an average of three people every day in the United States.

It is certainly unusual to have such a decidedly boorish president. Trump literally pushes other presidents aside, engages in public feuds with celebrities and makes anyone an enemy who dares to oppose him or his policies. He makes up terms like bigly and modern presidential and excoriates the press when they criticize him. Condemning this kind of behavior is the lowest hanging fruit.

Before Trump became president bad behavior at the top was usually sanitized with public relations. The corporate media and others among the ruling elites hid atrocities in plain sight with appealing narratives and good photo opportunities. They excused politicians who routinely benefited the 1% and disadvantaged everyone else. The end result is an ugly system that is made to look pretty with the right amount of marketing.

This phenomenon was especially true during the Barack Obama administration. He had the all-important buy-in from corporate media. They turned the Obamas into an American version of a royal family and then used his personal popularity to make the case for war crimes and bank bailouts. They worked hand in hand to make dirty deeds look clean.

This country routinely ranks near the bottom when compared to other developed nations in any measure of how it treats its people.

Obama and his predecessors undermined climate change agreements and made them toothless. Trump did one better by opting out but tremendous damage was done by a president who was called an environmentalist. Obama was called the peace candidate when he expanded wars. He fought hard to ratify the undemocratic, job killing TPP trade deal which was stopped only by Trumps white nationalist ideology.

Trump can be blamed for quite a lot during his first six months in office. His travel ban against citizens of seven nations is an unconstitutional exercise in Islamophobia and has been struck down by federal judges. Trump bans Libyans from traveling to the United States, but Obama destroyed that country and created an ongoing humanitarian disaster.

Let us condemn Trump for the right reasons. His erratic behavior is not demonstrated only on twitter posts. Just a few months ago his administration stated that regime change in Syria was no longer American policy. Now he uses his incompetent press secretary to announce that their will almost certainly be future false flag attacks against the Syrian government. The secretary of state and the National Security Council were unaware of this pronouncement, and that is very dangerous. It is a lot more dangerous than the president making personal attacks against media figures who fall out of favor with him.

Trump bans Libyans from traveling to the United States, but Obama destroyed that country and created an ongoing humanitarian disaster.

Trump is putting into practice Republican Party voter suppression schemes. He has established what he calls an election integrity commission and asked every state to provide names, Social Security numbers and party affiliation of their voters. The inevitable result will be the removal of black people from voter rolls. But the Democratic Party, which quite literally depends on black people in order to win elections, has demonstrated little ability to push back as forcefully as it ought to. Bland pronouncements are all they can muster when they should be in court filing lawsuits to protect the people they depend upon.

The list of reasons to be embarrassed about America is very long and it existed before Trump was inaugurated. He has surely added to that ledger but legitimate cause for concern shouldnt be pushed aside in favor of phony outrage about optics. President Trump is an ill- mannered, impulsive, happily uninformed bigot. Most of his predecessors were better behaved and followed rules of public relations. But they filled the jails, ended the right to public assistance, killed millions of people abroad, kept wages low and used a variety of schemes to make the rich even richer. Despite his obvious shortcomings Donald Trump is not the worst among them. And that is the most embarrassing fact of all.
End The Korean War





By Eric Margolis

July 08, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - I have some pretty severe things were thinking about, Trump said of North Korea at a news conference in Warsaw. Doesnt mean were going to do them.

What President Trump really meant is that he has painted the US into a corner with all his threats of war and really does not know what to do next. North Korea called his or else bluff. Good. No action on North Korea is better than any conceivable military operation.

Last week the North Korea test fired a new, longer-ranged strategic missile, Hwasong-14, that US experts claimed was capable of hitting Alaska and perhaps even San Francisco. North Korea is now believed to have mastered a lightweight nuclear warhead that can be carried by the Hwasong and shorter-ranged Taepodong and Nodong missiles.

North Korea cant today seriously threaten North America with missile strikes, but it probably will by 2019. Meanwhile, North Korean nuclear and conventionally-armed missiles (and this could include poison gas and biological warheads) today threaten the 80,000 plus US military personnel based in Japan, South Korea and Guam. They would be immediate targets should the US and South Korea attack the north.

Add tens of millions of South Korean and Japanese civilians who are at risk of North Korean retaliation. Half of South Koreas capitol, Seoul, is within range of North Korean heavy artillery and rocket batteries dug into the so-called Demilitarized Zone.

It would take only three nuclear weapons to shatter Japan and just two to cripple South Korea, not to mention polluting the globe with radioactive dust and contaminating North Asias water sources. Nuclear explosions would spread radioactive contamination over northern China and Pacific Russia.

Why are we even talking about nuclear war in North Asia?

Because North Korea has scraped and skimped for decades to build nuclear weapons for the sole reason of deterring a major US attack, including the use by the US of tactical nuclear weapons. Pakistan ate grass for decades to afford nuclear weapons to offset the threat from far more powerful India. Israel uses the same argument to justify its large nuclear arsenal.

After Washington overthrew the rulers of Iraq and Libya, it became painfully apparent that small nations without nuclear weapons were vulnerable to US regime change operations. The North Koreans, who are very eccentric but not stupid, rushed to accelerate their nuclear weapons and delivery systems.

Almost equally important, North Korea boasts one of the words biggest armies  1,020,000 men, 88,000 crack special forces, and an trained militia of over 5 million. The Norths weapons are obsolescent; its small air forces and navy will be vaporized by US power but its troops are deeply dug into the mountainous terrain and would be fighting from prepared positions. War against North Korea would be a slow and bloody slog even a repeat of the bloody, stalemated 1950-53 Korean War in which 39,000 Americans and at least 2.5 million Koreans died. Ive been in the deep North Korean-dug tunnels under the Demilitarized Zone. A full division can be moved through in only 60 minutes.

Ever since being soundly beaten in Vietnam and fought to a draw in Afghanistan, the US military has preferred to attack small countries like Panama, Grenada, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq and Syria. The Pentagon is not eager to tangle with the tough North Koreans. Estimates of the cost of a US invasion of North Korea have run as high as 250,000 US casualties and tens of billions of dollars.

Seemingly heedless of these hard facts, President Trump  who himself avoided national military service in the 1960s  keeps beating the war drums over North Korea and needling its thin-skinned regime with naval exercises, over-flights, and intensifying bombast. North Koreas Kim Jong-un has played right along, clearly relishing his game of chicken with tough-talking Donald Trump.

Trump seemed certain he could somehow cajole China into disarming North Koreas nuclear arsenal. But the administrations amateur foreign policymakers failed to understand that the only deal that could get China to disarm the North was by agreeing to remove all US military bases from the region  South Korea, Japan and Guam  and also moving the US Seventh Fleet far from Chinas coasts.

Growing US hysteria over North Korea, a nation of only 25 million, recalls the propaganda storm launched by Washington to justify its invasion of equally small Iraq. The dim-witted US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, has become point-woman for hurling warlike threats at North Korea even though this neocon poster-girls foreign affairs experience appears to have been limited to the International House of Pancakes in her native South Carolina.

Everyone seems to have forgotten, or ignores, that North Korea, South Korea and the United States remain in a state of war. The 1950-52 Korean War ended with a cease-fire, not a peace. The US has been trying to overthrow and undermine North Koreas Stalinist regimes ever since, using military threats, subversion and economic warfare. Talk of US-South Korean plans to decapitate North Koreas leadership with missile strikes and commando raids keeps giving Pyongyang the jitters.

South Koreas new president, Moon Jae-in, demanded that his nation be consulted before any military action. But Moons pleas have been largely ignored by Trump. Most South Koreans shrug off the Norths threats and seek to avoid war at all costs. Of course. They would be the primary victims.

The US has spent over $200 billion on ballistic anti-missile systems in recent years designed to stop North Korean missiles.

Unfortunately, these ABM systems dont work very well. More tens of billions will have to be spent before these anti-missile systems become reliable.

Would it not be easier and less expensive for grand deal-maker Trump to recognize North Korea, set up diplomatic relations, stop trying to overthrow the Kim regime, and finally end the Korean War?

Eric S. Margolis is an award-winning, internationally syndicated columnist. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune the Los Angeles Times, Times of London, the Gulf Times, the Khaleej Times, Nation  Pakistan, Hurriyet,  Turkey, Sun Times Malaysia and other news sites in Asia. https://ericmargolis.com

Copyright Eric S. Margolis 2017
The head pastor of the House of Joy Ministry,Bishop Sam Zuga has announced that he has produced water his own water which according to him can perform miracles. The head pastor of the House of Joy Ministry,Bishop Sam Zuga has announced that he has produced water his own water which according to him can perform miracles.

He noted that the water can see, hear, act, heal, revitalize dead businesses, excavate buried charms, open closed doors and wombs, force people who forget you to remember you, give bountiful harvest, open blocked brains caused by witchcraft and produce millionaires among millions of people in the world.

Nigerian bishop shares photos of him vacationing abroad to encourage his members Introducing his Wonder water on his social media page, Bishop Zuga.

Source: ( Gossip.naij.com )
The Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday declared Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party as the winner of the Osun West Senatorial District bye-election.

The election was held in the 10 local government areas that make up the district.

The winner, who is the younger brother of the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke, had 97,480 votes to defeat a former senator, Mudashiru Hussein, of the All Progressives Congress, who had 66,116 votes,

Announcing the result in Iwo, the Osun West Senatorial District headquarters, Baritor Kpagih, the INEC Residential Electoral Commissioner for the bye-election, said Adeleke won in nine out of the 10 local government areas where the election was held.

Kpagih consequently returned Adeleke as senator to complete the tenure of the late Adeleke, who died on April 23.

He gave the breakdown of the election results in the 10 local government areas as follows:

Iwo:

APC: 12,205

PDP: 12,547

Olaoluwa

APC: 5,316

PDP: 5,618

Ayedire

APC: 5,360

PDP: 5,789

Ejigbo

APC: 12,229

PDP: 9,723

Irewole

APC: 8,952

PDP: 9,096

Ede North

APC: 2,784

PDP: 18,559

Ede South

APC: 2,096

PDP: 13,406

Ayedaade

APC: 7179

PDP: 9,061

Egbedore

APC: 4,768

PDP: 7,142

Isokan

APC: 5,227

PDP: 6,539

Adeleke would represent the senatorial district till 2019 when another election would be conducted.
The legendary actor shared this photo with his cute son, Tega who is a year older today. Wishing him a Happy birthday, RMD wrote;

His was the first birth I witnessed. That phenomenon is amazing. I had heard of knees buckling so I was ready. I stilled myself for the moment and passed the test. I was a proud father when he was handed over to me in the very early hours of July 8th 2001.

I gave him back to his mom went outside to make the calls to family and -boom- it happened. My knees buckled and I slid to d ground like a boneless bag of rags. I believe I was talking to @delemomoduovation when that happened. That baby has grown into a fine young boy @tegathegiant. He is kind, has generosity of spirit, wants to save the world and is the life of the party. As far as 16 year old boys go, Tega is probably the wisest and most compassionate of them all. While other teenagers are stuck on lifestyle and music channels, this one lives on Discovery, History and Animal Planet channels and comes up with the deepest, isnt he too young to worry about things like this conversations. Outside of basket ball which is the center of his life, I dont think he likes anything more than he loves dogs and animals in general and I am actually proud he intends to save the world and all the animals in it. My prayer for you today son, is that you will never lose the essence of who you are and that the beauty of your heart and soul will never depart from you. Tegs, all your dreams will come true and you will be greater than any of us ever can ever think or imagine. I love you to pieces. Happy birthday son.
The Cameroons High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Abbas Salahedine, has been summoned by the Foreign Affairs Ministry to give explanations on the report of maltreatment and killings of Nigerians in the Bakassi Peninsula by Cameroonian Gendarmes.

A statement by the Ministrys Acting Spokesperson, Mrs Jane Adams, expressed dismay on the incident said to have been occasioned by alleged non-payment of taxes on fishing activities.

The ministry has instructed the Nigerian Missions in Yaounde and Buea, to investigate the report with a view to confirming their veracity and inform Headquarters immediately.

The ministry appeals to the Cameroonian authorities to exercise their duty of care and protection over the people of Bakassi, including other Nigerian citizens in the area, the statement said.

A report on Friday had stated that no fewer than 97 Nigerians were killed as Cameroon Gendarmes allegedly attacked residents of Bakassi over failure to pay a N100,000 boat levy.

The report stated that the attackers sacked mainly Nigerians from Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Ondo state.

Many others were however said to have escaped at midnight with their fishing boats and arrived at Ikang in Bakassi and Ibaka in Akwa Ibom.

The killing and sacking of Nigerians in former Bakassi is believed to be a violation of the 2005 Green Tree Agreement (GTA) by the Nigeria-Cameroon Mixed Commission.

The Agreement stipulated that the Bakassi returnees must be properly resettled to their natural habitat so that they can have a meaningful living.

The GTA also states that Nigerians who choose to remain in Cameroon can do so without any molestation.

Source: ( PM News )
Former Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, was welcomed and cheered when he visited Kano state recently. He has continued to receive special treatment and goodwill from Nigerians despite leaving the office two years ago. Former Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, was welcomed and cheered when he visited Kano state recently. He has continued to receive special treatment and goodwill from Nigerians despite leaving the office two years ago.

GEJ paid a recent visit to Kano state on July 8, where he had gone to pay his condolences to the state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, over the death of Ambassador Dr. Yusuf Maitama Sule.

The people of the state gave him a rousing welcome, with the large crowd flaunting customised banners, chanting his name and even receiving him straight from the private jet he came in.

Source: ( Gossip.naij.com )
As time ticking down to the 2019 Presidential elections, some individuals have started showing their interests to contesting for the post of the president. The political campaign poster of a man who wants to return to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, was recently spotted somewhere in Gboko, Benue state. As time ticking down to the 2019 Presidential elections, some individuals have started showing their interests to contesting for the post of the president. The political campaign poster of a man who wants to return to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, was recently spotted somewhere in Gboko, Benue state.

As Nigerians consciously and conscientiously start preparing for the 2019 elections, aspiring candidates have started circulating their campaign posters. Some posters including one depicting President Muhammadu Buharis interest to run for a second term, was also spotted recently, somewhere in Abuja.

On closer observations, the Ceasers and Belongs, were written in capital letter, possibly depicting the party abbreviations (CBC). Could that be the name of the party he represents?

Source: ( Gossip.naij.com )
Three persons were on Saturday confirmed dead when a storey building collapsed at Oforola in the Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State.

A family of seven persons were living in the building as of the time the building collapsed,The PUNCH learnt .

The state commissioner of police, Chris Ezike, who confirmed the incident to our correspondent, said that one Mr Marcellenus Okpomechela and his two other children died while his wife, Felicia Okpomechela and three other of their children sustained injuries and were rushed to the hospital.

The CP said that a rescue mission was on going , adding that the state Deputy Governor , Eze Madumere, and Deputy Chief of Staff (operations) Kingsley Uju had visited the scene of the tragedy.

The state chairman of Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr Emeka Ugoanyawu, confirmed the incident to our correspondent on the phone .

An eyewitness, Mr Dan Opara, told our correspondent, that the incident occurred around 4am.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
A heartless man who brutally strangled and shot his wife dead before killing his neighbour and pastor after cheating rumours has been caged.

Andres Andy Avalos Jr. was sentenced to life in prison late Monday for the first-degree murders of his neighbor, Denise Potter, and the Rev. James Tripp Battle. The verdict was read after the jury of 12 deliberated for more than three hours.

On Saturday afternoon, the jury found Avalos guilty of two counts of first-degree murder for the slayings of Potter and Battle. He was also found guilty of second-degree murder in the slaying of his wife, Amber Avalos.

The punishment phase of the trial started Monday morning.

In Battles murder, while the jurors did find that aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating circumstances, they were not unanimous in their vote for the death penalty  with a vote of 7 to 5. In Potters murder, the aggravating factors were not found to have outweighed the mitigating circumstances.

A sentencing hearing for the murder of his wife, Amber, will be set for a later date. Avalos also is still facing an attempted murder charge for allegedly stabbing a fellow inmate at the Manatee County jail.

Battles widow, Joy, said afterward that she was pleased with the verdict.

Im not saying that Andy didnt deserve death, but what we really wanted was justice. Spending life in prison is justice, Joy Battle said. Im at peace.

For her, Mondays verdict finally put this to a close.

I felt that this was very important for me to do, seeking justice for Tripp, and I feel like this has been seen through,she said. While we hurt and while we miss him and while there will always be a deficit, the three of us stand together strong, united as a family of three.

Battle still prays for Avalos, she said.

I hope that one day he will come to a place of knowing the Lord and it will change his heart, and that he will have true repentance about what has happened, Joy Battle said.

She was grateful to State Attorney Ed Brodsky, Assistant State Attorney Art Brown and all the victims advocates who helped get them through the very difficult process, she later added.

Brodsky and Brown were disappointed with the verdict, but respected the jurys decision, Brodsky said afterward.

This was a case that we strongly believed in the death penalty, Brodsky said. We certainly believe that the actions of the defendant in this case warranted it. We still believe that way.

Changes in Floridas sentencing scheme while this case was being prosecuted made it more challenging, he added. The new law puts a larger burden on the state and also requires that the jurys decision be unanimous.

Brown thought they had put on a strong case, in both phases.

Our ultimate goal is always to safeguard the community from dangerous individuals, and I think we have done that with the fact that we have to prevent Mr. Avalos from ever harming another Manatee County citizen again, Brown said.

For Battles mother, Rhonda, the verdict was also disappointing.

I think my heart is still broken and it always will be, Rhonda Battle said. Even though this is over, its nice to know that its over, but I still miss him.

Im glad we can try to heal, Ashley Battle said. Well never be whole again. Weve lost a great loss. Theres no getting that back.

Inside the courtroom Monday morning, jurors watched as she and others broke down in tears detailing the impact of their loss.

He was supposed to be my permanent lifelong best friend, Ashley Battle said through sobs. I never imagined my life without my brother.

In her eyes, her brother was bullet-proof, Ashley Battle said.

I will be mourning the loss of my brother, my confidant, my protector and my best friend for the rest of my life, she said. I would not wish this kind of loss on anyone. I lost my whole way of living life.

Because of the impact on other family members, Ashley Battle said she feels like she has lost so much because she has lost part of them. Her brother was her mentor, and she could tell him anything without feeling judged.

Joy Battle told the jury how the loss of her husband left a void in her and their childrens lives.

As a mother, I have had to hold my 8-year-old daughter as she cries out for her father, she read from her prepared statement as she began to sob. There is a bond and a camaraderie between a father and son.

Her son, who was 3 years old when Battle was murdered, will never have that relationship, she said.

Meg Faillace, Potters sister-in-law, took the stand and read her own statement, as well as those from other members of Potters family.

She recalled for the jury holding her two youngest nephews on Dec. 4, 2014, as they again cried for the loss of a parent. Less than three years before Potters murder, the boys lost their father, Potters husband, who died of a heart attack.

Faillace read a statement from Julie Kinkol, Potters aunt.

I was in Florida the days following the murder of my niece. I witnessed first-hand the sorrow, confusion and sadness of  her two youngest sons, Konkol wrote. My heart broke thinking of how these little boys would spend the rest of their lives without their father and now their mother being violently snatched from them. Their lives will never be the same.

She wont be there for their graduations, their first dates, their weddings, or the birth of their children, Kinkols letter continued.

Potter missed the birth of her first grandchild, her eldest sons daughter, less than a year after her murder.

Denise will never have the chance to be a grandma, Konkol said. The countless people who knew and loved Denise will forever have missing from their lives her beautiful smile, her contagious love of life, and her gentle and loving soul. Our hearts ache and our eyes well up with tears thinking of what might have been.

In the courtroom on Monday were members of Avalos family.

Andres Avalos Sr. told the jury about his and his wifes troubled past, including their divorce, drinking and how they remarried after finding God. He said he started drinking when he was 12 years old and was a drunk since age 16. There was a period of eight to 10 years when they were not good parents, he said.

My wife and I are not in denial of what our children do, Avalos said.

But he said he had tried to get his son help.

The most frustrating thing about this is that we shouldnt be here and dont need to be here, he said, becoming emotional. I saw it. I tried to get him help.

Avalos mother  dressed in all black with dark sunglasses  thanked the jury but told them there was no right answer for what they were about to decide.
A 22-year-old Ghanaian farmer identified as Amadu Razak has attempted to commit suicide after his 19 year-old wife gave birth to a set of quadruplets. The farmer Razak and his wife who are from Bodada in the Jasikan District of the Volta region were blessed with all girls. A 22-year-old Ghanaian farmer identified as Amadu Razak has attempted to commit suicide after his 19 year-old wife gave birth to a set of quadruplets. The farmer Razak and his wife who are from Bodada in the Jasikan District of the Volta region were blessed with all girls.

The beautiful girls were delivered through a caesarean section which took place at Worawora Government hospital with the help of medical practitioner team led by Dr Micah Duke Boye.

Sadly what is supposed to be a thing of joy has turned of sour after Adamu revealed in a chat with Adomonlines Gershon Mortey that life will be very difficult and unbearable for him while taking care of his girls with the little produce he gets from his farm.

He stated that he had to borrow some money to pay off the medical bills and he is pondering on how to return the money to the owners.

Adamu noted that killing himself might be the only option if government and philanthropists dont come to his aid.

Source:( Gossip.naij.com )
A newlywed Nigerian woman, 45 year old Uloma Curry-Walker, who was accused of soliciting her firefighter husbands murder in order to collect $100,000 in insurance money has been convicted of aggravated murder. As God will have it, she wasted her husbands life for nothing because his ex-wife was still the beneficiary of his Insurance policy.

Uloma could receive life in prison without parole for the November 2013 murder of her late William Walker, whom she had married just four months prior.

Jurors deliberated for less than two hours before coming back with the verdict Friday,

Prosecutors said Uloma was way over her head after running up tens of thousands of dollars in debt when she asked her then-17-year-old daughter and her daughters boyfriend to find someone to kill her husband so she could collect the insurance money.

According to court testimony, Uloma gave the boyfriend, Chad Padgett, a $1,000 down payment to carry out the murder. Padgett then contacted his cousin Chris Hein, who initially failed in his attempt to kill Walker. Hein then turned to Ryan Dorty to carry out the murder.



William Walker

Prosecutors said Dorty ambushed Walker and shot him four times as he returned home from getting fast food that Uloma had ordered.

She and her husband were packing the night he was killed for a move to a house they had purchased outside Cleveland.

The daughter, Padgett, Hein and Dorty testified against Uloma at trial as part of plea deal for their roles in the murder conspiracy. Hein agreed to a sentence of 18 years to life; Padgett 28 years to life; and Dorty 23 years to life. Prosecutors agreed not to seek adult charges against Ulomas 17 year old daughter due to her age. They only sentenced her to a month in a juvenile detention center.



Chad Padgett

The daughter testified at trial that her mother told her:

No one would believe I would hire a bunch of kids to kill someone when I know people that could. Uloma wrote a confession the day she surrendered to police that said she killed her husband because he was abusive.



Chris Hein

But a police investigation found that Ulomas plan to collect the Insurance money was futile because her late husband had not yet changed the beneficiary on the insurance policy from his ex-wifes name to Ulomas when he was killed, so it was the ex-wife who received the money, she so desperately wanted.

Sentencing for Uloma is scheduled for Aug. 8.



Ryan Dorty
The Emir of Keffi, Dr Shehu Yamusa, has warned Nigerians to resist seeking disintegration of the country.The Emir made reference to the agitation for Biafra and the quit notice to the Igbos by some northern youths, said the agitators were ignorant of the challenges of the 1966-1970 civil in Nigeria.

The monarch said in Keffi that agitations and threats for some groups to leave the North were not necessary, adding that the country belongs to everyone.

According to him, the northerners had always been their brothers keepers, adding that they should live happily to improve on the commercial transactions in their domains for economic prosperity rather than quit notice.

The Ibos and Northerners fought for the Nigerian independence and having secured it, it must be enjoyed by all because we are one, the monarch said.

On the clamour for the restructuring of Nigeria, the emir said the problem would not be resolve through restructuring, adding that the leaders and the people should exercise discipline and observe the rule of law on the issue.

With discipline and commitment, Nigeria would be a better place.

On why the economic recession was yet to be abated in spite Federal Governments effort, the traditional ruler called on the government to invest more in farming.

He further urged that such investment should not be on paper work, radio and television, but by going to the rural areas and joining hand with the community leaders to ensure improved farming.

The diversification of economy is very important because it will assist in raising the revenue generation benchmark as well as the creation of expertise in different fields.

Nigeria is highly endowed, especially with natural resources, with so many deposits in different states of the federation.

All that is needed is the commitment for the natural resources to be developed for revenue and less reliance on federal allocation.

Speaking on corruption, Yamusa noted that the it had remained the bane of Nigerias development.

He called for the reintroduction of the War Against Indiscipline (WAI), saying that charity should begin at home, especially for the children.

NAN reports that General Muahmmadu Buhari introduced WAI to instill discipline in the people when he was the Head of State in the 80s.

According to the emir, if that is done, children will grow with discipline, adding that it will also go a long way to further check corruption in Nigeria.

The monarch commended the present administration for wining war against insecurity in the country but called on the people to see security as a collective responsibility.

He urged the people to give useful information to security agencies on any suspected movement in their areas to boost the success so far recorded against crime and criminality in the country.

Source: ( PM News )
A 45 year old Nigerian woman identified as Uloma Curry-Walker, who was accused of soliciting her firefighter husbands murder in order to collect $100,000 in insurance money has been convicted of aggravated murder. As God will have it, she wasted her husbands life for nothing because his ex-wife was still the beneficiary of his Insurance policy.

Uloma could receive life in prison without parole for the November 2013 murder of her late William Walker, whom she had married just four months prior.

Jurors deliberated for less than two hours before coming back with the verdict Friday,

Prosecutors said Uloma was way over her head after running up tens of thousands of dollars in debt when she asked her then-17-year-old daughter and her daughters boyfriend to find someone to kill her husband so she could collect the insurance money.

According to court testimony, Uloma gave the boyfriend, Chad Padgett, a $1,000 down payment to carry out the murder. Padgett then contacted his cousin Chris Hein, who initially failed in his attempt to kill Walker. Hein then turned to Ryan Dorty to carry out the murder.

Prosecutors said Dorty ambushed Walker and shot him four times as he returned home from getting fast food that Uloma had ordered.

She and her husband were packing the night he was killed for a move to a house they had purchased outside Cleveland.

The daughter, Padgett, Hein and Dorty testified against Uloma at trial as part of plea deal for their roles in the murder conspiracy. Hein agreed to a sentence of 18 years to life; Padgett 28 years to life; and Dorty 23 years to life. Prosecutors agreed not to seek adult charges against Ulomas 17 year old daughter due to her age.

They only sentenced her to a month in a juvenile detention center.

The daughter testified at trial that her mother told her:

No one would believe I would hire a bunch of kids to kill someone when I know people that could. Uloma wrote a confession the day she surrendered to police that said she killed her husband because he was abusive.

Source: ( Linda ikeji )
Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria has made a startling revelation of how former Nigerian dictator, Sani Abacha poisoned the late Shehu Musa YarAdua whose younger brother later became President of Nigeria.

A former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday made a baffling confession how late dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha killed the late Shehu Musa YarAdua in prison by injecting him with a deadly virus. He also said that Abacha made sure that June 12 hero, the late Moshood Abiola didnt make it out of prison alive.

Obasanjo made the sad revelation at a dinner programme organised by an inter-denominational Christian organisation, Christ The Redeemers Friends International of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos Province 39 Chapter.

He said YarAdua was poisoned by Abachas killer squad, adding that he was to be next victim, but that he was saved by Gods divine grace.

Obasanjo said, Two people had earlier told me Abacha promised that three of us would not come out of prison or detention alive; myself. Shehu Yar Adua and MKO Abiola. And two of them did not come out alive. So, that I came out alive, maybe God has a purpose. And therefore if the purpose is for me to serve the people and by so doing, serve God, then so be it.

Abacha claimed that I was plotting a coup. I wasnt the first to be arrested. When Shehu (YarAdua) was arrested, I tried to plead for his release. When Abacha said he didnt know about Shehus arrest, I said to him, the number two man in this country cannot be arrested without you knowing. He then said he would go and find out.

In Abachas plan, he left God out of it and because he left God out of his plan, it (his government) eventually failed. There is Gods hand in the life of each and every one of us and every institution. I believe that very well.

When I was arrested, they took me to a house in Ikoyi (Lagos) and that became my abode (I was) in isolation, for three months.

In the meantime, there were national and international pressures for my release, (former US) President Jimmy Carter was one of the world leaders that came to ask for my release. Some African leaders like Yoweri Museveni and Robert Mugabe came. I believe it was because of those pressures that I was released from isolation in Ikoyi where I was under house arrest.

Recounting the day he was court-martialled and sentenced as one of the worst days in his life, Obasanjo said: I must say that, that day, in a split second, it felt like the worst day in my life. What flashed through my mind was that I was forever ruined. I asked myself, What did I do to deserve this? Is this what I get for serving Nigeria? But then, I told myself again that this was not done to me by Nigeria, but that one man did it for me.

Narrating his time in Jos and Port Harcourt prisons, he said, I was to go to Jos (prison) and YarAdua was to go to Port Harcourt (prison). In Jos, I was visited by my colleagues, including Yakubu Danjuma, Joe Garba, Domkat Bali, many of our colleagues, and then family members and friends.

Then a decision was made that I was becoming too popular in Jos prison and I had to be transferred to. Yola prison which is a native authority prison and I dont need to tell you what life was there.

In Jos prison, before I was transferred to Yola prison, they had decided that Shehu YarAdua and myself should be poisoned. So, they took him from Port Harcourt prison to Abakaliki. In the process, he was injected with the virus that killed him. The same was supposed to be done to me. The man who came took me from the prison to a guest house in the GRA in Jos, said, We know you have problem with cholesterol so I have to take your blood for a test. Then I said, Not on your life, I dont have any problem of cholesterol.

I was slightly diabetic. But God had taken care of it because I was checking my blood sugar almost on a daily basis and it had become better than normal. So, I refused him (the man) touching me with anything. So, they took me to Yola and he said, when you get to where you are going, we will come again.

The former president said he was saved from being poisoned by a doctor and specialist in the prison.

The doctor was a professional man in charge of the General Hospital in Yola. He listened to my case that I needed special food because I was diabetic. He said the specialist would come to see me. The specialist turned out to be somebody from Okeogun in Oyo State. Two, he was a Baptist, and three, he had heard about me and knew me. So, he looked at me and said, Dont let anybody touch you with anything.

Within three weeks the man that came to me earlier returned again and said he wanted to take my blood. I said, No, you have to get my doctor to come and take my blood for you. That was the arrangement between me and the doctor. And my doctor came and he brought a syringe and he took my blood and gave it to him. He now asked the man, When would we have the result?The man said, Within 24 hours of my getting to Abuja.I havent heard the result till today.

Obasanjo said after his release from prison, he gave into pressure to contest for the presidency and he ended up becoming president for two terms by the grace of God. Nigeria that was a pariah state became a darling (of the world).

What is the lesson for me? I developed in prison but unfortunately I was not able to sustain it. Maybe because there was nothing else to do in prison except to pray and fast. I used to fast a lot. On three occasions, I fasted for seven days, no water, no food a unique power was given to me by God.

In all these, God did not leave me alone, and I know that. I say to people that God has never let me alone nor disappointed me in spite of all. I am a sinner. It is not because of my goodness, but because of the grace of God, and the grace of God continues to abound.
Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God has laid curses on cultists and criminals making life difficult for Nigerians.

Speaking at the churchs monthly Holy Ghost Service at the new Arena, Pastor Adeboye said, My Father, send down your fire on all every society or cult groups shedding blood of innocent Nigerians.

Send down Your fire upon every person or organisation that are making life difficult for the common people people of the nation. Father expose them and dislodge them.

Source: News Helm
A pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), his wife, their two children and a church worker, were crushed to death by two containers yesterday in Lagos while on their way home from the monthly Holy Ghost vigil of the church, The Nation has reported.

It was also gathered that three other people were left injured and barely escaped from the tragedy. The man of God identified as Pastor Charles Ito and his wife Rosaline were killed alongside others. The names of the children and the church worker could not be immediately confirmed.

According to the report, the accident happened after two tyres of the truck carrying the containers unexpectedly lost pressure which made the vehicle tilt heavily on one side, just by the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) terminal on the Lagos /Ikorodu road, Ojota.

The truck soon lost its balance, flinging the two containers down and on the mini bus in which the pastor and other victims were travelling. Five people died on the spot. Three others were trapped in the crushed bus.

Officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Fire Service, and Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) raced to the scene and succeeded in rescuing the three.

Among those rescued were Olasunkanmi Adeogun of 133, Olatunji Street, Ojota, and another young man identified as Ifeanyi. All the victims are from RCCG Province 8, sources said yesterday.

They said the bus belonged to the late pastor. The scene was littered yesterday with dismembered human parts, which were later packed by rescue workers.

Eyewitnesses said the trailer driver fled the scene as soon as the accident occurred. His conductor was however apprehended and handed over to the police. Hoodlums who got to the scene early were said to have attempted to rob the rescue workers.

The saving grace was the police and NSCDC operatives drafted to the spot.

The accident triggered a traffic gridlock on the route and officials had to break the median demarcating the BRT lane to make way for the heavy duty equipment used in clearing the scene.

Commissioner of Police Fatai Owoseni who was at the scene confirmed that five persons were killed and three others rescued alive.

He said it was time people started obeying traffic laws, adding that apart from the trucks bad tyres, it lacked capacity to carry the two containers.

He said: We will spare nothing to arrest the driver of this truck. Even the truck owner, under the Lagos State Traffic Rules, has some questions to answer. We would focus attention more on people conforming with the law.

He urged those who suspect that their relatives could be among the victims to go to Alausa Police Station for identification.

Also speaking, the General Manager LASEMA, Adesina Tiamiyu said: Around 3:45am today (Saturday), our men got here after we received information that people were trapped in a bus that was smashed by container. We had to break the median for equipment to access the spot and we noticed that three of the persons trapped were alive.

Fortunately, we were able to bring them out alive, while the other five who were already dead, have been evacuated as well.

The agency, later issued a statement saying: The agencys emergency response team (ERT) received a distressed call regarding an accident at Ojota bus stop on the July 8, 2017, about 4:02am. This prompted the immediate activation of the agencys ERT to the scene of the incident.

Investigation carried out by the ERT at the scene revealed that an articulated truck with registration number AKD 663 KF conveyed 40ft container laden with plywood fell on Volkswagen commercial bus (Danfo) with registration number FST 944 XR which the passengers were trapped.

The prompt intention by the LASEMA response unit led to the rescue of three victims who were taken to the Trauma Centre Toll Gate, while five dead bodies trapped in the bus were extricated and taken to Ikorodu General Hospital Mortuary.
An evil woman who brutally murdered her husband before stabbing her five other children to death has been arrested.

A woman has brutally murdered her husband and four young children at their home outside Atlanta early Thursday. AFP revealed that five of the kids were apparently stabbed to death. A fifth child, a 9-year-old girl, survived and was hospitalized with injuries described as serious, police said.

The woman was detained by police after the bodies were found inside the home in Loganville, Gwinnett County police Cpl. Michele Pihera told reporters at the scene. Police later charged 33-year-old Isabel Martinez with five counts of malice murder, five counts of murder and six counts of aggravated assault.

She was quickly taken into custody and right now shes at Gwinnett County Police Headquarters being interviewed, Pihera said. Police have not said whether she was injured but said she was cooperating with investigators, though they were not releasing the motive for the slayings.

Right now we believe we have everybody involved in this crime, Pihera said, adding that she does not want people in the community to think that a dangerous person is at large.

Pihera confirmed that the 911 call came from an adult woman who was inside the home. Pihera says police believe the suspect made that call.

Pihera said the caller was speaking Spanish, which initially made it difficult for 911 operators to communicate with her. The county sheriffs office said Martinez is being held for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement but didnt provide further details.

Early indications are that a knife was used to attack the five, though a medical examiner will make the final determination about the cause of death, Pihera said.

The hospitalized girl, Diana Romero, was in serious but stable condition Thursday evening, police said in a brief update on the case.

The four children killed have been identified as Isabela Martinez, 10; Dacota Romero, 7; Dillan Romero, 4; and Axel Romero, 2. Their slain father was Martin Romero, 33, Pihera said.

Psychologists and others who study cases of mothers accused of killing their children say its not as uncommon as people might believe. But media coverage often focuses on dramatic cases, such as Andrea Yates who was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the 2001 drowning deaths of her five children.

Other cases get less attention, as when a woman hides or leaves a newborn or in childrens deaths blamed on neglect, said Cheryl Meyer, a professor of psychology at Wright State University in Ohio.

She co-authored two books on mothers who have killed children, based on an analysis of about 1,000 cases during the 1990s. That amounts to one death every three days. If anything, the total based on media reports at the time underestimates the reality, she said.

In cases where mothers do kill intentionally, Meyer said there is often another influence, such as mental health issues, postpartum depression or the loss of a close loved one.

We like to classify these women as pariahs, that they arent at all like us, Meyer said. I found that was not the case.

Police initially said in a statement that a woman inside the home called police at 4:47 a.m. Thursday to report a stabbing and officers answering the call found the five bodies inside.

Outside the single-story home with white paneling and black shutters, neighbors sat in their front yards later Thursday. Crime scene tape surrounded the home and parts of the yard in the Loganville area, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Atlanta.

Some neighbors in the small, largely Hispanic neighborhood said they had no clue anything was amiss in the home until police mobbed the scene Thursday morning. The neighbors said the Spanish-speaking family had moved to the community recently, and their children seemed happy playing with other neighborhood kids.

Victoria Nievs said the childrens mother had recently suffered the death of her father.

Jim Hollandsworth is spokesman at the Path Project, a nonprofit organization that runs an after-school program that the familys children participated in. He said the family had been in the community for a few months. While the children spoke English as a second language, he said, they were fluent.

Its awful. Its devastating. Everyone is in complete shock, he said. The kids were engaged in what were doing. They were happy. They were fantastic kids with a bright future.
Policemen in Lagos have arrested two deadly armed robbers who have been terrorizing people in Mile 2 area of Lagos state.

The operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested two suspected robbers who specialise in attacking and robbing motorists and commuters in Mile 2 area of Lagos State.

The suspects, Sunday Chukwunweike (26) and Emmanuel Friday (28) were arrested after mid  night on Mile 2 Bridge in Lagos after robbing a breakdown trucks driver, Yinusa Salami alongside two other accomplices, Silas and Sule, both still at large of a sum of N45,000 and his mobile phone.

In his confession, one of the suspects, Emmanuel, a secondary school dropout who later became a bus conductor in the area said, I was in the company of my friends when we saw the driver. He was coming from Apapa. He stopped on the bridge to pick somebody.

It was the elderly ones among us that robbed him. I thought they were going to drop some money for us to eat when approached him.

It was Silas and Sule that dipped their hands in his pockets and brough out some money.

They took the money and the phone and we went our way.

They later told us that it was N40,000: 00 they took in his pocket. Because they are stronger than us, they gave my colleague and I N10,000:00 to share. We were hungry, that was what made us follow them. I took to the street after dropping out of school to fend for myself.

Although, I have participated in so many crimes such as inter-group fight, hemp smoking, pick pocketing and the rest, I have never been involved in robbery or threatening people with gun or dangerous objects.

Emmanuel added, I have been to the prison twice, one in 2013 where I spent 7 months and also in 2016 where I bagged 3 months after engaging in street fighting

He continued: Silas and Sule forcefully collected a sum of N45,000 from the truck driver and gave both me and Chukwunweike N10,000 as share from the loot. We went back to our usual joint before the truck driver led men of the Rapid Response Squad to arrest us.

On his part, Chukwunweike, an ex-convict confessed to the crime but blamed his wrong doing to the hard life which he had expose himself to on the street. I came back from prison after spending 3 months but here I am again in another mess.

The truck driver, Yinusa Salami stated that he stopped at the bridge to pick up his brother who was waiting for him there. I was coming from Apapa and heading to Osun. I wanted to assist my brother who was equally going to Osun State. I got to the bridge and I alighted from the truck, that was when I saw four of them.

I was about giving them some money when they seized my arms, before dragging me to the ground and forcefully collected all the money in my pocket totalling N45,000 claiming they control the area and nothing can happen afterwards.

I approached men of RRS stationed at the other side of the bridge to report the incident. They followed me to track the boys. That was when we saw the two of them trying to split their own share of the money. They were arrested there but the other two guys escaped.

The suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigations and prosecution.
Everton striker, Romelu Lukaku is set to have a medical with Manchester United after they agreed to pay Everton an initial 75m for the Belgium striker.

The deal for the 24-year-old, initially reported by BBC Sport on Thursday, is believed to include 15m in add-ons.

United said they were delighted to agree a deal, and the move was subject to a medical and personal terms.

Chelsea had matched the Red Devils bid, but appear set to miss out on re-signing their former player.

The Blues were not willing to match the fees Lukakus agent, Mino Raiola, would earn if the forward moved to Old Trafford.

A further announcement will be made in due course, United added.

Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho was manager of Chelsea when they sold Lukaku to Everton for 28m in July 2014.

The Belgian scored 25 Premier League goals last season, and United have been chasing him for most of the summer.

They are keen to conclude a deal before they depart for a pre-season tour to the United States on Sunday.

Lukaku is already in the US, where he and United midfielder Paul Pogba have been spending time and training together, with Pogba posting updates on his Instagram page.

Wayne Rooney is not expected to be part of Uniteds squad for the trip as he looks set to return to Everton on a free transfer. The two deals are not connected.

Lukaku was 18 when he signed for Chelsea from Anderlecht in August 2011 for a fee reported to be about 20m.

He made just one Premier League start for the club and spent time on loan at West Bromwich Albion and Everton before sealing a permanent move to Goodison Park.

Lukaku turned down the most lucrative contract offer in Evertons history in March, thought to be worth 140,000 a week, and later said: I dont want to stay at the same level. I want to improve and I know where I want to do that.
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Editors Note: This is the second of two articles by Burand based on his most recent 50-page whitepaper, State of the P&C Insurance Industry 2017. The whitepaper is available from Insurance Journals Research and Trends division here. The first article in the series is Agencies Facing Paradigm Shift.

The year 2015 marked the first time in history that 10 property/casualty insurance companies wrote more than 50 percent of P&C net premium written (NPW). A.M. Best lists approximately 1,200 P&C organizations. Ten of these organizations (Ill refer to them as carriers for simplicity) write more premiums than the other 1,190 combined!

Market concentration is even higher if one looks at the top 90 carriers (or 7.5 percent of all carriers) by NPW. Combined, they write more than 86 percent of all premiums. This percentage has been consistent for approximately 10 years. Think about this: 90 carriers write 86 percent of all premiums and the remaining 1,190 carriers write 14 percent. The remaining carriers average .012 of a percent market share each. In other words, any one or any 10 or possibly any 100 of these carriers are arguably superfluous to the industry. A few in specific small niches play important roles but the clear majority of these carriers really do not matter to the industry. They may matter greatly to specific agents and they matter considerably to the employees, executives and shareholders of these companies, but they do not matter overall.

Paretos Law states, per Wikipedia, that roughly 80 percent of the effects come from 20 percent of the causes. The P&C industry ratio is 86 percent of the effects come from 7.5 percent of the causes, an extreme version of Paretos Law for sure. Just because a carrier is outside the top 90 does not mean the company is not any good or it will not grow to become a top 90 carrier. It does mean it might have a much more difficult road to travel to attain success because the industry is clearly weighted favorably toward larger companies.

Many carriers are clearly setting themselves up to be sold. Most are too insignificant without a niche and without the true leadership ability to develop quality niches.

Just because a carrier is in the top 90 though does not mean, by any stretch, the carrier has it made. The top 90 carrier list is fairly fluid. Ive been tracking the top 90 carrier groups for approximately 20 years. Going back 10 years, 22 companies in 2016s top 90 list were outside the top 90. That is almost 25 percent which means 25 percent of the 90 largest carriers 10 years ago are, today, smaller in market share or are nonexistent. Which 25 percent will be gone in the next 10 years?

Even compared to just five years ago, 13 new carriers are on the list, which means 14 percent have come and gone. Almost all the comers and goers have market share between 31 and 90. The top 30 carriers, by NPW market share, exhibit more stability. Using the 60 remaining carriers, roughly 20 percent of these carriers turns over every five years.

Here is Burands 50-page whitepaper, State of the P&C Insurance Industry 2017

Within the top 90, almost 25 percent had negative NPW growth in 2016. Almost nine percent have gone backwards each of the last two years, four percent have negative growth the last three years, and three percent have negative growth the last four consecutive years. So just because a carrier has material market share does not mean it is safe and just because a carrier is outside the top 90 does not mean it does not have a future. But a top 90 carrier with competent management has a far easier future than a small carrier, all else being equal.

Disappearing Premiums

As premiums decrease due to technology (auto premiums alone are forecast to decrease 20 percent), carriers are going to fight harder than ever for growth. The small carriers are less likely to have the tools required to fight this fight. To create some context, personal and commercial auto premiums are roughly $229 billion. If 20 percent of auto premiums are removed, or $46 billion, that is more premium than the second largest carrier, Berkshire Hathaway, wrote in 2016 (Berkshire Hathaway only wrote $39 billion in 2016). It is more premium than the carriers ranked 14-21 in 2016 collectively write. These are some of the largest carriers in the industry. It is no wonder the carriers are urgently trying to figure out how to replace the premiums that are going to disappear. Some of these decreases will be offset with new sales of cyber and other new coverages. However, these facts support the industrys need to consolidate carriers because there simply is not going to be nearly enough premium to sustain all 1,200 carriers that exist today.

For carriers, the solution is the same as the solution for any small business. If one is not truly big enough to be a generalist, then become a niche player with high quality products and services. Then go one step further than what most insurance companies have truly taken, and actually test the products and services. I have met way too many insurance company executives who think their company is great, the best thing since sliced bread, and yet they have no clue. Moreover, they refuse to test.

Technology Investment

Next, invest in technology. Obvious  correct? Yes, but not all carrier executives see the obvious. For example, I know of company executives that have strategized and are strategizing that with each new acquisition, IT integration is unnecessary. I always wonder how they do their financials, if nothing else. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) might want to ask this question if they are already wondering about a carriers financials. If my thoughts are correct on this point, then investing in IT is not as obvious as it sounds.

A huge problem old insurance companies have is that their IT systems are old. Updating an insurance companys system to truly be modern is a Herculean task. New carriers have a competitive advantage in this area. I feel for the older carriers because they really dont have a choice but to invest large sums wisely, effectively and immediately, if they havent already, in their legacy systems. If for no other reason, these legacy systems must be improved so they can be better integrated with the new AI technology. So easily said and so difficult to do.

These factors are why many carriers are clearly setting themselves up to be sold. Most are too insignificant without a niche and without the true leadership ability to develop quality niches. Some are so small though, or maybe they are a mutual, and no one will buy them. Those carriers in particular may be in the worst position.

Maybe a roll-up opportunity exists. A roll-up looks like the strategy a couple of entities are using. Buying insurance companies, especially rolling them up, is riskier than buying agencies. This industry has a long, long history, testified by the many gravestones of serial buyers of insurance companies, that this acquisition will be different.

Larger Distribution

Beyond the industrys shrinkage, another reason carriers want to buy other carriers is they are adamant they will not let distributors become so large, as some already are, that the distributor does not need the carrier. Historically carriers have been far larger than their agents and carriers do not plan on losing this advantage.

If a buying frenzy does not occur, maybe buyers can acquire sellers without so much premium that when they discover poor reserving/accounting practice skeletons later, they will have the financial wherewithal to weather the storm. If they have to pay large premiums, company consolidation will likely last much longer.

Burands State of P/C Insurance Industry, Part 1: Agencies Facing Paradigm Shift

For agents, choosing which carriers have the brightest future and planting with them is an excellent strategy. Especially eliminate carriers that do not have enough foresight to see they do not have the wherewithal to survive but do not sell. They just waste away. These carriers do not offer agents any true future benefits.

When choosing which carriers have the best future, a good clue is whether a carrier is already achieving reasonable organic growth without underpricing. Any idiot can underprice. The future requires intelligent leadership and a strategy resulting in quality organic growth. After all, how can an agent grow with a carrier that cant grow?

Choose carriers that are literally investing in the agent/broker distribution channel. Few carriers in the top 90 will only use one channel going forward. If they use multiple channels, it does not mean they are a traitor to agents and brokers. Growth is just too important to rely on one channel. A carrier using multiple channels can remain a solid agency partner if it is investing in the agent/broker channel rather than cannibalizing the agency/broker channel.

The insurance world is changing so quickly. The carriers and agents cheese has been moved and it has been moved far away, the type of cheese preferred has changed, and it is a smaller piece. These facts do not mean opportunities do not exist because they do. When so much disruption is occurring, the opportunities are the best for strategic thinkers who can also execute.

Burand is a leading insurance agency and industry consultant, author and analyst. This article is the second in a series by Burand based on his most recent 50-page whitepaper, State of the P&C Insurance Industry 2017, his must-read annual report with his forecast for the industry and independent agents. The special report is available from Insurance Journals Research and Trends division here. The first article in the series, Agencies Facing Paradigm Shift, can be found here.

Related:

Topics Carriers Agencies Tech Property Casualty Market
Appeasement is not the way to deal with Iran, and further appeasement will cause even more damage.

The Iranian regime is falling to pieces and the internal disputes are irreparable, made worse by the recent election fail for the Supreme Leader who was unable to engineer the outcome so that his favoured candidate became president.

On Saturday 1st July, the Iranian opposition held its annual Free Iran rally just outside Paris. People from all over the world attended, including tens of thousands of Iranian people and hundreds of politicians, parliamentarians and dignitaries.

The speakers highlighted how the time is right for regime change.

Almost two years on from the nuclear deal, nothing has changed in Iran. Over $100 billion dollars was freed up for Iran as a result of the deal, yet the people are still living in extreme poverty. The money, instead of being used to improve social conditions, was used to fund terror across the Middle East  Iraq, Syria and Yemen in particular.

The people are becoming restless and in the run up to the presidential election, a huge campaign was launched by PMOI (Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran/MEK) activists calling for justice for the 1988 massacre in which more than 30,000 political prisoners were executed. It was on such a large scale that candidate Raisi, a member of the 1988 Death Commission during the massacre, had no chance of winning the race.

After the elections, the countrys Assembly of Experts which selects the next supreme leader declared that the votes, demands and views of the people hold no significance at all.

There is no doubt that the mullahs regime must come to an end. The crises (internal and otherwise) are unsurmountable. Most importantly, unlike its neighbours in the region, Iran already has a viable and democratic alternative.

Some believe that the regime can change from within but the past few decades have shown us that this is impossible. President Rouhani was gifted with appeasement by the US during his first term. Obama turned a blind eye to every act of belligerence from Iran for fear that the nuclear deal would fall through.

The opposition and the people of Iran are in a position to effectuate great change. They have already succeeded in getting the regime to condemn Raisi for his role in the 1988 massacre. They will succeed in ensuring the regime is overthrown so that the people can finally enjoy freedom and democracy.
What does summer mean to you? It probably depends on where you live or grew up or how you choose to spend it.

If I asked you to describe this summer day, wherever you are, what would you say?

Maybe youd start with the weather. Is it hot? Steamy? Stormy? Foggy? Is it a good day to be in the great outdoors or do you need to take shelter inside?

What are you doing? Sorry, I dont mean to be nosy. But its such a big part of my character I cant seem to avoid it.

Are you sitting in an office? Staring at a computer? Counting the hours to quittin time?

Never mind. Just tell me this: What would you do on this one-of-a-kind summer day, if you could do anything you please?

Body surf at the beach? Pick tomatoes off the vine? Take a picnic to a lake with your favorite person? Sit in the stands behind home plate and pull for your favorite team? Lie in a hammock with a fruity drink and read my column?

Daydreaming offers endless possibilities. And its free. But its only a shadow of reality.

Another question: Whats your happiest summer memory?Think hard. Maybe it was the summer you learned to swim. Or met the love of your life. Or took that unforgettable trip to some strange, exotic place like Madagascar. Or Walmart.

Years from now, what will you recall about this summer day?

My husband and I live in the desert on hill above Las Vegas.

Today, when I went out to get the mail, the thermometer on our patio  in total shade  registered 111 degrees.

I know what youre thinking. Yes, its a dry heat. But even a dry heat can be hotter than the hinges on the gates of hell.

Morever, the wind was gusting like a giant, cosmic blowdryer, blasting my face and sifting dust on my head like sugar on a cake.

It wasnt my happiest summer memory. Here are some of my favorites. I remember:

 As a child, wading barefoot and chasing minnows that darted like arrows in a creek on my grandparents farm.

 As a teenager, spending a week at Myrtle Beach, getting sunburned with my best friends.

 As a college dropout, visiting California, calling my mother collect to say Id be staying a bit longer  about 35 years.

 Giving birth to my third child and discovering to my delight that I could hold in my arms and in my heart, more than two squirming bodies at once.

 Camping every August in Yosemite, letting my kids run wild and watching Half Dome turn gold in the evening sun.

 Going to Giants games and missing home runs by Bobby and Barry Bonds (20 years apart) because I was standing in line to buy a hotdog.

 Spending a month alone, after my husband died, at a cabin on a lake in North Carolina, a place so secluded my sister swore I was in witness protection.

 Driving solo across country, eating at truck stops, talking to strangers, watching sunsets in the rearview mirror.

 Leaving a life I loved in California, to start a new life with a new husband in Las Vegas of all places.

 Holding my first grandchild and finding in his eyes a brand new reason for living.

 Celebrating a Fourth of July wedding for my husbands son and daughter-in-law, along with all of our big, blended family.

 Floating with my husband in our pool at sunset, neckdeep like happy hippos, listening to coyotes and feeling blessed.

Those memories and countless others all took place in summer. But if I had to name my favorite summer memory? Id pick the next one, whatever it may be.

The best of everything, even memories, is always yet to be.

I dont keep a bucket list of things Ive never done. I just hope to do more of the same old wonderful things called life.

Heres wishing you and yours, and me and mine, our best summer memories  so far.
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Shepherds Center, church plan trip

The Shepherds Center of Greater Winston-Salem and Ardmore Journeys, a program of Ardmore Baptist Church, will make a day trip July 18 to All-A-Flutter Butterfly Farm near High Point. The bus will leave Ardmore Baptist Church, 501 Miller St. at 10 a.m. and return about 3 p.m.

After the butterfly farm visit, the group will stop at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market for shopping and lunch.

The cost is $10 and does not include lunch. Participants can bring a picnic lunch or eat at the Moose Cafe at the farmers market.

For more information, call Beverly Whitfield at 336-765-8312. Mail checks to Beverly Whitfield, 2128 Leeds Lane, Winston-Salem, NC, 27103. The deadline for payment is Monday.

Tools for Caregivers course to be held

Registration is being accepted for Powerful Tools for Caregivers classes. These are six-week classes for people caring for a loved one who is frail or ill.

One class will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays, beginning Wednesday, at the SECU Family House, 1970 Baldwin Lane.

The other class will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursdays, beginning Aug. 3, at Centenary United Methodist Church, 646 W. Fifth St.

The classes are sponsored by the Shepherds Center of Greater Winston-Salem, Family Caregiver Support Program, Senior Services Inc., Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, SECU Family House and Daybreak Respite Program.

The classes are free, but donations will be accepted. Registration is required. For more information or to register, call Linda Lewis at 336-748-0217.

Workshop to explain

Medicare and options

The Shepherds Center of Greater Winston-Salem and the Senior Program of the Salvation will have a free Medicare workshop for people who will soon turn 65 to learn about Medicare and the options available. Trained counselors from the Seniors Health Insurance Information Program, or SHIIP, will be available to answer general questions.

The session will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. July 17 at the Salvation Army Civic Community Center, 2850 New Walkertown Road.

Registration is required; call 336-748-0217.

Long-term-care insurance lunch topic

Alliance Insurance Services will have a free Lunch and Learn session about long-term-care insurance at noon July 18 in the offices of Fairway Independent Mortgage, 514 S. Stratford Road.

The seminar and the lunch are free, but registration is required. Call Alliance Insurance at 336-377-9003.

For more details, go to www.myalliance.insurance.com.

Dementia care program to be held

A free Lunch and Learn for caregivers will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 20 at Senior Services, 2895 Shorefair Drive.

The speaker, Lisa Gwyther, with the Duke Alzheimers Family Support Program, will speak on Dementia Family Care Is Complicated: Building Your Team and Finding Support as Care Needs Change.

Lunch will be provided by Vienna Village Assisted Living.

Registration is required; call 336-721-6918.

Volunteers sought

for literacy project

The Augustine Literacy Project, a program of READWS, needs volunteers to serve as tutors to public-school students.

Information sessions will be held at 9:30 a.m. July 26 at the Robinhood Road Family YMCA, 3474 Robinhood Road and 9:30 a.m. July 27, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 4055 Robinhood Road.

Seven-day training classes will begin on Oct. 9, 2017 and Jan. 23, 2018.

For more information or to register, email pam @readws.org or call (336) 723-4391, ext 1509.

Davidson agency needs volunteers





Davidson County Senior Services needs volunteers for its Meals on Wheels program in the Wallburg area. Most volunteers deliver once every other week. Meals are picked up from a local church at 10:30 a.m. weekdays.

People interested in riding along should contact Jacob Gordon, the agencys volunteer coordinator, at 336-242-2948 or jacob.gordon @davidsoncountync.gov.

Faith in Action

needs volunteers

Faith in Action, a program of the Shepherds Center of Greater Winston-Salem, needs volunteers to make home visits, provide respite care for caregivers, make minor home repairs and provide transportation for homebound seniors.

Mileage reimbursement and training are provided.

For more details, contact Drea Parker at 336-748-0217 or dparker@shepherds center.org.

Senior Services asking for volunteers

Connections, the Aging with Purpose initiative of Senior Services Inc. has volunteer opportunities for Forsyth County residents who are interested in friendship with an area senior citizen. For more information or to volunteer, call Melissa Smith at 336-721-6954.

Dementia caregivers can get support





Senior Services Inc. offers support groups for families and caregivers of people suffering from Alzheimers disease or other memory impairment.

The free meetings are held at various times at the Williams Adult Day Center, 231 Melrose St. in Winston-Salem.

For more information, call 336-724-2155.

Donate a vehicle, get tax break, help others

Senior Services Inc. is accepting donations of used cars, trucks or boats. The proceeds will help provide food and care to homebound seniors, and the owners will get a tax deduction.

To get the process started, call 855-500-7433 or go to http://bit.ly/2pYmRxD.

Vehicle donations will help seniors in the community through such programs as Meals-on-Wheels, Home Care, the Williams Center and Help Line.

For more information, call Patty Mead at 336-721-6908.

Meals on Wheels volunteers needed





Senior Services Inc. has an opening to deliver Meals on Wheels to elderly, homebound people.

The Pine Grove route is in the Lewisville/Country Club Road area. Meal pickup is at Harmony Grove United Methodist Church, 5041 Styers Ferry Road. Delivery takes about 60 to 90 minutes.

To learn more or to volunteer, call Heather Livengood at 336-721-6910. Online sign-ups are available at www.bit.ly/1RoZZRg.

Compiled by Melissa Hall
The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners is expected to vote Thursday on a contract for a health care provider for the Forsyth County jail against a backdrop of two recent inmate deaths .

During recent board briefing sessions, several commissioners voiced concerns about keeping Correct Care Solutions on as the jails health care provider.

We have to find another vendor, Commissioner Everette Witherspoon said at the June 29 briefing. Theyre not the only game in town. Theyre not even a local vendor.

Witherspoon said he is sure there are other vendors in the country who would be interested in providing medical services at the jail.

Correct Care Solutions LLC, based in Nashville, Tenn., is also at the center of two different lawsuits in Forsyth Superior Court concerning the level of care it provided jail inmates. Prisoners Dino Vann Nixon died on Aug. 5, 2013, at the jail, and Jennifer Eileen McCormack Schuler on Sept. 18, 2014, at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

The lawsuit filed by Diane Nixon alleges that jail officials ignored her husband Dino Nixons worsening mental and physical conditions for more than three weeks before his death and refused to give him certain prescription drugs that he needed, including Xanax. The second lawsuit, involving the death of Jennifer Schuler, alleges that jail officials failed to provide proper medical care for Schuler, who was pregnant.

The Forsyth County Sheriffs Office, which operates the jail, and Correct Care Solutions deny the allegations.

In May of this year, two men died at the jail. Deshawn Lamont Coley, 39, died on May 2. Coley was serving a six-month sentence after being convicted of driving while impaired. His wife and his family allege that jail officials failed to treat his asthma properly. Stephen Antwan Patterson, 40, died May 26. His uncle, Frederick Patterson, told the Winston-Salem Journal that Stephen Patterson repeatedly told detention officers that he had high blood pressure and that he needed to take his medication. Local groups have held protests over the two mens deaths. The Forsyth County Sheriffs Office and the State Bureau of Investigation are investigating.

For the current 2016-17 term, the county is paying Correct Care Solutions $4.2 million to provide medical care for the jail, but the companys contract will end Aug. 31.

Contract renewal recommended

At a June 29 commissioners briefing, Chief Deputy Brad Stanley of the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office said that county staff recommended awarding a new contract for inmate medical services to Correct Care Solutions.

The contract would be for an initial three-year term at an estimated cost of $13.2 million, including $11.6 million for fixed on-site health services and $1.5 million for third-party administration costs for local health care provider claims.

Stanley said that great effort was put to advertising for proposals, which were received March 31, for medical services at the jail.

Direct requests went to 12 vendors and an additional 19 vendors showed interest in providing proposals.

However, Stanley said, just five vendors attended a pre-bid conference, and Correct Care Solutions was the only vendor to submit a proposal.

The net total savings under the proposed contract with Correct Care Solutions just for the 2018 term would be $63,064 for on-site services compared with extending the current contract with the company for the same period.

The proposed new contract with the vendor includes enhanced services, decreased costs and improved performance in oversight controls, Stanley said.

Public-health department

The county commissioners also heard on June 29 from Marlon Hunter, the director of the Forsyth County Department of Public Health, and Kenneth Lyons, senior physician assistant and nurse practitioner for the health department, about a resolution adopting a medical plan for the jail.

Hunter said that from his perspective and from a medical standpoint, public-health department officials consider the jail an 800-bed hospital facility thats about at full capacity.

So when we review that plan, those are some of the things we think about, he said.

Hunter said he has reviewed the jail medical plan for the past six years but didnt make any recommendations until this past year, basing those on new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lyons said that except for occasionally updating some parts of the plan because of new CDC guidelines, the plan looks good.

It really follows the guidelines with the national commission for the correctional health care standards, Lyons said, referring to the National Commission on Correctional Health Care.

The next step

Witherspoon said on June 29 that he believes the sheriffs office is doing a great job but he could not vote in support of Correct Care Solutions for any contract.

Correct Care Solutions makes the sheriffs office look bad. It makes the county look bad. It makes the Department of Health look bad and it makes us commissioners look bad, Witherspoon said. So many people are blowing up my phone about some of these incidents that it doesnt even make any sense. Ive been on this board going on eight years, and I think this is one of the top board complaints I have ever received as a county commissioner.

Witherspoon said the countys public-health department is doing a great job regarding the medical plan, but I dont think Correct Care Solutions is capable of actually implementing the plan.

He said it might take some time but he believes the county should search for a better provider.

Stanley said no other vendors have offered so far to enter into a contract.

So were faced with someones got to provide health care Sept. 1, he said.

Sheriff Bill Schatzman said an ongoing investigation is underway concerning the incidents of a medical nature that happened in the jail.

Well find exactly the facts with regards to what the medical provider did and what our staff did, Schatzman said.

He added that there are a limited number of inmate medical providers that offer services for a jail as large as the Forsyth County jail. That limits any proposals.

He told Witherspoon that he is hearing some of the same comments that the commissioner has been getting from his constituents.

We take enormous responsibility and care for our inmate population, as we are required by law, and as we are required by our hearts and minds, Schatzman said.

He added that the sheriffs office has looked at and will continue to explore other options for an inmate service provider.

Commissioner Fleming El-Amin said he received a touching letter from a sister of one of the inmates who died.

I responded to her by saying as a commissioner Im really concerned for what happened there, and I think all of us are, El-Amin said. One human loss to me is one human loss too many.

Correct Care Solutions

At the commissioners July 6 briefing, William Kissel, a senior vice president of jail operations for Correct Care Solutions, spoke about Correct Care and answered some questions from the commissioners.

In response to a question from El-Amin about Correct Care sharing its corrective plan in regard to the recent inmate deaths, Kissel said the company would not make that plan public because of possible legal connections, meaning a possible lawsuit.

The information specifically related to that death would not be made public, Kissel said. Of course, our health care plan and policy procedures are submitted for county approval on an annual basis.

After Witherspoon told Kissel of his concerns, including the proper diagnosis for inmates with drug addictions, and his belief that the commissioners should vote against renewing a contract with Correct Care, Kissel said he appreciated the commissioners position.

Kissel added that the opioid epidemic in the United States, North Carolina and Forsyth County is a serious issue and that Correct Care puts a lot of resources and training into identifying early on people with addictions as well as making sure they are safe when they enter the jail.

He said that Correct Care is not perfect but it does pursue perfection and looks at every death with a critical eye and heavy heart.

You have to vote your conscience, Kissel said. I understand that, but patient care is paramount. We have the sheriffs back, and we think it is a privilege to be here in Forsyth County. Weve been here now for eight years, and we hope to be here for another eight years, for 10 years, for 20 years.

Meeting on Thursday

In addition to voting on awarding a contract for inmate health care services for the jail, the county commissioners are also expected to take action Thursday on a medical plan for the jail, among other items on its agenda.

The meeting is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. in the commissioners meeting room on the fifth floor of the Forsyth County Government Center at 201 N. Chestnut St. in Winston-Salem.
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.
Its hard to imagine a better place to celebrate the Fourth of July than Old Salem.

Founded in 1766 by the Moravians  a group of Protestant worshippers from what is now known as the Czech Republic  Old Salem is a historic village that includes 21st-century residents alongside preserved and restored architecture, artifacts and a thriving tourist community. Past and present in one picturesque package, Old Salem represents America at one of its finest moments of independence, a time when immigrants came to the country in search of freedom from persecution and a better life for their descendants.

For 2017, Old Salems Independence Day Celebration included a long list of activities throughout the day that included both history and hands-on interaction. Against a blue-sky backdrop, visitors could watch gunsmiths at work, hear a reading of the Declaration of Independence, listen to patriotic music played on a 1798 Tanneberg organ or Moravian music sung by Old Salems choral ensemble, or watch historic medicines being prepared. Food and drink were also part of the equation with samplings of 18th-century cooling drinks in the Salem Tavern Museum kitchen and cheese-making demonstrations in The Doctors House kitchen.

Seven years ago, Old Salem added an additional event to its July Fourth roster that has become an annual favorite for many people throughout the community. During the naturalization ceremony, hundreds of people now join in on an official welcome to the countrys newest citizens, a standing-room-only occasion where family, friends and locals come out to show their support for individuals who have completed the necessary steps to become legal residents of the United States.

This will be a dream come true for her, said Francisco Martinez, speaking about Yesenia Bermudez, who came to the U.S. from El Salvador. Its very special to know that you can come to this country, become a legal resident, work and make a better life for your family.

There are too many emotions to express, said Bermudez, joining Martinez and the junior members of her group of supporters  Daniel Martinez, Antonella Bermudez and Steven Bermudez  after the ceremony. I am so excited. It has always been one of my dreams to become a citizen and now I can enjoy everything that goes along with it.

Jethea and Chris Stowe came out to support their friend from the Philippines. A group of Governors School attendees was also on hand and included Michelle Kennedy, Jessica Gross, Christa Cali and Eline Carpen.

Susan Stevens and Diane Tutt donned festive Fourth attire for the naturalization ceremony.

We wanted to be here to welcome the newest Americans in our country, Stevens said. Weve been handing out thousands of flags that my son, Jorian Stevens, used to commemorate 9/11 last year at West Forsyth. He is an Eagle Scout and used one flag for every person that lost their life on that day.

A steady stream of red, white and blue was on display throughout the ceremony as both decoration and clothing. At the snack table, flags and appropriately colored food and drink were put out by Susie Keener, Martha Musser, Linda Sechrist, Rebecca Bottoms and Valerie Snell, members of the local Daughters of the American Revolution chapter. DAR is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States struggle for independence. DAR is a nonprofit group and its members work to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism.

Sydney Hughes and her sister, Erin, DAR granddaughters, helped prepare the table as part of their initiation into the organization. Nearby, Jeff Wylde let 11-month-old Abigail practice her newly established walking skills.

We had always talked about coming to this, Wylde said. Its important to be here to support our new residents.

Scott Berrier and his daughter, Haven, were celebrating their friend, Chella Hernandez, originally from Mexico and a new citizen.

This has been a deep desire of hers for many years, he said. She felt compelled to do it and worked really hard to make it happen.

Lou George, Terry Taylor and Linda Farrell stayed busy behind the main Old Salem registration desk.

The first celebration of the Fourth was held here, so its a fitting place to enjoy the holiday, Taylor said. Were expecting 350-400 people at just the naturalization ceremony.

Paula Locklair, vice president of education at Old Salem, said that 47 people from 25 countries became U.S. citizens at the naturalization ceremony.

All of the people who first settled here in the 18th century were immigrants from someplace  Germany, Norway, what is now the Czech Republic, she said. America is a welcoming country and a lot of people here feel it is important to welcome our new citizens. It makes everyone proud to be American.
WASHINGTON  Many American journalists and others correctly objected to President Trumps lambasting of the U.S. media in his speech Thursday in Poland, noting that his words were damaging to our international status and democracies around the world.

Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, tweeted that Trump dilutes respect for American democracy & gives license to autocrats to crack down on their own media. Haass was also critical of Trumps denigrating of the U.S. intelligence community.

How dare the president diminish his countrys revered institutions (please, hold your laughter until the end) while abroad? Clearly, the man is a bitter, narcissistic autocrat, one would have been justified in thinking.

Then Friday, as the world turned toward the much-anticipated meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump, it seemed the media were, without much self-awareness, committing the same sins for which theyd blasted Trump  basically undermining the president on foreign soil.

There was no mistaking a negative trend as commentators imagined what might transpire between the two world leaders. If the media werent consciously trying to undercut the presidents authority while he was overseas, then unconsciously, they were doing a pretty good job.

No wonder Trump voters hate us, I thought. Even the presidents harshest critics couldnt have missed the many probable scenarios in which Trump was likely to fail. Even if you disapprove of Trump, hes still the only president we have. When he represents the country abroad, as he did at the G-20 summit, his success and failures belong to us all.

I dont mean to suggest we scribes and pundits should have been a cheering squad. But its important to fairly consider why journalists are in such disfavor among a majority of Americans. Is Trumps aggressiveness toward the media, to some extent, earned?

As it turned out, Trumps meeting went well enough with our principal geopolitical adversary (hat tip: Mitt Romney). No canines were paraded to establish whose dog was bigger, stronger, faster, as Putin once bragged to President George W. Bush upon presenting his hound in Russia. (Putin had met Bushs Scotty on one of his visits to the U.S.) No one ripped off his shirt to wrestle a tiger.

Trump did reportedly bring up the hacking of the U.S. election, and the two did discuss Syria. Both topics were the source of much speculation beforehand: If Trump didnt bring up the hacking, then Putin, who admires power, would feel the victor and Trump would be guilty of dereliction of duty. This, more or less, was the overarching consensus. Excepting only those who gather in the Fox News green rooms, Trump was predicted to fail in his first meeting with Putin.

Or, did we in the media hope he would fail? This is a question every honest journalist must ask him- or herself. Lets be honest: If Trump didnt stand up to Putin  and several scenarios involving a fire hydrant suggest themselves  then critics early warnings about his dangerous inadequacies would have been confirmed. If he did well, or emerged with some value gained, well, its a good thing shovels are cheap. Many of us have dug some cavernously deep holes.

Let me be clear: Im not a fan. But this doesnt mean I dont want Trump to be a successful president. He has given Americans and the world few reasons to admire, respect or trust him, thanks to his impetuosity. But admittedly, we journalists dont spend much time looking for positives.

As it is, we have media outlets for your view, my view and his view  with no sense of a shared American view. As wrong as I believe Trump was to air his personal grievances on the world stage, we are often wrong, too.

Some watched Trumps Poland speech and found it tedious and meaningless. Others heard him say: The fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive. Do we have the confidence in our values to defend them at any cost?  I declare today for the world to hear the West will never, ever be broken, our values will prevail, our people will thrive, and our civilization will triumph.

These were powerful, important words, let the record show.
THE LITTLE BIG STRING BAND: 2 p.m. today at Muddy Creek Music Hall, 5455 Bethania Road. $15. Visit www.muddycreekcafeandmusichall.com.

MUSIC CAROLINA FEATURING MARTHA BASSETT: gates open at 4 p.m. today; opening act at 5 p.m. featuring Big Bang Boom. Tanglewood Park, 4061 Clemmons Road. Forsyth Summer Parks series. Free. Food, crafts, childrens activities. Proceeds support Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. No outside alcohol. Call Carroll Leggett, 336-831-5788 or email cleggett@triad.rr.com.

MUSIC ON THE HILL: 6 p.m. today at Burkhead United Methodist Church, 5250 Silas Creek Parkway. Salem Swing Band. Front hillside of the church. Free. Light refreshments will be for sale or bring your own. Bring a lawn chair or blanket.

BOOKMARKS PRESENTS DANIEL WALLACE: 6 p.m. Monday at 634 W. Fourth St., No. 110. New York Times best-selling author Daniel Wallace returns to Winston-Salem on tour for his new novel, Extraordinary Adventures. Visit www.bookmarksnc.org or call 336-747-1471.

LEWISVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY: 7 p.m. Monday at the Lewisville Branch Library, 6490 Shallowford Road, Lewisville. The history of the Old Nick Williams Co. John, Van, Zeb and Matt Williams will discuss the family business, established in 1768 by ancestor Joseph Williams, and their venture in reopening the distillery recently in Lewisville. 6:30 p.m., social time with refreshments. Free.
UN member states voted 122-1 Friday to adopt [UN News Centre report] the first ever multilateral legally binding treaty on nuclear disarmaments. The one vote against the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons [text, WORD] came from the Netherlands, while Singapore was absent at the conference. Among other things, the treaty prohibits 1) the developing, testing, production, manufacture, acquisition, possession, stockpiling, or transfer or receipt of nuclear weapons; 2) the use or threat to use nuclear weapons directly or indirectly; 3) the assistance, encouragement or inducement of anyone, or seeking assistance in any way from anyone to engage in any nuclear-weapons-related activity prohibited under the treaty; or 4) any stationing, installation or deployment of any nuclear weapons in the member states territory or at any place under its jurisdiction or control. The treaty also requires declarations from member states concerning prior or current possession of nuclear weapons or nuclear weapons facilities, and a declaration that the concerned country will eliminate all such weapons and/or facilities before becoming a party to the treaty. The treaty also has various other provisions such as safeguards, environmental remediation, international cooperation and assistance, settlement of disputes, and withdrawal from the treaty. Calling the treaty an important step and contribution towards the common aspirations of a world without nuclear weapons, Secretary General Antonio Guterres [official website] hoped that it would encourage dialogue and cooperation in the international community in progressing toward complete nuclear disarmament. However, all nuclear-armed nations (China, France, India, North Korea, Russia, Pakistan, US and UK) and some of their allies boycotted the conference and stayed out of the negotiations. In a joint press statement, the US, UK and France stated that they do not intend to sign, ratify or ever become party to the treaty and that the treaty clearly disregards the realities of the international security environment.  Accession to the ban treaty is incompatible with the policy of nuclear deterrence, which has been essential to keeping the peace in Europe and North Asia for over 70 years. The treaty will be open for signature for all member states in the UN Headquarters in New York on September 20 of this year, and will enter into force 90 days post ratification by a minimum of 50 countries.

Development and promotion of nuclear weapons programs and stockpiling of nuclear weapons continue to raise international concern. The UN General Assembly [official website] voted to begin [JURIST report] negotiations for this treaty in October, despite opposition votes from world leaders including the US, Russia and the UK. Toward the end of May, a UN panel released [JURIST report] the draft treaty above in Geneva. Last month, the UN Security Council [official website] decided to expand existing sanctions [JURIST report] placed on North Korea and applied those sanctions to 14 individuals and four organizations. In May, JURIST Guest Columnist and former State Department official James Rudolph discussed the consequences of waiting [JURIST op-ed] for North Korea to use its nuclear weapons. In November, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) [official website] Director General Yukiya Amano said that Iran has repeatedly failed [JURIST report] to keep its stockpile of heavy water below 130 metric tons. Heavy water [Britannica backgrounder] can be used for nuclear energy or for the development of nuclear weapons. In October, the International Court of Justice [official website] refused [JURIST report] to hear a claim by Marshall Islands that the worlds nuclear powers failed to halt the nuclear arms race.
The US Supreme Court [official website] issued an order [text, PDF] Friday allowing enforcement of Wisconsins fetal protection law. The law gives courts jurisdiction over an unborn child and expectant mother when the mother habitually lacks self-control in the use of alcohol and drugs to a severe degree, creating a substantial risk to the health of the child. The district court ruling [text, PDF] had found that the law was overly vague and issued an injunction. The Supreme Court will hear an appeal of the case to decide a final outcome. Two justices said they would have kept the injunction in place pending the appeal.

Abortion in America continues to be one of the most contentious issues throughout many states in the Union. In June in the state of Ohio lawmakers voted [JURIST report] 24-9 in favor of a bill that would criminalize a common second trimester abortion procedure. The day prior the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld [JURIST report] a San Francisco ordinance on Tuesday that was implemented to halt deceptive advertising tactics employed by clinics opposed to abortion. Also in June the Supreme Court of Georgia barred doctors [JURIST report] from suing state over abortion law, holding that the state is immune from litigation unless it consents to being sued, rejecting a challenge to a 20-week abortion ban.
The Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale [official profiles] issued a joint statement [text] on Friday apologizing to former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr for violating his rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter) [text]. Freeland and Goodales statement read:

Today, we are announcing that the Government of Canada has reached a settlement with Mr. Omar Khadr, bringing this civil case to a close. On behalf of the Government of Canada, we wish to apologize to Mr. Khadr for any role Canadian officials may have played in relation to his ordeal abroad and any resulting harm. We hope that this expression, and the negotiated settlement reached with the Government, will assist him in his efforts to begin a new and hopeful chapter in his life with his fellow Canadians. The details of the settlement are confidential between Mr. Khadr and the Government.

The government has refused to confirm the details of the settlement, but various media sources reported that the amount of the settlement [NYT report] was approximately $10.5 million (Canadian). Andrew Scheer [official profile], leader of Canadas conservative party called the settlement disgusting [NYT report] while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau [official website] stated [Huffington Post report] that the Charter protects all Canadians even when it is uncomfortable and added that When the government violates any Canadians Charter rights, we all end up paying for it. Khadr, now 30, said that he is really sorry [NYT report] for the pain he caused, adding that he was never was angry or upset about what was done to him.

A severely wounded Khadr was captured by US troops in Afghanistan in 2002 when he was a child soldier at 15 years of age. Khadr is the only Canadian citizen [NYT report] to have been imprisoned at the US military base in Guantanamo Bay. He had pleaded guilty [NYT report] to using a hand grenade against US soldiers Christopher Speer and Layne Morris. Speer died in the incident, while Morris partially lost his eyesight. This apology concerned Khadrs interrogation by Canadian government officials post his capture. Khadr was transferred to Canada in 2012, and he was released on bail [JURIST report] in May 2015. Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] stated of Khadrs release [JURIST report] at the time that Canada was taking a significant step toward ending his ordeal. The following week, the Supreme Court of Canada [official website] rejected the governments bid to have Khadr declared an adult offender. In September 2015, Justice June Ross of the Court of Queens Bench of Alberta [official website] ruled that Khadr can visit his family [JURIST report] in Toronto for two weeks and do so without an electronic monitoring bracelet.
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FILE - In this Friday, Nov. 4, 2016 file photo, Donald Trump Jr. campaigns for his father Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Gilbert, Ariz. Donald TrumpAos eldest son, son-in-law and then-campaign chairman met with a Russian lawyer shortly after Trump won the Republican nomination, in what appears to be the earliest known private meeting between key aides to the president and a Russian. Representatives of Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner confirmed the June 2016 meeting to The Associated Press after The New York Times reported Saturday, July 8, 2017 on the gathering of the men and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
Smoke from wildfires blankets the area as motorists travel on the Yellowhead Highway in Little Fort, B.C., on Saturday July 8, 2017. More than 180 fires were burning, many considered out of control, as the B.C. government declared a province wide state of emergency to co-ordinate the crisis response. Officials said buildings have been destroyed, but they did not release numbers. The BC Wildfire Service says over 173 fires were reported on Friday alone as lightning storms rolled over several parts of B.C. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
To those of us who first visited Portugal in the early 1970s, the usual reaction was one of sadness and depression. The countrys pro-Nazi dictator, Salazar, and his cronies had outstayed their time in office (though he died in the 1960s, his party remained in power until 1974-76), and a much-hated and incompetent government had greatly harmed its economy. The population was subdued and inactive, and the nation itself was the poorest in Western Europe.

Then the Salazar party was overthrown (the Carnation Revolution), and things began to change in 1976. Today, Portugal is a vibrant nation, a dollop of prosperity has been enjoyed and incoming tourism is surging. Guidebooks to Portugal are currently selling off the bookstore shelves (as I can confirm from personal experience), and Americans in particular are rushing to visit a country whose cost of living is at least 30 percent lower than in the rest of Western Europe.

Tourists visiting Portugal are finding a fascinating culture, one that was strengthened by an age of exploration in the 1400s to 1600s, in which Portugals sailors went around the world to colonize large segments of South America, India and Southeast Asia (Macau), becoming an imperial power. A visit to the awesome monument honoring these explorers will be a highlight of your stay.

But history is only part of the nations appeal. Todays visitor finds new museums everywhere, a heightened level of cuisine (sumptuous seafood especially), new and beautiful buildings, many new hotels, lovely beaches in great profusion, quaint and interesting villages and a spirit of confidence among its people that enlivens a visit.

You couldnt do better than to include Portugal on your next trip to Europe.

Find more destinations online and read Arthur Frommers blog at frommers.com.
When Nancy Yarbrough was 17, she worked at a truck stop in Rockford, Ill., selling sex in order to meet her pimps daily quota.

They see the vulnerabilities in you, said Yarbrough, now 48, looking back at that time in her life.

The corridor she worked was connected to Interstate 94, an increasingly major area where human trafficking takes place.

Recently, a team of concerned community members started the I-94 Project to raise awareness of human trafficking in Wisconsin.

The program launched its efforts Memorial Day and will continue through Labor Day.

It uses billboards, pamphlets and community events to educate the public about what they can do to help curb human trafficking.

Concentrated

along I-94

Interstate 94 leads to all of the destinations where theyre taking them, Yarbough, who now lives in the Milwaukee area, said.

The interstate links Chicago and Milwaukee, but also heads northwest, to Minneapolis-St. Paul and into North Dakota by the oil fields, said Karri Hemmig, founder and executive director of the Fight to End Exploitation, which developed and is administering the I-94 Project.

The projects goal is to raise awareness of human trafficking in the area around I-94. Information placed in strategic locations also provides contacts for victims to use.

Human trafficking victims can be spotted at truck stops and hotels along the corridor, said Scott Abrams, kickoff committee chair of the project, if you know what to look for.

Many times, they wont have a cell phone or an ID, he said, or they might wear revealing clothing, or be dressed in a way that looks inappropriate for girls in their teens.

Children brought into the sex trafficking industry are often teenagers, with the average age of entry between 14 and 16 years old.

Sometimes theyll have a number tattooed somewhere on their body as a way for their pimps to brand them as their property, Abrams added.

People who might be victims are intermingling between us, Abrams said.

Lured into trafficking

Yarbrough was introduced to the human trafficking world by her best friends older brother. He Romeod her, making her feel special and loved.

After being inappropriately touched as a child, Yarbrough didnt know how to process those feelings, leaving her feeling vulnerable, she recalls.

Part of the I-94 Project is to demolish misconceptions about human trafficking, Abrams said.

Some of those misconceptions are that those involved in the sex trade want to be doing the work.

That isnt that case, he said. Most of the time they are forced or romanticized into it, such as Yarbroughs situation, Abrams said.

A woman who groomed Yarbrough into sex trafficking later had an emotional conversation with Yarbrough, about how she didnt need to be doing that type of work.

The woman drove Yarbrough home to Milwaukee along I-94, the same route that led her to human trafficking.

A series of life events kept Yarbrough into and out of group sex trafficking and independent prostitution for years.

Education is key

About 800,000 drivers per day see the billboards along I-94 which depict signs of human trafficking and instructions on how to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline, 888-373-7888, to report concerns.

In 2016, the hotline received 26,727 calls, with 7,572 cases of human trafficking reported. In Wisconsin, it found 63 reported cases of human trafficking in 2016, up from 50 in 2015.

The I-94 program wants to reach women in situations similar to what Yarbrough experienced.

They plan to distribute lipstick cases through advocates and agencies such as Planned Parenthood to get information to victims on how to get help.

The campaign also distributed about 4,000 posters at truck stops and hotels along the interstate which depict different types of trafficking, both labor and sex-related.

In 2016, most of the reported trafficking cases the hotline received were related to sex trafficking, including commercial-front brothels.

Eight concerned labor trafficking, including anything from domestic work to health and beauty services.

Raising awareness is an important part of combating the problem.

We know from research that education is the best way to fight human trafficking, Hemmig said.

More programs run by Fresh Start Learning and volunteering opportunities can be found at freshstartlearning.org or by calling 414-800-6269.

Local advocacy will continue with another community event in Kenosha in September.

The I-94 program plans to end with an appearance at Carthage College by Elizabeth Smart, a woman who was abducted at 14 years old.

Were trying different ways to be impactful and reach people this summer, Hemmig said.
By Stephen Kalin | MOSUL, IRAQ

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Mosul on Sunday and congratulated the armed forces for their "victory" over Islamic State after nearly nine months of urban warfare, bringing an end to jihadist rule in the city.

Islamic State's defeat in Mosul three years after taking the city is a major blow for the hardline Sunni Islamist group, which is also losing ground in its operational base in the Syrian city of Raqqa from where it has planned global attacks.

The group, however, still controls territory in Iraq and is expected to revert to more conventional insurgent tactics such as bombings as its self-proclaimed caliphate falls apart.

The battle for Mosul - by far the largest city to fall under the militants' control - has left large areas in ruins, killed thousands of civilians and displaced nearly 1 million people.

"The commander in chief of the armed forces (Prime Minister) Haider al-Abadi arrived in the liberated city of Mosul and congratulated the heroic fighters and Iraqi people for the great victory," his office said in a statement.

State television later showed Abadi touring Mosul on foot alongside residents of Iraq's second-largest city.

Air strikes and exchanges of gunfire could still be heard in the narrow streets of Mosul's Old City, where the group has staged its last stand against Iraqi forces backed by a U.S.-led international coalition.

Abadi met commanders in west Mosul who led the battle, but he has yet to issue a formal declaration that the entire city has been retaken from the group which is also known as ISIS.

Abadi's spokesman, Saad al-Hadithi, said victory would not be formally declared until the few remaining Islamic State militants were cleared from Mosul.

Still, French President Emmanuel Macron - whose country is part of the coalition that has conducted air strikes and provided training and assistance to Iraqi forces on the battlefield, welcomed the defeat.

"Mosul liberated from ISIS: France pays homage to all those, who alongside our troops, contributed to this victory," Macron said on his Twitter account.

Iraq still faces uncertainty and long-term stability will be possible only if the government contains ethnic and sectarian tensions which have dogged the country since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

The fall of Mosul exposes fractures between Arabs and Kurds over disputed territories, and between Sunnis and the Shiite majority.

"FIGHT TO THE DEATH"

The group vowed to "fight to the death" in Mosul, but Iraqi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasool told state TV that 30 militants had been killed attempting to flee by swimming across the River Tigris that bisects the city.

Cornered in a shrinking area, the militants resorted to sending women suicide bombers among the thousands of civilians who are emerging from the battlefield wounded, malnourished and fearful, Iraqi army officers said.

The struggle has also exacted a heavy toll on Iraq's security forces.

The Iraqi government does not reveal casualty figures, but a funding request from the U.S. Department of Defense said the elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), which has spearheaded the fight in Mosul, had suffered 40 percent losses.

The Department of Defense has requested $1.269 billion in U.S. budget funds for 2018 to continue supporting Iraqi forces, which collapsed in the face of the few hundred militants who overran Mosul in 2014.

Backed by coalition air strikes, an array of Iraqi forces gradually clawed back territory from Islamic State until reaching Mosul, the group's de facto capital in Iraq, last October.

It is almost exactly three years since the ultra-hardline group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, proclaimed a "caliphate" spanning Syria and Iraq from the pulpit of Mosul's medieval Grand al-Nuri mosque.

Abadi declared the end of Islamic State's "state of falsehood" a week ago, after security forces retook the mosque - although only after retreating militants blew it up.

The United Nations predicts it will cost more than $1 billion to repair basic infrastructure in Mosul. In some of the worst affected areas, almost no buildings appear to have escaped damage and Mosul's dense construction means the extent of the devastation might be underestimated, U.N. officials said.

(Writing by Isabel Coles; Additional reporting by Maher Chmaytelli and Maya Nikolaeva; Editing by Michael Georgy and Robin Pomeroy)
By Valerie Volcovici and Yasmeen Abutaleb | WASHINGTON

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he and Russia's president had discussed forming a cyber security unit, an idea harshly criticized by Republicans who said Moscow could not be trusted after its alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

Tweeting after his first meeting with President Vladimir Putin on Friday, Trump said now was the time to work constructively with Moscow, pointing to a ceasefire deal in southwest Syria that came into effect on Sunday.

"Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded and safe," he said following their talks at a summit of the Group of 20 nations in Hamburg, Germany.

Three Republican senators - Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, John McCain of Arizona and Mario Rubio of Florida - blasted the idea.

"It's not the dumbest idea I have ever heard but it's pretty close," Graham told NBC's "Meet the Press" program, saying that Trump's apparent willingness to "forgive and forget" stiffened his resolve to pass legislation imposing sanctions on Russia.

"There has been no penalty," McCain, who chairs the Senate armed services committee, told CBS' "Face the Nation" program according to a CBS transcript. "Vladimir Putin ... got away with literally trying to change the outcome ... of our election."

"Yes, it's time to move forward. But there has to be a price to pay," he added.

Rubio, on Twitter, said: "Partnering with Putin on a 'Cyber Security Unit' is akin to partnering with (Syrian President Bashar al) Assad on a 'Chemical Weapons Unit'."

Trump argued for rapprochement with Moscow in his campaign but has been unable to deliver because his administration has been dogged by investigations into the allegations of Russian interference in the election and ties with his campaign.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating the matter, including whether there may have been any collusion on the part of Trump campaign officials, as are congressional committees including both the House and Senate intelligence panels.

Those probes are focused almost exclusively on Moscows actions, lawmakers and intelligence officials say, and no evidence has surfaced publicly implicating other countries despite Trump's suggestion that others could have been involved.

Moscow has denied any interference, and Trump says his campaign did not collude with Russia.

Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN's "State of the Union" program Russia could not be a credible partner in a cyber security unit.

"If thats our best election defense, we might as well just mail our ballot boxes to Moscow," Schiff added.

Separately, U.S. government officials said that a recent hack into business systems of U.S. nuclear power and other energy companies was carried out by Russian government hackers, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.

'TIME TO MOVE FORWARD' WITH RUSSIA

Trump said he "strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it."

He added: "We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!"

In Trump's first attempt at ending the six-year Syrian civil war, the United States, Russia and Jordan on Friday reached a ceasefire and "de-escalation agreement" for southwestern Syria. The ceasefire was holding hours after it took effect on Sunday, a monitor and two rebel officials said.

In another tweet, Trump contradicted his Secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, by saying "sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin. Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian & Syrian problems are solved!"

The United States has imposed sanctions on Russia for its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Tillerson on Friday told reporters Trump had told Putin U.S. lawmakers were pushing for additional sanctions against Russia.

The Senate has passed legislation which would put into law sanctions, including on mining and other industries, previously established via former President Barack Obama's executive orders. The bill must pass the House of Representatives before it could go to the White House for Trump's signature or veto.

McCain criticized Tillerson for having said about Syria, "by and large, our (U.S. and Russian) objectives are exactly the same. How we get there, we each have a view. Maybe they have got the right approach and we have got the wrong approach."

Russia, and Iran, have backed keeping Assad in power. Trump, like his predecessor Barack Obama, has focused on fighting Islamic State, leaving for later the question of Assad's fate.

"The Russians knew that Bashar al-Assad was going to use chemical weapons. And to say that maybe we have got the wrong approach?" McCain said. Asked if he regretted voting for Tillerson as secretary of state, he replied: "Sometimes I do."

(Writing by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by James Dalgleish)
ISTANBUL, July 9 (Reuters) - Turkish automotive production rose 20 percent year on year to 869,158 vehicles in the first half, with output up 8 percent to 141,161 vehicles in June, Turkey's automotive producers body said.

Domestic automotive sales, including both cars, light and heavy commercial vehicles fell 9 percent to 410,609 units in the first half as last year's tax increases and forex induced price increases continued to put pressure on markets.

Turkey's automotive exports climbed 29 percent to 714,284 units, led by a 48 percent rise in car exports as manufacturers continued to ramp up the output of export oriented models.

Turkey's Automotive Industry Association also upped its year-end production forecast to 1.7 million vehicles from 1.65 million.

Year-end automotive exports, the biggest contributor to national exports, were seen at 1.4 million units, with an approximate value of 28 billion dollars the industry association said.

Global manufacturers such as Toyota, Hyundai, Ford and Fiat Chrysler operate their plants in Turkey as export hubs, with only part of the production sold in the local market.

(Reporting by Can Sezer. Editing by Jane Merriman)
Names and faces

CWG Architects has hired Taylor Falcon of Colstrip, and Nate Miller, from Vancouver, Wash., as summer interns.

Falcon earned her bachelors degree in environmental design from Montana State University. As an intern working toward her masters degree, she is responsible for designing Revit models and working to gain experience by helping other architects. She can be reached at 443-2340 or by email at tfalcon@cwg-architects.com.

Miller is earning his bachelors degree in environmental design from Montana State University. Miller is responsible for assisting the principals and architects in training with their current and future projects. He can be reached at 443-2340 or by email at nmiller@cwg-architects.com.

***

Melissa Forkan, a fourth generation Helenan, has joined Capital City Realty and Property Management as a sales associate. Forkan graduated from Capital High School and earned a degree in business management and accounting from the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau. She can be reached by calling or texting 461-8330.

Carolyn Linden has joined Capital City Realty and Property Management. Linden is a graduate of Capital Business College and continues to pursue her bachelors degree at Carroll College. She has held positions with Lewis and Clark County and the state of Montana. Linden has been an active licensed realtor in Montana for more than 20 years. She can be reached at 439-2266.

***

Ben Kennedy has joined the team at SMA Architects. Kennedy was previously with Pearson Design Group, a firm specializing in custom residential projects. He is originally from Helena and is a graduate of Montana State Universitys School of Architecture.

Carley Smith has been hired at SMA Architects as the marketing coordinator. She is in charge of compiling statements of qualifications, brand development and coordinating community events. Previously, Smith worked in marketing and design for AAA MountainWest, the Holter Museum of Art and numerous state professional organizations. She is graduate of Montana State University and University of Victoria.

***

Morrison-Maierle has announced promotions in its Helena and corporate offices.

Tracie Fladeland in accounting and Sonya Leckner in finance received promotions, while Mike Hodges and Bryan Brown were promoted in the companys IT department.

Helena engineers Mike Brandt, Mike Brennan and Zachariah Campbell were promoted in the Helena office.

Awards and honors

News and notes

Local Angus Breeder Recognized for Sustained Efforts to Improve Cow Productivity

Cross W Ranch LLC, East Helena, Montana, recently re-enrolled in the American Angus Associations MaternalPlus program as a commitment to making genetic improvements in lifetime cow herd productivity. Breeders participating in MaternalPlus are keenly focused to better evaluate herd reproductive performance, the number one profit driver in the cow-calf industry.

MaternalPlus is a voluntary, inventory-based reporting system that collects additional reproductive trait data to provide Angus breeders and their customers the information they need to make effective selection decisions. To date, more than 50 breeders have completed MaternalPlus enrollment.

The program allows producers to capture cow herd and reproductive performance data; gain faster access to preweaning EPDs as a selection tool; characterize females through heifer pregnancy EPDs tied directly to herd genetics; expand new trait development for Angus reproductive and longevity measures; and streamline their ability to track heifer and cow reproductive records through AAA Login.

In addition, MaternalPlus lays the groundwork for selection tools related to cow longevity in the herd. Gathering these records will allow the Association to cultivate research related to cow herd productivity and make improvements similar to what the Angus breed has witnessed in other economically relevant traits.

For more information on MaternalPlus, visit the Association website or access AAA Login.

Guidelines

The IR welcomes reports of hiring, promotions, awards, recognition, learning opportunities and other news from local companies and nonprofits. We accept press releases and photos (digital images at 300 dpi or more are preferred). Email your information to irstaff@helenair.com.

There is no charge for items appearing in the Business Briefcase. Items are run on a space-available basis, and we reserve the right to edit and use information as we see fit.

The deadline is Tuesday at noon to be considered for publication the following Sunday.
Kim Jong-eun expected to keep sidelining Moon

By Kim Jae-kyoung

President Moon Jae-in needs to take a more cautious approach with his initiative to sign a "peace treaty" with North Korea until Pyongyang agrees to halt the development of its missile and nuclear programs, international experts said Sunday.

They are voicing concerns that pushing for his idea despite the North's ongoing provocations could in the end drive a wedge between South Korea and the United States.

The U.S. is now seeking harsher sanctions against the reclusive country in cooperation with its allies following the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), Tuesday, capable of striking the U.S. mainland.

"A peace treaty should be discussed with North Korea, once they halt their nuclear tests and missile launches and return to exploratory talks," Joseph DeTrani, a former U.S. special envoy for the six-party talks with the North, told The Korea Times.

He pointed out that offering a peace treaty while the North is violating U.N. Security Council resolutions is something Pyongyang will "pocket" with no assurances that it will halt nuclear tests and missile launches.

"I wouldn't recommend this, until the North halted these programs and returned to formal negotiations," he said.

DeTrani, president of the Daniel Morgan Academy in Washington, helped broker a 2005 agreement on North Korea's nuclear program.

The concerns came after Moon said Thursday that he was willing to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and put all issues on the negotiating table, including the signing of a peace treaty.

During his speech ahead of the G20 summit in Germany, he said, "We do not wish for the collapse of North Korea, and we will not pursue any form of unification by absorbing it. We will not pursue unification by force."

"We should sign a peace treaty joined by all relevant parties at the end of the Korean War to settle lasting peace on the peninsula," he added.

The experts said that Moon's peace treaty idea seems inadequate at this point and somewhat dangerous since even discussions might hurt the alliance between the U.S. and Korea.












The impact from China's measure to place a ban on all group tours to South Korea in response to Seoul's decision to deploy a U.S.-led missile system has remained felt by businesses on South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju, with the number of Chinese tourists ever decreasing, the Jeju provincial government said Sunday.



According to the municipality, the number of Chinese tourists who visited the island from June 30 to July 6 was tallied at 9,386, about one-eighth of the 77,824 recorded in the same period last year.



During the reported period, the number of other foreign tourists, including Japanese and Southeast Asian tourists, whom the local industry has tried to woo to make up for losses arising from the evaporation of Chinese tourists, came to 12,360, compared with 86,292 for the same period of last year.



The tourism industry forecast that it will continue to suffer a business downturn this month, with the number of Chinese tourists to Jeju to plummet 80 to 90 percent from a year ago, contrary to its expectations that China's economic reprisal will ease with Seoul-Beijing relations improving following the May launch of the new administration in South Korea.



The sharp fall in the number of Chinese guests has kept 248 weekly South Korea-China direct flights from being suspended since March.



A total of 117,828 Chinese tourists who had been scheduled to visit Jeju from July to October have canceled their tourism reservations arranged by 30 tourist agencies.



An estimate made by the local government says that the number of direct flights to Jeju from eight Chinese cities, which will be operated from July to October, will be only 102 per week.



This presents a sharp contrast to the 1,655 direct flights for the entire month of July last year that carried 134,590 Chinese tourists on Jeju-China routes.



No cruise ships charted by Chinese tourist agencies have arrived at ports on the island.



The sharp fall in the number of Chinese visitors to the island began in March when Beijing imposed the restriction in mid-March in protest of Seoul's deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system on its soil. The decision on THAAD has stirred the wrath of China, which claims that it undermines regional security.



The number of Chinese tourists visiting Jeju fell 56.2 percent from a year ago to 87,069 in March, 88.1 percent to 28,988 in April, 89.6 percent to 33,031 in May and 89.3 percent to 35,496 in June.



Data from the Bank of Korea's Jeju office revealed that the tourism and retail industries are reeling from the pinch, with sales arising from catering to foreign tourists dropping about 200 billion won (about US$174.31 million) from a year ago in April and May.



"We are worried that we have to fold the business if this situation continues to the end of this year," said an official at a tourist agency on the condition of anonymity.



Tourist agencies have found it difficult to attract Chinese tourists who come to Jeju on individual tours as they lose competitiveness to their Chinese rivals due to the lack of funds coupled with the language barrier, he added.



He also said the slack business has forced local tourist guides to venture into other sectors.



Under the situation, small-time travel agencies that can hardly draw Chinese tourists on their own, maintain their businesses by treating South Koreans and foreign people from countries other than China.



Tourism on Jeju is operated by a mechanism in which travel agencies in China receive applications for Jeju tours from Chinese people and send them to the South Korean island. Travel agencies on Jeju that are established by Chinese companies are responsible for most of their itineraries, while small-time South Korean travel agencies provide them with only transportation and travel guides.



The lack of port calls by cruise ships has dealt a huge blow to the chartered bus sector that had relied on Chinese visitors aboard cruise ships. The industry has shifted its strategy toward South Korean students coming on school trips, but their buses have been sitting in parking lots more often following a decrease in the number of South Korean tourists.



With the ever-decreasing appearance of Chinese visitors, duty-free shops and souvenir shops whose reliance on the Chinese market had exceeded more than half of their business are reeling too.



Hanhwa Galleria Co., the operator of a duty-free store in Jeju airport's departure lobby, recently decided to let go of its business license after it saw its monthly sales fall to less than 2 billion won and found itself unable to pay rent.



Duty-free shops operated by Shilla, Lotte and other big-time business groups are facing similar situations, with their sales off 50 percent from a year ago.



To make things worse, Chinese travel agencies that gain control of Chinese tourists have demanded the duty-free shops increase commissions for sending Chinese tourists to the shops.



An official at a local duty-free shop said the commissions, which had been below 8 percent of sold products, have been increased to 15 percent.



"Some Chinese travel agencies are demanding a higher increase in commissions on the back of their capability to draw tourists," he said.



A researcher at the Jeju office of the state-run Korea Tourism Organization said travel agencies in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang and other Chinese cities continue to suspend South Korea-related tourism products and instead are selling tour programs to Japan, Thailand and Indonesia.



"It's up in the air when the number of Chinese tourists to Jeju will increase," he said.



Kim Young-min, a senior researcher at the Research Institute for Regional Government and Economy, said travel agencies top the list of the reliance on Chinese tourists, followed by large restaurants, performance facilities, souvenir shops and duty-free shops.



The government is urged to come up with a set of measures to create favorable market conditions for these businesses to find new guests from other countries than China, Kim said. (Yonhap)




Park Jai-oong, 48, uses a laser to remove a tattoo from a patient at SeRoi Clean Tattoo, a clinic specializing in the practice, in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul.

Courtesy of Park, Jai-oong

Guidelines for safe and effective tattoo removal



By You Soo-sun



Tattoos are becoming increasingly popular in Korea  but conversely this also means more people are seeking to remove them. But this is not an easy task, as it may leave a permanent scarring if not done properly. Park Jai-oong, 48, a doctor at the SeRoi Clean Tattoo, a clinic that specializes in tattoo removal, explained the process and offered cautionary advice in an interview with The Korea Times.

Removing tattoos is becoming increasingly common and important in Korean society where taboos against them are still strong. Many come for personal reasons, such as to remove a symbol made for a past lover and replace it with a new one, or to get rid of it before getting married.

Other times people are forced to remove them for a job as many companies discriminate against job-seekers with tattoos. Some jobs in the public sector outright ban them.

In such a climate, tattoo removal will only grow in importance, said Park. Even now, he is fully booked for the next two months. Everyday 30 to 60 patients visit him, and many come with scars left behind by failed removal attempts. "You must not think that all doctors and hospitals will do the same job," Park said. "You need to go to a place that is proficient and you must take time to do research beforehand."

Park, who began his practice in 2002; and in 2008 opened a tattoo removal clinic in Hongdae, western Seoul. Last year, he opened a specialty clinic in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul.

Park is now confident with the practice, able to perform with both accuracy and proficiency. This, he noted, comes from years of experience combined with technological advancements.



The technology behind tattoo removal

Without the right technique, attempts at removing a tattoo can easily leave scarring. This occurs because the laser  the standard tool used  emits heat to break up the ink participles making up the tattoo. The longer the exposure to the heat, the higher the likelihood it will cause damage to the skin. Many other factors also affect a successful clearance: the type of laser device used and the color, size, and location of the tattoo.

The device is the most crucial  the proper laser can safely remove almost any tattoo, according to Park. The latest technology uses picosecond lasers, a major breakthrough.

Compared to the conventional Q-switched lasers, picosecond lasers are much more effective and safer, clearing the targeted area with more accuracy, speed, and in fewer treatment sessions. Its heat pulses are much faster, which means the patient is exposed to less heat  leading to less pain and scarring  while the treatment itself is much quicker. It is also more effective in removing tattoos with color and side-effects are mostly transient.

Park, who uses a PicoWay laser, the fastest type of the advanced model, explained not many hospitals and clinics have this as it is much more costly. Compared to about 50 places that have adopted this technology, more than 300 others still use the old model, he said.

Despite the technological advancement, Park warned it is still a long and costly process. "Typically, removal of one tattoo takes about 10 visits, although this varies widely. And the whole process on average takes one year, during which patients should always be mindful of what they eat and do until their bodies fully recover."

Park further advised people to leave open the possibility of a removal when they first get a tattoo, as almost half of people here seek to remove them later on. "Give more thought into it when you first decide to get a tattoo: Remember, our minds are fickle."
By Yi Whan-woo

The United States warned that it may use military force to defend itself and its allies from North Korea's missile and nuclear threats at a U.N. Security Council (UNSC) meeting Wednesday.

Although U.S. officials have previously mentioned using military options against the Kim Jong-un regime, it is rare for them to bring up the issue at the U.N. where the U.S. has clashed with China and Russia over pressing the regime harder.

"One of our capabilities lies with our considerable military force," U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley told the UNSC while criticizing North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Tuesday.

"We will use it if we must," she said, although she added that the U.S. prefers "not to have to go in that direction."

Haley also signaled that the U.S. will impose tougher sanctions on North Korea unilaterally even if China, North Korea's largest benefactor, does not cooperate.

"We will work with China, but we will not repeat the inadequate approaches of the past that have brought us to this dark day," she said.

Haley's remarks are seen as a move to "test the waters" as to whether the U.N. is willing to have its peacekeeping forces deter North Korea if Pyongyang's missile threats continue to grow, according to analysts.

The AFP reported that the U.S. drive won backing from France but raised a protest from Russia, whose Deputy Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov warned that "sanctions will not resolve the issue."
By Choi Ha-young

President Moon Jae-in has called for increased aid for North Korean children, saying political circumstances should not affect it.

"Humanitarian aid for the North's healthcare and medical affairs should not be tied to political affairs," Moon said at a G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday.

Moon said Seoul is planning to help the North while keeping pace with international sanctions against the reclusive country's nuclear and missile programs, being conscious of its recent launch of intercontinental ballistic missile.

"We intend to join hands with international organizations and civic groups to provide aid within the boundary of international sanctions and thoroughly monitor the process," he said.

Moon explained the ongoing shortage of food in North Korea, citing a United Nations report. "According to the U.N., 41 percent of North Koreans are malnourished. Specifically, 28 percent of those under five are suffering from malnutrition."












Participants of the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany, pose for a family photo on July 7, 2017. / AFP-Yonhap



Leaders of the Group of 20 major countries wrapped up two days of summit meetings in Hamburg on Saturday with a declaration that the Paris climate agreement is "irreversible" despite the U.S. decision to withdraw from the global pact aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The G-20 Leaders' Declaration, however, made no mention of North Korea, even though the meetings came just a few days after the communist nation stunned the world with its first test-firing of an intercontinental capable ballistic missile potentially capable of reaching the United States.

The declaration said the leaders "take note" of the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, but they also noted the U.S. promises to work closely with other countries to help them access and use fossil fuels more cleanly and efficiently, and help deploy renewable and other clean energy sources.

"The Leaders of the other G-20 members state that the Paris Agreement is irreversible," the declaration said. "We reaffirm our strong commitment to the Paris Agreement, moving swiftly towards its full implementation in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities."

On trade, the leaders agreed that international trade and investment are important engines of growth, and pledged to "keep markets open" while noting the importance of "reciprocal and mutually advantageous trade and investment frameworks and the principle of nondiscrimination."

They also agreed to "continue to fight protectionism, including all unfair trade practices and recognize the role of legitimate trade defense instruments." (Yonhap)
By Rachel Lee

President Moon Jae-in and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed to set up regular bilateral talks between foreign and defense ministers from the two countries as part of efforts to strengthen collaboration on the North Korean nuclear issue.

In their first bilateral meeting, held Saturday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, Moon expressed gratitude for France's active role in the matter, and the two leaders agreed to cooperate closely by utilizing all possible measures for Pyongyang's denuclearization.

The two also said they would create minister-level dialogue in the business, education and science sectors.

Moon suggested that Seoul and Paris cooperate in new industry development by utilizing complementary skills and capabilities.

Mentioning his visit to Korea as the minister of economy, industry and digital affairs in 2014, Macron expressed satisfaction with the progress in joint research since the launch of the Korea-France Joint Forum for Innovative Industry.

He expressed hopes for the diversification of cooperation though bilateral meetings between finance ministers at the ASEM Economic Ministers' Meeting, which will be held in Seoul in September.

Before the talks, Moon touted Macron's election as a political revolution that astonished the world.

He also said he was elected president thanks to what he dubbed a "candlelight revolution" _ candlelit rallies that led to the ouster of President Park Geun-hye for her involvement in a massive influence-peddling and corruption scandal.












President Moon Jae-in, left, shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidlelines of the G-20 summit in Hamburg Germany, Saturday. / Reuters-Yonhap



President walking tightrope between US and China

By Yi Whan-woo

President Moon Jae-in has concluded a successful diplomatic debut at the Group of 20 summit in Germany, but only reaffirmed differences on the U.S. anti-missile system with China, and the comfort women deal with Japan.

The G20 summit that ended in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, leaves concerns that the U.S. missile interceptor in South Korea may hinder full-pledged support from China and Russia in curbing North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

True, Moon and Xi Jinping agreed to work closely on North Korea's ever-growing nuclear threats in their first summit on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

But they only re-ascertained their differences when it came to deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here, which has led to economic retaliation by China against South Korea.

In response to Moon's demand to drop such retaliatory measures, Xi asked him to withdraw the THAAD battery and reiterated Beijing's argument that it undermines regional security instead of exclusively deterring North Korea's ballistic missile attacks.

Xi also reiterated the blood alliance between China and North Korea when Moon asked him to play a bigger role in pressuring Pyongyang, hinting that Beijing may not be fully complying with international sanctions on the North.

In his one-on-one meeting with Moon on the sidelines of the G20 summit, Russian President Vlaidmir Putin underscored stronger sanctions and pressure on North Korea. But in separate talks with Xi held in Moscow prior to the G20 meeting, Putin renewed his opposition to THAAD.

In this climate, the U.N. Security Council failed to adopt a statement, Thursday, condemning North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
By Rachel Lee



The ASEAN-Korea Centre held a workshop in Vientiane to boost Laos' e-commerce sector on July 5.



The "Capacity Building Workshop for Expanding Business Opportunities in E-Commerce" aimed to share Korea's development strategies and business practices, contributing to the development of the e-commerce sector in the ASEAN nation.



The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) of Lao PDR and the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI) co-organized the event.



"As more and more businesses are moving away from traditional offline stores and going online, electronic commerce has increasingly become an important part of doing cross-border business," ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary General Kim Young-sun said.



"Lao PDR has a great potential to develop its e-commerce sector, as broadband internet access is widely available in Vientiane and in other parts of the country. I hope this workshop serves as a platform not only to enhance the competitiveness of Laos' e-commerce sector but also to expand digital business opportunities between Lao PDR and Korea."



At Wednesday's opening ceremony, the secretary general, Korean Ambassador to Lao PDR Yun Kang-hyeon and high-ranking officials from the MPI were present.



Following the ceremony, experts and business representatives from Korea and Lao PDR made presentations on the themes "Overview of Korea's E-Commerce Development Strategies," "Policies and Opportunities in Lao PDR's E-Commerce Industry," "How to Enhance Cross-border E-Commerce" and "Business Start-up for SMEs."



The Korean delegation included experts from the Korea International Trade Association, the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), the Changgong E-Commerce Laboratory and Kyungpook National University.



Recognizing the importance of the ASEAN-Korea partnership in the digital era, the ASEAN-Korea Centre has been carrying out several programs in digital industries.



"The workshop that will be held in Lao PDR is part of back-to-back workshops in Lao PDR and in Cambodia that will enable the ASEAN-Korea Centre to learn about the current status and potential of the e-commerce industries of the two countries," the organization said.



A similar workshop will be held in Seoul in August.



The ASEAN-Korea Centre is an intergovernmental organization established in 2009 with an aim to promote exchanges among Korea and the ten ASEAN member states.








By Rachel Lee

Denmark will host an international summit for food and gastronomy in Copenhagen on Aug. 24-25, its embassy said.

The "World Food Summit 2017" aims to enhance global meal quality and increase the understanding of food, thereby improving health and the environment.

"Global food challenges are only solvable if we address and try to deal with them on an international scale," Danish Minister of Environment and Food Esben Lunde Larsen said.

The event will for the second year bring leading food producers, chefs and government institutions together to devise solutions, the minister added.

Renowned chef Rene Redzepi, founder of the New Nordic Cuisine movement and the Danish restaurant Noma, will attend with other international chefs, bloggers and experts from global food producers such as Nestle, McDonald's, Carlsberg and Campbell Soup. Government representatives from the U.S., China, Germany, Japan and South Africa and universities such as Yale and MIT will also participate.

"Denmark has shown that great cuisine and sustainable food production and consumption are not mutually exclusive," Larsen said. "In Denmark, experience has shown that increasing knowledge of food ingredients and cooking skills can reduce obesity, food-related illnesses, food waste and the environmental footprint that the food industry has on our globe."
July came in like the holiday  hotter than a firecracker! The celebration at Centennial Park was very patriotic and family-friendly. It is so nice for Helena to have an event right here for everyone to enjoy. Kudos to the committee, the Helena Chamber Ambassadors, and the business sponsors/partners for an awesome event.

Helena has a new travel agency  Lone Star Travel. They are a full service travel agency with over 35 years of experience. They partner with all major cruise and tour operators, hotel chains, and airlines. They specialize in destination weddings, honeymoons, and family travel. Winter getaways are an area of expertise  let them find you a great spot on a beach. They can plan your trip for you from Helena to anywhere in the world and back again. Jeanne Daw is the owner and you can contact them at 972-658-6351 or by email at donna@LoneStar-Travel.com. Check out their website: https://www.lonestartravelinc.com/.

A clarification on my previous column where I mentioned Kolar Tire was building a new location on Hwy. 12 East. This location is in ADDITION to their current location out west on Euclid Avenue. They are expanding to have two locations. Congratulations to Kolar Tire on adding this ability to grow their business right here in Helena and easily serve area residents on the east and west sides.

The Smokejumper Restaurant at the airport is now busy remodeling the main restaurant in the terminal building. Look for an expanded eating area and a great selection of food and beverages. They hope to complete this project and be totally open by early fall. Their service counter (which has great lattes, by the way!) within the secured area for passengers has far surpassed their estimated goals, so they are encouraged and excited to get the restaurant up and open.

Dont forget the evening event of the summer coming up this next Saturday the 15th of July  the Symphony Under the Stars. This is such a great family event on the campus of Carroll College. The Helena Symphony will be showing their stuff with a fun theme this year Rock On!  The music of the 70s and 80s. This has become such an iconic event for everyone to get out in the fresh air, enjoy great music, and also enjoy the beautiful Helena backdrop.

Ive reported previously about the fabulous renovations and new pools at the Broadwater Hotsprings but now you can enjoy lunch or dinner poolside alongside the new soaking pools with beautiful mountains in the background. I stopped out for lunch a week ago and they have something for everyone on their menu from pizza, burgers to meals with a gourmet touch, plus a great selection of beverages. Stop out and try it  such a great atmosphere! Plus is they have a special rate for soaking of $5 before 5 p.m. on weekdays. What a great way to relax after a long day  soak, sip, and enjoy good food!

New to Helena is Yoga Training (Touch) and Retreat Center at Studio 18A. Owner Katie Campbell, yoga therapist, invites you to try celebrating life by harmonizing principles of body, energy, mind, intellect and spirit. Stop by the studio at 18 S. HarrisonStudio 18A or call 406-461-8845 for more information.

For businesses interested in selling goods or services to the State of Montana, the State Procurement Bureau is teaming up with the Montana Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) again this summer, conducting outreach to vendors and potential vendors across the state. If your business could benefit, make plans to attend this event in Helena on Wednesday, July 19, beginning at 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

Representatives from the State Procurement Bureau and the Montana Department of Transportation will be presenting on a variety of topics, including:

Differences between construction contracts and procurement of goods and services

Goods and services commonly purchased by state agencies

Regulations and requirements impacting state procurement

Where to find solicitations

How to register as a vendor in the Montana Acquisition and Contracting System (eMACS)

Resident preference and reciprocal preference

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program

How to respond to solicitations

Tips for winning state contracts

Resources for vendors . There will be time for questions and answers at the end.

To register for this event, go to http://mtptac.ecenterdirect.com/events/41250. It will be held in the Glacier Conference Room (Rm.#54) in the basement of the Mitchell Building, 125 N. Roberts Street, Helena MT 59601
French Ambassador to Korea Fabien Penone, center, with Korean students at a ceremony to congratulate those who participated in the high-level French language (DALF C2) exam and the ambassadors of the communication and PR campaign "Et en plus je parle le francais," at the ambassador's residence in Seoul on June 28. DALF C2 is a diploma in French language delivered by the French Ministry of Education. It is the highest level according to the classification of the Common European Frame for languages. Nearly 30 young Koreans succeeded this year. / Courtesy of French Embassy
A B-1B Lancer, left, drops a guided bomb in a drill over Gangwon Province, Saturday. / Courtesy of ROK Air Force



By Yi Whan-woo

Two U.S. B-1B Lancer strategic bombers conducted a bombing drill over South Korea, Saturday, in a show of force against North Korea following its test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last week.

North Korea denounced the drill in an op-ed published by the Rodong Sinmun, Sunday, saying it was a "risky gamble of war maniacs who rush to set fire for a nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula."

The South Korean Air Force said the U.S. long-range strategic bombers were deployed to South Korean airspace after departing from Anderson Air Base on Guam.

"The measure was to sternly respond to North Korea's series of ballistic missile provocations," a Seoul military official said.

The U.S. bombers entered from above the East Sea and flew northward near the Military Demarcation Line before ending up their drill. They were joined by F-15K and F-16 fighter jets in the eastern part of Gangwon Province when they conducted a precision-strike training aimed at attacking key North Korean facilities.

Each U.S. bomber dropped a Laser Guided Joint Direct Attack Munitions (LJDAM) on a simulated North Korean ballistic missile launch pad.

An LJDAM weighs about 900 kilograms and has a laser sensor in the nose to increase precision-strike capabilities, according to the South Korean military officials.

They said the two allies had delayed the drill because of severe weather but decided to go ahead with their plan to "demonstrate their determination for swift punitive measures" against Pyongyang's test-launch of a Hwasong-14 missile, Tuesday.

The Rodong Sinmun justified North Korea's advancement in their ballistic missile program, saying it was to "bring the U.S. nuclear provocations to end."

"And our successful test of the Hwasong-14 missile testified our efforts," it said.

Pyongyang's state-controlled Korean Central Television warned that the U.S. will "face a self-destructive outcome" should it continue to increase threats over a nuclear war."

The U.S. has repeatedly sent B-1B bombers to the peninsula this year amid North Korea's cycle of ballistic missile launches.
By Park Si-soo



A Frenchman was arrested for using a "hidden camera" in the men's changing room of a Seoul swimming pool, police said Sunday.

The man, 57, will be indicted on charges of violating acts regarding sexual crimes, according to Songpa Police Station.

The incident happened on June 4. The man entered the changing room of the Olympics Swimming Pool about 5 p.m. with a small video camera hidden in a bucket of shower products. He turned it on and recorded for 30 minutes before pool workers caught him.

The pool was the swimming venue during the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Police said they are still investigating whether the man used the camera at other locations.
By Jung Min-ho



A 78-year-old woman died after being mauled by a dog she raised for eight years.



According to Andong Police Station in North Gyeongsang Province, Sunday, the woman was found dead in her house Friday at around 9:15 p.m. with serious injuries to her neck.



Police said they also found a bloodstained Pungsan dog and a tooth near the house.



Officers said they concluded the 18-kilogram dog attacked the owner. They said they plan to send the dog to a shelter, where it will be euthanized.



The woman was found after an employee at a seniors welfare center called the police after failing to reach her by phone several times.



This is not the first such incident. In May, a 66-year-old woman in Wonju, Gangwon Province, also died after being attacked by her dog.



After a series of reports about dog attacks  against strangers and owners, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said it is trying to come up with measures to prevent such incidents.



For now, only six kinds of dogs, including pit bull terriers and Rottweiler's, are required to be put on a leash and muzzled while being taken outside. Owners who violate this ordinance face a fine of up to 100,000 won ($87).



The Ministry is considering adding more kinds to the list and increasing the fine. It also plans to require owners of the listed dogs to receive education from local governments.












Lee Jun-seo,

By Lee Kyung-min

The prosecution sought an arrest warrant for former senior People's Party official Lee Jun-seo, Sunday, over his alleged involvement in a smear campaign against then presidential candidate Moon Jae-in in the lead up to the May 9 election.

The Seoul Southern Prosecutors' Office alleged Lee handed over a fabricated voice recording to the party, which it publicly disclosed May 5, just four days before the election.

In the recording, made by People's Party member Lee You-mi and her brother, President Moon's son Joon-yong is alleged to have used his father's influence to land a job at a public agency, the Korea Employment Information Service, in 2006.

The prosecution also filed for a separate arrest warrant for Lee You-mi's brother.

Lee You-mi had been a student of the party's former presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo, when he taught at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST).

The prosecution initially concluded that Lee You-mi acted alone, but determined Lee Jun-seo willfully neglected his duty to verify the authenticity of the recording.

The prosecution said Lee Jun-seo was aware of the fabrication, given that Lee You-mi, since the day of the public disclosure, kept sending text messages and making calls to him expressing her concerns about possible repercussions.

Earlier, Lee You-mi confessed to creating what was intended to be an anonymous tip-off.

The voice of the man in the recording, who claimed to be a schoolmate of Joon-yong at the Parsons School of Design in New York City, was Lee You-mi's brother.

Screenshots of Kakao Talk messages that were made to look like communications between Joon-yong and a schoolmate were created by Lee You-mi alone using three separate smartphones.

The prosecution took Lee You-mi into custody last month on charges of spreading defamatory information. The People's Party leadership has been denying any involvement, saying Lee You-mi acted alone.

The party's interim leader Rep. Park Joo-sun said last week its in-house investigation team led by Kim Kwan-young questioned Ahn for 50 minutes, but has yet to announce its findings.

The prosecution may question party's former senior campaign officials including Rep. Lee Yong-ju soon. His assistant was recently questioned about the party candidate's verification process.

The prosecution will likely look into whether Ahn and then party leader Park Jie-won were aware of, or involved in the fabrication. Prosecutors will also investigate whether they were also aware that the information was false but used it anyway to help Ahn and attack Moon.






Two people were killed and 16 others hurt following a pileup on Sunday on the northbound highway linking Seoul to the port city of Busan, police said.

Six passenger cars and a bus were involved in the crash on the Gyeongbu Highway near an interchange in Seoul's Yangjae area around 2:50 p.m., the police said the passenger cars collided on the rain-slick highway before the bus hit one of the cars carrying two persons that resulted in their deaths.

The two bodies were found in their wrecked car. At the time of the accident, there was a lot of rainfall, witnesses said.

The bus reportedly tried but failed to slow down on the rain-soaked road and eventually crashed into the cars that were ahead of it.












By Park Si-soo



Seoul Global Center is receiving applications for business lectures for foreign entrepreneurs here.

The 3rd and 4th "Business Startup School" will be held in two sessions - July 28-31 and Aug. 25-28 -- during which participants will be able to learn intensively about 10 key subjects for business, including marketing, business culture, real estate, intellectual property, labor, tax and state support programs.

Each session will have up to 25 people and span 20 hours. Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis.





Meanwhile, the Small and Medium Business Administration is receiving applications from foreign startup hopefuls or operators in Incheon, a port city west of Seoul, who want to get help from the South Korean government.



Successful applicants will receive support and guidance from the administration. Those eligible are foreigners, overseas Koreans or Koreans who received a bachelor's degree overseas who are preparing to launch a startup here or managing a startup business established in the past three years. For more information, call 02-2075-4139 or visit here Meanwhile, the Small and Medium Business Administration is receiving applications from foreign startup hopefuls or operators in Incheon, a port city west of Seoul, who want to get help from the South Korean government.Successful applicants will receive support and guidance from the administration. Those eligible are foreigners, overseas Koreans or Koreans who received a bachelor's degree overseas who are preparing to launch a startup here or managing a startup business established in the past three years.




By Lee Kyung-min



An umbrella union is continuing its drive to have the upper hand in the introduction of a basic wage of 10,000 won ($8.8) per hour.



While a 10-day strike participated in by more than 40,000 members of various unions ended Saturday, their "struggle" continues as nothing has changed, organizers said Sunday.



More than 1,000 members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held their last rally of the strike, which began June 29, Sunday under the name "the social general strike."



The event was organized to demand President Moon Jae-in promptly deliver his campaign pledge of raising the hourly minimum wage to 10,000 won and abolishing irregular positions.



"We ousted former President Park Geunh-hye. But since the Moon Jae-in administration has settled in, nothing has changed for us," KCTU official Choi Jong-jin said.



"Our lives continue to suffer under the harshest conditions. We ask President Moon to immediately exercise his determination and power to resolve the thorny labor issues," he added.



His remarks are in line with demands thus far by the umbrella union that claims to be the main contributor in electing Moon to the highest office.



"We were the core supporters that helped President Moon get where he is. Now it is time for him to listen to our demands," the KCTU said.



Earlier last month, in a letter written from prison, KCTU chief Han Sang-kyun justified the strike, saying, "The June general strike is to demand the Moon administration implement responsible measures without giving in to pressure from the establishment." Han was jailed for orchestrating a massive illegal anti-government rally in 2015.



Similarly, during the first meeting of the government's job creation committee June 21, Kim Ju-young, president of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), the country's second, smaller umbrella union, stressed its crucial contribution to helping Moon take office.



"We recommended a set of labor policies to President Moon and pledged our support as an equal. We are unsure about whether President Moon used us to advance his political ambition," Kim said. Sixteen KCTU-affiliated unions participated in the 10-day strike, including the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union and the Civil Servant Union. Some union members, ranging from irregular workers in the public sector _ from cleaners to construction workers _ staged a rally in front of Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul.



The KCTU called for the withdrawal of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery; the release of its chief Han; and the nullification of a sex slavery deal reached with Japan in December 2015.



It also raised the issue of the death of Baek Nam-ki, a farmer who died months after being in a coma following being hit by police water cannon in a 2015 rally, calling for the punishment of those responsible.








By Kim Mi-kyoung





Important events often take place out of the blue. They defy flow with a chart-like logic and meticulous planning. March 6, 2017, was one of those days in my life. As I was getting ready to go to my (former) workplace, Hiroshima City University of Japan, my house was raided by a group of Japanese police officers. They told me not to touch anything and to give them my notebook computers and bank book.

I had no idea what was happening. The whole thing seemed like a cut from a film noir. The police ransacked my two-story town house and told me to pack basic necessities to last for a few days. I finally managed to collect myself and asked them why they were in my house. Hiroshima City University where I had been working for 12 years had filed a criminal complaint against me, and they were arresting me as a fraud suspect.

I was surprised, but not shocked. I knew the university was capable of doing such thing from my previous dealings with them. They were never shy about showing their contempt towards me for reasons beyond my control. And yet contempt often does not get translated into a criminal charge. Their action entailed something much more sinister and deeply political.

I was detained for 12 days in Hiroshima jailhouse. They fed the detainees 3 lunch boxes a day and allowed them a 15-minute shower twice a week. The light was on 24 hours a day, and we had to expose our head while sleeping. We had to go barefoot as socks were considered dangerous items. After non-stop police interrogation, the local prosecutor's office dropped the charge against me. I was released on March 17. The university dispatched two staff members to me and delivered a dismissal notice two hours after my release. The brutality punched the core of my spine. It was excessive.

I was not going to last long at Hiroshima City University. It had to end in one way or another. I had been the target of their bullying for many years. Since I was not leaving the university voluntarily as a tenured faculty member, they had to devise an unnecessarily violent and brutal way to put an end to my employment.

A colleague of mine teaching in Tokyo asked me "so, how was it in the Hiroshima jailhouse?" I laughed at the way he greeted me. "The price was right, but I cannot recommend it for an accommodation under any circumstances," I said. My 12 days at the Hiroshima detention center was more like Johnny Cash's gloomy "In the Jailhouse Now" than Elvis's corny "Jailhouse Rock." Physical confinement and the violation of human dignity can never be upbeat. I tried to be funny out of courtesy, but the whole thing about it was quite traumatic.

Panic and fear probably was the psychological experience that Hiroshima City University wanted me to taste. They wanted to break my mind and destroy my soul. The university, by the way, is the exemplary educational institution in the city of "world peace culture." I kept on asking the question of "why?" numerous times during those sleepless nights. The answer that I could think of was "simple because they could." It was about sheer body politics.

To their eyes, I was nothing but a single Korean woman who they could take the liberty of demoralizing and undermining. And they wanted to show it to me. Body politics, a symptomatic of totalitarian control, cannot coexist with Hiroshima's message of "No more Hiroshima, No more war." Hypocrisy is a sign of moral weakness. The cover of intellectual pretension and self-righteousness is bound to get busted.





Kim Mi-kyoung is the International Political Science Association (IPSA) Human Rights Research Committee chairwoman. She can be reached at mkkim_33@hotmail.com.
By Andrei Lankov





In the last decades of the twentieth century, particularly after the Cold War, it was widely believed that nationalism was retreating from international politics  at least among the most developed nations. The election of Donald Trump in the United States, Brexit, and the strong support of the once-fringe National Front party in France reverses this trend as an apparent backlash against globalization and liberalism has become an important feature of political discourse. Though these developments are recent manifestations, nationalism has been a constant in one part of the world. This area is East Asia.

Nationalism in a form recognizable to us today first emerged in the late nineteenth century. Earlier eras had similar conceptions but identities were largely centered on states and monarchies. It is telling that in Korea, for over thousands of years and extending in some form well into the twentieth century, all official communications were conducted in Classical Chinese, the lingua franca of East Asia, until the 1890s; and Koreans did not bother to develop a script for their vernacular speech until the 15th century. This was not exceptional: the Vietnamese script (an ideographic one, not a modern phonetic variety) was developed just a century later

Indeed, the word nation "minjok" as separate from the state, "kuk," first appeared in Korean only in the early 1900s. Perhaps not surprisingly, it was a loanword from the Japanese, as it was at this time Japan began to embrace modern "ethno-nationalism" with its cult of "authentic roots" glorifying the special qualities of a particular ethnic group. Nationalism of this sort began to gain traction some 150 years ago, after the Meiji restoration and the rush to modernize and westernize Japanese society.

The foundations of modern East Asian nationalism were borrowed from an era of hyper-nationalism in Europe around the year 1900. Admittedly, much of this was at the elite level, and it took decades of institutionalized widely-accessed public education before the masses were fully indoctrinated (in China it remains an ongoing process). That ethno-nationalism took hold in East Asia was understandable: It is alluring to believe in the superior qualities of whichever group one belongs to.

In Europe, the mindless slaughter of the First World War, followed by the Holocaust and other atrocities in the Second, led to a repudiation of nationalism, particularly ideas of racial or ethnic distinctiveness. However, despite its own atrocious experiences, there was no dismantlement of nationalism in East Asia. Atrocities during WWII were plausibly argued and attributed to the Japanese, not intrinsic nationalistic beliefs. Most countries  China, Vietnam and Korea  rightly imagined themselves as victims.

The Europeans after 1945 had no such excuse. It was clear that fascism was not an exclusively German idea, since in nearly all West European countries Hitler had enthusiastic sympathizers who often cooperated with the Nazi war machine and were sometimes even more brutal than their German counterparts.

It also helped that after the Second World War, Europe was soon incorporated within NATO and, somewhat later, the E.U. The existence of such region-wide closely interconnected institutions helped to contain the allure of nationalism.

In East Asia, however, nationalists of all countries (including, to an extent, even Japan) quickly positioned themselves as victims of a cruel (Western-led) world, and continued to articulate grandiose plans of (ethnic) nationalist revival. It is instructive that all nations in the region have overlapping territorial claims and devote significant political and social capital to supporting these. The recent confrontation in the South China Sea, where the Chinese are trying to realize the fantasies of Chinese map-makers from the 1930s, is an ideal example of such an attitude. Needless to say, similar actions with similarly nonsensical starting points are par for the course throughout the region.

History in East Asia  at least, as presented in school textbooks and government-sponsored events and publications  is essentially a chain of mutually exclusive claims to past grandeur. Alleged "historical maps" never fail to include lands currently administered by neighboring sovereign states. Outside influences on one's culture, history, and/or development are predictably deemphasized or outright ignored.

What exist today are the Chinese nationalists that hate and despise the Japanese, strongly dislike the Vietnamese, and are not particularly fond of Koreans. Vietnamese are equally contentious about the Chinese; Koreans believe Japan to be a greater threat than Kim Jong-un; and Japanese nationalists see all of mainland Asia as ungrateful and malicious.

Several years ago an experienced diplomat and scholar from outside the region told me: "For X (his country) it is good that countries of the region hate one another, it helps us, but, gosh, it is so comical sometimes!" Well, it is comical, but it is also dangerous  and it is not going to change any time soon.





Andrei Lankov was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and teaches at Kookmin University in Seoul. Reach him at anlankov@yahoo.com.
Montana has been working the charismatic megafauna thing for millions of years.

Long before grizzly bears prowled for elk calves along the Rocky Mountain Front, Deinoychus packs chased maiasaurs away from their nests to snack on newly hatched babies. If dozens of Tyrannosaurus rex fossils hadnt been found in the sedimentary Montana soils, wed know they were here from all the teeth gashes in the bones of Triceratops they ate.

Finding dinosaur fossils was a regular part of wandering the tumbled foothills along Highway 89, not that anyone much cared. That started changing in 1978 when Marion Brandvold found some particularly tiny bones that turned out to be most the charismatic of all. Her cache of specimens caught the attention of Museum of the Rockies paleontologists Jack Horner and Bob Makela, who concluded they were baby remains of a new species of duck-billed dinosaur.

The significance of Brandvolds discovery needs some excavation, just like the little fossils. They werent simply infantile versions of another thunder-lizard. They opened a window in a time machine that showed dinosaurs had families. They built nests for their babies and nurtured them for extended periods. Egg Mountain avalanched the notion that dinosaurs walnut-sized brains werent capable of much beyond eating. Horner and Makela named Brandvolds find Maiasaura Peeblesorum: the Good Mother Reptile.

Maiasaura also re-juiced the old competitive spirit among dinosaur hunters. Colorados Dinosaur National Monument introduced the world to fossil excavation in the mid-1800s. Montana produced the worlds first Tyrannosaurus in 1903. Similar giant skeletons served as circus sideshow attractions as much as scientific investigations around the turn of the 20th century. Big-city museums deployed quick-response teams to claim new dig sites and bring back the latest mystery beast for the clamoring public.

We were the first county museum in Montana, and the first to display fossils in 1936, Carter County Museum Director Sabre Moore said of her Ekalaka institution. Unfortunately, a lot of our fossils leave the state. Weve been lucky to get some casts gifted back as kind of a thank-you.

That includes a cast of Wyrex, the Tyrannosaur discovered by local resident Don Wyrick in Fallon County with the unusual distinction of having its tail bitten off by some more aggressive competitor. The original bones are in a Houston lab, but Ekalakas showroom will highlight the cast this summer.

For the most part, the early science was limited to getting the bones put together right. Egg Mountain triggered a space-age leap of insight about dinosaur life that could make careers and fortunes. Horners lectures on Cretaceous parental habits started filling auditoriums. Fossil-obsessed middle-schoolers soon competed with Hollywood agents for his attention. The result was Jurassic Park. Groan if you will, but it spawned four sequels.

It also spawned a few lawsuits, as finders and keepers tussled over who got to possess the best fossils. Brandvolds eggs and babies wound up split three ways, among the collections at Yale, Princeton and the Museum of the Rockies. The Two Medicine Dinosaur Center in Bynum has its own supply.

There was a lot of drama involved, Two Medicine museum director Cory Coverdell said. Horner discovered the eggs in the rock shop next door. At the time, the only dinosaur on display in Montana was in Ekalaka.

Fourteen public dinosaur displays now dot a loop more than 2,000 miles long across the central and eastern thirds of the state. They range from the animatronic galleries at Bozemans Museum of the Rockies to one of the worlds most complete Tyrannosaurus rex specimens at the Fort Peck Interpretative Center, 385 miles to the northeast. It take nine hours to drive between Bynum and Ekalaka.

Montanas geography and geology combined to preserve some of the worlds best Cretaceous and Jurassic life evidence. The landscape east of the present-day Rocky Mountains bathed in the edge of the Cretaceous Interior Seaway, whose shoreline shifted from around Choteau to as far east as the North Dakota border.

It was a time when the global sea level was very high, and we had extreme global warmth, University of Montana sedimentary geologist Marc Hendrix explained. There were no polar ice caps to speak of. All that ice thats today tied up in Greenland and Antarctica was melted.

The overthrust of the Rocky Mountains caused the older layer of the seabed to flex down to the west, as if the Bob Marshall Wilderness was a diver bending the end of a diving board. Eons of plant and animal species lived and died in that shallow sea, drifting to the bottom in ever-increasing layers. Some deposited in ways that transformed them into todays pockets of petroleum, natural gas and coal after millions of years. Others did their work much faster, encasing and mineralizing everything from seashells to skin tissue in natural archives.

Leonardo, a Brachylophasaurus considered by the Guinness Book of World Records as the worlds best-preserved dinosaur, was unearthed near Maltas Great Plains Dinosaur Museum and Field Station. That designation could fall after a new discovery published this spring of an ankylosaur with mummified skin tissue along with its bony spikes, horns and hammer-like tail. The creature has such a dominating appearance, the finders named it Zuul crurivastator  for the demon in the first Ghostbusters movie and the Latin word for crusher of shins.

Locals have been aware of Montanas superb preservation qualities for longer than the major academic world might acknowledge. Laurie Trexler, Brandvolds daughter-in-law, recalled working for weeks on a Maiasaur head section where imprints of skin showed the dinosaur had a dewlap, or flap of skin under its jaw. But when the specimen was transferred to an Ivy League university for further examination, the lab staff punched through the skin traces in their haste to clean the bone pieces.

Unlike most museum experiences, Montanas dinosaurs offer a hands-on component comparable to hanging out in Thomas Edisons lab while hes inventing the light bulb or Michelangelos workshop while hes carving David. Visitors with an afternoon or a week can go out in the field with professional paleontologists and dig up a new dinosaur.

Bynums Two Medicine Dinosaur Center, Maltas Great Plains Dinosaur Museum and Field Station and Jordans Garfield County Museum all offer field trips to fossil deposits for actual excavation and recovery. Federal law prohibits private fossil collecting at these sites, but visitors can experience the full spectrum of discovery, recovery and analysis central to paleontology.

About half our visitors are making a convenient stop between Glacier and Yellowstone (national parks), Coverdell said in Bynum. But the other half comes here just for the dinosaurs. Montana has a formation running from Wolf Creek to Canada thats 40 miles wide  its a great place to look for dinosaurs. We did 412 field programs last year.

Glendives Frontier Gateway Museum provides an indoor complement to the outdoor dinosaur wonders of the Hell Creek Formation. Both Makoshika State Park and the privately operated Baischs Dinosaur Digs make it possible to find fossils with professional supervision and guidance.

Carter Countys annual Dino Shindig on the last weekend of July last year won the Montana Office of Tourisms Event of the Year award for its efforts. The three-day gathering this July 28-30 features 16 professional paleontologists making presentations and a pitchfork fondue to feed the hungry participants.

Those seeing a similar hands-on opportunity without the sunburn should consult the programs offered at Fort Pecks Interpretative Center and Museum and Bozemans Museum of the Rockies  the most comprehensive collection of dinosaur science in the state.

In 2016, 333,151 people made at least part of the Dinosaur Trail. Thats up 15 percent over the year before, and the best record since the route was laid out in 2005.

Im just amazed these little kids come in here and they can pronounce all the names way better than I can, said Old Trail Museum Director Julie Ameline in Choteau. They really know their stuff.

Where to find Montanas Dinosaur Trail

Blaine County Museum

Chinook

The Paleontology Department displays a dozen Judith River Formation exhibits including hadrosaur, Gorgosaurus and Ankylosaurus fossils from the area. Remains of gigantic marine reptiles mosasaur and plesiosaur are featured, along with invertebrates from the areas ancient ocean (75-500 million years ago). In the Look, Touch, and Wonder room guests can handle fossils of sea creatures, plants, and dinosaurs that roamed this area millions of years ago. Free admission. Open all year. Hours of operation available at blainecountymuseum.com, 406-357-2590. Located four blocks off U.S. Hwy. 2, 501 Indiana Street.

Carter County Museum

Ekalaka

This is Montanas first county museum and the first to display dinosaurs found in the state. Its exhibits include a mounted skeleton of Anatotitan copei (one of a few nearly complete skeletons of this species found), a complete skull of Triceratops, and a full cast of Wyrex (the T. rex. found in Carter County), pachycephalosaurs, mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, ankylosaurs, the first and most complete juvenile T. rex, and the only known pterosaur from the Hell Creek Formation. Mounts and casts of all of these are on display along with other real dinosaur bones. Free admission. Open all year. Hours of operation available at cartercountymuseum.org, 406-775-6886. Located at 306 N. Main.

Depot Museum

Rudyard

The Rudyard area has provided dinosaur specimens for the Museum of the Rockies (MOR) and other premier institutions for years. Now an MOR affiliate, the Depot Museums signature display is the Oldest Sorehead, a fully articulated Gryposaurus found near here. The facilitys lifelike duckbill dinosaur and egg nest display places you right next to these ancient creatures, plus other permanent and changing dinosaur exhibits. Open Memorial Day to Labor Day and winter by appointment. Hours of operation available at rudyardmuseum.com, 406-355-4322 or 406-355-4356. Located off U.S. Highway 2, Fourth Avenue Northwest.

Fort Peck Interpretive Center and Museum

Fort Peck

The Centers signature attraction is Pecks Rex, one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons ever found. The lobby features a life-size replica of Pecks Rex, and the exhibit hall displays a full-size skeleton cast. A Cretaceous Sea display and several other dinosaur exhibits are also highlighted. Free admission. Open daily May-September. Seasonal hours October-April. Hours of operation available at fws.gov/refuge/Charles_M_Russell/visit/visitor_activities/FPIC.html, 406-526-3493. Located 1.5 miles east of Fort Peck townsite, Lower Yellowstone Road.

Garfield County Museum

Jordan

The museum features Cretaceous fossils from the Hell Creek Formation. The first T. rex ever discovered was found near Jordan in 1902. Exhibits include a full T. rex skull, full-size Triceratops replica, and a pachycephalosaur domed skull. Free admission. Open June 1-August 31. Hours of operation available online at garfieldcounty.com/our-museum.html. Located on U.S. Highway 200 East.

Great Plains Dinosaur Museum and Field Station

Malta

Located in the heart of dinosaur country, the museum features many extraordinary fossils: fish, invertebrates, turtles, plants, crocodile and a variety of Jurassic and Cretaceous dinosaur species, such as Camarasaurus, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, pachycephalosaurs, tyrannosaurs, a new species of horned dinosaur and raptor, and superbly preserved juvenile and adult specimens of Brachylophosaurus. Summer field dig programs are offered for adults and children. Collections room, fossil preparation lab, and gift store. Seasonal hours of operation, admission fee available at greatplainsdinosaurs.org, 406-654-5300 or dinosaur@itstriangle.com. Located on Highway 2 East next to the Phillips County Museum.

H. Earl Clack Memorial Museum

Havre

The museum displays 75-million-year-old dinosaur eggs and embryos found in local exposures of the Judith River Formation. Research suggests these are Lambeosaurus eggs (a duck bill dinosaur) laid along the banks of an ancient river and estuary of the Cretaceous Bearpaw Sea that once covered this area. Stygi, a skull cast of the rare Stygimoloch (a species of pachycephalosaur) and an Albertosaurus head mask are also displayed. The famed archeological treasure  the Wahkpa Chugn Buffalo Jump Site  is adjacent to the museum. Free admission. Seasonal hours of operation available at hearlclackmuseum.org, 406-265-4000. Located on U.S. Highway 2 West in the Holiday Village Mall.

Frontier Gateway Museum

Glendive

An official county museum located in the heart of the Hell Creek Formation rich with Cretaceous fossil remains. Full-size replicas of Stegoceras found in the Glendive area are on display along with fossils from Triceratops, hadrosaurs, Thescelosaurus, aquatic, and plant fossils. Open Daily Memorial Day-Labor Day. Guided tour available upon request. Free admission. Hours of operation available at frontiergatewaymuseum.org, 406-377-8168 or frontiermuseum@gmail.com. Located at 201 State Street (take exit 215 off I-94, then Belle Prairie Frontage Road).

Makoshika State Park

Glendive

Makoshika (meaning bad land in Lakota) is part of the Late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation. Significant finds include a complete Triceratops horridus skull (on display at the Parks Visitor Center), fossil remains of Edmontosaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex and a nearly complete skeleton of the rare thescelosaur. Open year-round; camping sites available. Hours of operation and park fee information available at stateparks.mt.gov/makoshika/, 406-377-6256. Located 1.4 miles southeast of downtown on Snyder Avenue, follow State Park/Dinosaur Track signs.

Museum of the Rockies

Bozeman

Museum of the Rockies is a Smithsonian Affiliate and recognized as one of the worlds finest research and history museums. MOR houses the most T. rex specimens anywhere in the world. Notable exhibits include the growth and behavior series of Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus rex, the Montanas T. rex skeleton, the Catherine B. rex specimen, and many other one-of-a-kind dinosaur finds. MOR also delights visitors with changing exhibits from around the world, permanent indoor and outdoor regional history exhibits, planetarium shows, and a museum store. Open all year, hours of operation and admission fee available at museumoftherockies.org, 406-994-2551. Located at 600 W. Kagy Blvd.

Old Trail Museum

Choteau

The Dinosaur Antechamber showcases discoveries from the Two Medicine Formation: Maiasaura and Einosaurus skulls, nestling, hatchling and adult Maiasaura skeletons and bones, and a Sauronitholestes skeleton casting. A prep lab display and geologic information about the Rocky Mountain Front and Willow Creek Anticline provide additional information about the area and its rich paleontology heritage. Seasonal hours of operation, admission fee available at oldtrailmuseum.org, oldtrail2@gmail.com, 406-466-5332. Located on U.S. Highway 89, 823 N. Main St.

Phillips County Museum

Malta

Fossil discoveries from the nearby Judith River Formation are featured inside the museum. Meet Elvis, the 33-foot long Brachylophosaurus fossil, one of the best articulated skeletons ever found. A dynamically posed 28-foot Albertosaurus stands tall greeting visitors. Other significant items are a 700-pound Apatosaurus femur visitors can pose with and a Skull Game for children. In the underwater sea area a fantastic 4-by-4-foot Crinoid plate is displayed  is it plant or animal? Seasons, hours of operation and admission fees are available at phillipscountymuseum.org, pcm@itstriangle.com, or 406-654-1037. Located at 431 U.S. Highway 2 East next to the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum.

Two Medicine Dinosaur Center

Bynum

Education through Research is the museum's motto. In addition to the museum, which features local discoveries like the first baby dinosaurs found in North America, it also offers public, hands-on dinosaur dig programs throughout the summer. These programs run from a half-day site tour all the way to a two-week long Paleo Training Course. Advanced registration required. Season and hours of operation available at tmdinosaurcenter.org, info@tmdinosaur.org, 1-800-238-6873. Downtown Bynum, U.S. Highway 89, look for the dinosaurs.

Upper Musselshell Museum

Harlowton

The museums centerpiece is Ava, the full-size skeleton replica of a first of its kind Avaceratops, found in the Judith River Formation outside nearby Shawmut. The museum also has a hadrosaur tibia and fibula, numerous dinosaur leg bone and hip bone fossils, and fossilized ancient sea creatures. Open Memorial Day-Labor Day. Hours of operation available at harlowtonmuseum.org, museum@mtintouch.net, 406-632-5519. Two locations downtown: 11 and 36 South Central Ave.
Consumers take a selfie with an LG Electronics' G6 smartphone. / Courtesy of LG Electronics





By Lee Min-hyung

LG Electronics' mobile unit is expected to suffer a sharp increase in its second-quarter operating loss after weak sales of the flagship G6 smartphone failed to offset marketing costs.

The Seoul-based tech company reported a 664.1 billion won ($575 million) estimated operating profit for the April-June period, up 13.6 percent from a year ago, driven by robust home appliance sales.

But the firm's mobile communication (MC) division is known to have posted an operating loss of about 100 billion won in the period, deteriorating from 200 million won a quarter ago. The company plans to unveil divisional profits later this month.

Market insiders attribute the increased loss to lukewarm market response to the latest high-end G series handset.

"The MC division is likely to report a wider than expected operating loss in the second quarter as poor sales for the G6 could not make up for its marketing expense," Dongbu Securities analyst Kwon Sung-ryul said. The brokerage firm predicted LG's mobile unit will report a 121 billion won operating loss for the period.

Other brokerage companies also remained pessimistic over the mobile rebound of the nation's second-largest handset maker. Mirae Asset Securities forecast LG's mobile operating loss to reach 93.4 billion won, with NH Investment and Securities estimating about 70 billion won.

LG Electronics' stock closed at 73,900 won on Friday, down 4.15 percent, or 3,200 won, from Thursday due to the weaker-than-expected earnings estimation.

The G6 debuted in early March, with LG scrapping a modular design from its predecessor, the G5. With the new model, LG shifted its mobile strategy by focusing on enhancing user experiences and on a string of basic functions  such as camera and audio  without adding "wow" factors.

The device, unveiled at this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February, drew massive attention with the absence of its home-turf rival Samsung Electronics there, as the latter delayed the launch of its flagship Galaxy smartphone series.

But with Samsung taking the limelight from LG with the launch of the Galaxy S8 in late March, G6 sales have remained sluggish in recent months.

Hanwha Investment & Securities analyst Lee Soon-hak estimated that G6 sales have so far reached fewer than 2 million, putting a brake on the firm's profit growth in the latter half of the year.

In a bid to drive up sluggish sales, LG Electronics launched the G6 Plus that comes with a 128-gibabyte internal storage. The company also plans to launch the V30, the new model of the firm's other high-end smartphone lineup, in September.
By Lee Min-hyung



Samsung Electronics will become the world's most profitable company for the first time in the second quarter of this year, according to market analysis.



The prediction comes after the nation's leading electronics company unveiled Friday its estimated operating profit of 14 trillion won ($12.12 billion) for the April-June period, up 72 percent from a year ago. This is the largest since the firm was founded in 1969.



The landmark earnings will likely surpass that of Apple, the world's biggest company by market capitalization. The iPhone maker is yet to unveil its quarterly profit, but analysts estimate its earnings will reach 12.21 trillion won during the period. The slight year-on-year growth is attributable to slowing iPhone sales.



This will be the first time Samsung has become the global leader by profitability. Strong memory chip sales have driven its record quarterly earnings. In the preliminary earnings estimation, the company said sales reached a record 60 trillion won in the second quarter, up 17.79 percent from a year ago.



The booming semiconductor industry will also allow the Seoul-based tech titan to rewrite global chip history by unseating Intel's decades-long leadership for the first time. According to recent data by Japan's Nomura Securities, Samsung is estimated to have generated $15.1 billion in quarterly chip sales, surpassing the U.S.-based chipmaker's $14.4 billion.





Rosy outlook for Q3



Analysts said Samsung will likely continue its upward momentum in the second half of the year, as its chip business still has enough room for growth.



"Samsung Electronics will hit a new all-time high of 15.2 trillion won in its third-quarter operating profit on the booming chip industry and reviving mobile unit," Song Myung-sup, an analyst at Hi Investment and Securities, said.



"This is because shipments for DRAM and NAND flash chips are set to grow by a huge margin during the July-September period, driven by seasonal factors. The chip unit is expected to post 9.4 trillion won in third-quarter operating profit."



The brokerage firm revised up the firm's target share price to 2.9 million won from 2.7 million won on the rosy chip outlook and the firm's reviving smartphone unit.



The earnings surprise is noteworthy, as it came only about a year after Samsung's mobile division was hit by its worst-ever crisis during the third quarter last year. At that time, Samsung's information technology and mobile communications (IM) unit reported only 100 billion won in operating profit, due to the unprecedented recall of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone over continuing reports of battery fires.



But with the ongoing success of its new flagship Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus smartphones, the company shrugged off previous concerns that the Note 7 fiasco might deal a severe blow to its brand image as the world's leading smartphone vendor.



Data showed that the new high-end handsets hit a record preorder of about 1 million for 11 days from Apr. 7 to 17 here, surpassing a previous high of 400,000 for the Note 7 last year.




Calvin Kang, the chief strategy officer of Classting, poses during an interview with The Korea Times at its headquarters in Seoul. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul



Start-up boosts communications in schools

By Kang Seung-woo



After returning home, he was scolded by his mother for the loss, despite his innocence. To his embarrassment, his mother wasted no time reporting the incident to his teacher.When a sixth-grade elementary school student had his first-ever pair of Nike shoes stolen at school in December 1993 -- the second day after his grandmother bought them for him -- he did not report the theft to his teacher because he was scared to do so.

Nearly 24 years later, he believes that if there had been "Classting," he would not have had such a bad memory. He is Calvin Kang, who is a strategy head of the tool designed to address the communication gap at school.

Classting is a classroom-based social platform connecting teachers, students and parents to allow communication and the sharing of useful learning content. It also provides a one-on-one messenger service for parents and students to communicate directly to the teacher.

Social network services like Kakao Talk or Facebook offer similar services. But Classting meets specific needs of teachers, students and parents. Another advantage of the dedicated application is that it ensures anonymity when necessary.

"A lack of communication between teacher and student caused my unfortunate incident in 1993. If I were able to go and talk to the teacher, it could have been solved in a smoother way," Kang, Classting's chief strategy officer, said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.

Since its launch in March 2013, Classting has emerged as a must-have item among teachers, students and parents, thanks to its feature enabling communication between them. The number of users has topped 4 million.

"Teachers can create a virtual classroom community on the Classting app and it enables students, parents and teachers to share class-related study content in real time through smartphones. Any format, including files, pictures, videos or website links related to homework or class projects can be shared," Kang said.

A mother of an elementary school student, who wanted to remain anonymous, said, "The app helps me pay more attention to my son's school life, including school bullying."

"However, more than anything else, its feature enabling direct talk between parents and teachers is the biggest reason many parents use it."

While Classting is emerging as the leading player in the local educational tech market, it is also gaining traction in countries such as the United States, Japan, China, Taiwan and even in Vietnam and Indonesia.

"The app is currently available in Turkish and Vietnamese as well as English, Chinese and Japanese," Kang said.

In addition, the startup has attracted high-profile investors such as Softbank Ventures Korea, Partners Investment and Samsung Venture Investment. Accumulated funding totals 7.5 billion won ($65.5 million).

Kang said there are many other investors from many countries showing interest in Classting.

He noted that more than 50 percent of teachers in Korea use the app -- more than 1.5 million have downloaded it. Following its success, the start-up has begun to focus on personalized learning powered by artificial intelligence by recently opening the Classting Learning app.

"Students can access content from the nation's 22 educational firms all together via the app," Kang said.

The 22 include Daekyo, the Educational Broadcasting System (EBS) and YBM.

"The new app uses deep learning to recommend content based on students' performance and analyzes their strengths and weak spots," he added.

Former elementary school teacher Dave Cho founded Classting in 2012 to improve the education environment by advising why and how students should study.

"Recently, we saw outrageous things happening in schools like parents or even students being violent with teachers due to a lack of mutual respect. To stop this rising problem, there should be more upright, balanced, high-quality education," Kang said.

"However, the current educational system gives little room for teachers, who struggle to deal with all the problems while teaching many students."

Kang added: "With the planned launch of Classting Learning for classrooms, we will improve education process itself to help teachers to teach and for students to learn more effectively. This service is currently on a beta testing and we are very excited for the positive impact that it will have in improving education environment."
By Kang Seung-woo





SKT CEO Park Jung-ho

SK Telecom CEO Park Jung-ho is pursuing a future-oriented meaning using the corporate name.

According to the nation's leading mobile carrier, Friday, SK Group held a CEOs meeting in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, June 19. Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and affiliates' CEOs, including Park, attended.

During the meeting, Park was quoted as saying that it was questionable if the word "telecom" could articulate the company's vision for the future.

He suggested that the company consider replacing telecom with technology or tomorrow as part of efforts to brace for the Fourth Industrial Revolution that is driving sweeping changes in the high-tech field.

The company, which changed its name in 1997 from Korea Mobile Communication to SK Telecom, is raising speculation that the mobile operator may change name once again.

However, SK Telecom rejected the speculation.

"The CEO's remark was made in order to encourage the company to take a future-oriented view," an official said, adding that the company has no plan to change the corporate name.

Park's comment came as the company has made investments in a range of areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT) as well as telecommunications since he took office in January.

Early this year SK announced that it will invest 11 trillion won ($9.52 billion) by 2019, 5 trillion won of which will be spent on AI and IoT, vowing to create a "new ecosystem" using them.

In April, SK established a division devoted to developing AI-related technologies and placed it under direct control of the CEO.

In the following month, it formed a strategic partnership with graphic chipmaker and technology firm Nvidia to develop autonomous driving technology.

When KT&G was privatized in 2002, the company kept its KT&G abbreviation, but changed the meaning from the Korea Tobacco and Ginseng to Korea Tomorrow and Global.
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Following months of anticipation, Elon Musk has finally unveiled the first glimpse of an actual Model 3.

Tesla has been working on a limited production run of the Model 3, its new electric vehicle that is expected to be available to the public at the end of the month.

On Saturday, Musk tweeted pictures of the first Model 3 to roll off the automakers assembly line in Fremont.

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Musk tweeted that the rights to the first Model 3 car were purchased by Ira Ehrenpreis, founder and managing partner of venture capital firm DBL Partners.

But Ehrenpreis gave those rights to me as my 46th bday present, Musk tweeted.

First Production Model 3 pic.twitter.com/TCa2NSUNI3  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 9, 2017

With its $35,000 base price, the Model 3 has been touted as a cheaper and more consumer-friendly version of the luxury Model S. The new sedan is smaller but is expected to feature the same self-drive hardware and will have a range of about 215 miles.

The company is expected to make 30 Model 3 vehicles by the end of the month. Production is set to ramp up to 20,000 vehicles a month by December, for a rate of 240,000 a year.

At least 380,000 people have put down refundable $1,000 deposits for Model 3s, but Tesla hasnt publicly updated that number since early last year.

It matters to us that you took a risk on a new car company, Musk tweeted earlier this month. We wont forget.

The first round of customers will have only two choices for the Model 3, Musk said at a recent shareholders meeting: color and wheel size.

The billionaire entrepreneur has taken great care in rolling out the new vehicle, vowing not to repeat the mistakes of the the Model X SUV when it debuted in 2015.

The Model X SUV was available in multiple configurations from the start and was beset with manufacturing and quality problems.

The completion of the first production Model 3 follows a rough week for the Palo Alto-based carmaker.

The company reported that worldwide deliveries for the Model S and Model X SUV came in at the low end of expectations for the first half of the year. Tesla blamed the shortfall on production problems at its Nevada battery plant, not on any loss in demand for its cars.

Still, investors punished the stock, which at one point was down nearly 20% from its historic high of $383.45 two weeks ago, when it had surpassed General Motors as Americas most valuable car company.

It didnt help that Volvo announced plans to have electric motors in all of its vehicles starting with the 2019 model year, making it the first traditional automaker to do so.

But as production loomed on the Model 3, the stock recovered and has gained nearly $2 a share in after-hours trading since Fridays market close.

david.ng@latimes.com

@DavidNgLAT
Wells Fargo & Co. has received preliminary approval for its proposed $142-million class-action settlement to compensate possibly millions of customers who had unauthorized accounts opened in their name.

On Saturday, a federal judge in San Francisco found that the proposed settlement was fair, reasonable and adequate.

The decision means that the plaintiffs in the class-action suit will soon receive information regarding how to submit claims for settlement benefits. A hearing to decide final approval of the deal has been set for Jan. 4.

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The settlement is an important component of holding Wells Fargo accountable for its abuse of its customers trust, Derek Loeser, partner at Keller Rohrback and lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said in a statement Sunday.

Wells Fargo Chief Executive Tim Sloan said in a separate statement that the preliminary approval represents a major milestone in our efforts to make things right for our customers.

The bank said that it will send notices about the process for making claims to current and former customers in the next three months, but any payments will be made after final court approval.

Wells Fargo said it expects the settlement in the case  Jabbari, et al vs. Wells Fargo & Co.  to resolve substantially all claims in 10 other pending class actions that allege the unauthorized opening of accounts.

In September, the bank agreed to pay regulators $185 million after it was accused of creating some 2.1 million unauthorized checking and savings accounts, credits cards, and lines of credit without customer approval.

The scandal rocked the San Francisco financial institution and led to the resignation of CEO John Stumpf in October.

The class-action settlement will cover customers who had unauthorized accounts opened beginning May 1, 2002. Customers will be compensated for the fees they were charged based on the number of unauthorized accounts.

One of the major hurdles in reaching a settlement has been determining how many customers were affected by the banks practices.

The original terms of the settlement would have provided compensation of $110 million based on regulators original estimates that the bank created as many as 2.1 million unauthorized accounts.

But in April the banked agreed to sweeten the deal to $142 million after an internal investigation found that executives first noticed the problems of unauthorized accounts in 2002.

That prompted plaintiffs attorneys to up their estimates of unauthorized accounts to as many as 3.5 million, though the number of actual customers affected would be less because some customers had multiple accounts.

The two sides also have had to determine how to compensate customers whose credit was damaged by unauthorized credit card accounts. They will qualify for a payout based on a formula that takes into account any loans they took out while their credit score was impaired.

The Los Angeles Times first reported on the sales practice in a 2013 investigation that revealed a relentless sales culture that pressured employees to open unneeded accounts in order to meet quotas.

david.ng@latimes.com

@DavidNgLAT
Hello! Im Mark Olsen, and welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.

Los Angeles LGBTQ festival Outfest is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. The Times Trevell Anderson wrote about this years festivities, running through the 16th, and the overlapping functions it serves as a showcase for filmmakers, a focal point for the community and an incubator for new talent.

Filmmaker Andrew Ahn won the festivals top prize last year with his film Spa Night, and he gives much credit to the festival for helping boost his career. Though he sees progress and hope in this years winner of the best-picture Oscar, as Ahn put it, The solution comes with having a diverse range of representations. That doesnt mean just Moonlight. It means many Moonlights. 

We have two screening events this week, and both are extremely exciting. On Tuesday, well screen the drama To The Bone with a Q&A featuring writer-director Marti Noxon and star Lily Collins. Then on Thursday, well have the comedy Landline, with director Gillian Robespierre, co-writer and producer Elisabeth Holm and actresses Jenny Slate, Abby Quinn and Edie Falco. For updates on future events, go to events.latimes.com.

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A Ghost Story

By turns moody and metaphysical, David Lowerys A Ghost Story is a measured, melancholy look at love and loss. Rooney Mara plays a woman struggling to get over the death of her husband, as Casey Affleck plays the husband, who returns as a ghost to the house they shared.

In his review for The Times, Justin Chang said the film isnt a horror story exactly, unless you count the horror of permanent solitude. Opening in domestic contentment, moving through personal anguish and ending with a cosmic lament, its a simple, wrenching story of love and loss that pries open a window onto eternity.

I spoke to Mara, Affleck and Lowery about Maras epic pie-eating scene, Afflecks acting from under a sheet and how they were all prepared to scrap the project if it didnt turn out as they hoped.

I didnt know if the ghost would work, Lowery said. I thought it just might be too silly of a concept to function the way I hoped it would. I always hoped that shape and symbol and character and presence would be maybe a little bit amusing from time to time but ultimately a very emotional presence in the film.

I also recently spoke to actor and musician Will Oldham about his pivotal scene in the film, for a story Ill be publishing soon.

And The Times Steve Zeitchik visited the temporary A Ghost Store in New York City that the movies adventurous distributor, A24, is using to promote it. My hope is that, while regarding the images in here, minds can wander in a way that is complementary to what Im trying to do with the movie, Lowery said of the unusual space.

At the New York Times, A.O. Scott said,  A Ghost Story is suspenseful, dourly funny and at times piercingly emotional, before going on to add, time  the ways it can accelerate through years, freeze in moments and defy measurement altogether  is Mr. Lowerys chief preoccupation here, his major theme and his raw material.

Writing for the Tribune News Service, Katie Walsh added, Lowery reverses the perspective of the grief process to fascinating ends. We are aligned with his point of view as a ghost, and palpably feel his own sense of loss, of his life, of his wife slipping away from him as she continues living.  Its the cycle of life  destruction, development, creation, crumbling and so on.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Youre probably asking yourself, Another Spider-Man movie? Or maybe, Dont I read this newsletter to get away from the bombardment of summer franchise tent-pole filmmaking? The answers to which are yes and not so fast. The new Spider-Man: Homecoming, starring Tom Holland in the lead role, is directed by Jon Watts, whose previous film Cop Car was a Sundance standout a few years back. The mix of youth movie and outsized action spectacle makes for an intriguing blend of sensibilities.

In his review for The Times, Kenneth Turan referred to the film as a weak copy of the teen-centric epics of John Hughes, before finding that against considerable odds, Spider-Man: Homecoming finds its pace and rhythm by the end. Not only did figuring out how to become an effective Spider-Man require more of a learning curve than Parker anticipates, figuring out how to make a successful superhero movie mandated one for the filmmakers as well.

The Times Jen Yamato spoke to director Watts about the move to big-budget studio filmmaking, and as the filmmaker said, On an independent film where youre working with just a handful of people, you dont have to explain anything  because no one cares. You can do whatever you want. Theres no one there to tell you not to do it.

But if youre in a larger situation, the best thing you can do is just have a vision and dont hide it, Watts added. Make sure everyone understands it as completely as possible  and understands the controversial elements of it so that youre not running into trouble later on down the line.

Yamato also wrote specifically about how Watts was able to add a role for actor Donald Glover, after a passionate online campaign to see the actor cast as Spider-Man. She also took a look at the new films purposeful efforts toward diversity in the cast, which includes Zendaya, Tony Revolori, Laura Harrier, Abraham Attah for a story publishing soon.

As Watts said, A big part of it was what I thought the cast should look like. I separated them  these are what the nerdy kids would be like, these are the cool kids  and because I was pulling from real life, it was this very diverse group. And that was my pitch from the very beginning.

For the New York Times, Manohla Dargis said of the new film, What makes Spider-Man different and, ideally, work as a character, giving him an off-kilter charm, is he retains the uncertainties and vulnerabilities of adolescence. For all his super-gifts and despite the weird and dangerous company he keeps, he is also a teenage boy  thats his Kryptonite, what cuts him down to recognizable human size.

For the AP, Lindsey Bahr took note of the new films forward progress, while also noting there are some strides left to be made. My only quibble with Spider-Man: Homecoming is that for all of its charming and infectious realism about race, high school life and class issues, it has a bit of a woman problem. Simply: Every significant and semi-significant female character looks like a model. ... Taken together, you start to wonder if maybe things would have been different if just one of the six screenwriters was a woman.

Scum

Alan Clarke is the kind of filmmaker that is in danger of falling through the cracks of movie memory. Frequently spoken of by other filmmakers, ranging from Paul Greengrass to Gus Van Sant, Clarke made bracing visions of a dark, violent world that bore a startling clarity and disturbing closeness to reality. Which makes the run at L.A.s Cinefamily of a new restoration of his 1979 film Scum, a youth prison drama starring Ray Winstone, something worth noting.

Writing about the film for The Times, Justin Chang said, A ferocious expose of life in Britains notorious borstals, or youth detention centers, the movie tells you much that you probably already know about incarcerated young men, their vicious pecking orders and the corrupt authorities overseeing their rehabilitation. But it tells it with scalding wit and coolly riveting style, in the visual equivalent of spare, brilliant prose that occasionally bleeds (and bleeds and bleeds) into poetry.

Email me if you have questions, comments or suggestions, and follow me on Twitter@IndieFocus.

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DIXON  Jack Bally reached new heights when his creation, nearly 18 years in the making, took flight in November.

The 76-year-old Dixon native built a B-17G bomber one-third the size of the World War II aircraft, which dropped more payloads than any other U.S. plane during the war.

Pegged the "Bally Bomber," the project was born from an ambition to create something different, something unique.

Others have built single-engine and twin-engine replicas, but Bally wanted to tackle a four-engine challenge.

"I didn't want to build the same one everyone else was building," he said. "There are no four-engine ones that I know of in the world."

He spent 45 to 50 hours a week, for 17 years and 10 months, working on the bomber before the Federal Aviation Administration certified it as flight-ready.

"I worked on it so much that it began to be called an obsession," he said.

He took that term to heart and named his B-17 Obsession, which appears on two decals on the sides of the plane strewn across a bomb accompanied by a pin-up girl.

It wasn't the first plane the retired carpenter built  his collection also touts a Kitfox Model 3, a Georgia Special and ultralight Sky Pup  but it's likely his last.

"It ain't happening," he said when asked what's in store for his next project. "At least, not another airplane anyway."

Bally started building planes in 1965, after serving as an Army specialist 4 from 1962 to 1964, during the Vietnam War.

He was stationed at Fort Gordon in Georgia, where he worked in mobile telephone communications.

Two semitrailers full of equipment could be set up within 2 or 3 hours with 60 field lines reaching across the globe.

Prior to being drafted, Bally received his commercial pilot license and started flying in 1960.

"I've always been working on airplanes, it seems like," he said.

His passion for planes sprouted early on  he would walk or ride his bike over to the Dixon Municipal Airport when he was 8 to watch the airplanes come and go.

He doesn't fly the Bally Bomber, though.

"I'm too shaky to fly it," he said, adding that other pilots have taken the bird up twice.

The 1,564-pound plane is mostly aluminum and contains more than 25,000 rivets. Its wingspan is about 103 feet and it runs 74 feet from nose to tail. It's made to hold one person.

The original aircraft weighed about 35,000 pounds empty and could take off with a maximum weight of 65,000 pounds. It was built to hold a 10-man crew.

Bally also built the tools he needed to build the B-17, like crimpers, rivet squeezers and a metal roller.

He used designs for a one-ninth scale model and made a mock-up out of wood and Styrofoam.

The entire process is documented in three large photo albums showing the work from start to finish.

Bally decided to make the plane one-third scale because that was the only way it would fit at his hangar workshop at home, where he also has a private airstrip about 1.5 miles from the airport.

Perfecting the landing gear, originally fitting a Piper Cherokee 180, presented a considerable challenge. It took a year to get it right.

The plane's tail has a triangle with a B inside; the B is for Bally, but that same symbol was found on one of the first WWII squadrons to fly into Germany.

By the end of the mission, three bombers returned of the 23 that left, he said.

In addition to Bally, who goes to the airport almost every day, the B-17 receives groups of visitors wanting to see the creation come out of the hangar.

Bally and his wife, Carolyn, have been married for about 4 decades and have three sons, Jack, Jeff and Jaimie.
On Thursday evening, as the sun sank and the air cooled, neighbors on Butler Avenue in West Los Angeles were starting to come outside. Cameron Neff, who inherited a house last year from his grandparents, bumped into his neighbor Paul Fitzgerald, a retiree who moved onto the block in 1975.

This two-block stretch of Butler is, like so many of the residential streets around here, modest but sweet. Many of the single-family homes retain their original ranch-style aesthetic. Bracketed on the south by the Santa Monica Freeway and on the north by a gate that prevents through traffic from Pico Boulevard, Butler is also, oddly, a quiet oasis in the middle of a noisy city.

Years ago, before the gate went up, nearby auto shops on Pico and Gateway boulevards would race down Butler to test their customers new brakes.

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There were a lot of little kids living here, said Fitzgerald, 76. We were afraid someone was going to get killed.

He and his neighbors, including Neffs grandparents, banded together and petitioned the city to let them close off the northern end of the street, turning a thoroughfare into a cul-de-sac. Each homeowner kicked in about $100. After that, the street quieted down.

Now Butler Avenue is facing a different challenge.

As the city of Los Angeles sets its sights on increased density to accommodate our ever-growing population, a proposed five-story apartment complex at the top of the block  where Gateway, Pico and Exposition boulevards converge  has many nearby homeowners worried that the character of their peaceful, low-slung neighborhood will be lost in the shadow of a looming apartment complex.

They are particularly upset because the city has given the developer  at no cost  a 100-foot alley that divides the land into two separate parcels. If the alley were kept intact, the project would be doomed. Or dramatically scaled back.

::

I got interested in this corner of the city after learning that a half-dozen family- and immigrant-owned businesses, including Big O Tires and the Mexican restaurant Tacomiendo, will be displaced from a strip mall called Gateway Center to make way for the 129-unit, five-story residential complex when their leases expire.

None has been able to find suitable replacement space on the Westside. Rents, as the man once said, are too damn high.

Is this a life-and-death issue?

Of course not.

Its merely a symptom of the intentional transformation of Los Angeles from a spread out, car-dependent collection of neighborhoods to a more crowded, taller megalopolis where you can get around by using public transit and your bike. Whether you like it or not.

The mayor wants to make L.A. a denser city, said Al Casas, a business owner and community activist who helped found the West Los Angeles Neighborhood Council 16 years ago. Increased density is inevitable. But they are going overboard.

Dana Sayles represents the Kirshner family, which owns and is developing the property. She agreed that the city is in a painful moment of transition. The new Expo Line, for instance, is a short walk away.

All this investment in transit doesnt work unless they allow this density to happen, Sayles said. I believe in density. I grew up on the East Coast, where cities only function because there is a critical mass.

The only way to preserve old neighborhoods like Butler Avenue, she said, is to concentrate density along the citys boulevards  like Gateway and Pico  and in projects like this one, which will have 63 studios, 60 one-bedrooms and six two-bedroom units. A handful will be designated for low-income renters, which also lets the developer increase the number of legally allowable units by 35%.

After neighbors gave her an earful, said Sayles, the project was redesigned and scaled down. The highest part of the complex will be at the front, along Gateway, rather than at the back, where it would tower over Butlers single-story homes.

More columns 

That has not allayed the concerns of neighbors like Gayle Gould, who bought a house on Butler three years ago. Shes disturbed about the inevitable increase in traffic along Pico and Exposition boulevards, which are already gridlocked at 5 p.m.

Its going to be a horror, she said. Were going to be trapped.

Some Butler Avenue neighbors had worried that the developers would try to remove the streets famous gate, making it a through-way again, but Sayles said that was never an option. We might replace it with a nicer gate, she said, but it will never be open.

This will come as good news to Fitzgerald, who told me, If that gate goes, its over my dead body.

::

I met Casas at Tacomiendo the other day to talk about the public alley that runs behind the restaurant and Big O Tires and is mostly used by the auto shops to park cars.

The landowners asked the city to vacate, or give them the alley, so they could join their two parcels into a single one-acre plot. Without the alley, the project thats now envisioned would not have been viable.

David Graham-Caso, spokesman for L.A. City Councilman Mike Bonin, said that because the alley is not used as a thoroughfare, and only one property owner (the Kirshner family) was involved, the Bureau of Engineering agreed to give up the alley. Sayles confirmed to me that no money changed hands in the transaction.

This irritates folks like Casas, who for years chaired the neighborhood councils planning and land use committee.

I think its outrageous, he told me, standing in the alley, gesturing at the cars. You are giving up this property for nothing, essentially. The developer just assumed that because theyd been using this alley as a parking lot for all these years that we would just give it to them. They should have been paying rent on it the whole time.

The Planning Commission approved the project, but last week, 29 residents of Butler Avenue and Colby Avenue, which is also affected by the project, filed an appeal.

We completely object and oppose the city giving away public property to a private developer for a private project, they wrote. The developer should not be able to take away the alley to boost their own benefits and harm other properties on these two streets.

I dont know if the neighbors will prevail. This towns politics are stacked in favor of developers. But these locals are nothing if not tenacious. Years ago, they got their gate. Maybe this time around, theyll get the alley.

For more on politics 

robin.abcarian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AbcarianLAT

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Wildfires continued to rage across several California counties Sunday as record-breaking heat in some areas gave way to cooler temperatures.

The Alamo fire, near Highway 166 in northern Santa Barbara County, has grown to more than 23,000 acres near the San Luis Obispo County line, Cal Fire said Sunday. At least 200 people threatened by the blaze were evacuated from a remote area east of Santa Maria.

The Whittier fire near Lake Cachuma, about 35 miles south, has scorched about 7,800 acres, according to officials with Los Padres National Forest.

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In Butte County, north of Sacramento, the Wall fire has burned 4,400 acres and destroyed 10 structures, while threatening hundreds more, according to Cal Fire. Four injuries have been reported.

Evacuation orders remain in effect throughout the area, officials said. The fire, which started Friday, is 17% contained.

The Winter fire in nearby Yolo County has burned 1,800 acres and is 25% contained, officials said. Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued in some areas.

In Santa Barbara County, water-dropping helicopters and retardant-dropping air tankers aided some 1,000 firefighters from across the state who were scrambling to contain the Alamo fire, the largest active fire in the state. Columns of smoke could be seen from miles away as the fire outraced efforts to contain it, at one point growing by more than 3,000 acres over a four-hour period Friday.

Low humidity, high heat and the winds are right  and theres just a lot of stuff to burn, said Santa Barbara County spokeswoman Gina DePinto. She said firefighters main focus Saturday was to secure the south and east sides of the blaze. If winds from the northeast shift toward the northwest, as expected, homes could burn, she said.

If the Alamo fire crosses Tepusquet Canyon, it could push farther east into an area of the Los Padres National Forest that burned in 2009, which might help slow the fire because the brush and the trees are relatively young, officials said.

But between the high temperatures and changing winds, Cal Fire spokesman Chris Elms said, the fire fight will be tough regardless of the fuel.

Its off to the races, Elms said of the fires growth.

Firefighters watch as a helicopter drops water on the Alamo fire near Santa Maria on Saturday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The Alamo fire was 10% contained as of Sunday morning, officials said.

The fire near Lake Cachuma, called the Whittier fire, was burning on both sides of Highway 154 and initially left some 80 campers trapped at the Circle V Ranch Camp. But U.S. Forest Service firefighters reached the group, which was sheltering in place, said Capt. Dave Zaniboni of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

The fire, which started about 2 p.m. Saturday, lies in an area filled with oaks, Chamise brush, Manzanita shrubs and ceanothus plants that havent burned since 1955, said Gary Helming, the battalion chief for the U.S. Forest Service in Los Padres National Forest.

The brush is tall and thick, he said. We have very active burn conditions. We are seeing rapid and large growth.

By Saturday evening, the Whittier fire had reached the top of the Santa Ynez mountain range and flames could be seen from Goleta, north of Santa Barbara. The fire, which is 5% contained, has burned 20 structures on both sides of Highway 154, officials said.

Sarah Gustafson, who moved from Washington to California seven months ago, lives in the shadow of the Santa Ynez Mountains down a winding road between Lake Cachuma and San Marcos Pass off Highway 154.

She said she was getting her tires changed on the Santa Barbara side of the mountains Saturday when she saw a pillar of smoke rise on the other side of the mountain.

Gustafson, who works at a veterinary hospital, panicked: Her six beloved cats were trapped at home.

It was my worst-case scenario, she said. I wasnt home, I wasnt able to get there and I had to evacuate.

Once her tires were secure she navigated around road closures and made her way over the mountain range along Old San Marcos Road as the fire exploded from 300 to more than 3,000 acres along a stretch of forest that fire officials said had not burned since 1955.

It was terrifying, she said. The sky was orange and black, you could see flames up on the ridge. When I got home it was smokey with ash.

The fire was still a ways away and she managed to cram her six cats  Severus, Malfoy, Mama, Smee, Nibbles, and her kitten Gidget  into cat containers then into a Toyota Solara for the race back to Santa Barbara.

She spent the night in the parking lot of the Red Cross shelter set up at San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara with her cats, a portable DVD player and Season 6 of The Simpsons to keep her company.

It was her first fire.

It all happened in a matter of hours, she said.

Nearby in the parking lot, Jerome and Caroline Clemenceau, who are from the western Vendee region of France, sipped coffee and ate cereal with their two daughters in their rented recreational vehicle.

The married couple, both 42, had spent five months traveling the United States from the Gulf Coast in Florida and Louisiana to Arches National Park in Utah and Mesa Verde National Park.

They wrapped things up in California, taking in Yosemite before ending their trip camping along the Santa Ynez River.

They spent the day sightseeing in Santa Barbara when a huge cloud of smoke came up over the mountain.

We have never seen that kind of thing before, Jerome said.

There was ash falling on our car, the sun was red -- suddenly we couldnt see anything. It was strange, his wife said. It was very impressive.

Fernando Salazar, a biologist from Colombia, and his daughter Veronica Salazar, who recently graduated from MIT, didnt know what to make of the smoke plume at first.

We thought it was smog, he said.

The pair darted up the hill from Santa Barbara in their rental car to the Los Prietos campground in Los Padres National Forest to retrieve their camping gear.

It was an inferno, Salazar said. The sky was beautiful, the sun was red.

The pair had seen Yellowstone, Yosemite and points in between during their road trip.

And we end it with a fire, he said.

Farther south, downtown Los Angeles hit a record high of 98 degrees Saturday, beating out the 131-year-old record of 95 degrees set in 1886, according to the National Weather Service.

Record-high temperatures were also recorded in Long Beach, 96 degrees, and Burbank, 105, while Palmdale tied its record of 110. Woodland Hills also reported a temperature of 110.

The San Fernando Valley was especially hard hit by triple-digit temperatures. By 3 p.m., the mercury registered 107 degrees at Lake Balboa, near Encino.

The heat, humidity and beating sun gave park visitors plenty to complain about.

Man, its brutal out here, said a shirtless man carrying a cooler back to his truck.

Meanwhile, an explosion at a power plant in the San Fernando Valley caused a fire that burned for hours Saturday, knocked out traffic lights, stranded people in elevators and left about 140,000 customers without power, officials said.

The power outages hit businesses and residents in Northridge, Winnetka, Reseda, Lake Balboa, Tarzana, North Hills, Granada Hills, Chatsworth, West Hills, Canoga Park and Woodland Hills, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. It was unknown when power would be restored.

Residents of an apartment complex near the DWP plant on Parthenia Street in Northridge reported hearing a loud explosion at the plant just before 7 p.m., and firefighters arrived to find a gigantic container of mineral oil  used as a cooling agent for electrical equipment  on fire, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey.

Humphrey said firefighters had controlled the blaze by 8:30 p.m. and were able to extinguish the flames by 9 p.m. These were fierce flames, with smoke towering more than 300 feet into the sky, Humphrey said.

No one was injured. He said mechanical failure related to cooling equipment might have caused the explosion, though the investigation was still young.

Power was fully restored to all DWP customers Sunday morning.

Temperatures in Los Angeles should begin cooling on Sunday by as much as 5 to 10 degrees in some areas, with the trend continuing over the next few days, said Hall, the meteorologist. The coast is expected to cool to the mid-70s and downtown to the mid-80s during the same period, he said.

Samantha Tlaxcalteco, 4, left, of Winnetka, sprays her friend Cynthia Torres, 5, of Canoga Park, with cold water at the Balboa Sports Center in Encino. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

javier.panzar@latimes.com

andrea.castillo@latimes.com

christopher.goffard@latimes.com

UPDATES:

11:35 a.m.: July 9: This story was updated with new information about Whittier and Winter fires.

11:05 a.m., July 9: This story was updated with new information about a Butte County fire.

9:25 a.m., July 9: This story was updated with new information about Whittier fire and DWP power outage.

7:30 a.m., July 9: This story updated with new burn numbers.

9:40 p.m., July 8: This article was updated with new information about DWP fire in Northridge.

This article was originally posted at 8:50 p.m.
Despite growing warnings about the health problems tied to traffic pollution, Los Angeles officials continue to approve a surge in residential development along freeways. And the crux of their effort to protect peoples lungs is a requirement that developers install air filters.

But even the highest-quality filters capture only some of the dangerous ingredients of car and truck exhaust, and to be effective, experts say, they must be frequently replaced and the buildings ventilation system must run virtually full time with all doors and windows closed.

The city inspects new projects air-filtration systems, but the head of the Department of Building and Safety concedes that his office has no procedures for documenting whether the proper filters were installed and does not conduct follow-up inspections to ensure that theyre being maintained and replaced.

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Air-quality regulators and health experts warn that relying on air filtration and other mitigation measures will not solve the health threat to residents moving into new homes along freeways  Southern Californias biggest conduits of pollution.

They have for over a decade urged cities to stop permitting new housing within 500 feet of heavy traffic to protect residents from asthma, cancer, heart attacks, preterm births and an array of other health problems studies have associated with living close to major roadways.

Yet, Los Angeles in 2015 issued building permits for 4,300 homes close enough to freeways to threaten occupants health  more than in any year over the last decade. Since then the city has permitted more than 3,000 additional units within the 1,000-foot distance where the city advises developers that residents are at risk from air pollution, with at least one just 60 feet from freeway traffic.

Health vs. housing

Mayor Eric Garcetti and other local politicians have opposed limits on how many homes can be built near freeways on the grounds that it would hamper efforts to ease Los Angeles severe housing shortage.

Builders agree, noting that additional restrictions on new construction will increase the cost of housing. And we have a very, very high need for housing, said Tim Piasky, who heads the Building Industry Assn. Los Angeles/Ventura Chapter.

Environmental advocates and neighborhood groups, meanwhile, call for stricter development standards and freeway buffer zones to protect residents health.

Doug Haines of the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council told city council members at a recent hearing that fine particulates will damage the lungs of children in hundreds of new housing units proposed along the 101 Freeway.

It passes through door jambs and window frames. There is no realistic way to filter it, Haines said. The only way to stop this is to limit all construction next to freeways.

Researchers have for years studied how to protect the health of people living near traffic pollution.

In a report released in April, the California Air Resources Board reviewed more than a decade of scientific studies and highlighted what it said are promising strategies to help decrease pollution exposure for residents close to freeways when cities do not heed its warning against building homes within 500 feet.

Among the solutions endorsed by the agency are sound walls, vegetation barriers and buildings with varying shapes and heights to help disperse traffic pollutants.

Its basically giving people a second set of solutions to the problem, said Bart Croes, research division chief at the Air Resources Board.

High-efficiency air filters are among the most effective tools, but neither the Air Resources Board nor most air-quality experts consider them an adequate fix.

Amelia Mueller-Williams says her blinds get dirty from the air. She lives very close to the 405 Freeway in the University Village apartments. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

What filters can miss

Filtering the air for particles is better than nothing, said Scott Fruin, a professor of preventive medicine at USCs Keck School of Medicine. But hes skeptical of cities that believe filters are an adequate solution. Studies show, for example, that high-quality air filters can capture some of the harmful particles in traffic emissions, but do not keep out toxic exhaust gases.

The carbon monoxide, the volatile organics, benzene or 1,3-Butadiene, theyre going to be too high and the filtration wont take care of that, Fruin said.

Air-quality officials have also advised cities that the benefits of filters are significantly undermined if the buildings heating, ventilation and air conditioning system isnt running at all times with all doors and windows closed.

UCLA doctoral student Amelia Mueller-Williams said that even though she tries to keep the windows of her student housing apartment near the 405 closed, she still finds black dust in tissues when she blows her nose.

Our home is polluted in every sense of the word, she said.

And such housing keeps getting approved.

In 2013, over the air districts objections, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved developer M. David Pauls 325-unit Il Villaggio Toscano project in Sherman Oaks right next to the 405-101 interchange. The city required only that the apartments have high-efficiency air filters and that certain windows facing the freeway cant be opened.

Attorney Robert P. Silverstein, who sued the city, challenging its approval of the project on behalf of a neighborhood group, called such restrictions a joke.

Theres a reason they call these kinds of apartments black lung lofts,  said Silverstein. Some of these units are mere feet away from the busiest freeway intersection in the country.

Rick Coca, a spokesman for Councilman Jose Huizar, who chairs the citys Planning and Land Use Management committee, said Huizar voted for the Il Villaggio Toscano development because it had the support of the local council member at the time, Tom LaBonge.

Former Councilman LaBonge said he voted for the project because it had the support of the planning pepartment, was located on an empty parcel next to the Sherman Oaks Galleria mall and would help satisfy the need for housing.

Live near the freeway? Tell us your story 

Los Angeles officials required Level 16 air filters at the Piero Apartments near the 110 Freeway in Westlake to offer greater health protections to occupants. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Not all filters are alike

In April 2016 Los Angeles changed its building code to require high-efficiency air filtration in new homes within 1,000 feet of a freeway.

Filters are rated on a 16-point industry scale  the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, or MERV  that measures how effectively they block tiny pollution particles.

Studies of Southern California classrooms conducted by South Coast Air Quality Management District and UC Riverside scientists between 2008 and 2010 found that high-performance panel filters with MERV ratings of 13 to 16 removed between 70% and 90% of particle pollution. More common MERV 7 filters removed about 50%, the researchers found.

The states current filtration standard for new homes is MERV 6.

Under the ordinance Los Angeles adopted, filters must meet a performance rating of 13. The standards are similar to those in San Francisco, which since 2008 has required that level of air filtration in new housing near high-traffic roadways.

Los Angeles officials said they chose to require MERV 13 filtration in part because it was the most realistic option.

Shana Bonstin, a principal planner at the city planning department, said officials were concerned that if they set a more stringent standard we could be setting ourselves up for a situation where the filters dont get replaced or maintained: If we placed too burdensome of a requirement, would the trade-offs be too great?

We wanted to find that perfect balance, she continued, where residents are provided the most protection and realistically the buildings were going to continue to maintain them.

To work properly, all filters must be replaced between two and four times a year. And higher-rated filters are more expensive. A level 13-to-16 filter costs between $20 and $90, compared with $6 for a common MERV 8 filter, according to a December 2016 planning department report.

The city has in a few isolated cases required developers to install filters even stronger than those now required. Back in 2006, planning officials required developer G.H. Palmer to install level-16 filters at the Piero apartments near the 110 Freeway in Westlake to offer greater health protections to occupants, removing 99.97% of all airborne contaminants at 0.3 microns, according to a list of requirements imposed by the city as a condition of approval.

The city required similar MERV 16 filtration for the 335-unit Clarendon Apartments approved this year for construction on land abutting the 101 Freeway in Woodland Hills.

Jennifer Gordon, a spokeswoman for developer AMCAL Multi-Housing, Inc., said apartment units would be situated a minimum of 60 feet from U.S. 101 and that the community is purposely designed to face away from the freeway, with a parking structure, a row of trees and a 60-foot residential building insulating areas of the development from traffic.

The City Council unanimously approved the project in March. Mayor Garcettis office signed off on it. Demolition has begun and the developer expects to finish construction by summer 2019.

Asked why he continues to approve such projects, Garcetti said: Things have gone through because theyve been in the pipeline and city council has approved those. Stopping them, he said, would raise huge legal questions and be a financial burden for investors.

Garcetti said he has directed city staff to look at how the citys zoning can be changed to protect public health.

Earlier this year council members and the mayor backed a new study of development restrictions, design standards and other steps the city could take. In a written statement, Garcettis spokesman said no one should ever have to choose between affordable housing and breathing clean, healthy air and cited a city sustainability plan that sets goals for reducing emissions, electrifying vehicles and increasing public transportation and transit-oriented development.

Past problems

Neighborhood activists have long complained that the city has ignored or failed to enforce promises extracted from developers as conditions of approving their projects, including enhanced air filtration requirements for homes near freeways.

Theres no filter police, said Silverstein, the attorney who has challenged Los Angeles approval of residential projects. The developers can say, OK, were going to do this. But its meaningless because the city is never going to go back and check.

After inquiries from The Times, the Department of Building and Safety in 2014 found that two apartment complexes developed by Geoffrey H. Palmer  the 526-unit Da Vinci apartments and the 913-unit Lorenzo, both along the 110 freeway in L.A.  had failed to install the proper-strength filters or the equipment necessary to accommodate them.

At the citys request, the developer of the Da Vinci later installed more powerful fan motors in the ventilation system to support thicker filters, said Jeff Napier, a spokesman for the citys Department of Building and Safety.

At the Lorenzo, where lower-strength filters were already in place, the developer installed new ones with larger surface area to accommodate the existing equipment, Napier said.

Napier said he was not aware of any other projects where the Department of Building and Safety had stepped in.

Councilman Huizar said he hoped the citys latest filtration rules would improve things by making this a uniform baseline regulation instead of a case-by-case condition. He has asked city staff for data on how the air filtration standards are going and said we all want assurances that the program is being implemented.

Have the right filters been installed?

The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety inspectors review building plans and verify air-filtration standards throughout the project, up to and including the final inspection, Napier said. But the city doesnt keep records documenting whether high-grade air filters were installed as they do other health and safety features, such as smoke detectors.

Theres no set form that checks a box that absolutely the filters were installed, Napier said. We have a construction boom going on right now. It would be counterproductive to document every little thing that we approve.

Unless it receives a complaint, the city does not conduct follow-up inspections to see if air filters are being maintained and replaced because there is no requirement in the building code, said Frank Bush, the building and safety departments general manager.

Thats on the building owner, Bush said If we got a complaint we would take action, but nothing proactive.

Mayor Garcetti said he supports a mandatory check box to track whether the promised air filters are being installed.

That would be an easy thing to fix if theyre not, Garcetti said. This is not a sink finish, this a health issue and so it should have the highest priority.

The new filter standards will not help the 600,000 people who, a Times analysis of 2010 U.S. census data indicates, were then living within 1,000 feet of Los Angeles freeways.

One of them is Victor Johnson, 61, who has three air-filtration machines running in his one-bedroom apartment about 300 feet from the 101 Freeway in Studio City. He said he hasnt seen much improvement in his air quality.

He blames his ongoing health problems, which include chronic headaches, colds, inflammation and high blood pressure, on the pollution, which leaves a layer of fine black dust on his shelves and counters.

Three filters and still this ultra-fine dust thats a fine, fine black powder, Johnson said. Im concerned about my lungs. I can deal with the embarrassment of my furniture being dusty. But I dont want the same issues as a coal miner.

Times staff writers Chris Keller, Jon Schleuss and David Zahniser contributed to this report.

tony.barboza@latimes.com

@tonybarboza

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For nearly two decades, Tony Rackauckas has reigned over Orange County law enforcement as district attorney.

Hes survived allegations of cronyism and mismanagement while also winning praise for prosecuting police officers he accused of beating a homeless man to death in Fullerton.

But none of those firestorms can compare to the jailhouse informant scandal that has swirled around the countys criminal justice system in recent years.

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The snitch scandal has led to retrials in a number of murder cases, caused a judge to bar Rackauckas office from prosecuting a confessed mass murderer and sparked state and federal investigations into the Sheriffs Department and the district attorneys office. Not since the fall of former Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona nearly a decade ago has local law enforcement been under such scrutiny.

Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens announced last month that she would not seek another term. Rackauckas fully intends to run for reelection in 2018, in what political observers think will be a referendum on the snitch scandal and Rackauckas controversial tenure.

That list of allegations might serve as a knockout blow for a politician in other parts of California. But in Orange County, a fiercely pro-law enforcement Republican enclave, the litany of scandals have barely grazed Rackauckas chin. His reputation as a hard-charging lawman in a region thats partial to cops has led some local political experts to think he will emerge from the latest fracas unscathed.

County Supervisor Todd Spitzer, a well-funded Republican foe who has called for the federal government to take over Rackauckas operation, stands ready to oppose him next year. But there are doubts about whether Spitzer can succeed.

The question that Orange County voters and residents will be asking next year is, do they feel safe? said Jon Fleischman, former executive director of the state Republican Party. Todd Spitzer will run, and hell raise a bunch of money, but whether or not people fire their law enforcement officials comes to that question. Most people dont read the newspaper or watch the news. If they feel safe, they dont want change.

Other Republican heavyweights in Orange County think Rackauckas needs to step aside so his office can have a clean slate.

The thought of Todd running for D.A. has been the biggest boon to Tony, said state Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa), who said he doesnt see either man as fit for the office. Tony should not be D.A. anymore. He should not have been D.A. for a long time.

The field for the 2018 district attorneys race is far from set, but many expect it come down to a contest between Rackauckas and Spitzer, a former state assemblyman and ex-assistant district attorney who has a long-running feud with the countys top prosecutor. Both are household names among Republicans in Orange County, but most pundits think Rackauckas would have the edge in an internal GOP fight unless the current scandals worsen.

The recent news about the troubles in the D.A. office would need to go to another level in order for the local GOP to view Rackauckas as being too toxic a candidate to support, said Stephen Stambough, a professor of political science at Cal State Fullerton.

Rackauckas last won reelection with 73.3% of the vote in 2014, and recently benefited from a grand jury report that dismissed allegations of a covert informant network as a myth.

Rackauckas campaign manager, Dave Gilliard, said he expects the grand jurys take on the informant scandal to resonate more with voters than the continued accusations being made by local defense attorneys.

There is a lot of noise around it, but at the end of the day, the grand jury labeled it a witch hunt, he said.

Rackauckas hailed the report as vindication, but the fallout from the allegations continues to rock the county. Weeks after the grand jury report was released, an appellate court upheld a ruling vacating the conviction of a man accused of murdering a pregnant woman, based on prosecutors failure to disclose details about a jailhouse informant at trial.

Through a spokesman, Rackauckas said his office stands ready to retry the case.

The snitch scandal is far from the only controversy dogging Rackauckas these days. Last year, a panel of legal experts commissioned by Rackauckas found he had created a culture in the district attorneys office where subordinates feared bringing troubling information to their boss. That report also said some prosecutors had developed a win at all costs mentality, doggedly pursuing convictions even in the face of possible violations of defendants constitutional rights, including the informant scandal.

Last month, three former district attorneys investigators also made separate claims accusing Rackauckas and his circle of top prosecutors of interfering in cases against his political allies and covering up misconduct within the Fullerton Police Department.

Rackauckas and Spitzer declined to be interviewed for this story. But both have long histories in Orange County that could help or hurt them in what could be an ugly political clash.

Rackauckas began his career as a rising star in the district attorneys homicide unit in the 1980s, and gained political capital by campaigning against a state Supreme Court justice opposed to death penalty sentences. He was appointed to the judiciary in 1990, where he earned some notoriety for showing leniency to nonviolent defendants facing lengthy jail terms under the states three strikes law.

As a teenager, Rackauckas was part of a Long Beach gang and wound up spending some nights in juvenile detention facilities. Rackauckas chose to drop out of high school and join the Army to straighten himself out. After his stint with the armed services, the future district attorney enrolled in law school.

Rackauckas won his first term as district attorney in 1998, riding a wave of frustration with his predecessor, Mike Capizzi, who found himself in the crosshairs of the countys Republican party after he began to focus on public corruption cases.

A 2002 grand jury report accused him of interfering in prosecutions against campaign donors, earning an outright dismissal for one ally and a severely reduced sentence for another.

Everybody kind of coalesced around Tony, but almost from the get-go, he was getting grand jury reports about his poor management, Moorlach said. Here we are almost 20 years later, and were still getting reports about his poor management.

A two-time county supervisor and former state assemblyman, Spitzer has a record with its own blemishes. He was fired from the district attorneys office in 2010 after Rackauckas accused him of misconduct. The two have been in a near constant war of words since. In May, Spitzer wrote a letter to U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions calling for an immediate federal takeover of Rackauckas office, which he described as probably the most disrespected district attorney executive team in California.

Spitzer, a reserve Los Angeles police officer, also was involved in a bizarre incident that saw him handcuff a man who was preaching the word of God at a Foothills Ranch restaurant in 2015. The Orange County Sheriffs Department decided not to bring charges against Spitzer or the man he handcuffed in that incident.

Some also have expressed concerns about his management style. A lawsuit by a former employee accused Spitzer of having a 15-minute rule, meaning he would dock the pay of workers who did not respond to his text messages within that time frame.

To some, the coming race is less a referendum on the scandals surrounding Rackauckas and more an indictment of county politics in general.

Something has to improve. This is an elected position, Moorlach said.

richard.winton@latimes.com

adam.elmahrek@latimes.com

james.queally@latimes.com

Follow @LACrimes, @adamelmahrek @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California.

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One man was injured and another died after their small plane crashed Saturday afternoon in the waters off the Ventura County coast, authorities said.

Their ultralight aircraft crashed off Point Mugu Rock, about 50 miles west of downtown Los Angeles, said Los Angeles County fire spokesman Steve Swindle.

One of the planes occupants suffered a heart attack and was being resuscitated en route to a hospital, Swindle said. The Ventura County Star reported that the man later died.

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The other occupant was taken to a hospital with a minor injury.

Swindle said the plane took off from Camarillo Airport.
Power was restored Sunday to the remaining 94,000 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers in the San Fernando Valley who lost their electricity after an explosion crippled an electrical receiving station in Northridge.

Power was fully returned to residents and businesses about 8:45 a.m., according to DWP spokesman Michael Ventre. The DWP is telling customers in the Valley to check their circuit breakers if they still dont have power.

An explosion at the utilitys Northridge plant Saturday evening caused a fire that burned for hours, knocking out traffic lights, stranding people in elevators and leaving huge swaths of the Valley without power, officials said.

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The outages hit businesses and residents in Northridge, Winnetka, Reseda, Lake Balboa, Tarzana, North Hills, Granada Hills, Chatsworth, West Hills, Canoga Park and Woodland Hills, DWP officials said.

Power was out for 13 hours at Pacifica Senior Living, an assisted senior living facility in Northridge. Staffers handed out wet towels and water and a generator kept emergency lights running in the hallways but residents rooms remained dark, without air conditioning.

It was a bit rough, said Cristina Gutierrez, the facilitys executive director. She sent staffers to Target on Saturday night to buy lanterns so residents could have light in their rooms shortly after the power went out at 7 p.m. Residents also gathered in the main entrance hall to keep cool.

Gutierrez said shes frustrated with the DWP because she wasnt able to get updates on when power would be restored. She said she called the utility, but that she wasnt given an answer on whether it would be hours or days before the power came back on.

Power was eventually restored about 8 Sunday morning, she said.

Porter Ranch resident Pat Pope was at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday night, attending the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban concert when he started getting texts from friends about the power outage.

When Pope got home at 11:30 p.m., it was 86 degrees, he said. Power was out all night, Pope said, adding that he didnt get much sleep because of the heat. He said he could hear the sound of his neighbors generators running.

At church on Sunday, he said he heard a lot of grumbling about the lack of power and the heat.

It was just a nasty night for a lot of people in the Valley, Pope said. He said his power was restored shortly after 6 a.m.

Initially, officials said, 140,000 customers lost power. As of 11 p.m. Saturday, 94,000 were still without power. Officials said the blast caused major damage at the facility and that repairs were continuing through the morning.

Residents of an apartment complex near the DWP plant on Parthenia Street in Northridge reported hearing an explosion at the plant just before 7 p.m., and firefighters arrived to find a gigantic container of mineral oil  used as a cooling agent for electrical equipment  on fire, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey.

Humphrey said firefighters had controlled the blaze by 8:30 p.m. and were able to extinguish the flames by 9 p.m. These were fierce flames, with smoke towering more than 300 feet into the sky, Humphrey said.

No one was injured. He said mechanical failure related to cooling equipment might have caused the explosion, though the investigation was still young.

Humphrey said firefighters rescued dozens of people who were stranded in elevators. He urged people to limit travel through areas where traffic lights were down, and to use battery-powered lanterns and flashlights rather than candles.

Power was shut off at the DWP plant to allow firefighters to fight the blaze.

The loss of power came at the peak of a heat wave that pushed temperatures to 100 degrees in many parts of the Valley. As of 9 p.m., the temperature in Woodland Hills was 84 degrees. Highs should reach into the 90s Sunday.

Initial reports of fire affecting a major part of Receiving station involving 230 Kilovolt equipment. All power cut off to station for safety, the DWP said.

The agency said the plant carries high-voltage electricity and distributes it at lower voltages to customers in the surrounding area.

No injuries were immediately reported.

The cause of the blast at Receiving Station J was not clear. The DWP said the fire was affecting only one part of the facility.

LADWP apologizes for the inconvenience and appreciates customers patience as we work to restore power as safely and quickly as possible, the agency said in a statement.

Massive power outage in the Valley. Remember folks, no lights means it becomes a 4-way stop. pic.twitter.com/MI5EqQaYQY  Gigi Graciette (@GigiGraciette) July 9, 2017

christopher.goffard@latimes.com | @LATChrisGoffard

ben.poston@latimes.com | @bposton

UPDATES:

12:15 p.m.: Updated with more comments from people affected by the power outage.

12:05 p.m.: Updated with new information about people affected by the power outage.

9:13 a.m.: Updated with new information from DWP about power being restored.

7:45 a.m.: Updated with statement on power restoration.

6:30 a.m., July 9: Updated with new power restoration estimate.

1:30 p.m.: Updated with cooling centers.

11:15 p.m.: Updated with new power outage numbers.

9:35 p.m.: This article was updated with new information from fire officials.

9:05 p.m.: This article was updated with weather conditions.

9:00 p.m.: This article was updated with power outage numbers.

8:40 p.m.: This article was updated with more photos and details.

This article was originally posted at 8:40 p.m., Saturday, July 8.
After breaking several high temperature records Saturday, Southern California should cool down just a bit Sunday.

Temperatures in Los Angeles should begin cooling by as much as 5 to 10 degrees in some areas, with cooling continuing over the next few days.

Heat warnings remain in effect in valley and other inland areas on Sunday. Officials forecast highs in the 70s and 80s in coastal areas and in the 90s inland.

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Downtown Los Angeles hit a record high of 98 degrees Saturday, beating the 131-year-old record of 95 degrees set in 1886, according to the National Weather Service.

Record high temperatures were also recorded in Long Beach, with 96 degrees, and Burbank with 105, while Palmdale tied its record of 110. Woodland Hills also reported a temperature of 110.

The San Fernando Valley was especially hard hit by triple-digit temperatures. By 3 p.m., the mercury registered 107 degrees at Lake Balboa, near Encino.

The heat, humidity and beating sun gave park visitors plenty to complain about.

Man, its brutal out here, said a shirtless man carrying a cooler back to his truck.

Ay, que caliente esta, said a mother wiping sweat from her brow as she left a bathroom with her children in tow. Its so hot.

People sat on blankets or chairs under the shade of trees or canopies. Rental paddle boats floated in the dock, unused. Only ducks and geese swam around, but even they mostly cooled off then went in search of shade.

Barbecues and childrens parties were scattered around the lake, with spreads of food laid out on picnic tables. Blown-up bounce houses, their motors running, had no children inside.

Children splashed around wearing T-shirts and shorts in a narrow channel of water, an offshoot of the lake. A few entrepreneurs took advantage of the day to sell cold drinks and ice cream.

Dale Barrientos and his fiancee, Silva Mesrobian, sold cold drinks and chips out of foam coolers under a shady tree near the paddleboat dock.

Barrientos said theyve been coming to the lake to make extra money every weekend for about a month. He said business is normally decent, with boat riders and people walking the paved path, but Friday and Saturday were especially slow.

This is severe weather for people, kids and animals, he said.

On Friday, Barrientos said they sold just enough to cover the cost of the ice they bought. Saturday wasnt looking much better.

Today at least theres parties, he said. It actually looks like theres human life.

After half an hour, they finally got a customer: the lifeguard.

andrea.castillo@latimes.com | @andreamcastillo

christopher.goffard@latimes.com | @LATChrisGoffard
The Republican gubernatorial primary was just weeks away, and then-Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell had his sights set on securing the nomination.

Blackwell had served as mayor of Cincinnati and state treasurer before becoming Ohios top elections official, so a bid for governor in 2006 seemed a logical next step in his political career.

But in March of that year, his office caused a stir: The full Social Security numbers of 1.2 million Ohio voters were posted accidentally on the secretary of states website.

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A month later, in a separate incident, Blackwells office inadvertently distributed voter lists with the Social Security numbers of 5.7 million voters. The numbers, by law, are supposed to remain private.

It wasnt good at all, said former Ohio Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland in an interview. Sloppy  thats what it was.

While the two blunders didnt prevent Blackwell from securing the nomination that May, he went on to lose the governors contest to Strickland. That contest and the Social Security debacle combined to make Blackwell well-known  at least briefly  outside Ohio. Now, it appears hes about to step into the national spotlight again.

Blackwell, 69, has been tapped to serve on the Trump administrations bipartisan voter fraud commission, an endeavor election officials nationwide have called a waste of time.

The panel, officially called the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, asked secretaries of state nationwide to provide voters personal information, including names, addresses and the last four digits of Social Security numbers. The commission has faced intense pushback from both Democrats and Republicans, while a watchdog group has filed a lawsuit arguing the commissions request breaches privacy laws.

Blackwells appointment to the committee  which is scheduled to hold its first meeting July 19 in Washington  has now drawn increased scrutiny to his tenure as secretary of state. For years, Blackwell has voiced concerns about voter fraud, while some have alleged he worked to suppress the vote in Ohio.

In 2004, two years before the incidents with the Social Security numbers, Blackwell ordered that county clerks not accept voter registrations turned in on anything less than 80-pound stock paper  the thickness of a postcard.

County clerks called the requirement unnecessary, and voting rights advocates alleged he was attempting to suppress the vote in a key swing state during a presidential election year. Under the intense criticism, Blackwell pulled back his order.

That same year, Blackwell ordered clerks to throw out provisional ballots if a person voted in the wrong precinct. A federal appeals court ultimately upheld Blackwells directive, though critics called it another attempt to suppress voting.

To one Ohio resident, Darrell Estep, the most troubling part from Blackwells time as secretary of state was the handling of Social Security numbers.

In 2006, Estep, a trucker who hauls automobiles around the country, was among those whose personal information landed on the secretary of states website. It remained on the site for several weeks.

This was my privacy, and it was hindered, Estep said Saturday from his home in Mount Orab, Ohio, about 40 miles east of Cincinnati. At the time, he filed a lawsuit against Blackwell and his office. In a quickly reached settlement, Blackwell agreed to remove the numbers from the website.

A month later, in April 2006, Blackwells office accidentally distributed voter lists  on 20 CDs to, among others, campaign consultants  that had the full Social Security numbers of 5.7 million voters. The disks were eventually returned to Blackwells office.

As for the Social Security numbers posted on the website, technical issues delayed their removal for almost a year.

Estep said hes now concerned that Blackwell is on a commission seeking personal voter data.

His office was so nonchalant about making my information public, he said. That wasnt right.

Blackwell did not respond to requests for comment. But Monty Lobb, who served as Blackwells assistant secretary of state, said his former boss is a man of integrity.

In fact, the highest of integrity, Lobb said. When we realized there was an issue with the Social Security numbers, we quickly sought to fix it.

He said Blackwell, among other things, helped speed up the process for Ohioans to get business licenses and never allowed his political beliefs to get in the way of decision making.

He wants whats best for the people, Lobb said.

The commission on which Blackwell serves has seen plenty of pushback in recent days.

Its vice chairman, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, sent the letter requesting personal voter information on June 28. To date, 21 states and the District of Columbia have declined to provide any data, according to a tally by the Brennan Center for Justice. Others, citing state law, will provide some, but not all of the data requested.

Last week, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a nonprofit research group, filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge in Washington, D.C., to block the commissions requests for voter data. A decision could come this week.

The formation of the committee came about after President Trump alleged in January  without evidence  that between 3 million and 5 million illegal votes were cast in last years presidential election. (Trump prevailed in the electoral college, but lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million votes.)

Over the years, Blackwell, who was a member of Trumps transition team, has expressed concerns about voter fraud.

In a 2008 New York Post op-ed, Blackwell warned of a possibility for voter fraud on a scale never before seen in this country.

This month Blackwell said on MSNBC the commissions efforts will be to, among other things, gather information that will give us a greater sense right now of what our exposure is as a collective system to voter fraud.

Asked why the commission was necessary, he replied, Any bad actor, whether foreign or domestic, any action that corrupts the integrity of our system, should be fair game for our exploration.

Even so, Strickland said, the commissions cause is not legitimate.

There is not widespread voter fraud, he said. There just isnt.... This commission is not legit, and Ken Blackwell definitely does not give it legitimacy.

kurtis.lee@latimes.com

Twitter: @kurtisalee

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President Trumps touting of a proposed partnership with Russia on cybersecurity drew withering reviews Sunday from lawmakers, including several from his own party, while the presidents aides were left struggling to answer questions about just how hard Trump pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin on Moscows meddling in last years U.S. presidential election.

Late Sunday, Trump appeared to back away from the cyber-partnership idea.

Trumps encounter with Putin on the sidelines of the Group of 20 economic summit in Hamburg, Germany, on Friday was his first meeting as president with the Russian leader. It came after months of controversy over Russian meddling and whether anyone close to Trumps campaign had colluded in it.

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The White House has sought to portray Trumps trip to Germany and a stopover beforehand in Poland as a solid success, despite a striking degree of U.S. isolation over climate change and trade at the G-20 gathering.

Trump returned Saturday to what promises to be a bruising new round of battles over the faltering Senate healthcare plan and fresh GOP anxiety over whether the party, which controls both houses of Congress, can notch meaningful legislative achievements by summers end.

As often happens, Trump made the job of White House underlings more difficult  this time, with a series of tweets Sunday morning in which he again seemed to equivocate on whether Russian hacking had taken place. He also revived attack lines against former President Obama and John Podesta, who ran Hillary Clintons losing presidential campaign.

Almost as soon as the Trump-Putin talks ended Friday after more than two hours of discussions, the Russians embarked on a public relations offensive. With the U.S. side staying out of camera range, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov happily informed reporters that Trump had accepted Putins denial of interference in the campaign.

Putin reinforced that narrative Saturday, saying that Trump had seemed satisfied with his protestations of innocence.

The Trump administration presented its own nuanced version, via Secretary of State Rex Tillerson: that the president had repeatedly raised the issue of online meddling with Putin and the two sides had agreed it was time to move on to other and more pressing issues, including the continuing bloodbath in Syria.

Trump himself weighed in with a series of tweets Sunday saying he had strongly pressed Putin over election interference and that the Russian leader vehemently denied it.

I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

...and safe. Questions were asked about why the CIA & FBI had to ask the DNC 13 times for their SERVER, and were rejected, still don't....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

...have it. Fake News said 17 intel agencies when actually 4 (had to apologize). Why did Obama do NOTHING when he had info before election?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

Sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin. Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian & Syrian problems are solved!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

White House officials said Sunday that Trump did not believe Putins denials, though neither he nor aides have described him pushing back against them at the time.

The president absolutely did not believe the denial of President Putin, Reince Priebus, Trumps chief of staff, said on Fox News Sunday.

Trump in his tweets avoided that point, saying only, Ive already given my opinion.

As recently as Thursday, Trump expressed doubts about whether Russia had interfered in the election, remarking in a news conference in Warsaw that I think it could very well have been Russia, but I think it could well have been other countries.

Nobody really knows for sure, he said.

Rather than repeat those doubts, Trumps tweets touted his talk with Putin about creating an impenetrable Cyber Security unit to combat abuses like hacking and online propaganda.

That prospect that left some leading Republicans scarcely able to contain their disbelief.

Its not the dumbest idea Ive ever heard, but its pretty close, said Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who called Trumps talks with Putin disastrous. Interviewed on NBCs Meet the Press, the GOP veteran added, When it comes to Russia, hes got a blind spot.

In addition to the U.S. intelligence assessment that the Russian leader personally authorized the campaign to interfere in the American vote with the aim of aiding Trump, Moscow stands accused of meddling in several European election campaigns.

Sen. John McCain, a prominent Russia hawk, was asked on CBS Face the Nation whether Russia was really likely to provide any help in combating election interference.

I am sure that Vladimir Putin could be of enormous  the Arizona Republican paused to chortle  assistance to that effort, since hes doing the hacking. Turning serious, he added, Yes, its time to move forward, but there has to be a price to pay for an attack on American democracy.

Yet another Republican senator, Marco Rubio of Florida  who, like Graham, had been an early hopeful for the GOP presidential nomination  chimed in with more fox-guarding-the-henhouse imagery. He said on Twitter that teaming up with Putin to safeguard elections would be like partnering with Syrias President Bashar Assad, who has carried out repeated strikes against his own people with banned nerve agents, in a chemical weapons unit.

Late Sunday, Trump poured cold water on the idea.

The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesnt mean I think it can happen. It cant, he said on Twitter.

Earlier in the day, Trump surrogates defended the plan as a worthy effort to bring Russia into the fold.

This is about having the capabilities to make sure that we both fight cyber [interference] together, which I think is a very significant accomplishment for President Trump, Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said on ABCs This Week.

Not surprisingly, Democratic lawmakers and former Obama administration officials found little to praise about the proposal.

We might as well just mail our ballot boxes to Moscow, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) said on CNNs State of the Union. Schiff, a former prosecutor, is the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.

On the same program, former Defense Secretary Ashton Carter called it a page from the old Soviet-era playbook.

When confronted with something wrong, they ask for U.S. intelligence  old trick  and propose a working group, in this case on cyber, he said. But this is like the guy who robbed your house proposing a working group on burglary.

The series of tweets marked Trumps first substantive public assessment of the meeting with Putin. In them, he did not contest the Russian assertion that he had accepted Putins denials.

Priebus, in the Fox News interview, provided little more in the way of clarity. He said they [Russians] probably meddled in the election, the chief of staff told interviewer Chris Wallace. But he also believes that other countries also participated in this activity.

Former Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper has said previously that there was no evidence that the campaign of interference was directed by anyone other than the Kremlin.

As the collusion investigation reaches deeper into Trumps inner circle, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley was asked on CNNs State of the Union why Trump would not state, publicly and explicitly, that Russia had meddled in the U.S. election.

Everybodys trying to nitpick what he says and what he doesnt, but talk is one thing, actions are another, she said. He confronted President Putin; he made it the first thing that he talked about. And I think we have to now see where it goes from here.

Haley also suggested that Trump might be playing a canny long game in trying to cultivate a relationship with Putin  although she employed far tougher language about Russia than has been heard from the president.

We cant trust Russia, and we wont ever trust Russia, she said. But you keep those that you dont trust closer, so that you can always keep an eye on them and keep them in check.

Tillerson, who was visiting Ukraine on Sunday, also took a tougher line toward Moscow, saying it was the Kremlins responsibility to de-escalate the situation in the countrys eastern sector by removing its armaments and exercising control over separatists loyal to Russia.

Until then, he said at a news conference with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, sanctions would remain in place.

Column: Heres how aging baby boomers will change the impact of Californias Proposition 13 

Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson contributed to this report.

laura.king@latimes.com

@laurakingLAT

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7:25 p.m.: This article was updated with a new tweet from President Trump.

The article was originally published at noon.
Donald Trumps eldest son, son-in-law and then-campaign chairman met with a Russian lawyer shortly after Trump won the Republican nomination, in what appears to be the earliest known private meeting between key aides to the president and a Russian.

Representatives of Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner confirmed the June 2016 meeting to the Associated Press after the New York Times reported Saturday on the gathering of the men and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower. Then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended, according to the statement from Donald Trump Jr.

He described it as a short introductory meeting during which the three discussed a disbanded program that used to allow U.S. citizens to adopt Russian children. Russia ended the adoptions in response to American sanctions brought against the nation following the 2009 death of an imprisoned lawyer who spoke about a corruption scandal. Trump Jr. said he invited the other two Americans, was asked to attend by an acquaintance not named in the statement and was not told beforehand with whom he would meet.

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It was not a campaign issue at that time and there was no follow-up, he said.

Kushner lawyer Jamie Gorelick said her client already disclosed the meeting in a revised filing of a form that requires him to list meetings with foreign agents.

Mr. Kushner has submitted additional updates and included, out of an abundance of caution, this meeting with a Russian person, which he briefly attended at the request of his brother-in-law, Donald Trump Jr. As Mr. Kushner has consistently stated, he is eager to cooperate and share what he knows, she said.

Jared Kushner disclosed the meeting with a Russian lawyer during his father-in-laws campaign, according to his attorney. (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)

Unlike Kushner, Trump Jr. does not serve in the administration and is not required to disclose his foreign contacts. The New York Times reported Saturday, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, that Manafort disclosed the meeting to congressional investigators questioning his foreign contacts.

Manafort helmed Trumps campaign for about five months until August and resigned from the campaign immediately after the Associated Press reported on his firms covert Washington lobbying operation on behalf of Ukraines ruling political party. He is one of several people linked to the Trump campaign who are under scrutiny by a special counsel and congressional committees investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign and potential coordination with Trump associates.

Manafort has denied any coordination with Russia and has said his work in Ukraine was not related to the campaign.

The New York Times said Veselnitskaya is known for her attempts to undercut the sanctions against Russian human rights abusers. The newspaper also said her clients include state-owned businesses and the son of a senior government official whose company was under investigation in the United States at the time of the meeting.
Ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes. Nobody wants these bugs on their pets or in their house. But the reasons for keeping these bugs away go beyond just avoiding pests.

Ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes are dangerous because they can carry and cause malicious diseases, explains Dr. Gary Brummet, who heads the small animal primary care service at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana and counsels pet owners on preventing pet parasites.

Ticks Spread Diseases

Ticks are infamous for their disease-carrying capabilities. They transmit Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever and can also pass along protozoa like Cytauxzoonosis and many others, says Brummet.

Dogs are extremely susceptible to Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which typically causes fever, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. When left untreated, Rocky Mountain spotted fever can lead to death.

Cytauxzoonosis is a deadly disease caused by protozoa that affect domestic cats. It begins with nonspecific signs, including lethargy and a poor appetite; the disease will progresses to an extremely high fever and death if not treated quickly.

Lyme disease is a bacterial disease that can affect dogs, horses, people and potentially cats. It can cause neurological issues, joint disease and overall lameness. In its most severe forms, it causes renal failure and ultimately death.

In the past, this disease was more prevalent in the northeast, but due to increasing deer populations (an ideal tick host) and reforestation providing prime tick habitat, Lyme spreading ticks have increased in number and are becoming more and more prevalent here in the Midwest as well as other parts of the country they were not in even just 20 years ago.

This year preventing tick bites is going to be even more relevant as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has predicted high tick populations, likely due to the mild winter.

Fleas trigger allergies

Fleas may be less known among pet parasites for causing deadly diseases, but are detrimental nonetheless, says Brummet. It is not uncommon for dogs with skin allergies to be reacting to a flea infestation, even if they have very few fleas. Fleas also carry tapeworms, which work their way into your pets digestive system when the fleas are swallowed while the animal grooms itself.

Additionally, fleas can easily infest a house, which can be very unpleasant. Brummet says, Once fleas get in the house, they can be hard to get rid of, so it is easiest to stop them before they start. This means protecting your pets with preventive medication.

Heartworms are deadly

Heartworms are the last of the big three pet parasites most commonly discussed, and they are exactly what their name implies: worms that live in your pets heart.

Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes. Any time pets are outside, they are at risk. Heartworms can grow to eight inches in length and can spread from the heart to the lungs, explains Brummet.

The signs of a heartworm infestation often start subtly; the animal will begin to tire easily when exercising and may cough. If left untreated, the worms will create such a burden on the heart that the heart cannot perform its job and the animal will die. In cats, heartworms can cause sudden death because there were no discernable signs of disease.

Heartworm can be treated, but the treatment is costly and the animal will likely need to be hospitalized. The course of intramuscular injections used to treat heartworm takes months to complete, and even if the animal survives, it may have lifelong restricted activity because of the damage done to the heart, Brummet says.

Prevent parasites

Preventive medications are really the best way to combat these parasites and the diseases that accompany them. It is less expensive in the long run and much safer for your pet, recommends Brummet.

He notes an added bonus to giving your pet a heartworm preventive: Heartworm preventives also protect your pet from intestinal parasites that can cause gastrointestinal disease.

Preventive medications for fleas, ticks and heartworm should ideally be given year round.

Many owners stop giving medications towards the end of the summer as the weather cools down, but September and October are probably the worst months for flea and tick infestations. At the very least, flea and tick preventive should be given until the second hard frost. Heartworm preventive should be given all year, cautions Brummet.

Preventive medications are available in oral and topical forms. Brummet advises speaking with your veterinarian to choose what is best for your pet.

Many of these medications are species-specific. Using dog products on cats can cause harmful reactions. You should only give the medication to the pet it was prescribed for, says Brummet.

If you have questions about fleas, ticks, heartworms, or other pet parasites, talk to your veterinarian.
A federal lawsuit accuses Black Lives Matter and several movement leaders of inciting violence that led to a gunmans deadly ambush of law enforcement officers in Baton Rouge last summer.

DeRay Mckesson and four other Black Lives Matter leaders are named as defendants in the suit filed Friday on behalf of one of the officers wounded in the July 17 attack by a black military veteran who killed three other officers before he was shot dead.

The suit doesnt name the officer, but its description of the plaintiff matches East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriffs Deputy Nicholas Tullier, who has been at a Houston rehabilitation hospital since November.

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The same attorneys who filed Fridays suit previously sued Black Lives Matter and Mckesson on behalf of a Baton Rouge police officer who was injured at a protest over a deadly police shooting last July.

This is quite a world, Mckesson said Friday when a reporter informed him of the latest lawsuit.

Gavin Long, a 29-year-old former Marine from Kansas City, Mo., was armed with a semi-automatic rifle when he killed three officers and wounded three others outside a convenience store and car wash near Baton Rouge police headquarters.

Long had posted rambling Internet videos calling for violence in response to police treatment of African Americans, which he said constituted oppression. He apparently posted a YouTube video from Dallas on July 10, three days after a sniper killed five officers and wounded nine others there.

Long also left behind a note saying he believed he had to inflict harm upon bad cops as well as good cops in hopes that the good cops (which are the majority) will be able to stand together and enact justice and punishment against bad cops.

The attack came less than two weeks after a white Baton Rouge police officer shot and killed Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man. Mckesson was one of nearly 200 people arrested in Louisianas capital at nightly protests after Sterlings July 5 death.

Fridays lawsuit claims Mckesson was in charge of a July 9 protest that turned into a riot. Mckesson did nothing to calm the crowd and, instead, he incited the violence on behalf of Black Lives Matter, the suit alleges.

The suit describes Long as an activist whose actions followed and mimicked those of the sniper who killed officers in Dallas days earlier. The suit also claims Black Lives Matter leaders incited others to harm police in retaliation for the death of black men killed by police and all but too late began to denounce the shootings of police after the Baton Rouge attack.

Obviously, at this point talk show hosts were holding them responsible, and they were having to defend the blame and responsibility for what they had caused whether in whole or in part, the suit says.

Mckesson said he hadnt spoken to his attorney, Billy Gibbens, about the lawsuit and couldnt immediately comment on its allegations. Gibbens declined to comment.

During a court hearing last month, Gibbens argued Black Lives Matter is a movement, not an organization that can be sued. The federal judge assigned to the first suit against Mckesson hasnt ruled on that yet.

Long shot Tullier in the head, stomach and shoulder, leaving him with brain damage. By December, the 42-year-old father of two had emerged from a vegetative state, regained some movement of his body and was able to communicate nonverbally.

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Only hours after the ambush that killed five Dallas law enforcement officers last year, mental health experts began thinking ahead, searching for ways to ease the long-term effects of the attack on the men and women who patrol the nations ninth-largest city.

Police psychologists in Dallas were quickly joined by counselors from the Houston and Los Angeles police departments, the FBI and the Federal Air Marshal Service. As she watched the July 7, 2016, assault unfold on the news, Dallas philanthropist Lyda Hill immediately thought of research she had funded to help returning combat veterans. Maybe it could help police too.

A year later, Dallas officers are still grieving, but scores of them have received or are on track to receive specialized training in mindfulness and other stress-management techniques that aim to teach police how to better understand and control their emotions, both on and off the job.

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One of the most powerful things you can do is teach people that its OK to be human. Its not possible to walk through this profession and come out unscarred. Its a difficult, difficult walk to be a police officer, said Richard Goerling, a police lieutenant in Hillsboro, Ore., who teaches the mindfulness training.

The late-night ambush happened during a downtown protest against police brutality. A black Army veteran seeking revenge for police shootings elsewhere that killed or wounded black men opened fire on the officers, killing four from the Dallas Police Department and another from a transit agency.

By early the next morning, the sniper, Micah Xavier Johnson, was dead, killed after police deployed a bomb-carrying robot.

A month later, then-Police Chief David Brown told the Dallas City Council that he planned to increase the mental health services available for officers.

Brown, who is now retired, remembered taking a call from the Oakland police chief, whose department had also endured the killing of more than one officer in the line of duty. The Oakland chief emphasized the importance of offering mental health services.

Officers may not seek it out right away, but its a long-term impact on people, Brown said in a recent interview with the Associated Press.

Hill provided money to pay for instruction in mindfulness and in another system known as cognitive training for 500 Dallas officers over the next year. The Center for Brain Health at the University of Texas at Dallas plans to study the effects of the training on the officers mental and physical health and their job performance.

Officers pray in front of the Dallas police headquarters in July 2016 after a sniper attack that left five law enforcement officers dead. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

Goerling, who has been a leader in mindfulness training for the last decade, said traditional stress management often does not work for police.

You arent going to stop the stress, but you are able to change how you respond to it, he said.

The training has been done on a smaller scale in Seattle; Madison, Wis.; Cambridge, Mass.; and smaller California departments, among others. It aims to help officers recalibrate their responses to emotions so that when in stressful situations, they can respond instead of react, Goerling said.

For example, if a burglary victim takes a gruff attitude with an officer, the officers first reaction might be to respond with equal gruffness. But if the officer takes a few seconds to focus on his or her breathing, theres more chance to respond with understanding and mediate the situation.

When police first learn about the program, theres often a misconception that its hippies and granola people making them chant in a circle, said Jenny Howland, a clinical psychologist and program manager for the mindfulness initiative at the university brain center.

Instead, she explained, the goal is to provide officers with tools to essentially reduce their stress and optimize their performance.

Senior Cpl. Frederick Frazier encourages fellow officers to set aside skepticism. He said the attack is a massive wound that still brings out anger and sorrow in many of his colleagues.

Frazier is chairman of the Dallas chapter of the Assist the Officer Foundation, a nonprofit that helps officers injured or families of officers killed in the line of duty. Since last years slayings, the group has doubled the number of counselors it provides and tripled the payments for appointments.

After the first week of the mindfulness portion of the training, officers will attend exercises at a gun range or a live exercise depicting an active-shooter scenario to see how they use the new skills.

Close to 100 officers and department leaders have already gone through the cognitive training, which began in January.

Staff decided to offer the cognitive training first because it trains people to use their mental bandwidth to its fullest potential, said Jennifer Zientz, the university centers head of clinical services.

The nature of their work is overwhelming. Theres a constant influx of information all of the time, and its unpredictable, she said. The training is aimed at building up officers cognitive reserve, which Zientz compared to a brain bank.

In theory, your brain should be able to bounce back better if you have this reserve, she said.

In the aftermath of last years attack, Frazier said, the departments 3,000-plus officers feel as if they should have done more.

We all feel we should have been there, he said. We should have been the ones taking the round. We all feel like we should do more for their families.

That anger and sorrow may someday fade, he said. But in the meantime, our brains need maintenance just like our bodies need time to recover.

Lauer writes for the Associated Press.
As jobs that require physical work decline thanks to technological advances, life superficially appears to get better. Cheap cellphones, video games, the Internet, social media and labor-saving appliances all make things easier and suggest that even more and better benefits are on the horizon. Formerly backbreaking industries, from the growing of almonds to the building of cars, are increasingly mechanized, using fewer but more skilled operators.

Anyone who has spot-welded or harvested almonds with a mallet and canvas has no regrets in seeing the disappearance of such rote drudgery. Consumers benefit in the from of cheaper prices. But as we continue on this trajectory, initiated in the Industrial Revolution, is something lost? Something only poorly approximated by greater leisure time, non-muscular jobs and contrived physical exercise in air-conditioned gyms?

Talk long enough to the most accomplished academics, lawyers and CEOs  who also tend to be the most conscientious about biking, jogging and weightlifting (obesity being an epidemic of the poor and lower middle classes)  and more often than not, they will brag about a long-ago college summer job waiting tables or repairing hiking trails. They might praise the granite-counter installer who redid their kitchen, or offer an anecdote about the time they helped the tree-trimmer haul limbs from the backyard out to the trailer at the curb. There seems a human instinct to want to do physical work.

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Working outdoors, often alone, with ones hands encourages a tragic acceptance of nature and its limitations.

The proliferation of hard-work reality-television programming reflects this apparent need, if only vicariously. Indeed, the more we have become immobile and urbanized, the more we tune in to watch reality televisions assorted truckers, loggers, farmers, fishermen, drillers and rail engineers. In a society that supposedly despises menial jobs, the television ratings for such programs suggest that lots of Americans enjoy watching people of action who work with their hands.

Physical work, in its eleventh hour within a rapidly changing Western culture, still intrigues us in part because it remains the foundation for 21st century complexity. Investors may know the oil trade better than oil drillers, but buying and selling based on intimate knowledge of Indonesian politics or the nature of the American automobile market are still predicated on someones knowing how to feed down steel casing to follow the drill bit. If there is no one to pump oil, there is nothing to sell. Selling plums to Japan is not the same as pruning a plum tree. Both aspects of the oil and plum industries are critical to their success, but the commercial tasks are cerebral and secondary, the physical ones elemental and primary.

Before any of us can teach, write or speculate, we must first have food, shelter and safety. And for a bit longer, at least, that will require some people to cut grapes and nail two-by-sixes. No apps or 3-D printers exist to produce brown rice for the tables of Silver Lake and the Upper West Side. The almond farmer outside my window uses a computerized machine for seemingly every task  irrigating, cultivating and harvesting. But this morning, two men are cutting out diseased limbs in the orchard, selecting their cuts with the help of an Echo chainsaw, whose basic tenets of portability, gasoline power source, and chain running on a guided frame have a 100-year pedigree.

It is astonishing, the degree to which a high-tech, post-modern society still depends on low-tech, pre-modern labor, whether that is a teen in constant motion for eight hours as a barista at Starbucks or a mechanic on his back underneath a Lexus, searching to find a short that popped up in a computerized code on his tablet.

Physical work, moreover, has an intrinsic satisfaction in that it is real, in the primordial sense that nonphysical work is not. The head of the Federal Reserve may be more important to our general welfare than the city road crew patching asphalt roads, but there remains something wondrous in transforming material conditions through the hands, an act that can be seen and felt rather than just spoken or written about. Changing the physical landscape, either by building or destroying something previously constructed or altering it, lends a sense of confidence that the human body can still manifest ones ideas by concrete action.

Physical labor also promotes human versatility: Those who do not do it, or who do not know how to do it, become divorced from  and, at the same time, dependent on  laborers, in psychological as well as concrete ways. Lawyers, accountants and journalists living in houses with yards and driving cars to work thus count on a supporting infrastructure of electricians, landscapers and mechanics. Without them, life grinds to a halt, unless one has rudimentary knowledge of such tasks  or the time and willingness to learn them.

In that context, physical labor can provide independence, at least in a limited sense of not being entirely reliant on a host of hired workers. By the same token, working with ones hands, however temporarily, gives some approximation of what physical labor is and what those who do it might be like.

Especially valuable in muscular work is some appreciation of the tragic view of the world. For the last four decades, I have split my time between teaching classics and writing, and working on a farm. I cannot say that either world is nobler than the other. But I did learn that farm laborers complained much less about their own often-unenviable lots than did academics about their comparatively enviable compensation and generous time off. Working outdoors, often alone, with ones hands encourages a tragic acceptance of nature and its limitations. Talking and writing indoors with like kind promote a more therapeutic sense that life can be changed through discourse and argument.

It follows logically that I learned more from teaching undergraduates at Cal State Fresno than from students at Stanford  not because they knew Greek and Latin better (most did not) but because they often worked 20 hours or more per week at minimum-wage jobs and thus had a far wider range of experience with (and empathy for) characters and events found in Aristophanes, Euripides and Hesiod in the pre-modern world of the Greeks.

In his final play, Bacchae, the Athenian playwright Euripides explored the nature of wisdom and who possesses it. After a frenzy of killing and destruction, he seems to conclude that neither the rational and conventional King Pentheus (Youve got a quick tongue and seem intelligent, but your words dont make any sense at all) nor the ecstatic emotion of the divine Dionysus and his bacchants (Angry gods should not act just like humans) were models for emulation. Best, instead, is the day-by-day life without pretense: The hopes of countless men are infinite in number. Some make men rich; some come to nothing. So I consider that man blessed who lives a happy existence day by day.

Victor Davis Hanson is a senior fellow in classics and military history at the Hoover Institution. This essay was excerpted from the Manhattan Institutes City Journal.

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If you closed your eyes and listened to the words emanating from President Trumps meetings in Europe last week  instead of, say, reading his tweets  it sounded as if American foreign policy had suddenly been hijacked by adults. Most of the time, at least.

At the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Trump returned U.S. policy on Russia toward something resembling normalcy. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson described Trumps meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the very model of a pragmatic, well-briefed president at work.

Theres a lot of things in the past that both of us are unhappy about, Tillerson said. The perspective of both of them was: This is a really important relationship. Two largest nuclear powers in the world. Its a really important relationship. How do we start making this work?

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Its hard to quarrel with that kind of practicality. Of course we want a productive relationship with Russia, even though our interests still collide much of the time.

The real surprise was how tough Trump came across on some issues  particularly NATO.

The one exception to my normalcy thesis is that while Trump pressed Putin on election hacking, in Tillersons retelling, the pressure was evidently a little soft. The president didnt threaten consequences if Russia were to continue its subversion. (He warned that Congress might pass new sanctions, but thats only semi-tough.)

Nor did he get a clear commitment from Putin to stop interfering. Instead, Putin denied ever doing anything of the sort  and whatever Trump said in response was mild enough that Russias foreign minister described it as U.S. acceptance of Putins denial.

Months after the election, Trump still wont state plainly and publicly, without absurd hedges, that Russia meddled on his behalf. For Trump, thats not foreign policy, its personal: A shadow on his legitimacy as president.

Trump and Tillerson sounded a bit soft on Syria too. They tacitly confirmed that their policy now is to allow Russias client, Bashar Assad, to remain in power if thats the only way to end the countrys dreadful civil war. Assad shouldnt be allowed to stay for the long run, Tillerson added, but that was well short of the Obama administrations demands for regime change  a demand, it must be noted, that Obama never managed to enforce.

By and large, our objectives [in Syria] are exactly the same, Tillerson said optimistically, unconsciously echoing his predecessor, John Kerry, who pursued Russian cooperation fruitlessly for years.

The two countries announced an agreement on a ceasefire in southwest Syria, a sensible deal designed to show that the two countries can work together. And it will be a useful test of Russias intentions. (If its anything like the ceasefire deals Kerry negotiated, it wont last a month.)

The real surprise was how tough Trump came across on some issues  particularly NATO.

In Warsaw, Trump finally reaffirmed the U.S. treaty commitment to defend NATO countries against Russia. Trump also charged  in harsher language than hes used before  that Moscow is threatening Europes security through propaganda, financial crimes and cyberwarfare as well as old-fashioned military pressure.

We urge Russia to cease its destabilizing activities in Ukraine and elsewhere and its support for hostile regimes including Syria and Iran, and to instead join the community of responsible nations, he said.

Not much promise of bromance in that. Score one for the foreign policy aides known in Washington as Trumps grownups, especially his national security adviser, H.R. McMaster. In May, McMaster tried to get Trump to embrace NATO at a summit in Brussels; when Trump balked, U.S. allies were frantic. The Warsaw speech was the presidents do-over.

Of course the president is still capable of derailing carefully-plotted policies by tweeting  and by the time you read this, he may have done just that. (He tweeted from the G-20 Summit that everybody there was talking about Hillary Clinton advisor John Podestas e-mails, an assertion that must have puzzled the 19 leaders who were all talking about other things.)

Still, Trump made it through his first face-to-face meeting with Putin without any gaffes. There was no bear hug, no Trump-style bombast. Trump did not claim, as he once did, that his special bond with Putin would make great deals easy. Most important, Trump finally made it clear that he accepts the 68-year-old obligation to defend NATO countries from Russian pressure.

His critics will say thats a low bar, and theyre right. But its a start.

doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com

Twitter: @DoyleMcManus

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President Trumps signature slogan  America first  has been tweaked recently by administration aides eager to show that his nationalism is not at odds with the United States traditional global leadership role. Their new version: America first does not mean America alone.

Yet America was undeniably alone as Trump on Saturday departed the annual summit of the so-called Group of 20 leaders here. With the leaders final statement, it was evident that Trumps prioritization of American self-interest  on environmental agreements, trade, migration and more  left him, and thus America, often in unfamiliar isolation.

After two days of cordial smiles, handshakes and back-slapping, Trump expressed satisfaction with the summit. Even so, he was alone among leaders of the worlds major economic powers in dissenting from its resolution affirming the Paris climate accord. And while he has threatened to abandon existing trade deals and penalize countries for what he sees as unfair trade practices, particularly on steel exports, the summits closing declaration affirmed support for open markets and fighting protectionism.

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After the more exclusive Group of 7 summit in May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel had described the meeting as six against one  the one being the United States. As she closed the G-20 gathering that she hosted this week, Merkel again singled out the United States.

In a news conference, Merkel said she deplores Americas decision to walk away from the Paris climate agreement and, despite Trumps comments, does not believe the administration is open to renegotiating the terms agreed to among more than 190 nations to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Merkel, as she has before, called on European countries to step into the vacuum that Trump is leaving on the world stage.

We as Europeans have to take our fate into our own hands, she said.

The new French president, Emmanuel Macron, who will host Trump next week in Paris to mark Bastille Day, echoed his ally Merkel. The world has never been so divided, he said.

In another break from past decades, the United States seemed closer to Russia  in goodwill if not on many issues  than with traditional allies such as Germany and France after Trumps genial tete-a-tete with President Vladimir Putin, which was the presidents first meeting since Trump took office.

Trumps meeting with Putin, lasting more than two hours, was his longest with any leader. He raised Americans concerns over Russian election meddling, according to aides, but the two presidents decided to put the matter behind them and move on to discuss how they can address their differences over Syria, Ukraine and North Korea.

Unlike many other leaders, including Putin, Trump didnt hold a news conference at the conclusion as American presidents typically have. Putin, in his meeting with reporters, denied again  as he did to Trump on Friday  that Russia interfered in the U.S. election, and said he thinks that Trump accepted his face-to-face denials.

Putin also said that Trump asked him many questions about Russias alleged meddling, which Trump has called a hoax despite the consensus of American intelligence agencies that Russia did try to sway the election to Trump. FBI and congressional investigations also are probing whether Trump associates colluded with Russia.

White House officials declined to challenge Putins view that Trump accepted his denials when questioned by reporters aboard Air Force One en route back to Washington.

Trump will be happy to make statements himself about his meeting with Putin, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

He and Trumps top economic advisor, Gary Cohn, were sanguine about the summits results, and singled out as constructive the leaders discussions about dumping of cheap raw materials such as steel, limiting migration, and cracking down on terrorist financing.

These things are never easy  to get 20 of your friends to agree where to have dinner tonight is really hard  but I thought the communique came together pretty reasonably, Cohn said.

For nearly three-quarters of a century, since World War II, the United States has been the preeminent leader in championing open markets and forging a multilateral system of rules to resolve tough international disputes on trade and commerce as well as other issues.

Trump has repeatedly signaled his skepticism of multilateral institutions such as the European Union and forums such as the G-20. In Hamburg, he made little effort to build broad consensus around his populist ideas, instead spending most of his time in private one-on-one discussions with leaders.

The president often left the groups larger sessions  his daughter, Ivanka, sat in for him at one session Saturday  in favor of such bilateral meetings. Trump had 13 individual meetings with other leaders over three days, including Thursday in Warsaw, the White House said.

Trump and the other leaders of the G-20, whose member nations represent roughly 80% of the worlds economic output, signed off on a joint statement that was seen as an accomplishment given the sharp differences and acrimony stemming largely from Trumps America First agenda.

We have a G-20 communique, not a G-19 communique, said one EU official after all-night negotiations to finesse the divisions. But the language on climate change, at least, made plain that the statement was in fact a G-19 communique, with the U.S. alone in opposition.

Theyre calling the statement that they reached a consensus outcome, but it very explicitly points to a deep divide that really undermines the principle of consensus, said Scott Morris, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington and a former Treasury official in the Obama administration.

The declarations message on trade was ambiguous, reflecting the heavy hand of the Trump administration, said Ricardo Melendez-Ortiz, chief executive of the International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development in Geneva.

Trump wanted stricter language that allowed countries to punish unfair trade practices. But other leaders would not agree.

We were able to say, well, markets need to be kept open. This is all about fighting protectionism and also unfair trade practices, Merkel said.

Other European officials warned the United States was flirting with trade wars.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Friday the EU would retaliate swiftly if the U.S. raised trade barriers. We will respond with countermeasures if need be, hoping that this is not actually necessary, Juncker said, citing American whiskey as one potential target for import taxes.

Trump was not the only leader at the summit to complain that China is dumping cheap steel into the global market, and the countries commissioned a study on the steel market to be delivered in August.

Migration and refugees, as in recent years, were a focus. According to Cohn, Trump at one session addressed the downward spiral of migration and emphasized that countries should build their own economy, make their own countries a better place for their citizens.

The U.S. pressed for tough language about the sovereign right of states to manage and control their borders and had help from the United Kingdom and Italy. Italy especially is facing an unpopular migrant crisis as impoverished refugees displaced by war cross the Mediterranean from North Africa.

U.S. dominance on the global stage had faced challenges before Trump. The rise of other developing nations, chiefly China, has increasingly diminished any single dominant power at events such as the G-20 summit.

And in the past the United States has occasionally waged lone battles, struggling to get a consensus on issues such as currency manipulation, economic stimulus measures and trade surpluses. The G-20 has no power to enforce its will on sovereign nations, so it has sought to find common ground for action and cooperation, with limited success.

Trump seemed to make little headway in Hamburg to enlist other nations to more aggressively confront North Koreas nuclear threat.

He met with leaders of China, Japan and South Korea, as well as Putin, pressing them at length to come around to his view that North Koreas most recent launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile is a major escalation of Pyongyangs ambitions as a nuclear power, according to a U.S. official familiar with the talks, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe closed-door discussions.

White House officials have been dismayed to see China and Russia teaming up to advocate for a freeze for peace strategy in which North Korea agrees to stop moving forward with its nuclear weapons development, in exchange for the international community easing sanctions and making other concessions, the official said.

The administration counters that this strategy has been pursued multiple times with North Korea and each time Pyongyang has cheated and continued to advance toward building a nuclear-capable missile.

Trump avoided major gaffes and seemed to enjoy mingling with his fellow leaders. He did embarrass Mexicos President Enrique Pena Nieto by saying  in the presence of Pena Nieto, as well as Mexican and American reporters  that Mexico will absolutely pay for Trumps planned border wall, something the Mexican leader just as adamantly vowed not to do.

Despite friction with Merkel, Trump thanked her Saturday for hosting the summit even as protesters clashed violently with police at times, burning cars and blocking roads.

You have been amazing, and you have done a fantastic job, he said.

brian.bennett@latimes.com

don.lee@latimes.com

michael.memoli@latimes.com

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Americas annual display of pyrotechnics has come and gone, but theres an easy way to see political fireworks in California any time of the year: just strike up a discussion about the legacy of the states property tax revolt, Proposition 13.

Within a few minutes, the sparks will be flying.

Either revered or reviled, no ballot initiative changed Californias politics more than the 1978 law written by activists Howard Jarvis and Paul Gann. Nor has any ballot measure had a more lasting impact on government operations, cutting billions of dollars in taxes that would otherwise have gone to local governments and schools.

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Its wording remains the same, but Proposition 13s impact is about to change  thanks to aging baby boomers.

The law uses purchase price to set the base rate for property taxes. That rate cant increase more than 2% a year until the home changes hands. Over time, Proposition 13 has shielded longtime property owners from much of the impact of four decades of rising real estate values.

The independent Legislative Analysts Office dug deep into the laws impacts over the past year in Los Angeles and Bay Area communities. And there was ample evidence to show even next-door neighbors  with homes of roughly equal value were they to be sold  can have wildly different property tax bills.

That helps explain why a number of properties simply dont go on the market. In a report last month, the analysts noted while 16% of properties statewide were sold in 1977-78, just 5% were sold in 2014-15. Less turnover means tax rates dont get recalibrated, resulting in less revenue for government services.

But the report concluded thats likely to change, as more than half of Californias homeowners are 55 or older. The homes of baby boomers, as their lives come to an end or when they seek alternatives like assisted living, will end up on the market. The property tax rates for new owners will be set by higher purchase prices.

The impact could be substantial. The report pointed out that the typical homeowner over the age of 65 has been in that house for at least 20 years. Many of those are in Southern California.

Political Road Map: Gov. Jerry Browns wall of debt crumbles, but larger debts remain 

Every additional dollar in local property tax shrinks the state income and sales taxes needed to operate K-12 schools  a positive domino effect that ultimately means more revenue for other government services.

Were this the end of the story, policy analysts and lawmakers might start thinking about where to spend the money. But not so fast.

Baby boomers may not have to sell their homes. An older homeowner can transfer ownership to an adult child  without triggering a reset of the property tax rate. California voters approved that strengthening of Proposition 13 in 1986.

The Legislative Analysts Office reported the most recent numbers show the parent-to-child exemption reduced 2014-15 property tax revenues statewide by $1.5 billion. In Los Angeles County, the cost was $241 million.

It is likely the fiscal effect of this exclusion will grow in future years, wrote the authors of the June report, as Californias homeowners continue to age and look to transition their homes to their children.

For the better part of 40 years, Proposition 13 and its landmark change in taxation have been the third rail  the electrified part of the track  of California politics. Touching it, its believed, is electorally fatal. Thats held true even in the face of criticism that it places an unfair tax burden on younger Californians. Liberal activists have long demanded an overhaul.

But the brand of Proposition 13 has remained potent, a political shorthand for low taxes. The 1978 campaign hinged on the stories of seniors struggling to pay their taxes and keep their houses. The laws next chapter will depend on what happens to a new generation of older Californians.

john.myers@latimes.com

Follow @johnmyers on Twitter, sign up for our daily Essential Politics newsletter and listen to the weekly California Politics Podcast

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Updates on California politics and government
Trump promotes sons Justice with Judge Jeanine interview President Trump promoted via Twitter an interview with his son Eric Trump just before it aired Saturday night on Fox News Justice with Judge Jeanine. Eric Trump on @JudgeJeanine on @FoxNews now!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2018 Eric Trump called into the show to defend his father from criticism prompted by the first government shutdown in more than four years, as well as a series of Womens March events that saw protesters in dozens of cities take to the streets to oppose the presidents policies. .@EricTrump joined me over the phone from Mar-a-Lago ! pic.twitter.com/Hro3TzUW52  Jeanine Pirro (@JudgeJeanine) January 21, 2018 Speaking to host Jeannine Piro  who is reportedly an old friend of the presidents  Eric Trump offered effusive praise for his father, ticking off glowing statistics to illustrate the strength of the U.S. economy and gains against Islamic State fighters overseas. My fathers working like no ones ever worked before to bring back this country and to fulfill his promise to make America great again, said the executive vice president of the Trump Organization. He also repeated a sentiment recently expressed on Twitter by his father: That Democratic lawmakers forced a government shutdown on the anniversary of the presidents inauguration in a bid to distract from his achievements. You look at this whole government shutdown, and the only reason they want to shut down government is to distract and to stop his momentum, Eric Trump said. I mean, my father has had incredible momentum. Hes gotten more done in one year than arguably any president in history. Facebook

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Trump tweets: a perfect day for all Women to March President Trump hailed the nationwide Womens March gatherings Saturday. On Twitter, the president called it a perfect day for all Women to March, seeming to imply that those taking part were celebrating his administrations accomplishments: Beautiful weather all over our great country, a perfect day for all Women to March. Get out there now to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months. Lowest female unemployment in 18 years!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Participants in the marches across the United States were actually seeking to deliver a powerful rebuke to Trumps policies and mount a crucial mobilization for this years midterm elections. But Trump continued to tout his administrations unprecedented success in tweets sent later in the day: Unprecedented success for our Country, in so many ways, since the Election. Record Stock Market, Strong on Military, Crime, Borders, & ISIS, Judicial Strength & Numbers, Lowest Unemployment for Women & ALL, Massive Tax Cuts, end of Individual Mandate - and so much more. Big 2018!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 The Trump Administration has terminated more UNNECESSARY Regulation, in just twelve months, than any other Administration has terminated during their full term in office, no matter what the length. The good news is, THERE IS MUCH MORE TO COME!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2018 In addition to the roll call of major American cities where womens marches took place  including New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Dallas, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta  protesters also raised their voices in suburbs and small towns, reflecting the aim of coalescing a broad-based movement on the anniversary of Trumps inauguration to oppose the presidents stance on immigration, healthcare, racial divides and an array of other issues. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Laura King. Facebook

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Trump calls shutdown a present from Democrats By Associated Press President Trump is blaming Democrats for the government shutdown  tweeting that they wanted to give him a nice present to mark the one-year anniversary of his inauguration: This is the One Year Anniversary of my Presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present. #DemocratShutdown  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 That comes after Senate Democrats late Friday killed a GOP-written House-passed measure that would have kept agencies functioning for four weeks. Democrats were seeking a stopgap bill of just a few days in hopes that would build pressure on Republicans, and they were opposing a three-week alternative offered by GOP leaders. Democrats have insisted they would back legislation reopening the government once theres a bipartisan agreement to preserve protections against deporting about 700,000 immigrants  known as Dreamers  who arrived in the United States illegally as children. Trump on Saturday accused Democrats of holding our Military hostage over their desire to have unchecked illegal immigration: Democrats are holding our Military hostage over their desire to have unchecked illegal immigration. Cant let that happen!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Democrats are laying fault for the shutdown on Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress and the White House and have struggled with building internal consensus. In a series of tweets hours after the shutdown began, the president tried to make the case for Americans to elect more Republicans to Congress in November in order to power through this mess: Democrats are far more concerned with Illegal Immigrants than they are with our great Military or Safety at our dangerous Southern Border. They could have easily made a deal but decided to play Shutdown politics instead. #WeNeedMoreRepublicansIn18 in order to power through mess!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 He noted that there are 51 Republicans in the 100-member Senate, and it often takes 60 votes to advance legislation: For those asking, the Republicans only have 51 votes in the Senate, and they need 60. That is why we need to win more Republicans in 2018 Election! We can then be even tougher on Crime (and Border), and even better to our Military & Veterans!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 #AMERICA FIRST!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 The stopgap spending measure won 50 votes in the Senate, including five from Democrats. Although the House and Senate were in session Saturday, it was unclear whether lawmakers would take any votes of consequence. Trump had been set to leave Friday afternoon for a fundraiser at his estate in Palm Beach, Fla., where he intended to mark the inauguration anniversary. But he remained in Washington and ended up scrapping his plans to attend the Saturday fundraiser. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweet casts doubt on likelihood of averting shutdown President Trump appeared to cast doubt on the likelihood of reaching a deal to avert a government shutdown Friday night in a tweet. Trump also sought to blame Democrats for what would be the first shutdown since 2013. His message came just hours before the midnight deadline by which lawmakers must pass a measure to fund government agencies, or some operations will cease. Not looking good for our great Military or Safety & Security on the very dangerous Southern Border. Dems want a Shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Despite last-minute negotiations Friday between Trump and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, Congress remained deadlocked over a spending bill and the federal government was headed toward a shutdown at midnight. Senate Democrats  joined by some GOP deficit hawks and immigration allies  were set to filibuster a stopgap funding bill approved by the House on Thursday. A Senate vote was planned for 10 p.m. Eastern, and even White House officials predicted it would fail. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Lisa Mascaro. Facebook

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Trump signs surveillance law after confusing tweets By Associated Press President Trump on Friday signed a bill into law to renew a foreign intelligence surveillance program, announcing his action in the latest in a series of confusing tweets about the spy program: Just signed 702 Bill to reauthorize foreign intelligence collection. This is NOT the same FISA law that was so wrongly abused during the election. I will always do the right thing for our country and put the safety of the American people first!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2018 Trumps tweet on Jan. 11 created chaos in the House just before it voted to reauthorize what is known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. He linked the intelligence program to a dossier that alleges his presidential campaign had ties to Russia. That caused people to wonder if he didnt support the program that allows U.S. spy agencies to collect intelligence on foreign targets abroad. Trump and other Republicans have alleged that Obama administration officials improperly shared the identities of Trump presidential transition team members mentioned in intelligence reports. Democrats say there is no evidence that happened. Shortly before the House vote, and after conferring with House Speaker Paul Ryan, Trump did an apparent about-face. This vote is about foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys on foreign land, he tweeted. We need it! Get smart! In his tweet announcing that he had just signed the bill, Trump wrote: This is NOT the same FISA law that was so wrongly abused during the election. I will always do the right thing for our country and put the safety of the American people first! There are no obvious links between the dossier Trump spoke of, which includes salacious but unsubstantiated allegations against him, and the reauthorization of the spying program, or between the program and Trumps oft-repeated claims that the Obama administration conducted surveillance on Trump Tower during the presidential campaign. Facebook

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In tweet, Trump suggests that Pennsylvania trip is a political one The White House press office was once again forced to walk back a tweet from President Trump on Thursday morning after he described a trip to Pennsylvania later in the day as a political one  a statement that would force the Republican Party, not taxpayers, to pay for the journey. The White House had said Trump was going to an industrial equipment company outside of Pittsburgh to highlight the good economy and new tax cuts, making it an official, policy-oriented event. It was widely assumed that the trip had a political cast  the area is holding a special election to fill a congressional seat vacated by a Republican who resigned. Trump, by his tweet, seemed to confirm that politics was the whole purpose: Will be going to Pennsylvania today in order to give my total support to RICK SACCONE, running for Congress in a Special Election (March 13). Rick is a great guy. We need more Republicans to continue our already successful agenda!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 Trump later shared via Twitter a pair of video clips of his speech at H&K Equipment, in which he touted the tax cuts he signed into law just before Christmas and tried to turn the conversation back to his accomplishments after weeks dominated by distractions, including questions about his mental health and comments about immigration that some considered racist: Departing Pittsburgh now, where it was my great honor to stand with our incredible workers, and to show the world that AMERICA is back - and we are coming back bigger and better and stronger than ever before! pic.twitter.com/kWPgylqFzj  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 AMERICA will once again be a NATION that thinks big, dreams bigger, and always reaches for the stars. YOU are the ones who will shape Americas destiny. YOU are the ones who will restore our prosperity. And YOU are the ones who are MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! #MAGA pic.twitter.com/f2abNK47II  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 The Republican National Committee, rather than the White House, is supposed to pay for political travel so that taxpayers are not financing party activities; for trips that combine policy and politics, parties have split the cost under past presidents. Neither the RNC nor the White House responded to emails sent Thursday asking who would pay. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement later Thursday suggesting that taxpayers would foot the bill. She insisted that Trump would be conducting government business while in Pennsylvania. Read More This post contains reporting from the Associated Press and Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump tweets praise of Bob Dole after awarding him Congressional Gold Medal By Associated Press Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole knew the art of the deal before President Trump published the 1987 book of the same name. The two shared a stage under the Capitol dome Wednesday as Dole, 94, accepted Congress highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, for his World War II service and decades of work in the House and Senate. Trump later praised Dole in a tweet, attaching to his message a video composed of clips from the ceremony: Today, we witnessed an incredible moment in history  the presentation of Congress highest civilian honor to our friend, and true AMERICAN HERO, Bob Dole. #CongressionalGoldMedal pic.twitter.com/qNQqDLRmCk  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 17, 2018 At the ceremony, the president saluted Dole as a patriot and gave tribute to Doles struggle as a veteran who worked his way back from a grievous shoulder wound he suffered in Italy. He knows about grit, said Trump. But it was Doles penchant for working across the aisle that earned him his latest award, according to the legislation. Bob Dole was known for his ability to work across the aisle and embrace practical bipartisanship, reads the legislation Trump signed in September. Some of the awards 300 recipients include George Washington and Mother Teresa, according to the Congressional Research Service. Read More Facebook

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Trump touts report that seeks to link terrorism cases with immigration By Joseph Tanfani The Trump administration on Tuesday released a report attempting to link terrorism with migration, arguing that it was evidence of the need to dramatically reshape the nations immigration system. New report from DOJ & DHS shows that nearly 3 in 4 individuals convicted of terrorism-related charges are foreign-born. We have submitted to Congress a list of resources and reforms....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 ....we need to keep America safe, including moving away from a random chain migration and lottery system, to one that is merit-based. https://t.co/7PtoSFK1n2  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The report, ordered by President Trump in an executive order last year, said that 75% of the 549 people convicted of terrorism charges since 9/11 were born outside the U.S. Administration officials called that a sign that the U.S. needs to scrap its policy of family preferences for visas, which they call chain migration, and a diversity visa lottery program. But the report did not specify how many  if any  of the convicted terrorists entered the country through those means. It also did not detail how many of the convictions were related to attacks or plans in the U.S. versus overseas and how many involved people who went to fight overseas for the Islamic State or another terrorist group. Those details were not available, officials said. The report, due last year, is being released in a highly charged moment in the immigration debate, as Trump and some Republicans in Congress seek tough new border and immigration measures in return for a deal protecting the 690,000 people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Trump also fired off a pair of tweets on the topic earlier Tuesday: We must have Security at our VERY DANGEROUS SOUTHERN BORDER, and we must have a great WALL to help protect us, and to help stop the massive inflow of drugs pouring into our country!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The Democrats want to shut down the Government over Amnesty for all and Border Security. The biggest loser will be our rapidly rebuilding Military, at a time we need it more than ever. We need a merit based system of immigration, and we need it now! No more dangerous Lottery.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The focus of our immigration system should be assimilation, a senior administration official said on Tuesday, speaking on condition that his name not be used. He said the nation should give priority to potential immigrants who speak English, who have an education and those who are committed to supporting our values  not family members of people already here. The official said the timing of the report was coincidental. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets welcome to president of Kazakhstan By Associated Press President Trump said Tuesday that he and the president of Kazakhstan are united in a shared determination to prevent North Korea from threatening the world with nuclear devastation. Trump and President Nursultan Nazarbayev discussed North Korea along with other issues during meetings at the White House. Today, it was my honor to welcome President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan to the @WhiteHouse! pic.twitter.com/TerYFZViax  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 Trump said Kazakhstan, once part of the Soviet Union, is a valued partner in our efforts to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons. Together we are determined to prevent the North Korean regime from threatening the world with nuclear devastation, he said, as both presidents addressed journalists between meetings. Nazarbayev noted that his country once had one of the worlds largest nuclear arsenals but voluntarily gave it up after the Soviet Union collapsed. He said his country is in talks with Iran, which was the focus of a global deal that lifted some economic sanctions in exchange for Irans curbing its nuclear program. Trump has sharply criticized the Iran nuclear deal and threatened last week to pull out soon unless other countries fix what he says are terrible flaws. Read More Facebook

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Trump falsely claims his approval rating among black Americans has doubled By Alex Wigglesworth President Trump lashed out at the news media Tuesday morning in a tweet denouncing the special counsel investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion among members of his campaign team. Do you notice the Fake News Mainstream Media never likes covering the great and record setting economic news, but rather talks about anything negative or that can be turned into the negative. The Russian Collusion Hoax is dead, except as it pertains to the Dems. Public gets it!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 It wasnt immediately clear exactly what prompted the presidents tweet, but it appeared as though he was watching Fox & Friends. A short time later, Trump tweeted a headline from a report that aired during that mornings episode: 90% of Trump 2017 news coverage was negative -and much of it contrived!@foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The segment focused on the latest survey results from conservative watchdog Media Research Center, which purportedly analyzed the evening news broadcasts on ABC, CBS and NBC from Jan. 20 to Dec. 31 and found that 90% of the statements made about Trump were negative. Study: 90% of Trump media coverage in 2017 was negative pic.twitter.com/vbrwup4Drg  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) January 16, 2018 But believe it or not, through all this negative coverage, they did a survey of 600,000 people about how black America views this president, co-host Brian Kilmeade said. His numbers have actually doubled in approval. Trump highlighted the statement in another tweet: Unemployment for Black Americans is the lowest ever recorded. Trump approval ratings with Black Americans has doubled. Thank you, and it will get even (much) better! @FoxNews  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 But its not true. The claim appears to have originated from a misreading of data from the online polling firm SurveyMonkey, according to factcheck.org. The firm polled 600,000 Americans in 2017 and found that Trumps approval rating among blacks actually dropped from 23% early in his presidency to about 17%, as of the week ending Jan. 3. Some conservative outlets, including Breitbart, produced an average from those and other SurveyMonkey figures and compared them to the scores Trump received from black voters in the 2016 exit polls. That methodology is not sound. And since the statistics measure different things, the comparison is misleading. Facebook

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Trump goes after senator who surfaced his immigration remark By Associated Press President Trump turned his Twitter torment Monday on the Democrat in the room where immigration talks with lawmakers took a famously coarse turn, saying Sen. Richard J. Durbin misrepresented what he had said about African nations and Haiti and, in the process, undermined the trust needed to make a deal. Senator Dicky Durbin totally misrepresented what was said at the DACA meeting, Trump tweeted, using a nickname to needle the Illinois senator. Deals cant get made when there is no trust! Durbin blew DACA and is hurting our Military. Senator Dicky Durbin totally misrepresented what was said at the DACA meeting. Deals cant get made when there is no trust! Durbin blew DACA and is hurting our Military.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 Trump was referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects young people who came to the United States illegally as children. Members of Congress from both parties are trying to strike a deal that Trump would support to extend that protection. Trump also cast doubt on the likelihood of reaching an agreement in tweets sent earlier Monday: Statement by me last night in Florida: Honestly, I dont think the Democrats want to make a deal. They talk about DACA, but they dont want to help..We are ready, willing and able to make a deal but they dont want to. They dont want security at the border, they dont want.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 ...to stop drugs, they want to take money away from our military which we cannot do. My standard is very simple, AMERICA FIRST & MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 On a day of remembrance for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Trump spent time at his golf course with no public events, bypassing the acts of service that his predecessors staged in honor of the civil rights leader. Instead, Trump dedicated his weekly address to Kings memory, saying Kings dream and Americas are the same: A world where people are judged by who they are, not how they look or where they come from. That message was a distinct counterpoint to words attributed to Trump by Durbin and others at a meeting last week, when the question of where immigrants come from seemed at the forefront of Trumps concerns. Some participants and others familiar with the conversation said Trump challenged immigration from shithole countries of Africa and disparaged Haiti as well. Without explicitly denying using that word, Trump lashed out at the Democratic senator, who said Trump uttered it on several occasions. Read More Facebook

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Trump thanks pundit for laudatory Fox & Friends spot By Alex Wigglesworth President Trump thanked Fox News personality Stuart Varney after Varney praised Trump during an appearance on Fox & Friends. In a pair of tweets early Sunday, Trump quoted from Varneys commentary, in which he argued that Trump deserves more credit for the booming economy. The pundit, who also hosts a show on Fox Business Network, cited moves by some corporations to raise workers minimum wage or pay out one-time bonuses in response to the GOP tax cuts. President Trump is not getting the credit he deserves for the economy. Tax Cut bonuses to more than 2,000,000 workers. Most explosive Stock Market rally that weve seen in modern times. 18,000 to 26,000 from Election, and grounded in profitability and growth. All Trump, not 0...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2018 ...big unnecessary regulation cuts made it all possible (among many other things). President Trump reversed the policies of President Obama, and reversed our economic decline. Thank you Stuart Varney. @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2018 Varney was reacting to a quote from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who on Thursday called the bonuses handed down to workers pathetic in comparison to the gains corporations are expected to see from the tax cuts. In terms of the bonus that corporate America received versus the crumbs that they are giving to workers to kind of put the schmooze on is so pathetic, Pelosi told reporters. Its pathetic. Varney shot back Sunday that the bonuses, along with explosive stock market growth, are enriching all Americans. This is a huge shot in the arm, its the result of this tax cut deal and I think President Trump should get the credit for it, he said. .@Varneyco Sets the economic record straight after Nancy Pelosi calls U.S. mass bonuses crumbs pic.twitter.com/BvjIHGm3HE  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) January 14, 2018 The sweeping tax plan passed last month lowers the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and cuts personal income taxes. Analysts say the benefits will largely flow to corporations and the wealthy, as theyre more likely to be in positions to share in corporate profits. For instance, Wells Fargo & Co., which responded to news of the tax overhaul by announcing it will raise workers pay to at least $15 an hour, also reported that it expects to pay an effective tax rate of 19% this year, down from about 31% in previous years. That should amount to tax savings of more than $3 billion annually. On average, middle-class Americans are expected to see a very small tax cut in the near term and a tax increase after 2025, when all of the tax cuts for individuals expire. The tax cuts for corporations, however, are permanent.  This post contains reporting from Times staff writer James Rufus Koren. Facebook

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Trump touts MLK proclamation in tweet, but ceremony is overshadowed by reports of racist remarks By Associated Press President Trump signed a proclamation Friday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, noting the contributions of a great American hero. Today, it was my great honor to proclaim January 15, 2018, as Martin Luther King Jr., Federal Holiday. I encourage all Americans to observe this day with appropriate civic, community, and service activities in honor of Dr. King's life and legacy. pic.twitter.com/samlJsz1Nt  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018 Overshadowing the event was mounting backlash from Trumps comments during a private meeting with lawmakers the day before. A short time after the meeting, which was called to discuss a possible immigration deal, reports emerged that Trump had asked participants why the United States should accept immigrants from shithole countries in Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin, the Senates second-ranking Democrat, appeared to confirm those reports on Friday. Trump did not respond Friday to several questions about the incident, including whether he actually used vulgar language to describe African nations, or if he is racist. The president said at the White House that love was central to the slain civil rights leader. Trump said the nation celebrates King for standing up for the self-evident truth Americans hold so dear, that no matter what the color of our skin or place of our birth, we are all created equal by God.  This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump criticizes Democrats in tweet calling for stricter immigration rules President Trump hit out at Democrats on Thursday night in a tweet calling for stricter immigration rules. Trump wrote that members of the party seem intent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the border with Mexico: The Democrats seem intent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the Southern Border, risking thousands of lives in the process. It is my duty to protect the lives and safety of all Americans. We must build a Great Wall, think Merit and end Lottery & Chain. USA!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018 It wasnt immediately clear exactly what prompted the tweet. Earlier Thursday, Trump rejected a bipartisan compromise to resolve the standoff over so-called Dreamers, young immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children but have temporary permits to work, attend school or serve in the military. The president drew widespread condemnation after reports emerged that he had asked participants in an Oval Office meeting about the proposal why the United States should accept immigrants from shithole countries in Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. Read More Facebook

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Trump touts bill aimed at improving border screening for fentanyl By Associated Press President Trump signed legislation Wednesday aimed at giving Customs and Border Protection agents additional screening devices and other tools to stop the flow of illicit drugs. Speaking at a surprise bill-signing ceremony while flanked by members of Congress from both parties in the Oval Office, Trump described the bill as a significant step forward in the fight against powerful opioids such as fentanyl, which he called our new big scourge. He echoed that language Thursday in a tweet: Yesterday, I signed the #INTERDICTAct (H.R. 2142) with bipartisan members of Congress to help end the flow of drugs into our country. Together, we are committed to doing everything we can to combat the deadly scourge of drug addiction and overdose in the United States! pic.twitter.com/ELZvFol5Lo  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018 The legislation will pay for new portable and fixed chemical screening devices to detect and intercept fentanyl at ports of entry and in the mail, along with other laboratory equipment and personnel, including scientists. Trump has made fighting the opioid epidemic a centerpiece of his administration, though critics say he hasnt dedicated nearly enough money or resources to make a difference. Trump suggested during his remarks on Wednesday that hed like to take a more aggressive approach to the drug crisis  but the countrys not ready for what he has in mind. So were going to sign this. And its a step. And it feels like a very giant step, but unfortunately, its not going to be a giant step, because no matter what you do, this is something that keeps pouring in, he said. And were going to find the answer. There is an answer. I think I actually know the answer, but Im not sure the countrys ready for it yet, he added. Does anybody know what I mean? I think so. Facebook

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Trump applauds news that Toyota-Mazda plant is slated for Alabama By Associated Press Japanese automakers Toyota and Mazda on Wednesday announced plans to build a mammoth, $1.6-billion joint-venture plant in Alabama that will eventually employ about 4,000 people. President Trump lauded the news in a tweet: Cutting taxes and simplifying regulations makes America the place to invest! Great news as Toyota and Mazda announce they are bringing 4,000 JOBS and investing $1.6 BILLION in Alabama, helping to further grow our economy! pic.twitter.com/Kcg8IVH6iA  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Good news: Toyota and Mazda announce giant new Huntsville, Alabama, plant which will produce over 300,000 cars and SUVs a year and employ 4000 people. Companies are coming back to the U.S. in a very big way. Congratulations Alabama!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018 Several states had competed for the project, which will be able to turn out 300,000 vehicles per year and produce the Toyota Corolla compact car for North America and a new small SUV from Mazda. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and company executives held a news conference to announce that the facility is coming to the Huntsville area not far from the Tennessee line. Production is expected to begin by 2021. The decision to pick Alabama is another example of foreign-based automakers building U.S. factories in the South. To entice manufacturers, Southern states have used a combination of lucrative incentive packages, low-cost labor and a pro-business labor environment, because the United Auto Workers union is stronger in Northern states. Read More Facebook

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Trump highlights call for border wall in tweets on visit with Norways prime minister By Associated Press President Trump praised Norways prime minister in a tweet on Wednesday after Erna Solberg became the first foreign leader to visit with the president in 2018. Today, it was my great honor to welcome Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway to the @WhiteHouse - a great friend and ally of the United States! Joint press conference: https://t.co/qWR1BhfQZI pic.twitter.com/PJvwznjRCO  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Trump also shared via Twitter a video clip of a joint news conference he held with Solberg on Wednesday afternoon. In the clip, Trump responds to a question from a reporter by saying there can be no bipartisan immigration deal absent funding for his long-promised wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been seeking a solution for hundreds of thousands of so-called Dreamers, young people who were brought to the United States as children and are living here illegally. The United States needs the security of the Wall on the Southern Border, which must be part of any DACA approval. The safety and security of our country is #1! pic.twitter.com/4CFzQXb5aS  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 We need the wall for security, we need the wall for safety, we need the wall for stopping the drugs from pouring in, Trump said Wednesday.  Any solution has to include the wall because without the wall, it all doesnt work. On Tuesday, Trump drew widespread attention when he said during a meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers that he would be agreeable to signing a stand-alone bill to protect the Dreamers, before moving on to a more comprehensive immigration bill. That contradicted the Republican consensus that Dreamers fate needed to be part of a broader immigration bill that would include some version of Trumps promised border wall and other immigration reforms. Trump backed away from a stand-alone Dreamer bill in subsequent tweets and public comments. Read More This post contains reporting from Los Angeles Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump praises Cabinet in tweet touting meeting By Associated Press President Trump promoted a meeting of his Cabinet on Wednesday, sharing via Twitter a link to a video of the session posted on the White House YouTube account. In his tweet, Trump thanked his Cabinet for working tirelessly on behalf of our country and wrote that the last year has been one of monumental achievement. I want to thank my @Cabinet for working tirelessly on behalf of our country. 2017 was a year of monumental achievement and we look forward to the year ahead. Together, we are delivering results and MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! https://t.co/ptXa1hAPwW pic.twitter.com/yv6RALkQf3  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 The former reality television star continued to dispense accolades at the meeting Wednesday, greeting reporters in the Cabinet Room by saying: Welcome back to the studio. Then he proceeded to relive a Cabinet Room session from the prior day, when he had allowed reporters and TV cameras to stick around for much of his meeting with a bipartisan group of legislators on the thorny issue of immigration. It was a tremendous meeting. Actually, it was reported as incredibly good. And my performance  you know, some of them called it a performance  I consider it work, Trump said. Trump went on to say he had received letters from news anchors calling it one of the greatest meetings theyve ever witnessed. He added that the media will ultimately support Trump in the end, because theyre going to say, if Trump doesnt win in three years, theyre all out of business. Asked for examples of letters received from news anchors, the White House said it had received private communications. It also offered a series of positive on-air comments and tweets from journalists about the unusual access to the meeting. During his remarks, Trump swung from praising his own meeting coverage to telling journalists that they were dependent on his presidency for ratings to threatening a strong look at libel laws. Still, Trump thanked the journalists in front of him, joking: Youve gotten very familiar with this room. I appreciate your nice comments yesterday. Facebook

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Trump blasts DACA ruling in tweet calling courts broken and unfair By Lisa Mascaro President Trump denounced the federal courts Wednesday as broken and unfair after a district judge in San Francisco issued a nationwide injunction keeping protections in place for so-called Dreamers. Trump tweeted: It just shows everyone how broken and unfair our Court System is when the opposing side in a case (such as DACA) always runs to the 9th Circuit and almost always wins before being reversed by higher courts.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 On Tuesday night, U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco temporarily blocked the Trump administrations decision to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, which has protected from deportation some 700,000 people who came to the country illegally as children. Alsup granted a request by the state of California, the University of California and other plaintiffs to stop Trump from ending DACA on March 5. The administrations decision to end DACA, which was announced in September, was based on a flawed legal analysis, Alsup wrote in his decision. Dreamers would be irreparably harmed if their DACA protections, which allow them to live and work legally in the U.S., were stripped away before the courts had a chance to fully consider their claims, he ruled. The action is the mirror image of a ruling in 2015 by a federal judge in Texas who ruled in favor of that state when it sought to block President Obama from expanding DACA to include the parents of Dreamers. Trump administration officials praised that judicial ruling. By contrast, they sharply criticized Alsups decision. Read More Facebook

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Trump thanks lawmakers for productive immigration meeting, says deal must include border wall President Trump thanked a bipartisan group of lawmakers for participating in a meeting on immigration legislation on Tuesday. Much of the discussion involved so-called Dreamers, an estimated 700,000 young people who were brought to the country illegally as children and are now facing deportation. In a tweet, Trump wrote that there was strong agreement to negotiate a bill to protect Dreamers, as well as put into place some of the reforms favored by Republicans. Thanks to all of the Republican and Democratic lawmakers for todays very productive meeting on immigration reform. There was strong agreement to negotiate a bill that deals with border security, chain migration, lottery and DACA. https://t.co/SdqAQ3aL3z pic.twitter.com/8DYHZHspAy  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 The most notable exchange of the meeting came when Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the San Francisco Democrat, asked Trump whether he would be agreeable to signing a stand-alone bill to protect the Dreamers, before moving on to a more comprehensive immigration bill. Yeah, I would like to do it, Trump responded. The statement drew widespread attention because it contradicted the Republican consensus that Dreamers fate needed to be part of a broader immigration bill that would include some version of Trumps promised border wall and other immigration reforms. Trump later backed away from a stand-alone Dreamer bill, tweeting that a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico must be part of any deal: As I made very clear today, our country needs the security of the Wall on the Southern Border, which must be part of any DACA approval.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Pressure has been mounting for Congress to broker an immigration deal by Jan. 19 as part of a must-pass budget package to fund the government. This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump thanks officers and veterans in tweets President Trump doled out a slew of accolades Tuesday via Twitter. He thanked the nations law enforcement officers, including in his message a hashtag denoting a day of appreciation organized by a national support group for law enforcement families. On behalf of the American people, THANK YOU to our incredible law enforcement officers. As President of the United States - I will fight for you, and I will never, ever let you down. Now, more than ever, we must support the men and women in blue! #LawEnforcementAppreciationDay pic.twitter.com/Qb4uxB4JRm  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 Trump later expressed gratitude for federal immigration agents, in particular: .@ICEgov HSI agents and ERO officers, on behalf of an entire Nation, THANK YOU for what you are doing 24/7/365 to keep fellow Americans SAFE. Everyone is so grateful!#LawEnforcementAppreciationDay

President @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/HXCpTlruVo  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 The president thanked veterans as he cited his administrations efforts to curb the number of veteran suicides by improving mental health treatment for the high-risk group: Today, it was my great honor to sign a new Executive Order to ensure Veterans have the resources they need as they transition back to civilian life. We must ensure that our HEROES are given the care and support they so richly deserve! https://t.co/0MdP9DDIAS pic.twitter.com/LP2a8KCBAp  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 Trumps tweet included photos of the president signing an executive order Tuesday directing the secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs to develop a plan to provide seamless access to mental health and suicide prevention resources for 12 months for members leaving the armed forces. Also on Tuesday, Trump touted a law he signed the day before designating the birthplace of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. a national historic park: It was my great honor to sign H.R. 267, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Act, which redesignates the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in the State of Georgia as the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. https://t.co/Qe0b6HBFTY pic.twitter.com/QTgaqTawPT  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 And he thanked House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) for sharing a video compilation comprised of clips of politicians and commentators praising the GOPs tax cut bill: Thank you @GOPLeader Kevin McCarthy! Couldnt agree w/you more. TOGETHER, we are #MAGA https://t.co/QaxtqpyXTR  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018  This post contains reporting from the Associated Press and Times staff writer Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook

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Trump hails tax bill in tweets recapping speech to farmers By Associated Press Connecting with rural Americans, President Trump on Monday hailed his tax overhaul as a victory for family farmers. Farm country is Gods country, Trump told the annual convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Trump became the first president in a quarter-century to address the federations convention. His Southern swing also included a stop in Atlanta for the national college football championship game. Cant wait to be back in the amazing state of Tennessee to address the 99th American @FarmBureau Federations Annual Convention in Nashville! #AFBF18



On my way now - join me LIVE at 4:00pmE: https://t.co/QaljAqekdD. pic.twitter.com/Wm7Io0hYT8  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Joined by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and a group of Tennessee lawmakers, Trump said most of the benefits of the tax legislation are going to working families, small businesses, and who  the family farmer. The package Trump signed into law last month provides generous tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans, and more modest reductions for middle- and low-income individuals and families. In every decision we make, we are honoring Americas PROUD FARMING LEGACY. Years of crushing taxes, crippling regs, & corrupt politics left our communities hurting, our economy stagnant, & millions of hardworking Americans COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN. But they are not forgotten ANYMORE! pic.twitter.com/MdYS7xnukQ  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 The president vastly inflated the value of the package in his speech, citing a total of $5.5 trillion in tax cuts, with most of those benefits going to working families, small businesses and who? The family farmer. The estimated value of the tax cuts is actually $1.5 trillion for families and businesses because of cuts in deductions and the use of other steps to generate offsetting tax revenue. We have been working every day to DELIVER for Americas Farmers just as they work every day to deliver FOR US. #AFBF18 pic.twitter.com/QDH7fvFkZ7  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 From Nashville, Trump traveled to Atlanta to watch Alabamas Crimson Tide and Georgias Bulldogs face off Monday night in the College Football Playoff National Championship. We are fighting for our farmers, for our country, and for our GREAT AMERICAN FLAG. We want our flag respected - and we want our NATIONAL ANTHEM respected also! pic.twitter.com/16eOLXg6Fi  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Before departing for the game, Trump referenced his ongoing defense of the American flag and the national anthem, saying there was enough space for people to express their views. We love our flag and we love our anthem, and we want to keep it that way, he said. Facebook

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Trump tweet hails drop in unemployment rate for African Americans By Associated Press President Trump touted a drop in the unemployment rate for African Americans on Monday in a tweet. African American unemployment is the lowest ever recorded in our country. The Hispanic unemployment rate dropped a full point in the last year and is close to the lowest in recorded history. Dems did nothing for you but get your vote! #NeverForget @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 The rate fell to 6.8% in December, the lowest level since the government began tracking such data in 1972. The reasons range from a greater number of black Americans with college degrees to a growing need for employers in a tight job market to widen the pool of people they hire from. Trump also hailed the development via Twitter on Saturday. His latest tweet on the topic came about an hour after it was discussed during an episode of Fox & Friends, according to Mediaite. Facebook

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Trump talks up the economy and dresses down the media in Sunday tweets With President Trump cheering from the sidelines, the White House on Sunday pressed its defense of the presidents fitness to govern, as fired former aide Stephen K. Bannon reversed course and apologized for his role in a new books explosive portrait of Trump. The presidents critics, meanwhile, said Trumps stream of taunts and insults in response to the book  Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, released last week  served only to underscore the authors unsettling portrayal of Trumps year-old presidency, depicting a leader whose own aides consider him childish, ignorant and dangerously erratic. Trump provided more ammunition Sunday morning, as he continued to attack the book via Twitter while preparing to depart Camp David for the White House: Leaving Camp David for the White House. Great meetings with the Cabinet and Military on many very important subjects including Border Security & the desperately needed Wall, the ever increasing Drug and Opioid Problem, Infrastructure, Military, Budget, Trade and DACA.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Ive had to put up with the Fake News from the first day I announced that I would be running for President. Now I have to put up with a Fake Book, written by a totally discredited author. Ronald Reagan had the same problem and handled it well. So will I!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 The most vehement defense of Trump on Sunday came from senior advisor Stephen Miller, a onetime Bannon acolyte who distanced himself from his former mentor. In a combative appearance Sunday on CNNs State of the Union, Miller called the book grotesque and writer Michael Wolff the garbage author of a garbage book. Trump is known to closely monitor aides televised performances in putting forth his case, and he gleefully weighed in within moments of Millers televised clash with host Jake Tapper. CNN has long been a particular target of Trumps ire. Jake Tapper of Fake News CNN just got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller of the Trump Administration. Watch the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Trumps reaction, however, seemed to bolster Tappers on-air depiction of Miller as using his appearance on the show to play to the president rather than addressing questions put to him. I get it  theres one viewer that you care about, the host said exasperatedly after Miller turned the discussion repeatedly to negative news coverage of the president while deflecting specific queries. Later on Twitter, Trump took up two themes that have been prevalent on his social media feeds recently. The president again went after the news media, tweeting that the recipients of his self-proclaimed most dishonest & corrupt media awards of the year, which he promised earlier in the week to announce on Monday, would actually be revealed the following Wednesday: The Fake News Awards, those going to the most corrupt & biased of the Mainstream Media, will be presented to the losers on Wednesday, January 17th, rather than this coming Monday. The interest in, and importance of, these awards is far greater than anyone could have anticipated!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Trump later lauded a New York Post opinion piece that compared him favorably with his predecessor, President Obama, as well as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. In quoting the op-ed, Trump initally misspelled consequential as consensual, but he deleted those tweets and re-sent the messages. His is turning out to be an enormously consequential presidency. So much so that, despite my own frustration over his missteps, there has never been a day when I wished Hillary Clinton were president. Not one. Indeed, as Trumps accomplishments accumulate, the mere thought of...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 ...Clinton in the WH, doubling down on Barack Obamas failed policies, washes away any doubts that America made the right choice. This was truly a change election  and the changes Trump is bringing are far-reaching & necessary. Thank you Michael Goodwin! https://t.co/4fHNcx2Ydg  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Trump also continued talking up the economy, which has been enjoying a period of strong gains. The Stock Market has been creating tremendous benefits for our country in the form of not only Record Setting Stock Prices, but present and future Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Seven TRILLION dollars of value created since our big election win!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 In addition to Miller, other senior administration officials made the rounds of Sunday news talk shows to decry the claims made in Wolffs book. CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Wolffs characterization of Trump as averse to digesting classified briefing material was ludicrous, and the ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, insisted that that those around Trump love their country and respect their president. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Laura King. Facebook

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Responding to book that mocks his intelligence, Trump tweets hes like, really smart By Tracy Wilkinson President Trump declared himself a very stable genius on Twitter on Saturday and later in a televised news conference called the author of a book that questioned his mental fitness a fraud. His comments came on a bone-cold day at Camp David during a weekend retreat with top administration officials and Republican congressional leaders strategizing on the years legislative agenda, including matters such as infrastructure, immigration, welfare reform and national security. Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream Media, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 ....Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart. Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 ....to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius....and a very stable genius at that!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 Still, Trumps explosive rebuttal to author Michael Wolffs claims not only opened the day, but it also ensured the presidents capability to fill the highest office in the land was a topic that would not go away. In his early-morning tweets, Trump said two of his greatest assets have been mental stability, and being, like, really smart. He noted that his former Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, played these cards [about competence] very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star to President of the United States (on my first try). Read More Facebook

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In morning tweets, Trump touts job numbers and takes digs at news media By Associated Press President Trump used Twitter on Saturday morning to tout a drop in the unemployment rate for African Americans. He also used the tweets as an opportunity to take digs at media outlets whose past coverage he has found to be critical. The African American unemployment rate fell to 6.8%, the lowest rate in 45 years. I am so happy about this News! And, in the Washington Post (of all places), headline states, Trumps first year jobs numbers were very, very good.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 The unemployment rate for African Americans fell to 6.8% in December, the lowest level since the government began tracking such data in 1972. The reasons range from a greater number of black Americans with college degrees to a growing need for employers in a tight job market to widen the pool of people they hire from. Still, the rate for black workers remains well above those for whites and some other groups, something experts attribute in large part to decades of discrimination and disadvantages. Robust job creation has lowered unemployment for all Americans. U.S. employers added nearly 2.1 million jobs in 2017  the seventh straight year that hiring has topped 2 million. In his tweet, Trump praised a report that noted the numbers, touting the fact that it appeared in the Washington Post (of all places). Minutes later, Trump renewed his attack on an ABC News reporter who was suspended last month after filing an erroneous report on Michael Flynn, Trumps former national security advisor. Brian Ross, the reporter who made a fraudulent live newscast about me that drove the Stock Market down 350 points (billions of dollars), was suspended for a month but is now back at ABC NEWS in a lower capacity. He is no longer allowed to report on Trump. Should have been fired!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 The reporter, Brian Ross, was reportedly reassigned within ABC News upon returning from his unpaid suspension. But on Saturday, Trump wrote that he should have been fired. Trumps tweets came hours before he was set to host congressional Republicans and administration officials at Camp David. The meeting scheduled to begin at midmorning Saturday was expected to touch on the budget, infrastructure, immigration, welfare reform and the shape of the midterm election this fall. Facebook

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Trump commends Sen. Rand Paul after he proposes eliminating all U.S. aid to Pakistan President Trump commended Sen. Rand Paul after the Kentucky Republican announced plans to introduce legislation that would eliminate all U.S. aid to Pakistan. Trump tweeted Friday night: Good idea Rand! https://t.co/55sqUDiC0s  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 On Thursday, the Trump administration announced it was suspending security assistance to Islamabad until the country moves aggressively against local militants who have attacked U.S. troops in neighboring Afghanistan. Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration at the apparent inability of Pakistani authorities to rein in militants who cross out of the countrys rugged tribal areas to attack U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson. Facebook

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Trump continues to lash out at Sloppy Steve Bannon in tweets on tell-all book By Associated Press President Trump is praising a major Republican donor family for distancing themselves from his former advisor Steve Bannon. Trump tweeted Friday: The Mercer Family recently dumped the leaker known as Sloppy Steve Bannon. Smart!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Trump has continued to lash out at Bannon over an explosive new book that quoted his former aide as questioning Trumps competence and describing a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower among Donald Trump Jr., Trump campaign aides and a Russian lawyer as treasonous and unpatriotic. On Thursday, billionaire GOP donor Rebekah Mercer issued a statement distancing her family from Bannon. Mercer is a co-owner of Breitbart, the populist website Bannon helps run. I support President Trump and the platform upon which he was elected, Mercer said. My family and I have not communicated with Steve Bannon in many months and have provided no financial support to his political agenda, nor do we support his recent actions and statements. The book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, quickly shot atop Amazons best-seller list, and the publisher moved up its release date by four days, to Friday. Trump took up the topic again on Twitter on Friday night, denouncing both Bannon and the books author, Michael Wolff, in starkly personal terms: Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad! https://t.co/mEeUhk5ZV9  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 Trumps message linked to a meme depicting a parody book cover titled, Liar and Phony, that featured a photo of Wolff and disparaging quotes about the author. In a tweet sent earlier Friday morning, Trump suggested the book was intended to serve as a distraction from the FBIs investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, which Trump wrote is proving to be a total hoax. Well, now that collusion with Russia is proving to be a total hoax and the only collusion is with Hillary Clinton and the FBI/Russia, the Fake News Media (Mainstream) and this phony new book are hitting out at every new front imaginable. They should try winning an election. Sad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 That came amid reports that Trump directed his White House counsel to tell Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions to not recuse himself from the Justice Departments Russia investigation. Trumps effort to keep Sessions, a vocal and loyal supporter of his election bid, in charge of an investigation into his campaign offers special counsel Robert Mueller yet another avenue to explore as his prosecutors work to untangle potential evidence of obstruction. Read More Facebook

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Trump praises the economy ahead of meetings at Camp David By Associated Press President Trump is praising the strength of the U.S. economy ahead of meetings at Camp David with congressional Republicans. Trump tweeted early Friday: Dow goes from 18,589 on November 9, 2016, to 25,075 today, for a new all-time Record. Jumped 1000 points in last 5 weeks, Record fastest 1000 point move in history. This is all about the Make America Great Again agenda! Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Six trillion dollars in value created!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 The president also told reporters on the South Lawn that the tax cuts are really kicking in after Congress passed a package of tax cuts at the end of 2017. And the president praised the December jobs report, which found U.S. employers added 148,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate stayed at 4.1%, the lowest level since 2000. The modest but steady pace of hiring is a reassuring sign for investors who have been buoyed by the just-passed Republican tax plan and have been sending stock market indexes roaring to uncharted heights. The president is meeting with Republican congressional leaders and members of his Cabinet on Friday and Saturday to discuss the 2018 agenda. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets as Dow crashes through 25,000 By Associated Press President Trump dispatched a congratulatory tweet as the Dow Jones industrial average rose above the 25,000-point mark Thursday, just five weeks after its first close above 24,000. Dow just crashes through 25,000. Congrats! Big cuts in unnecessary regulations continuing.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 After the Dow closed above 25,000, Trump shared a graphic depicting the stock indexs record-setting rise. MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/iONbr1DkVk  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Later in the day, the president was back on Twitter, complaining that news outlets had barely covered the stock market milestone. He suggested that the strength of the economy would be the biggest story on earth, had it unfolded during the presidency of his predecessor. The Fake News Media barely mentions the fact that the Stock Market just hit another New Record and that business in the U.S. is booming...but the people know! Can you imagine if O was president and had these numbers - would be biggest story on earth! Dow now over 25,000.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 The Dow broke past 1,000-point barriers in 2017 on its way to a 25% gain for the year, as an eight-year rally since the Great Recession continued to confound skeptics. Strong global economic growth and good prospects for higher company earnings have analysts predicting more gains, although the market may not stay as calm as it has been recently. The Dow has made a rapid trip since it reached 24,000 points Nov. 30, partly on enthusiasm over passage of the Republican-backed tax package, which could boost company profits this year with across-the-board cuts to corporate taxes. Read More Facebook

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Trump reacts to Fire and Fury book in tweet lashing out at author and Sloppy Steve President Trump lashed out at the author of a soon-to-be-released book about the chaotic first year of his presidency Thursday night. In a tweet, Trump called Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, a phony book and claimed that hed never spoken to its author, Michael Wolff. Look at this guys past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve! Trump wrote. He appeared to be referring to former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, whose stunning criticisms of Trump and his circle figure prominently in the title. I authorized Zero access to White House (actually turned him down many times) for author of phony book! I never spoke to him for book. Full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that dont exist. Look at this guys past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Trumps tweet came hours after he had his lawyer demand that Henry Holt & Co. and Wolff stop publication the book. Instead, the publisher expedited the books release to Friday, four days before it was slated to hit bookstore shelves, in response to unprecedented demand. Published excerpts on Wednesday and Thursday whetted that appetite and roiled Washington. Bannons comments, including that it was treasonous and unpatriotic for Trumps son Donald Trump Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner and campaign manager Paul Manafort to have met in 2016 with Russians said to have dirt on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, prompted Trump on Wednesday to rebuke his former advisor, saying Bannon had lost his mind. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writers Brian Bennett and Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook

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Trump thanks senators who attended meeting on immigration President Trump tweeted thanks to Republican senators who attended a meeting about possible immigration legislation on Thursday. In his message, Trump also listed his top priorities when it comes to any type of overhaul of the nations immigration system. Thank you to the great Republican Senators who showed up to our mtg on immigration reform. We must BUILD THE WALL, stop illegal immigration, end chain migration & cancel the visa lottery. The current system is unsafe & unfair to the great people of our country - time for change!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Trumps tweet echoed his remarks at the beginning of Thursdays meeting, when he insisted again that constructing a border wall and overhauling two legal immigration programs must be part of any deal with Democrats to protect the so-called Dreamers from deportation. Two-year deportation protections and work permits given under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program begin to expire March 6 under an executive order. Trump announced in September that he was ending the Obama-era program, but told Congress to draft a law to continue protections for people brought to the country illegally as children  a group that has widespread public support. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Brian Bennett. Facebook

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Trump resumes Twitter war against kneeling NFL players President Trump has resumed his Twitter war against NFL players who kneel during the national anthem to protest social injustice and racial inequality. In a tweet early Thursday, Trump replied to a supporter who shared a meme that appears to depict family members lying on the grave of a fallen soldier with the caption: This is why we stand. Show this picture to the NFL players who still kneel! Trump wrote. So beautiful....Show this picture to the NFL players who still kneel! https://t.co/tJLM1tvbvb  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 The president has denounced players who kneel during the anthem in previous tweets. Hes also called for the firing of players who do so. His latest message came amid news that the NFL finished the regular season with TV ratings that fell nearly 10% below the previous season. Analysts attribute the drop to controversies facing the league, as well as changing viewing habits and a possible saturation point in the number of games available. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writers Stephen Battaglio and Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook

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Trump credits himself with facilitating talks between North and South Korea By Associated Press President Trump says his tough stance on nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula is helping push North Korea and South Korea to talk. Trump tweeted early Thursday: With all of the failed experts weighing in, does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasnt firm, strong and willing to commit our total might against the North. Fools, but talks are a good thing!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 That assertion is in conflict with some of the presidents own statements. Last year, he ridiculed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for talking about negotiations with the North. This week, Trump seemed open to the possibility of an inter-Korean dialogue after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a rare overture toward South Korea in a New Years Day address. But Trumps ambassador to the United Nations insisted that talks wont be meaningful unless the North is getting rid of its nuclear weapons. The overture about talks came after Trump and Kim traded more bellicose claims about their nuclear weapons. In his New Years Day address, Kim repeated fiery nuclear threats against the United States. Kim said he has a nuclear button on his office desk and warned that the whole territory of the U.S. is within the range of our nuclear strike. Trump mocked that assertion Tuesday evening in a tweet. Facebook

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After disbanding his vote fraud panel, Trump still says voting system is rigged By Brian Bennett One day after disbanding his troubled voter fraud commission without any findings of fraud, President Trump continued to call the U.S. voting system rigged and said states should require that Americans have voter-identification cards. In two tweets on Thursday morning, Trump blamed the commissions failure on the lack of cooperation from mostly Democrat States that refused to hand over voter rolls because they know that many people are voting illegally. However, voting supervisors in Republican-led states refused as well, objecting on privacy and other grounds. Many mostly Democrat States refused to hand over data from the 2016 Election to the Commission On Voter Fraud. They fought hard that the Commission not see their records or methods because they know that many people are voting illegally. System is rigged, must go to Voter I.D.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 As Americans, you need identification, sometimes in a very strong and accurate form, for almost everything you do.....except when it comes to the most important thing, VOTING for the people that run your country. Push hard for Voter Identification!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Despite Trumps assertions, analysts have not found evidence of widespread voter fraud. Trump created the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity in May after alleging, without proof, that millions of illegal votes were cast for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Trump was elected after winning a majority in the electoral college, but the nationwide count showed Clinton received nearly 3 million more votes. The commission sought personal data on voters across the country and faced mounting lawsuits in recent months over privacy concerns. Read More Facebook

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Trump touts another good day for stocks, credits tax cut By Associated Press President Trump touted another good day for the stock market Wednesday in a tweet. Stock Market had another good day but, now that the Tax Cut Bill has passed, we have tremendous upward potential. Dow just short of 25,000, a number that few thought would be possible this soon into my administration. Also, unemployment went down to 4.1%. Only getting better!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Big gains for technology and healthcare stocks helped U.S. indexes set records again Wednesday. Some analysts attributed the surge to investor enthusiasm for Trumps $1.5-trillion tax cut. All told, Wall Street analysts estimate the tax package should boost earnings for companies in the Standard & Poors 500 index by roughly 8% this year. Thats much more generous than the average tax cut of 1.6% that middle-class families will receive, according to the Tax Policy Center. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 The public has been less enthusiastic about the tax law. A Monmouth University poll last month found that nearly half of Americans disapproved of it, with only 26% in support. Still, as Trump also noted on Twitter, some workers have seen a benefit: So far, dozens of companies have announced bonuses and higher minimum wages as a result of the tax cut. AT&T, Comcast, Bank of America, and American Airlines have all pledged to pay $1,000 bonuses to their employees. Some 40 U.S. companies have responded to President Trumps tax cut and reform victory in Congress last year by handing out bonuses up to $2,000, increases in 401k matches and spending on charity, a much higher number than previously known. https://t.co/bmWrwWzxMR  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Investors also appear less concerned than many politicians about how the additional profits will be used. The Trump administration says it expects companies will plow much of the extra profit back into their businesses, purchasing more software, machinery, and other equipment. Those investments will make workers more productive and provide a key boost to the economys long-run growth. They should also boost wages and salaries for employees. Opponents of the tax law respond that companies are more likely to pass the windfall on to shareholders in the form of higher dividend payments and share buybacks, which raise the price of those shares still in investors hands. Previous cuts in corporate tax rates, in the United States and overseas, havent always led to higher wages. For Wall Street, its all good, at least in the short run. Most analysts take the view that either way, companies and the economy will benefit. Facebook

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Trump reacts to death of Mormon Church president By Associated Press President Trump mourned the death of Mormon Church leader Thomas S. Monson on Wednesday evening. Trump tweeted a link to a statement in which he said that Monson demonstrated wisdom, inspired leadership, and great compassion and delivered a message of optimism, forgiveness, and faith. Melania and I are deeply saddened by the death of Thomas S. Monson, a beloved President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...https://t.co/ETD3fWtfU3  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 A church bishop at the age of 22, Monson became the youngest church apostle ever in 1963 at the age of 36. He served as a counselor for three church presidents before assuming the role of the top leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February 2008. After a life of church service, Monson died Tuesday at his home in Salt Lake City, according to church spokesman Eric Hawkins. He was 90. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets that Iranian protesters will see great U.S. support at the appropriate time By Associated Press President Trump continued to express support for Irans anti-government protesters on Wednesday. In a tweet, Trump commended the protesters and pledged that the United States will support them at the appropriate time. Such respect for the people of Iran as they try to take back their corrupt government. You will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Trumps tweet Wednesday morning came as Iranian Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo sent a letter to United Nations officials complaining that Washington was intervening in a grotesque way in Irans internal affairs. The President and Vice-President of the United States, in their numerous absurd tweets, incited Iranians to engage in disruptive acts, the ambassador wrote to the U.N. Security Council president and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The U.S. didnt immediately respond to the letter, which maintains that Washington has crossed every limit in flouting rules and principles of international law governing the civilized conduct of international relations. At least 21 people have been killed and hundreds arrested in Iran during a week of anti-government protests and unrest over economic woes and official corruption. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people took part in counter-demonstrations Wednesday backing the clerically overseen government, which has said enemies of Iran are fomenting the protests. Trump has unleashed a series of tweets in recent days backing the protesters, saying Iran is failing at every level and declaring that it is time for change in the Islamic Republic. Facebook

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Trump congratulates Sen. Orrin Hatch upon news of his retirement By Associated Press President Trump congratulated Sen. Orrin Hatch for an absolutely incredible career upon news of Hatchs impending retirement. In a tweet Tuesday afternoon, Trump called Hatch a tremendous supporter and wrote that he will be greatly missed in the Senate. Congratulations to Senator Orrin Hatch on an absolutely incredible career. He has been a tremendous supporter, and I will never forget the (beyond kind) statements he has made about me as President. He is my friend and he will be greatly missed in the U.S. Senate! pic.twitter.com/0VjzLEeHTl  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Hatchs decision to retire from the Senate after four decades lets the Utah Republican walk away at the height of his power after helping to push through an overhaul of the tax code and persuading Trump to downsize two national monuments. Retirement also preserves the 83-year-olds legacy by allowing him to avoid a bruising reelection battle that would have broken his promise not to seek an eighth term. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweet exaggerates progress in improving veterans care By Associated Press President Trump played up tremendous progress in improving care for veterans in his first year on Tuesday in a tweet. His message linked to an Instagram video describing eight accomplishments that show Trump is fighting for our veterans. But it overstates the impact of these steps. We will not rest until all of Americas GREAT VETERANS can receive the care they so richly deserve. Tremendous progress has been made in a short period of time. Keep up the great work @SecShulkin @DeptVetAffairs! https://t.co/ir25vW15hx pic.twitter.com/OtuzIgxMn6  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Of the eight achievements cited, two are ceremonial proclamations recognizing National Veterans and Military Families Month and National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Two are pieces of legislation that extended the troubled Veterans Choice program on a temporary basis. This became necessary because the Trump administration repeatedly miscalculated the amount of taxpayer dollars available to pay for care from private doctors outside the Veterans Affairs system when veterans had to endure long waits for treatment at VA medical centers. The departments poor budget planning caught lawmakers off guard. A fifth claim involves telehealth, a step letting doctors practice medicine across state lines using digital technology. Announced in August, it has yet to take full effect because a proposed VA regulation hasnt been completed. The VA wants authority to practice across state lines to come from legislation, not a regulation. On Wednesday, the Senate approved a telehealth measure that now goes to the House. A sixth claim refers to legislation that streamlines the appeals process for disability compensation claims within the VA. This step has had limited effect so far because it applies to new disability claims, not the 470,000 pending claims. The last two initiatives make it easier for the VA to discipline employees. The department has pointed to more than 1,300 employees who have been fired under Trumps watch. Because their infractions are not detailed in public documents, the effect on veterans care is not fully known. Facebook

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Trump unleashes his first tweetstorm of 2018 By Noah Bierman President Trump clearly didnt resolve to change his Twitter habits this year. With nine disparate tweets over three hours on Tuesday morning, the first working day of 2018, Trump continued to exploit social media to be the most aggressive commentator in chief in American history. For any other president, his posts would have made for a monumental day of (mis-)statements. Yet for Trump, the series  attacks on political foes and media, provocations of foreign leaders and self-praise for events he had nothing to do with  was all but unremarkable. His Twitter barrage  sent between 7:09 a.m. and 10:16 a.m.  reflected a familiar gamut after nearly a year in office: Attacks on political foes: Nearly 14 months after his election, Trump called for the jailing of Huma Abedin, Crooked Hillary Clintons top aid (his misspelling, another occasional feature of Trump tweets). Crooked Hillary Clintons top aid, Huma Abedin, has been accused of disregarding basic security protocols. She put Classified Passwords into the hands of foreign agents. Remember sailors pictures on submarine? Jail! Deep State Justice Dept must finally act? Also on Comey & others  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 In the same tweet, he disparaged the Deep State Justice Dept, headed of course by his appointees, calling on it to act against James B. Comey, the FBI director he fired for investigating the Russia thing. Diplomatic provocations: Trump again called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Rocket man, ridiculed the volatile nuclear-armed foe for recent military defections and openly speculated about potential talks between North and South Korea. Sanctions and other pressures are beginning to have a big impact on North Korea. Soldiers are dangerously fleeing to South Korea. Rocket man now wants to talk to South Korea for first time. Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not - we will see!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not  we will see! Trump wrote. Later Tuesday, Trump tweeted: North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times. Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Also later Tuesday, Trump tweeted an attack on Pakistan, his second in as many days, and added a new one against Palestinians: It's not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing, but also many other countries, and others. As an example, we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They dont even want to negotiate a long overdue...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 ...peace treaty with Israel. We have taken Jerusalem, the toughest part of the negotiation, off the table, but Israel, for that, would have had to pay more. But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Undermining media: Trump offered Congratulations! to A.G. Sulzberger, who took over as publisher of the New York Times this week. The Failing New York Times has a new publisher, A.G. Sulzberger. Congratulations! Here is a last chance for the Times to fulfill the vision of its Founder, Adolph Ochs, to give the news impartially, without fear or FAVOR, regardless of party, sect, or interests involved. Get...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 ....impartial journalists of a much higher standard, lose all of your phony and non-existent sources, and treat the President of the United States FAIRLY, so that the next time I (and the people) win, you wont have to write an apology to your readers for a job poorly done! GL  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 But the two-part post was really yet another slam against a perceived media foe: Trump said the paper had a last chance to fulfill its journalistic mission, and accused it of relying on phony sources and substandard reporters  just days after he granted another exclusive interview to the paper. As a bonus, the tweet contained a recycled falsehood, that the paper apologized after the election for reporting on him unfairly. It didnt. Trump later said on Twitter that he would soon announce the most dishonest & corrupt media awards of the year. Stay tuned! I will be announcing THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 oclock. Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in various categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 The president also tweeted a quote from Fox Business Networks Lou Dobbs Tonight, which aired a segment praising Trumps first-year accomplishments. Dobbs reportedly joined Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday for a gala to celebrate New Years Eve. President Trump has something now he didnt have a year ago, that is a set of accomplishments that nobody can deny. The accomplishments are there, look at his record, he has had a very significant first year. @LouDobbs Show,David Asman & Ed Rollins  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Taking credit: Trump congratulated himself for policing the border with Mexico, an area where his policies and anti-immigration rhetoric are believed to have had some effect on reducing illegal crossings. Thank you to Brandon Judd of the National Border Patrol Council for your kind words on how well we are doing at the Border. We will be bringing in more & more of your great folks and will build the desperately needed WALL! @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 He took credit for employee bonuses by companies after he signed Republican tax cuts into law last month. Companies are giving big bonuses to their workers because of the Tax Cut Bill. Really great!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 But the jaw-dropper was Trump congratulating himself for planes not crashing. Since taking office I have been very strict on Commercial Aviation. Good news - it was just reported that there were Zero deaths in 2017, the best and safest year on record!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 It was the safest year on record worldwide, but the American streak without commercial jet passenger deaths goes back to 2009. Trump, who has promoted deregulation as one of his top accomplishments, has not signed off on any new airline safety regulations. The White House pointed to new security screening of passengers, to electronic devices to prevent terrorist attacks and to Trumps support for privatizing air traffic control  a proposal that has gotten nowhere in Congress. Falsehoods: Trump said President Obama, in brokering the 2015 nuclear arms limitation deal with Iran, foolishly gave money to the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. He didnt. The people of Iran are finally acting against the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. All of the money that President Obama so foolishly gave them went into terrorism and into their pockets. The people have little food, big inflation and no human rights. The U.S. is watching!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 The nuclear deal, which included major U.S. allies as signators, released Irans own funds that had long been frozen. Trumps art of the deal: When Trump sees a big deal looming, he often blasts the other side  to gain leverage, as hes written. This week he resumes a showdown with Democratic lawmakers over funding the government and immigration protections for so-called Dreamers, who were brought to the country illegally as children. Democrats are doing nothing for DACA - just interested in politics. DACA activists and Hispanics will go hard against Dems, will start falling in love with Republicans and their President! We are about RESULTS.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Trump, who in September ordered a gradual end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, sought to shift blame for the resulting controversy, saying Democrats are doing nothing for DACA and are just interested in politics. Trump has insisted that any help for Dreamers be paired with funding for a border wall and a crackdown on legal immigration. Democrats, and some Republicans, are opposed. Read More Facebook

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In tweet, Trump suggests U.S. will withdraw financial assistance to Pakistan By Shashank Bengali Pakistan lashed out Monday after President Trump accused its leaders of lies & deceit and suggested the United States would withdraw financial assistance to the nuclear-armed nation it once saw as a key ally against terrorism. It was the presidents latest broadside against Pakistan after a speech in August in which he demanded its leaders crack down on the safe havens enjoyed by Taliban militants fighting U.S.-backed forces in neighboring Afghanistan. The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018 U.S. Ambassador David Hale was summoned to the Foreign Ministry to discuss the presidents statement, U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire said. Pakistan lodged a strongly worded protest and asked for clarification about Trumps comments, according to two foreign office officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Pakistans prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, called a Cabinet meeting for Tuesday and a meeting of the National Security Committee on Wednesday to discuss Trumps New Years Day tweet. Read More Facebook

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Trump continues to tweet in support of Iranian protesters By Laura King President Trump expressed renewed support Sunday for protesters in Iran, declaring that people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. In a tweet from his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, the president said the nationwide economic protests that began on Thursday  and have taken on wider political overtones as they have grown in size  were a signal that Iranians will not take it any longer. Big protests in Iran. The people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. Looks like they will not take it any longer. The USA is watching very closely for human rights violations!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Trump has tweeted about the protests for three days straight as Iranians took to the streets despite a heavy police presence, tear gas and scores of arrests. The defiance gained urgency after two people were reported shot to death in the city of Dorud, about 200 miles southwest of Tehran. As the conflict escalated, Iranian authorities on Sunday slapped a temporary ban on Instagram and the messaging app Telegram, which were widely used to fan protest fervor. Iran, the Number One State of Sponsored Terror with numerous violations of Human Rights occurring on an hourly basis, has now closed down the Internet so that peaceful demonstrators cannot communicate. Not good!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Irans leaders already are casting Trumps increasingly effusive expressions of support for the demonstrators as opportunistic meddling and are painting the demonstrators as foreign pawns, adopting a strategy that some analysts say could jeopardize the legitimacy of the nascent antigovernment protests. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets condolences after Colorado deputies are shot in ambush, one fatally By Associated Press A man fired more than 100 rounds at sheriffs deputies in Colorado early Sunday, killing one and injuring four others, before being fatally shot himself in what authorities called an ambush. Two civilians were also injured. President Trump expressed sorrow, writing on Twitter: My deepest condolences to the victims of the terrible shooting in Douglas County @DCSheriff, and their families. We love our police and law enforcement - God Bless them all! #LESM  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said deputies came under fire almost
Trump called him my African-American. But he has few kind words for the president. By Mark Z. Barabak (Mark Z. Barabak/Los Angeles Times) On the day that changed his life, Gregory Cheadle almost stayed in bed. He was tired  he traveled a lot in his long-shot bid for Congress  but asked himself: How often does a candidate for president come to the far reaches of Northern California? And why pass up a crowd and the chance to hand out more fliers? So Cheadle roused himself that June 2016 morning and secured a spot up close when Donald Trump swooped in for a rally at Reddings municipal airport. It was hot, the atmosphere was loose and Trumps patter seeming more stand-up comedy than campaign spiel. He went into one of those sidelong digressions, about protesters and an African American  great fan, great guy  and, by the way, whatever happened to him? It was then, Cheadle said, he raised his hand and jokingly shouted, Im here. Trump looked and pointed, his voice a throaty rumble. Look at my African-American over here! he exclaimed. Are you the greatest? In the days and weeks that followed Cheadle was attacked on social media and harassed by people who dug up his phone number and email address. For a time he stayed home, too nervous to venture outside. All, he said, because the media portrayed him as something he was not and never has been: a Trump sycophant. Read More Facebook

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Trump quietly signs Russia sanctions bill By Noah Bierman President Trump quietly signed legislation Wednesday that imposes new sanctions on Russia and limits his ability to remove them, according to two White House aides. Trump signed the bill without cameras or an immediate press release. He had opposed imposing new sanctions on Moscow but had little choice after a nearly unanimous Congress approved the bill, guaranteeing they would override a veto. The bill, which also imposes new sanctions on Iran and North Korea, prevents American companies from investing in many energy projects that are funded by Russian government interests. It also prevents Trump from unilaterally lifting the sanctions. It thus marked an unusual move by Congress to tie the presidents hands on foreign policy. Trump did not want to give up that leverage. But the vote in Congress was a strong sign that lawmakers do not trust Trump to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Trump has repeatedly praised, and the widening federal investigation into possible coordination last year between his presidential campaign and Moscow. Passage of the sanctions bill already has sparked a harsh reaction in Moscow. Putin announced last week that the United States would need to shed 755 personnel, including U.S. diplomats, from its embassy and consulates in Russia. President Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats, said to be spies, from the United States last December. A White House aide said a statement would be issued later Wednesday. Facebook

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Senior GOP senators serve notice: No action on healthcare at this point By David Lauter Trump administration officials continue to push the Senate to take another run at healthcare legislation, but on Monday senior Republican senators pushed back, making clear that theyre done with the topic for now. Theres just too much animosity and were too divided on healthcare, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), the head of the Senate Finance Committee, said in an interview with Reuters. I think we ought to acknowledge that we can come back to healthcare afterward, but we need to move ahead on tax reform, Hatch said. His remarks were quickly followed by others in GOP leadership positions. I think its time to move on to something else, Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri told CNN. If the question is do I think we should stay on healthcare until we get it done, I think its time to move on to something else. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota also chimed in. Until someone shows us how to get that elusive 50th vote, I think its over, he told reporters. The remarks seemed a coordinated effort to respond to administration officials, including budget director Mick Mulvaney and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who said over the weekend that they wanted the Senate to keep working on healthcare. Last week, the Senate defeated several different Republican plans to repeal all or part of the Affordable Care Act. The votes made it clear that with unified Democratic opposition to repeal, and divisions among Republicans, the campaign to overturn the law has stalled out, at least for now. Congress faces several other pressing issues that will be demanding lawmakers attention, including deadlines at the end of September to raise the federal debt ceiling and fund government agencies for the coming fiscal year. And the administration is eager to move on tax proposals, with officials rather optimistically saying they hope to see votes by November on a tax package that is not yet written. Facebook

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Good news for Atty. Gen. Sessions: Trump has 100% confidence in Cabinet By Noah Bierman To Q re Sessions, spox Sanders says Trump has 100% confidence in Cabinet. Last wk she wouldn't say if he had it in Sessions. Kelly effect?  Jackie Calmes (@jackiekcalmes) July 31, 2017 President Trump has called Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions beleaguered and even VERY weak, but Sessions seemed to get good news from the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, on Monday. Trump has 100% confidence in all of his Cabinet secretaries, Sanders said in response to a question about Sessions job status during the daily White House briefing. Last week, when speculation about Sessions was rife, Sanders repeatedly declined opportunities to provide assurances that the attorney general enjoyed the presidents full confidence. Trump himself said time will tell when he was asked last week about Sessions. The willingness to tamp down speculation about Sessions may reflect the arrival Monday of retired Gen. John F. Kelly as the new White House chief of staff. He is tasked with restoring order to the administration. Sanders also batted down reports that the White House was discussing moving Sessions to another post, as secretary of Homeland Security. That job became vacant Monday after Kelly was sworn in as Trumps new chief of staff. Sanders said the White House has had no conversations about any Cabinet members switching jobs. Republican senators have publicly opposed firing Sessions, and a couple have objected to shifting him to another post as well, given that it could appear that Trump is trying to affect the investigations of himself and his campaign in the context of Russias election interference. Trump has said publicly that his frustration with Sessions, once among his closest allies, stems from Sessions decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation, an act that led to the appointment of a special counsel. Facebook

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Can Trump really cut health insurance payments for members of Congress and their staff? It would be easy By Lisa Mascaro Reeling from the failure to repeal the Affordable Care Act, President Trump now threatens to block federal funding that lawmakers and their staff rely on to help buy health insurance. Trumps threats are not empty. The administration could simply stop the payments -- which are provided to Capitol Hill lawmakers and staff much the way many employers help pay employees monthly insurance premiums -- by dashing off new federal regulation. But the easy attack on lawmakers skims over what many say was a complicated, but fair-minded, compromise made during the Obamacare debates several years ago. Under Obamacare, if lawmakers want insurance through their employer - the federal government - they are required to buy policies through the ACA exchanges. There had been great criticism at the time, largely from opponents of the healthcare bill, that lawmakers and congressional staff should not be exempt from the law. The argument was they should have to live under it. So they did. Usually those buying individual insurance on the exchanges can apply to see if their income and geographic area allow them to qualify for a federal subsidy. For lawmakers, though, that was prohibited. Instead, they get the regular employer contribution they did before, much in the same way other workers do when their companies buy insurance. For federal workers, the government covers about 70% of the costs, about the same paid by employers in the private sector, according to Kaiser Family Foundation. The administration affirmed that federal support for lawmakers and their staffs in an Office of Personnel Management regulation issued in 2013. To cut those funds off, Trump administration could simply reverse course, and issue another regulation changing the rules. Trump appeared ready to do so in a series of weekend tweets. Why should Congress not be paying what public pays, Trump tweeted over the weekend. If a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon. But such a move would likely cause an uproar in Congress. Its not just members of Congress, but also their staffs, who would have to pay full price for their insurance. Stopping Trumps action, though, seems tough. It would require Congress to pass legislation ensuring the federal payments would continue to be made. Few lawmakers would likely take up that cause. And even if Congress were able to pass a bill protecting the payments, it seems doubtful Trump at this point would sign it into law. Facebook

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U.S. hits Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with sanctions By Associated Press Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro celebrates the results of Sundays election in Caracas. (Ronaldo Schemidt / AFP/Getty Images) The Trump administration has hit Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with financial sanctions. The move comes after Venezuela held a weekend election that will give Maduros ruling party virtually unlimited power in the South American country. The Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control announced the sanctions against Maduro in a brief statement on Monday, a day after the Venezuelan vote to elect a constituent assembly that will rewrite the constitution. A longer explanation from the White House was also expected. The administration imposed sanctions on more than a dozen senior current and former Venezuelan officials last week, warning the socialist government that new penalties would come if Maduro went ahead with Sundays election for the assembly. Facebook

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Anthony Scaramucci is out as White House communications director By Brian Bennett Anthony Scaramucci, the brash New Yorker who was announced little more than a week ago as President Trumps White House communications director, was ousted Monday before he had even officially taken the job. John F. Kelly, the newly sworn-in White House chief of staff, told Scaramucci around 9:30 a.m. EDT that he was going to be replaced, according to a person close to White House. In a statement officially announcing the move, the White House said Scaramucci felt it was best to give Chief of Staff John Kelly a clean slate and the ability to build his own team. While Scaramuccis time at the center of the presidents circle was short, it was consequential, prompting the resignations of first Sean Spicer as White House press secretary and then Reince Priebus as chief of staff. The most notable firings and resignations in the Trump administration >> A former hedge fund executive on Wall Street, Scaramucci, who enjoyed media attention, also had come on strong stylistically, highlighted by a profane tirade against colleagues Priebus and Trump strategist Steve Bannon in an exchange last week with a New Yorker reporter. The abrupt shift in Scaramuccis status seemed to reflect Kellys mission to bring order to the chain of command within the chaotic administration. In getting Scaramucci to leave, Kelly was undoing Trumps own hiring decision. Scaramucci had told reporters when he was hired that he would be reporting directly to the president at Trumps request, bypassing the normal chain that would have the communications director -- like all staff -- report to the chief of staff. Scaramuccis unusually short tenure reflects a moment of extreme turbulence in the White House, which has been embroiled in infighting as it confronts low poll numbers for the president, a floundering legislative agenda and the investigations involving Russian meddling in last years presidential election. After word spread of Scaramuccis ouster, Spicer, who resigned when Scaramucci took over but was still working in the White House, walked out of his office to a throng of reporters. Is this a surprise party? he asked. UPDATE 12:15 p.m.: This story has been updated throughout with additional details and background. This article was originally published at 11:49 a.m. Facebook

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Trump swears in John Kelly, says ex-secretary of Homeland Security will do an even better job as chief of staff By Noah Bierman President Trump swore in his new chief of staff, John F. Kelly, on Monday morning, formalizing a shake-up in his top ranks that was announced Friday evening with word of the resignation of Reince Priebus. We look forward to - if its possible - an even better job as chief of staff, Trump said to Kelly, formerly the secretary of homeland security. Ill try, sir, Kelly replied. JOHN KELLY is now chief of staff. Sworn in during ceremony in Oval Office minutes ago. pic.twitter.com/dMEQ4rhpFA  Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) July 31, 2017 Trump is hoping that Kelly, a retired general, will retool and bring order to a White House that has struggled with low poll numbers, staff infighting, a faltering legislative agenda and an investigation into Russian election meddling and potential collusion and obstruction of justice. Yet Trump said the administration has done very well after a reporter asked what would be different under Kelly. He cited the unemployment rate, the thriving stock market and unnamed polls that, he said, show high business confidence. Were doing very well. We have a tremendous base, he said.The country is optimistic. And I think the general will just add to it. Trump praised Kellys performance at the Department of Homeland Security, where Kelly focused on immigration issues at the southern border, as record-shattering, with very little controversy. There was no word on whom the president might name to replace Kelly at the department. Trump reportedly has considered moving Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions there from the Justice Department, reflecting his unhappiness with the attorney general, but Republican senators preemptively have signaled their opposition to such a move. Facebook

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Risky investigation, stalled agenda  Trumps in trouble, so heres his strategy By Noah Bierman (Spencer Platt / Getty Images) Hosts of Southern Californias Morning Answer radio show were wrapping up a two-hour live broadcast from a white tent just outside the West Wing last week and marveling at their access to Cabinet secretaries and prominent administration figures. If youre a Trumpkin, host Brian Whitman told his listeners on AM 870, this is like fantasy camp. The White Houses daylong hospitality for Salem Radio Network, a nationwide chain of Christian and conservative stations, underscored President Trumps continued courtship of  and increased dependence on  core supporters as he confronts a stalled agenda and increasingly perilous investigations into whether his campaign colluded with Russia and he subsequently sought to obstruct the inquiries. Read More Facebook

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Obamacare vote isnt the only sign of GOP resistance to Trump By Noah Bierman In the year since Donald Trump won the Republican presidential nomination, party leaders have been reluctant to challenge a man who has formed a tight bond with conservative voters, even when he upset party orthodoxies and norms of presidential behavior. But that reticence is breaking down. A convergence of contentious issues, as well as embarrassing infighting and shake-ups at the White House, have a number of Republicans suddenly in open resistance to Trump on a number of fronts. Read More Facebook

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Trump ousts Reince Priebus as chief of staff in latest White House shake-up By Noah Bierman John Kelly (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) President Trump ousted his beleaguered chief of staff, Reince Priebus, naming Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly to replace him Friday in the latest White House shake-up as the administration struggles to emerge from bitter staff infighting and a stalled legislative agenda. Trump announced the abrupt reshuffle in three posts on Twitter hours after the Senate killed his latest plans to rewrite President Obamas signature healthcare law, dealing another harsh blow to the White House. The tweets, sent as Trump was returning on Air Force One with Priebus after a speech on gang violence in New York, caught Capitol Hill and others off guard even though Priebus stature in Trumps inner circle has been in sharp decline for some time. Read More Facebook

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Putins spokesman accuses U.S. of political schizophrenia By Associated Press Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting in Moscow on June 21. (Sergei Karpukhin / EPA) Russia urged the United States on Monday to show political will to mend ties even as it ordered sweeping cuts of U.S. embassy personnel unseen since Cold War times. President Vladimir Putins spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said it will take time for the U.S. to recover from what he called political schizophrenia, but added that Russia remains interested in constructive cooperation with the U.S. We are interested in a steady development of our ties and are sorry to note that we are still far from that, he said. Peskovs statement followed Sundays televised comments by Putin, who said the U.S. would have to cut 755 of its embassy and consulate staff in Russia, a massive reduction he described as a response to new U.S. sanctions. The Russian Foreign Ministry had previously said that the U.S. should cut its embassy and consular employees to 455, the number that Russia has in the United States. Along with the caps on embassy personnel announced Friday, it also declared the closure of a U.S. recreational retreat on the outskirts of Moscow and warehouse facilities. Moscows action is the long-expected tit-for-tat response to former President Obamas move to expel 35 Russian diplomats and shut down two Russian recreational retreats in the U.S. over reports of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Facebook

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White House urged to refrain from Obamacare sabotage as Trump mulls subsidy cutoff By Laura King A pair of prominent lawmakers urged President Trump on Sunday not to sabotage the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, in the wake of failed Republican efforts to scrap his predecessors signature legislative achievement. But Trump urged GOP senators to try again to push through some version of repealing and replacing the law, even though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said last week it was time to move on to other matters. Trump senior advisor Kellyanne Conway said the president would decide in coming days whether to block subsidies that are a crucial component of the existing healthcare law. Hes going to make that decision this week, and thats a decision that only he can make, Conway said on Fox News Sunday. Two of the lawmakers who blocked the Senate GOP repeal plan last week, however, criticized the administrations continued efforts to overturn the law. Sen. Susan Collins, the Maine Republican who steadfastly rejected a series of GOP healthcare measures last week, blamed the Trump administration for encouraging instability in the insurance markets by continuing the uncertainty over whether the subsidies  cost-sharing payments that reduce out-of-pocket healthcare costs for poorer Americans  would continue. Im troubled by the uncertainty that has been created by the administration, Collins said on NBCs Meet the Press. She contested Trumps characterization of the payments as an insurance company bailout. Thats not what it is, she said, calling the reduction payments vital assistance to low-income Americans. And Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said further action on healthcare should be done in a bipartisan manner and not rushed. You cannot do major entitlement reform singlehandedly, and you wouldnt do major legislative initiatives singlehandedly, she told reporters in Alaska. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) echoed Collins criticism of Trumps threat to stop making the cost-sharing payments. You know, I really think its incomprehensible that we have a president of the United States who wants to sabotage healthcare in America, make life more difficult for millions of people who are struggling now to get the health insurance they need and to pay for that health insurance, he said on CNNs State of the Union. Prior to heading out for a day at his Virginia golf property, Trump tweeted that Republican senators should press ahead with efforts to scrap Obamacare -- a day after he tauntingly exhorted them not to be quitters in the quest for a legislative victory for him. Don't give up Republican Senators, the World is watching: Repeal & Replace...and go to 51 votes (nuke option), get Cross State Lines & more.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2017 The White House budget director, Mick Mulvaney, on CNNs State of the Union, said it was official Trump administration policy that the Senate should keep working to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, eschewing an August recess if necessary. Senators, he said, need to stay, they need to work -- they need to pass something. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, while acknowledging a responsibility to follow the law -- Obamacare -- also signaled that Trump was not accepting defeat in efforts to get rid of the measure. Our goalas well as the presidents goal, is to put in place a law, a system, that actually works for patients, he said on Meet the Press, adding, You cant do that under the current structure. Facebook

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Frustrated in defeat, Trump threatens healthcare of voters  and lawmakers By Joseph Tanfani Frustrated by the failure of the Obamacare repeal in the Senate, President Trump on Saturday threatened to end federal subsidies for healthcare insurance  for Congress as well as the rest of the country. After seven years of "talking" Repeal & Replace, the people of our great country are still being forced to live with imploding ObamaCare!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017 If a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017 If a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon! Trump tweeted, fuming about Congress failure to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which he said was imploding. Such a move could cause havoc and much higher premiums in insurance markets, since many low- and moderate-income people depend on those subsidies to help cover the cost of their policies. Through a series of administrative maneuvers by Congress and the Obama administration, members and their staffs also benefit from those subsidies. Targeting congressional healthcare might score Trump some populist points with his base, but it would likely come at a cost of poisoning his relationship with Congress. Just making the threat on Saturday highlights how far things have eroded between Trump and top GOP lawmakers. And it comes a day after Trump pushed out former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, an establishment Republican who was the GOP congressional leaderships trusted liaison in the White House. Trump actually has a jarring amount of leverage over thousands of congressional staff who depend on employer health care contribution. https://t.co/lRPmrmDIJs  Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) July 29, 2017 Trumps longstanding threat to let the health insurance plans fail would come with its own political price. The federal government sends about $600 million a month to insurance companies to help cover the cost, and Trump is threatening to cut that off to allow Obamacare markets to collapse. His goal is to pressure Congress to send him a repeal bill, but so far the strategy has failed. The confidence Trump has expressed that if he followed through with the threat the fallout would land not on him but on Democrats, because they created Obamacare, is not widely shared in Washington. If health care collapses, voters will blame Trump and the GOP.



That's what happens when you control the White House and Congress. pic.twitter.com/iEjEGyapAL  Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) July 29, 2017 Facebook

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Iran condemns new U.S. sanctions, vows to pursue missile program By Ramin Mostaghim Iran defied Washington and condemned new U.S. sanctions over its development of missiles capable of being armed with nuclear warheads. We will continue with full power our missile program, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told state television IRIB on Saturday, dismissing new sanctions passed by Congress last week as, hostile, reprehensible and unacceptable. Its ultimately an effort to weaken the nuclear deal, Ghasemi said, adding, The military and missile fields  are our domestic policies and others have no right to intervene or comment on them. Iran had agreed to limit its nuclear activities under the 2015 agreement with the U.S. and other world powers in exchange for sanctions relief. Ghasemi argued Saturday that the U.S. had violated that agreement by linking the missile program to the nuclear deal and restricting Iranian banking activities in the U.S. He argued that Irans latest missile tests dont break the agreement because the weapons are defensive. The new wave of pressure on missile projects in Iran will push the Islamic theocracy into a corner, predicted Iran analyst Hojjat Kalashi in Tehran, noting that the government of President Hassan Rouhani, who was reelected in May, is coping with an economic downturn and may step back from the compromise nuclear deal. The new Iran sanctions bill, which also targets Russia and North Korea, was passed by the House and Senate this week. It would penalize those involved in Irans ballistic missile program as well as those who do business with them, impose an arms embargo on Iran and label its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps a terrorist group. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders has said President Trump will sign the bill. On Friday, the U.S. was joined by Britain, France and Germany in condemning Irans recent launch of a satellite-carrying rocket and warned that it violated a United Nations resolution implementing the 2015 nuclear deal. In a joint statement, they urged Iran to stop developing missiles and rockets capable of carrying nuclear warheads that have a destabilizing impact on the region. In response to a rocket launch Thursday, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on subsidiaries of an Iranian company involved in Tehrans ballistic missile program. But Nader Karimi Juni, an analyst close to Rouhanis government, said Iranian leaders dont believe the U.N. and European powers will ultimately back the U.S., and so Iran will not compromise on missile projects and will remain defiant. Facebook

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Trump jabs U.S. mayors, who push back, calling president out of touch with cities By Kurtis Lee (Spencer Platt / Getty Images) President Trump wants police to know that he  not mayors  has their back. Ive met police that are great police that arent allowed to do their job because they have a pathetic mayor or a mayor that doesnt know whats going on, Trump said Friday in a speech before police officers in Brentwood, N.Y. The comments from Trump, who in his address highlighted crime in cities like Chicago and Los Angeles, drew applause from some in attendance. In a statement following Trumps remarks, the United States Conference of Mayors, a bipartisan group, released a statement pushing back against the president. The presidents comments today prove how out of touch he is with the realities of life in American cities. Mayors number one priority is  and always will be  the safety and protection of their residents, said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, the groups president. There is no daylight between the mayors of our cities and the uniformed officers who work tirelessly to keep us safe every single day. During the speech Trump called on police and immigration officials to be rough with suspected gang members in cities nationwide. In a recent interview with The Times, former New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who recently launched a $200-million initiative to empower city governments and mayors, stressed the key to good governing is experience as a manager  something, he said, Trump was not. Bloomberg added that the mayors are much more in tune with the needs of residents than the federal government. You got to remember a mayor and the local city council are much closer to the public than the governor and the state legislature, or the president and the federal legislature. So if the public is in favor of something, the local officials know it and they get held responsible, he said. Facebook

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The growing parade of exits under Trump administration By Len de Groot A lot of people have left President Trumps early administration  Chief of Staff Reince Priebus was replaced Friday. The White House communications department has been the scene of many of the recent turnovers as it wrestles to craft a message sometimes at odds with Trumps frequent tweeting. At the National Security Council, there has been a leadership struggle since Michael Flynn resigned in the face of pressure over undisclosed contacts with Russia. One appointee was fired over comments he made at a private function. Others have been removed as Flynns successor, H.R. McMaster, has moved to add loyalists to the council. Here are the most noteworthy departures: Read More Facebook

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Trump urges officers and immigration officials to be rough on animals terrorizing U.S. neighborhoods By Barbara Demick ( (Evan Vucci / Associated Press)) President Trump on Friday called for police and immigration officials to be rough with suspected gang members in order to rid the country of animals he said are terrorizing communities. Please dont be too nice, Trump told police recruits at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood, a heavily Latino suburb of New York City. Like when you guys put somebody in the car and youre protecting their head, you know the way you put the hand  like, dont hit their head, and theyve just killed somebody?  You can take the hand away. He implied that he was satisfied with rough handling of suspects by the police. When you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon  you just see them thrown in, rough, he said. Scoffing at calls for what he describes as political correctness, Trump also renewed his pledges to build a wall along the Mexican border. He accused the Obama administration of admitting criminals into the United States. Read More Facebook

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Analysis: In a Washington run by men, two overshadowed Republican women make their point on healthcare By Cathleen Decker In a Washington that has grown demonstrably more testosterone-fueled since President Trumps inauguration, it took two Republican women to secure the end of a long effort to repeal and replace Obamacare. They were the same two women  Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski  who had been excluded from the 13-member working group drafting the Republican bills. Nobodys being excluded based upon gender. Everybodys at the table, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had said of his all-white-males group. In the early hours of Friday, the duo was overshadowed by the more dramatic and unexpected no vote from Sen. John McCain of Arizona. There was reason for the attention lavished on McCain  a war hero and veteran senator returns to the Capitol days after a dire cancer diagnosis. But without both Collins and Murkowskis steadfast opposition, his vote would have been meaningless. Also largely overlooked: Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono, a Democrat who like McCain made an arduous trip to Washington despite her recent diagnosis of late-stage kidney cancer. Social media buzzed Friday with praise for the women senators from many fronts, including from men. But from many women, there was also a sense of familiarity at being ignored or taken for granted. Read More Facebook

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Clinton Foundation donor who was denied a visa settles leak case against the U.S. By Joseph Tanfani A billionaire Nigerian businessman and major Clinton Foundation donor banned from entering the U.S. two years ago on terrorism grounds has settled a lawsuit against the U.S. government. Gilbert Chagoury last year sued the FBI and other government agencies in U.S. District Court in Washington, saying he had been damaged by what he described as improper government leaks to the Los Angeles Times. The Times reported last year that Chagoury had been denied a visa to travel to the U.S. in 2015 on suspicion that he had provided aid to terrorist groups. One document, citing unverified information from an unnamed source, said that Chagoury  who is of Lebanese heritage  had funneled funds to Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia and political group designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. Chagoury, an ardent Lakers fan who for decades lived part of the year in Los Angeles, angrily denied that he ever provided funds for terrorism. He said the publicity forced him to sell his Beverly Hills mansion at a loss and caused a bank to close his account. A philanthropist, Vatican ambassador and longtime friend of Bill Clinton, Chagoury once was invited to the White House after contributing to a Democratic get-out-the-vote campaign. He donated at least $1 million to the Clinton Foundation. Emails released last year showed that a Bill Clinton aide pushed Hillary Clintons aides at the State Department to get Chagoury access to top U.S. diplomats. In the settlement filed in court on Friday, the Justice Department said Chagoury has never appeared on the list of Specially Designated Nationals, figures such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers who are generally barred from doing business in the U.S. The government did not grant Chagourys request for a court hearing to dispute the reports that led to his exclusion from the U.S. As I have often said, I have loved America my whole life because it was the land of freedom and justice, he said in a statement, adding that he hopes the agreement will help repair his reputation. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Chagoury, who lives most of the time in Paris, has not applied for another visa, said his spokesman, Mark Corallo. Facebook

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Trump ousts Priebus, announces John Kelly as new chief of staff President Trump announced via Twitter on Friday that he had named retired Gen. John Kelly, head of the Department of Homeland Security, as White House chief of staff, replacing Reince Priebus. I am pleased to inform you that I have just named General/Secretary John F Kelly as White House Chief of Staff. He is a Great American....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017 ...and a Great Leader. John has also done a spectacular job at Homeland Security. He has been a true star of my Administration  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017 I would like to thank Reince Priebus for his service and dedication to his country. We accomplished a lot together and I am proud of him!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017 Read More Facebook

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Rep. John Delaney of Maryland to run for president By Associated Press Rep. John Delaney of Maryland says hes running for president, instead of governor or reelection, in 2018. Delaney, a Democrat, announced his plans in a statement Friday. The politically moderate banking entrepreneur is in his third term in Marylands 6th Congressional District, which includes western Maryland and a large section of Montgomery County, the states largest county. The 54-year-old is worth roughly $90 million and is one of the Houses wealthiest members. He spent about $2 million to help finance his first House race in 2012. His consideration of a possible Maryland gubernatorial bid months ago quickly drew interest in his House seat. Several candidates already have expressed interest in running for the seat. Facebook

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McCain set to head back to Arizona to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments By Kurtis Lee (Shawn Thew / EPA) Sen. John McCain is headed home. Hours after McCain spurned his party and voted in opposition to a GOP measure to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the senators office announced Friday he will return to Arizona to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments for his recent diagnosis of brain cancer. McCain, 80, was found this month to have a brain tumor known as a glioblastoma. He is scheduled to return to Washington in September after his initial treatments. The glioblastoma  an aggressive type of cancer  was discovered when McCain had a blood clot removed from above his left eye. According to the Mayo Clinic, which is overseeing McCains treatment, glioblastoma is difficult to treat. After returning to Washington this week and voting in favor of opening Senate debate on repeal, McCain was among three Republicans early Friday morning to vote in opposition to a so-called skinny bill that would repeal the ACA, known as Obamacare. The move by McCain, who has served in the Senate since 1987, has drawn the ire of members in his own party and some in the right-wing media. Facebook

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McCains surprise vote doomed GOP healthcare bill, but did it open the door for Senate bipartisanship? By Lisa Mascaro Sen. John McCain is usually happy to spar with reporters, but he ducked into an elevator ahead of the Senate healthcare vote late Thursday without saying a word about how he would vote. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, though, already knew the answer. The Democratic leader had been talking with the Arizona Republican all week  four, five times a day  ever since McCain returned to work after being diagnosed with brain cancer. Earlier in the week, McCain had dramatically salvaged the stalled GOP bill by voting to begin debate, only to go on to deliver a blistering speech against his own party leaders partisan, closed-door process in crafting it. Weve been spinning our wheels on too many important issues because we keep trying to find a way to win without help from across the aisle, he told them. Were getting nothing done. Schumer and McCain have been longtime colleagues, a kind of frenemies who seem like throwbacks to an earlier era of Congress. They worked together on big legislation, including the 2013 immigration overhaul  grand ideas that seem all but impossible in todays Congress. They had plenty to discuss. About the Senate, about it working again, about working together, and about how this bill was so poor for the American people, Schumer said. And he knew that, so did half his colleagues, but he had the courage to vote no. The moment stunned the Senate when McCain stepped up to cast his vote  a single down-turned finger  dooming the healthcare bill. Audible gasps filled the galleries, which were packed with onlookers. But his vote  along with no votes from Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska  did more than shelve the long campaign to repeal the Affordable Care Act. It cracked open a new divide in the Senate, which seems to be split not so much between Republicans and Democrats, but by those senators who want to work together versus those stuck in hardened partisan tribes. Read More Facebook

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U.S. hits Iran with more sanctions in response to satellite launch By Associated Press The United States is slapping Iran with new sanctions in response to its launch of a satellite-carrying rocket into space this week. The sanctions target six Iranian subsidiaries of the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group. The Treasury Department says that group is central to Irans ballistic missile program. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says the sanctions illustrate deep U.S. concerns about Irans missile testing and other actions. He says the U.S. will continue countering Irans ballistic missile program, including Thursdays provocative space launch. The U.S. has said that launch flouted a U.N. Security Council resolution because the technology is inherently designed to be able to carry a nuclear payload. The sanctions come as the Trump administration continues debating its Iran policy and whether to scrap the 2015 multilateral deal that limits the development of Irans nuclear capabilities. Facebook

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Political betrayal. McCain vote against Obamacare repeal draws ire from conservative writers By Kurtis Lee (Cliff Owen / AP) Though John McCain was one of three Republicans who helped Democrats squash the legislation to repeal Obamacare, conservative media is homing in on the Arizona senator for spurning his party in the healthcare vote. Here are some of todays headlines: John McCain: Traitor to the conservative cause (Washington Times) McCain, who was recently diagnosed with brain cancer, has been a staunch opponent of Obamacare, but in the end he could not support the so-called skinny repeal measure put forward by his colleagues in the Senate. In this piece, Cheryl K. Chumley, jabs McCain for his vote. For American voters expecting their Republican-dominated House, Senate and White House to honor their years of repeal promises and actually, well, repeal Obamacare, McCains thumbs-down was a face-slap moment that will be remembered in history as a textbook classic case of political betrayal, she writes. McCains odd definition of leading the fight to stop Obamacare (National Review) This article is simple  its a quick compare-and-contrast of McCains recent comments versus his vote on Friday. Last year, during a tough reelection, McCains campaign ran a television ad that boasted the senator is leading the fight to stop Obamacare. But last night his office put out a statement noting the GOP Senate bill did not offer a replacement to actually reform our health care system and deliver affordable, quality health care to our citizens. The author of this piece, Jim Geraghty, concludes: Its very difficult to characterize McCains decision as leading the fight to stop Obamacare. Thats more like leading the fight to keep Obamacare in place while you continue to look for a replacement that you like better. John McCain burns Mitch McConnell sides with Democrats (American Spectator) When McConnell, the majority leader, stood on the Senate floor Friday after the bills failure, he was clearly annoyed. McCains no vote had led to applause moments earlier from Democrats. In a move thats no surprise to anyone, John McCain voted against the embarrassingly named Skinny Repeal, voted against his party (or is it his party?) and voted to keep Obamacare going as is, writes Melissa Mackenzie. Facebook

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Meet the two female GOP senators who opposed the healthcare bill from the start By Kelcey Caulder Sen. John McCain shocked Republicans and Democrats alike with his vote early Friday morning to kill the latest Republican effort to repeal Obamacare. But McCain was not the only Republican to play a role in blocking the final version of the overhaul bill. Two female Republican lawmakers, Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, also voted against the bill. Collins has opposed repeal and replace efforts from the beginning, and Murkowski has also been critical of much of what the Senate Republican leadership has proposed. Collins said it would be a big mistake for Republicans to pass legislation without trying seriously to work with Democrats to reach bipartisan solutions. Instead, she called for both parties to work together to improve the healthcare system. Murkowski and Collins were the first from their party to come out against repealing the ACA without having new, replacement legislation on the table. In statements posted on Twitter, Collins, who voted against the same proposal in 2015, said she did not think it was constructive to repeal the law without a replacement, while Murkowski encouraged senators from both sides of the aisle to work together to address healthcare issues. I will vote no on the motion to proceed to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement. I voted against this same proposal in 2015. pic.twitter.com/Szuke5zYNL  Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) July 18, 2017 My recent statement on the Senate Healthcare Process: pic.twitter.com/j19Ok1KwWw  Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) July 18, 2017 The two senators were also the only Republicans to vote against opening debate on repeal of Obamacare earlier this week. Their opposition to Republican healthcare efforts has drawn a lot of criticism within the party, some of it expressed in vulgar, even violent terms. Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter said in an interview Wednesday with MSNBC: Somebody needs to go over there to that Senate and snatch a knot in their ass. A Texas congressman said the female senators narrowly avoided an Aaron Burr-style showdown with him. President Trump publicly rebuked Murkowski on Twitter for her vote. Senator @lisamurkowski of the Great State of Alaska really let the Republicans, and our country, down yesterday. Too bad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017 Trump has not criticized Collins by name for her vote, but warned Tuesday at a rally in Ohio that any senator who votes against repeal and replace is telling America that they are fine with the Obamacare nightmare, and I predict theyll have a lot of problems. Facebook

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The current Senate GOP effort to repeal Obamacare is dead. Now what? By Noam N. Levey (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) The sudden collapse of the GOPs Senate campaign to repeal or replace the Affordable Care Act does not mean the issue disappears. Significant problems and challenges remain, particularly for Obamacare insurance marketplaces. The defeat increases the odds that Congress will begin to look at a more limited approach to shore up the current law and stabilize markets. The GOPs repeal effort may return, but in the meantime heres a look at what a temporary fix might look like: Read More Facebook

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Paul Ryan responds to the failure of the GOP healthcare bill By Associated Press House Speaker Paul Ryan said Friday that hes disappointed and frustrated by the failure of Republican healthcare legislation in the Senate. But Ryan said in a statement that we should not give up after promising for years to repeal and replace Obamacare. We were sent to Washington to fulfill the pledges we made to our constituents, the statement said. While the House delivered a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, unfortunately the Senate was unable to reach a consensus. At the same time, the speaker said that overhauling the tax code is at the top of the Houses list of priorities. He pledged to pursue historic tax reform in the fall. He issued his statement as the House prepared to leave Washington for its annual August recess. The House passed legislation repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act in May. But after a failed vote early Friday in the Senate, its not clear if GOP leaders will be able to resuscitate the efforts. Facebook

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Economic growth rebounded to 2.6% annual rate in second quarter By Jim Puzzanghera The Port of Los Angeles (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) The U.S. economy rebounded this spring after a weak winter, expanding at a solid 2.6% annual rate as consumers picked up their spending pace, the Commerce Department said Friday. Total economic output, also known as gross domestic product, for the April-through-June period was in line with analyst expectations for a bounce-back based in part on pent-up demand. The economic growth rate was more than double the 1.2% pace in the first quarter. That figure was revised down Friday from an earlier estimate of 1.4%. After the winter blues, the economy has rebounded, said Sung Won Sohn, an economist at Cal State Channel Islands. Read More Facebook

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Never mind healthcare. President Trump has made slogans great again By Mark Z. Barabak ( (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)) His promise to repeal and replace Obamacare has crashed and burned. Tax reform hasnt gotten far. The White House is in disarray, and big plans to rebuild the nations infrastructure have hit a brick wall. But there is one unimpeachable triumph President Trump can point to: Hes made great again great again. The Make America Great Again 2016 campaign slogan  limned in block letters and emblazoned on countless cherry-red ball caps  has been reimagined, repurposed and cheekily appropriated for countless pitches and commercial products. Apart from the now-familiar caps, mercantile options include aprons, beanies, beer cozys, coffee mugs, hoodies, leggings, swimsuits, T-shirts, water bottles and, for the special someone, Donald Trump Make America Great Again Womens Booty Shorts. But MAGA, as the president short-hands the phrase in Twitter posts, is also popping up in places having little or nothing to do with politics: on a catwalk at New Yorks Fashion Week, high in the sky promoting classical music in Phoenix, on the menu at an Italian restaurant in Atlanta. Read More Facebook

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If Adam Schiff is Californias next U.S. senator, he might want to thank President Trump By Mark Z. Barabak (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) The road to elected office can be long and winding and is not always paved with the best of intentions. Some politicians  think of the Kennedys or the Bush family  are born to the trade. Others are borne by tragedy. Former Santa Barbara Rep. Lois Capps succeeded her husband when he died of a heart attack. Former New York Rep. Carolyn McCarthy was spurred to run when her husband was killed and her son gravely wounded in a mass shooting on the Long Island Rail Road. Typically, though, the ascension is more methodical, one rung after the next, often with a pinch of right-place, right-time fortune thrown in for good measure. Lately that bit of luck has visited itself on Adam B. Schiff, in the form of Russian meddling and a president who hurls tweets like poison thunderbolts. Read More Facebook

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Kris Kobach says Trumps voter fraud panel will keep voter data secure. Some states arent buying it By Kurtis Lee (Jessica McGowan / Getty Images) After weeks of legal battles and bipartisan pushback from top election officials nationwide, President Trumps voter fraud commission has renewed a message for the states: Its safe to pass along your data about voters. Individuals voter registration records will be kept confidential and secure throughout the duration of the commissions existence, Kris Kobach, vice chairman of the commission, wrote in a letter sent late Wednesday to all 50 secretaries of state. Even so, by Thursday, much of the criticism that greeted an earlier request from the commission was repeated by election officials and activists, who have expressed concerns about privacy and have called the panel both a sham created by an insecure president and a tool to suppress votes. Trump  without evidence  has repeatedly alleged that 3 million to 5 million illegal votes were cast in last years presidential election. (Trump prevailed in the electoral college, while Democrat Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by about 3 million votes.) Read More Facebook

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President Trump said our guys are rougher than the violent gang MS-13. What did he mean? By Brian Bennett (SAUL LOEB / AFP ) When President Trump said this week his administration is going after bloodthirsty criminal gangs like the notoriously violent MS-13, he added a menacing flourish: Our guys are rougher than their guys. The comment raised concerns that Trump was instructing immigration agents to use excessive force when going after suspected gang members. Not so, Trumps top spokeswoman said on Thursday. I think the president means that our guys are going to do whatever it takes to protect Americans, protect American lives, protect our borders, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in response to a question about what Trump meant by rougher. Trump wants people to do their jobs, not go beyond the scope of what they should do, Sanders said. Trumps comment came during a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on Tuesday night. We are throwing MS-13 the hell out of here so fast, he said, boasting that his administration is liberating towns and cities from gangs. And, well, I will just tell you this, were not doing it in a politically correct fashion, Trump added. Were doing it rough. Our guys are rougher than their guys. Trumps comment was meant to boost morale among immigration officers looking to arrest and deport gang members, said one senior administration official, who would speak only without being identified to discuss the presidents thinking. As part of Trumps crackdown on immigrants in the country illegally, he has instructed the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to target a suspected gang member for deportation before that person has been convicted of a crime, said ICE director Thomas Homan. Homan joined Sanders at her daily briefing at the White House. The two spoke to preview the presidents Friday trip to Long Island, N.Y., where he will tout his administrations efforts against MS-13 and other gangs. For Trump, who grew up in Queens, recent headlines about MS-13 violence in central Long Island have hit close to home. In April, four young men were found hacked to death in a park in Central Islip, N.Y., a senior administration official told reporters Thursday night. He is a New Yorker and he knows New York, the administration official said. It is absolutely a personal issue. And he knows whats happening in New York -- and its not just Long Island -- is a tragedy and there are communities like that all across America. Facebook

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Boy Scouts chief apologizes for presidents political rhetoric at national Jamboree. Trump wont By Brian Bennett President Trump wont apologize for a surprisingly political speech this week to Boy Scouts that provoked a backlash for his attacks on his predecessor, his election rival, dissident Republicans and the news media. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivered that word on Thursday, just after a top executive of the Boy Scouts of America issued an apology on behalf of the organization for allowing the political rhetoric to occur during Trumps address Monday evening at the National Scout Jamboree held in West Virginia. Michael Surbaugh, the organizations chief executive, in a statement extended his sincere apologies to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the jamboree. He noted that the groups invitation to the president to speak was in keeping with a long-standing tradition since 1937; eight of 11 incumbent presidents have attended. But, Surbaugh wrote, we have steadfastly remained non-partisan and refused to comment on political matters. We sincerely regret that politics were inserted into the Scouting program. At the White House, however, Sanders indicated that neither she nor Trump saw any reason to apologize, or considered his remarks in any way out of line. I was at that event and I saw nothing but roughly 40,000 to 45,000 Boy Scouts cheering the president on throughout his remarks, Sanders said. I think they were pretty excited that he was there and happy to hear him speak to them, she added. Sanders said she had not seen the statement from the Boy Scouts chief. During his rambling 38-minute speech to the Scouts in Glen Jean, W.Va., Trump criticized Hillary Clinton and President Obama and singled out congressional Republicans who were not in lockstep with him on healthcare. He got much applause and supportive chants from his audience, and even credited the Scouts -- who are too young to vote -- for being among the millions who elected him. But almost immediately, the Boy Scouts organization was inundated with protests from former Scouts, parents and others angered by the presidents partisan words. Facebook

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Trumps words kind of hurtful, Sessions says, but he has no plans to resign By Joseph Tanfani President Trumps scathing criticisms have been kind of hurtful, Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions said Thursday, even as he again signaled that he wants to stay on the job. He wants all of us to do our job, and thats what I intend to do, Sessions said in an interview with Tucker Carlson of Fox News. Separately, Sessions told the Associated Press that it hasnt been my best week  for my relationship with the president. He made the comment in El Salvador, during a visit to highlight joint efforts to take on the MS-13 gang. The attorney general said he hadnt met with Trump but looked forward to talking to him about it. If he wants to make a change, he has every right, Sessions said. I serve at the pleasure of the president. Ive understood that from the day I took the job. But, he said, I believe with great confidence that I understand what is needed in the Department of Justice and what President Trump wants. I share his agenda. The comments were the first this week on the subject from Sessions, who has been subjected to harshly critical tweets from Trump for three days. The president has called him weak and said he wasnt aggressive enough in going after leakers. Last week, after Trump criticized Sessions in a New York Times interview, Sessions told reporters he planned to stay on as long as it was appropriate. Sessions has seemed to redouble his attempts this week to win back the presidents favor. He announced another crackdown on so-called sanctuary cities that dont cooperate with immigration enforcement and on Friday traveled to El Salvador to highlight arrests of MS-13 gang members, both favorite topics of the president. The Justice Department also plans to address leaks next week. Sessions said his department was stepping up leak investigations. Some people need to go to jail, he said. The president has every right to ask the DOJ to be more aggressive on that, and we intend to. On Wednesday evening, after Anthony Scaramucci , Trumps incoming communications director, falsely claimed in a tweet that hed been the victim of a leak, Sessions chief spokeswoman released a statement agreeing that leaks are undermining the government and promising to aggressively pursue leak cases wherever they may lead. Trump has made it clear that he is most angry with Sessions for recusing himself from supervising the ongoing investigation into his administrations ties with Russia. But Sessions defended that decision. I understand his feeling about it because this has been a big distraction for him, he said on Fox. Im confident I made the right decision, the decision thats consistent with the rule of law, and an attorney general who doesnt follow the law is not very effective at leading the Department of Justice, he said. In the interview, Sessions reached back to Trumps campaign slogan to praise the president as a strong leader. He is determined to move this country in the direction that he believes it needs to go to make it great again, he said. Sessions has received considerable support in recent days from conservative Republicans, including many of his former Senate colleagues. On Thursday, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) went to the Senate floor to discourage Trump from moving against Sessions, saying that the Senate would not allow the president to make a recess appointment that would bypass the normal confirmation process. A recess appointment would allow Trump to appoint a person who could serve without confirmation until the start of 2019. Such appointments can only be made if the Senate formally takes a break, which senators of both parties have said they will avoid in order to prevent Trump from avoiding confirmations. If youre thinking of making a recess appointment to push out the attorney general, forget about it, Sasse said. The presidency isnt a bull, and this country isnt a china shop. 1:55 p.m.: This post was updated with additional remarks by Sessions and remarks by Sen. Ben Sasse. 5:50: This post was updated with additional quotes from Sessions interview. Facebook

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For Trump White House, cable television becomes the venue for intramural sniping By Noah Bierman President Trump and his aides love to complain about leaks from within the White House. But on Thursday, the infighting was out in the open. The incoming communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, in a morning phone call broadcast on CNN, compared the West Wing to a fish that stinks from the head down, implying that White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus is responsible for at least some of the leaks. Later, Trump press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders declined to come to Priebuss defense and say whether Trump has full confidence in his chief of staff. Another Trump advisor, Kellyanne Conway, used a prison analogy for the broader backstabbing among aides, telling Fox News that her West Wing colleagues were using the press to shiv each other. While the knifings might suggest a new level of chaos in a White House known for it, the style is all Trump. As a businessman, he has a history of fostering rivalries among his employees. He always did sort of like competition, backstabbing, infighting kind of stuff, said Barbara Res, who spent nearly two decades as a top executive in Trumps real estate business. He set people up to do that. Trump led the charge this week, using his Twitter account and an interview with the Wall Street Journal to ridicule his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, one of Trumps first and most prominent campaign supporters. By Thursday, both Priebus and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson were seeing their fates publicly debated, less than a week after Sean Spicer was forced out as press secretary after months of speculation and presidential slights. The Priebus intrigue was amplified by Scaramucci on Twitter and in the CNN interview. He blamed Priebus for leaking Scaramuccis personal financial disclosure forms -- which are publicly available -- and suggested that Trump encouraged Scaramuccis offensive in a phone conversation the two men had just before the aide dialed into CNN. When Sanders was asked about the Scaramucci-Priebus dustup, she said that the president likes healthy competition on his staff. The president likes that kind of competition and encourages it, Sanders said. The result is a White House that increasingly suggests the presidents former way of life. As the star of a reality TV show, he fomented internal competition and firings among apprentices; their cable television appearances, meanwhile, recall the confessionals familiar to reality show fans, in which characters confide directly to the camera their anger or enmity toward others on the show. The primary attribute for a successful tenure in the Trump White House is masochism, tweeted Rick Wilson, a longtime Republican operative and Trump critic. The repeated evidence of dysfunction and the high level of insecurity among Trumps core aides help explain the White Houses inability to focus on its agenda. Trumps critics voiced suspicions on Twitter that the public staff blow-up was a deliberate distraction from the struggle in Congress to pass a healthcare bill, as well as from the ongoing investigations into potential collusion between his presidential campaign and Russia and the backlash to Trumps surprise Twitter announcement on Wednesday that transgender people will be barred from military service. But those issues also were being heavily covered on cable news. The stories that were overshadowed were those Trump was trying to promote: a deal his administration helped strike with Foxconn to build a production facility in Wisconsin, possibly creating thousands of new jobs, and nascent efforts to craft a tax overhaul plan. Facebook

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Democrats criticize financial industry backgrounds of two Trump bank regulator nominees By Jim Puzzanghera Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) Senate Democrats on Thursday criticized the financial industry backgrounds of President Trumps nominees for two key banking regulatory positions, arguing they would not protect the interests of average Americans. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and others sharply questioned Joseph Otting, the former chief executive of Pasadenas OneWest Bank, and investment fund manager Randal Quarles during a confirmation hearing by the Senate Banking Committee. Trump nominated Otting to be the comptroller of the currency, a powerful regulator of national banks. Quarles has been tapped to be the Federal Reserves vice chairman for supervision, who is in charge of the Feds oversight of the nations largest bank holding companies and other regulatory efforts. The two are expected to be friendlier to the banking industry than recent Democratic appointees. Read More Facebook

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Senator warns Trump there will be holy hell to pay if he fires Sessions By Joseph Tanfani A prominent Republican Senator issued a blunt warning to President Trump not to interfere with the Russia investigation, saying any effort to get rid of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III could be the beginning of the end of the Trump presidency. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters Thursday that there will be holy hell to pay if Trump fires Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, a favorite of conservatives who represented Alabama in the Senate for 20 years. Grahams warning was the sternest yet from Senate Republicans to Trump about the potential consequences of firing either Sessions or Mueller. The chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, Sen. Charles Grassley, (R-Iowa), issued his own warning in a tweet Wednesday night, saying his committee would not take up a nomination of a replacement attorney general this year, which is required before the Senate can vote to confirm. Everybody in D.C. Shld b warned that the agenda for the judiciary Comm is set for rest of 2017. Judges first subcabinet 2nd / AG no way  ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) July 27, 2017 Starting with an interview in the New York Times last week and continuing with a three-day barrage of critical tweets, Trump has raged at Sessions for his decision to recuse himself from supervising the investigation into the Russian attempts to influence the election, and into whether anybody involved in Trumps campaign participated in the scheme. Trump also has bitterly complained about Mueller, whom he has accused of leading a witch hunt, and Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod J. Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller and who is now supervising the probe. Justice Department regulations say that only the attorney general, or in this case Rosenstein acting in his place, can fire the special counsel. If Sessions were gone, Trump could try to appoint a replacement willing to carry out the firing. Graham said he will introduce a bill next week that would require court review if anyone tried to fire a special counsel who was investigating the president. I think Ill get all the Democrats and I hope to get a good number of Republicans, he said, adding that the enacting such a law is not just for Trump but for any future president. We need a check and balance here. Graham said Trumps campaign to marginalize and humiliate the attorney general is not going over well in the Senate or among conservatives. He also said Trump, who has called on Sessions to investigate his former rival Hillary Clinton, has gone way beyond what is acceptable in a rule of law nation. This is not draining the swamp, he said. What hes interjecting is turning democracy upside down..taking 200-year-old concepts that were a nation of laws and not men and trying to turn it upside down. Sen. Graham: "Any effort to go after Mueller could be the beginning of the end of the Trump presidency." https://t.co/6Pd60LrGRU pic.twitter.com/EXBOwBC35C  ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) July 27, 2017 Facebook

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Watch live: White House news briefing with Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders Facebook

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Trump administration threatens to retaliate against Alaska for GOP senators Obamacare repeal vote, news site reports By Noam N. Levey The Trump administration threatened to block federal aid to Alaska in an effort to bully one of the Republican senators opposed to the current Senate GOP push to roll back the Affordable Care Act, according to a report by the Alaska Dispatch News. The news site reports that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Wednesday called Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan with a warning that Murkowskis vote had put Alaskas future with the administration in jeopardy. According to the report: Sullivan said the call from Zinke heralded a troubling message. Im not going to go into the details, but I fear that the strong economic growth, pro-energy, pro-mining, pro-jobs and personnel from Alaska who are part of those policies are going to stop, Sullivan said. I tried to push back on behalf of all Alaskans.  Were facing some difficult times and theres a lot of enthusiasm for the policies that Secretary Zinke and the president have been talking about with regard to our economy. But the message was pretty clear, Sullivan said. The threat followed disparaging comments made by the president about Murkowski, including a Twitter attack Wednesday morning Senator @lisamurkowski of the Great State of Alaska really let the Republicans, and our country, down yesterday. Too bad! Trump wrote. Murkowski dismissed the presidents attacks in an interview with MSNBC. Were here to govern. Were here to legislate, she said. Were here to represent the people who sent us here. And so every day shouldnt be about campaigning. Every day shouldnt be about winning elections. How about just doing a little bit of governing around here? Thats what Im here for. Murkowski and Maine Sen. Susan Collins were the only Republicans who voted against a procedural motion Tuesday to begin debating legislation rolling back the 2010 healthcare law, often called Obamacare. Sullivan, also a Republican, voted in favor of advancing the bill. Murkowski has urged a more open process to develop the legislation, which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) has put together behind closed doors without committee hearings or input from Democrats. A spokeswoman for Zinke did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Facebook

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Iran angered by report that Trump wants additional nuclear inspections By Shashank Bengali Iran responded angrily Thursday to reports that the Trump administration would push for inspections of military facilities to ensure Tehran is complying with the 2015 nuclear deal. Iran will not succumb to further pressure, Hamid Reza Taraghi, a hard-line analyst who is close to Irans leadership, told The Times. Taraghi did not say whether Iran would refuse inspectors access to military facilities but insisted the Islamic Republic was complying with the agreement, which required Iran to shelve its nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. President Trump has said he wants to tear up the deal and doesnt believe Iran is complying, although his administration certified it was in a report to Congress this month. The Associated Press reported Thursday that Trump was pushing for inspections of suspicious Iranian military sites, either to prove that Iran was violating the deal or force it to refuse, which could cause the agreement to collapse. Iranian officials have argued in the past that inspections of military sites would be off-limits. But under the agreement it signed with the United States and five other world powers, Iran agreed to the so-called Additional Protocol, which allows U.N. inspectors limited access to any site where illicit nuclear activity is suspected. Taraghi, a former lawmaker, said the Additional Protocol allowed for snap inspections and that international inspectors had installed closed-circuit cameras in all nuclear-related facilities. They have access to everything going on here on the ground, Taraghi said. What else do they want to know? It was not immediately clear what military sites the Trump administration was seeking to have inspected, or whether it had evidence that Iran was breaching the terms of the deal. U.N. inspectors monitoring Irans compliance had not requested access to military facilities as of July 25, according to a paper published Thursday by Mark Fitzpatrick, executive director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Washington. If US has good evidence of #Iran violations, then an inspection request is warranted, Fitzpatrick tweeted. A request designed to trap Iran into saying no isnt. Facebook

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Top U.S. general says Pentagon will not change policy on transgender troops until White House acts By W.J. Hennigan The nations senior military officer said Thursday that there will be no modifications to Pentagon policies for now despite President Trump social media posts declaring a ban on transgender troops in uniform. Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote in a memo to commanders and senior enlisted leaders of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines that the military will continue to treat all of our personnel with respect. Dunford said Pentagon policy on transgender troops would not change until the White House has issued Trumps directive to Secretary of Defense James Mattis through formal channels  not on Twitter  and the secretarys office issues guidance on implementation to the service chiefs. Its unclear when that might happen. The unusual memo appeared intended to calm widespread confusion and concern at the Pentagon, which was blindsided when Trump wrote Wednesday that Pentagon would not accept or allow transgender troops to serve in any capacity. The presidents posts appeared to reverse a year-old Pentagon policy that allowed transgender soldiers to openly serve for the first time, and to seek sex reassignment surgery, hormone therapy and other treatments at military hospitals. Trumps surprise announcement not only marked a retreat for the Pentagon push to bar gender-based discrimination. It also was an about-face for Trump, who had repeatedly vowed his support for the LGBT community during the campaign last year. The posts raised questions about the fate of thousands of transgender service members, including some deployed overseas, and whether they would be kicked out of the military under Trumps directive. Dunfords memo appeared to address those fears, at least for the short term. There will be no modifications to the current policy until the Presidents direction has been received by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary has issued implementation guidance, he wrote. In the meantime, we will continue to treat all of our personnel with respect, he added. As importantly, given the current fight and the challenges we face, we will all remain focused on accomplishing our assigned missions. In his tweets, Trump said he had decided to bar transgender troops because the military cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Experts said neither justification was accurate or fair since the expected medical costs were negligible and transgender troops have been openly serving for the past year without disruption. The sweeping declaration drew rebuke from war veterans and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy groups, who vowed to challenge Trump in federal court if self-identified transgender service members are forced out of the military. VoteVets, a liberal military veterans advocacy group, said Thursday it had collected more than 20,000 signatures from veterans, military families and other supporters to oppose the ban. Facebook

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Analysis: Trumps war against elites and expertise By Cathleen Decker (Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images) When President Trump campaigned this spring at the Hermitage, the home of Andrew Jackson, one part of his predecessors approach got a special endorsement. It was during the Revolution that Jackson first confronted and defied an arrogant elite. Does that sound familiar? Trump asked to laughs from his audience. When Trump ally and National Rifle Assn. President Wayne LaPierre teed off six weeks later on Americas greatest domestic threats, he cited not homegrown terrorists but what he termed the three most dangerous voices in America: academic elites, political elites, and media elites. The rhetoric against elites came from two men who would seem to be card-carrying members of the club: LaPierre made more than $5 million in 2015, the most recent year for which his compensation was publicly released. Trump lived before his inauguration in a gold-plated home in the sky above New Yorks Fifth Avenue, a billionaires luxurious domain. Yet for Trump and his allies, a war on elites has been central to the campaign which put him in the presidency and has maintained the loyalty of his core voters. Trump has taken particular aim at entities that could counter his power, which has helped stoke the ardor of his political backers. Read More Facebook

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Top Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway says colleagues using the press to shiv each other By Noah Bierman White House staffers continued their angry campaign against leaks -- and each other -- as top advisor Kellyanne Conway used vivid language in a Fox interview Thursday to denounce colleagues who are using the press to shiv each other in the ribs. The comments came shortly after Anthony Scaramucci, the new White House communications director, delivered his own attack on leakers -- all but blaming Reince Priebus, the White House chief of staff -- in an interview on CNN. If the Trump White House at times resembles a reality show, cable television has become the confessional booth where the players vent their anger at each other. That dynamic was on vivid display Thursday morning. Kellyanne Conway: "Now, there are leaks, and then there are people using the press to shiv each other in the ribs. Thats different." (Fox)  David Wright (@DavidWright_CNN) July 27, 2017 Conway largely backed Scaramucci without explicitly taking sides in his public war against Priebus, whom he publicly suggested leaked Scaramuccis financial disclosure forms to the press. The forms are public and available through a request. We just have to cut down on people thinking its cute and its popular and it somehow enhances their resume and their portfolio for later on to curry favor with folks who are more interested in covering the style and not the substance here, Conway said of those who leak to he press. Asked specifically whether she agrees with Scaramucci that Priebus leaked the financial forms, Conway passed on the opportunity to defend Priebus. Leakers are easier to figure out than many think, she said, perhaps ominously given Scaramuccis threats to fire suspects. This West Wing is a very small place. Facebook

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Warfare in the West Wing breaks into the open as Scaramucci takes aim at Priebus By Brian Bennett A knife fight for control of the West Wing broke into the open Thursday morning as President Trumps new communications director Anthony Scaramucci lashed out at White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus in a televised interview, accusing Priebus of leaking and standing in the way of Trumps agenda. The fish stinks from the head down, I can tell you two fish that dont stink, OK, and thats me and the president, Scaramucci said, calling in to CNNs morning show New Day. I dont like the activity thats going in the White House, he said. Scaramucci, who had said the day he was named to the White House job that he and Priebus were like brothers, drastically amended that in the interview, comparing the two of them to the brothers who, in the Bible, were the characters in the first murder. Some brothers are like Cain and Abel, other brothers can fight with each other and get along. I dont know if this is reparable or not  that will be up to the president, he said. Scaramucci on his relationship with Reince: "Some brothers are like Cain and Abel." Uh, Cain killed Abel. https://t.co/UQ8F9HiXLx  Dan Merica (@merica) July 27, 2017 President Trump has a track record of encouraging rivalries among people who work for him. Scaramucci said he had spoken with Trump for 15 minutes to go over what he was going to say before he called CNN, implying his warning to Priebus carried Trumps backing. Trump, Scaramucci said, has given me his full support and his full blessing. When Scaramucci was hired, Trump told him he would report directly to the president, bypassing the chief of staff, and setting up the clash that played out Thursday on national television. If you want to talk about the chief of staff, we have had odds, we have had differences. When I said we were brothers from the podium, thats because were rough on each other, Scaramucci said. The tension between Scaramucci and Priebus flared after Politico published a story Wednesday about Scaramuccis publicly available financial disclosure form showing he still stands to profit from his stake in an investment firm he founded. The disclosure form was available to the public because Scaramucci had been nominated earlier this year for a job at the Export-Import Bank of the U.S., and the forms become public 30 days after they are filed. But Scaramucci, in a tweet Wednesday night, seemed to imply Priebus had leaked the form to make him look bad, or knew who did, and called for an FBI investigation. He later deleted the tweet, apparently after being informed that the form was not leaked. Over the last five days, Scaramucci said to CNN, he has done a major amount of work interviewing assistants to the president and communications staff. He also had dinner with Trump on Wednesday night in addition to his phone conversation with the president Thursday morning. The two of them want everyone to know we have a very, very good idea of who the leakers are, who the senior leakers are, in the White House, he said. Scaramucci took aim specifically at Priebus for leaking details about internal White House discussions and maneuvers. If Reince wants to explain that hes not a leaker, let him do that, Scaramucci said. Scaramucci appears to be giving voice to Trumps frustration with people in the White House the president believes are slowing down policy efforts, even though Trump has shown a pattern of repeatedly stepping on his own efforts on healthcare, job creation and other initiatives with unplanned tweets on topics such as Russia, transgender troops and unfounded allegations of voter fraud. There are people inside this administration who think its their job to save America from this president, Scaramucci said. Its not their jobs ... to rein him in or do things to him that slow down his agenda. People in the Washington are back-stabbers, Scaramucci said. Im more of a front-stabbing person. Facebook

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Scaramucci tweets, then deletes, confusing statement that referred to information in Politico report as a leak By Colleen Shalby In a now deleted tweet, incoming White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci sent out a confusing statement Wednesday night, addressing information reported earlier by Politico as a leak. The article reported on Scaramuccis financial disclosures. According to Politico, those details had been filed with the Office of Government Ethics, so its unclear what  if anything  was leaked information. Scaramuccis tweet further confused as it ended with White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus Twitter handle. Just before those characters, he noted that he intended to contact the FBI and the Justice Department. Some speculated that Scaramucci was implying that Priebus was behind the leak. But in a new tweet roughly two hours after the original, he tweeted what appeared to be a clarification, correcting a headline of news site Axios. Wrong! Tweet was public notice to leakers that all Sr Adm officials are helping to end illegal leaks, he tweeted, ending it  once again  with Priebus handle. Wrong! Tweet was public notice to leakers that all Sr Adm officials are helping to end illegal leaks. @Reince45 pic.twitter.com/AB0reseuX1  Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) July 27, 2017 Five days ago, Scaramucci, responding to a question about reported tensions between him and the chief of staff, said he and Priebus are a little bit like brothers, where we rough each other up a little, which is totally normal for brothers. 10:15 p.m. PT: This post was originally published at 8:52 p.m. It was updated with information from Scaramuccis new tweet. Facebook

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Senate Judiciary chair fires off warning to Trump about Sessions By David Lauter Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, fired off an unmistakable warning to President Trump on Wednesday evening: Dont even think about trying to get a new attorney general confirmed this year. Trump has been publicly tormenting Jeff Sessions, appearing to want to push the attorney general into stepping down from his job. But in a tweet, Grassley made it clear that if Trump pushed Sessions out, he would have to live with an acting attorney general for a long time. Everybody in D.C. Shld b warned that the agenda for the judiciary Comm is set for rest of 2017. Judges first subcabinet 2nd / AG no way  ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) July 27, 2017 Any nominee for attorney general would have to pass through the Judiciary Committee before getting a confirmation vote, so Grassleys no way would be a formidable barrier. Grassley has been an administration loyalist on nearly all issues so far, but as a veteran senator, he has a strong independent streak and, as previous administrations have found, he can be implacable if angered. His message comes as conservative allies rally support for Sessions. Several other Republican senators have spoken out in favor of the attorney general, a former colleague who was well liked during his years as senator from Alabama. Senate Democrats already have said they would use procedural motions to prevent the Senate from formally going on a recess this summer, blocking Trump from making a recess appointment that would bypass the Senate. Republicans used similar maneuvers to block recess appointments by President Obama. If Sessions were to step down and not be replaced, Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein would become acting attorney general. Trump has been critical of Rosenstein as well as Sessions, so that option presumably would not appeal to him. Facebook

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Under fire from Trump, Sessions should stay focused on his job, White House says By Joseph Tanfani (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) In spite of a daily barrage of Twitter attacks from President Trump, the White House press secretary said Wednesday that Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions should stay focused on performing his duties as the nations top law enforcement officer. You can be disappointed in someone and still want someone to continue to do their job, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Wednesday, hours after Trump criticized Sessions for the third straight day  this time for not replacing acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe. Sessions was one of Trumps earliest and most loyal supporters, but the relationship has turned icy as Trump continues to seethe about Sessions decision to step aside from supervising the investigation into alleged Russian interference with last years election. Sessions was at the White House for meetings Wednesday, the second time this week hes visited the West Wing, but once again did not see Trump, Sanders said. Sanders did not clear up the main question surrounding Trumps strategy of publicly battering the attorney general: If the president is so unhappy, why doesnt he simply fire Sessions? Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Wednesday that Trumps apparent attempt to humiliate Sessions into quitting was a sign of weakness. To me, weakness is when you play around the edges, and you dont use the power you have, Graham said in an interview on CNN. Sanders said that Trump wants Sessions to continue to lead the Department of Justice. He wants him to focus on things like immigration, leaks and a number of other issues, she said. One of Trumps public complaints has been that Sessions hasnt been aggressive enough in pursuing leakers of classified information. In fact, the Justice Department is expected to announce next week some leak prosecutions. On Tuesday, Sessions also announced new measures to cut off some federal funds to so-called sanctuary cities that dont cooperate with immigration enforcement, another favorite issue for the president. But Sanders added that, at this point, a leak investigation would not salvage Sessions standing with Trump. I dont think thats the nature of the relationship, she said. In two tweets Wednesday morning, Trump criticized Sessions for not replacing McCabe, whose wife ran for office as a Democrat in Virginia in 2015. He suggested that McCabe had a conflict of interest in his duties as deputy director of the FBI during the investigation of Hillary Clintons handling of classified emails as secretary of State, although McCabe did not move into that job until months after his wifes campaign was over. McCabe took over the bureau as acting director when Trump fired James B. Comey in May. Sanders also declined to answer a question on why Trump did not fire McCabe himself, saying only that Trump looked forward to seeing his nominee as FBI director, Christopher Wray, be confirmed by the Senate soon. Facebook

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Trump, on Twitter, announced a ban on transgender service members. Now the military has to figure out what he means By Brian Bennett (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) President Trump surprised even the Pentagon on Wednesday morning by his unexpected announcement, via Twitter, of a ban on transgender service members. The military has not had a chance to decide how to put such a ban into effect, acknowledged Trumps top spokeswoman, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, as she fielded numerous questions on the topic later from White House reporters. Secretary of Defense James Mattis, who was on vacation, wasnt informed until Tuesday that Trump had decided to bar transgender service members from serving in any way. Sometimes you have to make a decision and once he made a decision, he didnt feel it was necessary to hold that decision, Sanders said. The president concluded, based on consultations with his national security team, that allowing transgender individuals to serve erodes military readiness and unit cohesion, she said. White House and Pentagon officials had been discussing details of medical coverage for transgender service members on active duty. But Trump went far beyond that with his series of tweets that the military will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the military. It will be up to the Defense Department to determine the specifics of the policy, including whether active-duty transgender service members will be kicked out of the military, Sanders said. Estimates of the number of current service members who are transgender range from 1,300 to about 16,000. The implementation policy is going to be something that the White House and Department of Defense will have to work together to lawfully determine, Sanders said. I would imagine the Department of Defense will be the lead on that, she added. Trumps tweets overshadowed other announcements he had planned to make Wednesday about adding manufacturing jobs to the economy and donating $100,000 of his second-quarter paycheck to the Department of Education to support science and math education. The president has expressed concerns since this Obama policy came into effect, Sanders said. She added that the president considered allowing transgender people in the ranks is a very expensive and disruptive policy. At one point, an exasp
In its first public display, the uniform belonging to Robert J. ONeill  a former U.S. Navy SEAL who served in the SEAL Team 6 raid that killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011  will be exhibited in the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda until July 31.

The uniform ONeill wore during the raid includes his boots, helmet, gloves, pants and long-sleeved top with front and side pockets for different gadgets, like pens and a small notepad.

The presidential library obtained the gear after one of its employees met ONeill at an event earlier this year, said Nixon Foundation communications director Joe Lopez.

She [the employee] asked him if he wanted to speak at the library, Lopez said. We later called him to ask if he had anything of his we could put on display. I thought maybe wed get a helmet or his boots, but he gave us everything he had.

The display also presents a copy of ONeills newly released book, The Operator, which he will discuss at a lecture in the Nixon Librarys East Room from 7 to 8 p.m. July 26.

ONeills book recounts his childhood in Butte, Mont., his decision to join the SEALs and his 400-mission career, from which he earned two Silver Stars and four Bronze Stars.

His lecture at the Nixon Library will also include a book signing.

To have the uniform that I wore on display at the Nixon Library is truly an honor, ONeill wrote in a statement given to Lopez. It symbolizes the sacrifice, perseverance, teamwork and dedication to mission success of everyone involved.

After ONeill left the military in 2012, he became a motivational and leadership speaker and co-founded Your Grateful Nation, a nonprofit dedicated to helping special operations veterans transition from the military into new careers.

ONeill was first referred to in a 2013 Esquire magazine article as the anonymous shooter who was credited with firing the fatal shots that killed bin Laden. His identity was revealed in October 2014.

But a book titled No Easy Day written by former SEAL Team 6 member Matt Bissonnette described a different account of the raid, raising questions of whose shots actually killed bin Laden.

In November 2014, ONeill told CNN it no longer mattered if he was the one who killed bin Laden and that the team got him.

The only ones that know are the SEALs that ran that mission, Lopez said. Its a historic mission. To have [ONeill] be a part of it and to hear his account is a unique opportunity for the people who are going to attend the [lecture] event.

A video presentation from Your Grateful Nation that includes interviews with veterans plays on a screen next to the uniform display at the Nixon Library.

The humbling experience of working side-by-side with these warriors is what led me to form Your Grateful Nation so that Special Forces operators can apply their unique skills and expertise from the battlefield in the private sector, ONeill wrote in his statement.

The display of ONeills uniform in the lobby of the Nixon Library is free for visitors to view.

For us, its so great to provide this display because we have a community thats very supportive of the military, Lopez said. This gear will end up in a museum someday. But for us to be the first to display, it is pretty special.

If You Go

What: Display of Robert J. ONeills combat equipment

When: Lecture featuring ONeill will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. July 26 at the Nixon Library. The presidential librarys regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Where: Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda

Cost: Lecture admission is $30. Library admission is $16 for adults and $12 for seniors.

Information: (714) 993-5075 and nixonfoundation.org

Alexandra.Chan@latimes.com

Twitter: @AlexandraChan10
DECATUR  The plan from the city, Macon County and business leaders to expand Decatur's Midwest Inland Port looks like it ticks a lot of the right boxes for federal grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation under the new Trump administration. President Donald Trump's transportation officials are stressing big projects with roads and bridges that emphasize industrial and manufacturing growth, exactly what the Inland Port represents.

But the new standards for the $1.5 billion program, now called the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant, include a heavy emphasis on private investment, which raises questions about how areas outside major population centers like Decatur would be able to leverage that kind of money when toll roads are not feasible.

"Maybe places like New York or San Francisco, they might be looking for like a toll road or something, but it's probably not going to work in Macon County," said Macon County Board Chairman Jay Dunn.

The project is not without private partners. Major assets that make up the Inland Port are in private hands: Norfolk Southern Corp. owns the large rail yard that connects to Archer Daniels Midland Co.'s intermodal ramp that connects rail freight to roads, which the company makes available to other businesses. ADM would stand to benefit if access and capacity were improved.

The projects up to this point include land donations from ADM, Richland Community College and the Park District, but Chris Olsen, vice president of Tate & Lyle, said it's not the role of private companies to foot the bill of major public works.

"In general the most equitable way to pay for infrastructure projects that benefit the entire community is through public funding. There would need to be a compelling reason for local industry to contribute upfront costs to a project," he said.

Both Olsen and Dunn joined a delegation in June with Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe to lobby members of Congress and Trump officials in Washington, D.C. They were looking to gain support for two projects part of a broader expansion of the Midwest Inland Port  an unofficial network of private railroads, container-loading facilities and public highways in and around Decatur.

With representatives from local labor unions, the Decatur Chamber of Commerce, and elected officials, it was an all-hands-on-deck approach for what's been talked about for years as Decatur's ticket to a brighter economic future.

The presented ask from the delegation involved a request of $177.5 million of federal dollars, according to documents used as part of the presentation.

The emphasis on private money from Trump officials shows the administration wants to pivot away from decades of policy when federal motor fuel tax money provided a more adequate level of revenue for the nation's roads, bridges, and public transit. Congress and states, Illinois included, have been loathe to raise taxes to keep up with the clamor for needed maintenance and new projects like Decatur's.

"(The Trump administration doesn't) want to ask users to pay more in the gas tax, or a comparable user fee, so they'd like to see a larger share of the funding burden fall on the private sector or local governments," said Brian Turmail, spokesman for the Associated General Contractors of America.

Dunn and Moore Wolfe said part of the discussion in Washington with Trump officials was they want to see local communities are not trying to avoid spending local funds by applying for federal money.

Dunn said the administration was looking for a 20 percent federal match to 80 percent in local and private funds, but so many communities competing for the grants are closer in makeup to Decatur than New York or San Francisco.

"I think (the Trump officials) are just saying that, 'We want you to try to reach out to do what you can to leverage money from other sources than the federal government," Dunn said.

"It's not like we're in there asking for everything. We are doing our part, and they were very impressed by that, as were the senators and other congressional people we met with," Moore Wolfe said.

On top of Illinois' congressional delegation, the Decatur group also met with key members of Congress from outside the state, including Rep. Mark Pocan, a Democrat from Wisconsin who sits on the House Appropriations Committee.

In addition to a smaller project to widen Brush College Road, the larger proposal would build the first leg of the long-discussed Macon County Beltway, envisioned as a 22-mile road artery into Decatur from the east. That request looks to build 6.2 miles of the beltway, from Illinois 48 to Illinois 105, with a new bridge over the lake in between.

It's hard to predict how much more business these new projects would draw, but they have caught the attention of exporters like ADM and Tate & Lyle, and local labor unions, who see a huge opportunity to put members to work.

"It's ballpark, but probably easily a few hundred jobs for the first part of it, probably it would take a couple years at least for the bridge," said Laborers' Local 159 Business Manager Joe Riley, who also attended the meetings in Washington.

City officials received guidelines for the INFRA program last week, and proposals are due in November.

A similar application from Decatur went to the final round in 2016 under the Obama administration, but Decatur did not make the last cut.

The Decatur City Council recently greenlighted an engineering study that stalled due to budget problems at the Illinois Department of Transportation. City Manger Tim Gleason said he's confident he can secure $45,000 from private partners to make sure the study is completed in the next year.

"USDOT wanted to see an economic impact analysis that we did not have. We're shoring up that deficiency, but we also see legitimate value in having one done. It lets us know that to think that it's realistic for our inland port to divert freight traffic from the Chicagoland area," Gleason said.

The chance for seeing through an infrastructure project with federal funds becomes even more difficult given the political climate in Washington.

"The problem is things are pretty stalled at the moment," Moore Wolfe said.

The delays in the White House and Capitol Hill are tied to the prolonged battle in Congress over health care policy and nonpolicy-related headlines coming from the president.

"The president has been very vocal about major infrastructure projects so we're hoping that happens sooner rather than later," Moore Wolfe said.

Despite the hurdles, Moore Wolfe said the trip was critical. "We got the kind of insight I don't believe we would've received had we not been there," she said.
Two of your usual dinner companions arent in their seats, and when you look around at nearby tables you notice other empty seats too.

Then the rumors begin: Somethings going around. People are sick. Theres an epidemic.

Its enough to give a passenger a case of anxiety. But a case of anxiety is better than a case of whats often called stomach flu.

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Sickness can spread like wildfire at sea. Weve all heard the grim reports of cruise ship voyages beset by hundreds of cases of gastrointestinal illness, so many that ship infirmaries cant handle all of them.

Maybe youve even been aboard a stricken ship where crew members dump globs of sanitizer on the hands of everyone in line for the buffet and nauseated passengers suddenly leave the room.

The good news here is that your odds of getting sick are slim, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Acute gastrointestinal [AGE] illness is relatively infrequent on cruise ships despite their notoriety, said Aimee Treffiletti, chief of the CDC Vessel Sanitation Program, which inspects cruise ships sailing in U.S. waters.

More good news: Chances youll get sick are declining, she said. Less than a quarter of 1% of the more than 73 million passengers who sailed between 2008-2014 suffered acute gastrointestinal illness.

Youre more likely to get sick at home.

Sometimes the cause is AGE, also known as norovirus, but not always.

Norovirus is not the cause of all AGE illnesses on cruise ships, Treffiletti said, but even if we assumed that all cruise ship AGE cases were caused by norovirus, those cases would only account for 0.12% of the estimated 20 million norovirus cases in the United States each year.

Norovirus is highly contagious and can spread anywhere people gather or food is served. It can be spread by touching infected surfaces that have been touched by ill people.

When you touch a stair railing, elevator button or doorknob, for instance, you could come in contact with the culprit germ.

Its the leading cause of disease outbreaks from contaminated food in the U.S.

It usually lasts one to three days. It can hit children and older people harder.

Heres some advice from the CDC on how to avoid norovirus and other stomach problems when you cruise  or on any vacation:

Wash your hands often with soap and water, lathering up for a full 20 seconds. Wash them before eating or touching your face and after using the bathroom, changing diapers or touching things that other people have touched, such as stair railings.

Be careful about the food you eat while on shore, especially in developing countries.

Eat only the type of food that is cooked and served hot, and drink only beverages from sealed containers. Skip ice and eat fresh produce only if you have washed it yourself in purified water.

Regardless of where you travel, be sure you and your family members are up to date on routine vaccines, such as measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox and seasonal flu.

Many fellow travelers and cruise ship crew members are from countries where vaccination for these diseases isnt common.

CDCs general vaccination recommendations, by country, can be found on the Travelers Health pages.

Discuss your upcoming cruise and its itinerary with your doctor. If youre stopping in a country only for a short time or if you dont plan to leave the tourist area around the dock, certain vaccines may not be necessary.

If all else fails and you become a victim, what should you do? Heres some advice from Treffiletti:

Report your illness by calling the ships medical facility and following the staffs recommendations.

Wash your hands often to avoid infecting others.

Take care of yourself: Get plenty of rest and drink lots of water. Rest helps rebuild the immune system; drinking water will help prevent dehydration.

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravel
Im not surprised by Chris Erskines article that says L.A. drivers are among the worst [Its Official: L.A. Has Some of the Worst Drivers in the Country, June 28].

Im a professional driver, testing prototype vehicles for various manufacturers, and Im out there every day, cameras, data acquisition electronics, computers and all. Im also a fourth-generation Californian, and I see a lot of driving behavior that comes straight out of New England. (I hauled fresh produce from here to there for 20 years, and I know what the behavior looks like.)

It is difficult to remain passive in the face of such rude arrogance with a machine that can and is being used as a weapon.

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There was a time when Jerry Browns father, Pat, was governor and a generation of high school kids got the best drivers education in the world, a mandatory class that was required to graduate.

We were taught courtesy, situational awareness, emergency and evasive handling, stopping distance, use of signals, communication of intent, all kinds of things that still help in navigating around the country.

California drivers licenses were carte blanche in many countries around the world because our standards were the highest.

All gone now.

Lincoln Gable Riley

Los Angeles

Tips for transit travelers

I read the More for Your Money article by Ed Perkins [See the Sights by Transit, June 25], and I have a suggestion.

Ive been using an iPhone app called Transit App that works in several cities and gives a transit schedule, maps and times.

In cities that have radios on the bus, it provides the real-time location of the bus or train you are waiting for.

Other tips from traveling:

LAs Metro TAP card eliminates the need to carry exact change and offers discounts to students and seniors. TAP cards work on most L.A. transit systems and are available by clicking on the link above.

I ride the bus in Hawaii and its drivers are much friendlier and greet each passenger as they board. In return, passengers thank the driver as they leave, which perpetuates the aloha spirit.

Bus drivers in Europe are more relaxed and drive more smoothly. Ive heard several drivers apologize to passengers when he swerves to avoid an accident.

Ron Murakami

Torrance

Nurture your back when back to nature

Ive been an avid camper for years and was delighted by the June 25 focus on camping [Lets Go, Campers]. The article Gear Up Before You Venture Out There by Kathy Pyon was helpful, but most of that wont matter if your body aches in the morning. She included the tent and the sleeping bag but forgot the pad.

After many nights in the great outdoors and waking up with a sore back, I purchased a Laid-Back Memory Foam pad. It has a 30-day money-back guarantee and excellent reviews.

It is of excellent quality and easily portable. Truly no more back pain. Now my camping experiences are better than ever.

Thanks for covering a topic dear to my heart.

Shoshana Brower

Westlake Village

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravel
The battle was long and bloody, punctuated by wrenching moments of human tragedy.

Los Angeles Times staff photographer Carolyn Cole covered the exodus of Iraqis from in and around Mosul in the days leading up to the nine-month struggle to oust Islamic State extremists from Iraqs second-largest city. She shadowed Iraqi special forces as they began their drive to liberate the city in October, encountering former militant fighters of uncertain loyalties and desperate civilians finding tenuous haven in teeming camps.

Times staff photographer Marcus Yam arrived in Mosul in the spring, when the citys western sector was more or less free of the extremist group, but still a perilous and unpredictable environment. He spent time with a team of dedicated bomb defusers as they went about the dangerous task of clearing explosives from the city. He also covered the harrowing aftermath of coalition airstrikes, which left hundreds dead and wounded.

And Yam produced moving photographs of the cleanup and restoration of the University of Mosul, a former stronghold of Islamic State whose ongoing reclamation marks an important symbolic milestone for a shattered and sorrowing city.
Huge protests were still raging as the Group of 20 summit ended in Hamburg on Saturday evening, following a night of violent riots and looting.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday condemned the unfettered violence and unrestrained brutality and said there was not the slightest justification for looting, arson and brutal attacks on police.

In a sign of how the demonstrations have overshadowed the gathering of leaders from 20 of the worlds biggest economies, Merkel spent much of a closing news conference thanking the police and defending her decision to hold the summit in Hamburg, which has a well-known anti-capitalist scene.

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We had to do this in a big city because of the hotels. The police officers did their best and still are doing their best, Merkel said.

Crowds of around 55,000 protesters gathered in Hamburg on Saturday, the last day of the summit.

Police officers arrested 43 people and detained 96 on Friday night during a raid of houses in the citys left-wing Schanzenviertel district. Police raided houses one-by-one after masked protesters threw Molotov cocktails from rooftops at officers, Hamburg police spokesman Jorg Schroder said. The department called in a special armed unit for the raid.

In the same neighborhood, a group of 500 protesters looted a single grocery store early Saturday.

There has never been this kind of excess of violence in Hamburg, Schroder said. He said police were prepared for more violence.

Today is another dangerous day, even if the summit is over.

Thousands of protesters were still marching Saturday evening when Merkel left the congress hall where the G-20 summit was held to meet with police officers and Hamburgs mayor.

She told journalists the German government would compensate victims of the violent protests.

Police have dispersed crowds with water cannons and pepper spray and blocked off streets with armored vehicles. Close to 1,000 officers traveled to Hamburg from other parts of Germany on Friday after the citys police department called for backup.

Since the demonstrations started Wednesday, at least 213 police officers have been injured. Schroder said the department does not record the number of injured demonstrators.

Stupp is a special correspondent.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi flew to war-ravaged Mosul on Sunday to congratulate the countrys armed forces as they were on the cusp of defeating Islamic State militants in what was once the crown jewel of their self-declared caliphate.

Dressed in a black Iraqi special forces uniform and flanked by military commanders, Abadi applauded the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people for achieving the great victory, according to a statement from his office.

Abadis kudos, however, fell short of a mission accomplished declaration marking the end of a nearly nine-month campaign to rout the extremists from Iraqs second-largest city. One or two pockets of the remnants of Daesh remain, the government conceded in a later statement, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

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Only a few miles from where Abadi met with his troops, Islamic State militants and fighters from Iraqs Counter-Terrorism Service battled cheek by jowl in Mosuls Old City.

Warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition struck the militants, who were cornered in a pocket of a little more than 200 square yards, with the Tigris River behind them, officers said. Dozens were said to have been killed as they tried to make their escape by swimming across.

In pictures: The long and bloody battle for Mosul 

The [Iraqi armys] 16th Division is on the other bank of the river, and they shot them, said 1st Lt. Mohammad Saheb, a commander with the Counter-Terrorism Service, which was leading the charge into Islamic States last redoubt. Theyre so close that their bullets almost hit us.

Iraqi officers expect vicious resistance from about 60 extremists who they believe will fight to the last man.

They hide in tunnels, then run at you until theyre within six or seven yards, before they detonate their suicide vest. You barely have time to shoot them first, said Haidar Jabbar, a soldier taking part in the fight.

Weve had many battles against Daesh, but ask anyone, theyll tell you this is the hardest one.

Saheb said the skirmishes were so close that his men couldnt rely on airstrikes at times. We have to use low-powered grenades and flash-bangs to flush them out, he said.

As he spoke, a coalition airstrike hit a nearby house, giving the ground a powerful shake and showering Saheb with debris.

We didnt even need loudspeakers when we were ordering them to come out and surrender, said Lt. Col. Ali Husseini, another Iraqi commander in Mosul. Theyre in the next room, right across the wall.

Islamic State fighters have also intensified their use of improvised explosive devices, a signature tactic that the group used to powerful effect in other cities, such as Ramadi, but which it had thus far employed sparingly in Mosul.

Every day we see new things. The other day they had booby-trapped an ammunition box, lacing it to two other explosives to kill anyone who opened it, said Lt. Col. Said Badr Kathem, a demolitions expert, in an interview near the front line.

Kathem said the group had also begun to deploy female suicide bombers, hiding them among fleeing civilians.

Islamic State may be driven out of Mosul. The challenge will be keeping militants out for good. 

Islamic States defeat in Mosul represents the harshest blow yet to the group  and a moment of redemption for Iraqs security forces.

When the militants first blitzed into the city three years ago, entire army divisions all but collapsed. Thousands of soldiers shed their uniforms and ran for their lives, abandoning millions of dollars worth of U.S. military hardware.

Islamic State made no mention of the defeat on its official channels on the messaging service Telegram. Instead, in what is perhaps a harbinger of things to come in Mosul, it claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on an army headquarters in Hit, a town in Anbar province once held by the militants, but which government forces reclaimed more than a year ago.

In Mosuls eastern half  liberated in January and where life has largely returned to normal  Abadi glad-handed his way through crowds of civilians who cheered and raised their smartphone cameras to commemorate the moment.

The revelers honked horns and waved large Iraqi flags from the windows of cars snarled in the traffic behind his convoy. Fireworks could be heard above the crowd, as they shouted, With our souls, with our blood, we sacrifice ourselves for Abadi.

But in west Mosul there seemed to be less appetite for cheer. The dislodging of Islamic State from this half of the city, with its older structures and narrower walkways, came at a high price. Entire neighborhoods were reduced to a post-apocalyptic landscape of ravaged masonry and crumpled vehicles. The sickly smell of decomposition is omnipresent.

The detritus of the militants reign is visible inside these buildings. Large bombs  they called them Hell of the Caliphate, said Jabbar, the soldier  lay beside a bag of bullets. A car rigged to explode, its shape made angular by added plating, sat in a garage. Floors were strewn with Islamic State prayer pamphlets.

Almost 1 million people have been displaced since the campaign began in October, according to government figures. Many have returned to the eastern side of the city, but tens of thousands of others are forced to endure Iraqs scorching summer in refugee camps dotting the desert landscape around Mosul.

The cost to rebuild the city, the United Nations says, will run into the billions, and a full reckoning of the dead will take months. Western aid officials privately fret that there is no coherent plan for how to govern the city after Islamic States ouster.

Meanwhile, Islamic State, many say, is defeated but not vanquished.

It maintains control over bastions like Hawija, Tall Afar and parts of western Anbar. And it has shown an ability to play on the internal divisions plaguing the often-bickering forces arrayed against it.

Across the border, the group still holds sway in parts of eastern Syria, where fleeing fighters may be able to regroup. This, despite a U.S.-backed offensive by Kurdish and Arab militiamen to take back Raqqah, Islamic States Syrian capital.

It will not really be possible to definitively declare victory against Islamic State as it transforms to a traditional underground guerrilla-style insurgency, said Nussaibah Younis, an associate fellow at Chatham House, a London think tank.

Its important that the international community doesnt take the liberation of Mosul as an excuse to withdraw their attention from Iraq  not just on the military side, but also on the political and humanitarian side.

Even in Mosul, the gains seem fragile. Residents speak of sleeper cells, and of former collaborators with the group who still walk among them.

They also face security forces who view them with suspicion  potentially stirring up sectarian divisions that made some welcome Islamic States arrival three years ago.

Now that the battle for Mosul has ended, the Iraqi state must provide safety and security for all civilians, said Heidi Diedrich, Iraq country director with the Norwegian Refugee Council aid group, in a statement. Combatants must not take the law into their own hands.

Many soldiers said they expect to face the extremists in Mosul once more.

I fought in this city from 2004 to 2009, from 2012 to 2013 and from 2016 till now, said Husseini, the commander, a thin smile on his face as he rested near the front line. Maybe for now theyre done, but theyll be back. Soon.

Bulos is a special correspondent.

ALSO

Hundreds of thousands rally as Turkish opposition leader ends 25-day March for Justice

The long and bloody battle for Mosul

U.S. and Russia have declared another cease-fire in part of Syria, but will it stop the fighting?

UPDATES:

7:30 p.m.: This article was updated with comment from analysts and other details.

1:10 p.m.: This article was updated throughout with Times reporting.

This article was originally published at 6:05 a.m.
The leader of Turkeys main opposition party Sunday drew hundreds of thousands of supporters to an Istanbul rally during which he called for the government to free jailed politicians, teachers and others and end a state of emergency.

The rally came as Republican Peoples Party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu completed a 25-day, more than 250-mile march from Ankara, the capital, to Istanbul called the March for Justice.

Many in the crowd carried signs reading adalet, justice.

Hak, hukuk, adalet, supporters chanted. Rights, law, justice.

Kilicdaroglu told the crowd that President Recip Tayyip Erdogan has steered Turkey away from democracy and toward autocratic, one-man rule.

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Kilicdaroglu said Erdogans response to an attempted coup last July was to stage a palace coup by declaring a state of emergency, in effect suspending the powers of the national parliament and the judiciary.

Kilicdaroglus demands included an end to the state of emergency, the restoration of an independent judiciary and the release from custody of journalists, politicians and others considered threats to the government. Tens of thousands of people have been arrested during the state of emergency.

Subjecting the judiciary to partisan politics is a betrayal of democracy, he said, as he called on judges to stand upright, stand with your honor, listen to your inner conscience and decide accordingly.

We demand justice. We demand justice not only for those who are gathered here, not only for those who support us, but for everyone, he said. Justice is a right. Justice is our right. We just want our right.

He denounced as illegitimate a referendum in April that will eliminate the post of prime minister and give the president the power to name his government, without requiring approval from the parliament, and expand his control over the judiciary.

The changes, set to take effect in 2019, would allow Erdogan to run for two additional five-year terms, and possibly a third.

The constitutional referendum was carried out under the state of emergency, where all public resources were exploited to manipulate the outcome,Kilicdaroglu said.

This was an  unlawful referendum. Turkey cannot and must not be governed with an illegal constitution, he said.

Erdogan had no immediate comment about the rally, but had previously compared Kilicdaroglus march to the coup attempt last year.

What is the difference between you and the ones involved in the attempted coup? he asked. They were holding F-16s, tanks and you are walking.

He also sought to ridicule Kilicdaroglu for taking to the street. If they think that this is the way they can reach justice, it is not possible, Erdogan said. Walking around with justice banners cannot bring justice. Dont be surprised if justice visits you tomorrow.

The government provided security for Kilicdaroglu on his march, and thousands of police were protecting the site of the rally, on the parade grounds in Maltepe.

There is no justice, Muhammer Dogan, who joined the rally, told the Associated Press. Innocent people are being imprisoned. They are being victimized.

Gutman is a special correspondent.

UPDATES:

5:45 p.m.: This article was updated throughout with Times reporting.

This article was originally published at 12:15 p.m.
Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines and the United States have criticized China for imposing new access rules for the vast South China Sea, saying Beijings demand that foreign vessels get approval to enter the disputed maritime area is provocative and potentially destabilizing.

But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying retorted Friday that the rules that went into effect at the start of the year are simply technical revisions of existing laws governing the resource-rich waters off Chinas Hainan province. She said foreign governments complaints that Beijing is courting trouble spring from ulterior motives.

The latest maritime dispute among the neighbors with overlapping claims to islands and resources in the busy East Asian waterways has ratcheted up tensions in the region, coming less than two months after China proclaimed an Air Defense Identification Zone over disputed islands in the East China Sea. Under the ADIZ, foreign aircraft flying through the zone are required to file flight plans with Beijing, although the United States, Japan and South Korea have flown military aircraft through the region without getting Chinas permission.

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The passing of these restrictions on other countries fishing activities in disputed portions of the South China Sea is a provocative and potentially dangerous act, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington on Thursday. China has not offered any explanation or basis under international law for these extensive maritime claims.

The Foreign Affairs Department of the Philippines issued a statement Friday saying the unilateral Chinese exertion of control over the fishing grounds escalates tensions, unnecessarily complicates the situation in the South China Sea, and threatens the peace and stability of the region.

Taiwan declared that it doesnt recognize the proclaimed access rules as valid, and Vietnam called the Beijing power play illegal and groundless.

The revised rules stem from actions taken by authorities on the island of Hainan, the Chinese province closest to the sea where areas are also claimed by Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.

A year ago, Hainan authorities announced enforcement procedures that allow its police to board foreign ships not authorized to enter the area and to seize the vessels, fishing equipment and catch. Penalties for unauthorized access can also result in fines exceeding $80,000, the provincial rules state.

Hua, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, suggested the international outcry was political.

If someone says a revision to local fishing regulations that have been in effect for many years constitutes a threat to peace and stability in the entire region, it is not a lack of basic common sense but a sign of ulterior motives, Hua told reporters at a Beijing briefing on Friday.

The regional dispute over a cluster of tiny islets in the East China Sea that China claims as the Diaoyu and Japan as the Senkakus has escalated into a series of air and sea faceoffs. Analysts warn that the run-ins could result in accidents or miscalculations that could further heighten tensions among Asias leading powers.

At issue in the South China Sea is a triangular cluster of reefs known as Scarborough Shoal about 130 miles from the Philippines Subic Bay naval station. The Chinese call it Huangyan Island and complain that the Philippine navy has been harassing its fishing boats there.

The South China Sea and coastal passages from Malaysia to Russia are of vital economic interest to all who ply the shipping lanes used to ferry more than $1.2 trillion in goods annually between the United States and its Far East trading partners.

Chinas increasingly ambitious assertions of sovereignty also reflect a power play with Washington, which continues to wield influence and professes commitment to defend longtime allies in Tokyo, Seoul and Manila.

Twitter: @cjwilliamslat

carol.williams@latimes.com


Hundreds Sunday crowded Bushkill Park for its historic comeback as the once disbanded amusement site reopened for an open house and 115th birthday celebration.

It was the first time the Forks Township amusement park has been opened to the public in a decade. Guests were able to see the progress on the park's restoration.

The park in January reopened its skating rink, indoor arcade and children's party area. Neal Fehnel of Palmer Township, park manager, worked tirelessly with owner Sammy Baurkot and ride vendor, Jeremy Carrington, to bring the old-time amusement site back to the public.

"It took all kinds of people to get it here," Fehnel said Sunday morning prior to the reopening. "The whole thing is looking good at the end of the day."

There were inflatable rides, food, games with prizes and roller skating around the rink. People were able to sit in a car from the "Whip It" ride and take photos. "Balloons the Clown" (Fehnel's alter ego) rode into the park in a surprise newly-rehabbed bumper car, wowing the public.

"Balloons" later took the park stage and performed as guests sat on straw bales and clapped. A presentation of the park's past, present and future also was slated, as well as a game show about Bushkill Park and birthday party with cake.

Rides weren't ready yet, but the public watched the swan ride and cops and clowns ride running again. Fehnel hopes to have some rides resume at the park by summer 2018 and there were plans Sunday to unveil a new "mascot" for the site.

Barry Frey of Walnutport was reliving his youth, saying just stepping foot into the park was "bringing me back." Frey and friends, Charlie Aicher of Walnutport and Andy Seipel of Bethehem Township, said the park was the place to be once school let out for the weekend.

"I would hike here every day and go swimming as a kid," Aicher said. He then added with a chuckle, "We would cause trouble on the bumper cars."

It was the site of family reunions and milestone birthday parties. It was the place to go on your first teenage date, they said.

Hundreds turn out for Bushkill Park's 115th birthday. Posted by lehighvalleylive.com on Sunday, July 9, 2017

Wanda Heitzman of Easton, now a mother of adult children, tied a pair of roller skates and said, "It's been awhile." She learned how to skate at Bushkill Park when she was a teenager.

"This is great," Heitzman said. "This is what the community needs because not every family can afford these big time parks."

Anthony Carrington, whose father is Jeremy Carrington, the ride vendor, was operating the "Have A Ball" game and said he couldn't get over the high turnout. Drivers packed parking lots in search of spaces like it was the holiday season outside a shopping mall.

"I knew there would be a lot of people, but I'm surprised this many showed up," he said.

Ancestors of the late Thomas Long also turned out for the event, including his granddaughter, Ruth Thomas of Delaware, and son-in-law, William Gregg of Horsham, Montgomery County.

Long is known for leasing Bushkill Park in the early 1930s and furnishing it with a carousel he and his father hand-carved in Philadelphia. Long bought the park in 1934 and operated it until his death with his wife, Mabel. And Mabel operated the park until her death sometime in the late 1980s, according to online reports.

"We're thrilled," Thomas said of the restoration efforts. "We wanted to come and see it. It hasn't been this busy in a long time."

Bushkill Park was founded in 1902 and for years struggled to stay open. It couldn't recover from back-to-back-to-back floods in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Fehnel said he never gave up hope that one day, with a little TLC, the crowds would return.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
When she was younger, Jenn LaTorre was shunned from her Orthodox Presbyterian church because of her sexual orientation.

Now -- in just two months -- she will celebrate the 20-year anniversary of her holy union to her partner, Diana, in a church that she says has welcomed the couple for exactly who they are.

LaTorre's story is one that in many ways mirrors the progression of LGBT acceptance, particularly in religious environments. And, particularly in the Lehigh Valley, where more and more places are opening their arms for the LGBT community to worship.

One such church -- the home of Jenn and Diana -- is the Metropolitan Community Church of the Lehigh Valley. The Bethlehem-based church was founded in California in 1968 with the explicit purpose of serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

'Safe place'

MCCLV came to the Lehigh Valley in 1984 in Allentown, and then relocated to Greenview Drive in Bethlehem -- a space it shares with two other churches. Drawn to its welcoming and inclusive environment, the Rev. Elizabeth Goudy has served as a pastor there since 1999 -- the first church she has headed and the place where she remains to this day.

"I do believe that a place like this can serve as a place where someone experiences some redemption. ... Maybe they had a negative experience... and they come to MCCLV and they see all of these LGBT people being who they are, owning who they are and acknowledging that God loves them just as they are," Goudy said.

"Sometimes all someone needs is that affirmation."

For many, this is the first church that parishioners say they have truly been able to be themselves. Member Wendy Bitterman said it can be difficult to belong to a church that -- although it may claim to be welcoming -- still makes LGBT couples feel uncomfortable when they hold hands or share a kiss.

When you're so worried about making others uncomfortable, you're not focusing on your relationship with God, Bitterman said. That's what makes MCCLV so different from other houses of worship.

"It's a place where you can be free," Bitterman said. And that is exactly what Goudy hopes it can be.

"A church is a place to explore one's spirituality, but we believe you have to be fully authentic to do that," Goudy said.

Come a long way

When Goudy became pastor in 1999, attitudes were starkly different, she said. People were so protective of their sexuality that there wasn't even a church directory. LGBT members feared that revelations could result in losing their jobs or custody of their children, she said.

In the past five years, Goudy said she has noticed a change in the attitudes toward the LGBT community -- particularly LGBT-affirming churches -- partially due to the growing LGBT-supportive attitudes and legislation, such as the legalization of gay marriage.

It has had a dual effect. As people saw a surge in acceptance, more were open and forthcoming about their sexual orientations and identities. And, as more people were open, more legislation and protections for LGBT people were put into place.

"I just think there's been such an openness in the past five years in our country. Churches have been catching up, quite frankly," Goudy said. "As more people are open about who they are, they're going to be demanding worshipping places that are accepting of who they are and their families."

Many have found that space in MCCLV.

"This church has been much more welcoming to who we are as a family," Jenn LaTorre said of MCCLV as she stood beside her spouse after a recent Sunday service. "It's a safe place to raise our 13-year-old daughter."

MCCLV isn't alone in welcoming the LGBT community into their houses of worship. Others include Trinity Episcopal Church in Easton, the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley, First Presbyterian in Allentown and more.

"I've seen a tremendous change," said Rabbi Carl Choper, executive director of Interfaith Alliance PA, which advocates for social justice and religious liberty. "I've seen more and more mainline churches becoming more accepting (of the LGBT community)."

Choper believes that the Lehigh Valley has been more accepting than most areas.

"My sense in the past few years has been that there were more communities in the Lehigh Valley that were opening and affirming (than most areas in Pennsylvania)," he said.

Still a long way to go

Although churches have come a long way, advocates say there is still work to be done.

Some in the LGBT community say they have noticed a resurgence and strengthening of homophobic rhetoric going back to the 2016 presidential election campaign.

As a result, there has been increased training for Silent Witness Peacekeepers Alliance -- a ministry that blocks out protestors by holding rainbow umbrellas, creating a barrier during pride events.

There was beginning to be less of a need for the peacekeepers, but training started again locally after a protester stood outside of MCCLV in December yelling that LGBT people would "go to hell," Goudy said.

The Silent Witness Peacekeepers Alliance create a barrier between the LGBT community and protestors during pride events by silently holding rainbow umbrellas.

"There is a lot of fear in the LGBT community right now because of the way they see the rhetoric and legislation going," said Amanda Porter, vice president of Renaissance, a transgender support group.

"The more they see (President Trump) openly bad-mouthing or openly not supporting LGBT causes, the more they feel other people will be emboldened to speak up."

There has also been division in other churches that have been less accepting of the LGBT community. The progression toward acceptance has generated a juxtaposition of attitudes even among Lehigh Valley churches, Choper said.

"I've watched as certain denominations have moved to one side while others dug in their heels," he said.

While attitudes have changed, there has been one glaring shortcoming in legislation, according to LGBT supporters. Pennsylvania has yet to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that would ban employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Although some workplaces have their own policies, and certain cities have ordinances, it has not been passed as a Pennsylvania law. Movements have sprung up over the years to affect that.

The Pennsylvania Fairness Act updates the Human Relations Act to include gender identity and expression and sexual orientation. The Human Relations Act, originally written in 1955, currently protects people from discrimination based on race, color, religion, ancestry, age, sex, national origin and disability.

Polls show overwhelming support from Pennsylvanians to update the non-discrimination law to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Based on public support, LGBT advocates hope such a measure will clear the state Legislature in the near future.

"I think the will of the people will eventually overcome this discrimination," Renaissance's Porter said. "I consider the people in Washington as representatives of the people. I still believe the people run this county. Eventually, I believe the legislation will reflect the will of the people."

Although the bill did not pass in 2016, it gained support and was reintroduced in May 2017 by Pennsylvania Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny County, as House Resolution 1410. State Sens. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, and Larry Farnese, D-Philadelphia, introduced Senate Bill 613 in that chamber. It marked the seventh time the nondiscrimination legislation has been introduced in the Pennsylvania Legislature in 14 years, or in seven consecutive legislative sessions.

Although the progressive nature of MCCLV has been extremely rewarding and given Goudy a sense of integrity, she said, she respects those who choose a different course, noting that it is everyone's right to choose who to include and exclude.

Goudy said the church avoids aligning or advocating one political party or ideology over another. MCCLV's beliefs are not secular in nature, but rather strictly theological, she said.

"(At MCCLV), we believe that God is a God of radical hospitality," she said.

The service

Upon entering MCCLV, newcomers are met with a wave of friendly faces and open arms. Each member is identified by a name tag that includes a gender-specific pronoun.

The Sunday service combines the traditional and modern. The readings and sermon are similar to a traditional service, with the hymns being more contemporary.

The inclusive environment reverberates throughout the building's tall ceilings in Goudy's sermon and in every hymn. Even the taking of communion is unified, with everyone waiting until each person is served before consuming their wafers and grape juice.

On a recent Sunday, the love and spirit of the congregation was palpable.

As Goudy spoke to the congregation -- about 30 people were present this particular day -- some parishioners were moved to tears during the sermon and others raised their hands in praise.

The sermon, titled "Christians & Alcohol," encouraged acceptance without making judgments.

"The point of this series is not to say 'Christians must believe a particular way on these issues' because most of us have certainly had enough of the idea that Christians must believe a particular way," Goudy said as the congregation responded with a laugh and an "Amen!"

"At Metropolitan Community Church we do not hold that the Christian faith necessitates unchanging opinions on hot-button topics. Instead, at MCCLV we believe that a living and active faith will bring people and communities to a prayerful place of disagreement on a variety of issues," she said.

Throughout the service, that acceptance was clearly the theme. All types of couples were able to worship and share their love openly -- whether it be two gay men holding hands during the sermon or a daughter dancing with her father during the final hymn.

"There is a very real miracle that I believe happens Sunday after Sunday as people gather here at the Metropolitan Community Church of Lehigh Valley," Goudy said in her sermon. "Despite being from very different backgrounds, despite holding very different theologies, despite holding a diverse amount of opinions on many issues, despite different ethnicities and incomes and families... Sunday after Sunday worship continues... We are not able to do this on our own, but it is only through God's power to bring us together... We live in a world that is in desperate need of miracles, most especially, the miracle of worshipping together despite disagreement."

As the service concluded, the congregation clapped and sang enthusiastically a song written by the music and worship director, Brian Jones.

"Oh, Lord, you brought us through thick and thin. Through the fire and wind to a better place. You brought us out to bring us in."

Alyssa Mursch may be reached at amursch@lehighvalleylive.com. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A four-year effort is underway to enrich local colleges with Lehigh Valley culture - with the help of six colleges, four cultural institutions and nearly $1 million.

Lafayette College was recently awarded a $950,000 grant by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support a collaborative initiative known as "The Lehigh Valley Engaged Humanities Consortium: Understanding Transformations of the Past Half-Century."

The mission of the Mellon Foundation is to strengthen, promote and defend the contributions of the humanities and the arts to society, according to its website.

As such, the goal of this initiative is to "explore life" in the Lehigh Valley through the arts and humanities by expanding the knowledge and appreciation for local culture in both students and the community.

"The consortium's activities will harness the power of the public humanities to increase the understanding of ordinary American lives and bear witness to them, exploring the Lehigh Valley's growing diversity, its sense of place, the evolution of its patterns of work, and the stories these themes occasion," said Lafayette Provost S. Abu Rizvi, the grant's principal investigator.

The consortium will include on-campus residencies of literary, performing and visual artists who use local people and places as their subjects, as well as a digital archive of source materials that will provide a more inclusive cultural representation of the Lehigh Valley.

The funding will also provide support for faculty members, furthering their ability to incorporate community-based learning and research in the humanities and arts into coursework and activities outside the classroom.

Besides Lafayette, the participating colleges are the other five members of the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges (LVAIC): Cedar Crest College, DeSales University, Lehigh University, Moravian College and Muhlenberg College.

Four cultural institutions - the Allentown Art Museum, the Sigal Museum in Easton, Easton Area Public Library, and the Karl Stirner Arts Trail - as well as the Lehigh Valley Research Consortium also are part of the project.

The four-year project will be guided by a steering committee of consortium partners co-led by Lafayette's Charlotte Nunes, co-director of digital scholarship services, and Andrea Smith, professor and department head of anthropology and sociology.

"This grant will allow us to advance our goal of building more diverse, inclusive, and connected campuses, cultural institutions, and communities," said Lafayette College President Alison R. Byerly in a statement.

Alyssa Mursch may be reached at amursch@lehighvalleylive.com. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Are school children safer from gun violence if their teachers, principals, custodians, librarians and other school staffers carry guns?

It's amazing how people fall into immediate "yes" and "no" camps on this issue -- mirroring, perhaps, the debate over allowing (and encouraging) civilians to pack heat as a defense against shootings and other forms of violence.

Last month the Pennsylvania Senate showed how it feels on the issue, voting 26-22 for a bill that would allow school staffers with concealed-carry permits to have guns in school. They'd have to undergo training and pass a psychological screening. School boards would have to establish a firearm access policy and keep it on file with local police.

The idea behind this legislation is understandable. We don't think anyone should be castigated for wanting to prevent mass shootings in our schools, no matter which side of the gun debate they find themselves on.

Eighteen states have enacted similar bills. However, it's far from clear whether such laws would have prevented or mitigated the tragic school shootings we've witnessed, from Columbine and Erie to Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook.

But this bill isn't the answer. If the House approves it, Gov. Tom Wolf should follow through on his promise to veto it.

School shootings are still relatively rare. Schools have gotten better in dealing with threats of violence, making kids aware of potential problems and having them report suspicious behavior and online postings.

Expecting school personnel with basic firearms training to make the right decisions in an active-shooter situation is dangerous and naive -- unless they undergo the same life-or-death training that police and the military do, and keep up the training. Still, it's much better to have armed school security officers on site to deal with such situations.

Would teachers wear their sidearms in holsters -- or keep them in designated lock boxes or in a secure closet on the principal's office? Either way, questions arise -- including the possibility that a staffer could be attacked and overwhelmed, placing lethal firepower in the hands of a killer.

The opinions of school personnel should weigh heavily here. Two superintendents interviewed by The Express-Times -- Joseph Roy of Bethlehem and John Reinhart of Easton -- say the prospect of arming teachers should be setting off alarms.

"Only highly trained, professional law enforcement officers should be permitted to carry firearms in schools. Anything else raises the risk that some innocent person is going to get hurt," Roy said.

Before the state Senate voted, Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, read a letter from a group of Sandy Hook, Conn., teachers who survived the 2012 shooting. "To put students in harm's way because of your notion that an educator could take down an active shooter while shielding children from gunfire is absurd," the teachers wrote.

Among local senators, Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, and Lisa Boscola, D-Northampton-Lehigh, voted against the bill. Mario Scavello, R-Monroe-Northampton, voted for it.

Simply increasing the number of people carrying concealed weapons doesn't translate into more security for everyone. A recent study by the Violence Policy Center found the use of guns in self-defense by private citizens is extremely rare, debunking the myth that such responders make a dent in defending themselves or others.

When it comes to schools, we know "gun-free zones" are no deterrent to someone truly intent on shooting up a school. But increasing the number of guns in schools isn't the answer, either. It's an invitation to a whole new set of dangers.
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A 16-year-old has been put behind bars after knocking out police officer with one punch as he was being taken to a cell.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, hit the officer at Keyham Lane Police Station in Leicester after he had been arrested for fighting with a customer at a pub.

The 16-year-old, who told police he had been drinking vodka and had taken cocaine, was sentenced to eight months detention when he appeared at Leicester Youth Court .

Prosecutor Sally Cook said: "A fellow officer described the punch as an uppercut which took the officer clean off his feet and knocked him unconscious."

She told the hearing how the punch had loosened one of the officers teeth and forced it through his lower lip.

Mrs Cook the teenager was detained after hitting a customer in the Sugar Loaf pub in Market Harborough after he took some of his tobacco.

The police were called to an incident at 10.40pm on June 6 outside the Wetherspoon's pub in High Street.

Mrs Cook said that the youth took a customer's roll up cigarette then punched him in the face drawing blood, when he objected.

She said the police were called and the youth was arrested and taken to Keyham Lane Police Station.

He punched the police officer as he was being taken down to a cell for the night.

The youth pleaded guilty to common assault on the customer and assault causing actual bodily harm to the police officer.

He also admitted to stealing three air fresheners and a bottle of vodka from Morrisons in Whitwick Road, Coalville, on February 9.

He also pleaded guilty to criminal damage after kicking off a wing mirror on a Vauxhall Vectra at 5.15am on June 3 in Bishop Street, Leicester city centre.

Eve Patterson, defending, said her client was in the care of Leicestershire County Council and had had a troubled life.

She said: "He is genuinely remorseful about hitting the officer.

"He thought he was defending himself in the incident with the man in the pub."

Chairman of the bench, Andy Cooke, told the teenager he had no option but to send him into custody.

He said: "It is a very, very serious offence of assault on the police officer."
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A company director who splashed out on lavish cars and exotic holidays after fleecing investors of 3 million has been jailed.

Alan Chandler, 46, of Torrance Drive, Melton, used a forged document to persuade a venture capital company to invest in his green energy company Soleil Holdings Ltd, and falsely claimed that he was a multi-millionaire and the son of a High Court judge.

Lincoln Crown Court heard how the fraudster repeatedly claimed that his business, which grew straw and converted it into electricity, was thriving, despite it not doing.

Chandler attained the investment from Fredrik Werner and Agne Svensson, who operated through a Monaco-based venture capital company called Marine Life.

However, the two investors lost every penny of their money when the company collapsed due to outstanding debts, including staff wages.

Most of the 3 million investment went into propping up the company to keep it going but Chandler personally benefited by almost 400,000 which was spend on "exotic" holidays for him and his girlfriend, expensive cars and a rented farmhouse near Stamford.

Chandler, who was previously known as Mark Lamb, admitted to three charges of fraud.

He was jailed for seven years.

Recorder Paul Mann QC, sentencing, told Chandler: "If the investors had known the truth, they would have cut their losses.

"As it was they became sucked into making more payments as a result of your assurances.

"They have lost every penny they invested with you. You just fed them lies.

"You created a fictional lifestyle.

"In every sense of the word you have lived your life as a professional conman.

"Your desire to get rich quick is one of the reasons why the business failed."

(Image: SWNS)

Jonathon Dee, prosecuting, said that Chandler, whom the investors knew by his original name Lamb, made a series of false claims to convince the investors to back him.

He claimed to have a portfolio of properties across the UK and Europe, and produced documents showing he had received 150,000 shares worth 5 million after departing his previous company - when he had in fact only earned just 56,000 from 2,000 shares.

Mr Dee said: "Mr Werner and Mr Svensson conducted due diligence but nothing cropped up."

In a desperate bid to cover up his lie, in October 2011 Chandler told the investors that the reason he didn't have up to date financial information was because of a fire, and said his firm was due an insurance payout of 750,000.

However, when the insurance claim of just 23,000 for the fire came through, Chandler confessed.

Mr Dee added: "He finally realised that the business had failed.

"There was a meeting where Mr Werner and Mr Svensson learned the truth. What they learned greatly shocked them."

Greg Johnson, defending, said: "This was a company that was viable. It could have succeeded. He was trying to make the company succeed.

"The investment did not go to him. It went primarily into the company."
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Children as old as nine are going to school wearing nappies according to statistics released recently.

It's led to one expert suggesting that Britain is in the middle of a potty training crisis.

Mum of three Amanda Jenner, who runs runs a potty company, receives hundreds of e-mails every day from parents worried about their kids.

70 per cent of schools are reporting an increase in the numbers of children starting reception in nappies.

But half a century ago, the average age a toddler was potty trained was just 15 months.

A report from the Lecturers and Teachers Association says the average today is three-and-a-half.

Some of the most upsetting stories Amanda hears include children who still need potty training at nine years old and end up refusing to go to school for fear of bullying.

The survey of 700 teachers across the UK also revealed that some schools expected one in six new pupils not to be toilet trained.

We are in the middle of a potty training crisis and no one seems to realise it, Amanda said in a Daily Mail report .

Its really scary.

"I have nine or ten Skype calls a day with parents who are panicking because their children are two months from starting school and nowhere near being potty trained."

She added: Its a terrible situation.

"Its extremely stressful for the parents and it is embarrassing for the children.

Parents constantly tell me their children wont go to school for fear of being picked on because they are still wetting themselves.

And these poor kids cant go to sleepovers or parties for the same reason.

Then there are teachers who sometimes spend more time wiping childrens bottoms than teaching the rest of the class.

Its not good for anyone.
Editor's note: The Herald & Review asked area lawmakers to explain their veto override votes. They are the following:

Today, the Illinois House of Representatives considered overriding the vetoes by the governor on a budget and a tax hike that would increase personal income taxes 32 percent and corporate income taxes from 5.25 percent to 7 percent.

As a member of the Government Transparency Committee, I continued to oppose these increases by voting no on the override motions.

This is a massive, permanent tax hike that will push more taxpayers out of state and more businesses out of business. There is not enough spending reductions in this plan, no property tax relief, no regulatory reform to grow jobs and no term limits. It also does little to address the billions of dollar in unpaid bills the state has accumulated as a result of years of failure to address these and other issues.

I had to support the Governors veto of this bad plan.

We need reform because we have the worst job growth of any state in the country. Since 2000, we have grown virtually no jobs. If our economy had just grown at the national average the last 17 years, we would have enough money to balance our budgets. People are leaving the state every day and are going to places with jobs and growth like Indiana and Texas. There is no reason we shouldnt be creating jobs here in Illinois.
You're to blame, you lot; the great unwashed. Your lack of interest is almost criminal. The big news doing the rounds now is that the Kildare South constituency is to have one more TD. Well, break out the champagne. This is pure joy at the end of a heart's longing.

The fact is that the media and the politicians have been working themselves up into a right lather of excitement

You lot couldn't give a rat's backside.

It's not that you don't get it. Some commentators suggest that the public don't underst that the voting system , if you like, underpins our democracy.

It's worse than that; we're boring you with stuff you don't need. We are cluttering your head.

If the media and politicians have one thing in common it's a failure to understood just how much indifference exists towards our politicians  TDs and councillors.

The practitioners have given them good cause. There was Charlie Haughey's and his donations; Bertie Ahern's ability to enrich himself by backing winners on the racecourse; Enda Kenny's failure to tackle the problems of the health system when compared with his enthusiasm for providing water meters which aren't read and then Shane's reopening of Stepaside garda station to address the problems caused on the crime ravaged streets of South Dublin. Most people in County Kildare couldn't name the TDs in both constituencies.

Some would struggle to name a councillor. Most, though not all, of the nine councillors representing Naas would walk the town with most folk not knowing who they are.

Ireland is well represented with TDs and councillors  in numbers that is; the quality issue is a matter for yourself. There are more (proportionately) TDs in Ireland than MPs in the UK.

If the public had a chance they'd likely halve the number of TDs in a flash.

Yet it's surely better to have a greater level of representation because it gives us more of a say. In the UK, MPs are elected to constituencies they're not from and are hardly known in. Little wonder the establishment misread the public's reaction the idea of leaving the European Union.

There was no public outcry when, prior to be last local elections, it was decided to do away with Naas Town Council and the rest of the town councils. Had we been asked to cut the number of county councillors or amalgamate county councils we'd likely have run with that too.

And yet, we wouldn't want, would we, the class divisions of the UK which are compounded when large swathes of people feel disconnected from the system, a feeling which manifests itself in opposition to what we think the Government wants. The Constituency Commission is utterly independent and has decided Kildare South should have one more TD, based on population growth recorded in the last census. The constituency has been redrawn to include part of Co. Laois around Portarlington, part of Kildare North and Offaly and part of the south Kildare area has been restored.

If the election took place tomorrow the fourth seat would likely go to Labour or Sinn Fein or maybe Fiona McLoughlin Healy as an independent.

There will, in some quarters, be speculation about the destination of the new seat. It'll be led by the media and that group of people who only surface during an election.

The rest of you couldn't care less.
Kildare County Council is proposing to change the location of the new dog park planned for Monread Park.

This follows concerns raised by some residents about possible noise levels, after the original location was proposed for an area of the park near the Kerdiff Close and Kerdiff Avenue residential areas.

A dog park to serve the Naas area has been in the offing for some time and has been prioritised by independent councillor Sorcha ONeill.

Cllr ONeill has pointed out that these exist in Dublin and can be provided for about 5,000. KCCs plan for an off-the-leash area surrounded by a 1.2m fence and with self closing gates at either end will now go to public consultation again.

The new recommendation is for the park to be situated close to the playing pitches, which would be away from most residential areas which border the park area.

Another Naas councillor, Darren Scully, wants the councillors to have the final say on the eventual location.

Kildare County Council as said that the consultation period for the original plan has concluded.

The new consultation process will be similarly advertised and the plan will be forwarded to those who have made submissions already.

KCC also stated that the Naas Municipal District councillors will receive a report on the outcome of the consultation before any work on the facility commences.
Kildare County Council is insisting it has no role in the inspection of the cranes at the unopened Naas Shopping Centre.

The three large cranes dominate the town skyline and haven't been taken down despite the fact that they appear to have been hardly used, since the centre was due to open almost eight years ago.

Local residents as well as politicians have expressed fears about the safety of the structures.

When this issue was first raised  when Naas Town Council was in existence  it emerged that the cranes were subject to six monthly inspections and satisfactory information had always been provided to the local authority.

According to a report at the recent Naas Municipal District meeting, the responsibility for the cranes lies with the developer and the National Asset Management Agency.

However KCC says that the developer inspects the cranes every six months but KCC has no role in this.

It is not necessary for reports to be provided to Kildare County Council.
The Grand Orange Order in Leitrim joined lodges from Donegal, Cavan Monaghan in Rossnowlagh, yesterday, July 8 for the annual Orange Order parade in the Republic of Ireland.

The parade opens up the marching season in Northern Ireland, with parades across the north expected on July 12.

DUP leader Arlene Foster was in Rossnowlagh yesterday as the traditional event basked in the sunshine with large crowds of particpants and people who came to see the spectacle.

Lodges from Donegal, Cavan, Leitrim and Monaghan, as well as visiting Orange men and women from Dublin and Wicklow, Northern Ireland and further afield enjoyed spectacularly good weather, the sun beaming down as the marchers made their way from St John's Church to the field where they participated in a religious service where the sermon was delivered by Robert Campbell, County Antrim Deputy Grand Chaplain.



The main speaker was Stuart Brooker, Assistant Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland. Proceedings were chaired by the County Donegal Grand Master, David Mahon.

Around 50 lodges from Donegal, Cavan, Leitrim and Monaghan, as well as visiting Orangemen and women, took part in the parade.

The Twelfth in Donegal has been held in Rossnowlagh since the 1900s and has taken place there every year since 1978. It is traditional to hold the parade on the Saturday before the main Twelfth parades, meaning lodges in the Irish Republic can attend the Twelfth demonstrations in Northern Ireland.

There are over 40 Orange halls in Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan and Leitrim and the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland has members in nine counties in the Republic.
Since the election there has been much angst among Liberal Democrats over the partys position on University tuition fees.

Martin Lewis is said to be among the most trusted source on personal finance with the general public. He has recently posted a detailed review of tuition fees arguing:

The student loan isnt a debt; if we changed its name to the more accurate graduate contribution this myth busting guide would be less needed.

What is missing, however, from much of the debate over tuition fees has been the ongoing training needs of the 60%+ of school leavers who are unable or choose not to take a degree course.

Skill shortages are having a detrimental effect on the UKs productivity and this needs to be addressed urgently in order to meet immediate economic and workforce challenges, including those arising from Brexit. The UK faces a particularly acute issue in the thousands of adults who lack English, maths and digital skills, creating a serious barrier to their progression in employment, training or education. This is compounded by the diminishing availability of adult education opportunities and the inequality of access to provision where it does exist. The current level of provision does not support the needs of our economy or our society. Add to this the pace of technological and demographic change and the need for a fresh new approach to adult skills and learning becomes crucially apparent.

Sir Vince cable, as Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills put industrial strategy and modern apprenticeships at the heart of his policy program. In a 2013 article he criticises a rise in the number of standard occupations such as nursing that now require a degree, saying top-level qualifications are often superfluous. The comments followed the release of a report in 2013 showing that the average apprenticeship post now receives 11 applications each following a surge in demand for on-the-job training. In some industry sectors, such as plumbing and events management, the number rises well above 30.

The Institutes for Adult Learning (IAL) is a program organised by the Workers Educational Association (WEA), a charitable organisation. The participants share a joint belief in the power of adult community education to deliver social justice, stronger families and communities, healthy ageing, digital inclusion, social mobility, employability and many other cross-government priorities.

Each of the courses and programmes is designed to help people develop literacy, numeracy, digital and other basic skills that help them lead more productive lives at work, at home and in society; harnessing the power of education to transform lives and communities.

Developing a comprehensive suite of economic policies and an industrial strategy that can restore productivity growth is a fundamental element of the Liberal Democrat mission to improve living standards.

Liberal Democrat Voice is sponsoring a fringe titled Adult Education and Training at the Bournemouth conference on September 16th. Invited speakers include Sir Vince Cable and Joanna Cain, Deputy Chief Executive of the WEA.

* Joe Bourke is an accountant and university lecturer, Chair of ALTER, and Chair of Hounslow Liberal Democrats.
Vince went from Marr to Pienaars Politics this morning..

It started seriously enough and he delivered The Message that there is a great opportunity for us as the other parties are divided. The Brexit train is not unstoppable, he said, and there are significant risks to a disorderly Brexit.

He says there is a sense that people do want to work together to stop things like leaving Euratom. The key is what happens in the Labour Party. The contradiction between him being the hero of young people while working with the Tories to bring about hard Brexit will be exposed.

He says that we may be faced with a completely unacceptable Brexit outcome and people will want the opportunity to vote. With extra young people on the register, the balance of public opinion may be shifting.

He said that all of this could mean an upheaval of the political system and we might just be at the centre of major political transformation like Macron did in France.

He dealt with the age question then. Thankfully, there was no sign of the culture of youth stuff he was coning out with last week. He returned to talking about Gladstone who was 82 when he last became PM. Vince said he feels young and has a good team around him. Hes just been through an arduous election and he feels great.

Talk turned to realignment of politics. We arent expecting defections but the tensions between the moderates and the revolutionary socialists were, he said, profound.

He said something that reminded me of Nick Clegg when he became leader  that he wanted to bring in the people who broadly agree with us but dont vote for us. Thats a bit of a statement of the obvious, but it did transport me back to 2007. And then I get to wonder what would have happened if he had stood then. Thats a counterfactual in the making. Would we have done better in 2010? At whose expense?

Anyway, back to Vince and Pienaar. As the end of the programme approached, the tone lowered a bit. Vince got the usual quick fire questions.

Would the crowds be calling his name at Glastonbury:

They almost did a few years ago. Who knows where this will go?

He has no regrets about the role we played in government

Greatest regret is having lost two years ago.

Greatest moment of personal triumph  being re-elected and the brilliant response he got from the people of Twickenham.

High point as Secretary of State for Business was being allowed to drive an Aston Martin. He is a bit of a petrol head although he has a modest hybrid.

Then the subject turned to his political thriller which comes out in September. What about the sex in it?

Its not going to win the bad sex award.

Its discreet and carefully written, apparently. All I can say is thank heavens for that. Anything else would feel very awkward. Nobody wants to think about their leader.

And then we came to the traditional round of Snog, Marry, Avoid. He said he already was happily married so that wasnt an option.

He kept things proper by saying hed kiss, not snog, Strictly judge Darcey Bussell.

Hes avoid Melania Trump, which is probably wise. But youll have to listen from around 45 minutes in to find out what hed do to Theresa May.

So he managed to escape that with his dignity intact.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
This week, it was very welcome to hear the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) calling for the UK to remain in the Single Market and Customs Union once it leaves the EU, until a full trade deal is in place.

This seems to be simple common sense to me.

Anything else would be utter lunacy. Cross border supply chains are now so entrenched that leaving the customs union (without a viable (frictionless border) alternative) would be sheer insanity. Ask anyone who has had to chase boxes through customs (which is like this).

One person who, I highly suspect, has never had to chase a box through customs is the Right Honourable Dr Liam Fox.

Dr Fox criticised the CBIs stance saying:

We cant have a perpetual transitional period undermining the concept of Brexit itself.

This remarks seems utterly stupid on two levels:

(a) There has to be a transitional period after the two years of Article 50. Otherwise, well have a cliff edge into oblivion (aka WTO rules). Greenland took two years to negotiate leaving the EEC and they have a population of less than 60,000 and had only one thing to negotiate about  fish.

(b) Brexit, or what was voted on in the June 23rd 2016 referendum  that is leaving the EU, does not mean leaving the single market or customs union. Norway, who many Brexiteers quoted as a model in the referendum campaign, is not in the EU but in the single market. And as Nick Clegg says, there is a world of wiggle room on free movement if only we were to put our minds to it.

I do hope the UK is not seduced by Liam Foxs kamikazee Brexit course which will cut our national nose off to spite our face.

* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist and member of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
THE LIMERICK garda division has got just 33 of 981 new officers since recruitment recommenced, revealed Deputy Niall Collins.

He tabled a Dail question following the June meeting of the Limerick Joint Policing Committee (JPC).

I expressed my concern at the meeting that we werent getting enough of recruits, said the Fianna Fail deputy, who proceeded to ask Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan the number of new recruits allocated to each garda division.

The reply shows that Limerick got eight out of 296 in 2015, 16 from 393 in 2016 and so far in 2017  nine of 292. In total, Limerick got 3% of the men and women straight out of Templemore.

The figures certainly confirmed to me my impression and my experience on the ground across the county. It shows Limerick is nearly at the bottom of the pile in terms of receiving new recruits.

There is no transparency or fairness in the allocation of new recruits. A division the size of Limerick should be getting well above what. All divisions are trying to play catch up on the numbers they lost through the moratorium.

They should all be given a fair allocation and we in Limerick are falling behind for an unexplained reason. The numbers on the ground are very low and people find it very hard to get an adequate response time from An Garda Siochana because of lack of man power. Under Chief Superintendent David Sheahan they are doing their best with the resources they have, said Deputy Collins.

He also joined with councillors in the Cappamore-Kilmallock Municipal District in calling for more gardai for the Bruff district.

It is almost the size of County Louth, said Deputy Collins. Last March, the recently appointed Bruff Superintendent William Duane said garda resources in the district have been decimated and apologised for slow response times. In a court case in this weeks Leader, Supt Duane said Kilmallock is a growing town with very few guards.
SOME of Limericks most well-known women have come out in support of a campaign to bring Pope Francis to the Treaty City during his trip to Ireland next year.

A visit from the pontiff could uplift the city in more ways than one, they argue. According to the campaign spearheaded by local woman Emily Clarke, an economic boost to the entire region, as well as the chance to promote Limerick on a global scale are some of the benefits we can look forward to.

Not to mention the spiritual impact a papal visit would have on Limericks faithful denizens.

Since starting this campaign back in 2014, when I sent my song Papa Francis to the Vatican with an invitation to come to Limerick, I have been blown away with the build-up of excitement and enthusiasm and support for the prospect of a papal visit to Limerick, said Ms Clarke, from Crecora.

Celia Holman Lee and Senator Maria Byrne are the latest Limerick people to back the bid, along with prominent businesswoman Mary Fitzgerald of Adares Woodlands Hotel, former councillor Mary Jackman and Helen ODonnell, chair of both the Limerick City Business Association and the board of management at Crescent College Comprehensive.

Senator Byrne said she had many fond memories of the last papal visit to Limerick.

My father Bobby, as Mayor of Limerick, welcomed Pope John Paul II to Limerick Racecourse, South Circular Road to present his holiness with the Freedom of the City of Limerick, said the politician.

I understand Pope Francis is expected to visit Dublin and an area in the North of Ireland, she said.

 I believe Limerick is an ideal place to encompass the rest of the Ireland and has the facilities to enable such a visit by His Holiness, she added.

Hotelier Mrs Fitzgerald also recalled the last papal visit, saying that another one would be a huge boost to those in her industry.

Im old enough to remember the impact of the visit of Pope John Paul to Limerick in 1979. I had only recently started my bed and breakfast business, and it was full with visitors, from south Kerry and beyond, she said.

Talks of getting the leader of the Roman Catholic church to come to this side of the country have also reached the council chamber.

Members of Limerick City and County Council supported a motion to invite the pope to Limerick, and a council spokesperson confirmed that a letter will be sent in the near future.

Last November, following a similar request from councillors, Limerick City and County Council wrote to the Office of the Apolostic Nuncio in Ireland, said the spokesperson.

Ms Clarke, Mayor Stephen Keary and a number of other local representatives are due to meet the bishop to discuss coming together to issue a formal invitation.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Partly cloudy. Gusty winds diminishing after midnight. Low 39F. Winds N at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Gusty winds diminishing after midnight. Low 39F. Winds N at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
PUT it down to an unresolved identity crisis, if you will, but like a lot of people I know, Im a bit territorial. Im not like Brian Boru now, mind you, always on the look-out for invaders coming up the Shannon in longboats trying to annexe the lands on which Ive been living for nearly 40 years.

But every time I meet a successful woman farmer working an agricultural enterprise on her own, I get a bit wary and think of Queen Maeve of Connacht and all the trouble she caused over the brown bull of Cooley. Sorry ladies, its the territorialism in the genes kicking in!

Long before the ill-fated boom began at all, I was feeling a bit vulnerable living so close to the county bounds, especially when the late lamented auctioneer, Harry Brann, told me one day that it was only a matter of time before Limerick City would reach out as far as Birdhill - while Ballina and Killaloe would become posh city suburbs. Ill be living in a bubble yet, I said to myself.

Now the threat is real, with the constituency Commission recommending the annexation of parts of Tipperary around Newport and Birdhill for transfer to the Limerick City Constituency for electoral purposes.

Despite my long and happy connection with the city, and despite Willie ODeas exuberant welcome to his turf, Im not one bit pleased at the prospect of being taken over. My husband has a field in Birdhill and a bit of a bog in Annaholty  which moved physically all by itself, 150 years ago - so you cant say that I dont have a vested interest in this Constituency cut and paste plan.

I fear its just the first step to extending the city boundary in an eastern direction.

At this point, without prejudice to the generality of the overall issue, I must remind everyone living in the effected zone that the property tax is higher in Limerick.

So watch out!

Its all very well to tell me that Im paranoid and that this is not a re-settlement. But while the land is not about to be taken over, I may have to move house.

According to the Commissions recent report, a total of 4,400 voters have been earmarked for transfer to the new Limerick City Constituency, and since the population of Newport in the last census was just 1,806, I greatly fear that Ballina will be included in the transportation order, if the figures are to add up.

This will have terrible consequences for my own personal vote, and if I was really paranoid, Id say they were out to get me because of my long time loyalty to Michael Lowry.

They cant disenfranchise me because of my political views, but they can put me in a different constituency where I wont be able to vote for the candidate of my choice.

As well as that Id be worried that my Limerick City representatives would not understand my particular needs and might give priority to their own people.

For all that, I have to admit that we here in this neck of the woods in North West Tipperary, have much more in common with Limerick city than we have with, say, the remote stretches of our current Constituency around Carrick-on-Suir and Clonmel. Were so far apart that we dont even speak with the same accent and the only thing we have in common with them is the hurling, whereas Limerick city has been our metropolis for generations. Were all Dalcassians at heart, here in the Mid-West.

The vast majority of the names and faces on the 2016 ballot paper presented to me at the polling booth were complete strangers to me and I dont even recall any of them coming to this outback of the Constituency to canvas a vote. The constituency is so vast that I count myself lucky to even have met three of my five Dail representatives, even if a couple of them have since forgotten me.

All this chopping and changing of Dail constituencies to cater for changing population trends is very unsettling to say the least. At the end of the day, Im not even sure if Limerick wants us - in spite of Willies warm reception.

We can be very demanding, you know, and very opinionated at times.

The identity issue should not be dismissed too lightly either. All this disruption of constituencies is bad for morale and doesnt do anything at all for our engagement, or lack of it, with the political system. Were already very confused about who we are and where we are. Even as I write, most of my own county and some of South East Limerick is littered with signposts indicating that we are all in the Ancient East. This is nothing more than a ploy to entice tourists to set foot beyond the Pale but its very disconcerting. The last time we had any real connection with the ancient East was when Brian Boru was crowned High King of Ireland and now we dont even have a senior Minister in the Cabinet.

Wed all be better off with fewer TDs in the Dail in the first place, but if constituencies have to cross county bounds to ensure equal representation for all, numerically, then it might be a better idea to just number each constituency or put some other label on them. County loyalties are too ingrained now to be part of any political expediency plan. Imagine having to say I vote for Limerick and I hurl for Tipperary.

In any case, some of us are so paranoid that you wouldnt know what wed do if, for one minute, we suspected any further dilution of our identity.
Dont know much about history? Stamp collecting can enlighten you

Jul 8, 2017, 3 PM

Patricia A. Trish Kaufmann is a full-time stamp dealer devoted to the stamps and postal history of the Confederate States of America.

Editors Insights  By Donna Houseman

Stamp dealer Patricia A. Trish Kaufmann shared with Linns an all-to-familiar encounter with a caller and agreed to share her experience with Linns readers.



The phone call was a typical one for a dealer to receive. A middle-aged sounding woman said she was calling for her boyfriend who had a stamp collection for sale. Predictably, she could tell me absolutely nothing about the collection. Unfortunately, Im used to that.

I asked her if she could tell me if the stamps were United States, foreign, or  hopefully  Confederate. She couldnt.

I asked if the stamps were used or unused? She had no clue.

I told her that I only handle Confederate States, and unless that was the focus of her boyfriends collection, I would be unlikely to be able to help. She asked, Whats that?

Confederates States of America, I expanded, only the Southern side of the Civil War. She was still puzzled.

The North and the South, I further clarified, the Yankees and the Rebels, Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. I was dumbfounded when she said, I dont know much about stamps.

There was not the barest flicker of recognition in her voice. Without much hope, I suggested that she either ask her boyfriend to give me a call directly or, even better, send me images of some of the stamps for me to be better able to assist them.

I thanked her for calling and have not heard from either since.

I thought to myself, its true you dont know stamps, but you also dont know American history or current events?

For someone like me who essentially makes a living by selling (postal) history, this is a shocking revelation about the teaching of American history in our schools.

Im hoping she was just an anomaly.



Kaufmanns story might be a sad reflection on the education system in the United States or the influence of pop culture on our society, but stamp collecting can be a solution to the problem. It is unfortunate that the caller or her boyfriend didnt reach out to Kaufmann a second time.

By doing so, the couple might have learned something about stamp collecting and U.S. history, as told through stamps and postal history. Little did they know that Kaufmann is a well-informed stamp dealer and collector who is always ready and willing to share her knowledge.

She recently participated as an instructor at the six-day American Philatelic Society Summer Seminar on Philately, where collectors can learn about stamps through a combination of lectures and hands-on workshops.

Stamp collecting offers the road to enlightenment, and while traveling that road, you are likely to foster new friendships that will last a lifetime.
Jul 9, 2017, 5 AM

The souvenir sheet of two features Gilbert Duclos image Enlacees, Montreal, capturing a young mother and daughter in a face-to-face embrace; and William James Topleys portrait of Sir John Macdonald.

The Canadian Photography stamps are available as self-adhesives in booklets of 10, and with moisture-activated gum in souvenir sheets. This souvenir sheet contains the three stamps showing the photographs by Robert Bourdeau, Samuel McLaughlin and Claire B

Five monochrome designs wrap up the five-year Canadian Photography stamp series: Claire Beaugrand-Champagnes Ti-Noir Lajeunesse, The Blind Violinist, from Disraeli, Quebec; Robert Bourdeaus Ontario, Canada; Samuel McLaughlins Construction of the Parlia

By Fred Baumann

On July 4, Canada Post concluded its five-year series of commemorative stamps that showcased the best Canadian photographers and photography of the past 150 years, as chosen by leading curators and gallery owners.

Five new designs were issued as self-adhesive stamps in booklets of 10 and with moisture-activated gum in two souvenir sheets (one with three of the new stamps, and the other with two).

All of the stamps are nondenominated, permanent stamps paying Canadas basic domestic letter rate (currently 85).

The designs also were reconfigured into a set of international-rate postal cards, though Canada Post did not issue any stamps denominated to pay rates abroad as it had during 2013-16.

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The oldest photograph of the five, Construction of the Parliament Buildings, Centre Block, was taken by Samuel McLaughlin, Canadas first official photographer, circa 1862.

Canadas Parliament Building has been frequently featured on Canadian stamps, beginning with a 3 stamp in 1927 (Scott 143).

Another early historic image is William James Topleys circa 1883 portrait Sir John A. Macdonald. Macdonald, Canadas first prime minister, would have then been 68 at the time.

Topleys photograph obviously was the basis of the 1 orange Macdonald stamp that was the low denomination in the set that marked the 60th anniversary of Confederation in 1927 (Scott 141).

Quebecs first female press photographer, Claire Beaugrand-Champagne is represented in the Canadian Photography series with her 1972 portrait Ti-Noir Lajeunesse, The Blind Violinist, from Disraeli, Quebec.

The photography of Robert Bourdeau is summarized with an adaptation of his 1989 gelatin silver print titled Ontario, Canada, showing the deeply textured bark and gnarled roots of a tree that has survived many decades along the bank of a narrow creek.

The most recent of the five photos was taken in 1994 by Gilbert Duclos of Montreal, who was described in the news release for the issue as a letter carrier and truck driver for Canada Post in the 1970s and the man behind the image of Oscar Peterson that graced our first stamp featuring a living Canadian, in 2005 (Scott 2118).

Titled Enlacees, Montreal (enlacees translates to Intertwined), this photo captures a young mother and daughter in a face-to-face embrace, a warm moment on a cold field of urban concrete.

The image is from Duclos 1977-2007 Cities series. A webpage devoted to the artist, said that the theme of the series is the human in the urban environment, adding that taken randomly from his encounters, the black and white photographs, all vertical, reflect his curiosity and sometimes his astonishment.

Canadian Bank Note printed the stamps by offset lithography in six colors for the self-adhesive serpentine die-cut booklet of 10, of which 140,000 were printed.

A total of 100,000 of each of the three- and two-stamp perforated souvenir sheets with moisture-activated PVA gum were printed in five- and four-color lithography, respectively.

The three-stamp souvenir sheet features the photos by Bourdeau, McLaughlin, and Beaugrand-Champagne. The photos by Duclos and Topley are in the two-stamp sheet.

Like the others in the Canadian Photography series, these stamps are 36 millimeters by 30mm, and the souvenir sheets measure 150mm by 75mm each.

Canada Post is offering 9,000 official first-day covers with shuttered aperture postmarks of Montreal, Quebec. Priced in sets of two at $6.95, these FDCs are Canada Post item number 404049144.

The 10-stamp booklets (414049111) are $8.50, the three-stamp souvenir sheet (404049145) is $2.55, and the two-stamp souvenir sheet (404050145) is $1.70. Priced at $12.50, sets of five international-rate postal cards are 262467.

Stephane Huot designed these and all the other stamps in the Canadian Photography series, which has honored 35 prominent photographers.

The series began in 2013 with nine stamps (Scott 2626-2634) and added the same number in 2014 (2756-2764), in 2015 (2814-2822), and in 2016 (Scott 2902-2910).

The new stamps, souvenir sheets, and FDCs are available here, and by mail order from Canada Post Customer Service, Box 90022, 2701 Riverside Drive, Ottawa, ON K1V 1J8 Canada; or by telephone from the U.S. or Canada at 800-565-4362, and from other countries at 902-863-6550.

Canadas stamps and stamp products also are available from many new-issue stamp dealers, and from Canada Posts agent in the United States: Interpost, Box 420, Hewlett, NY 11557.
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Diana Ghazaryan, Saro Baghdaaryan

Ashtarak, a town in Armenias Aragatzotn Province, is where a museum dedicated to the writer Pertch Proshyan (1837-1907) first opened its doors in 1948.

Proshyan (Hovhannes Ter-Arakelyan) was born there to a tailors family.

That museum, originally one room, was built on the foundations of the Proshyan family house.

The one room became two, but since they were fashioned from compacted soil, they crumbled over the years.

Todays house-museum, an enlarged replica of the original, displays more than 2,000 personal and related items of the writer, many donated by the Proshyans descendants. Some items have been donated by other museums and artists.

The museum has several halls. A map showing Proshyans travels is displayed on one wall. A graduate of the Nersisyan School in Tbilisi, Proshyan taught there for several years.

He also lived in Baku towards the end of his life, but is buried at the Armenian Pantheon (Khojivank) in the Georgian capital.

Proshyan was also a photographer and a few of his works adorn the walls of the museum. Gifts given to him by his pupils and students are also on display.

A unique item on display is Proshyans walking stick, the knob of which fashioned to resemble the face of another writer of the time, Ghazaros Aghayan.

The tour guide told us that while the two writers were close friends, they frequently argued. Taking a stroll with his cane, Proshyan would joke that he was walking while clutching Aghayan by the throat.

Most of the writers personal items were brought from his Baku house.

A coal-heated iron, inherited from Proshyans tailor father, is also on display.

In the area recreating the writers work room is a one of a kind 1910 map displaying the much dreamt of sea to sea Armenia.

Proshyan wrote his first novel Sos yev Varditer at the age of twenty-three. This was followed by Krvatzaghik (A Bone of Contention, 1878), and probably his best work, Hatsi khndir (A Matter of Bread, 1880). He is also known for his Houshikner (Memoirs), two plays, articles on education and the theater, and translations of Dostoyevsky and Dickens.
These are times that try a White House reporter's soul. Jim Acosta hasn't kept quiet about what's been troubling his.

CNN's senior White House reporter has been frustrated by many things: the curtailment of live broadcasts of the press secretary's daily briefings; the lack of substantive answers from the administration; the alleged "blackballing" of CNN (or maybe just of Acosta), by all of the president's spokespeople, among others.

Other reporters share some of Acosta's irritation. The difference is, Acosta has been outspoken about his. At a time when CNN is under attack by President Donald Trump and his supporters, Acosta has been fighting back.

He has said on the air that White House press secretary Sean Spicer's unresponsive answers were rendering him "just kind of useless" as a credible source; that the ever-briefer briefings have become "basically pointless"; that covering this White House has at times been like "covering bad reality television."

The other day, after Trump once again denounced CNN as "fake news" during brief remarks to the press in Poland, Acosta tweeted that the event was "a fake news conference" because the president's response was prompted by a reporter who had interviewed for a White House job.

He has repeatedly needled Spicer on Twitter, too: "I can't show you a picture of Sean," he tweeted, over a photo of his ankles, during a blacked-out briefing on June 19. "So here is a look at some new socks I bought over the wknd."

Another, on June 12: "As he often does, (Spicer) avoided taking questions from CNN today." This included a sarcastic hashtag: #courage.

Acosta's remarks aren't just blunt; they're unusual. Reporters are supposed to report, not opine. Yet Acosta's disdain has flowed openly, raising a question about how far a reporter - supposedly a neutral arbiter of facts, not a commenter on them - can and should go.

"I think I'm just covering a story, honestly," Acosta says in a call from Germany, where he has been covering the president. "When the president of the United States calls the press 'fake news' and 'the enemy of the American people,' " he adds, "I think that's when you have to get tough and ask the hard questions."

Of course, Trump and Spicer haven't held back, either. In an interview, Spicer denounces Acosta in some of the harshest terms a press secretary has used - at least in public - to refer to a reporter. "If Jim Acosta reported on Jim Acosta the way he reports on us, he'd say he hasn't been very honest," Spicer says. "I think he's gone well beyond the role of reporter and steered into the role of advocate.

"He's the prime example of a (reporter in a) competitive, YouTube, click-driven industry," Spicer adds. "He's recognized that if you make a spectacle on the air then you'll get more airtime and more clicks ... If I were a mainstream, veteran reporter, I'd be advocating for him to knock it off. It's hurting the profession."

Acosta, 46, has been a prominent face at CNN for the past decade, covering the last three presidential campaigns, President Barack Obama's two terms and other major stories. He was a reporter at CBS News before joining CNN, and worked for TV stations in Chicago, Dallas and Knoxville before that. He started his broadcasting career as a radio reporter for WMAL-AM in Washington.

Despite his run-ins with Spicer and constant jeering from Trump supporters, Acosta seems to be relishing the fight. "I'm having the time of my life right now," he says. "This is the biggest story of my life. I'm like a kid in a candy store."

Acosta's clashes with the administration have such a relatively long history that it's difficult to sort cause from effect these days. Spicer effectively blames Acosta, without mentioning him by name, when he suggests that live audio and video coverage of the briefings was curtailed because of "grandstanding" by some reporters. The restrictive policy, in turn, prompted Acosta to pepper Spicer with questions about it: "Why not turn the cameras on, Sean?" he asked repeatedly on June 27. This, in turn, led to more criticism of Acosta.

Trump first mixed it up with the CNN reporter during the presidential campaign last year. Pressed by Acosta to account for his unfulfilled promise to donate money to veterans organizations, the then-Republican candidate replied acidly, "I've seen you on TV. You're a real beauty."

President-elect Trump tangled with him again in a tense exchange in January that concluded with Trump branding Acosta as "rude" and CNN, once more, as "fake news."

A curious sidelight to all this has been the relatively tepid support Acosta has received from his fellow White House journalists. Only a few have publicly spoken out in support of him. There have been no walkouts or calls for boycotting the briefings (although Acosta has suggested "collective action" to get the cameras back). The White House Correspondents' Association has confined its agitation to behind-the-scenes negotiations with Spicer and several short, general statements.

In fact, the pushback against Acosta from some quarters of the press has been more striking. On a recent Fox News segment, for example, former Fox News White House reporter Ed Henry agreed that Acosta's on-air commentary had "crossed the line" into opinion.

"He's overdoing this," Henry said, crossing the line into opinion himself. "... If you're going to be a reporter and going to be a correspondent, his opinions are now no longer coming from pundits. It's coming from White House correspondents."

CNN, understandably, sees things a bit differently. "Jim Acosta is a fantastic reporter, a great White House reporter," says Acosta's boss, CNN Washington bureau chief Sam Feist.

Feist compares Acosta to Sam Donaldson, the feisty former ABC newsman, and makes no excuses for Acosta's pointed comments. "Jim is as tenacious now with Donald Trump as president as he was when Barack Obama was president," he says. "If you look at the reporting he did in the Obama White House, you'll find he's the same Jim Acosta."

In fact, Acosta didn't go easy on Trump and Spicer's predecessors; his questioning of Obama press secretary Josh Earnest and Obama himself was often highlighted in conservative media accounts and in Republican National Committee emails. During the IRS scandal, for instance, he asked Earnest whether the White House's claim that it had lost important emails was like saying "the dog ate my homework." He also pressed Obama on his characterization of ISIS as "the J.V. team" and the president's contention that he hadn't underestimated the terror organization. "Why can't we take out these bastards?" Acosta asked.

Acosta says today the president and the issues have changed. But he hasn't. "This is not a crusade," he says. "This is not partisan. This is journalism. We're trying to hold them to account.'"
Houston rapper Travis Scott must be having the time of his life. Since his second album was released late last year to positive reviews, he's been touring the world and living large.

Now, his super model girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, and her super model pals like sister Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid are joining him.
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The roots of tradition were alive at the Laredo Energy Arena on Friday with a collection of Mexican and Central American artisanship.

Vendors made their way to the Gateway City for the 15th annual Laredo International Sister Cities Festival to showcase their handmade crafts and culture. Vibrant embroidered linens, intricately woven rebozos, or shawls, and engraved leather goods were laid out, capturing awed eyes.

Among the rows of booths was Claudia Martinez, an artisan from Oaxaca. Martinez was surrounded by embroidered blouses and dresses, some of which took a year to create.

"It's a beautiful tradition because the embroidery has a lot of symbolism, which represents every group of the different groups of Oaxaca," Martinez said.

MORE TO DO THIS WEEKEND IN LAREDO: Second Chance Music Store hosts final weekend of live music in downtown Laredo

As an artisan, Martinez explained that there are difficulties artisans encounter with not being able to sell their work. She noted the importance of the annual event and said it helped artisans maintain their tradition by promoting their craft.

"It is very important for us to continue selling since Mexico is a country with a beautiful culture and beautiful roots that is so close to the border," Martinez said. "For us it's important that we continue maintaining our tradition. Especially to take away the ugly image that people have of Mexico. We want people to know us a little bit through our work that we make, that we create beautiful things. Art is something that enriches us."

Years of tradition are fabricated within the designs of linens and clay ornaments. Josefina Diaz displayed hand-coiled clay sculptures depicting the tree of life. Diaz inherited the craft from her grandmother as a young girl and continues to instill the tradition in her nine grandchildren.

"My town (Metepec, Mexico) is known for the tree of life for over 100 years," Diaz said.

Down a couple of booths from Diaz was another family carrying on a 100-year-old tradition. The Lopez family traveled from Tenancingo, Mexico with an assortment of rebozos. The creation of the traditional garment continues to be upheld by the family for four generations.

"It takes months to make a rebozo, depending on the complexity it can take from three to nine months to complete," Rosalia Bringas said. "It's a process of 14 to 16 steps of labor and each step is done by a different artisan so one product passes through many hands."

RELATED: Latin Grammy Award winner announces concert date at Laredo Energy Arena

While the event highlights the talents and traditions of various places, it also highlights Laredo's role as a port. Blasita Lopez, Laredo Convention and Visitors Bureau director, commented on the cross-border journey many of the products embarked on.

"All of these products had to be imported into the United States, into Texas, into the arena specifically," Lopez said. "So it highlights the commercial relationship, our commerce and international commerce as well."

Additionally, Lopez said the event represents many aspects.

"It's a great example of our biculturalism and our binationalism," Lopez said. "And the duality that we have on the border. So I really think that it accentuates that, it accentuates the roots of the culture here in South Texas."

The Sister Cities festival continues from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
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Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina and his wife are being sued for over $1 million due to three-vehicle crash in April involving their 16-year-old son.

Tijerina and his wife, Kimberly Jean Walker Tijerina, are being sued individually and as next friend of their son, Cayetano Isaac Tijerina.

The lawsuit, filed by occupants of a vehicle involved in the crash with Cayetano Tijerina, states the Tijerinas knew, or should have known, that their son was an "incompetent and reckless driver" when they entrusted their 2012 Ford F-350 to him on the day of the collision.

Cayetano had a driver's license for less than nine months at the time of the crash, according to the lawsuit.

In a filed response, the Tijerinas assert a general denial of the allegations against them. They further deny that their conduct constituted gross negligence and deny demonstrating conscious indifference to the welfare of others.

Leticia Gutierrez, 56, Roberto Gutierrez, 54, and Valerie Gutierrez, 23, occupants of a vehicle involved in the crash, are seeking damages for pain and suffering allegedly incurred due to the collision.

READ MORE: Webb County seeking land for new $96 million jail

Cayetano Tijerina's vehicle was stationary in the southbound lane of the 9000 block of Bob Bullock Loop in the turn-only lane at about 8:20 p.m. April 2, according to a Texas Peace Officer's crash report obtained by LMT.

The Gutierrez's vehicle, driven by Valerie Gutierrez, and another vehicle, driven by Whitney Kyle Dupuis, 28, were traveling northbound on the 8000 block of Bob Bullock Loop.

Tijerina's vehicle failed to yield the right of way turning left, colliding into Gutierrez's and Dupuis' vehicles, the report states.

The Laredo Police Department cited Tijerina with failure to yield.

Tano and Kimberly Tijerina were not involved in the collision or present when it occurred.

A statement posted to Tano Tijerina's Facebook account says the cause of the crash and the responsible party have yet to be determined by the insurance investigators.

The Gutierrez's lawsuit requests monetary relief over $1 million in damages be awarded for medical expenses, physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, physical impairment and disfigurement.

RELATED: Laredo judge has closed 282 cases in first month on bench

The Tijerina's state that the damages, if any, were proximately caused by the negligence of third parties over whom they have no control of and any recovery should be barred or diminished under applicable provisions of the law.

"This is a personal civil lawsuit which does not affect Webb County taxpayers," Tijerina says in his statement.

"This lawsuit is in litigation and has deeply affected our family, the other vehicle occupants, and in particular our young son who has been exposed to the grinding in the local gossip blogs. Our son and everyone involved in the accident is recovering and we are grateful," he said.

Arnold G. Gonzalez, attorney for the Gutierrez family, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The lawsuit is scheduled for an initial hearing Aug. 14 before 406th District Court Judge Oscar J. Hale Jr.
Mexico's army has seized more than 90 assault rifles, five grenade launchers and 30,000 rounds of ammo in northwest Nuevo Laredo, authorities said.

The Secretariat of the National Defense, known was SEDENA, said they seized the arsenal Friday in Colonia Toboganes.
Brennans Cellars has a new deli with Cuban and hot Italian beef sandwiches, plus five variations on grilled cheese. A grand opening is Feb. 2-4.
It has become a summer ritual: State lawmakers, unable to agree, labor late into the evening to hash out a last-minute budget deal to ensure debts get paid, school buses show up, the elderly get their daily meals and parks stay open for tourists.

But the political theater - which just played out in dramatic fashion in Illinois and New Jersey - is a symptom of a worsening problem, state fiscal policy experts say. Years after the housing crisis undermined the U.S. economy, state budgets are still being battered, facing the strain of plummeting energy prices, generous tax cuts and a boom in online shopping that has depressed sales tax collections.

The particular factors are as diverse as the states. But one thing is clear: More states are facing financial trouble than at any time since the economy began to emerge from the Great Recession, said experts who say the situation will grow more dire as the Trump administration and GOP leaders on Capitol Hill try to cut spending and rely on states to pick up a greater share of expensive services such as education and health care.

"When you look at so many states already really not providing in the way that they need to in terms of investments that support our communities, and then you potentially have the rug pulled out from under them with federal cuts . . . that's going to really magnify the crisis at the state level," said Misha Werschkul, executive director of the left-leaning Washington State Budget and Policy Center.

On Thursday, lawmakers in Illinois - a state infamous for budget dysfunction - took the historic step of overriding the governor's veto of the state's first budget since 2015. Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) had objected to a tax increase included in the spending plan, but some Republicans joined with the legislature's Democrats to support the measure in the face of $15 billion in unpaid bills and threats from credit-rating agencies that the state could be reduced to junk status.

In New Jersey, a clash between Democratic leaders in the General Assembly and Gov. Chris Christie (R) last week led to a government shutdown, including the closing of state beaches the weekend before the July 4 holiday. The dispute, which has since ended, grabbed headlines when Christie was spotted soaking in the sun with his family on one of the beaches ordered closed.

Other states are in similarly bad straits, although their situations haven't gotten the same public attention. In some cases, states are facing a drop in revenue caused by lower-than-expected tax collections or other economic problems. In others, the issue is largely political as lawmakers clash along party lines about whether to tax more or spend less.

Thirty-three states faced revenue shortfalls in 2017, bringing in less money than they projected for public services, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers. That's more than any year since 2010.

With just hours to go before the new fiscal year began July 1, 11 states still had no budget - an unusually high number, even considering the brinkmanship that routinely overtakes the state budget process. Even now, six states have yet to agree on a new spending plan.

Alaska is facing a multibillion-dollar budget hole because of the steep decline in the price of oil, which accounts for 90 percent of the state's revenue. Trading at more than $100 per barrel in July 2014, oil is now at less than $50 per barrel. The state, which lacks income and sales taxes, has tried to make up for that loss by drawing from a rainy-day fund and cutting services.

The savings are all but gone now, and Alaskans have a hard time envisioning further service cuts. Courts now close at noon on Fridays, thousands of low-income families no longer receive subsidized heat, and school districts have grown accustomed to the annual rite of doling out pink slips to teachers: Anchorage laid off 99 teachers this summer, while rural Lake and Peninsula District - home to 13 schools in an area the size of West Virginia - saved money by shrinking its academic year by 20 days.

The pain is shared in its energy-dependent brethren such as Louisiana and Oklahoma. Lawmakers remain deeply divided about what to do, as raising taxes remains unappealing for many, even as others argue that states have no other choice.

"There are times when you're in political office you have to do things that are politically unpopular," said Alaska Gov. Bill Walker (I), who is pushing to tax Alaskans' personal income for the first time in nearly four decades. "That's what it's going to take, to step up and say this is not about me and this is not about my political future. This is about fixing our state."

Lawmakers in Washington state narrowly averted a government shutdown after coming to a last-minute agreement to raise property taxes, a move meant to help the state fulfill a court order to invest more in its public schools.

The tax will be capped after 2021, leading some lawmakers to fear that it will fail to keep up with escalating costs, turning the new budget into just another short-term Band-Aid. Speaking on the floor of the chamber, state Sen. Jamie Pedersen (D) called it "not sustainable" and a "ticking time bomb."

Several Republican-led states approved a wave of tax cuts in recent years, expecting that they would kick-start economic growth. But some of those states have since seen their revenue stagnate, leaving yawning gaps in their budgets that have forced draconian cuts to social service programs and infrastructure.

Perhaps best known among these states is Kansas, which enacted deep tax cuts in 2012 and 2013. But the cuts did not yield the hoped-for windfall, and persistent budget shortfalls led officials to cut back on social safety net programs, such as Medicaid and food stamps, as well as spending on courts, roads and bridges. The reductions led to a voter backlash and an about-face by the legislature, which raised some taxes this year.

A growing number of states - including some led by Republican governors - have produced forecasts in recent weeks warning that the GOP health-care bill before the U.S. Senate would have damaging effects on their budgets and on low-income residents covered by Medicaid. The plan would phase out federal money that allowed 31 states to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and shift the program from an open-ended entitlement, most likely to one with per-person spending limits.

"It's an unmitigated disaster," Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy, chairman of the Democratic Governors' Association, said in an interview. "It is not too strong to say this will kill people. What Republicans are debating in backrooms is a plan the result of which will cause people to die."

An analysis by Connecticut's Office of Policy and Management estimates that, by 2026, the Senate bill would shift as much as $2.9 billion in annual costs to the state, potentially forcing as many as 230,000 people off its Medicaid rolls. Connecticut already is struggling; a week into the new fiscal year, its lawmakers have yet to agree on a budget to deal with a considerable revenue shortfall.

Arizona, California and Minnesota have issued similar analyses. Late last month, the National Association of Medicaid Directors issued a statement saying that the Medicaid changes contemplated by the Senate "would be a transfer of risk, responsibility, and cost to the states of historic proportions."

Republican leaders in Washington argue that capping federal Medicaid payments would impose needed discipline on the program, forcing states and providers to become more efficient.

Many on the right also say that state-level tax cuts have been unfairly demonized.

Joel Griffith, director of the Center for State Fiscal Reform at the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, said Kansas' mistake wasn't making steep cuts. Rather, he faulted state leaders for flinching in the face of criticism.

"Now is certainly not the time to be raising taxes," Griffith said. "The focus should be on how do they continue the reforms that were started."

Since 2011, 11 states have enacted large tax cuts meant to be phased in over a period of years, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Phasing in tax cuts aims to ease their impact. But critics say that states often fail to plan for the resultant decline in revenue and that lawmakers are shielded from accountability when the full consequences of their votes won't be felt for years.

One of those states is Mississippi, which this year faced a shortfall of $170 million. It has led to steep reductions in state spending, from cuts to firefighter positions to shuttered health clinics. Now, the state is set to absorb a massive $415 million tax cut to be phased in over the next decade.

The elimination of 650 positions in mental health, announced in April, has sparked fear among advocates for people with disabilities.

Janie O'Keefe, executive director of Disability Connection, an advocacy nonprofit group in southern Mississippi, said even something as innocuous-sounding as a reduction in fuel funding could harm disabled people, because gas money helps those who live in institutions get out into the world and interact with the broader population.

"I understand that our country needs to start cutting somewhere," O'Keefe said. "But I think it's very sad if they are looking at disabilities, people who are very sick, the elderly, veterans - supporting them is the very thing the country has to do."

- - -

The Washington Post's Amy Goldstein contributed to this report.
SAO PAULO, Brazil - Brazil's federal police have announced that they are shutting down the task force behind Operation Car Wash, a behemoth corruption probe that has sent dozens of top politicians and business executives to jail.

The task force, which has been operating as an independent unit, will be absorbed into a larger anti-corruption division. Federal police shrugged off the move as bureaucratic reshuffling, but critics labeled the decision an attempt to undermine an investigation that is redefining Brazil's political landscape.

In three years, Operation Car Wash ballooned from a money-laundering probe focused on a Brasilia gas station into the country's biggest corruption investigation. Through plea deals, the task force was able to trace bribery and corruption to the highest echelons of government. Today, the probe threatens to topple the country's president, Michel Temer, who is being investigated along with a third of the members of Brazil's senate, dozens of representatives in its house and more than half of the president's cabinet.

The decision is the latest blow to the task force, which saw its budget halved in May. Prosecutors working on the cases say the move will limit the scope of investigations the task force is able to take on.

"The federal police's Car Wash task force, drastically shrunk by the current government, is not large enough to meet its demands," prosecutors said in a statement.

Several senators criticized the action and questioned the motives behind it. "This is a deliberate attempt at obstruction of justice by a president who is implicated in the Car Wash investigation," said Randolfe Rodrigues, an opposition senator. He called the decision "morally offensive."

The federal police argued that the new setup, announced Thursday, allows for greater collaboration among agents of different departments and said investigators would not see their workload increase. In a statement, the department "reaffirmed the public commitment to combat corruption."

Operation Car Wash has been lauded by international anti-corruption organizations as ushering in a more transparent era in Brazilian politics. The task force was awarded Transparency International's Anti-Corruption Award last year, for convictions "including high level politicians and business executives previously considered untouchable."

The task force has been praised for moving swiftly and upending an entrenched system of bribery that plagued Brazil for decades. Images of the task force's officers escorting Brazil's most powerful people in handcuffs from their homes at dawn stunned Brazilians.

Critics worry that integrating the task force with the wider department will create more paperwork and slow down investigators. The federal police union said that the move meant the task force would lose its ability to act nimbly.

"You shouldn't mess with a winning team," the union said in a statement.

The investigation has widespread public support, which has largely shielded it from government interference. A whopping 96 percent of Brazilians agreed that the investigation should continue "whatever the costs," according to a poll conducted in December.

The decision to demobilize the task force comes weeks after the president was accused of accepting $150,000 in bribes from a meat-company magnate who was under investigation. Temer, who denies wrongdoing, faces obstruction of justice charges. Congress must decide whether to send him to trial in the Supreme Court.

After a tape surfaced that appeared to implicate Temer in the probe in May, the president abruptly replaced the minister of justice, who oversees the investigation, with Torquanto Jardim, a close political ally. The move drew criticism from prosecutors and investigators who worried that it was an attempt to stifle the probe. After his swearing-in ceremony, Jardim assured Brazilians that the probe would not be politicized.

But with Temer's administration hanging by a thread and the president finding himself at the mercy of politicians who are under investigation themselves, the decision to shut down the task force has many Brazilians concerned.

"The timing makes it look like a retaliation," said Alexandre Bandeira, a campaign strategist in Brasilia. "Even if it is a mere administrative decision, the announcement is turning heads because it is a change to a system that has worked very well in the last few years - so well that it has even implicated the president."
WASHINGTON - When Metro Board Chairman Jack Evans arrived at the panel's general meeting last month, he carried a copy of the New York Post featuring a characteristically provocative front page recounting the latest troubles of that city's subway.

"For F's sake," read the headline, with a clever insertion of the orange symbol for New York's "F" train. "Fix the subways!"

Evans used the headline as an opportunity for reflection on his own troubled transit system.

"Not that misery loves company . . . but I think this is another indicator that every one of the six subway systems throughout America is struggling with the same issues," Evans said. "We're not alone in this."

Evans, it seems, is suffering from the affliction affecting many in the region: an acute case of subway schadenfreude - a slightly perverse sense of satisfaction in watching the failures of the nation's premiere transit agency.

A look at the recent state of affairs at New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will probably ring familiar to District of Columbia-area commuters. In the last several months, chronic breakdowns and track problems have caused rush-hour meltdowns and lengthy, widespread delays. Late last year, protections for workers became a major cause for concern after one longtime employee was struck and killed by a passing train in a tunnel.

Two weeks ago, a derailment in Upper Manhattan may have been caused by equipment left on the tracks, resulting in at least 30 injuries. And soon thereafter, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) declared that the MTA was in a state of emergency and pledged an additional $1 billion to the MTA's capital budget to expedite improvements.

Suddenly, Metro isn't looking so bad, right?

"Some of these stories about what's going on in New York - you could take out the proper nouns and insert 'Washington' and they'd make sense," said Zachary Schrag, a historian at George Mason University and author of the seminal Metro tome, "The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro." "So I guess that's somewhat of a consolation."

That's how it looks on Twitter, where Metro riders - their tweets dripping in the usual #WMATA levels of sarcasm - seem downright defensive about the New York subway, America's busiest public transit system, making moves to unseat Metro as America's most dysfunctional one.

"I guess New York felt left out with all the publicity @wmata got by being a bloody awful mess," quipped one Metro rider.

"Hey look at New York trying to be like DC, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery @wmata," joked another.

"Maybe we should invite folks to DC & show them what a truly awful commute looks like," added another.

"WMATA should send the MTA a fruit basket with a note along the lines of 'thanks for taking the heat off us!' " another tweeted.

But the similarities between the struggles at the MTA and Metro also point to a larger story - about the state of the nation's infrastructure, the challenges of securing long-term investments for dull but necessary maintenance work, and about just how quickly a premiere transit system can begin to come apart at the seams.

"It is a national problem. It's something that's happening in lots of different Metro areas across the country. And New York is starting to get a taste of it," said Robert Puentes, president and chief executive of the Eno Center for Transportation, a national think tank on transportation issues.

Puentes said significant responsibility for the MTA's problems lies with Cuomo, who has prioritized projects such as the recent opening of the Second Avenue Subway and the completion of the 34th Street-Hudson Yards station - perhaps at the expense of paying adequate attention to state-of-repair needs.

"He has focused on newer investments and major infrastructure building projects, and now he has to play catch-up," Puentes said, "because while you can cut a ribbon in front of new infrastructure, the unsexy stuff like day-to-day maintenance is much tougher to promote."

Sound familiar, Washington?

And though Puentes said he certainly does not rejoice in the challenges faced by riders and transit executives in New York, he does feel like he has firsthand knowledge of their troubles.

"My brother calls me from New York and asks, 'Can you fix this?' " Puentes said, chuckling.

Until recently, the MTA was performing better than Metro in a few categories, but much worse in others. According to the Federal Transit Administration's National Transit Database, New York City Transit - the part of the MTA which runs subway, bus and paratransit service - reported 0.053 derailments per million train revenue miles in 2015, while Metro's rate was much larger - 0.26 derailments per million miles. But the MTA also reported a collision rate of 2.5 per million revenue miles, vs. Metro's rate of 0.51, and New York experienced 28 fires per million miles vs. Metro's 4.2 fires.

In 2014, the total mechanical failure rate at New York City transit was 36 failures per million miles, compared with 20 mechanical failures per million miles for Metro.

But Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld has been careful not to use New York's worsening problems as a foil for what's happened with Metro - especially because his high-profile hires, Metro's chief safety officer Patrick Lavin and chief operations officer Joseph Leader, were both brought to Washington last year after spending most of their careers at the MTA.

"It's not just the MTA," Wiedefeld said recently. "We all have similar issues that we deal with. San Francisco is dealing with major issues, Philadelphia, Boston. . . . It's across the board. There are things we could learn from each other."

And, in Schrag's mind, New York's struggles also highlight the complexity of Metro's problems. To many Washington-area residents, the root of Metro's reliability and safety issues are found in simple, structural issues: It lacks a two-track system. There's a complicated multi-jurisdictional governance structure. There's no dedicated revenue source.

But New York's MTA has all of those things, Schrag pointed out - and yet still couldn't manage to avoid a precipitous deterioration in the quality of service.

"Transit is hard," he summarized.

But the shared woes at Metro and the MTA are even more stark because of the historic differences between the two agencies. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority was conceived and designed in large part to be everything the MTA wasn't, according to Schrag. New York's subway was considered dirty and crime-ridden, and its stations cramped and inelegant. (The New York subway had such negative connotations in Washington that officials avoided calling their plans for Metro a "subway" system, and instead opted for the more benign sounding "rapid transit" system.)

Metro, in comparison, was conceived to be much grander, brighter and more futuristic. Of course, the realities of the two systems have often overlapped. In 1977, just a year after Metro opened, a rider bemoaned to The Washington Post that the breakdowns and delays he experienced on the new system reminded him of the worst of the MTA.

Then, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, New York's system got much worse. Scheduled maintenance fell far short of the system's needs. Derailments were a weekly event. Ridership declined rapidly. The MTA embarked on an aggressive turnaround campaign that rebuilt a large portion of the subway's tracks and put the system on a path to success for years to come.

That comeback was part of what inspired Metro's year-long SafeTrack maintenance project, which concluded last month. With short, intense periods of round-the-clock repair work, a transit agency could wrench itself back from the brink and win back legions of riders.

Mortimer Downey, a former Metro board chairman and former executive director and chief financial officer at the MTA, said New York's recent challenges demonstrate the precarious state of any transit system dependent on decades-old infrastructure.

No matter how good a system might appear, he said, just a few years of inadequate maintenance can bring an agency teetering to the edge of failure.

"It's awful easy to slip backward," Downey said. "You're only as good as your last rush hour."

But, he pointed out, Metro must also use New York's challenges as a warning of problems that may come down the road. The MTA, he said, is "a prisoner of its own success." The system is experiencing its highest ridership in decades, and the chronic overcrowding on trains leads to systemwide delays when trains at stations throughout the rail network must idle for longer to allow throngs of riders to alight and disembark.

Someday, Downey said, that might be a pressing problem for Metro, too.

"Metro better start thinking about what happens if they ever get to a million passengers per day," he warned.

Metro riders, meanwhile, say New Yorkers' whining about the MTA is much ado about nothing.

D.C. resident Matthew Jacobs, 37, was among those who took to Twitter to make his own (slightly off-color) jokes about Cuomo's declaration. He commutes daily from his home near Shaw to his office near the Franconia-Springfield station. Delays are a given. No way New York's problems are even close to Metro's, he said. Besides, he visits New York frequently and never has problems.

"Here in Washington, this is a system that's been in decline at least since the early 2000s," Jacobs said. "The MTA stuff - they've had some hiccups lately, but it's nothing like this, like SafeTrack. They still have a world-class system."
The White House is "absolutely committed" to getting its tax overhaul proposal through Congress by the end of the year -- and that plan won't include a 40 percent tax rate for the richest Americans, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Sunday.

"Our plan is to have a full-blown release of the plan in the beginning of September, with being able to vote and getting this passed before the end of the year," Mnuchin said on ABC's "This Week."

The "objective" of the proposal is still that no one in the middle class will have a tax increase, Mnuchin said. "We're finalizing the details of the plan, so there's certain issues that are still on the table."

Mnuchin said there's no consideration being given to a plan reported by the website Axios last week that the top personal tax rate should be 40 percent or more. The idea was being pushed by Trump adviser Stephen Bannon, Axios said.

"I have never heard Steve mention that," Mnuchin said. "It's very clear, kind of, we have a proposal out there that the administration has put out, with a top rate of 35 percent where we reduce and eliminate almost every single deduction."

He added that the administration is aware of the concerns in high-tax states, where taxpayers could have no tax reductions as well as fewer deductions.

"We've heard a lot of feedback from New York, California, New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois, and I think we want to be sensitive to those states and those economies as we shape the plan," Mnuchin said.

Mnuchin said administration officials are meeting with House and Senate leadership "every week" about crafting its proposal. "We probably met with 300 or 400 different business leaders, outsiders, think tanks," he added.

Mnuchin spoke after returning from the Group of 20 meeting in Hamburg. He dodged a question about whether President Donald Trump had accepted President Vladimir Putin's denial of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.

"Why would President Trump broadcast exactly what he said in the meeting?" Mnuchin said, adding that Trump is focused on "strategically negotiating" with Putin.
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Hamburg, Germany

Wrapping up his second European tour, President Donald Trump searched for consensus with Asian allies Saturday on how to counter the "menace" of North Korea after its test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

"Something has to be done about it," Trump said as he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. In a separate meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump said the two were tackling "the problem and menace of North Korea."

The White House said after the meeting with Abe that the U.S. was "prepared to use the full range of capabilities" in defense of Japan. Trump and Abe committed, the White House said, "to redoubling their efforts to bring all nations together to show North Korea that there are consequences for its threatening and unlawful actions."

The Trump administration has tried to press Beijing to rein in North Korea, a major trading partner of China, and halt Kim Jong Un's development of nuclear weapons before they can threaten U.S. territory. Trump has voiced his frustration in recent days that China hasn't done more, suggesting he may take steps of his own.

But during his meeting, Trump told Xi, "I appreciate the things that you have done relative to the very substantial problem that we all face in North Korea."

Xi said during the meeting that "sensitive issues remain" in the China-U.S. relationship and more work needed to be done. But he said he had built with Trump a "close contact."

Trump's extensive slate of meetings with Abe, Xi, British Prime Minister Theresa May and others came on the final day of the annual Group of 20 summit, which has been marked by violent demonstrations by anti-globalization activists. Trump also had a brief, unscheduled meeting with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the situation in Syria.

Abe, speaking through a translator, noted that the security situation in the Asia Pacific region has become "increasingly severe" due to North Korea's push to develop its ballistic missile and nuclear program. Abe said he wanted to "demonstrate the robust partnership as well as the bonds" between Japan and the U.S. on the issue.

North Korea's successful test launch of an ICBM was a milestone in its long-term effort to build a missile that could carry a nuclear warhead to attack the United States.

The issue was a frequent topic of discussion at the summit, and the White House said earlier that the U.S., South Korea and Japan were pressing for additional measures against North Korea to demonstrate the "serious consequences" for its latest provocations.

The three nations have been calling for "early adoption" of a new U.N. Security Council resolution and additional sanctions to demonstrate to Pyongyang the consequences of its actions.

Bringing China on board is a key part of the plan. The administration wants China to fully enforce international sanctions intended to starve Pyongyang of revenue for its nuclear and missile programs. But Trump has been dissatisfied with China's response.

Earlier in the week, he vented on Twitter that trade between China and North Korea had grown nearly 40 percent at the start of 2017. "So much for China working with us  but we had to give it a try!"

Trump officials said later that the president hadn't given up on the relationship.

Trade was also a key part of the discussions. The Trump administration is investigating the possibility of putting new barriers on steel imports based on national security considerations, a move that could target China, which has flooded international markets with cheap steel exports.

"Many things have happened that have led to trade imbalances and we're going to turn that around," Trump said during the meeting with Xi. Trump said he wanted a new arrangement that is "equitable" and "reciprocal."

Meeting with May, the British leader, Trump pointed to their "special relationship," and said the two countries were working on a trade agreement.
LONDON - The tiny island kingdom of Bahrain is increasingly turning to a particularly draconian tool of repression: stripping dissidents of their citizenship.

Rights activists say authorities have revoked the citizenship of 103 people so far this year, already more than in 2016. All were convicted of terrorism-related crimes in trials that rights activists say lacked due process and transparency.

The pace of citizenship revocations has increased amid an intensifying crackdown on opposition. And activists charge that the silence of the West, particularly the United States and Britain, has emboldened authorities to press ahead with more repressive measures than the kingdom has employed since the response to mass protests in 2011.

"There's absolutely zero pressure for them to reform or do anything that's less than repressive," said Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy and one of those deprived of his citizenship. That attitude was clear, he said, when President Donald Trump reassured the king of Bahrain at a meeting in May that there would be no "strain" in their relationship.

"This was an indicator that human rights is absolutely not part of the U.S. interests," Alwadaei said.

An official at the Bahraini Embassy in Britain said authorities revoke citizenship "in the aim of preserving security and stability while countering threats of terrorism."

"Revoking citizenship is only done in accordance with the provisions of the law, in cases where the person involved were engaged in activities that has caused damage to the interest of the Kingdom and its national security," the official said in an email, responding to questions on the condition of anonymity.

Bahrain, an archipelago in the Persian Gulf that is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, has a majority-Shiite population but is governed by a Sunni monarchy. In 2011, thousands of protesters demanding democratic reforms were met with a brutal crackdown and mass arrests. International pressure led to an inquiry that documented allegations of torture and violations by security forces, and recommended reforms.

But that pressure has largely evaporated, and the government has recently taken the crackdown to new lengths, dissolving political groups and the kingdom's last independent newspaper. Many activists and opposition figures have been jailed, and security forces killed five protesters in a raid on a demonstration in May.

The kingdom has stripped 451 people of their citizenship since 2012, according to a tally kept by the rights institute. Many are activists who are outspoken about democratic reforms and human rights abuses. Last year, authorities withdrew the citizenship of the kingdom's most prominent Shiite cleric, Sheikh Isa Qassim. But others say they have done little to draw attention to themselves.

Bahrain is not alone in the practice: other gulf countries, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, have done the same.

Bahrain has expelled many of those deprived of their citizenship, creating a growing band of exiles. Those who remain in the kingdom live as stateless people in their own country. Without identity documents, simply driving across an island dotted with police checkpoints can be a dangerous proposition. All lose access to state pensions and state services including health care, as well as the ability to manage their property. They cannot register the births of their children, which means their offspring also cannot get access to state services. Most of those deprived of their citizenship this year are in prison after being convicted under Bahrain's anti-terrorism law.

"It's a way of killing your identity, your existence," said Ali Abdulemam, a blogger and activist whose citizenship was revoked in 2015. He now lives in Britain, where he was granted asylum. "Someone thinks he has the authority to tell me that I don't belong to my homeland."

Rights activists say Bahrain's justice system has lost all credibility. "The concern that we would have is the justice system in Bahrain has proven itself utterly incapable of providing anybody a fair trial, notably in terrorism cases. So the verdicts that they're delivering simply cannot be relied upon either way," said Nicholas McGeehan, a Middle East researcher for Human Rights Watch.

Human rights activists acknowledge that violent attacks on police occur but say authorities round up groups of uninvolved people and charge them with committing such acts.

Bahrain has close relationships with the United States and Britain, which also has a naval base in the kingdom. A British Foreign Office spokeswoman said in a statement that the British government had raised with the Bahraini government Britain's "concerns" about the deprivation of citizenship but defended the relationship between the two.

"The U.K. works closely with Bahrain in a number of areas, and we see our support as the most constructive way to achieve long-lasting and sustainable reform," the spokeswoman said.

The United States is "concerned" about the citizenship revocations, a State Department official said in a statement. "We have raised this issue with Bahraini officials and continue to strongly urge the government to respect and protect human rights," the official said.

That's little comfort to those who have been made stateless. Many of them say one of the most difficult consequences is the effect on their families.

Abdulemam's wife gave birth to a son in March. Because nationality in Bahrain is passed through the father, the child was stateless from birth. "I feel so bad that this kid is being punished because of no crime he committed. . . . He's being punished because of his dad," Abdulemam said. "This is painful on me."
After weeks of public statements and private phone calls with no apparent result, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has decided to personally intervene in the ongoing Persian Gulf dispute that has threatened U.S. counterterrorism operations in the Middle East.

Tillerson will travel late Monday to Kuwait, where its government has unsuccessfully tried to mediate between Saudi Arabia and three other Arab countries that have blockaded and broken relations with the tiny, energy-rich nation of Qatar, home to the largest U.S. military base in the region.

He will spend the week talking to leaders of the warring gulf capitals, receiving them in Kuwait or shuttling among regional capitals, according to senior U.S. officials.

Tillerson's first foray into high-stakes crisis negotiation comes as his stewardship of the State Department has been questioned in Congress, the White House and within the Department itself.

Senior White House officials have complained that he has walled himself off behind a handful of senior aides and takes neither their phone calls nor their recommendations. Lawmakers have asked what he intends to do about President Donald Trump's proposal to slash State's budget by nearly a third, and made clear they will not permit it.

Scores of high-level jobs and ambassadorships remain unfilled as the secretary has opted to review the structure of the entire organization and pare back the overall workforce before making new appointments.

According to an outside survey commissioned by Tillerson and completed last month, many of his own staffers agree that the department does not foster innovation and is too big. Many of the 35,000 who participated described a system hampered by layers of bureaucracy, including dozens of special-envoy offices created to serve temporal needs and allowed to continue in existence long after those needs have disappeared.

But the survey results, first reported last week by the Wall Street Journal, also described State employees as demoralized and unsure of the direction in which Tillerson wants to take them. Many echoed congressional complaints about crucial senior positions left unfilled while the secretary takes his time deciding which offices are important and who should occupy them.

Success in the gulf would help reestablish at least some of the goodwill with which Tillerson, considered a man experienced in both institutional management and the ways of the world, began his tenure. The former chief executive of energy giant Exxon Mobil, who brought extensive global contacts with him to the State Department, was seen on Capitol Hill, within the department and abroad as a mature counterbalance to an impetuous, inexperienced president.

But even senior officials who see Tillerson as the perfect man for the job of stopping the escalating gulf crisis warn that it will not be easy. While the dispute, at least on its surface, is about accusations of support for terrorism, all of the countries involved are key members of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State. Already, their actions have drawn in other regional friends and foes, from Iran and Turkey on Qatar's side, to Jordan and a host of smaller Muslim countries supporting Saudi Arabia.

In the face of deep-seated antagonisms and dug-in positions, U.S. leverage is limited. All of the players want to stay in America's good graces, and all see the Trump administration's focus on the region and willingness to confront shared enemies as an improvement over what they viewed as President Barack Obama's hesitancy and disengagement. But there is little sense of how far the Trump administration, with equities to preserve throughout the region, is willing to go in pressing for resolution.

More than any specific charge or countercharge the parties have leveled at each other, the major U.S. concern is that the dispute itself is undermining goals in the Middle East. Although officials insist it has not yet directly affected operations at the massive U.S. air base in Qatar, the major U.S. naval base in Bahrain or the other cooperative ventures that play a central role in the wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, it risks diverting attention from those missions.

Part of the problem is President Trump himself, who has publicly taken Saudi Arabia's side in a series of tweets and statements. The Saudis, along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, have accused Qatar of financing and supporting terrorist organizations, a charge they hammered home with Trump when Riyadh hosted him for a lavish, three-day visit on his first trip abroad in May.

Tillerson, along with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, has called for the parties to resolve their differences sooner rather than later. While both agree that Qatar could do more to stem terror financing from within its borders, they believe the same, in varying degrees, of all the gulf countries.

Tillerson has pointedly suggested that the Saudis are using the headline-grabbing terrorism issue as a cover to alter other Qatari policies they have long found displeasing. After consultation with the secretary, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., last month vowed that Congress would not approve arms deals with states in the region, including most of the $110 billion in proposed U.S. weapons sales to Saudi Arabia touted by Trump during his visit there, until the dispute was resolved.

Mattis has gone out of his way to lock arms with Qatar as a security partner. He hosted its defense minister last month in Washington. On Thursday, the Pentagon announced another Mattis call to the minister, Khalid al-Attiya, in which it said the two "affirmed their commitment to continued U.S. cooperation and deepening their strategic partnership."

After Qatar refused their demands last week, the Saudis and their partners vowed to impose unspecified harsher actions. Arab diplomats have said they could include freezing Qatari bank accounts as well as other sanctions, a major step in a region where economies and finance often span borders. As the situation now stands, there appears to be no way out that does not involve a humiliating stand-down by one side or the other.

"We've become increasingly concerned that the dispute is at an impasse at this point," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Thursday as Tillerson began to plan his shuttle diplomacy. "We believe that this could potentially drag on for weeks. It could drag on for months. It could possibly even intensify."

The terrorism-financing charge that gained Trump's attention may be the easiest to resolve with increased U.S. monitoring, administration officials said.

But most of the demands Saudi Arabia and its partners have made, and Qatar has rejected, revolve around years-long disputes about the role of political Islam and internal control by the region's authoritarian governments. They include a demand to ban the Muslim Brotherhood, the Pan-Arab Islamist movement that operates in different guises in different countries.

Administration officials believe a compromise could be worked out, perhaps by Qatar stopping its support for Brotherhood organizations in Egypt and Libya. Similarly, they hope the demand to shut down the Qatar-funded media operation Al Jazeera can be addressed with changes in programming.

Until now, however, Saudi Arabia has said that its demands are "nonnegotiable."
President Donald Trump on Sunday sought to move past allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, effectively dismissing the importance of the intelligence community's definitive conclusion about a foreign adversary in pursuit of a collaborative partnership with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Issuing his first public comments since sitting down with Putin in Germany, Trump vowed to "move forward in working constructively with Russia" and said the two leaders were discussing a cybersecurity unit that would protect against the kinds of illegal intrusions that U.S. intelligence agencies say Putin ordered in the United States.

After Putin denied in his meeting with Trump any such election interference, the U.S. president tried to turn the page altogether on the issue of Russian hacking. As special counsel Robert Mueller investigates Russian interference and possible collusion with Trump campaign officials, Trump has repeatedly labeled the issue a hoax and has portrayed it as a dark cloud unfairly hanging over his first six months as president.

Trump's pledge to partner with Putin drew swift and stern denunciations from both Democratic and Republican officials, who cast the U.S. president as dangerously naive for trusting his Russian counterpart and said Russia must be forced to pay a price for its election interference.

The president responded to the criticism late Sunday, tweeting his own doubts that a cyber unit could work. "The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesn't mean I think it can happen. It can't - but a ceasefire can, & did!" he wrote, referring to an agreement among the United States, Russia and Jordan in a region of Syria.

Trump said that he "strongly pressed" Putin twice about Russian meddling and that Putin "vehemently denied it." Trump did not indicate whether he accepted Putin's denial, saying only, "I've already given my opinion."

Trump delivered his account of the meeting with Putin, held Friday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, via several defiant tweets fired off Sunday morning from the White House, just before he visited his northern Virginia golf course - as opposed to in a news conference such as the one Putin held with journalists on Saturday.

Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Trump believed Putin's assurances that Russia did not interfere in the election.

"It seemed to me that he took it into account and agreed," Putin told reporters Saturday, although he added, "You should ask him."

Initially, U.S. officials traveling with Trump would not dispute Putin's and Lavrov's accounts when asked by reporters. On Sunday, however, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, who remained in Washington during the trip, rejected the Russian characterization.

"It's not true," Priebus said on "Fox News Sunday." "The president absolutely did not believe the denial of President Putin."

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded definitively that Russian authorities tried to influence the election in Trump's favor with illegal hacking and propaganda and other activities.

Trump's public comments on the issue have been far less definitive, varying widely from tepid acknowledgment to outright doubt about Russia's role. Under questioning from Fox News host Chris Wallace, Priebus also showed varying degrees of certainty about whether Trump believes that Russia meddled in the election.

"He said they probably meddled in the election. They did meddle in the election," Priebus said, seeming to grow more definitive. But then Priebus seemed to back off: "Yes, he believes that Russia probably committed all of these acts that we've been told of. But he also believes that other countries also participated in this activity."

Trump on Sunday revealed his continued fixation with some aspects of the Russia issue. He falsely accused Barack Obama on Twitter of doing "NOTHING" after learning of the Russian hacking before the election. In fact, on Oct. 7, about a month before the election, the Obama administration formally and publicly blamed Russia for the hacking. Some Obama administration officials have since said that they regret not responding more forcefully.

Trump also chided the news media and, in the context of his meeting with Putin, claimed vaguely that "questions were asked" about the level of cooperation between intelligence agencies and the Democratic National Committee, whose email server was among those allegedly compromised by the Russians.

John Brennan, who served as CIA director under Obama and ran the agency's response to Russia's election interference, chastised Trump on Sunday for repeatedly casting doubt on the conclusions of the intelligence community, including at a news conference last week in Poland.

"I seriously question whether or not Mr. Putin heard from Mr. Trump what he needed to about the assault on our democratic institutions," Brennan said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Brennan added of Trump: "He said it's an 'honor' to meet President Putin. An honor to meet the individual who carried out the assault against our election? To me, it was a dishonorable thing to say."

Sens. John McCain, Ariz., Lindsey Graham, S.C., and Marco Rubio, Fla. - three leading Republican hawks on Russia - said Sunday that Trump's eagerness to partner with Putin was dangerous for the United States.

"When it comes to Russia, he's got a blind spot," Graham said on "Meet the Press." "To forgive and forget when it comes to Putin regarding cyberattacks is to empower Putin, and that's exactly what he's doing."

Rubio tweeted that Putin "will never be a trusted ally or a reliable constructive partner," and that working with him to address cybersecurity threats was akin to partnering with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to protect against chemical weapons.

McCain, meanwhile, lamented that Russia has faced "no penalty whatsoever" from the Trump administration for its hacking.

"We know that Russia tried to change the outcome of our election last November, and they did not succeed, but there was really sophisticated attempts to do so," McCain said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "So far, they have not paid a single price for that."

Invoking the language of Trump's tweet, McCain added, "Yes, it's time to move forward, but there has to be a price to pay."

McCain championed a bill, passed overwhelmingly in the Senate last month, to slap additional sanctions on Russia. The Trump administration has said it opposes the measure because it preempts the president's powers to apply sanctions.

During a visit to Ukraine, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday that existing sanctions would remain in place until Moscow reverses its intervention in Ukraine and respects the border between the two countries.

Trump tweeted Sunday, "Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian & Syrian problems are solved," adding a reference to Russia's role in Syria's civil war.

Trump also said the issue of sanctions was not discussed in his meeting Friday with Putin, contradicting what Tillerson, who was in attendance, told reporters soon after the meeting. Tillerson said that Trump "took note" of congressional efforts to push for additional sanctions against Russia but that he and Putin focused their discussion on "how do we move forward from here."

McCain said Tillerson was a weak advocate for American values abroad. Asked by CBS' John Dickerson whether he regrets his Senate vote to confirm Tillerson as secretary of state, McCain said, "Sometimes I do."

Trump said Sunday he was eager to work with Putin on what he described as an "impenetrable Cyber Security unit" the two men discussed forming "so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded."

Tillerson explained the unit as a "framework under which we might begin to have agreement on how to deal with these very complex issues of cyberthreats, cybersecurity, cyberintrusions."

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, defended her boss' cooperation with Putin, saying "we won't ever trust Russia" but that working with Russia on cybersecurity will "keep them in check."

"From a cyber standpoint, we need to get together with Russia. We need to tell them what we think should happen, shouldn't happen, and if we talk to them about it, hopefully, we can cut this out and get them to stop," Haley said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."

She continued: "It doesn't mean we've ever taken our eyes off of the ball. It doesn't mean we ever trust Russia. We can't trust Russia, and we won't ever trust Russia. But you keep those that you don't trust closer, so that you can always keep an eye on them and keep them in check, and I think that's what we're trying to do with Russia right now."

Trump's pledge to work with Putin on cybersecurity came as U.S. government officials told The Washington Post that Russian government hackers were behind recent intrusions into the systems of U.S. nuclear power and other energy companies.

The idea of a cyber partnership was roundly mocked. Former Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, who served under Obama at the time of Russia's interference, likened it in a CNN interview to "the guy who robbed your house proposing a working group on burglary."

McCain said facetiously on NBC, "I am sure that Vladimir Putin could be of enormous assistance in that effort, since he's doing the hacking."

---

The Washington Post's Carol Morello in Kiev, Ukraine, and David A. Fahrenthold and David Weigel in Washington contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON - Russian government hackers were behind recent cyber-intrusions into the business systems of U.S. nuclear power and other energy companies in what appears to be an effort to assess their networks, according to U.S. government officials.

The U.S. officials said there is no evidence the hackers breached or disrupted the core systems controlling operations at the plants, so the public was not at risk. Rather, they said, the hackers broke into systems dealing with business and administrative tasks, such as personnel.

At the end of June, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security sent a joint alert to the energy sector stating that "advanced, persistent threat actors" - a euphemism for sophisticated foreign hackers - were stealing network log-in and password information to gain a foothold in company networks. The agencies did not name Russia.

The campaign marks the first time Russian government hackers are known to have wormed their way into the networks of American nuclear power companies, several U.S. and industry officials said. And the penetration could be a sign that Russia is seeking to lay the groundwork for more damaging hacks.

The National Security Agency has detected specific activity by the Russian spy agency, the FSB, targeting the energy firms, according to two officials. The NSA declined to comment. The intrusions have been previously reported but not the attribution to Russia by U.S. officials.

The joint alert from the FBI and DHS, first reported by Reuters on June 30, said the hackers have been targeting the industry since at least May. Several days earlier, E & E News, an energy trade publication, had reported that U.S. authorities were investigating cyber-intrusions affecting multiple nuclear-power-generation sites.

The malicious activity comes as President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday acknowledged "the challenges of cyberthreats" and "agreed to explore creating a framework" to better deal with them, including those that harm critical infrastructure such as nuclear energy, according to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in remarks to reporters. On Saturday, Putin told reporters that he and Trump agreed to set up a working group "on the subject of jointly controlling security in cyberspace."

The Russian government, which is the United States' top adversary in cyberspace, targeted U.S. infrastructure in a wide-ranging campaign in 2014.

Moscow has demonstrated how much damage it can do in other countries when it goes after energy systems.

In December 2015, Russian hackers disrupted the electric system in Ukraine, plunging 225,000 customers into darkness. Last December, they tested a new cyberweapon in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, capable of disrupting power grids around the world.

The recent activity follows the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that the Kremlin was behind a campaign to interfere with the 2016 election through hacking and information warfare. Putin has denied such meddling.

The working group that is being set up will also address "how to prevent interference in the domestic affairs of foreign states, primarily in Russia and the U.S.," Putin said.

The U.S. officials all stressed that the latest intrusions did not affect systems that control the production of nuclear or electric power.

"There is no indication of a threat to public safety, as any potential impact appears to be limited to administrative and business networks," the DHS and FBI said in a joint statement Friday.

One nuclear power company that was penetrated, Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp. in Kansas, issued a statement saying that "there has been absolutely no operational impact to Wolf Creek." The reason is that the plant's operational computer systems are completely separate from the corporate network, spokeswoman Jenny Hageman said. "The safety and control systems for the nuclear reactor and other vital plant components are not connected to business networks or the Internet," she said.

In general, the nation's 100 or so commercial nuclear power plants are safer from cyberattack than other energy plants because they isolate their control systems from the open Internet, said Bill Gross, director of incident preparedness at the Nuclear Energy Institute.

According to U.S. officials, fewer than a dozen energy companies, including several nuclear energy firms, were affected by the latest Russian cyber-reconnaissance campaign.

While nuclear-power companies are fairly well protected, electric-power plants are less so, experts said.

"It's a plausible scenario that the adversaries in electric power business networks could pivot to the industrial networks," said Robert Lee, founder and chief executive of Dragos, a cyberfirm that focuses on industrial control systems. "But it's still not a trivial matter to compromise the industrial systems."

Dragos last month issued a report analyzing a new Russian cyberweapon that can disrupt electric power grids. Dubbed CrashOverride, the malware is known to have affected only one energy system - in Ukraine in December. But with modifications, it could be deployed against U.S. electric grids, Dragos concluded.

While the current campaign shows no signs - at least not yet - of disrupting the companies' operations, it is not clear what the adversary's true motive is, officials said.

"In some sense, this could be significant if this is precursor planning," said one U.S. official, who like others interviewed spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. "That's what all cyber bad guys do. They do reconnaissance and they try to establish a presence and maintain access. This in my mind was a reconnaissance effort - to scope things out and figure out" points of entry.

The same actor has also targeted energy and other critical sector firms in Turkey and Ireland, said John Hultquist, director of intelligence analysis at FireEye, a cyberthreat-intelligence firm. He added that the firm has found evidence that the adversary has been hacking into global energy firms since at least 2015.

In their alert, the DHS and FBI stated that the hackers are using spearphishing emails and "watering hole" techniques to ensnare victims. A spearphish targets a user with an authentic-looking email that contains attachments or links embedded with malware. In this case, the hackers often used Microsoft Word attachments that appeared to be legitimate resumes from job applicants, the agencies said. In a watering-hole attack, an unsuspecting victim navigates to a website laced with malware, infecting his or her computer. In both cases, the adversary sought to collect victims' log-in and password data so that they could sneak into the network and poke around.

Galina Antova, co-founder of the cyberfirm Claroty, said: "There's no need for hype and hysteria, but this is an issue that should be taken seriously because of the state of the industrial networks" - in particular the non-nuclear systems.

The current cyber-campaign, dubbed Palmetto Fusion by the government, is significant as a warning, officials said. "It signals an ability to get into a system and potentially have a continued presence there, which at a future date, at someone else's determination, might be exploited to have an effect" that could be particularly disruptive.

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The Washington Post's David Filipov and Damian Paletta in Hamburg contributed to this report.
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Hayat Tahrir al Sham (the Assembly for the Liberation of the Levant, or HTS), an insurgent coalition of several groups, claims to have launched security operations targeting Islamic State cells throughout the Syrian province of Idlib.

Earlier today, the jihadist joint venture, which includes the organization formerly known as Al Nusrah Front, announced the arrests of more than 100 fighters accused of being Abu Bakr al Baghdadis loyalists.

HTS identified some of those detained as key figures in the Islamic States clandestine apparatus. One of them is a young man known as Abu Sulayman al-Rusi (the Russian), who supposedly led the self-declared caliphates security service in Idlib. A picture of the alleged Baghdadi operative (seen below) was posted on the Telegram channel maintained by HTSs official propaganda arm, Ebaa News Agency.

Another Islamic State security officer was identified as Abu Ibrahim al-Iraqi. Several would-be suicide operatives, along with other members of the network, were also detained.

HTS says it has recovered weapons, cash, and suicide belts during its security sweeps. And Ebaa has produced additional photos documenting the well-advertised campaign, including shots of security checkpoints and houses being raided. Some of the images can be seen below.

HTS has repeatedly accused the Islamic State of implanting cells to launch attacks throughout Idlib.

In June, Sheikh Abdallah Muhammad al Muhaysini, an al Qaeda-linked, Saudi cleric in HTS, accused one of Baghdadis men of trying to kill him after Friday prayers at a mosque in Idlib city. Other jihadists in Syria echoed the allegation. Dr. Sami al Uraydi, who is openly loyal to al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri, expressed his good wishes for Muhaysini after the assassination attempt failed.

HTS has pointed to the existence of Islamic State cells in Idlib province, including those responsible for building improvised explosive devices and bombing an Islamic school, since the beginning of the year. So the new campaign is unsurprising.

However, the effort could also be used as a pretext for cracking down on the organizations other opponents and rivals. Idlib province is central to the jihadists effort to build an Islamic emirate in Syria, independent from the Islamic States crumbling caliphate. Therefore, maintaining control over the province is a key part of their plans.

Although the group formerly known Al Nusrah Front has much in common with Abu Bakr al Baghdadis enterprise, and was originally the Syrian branch of the Islamic State, the two sides have battled one another repeatedly since 2013. Al Nusrah pursued its own state-building project after publicly announcing its allegiance to al Qaeda in Apr. 2013. Idlib fell to the Jaysh al Fath coalition, which was led by Al Nusrah Front and Ahrar al Sham, in 2015. Other organizations have operated in the province as well, but the jihadists dominate the environment.

Still, infighting between various insurgent groups has flared up repeatedly in Idlib. A faction from Jund al Aqsa, which served as an al Qaeda front group, caused problems beginning last year. After Al Nusrah rebranded itself as Jabhat Fath al Sham (JFS) in July 2016, claiming to disassociate from al Qaeda, much of Jund al Aqsa decided to join JFS and its successor organization, HTS. The general command of Jund al Aqsa and other senior figures were folded into their bigger jihadist cousin. But at least several hundred fighters went their own way, forming a pro-Islamic State group that clashed with other anti-Assad forces in Idlib and elsewhere.

Assuming HTSs claims are at least partially accurate, it is possible that some of the Islamic State cells targeted in Idlib were once tied to Jund al Aqsa.

Some Islamic State defectors have reportedly moved to Idlib as the caliphate has crumbled. Baghdadis rivals have an interest in absorbing battle-hardened fighters, if they can be integrated into their ranks. But such defections also open up new opportunities for Islamic State die hards to lash out at their foes.

Hayat Tahrir al Shams photos from the campaign targeting alleged Islamic State operatives in Idlib:

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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A UW-Madison research center named after former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson should be an academically rigorous and intellectually adventurous center for the study of politics and policy in Wisconsin.
Kelly Ward leads a small group of protesters in May outside the Madison Club before a lecture by conservative commentator Charles Murray. The speech was moved off campus to reduce the chance of interruption.
STUART  Lynn Foddrell loves R and B, but he also aims to keep his fathers mountain music alive.

Thus, the last in a line of significant Patrick County family musicians plays both styles, both at home and beyond. The next show will be on July , when The Foddrells take the stage at 7 p.m. at the Rotary Building in Stuart for the Patrick County Music Associations monthly music jamboree.

Lynn Foddrells experience in music started with his grandfather, Posey Foddrell. When Lynn, 61, calls his grandfather musically inclined, thats an understatement.

Posey Foddrell played the banjo and guitar, and all of his five sons played music as well, Lynn said. Poseys sons  Lynns father and uncles  each had a different style of music, from Piedmont style blues to bluegrass to gospel, he said.

Piedmont blues has complex fingerpicking with alternating bass patterns that back a melody on treble strings. It has a ragtime feel.

Back in the day, my grandfather used to raise tobacco and help people in tobacco. In the afternoon in the tobacco barns he would play the guitar and banjo in a barn party, Lynn said.

Lynns father, Turner Foddrell, had a store on Route 8, where they would play music. One day, Jim Litten of WHEO Radio was in the store and heard Posey and his sons play, and he got them to perform on the radio.

Once people heard the Foddrells  Posey, and sons Marvin and Turner -- perform on the radio, the family trio started getting requests to play in venues all over.

Lynn was 5 years old when he started playing a guitar, he said. He still has that first guitar, a Truetone from Sears. His father taught him how to play it, and Lynn picked it up pretty quickly.

By the time Lynn was in his teens, he started playing with his father and uncle in appearances such as at Ferrum Colleges Folk Life Festival and the Beach and Peach festivals in Stuart. They also traveled as far as Washington D.C. for the Festival of American Folklife sponsored by the Smithsonian Institute and both Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center in New York City. They also went on a blues tour through the Netherlands.

The people over there (in Holland) like the ragtime and the Piedmont style music. They love the blues, he said.

Lynn, his uncle and his father recorded an album, Patrick County Rag.

Lynn gave up music after his father passed away in 1995. However, about a year after he passed, I got to thinking, Daddy wouldnt want me to do that. He would want me to keep on playing music, so he went back to it.

Lynn took music back up, but this time, with more of his favorite style, R and B and blues soul. However, I still had my dads culture. His was more  of a mountain type music, acoustic instruments, nothing electric. My daddy, he hated playing electric. He liked country-style music, bluegrass-style.

The current lineup of his R and B band, The Foddrells, is his cousin Pam Douglas of Greensboro, North Carolina, singing; cousin Doug Turner of Martinsville on guitar; Joe Dread of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on keyboard; DeCarlos Wilkes of Winston-Salem on drums; and Kim Bates of Pinnacle, North Carolina, on guitar. Lynn plays rhythm guitar and occasionally bass guitar, he said.

Often, he and Doug team up to play our parents old type style music he said, which is what theyll be doing when they headline the Patrick County Music Associations Music Jamboree on Saturday. The performance will showcase the traditional style, picking and singing and performing, he said. It would be more like the people who grew up in the area  that heard my daddy performing have enjoyed in the past.

When they play their parents style music, they may perform I Got a Gal, Leave Me Alone, Big Boss Man, St. Louis Blues, stuff like that, he said. We might do an old school like Step It Up and Go.

We try to do mostly what my dad did, cause nobodys got his style of playing. Nobody can play like him. A lot of people are close, but theres nobody like my dad.

Its a dying form of music, he said  young people dont pick it up.

Our blues music has started fading away, he said. There arent many black blues musicians left. Some of the people are trying to keep it alive. Most of it is the Caucasians picking up the tradition. The younger black Americans are more interested in rap music and stuff like that. They dont know where their roots come from. They music they have doesnt have any meaning to it. The music we came up to in the era has meaning to it.

Lynn also talked about the wealth of musical talent in Patrick County.

We had so many musicians from Patrick County with different styles of music and different talents, he said, and the era that he (Turner) came up in, it was just fantastic. The musicians we had in the county were very talented. Country, bluegrass  all of it came together.

Neither his daughter, Aneesa Foddrell, or his son, Julian Foddrell, both of Martinsville, are interested in music, he said.

Im the last of the Mohicans. Ive got two uncles still living. Both play guitars, banjo, piano, but they dont do public stuff. They are in the upper age: Phillip Foddrell of Colorado Springs and Roger Foddrell, who still lives on Foddrell Lane in Stuart.

No matter which style of music he plays, its going to be different from an average show, Lynn said. Im more of an entertainer or showman.  I like to get the crowd involved with the music. I like to make them feel me.

The Foddrells performed Tuesday for the Independence Time Festival in Independence. That came about after the town manager of Independence heard The Foddrells perform at the wine festival in Stuart in April and wanted them for Independence.

Most of my jobs are by word of mouth, he said.

Lynn works at Duke Energys fossil coal plant at Belews Creek. He plans to dedicate himself to the music when he retires in a couple more years.

I want to get on the circuit at the college festivals, the town festivals, with my band and my dads type music too, he said.

The Music Jamboree will begin at 4:45 p.m. with open performance. Highway South will take the stage at 6 p.m., followed by The Foddrell Family at 7 p.m. The Patrick County Shooters Club will sell food.

The Rotary Building is located at 420 Woodland Drive, Stuart.
MARTINSVILLEShould Martinsville, Henry or Patrick counties apply to run a harm reduction program? And if they do, what impact will that have on how local laws are enforced? Those are the questions being weighed by local officials, in the wake of the new law that took effect in Virginia on July 1.

Earlier this year, the Virginia General Assembly passed a law authorizing the commissioner of health to establish and operate local or regional comprehensive harm reduction programs during a declared public health emergency. The law went into effect July 1. On Nov. 21, 2016, State Health Commissioner Dr. Marissa Levine declared the opioid addiction crisis addiction crisis in Virginia a public health emergency.

What is a comprehensive harm reduction program? As the Bulletin reported earlier this week, the program is designed to reduce the negative impact of drug use including HIV, hepatitis C, other infections, overdose and death, among people who are unable or not ready to stop using drugs, according to a Virginia Department of Health website.

Comprehensive harm reduction programs are split into several parts. First, local health departments can allow drug addicts 18 years and older to come in and pick up sterile needles and syringes. Second, those addicts are allowed to bring in used needles and with no questions asked, the department can dispose of them. Third, addicts are offered information through an education program and referral to drug treatment, testing and other health services.

Specifically, they have to provide counseling to the addict that focuses on making behavioral changes that reduce or eliminate [the] use of drugs. Also, the programs have to offer educational materials to the addicts that talk about ways to prevent drug abuse and include information about where and how the addicts can get treatment. Also included in the bill is a requirement for the local programs to provide condoms to the addicts as well as alcohol skin wipes that reduce other infections, bandages to reduce the potential for blood exposure after injecting the needle and supplies that help them carry the syringes, needles and other materials home from the health department.

There are some questions that come with the program. As it stands currently, a person caught with items labeled as drug paraphernalia can be charged with a crime. But if the state and city or county are the ones providing the needles and syringes, does it make sense to turn around and charge people for using those materials?

The Martinsville Bulletin asked Henry County Sheriff Lane Perry and Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith what their departments will do now about drug paraphernalia cases.

Perry said his department possibly might file charges if drug users participating in the program used needles and syringes in a way that goes against the intent of the program  for example, not properly disposing of them but rather continuing to reuse them. That would be looked at on a case-by-case basis, he said.

Perry said his department will continue to charge people for paraphernalia offenses involving smoking devices and scales.

In terms of simple possession of paraphernalia charges go, we enforce the laws of the Commonwealth, Perry said. Thats what we have sworn to do. In some cases, a simple possession charge is what gets the addict on the path to recovery through a judges mandate of drug treatment/education. So, there is benefit to criminally charging for such offenses.

According to the protocols and standards, comprehensive harm reduction programs: are required to provide appropriate disposal of used hypodermic needles and syringes; must provide sterile needles and syringes and other injection supplies at no cost to participants; must ensure reasonable and adequate security of program sites, equipment and personnel; and must be able to verify that a hypodermic needle or syringe or other injection supplies were obtained from their program.

Smith also pointed out that in his area, he hasnt seen a lot of needle use among the opioid addicts.

Most of what we are seeing is prescription pill abuse by taking the drug orally or by crushing and snorting the pills, Smith said. At this point, I fully support anti-opioid education, but I do not support supplying needles or other drug paraphernalia to addicts. If giving out needles is a condition of participating in the program, then this office will not be participating.

Politicians weigh in

In recent months, Martinsville and Henry County (which are combined for the purposes of calculating the population rate per 100,000) have had among the highest rates of emergency department visits for unintentional overdose by opioid or unspecified substance among localities reporting in Virginia. For example, Martinsville and Henry County tied for the fourth highest rate in Virginia in December 2016, had the highest rate in Virginia in January, tied for the 11th highest rate in February and tied for the seventh highest rate in April, according to Virginia Department of Health data.

Martinsville Vice Mayor Chad Martin said he would support the idea of the city applying to operate the program.

Chad Martin said: In reviewing the wonderful work of our amazing police while seeing the local and the national trend of opioid abuse, I would definitely be in favor of the (comprehensive harm reduction) program, Martin said. The work that department of health, healthcare coalition, as well as the hospital on promoting good health in our locale it would lead me to believe they would be the best leads on a project like this. They are accessible to the public and with the new partnership of the Martinsville and Danville hospital, it becomes a regional conversation about public safety.

A project of this nature would easily be able to be funded through a state or federal grant, Martin added, with all stakeholders being able to benefit in a win-win outcome while bridging stronger ties with existing organizations who serve the community.

Martinsville Mayor Gene Teague and City Council member Sharon Brooks Hodge were more tentative when asked if they would support the idea of the city of Martinsville applying to operate a comprehensive harm reduction program.

This [just became law] on July 1st, and it is a grant that is available if you meet certain standards and protocols, Teague said. It will take some time for our locality to digest this information and determine if we need to/want to apply for this grant and if there are benefits or consequences to implementing a program like this. Before rushing to any judgment, I would want to hear from the experts on the benefits and any unintended consequences. We will be inviting Dr. Hershey to a future council meeting to provide a more public overview of what this is and (its) applicability to our region. Teague was referring to Dr. Jody Hershey, director of the West Piedmont Health District.

Actually, I have not yet formed an opinion, Brooks Hodge said. I dont believe I have enough information right now to either support or oppose it.

The other members of Martinsville City Council, Martinsville Police Chief Eddie Cassady and all the members of the Henry County Board of Supervisors did not respond to requests for comment by press time.

Henry, Patrick and Franklin counties and the city of Martinsville are among the 55 localities in Virginia eligible to submit applications to operate local or regional comprehensive harm reduction programs.

Dr. Hershey said the comprehensive harm reduction programs can be established in areas of higher risk where the data shows risk for or increases in HIV, viral hepatitis, and/or other blood-borne infections resulting from injection drug use.
When Patricia and Michael Filbrandt opened the doors of Filbrandt & Co. in 1981, financial investment planning was somewhat of a stepchild in their insurance business, a welcome bonus for the university faculty they serviced.

But the economy changed, and employers shifted their retirement plans from defined-benefit pensions to defined-contribution vehicles like IRAs. As options for the latter multiplied, retirement investment choices got a lot more confusing, Patricia Filbrandt said.

What the university professors really valued more than anything (among our services) was the overall planning aspect that we offered to them, she said. We evolved into a financial planning firm.

The company made that new emphasis official in the mid-1990s, rebranding as Filbrandt Investment Advisers.

The arrival of the internet changed the Filbrandts business plan even further, she said. When they started their business, they expected to have regional offices to serve universities across the country, but technology allowed the business to remain in Madison as it grew. The business model also evolved; instead of drawing income from sales commissions on insurance plans, the Filbrandts charge a fee for advice on how to choose among the funds and options university faculty were being offered to save for retirement.

We went from a 100 percent commission-based to a 100 percent fee-based business, she said. We are able to save them a lot of angst.

As staffing needs have grown, Filbrandt said finding qualified employees has been a challenge due to a lack of formal training programs for financial planners. She noted UW-Madison moved financial planning courses into the School of Business only a few years ago.

Most people in the financial service industry evolve either from the securities industry or the insurance industry. You are just beginning to see people graduate from universities today who elect to become a financial planner without going either of those routes.

That has led to a lot of training after the hire.

Probably one of the most difficult things for us as a financial planning firm has been to find staff, and quite often when we find them, we have to retrofit them. We have to train them, Filbrandt said. So weve learned over the years  our biggest investment is our staff. Its been that way since day one. When we talk about bringing in new business, we need to have the staff to absorb that.

Q. Your clientele is university professionals. How would an educator access your services  and why? What are the criteria for needing your services?

A. We host informational webinars and seminars on campuses throughout the U.S. several times throughout the year. The university community finds these webinars and seminars, along with information available through our website, to be a valuable resource. Additionally we offer initial no-obligation in-person meetings that are typically one hour in length to individuals while we are on campuses.

We really dont have a specific criteria for those needing our services, but usually individuals begin to realize the value of planning services when retirement becomes more real. How someone saves money during the last 10 to 15 working years, invests their portfolio, and takes their Social Security income can significantly impact their retirement years financially.

Do you compete with other financial services companies for a share of this market, or do you contract with various institutions to handle their staffs assets? For example, could an individual adjunct professor walk in your front door for service?

We contract with individuals at universities, not the universities. We have been approached by universities with inquiries to provide broad services at specific campuses but have not done so yet. The type of planning services that we provide are broad and complement the information that individuals receive from their benefit departments and retirement account vendors. Our advisory service includes all benefits that are available to individuals, not just their retirement account assets.

Whats unique about your clientele? How should financial planning for educators in higher education be done differently?

Most of the campuses in the U.S. today offer a defined-contribution rather than a defined-benefit pension plan with more than one custodian. The brokerage industry is not able or equipped to advise on these assets as the assets must remain with the employers custodian while the individual is working.

For most people in academia, their retirement account is either not managed or very poorly managed at best. Our firm has electronic access to view our client accounts and can advise and report on the assets while they are at the respective custodians.

We have found that due to this inattention to the university employees retirement funds that their overall financial planning needs are neglected.

What are some of the biggest financial planning risks for university professionals?

There are several. Some that come to mind quickly are, first, not taking full advantage of all of the benefits offered by their employers. Then, not making the appropriate investment choices and rebalancing their portfolios when necessary, not minimizing their tax bill and not budgeting for needed health care costs, particularly assisted living costs, during retirement. And finally, not maximizing their Social Security benefits.

You have expanded your services to include the Filbrandt Private Trust. What does that mean?

Many of our clients have significant estates and subsequent estate planning needs, which may include trust services. They find that our family planning services save much time and money when there is an estate transfer. Being able to offer trust services when needed will add to the seamless transfer of an estate and ultimately save more time and money for our clients.

Are people in the U.S.  in Wisconsin, for that matter  more likely to have enough money to pay for their retirement years than they were 10 or 15 years ago? Is a greater proportion of the population outliving their resources?

Most of our clients are savers by nature and have the income levels that allow them to save adequately for retirement. We find that most people dont know how or take the time to determine if they have adequate funds for their retirement. Many Americans do not have the pensions that our parents had during their retirement years. There is a great need for more financial literacy in our country, and this includes Wisconsin.

Should people in this country be nervous about political volatility and how it will affect their investments? What are you advising your clients about cash reserves, for example?

We certainly live in a world filled with all kinds of volatility. This volatility makes it more important than ever to invest in an appropriate asset allocation that reflects your risk tolerance, age, financial assets and years to retirement. One should keep a cash reserve as an emergency fund. If you receive a large infusion of cash, such as from an inheritance, at a time when the market is extremely volatile and you wish to invest the cash, we might suggest that you dollar-cost-average the funds into the market.
Too many of Montanas lawmakers are also routine law-breakers. And too few recognize that as the glaring problem it is.

Publicly elected state legislators are ignoring ethics laws and the legal system designed to keep them accountable to the people who put them in office. As explored in a series of statewide reports on Ethics in the Montana Legislature, published in the Missoulian this past week, the rules guiding legislative ethics are so loose they are nearly worthless.

Montanas bare-bones disclosure requirements call for close attention from members of the public, so that those lawbreakers who fall through the cracks of official accountability may still be held accountable  at the ballot box.

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/opinion/editorial/montanans-must-ensure-legislators-are-held-liable-for-ethical-lapses/article_8851485e-2a46-5bc1-bbd3-be9d0481e0f7.html
A recent economic development study by Headwaters Economics took a hard look at Lincolns https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln,_Montana assets and liabilities with an eye toward forging a survival plan. The challenges included an aging population, overworked volunteer force, unpredictable snowfall hurting its snowmobile season, little hope for turnaround in the logging or mining industries, and a highway that shoots potential visitors straight through town without giving them a reason to stop.

ROB CHANEY [email protected]

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/news/local/lifelines-in-lincoln-hard-working-town-seeks-new-ways-to/article_3a8b3d3c-ad1d-56b6-978a-6c9679e6e31a.html
The Madison City Council wants more say and resources.

But it already has plenty.

The council should stop trying to dilute the mayors ability to get things done.

Some aldermen may not like Mayor Paul Soglins high profile and assertiveness. But hes not a typical city mayor. Hes the longest-serving chief executive in the citys history, having been in the top job for 20 years spanning four decades.

City Council members shouldnt try to tilt the balance of power at City Hall in their favor based on one mayor. Nor should the council stack a city task force  one that will explore the future of city government  with a majority of council members who will look out for their own interests. The mayors proposal to pick mostly citizens for the panel makes a lot more sense.

Its not as if the mayor, despite all of his experience in city government, is dominating the council. The council just overrode the mayors veto of the creation of a chief of staff position for the council that will pay around $100,000 and cater to the needs of aldermen. The council also created and controls a legislative analyst, and it has dramatically increased council pay.

Two years ago, the council gave itself a 60 percent raise, to about $12,700 a year, and some members have been trying to get more.

But Madison doesnt need, and shouldnt move toward, a full-time City Council  especially with so many members. Madisons 20-member council is abnormally large, compared to similarly sized Midwestern cities. Ann Arbor, Michigan, for example, has 10 members, while Des Moines, Iowa, has six. Madisons council definitely should shrink following the 2020 census to improve its efficiency and raise the profile of its members.

Madison also has far too many city committees, commissions and boards  about 100 at last count, some of which are redundant. That can slow down if not stop good ideas that a majority of Madison residents favor. So can small but vocal groups representing narrow interests. Madison goes to great lengths to allow public input, which is good, but it also has a soft spot for protesters, sometimes allowing them to undermine the will of the majority.

Some aldermen want to add more obstacles to getting things done. They want to kick the mayor off the citys finance committee, giving him less say over the city budget. They want the City Council president, rather than the mayor, to appoint council members to committees.

That would further diffuse the decision-making process at City Hall.

We like a strong mayor with an engaged council that keeps track of neighborhood concerns and opportunities that the mayor might miss.

Madison has had a lot of success in recent years. That shouldnt be overlooked as it considers changes to its government structure. The economy is humming with lots of jobs. Stylish buildings continue to rise Downtown. The city provides lots of strong services and is trying hard to encourage more affordable housing.

Any attempt to weaken the citys chief executive and his already limited powers would risk undermining those accomplishments and goals.
Cooks on Main mixing virtual, physical retail

Williston businesses have been talking about the difficulties of competing with online shopping venues that allow people to shop from home at their leisure, and the Williston Chamber of Commerce has been exploring a shop local campaign to help encourage people to support their local businesses.

By Renee Jean [email protected]

Full Story: http://www.willistonherald.com/news/williston-business-looks-to-expand-online-options/article_839be634-6379-11e7-a503-db905fa8a890.html
The rash is also likely to occur during pregnancies. While pityriasis rosea is a benign skin condition, there is a chance that it may have adverse effects on the newborn.

The rash can affect adults and children alike but is most common in those aged from 10 to 35 years .

Pityriasis rosea is a rash that can appear to the eye to be somewhat dramatic. Despite this, the rash is quite mild and tends to clear up by itself without the need for treatment.

Share on Pinterest Pityriasis rosea commonly affects people aged 10 to 35 years old and a first symptom may be a fever or a headache.

The first sign of the condition is often when a person feels slightly unwell. This feeling could include having a fever, a headache, or some joint pain.

A general feeling of being unwell may last for a few days before the first sign of the rash appears.

Itching is one of the prominent symptoms of the rash. Around 50 percent of people with pityriasis rosea may experience an itch.

The main rash itself is typically preceded by the appearance of a single oval patch known as the herald or mother patch.

This patch is usually pink with a darker border and often appears between 2 days and 2 weeks before the main rash develops over a much wider area.

The herald patch can measure from 2 to 10 centimeters (cm). It most often appears on the stomach, chest, back, or neck. Less frequently, it can develop on the scalp, face, or even near the genitals.

While it may take anything from a couple of days to 2 weeks for a wider rash to develop, it can carry on spreading for up to 12 weeks.

This widespread rash is made up of a mass of smaller patches, or plaques, that cover more parts of the body. The affected areas may include the upper arms and upper thighs.

These areas tend to be areas where the skin is more relaxed, such as along cleavage lines and on both sides of the upper trunk. The wider rash does not usually affect the face.

People with light-colored skins tend to develop a pinkish-red rash, while those with darker skins can expect to see gray, dark brown, or even black patches.

Complications

Research into pityriasis rosea during early pregnancy suggests that it could cause miscarriage, with researchers finding it in 8 of 61 women studied. Some women experienced premature delivery and other problems either before or after the birth itself.

Pityriasis rosea may be said to be atypical when the diagnosis has been difficult. An atypical pityriasis rosea rash is often marked by:
A new study conducted on tens of thousands of couples has disproven claims that fertility treatments lead to higher divorce rates. In vitro fertilization procedures may be stressful, say researchers, but may ultimately lead to a consolidated relationship, not a breakup. Share on Pinterest No conclusive link was found between divorce rates and fertility treatments, according to new study on Danish women. In 2014, researchers from the Danish Cancer Society Research Center in Copenhagen published a study in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavia, claiming that couples who faced fertility issues were exposed to severe stress. It was considered that the outcome of this exposure might ultimately be divorce. Taking into account the emotional impact that infertility has on couples who are trying to conceive, there have been many claims that fertility treatments also lead to marriage crises, followed by divorce. New findings indicate that, despite the psychological strain, in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures do not impact divorce rates.

IVF does not lead to divorce Lead researcher Dr. Mariana Martins, from the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Porto in Portugal, and colleagues conducted a study on 42,845 Danish women undergoing fertility treatments between 1994 and 2009. The studys findings were presented on July 5 at the 33rd Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, held in Geneva, Switzerland. The women and the progression of their relationships with their partners were followed consistently over a period of 16 years. The outcomes were compared with those of a control group selected from the general female population. Throughout the follow-up period, 65 percent of the women undergoing fertility treatments had children with their partners, and 20 percent of the women participating in the study filed for divorce. After making adjustments for variables such as age and education, no major differences were found between groups. It was revealed that both the women participating in the study and those from the control group were at a similar risk of separation. In other words, exposure to IVF did not increase the likelihood of divorce. Our results will be reassuring for couples who have had or are contemplating IVF, says Dr. Martins.
Time and again, we are made to realize how important English language is and why one must learn it to become successful in life. We are sure you too would have, at some point in life, had this talk, either with your parents, professors or peers who pretend as if they just graduated from Oxford University (with their Rs perfectly rolled and sh*t). Having said that, we Indians simply LOVE English, so much so that we have invented our own version, which the Brits will literally' trip on if they ever find out.

 YouTube

For some reason, we Indians can't accept anything that's non-Indian, without giving it a desi spin. Can you see the Indian Chinese cuisine raising its hand in approval? Well, if we can tweak the cuisine, how can we speak the language as is? Thus came along Indian English that is possibly the best form of the language you will find in this world. And stand-Up comic Rajneesh Kapoor explains how easy the language is because you don't need grammar to make your point. In fact, at times you don't even need words, just a *Tch* is all it takes to convey the message. In 1947, when the British were leaving the country, we Indians were possibly busy bargaining what was left for us. We took railways and English, but when it came to grammar, we lost interest and shifted to some other market, because who needs grammar?

 YouTube

Rajneesh also makes a really valid point, which makes us believe that English phrases are kind of pointless. Tit for tat makes no sense, unless TAT stands for Tourism Authority of Thailand, Rajneesh says and now we can never use the phrase in the same context. He further goes on to explain how we ruined the language and the English tea. They gave us tea leaves and water, we added milk, sugar, cardamom (elaichi), ginger, tulsi and badam. This was our sweet revenge that we, till date, savor with much fondness. Watch the video here, where Rajneesh hilariously sums up his love for Indian English, our hatred for grammar and collective love for Oh ho ho ho ho'.
Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias will chair a meeting of the National Council on Foreign Policy (NCFP) at 17:00 on Monday, 10 July, at the Foreign Ministry.



The subject of the meeting will be the developments in the Cyprus issue.
Greece attended the Conference in Crans-Montana determined to contribute in every possible way to resolving the Cyprus problem, and in the hope that everyone would act in such a direction.



But Turkey's conduct dashed any hopes anyone had that there would be a change in its stance. Just as Turkey abandoned the first Conference, in Geneva, it torpedoed the second.



Turkey drove the Crans-Montana conference to an impasse. A very characteristic feature of its stance was the revelations Turkey made during the dinner on 6 July, when the UN Secretary-General expressed his intention of setting down in writing the points of convergence that had been achieved. His goal was to shape a framework for agreement so that the conclusive negotiations could continue, with Greeces consent, in New York. But this was not possible, because when the critical moment was reached at the Conference, Turkey resolutely refused to allow a number of promises it had made to the Secretary-General to be set down in writing.



This was typified by the Turkish side categorically refusing to accept the abolition of the inexistent rights of intervention it invokes. An abolition that, a short while earlier, at a bilateral meeting with the UN Secretary-General, Turkey had indicated it would accept at the dinner that was to follow. And this was because Turkey was aware that all of the participants apart from Turkey itself and the Turkish Cypriots demanded their abolition.



We remind that, three days earlier, the Turkish Foreign Minister had bluntly revealed Turkey's position, according to which Ankara "needed these rights so that it can intervene throughout Cyprus whenever it deems it necessary."



The Turkish side also revealed during the dinner of 6 July that it wants to continue the violations in the name of the Treaty of Guarantee, to ensure and perpetuate its military presence in Cyprus. And all of this was in spite of promises to the contrary made to the UN Secretary-General on the afternoon of Thursday, 6 July. Promises that, in hindsight, are revealed to have been an effort to create the false impression that it was ostensibly willing to negotiate. But lies never get one very far, and the truth always finds a way to come out.



As soon as Turkey was faced with the Secretary-General's proposal for a binding written record of the potential compromises, it was forced to reveal and admit its real positions and intentions. It became evident that, throughout the duration of the multilateral negotiations, Turkey had had no intention of compromising. Moreover, it also became evident that, through its stance, Turkey sought to deceive the UN Secretary-General. Immediately after these revelatory developments, the UN Secretary-General was forced to declare, in short order, that the Conference had ended.



So the Conference ended with the revelation/confirmation of Turkey's true intentions, which run counter to international law and the resolutions of the UN.



We reiterate that Greece will continue to work relentlessly, with all means at its disposal, for a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem, in close cooperation with the Republic of Cyprus, the UN and the European Union. And it calls on all of the parties to the Conference to show responsibility, respect for international law, and self-restraint.
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...
you are here:
RBI withdrew a portion of its earlier statement in which it said 12 cases identified by it for insolvency proceedings would be accorded priority by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) "stands deleted".

On June 13, RBI said it identified 12 accounts for insolvency proceedings with each of them having over Rs 5,000 crore of outstanding loans accounting for 25 per cent of total NPAs of banks.

It said these cases would be "accorded priority" by NCLT, which has jurisdiction over insolvency proceedings.

However, withdrawing the portion, RBI said: "...Such cases will be accorded priority by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) stands deleted," the banking regulator said in a statement today.

It further said: "The remaining contents of the Press Release remain unchanged."

The Press Release "outlined the process followed by the Internal Advisory Committee to identify accounts for reference by banks under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016," RBI added.

The banking sector is saddled with non-performing assets (NPAs) of over Rs 8 lakh crore, of which Rs 6 lakh crore is with public sector banks.

The Central Bank set up an Internal Advisory Committee (IAC), comprising a majority of its independent board members, to advise it with regard to the cases that may be considered for reference for resolution under the IBC.

The finance ministry asked banks to maintain zero tolerance against bad loans prepare themselves to fight cases to resolve large NPAs or non-performing assets even though the Gujarat High Court has stayed bankruptcy proceedings against Essar Steel.

Bankruptcy proceedings have been moved against Bhushan Steel, Electrosteel Steels and Lanco Infratech which are among the 12 bad loan cases identified by the RBI.

State Bank of India is the lead banker to defaulters of Bhushan Steel, Essar Steel and Electrosteel Steel, while IDBI Bank has been directed by RBI to initiate insolvency procedure against Lanco Infratech.

Once a case is referred to NCLT, there is a 180-day timeline to decide on a resolution plan though 90 days can be given in addition. If a plan is not decided, then the company will go into liquidation.

The internal advisory committee (IAC) of the RBI, after its 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.

Earlier this week, Essar Steel moved the Gujarat High Court against insolvency proceedings initiated by the banks on the direction of Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The high court issued a notice to the RBI and leader of the banking consortium SBI and posted the matter for July 7.

Essar Steel, in its petition, had appealed that the RBI notification arrived even while the firm was trying to implement a board-approved restructuring package.
President Pranab Mukherjee today launched two programmes to take education to the remotest corners of the country with the help of technology.

Mukherjee also launched a 'National Academic Depository' where verified educational records would be digitally stored by universities or a board to counter forgery.

The programmes Swayam and Swayam Prabha -- for making education more accessible -- and the depository were conceived and executed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Under Swayam, courses would be offered through digital classrooms with online study material available free of cost in videos.

Students who want certification will have to be registered and then offered a certificate on the completion of the course for a nominal fee, the Swayam website states.

They would have the opportunity to raise queries which would be answered in real time, Minister of Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar said.

Students would be assessed through proctored examination and the marks/grades secured in this exam would be transferred to their academic record, according to the website.

Swayam Prabha would tap into the potential of Direct to Home Service wherein a person can install a dish antenna for about Rs 1,500 and have access to 32 digital educational channels run by the HRD Ministry.

Every day, there would be new content for at least four hours which would be repeated five times in a day, allowing students to choose the time of their convenience, Additional Secretary in UGC Pankaj Mittal said.

The course content would cover almost every aspect of education in various fields from class nine and will include preparatory courses for institutes such as the IITs.

Speaking on the occasion, Mukherjee said he had always emphasised on the "quality" of teaching and learning process in higher educational institutions.

He said mere physical expansion might provide access but without physical infrastructure and quality teachers, "the talent which is hidden in the young minds would not get the opportunity to blossom".

The president also said there were huge differences in the quality of education in urban and rural areas, between the states and in educational institutions within a state.

Underlining the need for making quality study material available in regional languages, he said pupils studying in regional mediums in schools found it difficult when material for higher education was in an alien language.

In his address, Javadekar highlighted the importance of teachers as the function was organised on "Guru Purnima".

Thanking the president for gracing the occasion, Javadekar said Mukherjee, who started his career as a teacher, had an unblemished public life for the last 48 years.

As a mark of respect on Guru Purnima he presented Mukherjee with a gift, which included a "slate" -- a traditional writing tablet.

Javdekar said that speeches made by the president during convocations of various universities would be compiled in various languages and distributed in the varsities.
The Centre will offer certificate courses in Goods and Services Tax (GST) accounting, programming and other related subjects through its 'Garib Nawaz' skill development centres.

The announcement was made by Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi after inaugurating the first such centre here. The centres are being set up to offer employment-oriented training to youths of minority communities.

"The demand for professionals with knowledge of GST accounting/programming will increase significantly in the coming days. The GST courses will be offered with the assistance of experts," an official statement quoting Naqvi said.

The minister said on completion of the three-month course, the youths will be able to help small and medium size businessmen.

They, he added, also stand to benefit immensely at individual levels as the course will open vast job opportunities in related areas.

The Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs said the government plans to launch the centres at 99 more places.

The centres will provide certificate courses in health services, mobile and laptop repairing, computer hardware and networking, retail management programme, motor driving training, security guard training, courses in housekeeping and others.
The opposition National Conference accused the PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir of misleading people about constitutional safeguards in the presidential order issued on Thursday for the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax in the state.

"They are talking about not amending Section 5 of the Jammu and Kashmir constitution which they cannot do anyway. Through this presidential order Section 5 and Article 370 have been rendered hollow," former finance minister and senior NC leader Abdul Rahim Rather told reporters here.

He said the state GST Act was passed in an "unprecedented hurry" as the Centre directed the Jammu and Kashmir government to implement it as soon as possible.

"The act was passed in 30 seconds without discussion. I challenge if any member of the house has read this voluminous act," Rather said.

"I was surprised that the resolution was even admitted in the assembly as it was vague. They have passed it on the basis of brute majority which they shouldn't have used in such a sensitive matter."

Rather said the intention of the BJP in eroding the special status of Jammu and Kashmir has been made clear by the statements by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP state president Sat Sharma.

In response to a question, Rather pointed fingers at the state Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu saying, "Drabu termed Article 370 as obstructionist which is the same language used by the BJP and the RSS."

Jammu and Kashmir was the last state to implement the GST which was rolled out in rest of the country on July 1. The state will fall under the special states category.
Indian female paramilitary soldiers stand guard near the border with Nepal ahead of third phase polls, at Panitanki village, about 40 km (25 miles) north of the eastern Indian city of Siliguri April 28, 2009. The India-Nepal and India-Bangladesh border will remain sealed from 28 April evening to 30 April, Siliguri's sub-divisional officer said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri (INDIA MILITARY POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTXEH8S

The Defence Ministry on Saturday cleared a Rs 2,400 crore proposal for upgrading the Army's armoured fighting vehicles to make them capable of undertaking night operations.

The decision to give a go-ahead to the project was taken at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the ministry's highest decision-making body on procurement, defence ministry sources said.

The modernisation of the armoured vehicles will enhance their overall performance besides enabling them to fully operate at night.

The DAC, chaired by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, also approved procurement of 'carrier command post vehicles' for the Army at a total cost of Rs 406 crore, they said.

Command post vehicles act as centralised command facilities, equipped with electronic command and control systems to ensure precision firing.

The modernisation of the armoured fighting vehicles will be carried out by the state-run Ordnance Factory at Medak in Telangana. The army has nearly 2,500 such vehicles.

The carrier command post vehicles will also be supplied to the Army by the Medak Ordnance Factory.

The sources said the DAC also deliberated on a number of other procurement cases and issued directions to ensure smooth progress in the acquisition process.
China said that it has not denied visas to members of a delegation of the India Foundation, a think tank with links to the BJP, which was to travel to Fudan University in Shanghai next week.

Xie Liyan, spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India, said the delegation will visit China as scheduled and reports that two of foundation's junior researchers were denied visas and the visit has been cancelled were "not true".

"As far as I know, all seven members of the India Foundation delegation to visit China got their visas in time. None of the visa application was denied. The delegation will visit China as scheduled.

"The Chinese side always welcomes and supports the exchanges of think tanks between China and India," Xie said in a statement put out on the embassy's website.

India Foundation Director and BJP general secretary Ram Madhav had yesterday said visa to two researchers were denied by China.

His announcement came amid the standoff between the Indian and the Chinese armies near Sikkim sector.

"I was not in the delegation. It was supposed to be an academic delegation. After the denial of visa to two researchers, Foundation called off the visit," Madhav had tweeted yesterday.
Darjeeling: Security personnel fire tear gas during a protest by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) activists in Darjeeling on Saturday. PTI Photo by Ashok Bhaumik

The violence erupted again in Darjeeling today on the 25th day of pro-Gorkhaland stir, with agitators setting aflame a police camp, injuring four police personnel and attacking a BDO office at Pokribong.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) activists also took out a rally at Chowkbazar with the bodies of Suraj Sundas and Sameer Subba who were allegedly killed in police firing.

The Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) also took out a procession at Sonada with the body of Tashi Bhutia who too was allegedly killed in police firing.

The protesters also attacked the Sonada police station and torched a part of it in what was second such attack in two days.

The Sonada police station was attacked yesterday too, by protesters. A police booth was also set ablaze in Darjeeling by the protesters.

In the afternoon today a huge mob attacked a BDO office and a police camp at Pokribong and set it on fire as several police personnel were also beaten up.

Meanwhile, the all-party meeting of the hill parties, which was scheduled to take place on July 18, has been advanced to July 11.

The GJM has claimed that four persons were killed during police firing after clashes broke out between pro-Gorkhaland supporters and police in various parts of the hills yesterday.

The police, however, denied the reports of firing and said it did not fire a "single shot."

M S Rai, chairman of the Rai Development Board, resigned last night in protest against the alleged killings. The GJM also rejected Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's offer of talks yesterday.
Representative Image (Reuters)

Rishi Kohli

Indian markets have been among the best performers globally in 2017 owing to the positive effects of liquidity from both local and global investors.

On the FII side, India flows since the past six months continued to be strong supported by dedicated and long-only funds. Around one-fourth of the total EM inflows in 2017 has come into India and that trend is not showing any signs of reversal yet.

Inflows into India continued for the 26th consecutive week by end of June 2017. Post 2014-2015 period, this remains one of the strongest phases of foreign inflows into India.

If one analyses other phases of such strong inflows in India, there are some commonalities. Between June 2010 to December 2010, India saw 28 consecutive weeks of foreign inflows totaling USD 6.6 billion after which markets peaked out and saw a good correction.

Between January 2015 to May 2015, we saw 20 weeks of foreign inflows into India totaling USD 6.3 billion, after which there was again a market peak followed by a good market decline.

The current streak of foreign inflows into India began in January this year and has seen inflows of USD 7.3bn in a period of 24 weeks.

Hence, this signals some caution on Indian markets in the near-term as markets typically face strong headwinds post such strong liquidity in a short period of time.

On the domestic side, MF inflows have continued to remain very strong, breaking one record after another. In fact, post demonetisation, equity MFs' average inflows have been Rs. 17,000 crore per month, which is more than double of the previous two years' average inflows of Rs 8,000 crore per month.

Equity AUM in MFs, as a percentage of total AUM, has risen steadily over the past six months and is now around 28 percent.

Equity AUM accounts for 4.1 percent of Indias market capitalisation and has a long way to go when compared to global averages which portends well for the Indian equity markets over the long term.

Further, the strong equity MF inflows mentioned above has resulted in MF cash levels being elevated since demonetization whereby MFs have been continuously holding around Rs. 22,000 crore of cash almost every month since then.

This has become a strong tailwind and support for the Indian equity markets due to which the declines have been small and short-lived as this cash comes to buy at every dip.

Monthly capital-raising in the form of IPOs and QIPs hit a multi-year high in June at USD 3.6 billion, led by the State Bank of India QIP which constituted around 65 percent.

This has still not heated up to very high levels going by historical numbers seen in previous large market peaks, hence a comforting factor for now.

But, with many IPOs and QIPs lined up in the coming months, this is one factor which can be watched as only large capital raising can suck out the strong liquidity in markets currently being seen from both domestic and foreign investors.

Disclaimer: The author is MD & CIO, Monsoon Capital. The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
A man purported to be the reclusive leader of the militant Islamic State Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has made what would be his first public appearance at a mosque in the centre of Iraq's second city, Mosul, according to a video recording posted on the Internet on July 5, 2014, in this still image taken from video. There had previously been reports on social media that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi would make his first public appearance since his Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) changed its name to the Islamic State and declared him caliph. The Iraqi government denied that the video, which carried Friday's date, was credible. It was also not possible to immediately confirm the authenticity of the recording or the date when it was made. REUTERS/Social Media Website via Reuters TV (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT OF THIS VIDEO, WHICH HAS BEEN OBTAINED FROM A SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE - RTR3X9BH

In one of the biggest achievement in the war against the Daesh, Iraq has claimed that it has captured the city of Mosul from the terror group.

Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi visited the city and announced the full liberation of the city from the hands of ISIS, bbc.com reported. The major city in the country Mosul is of equal strategic importance to both the arabs and kurds.

The city which has been under the iron grip of the ISIS since its capture in June 2014 was the venue of one of the biggest military operations aimed at liberating the city since last October. The joint operation had seen Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, Sunni tribesmen and Shia militias joining hands with government forces, an exception in a country divided on ethnic lines.

The victory has come at a high cost with most of the city destroyed and lying in ruins. Also the threat of sleeper cells and pockets of pockets of resistance exists in the old quarters narrow lanes. Also the gigantic effort needed to rehabilitate the citizen and rebuild the city is yet to be assessed.
Rabbis installation at Keneseth Israel will get a boost of student creativity
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A 14-year-old runaway believed to have been lured into a human trafficking organization from Chicago has been recovered in Houston, Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman announced Friday.

Authorities had been looking for a north Harris County runaway by scouring potential online prostitution ads, and thought they'd found the girl on Thursday afternoon.

Constables raided a hotel room off U.S. 45 North and realized they had stumbled upon a 14-year-old from the Chicago area they believe was lured into a trafficking operation. The girl was with two women.

Around 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office investigators saw a teen in "provocative pictures" that closely resembled a local runaway who went missing a few weeks ago, according to Herman, who held a news conference Friday morning.

"By 8 o'clock last night, we had her and the other two females in custody," he said.

Herman said this incident is just the beginning of an investigation that could further connect the dots in Houston, one of the nation's top hubs for human trafficking.

"Our investigation is not finished by any means," the constable said. "We do feel like there is going to be more to this story."

Human trafficking unit investigators initiated the rescue by quickly setting up a "date" with the girl they had spotted online. They agreed to meet at the North Villa Inn at 16510 North Freeway.

When officers arrived, they realized the girl was an Illinois teen.

"She looked almost identical to the one we were looking for," Herman said. "We thought it was our runaway until they got in the room."

Teresa Henry, 20, is charged with human trafficking of a minor and compelling prostitution of a minor. She is being held on $100,000 bail.

Centurrie Deshunn Garrett, 24, is charged with compelling prostitution of a minor and remains in custody on $50,000 bail. She had a 6-week-old infant in an adjoining room; Child Protective Services released the baby to relatives who came to the scene, Herman said.

Both women remain in the Harris County jail.

The incident happened in an area known for prostitution and where the Harris County Attorney's Office has sought injunctions against motels. A Precinct 4 raid in June in the I-45 area near FM 1960 netted more than a dozen arrests.

"Anybody we find had dealings with this 14-year-old will be prosecuted," Herman said. "I do anticipate more charges being filed and possibly on other folks."

The victim was placed in the state's care, pending medical treatment and additional interviews.
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 []
'The big truck is still on ...
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A fire that ignited near a petroleum refinery in Rodeo charred 370 acres of hillside by Saturday night and was largely contained. It was among roughly a dozen wildfires that spread throughout the state Saturday, fed by hot weather, gusty winds and tinder-dry grassland.

Firefighters from agencies throughout Contra Costa, the East Bay Regional Park District, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection had the blaze about 75 percent contained at 10 p.m. There was no indication that the Phillips 66 refinery was in danger.

The fire started at about 2:30 p.m. at Willow Avenue near Interstate 80, according a spokeswoman for the Rodeo-Hercules Fire District.

The weather conditions were ripe for fire when three blazes flared up at 2:20 a.m. in rural Contra Costa County. They grew throughout the arid, wind-whipped night, engulfing 250 acres by noon.

One fire began near the intersection of Deer Valley and Balfour Roads, just outside of Brentwood. The others flared up on Marsh Creek Road near Round Valley Regional Park.

Temperatures in the area inched up to about 100 degrees as firefighters from several agencies  including East Bay Parks, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and just about every fire department in Contra Costa County  battled the flames. They had the blazes almost completely under control by noon Saturday, according to Cal Fire spokesman Jim Crawford.

There were no reported injuries or structures lost, he said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

With the heat and high fire danger, Crawford warned residents of rural Contra Costa County to drink plenty of water and not to operate heavy machinery in dry areas.

Wildfires also raged elsewhere in the state. A blaze in Butte County had charred 2,700 acres by 7:30 p.m. Saturday, burning 10 homes and injuring six people, including one firefighter. Evacuation orders were in place along scores of roads.

A fire along Highway 28 near Winters in Yolo County had burned 2,269 acres and was about 75 percent contained by 1 p.m.

In San Luis Obispo County, the Alamo Fire swept through 19,000 acres off Highway 166 near Twitchell Reservoir, forcing home evacuations in the Tepusquet Blazing Saddles area. About 1,000 firefighters struggled against steep hillsides and canyons where brush and other vegetation grows thick, said Cal Fire spokesman Chris Elms.

By Saturday afternoon the fire was about 10 percent contained. Officials converted the Miami Center in Santa Maria into an evacuation center.

A fire at Highway 3 and Fay Lane in Siskiyou County was mostly under control by late Saturday morning, after burning 469 acres.

And in San Bernardino County, a wildfire on Highway 38 was mostly under control on Saturday afternoon, after burning 74 acres of land.

The National Weather Service had issued a heat advisory until 9 p.m. Saturday throughout the Bay Area, with a red flag warning for scorching heat, dry air and northwesterly winds in the East Bay hills.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelSwan
The fan-boy wars have begun. Or at least, have been taken to a new level.

An argument over the relative merits of Star Wars and Star Trek led to an assault arrest earlier this month.

According to the Oklahoma City Police Department, Jerome DeWayne Whyte was arrested for assault and battery on July 1 after arguing with another man about whether Star Wars or Star Trek is better.

Also Read: George Lucas Strikes Back at Autograph Hounds: 'Get a Job'

Whyte, 23, was also arrested for assault and battery, as well as for outstanding warrants.

According to a police report obtained by TheWrap, the argument about whether Star Wars or Star Trek was a better movie began in the living area of a facility where the men both reside.

Police said that the victim became so frustrated that he went back to his room and stated Youre just a trick' to Whyte.

Also Read: 'Star Trek: Discovery' Star Shoots Down Racist Critics: 'We're Taking Another Step Forward'

WATCH: R2-D2 unit sells for more than $2 million (story continues below)

The report states that Whyte then allegedly followed the victim to his room and shoved him down to the ground.

The victim rose and said, You wanna replay that? After which, police said, Whyte again shoved the victim to the ground and began to choke the victim with his left arm wrapped around the victims neck.

According to police, the victim went in and out of consciousness as a result of the choking.

The report states that the victim, fearing for his life, reached for a pocket knife on his night stand and opened it. Whyte then reached for the knife and somehow cut his hand, the report states, prompting him to walk out of the room.

Whyte was subsequently transported to Oklahoma County Jail, where he hopefully had time to cool his heels and realize that Spaceballs is better than both Star Wars and Star Trek.

Read original story Star Wars vs Star Trek Debate Leads to Assault Arrest, Police Say At TheWrap
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ANSONIA  Corkscrew shreds of aluminium spun off the whirring lathe run by Elisabeth Lundequist as the 13-year-old Ansonia student trimmed the base of what would be a pocket flashlight.

On the other end of the room, Ryan Marren, who will be entering Milfords Foran High School as a freshman, entered numbers on a keyboard directing a CNC Router to move just so much left, then right, then up and down as it engraved his name into a dog-tag key chain.

Four days ago most of these kids never even saw a machine, let alone operated one , said Steven Orloski, Emmett OBrien Technical High Schools department head for precision manufacturing. Im always amazed how at this age they are able to absorb the information and technology and gravitate toward it.

For many kids, summer is 10 weeks spent hanging out in malls, sunning on beaches or whiling away hours playing video games.

For these 20, as well as another 20 at Eli Whitney Technical High School in Hamden, the past eight days have been a look into their future. The 40 are participating in the Connecticut Technical High School Systems Second Annual Young Manufacturers Academy. The program is paid for by the Connecticuts Manufacturing Innovative fund.

The students also visited the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology in East Hartford, where they used software to build a Mars Rover, and Holo-Krome in Wallingford, which makes socket cap screws.

Its a really good program said Orloski, a graduate of Bridgeports Bullard Havens who became a certified tool and die maker working jobs at Sikorsky Aircraft and U.S. Baird in Stratford and Inline Plastics in Shelton. Here we give them hands-on experience with machines. They fabricate a part from the beginning stages to finished material.

Lundequist and Bayron Espinosa, who both will be entering the eighth grade at Ansonia Middle School, hope this experience helps punch a ticket into Emmett OBrien next year. Placement in the states technical schools is very competitive, with grades, community service and teacher recommendation playing important roles.

And placement can be lucrative.

Ive put 90 percent of my graduates into the workforce, said Orloski, who spent the past 14 years teaching precision manufacturing at Platt Technical High School in Milford before being appointed OBriens department head.

Ive got graduates working at Alinabal, Orchid Orthopedic Solutions and Shick in Milford, Precision Resources in Shelton and Bridgeport Fittings and Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, he said.

Some are making between $40,000 and $65,000 a year working in tool and die, computer numerical contracting and inspection and quality control, he said. And some of his current students are in work-study programs, spending three days a week on a job site, getting paid and class credits.

I tell my students that when I was 20 years old, I was able to buy my first house, he said. I wasnt saddled with enormous college debt. When you leave a technical high school you are ready to immediately enter the work force. Many employees will even reimburse you for furthering your education. If you want, you can work during the day and go to school at night.

Manufacturing like that once done inside the now- vacant, rusting hulks of Anaconda American Brass and Farrel Foundry has been replaced with a new model.

Ive got employees calling constantly for help, Orloski said. Their workforce is aging and they are desperately seeking young, skilled help to be the future of their companies. They reach out to the technical high schools.

So at Emmett, Orloski is building a department that simulates what its like to work in todays clean, lean, automated manufacturing plants. He created an inventory room with rows of containers. Some are filled with job tickets, others contain blueprints, pre-cut parts and inspection tools.

Theres another room with a Coordinate Measuring Machine and an Optical Comparator machine which magnifies components 100 times. Another room is filled with computers loaded with programs like CAD, Master Cam and HAAS Simulation.

I want the students to have a smooth transition into the workplace, said Orloski, who also teaches adult advanced manufacturing programs at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport. Im consistently getting feedback form employers on their needs. We need to accommodate them.

Lundequist is hoping to be one of those doing the accommodating.

I like creating stuff with machines, she said. Im learning that even the smallest things require the most steps.

It was hard, she said of cutting the grooves into the flashlights screw-on top. Everything has to be perfect. One mistake screws up everything.

Watching over them is Max Gazda, of Shelton, and Lexy Tomasella, of Ansonia, both of whom will be OBrien juniors this fall.

Im thinking about being a shop teacher at some point, said Gazda. Im realizing you have to explain the simplest thing to them.

Like Lundequist and Espinosa, Gabriella German, 12, of Naugatuck and Matthew Jacobs, 11, of New Haven, learned that making their pocket flashlight took many steps. They had to turn, drill and thread the base, enable a lightbulb, spring and battery to fit inside, and allow a push on the plunger to turn it on.

As Tomasella drilled a hole into the plungers end, Lawrence Gravel, an OBrien precision manufacturing teacher, warned the Academy members that theres going to be a burr on the opposite side that will slice your arm to pieces.

I want everyone to see the sharp edge, Gravel said. You are going to take this file and knock it down.

He then showed another group how to use a hacksaw to cut the aluminum in half.

Go back and forth three times and youll have a good groove to cut through, he advised.

On Friday, Gateway Community College in New Haven hosted a graduation ceremony, a career fair and even set-up mock job interviews for the 40 Academy members.

This should give them an inside track on what to expect from their teachers and employers, Orloski said.
Toll 'em, but with an expiration date

To the editor:

I agree with County Judge Craig Doyal in his guest column that the quickest and fairest way to pay for major road expansions without increasing taxes is through the use of tolls. Those people who benefit from the road should be the ones paying for it.

However, I have never met a politician or a government entity that gets their hands on money who will voluntarily let go of it. Therefore, I believe that every toll road project should have, as part of its proposal, a legally enforceable defined method of calculating when the road has paid for its construction (principle and interest) and the toll should then be removed or reduced significantly to only cover ongoing maintenance forthwith.

What say you, Judge Doyal?

Second question: Have you ever seen a toll road become a free road? I haven't.

Bill Howerton

The Woodlands

Brady ever-present for constituents

To the editor:

I couldn't believe my eyes when I read Steven David's statement in The Courier that "Kevin Brady has been an absentee congressman from his district." Mr. David is challenging Kevin in the next congressional election.

Each week, Congressman Brady flies home from Washington, D.C., to his family in The Woodlands. I've run into him at Kroger's, Lowe's and many public events. There were five pictures of him in that same edition of the paper, most of them related to his attendance at the opening of Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital. To say that he's absent from his district is absurd.

Diane Bass

The Woodlands

'Intellectual' decisions interfere with Trump's justified order

To the editor:

Plato's Socrates famously defined a just society as "citizens ... doing each his own business," and "doing one's own business and not being a busybody." By that standard, the United States today is far from a just society.

The Constitution wisely balanced power among the three branches of government, but both the executive branch under Obama and the courts ever since the Earl Warren court have encroached on the Congress' territory, and the cowardly Congress has not lifted a finger to resist.

But the most recent encroachment is that of courts on powers provided to the president by both Constitution and law regarding President Trump's ordered pause on travel from five failed and terrorist-ridden nations. More than a dozen district and appeals court judges collaborated in this encroachment.

They were partially reversed 9-0 by the Supreme Court, but even that court circumvented Constitution and law by limiting the president's order. Three of the justices followed the law, but the other six arrogantly substituted their judgment for that of the president on this matter of national security. They did so without receiving even one intelligence briefing of the kind that the president receives every day. They therefore perfectly fit Irving Kristol's definition of an "intellectual": one who speaks with general authority on subjects about which he knows nothing at all.

Unfortunately, as the saying goes, "They walk among us."

Donn Taylor

The Woodlands

What about Trump's actions?

To the editor:

I'm glad no one was killed in the attack on Republicans at the ballpark in Alexandria, Virginia, and hope everyone injured will make a full recovery. I totally condemn violence, with the possible exception of self-defense.

That said, Congressman Brady is a hypocrite and has a very selective memory, or maybe he only believes in free speech for Republicans.

Where was he when our current president was encouraging violence at his campaign rallies and offering to pay legal expenses for those who committed violence? Where was he when our current president encouraged violence against his Democratic opponent by suggesting that she do without armed body guards and said "Let's see what happens to her." (As a side comment, notice I correctly used the adjective Democratic, not the noun Democrat, as many Republicans intentionally do to denigrate the Democratic Party. They could just have easily said Democrat-ick if they wanted to deride their opposition). Where was Congressman Brady when Ted Nugent said of President Obama "to suck on my machine gun" and for Hillary Clinton to "ride one of these [guns] into the sunset."?

As for Congressman Brady's complaints against "America's mainstream media," he sounds an awful lot like the pathological liar living in the White House who constantly whines about the mainstream media (i.e. the legitimate media where they actually have credentialed reporters who studied journalism), who doesn't like having the ugly truth reported and being called out on lies.

Alan Richel

The Woodlands

'Declaration Of Ignorance'

To the editor:

It was simultaneously funny, disheartening and encouraging when a number of Trump supporters bristled after NPR tweeted the Declaration of Independence on July 4. They mistook one of the two greatest documents in our history for anti-Trump propaganda. Hilarious!

But it is discouraging to be reminded of the ignorance, especially where history and civics are concerned, that pervades America. Such a society is fertile ground for tyranny to flourish.

I am somewhat bolstered, though, by the fact that these Twitter users were perceptive enough to recognize the similarities between the conduct of King George III of England and that of would-be tyrant, The Donald of Queens.

Philip Bradshaw

The Woodlands

Medicaid cuts hurt the disabled

To the editor:

My name is Sheena Walter. I am a lifelong resident of Montgomery County. I am one of the millions of people with disabilities who will be affected substantially in a negative way by the proposed cuts to Medicaid. I am a person with disabilities who depends on vital services Medicaid provides -- such as an aide who comes to my home and helps me so that I can continue to live in my community as well as access to medical care that helps me live with a decent quality of life and be able to volunteer and serve my community as I am able.

I am a young adult and want to be able to continue to live in my community, continue to serve through my church, continue to be part of society. I don't want to lose access to the health care that not only keeps me alive, but able to live in my own apartment and participate in my community. I don't want my friends and people I care deeply about to lose these things either.

I am writing to encourage my fellow citizens of The Woodlands and surrounding areas to please contact their senators and urge them to vote no on the proposed healthcare legislation with substantial cuts to Medicaid and vital community waiver programs that help keep people with disabilities such as myself in their communities and out of institutions (by the way, institutions are greatly more expensive per year than community supports! A lot of money is saved by keeping us in our communities).

Everyone should pay attention and care about issues that affect the community of disabled Americans -- anyone, at any time -- regardless of social class, age, race, education, or other factors -- can become part of this group -- these are human beings who will be affected and whose lives will be put in danger. Someone's son, daughter, sister, brother, neighbor, friend. People created by God. Please keep in mind the living, breathing, feeling human beings that will suffer greatly if these cuts are passed.

Thank you for reading and please take this into consideration. My life and the lives of others with disabilities hang in the balance.

Sheena Walter
The cities of Seabrook and Friendswood are once again toward the top among Texas cities when it comes to safety, according to a ranking by the home security company SafeWise.

SafeWise ranks cities based on eight criteria, including violent crimes such as aggravated assault, murder and rape, and property crimes like robbery, burglary, arson, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft.

No. 11 Friendswood came in at .72 per 1,000 people in violent crimes and 9.14 per 1,000 people in regards to property crimes.

Seabrook, No. 35, logged 1.77 violent crimes per 1,000 people and 12.16 property crimes for every 1,000 people.

Both places were among the 50 safest cities in the Lone Star State according to SafeWise, which recently released its annual ranking. The organization created its ranking using 2015 statistics culled from FBI crime data. This is the third year in a row Seabrook has landed in the top 50. Last year it ranked at No. 29. Friendswood has also made appearances over the last several years. Its previous ranking was at No. 10.

Office Lisa Price with the Friendswood Police Department credits strong community and governmental partnership, and high public trust with her city's ranking.

"We enjoy a lot of support from city officials and our citizens," she said, adding, "We have great lines of communications with local (homeowners assocations), civic organizations and school groups."

Seabrook Police Chief Sean Wright touted his department's positive relationship with its residents and credited his officers for the force's success

"The devoted men and women in our department approach public safety through community policing principles of public trust, community partnerships and services," he said.

During his 23-year tenure with the Seabrook Police Department, Wright has emphasized police-community partnerships, taking part in crime-prevention programs, hosting youth events and creating the Citizen's Police Academy. Price in Friendswood said residents are good about reporting crime or any suspicious activity they observe.

In turn, the Friendswood Police Department offers weekly crime activity and arrest reports to approximately 9,000 resident subscribers.

"We keep people up to date about what crime is going on in the city," Price said.

"We make sure we're transparent and we don't try to hide any of the crime that's going on here because we want people to be aware and (be better able) to report something when they see it."

Price said, because of the city's location near Interstate 45 and other major thoroughfares, nearly 70 percent of the crime is transient and not attributable to people who live in the city. Nevertheless, she said the police force maintains a heavy presence in neighborhoods to ensure visibility and foster a sense of security.
Don't miss a chance to attend the Liberty County Citizens Police Academy. The deadline to sign up is Friday, July 14, and classes start Monday, July 31. Anyone turning in an application after the deadline date cannot be considered. Thus far the applicants have been coming in at a good pace and the class should be full soon.

This Academy, co-sponsored by Liberty County Sheriff Bobby Rader and District Attorney Logan Pickett, will have state certified instructors speaking on a vast number of law enforcement subjects such as the Penal Code, SWAT operations, a hands-on "shoot/don't shoot" scenario, Texas Ranger interfacing, a hands-on homicide investigation scene utilizing the usual investigative techniques such as fingerprints, blood splatter patterns and many other subjects of interest to any citizen who may be interested in the manner in which your Criminal Justice system must and does function. After graduation, the students can join the Alumni Association and work with the sheriff's or DA's office in a non-frontline volunteer capacity as this academy class does not certify the students as peace officers or grant them the powers of arrest.
Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge will be hosting its Fifth Annual Moth Night Out, Saturday, July 22, as part of National Moth Week events occurring across the country. Interested folks will meet at the Refuge Headquarters building at 9 p.m. to see and photograph some of the over 800 species of moths documented around the building's security lights. A short Power Point Presentation will be given starting at 9 p.m. about moths seen at the refuge. Additionally, black lights and mercury vapor lights will be set up alongside white sheets to get close-up views.

National Moth Week provides a much-needed spotlight on moths and their ecological importance as well as their incredible biodiversity. National Moth Week offers everyone, everywhere a unique opportunity to become a citizen scientist and contribute scientific data about moths. Numerous organizations around the world have partnered with National Moth Week and are supporting the event. Through partnerships with major online biological data depositories, National Moth Week participants can help map moth distribution and provide needed information on other life history aspects around the globe.
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For many dog lovers, the restaurant experience is much more fun when they can share it with their canine friends.

There are a number of gems tucked away in neighborhoods in the local area that welcome well-behaved dogs.

Saloon Door Brewing

This craft microbrewery, 105 Magellan Circle, is new to the Webster area and has an outdoor area where dogs are welcome guests.

"We're a family place, so we want people to be able to bring their whole family - including their dogs. We love dogs," said Jason Graham, CEO of Saloon Door Brewing

The business also has won awards for its creations.

"We won Best Beer in Houston for our Tasty AF beer from The Houston Beer Guide in March, which was such an awesome surprise because we were so young at the time - only nine months old," Graham said.

Saloon Door has a large patio, games, projection televisions, trivia nights, live music and an air-conditioned 2,500-foot tasting room.

In addition to always having more than 20 craft beers on tap, Graham said that the establishment has been experimenting with blending together some of their already-existing creations.

"It's actually been really popular -people love them," he said. "We have about 15 blends and it's taken on a life of its own."

Its' award-winning Tasty AF beer, Graham said, is a peanut butter and chocolate milk stout and is a popular choice.

Graham said that in addition to outdoor games, the brewery also hosts quarterly parties called "Saloon Door Shindigs."

"The next one is July 15," said Graham. "We'll have food trucks, games and some type of water feature, we have vendors come out - it's a real fun event.

"Come out and bring your dogs."

Go to saloondoorbrewing.com for more information.

Kings Biergarten

Easily accessible for Pearland, Friendswood, Alvin and Manvel residents, Kings Biergarten, 1329 East Broadway St., is a Pearland staple since 2011, calling to people who love German beer, lively atmosphere and, of course, having their four-legged friends with them.

"We're a family establishment," said Kendel Jackson, a manager at King's. "A lot of our guests requested allowing dogs on the patio so that's something we're happy to accommodate. We have people come in all the time with their dogs."

The menu at King's is strictly German and has won several awards both locally and nationally, Jackson said.

"Our signature dishes are very popular - people really enjoy the sausage skewers and sausage sampler," he said.

While there are a few bottles of domestic beer fare, like Budweiser, Coors Light and Bud Light, the beer menu is 99 percent German, Jackson said.

The restaurant has covered patio, with live music Friday through Sunday.

"Pearland has been such a welcoming community," he said. "Our success and status as a destination business is based on their support and we're just excited to be able to keep serving them."

Go to www.kingsbiergarten.com

Republic House

Just back from a weekend of paddle-boarding in Austin's Lady Bird Lake, 6-month old Betty is cooling off on the patio at Republic House, 7219 Fairmont Parkway, Pasadena.

The pit-boxer mix goes everywhere with the bar/restaurant's owner, Clint Smith, including tubing on the Guadalupe River or wakeboarding on Lake Travis, so why not to the family business?

"She follows me around everywhere I go and she is an extension of our life," Smith.

Opened in 2014, Republic House specializes in its varied selections of craft beers, but it's also a special place for dog owners.

Betty isn't the only four-legged regular at the pub, but she is the resident diva, which is just fine with Republic patrons like Travis Moody of Pasadena, who brings his great Dane, Hulk.

"When I bring him here it's a special trip," he said.

Smith, a Deer Park native, wanted to open a restaurant/bar that was a departure from the beer-joint vibe of other establishments.

"We wanted to do something bar wise in the community, and this is something that wasn't out here," Smith said. "We didn't want it to feel like a dive bar, but a well put-together establishment."

With a vast food menu to complement Smith's pub's capital of more than 55 craft beer-craft cocktail items, he wanted a place where those patrons could bring their canine companions, completing the Republic experience.

"We don't consider our pets as pets," he said. "Betty goes everywhere we go, she rides in the truck with me and when we go on vacation she goes with us, and it's really hard to find places that are pet-friendly and people/businesses don't advertise it, and it should be."

Melissa Tristan comes to Republic for the beer and customer service and while her own dog is a little too shy for the bar scene now, she appreciates the open invitation.

"I think it's awesome, I think there needs to be more places that are pet-friendly," she said.

"I think it makes the atmosphere so much better. You can spend more time with your friend and not worry about him being at home alone."

Smith will be bringing Betty to the office as long as she wants to come, and the invitation remains open to the community.

"If you have an animal in a cage, it is just that - it's an animal to you," said Smith.

"If you can take them with you, and they're familiar with being around people and the community, they're going to be happy and you'll live a good life with them."

Hours are 11 a.m.-2 a.m. daily in the bar, with the kitchen open daily 11 a.m.-midnight

For more information, go to http://republichousetx.com or call 832-304-1593.
For many dog lovers, the restaurant experience is much more fun when they can share it with their canine friends.

There are gems tucked away in neighborhoods in the local area that welcome well-behaved dogs.

Saloon Door Brewing

This craft microbrewery, 105 Magellan Circle, is new to the Webster area and has an outdoor area where dogs are welcome guests.

"We're a family place, so we want people to be able to bring their whole family - including their dogs. We love dogs," said Jason Graham, CEO of Saloon Door Brewing

The business also has won awards for its creations.

"We won Best Beer in Houston for our Tasty AF beer from The Houston Beer Guide in March, which was such an awesome surprise because we were so young at the time - only nine months old," Graham said.

Saloon Door has a large patio, games, projection televisions, trivia nights, live music and an air-conditioned 2,500-foot tasting room.

In addition to always having more than 20 craft beers on tap, Graham said that the establishment has been experimenting with blending together some of their already-existing creations.

"It's actually been really popular -people love them," he said. "We have about 15 blends and it's taken on a life of its own."

Its' award-winning Tasty AF beer, Graham said, is a peanut butter and chocolate milk stout and is a popular choice.

More Information be prepared Register with 2-11: 2-1-1 is a United Way service to help evacuate residents not be able to leave, regardless of the reason. Register through www.unitedway.org Apps and online help: In Harris County, visit readyharris.org and get the Readyharris app. Pasadena residents can get SwiftReach apps for Apple and Android. A Facebook resource is Greater Harris County 911 Emergency Network. See More Collapse

Graham said that in addition to outdoor games, the brewery also hosts quarterly parties called "Saloon Door Shindigs."

"The next one is July 15," said Graham. "We'll have food trucks, games and some type of water feature, we have vendors come out - it's a real fun event.

"Come out and bring your dogs."

Go to saloondoorbrewing.com for more information.

King's Biergarten

Easily accessible for Pearland, Friendswood, Alvin and Manvel residents, Kings Biergarten, 1329 East Broadway St., is a Pearland staple since 2011, calling to people who love German beer, lively atmosphere and, of course, having their four-legged friends with them.

"We're a family establishment," said Kendel Jackson, a manager at King's. "A lot of our guests requested allowing dogs on the patio so that's something we're happy to accommodate. We have people come in all the time with their dogs."

The menu at King's is strictly German and has won several awards both locally and nationally, Jackson said.

"Our signature dishes are very popular - people really enjoy the sausage skewers and sausage sampler," he said.

While there are a few bottles of domestic beer fare, like Budweiser, Coors Light and Bud Light, the beer menu is 99 percent German, Jackson said.

The restaurant has covered patio, with live music Friday through Sunday.

"Pearland has been such a welcoming community," he said. "Our success and status as a destination business is based on their support and we're just excited to be able to keep serving them."

Go to www.kingsbiergarten.com

Republic House

Just back from a weekend of paddle-boarding in Austin's Lady Bird Lake, six-month old Betty is cooling off on the patio at Republic House, 7219 Fairmont Pkwy., Pasadena.

The pit-boxer mix goes everywhere with the bar/restaurant's owner, Clint Smith, including tubing on the Guadalupe River or wakeboarding on Lake Travis, so why not to the family business?

"She follows me around everywhere I go and she is an extension of our life," Smith.

Opened in 2014, Republic House specializes in its varied selections of craft beers, but it's also a special place for dog owners.

Betty isn't the only four-legged regular at the pub, but she is the resident diva, which is just fine with Republic patrons like Travis Moody of Pasadena, who brings his great Dane, Hulk.

"When I bring him here it's a special trip," he said.

Smith, a Deer Park native, wanted to open a restaurant/bar that was a departure from the beer-joint vibe of other establishments.

"We wanted to do something bar wise in the community, and this is something that wasn't out here," Smith said. "We didn't want it to feel like a dive bar, but a well put-together establishment."

With a vast food menu to compliment Smith's pub's capital of more than 55 craft beer-craft cocktail items, he wanted a place where those patrons could bring their canine companions, completing the Republic experience.

"We don't consider our pets as pets," he said. "Betty goes everywhere we go, she rides in the truck with me and when we go on vacation she goes with us, and it's really hard to find places that are pet-friendly and people/businesses don't advertise it, and it should be."

Melissa Tristan comes to Republic for the beer and customer service and while her own dog is a little too shy for the bar scene now, she appreciates the open invitation.

"I think it's awesome, I think there needs to be more places that are pet-friendly," she said. "I think it makes the atmosphere so much better. You can spend more time with your friend and not worry about him being at home alone."

Smith will be bringing Betty to the office as long as she wants to come, and the invitation remains open to the community.

"If you have an animal in a cage, it is just that - it's an animal to you," said Smith. "if you can take them with you, and they're familiar with being around people and the community, they're going to be happy and you'll live a good life with them."

Hours are 11 a.m.-2 a.m. daily in the bar, with the kitchen open daily 11 a.m.-midnight

For more information, go to http://republichousetx.com or call 832-304-1593.
A changing of the guard took place on Election Day this past May when newcomer Debra Davison unseated longtime incumbent Delores Martin for the mayoral seat in Manvel.

Davison is no newcomer to politics. She served for several years as a council woman for the City of Bellaire in Houston, championing infrastructure projects and carrying out strategic planning for growth and development in the area. That type of planning, Davison said, is a history she would like to continue in the ever-growing city of Manvel.

"I've met with council and city staff and we're all invigorated and ready to go," she said.

Davison said that she wants to continue to nurture Manvel's growth, which has been on the rise in the past decade, the population nearly doubling between the 2000 and 2010 censuses.

"We have seen tremendous growth with communities like Rodeo Palms, Pomona and Meridiana," Davison said. "But we want to make sure that we're planning for the growth in a careful way. We don't want a population explosion and then run into traffic issues or congestion issues like other nearby communities, so we're keeping the way that we plan for expansion at the forefront of our minds. Infrastructure is part of that planning and will be so important."

Janice DelBello, board chair of the Manvel Economic Development Corp., said that plans that have been in effect since before the election are, so far, still in the works.

"We are trying very hard to secure infrastructure into the city, and that work has not slowed," she said. "We've gotten a lot installed along Highway 6 and the next step is to start infrastructure plans along FM 1128."

DelBello said that the changing of the guard hasn't caused any hiccups in forward progress the city has made.

Other planned developments for the community involve two grocery stores, several new subdivisions and the completion of several more subdivisions. Despite the upcoming potential boom in population, DelBello said the plan is to retain Manvel's small-town charm.

"We want to offer a little bit of everything for our residents," she said. "Manvel is sort of a two-area town. We have developed areas and then we have more rural areas because people who live in Manvel want both.

"Some people want their acreage and other people want a little more hustle and bustle - we can offer both of these lifestyles. There will be a slower-paced side of town where you know everybody and can spread out, and there will be the more developed side of town which will be a little more fast-paced. That's our goal."

DelBello said Davison's predecessor was instrumental in moving the infrastructure progress along.

"You want a really good relationship with your mayor," she said. "Mayor Martin was a driving force behind the growth here, and mayor Davison has been very open and eager to work with us. We're excited to work with her."

Davison said she is eager to participate and help guide future growth in the city.

"This is an exciting town for our town," said Davison. "I came here about nine years ago and fell absolutely in love. The people in Manvel are welcoming, the community is tight-knit and everyone celebrates the qualities that make Manvel the amazing community that it is. I'm looking forward to the things we will accomplish in Manvel in the upcoming years."
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About 100 people applauded as a big, red fire engine drove through the ribbon to the bay area of the new $3.5 million South Montgomery County Fire Station 11-6 Saturday morning.

The fire officials welcomed the growing community to the 9,000-square-foot brick fire station 6 at 3560 Discovery Creek Blvd. in Spring. Paid for with taxpayer dollars, the station includes living quarters, five dorm rooms, Lieutenant and Watch offices, a Physical Wellness area, two apparatus bays, a 2010 Ferrara Igniter Fire Engine 11-6, and a 2010 Booster 11-6.

Station 6 will grow the SMCFD from 90 to 110 paid personnel. SMCFD 11-6 firefighter Nathan Young attended the ceremony Saturday with his family and will be starting his firefighting career at the station.

"We are super excited to be a part of the family and to take care of the community," Young said.

The personnel at the station will provide fire, rescue, and first responder EMS services. The crews, who have been working out of Station 4 on Birnham Woods Drive since August 2016, will primarily serve the Grand Parkway and Riley Fuzzel area, which officials say was chosen because of its rapid growth in both residential and commercial properties.

Liam Price, 4, pulled down a red Spider-Man hat over his eyes and pretended to be the Marvel superhero as the Grand Masonic Lodge conducted a symbolic ceremony to level the cornerstone of the station, which will be laid at its northeast corner.

Price joined his sister Vivian, 10, who is excited to pass by the fire station and see the firefighters in the neighborhood where they live nearby. The children's parents, LeeAnn, 39, and Jared, 37, are too.

"We like having them here," Jared Price said. "It makes the neighborhood feel safe."

Fire Chief Robert M. Hudson thanked the community for making the station possible. However, both Hudson and Emergency Services District 8 President James Kelly, who provided an overview of the department's progress since the SMC Volunteer FD was formed in 1975 and originally funded solely by donations., noted a concern about Senate Bill 2.

The bill aims to provide property tax relief and calls for a public vote if the rollback tax rate exceeds 4 percent growth, which would be reduced from 8 percent. However, it has been criticized by city officials in Montgomery County and statewide as legislation that would tie the hands and minimize revenue for government entities to fund services such as police, fire, parks, roads, and more.

According to information from Kelly, an election held in 1977 that formed Montgomery County Rural Fire District 8 allowed a property tax levy up to 3 cents per $100 valuation. In 1997, another election converted the District to ESD 8 and increased the property tax cap to 10 cents per $100 valuation.

The increase in revenue made it possible to hire part-time staff until 2009 when the ESD established a full-time staff department and hired Hudson to run the newly organized department. In 2011, voters passed a 1 percent sales and use tax, which continues to add income for the fire department.

Today, Hudson said the department would do poorly without both the ad valorem tax and sales tax revenue.

"Realistically we need both pieces of that pie to be able to continue to function in the progressive manner that we feel we do right now," he said following the event.

Both of the fire officials estimated it would cost about $50,000 to $75,000 for the district to hold the elections with the passage of Senate Bill 2. The officials emphasized while the funds helped build the station, the revenue generated through the ad valorem taxes helps continue to provide a steady stream of funding for the personnel and equipment needed for future growth.

During the ceremony, Hudson informed the community that the building is the lesser expense compared with the cost of funding personnel at the Fire Department, which makes it possible to serve the community in case of a fire or emergency.

"The people, who are the important part of the station, are here forever," Hudson said. "We need to make sure we are able to pay for that 24/7..."

Kelly joined the volunteer department in 1988 when there were three fire stations. The equipment consisted of two pumpers, one ladder truck, two tankers and a rescue truck for $514,000. There were 20 volunteers and an annual budget of $250,000, he said.

Since then, Kelly shared two new stations were built to replace the outdated stations and two new additional stations, including Station 6, had been built for a total cost of $20 million. The fleet consists of five pumper trucks, two ladder trucks, three booster trucks, 12 staff vehicles, three rescue boats and two ATVs, and 110 paid personnel, for a total cost of $9 million. The total budget for the 2016-17 fiscal year totaled $14 million.

Today, ESD 8 provides fire protection and emergency services in an area of 53 square miles with a population of about 50,000 residents and commuters and others who work and shop within the district, the information stated.

"As you can see, we have come a long way," Kelly said. "But, this is not the end. Our district continues to grow and with that growth will come more new fire stations, apparatus and personnel. I am extremely proud of the dedication and hard work everyone in this department has continued to make this one of the finest departments in Montgomery County and the state of Texas."

The next project will focus on building and staffing Fire Station 5 at 6425 Rayford Road, which is currently an unmanned temporary facility. Kelly and Hudson anticipate Station 5 will be in service within the next two to three years depending on funding and the continued growth of the Grand Parkway commercial area.

The SMCFD received an Insurance Service Office Class 1 rating - the highest rating that a department can be awarded - in 2014. The department is only one of 39 in Texas and 249 in the United States to hold the rank. As of 2017, Hudson said, ESD 8 is the only emergency services district to achieve the ISO Class 1 rank in Texas.
JERUSALEM - Israelis are not known for their fondness of the United Nations and its institutions, but a resolution passed Friday questioning Israel's continued occupation of the ancient West Bank city of Hebron and the damage it might be causing to holy sites there drew an angrier-than-usual response:

"Sorry ... I have a very urgent ... sorry, Mr. Chairman ... it's my plumber in my apartment in Paris. There is a huge problem in my toilet, and it's more important than the decision you just adopted, thank you," Carmel Shama-Hacohen, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization, said sarcastically while addressing the forum's annual gathering.

The conference had just passed a resolution proposed by Lebanon, Kuwait and Tunisia to place Hebron, including the sacred site where Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their wives are believed to be buried that has been revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims for thousands of years, on the World Heritage list of endangered sites.

Referred to by Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs and by Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque, after the 14th-century house of prayer built there, the site has been a flashpoint of violence between Israelis and Palestinians for decades.

Tensions are constantly high in and around Hebron's old city, where a few hundred Jews live under heavy Israeli military protection surrounded by more than 200,000 Palestinians living within the wider city limits.

In January, the Palestinians - as part of a diplomatic drive to create an independent state free of Israeli occupation - submitted a request to UNESCO to inscribe Hebron onto the World Heritage list and later asked that it be recognized as an endangered site on their territory.

The Palestinians presented a dossier outlining the need for this status, with a focus on the city's historical character since 1250, the start of the Mamluk period of Islamic rule. Jews and Christians also were present in the city at that time, but their activities were limited.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites then attempted to evaluate the request and explore the site. A report it submitted to UNESCO said it could not fully justify listing Hebron as an endangered site but noted that the council had not completely carried out its mandate after failing to receive "the necessary permissions" from Israel to access Hebron.

Despite that, the resolution was adopted, with 10 countries in favor, three against and eight abstaining. This is the third Palestinian city listed as a World Heritage site. Bethlehem and the farming village of Battir also are listed.

"My response to the resolution was spontaneous," Shama-Hacohen told The Washington Post on Sunday. He said that his phone did not stop ringing during his speech at the forum and that he seized the moment to tell the chairman clearly and undiplomatically that he disapproved of the resolution.

Most Israelis see the ruling as negating the Jewish connection to Hebron.

"As an afterthought, I probably brought dishonor to my toilet by comparing it to this decision," Shama-Hacohen said.

Other Israeli leaders were quick to criticize the resolution, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing that Israel would cut $1 million from its membership dues to UNESCO and transfer it to the establishment of a museum showcasing the heritage of the Jewish people in Hebron and the nearby settlement of Kiryat Arba.

Netanyahu spokesman David Keyes said Sunday that a final site for the museum had not been decided and that options were being explored.

Palestinian officials, however, hailed the resolution as a victory.

"Hebron is a city in the heart of the State of Palestine that hosts a site invaluable to world heritage and holy to billions of people around the world of the three monotheistic religions," read a statement from the Palestinian Foreign Ministry.

"Hebron's Old City and holy site is under threat due to the irresponsible, illegal, and highly damaging actions of Israel, the occupying power, which maintains a regime of separation and discrimination in the city based on ethnic background and religion," the statement said.
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In 1915, more than 40 years after President Ulysses S. Grant annihilated the Ku Klux Klan, a group of white men in white bedsheets paraded down Peachtree Street in Atlanta to attend a movie premiere, firing rifles into the air.

Their leader: William Simmons, a theatrical local preacher who a month earlier, after Thanksgiving supper, had bussed 15 racist men up nearby Stone Mountain, made several declarations about purity and honor, then set flames to a cross, reigniting the KKK.

"The rites incident to the founding of the order were most interesting and the occasion will be remembered long by the participants," the Atlanta Constitution reported in a story headlined, "KLAN IS ESTABLISHED WITH IMPRESSIVENESS."

CLASH IN VIRGINIA: KKK rally and counterprotest

Simmons led his men down Peachtree to celebrate the opening of D.W. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation," Hollywood's first big-budget blockbuster movie that many still consider a masterpiece despite its subject matter. It depicted life after the Civil War in a way that glorified Klansmen who allegedly saved the South, using violence to protect whites from, among other things, packs of black rapists.

Critics hailed Griffith's cinematic storytelling. Off screen, the film became a propaganda tool to relaunch the KKK.

That legacy will be on display Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a North Carolina chapter of the KKK plans to hold an armed rally to protest the decision to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a public park.

"Sooner or later just about every Klansman worthy of his robe sees" the film that romanticizes racial violence, according to a history of the KKK published by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks extremist groups. "The story it tells fits perfectly with the version of history the Klan preaches."

Except it isn't history at all.

The Klan was originally a secret society created in 1866 by a few ex-Confederate soldiers in Pulaski, Tennessee. Their intentions were neither violent nor overtly racist, although they were interested in preserving Southern culture as more black faces moved to town. Their leadership titles were intentionally goofy: grand cyclops, grand magi, grand turk, grand scribe. Members were called Ghouls. The name Ku Klux Klan derived from the Greek word kuklos, meaning circle.

After becoming public, members and officers began dressing up in sheets, apparently for publicity. They rode around at night on horses. "Had that been all there was to the Ku Klux Klan, it probably would have disappeared as quietly as it was born," the SPLC wrote, adding:

- - -

But at some point in early 1866, the club added new members from nearby towns and began to have a chilling effect on local blacks. The intimidating night rides were soon the centerpiece of the hooded order: Bands of white-sheeted ghouls paid late-night visits to black homes, admonishing the terrified occupants to behave themselves and threatening more visits if they didn't. It didn't take long for the threats to be converted into violence against blacks who insisted on exercising their new rights and freedom. Before its six founders realized what had happened, the Ku Klux Klan had become something they may not have originally intended - something deadly serious.

- - -

The Klan spread rapidly, with Nathan Bedford Forrest, an ex-Confederate general, taking control. The 1868 presidential election was dominated by discussions of the Klan. Grant, who led the Union Army to victory, ran on the slogan, "Let Us Have Peace." After he won, Grant plotted to take out the Klan, supporting a series of laws to protect the rights of blacks to vote and serve on juries.

In 1871, Grant signed the most important statute - the Ku Klux Klan Act, which gave him authority to suspend the writ of habeas corpus and use federal troops to arrest and prosecute murderous Klansmen. Several thousand people were indicted under the law, crippling the KKK within a year. Although lynchings and violence against blacks continued, the KKK as an organization was quickly wiped out.

That is, until 1915.

Simmons and other Southern whites were increasingly outraged by the arrival of Jews, Roman Catholics and immigrants to the South. Then a 13-year-old Atlanta girl named Mary Phagan was killed in 1913.

Phagan worked in a pencil factory. Leo Frank, her Jewish boss, was charged with killing her. The evidence was thin, but Frank was convicted and sentenced to death. After his sentence was reduced to life in prison, two dozen men calling themselves the "Knights of Mary Phagan" kidnapped Frank and hung him. Afterward, they burned a cross on Stone Mountain.

"The way Georgians had reacted to the Frank lynching convinced" Simmons that "that reestablishing the Klan was a timely idea," according to a history of "The Birth of a Nation" and the KKK by Melvyn Stokes. In 1915, Simmons was bedridden after a car accident. While convalescing, he devised plans for his new KKK, drawing inspiration from news stories about the release of Griffith's film. Stokes wrote:

- - -

The film and the saturation publicity associated with it had already helped mold both fashion and social life in the North. Manufacturers produced "Ku-Klux hats" modeled after those worn by the riders in Birth and "KK" kitchen aprons. New York society ladies organized K-Klux balls and on Halloween, 2,000 University of Chicago students partied in Klan costumes. By late November 1915, the film had already been shown very successfully in several Southern cities and its first showing in Atlanta was due. Simmons realized that this offered an opportunity too great to be missed to publicize his new organization.

- - -

So he marched his men to the theater.

The movie - and the Klan - marched across the South.

"They became locked," Stokes wrote, "in a marriage of publicity-oriented convenience." Klansmen in other cities imitated the Atlanta parade. Theater ushers wore white sheets. In local newspapers, the Klan advertised for recruits alongside movie times.

"By the early 1920s, as the Klan spread beyond its base in the South," Stokes wrote, "it continued to exploit 'The Birth of a Nation' as part of its recruitment and propaganda drive."

Riots over the movie broke out in major urban areas. There were organized protests by civil rights groups. Eventually, theaters stopped showing the film.

Now in the public domain, the spinning of "The Birth of a Nation" continues, even as the KKK's organizational hold on hate has been usurped by the alt-right and online networks such as Stormfront, where the movie is frequently discussed.

"Watched it today for the first time," a poster wrote not long ago. "Classic and prophetic masterpiece."
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At least 12 greyhound racing dogs in Florida have tested positive for cocaine, and their trainer has had his license suspended.

It's at least the second instance this year of racing greyhounds testing positive for cocaine. The dogs raced at Bestbet Orange Park in northeast Florida near Jacksonville. The state is home to 12 of the 19 dog tracks in the U.S., where 40 states have outlawed the sport.

Although supporters say the dogs are treated well, the industry faces intense scrutiny. Records show Florida's greyhound industry has had 62 cocaine positives since 2008.

In the Jacksonville area case, first reported by WTLV-TV, the dogs tested positive in March and April for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, according to documents from the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The documents are dated June 9 and say that trainer Charles McClellan "is a threat to animals in his control, custody and care."

The Associated Press could not locate a phone number or email address for McClellan, but he told the TV station he had lost his job as a Greyhound trainer. The agency has scheduled a formal hearing on his case for Aug. 23.

In a statement to news outlets, Bestbet Orange Park said it supports the swift action taken by the state in suspending the trainer's license. During March and April, McClellan was an employee of the Steve Sarras Kennel.

Sarras, of West Virginia, did not respond to a Facebook message and did not answer a phone call seeking comment. He also serves on the National Greyhound Association Board.

Racing dogs often are owned by one or more people. They are then placed with a kennel and have a trainer. The trainers are often independent contractors and are responsible for the animals' well-being. They also are the ones disciplined if something amiss is discovered.

In May, the state revoked the license of a St. Petersburg trainer whose dogs tested positive for cocaine.

Carey Theil, executive director of GREY2K USA in Boston, a track monitoring group that opposes greyhound racing, called the most recent cased "breathtaking" because of the number of dogs that tested positive.

Regulators don't typically investigate how the dogs got cocaine in their systems, and it's unclear in the latest case how that happened. But Theil said the most likely scenarios are someone trying to fix races, or the trainer using the drug and the dogs coming in contact by accident.

One of the dogs in the latest case tested positive six times, including during a race where it finished first. The records showed the dog had cocaine in its system for two of its best races, Theil said.
A Bexar County Sheriffs Office deputy was arrested after an altercation with a family member, according to authorities.

San Antonio police responded to the 6200 block of Broad Meadow on Saturday afternoon where they say deputy Michael Pena, 31, allegedly assaulted a member of his family.
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Forty-four people were charged with murder in Bexar County from Jan. 1 to May 31, according to records obtained from the sheriff's office.

Law enforcement authorities filed murder charges against the greatest number suspects in February, which had 14 such charges. May saw the lowest number of murder charges with five.

RELATED: Alamo Heights High School graduate, mother killed in rollover crash; 3 others hospitalized

The earliest murder charge of 2017 was filed against Daniel Reyes on New Year's Day. Reyes is accused of killing a man in a fight on the West Side.

According to a uniform crime report, the San Antonio Police Department has investigated at least 51 cases of homicide through the first five months of 2017, which is close to last year's pace of 53 homicide cases. Police investigated 39 homicide cases in the first five months of 2015, and 34 in 2014.

This year there have been a handful of high-profile murder cases that have captured the city's attention. Perhaps most notable is that of Armando Garcia-Ramires, who is accused of shooting his pregnant teenage stepdaughter in the head at least four times, resulting in her death and the death of her unborn child, which Garcia-Ramires allegedly fathered.

RELATED: South Texas flea market vendors allegedly sold fake Chanel, Gucci items to undercover agents

Jose Luis Rojas and Jason Matthew Prieto are two suspects in a botched armed robbery attempt at the Rolling Oaks Mall that left one dead and several others injured.

Meagan Ashley Cantu, Garick Clayton, Ashton Lucas Lomas and Bryan Miller are accused of conspiring to kill Martin "Chubbs" Gonzalez in early February. Police records say the three accused men took Gonzalez to the 10000 block of Ware Seguin Road in Converse, where they robbed him, shot him with a revolver and then wrapped up his body and stored him in a vehicle's trunk. His decomposing body was found days later.

Javier Hernandez allegedly strangled a prostitute to death, let an acquaintance have sex with her dead body and then set her on fire in a South Side garage. The woman's body was found on Jan. 22, and she was identified as Stephanie L. Garcia in early April.

Correction: A previous version of this story reported 46 people had been charged with murder from January to May of 2017. That number is correct, but since the publication of this story, mySA has learned the Bexar County District Attorney's Office has dropped murder charges against two suspects, bringing the total down to 44.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

cdowns@mysa.com

Twitter: @calebjdowns
In California, before the Gold Rush, greedy American interlopers terrorized a subjugated populace.

The dispossessed thought their cries had gone unanswered, but out of the shadows emerged a masked avenger  Zorro. Swinging from chandeliers and bringing justice to the downtrodden, the dashing hero attacked the despots, his trusty sword in one hand, his beautiful morenita, Rosa, in the other.

Since 1919, the fictional character Zorro has been a hero of many. The brainchild of Johnston McCulley, Zorro would be the leading inspiration to my personal favorite superhero, Batman. Its almost serendipitous to write about Zorro because Bruce Waynes (Batman) parents were killed after leaving a theater production of the masked avenger, a character intrinsically linked to Mexican folk hero Joaquin Murrieta.

July 25 commemorates this complex figure, who was executed in 1853. Although considered a violent outlaw during the California Gold Rush, Joaquin Murrieta has been projected as a hero by the oppressed Mexican population that was incorporated into a new, expanded nation in the aftermath of the bloody Mexican War.

Murrietas death, however, is where the legend begins.

His narrative has been a conundrum for historians seeking veracity within a complex assortment of tropes and corridos (Mexican ballads) passed through generations, immortalizing Murrieta.

Some historians have labeled Murrieta a bloodthirsty bandit, pillaging towns and enacting a large swath of terror and violence on the gold-mining operations of California. Others, like author Albert Camarillo, see Murrieta as a vigilante for the poor and exploited. He describes Murrieta as a social bandit, struggling to protect his property from invading squatters.

Murrieta emerged as a freedom fighter, protecting those victimized by racial violence and unjust laws enacted to disenfranchise them for the benefit of American imperialism, all in the name of Manifest Destiny  a fever sweeping Americans.

John Rollin Ridges 1854 novel, The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta: The Celebrated California Bandit, is credited with portraying Joaquin Murrieta as a swashbuckling Mexican Robin Hood.

But, really, who was Joaquin Murrieta?

Historical research reveals that Murrieta was born and raised in Sonora, Mexico. Accompanied by a young lady named Rosita, he sought gold in the hills of California at the age of 19. Squatters invaded his staked property, violated and killed his wife, and left him for dead. After failed attempts at justice, Murrieta extracted revenge, killing anyone who stood in his way.

The threat of Mexican outlaws prompted John Bigler, then governor of California, to assemble a task force of bounty hunters known as the California Rangers in 1853. Led by Harry Love, the rangers would eventually kill a young Mexican who fit Murrietas description. They decapitated him, placed his head in a pickle jar, and charged a fee to see their hunting trophy.

Because of inaccurate profiles, few know whether the head of Joaquin Murrieta was authentic or an unfortunate Mexican randomly chosen by the rangers. Either way, the violence of the California Rangers was a microcosm of the Mexican-Americans struggle to attain property and citizenry in a newly incorporated nation.

Injustice is the scourge festering in the hearts and minds of the oppressed. The remnants of these struggles remain through border walls, mass deportations and racial profiling in the age of Trump. Perhaps a new hero, among Latino millennials, waits in the shadows of discrimination, armed with a law degree to fulfill the promise of the American Constitution. Until then, remain steadfast, look to the sky for the iconic Z, and be ready.

Alfredo Torres Jr. is an independent research historian at Palo Alto College.
President Donald Trump has sent mixed messages regarding young undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children. But our message is clear: We must find a way forward for these young people, who are American in everything but paperwork.

Last month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton led a group of officials from 10 states in threatening to challenge in court a program that protects these young people temporarily unless the Trump administration revokes the program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.

This Department of Homeland Security policy temporarily protects young immigrants from deportation, and allows them to study and work in the United States. Everyone granted deferred action under DACA has passed a background check and paid fees.

Since the programs inception in 2012, more than 785,000 young people have benefited, including more than 140,000 from Texas, according to government statistics. That puts us second in the nation, behind only California.

As evangelical pastors and leaders in our Texas communities, we care about our immigrant neighbors. With DACA, the Department of Homeland Security has its priorities straight: We should not devote our immigration enforcement resources to young people, brought here through no fault of their own, who want to study, work and contribute.

In their hearts, they are Americans. This is the only land they have ever known.

After saying during the campaign that he would repeal DACA, the president has been right to reconsider. In his Person of the Year interview in Time magazine, Trump said, Were going to work something out thats going to make people happy and proud. (Recipients of DACA) got brought here at a very young age, theyve worked here, theyve gone to school here. Some were good students. Some have wonderful jobs. And theyre in never-never land because they dont know whats going to happen.

In lieu of legislation from Congress that would provide permanent answers, we are grateful that so far the president has kept DACA in place.

By the same token, we are deeply grieved by the threat of a Texas-led lawsuit regarding DACA. We grieve as pastors, as leaders and as Texans.

As evangelical pastors and leaders, we believe that every person, being made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-28), has worth, value and creative potential. We affirm Gods love for all people and his call for us to minister to and care for the widow, orphan, the poor and the sojourner (Zechariah 7:8-12). We seek to lead our congregations to understand Jesus call to welcome the stranger, clearly outlined in the gospel of Matthew 25, and practice biblical hospitality.

As Texans, we recognize the benefits of an educated workforce and its importance to the continued economic success of our state. DACA students and their families are also making significant economic contributions to higher education: In 2013, DACA students in Texas paid $51.6 million in tuition and fees, in addition to an estimated $1.5 billion in state and local taxes, which in part fund higher education here.

Texas is better than this. Yes, DACA is only a temporary fix until Congress puts legislation in place and provides stability. Until then, though, its revocation would lead to the deportation of many young people with no alternatives, few resources and no home in the countries to which they would return.

In Micah 6:8, we see what God considers good and required by the Lord: to do justice and love mercy. Texas and our nation must follow Gods heart and love mercy.

We are asking that President Trump and his administration show mercy and continue to keep DACA in place, protecting its recipients so they can continue to lead productive and meaningful lives here.

And as the Texas attorney generals constituents, we ask that he demonstrate leadership, support DACA and, alongside us, encourage Congress to do justice by moving legislation forward that protects our young immigrant neighbors.

Gus Reyes is director of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission and executive committee member of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. Steve Branson is senior pastor of Village Parkway Baptist Church in San Antonio.
San Antonio has a lot to lose in the upcoming special session of the Legislature if we, as a community, do not come together and stand up for ourselves.

Gov. Greg Abbott has called a special legislative session, which is set to begin July 18. Lawmakers must pass a sunset bill to enable several agencies to remain open for the next biennium. Once that legislation is passed, Abbott will allow other measures to be debated.

The sessions call has been opened to 19 other issues, including the so-called bathroom bill. That legislation, as introduced in the regular session, banned transgender Texans from using the bathroom of their choice in government buildings and schools. Instead, they would be restricted to the bathroom designated for the gender assigned on their birth certificate.

The legislation is similar to a 2015 North Carolina law that damaged the states economy when major organizations pulled events from the state. North Carolina lawmakers loosened the restrictions in their bathroom law this year to stop the economic bleeding.

San Antonio and Bexar County would be ground zero for similar economic pain if Texas lawmakers pass a Lone Star State version of the bathroom bill.

Already, the city has lost three conventions for a loss totaling $3 million because the groups opted not to bring gatherings to San Antonio merely because of the possibility of transgender bathroom legislation. Other groups are monitoring the legislation, and if the bill passes, the loss is expected to be $41 million from 14 separate groups taking their convention business elsewhere.

Visit San Antonio, a nonprofit organization that markets the city as a destination, commissioned a study by the Perryman Group that found passage of a bathroom bill would cost the San Antonio/New Braunfels area $411.8 million and the state would see a negative impact of $3.3 billion. Thousands of jobs are at stake.

During the regular session, anti-transgender legislation failed to win House approval. Speaker Joe Straus, a San Antonio Republican, played a key role in blocking the bathroom bill, which would have sparked an anti-Texas firestorm if approved.

We expect lawmakers to again pursue legislation that will have long-term negative impacts on this community and its industry.

Proposed property tax reform will provide little relief for taxpayers, yet will significantly affect the city and countys ability to provide enough law enforcement officers, and the citys ability to provide firefighters and other resources to meet the needs of our growing community. Erosion of the citys carefully negotiated tree preservation ordinance threatens our air quality, water quality and military protection efforts.

Also important to the military is the citys ability to provide zoning and other land use regulations in areas around our bases. If the Legislature pursues changes to annexation statutes, it simply must allow communities to utilize land-use regulations in order to protect bases against encroachment.

Speaker Straus has taken a strong stand to protect Texas business and the states economy. Straus and the San Antonio legislative delegation need the support of business leaders as they fight the Texas bathroom bill and other measures that could be harmful to business and economic development.

We invite you to join a summit of local business leaders and the Texas Association of Business at noon Tuesday to discuss the legislations impact on San Antonio. The summit will be held in the LDR Room of the Convention Center.

TAB will present a forecast, strategy and opportunities to get involved. We need everyone to help.

Many business leaders stayed quiet during the regular session because of other priorities that were important, but we cant afford to do that now.

Do not assume the chambers of commerce can do this work by themselves. Individual companies and executives must let their feelings be known about the legislation under consideration.

Boycotts, bad publicity and economic damage will follow if Texas lawmakers pass the so-called bathroom legislation.

Ron Nirenberg is mayor of San Antonio. Nelson Wolff is Bexar County judge.
It is with more than casual interest that communities such as ours  with a strong military presence  watch from afar the crisis that is North Korea unfold anew. That rogue nation recently conducted an apparently successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile with the capability of reaching most of Alaska.

President Donald Trump, after admitting help from China was insufficient for getting North Korea to back off its nuclear ambitions, has signaled a go-it-alone, get-tough approach  on both North Korea and China.

There is growing chatter about U.S. military options. Such options, however, range from bad to catastrophic.

A surgical strike on North Koreas nuclear arsenal? Though relatively small in number, these weapons, the experts say, are deep in underground bunkers, perhaps literally inside mountains. Others are perhaps mobile Its what comes after such a strike that gets us to catastrophic.

North Korea, with enormous artillery resources aimed directly at South Korea, could inflict casualties in the thousands even without going nuclear. North Korea has one of the largest armies in the world. Crossing the border into South Korea means going through nearly 29,000 U.S. soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors. This spells widened conflict, with enormous military and civilian casualties.

China fears a deposed or destabilized North Korean government that could result in a merger between North and South Korea, putting a U.S. ally on the Chinese border. The Chinese would find all this unacceptable.

Even if its nukes werent aimed at the United States (because of fears of nuclear retaliation), North Korean weapons could still reach Japan, where there are about 50,000 U.S. military personnel. This, too, could spell retaliation.

The military options even in the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations were never good. They have only gotten worse. North Korea has seen other rogue nations  Libya and Syria  fall or devolve into dysfunction. They, however, didnt have nuclear weapons. That means North Korea will not give up its arsenal easily.

Sanctions have not deterred North Korea. More will likely not work, either.

All of which means that diplomacy is still the best option with North Korea. It may, in fact, be the only option. That means direct U.S.-North Korea talks.

We know  diplomacy, so far, has not been the Trump administrations strength. With North Korea, that must change.

In the meantime, the saber rattling could have grave, unintended consequences.
(Natural News) They say desperate times call for desperate measures, but oftentimes being desperate leads to incredibly bad decisions.

And the Democrat-controlled Illinois Legislature just made one.

On Thursday the legislature finally passed a budget  its first since 2015  by overriding Republican Gov. Bruce Rauners veto. The governors big hang-up with it? The budget proposal contained a massive 32 percent income tax hike that rational economists and tax experts understand will only worsen the states dire economic position in the coming years.

On a vote of 71-42, 10 of the states Republicans joined with Democrats to pass the new tax increase, which permanently boosts the rate from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent. In addition, the budget also raises the tax burden on businesses, hiking the rate from 5.9 percent to 7 percent, Breitbart News reported.

On average, the rate hikes amount to 32 percent for Illinois residents and a $5 billion hike in taxes overall.

That is, if the state ends up collecting that much.

Breitbart News noted further:

The new tax hike is all the more galling because Illinois already has the highest property taxes in the nation, a fact that often forces retirees out of their homes to flee to other states. This is also a situation not lost on the states black American population, either. Illinois is witnessing a growing number of its African-American citizens moving out of the state, with Chicago and Cook County residents leaving at the fastest rate.

But all of that is lost on Democratic state leaders, who  true to their partys ideology  are never satisfied with confiscating and spending more of the peoples money. Not included in the budget were any provisions to roll back the $250 billion in pension payments the state owes to workers upon retirement, Money/CNN reported.

Not only that, but Illinois is approaching junk-bond status, the first state ever in the history of the country to reach that point: Despite the massive new increase in taxes, the state owes $15 billion in unpaid bills.

Ratings firm Moodys said it may still make the Land of Lincoln junk bond central despite the tax increase, which  if it happens  will only worsen the states finances, because it will dramatically hike its borrowing costs.

So far, the plan appears to lack concrete measures that will materially improve Illinois long-term capacity to address its unfunded pension liabilities, Moodys wrote, as reported by CNN/Money.

Rauner is well aware of that problem. He called the budget bill a disaster and knocked it because it would solve none of the problems associated with the states outsized, unsustainable spending. (RELATED: Several states set to collapse under crushing weight of bankrupt pensions: Will Illinois become the first?)

Whats more, as Breitbart noted, the tax increases along with the Democratic legislatures refusal to reform spending will lead to massive flight out of Illinois, which is what has happened to other Democrat-controlled deep blue states that also have spending problems.

Like Connecticut. As reported by The National Sentinel, out-of-state flight due to high taxes has resulted in less revenue for bean counters:

The outcome is always the same  fiscal disaster and flight of tax base to cheaper, less regulatory climates. Illinois is a perfect example of the kind of economic basket cases Democrats create. California is trending that direction with its insatiable appetite for the peoples money. Ditto New York. New Jersey is headed down the same path.

As The Wall Street Journal noted further, the states governor, Dannell Malloy, a slow learner, seems finally to have accepted that raising taxes on the wealthy is a fiscal dead end. But that hasnt stopped him and the ruling Democrats from a) seeking higher taxes from other quarters, like tobacco and casinos, while still failing to address out-sized pension payments that are killing their budget.

Without serious pension reform, states like these will have to confiscate 90 percent of what its citizens earn, just to keep up with the outflow of revenue. That wont happen; and if reforming payments wont happen either, their fiscal collapse is inevitable.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources include:

TheNationalSentinel.com

MoneyCNN.com

Breitbart.com
(Natural News) From the world of unexplained phenomena: Is it possible to almost supernaturally brainwash people to such an extent that they would actually consider  or even go through with  committing suicide against their will? A BBC report from 2013 suggests that this might be the case, pointing to a suspicious quad-suicide incident that occurred in Turkey back in 2006 and 2007.

All four of the victims were reportedly engineers who had worked for Turkish defense contractor Aselsan, one of the countrys leading military electronics companies. Because of the companys high profile, and the nature of these victims jobs prior to their deaths, the bizarre incident sparked an investigation by the Turkish Prime Ministry Inspection Board, which ultimately ruled that the alleged suicides could have been the result of what they called telekinesis.

In a report presented to the Ankara Public Prosecutor, the Board claimed that the victims could have been steered towards committing suicide through a form of mind control thats been the subject of research by neuropsychology expert Nevzat Tarhan. Since the deaths, which occurred almost back-to-back over the course of 14 months, were immediately ruled a suicide, the Board urged the prosecution to consider the possibility of foul play in the form of telekinesis.

According to that same report, which included a study by Tarhan, the mind control weaponry that may have been used could have caused the victims to suffer severe distress and headaches. Tarhan also cited the possibility that the victims may have suffered an overcharge of electromagnetics, indicating possible neglect. In either case, these factors may have driven the victims to take their own lives.

All three engineers were working on a friend-or-foe recognition system for Turkish warplanes at the time of their suicides, which had been brought back to public debate during the Ergenekon coup trials, reported Hurriyet Daily News.

Turkish journalist claimed telekinetic forces were trying to kill Prime Minister Erdogan

Not long prior to this incident, a Turkish journalist by the name of Yigit Bulut had warned that certain powers were allegedly trying to kill Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan using the same type of mind control. Just weeks after making this claim, Bulut was reportedly appointed to be Prime Minister Erdogans chief consultant.

Regardless of whether or not either of these incidents were actually caused by telekinesis, the fact of the matter is that many corporations and nations are deliberately working on mind-influencing technology that could be labeled techno-telekinesis. Theres also evidence that such technology exists within the realm of social media, including at Facebook where engineers are developing a so-called brain-computer interface that would allow for users to communicate with the platform using only their thoughts.

This technology would also reportedly allow Mark Zuckerberg and his minions to intercept the flow of communication between Facebook users and the platform. Having the ability to monitor what Facebook users are thinking virtually around the clock would make it easy for the social media giant to, say, report whatever it deems as a threat to federal agencies like the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) or the NSA (National Security Agency).

The U.S. Department of Defense also announced nearly a decade ago that it had begun testing various mind control and telepathy weapons. A formerly classified document released through a U.S. Freedom of Information Act request revealed that the technology is capable of beaming words directly into peoples ears, for instance, or sending electromagnetic pulses to trigger epilepsy-like seizures.

Follow more news on unexplained phenomena at Unexplained.news.

Sources for this article include:

BBC.com

HurriyetDailyNews.com

NaturalNews.com

PopSci.com
Actor Shia LaBeouf has been released from a Georgia jail after posting $7,000 bond on charges of public drunkenness.

The Chatham County Sheriff's Office says the 31-year-old was arrested at 4 a.m. Saturday by the Savannah Police Department and released.

In addition to the public drunkenness charge, he also was arrested for disorderly conduct and obstruction. Further details surrounding the arrest were not immediately available.

LaBeouf has faced similar charges in the past. He is in the Savannah area filming his new movie, "The Peanut Butter Falcon" that also stars Dakota Johnson.

Former Real Housewives star is moving on
Southern California resident Carter Ankeny just checked the last thing off his summer bucket list.

The 4-year-old boy has always wanted to visit Legoland Califonia, but when the family first planned a trip to the park two years ago, they learned Carter had acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Carter underwent treatment, and once again the family planned a trip to the theme park, this time in August.

We had it booked and everything and then the day after Fourth of July this last Wednesday  we received a call from his oncologist that he had just relapsed with leukemia, Carters father, Tim Ankeny, said.

The family knew they would have to keep Carter away from public places for the next eight to 10 months while he went through another round of treatment.

In the meantime, the family started reaching out to friends and officials online, figuring out if there was any way they would be able to stay at the completely booked hotel at Legoland before the treatment began.

It took on a life of its own, Carters mom, Jamie Ankeny, said. I mean friends and friends and acquaintances and strangers just started sharing and posting and tweeting and emailing and making phone calls and  I mean my entire Facebook feed was just Carter.

The request found its way to Legoland and its children's charity, called "Merlin's Magic Wand.



It gets to your heart and it touches you, Legoland spokesperson Julie Estrada said. We were very fortunate to make this happened so quickly.

Estrada said the resort cannot always pull a wish together so quickly, but this time around, they had a cancellation and the team was able to work some magic.

The Ankneys now have two nights booked at the Legoland Hotel with the VIP experience: the whole family will get to go right to the front of ride lines and get into the park early.

Estrada said she hopes the weekend is a breakaway from the day-to-day grind the family is going through.

Carters amazing. Hes so strong. He gave me a high-five and my hand actually hurt afterwards, she laughed. As a mom, its something that touches your heart and its something here at Legoland California Resort we really love to be able to help families in that circumstance.

The Fountain Valley family was originally planning to drive to Las Vegas for one of the Lakers' summer games this weekend, but when they got the booking at Legoland, they decided to keep their real destination a secret from Carter.

Carter said he did not know where they were going until he saw the big Lego men at the entrance.

[I want to] have a picnic, go [to] Legoland, eat popsicles, read lots of books and watch movies, Carter told NBC 7 after checking out his familys room at the Legoland Hotel Saturday.

His mother says she is extremely grateful to their #CarterStrong community, Legoland and Merlins Magic Wand for making this happen.

After this weekend, Carter will have to go back to the hospital for more treatments, but for now, his family is focused on having fun.



We didnt have to bring medicine, we didnt have to bring chemo for him to take, Julie explained. We can just have a great weekend and just make these little memories that last.
A wildfire burning in the Sierra Nevada foothills north of Sacramento has scorched 2,700 acres, destroyed 10 structures and wounded four people.

Cal Fire has dubbed this Butte County fire as the Wall Fire since it is located on Chinese Wall Road, five miles away from Bangor.

A total of 500 structures are still threatened by the flames.

On Saturday afternoon, the blaze went from two to five percent contained, according to Cal Fire. By Saturday night, firefighters reached 20 percent containment.

Cal Fire reported that at least four people have suffered injuries as a result of the fire.

Residents were ordered to evacuate from several roads in the rural area as flames climbed tall trees.

The forested area burning is about 10 miles south of Oroville, where spillways in the nation's tallest dam began crumbling from heavy rains this winter and led to temporary evacuation orders for 200,000 residents downstream.

People looking for more information about the Wall Fire can call 530-538-7826.

Here are areas that are under evacuation orders:

All areas north and south from the intersection of Highway 162 and Forbestown Road to Black Bart Road.

All areas east of Miners Ranch Road and Highway 162 (Olive Highway) and Oro Bangor Highway to Swedes Flat Road.

All areas west of Robinson Mill from Forbestown Road to La Porte Road.

Here are areas under evacuation warnings:
Chicago police issued a warning Saturday about a string of robberies over the last month, including one in which a boy as young as 6 years old displayed a handgun.

In each incident, three to nine offenders approached the victims on the sidewalk, in a parking lot and in the hallway of a residential building and either demanded or forcibly removed property before fleeing on foot, according to a community alert from Chicago police. [[238427591, C]]

In the most recent robbery on June 29, authorities said a boy believed to be between the ages of 6 and 8 displayed a silver handgun and demanded money.

The incidents occurred in the Douglas and Bronzeville neighborhoods on the citys South Side as follows:

at 3 p.m. on June 3 in the 2900 block of S. Martin Luther King Dr.

at 9 p.m. on June 3 in the 2900 block of S. Michigan Ave.

at 2:15 p.m. on June 4 in the 2900 block of S. Michigan Ave.

at 6 p.m. on June 4 in the 2700 block of S. Indiana Ave.

at 10:30 p.m. on June 3 in the 2600 block of S. Michigan Ave.

at 4:45 p.m. on June 7 in the 2900 block of S. Indiana Ave.

at 8:30 p.m. on June 7 in the 2900 block of S. Martin Luther King Dr.

at 9:30 p.m. on June 8 in the 2900 block of S. Martin Luther King Dr.

at 4:10 p.m. on June 9 in the 0-100 block of W. 30th St.

at 6 p.m. on June 26 in the 2900 block of S. Martin Luther King Dr.

at 7:57 p.m. on June 28 in the 0-100 block of E. 29th St.

The suspects were described as males between 6 and 20 years old, according to police.

No one is in custody in connection with any of the incidents, as authorities continue to investigate.

Anyone with information on the robberies is asked to contact police at (312) 747-8384.
Eight people were shot in the first nine hours of weekend violence across Chicago, according to police.

The violence comes on the heels of a bloody Fourth of July that saw more than 100 people shot, 14 fatally, over the four-day holiday weekend.

Three of the victims shot in separate incidents between Friday evening and early Saturday are teenagers, authorities said.

The weekends violence occurred as follows:

The first shooting happened around 7:15 p.m. in the Washington Park neighborhood on the citys South Side. A 20-year-old man was in a parked car in the 6100 block of S. King Dr. when someone walked up and opened fire before fleeing in an unknown vehicle, police said. The victim was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition.

Around 8 p.m., an 18-year-old man was in the 4000 block of S. Kedzie Ave. in the Brighton Park neighborhood when he heard shots and felt pain, according to police. He was shot in the leg, authorities said, and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in an unknown condition.

Minutes later, a 25-year-old man was standing on the sidewalk in the 7500 block of S. Calumet Ave. in the Chatham neighborhood around 8:15 p.m. when an offender walked up and fired shots, striking him, officials said. He was taken to Jackson Park Hospital in good condition with a gunshot wound to the right calf, according to police.

Two people were shot during a fight in the South Austin neighborhood on Chicagos West Side, according to police. Around 11:41 p.m., several men were involved in a fight in the 800 block of N. Latrobe Ave. when one man pulled out a handgun and opened fire, authorities said. A 36-year-old man was shot in the right calf, according to police, and a 34-year-old man was shot in the left leg. Both were taken to West Suburban Medical Center in stable condition, officials said.

About an hour later, authorities said a 19-year-old woman was shot less than a mile away. She was standing on the porch of a home in the 5000 block of W. Division St. around 12:50 a.m. when occupants in a passing silver sedan fired shots in her direction, police said. She was shot twice in the left leg and taken to Stroger Hospital in stable condition, according to police.

Around 2 a.m., a 15-year-old boy was shot in the Roseland neighborhood on Chicagos Far South Side, according to police. Authorities said he was walking on the sidewalk in the 11400 block of S. Harvard Ave. when someone in a passing dark-colored vehicle opened fire. He suffered a graze wound to the head, officials said, and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in stable condition.

The most recent shooting of the weekend occurred around 3:40 a.m. in the Princeton Park neighborhood, according to police. A 34-year-old man was walking on the sidewalk in the 9300 block of S. LaSalle St. when two men armed with handguns opened fire, officials said. He was shot in the right leg, according to police, and taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital in stable condition.

No one is in custody in connection with any of the weekends shootings, according to police, who continue to investigate.
Six people, including four Greenpeace activists, were charged Sunday in connection with a Friday protest at Trump Tower in downtown Chicago, according to police.

Jeremy Alpert, 43, of Glencoe; Taylor Blevons, 27, of Deerfield; Wendy Jennings, 38, of Minneapolis, Minnesota; and David Khoury, 47, of Leslie, Arkansas, were each charged with one felony count of criminal damage to property and one misdemeanor count of reckless conduct, Chicago police said in a release. [[433461503, C]]

All four are part of Greenpeace USA and were involved in deploying a massive banner from the building in the 400 block of N. Wabash Ave., a spokesman for the environmental non-profit confirmed.

Jessica Bryant, 31, and 54-year-old Shirley Sexton, both of the 4900 block of N. Western Ave. in the citys Lincoln Square neighborhood, were also charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct, according to police. They were not connected to Greenpeace, the organization said.

Authorities initially said a fifth woman was taken into custody following Fridays demonstration, but corrected that report Sunday to confirm that only six people were arrested.

They were "placed into custody and charged after causing a disturbance and hanging a banner from the 16th floor causing extensive damage to the building," police said.

Greenpeace USA claimed responsibility for the protest, in which the activists unfurled a 50x35-foot banner from Trump Tower at around 1:30 p.m. Friday.

The banner, which featured an image of Earth and the words "Resist," "Defend" and "Greenpeace," could be seen hanging over the Chicago River before police removed it and detained the protesters.

"Given that the banner was picked up by the wind and caused some property damage, it could have been a large public safety hazard," said Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

Greenpeace USAs Twitter and Facebook accounts posted livestreams of the unfurling Friday afternoon, saying in a statement that the action was aimed at resisting the policies of President Donald Trump.

"Its only a few months into Trumps presidency, yet already hes managed to threaten our health and our communities and put our planets future in danger," said Greenpeace spokesman Dario Parra. "Poor people, immigrants, and communities of color like the one I grew up in here in Chicago will bear the harshest impacts of Trumps environmental and social policies."

"This action demonstrates that we will not accept the threats that the Trump administration poses to people here and around the world," Blevons, one of the people charged in connection with the incident, added in the statement.

"Ignoring the science of climate change and removing us from the Paris Climate Agreement is just another indication that the billionaires who have hijacked our democracy are putting the short term profit of corporations over people and the planet," she continued. "It's time for people everywhere to come together to demand that our government works in our interests, instead of treating us as expendable."

Citing unfair standards on American businesses and taxpayers, Trump announced in June that the U.S. would no longer be a part of the landmark Paris climate accord, the non-binding 2015 agreement with 196 nations to reduce polluting emissions and combat global warming.

Shortly after the president's announcement, Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined several cities and states across the country in signing an executive order to formalize Chicagos commitment to adopt the agreements guidelines on environmental protections.

Greenpeace has organized several demonstrations against the presidents policies in recent months, including a protest similar to Fridays in Washington, D.C., following Trumps inauguration.

On Jan. 25, seven people scaled a 270-foot crane just blocks from the White House and hoisted a massive banner bearing the word "Resist."

Greenpeace spokesman Jason Schwartz said Friday that the activists message to Chicago was clear.

"Resist this Trump administrations environmental and social policies, which are so threatening to our communities and our planet, and defend our communities and our planet," he said.

Attorney information for the six charged was not immediately available. They were expected to appear in bond court Sunday afternoon.
A man was fatally shot by Chicago police officers Sunday morning on the city's Northwest Side.

About 11 a.m., the mans parents went to the 25th District police station to report a domestic situation, Chicago Police Deputy Chief Al Nagode told reporters at the scene.

Officers arrived at the 2700 block of North Leclaire Avenue in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood and spoke to the man, who was holding his girlfriend and her child against their will in an apartment, Nagode said.

The officers got the woman and her child out of the apartment, but the man was uncooperative, Nagode said.

A SWAT team was called to the scene and when they arrived, the man left the house and fired a shot at the officers before running north on Leclaire, Nagode said. He ended up on the roof of a garage in the 5000 block of West Wolfram, and fired his weapon again at the officers.

Five officers fired shots, striking the man, Nagode said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The officers involved will be placed on routine administrative duties for 30 days, police said, as is customary in all officer-involved shootings.

The Independent Police Review Authority, which handles all police-involved shootings, continues to investigate.
A Missouri woman suffered minor injuries when she was cut by a razor blade that was taped to the handle of her shopping cart.

The incident, which occurred at a Wal-Mart store in Festus, MO, happened earlier this week, and while the womans injuries were minor, it could have been a lot worse.

Its just horrible someone would do that to hurt someone else, Michelle Patterson told NBC affiliate KSDK in St. Louis.

According to Patterson, she was disinfecting the handle of the shopping cart when she felt a sting.

I couldnt believe there was a razor blade, she said. It was stuck in there. If I was a little kid, it wouldve sliced their finger open.

Police told KSDK that the razor blade was likely used by a shoplifter to cut open packaging in the store, rather than as a device to inflict harm on someone, but the incident still prompted a response from the retailer.

Its disturbing that someone might try to injure a customer or associate, and were grateful no one was seriously hurt, the retailer said in a statement.
Summer in Illinois means construction, humidity, and mosquitoes, and its that last threat that has experts warning residents to take some serious precautions in the coming weeks.

According to the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District, mosquitoes in six different suburbs, including Evanston, Glenview, and Skokie, have tested positive for West Nile virus this year, and although the virus doesnt typically spread this early in the summer, the threat is about to become much more serious.

We expect that West Nile virus activity will increase over the next few weeks, the group said. Residents are urged to examine their property and eliminate any items that can hold water, particularly smaller items that may be easily overlooked.

Mosquitoes in Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, and Niles also have tested positive for West Nile.

Residents are encouraged to wear insect repellant when participating in outdoor activities, and the NSMAD also encourages citizens to avoid the outdoors at dawn and dusk when mosquito activity is at its highest.
California's chief elections official is puzzled by the absence of Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach from a gathering of elections officials from across the U.S.

Kobach is the co-chair of a White House voter fraud commission that's investigating allegations made by the President Donald Trump without proof that there were millions of fraudulent ballots cast during last November's election.

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said Saturday that it's "awkward, to put it mildly" that Kobach opted against attending the National Association of Secretaries of State conference in Indianapolis this weekend.

Kobach, a Republican, sent letters last week to all 50 states requesting voter information, including dates of birth, partial Social Security numbers, addresses and voting histories.

The request drew blowback from Republicans and Democrats alike.

Padilla, a Democrat, said that if Kobach was serious about working with states to improve the integrity of U.S. elections, he would have attended the conference.

A spokeswoman for Kobach did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Four people were arrested during demonstrations in New Haven Saturday, according to New Haven police.

According to New Haven Police Officer David Hartman, a group called the Proud Boys, which describes itself on social media as a Western Chauvinist group, made plans to demonstrate on the New Haven green Saturday. Counter-protesters, who called the Proud Boys a white nationalist and alt-right coalition, caught wind of the demonstration through social media and also attended.

"Counterprotesters plan to ensure this coalition understands that New Haven was the wrong place to put on this rally," wrote activist Natalie Alexander in an email.



About three dozen counter-protesters attended and there were several skirmishes between the two groups, Hartman said.

Four people were charged with disorderly conduct  two were taken into custody. One was sent to the hospital for treatment of eye irritation after being hit by either pepper spray or smoke from a mini-smoke bomb, Hartmand said.

Police said the Proud Boys group left the area and agreed not to return. Hartman said they were not violent during their demonstrations, but they did not have a valid protest permit.
Kent Falls State Park reopened after a "suspicious device" was found, state police said.

Troop L in Litchfield and the Connecticut State Police bomb squad were called to the scene to assist DEEP near Kent Falls State Park.

However, police said the "suspicious device" turned out to be a camping grill with visible wires used for an igniter.

"From a bit of a distance, the grill looked like it could be some type of Improvised Explosive Device," DEEP said in a statement.

DEEP cleared the area and the park was closed around 10 a.m. but reopened at 12:45 p.m. on Sunday.
An active search warrant led to the arrest of two in Tolland on Sunday morning.

Connecticut State Police had an active search warrant for 24-year-old Amber Blanchetter at her home located on Willington Avenue.

Travis Winans, 20, opened the door when police arrived to the address and let troopers inside the home, while Blanchette was sleeping in another room.

In plain view, troopers said they saw narcotics and equipment used for heating marijuana when they entered the home. In addition to more equipment and paraphernalia, packaging materials, marijuana, scales and THC oil, were located in the room where Blanchette was sleeping, troopers said.

Police said the equipment they found is used for processing a high potency THC oil commonly known as "dabs", "wax" or "shatter."

Blanchette was then turned over to the Manchester Police Department subsequent to her active arrest warrant.

Winans was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia and operating a drug Factory, among other charges.

His bond was set at $50,000 and he's expected in court on July 10.
There is new information on a murder investigation that has shaken North Texas.

As family and friends laid 13-year-old Shavon Randle to rest today, detectives continued the search for those responsible for her death.

Police tell NBC 5 that they filed eight new warrants last Friday night, including for a new suspect and cell phone records.

The spokesperson for the Lancaster Police Department said the city could not provide the names of the individuals named in the warrants until Monday.

On Saturday, hundreds of people gathered at Friendship West Baptist Church to honor and celebrate Shavons life.

I am just so heartbroken by the whole situation and its heart-wrenching, said family friend Asha Owens. Its devastating.

Police say the 13-year-old was kidnapped as retaliation over a drug theft that she had nothing to do with.

An Amber Alert was issued and the FBI stepped in to try and bring her home.

Last Sunday, Shavons body was found inside of an abandoned home in South Oak Cliff last Sunday morning.

The body of 19-year-old Michael Titus was also found inside the house.

Shavon was shot twice, once in the head and once in the torso, according to the medical examiner.

Titus had been shot in the head.

Six people are in custody and face a variety of charges related to this case.

However, no one has been charged with murder.
Until this weekend, David Kling had never set foot in Texas. He was home in California when five police officers were killed in Downtown Dallas one year ago. He didn't know any of the fallen or their families.

And yet, he feels the pain of their loss like few people can.

Exactly three months and one day after the July 7th shootings, Kling's daughter Lesley Zerebny -- a Palm Springs Police officer -- was gunned down in an ambush style attack.

She'd only been an officer for about two years and had just given birth to a baby girl.



"I determined after my daughter was killed that any opportunity to honor her, I would take," said Kling. "So when the invitation came for Weekend of Honor, I said yes."

He came to Dallas hoping for healing -- and to support others here who are still hurting.

"It's great to spend time with other families that are going through the same things we are," said Kling. "It hasn't even been a year yet for us - and it's great to be here."

After attending a candlelight vigil Friday that brought tears to his eyes, Kling joined Dallas officers, firefighters, and community members Saturday on a motorcylce ride in honor of the fallen.



"[Dallas Police] Sergeant Willie Ford offered me up his second bike," said Kling. "Basically having a free freeway to ride on was just incredible."

When the ride was over, he caught up with an even larger crowd at Southwest Center Mall -- and together, they all joined hands while standing in the shape of heart.

"I'm going to every event this weekend to show support for the city of Dallas," said Kling.

Kling's daughter is among those being recognized during a special ceremony Sunday at Fair Park.

For information about that event and all Weekend of Honor events, you can visit their website.
President Donald Trump said Sunday that "it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia" after his lengthy meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Germany. But he is still avoiding the question of whether he accepts Putin's denial that Russia was responsible for meddling in the 2016 election.

Speaking in a series of tweets the morning after returning from a world leaders' summit in Germany, Trump said he "strongly pressed" Putin twice over Russian meddling during their meeting Friday.

Trump said that Putin "vehemently denied" the conclusions of American intelligence agencies that Russian hackers and propagandists tried to sway the election in Trump's favor. But Trump would not say whether he believed Putin, tweeting only that he's "already given my opinion."

Trump has said he thinks Russia probably hacked the emails of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton staffers, but that "other people and/or countries" were likely involved as well. He said ahead of the meeting that, "Nobody knows for sure."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov first told reporters in Germany on Friday that Trump had accepted Putin's assurances that Russia hadn't meddled  an assertion Putin repeated Saturday after the Group of 20 summit. Putin said he left the meeting thinking that Trump had believed his in-person denials.

"He asked questions, I replied. It seemed to me that he was satisfied with the answers," Putin said.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did not answer directly when asked Sunday if Trump had accepted Putin's denial, but told reporters in Ukraine that Trump's conversation with Putin on election interference went "about the way we expected." Tillerson was the only other American official in the room.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also declined to say whether Trump accepted Putin's denial. "Why would President Trump broadcast exactly what he said in the meeting? Strategically that makes no sense," Mnuchin said. "He's made it very clear how he feels. He's made it very clear that he addressed it straight on."

But White House chief of staff Reince Priebus took issue with Putin's characterization.

"The president absolutely didn't believe the denial of President Putin," Priebus said. He said Trump had spent a "large part of the meeting on the subject," but wanted to move onto other subjects.

He and other administration officials said Trump did not want Russian interference in last year's election to prevent him from working with Putin's government on other issues, including the civil war in Syria.

"You know, the past, I don't know if we will ever come to an agreement, obviously with our Russian counterparts on that. I think the important thing is how do we assure that this doesn't happen again," Tillerson said.

Tillerson said that, "In all candidness, we did not expect an answer other than the one we received" from Russia.

"Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections," added Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. "This is Russia trying to save face."

But in a show of U.S.-Russian cooperation, officials announced during the trip that the two sides had brokered a cease-fire in southern Syria that went into effect Sunday. Trump tweeted that the deal "will save lives."

The two sides also agreed to create what Trump described in a tweet as "an impenetrable Cyber Security unit" to ensure that "election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded."

However, the idea drew widespread ridicule and Trump sent out another tweet Sunday night in which he seemed to back off: "The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesn't mean I think it can happen. It can't-but a ceasefire can,& did!"

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was among critics of the task force on Twitter and Sunday morning news shows.

"It's not the dumbest idea I've ever heard, but it's pretty close," Graham said, adding that, when it comes to Russia, the president has "a blind spot."

"And to forgive and forget when it comes to Putin regarding cyberattacks is to empower Putin and that's exactly what he's doing," he added.

Another Senate Republican, Marco Rubio of Florida, said on Twitter that "partnering with Putin on a 'Cyber Security Unit' is akin to partnering with Assad on a 'Chemical Weapons Unit.'" Rubio was referring to Syrian President Bashar Assad and his regime's use of chemical weapons against its own citizens."

Former Defense Secretary Ash Carter equated the move to "like the guy who robbed your house proposing a working group on burglary."

And Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said that expecting Russia to be a credible partner in any cybersecurity initiative "would be dangerously naive for this country."

"If that's our best election defense, we might as well just mail our ballot boxes to Moscow," he said.

Haley, however, defended the move, arguing that working with Russia on cybersecurity "doesn't mean we ever trust Russia. We can't trust Russia and we won't ever trust Russia. But you keep those that you don't trust closer so that you can always keep an eye on 'em and keep them in check."

Trump also tweeted Sunday that sanctions against Russia were not discussed at his meeting with Putin, seemingly contradicting comments made by Tillerson in Germany. Tillerson told reporters that the president had taken "note of actions that have been discussed by the Congress" in the meeting. Congress has been pushing to increase sanctions on Russia and make them harder for Trump to lift.

Haley and Schiff spoke on CNN's "State of the Union," Mnuchin on ABC's "The Week," Priebus on "Fox News Sunday," and Graham on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Boynton Beach Police arrested a man who allegedly sexually assaulted a mentally handicapped woman and then impregnated her.

Pascal Estime, 55, was arrested Saturday at Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport as he was about to board a flight to Haiti.

According to police, Estime sexually battered the woman on two occasions at her home in Boynton Beach back in 2004, and eventually impregnated her.

Police said the case went cold for 12 years, as they couldnt find out where he was.

Police were able to obtain a warrant for Estimes arrest on July 6th, as they tracked him to a location in Orlando.

When police received information that he was leaving to Haiti, they were able to meet him at a terminal at the airport and thats when they arrested him. He was then transported to the Palm Beach County Jail. Its unclear what charges he will be facing.
The rector of an Episcopal church in North Carolina is facing criminal charges in Florida after police say he pointed a gun at another vehicle in an apparent road rage incident.

Media reports say 35-year-old Rev. William Rian Adams is charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Martin County records show he was released from jail on $15,000 bail.

State troopers say a pickup truck driver was closely following a Corvette on Florida's Turnpike and tried to pass the car when its driver pointed a handgun at him. Troopers then stopped Adams in the Corvette.

Records show Adams is rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in Fletcher, North Carolina. Church officials didn't immediately respond to a call seeking comment and no attorney was listed for Adams.
Sal Albanese, a longtime New York politician who is running for mayor, tweeted that his wife's car was stolen while he campaigned in Queens -- but it turns out no thieves were involved with the disappearing vehicle.

NBC 4 New York talked to police and learned that the car had been moved Saturday for an event in the Long Island City neighborhood where he had parked.

Vehicles in the area were towed and relocated, police said.

When informed of his car's whereabouts at a campaign event Sunday, Albanese appeared shocked and had this response:

"It's cumbersome. It's overly bureaucratic. It's symptomatic of some of the management style of New York City especially under de Blasio who doesn't pay much attention to management. I'm glad you told me, so my car's around?!"

Police said they routinely relocate cars due to neighborhood events and have a list to inform people where they can find their vehicles.

Albanese insisted that he parked legally outside the perimeter of the event. He said he called 311 twice and was told that his car hadn't been towed.

No word on what caused the misunderstanding in this case.

Hours later, Albanese picked up his car from the spot where NBC 4 New York told him it had been moved.

Albanese tweeted from his verified account Saturday that after he finished campaigning at Queensbridge Houses about low crime, he returned to find the car missing from its parking spot.

On F train coming back from Queens minus my wife's stolen car along with my jacket and baby seats for grandkids pic.twitter.com/H7CnyKSgaV  Sal Albanese (@SalAlbaneseNYC) July 8, 2017

He then tweeted that he had to take the F train, minus his belongings, his wife's car and "baby seats for grandkids."

Within the same hour, Albanese complained that when trying to reach the local precinct about the theft, no one answered the phone twice.

His wife was out of town and not able to file a police report.
A New York woman who left her vehicle to tend to a child in the backseat on Interstate 95 was struck and killed by another car, Connecticut State Police said.

Emma Torres, 31, got out of the vehicle Saturday night in Bridgeport in the southbound lane, troopers said. Torres, of Mamaroneck, New York, was then sideswiped by an oncoming vehicle.

Torres was taken to Bridgeport Hospital where she later died of her injuries. No one else was hurt.
A resident along a quiet road in one of Burlington County's most desirable places to live stabbed to death one of two men who allegedly broke into the house, according to the county prosecutor's office.

Family members identified the man who was stabbed to death as Jimmy Doyle.



The incident occurred inside a house on Hartford Road in Moorestown about 12:30 a.m., but investigators did not describe what led up to the attack.

"The scene is contained and there is no reason for the public to be alarmed," the prosecutor's spokesman said in a statement.

The second man who allegedly broke into the house apparently escaped, as investigators were trying to determine if a person who showed up a short time later at a nearby hospital with a stab wound was him.

"The resident who made the call indicated to responding police officers that two men had broken into his home, a struggle ensued, and he stabbed them both," the prosecutor's office said in a statement. "Detectives are investigating whether a man who arrived at Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County in Willingboro later this morning with a stab wound to the leg is connected to this incident."

No charges were filed in the case as of 10:30 p.m. An autopsy is being performed on Doyle, who relatives described as a playful man in his late 20s who loved his family.

"He has never done anything like that before," Doyle's brother Joseph Doyle told NBC10. "I don't think that would've been his intentions."

Police continue to investigate the incident.

"I'm not sure everything we know is the full story," Doyle's cousin, Wanda Smith said. "One day I hope the full story will come out."



The house is across the street from a development under construction and is surrounded in part by farmland. Moorestown is often named as one of the best places to live in New Jersey, and even got the top grade nationally a decade ago by Money magazine.
At VIP 2's press meet on Saturday, Dhanush confirmed that he would be once again collaborating with Kajol in VIP 3.

By India Today Web Desk: The theatres in Tamil Nadu have finally opened after a four-day strike against the state government for imposing a 30 per cent local body tax. Now, Dhanush-Kajol's much-hyped Velai Illa Pattadhaari 2 is all set for a release on July 28. At the press meet of VIP 2, Dhanush, who has written the script and dialogues of the film, confirmed that the franchise would continue and that Kajol would be part of VIP 3.

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Speaking about the sequel to VIP 2, Dhanush said, "I'm confident Kajol will be there in VIP 3, but I'm not sure if she will be there in VIP 4."

Kajol, who won the hearts of the Tamil audience with Minsara Kanavu, is making a comeback nearly after two decades. Dhanush had good things to say about co-star Kajol.

"She (Kajol) is returning to Tamil cinema after a gap of 20 years with VIP and we are very proud of it. She is a legend. I was in my 10th standard when she did Minsara Kanavu. I was stunned after watching her on the big screen. We can't forget her performance in Vennilave Vennilave song. It was really fascinating to share screen space with her. My performance went a notch up while performing with her," said Dhanush.

On the other hand, when Kajol was asked to share her experience working with Dhanush and Shah Rukh Khan, she said, "They both are very very fine actors. It has been a very good journey with Dhanush."

Soundarya Rajinikanth is helming this instalment, which has music by Sean Roldan.

"Nobody else could give us Vasundhara Parameshwar. The character is an independent, self-made and stylish women. Kajol didn't have to try hard to pull off that role. She just had to come before the camera," said Soundarya.

Produced by Kalaipuli S Thanu, the trailer of Velai Illa Pattadhaari 2 got outstanding response and clocked more than 8 million views.

ALSO READ: SS Rajamouli regrets talking about Sridevi's salary, says he made a mistake

ALSO READ: Naga Chaitanya, Samantha to have a beach wedding in Goa

ALSO READ: GST will have a HUGE impact on your movie plans. Here's how

ALSO WATCH: Will be forced to quit cinema, says Kamal Haasan on GST rate

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A toddler is recovering after she fell out of a window in West Philadelphia Saturday night.

Police say the 2-year-old girl was playing by herself in a room inside her home on the 800 block of Markoe Street while her mother was in another room at 7:38 p.m. The child then fell through a second floor window that did not have a screen and landed on the concrete below. The girl's mother heard screams and rushed to the room before she saw her daughter outside on the ground.

Police are investigating the incident but don't believe there was any foul play. The girl was taken to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where she is currently in stable condition.

"Our detectives from Special Victims will be looking into this but right now it doesn't appear to have any signs of foul play," Philadelphia Police Captain George Fuchs said. "But that's for our detectives to look into."


Police are searching for a man who they say groped a woman at a park in Newark, Delaware Friday morning.

A 59-year-old woman told police she was walking near a barn in Glasgow Park around 8 a.m. when a man riding a bicycle approached her from behind, touched her buttocks and then fled the scene.

The woman was not hurt during the incident.

The suspect is described as a thin black male with his face covered wearing a black windbreaker, black shorts and black shoes. He was also riding a BMX style bike.

If you have any information on the incident please call New Castle County Police at 302-573-2800.




One person was killed and eight others, including three children, were hurt after a shooting at a gender reveal party in southwestern Ohio on Saturday night, according to the Colerain Township Police Department.

Police said the shooting occurred around 11:30 p.m. at a home in the 9900 block of Capstan Drive. The shooters fled the scene and has not been caught.

The person who was killed is an adult, according to police.

NBC affiliate WLWT reported eight people were injured and the University of Cincinnati Medical Center is treating five victims. One is critical, three are in fair condition and one is stable, the hospital told WLWT.

Three children are being treated at Cincinnati Children's Medical Center. The pregnant woman told WXIX-TV she lost her baby after being shot in the leg.

The victims were family and friends who gathered for a gender reveal party, police said. Police do not have a clear motive for the shooting.

A gender reveal party is a celebration to reveal the sex of an expectant baby. Police said the gunmen were dressed in black and broke into the home while guests watched a movie.

The identities of the victims has not been released. Cincinnati police crime scene investigators have been called in to help with the investigation.
A congressman from Northeast Philadelphia said he would propose legislation later this week to prevent a proposal by President Donald Trump to form "an impenetrable Cyber Security unit" with Russia.

U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, a Democrat who returned Saturday night from a trip to Hamburg, Germany, for the G-20 Summit, said in a statement that he will offer a bill to prevent the president's proposal, which Trump mentioned in a series of tweets Sunday morning.

Trump also returned Saturday evening from Hamburg.

Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

Boyle said in a statement that when he returned to Capitol Hill this week, he would submit a bill to "prohibit the United States from participating in any type joint working group with Russia on cybersecurity efforts."

The House is off Monday, but reconvenes several committees starting Tuesday.

"Hiring Mr. Putin to protect our electoral process is like a group of homeowners hiring a security guard to protect them after that individual has broken into their homes," Boyle said in the statement.

The second-term congressman wasn't the only one to issue strongly-worded metaphors about such a deal between the United States and Russia in light of the findings by American intelligence agencies regarding Russia's hacking efforts during the 2016 presidential election.
SUMMER OF LOVE: The 50th anniversary of that major moment in time is in full and glorious flow, and a student of history, of society, of music and of seismic changes, can journey to a host of museums, amphitheatres, and tours to find stories of 1967. If you want to go deeper into all of that 1967ness, though, doing a bit of traveling to get there is key (after all, that's one of the woven-through tenets of the Summer of Love: Meeting people, connecting with others, experiencing new things, and not being confined to any one path). How to make the journey, though? That can be done in many different ways, but saving a bit of money, in order to have a bit more dough when you're at your destination, is always a keen notion. Pacifica Hotels is embracing the whole remember-the-Summer-of-Love vibe that's flowing around the Golden State right now, and to facilitate people getting out, relaxing, seeing, and meeting others, there's savings in the air, at all 24 California properties. Think...

20% OFF, through Sept. 30, 2017, and think this special code when you book: LOVE17. You'll need to book through the web site, do note, and do note you'll have a plethora of places to choose from, from spectacular spots closer to some of the Summer of Love's biggest memory-making occurrences (think Cambria, just a pleasant toodle down from Monterey), and San Francisco, to destinations always rocking that sunny, it's-all-good vibe (hello, Santa Monica and San Diego). Where will you land for a night, a weekend, or a full week of connecting with a few waves, a few nice strangers you meet around the lobby, and the big ideas of comity, harmony, and peace that the Summer of Love sent out so strongly? You can begin to ponder that delightful question here.
Police have arrested one 24-year-old in connection with an incident of violent stabbing that occurred early Sunday morning.

Kadeem Ferguson of Nantucket, Massachusetts is being charged with Attempted Murder and 8 counts of Assault with a dangerous weapon.

At approximately 2:45 a.m. police from Nantucket Police Department responded to a noise complaint at a warehouse building on Nancy Ann Drive.

Upon arrival, officers observed people exiting the area and determined that an altercation had recently occurred.

Officers discovered a male suffering from multiple stab wounds lying in the nearby bushes.

According to a release from the Nantucket Police Department, a subsequent investigation led to Ferguson's arrest.

Check back as this story develops.
Wicked winds caused major damage to a health services facility in central Vermont.

Mayor Thom Lauzon of Barre told necn a powerful wind gust caused a large portion of the roof on a North Main Street building to fold over on itself.

The building houses Project Independence, which provides services to seniors with cognitive and physical disabilities.

Lauzon said the center was not open to clients when the storm rolled through midday, and no one was injured. The mayor said two apartments in another part of the building were occupied, but the residents were unaware of what happened and were unhurt.

Lauzon said he was working to secure a building contractor in order to protect the exposed section of the property from further damage.

Lauzon said he'll also work with Project Independence if it needs help finding a temporary facility.
Ahmedabad was in the race for the prestigious title along with Delhi and Mumbai. (Photo: Weekender.in)

By Press Trust of India: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and BJP president Amit Shah tonight hailed the declaration of Ahmedabad as world heritage city by UNESCO.

"Just inscribed as UNESCO world heritage site: Historic city of Ahmedabad #India", UNESCO said in a tweet tonight.

Expressing delight at the announcement, Rupani said in a tweet, "Thrilled to learn that Ahmedabad has been recognised as UNESCO World heritage city, first of its kind in India".

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"Delighted to know that UNESCO has declared Ahmedabad as World Heritage City. Proud moment for every Indian," the BJP national president said in a tweet.

Ahmedabad was in the race for the prestigious title along with Delhi and Mumbai.

The walled city of Ahmedabad believed to be founded by Ahmed Shah some six hundred years earlier has 26 ASI-protected structures, hundreds of pols that capture the essence of community living and numerous sites associated with Mahatma Gandhi who lived here from 1915 to 1930.

In 1984, the first study for conserving heritage structures was carried out in the city. A heritage cell was also set up by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).

The city had featured in UNESCO's tentative list of world heritage cities on March 31, 2011.

ALSO READ:

Shankersinh Vaghela continues to sulk, skips Congress event in Ahmedabad

Gujarat Congress delegation to meet Rahul Gandhi today to end factionalism in state unit

ALSO WATCH:

PM Modi braves rain to perform Yoga in Lucknow; Ramdev, Amit Shah stretch it out in Ahmedabad

--- ENDS ---
By Express News Service

MUMBAI: Infra lender IDFC which entered into banking late 2015 and the Piramal Group-backed financial services major Shriram Group today agreed to merge and create the largest retail-focused bank in the country.

The boards of two groups met here today and at an evening press announcement, addressed by Ajay Piramal of Piramal Enterprises, R Thyagarajan of Shriram Group and Rajiv Lall of IDFC Bank, said the managements have been given 90-day period to complete due diligence and explore merger, and if all goes well, within 12 months a formal merger will take place.

"The boards of Shriram Group and IDFC have entered into an exclusivity arrangement for 90 days to jointly explore an opportunity for a merger. No transaction has been approved by the boards.

"Now, diligence will take place, we will discuss on the valuations and the respective boards will then meet and then a proposal will be made. If more time is needed then will extend the exclusivity period by another 60 or even 90 days," Piramal said.

The proposal is subject to approvals from the RBI, Sebi, Irdai, CCI and stock exchanges, Piramal and Lall said.

"Our ambition, hope and intent is to together make the country's largest mass retail banking franchise with a universal bank at its core," Lall said.

Piramal said: "It is really a chance to create a financial conglomerate with a universal bank at the centre that we believe will become the country's largest mass retail universal bank."

They did not say what could be the name of the merged entity, but added that the brand Shriram will be retained while almost all key businesses of the Shriram Group will be merged with either IDFC Bank or IDFC.

However, later, to a journalist's question, Piramal said since IDFC already has a banking licence, they will go with the name IDFC and not Shriram.

Currently, Shriram Group has a loan book of over Rs 80,000 crore while IDFC and its banking arm IDFC Bank together have loan book of over Rs 60,000 crore. The total assets of the merged entity will cross Rs 9 trillion.

Though Piramal, chairman of Shriram Capital and Piramal Group, and Rajiv Lall, MD & CEO of IDFC Bank, did not specify the valuation or share swap ratio, analysts say that at the current share prices, the merger ratio could be around 1:40, i.e., 40 IDFC shares for one Shriram Capital share.

Shriram Capital includes listed firms Shriram Transport Finance (STFC) and Shriram City Union Finance (SCUF), and unlisted life and general insurance arms which will get merged with IDFC.

With over Rs 40,000 crore in AUM, STFC is the largest financer of commercial vehicles, SCUF is into home, auto and personal loans; and both are held by Shriram Capital which is headed by Piramal as chairman since 2015 when he invested around Rs 5,000 crore in the Chennai-based group which is owned partly by the global private equity major TPG Capital.

Other private equity majors like Apax Partners own 20.37 per cent in SCUF since 2015, while STFC has Temasek, GIC and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority among its shareholders.

IDFC owns 52.86 per cent in IDFC Bank which was launched in October 2015 in the latest round of bank licences by taking over all its parent's assets. IDFC Bank is the seventh-largest private lender in the country now. Piramal owns 20 per cent in Shriram Capital and 10 per cent each in both Shriram Transport and Shriram City Union.

Analysts pointed out that the proposed merger may not be an easy deal given RBI's stance of not allowing a corporate entity into banking, and also its norms capping promoters'

stake under 10 per cent. Another hurdle could be Piramal Group's large and successful real estate business.

"It will be very difficult for the regulator RBI to overlook these facts and approve the merger, as if done so, the central bank could be accused of ignoring its own regulations," an industry observer told PTI.

Another observer told PTI that the merger is forced by poor showing of both entities. While Shriram Capital has been struggling to grow following changes in the truck finance business in recent years, conversion of IDFC into a bank has not done anything great to the infra lender so far.

Also, given the huge under-valuation that may be forced on the shareholders of Shriram group, they are unlikely to clear the proposal, he added.

Asked about fund infusion post-merger and the need to meet the SLR requirement, Lall said, "We are not only taking into account the SLR complication, there are also other regulatory obligations... Details on how we meet will unfold in the next 90 days but we are quite confident that we will be able to meet all of them."

On the proposed contours of the merged entity, Lall said, "It will be a conglomerate. All the operating businesses of two groups, including IDFC Bank and operating businesses of Shriram Capital, notably STFC, SCUF and insurance arms will come together under IDFC Ltd."

The retail-centric business of SCUF will be absorbed directly into IDFC Bank to expand the balance sheet by Rs 20,000-25,000 crore to help the retailisation of the bank, and it will have 1,000 retail branches, Lall said.

Asked about possible allegations of making backdoor entry into banking, Piramal strongly denied any such plan, saying, "I will meet all the regulatory requirements to ensure that the deal goes through."

MUMBAI: Infra lender IDFC which entered into banking late 2015 and the Piramal Group-backed financial services major Shriram Group today agreed to merge and create the largest retail-focused bank in the country. The boards of two groups met here today and at an evening press announcement, addressed by Ajay Piramal of Piramal Enterprises, R Thyagarajan of Shriram Group and Rajiv Lall of IDFC Bank, said the managements have been given 90-day period to complete due diligence and explore merger, and if all goes well, within 12 months a formal merger will take place. "The boards of Shriram Group and IDFC have entered into an exclusivity arrangement for 90 days to jointly explore an opportunity for a merger. No transaction has been approved by the boards. "Now, diligence will take place, we will discuss on the valuations and the respective boards will then meet and then a proposal will be made. If more time is needed then will extend the exclusivity period by another 60 or even 90 days," Piramal said. The proposal is subject to approvals from the RBI, Sebi, Irdai, CCI and stock exchanges, Piramal and Lall said. "Our ambition, hope and intent is to together make the country's largest mass retail banking franchise with a universal bank at its core," Lall said. Piramal said: "It is really a chance to create a financial conglomerate with a universal bank at the centre that we believe will become the country's largest mass retail universal bank." They did not say what could be the name of the merged entity, but added that the brand Shriram will be retained while almost all key businesses of the Shriram Group will be merged with either IDFC Bank or IDFC. However, later, to a journalist's question, Piramal said since IDFC already has a banking licence, they will go with the name IDFC and not Shriram. Currently, Shriram Group has a loan book of over Rs 80,000 crore while IDFC and its banking arm IDFC Bank together have loan book of over Rs 60,000 crore. The total assets of the merged entity will cross Rs 9 trillion. Though Piramal, chairman of Shriram Capital and Piramal Group, and Rajiv Lall, MD & CEO of IDFC Bank, did not specify the valuation or share swap ratio, analysts say that at the current share prices, the merger ratio could be around 1:40, i.e., 40 IDFC shares for one Shriram Capital share. Shriram Capital includes listed firms Shriram Transport Finance (STFC) and Shriram City Union Finance (SCUF), and unlisted life and general insurance arms which will get merged with IDFC. With over Rs 40,000 crore in AUM, STFC is the largest financer of commercial vehicles, SCUF is into home, auto and personal loans; and both are held by Shriram Capital which is headed by Piramal as chairman since 2015 when he invested around Rs 5,000 crore in the Chennai-based group which is owned partly by the global private equity major TPG Capital. Other private equity majors like Apax Partners own 20.37 per cent in SCUF since 2015, while STFC has Temasek, GIC and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority among its shareholders. IDFC owns 52.86 per cent in IDFC Bank which was launched in October 2015 in the latest round of bank licences by taking over all its parent's assets. IDFC Bank is the seventh-largest private lender in the country now. Piramal owns 20 per cent in Shriram Capital and 10 per cent each in both Shriram Transport and Shriram City Union. Analysts pointed out that the proposed merger may not be an easy deal given RBI's stance of not allowing a corporate entity into banking, and also its norms capping promoters' stake under 10 per cent. Another hurdle could be Piramal Group's large and successful real estate business. "It will be very difficult for the regulator RBI to overlook these facts and approve the merger, as if done so, the central bank could be accused of ignoring its own regulations," an industry observer told PTI. Another observer told PTI that the merger is forced by poor showing of both entities. While Shriram Capital has been struggling to grow following changes in the truck finance business in recent years, conversion of IDFC into a bank has not done anything great to the infra lender so far. Also, given the huge under-valuation that may be forced on the shareholders of Shriram group, they are unlikely to clear the proposal, he added. Asked about fund infusion post-merger and the need to meet the SLR requirement, Lall said, "We are not only taking into account the SLR complication, there are also other regulatory obligations... Details on how we meet will unfold in the next 90 days but we are quite confident that we will be able to meet all of them." On the proposed contours of the merged entity, Lall said, "It will be a conglomerate. All the operating businesses of two groups, including IDFC Bank and operating businesses of Shriram Capital, notably STFC, SCUF and insurance arms will come together under IDFC Ltd." The retail-centric business of SCUF will be absorbed directly into IDFC Bank to expand the balance sheet by Rs 20,000-25,000 crore to help the retailisation of the bank, and it will have 1,000 retail branches, Lall said. Asked about possible allegations of making backdoor entry into banking, Piramal strongly denied any such plan, saying, "I will meet all the regulatory requirements to ensure that the deal goes through."
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Two major Indian conglomerates have bid for supplying key equipment for the strategic Chabahar Port in Iran, while process is on to expand the financial eligibility criteria to attract more bidders, an official said.

This comes against the backdrop of India being keen on expediting work on this port, located in the Sistan- Baluchistan province on the energy-rich Persian Gulf nation's southern coast that can be easily accessed from India's West coast, bypassing Pakistan.

"Two major Indian conglomerates have bid for supplying four key mounted quay cranes at Shahid Beheshti Port, Chabahar. The bids are under evaluation and a final call will be taken soon," an official who did not wish to be named said.

Bids were invited on behalf of India Ports Global Limited (IPGL).

The official said apart from this, work is on to expand the financial eligibility criteria to attract larger participation by players.

"We will be rationalising financial eligibility criteria to ensure larger participation in bids," the official said.

Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had earlier said the government was hopeful of completing the work on the first phase of the project in 2018.

The Cabinet has already approved funds for development of the project.

For greater trade and investment flow with Iran and neighbouring countries, the Cabinet last year had cleared proposals for development of Chabahar port including through a USD 150 million credit from Exim Bank.

It also authorised the Shipping Ministry to form a company in Iran for implementing the Chabahar Port Development Project and related activities.

As per the MoU signed between the two nations in May last year, India is to equip and operate two berths in Chabahar Port Phase-I with capital investment of USD 85.21 million and annual revenue expenditure of USD 22.95 million on a 10-year lease.

Ownership of equipment will be transferred to Iranian side on completion of 10 years or for an extended period, based on mutual agreement. The Iranian side had requested for provision of a credit of USD 150 million in accordance with the MoU.

As per the pact, operation of two berths is to commence within a period of maximum 18 months after the signing of the contract.

Besides the bilateral pact to develop the Chabahar port, for which India will invest USD 500 million, a trilateral Agreement on Transport and Transit Corridor has also been signed by India, Afghanistan and Iran.

NEW DELHI: Two major Indian conglomerates have bid for supplying key equipment for the strategic Chabahar Port in Iran, while process is on to expand the financial eligibility criteria to attract more bidders, an official said. This comes against the backdrop of India being keen on expediting work on this port, located in the Sistan- Baluchistan province on the energy-rich Persian Gulf nation's southern coast that can be easily accessed from India's West coast, bypassing Pakistan. "Two major Indian conglomerates have bid for supplying four key mounted quay cranes at Shahid Beheshti Port, Chabahar. The bids are under evaluation and a final call will be taken soon," an official who did not wish to be named said. Bids were invited on behalf of India Ports Global Limited (IPGL). The official said apart from this, work is on to expand the financial eligibility criteria to attract larger participation by players. "We will be rationalising financial eligibility criteria to ensure larger participation in bids," the official said. Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had earlier said the government was hopeful of completing the work on the first phase of the project in 2018. The Cabinet has already approved funds for development of the project. For greater trade and investment flow with Iran and neighbouring countries, the Cabinet last year had cleared proposals for development of Chabahar port including through a USD 150 million credit from Exim Bank. It also authorised the Shipping Ministry to form a company in Iran for implementing the Chabahar Port Development Project and related activities. As per the MoU signed between the two nations in May last year, India is to equip and operate two berths in Chabahar Port Phase-I with capital investment of USD 85.21 million and annual revenue expenditure of USD 22.95 million on a 10-year lease. Ownership of equipment will be transferred to Iranian side on completion of 10 years or for an extended period, based on mutual agreement. The Iranian side had requested for provision of a credit of USD 150 million in accordance with the MoU. As per the pact, operation of two berths is to commence within a period of maximum 18 months after the signing of the contract. Besides the bilateral pact to develop the Chabahar port, for which India will invest USD 500 million, a trilateral Agreement on Transport and Transit Corridor has also been signed by India, Afghanistan and Iran.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: HarperCollins India has come out special editions of 25 of its popular books to celebrate its 25th anniversary of publishing.

Among the books in the "Harper 25 Series" are Amitav Ghosh's "The Hungry Tide", "The White Tiger" by Aravind Adiga, A P J Abdul Kalam's "Turning Points", Jhumpa Lahiri's "Interpreter of Maladies", "Fault Lines" by Raghuram G Rajan and Siddhartha Mukherjee's "The Emperor of All Maladies".

HarperCollins began its journey in 1992 with 20 books that year. Twenty-five years later, it boasts a list of over 180 new books a year in every genre possible, be it literary and commercial fiction, general and commercial non-fiction, translations, poetry, children's books or Hindi.

According to HarperCollins India's Publisher (Literary) Udayan Mitra, the Harper 25 series gives the readers the chance to "revisit some of these wonderful books".

"Publishing is all about the love for reading, and in the 25 years that we have been in India, we have published books that have been read with joy, talked about, debated over, and then read once again; between them, they have also won virtually every literary award there is to win," he says.

HarperCollins India's art director, Bonita Vaz-Shimray, who conceptualised the design for the Harper 25 series, says the series is a "celebration of the HarperCollins brand - its identity and colours - the iconic Harper red and blue have been interpreted in water colour media by Berlin-based Indian artist Allen Shaw".

Each cover illustration is a story in itself - a story that's open-ended, a story that sets the mood for what's going to come, a story that starts taking definite shape only after the reader has finished reading the book, Bonita says.

NEW DELHI: HarperCollins India has come out special editions of 25 of its popular books to celebrate its 25th anniversary of publishing. Among the books in the "Harper 25 Series" are Amitav Ghosh's "The Hungry Tide", "The White Tiger" by Aravind Adiga, A P J Abdul Kalam's "Turning Points", Jhumpa Lahiri's "Interpreter of Maladies", "Fault Lines" by Raghuram G Rajan and Siddhartha Mukherjee's "The Emperor of All Maladies". HarperCollins began its journey in 1992 with 20 books that year. Twenty-five years later, it boasts a list of over 180 new books a year in every genre possible, be it literary and commercial fiction, general and commercial non-fiction, translations, poetry, children's books or Hindi. According to HarperCollins India's Publisher (Literary) Udayan Mitra, the Harper 25 series gives the readers the chance to "revisit some of these wonderful books". "Publishing is all about the love for reading, and in the 25 years that we have been in India, we have published books that have been read with joy, talked about, debated over, and then read once again; between them, they have also won virtually every literary award there is to win," he says. HarperCollins India's art director, Bonita Vaz-Shimray, who conceptualised the design for the Harper 25 series, says the series is a "celebration of the HarperCollins brand - its identity and colours - the iconic Harper red and blue have been interpreted in water colour media by Berlin-based Indian artist Allen Shaw". Each cover illustration is a story in itself - a story that's open-ended, a story that sets the mood for what's going to come, a story that starts taking definite shape only after the reader has finished reading the book, Bonita says.
Taniya Sahni By

Who doesnt love the indulging sweetness of mangoes? It is the most-loved fruit, in whatever form it israw, ripened or cooked any day. A Delhi-based heritage enthusiast, Sohail Hashmi, has given this love a shape with his initiative of organising a trip to Rataul in Uttar Pradesh that is an annual affair.

Last Sunday, Hashmi, 67, successfully conducted the sixth trip to Rataul50 km from Delhi. The trip serves two purposesit gives mango lovers the chance to sample rare varieties of the fruit and helps raise funds for Salma Public School, run in the ancestral haveli of septuagenarians Professor Zahoor Siddiqui and his wife Nishat Apa in the village. Their family orchard Noor Bagh is thrown open to the public for this trip.

Guests savouring mangoes | Sanam Husain

Hashmi, who is famous for organising Heritage Walks in Delhi, says, I met Zahoor saheb when we used to work for the CPI(M) more than a decade-and-a-half ago. He taught history at the Kirorimal College, Satyawati College and later at the School of Correspondence Courses of the Delhi University. He used to invite people to his orchards and I was fortunate enough to be included in the invitees list.

Nishat Apa taught at a Government school in Delhi, before they settled down in Rataul. They started Salma Public School in the late 90s with 35 students and the number has now increased to 400.

Mango orchard owner Zahoor

Siddiqui | Rajinder arora

The idea of introducing people to the lesser-known varieties of mango occurred to Hashmi on one such visit. I took some people along, six years ago and we drove down to Rataul. Some lost their way due to bad roads and traffic congestion.

Next year, I hired a bus and everyone reached at the same time. Gradually, I learnt how to organise the trip better and also included a fee that would take care of travel and other costs. The success of this trip can be measured from the fact that this year we took three buses full of people to Rataul, says Hashmi, who is also a writer and filmmaker.

The funds saved from the trip and donations by the guests are routed to Salma Public School to help make the school better. Principal Sheeba Sultana has to face the biggest challenge of preventing drop-outs. The fee is just `200 per month, and children from the poorest sections are provided free education.

One of the factors behind the high dropout rate among boys is that they join sweatshops in the garment industry. For their parents, the need to educate children loses out to having a meal on the table, says Sohail.Nishat Apa says the trip makes people aware of our school, the work we do and about the school infrastructure that often needs outside support.

Prof Siddiqui, whose ancestors are credited with developing Rataul mango, says, We face daily issues like lack of funds for the fuel for our generators, which are operated only during the peak summer season to run 16 fans in the school. The annual trip contributes a lot. Some, who come here, support a childs fee for a year, some pledge to support their higher education, while others donate funds for repairs or provide uniform, each having its own worth.

Who doesnt love the indulging sweetness of mangoes? It is the most-loved fruit, in whatever form it israw, ripened or cooked any day. A Delhi-based heritage enthusiast, Sohail Hashmi, has given this love a shape with his initiative of organising a trip to Rataul in Uttar Pradesh that is an annual affair. Last Sunday, Hashmi, 67, successfully conducted the sixth trip to Rataul50 km from Delhi. The trip serves two purposesit gives mango lovers the chance to sample rare varieties of the fruit and helps raise funds for Salma Public School, run in the ancestral haveli of septuagenarians Professor Zahoor Siddiqui and his wife Nishat Apa in the village. Their family orchard Noor Bagh is thrown open to the public for this trip. Guests savouring mangoes | Sanam HusainHashmi, who is famous for organising Heritage Walks in Delhi, says, I met Zahoor saheb when we used to work for the CPI(M) more than a decade-and-a-half ago. He taught history at the Kirorimal College, Satyawati College and later at the School of Correspondence Courses of the Delhi University. He used to invite people to his orchards and I was fortunate enough to be included in the invitees list. Nishat Apa taught at a Government school in Delhi, before they settled down in Rataul. They started Salma Public School in the late 90s with 35 students and the number has now increased to 400. Mango orchard owner Zahoor Siddiqui | Rajinder aroraThe idea of introducing people to the lesser-known varieties of mango occurred to Hashmi on one such visit. I took some people along, six years ago and we drove down to Rataul. Some lost their way due to bad roads and traffic congestion. Next year, I hired a bus and everyone reached at the same time. Gradually, I learnt how to organise the trip better and also included a fee that would take care of travel and other costs. The success of this trip can be measured from the fact that this year we took three buses full of people to Rataul, says Hashmi, who is also a writer and filmmaker. The funds saved from the trip and donations by the guests are routed to Salma Public School to help make the school better. Principal Sheeba Sultana has to face the biggest challenge of preventing drop-outs. The fee is just `200 per month, and children from the poorest sections are provided free education. One of the factors behind the high dropout rate among boys is that they join sweatshops in the garment industry. For their parents, the need to educate children loses out to having a meal on the table, says Sohail.Nishat Apa says the trip makes people aware of our school, the work we do and about the school infrastructure that often needs outside support. Prof Siddiqui, whose ancestors are credited with developing Rataul mango, says, We face daily issues like lack of funds for the fuel for our generators, which are operated only during the peak summer season to run 16 fans in the school. The annual trip contributes a lot. Some, who come here, support a childs fee for a year, some pledge to support their higher education, while others donate funds for repairs or provide uniform, each having its own worth.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court while hearing a case over issuing arms license to an individual stated that, one does not have a fundamental right to keep a weapon and its possession nowadays is more for "showing off" as a "status symbol" than for self defence.

The plea was moved to the High Court after it was rejected by the licensing authority and the Lieutenant Governor earlier. In the observation made by Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said "We are not living in a lawless society where individuals have to acquire or hold arms to protect themselves. The object of the Arms Act is self-defence. The grant of arms license is a privilege conferred by the Act. There is no fundamental right of an individual to hold an arm (weapon).

The petitioner had sought intervention from the court stating that he deals with Rs 2 to 3 lakhs cash on a daily basis hence needs an arm for safety.

Rejecting the contention and upholding the decision of the licensing authority court said "The amount of cash mentioned by the petitioner is only about Rs 2-3 lakh a day. Merely because an individual deals with cash of Rs 2-3 lakh a day and that also of a third party does not by itself show that there is any threat to that individual," the court said. Further that it is not his personal money that he seeking protection for but the companys so they should seek a license not that individual.

"License to hold an arm is to be granted where there is a necessity for the same and not merely at the asking of an individual at his whims and fancies," the court said further and that the petitioner has not shown any circumstance that could create a perception that there is a threat to his life.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court while hearing a case over issuing arms license to an individual stated that, one does not have a fundamental right to keep a weapon and its possession nowadays is more for "showing off" as a "status symbol" than for self defence. The plea was moved to the High Court after it was rejected by the licensing authority and the Lieutenant Governor earlier. In the observation made by Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said "We are not living in a lawless society where individuals have to acquire or hold arms to protect themselves. The object of the Arms Act is self-defence. The grant of arms license is a privilege conferred by the Act. There is no fundamental right of an individual to hold an arm (weapon). The petitioner had sought intervention from the court stating that he deals with Rs 2 to 3 lakhs cash on a daily basis hence needs an arm for safety. Rejecting the contention and upholding the decision of the licensing authority court said "The amount of cash mentioned by the petitioner is only about Rs 2-3 lakh a day. Merely because an individual deals with cash of Rs 2-3 lakh a day and that also of a third party does not by itself show that there is any threat to that individual," the court said. Further that it is not his personal money that he seeking protection for but the companys so they should seek a license not that individual. "License to hold an arm is to be granted where there is a necessity for the same and not merely at the asking of an individual at his whims and fancies," the court said further and that the petitioner has not shown any circumstance that could create a perception that there is a threat to his life.
Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: With Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and his party JD(U) maintaining a studied silence on the raids conducted by CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the premises of RJD chief Lalu Prasads family, the already strained relations between the two parties deepened further on Saturday.

A day after CBI raided 12 locations across the country linked to Yadav, ED officials raided three properties owned by Yadavs eldest daughter and Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti in NCR. Several Congress and RJD leaders flocked to Yadavs residence on Saturday in Patna to show solidarity. However, JD(U) leaders were conspicuous by their absence and the silence they have been observing for two days.

Sources said Kumar, who is the JD(U) national president and heads Bihars grand alliance government with RJD and Congress, extended his sojourn in the health resort town of Rajgir, 100 km off Patna, till Sunday evening or Monday morning. While Kumar met several JD(U) leaders at Rajgir, where he is recuperating from a minor illness, he made no public comments.

He (Kumar) is waiting and studying the implications of the raids by CBI and ED, said a senior JD(U) leader close to Kumbar. Uppermost in Kumars list of tasks was the decision on whether to drop Yadavs younger son and deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav, who was named in the FIR registered by CBI in the railway hotel transfer scam and the dubious acquisition of prime land, he added.

We are with him (Yadav) in this hour of crisis facing him and his family members, said Bihar Congress chief and education minister Ashok Choudhary after paying the RJD chief a visit.

These incidents (raids by CBI and ED) are part of BJPs vendetta politics targeted against those who oppose its governments policies. Everyone knows the credentials of Amit Shah and PM Modi, he added.

The Opposition, BJP, heightened its calls for the removal of Tejaswi Yadav from the cabinet. Nitish Kumar has been making tall claims about his zero tolerance towards corruption. But now, even a day after CBI raided the deputy chief minister after registering a case against him, he is silent on the issue. We are waiting for Kumar to take action, said senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi.

Senior BJP leaders of Bihar held a meeting at the party office to discuss the emerging political scenario and the partys next course of action.

PATNA: With Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and his party JD(U) maintaining a studied silence on the raids conducted by CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the premises of RJD chief Lalu Prasads family, the already strained relations between the two parties deepened further on Saturday. A day after CBI raided 12 locations across the country linked to Yadav, ED officials raided three properties owned by Yadavs eldest daughter and Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti in NCR. Several Congress and RJD leaders flocked to Yadavs residence on Saturday in Patna to show solidarity. However, JD(U) leaders were conspicuous by their absence and the silence they have been observing for two days. Sources said Kumar, who is the JD(U) national president and heads Bihars grand alliance government with RJD and Congress, extended his sojourn in the health resort town of Rajgir, 100 km off Patna, till Sunday evening or Monday morning. While Kumar met several JD(U) leaders at Rajgir, where he is recuperating from a minor illness, he made no public comments. He (Kumar) is waiting and studying the implications of the raids by CBI and ED, said a senior JD(U) leader close to Kumbar. Uppermost in Kumars list of tasks was the decision on whether to drop Yadavs younger son and deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav, who was named in the FIR registered by CBI in the railway hotel transfer scam and the dubious acquisition of prime land, he added. We are with him (Yadav) in this hour of crisis facing him and his family members, said Bihar Congress chief and education minister Ashok Choudhary after paying the RJD chief a visit. These incidents (raids by CBI and ED) are part of BJPs vendetta politics targeted against those who oppose its governments policies. Everyone knows the credentials of Amit Shah and PM Modi, he added. The Opposition, BJP, heightened its calls for the removal of Tejaswi Yadav from the cabinet. Nitish Kumar has been making tall claims about his zero tolerance towards corruption. But now, even a day after CBI raided the deputy chief minister after registering a case against him, he is silent on the issue. We are waiting for Kumar to take action, said senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi. Senior BJP leaders of Bihar held a meeting at the party office to discuss the emerging political scenario and the partys next course of action.
By PTI

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has urged the Centre to initiate actions to set up a fibre (broadband) grid aimed at connecting every household with internet in the state.

To connect all households with internet, the chief minister had a talk with Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Union Minister of State (independent charge) for Communications Manoj Sinha over phone and sought their help in increasing internet connectivity in the state, an official release today said.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's thrust on Digital India, Sonowal requested the union ministers to help the state's bid in setting up a dedicated fibre (broadband) grid for internet connectivity, the release said.

Amid the present worldwide economic trend, India is a happening country... and Assam being a land of abundant opportunities, an information superhighway is the need of the hour, Sonowal said.

A helping hand of the Centre will augur well in strengthening the base of internet connectivity to reap rich dividends of digital world, the release quoted Sonowal.

The union ministers gave a positive nod to Sonowal's request and have asked the Secretary of Electronics and Information Technology department and Chief General Manager, BSNL, North East Circle, to talk to Assam government and thrash out a broad modus operandi for a coordinated network of digital communication system in the state, the release added.

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has urged the Centre to initiate actions to set up a fibre (broadband) grid aimed at connecting every household with internet in the state. To connect all households with internet, the chief minister had a talk with Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Union Minister of State (independent charge) for Communications Manoj Sinha over phone and sought their help in increasing internet connectivity in the state, an official release today said. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's thrust on Digital India, Sonowal requested the union ministers to help the state's bid in setting up a dedicated fibre (broadband) grid for internet connectivity, the release said. Amid the present worldwide economic trend, India is a happening country... and Assam being a land of abundant opportunities, an information superhighway is the need of the hour, Sonowal said. A helping hand of the Centre will augur well in strengthening the base of internet connectivity to reap rich dividends of digital world, the release quoted Sonowal. The union ministers gave a positive nod to Sonowal's request and have asked the Secretary of Electronics and Information Technology department and Chief General Manager, BSNL, North East Circle, to talk to Assam government and thrash out a broad modus operandi for a coordinated network of digital communication system in the state, the release added.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Demand for a separate state has reached the power corridors of Delhi as the members of the Gorkha Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti (GSSS) protested in the national capital in favor of their demand on Sunday.

The demand which has been raised in the state of West Bengal and even violence erupted during the protest for the last two weeks has finally come to the streets of the national capital.

Supporters shouting slogans, holding a gigantic national flag paraded the streets of Delhi demanding central governments intervention in the matter of a separate Gorkhaland.

"The West Bengal government is treating common people like terrorists and killing them. The central government should remove paramilitary forces and terminate the services of the Director General of Police," GSSS president Kiran B K told. The protesters marched from Rajghat to Jantar Mantar carrying the flag, depicting 110 years of their struggle for separate state.

For the last 25 days the Darjeeling has been in a state of indefinite strike in the order to show solidarity to the demands. The GSS also planned to take out rallies in support of the few of its members which were allegedly killed in police firing during violence.

The Army was re-deployed yesterday after fresh violence erupted in the Darjeeling hills where Gorkhaland supporters torched a police outpost, the toy train railway station and clashed with the police at two places.

"We are fighting for our identities the centre should look into this. We are ready to die but we will not stay part of West Bengal said one of the protestors at Jantar Mantar from Darjeeling.

NEW DELHI: Demand for a separate state has reached the power corridors of Delhi as the members of the Gorkha Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti (GSSS) protested in the national capital in favor of their demand on Sunday. The demand which has been raised in the state of West Bengal and even violence erupted during the protest for the last two weeks has finally come to the streets of the national capital. Supporters shouting slogans, holding a gigantic national flag paraded the streets of Delhi demanding central governments intervention in the matter of a separate Gorkhaland. "The West Bengal government is treating common people like terrorists and killing them. The central government should remove paramilitary forces and terminate the services of the Director General of Police," GSSS president Kiran B K told. The protesters marched from Rajghat to Jantar Mantar carrying the flag, depicting 110 years of their struggle for separate state. For the last 25 days the Darjeeling has been in a state of indefinite strike in the order to show solidarity to the demands. The GSS also planned to take out rallies in support of the few of its members which were allegedly killed in police firing during violence. The Army was re-deployed yesterday after fresh violence erupted in the Darjeeling hills where Gorkhaland supporters torched a police outpost, the toy train railway station and clashed with the police at two places. "We are fighting for our identities the centre should look into this. We are ready to die but we will not stay part of West Bengal said one of the protestors at Jantar Mantar from Darjeeling.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Indian Army is ready for a long haul in holding onto its position in the Dokalam area near the Bhutan tri-junction, notwithstanding China ratcheting up rhetoric against India demanding to pull back of its troops.

The Indian soldiers deployed in the disputed area have pitched in tents, in an indication that they are unlikely to retreat unless there was reciprocity from China's PLA personnel in ending the face-off at an altitude of around 10,000 feet in the Sikkim section.

A steady line of supplies is being maintained for the soldiers at the site, official sources said, signalling that Indian Army is not going to wilt under any pressure from China.

At the same time, they sounded confident of finding a diplomatic solution to the dispute, citing resolution of border skirmishes in the past through diplomacy.

Though China has been aggressively asserting that it was not ready for any "compromise" and that the "ball is in India's court", the view in the security establishment here is that there cannot be any unilateral approach in defusing the tension.

Both the countries had agreed to a mechanism in 2012 to resolve border flare-ups through consultations at various levels.

The mechanism has not worked so far in the current case as the standoff near the Bhutan trijunction, triggered by China's attempt to build a road in the strategically important area, has dragged on for over three weeks.

New Delhi has already conveyed to China that such an action would represent a significant change of status quo with "serious" security implications for India. The road link could give China a major military advantage over India.

Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

China and Bhutan are engaged in talks over the resolution of the dispute in the area. India argues that since it is a tri-junction involving the three countries, it also has a say in the issue, especially in the backdrop of 2012 agreement between special representatives of the two countries, that have till now held 19 rounds of talks.

Bhutan has no diplomatic ties with China. As a close friend and neighbour, Bhutan enjoys diplomatic and military support from India.

Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.

NEW DELHI: The Indian Army is ready for a long haul in holding onto its position in the Dokalam area near the Bhutan tri-junction, notwithstanding China ratcheting up rhetoric against India demanding to pull back of its troops. The Indian soldiers deployed in the disputed area have pitched in tents, in an indication that they are unlikely to retreat unless there was reciprocity from China's PLA personnel in ending the face-off at an altitude of around 10,000 feet in the Sikkim section. A steady line of supplies is being maintained for the soldiers at the site, official sources said, signalling that Indian Army is not going to wilt under any pressure from China. At the same time, they sounded confident of finding a diplomatic solution to the dispute, citing resolution of border skirmishes in the past through diplomacy. Though China has been aggressively asserting that it was not ready for any "compromise" and that the "ball is in India's court", the view in the security establishment here is that there cannot be any unilateral approach in defusing the tension. Both the countries had agreed to a mechanism in 2012 to resolve border flare-ups through consultations at various levels. The mechanism has not worked so far in the current case as the standoff near the Bhutan trijunction, triggered by China's attempt to build a road in the strategically important area, has dragged on for over three weeks. New Delhi has already conveyed to China that such an action would represent a significant change of status quo with "serious" security implications for India. The road link could give China a major military advantage over India. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. China and Bhutan are engaged in talks over the resolution of the dispute in the area. India argues that since it is a tri-junction involving the three countries, it also has a say in the issue, especially in the backdrop of 2012 agreement between special representatives of the two countries, that have till now held 19 rounds of talks. Bhutan has no diplomatic ties with China. As a close friend and neighbour, Bhutan enjoys diplomatic and military support from India. Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.
By PTI

RAIPUR: The NDA's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind today met BJP MPs and MLAs from Chhattisgarh here and sought their support for his candidature.

The meeting was held at Chief Minister Raman Singh's official residence in the presence of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

"Kovind ji, I and the chief minister held a meeting with (BJP) MPs and MLAs. We hope Kovind ji will get a good number of votes from Chhattisgarh," Jailtey told reporters. The closed-door meeting lasted about one hour.

BJP office bearers, including the party's state chief Dharamlal Kaushik, were also in attendance. Earlier, Kovind was given a rousing welcome at the Swami Vivekananda Airport here upon his arrival.

The BJP has 49 legislators in the 90-member state assembly. The ruling party has 10 Lok Sabha members out of 11 in Chhattisgarh.

RAIPUR: The NDA's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind today met BJP MPs and MLAs from Chhattisgarh here and sought their support for his candidature. The meeting was held at Chief Minister Raman Singh's official residence in the presence of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. "Kovind ji, I and the chief minister held a meeting with (BJP) MPs and MLAs. We hope Kovind ji will get a good number of votes from Chhattisgarh," Jailtey told reporters. The closed-door meeting lasted about one hour. BJP office bearers, including the party's state chief Dharamlal Kaushik, were also in attendance. Earlier, Kovind was given a rousing welcome at the Swami Vivekananda Airport here upon his arrival. The BJP has 49 legislators in the 90-member state assembly. The ruling party has 10 Lok Sabha members out of 11 in Chhattisgarh.
The Modi cabinet has set the deadline for early next year for the Air India sale procedures to commence. But the opinions are divided on the way forward.

Some officials say that the Prime Minister wants to sell as much of Air India as possible.

By Reuters: India is considering selling state-owned Air India in parts to make it attractive to potential buyers, as it reviews options to divest the loss-making flagship carrier, several government officials familiar with the situation said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet gave the go-ahead last month for the government to try to sell the airline, after successive governments spent billions of dollars in recent years to keep the airline going.

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Air India - founded in the 1930s and known to generations of Indians for its Maharajah mascot - is saddled with a debt burden of $8.5 billion and a bloated cost structure. The government has injected $3.6 billion since 2012 to bail out the airline.

Once the nation's largest carrier, its market share in the booming domestic market has slumped to 13 percent as private carriers such as InterGlobe Aviation's IndiGo and Jet Airways have grown.

Previous attempts to offload the airline have been unsuccessful. If Modi can pull this off, it will buttress his credentials as a reformer brave enough to wade into some of the country's most intractable problems.

DEADLINE FOR SALE SET

His office has set a deadline of early next year to get the sale process underway, the officials said, declining to be named as they were not authorized to speak publicly about the plans.

The timeline is ambitious and the process fraught, with opinion divided on the best way forward: should the government retain a stake or exit completely, and should it risk being left with the unprofitable pieces while buyers pick off the better businesses, officials said.

Already, a labour union that represents 2,500 of the airline's 40,000 employees has opposed the idea of a sale even though it is ideologically aligned to Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.

Officials who have to make it happen are grappling with the sheer scale of the exercise. Air India has six subsidiaries - three of which are loss-making - with assets worth about $4.6 billion. It has an estimated $1.24 billion worth of real estate, including two hotels, where ownership is split among various government entities.

No one has properly valued the company's various businesses and assets before, two officials with direct knowledge of the process said. Earlier this month, about $30 million worth of art, including paintings by artist M. F. Husain, went missing from its Mumbai offices, chairman Ashwani Lohani said.

"The exercise is complex and there is no easy way out," said Jitendra Bhargava, operational head of Air India in 1997-2010. "At this juncture, selling even part of Air India is far from certain."

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Lohani declined to comment on the sale process. The prime minister's office and the civil aviation ministry also declined to comment.

BACK TO TATA?

A committee of five senior federal ministers, led by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, is expected to meet this month and begin ironing out the finer details of the plan. Besides deciding about the size of the stake sale, the panel will set the bidding norms. It will also take a call on the carrier's debt, demerger and divestment of its three profit-making subsidiaries.

Modi's office has said the government has no business being in hospitality and travel, suggesting the prime minister wants to sell as much of Air India as possible, the officials said.

Analysts say the government may prefer to keep the airline in Indian hands. At least two potential Indian suitors - the Tata Sons conglomerate and IndiGo - have shown early interest.

In recent weeks, officials in Modi's office and from the civil aviation ministry met Ratan Tata, the patriarch of the $100 billion-a-year Tata Sons, to gauge the company's interest in a deal, a close aide to Modi said.

Tata would be an attractive buyer for the government. The company founded and operated Air India before it was nationalised in 1953.

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"Seems like Tata will come forward and make the best offer," the aide said, adding the government would be keen to see that jobs are not lost.

Tata, however, already has two other airline joint ventures in India, and it's not clear what parts of Air India it would be interested in. A Tata spokeswoman declined to comment.

IndiGo said on Thursday it was interested in the international operations and in Air India Express, a low-cost carrier.

Modi's office has told officials to work out exactly how much each of Air India's subsidiaries are worth to make it easier to break up the carrier if needed, two of the officials said. The government is expected to appoint outside consultants to help with the exercise.

Anshuman Deb, aviation analyst at ICICI Securities, said splitting the airline will maximize value for the government.

"Let us be realistic. It's very clear that a single buyer cannot buy an entire state-owned company," said a senior aviation ministry official involved in the process.

Also read: Air India flight takes off with faulty ACs, leaves flyers gasping for oxygen

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Also read: IndiGo first to show interest in buying debt-laden Air India

Also watch: Privatisation of Air India: How does it impact you?

--- ENDS ---
Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: The main accused in the killing of 17-year-old Junaid Khan on a Mathura-bound train, was working as a security guard in a private company in Delhi and has also confessed to the crime, said police.

Police sources said that the accused, a 30-year-old from Bhamrola village in the Hathin subdivision of Palwal district, worked as a security guard with a private company in Delhi. After allegedly committing the crime, he fled to Mathura, stayed there for a few days and then went to Dhule in Maharashtra. Four days ago, his relative got him a job in a factory in Dhule, added the police.

The prime accused was arrested by Haryana railway police on Saturday from Dhule district of Maharashtra. A Faridabad court sent him to two-days police remand on the same day.

Superintendent (SP) of Haryana government railway police (GRP), Kamaldeep Goyal said, "The main accused confessed that he murdered Junaid. He added that he was not involved when the altercation started between Junaid and others in the train. He later got involved in the tiff, pulled out the knife which he used to carry with him and stabbed Junaid and his brothers."

"The investigation is still going on and we have to interrogate the accused in detail. Only after that we will able to know what led to the lynching," Goyal said.

Goyal said that the murder weapon had not been recovered, but said that the accused told the police that the knife with which he allegedly attacked Junaid was in his possession.

Junaid's brother, Hasseb, said, that he was too scared to return to Gujarat for his studies. While re-calling the horrific incident he added that his skull cap was pulled off his head and his beard was tugged, while the crowd hurled abuses at them calling them 'beef eaters' and anti-nationals.

"He should be hanged. We are living in an atmosphere of fear and such incidents are happening every day in every part of the country," said 55-year-old Jalaluddin, Junaid's father.

The other five accused arrested in the case are Ramesh Kumar, Rameshwar, Chander, Pradeep and Gaurav and they all belong to Khambi village in Palwal district of Haryana.

CHANDIGARH: The main accused in the killing of 17-year-old Junaid Khan on a Mathura-bound train, was working as a security guard in a private company in Delhi and has also confessed to the crime, said police. Police sources said that the accused, a 30-year-old from Bhamrola village in the Hathin subdivision of Palwal district, worked as a security guard with a private company in Delhi. After allegedly committing the crime, he fled to Mathura, stayed there for a few days and then went to Dhule in Maharashtra. Four days ago, his relative got him a job in a factory in Dhule, added the police. The prime accused was arrested by Haryana railway police on Saturday from Dhule district of Maharashtra. A Faridabad court sent him to two-days police remand on the same day. Superintendent (SP) of Haryana government railway police (GRP), Kamaldeep Goyal said, "The main accused confessed that he murdered Junaid. He added that he was not involved when the altercation started between Junaid and others in the train. He later got involved in the tiff, pulled out the knife which he used to carry with him and stabbed Junaid and his brothers." "The investigation is still going on and we have to interrogate the accused in detail. Only after that we will able to know what led to the lynching," Goyal said. Goyal said that the murder weapon had not been recovered, but said that the accused told the police that the knife with which he allegedly attacked Junaid was in his possession. Junaid's brother, Hasseb, said, that he was too scared to return to Gujarat for his studies. While re-calling the horrific incident he added that his skull cap was pulled off his head and his beard was tugged, while the crowd hurled abuses at them calling them 'beef eaters' and anti-nationals. "He should be hanged. We are living in an atmosphere of fear and such incidents are happening every day in every part of the country," said 55-year-old Jalaluddin, Junaid's father. The other five accused arrested in the case are Ramesh Kumar, Rameshwar, Chander, Pradeep and Gaurav and they all belong to Khambi village in Palwal district of Haryana.
By PTI

SRINAGAR: Authorities today restored mobile and broadband Internet services in Kashmir, two days after the facilities were snapped in view of apprehensions of law and order problems on the death anniversary of Hizbul 'commander' Burhan Wani.

While mobile Internet services were restored during the night, BSNL's broadband service resumed this morning.

"Both mobile as well as broadband Internet services have been restored in Kashmir," an official said.

The official, however, said only 2G services were working on mobile networks.

"The high speed network is still suspended, he said.

He said the decision to restore the high speed Internet services would be taken after assessing the situation today.

Internet services across the Valley were snapped on Thursday night as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order in view of Wani's first death anniversary yesterday.

Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on 8 July last year.

SRINAGAR: Authorities today restored mobile and broadband Internet services in Kashmir, two days after the facilities were snapped in view of apprehensions of law and order problems on the death anniversary of Hizbul 'commander' Burhan Wani. While mobile Internet services were restored during the night, BSNL's broadband service resumed this morning. "Both mobile as well as broadband Internet services have been restored in Kashmir," an official said. The official, however, said only 2G services were working on mobile networks. "The high speed network is still suspended, he said. He said the decision to restore the high speed Internet services would be taken after assessing the situation today. Internet services across the Valley were snapped on Thursday night as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order in view of Wani's first death anniversary yesterday. Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on 8 July last year.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: A day after he claimed the support of 34 of the 47 MLAs of the ruling Naga Peoples Front (NPF), the former chief minister TR Zeliang left for Delhi on Sunday to meet governor PB Acharya to discuss the formation of a government.

The governor was reportedly in Mumbai and was coming to Delhi for the meeting, which is likely to take place on Monday.

However, prior to checking out of Borgos, a resort in Assams Kaziranga, where he was camping along with at least 30 NPF MLAs since Saturday morning, Zeliang told the New Indian Express that he was going to Delhi to try and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Rajnath Singh.

On Sunday, chief minister Liezietsu dropped four ministers including Y Patton, G Kaito Aye, Imkong L Imchen and C Kipili Sangtam. They were also suspended from the party. Five other MLAs  Shetoyi, Nuklutoshi, Deo Nukhu, Naiba Konyak and Benjongliba Aier  were also suspended. All of them belong to the Zeliang camp.

"They shall, however, be bound by the whip of the NPF on the floor of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly," the NPF said in a statement.

On Saturday evening, he removed Zeliang from the post of advisor (finance). He had also sacked 11 parliamentary secretaries, who were in Zeliangs camp.

Commenting on the fresh political unrest, he said the undemocratic style of functioning of the incumbent chief minister, Shurhozelie Liezietsu, made the NPF MLAs look for an alternative.

The present chief minister is functioning in an undemocratic manner, both in the government and in the party. As such, the MLAs don't feel secure going to the next years (Nagaland) elections under his leadership, Zeliang said.

He (Liezietsu) is the chief minister as well as the party president. His son (Khriehu Liezietsu) was recently appointed as his advisor with the status of a Cabinet minister. But they are not elected members. So, the MLAs are not happy over such monopoly. They are neither satisfied nor do they feel secure under his leadership. As such, majority of them are for a change of guard, Zeliang said.

He claimed that he enjoyed the support of 41 MLAs in the 60-member House, which now has an effective strength of 59, following Khriehus resignation. Khriehu resigned to make way for his father who will contest the July 29 by-elections from Northern Angami-1 seat, vacated by his son. Liezietsu, who is an un-elected member of the assembly, has to win the by-election to be able to continue as the chief minister.

With 47 MLAs, the NPF calls the shots in the ruling coailition, Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) in which the BJP, with four MLAs, is a constituent. The coalition has the support of eight independent MLAs.

The BJP will go to whichever camp has the majority of NPF MLAs. Out of the eight independent MLAs, seven are with us, Zeliang claimed.

Although cornered, Liezietsu is trying to put up a brave face. He said it was a crisis within the NPF and would be resolved at the earliest.

Zeliang resigned as Nagaland chief minister in February in the wake of violent protests, staged by tribal organisations, against his decision to allow quotas for women in civic elections. Ironically, it was the same Kaziranga resort where a group of NPF MLAs had in February plotted against his continuance as chief minister.

GUWAHATI: A day after he claimed the support of 34 of the 47 MLAs of the ruling Naga Peoples Front (NPF), the former chief minister TR Zeliang left for Delhi on Sunday to meet governor PB Acharya to discuss the formation of a government. The governor was reportedly in Mumbai and was coming to Delhi for the meeting, which is likely to take place on Monday. However, prior to checking out of Borgos, a resort in Assams Kaziranga, where he was camping along with at least 30 NPF MLAs since Saturday morning, Zeliang told the New Indian Express that he was going to Delhi to try and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Rajnath Singh. On Sunday, chief minister Liezietsu dropped four ministers including Y Patton, G Kaito Aye, Imkong L Imchen and C Kipili Sangtam. They were also suspended from the party. Five other MLAs  Shetoyi, Nuklutoshi, Deo Nukhu, Naiba Konyak and Benjongliba Aier  were also suspended. All of them belong to the Zeliang camp. "They shall, however, be bound by the whip of the NPF on the floor of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly," the NPF said in a statement. On Saturday evening, he removed Zeliang from the post of advisor (finance). He had also sacked 11 parliamentary secretaries, who were in Zeliangs camp. Commenting on the fresh political unrest, he said the undemocratic style of functioning of the incumbent chief minister, Shurhozelie Liezietsu, made the NPF MLAs look for an alternative. The present chief minister is functioning in an undemocratic manner, both in the government and in the party. As such, the MLAs don't feel secure going to the next years (Nagaland) elections under his leadership, Zeliang said. He (Liezietsu) is the chief minister as well as the party president. His son (Khriehu Liezietsu) was recently appointed as his advisor with the status of a Cabinet minister. But they are not elected members. So, the MLAs are not happy over such monopoly. They are neither satisfied nor do they feel secure under his leadership. As such, majority of them are for a change of guard, Zeliang said. He claimed that he enjoyed the support of 41 MLAs in the 60-member House, which now has an effective strength of 59, following Khriehus resignation. Khriehu resigned to make way for his father who will contest the July 29 by-elections from Northern Angami-1 seat, vacated by his son. Liezietsu, who is an un-elected member of the assembly, has to win the by-election to be able to continue as the chief minister. With 47 MLAs, the NPF calls the shots in the ruling coailition, Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) in which the BJP, with four MLAs, is a constituent. The coalition has the support of eight independent MLAs. The BJP will go to whichever camp has the majority of NPF MLAs. Out of the eight independent MLAs, seven are with us, Zeliang claimed. Although cornered, Liezietsu is trying to put up a brave face. He said it was a crisis within the NPF and would be resolved at the earliest. Zeliang resigned as Nagaland chief minister in February in the wake of violent protests, staged by tribal organisations, against his decision to allow quotas for women in civic elections. Ironically, it was the same Kaziranga resort where a group of NPF MLAs had in February plotted against his continuance as chief minister.
Aishik Chanda By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: Sunil Sarkar, a tea vendor in the Basirhat market was privy to the unfolding communal violence in Basirhat in North 24 Parganas district. He had kept his shop open on Wednesday despite a curfew to feed BSF jawans, police and rioters alike.

On Wednesday morning, when I went to Muslim-dominated Paikpara village to fetch milk for tea, I saw youngsters gathering in small groups. I understood tension was brewing. I knew the leader who was mobilising the youth. I asked him to not pull this incident like a rubber. He said Kaka (uncle), you stay out of this, said 57-year-old Sarkar.

As Sarkar was returning to his shop, he saw at least 10 police vehicles pass him towards the Muslim areas. An hour later, the forces returned. They looked exhausted and tired of fighting with the angry mobs. Seeing the window panes of at least three vehicles smashed, I understood what they had faced in Paikpara. I gave them bread and bananas along with hot tea. That soothed their nerves, he added.

Though Basirhat returned to normalcy on Saturday, residents of the border town and neighbouring villages cannot forget the communal storm that ravaged them Tuesday and Wednesday. An inflammatory Facebook post by a 10th standard student triggered the communal clash. Over the next two days, centuries of camaraderie between the two communities vanished and a passion for revenge took its place.

We personally knew every adversary whose shops and homes we were vandalising. But, if we dont hit back, we would be perceived as cowardly beings and would be subjected to similar aggression in the future as well, said Raju Das (name changed), a resident of Tyantra village 3 km from Basirhat town who was engaged in attacks and counter-attacks with neighbouring Paikpara village.

Due to aggressive posture of the Paikpara residents, the Hindus of Tyantra village realised that they would be attacked, said Sarkar. Being the only shop open in the market, many of Tyantra residents visited him for errands and discussed their plans.

The Hindus of Tyantra were scared. Rumours spread that Muslims from the Paikpara village as well as from Malancha, some 24 km away, would join them and attack Basirhat town and their village. They sought the help of Hindus of Basirhat town to fight against the rural mobs. Within a few hours, a lot of iron rods, sickles, hammers, bamboo and wooden staffs were amassed. People acted very swiftly to ward off the attackers, he said.

KOLKATA: Sunil Sarkar, a tea vendor in the Basirhat market was privy to the unfolding communal violence in Basirhat in North 24 Parganas district. He had kept his shop open on Wednesday despite a curfew to feed BSF jawans, police and rioters alike. On Wednesday morning, when I went to Muslim-dominated Paikpara village to fetch milk for tea, I saw youngsters gathering in small groups. I understood tension was brewing. I knew the leader who was mobilising the youth. I asked him to not pull this incident like a rubber. He said Kaka (uncle), you stay out of this, said 57-year-old Sarkar. As Sarkar was returning to his shop, he saw at least 10 police vehicles pass him towards the Muslim areas. An hour later, the forces returned. They looked exhausted and tired of fighting with the angry mobs. Seeing the window panes of at least three vehicles smashed, I understood what they had faced in Paikpara. I gave them bread and bananas along with hot tea. That soothed their nerves, he added. Though Basirhat returned to normalcy on Saturday, residents of the border town and neighbouring villages cannot forget the communal storm that ravaged them Tuesday and Wednesday. An inflammatory Facebook post by a 10th standard student triggered the communal clash. Over the next two days, centuries of camaraderie between the two communities vanished and a passion for revenge took its place. We personally knew every adversary whose shops and homes we were vandalising. But, if we dont hit back, we would be perceived as cowardly beings and would be subjected to similar aggression in the future as well, said Raju Das (name changed), a resident of Tyantra village 3 km from Basirhat town who was engaged in attacks and counter-attacks with neighbouring Paikpara village. Due to aggressive posture of the Paikpara residents, the Hindus of Tyantra village realised that they would be attacked, said Sarkar. Being the only shop open in the market, many of Tyantra residents visited him for errands and discussed their plans. The Hindus of Tyantra were scared. Rumours spread that Muslims from the Paikpara village as well as from Malancha, some 24 km away, would join them and attack Basirhat town and their village. They sought the help of Hindus of Basirhat town to fight against the rural mobs. Within a few hours, a lot of iron rods, sickles, hammers, bamboo and wooden staffs were amassed. People acted very swiftly to ward off the attackers, he said.
Ravi Shankar By

An official visit of a Prime Minister or a President is a signal to both allies and enemies that change is underway. Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Tel Aviv signalled to the world at large that the paradigm of Indias West Asia policy has changed forever.

Historically, foreign policy and domestic policy dovetail into a pragmatic combination. Until 2014, Indias domestic policy towards Israel kept Muslim sentiments in mind. When Pakistan opened its nuclear facilities in Kahuta, Israel offered to bomb the plant using the Jamnagar IAF base. Israel, with a survival instinct honed by centuries of anti-Semitism, had the foresight to realise the danger of a nuclear Islamic Pakistan. Had India not been stopped by the USthe father of militant Islamfrom wiping out Kahuta in 1983-84, its West Asia policy would have been different. Later, it also stopped Mossad from foiling Irans nuclear programme.

Historically, India and Israel have religious persecution in common. Six million Jews were gassed by the Nazis. Muslim invaders tortured and killed Hindus, razed temples and converted millions under pain of death. In medieval Europe, Jews were massacred or exiled. They were even blamed for the Black Plague. Their property was confiscated and distributed to greedy bishops and powerful barons. The economic reason behind pogroms was that the Jews were prosperous.

In Mughal India, jizya tax was imposed on Hindus. Similarly, in Catholic Europe, Jews were required to pay a special tax. Hindu temples were looted by Muslim invaders for their wealth as were synagogues by the Crusaders. In Europe, Jews were converted to Christianity. In India, Arabs, Afghans and Mughals did the same to the Hindus forcibly. So did the British missionaries, but with allurements.

The Nehruvian establishments minority politics prevented the recognition of Israel till 1950. Nehru explained, We refrained because of our desire not to offend the sentiments of our friends in the Arab countries. Arab oil and Gulf NRIs was the blackmail quotient. But it took half a century before an Indian ministerL K Advanivisited the Jewish nation. At the instance of Nehru who facilitated the Partition of India in 1947, India voted in the UN against the Partition of Palestine and Israels admission to the UN in 1949. Only nationalist leader M S Golwalkar espoused Palestine as the deserved nation of the Jewish people.

Like India, Israel is the target of terrorism for decades. It won the Six Day War in 1967 against a coalition of Arab countries, which had wanted to wipe it off the face of the earth. India militarily defeated Pakistan thrice. Israel has no qualms about eliminating terrorists: it avenged the massacre of its athletes in 1972 at the Munich Olympics by killing the planners. Since then, Mossad is the most feared spy agency in the world.

It routinely assassinates terror leaders, and wouldnt have let Hafiz Saeed and Sayed Salahuddin live, had they launched terror attacks against Israel. After the 26/11 Mumbai massacre, the UPA refrained from payback, though it sought Mossads expertise.

Modis recognition of Europes minority, the Jews, is a liberation of India from its minority vote bank politics. India has categorically merged nationalism and realpolitik by abandoning the template of appeasement, even in foreign policy.

An official visit of a Prime Minister or a President is a signal to both allies and enemies that change is underway. Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Tel Aviv signalled to the world at large that the paradigm of Indias West Asia policy has changed forever. Historically, foreign policy and domestic policy dovetail into a pragmatic combination. Until 2014, Indias domestic policy towards Israel kept Muslim sentiments in mind. When Pakistan opened its nuclear facilities in Kahuta, Israel offered to bomb the plant using the Jamnagar IAF base. Israel, with a survival instinct honed by centuries of anti-Semitism, had the foresight to realise the danger of a nuclear Islamic Pakistan. Had India not been stopped by the USthe father of militant Islamfrom wiping out Kahuta in 1983-84, its West Asia policy would have been different. Later, it also stopped Mossad from foiling Irans nuclear programme. Historically, India and Israel have religious persecution in common. Six million Jews were gassed by the Nazis. Muslim invaders tortured and killed Hindus, razed temples and converted millions under pain of death. In medieval Europe, Jews were massacred or exiled. They were even blamed for the Black Plague. Their property was confiscated and distributed to greedy bishops and powerful barons. The economic reason behind pogroms was that the Jews were prosperous. In Mughal India, jizya tax was imposed on Hindus. Similarly, in Catholic Europe, Jews were required to pay a special tax. Hindu temples were looted by Muslim invaders for their wealth as were synagogues by the Crusaders. In Europe, Jews were converted to Christianity. In India, Arabs, Afghans and Mughals did the same to the Hindus forcibly. So did the British missionaries, but with allurements. The Nehruvian establishments minority politics prevented the recognition of Israel till 1950. Nehru explained, We refrained because of our desire not to offend the sentiments of our friends in the Arab countries. Arab oil and Gulf NRIs was the blackmail quotient. But it took half a century before an Indian ministerL K Advanivisited the Jewish nation. At the instance of Nehru who facilitated the Partition of India in 1947, India voted in the UN against the Partition of Palestine and Israels admission to the UN in 1949. Only nationalist leader M S Golwalkar espoused Palestine as the deserved nation of the Jewish people. Like India, Israel is the target of terrorism for decades. It won the Six Day War in 1967 against a coalition of Arab countries, which had wanted to wipe it off the face of the earth. India militarily defeated Pakistan thrice. Israel has no qualms about eliminating terrorists: it avenged the massacre of its athletes in 1972 at the Munich Olympics by killing the planners. Since then, Mossad is the most feared spy agency in the world. It routinely assassinates terror leaders, and wouldnt have let Hafiz Saeed and Sayed Salahuddin live, had they launched terror attacks against Israel. After the 26/11 Mumbai massacre, the UPA refrained from payback, though it sought Mossads expertise. Modis recognition of Europes minority, the Jews, is a liberation of India from its minority vote bank politics. India has categorically merged nationalism and realpolitik by abandoning the template of appeasement, even in foreign policy.
T J S George By

There is turmoil in the Islamic world. Saudi Arabia has made a hardline prince the effective ruler. Qatar, isolated by neighbouring Arab states, is defiant. Turkey has become a virtual dictatorship, changing the countrys profile and claiming a larger regional role for itself. The war zone in Syria sees Russia and the US challenging each other. Jihadists lie in wait for every opportunity.

These are not developments that concern only the Arabs and other Muslims. They make the world unsafe. India has reasons to worry.

The epicentre of the upheaval is Saudi Arabia, more specifically, its newly elevated crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, son of the 81-year-old King. He was the power wielder even earlier as deputy crown prince, defence minister and economic decision-maker. It was he who started the war in Yemen in early 2015.

Despite the US-backed air assaults and continuous ground bombardments at a cost to the Saudis of an estimated $200 million a day, the Saudis have failed to suppress the largely Shia Houthis of Yemen; the war that is into its third year has only shown Saudi Arabias military incompetence. At one point, the Saudis used their wealth to put together what was called the Islamic Military Alliance with Pakistans former army chief, Raheel Sharif, as commander. It led to Sunni embarrassment all over, Gen Raheel himself quietly quitting the scene.

Undaunted, the aggressive prince launched other, bolder initiatives: Arm-twisting of Qatar, an economic overhaul to reduce Saudis dependence on oil (taxes have been introduced in the country), and a hardening of policies against Iran. These caused concern across the world. A memo by Germanys foreign intelligence service said Saudi Arabia was destabilising the Middle East with an impulsive policy of intervention.

The unprecedented move against an Arab alliance member was not only impulsive, but also counterproductive. Qatar is the headquarters of Americas military base in the Gulfa strategic reality that made the US, otherwise a spirited ally of Saudi Arabia, less than enthusiastic about boycotting Qatar. The reason for Saudi anger against Qatar is that the Qatar rulers do not consider Iran as an enemy. Qatar has tried to maintain, what is by Arab standards, a neutral position on many fronts. At one level, it runs Al Jazeera, the only Arab news service that has a degree of credibility. At another level, it keeps open its channels of communication with Iran, the Shia power Sunni Saudis consider their rival and which, therefore, they want to destroy.

While other Sunni Arab states, like the UAE, fell in line with Saudi Arabia, the non-Arab Muslim power, Turkey, maintained fairly close relations with Iran. It did not hesitate to help Qatar when the Saudi alliance excommunicated it. Turkeys elected dictator, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is dismantling the secular republic created by the legendary Kemal Ataturk and building instead an Islamic State, which he hopes will acquire the kind of influence the old Istanbul-based Ottoman Empire did. Turkey was waiting like a supplicant to be admitted as a member of the European Union. Not any longer.

Now Erdogan has turned against Europe, especially Germany and Netherlands where Turkeys ministers were not allowed to address Turkish diaspora. Erdogan went so far as to call the Germans and the Dutch Nazi gorillas. Turkeys foreign minister warned that Europe now faced the prospect of Holy War.

As far back as in 1996 Samuel Huntington had foreseen something like this happening. His Clash of Civilizations had said that at some point Turkey could resume its historical role as the principal Islamic interlocutor. This would happen, he prophesied, if Turkey rejected Ataturks legacy more thoroughly than Russia has rejected Lenins. That is just what is happening.

Fear of the unexpected has changed the tenor of life. Security protocols control everything. Suddenly, its an unsafe world. For India, too. The US and Saudi Arabia turning against Iran could tempt India to join themwhich would be a costly mistake given the benefits India can reap from economic collaboration with Iran. The Bangladesh government told Delhi a few months ago that there was a three-fold increase in the number of jihadis infiltrating into India.

The IS has made its presence felt in the country. It has even attracted young people from well-to-do Muslim families to join their ranks. The insecurity violent cow vigilantes have produced among Muslims in some parts of the country may be a factor in this. Everywhere there is uncertainty in the air. The world is tense. The darkness deepens.

There is turmoil in the Islamic world. Saudi Arabia has made a hardline prince the effective ruler. Qatar, isolated by neighbouring Arab states, is defiant. Turkey has become a virtual dictatorship, changing the countrys profile and claiming a larger regional role for itself. The war zone in Syria sees Russia and the US challenging each other. Jihadists lie in wait for every opportunity. These are not developments that concern only the Arabs and other Muslims. They make the world unsafe. India has reasons to worry. The epicentre of the upheaval is Saudi Arabia, more specifically, its newly elevated crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, son of the 81-year-old King. He was the power wielder even earlier as deputy crown prince, defence minister and economic decision-maker. It was he who started the war in Yemen in early 2015. Despite the US-backed air assaults and continuous ground bombardments at a cost to the Saudis of an estimated $200 million a day, the Saudis have failed to suppress the largely Shia Houthis of Yemen; the war that is into its third year has only shown Saudi Arabias military incompetence. At one point, the Saudis used their wealth to put together what was called the Islamic Military Alliance with Pakistans former army chief, Raheel Sharif, as commander. It led to Sunni embarrassment all over, Gen Raheel himself quietly quitting the scene. Undaunted, the aggressive prince launched other, bolder initiatives: Arm-twisting of Qatar, an economic overhaul to reduce Saudis dependence on oil (taxes have been introduced in the country), and a hardening of policies against Iran. These caused concern across the world. A memo by Germanys foreign intelligence service said Saudi Arabia was destabilising the Middle East with an impulsive policy of intervention. The unprecedented move against an Arab alliance member was not only impulsive, but also counterproductive. Qatar is the headquarters of Americas military base in the Gulfa strategic reality that made the US, otherwise a spirited ally of Saudi Arabia, less than enthusiastic about boycotting Qatar. The reason for Saudi anger against Qatar is that the Qatar rulers do not consider Iran as an enemy. Qatar has tried to maintain, what is by Arab standards, a neutral position on many fronts. At one level, it runs Al Jazeera, the only Arab news service that has a degree of credibility. At another level, it keeps open its channels of communication with Iran, the Shia power Sunni Saudis consider their rival and which, therefore, they want to destroy. While other Sunni Arab states, like the UAE, fell in line with Saudi Arabia, the non-Arab Muslim power, Turkey, maintained fairly close relations with Iran. It did not hesitate to help Qatar when the Saudi alliance excommunicated it. Turkeys elected dictator, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is dismantling the secular republic created by the legendary Kemal Ataturk and building instead an Islamic State, which he hopes will acquire the kind of influence the old Istanbul-based Ottoman Empire did. Turkey was waiting like a supplicant to be admitted as a member of the European Union. Not any longer. Now Erdogan has turned against Europe, especially Germany and Netherlands where Turkeys ministers were not allowed to address Turkish diaspora. Erdogan went so far as to call the Germans and the Dutch Nazi gorillas. Turkeys foreign minister warned that Europe now faced the prospect of Holy War. As far back as in 1996 Samuel Huntington had foreseen something like this happening. His Clash of Civilizations had said that at some point Turkey could resume its historical role as the principal Islamic interlocutor. This would happen, he prophesied, if Turkey rejected Ataturks legacy more thoroughly than Russia has rejected Lenins. That is just what is happening. Fear of the unexpected has changed the tenor of life. Security protocols control everything. Suddenly, its an unsafe world. For India, too. The US and Saudi Arabia turning against Iran could tempt India to join themwhich would be a costly mistake given the benefits India can reap from economic collaboration with Iran. The Bangladesh government told Delhi a few months ago that there was a three-fold increase in the number of jihadis infiltrating into India. The IS has made its presence felt in the country. It has even attracted young people from well-to-do Muslim families to join their ranks. The insecurity violent cow vigilantes have produced among Muslims in some parts of the country may be a factor in this. Everywhere there is uncertainty in the air. The world is tense. The darkness deepens.
Prabhu Chawla By

A handshake with history is every leaders passion; embracing destiny is a prerogative. Indias frequent flyer prime minister, Narendra Modi, does the first with the second. Hate him or love him, but ignore him at your own peril. Libellous liberals hated Modi for over a decade as a monster whose foot soldiers massacred minorities in his home state, Gujarat.

Now, when he gives both foes and friends a hug, he is ridiculed as a Public Display of Affection addict. Popular media has got its knickers in a twist, looking for patterns and motives in his hugs, handshakes and hand-in-hand strolls with visiting foreign dignitaries at home and overseas. In the last two weeks, he flew in and out of seven countries.

How does he do it? ask many.

With elan, is the answer.

A pinstripe suit, patterned with his name repeated vertically 1,000 times was the first sign of Modis sartorial savvy at any formal event. Once, he turned up at a formal banquet hosted by the President of India at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in a casual jacket and trousers, with a matching scarf thrown with careless elegance across his shoulder. Modi doesnt always care about colonial conventions and diplomatic decorum. He believes in setting his own style. The Nehru jacket has been reinvented and rechristened as the Modi jacket, which has become the style statement of film stars, corporate leaders, political wannabes, civil servants and even Opposition leaders who have borrowed the Prime Ministers

panache to colourfully stand out in a crowd.

However, for a leader who is the cynosure of global eyes, style is perceived as substance. Modis handshakes and embraces with world leaders are now under the media microscopethis column included. Without substantive leaks in the current administration, colour has replaced content. Journalists have become experts by filling primetime hours and column inches with comments on Modis body language, walking speed, dress colour and the position of his arms while hugging his counterparts in the countries he has visited. Indian and international newspapers carried a photo of Modi hugging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other global leaders who were in Hamburg for the G-20 and BRICS meeting last weekend.

Of course, world leaders are expected to dispense with customary pleasantries before getting down to business; however, the couples who carried the day at Hamburg were (1) German Chancellor Angela Merkel who fondly kissed Canadas gay-friendly Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and (2) Modi and Netanyahu in Tel Aviv whose personal chemistry was obvious. The media went gaga at the various photo-ops the latter tag team provided. After Modis Israel visit last week, Vow.com commented: The two leaders laughed, hugged shared a helicopter tour of Israel, appreciated some art and history, and then hugged again. All this culminated in a slow walk on Dor beach in Haifa today.

The pair were there to discuss desalination (the process of turning seawater into potable water), but who knows what the two besties really talked about as they hiked up their pants and waded, smiling, into the Mediterranean Sea.

But Modi baiters at home mocked him for theatrical diplomacy. The irreverent American media has ridiculed Modis desi expressions of warmth towards his famous friends. For example, he gave Obama a bear hug on his second US trip in September 2015, which fired up the Washington Posts imagination. The story of the visit was carried with the caption Indias Modi is a hugger of global proportions. The writer added, Some have wondered whether Modis stilted physicality is a conscious move. After all, while being accused of being an awkward hugger who loves fashion and taking selfies may perhaps be embarrassing, its certainly better than another criticism frequently leveled at him: that his Hindu nationalism is really anti-Muslim extremism in disguise.

The confident Modi had become an eyesore for Capitol Hills Lobby Loving Liberals and morality mavens who had once succeeded in banning him from entering the United States in 2005. They spent time dissecting and desiccating his words, handshakes, clothes and food habits at his recent visit to Washington. But Modi is a trendsetter in innovative diplomacy. If Richard Nixon could end a 23-year standoff with China in 1972 using Ping-pong Diplomacy, why cant Modi invite Chinese President to the Sabarmati riverside for a Gujarati Swing Session? The Indian Prime Minister knows myriad gestures to stoke a diplomatic romance.

He was the first Indian PM to invite all SAARC leaders to attend his swearing in ceremony in 2014. He was also the first PM who landed up at his first G20 meeting in Brisbane in 2014 wearing a casual jacket. Modi has defied convention by posing in front of the crossed flags of Britain and India with UK Prime Minister David Cameron in formals and him in a blue blazer and a pair of khakis. At a formal welcome ceremony in 2014, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was surprised by Modi with a big hug after he had turned away thinking a handshake was enough.

The Australian media went to town with the story. One newspaper commented: As they shook hands, Modi, attired in a black bandhgala suit, embraced the Australian premier. The Age, which had been posting comments and photos of the event live, said of the Abbott-Modi hug: The stand out shake so far has been Indias Prime Minister Modi, who gave Abbott a hug. An awww could be heard across the media centre. The local press snidely noticed that Modi did not favour his counterparts Cameron and Stephen Harper with hugs.

Handshakes and arm locks have helped Modi achieve iconic global status as a tactile communicator. The Guardian wrapped up its Brisbane coverage with an article titled Narendra Modi: from international pariah to the G20s political rock starobserving that the Indian prime minister is one of the most popular figures at this G20. A leader others want to see, and be seen with.

The sheer physicality of Modis power hugs and handshakes has stunned many. Perhaps, he may go overboard at times in his enthusiasm, but his generosity of spirit is reflected in the intimacy of his gestures as an effective communicative tool even when it leaves an imprint literally. When Prince William visited India with Princess Kate in April 2016, Mail Online published a set of pictures of a Modi-William handshake with the caption: They say a firm handshake is a sign of strong leadership. The red marks Modis grip left on Williams right hand left the royal guest in no doubt that Narendra Modi represented the power of 1.25 billion people.

Prabhu Chawla

prabhuchawla@ newindianexpress.com

Follow him on Twitter @PrabhuChawla

A handshake with history is every leaders passion; embracing destiny is a prerogative. Indias frequent flyer prime minister, Narendra Modi, does the first with the second. Hate him or love him, but ignore him at your own peril. Libellous liberals hated Modi for over a decade as a monster whose foot soldiers massacred minorities in his home state, Gujarat. Now, when he gives both foes and friends a hug, he is ridiculed as a Public Display of Affection addict. Popular media has got its knickers in a twist, looking for patterns and motives in his hugs, handshakes and hand-in-hand strolls with visiting foreign dignitaries at home and overseas. In the last two weeks, he flew in and out of seven countries. How does he do it? ask many. With elan, is the answer. A pinstripe suit, patterned with his name repeated vertically 1,000 times was the first sign of Modis sartorial savvy at any formal event. Once, he turned up at a formal banquet hosted by the President of India at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in a casual jacket and trousers, with a matching scarf thrown with careless elegance across his shoulder. Modi doesnt always care about colonial conventions and diplomatic decorum. He believes in setting his own style. The Nehru jacket has been reinvented and rechristened as the Modi jacket, which has become the style statement of film stars, corporate leaders, political wannabes, civil servants and even Opposition leaders who have borrowed the Prime Ministers panache to colourfully stand out in a crowd. However, for a leader who is the cynosure of global eyes, style is perceived as substance. Modis handshakes and embraces with world leaders are now under the media microscopethis column included. Without substantive leaks in the current administration, colour has replaced content. Journalists have become experts by filling primetime hours and column inches with comments on Modis body language, walking speed, dress colour and the position of his arms while hugging his counterparts in the countries he has visited. Indian and international newspapers carried a photo of Modi hugging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other global leaders who were in Hamburg for the G-20 and BRICS meeting last weekend. Of course, world leaders are expected to dispense with customary pleasantries before getting down to business; however, the couples who carried the day at Hamburg were (1) German Chancellor Angela Merkel who fondly kissed Canadas gay-friendly Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and (2) Modi and Netanyahu in Tel Aviv whose personal chemistry was obvious. The media went gaga at the various photo-ops the latter tag team provided. After Modis Israel visit last week, Vow.com commented: The two leaders laughed, hugged shared a helicopter tour of Israel, appreciated some art and history, and then hugged again. All this culminated in a slow walk on Dor beach in Haifa today. The pair were there to discuss desalination (the process of turning seawater into potable water), but who knows what the two besties really talked about as they hiked up their pants and waded, smiling, into the Mediterranean Sea. But Modi baiters at home mocked him for theatrical diplomacy. The irreverent American media has ridiculed Modis desi expressions of warmth towards his famous friends. For example, he gave Obama a bear hug on his second US trip in September 2015, which fired up the Washington Posts imagination. The story of the visit was carried with the caption Indias Modi is a hugger of global proportions. The writer added, Some have wondered whether Modis stilted physicality is a conscious move. After all, while being accused of being an awkward hugger who loves fashion and taking selfies may perhaps be embarrassing, its certainly better than another criticism frequently leveled at him: that his Hindu nationalism is really anti-Muslim extremism in disguise. The confident Modi had become an eyesore for Capitol Hills Lobby Loving Liberals and morality mavens who had once succeeded in banning him from entering the United States in 2005. They spent time dissecting and desiccating his words, handshakes, clothes and food habits at his recent visit to Washington. But Modi is a trendsetter in innovative diplomacy. If Richard Nixon could end a 23-year standoff with China in 1972 using Ping-pong Diplomacy, why cant Modi invite Chinese President to the Sabarmati riverside for a Gujarati Swing Session? The Indian Prime Minister knows myriad gestures to stoke a diplomatic romance. He was the first Indian PM to invite all SAARC leaders to attend his swearing in ceremony in 2014. He was also the first PM who landed up at his first G20 meeting in Brisbane in 2014 wearing a casual jacket. Modi has defied convention by posing in front of the crossed flags of Britain and India with UK Prime Minister David Cameron in formals and him in a blue blazer and a pair of khakis. At a formal welcome ceremony in 2014, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was surprised by Modi with a big hug after he had turned away thinking a handshake was enough. The Australian media went to town with the story. One newspaper commented: As they shook hands, Modi, attired in a black bandhgala suit, embraced the Australian premier. The Age, which had been posting comments and photos of the event live, said of the Abbott-Modi hug: The stand out shake so far has been Indias Prime Minister Modi, who gave Abbott a hug. An awww could be heard across the media centre. The local press snidely noticed that Modi did not favour his counterparts Cameron and Stephen Harper with hugs. Handshakes and arm locks have helped Modi achieve iconic global status as a tactile communicator. The Guardian wrapped up its Brisbane coverage with an article titled Narendra Modi: from international pariah to the G20s political rock starobserving that the Indian prime minister is one of the most popular figures at this G20. A leader others want to see, and be seen with. The sheer physicality of Modis power hugs and handshakes has stunned many. Perhaps, he may go overboard at times in his enthusiasm, but his generosity of spirit is reflected in the intimacy of his gestures as an effective communicative tool even when it leaves an imprint literally. When Prince William visited India with Princess Kate in April 2016, Mail Online published a set of pictures of a Modi-William handshake with the caption: They say a firm handshake is a sign of strong leadership. The red marks Modis grip left on Williams right hand left the royal guest in no doubt that Narendra Modi represented the power of 1.25 billion people. Prabhu Chawla prabhuchawla@ newindianexpress.com Follow him on Twitter @PrabhuChawla
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Prajwal Revanna, grandson of senior Janata Dal(S) leader HD Deve Gowda, has apologised after accusing the party leaders of corruption in allotting party tickets.

On July 7, Revanna said the party is plagued by a "suitcase culture", a comment that shocked many including members of the Deve Gowda family.

"Prajwal has apologised to me for his comments that suitcase culture prevails in the party. He has confessed his mistake and is repenting it. I have asked him to apologise to his uncle HD Kumaraswamy. Prajwal has agreed to do that once Kumaraswamy, who is in Singapore for health check up, returns to the city," Deve Gowda told reporters in Bengaluru on Sunday.

Gowda said Prajwal has realised how much his comment his statement has damaged the party morale. "He has caused immense pain to me and Kumaraswamy. Even Prajwal's father HD Revanna has admonished his son," Gowda said. Expressing his eagerness to resolve the issue, he added, "Now I wish to see a happy ending to this."

BENGALURU: Prajwal Revanna, grandson of senior Janata Dal(S) leader HD Deve Gowda, has apologised after accusing the party leaders of corruption in allotting party tickets. On July 7, Revanna said the party is plagued by a "suitcase culture", a comment that shocked many including members of the Deve Gowda family. "Prajwal has apologised to me for his comments that suitcase culture prevails in the party. He has confessed his mistake and is repenting it. I have asked him to apologise to his uncle HD Kumaraswamy. Prajwal has agreed to do that once Kumaraswamy, who is in Singapore for health check up, returns to the city," Deve Gowda told reporters in Bengaluru on Sunday. Gowda said Prajwal has realised how much his comment his statement has damaged the party morale. "He has caused immense pain to me and Kumaraswamy. Even Prajwal's father HD Revanna has admonished his son," Gowda said. Expressing his eagerness to resolve the issue, he added, "Now I wish to see a happy ending to this."
By Express News Service

KOCHI: More than ten days after nurses began protests in Kerala demanding a wage hike, all four associations of healthcare providers in the state have, for the first time, made a joint plea to the nursing community to refrain from the token strike planned for Tuesday.

"If the nurses go on strike, the private hospitals, which provides 70 per cent of the healthcare services in Kerala, will not be in a position to admit any new patients and would be forced to discharge the admitted patients," a joint statement by healthcare providers said, adding that this would lead to an unavoidable increase in number of patients in the government hospitals, which were already packed due to a fever epidemic.

The joint statement by the Association of Healthcare Providers of India-Kerala (AHPI), Kerala Private Hospital Association (KPHA), Association of Advanced Speciality Healthcare Institutions (AASHI), Qualified Private Medical Practitioners Association (QPMA), Catholic Healthcare Association Of India (CHAI) -- the five associations representing most of the private hospitals in the state -- said the proposed strike would adversely impact the healthcare service at a time when the state is facing a fever epidemic.

Till now nurses have been undertaking relay protests in five districts of the state including Kannur, Thrissur, Ernakulam and Thiruvanthapuram, but they have not stayed away from duty.

"We would like to draw your attention to the current crisis confronting all of us. When we are at one hand overwhelmed by a large influx of patients due to the fever epidemic, the nurses' agitation will adversely impact the care being provided to our patients," it said.

The healthcare sector employs over 1.65 lakh people across the state and is among the largest job providers.

The four associations claimed that most of the hospitals in the state complied with the statutory norms on wages.

The statement said all the hospital associations were sympathetic towards the need for a reasonable wage revision for the nurses. "All hospital associations have been actively collaborating with the state government/industrial relations committee to arrive at the revised minimum wages," it said.

KOCHI: More than ten days after nurses began protests in Kerala demanding a wage hike, all four associations of healthcare providers in the state have, for the first time, made a joint plea to the nursing community to refrain from the token strike planned for Tuesday. "If the nurses go on strike, the private hospitals, which provides 70 per cent of the healthcare services in Kerala, will not be in a position to admit any new patients and would be forced to discharge the admitted patients," a joint statement by healthcare providers said, adding that this would lead to an unavoidable increase in number of patients in the government hospitals, which were already packed due to a fever epidemic. The joint statement by the Association of Healthcare Providers of India-Kerala (AHPI), Kerala Private Hospital Association (KPHA), Association of Advanced Speciality Healthcare Institutions (AASHI), Qualified Private Medical Practitioners Association (QPMA), Catholic Healthcare Association Of India (CHAI) -- the five associations representing most of the private hospitals in the state -- said the proposed strike would adversely impact the healthcare service at a time when the state is facing a fever epidemic. Till now nurses have been undertaking relay protests in five districts of the state including Kannur, Thrissur, Ernakulam and Thiruvanthapuram, but they have not stayed away from duty. "We would like to draw your attention to the current crisis confronting all of us. When we are at one hand overwhelmed by a large influx of patients due to the fever epidemic, the nurses' agitation will adversely impact the care being provided to our patients," it said. The healthcare sector employs over 1.65 lakh people across the state and is among the largest job providers. The four associations claimed that most of the hospitals in the state complied with the statutory norms on wages. The statement said all the hospital associations were sympathetic towards the need for a reasonable wage revision for the nurses. "All hospital associations have been actively collaborating with the state government/industrial relations committee to arrive at the revised minimum wages," it said.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Raising questions over his continuous neglect in state BJP affairs, senior party leader Bijay Mohapatra today alleged that he was not invited during the three-day visit of national president Amit Shah to Odisha from July 4 for booth level exercise.

"This is not the first time that the state BJP has overlooked me during an important event," Mohapatra said and added that on different occasions in the past the state BJP leaders have ignored him. "Either I am not qualified or I do not deserve to be part of such important events," Mohapatra said and added, "some good people are there to run the party. Let them run it."

The senior BJP leader, however, said he has no idea who is taking decisions to sideline him in the party. Mohapatra said nobody in the party consulted him on any issue even if it was changing the president of his home district Kendrapara.

Asked about the target set by Shah for the state BJP to win 120 seats in the assembly in the 2019 assembly election, Mohapatra said he has no idea on what basis the national president has made the assessment. "The national president has made the assessment," Mohapatra said and added that as he was not present on the occasion he would not comment on the matter.

Mohapatra, who has put the party in embarrassing situations many times in the past by raising awkward questions, did not attend programmes of the national president of the party during his recent visit to Odisha.

However, Odisha in-charge Arun Singh clarified that he and state BJP president Basant Panda had invited Mohapatra to the meetings of the national president.

BHUBANESWAR: Raising questions over his continuous neglect in state BJP affairs, senior party leader Bijay Mohapatra today alleged that he was not invited during the three-day visit of national president Amit Shah to Odisha from July 4 for booth level exercise. "This is not the first time that the state BJP has overlooked me during an important event," Mohapatra said and added that on different occasions in the past the state BJP leaders have ignored him. "Either I am not qualified or I do not deserve to be part of such important events," Mohapatra said and added, "some good people are there to run the party. Let them run it." The senior BJP leader, however, said he has no idea who is taking decisions to sideline him in the party. Mohapatra said nobody in the party consulted him on any issue even if it was changing the president of his home district Kendrapara. Asked about the target set by Shah for the state BJP to win 120 seats in the assembly in the 2019 assembly election, Mohapatra said he has no idea on what basis the national president has made the assessment. "The national president has made the assessment," Mohapatra said and added that as he was not present on the occasion he would not comment on the matter. Mohapatra, who has put the party in embarrassing situations many times in the past by raising awkward questions, did not attend programmes of the national president of the party during his recent visit to Odisha. However, Odisha in-charge Arun Singh clarified that he and state BJP president Basant Panda had invited Mohapatra to the meetings of the national president.
The move is politically significant, especially after reports of infighting and indiscipline in Delhi BJP.

By Rakesh Ranjan: Amid bickering in the Delhi BJP, party president Amit Shah will hold two-day camp in the national capital to take stock of unit's functioning and organisational structure.

The BJP president will hold as many as 16 meetings with office bearers and grassroot workers on July 14 and 15.

A party source claimed functioning of the Delhi unit, which grapples with infighting and organisational inefficiency, will be reviewed during the meetings. Insiders said during a recent meeting with Shah, Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari had brought to his knowledge the inefficiencies and indiscipline within the organisation.

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Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari confirmed the development. He said Shah's two-day visit is part of the nationwide pravaas which he is undertaking in states where BJP seeks to strengthen its hold. "The BJP president will hold a series of meetings with party leaders and workers during the two-day camp. He will get a feedback from all concerned party member," Tiwari said.

A POLITICALLY SIGNIFICANT MOVE

The move is politically significant, especially after reports of infighting and indiscipline in Delhi BJP despite the party registering a thumping victory in elections to three municipal corporations in April this year.

Sources said there has been a growing discontent among the dominant Punjabi and Baniya lobby within the state unit ever since the appointment of Manoj Tiwari, a popular poorvanchali face, as the Delhi chief. This rift within the party, sources claimed, was a major cause of worry for the top leadership, given the political uncertainties in Delhi.

There are speculations of a mid-term poll in Delhi as nearly 30 AAP MLAs face disqualification under Office of Profit. In his address to the newly elected BJP councillors, Shah had already told the state unit to be prepared for polls. Keeping in view the developments, the party has also launched the vistarak program to expand the party on grassroot level and add new members.

"Shah will hold separate meetings with Delhi BJP office bearers as well as party workers at district and booth levels. He is also likely to have a separate meeting with Manoj Tiwari. He will also be reviewing the results of vistarak program in Delhi," a BJP leader said.

The draft of the program, including a tentative list of leaders and workers who will be meeting Shah, is being finalised. The draft will be sent to Shah for approval, a senior leader said.

Also Read:

Delhi BJP leaders debating on farmer protests, cow slaughter face central leadership's ire

Poor appraisal: Rejig underway in Delhi BJP after top bosses point corrupt, under-performers

--- ENDS ---
By Express News Service

DHAMRA (BHADRAK) : In a boost to the NDA Governments look east policy, Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday laid the foundation stone for a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) regasification terminal at Dhamra Port in Bhadrak district.

The first ever LNG terminal in eastern India to be built at a cost of `6,000 crore by a joint venture of Indian Oil Corporation, GAIL (India) Ltd and Adani Group would have a capacity of five million tonnes per annum. Though Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was supposed to lay the foundation, he along with his party colleagues skipped the event reportedly because of under-exposure given to the ruling BJD in the run-up to the function.

Addressing the gathering, Pradhan said the terminal will play a significant role in development of eastern India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has charted a road map for the growth of eastern region of the country which cant be developed without integration of its eastern arm into the mainstream economy. The LNG terminal is a gift from the Centre to change the narrative of Odisha and bring back its past glory, he said.

India is transitioning to a gas-based economy with 50 per cent of gas being imported through terminals located in Gujarat and Maharashtra. In eastern India, Dhamra will have the distinction of hosting the first LNG terminal, which will import gas from countries like US and Qatar, he said.

The Petroleum Minister also enumerated the multiple benefits that will accrue to Odisha and the region with the terminal acting as a source of employment and investment opportunities along with access to clean fuel.

Dhamra will be a vital link in connecting eastern India to the gas infrastructure of the country and will also benefit neighbouring countries. Natural gas from the LNG terminal will be an important supply source to the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Project. The work would start soon and hopefully it would be completed in next three years, Pradhan said.

The natural gas from Dhamra terminal would be supplied to various city gas distribution (CGD) networks coming up in cities like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Ranchi, Bokaro, Jamshedpur and Kolkata. The CGD networks would in turn cater to the requirements of piped gas for households, CNG for automobiles and clean fuel requirements of commercial establishments and industries, Pradhan added.

Chairman of Indian Oil Sanjiv Singh said the terminal will usher in a green wave of growth and development by making clean and economically viable natural gas available to fuel various sectors. The use of natural gas will also help in reducing the carbon footprints in Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal in a big way, he said.

While CMD of GAIL BC Tripathi reiterated GAILs commitment to the LNG project, CEO of Adani Port and SEZ Ltd Karan Adani said Adani Group endeavours to build a world-class project that will make Odisha proud and galvanise an entire ecosystem of job creation.The LNG terminal would also meet the gas requirements of three oil refineries of Indian Oil situated in Barauni, Haldia and Paradip. The three fertiliser plants at Barauni, Sindri and Gorakhpur, which are being revived by the Centre, will also benefit from the terminal.Regasified LNG from the terminal will be transported through 2,540-km-long Jagdishpur-Haldia-Bokaro-Dhamra pipeline being developed at a cost of `12,940 crore which is likely to be completed by December, 2020.

DHAMRA (BHADRAK) : In a boost to the NDA Governments look east policy, Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday laid the foundation stone for a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) regasification terminal at Dhamra Port in Bhadrak district. The first ever LNG terminal in eastern India to be built at a cost of `6,000 crore by a joint venture of Indian Oil Corporation, GAIL (India) Ltd and Adani Group would have a capacity of five million tonnes per annum. Though Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was supposed to lay the foundation, he along with his party colleagues skipped the event reportedly because of under-exposure given to the ruling BJD in the run-up to the function. Addressing the gathering, Pradhan said the terminal will play a significant role in development of eastern India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has charted a road map for the growth of eastern region of the country which cant be developed without integration of its eastern arm into the mainstream economy. The LNG terminal is a gift from the Centre to change the narrative of Odisha and bring back its past glory, he said. India is transitioning to a gas-based economy with 50 per cent of gas being imported through terminals located in Gujarat and Maharashtra. In eastern India, Dhamra will have the distinction of hosting the first LNG terminal, which will import gas from countries like US and Qatar, he said. The Petroleum Minister also enumerated the multiple benefits that will accrue to Odisha and the region with the terminal acting as a source of employment and investment opportunities along with access to clean fuel. Dhamra will be a vital link in connecting eastern India to the gas infrastructure of the country and will also benefit neighbouring countries. Natural gas from the LNG terminal will be an important supply source to the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Project. The work would start soon and hopefully it would be completed in next three years, Pradhan said. The natural gas from Dhamra terminal would be supplied to various city gas distribution (CGD) networks coming up in cities like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Ranchi, Bokaro, Jamshedpur and Kolkata. The CGD networks would in turn cater to the requirements of piped gas for households, CNG for automobiles and clean fuel requirements of commercial establishments and industries, Pradhan added. Chairman of Indian Oil Sanjiv Singh said the terminal will usher in a green wave of growth and development by making clean and economically viable natural gas available to fuel various sectors. The use of natural gas will also help in reducing the carbon footprints in Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal in a big way, he said. While CMD of GAIL BC Tripathi reiterated GAILs commitment to the LNG project, CEO of Adani Port and SEZ Ltd Karan Adani said Adani Group endeavours to build a world-class project that will make Odisha proud and galvanise an entire ecosystem of job creation.The LNG terminal would also meet the gas requirements of three oil refineries of Indian Oil situated in Barauni, Haldia and Paradip. The three fertiliser plants at Barauni, Sindri and Gorakhpur, which are being revived by the Centre, will also benefit from the terminal.Regasified LNG from the terminal will be transported through 2,540-km-long Jagdishpur-Haldia-Bokaro-Dhamra pipeline being developed at a cost of `12,940 crore which is likely to be completed by December, 2020.
YATISH YADAV By

NEW DELHI: The brief meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during an informal gathering of BRICS leaders in Hamburg last week raised hopes of a resolution to the complexity involving Doklam plateau where Indian and Chinese forces are currently engaged in a face-off.

But analysts state that Xi will keep the pot boiling at Himalayan borderlands till he decimates his communist adversaries before the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) 19th National Congress, likely to be held in early November.

Xi, an elite communist, has successfully silenced many commoners within the party but he still fears substantial threats from Shanghai and Beijing factions led by Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao respectively. The analysts watching developments within China said Xi is trying to solidify his position by neutralising the influence of his former mentor Hus faction in the politburo and the recent flare-up at tri-junction, between Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet, provides him with the much-needed opportunity to silence them.

From left: Chinese President Xi Jinping,

Hu Jinato and Jiang Zemin

The recent flare-up at tri-junction between Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet provides Chinese President Xi Jinping with the much-needed opportunity to silence his former mentor Hu Jintaos faction in the politburo.

The rest would be managed during the Congress where Xi is going to install his own trusted men in the politburo. Hu and Jiang Zemin factions hold majority, but Xi has been trying to undermine their influence. He successfully inflicted a dent by charging Ling Jihua, Hus former Chief of Staff, in a corruption case. He will get rid of Jiangs confidant and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who is set to retire in November. Xis plan is simple: raise the war crybe it India-Bhutan, the South China Sea or North Koreato silence the voices of dissidents, they said.

The discomfort within CCP and among commoners shows the Chinese aggression is not accidental. They are increasingly facing threats on a number of fronts. As far as the so-called powerful economy is concerned, global ratings by investment agencies are not encouraging, and even Chinese banks are sitting on piles of debt, threatening a financial crisis in the next few years. To add to its woes, India has refused to play ball in soft power diplomacy and even turned down One Belt One Belt Road project that stunned Beijing. Moreover, the agitated Chinese regimes open support to rogue nations such as North Korea and Pakistan has isolated it in the international forum.

The Intelligence Department of the General Staff Headquarters of China in 1959 authored a report accusing Jawaharlal Nehru of treating Bhutan as an Indian province. The report said, Indian Prime Minister feels that any invasion of Bhutan would be equivalent to an invasion of India and that India is obligated to protect it. So, when on June 29, the Bhutanese External Affairs Ministry issued a formal statement attacking China for violating its sovereignty by constructing road inside Bhutanese territory, the three paras echoed the Indian stand on Himalayan borders.

China had transgressed into the Doklam plateau in the past by occupying Jampheri Ridge. Now, they are trying to move further by building the road in ridgeline, which India and Bhutan have refused to acknowledge as Chinese territory.

An official in the security establishment said Chumbi Valley is a dagger thrust into India with the tip at the tri-junction, thus posing a threat to the Siliguri Corridor, not essentially by capturing or blocking the Corridor but interfering with free movement by bringing it within the range of long-range artillery guns.

China wont be able to overpower Indian forces in Doklam, which is heavily defended by 33 Corps. However, on the Bhutanese side, it is a different story. Other than the Royal Bhutan Guards, the rest of the Army is ill-equipped and ill-trained. Indian military presence in the form of Indian Military Training Team is based at Haa and they might be able to offer major resistance to a Chinese threat, surrounding it from two sides. In this scenario, India will not allow Chinese to get a foothold by building roads further towards Doka-La, he said.

Although some senior officials dismiss the speculation that in the event of a border flare-up, Indian troops through the Young Husband Track that passes through Chumbi Valley could easily capture Lhasa, they admit it is the shortest route in terms of access from the plains.

A threat to Lhasa via the Chumbi Valley is a long way off. Both countries understand fully well the cost of a war and would do everything possible to prevent the occurrence of such a situation. Diplomatic niceties will play a role to soothe the agitating nerves maintaining the status quo but the larger game will not get over so soon, the officials added.

NEW DELHI: The brief meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during an informal gathering of BRICS leaders in Hamburg last week raised hopes of a resolution to the complexity involving Doklam plateau where Indian and Chinese forces are currently engaged in a face-off. But analysts state that Xi will keep the pot boiling at Himalayan borderlands till he decimates his communist adversaries before the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) 19th National Congress, likely to be held in early November. Xi, an elite communist, has successfully silenced many commoners within the party but he still fears substantial threats from Shanghai and Beijing factions led by Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao respectively. The analysts watching developments within China said Xi is trying to solidify his position by neutralising the influence of his former mentor Hus faction in the politburo and the recent flare-up at tri-junction, between Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet, provides him with the much-needed opportunity to silence them. From left: Chinese President Xi Jinping, Hu Jinato and Jiang ZeminThe recent flare-up at tri-junction between Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet provides Chinese President Xi Jinping with the much-needed opportunity to silence his former mentor Hu Jintaos faction in the politburo. The rest would be managed during the Congress where Xi is going to install his own trusted men in the politburo. Hu and Jiang Zemin factions hold majority, but Xi has been trying to undermine their influence. He successfully inflicted a dent by charging Ling Jihua, Hus former Chief of Staff, in a corruption case. He will get rid of Jiangs confidant and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who is set to retire in November. Xis plan is simple: raise the war crybe it India-Bhutan, the South China Sea or North Koreato silence the voices of dissidents, they said. The discomfort within CCP and among commoners shows the Chinese aggression is not accidental. They are increasingly facing threats on a number of fronts. As far as the so-called powerful economy is concerned, global ratings by investment agencies are not encouraging, and even Chinese banks are sitting on piles of debt, threatening a financial crisis in the next few years. To add to its woes, India has refused to play ball in soft power diplomacy and even turned down One Belt One Belt Road project that stunned Beijing. Moreover, the agitated Chinese regimes open support to rogue nations such as North Korea and Pakistan has isolated it in the international forum. The Intelligence Department of the General Staff Headquarters of China in 1959 authored a report accusing Jawaharlal Nehru of treating Bhutan as an Indian province. The report said, Indian Prime Minister feels that any invasion of Bhutan would be equivalent to an invasion of India and that India is obligated to protect it. So, when on June 29, the Bhutanese External Affairs Ministry issued a formal statement attacking China for violating its sovereignty by constructing road inside Bhutanese territory, the three paras echoed the Indian stand on Himalayan borders. China had transgressed into the Doklam plateau in the past by occupying Jampheri Ridge. Now, they are trying to move further by building the road in ridgeline, which India and Bhutan have refused to acknowledge as Chinese territory. An official in the security establishment said Chumbi Valley is a dagger thrust into India with the tip at the tri-junction, thus posing a threat to the Siliguri Corridor, not essentially by capturing or blocking the Corridor but interfering with free movement by bringing it within the range of long-range artillery guns. China wont be able to overpower Indian forces in Doklam, which is heavily defended by 33 Corps. However, on the Bhutanese side, it is a different story. Other than the Royal Bhutan Guards, the rest of the Army is ill-equipped and ill-trained. Indian military presence in the form of Indian Military Training Team is based at Haa and they might be able to offer major resistance to a Chinese threat, surrounding it from two sides. In this scenario, India will not allow Chinese to get a foothold by building roads further towards Doka-La, he said. Although some senior officials dismiss the speculation that in the event of a border flare-up, Indian troops through the Young Husband Track that passes through Chumbi Valley could easily capture Lhasa, they admit it is the shortest route in terms of access from the plains. A threat to Lhasa via the Chumbi Valley is a long way off. Both countries understand fully well the cost of a war and would do everything possible to prevent the occurrence of such a situation. Diplomatic niceties will play a role to soothe the agitating nerves maintaining the status quo but the larger game will not get over so soon, the officials added.
Express News Service By

SAD patron, five-time chief minister and the grand old man of Punjab politics Parkash Singh Badal talks to Harpreet Bajwa about the Congress government, corruption and Punjabs financial condition. Excerpts:

How do you rate the performance of the Congress government?

Feedback from people and through the media is that its a non-starter. Barring repeating old slogans and making pious but inconsequential statements, the government has not made any impact so far.

The White Paper on state finances and the Budget paints a murky picture of Punjabs fiscal health and blames the SAD-BJP government for the financial mess and empty coffers.

This is old hat and an attempt to cover failure. They should focus on delivery rather than alibis. Were they not aware of these finances when they went on a spree of making promises that require finances. The Congress manifesto prepared by an economist of the calibre of Dr Manmohan Singh carries promises, which cannot be fulfilled if the economy of the state were poor.

SAD claims it fights for the cause of farmers, but the Congress government has announced the loan debt waiver to farmers.

I wish they mean what they say. It doesnt matter to us who gets the credit as long as farmers benefit. But the reality on the ground is different. The number of farmer suicides has gone up since the announcement of the waiver. Why ?

While in power, you said you would give a transparent and corruption-free government. But the Congress government proposes to bring the new Lok Pal bill under which even the CM, ministers and bureaucrats will be scrutinised.

Corruption can never be ended through cosmetic measures like toothless Lok Pals.

Will your alliance with the BJP continue? It is said that before the 2019 General Elections, the alliance will break and the BJP will fight elections on its own in the state.

Our alliance with the BJP is the longest standing political understanding in the country. Its not just a political arrangement but a social arrangement for peace and communal harmony. It resulted in peace and communal harmony in the state for 20 years.

RSS is strengthening its base in rural areas and cutting into the Akali Dal vote bank.

That is a politically paranoid perception. In politics in a democracy, every party has the right to go to the people. Theres no threat of erosion to our base.

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal ran the party like a CEO and wasnt liked by many.

Sukhbir led the party to two back-to-back electoral victories, something unprecedented in the history of the state. He had the same style then.

It is said that SAD-BJP alliance lost the elections as people werent against the alliance but were against the Badals.

The Badals have been in politics for over half a century and we have enjoyed bonds of trust and love with our people. This time too, members related to us won their elections.

What was the main factor for you losing the elections?

The propaganda blitzkrieg of our rival.

SAD has been reduced to third position in the state. How do you plan to regain confidence of the people and rebuild the party?

In the past also, weve faced tough times; people wrote us off. Our mantra has always been to go back to the people and understand them. That is what were doing now.

Youve always been Leader of the Opposition when your party wasnt in power. Isnt it humiliating that for the first time you arent even that post?

The essence of democracy is humility. You must bow to the verdict of the people. They give us such honours, and if once they give us rap on the knuckles, we have to respect that. We should not be proud when we win their trust nor ashamed to receive this knuckle rap.

SAD is the oldest regional party in India and will be completing 100 years. How have you planned to rejuvenate the party and celebrate its centenary?

The party is sustained by an idea, an inspiration, and the people. It is inspired by values that are everlasting and self-renewing . The partys cadre keeps updating and rejuvenating the party as per the aspirations of the people.

SAD patron, five-time chief minister and the grand old man of Punjab politics Parkash Singh Badal talks to Harpreet Bajwa about the Congress government, corruption and Punjabs financial condition. Excerpts: How do you rate the performance of the Congress government? Feedback from people and through the media is that its a non-starter. Barring repeating old slogans and making pious but inconsequential statements, the government has not made any impact so far. The White Paper on state finances and the Budget paints a murky picture of Punjabs fiscal health and blames the SAD-BJP government for the financial mess and empty coffers. This is old hat and an attempt to cover failure. They should focus on delivery rather than alibis. Were they not aware of these finances when they went on a spree of making promises that require finances. The Congress manifesto prepared by an economist of the calibre of Dr Manmohan Singh carries promises, which cannot be fulfilled if the economy of the state were poor. SAD claims it fights for the cause of farmers, but the Congress government has announced the loan debt waiver to farmers. I wish they mean what they say. It doesnt matter to us who gets the credit as long as farmers benefit. But the reality on the ground is different. The number of farmer suicides has gone up since the announcement of the waiver. Why ? While in power, you said you would give a transparent and corruption-free government. But the Congress government proposes to bring the new Lok Pal bill under which even the CM, ministers and bureaucrats will be scrutinised. Corruption can never be ended through cosmetic measures like toothless Lok Pals. Will your alliance with the BJP continue? It is said that before the 2019 General Elections, the alliance will break and the BJP will fight elections on its own in the state. Our alliance with the BJP is the longest standing political understanding in the country. Its not just a political arrangement but a social arrangement for peace and communal harmony. It resulted in peace and communal harmony in the state for 20 years. RSS is strengthening its base in rural areas and cutting into the Akali Dal vote bank. That is a politically paranoid perception. In politics in a democracy, every party has the right to go to the people. Theres no threat of erosion to our base. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal ran the party like a CEO and wasnt liked by many. Sukhbir led the party to two back-to-back electoral victories, something unprecedented in the history of the state. He had the same style then. It is said that SAD-BJP alliance lost the elections as people werent against the alliance but were against the Badals. The Badals have been in politics for over half a century and we have enjoyed bonds of trust and love with our people. This time too, members related to us won their elections. What was the main factor for you losing the elections? The propaganda blitzkrieg of our rival. SAD has been reduced to third position in the state. How do you plan to regain confidence of the people and rebuild the party? In the past also, weve faced tough times; people wrote us off. Our mantra has always been to go back to the people and understand them. That is what were doing now. Youve always been Leader of the Opposition when your party wasnt in power. Isnt it humiliating that for the first time you arent even that post? The essence of democracy is humility. You must bow to the verdict of the people. They give us such honours, and if once they give us rap on the knuckles, we have to respect that. We should not be proud when we win their trust nor ashamed to receive this knuckle rap. SAD is the oldest regional party in India and will be completing 100 years. How have you planned to rejuvenate the party and celebrate its centenary? The party is sustained by an idea, an inspiration, and the people. It is inspired by values that are everlasting and self-renewing . The partys cadre keeps updating and rejuvenating the party as per the aspirations of the people.
Anand S T Das By

PATNA: Is the First Family of Bihar on its last legs? Rashtriya Janata Dal boss Lalu Prasad, presiding over the partys 21st foundation day ceremony two days before his house was searched by CBI on July 7, thundered, What will you do if I am sent to jail before August 27? On that date a rally had been proposed of several Opposition parties in Patna, which wouldve cemented his position further as a force to deal with. Solace came in the form of thunderous chanting by supporters, We will fight back.

Lalu Prasad Yadavs supporters seem to be declining while his opponents are multiplying. Questions about the survival of his two sons and eldest daughter are giving him nightmares, said an RJD leader close to Lalu. Two of Lalus children, Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav and Rajya Sabha MP Misa Bharti have been chargesheeted by CBI in connection with land scams, bribery and criminal conspiracy. Tejashwis brother and Bihar health minister Tej Pratap Yadav could be next on the CBIs hit list.

The Income Tax Department had previously charged Lalu, his wife Rabri Devi and their progeny under the Benami Transactions Act for making illegal land deals worth `1,000 crore and tax evasion. Suspected benami property worth crores in Delhi, Gurgaon and Patna have been attached. Misas husband Shailesh Kumar was also picked up by the CBI on Friday. The fallout could be lethal to the Yadav family. Lalu cannot contest elections after being convicted in the fodder scam in 2013. If his family is sent to judicial custody, it could place their political future in jeopardy. If the prosecution is fast tracked, they could be convicted before 2019, thus ending their sway in Bihar.

RJD muscleman Shahabuddin was recently shifted to Delhis Tihar Jail, rendering his enforcing powers useless. The RJD chiefs own political planets are bleak since the Supreme Court has asked Jharkhands special CBI courts in May to complete trials in the fodder scam cases in the next nine months. The verdict are expected in the first quarter of 2018. If convicted, Yadav can buy time away from jail by appealing in the High Court, but his influence in the Opposition camp will be severely eroded, leaving him politically untouchable.

In the political chessboard of Bihar at present, it is a zugzwang moment for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who has supped with the devil. He plans to drop Tejaswi from the Cabinet once CBI files its chargesheet, and will wait and watch the weathercock in the RJD, said a JD(U) leader. The spoon just got longer. Nitish hopes with the Yadav family neutralised, RJD legislators and leaders will cross over to JD(U) and make him the undisputed boss of Bihar. Jettisoning Lalus two sons will also spike the BJPs guns.

PATNA: Is the First Family of Bihar on its last legs? Rashtriya Janata Dal boss Lalu Prasad, presiding over the partys 21st foundation day ceremony two days before his house was searched by CBI on July 7, thundered, What will you do if I am sent to jail before August 27? On that date a rally had been proposed of several Opposition parties in Patna, which wouldve cemented his position further as a force to deal with. Solace came in the form of thunderous chanting by supporters, We will fight back. Lalu Prasad Yadavs supporters seem to be declining while his opponents are multiplying. Questions about the survival of his two sons and eldest daughter are giving him nightmares, said an RJD leader close to Lalu. Two of Lalus children, Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav and Rajya Sabha MP Misa Bharti have been chargesheeted by CBI in connection with land scams, bribery and criminal conspiracy. Tejashwis brother and Bihar health minister Tej Pratap Yadav could be next on the CBIs hit list. The Income Tax Department had previously charged Lalu, his wife Rabri Devi and their progeny under the Benami Transactions Act for making illegal land deals worth `1,000 crore and tax evasion. Suspected benami property worth crores in Delhi, Gurgaon and Patna have been attached. Misas husband Shailesh Kumar was also picked up by the CBI on Friday. The fallout could be lethal to the Yadav family. Lalu cannot contest elections after being convicted in the fodder scam in 2013. If his family is sent to judicial custody, it could place their political future in jeopardy. If the prosecution is fast tracked, they could be convicted before 2019, thus ending their sway in Bihar. RJD muscleman Shahabuddin was recently shifted to Delhis Tihar Jail, rendering his enforcing powers useless. The RJD chiefs own political planets are bleak since the Supreme Court has asked Jharkhands special CBI courts in May to complete trials in the fodder scam cases in the next nine months. The verdict are expected in the first quarter of 2018. If convicted, Yadav can buy time away from jail by appealing in the High Court, but his influence in the Opposition camp will be severely eroded, leaving him politically untouchable. In the political chessboard of Bihar at present, it is a zugzwang moment for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who has supped with the devil. He plans to drop Tejaswi from the Cabinet once CBI files its chargesheet, and will wait and watch the weathercock in the RJD, said a JD(U) leader. The spoon just got longer. Nitish hopes with the Yadav family neutralised, RJD legislators and leaders will cross over to JD(U) and make him the undisputed boss of Bihar. Jettisoning Lalus two sons will also spike the BJPs guns.
Toby Antony By

KOCHI: Heres a shocker. The tentacles spread by the Islamic State (IS) in Kerala have more reach than what is originally believed. The Intelligence agencies and the NIA probing the cyber activities of the suspected IS members, who have left for Afghanistan from Kerala, have tracked down more Keralites following IS ideology.

During the probe, the NIA had stumbled upon a WhatsApp group created by the 23 IS sympathisers from Kerala much before they left for Afghanistan. Upon detailed examining, the agency received information about more Keralites who wanted to leave for Afghanistan to join IS. According to an NIA officer, a Keralite was killed in the IS operation last week. He said all the members of the WhatsApp group hail from Kerala and a majority of them had already left for Afghanistan. There were 25 members in the WhatsApp group, Tazkiyan (purification of soul) and of them, 14 have already left India.

The group members, include Maulana Haneefa, who was arrested by the Mumbai police, and missing people Abdul Rashid Abdulla, Dr Ijas, Shihas, Firoz, Murshid, Hafizuddin, Marwan, Besten, Bexen and Mansad. They used to discuss Hadith (teachings of prophet Mohammed and his explanation) in the group. Haneefa used to send self-recorded voice messages in Malayalam about teachings of Prophet Mohammed. Many of these group members were later found missing and had allegedly joined IS, stated the NIA report.

There were 10 more people in the WhatsApp group following IS ideology. But, once the sleuths launched investigation against the people who left for Afghanistan, these persons decided to stay back An IB officer

KOCHI: Heres a shocker. The tentacles spread by the Islamic State (IS) in Kerala have more reach than what is originally believed. The Intelligence agencies and the NIA probing the cyber activities of the suspected IS members, who have left for Afghanistan from Kerala, have tracked down more Keralites following IS ideology. During the probe, the NIA had stumbled upon a WhatsApp group created by the 23 IS sympathisers from Kerala much before they left for Afghanistan. Upon detailed examining, the agency received information about more Keralites who wanted to leave for Afghanistan to join IS. According to an NIA officer, a Keralite was killed in the IS operation last week. He said all the members of the WhatsApp group hail from Kerala and a majority of them had already left for Afghanistan. There were 25 members in the WhatsApp group, Tazkiyan (purification of soul) and of them, 14 have already left India. The group members, include Maulana Haneefa, who was arrested by the Mumbai police, and missing people Abdul Rashid Abdulla, Dr Ijas, Shihas, Firoz, Murshid, Hafizuddin, Marwan, Besten, Bexen and Mansad. They used to discuss Hadith (teachings of prophet Mohammed and his explanation) in the group. Haneefa used to send self-recorded voice messages in Malayalam about teachings of Prophet Mohammed. Many of these group members were later found missing and had allegedly joined IS, stated the NIA report. There were 10 more people in the WhatsApp group following IS ideology. But, once the sleuths launched investigation against the people who left for Afghanistan, these persons decided to stay back An IB officer
Manish Anand By

NEW DELHI: RJD chief Lalu Prasad, former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, and the senior Congress leader Rashid Masood, who have been barred from contesting polls, may soon heave a sigh of relief.

The Parliamentary panel set up to draft electoral reforms has found consensus across party lines that would allow tainted netas to contest. An ordinance on the same had earlier got a nod from the Manmohan Singh Cabinet.

But later, a copy of it was torn by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, and Congress leader Rashid Masood, who have been barred from contesting polls, may soon heave a sigh of relief. The Parliamentary panel set up to draft electoral reforms has found consensus across party lines that would allow tainted netas to contest. The same ordinance had earlier got a nod from the Manmohan Singh-led UPA Cabinet. But later, a copy of it was torn by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

There is consensus among all members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice, which is examining issues concerning electoral reforms. In the meeting on July 3, it was agreed on that political leaders convicted by lower courts for two or more years should be allowed to contest elections until the highest appeal court upholds the conviction. There is a sense that political leaders could be denied natural justice if the current norms continue, a member of the panel said.

Lalu Prasad Yadav

The panel is likely to submit its report soon to both Houses of Parliament in the upcoming Monsoon Session. The panel is headed by Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress leader Anand Sharma, and consists of MPs from both the Houses cutting across party lines.

However, the panel appears to be facing sharp differences on the issue of holding simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

The Congress has submitted its written submission, arguing that holding such elections would not be practical. A BJP leader argued that the President may be given the power to choose the Prime Minister in the event no political party enjoys majority support.

This argument was shot down after extensive deliberations on the ground that such a move could actually unveil a Presidential form of government.

On the issue of state funding of elections, members belonging to the Opposition parties have reportedly sought that the government should book slots in private news channels and public broadcasters Doordarshan and All India Radio for political parties to air campaign materials. Another emerging suggestion is that the Election Commission should earmark a fixed public ground at all places for canvassing.

NEW DELHI: RJD chief Lalu Prasad, former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, and the senior Congress leader Rashid Masood, who have been barred from contesting polls, may soon heave a sigh of relief. The Parliamentary panel set up to draft electoral reforms has found consensus across party lines that would allow tainted netas to contest. An ordinance on the same had earlier got a nod from the Manmohan Singh Cabinet. But later, a copy of it was torn by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, and Congress leader Rashid Masood, who have been barred from contesting polls, may soon heave a sigh of relief. The Parliamentary panel set up to draft electoral reforms has found consensus across party lines that would allow tainted netas to contest. The same ordinance had earlier got a nod from the Manmohan Singh-led UPA Cabinet. But later, a copy of it was torn by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. There is consensus among all members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice, which is examining issues concerning electoral reforms. In the meeting on July 3, it was agreed on that political leaders convicted by lower courts for two or more years should be allowed to contest elections until the highest appeal court upholds the conviction. There is a sense that political leaders could be denied natural justice if the current norms continue, a member of the panel said. Lalu Prasad YadavThe panel is likely to submit its report soon to both Houses of Parliament in the upcoming Monsoon Session. The panel is headed by Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress leader Anand Sharma, and consists of MPs from both the Houses cutting across party lines. However, the panel appears to be facing sharp differences on the issue of holding simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The Congress has submitted its written submission, arguing that holding such elections would not be practical. A BJP leader argued that the President may be given the power to choose the Prime Minister in the event no political party enjoys majority support. This argument was shot down after extensive deliberations on the ground that such a move could actually unveil a Presidential form of government. On the issue of state funding of elections, members belonging to the Opposition parties have reportedly sought that the government should book slots in private news channels and public broadcasters Doordarshan and All India Radio for political parties to air campaign materials. Another emerging suggestion is that the Election Commission should earmark a fixed public ground at all places for canvassing.
By Associated Press

NAIROBI: Al-Shabab extremists from neighboring Somalia beheaded nine civilians in an attack on a village in Kenya's southeast early Saturday, officials said, adding to growing concerns the Islamic militant group has taken up a bloody new strategy.

The attack occurred in Jima village in Lamu County, said James Ole Serian, who leads a task force of security agencies combating the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab.

Beheadings by al-Shabab have been rare in Kenya even as the group has carried out dozens of deadly attacks over the years. Beheadings are not uncommon in Somalia, where the extremists carry them out on people who are believed to be enemies and to terrorize local populations.

This East Africa country has seen an increase in attacks claimed by al-Shabab in recent weeks, posing a security threat ahead of next month's presidential election.

Al-Shabab has vowed retribution on Kenya for sending troops in 2011 to Somalia to fight the group, which last year became the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa.

Saturday's attack occurred in the Pandaguo area, where al-Shabab fighters engaged security agencies in a daylong battle three days ago. A police report said about 15 al-Shabab fighters attacked Jima village and seized men, killing them with knives.

Al-Shabab in recent months has increased attacks in Kenya with homemade bombs, killing at least 46 people in Lamu and Mandera counties.

The increase in attacks presents a huge problem for Kenya's security agencies ahead of the Aug. 8 presidential election, said Andrew Franklin, a former U.S. Marine who is a security analyst. On election day security agencies will be strained while attempting to stop any possible violence and al-Shabab could take advantage, he said.

There was no immediate government comment on the latest attack.

Acting Interior Minister Fred Matiangi issued a dusk-to-dawn curfew for parts of Garissa, Tana River and Lamu counties. Mandera County already was under a curfew following earlier al-Shabab attacks. All are close to the Somali border.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has not issued any statement on the recent surge in al-Shabab attacks.

Kenya is among five countries contributing troops to an African Union force that is bolstering Somalia's fragile central government against al-Shabab's insurgency. Of the troop-contributing countries, Kenya has borne the brunt of retaliatory attacks from al-Shabab.

NAIROBI: Al-Shabab extremists from neighboring Somalia beheaded nine civilians in an attack on a village in Kenya's southeast early Saturday, officials said, adding to growing concerns the Islamic militant group has taken up a bloody new strategy. The attack occurred in Jima village in Lamu County, said James Ole Serian, who leads a task force of security agencies combating the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab. Beheadings by al-Shabab have been rare in Kenya even as the group has carried out dozens of deadly attacks over the years. Beheadings are not uncommon in Somalia, where the extremists carry them out on people who are believed to be enemies and to terrorize local populations. This East Africa country has seen an increase in attacks claimed by al-Shabab in recent weeks, posing a security threat ahead of next month's presidential election. Al-Shabab has vowed retribution on Kenya for sending troops in 2011 to Somalia to fight the group, which last year became the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa. Saturday's attack occurred in the Pandaguo area, where al-Shabab fighters engaged security agencies in a daylong battle three days ago. A police report said about 15 al-Shabab fighters attacked Jima village and seized men, killing them with knives. Al-Shabab in recent months has increased attacks in Kenya with homemade bombs, killing at least 46 people in Lamu and Mandera counties. The increase in attacks presents a huge problem for Kenya's security agencies ahead of the Aug. 8 presidential election, said Andrew Franklin, a former U.S. Marine who is a security analyst. On election day security agencies will be strained while attempting to stop any possible violence and al-Shabab could take advantage, he said. There was no immediate government comment on the latest attack. Acting Interior Minister Fred Matiangi issued a dusk-to-dawn curfew for parts of Garissa, Tana River and Lamu counties. Mandera County already was under a curfew following earlier al-Shabab attacks. All are close to the Somali border. President Uhuru Kenyatta has not issued any statement on the recent surge in al-Shabab attacks. Kenya is among five countries contributing troops to an African Union force that is bolstering Somalia's fragile central government against al-Shabab's insurgency. Of the troop-contributing countries, Kenya has borne the brunt of retaliatory attacks from al-Shabab.
By ANI

KARACHI: Abdullah Zafar, a journalist associated with English daily The Nation, was allegedly taken away from his residence in Karachi on Sunday.

The Nation quoted Abdullahs father as saying that at least 10 to 15 men, two of them in police uniforms, came to their residence at 3:30am and took away his son after blindfolding him.

Abdullah has been covering political beat in the newspaper for the last three years.

Meanwhile, the Dawn said in its report that prior to this incident, the same men had "raided" his brother's residence in Shah Faisal Colony, and then brought him along when they came to his house, according to Abdullahs father.

The father also alleged that when he went to the Sachal police station, an officer received his application but "appeared to be reluctant to register the FIR" on his complaint.

KARACHI: Abdullah Zafar, a journalist associated with English daily The Nation, was allegedly taken away from his residence in Karachi on Sunday. The Nation quoted Abdullahs father as saying that at least 10 to 15 men, two of them in police uniforms, came to their residence at 3:30am and took away his son after blindfolding him. Abdullah has been covering political beat in the newspaper for the last three years. Meanwhile, the Dawn said in its report that prior to this incident, the same men had "raided" his brother's residence in Shah Faisal Colony, and then brought him along when they came to his house, according to Abdullahs father. The father also alleged that when he went to the Sachal police station, an officer received his application but "appeared to be reluctant to register the FIR" on his complaint.
By AFP

Key dates in the offensive against the Islamic State group in Iraq's northern city of Mosul where on Sunday Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory.

- The battle begins -

- October 17, 2016: Iraqi forces launch the assault to recapture Iraq's second city, conquered by IS in June 2014. A month later jihadist group's supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made his only public appearance in Mosul, to urge Muslims worldwide to move to the recently proclaimed "caliphate" straddling Iraq and Syria.

Tens of thousands of army, police and counter-terrorism troops are thrown into the long-awaited offensive with crucial support from a US-led coalition.

In two weeks dozens of surrounding localities are recaptured, including the Christian town of Qaraqosh around 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Mosul.

- Entering Mosul -

- November 1: The army says it has entered Mosul city for the first time since 2014.

- November 3: Baghdadi breaks a year-long silence, urging followers to fight to the death for Mosul.

- November 8: Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighters say they have reached Bashiqa, a dozen kilometres north of Mosul.

- November 13: Iraq says it has recaptured Nimrud, an ancient city southeast of Mosul.

- November 23: Shiite-dominated paramilitary units known as the Hashed al-Shaabi say they have cut IS supply lines between Mosul and the jihadists' Syrian stronghold Raqa, 400 kilometres to the west.

The Iraqi forces face strong resistance from the jihadists who carry out numerous suicide attacks.

- East Mosul retaken -

- December 29: Government troops end a two-week pause and launch the second phase of their assault on east Mosul.

- January 8: Iraqi units reach the Tigris River that divides Mosul and take up positions near one of the city's five bridges, all now destroyed.

- January 24: The Joint Operations Command coordinating the fight says the east has been "fully liberated".

- Battle for west begins -

- February 19: Abadi announces the start of the battle for west Mosul, with Iraqi forces backed by coalition air power and support from coalition advisers.

- February 24: Iraqi forces seize full control of Mosul airport and enter their first west Mosul neighbourhood.

- March 12: A US envoy says Iraqi troops have cut all roads into western Mosul, trapping remaining IS fighters inside.

- March 14: Iraqi forces say they have captured the city's train station after reaching other symbolic sites such as the regional government headquarters and the city's museum.

- Old City -

May 4: Iraqi forces launch a second front in northwestern Mosul to further seal the siege on the Old City. Aid groups say jihadists are holding tens of thousands of civilians as human shields.

May 16: A military spokesman says almost 90 percent of west Mosul has been recaptured.

The United Nations says that hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have fled Mosul over the past seven months.

June 18: Iraqi forces, backed by coalition air strikes, launch an assault to retake the Old City, where remaining IS fighters are entrenched.

June 21: IS fighters blow up Mosul's iconic leaning minaret and the adjacent mosque where Baghdadi made his only public appearance.

A week later, troops retake the mosque ruins which Abadi hails as a sign of IS's impending defeat. Iraqi forces battle the last few hundred jihadists in Mosul's historic centre.

- Mosul falls -

- July 9: Abadi declares victory in the "liberated" city during a visit to Mosul, his office says.

This marks an epic milestone for the Iraqi security forces, who had crumbled in the face of an IS onslaught across Iraqi in 2014.

In the final days of the battle, the fight grew tougher as Iraqi forces fought to retake the last two IS-held areas near the Tigris River

Key dates in the offensive against the Islamic State group in Iraq's northern city of Mosul where on Sunday Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory. - The battle begins - - October 17, 2016: Iraqi forces launch the assault to recapture Iraq's second city, conquered by IS in June 2014. A month later jihadist group's supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made his only public appearance in Mosul, to urge Muslims worldwide to move to the recently proclaimed "caliphate" straddling Iraq and Syria. Tens of thousands of army, police and counter-terrorism troops are thrown into the long-awaited offensive with crucial support from a US-led coalition. In two weeks dozens of surrounding localities are recaptured, including the Christian town of Qaraqosh around 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Mosul. - Entering Mosul - - November 1: The army says it has entered Mosul city for the first time since 2014. - November 3: Baghdadi breaks a year-long silence, urging followers to fight to the death for Mosul. - November 8: Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighters say they have reached Bashiqa, a dozen kilometres north of Mosul. - November 13: Iraq says it has recaptured Nimrud, an ancient city southeast of Mosul. - November 23: Shiite-dominated paramilitary units known as the Hashed al-Shaabi say they have cut IS supply lines between Mosul and the jihadists' Syrian stronghold Raqa, 400 kilometres to the west. The Iraqi forces face strong resistance from the jihadists who carry out numerous suicide attacks. - East Mosul retaken - - December 29: Government troops end a two-week pause and launch the second phase of their assault on east Mosul. - January 8: Iraqi units reach the Tigris River that divides Mosul and take up positions near one of the city's five bridges, all now destroyed. - January 24: The Joint Operations Command coordinating the fight says the east has been "fully liberated". - Battle for west begins - - February 19: Abadi announces the start of the battle for west Mosul, with Iraqi forces backed by coalition air power and support from coalition advisers. - February 24: Iraqi forces seize full control of Mosul airport and enter their first west Mosul neighbourhood. - March 12: A US envoy says Iraqi troops have cut all roads into western Mosul, trapping remaining IS fighters inside. - March 14: Iraqi forces say they have captured the city's train station after reaching other symbolic sites such as the regional government headquarters and the city's museum. - Old City - May 4: Iraqi forces launch a second front in northwestern Mosul to further seal the siege on the Old City. Aid groups say jihadists are holding tens of thousands of civilians as human shields. May 16: A military spokesman says almost 90 percent of west Mosul has been recaptured. The United Nations says that hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have fled Mosul over the past seven months. June 18: Iraqi forces, backed by coalition air strikes, launch an assault to retake the Old City, where remaining IS fighters are entrenched. June 21: IS fighters blow up Mosul's iconic leaning minaret and the adjacent mosque where Baghdadi made his only public appearance. A week later, troops retake the mosque ruins which Abadi hails as a sign of IS's impending defeat. Iraqi forces battle the last few hundred jihadists in Mosul's historic centre. - Mosul falls - - July 9: Abadi declares victory in the "liberated" city during a visit to Mosul, his office says. This marks an epic milestone for the Iraqi security forces, who had crumbled in the face of an IS onslaught across Iraqi in 2014. In the final days of the battle, the fight grew tougher as Iraqi forces fought to retake the last two IS-held areas near the Tigris River
By AFP

MOSUL: Mosul was the largest city in the "caliphate" proclaimed by the Islamic State group and its loss is a huge blow to the jihadists' statehood experiment -- but not a fatal one.

The northern Iraqi city was where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made his only known public appearance in July 2014, announcing himself to the world as "caliph" during a Friday sermon at a mosque in the Old City.

It took tens of thousands of Iraqi forces backed by Western warplanes and special forces nearly nine months to defeat the jihadists, who leave behind them a heavily damaged city and exhausted security forces.

With Mosul, a city that had a population of around two million three years ago, the "caliphate" loses one of the main hubs of its administration and IS one of the most potent symbols of its might.

"It is a major blow to IS's prestige," said David Witty, an analyst and retired US special forces colonel.

The recapture of Mosul, hailed as a decisive step towards ending this unprecedented episode in the history of modern jihad, is the latest in a long string of setbacks for IS.

At its peak, the jihadist group controlled a territory roughly the size of South Korea or Jordan and with a population of more than 10 million. It has now lost more than half of the land and three quarters of the population.

And a major offensive on its other de facto capital, the Syrian city of Raqa, is gathering momentum.

The group -- whose motto was "remain and expand" -- has not conquered new areas around the core of its "caliphate" since 2015, has lost thousands of fighters and is less attractive to foreign jihadists than it once was.

The fall of Mosul further reduces the so-called caliphate's territorial contiguity, leaving more pockets of IS-held land completely isolated.

Yet analysts warn it is too early to declare final victory.

"We should not view the recapture of Mosul as the death knell for IS," said Patrick Martin, Iraq analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, adding the group "still holds significant urban terrain," notably in Syria.

- Years of instability -

Even in Iraq, where the jihadists lost more ground and only retain seven percent of the territory they once had, declaring the caliphate dead "implies that IS can no longer control terrain and govern," he said.

Yet "if security forces do not take steps to ensure that gains against IS are sustained for the long-term, then IS could theoretically resurge and recapture urban terrain," Martin said.

As it attempts to save the remnants of the caliphate, the group is likely to intensify a transformation it has already begun by focusing more of its resources on guerrilla attacks and bombings.

"In the near-term in Iraq, IS will switch to terrorism and insurgency instead of trying to openly control major areas," Witty said.

Martin said there was already a pattern of major IS attacks following military setbacks.

The deadliest ever bomb attack in Baghdad, in which more than 320 people were killed last year, came after the jihadists lost their emblematic bastion of Fallujah.

The group also staged a major commando attack on the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk days after the launch of the assault on Mosul, which was Iraq's biggest military operation in years.

With its dreams of statehood on hold, IS is expected to revert to those types of attack and do everything it can to deny the Iraqi government any claim it has been eliminated.

"It is very easy to see this coming, and Iraq will likely be plagued by insecurity for years to come," Witty said.

The reach of IS ideology remains one of the greatest threats in the world after three years that saw foreign affiliates mushroom far beyond the core of the "caliphate" and thousands of foreign fighters join the battlefield, with some returning home.

MOSUL: Mosul was the largest city in the "caliphate" proclaimed by the Islamic State group and its loss is a huge blow to the jihadists' statehood experiment -- but not a fatal one. The northern Iraqi city was where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made his only known public appearance in July 2014, announcing himself to the world as "caliph" during a Friday sermon at a mosque in the Old City. It took tens of thousands of Iraqi forces backed by Western warplanes and special forces nearly nine months to defeat the jihadists, who leave behind them a heavily damaged city and exhausted security forces. With Mosul, a city that had a population of around two million three years ago, the "caliphate" loses one of the main hubs of its administration and IS one of the most potent symbols of its might. "It is a major blow to IS's prestige," said David Witty, an analyst and retired US special forces colonel. The recapture of Mosul, hailed as a decisive step towards ending this unprecedented episode in the history of modern jihad, is the latest in a long string of setbacks for IS. At its peak, the jihadist group controlled a territory roughly the size of South Korea or Jordan and with a population of more than 10 million. It has now lost more than half of the land and three quarters of the population. And a major offensive on its other de facto capital, the Syrian city of Raqa, is gathering momentum. The group -- whose motto was "remain and expand" -- has not conquered new areas around the core of its "caliphate" since 2015, has lost thousands of fighters and is less attractive to foreign jihadists than it once was. The fall of Mosul further reduces the so-called caliphate's territorial contiguity, leaving more pockets of IS-held land completely isolated. Yet analysts warn it is too early to declare final victory. "We should not view the recapture of Mosul as the death knell for IS," said Patrick Martin, Iraq analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, adding the group "still holds significant urban terrain," notably in Syria. - Years of instability - Even in Iraq, where the jihadists lost more ground and only retain seven percent of the territory they once had, declaring the caliphate dead "implies that IS can no longer control terrain and govern," he said. Yet "if security forces do not take steps to ensure that gains against IS are sustained for the long-term, then IS could theoretically resurge and recapture urban terrain," Martin said. As it attempts to save the remnants of the caliphate, the group is likely to intensify a transformation it has already begun by focusing more of its resources on guerrilla attacks and bombings. "In the near-term in Iraq, IS will switch to terrorism and insurgency instead of trying to openly control major areas," Witty said. Martin said there was already a pattern of major IS attacks following military setbacks. The deadliest ever bomb attack in Baghdad, in which more than 320 people were killed last year, came after the jihadists lost their emblematic bastion of Fallujah. The group also staged a major commando attack on the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk days after the launch of the assault on Mosul, which was Iraq's biggest military operation in years. With its dreams of statehood on hold, IS is expected to revert to those types of attack and do everything it can to deny the Iraqi government any claim it has been eliminated. "It is very easy to see this coming, and Iraq will likely be plagued by insecurity for years to come," Witty said. The reach of IS ideology remains one of the greatest threats in the world after three years that saw foreign affiliates mushroom far beyond the core of the "caliphate" and thousands of foreign fighters join the battlefield, with some returning home.
By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI) The World Health Organization (WHO) has said antibiotic resistance is making gonorrhoea, a sexually-transmitted disease, "much harder and sometimes impossible" to treat, as it cited data from 77 countries including India.

The global health body said every year, an estimated 35.2 million people were infected by the disease in the WHOs Western Pacific Region and 11.4 million in the South-East Asian Region, which includes India.

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"Data from 77 countries show that antibiotic resistance is making gonorrhoea much harder, and sometimes impossible, to treat," it said.

Asked if India was a part of the 77 countries, the WHO, Geneva, replied, "India is part of the 77 countries and has been coordinating with the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in gonorrhoea in South East Asia Region".

Each year, an estimated 78 million people are infected with gonorrhoea - which can infect the genitals, rectum, and throat.

It afflicts 11.4 million in the WHO African Region, 11.0 million in the WHO Region of the Americas, 4.7 million in the WHO European Region and 4.5 million in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region.

Gonorrhoea disproportionately affects women, leading to pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility, as well as an increased HIV risk.

"The bacteria that cause gonorrhoea are particularly smart. Every time we use a new class of antibiotics to treat the infection, the bacteria evolve to resist them," said Dr Teodora Wi, Medical Officer, Human Reproduction, WHO.

WHO reports widespread resistance to older and cheaper antibiotics. Some countries - particularly high-income ones, where surveillance is among the best - are finding cases that are untreatable by all known antibiotics, it said.

"These cases may just be the tip of the iceberg, since systems to diagnose and report untreatable infections are lacking in lower-income countries where gonorrhoea is actually more common," said Dr Wi.

Decreasing condom use, increased urbanisation and travel, poor infection detection rates and inadequate or failed treatment all contribute to this increase, the WHO said.

The WHO Global Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (WHO GASP) monitors trends in drug-resistant gonorrhoea.

WHO GASP data from 2009 to 2014 underscore widespread resistance to ciprofloxacin, with 97 per cent of countries that reported data in that period finding drug-resistant strains.

It also found increasing resistance to azithromycin [81 per cent], and the emergence of resistance to the current last-resort treatment: the extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs) oral cefixime or injectable ceftriaxone [66 per cent].

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Currently, in most countries, ESCs are the only single antibiotic that remain effective for treating gonorrhoea.

But resistance to cefixime - and more rarely to ceftriaxone - has now been reported in more than 50 countries.

As a result, the WHO issued an updated global treatment recommendations in 2016 advising doctors to give two antibiotics - ceftriaxone and azithromycin, the WHO said.

The global health body said the research and development pipeline for gonorrhoea is relatively empty, with only three new candidate drugs in various stages of clinical development.

They are solithromycin, for which a phase-III trial was recently completed, and zoliflodacin and gepotidacin, which have both completed a phase-II trial.

Gonorrhoea can be prevented through safer sexual behaviour, in particular consistent and correct condom use.

Information, education, and communication can promote and enable safer sex practices, improve peoples ability to recognise the symptoms of gonorrhoea and other sexually transmitted infections, and increase the likelihood they will seek care, the WHO said. PTI TDS TIR BDS

--- ENDS ---
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's PML-N party has threatened to reject the findings of a joint investigation team probing the Panamagate graft case against the Sharif family, threatening to push the country's politics to a precipice as the panel is set to submit its report tomorrow.

The top leadership of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) yesterday made it clear that the ruling party will not accept the findings of the JIT if the statements of a former Qatari prime minister Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani are not made part of the report.

Four federal ministers considered close to Sharif, 67, in a press conference raised questions on the functioning of the JIT, set up by the Supreme Court in May to investigate the Sharif family about its properties in London, and expressed reservations about the process of investigation.

"The JIT report will be compromised without his (Qatari prince) statements and we will not accept it," Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said in a joint statement.

Al-Thani in two letters written to the Supreme Court said that late Muhammad Sharif, father of Nawaz Sharif, had invested 12 million dirhams in real estate business of the royal family.

According to letters by the Qatari royal, the money invested by late Sharif was returned to the family with profits. The Sharifs have maintained that the same money was used to buy properties in London.

However, opposition parties allege that the London properties were bought through ill-gotten money in the 1990s when Sharif served twice as Pakistan's prime minister.

Local media had earlier reported that two members of the JIT had gone to Qatar to record his statement but it later emerged that they had gone to UAE for official work.

It is for the first time that PML-N has indicated that it might reject the report. But any such action may result in widespread unrest in the country.

Sharif's nemesis Imran Khan had already threatened that he would protest if the government tried to derail the probe.

The current crisis started after the Panama Papers showed that Sharif's children owned the London properties and manage them through offshore companies.

The six-member JIT set up in May by the Supreme Court is investigating the Sharifs for allegedly failing to provide the trail of money used to buy properties in London in 1990s.

The JIT questioned Sharif, his daughter and two sons, and several of his family members, close aides and top current and former officials.

It is expected to submit its report to the Supreme Court tomorrow at the completion of a 60-day deadline.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's PML-N party has threatened to reject the findings of a joint investigation team probing the Panamagate graft case against the Sharif family, threatening to push the country's politics to a precipice as the panel is set to submit its report tomorrow. The top leadership of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) yesterday made it clear that the ruling party will not accept the findings of the JIT if the statements of a former Qatari prime minister Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani are not made part of the report. Four federal ministers considered close to Sharif, 67, in a press conference raised questions on the functioning of the JIT, set up by the Supreme Court in May to investigate the Sharif family about its properties in London, and expressed reservations about the process of investigation. "The JIT report will be compromised without his (Qatari prince) statements and we will not accept it," Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said in a joint statement. Al-Thani in two letters written to the Supreme Court said that late Muhammad Sharif, father of Nawaz Sharif, had invested 12 million dirhams in real estate business of the royal family. According to letters by the Qatari royal, the money invested by late Sharif was returned to the family with profits. The Sharifs have maintained that the same money was used to buy properties in London. However, opposition parties allege that the London properties were bought through ill-gotten money in the 1990s when Sharif served twice as Pakistan's prime minister. Local media had earlier reported that two members of the JIT had gone to Qatar to record his statement but it later emerged that they had gone to UAE for official work. It is for the first time that PML-N has indicated that it might reject the report. But any such action may result in widespread unrest in the country. Sharif's nemesis Imran Khan had already threatened that he would protest if the government tried to derail the probe. The current crisis started after the Panama Papers showed that Sharif's children owned the London properties and manage them through offshore companies. The six-member JIT set up in May by the Supreme Court is investigating the Sharifs for allegedly failing to provide the trail of money used to buy properties in London in 1990s. The JIT questioned Sharif, his daughter and two sons, and several of his family members, close aides and top current and former officials. It is expected to submit its report to the Supreme Court tomorrow at the completion of a 60-day deadline.
By AFP

UKRAINE: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Russia Sunday to take the "first step" to ease the bloody separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, which Kiev and the West believe is being fuelled by Moscow.

Tillerson said sanctions will remain in place against Russia "until Moscow reverses their actions".

"It is necessary for Russia to take the first step to de-escalate the situation in the east part of Ukraine," Tillerson said as he made his first visit as Washington's top diplomat to Kiev.

"We are disappointed by the lack of progress under the Minsk agreement," he added at a joint briefing with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko after they held talks.

Tillerson's visit to Ukraine followed a first face-to-face meeting between President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin on Friday at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

The conflict as well as Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 have pushed ties between Moscow and the West to their lowest point since the Cold War.

"We do call on Russia to honour its commitments," Tillerson said Sunday, referring to a peace deal aimed at halting the conflict between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russia rebels.

Tillerson urged the Kremlin "to respect the ceasefire, by pulling back the heavy weapons and (allowing) the OSCE (pan-European security body) tocarry out their responsibilities" under the deal struck in February 2015.

More than 10,000 people have been killed since the pro-Russian insurgency began in April 2014, which Kiev and the West accuse Moscow of orchestrating.

The US and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Russia, though Moscow has denied backing the rebels.

- Sanctions to remain -

"The US and EU sanctions on Russia will remain in place until Moscow reverses their actions," Tillerson stressed.

Efforts to secure a peace deal have foundered as the fighting has dragged on, and neither side appears prepared to make concessions.

Tillerson said he had appointed a special envoy to allow Washington to be more involved in a peace process overseen by Germany and France.

Poroshenko hailed US involvement and reiterated his commitment to seeking a negotiated peace deal.

"Most of all we want peace in Ukraine. We firmly adhere to our commitments," Ukrainian leader said.

Tillerson also commented on another key bone of contention between Trump and Putin at the G20: allegations of Russian interference in US election campaign, in favour of the Republican candidate.

On Friday Trump broached the issue with the Russian leader in Hamburg, and Putin denied it.

"In all candidness we did not expect an answer other than the one we received," Tillerson told reporters Sunday in Kiev.

"What we agreed on the cyber front is to explore a framework ... on how to deal with these very complex issues of cyber threats, cyber security, cyber intrusions," he added.

UKRAINE: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Russia Sunday to take the "first step" to ease the bloody separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, which Kiev and the West believe is being fuelled by Moscow. Tillerson said sanctions will remain in place against Russia "until Moscow reverses their actions". "It is necessary for Russia to take the first step to de-escalate the situation in the east part of Ukraine," Tillerson said as he made his first visit as Washington's top diplomat to Kiev. "We are disappointed by the lack of progress under the Minsk agreement," he added at a joint briefing with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko after they held talks. Tillerson's visit to Ukraine followed a first face-to-face meeting between President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin on Friday at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. The conflict as well as Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 have pushed ties between Moscow and the West to their lowest point since the Cold War. "We do call on Russia to honour its commitments," Tillerson said Sunday, referring to a peace deal aimed at halting the conflict between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russia rebels. Tillerson urged the Kremlin "to respect the ceasefire, by pulling back the heavy weapons and (allowing) the OSCE (pan-European security body) tocarry out their responsibilities" under the deal struck in February 2015. More than 10,000 people have been killed since the pro-Russian insurgency began in April 2014, which Kiev and the West accuse Moscow of orchestrating. The US and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Russia, though Moscow has denied backing the rebels. - Sanctions to remain - "The US and EU sanctions on Russia will remain in place until Moscow reverses their actions," Tillerson stressed. Efforts to secure a peace deal have foundered as the fighting has dragged on, and neither side appears prepared to make concessions. Tillerson said he had appointed a special envoy to allow Washington to be more involved in a peace process overseen by Germany and France. Poroshenko hailed US involvement and reiterated his commitment to seeking a negotiated peace deal. "Most of all we want peace in Ukraine. We firmly adhere to our commitments," Ukrainian leader said. Tillerson also commented on another key bone of contention between Trump and Putin at the G20: allegations of Russian interference in US election campaign, in favour of the Republican candidate. On Friday Trump broached the issue with the Russian leader in Hamburg, and Putin denied it. "In all candidness we did not expect an answer other than the one we received," Tillerson told reporters Sunday in Kiev. "What we agreed on the cyber front is to explore a framework ... on how to deal with these very complex issues of cyber threats, cyber security, cyber intrusions," he added.
By AFP

JORDAN: Royal Jordanian Airlines said on Sunday it has won an exemption from a US ban on passengers carrying laptops and tablet computers on flights from its hub in Amman.

The announcement comes more than three months after the United States prohibited such devices on flights from 10 airports in eight countries in the Middle East and North Africa as well as Turkey.

"Enhanced security measures are now implemented to meet the requirements of the US Department of Homeland Securitys new security guidelines for all US bound flights," Royal Jordanian chief executive Stefan Pichler said in a statement.

"We are glad that our guests can now fly onboard RJ and use their electronic devices," from Amman's Queen Alia International Airport, he added.

Jordan's national carrier now joins Etihad, Emirates, Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways in being exempted from the ban.

The measure also targeted flights originating in Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia's flagship airline, Saudia, said it expects the United States to lift the ban on its flights on or before July 19.

The United States has said it will abolish the ban for airlines that implement new safety measures.

JORDAN: Royal Jordanian Airlines said on Sunday it has won an exemption from a US ban on passengers carrying laptops and tablet computers on flights from its hub in Amman. The announcement comes more than three months after the United States prohibited such devices on flights from 10 airports in eight countries in the Middle East and North Africa as well as Turkey. "Enhanced security measures are now implemented to meet the requirements of the US Department of Homeland Securitys new security guidelines for all US bound flights," Royal Jordanian chief executive Stefan Pichler said in a statement. "We are glad that our guests can now fly onboard RJ and use their electronic devices," from Amman's Queen Alia International Airport, he added. Jordan's national carrier now joins Etihad, Emirates, Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways in being exempted from the ban. The measure also targeted flights originating in Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's flagship airline, Saudia, said it expects the United States to lift the ban on its flights on or before July 19. The United States has said it will abolish the ban for airlines that implement new safety measures.
By AFP

WASHINGTON: The United States will crank up pressure on China to ensure that it implements sanctions against North Korea over its missile tests, Washington's ambassador to the United Nations pledged Sunday.

After North Korea conducted its intercontinental ballistic missile test last week, Nikki Haley said that while the US wanted to avoid conflict, it was determined to halt North Korea's nuclear drive.

"The fact that they launched an ICBM test is hugely dangerous not just for us, but for so many of our friends in the world, and we've got to put a stop to it," Haley told CBS television.

Haley told the UN Security Council last week that the US planned a new resolution which would ramp up sanctions on North Korea but also ensure that existing measures are enforced.

China is North Korea's main ally and the US has become increasingly frustrated at what it sees as Beijing's failure to ensure the existing sanctions against the regime of Kim Jong-Un are fully implemented.

"It will be very telling based on how other countries respond -- whether they want to hold Kim Jong-Un's hand through this process or whether they want to be on the side of so many countries who know that this is a dangerous person with the access to an ICBM," said Haley.

- 'We're going to fight hard' -

"So we're going to fight hard on this. We're going to push hard not just on North Korea, we're going to push hard on other countries who are not abiding by the resolutions and not abiding by the sanctions against North Korea.

"And we're going to push hard against China because 90 percent of the trade that happens with North Korea is from China, and so while they have been helpful, they need to do more."

While the Trump administration has tried to enlist China's help in persuading North Korea to put the brakes on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, it has shown signs of giving up on Beijing.

Trump raised eyebrows last month with a tweet concluding that China's efforts had "not worked out," and Washington recently slapped sanctions on a Chinese bank linked to North Korea and infuriated Beijing with announcement of a new arms sale to Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province.

Asked if China had let the US down, Haley said that "they actually followed through on the things that we asked them to," including by suspending coal imports, choking off a key source of hard currency for Pyongyang.

"Now we have to say, okay, clearly that's not enough," she said.

"With the Security Council resolution that we're negotiating now, we don't expect a watered down resolution, it will be very telling as to whether China works with us, which we are hoping that they will."

WASHINGTON: The United States will crank up pressure on China to ensure that it implements sanctions against North Korea over its missile tests, Washington's ambassador to the United Nations pledged Sunday. After North Korea conducted its intercontinental ballistic missile test last week, Nikki Haley said that while the US wanted to avoid conflict, it was determined to halt North Korea's nuclear drive. "The fact that they launched an ICBM test is hugely dangerous not just for us, but for so many of our friends in the world, and we've got to put a stop to it," Haley told CBS television. Haley told the UN Security Council last week that the US planned a new resolution which would ramp up sanctions on North Korea but also ensure that existing measures are enforced. China is North Korea's main ally and the US has become increasingly frustrated at what it sees as Beijing's failure to ensure the existing sanctions against the regime of Kim Jong-Un are fully implemented. "It will be very telling based on how other countries respond -- whether they want to hold Kim Jong-Un's hand through this process or whether they want to be on the side of so many countries who know that this is a dangerous person with the access to an ICBM," said Haley. - 'We're going to fight hard' - "So we're going to fight hard on this. We're going to push hard not just on North Korea, we're going to push hard on other countries who are not abiding by the resolutions and not abiding by the sanctions against North Korea. "And we're going to push hard against China because 90 percent of the trade that happens with North Korea is from China, and so while they have been helpful, they need to do more." While the Trump administration has tried to enlist China's help in persuading North Korea to put the brakes on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, it has shown signs of giving up on Beijing. Trump raised eyebrows last month with a tweet concluding that China's efforts had "not worked out," and Washington recently slapped sanctions on a Chinese bank linked to North Korea and infuriated Beijing with announcement of a new arms sale to Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province. Asked if China had let the US down, Haley said that "they actually followed through on the things that we asked them to," including by suspending coal imports, choking off a key source of hard currency for Pyongyang. "Now we have to say, okay, clearly that's not enough," she said. "With the Security Council resolution that we're negotiating now, we don't expect a watered down resolution, it will be very telling as to whether China works with us, which we are hoping that they will."
In the current year, the army has been able to foil over 25 infiltration attempts killing more than 45 armed intruders along the LoC.

By Anindya Banerjee: The deployment of around 1,000 troops by the Army on the Line of Control (LoC) along the traditional infiltration route this year in Baramulla sector seems to have paid dividends as a number of terrorists have been killed at the entry point itself.

Having controlled the inflow of terrorists through the traditional areas, the Army has now received inputs that Pakistan may try to push the terrorists through the Gurez area which is guarded by seven battalions including three of the Border Security Force (BSF).

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"When we felt that the terrorists may start using these routes, the 8 Rashtriya Rifles battalion was deployed in the Baramula sector which is looked after by the 19 Division of the force and that is why we saw incidents where terrorists got killed in groups of four to six," an Army officer said.

STATISTICS

Six terrorists were killed on May 27 in the Rampur sector Brigade under the Baramulla division area while a Border Action Team of Pakistan was eliminated by the troops around the same time in the Uri sector.

In the current year, the army has been able to foil over 25 infiltration attempts killing more than 45 armed intruders along the LoC.

Sources said the terrorists have fallen in Army's ambush parties at new locations and places as their guides would not have known about the increased number of troops there. The guides bringing the terrorists would not have known that the gaps exploited by them in the past would have been plugged by the additional troops and this helped in bringing down infiltration levels, the sources said.

STEPS TAKEN TO PLUGS GAPS IN GUREZ

The sources said steps have already been taken to plug the gaps in the high altitude areas of Gurez where heights are in the ranges of 14,000-15,000 feet.

"Since entering from the lower areas has not been possible, terrorists must have been reluctant to enter due to high rate of interception by us. But they will definitely try some other areas to push in terrorists," the officer said.

In the recent months, more than 90 terrorists have been killed in different incidents of encounters and ambushes laid by security forces as they have been directed to carry out relentless operations against the terror machinery of Pakistan.

The coordination between Army, BSF, CRPF and local police also has improved significantly as joint operations are being undertaken and none of the forces operating there has been into credit taking game this year.

BURHAN WANI DEATH ANNIVERSARY

Meanwhile, one woman was injured in clashes between protestors and security forces in Kashmir on Saturday as authorities imposed curfew-like restrictions in the Valley to foil separatists' plan for a rally in Tral town to commemorate the first death anniversary of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani.

Clashes broke out in at least a dozen places in south Kashmir as small groups of people defied restrictions and tried to go to Tral, the native town of Wani in Pulwama district, a police official said. A woman sustained multiple pellet injuries in one such clash in Shopian town.

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Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed in strength across Kashmir and Internet services snapped to maintain law and order. Separatists, including Hurriyat Conference factions led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and the Yasin Malik-led JKLF, had asked people to march to Tral to pay tribute to Wani.

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J-K: Terrorist killed in encounter with security forces in Baramulla district

--- ENDS ---
U.S. auto imports from the likes of General Motors and Ford Motor must become more chic, affordable or fuel-efficient to reap the rewards of President Donald Trump's attempts to renegotiate a trade deal with key ally South Korea, officials and industry experts in Seoul say.



Meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in last week in Washington, Trump said the United States would do more to address trade imbalances with South Korea and create a level playing ground for U.S. businesses, especially carmakers, in the world's 11th largest auto market by sales.



While imports from automakers including Ford, Chrysler and GM more than doubled last year largely thanks to free trade deal which took effect in 2012, sales account for just 1 percent of a market dominated by more affordable models from local giants Hyundai Motor Co and affiliate Kia Motors Corp.



Imports make up just 15 percent of the overall Korean auto market, and are mainly more luxurious models from German automakers BMW and Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz, which also benefit from a trade deal with the European Union.



"Addressing non-tariff barriers would not fundamentally raise the competitiveness of U.S. cars," a senior Korean government official told Reuters, declining to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject.



"What we really want to say to the United States is: make good cars, make cars that Korean consumers like."



TASTE BARRIER



In Korea, U.S. imports are seen as lagging German brands in brand image, sophistication and fuel economy, industry experts say. U.S. imports do have a competitive advantage in electric cars: Tesla Motors' electric vehicles are seen as both environmentally friendly and trendy, while GM has launched a long-range Bolt EV.



U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross had cited a quota in the current trade deal as an obstacle to boosting imports.



The quota allows U.S. automakers to bring in each year 25,000 vehicles that meet U.S., not necessarily Korean, safety standards. Should GM, for example, decide to bring in more than its quota of one model - the Impala sedans - it would cost up to $75 million to modify the cars to meet Korean safety standards, the company told its local labour union.



Asked about non-tariff barriers, a spokesman at GM's Korean unit said removing them could expand the range of models the company can bring in from the United States.



No U.S. company, however, has yet to make full use of the quota, industry data shows. GM, the most popular U.S. brand, sold only 13,150 U.S.-made vehicles last year.



U.S. cars could also see the benefits of a renegotiated trade deal at a time when diesel-powered cars offered by Volkswagen's are losing appeal following cheating on emissions tests. However, they still need to appeal to the locals, experts say.



"Upgrading their vehicles and meet the luxurious taste of consumers is more important than complaining about non-tariff barriers," said Kim Pil-soo, a professor of engineering at Daelim University College near Seoul.


Amritsar: The year was 1919. Thousands from Amritsar and other places had, on April 13, gathered at Jallianwala Bagh to celebrate Baisakhi and also to pass resolutions against the infamous Rowlatt Act, which was aimed at curbing civil liberties of Indians.

The British officer, a 55-year-old Colonel Reginald Edward Harry Dyer, who during that time held a temporary rank of Brigadier General, arrived at the area, with an army of Gorkha, Baluchi soldiers, and an armoured vehicle, at around 4:30 pm in the evening.

On his command, the soldiers made sure the civilians were trapped and then opened fire with fifty .303, Lee Enfield, bolt action rifles. As many as 1650 bullets of 7.92 mm calibre were fired in less than 10 minutes, leaving hundreds dead or injured.

Dyer was remorseless. He later reportedly said if his armoured car with a mounted machine gun could have gained access through the narrow gates to Jallianwala Bagh, he would have opened fire with the machine gun and killed every single person. The sheer brutality of the act, the targeted firing at peaceful civilians, and the guiltless justifications offered by Dyer pushed Indians from every corner of the country, and later even the British government, to condemn the massacre. Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood in protest and the British were compelled to institute a committee of inquiry, chaired by Lord Hunter. The committees report censured Dyer, saying that in continuing firing as long as he did, General Dyer committed a grave error.

98 years later, the massacre has come back to haunt governments, both Indian and the British. The digitized records of the episode in Punjab reveal that the British paid about Rs 22 lakh in compensation to the families of estimated 376 people who were killed, and more than 1,200 who were wounded.

The Birth of the special British Jallianwala committee

Records of the then British Punjab Government recently digitized by a Non-Governmental Organization  Punjab Digital Library, led by mathematician turned historian Davinder Pal Singh has revealed startling details of the debates that raged in official correspondence to decide who should be compensated how much and for what category of loss.

Several British officers, the records say, were opposed to the liberal compensation suggested by the specially appointed committee to look into all the cases and recommend payouts.

Much debate ensued and the British finally decided to set up a system to award compensation to those who were killed, injured or had lost their property in disturbances in Punjab in the aftermath of the Jallianwala Bagh incident.

On February 12, 1921, just short of two years after the massacre, British officers serving in Punjab, Shimla and Delhi managed to complete a major task. The Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar, H.D. Craik, wrote to the Chief Secretary to the Government of Punjab that he was replying to an urgent telegram sent the previous day. He was sending  in duplicate  the complete list of persons killed at Jallianwala Bagh. He also added, A list of wounded persons is under preparation and will follow as early as possible.

Now these rediscovered documents, which were found in four files of the Home Department of the British Government in Punjab, are once again stirring controversy and debate over compensation owed by the British as also the Indian Government to those who suffered.

Files are generally stacked and kept under lock. While we were digitizing, these records came our way and we saw written on four sets of files  Compensation Awarded to the Jallianwala Bagh Victims. The interesting thing was that I felt the committee wanted to give compensation. They found ways to pay the victims. It was a genuine attempt to pay. They did not try to hide, says Davinder Pal Singh.

Weighing the dead, one penny at a time

The records state many stories, some of what one could call unjust or unfair. Another striking revelation from the records remains how authorities back then differentiated among the victims on the basis of societal and economic basis.

C.M. King, an Indian Civil Service Officer posted as Commissioner of Punjab, then stationed at Lahore, wrote on December 31, 1920 that he had received a sum of Rs 5,000 for disbursing quietly to any injured persons that come to light through confidential inquiries.

As late as February 9, 1921, the British had paid a meagre sum of Rs 13,050 to the dependents of those killed. Little did they realize the total amount would go up to Rs 22 lakh, within a year after that.

The digitised records reveal the correspondence trail among British officers as they debated the quantum of compensation, the source of funds and mechanisms of disbursal. The list, dated February 12, 1921, names those killed.

It starts with 25-year-old Gagan Nath, son of Ramm Dass. He is followed by 48-year-old Mohn Lal, son of Bahna Mal, and then the list goes on and on through Hardiyal, Ram Das, Ganesha Singh and ends at 40-year-old Warrior, son of Alai Kasai.

Of the 376 killed, British lists reveal, that those who lost their lives to the hail of bullet fire ranged from nine-year-old Sohn Lal, son of Vasso Mall, to 80-year-old Nathu. Two women  Bibi Har Kaur, wife of Hardit Singh from the Lopoke area of Amritsar, and Bisso, sister of Jamadar Sher Singh, were also shot dead.

Compensation was paid according to the status of the victims and according to their annual income. If the victim was earning more, the compensation was proportionately higher.

Take Lakshmi Chand, a shopkeeper for example. He was awarded Rs 60,000 after his leg was amputated. On questioning, the committee explained the extravagant grant stating, He was a very rich man with an income of Rs 11,500 a year, thereby able to enjoy life to the full and prevented by his injury still more from enjoying life fully in future than he was from earning as full an income as he had done in the past.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Din, 22 years old, a weaver and silk cleaner whose left arm was permanently disabled was awarded Rs 4,126 as compensation for injury. A 19 years old butcher was awarded just Rs 170 as he had a petty bullet wound. However, Milkhi Ram, 33 years old, a goldsmith whose arm was permanently disabled was awarded a hefty sum of Rs 22,823 as compensation to make up for loss of livelihood and his expertise.

Speaking to News18, Bhushan Behal whose grandfather was killed at the Jallianwala Bagh after being hit by two bullets said members of the Jallianwala Bagh Shaheed Parivar Samiti have moved a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking compensation for the kin of those killed in the massacre on the line of freedom fighters compensation.

He says they have just been given the status of freedom fighters but get no compensation or financial support from the government.

Behal said he was not even born when the incident happened and has no idea of the details of the British compensation, whether it was paid and how much was paid to whom.

Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here
Kejriwal said that his government was the first-state government to allot one-fourth of the budget to education and 14-18 per cent to health and called the health scheme a "one-of-its-kind".

By Indo-Asian News Service: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Saturday that Delhi residents would not have to wait for long for life-saving surgeries in government hospitals as they can get them done for free in private ones.

After launching the health scheme, Kejriwal said if any patient doesn't get a date for surgery at a government hospital within a month, the hospital would refer him to private hospitals and the government would pay all the expenses.

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"We want to ensure that people, irrespective of their economic status, get best health and education facilities and this is a step in that direction," he said.

The government has identified 48 private hospitals in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad and Noida under the scheme, where any patient, who is referred by any of the 24 government hospitals, can avail free treatment.

As many as 52 such life-saving surgeries have been specified by the government, which include bypass, kidney, prostate, thyroid, etc.

There will not be a need of income proof but the patient is supposed to give a proof that he is a resident of Delhi. Interestingly, the patient can choose any private hospital from the list he is comfortable with.

Kejriwal added that his government was the first state government to allot one-fourth of the budget to education and 14-18 per cent to health and called the health scheme a "one-of-its-kind".

MORE ABOUT THE SCHEME FROM THE MINISTERS

Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Manish Sisodia, who was also present at the time of the launch, said his ministry would ensure that there was no dearth of money for the scheme.

Kejriwal said this was the third in a series of initiatives taken by the Delhi government to improve health-related facilities, after ensuring free medicines in all government hospitals and allowing free medical tests at private diagnostic centres.

"Health services are so expensive today that if anyone suffers from a serious ailment, the biggest worry for the family is not the health of the patient, but where would the money come from", said the Aam Aadmi Party leader.

"But now there is no need to worry as the Delhi government would ensure that the patient gets best treatment free of cost," he added.

Responding to criticism that the money paid to private hospitals for treatment could be used to improve the condition of government ones, Kejriwal said that the government hospitals would receive as much money as needed to boost their infrastructure.

"But it would take years to create that infrastructure while patients need immediate attention. So this step is aimed at providing immediate relief on a temporary basis," Kejriwal said.

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"We want to create such a healthcare system that all patients get all medical tests within hospitals and get dates for surgeries within a month. But till that time, such steps are necessary," he added.

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--- ENDS ---
Ahmedabad has been declared as India's first world heritage city by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)."Just inscribed as UNESCO world heritage site: Historic city of Ahmedabad #India", UNESCO said in a tweet on Saturday.Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and BJP president Amit Shah hailed the declaration of Ahmedabad as world heritage city by UNESCO, PTI reported.Expressing delight at the announcement, Rupani said in a tweet, "Thrilled to learn that Ahmedabad has been recognised as UNESCO World heritage city, first of its kind in India"."Delighted to know that UNESCO has declared Ahmedabad as World Heritage City. Proud moment for every Indian," the BJP national president said in a tweet.Ahmedabad was in the race for the prestigious title along with Delhi and Mumbai.The walled city of Ahmedabad believed to be founded by Ahmed Shah some six hundred years earlier has 26 ASI-protected structures, hundreds of 'pols' that capture the essence of community living and numerous sites associated with Mahatma Gandhi who lived here from 1915 to 1930.In 1984, the first study for conserving heritage structures was carried out in the city. A heritage cell was also set up by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).The city had featured in UNESCO's tentative list of world heritage cities on March 31, 2011.
Kolkata: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday asked home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi to coordinate with West Bengal government to ensure the safety, security and smooth traffic on NH-10 so that essential goods could reach Sikkim immediately.



Singh took the decision after talking to Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling regarding the security situation in Sikkim and neighbouring areas in West Bengal.



In a telephonic conversation, Pawan Kumar Chamling apprised Union Home Minister of an acute shortage of supplies to Sikkim, especially essential commodities such as medicines, baby milk powder, vegetables and petrol/diesel due to the closure of the national highway, the critical road link to Sikkim.



The Home Minister assured him of the safety and security of NH 10, and the centre will provide all kinds of assistance to save people of the state from any misery, a statement issued by the MHA read.



The West Bengal government is being requested to ensure that the road link to Sikkim remains open.



On July 6, Chamling expressed serious concerns, saying the state had lost nearly Rs 60,000 crore due to regular unrests in West Bengal over the last 30 years.



I am in contact with the central government over the blocking of Sikkim-bound vehicles at Siliguri. I have made up my mind to take this matter to the Supreme Court, he had said.



Chamling - while reminding that Sikkim is sandwiched between China and West Bengal  said, The National Highway 10 is the lifeline of Sikkim, but it has always been a concern for Sikkim because of agitations and political turmoil in Bengal. This is not new. This has been happening for the last 30 years.



Addressing a public meet at Namchi in Sikkim, he had said, Essential commodities could not reach Sikkim from various parts of India via Bengal due to agitations. Our people are being harassed in Siliguri, our goods are being stopped. The development of our state has been affected badly in the last three decades. Tourism sector also suffered a lot due to agitations in Bengal for Gorkhaland. Most of the hotels are empty and vehicles are lying idle in Sikkim as there are no tourists.



In 1975, Sikkim became the 22nd state of India. The NH 10 connects it with the rest of India, and it passes through the troubled areas of Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills, presently tensed due to the indefinite bandh called by the GJM on June 15.


Speak-up because it is already too late! Join in at 5 PM today at Jantar Mantar #SaveBengal #SaveHindus pic.twitter.com/QU5ZT1HkUt  Nupur Sharma (@NupurSharmaBJP) July 8, 2017

With Bengals Baduria and Basirhat districts on the boil, BJP leaders are working overtime to stir the communal pot by stoking memories of the 2002 Gujarat riots and calling on the Hindu community to respond stongly.While BJP MLA H Raja appealed to the Hindu community in the state to respond the way Hindus in Gujarat reacted in 2002, party spokesperson Nupur Sharma shared a photo of the 2002 riots on her Twitter account and asked people to join a protest against the violence in West Bengal.Raja, who is a lawmaker from Hyderabad, posted a video message on social media in which he exhorted Bengals tigers to awake and unite to protect their community. Today, Hindus are not safe in the West Bengal state. Hindus in Bengal should respond to people involved in communal violence as Hindus in Gujarat did. Otherwise, soon Bengal will turn into Bangladesh, he can be heard saying in the video.He also blamed the West Bengal government for the tension in the state, saying Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was supporting those who are creating communalism. If you failed to attain security in the state then you will also face the consequences like Hindus in Kashmir faced. You will also be banished like Kashmiri Hindus, he added in the video.Nupur Sharma, on the other hand, tweeted a photo of a mob setting fire to a car and asked her followers to join her protest at the Jantar Mantar against the rising lawlessness in the state. The photo, however, was from the riots in Gujarat, as Twitter users quickly pointed out to her.The Congress on Sunday slammed the BJP and said that by bringing up Gujarat riots, the party is trying to divide the society on communal lines. Party leader Meem Afzal said that the BJP is trying to provoke riots and violence in Bengal. The statements by Raja Singh are shameful. By mentioning Gujarat riots, he is trying to claim that Modi government's persecution in Gujarat was justified, he said.There have been other cases, too, where fake images have been circulated on social media to incite violence. One person was arrested on Saturday in Bengal for sharing a still of a woman being disrobed from a Bhojpuri film and passing it off as an instance in the violence-hit districts of the state.Banerjee has said that strict action will be taken against anyone found sharing fake images or trying to incite violence. Violence had broken out in the state after a Class 10 boy shared an objectionable post on Facebook. While the boy was apprehended, the clashes have not stopped so far.
New Delhi: Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has ordered a judicial probe into the communal clashes in Basirhat but former Delhi High Court Judge, Justice SN Dhingra, says it is merely an eyewash and would only serve the purpose of buying some time for the Trinamool government.



This judicial probe is an eyewash. After 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Justice Mishra commission was established and he recommended establishing of more commissions. It was done to gain more time and tell people that action has been taken. Politicians keep altering the tenures and by the time the commission can submit the report, the politicians terms are over, he said.



Justice Dhingra along with Maj Gen (retd) P K Sehgal, lawyer Soumen Mukherjee and professor Rohit Roy recently met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh asking the Centre to intervene in the matter. However, Rajnath refused to intervene saying that law and order is a state subject but said the Centre is keeping a tab on the situation.



However, Justice Dhingra told News18 that the Centre can still go ahead and issue an advisory which will act as a message to the state government.



There are rising incidents of communal violence in West Bengal. We wanted to highlight this issue to the Home Minister. If the state is not doing anything, then the Centre can issue an advisory stating that such incidents should not occur, he said.



Justice Dhingra had earlier probed the grant of licences to developers in Gurgaon by the Congress government in Haryana. In his report, he had alleged irregularities in grant of licence to Skylight Hospitality of Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.



The former judge refuted the Congress allegations that he was pro-BJP. If you meet somebody for a right cause it cannot be a problem. Congress had also objected when I had asked for a road to be built in a village. They tried to link me with RSS and BJP when I was hearing the trial in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. These are mere allegations, he said.



Justice Dhingra said it was time judiciary takes suo motu cognisance of the situation in Bengal. No FIR has been lodged and no action has been taken by the police, he said.
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New Delhi: India on Sunday hit out at Pakistan for glorifying militant commander Burhan Wani, saying Islamabad's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by 'one and all'.



In a strongly worded tweet, External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Gopal Baglay said, " First @ForeignOfficePk read from banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS (Pakistan army chief) glorifies Burhan Wani. Pak's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by one and all."



Baglay's comments came a day after Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa praised Wani, Hizbul Mujahideen commander who was killed in an encounter with Indian security forces last year.



Wani was responsible for several attacks against security personnel in Kashmir.



Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday paid tributes to Wani, saying his death "infused a new spirit in the struggle for freedom" in the Kashmir Valley.






New Delhi: The Indian troops deployed in Doklam near the Bhutan tri-junction have pitched in their tents and established supply lines in a clear signal that they are there for the long haul, despite Chinas warnings asking India to pull back its soldiers.



According to official sources, Indian Armys tents, right in the line of sight of Chinese troops, is a clear indication to Beijing that Indian forces are unlikely to retreat unless People Liberation Army troops also reciprocate and end the face-off that has been going on for more than a month now.



At the same time, they sounded confident of finding a diplomatic solution to the dispute, citing resolution of border skirmishes in the past through diplomacy.



Though China has been aggressively asserting that it was not ready for any "compromise" and that the "ball is in India's court", the view in the security establishment here is that there cannot be any unilateral approach in defusing the tension.



Both the countries had agreed to a mechanism in 2012 to resolve border flare-ups through consultations at various levels.



The mechanism has not worked so far in the current case as the standoff near the Bhutan trijunction, triggered by China's attempt to build a road in the strategically important area, has dragged on for over three weeks.



New Delhi has already conveyed to China that such an action would represent a significant change of status quo with "serious" security implications for India. The road link could give China a major military advantage over India.



Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Doklam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.



China and Bhutan are engaged in talks over the resolution of the dispute in the area. India argues that since it is a tri-junction involving the three countries, it also has a say in the issue, especially in the backdrop of 2012 agreement between special representatives of the two countries, that have till now held 19 rounds of talks.



Bhutan has no diplomatic ties with China. As a close friend and neighbour, Bhutan enjoys diplomatic and military support from India.



Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.



(With PTI inputs)
Srinagar: Indian Army on Sunday retaliated against Pakistans continuous ceasefire violations, killing 2 soldiers and injuring six others, as it struck posts in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.



In the strike, three civilians were killed and 17 were injured. A mess of the Pakistans 24 frontier unit was also destroyed. The casualties have been reported from border villages in Hajira sector of PoK. Villages that came under the barrage of fire in Pakistan are - Bhaira in Tetrinote, Satwal in Abbaspur, Dhakki Chaffar in Abbaspur, Polaas and Chatri.



The targeted action comes after an Indian Army jawan and his wife were killed and three others were hurt as Pakistan troops lobbed mortar shells and resorted to small arms and automatic weapons fire at civilian areas along the Line of Control in Poonch sector on Saturday morning.



Mohammad Showkat and his wife Safia Bi had died after a 120 mm mortar shell fell on their house at Karmara village situated along the LoC. Their two daughters were among the three injured. The Army had called the Pakistani troop action unprovoked and indiscriminate and promised that the Indian Army will hit back strongly and effectively.



Envoy Summoned



For the second consecutive day, Pakistan summoned Indias deputy high commissioner in Islamabad over alleged firing along the Line of Control. Pakistan had summoned DHC J P Singh on Saturday too for firing by Indian forces in Chirikot and Satwal sectors, in which two persons were killed and three others were injured.



The Director-General urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement, investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations, instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC," Pakistans Foreign Office had said on Saturday.



In response, India had told the Pakistan DG that the ceasefire violations were initiated by Pakistani troops in Poonch and Krishnaghati sectors and the Indian forces only responded appropriately. A strong protest was also lodged over the death of two Indians in Saturdays ceasefire violations.



Further, a serious concerns over attacks on civilian areas, increased movement of terrorists and infiltration attempts across LOC were conveyed to Pakistan. They were also informed that there have been more than 223 ceasefire violations and around 50 infiltration attempts by terrorist from Pakistani side this year alone.
New Delhi: Former Union Minister Salman Khurshid rued an infiltration of the RSS into the Congress, saying they are "very good RSS people" by instinct but even they do not know it.



The funny thing is that they do not even know that they are RSS. They are good RSS people by instinct but they do not know. The first time we got an idea was after the Babri demolition when some leaders began saying that we should not use the word secular because it sent out a wrong message, Khurshid said.



The former minister claims that he had singled out the people who would join BJP three years ago. I had named Jagadambika Pal, the Bahugunas etc but I was silenced. I was told they were good party workers. I should not bring personal differences to the table, he added.



The former minister also said that the recent incidents of lynching are a worrying sign for the society and minorities cant even speak about it.



"From streets being unsafe, we now have homes which are unsafe. Police stations have become the last place where you can get refuge. The mindset that allows lynching will not stop at targeting Muslims alone. It will spread to other sections, Dalits, Christians, Adivasis, intellectuals, he told National Herald in an interview.



The Congress leader said the minorities had accused the UPA government of not doing enough for them but havent said anything to the present NDA dispensation. I am not suggesting that they were always or even completely unfair. But in 2014 they followed a poor, self-denying strategy that eventually proved lethal for themselves, he said.
By PTI: Amarinder

New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today alleged that his predecessor Parkash Singh Badal was behind the "unwarranted" police firing in Faridkot during anti-sacrilege protests in 2015 in which two persons were killed.

He said an inquiry commission set up to probe the firing incident will prove his charge.

"How can a superintendent of police order firing? He was clearly instructed to do so," Singh said at a function organised by SAD (Delhi).

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He said the Akali rule witnessed 183 such incidents, of which 121 remained unsolved. 13 sacrilege incidents "have been reported since the Congress government took over, of which 12 have been solved".

Two persons were killed allegedly in police firing when violent protests had erupted in Faridkot district over the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in October 2015. The Justice Zora Singh Commission of Inquiry had held the police firing at Behbal Kalan as "absolutely unwarranted".

The Punjab chief minister alleged that the Akalis used "religion to further their political objectives" and their government ruined the states economy and created communal problems.

He claimed that the previous SAD-BJP government registered more than "one lakh fake cases" against innocent people. As many as 28 cases had been registered against a boy in Ajnala.

Singh said the false cases registered during the Badal rule were also a matter of concern and a commission set up by his government to probe these would identify the culprits and bring them to book.

Singh said his government would not spare anyone involved in the drug trade.

The chief minister said, "Unemployment is a major challenge. There are 90 lakh unemployed or under-employed youth in Punjab."

He said his government wil make all efforts to tackle the problem.

SAD Delhi president Paramjit Singh Sarna presented a memento to the Punjab chief minister at the event, which was attended by the representatives of various Sikh organisations of Delhi, prominent industrialists and others.

His wife and former Union minister Preneet Kaur, former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Ajaib Singh Bhatti, and ex-SGPC secretary and Akali leader Manjit Singh Calcutta were also in attendance. PTI SKC GVS

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New Delhi: The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the government agency that keeps a record of all crimes in the country, is planning to create a national database of lynching incidents.



The plan will be sent to the Union Home Ministry, and if approved, the bureau will collect detailed data on the number of cases, as well as analyse the causes and any patterns behind the incidents, Indian Express reported. At present, national or state crime data does not distinguish general violence from cow-related attacks and lynchings.



With no data available to fact check, it also leads to claims and counter claims among the ruling BJP and opposition parties about whose government was worse when it came to dealing with mob violence. While Congress claims there has been an unprecedented rise in lynchings under the Narendra Modi government, BJP says there were more cases in between 2011-2013, when Congress was at the Centre.



A national databases that is updated annually will put all these debates to rest. According to an NCRB official, several states have been roped in for the process and are being asked if they have collected any data on lynchings on their end. Once the feasibility study of the data collection is completed, a proposal would be made to the government.



NCRB Director Ish Kumar said that one meeting was held on Tuesday, but said the plan is still at a nascent stage. He said that with the rising number of cases, the agency thought that there must be data that can then lead to a study on what drives these murderous mobs. This, he said, would help lawmakers form a policy to check such crime.



In the absence of any government records, private bodies have attempted to give a statistical perspective to cases. A report by IndiaSpend found that there has been over 20 cases of cow-related violence in the first six months of 2017, and the current year is on track to be the worst since 2010.



There have been a series of lynching cases in the last few weeks, including of 16-year-old Junaid, who was stabbed to death on a train after a dispute over seat turned communal. Junaids brothers were also assaulted by a mob.



Pehlu Khan, a farmer from Haryana, was also murdered in April by so-called cow protectors in Rajasthan while transporting cows legally purchased from a market in Jaipur. A man in Jharkhand was also killed by a mob over suspicions of transporting beef, and in Bengal, three Muslim men were lynched on allegations of cow smuggling.
The 'Not in My Name' political brigade comprising of part-time campaigners, seasonal glamorous activists and hypocrite artists who have floated MaSuKa are being retweeted by the Congress-Communists Clandestine Combine in India. The petition addresses Prime Minister Congress-Communists bonhomie and calls for making a new law in the country. Very surreptitiously on charges of being selective, a paragraph on Bengal has been slipped in after social media protests.



First of all, it is queer to find that some of the erstwhile petition politicians who protested against Modi's democratic ascent to Delhi in 2014 referred to him as the Prime Minister. This acknowledgement of authority and not just power itself is a huge telling of the battles these activists chose to fight and lose  badly  on account of myopic political positioning.



Secondly, the classic and established laziness and refusal of the Congress-Communists Clandestine Combine in India to research before they demand a law or a new order is another dampener of the perpetrated movement. Anyone who values democracy, federalism and the Constitution in this country would know that law and order is a state subject. If the Union government decides on a law that ought to be made by states in the newly formed, democratically elected state legislatures, it would be booed down by another faction of the same selectively outraged and forever Modi baiters  the freedom of expression brigade  under the name of authoritarianism.



Thirdly, it is no rocket science for any conscientious citizen of India with ears and eyes on ground to understand that implementation of existing laws and not absence of new laws is a problem in this country. It would be puerile to imagine and advocate that bringing in new laws in India is going to solve issues.



Fourthly, this carefully crafted campaign by the Congress-Communists Clandestine Combine is a political tool that rides on MaSuKa. Bringing in a new law and then christening it with a Gandhi surname later is the tactic of the rotten communal Congress' political dispensation in this country. It does not matter to this party, who holds democracy at hostage, to consider that National Commission of Minorities has dismissed the import and implications of this unnecessary petition and MaSuKa.



My country is fascinating motley of various kinds of secularisms and freedom of expression brigades. I have maintained that the Congress-Communists Clandestine Combine in India has ensured the catatonic catastrophe of democracy and decency in this country.



The erstwhile organic 'Not in My Name' protest has been completely hijacked by the extremely political Tehseen Poonawallas and Shehla Rashids of the world. The online world where this petition politics plays out its cards has lost the moral credibility it embraced in its erstwhile organic texture. Just one look at who is retweeting whom and who is supporting whom reveals this orchestrated jugalbandi of petty petition politics.



But what is shocking is the absolute silence over Bengal in comparison to the clamor on Pahlu Khan and Junaid. What is also debilitating is the condescending dismissal of concerns for Human Rights in Bengal under the umbrella of derisive terminology - 'whataboutery'  when the intensity and absence of congruent outrage is called out for.



Politics is about asking the questions 'what about'. And dictatorship is about dismissing the questions in a way in which some questions become more important than others, in which some tears become saltier than others and in which some blood becomes more expensive than others. Often politics is not about the 'what', it is about the 'how'.



(The author is assistant editor, India Foundation Journal, and project head, northeast operations. Views expressed are personal)
Karachi: Pakistan on Sunday released 78 Indian fishermen held for trespassing into its territorial waters, officials said.



"The fishermen were released from Karachi's Landhi jail," an official of the provincial home department of Sindh, Naseem Siddiqui told AFP.



The freed fishermen are expected to cross over into India tomorrow.



Siddiqui said "298 Indian fishermen are still imprisoned and will be released on completion of the verification of their nationalities by India."



Indian and Pakistani fishermen are frequently detained for illegal fishing since the Arabian Sea border is not clearly defined and many boats lack the technology to fix their precise location.



The fishermen often languish in jail, even after serving their terms, as poor diplomatic ties between the two neighbours mean fulfilling bureaucratic requirements can take a long time.



Relations between India and Pakistan have plummeted since a deadly attack on an Indian army base in the disputed region of Kashmir in September, that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan- based Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed.



Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in full and have fought two wars over the mountainous region.
: "We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbours," Chinese military strategist and philosopher Sun Tzu wrote in his seminal work 'The Art of War' 500 BC. China's attitude towards India seems to be defined by somewhat similar scepticism, constantly searching for designs. Even during times when there was more to be gained from cooperation, China never fully committed itself to trust and friendship.While one part of this bilateral relationship is defined by dependence on each other, both economically and strategically, the other is marked by fierce competition to emerge as the true Asian power on global stage. While China may have an upper hand in terms of hard power  military might and size of economy, their attitude towards India is marked with insecurity when it comes to soft power.Sun Tzu's book and various interpretations of it have been translated across languages and sold millions of copies world over. Most business schools use the text to teach strategy to managers and so do military training institutions.The recent Chinese aggression along the border can be seen through the lens of Sun Tzu's writing: "Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams; like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew; like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more."A top BJP leader recently reminded me that the 1962 Sino-India war took place despite the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's slogan of Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai. "Nehru wanted friendship, but China had different plans," said the BJP leader.India was caught surprised because it didn't see any reason for going to war with China. Some diplomats agree with the BJP leader's point of view, noting that in 1962 Chairman Mao was 'jealous' of Nehru's growing popularity among world leaders. Does Chinese Premier Xi Jinping have a similar complex against Prime Minister Narendra Modi? Chinese are apprehensive about India 's growing equation with the US and the new Trump regime. With this jostling at the border, the message they are sending is that while dealing with border issues, you are alone  Washington won't come to your rescue," said former diplomat Ranjit Singh Kalha.Another interesting aspect of the recent standoff was that Chinese media and officials spoke out at a time when Modi was in Israel, striking deals on defence, agriculture and manufacturing.This shows a pattern in Chinese reaction. A senior government official who has keenly observed India-China ties said, "It was Nehru's position as the tallest Asian leader that clearly played on the Chinese psyche when they deceived us. It seriously damaged Nehru's credibility as a leader who couldnt even protect his own country, said the official.Deception is a word that keeps appearing in Sun Tzu's book: All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem 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."The current tension at the border could also be an attempt by Xi Jinping to position himself as a nationalist before the National Congress of the Communist Party of China later this year. "Xi has been promoting the spirit of nationalism in China and he cannot afford to be seen in a weak position on foreign policy issues ahead of the 19th party Congress," Kalha said.From the times of Rajiv Gandhi, India and China have continued expanding trade, academic and cultural relations despite border issues. Indian hopes to continue with this policy. After all, Sun Tzu wrote, "The greatest victory is that which requires no battle".
Guru Purnima, the first full moon night after summer solstice, holds a special place as it sees people across India thank and express their gratitude towards their 'gurus' or teachers. According to the Hindi calendar, this revered occasion falls in the month of Aashad.



The legend has it that the day came to being after Yogis worshiping Sage Ved Vyas, who penned down the 4 Vedas.



The word 'Guru' in Sanskrit means dispeller of darkness and hence, the Gurus in our life, disperse the darkness of inexperience and lead the hopefuls to the path to explanation. On the occasion of Guru Purnima, here are some television celebrities who want to thank their teachers for all the love, guidance and support.



Shubhangi Atre:



As we walk with the Guru, we walk in the light of existence, away from the darkness of ignorance. We leave behind all the problems of our life and move towards the peak experiences of life. Thanks to my Dad and Mom and all my teachers for making me as strong as I'm today. My success is your hardwork. Happy Guru Purnima!



Tanya Sharma:



I dedicate the Guru Purnima greetings to all my academic teachers and to all from whom I learned for my better. Special thanks to Tr Neetal ma'am. I have got lots of aspiration and inspiration from you. Happy Guru Purnima.



Manish Goplani:



Teachers are everything in our eternal life, nothing is possible without them. Life needs some power to push you up, Guru is that super power, Happy Guru Purnima!



Niti Taylor:



Today is the best day to pay a tribute to our teachers, On this auspicious day of Guru Purnima, make an oath for your life to follow the steps of your Guru. Special love to Cheryl Taylor. Happy Guru Purnima!



Akshay Mhatre:



When one finds a true Guru, one conquers half the world. Thanks to my parents and all those who got me some knowledge and discipline! Happy Guru Purnima!



Helly Shah:

Walked through with the guidance of my parents and teachers, succeeded my life with the teachings of them, Happy Guru Purnima!



Yuvika Chaudhary:



As they say, the fact is that teachers are like candles. They consume themselves to light the way for others. Thanks to my parents and teachers for giving me knowledge and discipline. Happy Guru Purnima.



Manu Panjabi:



There shall be no darkness in people's life, When theres a ray of sunshine as parents' and teacher's blessings and teachings, Happy Guru Purnima!



Tejasswi Prakash:



Be grateful towards those who taught you to live a life. Happy Guru Purnima



Anuj Sachdev:

Sticking to the way we are been qualified by our parents and teachers, Following the paths shown by them. The shine will come to us, Thanks to them for helping me to be a better human being, Happy Guru Purnima!



Roshni Sahota:

It is my great fortune that I found the best teachers specially Anita Maam (our economic teacher), who all helped me clearing all my doubts and made me a better human with lots of knowledge and discipline. I bow before my teachers and parents. Gurus glory is greater than Gods. Happy Guru Purnima.



Kunal Jaisingh:

A teacher is someone who takes a hand, opens a mind and touches a heart. They are our aspirations and inspiration. I thank my parents, teachers and all those who've shared a piece of knowledge and educated me. Happy Guru Purnima.



Abhinav Kapoor:

Guru or teachers always help one to get life's knowledge and stand beside students when they have problems. I still remember my teachers and above all, my parents, who helped me in realising my mistakes and made me a better human being. Thanks to them. Happy Guru Purnima!



Devoleena Bhattacharjee:

It is an incomparable journey where the Guru leads you from the visible to the invisible, from the material to the divine, from the ephemeral to the eternal. Thanks to all my teachers and my mom for making me a better human being. Happy Guru Purnima.
Kolkata: The famous blue-bordered sari of Mother Teresa, who has been canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta by the Vatican, has been recognized as an Intellectual Property of the Missionaries of Charity. "The Trade Marks Registry, Government of India, has granted the registration of the trade mark for that pattern of the blue border of sari," Intellectual Property attorney Biswajit Sarkar said.



The diminutive nun of Albanian descent went around the streets of Kolkata since 1948 to be with the poor and the destitute wearing a white sari with three blue borders, the outer border being wider than the two inner ones. "The blue-designed border on the sari worn by nuns of the Missionaries of Charity was recognized as Intellectual Property for the organization on September four, 2016, the day the Mother was canonized," Sarkar told PTI here.



"The Missionaries of Charity does not believe in publicity and as such, it was not publicized, but since we are witnessing unscrupulous and unfair usage of the design across

the globe, we are now trying to spread awareness among people about the trademark," Sarkar said.



"The blue border pattern is a distinctive symbolic identity of the Missionaries of Charity under the concept of color trademark protection," he said. Applications were filed before the Trade Marks Registry on December 12, 2013, and after "a stringent test of legal proceedings" for nearly three years, the registrations were granted.



In order to mark the sainthood of Mother Teresa, the Government of India granted the trademark registration on the same day on September four, 2016, despite it being a Sunday, Sarkar said. The exclusive right of use of the said blue pattern on white saris adopted by the Missionaries of Charity is unique and is the first time ever that a uniform has been protected under the Intellectual Property rights, the attorney said.



Born in 1910 in Skopje in Macedonia in a Catholic family and baptized as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, she came to India in 1929 as Sister Mary Teresa and went to Darjeeling for her

novitiate period. She later came to Kolkata and was assigned as a teacher at Saint Mary's High School for Girls before she was given consent by her convent in 1948 to work for the poor. That year she left the Loreto Convent donning the blue striped white sari that she would wear in public throughout her life.



The saris with the three blue stripes are woven at the Missionaries of Charity run Gandhiji Prem Niwas at Titagarh in North 24 Parganas. Around 4,000 such saris are woven annually and are distributed among nuns all over the world.
Mumbai: Famous disco number Baat Ban Jaye from the film Qurbani will be seen in the trailer of Sidharth Malhotra's A Gentleman: Sunder, Susheel, Risky, informed the actor.



Talking about the music of the film during a media interaction at the preview of the film's trailer, Sidharth said, "We did a cool song on disco recently. There is Baat Ban Jaye song which people will hear in the trailer."



"There is another song Bandook where rapping is going on so it's an entertaining album. I am pretty excited to present all the song to the audience this month," he added.



Talking about the tracks of the film, the director of the film Raj Nidimoru said: "We have been always working with Sachin-Jigar. I think they always produce some whacky and interesting tracks. People who have heard the song think that it will be album of the year but I hope it will be the coolest album of the year."



Earlier, there was speculation that this film is a sequel of Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif starrer Bang Bang and it will be named as Bang Bang 2.



But the director says that everything has been clarified.



"We clarified that it's not Bang Bang 2. It was always a new film," he said.



Sidharth is seen playing two characters namely Gaurav and Rishi in the film, who are completely different from each other.



"It's an interesting take. It's a story of mistaken identity and in a film, you will see which one is susheel and which one is risky."



"If you see the film, you will realize my character is sundar (beautiful), susheel (gentle) but he is not that boring. He has many things in him and seeing that you will also think that he is a bit risky as well," said Sidharth.



Actress Jacqueline Fernandez will be seen doing action in the movie. The film also stars Suniel Shetty.



The trailer will be launched July 10 while the film is set to release on August 25.
Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh might not have admitted to being in a relationship per se but their social media posts and frequent public outings narrate a completely different tale. The actor recently attended an award show in the capital dressed in a jacketed-kilt and trousers from the collection of Rajesh Pratap Singh and while fans loved, lauded and laughed at the look, Deepika had an unexpected but hilarious reaction to it.Ranveer, the quintessential flag bearer of quirky fashion choices, took to Twitter to share a photograph from the evening and wrote, "Aap? Yahaan? Ji, Kyun? #GQ #GQPowerList @gqindia".Soon after Ranveer's post, Deepika retweeted the photograph and wrote, "Noooooooo!" adding three monkey emoticons. Whether it was a reaction to Ranveer's choice of outfit or to his caption or to both, remains unclear. But the facts that Ranveer can pull off any 'genre' of clothes and that the two make an adorable couple can not be denied!Ranveer and Deepika, who have shared the screen space in Ramleela and Bajirao Mastani, will now be seen together in Sanjay Leela Bhnasali's Padmavati.
1/5 I gave full respect to Kapoor family i did the film because he is my seniors son I was told I will get the script.  Govinda (@Govinda_HeroNo1) July 7, 2017

2/5 I was told they will narrate the film in South Africa and I dint even charge my signing amount made no contracts.  Govinda (@Govinda_HeroNo1) July 7, 2017

4/5 There were various negative stories and negative articles only for GOVINDA and that's how the film was remembered for 3yrs.  Govinda (@Govinda_HeroNo1) July 7, 2017

3/5 I was unwell and on drips but still I traveled to South Africa and did my shoot.  Govinda (@Govinda_HeroNo1) July 7, 2017

5/5 I did my job as an actor and if the director is not happy it's completely his call.  Govinda (@Govinda_HeroNo1) July 7, 2017

Govinda in JJ  JAGGA JASOOS NEXT WEEK pic.twitter.com/GJe11dOGHO  Bunny (@BunnyFan09) July 7, 2017

Actor Govinda, who had shot a cameo for Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif starrer Jagga Jasoos in South Africa, is upset after it emerged that his part has not been retained in the film's final edit.He seems to be unhappy with the makers' decision as he had shot for the film despite not being well.Govinda took to Twitter on Friday to express disappointment and shared that he didn't charge any amount for appearing in the Anurag Basu directorial, which after going through various hurdles, is finally slated for a release on July 14."I gave full respect to Kapoor family. I did the film because he (Ranbir) is my senior's son. I was told I will get the script. I was told they will narrate the film in South Africa and I didn't even charge my signing amount (and) made no contracts," Govinda tweeted."I was unwell and on drips, but still I travelled to South Africa and did my shoot. There were various negative stories and negative articles only for Govinda and that's how the film was remembered for three years."I did my job as an actor and if the director is not happy it's completely his call," he added.A few still images from the shoot, which have been circulating over various social media platforms, show Govinda along with Katrina and Ranbir on the set.Ranbir has also co-produced the movie along with Basu.
Mumbai: Madhur Bhandarkar's new film Indu Sarkar -- set in the backdrop of the 1975 Emergency -- is in the news after senior Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam demanded to watch the movie before it was approved for release by the censors.



However, the National Award winner says he has no agenda to promote any political ideology and he would not show the film to any political party.



Bhandarkar said that supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi "as a great leader" does not make him a "(pro) BJP or anti-Congressi".



"My film belongs to the nation, not to any political party. People like us -- actors, filmmakers or any creative persons are admired by citizens of the country because of our work. I can talk for myself... I have no agenda to promote any specific political ideology. Rather, the film is showing the conflicts of two different ideologies on the Emergency," he told IANS



"Just because I support Modi-Ji openly as a leader does not mean I have to subscribe to the ideology of the political party that he represents. What I am trying to say is that I have friends and well-wishers in Congress, Shiv Sena, and BJP and I have attended their functions," Bhandarkar said.



"I admire Modi-Ji and Jyotiraditya Scindia (Congress leader) as individuals, but that does not make me a pro-BJP or anti-Congressi or vice verse," he added.



Indu Sarkar is based on the Emergency in India and characters in the films are inspired by the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi. The Emergency was imposed on June 25, 1975, with Indira Gandhi, citing grave threat to her government and sovereignty of the country from both internal and external forces. It lasted until March 21, 1977.



In the film's trailer, actress Kirti Kulhari plays the role of a woman who rebels against her husband (Tota Roy Chowdhury) and becomes a political activist to protest against the excesses of a political leader (Neil Nitin Mukesh whose character is based on Sanjay Gandhi). Supriya Vinod plays a politician in a get-up inspired by Indira Gandhi, while Anupam Kher portrays an underground leader.



Did Bhandarkar ever imagine getting such reactions from political parties when he decided to make the film?



"No, not at all. This is not the first time a creative person is doing something on Emergency. There are several books, documentaries, docu-features with individuals' opinion. Why are they targeting my film?" he asked.



"I think the series of drama going on before the release of this film... I can make a film on that... It's an interesting subject for a filmmaker," he said.



A Congress representative has announced prize money for any person who can blacken the filmmaker's face.





Setting the record straight about the film's story, Bhandarkar who is known for making hard-hitting movies on the issues of the society, said: "It's about a poet who rebels against the Emergency of 1975, whereas her husband is a supporter of Emergency. So basically, in the same house, how this ideological difference takes the relationship of a couple on a different journey, is the core of the story."



Bhandarkar said as part of the research for the movie, he read several books and even interacted with people who were in jail and were directly affected by the Emergency.



Indu Sarkar is set to release on July 28.
A Bajrang Dal worker was attacked with a sword by unknown assailants in Karnataka's Ullal town on Saturday.

By Rohini Swamy: A Bajrang Dal worker was attacked with a sword by unknown assailants in Karnataka's Ullal town on Saturday.

The victim, identified as Chiranjeevi, was on his motorcycle when two bike-borne miscreants attacked him with a sword on his head.

Chiranjeevi was critically injured and is now undergoing treatment.

The reason behind the attack is yet to be ascertained.

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A cases has been registered with the Ullal police station.

More details are awaited.

Also read | Jammu: Bajrang Dal activists burn Omar Abdullah's effigy tied to a moving jeep

Also read | Caught on camera: Bajrang Dal goons ransack toll plaza on Indore-Dewas borde

WATCH VIDEO

--- ENDS ---
A world leader we should all be proud of!

Welcome to Twitter, @Malala.



Yes, I did a quick spell-check guys.  pic.twitter.com/uHzvxIMERB  Jackky Bhagnani (@jackkybhagnani) July 8, 2017

Actor Jackky Bhagnani, who had once misspelled Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai's name as "Masala" in a tweet, did a spell check on Saturday when he decided to welcome her on social media platform Twitter."A world leader we should all be proud of! Welcome to Twitter, Malala. Yes, I did a quick spell check guys," Jackky quipped.Malala, the Pakistani campaigner who survived being shot in the head by Taliban gunmen, joined Twitter with a call for people to help her fight for girls' education.On Friday, the 19-year-old sent her first tweets using the Twitter handle @Malala.Jackky had made the faux pas in her name in 2014, and a year later, he got a chance to meet the Pakistani activist in London. He had called the meeting his "dream" and described Malala his "hero".
Soon after veteran actor Govinda took to Twitter to clarify his stand on his role being cut from Jagga Jasoos, the film's actor and producer Ranbir Kapoor has openly apologised to his senior.When Ranbir was asked about the whole incident in an interview, the actor very maturely answered and said that it was unfortunate that they had to chop off Govindas track and took full responsibility for his and Basus mistake.Kapoor was reported as saying, Unfortunately the entire track has been chopped off; it is our fault, Basu and mine. We had started this film very prematurely, without a complete script. The character had completely changed, and the film was taking so long. It is very irresponsible, and very unfair to cast a great legend like Govinda and not give justice to his role. It is very unfortunate the way things panned out. We are apologetic, but it is for the best for the film that we had to cut that track out.Recently, Govinda took to Twitter and expressed his disappointment over the fact that his part was not retained in the film's final edit. Govinda wrote that he did his job as an actor and if the director wasn't happy, it's completely his call.There were various negative stories around Govinda's unprofessionalism on sets and clarifying them all he added that he did the film despite being unwell and that's not how he wanted things to happen.
New Delhi: Congress leaders have expressed solidarity with RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, who has been battered by a series of CBI raids, on the properties owned by him and his family members. However, one leader, who has been conspicuous by his silence, is JD (U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.



There were media reports on Sunday that Congress President Sonia Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee talked to Lalu Prasad Yadav over the phone, expressing support.



Bihar and state Congress chief Ashok Choudhary and Congress Legislature Party leader Sadanand Singh paid a visit to Lalu, PTI reported, after helping Opposition Presidential candidate Meira Kumar wind up her 3-day visit to Bihar.



Choudhary told PTI it was a "personal" visit and "not a political one." Taking on the BJP he said:"Since they (BJP) have failed to defeat us (Grand Alliance) through the people's mandate, they are now misusing the government machinery to target us."



Earlier, talking to reporters at the Sadaquat Ashram, the state Congress chief, who is also the education minister in Nitish Kumar's cabinet, repeated Prasad's defence, which he had put forward on Friday, that Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Prasad Yadav was a minor at the time of the allotment of license for two IRCTC hotels to the Kochhar brothers at Ranchi and Puri, allegedly in exchange for land in Patna.



He also blamed BJP president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the CBI raids.



While the Congress leaders stood with Lalu, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was yet to break his silence on the matter.



The RJD, Congress and JD(U) are partners in the Grand Alliance government in Bihar, headed by Kumar.



A report from Rajgir, where Kumar has been staying since Thursday due to health reasons, said the chief minister visited the famous tourist spot of Ghora Katora, but the media was not allowed inside during his visit.



When contacted, Bihar JD(U) chief spokesman Sanjay Singh and spokesman Neeraj Kumar refused to comment on the issue. Meanwhile, RJD ministers and leaders kept rushing to Rabri Devi's residence in support of the party's "first family".



RJD ministers Chandrika Rai, Abdul Gafoor, state party chief Ramchandra Purbe and a host of others were seen going inside Rabri Devi's house.



(With inputs from PTI)
: BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav on Sunday hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee saying the current unrest in her state was "a home-grown project" of the ruling Trinamool Congress for "political advantage".He also said cow protection was a "sacred mission" but people must understand that they cannot lynch anybody under the pretext of protecting it as "life was more sacred". Delivering a speech on "Integral Humanism - eternal and ever contemporary", organised by a group -- 'Awareness in Action' -- in Bengaluru, Madhav said, "Today, if you see the unrest in Bengal it is actually a home-grown project of Mamata Banerjee, because in unrest lies her political advantage.""Does it really pain you (Banerjee) that in your state on one hand Gorkha people are agitating, you don't listen to them and on the other hand there are communal riots?" he asked. "You only blame others, you have no answer to it," Madhav said.Banerjee had on Saturday accused the Modi government and the BJP of trying to "disturb peace" and of "deliberate and total non-cooperation".She had alleged that the Centre's refusal to send CRPF personnel, as demanded by the state government, had led to the current situation in the Darjeeling hills where the indefinite shutdown entered its 25th day on Sunday.Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the event, Madhav said the Trinamool Congress was "squarely responsible" for the "grave" law-and-order situation in West Bengal. On the issue of cow protection, Madhav said for Indians everything was sacred."We are a worship-centric society, but the country has to understand this sacredness properly... Cow is sacred, cow protection is sacred, but remember life is the most sacred thing," he said, adding the sacredness of cow was to be protected, but one cannot spoil the "sacredness of life". "You cannot lynch anybody in the name of protecting something," the BJP leader said.To a question about China reportedly denying VISAs for a scheduled trip of the India Foundation, a think tank with links to the BJP, Madhav said it had been settled and the delegation was going there as scheduled.On China issuing advisory to its people visiting to India, he said, "Those issues will be handled at a diplomatic level by our government. Everything will be sorted out."Amid bilateral tensions over the Sikkim standoff, China had on Saturday issued an advisory for its citizens travelling to India, asking them to take necessary precautions for their personal safety.
London: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has appointed her first black equerry, a senior staff member in charge of assisting the royal household.



Ghanaian-born Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah from the Household Cavalry will take charge of one of the most important roles in the 91-year-old monarch's household.



The Afghanistan war veteran, known as TA to his friends, is thought to be the royal family's first black equerry, a role that requires immense discretion, The Sunday Times reported.



The 38-year-old moved to the UK from Ghana with his parents in 1982 and later studied at Queen Mary University of London and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.



Since then his illustrious military career has involved joining the Blues and Royals and becoming the first black British Army officer to be commissioned into the Household Cavalry.



He acted as an escort commander for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, in 2011 and in the same year commanded the Blues and Royals taking part in Trooping the Colour, the Queen's birthday parade.



It is understood that he is in a transition phase with the current equerry, Wing Commander Sam Fletcher, and will start in the role later this year.



According to staff policy published by Buckingham Palace in its annual report: "The household aims to employ the best people from the widest available pool of talent...irrespective of gender, race, ethnic or national origin".



Twumasi-Ankrah lives in London with his wife who works at the Victoria and Albert Museum and their two daughters.
Hamburg: French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday he had not given up on trying to get U.S. counterpart Donald Trump to change his mind about withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate change agreement.



The final statement from the Group of 20 leaders meeting in Hamburg on Saturday exposed the divide that remains between the United States and other G20 members on the 2015 Paris accord aimed at combating climate change.



But Macron also said he would host a summit on Dec. 12 to move the Paris deal forward.



"On Dec. 12, two years after the Paris (climate) agreement, I will therefore convene a summit to take further action on climate, notably on the financial front," Macron told reporters.



He said that the summit would aim to mobilize private and public financing for the projects committed to under the Paris agreement.



Asked if he was trying to persuade Trump to change his mind on the climate deal, Macro said: "I never despair to convince, because I think it is a duty, given my position, and it is a trait of my character".



Macron and Trump met during the G20 summit in Hamburg and Trump will travel to France for the Bastille Day military parade on July 14.
: Mosul, wrested from the Islamic State jihadist group on Sunday, is Iraq's second city and one of its cultural jewels.The jihadists seized it in a lightning offensive in June 2014 that humiliated Iraq's security forces, who launched their massive operation to retake it in October last year.Here are some facts about Mosul:The Mosul area is rich in oil and the city straddles the Tigris River about 350 kilometres (220 miles) north of Baghdad, and 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Iraq's biggest dam.It has long been a trading hub between Iraq, Syria and Turkey, and its population was once a mosaic of Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, Christians and other minorities.Muslin, the fine cotton fabric that is one of the city's best-known products, derives its name from "Mosul".The city controls key supply routes in northern Iraq, notably a highway to the border with Syria and its second city of Aleppo.Mosul's population, which has fallen from a peak of around two million, now comprises mostly Sunni Arabs, and after Saddam Hussein was defeated the jihadist group Al-Qaeda took root there.On June 10, 2014, fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seized the city, and on June 29, ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed an Islamic "caliphate" that included Mosul, the Syrian city of Raqa and large patches of territory in Iraq and Syria.He named it the Islamic State, and made his first public appearance on July 5 at Mosul's famed Great Mosque of al-Nuri.IS militants turned the city into an urban model for their state, setting school programmes, operating hours for shops and dress codes. The sale of alcohol and cigarettes was forbidden.The city's historic centre was dotted with church spires, and it was home to an estimated 35,000 Christians when IS arrived. Christians were ordered to convert, pay a special tax, or leave, and almost all fled.In this April 19, 2017, file photo, a member of the Iraqi security stands guard as Ameen Mukdad (right), a violinist from Mosul who lived under ISIS's rule for two and a half years where they destroyed his musical instruments, performs at Nabi Yunus shrine in eastern Mosul. (Starting in July 2014, IS began to destroy Shiite Muslim mosques and sanctuaries, some of which had been richly adorned and stood for centuries.Militants burned thousands of rare books and manuscripts in the city's vast museum and smashed priceless statues.IS rigged the Nabi Yunus shrine -- revered by both Muslims and Christians as the tomb of Prophet Jonah -- with explosives and blew it up. It also destroyed the Prophet Seth shrine.The extent of the damage to the archaeological site where the Nineveh ruins lie in east Mosul is not yet clear.The Old City of Mosul, on the western side of the river, is also considered of major cultural value. On June 21, as Iraqi forces advanced in the Old City, the jihadists blew up the Nuri mosque and Mosul's iconic leaning minaret, known as the "Hadba" (Hunchback), which had been a symbol of the city for centuries.Mosul was conquered by Arabs in 641 and reached its cultural peak in the 12th century before falling to Mongols in 1262, and then to Persians and Ottomans.The city became part of Iraq when the country was created out of the ashes of the Ottoman Empire in the 1920s.Britain annexed the oil-rich region in 1918, to the dismay of France which sought to attach it to Syria, under a French mandate.Nineveh has always been a border region, keenly contested by its rival communities and their powerful supporters in neighbouring states.In the early years of this century, Mosul proved a bastion of Saddam's most dedicated supporters who became a foundation of IS, and extortion and protection rackets in the city were a major source of jihadist funding before it was overrun.
Seoul: North Korea on Sunday lashed out at a live-fire drill the US and South Korea staged in a show of force against Pyongyang, accusing Washington of pushing the peninsula to the "tipping point" of nuclear war.



The allies held the rare live-fire drill as tensions grew over the peninsula following the North's first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test held last week.



The test sparked global alarm as it suggested North Korea now possessed an ICBM capable of reaching Alaska, a major milestone for the reclusive, nuclear-armed state.



On Saturday's drill, designed to "sternly respond" to potential missile launches by the North, saw two US bombers destroy "enemy" missile batteries and South Korean jets mount precision strikes against underground command posts.



The North's state-run Rodong newspaper accused Washington and Seoul of ratcheting up tensions with the drill, in an editorial titled "Don't play with fire on a powder keg."



"The US, with its dangerous military provocation, is pushing the risk of a nuclear war on the peninsula to a tipping point," it said, describing the peninsula as the "world's biggest tinderbox."



During yesterday's drill, long-range B-1B Lancer bombers reportedly flew close to the heavily-fortified border between two Koreas and dropped 2,000-pound (900 kilogram) bombs.



Pyongyang described the joint drill as a "dangerous military gambit of warmongers who are trying to ignite the fuse of a nuclear war on the peninsula."



"A small misjudgment or error can immediately lead to the beginning of a nuclear war, which will inevitably lead to another world war," it said.



Tension has been high as the US administration under President Donald Trump and the North's regime under leader Kim Jong-Un have exchanged hostile rhetoric for months.



Tension further escalated after Tuesday's ICBM test, a milestone in the North's decades-long quest for weapons capable of reaching the US.



The impoverished, isolated country has staged five nuclear tests -- including two last year -- and has made a significant progress in its missile capability under Kim, who took power in 2011.



In another drill held after the ICBM test, the US and South Korean troops fired ballistic missiles simulating an attack on the North's leadership "as a strong message of warning," the South's military said at the time.



The US Missile Defense Agency said Friday it would soon test an anti-ballistic missile system in Alaska.


Islamabad: A woman suffering from cancer in Pakistan has urged External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to help her visit India for treatment after her visa application was reportedly rejected by the Indian embassy.



Faiza Tanveer, 25, is suffering from a recurrent ameloblastoma, an oral tumour which is aggressive in nature.



She planned to visit the Inderprastha Dental College and Hospital (IDCH) in Ghaziabad and paid Rs 10 lakh in advance for treatment, according to a Pakistani media report.



But the Indian High Commission in Islamabad rejected her medical visa application, the report said.



Tanveer's mother claimed that her application was rejected because of deteriorating ties between the two countries.



That forced Tanveer to take to social media to move Indian authorities.



Tanveer in several tweets over the past couple of days has urged Swaraj to intervene. She has also posted her photo and a video that showed her tumour.



In one of the tweets, she said, "Please help me save my life mam plz (sic)," and tagged Swaraj in the tweet. In another tweet, Tanveer said, "Sushma g please help me (sic)."



Last month, an ailing child from Pakistan and his parents had been issued a visa for an emergency heart treatment after the family sought Swaraj's help.


Hamburg: US President Donald Trump on Saturday said it may take some time to rein in North Korea's nuclear ambitions, but expressed confidence that Washington and Beijing could eventually do so.



Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Trump for a meeting just after the G20 summit concluded. Trump has urged Xi to use China's economic leverage to pressure Pyongyang.



While Trump has expressed some impatience on the issue after North Korea's latest missile test, he showed no signs of it on Saturday.



"I appreciate the things that you have done relative to the very substantial problem that we all face in North Korea, a problem that something has to be done about," Trump told Xi.



"It may take longer than I'd like, it may take longer than you'd like," Trump said. "But there will be a success, in the end, one way or the other."



Pyongyang last week launched an intercontinental ballistic missile that some experts believe could have the range to reach Alaska, Hawaii and perhaps the US Pacific Northwest. North Korea said it could carry a large nuclear warhead.



Trump campaigned on cracking down on China for its trade practices, but he softened his tone after taking office, saying he wanted to work with China on the nuclear issue.



Trump hosted Xi at his Florida resort in April for a summit, and the leaders agreed to try to quickly ease some trade irritants within 100 days. He told Xi on Saturday that it was an "honor to have gotten to know you" and said the two leaders had "developed a wonderful relationship."


The main accused in the Ballabhgarh train lynching has confessed to stabbing 16-year-old Junaid Khan and his brother on June 22.

By Shalini Lobo: The main accused in the lynching of 16-year-old Junaid Khan on a Delhi-Mathura train has confessed to stabbing the teen and his brother, the police said today.

The main accused, whose identity the police refused to reveal, worked as a security guard in Delhi.

Junaid and his brothers, who were returning to Ballabhgarh after shopping for Eid in Delhi, were attacked by a mob on a train on June 22. Junaid succumbed to his stab wounds the same day.

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Addressing a press conference today, Superintendent of Police (SP), Railways, Kamal Deep Goyal said the murder weapon is yet to be recovered.

NO MENTION OF BEEF

The District and Sessions Court, Faridabad later remanded the accused to two-day police custody. The Government Railway Police (GRP), however, had sought his custody for three days.

"Police adopted various methods to arrest the accused. We have put in continuous efforts (to nab him)," said SP Kamal Deep Goyal.

The officer said that neither the complainant nor the accused have mentioned anything about beef. "The accused mentioned that the knife belonged to him and he has confessed to stabbing Junaid and his brother," the officer said.

He said that it was too early in the investigation to reveal much details but the next step would be to find the murder weapon and identify others in the CCTV footage.

FAMILY SEEKS JUSTICE

Junaid's father has demanded death penalty for the perpetrators of the crime.

Junaid's brothers Sakhir and Hasim alleged that they were attacked because they were Muslims. "We were wearing kurtas and skull caps and that is the sole reason why we were attacked. Junaid had already given up his seat but those men went on harassing us," said Sakhir, who sustained multiple stab wounds.

"They pulled my skull cap and called me a Pakistani and a traitor. They abused us and then assaulted us," said Hasim, who too was attacked on June 22.

"Muslim or non-Muslim, it should not matter; what matters is sending out a strong message to people that you cannot get away with murders like this," said Junaid's mother.

A copy of the FIR.

A copy of the FIR.

ALSO READ:

Lynching in name of cow against Hindutva, need national policy on beef: Sena

Ballabhgarh lynching: Junaid's family feels threatened, demands security

Pranab Mukherjee on mob lynchings: We must ask are we vigilant enough

#NotInMyName: Nationwide protest against Lynchistan India, cities abroad to follow

ALSO WATCH: Delhi-Ballabhgarh train lynching case: Brother of teen killed recounts horror

--- ENDS ---

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Don Gay was an entrepreneur long before that term became trendy. And in his entrepreneurial prime, he established what amounted to a small empire near the corner of Waterlick and Timberlake roads.

Gay sold hot dogs at his Weenie Stand there, car stereos at Dons Car Stereo behind the restaurant, automobiles in an adjoining lot and CB radios from his basement.

He was a tenaciously hard-working man, said Jeff Gay of his father, who died on July 4 at the age of 75. He always had something going on. I remember he even fixed up what he called a Weenie Wagon, kind of like the food trucks today, that he used to drive around to ballgames and things like that.

Somehow, Gay also found time to be a regular pit crew member for NASCAR driver Ward Burton.

I think his job was washing off the windshield during races, said Linda Sutor, Gays sister, and he traveled all over on weekends doing that. The funny thing was, he had to use his own money. They didnt pay pit crew members back then, so they were hard to find.

For Gay, there was always another frontier. When his first Weenie Stand flourished, he opened a second, then a third. After that came CBs, which led to car stereos, which led to cars, which led to RVs.

The latter, however, proved to be a case of bad timing.

He started with that right when the gas crisis kicked in, Jeff Gay said, so he had to quit it.

The linchpin of Gays little fiefdom, however, was always the humble hot dog  an afterthought buried at the bottom of most restaurant menus, a cheap item tucked away in convenience stores. Even today, the major fast food players sell comparatively few of them. But Gay had a magic ingredient.

It was the slaw that made his hot dogs different, Jeff Gay said. If you ordered one all the way, it was like no other hot dog youve ever eaten. Ive had hot dogs all up and down the East Coast, all the way to Florida, and Ive never tasted one like it.

The recipe came from Don Gays parents, who operated Gays Cafe on Euclid Avenue for more than 30 years.

A man from Florida took out a check and said I could fill in any reasonable amount if I gave him the recipe, Don Gay once told The News & Advance. I told him, Nothing doing. Youre liable to go next door and put me out of business.

When he sold this place (Weenie Stand No. 1) to Evan Miller, he gave Evan the recipe, said Linda Sutor. That was a relief to me, because I thought I was going to have to keep being the only person trusted to make it. It takes a long time to grind it all up.

Sutor worked in her brothers restaurants for 40 years, she said.

We went head-to-head a lot, she added with a laugh.

Yet Don Gay didnt start out to be a restaurant owner.

He was working in Pittsburgh, Jeff Gay said, something having to do with calculators, when his father died on Christmas Day, 1964. That brought him back to Lynchburg to run the cafe.

Weenie Stand No. 1 opened in 1965 on Alleghany Avenue, followed in 1974 by the Timberlake Road store (managed for three decades by Doris and Charles Brizendine) and a third location on the ground floor of the Allied Arts Building. The latter two were closed by 2011, but Weenie Stand No. 1 remains open and popular.

I think the Weenie Stand and the Texas Inn are similar in some ways, said Jeff Gay, now a mortgage banker in Maryland. They have a lot of history, and theyve both become kind of a tradition in Lynchburg.

People start coming there when theyre kids, Sutor said, and a lot of them keep coming back just because they always see someone they know there.

The family has started a Go Fund Me account to help defray Don Gays funeral expenses. As of late last week, it had already nearly reached the halfway point of its $10,000 goal, including $2,500 from Jeff Gays employer, Southern Trust Bank.

My father was a great man, Jeff Gay said, but he didnt have any life insurance.

Gay said when he stopped into a Lynchburg bank last week and mentioned his fathers death, two of the tellers started crying.

Laurant is a longtime columnist for The News & Advance, now retired.
Father of 16-year-old Junaid, who was stabbed by an irate mob in the Mathura-bound train two weeks ago, demands death penalty for the accused.

Five key accused have been arrested till now.

By India Today Web Desk: In light of the arrest of the main accused who stabbed 16-year-old Junaid Khan in the Mathura-bound train on June 22, his father now demands death penalty for the perpetrators of his son.

The Muslim youth's father Jalaluddin now seeks justice for his son but in the form of capital punishment.

This comes a day after the Faridabad Police arrested the main accused from Maharashtra's Dhule. Five key accused have been arrested till now.

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According to the police, the main suspect has so far told them that the scuffle started over the seats and escalated thereon.

'WE FEEL THREATENED'

Junaid's family has also demanded police protection in lieu of the arrests, saying that his brother Hashim who was also attacked is the prime witness in the case.

"We feel threatened. We should be given security as those arrested are from nearby village. We want police protection," Hashim told India Today.

Junaid along with his brothers, friend was attacked with sharp objects and subjected to anti-Muslim slurs by a mob in the Mathura-bound train, about two weeks ago few days before Eid.

All four were thrashed all the way from Tughlakabad till the Ballabhgarh railway station and then thrown out of the train at Asaoti railway station in Palwal district.

Junaid succumbed to his stab wounds at the Asaoti railway station.

Also read: Main suspect in Junaid lynching arrested from Maharashtra

Also read: Ballabhgarh lynching: Junaid's family feels threatened, demands security

Also read: Ballabgarh lynching: 4 more arrested for killing Muslim teen Junaid inside train

Also watch: Ballabgarh lynching: Train seat not the reason for Junaid's killing, says father

--- ENDS ---
Sweet future for Braso Seco youths

Winston Maraj, secretary of the association and project manager of Apiary Business said the project places strong emphasis on getting the youth in the area involved in order to prevent the area from developing a high percentage of delinquent youths.

In Brasso Seco a lot of the youths are unemployed. If they work, they work for the government, or as a security guard or a cleaner. We want to create entrepreneurship, business activity, to stimulate growth. He said initially project members approached the Police Youth Club in the community but, since they were dealing with Africanised killer bees, the parents did not want the children to participate. They therefore encouraged anyone in the area who was 18 and over to visit their operation, taste the honey, and learn about bee-keeping. He said most bee-keepers were very secretive about their trade and did not want to teach others, but they try to involve interested parties in every stage, from building the frames for the boxes serving as hives to bottling the honey.

According to Maraj, the project started because the resident bee-keeper in the association, Matthew Lopez, kept insisting that other members try the profitable practice.

Most of us are farmers so we didnt think that the forest would give us anything. We usually cut land down and plant christophine, cocoa, vegetables or citrus, but now we realise the forest itself is full of money. Maraj said in 2013, he and his sister went to an apiary course at the Ministry of Agriculture at the Government Apiary in Wallerfield. On their encouragement, a few more members of the association decided to attend the next cycle of class. However, because the five-day course would take them away from their fields, as well as the added expense of travelling to and from Wallerfield, other farmers declined and instead got their practical knowledge from those who attended the course.

Marlon Cowie- Clarke from Tobago has been instrumental in the process. He teaches us and helps us with the honey. He helps with the technical aspects and lends us his equipment, like the extractor, until we get on our feet. He really is a good fellow and a good bee-keeper too. He said there was a large area of natural forest in Brasso Seco so they knew the bees would have done well and made excellent quality honey. The association began looking for funds to start the apiary business.

Last year, the project was initiated when Digicel gave the new bee-keepers $65,000, with which they bought bees, protective gear, and made hives. The Canadian Embassy also gave them money for a solar system to produce electricity to pump water up to the hives in the dry season, as well as to run their machinery.

They also received a small grant from the United Nations to set up a rain water harvesting system. This year, Digicel promised them $101,000, most of which they intend to use to purchase machinery to produce their honey.
Joanne Shurland leads Hilarians

In 1964, Shurlands cousin, Stephanie, was the first local principal of the now 96-year-old school, which was founded in 1921 by Arthur Henry Anstey  Anglican Bishop of Trinidad and Tobago - with a student body of 48 girls. Bishop Anstey believed that girls of all ethnic, religious and social backgrounds deserved access to the knowledge, skills and values to compete, thrive and contribute positively in a rapidly changing world.

Shurland is 11th in the line of principals at this school in which the Anglican church retains its involvement.

Although the school is financially assisted by the government, it is run by a Board of management appointed and chaired by the Bishop. The first three headmistresses were foreigners  Amelia .M. Stephens (1921-1938), Dorothy Shrewsbury (1938- 1950) and Christina Sutherland (1950- 1964). The new principal, herself a mother of two adult children, was busy settling into her new office in the Abercromby Street School in this the last week of the school year, but found time to share her aspirations for Bishops, where the student body is now approximately 700.

She comes with a wealth of experience from Diego Martin North Secondary School, where she has been vice principal for the past seven years. Prior to that, she was Dean of Discipline, responsible for ensuring that students are functioning successfully; academically and behaviorally; and also ensuring the safety and good health of students.

As dean, she was also responsible for preparing schemes of work, lesson plans, classroom delivery.

She also functioned in the capacity of Head of Department and was the teacher representative on the Local School Board.

I did not know I wanted to be a teacher but I always took charge of my three siblings, grooming and talking to them when my parents were not around, the new principal said.

Shurland was encouraged to follow her fashionista dream by her deceased mother, and obtained a Bachelor of Fine Art in Fashion Design with a minor in Art Education at Pratt Institute in New York.

She lived abroad for 12 years, travelling the world working in the fashion industry, but always knew I wanted to come back home, which she did.

I was moving up in education having started as a qualified teacher, but I always wanted to be a principal. She did a Postgraduate Diploma in Education, followed by a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Education  International Education and is now working towards a Doctor of Philosophy  Psychology  Counselling Psychology, which should be completed in 2018.

Seeing a lot of behavioural issues in the classroom I knew that is what I want to do, pursue this course so that after teaching this would be my area of interest. Children and families, that is what I am focusing on now through field work at the Child Guidance Clinic, which is only for children three to 18.

There are a lot of mental health concerns in Trinidad and Tobago, also a lot of hurting parents. She is also affiliated to several other church and educational organisations, including recently being appointed treasurer of the Alzheimers Association of Trinidad and Tobago.

How is she going to personally achieve all that she wants in readiness for postretirement from the teaching service in the next three years, and at the same time manage this school where the motto, Non Sine Pulvere Palmam  not without dust the palm  has guided many exceptional women in their work in or on behalf of the wider national and regional communities in the country? Her reply was: I have always been very active and am able to balance my time as am a very well organised and meticulous person.

My tenure here as principal is not going to be long but I am going to do as much as I can to bring Bishops back to a place where people respect the accomplishments of the girls. We have a lot to offer. It has always been a school of excellence. Above all I wanted to do this for what Auntie Stephanie represented as a past principal and for what my late mother instilled in her three girls. She had a staunch, Victorian background and was always there to push us.
Judge escapes robbery attack

According to police reports, at about 9.20pm on Friday, Pemberton arrived at her home and went inside to get something with the intention of returning to her car.

While she was inside the house, Abdul was approached by a masked man whom he described as being about five feet, ten inches tall and armed with a gun. The man ordered Abdul to hand over all his valuables.

Abdul became frightened and handed over a wallet valued $500 which contained his drivers permit and other documents.

The bandit also took $20 which Abdul had in his pocket and a Nokia cellphone valued $158.

While the robbery was in progress, Pemberton was about to exit her house but she saw what was taking place and called the police.

Members of the Carenage Police Station responded quickly but by the time they arrived, the bandit had already left.

A police team led by Insp Vincent of the Western Division, cordoned off several roads after the robbery in an attempt to arrest the suspect but to no avail.

Neighbours of the judge expressed alarm over the incident given that it is an upscale community and investigators were hoping to secure camera footage to assist them in their investigations.
The Bangladesh government has decided to stop the joint production of films specially Bangladesh-India ventures till the time a policy is built on the matter to deal with objections coming from different sectors of the Bangladesh film.

By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: The Bangladesh government has decided to stop the joint production of films specially Bangladesh-India ventures till the time a policy is built on the matter to deal with objections coming from different sectors of the Bangladesh film.

Information Minister Hasanul Haque Inu on Saturday said the decision was made after the meeting with the film family, the Ministry of Information said. The meeting was attended by Delwar Jahan Jhantu, Khorshed Alam Khasru, Mushfiqur Rahman Gulzar, Badiul Alam Khokan, Actor Faruq, Misa Saudagar, Riaz and Zayed Khan.

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Managing Director of Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (FDC) Tapan Kumar Ghosh, Joint Secretary (film) Yusuf Ali Molla, Vice Chairman of Film Sensor Board Zakir Hossain, Deputy Secretary (Film) Shahin Ara Begum also attended the meeting.

In this meeting, Director General of Bangladesh Television, SM Harun-ur-Rashid, additional secretary of the Ministry of Information (Administration and Film) Manjurur Rahman were also present while Information Secretary Martuja Ahmad presided over in the conference room of the ministry of information.

In the meeting, for the sake of development of Bangladeshi film, actor Faruq and President of Film Artists Association Misha Soudagar presented a number of proposals.

A press release from the Ministry of Information has asked about three decisions about the film. Reviewing the proposed proposals, the decision of creating a new policy for the rapid development of film-making policies in Bangladesh-India joint-production policy for the sake of the country's film.

Until the new policy is taken, it was decided to postpone activities related to film production in joint production.

In the context of the joint production of the Bangladesh-India film, the allegations of irregularities and the film together with the 14 organizations associated with the film in the name of recent movement demanding to stop them.

ALSO READ

Baahubali 2 craze hits Bangladesh, fans fly to India to watch SS Rajamouli's film

Khagragarh blast suspect Nasrallah detained by police in Bangladesh

--- ENDS ---
No One Will

Ever Smash

Stuff Quite

Like He Did
Vladimir Putin came away from his two-hour-plus meeting with President Trump Friday in Hamburg, Germany, with some definite impressionsnotably, that the Trump we see on TV may not bear much similarity to the Trump behind the scenes, the Hill reports. "Trump on television very much differs from the man in reality," the Russian president said at a Saturday presser, per a translation offered on Twitter by Anton Troianovski of the Wall Street Journal. In what Newsweek calls a "moderate" appraisal of his US counterpart, Putin went on to say that Trump "is very concrete, he fully perceives [the person he's speaking with], and he analyzes and answers questions or new elements that come up in the course of the discussion quickly enough."

Putin added he hoped that their dialogue may be a sign of good things to come. "If we can build our new relationship in the spirit of our first conversation, then we will have every reason to expect that we will at least in part be able to restore the level of cooperation that we need," he noted. What else the Russian leader thinks came out of the meeting: Trump's acceptance of Putin's assertions that Russia didn't interfere with the US election. "He asked many questions on the subject, I tried to answer them all," Putin said, per the AP. "It seemed to me that he was satisfied with the answers [and] that he [took] note of that and agreed," he added, though he said people should ask Trump himself. Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, scoffed at Putin's depiction, noting to CNN: "President Trump still knows that they meddled. President Putin knows that they meddled, but he is never going to admit to it." (Read more Vladimir Putin stories.)
Between 30 and 50 members of the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan rallied in support of controversial Confederate statues on Saturday in Charlottesville, Va., but the Washington Post reports that their shouts of "white power" were drowned out by more than 1,000 counterprotesters. More than 100 cops in riot gear escorted Klansmen to and from the 45-minute rally, held in protest of the city's plan to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee. Police later declared an "unlawful assembly" when counterprotesters refused to leave, reports the Daily Progress, and used tear gas to make their point; 23 were arrested. "It is important for me to be here because the Klan was ignored in the 1920s, and they metastasized," says a protester. "They need to know that their ideology is not acceptable." (Here's why Charlottesville is the latest flashpoint in alt-right wars.)
Iraq's state TV says the country's prime minister has arrived in Mosul to declare victory over the Islamic State in the more than eight-month old operation to drive the militants from the city, reports the AP. "The commander in chief of the armed forces [Prime Minister] Haider al-Abadi arrived in the liberated city of Mosul and congratulated the heroic fighters and Iraqi people for the great victory," the office of Haider al-Abadi said in a statement on Sunday, per Reuters. Dressed in a black uniform of a type worn by Iraqi special forces, al-Abadi was shown on Sunday descending from a military plane and was greeted by senior security forces commanders. Fighting Sunday was heavy, with the increasingly cornered militants sending female suicide bombers; some 30 ISIS fighters were killed attempting to flee by crossing the Tigris.

Lt. Gen. Jassim Nizal of the Iraq army's 9th Division said Sunday his forces have achieved "victory" in the sector allotted to them, after a similar announcement by the militarized Federal Police. Nizal's soldiers danced to patriotic music atop tanks even as airstrikes sent plumes of smoke into the air nearby. Backed by US-led coalition, Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul in October. Iraqi state TV says government forces drove the militants from all areas and are "chasing" them in some areas in the city. The militants captured Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, in a matter of days in the summer of 2014. (Read more Mosul stories.)
The EU is eyeing a potential target to use in retaliation against President Trumps proposed steel import tariff: the US bourbon industry. Per the Guardian, commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said the EU would "react with counter-measures" within days against US agricultural exports should Trump impose import tariffs on Chinese and German steel. The US bourbon industry was specifically called out, and for good reason: 20% of the US' $654 million spirit exports to the EU last year came from bourbon whiskey sales. At the G20 summit Friday, Juncker added that he hoped the EU could avoid such retaliatory measures, but said "we are in an elevated battle mood. The bourbon industry is largely based in Kentucky, but WEKU reports that the pinch such taxes could bring would be felt much further.

"Anything, not just trade, but anything that impacts Kentucky bourbon affects a lot of different spin-off industries," says Kentucky Distillers' Association president Eric Gregory. Nearly all bourbon produced in the US (95%) comes from Kentucky in an industry that employs over 17,000. The Guardian reports that Trump won nearly 63% of the vote there in the election (not to mention it's home turf to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell). "This is a really important industry to Kentucky, so people will not be happy that this in the air," says Susan Reigler, president of the Bourbon Women Association. Bourbon can only be produced in the US (as tequila is only made in Mexico, or champagne in France), and Gregory vows to "promote, protect, and elevate its success around the world." (In other liquor news, Southern Comfort has added a surprising ingredient.)
Burhan Wani first death anniversary

New Delhi : India on Sunday said the Pakistan government was "reading" from Lashkar-e-Taiba's terror script in hailing Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani whose death on July 8 last year sparked months-long deadly unrest in Jammu and Kashmir.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay condemned in a tweet the praises showered upon Wani and other Kashmiri militants by the Pakistan government and its army on his first death anniversary.

"First ForeignOfficePk (Pakistan Foreign Office) read from banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS (Chief of Army Staff) glorifies Burhan Wani. Pakistan's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by one and all," Baglay tweeted.

First @ForeignOfficePk read frm banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS glorfs Burhan Wani. Pak's terror suprt&spnsr'p need 2b condmnd by 1 & all  Anurag Srivastava (@MEAIndia) July 9, 2017

The tweet was in response to Pakistan using Wani's death anniversary on Saturday to rake up the Kashmir issue.

Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Saturday that Kashmiris had the right to self-determination.

Bajwa said Hizbul Mujahideen militant Wani's "sacrifice" was "testimony" of his and his generation's "resolve" against "Indian atrocities."

Even Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif paid tributes to Wani, saying his death had "infused a new spirit in the struggle for freedom" in Jammu and Kashmir.

"The blood rendered by Burhan Wani has infused a new spirit in the freedom movement. The Kashmiri people are steadfast to take their movement to logical conclusion," Sharif said.

The Pakistan Foreign Office in Islamabad said in its tweet on Saturday that it condemned "India's deliberate targeting of civilians (in Kashmir) that is contrary to human dignity, international human rights and humanitarian laws".
Russia didn't meddle in US election, Vladimir Putin tells Donald Trump

Hamburg : Russian President Vladimir Putin told his US counterpart Donald Trump that Moscow did not meddle in the US presidential election and Trump accepted it, claimed Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

After the two leaders emerged from a meeting in Hamburg on Friday, on the sidelines of G20 summit, that lasted over two hours at one point, First Lady Melania Trump entered the room to hurry them along US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Trump had raised the issue of Moscow's alleged cyber-meddling in the election at the start of their conversation, the Independent reported.

He said the US had talked about such attacks represented a "threat to the democratic process". An official from the White House, however, later indicated that the President (Trump) had not in fact accepted assurances from Putin that Russia did not meddle in the 2016 election.

"The President opened the meeting raising the concerns of the American people about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election," said Tillerson. "They had a very lengthy and robust conversation on this."

He said Trump pushed him on the issue and Putin stood firm in his denial.

"I think the President is rightly focused on how do we move forward from something that may be an intractable disagreement at this point," Tillerson said.

In his own briefing to reporters, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Trump accepted Putin's assurances that Russia did not meddle in the election.

"The (issue of cybersecurity) got a lot of attention, which is understandable," Lavrov said. "President Trump mentioned that in the US, some circles are fuelling -- even though they cannot prove (anything -- the allegations of Russian meddling in the US elections)."

When pressed, Lavrov said that Trump or Tillerson would likely provide further information to the press.

"In the course of the months that these allegations have been around, not a single fact has been presented, which is admitted by those in the (US) Congress who have led this movement at some point," Lavrov said. "And President Trump said that he heard President Putin stating clearly that it is not true, that the Russian government did not meddle" in the elections."

Trump left the scene of his conversation with Putin, to head to Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie, a concert that is the venue for a formal G20 dinner. He was accompanied by the First Lady Melania Trump.

Earlier, the US President had spoken to reporters as he and Putin posed for photographs before their discussions, accompanied only by their translators, Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

"President Putin and I have been discussing various things, and I think it's going very well," said Mr Trump. "We look forward to a lot of very positive happenings for Russia and for the United States, and for everyone concerned."

For his part, Putin said he was happy to be able to meet Trump in person.

"We spoke over the phone but phone conversations are never enough, definitely," he said. "I hope that, as you have said, our meetings will yield positive results."

The two leaders discussed a range of issues, including Russia's annexation of Crimea, a reported agreement for a cease fire in Syria, and ways to cooperate in the fight against terrorism in the world

"This is our first indication of the US and Russia being able to work together in Syria," Tillerson said of the ceasefire in Syria, which was described as a potential building block to further cooperation in the war-torn country. Trump and Putin had a "lengthy discussion of other areas in Syria where we can work together".

Before the meeting between the two presidents, observers were keen to see how they would interact in person.

The two countries haven't had the greatest relationship so far in Trump's nascent presidency, and the White House has at times described the relationship with the Kremlin as at all-time lows.

The relationship became exacerbated in April when Trump ordered a missile strike on a Syrian government airbase in April to the chagrin of the Russian military.

The Russian government officially supports the embattled Syrian regime headed by Bashar al-Assad, while the US government has called for that president's ouster.

The 2017 G20 summit is the 12 meeting of the Group of Twenty, which is an assembly of some of the most powerful countries, as well as the European Union.
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No fresh incidents of violence have been reported today in the Basirhat municipality of North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

Violence erupted in Basirhat municipality of West Bengal over a Facebook post by a youth. Photo: PTI.

By India Today Web Desk: Basirhat, which has witnessed violence since the past few days, is limping back to normalcy with state government-run bus service being resumed today.

No fresh incidents of violence have been reported today in the Basirhat municipality of North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

The Mamata Banerjee government has ordered a judicial probe into the communal flare-up in Basirhat after a youth posted objectionable content on Facebook.

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HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN BASIRHAT: Violence erupted between two communities at Baduria town of Basirhat on the night of July 3 over a Facebook post by a youth. While the youth was soon arrested, violence broke out in the area with mobs attacking shops and houses, torching vehicles and putting up road blockades. Several police personnel sustained injuries as the violence spread to various pockets. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said, "We will conduct a judicial probe into the Baduria-Basirhat incident to take impartial action as per law. We want to know which were the forces which indulged in violence. We will also probe the media's involvement in spreading rumours". Mamata Banerjee transferred two senior officers and said that a sitting or a former Calcutta High Court Judge would be heading the judicial probe into Basirhat violence. A state home department notification said North 24 Parganas' Superintendent of Police Bhaskar Mukherjee and Inspector General of Police (South Bengal) Ajay Ranade have been removed. Mamata Banerjee accused the Centre of not protecting the international border with Bangladesh. "How was the Bangladesh border opened? Who takes care of the security of the border? Some of the infiltrators came from the other side of the border and left after indulging in communal violence," the West Bengal chief minister alleged. On Saturday, BJP MPs Meenakshi Lekhi, Om Mathur, and Satyapal Singh, who were tasked by party chief Amit Shah to report on the situation, were stopped from entering the troubled area by the police. A BJP delegation headed by state party chief Dilip Ghosh met West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi to demand imposition of President's rule in the state. On Friday, the West Bengal government had transferred Inspector in-charge of Basirhat police station Nasim Akhtar. Accusing the BJP of "indulging in violence, Mamata Banerjee alleged that its activists had set fire to the Trinamool Congress offices in Basirhat.

ALSO READ:

Basirhat violence: How Mamata Banerjee lost the plot in her second term

West Bengal: Man who posted Bhojpuri film still to depict Basirhat violence arrested

Basirhat violence: BJP delegation meets Bengal governor, demands imposition of President's rule

ALSO WATCH: Mamata blames BJP for Basirhat violence, says Centre not cooperating with Bengal govt

--- ENDS ---
Iftikaar Alam was passing through the area in a pick-up truck on July 7 when a concrete mixer truck blocked its way.

By Press Trust of India: A group of around 10 people allegedly thrashed a 22-year-old man on suspicion that he was a cattle thief in south Delhi's Sarai Kale Khan area, the police said today.

Iftikaar Alam was passing through the area in a pick-up truck on July 7 when a concrete mixer truck blocked its way.

When Alam got down to see if anyone was there in the truck, some 8 to 10 men surrounded him, the police said.

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Sensing danger, the driver of the truck fled the spot, but the men caught hold of Alam and beat him up.

They even made some remarks about his religion, the police said.

Locals residents told the police that Alam was a buffalo thief and that they had seen him near their animals.

Alam told the police that he had seen some buffaloes tied nearby.

The matter was settled amicably after Alam's employers arrived there and told the men he was their employee.

However, a case was registered in the matter after Alam's brother approached the police after 36 hours.

Alam alleged that the police had earlier refused to register a case.

The police said he had earlier denied medical examination.

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi:

The state-owned Air India is expected to be sold out in parts by the government to make it attractive for potential buyers. According to reports, the decision to sell the airline was taken following huge losses.

Earlier, Cabinet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June gave a nod to sell the airline. In the past, several governments spent lots of money in order to keep it state-owned.

Founded in 1930s, Air India is under the debt of approximately Rs. 55,000 crore and its markets share has slumped to 13 per cent. An employees union of the airline also protested against the idea of sale.

ALSO READ: Airfares for flying in, out of Delhi reduced



One can imagine the situation of Air India that on July 2, in a shocking and unusual incident, the national carrier's flight from Bagdogra to Delhi took off with a faulty air conditioning system, causing suffocation to passengers.



West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on June 29 also criticised the Modi government for trying to privatise the national carrier. They (Centre) are trying to sell Air India entirely. Air India is the nations pride. We dont support this, she said.

ALSO READ: Waive Air India's debt, let the flag of national carrier fly: Workers' Union

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Hamburg:

Acknowledging steps being taken by India for sustainable and inclusive growth as well as support to the global economy, the G20 has praised the initiatives in the country for promoting ease of doing business, startup funding and labour reforms.



In its Hamburg Action Plan, adopted at the G20 Summit of leaders from the worlds 20 largest economies, the group also noted that in the financial sector, India is popularising a number of derivative instruments in exchanges or electronic trading platforms as part of measures to enhance the resilience of its economy.



It further said India is facilitating external commercial borrowings (ECBs) by startups in order to encourage innovation and promote ease of doing business, as part of the efforts being taken by the G20 members this year for maintaining momentum on structural reforms and sustainable growth.



On steps being taken by G20 countries for promoting inclusive growth this year, the Action Plan said India is introducing labour market reforms to provide security to workers, increase female participation in the workforce and make doing business easier in the country.



The acknowledgement from the G20 Summit, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi among other world leaders, assumes significance in the wake of India trying hard to improve its global ranking for ease of doing business.

Suggested read: PM Modi returns as G20 summit concludes; Paris climate deal, counter-terror discussions, digitization India's top priority



The World Bank ranked the country at a low 130th position last year, an improvement of just one position from the previous year.



The Modi government has said it wants India to be ranked in the top-50 nations in terms of ease of doing business. The next update to the ranking is expected later this year.



The areas where India ranks poorly as per the World Bank ranking include starting a business, dealing with construction permits, registering property, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency.



The country has implemented a spate of reforms in the recent months in areas like insolvency, taxation and starting a business and expects the rankings to improve substantially.



The acknowledgement of various reform measures by G20, whose members include 19 countries and the European Union, has come as the latest boost to hopes for better ranking for India in terms of ease of doing business.



Global institutions like the World Bank, IMF, WTO, OECD, ILO, WHO and the Financial Stability Board (FSB) are among the partners to the G20.



G20 member countries include the US, UK, Germany, India, Australia, Japan, Russia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Indonesia, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey.



The G20 Hamburg Action Plan, which sets out the groups strategy for achieving strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth, also said that the closer partnership and action by G20 members will boost confidence and contribute to shared prosperity.



It said the Action Plan has been developed against a backdrop of improving growth and job prospects.

Suggested read: G20 Summit: PM Modi left 'major influence' on counter-terror discussions among global leaders, says India



The global economic recovery is progressing and gaining momentum. Investment has picked up, and trade and manufacturing are showing signs of recovery.



However, the pace of this growth is still weaker than desirable, and downside risks remain.



Weak productivity growth, income inequality and ageing populations represent challenges to growth in the longer term, the G20 Action Plan noted.



It included new policy actions to tackle challenges in economies, focusing on initiatives that foster inclusive growth, enhancing resilience and further the G20 efforts to implement structural reforms.



In the action plan, the G20 members resolved that they will continue to use all policy tools monetary, fiscal and structural individually and collectively to achieve the goal of strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth while enhancing economic and financial resilience.



The members committed to using their fiscal position flexibly and in a growth-friendly way to prioritise high-quality investment, and support reforms, while ensuring debt as a share of GDP is on a sustainable path.



They also reinforced their commitment to structural reform and acknowledged that excess volatility and disorderly movements in exchange rates can have adverse implications for economic and financial stability.



The G20 leaders also committed to refrain from competitive devaluations and said they will not target their exchange rates for competitive purposes.



The Action Plan also outlined new actions to tackle the issues of beneficial ownership, correspondent banking and remittances, anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism, fossil fuel subsidies and data gaps.



The G20 leaders said their growth strategies individually and collectivelywill boost global growth, including an increase of an additional 2 per cent for the G20 collective GDP by the next year.



The 13-page action plan took note of various steps being taken by the member countries including on monetary policy and enhancing resilience of the respective economies.



It also said China is improving its business environment and utilising foreign investment actively, while the European Union is fostering investment with a proposal to extend the European Investment Plan and increasing the overall flexibility of the EU budget to support job creation, investment and economic growth On promoting inclusive growth, the Action Plan noted that the inequality within many countries had increased until the mid-2000s and the member countries are introducing further measures this year to promote inclusive growth and raise the living standards of all their citizens.



It also said that the malicious use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) could disrupt financial services crucial to both national and international financial systems, undermine security and confidence and endanger financial stability.



On taxation, it said the G20 will continue to work for a globally fair and modern international tax system and welcome international cooperation on pro-growth tax policies.



It also called on all jurisdictions to sign and ratify the multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters.



Terming the multilateral convention as an important tool in fight against corruption, tax evasion, terrorist financing and money laundering, the G20 said it will advance the effective implementation of the international standards on transparency and beneficial ownership of legal persons and legal arrangements.

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New Delhi:

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is set to launch to a new project under which the Airport Line of the Delhi Metro will be extended till Dwarka Sector 25. Currently the the line is operational till Dwarka Sector 21.

DMRC has already invited bids for the construction of the 1.5-km-long extension and the new underground station, near an upcoming international convention centre.

As per the statement made by a DMRC spokesperson, bids for the project would be accepted till August 14 and the tender opened on August 16. Last December, the Centre had approved the project master plan for the proposed Rs 26,000-crore international exhibition -cum-convention centre which, when completed, will be one of the biggest in Asia. The phase-I of the convention centre project is expected to be commenced by June 2019.

Read more: Bengaluru metro services resume after negotiations

Earlier, this Airport corridor that struggled to attract commuters now constitute of six stations. The DMRC took over the operations of the Airport link in July 2013 after Reliance Infrastructures subsidiary Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Ltd (DAMEPL) terminated its concessionaire agreement.

(With inputs from PTI)
Nawada:

In Bihars Nawada district, three siblings died and another was taken ill, a medical officer told on Sunday.

District Medical Officer In-charge Dr Ravindra Kumar said that three children died of a mysterious illness since Saturday at Dharamur village in the Hisua police station area.

Another child was taken critically ill at the same village, Dr Kumar said.

The bodies have been sent for post-mortem, he said.

A special medical team, led by the district malaria officer, has gone to the village to investigate the deaths.

Also Read: Obese children likely to develop painful hip disease in adulthood
New Delhi:

Kapil Sharma, who has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons lately, shown up his humanitarian side after he decided to create awareness about visual impairment. The comedian-turned-actor reportedly announced a donation of 100 cycles to a Mumbai-based NGO called Gyanam Ganga, in order to create awareness about visual impairement.



While his gesture is winning him a lot of appreciation, Kapil called his intiative a small gesture to acknowledge the efforts of the NGO who are supporting this noble cause.



"Its a small gesture for the people from Gyanam Ganga who are putting efforts day in and out to achieve their goal. It was wonderful having them on our show. Im always up for supporting causes that help fellow human beings," Kapil told Hindustan Times.

Also Read | Kiku Sharda on Kapil Sharma being hospitalised: 'He did not faint on sets'



Notably, Gyanam Ganga is known to have covered 1,700 km, crossing six states and helping 7,000 people of 34 villages within seven days.



Certainly, the NGO is overwhelmed by Kapil's Sharma. Convenor Rajesh Shukla told HT, We feel grateful that the team invited us and acknowledged our efforts.



On the other hand, Kapil Sharma created a buzz in the B-town after he was rushed to hospital. It was reported that the comedian had failed on the sets of his show 'The Kapil Sharma' as a result of which he had to cancel his shooti with Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma, who had come to promote their upcoming movie 'Jab Harry Met Sejal'.
New Delhi:

Muslims are the educationally most disadvantaged community among the minorities, a panel formed by a government-funded agency has said, advocating a three-tier model to tackle the educational backwardness.



The panel has recommended that the communities be empowered through a three-tier model of institutionscentral schools, community colleges and national institutes. It suggests creation of infrastructure to proffer education at primary, secondary and tertiary levels by opening 211 schools, 25 community colleges and five national institutes.



It has suggested the proposed schools could follow the Kendriya Vidyalaya or Navodaya Vidyalaya pattern while the community colleges may be based on open access model.



When contacted, Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told PTI the recommendations are in line with the government campaign to empower the minorities educationally.



We are currently studying the report. We will figure out the components which can be easily implemented. We will try to implement the do-ables from the next academic year, he added.

Suggested read: SC clears decks for admission in PG medical courses through 50% in-house quota in AMU, BHU



On December 29 last year, the Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) had formed the 11-member committee with Afzal Amanullah, former secretary with the government, as its convenor.



The MAEF is a non-profit and non-political social services organisation funded by the ministry.



The educationally most disadvantaged community among minorities in India are the Muslims. They are lagging behind in literacy, enrolments and in successful completion of courses at primary, secondary and tertiary levels, the committee has observed in the report.



According to the 2011 Census data, literacy rate among Muslims was 68.53 per cent against the national average of 72.98 per cent. The difference in enrolment rate for Muslims (74 per cent) and the remaining population (83 per cent) is also sharp, the panel said.



We feel the three-tier model...would have a very positive and salutary effect in tackling the educational backwardness of the minorities and getting their children into the mainstream where they become proud contributors to the development of our nation, it said.



The committee has suggested national institutes different from the university system and IITs/IIMsshould be established through an Act of Parliament.



It has proposed establishing 211 central schools: one in each minority concentrated block of the 167 identified minority-dominant and concentrated districts.



The remaining 44 are proposed to be established in minority-dominant and concentrated cities.



The schools should have sufficient infrastructure like buildings, classrooms, library, laboratory and facilities such as mess, it has recommended.



They will be co-educational, will give free education and follow the CBSE curriculum from class I to XII with three streams of education - arts, science and commerce.



The community colleges will charge low tuition fees and are proposed to provide tertiary education opportunities in arts, commerce, science and skill-based courses like health sciences, hospitality, textile and leather technology, fashion designing and media industry.



The community colleges would be set up one each in 25 states and enhance the employability of its students, the reports has said.



The national institutes are proposed to be set up for providing education in areas such as science and technology, health and allied sciences, architecture planning and design, climate change and disaster management and renewable energy and food security.



These will offer programmes of masters, doctoral and post-doctoral levels and their research infrastructure is envisioned to be at par with international standards, it has suggested.

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Maharashtra Police will soon get beef test kits for effective screening of meat and to avoid unnecessary seizures of vehicles transporting meat.

By India Today Web Desk: In a bid to perhaps evade false arrests and lynchings in context of cow protection or gau raksha, the Maharashtra forensic laboratory will soon distribute meat detection kits to cops.

The detection kits will enable the police to check if the meat they are holding is beef or not within 30 minutes.

A senior official explained,"Each kit will test at least 100 samples and as many as 45 forensic vehicles will receive this kit."

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According to senior officials said,"If the report is positive that a sample is cow meat, it will then be sent for further forensic testing for confirmation through DNA process."

Director In-charge of Forensic Science Laboratory, Dr Krishan Kulkarni said, "We are going to launch a kit for on the spot detection of presence of cow meat in a sample way. It is only for screening test, the samples will be sent to laboratory for DNA report."

KITS ALREADY AVAILABLE IN MUMBAI

The police will be able to avoid seizing vehicles that transport meat with this beef-test kit.

The kits are available only in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur and would soon be extended to Nashik and Aurangabad.

The move comes amid controversy after the state government amended provisions to the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, 2015, to ban the sale and transport of beef.

For over two years, Maharashtra has implemented a total ban on beef, including slaughter of cows, bulls and bullocks in the state under the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, 1976.

With inputs from ANI

Also read: Muslim couple beaten up in Madhya Pradesh over beef rumours

Also read: Why India need law to ensure social media do not spread hate

Also watch: Mizoram: Beef feast organised amid Rajnath Singh's visit

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi:

In a controversial statement, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Raja Singh has said that Hindus in West Bengal should react like Gujarat Hindus did in 2002 regarding the violence and ongoing tensions in Baduria and Basirhat districts.

"Today, Hindus are not safe in the West Bengal state. Hindus in Bengal should respond to people involved in communal violence as Hindus in Gujarat did. Otherwise, soon Bengal will turn into Bangladesh." Singh said.

He went a step further as he blamed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Government for ongoing tension in the states by alleging that the latter is supporting people spreading communalism.

"The state government is supporting those who are spreading communalism. I want to appeal to those who are secular that if you want Bengal's Hindus to be safe and secure then you have to be more aware. If you failed to attain security in the state then you will also face the consequences like Hindus in Kashmir faced, will also be banished like Kashmiri Hindus," he added.

ALSO READ: Basirhat riot: WB police arrest man for posting fake photo

On Saturday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she "will ask for judicial inquiry into incidents at Baduria and Basirhat area.

"For over a month there has been unrest in the hills. Centre is not cooperating to maintain law and order in Darjeeling," she said.

Violent clashes erupted in Basirhat area of the district after a Class X student updated a controversial picture on Facebook.

READ: Basirhat riot: Union Min condemns WB CM for politicisng violence

The boy was later detained by police, but the violence hasn't abated.

Tensions in Basirhat forced the police to lob tear gas shells and resort to baton charge even as the state government decided to ban some organisations for allegedly instigating people.

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New Delhi:

With respect to raids conducted on Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family, the Bihar government on Saturday denied reports that it was intimated prior to conduct of raids

Bihar Government's press release stated that the reports circulating about information of the raids being given to the senior officials of the state government, Bihar Chief Secretary and Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) are 'baseless'.

"The information regarding the same was given to the Bihar Director General of Police after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raids has begun, following which necessary arrangements were made," the press release stated.

Earlier on Saturday, reports of the Bihar Government already aware of the raids conducted at Lalu and family's premises were circulated.

Earlier on Friday, the CBI registered a corruption case against Lalu Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejaswi Yadav; former Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Managing Director P.K. Goyal; and the wife of Lalu's confidante Prem Chand Gupta, Sujata on allegations of awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2006.

The CBI later questioned Rabri Devi and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav.

ALSO READ: ED raids Misa Bharti at 3 locations including farmhouse in Delhi

ALSO READ: CBI registers case against Lalu, his family; searches conducted



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New Delhi:

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) supporters carried out a protest march from Raj Ghat to Jantar Mantar on Sunday against the alleged killing of its supporters in police firing and for their demand of Gorkhaland.A Earlier on Saturday, fresh violence erupted in Darjeeling on Saturday at Sonada where Gorkhaland supporters torched a police outpost and a toy train station after a youth was killed in alleged police firing on Saturday night.A

As a result, the army was redeployed by the West Bengal government. CM Mamata Banerjee had also offered talks to GJM supporters but it was rejected by the GJM. The GJM leadership claimed on Saturday that four persons were killed in police firing.The police, however, denied the reports of firing and said it did not fire a "single shot".

The GJM claimed that while two pro-Gorkhaland supporters had died on the spot during the police firing, two others succumbed to injuries in hospital.

Delhi: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) supporters carry out protest march from Raj Ghat to Jantar Mantar #Gorkhaland pic.twitter.com/8XTN5DMxLW a ANI (@ANI_news) July 9, 2017

The separatist group identified the four victims as Tashi Bhutia, Suraj Sundas, Asha Kumar and Sameer Subba.M S Rai, chairman of the Rai Development Board, resigned last night in protest against the alleged killings.The police are on high alert after fresh violence and arson erupted in Darjeeling hills on Saturday.

Police pickets and barricades were placed in front of the government and GTA offices and various entry exit points of the hills while Rapid Action Force (RAF) and a sizable number of women police personnel were also deployed.Except medicine shops, all others shops and hotels are closed in Darjeeling.A

With PTI inputs

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New Delhi:

With a 110-metre long national flag, Gorkhaland supporters on Sunday marched in the national capital to reinforce their demand for a separate state and the immediate imposition of Presidents Rule in West Bengal.



Protestors belonging to the Gorkha Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti (GSSS) here demanded the Centres intervention in removing paramilitary forces with immediate effect.



The West Bengal government is treating common people like terrorists and killing them. The central government should remove paramilitary forces and terminate the services of the Director General of Police, GSSS president Kiran B K told PTI.



The protesters marched from Rajghat to Jantar Mantar carrying the flag, depicting 110 years of their struggle for separate state.



The march culminated at Jantar Mantar where they joined their co-supporters who had been protesting for three weeks now.



Just like Bengalis have their identity, we are fighting for ours. We are getting killed for seeking the rights we deserve. The Centre should look into the issue, said Stuti Thami of Darjeeling, adding that she was ready to die but not to stay under the West Bengal government.



Some of the placards that protesters carried criticised the BJP for its attitude before and after the elections.



The Gorkha Janmukti Marcha (GJM) today planned to take out rallies against the alleged killing of its supporters in police firing in Darjeeling as the indefinite shutdown in support of their demand for a separate Gorkhaland entered the 25th day amid a strict vigil by the Army and the police.



The Army was re-deployed yesterday after fresh violence erupted in the Darjeeling hills where Gorkhaland supporters torched a police outpost, the toy train railway station and clashed with the police at two places.

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New Delhi:

BJP supporters on Sunday observed strike in North Dinajpur, allegedly vandalized two buses and a truck in Raiganj. BJP supporter also stopped the movement of vehicles.

#WATCH BJP supporters, observing strike in North Dinajpur, allegedly vandalized two buses & a truck in Raiganj; stopped movement of vehicles pic.twitter.com/Uizeoi5lik a ANI (@ANI_news) July 9, 2017

One person was killed on Saturday when supporters of two political parties clashed in North Dinajpur district, police said.

One person was killed in a clash at Chatragach under Chopra police station of the district, the police said.

Sankar Chakraborty, North Dinajpur district BJP secretary claimed that one of their supporters named Bijoy Singh was killed when alleged Trinamool Congress activists fired at them while they were holding a meeting at Chatragach.

The BJP leader also claimed that four of their supporters were injured in the incident and of them was admitted at Chopra Health centre in serious condition.

The Trinamool Congress denied the BJP allegations.

Local TMC leader Hamidur Rehman instead alleged that BJP workers attacked the TMC activists when they were holding a meeting at Chatragach.

A bandh has been called by BJP tomorrow in the district to protest against the killing, Chakraborty said.

(With PTI Inputs)

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New Delhi:

The Indian Army is all set for a long haul in holding onto its position in the Doka La area near the Bhutan tri-junction, notwithstanding China ratcheting up rhetoric against India demanding to the pullback of its troops.

The Indian soldiers deployed in the disputed area have pitched in tents, in an indication that they are unlikely to retreat unless there was reciprocity from China's PLA personnel in ending the face-off at an altitude of around 10,000 feet in the Sikkim section.

A steady line of supplies is being maintained for the soldiers at the site, official sources said, signalling that Indian Army is not going to wilt under any pressure from China.

At the same time, they sounded confident of finding a diplomatic solution to the dispute, citing resolution of border skirmishes in the past through diplomacy.

Though China has been aggressively asserting that it was not ready for any "compromise" and that the "ball is in India's court", the view in the security establishment here is that there cannot be any unilateral approach in defusing the tension.

Also Read: Sikkim standoff: Congress demands PM Modi's statement

Both the countries had agreed to a mechanism in 2012 to resolve border flare ups through consultations at various levels.

The mechanism has not worked so far in the current case as the standoff near the Bhutan trijunction, triggered by China's attempt to build a road in the strategically important area, has dragged on for over three weeks.

New Delhi has already conveyed to China that such an action would represent a significant change of status quo with "serious" security implications for India. The road link could give China a major military advantage over India.

Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

China and Bhutan are engaged in talks over the resolution of the dispute in the area. India argues that since it is a tri-junction involving the three countries, it also has a say in the issue, specially in the backdrop of 2012 agreement between special representatives of the two countries, that have till now held 19 rounds of talks.

Bhutan has no diplomatic ties with China. As a close friend and neighbour, Bhutan enjoys diplomatic and military support from India.

Also Read: China issues safety advisory for citizens travelling to India

Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.

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New Delhi:

Guru Purnima is an Indian festival,dedicated to spiritual gurus and academic teachers.As the name suggests,Guru Purnima means 'guru ki puja'.

This festival is celebrated on the full moon day of the month of Ashadha of the Shakha Samvat in the Hindu calendar. Apart from Hindus,this day holds a special importance to Buddhist also.

Lord Buddha is believed to have given his first sermon on this auspicious day. In some part of India,it is also called Ved Vyas pooja,vyasa was a sage who authored the Mahabharta and is a symbol of guru-shishya tradition.

Devotees on this day remember and pay homage to the great sage Vyasa. In Nepal,this festival is celebrated by students for honouring their teachers by offering them garlands,and traditional hat.This day is teachers day for them.

Also Read: Guru Purnima 2017: NASA's tweet adds up to the celebrations

However ,this time one particular tweet from Nasa has got everyone talking on Twitter about Guru Purnima. Nasa mentioned Guru purnima and tweeted out various names given to full moon.

Full moon this weekend - called Guru Purnima, Hay Moon, Mead Moon, Ripe Corn Moon, Buck Moon, or our favorite, ai THUNDER MOON ai pic.twitter.com/XLufAdoDEQ  NASA Moon (@NASAmoon) July 7, 2017

Indian Twitterati got excited about this,and thanked NASA on Twitter.

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New Delhi:

Terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir hurled grenade on a temporary police post at Trals Airpal in Pulwama district on Saturday night. One Special Police officer suffered minor injuries in the attack.

In another tragic incident, two soldiers were injured in a terror attack at Bandiporas Hajin area in Kashmir in the wee hours of Saturday morning. No terror group has taken the responsibility for the attack.

ALSO READ: J&K: Two army jawans injured in terror attack in Bandipora

Earlier, a gunbattle took place at DPS Srinagar on June 25 as an offensive was launched by security forces to flush out the militants who took refuge inside the school after attacking CRPF personnel in Pantha chowk area on June 24. Three army personnel were injured in the encounter and two terrorists hiding in the building were killed.

READ: Delhi: Terrorists may target foreigners in Hauz Khas Village

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New Delhi:

Faridabad distinct and session court has sent the main accused of Ballabhgarh train lynching to two days police remand, next hearing on July 11.A Earlier, after the main accused was arrested, father of 16-year-old Junaid Khan who was stabbed to death; demanded death penalty for the perpetrators of the crime.

In a major breakthrough in the recent Junaid Khan killing incident, police on Saturday have arrested the main accused from Dhule district of Maharashtra. The Government Railway Police (GRP) in its statement said that a team was sent to Dhule after it received a tip-off that the accused was hiding there.

aWe have arrested a person from Sakri in Dhule district of Maharashtra,a SP, GRP, Kamaldeep Goyal said.The GRP also claimed that during the interrogation the accused had aconfesseda his crime and accepted that he stabbed Junaid Khan.A

Faridabad distinct and session court sends main accused of #Ballabhgarh train lynching to two days police remand, next hearing on July 11. a ANI (@ANI_news) July 9, 2017

aThe identity of the accused was not disclosed keeping in mind the legal process,a the GRP statement said.The police has earlier arrested five persons including a Delhi government employee in connection with the killing of Junaid between Ballabgarh and Mathura stations onboard a Delhi-Mathura passenger train.

#Ballabhgarh train lynching victim Junaid's father demands death penalty for the accused. a ANI (@ANI_news) July 9, 2017

Junaid was stabbed to death when he, along with his brothers, was returning home to Khandawali village in Ballabgarh after shopping for Eid in Delhi. Before killing Junaid, the mob taunted them by shouting aanti-nationalsa and abeef eatersa.

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New Delhi:

The main accused in the recent Ballabgarh lynching incident in which a 17-year-old Muslim boy Junaid Khan was killed while his brother survived was working as a security guard in a Delhi firm.

A resident of Haryanas Palwal, the 30-year-old accused was on Saturday arrested by GRP from Dhule district of Maharashtra and he, during the interrogation has confessed his crime.

During his questioning so far, the main accused has confessed to having stabbed Junaid and attacking his brothers, Superintendent of Police (Railways) Kamaldeep Goyal said, addressing a press conference.

He was on the run since July 22 and took a train from Delhis Shivaji Bridge Station after killing Junaid.

He spent a few days at his home. He went to Mathura and Vrindavan and later through a relative he worked at some unit in Dhule for a few days, Superintendent of Police (Railways) Kamaldeep Goyal said, addressing a press conference.

The identity of the accused arrested Saturday has not been revealed so far pending completion of some legal procedure.

However, Goyal didnt confirm the claims of Junaids brother that were called beef eaters by the accused. He said, No such thing has come to the fore during the main accuseds questioning so far.

Suggested Read: Lynching, rape, murder incidents increased under BJP rule: Congress

Earlier on Sunday, the Faridabad district and session court has sent him on a two-day police remand, and the next date of hearing in the case will be July 11.

So far, the murder weapon has not been recovered but police said the accused has told them that the knife, with which he attacked Junaid, was in his possession.

It is an open investigation and only after thorough interrogation of the accused will the complete sequence of events in the case come to fore, Goyal said, replying to a question about the sequence of events which led to Junaids killing.

The fight between the victim and his brothers and the accused in the train started at Okhla railway station in Delhi while the stabbing took place at a station Ballabgarh onwards, he said.

Time limit for this investigation cannot be fixed. Whatever facts we could share have been shared, but in the interest of investigation revealing more facts at this stage will not be appropriate. We will share these facts as and when they become clear, he added.

Most Read: President Pranab Mukherjee speaks on increasing mob lynching, asks 'are we vigilant enough'

Meanwhile, father of the 16-year-old Junaid Khan demanded death penalty for the prime accused and the same sentiments were echoed by his mother.

My son was innocent. I lost him as no one came to his help. While exemplary punishment should be given to all accused involved in the case, I demand that the main accused who stabbed Junaid should be hanged, mother of Junaid Khan told reporters on Sunday.

Junaid was stabbed to death when he, along with his brothers, was returning home to Khandawli village after shopping for Eid in Delhi. His body was dumped close to Asaoti village in Faridabad district.

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Sources say that Nitish is avoiding sharing space with Tejashwi Yadav and the media which has been trying to get a reaction from him on what will be his future course of action as far as continuance of Tejashwi in the Cabinet is concerned.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has cancelled his weekly Lok Samvad programme scheduled for Monday. The Chief Minister office, on Sunday, issued a statement citing ill health of Nitish as the reason for cancellation of the Lok Samvad program.

Nitish has been unwell for the past few days and on 6th of July, just a day before CBI raided RJD supremo Lalu Prasad's residence, had gone to Rajgir to recuperate. After spending three days in Rajgir, he returned to Patna today. Sources say he was suffering from viral fever.

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However, in the political circle, the cancellation of the Lok Samvad programme is being viewed as Nitish Kumar's move to avoid sharing space with deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav against whom a FIR has been lodged on charges of a amassing "benami" properties. Usually, Tejashwi is present during Lok Samvad program every Monday along with the Chief Minister. He also remains present during the press conference which Nitish addresses after the completion of the Lok Samvad program.

Sources say that Nitish at this point of time is not just avoiding sharing space with Tejashwi Yadav but is also avoiding the media which has been trying to get a reaction from him on what will be his future course of action as far as continuance of Tejashwi in the cabinet is concerned after FIR was lodged against him.

Interestingly, Nitish has remained silent for the last 3 days and has chosen not to speak anything on CBI raids at Lalu's residence or his future plans pertaining to Tejashwi. He has also issued a gag order on party leaders not to speak on both issues.

He, however, has convened a meeting of party MPs, MLAs, MLCs and district presidents on 11th of July at his residence to discuss the future course of action following CBI raids on Lalu and lodging of FIR against Tejashwi.

ALSO READ:

Despite CBI, ED raids and corruption taint, Nitish Kumar unlikely to break ties with Lalu Prasad Yadav

Will CBI raid on Lalu Yadav family lead to Tejashwi's exit from Nitish cabinet?

ALSO WATCH: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar attacks Congress, accuses it of indulging in reactionary politics

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi:

President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday launched 'Swayam Prabha', a digital platform intent on revolutionising education in the country. Human resource development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javdekar paid special respect to the President on the occasion of Guru Purnima said that through this initiative, he gave respects to all the teachers of the country.

The President expressed satisfaction regarding the improvement in higher education in the country. India is all set to enter a new era in higher education on Sunday with the launch of hundreds of courses that will be delivered through DTH channels, tablets and mobiles.

The scheduled courses to be taught on Swayam will include engineering, management, science, humanities, language and mathematics. 'Swayam Prabha' is conceived as a group of 32 DTH channels devoted to telecasting high-quality educational programmes on 24X7 basis using GSAT-15 satellite. Every day, there will be new content for at least four hours which would be repeated five more times in a day.

HRD ministry will also launch a book on this occasion.

Updates of President Pranab Mukherjee's speech on launch of digital learning platform Swayam Prabha:

# Its time to use the advancements made in digital revolution. At present, principals of more than 60 universities are present here.

ALSO READ: President Mukherjee, PM Modi launch Goods and Service Tax

# For last 5 years, we have been giving lectures in university.

# Guru purnima has special occasion for life and spirituality. It's a very spl occasion for future of higher education in country. Our country has made rapid progress since independece.

# Always empahsise to improve quality of education in instituions. If proper quality and infrastructure are not present, teachers would not get an opportunity to help young minds blossom.

READ: Bengaluru: Namma Metro inaugurated after 10 years of wait

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New Delhi:

The financial crisis has plunged Madhya Pradesh in such a condition that one of them had to resort to use his daughters as bulls to plough his farms. In a photograph, which has now gone viral, a farmer in Sehore's Basantpur Pangri can be seen using his two daughters instead of oxen toA ploughA the fields.A



"Don't have enough money to buy oxen, ploughing fields to sow of maize crop. Daughter left studies after 8th standard," Sardar Barela, farmer, told news agency ANI.A



The embarrassed district administration has swung into action and has offered every possible help to resolve the crisis.A



Speaking to media, after the post went viral, District Public Relations Officer Sehore, said that the administration has instructed Barela to not to use children for such activities. he also ensured that the district is looking into the matter and will offer 'whatever help he can be given'.



Madhya Pradesh farmers' have been in deep crisis due to two consecutive droughts followed by piling loans and low minimum support price. Their recent protest in Mandsaur had resulted in large scale violence and unrest in the region. A

Don't have enough money to buy oxen, ploughing fields to sow of maize crop. Daughter left studies after 8th standard: Sardar Barela, farmer pic.twitter.com/ofsRIa0DsA a ANI (@ANI_news) July 9, 2017

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Thiruvananthapuram:

A debate has taken flight in Kerala with the Supreme Court being told that the vault 'B' of the historic Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, one of the richest shrines in the country, should be opened.

While a member of the erstwhile Travancore royal family, Ashwati Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi, said they were against the opening of the vault 'B' as it was "against the god's will", another member, Aditya Varma, on Sunday said the family would not blindly oppose it.

Gowri Lakshmi Bayi maintained that the vault had never been opened and only its ante-chamber had been opened earlier. Varma though said the decision of the Thantri (the head priest) on the matter was final.

"The final word rests with the Thantri. We will not oppose", he told a television channel.

Meanwhile, Devaswom Minister Kadakkampally Surendran said that as the matter was before the apex court, the royal family could inform it about its anxiety.

Read more: Woman donates 2 kg gold sandals to Saibaba temple in Shirdi

He added that the report of the amicus curiae (an impartial adviser to a court of law in a particular case) that the vault 'B' was opened earlier, was unlikely to be wrong.

The minister also said he did not know the reason for the royal family's opposition to the opening of the vault and added that the government was ready to hold discussions with them in this regard.

Coming down heavily on the royal family, veteran CPI(M) leader V S Achutanandan said those who feared the opening of the vault were to be suspected.

"The B vault should be opened and a stock taken of its belongings as per the recent observations of the Supreme Court", he said.

When the matter had come up before the apex court last week, senior counsel Gopal Subramanium, who is the amicus curiae in the matter, had told the court that the 'Kallara' (vault) B of the temple should be opened as it was closed "on the apprehension that there is some mystical energy".

He had also said that experts too were of the opinion that the vault should be opened because it had been opened earlier as well.

"Vault 'B' may have more than one chamber...nothing but useless suspicion is being generated about what is there in the vault", Subramanium had told a division bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar.

Read more: Kerala police launches probe into Pak currency in Sabarimala temple

The sprawling temple, an architectural splendour ingranite, was rebuilt in its present form in the 18th century by the Travancore royals, who had ruled southern Kerala and some adjoining parts of Tamil Nadu, before the integration of the princely state with the Indian Union in 1947.

Even after India's independence, the temple continued to be governed by a trust controlled by the erstwhile royal family, for whom Lord Padmanabha (Vishnu) is the family deity.

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New Delhi:

India criticised Pakistan for glorifying terrorist Burhan Wani and Ministry of External Affairs stated that Pakistans terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by 'one and all'.

On Twitter, MEA Spokesperson Gopal Baglay on Sunday tweets Pakistan's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by 'one and all'.

External Affairs MinistrySpokesman Gopal Baglay said, " First @ForeignOfficePk read from banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS (Pakistan army chief)glorifies Burhan Wani. Pak's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by one and all."

Baglay's comments came a day after Pakistan Army chiefGen Qamar Javed Bajwa praised Wani, Hizbul Mujahideen commander who was killed in an encounter with Indian security forces last year.

Pakistan's terror support and sponsorship needs to be condemned by one and all, tweets MEA Spox Gopal Baglay pic.twitter.com/qEfNbBp7vM  ANI (@ANI_news) July 9, 2017

Wani was responsible for several attacks against security personnel in Kashmir. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday paid tributes to Wani, saying his death "infused a new spirit in the struggle for freedom" in the Kashmir Valley.

Authorities on Saturday clamped curfew in three towns and imposed severe restrictions in the rest of Kashmir to foil a plan by separatists to hold a rally to mark the first anniversary of the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani.

ALSO READ: Burhan Wani death anniversary: Curfew imposed in Wanis hometown

(With PTI Inputs)

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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Delhi on Sunday morning after attending the G20 summit in Hamburg.The two-day G20 Summit saw the Indian side making "significant contributions" on resolve to counter terrorism and boost global trade and investment. Further, India joined 18 other G20 members to support the fight against global warming by terming the Paris climate deal as "irreversible".

The US, which left the pact was left isolated. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said counter-terrorism measures remained in focus during all discussions Prime Minister Modi had with European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, at the G20 Summit. PM Modi has been raising the issue of combating terrorism in all his meetings recently with European leaders in the wake of a spate of terror attacks that have struck European countries like Germany, France, the UK and Sweden recently.

ALSO READ: Picture speaks more than a thousand words: MEA on Modi-Xi Hamburg meet

Modi, who was a lead speaker on the theme of terrorism at the Leaders Retreat at the G-20 Summit on Saturday, had bracketed Pakistan-based terror groups like LeT and JeM with ISIS and al-Qaeda and made a strong pitch for global deterrent action against countries that support terrorism for their political goals.Modi had presented a 11-point action plan to counter terror, including a ban on the entry of officials from terrorism-supporting countries into G-20 nations.

PM Modi arrives in Delhi from Hamburg pic.twitter.com/GLR1KE6Jmr  ANI (@ANI_news) July 8, 2017

The Summit, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with top world leaders including host Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump, was however came under the shadow of unprecedented violent protests in this German port city where thousands of anti-capitalism protesters clashed with police and turned this harbour town into a fortress.

ALSO READ: G20 Summit: PM addresses session 3 on partnership with Africa

On Saturday, PM Modi had called on G20 nations to do more to encourage manpower mobility and bring net value to host and source nations.He also asked the member nations to promote digitization for strengthening labour markets and improving delivery of services. The Prime Minister expressed strong personal conviction for gender empowerment and said that there was no real growth without empowering women, External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Gopal Baglay said.

With PTI inputs

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New Delhi:

On the occasion of Eid, President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday greeted the country as he expressed hope that the festival will strengthen the peoples unflinching faith in unity and common destiny.

On the auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, I extend greetings and good wishes to all my fellow citizens, particularly my Muslim brothers and sisters, in India and abroad.

May this joyous occasion, which marks the culmination of the period of fasting and prayer during the holy month of Ramzan, bring happiness, peace and prosperity and be an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to serve humanity, the president said.

May this day strengthen in each one of us, an unflinching faith in our unity and common destiny that has characterised our composite culture over the ages, Mukherjee said.

Also read: Eid-ul-Fitr to be celebrated on Monday in India: President of Markazi Chand Committee

Also read: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr today



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Bhopal:

Geeta, the mute and deaf woman who returned to India from Pakistan in 2015, had a meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj where she was enquired about her wish to get married.

Twenty-three-year old Geeta went missing on July 6 for about 30 minutes from the institute for speech and hearing impaired in Indore where she is living since October 2015 after her return from Pakistan.

She was traced by the police within 30 minutes after her disappearance at around 4 pm.

Swaraj, who played a pivotal role in getting Geeta back, on Saturday met her in Indore and enquired about her well being.

According to director of the institute, Monika Punjabi Verma, Swaraj interacted with Geeta and spoke about her prospects of getting married.

Read more: Woman cancer patient from Pakistan seeks Swaraj's help for visa

"She (Swaraj) asked Geeta, how she was doing in studies? She also told Geeta that MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was excited and ready to extend all possible help to her to get married", Verma told PTI.

Verma said even two-and-a-half month ago, when Swaraj had met Geeta, she had asked about her wish to get married.

"I think Geeta showed willingness to enter into the wedlock", she said.

When asked about Geeta's sudden disappearance from the institute on Thursday, Verma said she had gone to a temple.

Geeta was reportedly just 7 or 8 years old when she was found sitting alone on the Samjhauta Express by the Pakistan Rangers at the Lahore railway station.

She was adopted by Bilquis Edhi, a Pakistani philanthropist attached to the Edhi Foundation, and lived with her in Karachi till October 2015, before returning to India.

Read more: Sushma Swaraj: 'We place ASEAN at heart of our Act East Policy'

However, despite efforts officials have not been able to locate her family.

Several couples visited the institute in the recent past and claimed Geeta to be their daughter, but she did not recognise any of them.

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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:

#11:02 PM

Istanbul, Turkey: Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan representing India at 22nd World Petroleum Congress, present at the opening ceremony -ANI

#10:56 PM

We support this decision because this is for the sake of right practice for everybody. She missed it but she will make it: Dahlan Al-Hamad - ANI

#10:55 PM

Rule is clear, decision of appeal is final: Dahlan Al-Hamad,President of the Asian Athletics Association on Archana Adhav's disqualification - ANI

#10:44 PM

One-off T20I: India set a target of 191 runs for West Indies - ANI

#10:36 PM

Nagpur boat capsize incident: Three people have been rescued Maharashtra

#10:35 PM

Man arrested by Delhi Police for allegedly raping an 8-year-old girl at an open gym in a park in Kamla Market - ANI

#10:30 PM

Maharashtra: Boat with 11 people on board capsizes in Nagpur, one body recovered - ANI

#10:11 PM

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters take out a candle light march in West Bengal's Siliguri demanding tripartite talks on Gorkhaland issue - ANI

#10:07 PM

P8 A of US Navy landed at INS Rajali Arakkonam, TamilNadu today to participate in Malabar2017 - ANI

#9:56 PM

Vice Adm HCS Bisht Commander-in-Chief ENC reviewed flying ops onboard INS Vikramaditya during deployment with Eastern Fleet in Bay of Bengal - ANI

#9:50 PM

I request EAM Sushma Swaraj and Central government to rescue my wife and bring her back to India, from Saudi: Macha Ravi,Husband -ANI

#9:49 PM

Hyderabad woman working in Saudi Arabia allegedly tortured, confined in a bathroom for 4 days; husband appeals to the Govt to get her back - ANI

#9:46 PM

Ishant makes comeback to India's Test squad INDvSL - ANI

#9:33 PM

They asked her to take off her bangles.She refused.They fired&snatched away bangles&mobile.They had pistol aimed at my shoulder: Auto driver - ANI

#9:23 PM

Delhi: A woman on-board an auto looted at gun-point by 6 bike-borne men, 3 km away from Delhi Police HQ near ITO; shots fired in the auto - ANI

#9:21 PM

AssamFloods : 486726 people among 15 districts affected; one life lost. 467 houses completely and 10 partially damaged - ANI

#9:10 PM

Vice Adm HCS Bisht Commander-in-Chief ENC reviewed flying ops onboard INS Vikramaditya during deployment with Eastern Fleet in Bay of Bengal

#8:57 PM

India's Archana Adhav loses gold after being disqualified as Sri Lanka protested saying that she had pushed SL Player in Women's 800 m - ANI

#8:50 PM

(Contd) Rohit Sharma, Ashwin, Jadeja,Saha (wk),Ishant Sharma,Umesh Yadav, Hardik Pandya,Bhuvneshwar Kumar,Shami,Kuldeep Yadav,Abhinav Mukund - ANI

#8:49 PM

India team for the Test series against Sri Lanka: Virat Kohli (Captain), M Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice captain) - ANI

#8:48 PM

Ceasefire violation by Pakistan in J&K's Poonch sector along the Line of Control from 1840 hours, Indian army retaliating - ANI

#8:45 PM

Assam: Floods worsen in Guwahati; PM Modi spoke to CM Sarbananda Sonowal over the situation with the latter briefing him over the same - ANI

#8:45 PM

Ceasefire violation by Pakistan in J&K's Poonch sector along the Line of Control from 1840 hours, Indian army retaliating - ANI

#8:35 PM

Lok Samvad Programme postponed as CM Nitish unwell -ANI

#8:35 PM

One-off T20I: West Indies win toss, elect to bowl against India - ANI

#8:34 PM

Later when his identity became known, he was given due respect: Satyabrata Bhoi, DCP Bhubaneswar - ANI

#8:32 PM

To clear traffic, vehicles were stopped yesterday. Prabodh Tirkey's vehicle was one of them: Satyabrata Bhoi, DCP Bhubaneswar - ANI

#8:30 PM

PM has assured full support to people of Assam, we are grateful to him for this great gesture and kind support:Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal - ANI

#8:28 PM

District administration has been directed to extend best possible support to affected people in the state, & asked to release ex gratia: CM - ANI

#8:25 PM

If they do make sales between Rs. 20 Lakh-Rs. 75 Lakh, manufacturers are provided a 2% & traders a 1% composite scheme: Piyush Goyal -ANI

#8:23 PM

PM spoke to me about Assam flood situation,I briefed him how state Govt is taking initiative to help marooned and affected people:CM Sonowal - ANI

#8:22 PM

Opposing 12% tax on sanitary pads wrong. SHG producing them exempted till Rs 20 Lakh. I don't know which SHG makes Rs 5-10 Cr sale: P Goyal - ANI

#8:11 PM

India's G Lakshmanan wins gold, Gopi Thonakal wins silver in Men's 10,000m Run Final, at 22nd Asian Athletics Championship in Bhubaneswar - ANI

#8:03 PM

Iraqi PM declares victory against ISIS in 'liberated' Mosul - ANI

#7:27 PM

MEA informed CBI about the Delhi based travel agent who allegedly sent people from India to China in the suspected human trafficking case - ANI

#7:26 PM

Earlier visuals of fire at Himalaya building in Mumbai's Worli, which was later doused - ANI

#7:17 PM

CBI files case against Delhi based travel agent for sending ppl from India to China in suspected human trafficking case,after MEA complained - ANI

#7:07 PM

Ceasefire violation by Pakistan in J&K's Poonch sector along the Line of Control from 1840 hours today; Indian army retaliating - ANI

#6:59 PM

India's Swapna Barman wins gold, Purnima Hemram bronze in Women's 800m heptathlon final, at 22nd Asian Athletics Championship in Bhubaneswar - ANI

#6:31 PM

Gujarat CM hopes world heritage tag will boost tourism, employment in Ahmedabad - ANI



#6:12 PM

Odisha: India's Archana Adhav wins gold medal in Women's 800 m in 22nd Asian Athletics Championship in Bhubaneswar - ANI

#6:09 PM

UttarPradesh: Collision between cars near Noida Expressway in sector 135, one dead - ANI

#5:58 PM

Himalaya building fire UPDATE: Fire is now under control, cooling process underway at Worli, Mumbai - ANI

#5:43 PM

Mumbai: Fire broke out at Himalaya building in R J Thadani Marg near Flora Hotel in Worli, 8 fire tenders and 5 water tankers at the spot - ANI

#5:40 PM

Kerala: Delegations of Brazil,Spain&Naijal teams visited Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi to evaluate arrangements for FIFA U-17 World Cup - ANI

#5:33 PM

Islamabad's friendship with Beijing 'cornerstone of our foreign policy': Pak Prez -ANI



#5:26 PM

Wrote to members of collegium requesting to support me: Meira Kumar, opposition's presidential nominee in Chandigarh PresidentialPoll2017 -ANI

#5:25 PM

I respect Kovind ji, my fight is not against him but the ideology: Meira Kumar, opposition's presidential nominee in Chandigarh - ANI

#5:22 PM

Odisha: BJP protest after police allegedly misbehaved with hockey player Prabodh Tirkey as he entered Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneswar y'day - ANI

#5:20 PM

DarjeelingUnrest Gorkha Janmukti Morcha prepones all party meeting from July 18th to July 11th Gorkhaland - ANI

#4:56 PM

It's an honor that UNESCO declared Ahmedabad a heritage city, first ever in India. It'll help boost tourism here: Vijay Rupani, Gujarat CM - ANI

#4:45 PM

Girl's family was demanding for Rs. 50,000 but boy's family wanted it to be not more than Rs. 5,000: VP Surya, Additional DCP - I, Shahdara - ANI

#4:40 PM

Delhi:2 arrested for firing in wedding function following dispute over money given to bride's family by bridegroom's family in Geeta Colony - ANI

#4:33 PM

Zeliang further requested Guv to invite him to form new NPF led DAN Govt in Nagaland at the earliest, as Shurhozelie reduced to a minority - ANI

#4:28 PM

7 Independent MLAs have also affirmed their support in favour of me taking the tally to 41 out of 59 in support of me: TR Zeliang - ANI

#4:27 PM

India slams Pakistan for glorifying Burhan Wani - ANI

#4:25 PM

MLAs also urged the present CM, who is a non-MLA, to resign and pave way for me to take over as the CM: TR Zeliang, DAN Chairman to Governor - ANI

#4:24 PM

Also authorized me to stake claim before Governor to form a new NPF led DAN Govt in Nagaland: TR Zeliang wrote to Governor PB Acharya - ANI

#4:23 PM

34 NPF MLAs (including me) out of 47, supported me to continue as the Leader of the Legislature party of NPF: Former Nagaland CM TR Zeliang - ANI

#3:59 PM

Madhya Pradesh: Public Bicycle sharing system introduced in Bhopal - ANI

#3:43 PM

IndVsWI: Confident India to take on Windies in lone T20I today - ANI

#3:40 PM

Peak rainfall activity likely to occur on July 12th: Regional Meteorological Centre,IMD -ANI

#3:40 PM

Rain/Thundershowers likely to occur at many places over Delhi/NCR from July 11 afternoon till 13th July: Regional Meteorological Centre,IMD - ANI

#3:20 PM

Telangana: Thousands of devotees throng Mahakali temple on the occasion of annual Bonalu festival in Hyderabad's Secunderabad - ANI

#3:08 PM

Turkey: Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan arrived at Istanbul to take part in the 22nd World Petroleum Congress - ANI

#3:02 PM

Indirect taxes are considered regressive all over the world: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley #GST - ANI

#2:56 PM

Had that happened, poor's food and rich's BMW would have been charged at 15%-16%: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Raipur #GST - ANI

#2:54 PM

Some suggested only 1 rate should be implemented,such suggestions come from ppl who've never understood economic inequity: A. Jaitley on GST - ANI

#2:52 PM

Sashastra Seema Bal apprehended 16 suspected Maoists from Bihar's Jamui. Sword, flags, mobile phones, motorbikes and other materials seized - ANI

#2:32 PM

Pakistan's terror support and sponsorship needs to be condemned by one and all, tweets MEA Spox Gopal Baglay - ANI

#2:17 PM

I have asked Home Secretary to coordinate with West Bengal admin & ensur safety, security & smooth traffic on NH 10: HM Rajnath Singh - ANI

I assured him that Centre will ensure safety & security of NH 10 & do everything possible to save people of the state from any misery: HM - ANI

Spoke to Sikkim CM Pawan Kumar Chamling regarding security situation in the state and areas neighbouring West Bengal, tweets Home Minister - ANI

#2:11 PM

Faridabad distinct and session court sends main accused of # Ballabhgarh train lynching to two days police remand, next hearing on July 11. - ANI

#1:47 PM

Moradabad (UP): 3 persons including 2 policemen (returning from patrolling) killed as an uncontrolled truck rammed into their car in Pakbada - ANI

#1:40 PM

You cannot lynch anybody in the name of protecting something: Ram Madhav, BJP - ANI

#1:38 PM

Cow protection is sacred but life is the most sacred thing. In the name of a sacred thing you cannot soil sacredness of life:Ram Madhav, BJP - ANI

#1:29 PM

Veteran actress Sumita Sanyal passes away at 71.- ANI

#1:06 PM

Madhya Pradesh: Devotees conducted 'Guru Palki Yatra' at Bhopal's Karunadham Ashram on the occasion of #GuruPurnima - ANI

#01:01 PM

Azamgarh illicit liquor incident: Death toll rises to 18, DM orders magisterial enquiry - ANI

#12:50 PM

Matter is over, the India Foundation delegation is going on schedule to China: Ram Madhav on China visa to India Foundation members issue - ANI

#12:35 PM

NDA's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind along with FM Arun Jaitley meet Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh in Raipur - ANI

#11:53 AM

Whatever is happening in West Bengal today is a sort of TMC's home grown project. Blame is completely on TMC: Ram Madhav, BJP #Basirhat- ANI

#11:46 AM

Those issues will be handled at diplomatic level by our govt, everything will be sorted out: Ram Madhav on China issuing safety advisory - ANI

#11:43 AM

Madhya Pradesh: Villagers in Satna built a bamboo bridge which shortened 8 Kms distance between Jaitwara and their village to 0.5 Kms. - ANI

#11:37 AM

Delhi: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) supporters carry out protest march from Raj Ghat to Jantar Mantar #Gorkhaland - ANI

#11:11 AM

Don't have enough money to buy oxen, ploughing fields to sow of maize crop. Daughter left studies after 8th standard: Sardar Barela, farmer - ANI

#10:54 AM

#Ballabhgarh train lynching victim Junaid's father demands death penalty for the accused. - ANI

#10:31 AM

The farmer instructed not to use children for such activities. Whatever help he can be given, admin is looking into it: Ashish Sharma, DPRO - ANI

#10:15 AM

Madhya Pradesh: Financial crisis forces a farmer in Sehore's Basantpur Pangri to use his two daughters to pull the plough in their fields.- ANI

#10:03 AM

Dalit woman professor of Banaras Hindu University files police complaint against her faculty's Dean for misbehavior &making casteist remarks - ANI

#9:51 AM

Mathura (Uttar Pradesh): Devotees travel on the roof of Mathura-Kasganj passenger train to attend Mudiya Purnima Mela - ANI

#9:45 AM

22nd Asian Athletics Championships: Dutee Chand qualifies for 200 m finals - ANI

#9:32 AM

CAC to hold meeting at BCCI headquarters in Mumbai tomorrow, may call head coach applicants for interview: BCCI Sources - ANI

#9:08 AM

Maharashtra: Devotees throng Nagpur's Sai Temple on #GuruPurnima.- ANI

#8:40 AM

J&K: Terrorists hurled grenade on a temporary police post at Tral's Aripal in Pulwama district, last night. One SPO suffered minor injuries. - ANI

#8:35 AM

Tamil Nadu: Three Indian fishermen with one boat apprehended by Sri Lankan Navy at Palk Strait.- ANI

#8:27 AM

Rajasthan: ATS seized Rs. 2.70 crores of old currency notes from Jaipur's Surajpole late night, 3 persons including a home guard detained. - ANI

#8:00 AM

Haryana: Main accused of Ballabhgarh train lynching incident, arrested from Maharashtra's Dhule yesterday, brought to Faridabad late night.- ANI

#7:50 AM

Varanasi (UP): Devotees offer prayers at 'Baba Keenaram Sthal' on the occasion of 'Guru Purnima', a festival dedicated to teachers. - ANI

#7:18 AM

Delhi: An uncontrolled dumper truck rams into four cars on AIIMS flyover, six people reported to be injured. - ANI

















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New Delhi:

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Saturday declared Ahmedabad as the world heritage city, making it Indias first city to be included in the list.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the UNESCOs move and expressed his happiness at the major development. A matter of immense joy for India! PM Modi tweeted.

A matter of immense joy for India! https://t.co/qtCOxm8Kga  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 9, 2017



Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani greeted the move saying he was thrilled to learn that Ahmedabad has been recognised as UNESCO World heritage city.



UNESCO has declared Ahmedabad as world heritage city and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and BJP president Amit Shah have hailed the move. UNESCO made this announcement via tweet. Thrilled to learn that Ahmedabad has been recognised as UNESCO World heritage city, Rupani said. Ahmedabad was in the race for the prestigious title along with Delhi and Mumbai.

IN PICS | UNESCO declares Ahmedabad as world heritage city: Check out pics of top attractions



BJP president Amit Shah in a tweet said, Delighted to know that UNESCO has declared Ahmedabad as World Heritage City. Proud moment for every Indian.



Ahmedabad was in the race for the prestigious title along with Delhi and Mumbai. The walled city of Ahmedabad believed to be founded by Ahmed Shah some six hundred years earlier has 26 ASI-protected structures, hundreds of pols that capture the essence of community living and numerous sites associated with Mahatma Gandhi who lived here from 1915 to 1930.



In 1984, the first study for conserving heritage structures was carried out in the city. A heritage cell was also set up by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). The city had featured in UNESCOs tentative list of world heritage cities on March 31, 2011.

With PTI inputs.

ALSO READ | Great Barrier Reef in danger: UNESCO raises serious concerns over frequent coral bleaching

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New Delhi:

At least two Egyptian policemen were killed and nine others injured on Saturday in a targeted bomb attack on their armoured vehicle in the restive North Sinai region, said an official at the interior ministry.

The official said security forces were combing the area for more bombs.

News reports said 12 people were injured in the attack, but there was no confirmation.

The explosion took place a few hours after the interior ministry said that police killed 14 terrorists in a gun battle in Ismailia city.

(With PTI Inputs)

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
BJP Spokesperson Nupur Sharma tweeted about a protest at Jantar Mantar against the violence in Bengal, used photo from 2002 Gujarat riots. Twitter responds.

The image used by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma in her tweet

By India Today Web Desk: The Bharatiya Janata Party is at it again.

Instances of BJP leaders sharing news/photos online without cross checking are not a new phenomenon, the recent one being, Haryana's BJP leader Vijeta Malik sharing a still from a Bhojpuri film claiming it to be a photo from the violence in Basirhat, West Bengal.

Now, BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma has shared a call for protest at Jantar Mantar against the violence in Bengal. Nupur shared a photograph on Twitter asking people to gather at Jantar Mantar on July 8, 2017.

Speak-up because it is already too late! Join in at 5 PM today at Jantar Mantar #SaveBengal #SaveHindus pic.twitter.com/QU5ZT1HkUt- Nupur Sharma (@NupurSharmaBJP) July 8, 2017

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Ironically, the image Sharma shared was from the 2002 Gujarat riots. As always, the unforgiving people of Twitterverse have taken upon themselves to tell the BJP leader about her 'goof-up'.

They have the copyright on those pics- cherypick (@cherypick) July 9, 2017

BJP planning a Protest for Bengal by using the Godhra riots image from 2002. pic.twitter.com/zrIZnCflBQ- Bajwa ? (@ShakkrPara) July 8, 2017

Is @BJP4India's @NupurSharmaBJP aware that she is using a picture from the Gujarat 2002 riots to start a protest? pic.twitter.com/jKmWeLDcit- Saikat Datta (@saikatd) July 9, 2017

Just correcting the poster for you, on basis of the image used. pic.twitter.com/AtGusSQSpJ- Hasiba (@HasibaAmin) July 9, 2017

Well we should all come to #JantarMantar just to ask what level of cruelty is this, use #Godhra images to recreate same violence in Bengal?- Sanjukta Basu (@sanjukta) July 9, 2017

Mam,since u r using a pic from Gujarat riots I assume u r protesting against @narendramodi. Very brave of u! Bas Amit Shah se bach k rehna??- Santoesha Bissesar (@MsSantoesha) July 8, 2017

Many on Twitter are also accusing Nupur Sharma to incite violence in Bengal using old photos of Gujarat riots.

Internet and social media has made it easy for the people to communicate. It has also made it easy for political leaders to reach out to the common public, but at the same time the ghost of fake news has also engulfed the social media universe.

The use of fake photos and news to spread a political propaganda is just another of internet's vices that have also led to some extreme scenarios.

--- ENDS ---
Hayden Cross, a 21-year-old, gave birth to a girl through caesarean. He had been living legally as a man for three years and was already part-way through hormone treatment to transform from a woman to a man.

By Press Trust of India: A 21-year-old man has become the first in Britain to give birth after he put his sex transition on hold to get pregnant by a sperm donor. Hayden Cross, who made headlines around the world earlier this year when he announced he was pregnant by a sperm donor, has given birth to a girl.

Cross told The Sun that daughter Trinity-Leigh is his "angel". Cross gave birth by caesarean. The girl was born on June 16 at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

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He had been living legally as a man for three years and was already part-way through hormone treatment to transform from a woman to a man.

But the full transition was paused after the UK's state- funded National Health Service (NHS) refused to carry out a 4,000-pounds process to freeze his eggs -- which he hoped would enable him to have children in the future.

The former supermarket worker instead found a sperm donor via Facebook and became successfully pregnant.

"Shes perfect in every way...she is so good. I'm so lucky," Cross was quoted as saying.

Following the birth, Cross now plans to return to complete his gender realignment as soon as possible. The proud father was born a girl named Paige, 21 years ago.

Cross, from Gloucester, had said earlier, "I faced the prospect of not becoming the man I'm supposed to be, physically, or a dad. So I didn't feel like I had any choice but to have a baby now then get back to transitioning."

"In September I got pregnant by a sperm donation. I found the donor on the internet. I looked on Facebook for a group and found one -- its been shut down now. I didn't have to pay," Cross had said.

Cross, who used to work for Asda and in a clothes shop, aims to find a job once the baby is aged one.

Gender transition treatment costs the NHS on average 29,000 pounds per patient. Thomas Beatie became the first man to give birth in the US in 2008. Born a woman, he had a partial sex change but kept his womb and was able to conceive.

ALSO READ:

First South American transgender father makes history by giving birth to baby boy

He was born a girl, is now a boy, and is having a baby thanks to a sperm donor he found on Facebook

--- ENDS ---
Bankrupt Illinois just body-slammed citizens as legislature approved whopping 32 PERCENT hike in income taxes, but it wont stop the fiscal COLLAPSE

They say desperate times call for desperate measures, but oftentimes being desperate leads to incredibly bad decisions.

And the Democrat-controlled Illinois Legislature just made one.

On Thursday the legislature finally passed a budget  its first since 2015  by overriding Republican Gov. Bruce Rauners veto. The governors big hang-up with it? The budget proposal contained a massive 32 percent income tax hike that rational economists and tax experts understand will only worsen the states dire economic position in the coming years.

On a vote of 71-42, 10 of the states Republicans joined with Democrats to pass the new tax increase, which permanently boosts the rate from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent. In addition, the budget also raises the tax burden on businesses, hiking the rate from 5.9 percent to 7 percent, Breitbart News reported.

On average, the rate hikes amount to 32 percent for Illinois residents and a $5 billion hike in taxes overall.

That is, if the state ends up collecting that much.

Breitbart News noted further:

The new tax hike is all the more galling because Illinois already has the highest property taxes in the nation, a fact that often forces retirees out of their homes to flee to other states. This is also a situation not lost on the states black American population, either. Illinois is witnessing a growing number of its African-American citizens moving out of the state, with Chicago and Cook County residents leaving at the fastest rate.

But all of that is lost on Democratic state leaders, who  true to their partys ideology  are never satisfied with confiscating and spending more of the peoples money. Not included in the budget were any provisions to roll back the $250 billion in pension payments the state owes to workers upon retirement, Money/CNN reported.

Not only that, but Illinois is approaching junk-bond status, the first state ever in the history of the country to reach that point: Despite the massive new increase in taxes, the state owes $15 billion in unpaid bills.

Ratings firm Moodys said it may still make the Land of Lincoln junk bond central despite the tax increase, which  if it happens  will only worsen the states finances, because it will dramatically hike its borrowing costs.

So far, the plan appears to lack concrete measures that will materially improve Illinois long-term capacity to address its unfunded pension liabilities, Moodys wrote, as reported by CNN/Money.

Rauner is well aware of that problem. He called the budget bill a disaster and knocked it because it would solve none of the problems associated with the states outsized, unsustainable spending. (RELATED: Several states set to collapse under crushing weight of bankrupt pensions: Will Illinois become the first?)

Whats more, as Breitbart noted, the tax increases along with the Democratic legislatures refusal to reform spending will lead to massive flight out of Illinois, which is what has happened to other Democrat-controlled deep blue states that also have spending problems.

Like Connecticut. As reported by The National Sentinel, out-of-state flight due to high taxes has resulted in less revenue for bean counters:

The outcome is always the same  fiscal disaster and flight of tax base to cheaper, less regulatory climates. Illinois is a perfect example of the kind of economic basket cases Democrats create. California is trending that direction with its insatiable appetite for the peoples money. Ditto New York. New Jersey is headed down the same path.

As The Wall Street Journal noted further, the states governor, Dannell Malloy, a slow learner, seems finally to have accepted that raising taxes on the wealthy is a fiscal dead end. But that hasnt stopped him and the ruling Democrats from a) seeking higher taxes from other quarters, like tobacco and casinos, while still failing to address out-sized pension payments that are killing their budget.

Without serious pension reform, states like these will have to confiscate 90 percent of what its citizens earn, just to keep up with the outflow of revenue. That wont happen; and if reforming payments wont happen either, their fiscal collapse is inevitable.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources include:

TheNationalSentinel.com

MoneyCNN.com

Breitbart.com

Submit a correction >>
A two-page order has been issued by the current DG of BSF that states that almost all posts and appointments in the force have been identified as corruption prone areas.

By Jugal R Purohit: In October 2015, DK Pathak, the former Director General (DG) of the Border Security Force (BSF) remarked how the 'elite' force he was proud to lead had 'very less' number of corruption cases.

Within 20 months, things have taken a turn for the worse or so it seems. In a two-page order issued last month by the current DG, KK Sharma's office, almost all posts and appointments in the force have been identified as sensitive posts and corruption prone areas in the BSF.

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No justification, further explanation or course of action has been provided in the said order.

The order was issued by the Pers Section of the Pers Directorate which deals with personnel-related issues and can be equated with the Human Resource (HR) wing in other organisations.

The order has been approved by the competent authority (a reference to the Director General himself) and goes on to list six formations which it believes are corruption-prone and sensitive.

SOME RAISED EYEBROWS

Beginning with all appointments and directorates within the Force Headquarters, the order goes on to list Command Headquarters, training institutions, Frontier Headquarters all the way to the Sector Headquarters and Battalion Headquarters.

A closer reading of the order reveals how even junior and functional offices have not been spared from the taint of being corruption-prone.

For example, those dealing with ration and welfare at the battalion headquarters have been placed under this order's ambit. Those dealing with recruitment, postings, construction, cash and accounts and even vigilance matters will have a tougher scrutiny over their work thanks to this order.

The exercise to identify such posts is a routine one but the broad sweep with which almost the entire organisation has been identified has led to raised eyebrows.

"The length and scope of this list is unprecedented since it almost covers the entire organisation. Some posts in the procurement department, because they involve dealing with external suppliers, may be considered sensitive and corruption prone. But how is the motor transport department for example being seen with the same lens? As I see it, people have failed in applying their minds", said SK Sood, former Additional Director General of the BSF.

It was believed that this list could also be used to justify transfers before the completion of tenures. Interestingly while the order states 'all appointments' for nearly all the formations, it also contradicts itself and specifies posts which have been brought under this order.

WHY THE VIGIL?

Many within the force are seeing this as a measure of the panic in the wake of the controversy involving Constable Tej Bahadur Yadav who had earlier this year alleged corruption leading to poor nutrition for lower functionaries of the force.

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To prove his point Yadav had uploaded on social media video clips in which he was seen displaying the allegedly substandard food being served on duty. Yadav was dismissed from service on April 19 this year by a Summary Security Force Court which heard the case from April 13. Serving BSF men who spoke on the basis of anonymity said the force was trying to improve and tighten its vigilance component.

Officials from the BSF Headquarters and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) were unavailable for comments.

Also read: Exclusive: 80 per cent officers in BSF are corrupt, says Tej Bahadur Yadav

Also read: BSF's ace commando Anubhav Atrey faces court martial over 'civilian death'

--- ENDS ---
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BRIDGEPORT  With more than 7,000 employees between them, Bridgeports hospitals and institutions of higher education pump millions of dollars in payroll alone into the local economy.

But officials agree that these employers also serve a major role in building up an urban communitys image and attracting investment.

At each new employee orientation session, Bridgeport Hospital President and CEO Bill Jennings said he makes it a point to address not just the hospitals teaching, research and patient-centered missions, but also its responsibility to serve the needs of the greater community.

We are the citys largest employer, if not tied for first, and that triggers a civic duty, Jennings said. It puts an additional level of responsibility on us.

Jennings said there are numerous ways to carry out that civic duty, from educational efforts like hosting health fairs to major investments in its facilities.

Theres also the hospitals $200 million payroll for its 2,700 employees, which Jennings estimates generates another $200 million in trickle-down spending. The hospital has also been donating its residential properties to Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust, a developer of affordable housing in the city, and has supported the citys efforts to build a second train station nearby, which it says would serve its employees.

The hospitals are engines in the region, Jennings said.

The states largest city has two hospitals, Bridgeport Hospital and St. Vincents Medical Center, with both institutions employing thousands of area and city residents. The city also has major educational institutions within city limits and on its border  the University of Bridgeport, Housatonic Community College and Sacred Heart University.

Each of these anchor institutions has over the last several years expanded its campus and added facilities. St. Vincents several years ago spent $50 million on its Elizabeth Pfriem SWIM Center for Cancer Care, while Bridgeport Hospital has spent millions on continuing improvements to its Grant Street property and nearly $100 million on the Park Avenue Medical Center, an outpatient facility that opened on the Bridgeport/Trumbull border last year.

UB, meanwhile, has invested $90 million on its campus, including construction of a new residential hall off University Avenue, and HCC is completing its nearly $40 million expansion on Lafayette Boulevard now. Sacred Heart University, which is largely in Fairfield, has also invested heavily in its campus over the years, including a new Center for Health Care Education over the border in Bridgeport.

Collectively the institutions are seen, just as Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital are to New Haven, as major economic development drivers and assets for the city.

We have to take advantage of the great resources that exist in Bridgeport, said Frank Borres, head of the Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce. It gives us something that other areas dont have so we have to play up those resources.

Mayor Joe Ganim has been credited with improving relations with UB, which was mostly ignored by his predecessor Bill Finch. Ganim recruited UB President Neil Salonen, who is retiring next year, to help lead his transition team in 2015.

Ganim, who also teaches a government course at UB, said he appreciates the impact the hospitals and educational centers have on the citys image, its workforce and the overall community.

Theyre good employers and good corporate citizens, he said. These are all positive beacons we probably dont laud enough.

A study conducted by the Connecticut Independent College and University Institute for Research and Public Service found UBs economic impact exceeded $435 million in 2016, including nearly $260 million in direct spending by the university, its employees, students and visitors.

Robert Cottle, UBs vice president of university relations, said the universitys growth over the last several decades, which includes a rising endowment and increasing student enrollment, a large percentage of which is international, means it has a lot to offer the city.

I think here at UB one thing that is exciting is that were at a 30-year high in enrollment and financial stability, Cottle said, noting that healthy educational institutions are as essential to a city as successful corporations. All of these things are interconnected, and as one grows, they can only help each other.

As a major employer with roughly 500 employees in the citys South End, Cottle said the university tries to stay engaged with other key stakeholders, including developers interested in properties nearby.

Ganim said the university is also a major partner in a resiliency grant awarded to the city to make infrastructure improvements in the South End.

Just as UB is a major asset in its neighborhood, Ganim said HCC serves the same purpose downtown. He cited the community colleges move to its current downtown location during his first tenure in office in the 1990s as a major catalyst for the revitalization of the downtown, along with the relocation of the state police headquarters a block away on Prospect Street around the same time.

That was the start of the reverse of what had been the collapse of the downtown, Ganim said.

He noted the community college has been a great partner for businesses in the city and region to ensure its students attain the skills needed to serve their needs. Its advanced manufacturing program has a 100 percent placement rate for its students.

Institutions of higher education serve a critical role in the city and must ensure that they are a vital part of the fabric of the city, said HCC President Paul Broadie. At Housatonic Community College we have placed a focus on ensuring that we understand the needs of the city, and are responsive to those needs. This is evidenced in our relationships with the many community organizations we partner with, our connections with the Bridgeport educational system and collaborations with city government.

Cottle noted, however, that just as the citys anchor institutions can help make the city more attractive, the citys evolution and revitalization can also help them thrive.

Certainly as the reputation continues to evolve and be enhanced, it helps us, too, Cottle said.

ktorres@hearstmediact.com; 203-330-6227
RadioShack may not be as relevant with shoppers today, but for those who have a soft spot for the electronic retailer, an online auction is offering vintage RadioShack goods that will remind you of its heyday.

Online auction website UBid Estate & Auction Services in Texas is hosting a sale of RadioShack vintage goods that includes store catalogs dating to the 1960s, a 1982 portable computer and even a custom RadioShack bicycle.
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Lindsey Rogers-Seitz remembers forgiving her husband the moment she learned he had inadvertently left their 15-month-old boy to die in a hot car.

Anyone who remembers that emotional season for the Ridgefield family three summers ago knows that shes recalling the truth.

From her first public statements about her deep grief, Rogers-Seitz never expressed anything but unconditional love for Kyle Seitz as a husband and a father, even after he was charged with criminally negligent homicide.

Yet there are mornings she wakes up when it is there  the need to forgive him  in spite of how much work theyve done to be loving parents to their two daughters, and to be loving spouses to each other.

Were both human beings, and our story is really less about the hot car and more about how you rebuild your life after a trauma, Rogers-Seitz said last week from Colorado, where the family moved to start a new life after Kyle Seitz was freed by a judge in 2015. Were still at the stage where were saying, How do we deal with it and work through it?

Sen. Richard Blumenthal and like-minded lawmakers cannot answer that question for the Seitzes, or for the 790 American families who have lost a child in a hot car since 1990.

But Blumenthal said he can see a day in Connecticut where no family has to endure the Seitzes burden again, by passing a law that requires cars to come equipped with backseat child alerts.

The tragedy of Benjamin Seitz and the horrible loss to his family certainly brings home to Connecticut the possible extraordinary value of this feature, Blumenthal said, referring to the little boy who died on July 7, 2014. This feature might have helped his dad by alerting him that he left his son in the back seat.

Blumenthal plans to introduce a bill when the Senate reconvenes on Monday requiring all new cars to be equipped with an alert that directs the driver to check the back seat before leaving the vehicle.

The measure may sound unnecessary to those who cannot fathom how a competent parent could forget that a toddler is in the back seat of the car - even if the child is asleep in a rear-facing seat. So part of Blumenthals bill calls for an information campaign that explains hot car deaths are usually not the result of bad parenting, but of being human.

The last thing parents should say is, That could never happen to me, said one leading childhood safety advocate.

Our brains let us down  we can forget our keys in the ignition, said Janette Fennell, founder of KidsAndCars.org, an education and lobbying group. The Seitzes are phenomenal people and phenomenal parents, so if it can happen to them, it can happen to anyone.

Blumenthals bill is similar to one introduced in the House of Representatives in June. The bills follow a recent announcement by General Motors that it was making a rear-seat reminder feature available in select 2017 and 2018 models of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac.

And in April, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers launched a hot car awareness campaign, in cooperation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The campaign warns that the interior temperature of a car can climb to 145 degrees in an hour when the temperature outside is 90 degrees.

We all need to work together to avoid heatstroke deaths, so we will review the House and Senates proposed legislation and provide guidance, said Scott Hall, senior manager of communications and public affairs for the automobile alliance.

In particular, we are concerned about proposals where it takes many years before results are seen, because 18 lives have already been lost this year in hot cars, Hall said. Greater public awareness saves lives today.

Fennel disagreed.

Education alone will not make this go away, Fennell said. We need education and technology.

Embracing change

Friday marked the third anniversary of the day everything changed for the Seitzes.

There was never a question that we were going to stay together, Lindsey Rogers-Seitz said. We have always been religious, and I wanted to do the hard work to keep us together. But it has been extremely difficult to do the hard work. The day that Ben died, our marriage was taken back to square one.

Part of what made the Seitz story so compelling was the lack of a factor such as preoccupation or stress that might explain how a respected father-of-three could forget his son in the car all day.

But experts say the more routine a duty becomes, the easier it is for the brain to miss a beat.

Our brain lets us down, Fennell said. We go into autopilot.

Apparently that is what happened on July 7. Kyle Seitz began his workday routine by putting his son in the rear-facing car seat. Seitz thought he dropped his son off at the day care center before driving himself to work. But when Seitz drove to the day care center at the end of the workday, and was told his son had never been dropped off, he ran back to his car, shrieking at the sight of his little boys body, still strapped in the car seat.

It was weeks before Ridgefield police charged Seitz with criminally negligent homicide, and months before he was freed.

Judge Kevin Russo told him, I cant punish you more than you have already been punished - nor do I want to.

No one should be in a position to judge you over what happened, Russo said.

Lindsey Rogers-Seitz continues to write and reflect about Bens death. She said she and her husband are deeply appreciative of the bills Blumenthal and his colleagues are sponsoring.

In addition to the back-seat sensor and the public information campaign about hot car deaths, Blumenthals bill would require the government to issue a report about sensors that can be purchased and added to older cars. The technology itself is simple and proven, he said.

The GM sensor displays the dashboard message, Rear Seat Reminder - Look in Rear Seat, when the car is turned off. The sensor also chimes five times.

I understand people might say, Why should I pay the additional cost? I pay enough already, Blumenthal said. But for people who will never have an infant in the car, they may want to sell the car or trade it in, and it will add value to the car.

Blumenthal added that the auto industry has objected to other safety improvements, such as seat belts and air bags, which it now touts.

It was not clear on Friday how hard the industry would fight the bills.

[T]he proposed mandate for notification technology in cars misses the targeted population, because so few parents of young children buy new cars, the alliances Hall said. Each year, less than 13 percent of new car buyers have a child six years old or younger.

Fennell responded that cars are full of sensors to remind drivers about what is easy to forget.

Sensors tell us to put our seat belts on or if our doors are open or if the keys are in the ignition, she said. With all these reminders, could any be more important than a dead child?

rryser@newstimes.com; 203-731-3342
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DANBURY  State cuts to a program that helps needy families afford child care has left 6,500 kids across Connecticut without a quality place to go while their parents are working.

Child care subsidies for 235 children have been dropped in greater Danbury since cuts to the Care 4 Kids program began in August.

Advocates say the result will be more children who are less prepared for kindergarten, and more parents who stop working and apply for government assistance, because they cannot afford child care.

Just last week I had conversations with three different families where parents are not working because they cant afford day care, said Peg Molina, director of the social services department in New Milford, which has seen 39 slots cut from its Care 4 Kids program since August. Child care is a huge need and an overall stabilizer for work.

Advocates see the problems being played out on a wider scale in cities such as Danbury, which has 160 fewer kids in the child care subsidy program as a year ago. With child care costs ranging from $12,000 to $15,000 per year, many families dont have a good option.

If families decide to keep the kids home, they may not have consistent care, said Mini Santosh, the child care director at Action Early Learning Center in Danbury, one of two state-subsidized centers in the city. Or if they take their kids to untrained care givers - honestly, thats the way it works - its sad, because those kids dont arrive at Kindergarten as ready as our kids, who have a trained staff and a licensed building.

The numbers of families without a way to afford child care were compiled by the nonprofit Connecticut Association for Human Services. The actual number of affected families could be larger because more parents often enroll their children when school is out. The statewide figures compare the number of children enrolled in Care 4 Kids from August through April.

The cuts are partly a result of the federal government requiring enhancements the Care 4 Kids program without giving states money to implement the improvements, and partly the result of Connecticuts financial crisis. The state government began the new fiscal year on July 1 without a budget, and with a deficit estimated at $5 billion over the next two years.

The state froze new Care 4 Kids applications earlier this year as part of a larger plan to save $32 million.

Lawmakers such as state Rep. Michael Ferguson say they are sympathetic to the burden the cuts place on needy families, but offer little hope that funding can be restored.

It is a very good program, and it has remained a priority for everyone in the legislature on both sides, said Ferguson, a Republican from Danbury who sits on the legislatures Education Committee. We have expressed our support for it, but the (cuts) reflect the uncertainties that we are facing in Connecticut.

Searching for a solution

The Action Early Education Center is the kind of early childhood educational environment advocates say kids need. The seven-classroom building in downtown Danbury has a full enrollment of 125 pre-school children and a waiting list of 100.

Outside, preschoolers in shorts and sneakers jump and run in the early afternoon sun. They hop onto the obstacle equipment and race tricycles as three supervisors keep an eye on their movements.

Its not just the reading and the writing but the socialization that these kids are going to need for Kindergarten, says Michelle James, the executive director of the Community Action Agency of Western Connecticut, which runs the center. When kids go into an unlicensed day care environment they are not going to be ready for Kindergarten, which means it will take more resources for them to catch up, or they will always be behind.

United Way, which administers state funding for Care 4 Kids in Connecticut, has been developing a response to the child care crisis for the past year.

For example, last month the United Way of Western Connecticut awarded $635,000 in grants to help working families pay for their kids educational enrichment programs in greater Danbury, New Milford and Stamford.

People are trying to be self-sufficient and yet they are being forced to place their children in child care that is not optimal for them, said Kim Morgan, the CEO of United Way of Western Connecticut. This is our future workforce.

While charitable efforts such as United Ways may be part of the solution, advocates say the problem is too large for the non-profit sector to fix.

The money in Hartford is tightening not only for this program but for many programs, said Elizabeth Fraser, policy manager at CAHS. I dont think philanthropy alone can fill the hole.

rryser@newstimes.com; 203-731-3342
By PTI: London, Jul 9 (PTI) Children who are obese are more likely to suffer from a painful hip disease in their teens or adulthood, a study has found.

Significant hip deformities affect around 1 in 500 children. Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis (SCFE) is the most common hip disease of adolescence. The condition always requires surgery, can cause significant pain, and often leads to a hip replacement in adolescence or early adulthood.

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Children with a SCFE experience a decrease in their range of motion, and are often unable to complete hip flexion or fully rotate the hip inward.

Unfortunately, many cases of SCFE are misdiagnosed or overlooked, because the first symptom is knee pain, referred from the hip. The knee is often investigated and found to be normal.

Early recognition of SCFE is important as the deformity may worsen if the slip remains untreated.

In an effort to identify children at higher risk of this condition researchers from the University of Liverpool in the UK examined hospital and community based records to explore factors associated with SCFE, and explanations for diagnostic delays.

All of the records examined were of individuals under 16 -years-of-age with a diagnosis of SCFE and whose electronic medical record was held by one of 650 primary care practices in the UK between 1990 and 2013.

Using the height and weight of children recorded in the notes at some point before the disease was diagnosed the researchers were able to identify that obese children appear at highest risk of this condition.

"This is the best evidence available linking this disease to childhood obesity - which makes this condition to be one of the only obesity-related disease that can cause life-long morbidity starting in childhood," said Daniel Perry, orthopaedic surgeon at Alder Hey Childrens Hospital in the UK.

"A significant proportion of patients with SCFE are initially misdiagnosed and those presenting with knee pain are particularly at risk," said Perry.

"Ultimately this study helps us to better understand one of the main diseases affecting the hip in childhood. Whilst we confirm a strong association with obesity, we are still unable to say that obesity causes this disease," he said.

The research was published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood. PTI MHN MHN

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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 ...
Alexis Sanchez has edged closer to leaving Arsenal after he agreed personal terms with Manchester City, according to reports in Portugal.

Alexis Sanchez has edged closer to leaving Arsenal after he agreed personal terms with Manchester City, according to reports in Portugal.O Jogo claims that the Chile international recently spoke with Pep Guardiola, which has helped speed up the transfer, and negotiations have now progressed to a point where the deal is virtually complete. Sanchez has verbally agreed to join City, according to O Jogo, and the deal will cost Guardiolas side 50 million.On Friday, reports in Chile claimed that the 28-year-old had informed Arsenal and Arsene Wenger about his desire to join City. Not playing in the Champions League is a big deal for Alexis, he is motivated to participate and win it, a source close to Sanchez told El Mercurio. Alexis spoke to his team-mates in Russia about the subject, he has spoken with his family as well.All of them came to the same conclusion  it is best for him to end his journey with Arsenal and join City. Alexis is not willing for that, for any reason, [to stay at Arsenal] his idea is to leave in this moment. Arsene Wenger has insisted throughout the summer that he would not allow the Chilean to join a Premier League rival.
At Aliu Adesanya Street in Odogunyan, Ikorodu, the residents have taken up the responsibility for their security. Recently, the deadly...

At Aliu Adesanya Street in Odogunyan, Ikorodu, the residents have taken up the responsibility for their security.Recently, the deadly Badoo gang visited the street killing a man, his wife and child and cutting off their private parts, according to the residents.We know the number of people on this street and if a stranger comes here, well quickly identify him, a resident of the street who did not want to be named stated.Opposite our house, a man was attacked, we call him Papa Chukwuemeka. He said around 3.30 a.m. he escaped death by the whiskers after a very dark figure gained entrance into his room through the window.Papa Chukwuemeka told us that the dark figure stood over his body with a grinding stone and dodged hitting his head before he struggled with his assailant and ran away through the window.At least 26 people have been killed in 15 different attacks since June last year, according to, when the cult began to unleash terror on Ikorodu residents.In their latest attack, last week, the cult killed three people at the Crystal Church of Christ at Owode-Ajegunle, along Ikorodu Road.Several residents in Ikorodu interviewed declined to state their names on record out of fear for their lives.A resident of Peace Estate, in Itamaga area of Ikorodu, said people are fleeing their homes to avoid being victims of the cult.How do you expect people to stay in this area, when all we see in the morning are corpses and brutal killings? the resident said.The last killing was a family of five, the Badoo boys came around midnight, killed the man whom we know as Baba Tolu, raped and killed his pregnant wife, raped his 16 and five years old daughters and killed his nine-year-old son.He said the 16-year-old Tolu was not dead but in a coma in a hospital.Baba Tolu who had a fish pond was quickly buried in the front of his house because his body was already swollen after it was discovered by the teachers of the children who came to check up on them because they had not been in school for the past two days.Where are we going from here, we dont have any other place to go. We are only asking the Lagos State government to come to our aid and beef up security in this area.Another resident of the estate said at the rate the cult members were attacking their community, it was only a matter of time before they wipe out everybody living in the area.The security in this area is very poor and we need the Lagos State government to act swiftly before they kill all of us.Last week, the police announced it had arrested 100 suspected members of the Badoo cult, days after angry residents lynched a man believed to be one of the cultists.As Ikorodu residents resorted to mob justice on any suspected member of the cult, the police on July 4 ordered everyone living in the area to move around with a valid form of identification.This has become important and necessary because of the series of police operations lined up in the area by the Lagos State Police Command led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of operations, Olarinde Famous-Cole said in the statement announcing the order.The Lagos State Police Command is deeply concerned about the criminal activities in the area which is not only unlawful but also affecting the integrity of the state.The planned police operations demand residents to carry on them a valid form of identification which will be verified, in order not to be restricted or face apprehension as adequate security arrangements have been put in place for the safety of every Nigerian throughout the state by the police and other security agencies.
Mr. Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who also happens to be the uncle of Nigerian popstar, Davido has won the Osun ...

Mr. Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who also happens to be the uncle of Nigerian popstar, Davido has won the Osun West Senatorial bye-election held on Saturday in Osun State.Official results of the election showed that he defeated his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Mudashiru Hussain in nine of the ten Local Government Areas where the election was conducted.The results is as follows:Iwo LG APC 12,205 PDP 12,547Ede North APC 2,784 PDP 18,559Ede South APC 2,096 PDP 13,406Ejigbo APC 12,229 PDP9,723Irewole APC 8,952 PDP9,096Ola-Oluwa APC 5,316 PDP5,618Ayedere APC 5,360 PDP5,789Ayedaade APC 7,179 PDP-9061Egbedore APC 4,768 PDP-7,142Isokan APC 5,227 PDP-6,539Collation of ward results of the bye-election began in earnest last night with voters anxiously waiting for confirmation of the final outcome from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).The election was generally peaceful.The two leading candidates -Mudasiru Hussein of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  hailed the election as fair and peaceful although the police arrested three suspected thugs for allegedly interfering with the voting process at Okinni in Egbedore Local Government area .The day began with a drizzle but that did not stop voters from heading to the various polling units in the 10 local government areas that make up the senatorial zone as early as 8am.Security was tight and voters had little complaints about the supply of voting materials, especially card readers.Restriction was placed on vehicular movement across the state, except the Ibadan/Ife/Ilesa/Akure expressway, that links Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States.The election was preceded by a curfew in the district from 6pm on Friday to 6am yesterday.Hussain after casting his vote at Ward 3, Unit 1, Beulah Baptist Primary School, Ejigbo,at about 9.30am expressed satisfaction so far with the election, saying he was confident of winning.He commended both the INEC and voters for their maturity, saying that if elections are conducted like this it means democracy has reached an advanced level.For his part, Adeleke, who is the younger brother of the late Isiaka Adeleke, whose death created the vacancy voted at Saagba Abogunde compound in Ede North at 8.34 am.He said he was 100 percent confident of victory.As you can see, it rained this morning before the voting exercise commenced. This is a signal to the fact that I will carry the day. With this large turnout also, its unarguable that I will beat Hussein hands down by Gods grace, he added.The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Najeem Salam, also commended the effort of security personnel in maintaining peace in Ejigbo.Former Minister for Youth Development, Senator Akinlabi Olasunkanmi, advised the INEC to sustain credibility and standard set up by the last administration.He spoke at his Ward 5, Unit 16 Ode-Omu, where he expressed satisfaction with the process of the election.The police said they arrested three suspected thugs for allegedly unleashing mayhem at Igbokiti Unit, Ward 10, Okinni in Egbedore Local Government council. The thugs reportedly attacked voters and INEC adhoc officers at the polling unit.Some voters waiting to cast their votes were allegedly matcheted and injured.The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fimihan Adeoye, in a telephone chat, confirmed the arrest. He said the suspects were undergoing interrogation.With our vigilance and commitment to ensure peaceful conduct of the exercise, we are very happy that there is peace and there is no significant case of violence, he said.We are determined to sustain peace and effective security till the end and even after the entire electoral process.
The police have urged Nigerians to not fret over the reported vanishing of suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeje George Onwuamadike ...

The police have urged Nigerians to not fret over the reported vanishing of suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeje George Onwuamadike alias Evans.The appeal was sequel to the anxiety created by a newspaper report which alleged that Evans whereabouts was unknown and that the suspect had vanished.According to the spokesman for the Force Headquarters, Jimoh Moshood, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CPS), Evans was safe and still in police custody.Moshood said investigation was still ongoing, adding that the suspect would be charged to court as soon as all ends were tied.NE gathered from a source that Evans was relocated to a maximum security cell in Abuja for his protection, following the disclosure of his former location by a national newspaper.It was reliably gathered that with that disclosure, came several requests for access to the suspect from the public and media houses, which the police considered a threat to his safety.However, Moshood said, The media need to avoid stories that could create fear, tension or misrepresentation among the masses. Where did Evans vanish to? That headline was misleading. The suspect and his accomplices are very much in our custody.We are working hard to ensure that justice is served at the end of the day. There are certain information that are not for public consumption to avoid jeopardising investigation or even national security.Evans is with the police. His whereabouts is known but cannot be made public. We are appealing to Nigerians to remain calm and support the police to conclude its investigation.He added, The Police have made significant progress in the investigations of these crimes. The public should disregard and discountenance all media reports in the social and print media that he has vanished or released and all criminal charges against him dropped as UNTRUE and ABSOLUTE FALSEHOOD.Also, the detective who arrested of Evans, ACP Abba Kyari on his Facebook wrote: Friends, I received over a thousand calls this morning, please disregard the fake news from a major newspaper today that the most notorious kidnapper in the history of Nigeria, Evans in our custody has vanished. Its a Big Lie.In Accordance with the 90 Days Remand Order from Federal High Court, investigation covering three countries is in progress. Its a misleading headline, we can never joke with the Security of Nigerians. Kyari added.Our source who hinted on the kingpins relocation, said that Evans had also expressed worries that his life might be in danger, given that information, including how he was fed at the Special Anti-Robbery Sqaud (SARS), Ikeja, was in public.The source added, The moment it became public that Evans was being detained at SARS in Ikeja, his relocation was planned. You dont expect the police to stay calm with so much information about the suspect in public. It was disturbing because it would have been a huge disaster if anything had happened to him thereThe police would have been accused of collecting money to kill him or even extrajudicial killing. So, relocating was not negotiable. Why it took so long was because the Ogas wanted to be sure all necessary security measures were put in place. They also did not want a situation where information would leak before he was taken out of the state.People should allow the police work. I think this Evans matter has been over flogged. Police should be allowed to continue discreet investigation so that when the suspects are charged to court, the public can continue getting the drama there.
The leader of a pro-Hindu outfit was injured when the group clashed with a bunch of Sri Lankan refugees in Poluvapatti area of Coimbatore on Saturday. Activists allegedly belonging to the outfit retaliated by hurling petrol bombs at the the refugee camp site.

By Pramod Madhav: The leader of a pro-Hindu outfit was injured when the group clashed with a bunch of Sri Lankan refugees in Poluvapatti area of Coimbatore on Saturday. Activists allegedly belonging to the outfit retaliated by hurling petrol bombs at the the refugee camp site.

The incident took place during a volleyball match at a Sri Lankan Tamil refugee camp in Poluvappati when the two groups got into a scuffle over some match points.

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When volunteers of the Hindu front called 'Hindu Munnani' intervened to resolve the issue in an overbearing way, the war of words degenerated into violence in which Ramesh Kumar, district secretary of Hindu Munnani, was attacked by a sickle on his head. He was immediately rushed to the Coimbatore government hospital.

Activists allegedly belonging to the Hindu Munnani threw petrol bombs at the refugee camp site on Saturday night. The situation in the area remains volatile. Several police personnel have been deployed in the area to avoid further clashes.

Also read | Tamil Nadu: Villagers hold 3 PWD officers hostage to protest against illegal sand mining

Also read | GST: Haasan thanks Rajini for asking Tamil Nadu govt to rethink double tax on movie tickets

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An unprecedented flood has taken over the entire Ahmadu Bello way in Victoria Island, Lagos on Saturday, forcing some residents and commercial offices to unceremoniously vacate their premises.The Lagos State Police Command has temporarily closed the road for human and vehicular movements due to threat by heavy flood.The road has been flooded due to continuous downpour experienced in the state since three days ago.The commands spokesman, ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole, disclosed that the second link-road to the Island coming from Lagos mainland was unsafe for motorists.Famous-Cole said that the down pour in the state has caused flood making other roads on the Island unsafe.He said that the flood has caused traffic gridlock in parts of Victoria Island and its environs and advised motorist plying Ahmadu Bello Way and other areas prone to flood to take alternative routes approved by traffic officials.The flood in the area has caused us to temporarily block Ahmadu Bello Way for safety of motorists.We want the public to know that the relevant traffic and security agencies are on ground to flush out the drains and secure road users in the state, Famous-Cole said.Mr Mahmud Hassan, the Public Affairs Officer, Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA), told NAN that their men have been on ground since morning ensuring that road users use alternative routes provided.He said that the flood has caused hardship to road users and people living in the area.Mr Tosin Olalere, who resides at Abraham Adesanya Estate near Victoria Island, told NAN that he has been in his house since Wednesday due to the continuous rain.There has been no vehicular movements since Wednesday July 5, till now.People in my community have resulted to trekking or using canoe to move about.Some people have even started moving out of the community because of the flood which destroyed their properties, Olalere said.Similarly, some soldiers, who are residing in the Bonny Cantonment, told NAN that a significant number of residents have been forced to vacate their homes.Some passengers in a commercial bus from mainland to Island in Lagos also complained of outrageous amount they paid to get to Victoria Island due to the flood on Ahmadu Bello Way.A student, who declined to give her name, said she spent over four hours in traffic from Oshodi to Ajah because of the flood.She said she and other passengers paid N1000 from Oshodi to Ajah instead of the N400 being paid on a regular day.People were even rushing to board the bus despite the crazy increase in the fare, she said.Another passenger who simply gave her name as Obianuju, said she tried to avoid paying N1000 to Ajah from Oshodi, however boarded a bus to Obalende for N250 from Oshodi only to find out that the fare from Obalende to Ajah had also skyrocketed.Obianuju said: I paid N250 from Oshodi to Obalande in order not to pay N1000, only to get there and the drivers were charging N700 from Obalande to Ajah. It was really annoying.
The Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms, in Nigeria, Dr Joe Abah, revealed that he proposed to his wife 4 hours after

The Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms, in Nigeria, Dr Joe Abah, revealed that he proposed to his wife 4 hours after





The DG said this in a series of tweets while celebrating his wife, Kemi Abahs who clocked 50 today. Heres what he wrote;




Less than 24 hours after Manchester United announced the club had agreed a deal with Everton to bring Romelu Lukaku to Old Trafford, the...

Less than 24 hours after Manchester United announced the club had agreed a deal with Everton to bring Romelu Lukaku to Old Trafford, the striker has taken to Instagram to seemingly confirm the move with snaps of his medical in the United States.The Belgian's Instagram story opens with a shot of him in a waiting room and the word "Medicals.." written below it.His medical snaps came hours after it was confirmed he was arrested last week over a noise complaint and is scheduled to appear in a United States court on October 2.A statement released by Beverly Hills Police Department detailed that Lukaku received a misdemeanour citation on July 2.Police said the citation, after which Lukaku was not physically arrested, came on the back of verbal warnings following five other complaints about noise levels at his rented accommodation.The forward had also already been spotted training with Man Utd midfielder Paul Pogba in Los Angeles earlier in the week, and on Saturday the France international welcomed the Belgian to the club.Lukaku, 24, will reunite with former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford for a reported 75 million fee.United had targeted Real Madrid forward Alvaro Morata to help fill the void left by last season's top goalscorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic.Mourinho has now turned to the Belgium international to try to fix and attack that only found the back of the net on 54 occasions in the Premier League last term  the lowest tally among the top seven teams.Lukaku himself netted nearly half that number, 25, in the league during the 2016-17 season, eight more than Ibrahimovic.Manchester United head to United States for the club's summer tour on Sunday.
Nollywood actress cum producer, Sylvia Edem, has openly shunned the idea of ever settling for a Nigerian husband, saying, though, she has...

Nollywood actress cum producer, Sylvia Edem, has openly shunned the idea of ever settling for a Nigerian husband, saying, though, she has no problem with Nigerian men but believes they are not right for her.Speaking in anticipation of premiere of her new movie Sandcastle, the pretty actress opened up on infidelity in marriage and how love can stand the test of any situation.I dont have a problem with Nigerian men but I just feel they are not right for me. Ive been in one or two relationships with a Nigerian man, and I tried to make it work but it didnt work, it didnt favour me. Right now, Im single and just patiently waiting for the right man to come my way.Nigerian men are not faithful. Ive actually said I wanted to marry a White man right from when I was growing up. Its not like Nigerian men are that bad but this is my own choice; its what I want; after trying two relationships with Nigerian men and it didnt work for me, I gave up, she said.Asked what would be her reaction if she discovers that her husband cannot satisfy her in bed, she said; Let me tell you something about marriage, its all about love; whether a man can satisfy me in bed or not, if I love him I will remain in the marriage because I didnt marry him because of the size of his manhood or how much he can satisfy me in bed. I married him because I love him so I should be able to stay in the marriage, she said.
The Archbishop of the Diocese of Kaduna, Anglican Communion, Bishop Timothy Yahaya, has warned that the disintegration of Nigeria porte...

The Archbishop of the Diocese of Kaduna, Anglican Communion, Bishop Timothy Yahaya, has warned that the disintegration of Nigeria portends catastrophe of unimaginable proportion for the world and urged the United Nations to take measures to avoid such scenario.Speaking during the 3rd session of the 20th synod of the diocese at St Pauls Anglican Church, Kakuri, Kaduna, at the weekend, Tanya said West Africa would bear the brunt of Nigerias disintegration. He said if today the country breaks up, there would no place to hide, there will be no place to go to. our neighbouring countries can not contend us as refugees.According to him, the number of cars in Lagos alone is more than all the cars in West Africa. So, everyone should be interested in what is happening in Nigeria.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Aare Afe Babalola, has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as the best President Nigeria ever had.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Aare Afe Babalola, has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as the best President Nigeria ever had.





Babalola said the Obasanjo, who had a rare opportunity to lead the nation three times, first as Military Head of State in the late 70s and twice elected president from 1999 to 2007, was known to him to be a very energetic, strong-willed, and stubborn person.

He is difficult to persuade but he is a progressive man. He never became a professor but he knows better than most professors. He is a highly talented man and he is the best president Nigeria ever had.

The Founder and President of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, made the remarks while receiving members of the Yoruba Patriots Group, who nominated him to be their patron.

According to him, it was Obasanjos efforts in supporting UNESCO during his tenure that has helped in repositioning education properly in this country.

Speaking about the objectives of the group, its Publicity Secretary, Segun Adewale, said it was formed in 2005 by progressive Yoruba people who desired progress and unity for the nation.

We felt that the way the Yoruba nation is being relegated to the background within the commonwealth of Nigeria is not acceptable.

What we intend to do is a legacy that would survive us. And to do this we are consulting with established Yoruba men who love the nation and who have the knowledge and have made serious sacrifices to make Yoruba number one in the world.

Aare Afe Babalola is one of them. This is why we consult with him to get a template that would make Yoruba the most economically developed nation in Africa.

Speaking on the agenda of the group, Babalola said he supported the YPG for Yorubas to have their rightful place.

The kind of restructuring that is needed in Nigeria is one that would give autonomy for each ethnic nationalities to manage itself in all areas of economy, education, power and others with the exception of geographical expression, he said.


MAHWAH -- An employee for the Department of Public Works has been accused of inappropriately touching a 10-year-old child and was arrested Friday, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office announced.

Brian Potter, 39, of Mahwah

Brian Potter, 39, of Mahwah, was accused of inappropriately touching the child in Mahwah in March. Potter is listed on the Mahwah Emergency Services' website as the second assistant fire chief.

Potter was arrested Friday and charged with aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault by sexual contact and endangering the welfare of a child.

Potter was held in Bergen County Jail pending his arraignment. His first scheduled court appearance was Friday.

The fire department's chief did not immediately return a request for comment.

Sara Jerde may be reached at sjerde@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SaraJerde.
UPDATE, 4 p.m.: Homeowner fatally stabbed intruder; 1 at large, officials say

MOORESTOWN -- A homeowner fended off an intruder with a kitchen knife, fatally stabbing him early Sunday, according to police.

The incident happened at a residence on the 700 block of Hartford Road around 12:30 a.m., Moorestown police said.

Police said two men forced their way into a house and the homeowner fought back with a kitchen knife, stabbing both and killing one.

The police statement said the scene is under control and "there is no reason for the public to be alarmed."

The incident remains under investigation, police said. More details are expected to be released later Sunday.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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MOORESTOWN -- After a homeowner fatally stabbed an intruder Saturday night, police say they are still searching for another intruder, who was also stabbed but escaped.

The resident at a home in the 700 block of Hartford Road used a kitchen knife to fight off two men who broke into his home, according to a statement from the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.

Authorities were contacted by the homeowner at around 12:30 a.m., and when they arrived, they found one of the intruders dead from stab wounds, the statement said.

The homeowner was not injured, according to officials.

A man turned up with stab wounds to the leg several hours later at nearby Lourdes Medical Center in Willingboro, but officials still have not determined if that man is connected to the home invasion, the prosecutor's office said.

Police and local fire company volunteers combed a half-mile area around the home Sunday morning, though it was not immediately clear what they were looking for. Authorities declined to provide further details.

"The scene is contained, and there is no reason for the public to be alarmed," Joel Bewley, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office, said in a statement.

But a neighbor, 46-year-old Carmine Infante, said he still was uneasy while taking a break from mowing his lawn Sunday afternoon.

"I don't feel comfortable," said Infante, who has lived in the community for the past 13 years. "I don't think anyone would. You think you're in an area that nothing's going to happen."

Infante said his wife and daughter saw police with flashlights in their backyard after the incident was reported. He said one of his cars was broken into in the past month after it was left unlocked.

"It seems to be more and more of that crap going on," he said.

Throughout the morning on Sunday, police had Hartford Road blocked off for a quarter mile on both sides of the home where the invasion took place.

Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bduhart. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
VINELAND -- A man carrying a 9mm handgun has been arrested at a South Jersey mall, authorities said.

Vineland police said around 8 p.m. Friday they received information that a man, later identified as Jabar Selby, 23, of Millville, was at the Cumberland Mall with a gun.

Police said they had been told Selby was seen near the mall's food court. Using the description they had been given of him, members of the department's Street Crimes Unit, Narcotics Unit and Detective Bureau conducted a brief surveillance operation and eventually found Selby in the mall parking lot.

As Selby began walking back toward the mall entrance, officers, including one with a K-9, moved in and ordered him to surrender.

After Selby was taken into custody police found he was carrying a 9mm handgun, authorities said.

Selby was charged with possession of a handgun and receiving stolen property and taken to the Cumberland County Jail in Bridgeton.

Police did not say why they believed Selby was carrying the handgun.

Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at bgallo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Bill Gallo Jr. on Twitter @bgallojr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Darjeeling Hills are burning for about one month but West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has not visited the region. GJM chief Bimal Gurung has largely been hiding after launching the agitation for Gorkhaland. Darjeeling MP and Union Minister SS Ahluwalia, too, has not visited his constituency.

Gorkhaland agitation is going on for a month while indefinite strike entered 25th day today. (Photo: PTI file)

By Prabhash K Dutta: Hundreds of protesters came back on the streets of Darjeeling yesterday as fresh violence erupted in the hills. Gorkhaland supporters torched a police outpost, a toy train station and clashed with the police at two places.

Three protesters identified as Samir Gurung, Suraj Sundas and Tashi Bhutia, who was a GNLF worker died in the clashes with security forces. The Gorkhaland Janmukti Morcha (GJM) alleged that security forces fired at the protesters. The CRPF and police have denied the charge.

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With fresh violence in Darjeeling Hills, the Mamata Banerjee government called back Army to the city. Two columns of the Army comprising around 100 personnel were deployed at Sonada and Darjeeling.

BIMAL GURUNG IS HIDING

Today is the 25th day of indefinite strike called by GJM chief Bimal Gurung over making Bangla mandatory in all the schools of West Bengal including those in Darjeeling.

But, ironically, after launching the protest Bimal Gurung is in hiding. He came out briefly to address press on July 4 stating that the indefinite strike would continue.

While Gurung is not on the streets with protesters, his supporters are accused of attacking policemen, damaging public property, committing arson and intimidating shopkeepers who try to open shops.

Before fresh violence erupted yesterday the Gorakhaland agitation had started showing signs of fatigue with the tourism - the pivot of local economy - stopped, offices closed rendering salary cut to employees and absence of leadership.

MAMATA BANERJEE'S WAITING GAME

Gorkhaland agitation erupted on June 9 when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held cabinet meeting in Darjeeling's Raj Bhavan. It was the first cabinet meeting of West Bengal government at Raj Bhavan in Darjeeling in 45 years.

Mamata Banerjee has not visited the trouble-hit region since then. Mamata Banerjee seems to be playing waiting game. Though, she has offered for talks with the GJM but her statement makes it clear that she is ready to wait.

Mamata Banerjee said, "If peace returns in the next 10-15 days, I can call the hill parties for talks. But, let us restore peace first."

The West Bengal Chief Minister is prepared to wait for another 10-15 days of trouble and violence in Darjeeling.

Mamata Banerjee also said, "The government has shown enough restraint in the interest of the people of the hills. Peace has to return to the hills."

Even though the GJM has vowed to continue the strike and rallies are being held in different parts of the region every day, people's participation is reported to be declining. People attending these rallies have been found sneaking out into neighbourhood shops and grocery stores to buy essentials and stock vegetables and ration.

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The agitation may be losing the steam like any other mass movement. Mamata Banerjee seems to be waiting for that day when people and protesters are tired of GJM sponsored indefinite shutdown before she looks for a way forward.

Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee is diverting the blame on to the Centre for "not cooperating." Centre snapped back saying that the Mamata government refused 400 central security forces.

DARJEELING MP SS AHLUWALIA MISSING

The people in the Darjeeling hills have been voting for the BJP in last few elections. Union Minister of State for Agriculture S S Ahluwalia is the Lok Sabha member from Darjeeling.

SS Ahluwalia had promised to take up the issue of Gorkhaland during his election campaign in 2014. But, the Darjeeling hills have been burning for 25 days now over the demand for a separate Gorkhaland state, the Union Minister has visited his own constituency.

At least eight persons have died and more than 100 have been injured in violence over demand for Gorkhaland, which Ahluwalia promised his voter to raise at appropriate level while seeking their support.

ALSO READ |

Gorkhaland stir: Darjeeling flares up again after three protesters killed; Army redeployed

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ALSO WATCH | BENGAL BURNING: WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT DARJEELING STIR AND BASIRHAT VIOLENCE

--- ENDS ---
UPDATE:

NEWARK -- One day after a young child was shot in the city, community members will gather on the streets to rally against Newark's gun violence.

The Newark Anti-Violence Coalition announced the gathering after authorities reported Saturday night that a 6-year-old boy and and two men were wounded by gunfire around 5:45 p.m. on the corner of Central Avenue and 3rd Street.

The demonstration will take place at 4 p.m. on the corner of Central Avenue and 3rd Street, where numerous cop cars lined the street the previous night.

All three victims were transported to University Hospital, where they are in stable condition, police said. Authorities are offering a $10,000 reward to any tips that lead to the shooter(s)'s arrest.

Most of the boy's family spent the morning and afternoon at the local hospital, a relative told NJ Advance Media. They declined to discuss the incident further.

Earl Best, a community organizer known as the "Street Doctor," stood at the scene the following morning to pray. He spoke of the two people killed and five wounded in two separate shootings that took place in the city a week prior.

"We have to look at the whole situation here. They shouldn't have even had a gun," Best said. "It's all the poverty."

The shooting involving the boy was one of three separate incidents on Saturday.

Police said a man and a woman were shot at 11:23 p.m. on 7th Avenue and Stone Street. Two hours later, authorities said, three more people were struck by gunfire on Mulberry and East Kinney Streets. One victim is in critical condition.

Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AvalonZoppo. Find NJ.com on Facebook.


NEWARK -- Police are investigating three separate shootings on Saturday that left eight victims with non-fatal injuries, including a 6-year-old boy, officials said.

The most recent incident happened early Sunday around 1:21 a.m. near Mulberry and East Kinney streets. Police responded after receiving a report of shots fired and found two women and a man with gunshot wounds, according to a statement from Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose.

One of the women is listed in critical condition at University Hospital in Newark, Ambrose said.

Shortly before that, at 11:23 p.m., police were called to 7th Avenue and Stone Street, Ambrose said. Police found two shooting victims, a man and a woman, who suffered wounds that are not life-threatening, Ambrose said. They were both treated and released from the hospital.

A 6-year-old boy and two men are in stable condition at University Hospital after they were shot around 5:45 p.m. at the intersection of Central Avenue and 3rd Street, Ambrose said.

Mayor Ras Baraka and Ambrose visited the scene Saturday evening and are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

A candlelight vigil will be held for the boy, who is a city resident, at 4 p.m.

"These shootings are under intense investigation," Ambrose said in a statement. "No motives have been yet identified and no arrests have been made, but we are following active leads. Thankfully, each incident resulted in non-fatal injuries. The number of firearms that make their way to our city is pathetic."

Police ask anyone with information about the shooting to call the department's confidential, 24-hour Crime Stopper tip line at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477) or 1-877-NWK-GUNS (1-877-695-4867). Crime Stopper tips could lead to a reward.

Anonymous tips can also be made at www.newarkpdonline.org or through the new "Newark Police Division, NJ" smartphone app.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips
GLASSBORO -- A Glassboro man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting an 83-year-old woman in July 2015.

According to the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office, David C. Thomas, 38, of Broussard, Louisiana, was in town for a wedding and staying with family in Hollybush Apartments when he attacked an elderly woman on July 23, 2015.

David C. Thomas, 40, was convicted of sexually assaulting an elderly woman in 2015. (Salem County Correctional Facility)

After police arrived at the scene, the woman, whose identity was never disclosed, told police she answered the door and he proceeded to tear her clothing off and sexually assaulted her in the living room and then again in the bedroom. The assaults lasted nearly two hours, police said at the time.

She was taken for medical attention where it was discovered that in addition to bruising over most of her body and cuts on her arms, she had broken ribs.

Thomas turned himself in to police later on the same date, claiming the act was consensual.

He was charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree aggravated assault and terroristic threats. Thomas was jailed on $500,000 bail, though his lawyer motioned for bail reduction. The motion that was denied.

In January 2017, Thomas was found guilty and convicted of first-degree aggravated sexual assault in the incident after five hours of jury deliberation.

He was sentenced to 20 years on Friday.

According to the GCPO, the woman has since died of causes not directly related to the incident.

"I am saddened the victim did not live to see justice served but this prosecution and sentence sends a strong message to those who would prey upon our most vulnerable citizens," said Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton in a press release.

This case was one of the first to involve the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Elder Protection Unit, which was organized in 2015 to investigate instances of physical, financial or emotional abuse of older persons and to educate senior groups about potential exploitation.

Caitlyn Stulpin may be reached at cstulpin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitstulpin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
PLAINSBORO -- A 41-year-old woman was airlifted Saturday from the scene of a car crash that injured four other people, Plainsboro police said.

A Toyota RAV4 and a Jeep Wrangler collided around 2 p.m. near Plainsboro Road and Thoreau Drive, police said.

The four people in the Toyota, including the Plainsboro woman who was airlifted, were taken to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick. The driver of the Jeep was taken to University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro with minor injuries.

Plainsboro Road was closed for about four hours after the crash.

The cause of the collision is under investigation.

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie has flown on state-owned helicopters nearly 100 times in the past two years, a report says.

His more than 200 hours in the air in 2015 and 2016 cost $500,000, the USA Today Network reported. State Police estimate flying a state helicopter costs $2,487.42 per hour.

New Jersey was reimbursed $54,723.19 in the past two years for 34 of Christie's flights that were not for state business, the report says.

Other governors have used the state-owned helicopter far more frequently. Former Gov. Jim McGreevy used it 277 times in his first year in office, and former Gov. Jim Florio used it 2,319 times in four years, The Star-Ledger previously reported.

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips
Roger Waters' anti-Trump display prompts some concert-goers to walk out in New Orleans: reports
By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI) Two former army chiefs -- General N C Vij and General Deepak Kapoor -- and several other retired military officials have been named by a high-level inquiry committee appointed by the defence ministry for their alleged complicity in the Adarsh Housing Society scam in Mumbai.

The probe panel also mentioned three retired Lt Generals ? G S Sihota, Tejinder Singh and Shantanu Choudhary -- and four Major Generals ? A R Kumar, V S Yadav, T K Kaul and R K Hooda -- in its over 100-page report, citing a range of violations and irregularities.

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The apartments in a tony part of town in Mumbai were meant for the families of Kargil heroes. But army officers, politicians and bureaucrats were allegedly alloted flats in violation of the rules.

Seen as a symbol of corruption, the Adarsh scam had kicked up a huge political storm after it surfaced in 2010, leading to the resignation of then Congress chief minister Ashok Chavan.

Sources said the defence ministry report is a validation of the findings of a Court of Inquiry by the Army in 2011 which had probed the roles of a number of military officials in the scam.

According to the findings of the probe, Gen Vij appeared to have provided a "protective umbrella" towards efforts in facilitating the ?alienation of the land in question?.

It said at no stage did he raise any questions on the matter, nor did he flag any security concerns during the annual security review as the Army Commander or otherwise.

The report said it was known that he had a "vested interest" in the matter, the sources said.

About Gen Kapoor, the report said though he was not directly connected with the case, he was not "well advised" in accepting a membership of the society, adding that that it did not seem he had adequately weighed the implications of accepting a flat in the complex.

The Indian Navy had raised security concerns as the 31 storey building overlooked several of its key installations. The housing complex, built on defence land, was originally for Kargil war heroes and those who had lost their spouses in the war.

The defence ministry probe found a number of other senior military officials guilty and said all those found involved in the scam or those who had turned a blind eye to the irregularities should not be engaged in any employment or services by the government.

The Bombay high court, in an order last year, blamed members of the housing society, who it said happened to be close relatives of highly-placed bureaucrats or related to politicians or ministers, for conspiring with them to grab a plot.

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Former navy chief admiral Madhavendra Singh, who was also allotted a flat in the housing society, has also been named in the report.

The report said though he was not involved in the scam, he was ineligible to become a member of the housing society as he gave a misleading undertaking stating that he did not own any house in Mumbai.

According to the findings, almost all the military officials found guilty in the scam were given flats in the complex.

Then Defence minister A K Antony had on December 9, 2010, ordered a CBI probe to fix responsibility among armed forces and defence estates officers in the scam.

The probe agency was also asked to look into commitments made for allotment of flats in the society for Kargil widows and martyrs families.

The preliminary findings of the ministrys probe brought out a "criminal conspiracy" at the local level in the Army and defence estates to give up the land, which was in the Armys possession till 1999-2000, in favour of the housing society. PTI MPB BDS

--- ENDS ---

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Commuters traveling to the South Expressway from the east may find that trip more difficult this month.

The Iowa Department of Transportation will close the Interstate 80 westbound/Interstate 29 northbound exit to South Expressway (Exit 3) Monday morning.

The exit ramp will stay closed for about 30 days, the DOT said in a release.

As part of the East System Interchange Phase II project, workers will connect the exit ramp to the future interstate lanes.

A detour will take motorists from northbound I-29 and westbound I-80 to an exit by the Metro Crossing shopping district, where they will head toward Lake Manawa to connect to the South Expressway.

- Assistant Managing Editor Scott Stewart can be reached at 712-325-5748 or by email at sstewart@nonpareilonline.com.
OMAHA  Dr. Glenn Hurst had gotten used to the strings of almost unintelligible text messages  often sent late at night  from his longtime friend, Robert William Simet of Omaha.

Hursts response to Simets paranoid thoughts and ideas was often, Bob, I wouldnt do that if I were you. That was usually enough to end the rants.

But Simet, 64, was arrested Friday by FBI agents in Omaha and charged with threatening U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa.

An arrest affidavit says employees of a Pacific Junction motorcycle shop told an FBI agent that Simet had been there Wednesday and made several statements about Ernst, including his belief that she was a member of the Islamic State.

Simet said he knew Ernst was scheduled to speak Saturday at an event at the motorcycle business. Simet is accused of telling an employee he could kill Ernst at the event, and he allegedly told another employee that everyone in the government needs to be killed off.

Hurst, who is a family physician in Minden, said hes known Simet for 20 years.

I wasnt surprised when I heard about what he said, but I know those threats werent based in reality, Hurst said. I want people to know that hes not a bad guy. Hes a sick guy.

Simet was a normal guy, active in groups for recovering addicts, Hurst said.

But about 10 or 15 years ago, Hurst said, Simet suffered a psychotic break and everything changed.

Simet told Hurst hed been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was hearing voices.

Hurst said he plans to attend Ernsts Monday town hall in Harlan to share Simets story with the Republican senator.

Hurst is on the executive committee for the activist group Indivisible Nebraskans and has been active in opposing efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

While he sees Simets story as an example of what more is needed in mental health care, Hurst said, he hopes his friends experiences dont get politicized.

What happened isnt a Democrats versus Republicans issue, Hurst said. Its about a sick individual with a good heart who needs help.

Simet is in custody at the Pottawattamie County Jail and made his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa on Friday. He will be back at the federal courthouse in Council Bluffs on Tuesday at 11 a.m. for a preliminary hearing.

Simets federal public defender, Matt Lee Smart of Sioux City did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Ernsts office referred questions to U.S. Capitol Police, which said Friday it does not comment on ongoing investigations.

 Nonpareil reporter Mike Bell and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Regional and local electric utilities say they have found no evidence that a recent wave of cyberattacks infiltrated any of their power plants and computer networks.

Hackers working for a foreign government recently breached at least a dozen U.S. power plants, including the Wolf Creek nuclear facility in Kansas, according to current and former U.S. officials, sparking concerns that the attackers were searching for vulnerabilities in the electrical grid.

An official at the Nebraska Public Power District said the utilitys Cooper Nuclear Station outside of Brownville, Nebraska, was not targeted; the facility is located about 170 miles north of the Wolf Creek plant and is the only other operating nuclear plant in the regional grid.

Cooper spokesman Drew Niehaus told The Omaha World-Herald that nothing to my knowledge indicates that the plant was involved in what industry and government officials have acknowledged as a wide-ranging attack on critical infrastructure.

Officials at Des Moines-based Mid-American Energy and Omaha Public Power District stated that their facilities and networks were not breached in the attacks.

The still-unidentified attackers could be positioning themselves to eventually disrupt the nations power supply, warned the U.S. officials, who noted that a general alert was distributed to utilities a week ago. Adding to those concerns, hackers recently infiltrated an unidentified company that makes control systems for equipment used in the power industry, an attack that officials believe may be related.

The chief suspect is Russia, according to three people familiar with the continuing effort to eject the hackers from the computer networks. One of those networks belongs to Wolf Creek  an aging nuclear generating facility owned by Westar Energy Inc., Great Plains Energy Inc. and Kansas Electric Power Cooperative Inc.  on a lake shore near Burlington in east-central Kansas.

The possibility of a Russia connection is particularly worrisome, former and current officials say, because Russian hackers previously have taken down parts of the electrical grid in Ukraine and appear to be testing increasingly advanced tools to disrupt power supplies.

The hacks come as international tensions have flared over U.S. intelligence agencies reports that Russia tried to influence the 2016 presidential election. The United States, which has several continuing investigations into Russias activities, is known to possess digital weapons capable of disrupting the electricity grids of rival nations.

We dont pay attention to such anonymous fakes, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in response to a request to comment on alleged Russian involvement.

The Department of Homeland Security and FBI said they are aware of a potential intrusion in the energy sector. The alert issued to utilities cited activities by hackers since May.

There is no indication of a threat to public safety, as any potential impact appears to be limited to administrative and business networks, the government agencies said in a joint statement.

Nor is there any indication that closed nuclear plants  such as Omaha Public Power Districts Fort Calhoun facility, which is about 10 miles from Missouri Valley  were targeted, said Bill Gross, a cybersecurity expert at the Nuclear Energy Institute, a global trade group representing nuclear plant operators. OPPD closed the plant 20 miles north of Omaha in October 2016 and removed all the nuclear fuel from its reactor in early November 2016.

Theyve been given situational awareness on the details of this broad campaign, Gross told The World-Herald. At this time, I dont have any information that would indicate there has been any targeting of decommissioned sites.

The Department of Energy also said the impact appears limited to administrative and business networks and said it was working with utilities and grid operators to enhance security and resilience.

Regardless of whether malicious actors attempt to exploit business networks or operational systems, we take any reports of malicious cyber activity potentially targeting our nations energy infrastructure seriously and respond accordingly, the department said in an emailed statement.

Representatives of the National Security Council, the Director of National Intelligence and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission declined to comment.

While Bloomberg News was waiting for responses from the government, however, The New York Times reported that hacks were targeting nuclear power stations.

Operational controls at Wolf Creek in Kansas were not breached, according to government officials. There was absolutely no operational impact to Wolf Creek, Jenny Hageman, a spokeswoman for the nuclear plant, said in a statement to Bloomberg News.

U.S. intelligence officials have long been concerned about the security of the countrys electrical grid. The recent attack, striking almost simultaneously at multiple locations, is testing the governments ability to coordinate an effective response among several private utilities, state and local officials, and industry regulators.

Homeland Security and the FBI sent out a general warning about the cyberattack to utilities and related parties on June 28, though it contained few details or the number of plants affected.

The government said it was most concerned about the persistence of the attacks on choke points of the U.S. power supply. That language suggests hackers are trying to establish back doors on the plants systems for later use, according to a former senior DHS official who asked not to be identified.

Those back doors can be used to insert software specifically designed to penetrate a facilitys operational controls and disrupt critical systems, according to Galina Antova, co-founder of Claroty, a New York firm that specializes in securing industrial control systems.

The alert sent out last week inadvertently identified Wolf Creek as one of the victims of the attack. An analysis of one of the tools used by the hackers had the stolen credentials of a plant employee, a senior engineer.

A U.S. official acknowledged that the error was not caught until after the alert was distributed.

E&E News first reported on digital attacks targeting U.S. nuclear plants, saying the effort was code-named Nuclear 17. A senior U.S. official told Bloomberg that there was a bigger breach of conventional plants, which could affect multiple regions. NPPD, LES and OPPD confirmed that none of their conventional electric generators were involved.

Industry experts and U.S. officials say the attack is being taken seriously, in part because of recent events in Ukraine. Antova said that the Ukrainian power grid has been disrupted at least twice, first in 2015 and then in a more automated attack last year, suggesting the hackers are testing methods.

 This report contains material from Bloomberg News.
IOWA CITY  Iowa State University officials worked with utilities lobbyists for weeks to draft a law uprooting the states renewable energy research center, giving the industry cover to avoid allegations of a power grab, newly released emails show.

Iowa State announced in March that it would support transferring the 27-year-old Iowa Energy Center to the executive branch, even though no legislation to accomplish the change had been introduced.

The news stunned supporters of the university-based center, which was directed to cancel its search for a new director even though it had excellent candidates and pull back several loans, emails show.

Lawmakers approved a bill transferring the center to the Iowa Economic Development Authority, giving it a more industry-friendly mission and eliminating its funding source in 2022. The move was a victory for Iowas gas and electric utilities, which fund the center through an assessment on their revenues and have questioned some of the centers research on solar energy.

The center has been a national leader in energy efficiency and alternative energy research, promoting biofuels, wind and solar and savings at government buildings. But powerful utilities had increasingly questioned the centers direction and management, making it a political headache for Iowa State administrators.

The university released emails about the plan in response to a request from Rep. Abby Finkenauer, D-Dubuque. They reveal that Iowa State lobbyist Kristin Failor discussed legislation that was being drafted in secret on Feb. 24 with lobbyists representing MidAmerican Energy and rural electric cooperatives.

I got confirmation from both of them that we all want this to be amicable and supportive and they (in no way) want this to look like a power grab because we did something wrong, Failor wrote to Iowa State vice president for research Sarah Nusser.

In another, Failor wrote that utilities are on board with the optics of cooperation, adding: It is to their benefit if the narrative stays that way.

Nusser told the centers interim director Mufit Akinc on Feb. 26 that the transfer was highly likely to happen even though details werent available. She said the Iowa State was starting to do some quiet planning but not ready to notify the centers employees, who would face layoffs.

On March 2, Failor told a university official that she and a MidAmerican lobbyist agreed that introducing a bill before that months funnel deadline would create more harm than good if we didnt have answers for the media and staff. They decided a better strategy would be to attach the plan to a spending bill, which could be made public and passed at sessions end.

After The Associated Press started inquiring about the transfer, Failor wrote to university officials March 6 that utilities lobbyists contacted her to make sure the university remained publicly supportive because they will be the ones taking the heat on this if it goes astray. She said she assured a testy Sen. Joe Bolkcom that the transfer wasnt an industry takeover but best for the future of the program.

Iowa State confirmed to the AP that it supported transferring the center to the economic development agency. Outraged center advisory board member Gary Steinke complained to Nusser that he wasnt consulted and felt used, hoodwinked, betrayed, and embarrassed, specifically by you.

Nusser wrote to Failor: Im guessing Gary sees a conspiracy with industry and is concerned about the educational and research programs, as are we. The cost-match programs are vital to our educational and research institutions.

Iowa State officials spent weeks discussing the plan. The measure passed by lawmakers in April and signed by Gov. Terry Branstad ended the centers $4.4 million annual funding source in 2022  over the objection of the schools board and the Board of Regents.
Delhi BJP leader Nupur Sharma faced criticism for passing off a picture of the Gujarat riots as that of the violence in West Bengal's Basirhat.

By Press Trust of India: Delhi BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma came under fire from Twitter users for allegedly passing off a picture of the 2002 Gujarat riots as that of the violence in West Bengal's Basirhat.

"Since trolls spent a sleepless night covering-up Basirhat violence, sharing media pics of the riots. Hope they report this to @WBPolice too," Sharma posted on the micro- blogging site and attached an image of charred vehicles along with it.

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The Twiterrati, however, pointed out to her that the image was from 2002 and accused her of spreading a rumour.

A defiant Sharma said the photo reflected the reality of Bengal, irrespective of the place.

Some of the Twitter users tried to draw the attention of the Delhi Police towards the tweet and demanded that she be arrested.

"Requesting @WBPolice to take my tweet as a Complaint against @NupurSharmaBJP for her fake and provocative posts and Arrest her immediately," said a Twitter user.

"Can't trust any BJP handle these days. Films, old riots all is being passed off as Bengal," said another.

ALSO READ:

West Bengal violence: BJP, CPM delegations stopped from entering Basirhat

Basirhat violence: BJP MLA from Hyderabad wants Hindus to strike back

ALSO WATCH:

West Bengal: Basirhat remains tense after teenager's controversial Facebook post

--- ENDS ---
Nominations to recognize A New Kind of Hero are being sought by the Iowa Job Honor Awards fourth annual recognition event this fall.

The award program is looking for Iowans who have overcome significant barriers to employment, as well as the employers who hire them, according to a news release.

Awards will be presented Oct. 12 during the Iowa Society for Human Resource Managements State Conference in Des Moines, the release stated.

The shorted of qualified employees makes recruitment a growing challenge for Iowa employers, Sarah Deich, director of SHRM State Council, said in the release. The Iowa Job Honor Awards help us engage our untapped workforce by shining a spotlight on success stories.

To nominate someone, visit jobhonor.org before Sept. 23. The website also has videos of previous winners accessible at jobhonor.org/media-iowa.

Winners in both categories will receive engraved awards, the release stated, and the top employee honorees will each receive a $500 prize.

Expect some deeply moving personal stories, Kyle Horn, founder and director of Americas Job Honor Awards, said in the release. We rarely hear inspiring stories of individuals whose lives are transformed through the hard work and perseverance that leads to meaningful employment. Its time for a new kind of hero.
An enjoyable event for kids, adults alike

Planning for the Vacation Bible School at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church is bubbling over. The results can be enjoyed by young and old from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.

Wende Carson, principal of the church school, said, This year, we hope to reach children throughout the community with our VBS. Were hoping to share this special time with children from every neighborhood of North Platte. We especially hope that children who have no church home will join us.

There will be special classes and activities for preschoolers, ages 3, 4 and 5. Also, there will be classes and activities for children from kindergarten through grade 6.

Carson said, Our VBS will be a lot like going to church camp. There will be opportunities to sing and hear about Jesus. There will be plenty of activities to make each evening fun and interesting.

Speaking of singing, Jennie Williamson, a Christian song writer and recording artist from Nashville, will share her talents each night.

Williamson has a wonderful Gospel message that she shares with her audience, Carson said. She has a real talent for teaching her songs to her audience, and soon everyone is singing about Gods greatness and love.

Williamson will perform a full concert at 6 p.m. Sunday. The concert will be in the gym in the family life center.

Williamson will also sing at the beginning (6 p.m.) and end (about 7:45 p.m.) of each VBS session.

VBS will close Thursday with a short concert by Williamson.

For all who attend, there will be a free meal served each day at 5 p.m.

Carson said plans are to accommodate 100 children and hope the group grows as the week goes on.

It sounds like everything is coming together in a special way.

As we planned and had ideas, everything fit together miraculously, Carson said. From gaining support to asking for help, from inviting Jennie Williamson, every piece fell into place with surprising ease. Every person who was asked to help has stepped up to serve.

Carson explained, We knew VBS would work if we could get 10 people to make large monetary gifts. In record time, those people were found, the gifts collected, and the planning began.

Carson continued with her story: We asked groups within our church if they would be willing to host a meal. Soon we had meals. We needed supplies, within a week, someone pledged all the supplies. We decided to have plenty of bottled water on hand for our guests. Again, we were blessed with a bounty of water. In addition, we found people to provide services to advertise this event.

Besides traditional advertising the media, they have put up banners and posters, and given personal invitations. Families from the church have been encouraged to invite their neighbors and families to take part.

Carson said the most important message of the Bible school is that God loves us. He uses people to spread His message. He even uses children. Everyone has special work to do for God, she said.
By PTI: Jaipur, Jul 9 (PTI) The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Rajasthan Police has detained three persons after Rs 2.76 crore in demonetised currency was allegedly recovered from their possession.

Acting on a tip-off that the accused were making efforts to convert the old currency notes with new notes on commission, ATS sleuths detained cloth merchant Sanjay Jain, sweet shop owner Ram Prasad and a home guard Bhagwan Singh, IG ATS Biju George Joseph said.

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The raid was conducted at Sanjay Jains residence in Lakshminarayan Puri from where Rs 2.76 crore in demonetised currency was allegedly seized, the IG said.

ACP Ramganj area, Chain Singh Mahecha said the accused are being interrogated for their role, modus operandi and involvement of other accused involved in facilitating exchange of currency notes.PTI AG DV

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If you'd like to invest some money in the world's other developed and emerging economies, international exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are a simple solution. These funds, offered by companies like Vanguard, Schwab, and others, invest in foreign companies, which offers you a way to diversify your portfolio in a way that cushions your exposure to geographic risks such as currency fluctuations.

Also, many international economies, particularly those in emerging markets, have high growth potential, and investing in the right international ETFs give you the chance to capitalize on it.

It's worth mentioning here the distinction between international and global ETFs, as you're likely to see funds describe both ways as you do your research: International ETFs invest in securities outside of the U.S. exclusively, while global ETFs invest in both international and domestic stocks.

3 top international ETFs

If you're looking to diversify your equity holdings beyond the United States, these three ETFs could be smart additions to your portfolio.

Fund Name Symbol Expense Ratio Dividend Yield 5-Year Average Annual Total Return

Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF (NASDAQ: VXUS) 0.11% 2.66% 8.8% Schwab International Equity ETF (NYSEMKT: SCHF) 0.06% 2.25% 9.5% Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEMKT: VWO) 0.14% 2.33% 4.2%

1. Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF

As the name implies, the Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF invests in a broad array of non-U.S. stocks, including those from both developed and emerging markets. It tracks the FTSE Global All Cap ex-US Index, which includes about 5,800 stocks in more than 45 countries. The fund is highly diversified, and no single company accounts for more than 1.2% of its assets. Top holdings include such household names as Nestle, Samsung Electronics, and Novartis.

2. Schwab International Equity ETF

With a rock-bottom 0.06% expense ratio, the Schwab International Equity ETF is the cheapest international ETF available as of this writing. It tracks the FTSE Developed ex-US index, so unlike the previous fund, its holdings consist only of stocks from developed foreign markets. Its top holdings are roughly the same as those of the Vanguard fund, but because emerging markets are excluded, the fund's holdings are a bit more concentrated, with the top holding accounting for 1.6% of assets. In a nutshell, investors in this ETF give up some diversification, but avoid the potentially volatile emerging markets.

3. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets Index Fund ETF

The Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets Index Fund invests in more than 4,500 different stocks, with its top concentrations in China (29%), Taiwan (16%), India (12%), and Brazil (8%). But as I just mentioned, emerging markets can be quite volatile. After several years of explosive growth in the mid-2000s, they've been rather flat over more recently. As the table above makes clear, this fund has lagged the other two over the past five years.

While you should be prepared for similar periods of slower growth and underperformance in emerging market stocks, there's no denying their long-term potential.

The $16,122 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook

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Winfield and St. John again ranked among the fastest growing towns in Indiana with at least 5,000 residents.

Indiana Business Research Center and Indiana University Kelley School of Business Senior Demographic Analyst Matt Kinghorn said in a new report in IU's INContext Magazine that most of the state's population growth was concentrated in the Indianapolis suburbs last year.

"In all, 13 of the 15 fastest-growing cities or towns in the state in 2016 were in suburban counties in the Indy metropolitan area," Kinghorn wrote. "The only places outside Central Indiana to make the top 15 were the Lake County communities of Winfield and St. John."

Winfield's population grew by 2.9 percent in 2016 to an estimated 5,560 residents. St. John's population increased by 1.9 percent last year to 16,800 residents.

St. John's population has shot up by 12.3 percent since 2000, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures.

"St. John has been one of the fastest-growing communities in the entire Chicago metro area for several years now," Town Manager Steve Kil said. "Outstanding schools, strict building and zoning regulations, proximity to downtown Chicago, and financial stability of not only the state of Indiana, but also St. John are just a few of the things that are attracting new residents to the community. Families really enjoy the small town feel along with the close proximity to the city."

Illinois residents in particular have been flooding to the border town of St. John, said Peter Novak, CEO of the Greater Northwest Indiana Association of Realtors.

"Comparable to Illinois, it's viewed as a bargain," he said. "It's a solid school system with a number of arterials that lead back into Illinois, including U.S. 231 and 109th Street. There are multiple ways to get back to Illinois, and it's easy to navigate."

Winfield also has been growing because it has a top-notch elementary school and is in the well-regarded Crown Point school system for students from middle school on, he said. Both towns also continue to grow because they have undeveloped land on which new subdivisions can be built.

"There's more new construction and newer housing stock," Novak said. "Families can get bigger homes with more rooms and potentially finished basements. The population spikes because it's families moving into those towns, not just individuals. It's a husband, wife and then some kids, which really spikes those numbers."
When it comes to places to start a business, a new study suggests Indiana isn't necessarily the best location in the U.S., but it also isn't the worst.

Indiana ranked 31st, according to the Best & Worst States to Start a Business report released by WalletHub, a think tank of financial experts, which analyzed a myriad of economic data from the government and several private organizations including the National Venture Capital Association and Tax Foundation.

Indiana ranked lower than bordering states. Michigan ranked 16th, Kentucky came in at 19 and Illinois at 25. North Dakota, with its low unemployment rate and booming energy sector, topped the rankings, while New Jersey, because of high labor costs and pricey office space, finished last.

Jill Gonzalez, an analyst with WalletHub, said Indiana's ranking was weighed down by weak showings in average growth in number of small businesses, startups per capita and share of college-educated population. Indiana earned low rankings in those areas when compared to the rest of the country.

But the state can take steps to improve, she said.

"The state can provide stronger incentives, i.e., sales tax refunds, exemptions or other sales tax discounts, cash grants, loans or loan guarantees and property tax abatements to encourage startups and entrepreneurs," Gonzalez said.

Lorri Feldt, regional director of the Northwest Indiana Small Business Development Center in Crown Point, was surprised by the state's showing in the WalletHub study, noting other reports have shown Indiana to be a business-friendly state.

"Indiana routinely shines in most surveys," she said. Feldt pointed to a 2016 CNBC ranking of America's Top States for Business, which ranked Indiana first in overall cost to conduct business when compared to the rest of the country.

The WalletHub study also ranked Indiana low, 48th, in availability of human capital, or people, to fill jobs. The state's jobless rate in May, the latest available from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, was 3.2 percent, which was below the national rate of 4.3 percent.

Feldt agrees availability of workers is a problem in Indiana, but it also is an issue nationally when jobless rates are low.

"It's something we hear from business owners regularly," she said. There also is an issue with people lacking necessary skills to fill available jobs.

Feldt said some business sectors including construction are implementing more apprentice programs to shore up needs for additional tradespeople.

Feldt said the state also is challenged in retaining people with technical skills, particularly in information technology.

"Coding is a very hot area, but we don't have a lot going on for younger people to learn coding and if someone does get that training at the university level here, they tend to seek work in the Chicago area or other technology hubs," Feldt said. "So we train them, and they tend to leave."
Anyone enrolled in Project Lifesaver will wear a small transmitter around the wrist or ankle that emits an individualized tracking signal, according to Project Lifesaver's website. In the event someone goes missing, the person's caregiver can notify local officials.

"Most who wander are found within a few miles from home, and search times have been reduced from hours and days to minutes," the website states.

Porter County Triad will have an informational booth at the farmers market event from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 18.

Shirts promoting Porter County Triad and Project Lifesaver will be sold at the event for $10.

Contact the Porter County sheriffs administrative assistant, Jordena Backnick, at 219-477-3112 for more information.
EAST CHICAGO  USS Lead Superfund site residents have successfully secured non-profit status, which allows them to apply for grant dollars and further participate in the EPA decision-making process as the federal agency continues cleanup of contaminated soil.

Carlyle Edwards, of East Chicago, spearheaded efforts to seek 501(c)3 status for the East Chicago Calumet Coalition/Community Advisory Group. They received word June 21 from the IRS.

The main motivation for filing paperwork with the IRS was so residents could apply for a $50,000-to-start Superfund Technical Assistance Grant, available through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The TAG grant can be used to hire an independent technical advisor to review lengthy EPA documents and explain the decision-making process, Edwards said. He said the group would consider applying for additional grants and seek independent soil testing.

"This could give us the leverage, the ability, to do our own tests and monitor testing conducted by the EPA," Edwards said.

The non-profit status also means any donation to the group can be tax-exempt, he said.

Cleanup is ongoing in zones 2 and 3  Calumet and East Calumet  of the EPA Superfund site. Excavation work in zone 1 has been put on hold pending an updated feasibility study following a decision by the city and its housing authority to relocate residents at the West Calumet Housing Complex.

EPA officials continue to work toward securing funding to complete the cleanup at the USS Lead Superfund site, particularly at properties in zone 2 that do not meet "priority" standards for remediation this year, the federal agency said at a recent community meeting.

In related news, a number of public meetings and events associated with the USS Lead Superfund site and other polluted sites in East Chicago have been set.

EPA community meeting

A community meeting hosted by the EPA will be held from noon to 2 p.m. July 15 at the old Carrie Gosch Elementary School, 455 E. 148th St., in East Chicago. This marks EPA's second community meeting of the summer.

The remaining meetings are slated to be held from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 19, Sept. 16, Oct. 21, and Nov. 18.

Dredged sediment facility

Another local community group pushing for better protections against pollution in East Chicago is hosting a public meeting 10 a.m. July 15 to discuss the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's plans to dispose toxic cancer-causing chemicals at a confined disposal facility along Kennedy Avenue.

Local, state and federal representatives, including U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville, will be in attendance.

Residents and members of the Community Strategy Group have expressed outrage over plans to store more sediment containing polychlorinated biphenyls  or PCBs  that have been dredged from the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal at a disposal facility at 3500 Indianapolis Blvd.

The site is not far from East Chicago Central High School and the new Carrie Gosch Elementary, which the school district wants to convert into a pre-kindergarten center.

The EPA is reviewing the corps' request for a special permit to increase the volume of PCBs allowed at the site.

The meeting will run from 10 a.m. to noon at the East Chicago Public Library Pastrick Branch, 1008 W. Chicago Ave.

23rd annual Calumet Day

The local Community Advisory Group has secured an informational booth at the 23rd annual Calumet Day celebration. The CAG group consists of residents from the Superfund site's three zones and advocate on behalf of Superfund residents with the help of a pro-bono legal team during EPA cleanup.

Maritza Lopez, a CAG member, said Saturday the event will be a great opportunity for the group to disseminate information and survey residents about several topics, including property and health concerns, and about ongoing cleanup at the Superfund site.
ST. JOHN  The Town Council recently approved an economic development agreement for the commercial retail development of more than 171,000 square feet at U.S. 41 and 96th Place.

Shops 96 will be developed on 23 acres on the east side of U.S. 41 to Joliet Street and the railroad tracks. It lies between St. John Pool Center to the north and Al's Auto Body Experts II to the south.

The town's agreement is with SJ-96 LLC, which has already invested more than $2 million in the project that includes land acquisition, engineering, legal and architectural pre-development costs.

Town Manager Steve Kil said the significance of the agreement is that it clearly lays out the responsibilities of both parties to the agreement, meaning the town and the developer.

"There are some very clear and concise responsibilities for each of us," he said. "There are certain aspects of public improvements that the town is going to undertake. And then, in conjunction with those public improvements, there is a significant amount of private improvement that has to take place by the developer.

"What it does is it outlines clearly the benefit to the town."

One of the town's responsibilities is undertaking a new traffic signal at West 96th Place and U.S. 41, which has already been approved by the Indiana Department of Transportation. Plans call for West 96th Place to eventually extend to Joliet Street. An access road is also planned behind the development's outlots that will continue south and tie into the existing road that goes beyond McDonald's.

Several existing buildings on the property will be demolished  a house to the far south side, the abandoned car wash, the existing lumber yard building and a house on the north side of the lumber building. There are a few businesses currently on the site that SJ-96 manager Bruce Boyer is currently working with to relocate in the new development.

Kil said it is his understanding that one of them, St. John Malt Brothers Brewing, fully intends to relocate within the shopping development.

Town officials hope the project will spur development across the street at the long-vacant Kmart building.

"It makes logical sense," Councilman Mark Barenie said. "But that can be a way off as well."

Barenie also said that while nobody's homes would be taken by the project, some land could be required, and the cost of that is undetermined until the engineering survey work is done.

Councilman Christian Jorgensen said the development is exactly what the town needs.

"The area is blighted as it is now," he said. "This vastly improves it. We have a population of nearly 20,000 people who deserve to have a nicer space and more opportunities."

Council President Michael Forbes said the town is on the right path, "no doubt about that."

"This is a long time coming," he said. "No matter how you slice it, this is an improvement to our town."

The next step for the developer is to petition the Plan Commission for a zone change for a shopping center. A decision on that would ultimately land in front of the Town Council.

The project is scheduled to commence no later than Dec. 31, 2018.
VALPARAISO  Porter Regional Hospital will offer the following support groups in July:

Getting to the Heart of the Matter

This free monthly support group is open to anyone and their loved ones living with any type of heart disease  from high blood pressure to heart failure. Led by a fellow heart disease survivor, the group offers monthly peer-to-peer encouragement and education, and serves to inspire hope and promote healthier living. The group meets from noon to 1 p.m. the second Thursday of each month, at the Valparaiso Medical Center Cardiac Rehabilitation (Entrance A), 2000 Roosevelt S. The next meeting is Thursday. For more information, call 219-983-8533.

Beyond the Baby Blues

Porter Regional Hospital has teamed with local organization Beyond the Baby Blues to offer mothers facing postpartum depression, anxiety or another perinatal mood disorder with peer support, encouragement and understanding. The group meets on the last Wednesday of each month. The next meeting is 5 to 6:30 p.m. July 26 in the Community Room at Porter Regional Hospital, 85 E. U.S. 6, or from 6 to 8 p.m. July 26 at Childbirth Melodies, 138 S. Main St., Crown Point, call 219-782-4149.

Ostomy Support Group

This group helps patients with ostomies learn from others, share concerns and talk with one of the hospitals certified wound ostomy and continence nurses. The group meets on the fourth Thursday of each month. The next meeting will be from 6:30-8:30 p.m. July 27 in the Community Room at Porter Regional Hospital, 85 E. U.S. 6. For more information, contact Sarah Grcich at 219-309-5939 or Michele Kaplan-Jones at 219-406-0019.

Stroke Survivor Support Group

The group for stroke survivors, their caregivers, family members and loved ones offers an environment to share experiences and struggles, as well as connect with other survivors and local resources. The next meeting will be from 2 to 3:30 p.m. July 27 in room 2100 at Porter Regional Hospital, 85 E. US. 6.

Our Carriage Infant Loss

Pregnancy and infant loss is an isolating, devastating experience. This support group is one of the few places where moms and grieving parents can speak the truth about the depth of their emotions and experiences, and also celebrate new milestones and breakthroughs during the grieving process. The group meets at 7 p.m. July 20 at Christ Lutheran Church, 2610 N. Campbell St., Valparaiso. Call 219-309-6116.

Breastfeeding Support Group

Led by a Board Certified Lactation Consultant, this support group provides breastfeeding moms with expert advice, counseling and mom-to-mom support. Children are welcome. The next meeting is 11 a.m. to noon July 31, in the Women & Childrens Pavilion classroom at Porter Regional Hospital, 85 E. U.S. 6, Valparaiso. No registration is necessary. Call 219-983-8543.

Cancer Support Group

Porter Regional Hospital offers a support group for those affected by cancer to provide a safe and open environment to share your experiences and struggles, and connect you with local and national resources to aid during your time of need. The group meets on the first Wednesday of each month and is open to anyone affected by cancer, including survivors, family members, friends and caregivers. The next meeting will be from 11 a.m. to noon July 5, at Fagen Pharmacy, 3400 N. Calumet Ave., Valparaiso. Registration is not necessary. Call 219-983-6128.
Porter County Parks & Recreation welcomes visitors to come explore Brookdale Park. This small park is at 919 N. County Road 50 West in Liberty Township. It is open from dawn to dusk.

Brookdale Park was originally Brookdale Farm, owned by the Michaels family. Porter County Parks & Recreation acquired the land in 2010 from Barney Michaels, partially funded by a grant from the Lake Michigan Coastal Program, a program of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

The park land is still partially used as an agricultural field, but trails circle the field and lead to the back of the park where visitors will find a large fishing pond. This catch-and-release pond is home to large mouth bass, crappies, blue gill and carp. In the past, Porter County Parks & Recreation has hosted kids fishing programs at the pond, and will undoubtedly do so again in the future. All are welcome to fish the pond. In the Fall, Brookdale Park is also home to the Porter County Parks & Recreation hunting program.

Brookdale Park is a work in progress. Porter County Parks & Recreation acquired funding through a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service cost-sharing program to add native pollinator plants around the edge of the pond. The 5-Year Master Plan also calls for upgrades to the parks entryway and parking lot. Improved signage, benches and picnic tables will be added soon. Call 219-548-0219.
By PTI: (EDs: Combining related reports)

Kolkata/New Delhi, Jul 7 (PTI) Amid the ongoing unrest in Darjeeling, the Calcutta High Court today wondered if the Centre does not think the agitation for a separate Gorkhaland needed to be quelled quickly, given the geopolitical importance of the area.

The court posed the query even as a Union home ministry official said the Centre is keen to hold tripartite talks with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), which is spearheading the agitation for a separate Gorkhaland, and the West Bengal government for return of normalcy in Darjeeling.

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The high courts poser and the Centres stand come a day after all the hill parties decided to continue with the indefinite shutdown, as rallies and protest marches were taken out in various parts of Darjeeling.

The situation in Darjeeling remained tense but incident- free today, the 23rd day of the indefinite shutdown which has crippled normal life in Darjeeling hills and its neighbouring areas.

"Given the geopolitical area in which it lies, doesnt the Centre think this agitation be quelled immediately?," asked acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre while hearing a plea for restoration of normalcy in the Darjeeling hills.

The query also comes amid a India-China standoff in Sikkim which is not too far from Darjeeling.

The division bench of acting Chief Justice Mhatre and Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty directed the West Bengal government officials to sit with the Ministry of Home Affairs to sort out the requirements for para-military forces on the basis of ground conditions.

Expressing displeasure at the state and the Centre sparring over requirement of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) in the restive Darjeeling hills, the bench observed, "The situation can improve only if both of you sit together and sort out the issues."

The court asked the Centre and the state government to reach a meaningful understanding over CAPF requirement before July 11, when the matter would be heard next.

Normal life has been affected severely in Darjeeling and Kalimpong due to the ongoing indefinite shutdown enforced by the GJM and some other hill parties since June 15 over a separate statehood demand.

"We want to hold dialogue with the agitating organisations so that peace returns to Darjeeling. In the talks, the West Bengal governments presence is necessary as law and order is a state subject," a union home ministry official said in New Delhi.

The GJM on Monday had asked the Centre to initiate a dialogue on the demand for a separate Gorkhaland, saying it was not a mere law and order problem.

Activists of the political parties, dressed in traditional Nepali attire, took out the rallies. They were heard shouting slogans in support of Gorkhaland.

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With food supply severely hit due to the ongoing shutdown, GJM activists and NGOs of the hills were seen distributing food items among the people.

Except medicine shops, all the shops, schools and colleges remained closed. PTI AMR MD RAX ACB PNT GSN GSN

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It was a powerful Independence Day image that's become an appropriate perennial fixture atop the Region's foundation of diversity.

On July 4, we welcomed about 50 new U.S. citizens into our nation's fold in a naturalization ceremony at Hammond's Wolf Lake Pavilion.

The event has become an annual and fitting tradition in that location, in the heart of a Region built by immigrants.

Beyond the perfect match the ceremony strikes with our regional and national DNA, it also symbolized the welcoming community Northwest Indiana both is and ought to continue striving to be.

We've heard plenty of fiery immigration rhetoric in recent years coming from all ends of the political spectrum. Much of it has been inflammatory, rather than laced with the diversity and unity our nation should strive to emulate.

On Tuesday, Woo Yang, a native of South Korea who has been living in our nation for 25 years, finally took his long-desired oath of citizenship.

Kalid Javed, who lives in Griffith and attends University of Illinois at Chicago, became a citizen after living in the United States for six years.

Their faces, stories and sincerity of purpose are examples of all our nation still has to offer  of the hope it still holds for so many who begin their lives in other nations.

It's up to all of us  new and longtime citizens alike  to continue building the type of Region and nation living up to these welcoming ideals.

We live in an era in which international caution is increasingly important. But we can't forget the nation-building role of welcoming warmth and outstretched arms.

Those qualities are far too important to who we are as a Region and nation.
While Illinois families were celebrating Independence Day, Springfield lawmakers dug deeper into their wallets rather than addressing decades of irresponsible spending and mismanagement. The massive income tax increase they approved is unfair to the citizens they are supposedly serving. It is egregious that so many politicians chose to place an even heavier burden on those families and businesses that have not yet left the state.

In approving these new taxes, lawmakers ignored the Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households issued just two months ago. This alarming report suggests that 62 percent of Americans cant cover unexpected expenses, and almost a quarter cannot pay all their monthly bills.

Weve been here before. From 2011 to 2014, Illinois politicians raised the income tax while promising to pay down the backlog of bills and stabilize the pension crisis. But that didnt happen. Unpaid bills and pension debt are even more out of control. Instead of using those extra tax dollars in an effective and efficient manner, government leaders squandered it.

We have no reason to believe they will do better this time.

David Smith, executive director, Illinois Family Institute
Beth Wrobel, the CEO of HealthLinc, recently wrote a guest column praising our state's Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0 success for many of the clients of her organization as well as to the general population of this state.

She called on all public servants to retain this state health insurance program.

It's strange Vice President Mike Pence, second in line for the White House, was the governor of Indiana at the time of HIP 2.0 enactment and supported it.

Pence now is one of the leaders in the movement to repeal the Affordable Care Act, of which HIP 2.0 is a part.

Please, Mr. Vice President, tell us where your loyalty lies.

Gerald E. Jawor, Hobart
Fireworks are the celebration of Independence Day when the colonies declared their independence from England. I get that. But the shooting off of fireworks has turned into a weeks-long event of igniting one bomb after another in residential neighborhoods. The Fourth of July has turned into a purge where a minority of people set off bombs while the majority have to endure it because it's "patriotic."

I find it ironic combat vets are among the victims of this "patriotic pastime." Other victims in residential neighborhoods include people who have to go to work the next day, pets, wildlife, babies, the elderly and those who would just appreciate a little piece and quiet in their own homes.

Why should we all be forced to listen to the sound effects of war? And why for six days in a row? Lawmakers need to further limit this abusive practice.

Donna Spivak, Schererville
March 3, 1934 - June 29, 2017 James Logie Dobie of Auburn, Alabama, died on June 29, 2017. Jim was born on March 3, 1934, in El Dorado, Arkansas, the second child of Ruth and Walter Dobie. He attended public school, graduating from El Dorado High School in 1952. He then enrolled at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana, earning a B.S. in biology in 1956. Jim met his wife-to-be, Wanda Allen, at Centenary, where they both sang in the Centenary College Choir. They were married in Brown Chapel at Centenary on May 28, 1956, by the Rev. Walter Allen, Wanda's father. In the fall of 1956, Jim entered Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in biology. His first teaching experience was at St. Martin's Episcopal School in Metairie, Louisiana, while he was still at Tulane, and then at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1967, he began a 29-year teaching career at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. Jim's area of expertise was in herpetology, specifically with turtles, an area in which he continued to do research even after retiring. Jim and Wanda led active lives in Auburn, raising two children and making lasting friendships. Jim retired from Auburn University in 1996 as professor emeritus. Jim and Wanda then moved to Kerrville, Texas, and lived on Tierra Linda Ranch. They enjoyed traveling overseas and in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. In Auburn and Kerrville, Jim was an active member of First Presbyterian Church, serving as an elder in Auburn. He served on the boards of the Riverside Nature Center and Friends of the Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library in Kerrville. In 2012, Jim and Wanda returned to Auburn. Jim is survived by his wife of 61 years and his two children, Gregory A. Dobie of Los Angeles, California, and Laura Walker (Scott) of Auburn. He is also survived by his sister, Mary Ruth Dobie, Pensacola, Florida; a brother, Charles Walter Dobie (Ann), Lafayette, Louisiana; a brother, George Leslie Dobie (Jackie), Mt. Hermon, Louisiana; and numerous nieces and nephews. A loving husband and father, Jim appreciated the world of nature and enjoyed sharing his knowledge with his family and friends and the many students he taught. A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Auburn on Monday, July 10 at 10:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Auburn University Museum of Natural History, First Presbyterian Church or the REACH program at Auburn United Methodist Church. www.jeffcoattrant.com
There are tactical and geostrategic reasons why China has been pushing Bhutan to have a separate package deal with it and hand over Doklam to Beijing.

By Prabhash K Dutta: China has border disputes with Bhutan. They have conflicting claims in at least three pockets - two in north Bhutan and one in south-west Bhutan over Doklam plateau where Indian and Chinese forces are engaged in eyeball encounter for over a month.

Till 1998, China had not recognised Bhutan as a sovereign country. It counted Bhutan as one of the five fingers of Tibet. Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh are the other four fingers of Tibet, according to Chinese understanding.

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During the 1990s, when the India story began with liberalisation and rising stature of Indian leadership, China, in 1996, made a proposal to Bhutan to settle the boundary dispute. China offered to give its claim on northern pockets under a package deal.

China offered to renounce its claim over 495 sq km of disputed land in the Pasamlung and Jakarlung valleys - in exchange for a smaller track of disputed land measuring a total of 269 sq km of Doklam plateau.

China recently held 24th round of talks - that began after 1998 China-Bhutan pact to maintain peace and tranquility in border areas - with Bhutan to settle border disputes. India has been keenly watching these talks.

(Map credit: yesheydorji.blogspot.in)

CHINA EYES INDIA'S CHICKEN'S NECK

The Doklam area is dangerously close to the narrow Silliguri Corridor or the Chicken's Neck that connects the northeastern states with the rest of India.

Undisputed control over Doklam will give China tactical and strategic advantage in the region. This is the same region where China has had to back off twice.

Just five years after humiliating India in 1962 war, China suffered a massive loss in 1967 when Indian Army got decisively better of the PLA. Again, in 1986, the Indian Army successfully carried out Operation Falcon to force China to pull out its troops from the region.

Since 1998, China has been developing infrastructure in the region. Reports suggest that it has already built a crisscross of basic roads there. China now intends to build all-weather highway in the region to gain strategic advantage.

IT'S ADVANTAGE INDIA NOW

As it stands today, Chumbi Valley of Tibet is compressed between Sikkim and Bhutan. In case of any misadventure by Chinese Army, India can send its forces from its bases in north and north-east Sikkim to cut off PLA's deployment in the narrow Chumbi Valley.

Further, the 27th Division of Indian Army is stationed at Kalimpong. It can easily be mobilised as back for Sikkim based forces. There is another Division of Indian Army at Gangtok.

India has further raised a 90,000-strong force of mountain corps in last couple of years. Half of them are stationed in or near the region.

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The presence of Indian forces at vantage point - higher altitude - has been a concern for China. This is the reason why China has been pushing Bhutan to have independent foreign relations, which has largely been dependent on India's worldview.

China has accused India to enter a third country with the motive to alter border. In its defence, India has cited its understanding with Bhutan.

WHY INDIA IS DEFENDING BHUTAN

India and Bhutan signed a friendship treaty in 1949 when the Communist Party of China was making serious inroads and removing signs of previous regime in the country. Occupation of Tibet by the PLA looked imminent.

According to the India-Bhutan friendship treaty of 1949, Bhutan was to hold diplomatic relations with rest of the world with the guidance of India.

The treaty was revised in 2007 with nine of the 10 Articles of the treaty remaining almost the same. The first Article of the treaty reads, "There shall be perpetual peace and friendship between India and Bhutan."

However, the wordings of Article 2 have been changed. In the earlier treaty, it read, "The Government of India undertakes to exercise no interference in the internal administration of Bhutan. On its part the Government of Bhutan agrees to be guided by the advice of the Government of India in regard to its external relations."

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Under the new terms, the mandatory consultation with India on foreign affairs is no longer binding on Bhutan.

The Article 2 in the new treaty has been worded like this: "In keeping with the abiding ties of close friendship and cooperation between Bhutan and India, the Government of the Kingdom of Bhutan and the Government of the Republic of India shall cooperate closely with each other on issues relating to their national interests. Neither Government shall allow the use of its territory for activities harmful to the national security and interest of the other."

The combined reading of the first two Articles makes defence of Bhutan against any aggression an obligation on India. Under this obligation when Bhutan approached Indian Army against Chinese intrusion in Doklam last month, Indian soldiers stopped China from constructing road in the region.

THERE IS TACTICAL CONFUSION

India and Bhutan follow the same map for delineating the border with China, which has a different set of maps. The different maps and varying understanding of it make India and China lay their claims differently.

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The PLA was working on a road that went up to a place called Gyemochen, which China considers as the point of tri-junction. This is located in the southern part of Doklam area.

On the other hand, the Survey of India maps of 1956 places the tri-junction north of Gyemochen at a place called Batalang La.

The Batalang La is located at the narrower end of Chumbi Valley and is almost sandwiched between Sikkim and Bhutan. China does not have tactical or geostrategic bargain at Batalang La as heavy deployment of troops is not possible here.

China tried to capture the area in 2008 as well. But attempts failed. China has been striving hard to pull Bhutan out of India's sphere of influence. Incidentally, Bhutan is the only neighbour of China with which it does not have formal diplomatic relation.

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ALSO WATCH | China's public statements on border situation a sign of bullying?

--- ENDS ---
During a busy weekday lunch hour, Officer Dave Staskiewicz spotted Nicholas standing over a water feature at Gene Leahy Mall. The man was unkempt, as the radio and a witness had said.

Nicholas looked defeated, the embodiment of the words tattooed up and down his forearms: HARD on his right arm. LIFE on a red, swollen left arm marked by scabbed gashes.

Staskiewicz could see a box cutter in the mans pocket. This was the veteran officers third mental health call of his shift, and it would not be his last. The front-line workers in mental health care in Omaha tend to wear a badge and carry a gun.

Police officers often are the first official helpers to reach someone in crisis. The encounters can be complicated, difficult and sometimes tragic. A June 5 encounter between Zachary Bearheels, a 29-year-old Oklahoma man who family members have said had bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and police resulted in his death.

Yet 911 remains a lifeline in a fractured mental health system in which Omaha police officers find themselves de facto social workers who must balance police training with a friendly bedside manner. They must be wary but warm, direct but diplomatic. Above all, they must be incredibly patient  all while reining in their own frustrations about a mental health system that doesnt give them many options. These helpers dont feel like they can be much help.

Take a recent call involving a man who had been placed in emergency protective custody  forcible short-term mental health treatment  a total of 69 times. The most recent EPC was just the day before, and the hospital had let him go before the maximum hold time was up.

He had 69 EPCs, 12 overdoses and six BMHs, Staskiewicz said, referring to county Board of Mental Health commitments, another type of forced custody.

The guy says Nobody will help me. And I said to him Youre right. 

* * *

The death of Bearheels outside a gas station at 60th and Center Streets raised questions about how police should respond to calls about erratically behaving people.

Bearheels had been kicked off of a bus traveling from South Dakota to Oklahoma. Family members believed he was off his medication, and his mother had pleaded with Omaha police to take him to a bus station or crisis center. Officers planned to get him back on a bus. But Bearheels died after one officer used a Taser on him about a dozen times and another punched him as many as 15 times.

Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer called the event a failure by police and recommended the two officers be fired. He has taken steps to increase officer supervision at trouble spots, improve training and recruit more experienced officers into the roughly 800-member police force.

Still, the encounters can be unpredictable. And they happen all the time  an average of four a day through May this year, and those are just the cases serious enough to involve the County Attorneys Office. Many cases end in other ways.

Schmaderer told me police have so much contact with people in mental distress and wanted Omahans to have a better understanding of what the terrain is. So he approved my ride-along on June 29 with two officers on different shifts. The 16 hours was an experience colored by my presence. Officers couldnt go to outwardly dangerous calls, for example. And they could hop calls to take more of the ones involving the code for a mentally ill person, A-Adam.

* * *

People with mental illness can and do live perfectly normal lives and are not, by nature of their disease, inherently violent.

Staskiewiczs first call, however, showed how potentially dangerous some situations can be.

A dispatcher called out: Party in his 20s. Passed out on the front porch. At a house near 36th and E. At 8:30 in the morning. An ambulance en route.

If the man is severely drunk or high, Staskiewicz could place him in a 24-hour protective custody at detox. If he needed to go to the hospital, that could take a cop off the street for a while. If this was going to be the type of call that involved a lot of talking, it would leave other calls stacking up. The 48-year-old officer worries about police not being where they are needed.

We walked up to a potted plant-filled front porch of a house belonging to an 80-year-old and his wife to find, passed out on a chair, 26-year-old Sam. On his lap was a black bag.

GUN! said a different police officer, setting off a chain of events.

Staskiewicz quickly put the man in handcuffs. He went through his pockets and, as Sam twitched and jerked, said: Hes tweaking.

Sam was a felon. Inside the bag was a 9 mm Glock handgun reported stolen from Lincoln. Inside his pocket was a bag of cocaine.

As a paramedic checked out Sam, Staskiewicz said he was healthy as a horse.

Sam could go to the hospital if he wanted, and the cop asked if that was his preference.

Sam didnt answer. His body jerked and jolted and his head slumped.

Thats the typical reaction of a meth user, Staskiewicz said on the way to the jail where Sam was taken. He was suspected of selling cocaine to buy meth.

The call took Staskiewicz more than an hour and would have been longer, but because he was with a reporter and photographer, he left to go to his first mental health call.

What can we do for you, buddy? Staskiewicz asked a bearded man clutching a laptop on the steps of the W. Dale Clark Library.

Im just tired of people being mean to me. I just cant take it anymore! the man said in a high-pitched whine.

Staskiewicz asked him if he gets help. (Yes, at the mental health treatment center, Community Alliance.) What was his diagnosis? (Autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit disorder, bipolar disorder.) Was he getting medications? (Yes.) What were his goals? (To go to Community Alliance later that day.)

Glaring at some rubberneckers, the man said: I can only take so much abuse.

Staskiewicz tried to redirect. Were just talking. Like two guys.

Staskiewicz helped him make a plan. Go to Community Alliance right now. Dont wait. Think about getting a job. Steer clear of the library if other people who bother him are there.

The man nodded. He got off the stairs and headed toward Farnam Street. The call was over in minutes.

Hes actually one you can talk to, Staskiewicz said.

* * *

But then came others Staskiewicz could not reach.

The first was a man who had  for the third day in a row  called police to report an incident at his house on South 13th Street. This time, he said he had cut his wife. The cutting part of this report meant more police officers on the scene more quickly even though Staskiewicz suspected  rightly, it turned out  that there was no knife and no cut wife.

In his mentality, he doesnt know whats going on. He comes up with these things in his head, Staskiewicz said.

The man stayed home, and the officer left his colleagues to write up the report. The call had started with police sirens and a rush. It ended eight minutes later with a fizzle.

Experience is everything out here, said Staskiewicz, whose 27-year law enforcement career includes eight years in the Nebraska State Patrol and 13 years as a firearms and Taser instructor at the police training academy.

Then came the lunch-hour call about Nicholas.

Staskiewicz reached the troubled-looking 21-year-old man at Gene Leahy Mall. He could see a box cutter in the left pocket of Nicholas gym shorts and wanted to wait until the second officer got there before trying to take it from him. So he just talked. He asked Nicholas questions. Do you know whats going on?

The man looked anguished. Yes, he had tried to hurt himself. No, he didnt want anyone to check out that swollen, cut arm.

Staskiewicz said quietly to me: Im making the decision to EPC him. He has cuts all over his arm. Hes a danger to himself. Were going to do this calmly without being wound up, which is our goal here.

Working quickly, the officers put Nicholas into handcuffs and took his box cutter. They went through his backpack. The other officer rubbed Nicholas back and told him: Youll be all right, man.

Nicholas protested the plan to go to the Nebraska Medical Center: I dont want THAT!

Staskiewicz said: Yeah. You kind of do.

He pulled up Nicholas record: Overdose. Five prior EPCs, the last one just three weeks ago. One Board of Mental Health commitment in May.

I tried to talk to him like the last guy, Staskiewicz said. His mind is much further gone. He tried to kill himself a month ago.

And Nicholas did have that box cutter.

Our philosophy is, if they have one weapon, they have another weapon. Sometimes these guys, theyre so damn strong, you cant control them.

At the hospital, Staskiewicz noticed that at least six officers from the southeast precinct were on mental health-related calls and another six dispatch calls were on hold, waiting for service. These calls take a lot of resources, he said. Man down 911 calls, for instance, draw two officers plus a fire engine and ambulance, he said.

An emergency room nurse took Nicholas vitals and then led him, with Staskiewicz in tow, into a special examination room where, with the push of a button, a heavy security gate dropped, blocking off the hospital computer and supplies. Nicholas was given a hospital gown and other officers helped him change.

Outside, Staskiewicz described the high legal bar for an EPC: A person must be a danger to himself or others. This is still vague and police must make a quick decision.

Realistically, I could have just left him, he said. He didnt want help. He (said) he didnt want to hurt himself.

Then, based on what he has seen on the job, he sighed and said: Hell be out tomorrow. Same thing in a different place.

* * *

Officer Staskiewicz had no time for lunch. He responded to car accidents. He drove through the Southside Terrace Homes, Omahas largest housing project. He crept down a steep, dirt hill to peer under the Q Street bridge where homeless people have dragged in mattresses and blankets and made fires.

As we drove around South Omaha, Staskiewicz wondered how many of these calls were related to loneliness.

We found a 59-year-old who had called 911 herself to say she was suicidal. She had her bag packed and was waiting on her front stairs outside her home on a street near the Omaha zoo.

I need to go to the hospital, she told Staskiewicz.

Staskiewicz suggested Lasting Hope, an inpatient mental health treatment center for adults. Lasting Hope will take people who are not drunk or high or suffering from a medical emergency.

Lucky day, he told the woman, after phoning Lasting Hope. They said theyll take you.

Staskiewicz leaned against her railing casually, like they were old friends. What made her want to hurt herself? She had dark thoughts. Did she live alone? No, but her husband works during the day. Did she have anything to live for? Yes, grandbabies.

So why do this?

I dont know, she told him. Thats why I called you guys.

* * *

The first call on the night shift with Officer Aaron Dugick involved a man with a history of being forcibly committed for mental health treatment.

Dugick was one of five officers who showed up at apartments at 35th and Cuming Streets to look for him. Like Dugick, the officers were all young. During this 4 p.m.-to-midnight shift in this northeast Omaha precinct, nearly two out of every three police officers on duty have less than five years experience, something Chief Schmaderer is trying to change.

With three years in the department, Dugick already seemed to have figured out how to read people and to defuse potentially volatile situations. He smiles a lot. He shakes hands. The 29-year-old has a bachelors degree in psychology and views people skills as a matter of relying on basic respect.

He said he sees too many vulnerable people but not enough help. Addicts can get emergency detox at Campus for Hope but have to decide to sign themselves in to long-term treatment. With the mentally ill, Dugick feels theres little he can do other than be compassionate.

He cant just go arresting people on EPCs. If someone is suicidal, then hell take that person to Immanuel Medical Center.

Otherwise, he has to take each call as it comes and make a judgment.

Thats why he and a pair of other officers left a woman alone after a burglary call where the dispatcher said: Caller sounds A-Adam.

Her duplex was tidy but cluttered with boxes and medical equipment. Fifteen times the woman had called 911 to report break-ins, and she was insistent that burglars were getting in through her front door and attic crawl space. But the front door looked fine and the attic crawl space was nailed shut. These thieves were taking her medication, and now her peanut butter!

Dugick and a pair of other officers at the scene nodded. They asked questions about family and noted that a daughter was on her way there. They pledged to drive by and watch the home more often, especially during the womans daily afternoon sojourns in a motorized wheelchair to McDonalds.

Back in the patrol car, I asked Dugick about knowing when someone needs more help than just a visit. At what point, I asked, do you call Adult Protective Services? He explained that when you go on enough calls like this, you notice things: The house was cluttered but clean. She had food and water. She has family.

Officers, he said, have to balance their role as protectors of the vulnerable with peoples basic rights.

* * *

A pair of mental health calls followed that showed how tricky the calls can be.

The first involved a 24-year-old woman with bipolar disorder and a long rap sheet who had stormed out of her mothers house, breaking the front door frame on the way out. One officer went looking for the woman. Two officers borrowed a hammer and fixed the frame well enough so the front door could open, close and lock. Officer Dugick tried to get the story.

Usually I can calm her down, the womans mother explained. She said earlier she didnt feel like herself. She had been laughing and joking. She went from one extreme to the other.

As the woman returned home, guided by an officer, she sat sullenly but agreed to return to the hospital. It saved everyone the mess of deciding to EPC or not; to book into jail or not.

Then came the call to Creighton University.

Maria, a 27-year-old, was handcuffed in front of a throng of onlookers including her father, a pair of priests and a handful of Creighton campus security officers and Omaha police officers.

She railed against being handcuffed, against the Catholic Church, against campus security guards. Plus she wanted a cigarette.

The Omaha officers walked Maria away from the audience. Dugick carried her Michael Kors bag. They uncuffed her, got her a lighter and let her smoke. For the next half-hour or so, they tried to get her into a cruiser to Immanuel Medical Center.

She pushed back. What am I being charged with? So am I under arrest? Do I have any freedoms here?

Were not tricking you, Maria, Dugick said. Youre not in handcuffs. Youre not under arrest.

Finally Maria agreed, and Officer Andrew Ray drove her to the hospital with Dugick following. Hail pounded on the patrol cars and pounded the hospital awning under which Maria and the officers stood for another 30 minutes. The officers played it cool for a while, chatting with passers-by.

But around 10:15 p.m., almost two hours after the call began, the officers had made no headway. They had begged Maria to go inside. Maria said no, and in a dress and heels, walked into the rain and the dark, away from help.

Ray turned to a pair of officers from the northwest precinct and made a prediction. You guys will get a call.

* * *

Six days after Officer Staskiewicz took Nicholas, the man wandering downtown with a box cutter, to the hospital, the cop saw him again.

He had heard a 911 call and knew by the description  white male, poufy hair, a cut on his arm, acting strange  it must be Nicholas. So he went, thinking maybe he could reach him. Nicholas was throwing things, possibly food, at a shop window in the Old Market. His arms swelling was gone, but the wound was wide open and black around the edges.

Staskiewicz tried to talk Nicholas, who is homeless, into going to the Open Door Mission or Siena-Francis House.

He didnt want to do either, the cop said. He wanted to go down by Conagra. And look for answers.

There was nothing the police officer could do.
Despite decreases in cancer death rates nationwide, a new report shows they are higher in rural America than in urban areas of the United States.

The report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that rural areas had higher rates of new cases as well as of deaths from cancers related to tobacco use, such as lung and laryngeal cancers, and those that can be prevented by screening, such as colorectal and cervical cancers.

Differences in the incidence of cancer, or the rates of new cases, could arise because of risk factors such as smoking, obesity and a lack of physical activity, the report said.

But differences in the death rates could result from disparities in access to health care and timely diagnosis and treatment, researchers concluded. A higher percentage of rural Americans are uninsured, limiting their access to preventive services covered by insurance, according to federal health data.

"While geography alone can't predict your risk of cancer, it can impact prevention, diagnosis and treatment opportunities  and that's a significant public health problem in the U.S.," said Anne Schuchat, CDC's acting director. "Many cancer cases and deaths are preventable, and with targeted public health efforts and interventions, we can close the growing gap between rural and urban Americans."

The latest report is CDC's first complete description of cancer incidence and mortality in rural and urban America. It adds to the troubling picture of poor health in rural parts of the country, where people are older, poorer and sicker.

More than 46 million Americans, or 15 percent of the country's population, live in rural areas. They face numerous health disparities, compared with their urban counterparts and often are most in need of health-care services, yet have the fewest options available. As a consequence, a CDC report found this year, life expectancy is declining for rural Americans; they are more likely to die from the top five causes of death, including cancer, than their urban counterparts.

And if Congress passes either the House or Senate Republican health-care bills, vulnerable rural populations will only be worse off, said Maggie Elehwany, vice president of government affairs and policy at the National Rural Health Association. Rural communities need health education and timely access to care, including screening and other preventive services, she said.

Seventy percent of the counties where insurers have pulled out of Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges are rural counties, Elehwany noted. The pending legislation in Washington would create a greater crisis in such areas, because higher costs and deductibles would mean fewer people could afford insurance, thereby putting even more pressure on the shrinking pool of rural hospitals, she warned.

Many cancers are caused by risk factors, such as smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, alcohol use and excessive sun exposure. Some public health programs aimed at health education and screening to prevent cancer are targeted for cuts in the Trump administration's budget proposal for CDC. The plan would cut $1.2 billion cut  17 percent  from the agency's fiscal 2018 budget. If implemented, it would result in the CDC's lowest budget in more than 20 years.

The proposal would eliminate prevention programs specifically for colon cancer and skin cancer, and a restructuring of agency funding would take money from other programs that protect Americans from cancer generally and from other deadly conditions. About 12 percent of the CDC's annual budget also comes a provision of the ACA, and if Congress repeals the 2010 law, the CDC could lose about $1 billion, most of which goes directly to states to address their most pressing health needs, including drug misuse, infectious diseases, lead poisoning, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cancer and tobacco use.

In the latest CDC report, researchers analyzed cancer incidence data from the CDC's National Program of Cancer Registries and the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program from 2009 to 2013. Cancer deaths were calculated from CDC's Vital Statistics System from 2006 to 2015.

Among the findings from their analysis:

 Death rates were higher in rural areas (180 deaths per 100,000 people), compared with urban areas (158 deaths per 100,000).

 Overall cancer incidence rates were slightly lower in rural areas (442 cases per 100,000 people) than in urban areas (457 cases per 100,000), although that was not the case with some specific cancers.

 Among whites, blacks and Hispanics, overall cancer incidence rates were lower in rural counties than in other areas. But among Native Americans and Alaskan natives, the highest rates were in rural counties. Overall incidence rates among Asian Americans did not differ based on geography.

CDC researchers said several proven strategies can reduce the gaps in rates of new cancer cases and deaths. In addition to quitting smoking, limiting sun exposure, eating more healthfully, increasing physical activity and having cancer screenings such as colonoscopies and Pap tests, patients should receive the recommended vaccinations against cancer-related infectious diseases, such as human papillomavirus, officials said.

Studies show the HPV vaccine could help avert tens of thousands of cancer cases during young Americans' lives. But the HPV vaccine remains underused, even as some of those diseases surge.
By Atir Khan: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is likely to summon Misa Bharti and her husband Shailesh Kumar for questioning in connection with money laundering. This comes after the ED today conducted raids on properties belonging to RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti in Delhi. Misa and her husband Shailesh Kumar were present when the ED team reached there for search.

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During the day-long raids, they were quizzed in connection with collection of some documents and nature of their work in the companies floated by them.

ED had earlier arrested Bharti's chartered accountant Rajesh Kumar Agarwal for his links with Jain brothers, who were involved in a Rs 8,000 crore money laundering case. During Agarwal's interrogation, the ED discovered he had also worked for Misa's husband Shailash Kumar. Agarwal's statement has been recorded in this connection.

Shailash Kumar's acquaintance Vinay Mittal introduced him to Rajesh Kumar Agarwal, who took help of Jain brothers to provide accommodation entries in Misa's company Mishail Packers and Printers.

Funds which were channelised through accommodation entries were used to buy benami properties. All benami properties have been bought in the names of companies through transfer of shares.

Shailash was taken to his houses at Sainik Farms and Ghitorni farm house for further enquiry.

Agencies suspect Lalu's kin have benami properties worth Rs 1,000 crores in Delhi and Bihar. Sleuths suspect money for buying these benami properties has come from alleged corrupt practices during UPA government.

Misa, Tejaswi, Rabri and Shailesh started frontal companies such as Mishail Packers and Printers with an aim to launder black money received from corrupt practices.

Jain brothers used the network of their shell companies to provide accommodation entries into Lalu's kins company accounts. Shell companies accommodation entries were used to transfer company shares in favour of Lalu's kin. The benami properties were bought in the names of companies thus shares transaction in their favour enabled Lalu's kins companies to take over ownership of the properties

Following benami properties allegedly belonging to Lalu's relatives have been provisionally attached by Income Tax in areas such as New Friends Colony, Bijvasan of Delhi, and in Patna. However, Lalu and family have disputed Income Tax Department claims and are preparing to approach Delhi High Court against the orders.

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Lalu Yadav on CBI raids: Hang me but will crush Narendra Modi, Amit Shah's ego

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CBI raids Lalu Yadav & family at 12 locations including Rabri residence

ALSO WATCH: ED raids properties of Lalu Yadav's daughter Misa Bharati in Delhi

--- ENDS ---
Firefighter fundraiser: The Bellevue Professional Firefighters Association will host a pancake feed today to help Bellevue firefighter and EMT Steve Blum pay for treatment as he battles cancer. Blum has been a member of the department for more than 18 years. Feed hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is a freewill donation at the Bellevue Volunteer Firefighters Hall, 2108 Franklin St.

Humane Society fundraiser: Nebraska Vizslas, Long Dog Fat Cat and other local organizations are hosting Pawchella, an all-ages concert and fundraiser for the Nebraska Humane Society on Saturday at 8 p.m. Artists Aly Peeler, The SuperBytes, Stonebelly and Bennie and the Gents will perform at the Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door. For tickets or more information, go to pawchella.org.

Omahans JDRF delegates: Sadie Cheloha, 14, and Jackson Allred, 13, both of Omaha were selected by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to join a delegation of children and celebrity advocates in Washington, D.C., July 24-26 for the annual Childrens Congress. The two Omahans will join an estimated 160 youth to encourage Congress to support Type 1 diabetes research.

Reading program prize: Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands recently received the Honor Award for Program Excellence at the clubs 111th national conference in Dallas. The group received the award for its Readers to Leaders program, an after-school reading program with the goal of youth being at or above grade-level reading by the end of third grade. The group received a $5,000 award from MetLife Foundation for innovative, effective programming leading youth to great futures.

Backpack program: The Salvation Army and KETV-Channel 7 are collecting new school supplies for Omaha-area students as part of the Back to School Backpack Program. Theyre seeking rulers, spiral notebooks, erasers, glue, crayons, pocket folders, pens, pencils, backpacks, tissues, markers, reusable water bottles and hand sanitizer. The items can be dropped off at local Bakers stores, Methodist clinics and hospitals, and Fun-Plex. Look for blue collection barrels. Monetary gifts to purchase school supplies can be earmarked Back To School and mailed to The Salvation Army, 10755 Burt St., Omaha, NE 68114 or online donations can be made at www.salarmyomaha.org.

Shoe drive: Douglas County Community Mental Health Center Foundation is hosting a shoe drive to raise funds for Douglas County behavioral health patients. The center is working with a Florida-based company that pays 40 cents per pound for donated new or gently-worn shoes; the footwear then is sent to people in under-served countries. All money raised will help Douglas County patients who cannot afford the cost for treatment and basic living expenses. Donations can be left at the Douglas County Health Center, 4102 Woolworth Ave., from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday until Aug. 19. The goal is to collect 2,500 pairs of shoes.
LINCOLN  Gage County officials long thought they lacked the insurance to cover liability for a deeply flawed investigation that sent six people to prison for a murder they did not commit.

But in the year since a federal court jury ordered the county to pay $28 million to the Beatrice Six, those elected officials have challenged what they were told about insurance.

In addition to appealing the jury verdict, the officials have filed lawsuits against the countys insurers. A legal firm hired to pursue the case believes the county can make a case for payment of at least some of the Beatrice Six judgment.

Weve said from the beginning the county has a good-faith basis to pursue coverage, said Joel Nelson, one of the Lincoln attorneys hired by the county. We still very much believe that, and we are going to push those cases as fast as we reasonably can to get determinations.

None of the people wrongly convicted of the 1985 rape and killing of a 68-year-old grandmother in Beatrice has collected a cent of damages for the time they spent locked away in Nebraska prisons  more than 70 years in total. And one year later, the threat of bankruptcy still hangs over the southeast Nebraska county of 22,000 residents.

As with most aspects of the Beatrice Six case, some of the claims raised in the insurance dispute are unprecedented in Nebraska jurisprudence. But it comes down to two main questions: Did the county have coverage for what amounted to a colossal case of law enforcement malpractice and, if so, how much of the losses would be covered?

When Joseph E. White and the others wrongly convicted of murder filed their civil rights lawsuits in 2009, then-Gage County Attorney Randy Ritnour sought to answer those questions.

The first denial of coverage came from the countys current insurance provider, the Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association, a quasi-governmental risk management pool the State Legislature created in 1988 to provide insurance for counties and other governmental bodies. Currently 81 of Nebraskas 93 counties belong to the association, as do 10 other governmental subdivisions.

In 1989, when Gage County sheriffs investigators claimed to have solved the 1985 slaying of Helen Wilson, the county did not belong to the pool. By the time it joined the association in 1997, White was seven years into a life term for first-degree murder and was probably little more than an afterthought to most residents of Beatrice.

But after last years July 6 verdict, the Beatrice Six case took on a new and ominous meaning in Gage County. Jurors who sat through a monthlong trial in U.S. District Court in Lincoln ordered the county to pay $7.3 million to the estate of White, who died in 2011 in a workplace accident at an Alabama coal refinery. Just three years earlier, he became the first person released from a Nebraska prison because of post-conviction DNA testing.

The tests on crime scene evidence preserved by Beatrice police found ample DNA, but none of it matched any of the six people convicted of the crime. Instead, genetic markers recovered from dried blood and semen stored for 20 years in an evidence locker matched a lone sexual predator, a man who had died in 1992 in Oklahoma.

In all, jurors awarded $28 million to White, Ada JoAnn Taylor, Tom Winslow, Kathy Gonzalez, James Dean and Debra Shelden in a case their lawyers called the worst miscarriage of justice in Nebraska. It is known nationally as the most DNA exonerations stemming from a single conviction.

The damages  now exceeding $31 million, with attorney fees, costs and interest  far exceed the $9 million the county collects in tax revenue each year. Those kinds of numbers motivated the insurance review, said Myron Dorn, chairman of the Gage County Board.

We felt that citizens of Gage County deserved a lot better answer than Gage County, you dont have insurance, he said. It may be that we wont get anything back  we realize that  but we felt it would be irresponsible not to try.

Based upon court records, heres what the review has found in the countys favor:

In 1997, the question of liability coverage for public officials and law enforcement officers was a primary topic of negotiations between the county and the Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association. The insurers sales pitch to the county included a pledge to cover all prior acts of liability by public officials.

Liability coverage for law enforcement was retroactive to Aug. 2, 1989  the year during which most of the law enforcement activity in the Beatrice Six case occurred.

The assurances about coverage were essential reasons the county joined NIRMA in 1997, the lawsuit states.

Additional documents showed the law enforcement provision of the policy covered personal injury that included false arrest, detention, imprisonment, malicious prosecution or violations of the federal Civil Rights Act.

The county has asked Lancaster County District Judge Jodi Nelson for a declaratory judgment stating that the association must cover the county and pay claims tied to wrongdoing by its sheriffs deputies during the Beatrice Six investigation.

In a formal response to the lawsuit, the insurance association flatly disputes the countys contention that losses are covered.

Charles Campbell, the York, Nebraska, lawyer who represents the insurance pool, points to policy language that specifically excludes claims due to acts committed with dishonesty or intent to deceive and defraud. The insurer argues last years verdict shows investigators acted deliberately to solicit, fabricate or manufacture evidence they knew or reasonably should have known was false.

Although the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office conducted an exhaustive review of the Beatrice Six investigation, criminal charges never were brought against the sheriffs deputies or prosecutors responsible for the wrongful convictions.

Still, what if the judge eventually rules on the countys behalf? What might the Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association have to pay? And could such a decision shift the bankruptcy threat to the governmental insurance pool?

The associations legal filings say that any coverage provided to Gage County offered a maximum liability limit of $5 million per occurrence. Of that, the association would pay $300,000 out of pocket, and the rest would be paid by a private, third-party insurance company the group contracts with to cover large losses.

Based on an annual report of the associations financial condition in 2016, the pool nets nearly $4.7 million in annual premiums and maintains a reserve fund of about $13.6 million. The reserve fund can be tapped when claims exceed premium collections in a given year.

The $5 million coverage limit represents the maximum liability exposure for a public entity under Nebraska law, said Craig Nelson, executive director of the insurance association. So a judicial finding against the Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association would not jeopardize its financial solvency, he added.

But county officials may seek clarification on whether the $5 million limit applies to the six collectively or to each one individually. If the court were to rule the limit applies to each of the Beatrice Six, the association could be on the hook for most of the $28 million, the county would likely argue.

In addition, the lawsuit argues that if the county did have coverage, the association had an obligation to provide legal defense to the county. The private lawyers hired to defend the county in federal court have racked up close to $1.5 million in fees. In addition, the county has been ordered to pay close to $2 million in legal fees for the half-dozen lawyers whove represented the six in the lawsuit.

Another key issue in the insurance lawsuit involves the coverage retroactive date the association wrote into its first policy with the county: Aug. 2, 1989. Before that date, all of the six had been arrested by sheriffs deputies. After that date, all were convicted and sentenced to varying prison terms.

If the court rules that the county did have insurance coverage, it must also determine whether the liability occurred at the time of arrest or at the time of conviction.

The county has filed a second lawsuit against Employers Mutual Casualty Co., which provided general liability coverage to the county from Feb. 2, 1989, to Feb. 2, 1990. That policy provided coverage of up to $1 million for each occurrence, with a $2 million aggregate limit.

Employers Mutual also has denied the coverage, pointing to policy language that excludes coverage for professional staff. The company argues that the sheriffs deputies and county attorney are professional and, therefore, not covered.

Several additional private insurance companies contracted to provide the association with coverage for major losses have been named as third-party defendants in the case. One of the third-party defendants is Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Co., an insurance provider owned by the same parent company that owns The World-Herald.

Considering that the appeal of the jury verdict has not yet been argued before the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a decision on the court case seems unlikely before next year. It remains to be seen whether or not the insurance dispute will be resolved by then.
By PTI: By Youssra El-Sharkawy

Cairo, Jul 8 (PTI) Egyptian security forces today killed 14 terrorists in an encounter in the countrys northeast, the interior ministry said, a day after 23 Army personnel were killed in a militant attack in the restive North Sinai region.

The ministry said in a statement that the security forces raided a training camp for new recruits in Ismailia organised by terrorists who had reached there from across the country.

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The new recruits were being given physical training and lessons in use of weapons at the camp, it said.

"When the police approached the camp, the terrorists opened fire on them," it said, adding that 14 terrorists were killed in gun battle.

The raid was part of a security operation launched against terrorists who attacked police and army personnel in North Sinai recently.

Five of the 14 terrorist were being sought by authorities for attacks related to the Islamic State, the statement added.

Separately, two terrorists were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in 6th of October city in Giza governorate, the ministry said in a another statement.

The two terrorists belonged to the Hasm group, which has claimed several attacks against judges and policemen near Cairo in the past one year.

Egypt has witnessed terrorists attacks since the January 2011 revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak.

The attacks, mainly targeting police and military personnel, increased after the ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in 2013 by the military following massive protests against his rule.

Hundreds of police and army personnel have been killed since then.

Yesterday, 23 Army personnel were killed in an attack in the North Sinai city of Rafah; more than 40 terrorists were also killed. PTI YES ABH

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WASHINGTON  The 2018 midterm elections may be a long way off, but both sides of the aisle are already working hard in Nebraskas 2nd District.

Among the Democrats, Omaha nonprofit executive Kara Eastman has raised more than $30,000 since kicking off her congressional campaign in late May. And former congressman Brad Ashford moved up his decision-making timetable to announce hell once again seek the seat he narrowly lost last year to Republican Don Bacon.

At the same time, a Republican super PAC has been running an on-the-ground field operation since February.

So much early activity in part reflects the reality of modern politics, said Randall Adkins, a political scientist at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Campaigning and governing become the same thing, Adkins said. Its just one constant stream, and it doesnt stop.

It also highlights how much money is flowing into campaigns today and just how competitive the 2nd District is expected to be, he said.

Republicans are looking to hang on to their House majority in the face of a challenging midterm, with all 435 seats contested.

On the front lines of that fight is the Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC affiliated with House Speaker Paul Ryan.

The group has opened offices in a dozen districts across the country to date, but Omaha was the first and has been serving as something of a test run for the other operations.

A full-time CLF employee has been recruiting students to make calls and knock on doors in the district, already contacting 125,000 voters, according to the group.

The group also says it has turned out Bacon supporters at public events such as town halls in an effort to counter fired-up activists from the left.

CLF Executive Director Corry Bliss said the group wont let Bacon lose.

The group has identified 80,000 independent and soft Republican voters in the district categorized by each persons top issue, from the future of Offutt Air Force Base to larger questions of national security.

They are pushing Bacons background and expertise in those areas.

On the other side, Eastman and Ashford and possibly other Democrats will compete to take on Bacon.

The Eastman campaign touted its early fundraising figures, which will be officially filed in the next week or so.

Eastman is president and CEO of the Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance and the vice chair of the Metropolitan Community College board of governors. She has more than 170 individual donors so far, according to her campaign.

Im humbled that so many have already invested in our shared progressive vision for the Nebraska 2nd, Eastman said in a statement.

Eastman has cast herself as a political outsider who has been working in the community  someone who will stand up to President Donald Trumps assault on public education, environmental programs and the Affordable Care Act.

Ashfords campaign coffers were tapped by last years intense race and had only about $5,000 cash on hand at the end of June. Ashford said he hasnt started fundraising yet, but that hes confident he will have the resources he needs to get his message out.

As a longtime public official, Ashford will start the primary with superior name recognition and a long contact sheet for fundraising.

The question is how Democratic primary voters will respond to his record of siding with Republicans.

Ashford said hes proud to be a Democrat but that he wont pretend to be an ideologue on either end of the spectrum.

Instead, hell be running on his record of bipartisan achievement that included Offutt runway improvements and a new Omaha Veterans Affairs facility.

He has abandoned his previous support for the Keystone XL pipeline but continues to take more centrist positions on cutting taxes and regulations and stands by his support of free-trade agreements.

If they want somebody on the far left, Im not their guy, Ashford said.

Dont be surprised if Republicans take a stab at influencing the Democratic primary. Bliss, the director of CLF, said his group could well jump into the fray.

CLF may endorse one of the Democrats, Bliss said.

There is precedent for such a move. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, for example, devoted $430,000 last year to an advertising campaign in the 2nd District that cast Bacon as a member of the Washington establishment while denouncing his primary opponent Chip Maxwell as overly conservative.

Technically the ad was critical of both candidates, but it seemed designed to boost Maxwells chances among GOP primary voters, although he ultimately lost the primary to Bacon.

Bliss didnt specify which candidate the group could support or oppose in the primary, but it seems eager to go after Ashford by casting him as a career politician who has supported Democrat Nancy Pelosi for House speaker.

Attacking him will be so easy and just so much fun, Bliss said.

The race will ultimately come down to people trusting Bacon to deliver on jobs, the economy and tax reform, Bliss said.

Bacon began replenishing his campaign funds after winning last years election and had $188,000 at the end of March, with $35,000 in outstanding debts or loans, according to his most recent campaign finance reports.

Expect the general election contest to once again feature millions in outside funding from both sides.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Cole Leiter said Republicans are parachuting in to prop up Bacon in the face of constituents outraged over his support for Republican health care plans.

He said Nebraskans will see through their efforts regardless of how much money they spend.

Theyre nervous and they should be, Leiter said.
Experts assumed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had the capability to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile even before the July Fourth test. Now they know for sure: Pyongyangs missiles can reach as far as Alaska.

But experts dont think Kim wants to fire the missiles randomly.

This notion that the program is unsophisticated is no longer true, and I dont think the strategy is unsophisticated, either, said Vipin Narang, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who has written two books about nuclear strategy.

The launch was a milestone. But the North needs more time to miniaturize its warheads so they can be launched on missiles, and scientists would need to figure out how to get the warheads to safely and accurately re-enter the atmosphere en route to a target.

Narang said Kims blueprint appears to be derived from the playbooks of other countries that developed nuclear weapons, including Pakistan. The short version: repel and deter. He would hope to have enough nuclear firepower to repel a conventional attack from South Korea while deterring a game-ending nuclear retaliation by the United States.

North Korea almost certainly has the capability to use a nuclear bomb against anything in South Korea and the main islands of Japan, said Joshua Pollack, editor of Nonproliferation Review. But no one is sure how powerful those bombs are.

The objective is to preserve the regime, right? Narang said. You really have to stop the invasion. And if you think you need nuclear weapons to do that ... how do you deal with the fact that the U.S. is going to make you a smoldering, radioactive hole at the end of that? Well, if you can hold American homeland targets at risk, that might induce caution.

It is a risky strategy, but not many options are available to a small country against a superpower. And it explains why Kim appears to be trying to build a diverse nuclear arsenal that is capable of striking targets as near as the South Korean border and as far away as the U.S. mainland.

The North Koreans like their chances of repelling a South Korean invasion with conventional rather than nuclear weapons, said Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey in California. It is the U.S. forces in the region that worry them.

The nuclear weapons are going to be targeted at ports and airfields and probably some army bases where U.S. forces are, he said. What they actually target, of course, is a little bit harder to guess.

One of those bases, Yongsan Garrison, is in downtown Seoul. A nuclear device detonated there could destroy the city, possibly including the Blue House, South Koreas equivalent of the White House, which sits on a mountain in the north part.

Lewis said two army bases, Camp Casey and Camp Humphreys, are probably high on the list. Camp Humphreys in particular is expanding rapidly as American forces in South Korea consolidate there. Other likely targets could be army camps Red Cloud and Market and Air Force bases Osan and Kunsan.

South Korea

Sometimes Kim makes his intentions obvious.

In response to a port call by the USS Ohio to Busan, South Korea, North Korea shot a missile into the Sea of Japan. Photos released by North Korean media included a map showing that the missiles landing point was the same distance from its launch point as the port city of Busan. A pointed statement released with the photos made it clear that the exercise was a practice shot at Busan.

Kim would want to disable anything in South Korea that would hamper the Americans ability to support the invasion, Lewis said, such as three bases around Daegu.

Another high-profile target could be the new Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD), which the United States recently deployed to South Korea to defend its Korean bases from incoming missiles.

Japan

The sites Kim would be most concerned about in the rest of northeast Asia are pretty straightforward, Lewis said. That includes three U.S. bases in metropolitan Tokyo. A strike there would devastate parts of the city.

Other probable strikes would aim to cripple Kadena and Futenma, two air bases on the Japanese island of Okinawa, which houses more than 27,000 U.S. troops at a cluster of installations. Okinawa, because of its central location in the region, is key to the U.S. military in East Asia.

Last month the North Koreans fired four missiles that analysts say were practice shots simulating an attack on the Iwakuni Marine Corps Air Station near Fukuoka. Lewis thinks Sasebo Naval Base in Nagasaki and Misawa Air Force Base to the north may be targeted as well.

Farther away are Guam and even Australia, a seemingly improbable target, but one that North Korea threatened during a recent visit by Vice President Mike Pence. U.S. Marines train with Australian troops on a base in Darwin in the north of the continent.

Kims holy grail: the U.S.

This is the deter part of the strategy. Kim wants President Donald Trump and the U.S. military to believe he can strike their homeland so maybe they will think twice about obliterating his.

The stars of a recent military parade in Pyongyang were huge green canisters that looked as if they could contain intercontinental ballistic missiles, the type that would be needed to hit the U.S. mainland.

In case the point was too subtle, a concert video released around the same event showed missiles blowing up San Francisco.

A mystery missile in the parade looked like a shorter version of an earlier known intermediate-range ballistic missile and is believed to be the missile test-fired May 14. The missile was fired almost straight into the air, but had it been launched at a lower angle, it could have flown about 2,800 miles, according to physicist David Wright of the Union of Concerned Scientists Global Security Program.

But where in the U.S.?

The biggest clue may have come in 2013 from Kim himself, again through propaganda. A photo accompanying a media report about threats to the continental United States showed the dictator with military officers in what looked like a military office or situation room, and around them hung several maps and lists of U.S. installations.

One map clearly showed four ominous lines originating from somewhere in Asia and ending in the United States. (Never mind that it is much more likely that an ICBM would be fired up over the Arctic Circle than straight east to west.)

Experts have identified several potential targets in the United States, including some that appeared in North Korean propaganda.

One of the lines ended at Honolulu, home to the U.S. Pacific Command and the USS Cheyenne submarine, which can launch long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles. A second ended in Southern California, probably San Diego, the Pacific Fleets home port.

The easternmost line  the third one  went to Washington, D.C.

The end point of a fourth line is obscured by the officers hat, but Lewis believes it goes to Barksdale, Louisiana, home to Air Force Global Strike Command, which conducts long-range bomber missions.

Lewis believes these sites are the real targets, because they all have a legitimate military purpose.

Other analysts add Offutt Air Force Base south of Omaha, home to the U.S. Strategic Command, and Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, the point of origin for nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers.

Still others think Kim might target Seattle and San Francisco, the two largest West Coast cities that would be the easiest to reach from North Korea.

Its not like there is an answer written down in a little book, Lewis said. The North Koreans have a kind of articulated strategy, and theyve shown some scary stuff, and were left to sort of piece together what all that means.

Should we panic? No, Pollack said. Look behind the rhetoric, he said, and when it comes to nuclear weapons, North Korea has threatened only retaliation, not a first strike.

Theyre more capable than we give them credit for, Pollack said. But theyre sane.
Local governments and political subdivisions in Nebraska are legally liable for harm to private citizens, sometimes paying publicly disclosed settlements.

In 2015, for example, the City of Bellevue paid $110,000 to a woman who was injured when a city firetruck and her car collided. The Omaha Public Schools board paid $250,000 to the family of a seventh-grade boy who drowned in a middle school pool in 2014.

Omaha city government in 2014 paid $103,614 to cover medical bills for a man shot by police after he led officers on a foot chase and raised a gun at one of them. The city paid $280,000 to the family of a woman who died in an accident with a city truck.

Gage County continues to grapple with how to cover the $28 million verdict for a reckless homicide investigation that wrongly sent six people to prison.

But when it comes to the actions of Nebraska state employees and state governments legal liability, the situation is quite different. Private citizens face a very high bar in trying to obtain compensation for harm done by the state government.

Nebraska lawmakers should debate that issue next year  indeed, the Nebraska Supreme Court practically begs them to in a recent court ruling.

The case involved a horrendous situation for a Nebraska family. In 2010, a Gage County couple became interested in adopting a 10-year-old boy who was in foster care. The state Department of Health and Human Services failed to disclose, however, that the boy had been sexually abused and had been known to act out sexually.

About five months after the boy was placed with the couple, he sexually abused their son, then 7 years old.

According to the Supreme Court decision, the state caseworker was aware of the boys history but did not reveal it, despite being asked at least three times by the mother.

The parents ended their adoption effort and sued the state  but ran into a huge legal obstacle known as sovereign immunity.

That concept, used widely across the country, shields state governments from legal liability in many instances. The rationale is that the lawsuits would be difficult to defend against and would likely result in judgments out of proportion to the actual harm to citizens.

Sovereign immunity has understandably come under increased public scrutiny and criticism in many parts of the country as being tilted too far in favor of the state.

The case of the Gage County family provides a sobering example.

The Nebraska Supreme Court acknowledges the harm to the family but says that under current law, its blocked from providing the couple any relief. The court concluded that the state caseworker committed misrepresentation, and  astoundingly  misrepresentation and deceit are among the government actions that are specifically shielded by Nebraska law.

This Nebraska family has suffered a terrible injustice, and state lawmakers have an obligation to examine the current laws excesses and rein them in. In fact, the Supreme Court goes out of its way at least five times in its ruling to underline that the Legislature has the authority to revamp the state immunity provisions.

If the Legislature wishes to expand the scope of the States liability . .. it has the power to amend the statute accordingly, the ruling states.

And again: The Legislature may wish to consider whether the rationale underlying the intentional torts exception, at least as to misrepresentation and deceit, continues to justify preservation of the States sovereign immunity.

The hint from the court is clear  as is the lack of justice in this case.

Tossing away all legal protection for the state would be a step too far. But to leave current law unchanged would risk producing similar travesties of justice.

Nebraska can do much better. Its now up to the Legislature, through reasoned debate and a sensible legal revamp, to demonstrate that it will.
Prashant Kishor claims Nitish Kumar in touch with BJP says don't be surprised if he joins hands with it again

Amid raids on Lalu, Bihar CM Nitish cancels his Lok Samvad programme

India

pti-PTI

Patna, July 10: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday cancelled his public interface event and a subsequent press conference scheduled for Monday citing health grounds. Kumar's decision triggered the speculation that he wanted to avoid the media in the light of a series of CBI raids on Lalu Prasad, his ally in the Bihar government.

Bihar Chief Minister has been conspicuous by his silence on the matter, though Congress and TMC expressed solidarity with the RJD supremo. CBI conducted raids on properties owned by Lalu and his family members in four different cities in connection with a corruption case.

"The Lok Samvad programme, which was scheduled for Monday, stands cancelled due to an indisposition of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar," said an official release. It said the JD(U) chief was down with fever.

Lok Samvad is a public interface programme of Kumar held every Monday. It is aimed at collecting the feedback of the people on the implementation of the development schemes and gather new ideas to strengthen 'sushasan' (good governance).

After the Lok Samvad programme, the chief minister holds a press conference. While Kumar has maintained a studied silence on the issue of raids on Lalu's family, another ally Congress has expressed solidarity with the RJD chief and accused the central BJP government of "misusing" the official machinery.

The RJD, Congress and JD(U) are partners in the Grand Alliance government in Bihar, headed by Kumar.

A report from Rajgir, where Kumar has been staying since Thursday due to health reasons, said the chief minister visited the famous tourist spot of Ghora Katora, but the media was not allowed inside during his visit.

When contacted, Bihar JD(U) chief spokesman Sanjay Singh and spokesman Neeraj Kumar refused to comment on the issue. Meanwhile, RJD ministers and leaders kept rushing to Rabri Devi's residence in support of the party's first family.

RJD ministers Chandrika Rai, Abdul Gafoor, state party chief Ramchandra Purbe and a host of others were seen going inside Rabri Devi's house.

PTI

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Story first published: Monday, July 10, 2017, 0:54 [IST]
Man rapes 8-year-old to use her blood for removing obstacles to his marriage

Police says main accused in Junaid lynching found job in Maharashtra

India

oi-Madhuri

The prime accused in Ballabhgarh lynching case, who was arrested by police officials (GRP) on Saturday for stabbing 16-year-old Junaid Khan to death on a train in Haryana a fortnight back, was send to two days police remand on Sunday. According to the police, the accused had found himself a job in a factory in Maharashtra's Dhule. He initially went to his relatives in Mathura and Vrindavan, and later got in touch with a relative in Maharashtra, who helped him get a job in a factory.

Prior to this, he was working as a security guard in Delhi. The accused was arrested by Haryana Government' Railway Police from Dhule district in Maharashtra and he was later shifted to Faridabad late night.

Meanwhile, the father of Junaid Khan has reportedly demanded death penalty for the accused.

Junaid Khan and his brothers - Haseem and Shakir and cousin Moeen - were returning to their village on Haryana on June 22 after a day-trip to Delhi to shop for Eid when a murderous mob turned on them.

OneIndia News
In the age of digital communication, it is important to cross check news before sharing it online. Here are a few instances when BJP leaders fell in the trap of fake news.

By India Today Web Desk: PM Narendra Modi's internet presence and persona has made him the second most followed politician on Twitter. As a result, BJP and its supporters sometimes overstep their freedom to use the internet and share photos and news without confirming the sources.

In the past, fake, photoshopped images have been shared that led to the spread of fake news and violence in some cases, while some images are just used to portray Modi as the one true leader of India.

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Chandigarh stalking incident, where a woman -- Varnika Kundu -- accused Vikas Barala, son of Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala, and his friend of stalking her in the streets of Chandigarh on August 5 midnight, has become the talk of the town. Kundu chose to speak up against the BJP chief's son, filed a complaint following which Barala and his friend was arrested. They were soon let off on bail as the cops dropped two non-bailable charges initially registered against them. Kundu's father, Virender Kundu, an IAS officer, made the family's stand clear through a Facebook post saying they will fight till they get justice. Meanwhile, there has been an attempt on social media to malign Varnika's character by using photos of her, some with male friends and some that shows she drinks, with an intent to say that she ASKED FOR IT.

Earlier, the arrest of a man for sharing the still of a Bhojpuri film as a photo of the Basirhat violence in Bengal has once again brought into spotlight the use of fake images and videos. The same image was also shared by BJP Haryana leader Vijeta Malik who, along with the photo, commented on the worrying state of Hindus in Bengal.

Here is a look at some of the fake photos shared and spread by BJP leaders and supporters:

VICTIM-SHAMING IN CHANDIGARH STALKING CASE

Resorting to victim-shaming when women choose to report crimes is common in India. A Supreme Court advocate tweeted, "So called victim daughter of IAS from Chandigarh with Vikas Barala. This story is as true as like Jasleen Kaur of Delhi & of Rohtak Sisters", along with a photo of Varnika with two of her friends.

Shaina NC, Maharashtra BJP's Treasurer and Spokesperson, lifted and shared the photo the advocate shared, and along with the image, lifted his words too.

She then claimed that her Twitter account was hacked and requested all to ignore the tweets from her handle. Twitter users believe her account was not hacked and that her claim was just a damage-control attempt.

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PHOTO OF OLD MAN USED DURING GORKHALAND VIOLENCE

In June 2017, an image of an old man with blood all over his face was shared all over social media 'alleging' that the old man was attacked during the violence in Darjeeling. The image is used to raise dissent against Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee portraying how the Mamata government was beating up Gorkha soldiers.

The photo was widely shared on Twitter, even by famous personalities like Major Gaurav Arya.

@MamataOfficial Please treat Gurkhas of Darjeeling with respect & honour. You have seen them in peace. You are very fortunate. #AyoGurkhali pic.twitter.com/5HPhtqezkQ- Major Gaurav Arya (@majorgauravarya) June 14, 2017

The image is of Col. DK Rai who passed away in March 2017. The photograph was taken in 2008 during a Gorkhaland protest. When this photo was clicked, West Bengal CM was Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.

KERALA BJP LEADER USES FAKE COW SLAUGHTER PHOTO

Kerala BJP leader K Surendran shared a Facebook post in May, 2017 condemning cow slaughter in the state. In a disturbing image posted by Surendran, corpses of cows are seen lying on the side of the road.

Here is a close translation of what Surendran said in his Facebook post: "The State government should immediately take necessary measures to curb beef festivals organised across the state by youth organisations affiliated to the left, the Congress and certain "terrorist" organisations. Beef distributed during these festivals are not purchased from legal slaughter houses and in many places cattle is being slaughtered in public, openly flouting the law. Such incidents instill fear in common people and make them uncomfortable and is being done to provoke people. Anti-social elements and "terrorists" are taking advantage of the current scenario. Devaswom minister consuming cow meat in public has hurt the sentiments of many people. Ministers and responsible social workers should distance themselves from such horrific protests. People have the right to protest, but it will be better for all if people behind such protests refrain themselves. I request everyone involved not to force nationalistic organisations to counter this."

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In reality, that photo was not from Kerala. The photo posted by Surendran was cropped, but the real photograph found on the internet showed the boards in the background. The names of the shops are written in bangla, which clearly means that the photo is either from some parts of West Bengal or Bangladesh.

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BABUL SUPRIYO SHARES WRONG PHOTO OF BUS STAND

Union Minister Babul Supriyo shared a representational image of how a bus stand in Rajkot was supposed to look saying that the bus stand has already been inaugurated. As a result, the minister received a lot of ire from the Twitterverse.

This is not an Airport?It's not in London or New York either?It's the New Bus Stand inaugrated in Rajkot, Gujarat ?????? pic.twitter.com/uSrLo9PfJ1- Babul Supriyo (@SuPriyoBabul) April 19, 2017

Eventually, he admitted that he did not cross check the image forwarded to him by a friend and admitted to his mistake. And he was trolled even more.

Really????My DonBosco Classmate RakeshMundhra sent is 2 me?Posted it blindly with the same text?Admit, my friend has caused me embarrassment?? https://t.co/9vUlkV7l55- Babul Supriyo (@SuPriyoBabul) April 19, 2017

SAMBIT PATRA SHARES PHOTOSHOPPED IMAGE OF INDIAN SOLDIERS

BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra in an interview with an English news channel in 2016 shared a photoshopped image with the viewers. In a debate about the central government's order to install the Indian national flag in central universities, Patra showed an image on his tablet. The image showed Indian soldiers hoisting the national flag.

BJPs spokesperson Sambit Patra once showed a photoshopped version of Iwo Jima on Times Now. #BJPFakeInIndia pic.twitter.com/7Do7HVJtUq- Amol Khodke (@AmolvKhodke) June 15, 2017

According to Sambit Patra, the image was of "Indian jawans, Indian soldiers dying, but holding up the tricolour, at the border".

The image was actually an iconic image taken by photojournalist Joe Rosenthal in 1945. The Pultizer prize winning photograph title "Raising the flag at Iwo Jima" was taken during the final months of World War II.

BJP LEADER SHARES PHOTO FROM GUJARAT RIOTS

BJP Spokesperson Nupur Sharma shared a call for protest against the violence in West Bengal. She shared a photograph which was originally taken during the Gujarat riots in 2002 in which BJP was the biggest perpetrator.

Speak-up because it is already too late! Join in at 5 PM today at Jantar Mantar #SaveBengal #SaveHindus pic.twitter.com/QU5ZT1HkUt- Nupur Sharma (@NupurSharmaBJP) July 8, 2017

--- ENDS ---
Mamata Banerjee on 3-day visit to Darjeeling to attend swearing-in ceremony of GTA members

Darjeeling unrest: 3 killed; Mamata says Government ready for talks with hill parties

India

oi-Madhuri

Three people were killed on Saturday in police firing as fresh violence spread over from Sonada district in Darjeeling. Also some unidentified persons torched an office of Trinamool Congress Party and a ticket counter of North Bengal State Transport Cooperation Ticket on Wednesday.

The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, leading the stir for a separate state said that police shot dead three people.

Earlier on Saturday, the Army was called in Darjeeling after violence broke out, even as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appelead for peace.

Banerjee on Saturday appealed for peace and said her government was ready for talks with the hill parties, but peace has to be restored first.

Meanwhile, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha turned down on Saturday West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's offer for talks, but said it was willing to hold discussions with the Centre on the issue of Gorkhaland.

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Story first published: Sunday, July 9, 2017, 6:48 [IST]
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Delhi: CBI books travel agent for sending illegal workers to China

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, July 9: Lajpat Nagar-based travel agent was booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation for allegedly sending people to China for jobs without valid work permits.

The case was registered on a complaint from the external affairs ministry after some of his clients working without valid papers were detained by the Chinese authorities.

A complaint against Roshan Fernando, who runs Devin travels and tours Ltd, was lodged by a Nepalese woman, Purnima Thapa, who said he had promised her a job with an attractive salary in China.

Fernando and an associate had allegedly taken over Rs one lakh from Thapa for the job.

On March 3, she was allegedly sent without a valid work permit to China, where she worked in a plastic item manufacturing plant in Weifgang.

The Chinese police raided the firm and detained 12 Indians who were working with valid passports but without work permits.

The Chinese authorities repatriated the Indians, while Thapa, being Nepalese, was sent to Nepal.

"Verification has further revealed that besides victim Purnima Thapa, there are some more Indians who were cheated by Roshan Fernando and their associates. The travel agency being run by Roshan Fernando is not registered with MEA," the CBI FIR alleged.

Thapa later asked Fernando to return the money that he had charged for the job. He issued a cheque which was also dishonoured.

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Story first published: Sunday, July 9, 2017, 20:14 [IST]
Free surgery in 48 private hospitals if waiting list at govt ones long: Arvind Kejriwal

India

oi-PTI

If patients do not get a date for surgery at a government hospital within one month, they can get themselves treated in private ones free of cost under the Delhi government's 'Free Surgery Scheme'. Such cases will be taken care of at 48 NABH-accredited private hospitals in Delhi-NCR. These include Moolchand Hospital, Rockland Hospital and Batra Hospital in south Delhi.

Lok Nayak Hospital, GTB, Ambedkar Hospital, GB Pant, DDU, Guru Nanak Eye Centre are among the 24 hospitals from where patients can be referred to private medical facilities. Launching the scheme at Talkatora Stadium, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Delhi the AAP government is taking "revolutionary steps" in the education and health sectors.

The facility is available for 52 types of specified surgeries like heart by-pass, kidney stone surgery and laparoscopic gall bladder surgery. "Our government has already started two schemes. One pertains to free medicines at government's hospitals, while the second one offers free test at private laboratories," Kejriwal said. He said the AAP government will ensure that there is no shortage of funds for these schemes.

A patient should be a bona fide resident of Delhi to avail the scheme. The government has not put any income restriction to undergo free surgery. The patient will have the option of choosing a private hospital, where he wants to undergo surgery. Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Manish Sisodia were present at the time of the launch.

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Story first published: Sunday, July 9, 2017, 6:01 [IST]
Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee meeting to be held on July 11 in Mirik

India

oi-Amitava

By Amitava

Darjeeling, July 9, 2017: Owing to the present situation of the Hills the meeting of the Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GLMCC) will be held on July 11 instead of 18th.

In the presence of the Army, processions with the dead bodies of the Gorkhaland activisits killed in alleged police firing were brought out in Darjeeling on Sunday.

The usual police force and CRPF were not deployed at the Chowk Bazar during at the time of the processions. There were reports of sporadic incidents of arson and vandalizing in Government properties throughout the day.

In another development the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has pledged support to the Gorkhaland demand.

"Sharad Pawar of the NCP has pledged support to the Gorkhaland demand. On behalf of the party, NCP General Secretary Fazal Ahmed over the phone extended support to the demand. NCP MP Fazal Ahmed visited the Gorkhaland rally in Delhi. If Gorkhaland Bill is tabled in the Parliament the NCP MPs will support it" claimed Binay Tamang, Assistant Secretary, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM.) The NCP. The NCP has 6 Lok Sabha MPs and 5 Rajya Sabha MPs.

"The GLMCC meeting will be held in Mirik on July 11. Owing to the police excesses resulting in the killing of 3 Gorkhaland supporters in the past two days we decided to bring forward the meeting. The present situation revolving around the killings will be the main agenda of discussion" stated Kalyan Dewan, Convenor of the GLMCC (a conglomeration of pro Gorkhaland forces.

Along with the alleged blockade of essential commodities from the plains to the Darjeeling Hills, Kalimpong and Sikkim will also be discussed. "The State Government using the police is blockading the movement of essential commodities to the Hills from the plains. We have to decide on our future course of action regarding these issues" alleged Dewan.

NCPs support to Gorkhaland will also be discussed in the meeting. The GLMCC has been demanding the immediate Central intervention in the ongoing impasse. Pro-Gorkhaland leaders from the Hills are also camping in Delhi trying to muster support for Gorkhaland.

When questioned on whether there were any feelers from the Union Government which could have prompted an early GLMCC meeting, Dewan preferred to remain sketchy. "Our stand is clear. We have categorically stated that we will sit with the Union Government over the single point agenda of Gorkhaland alone. We will not discuss anything else. Our agitation will continue." stated Dewan.

Meanwhile reacting to concerns expressed by Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling over the blockade of National Highway 10, the lifeline of Sikkim owing to the ongoing unrest, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in a series of tweets stated that he had a telephonic conversation with the Sikkim CM.

"Spoke to Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling regarding the security situation in the state and areas in neighbouring West Bengal. I assured him that the Centre will ensure the safety and security of NH10 and do everything possible to save people of the state from any misery" tweeted Rajnath Singh.

Processions were taken out in Darjeeling with the dead bodies of the Gorkhaland activists who had died in alleged police firing on Saturday. The funeral procession of Suraj Bhusal was brought out from Toonsoong near Chowrasta. The funeral procession of Samir Gurung was brought out from Singamari through the Birch Hill road. Both the processions merged at the Mall and went down to the Chowk Bazar.

The usual deployment of police force and CRPF was not done at the Chowk Bazar on Sunday. Instead an army column was deployed at the Chowk Bazar at the time of the funeral procession. Presence of police and CRPF could aggravate agitators hence the non deployment during the processions, feel observers.

Chanting "CRPF go back. Bengal police go back" the procession with the dead bodies moved through the Chowk Bazar under the watchful eyes of the Army personnel.

There were incidents of sporadic violence and arson in the Hills on the 25th day of the indefinite bandh in the Hills. At around 2pm a mob torched the Sonada police outpost. The outpost was totally gutted. On Saturday trouble had broken out at Sonada over the death of one Tashi Bhutia in alleged CRPF firing. A mob had tried to set fire at the police outpost and police barracks at Sonada on Saturday also.

The Sub Divisional Officer's office in Kurseong along with the Block Development Office was torched in Kurseong. A forest department lodge at Gairigaon in Kurseong was also set on fire.

The Gram Panchayat office in Pokriabong in the Darjeeling sub division torched. The police outpost in Thorbu near Mirik was ransacked and torched.

A police outspost was also attacked and ransacked at Sukhiapokhari in the Darjeeling sub division. 4 policemen who were present in the outpost were also injured. Police sources claimed that 4 rifles have gone missing from the Sukhipokhari police outpost.

OneIndia News
Govt employee awarded seven-yr jail for raping sister-in-law

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Jul 9: A Delhi court has sent a public servant to seven years in jail for repeatedly raping his sister-in-law and awarded the same prison term to his mother for abetting the crime.

The court said it has been proved that the man, who was suspended by the Railway department after lodging of the case, confined the woman and raped her and also threatened to kill her children, if she resisted his acts.

"I am of the opinion that prosecution has successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt that the accused man had forcibly confined the prosecutrix and raped her several times and also threatened to kill her children, if she did not maintain physical relations with him. "It has also been proved by the prosecution beyond reasonable doubt that the accused woman (mother-in-law) had abetted the commission of offence of rape upon the prosecutrix by the man," Additional Sessions Judge Shail Jain said.

The court awarded seven years imprisonment each to the 35-year-old man and his mother. It also imposed a fine of Rs 21,000 and Rs 10,000 on the man and the elderly woman respectively and said that half of the amount be given to the victim as compensation.

The court also directed the legal service authority to award appropriate compensation to her. According to the prosecution, the woman got married in 2003 and was treated cruelly by her husband and mother-in-law. She had earlier lodged a case of sexual assault against her brother-in-law, who was arrested, and her in-laws were pressurising her to get him out on bail. When he got bail, he along with her mother-in-law decided to teach her a lesson and confined her in a shanty for a month when she was repeatedly raped by the man, she alleged.

Later, she escaped from the shanty and approached the police for lodging an FIR against the man and elderly woman. During the trial, the two accused claimed they were falsely implicated in the case.

The court, however, said it was difficult to presume that the woman will falsely implicated the man for the second time for the same offence even when the first case was pending. The woman convict sought a lenient view on the ground that she was a senior citizen and was suffering from various ailments. The man sought leniency, saying he has to take care of his wife and minor daughters.

PTI
Outgoing VP Naidu was always concerned how country can get best from Parliament: PM Modi

Next Vice-President of India: Opposition likely to name on candidate on July 11

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, July 9: The opposition is likely to put up its joint candidate for the Vice Presidential election and may decide on the name during its strategy meeting in Parliament on July 11.

Sources said that the non-NDA parties are seeking to keep the opposition unity intact and feel that even if it is a losing fight it should not be left uncontested.

The Vice Presidential contest is heavily stacked in favour of the ruling dispensation which has a majority of around 550 votes out of a total of 790 members of both Houses of Parliament, who comprise the electoral college for the election.

The electoral college that votes for the Vice President, who is also the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha, consists of 543 elected and 2 nominated members of the Lok Sabha besides 233 elected members and 12 nominated members of Rajya Sabha.

Around 18 non-NDA parties are expected to attend Tuesday's meeting convened by Congress President Sonia Gandhi in Parliament Library. The party's Vice President Rahul Gandhi besides a host of leaders from other parties like the NCP, RJD, Left, TMC, SP, BSP, DMK and other smaller parties are also likely to attend.

The parties will discuss the opposition floor management for the monsoon session of Parliament, which starts on July 17, as it comes in the wake of raids on RJD chief Lalu Yadav.

"In the battle of ideologies, this is an election that the opposition should contest and it is likely to contest and should not be left uncontested," said a senior leader.

The sources said that though no name has yet been discussed, it is likely that some of the names that did the rounds for the Presidential election may also figure for the post of Vice President. These include names of Gopal Krishan Gandhi and Prakash Ambedkar, which the opposition was contemplating for fielding in the Presidential election. Every party had been asked to give in their suggestions during the meeting.

The opposition is likely to take a final call on the election during this meet. Sources added that there could be some informal discussions with some opposition leaders ahead of Tuesday's meeting on the Vice Presidential candidate.

However, Nitish Kumar has has decided not to attend a meeting of 17 parties on Tuesday in Delhi. Allowing himself an alibi, the Chief Minister of Bihar has instead called all his party leaders including national and state lawmakers to a conclave in Patna.

CPI national secretary D Raja said, "So far no names have been given by the Congress or any other party. Since there is no time left, it is possible that a name may be finalised at the meeting."

Vice President Hamid Ansari's term, who has held the post for two successive spells, comes to an end on August 10. The candidate of the ruling NDA, which has a majority in the Lok Sabha and received the support of parties such as the AIADMK and BJD for the July 17 Presidential poll, is likely to win the contest, given its strength in Parliament.

The scrutiny will take place on July 19 and the last date for withdrawing from the electoral battle is July 21. Polling, if required, will take place on August 5 and the votes will be counted on the same evening. No whip can be issued by political parties as the election is through a secret ballot.

The secretary general of the Rajya Sabha, Shumsher K Sheriff, is the returning officer for the election. During the last Vice Presidential election in 2012, Vice President Ansari secured 490 votes and Jaswant Singh, who was the opposition candidate secured 238 votes.

In 2007, Ansari won the election secured 455 votes, while Najma A Heptulla secured 222 votes and Rasheed Masood secured 75 votes. In 2002, Vice Presidential election, NDA nominee Bhairon Singh Shekhawat secured 454 votes, against opposition's Sushil Kumar Shinde who secured 305 votes.

Four Vice Presidents have so far been elected unopposed - first Vice President of India S Radhakrishnan (1952 and again in 1957), Mohammad Hidyatullah (1979) and Shankar Dayal Sharma (1987).

PTI

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Story first published: Sunday, July 9, 2017, 22:40 [IST]
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MEA says Pak's terror support, sponsorship needs to be condemned by one and all

India

oi-Madhuri

India criticised Pakistan for glorifying terrorist Burhan Wani and Ministry of External Affairs stated that Pakistan's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by 'one and all'.

MEA Spokesperson Gopal Baglay took to Twitter and said,''Pakistan's terror support and sponsorship needs to be condemned by one and all.''

Baglay's comments came a day after Pakistan Army chiefGen Qamar Javed Bajwa praised Wani, Hizbul Mujahideen commander who was killed in an encounter with Indian security forces last year.

Wani, a commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed in an encounter with Indian security forces on this day last year.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Sunday, July 9, 2017, 15:44 [IST]
TN: Sri Lankan Navy apprehends three fishermen, one boat

India

oi-Madhuri

Three Indian fishermen with one boat were apprehended by Sri Lankan Navy at Palk Strait on Sunday.

According to sources, they were detained for allegedly engaging in illegal fishing practices at Palk Strait. The three were engaged in bottom trawling in Sri Lankan waters, about 13 Nm northwest of the Kovilam Point.

The arrest was made by a Fast Attack Craft (FAC) belonging to the Northern Naval Command.

The fishing trawler was brought to SLNS Elara in Kareinagar and the fishermen to SLNS Uththara in Kankesanthurei. They were later due to be handed over to the Jaffna Assistant Director of Fisheries for further legal action.

OneIndia News
Gujarat Assembly polls: Saurashtra region, with 48 of 182 seats, is the piece everyone's eyeing

'World heritage' tag will boost tourism, employment in Ahmedabad: Gujarat CM

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Kheda, July: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Sunday hailed the declaration of Ahmedabad as a world heritage city by UNESCO.

"It's an honor that UNESCO declared Ahmedabad a heritage city, first ever in India. It'll help boost tourism here," CM Rupani told reporters.

On behalf of Gujarat Government, we would like to express our gratitude to the Centre, Prime Minister Modi and the UNESCO officials," Rupani said.

"Due to this recognition, Ahmedabad will see a huge influx of Heritage enthusiasts. The government would allocate appropriate funds to further expand the tourism sector, he added.

On Saturday, the decision was announced by the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO after a meeting in Krakwo, Poland. "Thrilled to announce! Ahmedabad has just been declared India's first #WorldHeritage city by @UNESCO," tweeted Ruchira Kamboj, India's permanent representative to UNESCO.

The state's nomination was supported by 20 countries, including Turkey, Lebanon, Tunisia, Portugal, Peru, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Finland, Azerbaijan, Jamaica, Croatia, Poland, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, South Korea, Croatia, Angola, and Cuba.

Founded by emperor Ahmed Shah, the 606-year-old walled city of Ahmedabad was chosen over Mumbai and Delhi during the nominations last year. It has 26 ASI-protected structures, hundreds of 'pols' or neighbourhoods that capture the essence of community living and numerous sites associated with Mahathma Gandhi who lived here from 1915 to 1930. In 2011, UNESCO had featured the city in its tentative list of world heritage cities, reports Indian Express.

Rupani further said Ahmedabad will now join the likes of Paris, Cairo, and Edinburgh.

OneIndia News (with agency inputs)

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Story first published: Sunday, July 9, 2017, 18:57 [IST]
Chinese General responsible for standoff visited India, assured of good relations 4 months back

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

In the month of December 2016 General Zhao Zongqi, commander of the Chinese Western Theatre Command had paid a visit to India. He had met with the present Indian Army Chief, General Bipin Rawat and the Eastern Army Commander Lt. General Praveen Bakshi during his three day visit.

During the visit General Zongqi exchanged views on mil-to-mil relations between the two countries and especially the cooperation between the PLA Western Theater Command and the Indian military. Both India and China had agreed to make positive contributions to the stable development of relations.

This is the same Chinese general who is responsible for the area on the Sikkim border where both India and China are in a stand off for the past three weeks.

General Zhao Zongqi, commander of the Chinese Western Theatre Command, who is responsible for the Indian border, has around one-third of the 2.26-million strong Chinese military under his command since February 2016.

The Chinese general is a very senior member of the Communist Party and also a part of the central committee. He is a military commander and has ample knowledge of mountain warfare. In China he is considered to be a rising star of the Chinese military.

General Zongqi is one of the few Chinese military commanders who has fought in the 1979 China-Vietnam war. He is fluent with Tibet and Arabic and had even gone undercover in 1979 which makes his rating very high. His close relations to the PLA chief and popularity is a worry for India. If he decides to escalate the tensions at the border, then he will get the full support of his command.

OneIndia News
By India Today Web Desk: Farzaneh Shrafbafi, a professor of aeronautical engineering at Amir Kabir University of Technology and Shahid Sattari University of Aeronautical Engineering and the first Iranian woman to get a Ph.D in aerospace was selected from among the board members of Iran Air.

Farzaneh Shrafbafi, a aeronautical engineering professor will become first female CEO of #Iran's oldest airline, @IranAir_IRI. pic.twitter.com/rNw7Tknmlm- Sadegh Ghorbani (@GhorbaniSadegh) July 8, 2017

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In an interview given to an Iranian daily back in 2014, Farzaneh told the newspaper that she was always a keen student of science. Her father who was Physics professor at Sharif University helped shape her interest in the field.

Fighting against all odds, Farzaneh did not give up her passion for science and kept pursuing her studies even after her marriage. She started with her masters after getting married and pursued her Ph.D as well.

"I attended my first class two days after I gave birth to my second kid. That day when I arrived late, the professor asked where I had been. "I just gave birth to a kid," I answered. They couldn't believe their eyes. Normally a woman stays home ten days after delivery. But it was not the case with me," she said in an interview with the daily newspaper.

Farzaneh's reign as the CEO of Iran Air will be seen as another step towards women empowerment in the country. In a country where women still have to face many restrictions Farzaneh's appointment as the CEO is a refreshing change.

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G20 summit: PM Modi meets S. Korean President Moon Jae-in

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Hamburg, July 8: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg.

"Beginning with bilaterals on the second day in Hamburg. PM @narendramodi meets with President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of G20," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay tweeted.

Beginning with bilaterals on the second day in Hamburg. PM @narendramodi meets with President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of G20 pic.twitter.com/jQYLvZLRXT  Gopal Baglay (@MEAIndia) July 8, 2017

This was the first meeting between the two leaders since Moon assumed office in May this year.

The India-South Korea relationship was upgraded to that of a special strategic partnership during Modi's visit to Seoul in May 2015.

IANS

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Story first published: Saturday, July 8, 2017, 15:08 [IST]
Indo-China conflicts: From the Indian Armys point of view

International

oi-Prabhpreet

By Prabhpreet

"Log kabhi kabhi hamko (soldiers) samjhate hain ke jung buri cheez hai, unse pucho ke ye baat sipahi se zaada kaun jaan sakta hai."

These are the words of the character of an Indian soldier played by veteran actor Om Puri, in the Hindi war-drama movie, Lakshya. Loosely translated they mean, "People sometimes explain to us (soldiers) that war is a bad thing, they should be asked who can know this better than a soldier."

With India and China currently in the midst of a stand-off, nobody could be faulted if their minds rush back to the war that occurred between the two nations in 1962 and the losses suffered, especially the lives of soldiers.

The facts related to Indo-China war a decade and a half after India won its independence, clearly show that though a brief one lasting around a month, it was utterly damaging to India, with more than two thousand soldiers losing their lives while many more missing, wounded or captured.

The nation having suffered such a blow then, the current rise in tensions with the same neighbor might give birth to doubts and hesitations in the minds of many on the possible losses that such a situation might lead to.

The reality though is that while India suffered gravely, more than five decades ago, the region and nature of the current face-off on the Sikkim front since June in Dokalam region at the tri-junction between India, Bhutan and China, gives the Indian Army an upper hand, unlike the 1962 war.

The 1962 War

While the exact causes and losses of the war can still not be clearly claimed to be explained given that the Henderson Brooks-Bhagat report of the enquiry that looked into them from the point of view of the army was not made public claiming the material in them being of critical importance and still strategically relevant.

Journalists and experts who have studied the events that took place before, during and after the war, have clearly pointed to the mistakes of the political leadership of the time, under the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, as the main reason behind the huge losses suffered by the Army.

These started with the mishandling of the border issue between the two nations, such as India's unilateral changing of the maps of the time, that had some resemblance of demarcation of such a border and based on which discussions of plotting a mutually acceptable border were to be held.

The initial aggressive stance taken by the Chinese was made worse by the Nehru government's instruction to the Army to build posts along the border, which was not, just like today, clearly demarcated, and led to claims and counter claims by both countries of their territorial sovereignty being compromised.

Such a decision by the then prime minister was termed as the 'Forward Policy,' which resulted in a strong offensive from the Chinese. Nehru even told the media that his government had asked the army to throw the Chinese out of our territory. This background eventually led to the war which occurred in Ladakh and North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA, now known as Arunachal Pradesh),

One of the top Army officers in charge of operations at the time, who has also been blamed by observers for the losses suffered during the war, Lt. Gen. B.M. Kaul later wrote in the book, The Untold Story, "No General who knew the serious military situation confronting us in NEFA and Ladakh at the time could have advised him to do so... It is my surprise that Nehru took up a posture of 'courage' when he knew that we were militarily weak in the hope that with this bold statement the Chinese might be deterred from attacking India. He might also have been advised by one of his political confidants to make such a statement for public consumption for psychological reasons. The Chinese would have struck us anyhow; if not then, perhaps later. But, I wonder if Nehru's statement did not precipitate their attack

Claims such as these by Kaul, might seem motivated by an effort to clear his name, yet they are in line with the observations of others that the political establishment and the government of the day let down the armed forces by clearly ignoring the warning signs despite the Army, except for its brass, telling the political masters that given the lack of effective tools and time at the Army's disposal, India was not equipped for an offensive of such a nature against an opponent the size of the Chinese army and in the terrain that the battle would take place.

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The current stand-off

Though the issue is currently being labelled as a border dispute, the decision by the present government to side with Bhutan is not due to misjudgement of divisions and markings on maps. Rather they are based on issues of real strategic importance.

The alleged transgressions at the border by the Chinese in an area claimed by Bhutan, a country with which India has a pact of securing its national interest related to security concerns make it almost impossible for India to avoid taking a stand on the matter.

Such a stand became even more crucial, given the area where Chinese forces have taken actions, like building a road which is near the crucial 'Chicken's Neck' strip of land in India that connects the rest of the country with the north-eastern states, in order to gain a tactical advantage.

In addition, unlike the war, the current rise in tensions come in the Middle sector of the border between India and China and not the Western (Jammu and Kashmir) or Eastern (Arunachal Pradesh). The middle sector exists around Sikkim state of India and the terrain and nature of the area change the dynamics that a possible conflict might have.

The strategic advantage for India in case war breaks out also come from the fact that the Indian armed forces already have a presence inside Bhutan as troops are stationed at Ha. And in the case of a battle, Indian soldiers will be allowed the benefit of attacking the Chinese from two sides, potentially being able to cut off their troops stationed facing Sikkim.

Another major difference this time comes from the fact that though the Chinese Army might still have superiority in terms of arms and manpower, the difference between the two armies is not comparable to the 60's. Along with this, the fact that time has been provided to the army to prepare for a possible escalation would ensure that the soldiers would not be left without support.

For the sake of soldiers it should be resolved peacefully

No matter what the circumstances, the armed forces of India have an exemplary record so far. As except for the 1962 war, they have come out victorious in all three that were fought in 1965, 1971 and in Kargil in 1999. The fact that they will give their best when called upon by the government of the day is not in any dispute, as the Indian Amry Chief General Bipin Rawat earlier last month said that the army was prepared for a two and a half front and that the government was supporting it in every manner.

But all said and done about the current circumstances and how different they might be from the war in 62 and regardless of points such as India being correct in its stand and action this time as well as the improved political backing that the Army has received. The political establishment should make sure that engaging in an active war is the last course of action and not used as an attempt to give voice to public opinion or outcry. Especially with the Army already engaged in the northern part of the country dealing with Pakistan at the border as well as in Kashmir fighting terrorists sponsored by the neighbour.

If the cost of war, such as effect on the economy of not only the two countries but also the world, and the fissure in international politics that such a battle would develop among others, do not make the government realise that the best option would be to ensure a mutual retreat from the area while reverting to the positions they were at before the stand-off took place and begin clear and straightforward discussion with the Chinese related to the whole of the border and not only the area of present concern.

They should hear the voice of the soldiers who, though would willingly fight the war for the country and even lay down their lives, know the value of peace the best.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Sunday, July 9, 2017, 8:50 [IST]
FactCheck.org 11 Nov 2022

Former President Donald Trump claimed he "sent in the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys" to Broward County during the 2018 election to..
Exactly a month after the Gorkha Janmukti Morha (GJM) renewed its agitation for a separate Gorkhaland state in Darjeeling, the hills of north Bengal have once again flared up with at least 3 protesters being killed in clashes with the security forces.

By Indrajit Kundu: Exactly a month after the Gorkha Janmukti Morha (GJM) renewed its agitation for a separate Gorkhaland state in Darjeeling, the hills of north Bengal have once again flared up with at least 3 protesters being killed in clashes with the security forces.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is monitoring the situation from Kolkata, has appealed for peace and called on the Morcha to join peace talks. "I am willing to talk but first let them leave the path of violence. I am always open for talks", Banerjee said, softening her stand.

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However, the Morcha, which is leading the agitation rejected Banerjee's proposal, reiterating its position that there was no question of any dialogue with the state government anymore.

"We will not go for any talks with Mamata Banerjee. The channel of talks with her and the West Bengal government has been closed forever. If Centre calls for talks for Gorkhaland, we will go for it", GJM leader Binay Tamang clarified.

VIOLENCE IN DARJEELING THROUGHOUT SATURDAY

Violent scenes were witnessed in Darjeeling throughout Saturday after the death of a Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) worker in Sonada on Friday night. Angry protesters came out on the streets in large numbers with the deceased's body and vandalised government property across the hills to demonstrate against the police action.

Protesters first set a police outpost on fire and then torched the Sonada police station. Later, the toy train station at Sonada, a UNESCO world heritage site, was also set ablaze.

Soon, the violence spread to other areas with the Darjeeling station also being vandalised and the Deputy Police Superintendent town office being attacked. In Kalimpong district, the Neora Forest Office was set on fire.

At Singamari, where the GJM part office is located, police came under heavy stone pelting. Police used tear gas shells to disperse the crowd, while Morcha claims bullets were fired too.

With the situation seemingly out of control, the state government once again requisitioned the Centre to deploy the Army. Accordingly, two columns of army was re-deployed in Darjeeling, two weeks after they were withdrawn.

Also read | Gorkhaland: Army deployed in Darjeeling after youth killed in police firing

Also read | Gorkhaland stir: GJM chief dares Mamata Banerjee as Darjeeling braces for fresh protests

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The equity capitalisation in the Nigerian capital market depreciated by 0.39 percent as sell-off among stockholders led to a loss of N110.4 billion at the close of business on Tuesday.

The development pushed down the equity capitalization from N27.92 trillion to N27.81 trillion after eight hours of trading.

The All-Share Index dropped by 204.95 basis points to close at 51,586.5 ASI, down from 51,791.45 posted on Monday.

Investors traded 234.60 million shares valued at N2.56 billion in 4,646 deals on Tuesday.

This surpassed the 194.12 million shares worth N2.82 billion which exchanged hands in 4,899 deals the previous day.

Redstar Express led the gainers with N0.25kobo to rise from N2.50kobo to N2.75kobo per share.

John Holt gained 9.76 percent to move from N0.82kobo to N0.90kobo per share.

UPDCs share value was up by N0.11kobo to end trading with N1.24kobo from N1.13kobo per share.

Unity Bank gained 9.52 percent to close at N0.46kobo from N0.42kobo per share.

Academys share appreciated by N0.11kobo to rise from N1.32kobo to N1.43kobo per share.

International Breweries topped the losers chart after shedding N0.60kobo to drop from N6.30kobo to N5.70kobo per share.

Consolidated Hallmark Insurances share dropped by 8 percent to end trading at N0.69kobo from N0.75kobo per share.

Jaiz Bank lost 6.67 percent to end trading with N0.84kobo from N0.90kobo per share.

READ ALSO: Investors lose N20.6bn amidst slump in Nigerias capital market

Nascons share dropped from N11.75kobo to N11 per share after losing N0.75kobo during trading.

BUA Foods lost N3.50kobo to drop from N55 to N51.50kobo per share.

CAP led the days trading with 29.32 million shares valued at N499.94 million.

GTCO followed with 29.01 million shares valued at N592.43 million.

UBA traded 25.40 million shares worth N189.26 million.

Transcorp sold 23.86 million shares worth N30.14 million, while Sterling Bank traded 16.44 million valued at N24.42 million

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Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling has sought urgent intervention of the Centre in the Gorkhaland agitation. The Sikkim government might have to approach the Supreme Court if the issue was not addressed on priority, Chamling said.

By Press Trust of India: Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling has demanded urgent intervention of the Centre for early settlement of the Gorkhaland issue to safeguard the interests of Sikkim.

He said in case the issue was not addressed on a priority basis, the Sikkim government might approach the Supreme Court.

"I seek urgent intervention of the Government of India and all the authorities concerned for early settlement of the situation to safeguard the interests of Sikkim from these hazards and constraints on priority," Chamling said in a press statement issued by the Information and Public Relations department of the state.

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"In case of not addressing this issue on priority, the state government may have to approach the apex court of India in the larger interests of the Sikkimese people for justice," the statement said.

Stating that the Gorkhaland agitation would have inter-state ramifications and treating the matter "merely as a West Bengal issue" was not adequate, the chief minister noted that the present situation in Darjeeling Hills had had a direct impact on the life of the people of Sikkim and that this issue needed to be looked into with utmost seriousness.

"Sikkim's geographical location having international boundaries with three countries - China in the North, Bhutan in the East and Nepal in the West, and the potential threat to national security - is a matter of supreme importance," the statement said.

"The only access to the rest of the country is through the state of West Bengal. Sikkim is sandwiched due to the agitation and the prevailing law and order situation.

SUPPORT FROM THE STATE TO THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

"As far as national security is concerned, the Government of India is appropriately handling the matter. We fully support Government of India's effort, which is addressing national security in the best interest of our country," the statement said.

The Sikkim Chief Minister also said that law and order being a matter of the government of West Bengal, the loss and misery suffered by Sikkim could have been avoided.

"The Gorkhaland agitation-related anguish of Sikkim is as old as the agitation itself. Sikkim-bound vehicles have been targetted by fringe groups in Siliguri," it said.

"Trucks carrying essential goods, commodities and petroleum products are being ransacked right in the presence of the West Bengal Police, and it has been learnt that in some cases, the West Bengal police itself is overseeing the situation," it said.

The statement also said that people in need of immediate advanced medical care had been affected. In addition, the economic development of Sikkim has also taken a hit.

The CM also said that due to the unrest in the neighbouring state of Bengal, "Sikkim has already borne the loss of over Rs 60,000 crore."

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"In the agitation-related violence on NH10, Sikkim's only road link with the rest of the nation, over 5,000 vehicles have been vandalised and around 1,300 people (drivers and passengers) killed in the last 32 years of Gorkhaland agitation," it said.

Fresh violence erupted on Saturday in Darjeeling hills prompting the West Bengal government to call the Army back on the streets as Gorkhaland supporters torched a police outpost, a toy train station and clashed with the police.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), spearheading the agitation for a separate state to be carved out of West Bengal, claimed that two youths were killed in police firing and rejected West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's offer of talks.

ALSO READ:

Sikkim CM Pawan Kumar Chamling backs Gorkhaland demand

Bimal Gurung: Gorkhaland dreamer and the man behind Darjeeling's hot summer

Nepali vs Bangla in Darjeeling: Demand for Gorkhaland leaves Queen of Hills boiling again

ALSO WATCH:

GJM supporters set police station in Pedong, Kalimpong on fire

--- ENDS ---
Alex Pajunas/Courtesy of The Daily Astorian/2009

By Amy Wang | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Sometimes an author brings a books setting to life so vividly that you cant help but want to visit the spot. Sometimes its fun to read a book set in the place youre visiting. So, in the spirit of the summer road trip, here are 20 destinations featuring books with Oregon settings.

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Randy L. Rasmussen/2014

Astoria: 'Astoria' by Peter Stark

Peter Stark's sweeping history "Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire: A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival" looks at the expeditions inspired by Lewis and Clark that ultimately established the first permanent American settlement on the West Coast. (Portland Center Stage wraps up its two-part dramatization of the book in January and February.) Today, Astoria is a favorite destination for family weekend getaways, with the Columbia River Maritime Museum, Oregon Film Museum, Astoria Column (pictured), nearby Fort Stevens State Park, summer farmers market and more.

Astoria: 20 reasons to love Oregons historic city on the Columbia River

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Lincoln City area: 'Sometimes a Great Notion' by Ken Kesey

"Sometimes a Great Notion," Ken Kesey's 1964 novel about an Oregon Coast logging family, is a regular contender for Best Oregon Novel Ever and has the added distinction of having been adapted into a film starring Paul Newman, Henry Fonda and Lee Remick. The filmmakers had a sprawling Victorian built along the Siletz River, between Lincoln City and Depoe Bay, to serve as the Stamper family home. Not only can you still see it, but you can also rent it as a vacation getaway.

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Terry Richard/2015

Tillamook Bay: 'Trask' by Don Berry

Also frequently nominated for Best Oregon Novel Ever is Don Berry's 1960 novel, "Trask," inspired by the life of fur trapper and mountain man Elbridge Trask. Trask was among the first whites to settle in the Tillamooks' coastal territory, during the 1840s; the Trask River is named after him. Today visitors flock to the Tillamook area for hiking (try the trails at Kilchis Point Reserve, pictured), camping, fishing, boating, clamming, crabbing, birding and other recreation. Oh, and for the cheese, of course.

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Steven Nehl/2006

North coast: Lewis and Clark history

The north coast in general is a good spot to delve into the history of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which spent a winter there at Fort Clatsop. For kids, the Oregon State Library recommends Rosalyn Schanzer's "How We Crossed the West"; Kathryn Lasky's "The Journal of Augustus Pelletier," part of the My Name Is America series; David Adler and Ronald Himler's "A Picture Book of Lewis and Clark"; and Gail Langer Karwoski's "Seaman: The Dog Who Explored the West With Lewis & Clark." For adults, Stephen Ambrose's 1996 narrative "Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the American West" remains the definitive book about the expedition.

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Jamie Hale | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Anywhere on the Oregon coast: 'Searoad,' 'Mink River,' 'The Mercy of the Tide'

For a true literary beach escape, seek out copies of Ursula K. Le Guin's short story collection "Searoad," Brian Doyle's "Mink River" or Keith Rosson's "The Mercy of the Tide." All are set in fictional Oregon coastal communities.

Oregons best getaways: The 10 best places to stay on the Oregon coast

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The Oregonian/2007

Oregon Coast Range: 'The River Why' by David James Duncan

David James Duncan's 1983 coming-of-age novel, "The River Why," set in the Oregon Coast Range, has flowed steadily from reader to reader for going on 35 years now. It's still possible to find the peace and perspective  and maybe even the steelhead  that Duncan's protagonist, teenage Gus, sought here. For example, the movie version was shot partly along the Wilson River, where you can find numerous campgrounds and trails (the Wilson River Trail runs 20.6 miles). And the entire area is a relatively short trip from Portland. John Daniel's 2017 coming-of-age novel "Gifted" is set farther south in the Coast Range, near Eugene.

Northwest Oregons overlooked Coast Range offers many recreation options

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Dana Tims/2016

Estacada: 'Ricochet River' by Robin Cody

"Ricochet River," Robin Cody's 1992 Oregon Book Award-winning novel, is now available in a handsome 25th anniversary edition from Portland State University's Ooligan Press. The author turned his hometown, Estacada, into the fictional Calamus for this coming-of-age tale of three teenagers feeling stifled by small-town convention in the 1950s. Today Estacada is a popular destination for rafting and paddling on the Clackamas River, camping, soaking in hot springs, and more. Its biggest community event, which plays a key role in the novel, is the annual Timber Festival on July Fourth.

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Steven Nehl/2005

Yamhill County: 'The Grail' by Brian Doyle

Which wines go best with summer? Oregonians are spoiled with an abundance of vineyards where they can pose this question. Spend a day or a weekend meandering through Yamhill County wine country, and bring along a copy of Brian Doyle's "The Grail," in which he describes a year "in pursuit of the best pinot noir wine in the whole wide world" at the Lange Estate Winery and Vineyards.

5 ways to discover wine country

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Beth Nakamura | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Salem: 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' by Ken Kesey

Ken Kesey is perhaps best known for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," his searing 1962 novel about a group of patients who undergo heavy-handed treatments for mental illness. The book is set in an unnamed Oregon psychiatric hospital; the Academy Award-winning 1975 film adaptation was shot at the Oregon State Hospital. Since 2012, the hospital has been home to the Oregon State Hospital Museum of Mental Health. Next to the museum is a memorial to more than 3,500 patients whose cremains languished unclaimed for decades at the hospital.

The best museum youve never heard of: Oregon State Hospital Museum of Mental Health

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Norm English/Silverton Mural Society

Silverton: 'Bobbie the Wonder Dog'

In the 1920s, a collie-shepherd mix named Bobbie became a national celebrity when he walked an estimated 2,500 miles home to Silverton from Indiana, where he'd gotten separated from his owners during a family vacation. He's remembered today in his hometown by a mural (pictured) and a pet parade every May. Learn more about him from Charles Alexander's "Bobbie: A Great Collie" and Tricia Brown's "Bobbie the Wonder Dog," then see the rest of Silverton's sights, including the Oregon Garden and Silver Falls State Park. If you're visiting Aug. 4-6, make time for the Homer Davenport Community Festival, named for the editorial cartoonist who grew up in Silverton. He wrote a memoir of those years, "The Country Boy: The Story of His Own Early Life."

20 reasons to love Silverton

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Betsy Hammond | The Oregonian

Eugene: 'Bowerman and the Men of Oregon' by Kenny Moore

During the summer, the University of Oregon campus is a green oasis off Interstate 5. Stroll around at your leisure, then read about a Duck legend in Kenny Moore's "Bowerman and the Men of Oregon." Off campus, there's plenty to do, too, from biking to hiking to a monthly ArtWalk to farmers markets to museums.

Free for all: Favorite no-cost activities in Eugene

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Jim Ryan | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Columbia River Gorge: 'The Bridge of the Gods' by Frederic Homer Balch

It's hard to resist the siren calls of the gorge and its waterfalls during the dry season, and it's entirely possible to spend days on end exploring the gorge, from Multnomah Falls to Cascade Locks to Hood River to The Dalles  and that's just on the Oregon side. Add historical context to your visit with Frederic Homer Balch's classic 19th-century novel "The Bridge of the Gods" and with Terry Toedtemeier and John Laursen's collection of early Columbia River photographs, "Wild Beauty." For yet another perspective, try Robin Cody's "Voyage of a Summer Sun," his Oregon Book Award-winning account of his Columbia River canoe trip.

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Michael Lloyd/2009

Hood River: 'Stubborn Twig' by Lauren Kessler

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the presidential order that forced Japanese Americans into prison camps during World War II. "Stubborn Twig: Three Generations in the Life of a Japanese American Family" tells the story of Hood River's Yasui family, whose son Minoru became a key player in the battle for Japanese American civil rights. The Yasuis were part of Hood River's community of Japanese American orchardists, some of whom are still represented on Hood River's famed Fruit Loop.

The Fruit Loop of Hood River

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T Charles Erickson/Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Ashland: Ellie Alexander's Bakeshop Mystery Series

If you're looking for something light as a souffle for summer reading, try Vancouver author Ellie Alexander's Bakeshop Mystery Series. Her heroine is a pastry chef who works and solves mysteries in a fictional bakery in Ashland. The town's nationally renowned attraction, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which gets cameos in the series, is in full swing through October, and it's far from the only thing happening in town.

Why the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is a really big deal

10 things to do around Ashland, aside from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival

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Jamie Hale | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Rogue River: 'Rogue River Journal' by John Daniel

In the fall of 2000, Oregon author John Daniel took a page from Henry David Thoreau's "Walden" and moved to a remote cabin along the Rogue River to live off the grid, alone, for the winter. The book that came out of that experience, "Rogue River Journal: A Winter Alone," blends natural history and memoir. Seventeen years later, it's still easy to get away from it all here.

Day hiking the spectacular Rogue River Trail

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Jamie Hale | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Southern Oregon: 'Honey in the Horn' by H.L. Davis

The only Oregon book to ever win a Pulitzer Prize for fiction is H.L. Davis' 1935 novel "Honey in the Horn," which opens in southern Oregon and eventually roams the state in a sweeping journey that's been likened to Huckleberry Finn's. "Many observers correctly cite 'Honey in the Horn' as the epitome of regional literature in the Pacific Northwest," Richard W. Etulain wrote when Oregon State University Press reissued the book in 2015 (Etulain wrote the foreword for the edition). (Pictured: The Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area near Reedsport.)

12 beautiful hikes on the southern Oregon coast

20 reasons to visit the southern Oregon coast this summer

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Oregonian file photo

Pendleton: 'Last Go Round' by Ken Kesey

Ken Kesey's last novel, "Last Go Round," written with his close friend Ken Babbs, is an homage to westerns and features a combination of historical and fictional figures gathered at the 1911 Pendleton Round-Up for the first World Championship Broncbusting competition. While critics rank "Last Go Round" among Kesey's lesser works, it just might put you in the mood to head east for the annual celebration of Oregon's cowboy and Native American heritage. This year's Pendleton Round-Up runs Sept. 13-16; pair it with a stop at the Museum at Tamastslikt Cultural Institute.

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Terry Richard/2012

Umatilla County/Northeast Oregon: Molly Gloss

Molly Gloss' Northeast Oregon novels "The Hearts of Horses" and "The Jump-Off Creek" are sure bets for older readers wanting a sense of the place. While you're in the area, hand the kids Darleen Bailey Beard's 2004 middle grade novel "Operation Clean Sweep," based on the true story of Umatilla's 1916 election, in which the town's dissatisfied women voted for seven of their own to replace all the men in office and then proceeded to clean up the place.

Best of Oregon's northeast corner, Wallowas to Hells Canyon

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The Wagon Encampment on a beautiful day. Photo taken by visitor Steve Johnson - thanks for sharing it with us Posted by National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center on Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Baker City: Catch up on your Oregon Trail reading

At the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker City, the wagon ruts left by Oregon Trail emigrants are still visible. It's as good a spot as any to catch up on your reading about the Oregon Trail. For kids, the Oregon State Library's recommendations include Deborah Hopkinson's "Apples to Oregon," Jean Van Leeuwen's "Bound for Oregon," Elvira Woodruff's "Dear Levi: Letters From the Overland Trail," Linda Crew's "A Heart for Any Fate: Westward to Oregon, 1845," and Jane Kurtz's "I'm Sorry, Almira Ann." For older readers, recommendations include Richard S. Wheeler's "The Fields of Eden" and David Dary's "The Oregon Trail: An American Saga." Try also two memoirs about traveling the Oregon Trail at very different points in time: Francis Parkman's "The Oregon Trail," published in 1847, and Rinker Buck's "The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey," published in 2015.

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Jamie Hale | The Oregonian

Southeast Oregon: 'Hole in the Sky' by William Kittredge

Southeast Oregon is the least populated corner of Oregon, and many of those who live there would like to keep it that way. In the early 20th century, William Kittredge's grandfather bought huge swaths of land in southeast Oregon with hopes of creating a family Eden. But the story of Eden didn't end so well, and neither does this one, as related by Kittredge in his memoir "Hole in the Sky."

Steens Mountain is the pinnacle and the gem of Southeast Oregon
Q: My dad, age 90, needs personal care and I am trying to get him to move out of his house to a senior residential place. He is in agreement, but it is taking a long time to make this happen. He owns his home free and clear and, along with the sale of his home, has enough financial assets to cover these costs.



The problem is my two sisters' husbands, who overspend and are in debt. These two guys continue to pressure my sisters to ask my dad for money for such things as their mortgages, expenses for their children and credit card debt. My sisters are not just starting out  they are in their 50s! Not only that, when I ask them for help with our dad, they flake out on me. I've told them that the financial assistance can't continue because Dad will need his money to pay for his care.



I feel that my sisters' and their husbands' behavior is senior financial abuse. I read that this situation happens a lot in families, where the kids will milk an elderly, wealthy, sympathetic parent or grandparent, sometimes draining their savings. Or one dysfunctional sibling with take financial advantage of a parent, while other siblings in the family struggle with making ends meet. In our family, both my sisters have children, so my dad feels a soft spot for helping them out. I am single, no children, and I am treated differently. I do struggle to make ends meet. My dad is sometimes even reluctant to reimburse me $20 for gas that I spend driving him around and doing shopping and errands.



I'm trying to remain on good terms with my sisters but it is getting tough. Is there any financial advice or references you can give in my situation?



A: You're right that most financial abuse of the elderly is committed by people close to the person, typically family, friends or caregivers. The toll isn't small, either. A survey by Allianz Life Insurance Company found that the average victim lost $30,000 and 1 in 10 lost more than $100,000.



Family members may not see what they're doing as abuse. They may think that they "deserve" the money or that it's some kind of advance on a future inheritance. They also know that Dad just can't say no and will continue to press him for money as long as they're allowed to do so.



You and your dad should consult an elder law attorney to discuss ways your dad can be protected against predators. You can get referrals from the National Assn. of Elder Law Attorneys at naela.org, and the attorney can discuss your options.



One obvious solution would be for Dad to hand over his checkbook to you, which would give you the unpleasant job of standing up to your brothers-in-law. You're certainly in a better position to do so than your elderly father, but he may not be willing to give up control or you may not want the job.



Another option is hiring third parties. Daily money managers provide personal finance and bookkeeping services to elderly clients. They can keep a watchful eye on transactions and spot signs of fraud. You can get referrals from the the American Assn. of Daily Money Managers at aadmm.com. Hiring a geriatric care manager also could be a good move. The manager could assess your father's health, living and financial situations and help craft a plan to help him move forward. Referrals are available from the Aging Life Care Assn. at aginglifecare.org.



Q: If and when we sell our house, the capital gain is likely to exceed the $500,000 exemption limit. I am carrying over a loss of about $100,000 from stock sales. Can I use this loss to offset the capital gain from the house?



A: Yes. Capital losses can be used to offset capital gains, including those from a home sale.

Liz Weston, certified financial planner, is a personal finance columnist for NerdWallet. Questions may be sent to her at 3940 Laurel Canyon, No. 238, Studio City, CA 91604, or by using the "Contact" form at asklizweston.com.
The Coast Guard rescued two fishermen from a sinking vessel early Saturday morning 52 miles off the coast of Coos Bay.

The captain of the vessel, a 40-foot fishing vessel called the New Faith, reported that his boat was taking on water from an unknown location in a 5:10 a.m. mayday call, the Coast Guard said in a news release. An aircrew was dispatched from the Sector North Bend Coast Guard station at 5:50 a.m. and arrived on scene at 6:23 a.m.

The aircrew lowered a rescue swimming to assist with communication and dewatering. A second aircrew from Air Facility Newport arrived on scene at 6:54 a.m.

Dewatering attempts were unsuccessful, and the fishermen were subsequently hoisted into the helicopters about an hour after the first aircrew arrived.

The vessel had less than 300 gallons of diesel and 1 ton of albacore tuna catch reported onboard. The Coast Guard confirmed that the vessel sank.

-The Oregonian/OregonLive
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump said Sunday that "it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia" after his lengthy meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Germany. But he is still avoiding the question of whether he accepts Putin's denial that Russia was responsible for meddling in the 2016 election.

Speaking in a series of early morning tweets after returning the night before from a world leaders' summit in Germany, Trump said that he "strongly pressed" Putin twice over Russian meddling during their lengthy meeting Friday.

Trump said that Putin "vehemently denied" the conclusions of American intelligence agencies that Russian hackers and propagandists tried to sway the election in Trump's favor. But Trump would not say whether he believed Putin, tweeting only that he's "already given my opinion."

Trump has said he believes that Russia probably hacked the emails of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton staffers, but that other countries were likely involved as well.

I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

...We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov first told reporters in Germany on Friday that Trump had accepted Putin's assurances that Russia hadn't meddled  an assertion Putin repeated Saturday after the Group of 20 summit. Putin said he left the meeting thinking that Trump believed his in-person denials following their lengthy discussion.

"He asked questions, I replied. It seemed to me that he was satisfied with the answers," Putin said.

U.S. officials have not pushed back on that account, even when pressed directly.

Speaking briefly with reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday evening, both Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster punted when given the chance to correct the record.

"You know, we're not going to make comments about what other people say," said Mnuchin. "President Trump will be happy to make statements himself about that."

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who participated in the Trump-meeting, had suggested Friday that the two sides had, in effect, agreed to disagree on the meddling question so that they could move forward to address other pressing issues, like the civil war in Syria.

Officials announced during the trip that the two sides had brokered a cease-fire in southern Syria that went into effect Sunday. Trump tweeted that the deal "will save lives."

Tillerson told reporters Sunday that, "In all candidness, we did not expect an answer other than the one we received" from Russia.

The two sides also agreed to create a cybersecurity task force to ensure that "election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded," Trump tweeted.

Trump also said that U.S. sanctions on Russia were not discussed during the meeting and that, "Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian & Syrian problems are solved!"
Hillary Borrud and Gordon R. Friedman

Oregon lawmakers adjourned Friday, and, with hundreds of bills and a roughly $21 billion budget passed, there are some happy campers and others not so pleased. Here's a sampling of those who won and lost:

WINNERS

>>Construction contractors: A $5.3 billion transportation plan passed in the session's last days will rev up the already-hot market for construction contractors, as road, bridge and transit projects secure funding for the next decade.

>>Women: Lawmakers passed bills that mandate women receive pay equal to men's, require insurers cover reproductive health services including abortion at no cost, and defer prison for some pregnant women.

>>Workers: New rules ensure blue-collar workers get proper overtime pay, and a first-in-the-nation law requires that low-wage workers get schedules two weeks in advance and don't have to work back-to-back opening and closing shifts.

>>Gov. Kate Brown: She set a low bar for herself this session, but came away having notched all three items on her essential priorities list: balance the budget, pass a transportation plan and shore up funding for Oregon's expanded Medicaid program.

>>Sen. Brian Boquist and Rep. Cliff Bentz: the Republicans from Dallas and Ontario had multiple wins in the new transportation plan, ensuring it benefits the entire state and caps drivers' tab for the state's low-carbon fuel mandate.

>>Children in the country illegally: Those 18 and younger will get Medicaid coverage under a bill that received bipartisan support.

>>College students: Last-minute budget additions limit tuition increases and preserve community college scholarships.

LOSERS

>>Housing advocates: A bill that would have allowed cities to establish rent controls and restrict how landlords can evict tenants died in the Senate after passing the House. Disappointed advocates say the conversation on rent control in Oregon isn't over.

>>Public employees: A cost-cutting bill eliminates double health plan coverage for public school workers and state employees. More significantly, they didn't get the corporate tax overhaul that would bolster education and other state spending in the coming two years and into the future.

>>Public pension fund: Lawmakers gave up on efforts to pay down the deficit in the state's public pension fund this session. Democrats and labor groups insisted they would only support pension changes if the Legislature passed a corporate tax increase, which Democrats conceded hit a dead-end a couple weeks ago.

>>Hospitals: The plan to rein in state spending also caps how much public employee health plans, normally the source of the most lucrative reimbursements, will pay for services at certain hospitals. Hospitals officials complained about the double hit, coming on top of the $550 million health care tax increase they supported to preserve Medicaid.

>>Environmentalists: While language to subsidize purchase of electric vehicles got into the transportation plan, environmentalists couldn't secure votes to fund programs to improve air quality, cut diesel engine emissions, establish a carbon cap and trade program or keep tax credits for residential solar installations.

-- Hillary Borrud

503-294-4034; @hborrud

-- Gordon R. Friedman

503-221-8209; @GordonRFriedman
Police are investigating a drive-by shooting in the 15500 block of Southeast Alder Street.

The gang enforcement team is responding to conduct an investigation, police said in a news release. Police located the three men believed to be the intended victims, none of whom were injured in the shooting.

At 4:21 p.m., officers arrived on the scene and learned that someone in a small white SUV fired multiple shots at the three men, who were in front of a house. Witnesses told the police that there were three men in the SUV, and then driver sped out of the area after the shooting.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the police non-emergency line or to email information to gangs@portlandoregon.gov.

-The Oregonian/OregonLive
By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI) Weeks after the Army rejected an indigenously-built assault rifle, the government has decided to speed up the procurement procedure for over 1.85 lakh high calibre guns to replace ageing INSAS rifles.

The Army has been pressing for fast tracking the supply of the 7.62x51 mm guns and particularly sought immediate procurement of at least 65,000 rifles to enhance its fire power in border areas and in counter-terror operations.

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Already nearly 20 gun manufacturers including a number of foreign entities have responded to the request for information (RFI) for the assault guns and steps are being taken to move the procurement process speedily, official sources said.

Last month, the Army had rejected the 7.62x51 mm guns built by the state-run Rifle Factory, Ichapore, citing poor quality and ineffective fire power.

The Army is badly in need of the assault rifles and the contract for the guns is likely to be finalised in the next few months.

Official sources said there were "excessive number of faults" in the guns manufactured by the rifle factory and "complete redesigning of the magazine" was needed to consider the guns to be used by the Army.

The Army last year had rejected another indigenously- built assault rifle called the 5.56 mm Excalibur guns as it did not meet the required standards.

In its RFI, the Army had specified effective range of the 7.62x51 mm guns at 500 metres, adding they should be as light as possible in weight.

It had also mentioned that the guns should be capable of "fitting and firing" under barrel grenade launcher manufactured by Ordnance Factory, Trichy. PTI MPB ZMN IKA

--- ENDS ---
One of our warmest summer memories on this job is that of the sun-dappled morning we spent seven late-Junes ago in Danvers, where a group of townsfolk gathered in the park pavilion to reminisce.

The reflective occasion: the 100th (or thereabouts) anniversary of the Danvers Town Band, Pantagraphland's longest running small-town (pop. 1,000-ish) community orchestra.

One of the orchestra's key eyewitnesses to that century club was then-86-year-old Leo Miller, who first took to the park's bandstand, clarinet in hand, at age 10.

Instrument still in hand 76 summers later, Leo and it were preparing to make sweet music together, just as they had every Sunday of every July of every decade since.

There was something distinctly and reassuringly Midwestern about the sight of the 86-year-old man occupying the same patch of hometown turf he had as a boy, preparing to do what the 10-year-old boy had done.

And, later, the young man ... the married man ... the family man ... the venerable man.

We're happy to report that the band plays on, inching its way well past the century marker to future points unknown.

Meaning: it's Danvers Town Band summer concert time again, a warm-weather rite whose exact date of origin has been lost to the mists of time beyond the one surviving photograph from the early days, dated 1905.

Courtesy of that photo, the claim in 2010 of carrying on "a 100-year-plus-tradition" was no idle boast.

Nor is the claim seven summers later of continuing a "110-year plus tradition."

That proud tradition returned to the park bandstand on Main Street (across from the fire station) last Sunday and is ready to keep the tradition going tonight, and every Sunday thereafter, through July 30.

(For the record, Leo Miller has retired from the band since that summer day in 2010, according to band president Andy Argo.)

Each concert starts promptly at 7 p.m., and is preceded at 5:30 p.m. by a VERY POPULAR (by unanimous consensus) ice cream social.

Oh, and if you'd like to join in on the musical fun in more than passive concertgoer fashion:

"The band welcomes players of all ages and ability levels from any community. Practices are held Monday nights in June and July, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Olympia North Elementary School in Danvers." Call Andy Argo at 309-265-5765 for more information.

The wright stuff: If you loved "Failure: A Love Story" in its puppetry-enhanced Illinois Shakespeare Festival rendering four summers ago, then you'll definitely want to meet the man who authored it: Chicago-based playwright Philip Dawkins.

We are being availed of that opportunity courtesy of Heartland Theatre Company's annual Mike Dobbins New Plays from the Heartland: 2017 Midwest One-Act Play Festival, which returns to the One Normal Plaza stage next weekend (July 13-16).

Dawkins kicks off the festival at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, leading the festival's annual open forum on the art of play-writing, with free admission.

Thereafter come the staged readings of the three winning plays, at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday.

There are: "Golden Land" by John Adams, Richmond Heights, Mo.; "All Sewed Up" by Marty Siegel of Bloomington; and "Annabelle's Last Stand" by Todd Wineburner of Pontiac.

Tickets for the readings are $5.

Raising the Bard: If the Illinois Shakespeare Festival leaves you craving more, not less, Will power, then has ISU's Milner Library got an experience for you.

No, make that "Shakespearience," as the free event, at 2 p.m. July 16 on the library's sixth floor, has been christened.

Featured will be interactive talks, hands-on demonstrations, live Renaissance music and a look at some of Milner's rare related items, including books from Shakespeares time from the Special Collections.

Thou swell indeed.

Add a dash of love ... here: A recent subject of this column, B-N kitchen magician extraordinaire Willie Holton Halbert, will be signing copies of her new "Cooking with Love" next weekend.

She'll be at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Bloomington from noon to 2 p.m. July 15, pen (if not spoon) in hand.
BLOOMINGTON  The daughter of an East Peoria woman planned and carried out the stabbing death of her biological mother, a co-defendant told police, admitting he witnessed the murder.

Those details were released Saturday by McLean County State's Attorney Jason Chambers, who said they were part of a probable cause statement provided to a judge. Chambers' statement did not include a possible motive.

Authorities continue to search for a third person allegedly involved in the homicide.

The daughter, Christine Roush, 22, of Washington, and the co-defendant, Matthew Isbell, 20, of Marquette Heights, were arrested Friday and both were charged with two counts of murder.

Roush is jailed in lieu of $400,035 and Isbell is jailed in lieu of $300,035, according to court documents.

Chambers said the victim, Teresa Ann Poehlman, 47, likely died of blood loss caused by the stabbing. Her body was found July 2 along North 725 East Road in Funks Grove.

Poehlman's body was found by two people walking on a trail about seven miles southwest of Bloomington.

Chambers' statement said Poehlman recently came to Bloomington to meet with Roush and was staying at a local motel. Roush initially acknowledged to police that she and Isbell were with Poehlman on July 1, but denied any involvement with her mother's death. She had not reported Poehlman missing, the statement said.

According to the probable cause statement, Isbell told police that Roush planned the murder and he watched her commit it in the Funks Grove area before the pair returned to Roush's Bloomington motel room.

Blood later was found in the passenger seat area of Isbell's truck, and police found bloody clothing in a bag carried by Roush when they interviewed her again.

Roush was arrested in McLean County in early June on drug charges and last appeared in court on June 23, according to online court documents. Tazewell County records include a traffic ticket for Isbell. Poehlman was released in January from Logan Correctional Center after serving a term for battery.

The arrests follow a nearly weeklong investigation by the sheriff's department's criminal investigations division, the state's attorney's office and the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services.
BLOOMINGTON  Bloomington Police Chief Brendan Heffner doesn't think a civilian police oversight board is necessary, but if the Bloomington City Council creates it he will respect that decision.

But he is against having convicted felons serve on the board.

The aldermen want Heffner to provide more information about how the police department currently handles citizen complaints about police and efforts to build better relationships between the community and the department, said Renner.

"He has reviewed both these topics before in public," said Renner. "I thought we were bringing this up for a vote, but now we have an aldermanic request to have the police chief talk again. Clearly, something is awry so I suggested we just we do the aldermanic comments and talk about it for the billionth time and see where we are."

Heffner will speak at a special meeting at 5:15 p.m. Monday, prior to the council's regular voting session at 7 p.m at City Hall.

I am against felons serving on this board, first and foremost because no one from law enforcement can serve on this board, Heffner said in a recent interview with The Pantagraph.

If you're going to have a board, you want the board to be impartial. How can you have someone who has a felony conviction be on the board and not have the perception, from an officer's viewpoint, that that person is not biased when you won't accept someone from law enforcement?

Heffner said he's all for giving people second chances and that he personally knows convicted felons who have turned their lives around.

"There are boards for those people to be on, but this is not one of them due to the fact that they've probably not had a good experience with law enforcement and the criminal justice system," said Heffner. "There is a possibility of them being biased, which is the same reason that law enforcement is not permitted to be on the board.

"My only compromise is: If you want felons to be on the board, then let somebody from law enforcement be on the board." Heffner added.

Barbara Findley Stuart disagrees.

"Many successful model justice programs require an ex-offender on policy boards for their insight and dedication," she said in an email.

Stuart is the founder of the Minority Advocacy Council and its subcommittee, Minority Complaints about Police.

"One longtime member was an ex-offender and he was very valuable in our work," she said. "It is my experience that ex-offenders who have reformed are more likely than most to care deeply about issues of justice."

The police have their own processes for "self-policing" but these are not always very effective, "owing to the very strong fraternal sense found in most police forces," Stuart added. "Board membership would further skew power in the direction of the police."

"Therefore, an outside agency is needed, and an ex-offender who meets the complaint board requirements of reliability and respectability would be as good as any other such member," she added. "It is just as possible to have an offender who is well-respected as it is to have a police officer with criminal tendencies."

Heffner is equally insistent about his officers being treated fairly if a civilian review board is created.

"The officers deserve to have a board that is made up of people who are fair and impartial," said Heffner. "That gives them confidence in it. We know that the majority of time we do the job right, and that's what we feel is going to come out of it when they do have complaints."

Normal is not considering creating a civilian board to oversee its police department, said Mayor Chris Koos.

An alliance of community organizations is urging Bloomington to create the board. They include: the ACLU of Central Illinois; Black Lives Matter Bloomington-Normal; Bloomington-Normal Branch of the NAACP; Not in Our Town Bloomington-Normal; YWCA McLean County; Central Illinois Pride Health Center; Prairie Pride Coalition; Illinois People's Action; and the McLean County League of Women voters.

During the council's June 19 committee-of-the-whole meeting, community activist Sonny Garcia asked city officials to ease the criminal history restrictions for eligibility to serve on the board. Garcia left the race for a Bloomington City Council seat in February because a 2001 felony conviction for driving while his license was revoked left him ineligible.

Six of the nine aldermen indicated at the time that they would favor allowing people to serve if their felony convictions were more than seven years old, or for non-violent crimes.

Renner said last week that he was not certain that is still the consensus of the council.

"At the end of the day, I don't know how this going to shape out," said Renner. "Not just me, but whoever is mayor has to try to make sure the people appointed are unbiased and a representative group, and then the council can approve or not approve whoever might be sent forward."
Although it might be hard to imagine today, the Twin Cities once boasted an expansive network of electric-powered streetcars. At its height, there were eight lines in the system, linking not only downtown Bloomington with uptown Normal, but also outlying neighborhoods in both communities.

Perhaps the most neighborly line was known as the Normal loop. This streetcar line operated for the first three decades of the 20th century, and its history is closely linked with that of the developing neighborhoods it ran through  the mostly residential area north of Illinois State University and uptown Normal and bounded, roughly speaking, by Linden Street to the east, Lincoln to the north and School to the west.

Many have built homes in this part of town because they had streetcar connection with Bloomington, noted The Pantagraph in 1922. Those who lived and worked at the Illinois Soldiers Orphans Home (later known as the Illinois Soldiers and Sailors Childrens School, or ISSCS), also depended on the line, as did its many visitors.

Streetcar service in Bloomington-Normal dates to 1867. The first trolley cars were pulled by horses, and the system was electrified in 1890. Uptown Normal and downtown Bloomington were connected from the very beginning, with expansion into neighborhoods coming later.

Normal residents buying or building homes north of the university campus began clamoring for a streetcar line in the 1890s. The lack of streetcar service, they argued, hindered the neighborhoods growth and furthered its sense of isolation, perched as it was on what was then the northern reaches of the Twin Cities.

By early 1902, the Bloomington & Normal Railway Co. had selected a route to serve the north Normal residential area and began laying track, erecting poles and stringing trolley wire. After delays due heavy rains and washouts, regular service on the Normal loop began June 28, 1902.

From uptown Normal, the line ran east on North and Beaufort streets, north on Linden, west on Lincoln, south on School and then west on Willow. From Willow Street, the loop line turned south onto Normal Avenue (this stretch now includes the Bone Student Center parking lot and its plaza, as Normal Avenue no longer runs south of Locust Street). From Normal Avenue, the streetcar turned east onto Mulberry Street (College Avenue today) and finally back south onto School and North streets, thus completing the rectangular-shaped loop.

Two days after the line opened, the north Normal neighborhood held a loop jubilee at the residence of Henry W. Funk, 610 N. School St. The festivities included music by the Soldiers Orphans Home Band.

This was the golden era of streetcars. Not long after the opening of the Normal loop, the Bloomington & Normal Railway Co. completed two more residential extensions. One line ran down Clay Street (now Oakland Avenue) from Gridley east to Vale. The other line, this one in Normal, followed Fell Avenue from Division Street north to Vernon Avenue.

By late spring 1909, cars on the Normal loop ran every 20 minutes, from 5:40 a.m. to 11:40 p.m. Periodically, adjustments were made to the schedule. In the spring of 1912, for instance, the days last trip was extended to 11:50 p.m. in order to better accommodate late-night revelers returning from downtown Bloomington.

The Normal loop had a reputation as a leisurely, leafy and altogether pleasant line, far from the hustle and bustle of several routes running to and from downtown Bloomington. And no one was more closely associated with the lines reputation for friendliness than motorman Myron Dad Parmale.

By the summer of 1919, Parmale had put in 14 years grinding round and round the loop, working as a conductor and then motorman. During that time, he witnessed plenty of changes from his unique vantage point, from the streetcars themselves to new attractive and tidy homes popping up along the line. The first car he operated on the loop was a little, open-end, jumpity-jump, related The Pantagraph. About the only redeeming feature this car possessed was the ability to run like a scared deer.

Dad is of a very obliging disposition, remarked one observer. If he had a dollar for every time he has waited until he was behind time for passengers to reach his car, and then pounded her over the back to get back on schedule time, he could well afford to take an extended vacation.

Parmale, one might have said, served as the unofficial mayor of north Normal. Strangers on the loop car inquiring where certain people live in Normal or vicinity, are usually referred by the conductor to Dad, added The Pantagraph. Ask Dad, they are told. If he doesnt know, nobody else does.

By the late 1920s, the rapid increase in automobile ownership, both locally and nationally, foretold grim days ahead for streetcars. Certainly, clear-eyed observers could see the end of the line for the Normal loop. Practically every home on the loop built in recent years has been accompanied by a garage that went up at the same time, noted The Pantagraph in 1928. For many people the streetcar is used only in weather when it is practically impossible to use a private car (unpaved driveways and residential streets were still common).

From the streetcar companys perspective, the steady erosion of ridership meant the loop was no longer a paying line. Of course, at this same time, mainline railroads such as the Chicago and Alton and the Illinois Central also struggled mightily with declining ridership, and in the late 1920s both discontinued trains running between Chicago and St. Louis.

During the summer of 1930, Illinois Power and Light Corp., then the owner of the Bloomington-Normal streetcar system, began conferring with Normal Mayor W.A. Newhauser, members of the city council and the Normal Chamber of Commerce about ending such service in north Normal.

On March 7, 1931, the Illinois Commerce Commission signed off on the discontinuation of the Normal loop (and the Fell Avenue line as well). E.O. Brown, Bloomington division manager for Illinois Power, then ordered three new 25-passenger buses from a Detroit manufacturer, and replacement service on these routes  now courtesy of the internal combustion engine  took effect sometime in early April 1931.

It was another five years before the last trolley cars plied Twin City streets, with the few surviving lines closing for good in December 1936.

Mind you, not all passengers on the Normal loop were of the human variety. In mid-August 1911, The Pantagraph reported that Rags, a free-ranging canine of dubious pedigree known for hitching rides on local streetcars, had spent the better part of a day on the loop. Rags was stationed behind the motorman on the front end and took great delight in barking at the other dogs along the way, it was said.
CHICAGO (AP)  Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner lost an unprecedented battle with the "Springfield insiders" he once campaigned to dethrone when lawmakers approved a budget deal and $5 billion tax hike over his objections, and without the pro-business reforms the Republican promised for years.

Now the question is whether the outcome of the more than two-year budget impasse will help or hurt the wealthy former businessman when he asks voters for a second term in 2018.

Rauner, who last year deposited $50 million into his political fund, already was facing a particularly difficult re-election in a place where voters typically elect Democrats to statewide office. A growing list of Democratic contenders with access to equally massive campaign accounts have lined up to oppose him, and Democrats and other liberal groups nationally are spending money and calling him one of the country's most vulnerable incumbent GOP governors.

"It's hard to really point to a lot of strong accomplishments," said Christopher Mooney, director of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois. "Is it enough to say, 'I worked hard for you. I couldn't get it done, but keep me and I'll keep working at it?' Or does he look like an ineffectual bumbler that's driven the state into the toilet?"

But some experts say the scenario that played out when lawmakers overrode his vetoes of the tax hike and spending plan could be a political gift for Rauner, who gets to take advantage of about $5 billion in new state revenue without having supported it.

Next week he's expected to hold campaign-style events where he'll portray himself as the defender of taxpayers and point blame for the stalemate and new tax hike at his chief political rival, longtime House Speaker Michael Madigan, who leads the Democratic Party of Illinois. Rauner also will have millions to do the same on television, and to link his rival to Madigan in campaign ads.

"Mike Madigan is going to own the tax increase and it's very difficult to win elections when your main accomplishment is you raised income taxes," said Pat Brady, the former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party.

Rauner said throughout the impasse that he wouldn't support an income tax increase to help balance the budget unless he got some changes to improve Illinois' business climate and give other relief to taxpayers, such as a property tax freeze and reduced workers' compensation insurance costs. Democrats resisted, saying his agenda items would hurt working people and that a property tax freeze would hurt school districts that rely on that revenue.

With the two sides unable to agree on a budget, the state continued to spend billions more than it was taking in, due to court orders and state law mandating some payments.

Illinois racked up about $15 billion in unpaid bills, college students left the state because of cuts to higher education and social service agencies were forced to cut programs and staff or close entirely. Illinois also saw its credit rating downgraded multiple times, and ratings agencies warned as the state entered its third fiscal year on July 1 without a budget that Illinois could be the first U.S. state to be lowered to "junk" status.

The mounting pressure prompted 15 Republicans in the House and one in the Senate to break ranks and vote with Democrats for a $36 billion spending plan that relies on a permanent income tax increase. Rauner vetoed the plan, but enough Republicans remained "yes" votes to help Democrats complete an override.

Among the more than half a dozen Democrats vying to challenger Rauner are billionaire businessman J.B. Pritzker, one of the country's wealthiest men, and Chris Kennedy, the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy.

On Friday, Pritzker's campaign began automated phone calls to voters, which accuse Rauner of holding the state hostage for 736 days, causing "devastation" for Illinois families.

"It's time Bruce Rauner was held accountable for the damage he's inflicted on the people of Illinois," says a woman in Pritzker's recorded call who identifies herself as part of his campaign.

Phillip Beverly, a political science professor at Chicago State University, said many voters will do just that.

"As the chief executive, he is that sort of single face of the state," Beverly said. "He's going to be viewed as the decision maker for the state and he was unwilling to compromise on his turnaround agenda."

___

Follow Sophia Tareen on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sophiatareen and Sara Burnett at https://twitter.com/sara_burnett.
Following a tweet last week by President Trump about the epidemic of crime and killing in Chicago, White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, "I think that the problem there is that it's a crime problem. I think crime is probably driven by morality more than anything else."

She's right, in a way.

It is, in fact, the lack of principles about right and wrong that has led to the grim state of the South Side of Chicago.

For instance, what is moral about a police department that has disproportionately targeted people of color for stops and mistreated them with impunity? It was, frankly, surprising when three longtime Chicago officers were actually charged with state felony counts of conspiracy, official misconduct and obstruction of justice in connection with the death of Laquan McDonald, a black teenager who was shot to death in 2014.

And in a part of town where good jobs are scarce, what was moral about Mondelez International, the makers of Nabisco products, moving a portion of its Oreo cookie-making operations from the South Side of Chicago to Salinas, Mexico, dismissing about 300 or so workers after they refused to take a 60 percent reduction in wages and benefits?

For that matter, what is moral about the state of Illinois beginning its third consecutive fiscal year without a budget? The impasse resulted in cuts to education programs, social safety-net services for the sick and elderly, and programs designed to curb violence.

As the trade publication Nonprofit Quarterly put it, "There's some irony in the notion that while President Trump rails against the purported carnage in Chicago's streets, the state has not been able to fund several successful anti-violence programs, including Operation Cease Fire and Redeploy Illinois. Of Operation Cease Fire, which was 'featured in a documentary that brought national attention to Chicago's violence,' NBC Chicago recently noted that it 'deployed former gang members and felons to intervene in feuds in hopes of preventing shootings and murders. Supporters of the program say cutting it contributed to an increase in violence in Chicago, which saw more than 700 murders last year.' For lack of a budget, the killings continue to grow."

To those who live at a distant remove from communities that are ravaged by violence, it's easy to look at crime statistics and come to the conclusion that if the people there had a decent moral compass, they would respect each other, thereby ending the bloodshed.

They can't begin to imagine not being able to find a job  or living in a place without reliable public transportation to get to a job  or affordable child care. People whose basic living needs are met because they actually have a safe place to sleep and a nearby grocery store that stocks fresh fruit, vegetables and meat cannot understand that there are others living in blighted neighborhoods where black dust regularly blows in through the windows from large piles of petroleum coke sitting at nearby storage facilities.

"When you're asking if our young black boys who shoot each other down in the streets are moral, well no," said Phillip Jackson, the founder and executive director of The Black Star Project, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that strives to improve the quality of life in black and Latino communities by closing racial academic achievement gaps. "They're not moral. But what about a country that creates the conditions that allow these black boys to shoot themselves in the streets? That's even more immoral."

Jackson told me that it is not only unfair but morally wrong that whole tracts of Chicago have been left for dead and yet some still blame the victims of years of poor urban planning and economic disinvestment for their living conditions.

"Just look at how our largest provider of mental health services is Cook County jail," Jackson said, referring to the facility that has been described as "America's largest mental hospital." "How is it moral that the way you get the best mental health services in Cook County is by going to jail? What kind of country are we when we send sick people to jail?"

I'd say, the kind of country in which it's easier for leaders to denounce a community's virtue than to take the time to understand how it got so broken.
Phoolka said he has asked the party to elect another Leader of Opposition as he not in a position to shoulder the responsibility following Delhi Bar Council's decision not to allow him to contest the 1984, anti-Sikh riots case.

By Manjeet Sehgal: Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader H S Phoolka today announced he will quit as Punjab Leader of Opposition soon.

Confirming his announcement on phone from New Delhi to India Today, Phoolka said he has asked the party to elect another Leader of Opposition as he not in a position to shoulder the responsibility following Delhi Bar Council's decision not to allow him to contest the 1984, anti-Sikh riots case.

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"I have asked the party to chose another member as I want to resign. Bar Council will only allow me to fight the case when I give up the office of profit. I will submit my resignation soon," H S Phoolka told India Today.

Sources close to the party said names of AAP leaders like Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Kanwar Sandhu and Aman Arora are doing rounds after Phoolka's decision to quit as Leader of Opposition.

ALSO READ:

Phoolka quits AAP posts to focus on anti-Sikh riot cases

Punjab: Poll drubbing sparks dissidence within AAP

--- ENDS ---
As policymakers, we spend a lot of time tracking the jobs numbers in Washington, but for many companies and those searching for employment, its about workforce training.

In America today, there are six million job openings that companies are struggling to fill because our workforce training programs have not kept up with the skills required for in-demand jobs.

If we are going to continue to attract companies like ADM in Decatur and new startups like Rivian Automotive in Normal, we need to continue to grow our workforce. I believe this begins with a renewed focus of on-the-job training and career and technical education.

With this is mind, community colleges like Heartland Community College in Normal and Richland Community College in Decatur play an important role in career and technical education.

Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to pass the Strengthening Career and Technical Education (CTE) for the 21st Century Act. This bill reforms CTE to create a deeper connection between training and jobs that are in demand, simplify the funding process, and protect taxpayer investments by establishing performance standards. This will help students looking to enroll in hands-on courses in fields such as agriculture, technology, and consumer sciences.

In addition to career and technical training at community colleges, I believe we need to grow our nations apprenticeships. Roughly five percent of the U.S. uses apprenticeships to receive training, compared to nearly 60 percent in Germany, and U.S. apprenticeships remain largely based in trades. The top five apprenticeships in the U.S. are electricians; plumbers and pipefitters; carpenters; and construction laborers.

We need to expand apprenticeship opportunities not just within the trades, but in other areas of our economy like tech and manufacturing.

I recently visited Aon, an insurance brokerage company in Illinois using apprenticeships to train high school graduates in account management, client support, financial analysis, and other areas. Aon hires 25 apprentices each year who work full time and also attend classes at a local community college.

By the end, apprentices have gained valuable work experience, an associates degree, and are offered a full-time job. We should help more companies offer this kind of valuable workforce training that can be mutually beneficial to the worker as well as the company.

To encourage more companies to utilize apprenticeship programs, I introduced the LEAP Act with Rep. Dan Lipinksi, D-Ill., to extend a federal tax credit for hiring new apprentices. Additionally, the White House announced last month that it will overhaul our nations apprenticeship programs at the Department of Labor. One of the issues I hear from businesses in the 13th District is that it is difficult to register apprenticeship programs with the labor department. The administration has announced reform that will allow businesses to better design, certify, and scale apprenticeship programs.

The economy is moving in the right direction  lets continue this positive growth by working to address the needs of our workforce. As I have said, success does not always require a four-year degree. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress and the White House to ensure opportunities are available to all those working toward the American Dream.
On Friday Patently Apple posted a report titled "Apple States that Recent Comments made by Imagination Technologies are Inaccurate and Misleading." Today we learn that Apple has raised the stakes in its bitter stand-off with Imagination Technologies by opening an office on the British microchip company's doorstep.

Apple has planted its flag by renting a 22,500 square-foot office in St Albans, a stone's throw from Imagination's headquarters. It plans to use the office to develop its own graphics technology as it ditches Imagination, leading to fears that it will poach the British company's most talented staff.

The development is set to heighten tensions between the companies, exacerbating fears that Apple is seeking a quasi-takeover of its supplier by hiring its employees and weakening the company's hand as the two tussle over Apple's plans to ditch the company.

Apple has hired a string of Imagination employees in recent months including its former chief operating officer John Metcalfe, who have been placed staff at the iPhone giant's main UK office in London or in California. More than a dozen further job postings on Apple's website for experts in graphics hardware now advertise for roles in South Hertfordshire.

Imagination's technology forms the basis of the graphics chip that feature in every iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch but Apple is seeking to design its own as it takes greater control over the components in its devices.

Powerful graphics units are central to fast-growing technologies like virtual and augmented reality and artificial intelligence. For more on this, read the full Telegraph report here.

About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus.
Country Managers Make Post-Sanctions Iran Work

07/08/17

By Esfandyar Batmanghelidj (source: LobeLog)



CEO of Total, Patrick Pouyanne





On July 3, Patrick Pouyanne, the imposing, former rugby-playing CEO of Total, arrived in Tehran to sign a landmark $5 billion contract to develop Phase 11 of Iran's South Pars gas field in cooperation with the China National Petroleum Corporation and Petropars, an Iranian firm. The deal was a sign of Pouyanne's ambition and resolve in the face of the Trump administration's rhetoric towards Iran.

But the credit for the deal should not go to Pouyanne. Behind every CEO who travels to Iran to sign a deal, there is a "country manager" who paved the way. In the case of Total, it is Eric Festa, whose formal title is managing director for Iran. Erik is one of a small but growing brigade of country managers who are on the front lines of Iran's post-sanctions economy.

These country managers are tasked to conduct business in a market, which multinationals euphemistically classify as a "growth market" or "development market." The country managers typically assigned to Iran have experience operating within other similarly complex markets. Most country managers do not have Persian language skills, though some companies have assigned diaspora Iranians to the role. Country managers are chosen for their understanding of the need to balance relationship-based business with strict attention to issues of risk management and compliance. They also tend to have something of a taste for adventure and a willingness to adapt to a new business culture. Some have relocated to Tehran, but most travel in and out of the country every few weeks.

"Country manager" is a grab-bag term. As a rule of thumb, the formal job title of the country manager reflects the stage of the multinational corporation's investment in Iran. At the earliest exploratory stage, the individual could merely be a head of a project office. As the commitment to the market grows, the job gains more authority, and "country manager" becomes the more common title. As the business moves to a rollout phase, the title is commonly elevated to a corporate vice president role where the individual is also the director of the Iran business unit. For the multinationals with the most advanced investments, such as a dedicated subsidiary or joint venture, a CEO or managing director with significant autonomy and authority often leads the Iran business, overseeing a staff in the hundreds.

The Western policy community has devoted significant time and resources seeking to locate influence within Iran's political structure, often using its byzantine nature as an excuse to declare, for reasons of expediency rather than clear evidence, that a certain individual or office is the most powerful. Yet, far less attention has been given to the organizational structures that govern the flow and operation of post-sanctions international capital into Iran.

A Useful Bureaucracy

Country managers are the critical actors behind post-sanctions investment in Iran, but they remain essentially invisible in the structure and organization of that trade. It is telling that there exist more flowcharts explaining political decision-making in Iran than commercial decision-making.

The consequence of this blind spot is an inherent distortion in the way power and influence in Iran are understood. This distortion is particularly acute given the status of economic development as the fundamental political priority across Iran's political spectrum. This economic development hinges on the success of country managers in balancing the commercial directives of their companies with the political and practical needs of Iran's industries. At the moment, most analyses of Iran's post-sanctions political economy presuppose that Iranian power brokers such as members of the Revolutionary Guard are unilaterally setting the terms for commercial activity. But in reality, the process of post-sanctions trade and investment is an ongoing negotiation in which country managers have meaningful leverage: the ability to withhold much-needed foreign investment.

On this basis, a full assessment of power and influence in Iran today must account for the role of the country manager. Max Weber, when he long ago posited the concept of the bureaucracy, dispelled the idea that state administration and industrial administration were distinct. Not only are the administrative methods of the state and industry effectively the same-reflected both in the technocratic tendencies of Iran's political class and in the emergence of multinational corporations as so-called "private empires"-but the execution of large-scale trade and investment also requires the functioning of a single overarching bureaucracy involving governmental and corporate actors from both the domestic and foreign spheres. Country managers, who serve as the administrative link between these two spheres, are the central bureaucrats of post-sanctions trade and investment in Iran.

The bureaucratic nature of trade and investment, which favors rational, technical, governable, and stable decision-making, also makes the attendant processes inherently vulnerable. Although country managers may be quite influential in Iran, none would ever boast about their power or influence. Like most bureaucrats, they feel beholden to systems much greater than themselves. Iran ranks low in ease-of-doing-business, and by no means are its domestic state or industrial bureaucracies efficient. Iran's post-sanctions reintegration with international systems for enterprise and finance has proven difficult, and country managers experience these myriad challenges firsthand.

Strengthening the Bureaucracy

To improve the expected outcomes associated with the new influx of trade and investment in Iran, the policy community that supports constructive engagement must do more to empower country managers by addressing vulnerabilities in the bureaucratic structure in which they operate. Interventions are needed on a few fronts.

Continuing to borrow from Weber, a bureaucracy depends greatly on its legitimacy. Country managers struggle to position themselves as effective negotiators because they have a difficult time signaling that their leverage within the given commercial negotiations matters. This leverage centers on the notion that country managers can withhold the investment of their multinational companies if terms are not attractive. However, so long as a narrative persists that other political forces may prevent that investment anyway, the country manager has little to no leverage. It is not the case, as some suggest, that political uncertainty is making Iranians desperate to strike deals. Iranians see little reason to engage in reforms and offer more favorable terms when the payoff is not certain. This fact explains why European governments have devoted so much effort to tightening the coordination between government and commercial actors in regards to Iran. The creation of a credible political commitment has been fundamental to the strengthening of the negotiating power of the country managers. Importantly, in this regard, European ambassadors serve as a kind of political partner to the country managers in Iran.

However, the effort to legitimize trade and investment in Iran has its limitations. The permissibility of trade and investment in Iran is no longer primarily a question of legitimacy. Although the legal basis for post-sanctions trade provides a rational, legal authority for those who wish to pursue that business, there remains a "fear factor" associated with Iran that is sometimes inherently irrational. Policymakers have been hesitant to engage concerns around the perceived moral dubiousness or danger of engaging commercially with Iran, perhaps because they see these matters as reflective of a fraught emotional politics. But there needs to be a greater understanding that these emotional issues have a direct bearing on the ability of Iran trade and investment to become more fully bureaucratic, and thereby more fully constructive. Unless steps are taken to provide assurances on the permissibility of trade and investment beyond the basic question of legality, the fuller picture of legitimacy will never be addressed, and therefore bureaucratic actors such as country managers will always remain hamstrung, unable to fully articulate the legitimacy of a proposed engagement to key stakeholders. They will constantly struggle to relay their on-the-ground knowledge of Iran to decision-makers whose impressions are shaped by threatening headlines.

The country manager must also be empowered with a rational commercial framework in which to operate. The rules that govern trade and investment in Iran remain relatively disorganized. Lingering issues around international sanctions and Iranian regulatory frameworks alike mean that companies need to continually evaluate the rules of engagement. As such, country managers who play roughly the same role within the companies across national affiliations and across industrial sectors find themselves spending inordinate amounts of time simply clarifying the rules for their own specific commercial activities.

The most significant example can be seen when multinational corporations seek a specific license for their Iran business activities, principally from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control. With this licensing policy, the U.S. political establishment is using its tools of administration to exercise jurisdiction over the bureaucratic function of European trade and investment. One bureaucracy is undermining another for the ostensible purpose of protecting security interests. But in forcing Iran trade to be less bureaucratic, less regular, and less basically normal, the policy is counterproductive.

Although general licenses are meant to set non-specific, system-wide rules about the administration and operation of business in Iran, persistent ambiguities prevent the creation of a standard practice that establishes such rules. Add to this the reputational issues around engaging with Iran and the rationale for business in Iran remains a very personal decision, dependent on the resolve and risk appetite of the country managers and their superiors. On the Iranian side, a similar personal dynamic exists. The acceptability of a commercial arrangement is based to a large extent on the strictness with which key stakeholders, such as Iranian ministers or commercial partners, apply formal regulations (such as protectionist laws) and uncodified expectations (such as political resistance).

Defining Best Practices

To address both jurisdictional interference and the personal contingency of trade and investment, European governments and industrial companies must develop a more rigorous set of standard practices that establish the rational rules for engaging with Iran. To do so, far greater effort must be spent on policy research to devise and implement best practices for Iran. Just as few studies have been made to locate domestic and foreign commercial actors within Iranian power structures, little research is being conducted to examine issues of industrial policy, economic planning, and management practices within the Iranian context. Relatively few events and forums bring country managers into dialogue with experts who can help define best practices.

The existence of best-practice rules and guidelines will also improve the bureaucratic operation of trade and investment in Iran by making individual country managers more dispensable. At the moment, the entrepreneurial nature of the role means that when country managers leave their post, the learning curve for their successor is especially steep. This "key person risk" prevents the smooth functioning of trade and investment. Iran will struggle to see adequate trade and investment if deals rely too much on the quality of the individual country manager or the administrative wherewithal of the particular company. Although Total may have been the first international oil company to sign a post-sanctions contract precisely because of the company's unique strengths, the success of post-sanctions investment depends on the emergence of durable, sector-wide competencies.

Over all, the ability for country managers to facilitate economic development in Iran that is both great in magnitude and constructive in impact will depend on the ability for trade and investment in Iran to operate along more regularized and bureaucratic lines. To do so, policymakers must recognize the central role played by country managers in the legitimization and rationalization of commercial engagements with Iran. It is easy to take bureaucracy for granted. But in the delicate effort to improve the political and economic administration of Iran's post-sanctions trade and investment, success must be systemic.




Conservative MPs Pressure Culture Ministry to Ban Films Portraying "Realistic Picture" of Modern Iranian Life

07/08/17

Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran

Director Ali Ahmadzadeh's film "Atomic Heart," about the lives of young, modern Iranians, including Christians, could be removed from cinemas in Iran just weeks after a three-year ban on the movie was lifted.



"Atomic Heart" (2014), directed by Ali Ahmadzadeh

watch the trailer



"Although it was made in 2014, the film only recently received a screening permit," Ahmadzadeh told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) in a recent interview. "Now there are threats to ban it again."

"I tried to present a more realistic picture of Iranian girls and boys in a way that had not been done before in Iranian cinema," he added. "But there are angry people and officials out there who, instead of standing up for the film for its realistic and lively portrayal, are criticizing it."

On July 6, 2017, a group of conservative members of Iran's Parliament wrote an open letter to the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry calling for a ban on "Atomic Heart" as well as "Oxidan," a comedy by director Hamed Mojhammadi about a man who impersonates a Catholic priest to get a visa to the UK.

The letter said: "Given that the Holy Quran respects all religions and prophets of the book, and considering that supreme leader [Ali Khamenei's] command to maintain national unity and mutual respect among monotheists in the struggle against [the US] and international Zionism, we expect the ministry will stop these two films from being distributed in order to prevent insults against holy religions and avoid discord among the great Iranian people."



A scene from "Atomic Heart" (2014)



Other critics have claimed that some of the film's characters display homosexual tendencies and that it undermines Iran's right to nuclear technology.

"Even though it has been revised several times, 'Atomic Heart's' achilles heel is still the homosexual themes surrounding the film's main characters and challenging Islamic Iran's firm stand on the right to have a nuclear industry," said a review by Cinema Press, a website belonging to the conservative Islamic Society of Artists on June 11, 2017.

"Atomic Heart" was also attacked by the International Quran News Agency on June 16 for allegedly "undermining Iran's legitimate nuclear rights and making fun of our popular Islamic diplomacy."

Iranian-Armenians have also criticized the movie; one objection regards a scene wherein a policeman stops a car for suspected drunk driving. The driver, played by famous Iranian actress Taraneh Alidousti, defends herself for having had alcohol by saying, "I'm Christian."

In a scathing review of the film, Iranian-Armenian actor Siamanto Barseghians wrote: "Taraneh Alidousti plays a role that shows Armenian girls as drunken creatures who take advantage of their Christian faith in an Islamic society. In other words, it represents the Christian community as a bunch of louts."

While Muslims are not legally allowed to consume alcohol in the Islamic Republic, the private consumption of alcohol by Christians is allowed.

Iran's small Christian community is primarily made up of ethnic Armenians and Assyrians.

While Iranian Muslim conservatives have reacted strongly to the films' use of Christian characters and themes, Christian institutions in Iran have not shown any reaction.

Nevertheless, Mohabat News, an Iranian Christian website, reported on June 2 that "Atomic Heart" and "Oxidan" were met with "a lot of criticism among Armenians and Christians in general for how they were negatively represented."

In the interview with CHRI, Ahmadzadeh insisted that critics who think Christians were belittled in "Atomic Heart" are wrong.

"In fact, the Christian girl is the best character in the film," the director said. "I don't understand why there should be objections to her drinking wine in the film. Why should we oppose everything that's real?"

To date, the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry, which operates under President Hassan Rouhani, has not taken any action against the film. It has, however, banned other films in the past when faced with a wave of criticism from religious conservatives.

"The ministry has not said anything yet, but the film could be banned at any moment" Ahmadzadeh told CHRI. "I'm 30-years old and I have made three films in the past 10 years and all three have received angry reactions."

His earlier film, "Kami's Party," was banned in Iran because the authorities said the female characters did not wear proper hijabs. The film nevertheless made its way to international film festivals.

In January 2017, less than three months into his new post as culture and Islamic guidance minister, Reza Salehi Amiri boasted about banning ten films from entering the Tehran Fajr International Film Festival, "in line with the policies of the supreme leader."

"For the first time, we cut out films with feminist and inappropriate themes and supported 30 films made by young directors about the sacred defense [Iran-Iraq War]," he said during a meeting with Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, a senior Qom-based theologian.

Some Iranian directors who have had their films banned responded angrily to being subjected to extreme censorship.

"I will no longer make any films showing women wearing headscarves in a private space or in front of strangers," said veteran Iranian director Kianoush Ayari on January 8, 2017, after he learned that his latest film, "Canopy," was rejected even after he tried to pacify censors by showing four actresses wearing wigs to avoid religious objections to their shaved heads.

"I'm in this situation because of my commitment to realism," he said.
Iran Fully Backs United Nations Treaty Banning Nuclear Arms

07/08/17

Source: Tehran Times

Reza Najafi, Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, said on Saturday that Iran as a victim of weapons of mass destruction fully supports the UN treaty banning nuclear weapons. The remarks by Ambassador Najafi came after the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was signed at a UN conference in New York on Friday. It is the first multilateral legally-binding instrument for nuclear disarmament to have been negotiated in 20 years.

A global treaty banning nuclear weapons is adopted at the UN despite opposition from nuclear powers Britain, France and the United States pic.twitter.com/cDHZQTIWg1  AFP news agency (@AFP) July 8, 2017

"The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly supports the objective behind this treaty in banning possession or use of nuclear weapons," Nafafi stated.



Pointing to dangers posed by Israel's nuclear weapons to the sensitive Middle East region, he said, "Iran's proposal for creating a region without nuclear weapons is an example of efforts being made by our country to remove threats from the region."

Iran's IAEA envoy hails UN treaty banning nuclear weapons https://t.co/1ghWM7XeiN pic.twitter.com/DTPDAM5F1t  Press TV (@PressTV) July 8, 2017

The treaty - adopted by a vote of 122 in favour to one against (Netherlands), with one abstention (Singapore) - prohibits a full range of nuclear-weapon-related activities, such as undertaking to develop, test, produce, manufacture, acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, as well as the use or threat of use of these weapons, the UN News Center reported.



The participants did not include any of the world's nine nuclear-armed countries, which conspicuously boycotted the negotiations, the New York Times reported.

122 countries have signed a treaty to ban nuclear weapons-including Iran and Saudi Arabia https://t.co/VLiu0zgqxe #NuclearBan #NuclearPowers  Conatus News (@ConatusNews) July 8, 2017

Disarmament groups and other proponents of the treaty said they had never expected that any nuclear-armed country would sign it - at least not at first. Rather, supporters hope, the treaty's widespread acceptance elsewhere will eventually increase the public pressure and stigma of harboring and threatening to use such weapons of unspeakable destruction, and make holdouts reconsider their positions.



"This treaty is a strong categorical prohibition of nuclear weapons and is really rooted in humanitarian law," said Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, a Geneva-based coalition of groups that advocated the treaty.
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has urged Ghanaians in the Diaspora to invest in the national economy to accelerate national growth.



He said it was a well-known fact that the Ghanaian Diaspora possessed tremendous assets, knowledge, skills and talents.



He, therefore, urged them to invest these in the macro, small and medium enterprises which would be an effective way of creating jobs and generating income in the local community.



He said Ghanas socio-economic development and Diaspora remittances were inextricably linked and, thus, called on them to support the efforts of government to achieve the objectives of the United Nations Agenda 2030 of Sustainable Development Goals to reduce extreme poverty and improve the standards of living of Ghanaians.



Vice President Bawumia said this in a speech read on his behalf by Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, the Minister of Information, at the closing ceremony of the 2017 Ghana Diaspora Homecoming Summit in Accra on Friday.



The three-day event was held on the theme: Development, Opportunity, Value: Welcome Home, which attracted Ghanaians in the Diaspora to access the opportunities in the economy.



The summit served as an avenue for mobilising and harnessing the resources and skills of Ghanaian Diasporan Community to accelerate economic growth.



There were exhibitions by corporate entities and state institutions who demonstrated their support for the objectives of the summit aimed at showcasing the opportunities and business prospects in the country.



The Vice President noted that using Diasporan assistance was yet to be fully explored and indicated that if the Ghanaians in the Diaspora invested in the macro-economy it would strengthen the government policy for their mutual benefits.



He acknowledged the contribution of Ghanaians living abroad saying you contributed significantly through remittances to your families at home that enhanced their economic life span.



Your remittances increased household incomes and paid some basic needs such as food, education, housing and medical services and helped to improve the standards of living, he explained.



He said it was part of the policy of the government to work hard through the One district, One Factory imitative aimed at industrialising the national economy.



He noted that the nations economic growth had been largely urban-based leaving behind rural economy and, thus, compelling rural-urban migration and believed that the policy would help to evenly develop the economy and accelerate growth.



The One district, One Factory is our attempt to catalyst broad-based and inclusive economy, he noted.



Vice President Bawumia said the government would ensure that the cumbersome procedures for setting up businesses and enterprises were reduced to the barest minimum to enhance the countrys competitiveness.



In keeping with our promise to ensure that Ghanaians living abroad play positive roles in the socio-economic and political development of our country, Ghanas diplomatic missions abroad are serving as focal points for running Ghanaian experts and attracting Ghanaian investors into the industrial sector, he explained.



He urged Ghanaians abroad to serve as avenues for attracting trade and tourism promotion, saying return home as investors or trade delegation from your countries of residence.



If we direct our energies to these matters, then we will be serving our nation and building a resilient economy, he stressed.



Dr Bawumia noted that government was poised to address the issue of transparency and respond to their needs in a timely manner.



The rationale for establishing the Diasporan Relation Office at the Presidency was to remove barriers that will prevent you from accessing the services of government and state institutions and create a sustainable and long-term relations for our mutual benefit, he said.

Source: GNA









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Ghana has been elected onto the Steering Committee of the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV and AIDS (OAFLA) for the next two years.



The election was held at a closed-door meeting for the First Ladies at the 19th General Assembly of OAFLA organised on the side-lines of the 29th AU summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and attended by the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo and also by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.



The theme for this years OAFLA summit was: Building on 15 years of engagement to harness the Demographic Dividend of Africa through promoting the needs of Adolescents and their access to Youth-friendly Health Services.



As a member of the Steering Committee, Ghana together with Burkina Faso would represent the West African Region.



Members of the Steering Committee are expected to review recommendations made earlier in a meeting by the technical advisors of the First Ladies of Member States, which was chaired by Mrs Akufo Addo and endorse them for further discussion at the General Assembly Session of OAFLA for approval.

Source: GNA









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 dental surgeon at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Dominic Avogo was found dead in at hotel room at Dansoman in Accra on Thursday night.



According to the Police Public Relations Officer for Greater Accra Region, ASP Efia Tenge, the cause of his death is not yet known.



Speaking on Citi FM, she said the remains of the doctor has since been deposited at the morgue at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for autopsy.



ASP Tenge further stated that a woman whose name was only given as Sarah checked in at the hotel with the doctor on Thursday but reportedly left before the body was found.



The Police, yesterday around 7pm, received a complaint from the management of the hotel operating in Dansoman that a man checked in with a lady whose name has only been given as Sarah in the evening but later found the man dead in his hotel room" an hour after the lady had left.



She added that the police did not find any act of violence on the deceased.



She said the police have started investigations and that efforts were underway to trace the lady for questioning.

Source: Citi News









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Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo seems to getting more than just trolls from social media fanatics and the general public following the disclosure of her alleged lie about constructing a school for her constituency with monies she secured from the World Bank.



Ghanaians have taken it a notch higher, perhaps a different level of trolling but they definitely are making it tough on the MP.



Adwoa Sarfo in a video gone viral on the various media platforms, is seen claiming credit for funding the construction of the Kwabenya Senior High School (one of the John Mahama Community Day schools), with monies she lobbied from the World Bank.



She also criticized the opposition NDC for having claimed ownership of the project and taking undue credit for a project they know nothing about; this she did with the intent of reminding her constituents of the good job her party (though in opposition at the time) did, to bring development in the constituency.



Adwoa Sarfo since the incident has not been spared by Ghanaians who as usual have brought her under fire on various social media platforms. The NDC has not left her out either, they, following the remarks demanded an apology from Adwoa Safo for peddling lies.



The World Bank who was cited in the MPs remarks has since denied funding the project as portrayed by Adwoa Safo. According to them, they fund organizations and not individuals.



The latest is a series of images tagging the MP as having performed various historic roles.



Here are a few of them.

Source: Ghanaweb.com









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Special teams have been formed to monitor movements of people visiting Hauz Khas Village as there is a possibility that terror suspects might do a recce.

By Chayyanika Nigam: Banned terror outfits in India are planning to attack foreign nationals hanging out in restaurants and cafes in the Capital, top police sources have warned. As per the latest input shared by the Intelligence Bureau with Delhi Police, terrorists are planning a strike at Hauz Khas Village.

After the input was shared, Delhi Police have stepped up security and police deployment in the area has been tightened. According to sources, all restaurants and cafes have been asked to keep tight vigil on the monitoring room of CCTV cameras and have been instructed to inform police about any suspicious person or item.

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Not only this, but special teams have been formed to monitor movements of people visiting Hauz Khas Village as there is a possibility that terror suspects might do a recce.

Meanwhile, restaurants frequented by foreign nationals have been identified and special security provided. The cops, sources said, are likely to install metal detectors at entry and exit points of Hauz Khas Village and also at the parking areas.

SECURITY BEEFED UP IN DLF PROMENADE, VASANT KUNJ

As per highly placed sources, terror outfits have activated sleeper cells and are in regular touch with them to exchange information. DLF Promenade Mall in Vasant Kunj is also a possible target of terror outfits as most foreign nationals visit this mall. Security have been beefed up in the mall and nearby areas.

"Police have stepped up security measures at Hauz Khas Village in view of recent incidents of terror attacks on foreign tourists in various European countries. The Hauz Khas Village welcomes a large number of foreigners every day who visit for fine dining and arts/craft experience," said Ishwar Singh, DCP (South).

Sources told Mail Today there is a possibility the outfits might use a foreign national to execute the strike, in a bid to hide the identity.

Meanwhile, free drinks for ladies at clubs in Hauz Khas Village might see an end, as Delhi Police is considering to ban ladies' nights. Police are of the view that such parties 'disturb law and order situation'.

Also Read:

Delhi on high alert after series of terror attacks in London

Kashmir: Terrorists likely to target Amarnath Yatra, say intel reports

Also Watch:

Delhi on high alert after reports suggest armed ISIS Khorasan terrorists present in city

--- ENDS ---
Cardinal George Pell is now back in Australia, ready to face the historical charges of child sex abuse in Melbourne later this month.

JUST IN | Australias most-wanted senior Catholic George Pell has arrived in Sydney. He will face a Melbourne court on July 26. #sun7 pic.twitter.com/ORGdUAoAhH  Sunrise (@sunriseon7) July 9, 2017

According to New Corp, the senior Catholic Church figure was spotted leaving Sydney Airport this morning after flying in via Singapore from Vatican City. He has not made further statements on the charges against him after his remarks last week.

Im looking forward finally for having my day in court. Im innocent of these charges, they are false. The whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me. I have kept Pope Francis the Holy Father regularly informed during these long months and I have spoken to him on a number of occasions in the last week, I think most recently a day or so ago. We talked about my need to take leave to clear my name, Im very grateful to the Holy Father for giving me this leave to return to Australia

Pell was reportedly seen with a friend outside an ice cream shop in Singapore during his layover on the way back to Australia.

The former Melbourne and Sydney archbishop and Ballarat priest has been charged with several sexual offences.

Source: 9 News.

Photo: Getty Images.
The parents of Stuart Kelly have told 60 Minutes they believe his tragic death was linked to intense bullying and hazing he suffered after the random one-punch killing of his brother, Thomas.

Stuart took his own life in 2016, four years after Thomas was assaulted in Kings Cross by Kieran Loveridge.

The Kelly family was instrumental in calling for tougher restrictions on alcohol in Sydneys CBD after his death, and that push contributed to the city implementing its controversial lockout laws.

Stuart also spoke on behalf of the Thomas Kelly Youth Foundation, advocating for something to be done about random, drunken violence in the city.

The family received death threats after those laws came into place, and friends of Stuart reported he received horrific bullying as part of a backlash to the measures.

Now, Ralph and Kathy Kelly have spoken on the months before Stuarts death, including the night he spent at St Pauls College after being accepted into Sydney University.

While its not clear what exactly happened during that time, Ralph said he got in the back of the car when we picked him up eighteen hours after spending the night there, and something had changed. Hed changed.



We hadnt seen him cry since Thomas died, Kathy added.

He was just sobbing uncontrollably. And he came home, went into his room, and basically didnt come out for the next couple of months. So you can only assume something catastrophic happened to him, to make him feel the way he did.

At the start of his first semester Stuart was subjected to hazing rituals all new boarders endure. But Ralph & Kathy fear he was singled out pic.twitter.com/0gv7NiFUoY  60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) July 9, 2017

She voiced her opinion that the two deaths were inextricably linked, saying a hundred percent, if Thomas had not been killed, then Stuart would be here today. Without a doubt.

At this point, we feel we should reiterate the obvious: its possible to oppose legislation without resorting to horrific abuse of a family doing what they think will stop tragedies befalling other Australians.

Since Stuarts death, the family has broadened its message to one of mental health awareness. Ralph said we started to understand its an epidemic in Australia, depression is an epidemic.

There was all that to look forward to, Kathy said.

How could he not see that?

Source: 60 Minutes / Channel 9.

Photo: The Kings School / Facebook.
Donald Trump Jr attended a meeting with a lawyer connected to the Russian government after being told she had compromising info on Hillary Clinton, The New York Times reports.

Citing three White House staff with knowledge of the meeting, the meeting between Trump Jr and Natalia Veselnitskaya was organised under the assumption she had dirt on Clinton, with the inference that information was shadily provided by the Russian government.

The meeting took place well before Donald Trumps general election victory over Clinton, meaning his camp still had a lot to gain by outing material detrimental to her campaign. All of this is to say that if Veselnitskaya did hand over such information, itd look an awful lot like collusion with a foreign power to influence the election.

When the meeting  but not its apparent purpose  was revealed yesterday, Trump Jr released a statement saying they discussed restrictions the Russian government placed on the American adoption of Russian children. No mention was made of information regarding Clinton.

However, a newer statement now claims the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms. Clinton.

Her statements were vague, ambiguous and made no sense. No details or supporting information was provided or even offered.

Trump Jr now says Veselnitskayas promise of information was merely used as a pretext for the meeting about the adoption issue. Thats a considerable piece of information to leave out of his first statement on the issue, and suggests he really did want that damaging intel.

Again, thatd look mighty bad in the eyes of the law, and old mate is freely admitting this shit. Wild.

Jared Kushner, who is Trumps son-in-law and a senior adviser to the President, and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, were also in attendance.

You can bet this one will come under the purview of the massive investigation into the alleged ties between Russia and the Trump campaign. Watch this space.

Source: The New York Times.

Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty.
Friends and colleagues have come together to pay tribute to Nelsan Ellis, the star of HBOs True Blood, who passed away this week at the age of 39, following complications from heart failure.

Ellis has been remembered as a generous and kind man and a great actor by all who knew him. Charliane Harris, the author of the True Blood novels, expressed heartbreak upon hearing of his passing:

I am so sad about the death of Nelsan Ellis, a great talent gone too soon. Such a shock. ??  Charlaine Harris (@RealCharlaine) July 8, 2017

Alan Ball, who created the TV series, made a brief statement, saying that: Nelsan was a singular talent whose creativity never ceased to amaze me. Working with him was a privilege.

His cast-mates have also weighed in, with Joe Mangianello, who played the werewolf Alcide on the show, saying he is crushed by the loss of his kind and wonderful friend:

Crushed today by the loss of my friend and castmate Nelsan Ellis. He was a wonderful person, a pioneer, and a one of a kind artist. RIP pic.twitter.com/fvtquhIac7  Joe Manganiello (@JoeManganiello) July 8, 2017

Anna Paquin, who played the shows heroine Sookie Stackhouse, said that she is devastated by her friends untimely death, saying that it was an utter privilege to work with him:

It was an utter privilege to work with the phenomenally talented and deeply kind soul .@OfficialNelsan Im devastated by his untimely death. pic.twitter.com/If17csduHz  Anna Paquin (@AnnaPaquin) July 8, 2017

The other stars have also begun to pay tribute, sharing photographs and remembrances of their phenomenally talented friend and colleague:

Dearest #NelsanEllis , may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest, you phenomenally talented genius. pic.twitter.com/2OamZvBVNe  Carrie Preston (@carriepreston) July 8, 2017

My heart is broken today over the loss of @OfficialNelsan I was in complete awe of your talent and so honored to have known your kindness.  Anna Camp (@TheRealAnnaCamp) July 8, 2017

I dont know if Ive ever seen the level of humility and kindness that came with the Magnificent Talent that Nelsan Ellis had. Miss u friend  Sam Trammell (@SamTrammell) July 8, 2017

No one could raise a brow like @OfficialNelsan An army of us r left wanting more. Wherever you are sir,wish u peace. pic.twitter.com/4NBRSSRKwF  Lauren Bowles (@LaurenEBowles) July 8, 2017

Nelsan Ellis was truly remarkable. A brilliant, charismatic, intelligent, soulful, wonderful dude. this is just completely tragic.  Stephen Moyer (@smoyer) July 8, 2017

So blessed to share the screen with you you beautiful man. pic.twitter.com/DCD6WLAdJn  Todd Lowe (@Todd__Lowe) July 8, 2017

My heart is broken by the passing of Nelsan Ellis. A truly beautiful person. My love to his family and friends. #RIPNelsanEllis #TrueBlood pic.twitter.com/ZUor1yx4Yg  Deborah Ann Woll (@DeborahAnnWoll) July 8, 2017

I am speechless I am heartbroken Rest In Peace my friend @OfficialNelsan pic.twitter.com/nvyzM8QoI7  Kevin Alejandro (@kevinmalejandro) July 8, 2017

Thank you. Your screen capture looks better than mine. Hope you dont mind me retweeting. #RIPNelsanElliis https://t.co/YbMkYFB0Ja  Adina Porter (@AdinaPorter) July 8, 2017

The news of Ellis passing has reverberated throughout Hollywood, with many more sharing their heartbreak at news of the loss:





Heartbroken over the passing of Nelsan Ellis. He was always so sweet to me and so entertaining to watch in screen.  Gabby Sidibe (@GabbySidibe) July 8, 2017

I cant believe this. He was such a talented force of nature. #NelsanEllis  character on #TrueBlood was one of my favorite TV characters. ?? https://t.co/SKvHJoPwjO  Matt McGorry (@MattMcGorry) July 8, 2017

Very disturbed and sad that Nelsan Ellis has died. Such a huge talent. Such a wonderful man. The world is a poorer place today  Denis OHare (@denisohare) July 8, 2017

Rise in Peace, King. And thank you for sharing your gifts with us. You made a difference. #nelsanellis pic.twitter.com/blav8fr3Qc  Ava DuVernay (@ava) July 8, 2017

Just got word that we lost @OfficialNelsan. My heart breaks for his kids and family. https://t.co/py3BxSkgWf  octavia spencer (@octaviaspencer) July 8, 2017

Ellis was a true talent who will be missed by all. Rest in peace.

Source: Twitter.

Photo: HBO.
Kori Doty plays with their child Searyl in Slocan, B.C., in this recent handout photo. A parent's request to exclude their child's sex on government-issued identification is pushing past the boundaries of gender stereotyping, experts say. Kori Doty, a B.C. parent who identifies as transgender and prefers the pronoun they, refused to provide the sex of their child Searyl to the government when they were born in November. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Kori Doty *MANDATORY CREDIT*
A research by Harvard University's Center for International Development has suggested that the economic pole of global growth has moved over the past few years from China to neighbouring India, where it is likely to stay over the coming decade.

By Press Trust of India: India has emerged as the economic pole of global growth by surpassing China and is expected to maintain its lead over the coming decade, says a new study by Harvard University.

According to the Harvard University's Center for International Development (CID) growth projections, India will feature on top of the list of the fastest growing economies till 2025 with an average annual growth of 7.7 per cent, for a variety of reasons.

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"The economic pole of global growth has moved over the past few years from China to neighbouring India, where it is likely to stay over the coming decade," the CID research suggested.

The study attributed India's rapid growth prospects to the fact that it is particularly well positioned to continue diversifying into new areas, given the capabilities accumulated to date.

"India has made inroads in diversifying its export base to include more complex sectors, such as chemicals, vehicles, and certain electronics," the growth projection pointed out.

"The major oil economies are experiencing the pitfalls of their reliance on one resource. India, Indonesia and Vietnam have accumulated new capabilities that allow for more diverse and more complex production that predicts faster growth in the coming years," it added.

INDIA AMONG THE FASTEST GROWING COUNTRIES

Stating that economic growth fails to follow one easy pattern, the study said, "The countries that are expected to be the fastest growing India, Turkey, Indonesia, Uganda, and Bulgaria are diverse in all political, institutional, geographic and demographic dimensions."

"What they share is a focus on expanding the capabilities of their workforce that leaves them well positioned to diversify into new products and products of increasingly greater complexity," the new growth projections by CID added.

Besides, the projections divide countries into three basic categories -the countries with too few productive capabilities to easily diversify into related products.

Secondly, the countries that have enough capabilities that make diversification and growth easier, which include India, Indonesia and Turkey.

Last, the advanced countries such as Japan, Germany and the US that already produce nearly all existing products, so that progress will require pushing the worlds technological frontier by inventing new products, a process that implies slower growth.

Growth in emerging markets is predicted to continue to outpace that of advanced economies, though not uniformly says CID's new growth projections. The growth projections are based on measures of each country's economic complexity, which captures the diversity and sophistication of the productive capabilities embedded in its exports and the ease with which it could further diversify by expanding those capabilities. The CID is a university-wide center that works to advance the understanding of development challenges and offer viable solutions to problems of global poverty.

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Will India's economy accelerate exponentially after GST?

ALSO WATCH:

Demonetisation will build a cashless economy: Arun Jaitley

--- ENDS ---
PHOTOS: Petoskey celebrates Veterans Day 2022

Petoskey's American Legion taught local elementary students how to fold the flag during the Veterans Day ceremony on Friday, Nov. 11 in Pennsylvania Park.
The Headstrong Foundation purchased this house on South Chester Road in Swarthmore for nearly $700,000 to provide free housing for cancer patients receiving treatment in the area, as well as their caretakers. Read more

When it comes to community houses, group homes, and properties with temporary occupants, resistance from neighbors is anything but new.

In the Philadelphia region and across the nation, residents of towns of all shapes and sizes have opposed these short-term residences, places such as houses for troubled teens or recovering addicts. The circumstances have been different, and so have the homes.

Many of the people who fight them also say they support them in principle  they see their value. But when it comes to locating such facilities in residential neighborhoods, there are safety concerns, they say, and traffic questions, as well as worries about where to park all the extra cars. Supporters of the projects often lambaste these critics as NIMBYs  "not in my back yard" types who, they say, express opposition only when the group homes affect them directly.

For decades, as emphasis has been placed on less institutionalization and better reentry for certain populations into the larger community, such debates have been a defining aspect of hometown democracy. Each residence for adults with developmental disabilities, or sober home, or home for the mentally ill raises questions about how much control individual homeowners can and should have when their neighborhood is on the cusp of change.

Currently, there are no authoritative figures on how many such homes exist in the region, though at least one tracker estimates as many as 700 in Pennsylvania and 400 in New Jersey.

A recent controversy has swirled in Swarthmore, the quiet, affluent Delaware County town of 6,200 people. But the house in question is no typical "group home"  and the fight over it is just as unconventional.

At the corner of one of the borough's busiest intersections, the sprawling, seven-bedroom property at 200 S. Chester Rd. is well-known to passersby. Situated next to Swarthmore College's campus, a Presbyterian church, and a block of stately residences, it had been on and off the market for three years when Cheryl Colleluori stumbled upon it in 2016. Just a few doors down sits ABC Strath Haven  a home that, through a national organization, provides academically talented students of color a chance at a better school district.

As president of the Headstrong Foundation, a Delaware County-based nonprofit, Colleluori was searching for a property for its next project: a home for cancer patients and those who care for them, the second of its kind for Headstrong.

It didn't take long, however, for opposition from neighbors to mount.

The way Colleluori and the rest of Headstrong envisioned it, the foundation would transform the 5,000-square-foot property so it could accommodate the patients and caretakers at no cost.

Inspired by her own experience with her son, Nick, Colleluori knew the kinds of financial and logistical stress cancer treatment could bring. After Nick was diagnosed at age 19 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2005, Colleluori said, she and her family spent months traveling, racking up not just medical bills, but also lodging and travel expenses.

"We would have four kids, plus my husband and I, staying in an 8-by-10-foot room, sleeping on air mattresses" during Nick's treatment at the National Institutes of Health.

Before Nick died at 21, Colleluori said, he had an idea. He recognized the financial burden his cancer had created, and he knew his weeks were numbered, so he started Headstrong, with a mission of raising awareness and funds for families of cancer patients. The rest was up to his mother.

Five years ago, Colleluori opened the first "Nick's House" in Ridley Township, a two-bedroom apartment atop Headstrong's headquarters, located on a residential street. Since then, nearly 75 patients and their caretakers have passed through, staying weeks at a time, rent-free, in the furnished unit.

"We become a key component in their process," Colleluori said. "They are leaving behind everything they know  their friends, their family, their support system, their jobs. They are coming to a strange town, and it's very unnerving because it's unfamiliar territory and they are already in a circumstance that they are unfamiliar with."

The problem, Colleluori said: Nick's House was always full, and each week saw people turned away. Last year, she began the search for a second property.

In the fall, the Headstrong Foundation made a bid for the Swarthmore house, offering nearly $700,000. To make it work, Headstrong would need an accommodation under the Fair Housing Act to circumvent a borough ordinance barring more than three unrelated people from living together.

Swarthmore's Planning Commission approved the accommodation. Then nearly two dozen neighbors appealed, asking for the decision to be overturned.

An attorney for the neighbors did not return calls last week, and one neighbor who was contacted declined to comment. But in previous interviews with the Inquirer, and in an editorial for the Delaware County Daily Times, neighbors have explained that they do not oppose living among cancer patients. Rather, some said, they oppose having as many as 14 unrelated people living inside the house  calling the accommodation unreasonable and one that would create a "hospitality hotel" and bring more traffic and parking to an already busy block, among other concerns.

In December, the Swarthmore Borough Council unanimously sided with the Headstrong Foundation. The neighbors have since appealed to Delaware County Court, arguing that the borough "erred and abused its discretion" when it approved Headstrong's request.

"We were disappointed," James J. Byrne Jr., the neighbors' attorney, said in an interview in December. "My clients  hope they won't be vilified for trying to voice their opinion about their property rights."

Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for next month. Headstrong has closed on the property, with the official groundbreaking set for July 6.

The property will require a lot of work, including an elevator and additional parking, to bring it up to snuff for the people it will serve. Beyond that, the foundation is working to restore much of the dwelling's original detailing  ornate banisters and chestnut floors, and a wraparound porch dating to the house's construction more than 100 years ago.

Nearly all the effort is being volunteered, with a collection of private companies and union employees giving their services and time, including Dave White from the Delaware County Council, who is donating plumbing and ventilation work. Target Building Construction and Donald M. Conneen & Associates Architects, also volunteers, are leading the project.

In Ridley Township, Sara Austin and her 4-year-old son, Ben, have been staying at the first iteration of Nick's House for the last eight weeks. Last summer, Ben was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, a type of kidney cancer. He relapsed earlier this year  and the Headstrong Foundation granted him a spot.

"This completely uproots you, and you do the best that you can," Austin said. "The car rides when he was car sick from his treatment, the hotels that we would have to clean."

"These types of situations call for action, and this foundation is that," she said. "You don't have to be a person with no income to fall on a difficult time in a situation of cancer. It's a huge burden; it doesn't matter if you had great income or not."
David Lowe (foreground) and fellow staffers from Riverbend Environmental Education Center in Gladwyne: (from left) Abigale Wyatt, Ryder White and Katie Keith. Read more

Pop quiz: What do you know about a solar eclipse?

If you were in the group of people at the Franklin Institute on Sunday learning how to host an eclipse viewing party from the museum's own sun god, chief astronomer Derrick Pitts, quite a bit.

An eclipse occurs when the moon blocks the sun. It's rare. It's not always complete.

All correct, said Pitts, who led the 2-hour workshop for representatives of schools, a church, a library, and a nature center in preparation of the Great American Eclipse, which will cut a swath of total darkness across parts of the United States, traveling eastward from coast to coast, on Aug. 21.

Pitts then boiled down the astronomical phenomenon to its essentials: "It's nothing but light and shadow."

In Philadelphia, alas, expect more light than shadow. This region is outside the 70-mile-wide arc that the eclipse will follow across the country. With the moon covering only 80 percent of the sun in our area, "it will look like a cloudy day," Pitts said.

Not exactly the awe-inspiring experience that people in, say, South Carolina  the closest state to us with total coverage  will get to experience.

But the dozen amateur astronomers in the class didn't seem to mind.

"I'm not discouraged at all," said Barbara Sharpe, science department head at Esperanza Academy Charter School in Hunting Park and an eighth-grade teacher. "You can still watch the moon move across the sun, and that in itself is exciting."

When she was a kid, she saw several partial eclipses, viewing them through homemade pinhole cameras, and thought they were amazing.

Now she plans to do the same with her students and expects them to be just as wowed.

"Our society has gotten hectic and crazy in recent days," she said. "I'm trying to slow down and watch this really amazing thing happening in the sky using this pinprick through paper. The kids are going to love it."

Pitts started by leading the group to the rooftop of the institute so they could look at the sun through a solar viewer. That's the other thing about an eclipse, he warned over and over and over: "If you look at it, you will go blind."

With magnifying glasses, the class tried to burn holes in a piece of paper. Then, using Sunspotters, they were able to reflect the sun, including sunspots and passing clouds, on paper.

Pitts used human models, i.e. the workshop members, to show the orbits of the moon, Earth, and sun, and how they line up to cause an eclipse.

Then he unleashed some facts about the sun-blocking events: There are two a year somewhere on the planet; the last total solar eclipse over Philadelphia occurred in 1478, the next will be on May 1, 2079, and the one after that in 2144. The next total solar eclipse over the U.S. will be in 2024. The Great American Eclipse will start at 1:21 p.m., peak at 2:44, end by 4:01.

How, Pitts asked, can the moon, which is 2,100 miles in diameter, block the enormous sun, which is 864,000 miles in diameter? The answer is that the sun is 400 times farther from the Earth than the moon and 400 times bigger than the moon. The result is that from Earth, they appear to be the same size.

"Everybody's enthusiastic about this stuff," said Pitts, who plans to watch from St. Joseph, Mo., where 100,000 people are expected to tilt their heads toward the sky  wearing protective glasses, of course  to see a total eclipse of the sun.

For those hosting local events, like Zion Baptist Church in North Philadelphia and Riverbend Environmental Education Center in Gladwyne, Pitts  astronomer, Fels Planetarium director, NASA solar system ambassador  morphed into a third-grade teacher and taught them how to use construction paper, aluminum foil, a mirror, and a shoe box to make various viewing devices.

David Bungard, a science adviser for Philadelphia's new Vaux Big Picture high school, which opens in August and where learning will be all project-based, said he plans to take his 7-year-old son and some friends to Marconi Plaza in South Philadelphia for the big event.

"It's still pretty cool to watch the moon, even if it's not 100 percent, traverse across the sun," he said. "I love science and teaching science, so it's a good opportunity to give people that information."

Which is exactly what Pitts wanted the science lovers in the class to do. Get people together, plan where you'll watch, be prepared to move to a better location, have your viewing contraptions ready to go. Then "forget the mechanics and all that other stuff," he said. "Enjoy the experience."

One more thing, Pitts said: Check the weather forecast. "If it's cloudy, you can't see anything."
Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter last summer.

By PTI: India today hit out at Pakistan for glorifying militant commander Burhan Wani, saying Islamabad's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by one and all.

In a strongly worded tweet, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay said, " First @ForeignOfficePk read from banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS (Pakistan army chief) glorifies Burhan Wani. Pak's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by one and all."

First @ForeignOfficePk read frm banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS glorfs Burhan Wani. Pak's terror suprt&spnsr'p need 2b condmnd by 1 & all- Gopal Baglay (@MEAIndia) July 9, 2017

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Baglay's comments came a day after Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa praised Wani, the Hizbul Mujahideen commander who was killed in an encounter with Indian security forces last year.

The Pakistan Army chief said that Kashmiris have a right to self-determination and that Burhan Wani had made a sacrifice that is "testimony" of his and his generation's "resolve" against "Indian atrocities."

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday paid tributes to Wani, saying his death "infused a new spirit in the struggle for freedom" in the Kashmir Valley. Sharif said that Burhan Wani's "martyrdom" is a "is a testimony of the fact that Kashmiris have completely rejected the Indian occupation."

Burhan Wani was responsible for several attacks against security personnel in Kashmir.

Burhan Wani, a poster boy for Hizbul Mujahideen in Kashmir, was killed on July 8 last year by security forces in Anantnag district. His killing triggered chaos and violence in the Valley in which dozens of civilians were killed in clashes with security forces.

ALSO READ:

How Burhan Wani was killed in encounter on July 8 last year: An exclusive account

Anti-Burhan Wani slogans resound in Jammu, protestors demand arrest of separatists

On Burhan Wani's first death anniversary, his father appeals for peace in Valley

ALSO WATCH: India slams Pakistan for glorifying Burhan Wani, says it should be condemned by all for supporting terror

--- ENDS ---
Rudy Caporaso as Hamlet and Susanna Herrick as the Player Queen in REV Theatre Companys production of Hamlet. Read more

Ask me whether I'd recommend REV Theatre Company's outdoor production of Hamlet, now through next weekend at Laurel Hill Cemetery, and I'll ask you which Hamlet you're in the mood to see.

There are as many versions of Shakespeare's melancholy Dane as there are players. There's Hamlet the frightfully articulate frustrated poet (Kenneth Branagh), Hamlet the action hero (Mel Gibson), Hamlet the skillfully sulky trust-fund kid (Ethan Hawke), and, most famously, Hamlet the Oedipal wreck (Laurence Olivier).

Now, if you're in the mood for Hamlet as a psychotic telenovela diva with gender identity issues, then by all means catch REV's production. which will be performed Sunday, July 9; Friday, July 14; and Saturday, July 15, at Laurel Hill Cemetery in East Falls before moving to the Emlen Physick Estate in Cape May, where it will be produced from July 19 through 29.

A creepily campy affair featuring a bafflingly hysterical, out-of-control lead performance by REV cofounder Rudy Caporaso, this Hamlet seems to owe far more to Joan Crawford and Pee-Wee Herman than Olivier or Derek Jacobi.

The audience at Saturday night's opening performance seemed to have a great time, and it gave Caporaso and company enthusiastic applause.

I couldn't stand it.

It's not because I object to an experimental or iconoclastic treatment of the play. I'm no Elizabethan purist. Nor do I think Caporaso, who also is artistic director of the Cape May Shakespeare Festival, is an untalented performer. Far from it.

I simply can't abide the interpretation imposed on the play by Caporaso and REV co-founder Rosemary Hay, who directed the production.

Their Hamlet is little more than banal reiteration of Olivier's Freudian interpretation from the 1940s, but with the volume amped up to 11, Spinal Tap style.

The story is well-known: A young crown prince sent to study theology and philosophy at one of Europe's finest universities, Hamlet rushes home to Denmark when his father dies suddenly. The funereal tears are hardly dry when the king's brother, Claudius (Brian McManus, Carthaginians with REV), marries Hamlet's mother, Queen Gertrude (Hillary Spector, REV's A Midsummer Night's Dream), sending Hamlet into a tailspin.

Has Hamlet, who suspects his uncle killed his dad, gone mad? Or is he pretending he's mad while plotting revenge?

Olivier's Hamlet was a paragon of nobility who is undone by his conflicting unconscious desires. Caporaso strips away Hamlet's upbringing, his civility, and his nobility, and gives us a feral child in the throes of a psychotic hissy fit.

This Hamlet is a cheap soap opera hysteric. He stamps his feet like a 2-year-old, he drops to the ground and tears at his hair, tears at the grass. Gone is all his learning. Instead, Hamlet screams his lines, then he simply screeches, like an inarticulate infant deprived of his pacifier.

REV's production reduces one of literature's most poetic and erudite speakers to a babbling fool.

Is this all a ruse? Is this supposed to be a satire? I couldn't tell.

Caporaso, who received rave notices last year for his production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in Cape May, does explore one interesting angle when he plays up the homoerotic subtext in Hamlet's friendships with his male pals, most notably Horatio (Tyler Houchins, A Christmas Carol at Walnut Street Theatre). Yet this, too, is taken too far.

Finally, I also was disappointed by the venue. REV Theatre Company's site-specific outdoor performances are billed as immersive experiences, yet there was no sign of any art production at Laurel Hill and very little in the way of costume or lighting design. So much more could have been done with the cemetery's ambiance.

Hamlet

REV Theatre Company's outdoor production at two locations. Laurel Hill Cemetery, 3822 Ridge Avenue on Sunday July 9, Friday July 14 and Saturday July 15. At the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington Street, Cape May on July 19-23 and July 25-29.

Tickets: $25 (Laurel Hill). $25; $20 seniors, $15 students (Emlen Physick Estate).

Information: 215-228-8200 (Laurel Hill); 609-884-5404 (Emlen Physick Estate); or www.revtheatrecompany.org
When Archishman Raju came to the United States from India four years ago to attend graduate school at Cornell University, he had never heard of the American writer James Baldwin.

Then in April, the 24-year-old accompanied a friend, a Penn graduate student, to a class taught by former Temple University professor Anthony Monteiro. The subject of the weekly Saturday Free School class: Baldwin.

Reading the prolific novelist and essayist introduced him to the history of the black struggle in America, something Raju, who travels from Ithaca, N.Y., for the classes, could compare to India's own anticolonialism.

"It's a critique of the social structure that functions not just in America but in the world," he said of Baldwin's writings.

Now Raju, who is pursuing a doctorate in physics, is an organizer of this weekend's James Baldwin Celebration, a three-day festival at North Philadelphia's Church of the Advocate that includes music, poetry, panel discussions, and screenings of the author's long-ago speeches and debates.

The man whose work coincided with the civil rights struggles of the 1950s and '60s seems to be enjoying attention by a new generation  30 years after his death. In a world where unarmed black women, men, and children are being shot, his writings remain relevant and instructive  not just for Black Lives Matter activists but for feminists, for immigrants, for writers and artists:

The documentary I Am Not Your Negro, based on Baldwin's unfinished manuscript Remember This House and directed by Raoul Peck, was released in theaters in February.

Look at Twitter, and the #jamesbaldwin hashtag has been used more than 40 times in the last 24 hours, coinciding with no particular event. One is in Turkish.

At least a dozen books have been published about Baldwin since President Barack Obama was inaugurated in 2009, according to an article in the New York Review of Books. And writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, whose books include Between the World and Me, takes his inspiration from Baldwin, who died at age 63 in 1987, as he addresses current issues in race relations.

"No one has done more to popularize Baldwin in recent years than Ta-Nehisi Coates," the Review said. Coates has said rereading Baldwin's letter to his nephew in "My Dungeon Shook" was a springboard for Between the World and Me, written as a letter to the author's teenage son.

"One did not have to be abnormally sensitive to be worn down to a cutting edge by the incessant and gratuitous humiliation and danger one encountered every working day, all day long," Baldwin wrote in his essay "Down at the Cross: Letter From a Region in My Mind," from The Fire Next Time.

"  When I was 10, and didn't look, certainly, any older, two policemen amused themselves with me by frisking me, making comic, (and terrifying) speculations concerning my ancestry and probable sexual prowess, and, for good measure, leaving me flat on my back in one of Harlem's empty lots."

In thinking up a tagline for the local celebration, Monteiro took from the eulogy of poet Amiri Baraka, where he called Baldwin "God's revolutionary mouth," and changed it to "God's revolutionary voice."

"He is a prophetic voice for fundamental change at a time of peak crises for the nation and the world," Monteiro said.

Raju said he and the friend who first took him to the classes participated in marches when the Democratic National Convention was in Philadelphia last year. But it was what he learned from Baldwin that gave him a chance to go beyond protest, he said.

"Baldwin has taught us that having sustained change in a society requires more than expressing anger and sorrow," Raju said. "It requires understanding the world and participation in sustained organizing."

Raju's friend Meghna Chandra, 26, will start a Ph.D. program in social welfare at Penn next month, and looks to Baldwin for his ability to diagnose what's happening with America "in terms of race relations, but not just in race, but how do human beings relate to one another."

"I think [Baldwin] has this integrity and clarity that nobody we read today really has.  He's an example to us as young people who want to change the world, who want to understand the world to change it."

While Baldwin wrote about the intense pain of enduring racism, he also wanted to reach out to white countrymen, who didn't understand the lives of black people, by confronting them with love.

Because of this, Baldwin was isolated from various blocs of the civil rights movement  an Uncle Tom to some African Americans while an "angry young man" to the establishment, Nathaniel Rich wrote in the New York Review of Books.

Still, he is gaining traction among new thinkers, and remaining relevant for longtime fans.

"I still refer to his writings when I need strength, and I'm feeling weak about doing these things as an activist and an artist," said Philadelphia poet Ursula Rucker, 49, who will read at the Baldwin celebration this weekend. "Just being an artist is [hard] enough. But when you're an artist who tries to speak up about something and make a change, some people don't want to hear it."

Events for the free James Baldwin Celebration will begin at 4 p.m. Friday and run through Sunday at the Church of the Advocate, 1801 Diamond St. For the schedule, go to www.baldwincelebration.org
Australian reporter Chris Uhlmanns commentary about President Trump  a man with no desire and no capacity to lead the world  quickly went viral following the G20 summit in Germany. Read more

"He was an uneasy, lonely, awkward figure at this gathering."

That's what Chris Uhlmann, the political editor at the government-funded Australian Broadcasting Corporation, said of Donald Trump in a blistering commentary after the president attended his first G20 summit, noting he appeared to have "no desire and no capacity to lead the world."

Uhlmann's blunt wrap-up of Trump's appearance at the conference, which he had been reporting on in Hamburg, quickly went viral overnight Sunday morning, hours after world leaders lined up against the president and reaffirmed their support of global efforts to combat climate change.

"The G20 became the G19 as it ended," Uhlmann said. "On the Paris Climate Accords, the U.S. was left isolated and friendless."

White House spokesman Gary Cohn told reporters aboard Air Force One that the U.S. obviously chose to get out of the Paris agreement, and that having "a diversity of opinions in a group of 20" was not unexpected. Despite that, Uhlmann noted that a "deft" president would have found a topic to rally world leaders around.

"And he had the perfect one: North Korea's missile tests," Uhlmann said. "Other leaders expected it [a statement condemning it], they were prepared to back it, but it never came."

Trump didn't exactly walk away from the G20 empty handed. While the talks preserved a condemnation of protectionism, an acknowledgment that trade must be "reciprocal and mutually advantageous" and that countries could use "legitimate trade defense instruments" if they are being taken advantage of were added to the statement.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said there was "incredible consensus" on the issue and that the U.S. pushed to include the phrasing about "reciprocal" trade.

Despite that, Uhlmann offered a dire prediction for where he thinks the United States and the world are headed under a Trump presidency, noting he thinks America influence in the world had been "diminished" to the benefit of China and Russia.

"Donald Trump has pressed fast forward on the decline of the United States as a global leader," Uhlmann said. "Some will cheer the decline of America, but I think we'll miss it when it's gone  and that's the biggest threat to the values of the West, which he claims to hold so dear."

Watch:

Uhlmann's comments struck a nerve in the United States, especially among American journalists and political commentators. NBC Nightly News senior news editor Bradd Jaffy called the video a "a searing assessment" of Trump, while NBC News correspondent Katy Tur wrote on Twitter, "This is something else."

The White House did not immediate respond to Uhlmann's comments. Trump left the conference without holding a press conference, a move CNN noted was "a major break with precedent." Both President Obama and President George W. Bush had press conferences at the G20 summits they attended.

Uhlmann has been the national political editor of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation since 2015, and won the country's highest journalism award in the category of broadcast interviewing in 2008.

Despite his anti-Trump comments, Uhlmann is known for his conservative-leaning opinions. Last year, he blamed a state-wide blackout in South Australia on renewable energy and published an essay calling Marxism an "intellectual virus" that was destroying the culture of western society.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A resident who struggled against two intruders at his home in Moorestown on Sunday left one fatally stabbed and the other injured.

Moorestown police said the men forced their way into the home on the 700 block of Hartford Road at 12:23 a.m.

The homeowner used a kitchen knife to stab both men, police said. One intruder was pronounced dead at the house by police responding to a call from the homeowner. The other intruder fled.

Detectives are investigating whether a man treated for a leg stab wound at Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County in Willingboro is connected to the break-in.

The names of the resident and the dead man have not been released. Police said that an autopsy was pending and that the incident remained under investigation.
In 2002, labor leader John J. Dougherty championed a new charter school whose goals included guiding more minority workers into his overwhelmingly white union.

In its founding documents, Philadelphia Electrical & Technology Charter High School committed, in part, to providing students the skills needed for "participation in the apprenticeship program offered to qualified individuals by Local 98."

Fifteen years on, it appears the school, founded by Dougherty, business manager of Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and the union, has fallen short.

The school, where 71 percent of its 620 students are African American, has no record of any graduates entering Local 98's apprentice training program.

But the school has done better by Dougherty, becoming a job bank for family members and friends of the powerful Democrat known as "Johnny Doc" and providing members  and taxpayer-covered dues  for his union. Dougherty did not return calls seeking comment for this article.

In its favor, the charter boosts an above-average graduation rate and a significant number of graduates going on to college. It seems on track for a charter renewal by the School Reform Commission.

The school at 1420-22 Chestnut St. has drawn the scrutiny of federal prosecutors as part of a broad investigation of Dougherty and his union. When federal agents searched Local 98's headquarters last August, the list of items sought included financial records of the charter school.

An Inquirer/Daily News examination of the charter showed it to be another corner of Dougherty's sphere of influence.

For instance:

 Daughter Erin Dougherty, 36, earns $115,000 as the school's CEO.

 George Fiocca III, 31, who handles development and directs the school's tutoring center, is a son of Dougherty's sister Maureen Fiocca. He is paid $59,265.

 Cecelia Dougherty, Dougherty's wife, served as a board member before stepping down from the unpaid post in July 2014.

 Michael Neill, director of Local 98's apprentice training program, was part of the school's founding group and is vice president of the charter's board.

 State Reps. William F. Keller (D., Phila.) and Michael J. Driscoll (D., Phila.), who have received support from Local 98, are on the charter board.

Erin Dougherty, who held a variety of posts at the school before being named CEO in 2014, would not allow a reporter to visit the school in the spring and declined to be interviewed.

"Philadelphia E&T Charter High School had a few difficult years during the most recent charter term, both academically and fiscally," she said in a statement. "The Board of Trustees acknowledged those hardships head-on and committed to ensuring the viability and sustainability of the school."

She said the school had completed an academic turnaround.

Pennsylvania law allows charter-school teachers to be represented by unions. Unlike other city charters, where staffers pay 1 percent of their salaries to an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers Pennsylvania, employees at Philadelphia E&T belong to Local 98.

And salaries at Philadelphia E&T  which are paid by taxpayers  are inflated by 3 percent to cover Local 98 dues. The approach is described as a "3-percent union dues gross-up" in the union contract that expires Aug. 31.

The union's representation of the teachers creates an interesting dynamic, given that the school was founded by Local 98 and union officials and politicians with close ties to the union sit on the board.

Richard Hurd, a professor of labor studies at Cornell University, said it was "not totally out of the ordinary" for Local 98 to represent charter employees as blue-collar unions have been making inroads representing white-collar workers for some time.

But Hurd said that Philadelphia E&T's relationship with Local 98 was complicated and could cause tensions because union people were on both sides of the negotiations.

"I think it is somewhat of a unique case," he said. "Normally, the employees of a union are represented by a different union."

The teachers at Philadelphia E&T also have individual, one-year contracts that don't provide the job security typical of teacher contracts.

After the charter board named Erin Dougherty CEO in July 2014, she reorganized the staff, required employees to reapply for their jobs, and cut 14 positions, including classroom teachers.

In a statement, she said the changes were part of "a new organizational structure" to improve operations. The statement said the charter staff had "elected" to be represented by Local 98 in 2002.

The current three-year contract with Local 98 was signed by Charles M. Gibbs, a Center City lawyer who is president of the charter board, and union rep Matthew Pooler, who directs the charter's co-op program.

Pooler, who once taught remedial math in Local 98's apprentice-training program, was part of the charter's founding coalition with Dougherty, Neill, and Erin Dougherty.

An upside to holding a Local 98 union card, teachers have found, is that the health benefits are better than those offered by the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.

The staffers contribute nothing toward premiums for their medical, dental, and vision coverage. Under terms of the Local 98 contract signed in 2014, the school pays at least $314 per week for each full-time employee to Local 98's Sound and Communications Health and Welfare Fund.

Records show the charter is now paying at least $960,000 per year for health benefits for 50 unionized employees. That represents 13 percent of the school's $7.5 million annual budget.

While it is difficult to compare Philadelphia E&T's health-care expenses with other charter schools, an analysis of financial reports that schools are required to file with the state shows that the average charter spent 18.5 percent of its budget on employee benefits, including pension contributions, in 2014-15.

At Philadelphia E&T, benefits accounted for nearly 30 percent of the budget.

A Pennsylvania School Boards Association report found on average charters in the state spent nearly 55 percent of their budgets on instruction in 2014-15. Philadelphia E&T spent 48 percent on instruction that year.

The charter application that John Dougherty submitted to the Board of Education in 2000 said: "The IBEW education program is designed to provide high school students with the tools to successfully meet the rigorous new technology demands in employment, further and higher education, and/or participation in the apprenticeship program offered to qualified individuals by Local 98."

Six years after the school opened, Dougherty told an Inquirer columnist that he was committed to diversifying a union that was largely white and that Philadelphia E&T grads were able to go straight into the union's apprenticeship program.

In response to a Right-to-Know request asking the number of grads who had entered the Local 98 apprentice program, Philadelphia E&T said: There is not a record of this information.

Now, the school says its mission is developing students "who will be employable in the emerging high-tech industries; while giving students a strong foundation in the core academic subjects."

The school's 91 percent four-year graduation rate is better than the averages for charter or district high schools.

The profile on Philadelphia E&T's website said 49 percent of its grads head to four-year colleges, 34 percent to two-year colleges, 6.5 percent to trade and technical schools, 8.5 percent to the workforce, and 2 percent enter the military.

According to the school district, only 43 percent of the charter's grads actually enroll in two- or four-year schools the fall after they graduate.

Philadelphia E&T's charter is up for renewal. The district's charter school office has recommended the SRC approve a new, five-year agreement with conditions.

A charter office report outlined some academic and financial shortcomings, including poor performance on state biology exams, failing to make some payments to the state teachers' pension system, and submitting annual audits late.

At a SRC meeting last month, Erin Dougherty said the deficiencies "were largely that of human error, atypical scenarios but not deliberate, reoccurring, or  systematic."

She said the school was working to resolve concerns.

She said Philadelphia E&T was proud of its record.

"Preparing students for post-secondary success," she said, "is what sets our school apart."
The noose is an ugly symbol. To put it in context, it is the equivalent of the secular crucifixion. The historical significance to Christians of the cross, source of persecution, is almost identical to the historical significance for African Americans of twisted rope.

My father found this out when he traveled South to Mississippi in 1967. A white man registering black men to vote and run for public office, he heard the racist epithets and felt the spittle of little children and saw the footsteps of the KKK, visible and proud.

And he saw nooses in the trees. To my white father, it was repellent. To his black clients, it was a daily reminder of the national sickness for which there were no vaccines or legislative cures.

So I abhor nooses, and the vile, acidic effect they have on the eyes and the spirit. You don't play with them, even to make a point. Emmett Till and generations of unnamed martyrs don't deserve that dishonor.

That's why I'm angry about what I suspect happened this week on Lombard Street. Philly.com reported on Saturday that a noose had been found hanging from a tree near the old Graduate Hospital. It was haphazardly thrown, not tied to a branch, but the shape was unmistakable.

A police spokesman could not confirm who threw it there, although they had video of a white man throwing the rope in the tree, and then walking away. Tellingly, he met up with a black man and they engaged in what appeared to be conversation right after he threw the noose.

I say "tellingly" because at the very least, the color of the thrower's companion raises a legitimate question about the motive underlying the act: Why would a black man be involved, even tangentially, in a hate crime involving a noose? This isn't about the "N" word, which I've been told that blacks should be able to use with impunity, even though I, a white woman, can't. At some level, I get that.

But a noose? A murderous symbol of genocide? Why would a target of that genocide be complicit in using it?

Unless  we're being played, and instead of a hate crime, this was an attempt at agitprop from the antifa, the left-leaning groups that find relevance and a sense of mission in magnifying acts of bigotry and racism perpetrated by the right wing.

I've seen horrific inhumanity in my lifetime. I do asylum law, it's a daily thing. Christians murdered in Lebanon and Syria, lesbians raped in Russia, women beaten and forced to abort their children in Honduras, Muslims killed for helping Christians by other Muslims in Pakistan.

The world is a dangerous place, and we are not spared, we comfortable Americans, from those dangers. Hatred of "the other" exists. I heard it in my radio show the other day, when I talked about the vicious symbolism of the noose and someone brushed it off. I also heard naivete or deliberate dishonesty when another listener tried to paint the GOP as the true heroes of the civil-rights movement (uh, nice try but context is everything).

And I'm the daughter of a white man who saw nooses swinging in the trees outside of black clients' homes.

But making this incident a front-page story about "intolerable racism" is unfair, unwise and unproductive if it turns out that the hands that tied the noose were also raised in fists protesting President Trump. We don't know yet what happened. Let's wait before jumping to conclusions, because far too many of these supposed incidents turned out to be fake news. And when you cry wolf often enough, people stop listening. That is a dangerous thing, as any real victim can tell you.

So if this was a hate crime, put their racist behinds in jail.. If it was an attempt to create a "hate crime" to further the political and societal divide, double the sentence.

Playing games with murderous symbols is a national sickness, too.
Shown is the Pennsylvania Capitol building along with roses in Harrisburg on May 23, 2017. Read more

Since the annual state budget process makes it clear that Pennsylvania government has no intention of changing its evil ways, it's time to change official symbols, slogans, and such to better reflect the state of the state.

Say what?

That's right. As lawmakers and Gov. Wolf appear ready to enact yet another (late), backed-by-borrowing, kick-our-problems-down-the-road budget, we need at least a little truth in advertising.

Let's start with some official state symbols.

The state ship (yes, we have one) is the brig Niagara (War of 1812; Battle of Lake Erie), docked in Erie. Historically significant. Impressive vessel. Just doesn't tell the state's story.

Because of Harrisburg's refusal to honestly balance a budget (which just drew warnings of another bond rating downgrade) and its simply shifting deck chairs on our ship of state, the official state ship ought to be the Titanic.

Somebody lower the lifeboats.

The official state insect (yes, we have one, and it's not whichever elected official just crossed your mind) is the firefly, a.k.a. the lightning bug. Cute. Summery. But no longer appropriate.

A better choice, reflecting how our state's financial follies burden our long-suffering taxpayers, would be the deer tick. Firmly attaches itself. Sucks your blood. Remind you of any particular legislative body?

There's more.

The official state dog (yes, we have one) is the Great Dane, also known as "the Apollo of all dogs" for its strength, stature and smarts.

Think Pennsylvania's political/governmental culture fits that mold? Known for strength, stature and smarts? Sorry. That dog don't hunt.

But with our penchant for paying for what Pennsylvania needs with ever-expanding gambling, I'm thinking the best canine choice going forward is the greyhound  coming to a dog-racing track opening near you soon.

And speaking of ways to raise more money, we should rethink the state drink.

The official state beverage (yes, we have one) is milk. You know, does a body good, nature's perfect food.

Hah! New and growing access to wine, beer, and spirits  a booze-fueled state revenue-raiser  suggests the state's beverage should be a mind-numbing Pennsylvania punch.

I suggest a mix of geographically representative ingredients, say, equal parts Presque Isle cabernet (Erie County), Yuengling lager (Schuylkill County), and Bluecoat gin (Philly). Yum. Have a statewide contest to name it.

Now, in fairness, some state symbols seem perfect. Take the state tree. It's the hemlock. Not the poisonous plant, the coniferous tree. Though on second thought. 

Or how about the state bird? The ruffed grouse. Plenty to grouse about in Pa., eh? Then again, given our long-term debt, maybe a better feathered symbol would be the vulture. OK, the ruffed vulture.

I think I see some circling now.

Finally, we need a new state tourism slogan. Currently, it's "Pennsylvania. Pursue Your Happiness."

What is that? A directive? Suggestion? Encouragement to move someplace else?

Don't these clodhoppers know the pursuit of happiness is a constitutional right?

Oh, wait, they pay no attention to the state constitution. If they did, they wouldn't get per diems, pensions, or health care, since Article II, Section 8, of the Pennsylvania Constitution (you could look it up) says legislators shall get "salary and mileage" and "no other compensation whatever."

Of course, they argue that not getting perks would violate their right to pursue happiness.

Anyway, a new slogan's in order.

I've long suggested one based on political performance: "Pennsylvania. Land of Low Expectations."

But given our business climate (we were just ranked one of the worst states for business starts) and proposed fiscal fixes, maybe something more immediately descriptive: "Pennsylvania. Come for the Borrowing. Stay for the Bankruptcy."

Hey, at least we'd attract more bond lawyers.
Indian Army kills two Pakistani soldiers and injures seven in retaliatory fire along LoC after the latter violated ceasefire on Saturday in Poonch district.

By Ashwini Kumar: After an Army jawan and his wife lost their lives in the ceasefire violation by Pakistan along LoC in Poonch district on Saturday, Indian retaliatory fire too claimed lives of seven Pakistan nationals.

According to reports, two Pakistan soldiers and five civilians were killed, whereas nearly 16 civilians have been injured in retaliatory fire by Indian troops.

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The casualties have been reported from border villages in Hajira sector of Pakistan's Poonch district. Villages that came under the barrage of fire in Pakistan are- Bhaira in Tetrinote, Satwal in Abbaspur, Dhakki Chaffar in Abbaspur, Polaas and Chatri.

Reports say, seven more Pakistan soldiers have sustained injuries out of which three are in critical condition.

A Pakistan Army post has also been demolished by the Indian troopers.

All Pakistan soldiers who were hit are from 24 Frontier Force unit deployed on the LoC opposite Chakka Da Bagh and Khaari Karmara area of India's Poonch district.

More details awaited.

Also read: Army jawan, wife killed as Pakistan continue to fire shells in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir

Also read: Should India be tackling China first than Pakistan? 1971 war army veteran explains

Also read: Martyr's widow set to become Army officer, says want to help misled youth of Kashmir

WATCH | Jammu and Kashmir: Soldier on leave killed along with wife in shelling by Pakistan in Poonch

--- ENDS ---
President Donald Trump pauses during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 Summit, Saturday, July 8, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Read more

On Sunday morning, President Trump issued a series of defiant tweets where he called for cooperation with Russia on a host of issues following his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Germany at the G20 summit.

Trump said he "strongly pressed" Russian President Vladimir Putin about meddling in the U.S. presidential election, but stopped short of disputing Russian accounts that he accepted Putin's denial.

"I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion.." the president tweeted, going on to say "it is time to move forward" with Russia.

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters in Germany that Trump took Putin at his word over meddling, and Putin himself said at a press conference that he believes Trump is convinced by his denial. White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus told Fox News host Chris Wallace on Sunday following Trump's tweets, "The president absolutely did not believe the denial of President Putin,"

Trump also raised eyebrows with a cryptic tweet about the possibility of creating an "impenetrable Cyber Security unit" with Russia. The White House did not immediately provide any details about what such a partnership would look like. Putin told reporters on Saturday the partnership would be a working group "on the subject of jointly controlling security in cyberspace."

Working with Putin on cyber security is a curious statement, considering the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the F.B.I. and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence all agree that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

Trump's Sunday morning comments on Twitter didn't appear to go over well with fellow Republicans, who were quick to criticize his views of Putin and Russia.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) said he thinks Trump has a "blind spot" on Russia, and said the president's plan to work with Putin on cybersecurity is "pretty close" to the "dumbest idea I've ever heard."

"When it comes to Russia I am dumbfounded, I am disappointed, and at the end of the day he's hurting his presidency by not embracing the fact that Putin is a bad guy," Graham told NBC Meet the Press host Chuck Todd. "He is literally the only person I know of who doesn't believe Russia attacked our election in 2016."

Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) also called out Trump for even considering to work with Putin, claiming it was akin to working with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on a "Chemical Weapons Unit."

Former George W. Bush speech writer David Frum said Trump's comments appear to give Putin a "greenlight" to interfere in next year's congressional elections.

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R, Wisc.) also weighed in on Trump's comments, pointing out that working with Putin on Syria and other issues risks "glossing over" serious concerns about Russia's invasion of Ukraine and hacking.

Security officials were also quick to criticize Trump's comments. Former Defense Secretary and Philadelphia native Ash Carter also called out Trump's decision to work with Putin on cybersecurity, telling CNN State of the Union guest host Dana Bash that it's akin to "the guy who robbed your house proposing a working group on burglary."

Former CIA Director John Brennan said Trump's refusal to acknowledge Russia's interference in the U.S. election is "dishonorable."

"I seriously question whether or not Mr. Putin heard from Mr. Trump what he needed to about the assault on our democratic institutions of the election," Brennan said on Meet the Press. "I don't think he demonstrates good negotiating skills when it comes to Mr. Putin."

Trump's comments come after government officials told the Washington Post that Russian government hackers were behind recent cyber-attacks that penetrated energy and nuclear company business networks, a sign that Russia is trying to lay the groundwork for more damaging hacks in the future.

This is a breaking news report. Check back for updates.
The Philadelphia Parking Authority has grown its workforce and expenses in the last decade through a program that has nothing to do with parking: red-light cameras that snap photos of license plates when drivers ignore traffic signals.

The program has also left a lot of money on the table, almost $19 million in unpaid fines, and the PPA took action only last month to increase collections.

Legislation in Harrisburg would duplicate the effort, putting the PPA in charge of new "speed cameras" placed along Roosevelt Boulevard in Northeast Philadelphia to photograph and fine speeding drivers.

State Rep. John Taylor, a Northeast Philadelphia Republican, proposed the speed camera legislation. In a newsletter to constituents in June, Taylor called the Boulevard "one of the most dangerous roadways in the state," especially for pedestrians crossing wide intersections.

"We must find more resourceful ways to slow drivers down," Taylor wrote.

The legislation, which has 11 co-sponsors, including seven Philadelphia Democrats, sailed through the House Transportation Committee, which Taylor chairs, but has yet to come up for a vote by the full House since leaving committee on May 24.

Taylor on Thursday said his bill would most likely be combined with a Senate bill that would allow speed cameras to be posted in highway work zones across the state, and might not get a vote until the General Assembly returns to Harrisburg after the summer break. There is a history of tension in the state Capitol regarding highway legislation, where roadway safety measures face suspicion as revenue generators in disguise.

"I tried to use a model that sort of stood some tests already," Taylor said of the speed camera bill's resemblance to the red-light camera law. "We definitely can't have any smell of a revenue raiser."

Red-light cameras are designed to prevent crashes in intersections, specifically T-bone collisions that can be catastrophic for the driver hit when another person runs a red light, officials said.

Speed cameras are designed to slow people down throughout a roadway.

"Speeding drivers need more time to slow down," said Juan Martinez, director of strategic initiatives at the New York City Department of Transportation. "When they do hit somebody, they do a lot more damage. It's the single biggest focus if you're preventing people from being killed."

A recent report found speeding declined by two-thirds and pedestrian injuries by 23 percent in New York City locations where speed cameras had been put in place, Martinez said.

If the bill passes, the Boulevard would receive up to nine speed cameras along nearly 12 miles from the Philadelphia border with Bucks County to the Ninth Street intersection near Hunting Park. The cameras would be advertised by warning signs every two miles.

"I think everyone can really agree that's the most important place in the state to do that," said Michael Carroll, the city's deputy managing director for transportation and infrastructure systems.

Roosevelt Boulevard, a 12-lane divided thoroughfare, carries about 90,000 vehicles a day through residential neighborhoods and business districts. Between 2011 and 2016, the road had about 3,000 crashes, according to city data, causing more than 50 fatalities, 20 of them pedestrians. The road is the first priority of Philadelphia's Vision Zero program, designed to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries in the city.

Fifty of Philadelphia's 134 red-light cameras are at nine Boulevard intersections, where violations have dropped. At Grant Avenue and the Boulevard, for example, violations went from 25,673 in 2005 to 3,582 in 2015. A spokeswoman from AAA said the cameras had decreased right-angle crashes at the intersections they monitor as well.

The speed-camera tickets, like the red-light camera tickets, would not add points against a driver's license and would not affect automobile insurance rates.

The revenue from the red-light program funds transportation improvements statewide, with Philadelphia receiving 50 percent of that money, Carroll said. The money is often used for smaller road improvements and to supplement larger funding sources, and speed-camera revenue would help pay for similar projects. Every dollar of the nearly $19 million in unpaid violations represents money that could pay for curb improvements or streetlights.

Carroll was more concerned with the unpaid fines the PPA has accumulated, though not necessarily because of the lost revenue, he said. The red-light camera program doesn't exist to generate revenue, he said, but to prevent collisions in intersections.

"It's significant because it may also indicate the deterrent is not as effective as we would like it to be," Carroll said.

Unpaid violations start accruing penalties 30 days after they are issued. Those increase over time, and if the ticket remains unpaid for 180 days it is referred to a debt collection agency. The PPA successfully collects about 18.5 percent of violations referred to debt collection. One of the challenges, said Corrine O'Connor, a deputy executive director with the PPA, is the number of violators who are not Philadelphians and don't have any fear of being booted by the PPA.

Last month, though, the PPA approved contracts with Penn Credit, Progressive Financial Services, Sabatina & Associates, and Harris & Harris to all handle debt collection. Each would keep 18 percent of the collected payments, PPA officials said, rather than the 40 percent the sole previous vendor, Debt Litigation Specialists, kept. That company was created by Sabatina & Associates.

The law firm and collection firm are run by John Sabatina Sr., the longtime Democratic leader of the 56th Ward in Northeast Philadelphia. Sabatina did not respond to requests for comment.

The change is expected to save the PPA $325,000 a year.

"We felt that would encourage competition within the four vendors as they were trying to collect," O'Connor said. "They would come up with new initiatives."

Taylor said he was not aware of the growing balance of unpaid red-light tickets in the city. He suggested keeping an eye on that becoming a problem during the speed camera's five-year pilot program status.

"If that continues, if we see over a five-year period that people ignore them, then we could adjust the legislation," he said. "We could make it more of a criminal offense, more like a speeding ticket given to you by a police officer."

Simply operating the red-light cameras has eaten up a larger share of the program's revenue recently. Last year 65 percent of all revenue, nearly $10 million, was spent on expenses for the program. In 2015, 66 percent of all revenue, $8.6 million, was spent on expenses.

From 2010 to 2016, the cameras have cost the PPA $54.7 million to operate, about 56 percent of the revenue the program has brought in. In New York City, expenses consumed about 34 percent of revenue from 2010 to 2016, though Martinez said that city's expenses are less onerous than the PPA's because it is no longer adding cameras to the network.

The cameras are rented for a monthly fee from a vendor who also is responsible for maintaining and installing cameras, and handles processing of the violation notices. The PPA recently shifted the contract for equipment and maintenance from Xerox to an offshoot of that company, Conduent Local & State Solutions. The change should save about $1,200 a month per camera, PPA officials said.

"I would hope that we do see the expenses fall over time so that there's more available for the program itself," Carroll said.
The Indian soldiers deployed in the disputed area have pitched in tents, in an indication that they are unlikely to retreat unless there was reciprocity from China's PLA personnel in ending the face-off.

By PTI: The Indian Army is ready for a long haul in holding onto its position in the Dokalam area near the Bhutan tri-junction, notwithstanding China ratcheting up rhetoric against India demanding pulling back of its troops.

The Indian soldiers deployed in the disputed area have pitched in tents, in an indication that they are unlikely to retreat unless there was reciprocity from China's PLA personnel in ending the face-off at an altitude of around 10,000 feet in the Sikkim section.

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A steady line of supplies is being maintained for the soldiers at the site, official sources said, signalling that Indian Army is not going to wilt under any pressure from China.

At the same time, they sounded confident of finding a diplomatic solution to the dispute, citing resolution of border skirmishes in the past through diplomacy.

Though China has been aggressively asserting that it was not ready for any "compromise" and that the "ball is in India's court", the view in the security establishment here is that there cannot be any unilateral approach in defusing the tension.

Both the countries had agreed to a mechanism in 2012 to resolve border flare ups through consultations at various levels.

The mechanism has not worked so far in the current case as the standoff near the Bhutan tri-junction, triggered by China's attempt to build a road in the strategically important area, has dragged on for over three weeks.

New Delhi has already conveyed to China that such an action would represent a significant change of status quo with "serious" security implications for India. The road link could give China a major military advantage over India.

Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

China and Bhutan are engaged in talks over the resolution of the dispute in the area. India argues that since it is a tri-junction involving the three countries, it also has a say in the issue, specially in the backdrop of 2012 agreement between special representatives of the two countries, that have till now held 19 rounds of talks.

Bhutan has no diplomatic ties with China. As a close friend and neighbour, Bhutan enjoys diplomatic and military support from India.

Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.

ALSO READ

PLA armoured brigade holds 'high altitude drill' in Tibet with most advanced tank Doklam standoff: China says India misleading, demands withdrawal to 'avoid worse situation'

ALSO WATCH

China's public statements on border situation a sign of bullying?

--- ENDS ---

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During an interview on CNNs State Of The Union, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said that the committee wants to hear from Paul Manafort, Jared Kushner, and Donald Trump Jr. on their meeting with a Kremlin-linked Russian attorney.

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Schiff said that he thinks the meeting with Trump Jr. Kushner, and Manafort, and the Russian attorney was really about influencing policy and removing sanctions.

When asked by Dana Bash if investigators wanted to question Trump Jr., Schiff said, You know, I think were going to want to question everyone who was at that meeting about what was discussed. You know, by trying to frame it as being about adoptions ignores what it sounds like the meeting may have really been about, and that is the Magnitsky Act,, and that is legislation, very powerful legislation that goes against Russian human rights abusers, so if this was an effort to do away with that sanctions policy, that is obviously very significant.

The pieces of the puzzle are coming together. It is clear that the Trump campaign and family were working with the Russians during the campaign. We know what Putin wanted out of the relationship, but Trumps presidency hinges on what the Trump campaign got from their meetings with the Russians.

If Trump worked out a deal where the Russians would get the policies they wanted in exchange for helping Trump win the election, that is collusion, and this president may very face impeachment. What is clear is that the scandal has now moved from inside the White House to Trumps own children.

Trump is desperate to kill his investigation because it may have the potential to not only kill his presidency but also destroy his entire business career.
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Donald Trumps self-incriminating habit on social media struck again on Sunday as the President all but admitted that he is working for Putin as he said that he never discussed the tougher sanctions that the Senate passed with the Russian leader.

Trump tweeted:

Sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin. Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian & Syrian problems are solved!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

In June, the Senate approved new tougher sanctions on Russia as punishment for interfering in the 2016 election 97-2. The Senate bill also created a congressional review process if Trump tries to unilaterally ease sanctions.

The President still doesnt get that he is not a king or a dictator. If he vetoes new Russia sanctions, the Senate has more than enough votes to override his veto. The fact that Trump didnt discuss sanctions or punishing Russia for their interference in the 2016 election should tell every American who he is working for.

Trump admitted with a single tweet that the Russian account of the meeting was probably right. The President Of The United States never tried to stand up for democracy in the face of an attack on our election process.

Federal and congressional investigators are watching, and Trump just handed them more reasons to investigate his relationship with Russia.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

A shower is possible early. Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 64F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

A shower is possible early. Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 64F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph.
Three Indian fishermen have been arrested and a trawler seized by the Sri Lankan Navy for engaging in illegal fishing practices.

By Pramod Madhav: Three more Indian fishermen were arrested and a trawler seized by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly engaging in illegal fishing in Sri Lanka's territorial waters on Saturday.

The Sri Lankan Navy claims that 3 Indian fishermen used a bottom trawler and engaged in illegal fishing practices, following which they were arrested.

A Fast Attack Craft attached to the Northern Naval Command on routine patrol arrested the Indian fishing poachers while they were practising bottom trawling in Sri Lankan territorial waters, about 13 nautical miles northwest of the Kovilam Point. With this arrest, the total count of fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy has risen to 70. The total number of boats has gone up to 156.

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SRI LANKAN GOVT PASSES NEW LAW

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan government has also passed a new law banning bottom trawler fishing, considering that it would damage the ecosystem. According to the new law, the culprit would be fined Rs 20,000 and sentenced to 2 years in prison.

Earlier Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapadi K Palaniswami condemned the new law and requested the Indian government to defend the rights of Tamil fishermen.

The arrested fishermen are due to be handed over to the Jaffna Assistant Director of Fisheries for further legal action.

Also read | Rameswaram: Government silence pushes fishermen to go on indefinite strike

Also read | Chennai: Sri Lankan Navy arrests 6 more fishermen

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On Thursday evening CNNs Jim Sciutto tried to clear up the confusion of his colleague Jim Acosta about the number of intelligence agencies that collaborated on the assessment of Russian meddling in the election. The assessment derived from the report released on January 6 that is posted online here.

The report expressly states that the analytic assessment was drafted and coordinated among The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and The National Security Agency (NSA), which draws on intelligence information collected and disseminated by those three agencies. Clappers testified to the same effect before a Senate committee on May 8 (video here).

Yet Acosta charged President Trump with disseminating fake news at what he called Trumps fake news conference last week in Warsaw. Acosta poignantly asked Fredo Cuomo (as Rush calls him) and Poppy Harlow on one of CNNs morning shows: Where does this three or four number come from? They were all stumped.

Following up on Trumps fake news, Sciutto queried Clapper. Sciutto asked Clapper about the total number of American intelligence agencies and how many of them contributed to the assessment. The answer to the question must have come as a shock to Acosta et al.

On the number of components of the intelligence community, yes, there are 17. Sixteen components by law plus the Office of Director of National Intelligence, Clapper said. But he added that not all 17 were involved in the Russia assessment. When President-elect Trump was briefed on this on the 6th of January, there were four of us, meaning the directors of NSA, FBI, CIA, and myself. Thats all, he said.

How the narrative got out there about 17 components being involved, I dont know, he said.

Thats one question Acosta might be in a good position to answer.

I have a footnote for certain Power Line commenters who are subject to their own confusion. The merits of the January 6 report are not my subject here or in related posts. They raise a separate question. I cite the report only for its refutation of the 17 intelligence agencies shtick.

Via Charles Fain Lehman/Washington Free Beacon.
Director Madhur Bhandarkar denied Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam's demand to watch the Emergency drama, Indu Sarkar, before it is approved for release by the censors.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Madhur Bhandarkar's upcoming film Indu Sarkar, set against the backdrop of the 1975 Emergency, is in the news after senior Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam demanded to watch the film before it is approved for release by the censors.

However, the National Award winning filmmaker said he has no agenda to promote any political ideology and he would not show the film to any political party.

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Bhandarkar said that supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi "as a great leader" does not make him a "(pro) BJP or anti-Congress".

"My film belongs to the nation, not to any political party. People like us, actors, filmmakers or any creative persons, are admired by citizens of the country because of our work. I can talk for myself, I have no agenda to promote any specific political ideology. Rather, the film is showing the conflicts of two different ideologies on the Emergency," the Heroine director told IANS.

"Just because I support Modi-ji openly as a leader does not mean I have to subscribe to the ideology of the political party that he represents. What I am trying to say is that I have friends and well wishers in Congress, Shiv Sena and BJP and I have attended their functions," Bhandarkar said.

"I admire Modi-ji and Jyotiraditya Scindia (Congress leader) as individuals, but that does not make me a pro-BJP or anti-Congressi or vice verse," he added.

Indu Sarkar is based on the dark period of 1975 Emergency in India and characters in the film are inspired by the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi. The Emergency was imposed on June 25, 1975, by Indira Gandhi, citing grave threat to her government and sovereignty of the country from both internal and external forces. It lasted till March 21, 1977.

In the Emergency drama, actor Kirti Kulhari plays the role of a woman who rebels against her husband (Tota Roy Chowdhury) and becomes a political activist to protest against the excesses of a political leader (Neil Nitin Mukesh whose character is based on Sanjay Gandhi). Supriya Vinod plays a politician in a get-up inspired by Indira Gandhi, while Anupam Kher portrays an underground leader.

Did Bhandarkar ever imagine getting such reactions from political parties when he decided to make the film?

"No, not at all. This is not the first time a creative person is doing something on Emergency. There are several books, documentaries, docu-features with individuals' opinion. Why are they targeting my film?" quizzed the director.

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"I think the series of drama going on before the release of this film, I can make a film on that. It's an interesting subject for a filmmaker," he said.

A Congress representative has announced prize money for any person who can blacken the filmmaker's face.

Setting the record straight about the film's story, Bhandarkar who is known for making hard-hitting movies on the issues of the society, said: "It's about a poet who rebels against the Emergency of 1975, whereas her husband is a supporter of Emergency. So basically, in the same house, how this ideological difference takes the relationship of a couple on a different journey, is the core of the story."

Bhandarkar said as part of the research for the movie, he read several books and even interacted with people who were in jail and were directly affected by the Emergency.

Indu Sarkar is set to release on July 28.

ALSO READ | Indu Sarkar trailer out: Kirti Kulhari has got all eyes on her

ALSO READ | Indu Sarkar: Neil Nitin Mukesh's resemblance to Sanjay Gandhi is uncanny in this still

ALSO WATCH | Singer Nitin Mukesh to India Today: I was the happiest when Johnny Gaddaar (Neil Nitin Mukesh's first film) got stuck for a year

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Emmanuel Macron, the 39 year old president of France who has been in office for a few months, declared yesterday that our world has never been so divided. At the end of the G-20 summit, Macron intoned: Centrifugal forces have never been so powerful; our common goods have never been so threatened.

I dont know what Macrons 64 year-old wife taught him when she was his high school teacher, but I hope it wasnt History. Maybe Macron was off rehearsing Kunderas Jacques and his Master the day they taught World War I, World War II, and the Cold War at his school.

Macron was elected president of France because the adult candidate, Francois Fillon, was caught up in a scandal not long before the first-round of the election. In the second round, Macron had the good fortune of facing an extremist opponent saddled with the baggage of her even more extremist father.

But Macron is now Frances president, and this job has long carried with it the duty to bloviate about world affairs and to hawk Frances most prized product  diplomacy.

Its a matter of national pride. The French find it hard to accept that the U.S., as befits the worlds strongest power, dominates world diplomacy. So its leaders are always on the lookout for gaps in our diplomacy which they can attempt to fill. Traditionally, the French expect this behavior from their leaders, upstarts or not, though I wonder how relevant the model is today to the general population.

The main gap in U.S. diplomacy that Macron wants to exploit is our withdrawal from the Paris Accord. Presumably with this in mind, Macron announced that there would be another climate summit in Paris in December to mark the two-year anniversary of the climate accord. Exactly what will be accomplished at the anniversary gala is unclear, other than to allow Macron to pose as a consequential figure and take indirect (probably) shots at the U.S.

The French elites will eat it up. Whether the event will distract the wider French population from the countrys deep social and economic ailments is another matter.

Regardless, to pretend that Americas non-participation in a climate agreement, one that offers no realistic hope of combating climate change, marks an unprecedented threat to our common goods is preposterous. If Trumps withdrawal from the Paris accord is a centrifugal force, thats mainly because Macron and Angela Merkel find it in their interest to treat it as such.

Macrons pronouncement notwithstanding, as a centrifugal force, the withdrawal quite doesnt measure up to Fascism (as the French should know) or Communism.

Is there anything else that backs up Macrons degree of supposed alarm? He cant plausibly harp on Trumps alleged indifference to NATO any longer. Trump said the magic Article 5 words during his Poland speech.

But this didnt stop Macron from puffing:

I will not concede anything in the direction of those who are pushing against multilateralism. We need better coordination, more coordination. We need those organizations that were created out of the Second World War. Otherwise, we will be moving back toward narrow-minded nationalism.

Here, his quarrel is, or should be, with the citizens of European countries like Britain who are tired of being dictated to by elitists like Macron. What the young president of France doesnt grasp is that the unwillingness of people like him to concede anything in this regard is the reason why the multilateral organizations he touts are failing.

It is the main cause of the centrifugal force Macron rails against.

Trump came to G-20 meeting disliked, if not hated, by the likes of Macron and Angela Merkel. He leaves disliked, if not hated, by them.

It wasnt Trumps goal to placate them  something he could only have accomplished by reversing course on the Paris agreement, coupled with a personality transplant. But from all that appears, Trump did nothing new to offend Western European sensibilities. He backed Article 5, criticized Russia, and reached some minor agreements about trade.

Trump said nice things about various leaders, calling Merkel incredible. He even praised World Bank leader, and former Dartmouth president, Jim Kim (I will be hard-pressed to forgive him for that).

If this sounds to you like a world divided as it never has been before, you must be a French politician.
The New York Post remains unrelenting in its campaign to call its lunatic left-wing mayor to account. First the Post alerts us to the news inside with this irate cover.

Then the Post reports:

Mayor de Blasio flew all the way to Hamburg, Germany, to praise that citys police in a speech  while cops back home continued to mourn, without him, the assassination of one of their own in The Bronx.

Our right to protest is directly related to the fact that our police protect us, Hizzoner told a crowd of thousands at the outdoor Hamburg Shows Attitude rally protesting the G-20 summit Saturday. So help me by joining in applause and thanks for the police, he said as the crowd cheered.

There have also been great acts of bravery and restraint, he said. Remember, our police are working men and women, too.

But Hamburg police werent feeling the love, despite the praises of Burgermeister de Blasio. By Saturday night  after two days of rioting  more than 200 Hamburg cops had been injured by a rowdy minority of bottle- and firebomb-tossing protesters, according to CNN.

And back home, the mayor missed an evening vigil honoring slain NYPD Officer Miosotis Familia at the 46th Precinct station house where she worked in The Bronx.
We have noted here and elsewhere Sarah Palins libel case against the New York Times. In a June 14 editorial, the Times accused Palin of being responsible for Jared Loughners murder of six people in Tucson, Arizona. Since then, the Times has issued two corrections to the editorial.

Lawyers for Ms. Palin and the newspaper were in court yesterday. The New York Posts brief account does not make clear the context of the court hearing, but it quotes the newspapers lawyer:

Sarah Palins defamation lawsuit against The New York Times should be tossed because the paper made an honest mistake when it said she incited a 2011 shooting that severely wounded Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords and killed six people, a lawyer for the Gray Lady said on Friday. There was an honest mistake in posting the editorial, lawyer David Schultz told Manhattan federal Judge Jed Rakoff.

The Times said that Palins incitement, which it described wrongly, had a clear and direct connection to the murder of six people and wounding of several more. That is obviously a very serious charge. And yet, as the Times now admits, there is not a shred of evidence to support it. In fact, we dont know whether the murderer, Jared Loughner, had ever heard of Sarah Palin. There is zero reason to think that he ever saw her political action committees map of targeted districts.

So, how can accusing a person of having a clear and direct causal connection to six murders, without a shred of evidence, possibly be an honest mistake? Isnt it a textbook case of reckless disregard?

Ms. Palin can make a strong argument that the Times editorialists knew that their smear was a lie, based on reporting done by the Times itself. (The editorialists defense likely will have to be that they dont read their own newspaper.) But at a minimum, it seems that the Times editorial was published with reckless disregard for whether it was true or not. It was a product of sheer hatred toward Palin.

The actual malice standard that applies to defamation cases brought by public figures is often considered to be impossibly high. It has little to do with the usual meaning of the word malice. Rather, it requires that a defendant publish a statement that he knows to be false, or about which he has no idea whether it is true or not, and publishes it anyway (reckless disregard). Sarah Palins lawsuit against the Times is the rare case where it is hard to see how the paper will be able to mount a defense.

It seems to me that the weakest aspect of Palins lawsuit is that she brought it in New York. If the case goes to trial, it likely will be heard by a jury consisting entirely of Democrats who share the New York Timess antipathy toward Palin. Regardless of the facts, I think there is a serious risk that such a jury may return an unjust verdict against her. I sincerely hope her lawyers know something that I dont.
I join John in utter amazement (though not surprise) about the lefts freak out over Donald Trumps defense of the West in his terrific Warsaw speech. From the reaction John and others have highlighted, youd have thought Trump had called Russia an evil empire or something. (Heh.) I hope Trump continues this theme, and provides the left with more beclowning opportunities. If this keeps up Trump is going to carry 45 states in 2020. Who could have foreseen that Donald Trump would become the rhetorical successor to Solzhenitsyn at Harvard in 1978 or Pope Benedict XVI at Regensburg in 2006?

It is a tedious chore to unwrap everything wrong with the lefts reaction to Trumps speech and the wider issues it raises. (Jonah Goldberg does a concise job of it in his most recent G-file.) I decided to dust off James Burnhams classic, Suicide of the West: An Essay on the Meaning and Destiny of Liberalism, first published in 1964 but recently reissued by the great people at Encounter Books, for a refresher on why the reaction to Trump is nothing new. There are lots of illuminating passages in Burnham (who is enjoying something of a revival recently), but this one (at pp. 178-178 if you want to look it up) fits nicely for the present moment:
The battle has left large parts of Mosul in ruins, killed thousands of civilians and displaced nearly one million people.

Iraqi Federal Police celebrate in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq July 8, 2017. Photo: Reuters

By Reuters: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Mosul on Sunday and congratulated the armed forces for their "victory" over Islamic State after eight months of urban warfare, bringing an end to three years of jihadist rule in the city.

The battle has left large parts of Mosul in ruins, killed thousands of civilians and displaced nearly one million people.

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"The commander in chief of the armed forces (Prime Minister) Haider al-Abadi arrived in the liberated city of Mosul and congratulated the heroic fighters and Iraqi people for the great victory," his office said in a statement.

The decaying corpses of militants lay in the narrow streets of the Old City where Islamic State has staged a last stand against Iraqi forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition.

The group vowed to "fight to the death" in Mosul, but Iraqi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasool told state TV earlier on Sunday that 30 militants had been killed attempting to escape by swimming across the River Tigris that bisects the city.

Cornered in a shrinking area, the militants have resorted to sending women suicide bombers among the thousands of civilians who are emerging from the battlefield wounded, malnourished and fearful.

TOLL ON SECURITY FORCES

The battle has also exacted a heavy toll on Iraq's security forces.

The Iraqi government does not reveal casualty figures, but a funding request from the US Department of Defense said the elite Counter Terrorism Service, which has spearheaded the fight in Mosul, had suffered 40 percent losses.

The United States leads an international coalition that is backing the campaign against Islamic State in Mosul by conducting airstrikes against the militants and assisting troops on the ground.

The Department of Defense has requested $1.269 billion in U.S. budget funds for 2018 to continue supporting Iraqi forces.

Without Mosul - by far the largest city to fall under militant control - Islamic State's dominion in Iraq will be reduced to mainly rural, desert areas west and south of the city where tens of thousands of people live.

END OF ISLAMIC STATE'S 'STATE OF FALSEHOOD

It is almost exactly three years since the ultra-hardline group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a "caliphate" spanning Syria and Iraq from the pulpit of the medieval Grand al-Nuri mosque.

Abadi declared the end of Islamic State's "state of falsehood" a week ago, after security forces retook the mosque - although only after retreating militants blew it up.

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The United Nations predicts it will cost more than $1 billion to repair basic infrastructure in Mosul. In some of the worst affected areas, almost no buildings appear to have escaped damage and Mosul's dense construction means the extent of the devastation might be underestimated, U.N. officials said.

The militants are expected to revert to insurgent tactics as they lose territory.

The fall of Mosul also exposes ethnic and sectarian fractures between Arabs and Kurds over disputed territories or between Sunnis and the Shi'ite majority that have plagued Iraq for more than a decade.

Also read: Iraq's Mosul celebrates first Eid without Islamic State in years

Also read: US, Russia reach ceasefire deal in southwest Syria as Trump meets Putin at G20 Summit

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As leaders met behind closed doors, Ivanka briefly sat in her father's chair during a session on African development, as the World Bank president spoke.

By Reuters: US President Donald Trump shared the G20 spotlight on Saturday with his daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump, as she helped launch a loan programme for women and caused a stir by briefly occupying her dad's seat at the table with world leaders.

Ivanka, who ran an eponymous clothing and jewellery business before taking a formal job at the White House, has made women's issues one of her signature policy areas, and the G20 revealed the power she wields as a trusted confidante to the president.

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The World Bank used the occasion to launch a public-private loan programme aimed at providing over $1 billion to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries, a project Ivanka first initiated just five months ago.

"This is not a cute little project," World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said at the kick-off, attended by six of the 20 world leaders at the summit, plus leaders from other donor countries and IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde.

"This is going to be a major driver of economic growth in the future ... and it's going to drive gender equality at the same time," Kim said.

He underscored the importance of having a "champion" like Ivanka Trump to galvanise action on an important issue.

WHEN IVANKA SAT ON TRUMP'S SEAT

Later, as leaders met behind closed doors, Ivanka briefly sat in her father's chair during a session on African development, as the World Bank president spoke.

Her appearance triggered a flurry of tweets and caught the attention of mass-circulation daily Bild, which carried a photograph of her on its website with the headline: "Trump's replacement: Ivanka Trump suddenly appears at negotiating table."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has worked with Ivanka on related issues, dismissed the kerfuffle at a news conference after the G20 summit ended.

"The delegations decide who will sit at the table if the president isn't there, which can happen from time to time. And Ivanka belongs to the US delegation," Merkel said, noting other delegations do the same thing.

"It's well known that she works in the White House and is responsible for several initiatives," Merkel said.

The World Bank said the fund for women entrepreneurs had attracted $325 million from donors including Germany, the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and would be matched by hundreds of millions of dollars in additional private capital.

The programme, which aims to start awarding loans before year end, will work with governments "to improve laws and regulations that are stifling women entrepreneurs" and push banks to free up funds for female-owned businesses.

It will also create an online mentoring tool to match women business owners in developing countries with advisers such as Ivanka Trump, Kim said.

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As for Trump, he told leaders at the World Bank event that he was very proud of Ivanka.

"A champion. She's a champion. If she weren't my daughter, it would be so much easier for her," Trump said, drawing laughter.

"Might be the only bad thing she has going, if you want to know the truth," he said.

Also Read

Was major driver behind separate G20 statement on terror, India says

G20 at Hamburg: All about the Group of Twenty summit underway in Germany

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Agata Kornhauser-Duda invited Melania Trump for a meeting in the Belweder Palace where in the Pompeian Room the two ladies had a tete-a-tete. At the meeting, they mainly discussed the history of the venue and the platforms on which the two First Ladies are active.

The First Ladies spoke about education, about social media expansion and about modern technologies, and the impact they have on the development of young people, also touching upon such dangerous phenomena of the present-day as cyberbullying, hate and stalking. Moreover, the ladies discussed initiatives designed to develop readership among the youngest.

Finally, Melania Trump and Agata Kornhauser-Duda turned their conversation to Slovenia: the country where the First Lady of the United States was born and where in March this year, the Polish Presidential Couple was staying on an official visit.

At the meeting, traditional Polish apple pie was served.

Thereafter, the First Ladies set off for the Copernicus Science Centre whose Director General, Mr Robert Firmhofer, offered explanations about the place and its operations.

Agata Kornhauser-Duda and Melania Trump had a tour of a robotic workstation Thinkatorium where scientific workshop for children and young people was hosted to familiarize them with the basics of software programming and robotics. The curriculum was developed by the Copernicus Science Centre team and the Girls Code Fun Foundation.

The First Ladies accompanied children as they were creating a flower orchestra, then got to know a robot called Dash, admired a unique robotic evening dress, as well as various accessories printed on 3D printers.

At the end of the meeting, the young attendees presented the First Ladies with 3D print-outs: a pink high heel to Melania Trump, and a blue cube with a puzzle to Agata Kornhauser-Duda.

Thanking for the warm welcome accorded to them, the First Ladies signed the visitors book of the Copernicus Science Centre.
When we moved into our 1970s rancher on Chew Road in Hammonton, we were given a patio with no railings and no character. We added railings and then wanted to make the patio an outdoor space where we can read the paper and relax while our boys and Vizsla play outside. We added outdoor living room furniture with fun cushions and an outdoor rug. We just love this space so much! We switch out the fire pit to make smores and the upcycled coffee table for morning coffee and a foot rest.
By PTI: Amaravati, Jul 9 (PTI) YSR Congress chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy will undertake a foot march across Andhra Pradesh from October 27 with his eyes clearly set on the 2019 state election.

The padayatra would begin from Idupulapaya in his native Kadapa district and culminate at Itchapuram in Srikakulam district.

"I will undertake the 3,500 km padayatra for six months beginning October 27, covering the nook and corner of the state," Jagan said today at the two-day plenary of his party at Nagarjuna Nagar.

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"I want to build confidence in people that once I come to power, I will set everything right and take good care of them," he said.

Jagans father, late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, had walked his way to power in 2004 after undertaking a 1600-km foot march in the then undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2003.

Even Telugu Desam Party president Chandrababu Naidu had covered a distance of over 2600-km by foot in 2013 in then undivided state.

Now, Jagan will be following in their footsteps to try his luck in the 2019 state polls.

Though elections in Andhra Pradesh are scheduled to be held only in April-May 2019, many YSRC top leaders feel that the polls may take place within a year. PTI DBV NRB NSD

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Visitor: A.C. still great

Atlantic City is still a great place to visit. Despite the struggling casino industry, A.C. is very much alive. Tourists can look forward to the new Hard Rock Casino next year.

I visited Atlantic City over Memorial Day weekend. I had a thrill at a casino lounge when I played a live version of Willie Nelsons America the Beautiful on the jukebox. Patrons clapped at the end of the song!

Matt Engel

Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Air traffic union backs LoBiondos FAA reforms

U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd District, co-sponsored the FAA reauthorization bill  the 21st Century Aviation Innovation, Reform and Reauthorization Act. My organization  the National Air Traffic Controllers Association  supports this legislation because it fully aligns with NATCAs policies, practices and core principles.

Our labor union is proud to represent nearly 20,000 highly skilled air traffic controllers, engineers and other aviation safety-related professionals nationally, and 142 members in N.J. NATCA has advocated for a stable, predictable funding stream to operate and improve Americas airspace system.

The U.S. airspace is the busiest in the world. Aviation is vital to the national economy and that of New Jersey. This bill would facilitate system and facility modernization and preventative maintenance, allowing the system to continue to grow. It would support essential air traffic control services and protect the air traffic controllers who are the backbone of the system  including their pay, benefits, retirement and collective bargaining rights. Equally importantly, this bill would allow the United States to maintain the safest and most efficient air traffic control system in the world.

NATCA applauds the hard work of LoBiondo and other members of Congress to develop this legislative proposal.

Andrew Elias

Absecon

Reroute N.J. bus to serve mental health center

The Cumberland County Guidance Center on Carmel Road in Millville is a wonderful institution that embraces, treats and repairs many broken spirits forced to manage their lives while understanding a mental illness.

But the center is in the middle of nowhere. There is no public transit. And many of the most vulnerable and infirm in the communities have no way of getting the dire health treatment, therapy and medication monitoring they need and deserve.

The most viable solution would be a simple reroute of the 553 NJ Transit bus line 8 a.m. through 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Unfortunately, so far NJ Transit has dragged its feet with my proposal and attempted to discourage me with red tape and irrelevant bureaucracy.

Bus reroutes across the country are very common in order to accommodate an ever changing landscape and geographical needs and wants. Many will remember when buses were rerouted for Cumberland County College. A route was also altered in Millville on High Street due to logistics.

The people of Cumberland County should band together in pushing for NJ Transit to reroute this bus.

Anthony Parisi Sanchez

Vineland
Astana, July 4 : The fifth round of Syria peace talks began on Tuesday amid tight security measures in Kazakhstan's capital Astana.

According to the Kazakh Foreign Ministry, the talks began with a meeting of a working group comprised of experts from Russia, Iran and Turkey, the guarantor countries that signed the ceasefire declared in Syria on December 30, 2016, reports Efe news.

The aim of this fifth round of the Astana Process is to discuss the situation in the war-torn Arab nation and the agreements reached at previous meetings, including the implementation of four safety zones.

The four de-escalation zones were set up to protect civilians and lower tensions between rebel and government forces.

Nine representatives of the Syrian armed opposition are attending the talks in Astana.

Speaking in Moscow last week, Free Syrian Army representative Fateh Hassoun, warned that the ceasefire would fail and the de-escalation areas would become "combat zones" if Iranian troops were deployed there.

"If Russia wants the proposal to be effective, it must expel the Iranians from those areas, because there is a good chance that these territories would become combat zones against any Iranian military," Hassoun said.

The fifth round was scheduled for June 12-13 but it was postponed by the guarantor states which wanted more time to research the details of the proposed safe zones.

The talks, slated for Tuesday and Wednesday, are taking place in the wake of the downing on June 18 of a Syrian fighter by a US warplane and Washington's decision to suspend cooperation with Russia in Syria.

During the day, a series of bilateral and working group meetings will be held in preparation for the plenary session scheduled for Wednesday.
Cairo, July 5 : Libyan military spokesman Ahmed al-Mesmary on Tuesday accused Qatar, Sudan and Turkey of supporting terrorism in the conflict-torn Arab country.

"By supporting terrorists, Qatar committed crimes against humanity in Libya," Xinhua quoted Mesmary as saying in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

The Libyan spokesman said that he has documents proving involvement of the three countries of providing Libyan terror militia with logistic provisions, saying he will present the documents to the international community.

"All we need from the international community is to lift the arms embargo imposed on the Libyan army to fight terrorism," said the Libyan military spokesman.

He also said that his army achieved progress and controlled vast areas in Libya despite fighting four major categories: the Islamic State (IS), al-Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood group and criminal gangs which possess weapons and ammunition.

"In one week, we controlled three large airbases in central Libya," Mesmary said, adding that his army managed to completely destroy the IS in Benghazi.

He clarified that the IS presence in Libya is declining while the criminal gangs control large parts in Tripoli.
New Delhi, July 5 : Industry is expected to contribute $280 billion to Indias GDP in eight to nine years due to a positive fallout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as structural changes in the ease of doing business will propel growth, a study said on Wednesday.

The study was done by ASSOCHAM-Ashvin Parekh Advisory Services. The Mumbai-headquartered body is a global management consulting firm with footprint in India and the UK.

Describing the GST, in the short-term, as a "mini budget short of projection of estimated revenue", the paper said most businesses would be able to get significantly more credits under the new indirect tax regime, leading to a benefit for most of them.

"It will bring a systematic approach and enhance transparency which will aid growth of business and would help the industry to concentrate on its core business," the paper said.

"We believe that GST is a structural reform and is expected to accelerate the pace of GDP growth in India, despite implementation challenges in the near term. It would usher in lower taxes, seamless input tax credit, logistics savings and market share swings from unorganized to organised players," the paper added.

One of the most visible benefits accruing immediately from GST is removal of the octroi at the checkposts at the inter-state borders, the most irritating and efficiency killing phenomenon that should have gone long ago, said ASSOCHAM Secretary General D.S. Rawat.

"In any case, with most states removing the major trade obstacle immediately after the rollout of the GST, the ease of doing business would go up significantly and the operational efficiency would improve singularly from the removal of the border checkposts," he added.

The paper said that notwithstanding the teething troubles, the GST would make even the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) more efficient and confident, integrating them well into the mainstream of the economy.

"Eventually, GST will turn these MSMEs more competitive with a level playing field between large enterprises and them. Furthermore, the Indian MSMEs would be able to compete with foreign competition coming from cheap cost centres such as China, the Philippines and Bangladesh".
The book traces the history of politics in the state but the issue in focus here, unsurprisingly, is Ayodhya.

By Srijani Ganguly/Mail Today: Uttar Pradesh was yet to pick the BJP as its ruling party, nobody knew what the results of the 2017 Assembly elections would bring, but journalist Manjula Lal had an inkling of the people's choice. At that time she was in the middle of research for her book (In Search of Ram Rajya) on the politics of the state in question, and she knew that "Uttar Pradesh (UP) was poised for a big regime change".

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It was not because she believed the BJP's campaign boasts, she explains, but because the other parties were spent forces. Moreover, Lal continues, in the 2014 general election the state had given 71 seats out of 80 to the BJP - a quantum leap from the past. "So it was clear what the Assembly results would bring," says the author.

It's in this post-BJP win era that Lal's book, In Search of Ram Rajya, finds a place in bookstores. The book traces the history of politics in the state but the issue in focus here, unsurprisingly, is Ayodhya.

Also Read: YV Reddy talks about his life in government and as RBI governor

The journalist-author says, "It is with the Ayodhya issue that the BJP was able to hold the attention of the Hindu community in 1990, so a book such as mine - a political history of Uttar Pradesh - could not help but attempt an understanding of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. Moreover, as 25 years had passed since the demolition of the Babri Masjid, I considered it worthwhile to look back with the benefit of hindsight."

One thing clear from Lal's book: The state of Uttar Pradesh, despite its controversies, has tremendous potential. "UP has suffered," she says, "because its best talent went to Delhi and found a more hospitable climate there to grow and flourish. Jawaharlal Nehru, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Bahadur Shastri, VP Singh and Chandra Shekhar (all former prime ministers) come to mind.

Also Read: Bridge Across the Rivers: Tales of partition from either sides of the border

Then there were Narain Dutt Tiwari and so many others. For comparison, you could say it's like our best engineering talent from IITs going off to the US. The politicians left behind were ill served by the bureaucracy, which often held the real power when the ministers were clueless."

Nevertheless, Lal is optimistic about the future. "Perhaps," says the author, "the Yogi government will deliver the goods. One lives on hope."

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi, July 5 : A court here on Wednesday took cognisance of the chargesheet filed against a woman and two others in connection with the honey trapping of a BJP parliamentarian.

After taking cognisance of the chargesheet, Special Judge Hemani Malhotra listed the matter for July 13 for further hearing.

She also said that she would hear the bail plea of accused businessman Ajay Kumar alias Ajay Pal Chauhan on the next date of hearing.

Delhi Police has filed a chargesheet against a woman, Kumar and Mitrapal accusing them of extortion.

The woman allegedly filmed obscene videos of Gujarat's Valsad MP K.C. Patel and threatened to make them public if she was not paid money, said police.

The woman, along with Kumar and Mitrapal, had gone to Patel's flat to extort money.

The police have chargesheeted them under Sections 384 (extortion), 389 (putting in fear of accusation of an offence in order to commit extortion) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 8 (taking gratification by corrupt or illegal means to influence public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Delhi Police arrested the woman on May 2 from her Ghaziabad residence while Kumar was arrested on June 9.

Mitrapal has not been arrested so far.
Srinagar, July 6 : Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday decided to suspend mobile internet services in the Kashmir Valley to prevent misuse of social networking sites by anti-social elements ahead of the death anniversary of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

As a preventive measure to strengthen security across the Valley as separatists prepare to observe Wani's death anniversary, sources said service providers have been asked by authorities to suspend m obile Internet services indefinitely from 10 p.m. onwards on Thursday.

Separatists have announced a Valley-wide protest shutdown on July 8 to observe the death anniversary of Wani, who was killed on the same day last year, following which the Valley remained shut for 53 days.

As many as 94 civilian protesters were killed and over 200 others lost their vision either partially or completely because of pellets fired by the security forces during mob control last year.

Security challenges for the authorities have been compounded this time because of the ongoing Amarnath Yatra.

The Union Home Ministry has provided additional 20,000 paramilitary personnel to the state government to ensure security in the Valley, sources said.
Patna, July 6 : Hours before the Congress-led opposition's Presidential nominee Meira Kumar arrived here on Thursday on a three-day visit to seek support for her candidature, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar suddenly left for Rajgir.

Meira Kumar was welcomed by state Congress President Ashok Choudhary, who is also Bihar Education Minister, and senior party leaders and hundredds of workers at the Patna airport.

However, Nitish Kumar, who was not keeping well for last two days, suddenly left Patna for Rajgir in Nalanda district, where he will rest for two days on doctors' advice, said sources in the ruling Janata Dal-United.

However, speculation is rife here that Nitish Kumar, who is also the JD-U President, has decided to stay away from Patna during Meira Kumar's visit as she was expected to visit him at official residence to seek his support.

She will also visit her native village Chandwa in Bhojpur district on Friday where she will meet Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislators.

"Meira Kumar will also meet RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who described her as 'Bihar ki beti' after she was made the opposition's candidate," said Congress legislator Shakil Ahmad Khan.

According to RJD sources, Lalu Prasad will be present during her meeting with his legislators.

However, Bihar's ruling alliance is divided over their support for the former Lok Sabha Speaker, with Nitish Kumar already announcing his party support to NDA's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind, who was the state Governor.
Jammu, July 7 : Over one lakh pilgrims have performed this year's Amarnath Yatra so far as another batch of 2,199 pilgrims left from here for the Kashmir Valley on Friday.

"Another batch of 2,199 yatris left from the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in an escorted convoy of 74 vehicles for the valley," a police official said here.

"The convoy left at 4.05 a.m. today (Friday)," the official said.

Since the 40-day-long Amarnath Yatra began on June 29, over a lakh pilgrims have had 'Darshan' inside the cave shrine in Kahsmir's Himalayas.

Situated at more than 3,888 metres above the sea-level, the cave shrine houses an ice stalagmite structure that the devotees believe symbolises the mythical powers of Lord Shiva.

The ice stalagmite structure, called the holy 'Lingam', waxes and wanes with the size of the visible moon.

This year unprecedented security arrangements have been made for the yatra given the threat perception from the militants.

The most appreciable aspect of the ongoing yatra has, however, been the helping hand lent by the local Muslims to the pilgrims.

The local Muslims run taxis for the pilgrims, tea-stalls, roadside kiosks selling refreshments, providing tents at the two base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam and, most essentially, carrying the pilgrims on ponies and sometimes on their back along the treacherous mountain track.

So far, 10 pilgrims have died during the yatra. One was killed in a gas cylinder explosion inside a bus on Thursday while nine others died of natural causes.
Hamburg, July 7 : Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the G20 Summit here.

"PM @narendramodi meets PM @JustinTrudeau of Canada on the sidelines of G20," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopan Baglay tweeted.

Modi last met Trudeau on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington in April 2016.

The two leaders also spoke over phone to discuss the Paris Climate Agreement ahead of Modi's visit to the US last month.

Trudeau assumed office as the second youngest Prime Minister of Canada in November 2015.

Canada is home to around 1.2 million persons of Indian origin.

Earlier on Friday, Modi met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the Summit.
Cairo, July 7 : Egypt's armed forces killed 40 militants on Friday in retaliatory attack after suicide bombing and shooting on an army checkpoint in North Sinai killed at least ten soldiers, the army said in a statement.

"The armed forces have foiled a terrorist attack launched by Takfir elements on some army security points in south Rafah city, bordering Palestinian Gaza Strip," Xinhua news agency quoted armed forces spokesperson Tamer el Refai as saying.

"During the security operation, some 40 militants have been killed, and other six vehicles used by the terrorists have been destroyed," the statement added.

The army statement said the car bombing by militants killed and wounded some 26 soldiers, and added that the forces were tracking the militants in the nearby villages.

Earlier, an official security source said that at least ten Egyptian soldiers were killed and 20 others injured in two car explosions and shooting later at an army checkpoint in North Sinai's city of Rafah.

"A car broke into an army checkpoint in the village of Al-Bars, south of Rafah," the source said.

The explosion was followed by heavy gunfire from dozens of masked militants.

Ambulances rushed to the scene, and the security forces were combing the nearby roads in search for perpetrators.

The sources said the militants belong to Sinai-based Sinai State group, which declared loyalty to the Islamic State (IS) outfit in 2014.

However, no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Hamburg, July 8 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of the G20 Summit here.

"Beginning with bilaterals on the second day in Hamburg. PM @narendramodi meets with President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of G20," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay tweeted.

This was the first meeting between the two leaders since Moon assumed office in May this year.

The India-South Korea relationship was upgraded to that of a special strategic partnership during Modi's visit to Seoul in May 2015.
Kolkata, July 8 : The West Bengal government on Saturday ordered a judicial probe into the communal violence in North 24 Parganas district's Basirhat sub-division.

Making the announcement, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said a sitting or a former Calcutta High Court Judge would be entrusted with the probe.

Violence erupted between two communities at Baduria on July 3 night over a Facebook post. In the violence following the arrest of a youth, a mob attacked members of another community and damaged many shops.
Patna, July 8 : At a time when Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and JD-U have maintained a studied silence over CBI raids on RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family, the state Congress on Saturday came forward to fully support him.

Three top Congress leaders from Bihar met Lalu Prasad, a former Railway Minister and state Chief Minister at his official residence here, which the Central Bureau of Investigation raided a day earlier.

Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee President Ashok Choudhary, Bihar Minister Awadesh Singh and former assembly Speaker Sadanand Singh also held a closed door meeting with the beleaguered Rashtriya Janata Dal leader, and announced that the Congress is with him.

"The Congress is with Lalu Prasad and the RJD because the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government has been conspiring to bulldoze secular parties," said Choudhary, who is also the Bihar Education Minister in the Nitish Kumar-led Grand Alliance government.

He said: "He (Narendra Modi) has become the Prime Minister after killing thousands. What can we expect from him? We are ready for the fight."

"Who is (BJP chief) Amit Shah? He was once externed from Gujarat, but has now become powerful and is using the CBI. We will expose him in public," Choudhary added.

"We are with Lalu. We understand this conspiracy by the BJP," Sadanand said.

Interestingly, Janata Dal-United President Nitish Kumar is camping in Rajgir in Nalanda district, about 100 km from here, since Thursday.

The Chief Minister is yet to break his silence on the CBI raids at Lalu Prasad and his wife and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi's official residence here and other places.

Similarly, JD-U spokespersons are also keeping a distance from the media and have not reacted to the raids.

According to JD-U leaders, Nitish Kumar is busy visiting different tourist places in Rajgir.
Damascus, July 8 : The ceasefire agreement reached between the US and Russia to quell fighting in southwest Syria is a "step in the right direction", Deputy UN Special Envoy for Syria Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy said here on Saturday.

Ramzy told the media that the agreement reached on Friday for creating the de-escalation zones in southwest Syria is also an important development, adding that the UN supports the efforts to de-escalate violence in Syria, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The agreement to create de-escalation zones in southern Syria... is an important development. The UN always aims to de-escalate tension and this is a step in the right direction. We hope that the other areas that have been discussed to be included in the de-escalation zones deal to reach similar agreement soon and that will support the political process," he said.

A day earlier, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the agreement, if it holds, may be a blueprint for other parts of the country. "This area in the south is our first show of success. We hope we can replicate that elsewhere," he said.

Tillerson said there were more details to be discussed on the Russian side regarding who will provide the security forces to observe the ceasefire in that part, adding that such details will be finalised within a week.

The de-escalation zones deal was established in Syria last May, with Russia, Iran and Turkey signing the deal.

The US had no apparent role in the deal, which included four zones that will be included, namely Homs, Idlib, Daraa and Eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus.

The deal held up relatively well in Idlib, but in Daraa in southern Syria the situation became tense recently with renewed battles between the Syrian army and the rebels, which prompted Russia and the US to reach the agreement for southwestern Syria, which includes Daraa and Qunaitera near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Qunaitera witnessed intense battles between the Syrian army and the rebels. Also, Israel struck Syrian military positions several times over the past two weeks.

The Syrian government has not officially commented on the new US-Russian agreement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, raised the issue of Khalistan and pro-Khalistani groups that are still active in Canada.

By Geeta Mohan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, raised the issue of Khalistan and pro-Khalistani groups that are still active in Canada. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Hamburg.

This was an opportunity for India to share its concerns in person after pictures had emerged in May of Prime Minister Trudeau attending a Nagar Kirtan event in Toronto that featured Khalistani flags and posters of extremist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

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In an exclusive conversation with India Today when asked whether the issue of Khalistan figured during talks between Prime Minister Modi and his Canadian counterpart, a spokesperson Ministry of External Affairs said, "The issues, which are of common concern, were discussed. Extremism and terrorism are problems that affect not only India, but all parts of the world. No country, unfortunately, is left untouched. So, there were a number of issues of mutual concern that were discussed".

INDIA LODGES PROTEST WITH CANADA

A riled Indian govt lodged a strong protest both in Canada and with the Canadian mission in Delhi regarding the attendance of the Canadian premier at the Khalsa Day event that celebrated the carrying of a motion in the Ontario Assembly describing the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as "genocide".

Trudeau was the first Canadian Prime Minister to attend the event since Paul Martin in 2005.

India and Canada are working out details for the visit of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to India later this year. And controversies such as this ahead of the visit are 'unnecessary' and 'avoidable'.

Also read | PM Modi returns home after Israel visit, G20 summit in Germany

Also read | Was major driver behind separate G20 statement on terror, India says

--- ENDS ---
Kolkata, July 8 : The West Bengal government on Saturday ordered a judicial probe into the communal violence in North 24 Parganas district's Basirhat sub-division.

Making the announcement, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said a sitting or a former Calcutta High Court Judge would be entrusted with the probe.

Violence erupted between two communities at Baduria on July 3 night over a Facebook post by a youth.

He was arrested, and in the ensuing violence mobs attacked shops and houses, torched vehicles, including those of the police, and put up road blockades. Several police personnel sustained injuries.

"We will conduct a judicial probe into the Baduria-Basirhat incident to take impartial action as per the law. We want to know the forces which indulged in violence. We will also probe the media's involvement in spreading rumours," Banerjee told reporters at state Secretariat Nabanna here.

She said the state would provide all administrative inputs to the judicial commission.

Banerjee lauded the residents of Baduria-Basirhat for "not getting trapped" though there was a "conspiracy to draw them into the conspiracy by offering them arms".

Criticising rumour-mongering, she said: "I am not against Facebook, but against fakebook."

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of "indulging in violence", she said: "The BJP is setting fire to Trinamool Congress offices. We have blacklisted two organisations. The BJP has been destroying the country. They did not control Kashmir and instead are injecting insurgency."

The Chief Minister said the state government would take strong action against those responsible for the violence.

"How was the Bangladesh border opened? Who takes care of the security of the border? Some of the infiltrators came from the other side of the border and left after indulging in communal violence," she alleged.

Continuing her tirade against the Centre, Banerjee alleged the BJP was trying to stoke unrest wherever it was (politically) weak.

Banerjee blamed a section of the national media for "spreading rumour and telecasting distorted, fabricated videos".

"We came to know that a couple of national TV channels used clippings of Bangladesh's Comilla which was shown as Bengal's (clippings). They also used Bhojpuri clippings and showed it as if they were from Bengal. They are telecasting distorted, fabricated videos, which have no link to Bengal. This is a crime and law will take its own course."

She, however, praised the Bengal media and a section of the national media for desisting from spreading rumours.
New Delhi, July 8 : Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of not cooperating with the central government over the Darjeeling unrest and accused the state government of returning forces sent by the Centre.

The comments of Union Minister of State for Power follows Banerjee's accusation that the central government was not cooperating over the violent agitation in Darjeeling, which is witnessing a prolonged movement demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland.

"We condemn Mamata Banerjee's politics... Home Minister Rajnath Singh called her (Banerjee) twice and asked her to normalise the situation in Darjeeling. We were sending forces, but Mamata Banerjee's Principal Secretary stopped them (forces)," Goyal told a press conference here.

"The truth should come out before the country. She (Banerjee) is making false allegations on the Centre...she should be held answerable for this," Goyal said.

Banerjee on Saturday accused the central government of "non-cooperation" over the situation in Darjeeling and claimed the crisis could have been averted through timely deployment of central forces.

Home Ministry sources in Delhi said on Saturday that West Bengal sent back four companies of the Border Security Force (BSF) and four companies of additional paramilitary forces.
Dhaka, July 8 : Bangladesh Police on Saturday arrested a militant of the banned Neo JMB outfit who is claimed to be one of the masterminds of the Gulshan cafA terror attack and headed the JMB unit based in India's West Bengal state, media reports said.

The arrested militant Sohel Mahfuz is wanted in India for an October 2014 explosion in a house in Khagragarh in Burdwan district of West Bengal. India's National Investigation Agency has placed a Rs 10 lakh bounty on him, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit arrested Sohel Mahfuz and three of his accomplices from a mango grove in Chapainawabganj area.

Sohel alias Hatkata Mahfuz is the top explosives specialist of Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (New JMB) and a key arms and explosives supplier for the banned outfit. He had supplied the explosives for the terror attack on the Holey Artisan bakery in July last year in which over 20 people, mostly foreigners, were killed.

He is one of the five most wanted "militants" in the attack on the bakery last year, the CTTC chief said.

The other detained are Jewel alias Ismail, Hafizur Rahman alias Hasan and Mostofa Kamal alias Jamal.

Police had been looking for Mahfuz since the July 2016 attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery.

A senior counterterrorism officer said Mahfuz used the alias Nasrullah, who the Indian police identified as one of the key suspects in the Burdwan blast, which left two killed.

"He was in India from 2009 to 2014 and was the chief of the JMB unit there. He used the alias Nasrullah," Additional Deputy Commissioner Abdul Mannan told bdnews24.com. "India's National Investigation Agency identified Nasrullah as the prime suspect of the blast."

Mahfuz, who hails from the western Bangladesh district of Kushtia, used to go by several other aliases like Shahadat and Rimon, according to police.

He was also known as Hatkata Soheil after losing his right wrist.

"In 2005, he lost one of his wrists in an explosion while making bombs in Naogaon," said counterterrorism officer Mannan.

Mahfuz was an executive member of the JMB and later joined neo-JMB, according to counterterrorism unit chief Monirul Islam.

"After being off the radar for quite some time, he joined the neo-JMB about two years ago, according to our intelligence," Islam had told the media.

Mahfuz was ameer of JMB's West Bengal unit from 2009 to 2014 and he entered Bangladesh on December 2016 to devise the Gulshan cafA attack, Islam said at a press conference in the media centre of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

Mahfuz is a relative of Dhaka cafA attack mastermind Marzan, who was killed in crossfire on January 6, he said.
Kolkata, July 8 : The West Bengal government on Saturday ordered a judicial probe into the communal violence in North 24 Parganas's Basirhat, and continued a major shake-up of the police administration in the area by transferring two senior officers.

Meanwhile, a team of three BJP MPs en route to the troubled area, was stopped and detained by police. Another BJP delegation met Governor K.N. Tripathi to demand imposition of President's Rule in the state.

Announcing the judicial probe, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said a sitting or a former Calcutta High Court Judge would be entrusted with the responsibility.

Violence erupted between two communities at Baduria on July 3 night over a Facebook post by a youth.

While he was soon arrested, violence broke out with mobs attacking shops and houses, torching vehicles, including those of police, and putting up road blockades. Several police personnel sustained injuries as the violence to spread to various pockets under the sub-division.

"We will conduct a judicial probe into the Baduria-Basirhat incident to take impartial action as per law. We want to know which were the forces which indulged in violence. We will also probe the media's involvement in spreading rumours," Banerjee told reporters at state Secretariat Nabanna.

She said the state would provide all administrative inputs to the judicial commission.

The Chief Minister promised strong action against those responsible for the violence and attacked the Central government for not carrying out its responsibility of protecting the international border.

"How was the Bangladesh border opened? Who takes care of the security of the border? Some of the infiltrators came from the other side of the border and left after indulging in communal violence," she alleged.

Banerjee lauded the residents of Baduria-Basirhat for "not getting trapped" though there was a "conspiracy to draw them into the conspiracy by offering them arms".

Criticising rumour-mongering, she said: "I am not against Facebook, but against fakebook."

Bharatiya Janata Party MPs Meenakshi Lekhi, Om Mathur, and Satyapal Singh, who were tasked by party chief Amit Shah to report on the situation, flew into the city early on Saturday and straightway headed for Basirhat, but were stopped at Michaelnagar on the outskirts of the sub-divisional town.

A heated argument broke out between police and the them.

When police said there could be a problem if they proceeded further, Mathur asked: "Kis baat ki samasya ho sakti hai? (What kind of problem can occur?) Hum saansad hain pata hai aapko? (We are MPs, do you know that?) Privilege motion aa jaayega to aap mar jaaoge (if a privilege motion is slapped then you will be doomed)."

"So are you accepting there is problem ahead in Basirhat?" posed Lekhi amid the altercation.

Lashing out at the Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government, she said: "There was no prohibitory order imposed in the area; no papers were shown to us as to why we were detained when we hadn't committed any offence."

"It is very apparent that the administration is hiding the truth and reality -- that the ground situation is grim and the people are actually feeling very insecure. To hide those facts, they have arranged a preventive kind of detention.," Lekhi said after returning to the city.

Later in the day, a BJP delegation led by state party chief Dilip Ghosh met Tripathi and demanded imposition of President's Rule "due to complete law and order breakdown".

The party also held a protest march in the city to demand the arrest of those involved in the violence.

A state Home Department notification said North 24 Parganas' Superintendent of Police Bhaskar Mukherjee and inspector General of Police (South Bengal) Ajay Ranade have been removed.

C Sudhakar, now deputy commissioner (headquarters) of Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, would be the new SP, while Sanjay Singh - currently Director of the Directorate of Economic Offence - would replace Ranade.

On Friday, the state government had transferred Inspector in-charge of Basirhat police station Nasim Akhtar.

Accusing the BJP of "indulging in violence", the Chief Minister claimed its activists had set afire Trinamool Congress offices in Basirhat.

Banerjee announced that her government has blacklisted two organisations - Hindu Sanhati and All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen - and their leaders would not be allowed to enter the troubled areas.

She also blamed a section of the national media for "spreading rumour and telecasting distorted, fabricated videos".
London, July 9 : Actor Tom Holland would like to see the Hulk take down Spider-Man in a future movie.

The 21-year-old actor plays the web-slinger in "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and has expressed his desire to have Marvel's favourite green giant team up Peter Parker's alter-ego for a spin-off because he would love to see them have a face-off, reported femalefirst.co.uk.

Asked who he would like to see join Spider-Man in the future, Holland told MTV: "I really like the idea of Spider-Man and Hulk. There's a really amazing picture from the comics where Spider-Man is sitting on a lamppost staring at Hulk, and I think that could be a really - there's so many jokes you can make about the big green guy, so I think that would be a lot of fun."

"I think it would be quite interesting to see Hulk try and squash him like a bug, like a sort of big brother-little brother type fight situation rather than a proper fight, just to see them have it off with each other, it would be really fun."
Cairo, July 9 : The Egyptian Foreign Ministry is following up the issue of the killing of 19 people believed to be Egyptians, found dead in a desert area in Libya, the ministry's spokesman said.

"The Egyptian Embassy in Tripoli, currently operating from Cairo, was informed by its sources at the Libyan Red Crescent that the bodies of about 19 persons were found in the Libyan desert area between Tobruk and Ajdabiya," Foreign Ministry's spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in the statement on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

He added that the identities of only seven of them have been verified, noting they most likely have been killed by smugglers during an illegal immigration attempt.

"The Foreign Ministry is closely following up the issue to identify the rest of the bodies," the spokesman said, adding that measures are being made to transfer the seven identified bodies back home.

Egypt has been working with Libya's neighbouring states to reach a political settlement in the conflict-stricken country, which is currently engaged in a civil war and run by two rival administrations, one in the capital Tripoli and the other in Tobruk city in the east.

Egypt seeks Libya's stability to maintain the Egyptian national security, secure its western borders and uproot cross-border terrorism, according to security experts.
Mumbai, July 9 : Actor Varun Dhawan says "Judwaa 2" has just got bigger, thanks to superstar Salman Khan's role in the upcoming film.

On Saturday, Salman tweeted a photograph featuring him along with director David Dhawan, actors Varun, Taapsee Pannu and Jacqueline Fernandez. He captioned it: "'Judwaa 2!'"

Varun, set to be seen as Raja and Prem, which Salman played in the 1997 film "Judwaa", also shared the same photograph on Twitter. He captioned it: "'Judwaa 2' just got bigger. The man Salman Khan is in it now."

Taapsee is also excited about the "super team". She tweeted: "And it happened! Done with my talkie portion for 'Judwaa 2'."

Jacqueline, who has previously worked with the "Dabangg" star in "Kick", took to Instagram on Saturday to share a video of herself along with the cast, including Salman.

"A picture may say a thousand words but I wouldn't be able to upload enough to describe today! Around my favourite people who've been with me and supported me in my Bollywood journey since day one!" she captioned the video.

The actress also thanked everyone.

"Salman Khan, David Dhawan, Varun Dhawan, Taapsee thanks for being an awesome co star to work with! Salman Khan thanks for making our film so much more special today! Will always cherish these 'Judwaa 2' memories," the caption further read.
New York, July 9 : After she was missing for two weeks, Hollywood actor Donal Logues daughter Jade has been found safe and sound.

The "Gotham" actor confirmed her safety on social media on Saturday afternoon, reports variety.com.

Donal first took to Twitter for help with locating his 16-year-old daughter, a transgender, on June 27 after she was last seen here near Brooklyn's Barclay Center.

While the actor didn't go into too much detail regarding their family reunion, he did make sure to thank the New York Police Department, the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in his message to fans.

According to tmz.com, an NYPD-FBI joint task force located Jade unharmed at a friend's house in North Carolina on Saturday morning. She has since made her way home.

Donal's former wife and Jade's mother Kasey Smith also confirmed her daughter's return home on Twitter.

"Beyond grateful," she wrote.

It's unclear whether or not Donal's most recent tweet asking his daughter to return home was what sparked her re-emergence, or if she was simply found by authorities.

On Thursday, he shared a childhood photograph of Jade, adding: "C'mon home, you sweet, beautiful soul."

Jade first went missing one week after her 16th birthday on June 26.
Los Angeles, July 9 : Actor Nelsan Ellis, famous for his role as Lafayette Reynolds on HBO's "True Blood", is dead. He was 39.

The actor died on Saturday after complications from heart failure, reports variety.com.

"We were extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Nelsan Ellis. Nelsan was a long-time member of the HBO family whose groundbreaking portrayal of Lafayette will be remembered fondly within the overall legacy of 'True Blood'. Nelsan will be dearly missed by his fans and all of us at HBO," a statement issued on behalf of HBO read.

"True Blood" creator and executive producer Alan Ball echoed HBO's epitaph in a statement of his own.

"Nelsan was a singular talent whose creativity never ceased to amaze me. Working with him was a privilege," Ball said.

Ellis's "The Help" co-star Octavia Spencer broke the news on Instagram on Saturday morning, saying: "Just got word that we lost (Nelsan). My heart breaks for his kids and family."

Born in Harvey, Illinois, in 1977, he and his siblings moved to Alabama to live with their aunt before Ellis decided to move back to Chicago at age 15. At 17, he joined the Marines, but quit shortly after. After studying at the Illinois State University, Ellis went on to get his B.F.A. from Juilliard, where he just so happened to be a class above his eventual "True Blood" costar, Rutina Wesley.

After a single season on Fox's "The Inside" opposite Rachel Nichols and Adam Baldwin and an episode of "Veronica Mars," Ellis was then cast in the role that would define his career -- gay short order cook Lafayette Reynolds.

After 80 episodes over the span of seven seasons, Ellis walked away with a handful of sought after awards: Two Satellite Awards, an Ewwy for best supporting dramatic actor, and a NewNowNext Award for actor on the brink of fame.

Following the success of "True Blood", Ellis moved from TV to film, landing key roles in movies like "Get On Up", "The Stanford Prison Experiment", "Little Boxes", "The Butler" and "The Help". The actor was seen in a lead role on the just-wrapped fifth season of "Elementary".

"Crushed today by the loss of my friend and castmate Nelsan Ellis," said "True Blood" co-star Joe Manganiello.

Manganiello added: "He was a wonderful person, a pioneer, and a one of a kind artist. RIP."

Ellis is survived by his grandmother, his father and his son, Breon, as well as seven siblings.
Beijing, July 9 : US publishing giant Marvel will work together with a Beijing-based company to create its first-ever Chinese comic superhero.

The Disney-owned company, which has created iconic superheroes like Spiderman and Captain America, and Chinese company NetEase have signed an agreement to work together to create the first comic with a Chinese superhero.

Marvel has also authorised NetEase to release 12 copies of its comic stories online in China, including 'Guardians of the Galaxy', 'The Amazing Spider-Man' and 'Captain America', reports Efe news.

Movies based on Marvel comics have earned over 8 billion yuan ($1.18 billion) in China so far.
By PTI: DMK

Chennai, Jul 9 (PTI) The DMK today described as a "black legislation" a Sri Lankan fisheries bill and claimed it was aimed at "finishing off" Tamil Nadu fishermens vocation.

Referring to Sri Lankas Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Amendment) Bill, DMK Working President M K Stalin said it would also affect the Indian fish export policies and urged the Centre to take up the matter with the Sri Lankan government.

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"The black legislation brought with the intention of finishing off the vocation of Tamil Nadu fishermen will not only affect this state but also impede Indias fish export policies," he said in a statement.

Stalin said the legislation came at a time when talks between fishermen representatives of both India and Sri Lanka had progressed well on resolving the dispute (over traditional fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen in the Palk Bay).

"It is a matter of concern that Sri Lanka has come up with such a black legislation with an aim to undermine the intention of the talks," the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly said.

He said though Sri Lanka called India a "friendly country", it was coming up with "such efforts", and wondered whether the latest move suits the "friendly country" tag.

India should, "at a consular or Prime Ministers level" exert adequate pressure on Colombo over this matter and the state government should also take necessary steps, he said.

Stalins statement comes days after Chief Minister K Palaniswami wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying Sri Lankas move was aimed at preventing Indian fishermen from exercising their traditional fishing rights in the Palk Bay.

The issue was also raised in the state Assembly by the DMK and the Congress last week.

Noting that more than 50 fishermen and 140 boats were still languishing in Sri Lankan custody, Stalin said the Centre should ensure their release.

The Centre should also make attempts to retrieve Katchatheevu, an islet ceded in the 1970s by India to Sri Lanka, he added. PTI SA VS KIS

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Kolkata, July 9 : Reeling from communal violence that broke out on July 3 over a Facebook post, West Bengal's riot-hit Baduria town on Sunday saw life returning back to normalcy, the state police said.

The adjacent areas of North 24-Parganas district were also peaceful.

"It is peaceful now. Baduria, Basirhat, Swarupnagar and Deganga areas have not seen further violence," an official of the Baduria police station said.

Internet services though remained suspended in and around the area.

The state government had on Saturday ordered a judicial probe into the communal violence in Basirhat, and continued a major shake-up of the police administration in the area by transferring two senior officers.

"We will conduct a judicial probe into the Baduria-Basirhat incident to take impartial action as per law. We want to know which were the forces which indulged in violence. We will also probe the media's involvement in spreading rumours," Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told the media at state Secretariat Nabanna here on Saturday.

Banerjee said the state would provide all administrative inputs to the judicial commission.

The Chief Minister has promised strong action against those responsible for the violence, and attacked the Centre for not carrying out its responsibility of protecting the international border.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party's members of Parliament Meenakshi Lekhi, Om Mathur and Satyapal Singh, who were tasked by party chief Amit Shah to report on the situation, arrived here on Saturday and straightway headed for Basirhat, but were stopped at Michaelnagar on the outskirts of the sub-divisional town.
New Delhi, July 9 : India on Sunday said the Pakistan government was "reading" from Lashkar-e-Taiba's terror script in hailing Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani whose death on July 8 last year sparked months long deadly unrest in Jammu and Kashmir.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay condemned in a tweet the praises showered upon Wani and other Kashmiri militants by the Pakistan government and its army on his first death anniversary.

"First @ForeignOfficePk (Pakistan Foreign Office) read from banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS (Chief of Army Staff) glorifies Burhan Wani. Pakistan's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by one and all," Baglay tweeted.

The tweet was in response to Pakistan using Wani's death anniversary on Saturday to rake up the Kashmir issue.

Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Saturday that Kashmiris had the right to self-determination.

Bajwa said Hizbul Mujahideen militant Wani's "sacrifice" was "testimony" of his and his generation's "resolve" against "Indian atrocities."

Even Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif paid tributes to Wani, saying his death had "infused a new spirit in the struggle for freedom" in Jammu and Kashmir.

"The blood rendered by Burhan Wani has infused a new spirit in the freedom movement. The Kashmiri people are steadfast to take their movement to logical conclusion," Sharif said.

The Pakistan Foreign Office in Islamabad said in its tweet on Saturday that it condemned "India's deliberate targeting of civilians (in Kashmir) that is contrary to human dignity, international human rights and humanitarian laws".
New Delhi, July 9 : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday spoke to Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling and assured him of all support to ensure the safety and security of National Highway 10 in the wake of agitations there last week.

"Spoke to Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling regarding the security situation in the state and areas neighbouring West Bengal. I assured him that Centre will ensure the safety and security of NH 10 and do everything possible to save people of the state from any misery," Rajnath Singh said in a series of tweet.

The NH 10 is Sikkim's only road link with the rest of the nation. Last week Sikkim-registered vehicles were vandalised in West Bengal during the ongoing agitation for Gorkhaland.

The incidents took place after Chamling supported the demand for separate Gorkhaland state.

The Union Home Minister said he has also asked Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi to coordinate with the West Bengal administration and ensure safety, security and smooth traffic on NH 10.
Patna, July 9 : After spending three days in Rajgir, away from the Bihar capital where the political climate has heated up following CBI raids on RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday returned to his official residence here, officials said.

"Nitish Kumar is back in Patna after spending three days in Rajgir in Nalanda district," an official of the Chief Minister's Office here said.

With Nitish Kumar back in Patna, now all eyes are on him to see when he will break his silence over the CBI raids on RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family.

So far Nitish Kumar, who is also president of JD-U, has maintained a studied silence on the CBI raids on Lalu Prasad. "He may break his silence soon," a JD-U leader considered close to Nitish Kumar said.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) along with the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and Congress is part of the Bihar ruling alliance, headed by Nitish Kumar.

In the last two days, opposition BJP leaders have repeatedly demanded Nitish Kumar break his silence and take action against Lalu's two sons - Tejashwi Yadav, who is Deputy Chief Minister and Tej Pratap Yadav, who is Health Minister -- for their alleged involvement in corruption. Some BJP leaders have demanded that Nitish Kumar should end his party's alliance with the RJD.

According to JD-U leaders, during his stay in Rajgir, about 100 km from here, Nitish Kumar visited different tourist places. "On Saturday Nitish Kumar visited Ghora Katora and on Friday he visited another tourist place," a party official said.

It is expected that the JD-U will react to the incident as per directives of Nitish Kumar.

JD-U spokespersons are also keeping a distance from the media and have not reacted to the raids. "JD-U spokespersons are following instructions from Nitish Kumar and not saying anything on the issue," the party official said.

The CBI on Friday carried out raids at 12 places in Patna, Delhi, Ranchi, Puri and Gurugram in connection with the case involving Lalu Prasad and his family members.

The CBI has registered the case against Lalu Prasad, his wife and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav, former Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Managing Director P.K. Goyal, and Lalu Prasad's confidante Prem Chand Gupta's wife on allegations of awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2006.

In the same year, the hotels were transferred to the IRCTC.

Lalu Prasad was the Railways Minister between 2004-09.
Madrid, July 9 : Rock band Green Day was criticised for continuing their performance after a man fell to his death in front of thousands of stunned concert-goers waiting for their headlining set.

The band and the event organiser were accused of insensitivity for resuming the festivity soon after the horrific incident, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Pedro Aunion Monroy, 42, performed a dangerous stunt at the Mad Cool Festival in Madrid, Spain on Friday night. He was inside a box dangling from a crane around 100 feet high above the ground. He was wearing harness, but the rope apparently broke and he plummeted to the ground.

Paramedics rushed to the scene but he died soon due to the serious injuries he sustained in the fall. Despite the disturbing incident witnessed by the whole crowd, Billie Joe Armstrong and his bandmates took the stage as the organiser decided to continue with the festival.

A disgusted concert-goer tweeted: "Ashamed of you. An artiste died just 20 metres from you and you still play. Worst band on the planet."

Another slammed the band: "I am leaving the madcool after an acrobat died mid show, and noone in the organisation said anything. Green Day shouldn't be playing right now."

British actor Adrian Randle, who was among the crowd, also criticised the organisers and chose to walk out of the festival following the incident.

"I couldn't in good faith stay to watch Green Day perform after that. Thoughts go out to the family of the performer," he wrote.

In their own defence, Green Day claimed that they didn't know about the incident until after they finished their set.

"We just got off stage at Mad Cool Festival to disturbing news. A very brave artist named Pedro lost his life tonight in a tragic accident. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends."
Geneva, July 9 : Indian Grand Master Pentala Harikrishna held World No.6 Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan to a thrilling draw in the third-round clash of the Geneva FIDE Grand Prix late here.

The World No. 22 Indian, playing with white pieces on Saturday, attacked from the onset and found himself in a winning position but a slight miscalculation saw him surrender the advantage to the second seeded Azerbaijan player.

"I was playing a good game and got into a winning position but played the wrong move to give away the win. Instead of playing Kh2 on the 28th move, the precise move to win would've been Nc5," Harikrishna said.

Harikrishna is tied second with two points, courtesy of a win and two consecutive draws. The 31-year-old Guntur player will take on another Azerbaijani Grand Master and table topper Teimour Radjabov in his fourth-round encounter later tonight.

"Teimour has been playing really well in this tournament so far. He is a solid player and I'll look to play my normal game and see how it goes," Harikrishna said ahead of the clash.
New Delhi, July 9 : An application was launched here on Sunday where a person can consult a doctor without having to travel to the clinic/hospital.

"IVH patient care" will also help doctors maintain a record of all their patients.

Using the app, patients who have difficulty in travelling to consult doctors can update their status and the kind of medical treatment they are undergoing. Using the same application, the doctors can check the status and guide the patients on what to do next.

The application also helps the doctors to keep a record of all their patients who cannot pay regular visits despite being required to do so.

"There is little or no mechanism to keep track of the patient's treatment journeys that are referred to specialists. Most of the time doctors lose their patients in referral chains. The primary treating doctors who examined the patient for the first time and knows most about the patient need to be informed about the patient's treatment cycle because their remarks really do matter in the entire treatment process," said Tarun Sahani, Internal and Hyperbaric Medicine expert at Indraprasta Apollo Hospital.

"IVH patient care" has been developed by India Virtual Hospitals, a tech-enabled specialised Medical Concierge Service addressing the needs of medical travellers looking for quality treatments in India.

Stating that it is a doctor's right to know about their patient whom they provide treatment, Sahani said that an app like this will certainly go a long way to help doctors to be informed about their patient's treatment status.

"This may become a platform where doctors and specialists can interact and discuss about the patient with each other," he said.

Launching the application, Swadeep Srivastava, Managing Partner, India Virtual Hospital, said: "It is a struggle for doctors to trace their patients when they are referred by them to some other hospital in an alien city."

"With 'IVH Patient Care', we are trying to empower doctors with the right to be informed about their patients who are travelling for medical benefits," said Srivastava.
Washington, July 9 : Aiming to show how to protect Earth from a future killer asteroid strike, NASA plans to crash a refrigerator-sized spacecraft at a speed about nine times faster than a bullet into a space rock, forcing it to change its orbit.

The target for the first-ever mission to demonstrate an asteroid deflection technique for planetary defence -- the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) -- is an asteroid that will have a distant approach to Earth in October 2022, and then again in 2024, NASA said.

"DART would be NASA's first mission to demonstrate what's known as the kinetic impactor technique -- striking the asteroid to shift its orbit -- to defend against a potential future asteroid impact," said Lindley Johnson, planetary defence officer at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

The asteroid is called Didymos -- Greek for "twin" -- because it is an asteroid binary system that consists of two bodies -- Didymos A, about 780 metres in size, and a smaller asteroid orbiting it called Didymos B, about 160 metres in size.

DART, scheduled for launch in 2020, would impact only the smaller of the two bodies, Didymos B.

The Didymos system has been closely studied since 2003. The primary body is a rocky S-type object, with composition similar to that of many asteroids.

The composition of its small companion, Didymos B, is unknown, but the size is typical of asteroids that could potentially create regional effects should they impact Earth.

"A binary asteroid is the perfect natural laboratory for this test," said Tom Statler, programme scientist for DART at NASA Headquarters.

"The fact that Didymos B is in orbit around Didymos A makes it easier to see the results of the impact, and ensures that the experiment doesn't change the orbit of the pair around the sun," Statler added.

After launch, DART would fly to Didymos, and use an on-board autonomous targeting system to aim itself at Didymos B.

Then the spacecraft would strike the smaller body at a speed about nine times faster than a bullet, approximately six kilometres per second.

Earth-based observatories would be able to see the impact and the resulting change in the orbit of Didymos B around Didymos A, allowing scientists to better determine the capabilities of kinetic impact as an asteroid mitigation strategy.

The kinetic impact technique works by changing the speed of a threatening asteroid by a small fraction of its total velocity, but by doing it well before the predicted impact so that this small nudge will add up over time to a big shift of the asteroid's path away from Earth.

"DART is a critical step in demonstrating we can protect our planet from a future asteroid impact," saiid Andy Cheng of The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, the DART investigation co-lead.
Washington, July 9 : At least 23 persons were arrested when members of the Ku Klux Klan rallied in the US against charlottesville city's decision to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general.

Three people were also taken to hospital -- two for "heat-related issues" and one for an "alcohol-related issue" -- after more than 1,000 protesters on Saturday afternoon hurled insults, water bottles and apple cores in the rally, the New York Times reported.

Around 50 members of the racist Klan -- some wearing hooded white robes -- shouted "white power" at the Justice Park.

The trouble intensified when the Klan members, who said they came from North Carolina, began to leave and return to their cars after 4 p.m.

City officials said a large group of counter-protesters followed them back to their vehicles and stopped them from leaving.

Asked to step aside, the counter-protesters refused, a city spokeswoman said.

The police declared an unlawful assembly, and officers began moving the protesters back so the Klan members could leave.

As the police returned to Justice Park, "there were a number of incidents, including the use of pepper spray by the crowd", Miriam Dickler, a city spokeswoman, said in a statement.

The police ordered the crowd to disperse, but the protesters remained entrenched. Dickler said the Virginia State Police then released three canisters of tear gas.

"The crowd immediately dispersed," she said.

The rally, and the response to it, put the city on edge, and upset some residents who had hoped the event would end without any problems.

"We were just standing there, peaceful, on the sidewalk," said Candice Maupin, a city resident and one of the counter-protesters. "We heard this boom, and then this green smoke, and our eyes started burning."

City officials and church leaders had asked residents to stay away from the rally. Concerts and other events were planned to encourage residents to spend the day elsewhere.

Charlottesville has become a flash point in a debate about how cities across the South should reconcile themselves with their past and, specifically, with the Civil War.

The Charlottesville City Council voted narrowly in April to sell the statue of Lee.

But in May, a circuit court judge in the city issued a six-month injunction to halt the removal of the statue after a collection of individuals and groups -- including the Virginia chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans -- filed a lawsuit against the city.

Demonstrators led by Richard B. Spencer, a noted white supremacist, marched here in May to protest the city's plan to remove the statue.

Spencer posted pictures and videos from the gathering that showed demonstrators holding Confederate battle flags and a banner proclaiming, "We will not be replaced."

Counter-protesters, who chanted "go home", "black lives matter" and a variety of profanity-laced insults, said it was important for them to confront the Klan because simply ignoring white-supremacist viewpoints could allow such views to proliferate.

Dickler, the city spokeswoman, said another rally by white nationalists has been planned for August 12.
Mosul, July 9 : Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Mosul on Sunday and congratulated the armed forces for liberating the city and on their victory over the Islamic State after 266 days of battle. IS held the city for three years.

Liberating Mosul from the IS occupation is a great victory for Iraq's anti-terror war, but the war-torn country will face grave challenges of national reconstruction and reconciliation, experts said, Xinhua reported.

Iraqi forces have liberated Mosul, the capital city of Iraq's northern province of Nineveh and the second largest city in Iraq, after nine months of fierce battle. IS had used the city as its de facto capital.

It was in Mosul that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared in 2014 the establishment of the Islamic State, a caliphate in Iraq and Syria.
Defence sources said that this is the second incident of ceasefire violation in 36 hours, and that Pakistani troopers are firing 82 mm and 120 mm mortar shells on the Indian Army posts and civilian areas.

By Ashwini Kumar: Pakistan has once again started its unprovoked shelling and firing along the Line of Control in the Khaari Karmara and Digwar areas of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir.

Defence sources said that this is the second incident of ceasefire violation in 36 hours, and that Pakistani troopers are firing 82 mm and 120 mm mortar shells on the Indian Army posts and civilian areas.

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Defence spokesman Lt Col Manish Mehta said that Pakistan army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars from 18:40 hours in Poonch sector, and the Indian Army is retaliating strongly and effectively.

The Pakistan army had on Saturday violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in Poonch district killing an Army jawan and his wife. The jawan was visiting his native village to spend time with his family.

Following the violation on Saturday, Indian troops fired back in retaliation and killed seven Pakistani nationals. As per reports, two Pakistani soldiers and five civilians were killed and more than 18 civilians were injured in the retaliatory firing from the Indian side.

Also Read:

Exclusive: India kills 2 Pakistan Army soldiers, demolishes post in retaliatory fire along LoC

Army jawan, wife killed as Pakistan continue to fire shells in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir

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Bhopal, July 9 : The Congress-led opposition's Presidential nominee Meira Kumar will arrive in the Madhya Pradesh capital on July 13 to seek support for her candidature.

Leader of Opposition Ajay Singh on Sunday said that Kumar would interact with the state legislators.

She would appeal to legislators of the Congress and other like-minded parties to back her candidature for the top post, he said.

Meira Kumar will also address Congress legislators at the party office here at 4 p.m. and fly back to Delhi later in the evening.

NDA's Presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind was in Bhopal on Saturday during which he addressed a meeting of BJP legislators and MPs and sought support for his candidature.
Jerusalem, July 9 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday welcomed the ceasefire in Syria but warned that Israel would not allow Iran and Hezbollah to establish a military presence in the neighbouring country.

"Israel will welcome a genuine ceasefire in Syria," Netanyahu said at his weekly cabinet meeting, referring to a ceasefire agreement reached Friday between the US and Russia to quell fighting in southwestern Syria, Xinhnua news agency reported.

"This ceasefire must not enable the establishment of a military presence by Iran and its proxies in Syria in general and in southern Syria in particular," he added.

Netanyahu said that Israel will continue to monitor developments beyond its disputed border with Syria, "while strongly upholding our red lines."

He explained that these red lines include preventing Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based, Iran-backed militia that fights along President Bashar Assad's army, from growing in Syria.

"Israel will prevent Hezbollah, or Iranian forces, from establishing a ground presence along our border, and prevent the establishment of an Iranian military presence in Syria as a whole," said Netanyahu.

The ceasefire agreement was achieved after meetings between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 conference in Hamburg, Germany.
Patna, July 9 : At least 16 persons were killed and half a dozen others injured in lightning strikes in different parts of Bihar on Sunday, officials said.

According to officials of the Bihar State Disaster Department, five persons were killed in Vaishali district, followed by three in Bhojpur district and two each in Buxar and Samastipur districts.

Besides, one person each died in Saran, Araria, Patna and Aurangabad districts.

The state government has announced compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the families of each victim.

Lightning strikes during the June-September monsoon season are common, with villagers housed in bamboo and grass huts more at risk.

A large part of Bihar, including Patna, received heavy rainfall on Sunday.
Tehran, July 9 : Iran and Turkey are mulling a plan to achieve free trade between the two countries based on an earlier agreement to remove preferential tariffs, Press TV reported on Sunday.

The announcement was made by Mahmoud Vaezi, Iran's Minister of Communications and Information Technology, after his meeting with visiting Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci.

Tehran and Ankara had already taken measures to realise the mutual trade objectives that they had agreed on during the earlier meetings between the Presidents of both countries, said Vaezi.

Both sides need to enhance their banking cooperation to facilitate the expansion of their mutual trade, he stressed.

To this end, Iran and Turkey had agreed to study the mechanisms needed for using their own currencies in trade transactions between the two countries, he said, adding that the issue will be discussed in more precise details during an upcoming visit to Tehran by the Governor of Turkish central bank.

During Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara in April 2016, both sides agreed to strengthen economic ties and cooperate in the fight against terrorism.

Energy-hungry Turkey imports large amounts of natural gas from Iran and the two countries are looking to boost banking and trade ties.

Iran and Turkey have stressed the boost of mutual trade value tripling it to $30 billion annually.
Bhopal, July 9 : The spate of farmer suicides in Madhya Pradesh continues unabated. Three farmers committed suicide in the last two days under pressure from banks and moneylenders, taking the number of farmer deaths to 45 in 28 days.

A debt-ridden farmer on Sunday killed himself by jumping in front of a train in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district.

Tekram Kurmi, 48, was the owner of six acres of land in Pipariya village under the limits of Garhakota police station. Tekram owed money to the bank and moneylenders besides his crop was also ruined, his family said.

Tekram went for a walk on Sunday morning, after which his family was informed that he killed himself by jumping in front of a train near Girwar railway station.

R.N. Tiwari, the officer in-charge of Garhakota police station, confirmed that the farmer committed suicide by jumping in front of a train. He, however, said the reason behind the suicide was not yet known.

He said the Government Railway Police (GRP) is investigating the case.

Similarly, Jhalkan Singh, 33, consumed insecticide on Saturday in Vidisha under the limits of Garhakota police station. The farmer, who owned 11 acres of land, was upset after his crop got destroyed and also his failure to pay back debt.

Shakuntala Bamnia, officer in-charge of Kurwai police station, said he had met Jhalkan's wife Rani but she did not talk about any debt.

It is suspected that Jhalkan committed suicide as his wife often remained sick. The couple has a three-year-old daughter.

Another farmer Maniram, 45, consumed insecticide on Friday in Ghusgawan village in Morena district. He was admitted to a local hospital initially and then taken to Gwalior for treatment but he died later.

Maniram's family said he was upset as he had a Rs four lakh debt and had failed to pay a Rs 50,000 electricity bill.

Sub Divisional Magistrate (Revenue) Pradeep Tomar told the media the reason behind the suicide was not yet known.

Earlier, on July 5, three farmers committed suicide.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Madhya Pradesh has categorically ruled out waiving of farmers' loans.

Farmers in Madhya Pradesh had launched a protest last month demanding better prices for their produce and debt relief.

On June 6, five protesting farmers were killed in police firing in Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur district, while one injured farmer died later.

Though the protest was called off following the government's intervention, farmers have been ending their lives over debt and other problems.

To pay tribute to the farmers killed in Mandsaur, farmers' leaders began the 'Kisan Mukti Yatra' on July 6 with the assistance of social institutions.

The Yatra will pass through six states and reach Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on July 18 where the farmers' leaders will speak on the "anti-farmer policies" of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government.
Chandigarh/New Delhi, July 9 : Senior lawyer and AAP legislator H.S. Phoolka on Sunday said he wants to resign as the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly so as to be able to continue to fight cases of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims in courts.

The move follows directions from the Delhi Bar Council disallowing Phoolka from contesting cases of the riot victims in various courts, saying that he held an "office of profit" being Leader of Opposition.

Phoolka said that he had asked Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal to select somebody else as the legislature party leader and suggested three names - Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Kanwar Sandhu and Aman Arora. It was not known yet if he had submitted his resignation yet.

"I will continue to fight for the rights of the riot victims which I have been doing for so many years," Phoolka, a Supreme Court lawyer, said in New Delhi.

Having emerged as the second largest party with 20 legislators in the 117-member Assembly in the elections held in February this year, the AAP has got the post of the Leader of Opposition. This was the first outing for AAP in the Punjab Assembly polls.

It named Phoolka as its leader in the house in March this year after the election results.
Chandigarh, July 9 : Following the recent decision of the Punjab Cabinet to ban the formation of truck unions and cartels, over 90,000 trucks remained off the roads in Punjab on Sunday.

The one-day protest strike was called by the All Punjab Truck Operators' Union, its president Happy Sandhu said.

Transportation of food grains and other material was affected due to the strike call.

The Punjab government had announced that all truck unions would be disbanded in the state.

To end the cartelisation of goods transport, the Punjab Cabinet on July 5 gave its approval to the Punjab Goods Carriages (Regulation and Prevention of Cartelisation Rules), 2017, which bar goods carriage operators from forming cartels or unions in the state.

"Once these rules come into effect, no operator or permit holder of goods carriages shall be allowed to form a cartel denying freedom of choice to the consignors and consignees to engage the services of such operators or permit holders," a Punjab government spokesperson had said.

The proposed new rules have been placed in public domain for 30 days for any objections.

"The move is aimed at destroying the mafia of goods transporters who had cartelised the business over the past several years, obstructing the free and fair movement of goods transport, thereby also impacting industrial development of the state," the spokesperson said.

To protect the interests of the transporters following the abolition of truck unions, it was also decided that the government should fix the minimum and maximum fares and freights for goods carriers.
Agartala, July 9 : A Kolkata-bound engineering student was nabbed at the airport here on Sunday evening after he was found to be carrying two Swiss knives in his shoes, police said.

"Central Industrial Security Force officials detained Prasenjit Ghosh, 21, after they found two Swiss knives concealed in his shoes while frisking," police official Kantilal Baidya told IANS.

Ghosh, an engineering student of a Kolkata-based institution, and three people accompanying him were handed over to police, he added.

Police would produce the four, all hailing from Tripura, in court on Monday.

Police were trying to find out the motive of the passenger for carrying the knives.
Dublin, July 10 : Ireland on Sunday marked the annual National Day of Commemoration to honour all Irish people who died in past wars or on service with the United Nations.

The ceremonies were held at Dublin's Royal Hospital Kilmainham and six other locations across the country, Xinhua news agency reported.

At Royal Hospital Kilmainham, the principal ceremony was attended by Irish President Michael D. Higgins, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and other government members.

The next-of-kin of those who died in past wars or on UN service and a wide cross-section of the community including ex-servicemen's organisations, as well as relatives of leaders of the 1916 Rising, were also invited.

The principal ceremony commenced with a multi-faith service of prayer, after which President Higgins laid a wreath on behalf of the Irish people. As part of the ceremony, full military honours were rendered by the Tri-Service Guard of Honour.

Over 3,000 people attended the principal ceremony in Dublin, which was also open to the public. At the conclusion of the ceremony, there was an Air Corps flyover.

In Ireland, the National Day of Commemoration commemorates all Irish people who died in past wars or UN peacekeeping missions. It occurs on the Sunday nearest July 11, the anniversary of the date in 1921 that a truce was signed ending the Irish war of independence.
"Tracy will be an essential member of the CustomerGauge team. She has a proven track record of success in sales leadership and her forward thinking, creative solutions will be an excellent match for both CustomerGauges culture and goals.

CustomerGauge is pleased to welcome Tracy Linne as the new Vice President of Global Sales to their senior management team. CustomerGauge, the leading Monetized NPS SaaS solution enables companies to measure their customer feedback in real-time, is headquartered in Amsterdam with a satellite office in Boston.

Adam Dorrell, CEO and co-founder of CustomerGauge, says that Tracy Will be an essential member of the CustomerGauge team. She has a proven track record of success in sales leadership and her forward thinking, creative solutions will be an excellent match for both CustomerGauges culture and goals.

A seasoned leader in sales with over 25 years of experience, Tracy has built high performing sales teams by thinking creatively about strategy and vision. She was the VP of Sales for Pursway where she built their sales department from the ground up. She also led sales efforts at other major software companies including Appneta, Peoplesoft, ARC and Brainshark.

Tracy is excited to join CustomerGauge at this stage of rapid growth for the company:

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A farmer from Sehore's Basantpur Pangri asked his daughters to plough the field because of lack of funds.

By India Today Web Desk: Another farmer story from the state of Madhya Pradesh brings to light the crisis prevalent in the state.

A farmer from Sehore's Basantpur Pangri asked his daughters to plough the field because of lack of funds.

"Don't have enough money to buy oxen. I am ploughing fields to sow maize crop," Sardar Barela told news agency ANI.

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He also said that his daughters have quit studies to help him in the farm. He said that both daughters, Radhika (14) and Kunti (11), quit their education due to lack of money or financial support.

The district administration swung into action after media interference. "The farmer has been instructed not to use children for such activities. Whatever help he can be given, the administration is looking into it," District Public Relations Officer Ashish Sharma said.

June saw wide scale protests by farmers of Madhya Pradesh demanding loan waiver and better prices for their crops.

Six farmers were killed as the protests in Mandsaur turned violent and para-military forces were deployed by the Centre to calm the situation and Section 144 was imposed.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan even went on an indefinite fast demanding Centre's attention and to ensure that peace in the state.

This crisis has given the Opposition another reason to attack Modi led Centre.

Also read

MP farmers protests: Congress workers hurl eggs at Radha Mohan Singh's car in Bhubaneshwar

Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh farmers are demanding what Narendra Modi had promised in 2014

--- ENDS ---
Burdette & Rice We are so proud of both of these esteemed authors as well as the content of this important paper for the Texas legal community.

Burdette & Rice, one of the leading Texas law firms with expertise in guardianship disputes and litigation under Texas law, is proud to announce that firm attorney, Mark Caldwell, successfully presented a paper that he cowrote with Dallas County Probate Judge Hon. Brenda H. Thompson, entitled, Constitutional Considerations When Restricting Access to the Proposed Ward in Contested Guardianship Proceedings. The paper was presented on May 16, 2017, at the continuing legal education seminar for the National College of Probate Judges, held in Santa Fe, New Mexico on May 16th, 2017.

We are so proud of both of these esteemed authors as well as the content of this important paper for the Texas legal community," explained Elliott Burdette, Managing Director of Probate Litigation at Burdette & Rice. Guardianship issues are among the more complex aspects of the law, and this paper clarifies important aspects concerning restricting access to the proposed ward in a guardianship contest."

Persons interested in learning more about this issue yet who missed the presentation can reach out to Mark Caldwell at http://www.dallasprobateattorneys.com/mark-r-caldwell/. The lay public with interest in basic guardianship disputes under Texas law can also visit the website at http://www.dallasprobateattorneys.com/guardianshipdisputes/ for an overview to guardianship issues. Those seeking to review information on guardianship under Texas law can read the firm's lively blog archive at http://www.dallasprobateattorneys.com/tag/guardianship/. Finally, anyone facing potential guardianship litigation is urged to reach out to Burdette & Rice for a consultation; journalists and bloggers seeking interview opportunities may do so as well.

More Information on Mark R. Caldwell, Texas Estate and Probate Attorney

Mark Caldwell represents individuals involved in contested guardianships actions and has wide experience in protecting clients rights in disputed matters involving trusts, estates, guardianships and breaches of fiduciary duty. He is a recognized lawyer throughout Texas in areas of trust, probate, and estate litigation, and Mark earned his law degree from the New England School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2005, before returning to Dallas, Texas. Interested parties are referred to the website to read a full list of Marks publications and speaking experience. Mark is a prolific writer and frequent speaker at many continuing education events throughout Texas.

About Burdette & Rice, PLLC

Burdette & Rice, PLLC is a top Dallas probate law firm, with lawyers dedicated to listening to their clients, being fully present to them, and advocating their clients positions in the simplest and most persuasive way possible. The law firm employs some of the top probate and estate lawyers in Dallas, Texas. Clients come to Burdette & Rice to contest a will in Texas, work on complex inheritance litigation and disputes, and to litigate disputes over powers of attorney, guardianship and trustee issues all based on Texas law.

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We urge all Ghanaians in the diaspora to support the socio-economic development of the country by investing in the micro, medium and small enterprises which can be a highly effective way of creating jobs and generating incomes in the local communities he said.

READ MORE: China agreement won't send Ghana into HIPC- veep's AdvisorTwo years ago the United Nations issued a call to action to eradicate poverty and hunger and reduce social and economic inequality in all forms under the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, it is, therefore, the policy of the current administration to work hard to ensure that the 2030 agenda is achieved, he added.
Working the under umbrella name, "Coalition of Unemployed Private Nurses (COUPN)," the nurses say they are being denied postings to work in state hospitals.

In a statement jointly signed by the group's Secretay and Director, COUPN has accused the Ministry of Health of " unfair, inhumane, injustice and despicable treatment."

The group argues that it members are Ghanaians and "are entitled to equal share of the national cake."

COUPN at the press conference will outline a roadmap for further action if the government fails to address their concerns, the statement said.

The planned press conference comes as the government is struggling to contain growing agitations from government trained nurses who have not been posted yet.
Her denial comes after she was accused by a member of the National Democratic Congress comunications team, Sammy Gyamfi, of being "deeply involved" in the contaminated fuel issue involving the Bulk Oil Storage & Distribution (BOST) and Movempiina Oil.

READ MORE: Former BOST MD sues Ken Agyapong for GHC5m

Mr Gyamfi is widely quoted on multiple media platforms as saying: "I am hearing rumours that one of Akufo-Addos daughters, Edwina, is deeply involved in the matter so is it the reason why he is silent? This BOST issue cant be swept under the [carpet], looking at its gargantuan nature.

But in a strongly worded statement, the president's daughter rebutted: "I wish to state categorically that this allegation is false. I have no such involvement in this matter.

"I have no relationship with any of the two companies, Movenpinaa Energy and Zupoil, that have been mentioned and have admitted to having been involved in the transaction of the said off-spec product"."I have done NO BUSINESS with BOST or its MD, Alfred Obeng Boateng, and can, therefore, not be in a position to be described as "deeply involved" in this transaction or any other transaction whatsoever with BOST."If I may stress, I have NEVER had any interaction with any of the two companies involved or any personalities connected with these two companies.

READ MORE: Parliament urged to "open enquiry" into contaminated fuel saga"I have no business in the petroleum sector, either upstream or downstream, and have no commercial interest with BOST, Movenpiina Energy or Zupoil."

In ending her statement, Edwina says she is fully aware that she is not the target of the NDC but her father.

According to her, the NDC has targetted her dad for years without success, assuring that they will never succeed.She said: "I am fully aware that this fabrication is not about me. It is said that when the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser. This is, yet, another example of the NDC trying to tarnish the image of my father, the President of the Republic".
READ MORE: World Bank denies dealing with Adwoa Safo on community day schools

She has been called a "liar" by functionaries of the National Democratic Congress for claiming that she lobbied the World Bank for the school to built in her constituency.

The World Bank has strongly denied working with her on the project, saying they deal with governments and not individuals.

Following that, she has been heavily trolled on social media on the matter.

Reacting to the fake apology letter, her aide, Dr Emmanuel Boakye said Ms Safo will never ever apologise.
A debt-ridden farmer today killed himself by jumping in front of a train in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district, taking the number of farmer deaths to 43 in 28 days.

By Indo-Asian News Service: The spate of farmer suicides in Madhya Pradesh continues unabated. A debt-ridden farmer today killed himself by jumping in front of a train in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district, taking the number of farmer deaths to 43 in 28 days.

Tekram Kurmi, 48, was the owner of six acres of land in Pipariya village under the limits of Garhakota police station. Tekram owed money to the bank and moneylenders, besides his crop was also ruined, his family said.

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Tekram went for a walk on Sunday morning, after which his family was informed that he killed himself by jumping in front of a train near Girwar railway station.

RN Tiwari, the officer in-charge of Garhakota police station, confirmed that the farmer committed suicide by jumping in front of a train. He, however, said the reason behind the suicide was not yet known.

He said the Government Railway Police (GRP) is investigating the case.

Earlier, on July 5, three farmers committed suicide.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Madhya Pradesh has categorically ruled out waiving of farmers' loans. Farmers in Madhya Pradesh had launched a protest last month demanding better prices for their produce and debt relief.

On June 6, five protesting farmers were killed in police firing in Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur district, while one injured farmer died later. Though the protest was called off following the government's intervention, farmers have been ending their lives over debt and other problems.

To pay tribute to the farmers killed in Mandsaur, farmers' leaders began the 'Kisan Mukti Yatra' on July 6 with the assistance of social institutions.

The Yatra will pass through six states and reach Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on July 18 where the farmers' leaders will speak on the "anti-farmer policies" of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government.

ALSO READ:

Madhya Pradesh: 2 farmers commit suicide in last 24 hours

Madhya Pradesh: 4 farmers commit suicides in 24 hours

ALSO WATCH: Madhya Pradesh farmers protest: Congress workers try to stall train in Delhi

--- ENDS ---
READ MORE: Two Ghanaians win American Society of Mechanical Innovation contest

The vehicle was inaugurated by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, at the 51st congregation of the KNUST, Kumasi, on Saturday.

The inuguration of the vehicle came as Ghana launched its first statellite into orbit from the International Space Station.

READ MORE: Benefits Ghana could derive from space science

The GhanaSat-1 was develop by the All Nations University College in Koforidua with support from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

The Vice Chacellor of KNUST, Professor Kwasi Obiri-Danso, said the university was living to it core mandate with the invention of the solar-powered car.
In 2016, the total amount of car loans being carried by consumers was 58 billion ($75 billion), more than double what it was in 2012 (28 billion, or $36 billion). The Bank of England estimates "major UK banks total exposures to UK car finance to be around 20 billion," the bank said recently.

That is equivalent to 9% of "tier 1 capital," the bedrock equity that banks must maintain in order to be considered sound by regulators. To put that in perspective, the recent Italian bank bailout cost 15 billion (17 billion, about the same value in US dollars).

The problem is that the quality of UK car finance loans has changed over time. Previously, car finance was simply a matter of a driver paying a deposit and then making monthly payments, with interest, until the loan was paid off. In 2008, a majority of car loans from dealers in the UK were financed this way.

Today, however, the vast majority of dealer loans are in the form of PCPs. In a PCP, there is no deposit, and the driver makes much lower monthly payments until the end of a fixed term. At that time, the driver must either make a large "balloon" payment or return the car. The dealer either gets all the cash and interest generated by the loan or, in the case of someone who can't afford the balloon payment, the dealer can sell the car again.

Obviously, the value of the underlying asset in a PCP deal  the car  can change dramatically depending on how well the driver treated the car, or on how the market for second-hand cars is performing.

In a downturn, drivers who fall on hard times can simply return the car and walk away from the rest of the loan. The dealer is stuck trying to sell a car in a recession, when prices are likely to be plummeting. That leaves dealerships and the banks funding them exposed to a highly volatile market.

Today, 85% of auto financing in the UK consists of deals done via car dealerships, and of those, the vast majority are PCP deals:

In total, car finance is 30% of all consumer debt, the BOE says:

Total consumer debt of all kinds: 198 billion

... of which car finance: 30%

Total car finance debt: 58 billion

... issued by banks: 24 billion

... issued by non-banks: 34 billion

At first glance, this sounds like a problem that might solve itself: If car dealerships are issuing low-quality loans, then they will be the victims of their own bad judgments and no one else need worry, surely?

Unfortunately, about half the financing for dealer loans comes from banks or other lenders outside the car company universe, the BOE says: "Around half of the debt funding for these subsidiaries comes from their parent companies, around a quarter from securitisation, with the remainder from bank lending."

That word "securitisation" ought to ring alarm bells. It was securitised mortgages  mortgages bundled into bond-like investments that could be traded or used as leveraged assets in credit derivatives  that led to the 2008 property crash.

Just like in the run up to 2008, the market for new car loans is non-transparent. MPs are currently urging the government to require the Finance & Leasing Association to publish a breakdown of the quality of loans issued by its members.

The fear is that car dealerships aren't as careful as banks  or simply don't care  in assessing whether drivers earn enough to pay back their PCPs. The Mail, for instance, sent reporters pretending to be unemployed or otherwise on low incomes to 22 Scottish car dealerships. They were offered PCP deals at half the dealerships.

The BoE is concerned about what might happen if prices for used cars went down. If car values at the end of PCP contracts came in at 30% lower than expected, "market-wide losses would rise to 7%10% of the outstanding stock" of loans held as assets at UK banks, the BoE says.
His most recent statement acknowledged that he was promised information on Hillary Clinton, then the soon-to-be Democratic presidential nominee. His original statement left out this key point.

His first statement was issued Saturday, as The New York Times revealed the existence of the meeting among Trump; the Trump campaign's chairman at the time, Paul Manafort; Trump's brother-in-law, Jared Kushner; and the Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.

The initial story highlighted the existence of the meeting, which Trump described as "a short introductory meeting" that focused on "a program about the adoption of Russian children that was active and popular with American families years ago and was since ended by the Russian government."

But on Sunday, The Times followed up on its original story with the detail that Trump was promised damaging information about Clinton before agreeing to meet with Veselnitskaya, a Kremlin-connected lawyer. The Times cited three White House advisers who were briefed on the meeting as well as two others with knowledge of it with news of the promise. Though it was unclear whether Veselnitskaya actually produced any damaging information on Clinton, the sources who spoke with The Times said she was expected to provide such knowledge.

The new details led to Trump's second statement. In it, he confirmed that the meeting was taken on the premise that Veselnitskaya had information related to Clinton  and that the adoption issue was not what he believed was the purpose of the meeting.

"After pleasantries were exchanged, the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms. Clinton," Trump said. "Her statements were vague, ambiguous, and made no sense. No details or supporting information was provided or even offered. It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information.

"She then changed subjects and began discussing the adoption of Russian children and mentioned the Magnitsky Act," he said. "It became clear to be that this was the true agenda all along and that the claims of potentially helpful information were a pretext for the meeting. I interrupted and advised her that my father was not an elected official, but rather a private citizen, and that her comments and concerns were better addressed if and when he held public office."

He said the meeting lasted about 20 or 30 minutes, there was no follow-up, and his father, President Donald Trump, "knew nothing of the meeting or these events."

The meeting is the first confirmed private meeting during the 2016 campaign between Russians and some of the closest members in the Trump campaign's orbit, The Times said, noting that "the accounts of the meeting represent the first public indication that at least some in the campaign were willing to accept Russian help."

The adoption issue in question is related to the Magnitsky Act, a US law that blacklisted Russians suspected of human-rights abuses. As a response to the US law, Russian President Vladimir Putin barred US citizens from adopting Russian children.

Mark Corallo, the spokesman for a lawyer of Donald Trump's, told The Times that "the president was not aware of and did not attend the meeting."

The meeting was first disclosed to government officials in recent days by Kushner, who The Times said filed a revised security clearance form.

The FBI and Congress are investigating whether members of the Trump campaign colluded with Russian officials to meddle in the election.

Saturday:

"It was a short introductory meeting. I asked Jared and Paul to stop by. We primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children that was active and popular with American families years ago and was since ended by the Russian government, but it was not a campaign issue at that time and there was no follow up."

"I was asked to attend the meeting by an acquaintance, but was not told the name of the person I would be meeting with beforehand."

Sunday:

"I was asked to have a meeting by an acquaintance I knew from the 2013 Miss Universe pageant with an individual who I was told might have information helpful to the campaign. I was not told her name prior to the meeting. I asked Jared and Paul to attend, but told them nothing of the substance."

"We had a meeting in June 2016. After pleasantries were exchanged, the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms. Clinton. Her statements were vague, ambiguous, and made no sense. No details or supporting information was provided or even offered. It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information."

"She then changed subjects and began discussing the adoption of Russian children and mentioned the Magnitsky Act. It became clear to be that this was the true agenda all along and that the claims of potentially helpful information were a pretext for the meeting. I interrupted and advised her that my father was not an elected official, but rather a private citizen, and that her comments and concerns were better addressed if and when he held public office."
Veselnitskaya is known for waging a harsh campaign against the 2012 Magnitsky Act, which blacklisted Russians suspected of human-rights abuses, and has strong ties to the Kremlin. her clients have included Russian state-owned businesses.

She is also the family lawyer for

Magnitsky uncovered the scheme, which became one of the biggest corruption scandals of Russian President Vladimir Putin's presidency, in 2008 on behalf of the investment advisory firm Hermitage Capital. Magnitsky was later thrown in jail and died in custody, and an independent human-rights commission found he had been illegally arrested and beaten. The Kremlin maintains that Magnitsky died of a heart attack.

The founder of Hermitage, William Browder, sought justice for Magnitsky in the US and Europe after Magnitsky died. In 2012, Congress passed the Magnitsky Act, which authorizes the president to deny visas to, and freeze the assets of,Russians believed to have been complicit in Magnitsky's death.

The meeting between Veselnitskaya and the Trump campaign is the first confirmed meeting between a Russian citizen and the campaign. Veselnitskaya's meeting was arranged by Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and was attended by his son-in-law Jared Kushner and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

Both Kushner and Manafort are people of interest in ongoing congressional and FBI investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether the Trump campaign played a role in it.

The Trump campaign's meeting with Veselnitskaya was only recently disclosed to government officials, when Kushner filed a revised security clearance form after The Times reported in April that he had failed to disclose his contacts with Russian officials before joining the Trump administration.

Trump Jr.told the Times that the meeting had been to discuss an adoption program. He was likely referring to Putin's retaliatory measure against the Magnitsky Act, which was blocking Americans from adopting Russian children.

"It was a short introductory meeting. I asked Jared and Paul to stop by," Trump Jr. said in a statement to The Times. "We primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children that was active and popular with American families years ago and was since ended by the Russian government, but it was not a campaign issue at the time and there was no follow up."

"It wouldn't have helped the company address the money laundering allegations mounted by the US Department of Justice," Browder said. "The only reason for them to do this would have been at the behest of the Russian government."

government policy with Russian citizens.
One of those efforts is a growing movement that some call radical, known as "rights of nature." It awards natural ecosystems legal rights in an effort to preserve the environment and protect human health.

Pittsburgh took up the mantle in an effort to keep hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, out of the city in 2010.

The Pittsburgh City Council passed the measure in a unanimous vote, and Ben Price, National Organizing Director from the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), who introduced the campaign to the city, told Business Insider that at every neighborhood meeting he attended, he didn't meet a single resident who was against the idea.

"When there were concerns expressed," Price said, "it was more in the line of 'Well yeah that's controversial, and I hope you don't let that get in your way, because we really need this.'"

But Democratic-leaning cities like Pittsburgh aren't the only places embracing this idea. Price has found that awarding rights of nature is actually more popular in rural, conservative towns. Tamaqua, Pennsylvania  tucked in a county where 70% of voters picked Trump  was the first community in the US to pass it in 2006.

Tamaqua took up the cause to keep companies from dumping sewage sludge and dredged minerals from the Hudson and Delaware rivers into open pit mines. The township successfully passed a "community bill of rights" giving nature civil rights, and making it unlawful for corporations to "interfere with the existence and flourishing of natural communities or ecosystems, or to cause damage" to them within the township.

In November of 2010, Pittsburgh followed.

Our only chance

In 2010, Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto, now the city's mayor, sent out an email to everyone he could think of  environmental groups, zoning and land use experts, environmental lawyers  to ask for advice on how to protect residents from fracking. Mayor Peduto wasn't available for comment.

The practice had taken off in Pennsylvania by then and was inching closer to the city. One Catholic church had already signed lease agreements to allow an oil company to drill for natural gas beneath their cemetery, which "got everyone up in arms," Price said. "So it wasn't a moot point."

Price was one of the people on that large email chain.

Peduto and his constituents were concerned about the impact of fracking on their drinking water, air quality, and soil. "A lot of damage had been done to each, and ... denied by the industry and politically denied by [the state] environmental agency," Price said.

Twenty-three different environmental groups and legal experts replied to the email thread offering their expert advice. Price said the other suggestions all assumed that fracking was the inevitable outcome, because Pennsylvania state law allowed fracking.

In Pennsylvania, state law says municipalities aren't allowed to regulate the oil and gas industry any more strictly than the state is. So, if the state says fracking is okay, cities can't overrule that. This led to zoning experts to suggest containing fracking to certain areas in order to protect the rest of the city, and environmental groups to suggest laws to strengthen industry safety and regulations. But to Price, it wasn't enough.

"I watched to see what kind of suggestions were put forward, and all of them colored within the lines," Price said. "After seeing that was going to be the tenor of response from the environmental communities, I suggested our approach, which is a community rights strategy."

So Price wrote back to Peduto, and told the councilman that "the only way to protect the community as a whole from fracking [is] to not allow fracking to occur."

CELDF's strategy was to declare a right to clean air, water, and soil for all the citizens of Pennsylvania. Under this rights of nature strategy, to allow fracking would threaten that right, so the city would have ban it.

The approach took environmental protection out of a regulatory realm  which allowed fracking to occur but under certain rules  and moved it to a legal realm  which argued fracking violated their legal rights to clean air and water and should therefore be banned.

"When I proposed that there was pretty much silence from everyone else in the conversation," Price said.

After speaking with Price, Peduto wrote back to everyone on the thread on June 29, 2010, according to a copy obtained by Business Insider:

"The mission of the attorneys is not to try to minimize impact through zoning laws  that is a losing battle. The idea is to establish municipal authority and rights. [CELDF is] working with 120 local governments in PA presently and although controversial  it would be our only chance to prohibit gas drilling in Pittsburgh. The mission of this group is to create a unique way to stop all drilling within the city's borders  nothing short. If anyone disagrees with this approach  and it is OK to disagree  please let me know now. It is imperative that we have a strong and unified base as we take this battle on and work to succeed."

A way to empower the community

Rights of nature dates back thousands of years ago with indigenous groups, many of whom had always considered nature to have rights.

During the late 20th Century, the priest and cultural historian Thomas Berry worked to spread the work of rights of nature through his teachings. Nowadays, when most people cite where to learn about the topic, they bring up "Should Trees Have Standing," first written as an essay in 1972 and later published as a book by law professor Christopher Stone after he got into an argument about the topic with his students.

Stone wrote:

The movement has gone global with countries like Ecuador and Bolivia constitutionalizing rights of nature, and legal battles won in New Zealand and India protecting them locally. The Green Party of England and Wales adoptedrights of nature as an official party policy in 2016.

Price explained that by recognizing enforceable legal rights for ecosystems, "any member of the community would have standing before the court of law to enforce those rights," if, for example, a future city council decided not to. Should that happen, "the community could stand in as agents for the ecosystem and enforce it," similar to how an adult could stand in as an agent for an abused child in the court of law.

The process empowered the people of Pittsburgh, Price said, to protect themselves and their environment even if the local government refused to.

For the people, by the people

Ultimately it wasn't Price's "silver tongue" that won over the council members, but the organizing in the community that demanded the rights of nature law be passed.

Price attended many city council meetings over the months it took to pass the community bill of rights, where the lines of residents waiting to speak in support of the topic stretched out the door.

Pittsburghers had spent decades turning the city from the dark smoggy pictures of its past, to a bright, new, environmentally friendly destination, and they saw the threat of fracking as a step backwards from that.

City Council President Doug Shields said in the 2016 documentary "We The People 2.0" that after learning about CELDF's community rights approach, "a light bulb switched on."

"As part of the City Council, I thought our zoning code would be a solution. But then I realized no matter how stringent our restrictions, Pittsburgh would still be fracked, because zoning doesn't let us say 'no' to any harmful activity. It simply tells us where it will go," Shields recalled.

Shields met with each of his other council members behind the scenes, and Price met with each of them privately, pushing the issue. Even the most opposed council member ultimately came around because his voters wanted it.

The ordinance banning fracking and awarding rights to nature won a unanimous vote, and has been law since November 2010.

"We not only banned fracking, but we asserted our right to self-government," Shields said in the documentary. "We asserted nature's rights, and our obligation to protect the ecosystems that sustain us."

Pushback in progressive communities

Pittsburgh had followed in the footsteps of many conservative small towns when passing its rights of nature doctrine.

Price said he actually hears more pushback from liberal communities than conservative ones.

"I know that sounds odd," he said. "What we hear is, 'If we do that we'll be accused of being hippy tree huggers.' It's a defensive. It's a very difficult obstacle to overcome in some of the progressive communities."

Price's organization is now helping Grant Township in Pennsylvania fight for rights of nature legislation to block fracking injection wells on their land. The town has been working on a community bill of rights since 2014, when teacher Judy Wanchisn contacted CELDF, Rolling Stone reported. To her and her neighbors, it doesn't seem like a partisan issue.

"It didn't matter if they were Democrats or Republicans," Wanchisn told Rolling Stone. "People didn't want anyone messing around with their water. They understand, 'You poison my water and I don't have a home.'"

CELDF will keep helping communities assert their own rights by legally recognizing nature's rights, and Price expects the movement to keep growing.
Reuters reports that actor was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, public drunkenness and obstruction.

According to the Police statement, LaBeouf became unruly after a bystander refused to give him a cigarette.

"When LaBeouf wasn't given a cigarette, he became disorderly, using profanities and vulgar language in front of the women and children present," the statement said.

He was asked to leave the bustling City Market neighbourhood by an officer. The actor refused, became aggressive and ran into a hotel lobby when the officer tried to arrest him.

LaBeouf was eventually arrested on three charges and taken to the Chatham County jail, where he was booked.

ALSO READ: Shia LaBeouf arrested for public intoxication in Austin

The Chatham County Sheriff's Office stated that the actor was released a few hours later.

There has been no statement from the actor's spokeswoman yet.

LaBeouf is known for his role in the "Transformers" action movie franchise. However, he is currently in Savannah acting in an independent movie called "The Peanut Butter Falcon," Variety reports.

This is not the first time he has been arrested.

LaBeouf was taken into custody at 12:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 26, following a scuffle with another man.

Before that, he was arrested for disturbing a performance of the musical "Cabaret" on Broadway in New York in 2014.
Yes, there was an outbreak of Lassa Fever at the Federal Government College, Langtang; it has claimed one life while two others are in the hospital, Kuden told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, in Langtang.

He said that four students were rushed from the school clinic to the Jos University Teaching Hospital.

The students displayed symptoms of Lassa Fever and we immediately took their blood samples to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, where three tested positive to the disease.

One among those that tested positive is dead, while the other two are still on admission at JUTH, he said.

Deyin said that the Plateau government had met with the principal of the college and advised her to halt the resumption of the students from their mid-term break.

The commissioner advised families with children from the school to observe them and report any noticed symptom of the fever to JUTH, Plateau Specialist Hospital or the Bingham University Teaching Hospital.

ALSO READ:8 die of Lassa Fever in Kano

Any child, who manifests symptoms of fever and bleeding from any part of the body, should be rushed to any of these hospitals for prompt evaluation, he said.

Deyin advised members of the public to pay attention to personal hygiene and keep the environments clean, while food stuffs should be protected from rodents.

He particularly cautioned Plateau residents against drying food stuffs on the high way as rats could defecate or urinate on them.
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Musa said in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that he was disappointed with the lawmakers for even discussing the bill.

Honestly, I am terribly disappointed that a bill like that is being discussed at the National Assembly.

The bill is immoral and it shows the level of moral degeneration the country has attained especially at the leadership level.

The proposal to me, is a way of legitimising corruption, because you are telling people to loot and declare may be part of the loot, then you are set free.

This is not good for Nigeria, for development and for the fight against corruption, he said.

NAN reports that the bill, sponsored by Linus Okorie (PDP Ebonyi) was read for the first time on the floor of the House on June 14.

It seeks to allow those who looted public treasury to return certain percentage of the money in exchange for total amnesty from prosecution.

Musa who questioned the morality of the lawmakers for even discussing the bill, urged them to drop it, saying it hurt the collective interest Nigerians.

Also speaking on the issue, Chairman, Center for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), Mr Debo Adeniran, said if the bill was allowed to become law, it would encourage corruption with impunity.

Adeniran said what the country needed at this time were laws that would strengthen the anti-corruption war and ensure punishment for looters.

This bill is uncalled for because the only thing it will achieve is to encourage people to steal and return part of the money for amnesty.

At the end, it will still be victory for corruption and that is not good for the development of the country he said.

Adeniran also spoke on the decision of the government to publish names of looters, saying the move would go a long way in discouraging corruption.

He however urged the government to ensure judicious use of recovered looted funds so as to impact on the lives of the masses.

Yes, the decision of the Federal Government to publish names of looters following a court order is a welcome development.

We cannot say we are fighting corruption when people steal money at the expense of the generality of Nigerians and they cannot be identified, so the development is good for the anti-corruption war.

However, the government must also ensure recovered monies are channeled into development projects.

It is not justifiable to have bad roads, unemployment and all of that when recovered monies are lying somewhere.
By PTI: (Eds: updating with quotes of the Chief Minister)

Mangaluru/Bengaluru, Jul 9 (PTI) A man, who police claimed was a sympathiser of right-wing outfits, was attacked by some people on a motorbike at Kuthar near here, days after an RSS activist was fatally stabbed at Bantwal.

Tension had prevailed at the spot following the attack.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah, in Bengaluru, today made an appeal to the people to maintain peace and warned of strict action against those involved in instigating communal hatred.

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Chiranjeevi (24) was attacked when he was riding home on his bike last night after a workout in a gym.

Three persons came behind him on a motorcycle, attacked him at a deserted spot with swords and fled, police said, adding that Chiranjeevi himself rode to a nearby hospital after calling up his friends and collapsed there even as they rushed to the spot.

Police said Chiranjeevi was a sympathiser of right wing organisations, including RSS, and not an activist.

Police Commissioner T R Suresh and other top officials visited the spot where Chiranjeevi was attacked and the hospital.

Officials said he was out of danger.

The district is already tense after the death of an RSS worker Sarath Madivala on Friday following an attack on him in Bantwal on July 4.

Police had used mild force yesterday to disperse clashing groups of people in Bantwal while the body of Madivala was being taken to his home in a procession at Kandur.

Prohibitory orders are in force till July 11 in Puttur, Sullia, Belthangady and Bantwal in coastal Dakshina Kannada district following recent communal clashes in some areas, according to police.

The orders were initially enforced in Bantwal from May 27 following skirmishes between two groups. Later, it was extended to the four taluks as violence spread.

The murder of a Social Democratic Party of India worker at Benjanapadavu in Bantwal on June 21 further escalated tension, forcing authorities to extend prohibitory orders.

Meanwhile, in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah told reporters, "I have directed police to take strict action against whoever indulges in instigating communal hatred".

He urged people of the coastal region to maintain peace and not pay heed to rumours.

"Mangaluru region has been known for communal harmony for hundreds of years...recently a few people were involved in communal instigation for their political benefits. Whoever it is, whether Bajarang Dal, RSS or PFI, let them be from any religion...if they indulge in such activities government will take merciless action," he added.

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The opposition BJP flayed the Congress government for its failure in maintaining law and order.

"Serious law and order issues are arising in Karnataka and our people are seized of the matter. The government (state) has to act against the culprits," BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav told reporters here on the sidelines of a event.

Union minister and former Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda alleged that the state government was directly responsible for the incidents.

"For the last 15 days, Dakshina Kannada district is burning, but the state government has not taken any initiative to prevent these sorts of activities. The district in-charge minister and other ministers are indirectly supporting and provoking in Dakshina Kannada," Gowda said.

He referred to Siddaramaiahs visit to the district two days back, saying the Chief Minister did not have the patience to call a meeting of police officers and review the security situation there.

"I think it is the total failure of the government which is solely responsible for all these activities,"he said,adding that the Chief Minister has to be more responsible as there is no Home minister in Karnataka.

Gowda also said that he has apprised the Home Ministry about the situation in Dakshina Kannada. PTI MVG KSU APR SMJ

--- ENDS ---

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The defence chief was at the UN headquarters for the Second Chiefs of Defence Conference, alongside more than 100 other chiefs of defence staff all over the world.

He said by my estimation, we have about 14 security threats that we are confronting, ranging from terrorism, insurgency, kidnapping, cultism, to issues linked to armed robbery.

We are handling operations in all the geo-political zones of the country, but the major one is the one in the Northeast, which is Operation Lafiya Dole.'

We have, of course operations down South and taking charge of militancy and oil theft; we also have that in Lagos.

But the major one is Operation Lafiya Dole, which of course since we came on board, we have stepped up the scheme.

Right now, we have been able to decimate Boko Haram terrorists, but what they are doing right now is hitting soft targets through suicide bombers.

We realised that to mitigate this particular menace is not only about the military. So we need to carry the whole nation along to be able to address that.

To mitigate incidences of suicide bombings, Olonisakin said military high command had met with other stakeholders to encourage the populace to provide them with necessary intelligence.

He said the command realised that intelligence was vital to handling the menace of suicide bombings.

The defence chief also said that the military had commenced the process of restoring full civil authority in areas formerly controlled by Boko Haram terrorists.

We are working alongside the DSS  Department of State Services -, the Police, and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.

We are also ensuring that the civil authority is put in place; places that the military had taken over, we encourage the Police and Civil Defence to come on so they can provide civil authority for displaced people to move in.

Olonisakin noted that last week, many Boko Haram militants surrendered, adding that we have what we call Operation Safe Corridor in Gombe that is to handle this kind of surrendered terrorists.

I believe in the next couple of days, repentant Boko Haram terrorists will be moved to that Operation Safe Corridor where they will conduct de-radicalization and integration procedure for them.

Down South, of course we have issues too but the military is stepping up its game to make sure we address the security challenges back home.

On peacekeeping operations, the chief od Defence staff said Nigeria had met and exceeded the gender percentage, having 16.2 per cent female peacekeepers as against the 15 per cent benchmark by the UN.

The Nigerias Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande, commended Nigerias security forces for decimating the Boko Haram as a fighting force.

Bande said soft targets are being exploited by desperate group but in truth, even beyond Boko Haram, other challenges are also being addressed.
He also said there will be lasting peace in Nigeria if the Federal Government restructures the country.

Abdulrahman said Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, said those clamouring for restructuring are opportunists. Whats your reaction to that?

Let me state categorically that the statement of Governor Nasir el-Rufai is irresponsible. I do not think he has spoken as someone who understands the pulse of the nation.

 How can he say those who are calling for more powers to be given to each of the federating units of the federation are opportunists?

What about him? We know about his ambition; he wants to be president of this country. We know what he did as the Federal Capital Territory minister under the regime of Olusegun Obasanjo.

His tainted records are there for all to see. Who is he? We know who he is. People need to understand that the call for restructuring is not about some individuals interests.

It is what will bring lasting peace and sense of equity to the federating units.

Is he saying that other prominent and respected Nigerians who have thrown their weight behind restructuring are opportunists.s
The election which held on Saturday, July 8, 2017, saw Adeleke garner 97,480 votes.

According to Daily Post, Ekweremadu also described the victory as a win for Nigerias democracy.

The Deputy Senate President also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for holding credible elections, adding that the electoral body has begun to get it right.

Ekweremadu said I congratulate the Senator-elect, Ademola Adeleke, and our party faithful in Osun State in particular on this symbolic victory.

For our party, it shows that working together as one big family, we can always show strength, achieve great results, and surmount every obstacle in rebuilding the fortunes of our party and restoring good governance to the country.

ALSO READ: Ademola Adeleke beats APC opponent

It also appears the Independent National Electoral Commission is beginning to get it right in reviving hope and confidence of the people in the potency and sanctity of the ballot box. We will tread the path of cautious optimism, watching and believing that sanity is beginning to return to the electoral system, once again.
Adeleke was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after the by-election that was held on Saturday, July 8, 2017.

The party, in a statement sent to Pulse News, said We congratulate the people of the 10 local governments that participated in the election for their peaceful conduct and on the choice they have made. We equally commend the APC led federal and state government for ensuring peaceful, free and fair election.

We also congratulate Ademola Adeleke for his victory and we hope that now that the election is behind us, he will put partisan politics aside to represent the interest of the entire people of his constituency.

Although the outcome is contrary to our expectation, the people have spoken and we heard their voice loud and clear. As democrats, we respect their choice.

The people of Osun West Senatorial District have stood by us in past elections and have always voted for our tendency since the colonial era. We are proud of them. We are proud of our party and we are proud of all our members and sympathisers.

We shall study the pattern of the result, learn the right lessons from it and return stronger for the next election. We shall remain resolute in our commitment as a political party to the welfare of our people, building them up today in order to prepare them for a better tomorrow.

We are a party of the people. Election for us is not an end in itself but a means to an end  which is to best represent the interest of the people. We have been consistent, irrespective of the outcomes of elections, favourable or unfavourable. Our greater concern has always been the people and their welfare.
The election which held on Saturday, July 8, 2017, saw Adeleke emerge as the winner with 97,480 votes, reports say.

The PDP candidate, while casting his vote at Unit 9 Ward 2 at Sagba- Abogunde area of Ede, around 8:35 am on Saturday, expressed confidence that he was going to win.

Speaking to Premium Times on the victory, the PDP chairman in Osun state, Soji Adagunodo said I want to thank God and the people of Osun West Senatorial District for voting the candidate of our party.

This is the hand of God, it is not the act of any man but it is of God.
Makarfi also said that the partys excellent performance is a sign that Nigerians have woken up to the All Progressives Congress (APCs) scam.

The party also said that it is confident that Adeleke will deliver his campaign promises to the people of Osun West Senatorial constituency.

Makarfi, in a statement signed by the PDP National Caretaker Committee (NCC), Dayo Adeyeye, said The Senator Ahmed Makarfi led National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on behalf of the entire Organs of the Party and PDP family nationwide, warmly congratulates Ademola Adeleke on his victory at the just concluded Osun West Senatorial Bye Election in Osun state on Saturday, July 8, 2017.

The victory of our Party, the PDP at the poll is a general reflection on the reawakening of Nigerians to the deceit of the All Progressive Congress (APC), led administration at all levels, hence, the overwhelming rejection of the APC by the electorates in Osun West.

The people has spoken with one voice and we know that Ademola Adeleke will deliver on his promises to the people . The successful outcome of this election is an evidence of hard work, dedication and the unity of all members of the PDP in Osun state who buried temporary differences in the overall interest of the party and the good people of Osun state.

ALSO READ:

We are confident that without the interference of the APC in the current leadership issues in our Party, the PDP remains the Party to beat in all elections in Nigeria. Even as we await the judgement of the Supreme Court we urge all our members to unite in the interest of Nigerians to rid the country of the horrible APC government.

Finally, we congratulate the people of Osun West for coming out enmass to vote for our candidate and for their peaceful conduct during the elections. We also congratulate our members in Osun state for this important victory.
"If we do not use air strikes, we will incur more casualties of our troops," he told reporters in Marawi, which was overrun by hundreds of militants on May 23.

Despite more than a month of fighting with hundreds of government troops, militants flying the black flag of the Islamic State group are still entrenched in parts of the city.

The military has used jet fighters, attack planes and helicopter gunships, armed with bombs and rockets, to attack areas where the gunmen are hiding.

"We have identified key defensive positions. These are being subjected to surgical air strikes now. They are still occupying high-rise buildings. We need to take them down so we can facilitate a swift offensive of our troops," Herrera said.

"One reason we are using air assets... is this is the advantage we need to neutralise the snipers' positions," the regional military spokesman added.

"They occupy high-rise buildings so we have to be higher. So we use air strikes."

While hundreds of fighters rampaged through much of Marawi in the early days of the siege, Herrera said there were now around 80 gunmen still active in the "main battle area" comprising around 800 buildings.

"These are the tall buildings. This was the centre of commerce of Marawi City," he explained.

However the buildings also needed to be cleared of improvised bombs and other booby-traps as the troops advance, he said.

There are also about 300 civilians trapped in the area, Herrera said, adding that some were being used as hostages, bearers of supplies and even being forced to help in looting the city.

President Rodrigo Duterte last month vowed to "crush" the militants, but several deadlines have already been missed to end a conflict that has forced almost 400,000 people from their homes.

The fighting has reduced Marawi, considered the Muslim capital of the largely Catholic Philippines, to a ruined ghost town. It also prompted Duterte to declare martial law over the entire southern Philippines.
By Utpal Kumar/Mail Today: In upper Dharamsala, popularly known as McLeodganj, the adopted home of the Dalai Lama and his Tibetan followers, people go looking for those elusive me-moments. But now it seems the spiritual quotient of the paradise is all but lost, especially in the summers when the whole of north India seems to ascend there.

The familiar faces from the plains are seen everywhere - from the narrow lanes of McLeod to the sprawling resorts of the downtown Dharamsala -and the very reason for visiting the hills seems lost, except perhaps for the food. Yes, the place may have very little space left, to use a Wordsworthian term, "to stand and stare", but gastronomically, it has become the melting pot where Tibet meets Italy, Bhutan mingles with Japan, and India supplements them all.

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Four km from Dharamsala town (10 km via the less steep bus route), McLeodganj can be aptly summarised through Jogiwara and Temple Roads - the two streets that essentially make up its market area. While on Temple Road, you can hop into one of several tiny but radiant shops selling Tibetan trinkets, Jogiwara Road hosts a number of eateries, selling Tibetan momos and thukpas to Italian pizzas, pastas and waffles.

Photo: Mail Today

My first stop on a cloudy noon was Tibet Kitchen, off the main square. Being one of the most sought-after eateries selling Tibetan food, what stand out here are momos of all varieties. But then, as someone reminded me, why single out Tibet Kitchen when the entire McLeodganj just can't go wrong with momos? One has to eat its mutton momos to find out why. They melt in your mouth so effortlessly, leaving an incredible aftertaste of perfectly minced meat and incredibly spicy chilli sauce. Then of course, there is the thukpa, full of meat and vegetables chunks. Add a little of the chilli sauce to it, and you get a feel of nirvana in Little Lhasa.

Also Read: Try some Tibetan cuisine this winter, you'll not regret it

As we thought we had the best of Tibet Kitchen, we were told to try Kewa Datse (a Bhutanese dish made with potatoes, beans and chilli in cheese sauce) and not-sousual Tibetan food Shapta (roasted lamb slices with capsicum and onion). We left it for another time, and this explained the only issue we had with this place: Why despite having three floors and a lounge, Tibet Kitchen is always crowded!

After the hearty meal, it was time for delightful desserts. Since the popular German Bakery had logistical issues reaching there, we were told to try Woeser Bakery on the same road. After much looking around, we found it tucked away miserably in the basement of an apparently loud restaurant, Black Magic. "It's the place for a perfectly-brewed cup of cappuccino," we were informed. (Rongpa Cafe is another shop that serves scrumptious coffee.) But we were too full to have any caffeine intake. So we went for walnut tart, carrot cake, and chocolate cake - the first two were some of the best we could eat in a long, long time. We were told later by a friend that we should have tried Chocolate Chilli Bomb. "It's unique and one of Woeser Bakery's signature stuff." One more thing for another time!

Photo: Mail Today Photo: Mail Today

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As the evening descended, it was time for some Italian snacks. And what better place than Jimmy's Italian Kitchen, though it has serious rivals in Illiterati Books & Coffee (run by a Belgian, it offers not just spectacular view of the Dhauladhar and indulges you in some serious reading and soulful music, but also gets you appetising burgers, pizzas and coffees) and Namgyal Cafe (for its wood-fired pizza). As the name suggests, Jimmy's is all about pizzas and pastas that will make you rave about them for days. Add to them, its casual but warm setting and you feel like being home with old Hollywood posters surrounding several funsize structures where one can sit cross-legged with friends.

Also Read: Thukpa, the Tibetan all-in-one broth, is just what you need right now

We ended the day -more appropriately, night, as it was well past 10 - at McLlo, a restaurant popular for Indian, Chinese and Italian food. The moment one enters this four-floor eatery, one is reminded that it had hosted the likes of Richard Gere. The ambience, no doubt, especially on the top floor, is world class. It's a place to hang out with family and friends while sipping beer and listening to some cool music. What disappointed us, however, was it didn't offer Continental that night. To make things worse, the staff serving us was cold, to the extent of being rude. With not enough options available, we again went for the pizza, which thankfully was exquisitely tender and yet crispy, bringing some warmth in the otherwise frosty milieu. It seemed a perfect epitaph for our day-long gastronomical journey in McLeodganj.

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As we come to an end of the short trip to Dharamsala, I am reminded of Durvasa, the everangry sage of the Vedic times. He came here long, long time back to get back his sanity. We followed that tradition over the ages, but now with the place becoming too crowded for tranquillity, it's time to change the perspective: Instead of mind, go there for material, to satiate your hunger. Quite literally. You will not come back disappointed.

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Around 15 women and children huddle on a shaded pavement out of the scorching sun at the edge of the Old City, as automatic weapons fire and mortar rounds resound inside.

Iraqi forces fighting IS have brought them from the Al-Maidan area inside the city's historic centre, where jihadists are making a last stand ahead of an imminently expected defeat.

A young mother in her 20s crouches silently against a wall, dressed in a black robe and light blue scarf.

Suddenly, she doubles up on the pavement, begging the nearest soldier to listen to her distress.

Only an hour earlier, she lost her seven-year-old son in a bombardment, just as she and her family prepared to leave the Old City after months of hiding from the jihadists.

"There was nothing I could do," she says, her face distorted with grief as her eldest daughter tries to wipe away her tears.

"Don't cry, Mummy," says the 10-year-old, whose burgundy dress is drenched in her little brother's blood.

Fatima, a woman in her 50s, bursts into tears recounting her and her family's ordeal over the past four months.

They hid "almost without food or water" in a basement watched by the jihadists, she says, praying not to be hit in the fighting.

They emerged when their street seemed to have been retaken by Iraqi forces, seeing the sky for the first time in weeks as they hurried out of the area towards freedom.

But a sniper hit Fatima's brother as they fled, and she has had no news of him since he was taken away in an ambulance.

Beside her, another woman cries, eyes lifted towards the sky and desperately chanting a man's name.

Liqaa was forced to leave her brother's body behind after he too was shot down by a jihadist sniper.

'Whose child is this?'

Iraqi forces are fighting the last IS fighters inside Mosul, on the verge of retaking the city after three years of jihadist rule.

Around 250 displaced people arrive from the Old City on Saturday alone, an employee of a local non-governmental organisation says, asking to remain anonymous.

"A quarter are wounded, mostly by mortar rounds or sniper fire from jihadists targeting fleeing civilians," the employee says.

Among the women, some watch out for their men, several of whom are being screened by Iraqi fighters tasked with making sure no jihadist escapes among the fleeing civilians.

But others, already widows, no longer have anyone to wait for.

Soldiers and first aid workers hand out biscuits, water and orange juice to the children, who often arrive dehydrated.

On the pavement, a tiny girl of around three years old, brown hair tousled and wearing a turquoise dress, stands alone, clutching a half empty plastic water bottle.

"Whose child is this?" shouts a soldier. But around her, the women are too distraught to reply.

Among the women who have fled their homes, those without relatives to stay with will be directed towards one of the camps for the displaced around the city.

Around 915,000 residents have run from their homes since the start of the battle for Mosul in October, the United Nations said two days before, including 700,000 who have yet to return.

Not far off, Samira, a mother in her 20s, holds close her two daughters, terrified and covered in dirt.

She cradles her last born, a motionless baby with a grey complexion.

IS "would beat us as soon as we tried to leave. And outside, there was bombardment. It was terrifying," Samira says.
The last body was found early Saturday after teams searched through the night, often using their bare hands.

Local media reports said the victims included the municipal architect in charge of security checks for public and private buildings in the area of some 40,000 inhabitants at the foot of Mount Vesuvius.

His wife and 27-year-old son were also killed in the collapse, which occurred in the part of the building where bedrooms were located.

A couple with two children, aged 8 and 14, were also killed, along with a 65-year-old woman who lived alone.

Witnesses said a freight train passed on the neighbouring railway track just before the building collapsed, while others noted that renovation works had been under way on the lower floors.
"I will campaign, but not the same way as when I was young," he told a local television station Friday.

A parliamentary victory for the opposition would give Wade the means to obtain an amnesty for his son, Karim, who enjoyed considerable ministerial powers under his father, but was sentenced to six years in prison in 2015.

Karim Wade was also ordered to pay a fine of more than 210 million euros for "illicit enrichment".

He received a presidential pardon in June 2016 and now lives abroad, and an amnesty would lift any doubts over his eligibility in politics, observers said.

Another list of candidates will be fielded by the mayor of Dakar, Khalifa Sall, who has been jailed since March on suspicion of embezzling about $2.9 million in city funds, charges which he has denied.

Sall's lawyers have asked a court to grant him conditional release in order to lead the campaign, ahead of his expected run against the president -- with whom he is not related -- in 2019.

An effort to present a united opposition front fell apart in May over differences between supporters of Wade and those of Sall on who should head the shared list of candidates.

That led to a record 47 lists being presented to voters, up from 24 in the 2012 vote, with 165 seats up for grabs on the July 30 election.
Two US visitors aged 22 and 35 were gored, the younger man seriously. The eight others hurt suffered bruising and grazing after tumbling on cobbled stones left slippery by rain.

Television pictures showed one man caught on the horns of a bull, being dragged several metres before being trampled on a bend along the 800-metre (-yard) course.

Red Cross personnel said they treated 77 people in all for assorted minor injuries after the race.

San Fermin, immortalised by Ernest Hemingway in his 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises", attracts hundreds of thousands of visiors from around the world.

The race lasted four minutes -- about a minute longer than usual -- after one of the six bulls caused brief confusion by turning around at one point.

Friday's opening run saw four people hurt, three of them gored. One man, a 46-year-old Spaniard, suffered serious injuries.

jpegMpeg4-1280x720Fifteen people have died at San Fermin since 1911, with the last fatality occurring in 2009.
The test sparked global alarm as it suggested North Korea now possessed an ICBM capable of reaching Alaska, a major milestone for the reclusive, nuclear-armed state.

Saturday's drill, designed to "sternly respond" to potential missile launches by the North, saw two US bombers destroy "enemy" missile batteries and South Korean jets mount precision strikes against underground command posts.

The North's state-run Rodong newspaper accused Washington and Seoul of ratcheting up tensions with the drill, in an editorial titled "Don't play with fire on a powder keg."

"The US, with its dangerous military provocation, is pushing the risk of a nuclear war on the peninsula to a tipping point," it said, describing the peninsula as the "world's biggest tinderbox."

During Saturday's drill, long-range B-1B Lancer bombers reportedly flew close to the heavily-fortified border between two Koreas and dropped 2,000-pound (900 kilogram) bombs.

Pyongyang described the joint drill as a "dangerous military gambit of warmongers who are trying to ignite the fuse of a nuclear war on the peninsula."

"A small misjudgment or error can immediately lead to the beginning of a nuclear war, which will inevitably lead to another world war," it said.

Tension has been high as the US administration under President Donald Trump and the North's regime under leader Kim Jong-Un have exchanged hostile rhetoric for months.

Tension further escalated after Tuesday's ICBM test, a milestone in the North's decades-long quest for weapons capable of reaching the US.

The impoverished, isolated country has staged five nuclear tests -- including two last year -- and has made a significant progress in its missile capability under Kim, who took power in 2011.

In another drill held after the ICBM test, US and South Korean troops fired ballistic missiles simulating an attack on the North's leadership "as a strong message of warning," the South's military said at the time.
"We are disappointed by the lack of progress under the Minsk agreement," he added at a joint briefing with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko after they held talks.

"We do call on Russia to honour its commitments," Tillerson said, referring to a peace deal aimed at halting the conflict between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed rebels.

More than 10,000 people have been killed since the pro-Russian insurgency began in April 2014, which Kiev and the West accuse Moscow of orchestrating.

The US and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Russia, though Moscow has denied backing the rebels.

Efforts to secure a peace deal have foundered as the fighting has dragged on, and neither side appears prepared to make concessions.

Tillerson's visit to Ukraine followed a first face-to-face meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Friday at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.
Kids will be kids. And kids, we all know, do dumb things; sometimes really dumb things. Most of the time those mistakes shouldnt follow them for the rest of their lives.

But here in Illinois, they do for the vast majority of those with a juvenile record.

Thats unacceptable in any state, but especially in one which once set the standard for juvenile justice. Fortunately, sitting on Gov. Bruce Rauners desk is a bill that would help give youth offenders a second chance.

It took many years to get there. But the effort picked up steam when the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission was commissioned to draft a report examining the problem and search for solutions.

The disturbing findings of that report done in conjunction with Children and Family Law Center at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law include: 87 percent of Illinois counties reported less than one juvenile record sweep annually from 2004-2014, and only 3 in 1,000 juvenile arrest records were expunged in that 10-year period.

Prohibitive court fees and strict eligibility requirements are two key reasons for the systems failure to give kids a second chance, according to Burdened for Life: The Myth of Juvenile Record Confidentiality and Expungement in Illinois How to Fix a Broken System that Fails Youth and Harms the State.

Of the tens of thousands of youth arrested in Illinois each year, national figures show, 95.5 percent are arrested for nonviolent crimes. Further, for the vast majority of offenders, that arrest is their only formal interaction with law enforcement, the study found. Yet, almost never are those records expunged, which can keep otherwise law-abiding young people from going to college or trade school, getting a job or finding housing.

The Youth Opportunity and Fairness Act would make it easier to erase records by requiring:

-- Erasure of juvenile arrests that do not lead to charges if one year has passed since the arrest occurred and six months have passed without any subsequent arrest or charges.

-- Expungement when charges are dismissed or result in an acquittal or an order of supervision that is later successfully terminated.

-- Non-violent offenses that result in a finding of guilty be automatically expunged after the court orders termination of the proceedings.

-- Confidentiality protections be extended to municipal ordinance violations.

-- Job seekers would not have to report juvenile court adjudications and employers would not be allowed to ask for expunged juvenile records.

As this list shows, this bill isnt aimed at coddling violent and repeat offenders, so signing it into law wont make Illinoisans any less safe. The opposite, because failure to expunge most records, the study notes, would continue to threaten public safety, produce substantial unnecessary costs and impede young peoples ability to transition to productive adulthood.

The changes also are consistent with other actions our judicial reform-minded governor already has taken since taking office. Last year alone, Gov. Rauner signed a dozen justice reform measures that included a trio of bills to protect the rights of juveniles.

We urge the governor to take those juvenlie justice reforms a giant step forward by signing this bill to protect the rights of young people who make a dumb mistake to get a second chance to get life right.
Meira Kumar, who reached Chandigarh today to address party MLAs and MPs, slammed the BJP and other parties for making caste an issue in the election.

By Manjeet Sehgal: The Congress-led Opposition's presidential candidate, Meira Kumar, who reached Chandigarh on Sunday to address party MLAs and MPs slammed the BJP and other parties for making caste an issue in the election.

"Hitherto the presidential elections were contested between the two people but this time the fight is between the two ideologies. Casteism and communalism is on rise .This election has been made a Dalit versus Dalit. The parties which had different ideologies have become united. This mindset is a mismatch. I am fighting a particular ideology," Meira Kumar said.

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Meira Kumar said India is a country of many religions and we were told to respect every religion. She said that the ideology supporting fissiparous forces is very 'unfortunate' and this may lead to dark days.

"The motive of the ideology which we follow is to end casteism and communalism. We are against the communalism but it is being fuelled.This is not the fight of 17 parties or of Meira Kumar but of every Indian as casteism and communalism is against our constitution," Meira Kumar said.

Meira Kumar met Congress MLAs, MPs at Punjab Bhawan. She also claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party has announced its support to her . However, she refused to comment whether she personally wrote to AAP's National Convenor, Arvind Kejriwal or not. She also parried question on Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's comment that 'Congress named her late'.

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Presidential election: Opposition pick Meira Kumar to invoke Mahatma Gandhi's legacy during campaign

Bihar ki beti will lose presidential election: Nitish on Meira Kumar

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Happy to be unanimously chosen as Opposition's presidential nominee, says Meira Kumar

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CHICAGO (AP)  Anyone who has ever struggled to get a last bit of toothpaste or other substance out of a tube may have pulled for an Illinois woman who literally tried to make a federal case out of just such a frustration.

But a Chicago federal judge has tossed Alana Hillen's class-action lawsuit against Blistex Inc. that alleged she was cheated because her tube of Medicated Lip Ointment couldn't be entirely emptied.

The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (www.chicagodailylawbulletin.com) reports Judge Elaine Bucklo said in a Wednesday ruling that most consumers understand there will always be some product they can't get out of a container. For that and other reasons, she said Hillen can't plausibly claim she was deceived.

Hillen's lawyer said the plaintiffs are considering their options, which could include an appeal.

___

Information from: Chicago Daily Law Bulletin , http://www.chicagolawbulletin.com
CHICAGO (AP)  The Illinois State Board of Elections says it won't provide information about registered voters to President Donald Trump's voting commission.

Ken Menzel is general counsel for the state board. In a letter to the commission Friday, Menzel says Illinois law limits the release of voter information to political committees and government entities, subject to a requirement that the data not be released to the public.

Menzel says that because the commission's request indicates data provided will be made publicly available, Illinois cannot provide it.

The commission, which was formed to investigate allegations of voter fraud in the 2016 elections, has asked every state for voter information.

Critics say the panel seeks to suppress the vote.

The board previously said it would consider the request at next month's meeting.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  State election officials gathering this weekend amid an uproar over a White House commission investigating allegations of voter fraud and heightened concern about Russian attempts to interfere in U.S. elections say a lack of information from federal intelligence officials about attempts to breach voting systems across the country is a major concern.

Both Republicans and Democrats gathered in Indianapolis for a meeting of the National Association of Secretaries of State say they are frustrated because they have been largely kept in the dark by federal officials.

"The chief election official in each state should be told if there are potential breaches of that state's data or potential intrusions," said Republican Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams.

The Department of Homeland Security last fall said hackers believed to be Russian agents targeted voter registration systems in more than 20 states. And a leaked National Security Agency document from May said Russian military intelligence had attempted to hack into voter registration software used in eight states.

That backdrop has drawn an unusual spotlight to conference, which kicked-off Friday and is being attended by officials from 37 states. The FBI and Homeland Security were attempting to allay fears by holding a series of closed-door meetings Saturday on voting security with elections officials.

"We need to make sure we're doing everything and anything possible in 2018. We need better cooperation from federal agencies," said California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, a Democrat.

There is no indication so far that voting or ballot counting was affected in the November election, but officials are concerned that the Russians may have gained knowledge that could help them disrupt future elections.

The conference also lands one week after the commission investigating President Donald Trump's allegations of election fraud requested voter information from all 50 states, drawing bipartisan blowback. The request seeks dates of birth, partial Social Security numbers, addresses, voting histories, military service and other information about every voter in the country.

Trump has repeatedly stated without proof that he believes millions of fraudulent ballots were cast in the November election, when he carried the Electoral College but lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The commission was launched to investigate those claims and is being chaired by Vice President Mike Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who sent the information requests.

Kobach was not in attendance at the weekend event, prompting Democrats to reiterate their skepticism of the commission's intent and their concerns that the information could be used to justify stringent new voter security procedures that could make it more difficult for people to cast a ballot.

"For him not to be here is awkward, to put it mildly. What does he have to hide?" said Padilla. "If he's serious about working with states to improve the integrity of the election, this is the place to be and he's not."

A spokeswoman for Kobach did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

It remains unclear what exactly the hodgepodge of data will be used for. Pence spokesman Marc Lotter said the commission will look for potential irregularities in voter registrations and advise states on how they can improve their practices.

But many secretaries of state say all or parts of the requested data are not public in their states. Some Democrats have said the commission is merely trying to provide cover for Trump's unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.

The U.S. does not have a federalized voting system. Instead, the process is decentralized, with 9,000 voting jurisdictions and more than 185,000 individual precincts. Officials believe that actually makes it difficult for hackers to have any sizable effect on the vote.

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have said they will refuse to provide the information sought by the commission. The other states are undecided or will provide just some of the data, according to a tally of every state by The Associated Press.

But some state officials, such as Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, a Republican, say they don't understand the concerns. Ashcroft said he is bound by state law that limits how much information he can release; the data he can turn over includes names, addresses and birth dates.

"Do I think that this is a case where there are politicians grandstanding? Of course," Ashcroft said. "As a statewide official, I am not allowed to apply the law differently because I like you or dislike you."

___

Associated Press writer Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, contributed.
Id like to address the elephant in the room. That elephant being the Republican Party and their refusal to represent the majority of their constituents. Lets begin with stricter gun control (something that would help lessen the fears parents have when sending their children off to school), 53% of Americans favor this (Pew Research) yet the elephant in the room refuses to consider any such thing. Over 70% of Americans want stricter background checks yet again; the elephant in the room refuses to represent them. 61% of Americans say abortion should be legal. Again, the elephant in the room pushes laws that do the opposite. 74% of Americans do not want social security reduced in any way. But the elephant in the room pushes to do just the opposite, cut social security. 63% of Americans now prefer Medicare for all, but the elephant in the room fights it with all its might. 67% of Americans feel more needs to be done to reduce climate change, but not the elephant in the room. The elephant sides with the fossil fuel industry claiming its not a big concern. Given these few statistics (there are more like them) its obvious that the Republican Party is the party of minority rule, quite the opposite of what our founding fathers envisioned. The Republican Party has become a power cult, not a party that represents the majority of Americans. Remember this while you mark your ballot in this midterm election. Save Democracy! Vote Democratic!
By India Today Web Desk: After her comeback film English Vinglish, Sridevi is back with Mom, which has opened to a decent response from the audience. On its first day, the film has raked in Rs 2.90 crore. Mom witnessed a slightly higher occupancy in theatres on Saturday and is said to have earned Rs 3.15 crore. Released in over 1350 screens in India and 456 screens in overseas, Mom faces tough competition with Spider-Man Homecoming, which too, has opened to rave reception.

#Mom Sat + Sun biz is most crucial... Fri ? 2.90 cr. India biz... Overseas: $ 340,000 [? 2.20 cr].- taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) July 8, 2017

After a dull start in morning shows, #Mom biz picked up post-noon onwards... Evening/night shows fared better...- taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) July 8, 2017

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It must be noted that Sridevi's English Vinglish had collected Rs 2.5 crore on its opening day. However, due to positive word of mouth, the film went on to nett Rs 40 crore worldwide. Can Mom beat the lifetime collections of English Vinglish? Only time will tell.

Mom is the story of Devki (Sridevi), who has a seemingly perfect family, with a loving husband and two daughters. However, all is not well between her and her elder daughter Arya, and an unfortunate incident further drives a wedge between them. It comes to a point where she has to make a choice between what is wrong and very wrong.

Produced by Boney Kapoor, Mom has music by Academy Award-winning composer AR Rahman. Directed by Ravi Udyawar, Mom also stars Adnan Siddiqui, Sajal Ali and Akshaye Khanna in pivotal roles.

ALSO READ: Mom Review: Sridevi is the soul of this revenge thriller

ALSO READ: Mom box-office collection Day 1- Sridevi's film has an average start

ALSO READ: 5 reasons to watch Sridevi's Mom

ALSO WATCH: The Sridevi-Boney Kapoor love story

--- ENDS ---
Legislation to improve rail safety through amplified use of the free-market forces of competition and innovation has been introduced in the Senate by Surface Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Deb Fischer (R-Neb.).

The Railroad Advancement of Innovation and Leadership with Safety (RAILS) Act, S. 1451, would allow for performance-based safety standards in place of traditional command-and-control prescriptive regulation, and mandate that future Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) rulemakings be based on data-driven sound science validated through transparent peer review.

More specifically, performance-based safety standards mean rather than the FRA prescribing particular actions, such as mileage-based brake tests and specific operations and maintenance procedures, the agency would specify a safety outcomesuch as a maximum accident-type rate or component failure rateand allow each railroad to devise its own cost-effective means of achieving that target.

Academics Jerry Ellig and Patrick McLaughlin, who have examined performance-based standards used in other high-risk industries, conclude that requiring the meeting of an objective rather than specifying how to arrive at a solution allows businesses to adapt more easily to technological advancement and long-term industry trends [and] encourages innovation and unique problem-solving that regulators may be less alert to than the industry experts working in the field.

Innovative and customized approaches to safety improvements especially benefit small railroads burdened by meticulous regulatory prescriptions intended primarily for railroads employing tens of thousands. The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association often finds that the Regulatory Flexibility Act, as amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Actgiving small entities a voice in the rulemaking processare too often discounted by federal agencies.

That there was no press release accompanying the RAILS bill, and that it has yet to gain a co-sponsor, suggests it is a work-in-progress to be modified in hearings by the Senate Commerce Committee, which encompasses the Fischer-chaired Surface Transportation Subcommittee. Performance-based safety standards were discussed briefly earlier this year in hearings by a House Rail Subcommittee, but no draft legislation has emerged.

Senate hearings on the RAILS bill are thought doubtful before fall. As it is increasingly likely that confirmation hearings on a new FRA administrator, yet to be nominated, will not occur before then, the nominee can expect extensive questioning as to understanding and support for performance-based safety standards.

At the core of performance-based safety standards is accurate data, with the legislation emphasizing stakeholder participation early in the process to ensure up-to-date and relevant data, appropriately validated [computer] models and formulas, and independent peer review to produce statistically significant findings. Railroads have been perplexed in recent years by hastily issued Emergency Orders lacking, they say, theme or theory.

Illustrative of the benefits of competing approaches to rail safety is the advancement of electronics miniaturization achieved by rival manufacturers tinkering with different engineering designs.

Few would argue that regulators, no matter their professional credentials, match rail managements knowledge of operations and proficiencies. Mandated compliance with brake tests every 1,000 miles, for example, can divert attention from other strategies that may be more cost-effective and lead to safer results. A performance-based safety standard could allow trains to travel to destination without intermediate brake inspections if, for example, data validate that brake-related failures are below 2%.

However, the bill acknowledges that performance-based safety standards are not appropriate in all instances. For example, many FRA prescriptive regulations follow congressionally imposed statutory requirements.

The Association of American Railroads was quick to offer its support for the RAILS bill, telling Railway Age that the industry supports a departure from todays prescriptive, command-and-control approach to rulemaking to one encouraging innovation with a focus on outcomes.

Rail labor historically has opposed performance standards as an undesired disturbance of job assignments. A senior rail labor official, asking not to be identified and saying he was not speaking on behalf of his union, told Railway Age that a reliance on data-driven outcomes encourages under-reporting to achieve numbers indicating safety objectives are met.

Some two decades ago, former FRA Administrator Jolene Molitoris, a Democrat, promoted performance-based safety standards, as did Deborah Hersman, a Democrat when chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. At the time, rail labor officers offered positive feedback through a Molitoris-created Rail Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC). A committee of the National Academy of Sciences Transportation Research Board also was supportive of performance-based safety standards.

The effort subsequently fizzled, with both management and labor alleging available data often was imprecise and unreliable. Hence, the RAIL bills requirement that sound science and transparent peer review validate all data.

A more immediate reason for Fischers rail-industry supported RAILS bill appears to be frustration with actions by former Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo, a Democrat who previously was a career rail labor official.

His attempt to mandate, through prescriptive regulation, two-person train crews absent evidence of safety benefitsthe Notice of Proposed Rulemaking relied, instead, on multiple declarations of we believeso concerned the Obama Administrations reviewing Department of Transportation and White House Office of Management and Budget that it was tabled, and Szabo shortly thereafter resigned.

Also troubling to railroads and the scientific community was another Szabo-sought prescriptionmandating electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes, described by Sen. Fischer earlier this year as a multi-billion-dollar mandate without clear safety benefits. In fact, several railroads had tested and then abandoned these systemsa fact effectively disregard by the FRA  followed by an ideological government knows best public relations campaign. The Government Accountability Office criticized the FRAs underlying research as having lacked transparency, Fischer said.

At a February subcommittee hearing, Fischer telegraphed that a legislative requirement for performance-based safety standards was being prepared. Congress must act to improve the use of data, risk-based analysis, transparency, collaboration and objective-based rules at the FRA, she said.

Support for performance standards should not pit Republicans against Democrats in Congress. President Obama directed the use of performance-based regulation in Executive Orders 13563 and 12866, which instructed federal agencies, to the extent feasible, specify performance objectives rather than specify the behavior or manner of compliance that regulated entities must adopt.

To view the RAILS bill, S. 1451, click on the link below.
In May 1863, Major General Nathaniel F. Banks turned his Union army away from its northwesterly advance on Shreveport, Louisiana, toward the Mississippi River. His new goal was the capture of Port Hudson. Banks felt confident that he would have an easy victory over Major General Franklin Gardner's Confederate forces there. After bagging Gardner's army, Banks believed, he could sweep north to the aid of Major General Ulysses S. Grant, and together they would capture Vicksburg.

As Banks moved his main field army eastward, he sent orders to Baton Rouge and New Orleans to prepare all available troops for the field. This order included all the 20-pounder and 30-pounder Parrott rifle batteries and the rifled 12-pounder battery of the 1st Indiana Heavy Artillery. On May 19, A, B, G, H and K companies broke camp at Brashear City, La. They loaded their eight 30-pounder Parrott rifles and two 4.62-inch rifled bronze 12-pounders aboard a waiting New Orleans Great Western Railroad train. Without delay, the artillerists got underway for Algiers, La., across the Mississippi River.
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Price: $ 7,600 Seller State of Residence: California Property Address: 72540 Barnacle Dr City: Mecca State/Province: California Zoning: Residential Type: Homesite, Lot Zip/Postal Code: 92254 Location: 913**, Valencia, California

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Nob Hill InnHere is your chance to own a Timeshare Deed (Does not Expire) at a bargain price! This is a One Bedroom Suite with One Bathroom (Sleeps 4) with FLOATING WEEKS 1-52 (allows you to travel for any one of the aforementioned weeks of the year on a reservation basis; Fri. Check-In/Out) at Nob Hill Inn, an II (Interval International) Resort and RCI SILVER Crown Resort located in San Francisco, California!!! All fees are current with mortgage paid in full; you will receive clear title guaran...

Price: $ 1 Seller State of Residence: Florida Property Address: 1000 Pine St. State/Province: California Type: Attractions Number of Bedrooms: 1 Number of Bathrooms: 1 City: San Francisco Zip/Postal Code: 94109 Location: 328**, Orlando, Florida

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By PTI: Kohima, Jul 9 (PTI) Former Chief Minister T R Zeliang has staked claim to form the government in Nagaland asserting that he enjoyed the support of 41 of the 59 MLAs, after a majority of ruling NPF legislators rebelled against the incumbent Shurhozelie Liezietsu.

In a letter to Governor P B Acharya last evening, Zeliang claimed that at a meeting of the Legislature Party of the NPF on June 4, 34 party MLAs (including him) out of the total 47, supported him to be their leader and urged him to stake claim to form a new government.

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The MLAs also urged Liezietsu, who was yet to become a member of the assembly, to resign and facilitate Zeliang becoming the new chief minister, the letter said.

Zeliang also claimed that seven Independents had also affirmed their support to him taking the tally to 41 out of 59 legislators.

Zeliang requested the governor to invite him to form a new Naga People?s Front (NPF)-led DAN government in Nagaland at the earliest.

The 34 NPF legislators, who have extended their support to Zeliang, have been camping at a resort in Kaziranga in Assam where they held a meeting last evening, NPF sources said.

They told PTI last night that 33 MLAs were in Zeliangs camp, while 11 each were in the camps of Liezietsu and Lok Sabha MP and former chief minister Neiphiu Rio. The rest of the MLAs in the 60-member house are maintaining neutrality.

Liezietsu too in a statement had expressed pain at the "disturbing developments", which he said, was "affecting the normal functioning of the government".

The development comes at a time when Liezietsu, also the NPF president, is gearing up for the July 29 by-election from the Northern Angami-I assembly seat, vacated by his son. Khriehu Liezietsu, son of the chief minister, had resigned on May 24 to enable his father to contest and be an elected member of the assembly to continue in office.

Liezietsu took over from Zeliang on Februrary 22 this year following the state-wide protest against the holding of election to the urban local bodies with 33 per cent reservation for women.

This is the fourth time in the NPF-led DAN government when MLAs are working to oust the incumbent chief minister.

Since 2014 when Rio vacated the chief ministers chair to contest the Lok Sabha polls, the NPF government has faced such crisis twice in 2014 and 2015. PTI NBS PR SMN

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Summer is here, and the usual warm and happy sentiment on campus has changed to somewhat mixed feelings. However, if you are one of the few wh
The CM is expected to call a press conference on Monday, say JD-U sources. M I Khan reports from Patna.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is back in Patna after spending three days in Rajgir in Nalanda district, reportedly on the advice of doctors. All eyes are now on him to break his silence over the Central Bureau of Investigation raids on Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family.

"Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has returned from Rajgir and is at his official residence 1, Anne Marg in Patna. He is meeting senior party leaders and spokespersons. Whether he gives a statement on the issue today (on Sunday) or not depends on his strategy, a Janata Dal-United leader in Patna told Rediff.com.

According to another JD-U leader, consider closed to Kumar, he is likely to call a press conference on Monday.

"Either he will call a press meet or simply issue a statement to mediapersons who have been chasing him and other party leaders since Friday, he said.

Earlier, it was reported that Kumar, also the party president, had asked JD-U MLAs not to issue any statement on the issue as it may worsen the already strained ties between the two parties.

In last two days, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar has repeatedly demanded Kumar to break silence and take action against Lalus two sons  Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav-- for their alleged involvement in corruption.

Some BJP leaders have been asking Kumar to snap ties with the RJD.

The JD-U and RJD are partners in the ruling Grand Alliance along with Congress.

The CBI on Friday carried out raids at 12 places in Patna, Delhi, Ranchi, Puri and Gurugram in connection with the case involving Lalu and his family members.

The CBI has registered the case against Lalu, his wife and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav, former Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Managing Director P K Goyal, and Lalus confidante Prem Chand Guptas wife Sujata on allegations of awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2006.

In the same year, the hotels were transferred to the IRCTC. Lalu was the railway minister in 2004-09.

IMAGE: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, right, along with deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, speaking to media during an event in Patna last week. Photograph: PTI Photo
Breaking protocol, United States President Donald Trumps daughter and White House advisor Ivanka Trump in an unprecedented move replaced the leader at the heads of government meet at G-20 when the US President left for bilateral meets during the session.

Democratic countries do not follow the practice of placing unelected representatives to replace state heads and as per the protocol the vice-president or the Secretary of State should have taken the place of the president.

Ivanka, who accompanied her father on the second day of the G-20 summit at a session about Africa, Migration and Health later replaced him as the leader left for bilateral meetings.

Some critics online compared Ivanka Trumps presence at the table to a banana republic and argued that she is both unelected and unqualified to step into a role usually filled by officials with policy expertise.

Earlier, questions have been raised about Ivankas informal role at the White House. She came under the scanner for being present at a meeting, at which reporters were not allowed, between Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in November last year.

Later in March, she came under fire after announcing she would become an advisor without a specific title, but with an office in the West Wing, a government-issued phone and computer and security clearance to access classified information.

Following criticism from ethics experts, Ivanka was officially appointed as an unpaid advisor to her father in the White House, alongside her husband earlier in March this year.

-- Inputs from Agencies

Image: Ivanka Trump takes her seat at a meeting during the G20 summit in Hamburg. Photograph: Ludovic Marin/Pool/Reuters
On the claim of the victim's brothers that they were called 'beef eaters' by the accused, police said 'no such thing has come to the fore during the main accused's questioning so far'.

The prime accused in the killing of 17-year-old Junaid Khan on a train here last month has confessed to having stabbed the victim, a senior police official said on Sunday but insisted that the murder was not related to the beef issue.

The accused, who works as a security guard in a Delhi firm, was arrested from Dhule district of Maharashtra on Saturday, about a fortnight after the June 22 incident which had triggered a nationwide outrage as it was reportedly linked to the beef issue.

The 30-year-old main accused, a resident of Palwal in Haryana who was identified by his lawyer as Naresh Kumar, was on Sunday produced before a court which sent him to a two-day police remand.

Duty magistrate Sandeep Kumar recorded his statement during his production on Sunday.

During his questioning so far, the main accused has confessed to having stabbed Junaid and attacking his brothers, Superintendent of Police (Railways) Kamaldeep Goyal said, addressing a press conference in Faridabad.

On claims that Junaid and his brothers were attacked over the issue of beef, Goyal said, No such thing has come to the fore during questioning of the main accused so far.

The SP added that even the complainant had not mentioned beef being the reason for the fight on board the train in which Junaid was killed.

He said the accused had boarded the Mathura-bound train from Shivaji bridge station in Delhi.

The fight between the victim and his brothers and the accused in the train started at Okhla railway station in Delhi while the stabbing took place at a station Ballabgarh onwards, the SP said.

Replying to a question, Goyal said the main fight had started between the victim and another man Rameshwar, who was arrested earlier in the case.

The SP said the main accused joined the fight later even though he did not know Rameshwar.

The knife used for killing Junaid has not been recovered so far, he said, adding the accused had told the police that it was in his possession.

His consent will be sought for Test Identification Parade before court, Goyal said.

It is an open investigation and only after thorough interrogation of the accused will the complete sequence of events in the case come to fore, the SP said, replying to a question about sequence of events which led to Junaids killing.

Time limit for this investigation cannot be fixed. Whatever facts we could share have been shared, but in the interest of investigation revealing more facts at this stage will not be appropriate. We will share these facts as and when they become clear, he added.

When asked about the facts that have emerged with the arrest of five accused earlier, Goyal said the probe is ongoing.

The main accused has been arrested yesterday only... I am repeating that it is an open investigation, what was the sequence of events, what exactly led to murder of Junaid, will become known after interrogation of the main accused, he said.

Junaids mother, meanwhile, has demanded capital punishment for the main accused.

My son was innocent. I lost him as no one came to his help. While exemplary punishment should be given to all accused involved in the case, I demand that the main accused who stabbed Junaid should be hanged, she told reporters at her village in Ballabgarh on Sunday.

Goyal said it was difficult for them to crack the case as thousands of people travel from Delhi to Mathura daily on the local train.

Different types of methodologies were adopted by the police department and it is culmination of all those continuous efforts by the police. Which technique exactly led to the arrest of this accused, I am not going to reveal, but a lot of aspects of investigation were touched by police.., he said.

When asked where the main accused was hiding, Goyal said, He spent a few days at his home. He went to Mathura and Vrindavan and later through a relative he worked at some unit in Dhule for a few days.

When asked if anymore accused were yet to be arrested in the case, the SP said, During the main accuseds interrogation this should become clear.

He also said that statement of other arrested accused in the case has been recorded.

The SP said steps were being taken to strengthen security on trains, including having CCTV cameras, for which we have written to the railway ministry.

He said the Government Railway Police (GRP) was also trying to have a databank of daily commuters from Faridabad and Palwal.

Often many things come to fore like some of these daily passengers occupy seats of others, play cards, sit in rail coaches meant for women etc. So, we will try to make them aware.., he said.

A statement released by the GRP on Saturday had said that a team was sent to Dhule following a tip-off that the accused was hiding there.

The GRP claimed in the statement that during interrogation, the accused had confessed to having killed Junaid.

The police had earlier arrested five persons, including a Delhi government employee.

Junaid was stabbed to death while his brothers, Hashim and Sakir, were injured by a mob which also allegedly hurled communal slurs against them.

His brothers had claimed the attackers had taunted and repeatedly called them anti-nationals and beef eaters.

A reward of Rs two lakh had also been announced for information on identity of those involved in the killing.

Junaid was stabbed to death when he, along with his brothers, was returning home to Khandawli village after shopping for Eid in Delhi.

His body was dumped close to Asaoti village in Faridabad district.

IMAGE: Muslims holding placards that read 'Not In My Name' during a protest in Ranchi against the spate of lynchings that have taken place in different parts of the country, the latest being a murderous attack on Junaid on June 22. Photograph: PTI Photo
The fresh political instability has come at a time when Liezietsu is gearing up for the July 29 by-election from the Northern Angami-I assembly constituency.

By India Today Web Desk: Nagaland Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu on Sunday sacked 4 ministers and 10 of his parliamentary secretaries as the crisis within the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) deepened.

The chief minister recommended Governor PB Acharya to remove Home Minister Yanthungo Patton, Power Minister Kipili Sangtam, National Highway and Political Affairs Minister G Kaito Aye, Forest and Environment and Climate Change Minister Imkong L Imchen from the Cabinet.

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Earlier, former Chief Minister TR Zeliang staked claim to form the government claiming that he enjoyed the support of 41 of the 59 MLAs, after a majority of ruling NPF legislators rebelled against the chief minister.

After Zeliang wrote to Governor Acharya, the CM sacked four minister, 4 NPF legislators and six independent legislators.

According to reports, the 34 NPF legislators, have been camping at a resort in Kaziranga in Assam.

"All 41 of us are intact and we are waiting only for Governor Acharya to invite Zeliang to form the government," Forest and Environment Minister Imkong L. Imchen told IANS.

"We don't care about (suspension from the party) it because those people who have signed the suspension order do not have the grassroots support," Imchen said, while refusing to divulge further.

Governor Acharya is in Maharashtra and he is expected to return to Nagaland in a few days.

BY-ELECTION ON JULY 29

The fresh political instability has come at a time when Liezietsu is gearing up for the July 29 by-election from the Northern Angami-I assembly constituency.

CM Liezietsu took over from Zeliang on Februrary 22 this year, following the state-wide protest against the holding of election to the urban local bodies with 33 per cent reservation for women.

"The current issue is within the NPF party and will be resolved at the earliest to bring about normalcy in the state. The mandate of the people will be respected and the present crisis will be resolved in the larger interest of the people of the state," Liezietsu stated.

CM APPEALS FOR CALM

Noting that the NPF-led government will complete its full term, the beleaguered Chief Minister appealed to the people of the state to remain calm.

In the truncated 59-member assembly, the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland coalition government comprises 47 NPF legislators, including ten suspended, four Bharatiya Janata Party and eight Independents.

Interestingly, Zeliang has even warmed up to his once bitter rival Neiphiu Rio, a three-time Nagaland Chief Minister.

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Rio, the lone Lok Sabha member from Nagaland, was suspended a couple of years back for "anti-party activities", particularly against Zeliang. (With inputs from IANS)

Also read: Naga People's Front to reach other northeastern states now

Also read: The story of Nagaland cop who turned Kerala billionaire

--- ENDS ---
The opposition is likely to put up its joint candidate for the vice presidential election and may decide on the name during its strategy meeting in Parliament on July 11.

Sources said that the non-National Democratic Alliance parties are seeking to keep the opposition unity intact and feel that even if it is a losing fight it should not be left uncontested.

The vice presidential contest is heavily stacked in favour of the ruling dispensation which has a majority of around 550 votes out of a total of 790 members of both Houses of Parliament, who comprise the electoral college for the vice presidential election.

The electoral college that votes for the vice president, who is also the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha, consists of 543 elected and 2 nominated members of the Lok Sabha besides 233 elected members and 12 nominated members of Rajya Sabha.

Around 18 non-NDA parties are expected to attend Tuesday's meeting convened by Congress President Sonia Gandhi in Parliament Library. The party's vice chief Rahul Gandhi besides a host of leaders from other parties like the Nationalist Congress Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Left, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and other smaller parties are also likely to attend.

The parties are also likely to discuss the opposition floor management for the monsoon session of Parliament, which starts on July 17, as it comes in the wake of raids on RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav.

"In the battle of ideologies, this is an election that the opposition should contest and it is likely to contest and should not be left uncontested," said a senior leader.

The sources said that though no name has yet been discussed, it is likely that some of the names that did the rounds for the presidential election may also figure for the post of vice president.

These include names of Gopal Krishan Gandhi and Prakash Ambedkar, which the opposition was contemplating for fielding in the presidential election.

Every party had been asked to give in their suggestions during the meeting. The opposition is likely to take a final call on the election during this meet.

Sources added that there could be some informal discussions with some opposition leaders ahead of Tuesday's meeting on the vice presidential candidate.

Communist Party of India national secretary D Raja said, "So far no names have have been given by the Congress or any other party. Since there is no time left, it is possible that a name may be finalised at the meeting."

The term of present incumbent Hamid Ansari, who has held the post for two successive spells, comes to an end on August 10.

The candidate of the ruling NDA, which has a majority in the Lok Sabha and received the support of parties such as the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Biju Janata Dal for the July 17 presidential poll, is likely to win the contest, given its strength in Parliament.

The scrutiny will take place on July 19 and the last date for withdrawing from the electoral battle is July 21.

Polling, if required, will take place on August 5 and the votes will be counted on the same evening.

No whip can be issued by political parties as the election is through a secret ballot.

The secretary general of the Rajya Sabha, Shumsher K Sheriff, is the returning officer for the election.

During the last vice presidential election in 2012, Ansari secured 490 votes and Jaswant Singh, who was the opposition candidate secured 238 votes.

In 2007, Ansari won the election secured 455 votes, while Najma A Heptulla secured 222 votes and Rasheed Masood secured 75 votes.

In the 2002 vice presidential election, NDA nominee Bhairon Singh Shekhawat secured 454 votes, against opposition's Sushil Kumar Shinde who secured 305 votes.

Four vice presidents have so far been elected unopposed -- first Vice President of India S Radhakrishnan (1952 and again in 1957), Mohammad Hidyatullah (1979) and Shankar Dayal Sharma (1987).
India refused to elaborate on the range of issues discussed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during their informal conversation on Friday in Hamburg, in the backdrop of a standoff between their armies in the Sikkim sector.

We have tweeted that the two leaders discussed a range of issues. A range of issues means a range of issues. I dont want to add anything further I leave it to you to draw your conclusion, external affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said.

His response came when during a briefing he was asked if a range of issues discussed during the conversation between Modi and Xi ahead of the informal meeting of the BRICS leaders on the sidelines of the G20 Summit included the

standoff in the Sikkim sector.

Im not commenting on it because we have said what we have (to say) and as to the picture, well, the old saying is that a picture speaks more than a thousand words, was Baglays response when asked about whether the picture along

with the tweet showing the two leaders smiling was indicative of any de-escalation of tension between the two countries.

The informal interaction between Modi and Xi came a day after a top Chinese foreign ministry official had said that the atmosphere is not right for a formal bilateral meeting between them in Hamburg.

The standoff between China and India in the Doklam area near the Bhutan tri-junction has dragged on for the past three weeks. It started after a Chinese armys construction party attempted to build a road.

Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

Baglay also asserted that the prime minister was here to attend the G20 summit meetings. He participated in the proceedings and Indias contribution to these discussions is the main focus for us here. At the same time, the prime

minister had several bilaterals on the margins, he added.
As G20 leaders continued their summit discussions for the second day in Hamburg on Saturday, United States President Donald Trump walked up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "an impromptu interaction".

Arvind Panagariya, sherpa for India at the summit, tweeted about the "interaction", along with pictures of the two leaders and others just before start of the second day of working sessions of the G20 summit.

"In an impromptu interaction at the G20 Summit, POTUS (President of the US) waves to the PM, walks to him, other leaders gather around. Gr8 moments," Panagariya tweeted.

He further described the interaction as "some memorable moments just before the second day of the G20 Summit begins".

Panagariya, also the vice-chairman of government think-tank Niti Aayog, is representing India in the negotiations for the leaders' communique.

Besides a series of bilateral meetings, Modi had brief chats with various leaders at the Summit, including with International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

All photographs: Kind courtesy Arvind Panagariya
With a 110-metre long national flag, Gorkhaland supporters on Sunday marched in the national capital to reinforce their demand for a separate state and the immediate imposition of President's Rule in West Bengal.

Protesters belonging to the Gorkha Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti in New Delhi demanded the Centre's intervention in removing paramilitary forces with immediate effect.

"The West Bengal government is treating common people like terrorists and killing them. The central government should remove paramilitary forces and terminate the services of the Director General of Police," GSSS president Kiran B K said.

The protesters marched from Rajghat to Jantar Mantar carrying the flag, depicting 110 years of their struggle for separate state.

The march culminated at Jantar Mantar where they joined their co-supporters who had been protesting for three weeks now.

"Just like Bengalis have their identity, we are fighting for ours. We are getting killed for seeking the rights we deserve. The Centre should look into the issue," said Stuti Thami of Darjeeling, adding that she was 'ready to die' but not to stay under the West Bengal government.

Some of the placards that protesters carried criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party for its 'attitude before and after the elections'.

The Gorkha Janmukti Marcha on Sunday planned to take out rallies against the alleged killing of its supporters in police firing in Darjeeling as the indefinite shutdown in support of their demand for a separate Gorkhaland entered the 25th day amid a strict vigil by the Army and the police.

The Army was re-deployed on Saturday after fresh violence erupted in the Darjeeling hills where Gorkhaland supporters torched a police outpost, the toy train railway station and clashed with the police at two places.

Rajnath assures Sikkim CM of security of NH 10'

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday assured the Sikkim government that the Centre will ensure the security of national highway 10, the lifeline of the landlocked state, which is facing crisis of essential commodities in the wake of protests and counter-protests over the demand for Gorkhaland.

During a telephonic conversation with Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling, the home minister discussed the security situation in the state and areas neighbouring West Bengal.

'I assured him that the Centre will ensure the safety & security of NH 10 and do everything possible to save people of the state from any misery,' he tweeted.

Singh also directed Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi to coordinate with the West Bengal administration and ensure the safety, security and smooth traffic on NH 10, which connects Siliguri in West Bengal with Sikkim capital Gangtok.

Reports said traffic between Siliguri and Gangtok was affected as drivers of West Bengal-registered vehicles stopped plying to Sikkim.

There have been several incidents reported in the past week when Sikkim-registered trucks were vandalised and looted by unidentified miscreants in Siliguri.

There have also been reports of Sikkim-bound taxis, buses and private vehicles being targeted by anti-social elements in Siliguri.

The incidents of violence started after the Sikkim chief minister supported the demand of Gorkhaland and also wrote to the home minister saying it was a justified and long pending demand of the people of the Darjeeling hills.

Chamling had 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'.

Sikkim transporters are on an indefinite strike demanding the immediate arrest of the miscreants who carried out attacks against Sikkim vehicles at Siliguri.

They are also demanding that West Bengal give assurance of providing safety to Sikkim-registered vehicles.

Expressing concern over vandalism of Sikkim-registered vehicles in West Bengal, Chamling had said he is planning to move the Supreme Court in this regard.

"I am in regular contact with the Union government on the issue and thinking of approaching the Supreme Court to settle the issue at the earliest," he told a meeting in Chisopani in South Sikkim district on Wednesday.

IMAGE: Members of Peoples Movement for Gorkhaland shout slogans during their Tri-Colour peace march from Rajghat to Jantar Mantar in demand for separate Gorkhanland, in New Delhi on Sunday. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo
Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned home on Sunday morning after winding up his two-nation visit.

PM Modi after his arrival in Delhi early today. ANI Photo.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned home on Sunday morning after winding up his two-nation visit.

Modi left Hamburg, Germany on Saturday evening at 7.30 pm, following the completion of the two-day G20 summit.

At the summit, Modi presented a 10-point agenda on fighting terrorism which was endorsed by the G20 leaders.

The first leg of the two-nation tour was a historic visit to Israel. Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the country.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Modi raised the countries' bilateral relations to a strategic partnership.

Also read | G20 Summit: Trump waves to Modi, walks up to him for an 'impromptu' chat

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By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI) The government is promoting coal gasification to convert high ash coal into methanol that can be used as cooking gas, with an aim to cut down dependence on West Asian countries for LPG imports, Niti Aayog member V K Saraswat said.

He said that the worlds largest coal miner, Coal India Ltd (CIL), is likely to set up a coal-based methanol plant in West Bengal.

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"There is excessive ash content at several coal mines in states like West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand, which are not in much demand amongst the coal-based power plants. Coal with high ash content can be converted into methanol and can be used for cooking gas purpose as methanol is substitute for LPG," Saraswat told PTI.

Niti Aayog is governments premier think-tank and the prime minister is its chairman.

"We import 60 per cent of our LPG needs and we can save billions of dollars by converting high ash coal into methanol and use it for cooking gas purpose," he added.

Saraswat, the former Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief said, "We are requesting industries to start setting up coal-based ethanol manufacturing plant."

Saraswat, who is also chairman of Methanol Committee, is in talks with companies like NTPC and Oil India to encourage methanol economy.

Recently, Coal Secretary Susheel Kumar had also said that Indias dependence on petroleum and natural gas can be brought down or done away with if the country manages to extract gas from coal.

According to latest data, India imports almost a million tonnes of LPG every month to meet rising demand that has been further fuelled by the government drive to give free gas connections to poor women.

LPG consumption in 2016-17 rose 9.8 per cent to 21.55 million tonnes. Of this, 11 MT were imported.

India mainly imports LPG via term contracts from major Middle Eastern producers like Saudi Aramco, Qatars Tasweeq, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co and Kuwait Petroleum Corp.

Experts believe that Indias LPG imports will rise over the next three years to 16-17 MT as the government pushes for making available cooking gas cylinders to the poor and wean them away from polluting fuels.

Last year, Saraswat had said that the methanol economy promises to help India mitigate its petroleum import costs and at the same time counter problems associated with global warming.

"India is in the cusp of a gigantic transformation towards a developed nation. The country can use its abundant coal reserves to produce methanol through gasification. Abundant non-edible biomass can also be gasified to produce methanol," Saraswat had said.

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According to the latest estimate, methanol production could cut Indias huge crude oil imports bill, which is pegged at Rs 6 lakh crore per annum.

Methanol is a clear and colourless liquid produced from natural gas, coal and wide range of renewable feedstocks. Also known as wood alcohol, methanol is naturally occurring and biodegradable. India has already introduced blending of petrol with ethanol.

According to the Methanol Institute, USA -- an industry consortium -- China is using 15-20 per cent of its fuel mixed with methanol. PTI BKS JM ABM

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Soon after arriving in Goochland in July 2016, Dr. Jeremy Raley, Goochlands new superintendent, floated the idea of offering grant opportunities to teachers to see what was possible in the area of instructional innovation. The leadership team focused the idea around opportunities for deeper learning, and a committee led by Chuck English of the Science Museum of Virginia evaluated teacher-created applications for innovative projects. Thanks to the Goochland Education Foundation, roughly $10,000 was awarded to groups of teachers to implement their project ideas.

This was a great example of us trying to tell teachers to take chances and see what might happen. There was no guarantee every project would work out, but thats how you innovate. We take chances, said John Hendron, Goochlands Director of Innovation and Strategy.

The culminating event was a two-day symposium that also included teachers who wanted to participate at the end of the year. County leaders, including Susan Lascolette (District 1) Manuel Alvarez, Jr. (District 2), and county administrator, John Budesky, attended the event.

June 6, 2017, the first day of the symposium, included a screening of the movie Design Disruptors, exploring careers involving design thinking. The film exposed educators to the role design has in the modern economy as a disruptive force. A panel discussed the film and its connection to education, which included Mr. Kevin Hazzard, a member of the Goochland school board. Dr. Scott Bray from the University of Richmond was the moderator of the panel.

The keynote speaker for the event was Dr. William Rankin, an internationally-recognized education consultant, who formerly has held positions as an English professor and as director of learning for Apple. Rankin delivered an entertaining address about learning and how technology should be used appropriately in the classroom to engage learners. His ideas resonated with over fifty Goochland educators present at the event.

A design roundtable finished the first day, designed to help teachers synthesize a number of diverse ideas shared throughout the day. Teachers could have spent their last day of school closing out the year, but these folks chose to make a difference and participate in a unique professional development event. The energy and enthusiasm around the ideas of innovation were impressive outcomes of this event, said superintendent, Dr. Jeremy Raley.

The second day was more creative and fun. Teachers participated in two activities in downtown Richmond. One was a historical Segway tour in which one of the groups received an impromptu photo-op with Governor Terry McAuliffe outside the Virginia Governors Mansion. The second team-building activity was a photo-walk, where teachers were challenged with using the camera creatively to encourage an inquiry mindset.
College of William & Mary police are investigating after a 50- to 60-year-old man was found dead on school property Friday night.

In an alert at 8:38 p.m., the school said police were responding to an incident at the Dillard Complex, which is about 2 miles from the main campus.

An update at 10:09 p.m. said a male body was found on the grounds at the Dillard Complex off Ironbound Road. The update said there is no indication that the deceased is affiliated with the university but verification is still underway.

A later update from William & Mary Police Chief Deb Cheesebro said police were still trying to identify the man and determine his cause of death.

Cheesebro said foul play is not suspected.
CHARLOTTESVILLE  After seeing the Ku Klux Klan in the movies, Jabril Carter thought he knew a little bit about what to expect Saturday. But coming face to face with around 50 Klan members rallying in Charlottesville stirred something deeper he couldnt easily explain.

My adrenaline is pumping right now, the 23-year-old cook said as he paused on the chaotic downtown streets of the progressive college town he grew up in. It hurt my soul, man.

Carter was part of a group of young African-American men who stood directly in front of the Klan rally, taunting the robe-wearing, Confederate flag-waving group as a crowd of protesters estimated at over 1,000 drowned out the Klans white-pride speeches.

The 45-minute rally in Justice Park  newly renamed as part of Charlottesvilles push to rid itself of public parks designed to honor the Confederacy while elevating African-American history  was mostly peaceful due to a massive police presence involving more than 100 Charlottesville and Virginia State Police personnel.

Protesters hurled a few water bottles and pieces of fruit at the ralliers, and a few Klansmen shouted racial slurs and directed white-power salutes at the crowd. Direct physical confrontations were avoided as police escorted the Klan members in and out of the park and enforced a strict barricade between the two groups.

The rally was supposed to begin at 3 p.m., but got off to a late start apparently due to the logistical difficulties of safely moving the Klansmen through the crowd encircling the fenced-off demonstration area.

Police arrested several protesters who tried to block the entrance to the park before the Klan members entered around 3:45 p.m. Tensions escalated after the Klan group left the rally site. Protesters rushed through the streets trying to track the Klan and block roads as police tried to allow vehicles to exit.

Unable to reach the Klan members, several protesters shouted angrily at the police for protecting the group, chanting: Cops and the Klan go hand in hand!

Using a bullhorn, police told the group to disperse and warned that chemical agents would be used on anyone who stayed. After a group of protesters formed a line across High Street near the citys courthouses, police shot three tear gas canisters into the crowd around 5 p.m.

In a statement Sunday morning, city officials said 22 people were arrested. On Saturday, officials had reported that 23 were arrested.

Most appeared to be anti-Klan protesters, but officials could not immediately provide the affiliations of those arrested. Three people were hospitalized; two for heat-related issues and one for alcohol, officials said.

The Klan rally was the latest flashpoint in a summer of unrest in Charlottesville, where the City Council voted to strip the names of Confederate generals from two parks and begin the process of removing statues of Robert E. Lee and Thomas Stonewall Jackson. In May, alt-right figure Richard Spencer, a leader of the new wave of white identity groups, participated in a torch-lit rally around the Lee statue. Alt-right groups are planning to return to the city next month for whats being billed as a bigger rally to Unite the Right.

Saturdays Klan rally took place in the shadow of the Jackson statue in what used to be Jackson Park.

Klan members held signs with anti-Semitic and anti-black slurs. In interviews, several members said they came to Charlottesville to protect white history and argued that white people alone are told they have no right to racial pride.

Israels got a wall around their country. Why cant we have a wall around ours? said Douglas Barker, one of a few Klan members who spoke to reporters. They believe in preserving their own race. Why is it wrong for the white man to preserve their own race?

Many of the Klan members declined to give their names or say where they were from, but several who did said they had come from out of state.

Several shouting matches broke out before the rally between the protesters and a handful of people displaying Confederate flags who said that even though they dont support the Klan, the statues should still be preserved.

City leaders and University of Virginia President Teresa A. Sullivan had encouraged the Charlottesville community to avoid the Klan rally. A slate of alternative events was organized to give people other outlets and avoid drawing attention to the Klan.

Groups like this come to communities like this for the purpose of incitement and controversy and a twisted kind of celebrity, Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer said in an interview after swinging through the park in the early afternoon. The victory over them is to deny them that and keep on not only telling our story but refusing to be intimidated away from the sort of work we have been doing that has made us a target for these kinds of groups.

Plenty of others wanted to meet the Klan head-on, insisting on countering hate with direct resistance. The park was a full-blown spectacle even before the Klan arrived, with drum circles, singing and a man wearing nothing but a loincloth shimmying in front of a street preacher.

Sarah Fitzgerald, 23, of Staunton, said that even though Klan members have the right to free speech, the crowd that dwarfed the Klan has every right to counter it with their own.
Va.s evacuation system for hurricanes revamped

NORFOLK  Virginia has a new plan for dealing with hurricane evacuations that uses a zoned approach to prioritize getting the most vulnerable residents away from major flooding and reducing unnecessary travel.

Its the most significant change in decades to the states evacuation system, which computer simulations showed was unrealistic, The Virginian-Pilot reported.

The new plan breaks down coastal Virginia into four zones designated A through D. In the event of a hurricane, residents in certain zones may be directed to evacuate, while others could be asked to shelter in place. The state says the plan will reduce traffic, promote highway safety and lessen overcrowding at storm shelters.

Residents can visit a website, call 211 or contact their local emergency managers to find out their zone.

Colonial Williamsburg seeking local tax relief

WILLIAMSBURG  Colonial Williamsburg is asking its surrounding communities for tax relief as part of an effort to deal with long-running financial challenges.

President and CEO Mitchell Reiss recently sent letters to officials with Williamsburg and the counties of James City and York.

Hes asking that they waive the collection of real estate and personal property taxes for three years, as well as service and business license fees. Reiss also wants a moratorium on new taxes on Colonial Williamsburg, including an admissions tax recently proposed by the city.

Reiss announced June 29 that the living history museum would outsource many of its commercial operations and lay off some workers. The attraction has seen declining attendance for decades, has hundreds of millions in debt and has leaned too heavily on its endowment.

SW Va. hepatitis C cases spur tattoo artist arrests

PULASKI  A rise in hepatitis C cases has led to the arrests of tattoo artists in Southwest Virginia.

More people could be charged as the investigation continues, The Roanoke Times reported.

Police in Pulaski arrested four men in June for unlicensed tattooing, a misdemeanor offense. Hepatitis is a viral infection that can damage peoples livers, sometimes fatally.

Police Chief Gary Roche and attorneys working on the cases said they could not recall similar charges in the regions courts.

Pulaski police issued a warning in May that hepatitis C had been spread by unclean and unlicensed tattooing.

Its illegal in Virginia to charge money for tattoos without a license. Health departments are required to inspect tattoo parlors.

TV meteorologist shares battle against cancer

NORFOLK  A television meteorologist in Virginia undergoing chemotherapy for cancer treatment has shed her blond locks as she shares her battle to get well with the public.

Crystal Harper, who is on leave from her job at WVEC-TV in Hampton Roads, posted a video on her blog announcing Im bald! The six-minute video showed her mom and family cutting off her hair, which was starting to fall out as a side effect of the chemotherapy.

Harper said she has received support and encouragement from thousands of viewers and others as she has received treatment.

She was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma in May.
By PTI: (Eds: Combining various stories related to Kashmir situation)

Srinagar, Jul 9 (PTI) After two days of restrictions and strike, life in Kashmir returned to normal today and the authorities restored all internet services which had been suspended in view of the first death anniversary of Hizbul Mujahideen "commander" Burhan Wani.

As Kashmir remained by and large peaceful on the anniversary yesterday, there were no restrictions on the movement or assembly of people anywhere in the Valley today, officials said.

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This morning, life returned to normal as shops and other business establishments opened across the Valley, while public transport also plied smoothly.

Authorities had imposed curfew in three towns - Shopian and Tral in south Kashmir and Trehgam in north - while strict restrictions were enforced elsewhere in the Valley yesterday.

The separatist camp, including Hurriyat Conference factions led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and the Yasin Malik-led JKLF, had called for a strike yesterday.

Restrictions had also been imposed in parts of Kashmir, including in five police station areas of Srinagar ? the summer capital of the state ? on 7 July as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order.

The restrictions were lifted after two days this morning as the situation remained by and large peaceful yesterday on Wani?s first death anniversary, the officials said.

"There were few incidents of stone-pelting yesterday, but by and large the situation remained under control and peaceful," the officials said.

A woman was injured when she sustained multiple pellet injuries in one such clash in Shopian town.

Internet services were also snapped on Thursday night as a precautionary measure. The services were restored today.

"All internet services, including broadband and high- speed mobile internet, have been restored in Kashmir," said an official.

He added that the services were restored in view of the "improving situation".

While the 2G mobile internet services were restored during the night, the high-speed (3G and 4G) internet services were restored this evening.

The BSNLs broadband service was resumed this morning, said the official, adding that all the social media sites were also working across all the platforms.

Wani was killed in an encounter with the security forces in south Kashmirs Anantnag district on July 8 last year.

His killing had triggered massive protests and prolonged periods of curfews and shutdowns across the Valley.

As many as 85 people were killed and thousands injured in the daily clashes between the security forces and protesters for a period of over four months. PTI SSB MIJ DV RC AKK AKK

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A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
When it comes to tax-advantaged investment funds, the rules about withdrawing the money can leave people confused.

In a recent column, I debunked five myths of 529 college-savings plans (http://wapo.st/2sgIGOd). But that myth-busting led to some follow-up questions from readers.

Q: Can you use 529 funds to buy a computer? What about software?

A: Previously, you could use money from a 529 plan to buy a computer only if it was required by the college for attendance. That is no longer the case. Savings can indeed be used to buy a computer or pay for internet access as a qualified higher-education expense. An iPad used for college would also qualify, as would any related peripheral equipment, such as a printer. But software designed for sports, games or hobbies is excluded, unless it is predominantly used for educational purposes, according to the IRS.

Q: Can 529 funds be used to buy a car to get to and from college?

A: Unfortunately not, says Gregg Wind, a certified public accountant who is a partner with Kallman, Thompson & Logan in Los Angeles. A car would be considered a non-qualified use of the funds. Transportation of any type is generally not qualified, he said.

Q: My daughter received a full ride (minus books) to Towson University in Maryland, so I have some extra money in my 529 plan that I would like to withdraw. She has just finished her junior year. What are the rules for withdrawing the funds?

A: Typically, if you withdraw money from a 529 and it is not used for qualified education expenses, you have to pay income tax on the funds and youre assessed a 10 percent penalty.

You can withdraw funds, up to the amount of the scholarship award, without incurring the 10 percent penalty, Wind said, but income taxes will still be due on earnings.

Q: I would like to start a plan for my grandchildren, ages 7 months and 2 1/2. They live in Maryland and I live in Virginia. Do I need to pick a Virginia plan to get the income-tax credit/deduction? If I use a Virginia plan, can the monies be used in any state for education expenses? Can you direct me to a website about plans? I have looked, but it is somewhat overwhelming. Is the age-based plan a good idea?

A: Let me unpack these questions.

First, many states offer residents a tax deduction for contributions to a state-run 529 plan. In Maryland, the deduction is $2,500 a year per account. Virginia taxpayers using their states plan, Virginia 529 (www.virginia529.com), can deduct up to $4,000 per year per account from their state individual income taxes, although state residents 70 or older can deduct the entire annual amount of their contributions.

And may I add that while the state tax deduction is a good bonus, you should still shop around for the best plan, always keeping an eye on fees. Any deduction you get could be negated by higher fees and lower performance.

One enduring misconception about 529 plans is that your child has to go to a school in the state where you set up a plan. Its just not the case. Your child or grandchild can use money invested in a 529 plan  even a prepaid tuition plan  to go to any eligible public or private educational institution in the U.S. and even to some overseas universities. To check the eligibility of a school, go to fafsa.ed.gov and select School Code Search.

When my husband and I set up 529 plans for our three children, we chose the age-based investment option. Think of it like a set-it-and-forget-it way to save. If you open an account when your child is an infant, the portfolio may be more aggressive in its holdings in your childs early years. But as he or she gets closer to starting college, the mix of assets is changed to reduce the risk. For example, a parent using Virginias 529 plan today for a child up to 3 years old might select the 2033 Portfolio. The investment allocation for this portfolio as of January was 73.3 percent equities and 26.7 percent fixed income. But if youre getting a later start in investing and choose the 2024 Portfolio, recommended for children 10 to 12, the mix would be 43.3 percent equity and 56.7 percent fixed income.

Let me leave you with the site I find to be the most helpful in answering 529 plan questions: www.savingforcollege.com. On the homepage, start with College Savings 101.

Michelle Singletary is a personal finance columnist for The Washington Post. Her column runs on Sunday.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- On a sultry May evening, I set off on a walking tour of this city's La Calle Loiza neighborhood. Once a seedy area that few ventured into, it is rapidly blossoming into a Caribbean cousin of Miami's Wynwood Arts District, where colorful murals decorate the facades of once dingy industrial buildings.

Tucked in between the tourist meccas of Isla Verde and Condado, Calle Loiza is a gritty ghetto turned hipster hotspot, with colorful examples of colonial architecture now housing an array of shops, bars, galleries, restaurants, and more recently, lofts and apartments.

As is frequently the case in areas such as Wynwood and La Calle Loiza, it is the artists who arrived first -- muralists, painters, sculptors -- using sidewalks and street corners as their studios. The fruits of their labor are everywhere -- from Andy Warhol-style pop art to rainbow-hued doors of the buildings themselves.

The new kids on the block, however, are artists of a different kind -- culinary artists. Over an area of seven city blocks can be found some 30 different restaurants and food trucks, offering everything from hot dog stands to high end gastronomy -- all helping to cement San Juan's growing reputation as the Caribbean's new capital of cuisine. As a result of this largesse, my walking tour quickly morphed into a tasting tour.

I started at Cafe Pierre in the lobby of the Doubletree Hotel (the only Doubletree property in the Caribbean). Appetizers, courtesy of rising chef Mayra Hernandez, were paired with the restaurant's signature libation, a tamarind crush.

Then it was on to Silk, whose exotic decor, subdued lighting and Asian-inspired menu is more reminiscent of Bangkok or Beijing than San Juan. My spicy crab salad and tuna tataki were complemented by a selection of hot and cold sakes.

From Asia to Argentina was a five-minute walk to Agarette Catalina, whose prime steaks and full-bodied red wines had me thinking I could have been in a Buenos Aires bodega.

It's important to save enough energy to check out one (or more) of La Calle Loiza's bustling bars. My favorite had to be Bar Bero, a combination barbershop and speakeasy (patrons get a free beer with a haircut).

Don't settle for a beer. Have Luis, the personable mixologist, make a cocktail especially for you. Drawling out the syllables of my name, he proudly presented me with the "Pa-trees-sia," as he called the libation he concocted for me. Composed of Woodford Reserve bourbon, Barrilito rum, egg whites, lime juice, Frangelico, house-made syrup, grapefruit bitters and a French liqueur similar to Chartreuse, it was definitely not for the novice.

I wish I could say I gamely finished my namesake drink, but one sip of it had me grabbing on to the bar for support, and deciding that maybe a beer wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Old San Juan -- The city's Colonial heart

From the ramparts of Morro Castle to the Plaza de Armas to the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista, Old San Juan is a 35-square block area that could be described as a living museum. Some 400 restored 16th and 17th century buildings painted in rainbow shades and decorated with iron grillwork and lacy balconies are draped with purple and scarlet bougainvillea.

For an overview, take the free open-air trolley up the steep incline to Morro Castle, a 16th century citadel rising 140 feet above the sea on six levels. Grim and forbidding with its turrets, parapets and dungeon, it was built to protect the city from both European marauders and Caribbean corsairs.

El Morro's companion fortress, San Cristobal, is the largest Spanish fort in the New World (27 acres), and along with the remains of the city's original walls, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Other attractions include the Plaza de Armas, with its fountain of the Four Seasons, Parque de las Palomas (Park of the Pigeons) and adjoining Cristo Chapel, where a silver altar dedicated to the Christ of Miracles tells the tale of a young horseman who, depending on the version, either plunged to his death over the steep cliff or miraculously survived the fall.

Another must-see is the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista, which contains the tomb of Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon, who may have failed in his quest to discover the Fountain of Youth, but did lay the groundwork for San Juan by starting a settlement here in 1508.

Just across a small plaza from the cathedral is Old San Juan's most historic hotel, El Convento. Begun in the 17th century as a Carmelite convent, the 58-room boutique hotel retains the character of its colorful past with a central courtyard and authentic furnishings in each room, including hand-crafted tiles, intricately carved antique chests and mahogany beams supporting the ceilings.

The courtyard is home to the hotel restaurant, Patio Del Nispero, which shelters under a 300-year-old Nispero fruit tree imported from Spain.

Condado -- San Juan's pulsating beach scene

If Old San Juan is a living memorial to the city's colorful colonial past, the Condado area represents its exciting future. With its shimmering turquoise waters and powder white sand beaches, it has often been compared to Miami Beach. This scenic stretch of coastline has become the epicenter of the island's swank restaurants, upscale shops, nightclubs, casinos and luxury hotels.

One of the most luxurious is the Condado Vanderbilt. It dates to 1919, when Frederick William Vanderbilt (yes, those Vanderbilts) began building the Beaux Arts-style property, complete with white walls and red tiles, French windows and towering ceilings, along a particularly desirable stretch of beach.

Despite a meticulous renovation with all the requisite upgrades, the hotel has retained its unique character, making it reminiscent of such historic properties as Miami's Biltmore and Honolulu's Royal Hawaiian.

At the Condado Vanderbilt, butler service, a world-class spa and a buzzy lobby bar are just a few of the amenities, which also include two topnotch restaurants. There's the more casual Ola (don't miss the pumpkin pancakes stuffed with requezon, a local cheese, and topped with lemon curd) and for fine dining, 1919, where your best bet is to try one of the tasting menus paired with a selection of wines.

Too many travelers dismiss San Juan as just another cruise port -- good for a few hours of shopping -- and in truth, the port is crammed with ships on a daily basis. Venture a few blocks away from the ubiquitous hawkers with their merchandise, and you'll find one of the Western Hemisphere's most vibrant and historic cities ... a city with an illustrious past and promising a dynamic future.
By PTI: Bhubaneswar, Jul 9 (PTI) The Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Crime Branch today took over probe in the seizure of SIM boxes in Ganjam district in which four persons were arrested yesterday for alleged link with underworld gangs.

"STF of Odisha crime branch takes over investigation of Gopalpur PS (police station) case no. 57/2017 relating to seizure of SIM boxes," Special DG of Police, Crime, B K Sharma said in a Twitter post.

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A team of STF officers and EOW (Economic Offences Wing), including cyber investigators, is being deputed to Gopalpur to probe the case, Sharma said adding, an Additional SP is heading the team.

Stating that the arrested persons in the case will be brought on remand for custodial interrogation, he said the FIR alleges that the illegal telephone exchange was facilitating international calls and had linkages with organised criminal groups.

The crime branch move came a day after police arrested four persons, including two computer engineers, in Berhampur in Ganjam district on charge of illegally operating SIM boxes, which were being used by gangsters to divert ISD/STD calls by using fake SIMs.

The arrest was made on the basis of inputs of the crime branch of Mumbai police, which was probing a case involving demand of Rs 2 crore ransom from a Mumbai based businessman.

The ransom was allegedly demanded by one Suresh Pujari, based in Hongkong, the police said.

Police seized at least five China-made SIM Boxes, several fake SIM cards and ID proofs from the arrested persons who were jointly operating like a mini telephone exchange at Utkal Ashram Road in Berhampur, the police said.

Sharma said the Mumbai police had registered a case in this regard and are in contact with the Odisha police.

During preliminary investigation, police came to know that the SIM Boxes were procured from China though an agent from Hyderabad. Some other companies based at New Delhi and Ahmadabad are suspected to be involved in the racket.

The SIM boxes and other gadgets, which were seized are being sent to the forensic laboratory.

The SIM boxes, mostly designed by some Chinese firms, can accommodate 16, 32, 64 and more SIMs in series. It is like a mini telephone exchange, not authorised by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the police said. PTI SKN DKB

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BIG ISLAND  Georgia-Pacific is contesting claims of workplace safety violations that arose from an investigation into an accident that claimed an employees life in November.

Robert C. Dameron, 44, of Natural Bridge, died the night of Nov. 23 after he fell through a hole into a pulper tub and drowned at the companys containerboard mill in Big Island, according to a citation and notification of penalty sent by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industrys Virginia Occupational Safety and Health compliance program.

VOSH issued two citations to the company May 19, with one of those citations broken into two items.

One item within the first citation states employees did not receive required personal protective equipment training, while the other item alleges the company didnt ensure employees wore safety belts when necessary.

Both items are categorized as serious, meaning the hazard described could cause serious physical injury or death, and both bear a proposed penalty of $7,000 each.

The second citation states Georgia-Pacific removed a guardrail from a floor opening at a paper machine Nov. 17. Dameron fell through that floor opening less than a week later, VOSH stated.

That violation was categorized as willful, meaning the employer either knowingly failed to comply with a legal requirement (purposeful disregard) or acted with plain indifference to employee safety, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration website.

That violation bears a proposed penalty of $70,000, making for a total of $84,000 in penalties. According to the inspection detail on OSHAs website, Georgia-Pacific contested each violation in the beginning of June.

Contesting the violations means Georgia-Pacific doesnt need to pay the penalties or remove the hazards described until litigation in the case is resolved, according to information from OSHA.

VOSH stated in the citation and notification of penalty that each violation item required abatement, or correction of a hazard, by May 25.

Its unclear whether the alleged violations have been abetted.

Tim Chatlos, public affairs manager for Georgia-Pacific, said Dameron had worked at the mill for a long while, and the workers there are close.

Were deeply committed to the safety of the employees, and our sympathies go out to the family, he said.

Chatlos said an informal meeting about the citations held in May was attended by representatives from Damerons family, Georgia-Pacific and the workers union, he said. He said the company has a good relationship with Damerons family.

As the company is contesting the citations, he said, Georgia-Pacific has no further comment about them at this time.
CHRISTIANSBURG  Guns in government buildings are again on the minds of officials in the Roanoke and New River valleys.

Citing security concerns, some Montgomery County employees have inquired about carrying concealed firearms at work, a topic thats been raised before in recent years, said County Administrator Craig Meadows. Guns also have been discussed in other area localities.

State law allows people with permits to carry firearms into government buildings, excluding schools and courthouses. But, unless they are in law enforcement, employees who work in those buildings in many cases may not carry there.

Localities can prohibit their employees from bringing weapons to work. Scholars and others say there are good reasons to do that. In an emergency, a police officer could mistake an employee with a gun for an active shooter. Allowing guns could increase the likelihood of workplace violence. Thats one of the reasons many private businesses prohibit anyone from carrying on their premises.

A thorny question remains: Should governments do more to protect employees barred from carrying guns in an environment where others could be armed?

That question raises others: Should gun policies be relaxed for employees regardless of the drawbacks? Or, should everyone be banned from carrying guns into all government buildings? Or, is the answer stricter security in which every public facility features a single main entrance with a metal detector?

The issue arose anew during a meeting last month when Montgomery County Supervisor Mary Biggs cited the need to improve security at the County Government Center in Christiansburg.

Meadows then told the board of supervisors about recent discussions with employees asking about bringing concealed firearms to the office. County policy currently prohibits employees from bringing guns to work but allows workers to leave guns in their cars.

County employees declined to comment.

During the same week the issue arose in Montgomery, Franklin County supervisors briefly discussed building safety as well as concerns over people carrying guns inside municipal buildings.

The Roanoke City Council for years has lobbied the General Assembly for the authority to bar certain loaded weapons in City Hall. Last year, the council sought an outright gun ban for City Hall. Those lobbying efforts went nowhere.

There was a concern about the ability of citizens being able to bring guns into council chambers, said Roanoke Councilman John Garland. At the same time ... council themselves are prohibited from bringing in guns. As typical, there was no traction at state level to change any of the laws.

Relaxing the ban on employees carrying raises concerns for Montgomery County officials.

Its very difficult for law enforcement to discern between the shooter and who else might be there with a weapon. Theres that aspect, said supervisors Chairman Chris Tuck. I respect law enforcement and what they have to say. Based on what Im being told and advice Ive received, I dont think there will be a change in the county policy.

Many employees also oppose relaxing the policy, Meadows said.

Generally, I do not believe that the majority would support this, he wrote.

Garland drew a connection between banning firearms in courthouses and City Hall. Courtrooms can be contentious places, he said, but so can City Hall.

I thought it was a pretty legitimate comparison, he said. We have some contentious subjects that come up in city council, as well.

By the numbers

Violence in the government workplace and attacks in populated places both are sources of concern, but data paint a mixed picture.

From the mid-1990s to 2011, incidents of government workplace violence sharply declined, from 99 to 20 per 1,000 employees, according to federal data.

Violence in the government workplace in 2011 still outpaced the rate of the private sector by nearly double. This figure does not factor in government law enforcement and security employees, which would make the rate even higher.

What the FBI defines as active shootings  cases where someone kills or attempts to kill people in a populated area  are increasing in number.

The average annual rate of so-called active shootings more than doubled over two consecutive seven-year periods starting in 2000 and ending in 2013, according to an FBI report. Over the seven-year period ending in 2006, the average annual number of active shooting incidents was 6.4. Over the seven-year period ending in 2013, the average increased to 16.4.

And the numbers still appear to be rising. The FBI reported a total of 40 active shooting incidents in 2014 and 2015 combined.

Public support for gun ownership as a means of protection, meanwhile, is swelling. Fifty-two percent of survey respondents favored gun rights protection in December 2014 compared to 34 percent in 1993, according to the Pew Research Center.

What do others say?

Risk and right are key considerations for people on both sides of the issue of whether to allow government employees to carry.

Right off the bat, theres a contradiction. Youre saying, Well, employees cant have weapons at their place of employment, but yet outsiders can walk in carrying, said Tod Burke, a Radford University criminal justice professor who was a long-time law enforcement officer in Maryland. But you also want employees in a safe environment. You want them to feel they are safe in the workplace.

Toward that end, barring employees from carrying makes sense, he said.

Burke echoed the point from some Montgomery County supervisors about the possibility of police mistakenly shooting an employee carrying a gun. He also said the policy helps lower the likelihood of fatal workplace violence.

Most businesses are more concerned about employee violence than violence from the outside, Burke said.

David Kopel, research director at the Independence Institute, a Colorado-based conservative think tank, said concerns about armed employees are exaggerated. People permitted to carry generally follow the law, he said.

The data show that theyre often the more law-abiding segments of the population, he said.

Security tightened

There might be a more immediate issue than the one of government workers being allowed to carry. But this one draws another fine line for officials to walk, balancing tighter security against the need for easy access to public buildings.

Montgomery County supervisors said the locality should continue looking at other measures to ensure building safety.

Steps taken over the years include additional lighting in both public and employee parking lots and lighting around building perimeters and sidewalks, county Sheriffs Office spokesman Lt. Mark Hollandsworth wrote in an email.

Other measures included trimming or removing shrubbery that formerly blocked plain sight toward the road, adding cameras and installing swipe-card security for employees.

I would be hesitant to get more specific due to jeopardizing the security of the building and of the employees who work there, he wrote.

Supervisors discussed better securing the two bottom-floor entrances to the government center, but they expressed fear of unintentionally pushing the public away.

One entrance provides visitors immediate access to the registrars office while the other leads to the offices of the treasurer and commissioner of revenue.

Its very sticky. If you close off an entrance, you might be closing off access to the building, said Supervisor April DeMotts.

But DeMotts said she thinks both entrances at least warrant an evaluation.

Both DeMotts and Tuck said they do not favor installing metal detectors at the government center similar to the security protocol at the nearby county courthouse.

I think the government building should remain an open facility, DeMotts said. A metal detector at the door is kind of a deterrent as you enter what you feel is open space to the public.

Tuck also worried about public access.

I dont want to see the government center require citizens to be searched. I want citizens to feel as if they can come to a board of supervisors meeting, approach their supervisors who they elected without being subject to search.

Tuck said he also doesnt want to see the county enact measures that would encroach on citizens rights.

Those who give up liberty and safety end up with neither, he said, citing Benjamin Franklin. I dont want to be the person living in fear all the time and allowing fear to dictate my everyday life.
After filing its legal paperwork in Delaware two weeks before Virginias gubernatorial primaries, Virginians for a Better Future quickly got to work promoting its idea of social welfare.

On its founding document, filed in a state with famously relaxed incorporation laws that serve as a magnet for shell companies, the tax-exempt nonprofit described its mission as supporting public policies that promote the ability of Virginians to prosper and thrive, particularly in health care, education and employment.

In practice, that meant launching a $184,000 advertising campaign to support Lt. Gov. Ralph Northams bid for the Democratic nomination for governor and attack Northams primary opponent, former congressman Tom Perriello.

Backed by virtually every Virginia Democrat in state and federal office, Northam defeated Perriello by almost 12 percentage points, a surprisingly wide margin that made the last-minute attack ads seem almost moot. With both Democratic campaigns spending millions on TV advertising, no one has suggested the Virginians for a Better Future ads  which painted Perriello as a phony progressive who couldnt be trusted on abortion rights  tipped the outcome. Perriello called the ad campaign the kind of thing that correctly disgusts people about politics, but he seemed to quickly move on from it after the primary and said hell fully support Northam.

But with Perriello running an outsider, anti-corporate campaign that put him at odds with the Democratic establishment and business interests behind a pair of natural-gas pipelines Perriello opposed, the ads raised the question of who exactly spent a sizable amount of money on negative digital ads, mailers and robocalls despite a public rebuke from Northam. Because the group is organized in a way that allows maximum secrecy, the identity of the donor or donors behind the ad campaign might never be disclosed.

Were trying to keep a very low profile on this, Michael McShane, a little-known Democratic consultant from the Charlottesville area who serves as the groups only public face, said in a brief interview last month. McShane, who signed his name on official records as the groups treasurer and incorporator, abruptly ended the phone call after being asked if the group would disclose its donors. He later said in follow-up messages that the organization has filed all paperwork required by the state.

The limited paper trail that exists, made up mainly of a series of independent spending reports filed with the state Department of Elections, points to a larger network of activity beyond McShanes Keswick address.

Several reports had markings showing they were faxed from the D.C. office of heavyweight law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Another came from a Chicago area code with the initials SASMF. A report faxed June 10 had a cover sheet from an even more mysterious locale: a UPS Store in a strip mall outside Boston. Skadden, Arps did not respond to a request for comment.

NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, an abortion-rights group that backed Northam, has denied involvement in the ad campaign, as has Dominion Energy, the politically potent utility Perriello crossed with his anti-pipeline stance and calls to reduce the influence of energy monopolies.

Because the organization is incorporated as a social welfare group, or 501(4), with a larger advocacy mission beyond the governors race, Virginians for a Better Future is exempt from the campaign finance disclosure rules that apply to candidates and political action committees.

The murkiness surrounding 501(4) groups was a key element of the controversy regarding the U.S. Supreme Courts Citizens United decision, which allowed corporations and nonprofits to freely spend on political communications. The gray area between social advocacy and politics was also at the center of the 2013 Internal Revenue Service scandal over tea party groups being targeted for extra scrutiny.

Other states have taken steps to close reporting loopholes for 501(4)s, but a Republican-sponsored bill to force social welfare groups to disclose their donors failed this year in the Virginia General Assembly. In April, Northam called for legislation to fix the dark money issue, pointing to a 2015 law passed in Montana that requires all groups to disclose their funding sources regardless of tax status if they spend money to try to sway an election within 60 days of the start of voting.

Sen. Bill DeSteph , R-Virginia Beach, said he sponsored the 501(4) bill after seeing secretive spending in Virginia Beachs light rail referendum last year, but saw that it had no chance of passing because Republicans and Democrats alike are tied to things like this. The National Rifle Association is organized as a 501(4), as is the political advocacy arm of Planned Parenthood.

I had a bunch of folks come out and say you dont realize what youre doing, DeSteph said. I said yeah actually I do. Thats why Im still pushing to do it.

State elections officials did not answer repeated inquiries about whether Virginians for a Better Future will have to disclose its donors, but confirmed that the group has not filed a statement of organization, an identifying document required of any PAC that expects to spend more than $200 to influence a state election. The department also did not respond to questions about whether the state has any role or policies related to reviewing the validity of groups spending in Virginia elections while claiming 501(4) status. McShane insisted the group is a 501(4), not a PAC.

The 501(4) category allows groups to promote their views on civic issues and engage in some political advocacy, as long as influencing elections and running ads for or against named candidates is not the organizations primary activity.

Perriello also benefited from the secrecy surrounding 501(4)s. He received $380,000 in contributions from the New York-based Avaaz Foundation, an internation\al advocacy group he co-founded. Avaaz also doesnt have to reveal the source of the money it gave to Perriello, though it clearly has a broader focus beyond intervening in Virginia elections.

If Virginians for a Better Future has plans for advocacy beyond the Democratic primary, theyre hard to find.

The groups austere Facebook page consists only of links to pro-Northam content, all posted within a 15-minute span on June 2. The page has been idle ever since. The groups website features more pro-Northam links, a digital video ad and a link to a state elections website that helps voters find their polling place.

The incorporation paperwork in Delaware was dated May 31. The first of four independent expenditure reports was filed with Virginia officials on June 4, and the reports continued to come in until the day before the June 13 primary.

The spending reports dont reveal where the groups money came from, but they show where it went. The organization paid three political advertising firms to design and execute the campaign, and each company has ties to Virginias Democratic establishment.

Moxie Media, a Seattle-based company that received roughly $60,000 for the direct mail campaign, employs Brian Zuzenak, a former top aide to Gov. Terry McAuliffe who recently directed the governors PAC, Common Good VA, and served as Virginia director for Hillary Clintons presidential campaign last year. Zuzenak, who was paid $13,500 by McAuliffes PAC in December, has not responded to requests for comment. The PAC denied involvement.

That type of effort had no place in a Democratic primary between two fantastic candidates, said Common Good VA spokeswoman Crystal Carson. We had no knowledge of or coordination with the group.

SB Digital, a D.C. firm identified in the spending reports as Switchboard Communications, received around $100,000 for the digital ad component. The company employs Sam Sterling, a former aide to Senate Minority Leader Richard Saslaw, D-Fairfax, who vigorously supported Northam and bashed Perriello during the primary. Saslaw has also denied any involvement in the ad campaign and said he doesnt know whos behind Virginians for a Better Future.

The Sexton Group, a communications firm based in Chicago, was paid roughly $25,000 to handle the robocalls. The companys website lists Eric Payne, a former Democratic Party of Virginia employee, as its data manager. In an interview, Payne said he no longer works with Sexton Group and was not involved in the calls.

On June 7, Northam sent an email to McShane asking Virginians for a Better Future to scrap its plans to go negative on Perriello, but that request seemed to have little impact. The Perriello campaign suggested at the time that the Northam campaign could have done more to stop the ads, but the Northam campaign said its hands were tied due to rules prohibiting coordination between campaigns and outside groups.

DeSteph said hell continue to pursue a state-level fix. Ultimately, he said, its up to the IRS or federal lawmakers to clarify what has become another way to hide money.

Thats not what a 501(4) is supposed to be for, DeSteph said.
More than 30 state militia members gathered at the National Guard armory in Lynchburg Saturday morning to test the operational readiness of their Mobile Communications Platforms.

The Mobile Communication Platforms  trailers equipped with generators, batteries, high-frequency radios, laptops, printers, scanners, tablets and more  serve as mobile command stations during emergencies.

The trailers used by the militia, formally known as the Virginia Defense Force, serve as communication hubs that help with search-and-rescue missions, the tracking of assets such as Guardsmen and vehicles, emergency transportation, request backup and more, Capt. Randy Lilly said. The force and its communication systems are dispatched when natural disasters like hurricanes or snowstorms knock out communication in the area, Maj. Jim Newman said.

Our goal is that were self-contained so that if we were to be deployed somewhere, we can survive for up to 72 hours without needing support from anybody else, said SPC Paul Capozzoli.

Most recently activated for a snowstorm in Feb. 2017, Newman said the entire organization is made up of volunteers and only paid when activated.

Crews from the 4th and 2nd Regiment arrived around 9:30 a.m. Saturday and were on scene practicing set up and breakdown until about 4 p.m., Capozzoli said.

The 4th Regiment, headquartered in Lynchburg, is made up of 44 Lynchburg-based members, 10 Bedford County members and 18 Pulaski County members, Smith said. What were testing is the communication capabilities, but we all use them when the Guard goes on state [active] duty, VDF Public Information Officer Cotton Puryear said.

MPCs use high-frequency radio, said Lilly, a self-described amateur radio enthusiast since 1979.

Slower than dial-up, Lilly said the method of communication may seem outdated, but its capable of contacting places around the globe.

But primarily, what we do is concentrate our radio pattern in the state of Virginia, he said.  It covers one end of the state of Virginia to the other and beyond.

The MPC sends voice, which Lilly said is used for short communications, such as establishing the connection, and data.

We send mainly text messages or text versions of messages, Lilly said, explaining the systems use standard forms that are populated, or filled, with information sent from one station to another, saving bandwidth while getting the message across.

He said a faster method of communication is currently in the works. Defense force MPC training takes place one day a month at each site in Lynchburg, Pulaski and Bedford counties.

But four to five times a year, the different detachments are required to travel to other sites in order to make sure theyre ready and able to pack up and go at a moments notice, he said.

This time it was Lynchburgs turn to host the training.

The VDF is the only state-authorized militia in Virginia, VDF Public Information Officer Cotton Puryear said.
By PTI: Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 9 (PTI) With the Supreme Court being told that the vault B of the historic Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, one of the richest shrines in the country, should be opened, a debate has taken flight in Kerala over the matter.

While a member of the erstwhile Travancore royal family, Ashwati Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi, said they were against the opening of the vault B as it was "against the gods will", another member, Aditya Varma, today said the family would not blindly oppose it.

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Gowri Lakshmi Bayi maintained that the vault had never been opened and only its ante-chamber had been opened earlier.

Varma though said the decision of the Thantri (the head priest) on the matter was final.

"The final word rests with the Thantri. We will not oppose," he told a television channel.

Meanwhile, Devaswom Minister Kadakkampally Surendran said that as the matter was before the apex court, the royal family could inform it about its anxiety.

He added that the report of the amicus curiae (an impartial adviser to a court of law in a particular case) that the vault B was opened earlier, was unlikely to be wrong.

The minister also said he did not know the reason for the royal familys opposition to the opening of the vault and added that the government was ready to hold discussions with them in this regard.

Coming down heavily on the royal family, veteran CPI(M) leader V S Achutanandan said those who feared the opening of the vault were to be suspected.

"The B vault should be opened and a stock taken of its belongings as per the recent observations of the Supreme Court," he said.

When the matter had come up before the apex court last week, senior counsel Gopal Subramanium, who is the amicus curiae in the matter, had told the court that the Kallara (vault) B of the temple should be opened as it was closed "on the apprehension that there is some mystical energy".

He had also said that experts too were of the opinion that the vault should be opened because it had been opened earlier as well.

"Vault B may have more than one chamber...nothing but useless suspicion is being generated about what is there in the vault," Subramanium had told a division bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar.

The sprawling temple, an architectural splendour in granite, was rebuilt in its present form in the 18th century by the Travancore royals, who had ruled southern Kerala and some adjoining parts of Tamil Nadu, before the integration of the princely state with the Indian Union in 1947.

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Even after Indias independence, the temple continued to be governed by a trust controlled by the erstwhile royal family, for whom Lord Padmanabha (Vishnu) is the family deity. PTI UD LGK RC RC

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If you want to work people into an immediate lather, there are few quicker ways to make suds than bringing up the issue of voter fraud and electoral shenanigans. The most obvious and recent example is the ongoing debate over Russian interference in the 2016 election which unfortunately has turned into a partisan war.

But allegations of voter fraud are nothing if not a bi-partisan affair. President Trump has repeatedly maintained that more than 5 million voted illegally in 2016 without producing a shred of evidence. Still, his ardent supporters cling to this claim like a talisman of truth.

Faith in Americas voting system is far too important to be left to ideological group-think unsupported by fact. Obviously elections are not perfect, even in Virginia. As a former legislator and a former member of the House Privileges and Elections Committee, I know first-hand that incidents of voter fraud are few and far between, with most ending in prosecution.

Unfortunately, Trump is seeking to throw another log onto the flickering flame of fake voter fraud claims by issuing an Executive Order to review the voter rolls of every state. Currently 27 states are pushing back against this charade. Theyre standing firm that the federal government has no place supervising how states manage their voter rolls. Virginia lawmakers should follow suit.

The Constitution in its wisdom left control of how states conduct elections to the states themselves, not to federal politicians looking to make hay when there isnt even a barn. Elections for national office certainly have consequences beyond state lines. But even the Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore limited federal oversight of state elections to the equal protection clause, a total non-factor in Trumps Commission.

Of course concern over the integrity of our elections should be a top priority for every Virginian, indeed for every American. Voter fraud nullifies the principle of one-person-one-vote, and tarnishes the legitimacy of our elected leaders. Worse yet, it undermines faith in our democratic process.

My concern for protecting the sanctity of the ballot box led me in 2013 to author Virginias On-line Voter Registration Law which allowed citizens to register to vote and update their registration information on-line; that also ensured the Commonwealth maintained, updated and verified voter data.

Virginia is diligent in maintaining our voter rolls. As the Washington Post reported in 2013, we purged nearly 40,000 invalid voter records prior to the gubernatorial election. Future purges, in cooperation with neighboring states, and proof of citizenship and residency for paper-voter-registration, is what is needed to maintain Virginias election integrity.

Advocates for states rights should be very concerned with any new precedent of even voluntary federal oversight over our voter data. Opening this door could encourage activist courts or a future Justice Department to become creative in finding ways to expand upon federal authority over exclusive state prerogatives. Our credibility in fighting such a federal mandate tomorrow could be neutered by an indifferent response to Trumps Commission today.

In the full light of day, Trumps Commission amounts to little more than a fishing expedition to score political points. Trump knows that lack of compliance with his Commission will elicit cries of a cover-up, while cooperation will only further instigate a self-perpetuating enterprise hunting for proof of a conclusion it has already drawn.

The president knows full well that nothing positive will come of his commission. The only rationale for its creation is to serve as a soapbox to demagogue the issue of voter fraud even further. The result wont be to give Americans more faith in our elections, but less. Lawmakers must recognize this as a nonsensical federal overreach into the lives of Virginia voters. This is one fishing expedition where Virginia shouldnt take the bait.
By Donald Trump

This is an edited version of the speech that Trump gave in Poland on July 6.

I am here today not just to visit an old ally, but to hold it up as an example for others who seek freedom and who wish to summon the courage and the will to defend our civilization. The story of Poland is the story of a people who have never lost hope, who have never been broken, and who have never, ever forgotten who they are.

This is a nation more than one thousand years old. Your borders were erased for more than a century and only restored just one century ago.

In 1920, in the Miracle of Vistula, Poland stopped the Soviet army bent on European conquest. Then, 19 years later in 1939, you were invaded yet again, this time by Nazi Germany from the west and the Soviet Union from the east.

Under a double occupation, the Polish people endured evils beyond description. In the summer of 1944, the Nazi and Soviet armies were preparing for a terrible and bloody battle right here in Warsaw. Amid that hell on earth, the citizens of Poland rose up to defend their homeland.

From the other side of the river, the Soviet armed forces stopped and waited. They watched as the Nazis ruthlessly destroyed the city, viciously murdering men, women, and children. They tried to destroy this nation forever by shattering its will to survive.

But there is a courage and a strength deep in the Polish character that no one could destroy. The Polish martyr, Bishop Michael Kozal, said it well: More horrifying than a defeat of arms is a collapse of the human spirit.

Through four decades of communist rule, Poland and the other captive nations of Europe endured a brutal campaign to demolish freedom, your faith, your laws, your history, your identity  indeed the very essence of your culture and your humanity. Yet, through it all, you never lost that spirit.

Your oppressors tried to break you, but Poland could not be broken.

And when the day came on June 2, 1979, and one million Poles gathered around Victory Square for their very first mass with their Polish Pope, that day, every communist in Warsaw must have known that their oppressive system would soon come crashing down.

They must have known it at the exact moment during Pope John Paul IIs sermon when a million Polish men, women, and children suddenly raised their voices in a single prayer. A million Polish people did not ask for wealth. They did not ask for privilege. Instead, one million Poles sang three simple words: We Want God.

Together, with Pope John Paul II, the Poles reasserted their identity as a nation devoted to God. You stood in solidarity against oppression, against a lawless secret police, against a cruel and wicked system that impoverished your cities and your souls. And you won. Poland prevailed. Poland will always prevail.

You were supported in that victory over communism by a strong alliance of free nations in the West that defied tyranny. Now, among the most committed members of the NATO Alliance, Poland has resumed its place as a leading nation of a Europe that is strong, whole, and free.

This continent no longer confronts the specter of communism. But today were in the West, and we have to say there are dire threats to our security and to our way of life. You see whats happening out there.

We are confronted by another oppressive ideology  one that seeks to export terrorism and extremism all around the globe. America and Europe have suffered one terror attack after another. We must stand united against these shared enemies to strip them of their territory and their funding, and their networks, and any form of ideological support that they may have. While we will always welcome new citizens who share our values and love our people, our borders will always be closed to terrorism and extremism of any kind.

Today, the West is also confronted by the powers that seek to test our will, undermine our confidence, and challenge our interests. To meet new forms of aggression, including propaganda, financial crimes, and cyberwarfare, we must adapt our alliance to compete effectively in new ways and on all new battlefields.

Finally, on both sides of the Atlantic, our citizens are confronted by yet another danger  one firmly within our control. This danger is invisible to some but familiar to the Poles: The steady creep of government bureaucracy that drains the vitality and wealth of the people. The West became great not because of paperwork and regulations but because people were allowed to chase their dreams and pursue their destinies.

This great community of nations has something else in common: In every one of them, it is the people, not the powerful, who have always formed the foundation of freedom and the cornerstone of our defense. The people have been that foundation here in Poland  as they were right here in Warsaw  and they were the foundation from the very, very beginning in America.

As long as we know our history, we will know how to build our future. Americans know that a strong alliance of free, sovereign and independent nations is the best defense for our freedoms and for our interests.

Words are easy, but actions are what matters. And for its own protection  and you know this, everybody knows this, everybody has to know this  Europe must do more. That is why we salute the Polish people for being one of the NATO countries that has actually achieved the benchmark for investment in our common defense.

We have to remember that our defense is not just a commitment of money; it is a commitment of will. Because as the Polish experience reminds us, the defense of the West ultimately rests not only on means but also on the will of its people to prevail. The fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive.

We can have the largest economies and the most lethal weapons anywhere on Earth, but if we do not have strong families and strong values, then we will be weak and we will not survive. If anyone forgets the critical importance of these things, let them come to one country that never has. Let them come to Poland. And let them come here, to Warsaw, and learn the story of the Warsaw Uprising.

When they do, they should learn about Jerusalem Avenue. In August of 1944, Jerusalem Avenue was one of the main roads running east and west through this city, just as it is today.

Control of that road was crucially important to both sides in the battle for Warsaw. The German military wanted it as their most direct route to move troops and to form a very strong front. And for the Polish Home Army, the ability to pass north and south across that street was critical to keep the center of the city, and the Uprising itself, from being split apart and destroyed.

Every night, the Poles put up sandbags amid machine gun fire  and it was horrendous fire  to protect a narrow passage across Jerusalem Avenue. Every day, the enemy forces knocked them down again and again and again. Then the Poles dug a trench. Finally, they built a barricade. And the brave Polish fighters began to flow across Jerusalem Avenue. That narrow passageway, just a few feet wide, was the fragile link that kept the Uprising alive.

Between its walls, a constant stream of citizens and freedom fighters made their perilous, just perilous, sprints. Nazi snipers shot at anybody who crossed. Their soldiers burned every building on the street, and they used the Poles as human shields for their tanks in their effort to capture Jerusalem Avenue. And the Poles never ceased its defense.

The Jerusalem Avenue passage required constant protection, repair, and reinforcement, but the will of its defenders did not waver, even in the face of death. And to the last days of the Uprising, the fragile crossing never, ever failed. It was never, ever forgotten. It was kept open by the Polish people.

The memories of those who perished in the Warsaw Uprising cry out across the decades, and few are clearer than the memories of those who died to build and defend the Jerusalem Avenue crossing. Those heroes remind us that the West was saved with the blood of patriots; that each generation must rise up and play their part in its defense and that every foot of ground, and every last inch of civilization, is worth defending with your life.

Our own fight for the West does not begin on the battlefield  it begins with our minds, our wills, and our souls. Today, the ties that unite our civilization are no less vital, and demand no less defense, than that bare shred of land on which the hope of Poland once totally rested. Our freedom, our civilization, and our survival depend on these bonds of history, culture, and memory.

And today as ever, Poland is in our heart, and its people are in that fight. Just as Poland could not be broken, I declare today for the world to hear that the West will never, ever be broken. Our values will prevail. Our people will thrive. And our civilization will triumph.
By India Today Web Desk: Geeta crossed across to Pakistan when she was 7-8 years old in Samjhauta Express. She was brought to India after 13 long years in 2015, but has not found her family yet.

The 24-year-old, who has hearing and speech impairment, has been staying at the Mook-Badhir Sangathan hostel Indore ever since.

According to reports, Geeta is all set to get married now.

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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who makes it a point to meet Geeta, whenever she is Madhya Pradesh, said, "We will marry Geeta as per her choice. Geeta will find her own groom, and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will solemnise the marriage, being the `Mama' (maternal uncle) of the girl", said Sushma Swaraj.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan is referred to as "mama" by the girls in the state.

Geeta had left the authorities worried, when she went missing from the hostel on Thursday. She was later found near Annapurna temple.

Hostel authorities were concerned that Geeta is unhappy and wants to go back to Pakistan. However, Swaraj, after meeting her, clarified that she had gone to the temple to offer prayers and not because she was unhappy.

Geeta had returned to India from Pakistan in the hope that she will find her family here, but still the government has not been able to locate her family yet.

Also read

Indore: Geeta, deaf-mute girl brought home to India from Pakistan, briefly goes missing

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India and Japan touched upon various fronts such as high speed rail, civil nuclear energy and also how to contain North Korea.

By Geeta Mohan: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is to visit India this year. It was announced by Norio Maruyama, press secretary in the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a press conference on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Hamburg. He said, "Since the visit of Prime Minister Modi to Japan in 2014, the partnership has flourished. PM Abe will be visiting India this year. Date has not been decided yet but he looks forward to it".

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Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Modi had a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that lasted for thirty five minutes wherein a range of issues were discussed from economic, trade, investment to defence and security cooperation. Norio Maruyama, referring to the Malabar exercises emphasised the importance of the defence cooperation "not just between India and Japan but also Japan, India and the US."

To a question on whether the recent border standoff between India and China and China's territorial aggression that Japan also suffers in the disputed waters, Mr Maruyama said, "We have a strategy of free and open Indo-Pacific and India has a Look-East policy. We discussed strengthening our coordination on that front".

ISSUES DISCUSSED

He did not clarify if the border standoff issue specifically figured or not but hinted at the fact that both sides discussed ways to cooperate against territorial aggression and continue commitment towards freedom of navigation.

India and Japan touched upon various fronts such as high speed rail, civil nuclear energy and also how to contain North Korea.

On India's concerns regarding One-Belt-One Road (OBOR) initiative of China, the Japanese press secretary referred to Prime Minister Abe's conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping saying that Japan has laid pre-conditons for cooperation on that front. He said, "There are explanations from the Chinese side. It is a concept that has potential. But, it should integrate the common understanding of the international society and positively contribute to peace and stability. And to this effect Japan will cooperate".

India has impressed upon all her allies and partners on the sensitivity of being a part of OBOR as it violates India's territorial integrity with some projects passing through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) which India says is its integral part.

Also read: Was major driver behind separate G20 statement on terror, India says

Also read: On G20 sidelines, PM Modi holds bilaterals with Justin Trudeau, Shinzo Abe

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Investigation into the alleged offence led to 34-year-old Nigerian Tiamiyu Adedamola Williams and some other unknown person who may have been operating from Pune.

By Sneha Agrawal: Cyber crooks are rampantly carrying out fraudulent activities in the name of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), conning gullible customers under the garb of various central schemes.

One such incident has come forward where a Nigerian has been netted by the CBI for allegedly running a racket, whereby he impersonated PMO officials and duped people.

In April 2017, the deputy secretary of PMO wrote a complaint to the CBI alleging that a person named Manjit Singh from Himachal Pradesh claimed to have been duped by a woman named Smita Rani who introduced herself as the processing officer of the PMO Trust Fund Loan. It is alleged that Singh was offered a loan of Rs 1.5 crore on the pretext of a non-existent scheme.

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Investigation into the alleged offence led to 34-year-old Nigerian Tiamiyu Adedamola Williams and some other unknown person who may have been operating from Pune and other places. According to the charge sheet, to make the act real, Williams and his gang purchased a domain in the name of trans.org.in.

An email was sent through info@pmotrust.org, to Singh who was told that he was shortlisted for a programme inaugurated by the PMO and his nomination was issued for the PMO Trust Fund and Loan Scheme.

He was sent a file number and asked to submit his valid identity proof and the amount he wanted as a loan for the nomination. Later, another mail was shot to Singh purported to be from Vivek Kumar, director of the PMO Trust Fund, stating that approval has been issued by the PMO.

THE CHARGESHEET

According to the charge sheet, Singh was told, "The scheme was initiated by the PMO and is part of the poverty alleviation process put in place by the NDA government. It was also informed that this scheme was initiated for the selected approved candidate to express the gratitude and support to the people of the country and to mark the 70th year of independence. This mode was initiated to support candidates in their business and promote the Make In India campaign."

Singh was asked to deposit Rs 35,000 as registration for the loan. The cyber crook did not just stop at that. Some more mails were sent to Singh with attached forms purported to be from the Ministry of Finance and Reserve Bank of India.

Having trapped Singh, Williams and the others allegedly sent a mail asking him to get a premium account with RBI. For this, he was asked to pay an additional Rs 65,000. Sensing fraud, Singh wrote a complaint to the PMO instead of making further payments.

While the CBI was successful in netting Williams, it is still in search of the other accused who are part of the scam.

Also Read:

Agra police cracks international phishing case in record two days, recovers Rs 28 lakh

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India ranks 23rd in second Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2017

Also Watch:

India Today investigation: How Jharkhand's Jamtara district evolved as cyber crime hub?

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By SA Commercial Prop News

Shanghai-based entrepreneur and founder of Shanghai Zendai Investment Group, Dai Zhikang has agreed to buy the 1,600ha piece of land from AECI on Monday for R1bn.



The outcome of the R1 billion property deal between chemicals and explosives company AECI and the Chinese property firm Shanghai Zendai, has boosted investor confidence in South Africa's commercial property sector.

SA Commercial Prop News has learnt that Chinese Real Estate developer Shanghai Zendai Property (0755.HK) agreed to purchase land in South Africa for over R1 billion from AECI (AFE).



The Johannesburg property which AECI has owned since 1886, includes approximately 1,600 hectares (3,950 acres) of land and buildings in Modderfontein near the city's main domestic and international airport,

The area, currently used for manufacturing, is about 15 kilometers (9 miles) east of Sandton, the citys main financial center, and the same distance west of OR Tambo International Airport, Africas biggest airport.



The company, based in Hong Kong plans to build a financial hub with residential, commercial, light industrial and retail components. It plans to invest a further R80 billion over 10 to 15 years and aims to create tens of thousands of jobs in the process.

It will become the future capital of the whole of Africa, Chairman Dai Zhikang said at a press conference yesterday, speaking through a translator. This will be on par with cities like New York in America or Hong Kong in the Far East.

AECI has been trying to sell the land for nearly two years, saying it has become surplus to its operational requirements. The company considered listing its property arm separately or unbundling it to investors. In the end, Shanghai Zendais acquisition of the land was considered a better deal for AECI shareholders.

Johannesburg is expected to continue to grow under governmental support through massive infrastructure spending over the next 10 years.

AECI CEO Mark Dytor says the sale is aligned with the group's strategy and the property is fairly valued. AECI Groups shares closed 2.1% higher at R123.50 on Tuesday, just R3 shy of its record high, taking the total gain to 67% since November 2012 after it announced it had received a payment guarantee for the sale of land.

Shanghai Zendai wants to buy more land in South Africa to diversify its portfolio "in order to build a more stable income stream." It may also use the acquisition as a launch pad to expand operations in the rest of Africa.

The Shanghai-based developer with a presence in 12 cities in China also has a 45% stake in a 320,000 square meter residential, hotel and commercial project in Auckland, New Zealand.



Chinese property developers have expanded into the U.S., Australia, the U.K. and Southeast Asia in the past year.

Head of Edward Nathan Sonnenberg's China practice, Ernie Lai King, advised the deal. He says it bodes well for South Africa's international reputation as an investment destination.

Lai King says Shanghai Zendai, which is listed in Hong Kong, is highly respected in the property development industry. The deal has been in the pipeline for the last 3 years and the serious negotiations began approximately 12 months ago.

He says the companys vision is to build a brand new city, describing the companys founder Dai Zhikang as a visionary whose plans for the development are breathtaking.

Dai is one of the most sophisticated business operators in China. His spiritual approach makes him unusual amongst China's property developers, and motivates the way he blends architecture, interior design and psychology.

With upmarket hotels and art galleries amongst its holdings, his Shanghai Zendai company is associated in the public mind with fashionable, mixed-use developments combining retail, office and residential zones.
The Samoa Government has offered to pay $100,000 settlement to the family of the three year old boy who was incarcerated with his father back in 2014. This is according to a letter signed by the Attorney General Lemalu Herman Retzlaff, obtained by the Sunday Samoan.

Dated 4 May, 2017 the letter was sent to Woodroffe Lawyers in Auckland. As reported earlier, the father was taken in for a traffic violation but was not given the chance to make arrangements for his son. Both were immediately locked in a cell by the attending Police Officers.

According to the A.G.s letter, it was in response to two separate pieces of correspondence from the familys counsel, Leulualii Olinda Woodroffe who made an offer to the Attorney Generals office.

The plaintiff requests an open letter of apology from the Government of Samoa to the childs parents, to the child personally for his mistreatment and false imprisonment by the Police.

The Plaintiff invites the Government to make a compensation payment to the child of $100,000Tala and legal costs of $25,000Tala.

The Plaintiff invites the government to give an assurance to members of the public the childs case will be instrumental in the Government, providing Legislative compliance of Samoa in relation to interrogation child protection standards, as raised by the United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund in its report as mentioned above.

Lemalu in his letter noted they sought instructions from their client and the counter offer is listed here.

The defendant appreciates the effects of the event which took place on September 2016 [sic] and that a formal apology can be made by the current Commissioner of Police to the plaintiff and his family under the auspices of the confidential and without prejudice mediation process.

The defendant offers a settlement repayment of $75,000 for the child and $25,000 for legal costs.

The defendant also requests that 50% of the settlement payment be held on trust for the child until he attains the maturity age.

Lemalu further urged the plaintiffs attorney to discuss with the clients and said they hoped to hear from them before or by the date set for mediation.

The Attorney General clarified to the Plaintiffs attorney that if the client was agreeable to the terms set out, they woulde seek Cabinet approval before the money is paid out and that the Plaintiffs claim would then be withdrawn and dismissed, he said.

Meanwhile, Assistant Police Commissioner, Salaa Moananu Salaa stated the lapse of judgement by three Police Officers, resulted in the Samoa Government offering to pay $100,000 settlement.

He apologized to members of the public on behalf of the Ministry and the Officers at fault.

According to Salaa the three officers who included Inspectors, were suspended and dealt with internally.

At the time of the incident in 2014, the father said he was taken into the Police station in Apia.

They then took me with my three-year-old son to their office at Apia at nearly 12 midday and within minutes; we were thrown straight into a cell.

The father said he told the officers where his son should be taken, but they did not pay any attention to him and instead threw both he and his son in the cell.

The father had been caught driving an unregistered vehicle twice, and said police had every right to detain him for that.

He believed putting his child in the cell with him was unacceptable.

The father and his child were released about an hour later.

The incident occurred while Assistant Police Commissioner Fauono Talalelei Tapu was Acting Police Commissioner. At the time, he said the police had every right to lock up the father. However, the child should never have been there, and police should have called a relative to come and take the child home, he said.
(Press Release) - We live each day to testify on the wonders of journeying together with the God of Miracles.

As the theme for this years journey for the Samoa Victim Support Group and its family of supporters, we have shared as well as received Gods love through the partnerships that we have established.

And we have experienced this and more as we journey towards the second half of the year.

SVSGs longstanding partnership with the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints is one of such blessing which todate, continues in strength.

During the weekend, the Tafa Upolu Stake from Fasitoo-tai, Vailuutai, Faleaseela, Satapuala, Safaatoa and Falelatai were at the Campus cleaning the compound and donating supplies for the childrens daily caring.

It was the Stakes turn to assist with the cleaning and providing supplies as part of the ongoing support from the LDS Church.

From the elderly to the youth, everyone contributed to the clean up activity. Some were mowing the lawn, others were sweeping and weeding. It was like one big family doing chores together as a family. It was the sharing of the love of God.

The donation of supplies included bags of rice, boxes of noodles, cartons of chicken, cartons of herring, taro and banana. It should assist SVSG with feeding more than 75 children currently cared for at the Campus of Hope.

The SVSG Board continues to be grateful to theleaders of the LDS Church in Samoa for their commitment to this partnership.
By PTI: (Eds: Updating with latest developments)

Kohima, July 9 (PTI) Nagaland plunged into a political crisis today with former Chief Minister T R Zeliang staking claim to form a new government by ousting the incumbent Shurhozelie Liezietsu.

Zeliang claimed support of 41 of the 59 MLAs in the state Assembly and wrote to Governor P B Acharya, urging him to invite him to form the new Naga People?s Front (NPF)-led DAN government at the earliest.

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Along with this, a statement purportedly signed by 41 MLAs, expressed support to Zeliang and demanded that Liezietsu should step down immediately.

In the statement issued tonight, the MLAs appealed to the people of Nagaland to "kindly bear with us as we are actively processing the formation of a popular government at the earliest."

Zeliang, who had to step down on February 22 following statewide protests against holding of polls to urban local bodies with 33 per cent reservation for women, asserted that he had got the support of 41 MLAs after a majority of ruling NPF legislators rebelled against Chief Minister Liezietsu.

In a letter to the governor, Zeliang said that at a meeting of the Legislature Party of the NPF on June 4, 34 party MLAs (including him) out of the total 47, supported him to be their leader and wanted him to stake claim to form a new government. The MLAs also urged Liezietsu, who is yet to become a member of the Assembly, to resign and facilitate Zeliang to become the new chief minister, the letter said. Zeliang also claimed that seven Independents had also affirmed their support to him taking the tally to 41 out of 59 legislators. The 34 NPF legislators, who have extended their support to Zeliang, have been camping at a resort in Kaziranga in Assam, where they held a meeting last evening, NPF sources said. They told PTI last night that 33 MLAs were in Zeliangs camp, while 11 each were in the camps of Liezietsu and Lok Sabha MP and former chief minister Neiphiu Rio. The rest of the MLAs in the 60-member House are maintaining neutrality.

Amid these developments, the chief minister dismissed four ministers -- Home Minister Y Patton, Power Minister C Kipili Sangtam, Forest Minister Imkong L Imchen and PWD (NH) minister Kaito Aye.

The chief minister had late last night issued separate termination orders against 11 parliamentary secretaries and TR Zeliang who was the financial advisor to the chief minister (cabinet status).

The political crisis arose at a time when Liezietsu, also the NPF president, is gearing up for the July 29 by-election from the Northern Angami-I Assembly seat, vacated by his son.

Khriehu Liezietsu, son of the chief minister, had resigned on May 24 to enable his father to contest and be an elected member of the assembly to continue in office.

The statement purportedly issued by the 41 MLAs, said "his (Liezietsus) lack of conscience and public immorality is clearly demonstrated by his clinging to the chair of the Chief Minister which is unbecoming of a seasoned and veteran politician.

"Even as Dr Shurhozelie is not an elected representative of the house, the members of the 12th Nagaland Assembly graciously made him the Chief Minister for a period of only six months."

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In the statement, the MLAs supporting Zeliang said, "Our sole aim and objective is to deliver to the peoples needs and therefore demand that Dr. Shurhozelie Liezietsu step down from the chair of the Chief Minister with immediate effect as he has lost the democratic mandate of the elected representatives of the 12th house of the state Assembly." Liezietsu had taken over from Zeliang on Februrary 22 this year following the state-wide protest against the holding of election to the urban local bodies with 33 per cent reservation for women.

This is the fourth time in the NPF-led DAN government when MLAs are active in ousting an incumbent chief minister. Since 2014 when Neipheu Rio resigned as chief minister to contest the Lok Sabha polls, the NPF government faced similar crisis twice in 2014 and 2015. PTI NBS MD AKK AKK

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The National Council of Churches in Samoa hasnt received any guiding principles on how to tax pastors in the country.

This was confirmed by the General Secretary of the N.C.C.C., Rev Maauga Motu in an interview with the Samoa Observer.

Theres nothing much to say. As you all know the government is going on with their plan to tax pastors. We have had a meeting and its now up to each denomination (on how to deduct taxes from their pastors) according to the bill that has just been passed. he said.

For now, the C.C.C.S. has rejected the plan. We havent heard from the Methodist Church and I think the majority of churches in Samoa rejected it (tax) as well, except for the Catholic church.

This year, the nations biggest denomination, the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa (C.C.C.S), rejected the plan by the government to tax church Ministers.

The decision was reached during the Churchs annual conference.

The meeting resolved that a letter will be formally presented to the government outlining the churchs objections.

The rejection of the governments plan was widely supported by the Churchs membership.

This is not a type of local government, I mean this is a church, church member Tautolo Masele told the Sunday Samoan.

Looking closely at what is happening now, they are targeting the money given to a faifeau every week. Thats a double tax for us members of the public. I mean we are not only paying taxes to the government through other ways and now we will all be taxed again through the faifeau.

Mr. Masele said peoples offerings to the Pastors should be left alone.

However, at the beginning of this week, Samoas Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi signed into law, the bill which legalizes the taxing of Church Ministers and the Head of State. This is the first time for such a bill since Samoa became Independent 55 years ago.

The bill was signed on 30 June, 2017 three days after it was approved by Parliament.

This was confirmed by Minister of Revenue, Tialavea Tionisio Hunt.

He said that numerous Church pastors were supportive of the measure while only a few did not support the bill.

The biggest challenge was facing the Church Ministers, said Tialavea. I had to face them, after all the move to levy taxes against the Church Minister and Head of State was my idea, not the governments, he said.

During discussion of this bill last week, Member of Parliaments, Sulamanaia Fetaiai Tuivasa and Olo Fiti Vaai were vocal against the measure.

Sulamanaia said the $2million would not only affect the Church Ministers but also the entire families. The pastors, who are catering for the denominations are feeding the spiritual beings of people, the ones who will be affected. That is why I am keen on this issue.

During the process, there were consultations, in the villages and churches. And some churches have opposed this proposal, that is my concern, said the M.P.

Sulamanaia said the bill was not considered properly.

It appears the Minister is rushing the approval of this bill.

He commended the government for the development of Samoa but said the taxing of Church Ministers is a move in the wrong direction.

Sulamanaia found support from Olo Fiti Vaai who said the decision lacked foresight and wisdom.

I believe that if this was revealed in pre-election plan by the H.R.P.P, you would never win.

Olo suggested the government levy taxes on the Churchs annual tithes as opposed to the pastors income.

These annual tithing are collected once a year, people make loans for these. I think these annual tithing should be taxed but not the peleti/alofa for the faifeau, said Olo Fiti.

Tuilaepa during Parliament objected to the comments by Sulamanai noting there is nowhere in the Bible which prohibits Church Ministers from paying taxes. He insisted that many pastors are happy to pay taxes.

They are thankful, now every faifeau will be paying taxes. The law is clear, treat everyone equally.

Tuilaepa, reminded them that if the faifeaus salary is $15,000 or less, then he will not pay taxes.

This applies to everyone, including the faifeau.

Tuilaepa reminded the public that taxes are peoples contribution to assist with health care, education, road developments which everyone uses."

This is your contribution, said Tuilaepa.
(Press Release) In June, the Samoa Cancer Society conducted three separate awareness programs with two primary schools on Manono Island and another at Apolima Uta.

Programme topics were on Lung and Childhood cancers and covered education messages on what is cancer; risk factors that cause cancer; early detection of cancer; and the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle.

Tied in with the Vave key messages of vave iloa, vave vaai se fomai and vave vili mai, the programmes aimed to teach these communities and children, the importance of looking out for the early warning signs and symptoms of cancer and to reach out early for medical advice from a doctor.

Childhood cancers are treatable and curable  when detected and treated early.

School children were attentive and eager to learn about childhood cancers and healthy living with teachers and parents alike, pleased to have been given the opportunity to come together and learn the importance of early detection  Vave iloa  and who and where to go to for further advice and information.

The Society continues to work together with government, partners, organizations and volunteers to broaden the reach of these messages throughout Samoa. For these particular outreaches, two E.M.D.

(Events, Marketing & Distribution Co Ltd) staff volunteered their time to accompany the SCS outreach officer and assisted with the set up, registration, questionnaires and media work.

This not only benefits the N.G.O. with volunteer assistance, but it also promotes the spirit of community volunteerism and corporate social responsibility.
On Friday night, people from all over the Pacific came together to showcase a tribute extravaganza to honour the memory and legacy of Seiuli Tuilagi Allan Alo Alapati Vaai.

There were also tributes paid in other parts of the world as people whose lives he had touched, mourned his death and celebrated his life.

Hosted by the University of the South Pacific, the extravaganza was designed to inspire the audience to creatively celebrate Allans life through singing, dancing, choreography, poetry, photography, while wearing rainbow colors reflecting his vibrant life, style and personality.

Attending the event were professors, businesses owners, politicians and unemployed youth whose only forte is dancing, all of whom were embraced by Allan.

The dances also featured performances choreographed by Allan himself and were brought to life by his expressive art students from Samoa, the USP-Laucala-based Oceania Dance Theatre group, the latter group being led by the world-renowned dancer and choreographer Peter Espiritu.

Those who performed included the EKFS Vini Fou Choir and members of the Pasifika Voices under the guidance of Igelese Ete a world class musician whose work featured in big screens favorites including the Lord of the Rings and Moana.
People are entitled to their own opinion on different matters.

And when it comes to the social challenges facing Samoan people nowadays, everyone has a different point of view.

For 65-year-old Leiatua Tulia of Vailuutai, he blames problems on the cheap cost of alcohol.

In my village the main reason why we have problems with the youths is because of the alcohol, he told the Village Voice.

Its true because this is what we see every day when youths are brought in front of the village meetings.

Its either they got drunk and fought each other or they buy beers on I.O.U. and when its time to pay back, they dont have any money to pay it.

Youth nowadays when they get drunk they come on the main road and scream or swear, he said.

They think they become brave and men when they do this but little do they know people are calling them brainless because of their actions.

Alcohol is one of the biggest causes of youths disputes and fights nowadays.

If only there were just mature men, then Im sure nothing like this would ever happen.

Leiatua said jail is the only solution to the problem if the village cant do anything to stop this issue.

If the village keeps punishing them and they dont listen, then jail is the answer, he said firmly.

We cant be responsible for their actions forever, they are grown men and they should be learning to look after themselves.

The other solution that Ive been thinking of, is to raise the alcohol prices.

"I mean if we do that the youth would find it hard to buy it and they wouldn't be able to afford it.

This is why I want the government to take some action on addressing this problem.

Another thing that is worrying the elderly father is the number of crimes that have increased due to the aftermath of alcohol.

Im alarmed by the growing number of violent assaults and deaths in Samoa, he said.

For such a small country, this should certainly be of great concern to the leaders of this nation.

Hardly a week goes by without a violent assault or death reported because of alcoholic actions.

What is I see is that most of these deaths are directly related to alcohol abuse. This is a serious issue that is taking a hold of Samoan society.

The government needs to take some action in addressing this problem.
Think a minuteRecently on TV I watched an interview of a man named Kuklinski who is in prison for murder. This man has tortured and killed more than 100 people.

He was interviewed by a professional counselor who explained that Kuklinski became a murderer mainly because of the kind of parents who raised him. Kuklinskis father often beat him terribly for simply no reason, and Kuklinskis mother never showed him any love at all.

After years of painful torture and abuse, Kuklinski eventually had no conscience. He says that is why he did not feel anything or care at all about the 100 people he tortured and killed. Since he has never been loved or had even one friend, he says the only thing that keeps him going in life is his hate for other people.

Another man, Henry Luce, had a very different father than Kuklinskis. Henry Luce is the man who started the very successful Time-Life company which published both Time and Life magazines.

In fact, many people think that Henry Luce has probably influenced world opinion more than any other publisher in history. Luce often talked about his years as a missionarys son growing up in China. When he was a young boy, he and his father went for a long walk and talked almost every evening.

He said: My father treated me as if I was an adult. Henry said that his close relationship with his Dad was more than just between a father and son; they were close friends.

You know, our children will become like the people who spend the most time with them being their friend. This is often why a teenager makes bad choices. He follows the example of other teenagers because they spend more time being his friend than his parents do. Jesus Christ shocked everybody when he said that God created us to be not only his children, but also His close friends.

Jesus said God loves us so much that He wants us to spend time with Him every day and feel so close to Him that we call Him Dad. And today, if you will ask Jesus to forgive you for living your own way, He will make you Gods child and friend.

Then, as we learn to live Jesus way, we who are fathers can learn to become the loving dad and friend our children need. Just Think a Minute
There are many areas where two cultures may blend but none is more important than the reality that we both recognize the living God and honour that God as the foundation on which our relations are built.

This recognition has made both our nations, the United States of America and Samoa what they are today which is why both our nations are abundantly blessed; we must never forget that.

These were the beautiful words spoken by Dr. Peter Bendinelli in his opening remarks, welcoming official members of the United States Embassy Samoa, the government of Samoa and other guests as they gathered together on Friday night to celebrate a milestone.

Held at the U.S. Embassy residence at Vailima, Charge dAffaires, Angelina Wilkinson, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, members of Parliament and other official members of both nations came together to commemorate and honour the United States of Americas Independence Day.

The 4th of July or Americas Independence Day commemorates the day in 1776 the 13 American colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming citizens' right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Charge dAffaires, Angelina Wilkinson stated political independence and self government is a foundation of both nations (U.S.A. and Samoa).

From the early days of both of our nations, the United States and the Independence state of Samoa share a keen appreciation for the ideals of independence and for the practice of government by the people.

Our people together, we revere our freedoms and our liberties and our nation support like initiatives.

And as we celebrate our Independence Day, I would like to thank the government and the people of Samoa for their continuous support, friendship and willingness to work with us in so many important ways to ensure that people throughout the world can enjoy these unalienable rights.

Today as we celebrate the Americans Independence Day, we are not celebrating the birthday of a leader or of a famous battle, we are celebrating an idea; so beautifully expressed by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence 241 years ago.

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Government of the people, by the people and for the people became an actual fact on that July 4th 241 years ago and that day marks the founding of the United States.

Over two centuries onward, we now have a great perspective on just how pursuant the vision and foresight of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

They understood how to establish a government that to this day, affords freedom and opportunities for its citizens.

And that wasnt the only special occasion of the night.

Today also marks a very special occasion for me personally here in Samoa as this will be my last day as I will be departing next week, Mrs. Wilkinson added.

Like many diplomats that have come before me, my family and I have been touched by the sheer beauty of this country but not only the scenery, but especially the people.

Ive been very pleased to see the continuation of U.S.A.I.D. Projects directly assisting coastal communities, Department of Defense Projects; repairing and rebuilding schools and especially our Public Diplomacy Grants Programme that enables non-governmental organizations to implement projects that benefit the greater population.

Mrs. Wilkinson also acknowledged all the sponsors who made that evenings celebration possible with their contributions.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi congratulated the government of the U.S.A. in celebrating another year of Independence.

This occasion also marks the upkeep of the values of democracy, religious freedom, fair economic opportunities and human rights that the United States and we (Samoa) share, Tuilaepa said.

Nowadays we sharean interest to protect the environment in particular, the ocean resources through sustainable development, management and conservation.

We continue to get support from the Peace Corps Volunteer programme since the inception in the 1970s, particularly in the Education sector.

The U.S.A.I.D. P.A.C.A.M. Projects helps to increase communities capacity adapt to climate change impacts and improve full security.

There are also projects in progress to help and enhance readiness to meet the impacts of climate change.

It is still our hope that there is room to encourage and reinvigorate commitment to the Paris agreement.

Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi confirmed in his speech that the United States of America have done so much for Samoa, and he acknowledged the growing partnership between the two nations.
After speaking to the Village Voice, it was clear that Vesi Faamatuaitu and his family are struggling with water as well as many other families that Village Voice has discovered.

Our people are working for what they need but it doesnt change the fact that the cost of living cintinues to rise and that has put the people in a difficult situation to keep up with their payments.

Vesi from Lufilufi and Fusi Safata said hes been carrying buckets of water back and forth from the village river because their water was cut off three months ago.

I came home one day and the water cut, he told Village Voice.

I work as do most of my siblings but you know there are still times where we cannot do everything at once.

It depends on what we prioritise the most.

We still have an elderly father who needs our help all the time.

So you know sometimes we get caught up with family stuff and we forget about other matters.

Vesi has six siblings; he has three sisters here and the others are overseas.

You know just because we work doesnt mean everything will be okay. The cost of living is way too much for us and I know thats why there are issues with water and electricity all over Samoa.

My other two sisters work while the other stays home with her husband to take care of our father. My father is not as strong as he used to so he needs to be taken care of all the time.

I work too and I stay at Fusi Safata with my wife and my children but I always come here to Lufilufi to check on my father from time to time and also to help out with some of the chores; such as carrying buckets of water from river.

As you can see its not really work thats suitable for my sisters because I dont think its easy.

So at the moment, we are trying to work this out because getting water this way is a pain.
(Press Release) The Samoa Youth Alive dance competition has been running since 1999.

For nearly 20 years the Youth Alive ministry mainly supported by the Worship Centre church, have been persistently and consistently running this programme to empower the youth of Samoa to express themselves through dance; and to cultivate rich, raw local talent Samoa-wide through their gospel network.

The programme has grown each year and gone from strength to strength with an active following of over 5,000 participants and spectators.

Last Friday, during the Worship Centre Christian worldwide conference week, the finale for Youth Alive Dance competition was held at Tuanaimato GYM 1 with an overwhelming attendance of over 5,000 people.

As proud sponsors, Bluesky was privileged to present a contribution of $10,000 to the Youth Alive ministry in support of their efforts to help encourage youth and the younger generation through talent empowerment and skills development in dance.

"We recognize the endless efforts of Youth Alive to connect with our young ones and empower them through dance. There are some serious issues our youth are faced with like depression, low self-esteem and even suicide that Youth Alive have a year-long programme to try and help our youth cope and overcome.

We support their contribution to the community and we want to acknowledge this through our sponsorship," said Bluesky Samoa, Country Manager, Alex Abraham.

"As a company we also want to better connect with our youth; after all they are the future of Samoa. We want to understand how to empower and help them through our products and services. We want to teach them about technology and give them the tools they need to succeed regardless of their ambitions. Could we help connect them better online to learn dance routines?

Could we help connect them through a video call to talent overseas?

Could we help connect them to their local youth and church community for support when the going gets tough?

These are the kinds of things we want to understand and be better at."

Youth Alive is held on a national level capturing talent from all segments of youth across both Upolu and Savaii.

The intention of this event is to help address real life issues in youth today such as drugs, alcohol addiction, suicide, crime, teen pregnancies, violence and abuse.

This event gives youth a different focus and helps highlight their strengths in the performing arts industry across dance, music and drama skills as individuals and teams.

On an average basis this event hosts approximately 100 dance crews and over 4000 participants.

And although this event is held once a year, the Youth Alive Ministry run a year round programme that taps into local youth church groups and schools to encourage youth and help them address some of these issues.

Friday's finale was highlighted with singing, dancing and talent that showed the richness of skill and passion within our youth. There were schools that came together to create routines that talked about their challenges within school and there were routines that were based on real life experience. Spectators were touched by the sheer creativity and sincerity of the efforts and expressions of these youth groups.

There were three categories in this year's Youth Alive dance competition:

 The Crew Category

 The Mauluulu Category

 The Synchronised Category

The finale came down to 21 finalists across these 3 categories.

The 21 finalists were Mary; Mother Jesus from Lufilufi; The Union Dance Crew from Lalovaea; Promise Crew from Lotopa; Nofoalii o le Atua from Nofoalii; 4 Thirteens from Soo se Alalafaga; Messenger from Lotopa; Samoa Na Galo from Laulii; God Reformers from WMTC; Unity Student Academy from Soo se Alalafaga; Kingdom Daughters from WMTC; Sons of God form Toamua; Blackie Yes from Vaiala; Christ for Family from Magiagi; Urban Dance Crew from Soo se Alalafaga; Prince of Peace from Leauvaa; LOS Texax from Magiagi; Jesus Christ the King from Lufilufi; Kingdom Light from Vaitele; Hemi Crew from St Joseph College; New Light from Laulii and NJY  Nofoalii Jr Youth from Nofoalii.

The judging criteria encompassed factors such as the Gospel message delivered; creativity and routine; uniform and of course time.

Congratulations to all the teams who participated and especially to Blackie Yes who was announced overall winner, taking home $10,000 cash.
Dr. Spencer Johnson, author of Who Moved My Cheese? and co-author of The One Minute Manager, among the bestselling books of all time, has died. He was 78.

Johnson was a little-known childrens book author in the early 1980s when he met Ken Blanchard at a cocktail party in San Diego and the two decided to write a parable for business leaders. They self-published One Minute Manager, sold thousands of copies on their own and then struck a deal with a major New York publisher. The book has sold more than 15 million copies.

Johnson then took a story hed told to friends about two mice and two mouse-sized humans maneuvering through a maze and turned it into a 98-page allegory about change, Who Moved My Cheese? Its sold more than 25 million copies, spawned teen and childrens versions, and become such a pop culture touchstone that its been parodied in comic strips and books.

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He was a special, creative guy who impacted the world in so many ways, Blanchard said.

Johnson died Monday from pancreatic cancer at Scripps Hospital in Encinitas, Calif., according to his family.

Born in Watertown, S.D., and raised in Los Angeles, Johnson grew up planning to be a physician. He attended USC and then earned a medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland, did clerkships at the Mayo Clinic and Harvard Medical School, and then went to work for a medical devices company. Thats where he discovered his knack for writing.

He was put in charge of the informational material handed out to prospective patients. To his mind, it was unreadable. He rewrote it.

He learned that he could take subjects that overwhelm most people and distill them down to the core of what they are, said Margret McBride, his literary agent. He would then take that and put it into a story thats enjoyable to read, that can be read in about an hour, and that when youre done you feel like a different person.

What he did is, he took the cobwebs out of your brain.

Johnson had written a 43-volume series of childrens books called ValueTales with his first wife, Ann Donegan, when he met Blanchard. They put together One Minute Manager in a matter of weeks. It wrote us, Blanchard said. They knew they were on to something when they spoke at a national restaurant convention and then after the presentation sold 1,200 copies of the self-published book in 30 minutes.

During negotiations with William Morrow & Co., the publisher balked at charging $15 for the book, the price the authors had been getting. Youre being a little too Little League, Johnson said, and started to walk out of the meeting.

A deal was struck that included offering readers a money-back guarantee. Very few took them up on it, and the book became so successful it spawned a whole One Minute industry for Blanchard that continues today. Two years ago, the original One Minute book was rewritten for the current business environment and it, too, became a bestseller.

In the late 1980s, Johnson moved to Hawaii with his second wife, Lesley Bostridge, and in 1998 wrote a story about two mice, one named Sniff and one named Scurry, and two tiny people, Hem and Haw. Who Moved My Cheese? still regularly appears on lists of bestselling business books.

His other popular titles include Peaks and Valleys and The Precious Present.

He was always very pleased when someone would tell him how much one of his books meant to them, said Nancy Casey, his editor and executive assistant. He loved to mentor people, loved to help them tap into their own success.

But he did not love the trappings of fame, which is why his books never included his photo on the jackets. He wanted to be able to go out in public and not be recognized. When a person picks up one of my books and starts reading it, he once told McBride, his agent, I want the relationship between them and the words to be private. A photo of me is a distraction.

She recalled how one time when his publisher insisted on photos, Johnson posed for them with his back turned, sitting at his desk.

He wasnt offended by the various parodies that arose in the wake of Who Moved My Cheese? McBride said he would quip about imitation being the sincerest form of flattery. It says a lot that someone would take a year or so trying to make fun of something I did, she remembered him saying.

Johnson divided his time in recent years between homes in Hawaii and New Hampshire. He moved back to San Diego about six months ago while undergoing cancer treatment.

He is survived by three sons, Emerson, Christian and Austin; a brother, Hugh; and a sister, Constance Johnson. He was predeceased by a son, Cameron.

john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com

Wilkens writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Mindy Sanjana shipped 400 cherished family photos from her home in Pittsburgh to a San Diego company, waiting for them to be scanned and turned into a scrapbook she could one day give to her grandchildren.

Sanjana waited, and waited, but never heard back from Photobin, the company based in Mira Mesa that she paid more than $125 for scanning, digitizing, making a DVD, and rush delivery. She got concerned as time went on, but no DVD was forthcoming. Her calls to the company went unreturned, even though her credit card had been charged.

On Friday, she saw that Photobin had posted a statement on its website that it had gone out of business. It told people not to send any more photos because they wouldnt be returned. Thats when Sanjana really worried about the heirlooms, some dating to the early 1900s.

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Its not the money, its the memories, she said. The thing that really ticks me off is, on their website, they put up their notice and said dont send us anything. They should have said what theyre planning to do with their existing customers.

Steve Weber, CEO of the seven-year-old company, said in a phone interview Monday that Sanjara and Photobins 30 remaining customers would indeed get their orders filled. The statement online was just telling new customers to find alternatives.

Weber, 51, said the business has struggled on two of its three key activities -- its cloud storage service was hurt by Apple, while its print business was hit by Shutterfly, an online photo storage and publishing service. He said there is not enough demand for digitizing of old photographs for the company to survive. At its height, Weber said there were 8 to 12 weeks of back orders. In a 2012 news release, Photobin said revenue grew 1,238 percent annually in that years second quarter for the privately held firm, best on record.

At its Mira Mesa office on Monday, the Photobin lettering had been taken down from a purple backdrop, and the same statement was posted on the heavily tinted door.

After six years of providing scanning and related services to thousands of satisfied customers, weve learned that we just cant compete in our industrys current economic environment, the statement said. We gave it our all, but unfortunately we have been forced to shut our doors.

Weber, who also owns the Z57 real-estate online marketing service, said Photobin had been winding down since January. He said he didnt know what would be next for him at this point.
By PTI: By Kunal Dutt

(PTI: PTI7_9_2017_0000051B, PTI7_9_2017_0000054A, PTI7_9_2017_0000055B)

New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI) Nestled in a bylane and away from the hustle and bustle of Delhis chaotic Paharganj area, lies a quaint "Jewish oasis" where weary Israeli travellers stop by to feel at home.

At the corner of the bylane, dotted with bilingual-- English and Hebrew--commercial signboards, a flight of stairs takes visitors to a world, which could well be mistaken for a traditional household in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.

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Welcome to Chabad House, a rendezvous point, a community centre and a watering hole, all rolled into one, for Israelis to "meet, greet and eat" together, and after Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to that country, the place is brimming with excitement.

"From weary tourists to people visiting India for business purposes, they come first to the Chabad House and seek guidance for hotel and lodging facilities in Delhi as much as for socialising with fellow countrymen.

"Travellers, who are visiting other parts of India and transiting through the city, also come here just to experience a slice of Israel. They pray, eat kosher food, share Israeli snacks, celebrate Jewish festivals and make merry," Rabbi Akiva told PTI.

And the centre is indeed a home away from home, the room on the first floor of the House, replete with Jewish paraphernalia.

Rabbi Akiva takes his seat surrounded by a library of books on Judaism stacked up against the walls while kippah- wearing men perform tefillah (Jewish prayer) in one corner, while a group of backpackers chat up, share Bamba (famous Israeli snack) and exchange pleasantries in another, before moving to their hotel rooms or the next destinations.

Nitzan Zeira and Shir Arzuan, two friends from Tel Aviv, who stopped by at the Chabad House before travelling to Dharamsala, are super excited that Modi became the "first Indian PM to visit my country".

"We Israelis have been travelling to India in good numbers, and we really hope that after Modis visit, the tourist influx from India to our side would go up.

"I left Tel Aviv for Delhi, the day the Indian PM arrived there. During my stay here, I read about and saw pictures on Internet of his (Modis) meeting with our PM (Benjamin Netanyahu) and the Jews of Indian-origin there. I felt very happy. The visit would surely bring the two countries closer," Zeira told PTI.

Modi during the visit had also met 11-year-old Moshe Holtzberg, the Israeli child who lost his parents in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, a gesture that has warmed the hearts of Israelis, from Delhi to Tel Aviv.

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"For us, this was the most touching gesture from India. More so, because Moshes parents--Rivka and Gavriel Holtzberg--were killed by terrorists at the Nariman House (Mumbais Chabad House), where they were serving as its emissaries," Akiva said.

After the terrorist attack, the house has been provided with round-the-clock police security.

A Chabad House is a community centre for disseminating traditional Judaism by the Chabad movement. These houses are run by a Chabad Shaliach (emissary), his wife - a Shlucha - and his family.

Rabbi Akiva is the Shaliach at Paharganjs Chabad House. "We moved two places in the vicinity before settling here off Main Bazaar Road. It was established in 1993, the first in Delhi. A second one came up some years ago in Vasant Vihar," he said.

The atmosphere inside the House is very homely, as his three little daughters play with guests, while Akiva and his wife offer them hospitality and guidance to feel at ease in a new country. Giant portraits of the Rebbe, the late leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, adorns the walls on the first floor, and the second floor, which houses a restaurant offering Jewish cuisine.

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"The Chabad House is a part of a Jewish community network, headquartered in Brooklyn in New York. Around the world there about 5,000 such houses while in India the number is close to 20, including at Manali, Pushkar, Dharamsala and two in Delhi," adds Akiva, who moved to India six years ago from Israel.

Outside in the street of bustling Main Bazaar, a mid-air hanging vinyl-made signage in Hebrew points towards the Chabad House in the bylane, while many shops and tour operators display bilingual advertisements.

"It is like a Little Israel and most of the foreign tourists coming here are from that country. This is the peak season and from Delhi, they mostly move to Leh, Ladakh, Dharmasala or Manali as their next destination.

"Delhi is their transit point, but economy accommodation and a Chabad House at the heart of this place, make Paharganj very attractive to them. In my travel agency, on an average 20 Israelis are booking tickets on a given day, and sometimes that number swells to 60," says Anil Bhardwaj, who runs a tour agency from his office near the House.

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In the streets, an Indian is likely to bump into a Israeli national, among other foreigners, he says. Guest houses and hotels are packed with Israelis tourists.

"Close to 90 per cent of our guests are Israelis. We display bilingual signage and notices (English and Hebrew) for their benefit," says a reception staff at Ajay Guest House, as he shows the booking register with Israeli crowding the nationality column.

Twenty-three-year-old Dor Pinhas, after serving in the Israeli Defence Force has come to India on a maiden visit. "Chabad House makes me feel Im in Israel. It is like home, we get our culture and our food and language and people."

Ruth Slashman, a Jewish woman, who moved to Jerusalem from Washington few years ago, visited the House, to seek help in "finding a good hotel" and Rabbi Akiva guided her to a place in Connaught Place.

"We are thrilled that Indian PM visited Israel. Not many Indians know about Israel, but I think it is a good thing in a way, as they do not have any bias or prejudice about it. I really hope now, after Modis visit, Indians will begin to look at Israel from a different perspective and choose it as their travel destination," she said. PTI KND ZMN AAR

--- ENDS ---
Were here in Bozeman, Mont., with our daughter. Its been a while since wed visited her and the grandkids, and the first time we got to see the newborns, Ping Pong and Pancake.

Adorable baby goats.

Part of a family of farm animals including some two dozen chickens. They have names too, but I dont have time to identify them.

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Our daughter organized a combination family reunion and Independence Day celebration. I had made airline reservations weeks ago, but due to a lapse, I scheduled my return flight a day after I had committed to speak at a conference in San Diego. I also had forgotten a doctors appointment I was going to have to forgo.

So I got on the phone with the airline to plead my case and attempt to change my reservations to return a day sooner.

I had checked the Internet and confirmed the airline had seats available on a number of flights that day. After waiting a full hour, an agent finally got on the line.

I had already paid a total of $317.60 for the round-trip fare, plus an equal amount for my wifes ticket, but if there was going to be a small penalty for the change, I was prepared to pay it.

But unprepared for the charge I was quoted:

SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS!

And that was the penalty for just one fare. Together with my wife, they wanted an additional $1,200 to change our reservations.

But heres what makes it so outrageous. At the same time the airline agent was quoting me that preposterous charge, I was staring at my computer screen looking at the very flight in question, and the cost of that flight  Bozeman to San Diego  was exactly $268. In other words, they wanted me to pay $600 to change to a $268 flight.

I pointed out the absurdity to the agent and she suggested I could always purchase tickets for that return flight rather than pay the penalty. In other words, two people would be holding four tickets for one flight.

I asked to speak to a supervisor who came to the phone after some 20 minutes on hold and actually attempted to explain why a $600 charge for a $268 ticket was reasonable. I wanted to ask her if she happened to be related to Bernie Madoff, but I suppressed the urge.

Instead, I offered up terms such as victimization and fraudulence, at which point the agent asked me for the name and phone number of my doctor, ostensibly to confirm if I actually had a conflicting appointment.

After a lengthy debate, she told me to look in my email folder for new reservations reflecting the adjusted return flight for both my wife and me.

What will that cost? I anxiously inquired.

Were waiving the charge, she replied.

It was a grand victory and it capped off the perfect vacation: I called it fulfillment with family on the Fourth.

Contact humor columnist Irv Erdos at IrvErdos@aol.com.
A landowner who objects to a condition of a building permit but proceeds with the project anyway cannot later successfully sue to have that condition removed, the California Supreme Court decided unanimously Thursday, July 6.

The state high court ruled against two homeowners in Encinitas who built a seawall to prevent their houses from sliding into the ocean.

While building the wall, the owners went to court to challenge two conditions of a permit from the California Coastal Commission.

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One denied them the right to replace stairs to the beach that had been destroyed in a storm and the other required the owners to obtain a new permit for the seawall after 20 years.

The crucial point is that they went forward with construction before obtaining a judicial determination on their objections, Justice Carol A. Corrigan wrote for the court.

As a result, Corrigan said, they forfeited their right to have the permit condition overturned.

In general, permit holders are obliged to accept the burdens of a permit along with its benefits, the court said.

Barbara Lynch and Thomas Frick, owners of adjacent oceanfront properties on the top of a steep bluff in Encinitas, brought the case.

The city approved a permit in 2009 to replace their wooden seawall with a concrete structure, but a Coastal Commission permit also was required.

While the commission was considering the application, a heavy storm caused the bluff below Lynchs house to collapse. Part of the seawall and the lower portion of a stairway to the beach were destroyed.

The owners applied for a new permit to destroy the old seawall and replace it and the stairs.

Coastal Commission staff recommended the new seawall be approved. It was to be located eight feet inland from its previous location and would leave more room on the beach for recreation.

But the staff urged the commission to reject the stairway under a policy that discourages private access stairs on the bluff.

The commission approved the project without the stairway under a 20-year permit. It required the owners to apply for a new permit to change or remove the seawall or extend its authorization before the expiration date.

The owners built the seawall but went to court to challenge the denial of the stairway and the 20-year expiration date.

They contended they could not have waited to build until the litigation concluded because their homes were in jeopardy.

If that were the case, the owners should have obtained an emergency permit for a temporary seawall while the litigation proceeded, the court said.

The owners obtained all the benefits of their permit when they built the seawall, Corrigan wrote. They cannot now be heard to complain of its burdens.

Because the court ruled the owners waived their right to challenge the conditions, the justices did not decide whether they were legal.

A lawyer for the homeowners said the ruling would make it more difficult and extremely costly for property owners to fight unlawful conditions by the Coastal Commission.

It is particularly bad for small property owners, said John Groen, executive vice president and general counsel of the Pacific Legal Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for private property rights and represented the owners without charge.

The court has shrunk their right to move forward with projects under protest while litigation proceeds, he said. Instead, they will be forced to put their lives and projects on hold for years while a court battle over an unlawful condition goes on. 

He said the seawall was certified to last 75 years and cost $1 million.

Sarah Christie, legislative director for the Coastal Commission, said the ruling reflected mainstream legal principles.

You can build your project, or you can sue, but you cant do both, she said. This is a mainstream legal concept that applies far beyond the Coastal Commission.

She noted that the League of Cities and the American Planning Assn. had filed arguments in support of the state because the ruling will apply to all sorts of permits.

--Maura Dolan is a writer for The San Diego Union-Tribune
A Paris All Your Own is a collection of new essays about the City of Light by 18 women writers, including at least four with San Diego ties: Jennifer Coburn, Michelle Gable, Maggie Shipstead and Susan Vreeland. What is it about Paris? editor Eleanor Brown asks in her introduction, and then the writers answer with stories that are more personal than political, sometimes hysterical instead of historical. The authors were picked because theyve written books with ties to Paris, and that prior immersion in the city and its people comes through in the various pieces. Brown, Coburn, Gable and Vreeland will discuss the essays over dinner.

A Parisian Dinner Adventure: 4 p.m. Thursday. Le Parfait Paris, 555 G St., San Diego. $41.60, which includes dinner and a glass of wine. This is a ticketed event through Adventures by the Book. (619) 300-2532 or adventuresbythebook.com

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john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com; (619) 293-2236
When Sherman Alexies mother died from cancer, he collapsed with grief. And also with relief.

Their complicated relationship is at the heart of his new memoir, You Dont Have to Say You Love Me. Told in a mixture of poetry and prose, the book is a wrenching, funny, profane and ferociously honest attempt to understand the maternal forces that shaped him as he was growing up. And that shape him still.

In his retelling, his mother Lillian was abusive and cold and told lies the way other people breathe: all the time. She protected me against cruelty, he writes, three days a week.

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But she also saved his life, he recalls, first by getting sober to give the family some semblance of stability, and then by allowing him to leave the Spokane Indian Reservation, in Washington, and seek the education that helped him become a successful writer.

A self-described urban Indian, Alexie lives in Seattle. His almost two-dozen books include The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which won a National Book Award.

He will be at the University of San Diegos Shiley Theater Friday at 7 p.m. for a ticketed event hosted in conjunction with Warwicks, the La Jolla bookstore.

Q: You call yourself an urban Indian. How does that influence your work?

A: Somewhere around 70 percent of Native Americans live off the reservation. Our literature doesnt reflect that. There is a cultural inaccuracy, a misrepresentation of Native American life. And we writers are doing it. We are not presenting to the world the incredible diversity of Native American life.

Over the years Ive written lots of poems and stories about the city, about being indigenous in the city and just about the city itself. Ive written plenty of work about white-collar Indians: lawyers and architects and college professors and college students. And now this memoir, where I very much talk about being a city boy and where Im raising two urban Indian boys.

So Im not being revolutionary. Im being accurate.

Q: Tell me about the title of the new book.

A: Its a Dusty Springfield song. A very famous Dusty Springfield song. In looking for titles of the book, I had many, but then I thought about how my mom sang all the time. She sang along with whatever was popular. She also sang Christian hymns and tribal songs. All of it was mixed together. She was a tri-cultural jukebox.

I thought, What would she have been singing to me in my birth year? I looked up the Top Ten hits of 1966 and I saw You Dont Have to Say You Love Me and it fit perfectly.

Q: The song was famous then, maybe not so famous now. Was it a song you remember hearing as you grew up?

A: Oh, yeah. Its a heartbreaker and Im a big fan of sad-ass music.

Q: Why did you decide to write the memoir now?

A: My mom died in July 2015 and immediately poems about her started arriving. I wrote triple figures, over 100 poems, in about three months after her death.

Her death freed me. Id never really written about her honestly. I didnt write odes to her, and I didnt write hit-pieces. I stayed away from her.

Q: Why?

A: I was afraid of her, afraid of her response. I learned late in life that staying away from her was the best defense.

Q: You said the poems started coming to you. Is that how it usually happens?

A: I often get those binges, but not like this. Sometimes I would have 10 poems in a day. Not all of them survived the editorial process but they all arrived.

I thought I had a book of poems about my mom and I was figuring out how to publish that and then we discovered a benign brain tumor in my head. Five months after my mothers death, I went in for brain surgery.

I didnt write for a few months while in recovery. But then once I started writing again, it was non-fiction. This memoir is the direct result of my mothers death and my brain surgery.

Q: What did you learn about yourself in writing it?

A: To be able to say aloud, I am exactly like my mother. All of her strengths and definitely all of her flaws.

Q: How will being able to say that help you in the future?

A: I dont know yet. The thing Ive realized is that writing this book was only the first step in the process. Now Im in the second step, which is presenting it to the world. And then the third step will be reconciling those two processes.

Q: Let me take you back: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

A: Even as a kid I wrote stories. My big sister was a fan of my little boy stories. But I didnt know Native Americans wrote books. I didnt even know that was a possibility. Nobody ever showed me one.

I went to college as a pre-med major. It wasnt until I was 20 years old that somebody showed me anything written by another Indian. And it was after reading the first anthology of poetry by Native Americans that I instantly knew I was going to become a writer.

Q: So you never looked back?

A: Never looked back. Its interesting. Even though I grew up in poverty, I knew as a writer, as a poet, as a literary person that I was probably relegating myself to more poverty. It didnt turn out that way. But it could have.

Q: Maybe you were OK with the idea of poverty because you were already used to it.

A: I didnt have to learn how to be poor.

Q: And now youre the most successful of Native American writers, or certainly among the most successful. What kind of pressure does that put on you?

A: Well, not just Native American writers, come on. (He laughed.) I outsell all those white boys youve heard of.

Q: So lets broaden it: What kind of pressure does your success put on you as a writer?

A: Thats the thing. I dont think the rest of the world understands the intense tribal pressures on Native American artists. Native American critics will scream that I dont represent all Native Americans. And then they expect me to represent all Native Americans.

I can actually even say it: I dont represent all Native Americans. I am one voice among millions. I can say that out loud and then theyll find something critical to say about it.

Q: How do you deal with that?

A: Im a conscientious objector in the Indian gossip wars.

You know what I want? I want there to be 25 Native American writers whose careers are as large as Louise Erdrichs and mine. I say 25 and Ill get criticized because I didnt say 26.

Q: Who should we be reading?

A: Two of my students, to start with. Coming next year with a first novel is Tommy Orange and then with a memoir, also out next year, is Terese Mailhot. And there are three Native American poets who are really exploding on the national scene: Tommy Pico, Layli Long Soldier, and Natalie Diaz.

There was a huge renaissance of Native American literature in the late 60s through mid-70s and I think the American Indian Movement, the national political consciousness of Native Americans, created that. And with the Dakota Access Pipeline, that national Native American solidarity, I think there is another Native American literary renaissance coming. I think theres going to be a huge boom of Native American literature.

The country needs us in the Trump era. Every politician and every government has been treating Indians like Trump treats everyone.

Q: I see youre not on Twitter any more. Why is that?

A: I got tired of my own id. The thing you realize is that hardly anybody is admirable on Twitter, even people you admire the most. Twitter is a series of bad dates with people you respect.

You Dont Have to Say You Love Me, by Sherman Alexie, Little, Brown and Co., 464 pages

john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com; (619) 293-2236
One of seven sailors drowned after the June 17 collision of the U.S. Navy destroyer Fitzgerald and a commercial cargo ship, Carlos Victor Sibayans 23 years of life were a precious gift to both his parents and the entire country.

Those were the words uttered during Fire Controlman 2nd Class Sibayans Saturday morning funeral by the Rev. Efrain Bautista, pastor of Bonitas Corpus Christi Catholic Church, as he sketched the sailors journey from childhood, to the crew of the Fitzgerald and then into the company of saints.

We thank God for the wonderful young man Carlos was in this life, who even from a very young age was always willing to serve and dedicate himself to others, said Bautista.

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1 / 20 Funeral mass for Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan was held at Corpus Christi Catholic Church. Sibayan is one of the seven sailors who died in the collision of the destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, with a cargo ship near Japan on June 17. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 20 Family members of Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan, one of the seven sailors who died in the collision of the destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, with a cargo ship near Japan on June 17, are nearby, as the casket containing his body arrives at Corpus Christi Catholic Church for his funeral mass. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 20 Retired Master Chief Petty Officer Victor Sibayan salutes the casket containing the body of his son, Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan, 23, from Chula Vista, during his sons funeral mass at Corpus Christi Catholic Church. Sibayan is one of the seven sailors who died in the collision of the destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, with a cargo ship near Japan on June 17. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 20 Mourners wait for the funeral procession from Corpus Christi Catholic Church to Glen Abbey Memorial Park for Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan to begin. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 20 The casket containing the body of Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan arrives at Corpus Christi Catholic Church for his funeral mass. Sibayan is one of the seven sailors who died in the collision of the destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, with a cargo ship near Japan on June 17. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 20 The casket containing the body of Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan arrives at Corpus Christi Catholic Church for his funeral mass. Sibayan is one of the seven sailors who died in the collision of the destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, with a cargo ship near Japan on June 17. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 20 An American flag is draped on the casket containing the body of of Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan at the conclusion of his funeral mass at Corpus Christi Catholic Church. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 20 The Most Reverend John Dolan, Auxiliary Bishop of San Diego, comforts Luke Sibayan, a younger brother of Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan at the conclusion of the funeral mass at Corpus Christi Catholic Church as his mom, Carmen Sibayan comforts him as well. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 20 Pallbearers place the casket containing the body of Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan in the back of a hearse at the conclusion of his funeral mass at Corpus Christi Catholic Church. Sibayan is one of the seven sailors who died in the collision of the destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, with a cargo ship near Japan on June 17. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 20 The hearse with the casket containing the body of Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan leaves Corpus Christi Catholic Church after his funeral mass. Sibayan is one of the seven sailors who died in the collision of the destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, with a cargo ship near Japan on June 17. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 20 Sailors wait to enter Corpus Christi Catholic Church for his funeral mass of Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan. Sibayan is one of the seven sailors who died in the collision of the destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, with a cargo ship near Japan on June 17. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 20 The casket containing the body of Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan arrives at Corpus Christi Catholic Church for his funeral mass. Sibayan is one of the seven sailors who died in the collision of the destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, with a cargo ship near Japan on June 17. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 13 / 20 The casket containing the body of Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan leaves Corpus Christi Catholic Church at the conclusion of his funeral mass. Sibayan is one of the seven sailors who died in the collision of the destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, with a cargo ship near Japan on June 17. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 14 / 20 The funeral mass for Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan, was held at Corpus Christi Catholic Church. Sibayan is one of the seven sailors who died in the collision of the destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, with a cargo ship near Japan on June 17. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 15 / 20 The casket containing the body of Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan arrives at Corpus Christi Catholic Church for his funeral mass. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 16 / 20 The casket containing the body of Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan arrives at Corpus Christi Catholic Church for his funeral mass. Sibayan is one of the seven sailors who died in the collision of the destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, with a cargo ship near Japan on June 17. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 17 / 20 As sailors salute, mourners take photos as the casket containing the body of Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan nears the hearse, at the conclusion of his funeral mass at Corpus Christi Catholic Church. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 18 / 20 Retired Master Chief Petty Officer Victor Sibayan shakes hands with a sailor before the funeral mass for his son, Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan, began at Corpus Christi Catholic Church. Sibayan is one of the seven sailors who died in the collision of the destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, with a cargo ship, near Japan on June 17. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 19 / 20 Sailors arrive at Corpus Christi Catholic Church for his funeral mass of Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan. Sibayan is one of the seven sailors who died in the collision of the destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, with a cargo ship near Japan on June 17. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 20 / 20 The hearse with the casket containing the body of Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan leaves Corpus Christi Catholic Church after his funeral mass. Sibayan is one of the seven sailors who died in the collision of the destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, with a cargo ship near Japan on June 17. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Flanked by the Most Rev. John Dolan, the auxiliary bishop of San Diego who performed the funeral Mass, Bautista stared past bouquets of red, white and blue flowers into a sea of sailors who crowded into the chapel to see off Sibayan.

They included Naval Surface Forces commander Vice Adm. Tom Rowden, like his fellow sailors dressed in white. Next to them in the pews were the friends and family of Sibayan, dressed in the black clothes of mourning.

Many of them were drawn from San Diego Countys Filipino population, and they followed in their automobiles to Bonitas Glen Abbey Memorial Park, where Sibayan was buried with full military honors.

Born to mother Carmen and career sailor Victor in Manila on Dec. 8, 1993, Sibayan was remembered by Bautista as a second dad who helped raise his younger brothers Vince and Luke when their father was at sea on deployment.

Their father, a master chief who retired to Chula Vista, said in a moving eulogy that penning a speech about his intelligent and caring son Carlos was painful.

I cant complete one sentence without crying, he said through tears. Every time I write a word, its like my heart is in the grinder.

He recalled a moment in 2013 when Carlos asked him how long it took him to rise to the rank of chief: I told him, 9 years. And he told me, with a promise, that he would make chief in eight years. The way he thought and planned for the future, he seemed he would become a master chief or an officer someday.

The elder Sibayan remembered mentoring his son, a graduate of Temeculas Chaparral High School, to forever love your Navy and believe in your command while always standing a proper watch, that he has to make sure that everyone and everything is safe and secure.

And after he died, one night Carlos appeared in my dreams, he continued. He stared at me and said, Dad, I stood my watch for three years, making sure everyone was safe when they were asleep. What happened to me? I said to him, I dont know, son.

Several ongoing multinational investigations are attempting to answer that very question, especially the events that led the much larger ACX Crystal, a Philippine-flagged container ship, to spear the Fitzgerald below the destroyers waterline, flooding it with seawater.

Its crew struggling to keep the Fighting Fitz afloat, the destroyer limped across 64 miles of the Philippine Sea to reach Japan, where it awaits major repairs.

Cmdr. Clayton Doss, spokesman for the Japan-based Seventh Fleet, told The San Diego Union-Tribune that the Navy has neither relieved any officers or senior non-commissioned officers from the Fitzgerald nor developed the long-term repair plan that would estimate the cost or schedule for repairing the destroyer.

Workers finished offloading the warships ammunition on June 25 and continued draining the vessel of water and fuel and temporarily patching the hull, he said, and the crew is resuming their normal routine incrementally and will remain assigned to the Fitzgerald when the ship enters dry dock later this month.

The entire waterfront continues to support Fitzgerald sailors and their families and I would stress that resuming their routine at a measured pace is an important part of the healing process, Doss said.

Sibayans burial followed a day after the graveside services at Miramar National Cemetery for shipmate Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass, the son of a retired Marine master sergeant and a Japanese mother.

Formerly of Oceanside, Douglass, 25, was fluent in Japanese.

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cprine@sduniontribune.com
It would be a ground-breaking project for Baja California, the largest desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere, situated on the Pacific Ocean in a corner of Rosarito Beach  and could one day serve as a supply for water consumers in San Diego County as well.

But as a critical deadline approaches, two partners in the group that proposed the 100 million-gallon-a-day facility are bitterly at odds, suing each other in U.S. and Mexican courts.

On one side is San Diego resident Gough Thompson, an early champion of the desalination project who claims his partners illegally sidelined him starting in February 2012, effectively reducing his shares from 25 percent to 0.1 percent without his knowledge or consent. At age 86, and just three months out of double-bypass heart surgery, he is demanding that his original shares be restored.

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They viewed setting him aside as an easy thing to do, said Thompsons Mexican attorney, Roberto Vega, saying his clients age led them his partners to underestimate him. They wanted complete control of the company.

On the other side are his current and former partners. One is Baja California businessman Alejandro de la Vega, who was bought out in 2014. The other is the Cayman Islands company, Consolidated Water Co., which now controls 99.9 percent of the shares in NSC Agua, the Mexican company it formed in 2010 with Thompson and de la Vega to develop the Rosarito desalination proposal.

Consolidated Water Chief Executive Rick McTaggart said no laws were violated by his company, accusing Thompson of breaching an April 2012 agreement that included a large settlement that released NSC Agua from future claims. Thompson is clearly after money, and has brought these claims at a critical time in the project expecting us to capitulate, said McTaggart.

Despite the continuing legal issues, NSC Agua is preparing to submit its bid under Baja Californias new public-private partnership law to build, finance and operate the giant facility, with the first phase scheduled for opening in 2019 and full buildout by 2024. State officials say seven groups have expressed initial interest, with final proposals due by March 23, and the winner scheduled to be announced in May.

The plant would be the third utility-scale desalination plant to come online in Baja California, following the scheduled 2017 opening of two smaller ones farther down the Pacific coast, the first in the port city of Ensenada and the second in the agricultural region of San Quintin.

The Rosarito plant would be a project of unprecedented scale for the state, and a test of the public-private partnership law adopted in 2014. Its a very important project, Baja California Gov. Francisco Vega de Lamadrid said at a recent presentation of state infrastructure plans  a project that would expand Tijuanas water supply, and decrease its near-total reliance on water deliveries from the Colorado River.

Baja Californias largest city, Tijuana currently exceeds its allocation of Colorado River water, and gets by through the purchase of water rights from Mexicali farmers, said German Lizola, director of the Baja California Water Commission.

Though Baja California officials say the intent of the plant is to meet the states needs, authorities also have been in talks with the Otay Water District in San Diego County, which has expressed interest in purchasing some of the water once the project moves forward to its second phase.

Were still pursuing it, said Mark Watton, general manager of the Otay Water District. The district has sought a presidential permit to build a cross-border pipeline to carry up to 50 million gallons per day from Mexico to California.

Baja Californias secretary of economic development, Carlo Bonfante, seems to want to have Otay as an offtaker, Watton said. We need to see what happens with the presidential permit.

At this point, plans for the plant continue to move forward. Lizola, the head of the Baja California Water Commission, said any litigation taking place among partners in NSC Agua is not a matter for the state. The governments concern is the bidding process, he said: Its a public tender, and we have to follow all the established steps.

Thompsons original legal action in Baja California dates to June 2015, when he filed suit against Consolidated Water, de la Vega, and others, challenging the actions that increased Consolidated Waters ownership interest, and demanding the suspension of transactions made at a Feb. 8, 2012, shareholders meeting that led to the changes.

Upon learning of the Mexican litigation last fall, Consolidated Water filed a federal lawsuit against Thompson in New York City, asking the judge to issue an injunction preventing the continuation of the Baja California lawsuit.

Documents filed in the New York case speak to origins of the dispute.

Thompsons involvement in the project dates to 2008, with the incorporation of EWG Water LLC, to sponsor a consortium to design, build and operate a large-scale desalination plant at Rosarito Beach, according to his affidavit filed in New York federal court.

Though he had never done a project in Mexico, Thompson came with years of experience forming international consortium projects in the Middle East, where he advised U.S. companies working in Saudi Arabia during the desert kingdoms initial desalination efforts, the affidavit said.

For the Rosarito project, Thompson formed a partnership with Mexican businessman Alejandro de la Vega. One of the first moves was to contact the Otay Water District, Thompson said in the court document, and in 2009, they received a letter of intent from the district to purchase 25 million gallons a day of desalinated water, the affidavit said.

Moving forward, they contacted Mexicos Federal Electricity Commission, which operates the Presidente Juarez thermoelectric plant in Rosarito Beach, to buy power and secure exclusive rights to its spent cooling water, according to the affidavit, and launched the process of land acquisition for the desalination plant.

After spending close to $500,000 of his own money, Thompson said he searched for a partner that could bring in more funding. Through an Internet search, he found found Consolidated Water, a publicly traded, Cayman Islands owner-operator for four desalination plants with cash reserves of about $40 million, according to the affidavit. In 2010, they formed a partnership with Consolidated Water, creating NSC Agua to serve as the new project vehicle.

Under the new agreement, Thompson and de la Vega controlled half the shares, with Consolidated Water holding the other half. In late 2011, de la Vega proposed splitting off his shares from Thompsons, with each controlling 25 percent.

Thompson agreed to do so, with the strict instruction that the newly minted 25 percent certificates must be placed in escrow and released only upon our joint approval. Otherwise we would lose our 50 percent voting bloc of NSC Agua, Thompsons affidavit read.

But in February 2012 and entirely unknown to me at the time, de la Vega and Consolidated Water signed a secret agreement, obtaining de la Vegas voting rights and an option to purchase de la Vegas shares by February 2014, according to Thompsons affidavit.

But Consolidated Waters account of events, in an Securities and Exchange Commission filing late last year said it paid $300,000 in February 2012 and entered into a option agreement with de la Vega, along with an immediate power of attorney to vote those shares, for $1 million. In May 2013, NSC issued new shares, and a result, acquired 99.9 percent of the ownership of NSC, according to its SEC filing from November that is posted on its website.

We were looking for a path to break this logjam that we were in at the time with the partnership, McTaggart said in an interview. My recollection is that Thompson tried to buy us out, and we were talking at the same time with de la Vega about buying him out. Ultimately, we got to the finish line faster with de la Vega.

McTaggart said Thompson was paid more than $500,000 by NSC Agua, including a large settlement in 2012 in exchange for releasing Consolidated Water and its subsidiary from all future claims for the events that occurred at the Feb. 8, 2012, meeting, he said. By suing in Mexico, Thompson clearly breached that release.

Thompsons former partner, de la Vega, could not be located.

Roberto Vega, Thompsons attorney, said the April 2012 agreement that his client signed simply terminated a consulting agreement between the parties.

Last month, a judge in the New York case denied Consolidated Waters petition, ruling that the dispute should be settled in Mexico. Consolidated Water is asking the judge to reconsider.

McTaggart said he is not giving in to Thompsons demands, and is preparing to submit NSC Aguas bid for the project. We think its going to be a fantastic project for the region if its ultimately completed.
Days before she stepped down as San Diego Countys district attorney, Bonnie Dumanis opened up about some of the heat she took in the community a couple of years ago when her office charged 33 black men under a controversial gang-conspiracy law.

Prosecutors said Penal Code 182.5 was a powerful tool that could be used to take down a criminal organization, and that it was used appropriately in two cases that dealt with 25 gang-related shootings in the region.

It was the first time the law had been used in San Diego and possibly in California.

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Critics said the law cast too wide a net, ensnaring people because of Facebook posts and rap lyrics, rather than any real evidence of criminal conduct. And they accused Dumanis of targeting the African-American community, young men and boys in particular.

Bonnie Dumanis, who served for more than 14 years as San Diego Countys district attorney, spoke about some of the highs and lows of her time in office before stepping down Friday. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune)

The cases made national news, and even attracted activist and scholar Cornel West to San Diego, where he called the law in question a policy of a police state.

In an interview last week, Dumanis reflected on more than 14 years as the countys top prosecutor and she spoke about the accusations levied against her in light of those gang cases, their effect on her reputation and what she learned as a result.

She said some information about the gang-conspiracy law spread by media outlets and members of the public was based on a false narrative, having to do with violations of the First Amendment, that her office could have done more to correct. She said her intent in filing those cases was to help the community, not hurt it, by going after the gangs responsible for at least nine killings.

She had not expected the backlash. Dumanis, the first openly-gay district attorney in the country and the first woman to serve in that post in San Diego County, has often stressed the importance of diversity in her office and its focus on community outreach.

She was frustrated by the criticism, but said she paid attention when people she respected, whom she did not name, came forward with concerns about Penal Code 182.5.

It was a wake-up call, she said.

Later, she sought out more information on black history, and watched documentaries, including director Ava DuVernays 13th, which was released last year. The film, titled after the 13th Amendment to the U.S Constitution, focused on race, justice and mass incarceration.

What she learned is that whatever her intent, the past remains present.

The history of African Americans has an impact on everything, Dumanis said. No matter how supportive white America is, unless you have walked in those shoes, you dont understand it. And the only way to change that is to check yourself and your implicit biases or ask for people to check you when youre doing it.

Because when we think we are doing something positive, like filing this case to get the people who are murdering innocent people, people within the African American community, I have done something inadvertently that (some people) view as wrong, Dumanis continued.

Under Penal Code 182.5, which became state law in 2000, an active gang member can be guilty of conspiracy if he or she has general knowledge of the gangs criminal activities and willfully promotes, furthers, assists or benefits from any felonious criminal conduct by members of that gang.

The District Attorneys Office charged 15 alleged gang members in connection with nine shootings in 2013 and 2014. Some were accused of having a direct role in the shootings, while others  including rapper Brandon Tiny Doo Duncan and student Aaron Harvey  were prosecuted because they allegedly promoted or benefited from the crimes.

Another 18 people were charged in a separate case involving gang-related shootings.

In 2015, Superior Court judges dismissed the gang conspiracy charges against Duncan, Harvey and others, although several defendants were convicted of other felonies.

Dumanis said later that she had no plans to filed charges under Penal Code 182.5 again.

Duncan and Harvey, both of whom are from the Lincoln Park neighborhood in southeastern San Diego, spent months in jail before the charges were dismissed. Earlier this year, they filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit against the San Diego Police Department and two gang detectives

The case is pending.

dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @danalittlefield
On Friday, the anti-Qatar bloc accused Qatar of thwarting all efforts aimed at resolving the rift.

Kuwait has presented Qatar a long-awaited list of demands from four Arab nations that cut ties with Qatar in early June, 2017. (Picture for representation/ AP Photo)

By AP: Qatar's government said Sunday it is forming a committee to pursue compensation for damages stemming from its isolation by four Arab countries.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic ties and severed air, land and sea links with natural gas-rich Qatar last month, accusing it of a list of grievances including supporting extremism. Qatar has denied the allegations, and has characterized the bloc's ultimatums as an affront to its sovereignty.

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Qatari Public Prosecutor Ali Al-Marri told reporters in the Qatari capital, Doha, that the committee will handle claims made by private companies, public institutions and individuals.

He gave few details, but said the body would use both domestic and international mechanisms to seek compensation, and will hire overseas law firms to handle its claims.

"You have people who have sustained damages, businessmen who have sustained damages, banks which have sustained damages. As a result of this blockade." he said. "And those who compelled these damages to happen must pay compensation for them."

Members of the newly-formed committee include Qatar's minister of justice and minister of foreign affairs.

The Gulf state of Kuwait has been trying, unsuccessfully so far, to mediate the dispute.

On Friday, the anti-Qatar bloc accused Qatar of thwarting all efforts aimed at resolving the rift and said it intends to "continue its policy aimed at destabilizing security in the region."

Al-Marri insisted that the decision to pursue compensation for damages is not tied to current state of negotiations between Qatar and the four bloc countries.

"The difference between politics and law is that in law there is continuity, unlike politics, which could be stopped by certain conditions," he said.

Also Read:

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Arab states angry as Qatar rejects their demands for ending the crisis

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No immediate plans to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, says Pakistan

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A former corrections officer at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility pleaded guilty in San Diego federal court Thursday to smuggling drugs and cellphones into the prison for bribes, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Anibal Navarro, 39, of Chula Vista, admitted to being paid about $45,000 over a two-year period to bring methamphetamine, heroin and phones to inmates. He was paid by inmates and their family members and associates, according to his plea agreement.

The illicit loads would come two to four times a month, from 2014 to 2016.

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Navarro was arrested by the FBI and state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations internal affairs unit on June 26, 2016, as he attempted to smuggle 10 ounces of meth and 4 ounces of heroin inside the prison in Otay Mesa, according to court documents.

About a month earlier, San Diego police had pulled over an inmates girlfriend and found drugs hidden in the engine compartment, plus a vacuum-sealed baggie of cellphones and $2,000 cash, according to the complaint. The police took the drugs, cited her and let her go.

A short time later, FBI agents saw her meet with Navarro in Imperial Beach and give him cellphones and $1,000, the complaint states. He admitted in a recorded conversation the next day that he smuggled the load into the prison.

Inmate Martin Gomez is accused of recruiting Navarro to the scheme. Gomez coordinated with four others on the outside to get the contraband to the officer, and then five other inmates would distribute the goods inside the prison, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors said the phones were used to plan crimes outside and inside the prison.

Gomez was moved to another prison at some point during the scheme but continued to run it by phone, prosecutors said.

Navarro, who began working at the prison in 2003, remains free on bond.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavis
Palomar Health in Escondido will continue to support the medical group it helped to create seven years ago despite mounting losses that have reached $82 million.

While it might seem intuitive for the North County hospital operator to pull the plug on a relationship that has run in the red for seven years now, experts said market forces that require doctors and hospitals to work together more closely are keeping partnerships like this one intact  even if they bleed cash.

At its meeting Monday, Palomars elected governing board is set to forgive a line of credit that was extended to Arch Health Partners Medical Group for $76 million in principal and $6 million in interest. In exchange, the public health district and the medical group would agree to share responsibility for Palomars present and future debts, which currently exceed $500 million, according to the districts most recent financial statements.

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Big players such as Kaiser Permanente, Scripps Health and Sharp HealthCare have been creating special doctor groups for decades as a way of feeding patients to the hospitals they operate. California law forbids them from requiring physicians to send their patients to any specific location for care, but these arrangements nonetheless, make it more likely that patients seen in an affiliated medical office will end up in a facility of the same name when they need hospitalization.

The Affordable Care Act only accelerated this trend when it started penalizing hospitals for patients who are readmitted shortly after being sent home.

New payment programs established by the government and private insurers have also started offering better reimbursement to organizations that can deliver high-quality care at a lower cost. Being able to pull off that feat means now is not the time to walk away from a partner like Arch, even though that medical group estimates a $14 million operating loss this year and an $11 million loss for next year, said Della Shaw, Palomars executive vice president of strategy.

The reality today is that its nearly impossible for a system to operate without an aligned physician group, Shaw said.

Though it has not operated in the black and currently cannot say when  or if  it will be able to do so in the future, Shaw said Arch has been crucial in helping Palomar turn around a financial mess that had it operating at a $22.2 million deficit in 2013, one year after opening the $956 million Palomar Medical Center in Escondido.

Today, according to Palomar chief financial officer Diane Hansen, the health district is expected to post a $20 million profit on its operations and will have increased its savings for four years in a row.

Palomars willingness to sink cash into Arch year after year has not been without opposition.

Graybill Medical Group, one of the largest independent health operators in North County and an entity that has supported Palomar for decades, has regularly objected to the ever-growing subsidy for Arch. Its doctors have occasionally raised questions about Archs management decisions and financial strategies at public meetings of Palomars elected governing board. Graybill has even successfully backed slates of candidates for the board in the past two elections.

The group did not comment Thursday on Palomars impending decision to wipe out the debt that it has questioned for years. However, Alan Smith, a San Diego attorney who has served as Graybills public affairs adviser, said the group has generally questioned whether creating Arch, which was built from pre-existing specialty and primary care practices that already existed in inland North County, was truly necessary.

The fear has been, My gosh, if we dont subsidize these specialists, theyre going to pick up and leave. We dont think they were going any place, and we just thought there were better places for Palomar to spend its money, Smith said.

This is not suggesting that Graybill lacks respect for Archs doctors, Smith added.

We love these guys as physicians. The doctors themselves get along famously. They send patients back and forth all the time. Its just the business model that Palomar created thats the point of contention, Smith said.

It does seem that Arch has been able to deliver quality care. Medicare rates the group 4.5 out of five stars from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Arch has twice won the Integrated Healthcare Associations Excellence in Healthcare award.

As to the why bother? question that Graybill raises, Deanna Kyrimis, Archs chief executive, said in an email that bringing together previously separate groups of doctors under one organizing structure has allowed creation of services that are hard to do on an ad-hoc basis. Sharing electronic infrastructure, for example, is a very important activity that the federal government is increasingly requiring in its payment structures for Medicare.

Shaw, the Palomar strategy executive, added that while private doctor groups  Graybill chief among them  have been great allies, creating Arch has allowed the health care district to open offices in areas such as Ramona, Rancho Penasquitos and Rancho Bernardo, where there is either fierce competition with larger health operators or where demographics are more financially challenging. Subsidizing Arch has allowed Palomar to request that certain services, such as mental health, be bolstered even though doing so would not make financial sense to an independent group, she added.

There is no margin in that service. However, Arch Health Partners was able to fill that gap that needed filling in the safety net, Shaw said. Thats an example of where I would say the subsidy we have provided has been effective for the public.

But it is also clear that Archs business model has required some refinement.

Kyrimis, who was hired in late 2014 during a major management shake-up, said the group previously provided an average subsidy of $415,000 per doctor in 2015. The number has been reduced to $261,000 this year and is expected to fall further to $192,000 in 2018.

The executive said she has been able to bring costs down by reducing employee benefits and salaries after a financial review in 2015 showed they were above industry averages.

Fortunately, the staff overages were in administrative areas  furthest away from the patient, if you will, Kyrimis said. We have reduced our administrative management and administrative support staff to the appropriate level.

The cost-cutting process has not been without protest. A well-known cardiologist spoke up at a recent board meeting about being forced out of the group for no good reason, and those remarks were immediately followed by a rebuttal statement from Archs lawyer.

It is hard to say exactly how the Arch experience compares to other, often much larger relationships between medical groups and hospitals. Most of those tie-ups  such as the ones for Sharp HealthCare, Scripps Health and Kaiser Permanente  involve privately run nonprofits and thus do not have to report their year-end results publicly.

Penny Stroud, founder of Cattaneo & Stroud, a health care consultancy that collects and publishes a California medical group inventory list for the California Healthcare Foundation, said it is very difficult to create a new medical group these days, especially in San Diego County.

The investments are so high for everything from electronic medical records to recruiting and retaining physicians. Especially in primary care, its a high-overhead, low-margin business, and the San Diego marked is so consolidated among a small handful of very large players that its a very challenging environment for a smaller group, Stroud said.

She added that it is not uncommon for hospital operators to regularly subsidize the medical groups they affiliate with, though that cash flow is generally not shared publicly.

Typically, she said, medical groups that operate in areas with high concentrations of Medicare and Medicaid patients generally tend to need more support than those in areas with lots of people who are privately insured. In addition, offering ancillary services  from X-ray suites to private labs  can make the difference between those that are profitable and those that arent.

Setting up multi-specialty groups, especially cobbling them together from existing practices as Arch has done, is always expensive. But an $82 million loss over seven years? Isnt that a lot of cash?

It would certainly cost as much for Palomar to develop its own foundation-model medical group from scratch anywhere where you have a highly competitive market like you have in San Diego, Stroud said.

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paul.sisson@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1850

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The future shape of San Diegos skyline and other downtown development is at stake in a lawsuit that could be bolstered next month by information from four whistleblowers.

The lawsuit seeks to end what it calls years of shady, backroom deals that it blames on downtown San Diego being the only place in California where a private corporation controls land-use decisions.

The suit contends the city is illegally choosing streamlined project approvals over transparency and public input by granting that corporation  Civic San Diego  authority that should belong to leaders accountable to taxpayers  the City Council.

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The suit seeks to require the city to allow most land-use decisions by CivicSD to be appealed to the City Council.

CivicSD and city officials say theres nothing illegal about their arrangement and that the lawsuit has no merit.

CivicSD said in a statement on Friday that it carefully adheres to requirements and regulations included in its operating agreements with the city.

Civic San Diego takes great pride in the transparent manner that the organization conducts its business and works diligently to enhance the quality of life throughout our San Diego communities, the corporation said in the statement.

The whistleblowers, who have all held key positions in CivicSD, are expected to shed new light on the inner workings of the corporation and what critics call conflicts of interest faced regularly by its board and president.

Lawyers for CivicSD sought to block depositions of the whistleblowers contending they would be an unwarranted annoyance and embarrassment, but a judge ruled last month that the depositions can go forward.

A lawyer for the plaintiffs  a local construction labor union and one of its officials  called the ruling a major victory, particularly because the judge declined a request from CivicSD to limit questions to how the corporation handles planning and permitting decisions for projects.

Its not just that we get to depose them, its that we get to ask questions of the substance we want, not only the substance that Civic San Diego wants, said the lawyer, Steven Coopersmith. And that goes beyond just these four whistleblowers to all future witnesses in this case.

Dan Gilleon, a local attorney who represents three of the four whistleblowers, said his clients will strengthen the case against CivicSD and the city when they give their depositions in August.

The things they say will support the notion there is a lack of transparency and behavior people have described as unethical or corruption, Gilleon said on Thursday. They are going to talk about some shady things.

Coopersmith and Gilleon predicted the depositions would yield a much clearer picture of CivicSDs entire operation because the four employees worked in separate and distinct areas.

Robert Avery was the chief financial officer, Derek Hull was economic development manager and John Anderson still serves as an asset and contracts manager.

Cynthia Suero-Gabler now works as a community relations specialist for the corporation, but previously worked as an assistant to CivicSD President Reese Jarrett.

Gilleon represents Avery, Anderson and Suero-Gabler. He also represented Hull until Hull decided to represent himself, Gilleon said.

Lawyers for CivicSD, in a 165-page brief in April, argued that information from the whistleblowers would be irrelevant because their jobs dont relate to land-use permitting. They also called the request to depose them overly broad and ill-intentioned.

The ostensible purpose of these depositions is to annoy and embarrass Civic San Diego, wrote Matt Green of Best, Best & Krieger.

Superior Court Judge Richard Strauss ruled June 16 that CivicSDs lawyers had failed to prove that argument, and that the depositions and accompanying documents provided by the whistleblowers could be worthwhile.

The information and documents are relevant to the claims (in the lawsuit) and are reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence, Strauss wrote in his ruling.

Lawyers for the city didnt try to fight the whistleblower depositions, but they have criticized the lawsuit as lacking facts to support its claims and have defended the citys conduct.

A spokesman for City Attorney Mara Elliott declined on Friday to comment, saying the citys court filings speak for themselves.

In those filings, the city says it exercises reasonable diligence and that granting downtown land-use authority to CivicSD in 2012 was justified.

The city acted in good faith, and took the actions it did for legitimate, proper and lawful reasons based on all of the relevant circumstances known to it at the time, an attorney for the city wrote.

CivicSD, in the statement released on Friday, said the corporations efforts lead to significant community benefits.

Civic San Diego continues to focus on the development of neighborhood infrastructure, the creation of affordable housing and the growth of economic development and job opportunities, the statement said.

The lawsuit contends its illegal under state law and the city charter for San Diego to delegate its power to permit and plan in downtown to a private, nonprofit corporation.

California law says that if you delegate at all, you must have certain controls to make sure that delegation is carried out properly, said Coopersmith, the lawyer who filed the suit on behalf of the Building and Construction Trades Council. The reason is that you are delegating the citys constitutional police power  the ability to plan and permit and decide what happens where in the city.

City officials contend CivicSD doesnt exercise judgment or discretion in its approvals, but simply makes sure proposed projects meet the requirements of land-use plans the City Council has approved for downtowns individual neighborhoods.

Coopersmith said that stance is contradicted by a recent deposition he conducted of Robert Vacchi, director of the citys Development Service Department.

According to Coopersmith, Vacchi said officials in his department, which handles project approvals everywhere in the city except downtown, often disagree about whether a project complies with land-use plans and other requirements.

Vacchi said such disagreements require them to confer about a decision, which Coopersmith said is evidence that they use discretion and, consequently, that CivicSD uses discretion in its land-use approvals.

The lawsuit was filed in 2015 after Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill approved by the state Legislature that would have accomplished the main goal of the suit: requiring the city to allow most land-use decisions by CivicSD to be appealed to the City Council.

Brown didnt criticize the legislation on its merits, but said decisions that affect only one city should be made locally instead of at the state level.

The plaintiffs say the lawsuit is what Brown had in mind.

Attorneys for the city, however, have argued that the role of CivicSD is a political question, not a legal question. They say that means the City Council, not the courts, should make any changes to how CivicSD operates.

The council last October approved a new five-year operating agreement with CivicSD after several contentious public hearings.

Supporters say it boosted transparency and oversight by requiring CivicSD to submit an annual work plan to the council. They also praised the new pact for policies on low-income housing, employee wages and local hiring.

Critics say the new pact is hollow and has no teeth. They say it only suggests CivicSD follow more transparent practices, but doesnt mandate them.

CivicSD was formed to take over work done by the citys redevelopment agencies before the state eliminated them in 2011. Other cities in California have delegated such authority to city staff, elected leaders or joint powers authorities.

The Building and Construction Trades Council says City Auditor Eduardo Luna told union officials he is investigating concerns raised by Anderson, one of the whistleblowers.

Luna said through a city spokeswoman on Friday that he doesnt comment on whether he is conducting particular investigations or plans to conduct particular investigations.

A trial in the case is scheduled to begin Feb. 9.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
It sounds like something out of a movie: Teenage lovers break up and drift apart, only to reunite three decades later, fall in love again, and get married.

But the end of the late-in-life romance between Robert and Shirley McGill turned out to be something from a horror film.

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Shirley McGill was beaten and strangled to death on the bathroom floor of a cruise ship cabin at the hands of her husband.

On Thursday, Robert McGill was sentenced to life in prison by U.S. District Judge Irma Gonzalez, who acknowledged that McGill had led a life dedicated to helping at-risk teens but had to be punished for the murder for which precise motives remain unknown.

Shirley McGills children from a previous marriage and her elderly parents gasped in relief when the judge announced the sentence. They had pleaded with Gonzalez to impose the maximum sentence.

Robert McGill, 57, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in July, and his lawyers were seeking a sentence of slightly more than 11 years in prison. They cited his lifelong work as a dedicated teacher and that he was extremely intoxicated when he beat his wife, so much so that he has no clear memory of what provoked him or what happened.

Shirley McGill, 55, was killed on July 14, 2009, aboard the Carnival cruise ship Elation. The couple was on a five-day cruise to Mexico, and it was the husbands 55th birthday. He drank heavily in Cabo that day before re-boarding the ship for the trip home.

How much he had is not known, but witnesses said he could barely walk when he returned to the ship. In court documents, his lawyers said that he had at least 20 drinks, including beer, hard liquor and mescal.

Later that night, he pummeled his wife inside the cabin, then strangled her. Afterward, he changed clothes and went up to a deck, smoked a cigar and had more beer with another couple. When they asked about his wife, he told them he had killed her, according to court records.

Robert McGill was arrested when the ship docked in San Diego.

The couple had been high school sweethearts and then broke up. Some 30 years later, they reconnected at a high school reunion, got married and by all accounts were happy together.

In court, former colleagues of Robert McGill spoke of his talent and dedication as a teacher, and said they were baffled by what he had done.

Shirley McGills children sounded a different note. Son Noel Salazar said that whatever McGill had accomplished it could not outweigh the killing, which has devastated the family.

Robert McGill spoke briefly, saying he was remorseful. I really dont have the words to make anyone feel better, said McGill. I know Ive done a horrible thing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Forge said the brutal death of Shirley McGill overshadowed her husbands career.

Whatever decency Mr. McGill had, he left on the floor of that bathroom next to Shirleys beaten, bleeding and broken body, Forge said.

The judge agreed. She noted Shirley McGill likely did not die right away, and said the actions of Robert McGill after the beating showed he had some awareness of what he was doing and was not completely out of it from his excessive drinking.
At the suggestion of her family, college freshman Shayona Dhanak broke up with her boyfriend and told him religious differences were to blame. Less than two months later, her father and sister were killed, her mother assaulted and left for dead, and her familys home burned.

On Wednesday, a prosecutor told a California jury that the fiery attack on the Orange County family formed part of an elaborate and ill-conceived plot hatched and executed by Dhanaks then-22-year-old ex-boyfriend Iftekhar Murtaza to try to win her back.

Howard Gundy, senior deputy district attorney, said during opening statements of Murtazas murder trial that hours after Dhanak split with Murtaza in 2007, he began chatting online with his best friend about ways to kill the family to eliminate the obstacle that had come between them. Eventually, he enlisted help from another friend to kill the family himself, Gundy said.

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Iftekar Murtaza is going to create a catastrophe so monumental in her life that it will leave her alone, literally, figuratively alone, isolated and vulnerable, Gundy told jurors. After creating this enormous catastrophe in her life, he is going to swoop in like the rescuer, like the white knight.

If convicted, Murtaza could face the death penalty. During the proceedings, his mother sobbed from a seat in the Santa Ana courtroom.

Defense attorney Doug Myers reserved making an opening statement until after Gundy wraps up his case.

The trial comes after the convictions of two of Murtazas friends for the killings and the sentencing of one of them to life in prison.

The case led investigators on a hunt for clues from the inferno at the Dhanaks home in May 2007 to burning bodies found in a park the next morning to an Arizona airport where Murtaza had planned to take a flight to his native Bangladesh until he was arrested.

On Wednesday, Dhanak testified that she had started to feel trapped in her two-year relationship with Murtaza as she became busy with college life and he grew more controlling. She confided in her parents, who had not supported them dating, and said her mother told her to blame the break up on religion.

Why dont you just tell him it is religion? Its never going to work out; you dont see eye to eye, Dhanak recalled her mother saying.

Dhanak, the daughter of Indian immigrants, came from a devout Hindu family. Murtaza, born in Bangladesh, was a non-practicing Muslim, Gundy said.

After the couple split in March 2007, Murtaza planned to hire a hit man to kill the family but his closest friend, Vitaliy Krasnoperov, failed to find someone, Gundy said.

In May, Murtaza called another friend, Charles Murphy Jr., and offered him $30,000 to help him kill the family, Gundy said.

That night, Murtaza and Murphy drove from the suburbs of Los Angeles to the familys home. The pair attacked Dhanaks father, Jay, and 20-year-old sister, Karishma, and left her mother, Leela, with her throat slit, unconscious, on a neighbors lawn, and set the house on fire, Gundy said.

Five hours later, the charred bodies of Dhanaks father and sister were found in a brush fire in a park less than 20 miles away in Irvine. His skull had been crushed and his body doused in gasoline and ignited. Her throat was slit before she was set on fire, he said.

Murtaza was interviewed by police several days after the killings. He told them he was at work until late the night of the murders and then went straight home to his parents house, according to a video clip from the interview played for jurors.

The next day, he was arrested at the airport in Phoenix with a ticket to Bangladesh and more than $11,000 in cash.

Weeks later, when Leela Dhanak woke from a coma, she told investigators she recognized one of the attackers as Murtaza, Gundy said.

In a 2007 jail interview, Murtaza told the Orange County Register he couldnt commit such a ruthless crime.

Murtaza is charged with two counts of murder with special circumstances of burglary, kidnapping and financial gain and multiple murders. He is also charged with attempted murder and conspiracy.

Murphy was convicted of the murders last year in his third trial. One jury deadlocked, and another was dismissed in a mistrial. He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 25.

Krasnoperov was convicted in 2011 and sentenced to life in prison.
By Utpal Kumar/Mail Today: At a time when the autonomy of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is a raging debate, especially post-demonetisation, here comes a book by former RBI governor YV Reddy, Advice and Dissent, recounting a fascinating anecdote wherein, when asked about the institution's autonomy, he told a journalist: "The RBI has full autonomy. I have the permission of my finance minister to tell you that."

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Remind Reddy about this incident and he says that the autonomy issue has been unnecessarily raised now and that it had been settled back. "Jawaharlal Nehru had said that the RBI was independent - not from the government but within the system of the government," he says, adding that today a lot more coordination is required between different agencies of the government and the RBI.

Advice and Dissent is an insider's saga on how the government and the RBI work. But throughout, to his credit, the author has resisted the temptation of sensationalising things. His subdued approach is evident when he narrates the RBI's crackdown on the Sahara group, despite the fact that Reddy believed his life was under threat because of this very case. "I was assured that there was no basis for such fears," he recalls.

Also Read: Bridge Across the Rivers: Tales of partition from either sides of the border

His matter-of-factly approach can also be seen vis-a-vis his bittersweet relations with then finance minister P Chidambaram. So much so that Reddy, who was RBI governor between 2003 and 2008, had thought of quitting his job twice, but stayed on after the intervention of then PM Manmohan Singh. "His (Chidambaram's) image as a reformer pushing for double-digit growth was, in his view, being dented by my caution to the extent of resisting implementation of some of his policies," Reddy writes in Advice and Dissent, adding that Chidambaram even had to cancel a foreign visit as he could not face investors due to his 'poor' reform record.

But a decade down the line, Reddy downplays the rift. "Don't take my resignations too seriously. Actually, in four years, I thought of resigning only twice," says he with a smile. "Our relationship, despite such ups and downs, was based on mutual respect; it was not antagonistic, as some of us would like to believe."

The high point of the book, however, is when Reddy talks about his association with NT Rama Rao, calling him an honest and innovative politician. "NTR was a charismatic man who was always in search of new ideas. But what made him stand out was his penchant for taking tough decisions."

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One gets the most incisive analysis on NTR's personality, in Advice and Dissent, when Reddy reveals how the then Andhra Pradesh CM looked at intellectuals. "Whenever he found an intellectual whom he fancied, NTR liked to court him, but once the intellectual settled down in the harem, he would lose interest and pursue other intellectuals," Reddy writes. Reddy also reveals how NTR, despite his largerthan-life persona, hankered after applause on trivial issues. He would ask the author to vindicate if he was indeed a great man and that his handwriting resembled a "string of pearls"!

Also Read: Excerpts from Jairam Ramesh's book Indira Gandhi: A life in nature

Manmohan Singh, too, gets a glowing review in the book. Reddy rates him highly as an economist, saying his role in India's liberalisation in 1991 remains unparalleled. "He had the advantage of being always in India, unlike many other economists. He has been a witness to successes and setbacks." When asked about his not-so-successful stint as PM in UPA-II, Reddy gives a one-line reply: "Whenever he had full freedom to take decisions, he did well." The former RBI chief answers as much as he doesn't!

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But on the role of Narasimha Rao, his reply isn't ambiguous. "There should be no confusion that Rao was the main force behind the 1991 saga. Everyone knew by the mid-1980s that the socialist system wasn't working. The same technocrats and bureaucrats were there, so how could they take credit. What made the difference was the presence of Rao in that critical juncture."

Reddy also praises PM Narendra Modi, despite being critical of his demonetisation move. "Modi has taken a few bold steps - like GST and the one on benami properties - which the political class has been avoiding for decades. Even his note ban move vindicates his decisiveness, though I am critical of the RBI being armtwisted for curbing black money - if that was the objective of demonetisation - as it should instead have been done by the income tax department."

The RBI may not be autonomous from the government, but as Nehru said, it definitely needs autonomy "within the system of the government".

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By PTI: Report

By Aditi Khanna

London, Jul 9 (PTI) Scotland Yard has started using lie detector tests on terror informants to ensure the quality of the intelligence is strong, according to a media report.

The Metropolitan Police?s counter-terrorism command have launched a top-secret scheme to get their sources undertake polygraph examinations in an attempt to weed out lies and misinformation, The Sunday Times reports.

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The programme, which is believed to be unprecedented in British policing, is an attempt to verify intelligence from people who are often of questionable integrity as they themselves operate in the criminal underworld.

"We are not prepared to discuss this," Scotland Yard said in reference to the scheme.

News of the scheme, overseen by Mark Rowley, Britain?s most senior counter-terrorism officer, has emerged in the wake of four terrorist attacks in the UK in four months that killed 36 people.

Some blamed the attacks on a failure of intelligence, although MI5 and the police say they are overstretched and grappling with a heightened terror threat after the emergence of Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria.

British Pakistani Khuram Butt, who led the London Bridge attack last month, was once placed under 24-hour surveillance by police before a decision was taken to deploy finite resources elsewhere.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has asked UK security services to review their protocols after it also emerged MI5 had been warned that the Manchester Arena suicide bomber, Salman Abedi, was dangerous. PTI AK NSA

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Punjab BJP Secretary, Vineet Joshi, said AAP preferred to remain silent over the developments, as its senior leader HS Phoolka was associated with US-based pro Khalistan organization Sikhs for Justice.

By Manjeet Sehgal: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday questioned Aam Aadmi Party's silence over the issue of controversial referendum 2020 hoardings and posters which surfaced in nearly 40 different locations in Punjab demanding a referendum for Khalistan.

Coming down heavily on Aam Aadmi Party, Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party Secretary, Vineet Joshi, said AAP preferred to remain silent over the developments, as its senior leader HS Phoolka was associated with US-based pro Khalistan organization Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).

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"Aam Aadmi Party is known for holding press conferences over petty issues, but till now it hasn't issued even a single press note condemning 'Referendum 2020'. It seems that by choosing to remain silent, the Aam Aadmi Party is supporting the malicious campaign which threatens to derail peace, brotherhood and communal harmony in Punjab," Vineet Joshi said.

Circulating documentary evidences among the media persons, Joshi said the website of Sikhs for Justice clearly shows that AAP legislature party leader, HS Phoolka and AAP leader Navkiran Singh were associated with SFJ and both have been members of some committees constituted by the SJF, the organisation which is responsible for the referendum demand.

Questioning AAP leaders, Joshi said, "Why is AAP associated with people or organizations which are anti-national and want to break Punjab into pieces? Before Punjab elections, AAP stood with 'Sarbat Khalsa' organized by Simaranjit Singh Maan ignoring Sikh tenets and principles. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal met the parallel Jathedar appointed by so called 'Sarbat Khalsa', he met the Panj Pyaras who were suspended by the SGPC and stayed at the residence of Khalistan Commando Force activist Gurinder Singh Gahali in Moga. This clearly shows how AAP has always stood with anti-Punjab forces."

The BJP leader said that in July 2015, AAP leaders supported the protest by radical Sikhs for the premature release of jailed Khalistan militants. He said that AAP MP from Patiala, Dharamvir Singh Gandhi had warned the party that by doing so they were playing with the fire.

When contacted HS Phoolka denied the allegations and said he was never a member of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and criticised BJP for unnecessarily dragging his name into the controversy.

"I have no relations with SFJ. The allegations levelled by the BJP are baseless. In fact SFJ had opposed my Canada visit," HS Phoolka told India Today.

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After the Indian High Commission in Islamabad rejected the medical visa application of woman, suffering from cancer, she urges for Swaraj's help in the matter.

By Press Trust of India: A woman suffering from cancer in Pakistan has urged External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to help her visit India for treatment after her visa application was reportedly rejected by the Indian embassy in Islamabad.

Faiza Tanveer, 25, is suffering from a recurrent ameloblastoma, an oral tumour which is aggressive in nature. She planned to visit the Inderprastha Dental College and Hospital (IDCH) in Ghaziabad and paid Rs 10 lakh in advance for treatment, according to a Pakistani media report.

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But the Indian High Commission in Islamabad rejected her medical visa application, the report said.

Tanveer's mother claimed that her application was rejected because of deteriorating ties between the two countries. That forced Tanveer to take to social media to move Indian authorities.

Tanveer in several tweets over the past couple of days has urged Swaraj to intervene. She has also posted a photo and a video that showed her tumour.

@SushmaSwaraj pakistani hun sufrring in ameloblastoma . India ana cahti hun or half payment b kr di hai please mam save my life 03355255999- Faiza Tanveer (@FaizaTanveer8) July 6, 2017

In one of the tweets, she said, "Please help me save my life mam plz," and tagged Swaraj in the tweet. In another tweet, Tanveer said, "Sushma ji please help me."

Last month, an ailing child from Pakistan and his parents were issued visa for an emergency heart treatment after the family sought Swaraj's help.

ALSO READ:

BJP takes it upon itself to get Pak-returned Geeta married, Shivraj Chouhan to solemnise wedding

How Sushma Swaraj got in the good books of Narendra Modi in 3 years

Sushma Swaraj takes on Meira Kumar with blast from past Lok Sabha video from 2013

ALSO WATCH:

Uzma Ahmed recounts her ordeal in Pakistan, says thankful to Sushma Swaraj

--- ENDS ---
The company, which was called Russia & Beyond when it was launched 22 years ago, was the Australian representative for Viking River Cruises until Viking opened its own office in Sydney in 2008.

Over the years Russia & Beyond covered many new destinations and the old name was no longer appropriate.

Peter Smith, gm business growth for Beyond Travel, said Australians are increasingly attracted to cruising around the beautiful Adriatic coast.

So this year we created a new brand, Cruise Croatia, with a dedicated 2017 brochure, Smith said. Cruise Croatia also has its own website (www.cruise-croatia.com.au).

Beyond Travel represents a collection of sleek motor yachts, no bigger than 49 mtrs, some with ensuite cabins that are fully air-conditioned.

They are mostly owned and crewed by the captain and family members and the most popular voyage, between Split and Dubrovnik, takes eight days. Other popular eight-day voyages are Dubrovnik to Dubrovnik and Split to Split.

Unlike big cruise ships, our small vessels can berth everywhere along the route, Smith said.

Since launching Cruise Croatia in April, he said well north of 1,000 passengers' have booked.

He said Cruise Croatia will package the new service Emirates launched last month between Dubai and Croatias capital, Zagreb, about an hours drive to Split.
By PTI: Bhopal, Jul 9 (PTI) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met Geeta, the mute and deaf woman who returned to India from Pakistan in 2015, and enquired about her wish to get married.

Twenty-three-year old Geeta went missing on July 6 for about 30 minutes from the institute for speech and hearing impaired in Indore where she is living since October 2015 after her return from Pakistan.

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She was traced by the police within 30 minutes after her disappearance at around 4 pm.

Swaraj, who played a pivotal role in getting Geeta back, yesterday met her in Indore and enquired about her well being.

According to director of the institute, Monika Punjabi Verma, Swaraj interacted with Geeta and spoke about her prospects of getting married.

"She (Swaraj) asked Geeta, how she was doing in studies? She also told Geeta that MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was excited and ready to extend all possible help to her to get married," Verma told PTI.

Verma said even two-and-a-half month ago, when Swaraj had met Geeta, she had asked about her wish to get married.

"I think Geeta showed willingness to enter into the wedlock," she said.

When asked about Geetas sudden disappearance from the institute on Thursday, Verma said she had gone to a temple.

Geeta was reportedly just 7 or 8 years old when she was found sitting alone on the Samjhauta Express by the Pakistan Rangers at the Lahore railway station.

She was adopted by Bilquis Edhi, a Pakistani philanthropist attached to the Edhi Foundation, and lived with her in Karachi till October 2015, before returning to India.

However, despite efforts officials have not been able to locate her family.

Several couples visited the institute in the recent past and claimed Geeta to be their daughter, but she did not recognise any of them. PTI LAL ARS RMT

--- ENDS ---
Over 17,000 jobs await Filipinos in UK - Villanueva

On his meeting with officials from the United Kingdom, Senator Joel Villanueva has learned that more than 17,000 jobs are available in UK which are open for Filipinos who are seeking employment opportunities abroad.

Villanueva, who chairs the Senate committee on labor, employment, and human resources development, met with Philippine ambassador to United Kingdom Antonio Lagdameo, and UK business household names Bruno De Penanster, chief operating officer of Ananas Anam and Dr. Michael Cheong, chief operating officer of Manning Impex to discuss the employment opportunities available for Filipinos in the UK.

At present, the UK is looking for civil engineers, foremen, nurses, caregivers, computer programmers, cooks, bookkeepers, cashiers, among others. These are in-demand jobs with highest pay.

"The United Kingdom has generously offered us a variety of job opportunities fit for our world-class skilled workers. This is the best time for our fellow kababayans looking for employment abroad to grab this opportunity," Villanueva shared.

The monthly salary for civil engineers may reach up to P139,000 while nurses may get as much as P113,000 per month.

Meanwhile, caregivers are offered as high as P61,000 monthly and cooks receive an hourly rate of P350. Bookkeepers and cashiers may receive as much as P286 per hour.

"The world needs a lot of skilled workers. I believe our country possesses a highly-skilled workforce that are very much qualified to meet the international standards and fill in the demands of the global job market," Villanueva said.
By India Today Web Desk: Taapsee Pannu shot to fame after acting opposite megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the superhit Hindi film, Pink. After several years, Taapsee Pannu is making her comeback in Telugu with the film Anando Brahma.

While the film is slated to release in August, Taapsee Pannu has apparently rubbed the Telugu filmmaker K Raghavendra on the wrong side. In a recently surfaced video on YouTube, Taapsee was asked about her working experience down South.

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"In the South, they think I can only pull off glamorous roles. When they saw 'Pink' and '(Naam) Shabana', they were like, oh, she can act," said Taapsee.

When the anchor of the show asked Taapsee about South industry's obsession with navel, the actor said, "If I knew about this in my research before I'd gone to the South I would've worked on my navel. I clearly didn't. They didn't even start with a scene. They started with a song itself."

"The director who launched me is known to show the sensuality of a woman by showing the midriff and throwing fruits and flowers on the midriff. My turn came, and maybe because I was not prepared as I told you, they threw a coconut at me! I don't know what's sensuous about a coconut hitting my midriff."

It must be noted that it was Raghavendra Rao, who launched Taapsee in the film Jhummandi Naadam. Her comments about the legendary filmmaker has not gone down too well with fans.

@taapsee Insulting #RaghavendraRao garu is like insulting the whole TFI.. wait for the consequences #ShameOnYouTapsee- V?A?k! (@venki_IN) July 8, 2017

ALSO READ: Uday Kiran's sister reveals why he called off marriage with Chiru's daughter

ALSO READ: Filmmaker Priyadarshan's daughter Kalyani to debut in Akhil Akkineni's next

ALSO READ: SS Rajamouli regrets talking about Sridevi's salary, says he made a mistake

ALSO WATCH: Acting comes from the heart, not from the mind, says Sridevi

--- ENDS ---
By 6:30 a.m. Beate Bruhl is lined up with the plasterers and painters at the construction entrance to the historic Mining Exchange Building in the Financial District.

Single file in their hard hats they climb a scaffolding to a platform 45 feet up and single file they go to work on the decorative ceiling of the grand Exchange Hall. The plasterers do their repairs, then the painters come through with a spray gun covering the surface in a base coat of ocher.

Finally comes Bruhl with a fine-tipped brush no wider than a pencil and her paint in a cat food can. It is her job to detail and accent the reds and greens of 20 rosettes, connect them by a delicate hand-cut stencil pattern and bring the ceiling back to the day this Neoclassical monument opened in 1923.

Bruhl spends her day with her neck craned, her arm raised overhead, and her hand steady, steady steady. This is her last day after four months on the project, and she doesnt want to make a mistake.

There is a tremendous amount of detail work, and it has to be clean and neat, she says with an accent of her native Cologne, Germany. There will be people taking photographs and they will pull it up (zoom in) close. You have to think about that.

That day will come when the Mining Exchange reopens this fall after 38 years in the dark. An office tower has risen 19 stories above the two-story Exchange. A condition of the construction permit is that the Exchange Hall be returned to its glory and become public space during business hours so anyone can come in and look up to the painted ceiling, 3,600 square feet of it.

Its a pretty fabulous ceiling and a historic resource for the city, says Elisa Skaggs, project manager for Page & Turnbull, preservation architects for the job. Also involved are an architectural historian for the city, a conservator, a general contractor, plasterers, painters and Bruhl, whose job has no easy title.

The German word for what she does is nine syllables long and translates to field person in the trade of restoration, which she shortens to architectural restoration artist.

To earn that title, she has a bachelors degree in art from San Francisco State and a masters in surface pattern design from Syracuse University. Then she went back to Germany to attend trade school and has 30 years in.

She also dabbles in album cover art, pretending the LP format still prevails. She draws imaginary covers for Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale. But her main canvas is the ceiling, and she arrives on the job with her own red hard hat with a mountain lion on the front and a tool kit with four sizes of brush and five colors of paint.

What she does is high art, its not like detail painting on a house, says Skaggs. She has to identify the original colors and match the sheen.

It is slow and cautious work. If youve looked up at the ornate ceiling in the War Memorial Opera House or the gold leaf on the dome of San Francisco City Hall, youve seen the results of her stiff neck and sore upper arms.

She is the Michelangelo of preservation, says Jeffrey Heller of Heller Manus, architect on both the City Hall restoration and the Mining Exchange. At City Hall she was way up in the air rappelling down on a rope.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

That project was in the employment of someone else. In 2004, she went out on her own as Beate Bruhl Design, based in Benicia. She did the restoration of the elaborate Green Room at the Veterans Building and has returned the luster to the murals at Coit Tower, the New Mission Theater (Alamo Drafthouse) and the Metro Theater (Equinox fitness club) on Union Street.

Her decorative painting and gilding work on the California Theatre, opened in 1920 in Pittsburg, helped it win the Governors Historic Preservation Award last year.

The Mining Exchange at 350 Bush St. was one of the first designs by famed architect Timothy Pflueger, in partnership with James Miller. It started out as the San Francisco Stock Exchange, then became the Mining Exchange and then the Curb Exchange, to advertise its openness to anyone walking in from the street to give stock trading a go.

The Curb Exchange gave way to the California Chamber of Commerce and Western Title Insurance before it closed in 1979. In 1980, the Mining Exchange was named city landmark No. 113, and there she sat, a vacant temple of finance.

It was in desperate shape until we started the building project, says Heller.

Before Bruhl could begin, the ceiling had to be repaired, and that took some doing. When plaster subcontractor John Fuetsch, of Patrick J. Ruane Inc., first saw it four years ago, rain was coming in through the skylights. The ceiling is coffered, or suspended, and all the historic fabric had to be removed piece by piece to be repaired or rebuilt in Ruanes shop in South San Francisco.

There were teams of craftspeople involved in every aspect except the final touches of paint, administered by Bruhl and Bruhl alone. To paint the lacy detail onto the plaster, she cut out stencils by hand, the way it was done in 1923.

I like working by myself because I get into a groove and just steadily work along, she says. I dont get held up by discussions about how to do something.

When she started, her work platform covered the whole ceiling area, but it was removed in quarters as she basically painted herself into a corner. There she was, last month, with her No. 1 paintbrush and her cat food cans of paint  red, green, dark brown, beige and ocher.

Beates work on the ceiling is spectacular, says Heller. No one who has gone in there has had anything but a jaw-dropping experience. When the room is all finished and it is illuminated, it will be spellbinding.

As she packs up her brushes and closes down the job, she confesses to feeling melancholy. Shell miss the construction crew, but they will all be back when the building is finished.

I live for the party, she says. Everybody gets dressed up and nobody recognizes each other.

Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @SamWhitingSF Instagram: @sfchronicle_art
SEATTLE  Oaklands rotation coming out of the All-Star break will start, not surprisingly, with Sonny Gray.

Gray, who last started Wednesday against the White Sox, will be working on eight days of rest when he faces Cleveland on Friday night at the Coliseum. Hell be followed by rookie Paul Blackburn, who has allowed just one earned run through his first two big-league starts, and then left-hander Sean Manaea.

The following two starts arent officially scheduled, but its likely that Daniel Gossett, who started Sunday in Seattle, will work the first game of the Tampa Bay series at the Coliseum, followed by Jharel Cotton.

So what of Chris Smith, who had a nice outing Saturday in his first-ever big-league start? The 36-year-old is likely to stick around in long relief and to be available in the event Cotton cant return from a split callus on his right hand as soon as hoped.

There are many reasons to keep Smith, among them the fact that he pitched well Saturday against a good lineup, allowing three runs in six innings. The MarinersRobinson Cano and Nelson Cruz went a combined 0-for-5 with a walk and a double-play grounder.

Plus, Smiths age and experience are a plus for a largely young pitching staff that is likely to get even younger this month, with reliever Ryan Madson likely to get dealt to a contender before the deadline. Smith is only eight months younger than Madson, and he knows all the younger pitchers from Triple-A Nashville, where he was one of the team leaders.

Im kind of the dad in Nashville, Smith said.

The As have gotten little from their long-relief spot this year. Granted, its a thankless role, often coming in during a blowout or following an injury, but no one has done well there: Raul Alcantara put up a 9.00 ERA as a reliever, Josh Smith has a 6.75 ERA in long and short relief, Zach Neal has a 7.98 ERA, and Cesar Valdez had an 8.38 ERA in relief.

Chris Smiths even-keel temperament might make him better suited to the role than some of the younger pitchers Oakland has used there, and he was excellent in something of a mop-up relief role when with Oakland last year, with a 2.92 ERA.

Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

On deck

Monday

Off

Tuesday

All-Star Game, at Miami

4:30 p.m. Channel: 2 Channel: 40

Wednesday

Off

Leading off

All-Star travel: First baseman Yonder Alonso, his wife, Amber, and son, Troy, are getting to Tuesdays game in Miami via chartered jet, traveling with Seattle All-Star outfielder Nelson Cruz and his family.

 Susan Slusser
SEATTLE  Franklin Barreto was sent back to Triple-A Nashville, as planned, before Saturdays game, but the young infielder knew the move was coming. Plus, hell be back sometime later this month.

He knew what was going on, he knew he was the one going down, but the conversation was great with him, manager Bob Melvin said. The chore for him next time hes up here is to stay for good, and my guess is that could be the case.

Its good he got a taste of the big leagues. Weve done that with some of our other guys the last few years, and theyve been the better for it. My guess is he will be, too.

Barreto hit .190 with two homers and four RBIs in 11 games. He was 4-for-32 in his final nine games after going 4 for his first 10.

I thought he did really well, Melvin said. I know the batting average hed like to have a little higher, but he impressed right away with his first game and a walk-off his last game at home.

As catcher Ryan Lavarnway also was designated for assignment. He had been recalled earlier in the week with catcher Josh Phegley on paternity leave.

Melvin said if Lavarnway clears waivers, the As would like to keep him.

Its one of those situations if he gets picked up, hes in the big leagues somewhere, thats great, Melvin said. I impressed on him wed like to have him back and he intimated the same. I think hes pretty comfortable here and he was here during the spring; you always want that third guy who knows how you do things, so it was good to get him here for a few games and hopefully we get to keep him.

Lavarnway was 0-for-2 Friday, and he hit .274 with four homers in 61 games with Nashville. Matt McBride likely would be the next catcher up if the As have a need and if Lavarnway doesnt clear waivers.

Briefly: Melvin said he hopes to announce Sunday how the rotation lines up out of the All-Star break. ... The As bullpen ended a 12-game streak of allowing at least one run. ... Catcher Bruce Maxwell is batting .393 on the road. ... Shortstop Marcus Semien has hit safely in nine consecutive games at Safeco Field.

Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

On deck

Sunday

at Mariners

1:10 p.m. NBCSCA

Gossett (1-3) vs. Hernandez (3-3)

Monday

All-Star break

Tuesday

All-Star Game, Miami

4:30 p.m. Channel: 2 Channel: 40

Leading off

New addition: Josh Phegley returned after the birth of his second child, Calvin James, who arrived at 12:56 a.m. Wednesday. My major-league debut was July 5 and now its his birthday. I thought that was pretty cool, Phegley said.

 Susan Slusser
The Hearst Foundations have awarded $1.725 million in grants to nonprofit organizations in California to support a variety of educational, health and social service programs.

Recipients of the quarterly grants include programs for job training and vaccinations for the needy, brain research, and public broadcasting about higher education.

The grantees, announced by foundations Executive Director Paul Dinovitz, are:

Common Sense Media of San Francisco, $150,000 to expand its Digital Citizenship Program, which teaches responsible use of technology to students from kindergarten to the 12th grade.

Community Housing Partnership of San Francisco, $100,000 for its Employment Pathway program, which trains formerly homeless people for jobs in property management.

Eastside College Preparatory School of East Palo Alto, $100,000 for summer programs.

Loyola Marymount University of Los Angeles, $200,000 in scholarship aid over two years for underrepresented students in theater arts.

Marin General Hospital Foundation in Greenbrae, $50,000 for construction of a Breast Health Center.

TechSoup, in San Francisco, $250,000 for expansion and outreach of the Safe Shelter Collaborative Program for victims of domestic violence and human trafficking.

The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, $100,000 to support the Tech Studio of interactive science and technology exhibits.

Panetta Institute for Public Policy in Seaside (Monterey County), $75,000 to support congressional internships for college students.

P.S. Arts in Los Angeles, $100,000 to support a Classroom Studio program to instruct children in dance, music, theater and visual arts.

Saban Community Clinic in Los Angeles, $200,000 to support vaccinations for needy adults.

Southern California Public Radio in Pasadena (KPCC), $100,000 to help fund a reporting beat in higher education.

Ukiah Adventist Hospital, $100,000 to support faculty training in family medicine.

UC Santa Barbara, $200,000 to establish the Hearst Accelerator fund for two years of support for the universitys Brain Initiative, a study of brain function and human behavior in disciplines ranging from neuroscience and engineering to history and literature.

The awards, supported by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation and Hearst Foundation Inc., reflect the philanthropic interests of William Randolph Hearst and the goal of providing opportunities to people of all backgrounds. Hearst Corp. owns The Chronicle.
SACRAMENTO  Californias sex offender registry didnt protect Chelsea King. A registered child predator abducted, raped and murdered the 17-year-old high school senior after she set off for a jog on the trails around Lake Hodges in San Diego County in 2010.

Authorities used DNA to track down John Albert Gardner III, who confessed to killing Chelsea and another teen, Amber DuBois, who had gone missing near San Diego a year before on her way to school.

Chelseas father, Brent King, has been fighting ever since for stricter punishments and closer monitoring of sex offenders whose victims were children. So it might surprise some that he thinks California should end its practice of requiring all sex offenders to register with authorities every year for the rest of their lives.

Right now, we treat all sex offenders the same, and theyre not, said King, who moved to Chicago with his wife and son after Chelsea was murdered.

Dania Maxwell/Special to The Chronicle

Questions over which offenders should register for life and which should come off the registry are at the center of a debate over legislation to overhaul the states extensive sex offender registry, used by law enforcement and largely available to the public online. Many law enforcement and advocacy groups are backing the changes, but victims and their families are divided. King said he has mixed feelings about the legislation.

SB421 by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, would allow most sex offenders to come off the registry 10 to 20 years after they are released from prison, so long as they have not committed another serious or violent felony or sex crime.

The bill, which already has passed the Senate, would remove lifetime registry requirements for even violent offenders. Offenders who have committed rape, lewd acts with children or forcible sodomy would be able to petition the court 20 years after their release to be removed from Californias sex offender registry.

Offenders who committed misdemeanor battery, indecent exposure and felony possession of child pornography would be allowed to petition for removal from the registry after 10 years if they keep clean records.

Lifetime registration would still be required for offenders convicted of repeat felony child molestation, kidnapping with intent to commit a sex crime and second offenses of violent or serious sex crimes.

The legislation allows for a one-time purge for those whose convictions are at least 30 years old if they have kept clean records and have not had multiple serious or violent offenses that would require lifetime registration. And offenders convicted as juveniles would be required to appear on the registry for five to 10 years, depending on the seriousness of their crime.

But while some critics find it unsettling that the state would stop monitoring rapists and child molesters, the bill has support from victim advocate groups, law enforcement and academics who point to studies that have shown that the risk to re-offend drops off precipitously over the years, and that law enforcement should focus their resources on those most likely to commit new crimes.

This fixes a really terrible problem in existing law  which is the complete failure to make any distinction between people who are classified as having a sex offense, said Ira Ellman, a law professor at UC Berkeleys Center for the Study of Law and Society. To throw them into one pot where they register until they die just makes no sense.

King agrees. He said a system that accurately identifies who is a high risk for re-offending and purges low-level offenders could have helped in his daughters case. But, allowing a child molester to come off the registry is where the bill loses Kings support. The bill is expected to have a hearing Tuesday in the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

If you rape a child when you were 25 and you are now 45 and youre wiped off the registry, yeah no thanks, King said. You should never come off.

His daughters killer had been convicted of molesting a 13-year-old neighbor in 2000 in an attack at his home where he sexually assaulted and beat her. That landed him on the sex offender registry when he was released from prison in 2005. Supporters of the bill say the new system would allow law enforcement to better monitor sex offenders like Gardner, instead of spending most of their time and budget processing registration paperwork in their offices.

Right now, there is a catchall concept, and that is overworking the entire system, King said. I like that there is a discussion about this, but it cant be driven entirely by statistics because even a 1 percent failure rate is terrible.

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This year marks the 70th anniversary of the states sex offender registry, which requires sex offenders to disclose where they live to law enforcement agencies. The 1947 state law was the first in the nation, and initially was used as a tracking tool for law enforcement.

A second registry was created as a public website in 2004 under Megans Law, which is named after a 7-year-old New Jersey girl who was raped and killed by a convicted child molester who lived across the street from her family without their knowledge. The public registry is intended to be a community notification tool and specifically states that it is not intended to be a punishment since offenders on the registry have already served their sentences.

Not all sex offenders are required to appear on the public registry, such as in some first-time offenses or in cases where the victim was a relative.

But law enforcement and scholars argue that Californias registry is so bloated  100,000 sex offenders and counting  that its become unwieldy and meaningless and should be thinned out. As Ellman, the law professer at UC Berkeley, put it, Californias registry is a giant haystack hiding the dangerous needles.

If you were to try to design a bill to reflect the data more accurately, no one should be on the registry for more than 20 years, said Ellman, citing research that shows nearly anyone who has been crime-free for 20 years is a low risk to re-offend, regardless of their original offense.

Legislators are moving the ball in the right direction, even if they arent moving the ball as far as it should go, Ellman said.

The state is one of four in the country that requires sex offenders to register with local law enforcement each year, within five days of their birthday, for life no matter how many decades they are removed from their last sex crime. Californias registry includes 650 sex offenders whose last convictions were in the 1940s and 1950s, according to data compiled by the California Sex Offender Management Board. About 22,000 people have been on the registry for more than 30 years.

Law enforcement agencies say they spend two-thirds of their budgets for sex offender supervision on the registration paperwork sex offenders are required to complete. Thats time spent in an office that could be used to monitor high-risk sex offenders in communities, the Los Angeles district attorneys office argued.

One longtime advocate for registry reform is Alameda County District Attorney Nancy OMalley, who is chair of the California Sex Offender Management Board. Another supporter is the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

We believe that the resources currently allocated to managing lifetime registrants could be more effectively used by focusing on those at the greatest risk to re-offend, wrote Sandra Henriquez, executive director of the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

One sex offender, a 40-year-old man who asked that his name not be included out of fear that he would be targeted, said each time he has moved, his Facebook feed is filled with people warning that he is in their neighborhood. He was convicted as a 19-year-old in El Dorado County for having unlawful sex with a 15-year-old.

I have to Google search who hires sex offenders, the man said. I didnt have a rich dad who could get this taken care of. When this happens, you are at the mercy of public opinion.

An 88-year-old woman in Fremont said the bill the Legislature is considering is her last hope to help her 37-year-old grandson. The woman asked that her name not be included in fear that her grandson would be identified. She said her grandson is a heavily medicated schizophrenic who was convicted 15 years ago of battery on a child after he knocked over a store display while drunk and put his hand up the skirt of a 17-year-old clerk attempting to pick up the mess.

Now, in failing health, she said she cant move into a retirement home because her grandson would have no place to live.

After 15 years, isnt that long enough for what the offense was? she asked.

Equality California, the LGBT advocacy group, is sponsoring the bill. Rick Zbur, executive director at Equality California, wrote in a letter supporting SB421 that LGBT people have been targeted and often entrapped on charges that required lifetime registration as a sex offender for engaging in same-sex contact when that action was criminalized in the past.

Californias registry has gone too long without the benefits of reform, Zbur wrote.

But not all victims agree. Michelle Morales, a 28-year-old sex abuse victim from Woodland Hills in Los Angeles County, said the registry should be for life and include anyone who commits a sex offense. As a child, she was repeatedly molested over seven years by her mothers boyfriend. She didnt report it to police until she was 25, but was able to work with police to record the man confessing to his crimes.

Just because a person on the registry doesnt have a new conviction doesnt mean they havent committed a new offense, she said.

It may just mean that there is a victim who hasnt come forward yet, Morales said. Staying on that list could save someone a lifetime of trauma.

Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez
If you want an idea of how justice works  or maybe doesnt  consider the saga of the neighborhood transient repeatedly charged with harassing members of Mark Zuckerbergs security detail outside the Facebook moguls San Francisco home.

One case went up in smoke after questions were raised about some of the details members. It turns out that three of the Zuckerberg guards who were due to testify had checkered records from their days as Oakland cops, which prosecutors worried could be damaging to the case.

And the latest case has the ring of deja vu  but first, the backstory.

Facebook lawyers sought a restraining order in 2015 on behalf of 15 guards working round the clock outside the Dolores Heights home where Zuckerberg lives with his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan. The guards said William Gordon Kinzer, a transient living in his car down the street, had repeatedly threatened them and made racist rants.

When Kinzer violated the order, he was sent to jail for three months. Once out, he continued to mix it up with Zuckerbergs security crew, authorities alleged. He was arrested in September and charged with felonies that included stalking, making criminal threats and violating his earlier stay-away order.

When lawyers from the public defenders office representing Kinzer started poring over the prosecutions witness list, they discovered that three of the guards were ex-Oakland cops with disciplinary records  including for excessive force.

Prosecutors, fearing the ex-cops testimony might do more harm than good, responded by dropping them from the case. They wanted Kinzer to take a plea deal that would put him into counseling.

Kinzers lawyers rejected the deal, and in April, prosecutors blinked and dropped the charges. Kinzer, who had spent seven months in jail, went free.

End of story?

Hardly  because on June 14, Kinzer, now 65, was arrested again  this time after he allegedly drove his car menacingly toward Zucherbergs protective detail, then sideswiped a moving vehicle before speeding off. He is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail on suspicion of a series of misdemeanors that include disobeying a stay-away order, hit-and-run and driving without a license.

Andrew Ross, SF Chronicle

Two of the former Oakland cops with troubled records are still providing security for Zuckerberg. And as luck would have it, they were on duty when the latest incident took place, according to authorities.

As a result, just like last time, were told they wont be asked to testify if the case goes to trial. Prosecutors hint that other witnesses will be called to describe what happened.

But then, we know how that worked out the last time.

Incidentally, Zuckerberg spokesman Ben LaBolt said information about the security detail was confidential and that the Facebook boss had no comment.

Smoldering: Fridays fire at a seven-story apartment and retail complex under construction near downtown Oakland has put the spotlight on the expanded use of wood-frame construction in residential buildings.

In 2008, the states codes were rewritten to allow buildings under eight stories tall to use wood framing, over two floors of concrete. The construction method generally is much cheaper than the old way, which required noncombustible exterior walls  typically, concrete and steel studs  from top to bottom.

But experts tell us all that wood makes the buildings especially vulnerable during construction, before sprinklers and flame-resistant drywall are in place.

That proved to be the case in 2014, when a six-story, 124-unit apartment complex under construction in San Franciscos Mission Bay went went up in flames. The fire was later ruled an accident.

Similarly, a five-story apartment building under construction in downtown Emeryville, on the Oakland border, burned twice in the past year  though in both those cases, investigators have concluded it was arson.

Tuolumne County Sheriffs Department

Sad saga: The roller-coaster marriage of former state Treasurer Bill Lockyer and wife Nadia  whose sex and drug scandal cost her her job as an Alameda County supervisor  has taken another downward plunge.

Nadia Lockyer, 46, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of misdemeanor battery of a spouse after she allegedly went on a drunken rage inside a vacation home in the Sierra foothills town of Twain Harte, according to Tuolumne County sheriffs officials.

Bill Lockyer suffered an undisclosed minor injury in the incident, authorities said. Sheriffs officials say they received a call from the house at about 10:55 a.m. about an intoxicated woman yelling and throwing things, though they did not identify the caller.

Authorities said Nadia Lockyer had a blood alcohol level of 0.22 percent when she was arrested  well over the legal limit for driving. She was held for several hours before she was released on $5,000 bail, a Sheriffs Department spokeswoman said.

This is obviously an extremely difficult time for the family, and as they work through it, privacy is imperative, said Tom Dresslar, a spokesman for Bill Lockyer. Bill is focused on his kids well-being and his wifes health.

Nadia Lockyer resigned as an Alameda County supervisor in 2012 after a meth-fueled affair with a South Bay man, who allegedly assaulted her in a motel room and tried to blackmail her with an X-rated tape he had shot of the two.

Nadia Lockyer subsequently was in and out of drug rehab, and the couple appeared headed for certain divorce. That is, until two years ago when they reconciled and began making a new life for themselves in Southern California  capped off when Nadia Lockyer proudly announced on her Facebook page that she had given birth to twin boys. The couple have one other son.

But just a couple days before her arrest, Nadia Lockyer sent out a more ominous Facebook message  a complaint about the state of her 14-year marriage in which she declared, With a huge broken heart and bruises, Im filing for legal separation.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
Creating an avalanche isnt easy. You need many complicated natural factors to interact in the right way at the right moment. Yet once the snow starts crashing, its unstoppable  and thats pretty much what happened with sexual harassment in Silicon Valley over the past two weeks.

Ubers chief executive, Travis Kalanick, is out after investors demanded his resignation over a list of issues including a horrific workplace culture where sexual harassment and discrimination were allegedly commonplace. Binary Capital, a venture firm, will wind down after a number of women spoke on the record claiming wildly inappropriate behavior they said theyd experienced from partner Justin Caldbeck.

Dave McClure, founder of the prominent incubator 500 Startups, is out after media reports that he harassed and allegedly assaulted women who worked at the firm or were in the process of applying to work there. Another partner at 500 Startups, Elizabeth Yin, resigned out of disgust with what she described as the firms lack of transparency and propagation of misinformation.

At Tesla, AJ Vandermeyden, an engineer, has publicly accused the company of firing her after she complained about sexual harassment and discrimination.

Amidst all of the headline-grabbing resignations, theres been a steady drumbeat of women from all over the technology industry telling their stories of unwanted advances, inappropriate comments, and aggressive retaliation in the event of complaints.

This is not a new story. Women who work outside the home have been bringing sexual harassment and gender discrimination cases before the courts, at great personal expense, since the late 1970s.

Nor is this story limited to Silicon Valley. In any industry dominated by men  whether its academia, construction, finance or journalism  youll find many, many similar stories from the women who work there.

Theres a numbing sameness to the cycle, especially since the brave women who dare to bring cases to court are raked over the coals reputationally, but rarely granted favorable judgments in return.

Most women either quit or settle out of court. I understand why they make these choices. It allows them to preserve their own sanity. But it costs the rest of us the potential of their contributions, and it allows predators the right to continue roaming.

So perhaps whats new about the past month is the fact that women didnt need to drag everything into court.

Instead, they were simply brave enough to speak up. For once, this was powerful enough to be the final factor  the slight puff of wind on the softening slope  that caused the current avalanche.

Why now?

The time was certainly right. Everyone knows the current incarnation of Silicon Valley is no meritocracy. Young women, especially, have no interest in the aggressive bro culture at places like Uber; theyre annoyed by the major companies pathetic annual diversity reports showing that all of them, from Google on down, have no intention of employing anyone beyond the usual demographic of white and Asian males age 25 to 40.

Facing harassment in their workplaces, they may have felt unsure about how to handle it. Thats where someone like Ellen Pao made a big difference.

Pao may have lost her 2015 discrimination case against venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, but she won a different kind of recognition: Many of the women who have come forward in recent days have mentioned her name. By putting herself through the grueling nature of a public trial, shes clearly helped many, many other women recognize their responsibility to them to stop this kind of behavior for themselves as well as others.

(The national climate may have inspired them, too. Many women are still furious at the election of a genital-grabber-in-chief. And where better to fight against this behavior than in ones own life?)

But probably the most important reason the avalanche happened is a very simple one: The women spoke up en masse.

Solidarity matters. Its easy to tear down the credibility of one woman. Its a lot harder when its half a dozen women  the number who spoke to tech news website the Information for the June 22 story about Caldbeck. A June 30 story in the New York Times relied on reports from more than two dozen women.

Its still coming. The women tech reporters I know have told me they have full voice and email in-boxes. Theyre combing through a flood of testimony.

So if there are more high-profile leadership changes in the coming weeks or months, theyve certainly been a long time coming. All the valley needed was a shift in the air.

Caille Millner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cmillner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @caillemillner
Responding to a a recent item that mentioned a warning against flushing with ones feet: Responses were so heartfelt that I did some further research into the practice. In a story headlined Flushing the Toilet with Your Feet Is for Idiots, the New York newsletter L magazine reported on a study that found 64 percent of Americans do this regularly. Its a guy thing, said Jim Mockbee.

Trogg Trogg, who has been a bicycle messenger for 31 years, says hes had a lot of restroom experience. I can use my feet and absolutely no hands in any public facility. I suspect the establishment you mentioned is the victim of people breaking the handle because they are not trained in the art of foot flushing while being gentle, he emails.

His recommendations for those who would take up this one-footed dance: Be an agile-on-your-feet kind of person. Then, wear flexible shoes. Third, practice. (He also says that the old Transbay toilet was the most horrid restroom in town, and hes looking forward to the new terminal.)

Meanwhile, Ann Winters says the foot flush gives her special pleasure because Im showing myself that Im not completely lacking in coordination and balance. ... However, I would never attempt this in heels  only sneakers or flats. (In a mostly irrelevant aside, reader Ron Turner reminded me that Steve Jobs used the toilet for stress-reducing foot soaks.)

P.S.: George Washingtons home is a National Historic Landmark located on the banks of the Potomac River near Alexandria, Virginia, says the emailed notice. Famously known as the Mount Vernon Estate, CALLAHEAD, New Yorks largest portable restroom company, takes Washingtons home as its namesake for their latest special event luxury restroom trailer. ... The Mount Vernon is the first ever colonial designed restroom trailer for the portable restroom industry.

Wisecracking Strange de Jim fueled Herb Caen for years, and since Herbs death, he has filled Facebook with his own bon mots and those forwarded from friends. He turned 75 on Sunday, July 9. Happy birthday, dear Strange, woof-woof (a direct quote from him), and may you wag your tail for many years more.

If you laughingly picture older people liking Dixieland and Lawrence Welk, youre probably a Baby Boomer. The truth is, however, that you are now an older person. A browse through a recent edition of the weekly Rossmoor News, which reports on that adult community, revealed that the Medical Marijuana Education and Support Club would be showing Reefer Madness (the antipot movie thats become an icon of irony) and that Julys activities included a Fourth of July performance by SuperHuey, a Huey Lewis & the News tribute band, and a Sunday, July 9, performance by Fleetwood Mask, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band.

The Official Committee of French-American Organizations of Northern California is planning a Bastille Day celebration that includes a Bal Populaire with live music, at 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 15, at Justin Herman Plaza. Organizers say the first Bastille Day celebration in San Francisco was in 1889. Im always wary of being a bulletin board for events, but the prospect of dancing outside to French music seems irresistible. The dance also promises to be an opportunity for practiced foot-flushers to strut their stuff.

At the same time, American vacationers in France report that signs posted in public places provide people with instructions on what to do in case of a terrorist attack. Line drawings accompanying simple directions include pictures of people running away, covering their faces, locking the door, maneuvering a heavy piece of furniture in front of it.

Mistaken identities:

At the Alameda Antiques Faire recently, reports Karen Mead, a woman holding a small child in her arms as a friend approached with an empty stroller told the child, Look at this, sir, its an Uber just for you. That would be a Struber, the friend said.

Meanwhile, Benita Kline was dropping her husband off at a bank in Berkeley, when a woman glued to her cell phone climbs into my backseat. I open the door and say, Not an Uber. The woman climbed out without a word of apology, just ran down the street to her real Uber.

On Thursday, July 6, as the relationship between the president of the United States and the dictator of North Korea worsened, the real life King of Fake News/satire, the New Yorkers Andy Borowitz, found a solution: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is being dispatched to Pyongyang, he wrote, to disrupt North Koreas swiftly advancing nuclear program by replacing its current system of training scientists with a dizzying array of vouchers, sources said.

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

The CD sounded like bears dying, but it was actually Tibetan monks chanting.

Women overheard

through a curtain at

the National Holistic Institute

in Petaluma by Lyndi Brown
The protestors also captured 47 trucks which were allegedly being loaded with sand before getting a permit on Friday.

By Pramod Madhav: Close to 500 villagers held three officers of the Public Works Department hostage to protest illegal sand mining. The protestors also captured 47 trucks which were allegedly being loaded with sand before getting a permit on Friday.

After nearly five hours, cops arrived at the spot and promised appropriate action. Following which, the officers taken hostage were freed.

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At Sirugambur, a village situated on the banks of the branch of river Cauvery, villagers noticed discrepancy with which the authorities allowed sand to be mined and when questioned, the authorities gave an arrogant reply or none at all.

Tamil Nadu is a state plagued by illegal sand mining dating back to nearly two decades which has almost destroyed its river beds.

Keeping this situation under consideration, late Chief Minister Jayalalitha kept forward a poll promise that once she comes back to power, the state government will claim all sand quaries and will regulate the business.

Now Chief Minister Edapadi K Palanisamy has announced that sand distribution and sales would be carried out through online platforms mainly to curtail online mafia. However, the chief minister's plan don't exactly seem to be working in many areas of the state.

Also Read:

Tamil Nadu theatres call off strike over GST just before Friday releases

After Madhya Pradesh, now Tamil Nadu farmers to relaunch protest in capital Chennai

--- ENDS ---
Early Friday morning near downtown Oakland, almost 200 apartments approaching completion went up in flames, the latest in a series of suspicious construction-site fires. The day before in Sacramento, state lawmakers showed that theres more than one way to incinerate new housing.

The Legislature is famously considering more than 100 bills to ease the housing crisis; it has now passed one to aggravate it. Approved by the state Senate Thursday and sent to Gov. Jerry Brown  who should not sign it  Senate Bill 106 includes a provision exempting Marin County from housing-density standards affecting the rest of the Bay Area for more than a decade.

Amid a deepening housing shortage rooted in parochial policies that stifle all kinds of development, its difficult to imagine a clearer legislative endorsement of the states prevailing not-in-my-backyard ideology.

Is it the NIMBY concept? Absolutely, state Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber (Tehama County), said before voting against the bill.

State Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco was the only Bay Area lawmaker and the only Democrat to vote against the bill. People are being evicted, he said. People cannot afford homes. We need more housing, not less housing.

The bill would extend a similar 2014 law that excuses the states wealthiest county, including its largest cities, San Rafael and Novato, from high-density housing developments prescribed for metropolitan areas. The exemption, now set to expire in 2023, would be continued until 2028.

Marin County Democratic Assemblyman Marc Levine and other supporters of the bill have argued that lowering the density requirement enables more of the suburban-style development the countys residents would welcome and thereby increases overall housing production. But state Sen. Nancy Skinner, a Berkeley Democrat who abstained from Thursdays vote, noted that the earlier legislation provided for an evaluation of the countys affordable-housing production as of 2019. SB106 doubles down on the policy without the benefit of that report, suggesting its supporters dont really care about its housing impact.

The Legislatures ruling Democrats introduced the exemption as part of a budget-related bill addressing a variety of unrelated issues, allowing it to escape the level of public scrutiny applied to most legislation. The Assembly passed it last month.

Soaring prices, rising homelessness, and tensions over development and gentrification, which may have found their worst expression in the rash of East Bay fires, can all be traced to the states failure to produce sorely needed housing. Judging by this legislation, Sacramento is still fiddling while Oakland burns.
The timing seemed politically perfect.

Last fall, Buffy Wicks, a self-described career organizer, activist and agitator who was running Hillary Clintons campaign in California, was scheduled to give birth to her first child  a girl  on election day, when she expected America to elect its first female president.

Wicks delivered on her part of the deal, although a couple of weeks late. That gave her extra time for deep soul-searching after Clintons loss. Sure, the Oakland resident had a fulfilling job waiting for her after the campaign, but she found Donald Trumps election so shocking that she wanted more.

I needed to do something, Wicks said. I need to pour my heart and soul into something.

It is something that many Democratic women have been saying for months. In the 2016 election cycle, about 900 women contacted Emilys List, which for 30 years has been training and raising money for female Democratic candidates who favor abortion rights, to express an interest in running for office. Since Trumps inauguration, 13,000 have contacted the group.

Now some  like Wicks, 39  are taking that initial interest a step further.

Last month, she announced her campaign to run for the East Bay 15th Assembly District seat that fellow Democrat Tony Thurmond is vacating next year to run for state superintendent of public instruction. Until recently, running for office wasnt something Wicks considered  not when she led Barack Obamas California field operations in 2007 and not when she served in the White House, helping to rally support for Obamas Affordable Care Act.

Other first-time female candidates are stepping up, too. Katie Porter, a consumer advocate attorney and UC Irvine professor, announced Friday that she has raised $310,000 in the past three months to take on incumbent Rep. Mimi Walters, R-Irvine, and has landed endorsements from U.S. Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

In Californias Fourth Congressional District, which spans 10 inland counties from north of Sacramento to near Fresno, Jessica Morse is one of four first-time female candidates (and one man) who have lined up to challenge five-term GOP Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove (Sacramento County) in a district where Republicans hold a double-digit edge in registration and that Trump carried in November.

If not me, who? And if not now, when? said Morse, 35, a former State Department employee who spent time in Iraq during the war a decade ago. What is there to be afraid of? Ive been to Iraq.

Its too early to tell how big a jump in the number of women running for office we might see  most candidate filing deadlines arent until early next year  but early signs are that one is taking shape.

In the past six months, there has been a boom in the number of women  particularly Democratic women  engaging in activism, according to a June survey of college-educated voters by American University/Loyola Marymount/Politico. The survey found that except for donating to a candidate or cause, female Democrats participated at higher rates than male Democrats did, doing things like joining a political interest group or talking about politics on social media.

Much of that energy comes from a deep dislike of Trump and his policies.

But its not just about Donald Trumps victory, it is Hillary Clintons loss and what that says about where we are as women in this country, Emilys List President Stephanie Schriock said prospective candidates have told her over the past few months.

However, that same survey showed that even though Democratic women say they want to do something  contact a legislator, march in a protest  to oppose Trump, that something often doesnt include running for office.

Donald Trump may be planting a seed for women who want to run, said Jennifer Lawless, a professor of government at American University who co-wrote the survey and has studied the issue for two decades. But that seed doesnt bloom in five minutes.

Instead, Lawless predicted that the first wave of first-time candidates will be like Wicks, Porter and Morse  women who grew up in the political world, she said.

Take Wicks. Shes not only spoken on behalf of Obama and Clinton while on the campaign trail, but shes likely to be more skilled at designing her own grassroots campaign operation than most professional consultants would be. While other first-time candidates might wilt after several nights of gripping and grinning with voters at a campaign house party, Wicks has done it for more than a decade.

Put me in a room full of voters, and Im happy as a clam, she said.

Some reasons women have traditionally given for not running are melting away. For years research has shown that some women dont run because they were not encouraged by a teacher or professional associate as often as men were.

Wicks didnt have that problem. She asked former top Obama campaign leaders like Ben LaBolt and Jeremy Bird for advice. All gave her the green light to run. A bonus: Given Wicks popularity among the vast network of Obama veterans in California, raising the $800,000-plus it will take for the campaign shouldnt be a problem.

In the past, potential female candidates have told researchers they were hesitant to run  even if they had similar credentials to a male candidate  because they felt they had to be almost perfect to be taken seriously.

Nobody asked me, and some discouraged me, Morse said. One prominent Democrat in her district, whom she declined to name, told Morse that if she ran, youd get crushed because youre a young woman.

Ive always been either the only woman in the room or the youngest by 30 years, Morse said. Whenever people have told me that I cant do something, I just say, Watch me.

That type of moxie will be needed because the number of females in Congress and the California Legislature declined this year. However, the number of women elected to city councils and county boards of supervisors increased in 2016, according to draft report on female officeholders by California Women Lead, a nonpartisan group.

Several left-leaning national and state groups are ramping up their efforts to take advantage of this anti-Trump sentiment and elect more women. But Rachel Michelin, CEO of Women Lead, wants to tap the breaks on some of those expectations.

Instead of running for Congress, she suggested that some first-time candidates run for a lower office  like school board or city council  where they can build a base of support and practice fundraising before taking on an entrenched incumbent.

Shes thinking about the future. While male candidates often run for office several times before winning, research has shown that first-time female candidates are less likely to run again if they lose, she said.

Regardless of how many women run for office next year, Schriock envisions that many of those who have contacted her since January will run at some point.

For most of our 30 years, our biggest challenge (at Emilys List) was getting women to say Yes I want to run, Schriock said. Now theyre asking, How do I do it?

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
As canna-business strategist Elise McRoberts walked across an animal skin rug and into the living room of a Pacific Heights home for the recent San Francisco launch of Beboe, an upscale cannabis brand from Los Angeles, she assumed she would see the usual faces on the marijuana circuit  growers, dispensary owners and cannabis chefs.

Instead, the party was a cross-pollination of the worlds of high society, Silicon Valley, politics, fashion and design: industrial designer Yves Behar, former Mayor Willie Brown, who carried decriminalization bills in the state assembly in the 1970s, philanthropists Katie and Todd Traina, boutique owner Emily Holt, salon-booking service founder Melody McCloskey, sustainable development designer Reed Woodson, venture capitalist Joshua Kauffman, yoga veteran Zander Gladish and social entrepreneur Gwendolyn Floyd, among others.

Im used to going to cannabis parties where I know everyone in the room, McRoberts said, but I only know one person here. Its most stylish and fabulous setting for a pot party Ive ever stepped into  the type of party Ive always wanted.

Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography/Photo - Devlin Shand for Drew Al

That was just the way Beboe co-founders Clement Kwan and celebrity tattoo artist Scott Campbell had planned it. Kwan, a UC Davis grad who went on to work in luxury fashion (Dolce & Gabbana, Yoox), grew marijuana to pay his way through college. Campbells grandmother, Be Boe, fed his cancer-stricken mother pot brownies to assist with nausea during treatment.

Now that cannabis is recreationally legal in eight states and the District of Columbia, the two men see a niche for products that carry an air of respectability. Instead of sneaking out into a dark alley to smoke a dealers joint, Beboe clients inhale from a rose gold vaporizer pen or nibble pastilles (apple spice, 5 mg THC in each candy). The packaging, ornamented with line drawings by Campbell, shows an attention to detail that signifies whoever made this is proud of it, Campbell said. He also hopes the brands story  it was named after his grandmother and her compassionate act of baking  will instill customer trust.

Every party has a host, in this case, Zak Williams, son of the late Robin Williams, who took the stage to extoll the virtues of Beboe. Im proud to be here as an investor in Beboe, at the cannabis Cotillion, he joked, a reference to both the upper crust society ritual and the debut of the new cannabis brand. You know cannabis has arrived when its at a party in Pacific Heights.

As waiters poured margaritas and Provencal rose in a room with women who casually spend $1,000 on a pair of Gucci shoes and men $5,000 or more on a Brioni blazer, one guest observed that Beboe might, in fact, be too inexpensive to be considered a luxury brand.

Only a few openly sampled Beboes wares, laid on coffee tables next to chips and dips. The vape pen (disposable, $60 for 150 puffs), made with oil derived from two strains of cannabis grown in northern California (OG Kush and Sour Diesel), manages to channel OG without being dank, said Chronicle cannabis editor David Downs, exhaling a puff. McRoberts, a cannabis edibles contest judge, popped an apple-spice pastille (apple spice, 5 mg THC in each candy, 25 per tin, $25) in her mouth. Delicious, she said.

Behar, known for the Jawbone Jambox and Sodastream Play, gave Beboes design concept a thumbs up: It looks like it fits the person theyre trying to reach. It makes sense stylistically.

Did it make sense to see former state assemblyman Rusty Areias, a principal at California Strategies, a public affairs and lobbying firm, at the party? Yes. He has worked for years on the regulation of cannabis, estimated to be a $6 billion cash crop in California, only $3 billion of it legal.

Lets legalize it and regulate it and bring it out of the shadows, Areias said. Does anyone really think this is going away? I doubt it.

The party, with Mexican food by Nopalita restaurant, doubled as Kwans 40th birthday party. But it was the guests who received presents at this one. On the way out, social circuit veteran Sonya Molodetskayas eyebrows raised in surprise at the party favor  an orange paper sack with Beboe products inside. Smiling, she noted, Thats definitely the most interesting gift bag Ive ever seen.

Carolyne Zinko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: czinko@sfchronicle.com
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Wildfires tore across Californias record-hot hills and valleys Sunday, with blazes in both Santa Barbara County and Butte County destroying homes and forcing hundreds to flee.

High temperatures, often in the triple digits, fanned at least 14 large fires, propelling about 5,000 firefighters into action statewide and confirming the start of a late but potentially dangerous fire season.

When its hot like this, things seem to start up, said Lynnette Round, spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. And because we had so much rain this year, its made the grasses and fuels bigger.

The Wall Fire in Butte County, which began Friday afternoon about 10 miles southeast of Oroville, had burned 5,000 acres of dry hills by Sunday afternoon and was showing little sign of letting up, Cal Fire said.

At least 10 structures were destroyed and 750 were threatened, prompting the evacuation of 4,000 people, Cal Fire officials said.

Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency Sunday in Butte County, paving the way for additional firefighting personnel and money.

With the forecast calling for 104-degree temperatures, the heat was combining with erratic winds to complicate the firefighting effort. More than 1,000 firefighters were on scene, assisted by water-dropping helicopters and retardant-splashing planes.

Just 17 percent of the blaze was contained by Sunday afternoon, Cal Fire officials said. The cause of the fire remained under investigation.

Farther south, the Whittier Fire west of Goleta (Santa Barbara County) had burned 7,800 acres and destroyed 20 structures by Sunday afternoon, the National Forest Service said. It was just 5 percent contained.

The blaze began Saturday and forced the shutdown of Highway 154 in the Lake Cachuma area. More than 100 children and counselors were temporarily trapped at a summer camp before being evacuated Saturday.

Just to the north, along the Santa Barbara-San Luis Obispo county line, the Alamo Fire ripped across 23,867 acres, becoming the biggest fire in the state, according to Cal Fire. No property damage or injuries were reported. It was just 10 percent contained Sunday.

In Contra Costa County, firefighters gained the the upper hand on a 370-acre wildfire near the Phillips 66 refinery in Rodeo. The blaze, which began about 2:30 p.m. Saturday on Willow Avenue near Interstate 80, was 90 percent contained Sunday afternoon, Cal Fire officials said.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander
Airbnb is putting down permanent roots in Seattle with a major new office that makes the vacation rentals company the latest well-known tech brand to grow rapidly in the region after establishing an initial beachhead.

The company signed a six-year lease for two floors at the 8th + Olive building in downtown Seattle, totaling 40,000 square feet with room for approximately 300 people, Airbnb's Vice President of Engineering Mike Curtis tells GeekWire. The announcement comes less than a year after GeekWire reported on Airbnb's initial Seattle presence at the WeWork office in Westlake Tower.

The expansion in Seattle gives Airbnb greater ability to poach people from a large number of companies, including one of its competitors, Bellevue, Wash.-based travel giant Expedia Inc., which acquired HomeAway in 2015 and has been positioning the Austin, Texas-based company as more of a direct rival to Airbnb. Expedia is planning its own move to the downtown Seattle waterfront in the coming years.

As of now, Airbnb has about 50 people working out of WeWork in Seattle, and Curtis said the company plans to start building out the new space toward the end of the year. As Airbnb's Seattle office grows, the company wants to base entire projects out of the office.

"We are trying to find parts of the technology and products we are building that we can actually have live here, instead of just being extra people working on something that's primarily being driven in San Francisco," Curtis said. "We want to have it so that this office can be a true technology center, where we can have big parts of what we need to build actually being driven and run from Seattle."

That is already happening to a point. A couple examples of work being done in the Seattle office include the infrastructure behind the company's customer service operation as well as messaging between guests and hosts.

In order to grow the number of projects based in the Seattle office, Airbnb is ratcheting up hiring not just for engineers, but also for product, design, data science and many other roles in the Seattle office. Curtis said the depth of talent in the area makes it possible to build an office with a variety of disciplines.

Airbnb has expanded its ambitions greatly in the last year or so. The company's bread-and-butter is acting as a place for travelers to connect with hosts renting out a room, house or apartment. In November, Airbnb announced Trips, which allows travelers to book activities, take guided audio tours, get recommendations from locals and more using the Airbnb app. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said last year the company also plans to add flights, car rentals, and other services to the app, signaling the company's big ambitions to become a one-stop travel shop.

"Airbnb eventually wants to be able to offer the entire trip, not just the place that you stay," Curtis said.

On the backend, Airbnb is investing heavily in machine and deep learning capabilities to improve how it matches travelers with hosts.

"When you think about Airbnb, it's a two-sided marketplace, where every guest is completely unique and has unique and distinct needs for what they want to get out of a travel experience," Curtis said. "On other side, you have hosts, be they home hosts or experience hosts, who offer completely unique experiences. In the center of that, the huge amount of technology that we've built and everything that we work on, is how do you create a great match between that traveler and the host that is going to provide that great experience for them."

Airbnb is headquartered in San Francisco, and along with its Seattle office, it has engineering centers in Portland and Beijing. The Seattle office is led by Airbnb engineering manager Ari Steinberg, who oversaw Facebook's Seattle engineering office before launching a travel startup, Vamo, that was acquired by Airbnb in 2015. Ian McAllister, who founded and led the AmazonSmile charity program as part of his long tenure at the Seattle-based e-commerce giant, co-founded the Airbnb Seattle office but has since gone back to Amazon, where he is now director of international expansion for Alexa.
WASHINGTON  The White House and Senate Republican leaders are planning a final, urgent blitz to pressure reluctant GOP senators to pass an overhaul of the Affordable Care Act before their monthlong August recess.

Aware that the next 14 days probably represent their last chance to salvage their flagging endeavor, President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., intend to single out individual senators and escalate a broad defense of the evolving proposal, according to Republicans familiar with their plans.

When Trump returns from Europe, he plans to counter the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Offices analysis of the legislation  which shows that 22 million fewer people would have insurance coverage by 2026 than under the current law  with figures and analyses from conservative groups and Republicans that show more benefits and less disruption, should the bill pass, according to a White House official familiar with the strategy.

Pence, meanwhile, is being asked to help bring along skeptical GOP senators, including Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., to whom he has already reached out personally.

McConnell is expected to place greater responsibility on Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to pitch his controversial amendment that would allow insurers to offer plans that dont meet ACA requirements  provided they also offer some that do.

The plans, which the Republicans described on the condition of anonymity, reflect the immense pressure GOP leaders feel as they try to bring their bill to a vote on the Senate floor.

It is far from clear that the strategy will work. Even as Trump has sought to complement McConnells efforts with his own, he has also complicated the majority leaders life  most notably urging a vote on strictly repealing the law if the current effort is unsuccessful. McConnell has floated a different backup plan: working with Democrats to stabilize the insurance markets.

McConnell can afford to lose only two of the 52 Republican senators if he hopes to pass the bill. No Democrats plan to vote for the measure, but Pence is ready to cast a tie-breaking vote if needed.

Kelsey Snell, Sean Sullivan and Robert Costa are Washington Post writers.
By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI) The spread of technology, telecom penetration and Internet has offered an opportunity to bridge the divide in education in terms of access and quality which must be seized, President Pranab Mukherjee said today.

Mukherjee was speaking at the inauguration of three digital initiatives in the education sector - Swayam, Swayam Prabha and National Academic Depository by ministry of human resource development.

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"Digital technology enables good teachers to directly teach large number of students who are not physically present in classes. ICT solutions offer an interactive learning experience through which students in remote parts of the country can benefit from lectures of the top teachers," he said.

Swayam and Swayam Prabha are digital classrooms the contents of which can be accessed either through Internet or direct-to-home service respectively.

National Academic Depository will have education certificates of every student in digital form which will ease the process of verification and also do away with the chances of forgery.

Through Swayam, courses will be offered through digital classrooms with study material available online in videos. It will be available free of cost, however students wanting certifications shall be registered, shall be offered a certificate on successful completion of the course, with a small fee, the Swayam website states.

The student will have opportunity to ask questions which will be answered in real time. Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian has also prepared a series of lectures on the Indian economy for Swayam and Swayam Prabha.

The students will be assessed through proctored examination and the marks and grades secured in this exam could be transferred to the academic record of the students, according to the website.

Swayam Prabha will tap into the potential of Direct- to-Home Service wherein a person can install the dish antenna for about Rs 1,500 and have access to 32 digital educational channels run by the HRD ministry.

Everyday, there will be new content for at least four hours which would be repeated five more times in a day, allowing the students to choose the time of their convenience, Additional Secretary in UGC Pankaj Mittal said.

The course content will cover almost every aspect of education in various fields from class nine onwards and preparatory courses for institutes like IITs.

"The quality of teaching and learning process is the heart of higher education. We have seen huge difference in the quality of attainment levels in higher education between the urban and rural areas, between the states and between institutions within a state," he said.

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Mukherjee said there are large numbers of students who study in vernacular languages whereas most of the knowledge is still in English.

"I call upon you all ? being the leaders of the higher education system ? to make concerted efforts to bridge this gap," he said. PTI ABS TDS KUN

--- ENDS ---
The Chinese state media have carried a barrage of critical articles on the Doklam standoff criticising India, but this was the first time Pakistan and Kashmir have been brought into the narrative.

In this October 23, 2013 photo, the Indian flag is flown next to the Chinese national emblem. (Picture for representation/AP)

By Press Trust of India: A "third country's" Army could enter Kashmir at Pakistan's request, using the "same logic" the Indian Army used to stop the Chinese military from constructing a road in the Doklam area in the Sikkim sector on behalf of Bhutan, an analyst at a Chinese think tank said.

"Even if India were requested to defend Bhutan's territory, this could only be limited to its established territory, not the disputed area," Long Xingchun, Director at the Centre for Indian Studies at China West Normal University, said in the article he wrote in the Global Times.

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"Otherwise, under India's logic, if the Pakistani government requests, a third country's Army can enter the area disputed by India and Pakistan, including India-controlled Kashmir," the article said.

THE DOKLAM STANDOFF

The Chinese state media have carried a barrage of critical articles on the Doklam standoff criticising India, but this was the first time Pakistan and Kashmir have been brought into the narrative.

"Indian troops invaded China's Doklam area in the name of helping Bhutan, but in fact the invasion was intended to help India by making use of Bhutan," it said, referring to the June 30 statement issued by India's External Affairs Ministry.

China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Doklam area near the Bhutan tri-junction for the past three weeks after a Chinese Army's construction party attempted to build a road. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Doklam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim. WHAT THE ARTICLE SAID

"For a long time, India has been talking about international equality and non-interference in the internal affairs of others, but it has pursued hegemonic diplomacy in South Asia, seriously violating the UN Charter and undermining the basic norms of international relations," it said.

"Through mass immigration to Sikkim, ultimately leading to control of the Sikkim parliament, India annexed Sikkim as one of its states," it alleged.

"This incursion reflects that India fears China can quickly separate mainland India from northeast India through military means, dividing India into two pieces," it said.

"In this case, northeast India might take the opportunity to become independent. India has interpreted China's infrastructure construction in Tibet as having a geopolitical intention against India. India itself is unable to do the same for its northeastern part, so it is trying to stop China's road construction," it said.

"India's incursion, based on its own strategic judgment, is a clear violation of international law," the article said, claiming that the western countries will not unconditionally support India as they have a wide range of "common interests" with China.

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"As for the territorial dispute between China and Bhutan, it should be resolved by both sides and India must respect Bhutan's sovereignty," it said.

"China can show the region and the international community or even the UN Security Council its evidence to illustrate China's position. It highlights China's sincerity and effort to maintain peace as a responsible big power. It will never resort to force till it is the last choice," it said.

ANOTHER ARTICLE ASKS INDIA TO DESIST USING 'DALAI LAMA CARD'

Another article in the same daily said India must desist using the "Dalai Lama card" and mess up relations with China.

Referring to reports that the "Tibetan national flag," a pro-independence symbol adopted by the Tibetan government-in- exile, was unfurled on the shores of Bangong Lake, known as Pangong Tso Lake in Indias in Ladakh region, the article said the timing on the incident coincided with the standoff between the two militaries in Doklam area and whether Indian authorities instigated the political activity of Tibetan separatists to exert pressure on China.

"The lake sits astride India and China, with the Line of Actual Control passing through it. It's the first time the Tibetan exile administration in northern India has flown the flag at this location," it said.

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"The timing of the flag-hoisting on Indian territory has sparked wide speculation over whether the Indian authorities instigated the political activity of Tibetan separatists to exert pressure on China. Although the involvement of New Delhi remains unclear, we hope they did not send any signal of approval," it said.

"INDIA HAS USED TIBET QUESTION AS A DIPLOMATIC CARD"

"New Delhi publicly promises not to allow any anti-China political activities by Tibetan exiles on Indian territory. But it has long used the Tibet question as a diplomatic card in dealing with Beijing," it said.

"When the Indian government attaches great importance to its relationship with China, it keeps a tight grip on anti- China political activities on its soil. However, when it is dissatisfied or has conflicts with Beijing, the Tibet card is played up. But India may overestimate the influence of Tibetan exiles," it said.

"With the rise of China and as Tibet becomes better off, Tibetan independence runs counter to the will of Tibetans. The space for Tibetan separatists has been largely squeezed as more Western countries have snubbed the Dalai Lama. The Tibet card is gradually losing its value," it said.

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"If New Delhi is pulling the strings of the Tibetan exiles political act of flag-hoisting, it will only have burned itself. Both border issues and the Tibet question concern Chinas core interests and China wont yield to provocations," it said. Given the ongoing border spat, Indian should "act prudently" to avoid escalating tensions, it said.

Also Read:

Chinese strategic expert: After Doklam, China can intervene in J-K

Doklam faceoff: Why China wants to grab Bhutan's land and blame India

Also Watch:

China's public statements on border situation a sign of bullying?

--- ENDS ---
SANTA CRUZ, Calif.  The largest paddleout in Santa Cruz history happened on Sunday to honor the legendary Jack O'Neill at his favorite beach, Pleasure Point.

More than a thousand surfers paddled from the Hook, 38th, Pleasure Point, and even from as far away as Steamer Lane to form an enormous circle in the ocean.

A thick layer of marine fog created a fittingly-somber mood to remember the icon who passed away June 3, 2017.

Black wetsuits formed dark, slow-moving shapes as surfboards silently glided toward the circle out at sea.

The fog lifted just in time to reveal just how incredibly huge Sunday's paddleout really was.

After paying their respects, many surfers did not return to shore -- instead they began catching glassy waves under a brilliant blue sky.

When combining the number of people who paddled out, together with a crowd that lined East Cliff Drive to watch, some observers estimated that 6,000 turned out for the historic event. The City of Santa Cruz declared July 9 "Jack O'Neill Day."

Story continues below.

O'Neill invented the wetsuit more than 60 years ago because, as O'Neill simply said, he wanted to be able to surf longer in cold water. He loved being in the ocean more than anything. O'Neill passed away peacefully at home with his family by his side at the age of 94.

The last historic paddleout in Santa Cruz happened in the summer of 2001 for Jay Moriarity, who died while free diving in the Maldives. Moriarity was most well know for his wipeout at Mavericks, and for his warm, stoked personality while surfing around Santa Cruz.

This story originally appeared on KSBW.
By Indo-Asian News Service: Actor Nelsan Ellis, famous for his role as Lafayette Reynolds on HBO's True Blood, is dead. He was 39.

The actor died on Saturday after complications from heart failure, reports variety.com.

"We were extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Nelsan Ellis. Nelsan was a long-time member of the HBO family whose groundbreaking portrayal of Lafayette will be remembered fondly within the overall legacy of True Blood. Nelsan will be dearly missed by his fans and all of us at HBO," a statement issued on behalf of HBO read.

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True Blood creator and executive producer Alan Ball echoed HBO's epitaph in a statement of his own.

"Nelsan was a singular talent whose creativity never ceased to amaze me. Working with him was a privilege," Ball said.

Ellis's The Help co-star Octavia Spencer broke the news on Instagram on Saturday morning, saying: "Just got word that we lost (Nelsan). My heart breaks for his kids and family."

Born in Harvey, Illinois, in 1977, he and his siblings moved to Alabama to live with their aunt before Ellis decided to move back to Chicago at age 15. At 17, he joined the Marines, but quit shortly after. After studying at the Illinois State University, Ellis went on to get his B.F.A. from Juilliard, where he just so happened to be a class above his eventual True Blood co-star, Rutina Wesley.

After a single season on Fox's The Inside opposite Rachel Nichols and Adam Baldwin and an episode of Veronica Mars, Ellis was then cast in the role that would define his career -- gay short order cook Lafayette Reynolds.

After 80 episodes over the span of seven seasons, Ellis walked away with a handful of sought after awards: Two Satellite Awards, an Ewwy for best supporting dramatic actor, and a NewNowNext Award for actor on the brink of fame.

Following the success of True Blood, Ellis moved from TV to film, landing key roles in movies like Get On Up, The Stanford Prison Experiment, Little Boxes, The Butler and The Help. The actor was seen in a lead role on the just-wrapped fifth season of Elementary.

"Crushed today by the loss of my friend and castmate Nelsan Ellis," said True Blood co-star Joe Manganiello.

Manganiello added: "He was a wonderful person, a pioneer, and a one of a kind artist. RIP."

Ellis is survived by his grandmother, his father and his son, Breon, as well as seven siblings.

Also read: Diya Aur Baati Hum actress Ragini Shah to play Reema Lagoo's character in Naamkarann

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Bengaluru, Jul 9 (PTI) BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav today hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee saying the current unrest in her state was "a home-grown project" of the ruling Trinamool Congress for "political advantage".

He also said cow protection was a "sacred mission" but people must understand that they cannot lynch anybody under the pretext of protecting it as "life was more sacred".

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Delivering a speech on "Integral Humanism - eternal and ever contemporary", organised by a group -- Awareness in Action -- here, Madhav said, "Today, if you see the unrest in Bengal it is actually a home-grown project of Mamata Banerjee, because in unrest lies her political advantage."

"Does it really pain you (Banerjee) that in your state on one hand Gorkha people are agitating, you dont listen to them and on the other hand there are communal riots?" he asked.

"You only blame others, you have no answer to it," Madhav said.

Banerjee had yesterday accused the Modi government and the BJP of trying to "disturb peace" and of "deliberate and total non-cooperation".

She had alleged that the Centres refusal to send CRPF personnel, as demanded by the state government, had led to the current situation in the Darjeeling hills where the indefinite shutdown entered its 25th day today.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the event, Madhav said the Trinamool Congress was "squarely responsible" for the "grave" law-and-order situation in West Bengal.

On the issue of cow protection, Madhav said for Indians everything was sacred.

"We are a worship-centric society, but the country has to understand this sacredness properly... Cow is sacred, cow protection is sacred, but remember life is the most sacred thing," he said, adding the sacredness of cow was to be protected, but one cannot spoil the "sacredness of life".

"You cannot lynch anybody in the name of protecting something," the BJP leader said.

To a question about China reportedly denying VISAs for a scheduled trip of the India Foundation, a think tank with links to the BJP, Madhav said it had been settled and the delegation was going there as scheduled.

On China issuing advisory to its people visiting to India, he said, "Those issues will be handled at a diplomatic level by our government. Everything will be sorted out."

Amid bilateral tensions over the Sikkim standoff, China had yesterday issued an advisory for its citizens travelling to India, asking them to take necessary precautions for their personal safety. PTI KSU VS NSD BDS NSD

--- ENDS ---

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Trump in June announced that the US will withdraw from the Paris climate accord, saying the deal agreed by more than 190 nations unfairly benefited countries like India.

By India Today Web Desk: Eighteen G20 members joined India to strongly support the fight against global warming. The members termed the Paris climate deal as "irreversible", leaving the United States, which walked out of the pact, isolated.

Unfortunately, the US stand remains against the Paris pact but all other members have shown strong support on climate change, Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, said.

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She said the communique clearly mentioned the US dissent and the position of all other members. "Obviously it could not be a fully common position," Merkel told reporters. "All G20 members except the US agree that the Paris agreement is irreversible," she said.

US President Donald Trump announced in June to pull out of the Paris Agreement saying that it imposed 'no meaningful obligations on the world's leading polluters' naming India and China. Trump singled out India in particular.

Trump said, "India will be allowed to double its coal production by 2020. Think of it: India can double their coal production. We are supposed to get rid of ours."

Trump's decision drew sharp criticism from international leaders, business groups and green activists.

WHAT IS THE PARIS AGREEMENT?

Scientific studies, carried out over decades, show that the earth's average temperature has been increasing consistently. Carbon emissions have been identified as the principal cause of temperature rise, which if goes unchecked will bring doom to the blue planet.

World leaders have been attempting to find a way to minimise the use of carbon fuels, which are essential for development, particularly of the middle and low income group countries, which have not reached the stage of technological advancement to use non-carbon fuels at large scale.

In December, 2015 the world leaders gathered in Paris and after hectic parleys, an agreement was reached which set goals for each country to cut down on carbon emissions. The principle for fixing the targets was as such to fix accountability of the countries in order to their contribution to global warming leading to climate change.

More polluting countries were tasked to do more for reducing carbon emissions.

THE G-20 SUMMIT COMMINIQUE The leaders said they remained committed to fighting corruption, including through international cooperation and technical assistance. They also resolved to advance effective implementation of international standards on beneficial ownership in domestic and cross border context. The leaders also called for completion of the IMF quota reforms and a new quota formula by 2019. They acknowledged that the malicious use of information and communications technologies can endanger financial stability. The leaders said that digitalisation offered opportunity for creating new jobs but there was a need to impart necessary skills for the future of work. They also called for the removal of market distorting subsidies and sought global cooperation to tackle excess capacity in industrial sectors. The leaders recognised that legitimate trade defence instruments and will promote favourable environment for trade and investment. They also committed to keep markets open and focus on reciprocity, non-discrimination, fight protectionism and unfair trade practices. The grouping agreed to meet next in Argentina in 2018, followed by Japan in 2019 and in Saudi Arabia in 2020.

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(With inputs from PTI)

Also Read:

US pulls out of Paris deal: Why Donald Trump is wrong in blaming India for climate change

Trump withdraws US from Paris climate deal; says deal not tough on India, China

Also Watch:

US pulls out of Paris Climate Accord; Trump says deal not tough on India, China

--- ENDS ---
BEIRUT  U.S. President Trump called for expanded cooperation with Russia on Sunday, as a cease-fire negotiated by the two powers and Jordan for southern Syria came into effect.

The cease-fire covering three provinces in southern Syria is the first tangible outcome after months of strategy and diplomacy between the new Trump administration and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump tweeted that the cease-fire, which came into effect at noon Sunday, will save lives.

A resident and local opposition activist in Daraa, near the Jordanian border, reported an uneasy calm hours into the truce.

Theres still a lot of anxiety, said Ahmad al-Masalmeh. Weve entered the cease-fire but there are no mechanisms to enforce it. Thats what concerns people.

Six years of fighting and siege have devastated Daraa, one of the first cities to see large protests against Syrian President Bashar Assad in 2011. It remains contested by U.S.-backed rebels and Syrian government forces supported by Russia and Iran. Large swaths of the city have been reduced to rubble by government artillery and Russian air power.

The truce also covers the Quneitra and Sweida provinces, where the government and the rebels are also fighting Islamic State militants, who are not included in the agreement.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict through a network of on-the-ground activists, reported calm across the three provinces as dusk fell Sunday.

The cease-fire followed weeks of secretive talks between the U.S., Russia and Jordan in Amman to address the buildup of Iranian-backed forces, in support of the Syrian government, near the Jordanian and Israeli borders. Israel has repeatedly said it would not allow Iran, a close ally of the Syrian government, to set up a permanent presence in Syria.
Wellington property developer Mark Dunajtschik has donated $50 million to build a new children's hospital in Wellington.

The development was announced by Health Minister Jonathan Coleman this morning. While details have not yet been finalised, it is expected to be around 7,000 square metres, and is likely to be three floors with 50 inpatient hospital beds. It will be built on the Wellington Regional Hospital site in Newtown, with construction to begin early next year and lasting about 18 months.

Coleman said existing child hospital and outpatient services will move into the new hospital, while services and staffing levels are expected to remain the same.

"Mr Dunajtschik is a very successful businessman with a very big heart and his offer to build a new childrens hospital for Wellington is extraordinarily generous, Coleman said. "While gestures on this scale are not unheard of, they are extremely rare. Mr Dunajtschik has said his philosophy is that people blessed with a sound mind and body can look after themselves, but those born with or suffering illness and disability need our support."

Some 4,000 children and their families are admitted to child health services at Wellington Regional Hospital each year, while over 5,000 children attend nearly 38,000 outpatient appointments. Coleman said Duanjtschik and his team will now work alongside DHB clinical teams to design the hospital.

(BusinessDesk)

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China has increased its foothold in the realm of solar energy and cuteness by constructing a panda-shaped solar farm.

By PTI: Cute panda products flock markets and their videos the internet. Now pandas have entered the world of solar energy.

While most solar farms look like an Excel sheet with rows and columns, Datong, China has built a large solar farm shaped like the iconic black and white giant panda.

The 250-acre station will have a have a capacity of 100 megawatts when fully connected, providing 3.2 billion kilowatt-hour of green electricity in 25 years. That is equivalent to saving 1.056 million tonnes of coal, or reducing 2.74 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

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Called the Panda Power Plant, the project is an initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It has been built by Chinese company Panda Green Energy. The company's CEO Li Yuan explains the panda-shape by sharing that "Designing the plant in the shape of a panda could inspire young people and get them interested in the applications of solar power."

This is only the beginning, further expansions are underway and the power plant will be 1,500 acres when complete in the next 5 years. The Telegraph has reported that 'Young candidates from around China will be recruited to participate in summer camps at the panda power stations, with a focus on providing them with a deeper understanding of green energies.'

There are also plans to bring panda power stations to Fiji and the Philippines, with the aim of building 100 across the globe over the next five years.

(With inputs from PTI)

--- ENDS ---
In order to reach the CM and hand over their applications to him, people jostled with each other during the 'Janata Darbar'.

By India Today Web Desk: Six people were injured on Sunday in a stampede at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's Janata Darbar at Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur on Sunday.

The UP chief minister was addressing people at the darbar. A large crowd had gathered for the darbar of Yogi Adityanath on Sunday when the stampede took place. In order to reach the CM and hand over their applications to him, people jostled with each other during the darbar, which resulted in 6 people getting injured, including women.

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According to the police, the injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital.

There was a stampede when some people tried to jump the queue. Around six people, including women, were injured in the stampede.

Also read: Yogi Adityanath tells MLAs to adopt broken schools to revamp education system

Also read: Yogi Adityanath's statement on Taj Mahal irks people of Agra

--- ENDS ---
In its article, Kayhan entitled They humiliated and received awards wrote, The remarks of the former French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bernard Kouchner, in the gathering of MEK-which was held in Paris one day after Zarifs travel to France, signifies Frances intention to humiliate our country.

Shariatmadari writes, Bernard Kouchner in MEKs Gathering in Paris states that, The Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs came to France and was welcomed yesterday. I do not want to put the blame on the French Foreign Minister, Mr. Jean-Yves. We are an old republic and we can welcome and accept everyone in our country on this basis. However, it is better to do the right things at the right time. In my opinion, welcoming Zarif, the day before this gathering was not a good thing. Nevertheless, we are very happy and proud as the government did not release a general statement about Mr.Zarifs travel.'

According to the state-run Kayhan Newspaper, Kouchners remarks explicitly shows that the French government refused to issue a statement or release news regarding Zarifs meeting with Emmanuel Macron in order to humiliate the Iran regime.

Khameneis affiliate and the member of the regimes Expediency Council, Haddad-Adel also reacted to the Gathering of the Iranian Resistance in Paris, stating that, France cannot claim to fight terrorism while it hosts the Mujahedins. The Government shall take effective measures in this case.

Haddad-Adel In an interview with Tasnim News, affiliated with the terrorist Qods Force, on Wednesday, July 5, 2017, stated, We believe that the government should protest strongly to France in this regard.

The Iranian MP, Karimi-Ghodousi, on Wednesday, June 5 slammed Zarif for traveling to France in the wake of the Iranian Resistances Gathering. He stated, Why does the Foreign Minister travel to Paris while the MEK holds gathering in this city at the same time. In my opinion, he visits officials without considering the rules of the Islamic Republic. The Elysees Palace does not even allow our national media to prepare news, photos, and films whereas we are witnessing the gathering of MEK. Does Mr. Zarif know that such gathering has been prepared and held?

He further added, It is noteworthy that such gathering in Paris was not a popular event. Therefore, we have to pose a serious question to the Minister of Intelligence whether the intelligence system was aware of the event or not. Why do they refuse to tell the news? The experts of the Ministry of Intelligence should inform about MEK and their preparations when Zarif goes to France, and if he wants to go there, he has to be well-prepared. What kind of diplomacy do we have?

Read More:

In a reaction to the grand gathering of Iranian Resistance, an expert of Iranian regimes foreign ministry demanded review of relations and cutting off ties with France.

In an interview with Iranian state-run media, Hassan Hanizadeh said: MEK (The Peoples Mojahedin of Iran) gathering in Paris was held at a time when Mr. Zarif (Iranian regime foreign minister) was in a meeting negotiating with French officials and this is considered an insult to Iranian people (i.e. an insult to Iranian regime) by France. Mr Zarif should have reacted to this insult but he restrained and the French government seems to be exploiting Irans restraint.

In the first step, the Islamic Republic should announce its protest and, if necessary, even consider the issue of interrupting relations with Paris, he added.

The regimes expert in political affairs assessed the approach of the French government towards the Iranian regime as non-transparent and hypothetical and said: On the one hand, the French government tries to maintain its economic ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran and, on the other hand, leaves the field open to the Mojahedin (PMOI/MEK).

He showed his anger at the Iranian Resistance gathering and said: Iranian regime should ask the French authorities to hand over some elements of Mojahedin (PMOI/MEK).

Hanizadeh also expressed his anger at the expansion of the international activities of Iranian Resistance and Mojahedin (PMOI/MEK) and said: Now, France has become the focal point of MEKs activities, and the Islamic Republic must take a decisive decision against the falsification and blackmail by Paris and demand the expulsion of Mojahedin (PMOI/MEK) from the French soil.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Police are asking the public's assistance in ascertaining the whereabouts of a West Brighton man, who reportedly has been missing for more than a month.

Jack Lobiondo, 58, of 35 Seneca Street, was last seen leaving his residence at about 5 p.m. on June 1, according to a written statement Sunday from the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information's office.

The missing is described as five-feet-six-inches tall, and 150 pounds.

Anyone with information pertaining to Lobiondo's whereabouts is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or for Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public also can submit tips on the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or by texting 274637(CRIMES) and entering TIP577.

Police say all calls are kept confidential.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Students and graduates from Staten Island Technical High School will be honored at a ceremony as winners of the third annual 2017 "Young Innovators to Watch" award competition.

CE Week, in partnership with Living in Digital Times announced the winners who will be honored on July 12. A panel of industry-expert judges selected exceptional projects created by New York City middle school, high school and college students, all under the age of 20.

Out of the five winners, here are the two winning projects from Staten Island:

* Current and former students from Staten Island Tech: Abigail Brown, 18, Yousef Alsayid, 17, Curtis Mason, 17, and Mark Ayad, 16 designed the "MACAY Labs HiFi Mod," a high-fidelity speaker that attaches to a smart phone to allow users to customize their audio experience with studio-quality sound.

* Staten Island Technical High School student Michael Klamkin, 16, created "Dual Extended Kalman Filtering," a new approach to monitoring the charge of lithium-ion polymer batteries that is much more accurate than the battery life monitor built in to a phone.

The competition honors students who are using technology and STEM/STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) skills to create the products of tomorrow. Projects are ranked on their creativity, user design, use of STEM and STEAM, scalability and civic mindedness.

"This is hard stuff. Students working in tech and the sciences need some positive reinforcement and there's no better place to recognize them then at CE Week where they can see the most exciting tech innovation and careers," said Robin Raskin, the program's creator. "Being recognized at an industry technology showcase is really empowering for these winners."

Winning projects each receive a $1,000 scholarship provided by CE Week, NY and the Kay Family Foundation, a gift card provided by B&H Photo, a special speaker system provided by Monster and a MiP Robot provided by WowWee Toys.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- A Staten Island woman who claims her husband was seduced by Manhattan is seeking damages in Supreme Court, according to published reports.

Kirsten Larson filed court papers in Richmond County Supreme Court claiming her once affectionate and attentive husband turned emotionally abusive and neglectful after taking a tech job for a high salary in Manhattan, according to a New York Post report.

According to the report, the couple lived modestly for eight years on Staten Island, after a marriage in 2006 that was featured on the Style Network show "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?"

Her then-husband, Wesley Smith, cared for her medical needs caused by pulmonary hypertension, a chronic lung condition that leaves sufferers weak, fatigued and short of breath, according to the report.

Then, in 2014, Smith got a job with internet startup Button in Manhattan, and became seduced by the big city, Larson claims.

Court papers allege Smith forced the couple to move to Manhattan, stopped tending to Larson's medical issues, blew off family and criticized Larson's every move, the report says.

Larson is seeking $42,000 in damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress, the costs of her moving out of their Manhattan home, and the psychiatric care she sought in the face of his emotional abuse, according to the report.

It wasn't the first suit filed in regard to the breakup.

In 2016, Larson's father, Robert, sued Smith for $106,000, claiming he helped pay the couple's mortgage payments, car and a new central air conditioning system, said the report. Smith counter-sued for $6 million, claiming he never asked Robert Larson for any money and the older man is angry at the marriage ended, the report said.
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Conference House, located at the southern end of Hylan Boulevard in Tottenville, is named in honor and commemoration of the famous peace conference of 1776.

On September 11, 1776, Continental Congress representatives John Adams, Edward Rutledge, and Benjamin Franklin met with the King's representative, Lord Richard Howe, at Colonel Christopher Billopp's home on Staten Island.

The British would not consider independence a negotiable term and the congressional representatives had been authorized only to negotiate terms that included independence. No reconciliation was reached. With the failed peace conference, both the Crown and the colonists faced the inevitability of war.

The Conference House (formerly known at the Billopp House) is a two-story, rubble stone masonry building constructed circa 1680 by Captain Christopher Billopp.

Explore this 360-degree video as volunteer Lawrence Ronan gives us a peek into the kitchen and conference room.

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Mobile users click here to view on YouTube.

Want to see more 360 videos of Staten Island? Check out our 360 video playlist:
This happens against the backdrop of a widespread campaign in Iran condemning the regimes three-decade-long crimes in the countrys prisons, especially the massacre of 30 thousand political prisoners in the summer of 1988.

One of the more recent cases is that of Majid Assadi, 34, who lives in Karaj, 40 km west of Tehran. Holding a degree in economics from the Alameh Tabatabai University, Assadi is a student activist, former political prisoner, and a supporter of the MEK.

On February 18, 2017 agents of the Ministry or Intelligence and Security (MOIS) arrested Assadi after they violently broke into his fathers home in Karaj.

The ten armed MOIS agents arrested Assadi and ransacked his house without any warrant.

At the time of the arrest, the agents also harmed Assadis ailing father, who had just undergone a liver implant surgery as part of his cancer treatment.

The agents handcuffed Assadi in front of his family and interrogated his family in his presence to torment him. They then confiscated all of his personal belongings, including his personal computer, phone and books.

Assadi was subsequently transferred to the Karaj intelligence office, and from there to Evin prisons ward 209, where political prisoners are held. He spent 50 days in solitary confinement, under severe mental pressure and interrogations.

Since the time of his arrest, Assadi has been held in a state of limbo. After lingering in wards 209 and 240, he was transferred to Gohardasht prison in recent weeks.

According to the latest reports, Assadi is now in Gohardasht and his case remains unsettled.

In 2008, Assadi was arrested for attending a ceremony to commemorate the anniversary of the 1999 student protests in Tehran. Assadi was held in solitary confinement for 52 days.

In 2010 he was given a four-year prison sentence. His appeal request was rejected, and he was imprisoned from 2011 to 2015.

At present, Majid Assadis family have called on human rights organizations and other relevant international bodies to help save his life and deliver him from the dungeons of the Iranian regime, where human rights activists are executed and tortured to keep the mullahs in power.
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A sex industry veteran has welcomed the ACT government's decision to revisit recommended changes to decades-old legislation that could see sex work more formally subject to occupational health and safety standards.

Also among the recommendations made after the 2011 inquiry into the Prostitution Act 1992 was that the government provide funding for a culturally and linguistically diverse outreach service and scrap laws preventing HIV-positive people from engaging in sex work.

Sex Worker Outreach Program peer support worker Lexxie Jury. Credit:Karleeen Minney

The inquiry was triggered after the 2008 death of a 17-year old working in a Canberra brothel. A government response to the committee's 2012 report stalled until discussions with stakeholders were recently reignited.

"Following directives from the minister, [the Justice and Community Services Directorate] is consulting with stakeholders to confirm whether the recommendations remain relevant," a directorate spokeswoman said this week.
Debt collectors will pursue former ACT Health patients for millions of dollars worth of unpaid bills in a bid to crack down on increasing patient debt.

ACT Health has called for tenders for external debt recovery agencies to recover money from patients without a Medicare card or who aren't Australian citizens, including overseas visitors and students on visas.

The Canberra Hospital's adult mental health unit is suffering under a 'crippling' shortage of psychiatrists. Credit:Karleen Minney

The debt collection agency would have to be able to recover money from former patients both within Australia and across the world.

In tender documents, the health directorate said it did not currently have an appropriate way to escalate the recovery of debt.
It's another sub-zero start to the day, before we get to a forecast top of 13 . Tomorrow's worse (or better, if you're into the ice cold) with a -3 chill and Wednesday gets lower at -4. In other words, get the heating going and rug up.

The ACT government is putting patient debt in its crosshairs and is planning to chase millions of dollars in unpaid health bills.

ACT Health has called for tenders for external debt recovery agencies to recover money from patients without a Medicare card or who aren't Australian citizens, including overseas visitors and students on visas.

Even those overseas may not escape. The government wants the debt agency to be able to recover money from former patients both within Australia and across the world.

The move comes as non-eligible patient debt has ballooned from $1.3 million in 2012 to $6 million in 2017.

Katie Burgess looks at how the government is trying to recover the missing payments.
Customers of ING Direct may soon be able to ask their "digital assistant" to check their bank balance, or tell a "chatbot" on Twitter to freeze a credit card that has gone missing.

As banks grapple with the mobile revolution, the online bank is preparing for what some in the technology world think could be an even bigger change: the rise of artificial intelligence.

ING Direct is preparing to use chatbots that can answer banking questions asked in everyday language.

By the end of this year, it expects to be capable of unleashing chatbots on Twitter, Facebook, and Google's Assistant, which is the tech giant's answer to Apple's digital assistant, Siri.

While many banks are active on social media, and other Australian banks are also working with chatbots, ING says its new wave of bots are different because they will be able to talk to customers in in everyday, jargon-free language.
Science is, at its heart, an exercise in doubt.

Scientists doubt their findings, challenge them until a theory can be proven, and move on to the next uncertainty about the world we inhabit.

Some of those looking to discredit scientific work use this doubt in arguments against even proven theories, such as the phenomenon of climate change.

Despite the scientific consensus around anthropogenic climate change, there remains uncertainty around individual events and whether they should, or can, be attributed to global warming.
London: The fight against Islamic State terrorists on the battlefield and online will top the agenda when Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull meets his British counterpart Theresa May at 10 Downing Street.

On his first visit to Britain as Prime Minister, Mr Turnbull will sit down with Ms May on Monday night Australian time to discuss the fight against IS, as well as cyber security and intelligence sharing issues.

Mr Turnbull will also meet with top officials from Scotland Yard, British spy agencies and visit the Borough Markets and London Bridge, where two Australians were murdered last month in the latest in a series of terror attacks carried out in Britain.

A meeting between Mr Turnbull, an avowed republican, and the Queen is also scheduled for late on Tuesday, Australian time.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is seeking to downplay the latest Liberal backbench push to legalise same-sex marriage, saying the move is not a surprise and will not shift the Coalition from its plebiscite policy.

Liberal senator Dean Smith has publicly confirmed he is drafting a private members' bill he intends to bring before the Liberal party room in the coming months, saying the issue has become an embarrassment for the nation.

"The bill is important because it will allow the Liberal Party to revisit the issue of marriage once and for all before the next election," Senator Smith told The Sunday Times in Perth. "I don't doubt the complexity same-sex-marriage presents for some Liberals, but I am not asking people to change their mind on the issue. Instead, we should allow everyone the right to vote according to their own conscience."
Lindy Klim has announced her pregnancy the only way a modern, globetrotting mother does in 2017 - via Instagram.

The 39-year-old model, who is based in Bali, announced on Sunday afternoon she was "beyond excited" to be 16 weeks pregnant with her fourth child, her first with property developer fiance Adam Ellis.

"My baby kissing my baby," Klim wrote alongside a photo of her daughter, Frankie, kissing her belly.

Klim has three children with her former husband, Olympic champion swimmer Michael Klim, from whom she officially split in early 2016.
When someone is pregnant or a new baby is born, usually the first question on everyone's lips is: is it a boy or a girl?

Despite this preoccupation with gender, the parent of eight-month-old Canadian baby Searyl Atli Doty is determined not to enforce or register a gender for Searyl. In British Colombia, where Searyl was born, the gender of a birth can only be registered as either male or female.

What if a child's gender identity is different from their sex? Credit:Francesc Bolunya/Stocksy

Kori Doty, Searyl's parent, identifies as gender non-binary, neither male nor female, and uses the gender neutral pronouns "they, them, their" for themselves and for Searyl, as a child who has not yet expressed any gender preference.

Kori told CBC News that "until they have the sense of self and command of vocabulary to tell me who they are, I'm recognising them as a baby and trying to give them all the love and support to be the most whole person that they can be outside of the restrictions that come with the boy box and the girl box."
When 11-year-old Elijah Perris won a part on an HBO series The Leftovers, earning superannuation was the last thing on his mind.

But since super came along with the job, his mother Helen Perris duly opened an account in his name with industry fund Media Super.

Elijah Perris was paid compulsory super when he won a part on HBO series The Leftovers. Credit:Daniel Munoz

Less than a year later the entire balance was eaten up by account fees, default life insurance and default income protection insurance.

"I probably don't need to worry about it for 50 years ... but I feel ripped off," Elijah said. "They're basically just ripping me, and whoever else that's happened to, off. That makes me feel pretty annoyed."
Parent contributions top $500,000 a year at some NSW public schools, with 22 high schools earning more in voluntary fees than 1764 schools combined, new data from the NSW Department of Education reveals.

Just 1 per cent of schools made a total of $10,256,737 from parents in 2016, compared to $10,229,394 from 79 per cent of schools, a Fairfax Media analysis of the data shows.

New study: Popularity at high school could lead to unhappiness later in life. Credit:Bob Pearce

Sydney Boys' High, one of the state's top performing selective schools, raised $1,389,677 through voluntary fees and subject contributions in 2016, the data shows. The data does not include money raised from Parents & Citizens' Associations.

Other selective schools, including North Sydney Girls, Northern Beaches Secondary College Manly Campus and North Sydney Boys also raised more than $500,000 each, while highly sought-after schools, such as Cherrybrook Technology High and Epping Boys also received almost half a million dollars from parents.
Two-thirds of all drug company-sponsored events for health professionals occur in clinical settings such as hospitals and doctors' offices, new research shows.

Researchers from The University of Sydney - who created a database of 117,000 pharmaceutical company-funded events held over a four year period - said it was alarming to discover 64 per cent occurred in clinical settings.

A new study shows two-thirds of drug company-sponsored events were held in a clinical setting, such as hospitals, clinics or doctors offices. Credit:AFR

"While the wining and dining in flashy restaurants have captured the public's imagination and drawn outrage, these routine flows of influence within hospitals may well be far more insidious," said one of the researchers Dr Ray Moynihan from Bond University.

"I don't think many patients would appreciate how often their hospital doctors and nurses are being educated courtesy of drug company money."
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Paris: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has expressed his disappointment that G20 leaders failed to condemn North Korea's provocative ballistic missile tests.

But Mr Turnbull said that "nobody round that table was defending the North Koreans, in terms of their conduct" at the G20 meeting in Hamburg.

And after discussions on Saturday evening with French President Emannuel Macron at the Elysee Palace, the Prime Minister said he was confident that Australia would begin construction on the next generation submarine from 2021.

President Macron said on Saturday night, at a joint appearance with Mr Turnbull, that France would do "everything necessary" to keep its end of the bargain and deliver Australia 12 new submarines on time.
The Finance Department will overhaul how MPs claim expenses after a review called for an urgent IT upgrade to the complicated system and found it was causing stress and confusion.

Public servants managing the expenses system for parliamentarians still manually process claims, while the review released in 2016 found a patchwork of software adopted haphazardly wasn't up to the task for MPs and senators trying to report their spending.

MPs' expenses went under the microscope after former speaker Bronwyn Bishop was embroiled in a scandal in 2015. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

After the Abbott government called the independent review when the infamous 'Choppergate' scandal involving former speaker Bronwyn Bishop put MPs expenses under the microscope in 2015, its authors took aim at the claims system and said it needed to move online.

Finance invited the IT industry to a briefing on Friday and will ask the private sector to help its Ministerial and Parliamentary Services and newly-formed independent parliamentary expenses agency modernise the antiquated system, which the review said was bogging down parliamentarians' staff filling out paperwork.
An anti-Uber activist who was slapped with a court order banning him from intimidating and harassing drivers has been ordered to pay almost $400,000 in legal costs, in the final chapter of a protracted court battle.

Russell Howarth, a self-proclaimed anti-Uber advocate who performed citizen's arrests in a campaign against the ride-sharing service, was permanently restrained by the Supreme Court in April from threatening or harassing Uber drivers and users of the app.

Mr Howarth, an undischarged bankrupt, represented himself during the bulk of the proceedings while Uber was represented by three barristers including Sydney silk Bruce McClintock.

In a decision last week, Justice Michael Slattery ordered Mr Howarth to pay $391,152 in costs, representing about 60 per cent of Uber's total legal bill.
Doctors in NSW emergency wards have no consensus approach to handling rising levels of drug-induced psychosis and violence, a coroner has found.

Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame recommended Health Minister Brad Hazzard consider a statewide meeting to develop best practices around sedation, seclusion and physical restraints.

A coroner has called for NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard to consider holding a meeting to develop best practices around emergency room violence. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

While two reviews of the NSW mental health system are under way, parts of a hospital security overhaul launched last year have not been implemented.

Ms Grahame's recommendation arose from an inquest on the death of Ben Gilligan, a Dubbo man who escaped a mental health ward and later died in a car crash.
Multiple accounting changes used in the state budget have helped swell the government's surpluses by billions  but drawn scrutiny for potentially being unsustainable and "irresponsible".

NSW Treasury has quietly made major changes to the way all state-owned corporations, including the water companies, must manage their finances.

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet. Credit:Janie Barrett

But the result went unnoticed in last month's state budget: a near doubling of the previously estimated "dividend" that state-owned water companies pay the government to reach about $960 million next year.

Over the next four years the extra revenue from Sydney Water, Hunter Water and Water NSW equates to about an extra $1.5 billion for Treasury.
A white car may hold the key to solving the execution of Sydney teenager Brayden Dillon, who was shot at close range in the head in his bed.

The 15-year-old was asleep in his family home at Glenfield in the city's south-west on Good Friday when a masked intruder kicked down the front door.

He burst past Brayden's mother, threatening her with a pistol before storming upstairs to her son's bedroom.

The gunman shot Brayden twice in the head and then fled.
Five people have died and a man is fighting for his life after a series of crashes across south-east Queensland on the final day of the winter school holidays.

A 57-year-old woman was pronounced dead at Tallai, at the Gold Coast, after the car she was a passenger in veered off The Panorama and collided with a tree about 8pm on Sunday evening.

A woman has been killed and a man is fighting for his life after a crash on the Gold Coast. Credit:Twitter / Nine News Gold Coast

The driver of the car was rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital in a critical condition.

The Forensic Crash Unit was investigating and The Panorama was closed for several hours overnight.
On August 23 last year, British backpacker Chris Porter went to the pub with his friend, Mia, had a feed and a couple of beers and headed back to the hostel to bed.

Hours later he awoke to screams and horror of an alleged rampage that left two of his friends dead and sent shockwaves from a sleepy Queensland town all the way back to England.

Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 20, was killed at a hostel near Townsville last August. Credit:Facebook

Almost a year on from the alleged murders of fellow Brits Mia Ayliffe-Chung and Tom Jackson at the hands of French backpacker Smail Ayad in the sugar town of Home Hill, south of Townsville, the Gold Coast-based chef has spoken on camera for the first time.

"I just woke up to screaming and, you know, that was kind of, it just went bang and everything just kind of exploded," he would tell the ABC's Australian Story, to be aired on Monday night.
NBN Co has reached the halfway mark of its network roll-out early, thanks to a reduction in the total number of premises that will be connected by 2020.

The government-owned company is celebrating the halfway milestone on Monday after rolling its infrastructure past 5.7 million premises, with about 2.2 million of those premises actively using the network.

By 2020 NBN Co expects to connect a total of 11.2 million premises, down from an earlier estimate of 11.9 million premises. Both these estimates are down from a 2011 expectation that NBN Co would connect 13 million premises.

It aims to have 8 million active customers using its network by 2020, generating $4 billion of revenue.
More than seven out of 10 toll road fines end up with the driver entering the criminal justice system, an Age analysis has revealed.

The courts "can no longer cope" with enforcing the infringements, say legal advocates.

Monday morning of traffic on the Eastlink Tollway. Credit:Jason South

Critics of the punitive system are calling for an urgent overhaul, arguing the unpaid infringements issued by private toll road operators are clogging up Victoria's courts.

An Age analysis of infringement data, obtained under freedom-of-information laws, showed drivers from the Frankston and Cranbourne area received infringements at a higher rate than the rest of Victoria.
When Perth fisherman Brendan McGregor headed out for an afternoon of fishing with a mate on Saturday, he had expected a quiet trip and hopefully a few King George Whiting.

However it wasn't long before the men were joined by two rather large unexpected visitors.

"Came across these beasts yesterday arvo on the way back in from a fish. The white was as long and as wide as my v17r Haines." Credit:Brendan McGregor

Mr McGregor had been returning to the Mindarie Marina with his friend Jason Garratt when he spotted a whale carcass drifting nearly one mile out from Alkimos Beach.

"Jason is new to the boating and fishing scene so I headed over to it so he could have a look, and [I thought] that there might be some sharks hanging around it," Mr McGregor said.
President Trumpas son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also attended the meeting last year at Trump Tower. Credit:Bloomberg "It became clear to me that this was the true agenda all along and that the claims of potentially helpful information were a pretext for the meeting," Mr Trump said. When he was first asked about the meeting on Saturday, he said only that it was primarily about adoptions and mentioned nothing about Mrs Clinton. Trump Tower in New York, the headquarters of Ivanka Trump's company. Credit:Bloomberg Mark Corallo, a spokesman for the President's lawyer, said on Sunday that "the President was not aware of and did not attend the meeting".

Lawyers and spokesmen for Mr Kushner and Mr Manafort did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In his statement, Donald Trump jnr said he asked Mr Manafort and Mr Kushner to attend, but did not tell them what the meeting was about. US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian hackers and propagandists worked to tip the election toward Mr Trump, in part by stealing and then providing to WikiLeaks internal Democratic Party and Clinton campaign emails that were embarrassing to Mrs Clinton. WikiLeaks began releasing the material on July 22. A special prosecutor and congressional committees are now investigating the Trump campaign's possible collusion with the Russians. Mr Trump has disputed that, but the investigation has cast a shadow over his administration. Mr Trump has also equivocated on whether the Russians were solely responsible for the hacking. On Sunday, two days after his first meeting as president with Russian President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Mr Trump said in a Twitter post: "I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion ..." He also tweeted that they had "discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded ..." On Sunday morning on Fox News, the White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus, described the Trump Tower meeting as a "big nothing burger".

"Talking about issues of foreign policy, issues related to our place in the world, issues important to the American people is not unusual," he said. But Representative Adam Schiff, of California, the leading Democrat on the House intelligence committee, one of the panels investigating Russian election interference, said he wanted to question "everyone that was at that meeting". "There's no reason for this Russian government advocate to be meeting with Paul Manafort or with Mr Kushner or the President's son if it wasn't about the campaign and Russia policy," Mr Schiff said after the initial Times report. Ms Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer invited to the Trump Tower meeting, is best known for mounting a multi-pronged attack against the Magnitsky Act. The adoption impasse is a frequently used talking point for opponents of the Magnitsky Act. Ms Veselnitskaya's campaign against the law has also included attempts to discredit the man after whom it was named, Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer and auditor who died in mysterious circumstances in a Russian prison in 2009 after exposing one of the biggest corruption scandals during Mr Putin's rule.

Ms Veselnitskaya's clients include state-owned businesses and a senior government official's son, whose company was under investigation in the United States at the time of the meeting. Her activities and associations had previously drawn the attention of the FBI, according to a former senior law enforcement official. Ms. Veselnitskaya said in a statement on Saturday that "nothing at all about the presidential campaign" was discussed. She recalled that after about 10 minutes, either Mr Kushner or Mr Manafort walked out. She said she had "never acted on behalf of the Russian government" and "never discussed any of these matters with any representative of the Russian government". The fact of the Trump Tower meeting was disclosed to government officials in recent days, when Mr Kushner, who is also a senior White House aide, filed a revised version of a form required to obtain a security clearance. The Times reported in April that he had failed to disclose any foreign contacts, including meetings with the Russian ambassador to the United States and the head of a Russian state bank. Failure to report such contacts can result in a loss of access to classified information and even, if information is knowingly falsified or concealed, in imprisonment.

Mr Kushner's advisers said at the time that the omissions were an error, and that he had immediately notified the FBI that he would be revising the filing. In a statement on Saturday, Mr Kushner's lawyer, Jamie Gorelick, said: "He has since submitted this information, including that during the campaign and transition, he had over 100 calls or meetings with representatives of more than 20 countries, most of which were during transition. Mr Kushner has submitted additional updates and included, out of an abundance of caution, this meeting with a Russian person, which he briefly attended at the request of his brother-in-law Donald Trump jnr. As Mr Kushner has consistently stated, he is eager to co-operate and share what he knows." Mr Manafort, the former campaign chairman, also recently disclosed the meeting, and Donald Trump jnr's role in organising it, to congressional investigators who had questions about his foreign contacts, according to people familiar with the events. Neither Mr Manafort nor Mr Kushner was required to disclose the content of the meeting. A spokesman for Mr Manafort declined to comment. Since the President took office, Donald Trump jnr and his brother Eric have assumed day-to-day control of their father's real estate empire. Because he does not serve in the administration and does not have a security clearance, Donald Trump jnr was not required to disclose his foreign contacts. Federal and congressional investigators have not publicly asked for any records that would require his disclosure of Russian contacts.

Ms Veselnitskaya is a formidable operator with a history of pushing the Kremlin's agenda. Most notable is her campaign against the Magnitsky Act, which provoked a Cold War-style, tit-for-tat dispute with the Kremlin when president Barack Obama signed it into law in 2012. John O. Brennan, the former CIA director, testified in May that he had been concerned last year by Russian government efforts to contact and manipulate members of Mr Trump's campaign. "Russian intelligence agencies do not hesitate at all to use private companies and Russian persons who are unaffiliated with the Russian government to support their objectives," he said. The FBI began a counterintelligence investigation last year into Russian contacts with any Trump associates. Agents focused on Mr Manafort and a pair of advisers, Carter Page and Roger J. Stone. Among those now under investigation is Michael T. Flynn, who was forced to resign as Mr Trump's national security adviser after it became known that he had falsely denied speaking to the Russian ambassador about sanctions imposed by the Obama administration over the election hacking. Congress later discovered that Mr Flynn had been paid more than $65,000 by companies linked to Russia, and that he had failed to disclose those payments when he renewed his security clearance and underwent an additional background check to join the White House staff.
Jerusalem: Israel isn't known for its fondness of the United Nations and its institutions, but a resolution passed on Friday questioning Israel's continued occupation of the ancient West Bank city of Hebron and the damage it might be causing to holy sites there drew an unusual response.

"Sorry ... I have a very urgent ... sorry, Mr Chairman ... it's my plumber in my apartment in Paris," Carmel Shama-Hacohen, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), said sarcastically while addressing the forum's annual gathering.

Israeli soldiers outside the site known to Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque and to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs. Credit:EPA

"There is a huge problem in my toilet, and it's more important than the decision you just adopted, thank you."

The conference had just passed a resolution proposed by Lebanon, Kuwait and Tunisia to place Hebron on the World Heritage list of endangered sites. The ruling includes the sacred site where Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their wives are believed to have been buried  a site that has been revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims for thousands of years,
Whether outsiders played a decisive role in Tuesday's firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile is not publicly known. But the evidence from the televised engine test in March is tantalising, and also disturbing, analysts say. While North Korea is known to have obtained other Soviet missile designs in the past, the new revelations suggest the possibility of a transfer of weapons secrets that has gone undetected until now. US Vice-President Mike Pence looks at the North Korean side from Observation Post Ouellette in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in April. Credit:AP "It would mean that North Korea had a wider procurement network in the former Soviet Union than we had thought," said Elleman, a missile expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies who oversaw the dismantling of Soviet-era missiles in Russia and Ukraine two decades ago. "My first question would be, 'What else have they got?'" A startling confession It was, without a doubt, one of the strangest mass arrests in the history of Moscow's Sheremetyevo-2 Airport: On October 15, 1992, police detained 60 Russian missile scientists, along with their families, as they prepared to board a plane for North Korea.

Most foreign policy experts are sceptical that Beijing will apply adequate pressure on North Korea's Kim Jong-un. Credit:AP Under questioning, the scientists confessed that they had been hired as a group to help the North Koreans build a modern missile fleet. In those early days after the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was little work for Russia's elite weapons scientists, and little pay to help them feed and clothe their families. "We wanted to make money and come back," one of the scientists explained at the time to a Russian journalist. Under threat: The city skyline stands shrouded in haze in Seoul, South Korea. Credit:Bloomberg Scores of other scientists did make the journey in the 1990s, taking with them decades of experience as well as parts and blueprints. It was the beginning of a Russian-influenced renaissance in North Korea's missile arsenal, which until then consisted mostly of outdated, early-generation Scuds, some of them purchased on the black market. Around the same time, North Korea also obtained sensitive nuclear technology from Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan.

The Russian government has insisted it had nothing to do with the transfer of missile secrets to North Korea. But Soviet designs became the templates for a series of intermediate-range ballistic missiles built and tested by North Korea over the next two decades, with extra features and capabilities added by a new generation of engineers recruited from the country's best schools. Soldiers gather in Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Thursday. Credit:AP Still, the program struggled, with many missiles blowing up on the launchpad, said Gaurav Kampani, a University of Tulsa international security expert and fellow at the Washington-based Atlantic Council. "North Korea's ballistic missiles, especially its long-range missile project, were often considered a joke because of an unusual number of test failures," Kampani said. Surprising breakthroughs

The jokes stopped after North Korea achieved a series of technical breakthroughs in surprisingly rapid succession. Just in the past four years, Pyongyang has launched satellites into orbit and successfully tested one missile that can be fired from a submarine, and another that uses solid fuel, a significant military advance because it allows for more mobility and a much faster launch. On Tuesday, its Hwasong-14 missile became the first in North Korean history capable of travelling more than 5400 kilometres, the minimum distance needed to be classified as an intercontinental ballistic missile. The missile is believed to be a two-stage version of the Hwasong-12, which carries the same engine that North Korea put on public display in March. In nearly every case, the technical foundations of the new missiles can be traced to know-how acquired from Russians and others over many years. Yet, the advances of the past years suggest that North Korea's engineers are now managing quite well on their own. "The consensus has been that North Korea's program - missile as well as nuclear - is mostly indigenous," said Laura Holgate, a top adviser on non-proliferation to the Obama administration who stepped down in January as head of the US mission to the United Nations in Vienna. "They continue to seek to import commercial dual-use technologies for their weapons programs, but the design and innovation is homegrown."

The many failures in the past were simply part of the learning curve for a country with a demonstrated ability to benefit from its mistakes, said David Albright, a former UN weapons inspector and president of the Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington think tank. "Armed with the acquisition of many goods from abroad, North Korea appears to have devoted considerable resources to making the missiles domestically and, more importantly, figuring out how to launch them successfully," Albright said. "With regards to missiles, practice makes perfect." Russian ancestor Yet it is also clear that North Korea's engineers are continuing to benefit from designs bequeathed to them years ago. Before Pyongyang's new missile engine surfaced, US officials fretted about the Hwasong-10, a mobile, intermediate-range ballistic missile that was successfully tested last June. The missile, which is capable of reaching targets as far as Guam, some 3200 kilometres away, has been shown in independent analyses to be a modified version of a Russian missile commonly known as the R-27 Zyb. North Korea is believed to have obtained the Russian blueprint in the 1990s and to have spent years working on prototypes, current and former US officials said. Elleman, the former Pentagon missile expert, believes that North Korea's newest missile engine has a similar past. The designs were most likely obtained years ago, through rogue scientists or on the black market, only to surface recently as part of a newly energised missile program.

Elleman is preparing to publish an analysis comparing the engine used in the Hwasong-12 and Hwasong-14 with the Soviet-era RD-250, using photos that highlight nearly identical features, including cooling tubes, exhaust nozzles and the four auxiliary engines that steer the rocket. "They've had these designs for a long time, and they've probably been doing exercises around these engines for 15 years," he said. "All that work was done, and all [that] was left to do was the ground testing and flight testing with these different designs. It is what has allowed them to rapidly build up and try all these things over the past few years." The key new element was most likely North Korean leader Kim Jong-un himself, who accelerated the pace of the country's nuclear and missile development soon after taking power. "They are serious about trying to create a capability that could threaten the United States," Elleman said. The lingering Soviet legacy partly explains why North Korean technology tends to be decades behind that of the United States and other modern military powers, said David Cohen, a former deputy director of the CIA who had advised the Obama administration on North Korea's weapons advances. "The missiles they're shooting now have some new engineering, but it's all based on old Soviet models," Cohen said.
The entrance to the village of Lasseubetat in south-west France, population 250. Credit:Nicolas Sabathier There were unsubstantiated claims she had undergone facial reconstruction surgery. But ahead of tomorrow's anniversary of the bombing, Fairfax NZ tracked her down to a small village of 250 people in south-west France, where the 66-year-old is a respected local councillor. Many locals know her past, but they know her better for her active involvement in the life of the village over the past 10 years. Mayor Aime Soumet describes her as "a very precious resource for the community".



He has discussed the Rainbow Warrior affair with Cabon: "The attack was an interference on New Zealand soil, for sure." 'A very precious resource': Locals in the small French village where Christine Cabon lives are aware of her past. Credit:Ascension Torrent Rainbow Warrior crew members who survived the bombing said this weekend that they were still angry about the terrorist actions of the French government, but accepted that Cabon and her co-conspirators would never face justice.

First mate Martini Gotje said he would never shake Cabon's hand: "I will never forget." Former Auckland detective superintendent Allan Galbraith was officer in charge of the Rainbow Warrior investigation. Credit:Ross Giblin/Stuff After her name became public in the police inquiry, Cabon was unable to continue working in the French secret service as an undercover agent. But she was awarded France's Legion d'Honneur medal and served out her career in back-office roles. She retired eight years ago to the tiny village of Lasseubetat. Though cagey at first, Cabon eventually provided details of her infiltration of Greenpeace. She stood by her subterfuge, saying military officers "can find themselves in situations they hadn't wished for" and cited her contractual obligation to the army, which forbids her speaking for 50 years after seeing active service. Yet to New Zealanders, she conceded, "we are the terrorists".

Christine Cabon in 1985. Credit:AP Wirephoto "Whoever ordered the mission, whatever the reasons, good or bad ... what we did, it's called an attack." Sitting down this week for a more detailed interview with a reporter for the French newspaper La Republique des Pyrenees and the Sunday Star-Times, she acknowledged the bombing - an attack by a "friendly country" - was "a trauma" for New Zealand. Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior after the bombing in 1985. The death of Pereira should never have happened, she said. "But it's too late to go back in time.

"My job was what it was. I entered the army to prevent international and national conflict because my family, originally from Alsace, suffered from the [Second World] war," she added. Portuguese photographer Fernando Pereira, who was killed in the bombing carried out by French commandos. French divers attached limpet mines to the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland in a mission to disrupt Greenpeace protests against French nuclear tests on Mururoa Atoll. Numerous agents took part, but only two - Alain Mafart and Dominique Prieur - stood trial. Despite receiving 7 to 10-year prison sentences, they served less than two years on Hao Atoll, a military base in French Polynesia. Gotje was aboard the Rainbow Warrior when the bombs went off. He said the bombing was an attack not just on Greenpeace but on all of New Zealand: "They come in and act as if they own the world - typical nuclear-weapon state behaviour."

Asked if he'd like to see Cabon face justice, Gotje said: "From my heart I would say yes, but from my head I would say, well, it's not going to happen." Cabon's vague statements of regret meant little to him: "In the meantime Fernando's kids grew up without him, and she was part of the team that murdered him." But his anger is mostly focused on the French government: "They used people to do the dirty work for them." If he were ever to meet Cabon, "I won't shake her hand, but I also won't biff her on the nose". Greenpeace New Zealand head Russel Norman said it was "sad" Cabon couldn't see her actions were wrong. "You have one life on this planet and it's pretty short. And is that really how you want to use it: helping to kill a peace activist?"

He said it was up to the New Zealand government whether it wanted to ask police to reopen the inquiry into Cabon. Retired detective superintendent Allan Galbraith, who tracked Cabon to Israel, said he didn't expect to see her extradited. But he would like to talk to her: "I'd be interested to know what she knew about what her information was leading to. Whether she knew there was going to be a sabotage of a ship or whether she knew much less than that." "It was a surprise to find her in Israel, " Galbraith says now. "I think the Israelis were very well aware she was an intelligence agent."

On July 26, two days after New Zealand police issued a warrant for her arrest, the Auckland Star broke the news that a Greenpeace volunteer claiming to be an archaeology student was an undercover agent instrumental in the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior. Then the rival Herald reported that detectives were en route to Israel.



She disappeared the same day. Arboit suspects the French disguised her and flew her back home: "Once in France, she was untouchable." French authorities would have considered the mission successful, regardless of Pereira's death, Arboit says. "If it wasn't for him, no one would be still talking about the Rainbow Warrior, " he adds, bluntly. "What went wrong was that Prieur and Mafart were arrested." Greenpeace International executive director Bunny McDiarmid was a deckhand on the Rainbow Warrior on the night. She said justice was "never served" for Pereira's death: "We will never forget what happened that night 32 years ago. But most of all we will never give up." Loading To honour Pereira was to continue his work for the green and peaceful future he believed in, she said.
Washington: After weeks of public statements and private phone calls with no apparent result, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has decided to personally intervene in the ongoing Persian Gulf dispute that has threatened US counter-terrorism operations in the Middle East.

Tillerson will travel late on Monday to Kuwait, where its government has unsuccessfully tried to mediate between Saudi Arabia and three other Arab countries that have blockaded and broken relations with the tiny, energy-rich nation of Qatar, home to the largest US military base in the region.

He will spend the week receiving leaders in Kuwait or shuttling among regional capitals, according to senior US officials.

Tillerson's first foray into high-stakes crisis negotiation comes as his stewardship of the State Department has been questioned in Congress, the White House and within the department itself.
'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever': What to know before you see it
Historical period pieces are in vogue, from Netflixs The Crown to PBS Victoria. TNT takes us farther back in time to the 1590s with Will, a fictionalized punk rock dramatization chronicling the rise of real-life playwright William Shakespeare.

It begins with a two-episode premiere at 8 p.m. Monday on Spectrum channel 38.

And, yes, all the worlds a stage here, and all the men and women are merely players. Sorry, I couldnt help myself.

In this case, the players include newcomer Laurie Davidson in the title role, Mattias Inwood as Richard Burbage, Jamie Campbell Bower as Christopher Marlowe and Ewen Bremner as Richard Topcliffe, the notorious law enforcer who hunts down Catholics, of which Shakespeare may or may not have been one.

The story picks up with a young Shakespeare leaving his small village (and wife and three kids) to find fame and fortune in London. Cue The Clashs London Calling, the first song we hear from the series soundtrack.

London is a carnival-esque as is the theater scene. A particularly fun moment in the pilot is watching Shakespeare battle real-life rival Robert Greene at a pub in a war of words, a sort of rap-off done with Elizabethan language. It sets the tone for whats to come.

Created by Craig Pearce, the series is brash and vibrant, driven by punk rock. It makes the Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love look tame in comparison. Grade: B

Also premiering this week:

Salvation, 8 p.m. Wednesday, CBS. So what happened to the professor? That was my question after watching the pilot of the networks latest summer sci-fi thriller. Charlie Rowe plays MIT grad student Liam Cole who discovers an asteroid will collide with Earth in 186 days. He takes the information to his professor, who then mysteriously disappears.

But Liam, who initially is shaken by his professors sudden departure, seems to get over it quickly after taking his info to super tech whiz Darius Tanz (Santiago Cabrera), who takes it upon himself, with, oddly, the help of a Pentagon press agent (Jennifer Finnigan) to save the human race from extinction. The pilot had more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese. Grade: C

News and notes

* The big news this past week was the announcement that Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park, who play Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua, respectively, wont be returning for the eighth season of Hawaii-Five-0 on CBS after a contract dispute. Reports say both were looking for salaries comparable their white co-stars, Alex OLoughlin and Scott Caan. In a Facebook post to fans, Kim alluded to racial tensions, saying, "The path to equality is rarely easy."

* Nebraska-born actress Moon Bloodgood has landed a recurring role for the third season of the CBS drama Code Black. Shell play an upstart paramedic. Bloodgood most recently starred for five seasons on TNTs Falling Skies as Anne Glass.

* AMC, no surprise, has renewed Better Call Saul for a fourth season. Also getting renewed is NBCs new summer reality show, World of Dance, for a second season, and Netflixs Dear White People, also for a second season. NBC, meanwhile, wont bring back the edgy comedy Carmichael after it finishes its third season this summer.
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The International Quilt Study Center & Museum aims at collecting and exhibiting internationally-made quilts, traditional American quilts and contemporary quiltmaking. That is precisely what is happening in three shows now on view at the museum.

The international exhibition is Sacred Scraps: Quilt and Patchwork Traditions of Central Asia.

The show of more than 65 objects opens with a display that attempts to replicate the interior of a yurt, the round portable tents that serve as the dwelling places of Central Asian nomadic groups.

On the floor is a black-and-white patterned rug. On the wall behind it is a wall hanging that contains an arch-like pattern, setting the background for pillows and bedding, made from the fabric that gives the show its name, stacked atop decorative trunks.

The exhibition then explores the use of textiles through the cycle of life, beginning with marriage. There are, notably, an intricate camel covering, used during the marriage ceremony, and a domed, patchwork wedding palanquin and bunting used to cover the bride as she rode the camel to her wedding.

Children are the subject of the next set of items. They include hats, quilted wall hangings and a beautiful, two-sided crib cover over a cradle that is made to be easily transportable. Then comes clothing -- long, dyed robes, a patchwork apron-skirt and textiles used by adults -- before ending with carpets that continue the tradition.

Sacred Scraps, created by guest curator Christine Martens and the museums Marin Hansen, is the first major exhibition of the patchwork and quilting traditions of Central Asian and will travel to other venues after it closes at IQSC&M in December.

The traditional American quilt show is Off The Grid: The Bill Volckening Collection.

A sampling of pieces from the 150 works in collection of Oregons Bill Volckening, Off The Grid isnt off the grid, geometrically. Instead, the 1970s quilts vary from the norm, or at least the critically appreciated norm by material -- theyre made from polyester double-knit fabrics.

People would actually make faces when I talked about polyester quilts, Volckening says in a statement accompanying the exhibition. I didnt care. I was enthralled.

Its easy to see why Volckening was taken by the quilts that are on view. Theyre large, brightly colored and, with a couple exceptions, strongly geometric. The standout piece, to me, is the instant eye-catcher Tile Blocks, a quilt made of hundreds of interlocked, stacked, multi-colored squares and rectangles separated by lines of black rick rack trim.

Off The Grid is on view through Aug 27.

The contemporary quilt exhibition is Layered Voices.

A group show created in association with Studio Art Quilt Associates, the 25 quilts in Layered Voices were selected from more than 500 entries from around the world responding to a 2016 call to create entirely new work in layers.

Those layers could be literal or metaphorical -- both are represented in the show that includes pieces from artists from the U.K., Australia, Japan and Belgium as well as the United States.

The Layered Visions pieces that most attracted my attention during a visit to the show were:

Core Sample, a three-dimensional piece from Golden, Colorados Regina Benson that is inspired by the geologic sampling near her home, the quilt reflecting the layers of brown earth bisected by a tube that would pull up the sample.

Death Shroud for Democracy by Kristin LaFlamme of Portland, Oregon, is one of a pair of politically charged works in Layered Voices. Referencing the shroud of Turin, the quilt contains ghostly Uncle Sam in its center, the figure who represents America disappearing beneath layers of words that tear at the fabric of democracy. Done before last years election, it is even more resonant today.

The other politically charged work is This Revolution Will Not Be Televised #13, Protest Series by Penny Mateer and Martha Wasik of Pittsburgh. Taking its title from the powerful 1970s protest song by Gil Scott Heron, the quilt incorporates round photos of 76 African Americans killed in police custody since 1999 into its layered cloth.

Of Irritability and Salinity by John Lefelhocz of Athens, Ohio, is an innovative combination of digital art, in the form of LEDs and quiltmaking, an interior map with lights illuminating positions marked as with qualities such as credibility, perspective and endurance.

Finally, Defiant, a piece combining digital imagery taken in Bosnia on quilted fabric, comes from Middletown, Marylands Linda Colsh, who coincidentally has a show, titled Like Breath on Glass that exhibits that series of work in the museums first-floor gallery.

Layered Voices closes July 30.

A fourth major Quilt House exhibition now on view is Regarding Nebraska, an installation by Lincoln sculptor Elizabeth Ingraham of a stitched, drawn and digitally-imagined cartography of the state. Ill have much more later on Ingrahams show, which closes Sept. 17.
A Campaign Issue

These are the questions that the chancellor must now face, right in the middle of her re-election campaign. She can't duck responsibility. But then, neither can her primary opponents from the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Hamburg's Mayor Olaf Scholz, after all, is a member of the SPD. And his assurance in the run up to the G-20 summit - "Don't worry, we can guarantee your safety" - has already entered the pantheon of misguided political pledges in Germany.

It's no wonder, then, that representatives of the SPD and of Merkel's conservatives have been trying to outdo each other in condemning the violence that took place. Merkel's Chief of Staff Peter Altmaier has referred to it as "left-wing extremist terror" while Martin Schulz, the former European Parliament president who is running as the SPD's candidate for chancellor, called the rioters "murderous arsonists."

The chancellor, for her part, sought on Saturday to assuage the anger of those affected by the violence. Together with the city of Hamburg, she announced, the Finance Ministry will come up with a plan to quickly and straightforwardly help victims repair the damage.
Don Walton Political reporter/columnist Don Walton covers politics and the Legislature along with writing a weekly column. Follow Don Walton Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Farmer, firefighter, Boys Town health care official, boutique owner announce plans to seek seats in the Legislature in 2018.

Just the way it's supposed to be.

It's a citizen legislature and variety is good.

Since the job doesn't pay much  $12,000 a year  the biggest missing ingredient always is the blue-collar worker. He and she cannot leave the job to be a state senator when the Legislature is in session for months at a time.

Dan Quick of Grand Island may be the only senator who meets a blue collar description in terms of his work experience. He worked as a material handler, maintenance mechanic and welder at Platte Generating Station, the city's power plant.

It's far easier for the retired and the self-employed, those who can manage their own time, to serve in the Legislature. So they're well-represented.

But being a state senator requires some sacrifice even if you can afford to serve.

It can, and does, cost some successful attorneys earnings into the six figures each year, money sacrificed while they are devoting time to their public-service legislative duties. Multiply that figure by eight if a senator serves two full terms.

The Nebraska Legislature is overwhelmingly white, mostly male, more middle-aged and older than young. But it's quite a remarkable mix.

It is unburdened by partisan governance and is essentially a citizen legislature, just like  or at least close to  what its founders may have had in mind.

So step right up; there's room for you.

* * *

Ben Sasse chose a small Rotary Club noon luncheon in York to launch his effort to shine a national spotlight on the urgent need to get serious about cyberattacks that conceivably could one day crash our financial system or our electric power supply or our transportation system.

You name it.

The United States conceivably could  my words, not Sasse's  be economically crippled without a shot being fired.

And not just by other nations or nation-states or terrorist groups, but also by international criminal syndicates that prey on individuals and businesses.

There's a reason they call it ransomware.

Two months ago in the midst of ongoing ransomware attacks in Europe and Asia, Sasse issued a statement that declared: "Cybersecurity isn't a hypothetical problem  today shows it can be life or death. We'll likely look back at this as a watershed moment."

"We are not prepared for deterrence and/or retaliation," Sasse said during his speech at the York Rotary luncheon last week.

Nebraska has two members on the Senate Armed Services Committee and this might be an ideal time to hold that committee assignment since the focus currently has turned away from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Sasse became a new member of the committee this year and he has been clearly centered on intelligence and cyberwarfare.

Deb Fischer is chair of the subcommittee on strategic forces and she has been focused in recent days on her subcommittee's responsibility for oversight of the U.S. missile defense system as North Korea ramps up its intercontinental ballistic missile threat.

"I am committed to ensuring our country has an effective defense to protect our citizens from the rogue regime in Pyongyang," she said last week.

Both Fischer and Sasse serve on the subcommittee on cybersecurity.

Looks like that's the place to be.

Finishing up:

* Big fund-raiser for Gov. Pete Ricketts' re-election campaign at the Cubs-Pirates game at Wrigley Field on Sunday: Tickets for the event started at $1,000 each, with "benefactor" donors of $10,000 receiving four tickets along with a "VIP field experience."

* As Japan and Europe complete negotiation of a huge trade deal, the losses resulting from U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement begin to mount from large to enormous. Economic losses; Nebraska agricultural losses; global leadership losses.

* The Des Moines Register quoting Sasse, speaking in Nevada, Iowa, Friday night: Senate failure to repeal Obamacare would be "bad policy, it's bad politics, but it's also just fundamentally deciding that keeping your word is not something you need to take very seriously."

* Happy Birthday, Ernie!

* All-Star break, and not a minute too soon.
A man who was asleep on the Tube was seriously sexually assaulted by another male passenger in an attack thought to be linked to another similar incident.

Police said the victim was asleep on a Central line train at about 4am on the morning of Saturday, July 1, when he awoke at Hainault Station in east London to find he was being assaulted by another passenger.

In another incident on February 4, a man asleep on the Central line was touched inappropriately while travelling between Tottenham Court Road and Woodford.

The British Transport Police are now treating the two incidents as linked and have released CCTV images of a man they wish to speak to in connection with them.

Police want to speak to this man in connection with the incidents / BTP

Investigating officer Detective Constable Andy Parkinson, said: We are now linking this serious assault over the weekend to an incident in February this year.

"On both occasions, a lone man travelling on an early morning Central Line train was sexually assaulted.

The suspect in both these investigations is targeting sleeping men on-board a train from central London.

Anyone with information should contact police by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 122 of 01/07/2017. Alternatively, ring Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A Tube worker was shoved onto rail tracks and left with a gash to his head after being assaulted at an east London station.

The 54-year-old was working at West Ham station as a ticket inspection was carried out.

After asking a passenger about his ticket, the man approached ran off and was followed by the Tube worker onto a Jubilee line platform where an altercation ensured.

The staff member was then barged by the man, and the pair both fell onto the tracks before the other man ran off down the tracks, police said.

Officers said the victim was treated for a laceration to his head and an injured hand after the incident at about 2pm on Thursday.

Investigating officer, DC Dean Percival, said: This was a serious and unprovoked assault and I am looking to speak with anyone who may recognise the man in the CCTV images. I believe he may have essential information that could help us piece together what happened.

Likewise, I would also like to hear from anyone who witnessed this incident. I am conscious that there was a number of individuals on the platform at the time who witnessed what happened.

Anyone with information should call 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016, quoting reference number 271 06/07/17.
A woman was allegedly raped in a terrifying early morning attack on Hampstead Heath.

Police said the 41-year-old woman was taken to hospital after reporting the sex attack at the north London park last weekend.

Two men, aged 40 and 43, were arrested and have since been released under investigation, the Met said.

A spokesman said officers were called to North End Way near Jack Straws Castle just before 8am on Sunday, July 2.

A 41-year-old woman was taken to hospital and has since been discharged. A crime scene was in place and two men who were arrested have been released under investigation, he said.
A shocking handwritten note was left on a paramedic's car while a medical emergency was being attended to - complaining about a blocked driveway.

The angry message was stuck to the window of the vehicle while it was parked up in Harrow, north-west London.

It read: "Next time do not park in front of someone else's driveway when you have plenty of space in front of the house you came to attend!!"

The London Ambulance Service responded on Twitter alongside a photograph of the note, saying: Sometimes we have to block ur drive. We're sorry, but it's an emergency."

The car medic had left the other space for an arriving ambulance, the tweet added.

Amazingly the note wasn't a one off, with LAS saying such outbursts "happen all the time".

Many people replied to the tweet, describing the culprit as an "idiot" and a "prat".

Ryan Brown said: Wow, the absolute gall of that person, while Neal Ashwangler wrote: "some folk need a word with themselves."

Ann Ockham said: You should never need to apologise... it is they that at fault.

Another Twitter user said: You can block my driveway anytime you like. I wouldn't complain I'd make you tea!"
C harlie Gards parents vowed to keep fighting for their terminally ill baby's treatment as they joined supporters to deliver a 350,000 signature petition to doctors.

Speaking outside Great Ormond Street Hospital, where 11-month-old Charlie is being treated, Connie Yates and Chris Gard said: "If hes still fighting, were still fighting."

The petition calls on doctors at the hospital to allow the sick baby to travel to the USA of treatment.

The couple lost a lengthy legal battle after judges ruled in favour of experts at the London hospital who said trial therapy in the US would not improve the childs quality of life.

Charlie Gard's parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates / PA

But doctors have now applied for Charlie to have a fresh hearing in the High Court over new evidence relating to potential treatment for his condition.

Charlie suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage.

Speaking outside Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) on Sunday, his parents said: "He's our son, he's our flesh and blood. We feel that it should be our right as parents to decide to give him a chance at life."

Charlie Gard's parents Connie Yates and Chris Gard, pictured, deliver a petition with more than 350,000 signatures to Great Ormond Street Hospital / PA

She added: "There is nothing to lose, he deserves a chance."

Ms Yates said the oral medicine they want for Charlie has an "up to 10 per cent chance of working" and has "no known major side effects".

Charlie Gard: The baby is being treated in Great Ormond Street Hospital / PA

Mr Gard said there is no evidence Charlie has "catastrophic brain damage." He added: "He should have had this chance a long time ago now.

"They said that it wasn't fair to leave him on the ventilator for three months for a treatment they didn't think was going to work. He's now been left for seven months with no treatment."

Ms Yates added: "If he's still fighting, we're still fighting."
Ernie Chambers turns 80 on Monday, a milestone Nebraska's longest-serving lawmaker hopes to ignore.

Some women from the Capitol ambushed the Omaha state senator with a party at the end of this year's legislative session, and the anonymous organizers behind a Facebook fan page dedicated to Chambers posted a call for people to flood his mailbox with birthday cards.

As for Chambers' own plans, he says, "I don't celebrate days."

Here's more from a recent, hourlong interview:

On turning 80

"It doesn't feel any different. It's something like birds that fly will cross all kinds of political boundaries, whether it's a county, a city or even that of a country, and it takes no note because the air is all the same through which it flies. And so nothing in my life changes because a certain day or date arrives."

Has he changed over the years?

"I hope that I'm smarter than I was. I hope I'm wiser than I was. If I'm not that means I have not learned, and at whatever age I stop  let's say that at 40, I stop  then now, I would just be an 80-year-old 40-year-old person. So I hope that I'm growing intellectually."

Favorite place in the Capitol

"I spend a lot of time in the (Legislative) Research Office, not nearly as much up in the law library as I used to because I get trapped in there. There are so many directions I want to go, so many books are available, and you can read something about a case and then you can go right to the book where that case is, and you get caught up. At least I do. I get trapped in a different world.

Why he doesn't use the internet

"I do not mess with what I call the gadget because frankly I don't trust myself to be able to enter that world and exit it to do the things that really I have an obligation to do. I even have to be careful when I'm looking up words in the dictionary. ... Well now, if I can be distracted when I'm looking up a word in the dictionary, I can be led astray when I'm reading a case in the law library, that gadget is like entering a world where there are a thousand doors across a path that you're walking, and if you enter any one of those doors, behind it would be a numberless group of doors, and the farther I would get from where I started or where I want to go. And it's not to say I wouldn't learn things, but it would take me from what I need to focus on."

On his legacy

"When I first was term-limited out (of the Legislature) and people were talking about a legacy, I said no, I can't even talk about an ankle-acy, maybe we could talk about a foot-acy or a sole-acy but certainly not that high on the anatomy that it would be referred to as a legacy.

"After I croak, there might be things people wish I had addressed while I was alive, but from my point of view, I won't know anything. ... The thought might go through my mind  How will I be remembered?  but since I won't be here, it doesn't matter.

"I know that there are things that I've done that other people will credit as having value, but there are other things that I would rather have accomplished with the years that I've spent down here in this Legislature. But that's life."

On life choices

"The split that develops in my mind, when I allow it to, is: Should I be in this white organization, in effect wasting time, or should I be somewhere else doing what a conscious, offended black man ought to be doing? All of us are going to die sometime  at least that's what we all believe, and we haven't seen anything else to the contrary  so should I let my life drain out of me as I've done all these decades, battling with these white people when I know they're not going to change? I know they have no respect for me. They have no respect for the people of whom I am a part. Yet somebody has to confront them. Somebody has to be in their face. Somebody has to be unrelenting, unafraid, undaunted every single day and never be weak no matter what the circumstances are. So I've got a foot in the world where I live as a black man and probably should be spending my existence, and a foot in the white world, where I really have no business being given the kind of person that I am. So that's the split in my mind."

More on that subject

"There are certain experiences all of us (black people) have had and so we understand things. There are some ideas that we don't even have to express in words and we have a total and complete understanding of each other. And that won't happen with me and any group of white people or any white person  it cannot.

"I could never understand thoroughly a shark. I'd have to be able to live where the shark lives, do what the shark does and experience what the shark experiences."

On the Legislature

"I actually diminish myself whenever I'm functioning in that Legislature. I'm like a bird whose wings have been clipped. ... Who could you talk to up there about anything like that? They won't even read the bills that we're supposed to deal with. And how is a legacy going to be built in an environment like that? It'd be like me being in an insane asylum trying to talk philosophy to the inmates  who are what they are and where they are through no fault of their own, and certainly not by choice  but it's a waste of my time to try to speak to them about things when they lack the capacity to understand.

"I know I'm not going to change these people. That's what I know intellectually. But I don't know everything, just like I didn't know that the death penalty bill would pass when it did. So I have to work as though things will be achieved."

On getting the ball rolling

"We have to do what we think ought to be done, we have to say what we think ought to be said, because we don't know whether or not something we do or say will inspire somebody who can take it and do more with it than we could do with it. ...

"The one who really does the job is the one who can create tools that make tools. No man or woman could build some of the types of machines that exist now without the assistance of other machines. ... So the machines that make machines are almost magical, but one who makes the machines that make the machines is the magician."
T he pressure on Theresa Mays fragile leadership grew last night after she was reportedly described as dead in the water by a former Tory Cabinet minister.

Former chief whip Andrew Mitchell is claimed to have said at a private dinner that the Prime Minister "couldn't go on", adding she had "lost her authority" and was "weak".

The serving MP is alleged to have made the comments on June 26, the day Mrs May struck a deal with the DUP to prop up her minority administration in Parliament.

Another Tory MP present at the gathering told the Mail on Sunday: "Mr Mitchell effectively said she was dead in the water. He said she was weak, had lost her authority, couldn't go on and we needed a new leader. Some of us were very surprised and disagreed with him."

Andrew Mitchell reportedly described the Prime Minister as "dead in the water"

Mr Mitchell is a close ally of Brexit Secretary David Davis, who is seen as a potential successor to Mrs May, and ran his friend's 2005 leadership bid.

However he did not mention Mr Davis in his comments at the One Nation Commons dining club of Tory MPs, of which he is the secretary, the Mail on Sunday said.

And Mr Mitchell, who was forced to resign as chief whip in 2012 after swearing at a Downing Street policeman in the 'Plebgate' scandal, has sought to play down reports that he believes Theresa May is "dead in the water".

He said the account of the gathering at which he was alleged to have said Mrs May could not continue was "overheated".

David Davis is representing the UK in Brexit negotiations / Reuters

He said: "This is an overheated report of a private dinner conversation."

Meanwhile Mr Davis' former deputy minister in the Department for Exiting the European Union used an article in the newspaper to warn that some Tories were colluding in a plot to "stymie" Brexit.

David Jones wrote that "fanatically pro-EU MPs, both Labour and misguided Tory ones, too, have hatched a cunning plot" to water down Brexit by keeping the UK in the single market and customs union.

He said: "Parliament exists to reflect and enact the will of the people - not to subvert it. But amid the heat of high summer, it looks very much as if a plot is under way at Westminster.

"A plot to stymie the clear, unequivocal wish of the British people to leave the EU, as expressed in last year's referendum.

"And it is, I very much regret to say, a plot that may yet succeed if MPs who truly respect that referendum result allow this conspiracy to proceed."
A new personal assistant selected by the Queen is set to become the first black equerry in British history.

Ghanaian-born Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah has been chosen for the role, one of the most important positions in the royal household.

The 38-year-old Afghanistan veteran, known as TA among friends, will start this year, according to The Sunday Times.

His role as equerry is to support the monarch at official engagements such as regional visits and audiences at Buckingham Palace.

The Queen's Equerry is an officer from one of the armed services, who takes on the role for three years.

Major Twumasi-Ankrah moved to the UK from Ghana with his parents in 1982 and studied at Queen Mary University of London and the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.

He became the first black British Army Officer to be commissioned into the Household Cavalry, and acted as escort commander for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011.

The timing of his appointment is significant as the Duke of Edinburgh is to retire from his duties later this year.

Twumasi-Ankrah is likely to become the most visible man by the Queens side.


K u Klux Klan supporters shouting "white power" marched through a US town - but were outnumbered by hundreds of anti-racist protesters.

The white supremacists held an authorised march through Charlottesville in Virginia in protest at a plan to remove a statue honouring pro-slavery Confederate figure General Robert E Lee.

Police were deployed to the town as KKK members wearing white sheets and carrying Confederate flags were separated from rival groups by metal barricades.

Rival protesters chanted "racists go home" and "shame" during the demonstration.

A Virginia State Police spokeswoman said: "Police were deployed to secure access to the park and ensure the safety of all involved".

White supremacists during the rally in Virginia / REUTERS

Authorities said the counter-protests were "unlawful" and used tear gas to disperse crowds. Twenty-three people were arrested, but officials could not confirm their affiliations.

In February, the Charlottesville City Council voted 3-2 to remove the statue from one of its parks and make plans for a new memorial to remember the southern city's enslaved population. At least one person who participated in the Klan rally against the statute removal could be seen with a holstered pistol.

Confederacy statues and flags have been removed from public spaces across the United States since 2015, after a white supremacist murdered nine black parishioners at a South Carolina church.

Critics of the monuments say they foster racism by celebrating leaders of the Confederacy in the pro-slavery South during the U.S. Civil War. Supporters say they represent an indelible part of U.S. history and part of regional heritage.
A US priest pulled out a gun during a road rage incident, officials have said.

William Rian Adams, 35, allegedly became disgruntled when a pick-up truck tried to overtake him in Palm City, Florida.

The 35-year-old then pointed a semi-automatic handgun at the two people in the truck from his Chevrolet Corvette, police said.

He was arrested on Friday after the victims reported the incident.

According to WPTV, Adams said he did not pull out his weapon.

The North Carolina priest was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill.


F ood and drug regulators are being urged to review a snortable chocolate powder that is reportedly being marketed like a legal high.

US Senator Charles Schumer said there are too many unanswered questions about the inhalable food product and asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to launch an investigation.

The New York Democrat said the new product, called Coco Loko, has no clear health value, and that he cant think of a single parent who would think of allowing their children to use it.

The bizarre treat promises feelings of well-being, ecstasy-like euphoria and a rush of "motivation that is great for partygoers to dance the night away without a crash," according to the company's website.

Mr Schumer said in statement: "This suspect product has no clear health value," adding: "I can't think of a single parent who thinks it is a good idea for their children to be snorting over-the-counter stimulants up their noses."

Marketed as "raw cacao snuff," Coco Loko, produced by Orlando, Florida-based company Legal Lean, includes cacao powder containing caffeine.

Manufacturer Legal Lean Co. doesn't detail other ingredients online, but according to local reports, Coco Loko also includes common energy-drink ingredients.

The FDA said it hasn't yet determined whether it has authority to regulate snortable chocolate.

Legal Lean Co., which sells Coco Loko online for $19.99 for a 3.5-gram in, did not return a call seeking comment.

Founder Nick Anderson has said he didn't consult any medical professionals but believes Coco Loko is safe.

He said he developed it from snortable chocolate that's circulated in Europe in recent years.

"There's really no negative publicity, so I felt we're good to go," he told ABC on Thursday.

Doctors have said they're not certain what the effects of inhaling chocolate might be.
A teenage rape victim has been jailed for 30 years after delivering a stillborn baby.

The 19-year-old, Evelyn Beatriz Hernandez Cruz, gave birth to a stillborn baby in a toilet in El Salvador.

It was claimed by prosecutors that she avoided antenatal care in what they argued was tantamount to killing the child, prompting charges of aggravated homicide.

But her lawyers said she was not aware of her pregnancy, which was allegedly the result of repeated unreported rapes during a forced sexual relationship.

Ms Hernandez gave birth to a stillborn baby in a small rural community, losing consciousness having suffered extensive bleeding.

She was taken to hospital, with the baby's remains left behind, where she was detained on suspicion of procuring an abortion. El Salvador is one of just six countries in the world with a complete ban on abortion in all circumstances.

After no evidence of an abortion was found, her charge was changed to aggravated manslaughter after claims she had intended for the baby to die.

Ms Hernandez had said she thought she only had stomach ache and had experienced bleeding which she thought was her period.

"I did not want to kill my son," she told a court.

But the judge did not accept her argument that she did not know she was pregnant and she was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Human rights group Amnesty International condemned the sentence, which Ms Hernandez's lawyer plans to appeal.
Nearly 100 people gathered outside Sen. Ben Sasse's Lincoln office Saturday afternoon to protest the senator's proposal to end the Affordable Care Act without a replacement until August.

The protesters were also upset with what they felt was a lack of communication between Sasse and his constituents.

Two women, Amanda Huckins and Judy King, drove three hours to Iowa on Friday for a chance to speak with Sasse, who was scheduled to speak at a Republican fundraiser.

They talked with him briefly from the crowd.

Multiple health care rallies have been held in Lincoln recently in response to the American Health Care Act, also called Trumpcare. The bill would significantly reduce funding for Medicare programs and allow states to offer policies that don't include essential benefits.

King said this issue impacts everyone. She has friends with chronic illnesses or disabilities and she watched her mother battle cancer for 30 years.

While King and Huckins were in Iowa, they realized the same issue had been on many Republicans' minds, too.

"When we got there we realized there are other people just like us, they have basically the same concerns as we do," Huckins said.
A group of 35 nurses walked through the doors of Trabert Hall on Saturday morning, some for the first time in 50 years.

Back for the St. Elizabeth Hospital School of Nursing class of 1967 reunion, the nurses, giddy with nostalgia, went on a tour of their old dormitory on South Street.

They fondly remembered how the steps leading up to Trabert Hall were nicknamed "kissing steps," where students used to kiss their dates goodbye.

There were pay phones on each floor, costing about a dime, said Mary J. Volkmer.

If someone was waiting in line to make a call, you had a three-minute limit, she said. The nursing students, nearly all women, would coordinate times for their boyfriends to call.

They laughed about how they used to wear their nightgowns under their long, white, trench coat-like uniforms to mandatory mass at 6:30 every morning.

How they used to sunbathe, usually more burning than tanning, on the sun deck.

How their dates would check in at the office and wait for them on the parlor room couches.

Touring Trabert Hall was like walking back in time for the nurses, although the building looked much different than it did in the '60s.

Back then it was spotless and filled with bright young women. Today it's empty and dirty, with office furniture strewn about and cockroach carcasses dotting the stairways.

In 1970, St. Elizabeth moved to its current location at 555 S. 70th St., and closed the nursing school. The old hospital building on the corner of 11th and South streets was eventually demolished and Trabert Hall was re-purposed into various county offices, most recently the reporting center for adult probation.

The county plans to sell Trabert Hall, making Saturday morning's tour bittersweet for the nurses, who may never see it again.

"It was such a good time in our lives," said Mary Love, a 1966 graduate. "But when you see the condition, it's not what it was once. ... It needs to have something done with it."

The three-year nursing program allowed students to gain work experience at St. Elizabeth Hospital in addition to their studies.

They adhered to rules that would be peculiar today. Female students could only wear skirts, not pants, even while they were attending labs on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. And they also weren't allowed to marry while they were in school.

Most started nursing school at age 17, right after high school. By age 19, when most students today are in their freshman year of college, they were already finished.

Tuition for all three years in 1959 was $420, plus an extra $30 for graduation fees. By 1967, the three years cost $2,000.

Phyllis Kennett, a 1959 grad, remembers how her parents  farmers from Crete  didn't have enough money to pay her tuition after her first year. She loved school and it upset her.

Kennett spoke about her conundrum with a nun who worked at the nursing school. The nun told Kennett she could finish school and postpone tuition payments until after graduation by working at St. Elizabeth.

"I got up right away and thanked her and left because I was worried she'd change her mind," Kennett said. "That would never happen today."

As the women walked through their old dorm rooms Saturday, they giggled, remembering a kitten named Lizzy they hid for three months. Lizzy was transferred from room to room, hidden under beds during room inspections.

In the basement was a large room, where they'd host dances with UNL fraternities, or perform skits. In addition to their graduation ceremony, the women went through a capping ceremony, where they received their nurses caps.

Donna Walling Schneider brought her cap with her Saturday. The caps were a required part of the uniform, she said, which wasn't too bad, unless you were working in the infant ward, where the cap would get knocked off every time you reached into a crib.

Another highlight of the tour was visiting the old tunnel, which used to lead to the hospital. It has since been closed, and goes only a few feet underground at the bottom of an eerie, dimly-lit staircase.

When speaking of their school memories, the women were animated and high-spirited, snapping photos, hugging and laughing, as if no time had passed.

A banquet was held Saturday afternoon for the class of 1967, but people from all classes showed up.

This reunion was extra special with the Trabert Hall tour.

"It makes you feel young again," Volkmer said. "It makes you appreciate where you came from, all the way down to the roots of it."
Culpeper Town Councilman Jon Russell recently visited Cuba on a work trip focused on economic reform and entrepreneurship in the evolving island nation previously long-closed to American travelers.

The councilman was invited on the trip June 26-29 through his job as national director of the American City County Exchange, a conservative, limited-government lobbyist based in Arlington. Cuba Educational Travel hosted Russell and other political associates for the stay in Havana that included meetings with Cuban diplomats, a Cuban economist, officials with the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as Cubas most famous barber and Cuban residents who rent rooms through online Airbnb.

I presented our town flag to a couple of Cuban foreign affairs officers. That was a hoot, Russell said of the Minutemen Liberty or Death Revolutionary War banner carried by the Culpeper Minutemen.

One of the officials, a committed Marxist, was not amused.

It was a gift so they could not reject it, Russell said. It may be the first Minuteman Flag in Cuba.

The local councilman came away with a positive impression of the locals.

The Cuban people were awesome and you hardly saw any police anywhere, Russell said. Its a very nonviolent place. Everyone was very pleasant.

With the continued expansion of internet in the Communist country and increased government allowances for entrepreneurship under Raul Castro, Cuba is on the forefront of reform, said the Culpeper councilman.

In the process of those reforms a lot of things started happeningpeople started buying property, people started owning things for the first time in their lives, Russell said.

The average Cuban makes $20 a month in government salary, forcing most natives to work second jobs under the table, according to Cuba Educational Travel.

Everyone who works for the government has a la lucha, a side gig, a hustle, because they cant live off what the government pays them so they do things like sell baked goods, Russell said. Its an income-producing black market there that the government acknowledges exists, but they dont know what to do with it. They understand people have to be able to live. Its almost like an understanding that the Marxist system didnt work so they are just allowing the changes to take place.

Private sector jobs account for 16 percent of Cubas gross national product, but its been growing.

Its very important to highlight that because when President Obama came in two years ago and eased the restrictions and actually made a trip to Cuba you started seeing more confidence in the private sector in Cuba, Russell said. It was a good thing because it started an increase in tourism which is what they really wantvery similar to Culpeper where tourism is very valuable to us and it is the lifeblood of our downtown businesses.

Nearly 300,000 Americans visited the island nation last year, according to projections.

President Donald Trumps recent partial rollback of some of the opening of relations between Cuba and America, as put in place by his predecessor, gave Russells trip a different tone, he said.

Trumps actions restrict the flow of American dollars to the military-linked conglomerate that operates dozens of Cuban hotels and other tourism-related businesses, according to the Associated Press. U.S. airlines and cruise ships can still service Cuba, Cuban-Americans can still send money to relatives and travel to the island without restriction and U.S. farmers can still sell their crops to the Cuban government.

Last year, I promised to be a voice against repression in our region  and a voice for the freedom of the Cuban people, Trump said in June. And now that I am your President, America will expose the crimes of the Castro regime and stand with the Cuban people in their struggle for freedom. 

Trump said profits from investment and tourism in Cuba benefit the military, resulting in more repression and a move to crush the democratic movement.

We will work for the day when a new generation of leaders brings this long reign of suffering to an end. And I do believe that end is in the very near future, the president said in June. To the Cuban government, I say: Put an end to the abuse of dissidents. Release the political prisoners. Stop jailing innocent people. Open yourselves to political and economic freedoms.

But the result of Trumps dialing back of American relations with Cuba has caused fear and uncertainty among the island countrys entrepreneurs and hindered open tourism, Russell said. The Culpeper Councilman opined that Trump put restrictions back in place as political payback to the hardliners in Miami, which helped him win Florida in last years presidential election.

Now that the sanctions have been eased, a lot of the people who live in Miami have been able to go back and forth for two years visiting family, family coming to America, that whole relationship thing has started again and now its uncertain how thats going to proceed. Everyone is like, this is not good, the councilman said.

Russell emphasized how the internet in Cubaonly available in public parks and hotel lobbiesis forcing change in Cuba as the young people see whats happening in the rest of the world.

When we met with residents they admit things are not going to stay the same, they cant. The younger generation has now been getting on social media and they see what everyone else is and they want Cuba to be more like that, but still be Cuba, he said.

Raul Castro will step down next year, and a new leader will take his place.

The Marxism as we know it will be leaving, but whats going to replace it will probably be some kind of socialism, Russell said, noting that Cubans enjoy having their education and healthcare paid for by the government. Well see how that goes, but the young people are leaving because theres no opportunities and theyve got to have more capital there if theyre going to stay.

The Culpeper councilman said hed like to facilitate an exchange of business ideas between Culpepers entrepreneurs and those in Cuba.

If its bringing them here or some of us going over there, I think its well worth it, a good relationship, Russell said. Theres a future there.

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, agreed in remarks opposing Trumps reversal of Obamas Cuba policy.

U.S. engagement with Cuba through diplomacy, business, travel, and people-to-people ties is critical to advancing our interests and values, including respect for human rights, Kaine said. The normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations has also created valuable economic and trade opportunities for U.S. businesses, including businesses in Virginia.
For the last 14 years, Tanner Aherin of Phillipsburg, Kan., has not missed an American Gelbvieh Junior Association national classic.

Its the people you meet and the experience you get from this, Aherin said about attending the national junior show, which is being held this week for the first time at Fonner Park in Grand Island. All the networking and all the live skills you can gain from doing all the contests and talking with the other breeders  the knowledge you can gain is pretty incredible.

Now a member of the board of directors of the American Gelbvieh Junior Association, Aherin is attending the National Gelbvieh Junior Classic show for the last time, having begun attending when he was 8 years old.

The national show, titled The Big Red Classic because it is being hosted by the Gelbvieh Association in Nebraska, has brought about 150 members of the American Gelbvieh Junior Association from 17 states to Grand Island for a week of fun and education activities. Along with the young attendees are 260 Gelbvieh bulls, females and steers.

With Nebraska hosting the show this year, the biggest concentration of junior Gelbvieh members is from Nebraska and surrounding states, such as Aherins home state of Kansas.

Each year members of the American Gelbvieh Association pick a state to host the show. This year its Nebraska.

They actually picked this facility (Fonner Park) over other facilities in Nebraska, said Mary Bea Martin, who is coordinating the event for the American Gelbvieh Association.

Martin said the first three days of the show are full of educational and fun activities for the junior members that teach them about the Gelbvieh industry and how to show and present themselves and their animals during the competitive shows. Activities include oral presentations, fitting demonstrations and learning how to judge cattle in the ring.

She said that helps prepare the junior members for the final two days of the show when there are showmanship competitions and market and balancer shows.

Their time in Grand Island will conclude on Friday night with an awards banquet and a dance.

Scott Starr of Stapleton, Neb., is the president of the American Gelbvieh Association.

Starr said it is an honor for Nebraska to host the associations national Junior Classic.

It gets more of your local kids involved and hopefully they will continue on for years to come, he said.

Nebraska is one the nations top cattle-producing states and the nations leader in beef slaughter. Starr said the Gelbvieh breed is a big contributor to the states success as one of the nations leading beef states.

Of all the continental breeds, they are the only ones with high muscle and maternal qualities, he said.

Those are highly desirable traits when it comes to the Nebraska beef industry.

For the balancer shows, the Gelbviehs are usually crossbred with black and red Angus cattle. The Gelbveih breed is of German origin and first made an appearance in the U.S. in the early 1970s. That is when Starrs family began its association with the breed.

We artificially inseminated some of the original ones that were born in 1972, he said.

Before the introduction of the Gelbvieh to the U.S., he said, his father had tried a number of breeds of cattle but was not satisfied with the results, especially for raising and breeding cattle in the Great Plains. There were also some very tough winters back then.

It was the Gelbviehs maternal qualities, though, that won Starrs father over to the breed.

The Gelbviehs crosses were by far the best, Starr said. It was in 1974 that we joined the Gelbvieh Association.

Since Gelbviehs first appeared in Nebraska, the breed has seen tremendous growth, he said. Nebraska is one of the top three Gelbvieh producing states in the country.

They are easy to manage on the ranch, Starr said. Disposition in Gelbvieh cattle is really good as well.

That is also one of the reasons they are a good breed for youths to show and get involved with.

Starr said the Junior Classic is a good learning experience for the young members.

It develops future leaders and gives them a better industry perspective, he said.

Starr said the livestock barns and the Five Points Bank Livestock Arena make an excellent facility for the Gelbvieh Junior Classic.

We have been coming here since the Nebraska State Fair came to Grand Island, he said. It is one of the best in the whole country.

Aherin said his family raises both purebred Gelbviehs and Gelbvieh crosses.

He said coming to the national classic is like making it to the Super Bowl for many of these younger attendees as they have been involved in not only their breed association, but also 4-H and FFA and have shown their cattle at county, regional and state fairs back home.

He said coming to a national show shapes a young persons life.

It is the experience you gain from coming to these shows, Aherin said. It has been our family vacation for the last 14 years. Coming to these national shows, you gain lifelong friends. It is the highlight of the summer for us if not the whole year.

Grand Island Independent (NE)
For Jana Schwartz, no two days are alike. Schwartz is a 4-H associate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Center and helps coordinate 4-H projects within Scotts Bluff County.

One day, Schwartz may be helping with entries for the Scotts Bluff County Fair and spend all day in the office and another day, she may be out doing projects or at the Wildcat Hills teaching children about trees.

Schwartz said projects she coordinates vary from helping 4-H members with their own projects, helping them join clubs or entering students in the fair to the extension center taking part in teaching classrooms about agriculture and animal science, agricultural literacy and more.

One of the many projects Schwartz takes to classrooms is an embryology life cycle project where the students hatch chicken eggs within a classroom. They also teach about electricity, robotics and wearable technology.

Ive been in extension for 15 years now and I was a part of the 4-H program for about 8 years as a child. I really loved what the 4-H program did for me, Schwartz said. It gave me the opportunity to try new things and find out what I was good at.

Schwartz said she didnt go to college expecting to go into extension. Schwartz grew up in Chase County on a cattle ranch and thought shed go into something related to agriculture or veterinary medicine.

I started as a vet tech and ended up on this path, Schwartz said. I started with an internship in Dawes County and that lead to the job here in Scotts Bluff County.

Every state has an extension program that is tied to a university, here in Nebraska it is the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The extension is an outreach program which takes any discoveries by the university that are applicable to the public.

For example, in Nebraska agriculture is the biggest portion of extension and producers are able to learn about the best practices for producing different agricultural products. However, the program also does a lot outside of agriculture such as youth development, 4-H, healthy living and nutrition.

The 4-H program started over 100 years ago in 1902 and its main purpose was to take research that scientists discovered to help producers have higher yields from corn.

They tried to teach the discoveries to the adults, but as adults, we dont maybe want to change the ways we are doing things, so people from the university started the first 4-H youth club and taught them new ways to produce crops, Schwartz said. The kids actually started to out-yield their parents.

Schwartz also said that the main purpose of 4-H is to teach kids life skills, but she said the life skills they taught 100 years ago are quite different from skills youth need to know now. Although things such as responsibility, trust, communication and leadership are still important to the organization, lessons and project categories have been tweaked to fit the times.

There are still projects that have to do with agriculture as well as cooking, sewing, robotics, photography, lots of science, technology, art and math, Schwartz said. Thats what youth are needing today.

Right now, Schwartz and members of the 4-H portion of the extension center are making sure that they are prepared for the Scotts Bluff County Fair.

Its kind of the 4-H members Super Bowl, so were making sure all of the details are taken care of so people and families have the best experience possible, Schwartz said.

Schwartz said her favorite thing about her job is the people and volunteers that she gets to work with.

The kids are amazing to work with and to see them grow and change and meet their potential is great, Schwartz said. Volunteers mean a lot to me because of how much they give to the program and what they do for the kids in their community.

Projects will be shown and judged from Saturday, July 22 through Sunday, Aug. 8 at the Scotts Bluff County Fairgrounds in Mitchell.

Call 308-632-1480 for more information on or questions about the local 4-H program.
CHADRON  Even in the sweltering July heat, thousands gathered in Chadron this weekend for the 41st annual Fur Trade Days.

Fur Trade Days is a staple event for the town of Chadron and has drawn a crowd since its opening in 1977.

According to Fur Trade Days President Kristina Harter, the four-day event typically brings 5,000 extra guests to the Chadron area, but this year, the number is expected to be higher.

In her first year as president, Harter has made sure to bring in new events along with the staple events. With the Buffalo Chip Throw, the Traders Market, Native American showcases, poker runs, rodeos and more, Fur Trade Days is a chance for the northwestern region of Nebraska to celebrate its community and history.

The Fur Trade Days website explains that the Chadron region was a main point of travel for trade throughout the U.S., starting with the Native American Fur Trade and then the American Fur Trade Company in 1837. Because buffalo were a main trading good, Harter said they try to revolve many of the events around the animal.

Harter and her team began planning for Fur Trade Days right after last years events ended. Every year, Chadron hosts the event on the second full weekend in July, with this years starting Wednesday, July 5.

Guests from across the Panhandle, as well as former Chadron State College graduates, gather to enjoy all that Fur Trade Days has to offer.

How can you go somewhere and chuck dung and not have fun? John Ricks, the executive director of the Nebraska Tourism Commission, said. Ricks competed in the Buffalo Chip throw and beat Governor Pete Ricketts by two feet.

Harter said she is planning on growing Fur Trade Days while trying to make it bigger and better. Those interested in joining Harters team or finding out more information about the celebration can visit furtradedays.com.

Harter said, Its definitely a unique event in Nebraska and we encourage everyone to come out.
KIMBALL  A signature event of the Nebraska sesquicentennial will be coming to Kimball in August and celebrate Nebraska authors and history.

The Nebraska Writers Guild will host its final leg of the Six Corners of Nebraska on Aug. 6 with speakers and author readings. Since March, the program has visited each of Nebraskas six corners: Chadron (northwest), Norfolk (northeast), Bellevue (southeast), McCook (southwest), North Platte (Big Springs corner), and Kimball (Panhandle southwest).

The free event will include readings by Nebraska authors and presentations of Nebraska history.

Wayne Anson, president of the Nebraska Writers Guild had previously thought about bringing more guild events out to western Nebraska.

When one gentleman (on the board) kept saying, I really want to go out where people dont know a lot about us I thought I really want to go out and do something.

Six Corners is the result of that idea. Anson also would like to hold author fairs in western Nebraska, too. The farthest workshops and conferences have been is Aurora and that was a big effort. To counter the prevailing attitudes, Anson wanted to do specific workshops.

As the sesquicentennial came, I said, Why not go to the six corners of the state and get us out to the areas we dont usually have a presence?

The program purposely avoids the metro areas of the state. Anson looked for locations with a facility big enough for people to come. He looked at the Nebraska Speakers bureau for people who could tie in history, along with authors local to the areas to be visited.

We didnt want just writing, he said. We also wanted historical reenacting to bring in people who like history and give them exposure to Nebraska writers.

The results so far have been successful.

The farther west you go, people say, I cant believe you came out here, Anson said.

Historical reenactor Darrel Draper will present Nebraska History as told by Peter Sarpy, a dramatic one-act play in which Peter Sarpy will describe the transformation of Nebraska from French colony to statehood. Dressed in period costume and speaking in his native French accent, Sarpy will encourage audience participation as he discusses historical anecdotes with a little bit of humor tossed in for good measure.

Draper is a fifth generation Nebraskan and a retired Navy officer and University of Nebraska at Omaha graduate. He specializes in costumed portrayals of historical figures who played major roles in the events that shaped our state and nation. He is considered an expert on the history of the Lewis and Clark expedition and has personally retraced thousands of miles of their trail by canoe and on foot.

The Life and Loves of Bess Streeter Aldrich by Cheryl Paden will teach attendees about Aldrichs life as a Nebraska author. Paden will present Aldrichs thoughts on prairie life, family, writing, Christmas and living your dreams. The presentation aims to educate about one of the things Aldrich believed: Regardless of the popular literary trend of the times, write the thing which lies closest to your heart.

She put this together just for us and will be doing some gossiping about her (Aldrich) life, Anson said.

Aldrich was one of the founders of the Nebraska Writers Guild.

Paden has published inspirational stories and non-fiction articles for 10 years as a freelance writer. She is a part-time pastor and long-time fan of Aldrich.

The winners of the Future Great Writers of Nebraska will also be announced at the Sunday event. The contest was open to writers ages 13-25 from around the state.

Authors who present their work will also have tables available for the public to come and speak to them about their work. One local author, Deb Carpenter-Nolting, will be reading from one of her works. She is participating because she feels honoring Nebraskas writers is a nice way to celebrate Nebraskas 150th birthday.

I am pleased to be in such talented company, she said.

On Saturday, Aug. 5, author N. L. Sharp will facilitate The Rim of the Prairie: A Writers Workshop. Preregistration is encouraged as space is limited. Cost is $50. Walk-ins are welcome as well.

Many people are surprised by the number of authors in Nebraska. The Nebraska Writers Guild had 258 registered members last year, a fraction of the actual number, Anson said.

The events have been so popular, Anson has had several communities invite the guild back to do more. Thats fits well with his dream of hosting workshops throughout the state.

Anson is also still raising funds and donations to pay for the Kimball event. He was in line for a grant, but when the program shut down, he was left a little bit short.

I dont like going to places and ask for money, he said. I like to go to places and not have to worry about anything.

The free event runs Sunday, Aug. 6 from 12:30-5 p.m. Visitors are welcome to come and go as they please. Refreshments will be available. The Rim of the Prairie writers workshop runs on Saturday, Aug. 5 from 1-5 p.m. Both events take place at the Kimball Public Library, 208 S Walnut St.

To register for the workshop, visit http://nebraskawriters.org/content/six-corners-workshop-registration. For more information or to make a donation, contact Anson at 308-227-3221 or by email at wayne.anson@gmail.com.
I stood there silently, alongside strangers who for whatever reason were in the same spot at the same time as me. Glances were shared as we tried to see if what we were feeling was as emotional to one as it seemed for all.

Not 10 feet in front of us hung the circular steel inner workings of one of the jet engines that was recovered from the 9-11 terrorist attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Center. And just a few feet to the right was a glass case containing a half dozen charred cell phones, some of which may have been one of the many that first responders heard ringing beneath the rubble as concerned family members tried to reach their loved ones in the moments following the breaking news of the catastrophe. Next to this exhibit was the actual communication tower that once sat atop the towers, and behind it on the nearly 20 foot wall were images of hundreds of the front pages of newspapers that graphically told this story to hundred of millions of stunned Americans.

I was at the Newseum in Washington D.C. sandwiched between the U.S. Capitol and the White House alongside the many museums that make up the Smithsonian. The crowds in D.C. were large this past week as long lines of fellow Americans formed at the entrance to many of the museums. It was obvious we as a nation are deeply interested in our past as we desperately try to forge a future respectful of the sacrifices made by so many. But, on this day, I chose to take in the Newseum, which celebrates and showcases the medias role in telling the story of our great country.

Just moments before entering the 9-11 exhibit, I stood looking at front pages of newspapers from all 50 states they change out daily. I was so moved by this, thinking of the thousands of reporters who just the day before were digging into the bowels of the communities across our great expanse to show you images and tell the stories of who we are and what is happening in the towns we live in. I fired off a brief message to Berkshire Hathaway Media Group CEO Terry Kroger saying how proud I was of BHMG for allowing us the privilege to serve our local communities.

Now, I realize the media is taking it on the chin these days, led mostly by our president who views us as the enemy of the American people. Clearly some in the media do have an agenda or bias and I highly condemn those who have drifted so far from the responsibilities of a free press, but the vast number of newspapers are reporting the news accurately by courageously following the highest journalistic standards. President Trump is wrong when he applies a broad brush to media, accusing us of being his Opposition Party.

As I turned yet another corner in the Newseum, laid out before us were the actual newspapers telling us the story of Jesse James demise, Martin Luther Kings tumultuous journey and President Kennedys assassination. There was John Lennons guitar, Bill Clintons saxophone, and the actual clothes worn by the Village People. There were sections of the Berlin Wall, accounts of Neil Armstrongs first steps on the moon, all reaffirming a quote by a former Washington Post publisher, Journalism is the first rough draft of history.

The First Amendment is first for a reason, granting among other things a free press. Our founders knew the critical importance of the press and the role it plays in informing the public of what our government is up to. Imagine for a moment if there was no media, or equally dangerous, a press controlled by the government. Our right to know is a fundamental and vital part of our democracy and although you may disagree at times, the alternatives to a free press would undermine the very foundation of America.

Closer to home, I couldnt help but think about the thousands in western Nebraska who rely on the Star-Herald to bring you the news each day. It is a responsibility we take seriously. I saw another quote hanging in the museum that day. It read, Local newspapers have their finger on the pulse of their communities. They may not have the statewide or national clout of many media giants, but their readers depend on them, which makes them every bit as influential on the local level.

The Star-Herald is not the Opposition Party. I know, I work here and am proud of the team we have assembled. Our reporters live here too and are dedicated to bringing you the news of the day. We cover local government, high school sports, events, and feature stories about our neighbors and friends. We have an extremely active opinion page that I am proud of, showcasing views you may or may not agree with. We are not perfect, although we try to be. We misspell words, although we try not to. We cover stories we wish we didnt have to when they involve tragedy or loss of life. But for every one of the over a hundred million pages that came off our press last year, we remain dedicated to bringing you our first draft of history.

I am also proud of our readers. You let us know when we messed up, when we get it right, when you agree or disagree with our editorials and columns, and you never let us forget our mission. And with our new digital subscriptions our readership and audience continues to grow topping over 250,000 each month. So whatever you may read about the printed media, know that western Nebraska is served well from Chadron to Valentine, McCook to Kimball with all of the strong and dedicated local newspapers that need your support and encouragement to continue to record our story.

We all have so much in common including our history and our future. I consider it a privilege to be part of the media that chronicles the past while helping us shape that future.

As always, feel free to share your thoughts with me at greg.awtry@starherald.com.
As a business owner, youve poured your time and energy into making your company successful. But how much thought have you given to what will happen when you relinquish this role? Sooner or later, you will step down and hand the reins to someone else.
President Donald Trump's obsession with proving he won the election has gone from the slightly ridiculous to the dangerous. Rankled that he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton, Trump decided that only massive voter fraud could explain why reliably liberal California would tally 3.4 million more Democratic than Republican votes -- and, he would assert on the basis of no evidence, many of those voters must have been immigrants here illegally. Now he has appointed a special commission to try to uncover the evidence to prove his paranoia. But in the process, he is asking states to turn over information on individual voters that could become an unprecedented trove of personal data subject to potential widespread abuse. Paradoxically, some of the same people who balk at the idea of a federal registry of gun owners have no problem with the federal government's compiling information on their voting habits.
SAN FRANCISCO  Yul Dorn and his wife raised their son and daughter in a two-story house crammed with family photos, a home they bought in a historically African-American neighborhood in San Francisco more than two decades ago.

Today, the couple are living in a motel after they were evicted last year, having lost a foreclosure battle. A second home they inherited is also in default.

The Dorns expect to join the growing ranks of African-Americans who do not own their homes, a rate that was nearly 30 percentage points higher than that of whites in 2016, according to a new report.

The person who bought the house, we lost all of our memories, said Dorn, a pastor and case manager with the city health department. He put the furniture out on the street, and it was just devastating to my family.

The nations homeownership rate appears to be stabilizing as people rebound from the 2007 recession that left millions unemployed and home values underwater, according to the report by Harvard Universitys Joint Center for Housing Studies. But it found African-Americans arent sharing in the recovery, even as whites, Asian-Americans and Latinos slowly see gains in homebuying. The center said the disparity between whites and blacks is at its highest in 70-plus years of data.

Experts say reasons for the lower homeownership rate range from historic underemployment and low wages to a recession-related foreclosure crisis that hit black communities particularly hard. In 2004, the pinnacle of U.S. homeownership, three-quarters of whites and nearly half of blacks owned homes, according to the Harvard study.

By 2016, the African-American homeowner rate had fallen to 42.2 percent and lagged 29.7 percentage points behind whites, nearly a percentage point higher than in 2015. In the St. Louis metropolitan area, the rate slipped to 39.9 percent  35.9 percentage points behind the white homeowner rate.

Now, a lack of affordable housing and stricter lending are making it harder for first-time buyers to obtain what traditionally has been considered an essential part of the American dream and a way to build wealth.

It has always been historically and systemically harder for blacks, and we were seeing there a little bit of progress, and now were back at square one, said Alanna McCargo, co-director of the Housing Finance Policy Center at the Urban Institute, a think-tank focused on inner-city issues that published a similar report.

An AP analysis of U.S. Census Bureau statistics shows some pockets of the Midwest and California had the lowest homeownership rates for African-Americans, while some areas of the South had the highest.

Low inventory adds to the problem, said Jeffrey Hicks, incoming president of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, which was founded in 1947 to promote fair housing opportunities for minorities. The Atlanta area has only about 30,000 properties for sale through real estate agents, compared with approximately 100,000 about 13 years ago, he said.

You had subdivisions going up everywhere in terms of newer homes, Hicks said. We havent seen that resurgence of new housing stock.

African-Americans snapped up homes at the peak of the housing bubble, lured by generous lending and a glut of affordable properties, housing experts say. Lenders also targeted minorities, pushing riskier subprime loans even when applicants qualified for lower-interest loans.

Graciano de La Cruz, 70, grew up in San Francisco, the child of a Filipino father and an African-American mother. In 1960s, the city condemned his mothers house for redevelopment in the historically black Fillmore neighborhood. She was given a housing voucher and became a renter, losing any equity she could have passed to her children.

He and his wife, Buena, who is Filipino-American, must now sell their own home of two decades to pay off a debt that stemmed from a pick-a-payment loan with World Savings Bank in August 2006.

They asked for a loan with a fixed rate, but the lender said an adjustable rate package would meet their needs. The initial monthly payment for the pick-a-payment loan was about $1,700.

Then Buenas health declined, and Graciano lost his job. In 2014, Wells Fargo, which had purchased World Savings, issued a notice of default. By then, the monthly payments had mushroomed to roughly $3,000.

I cant sleep, Graciano de la Cruz said. I fear I might get a knock on the door, and the banker will come up with sheriffs agents talking about, Youve got to leave now.

The pick-a-payment loans drew wide government scrutiny. In 2010, Wells Fargo agreed to pay $24 million to end an investigation by eight states, including California, into whether lenders later acquired by the bank made unsustainable mortgages without disclosing the terms.

Wells Fargo has vowed to help create more than 250,000 new African-American homeowners to address declining homeownership. But spokesman Alfredo Padilla said the bank could not find a way to help the couple.

Dorn,60, the pastor, says Chase misapplied a payment he made in 2008 and then failed to keep proper records. He made several payments on a modified trial loan, which the bank then denied.

In 2015, the home he bought for $168,000 in 1996 was sold for $482,000. In May, the new owner sold it for $850,000.

Chase spokeswoman Suzanne Alexander said foreclosure is always the last option, pursued only when other avenues are exhausted.

Yet there are bright spots in the homeowning front.

The New Haven metro area in Connecticut, for example, reported an increase in black homeownership from 2010 to 2015. Georgias Albany area, which is predominantly African-American, saw a 15 percent increase from 2005 to 2015.

In Detroit, a largely African-American city wracked by foreclosures, the mayor last year announced a financing program to make homebuying easier. Previously, banks couldnt provide loans for more than a homes appraised value, which wasnt enough to cover needed repairs or renovations.

And in Jacksonville, Fla., Natasha Jones, 32, recently bought her first home, a three-bedroom listed at $135,000. The single mother of three worked with a member of the nonprofit organization NeighborWorks America, which supports community development, to clear up her credit and save for a down payment on a Wells Fargo-financed loan.

I am my moms first child to own my home, Jones said. Now that were in our own place, Im redoing the flooring the way I want to. Im painting the kids walls. Its ours.

Associated Press writer Corey R. Williams in Detroit and data journalist Angeliki Kastanis in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
I found your July 5 editorial ("Pettiness just isn't presidential") fascinating.

If I read it right, President Trump is the one who started this insult and ridicule war with the vast majority of America's so-called news media. Further, I take it, he is to roll over and take whatever vicious slander or libel, untruth or invective this media choose to sling his and his family's way.

I can remember the beginning of the campaign when Mr. Trump promised to be available for the media at almost anytime. It wasn't until they began to throw fresh cow chips at him in the first place that the war of words began.

Should a presiding head of state take it sitting down when he is likened frequently, if untruthfully, to the head of the Third Reich because that is presidential? Must he sit quietly while his 11-year-old son is ridiculed and demeaned on national television?

It is about time that our fake news outlets faced someone willing to fight back.

Vincent Murphy, Lincoln
The dilapidated Chippewa Street corridor running parallel to and a half-mile south of the once-blighted, now-thriving Cherokee Street business district could be on the verge of a similar revival.

A tenacious group of developers working independently is stacking up redevelopments like dominoes along a strip of defunct buildings between South Jefferson Avenue and South Grand Boulevard. Chippewa could be a few groundbreakings away from achieving critical mass for a comeback.

Right now, the biggest problem is vacancy, said Jason Deem, one of the developers with plans to rehabilitate at least four buildings on the street within the next two years. Two projects, he said, will begin this summer.

I know some people are skeptical that we know what were doing. They are completely right to be skeptical. And some are calling this gentrification, but thats not what were interested in doing, Deem said. Now is the time to stabilize some of these historic buildings and keep them safe.

He said the difference with the projects being proposed now and the proposals of developers in the past is that the new development plans include the population already living in the neighborhood.

In years past, some St. Louis developers assumed that the only way to revitalize was to push out the current population. Deem said that he plans to generate housing priced to suit the income of the current neighborhood residents and attract businesses that are looking to employ residents of the immediate area.

In the 90s, there was a wave of development that didnt see the historic buildings, and the people here were invisible to them, said Jack Pittman. Hes been called an urban pioneer and an architectural savior by admirers because of his efforts as a one-man preservation society. Pittman has been buying up as many properties along Chippewa as he could to protect them from demolition.

Hes won a few and lost a few. Now he owns nine buildings; one is his residence, and two he leases out to pay for the upkeep and taxes on the others. Hes sold a few that he wrestled away from the city, and those are all being occupied by families, including 2736 Chippewa Street. He spent three years of building sweat equity before he sold it to a family that has lived there for 10 years.

Pittman moved to Chippewa about 27 years ago when he relocated from California and discovered that he could buy a fixer-upper for a few thousand dollars, which was all he could afford.

If Im lucky, maybe I could still sell it for that price today, Pittman said. Im not a real estate person. I scraped together what little money I have to get those houses. I couldnt let the city tear them down.

Despite signs that the neighborhood was going to get worse before it got better, he bought his second property, at 2740 Chippewa, in 1993. Its still vacant, but he pays the utility bills. He said the city was letting too many buildings fall into ruin so that they would have an excuse to bulldoze and sell to developers who would have little incentive to construct something that wasnt, in his opinion, God awful.

Pittman said he bought them because it was the right thing to do, not the smart thing to do. Financially, he admits, the investments make no sense.

Waiting for something to happen

Chippewa Street was never the commercial district that Cherokee Street was before that neighborhood fell on hard times and became known for its poverty, crime rates and dubious activity.

The resurrection of Cherokee was a return to its bustling past, but that was never Chippewa. The sister street to the south was a cozy neighborhood with an array of mom-and-pop corner stores. It was quaint and homey with modest housing before it was downtrodden. To return to its glory days would be a return to quiet, communal living, which is not usually a sexy proposition for developers.

However, Deem noted that everyone with a project proposal for the street isnt just a developer but a resident who lives in the city. Some live within walking distance.

People recognize you when you walk down the street, Deem said. As if on cue, a man drives by and greets Deem as he stands along the street. Deem said that he remembers when the driver was walking to work before he could afford a car.

You develop relationships with people, and little by little you see their lives change and improve, and thats what we want for this area, Deem said. A business has to be up for the challenge and interested in providing services to this community.

David Godbout of Novation Church bought the Melvin Theatre property in 2016 and is developing plans to convert the single-screen theater building into a community-based neighborhood center with the ability to show films. The emphasis will be on mentorship programs focused on music, dance and drama, primarily serving the families living within the 63118 ZIP code, he said.

Pittman said that hearing talk like that gives him hope. A few developers gave presentations at the last Chippewa Broadway Business Association meeting in front of about 35 people, the biggest crowd the group has attracted in years. Pittman said he got the distinct impression that they were on the right track.

I believe these developers would run if they didnt see the people who are here and want to work with them, Pittman said. Now, Im just waiting for something to happen.

Are you done yet?

Chris Shearman of Lutheran Development Group compared the difference of Chippewa and Cherokee to Morganford and South Grand  two parallel streets with low vacancy rates, stable businesses and very different personalities. Like Morganford, Chippewa is the quiet homebody who likes discount shopping, cafes and the occasional cocktail, but its extrovert sibling street nearby likes to socialize, eat exotic foods and party late into the night.

Shearmans group has partnered with Rise Community Development, a nonprofit organization dedicated to uplifting neglected communities. The groups are looking to build market rate and affordable housing, particularly in areas where we see the potential to enhance diversity of all types  social, cultural, lifestyle and economic.

Shearman and Rise have announced a proposal called the Chippewa Park Scattered Site Development, including the complete historic renovation of 46 residential units in 16 buildings and the construction of a 7,000-square-foot restaurant incubator for four participants, all of which will open in buildings that are currently vacant.

Shearman said the project is centered on Chippewa Street because of its ability to support retail and commercial activity. The project will be part of an amended redevelopment area with some financial incentives from the city but the process wont be complete until the fall.

I know part of the skepticism that well do what we say comes from the you said you were going to do this, but that was two years ago, Shearman said from a seat at the Gelateria Del Leone, which he owns, on South Grand. People are like, Whats taking so long?

When youre talking to aldermen and the city and working on tax credits, tax abatement and making plans to revive multiple properties efficiently, things are necessarily complicated, said Mark Stroker, the director of real estate development for Rise.

Stroker said that instead of traditional low-income housing, he and Shearman are looking to build affordable workforce housing for people with jobs but making near or below the median neighborhood income. Its yet another element of the project that requires a lengthy paperwork process, but after the final plans are approved this fall, Shearman said work will begin immediately, and he expects the project to be done 14 to 16 months from now. He has delivered on ambitious scattered site developments in the past.

Not my neighborhood

The south side of Chippewa is the Dutchtown neighborhood and the north side is Gravois Park.

So it teeters on the edge of two neighborhoods, although all but the last block before Grand Avenue in the 20th Ward, under Alderman Cara Spencer.

Spencer touts the population density of the region as a strong indicator that growth is imminent. She did some calculations and determined that Gravois Park is the most densely populated region in the entire city. There are only seven neighborhoods in the city with more than 10,000 people per square mile, she said.

The other areas are some of the citys most economically vibrant, including the historic Skinker/DeBaliviere neighborhood adjacent to Washington University.

Dutchtown is also densely populated, and both neighborhoods bordering Chippewa contain the regions highest density of the prized under-18 population, Spencer said.

OK, so we have poverty, but you also have our regions future right here, Spencer said. She said that makes it really important to provide incentives for projects in areas that will have the biggest impact on the community thats already here.

Build it, but who will come?

Gooseberries cafe is cited by everyone connected to Chippewa as a shining example of the streets potential. It opened three years ago next to a barbershop that opened at the same time.

It was rough the first year or so, Im not going to lie, said Kim Bond, who co-owns the business with her husband, Ross Lessor. The duo are also the cooks at the cafe.

Bond and her husband have lived near Cherokee Street and Oregon Avenue for 17 years, so they knew exactly what they were getting into, and they knew, improbably, success was possible. Some early Google and Yelp reviews made the location close to Interstate 55 a frequent stop for travelers. Thats something she didnt expect.

And of the neighborhood, she says?

Some people were suspicious, but we won them over, Bond said.

Jeffery Rogers, who lives at Chippewa Courtyard, was walking to Aldi when, unprompted, Rogers called the cafe a treasure.

Its the only sit-down eatery along the corridor, and you can grab cookies for a $1, savory hand pies for $2.50 or a hearty entree with some locally sourced ingredients for less than $10.

We cant wait for more businesses to open up. Weve been waiting, Bond said. But so far, Gooseberries and Montecristos Hair Center next door are among a handful of businesses along the street, which includes a pawnshop, mini marts and coin laundry.

The barbershops owner, Monte Clemons, lives just a few blocks away and says he would have bought some of the buildings now scheduled for development if he had been able.

The biggest thing we need is a place for kids to go, Clemons said. He noted that there needs to be more opportunities than prostitution, drugs and crime.

It wont be easy, but it needs to happen, said Clemons, who said that he has lost employees and customers to violence over the last three years.

Pittman says the neighborhood needs those who will appreciate its good and bad sides, because you cant take whats good and ignore the bad.

If youre worried about crime, stay where you are, he said. My family visits, and Ill be honest, they wont leave their car here overnight. And I dont walk to the Motomart ( down the street) at night, but I chose to live here. Its home.

We cant all be afraid to live in the city. What would happen? The city is the city.

He said that Chippewa is never going to be the more precious neighborhoods of Benton Park or Tower Grove.

And I say that as a good thing, he said. I dont want to have to keep my yard up to that standard.
GASCONADE COUNTY, MO.  More than three months after the discovery March 21 of human remains in a pond near Owensville  a case that authorities said appeared to be murder  the identity of the victim has not been made public.

Gasconade County Coroner Ben Gross said an autopsy had been completed but he could not comment on the findings. He said the case was under investigation by the Gasconade County Sheriffs Department and the Missouri Highway Patrol.

A spokesman for the highway patrol on Friday referred questions to Gasconade County Sheriff John Romanus. Romanus said he was waiting for DNA test results on the remains and did not know the status of those tests.

He wouldnt say if authorities had any clue to the victims identity.

When asked if anyone had been questioned in the case, he said yes but would not elaborate. He said he was not willing to discuss the investigation.

On March 21, divers searched a 100-foot-wide pond on Dragster Drive off Highway V, after family members of James Charlie Holt Jr., 60, reported him missing.

The searchers found human remains in the pond, but it wasnt Holt. They havent said whom they found  or even if they know  but said it appeared to be a murder.

They said Holt was a person of interest, and they were looking for him. The next day, authorities returned and pulled a second body from the water. It was Holt.

Romanus said at the time of the discovery that there was a need to hold back information, and that once the case was closed, people would understand why he couldnt be more candid.

Holt was listed as having a Florissant address. But a family member who lives nearby said he had showed up at their home outside Owensville around Thanksgiving.

He stayed with the family for a week in a shack next to their home. The family arranged for Holt to move into a vacant house down the street, several feet from the pond where he was later found.

About the first week of March, Holt moved back in with the family because his power had been cut off.

Chris Yoder, the husband of Holts stepdaughter, said he last saw Holt on March 18, a Saturday. He said Holt told him he was going to go to Save-A-Lot and was going to fix a mailbox. Yoder then went to Washington to pick up parts for a vehicle, he said.

When Yoder got back, he passed Holts car at the house with no power. He said Holt didnt come home on March 19, and didnt show up for work on March 20. He and his wife called police on March 21.

When police showed up, Holts car was still at the house. The groceries and mailbox were in the car. Authorities didnt say how and when Holt entered the pond, if they knew.

Before moving to rural Gasconade County, Holt had been living with a woman in a rented home in Florissant when they were evicted by court order in February 2016.

The landlord said in an interview that Holt had a series of health problems, including a heart attack. The couple fought a lot and did not pay rent.

The womans posts on Facebook indicated she and Holt had been married in mid-2015, but the marriage was breaking up about the time of the eviction. She told her friends that Holt had put his hands on me. There was no divorce on record.

The woman could not be reached for comment. Her Facebook posts ended just after the eviction, and two of her friends said they had not heard from her in a long time.

Asked if authorities had been able to make contact with the woman, Romanus said he was not willing to discuss that.
ELLISVILLE  Efforts to forge closer governmental links between St. Louis and St. Louis County are aimed at bailing out a mismanaged city, opponents of such ideas asserted at a meeting Saturday.

St. Louis officials handling of the citys police, payroll costs and travel expenses were among issues cited at the session, which was attended by about 30 people.

Among the speakers was Jennifer Bird, a former Republican candidate for the County Council.

Bird said as the citys population has shrunk, the size of its government has not reduced with it.

She and other speakers said if the city was allowed to re-enter the county as one of its municipalities  one idea floated in recent years  the city could start annexing unincorporated areas in the county and raise taxes.

Dont forget, they divorced us, Bird said.

That was a reference to the 1876 vote to separate the city from the county. Over the years since then, various ideas for reunification have been brought up.

Last month, County Executive Steve Stenger and Mayor Lyda Krewson announced the creation of a task force to look at reducing waste from inefficiency due to the city-county division.

The announcement was made under the auspices of the nonprofit Better Together group, which also has cited the fractured nature of services with 89 separate municipalities in the county.

The new task force is expected to come up with proposals to coordinate city and county functions and eliminate duplication. But Stenger and Krewson stopped short of advocating anything specific.

Gary Wiegert, a retired St. Louis police officer and Republican activist, on Saturday cited the citys ongoing police funding and recruiting problems. He contended that relatively low police salaries are a result of the city taking over full control of the police department from the state in recent years.

Wiegert also cited a controversy at City Hall over Treasurer Tishaura Jones spending of more than $27,000 on travel since 2013.

Its just a waste of taxpayer dollars, Wiegert said. Jones has said the travel was justified, saying the trips were related to city parking services and financial literacy efforts.

Another speaker was Ellisville Mayor Adam Paul, who discussed his successful effort to get his communitys City Council to put on the April 2018 ballot two advisory measures.

One would seek Ellisville residents opinion on St. Louis re-entry into the county; the other is a referendum on an outright city-county merger.
(c) 2017, The Washington Post.

Ivanka Trump briefly sat among world leaders after she took her father's seat at the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg.

But critics did not like the idea of the first daughter filling in for the president, pointing out that she was neither elected nor qualified to represent the United States at a high-level event.

Trump was spotted sitting in her father's seat Saturday at a working session on "Partnership with Africa, Migration and Health." A picture shared on Twitter by a Russian attendee but since deleted shows her seated between British Prime Minister Theresa May and Chinese President Xi Jinping. German Chancellor Angela Merkel sat one seat away.

Her presence at the high-level table was somewhat unusual, given that government ministers are typically the ones called to stand in for heads of state at such sessions, The Washington Post's Abby Phillip wrote. A spokesman for President Donald Trump's eldest daughter told The Post that she "briefly joined the main table when the president had to step out."

It does not appear that Trump spoke at the session, but her presence at the table was met with widespread criticism on social media.

Some say it further blurs the line between family and political affairs in the Trump administration. Ivanka Trump serves as an adviser to her father. She and her husband, Jared Kushner, also an adviser, are both powerful figures in the White House and have accompanied the president on his foreign trips.

Others came to her defense and said the outrage is an overreaction.

In an interview with "Fox and Friends" last week, Trump said she tries to stay away from politics, despite having a White House role that has expanded since she became a volunteer "assistant to the president," a job without pay that carries ethical obligations . In a statement addressing concerns about her role as the president's adviser, she said:

"I have heard the concerns some have with my advising the president in my personal capacity while voluntarily complying with all ethics rules, and I will instead serve as an unpaid employee in the White House Office, subject to all of the same rules as other federal employees. Throughout this process I have been working closely and in good faith with the White House counsel and my personal counsel to address the unprecedented nature of my role."

Her participation at the G-20 summit was not the first time she was criticized for her role in her father's administration. For instance, her presence at a November meeting between her father, then president-elect, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe immediately raised questions about possible conflicts of interest.

Critics have also said that although she's taken on progressive issues such as paid parental leave, child care and female empowerment, she has done little to moderate her father's nationalistic policies and has yet to publicly comment on the Trump administration's more controversial policies on immigration or climate change. Her defenders said that Trump, who's navigating an uncharted territory for a first daughter, has been unfairly criticized and held to impossible standards.

In a recent interview with The Post defending her White House role, Trump said her job is to inform and support her father, not to make him commit to something he's not interested in.

"I am not sort of trying to selectively curate information that will lead him to agree with me," she said. "Debate is good."

President Trump also has repeatedly praised his older daughter, and acknowledged on Saturday that being a part of his administration has placed her in a difficult position.

"If she weren't my daughter, it would be so much easier for her," Trump said. "Might be the only bad thing she has going, if you want to know the truth."

The G-20 summit is not the first time she has accompanied her father on his foreign trips. During their trip to Saudi Arabia in May, Ivanka Trump spoke at a roundtable about women's rights and empowerment.

At the summit in Hamburg, she and her husband participated at a bilateral meeting with Merkel. Trump and her father also participated in a World Bank session on women's entrepreneurship.

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The Washington Post's Abby Philip contributed to this story.

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Video: President Trump's daughter participated in high-level meetings throughout the summit including a World Bank panel on women's entrepreneurship with several high-ranking international officials. (Meg Kelly / The Washington Post)

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Keywords: Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump, Hamburg, G-20, G-20 summit
Protests are rattling genteel Charlottesville, Virginia, hometown of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, over the city's plans to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a downtown park.

On Saturday night, a group carrying torches and led by prominent white nationalist Richard Spencer held a demonstration around the statue to protest its removal. The gathering was swiftly condemned by city leaders, who said it evoked images of the Ku Klux Klan.

"This event involving torches at night in Lee Park was either profoundly ignorant or was designed to instill fear in our minority populations in a way that hearkens back to the days of the KKK," Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer said in a statement. "I want everyone to know this: We reject this intimidation ... such intolerance is not welcome here."

That was followed by a candlelight counterprotest Sunday night, where speakers preached tolerance and protesters hung a banner on the statue's base that read, "Black Lives Matter" and "F**k White Supremacy."

Police made three arrests after several right-wing protesters showed up and a scuffle broke out. A police officer was injured when an object thrown from the crowd struck him in the head.

The tensions have made this historic city, home of Monticello and the University of Virginia, the latest Southern battleground over the contested removal of Confederate monuments -- symbols of the Civil War that represent heritage to some, hate to others.

At least 60 publicly funded symbols of the Confederacy have been removed or renamed since the 2015 massacre of nine black parishioners in a Charleston, South Carolina, church by a self-described white supremacist, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Amid protests last week, workers in New Orleans removed a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, part of a contentious plan to dismantle four Confederate monuments in the city.

The debate over the Lee statue has even reached Virginia's gubernatorial race, where several Republican candidates have called for it to remain. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Perriello, a native of Charlottesville, supports the statue's removal.

In Charlottesville, it all started when the city council voted narrowly in February to remove the bronze statue, which was installed almost a century ago and depicts Lee in uniform astride a horse. The city also voted to rename Lee Park, where the statue stands, and another nearby park named for Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

A group of residents have sued the city to keep the Lee statue in place. A judge has agreed to block its removal for at least six months while the litigation proceeds.

Meanwhile, protesters are converging on the city's parks. Alt-right darling Spencer, a University of Virginia graduate, led a rally Saturday afternoon in Jackson Park, where he told several dozen supporters, "We will never back down from the cowardly attacks on our people and our heritage. What brings us together is that we are white. We are a people. We will not be replaced!"

His words, and the evening torch rally, were quickly denounced by residents and officials -- both Democrat and Republican.

"You're not going to drown us out, you're not going to make us listen to you. There is no such thing as a supremacy. Slavery is dead and we just need everyone to realize and recognize that," said protester Don Gathers at Sunday's candlelight rally, according to CNN affiliate WVIR.

Two local groups who support preserving the Lee statue also condemned Saturday's protests.

"We remain committed to preserving the Robert E. Lee Monument in its park through the legal process in the courts because of its historic and artistic value," said a group called Save the Robert E. Lee Statue. "We soundly and completely reject racism, white supremacy, and any other identity-based groups that preach division and hate no matter which side of the issue they happen to support."

CNN's Kwegyirba Croffie and Brandon Griggs contributed to this report.
Fifty years ago, Bob Hartmann was in the right place, at the right time, to capture some important cultural history on film.

Hartmann  an architectural designer in Racine for more than 30 years  was a 25-year-old graduate student and assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison when the first restaurant designed by Frank Lloyd Wright was constructed, near the architects Taliesin estate in Spring Green. And while he may not have realized it at the time, young Hartmann shot a collection of rare photographs of the restaurants construction.

During breaks from working on his thesis in environmental design, he visited the construction site often and I was never without my camera.

This year, his never-before-seen photos are being exhibited in the building he photographed, which now serves as the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center, 5607 County Road C, in Spring Green. Hartmanns photo exhibit is part of Taliesin Preservations 50th anniversary celebration for the building, which housed The Spring Green restaurant for 25 years. But, if not for a bit of serendipity, his negatives might still be on a shelf in his Racine home, waiting to be printed.

Significant contribution

Hartmann  whos had a lifelong interest in Wrights work and has served as president of Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin  was visiting some of his favorite FLW-related websites late last year, when he came across an announcement about the buildings 50th anniversary in a prairiemod.com newsletter. The website had published a notice from Erik Flesch, director of development at Taliesin Preservation Inc., which said the organization was looking for memorabilia and/or artifacts from The Spring Green restaurant for the anniversary celebration.

Excited for the chance to revisit his experience with the building, Hartmann said he called Flesch immediately and told him he had 36 black-and-white and color negatives of the restaurants construction from 50 years ago. He began making prints right away and, when he met with Flesch and other Taliesin Preservation representatives in February, he was told these are priceless.

Hartmanns response to the inquiry was the most significant one the organization received, Flesch said. His photo collection not only records the buildings initial construction in 1967, but a renovation done a couple years later.

Along with being a wonderful addition to the anniversary celebration, the 24 framed prints on display throughout the Visitor Center have been useful to the organization in its research, Flesch said.

Bob has an eye for architectural design and knows what is important to photograph, Flesch said.

Great story

His photos tell a great story, Flesch said. And this year  which is not only the 50th anniversary of the building designed as the gateway to Taliesin, but the 150th anniversary of Frank Lloyd Wrights birth  they likely will be seen by people from around the world who come to visit the Taliesin estate.

We get an average of 25,000 visitors a year, and are expecting many more this year, he said.

For Hartmann, printing and framing the photos was a labor of love  one he had long thought hed get around to after he retired. A grant, given to Taliesin Preservation by the Spring Green Area Arts Coalition, covered the cost of materials for the project, and Hartmann donated his time and effort to the cause. He also plans to donate the photographs to Taliesin Preservations archives when the exhibit closes.

I like the idea of being able to pass this on to future generations, Hartmann said. I think thats kind of neat.

This exhibit is also dear to Hartmanns heart because of the many fond memories he has of meals enjoyed in the elegant, river-view supper club called The Spring Green  including one of the first meals he shared with his wife of 45 years, Jill. He and Jill plan to attend the 50th anniversary celebration that Taliesin Preservation will hold on Sept. 22, and Bob has been asked to give some remarks there.

This is very special for me, he said. And I think it might be interesting for people here in Racine, so many of whom are interested in Frank Lloyd Wright, to know this story.
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Monday began examining a report submitted by the joint investigation team (JIT) probing allegations of money laundering against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family.

The bench, comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Ejaz Afzal, after examination of the report, asked for transcripts of all speeches made in the last 60 days by PML-N's Talal Chaudhry, Railways Minister Saad Rafique, and the PM's Special Assistant on Political Affairs Asif Kirmani, presumably to examine them for contemptuous content.

Justices Saeed, Afzal and Ahsan are the three judges who exercised restraint in their judgements on the Panamagate case, whereas Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Gulzar Ahmed issued the dissenting notes in the judgement.

The apex court also ordered the registration of a criminal case against Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan Chairman Zafar Hijazi in order to find out who was behind tampering the records of businesses owned by the Sharif family.

The bench also ordered that the name and institution of the individual responsible for leaking a photo of Hussain Nawaz sitting before the JIT should be made public.

The matter does not fall within the SC's jurisdiction, so the government may form a commission to probe the matter, the court said.

The bench also took a strict stand against a local newspaper for publishing material it said was contrary to actual JIT proceedings over the past 60 days.

The SC ordered the filing of a contempt of court notice against the printer, publisher and reporter of a story entitled "Panama JIT doesnt find PM guilty, but his sons", which appeared in The News on Monday, July 10.

Earlier, members of the JIT had arrived at the apex court amid tight security provided by Islamabad Capital Territory Police. Large cardboard boxes labelled 'Evidence' were carted into the SC as the JIT made their way into court.

The case has been adjourned for a week, with the next hearing scheduled for July 17.

'Democracy will strengthen with accountability'

Jamaat-i-Islami's Sirajul Haq, reacting to the news, claimed that it had been "proved again" that the government is pressuring the JIT and courts.

"But we are sure they will fail. We feel that the whole system is being tampered with. Institutions have been crippled," he claimed.

"For the oppressed and helpless people, a powerful judicial system is important," he added.

"People now want to see an independent judiciary and institutions. Democracy will not weaken, but become stronger due to accountability. We stand with democracy and Constitution."

PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry expressed hope that the SC verdict would be upheld. While calling for an end to "this mudslinging competition", the PTI leader called for a separate case of perjury to be registered against the SECP chairman who, he said, should also give up the names of the people who made him perjure himself.

"It is better that Hijazi names the people who told him to submit false records. And we are sure none other than Ishaq Dar is behind it," Chaudhry alleged.

"I believe that Abid Sher Ali and Daniyal Aziz's transcripts should also be examined by the SC," the PTI leader added.

The JIT report

The JIT report consists of statements recorded by PM Nawaz; Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif; the PMs children Hussain, Hassan and Maryam Nawaz Sharif; son-in-law retired Captain Mohammad Safdar; PMs cousin Tariq Shafi; friend Javed Kayani and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who is the father-in-law of the PMs younger daughter, among other evidence.

The case hinges on two parallel money trails for the Sharif family's apartments in London's upscale Park Lane neighbourhood: one based on the Rehman Malik investigation, and the other provided by Hussain Nawaz to the apex court.

The Rehman Malik investigation of 1998 connected the purchase of the London properties with alleged money laundering.

Malik said that he had, during his time as an FIA official, compiled a report about decades ago on alleged money laundering by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members.

The second money trail  a forced confession of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the Hudaibiya Paper Mills case  is also being used to establish a case against the Sharif family.

Dar had claimed after his appearance at the JIT's headquarters at the Federal Judicial Academy last month that the statement submitted before a magistrate on April 25, 2000 was not 'written by his hand'.

The statement had alleged that Sharif brothers used the Hudaibiya Paper Mills as a cover for money laundering during the late 1990s.

This was why the JIT summoned almost all important characters named in both the Rehman Malik report and Dars confession.

The JIT did not record the statement of former Qatari premier Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al-Thani, who submitted two letters to the SC during the Panamagate case, which sought to explain the Sharif family's businesses in Qatar.

Therefore, it is being assumed that the JIT will not consider the money trail provided by Hussain Nawaz, who was summoned by the JIT six times and examined for around 30 hours in all.

The leadership of the ruling PML-N is visibly unhappy with this development, and makes no secret of its disdain for the report.

Top PML-N leaders had made it clear during a press conference last week that the ruling party would not accept the findings of the JIT if the statements of the former Qatari prime minister were not made part of the report.

The Panamagate case

The Panama Papers leaks came to light in April last year after the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists made documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca available to the public.

The documents contained confidential attorney-client information for more than 214,488 offshore entities.

Eight offshore companies were reported to have links with the family of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif.

In the aftermath of leaks, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan levelled allegations of corruption against the prime minister. Khan called for Nawaz Sharif to step down as PM or to present himself for accountability.

In October, Khan announced his plans to lockdown Islamabad, calling on agitators to paralyse the capital until the PM gave into his demands for resignation or accountability.

As tensions in the capital came to a head on November 2  the proposed date of the lockdown  the Supreme Court announced that it would start hearing the Panamagate case.

A full bench of the apex court began hearing the case on a daily basis this year, and announced a split verdict on April 20, which ordered the formation of a JIT to probe allegations of money laundering against the Sharif family.

The apex court ordered the JIT comprise members of the FIA, National Accountability Bureau, SECP, State Bank of Pakistan, Inter-Services Intelligence, and Military Intelligence.
RACINE  Poking House Speaker Paul Ryan for not holding public town halls, Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan of Madison held his own town hall-style event in Ryans district Saturday as he criticized Republican efforts on health care reform.

Pocan, a Kenosha native who represents a Madison-area district, accused Ryan of shirking his responsibility by not facing constituents who may oppose his efforts to replace the Affordable Care Act.

If he wont come and talk to you all about the bill that he wrote ... then I thought I should at least be here to answer your questions so you know more about the bill, Pocan said in the Great Lakes Auditorium at Gateway Technical College, 1001 S. Main St.

Ryan has cited security concerns and said he is looking for different ways to communicate with constituents  including holding office hours, telephone town halls and listening sessions at businesses  in lieu of public town halls.

There are groups that simply want to disrupt town halls and make them into screaming fests for video. That does not make for a civil, productive dialogue with constituents, Ryan told The Journal Times Friday.

Pocan: Fix ACA

Nearly 100 people turned out for Pocan, who argued the Ryan-driven health care bill is not health care legislation as much as a tax cut bill that benefits corporations and the wealthiest Americans.

Its really hard to argue this bill has anything to do with health care at all, other than take it away from tens of millions of people in this country, he said.

Pocan pushed, instead, for making changes to the Affordable Care Act.

Lawmakers should work on ways to incentivize younger, healthy people to sign up in the individual marketplace instead of not doing so and paying a penalty, Pocan said. He also called for adding a public option, which he said would help keep prices down, and promoted the Democratic-led Medicare for All bill.

Were willing to sit down and fix what we have so that people dont lose health care and make the system work, Pocan said. The problem is, their goal is to get rid of this because Donald Trump and the Republicans promised they were going to get rid of that evil Obamacare.

Pocan noted the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated premiums for older residents would climb and, under the Senate bill, that 22 million people would lose insurance.

Ryan argues that the impact of the House bill would be better in some aspects than what the CBO projects, saying those projections presume that if youre not going to force someone to buy something they dont want to buy, they wont buy it.

Ryan also has pushed for federal and state governments to subsidize the cost of care for people in high-risk pools, saying that will make it easier to insure people at a more affordable price.

Bill stalled

The liberal advocacy group Citizen Action of Wisconsin hosted the meeting with Pocan, who attended similar events earlier in the day in Elkhorn and in May in Kenosha.

The events reflect an increasing national trend of Democratic members of Congress holding town halls on health care in neighboring Republican districts, Citizen Action said in a news release.

Pocan and other advocates say pressure on Republicans has made a difference, with the current future of health care reform murky at best.

After passing the House in May, the issue is in the hands of the Senate, where progress has stalled. Like the House, Republicans have hit stumbling blocks trying to pass a health care bill, with an expected vote before the July 4 recess pushed back.
An airline is the best marketing arm By Shennal Angunawela Feature View(s): View(s):

An airline is the best marketing arm a country can buy. In the absence of a strong national carrier we must open and make it attractive to other airlines to come into the country. Tourism is central and the key to make airlines operations viable. As an island Sri Lanka needs airlines to connect and keep up with the rest of the world.

The airlines of today and tomorrow are much different than airlines of yesterday. The key to the future success include a solid business plan. Sales by volume, point to point service, fleet type, high utilisation and concentrated network targeting unserved and under- served markets.

Some carriers use the geographical advantage of their location to funnel both short-and long-haul traffic through their hubs. Examples Emirates in West Asia and Copa Airlines in Latin America. These carriers have grown strongly in recent years and plan continued expansion in the coming decade.

Rethink aviation, revise policies.

The Government should dismantle monopolies and promote competition among airport operators or pursue policies that incentivise airport monopolies to operate more efficiently according to the needs of their clients  the airlines.

London is a great example of how places can benefit from increased competition. Since the BAs airport monopoly ended, airlines have had a choice in London, which has six airports, each managed by a different operator. The right incentives play an important role.

Monopolistic airlines do not work, neither do monopolistic airports. Its time we stopped pretending that a lack of competition delivers anything but monopoly profit, let alone any sort of real cost reduction. Only competition has the power to reduce inefficiencies and deliver what the market needs at the right price. If the Government is serious about safeguarding mobility, its time we kill monopolies  before monopolies kill us.

Low-cost airlines have democratised travel. Its time airports did their part.

Mobility  the movement of people and goods  is both a fundamental right and a linchpin of the global economy. But without air travel, it cant happen. Making air travel accessible to all is therefore crucial, and airlines, airports, regulators, governments and relevant stakeholders have a duty to work together to make this a reality by making it affordable.

Airlines have led the way in this, reducing the price of air fares since the year 2000 by being more efficient. This is due largely to improvements in aircraft technology as well as the rise of low-cost carriers (LCCs), especially in the Asia-Pacific. In fact, within ASEAN, budget airlines now account for more than half of total capacity, allowing many people to fly for the first time.

Not everyone is playing their part, though. Airports remain islands of resistance while airlines and aircraft manufacturers worked hard over the past decade to get air fares down, airport cost per passenger rose by more than 35 per cent in the same period. Airports have also failed to realise that LCCs have different requirements from full-service carriers (FSCs). No-frills airlines need no-frills terminals for simple, fast and low-cost operations.

Yet operators approach airport design with a one size fits all mentality. They fail to understand that not every hotel is the Hilton and not every car is a Rolls-Royce. Theres room for brands built on a volume proposition, such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour, and indeed LCCs.

Competitive airports attract airlines and encourage additional capacity and routes. Better connectivity is good for attracting global companies, and countries with monopolistic airports stand to lose out to those with market-driven ones that can offer more destinations and higher frequencies.

Sri Lanka needs to develop domestic and regional airports into business hubs. The country has 14 domestic airports. It is time we develop Ratmalana airport as an international airport for LCCs.

Airports are also businesses and business needs to grow. The Government needs to promote regional airports. Develop new airports at required destinations to land smaller and medium size aircrafts (example A320 which is the most popular aircraft for regional operations) All these will help to strengthen its competitiveness in attracting tourism, business and leisure traveller.

(The writer is an aviation, airline, logistics and free zones professional. Comments on this article could be sent to shennal.acr@gmail.com)
CIM empowers Sri Lankan marketers to take on the digital transformation View(s):

This years CIM Sri Lanka Annual conference is themed, Digital Transformation  are you ready? and will be held on July 17-18 at the Cinnamon Grand, Colombo.

The theme this year has been triggered by the understanding of the harsh reality that most businesses are not yet ready for the digital transformation that would disrupt many industries in the long term. Similar sentiments were common about the Internet and social media earlier in the millennium, when these were seen as game-changers that would bring about the biggest challenge to businesses since the industrial revolution, and such speculations have become a reality today, according to a media release issued by CIM Sri Lanka.

At the event, conference participants will be provided the opportunity to delve deeper into the world of digital and be empowered to face the digital marketing challenges of the future.

Paul Smith, keynote speaker at this years CIM Conference, is an author, consultant and renowned marketer from the United Kingdom, who currently functions as an advisor and mentor in digital marketing, communications and digital transition.

Graduated from Dublin -Ireland and having earned his MBA from CASS Business School, Mr. Smith more popularly known as PR Smith carries over 10 years experience in lecturing, consulting, and is also the founder of a consortium of three universities and an e-learning company specialising in Marketing which has reached out to 63 countries worldwide.

He has said that the forum will help the delegates to understand the need for a quick recess from everyday work inertia and focus on transforming the way they do their marketing, formulating plans to transform their digital marketing through the use of right tools, execution and measures of control.

He will be joined by Michael Rogers of KPMG UK and Jerome Thill -Vice President of SABRE (APAC) who is one of a new breed of emerging thought leaders and consultants in digital transformation.

Mr. Thill is a management consultant in KPMGs UK practice and primarily specialises in providing tech strategy advice for financial service clients. Passionate about the change technology brings, he also works closely with start-ups helping them to connect with incumbents to collaborate with one another, facilitating the symbiotic relationship between the old and the new.
Converting municipal waste to green energy By Quintus Perera View(s): View(s):

An Australian-based Sri Lankan entrepreneur has proposed a novel solution to get rid of one of the countrys stinking problems  transforming garbage to energy.

While the concept of transforming garbage to energy is not new and has been proposed in the past with these proposals often thrown to the WPB (waste paper bin) due to bureaucratic lethargy, red-tape and corruption, Kumar Perumal says he has a more practical, quick-fix solution to this burning and unhealthy issue.

His company, Endeavour Energy Corporation Ltd (EECL), is capable of setting up 10 megawatt (MW)-capacity energy plants within a period of four to five months near any city. The company has got Board of Investment approval for one such 10 MW plant using Colombo city garbage and is now in the process of getting the formalities cleared. The plant will come up in Ja-Ela.

While 3.500 metric tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) is generated daily in the Western Province  Colombo Municipal Area, only around 2,100 to 2,400 tons are collected, Mr. Perumal, chairman of Endeavour, told the Business Times in an interview at his Colombo office discussing various concepts and easy solutions to the citys garbage problem.

EECL is an Australian-based Sri Lankan International corporate entity and Mr. Perumal (its chairman) is in Sri Lanka to launch green energy projects by converting municipal waste into energy. Endeavours long-term commitment in the Asia Pacific region is strategically focused towards the development and operation of Green Energy projects, in particular Waste to Energy (WTE) Plants, refuse-derived fuel plants and associated industries processing solid and liquid waste. Endeavours complimentary core focus is also into bio fertilizer production facilities.

He said that what they are doing here now is to convert municipal solid waste into Residue Derived Fuel (RDF) and for that he said: We are building a power plant to get rid of waste totally. He said that there is tremendous local talent to do this job and indicated that several Sri Lankan

Converting municipal waste to green energyuniversities have identified this need and now started to produce graduates in green technology. When explaining the intricacies of EECLs task of converting garbage into energy, he was joined accompanied by the companys engineer Ms. Wasuda Abeyratne, a BSc in Green Technology Development of waste management from the Ruhuna University.

Putting up a plant would cost around 3.5 million Euros, he said and indicated that when these plants are built in locations where garbage is available they could cut down transport cost. He said that they are also working on studies on short term and long term solutions for the municipal solid waste generated in the Western Province and how to process municipal solid waste instead of dumped them in land-fills.

With a solid knowledge base, he said that he has made a study tour to several European countries to see how the western world is tackling their day-to-day solid waste garbage. He said that they are putting up RDF plants to deal with daily waste, segregated or non-segregated  things like pet-bottles, corrugated paper, polythene, etc.

They are shredded into minute particles, then dried and bailed and sent to cement plants and power plants to produce cement and generate power, Mr. Perumal said adding that the biodegradable material is then sent to the plant to produce high quality compost.

The company is also going ahead with another project to build an organic fertilizer plant in Bingiriya producing around 200,000 metric tons per year that could be used in the paddy fields, tea and vegetable plantations. This project will be completed in the early part of next year, he said.

Discussions have already been held with the Rubber Research Institute (RRI) and Tea Research Institute (TRI) with regard to this and the project would cost around US$ 60 million.

He said that the plant that generates power out of solid municipal waste in Sri Lanka would become a model to the entire Asian region as they intend to expand into this region with the experience they gain from Sri Lanka.
CALEDONIA  Fifteen years after he first met Kam Buhler, Petr Hudec couldnt resist the chance to come to Racine for the weekend during a trip to the United States.

In 2002, Hudec, now 35, was a Czech law student driving an ice cream truck around the Racine area as a summer job.

Now, after a chance meeting with Buhler during that summer, Hudec is a successful lawyer in Prague, Czech Republic, with a New York-based international law firm, where he recently made partner.

Hudec is grateful for Buhler, who helped him finance a part of his tuition while he was at Northwestern University.

Buhler, who is married to Butter Buds executive Bill Buhler, grew up in an impoverished, single-parent home in China and had to go to work at age 13. She could relate to Hudec being in a foreign country at a young age.

I grew up very poor and didnt have a chance at higher education, Buhler said. My husband is a businessman and that gave me an opportunity to give a hand to other people.

Hudec, who passed the New York bar exam in 2009 and the Czech bar exam soon after, isnt Buhlers only success story. Shes a strong supporter of the U.S. State Departments FLEX program, which gives students from Europe and Eurasia a chance to pursue American education.

On a mission

Buhler has a personal office in her Caledonia home dedicated to all of the kids she has helped since she first met Hudec 15 years ago.

Weve been sponsoring many kinds, Buhler said. After all these years, were still giving out scholarships.

Buhler recently helped three Ukranian students whom she sponsored open a law firm in Odessa, Ukraines fourth most populous city. She has also helped students from Moldova and Colombia in the past.

Shes currently sponsoring Racine native Raunel Albiter, a junior at Milwaukee School of Engineering who graduated from Shoreland Lutheran High School in Somers in 2015.

But it all began with Hudec during one summer day in 2002.

An earlier version of this story misstated when Hudec was at Northwestern.
Electronic device ban fully lifted on flights from Abu Dhabi to the US View(s):

The US Department of Homeland Security has lifted a ban on electronic devices on flights between Abu Dhabi and the US with effect from July 2, Abu Dhabi national carrier Etihad Airways said.

Effective immediately, the removal of the restrictions allows passengers flying to the US to carry all laptops, tablets, and other electronic devices onto the aircraft, subject to enhanced security measures. We would like to thank our guests for their understanding and loyalty while the ban was in place, the airline said in a media announcement.

All Etihad Airways guests travelling to the US clear US Immigration and Customs at the US Preclearance facility in Terminal 3 at Abu Dhabi International Airport, the only one of its kind in West Asia.

When guests land in the US, they arrive as domestic passengers with no requirement to queue for immigration and custom checks again.

Affecting 180 airlines and 280 airports, it is anticipated that Etihad Airways is one of the first airlines to be able to satisfy the short-term measures required by the Transportation Security Administration due to the superior security advantages provided by the preclearance facility, the release said.

Etihad Airways currently operates 45 flights a week between Abu Dhabi and six cities across the United States  including double daily to New York, daily to Washington, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles, and three-times-per-week to San Francisco.
Feature  Norochcholai power plant has already paid back its investment By Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya View(s): View(s):

One day possibly in April 2014, the President called the Minister of Power and Energy to meet her. He rushed to Temple Trees with his deputy, to be told that she would have no objection to the Ministry proceeding with the Norochcholai coal power project. The Minister and his deputy were astonished; they could not believe their ears, since for 11 years, their own President, much of the government and the opposition too, stated through dozens of decisions and Cabinet memos, that the Norochcholai power plant would not be built.

The pleas of electricity planners were brushed aside for over two decades, and politics took precedence. Two bad spells of power cuts had crippled the economy. Meanwhile, 10 oil power plants were bought, contracted or rented out, to keep the electricity supply alive. Although the politicians would not care for the cost to the country, Secretary to the Treasury, with the numbers at his finger-tips, knew very well, what was the second most preventable and wasteful expenditure on the economy: the first was the war, second the diesel power plants to make up for the intransigence of three governments preventing the implementation of two key power plant projects (Upper Kotmale and Norochcholai).

The Minister and his deputy came out of the Presidents office, conferred among themselves for a while outside, and went back in, to double check with the President, what they heard from her minutes ago. And she confirmed it for the second time and possibly shouted out: go and do it!

By this time, the offered Japanese technical assistance to build Sri Lankas first coal-fired power plant to Japanese standards using Japanese technology was gone, thanks to the government of 2002 that gave marching orders to the Japanese, and ordered more and more diesel power plants. Meanwhile, the friends of the government, just as they do today, were queuing up at the Prime Ministers office offering diesel power plants.

Remember, no coal means more diesel, and you  as customers  pay. To a country that had bungled its decision-making process on power projects, and by the time the correct decision was arrived at in 2004, it was too late. The friends of the country had already been chased away by the government of 2001-2004, by then in opposition. Divide CEB into six, sell it off, and then we will assist you to build power plants, said some multilateral lending agencies. When the country was bleeding with blackouts and heavy expenditure on diesel, they thought selling off CEB was the priority. No other country was willing to lend and assist; China was the only option, with all the pain that finally came with it.

The rest is history. The Norochcholai power plant was built at an all-inclusive cost of US$1,342 million inclusive of transmission lines and coal unloading jetty, the countrys largest ever single investment on a project. The work was completed in three stages. Year 2015 was the first full calendar year of operation. The full power plant has now operated for at least two years and six months. The power plant went down many times over in 2014-2015, usual for a new power plant in its first year, but subsequent outages over 2015 are certainly in excess of the worldwide norm.

So by April 2017, the coal power plant has produced about 18,300 million units of electricity. Leaving a 10 per cent margin for in-house use and transmission loss, energy delivered would be about 16,470 GWh. Norochcholai produced this electricity at an average cost of Rs. 5 per unit, and saved electricity produced at least at Rs. 17 per unit. Therefore, the savings are $1,300 million from the time Norochcholai began operations to the present.

So, some day in June 2017, the country fully recovered the money paid for Norochcholai by way of savings in the fuel bill. Even if no one appreciates, those who watch the balance of payments at the Treasury will know exactly the benefit of the power plant to the economy. The fuel (oil, gas and coal) import bill that was 26 per cent of imports in 2012, has since declined to 14 per cent by 2015, and 13 per cent by 2016. The Treasury must be feeling the figures to be cool, given that the country is in a severe crisis to pay the loans for non-performing ports and airports. The investment for Norochcholai has already been recovered in less than three years (see Sunday Times, 20th March 2011), but its loans must be repaid over 10 to 20 years.

Isnt that itself a benefit, to an economy starved of cash?

Just like any other country, some such as Japan, Germany and Denmark, and even India and China, Sri Lanka too now gets a sizeable share of its electricity from its coal-fired power plant. Before coal power came in, Sri Lankas electricity average cost to customer went up to Rs. 23 and went down to Rs. 16 per kWh in 2015, the first full year of the coal power plants operation. A reduction of 30 per cent.

In 2015, the share of electricity produced from coal was as follows: Sri Lanka: 34 per cent, world average 41 per cent. For hydro and renewables, see where we are: Sri Lanka: 48 per cent, world average: 23 per cent. So, are we the bad guy in the world. No!

Statistics can be presented for hours and hours, which all show that Sri Lanka in 2015, was doing a lot better than almost all developed countries in renewable energy development, but would not build diesel power plants, but coal and renewables. Coal will keep the electricity supply stable, technically and economically. Renewables would keep the green objectives intact, and in some cases, would fulfil economic objectives as well.

However, textbook, political and Internet specialists on environment, and much of the media, say one thing in unison: the world is moving away from coal (which is not the case, but yes, a lot of publicity is given to shutting down of coal power plants, and nothing is given out by the respective national security agencies, about how many are started up each year). No, the world is not moving away, but consolidating and cautiously managing the fuel mix in power generation. After all, these are countries who have their national security at the highest level. Even if engineers want something else, even if environmental lobbyists want renewables and nothing else, the national security would not allow shutting down of power plants.

It is wrong to assume, and lie around, that the whole world is running for and running on renewable energy. No, it is only in Sri Lanka, that the Public Utilities Commission and certain elements of the Government, keep ordering CEB to build diesel power plants and renewables, and nothing else.

Diesel kills the economy of electricity supply, renewables contribute when they can, but in rain and if off-season, wind and solar PV are of no value. Impacts are many. Governments and electricity utilities such as CEB exist because they have to use fuels difficult to handle, produce electricity, keep back-up capacity, and then deliver a reliable, lower cost product to the customer. If they too produce electricity the same way you too can do (diesel generator) or with the same solar panels which you too could fix on your roof, then there is no need for CEB. You can do it yourselves but face the consequences. There is no compulsion: any environmental enthusiast can go off grid, do everything with solar; do not buy from CEB because they use coal power. Ask CEB (or LECO) to cut off your supply.

When difficult fuels are handled, there will be consequences, and they have to be handled properly, with the required expertise and care. Norochcholai had problems related to ash management; the fault of a system or one mishap is no reason to throw away a benefit of $500 million per year and a stable electricity supply. All engineering problems have a solution, but there will be a price to be paid. If the price is right, then more environmental management systems have to be implemented and the country should proceed with more of the same technology, but absorbing technological improvements as we proceed.

Already in 2017 January to April, Sri Lanka has spent $160 million extra on petroleum fuels (diesels, fuel oil, etc) compared with the long-term plan of 2009. Why? The government will say it is the drought, but the real reason is that the Sampur coal power plant scheduled for 2016 was not built and may perhaps never be built. Happily, pay the extra fuel cost. You customers are actually paying for this diesel, right now, in your bill. Why? Because if Sampur was allowed to be built, your electricity bill would have been lower.

Now that is the beauty of a paradise.

So remember again, no coal means more diesel and you customers already pay for the missing Sampur power plant. Many think that no coal means renewables. Wrong!

If you do not believe it go to Galle, Hambantota, Kurunegala and Pallekelle substations. How you identify a major substation is when you see tall power lines ending there, and starting off from there, and you see tall structures. The name board says Grid Substation.

Watch the diesel bowsers going into nearby yards, many a day; listen to the hum of the diesel engines. Do you hear them? Thats it. You have found it. Producing electricity at three times the cost of Norochcholai and (the now stalled) Sampur. Thats how your Government works to uplift the ailing economy.
Govt.to use FTZ to dump garbage? View(s):

The government saddled with the issue of a venue to dump its garbage is considering the Katunayake Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in its quest for a probable location much to the dismay of workers, employers and authorities.

Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Faizer Mustapha, State Minister of City Planning and Water Supply Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle, Deputy Finance and Mass Media Minister Lasantha Alagiyawannawa and officials had visited the Katunayake FTZ on two separate occasions last week with the intention of looking at options to dump garbage from Colombo and other areas inside the zone. They were said to have visited the zones dumping ground where refuse from within the zone is collected, Board of Investment (BOI) sources said confirming that their officials were present during the visit.

Upset over the move, FTZ trade unions have written to the relevant authorities including President Maithripala Sirisena to intervene in the matter without letting the FTZ become a zone for dumping garbage. The 12 branch unions of the FTZ met and decided to remain vigilant in the zones should relevant authorities attempt to use the zone for this purpose.

Meanwhile, it is also learnt that this location had been pursued by the relevant minister during a Cabinet meeting which certain authorities denounce this move as stupid.

The FTZ has 85 factories and operates also as a customs zone where each and every vehicle is checked upon entry and passes issued to permit entry into the zone.At a time when investors need to be allocated space in the zones, the intention of the government to dump garbage at the FTZ has raised serious concerns. During the visit BOI officials had informed the authorities about the sensitivity of the zone insisting that it would not look good if BMWs of investors and garbage trucks were seen entering the zone from the same entrance.

They had also pointed out that the zone was dealing with export oriented companies and expressed concerns should something go wrong. In addition, the zone was said to be in proximity to the villages as well, it was highlighted.The BOI zone has a systematic method of managing waste through the Reduce, Recycle and Reuse system and was using cleaner production techniques as well.

Once all the garbage is collected they are segregated and reused and the rest sent to the Holcim kiln in Puttalam for processing.

Authorities had also insisted that they did not have the kind of capacity to manage such a lot of municipal waste at the BOI zone in Katunayaka and added that they were only engaged in managing industrial waste.

Meanwhile, the FTZ Manufacturers Association has also lodged their protest against such an operation within the zone.
UDA gets tough with building approvals By Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera View(s): View(s):

All large scale buildings with a potential critical impact on the built environment have to get approval from the Urban Development Authority (UDA) under new rules that came into effect in February.

This is after corruption and rampant malpractices in recent times when obtaining approvals for buildings, officials said. Earlier granting these approvals was vested on the respective jurisdiction of the municipal council

(MC) in the area of the proposed building, Jagath Munasinghe, Chairman UDA told the Business Times.

Way back in the late 1970s all the sanctions for buildings were with the local authorities who had jurisdiction over urban areas. Then under the Urban Development Authority Act certain areas were declared by the subject minister as urban, he said.

As time went by these areas became larger and it was too much for the UDA to handle. So in mid 80s, the approvals returned to the local authorities/MCs, Mr. Munasinghe explained.

But then corruption happened. So we took back some powers pertaining to approvals, etc to the UDA on large developments that have a critical impact on the built environment, Mr. Munasinghe explained further.

He added that theres a list of requirements which a building should be under where UDA approval is required.

These cover any building that is more than 4,000 square feet, that has more than four storeys, impact (negatively) on the environment and those buildings that are on heritage, environmentally sensitive (such as coastalareas) and sacred sites.

Mt.Lavinia has most illegal constructions The Western Province Megapolis Ministry is ferreting out illegal constructions after the collapse of the 7-storey building in Wellawatte recently. Its Minister Champika Ranawaka quoting a survey that the ministry has done said the most number of illegal buildings are in Mount Lavinia. The Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipality has more than 4,000 unauthorised structures, he told the Business Times. Authorities say that those in power during the last regime had made billions of rupees during their tenure with such construction approvals. The officers have approved the project basically for their own profit, a resident in the area told the Business Times. The Minister said 10,000 unapproved buildings have been found in Colombo so far. In a coastal belt between Bambalapitiya and Wellawatte in Colombos southern suburbs, there were 1,800 illegal constructions, he said. Some Mount Lavinia citizens of the area are planning to go to the highest authorities to fight against builders who have managed to circumvent the law. Many building permits have been approved by local authorities in violation of UDA regulations.
Balance of payments: Fundamental weaknesses and weakening strengths View(s):

Massive trade deficits have been the fundamental weakness in the balance of payments and the underlying reason for balance of payments crises. Large remittances from abroad and significant earnings from tourism have been the strengths in the balance of payments. However, these remittances from abroad and earnings from tourism that offset the trade deficit have been weakening this year.

Emerging problem

The emerging balance of payments situation is of serious concern. Despite the surge in exports from March this year, the gains in export earnings have been offset by larger import expenditure.

The trade deficit that expanded to as much as US$ 2.5 billion in the first quarter has widened still further in April. Most worrying is the fact that the two buoyant sources of earnings have also turned unfavourable. The uptrend in both workers remittances and tourist earnings has decelerated this year. This weakening of the two major strengths of the balance of payments that have offset the large trade deficits of recent years is a severe setback.

Expectation

An improvement in the balance of payments could be expected only if the current growth in exports gains momentum and there is containment in imports. The reduction of the trade deficit has become imperative owing to the slow growth of workers remittances and tourist earnings. The balance of payments is likely to deteriorate, if the trade deficit increases and workers remittances and tourist earnings do not increase.

Central Bank observation

The Central Bank has commented on the emerging balance of payments situation:

Despite improved export performance in March and April 2017, a sustained increase in import expenditure resulted in a wider cumulative trade deficit. Tourism related foreign exchange inflows grew on a cumulative basis, and the decline in tourist arrivals observed in the month of May 2017 is expected to be temporary. Workers remittances recorded a slowdown in the first four months of the year, and any further escalation of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East could adversely affect such inflows in the period ahead.

Although the Central Bank has attributed the decrease in tourists to the closure of the airport early this year, there is increasing evidence that the tourist decline is owing to other reasons. Chief among these is the dengue epidemic. There have also been travel advisories regarding the floods, violence against tourists and communal and religious violence.

The latest information is that tourist arrivals picked up in June and grew by 4.5 per cent. During the first half of this year, tourist arrivals increased by 4.8 per cent to one million arrivals. However it is somewhat optimistic to expect the uptrend in tourist arrivals to continue at a pace to achieve this years target of 2.5 million. If tourist earnings could at least be that of last years US$ 3.4 billion it would be a significant contribution to the balance of payments.

Trade imbalance

The large trade deficits in the last three years were due to imports growing while exports decreased. Export earnings decreased by 5.6 percent in 2015 and by 2.2 percent in 2016. Export earnings are only about 55 percent of import expenditure. Consequently trade deficits reached US$ 8.3 billion in 2014 and increased to US$ 8.4 billion in 2015. It ballooned to US$ 9.1 billion in 2016. This deterioration in the trade balance accelerated in the first four months of this year indicating that this years trade deficit might exceed US$ 11 billion.

This trend continued till February this year. Since March there has been a surge in exports. There is a possibility of the trade deficit being contained below US$ 10 billion, if the spurt in exports of both agricultural and manufactured exports in March, April and May of this year accelerates. On the other hand, imports have grown rapidly to counteract the export growth.

Import growth

Imports have been increasing in recent years at a much higher rate than exports. The increase in imports by 19.4 percent in the first quarter of this year is an unprecedented rise. While all categories of imports increased, the highest increase was in intermediate imports. An 82 percent increase in fuel imports was mainly responsible for this escalation. The much improved rainfall should reduce fuel imports for thermal generation.

Trade deficit in 2017

On the basis of the first quarters trade deficit of US$ 2.5 billion, the end-of-the-year trade deficit may reach as much as US$ 10 billion. Tentative data indicate that the trade deficit has widened further in April. This is despite an improvement in exports in March, April and May. The trade deficit could expand further during the second half of the year, if the surge in imports continues.

Weakening strengths

As indicated earlier, the balance of payments has had two setbacks in the first quarter of this year and they would hopefully be reversed. First, remittances have decreased by 3.3 percent to US$ 1.7 billion from US$ 1.8 billion in the first quarter of last year. This is the first time in recent years that remittances have not increased.

Second, the recent high growth in tourist earnings decelerated in the first quarter of this year. Tourist earnings increased by only 3.4 percent in the first quarter compared to the same period of last year. However there was an increase in tourist arrivals in June and the increase in tourists in the first half of the year was slightly higher at 4.3 percent. Hopefully tourist earnings would revive during the rest of the year.

In conclusion

All things considered, the emerging balance of payments situation is alarming. The trade deficit could balloon to US$ 10 billion or more. The sluggishness in the growth of remittances and tourist earnings would mean that this large trade deficit would not be offset by these earnings. An improvement in the balance of payments could be expected only if the current growth in exports gains momentum and there is containment in imports. The reduction of the trade deficit has become imperative owing to the expectation of workers remittances and tourist earnings rising are most unlikely.

While the weaknesses in the trade balance continue, the two strengths in the balance of payments are weakening. The growth in remittances and tourist earnings has been arrested. Export growth in March and April gives a glimmer of hope, but import growth has already offset this advantage. However these two strengths of the balance of payments have been weakening this year. Hopefully there would be a revival of the increasing trend in workers remittances and tourist earnings.
The art of coarse Yahapalanaya or, how not to govern By Chandani Kirinde- Lobby Correspondent While the disaster-affected (Ammo Dump explosion, Garbage Mountain collapse, Floods-Landslide victims) languish destitute, Rs 200m more for new vehicles View(s): View(s):

This is a Govt that does not speak in one voice. Be it on Constitutional reforms, the SAITM/GMOA muddle, investigations into corruption or human rights, contradictory views that get aired publicly by key players in the Govt of National Unity, day after day, has only left the public confused, and eroded the confidence people had placed in the form of experimental governance the two main parties, the SLFP and UNP have put together.

This week saw more of the same, with some of it played out in Parliament. The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance Bill was scheduled to be debated and passed in Parliament on Wednesday, but Leader of the House, Minister Lakshman Kiriella informed it would not be taken up as listed that day. No reason was given for the delay, and the following day Minister Kiriella told the House that the Bill would be taken up shortly, but did not specify a date.

Later, Minister of Ports and Shipping, Mahinda Samarasinghe went on record saying the debate was put off at President Maithripala Sirisenas request, as he wanted to scrutinise it, a strange situation, given the fact that the Bill was tabled in Parliament in March this year. If the Bill hadnt been subject to proper scrutiny by the Govt, more than three months later, and the President is unsure of its contents, it only shows the lack of discussion within the Govt on important legislative matters.

Then, on Friday came another Supplementary estimate amounting to around Rs 200 million to purchase vehicles for two Ministers, a Deputy Minister, the Governor of the Northern Province and the Presidential Secretariat, as well as for diplomatic missions abroad.

The latest Supplementary estimate is to allocate Rs 43 million to purchase a vehicle for Posts, Postal Services and Muslim Religious Affairs Minister M.H.A. Haleem and another Rs 43 million on a vehicle for Mahaweli Development and Environment Deputy Minister Anuradha Jayaratna.

The other allocations include Rs 9 million to purchase a security backup vehicle for Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ravi Karunanayake and Rs 53 million for the Law and Order Ministry to purchase a vehicle for the Special Task Force (STF). A further sum of Rs 848,400 was sought to settle the balance due on the vehicle purchased for Northern Province Governor, and Rs 706,200 for a trishaw, to deliver mail to the President.

All these allocations of supplementary estimates to purchase vehicles is rather regular, a continuation of the practice that the former regime of President Mahinda Rajapaksa followed rather liberally, and would not count for much, if not for the fact that, soon after the devastating floods of this year, President Sirisena had instructed at a Cabinet meeting held in May, not to purchase new vehicles this year.

The Govt could argue these vehicle imports were authorised by Cabinet before the floods hit but, if the real concern was putting aside wasteful expenditure and channeling it to the welfare of flood-affected people, this allocation should have been stopped immediately, because those who are in need of urgent government financial allocations are those made destitute by the floods, and not Ministers or Deputy Ministers or other high officials who, even without new vehicles, will never be relegated to the level of using public transport.

Constitutional reforms, another matter on which no one really seems to know much of what is happening, had to be addressed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament this week. He spoke on Thursday, to reassure that the Article in the present Constitution that guaranteed the foremost place to Buddhism and made it the duty of the State to protect and foster Buddha Sasana, would not in any way be tampered with.

The Prime Ministers words of assurance were likely directed at the Buddhist clergy, mainly the Mahanayaka Theras who, this week, said they are opposed to a new Constitution and voiced concerns that the Article assuring Buddhism the foremost place, would be removed.

These are but a few of the numerous other issues on which those in Govt have been airing contradictory views and, more than any external force, it is the failure of those inside to speak in one voice that is causing it the greatest harm. While people can appreciate the efforts by the two main parties to work together, putting aside their ideological differences, each one pulling in different directions on important national issues, only makes the Govt lose its credibility in the eyes of the public. It is this loss of public faith that could cost the Govt dearly at government and provincial council elections slated for later this year.
The president vs his (impossible) ministers View(s):

An ongoing war of words between President Maithripala Sirisena and prominent Ministers in the United National Party (UNP) sums up in a nutshell whats wrong with the seeming unity alliance. Perturbingly, the unity part is looking increasingly tattered as we go along.

Public anger regarding dysfunctional law enforcement

In one sense, the President was both right and wrong in expressing his considerable annoyance this week. Conveying dissatisfaction with the work record of the Law and Order Ministry, as well as the Department of the Attorney General, he remarked that if he took those institutions under his control, many of the delayed and long pending corruption and murder cases implicating prominent politicians of the previous regime would be dealt with in record time.

And therein lies the rub. Certainly where the first claim is concerned, there would be overwhelming public support. Regardless of protests of Law and Order Minister Sagala Ratnayake following the Presidents remarks, there is little doubt that the dysfunction of the Ministry and the Department of the Police has been a primary focus of deep public anger. Indeed, the Ministers protestations contrast oddly with the fact that not so long ago, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) was captured on television cameras assuring the Minister that a protected person of the former regime would not be arrested.

Apart from the bovine stupidity of allowing a conversation as combustive as this to be televised nationally, the substantive issue of political interference in police investigations stands proven without any measure of doubt. That simple incident well illustrates Sri Lankas perennial problem with the lack of integrity and independence of its law enforcement machinery without pointing to a long winded thesis on the matter. The same concerns apply to the state prosecutor.

The helplessness of the police

While it is the most convenient tactic to direct pubic ire against the police or for that matter, prosecutors for not doing their job properly, the point is that many public officials are themselves helpless in the face of direct political interference. This has become a potent factor in the breakdown of the command structure in the state service. In other words, a superior is often countermanded by a junior in the ranks acting under political protection.

If the incident concerning the Minister and the IGP is reverted to again as an example the absence of any action taken thereafter against the IGP or the Minister concerned was equally concerning. Instead, the police force was asked to engage in meditation. The absurdity of the situation requires no labored explanations. Strident civil society voices called for the head of the IGP but bypassed the fact that the Ministers actions were equally if not more culpable.

Acknowledging these realities, the problem however is the Presidents claim that the situation would improve if he exercised direct control over the institutions in question. In principle, there is an obvious issue with the suggestion given the inevitable aggrandizement of powers in the office of the Executive Presidency if the two main institutions responsible for justice, the police and the prosecutors are brought under it. From a theoretical standpoint, this was the precise critique that was ferociously leveled against former President Mahinda Rajapaksa when he attempted to exercise direct control over these institutions. And taken as a principled objection, the singular difference between the two Presidential personas cannot, of course, be of any relevance.

Getting trapped in a hostage dilemma

This is not a suggestion that will be easily acceptable therefore, despite the empathy that many people may feel when the President complains with more than a trace of bitterness, that the law is not being enforced, that he will be blamed for it and that the consequences of a potential change in governmental power will be visited upon him and the members of his family. All these sentiments certainly have more than a modicum of truth in them.

But while putting the highly problematic records of the (UNP) Ministries of Justice and Law and Order in issue, the Presidents appointments of Ministers from his own party are not without their share of blame. While President Sirisena has found himself in a typical catch-22 conundrum in trying to find support within party ranks, his mandate in 2015 was to bring a difference in the political environment.

It was not to allow himself to be taken virtually hostage between the crooks in his own party and the crooks in the other party. That has occasioned extreme public disappointment. Addressing this will not be easy on the Presidents part. Indeed, one would need to be a modern day Diogenes (also known as the Cynic), the Greek philosopher of old who carried a lamp in the daytime, looking for an honest man.

Political war of words but no substantive action

But as President Sirisena engages in a war of words with his Ministers, the primary problem of severe institutional dysfunction is left by the wayside. The Sri Lankan public is not interested in the blame game or who is responsible for what. Its interest is in making sure that public institutions which are run on public money are properly functional.

And in that regard, I can only laugh outright at Law and Order Minister Sagala Ratnayakes preposterous defence that the allegations (presumably leveled by the President) at the Department of the Police were unsubstantiated.

The Minister had apparently been concerned about his self-respect. But in all fairness, it must be warned that such concerns went out of the window at the very point that the IGP was captured on television abjectly assuring the Minister that the law will not be enforced against a political favourite of the previous regime. Was this what the Minister meant in his self-glorifying justifications that he would not interfere in police investigations? Do Ministers of this Government think that Sri Lankan citizens are akin to freshly emerged chicks looking bemused and wide eyed at the world?

They must be sternly apprised of their palpable misapprehensions.
A reel from the past: Pawuru Walalu at Sooriya Village View(s):

Art in the Village, the open mic event celebrating artists is back with a flash from the past. This months focus is the award-winning Sinhala film, Pawuru Walalu (Walls Within), a film about a single mother in a traditional, Roman Catholic community in the 1960s by veteran filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage.

Art in The Village welcomes all artists, musicians, dancers, dramatists, film directors, writers and others to the Sooriya Village at No. 49, Skelton Road, Colombo 5 today, Sunday, July 9 at 7 p.m. Admission is free.

Prasanna Vithanages films have won many awards, both local and international, and have also been commercially successful. In his early theatre work, he translated and produced plays by international writers, and has adapted works of world literature to film. Notable films written and directed by him include Oba Nathuwa Oba Ekka (2012), Akasa Kusum (2008), Ira Madiyama (2003), Purahanda Kaluwara (1997) and Anantha Rathriya (1996).

His latest release, Usaviya Nihandai (Silence in the Courts) based on actual events that took place in rural Sri Lanka a decade ago was a highly acclaimed feature documentary. Pawuru Walalu (Walls Within, 1997), his third feature, won the Best Actress Award for Nita Fernando in her role as Violet, at the 1998 Singapore International Film Festival. It won ten of eleven awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, at the Sri Lanka Film Critics Forum Awards in addition to several other local and international awards.

Pawuru Walalu (Walls Within), starring Tony Ranasinghe, Nita Fernando and Sangeetha Weeraratne is a tale about a single mother, Violet who conforms faithfully to the behaviour expected of a single mother in a traditional, Roman Catholic community of the 1960s with her two daughters in their small home inside Galle Fort. Violets lonely yet peaceful life is turned on its head when a message from her first and only love Victor arrives in the wee hours of one night.

The Sooriya Village, provides amenities such as rehearsal suites, a top notch recording studio, library and research services, a tech based lecture room, a restaurant, dorms, tea/coffee/juice lounge, performance spaces and plenty of hangout areas. Sooriyas vision is to provide a facility for artists and art enthusiasts to nurture and explore the culture of arts .

For more details of the event, please contact the Sooriya Village on 0112552666.
Shows to watch out for this month From Game of Thrones to a gripping thriller and an F. Scott Fitzgerald adaptation - the following is a rundown of shows not to be missed this month View(s): View(s):

Snowfall

Boyz n the Hood director John Singleton revisits the streets of early 80s Los Angeles to tell the story of how the crack cocaine epidemic began. Before the drug takes a hold in US cities, we follow ambitious dealer Franklin Saint (British newcomer Damson Idris) on a quest for power.

Meanwhile, a CIA operative begins an off-book operation to fund the Nicaraguan Contras, and a wrestler-turned-gangster gets caught up in a power struggle within a crime family. Premieres 5 July.

The Defiant Ones

A reference to the 1958 film of the same name about escaped prisoners (played by Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier) who are shackled together and must co-operate to survive, this four-part documentary focuses on the unlikely business bromance between two street-smart men from different worlds, Andre Dr Dre Young and Jimmy Lovine, and their impact on pop culture down the decades. Filmed over three years, The Defiant Ones features in-depth and candid interviews with the music moguls as well as artists including Snoop Dog, willi.iam, Eminem and Bono. Premieres July 9 on HBO.

Game of Thrones

It seems like weve been waiting forever for winter to come to the seven kingdoms, but its finally arrived and with it the great war. At the explosive finale of season six, Cersei Lannister had seized the iron throne in a coup at Kings Landing, Jon Snow reclaimed Winterfell after a brutal battle, and flanked with her dragons, Daenerys Targaryen is headed for Westeros after assembling an armada. Whether there will be any throne left to claim when the Night King and his army of the dead descend, is anyones guess. Premieres July 16 on HBO .

Ozark

Arrested Development star Jason Bateman takes a rare dramatic turn in a dark thriller playing a Chicago financier forced to go on the run with his wife (Love Actuallys Laura Linney) and secretly relocate his family to a resort community in the Missouri Ozarks when his money laundering dealings with a Mexican drug lord go awry. Premieres July 21 on Netflix

The Last Tycoon

Adapted from F Scott Fitzgeralds last unfinished novel  based on real-life film mogul Irving Thalberg  this lush period drama follows 1930s Hollywood movie producer Monroe Stahr (Matt Bomer), as he battles father figure and boss, Pat Brady (Kelsey Grammer) for creative control of their studio.
Bottom trawling: Lanka rejects TN chief minsters protest By Chris Kamalendran View(s): View(s):

Sri Lanka yesterday rejected opposition by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to the Governments new regulations banning bottom trawling in Sri Lankas territorial waters. Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said the new laws were passed in Parliament for the benefit of Sri Lankas fisheries industry.

We have to look after our interests and we cannot be too concerned about fishermen of other countries, he said.He was responding to reports that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Plananiswami had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling on India to take steps to exempt the Palk Bay from the latest fishing laws passed by Sri Lankas parliament.

It would be fitting for the Government of India to register its strongest disapproval of such a move and (it) must organise an effective defence of the rights of our (indian) fishermen in the Palk Bay, the Chief Minister said. Mr Amaraweera said the laws passed would be enforced soon.

Tamil National Allliance parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran said that since a law had passed no one would be able to indulge in bottom trawling or other illegal fishing methods in Sri Lankas waters.
Dumping garbage on Muthurajawela wetlands adversely impacts environment View(s):

Dumping hundreds of tons of garbage in Dalatura and Nugape areas in the Muthurajawela wetlands is already having its environmental impact, residents warned.

The residents told the Sunday Times they are concerned about health risks, floods and the threat of dengue as the garbage site is left uncovered with unsegregated garbage covering the marshland.

President of the Organisation for Protecting Muthurajawela Sanctuary, Anil Lankapura Jayamaha said that private owners who claim they own the land, support and allow Govt to fill the land with garbage, to clear reserve areas which extend over 200 acres.

He explained that dengue cases have been increasing in Muthurajawela after the dumping of garbage took place. He said that people in the area are unable to open the doors of their houses due to the stench, mosquitoes and swarms of flies. People are concerned of their health and therefore, they engage in protests, but the groups supporting the private owner have been settled at the entrance of the dump site, and they enter into confrontations with the villagers, Mr Jayamaha said.

Area residents said around 17 houses have developed cracks after hundreds of trucks arrived in the area where the dump site is located. An affected resident, Nirajan Priyasad said his house developed cracks after trucks filled with tons of garbage, proceeded one after another to Dalatura. We villagers refused, yet the police provided them security. The smelly garbage was taken in front of our houses and we could not do anything about it, he said.

This happened suddenly, the dumping started from last week. We were not informed, he said. Another resident, Asanka Sovis, who works as a labourer in a private company, said his house walls also showed signs of cracking. He said the water in the area is contaminated and smelly, while they are forced to live with the stench. I cant even have a walk outside now, I have been forced indoors, he said . A visit by a Sunday Times team to Dalatura garbage site showed that a thin layer of soil had been laid over the garbage while some of the areas had plastic bags, rubble organic material, while in some areas garbage had been set on fire.

Central Environmental Authority officials who visited the area told residents the dumping of garbage at the Dalathura site was unacceptable and damaging to the environment.
Fines of more than Rs. 200,000 for serious traffic offences By Damith Wickremasekara View(s): View(s):

The Transport Ministry will seek Cabinet approval for a revised traffic fine system with high fines for serious offences, including fatal accidents due to high speed, a senior official said.

Transport Ministry Secretary Nihal Somaweera told the Sunday Times the categories on which high fines would be imposed had been identified following a study of the main causes for accidents.

The fines for serious offences will be more than Rs. 200,000.

The fine scheme was revised after strong opposition to a previous plan to increase the minimum fine to Rs 25,000 and it was eventually withdrawn. Mr. Somaweera said fines would also be high for fatal accidents caused by drivers under the influence of liquor and for accidents committed by underage drivers without licences.

Drivers responsible for causing three fatal accidents would have their licences cancelled for life under the new proposal by a five-member committee. All fines for which Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 arebeing currently imposed will be increased to Rs 2,000 under the proposed plan.

The committee which drafted the new fine scheme had representatives from the Finance Ministry, the Transport Ministry, the Motor Traffic Department, the Police and the Attorney Generals Department.
Greater Kandy: Eight ministers on board View(s):

A Central Development Board comprising eight Cabinet Ministers has been appointed to coordinate the Greater Kandy urban development plan. Its main tasks will include the re-development of the Bogambara Prison area, Kandy suburban railway, a traffic bypass tunnel through the town area andMahaveli riverfront development.

Chaired by Minister Sarath Amunugama, the committee includes Ministers Lakshman Kiriella, Patali Champika Ranawaka, Malik Samarawickrema, Rauff Hakeem, S.B. Dissanayake, M.H.A. Haleem and Sarath Fonseka. At a recent meeting, the committee decided to include the Central Province Chief Minister as a member.
Hell in the hills: Uma Oya crisis worsens with each passing day By Anthony David and Kasun Warakapitiya Part II (continued from last week) View(s): View(s):

Public anger and an air of despair greeted Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera last Monday when he visited the villagers affected by the Multipurpose Uma Oya Construction Project. He was one of the three members of a ministerial committee tasked with assessing the damage and recommending solutions to the gargantuan problem.

The hapless villagers vented their fury, wailing that the walls of their houses kept cracking, their wells fast dried up and their farm lands became arid. After visiting a couple of affected areas, Minister Amaraweera turned up at Udaperuwa, four kilometres off Bandarawela town around 12.30 p.m. It is one of the worst affected villages; some of its houses have collapsed.

Perturbed by what they saw as official apathy, Udaperuwa residents demanded from the minister answers to their questions. Even if you give us alternative land how is it going to help us. We are farmers and need to remain in the area, an agitated woman told the minister. She said they would become paupers the day the land lost its water.

The interaction with the villagers was cut short when JVP provincial councillor Samantha Vidyaratna interrupted. An active campaigner against the Uma Oya project, he demanded an immediate answer from the minister on the fate of the project, while the interaction seemingly took a hostile turn. This prompted the security officers to move the minister out of the area.

Meanwhile, more than 300 villagers from the affected areas were waiting at the Bandarawela Divisional Secretariat to meet the ministerial committee members and officials after being promised of a meeting. They waited until evening, but none of them turned up.

We wanted to convey our concerns to the ministers, but at the end of the day, we lost even the little hope we had, Udaperuwa vegetable farmer E.M.N. Dharmaratna told the Sunday Times, expressing his anger and disappointment.

Expressing similar views, Ven Kurukudegama Jinananda Thera, the joint-president for an organisation calling itself the Uma Oya Bahujana Winshakari Viyaparayata Erehi Janatha Peramuna (The Peoples Front Against the Multi-destructive Oma Oya project) said they waited in hope for a meeting with the ministers to discuss with the ministerial delegation solutions to the problem, but the Government squandered the opportunity.

Minister Amaraweera blamed Mr. Vidyaratna for scuttling the meeting with the villagers, but the JVP councillor said the ministers had no answers to the the peoples problems and therefore they made the arguments he had with the minister as an excuse to avoid the meeting.

The destruction is on the expressway while the compensation process is on the slow lane, Mr Vidyaratna said, pointing out that the situation is fast deteriorating.

While the Government suspended the Uma Oya project until a solution is found to the deepening crisis, residents complained that with each passing day, more houses became vulnerable and more wells lost their water.

Official statistics released this week show that 2,979 houses and buildings have been damaged with around 1,300 yet to be inspected in 16 Grama Niladhari divisions, but statistics collected by Ven.. Jinananda Theras peoples front movement indicate more than 7,250 houses have been damaged.

Officials admitted that as many 2,051 wells had dried up along with 54 water sources while more than 3,800 families were directly affected. The peoples front says the figures were higher.

Bandarawelas Divisional Secretary Nihal Gunaratne agreed with the residents that the damage to the houses was increasing with each passing day. He said the authorities were inspecting the damage to provide compensation.

Already, the Government had paid compensation amounting to Rs. 160 million, but with the crisis aggravating, more money was required to pay compensation, Mr. Gunaratne said, adding that officials had worked out compensation schemes and evacuation plans.

He also said they encountered problems when calculating compensations. This was because that in many instances the damage became bigger days after the inspection.

After we prepare the estimates, it takes around three weeks for valuation officials to visit the place. By the time they visit the location the damage has become worse and therefore the valuation is higher. The people think we deliberately underestimated the damage, Mr Gunaratne explained.

The areas water crisis also become more acute with each day passing. Drinking water is a major problem. According to a conservative estimate, the daily requirement is around 700,000 litres, but the Sunday Times found out that the authorities only supplied 150,000 litres a day through bowsers  with most people getting water only once a week.

Divisional Secretary Gunaratne said that with some assistance from the project company, they had provided more than 5,000 water tanks to villagers.

Villagers complained that the water distributed was insufficient. The capacity of the tanks provided to them is 500 litres. And families are expected to use the tank water for a week until the next bowser comes.

The water is not sufficient even for cooking purposes or to wash the dishes. So how can we wash our clothes? We go in search of waterfalls in other areas to take a bath, Shalika Maduwanthi, a Bandarawela resident said.

Some households buy water from private bowsers, but many villagers cannot afford to buy water.

Meanwhile, those in the tourism industry  mostly in the Ella area  say they would be severely affected by the water crisis, with the drought situation also worsening.

Company says no turning back The Uma Oya project company FARAB said there was no way that the project could be stopped at this stage

Executive Manager Nima Nikdel said more than 82 percent of the work had been completed and, therefore, there was no turning back, other than completing the task. He said the multipurpose project was launched to generate hydropower, and provide irrigation water to arid areas.

Mr Niktel said the company was confident it could manage and control the situation and had the required technical expertise. He also pledged that the company would continue to support the affected people to ease their difficulties.

Amaraweera: Project will resume only after leaks are sealed Construction work of the Uma Oya project will resume only after the required modifications to the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) were affected and the leaks sealed, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said. He said German experts had advised project officials regarding the modifications and they were expected to complete the repairs by next month before resuming construction. The minister said the TBM needed to be moved about 100 metres forward to seal the leaks. However, JVP councillor Samantha Vidyaratna said work was stopped in 2015 also on a directive from President Maithripala Sirisena, but a few months later, the project was resumed without providing any solution to the problems the people faced. We hope this does not happen again, he added. He said the project should be halted forthwith because the cost of the damage caused to the people and the environment was much higher than any benefits the project offered.

Bowser water only once a week: Residents say the water supplied is not enough even to cook their meals and wash dishes. To take a bath, they go looking for waterfalls in other villages. Pic by W. Rajamanthri

Its a large-scale environmental crisis

Hemantha Withanage, founder and executive director of the Centre for Environmental Justice, said the Uma Oya project should be stopped because the cost of the damage far outweighed its benefits.

Due to the crisis, a huge amount of public funds has been spent on providing water and compensations to the affected people, he said.

Mr. Withanage said he believed the project work had been stopped to study how to continue the tunneling process.

Commenting on the leakage, he said it happened because the aquifer between the rock and lime stone caves had been breached during tunneling in underground areas with gaps.

Diverting Uma Oyas water to the arid dry zone of Hambantota is not a feasible task because the water can be provided only for three months, he said describing the project as a costly exercise with little benefits, just as the Mattala airport and the Hambantota port.Mr Withanage said the project was started on a disputed Environmental Impact Assessment report and no geologist was consulted.

The project had already destroyed water sources in Kanndaketiya, posing an existential threat to the sloth bear population in the area. This is a large-scale environmental crisis with soil damage, water pollution and massive deforestation, he said.
With the dengue epidemic still raging and hospitals overflowing with patients, a World Health Organisation expert has come to Sri Lanka to help in the battle against the mosquito-borne disease. The expert, Jeeraphat Sirichaisinthor, from Thailands Disease Control Unit, is seen photographing possible mosquito-breeding spots in plants and trees. Pic by Indika Handuwala
Plastic polluter: Sri Lanka victim of wrong data by World Bank By Namini Wijedasa The information that Sri Lankas per capita waste generation rate is 5.1kg per day is an un-sourced, unverifiable statistic first published in the 2012 What a Waste (WaW) report View(s): View(s):

Widely published information that Sri Lanka is the fifth largest polluter of seas is based on an erroneous statistic first released in a World Bank study which was then used by researchers to compile a list of worst offender countries, the Sunday Times found.

Domestic and international media continue to report that Sri Lanka falls only behind China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam in how much plastics it dumps into the sea. This is drawn from a February 2015 article in the peer-reviewed Science Magazine which states, among other things, that Sri Lanka generates 5.1kg of waste per person, per day; that 1.59 million metric tons of this is mismanaged plastic waste; and that it dumps between 0.24 and 0.64 million metric tons of plastic into the sea each year.

But the information that Sri Lankas per capita waste generation rate is 5.1kg per day is an un-sourced, unverifiable statistic first published in the 2012 What a Waste (WaW) report of the World Bank. There is no reference for this calculation; nor is it divulged how it was arrived at.

The World Bank has now confirmed that there was an error in the waste generation number. It was identified only because the Sunday Times called for verification. A spokesperson also said: As you know, this is a report that came out in 2012 and it is currently in the process of getting reviewed and updated. We will be able to provide you with updated data as soon as the report is available.

In collecting data for the South Asia region for 2017 WaW, the Bank will use the Comprehensive Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan for Targeted Provinces in Sri Lanka by UNHABITAT and the Data Collection Survey on Solid Waste Management in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The reports are still being reviewed but per capita generation rates roughly range between 0.46kg and 0.52kg.

The 2012 WaW has depended on two sources for Sri Lanka data. One is a 2009 report from the United Nations Statistics Division which captured waste generation figures from Dehiwala-Mt Lavinia and Moratuwa. The former is 0.73 kg per person, per day and the latter is 0.67 kg per person, per day. There is no national level information cited.

The other is An Overview of the Issue of Solid Waste Management in Sri Lanka authored by K. L. S. Perera for the 2003 Third International Conference on Environment and Health. The Sunday Times accessed it online and also interviewed Mr. Perera, a retired Senior Lecturer at the Siyane National College of Education in Veyangoda. His paper states that Colombo faces a severe crisis with respect to the disposal of around 1,500 tons of solid waste material per day but makes no reference to 5.1kg per person, per day.

These shortcomings in WaW went unnoticed. But in 2015, a seven-member research team released an article in the academic journal Science Magazine listing Sri Lanka as one of the worst polluters of seas based on WaW data. Headed by Jenna Jambeck, Associate Professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia, the group also estimated the percentage of waste inadequately managed by each country using a logistic regression model. Sri Lanka fared miserably.

The Sunday Times contacted Dr. Jambeck, who is a committed environmentalist, as far back as 2015. She said, while the data taken from the World Bank and Sri Lanka estimates had also seemed high to her team, they could not cherry-pick countries to correct. She recommended that localised data from the respective countries be examined to see if waste generation estimates could be refined.

When we reconnected with Dr. Jambeck this year  as Sri Lankas worldwide ranking was being publicised again owing to the collapse of the Meethotamulla garbage dump and related issues  she pointed out that the goal of their work had been to create a global number. We state that in-country data should be confirmed by on-the-ground data and research, she explained.

Dr. Jambeck said, as she did at a press conference in 2015, that the paper is not about pointing fingers. The data was provided to be transparent so that exactly what you are doing is possible, she explained.

We want people to look at the data and refine it over time. We used the best available data at the time.

But the team also created a list. This is what most media  including local journalists  pounced on; and how Sri Lanka suddenly gained global notoriety based on a statistic nobody can still account for. The list, Dr. Jambeck said, was a means of looking at influencing factors. As lead author, she did not single out any country (except USA, where she is from) for discussion. Journalists decided to do that.

It is a snapshot in time, she continued, about the list. Ten years ago, it would be different, and ten years into the future, it would be different. The researchers found that middle income countries with rapidly developing economies, large coastal populations and coastline, and where infrastructure has lagged behind this development, had larger issues with waste.

Sri Lanka fits the bill. Even ten years ago, however, waste generation figures were not as high as cited in the 2016 WaW. The Central Environmental Authority does not have a centralised repository of historic data, said J. M. U. Indrarathne, Deputy Director General (Waste Management).

But the 2003 JICA Study on Improvement of Solid Waste Management in Secondary Cities in Sri Lanka found average waste generation rates in seven study towns to be 0.98kg per person, per day (from 0.88kg in Matale to 1.18kg in Kandy). That the CEA lacks its own data in a country floundering about in waste generation and disposal issues is a matter of discussion.

In the end, however, lists and rankings are immaterial. Sri Lanka has a serious problem with waste generation and disposal. The status quo has not improved for decades. Whether it is fifth or 50th in the global rankings, this country is a serial polluter and successive governments have done nothing to mitigate this.

Waste management study: SL repeatedly failed to fix issues

A 15-year-old Japanese-funded study into waste management exposes how Sri Lanka has repeatedly failed to fix longstanding issues despite expert suggestions for improvement.Environmentalists warn that world rankings  wherever the country may stand in them  are purely academic. The fact stands that our seas and land are badly polluted and increasingly so, said one campaigner, who did not wish to be named. And our Government is doing precious little, if at all, to mitigate it. I do not care where we rank. Being anywhere on the polluter list is equally bad. The message or objective of that ranking is to shock people into realising we have to change. The 2003 JICA Study on Improvement of Solid Waste Management in Secondary Cities in Sri Lanka identified eight leading problems. These are just as current today as they were then. They comprise widespread scattering of waste in towns; the terrible condition of landfill sites; and huge solid waste management expenditure (20 to 30 percent of the budget of local authorities). There is difficulty controlling the many waste collection workers; and a high absentee and turnover rate, ranging from 10-20 percent. As early as 15 years ago, the study also pointed to little remaining capacity of existing landfill sites. There were many complaints from citizens, it said, but there was also lack of public cooperation. There was also no plan for the future. Most of these are not technical issues but institutional ones, the study warned. Technology alone cannot solve these problems. Good governance is the key, it stressed. Improvement could be made through institutional and managerial capacity, without spending much money. The report also stated plainly that there were two main problems faced by local authorities. One was the rapid increase of waste, which meant they had to collect more and more. Another was that the standard environmental requirements for landfills were becoming stricter. Therefore, you cannot simply dump waste anymore, it warned. You have to improve landfill operation to reduce the environmental impact. Experts identified insufficient understanding of solid waste management. The sections in charge of solid waste management in local authorities were considered low in status. Organisation was weak owing to poor cost control and planning. There were no future plans. Most authorities dealt with issues using their own staff and equipment without considering citizen involvement.

Exhaustive recommendations were made, covering everything from improving garbage collection efficiency and final disposal to reducing solid waste management costs and increasing public participation. The 2016 JICA Data Collection Survey on Solid Waste Management in Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka observes that generation in Sri Lanka has increased from around 6,400 tons per day in 1999 (UNEP, 2001) to 10,786 tons per day since 2009 (University of Moratuwa and NSWMSC, 2013). The reason for this is economic growth after the end of the civil war.

Generation in the Western Province is largest, accounting for 33% of the countrys total. The Uva Province occupies the smallest share at just 5%. Some local authorities operate several disposal sites so the number of final disposal sites was 349 in 2013, exceeding the number of total local authorities which is 335. Waste generation will keep going up. It will not matter what list Sri Lanka is, or isnt, on. Experts agree that solutions  many of which have already been offered through research and study  have to be implemented, now.
Private hospitals ignore Govt. appeal to reduce blood test charges View(s):

Several private hospitals are ignoring the Govts call to lower charges for blood reports in the light of the raging dengue. They have arbitrarily reverted to the earlier rates charged for blood reports as of this week.

Recently, private hospitals slashed the fee charged for a full blood count (FBC), essential in the management of dengue, to about half (Rs 250) following a Health Ministry request to help the country overcome the crisis.

However, the Sunday Times found that by this weekend several private hospitals are now charging Rs 510 for an FBC report. Doctors, while pointing out that several FBC reports are needed when screening dengue patients to check whether they are going into Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever, said that private hospitals should not be fleecing humble people in a time of national crisis. The dengue epidemic is not over and the private hospitals should support the countrys war against dengue to prevent deaths, a source said, a view echoed by numerous others.

Health Industry sources said that even when they charge Rs 250 for an FBC, they have a profit of at least Rs 75.
SriLankan director quits in disgust after humiliating meeting View(s):

Colonel (Rtd.) Sunil D. Peiris, board director and Director of Human Resources at SriLankan Airlines, resigned from his position on Friday after he says a humiliating meeting with the President and some ministers.The first casualty in the under-fire board of the national carrier, Col. Pieiris told the Sunday Times that he sent in his resignation to airline chairman Ajit Dias on Friday. We were humiliated. It was a load of diabolical lies dished out by some ministers, he said, referring to a recent meeting summoned by President Maithripala Sirisena. The airlines directors faced a barrage of accusations from ministers, mainly Dr. Rajitha Senaratne and General Sarath Fonseka, who incidentally was a relatively junior officer in the army during the tenure of Col. Peiris who headed the first Commando Regiment.

Col. Peries, who was appointed to the board by the current administration and who says he did not receive any monthly salary but only a car and driver, said the board had been called for the meeting by the President to explain the issues pertaining to the order for A350s placed by the former regime.

We went to the meeting armed with these facts. But before any member of the board could explain matters, we faced a tirade of accusations from Ministers Senaratne and Fonseka, with the former accusing us of many things including why no action was taken on the Weliamuna report. There were accusations made, many of which, I must assert, were diabolical lies, he told the Sunday Times.

H said none of the directors including chairman Ajith Dias was given an opportunity to explain their position.

It was a one-sided meeting, he said.
Tampering with witness a criminal offence- CoI orders legal action Treasury Bond Commission inquiry View(s): View(s):

An attempt to coerce a witness who testified before the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Treasury Bond (TB) issue, came to light during this weeks proceedings, prompting the Bench to direct the Attorney Generals (AG) Dept to take legal action against those who attempted to tamper with a witness.

Deputy General Manager of Pan Asia Bank (PAB), Aruna Dias, on Friday told the CoI that former PAB Chairman Nimal Perera and Arjuna Aloysius of Perpetual Treasuries Ltd (PTL), the Primary Dealer (PD) in TBs, who is under investigation for wrongdoing, had spoken to him over the telephone, after he had made a statement to the police division of the CoI and, he felt this was an attempt to prevent him from giving truthful evidence before the CoI. The witness also placed before the CoI dates, times and other details of the calls he had received from Perera and Aloysius.

CoI member Justice Prasanna Jayawardena said any attempt to tamper with a witness who has been summoned before the CoI, tantamounts to a criminal offence, and directed the AGs Dept look into this matter and see if legal action can be taken in this connection. Senior Assistant Solicitor General Dappula de Livera P.C. said he would inquire into the matter.

In his evidence, the PAB employee said they made him offers of employment if he faced any problem regarding his present employment. When he visited the residence of Arjun Aloysius, on an invitation, on June 30, he had told Dias that the next two weeks of proceedings of the CoI would be decisive and asked for his help.

During the course of this week, the PAB official disclosed to the CoI that the Bank had acted as an intermediary between PTL and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) on the instructions of its former Chairman Nimal Perera. He said the bulk of the TBs purchased by PTL in the February 2015, TB auction, had been sold to the EPF at a higher rate, when the EPF had the opportunity to buy the same TBs in the primary market at a lower rate.

Nimal Meegolla, Bank of Ceylons former chief dealer who gave evidence earlier this week said, former Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayakas presence at a meeting of CEOs of PDs on March 2015, was unprecedented. He said no Finance Minister, to his knowledge, had been present at such meetings previously.

Mr Meegolla who is now Asst. General Manager of Natwealth Securities Ltd, said the CEOs present had raised concerns regarding the TB auction of February that year and the Minister had promised to look into it. The 3-member CoI comprising Supreme Court Justices K.T. Chitrasiri (Head) and Prasanna Jayawardana, and retired Deputy Auditor General Kandasamy Velupillai, will resume sittings at 10 am on Monday.
TNA delegation to meet Mahanayakes View(s):

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader Rajavarothayam Sampanthan is to lead a delegation to meet prelates of leading Buddhist chapters.

They will meet the Mahanayakes of the Malwatte and Asgiriya chapters. The move follows a call by the Mahanayakes urging President Maithripala Sirisena not to go ahead with a new Constitution. President Sirisena who met a delegation of the leading prelates told them that they would be consulted first whenever a new Constitution was formulated.

The Steering Committee, which is responsible for the new Constitution, met last Wednesday. Joint Opposition leader Dinesh Gunawardena said he and former Western Province chief minister Prasanna Ranatunga took part in the discussions. We will soon decide whether we are going to serve in the Committee or not, he told the Sunday Times.
Changing face of Buddhist art Chandani Kirinde stands in awe of a chance discovery of a collection of Buddha statues dating from the 3rd century B.C.E. to the 21st century C.E. at a Kansas museum View(s): View(s):

Call it a serendipitous finding, but there is no better way to describe a random visit to an art museum in Kansas City in the US Midwestern state of Missouri only to discover a fascinating collection of objects related to Buddhism including statues of the Buddha, some dating back 2000 years.

At the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, a place which identifies itself as a gathering place for people to share and contemplate the greatest creations of humankind, items related to Buddhism occupy pride of place in its South and Southeast Asian art gallery.

This section houses more than 1,100 objects of South and Southeast Asian art, Himalayan art and Islamic art from West Asia and the collection represents a wide range of art forms, including sculpture, ceramics, textiles, metalwork, and works on paper that date from the 3rd century B.C.E. to the 21st century C.E.

Among the statues of the Buddha on display are those that belong to the Gandhara region (modern Pakistan and Afghanistan) as well as from India, Nepal, Tibet and China.

The earliest known Buddhist art comes from the Gandhara region. It dates back to the early centuries of the Common Era (C.E) and was greatly influenced by the Greece and Hellenistic Rome. It was from here that Buddhist art spread into Central Asia, the vast area spanning from modern Turkmenistan into Western China, and moved along the trade routes which connected China and India and the Mediterranean world.

The advent of the Gandhara art came with the spread of Buddhism in the 3rd century B.C.E, when Indian emperor Ashoka established Buddhism as his state region and sent emissaries to spread the faith across South and West Asia. In the first centuries of the Common Era, Buddhism took root in the Hellenistic settlements in Pakistan and Afghanistan in an area known as ancient Gandhara. Here, Buddhist art adopted a hybrid appearance, combining elements of Indian, Greco-Roman and Central Asian art.

Visitors to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art can trace the evolution of Buddhist art, starting from the Gandhara region and see how it blends with regional art forms as Buddhism spreads across the region. The well detailed panel gives a brief history of Buddhism and explains the intricate details of what constitutes a Buddha image and the different mudras (ritual and symbolic gestures) in each statue.

A Chinese temple too is recreated in the Museum, the ceiling panels and central coffered vault which comes from Zhihua temple in Beijing built in the 15th century, at the order of Wang Zhen, a powerful eunuch at the imperial Ming court. As with all traditional Chinese architecture, it is constructed entirely without nails using intricate mortise-and-tenon joinery. The panels on either side of the vault are inscribed with Buddhist mantras in Sanskriatic script.

Buddhism was known in China as early as the 1st century B.C.E; but it was not until the 4th century C.E that it began to shape Chinese society fundamentally. By then, several hundred years had passed since the death of the Buddha and Buddhism had evolved into a theologically complex religion of salvation based on faith and right conduct. As the Chinese embraced Buddhism, with it came elaborate theology and ritual practices which required images on a scale unprecedented in China. Commissioning of sacred images was among the most meritorious acts and it is some of these images that are on display at the Museum.

These Buddhist artifacts sit amidst a larger and invaluable collection of European, American, African, America Indian art and sculpture. A visit to this Museum not only enriches ones knowledge but also leaves one humbled by the sheer magnificence of the exhibits on display and in awe of the creativity of the masters of yore.
Now showing: Nihalsinghas Welikathara in digital format View(s):

The first Sinhala film in cinemascope directed by D.B. Nihalsingha- Welikathara which created a sensation when it was screened 46 years ago, in 1971, is now being shown in cinemas for a limited period. Welikathara was selected as one of the best Sinhala films from among over 843 films screened during the first 50 years of Sri Lankan cinema (1947-97).

Nihalsingha had begun the process of converting it into digital format at the time of his unexpected demise.

Venturing into feature films, soon after he handled the camera and edited Sath Samudura (released in 1967) Nihalsingha picked Tissa Abeysekera, who had done the dialogue for Lester James Peries films Gamperaliya and Delovak Athara, to write the screenplay and dialogue for the film. While being co-producer, he handled the camera, directed and edited the film. Somadasa Elvitigala whose music score in Sath Samudura had won praise, was to handle the music.

Nihalsinghe picked Gamini Fonseka and Suvineetha Weerasinghe as ASP Randeniya and his wife, and as Goring Mudalali, the smuggler, he chose Joe Abeywickrema who had till then been mainly cast in light comic roles. His role here was a challenging one that of an innocent villager (Sudu Banda) who turns into a ruthless racketeer, making money and escaping the law, forced by circumstances to take revenge on the ASP. He was, in fact, a dual personality, a man with a big heart depending on the situation.

At the time the film was being shot, Joe admitted that it was his most challenging role to date. He was confident he could deliver and he did. Welikatharaturned out to be a landmark film for him cementing him as an actor

who could play any character. Gamini and Suvineetha being equally good, the trio dominated the story. The supporting cast with Devika Karunaratne, Kithsiri Perera, Navanandana Wijesinghe, Piyasena Ahangama, G. W. Surendra and Buddhi Wickrema added their bit to make it a memorable film. For most film fans seeing their acting will also be a novel experience since they are no longer on the scene.

The film being shot in cinemascope Nihalsingha selected the sand dunes of Point Pedro for maximum effect. The location was ideal for the dramatic scenes giving filmgoers the thrills they expected.

An action film that bespeaks the authors technical mastery as well as his bold effort to exploit the resources of cinema, was how Nihalsinghas effort has been described in Profiling Sri Lankan Cinema (Wimal Dissanayake/Ratnavibhushana 2000).

Describing Nihalsingha as one who modernised and liberated the camera (his hand-held style) giving it an almost independent status and dignity it had never enjoyed before, Gamini Hattottuwegama had this to say aboutWelikathara,: With intimate and haunting and nostalgic flashbacks trapping a secret inner drama and sweeping especially for a tense melodrama staged in a vast outdoor setting, showed how well he had grasped the romance-realism equation.

- D.C. Ranatunge
A G20 refugee agenda By Syed Munir Khasru, exclusive to the Sunday Times in Sri Lanka View(s): View(s):

DHAKA  Every day, an average of some 34,000 people are forced to flee natural or man-made disasters. In the last six months alone, more than 2,000 lives have been lost in the Mediterranean; over the last weekend in June, 12,600 migrants arrived in Italy by sea. Financial and political pressures are overwhelming the countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe that are on the receiving end of this human wave. Unfortunately, in many cases, help is not on the way.

The scale of forced migration today has revealed troubling flaws in the organisations intended to serve as the last line of defence. Weak mandates, insufficient funding, disorganised structures, and the absence of a global governance system have weakened intergovernmental agencies ability to act with authority in the name of the most vulnerable.

As I argue in Germany this week, G20 leaders meeting in Hamburg on July 7-8 have an opportunity to reshape the migration governance system with proactive protection policies that would enhance peoples trust in international leadership. Although past summits have produced little more than talking points, the prospect for action is better this time, given that the talks will be held in Europe, where the impact of the migration crisis has been deeply felt.

At the moment, an alphabet soup of nonprofit and multilateral agencies tackles elements of the challenge. These include independent groups like Refugees International (IR) and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). Even the World Trade Organisation (WTO) plays a role in managing economic migration. But at the intergovernmental level, the two most important players  the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM)  are also under the greatest strain.

For the UNHCR, the challenges are systemic. For starters, it lacks broad enforcement powers, and must rely on government cooperation, which is not always guaranteed in conflict zones  or forthcoming from neighbouring states. Countries that ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention have never fully adhered to it in practice, which limits the UNHCRs ability to act. UNHCR interventions fail when countries are uncooperative, as we saw with Haitian and Cuban migrations to the United States in recent decades.

But the UNHCR also suffers from internal shortcomings. Its communication with refugees on the ground is inconsistent. While an increase in UNHCR protection officers would help, it is equally important that the agency get its facts straight. For example, when host countries move to repatriate refugee populations forcibly, without informing the UNHCR, the agency itself looks unreliable, if not incompetent.

The UNHCR, as currently conceived is not the independent, nonpartisan agency it claims to be. Heavily dependent on donors and host governments to launch relief operations, it is beholden to their interests and does not always have the political support it needs to get the job done.

The other major multilateral migration agency, the IOM, assists in the return of migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, and the internally displaced to their place of origin, or to other countries or regions that have agreed to accept them. But, like the UNHCR, governance issues plague the IOM.

In particular, the IOM lacks a mechanism to evaluate whether national governments are using coercion  banned under international law  to repatriate or relocate refugees. Nor does the IOM have the capacity to assess the safety of areas to which refugees are returning.

Millions of people benefit from IOM-sponsored programs and projects, but prior to joining the UN structure as a related organisation in September 2016, the IOM had no formal mandate to protect the rights of migrants. And even as a UN-related entity, the IOM suffers a mismatch between its broad mission and its meagre budget and staff. It has been held to a zero growth standard in recent years, even as demand for its programs has increased. And, because its work is largely project-based, with member states funding specific activities, its role in mitigating refugee crises is largely reliant on individual members preferences and priorities.

As key guardians of the worlds refugees, these two organisations must adapt to todays challenges. Proactive policies on interagency coordination and financial burden sharing are essential. Elements of the Refugee Convention, like language on asylum policies, also should be updated to reflect current realities, and both agencies need to develop holistic and consistent policies on refugee advocacy and protection. To this end, the member states of both organisations should support their continued integration within the UN structure, which would give them more tools to influence the causes, not just the effects, of forced displacement.

These are just a few of the governance upgrades that I have recommended for the G20. Both the UNHCR and the IOM could benefit from stronger multilateral support, and the G20 is uniquely poised to offer it. If we cannot end war, famine, corruption, or poverty, then the next best solution is to improve the organisations helping those who flee them.

(The writer is the Chairman of the Institute for Policy, Advocacy, and Governance (IPAG), an international think tank and led a review of global migration governance for the G20 2017 summit to be held in Hamburg, Germany on July 7-8.)

Courtesy: Project Syndicate, 2017. www.project-syndicate.org
In March, Racine Mayor John Dickert announced at a news conference that he was planning to leave office this summer to take a new job: president and chief administrative officer of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, a regional water conservation organization.

It would have been best if, at that March 27 press conference, the mayor would have announced his resignation date. It would have helped city officials, aldermen and the public plan for the rest of the year.

But he didnt. At the time, many figured there must be some important reason that he was holding back.

One bit of speculation was that he was waiting for the Downtown event center proposal to advance. Maybe, the thinking went, he was waiting for a key vote that would have given the event center momentum.

Since then, city staff have announced they likely wouldnt be ready for a full City Council vote on the event center until the end of the year.

After that, it seemed, the mayors resignation would be imminent. But we have heard nothing.

Then, it seemed, maybe he was waiting because the GLSLCI executive director, the person hes succeeding, needed time before stepping down.

But Monday, a Great Lakes voicemail recording stated: This is the telephone of John Dickert, president and chief administrative officer of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.

Based on that, it appears he has started the new job. So that couldnt be the reason he has waited.

Perhaps he wanted a big farewell party and needed more time to plan it: Well, it turns out Dickert already had a farewell party on June 30.

When you add all that up, the only thing it equals is confusion and questions.

As Aldermen Steve Smetana said Wednesday at the Committee of the Whole meeting  a meeting that was about the succession plan  Im receiving phone calls, probably like everyone else is, about this issue, asking when.

But it doesnt appear that anyone knows the answer. As City Attorney Scott Letteney said at that meeting: Its no ones announcement to make but the mayor.

That succession planning meeting would have been a good time for the mayor to step up to the microphone and announce his resignation date. But he wasnt there. He wasnt there on Thursday, either, when the City Council again met to discuss the proposed event center.

Making the resignation announcement is what is needed for the community.

Three people have already announced their candidacy for the mayoral election: state Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine; Pastor Melvin Hargrove, a former Racine Unified School Board president; and former Unified Board member Wally Rendon. Alderman Sandy Weidner also has expressed interest.

Those candidates deserve to know how many days and weeks they have to convince Racine residents which of them is the best candidate for the job.

Mr. Mayor, its time to tell the people of Racine what your plan is. Its time to let the city move forward, set an election date and prepare for the next mayor.

Its time to resign.
Donald Trump,Melania Trump

President Donald Trump waves as he and first lady Melania Trump arrive at Andrews Air Force Base, Saturday, July 8, 2017, in Andrews Air Force Base, Md.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The agency that has been the main target of efforts to fire feds faster dismissed more than 500 employees this year - even before a new accountability law took effect.

Since the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) shamed itself in 2014 with a scandal over the coverup of long patient wait times, Capitol Hill politicians have demanded that the agency accelerate sacking - as if that were the main measure of good personnel administration. Department leaders joined the call and perpetuated the impression that life would be better if only more derelicts could be dumped.

Now we know that VA has dumped plenty.

Its first public posting, released Friday, of adverse actions against employees, terminations, suspensions and demotions, showed that the department fired 525 staffers from Jan. 20, when President Trump took office, through July 3.

The number of staffers dismissed should not be confused with effective human resource management. A certain percentage of terminations is inevitable in any organization, particularly during probationary periods. Yet, an excessive and perverse focus on firing makes that a valued metric, instead of more attention on measures encouraging the agency, its managers and its employees to succeed.

VA's 26-page list is filled with "removals," which is government-speak for firings, of staffers, including doctors, nurses, housekeepers, grave diggers.

"Under this administration, VA is committed to becoming the most transparent organization in government," said Secretary David Shulkin. "... Veterans and taxpayers have a right to know what we're doing to hold our employees accountable and make our personnel actions transparent. Posting this information online for all to see, and updating it weekly, will do just that."

This transparency also busts the myth that feds can't be fired. Terminating more than 500 people in less than six months, even from a 345,000-strong department workforce, should be enough to make the cruelest boss content.

Governmentwide, more than 77,000 feds were fired for performance or conduct issues during fiscal 2000-2014, according to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), an average of more than 5,000 a year. Out of a current workforce of about 2 million, that's not much, but it's not supposed to be. Plus, 5,000 is not nothing.

The list of adverse actions was compiled before Trump signed the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act last month. It erodes civil service due process protections for all VA employees and pointedly facilitates faster firing of department's 469 senior executives.

"Some of the employees involved in these (wait list) scandals remained on the payrolls," Trump lamented at the signing ceremony. "Outdated laws kept the government from holding those who failed our veterans accountable."

But the adverse-action list demonstrates than many VA employees were held accountable before the act became law, despite comments by Trump and Shulkin giving the opposite impression.

"It is clear that there is sadly a pervasive lack of accountability," Shulkin said at a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing in May. He cited an employee who "was caught watching pornography on the job." That employee, a psychiatrist, was fired, just not as fast as Shulkin wanted.

Like democracy, due process takes time.

Under the new accountability law, due process for VA employees, such as it is, will take less time and they can be bounced on less evidence. Shulkin can design an in-house process that makes him the prosecutor, judge and appellate court for senior executives. He is responsible for charging them with an offense, determining the punishment and hearing employee appeals of the sentence. The law abolished their right, available to other federal employees, to a neutral, third-party review by the MSPB or another agency.

The new authority, which won strong support from both parties and veterans' organizations, "allows VA to take action more expeditiously," said VA spokesman James Hutton, "and to more easily defend its actions on appeal, as (MSPB administrative) judges must now afford deference to VA's choice of penalty and must uphold actions when VA proves misconduct by substantial evidence," a lower bar than the previously required "preponderance of evidence."

Leaders of employee organizations differ on Shulkin's decision to release the list of adverse actions.

David Cox Sr., president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 70 percent of VA's employees, said the list "isn't transparency. It's an intimidation tactic ... As former VA Secretary Bob McDonald said, you can't fire your way to excellence."

I side more with Bill Valdez, president of the Senior Executives Association. Rather than intimidation, the list demonstrates "it's not so hard to remove feds and it happens all the time," he said. "Why in the world did they need more authority to fire feds when they can to it at this rate?"

The list, Valdez added, is "a great demonstration to the American public that feds are held accountable and can be held accountable."

(c) 2017, The Washington Post. Joe Davidson wrote this story.
Stony Brook State Park

A bridge near the swimming area at Stony Brook State Park.

(screenshot from YouTube)

Some of the most popular natural swimming spots in Upstate New York also happen to be illegal to visit, but this doesn't stop people from jumping in every year.

For park police at Stony Brook State Park in Steuben County, however, things have gotten out of hand. This year, rangers will be stepping up patrols and enforcement, and issuing more fines of up to $250 for people caught wading in prohibited areas of the popular park.

Those areas include the waterfalls along the creek that hugs the gorge trail.

"Social media helps make the problem more popular," Stony Brook Park's manager, Arthur Briley, told WHAM-TV. "People post pictures of them doing illegal activities."

Briley thinks people see those photos, and believe those areas are safe for swimming.

However sharp stones, slick algae on surfaces, rushing water and large crowds all make them dangerous areas, and park police want to curb use of the prohibited areas before a major tragedy happens.

Swimming outside designated areas can also stir up sediment and cause the water to become murky. If that happens, it can force the park to close permitted swimming areas that are fed by the stream, according to the Democrat & Chronicle. This has already happened several times this summer, according to regional director of state parks, Fred Bonn.

Swimming is permitted when a lifeguard is on duty at the natural swimming pool at the park, but is not allowed anywhere else.

Take a look around Stony Brook State Park in the video below.
"The dialogue and negotiation of Venezuela found at the Paris Forum for Peace three friends, the governments of France, Argentina and the Republic of Colombia," said the president... | Read More
9 lightning detection centres installed across the country

Every stroke of lightning bolt will now onwards be detected and recorded, as the country has completed installing nine lighting detection stations in different parts of the country.
Constant jams become a commuters nightmare

Pradip Sharma, who works as a marketing officer at a private company in Teku, had shifted his room to Lokanthali from Dhungedhara, Banasthali last month. But Sharma is now regretting his decision due to chronic traffic congestion in Koteshwor and Jadibuti.
Dinosaurs' loss was frogs' gain: The upside of a mass extinction







Berkeley CA (SPX) Jul 07, 2017





Most of the frogs alive today owe a big thank you to the asteroid or comet that delivered the coup de grace to the dinosaurs. A new study by Chinese and American biologists shows that if the calamity had not wiped the planet clean of most terrestrial life 66 million years ago, 88 percent of today's frog species wouldn't be here. Nearly nine out of 10 species of frog today have descended from just three lineages that survived the mass extinction. The results, to be published this week in the ... read more
Dalit candidate elected Dhangadi mayor

A Dalit candidate has been elected the mayor of Dhangadi Sub-metropolitan City in Kailali district.
FinMin requested to make arrangement for local bodies

Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development (MoFALD) has requested the Finance Ministry to make an arrangement whereby recently established local bodies are allowed to maintain their accounts with any financial institutions located in their area.
It happens at least once a year. A tsunami of work/life chaos disables every tech-oriented facet of my life. A laptop refuses to switch on. The end-call button on my smartphone refuses to  end the call. Email accounts hacked. Backups lost. Passwords for interconnected devices forgotten and multiple attempts to reset lead to Kafkaesque derangement. At the end of such misery I've no idea what I needed to gain access to in the first place.

I'm not alone because every time I hesitantly approach my tech mecca, that is, the Apple store genius bar where time stands still, I'm swept up in a sea of people struggling with their own digital blackouts. "What year is it?" I hear someone cry. A woman grabs my arm and whispers pleadingly: "Water  I'm so parched." An old man calls out: "What news from beyond the mall?"

Cath Moore: We need to recharge our self-awareness.

Then a wave of existential fear washes over me; does an offline status render me less real? How do I commune with silence, now I'm not tapping maniacally on the keyboard trying to meet three simultaneous deadlines? No doubt the Committee of Unreasonable Expectations in my head will issue a scathing unproductivity report.

Given my atheist upbringing I can't blame this dedication-to-doing on Catholic guilt. While technology may enable us to accomplish more, more often, it's a modern day falsity to believe a 24/7 life in perpetual motion is progress. In the race to be bigger, better, faster, smarter, it feels like the finish and starting lines have merged into one as we busy ourselves into the ground.
Govt delays essential local governance laws

While the newly elected peoples representatives are waiting for the Local Level Governance Act for effective works at the local federal units, the government has been delaying the process to endorse the bill from Parliament.
There is clearly a problem when the nation poised to become the world's biggest exporter of gas has a gas shortage, unduly high local gas prices, a lack of market transparency, and alleged price and distribution manipulation. As well, the companies that profit from the natural resource barely pay any tax.

That's pretty much Australia's situation. But while the problem is evident, the solution is far less so. In the past decade, the worth of Australia's gas exports has grown from about $5 billion to $60 billion, putting the nation on track to eclipse Qatar as the world's leading liquefied natural gas exporter by 2020. But, under taxation rules that date back to Paul Keating's time as treasurer, Australian residents, the ultimate owners of the resource, will receive a mere $800 million, as against the almost $27 billion Qatar collects.

Pressure is building. Credit:Bloomberg

This prompted federal Treasurer Scott Morrison to set up a review in November. What might a solution look like?

First, the public, via the Treasury, should get a fairer share. This would be most simply achieved by replacing the petroleum resource rent tax with a flat royalty. The rationale for the current system, which generously allows companies to write off massive chunks of investment costs, is that without it, companies would not have the confidence to invest. That is obviously no longer the case. The Australian beer industry is only a tenth the size of the natural gas market, but the government gets about three times more in beer excise than from the PRRT.
"Price reduced for quick sale". The regional post office that has sparked a High Court challenge against a federal minister and threatens to topple the Turnbull government is on the market.

Assistant Health Minister David Gillespie's political future is on the line - and so is the government's one-seat majority - after Labor launched a constitutional challenge against his eligibility last week.

The opposition believes he may have an indirect financial interest in the Commonwealth - grounds for disqualification from office under section 44 of the constitution - because he leases a commercial space to an Australia Post licensee at Lighthouse Beach, near the NSW coastal city of Port Macquarie.
Paris: France will do "everything necessary" to keep its end of the bargain and deliver Australia 12 new submarines at a cost of $50 billion, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday.

And Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has suggested an Australia-EU free trade agreement could be struck as soon as the end of 2019.

In a joint media statement at the Elysee Palace on Saturday evening, Mr Macron and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull noted how Australia's support for free trade and its commitment to the Paris climate change agreement was drawing the nation closer to France and the other nations of Europe, even as the United States under Donald Trump pulls away.

Mr Turnbull and his wife Lucy had earlier joined Mr Macron and his wife Brigitte on the French leader's private plane after the G20 summit in Hamburg ended.
An attorney for Blac Chyna filed Friday for a temporary restraining order against reality star Rob Kardashian after he posted sexually explicit images of the model on Instagram and Twitter.

Lisa Bloom, a well-known celebrity attorney, said her client Blac Chyna was "a victim of cyberbullying by her ex-boyfriend, Rob Kardashian" and they filed for a temporary restraining order against him Friday, A hearing on the order will be held Monday.

A soured relationship: Blac Chyna and Rob Kardashian in 2016. Credit:Getty Images

Kardashian, 30, posted the images Wednesday while accusing Chyna, the mother of his child, of cheating on him.

Some legal experts have said the posts could be problematic because in 2013, California lawmakers passed a law penalising what is known as "nonconsensual pornography." A violation of the law is a misdemeanour resulting in up to six months in jail.
In today's age a "coming out" news story should be a thing of the past. But it was just three years ago that a witch-hunt was on for Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe to confirm his sexuality.

"It was a long time coming though," Thorpe, 34, laughed, before he added: "But really you shouldn't rush these things, for anyone, not just in the public eye, a question about your sexuality is not for anyone. It should be when they are ready to speak about it."

Despite the changing face of the world since his 2014 sit-down with Michael Parkinson, Australia's most decorated Olympian believes his "coming out" story would not be too dissimilar today.

"We still don't have marriage equality, so I'm not sure [if there would be a difference]," the new Specsavers ambassador told Fairfax Media this week.
In just two weeks, Oliver Curtis has gone from the $292 a night Cooma Correctional Centre to the at least $1000 a night luxurious Alila Villas in Uluwatu, Bali.

The 31-year-old, who was freed from prison on June 23 after a year behind bars on insider trading charges, jetted business class to the lap of luxury on Wednesday with wife of five years, Roxy Jacenko, 37, and their two children, Pixie, five, and Hunter, three.

In Cooma, Curtis would have been used to spending 18 hours a day in his cell, which would have been locked at 3.45pm each day and not opened again until the morning, but in Uluwatu, he is enjoying the open-plan design of the villas complete with infinity pools with views of the aquamarine Indian Ocean, jacuzzis, an indoor rain shower and poolside massages.

Curtis has been seen splashing around in the pool with Pixie and Hunter, with Jacenko saying before he was released that their main focus as a family would be reuniting him with the children, including convincing them their father won't be leaving "for overseas" again. Hunter and Pixie believed Curtis had been in China for the past year and not Cooma.
About three-quarters of us will experience a traumatic event in our lifetime. Some of us, perhaps strangely, will be thankful for it. The question of why trauma is the catalyst for some  but not others  to become a better person nagged at Michaela Haas, the author of Bouncing Forward. She asked herself: "How do some people survive challenges, even great hardships, and seem to come out more determined, stronger and wiser?"

She was startled when she heard a man, diagnosed with terminal cancer, say that cancer was the best gift he ever received. She felt similarly on hearing a woman who lost her child state that  while she would give anything to have her child back  she wouldn't have grown into the activist she is today without surviving such a tragedy. "Then I realised that trauma does indeed have the potential not only to destroy our lives, but also to rebuild it on a better foundation."

Mindfulness is one of the main ways to alleviate trauma. Credit:Stocksy

Haas had encountered the powerful transformational potential of trauma when she met Tibetan refugees who were "among the kindest, most compassionate people on the planet". She had also felt herself change after a severe illness.

"But I was unaware of the vast amount of studies that had been done to confirm that it is not only possible, but quite probable, to experience personal growth, deeper relationships with others and a new appreciation for life after a traumatic event," Haas says, acknowledging this is rarely a smooth transition; it takes time and support and grief is natural and necessary.
A known sex offender was free to inflict years of horrific abuse on his step daughter and document the crimes in homemade pornography after he escaped jail time for other child sex offences.

The 44-year-old, who can't be identified for legal reasons, was last week sentenced to 18 years behind bars for subjecting his teenage step daughter to sustained sexual abuse that derailed her adult life.

The 44-year-old man was sentenced in Penrith District Court to 18 years behind bars for sexually abusing his step daughter and possessing thousands fo child pornography videos and images. Credit:Facebook

The abuse took place in 2003 and 2004 in a small town in country NSW.

Two years prior, the man was charged for committing an act of indecency on another child, an offence that attracts a maximum penalty of two years jail, and possessing child pornography.
Worsening weekend gridlock on Sydney roads has sparked a surge in train use, prompting the NSW government to announce hundreds of new services to cope.

Transport minister Andrew Constance has announced that 750 new train services will be added from late this year in response to a 68 per cent spike in weekend train use between 2013-16.

The number of annual weekend passenger exits and entries at gated stations has risen from 48 million to 80 million in that time, while 14 million car trips are made each weekend across the city.

"Weekend growth is off the charts," Mr Constance said on Sunday.
Issues over land acquisition pegging back outer ring road project

A delay in approval of land acquisition in 6.8km segment between Chobhar and Satungal is pegging back the Outer Ring Road Project.
A 98-year-old woman has been left fighting for life after a head-one collision in Brisbane's south-west.

Police are appealing for information after a car and a four-wheel-drive collided on Seventeen Mile Rocks Road in Jindalee on Thursday.

Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to come forward. Credit:Luis Ascui

The crash happened about 1pm on a bend in the road and the elderly woman, who was a passenger in the 4WD, was taken to the Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital where she remains in a critical condition.

Police are appealing for any witnesses or people that have relevant dash cam vision to contact them.
The re-emergence of the "crime of crimes" is well and truly on the cards as a result of more civil wars, the continued rise of extremism, and major world powers sticking their noses in where they should not, an expert from the University of Queensland says.

After World War II, genocide was slowly disappearing from the face of the Earth but major civil wars in 2011 triggered a rise in global violence and therefore increased the chances of genocide becoming a serious problem once again.

"There are far fewer cases of genocide and mass killing hidden from view than there once was. New stories of victims once unknown come to light with each passing year." Credit:iStock

UQ Professor Alex Bellamy, director of the Asia Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, will deliver a keynote address at the International Association of Genocide Scholars on Monday  where leading global experts will gather at UQ to discuss the growing crisis in human protection.

"There are far fewer cases of genocide and mass killing hidden from view than there once was. New stories of victims once unknown come to light with each passing year," Professor Bellamy says.
Top cyber security experts have thrown their weight behind Apple and Google's privacy defence, saying users' encrypted communications data should stay private and turning it over to police would not help fight terrorism.

At the INTERPOL World Conference held in Singapore this week, Eugene Kaspersky, founder of global security firm Kaspersky Lab, rejected Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's suggestion that technology giants should better co-operate with police by sharing digital behaviour of some of their customers.

Eugene Kaspersky, chairman and CEO of Kaspersky Lab. Credit:Reuters

"I don't believe disclosing communications and making connections between different people would help fight terrorists," Mr Kaspersky told AFR Weekend. "Terrorists simply ignore open communications and it is impossible for forbid all cryptographic systems.

"The citizen has already lost so much privacy, they give so much of themselves. Besides, really smart law enforcement agencies use different data analysis to target malicious actors. Knowing what is inside individual messages is not that important, and criminals will always use different encrypted platforms to communicate. Products should be made secure, not with secret ways to break them."
A family milk bar in Melbourne's outer west has been robbed at knifepoint for the second time in a month.

Police believe up to eight youths wearing bandanas and balaclavas stormed the Riverdene Village Shop in Werribee about 7.30pm on Sunday.

The terrifying attacks have rocked the family who run the milk bar and are closing down the business.

It's believed the group jumped over the counter and stole cigarettes and cash while causing significant damage to the Derwent Road store, smashing windows and pulling items from shelves.
Police are negotiating with a man who has barricaded himself with a suspected hostage inside a house in Kent Street in Moe, in Victoria's east.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the siege started after 5pm on Sunday, following an argument between the occupants.

A 37-year-old man remains in a critical condition after the stabbing. Credit:Georgia Matts

The man is believed to be armed with a knife.

Police spokeswoman Creina O'Grady said investigators believed there was a woman inside the house, but it wasn't clear if she was being held against her will.
The heartbroken family of a young father from Mandurah have paid tribute after he was killed on his way home from socialising on Saturday morning.

A 22-year-old man has been arrested and charged with murdering 27-year-old Greenfields man Axel Boreski.

Axel Boreski was a loved father, partner, son and grandson. Credit:Facebook

The arrest comes after police were called to the incident on Leighton Road at around 5am on Saturday morning, after they received reports of an alleged "physical altercation" between two men.

Mr Boreski was found at the address with life-threatening injuries, and he was rushed to Peel Health Campus under priority.
Washington: Donald Trump claimed victory on Sunday after his trip to Europe, describing a new era of co-operation with Russia including plans for a joint cyber security unit to protect against election hacking.

In his first public comments on his meeting with Vladimir Putin at last week's G20 summit in Hamburg, Mr Trump said he had "strongly pressed" the Russian President on allegations of Kremlin meddling in the US election, but that it was now "time to move forward in working constructively with Russia".

Mr Trump wrote on Twitter: "Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded... and safe."

His announcement provoked immediate disbelief from critics that he could consider working with the country accused of orchestrating last year's cyber attacks in an effort to swing the outcome of the presidential vote.
Hamburg: For days, protesters seethed. They marched. They chanted. They took over public parks. They refused to obey police commands to disperse. They filled this northern German port city with signs condemning global trade as world leaders descended for the G20 economic summit.

Then, late on Friday, violence erupted as far-left militants ravaged parts of Hamburg, setting cars on fire, smashing store windows and looting.

The turmoil created difficult questions for activists who continued to rally on Saturday as some made a point of disavowing radical tactics. It also renewed concerns about whether Hamburg - whose more than 1.7 million residents make it the second-largest city in Germany, a country with federal elections several months away - was a wise location for a summit bringing together many divisive heads of state. All together, all at once, in a moment of global unease, were President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Antipathy toward Trump was a particular rallying point in demonstrations that otherwise lacked a unifying theme. Protesters railed variously against capitalism, climate change and national borders, among many other grievances.
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Lax enforcement of free care rule at pvt hospitals

Very few poor and homeless people have been treated without charge at private hospitals under the mandatory 10 percent free beds that the health facilities have to allocate.
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Michael Gable, Fairmont Equities

BUY RECOMMENDATIONS

Oil Search (OSH)



Chart: Share price over the year



OSH broke below trendline support in early June, but recently looked bullish on the chart. It had retested the June low, but bounced strongly. We also saw a buy signal on the MACD (moving average convergence divergence). OSH is likely to retest resistance near $7. If it can get above that, then it could rally up towards $7.50. OSH was trading at $6.62 on July 6.

BlueScope Steel (BSL)



Chart: Share price over the year



At the end of May, BSL broke out of a flag formation, implying upside towards $13. The stock has since made higher highs and higher lows since the low point in May. This further confirms a move and were confident of more upside. The stock remains a buy on dips and it should trade up towards $15. The shares were trading at $13.91 on July 6.

HOLD RECOMMENDATIONS

Bank of Queensland (BOQ)



Chart: Share price over the year



We bought BOQ in June. From an Elliott Wave perspective, it now seems to be in its third of five waves. This means were in the strongest part of the move. Consider staying long in BOQ as it strives to move above $12 before encountering some resistance. The shares were trading at $11.76 on July 6.

South32 (S32)



Chart: Share price over the year



Since peaking in December, the S32 chart resembles a symmetrical triangle. It briefly dipped below support near $2.60, but has managed to quickly recover. This miner should move higher towards resistance near $2.85 and ultimately to high $2.90 levels. The stock looks well supported and one to watch as it continues to gather momentum. The shares were trading at $2.785 on July 6.

SELL RECOMMENDATIONS

Suncorp (SUN)



Chart: Share price over the year



From a technical perspective, the next few weeks will be crucial for this financial services stock. It rose above its 2014 peak, but failed at that point. This means the stock can dip below the previous low. Im making a big call, but after examining the charts of Suncorp and other companies, I believe Suncorp may fall towards $10. The stock finished at $14.85 on July 6.

QBE Insurance Group (QBE)



Chart: Share price over the year



Recently, QBE issued a profit warning and was sold off. QBE has disappointed the market on several occasions in the past few years, and that normally results in it falling towards $10. We can see some support closer to $10.50. The shares finished at $12.07 on July 6.



Michael Wayne, KOSEC

BUY RECOMMENDATIONS

Janus Henderson Group PLC (JHG)



Chart: Share price over the year



Formerly Henderson Group, JHG is one of Europes largest investment managers, servicing institutional, retail and high net worth investors across a variety of asset classes. The new combined group will have US$300 billion in assets under management, giving the company significant size and scale. The merger should also offer the new entity an opportunity to cut costs by reducing the size of middle and back office functions.

Trade Me Group (TME)



Chart: Share price over the year



We like this New Zealand company for its leading online auction and sales platform. TME has developed a highly engaged audience and strong brand equity, courtesy of its intuitive interface, security features and ease of payments. In past years, management invested in head count and website development, which drove up costs. Management has since shifted from an investment focus towards an earnings focus. Signs of solid earnings growth are starting to emerge in company reports.

HOLD RECOMMENDATIONS

Orora (ORA)



Chart: Share price over the year



This packaging giant has 39 plants in seven countries. Average packaging sector EBIT margins have increased from 6 per cent to 7 per cent a decade ago to about 10 per cent today. ORA recently reaffirmed guidance and, unlike some competitors, has less exposure to cyclical products, such as vitamins and infant formula. ORA also has superior geographical diversification, generating 35 per cent of earnings in the US.

Seek (SEK)



Chart: Share price over the year



Acquired minority shareholdings in top online job sites in Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and China. Internet penetration is at relatively low levels in these countries, but growing rapidly. These huge populations provide Seek with solid growth potential. Consequently, I feel Seek justifies its growth premium.

SELL RECOMMENDATIONS

Coca-Cola Amatil (CCL)



Chart: Share price over the year



Its valuable distribution network and majority share of the Australian carbonated soft drink market provide it with a strong competitive advantage. Nevertheless, volume growth rates continue to slow, with increases across water, dairy and energy drinks only partially offsetting declines in carbonated and sparkling drinks. Competitor pricing pressure and intense competition across the grocery industry have the potential to further compress margins.

Myer Holdings (MYR)



Chart: Share price over the year



The department store giant was priced at $1.355 on January 6, 2017. It was trading at 86.2 cents on July 5. Total third quarter sales were down 3.3 per cent to $653 million. Total year to date sales were down 1.3 per cent to $2.438 billion. MYR operates in a fiercely competitive sector. An impending Amazon operation in Australia could make it even tougher. Better opportunities exist elsewhere.



Jonathon Howe, Red Leaf Securities

BUY RECOMMENDATIONS

The Hydroponics Company (THC)



Chart: Share price over the year



With a significantly lower market cap than its peers, this hydroponics equipment stock is generating revenue, with significantly more growth expected. We expect the company to benefit if its granted a medicinal cannabis licence in Australia. Red Leaf was joint lead manager to the IPO at 20 cents a share. The stock closed at 31.5 cents on July 6.

Telstra (TLS)



Chart: Share price over the year



As long as the company maintains its yield, Telstra is a solid portfolio stock and weve been recently accumulating it at these levels. We believe Telstra could be re-rated once the domestic roaming issue between the ACCC and Vodafone is resolved in the Federal Court.

HOLD RECOMMENDATIONS

Eve Investments (EVE)



Chart: Share price over the year



A listed investment company thats agreed to acquire a 40 per cent stake in Omni Innovation, a company that focuses on food for special medicinal purposes. Its also entered into a binding term sheet to acquire a 50 per cent interest in Jenbrook, a producer of organic essential oils. Jenbrook is exploring the opportunity to develop medicinal cannabis honey. Consider holding for further developments. I own shares in EVE.

OneVue Holdings (OVH)



Chart: Share price over the year



The Federal Budget unveiled measures to address the housing affordability problem. We believe this superannuation services provider should benefit from budget plans that essentially enable additional contributions to super funds from July 1.

SELL RECOMMENDATIONS

The A2 Milk Company (A2M)



Chart: Share price over the year



Weve previously called this a sell at $3.50 on our belief that Chinese growth will eventually slow. Were concerned about potentially tighter Chinese restrictions on imports of dairy and infant formula products.

It may be prudent to reduce holdings. The shares closed at $3.74 on July 6.

Adairs (ADH)



Chart: Share price over the year



This retail stock was priced at $1.55 on January 6, 2017. On June 15, it was priced at 57 cents. It has lifted to close at 88.5 cents on July 6. For the 26 weeks ending January 1, 2017, net profit after tax fell 35.3 per cent on the prior corresponding period to $8.6 million. This homewares company operates in a fiercely competitive environment. We believe the company is too expensive. Prefer others.

>> BACK TO THE NEWSLETTER: Click here to read other articles from this weeks newsletter

Please note that TheBull.com.au simply publishes broker recommendations on this page. The publication of these recommendations does not in any way constitute a recommendation on the part of TheBull.com.au. You should seek professional advice before making any investment decisions.
With affordable houses increasingly out of reach, wage growth slow and household debt high, Australians are certainly feeling poor. But how do they compare to their neighbours? New Census data confirms theres a lot of variability in income.

The Census breaks the country up into 349 geographic regions (named in quote marks below), some of which cover more than one major town and some of which group related suburbs within cities. We examined 331 of these regions, excluding those containing fewer than 1,000 households.

The data show there are high levels of income inequality within these regions. A simple way to measure this is to look at the ratio of income between those who are well off (the top 20% within a region) and of those who are relatively disadvantaged (the bottom 20%) in the Census data. In Australia the weekly household income for the top 20% (A$1,579 per week) is 3.5 times the income of the bottom 20% (A$457).



The Melbourne City region has the most unequal incomes in Australia, where the top 20% have an income that is 8.3 times as high as those in the bottom 20%. Adelaide City (ratio of 5.5) and the Sydney Inner City (4.8) also have quite high levels of inequality.

Two of the poorest regions in the Northern Territory also have very high inequality. These are the vast region that encircles Darwin, called Daly, Tiwi, West Arnhem (ratio of 5.2) and the East Arnhem region (5.3).

However, there are regions with varying income levels, that also had relatively low inequality ratios. The region of Molonglo, in South Canberra (ratio of 2.2), West Pilbara in Western Australia (2.4) and Kempsey, Nambucca on New South Wales north coast (2.5) all have low levels of inequality.

For our analysis, we used equivalised household income. Equivalisation is a technique in which members of a household receive different weightings, based on the amount of additional resources they need.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics assumes that the first adult in a household has a weighting of 1, each additional adult a weighting of 0.5, and each child a weighting of 0.3. Total household income is then divided by the sum of the weightings for a representative income.

Incomes across Australia

For the whole of Australia, the equivalised median household income (the income in the middle of the distribution) is A$878 per week. The region with the lowest median income was Daly, Tiwi, West Arnhem in the Northern Territory, at A$510 per week.



However, several regional areas like Maryborough, Pyrenees (northwest of Ballarat in Victoria), Kempsey, Nambucca (NSW), Maryborough (between Bundaberg and the Sunshine Coast in Queensland), Inverell, Tenterfield (in NSWs Northern Tablelands) and South East Coast in Tasmania all had median incomes of A$575 per week or less.

At the other end of the distribution, households in leafy suburbs of North Sydney  Mosman (NSW) had a median income of A$1,767 per week. Areas like South Canberra (ACT), Manly (in Sydneys east) and the mining-dominated West Pilbara (WA) all had median incomes of A$1,674 or more per week.

We also looked at the extremes of the distribution. We define high income as those households with an income of A$1,500 or more per week. This equates to about 22% of the population. We defined low-income households as having an income of less than A$400 per week (about 14% of households).

Around 40% of households in the Daly, Tiwi, West Arnhem region were classified as being in poverty compared to around 6% in North Sydney, Mosman region. Conversely, around 60% of households in this region were classified as having high income, compared with only 6% of households in Kempsey, Nambucca.

How segregated are we within regions and cities?

While government policy is often delivered at the regional level, people live their lives at the local or neighbourhood level. However, the relatively disadvantaged and the upper-middle class are often segregated within these regions.

Richard Reeves of the Brookings Institute argues the segregation of the upper-middle class in Australia means this group hoards the benefits in the region they live in. Among the location advantages he lists are: access to the best schools, opportunities to network with the wealthy and powerful and the ability to disproportionately accrue capital gains on housing assets. To avoid this kind of opportunity hoarding, the rich and poor would need to be evenly spread within a region.

A simple way to look at this is through a dissimilarity index. In essence, this measures the evenness with which two groups are spread across a larger area. It ranges from zero to one, with higher values indicating a more uneven distribution and zero indicating complete mixing.

Looking at the distribution of the high income. Across Australia, the dissimilarity index has a value of 0.27. This means that around 27% of high-income households would have to move neighbourhoods to make the distribution completely even.

This varies quite substantially by region. Far North (encompassing Cape York in QLD) has a dissimilarity index of 0.42. Auburn (in western suburbs of Sydney, NSW) and Playford (on Adelaides northern fringe) also have quite large values.

Our richest regions tend to have the most even distribution of the wealthy, with North Sydney, Mosman, Molonglo and Manly having values of 0.06 or less.

East Arnhem has a very high level of concentration of low income individuals by neighbourhood, with a dissimilarity index of 0.70. The next two highest regions (Katherine and Alice Springs) are also in the Northern Territory, with index values of 0.53 and 0.55 respectively.

We can also compare the measures we used, to find out how they relate to each other. The following figure shows that the richest regions tend to be those with the highest level of income inequality.

However, as inequality goes up, there tends to be a greater concentration of low income households by neighbourhood (theres also less of a concentration of high income households).

Have and have nots

Its true that the level of income mobility is higher in Australia than it is in the US. However, Australia also has prominent examples of economic policies that disproportionately benefit the upper-middle class, such as the capital gains tax discount and superannuation tax incentives.

Australia also has a geographically concentrated income distribution, with the rich living in neighbourhoods with other rich people. The poor are also more likely to live in close proximity to people who share their disadvantage.

If Richard Reeves is right, and the spatial segregation of high and low income households reinforces inequality across the generations, then policies that encourage the mixing of different social classes in the same neighbourhood and region should be a way forward.

>> BACK TO THE NEWSLETTER: Click here to read other articles from this weeks newsletter

This article was put together with research assistance from Hubert Wu, Australian National University and Harvard University.

Originally published by The Conversation

Authors: Nicholas Biddle. Associate Professor, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University and Francis Markham. Research Fellow, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University
Literary camaraderie

I have met and worked with literary writers of South Asia over the decades. I have seen their efforts to develop what I would call literary camaraderie among themselves.
Bella Grace Chambers is like most 3 year olds. She loves Mickey Mouse. Creating objects out of Play-Doh is a favorite activity.

But Bella -- who lives with her parents, John and Candice Chambers and big sister Lylah, 6, in College Station -- has been taken to the hospital 14 times in her young life because of a rare genetic form of epilepsy, which can cause a seizure to strike at any time.

"Her genetic mutation is the only one of its kind," Bella's mother Candice said. "It's specific to her; no other kid has the same kind."

The Chambers family is looking to adopt a service dog to help Bella -- and to wake her parents at night when she has a seizure.

When Bella was a few months old, the Chambers family took a vacation to Walt Disney World. It was at the theme park that Bella had her first seizure, and the family spent five days in a Florida hospital while doctors worked to determine the cause. After genetic testing at a children's hospital in Houston, the family learned of Bella's epilepsy, which developed in utero.

When Bella has a seizure, it's not one, but rather a cluster within a short period -- the number could be as low as 20 up to 100. During Bella's seizures, she stops breathing and while she is on medication, her body is resistant. She has been life-flighted to speciality hospitals in the past, with her most recent just two weeks ago. Candice Chambers said she and her husband endure many sleepless nights worrying they won't know if Bella begins to seize.

"At night, it's impossible for us to know if she'll have a seizure while we're sleeping," Candice Chambers said. "It would be nice to have a service dog there, because even when Bella is sleeping right next to us, we can't tell she's seizing when we're asleep."

Bella is outgoing, expressive and energetic, but because of her disorder, her speech skills and other forms of development are impaired. She's also spent a lot of time in doctor's offices and hospitals.

"When we go to the hospital, she already knows what the doctor is going to do," Candice Chambers said. "She'll stick her arm out to have her blood pressure taken. Unfortunately, she knows the routine too well."

A service dog would be a comfort and companion to Bella during treatment and would be an ice breaker in social situations when she has trouble expressing herself. However, it is expensive to acquire the highly trained animal, and the family Chihuahua and Yorkshire terrier aren't meant for the job.

At the moment, the Chambers family is looking to adopt a goldendoodle, or a golden retriever-poodle mix, that is trained through the program Paws for Ability. The training will cost $17,000, though the family estimates more costs for factors such as transportation.

The community is rallying around the Chambers family to help acquire a dog for Bella. John and Candice Chambers -- who are both Aggie alumni -- take their daughters to Connecting Point Church in College Station, where the congregation is pulling together efforts to raise money for the family. The church will be having a garage sale July 15 in support of Bella, and is taking donations for the sale.

"We're very blessed to have the support of the community," Candice Chambers said. "My family still lives here, and our church is so supportive. Our faith has also been a big help to us this whole time."

The Chambers family has raised $7,000 as of Saturday evening. Anyone wishing to donate can visit the official YouCaring page online at bit.ly/2tYX4dI.
Today kicks off the start of the summer TEEX fire schools, and officials are expecting thousands of firefighters from around the world to stream into Bryan-College Station over the next three weeks.

The Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service trains up to 100,000 students every year, though often the training is not done locally. Three summer classes -- the Spanish fire school, industrial fire school and municipal fire school -- will bring in 4,000 students to Brayton Fire Training Field in College Station.

Today, 500 firefighters from Spanish-speaking nations will begin training at Brayton. These students come from Columbia, Ecuador, Mexico and other Central and South American nations. They will receive specialized training, especially in municipal or urban firefighting.

"Most of the students in our Spanish-speaking class save their money all year and pay their own way to get here," said TEEX Division Director Chief Robert Moore. "They don't have the luxury of grants, many of them coming from poor countries. They have to pay for classes and things like visas. They do things that other firefighters don't need to do to get here, and for them it's a big deal to get their certificate."

After this week's Spanish-speaking school, a larger class of students will arrive on the week of July 16 to learn industrial firefighting, which focuses on emergencies in large factories or plants. During the week of July 23, the largest of the three summer schools -- the annual municipal fire school -- will take place and includes events open to the public such as a vendor show at Reed Arena and a demonstration at Brayton.

Many of the firefighters who attend the latter two summer schools come from Texas, though some will be sent in on behalf of national and international oil companies such as Phillips 66, Chevron and Valero. With the municipal fire school, the Texas A&M Forest Service pays for a portion of tuition costs with the Firefighter Assistance Grant, and instructors for all three schools offer their services pro bono, honoring the decades-long tradition of supporting the summer fire schools as volunteers.

According to TEEX, the three schools bring in a large revenue for the county, as do all locally based training sessions.

"The Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates that TEEX generates $29,405,698 in direct visitor spending each year," wrote TEEX spokesperson Casey Richardson in a statement to The Eagle. "It supports 22,935 jobs and generates $1,126,907 in local taxes. This is not just for annual schools, but year-round, in all of our divisions."

Local hotels and restaurants benefit noticeably from visiting firefighters.

"We definitely seem to have an increase in customers," said Shelby White, an assistant manager at Texas Roadhouse in College Station. "My servers love it. The firefighters seem to have a good time coming to a new town."

Moore pointed out that in addition to hotels and restaurants, the Post Oak Mall gets a lot of firefighter business, too.

"All the mercantile businesses benefit from students with the Spanish school, because a lot of them come from small towns without malls," he said. "The first place they want to go is to the mall. Things are a lot cheaper here in Texas."

The public vendor show at Reed Arena will be July 23 as students register, with more than 130 vendors present. Public demonstration night will be at 6 p.m. July 26 at Brayton Fire Training Field.
The GOP's red wave foundered nationally, but it swept away Democrats in Iowa

Republican operatives credit Gov. Kim Reynolds with generating enough enthusiasm to help pull down-ballot candidates across the finish line in Iowa.
Nepse posts gain of 18.3 points

Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) gained 18.3 points to close at 1,582.11 points last week, with investors expecting the central bank to introduce new monetary policy with a number of provisions to boost the secondary market.
Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media file

NORWALK  Registration is now under way for the fall semester beginning Aug. 29. Dont miss out on the course you need for your major or to graduate. Register anytime  online or in person at NCCs East Campus building, 188 Richards Ave., Norwalk.

For the first time, NCC will extend in-state tuition rates to New York state residents. That means they will pay the same lower rate as Connecticut residents.
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NORWALK  Where can you watch someone dance the flamenco and enjoy traditional Jamaican food, consume Greek lore while downing halal, or take in the sounds of traditional Caribbean tunes with homemade Italian ice in hand?

The answer, and likely the only answer, is Norwalks NICE Festival, an annual celebration that highlights the rich global heritage and culture present in the city.

Diversity has always been a hallmark for Norwalk, and on Saturday, the city put that global heritage on display as the second annual NICE Festival kicked off.

The idea behind the festival was to showcase as many cultures as possible, including those within the U.S., said Janet Evelyn, executive director of the nonprofit NICE Inc., which hosts the festival.

People get to experience each others traditions and customs at the same time. We generally, as people, tend to associate with our own and can be somewhat less open to experiencing other traditions, and this was a way to bring people together, Evelyn said.

In a city where more than half the population is white, residents of all shapes, sizes and nationalities came out en masse to Norwalks Oyster Shell Park to taste, hear and see what other cultures had to offer.

The NICE Festival was born from a partnership between NICE and the citys Recreation and Parks Department after members of both organizations found there was a void in cultural events in Norwalk after several had been canceled or discontinued.

Through a diverse offering of food, music and clothing, the festival sought to close this gap and encourage the various segments of society to learn more about others traditions and customs, in the hopes of fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of one another, Evelyn said.

After learning of the multicultural celebration, Sam Ansah decided to bring his five children and wife from New York to participate in the event.

Its important to experience things outside of your own walk of life, so whenever I learn of events like these, I try to bring the whole family. Its a great chance to immerse yourself in the cultures and traditions of others, Ansah said.

For Rene Opokua, the owner of P. Variety, a small online business run out of Stamford, the festival presented a great opportunity to introduce Norwalk residents to the unfamiliar stylings of Ghanaian culture.

I want to expose my cultures clothing to locals, and where better to do that than an international fest. People of every country getting together to show off what is great in their culture, and thats why Im here, said Opokua.

The festival displayed a wide array of musical performances to complement the selection of foods and goods, with acts like The Steel Wheels, an Americana, bluegrass, folk band from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, and the Haitian band D-Tay Musical Band, which traditionally plays KOMPA, a genre of Haitian music.

In addition to the main stage, performances took place on the Child of the World Stage, sponsored by the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, with performances including Bhangra dancing, Irish step dance, belly dancing, mariachi and more.

The inaugural festival in 2016 featured the reggae artist Bushman as the headlining act.
PM Deuba vows to declare Nawalpur a separate district

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has expressed his commitment to declare Nawalpur a separate district.
Energy commodity prices decline more than others

According to a recent report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the energy component of the Standard and Poors Goldman Sachs Commodity Index (GSCI) fell 11 percent during the first half of 2017, the largest decline for any commodity group in the index. Other components of the index  livestock, industrial metals, precious metals and agriculture  had end-of-June prices that were higher than at the beginning of the year.

Because two major crude oil price benchmarks, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent, account for 70 percent of the weighting in the S&P GSCI energy index, the energy index tends to follow major price movements in the crude oil market, EIA reports. During the first half of 2017, WTI crude oil prices declined by 12 percent while Brent prices fell 14 percent.

EIA reported that oil production cuts agreed to among several countries within and outside the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) at the end of 2016 were generally complied with over the first six months of 2017, but the drop in production did not significantly reduce global liquid fuels inventories. The cuts have been partially offset by production gains in certain OPEC countries not subject to restrictions, as well as production growth in Brazil and the United States. Recently, the production cut agreement was extended through March 2018.

Gasoline prices exhibit seasonality and typically increase ahead of the summer driving season, which likely contributed to less of a decline in prices compared with crude oil and other petroleum products.

Natural gas accounts for the remaining 6 percent of the S&P GSCI energy index. Natural gas prices declined the least among energy commodities, albeit with significant volatility throughout the first six months. Prices declined as much as 23 percent from the beginning of the year through mid-February because of a relatively warm winter in the United States.

Natural gas prices have largely been affected by increasing U.S. natural gas exports and relatively flat natural gas production.

Other commodities in the S&P GSCI index had mixed returns in the first half of the year. Only sugar had a greater price decline than Brent crude oil, falling by 33 percent since the beginning of the year. Half of the agricultural commodities were down through June. Lean hogs, part of the livestock commodity group, experienced the largest price increase, rising 43 percent.

Study: Cutting farm subsidies will increase exports

A new study from the R Street Institute found that if the U.S. want to open international markets, the government must curb agricultural subsidies.

As Congress begins piecing together the next farm bill, it is important for legislators to understand that overly generous domestic agricultural subsidies hamper our ability to expand foreign trade in agricultural products, said Clark Packard, R Street Institute trade policy analyst. To get serious about opening markets abroad, policymakers need to prioritize curbing domestic agriculture subsidies.

He said given the failure of the World Trade Organizations Doha Round and the Trump administrations professed hostility toward multilateral negotiations, broad-scale multilateral reform may seem unrealistic.

Thankfully, the administrations budget proposal would cut crop insurance subsidies and commodity support payments in ways that, if adopted by Congress, would curb agricultural subsidies by $38 billion over 10 years, giving the United States major leverage to negotiate better terms for American farmers and ranchers abroad, Packard said.

He said that its always tempting to kick the subsidy reform can further down the road.

But delaying difficult but necessary reforms only hampers our ability to expand market access abroad, Packard said. In order to make a credible case for further liberalization, we must lead by example and cut our own agricultural subsides.

Nebraska hog inventory down 1 percent

LINCOLN  Nebraskas inventory of all hogs and pigs on June 1 was 3.45 million head, according to the USDAs National Agricultural Statistics Service. This was down 1 percent from June 1, 2016, but up 3 percent from March 1, 2017.

Breeding hog inventory, at 420,000 head, was down 1 percent from June 1, 2016, but up 1 percent from last quarter. Market hog inventory, at 3.03 million head, was down 1 percent from last year, but up 3 percent from last quarter.

The March-May 2017 Nebraska pig crop, at 2.12 million head, was up slightly from previous year. Sows farrowed during the period totaled 185,000 head, unchanged from last year.

The average pigs saved per litter was 11.45 for the March-May period, compared to 11.40 last year.

Nebraska hog producers intend to farrow 190,000 sows during the June-August 2017 quarter, up 3 percent from the actual farrowings during the same period a year ago. Intended farrowings for September-November 2017 quarter are 190,000 sows, up 6 percent from the actual farrowings during the same period the previous year.

Nationwide, the inventory of all hogs and pigs on June 1 was 71.7 million head. This was up 3 percent from June 1, 2016, and up 1 percent from March 1, 2017. This is the highest June 1 inventory of all hogs and pigs since estimates began in 1964.

Breeding inventory, at 6.07 million head, was up 2 percent from last year, and up slightly from the previous quarter. Market hog inventory, at 65.6 million head, was up 4 percent from last year, and up 1 percent from last quarter. This is the highest June 1 market hog inventory since estimates began in 1964.

The March-May 2017 pig crop, at 32.3 million head, was up 4 percent from 2016. This is the second largest March-May pig crop since estimates began in 1970. Sows farrowed during this period totaled 3.06 million head, up 3 percent from 2016. The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 50 percent of the breeding herd.

The average pigs saved per litter was a record high 10.55 for the March-May period, compared to 10.48 last year. Pigs saved per litter by size of operation ranged from 7.70 for operations with 1-99 hogs and pigs to 10.60 for operations with more than 5,000 hogs and pigs.

U.S. hog producers intend to have 3.06 million sows farrow during the June-August 2017 quarter, up slightly from the actual farrowings during the same period in 2016, and up 2 percent from 2015.

Nebraska corn stocks up 7 percent over last year

LINCOLN  Nebraska corn stocks in all positions on June 1 totaled 577 million bushels, up 7 percent from 2016, according to the USDAs National Agricultural Statistics Service. Of the total, 305 million bushels are stored on farms, up 7 percent from a year ago. Off-farm stocks, at 272 million bushels, are up 7 percent from last year.

Soybeans stored in all positions totaled 71.4 million bushels, down 3 percent from last year. On-farm stocks of 19.0 million bushels are down 17 percent from a year ago but off-farm stocks, at 52.4 million bushels, are up 4 percent from 2016.

Wheat stored in all positions totaled 43.7 million bushels, up 45 percent from a year ago. On-farm stocks of 1.05 million bushels are up 5 percent from 2016 and off-farm stocks of 42.7 million bushels are up 47 percent from last year.

Sorghum stored in all positions totaled 2.69 million bushels, down 27 percent from 2016. On-farm stocks of 150 thousand bushels are down 63 percent from a year ago and off-farm holdings of 2.54 million bushels are down 23 percent from last year.

On-farm oat stocks totaled 300 thousand bushels, down 17 percent from 2016.
Poor performance in local elections calls for NC's reviewing: Poudel

Nepali Congress senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel has opined for reviewing the party as it was 'weakening' lately.
Fifty-five percent of rural Nebraskans say their financial situation is very dependent on the agricultural industry, according to the 2017 Nebraska Rural Poll.

Another 23 percent say some of their economic well-being is tied to agriculture. These ties are particularly strong in smaller communities and in the states north-central region, the poll shows.

Similarly, 81 percent of respondents say their communitys well-being is closely linked to agriculture and 13 percent say it is somewhat tied to the industry.

Despite these connections, the current downturn in the ag economy has not caused most rural Nebraskans to worry. According to the first batch of findings from the Rural Poll  the largest annual poll of rural Nebraskans perceptions on quality of life and policy issues  nearly 60 percent of respondents say their job/income security is about the same as it was a year ago. Just over three in 10 are either more concerned or much more concerned.

In contrast, over six in 10 rural Nebraskans were worried about their finances during the national recession in 2009.

Rural Nebraskans seem to acknowledge the cyclical nature of the ag economy. When asked to compare the current downturn to previous ones, 42 percent of those surveyed believe this one is about the same and 23 percent believe it is worse. Eleven percent say this one is not as bad.

In 2009 recession fear was dominating national news, said Randy Cantrell, rural sociologist with the Nebraska Rural Futures Institute. So while the agricultural economy may actually be more central to that of a given community, residents may be less aware of events in that sector than they were of more generalized events in 2009.

Over four in 10 people in agricultural, sales or office-support jobs are more concerned about their financial security than they were a year ago, the poll shows.

The concern about job and income security was much more widespread outside of agriculture in 2009, while the concern in 2017 seems to be largely coming from agriculture and sales, where agricultural spending on Main Street and on big-ticket items has been affected, said Brad Lubben, assistant professor of agricultural economics with UNL Extension.

Though most respondents arent concerned about job or income security, 31 percent are very uncertain and 26 percent are somewhat uncertain they could find the kind of job they are looking for in their community. This uncertainty is higher for people living in or near smaller towns and villages.

This seems to be a realistic evaluation of local economic conditions, Cantrell said. Certainly it is true that rural Nebraska in general has a growing need for skilled, well-trained workers. However, demand for a specific skill is likely to be more limited in a given rural community. So for skilled workers, losing a job in a rural community is likely to require relocation.
Hastings Good Samaritan village earns national quality award

HASTINGS  The Villa Assisted Living at Good Samaritan Society  Hastings Village has been recognized as a Silver Achievement in Quality Award recipient by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living.

The silver award is the second of three distinctions possible through the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program, which spotlights providers across the nation that have demonstrated their commitment to improving quality of care for residents and patients in long term and post-acute care centers and communities.

The awards will be presented during AHCA/NCALs 68th annual Convention and Expo Oct. 15-18 in Las Vegas, Nev.

We are honored to be recognized for what weve accomplished on our journey to improve quality care, said Samantha Rundle, director of the Villa Assisted Living of Good Samaritan Society  Hastings Village. Applying for the Silver award has helped Good Samaritan Society  Hastings Village to achieve better outcomes as an organization.

As a recipient of this years silver award, The Villa Assisted Living can now advance in developing approaches that meet the criteria required for the gold award.

Amur Equipment Finance website honored with Gold Stevie Award

Amur Equipment Finance, one of the nations leading commercial equipment finance companies, was named the winner of a Gold Stevie Award for Outstanding Website in the Financial Services category at the 15th annual American Business Awards.

Judges cited the AmurEF websites user-friendly design and visually compelling layout.

Since the site launch, new user traffic has increased by more than 210 percent and visitor duration has doubled, proving that visitors are favorably engaging with the new content, tools, and brand. The Stevie Award judges were impressed with these uplift numbers. They also said that the AmurEF website was well executed and the information architecture was well thought out.

Amur Equipment Finance invested a great deal of time and effort in developing a fully interactive website, which provides visitors with a truly unique and informative experience, said Jacklynn Manning, AmurEF marketing director.

The company introduced the new website (www.amuref.com) last year in conjunction with its rebrand initiative. The goal was to create an engaging, interactive site that provides a superior user experience while highlighting AmurEFs values and talented people along with its full suite of unique financial products.

The AmurEF site now features financing calculation tools, a streamlined online application tool for business owner customers and vendor partners, and a job application portal. Visitors can also access a wealth of additional information including numerous customer and employee video success stories.

Amur Equipment Finance has an office in Grand Island.
Charles L. Monty Pedersen, 77, of Grand Island died July 1, 2017, at Select Specialty Hospital in Omaha.

Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, July 14, at the First Baptist Church in Dannebrog. The Revs. Donnie Halbgewachs and Rob Pearson will officiate. Cremation will take place after the funeral service and a private family inurnment will be held in Loup Fork Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the church in Dannebrog, with a family and friends remembrance service at 7. Jacobsen-Greenway Funeral Home in St. Paul is in charge of arrangements.

Monty was born Oct. 8, 1939, in Boelus to Eric and Anita (Hyde) Pedersen.

He graduated from Boelus High School in 1958 and then attended Kearney State College.

His work included shearing sheep, custom baling, installing irrigation drops for the Farwell Irrigation District, farming near Boelus, managing apartments and owning Century House Imports in Lincoln. He also operated flea markets in Laredo, Texas, and operated pawn shops in Kearney and in Grand Island at the time of his death.

Monty enjoyed drawing special art creations, collecting, buying and selling antiques and day trading in the stock market. He loved reading and collecting books, as well as writing poetry.

He very much enjoyed spending time with his family. Two separate times during the past six years, he was a cancer survivor, having esophageal and brain cancer. Monty knew the Lord and was not fearful of death.

Survivors include his children and spouses, Clark and Denise Pedersen and Elizabeth and Larry Patten, all of Boelus, Christina and Tim Hilbrand of Grant, Mich., and Shawn Clover of Grand Island; his mother, Anita Pedersen of Boelus; 12 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; a brother, Dr. Randall and Nancy Pedersen of Royal; and a sister, Barbara and John Holum of Annapolis, Md.

He was preceded in death by his father, Eric Pedersen.

Memories of Monty may be left at www.jacobsengreenway.com.
WARSAW  President Donald Trump may well have felt as if Air Force One had touched down in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Harrisburg, Pa., or any other American city that has hosted his campaign-style rallies when he landed in Warsaw Wednesday night  the first leg of his second trip abroad as president.

First lady Melania Trump accompanied Trump, as did daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner. Flanked by 10 uniformed troops, Polish Foreign Affairs Minister Witold Waszczykowski and other dignitaries met Americas first family on the tarmac late Wednesday. Scores of people who lined darkened roads waved American and Polish flags and recorded video of Trumps motorcade as it sped past.

Conservative Warsaw was likely to show a lot of love for Trump during a 16-hour visit before he headed to the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. There, Trump can expect German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other European Union leaders to challenge his rejection of the Paris climate agreement.

At the same time, Trump has had to contend with escalating tensions with North Korea after it successfully launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile this week. Asked, as he left the White House, what he would do about North Korea, Trump said only: Were going to do very well.

Trump, whos been seeking Chinas help in containing Pyongyangs missile and nuclear weapons programs, also tweeted his frustration with China for continuing to trade with North Korea.

So much for China working with us  but we had to give it a try! Trump wrote.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is among at least nine leaders Trump is scheduled to meet with in Germany during the G20 summit. Trump is also scheduled to have a sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In Warsaw, leaders of the ruling Law and Justice Party bused in supporters to cheer the American president when he delivered an afternoon speech at Krasinski Square on Thursday. The ruling Law and Justice party saw Trumps choice to visit Poland as a fine way of tweaking the left-leaning leadership of the European Union.

The Poles have benefited from a booming economy since joining the EU in 2004  while not absorbing the political sensibilities that prevail in Brussels and Berlin. Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda both have been on the receiving end of French and German disapproval for their rejection of calls that America and Poland accept their share of Syrian and other refugees, as well as for their treatment of the media and opposing political views.

So Poland and America are mutual admiration societies. We still perceive America as a beacon of freedom, noted Marcin Wrona, a Washington correspondent for Polish network TVN.

When Polands dissident Solidarity Party was working to oust Communists from power in 1989, Wrona added, they created a campaign poster from an ad for the movie High Noon starring Gary Cooper. This is the single image that we remember from 1989, he said.

According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, Poland is the most pro-American nation in Europe  65 percent of Poles have a favorable view of America, while 16 percent have an unfavorable opinion. Young adults approve of America by an 88 percent margin  a higher rate than among older Poles.

Tour guide Tomasz Obinski, 23, is among that group. A Warsaw native, he spoke approvingly of the new American president because Trump is pro-Poland. Obinski hopes Trump will admit Poles who hold U.S. visas.

Standing near Old Town where barricades were placed in preparation of Trumps visit later Wednesday, Obinski added, We close half of the city just for president.

Kris Ruszczynski, a retired engineer who returned to Warsaw after living in London for more than three decades, likes Trump because he takes on problems which have been hidden under what I call political correctness.

Ruszczynski praised Trumps decision to come to Poland before Germany as a very brave decision. The message will be sent to Germany and Russia.

Poland and the United States also share the pain of partisan division. Duda surprised the political class when he won the presidency in 2015 with 52 percent of the vote  and many Poles are not happy with the change at the helm.

Asked about the new government, one Polish woman sighed as she thought of Polands second president, Lech Walesa. He had a saying, she noted, There should be a left leg, and a right leg. And Ill be in between.
In this summer of great political discontent, I find myself fascinated and buoyed by Wonder Woman and Amelia Earhart.

Wonder Woman, as portrayed in a blockbuster movie by the remarkable 32-year-old Israeli actress and mother of two Gal Godot, ignores the men around her during World War I and does what she thinks is right and moral. Who among us has not yearned to jump and soar in slow motion, smiting the wicked and dodging bullets with crossed arms encased in silver bracelets?

In the movie, Wonder Woman, alias Diana Prince, fights against Doctor Poison, an evil German female chemist. She also, of course, fights against men determined to kill millions in war.

Not surprising, perhaps, is that Wonder Woman has become controversial. Qatar, Lebanon and Tunisia have banned the movie because Gadot served her compulsory military service during Israels 2006 war with Lebanon. Good grief, people. Its a movie about truth, justice and the power of love!

Another development this summer involving a strong woman is the unearthing of a photo that experts think very likely shows aviator Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan being held by the Japanese in 1937 after their plane crash-landed in the Marshall Islands. At the time, war clouds were forming that would turn into World War II.

As one of the thousands of elementary school children who wrote essays on Earhart and was frustrated by not knowing what happened to her on her around-the-world flight, I was never satisfied with the explanation that she died in a crash and was never found.

Now there is compelling evidence she was captured by Japanese soldiers and died, along with Noonan, in a prison camp. A photo of what looks to be Noonan and a woman with short hair and pants, most likely taken by a spy, was found in the National Archives.

Marshall Islanders  who even have a stamp in her honor  have for decades believed Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, survived a landing in their waters and was taken away by the Japanese, who at the time controlled the islands and had banned Westerners from the area.

A new History Channel documentary, Amelia Earhart: The Lost Evidence, posits that this long-lost photo may well point to the explanation for her disappearance, which has captivated so many for so long. The photo shows a Japanese ship called the Koshu towing something that measures 38 feet in length, the dimension of Earharts plane.

The documentarys executive producer, Gary Tarpinian, told NBC News: We believe that the Koshu took her to Saipan and that she died there under the custody of the Japanese.

This development undoubtedly will lead to new avenues of research. And while its heartbreaking to think that she, like so many, perished in a terrible war, its also comforting to have evidence that this famous aviator might not have died in a crash.

One summer. Two vivid examples of strong, awesome women. It is just so heartening.
Ruling coalition expedites talks

A day after assuring the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal an all-out effort to address its concerns, including an amendment to the constitution, the Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Centre)the key coalition partnerson Saturday expedited talks in a bid to secure a two-thirds majority in Parliament to pass the constitution amendment bill.
Its important that the integrity of the Nebraska State Patrol be unquestioned.

So when there were indications that internal investigations into patrol actions had been tampered with by high-ranking officials, it was crucial that decisive action be taken.

And that is what Gov. Pete Ricketts did last week when he fired Col. Brad Rice, the head of the State Patrol, and placed six other patrol staff, including the second-in-command, on paid administrative leave.

The governor said that a preliminary state personnel review found problems.

We will not tolerate that breach of integrity in the Nebraska State Patrol or any of my organizations, Ricketts said.

It is essential that the public have confidence in the top law enforcement agency in the state. That confidence must extend to investigations into actions by state troopers. Everyone must be treated fairly. If probes into trooper conduct are mishandled, it lowers the confidence the public has in all investigations by the State Patrol.

The Nebraska State Patrol has always been held in the highest regard by the states residents. State troopers have always been admired for their professionalism and they are appreciated for the dangerous work they do in keeping Nebraskas highways and communities safe.

So this probe, and the problems it uncovered, came as a shock to many.

The first inklings of a problem came when the Omaha World-Herald found that there were problems with an investigation into an incident where a driver died in a high-speed pursuit. The trooper involved in the crash near Gordon said that he used a maneuver to cause the fleeing vehicle to spin out. However, subsequently the story changed.

Some felt top patrol officials were trying to escape scrutiny or possible liability. Why this would have been done has many confused. There was no reason for a cover up. Everyone knows the dangers and risks in law enforcement.

What a cover up does is lessen the trust in an agency. If it was done in this incident, how many other times was it done?

Nebraska cant afford to not have confidence in its top law enforcement agency, so Ricketts decisive action was needed.

Critics will say that plenty of questions were raised about Rice when the governor appointed him to the patrols top post, but Ricketts failed to heed them. Those questions involved comments Rice was alleged to have made about women troopers and a discrimination lawsuit.

Whatever the past problems, integrity must be restored at the State Patrol. Residents, particularly in the central and western portions of the state, depend on it for law enforcement on Interstate 80 and the thousands of miles of highways in the state.

The reputation of troopers must not be allowed to be tarnished. As Ricketts searches for a new leader for the State Patrol, integrity must be at the top of the list of qualities sought.
This letter is in response to the ongoing issues with Medicaid. This news is disparaging for those who are on Medicaid, have disabilities or are children of poverty. These are people who often do not have resources or channels to be heard when they are discriminated against.

But the issues with payments and health providers are not new. Two years ago, when searching for a general health provider for my son with disabilities, I called close to 30 health care providers before finding one who would accept him as a patient. He was and currently is on his fathers health insurance and will be until he is 26. Medicaid was and is his secondary resource for health insurance. Still, health providers did not want him as a patient knowing that Medicaid would eventually be his primary health care provider.

The current Nebraska and federal administration are seeking to cut Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.. When individuals cannot afford or are not provided health care, the emergency rooms of hospitals become their primary care providers. Hospitals are required to provide health care regardless of your ability to pay. Visits to the emergency room are very costly. Patients without health care wait until they have serious health care issues, which could have been prevented with early intervention. These costs are then absorbed by consumers with insurance and the ability to pay, resulting in increases in health care costs and insurance premiums.

Urge our state and national senators to ensure health care for all!
The numbers game begins once again

The governing parties on Friday told Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal leaders that they would try to address the partys demands within a week. One of the key demands of the RJP-N is constitution amendment.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) jakarta  Sun, July 9, 2017 13:56 1951 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a8382fd 1 Business industry-ministry,Konawe,nickel,industrial-estates Free

The government, through the Industry Ministry, has approved the expansion plan for a nickel industrial estate in Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi, and plans to issue the permit in the near future.

The ministrys Directorate General of Development for Industrial Areas, Imam Haryono, said the government would soon grant an additional license to Chinese nickel company PT Virtue Dragon Nickel Industry to start the third phase development in the industrial park.

We just have to wait for the companys application letter for the permit to the Agrarian and Spatial Ministry, he said in Jakarta on Thursday, as quoted by Kontan.

The company currently owns licenses for two phases of nickel industry development. The first phase consists of 500 hectares with US$1 billion in investment value, while the second one consists of 700 hectares with $2.5 billion in investment value.

With the coming new permit to manage up to 2,200 hectares of land, Imam explained, the company proposed expanding its area by an additional 1,000 hectares to be used for building Virtu Dragon Industrial Park.

He added that his ministry was now coordinating with the Agriculture Ministry for the substitute land because the companys expansion would grab several hectares of land owned by the Agriculture Ministry. (rdi/ags)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, July 9, 2017 16:13 1951 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a83ad36 4 City Go-Jek,food-business,Go-Food,food-delivery Free

Following a number of media reports about alleged fake orders from a user of the Go-Jek application, the East Jakarta Police have formed a team to investigate the case.

A joint force will be assigned to investigate the case, find the perpetrator and avoid similar problems in the future, East Jakarta Police head Sr. Comr. Andry Wibowo said.

"The news had gone viral. We will find out whether this was a crime or just a prank. It'll generate more problems and anxiety among members of the public if we don't take any action," he said on Sunday as quoted by kompas.com.

He said that the police had assigned his subordinates to question Julianto Sudrajat, who reportedly had numerous orders delivered to him from the Go-Food section of the ride-hailing app, causing him to pay for meals he supposedly never ordered. The police planned to meet with Go-Food management on Monday, Andry said.

Julianto, a private bank employee in Matraman, East Jakarta, said that he had received a large number of orders for food that he did not order, causing him to spend millions of rupiah to pay for the service.

He said that the orders may have been made by an individual who disliked him. (Fac)
Tilathi flooding in Saptari an outcome of multiple factors

The rain-swollen Khado river inundated more than 400 houses in Tilathi, Saptari, last week. With no proper outlet, houses in the eastern part of the settlement are still flooded. Hundreds of families of Tilathi have moved to higher grounds.
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Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Hamburg, Germany  Sun, July 9, 2017 11:38 1951 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a834e7f 1 National Joko-Widodo,Donald-Trump,G-20,bilateral-meeting,visit Free

President Joko Jokowi Widodo has invited United States president Donald Trump to Indonesia during their first ever bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

Jokowi told Trump on Saturday that the latters millions of fans in Indonesia were eager to see the former business tycoon visit the most-populated Southeast Asian country.

They are only interested in one thing; when can you, personally, come to Indonesia? I can get into serious problems if I dont bring back some good news for your millions of friends in Indonesia, he said while chuckling.

Trump replied shortly, Well get there. Its a place Id like to go.

During the opening of the bilateral meeting, Trump also mentioned that the US was interested in boosting business relations between the two countries.

Although the two met at the recent Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in May, this was the first time the two leaders had met in a bilateral meeting since Trumps election.

US Vice President Mike Pence recently visited Indonesia during a tour of Asia in April, during which he also stated US intentions to increase trade with Indonesia, but also highlighted that there were still many barriers preventing US businesses from entering the Indonesian market. (ags)
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Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Hamburg, Germany  Sun, July 9, 2017 15:47 1951 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a83a9d3 1 Business #G20Leaders,Jokowi,Indonesia,counterterrorism,ParisAgreement Free

Indonesia was the 13th most mentioned member state of the G20 forum on the first day of the summit in Hamburg, Germany, official data shows.

On social media, Indonesia was mentioned at least 2,095 times on Friday, just after the United Kingdom and followed by Saudi Arabia and South Korea, according to the data from the G20 Summit.

The result seems to be attributed to President Joko Jokowi Widodos extensive talks on counterterrorism on the day and his reaffirmation of Indonesias commitment to the Paris Agreement.

The G20 Summit describes the basis of the data on each country as one mention equals every time a leader or a country of the leader is talked about in relation to the G20 summit.

Furthermore, the same data shows that climate and energy were the most discussed topics pertaining to the summit on the internet with 16,881 mentions, followed closely by international trade and terrorism. (lnd)
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Linkedin Hui Min Neo and Simon Sturdee (Agence France-Presse) Hamburg  Sun, July 9, 2017 10:45 1951 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a82f72d 2 World G20-meeting,summit,Donald-Trump,climate,climate-change,Trade Free

World leaders made concessions on trade and climate language to Donald Trump Saturday at the end of the most fractious and riot-hit G20 summit ever, in exchange for preserving a fragile unity of the club of major industrialised and emerging economies.

But the gesture opened the door for others, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warning that Ankara was now leaning towards not ratifying the landmark Paris climate accord.

Erdogan's threat brought further disarray to a summit that was marred by bilateral quarrels and strife over climate protection and trade.

And in one of the weekend's more bizarre scenes, Trump raised eyebrows by leaving a discussion and letting his daughter Ivanka take his place.

US President Donald Trump raised some eyebrows by allowing his daughter Ivanka to substitute for him in one discussion(AFP/File)

In a departure from final summit declarations that tend to outline consensus on issues that range from fighting terrorism to financial governance, the extraordinary conclusion this year spelt out differences on core issues.

It acknowledged Trump's decision to take the United States out of the 2015 Paris deal and clearly stated Washington's wish to continue using and selling fossil fuels that are a main driver of global warming.

The declaration also stated for the first time the right of countries to protect their markets with "legitimate trade defence instruments" -- wording that essentially gives Trump wiggle room to push on with his "America First" policy.

The nationalistic stance has set him on collision course with many of America's allies, who warned Trump against an isolationist path and starting a trade war.

"Where there is no consensus, the communique spelt out the discord," said host Chancellor Angela Merkel.

'Problem' with Paris deal

But with Trump determinedly leading the US out of the climate accord ratified by 153 countries, Erdogan said he was leaning towards not completing the ratification process.

"After that step taken by America, the position that we adopt is in the direction of not passing it in parliament," Erdogan said.

He also suggested some other, unidentified G20 countries had a "problem" with the agreement.

Thomas Bernes from the think-tank Centre for International Governance Innovation described the final declaration as a "masquerade".

"When compared to the G20 dynamic since the London summit in 2009, it's a step back: a clear signal against protectionism to fight the financial crisis becomes a mixed signal."

Violent protests on the sidelines of the conference disrupted the movements of delegates and drew criticism of organizers(AFP/File)

Trail of destruction

If the meetings within the tightly secured venue were anything but harmonious, outside chaos and violence gripped Germany's second city.

Ten minutes' walk from the summit, charred road barricades, trashed shops, debris and shattered glass bore testimony to an anarchic Friday night of street clashes between protesters and police, when commandos chased militants who hurled rocks from rooftops.

The clashes blocked US First Lady Melania Trump at her residence on Friday, forcing G20 organisers to completely alter a program for spouses of visiting leaders.

On Saturday, thousands of anti-riot cops were again on guard, as helicopters hovered overhead, with tens of thousands of demonstrators on the march.

Fresh clashes erupted early Sunday in the streets of Hamburg following the end of the G20 summit, with protesters setting fire to a number of vehicles and police reporting more officers injured and more arrests.

Trump vs. Putin

Within the summit walls, world leaders were dancing a delicate diplomatic waltz, with discord not only dogging the main G20 conferences, but also adding tension to bilateral asides.

Host Merkel herself admitted that "deep differences" remain with Erdogan after they met on the sidelines of the summit.

But it was Trump's first head-to-head with Russia's leader President Vladimir Putin that stole the show.

A day after Trump slammed Moscow's actions in Ukraine and Syria, the two men had a "robust and lengthy exchange" about allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said.

But Tillerson, who was present at the meeting that ran for two hours and 15 minutes, also said the two alpha-male leaders "connected very quickly" with "very clear positive chemistry".

Trump said Saturday that the tete-a-tete was "tremendous" while Putin gave an upbeat assessment of what it meant for future ties.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) London  Sun, July 9, 2017 10:32 1951 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a82f61b 2 World London,Gay-Pride,parade Free

Tens of thousands of people descended on London's streets on Saturday for the annual gay Pride march, marking the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales.

Armed police and strict security measures were in place to protect revellers following a recent spate of terror attacks, with around 25,000 participants parading down Regent Street, many wearing flamboyant costumes, waving rainbow flags and holding colourful balloons.

Hundreds of thousands more were expected to party thorough the night around the Soho district.

"This is the biggest Pride in London's history and in Pride's history, there are more than 1.5 million people here today, and it's really important that Londoners are free to be who they want to be, free to love who they want to love," London mayor Sadiq Khan told AFP as he joined marchers.

Saturday's march marks the 50th anniversary that homosexuality was decriminalised in England and Wales(AFP/File)

"We've had a horrific few weeks with the terrible fire at Grenfell Tower and three terrorist attacks, and what today's about is love," he added.

"It's showing that actually the best antidote to the sadness, the sorrow, the bereavement, is having a great pride in London."

Olympic diver Tom Daley was among those at the 45th edition of the London event.

"It's really important that we remember why Pride started -- it's not just to have fun, it's about making sure that we make political progress, and making sure that we try and get equal rights for every single person across the whole world," he told AFP.

Parliament's Palace of Westminster will also be illuminated with a rainbow flag for the first time to celebrate the event, while the multicoloured emblem also decorated tube stations and shops en route.

The Sexual Offences Act, approved by parliament on July 27, 1967, decriminalised homosexual acts in private between two men, both of whom had to be aged at least 21.

Marking the occasion, Norman Fowler, speaker of the upper House of Lords, said: "Homosexuality is still illegal in over 70 countries around the world.

"None of this will be solved by a march, or a display of lights in Westminster, but these acts will demonstrate to those who are being persecuted or abused that they are supported."
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Spielberg, Austria  Sun, July 9, 2017 16:05 1951 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a83aa26 2 World Formula-One,Sebastian-Vettel,Formula-One-2017 Free

Sebastian Vettel faces "very severe" consequences if he is the cause of any further major racing offences, the president of Formula Ones ruling body the FIA warned on Saturday.

Jean Todt, who had been called upon by Lewis Hamilton to explain why Ferraris Vettel was not punished for his 'road rage' attack on his Mercedes car during last months Azerbaijan Grand Prix, spoke to reporters at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Last year Vettel swore over team radio at the FIA Race Director Charlie Whiting at the Mexican Grand Prix.

Asked about Vettels repeated failures to control his temper, Todt said: Mexico was a completely different offence (to Baku).

"We have seen that Sebastian is not always able to control himself as much as he should.

I used to run drivers and they are in a very tense situation. I think you must try to interpret the situation well.

"This does not give them the right to do anything, but you must try and understand it.

"Sebastian has had some very strong warnings. It won't happen again and, if it would, then the consequences would be very severe."

Using his Ferrari, Vettel bashed wheels with Hamilton behind the safety car during the Baku race after feeling the Briton had brake-tested him, a claim that was subsequently quashed by data, the stewards and both teams. Vettel later apologised.

He was given a 10-seconds stop-go penalty during the race and, after being summoned to Paris for a further hearing about the matter, asked only to carry out educational activities on behalf of the FIA.

Many drivers and former drivers including Mercedes boss Niki Lauda and Hamilton said the lack of action by the ruling body had virtually given carte blanche to drivers who choose to copy Vettels actions.
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Linkedin Winda A. Charmila (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, July 9, 2017 20:52 1951 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a84b805 2 City transjakarta,Transjakarta-lanes Free

City-owned bus operator PT Transportasi Jakarta (Transjakarta) is set to operate its newly built corridor 13 route on Independence Day on Aug. 17.

The corridor, which serves a route connecting Jl. Tendean to Jl. Ciledug Raya in South Jakarta, is expected to receive a building worthiness certificate (SLF), which would allow the firm to operate the corridor, within the next three weeks, Transjakarta president director Budi Kaliwono said.

"The governor gave instructions to operate it after we acquire the SLF," Budi said on Sunday during a field survey of the corridor.

The corridor was initially launched on Jakarta's 490th anniversary on June 22, but operations were halted as required documents, such as the SLF from the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry, had not yet been obtained, while the light installation on the elevated busway lane did not meet safety standards.

Once launched, corridor 13 will accommodate up to 40,000 passengers per day, Budi said.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) London  Sun, July 9, 2017 17:30 1951 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a84a086 2 World soccer,ManchesterUnited,Romelu-Lukaku,player-transfer Free

Romelu Lukaku says his move from Everton to Manchester United for a reported 75 million (US$97 million) breaking the transfer record for a deal between British clubs is the opportunity he had always dreamed of as a child.

The 24-year-old Belgian international striker -- Everton's record Premier League goalscorer with 68 -- told ESPN he hadn't hesitated over the move even though his former club Chelsea offered a similar fee but apparently baulked at the sizeable commission his agent Mino Raiola demanded.

Lukaku made no mention of Chelsea whose manager Antonio Conte is said to feel betrayed by the striker with whom he had spoken on several occasions since the end of last season.

"It's (Manchester United) a club that is hungry to win the league again, to be dominant in the world again," Lukaku told ESPN, who say they spoke to him after his medical.

"It's the sort of opportunity I've always wanted since a child.

"When they came calling I didn't have to think twice, so I'm really delighted to be part of history."

Lukaku, whom United manager Jose Mourinho sold to Everton for 28 million in 2014 whilst in his second spell in charge of Chelsea, said the United move for him was the perfect storm.

"Who would say no to the biggest club in the world?" said Lukaku, who is to be paid reportedly over 200,000 a week by United.

"The best stadium in England, the best fans. I mean, it's the perfect opportunity.

"I always said I wanted to play for a team that's challenging for every trophy that there is there.

"I think Manchester United at the minute wants to be the dominant team, the dominant force."

Lukaku, who turned down the most lucrative contract ever offered by Everton at the end of last season which had seen him score 25 Premier League goals, conceded he would have to step up his work rate to please the demanding Mourinho.

"Now it's time to work hard, work harder than I ever did before and I'm willing to do it," said Lukaku.

His move comes as he faces a fine after being issued a misdemeanour citation by Los Angeles police for too much noise at a party he hosted in his holiday mansion.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, July 9, 2017 14:32 1951 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a8392c8 1 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,bandung,music-festival Free

Bandung is set to hold a music festival on July 22-23 at the state-owned train operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI)s Persediaan Cikudapateuh warehouse.

Themed Beat the Tradition, the Matasora World Music Festival will feature music concerts, music and dance workshops, movie screenings, a food bazaar and discussions.

Read also: Bandung's city tour bus to entertain tourists with horror stories

The event aims to improve multicultural dialogue and discussion about rural and urban issues, as well as promote tourism and sustainable eco-friendly lifestyles.

Up to 14 international and 20 local acts are scheduled to perform at the two-day festival. Among the foreign performers include those hailing from United Kingdom, Australia, Taiwan and Thailand. (kes)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, July 9, 2017 15:34 1951 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a83a8b0 1 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,surabaya,culture,festival Free

Surabaya is set to host an interesting cultural event this July dubbed Cross Culture International (CCI) 2017.

With the theme of Folk Art Festival, this annual event will be joined by many foreign participants, including those hailing from China, Russia, Slovakia, Canada, Poland, Thailand and Lithuania.

Read also: 5 must-visit destinations in Surabaya

CCI 2017 will be divided into two sessions: an opening event on July 9 and a series of events that will run from July 16 to 20.

The Sunday event will reportedly present performances by Remo Dance and Japanese Yosakoi Dance. Remo Dance will be performed by 12 youth groups, while up to 40 groups will enliven the Yosakoi Dance, said Surabaya Culture and Tourism Agency head Widodo Suryantoro.

Visitors can expect to enjoy the festival throughout Surabaya, including at Surya Park, Balai Pemuda, City Hall, Siola Building, Balai Budaya Surabaya, Bungkul Park, G-Walk Citraraya Surabaya, Ciputra World and Royal Plaza. (kes)
Tourist-standard hotel thrives in Taplejung

The tourism sector in Taplejung, the northeastern mountain district, is attracting increased investment. The area is famous for Kanchanjunga  the third highest mountain in the world.
I interviewed him for my local paper When, Christopher Marney, Artistic Director of Ballet Central, assured me the performance was a sort of dance for everyone and could be enjoyed by both regular fans and newcomers.

So, I went along to my local theatre to check that out.

Ballet Central

is a piece put together by the Central School of Ballet. The 33 students set to graduate tour in their final year to gain experience and, the performance at the Kenneth More Theatre was their last touring date before the final graduation performance in Stratford on 15th July.

Images courtesy of Bill Cooper.

My interview with Christopher gave me high hopes and the performance did not disappoint.

Romeo and Juliet . The music was Sergei Prokofievs Dance of the Knights  you might know it as the theme song from The Apprentice . The performance contrasts colour and tempo to help communicate the contrasting themes behind the story of the two  star-crossd  lovers. The performance began with the ballroom scene from. The music was Sergei Prokofievs Dance of the Knights  you might know it as the theme song from. The performance contrasts colour and tempo to help communicate the contrasting themes behind the story of the two  lovers.

Theres a lot going on in this scene and there is, of course, a fight scene involving Tybalt (Jaume Ruiz), Mercutio (Alvaro Olmedo) and Romeo (Ruaridh Bisset), that is fast and exciting.

Sleepless  a more modern piece, which starts with an eerie blacked-out stage with running and whispering. Sleepless is fast and chaotic and explores graffiti making. The costumes are more contemporary: sweatshirts and trousers. This transitions into a more modern piece, which starts with an eerie blacked-out stage with running and whispering.is fast and chaotic and explores graffiti making. The costumes are more contemporary: sweatshirts and trousers.

Indigo Children , by Royal Ballets Artist in Residence, Liam Scarlett. This piece exhibits a belief in children who have special, unusual traits and abilities and are more emphatic and creative. Wearing bright green trousers, the six performers  Eleanor Ferguson, Ruaridh Bisset, Reiko Tan, Craig McFarlane, Rowan Parker and Alvaro Olmedo - weave in between each other with precise moves. This is quickly followed by, by Royal Ballets Artist in Residence, Liam Scarlett. This piece exhibits a belief in children who have special, unusual traits and abilities and are more emphatic and creative. Wearing bright green trousers, the six performers  Eleanor Ferguson, Ruaridh Bisset, Reiko Tan, Craig McFarlane, Rowan Parker and Alvaro Olmedo - weave in between each other with precise moves.

Dracula. There is one more piece before the interval:

a very unique performance. Opening with bright red lights, smoke and fantastically contrasted lighting. It opens with Dracula (Matthew Morrell) and Harker (Adam Davies). After Dracula leaves, the Vampire Ladies (Emma Zeppetella, Augusta De Marchis and Iori Matsuura) emerge. This isperformance. Opening with bright red lights, smoke and fantastically contrasted lighting. It opens with Dracula (Matthew Morrell) and Harker (Adam Davies). After Dracula leaves, the Vampire Ladies (Emma Zeppetella, Augusta De Marchis and Iori Matsuura) emerge.

Originally choreographed by Michael Pink and Christopher Gable, it is a piece full of twists and turns, eerie movements and lots of tense moments, it got an amazing ovation at its conclusion and deservedly so.

La Bayadere , first performed in St. Petersburg back in 1877. Anna Pavlova shot to fame when playing Nikiya ( Moeno Oba) who is being courted by a young warrior Solor (Craig McFarlane). Using traditional, South Asian costumes, the performance is another with vibrant colour and speed. First up after the break is, first performed in St. Petersburg back in 1877. Anna Pavlova shot to fame when playing Nikiya (Oba) who is being courted by a young warrior Solor (Craig McFarlane). Using traditional, South Asian costumes, the performance is another with vibrant colour and speed.

Mya ; a rather minimalist performance featuring music from Arvo Part. The costumes are full body suits which, for large parts of the performance, restrain the arms of the performers. This means that the use of other body parts is exaggerated. This is contrasted witha rather minimalist performance featuring music from Arvo Part. The costumes are full body suits which, for large parts of the performance, restrain the arms of the performers. This means that the use of other body parts is exaggerated.

The piece allows dancers Saskia Twiss, Charlotte Peers and Liam Lindsay to express raw emotion and a search for greater fulfilment in a life that can be quite mundane.

Highland Fling , choreographed by the award-winning Sir Matthew Bourne. It shows the story of James (Adam Davies) a young Glaswegian who is lured from his world of bars and clubs to a world of sirens. The final piece is the 30-minute-long excerpt from, choreographed by the award-winning Sir Matthew Bourne. It shows the story of James (Adam Davies) a young Glaswegian who is lured from his world of bars and clubs to a world of sirens.

He falls in love with the Lead Sylph (Rowan Parker) and becomes obsessed with her; he chases her through this world and this performance ends tragically and shows the wide range of emotions and feelings displayed in any relationship.

Overall, the performance is spectacular. Complex themes and issues are displayed through intricate dances; all the dancers pull together as individual components to create a masterpiece. At times, perhaps a little too much is going on, and its hard to appreciate everything, but theres no doubting the ability of the dancers.

They are quick on their feet, strong and elegant in their movements. Theyre all set to graduate and it wont be surprising to see any of them in major productions. The pieces are wide-ranging covering many different types of story. Ballet Central 2018 will return next year and if its anywhere near as impressive as 2017, it will surely be a treat to watch.

The choice of music is perfect, both the pre-recorded and live keyboard from Philip Feeney, who quite clearly enjoyed himself on the side of the stage, which was good to see.

Christopher told me: Im quite excited to see what pieces the audiences react well to, thatll help me commission pieces for 2018.

Based on this showing, he has a lot of options to choose from.
What Kollywood gets wrong

Even before its release, Sanrakshan, a movie largely based on the Tarai-Madhes politics, has become a social media sensation.
A pair of newly-recruited astronauts from the Canadian Space Agency have given an insight into the world of space exploration.

Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Kutryk, who was an experimental test pilot and fighter pilot for the Canadian Armed Forces, and Dr Jennifer Sidey, a lecturer and researcher at the Department of Engineering at Cambridge University, were taken on as astronauts after a year-long selection process.

Kutryk and

Sidey

hosted a Reddit AMA before they join Nasas two-year astronaut training programme in Houston, Texas.

On the coolest and toughest parts of the recruitment process.

For me, the coolest part of the recruitment process was meeting the other candidates. Incredible Canadians from the military, academia, and other walks of life! The most difficult part of the process for me was the resilience required to complete test after test. Escaping from helicopters under water wasnt really part of my day job!  Sidey

Meeting such talented, remarkable Canadians was a pretty neat part. The toughest part was the waiting. There was a lot of anxiety associated with that. You never knew how well you had done or not whether or not you would be moving forward or not.  Kutryk

On the trait most important in getting selected.

Getting along with other people for long periods of time in stressful situations (in tin cans).  Sidey

Skills and experience are both important, of course. I think that the key is to have a DIVERSITY of both to have demonstrated the ability to thrive

across

different challenges.  Kutryk

On the first time they wore their flight suit

It felt incredible. We received our suits from Jeremy Hansen and Dave Williams. That was pretty special in itself.  Sidey

Two words: Happy and proud.Happy to achieve a childhood dream. Proud to be wearing that big red maple leaf on behalf of the Canadian Space Agency.  Kutryk

On the most mentally challenging aspect of their testing period.

It was probably a combination of tests, actually. The Space Agency was looking at how we would act when things got (really) tough. A lot of resilience required to solve a puzzle underwater for the fifth time when youre sleep deprived after a day of sprints and sandbag carries.  Sidey

On the first thoughts of wanting to become an astronaut.

I wanted to be an astronaut when I was really little (4 years old-ish). After

that

I became interested in other things. I wanted to become a

paleontologist

, geologist, marine biologist, waitress (briefly), then an engineer. Luckily, I revisited my

astro

-aspirations when the call came out last summer.  Sidey

On advice for aspiring astronauts of tomorrow.

Figure out what it is that really, really inspires/motivates/excites you then go after it. For

me

it was space and (a close second) flying. I was lucky to find those passions at such a young age.  Kutryk

On the protocol for meeting aliens.

Wave and say hello. Act in a polite, proud, Canadian way  Kutryk

On whats to come.

We have a little over 2 years of basic astronaut training to complete next. Topics range from space propulsion to orbital mechanics to ISS systems and even space walking! Yes, Russian is also a big part of the next two years. We have 2 years to learn it.  Kutryk
liveliest

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The city has been named the best value capital city to visit in Western Europe and the seventh cheapest city in the 2017 Post Office Travel Money City Cost Barometer. Not only does it hold these impressive accolades, but Lisbon has also proven to be one of the world's best destinations for backpackers.Voted by the readers of Hostelworld.com, theawards were based on one million reviews from the community. There were several hostels which claimed the limelight in these awards:Winning the award for the "Best Atmosphere", this hotel was praised for its bright and friendly property and staff who would go "above and beyond", ensuring that guests are enjoying their stay. The hostel is conveniently located just a short walk to the Restauradores metro station making it easy to get around, is great value for money and offers guests a complimentary breakfast and city walking tours.The Lost Inn Lisbon was voted in the top three within the "Best Medium Hostel" category, this friendly 18th-century hostel has all the modern amenities you could wish for. Not to mention a 24-hour kitchen! Located within walking distance of the Metro and the Cais do Sodre train station and just 2km from the historical Sao Jorge Castle, you couldn't be in more of a prime spot.The Travellers House, located in one of Lisbon'sareas, Baixa, was voted in the top three in the "Best Small Hostel" category. This relaxedhas restaurants, shops and major attractions right on its doorstep, as well as complimentary breakfast and wine tasting for its guests.Further proving that having fun in Lisbon doesn't have to break the bank, here are some inexpensive activities for you to enjoy in Portugal's capital:On the first Sunday of every month, many national monuments and museums have free entrance, including the(Museum for Art, Architecture and Technology), as well as the. Also check out the Berardo Museum which is free on Saturdays, Gulbenkian on Sunday mornings and the Oriente Museum on Friday evenings.Again on the first Sunday of each month, take a trip to the Belem district for free entry to one of Lisbon's most iconic sites. The picturesque Jeronimos Monastery is one of the most prominent examples ofstyle of architecture in Lisbon, while the fortified Belem Tower was built to defend the mouth of the River Tagus.The best way to see the city from above, without spending a single Euro, is by Lison's famous "" (viewpoints).Travel through Lisbon's main neighbourhoods, all in just 40 minutes. Take the century-old Tram 28 and pay just 2.85 for a single ticket.Free wine tasting sessions are held regularly at the 'Sala Ogival' of, a non-profit association aimed at promoting Portuguese wines worldwide.Hang out with the Lisboetas in the Bairro Alto, Cais do Sodre districts and the "docks"the weekends - expect a friendly atmosphere and great music vibes!Feira da Ladra or "Theif Market" is Lisbon's oldest flea market located in Alfama, the capital's oldest district. Visit it on a Thursday and Saturday where you can find bargains aplenty.20 minutes to the south of Lisbon is the stunning Costa de Caparica, which extends for over 15km and has a great selection of fish restaurants and bars.
South Park will have fewer Donald Trump gags after falling into the trap of becoming a show based on mocking the US president, one of its creators has said.

Trey Parker, 47, also said that Mr Trump is using the tools of a comedian to drive his support.

Parker said he and co-creator Matt Stone want the show, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, to return to its roots to focus less on the president, unlike other US shows.

We fell into the same trap that Saturday Night Live fell into, where it was like, Dude, were just becoming CNN now, he told the Los Angeles Times.

Were becoming: Tune in to see what were going to say about Trump. Matt and I hated it but we got stuck in it somehow.

The show has seen teacher Mr Garrison campaign for president on the basis he would build a wall to keep out Canadians.

But for the 21st

season

Parker said he wants to get back to its bread and butter of kids being kids and being ridiculous and outrageous.

We probably could put up billboards  Look what were going to do to Trump next week!  and get crazy ratings. But I just dont care, he added.

Parker also noted that Mr Trump has hit on the winning formula of a comedian.

The things that we do  being outrageous and taking things to the extreme to get a reaction out of people  hes using those tools. At his rallies he gets people laughing and whooping, he said.

I dont think hes good at it. But it obviously sells  it made him president.

Parker also said that the shows provocation of outrage will eventually cause its demise in an ever more sensitive climate.

Weve been ready for it. Our bags are packed in the car and were ready to go back to Colorado. And its cool, man.
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Yeti Airlines set to induct new ATR 72 into its fleet

Nepali private carrier Yeti Airlines is set to induct an ATR 72-500 turbopropthe first of the two aircraft it plans to procure this yearinto its fleet.
Watertown landowners will be involved in new Corps flood-control study

After 30 years, a new flood control feasibility study will include the input of landowners and supply a multitude of options other than a dry dam.
An opportunity for foodies and beer lovers to get lost in a world of food and drink from a hand-selected range of food trucks and breweries from around New Zealand.
1. Yes. Taxpayers are funding its operation; they should have a voice in the naming process.

2. Yes. The city should operate with a spirit of inclusivity. Residents will be responsive.

3. No. Public input can be problematic; rejection of suggestions can be divisive for residents.

4. No. Residents elect council members to make decisions on their behalf. No input is needed.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say whether public input would be more of a benefit or a hindrance.

Vote

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Before arriving in Siargao in the southeast of the Philippines, Id spent the previous three months travelling and surfing around Australasia and Southeast Asia taking in popular hotspots like Bali and Australias Gold Coast, but every now and then I heard a whisper: Cloud 9.

Siargao: one of the top 10 surf sites in the world

In everyday parlance, on Cloud 9 means feeling elated, on top of the world, but for surfers its more than this. Cloud 9 is the name of the most famous wave in the Philippines, and Siargao Island is regularly rated as one of the top 10 surf sites in the world. That alone was enough to make me book the succession of flights  two days in total of travelling  which would ultimately bring me to Siargao.

There are, as yet, no direct flights to Siargao from Manila, but thats part of what has kept Siargao and its coastlines pristine. And it means that this tropical island with its warm climate remains a paradise ringed by coral reefs and sand bars and which makes it the ideal place to dive and surf.

Dive and surf in Siargao

The sea is omnipresent, wherever you go on Siargao. When you lie in bed, you hear the waves breaking on the shore. When you walk out, it is always in view. And when you want to hop from one picture-perfect island to the next, the only way to do so is by boat.

But back to Cloud 9, the raison detre for my trip. Its thick, hollow tubes make it ideal for surfing, especially from November to April when the waves have plenty of swell. These extra inches of water lift surfers comfortably above the reef, which otherwise lurks perilously close to the surface of the water.

I sailed out to Cloud 9 from Siargao Bleu with a handful of other surfers, our boards, and a clutch of hangers-on who would sit on the beach and watch. The boat was wooden, styled like a traditional fishing boat, but with a roaring motor onboard. We dashed across the tops of the waves, bouncing up in the air when we hit one straight on, then crashing back down with a thunk. It was scarcely past breakfast, but still a few beers were being passed hand to hand. The anticipation was building.

Turning into the bay, half a dozen surfers were already riding Cloud 9. They must have headed out at daybreak to get the waves to themselves. The boat had a shallow enough draft to pull close to the beach, so we kicked off our sandals and and paddled the last few metres. The water at most was knee-deep.

Walking along the monsoon-battered pier takes you past most of the coral and to within 200m of the peak. The air temperature was already warming up, and though the water was still cool, dropping into it hardly made us flinch. Unlike at the bitterly cold surf spots of northern Europe, here there wasnt a wet suit in sight.

It was time to ride Cloud 9, and I faced it with slight trepidation. Its not a ride for beginners (there are plenty of easier waves nearby), as you have to be confident and nimble on the surf board. Professional surfers compete on Cloud 9 during the annual Siargao Cup, an international surfing competition, and they make it look effortless. I can assure you: its not!

But theres something about riding this wave which makes it top all others. The speed and height of Cloud 9 definitely provide an adrenalin kick, but its joy is also in the wider context. Its in the warmth of the sun on your face or your back, the clarity of the water, and the fact that when you fix your gaze ahead, it falls on a tropical idyll.

Surfing is hungry work, and by mid afternoon I was worn out and starving. I staggered back up the beach to meet our boatman. Whilst Id been surfing, hed cooked up a veritable feast. Freshly grilled tuna, caught just hours before, is the sort of ingredient which culinary heaven must be made from. Accompanied by steamed rice and huge slices of pink-red watermelon, it was Philippine cuisine at its freshest and finest.

Almost too full to move, let alone get back on a surfboard, we made our way back to the boat. Unlike the morning when we were in a rush to reach Cloud 9, now there was no such hurry. The boatman sensed this, and we motored back at to Siargao Bleu at a considerably more leisurely pace.

Approaching the resort, the boatman cut the engine and the boat began to drift. The broken water settled, and looking over the side we could see probably to a depth of 15 metres and quite possibly more.

Tropical fish, stingless jellyfish, and sea snakes swum about, completely unperturbed by our presence. Encouraged, we grabbed snorkels and masks, and slid ourselves overboard. The water was so clear we could see every detail of the creatures around us, admiring their colours, form, and agility. It felt like an aquarium, only this time we were inside the tank and could reach out and touch the fish.

Tourism development is a balancing act. If you dont create enough infrastructure, enough opportunities for things to do, then people wont want to come. On the other hand, if you build too much, and visitors come by the thousand, you can damage the environment, spoiling the places and experiences which made it a desirable destination in the first place. Thus far, Siargao has got the balance right. Of course there are bigger, brighter, and more luxurious resorts in the Philippines. But what they gain in facilities, they lose in atmosphere and quality of experience. The purpose of a tropical island retreat is to get away from other people, to appreciate the beauty of the sea and the sand, and to feel at peace. When you swim or surf, you dont want to be competing for space. Thankfully, in Siargao you wont have to.

Fact File

FLY: You can only from London to Manilas Ninoy Aquino International Airport via Beijing with Air China from 336 return. The best way to reach Siargao from Manila is to take a domestic flight to Mactan-Cebu Airport with Cebu Pacific Airlines, and to change there for the connecting flight to Siargao.

STAY: The Siargao Bleu Resort & Spa on Siargao Island. Rooms start from PHP 6,500 per night and include a complimentary massage. The hotel has a fantastic, family-friendly swimming pool, and each night sets up a big screen by the waterfront for movie screenings. If you can, ask for room 42 which is at the end of the row and on the first floor, and it has the very best views out to sea.

PACKAGE: Janddy Tours in Manila (+63 2 6593621; email [email protected]). specialises in Philippines tours starting in Manila, including diving, snorkelling, and surfing packages in the islands. They are accredited by the Department of Tourism.

CREDITS: head photo by Dwight Buot, published by Paolo Marco Manalac under Creative Commons licence  Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Ramnath Kovind visits Bhopal seeking support

BJP presidential nominee Ramnath Kovind visited Bhopal on Saturday seeking support of MLAs. He said he had a long association with the state as most of his time as a BJP worker was spent there.

Kovind was accompanied by Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaaraj, Union Panchayat and Ruralk Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Union Social Welfare Minister Thavar Chand Gehlot.

Kovind was welcomed by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, his cabinet colleagues and party MPs and MLAs from the state.

Speaking on the occasion, Sushma Swaraj said that party will celebrate the victory of Kovind on July 25 as Diwali. Three independent MLAs in the state have also promised to support the BJP nominee for the post of president.

Meanwhile, opposition Congress has condemned the use of state hanger at airport for party activities. Party spokesperson K.K. Mishra said, After Amit Shah's blatant misuse of Goa airport, Madhya Pradesh chief minister has set a wrong precedent.

***

CM on damage control mission after farmers agitation

The violent and aggressive protest by farmers in the state during last month has forced the state government to embark on a massive damage-control exercise.

In a specially convened session, Shivraj Singh Chouhan spoke to a group of select farmers for over three hours. The venue was State Institute for Agriculture Extension and Training (SIAET).

Farmers from all the 51 districts were invited at the institute where they had a free wheeling discussion with chief minister. Four farmers from every district were called for the meet and the objective was to secure first-hand information on agriculture-related problems from them.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said that opposition was pressing for loan waiver so farmers must choose between remunerative prices for their produce or waiver of farm loans. He said that his government was working on a model for ensuring that farmers got remunerative prices for their produce.

The government plans to pay the difference between the market price of pulses and the appropriate price decided by the government in a manner that difference amount is directly paid to their accounts.

The issue of quick disposal of revenue matters and demarcation of land cases would be addressed and free copies of khasras (extracts from the land ownership details maintained by patwaris) would be distributed from door-to-door. The chief minister assured that poor quality insecticides and seeds selling companies would be banned.

***

Govt buys 74 lakh quintals onion, but does not have place to store

Madhya Pradesh has bought over 74 lakh quintals onion from farmers at a price of Rs 8 per kilograms. The decision was taken in order to pacify the protesting farmers. The purchase was done by State Marketing Federation (MARKFED).

After purchase, the stocks were forwarded to State Civil Supplies Corporation which had limited space to store the onions so they started selling it at a price of Rs 2 per kg.

MARKFED procured over 74 lakh quintal onions from 1.33 lakh farmers and it had to pay Rs 592.64 crore to the sellers. The onions were brought a minimum support price of Rs 8 after National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF) estimated the cost of production of onions was around Rs 827 per quintal while the current market price was Rs 525 per quintal.

Meanwhile, the procured onions are dumped at the mandis where they are getting soaked in rains, leading to sprouting. Tons of onions dumped at various mandis are now rotting, posing another challenge before the local administration.
The Faridabad district and session court sent the main accused of the Junaid lynching case to two days police remand on Sunday.

The next hearing will be on July 11.

Earlier in the day, the family of Junaid, who was lynched to death in a train in Ballabhgarh, demanded death penalty for the accused.

I appeal the government to announce death penalty for the accused and arrest the remaining involved in this case. Such incidents are happening every day in every part of the nation. We are living in fear, Junaid's father Jalaluddin told ANI.

Yesterday, the Haryana Railway Police arrested the main accused in the incident from Maharashtra's Dhule district, and the police appeared the accused before the court today.

The identity of the suspect has been kept as secret owing to legal reasons.

On June 22, Junaid Khan was lynched by unidentified persons while travelling on the Delhi-Mathura train. Junaid, along with his brothers, were returning to their village in Haryana after going to Delhi for Eid shopping.

Haseeb, Junaid's brother, said his skull cap was pulled off and his beard was tugged while the mob hurled abuses at them and were called beef-eaters.
The army was deployed in north West Bengal's hills on Saturday after three persons died and a policeman sustained injuries in a sudden escalation of violence with pro-Gorkhaland activists engaging in widespread arson and vandalism targeting a railway station, police outposts and government offices.

"Three persons have died, one on Friday night, two on Saturday," said a Darjeeling district official.

As the situation continued to deteriorate through the day, the government decided to call in the army - the second time in exactly a month after Darjeeling turned restive.

"Two army columns have been deployed - one in Darjeeling, one in Sonada, where one railway station was set afire," a Defence Ministry spokesman said in Kolkata.. One army column comprises 43 personnel.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed for peace and said she was open to holding a dialogue with protestors in the next 10-15 days if they eschewed violence and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh if he so desired.

The situation in Darjeeling district, already on the boil for a month after the principal hill party Gorkha Janmukti Morcha renewed the movement for a Gorkhaland state, deteriorated abruptly over allegations that 30-year-old Tasi Bhutia died in police firing during a disturbance at Sonada on Friday night.

Police denied it was to blame.

Claiming that Bhutia was its active member, the pro-Gorkhaland Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) leader Neeraj Zimba said: "An innocent Gorkhaland supporter has been shot dead... We are deeply hurt and shaken to the core."

The GJM claimed that Bhutia was its supporter.

"Yet another person has died in the hills," GJM Assistant General Secretary Binay Tamang said, as the indefinite shutdown to press for Gorkhaland entered the 24th day on Saturday.

A police complaint lodged at Sonada police outpost by the victim's family alleged that Bhutia was shot by police while he was on his way to buy medicines.

Backing police, state Tourism Minister Gautam Deb said: "The allegation that Bhutia died in police firing is completely false."

But a district official said the police had to fire in self-defence after Bhutia attacked with a 'khukri'.

The incident triggered a fresh flare up on Saturday as GJM and GNLF activists torched the Sonada railway station and a traffic police booth and attacked the Sonada police outpost. One policeman was injured.

Protest demonstrations and blockades were on at several places and the offices of the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Town and the Food and Supply Department were vandalised in Darjeeling.

As the day wore on, the situation worsened, as agitators set afire the Neora Range office quarter and two vehicles at Gorubathan in Kalimpong district, and a police check post near Thurbo Tea Factory, Mirik in Darjeeling district. Police blamed the GJM, but the latter denied.

GJM sources alleged that one of their supporters died in police firing near the Darjeeling motor stand. Another death was also reported from the town during the violence.

Meanwhile, the Central Committee of Dooars GJM deceided to go on hunger strike from Wednesday.

The Chief Minister, who met the media at the state secretariat Nabanna, blamed "foreign forces" close to the BJP for playing a part in the recent flare-up in the hills.

She accused the central government of "non-cooperation", and claimed the crisis could have been averted through timely deployment of central forces.

Asked whether she wanted to talk to Rajnath Singh, Banerjee responded: "I have talked to him six times. If he wants to talk, we have no problem in discussing."

Holding out a proposal for dialogue, she urged the pro-Gorkhaland agitators not to take the law in their own hands.

"Allow the government to supply food and serve minimum services to the people of Darjeeling and eschew violence. This is my appeal. If you agree to my appeal, we can have a meeting within 10-15 days," she said.

Countering Banerjee, Union Minister Piyush Goyal accused the state government of returning forces sent by the Centre.

"We condemn Mamata Banerjee's politics... Home Minister Rajnath Singh called her (Banerjee) twice and asked her to normalise the situation in Darjeeling. We were sending forces, but Mamata Banerjee's Principal Secretary stopped them (forces)," Goyal told a press conference in New Delhi.

Home Ministry sources in Delhi said that West Bengal sent back four companies of the Border Security Force (BSF) and four companies of additional paramilitary forces.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said after meeting his US counterpart Donald Trump, he believes an improvement in relations with Washington is in the works.

Putin also said again that Moscow never interfered in US presidential election in November 2016.

"It seems to me that if we build our relations the same way our conversation went, there's every reason to believe we can re-establish, however partially, the kind of interaction we need," Putin said on Saturday, Efe news reported.

With regard to the US President, he said: "Trump on television is very different from the real person," and explained that "he well understands his the person he's talking to, analyzes quickly, answers questions and responds to whatever comes up in the discussion".

As for his personal relations with Trump, the Russian President considers them "established".

Putin also said Trump brought up, not with one question but with several, the issue of Russia's interference in US elections.

"Our position is well known. I repeat, there is no reason to think that Russia interfered in the electoral process," Putin said, adding that Trump was apparently "satisfied with the answers".

To a reporter's question about whether Moscow plans to meddle in Germany's general elections on September 24, Putin answered that, if Russia didn't do that in the US, why would they do it in Germany.

Instead he spoke of the "good relations" with Germany, Russia's main trade partner in Europe, with which it shares big projects like the new natural gas pipeline Nord Stream II.

Moscow has no need to interfere in the elections of other countries, unlike some of the European media, which constantly talk about Russia's internal matters, he said.

Putin also referred to Trump's offer to Poland and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe to supply them with liquefied gas to reduce their energy dependence on Russia, and emphasized Moscow's defence of free markets and free competition, as long as they are not politicised.

In that context, he noted that Russia has a "clear comparative advantage" because its gas is cheaper.
Teeming with pictures of her cuddling a kitty, getting drenched in the rain, jumping in the air and showing her fresh collection, the Facebook page of fashion designer Nida Mahmood is delicious. But a couple of weeks ago, the 37-year-old posted a dour Facebook status, accusing a leading retail chain of stealing her designs.

Recently, when I was doing some window shopping at an airport, I stumbled upon the exact replica of my design with just heightened colours. Instead of a dress, this was a kurta, Mahmood told THE WEEK. The design in question was part of her Junglee Billee collection that was displayed nearly two years ago.

On sending a legal notice to them, they shamelessly sent back 10 pages stating that I forfeit my own design if I have used it for a certain period of time and have used it a certain number of times, an outraged Mahmood wrote on her Facebook wall. After my legal notice they didnt have the [guts] to sell the style so all the pieces have been retracted from all the stores in A and B towns and also from their website.

Mahmood's case is not an exception. The debate over design appropriation and intellectual property is a constant issue in the fashion industry globally. And, the Indian design fraternity is no different, with several instances of designers imitating in the name of inspiration.

What recently brought the issue to the fore was famed designer Rohit Bals social media post slamming a designer, without naming her, for copying his designs. He uploaded an image of his original velvet jacket with floral Kashmiri embroidery next to the rip-off. Adding her name would be giving her unnecessary publicity, he wrote on Facebook. We are surrounded by wannabes and parasitical desperate designers who should really hide their heads in shame and not strip this creative art of all its dignity and respect.

Bal said he wouldn't let go of the matter easily. I am compiling a list of many more such designs with images, he wrote. There are lots of bigger fish that need to be exposed. All of us, with the FDCI [Fashion Design Council of India], need to try and curb this outright plagiarism. Legally, there is not much we can do since I have tried. The process is long and cumbersome. The only solution is a press expose or some sort of social media campaign.

Nida Mahmood's original from the Junglee Billee collection; (right) its replica with a leading retail chain.

An upcoming designer, however, said, At times, established designers copy works of young designers, then accuse them of copying the design and send a legal notice. They stay silent as they are new, dont know many things and fear that no one will believe their version. The designer was speaking from personal experience.

Designer Sailesh Singhania said he was simply lucky in proving his innocence when Gaurang Shah accused him of plagiarism early this year. It was my debut collection and I was shaken. I lost some clients, but had all the proof. So I could prove my innocence. I think some established designers are scared of facing new competition and that is why they do so.

Fashion designer Rina Dhaka, who invented the lycra leggings, said her innovation had been replicated so much so that it had almost replaced the traditional cotton churidar across the country. It all started with one of my fellow designers copying my innovation, she said. One fine day, this very well-known designer sheepishly told me, 'I can't help [but copy] it [lycra leggings], my customers want it'. I wish I had patented it then.

What dissuades most designers from patenting their designs is the tedious legal process. Also, Mahmood pointed out that it was almost impossible to copyright a motif, as one tweak here and there, a change of colour scheme, and it becomes a fresh design. While you can tell it is a stolen design, the variation helps the copier get away legally. And how many designs can you copyright?

Reportedly, there have seen several instances where fashion biggies have been accused of plagiarism. In 2005, Aki Narula was called a copycat by Suneet Verma. The case is still on. In 2008, Tarun Tahiliani accused Reynu Taandon of stealing his design. In return, Taandon filed a defamation suit against Tahiliani. The case was later amicably resolved. In 2006, Ritu Kumar won a long-drawn case against Nina Talukdar for stealing her sketches, drawings and templates. In 2009, Vikram Phadnis was accused of stealing Abdul Halders designs. Recently, Taandon sued a boutique in Shahpur Jat, Delhi, for plagiarism. Even though the process takes time, it is important to take legal action against copycats, said Taandon, as it will instil fear in them and dissuade them from repeating the same in future.

In the age of the internet, information (read: pictures of designer collections) travels fast, which serves as fodder for the replica industry, said Dhaka. And, easy availability of fakes is fuelling it. If markets like Chandni Chowk, Karol Bagh and Lajpat Nagar selling replicas of designer wear were not enough to eat into our business, now there are dedicated e-commerce platforms selling fakes. So, with just a click of the mouse you can get designer wear for one-third its original price, she said.

What hurts the most is that for a design on which you have invested months of time, energy and hard work, someone copies it just like that and sells for half the price, said Mahmood. It affects the business badly, as your business model gets diluted. If not controlled in time, this will adversely impact the growth of the Indian fashion industry, said designer J.J. Valaya. A country-centric industry can grow when there is originality.

Aiming to curb the menace, the FDCI has included lawyer Safir Anand as a special invitee to the board of directors. So, when such problems arise, we have the legal expertise to find a solution, said Sunil Sethi, FDCI president. The body also plans to organise seminars to create awareness among designers regarding copyright laws in the country.
What does it mean to have a job? This was once an easy question to answer, but in todays gig economy it is far harder to pin down.

That is why the upcoming review of this dramatic shift in work is of crucial importance, not just to those in the new flexible world  such as many thousands of delivery drivers  but also to the wider economy and the prosperity of the country.

The review  officially The Independent Review of Employment Practices in the Modern Economy, but unofficially dubbed the Taylor Review after its lead author Matthew Taylor  will hopefully provide some answers to the many questions about what employees in this gig economy should expect in terms of job security, employment rights, pay levels, training and so on. Its importance to those in the sector is obvious.

Mnay questions are raised about what employees in this gig economy should expect in terms of job security

But it matters on a wider level because this fast growing type of employment has been a major contributor to both the success of the UK economy  and to its many weaknesses.

Undoubtedly, this flexible labour market has helped total economic growth and driven employment numbers to their current record high. But it also means that economic growth is very fragile. Wage levels have been kept down and job security eroded.

Those are serious weaknesses in an economy so dependent on consumers spending. It may also have damaging effects on skills and training and the workers morale.

With a highly flexible workforce, there is less incentive to train staff and to improve their skills and what sense of loyalty and commitment can such workers have to their employer?

There are many reasons why Britain is lagging behind its peers in productivity, but this must be at least one part of that puzzle.

Finally, of course, gig economy workers may not be earning or contributing to their own pension provision. Staff now have the right to a company pension.

The self-employed gig worker does not and with earnings so insecure they have every reason to keep hold of every penny they earn rather than commit it to their own personal pension scheme. Poor pensioners are a problem for everyone.

The gig economy works for many people, who want flexibility and variety in their work and certainly not every gig economy worker is an exploited victim.

But the old systems of employment rights, training, taxation, pension provision and even the significance of key economic figures such as the employment rate need to be rethought if Government policy is to keep pace with the new work order.
A recent edict from the City regulator should result in lower fees on funds run by the biggest investment managers.

Reduced charges, in response to the Financial Conduct Authoritys probe into the asset management market, will probably take a while to come through. But some investors will benefit sooner rather than later.

They include shareholders in investment trust JPMorgan American. Ahead of the report, its board, led by chairman Kevin Carter, announced an overhaul of the annual management charge that JP Morgan imposes for running the trust from New York.

American trust a step ahead of rule change as it slashes charges

This cost makes up the bulk of the expenses that are levied against assets and which cut investors overall returns.

The result is that from October, the fee JP Morgan receives for managing 1 billion of assets will drop from 0.52 per cent to 0.33 per cent.

Indeed, it will fall further if the trust grows, as any assets above 1 billion will attract a management charge of 0.25 per cent, against 0.35 per cent on the first 500 million and 0.3 per cent on the next 500 million.

Carter believes the move will enable the trust to retain its competitive position against low-cost rivals such as exchange traded funds, which track the performance of the US stock market  usually the S&P 500 Index  and are growing in popularity.

It also shows the value of a strong and independent board  a feature of investment trusts, not unit trusts  which is prepared to do battle with the investment manager to deliver a better outcome for shareholders.

Simon Crinage, JP Morgans head of investment trusts, is sanguine about his firms reduced income. It is the seventh trust it manages to have undergone a fees overhaul in 18 months.

He says: We have 22 trusts overseen by some 120 independent directors. Their role is to ensure we manage the trusts effectively and that investors get value. The pressure on management fees will continue and the charges we and rivals levy will remain under intense scrutiny.

JP Morgan is not the only manager to agree to review its fees. Edinburgh-based Baillie Gifford has been through the same process with its flagship 5.9 billion Scottish Mortgage trust, resulting in a lower fee applied to assets in excess of 4 billion.

Monks, a 1.5 billion trust managed by Baillie Gifford, has also reduced charges on assets above 750 million.

Liberated: Lower fees should benefit investors in the fund run by Garrett Fish (pictured)

Garrett Fish, lead manager on JP Morgan American, is unfazed by the proposed fee changes. He is more interested in delivering on the trusts objective, which is to outperform the S&P 500 through effective active management.

It is a difficult task. Over the past one, three and five years, the trusts shares have underperformed the S&P 500  admittedly by only a smidgen over the past 12 months.

The trusts assets have fared better, outperforming the index over the past year and almost matching it over five years.

Fish says: Is it difficult to beat the S&P 500? Yes, but I believe we have a process in place that can beat it more times than not.

In recent weeks, he has taken some profits in the trusts biggest holdings  Apple and Microsoft  while increasing exposure to the financial and energy sectors.

He says he would not be surprised if the market experienced a 10 per cent correction in the coming weeks, but he does not believe it will go off the rails. Not now, he adds, suggesting it could at some stage.
Fashion mogul and New Look founder Tom Singh has acquired a stake in financial technology firm Logical Glue as he seeks non-clothing investments.

Fashion mogul and New Look founder Tom Singh

Singh sold his New Look stake to South African billionaire Christo Wiese in 2015, banking 100 million.

It has since emerged that he invested in Fabacus, a tech start-up that links retailers and suppliers.

Singh owns a 9 per cent stake of Logical Glue, according to company records. Other stakeholders include former HSBC and Santander director Roger Lovering, who is also a non-executive.

Logical Glue provides software that enables insurers and lenders to make decisions that tailor financial products more specifically to customer needs.

It says its approach makes it possible to see if tweaks to customer agreements can increase loan approvals and reduce risks  for example by encouraging customers to settle other bills before agreements are signed.

It says lenders can increase acceptance rates by 40 per cent through the use of its systems and increase profits by between 5 per cent and 20 per cent. It also says it can help decrease default rates by 15 per cent.
Norwegian Air has announced it will become the first low-cost airline to offer free wi-fi to all passengers on its transatlantic flights within a year even as a dispute over the future of airline internet access hots up.

The company is the biggest low-cost European airline across the Atlantic, offering $99 (77) single flights from London to New York. Now it plans to equip its fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 737 Max aircraft with wi-fi.

A spokesman for Norwegian said: We were the first to launch free wi-fi in Europe and the first to have it fleetwide for short-haul.

Logging on: Norwegians flights to US set to offer free wi-fi

The airline flies from Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh across the Atlantic and to Europe. The exact terms of the service are not yet known but Skype and Netflix are unlikely to be accessible.

About eight other airlines offer free wi-fi on flights, though few are transatlantic and none are low-cost.

British Airways has begun equipping almost 120 of its aircraft with wi-fi access, however passengers will be charged to use it.

Connection: Internet will be available over the Atlantic

Meanwhile, UK-based satellite firm Inmarsat is facing legal action from rivals over its plans to beam wi-fi signals to planes across Europe.

A few days ago the company launched a satellite capable of providing the service and it aims to switch on its European Aviation Network by the end of the year.

But ViaSat, Eutelsat, and Panasonic have filed a complaint with the European Court of Justice.

They are seeking an injunction amid claims that the European Commission should have prevented national regulators from granting Inmarsat permission to use the radio spectrum for in-flight wi-fi.

Inmarsats chief executive, Rupert Pearce, claims the project has full permission.
Charlotte Hogg is poised to return to a top city job less than four months after resigning over a failure to disclose a conflict of interest.

The 46-year-old, who stepped down from her position as deputy governor of the Bank of England in March after failing to disclose her brothers senior job at Barclays, has been offered the post of chief executive of Visa Europe.

The payments firm, which is now a subsidiary of New York-listed Visa Inc, after the company paid more than 17bn to acquire it last year, handles the majority of debit card transactions carried out in the UK.

Coming back: Charlotte Hogg is poised to return to a top city job

Securing the top job would be a rapid comeback for Hogg, who had been tipped to replace close ally Mark Carney as governor of the Bank of England.

A Visa Europe spokesman yesterday declined to comment on its talks with Hogg.
Apple has launched an attack on iPhone chip maker Imagination Technologies by opening a new office close to its headquarters.

The move is the latest twist in the saga involving the two firms, which have been locked in a bitter war of words after Apple told Imagination it would no longer use its graphics chip technology in iPhones and iPads.

The Silicon Valley giant is reportedly renting a 22,500 square foot office in the centre of St Albans to work on creating its own graphic chips  three months after announcing plans to wind down its relationship with the British tech firm.

Moving in: Apple has launched an attack on Imagination Technologies by opening a new office close to its headquarters

The new base is just 8 miles down the road of Imaginations headquarters in Kings Langley and has sparked fears the tech firm is looking to poach more staff.

Apple has already hired a string of Imagination employees  including its former chief operating officer John Metcalfe and currently advertises more than a dozen job postings for experts in graphics hardware in the region.

Imagination, once Britains most valuable tech company, put itself up for sale last month after seeing 500m wiped off its value in just one day when it announced the termination of the Apple contract.

It has designed graphic chips for the iPhone since the products launch in 2007 and potential bidders for the firm include Intel, Qualcomm and ARM Holdings.

The company has been seeking a divorce payout from Apple, which it relies on for about half of its revenues, and says proceedings are still active.

It has also accused Apple of breaching its own ethics after challenging the firms claim that it will be able to design its own chips without paying for access to the British companys intellectual property.

Wiped out: Imagination put itself up for sale last month

Last week Imagination chief executive Andrew Heath said Apples claims that the iPhone maker would no longer need to pay royalties were unsubstantiated adding:

We do not believe this to be acceptable business practice nor in line with Apples own ethics statements regarding suppliers. He also claimed the episode had unsettled staff.

Apple on the other hand has denied catching Imagination off guard, saying the company has known for years that it is winding down the relationship.

It said: We began working with Imagination in 2007 and stopped accepting new intellectual property from them in 2015.

After lengthy discussions we advised them on February 9 that we expected to wind down our licensing agreement. We valued our past relationship and wanted to give them as much notice as possible to adapt their future plans.

Were disappointed in their response, which has been inaccurate and misleading.

AmazonLess than a fifth of British households are signed up to the service, which costs 7.99 a month and offers free next-day shipping and on-demand video, compared to the US where 85m of the countrys 125m households pay for Prime.

The service is a key driver for the 361bn firm because members spend on average about 1,008 a year  nearly twice as much as non-members.

Bezos, the worlds second richest man, said last year that his aim was to make Prime so useful that it would be irresponsible not to have it.
MBABANE  Is South Star buying Unitrans Swaziland?

This is the question that has been on the lips of a lot of Swazis along the countrys corridors; those in the corporate sector, employees of the two companies, international world and job seekers.

However, both companies have come out to clear the air by stating that even though there is a E260 million value transaction that is on the cards between the two companies, it is not a sale but a merger that will give birth to a new company, purported to trade under the name Southern Star Logistics.

The directors of South Star are Wayne Lavendale and Nkhanyeti Ngwenya.

The two business gurus used to be part of the successful entities, namely Mr Bread and Swaziland United Bakeries (SUB), which were sold to Premier Foods.

It was reported last year that the business was operating a fleet of 26 trucks.

At least 14 of the trucks are new and were purchased solely to transport fuel around and outside Swaziland. However, and presently, the company has over 150 vehicles.

The company recently won a contract to transport fuel on behalf of Puma Swaziland, a supplier that operates over 25 filling stations in various parts of the country.

Lavendale confirmed to the Times SUNDAY that the transaction would be a 50/50 joint venture company between South Star and Unitrans.

He pointed out that the core business was specialised logistics (petroleum, chemicals, ethanol, gas, agriculture, dry bulk and commodities such as coal and grain).

We have a fleet of over 150 vehicles. This company will manage and operate all our local assets and contracts. Approximated investment value is E260 million. The new venture will result in a locally owned and operated entity that has the capabilities to compete for work in the region. We will haul freight to and from Swaziland with trips as far as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lavendale said.

Opportunities

He also highlighted that the initiative will uncover a lot of opportunities both locally and regionally. He pin-pointed that locally they will also service the mining industry, construction and inbound logistics which have been mostly done by foreign transport operators. Meanwhile, regionally, the focus will be on specialised logistics and long-haul freight.

Lavendale went on to outline the aims of the partnership.








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By Mark Hallum

Longtime Bayside activist Mandingo Tshaka believes a police presence is not enough to curb the use of illegal fireworks in his neighborhood and the ongoing complaint of noise in that area has remained unchanged from years before.

The area of 208th Street and 47th Avenue is where regular fireworks displays take place every year without police intervention of any kind, Tshaka said, as well as other locations near the 111th Precinct house on Northern Boulevard. The problem is in stark contrast to earlier years, according to Tshaka, because of the greater density of the neighborhood.

When I was growing up, this was the country, Tshaka said, explaining how the situation could end in disaster today with the fire hazard posed by illegal fireworks displays. Now all these houses are so close together.

The 111th Precinct, which covers Bayside and the surrounding neighborhoods, did not respond for comment before press time.

According to state law signed into effect in 2015, the private purchase of sparklers and other firecrackers which do not shoot upward is allowed. This law, however, restricts fireworks from being purchased or ignited within New York City limits, while the sale to individuals under the age of 18 is not allowed.

This was not the first time Tshaka has spoken out against weak enforcement of fireworks laws. In July 2015, he wrote a letter to the TimesLedger about the same issue and criticized the police response.

On the night of July 4, I went out on my motorized wheelchair, wanting to see who was involved in setting off the explosive devices that can kill or maim, Tshaka wrote. To my surprise, I did come across a patrol car by the Community Baptist Church here in Bayside, while a block away it sounded like a war zone. Two officers were just sitting in the car claiming they were protecting the church. Who was protecting the citizens?

On Wednesday, Tshaka called for the NYPD to investigate further fireworks violations and said the FDNY should be involved as well.

State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) attributed the level of disruption in his district to the fact major fireworks displays in Manhattan and along the East River force NYPD to reassign police personnel from other precincts and diminish the level of enforcement in those neighborhoods.

Im sure Mandingo was right in terms of how bad it was in his neighborhood, Avella said in 2016. There isnt enough police to investigate these things. All they can do is move around and discourage it from happening.
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By Mark Hallum

City Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) was endorsed Monday by two organizations advocating for the rights of working class New Yorkers, adding to the list of groups backing him for re-election.

The Working Families Party and New York City Central Labor Council both handed their support to the incumbent, who will again be facing a 2013 Democratic primary opponent, Paul Graziano, a land use expert and community activist well-known within the northeast Queens district.

Now more than ever, we need to fight for and support the working families that make our communities so great, Vallone said. The endorsement of the Working Families Party and Central Labor Council will help communicate to voters throughout northeast Queens that I am committed to our working families and that I will strongly oppose any efforts to take away their rights. I am honored by these endorsements and look forward to working with them for the next four years.

The WFP is a progressive organization founded in New York around 1998. It represents the rights of laborers in at least 12 other states. According to the WFP, is has thousands of members across northeast Queens. The group claimed to back Vallone for his support of workers.

The Working Families Party is thrilled to support Paul Vallone for re-election to the 19th Council District. Paul Vallone has shown his commitment to enacting policies of fairness and opportunity for working families and will continue to be a champion of labor in northeast Queens and throughout the City, Juan Antigua, Political Director for the WFP, said.

The CLC is a non-profit organization which represents over 1.3 million workers across the city from teachers, nurses, construction workers, electricians, firefighters, retail workers and janitors.

We are proud to endorse Paul Vallone to represent the working men and women of the 19th District on the City Council, Vincent Alvarez, president of the CLC, said. During his time on the City Council, Paul has consistently shown his support for working people, and we look forward to continuing to stand together with him to protect the rights and working conditions of hardworking New Yorkers.

Vallone also claimed the support of the United Federation of Teachers for his contribution to schools in his district through the allocation of funds from his office. The Queens Democratic Party also threw its weight behind Vallone in May with an official endorsement.
Pakistan says it has summoned an Indian diplomat after five civilians were killed by "unprovoked" Indian fire across the Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir region.

The Foreign Ministry announced the move Sunday, a day after Pakistan\s military said Indian forces had shelled two areas. India said Pakistani shelling across the Line of Control killed and off-duty soldier and his wife on Saturday, calling it an "unprovoked" violation of a 2003 cease-fire agreement.

The two nuclear-armed rivals have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, which both claim in its entirety, since gaining independence from British colonial rule in 1947. The Himalayan region is split between Indian and Pakistani-controlled zones separated by the heavily militarized Line of Control.

SOURCE: Associated Press
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Hamburg, Germany

World powers lined up against President Donald Trump on climate change, reaffirming their support for international efforts to fight global warming.

The Group of 20 summit that ended Saturday in Hamburg also revealed tensions on trade, as the U.S. administration and international partners forged a deal that endorsed open markets but acknowledged countries had a right to put up barriers to block unfair practices.

The summit's final statement made clear that the other countries and the European Union unanimously supported the Paris climate agreement rejected by Trump. They called the deal to reduce greenhouse gases "irreversible" and vowed to implement it "swiftly" and without exception.

The other countries, from European powers such as Germany to emerging ones such as China and energy producers such as Saudi Arabia, merely "took note" of the U.S. position, which was boxed off in a separate paragraph that the summit host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, made clear applied only to the United States.

She said the U.S. position was "regrettable" but that the summit had achieved "good results in some areas," and cited a hard-won agreement on trade that included Trump and the United States but did not erase the differences over the issue. She said the talks had been at times "difficult."

Trump's chief economic adviser played down tensions between the U.S. and other nations as the president headed home from his first G-20 summit.

Gary Cohn told reporters aboard Air Force One that while communiques "are never easy," he thought this one "came together pretty reasonably." He said having "a diversity of opinions in a group of 20" was not unexpected.

"To get 20 of your friends to agree to have dinner tonight is pretty hard," Cohn said.

Cohn added that while the U.S. obviously has chosen to get out of the Paris agreement, "we do go out of our way to say in there that that doesn't mean we don't support the environment and we're still working for the environment."

On trade, the talks preserved the G-20's condemnation of protectionism, a statement that has been a hallmark of the group's efforts to combat the global financial crisis and the aftereffects of the Great Recession.

The group added new elements, however: an acknowledgment that trade must be "reciprocal and mutually advantageous" and that countries could use "legitimate trade defense instruments" if they are being taken advantage of.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said there was "incredible consensus" on the issue and that the U.S. pushed to include the phrasing about "reciprocal" trade.

The wording echoes concerns voiced by Trump, who has said trade must be fair as well as open and must benefit American companies and workers. He has focused on trade relationships where other countries run large surpluses with the U.S., meaning they sell more to U.S. consumers than they buy from American companies.

That's in contrast to the approach favored by Merkel and the EU, who stress multilateral trade frameworks such as the World Trade Organization.

More broadly, concerns about trade and its impact on workers figured large in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and in Britain's referendum vote to leave the European Union, a free-trade bloc.

Yet pro-trade officials from the European Union pointed out that the language in the G-20 statement contains no departure from the current global system of regulation, which already allows countries to take defensive measures within the rules of the WTO.
Fonda

Haven of Hope's two-story white farm house sits on a high hill overlooking the village of Fonda with the Mohawk River gleaming like a silk ribbon beyond. Acres of vegetables stretch out to Cemetery Road past a fenced field where five black and white alpacas snooze in the sunshine.

Living here are six women and three children, about the maximum number of traumatized strangers who can comfortably share the space. Whether through substance abuse, severe illness or an abusive mate, the women have each run to the end of a dark road.

On a recent summer morning, one resident collected eggs from a flock of rust-red chickens while inside, women bustled to work, driver's license exams and job interviews. Haven residents also tend crops, care for the animals (the chickens eventually will be sent to an Amish farm and come back cleaned, plucked and ready for roasting) including a flock of newly hatched turkeys. Xavier, 9, quietly buttered breakfast toast for his 2- and 5-year-old brothers.

More for you Amy Tilt rebuilds her life at Haven of Hope

RELATED STORY: Amy Tilt rebuilds her life at Haven of Hope

Haven founder Pat Brooking arrives every morning by 7 a.m. to ensure all is going smoothly before she drives to Albany for her job at a mortgage company. Every Thursday and Friday night, she returns to the small kitchen to help the women bake cookies, cakes and bread until 3 a.m. The women sell crops they don't eat and their baked goods at a little store Pat's husband, Ernie, built at the edge of the property right by the road.

More Information Haven of Hope 2016 Achievements 3 Family unifications 4 Transitioned to housing 6 Transitioned to employment and housing 8 Actively participated in work experience programs 1 Woman returned to college to finish her degree in human services 1 Woman earned her CNA license and plans to work towards her LPN 1 Woman graduated from outpatient addiction programs 3 Women are currently receiving individualized parenting education classes 3 Women are currently enrolled in mental health programs Source: Haven of Hope 2016 Annual Report See More Collapse

"If we could just get a commercial kitchen, I know we could sell enough to come close to self-sustaining," Brooking said.

She founded Haven as a 501c3 four years ago to provide transitional housing for homeless women just as her life seemed about to become relaxing. Her three oldest sons were grown and on their own with only the youngest at home. She was happily married, had just sold her country store and bakery for a fair sum and, with her high cheekbones and graceful posture, could still rock the pearls-and-cashmere preppy look. Then she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

PAUL BUCKOWSKI

"My first thought was, how long did I have left to accomplish my purpose on Earth?" Brooking recalled.

That seems a strange first thought after that diagnosis. But Brooking is a remarkable woman who has traveled a strange path to get here.

Brooking is a volunteer for her church's prison ministry. She was meeting female inmates who reminded her of the crazy, terrifying year she was 16, a year she had kept secret as an adult. She hitchhiked from her Vermont home to California to escape her alcoholic bartender mom's turbulent home and creepy boyfriend. The journey gave her a lifelong empathy for women fleeing from dire situations. She wanted them to have a safe home where they could stay while they acquired work and social skills and broke dangerous generational patterns of addiction and abusive relationships. To her, a peaceful rural location was crucial because it provided the most dramatic break from chaos. Now, she keeps Haven running with donations from a dozen churches, about $300 monthly per woman from the department of Social Services, the Brookings' own savings and prayer.

Unfortunately, prayer seems an unreliable financial stratagem. Haven's 2017 budget had a $26,276 shortfall. Brooking said this was recently reduced to about $20,000 when the 501c3 took over the mortgage on the property thus removing it from property tax rolls. But the Brookings guarantee the mortgage.

Pat believes Haven can break even if she can raise money for a commercial kitchen. She successfully sold her homemade baked goods at the little Amsterdam store she owned. She thinks Haven residents can match that achievement.

Spiritually and socially, Haven seems a success. Since 2013, Brooking says Haven has housed 19 women and several children for between six months to two years. Only three women were asked to leave. Michael McMahon, the Montgomery County Department of Social Services commissioner, has written letters of support for Haven. Pat shares them with area churches when she asks congregations for donations. But she learned that, for now, her personal story is her best fundraising tool.

She had kept what happened to her at 16 a secret because letting others know how broken she had been felt unbearable. But the story of an outcast escaping the abyss and finding a new life is powerful for congregations. When she shared her past with her church elders, they were convinced her message could help broken women find healing.

Pat Brooking's story

The year Brooking hitchhiked across the country and back again shows how eagerly a drowning person will grab any slender thread, desperately hoping for a lifeline.

When Brooking told her guidance counselor about her mom's boyfriend, the teacher advised the teenager to leave home immediately. Brooking searched cities for a place to belong. Once, she spotted some Chicago Hare Krishnas in orchid and emerald robes whose offer of a free meal and a clean orange sari to replace her filthy clothes seemed like salvation. But within a day, she joined Jesus People USA, whose beliefs felt less alien. Their shelter for runaways was welcoming and clean. But JPs didn't smoke and she was addicted to nicotine. She left to hitch back to Vermont feverishly hoping it would feel like home.

PAUL BUCKOWSKI

Like most people facing continuous crises, she made fast, instinctive decisions. But the year's craziness hadn't necessarily equipped her with trustworthy instincts.

She won't talk about the final night of her coast-to-coast journey when she crossed back into Vermont. She will only say that at one point, the driver who picked her up was hurting her so badly, she screamed, "Jesus save me."

The driver stopped.

Later that night, good Samaritans picked her up and drove her to a hospital. She thought about her past year fending off psychos, drunks, loneliness, hunger and longing for community and purpose. When she was released, her entire life changed because the first person she bumped into was a kind high school acquaintance whose family gave Brooking friendship and an apartment. Brooking registered with DSS, found work, earned her GED and got a job that paid for college. She broke her own family's dysfunctional pattern.

She met her husband Ernie when he came to fix the gas pumps that were part of her country store. Pat talks frequently about her religious faith. Yet she laughs fondly when she says that Ernie can be persuaded to escort her to church only at Easter and Christmas.

"Anyone can say they're a Christian but I look at Ernie and see he lives his life as one and that's what's important to me," she added.

Without Ernie's devotion, Haven might not exist. When Pat first saw the house, it was home only to mice and spiders. Ernie worked full days installing gas station equipment, a physically exhausting job, then plowed Haven fields and helped Pat repair and scrub the house into a home. Ernie built and painted a charming little store and its wooden bins and shelves where Haven sells produce and baked goods. Because the walk from the roadside store to the house is so long and cold in the winter, he built the women a "luxury outhouse" with a tiled floor for bathroom breaks. Ernie bought an RV for $200 and renovated it for her. He parked it near the Haven house so Pat can sleep in it on baking nights rather than drive home at 3 a.m.

Pat says Ernie is shy. He declined to be interviewed for this article.

Their hard work plus volunteers' help means Haven can operate on a budget of $40,748, according to tax records. But they make sacrifices.

Their youngest son pleaded for a family trip to a North Carolina campground. Pat ruefully concedes they can't afford it.

Rural advantages

Haven allows women to stay as long as two years, a generous amount of time for transitional housing. But the time is packed with classes and training. A clinical therapist visits Haven twice monthly to help the women develop skills such as listening closely and settling disputes with civility. DSS offers job skills classes with obvious but essential advice for those who have never applied anywhere  such as don't wear a tube top to meet a potential boss and spell check emails.

Most Haven residents would like to live in the area. But across the river, Fultonville Mayor Linda Petterson says affordable rentals might be scarce since so much housing was ruined by the 2011 floods.

Commissioner McMahon is more optimistic: "Often we can even help women find a roommate to share the cost of a 2-bedroom apartment."

None of the Haven women own a car, which he sees as a bigger challenge. Haven residents use a local cab that takes them to nearby jobs for a reasonable rate. Taking public transportation to a job further away would be harder.

"Buses cover our county but a worker might find herself waiting a couple of hours at a stop waiting to transfer so we would like some innovative solutions," said McMahon. "The good news is a Dollar General warehouse that's been in the pipeline since the Obama administration will have 400 to 500 full-time jobs with benefits here. Child care continues to be one of the biggest problems for many women who can do those jobs."

Amy Tilt, 24, currently lives at the farm with her three young sons. Her ex-boyfriend had damaged their apartment, prompting the landlord to serve an eviction notice that included her and the children.

"We were going to be homeless within 24 hours if Pat hadn't taken the kids and me in," Tilt said.

Tilt has been using her time at Haven to establish good habits and a sense of normalcy for her children.

"It takes time to make a better life and Pat's given me time," Tilt explained. "I even had time to think about my life and repeating mistakes. I tried to make the family I always wanted with men I had to take care of like I took care of my dad. I don't want to do that again. My focus is to have a home for my sons and help them grow up to be good men."

A stable home and good parenting may seem modest goals for fans of epic American tales of rags-to-riches. But Pat Brooking believes she is alive today thanks to people who regard decency and patience as normal, healthy responses. Her goal is to help Haven women become strong, stable and able to pay the kindness they received forward.

And she has faith, something she does not require residents to possess. She does not require they attend church. "We try to teach by example so the women can see how to make a meaningful impact by how they live," Brooking said.
Indianapolis

State election officials gathering this weekend amid an uproar over a White House commission investigating allegations of voter fraud and heightened concern about Russian attempts to interfere in U.S. elections say a lack of information from federal intelligence officials about attempts to breach voting systems across the country is a major concern.

Both Republicans and Democrats gathered in Indianapolis for a meeting of the National Association of Secretaries of State say they are frustrated because they have been largely kept in the dark by federal officials.

"The chief election official in each state should be told if there are potential breaches of that state's data or potential intrusions," said Republican Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams.

The Department of Homeland Security last fall said hackers believed to be Russian agents targeted voter registration systems in more than 20 states. And a leaked National Security Agency document from May said Russian military intelligence had attempted to hack into voter registration software used in eight states.

That backdrop has drawn an unusual spotlight to the conference, which kicked off Friday and is being attended by officials from 37 states. The FBI and Homeland Security were attempting to allay fears by holding a series of closed-door meetings Saturday on voting security with elections officials.

"We need to make sure we're doing everything and anything possible in 2018. We need better cooperation from federal agencies," said California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, a Democrat.

There is no indication so far that voting or ballot counting was affected in the November election, but officials are concerned that the Russians may have gained knowledge that could help them disrupt future elections.

The conference also lands one week after the commission investigating President Donald Trump's allegations of election fraud requested voter information from all 50 states, drawing bipartisan blowback. The request seeks dates of birth, partial Social Security numbers, addresses, voting histories, military service and other information about every voter in the country.

Trump has repeatedly stated without proof that he believes millions of fraudulent ballots were cast in the November election, when he carried the Electoral College but lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The commission was launched to investigate those claims and is being chaired by Vice President Mike Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who sent the information requests.

Kobach was not in attendance at the weekend event, prompting Democrats to reiterate their skepticism of the commission's intent and their concerns that the information could be used to justify stringent new voter security procedures that could make it more difficult for people to cast a ballot.

"For him not to be here is awkward, to put it mildly. What does he have to hide?" said Padilla. "If he's serious about working with states to improve the integrity of the election, this is the place to be and he's not."

A spokeswoman for Kobach did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

It remains unclear what exactly the hodgepodge of data will be used for. Pence spokesman Marc Lotter said the commission will look for potential irregularities in voter registrations and advise states on how they can improve their practices.

But many secretaries of state say all or parts of the requested data are not public in their states.

Some Democrats have said the commission is merely trying to provide cover for Trump's unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.
As school districts around the state settle in for the summer, things are anything but settled on the Onondaga Nation, where parents took our children out of the Onondaga Nation School for the last two weeks of the year to protest the refusal once again by the LaFayette Central School District to name an indigenous principal for the all-indigenous school.

The Onondaga Nation School sits on Onondaga land, but is overseen by the LaFayette district under an arrangement with the state Education Department. Two other indigenous schools in New York have similar arrangements with non-indigenous school boards.

We are hamstrung in this relationship in part because as citizens of a sovereign nation, recognized by the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua, signed for the United States by George Washington, we do not vote in local, state or federal elections  including for school board. So we find ourselves subject to a non-indigenous school board which takes state money for our school but has failed to accept that we should have a central role in its governance.

Congressional findings for the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act expressly state that "[parental and community control of the educational process is of crucial importance to the Indian people" and that indigenous people have the right to "an education in their own culture and provided in their own language."

The refusal to even consider an indigenous teacher who has taught at the school for 20 years, one who was one of three finalists for principal chosen from an original field of 19 candidates, was the last straw. Even after the non-indigenous person selected to be the new principal declined to take the job, the board refused to consider the Onondaga finalist and instead moved to reopen the process.

The board claims that the indigenous teacher on the list of potential principals lacks a needed certificate though they know she has completed the course work, holds a school district leader certificate and is simply awaiting the school building leader certificate to be issued by the state.

Taking our children out of school is not something we do lightly. The Onondaga Nation School is critical to our struggle to infuse our children with the language and cultural literacy needed to survive. The children get the full state-mandated curriculum, but also get daily lessons in the Onondaga language and take part in ceremonial activities that have sustained us for millennia. That is why our school year runs to the end of June, longer than non-indigenous programs.

This is more than symbolism. Those lessons are critical in rebuilding a sense of nationhood from the not-so-distant past when children  including my parents  were forcibly removed from our land and sent to boarding schools designed to instill in them American-ness. As Captain Richard Henry Pratt, the leader of Pennsylvania's Carlisle Indian School, explained, the goal was to "Kill the Indian: Save the man."

We now know that many of the schools subjected children to a wide range of abuses, both cultural and physical, as they tried to eradicate that indigenous identity.

My parents never spoke about their experiences, whether through anger or shame, but it drove them to instill in us the importance of embracing our heritage. But even today, as Tadodaho, or traditional leader, of the Onondaga Nation, I struggle to express myself as fluently in my native language as I do in English.

That is why the Onondaga Nation School is so central to who we are, and who we want to be.

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We have asked the State Education Department to meet with us, and to audit the funds sent to the LaFayette Central School District to ensure they have not been diverted to unintended uses.

State rules for a dedicated funding source for the Onondaga Nation School mandate that the local school board meet regularly with leaders of the nation, meetings which have not taken place. And at least part of a secondary funding source for supplemental services for indigenous children was used to purchase a 3-D printer put into the district's other, non-indigenous, elementary school.

We hope the situation will improve with this summer's arrival of a new superintendent, who we hope will be more open to working with nation parents and leaders in ensuring the Onondaga Nation School gets its fair share of funding, and in understanding the importance of indigenous leadership overseeing our children's education.We want our children to be educated, but we also want them to know who they are.

Sid Hill is the Tadodaho, or traditional leader, of the Onondaga Nation south of Syracuse.
This nation's citadel of freedom is in the process of being bastardized by President Donald Trump. This nation was founded on the principles of freedom, of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Yet, this president is systematically strangling freedom of the press, one of those founding freedoms.

I am outraged by those acts by the Trump administration. I am outraged that White House politicians have allowed this not only to start but to continue. The very fabric of this nation's beginnings was, in part, founded on freedom of the press.
Farm safety was the topic under discussion at a recent public meeting hosted by Templemore-Thurles Fine Gael on Monday night last in the Anner Hotel.

District chairperson Garret Kelleher opened the meeting by drawing peoples attention to the fact that deaths on our farms continually out-number deaths which occur in any other sector of the work force and accounted for 47% of work place deaths in 2016 (21 of 45), despite the fact that less than 6% of the Irish work force are employed in agriculture.

John Kennedy, Agriculture & Forestry Inspector with the Health & Safety Authority, gave the meeting a comprehensive presentation on the background and causes of deaths in accidents on Irish farms and stressed the importance of having all farm equipment checked and serviced regularly. He emphasised the particular need for a farms second tractor or lesser-used tractor to be well maintained and serviced to ensure it continues to be fit for purpose.

Kennedy highlighted the fact that children and older people consistently account for a disproportionately high number of the deaths which occur on Irish farms. He told of how 23 children died as a result of farm accidents in the ten year period from 2007-2016 (12% of overall number of 197) and of how 66 farmers over 65 years of age died in the same period (34% of overall). He referred to the alarming statistic that 10 out of 13 deaths* on Irish farms in 2017 have been to male farmers over 65 years of age. Kennedy concluded his address by stressing the need for what he described as the it will never happen on my farm culture to change and pleading with people to give farm safety the priority it deserves to reduce the numbers of tragedies on our farms.

Brian Rohan of Embrace FARM told his own moving and emotive personal story of how his father Liam lost his life as a result of a farm accident which occurred in 2012, less than a week after the birth of his (Liams) first grandchild and how such a happy family event was overshadowed by the horrific tragedy. He emphasised the importance of families being prepared for the unexpected and, in particular, of the importance of having wills made and taking out life insurance cover.

Recently re-appointed Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed T.D. spoke of how farming is a profession often practised in isolation and of the obvious danger that exists when accidents occur without the support offered by co-workers or witnesses. He also referred to the fact that the larger and more powerful modern tractors and farm machinery tend to be far more dangerous than the vehicles and equipment used on our farms in the past.

Tipperary Coroner, Joe Kelly spoke of the importance of risk analysis in the investigation of accidents. He re-iterated the fact that farm tragedies continue to occur and of the need to learn from the mistakes of the past to change the culture and attitudes that exist towards safety on our farms.

Following the contributions of the guest speakers, there was a lively inter-action between the audience and the speakers on a wide variety of topics such as farmers taking on greater work-loads than in the past, the increased number of distractions in the work place, the lack of mandatory safety training requirements and the importance of temporary farm workers being given greater assistance to find employment during quieter times of the year.

*Note: Since the meeting, two more people have lost their lives on Irish farms bringing the number of fatalities to 15 in 2017 to date.
Indiana soldier reflects on Veterans Day from Kosovo

Sgt. Chris Griesinger is among about 300 Indiana National Guard members who deployed to Kosovo from Camp Atterbury, which is south of Indianapolis.
Craig Glazer: Trump Takes Center Stage Against North Korea

President Donald Trump now has the floor on the world stage. North Korea and Kim Jong-Un may have played into Trumps hand. Trump made it clear during his election run that he will not stand idle against any threat to the United States by a foreign government. Now that North Korea has tested an intercontinental ballistic missile, he has the worlds total attention. Trump is now overseas meeting with all foreign leaders on several issues including global warming, but North Korea is now the center of that attention. Trump has already said he is considering severe action against North Korea, not only sanctions but perhaps military action if needed.North Korea is supported by China, Trump meets with their leader as well. The U.S. President will have a one on one with Russian leader Putin. Many think Trump has wanted to become more of an ally with Russia. We have always been told that Russia is our enemy. Yet we have not ever been in combat with the Russians. It was a 'cold war' that ended during the Reagan era for the most part. Under Putin Russia has made a monster comeback and now sits next to the United States and China as top dog.The question is how far will Donald Trump go with Putin to make an alliance? Is North Korea a true threat with a missile that could hit Alaska? Clearly if North Korea really did something like that one day, the United States could destroy them. Nobody wants a nuclear war. Trump knows that of course. However if China and Russia forced North Korea to back off, would that make a warm fuzzy with the United States in other ways? Trade? A move towards world peace? A change in the middle east?Lets be honest, no country wants to 'take over' the United States. Baby Boomers like me had drills in school back in the 60's hiding under our desks in nuclear attack drills. We were told Russia would one day bomb us. Never happened. It was never planned to happen. Those countries have enough trouble of their own at home. As we do. Has the time come for the United States, Russia and China to finally work together for real? Why not.Donald Trump wants to make America great, not that we aren't. Trump wants to be 'The Great President.' This is his first chance to make steps in that direction world wide. Is this his moment? Can it work? We all know Europe is worried about something like this going down. They are neighbors with Russia and count on the United States as their chief ally to step in against anything Russia might do in the future to take command. Its a tough ticket for sure. Donald Trump has what he dreamed of a moment that is his to engineer as the great leader he claims to be, one who won't back down, but can make the best deal possible. Can he? Will he? The stage is yours Donald Trump.#########################
Dubais non-oil foreign trade grew 2.7 per cent to reach Dh327 billion ($87 billion) in the first quarter (Q1) of 2017 compared to Dh318 billion in the same quarter of 2016, according to data published by Dubai Customs.



Commenting on the results, Crown Prince of Dubai and chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: Dubai has achieved this growth thanks to the guidance of Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Sheikh Mohammed vision for the future along with a number of initiatives such as Dubai 10X, which aims to place Dubai 10 years ahead of all other cities, and the UAE Centennial Plan 2071 have inspired a series of innovative and creative initiatives that will boost the UAEs economy.



These initiatives also support the goal of ensuring the happiness of people and making Dubai a global leader in many key sectors.



We seek to enhance the UAEs competiveness by developing commercial and customs services that bring significant financial benefits for all those that choose Dubai as a hub for their operations, Sheikh Hamdan added.



Imports accounted for the lions share of non-oil foreign trade at Dh201 billion (3 per cent growth) while exports accounted for Dh35 billion and re-exports Dh91 billion (5 per cent growth).



The volume of Dubais external non-oil trade reached 24 million tons, while imports reached 15.84 million tons, re-exports 4.24 million tons, and exports 3.84 million tons.



Direct trade grew 3.5 per cent to Dh209 billion in the first quarter of 2017, while Free Zone trade accounted for Dh108.5 billion. Customs warehouse trade grew 31 per cent in the first quarter to reach Dh9.1 billion compared to the same period in 2016.



Meanwhile, Dubais non-oil foreign trade conducted through land transportation grew 14.7 per cent to reach Dh61 billion in the first quarter while sea trade accounted for Dh118 billion, and air trade reached Dh147.3 growing 1.1 per cent.



DP World Group chairman and CEO and chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem said that Dubai Customs was the first to introduce many advanced systems and programmes in support of Dubais preparations to host Dubai Expo 2020.



We are offering a plethora of facilities and advanced services to traders and investors that will make their experience of doing business with Dubai memorable. For example, the AEO programme has successfully taken off and continues to be implemented across the UAE under the aegis of the Federal Customs Authority. The new economic scheme follows the directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, towards boosting the performance of the UAEs foreign trade to better secure the UAEs post-oil future. The AEO programme will create seamless commercial links between the UAE and the rest of the world, he added.



We are striving to enhance the competitiveness of the UAE and Dubai by offering unique advantages and developing customs services and product offerings. This is why we launched a number of pioneering programmes such as the Smart Workspace, Mirsal 2, Risk Engine, Advanced Container Inspection System and Smart Customs Luggage Inspection System, amongst many others he said.



Bin Sulayem added that making customers happy is a priority for Dubai Customs, as part of which it launched the new seven-star Mina Rashid customs centre. The initiative was inspired by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.



We won the first place on the happiness index last year scoring 96.2 per cent, and this is evident in the volume and results of 2.329 million declarations carried out during the first three months of 2017 and 9.1 million declarations done in 2016.



Asia topped the list of markets that conduct non-oil trade with Dubai, accounting for business worth Dh208 billion in Q1 2017. Europe came second with Dh54 billion, Africa third at Dh32 billion, North America fourth at Dh25 billion, South America fifth at Dh4 billion, and Oceania including Australia sixth at Dh3 billion.



China maintained its position as Dubais biggest partner in Q1 2017 with Dh44.15 billion worth of trade or 13.5 per cent of the total value, followed by India with Dh25.4 billion representing 7.8 per cent of Dubais total non-oil foreign trade, while the USA came third with a total Dh22 billion or 6.7 per cent of total trade.



Saudi Arabia is Dubais leading business partner among GCC and Arab countries, and its fourth biggest trade partner, with business worth Dh15.22 billion, representing 4.7 per cent of Dubais total trade with the world.



Mobile phones topped the list of high-value commodities in Dubais foreign trade, in the first three months of 2017, with Dh45 billion (14 per cent of total trade). This supports Dubais transformation into the worlds smartest city and its growth as a major regional and global trading hub for ICT products.



Next on the list was gold with Dh39 billion (12 per cent of total trade), followed by diamonds at Dh26 billion (8 per cent of total trade). Vehicles came fourth at Dh18 billion (5 per cent of total trade), followed by jewellery at Dh15 billion (5 per cent of total trade).  TradeArabia News Service
Egypt aims to double production of its most famous export, the silky soft cotton once known as "white gold", after a period of slumping output, an Agriculture Ministry spokesman was quoted as saying on Saturday.



Hamed Abdel-Dayem said production should rise to 1.4 million qintar (160 kg) in the 2017-18 fiscal year that started in July from 700,000 qintar a year earlier, reported Wam, the Emirates official news agency, citing Reuters.



All the cotton will be exported, he added.



The government aims to increase the price of the long staple cotton to more than EGP3,000 ($168.07) per qintar, which will all be exported, the spokesman said.



Egypt's sunny skies and superior seed help it grow a cotton known for unusually long fibres that produce a light durable fabric with an attractive sheen and soft touch.



Long-staple sells at 155 US cents per lb, about twice the price of common short-staple cotton.



Its return to world markets could provide a lucrative export opportunity at a time when Egypt has a huge trade deficit and is seeking to relaunch its stagnant economy.



In 2016 Egypt banned all but the highest quality cotton seed, dramatically shrinking the area under cultivation but restoring quality, in a bid to save its historic crop.



This year Egypt grew about 220,000 acres (89,000 hectares) of long-staple cotton compared with 130,000 acres (52,600 hectares) in 2016-2107, Abdel-Dayem said.
Bahri Logistics, one of the top 10 breakbulk carriers in the world, has added Alexandria to its portfolio of ports in Egypt.



The company, which is one of the six business units within Bahri, a global leader in transportation and logistics sector, said the addition of Alexandria will enable Bahri to offer breakbulk and ro/ro transportation service on its North American itinerary from key US ports to Alexandria and from Alexandria to the Middle East and India.



Alexandria is our third direct port call in Egypt after Suez and Port Said," remarked Ahmed Al Ghaith, the president, Bahri Logistics.



"Our decision to operate at this port comes after an increasing demand for logistics services to and from this destination, and this move will allow Bahris customers to take advantage of our growing regional connectivity and high flexibility through access to three direct port calls in the country. In addition, this will also result in enhanced transit times and better service coverage," stated Al Ghaith.



The port will be serviced by Bahri Logistics fleet of new state-of-the-art multipurpose vessels on a regular liner schedule; four of which connect the US to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and major ports in the Gulf, the Indian subcontinent and the Mediterranean, while the remaining two connect Europe to the Kingdom and key ports in the Gulf and the Mediterranean, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Australia-based StayWell Hospitality Group is set to open the kingdoms first Park Regis Hotel in Juffair district in partnership with Bahrain group VKL Group during the third quarter of 2017.

With 164 guest rooms, six food and beverage outlets including a 1000 capacity ballroom, swimming pool and gym, this upscale hotel is the perfect introduction to the Bahrain market for the Park Regis brand and its parent company StayWell Hospitality Group, said the company in a statement.

Based in Sydney, StayWell Hospitality Group, operates two high profile hotel brands  Park Regis and Leisure Inn.

Together with strategic partners, the group has a combined network of 71 properties worldwide across 14 countries with a managed turnover close to A$300 million ($278 million).

StayWell Hospitality Group CEO Simon Wan said the recent signing of the marketing license agreement with VKL Group, a major player in Bahrain's hospitality sector, will enable the group to open additional properties across Bahrain in the coming 12 months.

VKL Group operates several hotels in the kingdom managing with more than 1,300 rooms and is now working on another three hotels with over 600 rooms which will be open shortly.

"Following the signature of a 550 keys Park Regis Resort in the UAE the day before, I am encouraged by the future expansion plans into the region and confident that this partnership with VKL Group reflects our commitment to grow our presence in the Middle East region," remarked Wan.

"We are hoping that this magnificent property is the stepping stone for a further presence in Bahrain," he added.

VKL Group chairman Varghese Kurian said that formalising the partnership with StayWell Hospitality Group and opening the Park Regis Juffair in the last quarter of 2017 is the start of significant expansion in the Middle East.

We look forward to a long and successful partnership with StayWell Hospitality Group and are confident that we can move quickly with future properties under the StayWell Brands; Park Regis and Leisure Inn, stated Kurian.

On opening, the Park Regis Lotus hotel, which is located in the nations capital of Manama, will have easy access to Bahrain's largest mosque, the Al Fateh Mosque and the Bahrain causeway, which connects the Island country to Saudi Arabia.-TradeArabia News Service
Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 8

While the garbage processing plant at Dadu Majra is overflowing with waste, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has prepared a report on the daily intake of garbage in the past six months and will submit it to the NGT on July 11. Sources said the report had been prepared with photographs and video of heaps of unprocessed garbage.

Mayor Asha Jawsal said the report and the evidence would be presented before the NGT on the next date of hearing on July 11.

She said the report had been prepared on the directions of the NGT.

The Mayor said the plant was processing only 70 to 110 tonnes of garbage out of 300 to 350 tonnes generated daily.

She said she, along with councillors, visited the plant and found that the situation was quite grim. She said the next course of action would be taken after the NGT order. The MC is ready to run the plant till an alternative arrangement is made.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Commissioner of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation and managing director of JP Associates to remain present during the next date of hearing on July 11, 2017. JP Associate challenged the decision of the MC to terminate the contract saying the MCs move was mala fide and motivated by political considerations. In its petition filed before the NGT, JP Associates had claimed that the MC had terminated its contract even when the tribunal had asked the two sides to sit together and resolve their differences The MC is working out the option of sending the garbage to the processing plant in Lalru.

Residents protest

Residents of Dadu Majra did not let trucks throw garbage at the dumping ground on Saturday. This has compounded the problem of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation which has no solution. Narinder Chaudhary, a resident, said they would not allow the trucks to throw waste at the dumping ground.
Tribune News Service

Ballabhgarh (Haryana), July 9

The prime accused in the Lynching case of Junaid Khan was on Sunday remanded to two-day police custody by a local court. He was arrested from Dhule in Maharashtra on Saturday was brought to Faridabad last night.

The police claimed that the stabbing had reportedly taken place over a seat in train and not over beef. The weapon used in crime was still to be recovered.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Five persons have already been arrested in the case.

Junaid was stabbed near Ballabgharh on a train after a quarrel on June 22.

Meanwhile, Junaid's family has demanded death penalty for all the accused. I appeal to the government to announce death penalty for the accused and arrest the remaining involved in this case. We are living in an atmosphere of fear as such incidents are happening every day in every part of the nation, Junaids father Jalaluddin said on Sunday.

Junaids brother Shakir, who was also attacked during the incident, said the family appreciates the work done by the police to arrest the main accused.

Read: Accused caught on CCTV camera

Villagers sport black bands on Eid-al-Fitr

I appreciate and want to thank the police for their efforts to arrest the main accused and others involved in this case, Shakir said.

It was reported that the main accused hailed from Bhamrola village in the Hathin subdivision of Palwal district.

It was revealed that the police had been on a hunt to nab the main accused, who was found to be riding a motorcycle in the CCTV footage collected from the site of the stabbing incident.

The GRP had already arrested five persons, identified as Ramesh Kumar, Chander, Gaurav, Pradeep and Rameshwar, all hailing from Khambi village in Palwal district, in this connection.

The police had announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh for information about the main accused. It was unclear how and when the police got information about the accused, who had reportedly fled to Maharashtra.

The delay in the arrest of the main accused had put pressure on the police. Junaids mother had threatened to go on fast in case the police were unable to arrest the main accused. Several teams had been set up to raid and comb various places during the past several days. With ANI inputs
Shyam Sood

Rajouri, July 8

A Territorial Army (TA) soldier on leave and his wife were killed, while three others, including the couples two daughters, injured when the Pakistan army resorted to heavy shelling on forward Indian posts and civil areas in Poonch district this morning.

The slain soldier, Mohd Shokat of 156 TA unit and resident of Karmara village, was posted along the Line of Control in the Mendhar sector.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The police said at 6 am, the Pakistan army resorted to heavy mortar shelling on the village, killing Shokat and his wife Safia. Their minor daughters, Rubina and Zahid, were injured. Another minor girl, Nazia, also suffered injuries.

Heavy shelling continued in the Khari-Karmara area till 1 pm, said a police source.

The Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively to Pakistan armys unprovoked and indiscriminate shelling, said Lt Col Manish Mehta, Defence spokesperson. In Islamabad, Dr Muhammad Faisal, Director General, Foreign Office, Pakistan, later summoned JP Singh, Indias Deputy High Commissioner, and lodged a protest over alleged unprovoked ceasefire violation across the LoC.

Pakistan claimed five of its civilians were killed and six injured in heavy retaliation by the Indian troops.
Jammu, July 9

The Pakistan army on Sunday targeted villages and forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district by resorting to heavy mortar shelling and firing automatic weapons in yet another ceasefire violation.

According to a police officer, the areas of Khadi Karmara and Diwgar were targeted.

The Pakistan army resorted to indiscriminate firing from small arms, automatic weapons and mortar bombs from 5.55 pm today on villages and Indian Army posts along the LoC in Poonch district, the police officer said.

However, there has been no loss of life or injury to anyone in the firing till now, he said.

Yesterday also Pakistani forces had violated ceasefire after which Indian troops had retaliated damaging three posts and causing causalities to Pakistani army, according to reports.

Two Pakistani soldiers were learnt to have been killed in the retaliation and several injured, the reports said.

Earlier, an Army jawan and his wife were killed and four persons injured when the Pakistani army violated ceasefire yesterday by shelling and firing at forward posts and hamlets along the LoC in Poonch.

The deceased were identified as Sepoy Mohmmad Shaukat of Territorial Army and his wife Safia Bi. Their three daughters identified as Zaida Kouser (6), Robina Kouser (12) and Nazia Bi were injured as was another person.

Following the ceasefire violation, Indian troops had retaliated.

There have been 23 incidents of ceasefire violation, one BAT attack and two infiltration bids by Pakistan in June this year in which four people, including three jawans, were killed and 12 injured, officials said.  PTI
Shivani Bhakoo

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 8

Cracking the whip against those selling masala-ripened fruits, MC Additional Commissioner Rishipal Singh, along with the officials of the health department of the Municipal Corporation, destroyed 1,500 quintal mangoes/ bananas, ripened through powder (adulterated masala) today.

Arhtiyas, meanwhile, protested against the atrocities of the authorities, while Rishipal Singh said he had adhered to the state governments directions and would continue to do so in future as well. The authorities reached the Sabzi Mandi on Kara Bara Road in the morning and seized a huge quantity of masala-ripened mangoes/ bananas. The shopkeepers/ arhtiyas were using a powdered masala kept in small packets.

As per the available information, these packets were kept with the fruit so that it could ripe soon and then be sold to consumers. But this artificial ripening of fruit was harmful for human consumption, warn doctors.

Rishipal Singh, however, said he got a number of packets through which the fruits were ripened. I have adhered to the state governments directions. I will continue to perform my duty diligently, he said.

On the other hand, Amarjit Singh, one of the arhtiyas, said shopkeepers and arhtiyas had gone to meet Congress MLA Rakesh Pandey, who had a word with MC authorities.

They need to give us an alternative. The practice is not new, but is being done since the past several decades. The masala is not harmful, said Amarjit Singh.

Congress MLA Rakesh Pandey, however, shielded the shopkeepers and arhtiyas saying the way MC carried out the drive was wrong.

They destroyed a huge quantity of fruit. Are they sure that the entire stock was artificially ripened? Did they get this checked from proper labs? The MC has to follow the guidelines. I have told this to the MC Commissioner and he has assured to stop the drive, Pandey said.
New Delhi, July 9

India on Sunday hit out at Pakistan for glorifying militant commander Burhan Wani, saying Islamabad's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by 'one and all'.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

In a strongly worded tweet, External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Gopal Baglay said: " First @ForeignOfficePk read frm banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS (Pakistan army chief) glorifies Burhan Wani. Pak's terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by one and all".

Baglay's comments came a day after Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa praised Wani, Hizbul Mujahideen commander who was killed in an encounter with Indian security forces last year.

First @ForeignOfficePk read frm banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS glorfs Burhan Wani. Pak's terror suprt&spnsr'p need 2b condmnd by 1 & all  Gopal Baglay (@MEAIndia) July 9, 2017

Wani was responsible for several attacks against security personnel in Kashmir.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday paid tributes to Wani, saying his death "infused a new spirit in the struggle for freedom" in the Kashmir Valley. PTI
New York, July 9

India-born former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta, who served a two-year prison-term on insider trading charges, has admitted that he made "errors and misjudgements" and apologised for letting his friends and fellow IIT associates down.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

In one of his first public comments on his insider trading conviction after completing his prison term in March last year, Gupta told an IIT alumni meet in California he regrets that five years of his life were taken away from him and he hopes to tell his side of the story "in due course" once his appeal is decided upon.

Read: Rajat Gupta disagrees with US SC's insider trading ruling



Rajat Gupta's fresh attempt to reverse conviction fails



"While I continue to fight the injustice in my case, I have to candidly admit that I made errors and misjudgements and for that I take full responsibility," Gupta said, addressing the second annual 'IIT Bay Area Leadership Conference' held in Santa Clara last month that was hosted by the 11000-member strong IIT Bay Area Alumni Association and attended by hundreds of top executives and entrepreneurs who had graduated from the prestigious Indian engineering institution.

Gupta, an IIT-Delhi and Harvard Business School alumnus, expressed regret for failing to be a role model to the scores of young people in leading institutions he was associated with, including IIT, Harvard, Indian School of Business, McKinsey and Gates Foundation.

They made me who I am and I was also fortunate enough to play a leadership role that shaped many of these institutions but most importantly I aspired to be a role model for many of the young people who were part of these institutions, who looked up to me.

"One of my greatest regrets is I did let them down. I want to apologise to all of you at IIT alumni that I really did not live up to the highest standards you would have rightly expected me to do. I genuinely ask for your forgiveness and understanding," Gupta said as the audience applauded.

Gupta expressed "regret" that five years of his life were taken away from him when he could have used them to contribute to philanthropic causes such as education and health.

Sounding a philosophical tone, Gupta said the last five years that were consumed by his insider trading case and his prison term have made him a "better person and better able to serve the institutions I so dearly like".

"During this time I saw the underbelly of our justice system, endured imprisonment and eight weeks of solitary confinement but very importantly got to know who my real friends are.

"I learnt a lot and was determined to come out of this experience a better person, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I wanted to deal with this situation with dignity, with grace, with forgiveness and humility, without anger or bitterness," he said.

Describing the last six years of his life as "extraordinary", the former McKinsey head said he believes that life is a series of experiences and "nothing is inherently good or bad. It is what you make of it".

Gupta, convicted in 2012 after a jury trial, is a free man now but is not giving up his legal battle to overturn his conviction, arguing in court papers that he served two years in jail for conduct that is not criminal as the government lacked evidence to show he "received even a penny" for passing confidential boardroom information to the now jailed hedge fund manager and his one time friend and business associate Raj Rajaratnam.  PTI
New Delhi, July 9

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Sunday morning after concluding his two-nation visit.

He left Hamburg, Germany, on Saturday evening at 7.30 pm, following the completion of the two-day G20 summit.

At the summit, Modi presented a 10-point agenda on fighting terrorism which was endorsed by the G20 leaders.

The first leg of the two=nation tour was a historic visit to Israel. Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the country.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Modi raised the countries bilateral relations to a strategic partnership.  IANS
Patna, July 9

After spending three days in Rajgir, away from the Bihar capital where the political climate has heated up following CBI raids on RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday returned to his official residence here, officials said.

Nitish Kumar is back in Patna after spending three days in Rajgir in Nalanda district," an official of the Chief Minister's Office here said.

With Nitish Kumar back in Patna, now all eyes are on him to see when he will break his silence over the CBI raids on RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family.

So far Nitish Kumar, who is also president of JD-U, has maintained a studied silence on the CBI raids on Lalu Prasad. "He may break his silence soon," a JD-U leader considered close to Nitish Kumar said.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) along with the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and Congress is part of the Bihar ruling alliance, headed by Nitish Kumar.

In the last two days, opposition BJP leaders have repeatedly demanded Nitish Kumar break his silence and take action against Lalu's two sons -- Tejashwi Yadav, who is Deputy Chief Minister and Tej Pratap Yadav, who is Health Minister -- for their alleged involvement in corruption. Some BJP leaders have demanded that Nitish Kumar should end his party's alliance with the RJD.

According to JD-U leaders, during his stay in Rajgir, about 100 km from here, Nitish Kumar visited different tourist places. "On Saturday Nitish Kumar visited Ghora Katora and on Friday he visited another tourist place," a party official said.

It is expected that the JD-U will react to the incident as per directives of Nitish Kumar.

JD-U spokespersons are also keeping a distance from the media and have not reacted to the raids. "JD-U spokespersons are following instructions from Nitish Kumar and not saying anything on the issue," the party official said.

The CBI on Friday carried out raids at 12 places in Patna, Delhi, Ranchi, Puri and Gurugram in connection with the case involving Lalu Prasad and his family members.

The CBI has registered the case against Lalu Prasad, his wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav, former Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Managing Director P.K. Goyal, and Lalu Prasad's confidante Prem Chand Gupta's wife on allegations of awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2006.

In the same year, the hotels were transferred to the IRCTC.

Lalu Prasad was the Railways Minister between 2004-09.  IANS
New Delhi, July 4

China on Tuesday ruled out a compromise in the military standoff with India in the Sikkim section, and put the onus on New Delhi to resolve the "grave" situation.

In unusually blunt remarks, China's Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui said "the ball is in Indias court" and it was for the Indian government to decide what options could be on the table to resolve the standoff.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Asked about remarks by official Chinese media and think- tanks that the conflict can lead to a "war" if not handled properly, the ambassador said in an interview to PTI: There has been talk about this option, that option. It is up to your government policy (whether to exercise military option)."

The Chinese government is very clear that it wants peaceful resolution at current state of the situation for which withdrawal of Indian troops from the area is a "pre-condition", he asserted.

Read: BRICS meet chance for Modi, Xi to de-escalate Sikkim standoff

"The first priority is that the Indian troops unconditionally pull back to the Indian side of the boundary.

That is the precondition for any meaningful dialogue between China and India," he said.

China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Dokalam area near the Bhutan trijunction for past 19 days after a Chinese army's construction party came to build a road.

Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. China and Bhutan are engaged in talks over the resolution of the area. Bhutan, however, has no diplomatic ties with China and it is supported militarily and diplomatically by India.

"The situation is grave and made me deeply worried. It is the first time that Indian troops have crossed the mutually recognised boundary and trespassed into China's territory, triggering a close range face off between Chinese and Indian border troops. Now 19 days have passed, but the situation still has not eased," Luo said.

He also asserted that India has no right to interfere with the China-Bhutan boundary talks, nor is it entitled to make territorial claims on behalf of Bhutan.

On the standoff, the Ministry of External Affairs had said India was "deeply concerned at the recent Chinese actions and has conveyed to the Chinese government that such construction would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for India".

"As for the so called 'security concerns' of the Indian side, India has crossed a delimited boundary into other country's territory in the name of security concerns, no matter what kind of activities it conducts there, which will not acceptable to any sovereign state.

"India cannot encroach upon the territory of other countries on the ground of its 'security concerns'. Otherwise, the world would be in chaos," the Chinese envoy added.

He also asserted that "it is critical that India shall withdraw its troops immediately to minimise the negative impact. It serves the interests of the two sides."  PTI
Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 9

Home Minister Rajnath Singh today assured Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling of full support, including ensuring security of the National Highway-10  the lifeline of the landlocked state situated at the northern tip of West Bengal that shares international border with China and Bhutan.

The two leaders had a detailed discussion on the overall security situation in the state and the issues arising out of the nearly month-long unrest in neighbouring Darjeeling in favour of a separate state, Gorkhaland.

On Twitter, Singh said: I assured the Chief Minister that the Centre will ensure the safety & security of NH-10 and do everything possible to save people of the state from any misery.

The Home Minister said that he had directed Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi to coordinate with the West Bengal administration and ensure the safety, security and smooth traffic on the NH-10, which connects Siliguri in West Bengal with Sikkim capital Gangtok.

During the conversation, Chamling reportedly told Singh that Sikkim was facing acute shortage of supplies, especially essential commodities like medicines, powder milk for babies, vegetables and petrol/diesel, due to closure of the national highway.

Reports, emerging from the region, suggest traffic between Siliguri and Gangtok was affected as drivers of West Bengal-registered vehicles stopped plying to Sikkim. Even several incidents have been reported in the past one week that Sikkim-registered trucks were vandalised and looted by unidentified miscreants in Siliguri. Similarly, Sikkim-bound taxis, buses and private vehicles were being targeted.

The incidents of violence started after the Sikkim CM supported the demand of Gorkhaland and also wrote to the Home Minister, saying it was a justified and long-pending demand of the people of the Darjeeling hills.

Chamling had said that Sikkim had 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.
Washington, July 9

Donald Trumps eldest son, son-in-law and then-campaign chairman met with a Russian lawyer shortly after Trump won the Republican nomination, in what appears to be the earliest known private meeting between key aides to the President and a Russian.

Representatives of Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner confirmed the June 2016 meeting to The Associated Press after The New York Times reported on Saturday on the gathering of the men and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower.

Then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended, according to the statement from Donald Trump Jr.

He described it as a short introductory meeting during which the three discussed a disbanded program that used to allow US citizens to adopt Russian children. Russia ended the adoptions in response to American sanctions brought against the nation following the 2009 death of an imprisoned lawyer who spoke about a corruption scandal.

Trump Jr. said he invited the other two Americans, was asked to attend by an acquaintance not named in the statement, and was not told beforehand with whom he would meet.

It was not a campaign issue at that time and there was no follow up, he said.

Kushner lawyer Jamie Gorelick said her client already disclosed the meeting in a revised filing of a form that requires him to list meetings with foreign agents.

Mr. Kushner has submitted additional updates and included, out of an abundance of caution, this meeting with a Russian person, which he briefly attended at the request of his brother-in-law, Donald Trump Jr. As Mr. Kushner has consistently stated, he is eager to cooperate and share what he knows, she said.

Later on Saturday, a spokesman for the presidents outside legal team contended that participants in the June meeting misrepresented who they were and who they worked for. However, the spokesman, Mark Corallo, would not say specifically who misrepresented themselves or how they did so.

Unlike Kushner, Trump Jr. does not serve in the administration and is not required to disclose his foreign contacts. The newspaper reported yesterday, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, that Manafort disclosed the meeting to congressional investigators questioning his foreign contacts.

Manafort helmed Trumps campaign for about five months until August and resigned from the campaign immediately after the AP reported on his firms covert Washington lobbying operation on behalf of Ukraines ruling political party. He is one of several people linked to the Trump campaign who are under scrutiny by a special counsel and congressional committees investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign and potential coordination with Trump associates.

Manafort has denied any coordination with Russia and has said his work in Ukraine was not related to the campaign.

The newspaper said Veselnitskaya is known for her attempts to undercut the sanctions against Russian human rights abusers.

The Times also said her clients include state-owned businesses and the son of a senior government official whose company was under investigation in the United States at the time of the meeting.  AP
Caracas, July 9

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called for a message of peace and rectification from Leopoldo Lopez, just hours after the freed dissidents release following more than three years in prison.

Maduro, who on Saturday said he supports the decision by the Supreme Court to move Lopez from prison and place him under house arrest instead, said during a nationally televised address that he hopes the move would provide the basis for reconciliation because the nation wants peace.

Venezuelas most prominent political prisoner, Lopez vowed Saturday to continue his fight for freedom after being released from jail and placed under house arrest.

His surprise release came amid intensifying pressure on the embattled leftist government of Maduro, with a rising toll of death and destruction from three months of non-stop street protests.

Lopez, leader of the Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) party and a symbol of resistance to the Maduro government, emerged hours after his release from prison looking fit and happy.

He pumped his fist in the air, unfurled the Venezuelan flag and told a crowd of supporters who had gathered outside: Yes, we can!  AFP
Being Tulsas first female police officer was rough for Beula Johnson at first.

With polite disdain, her male co-workers treated Johnson like a schoolmarm or social worker who would try to reform criminals instead of arresting them.

Then, about three months after Johnson was hired in 1936, a sergeant invited her to go along on a liquor raid targeting a woman who had thwarted their efforts to catch her with bootleg booze.

Armed with a warrant, officers searched the womans rooms in a First Street hotel, even prying up floor boards, to no avail.

All right Beula, take her there and search her, the sergeant said, indicating the other room.

Id never searched anyone before, Johnson told Tulsa Tribune reporter Niki Scott in 1968. The woman just stood there, waiting for me to do something, so I said, Well, I guess youll have to take your clothes off.

She began to chuckle and said, Oh hell, honey, never mind. Ive got the stuff on me. Then, she pulled up her skirt and pulled off a corset-like thing with pockets all around it, each one big enough for a pint.

From that day on, Johnson had the respect of her fellow officers.

A Kansas native, Johnson graduated from the University of Kansas before being hired as a French teacher at Tulsas Roosevelt Junior High School in 1926. She was employed as a social worker when she was chosen as TPDs first policewoman. (She is also believed to be the first female police officer in Oklahoma.)

The League of Women Voters had persuaded Tulsa Police Commissioner O.W. Hoop that a woman should be hired to handle women prisoners and juveniles. Johnson passed a written exam and was interviewed by a committee of club women before being selected from the 13 applicants.

Mary Horn, Tulsas first black policewoman, and Alice Whitney joined TPD in 1939.

Patrolling streets, dance halls

Johnson patrolled downtown streets, beer parlors, rooming houses and dance halls looking for juvenile girls who were being exploited. A 1937 newspaper story said Johnson had been appointed to the police perversion squad, with the job of apprehending sex perverts and maniacs.

At first, Johnson said, my husband and son violently protested my work as a policewoman. But soon they became so interested they forgot their prejudices and wanted me to relate all my experiences to them as soon as I got home.

Johnson was credited in 1944 with cracking the notorious Hex House case, in which a woman held two younger women as virtual slaves and extorted $17,000 from the father of one.

Despite earning the admiration of her peers, Johnson was repeatedly demoted and threatened with firing by superiors who thought women werent fit for police work.

I feel inspection of taverns and rooming houses is mens work, Police Chief George Blaine said after one demotion in 1942.

Her fellow officers, though, elected her as president of the Fraternal Order of Police in 1945. In 1952, she was put in charge of the juvenile bureau. Though she had been promoted to lieutenant, she left TPD as a sergeant in 1959 and went to work for Sheriff Dave Faulkner, retiring from law enforcement in 1963 after 27 years. She died at age 88 in 1980.

Blue blouses and skirts

TPD remained a mostly male bastion, but in 1955, the department hired five women as traffic cops. A Tulsa World story said that after training, the girls will take their places on downtown streets. They will wear police blue blouses and skirts and will carry shoulder bags.

Typical of that time, the story gave each womans marital status, height and weight. Only one  Marilyn Mickey Ethridge  remained on the force longer than a year. She retired in 1986 after 31 years.

Women officers received permission to wear slacks at work, but only after city officials gained public support, the World reported on Nov. 15, 1955. Hundreds responded on the topic and only three people  all women  objected.

They are all trim and attractive and since they are engaged in work with men  then I favor them having the rights and privileges of male officers, stated one man.

Time and again, Tulsas female officers proved they could do the job as well as the men. Regardless, TPD continued to steer women into low-level assignments and bar them from promotion to the upper ranks until 1975, when two female officers won a sex discrimination suit against the department.

In the settlement, Lynn Jones and Monte Peterson were promoted to investigators and received back pay after the city attorney admitted the citys position was indefensible.
The government wants to know more about how we vote. No.

President Trump authorized the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity to investigate voter fraud in the 2016 election. Independent studies all have shown that voter fraud is either non-existent or is so slight that its effect is minimal. Nevertheless, Trump established the commission last month. Its report is expected in 2018.

Studying election results is nothing new. Campaigns do it to see what worked and what didnt. Most rely on public information for their research. This commission, however, goes a dangerous step beyond. Letters were sent out last week to all 50 states and the District of Columbia asking for evidence of voter fraud, convictions for election-related crimes and recommendations for preventing voter intimidation.

More disturbing, the panel requested information including names, dates of birth, voting histories, party identifications and even portions of Social Security numbers. All was to be submitted within 16 days.

So far, 44 states, including Oklahoma, have refused to supply all or part of the information. Twenty of those states and the District of Columbia have rejected the request outright. According to the Oklahoma Election Board, it is required to provide public information upon request, but it wont be supplying full or partial Social Security numbers, which are not available to the public.

When officials in the government, especially those seeking re-election, start trying to match votes against names, party affiliation and Social Security numbers, the citizens ought to be very wary.

We like the response of Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, a Republican, who told the presidents commission that as far as he was concerned they could: Jump in the Gulf of Mexico, and Mississippi is a great state to launch from.

The states are correct to resist providing any information other than public information. The commission ought to be told to back off.
Gold Coast couple Aaron and Daniella were last night crowned winners of Seven renovation series House Rules.

They defeated Adelaides Kate and Harry to take out a $200,000 prize after scoring 27 points, with 25 points for the South Australian runners-up.

Joined by family members, eliminated contestants and judges, the grand final comprised an outdoor renovation on the properties belonging to their opposing teams.

Aaron and Daniella renovated a narrow space down the side of team SAs house while Kate and Harry renovated a pool and BBQ area.

Judge Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen told the Gold Coast couple, There is absolutely no doubt that you two saved the best until last.

We just didnt think this could happen. When we started, we just came along for an adventure, now look where we are its breathtaking, said Aaron.

We just want to provide a beautiful life for our boys and give them opportunities that we didnt have (House Rules) has not only brought us closer together, but $200,000 helps us get ahead in life and means I can spend more time at home with my family its beautiful.

Harry said, For us to get our house renovated, to have a beautiful home, is the best thing that could ever happen we are so thankful for everything.

Sevens series has drawn solid numbers in its 5th season, including wins against The Voice and Masterchef Australia. It is currently calling for applications for 2018.
Another true crime series is getting the US drama treatment, with Netflix announced a 5 part limited series on The Central Park Five.

The 1989 case involved the violent assault, rape, and sodomy of Trisha Meili, a female jogger, in New York Citys Central Park. The attack left her in a coma for 12 days.

Five teenagers from Harlem were wrongly convicted of the crime. The series will focus each episode on one of the 5, from the spring of 1989, when they were first questioned about the incident, to 2014 when they were exonerated.

Creator Ava DuVernay (13TH, Queen Sugar) will write and direct the series, executive produced by Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King from Participant Media, Oprah Winfrey/Harpo Films, Jane Rosenthal and Berry Welsh from Tribeca Productions, and DuVernay.

I had an extraordinary experience working with Netflix on 13TH and am overjoyed to continue this exploration of the criminal justice system as a narrative project with Cindy Holland and the team there, said DuVernay. The story of the men known as Central Park Five has riveted me for more than two decades. In their journey, we witness five innocent young men of color who were met with injustice at every turn  from coerced confessions to unjust incarceration to public calls for their execution by the man who would go on to be the President of the United States.

This is one of the most talked-about cases of our time and Avas passionate vision and masterful direction will bring the human stories behind the headlines to life in this series, said Cindy Holland, Vice President, Original Content for Netflix. After powerfully reframing the public conversation about criminality and injustice in 13TH, Ava now turns a new lens to a case that exposes deep flaws in our criminal justice system.

Participant Medias Jonathan King added, Its an honor to be partnering again with Ava, a uniquely tenacious and inspiring artist. The events of this shocking story continue to resonate today, and the way Ava has chosen to focus intimately on the five young men foregrounds the human costs of this kind of tragedy. We are looking forward to working with Netflix, Tribeca and Harpo on Participants first scripted episodic series.


American Legion Paradise Post 149 held a special presentation at the Leatherneck Club for the recipients of Walker Furnitures fourth annual Help for Heroes program, which helps wounded U.S. Military personnel and veterans in Clark County with specialized and home furniture.

(Pictured above: Help for Heroes Larry Alterwitz CEO Walker Furniture, veteran Robert Leonard, Tim Gomez Commander Paradise Post 149).

For all that our military do for us and their sense of selflessness, said Larry Alterwitz, CEO for Walker Furniture, We feel honored to be in a position where we can give back even a little to our local heroes. Its really the very least we can do.

Deliveries will begin Monday, July 10 with the Jared Stacey family. He was deployed four times but on the last tour of duty was hit by two back-to-back IEDs. He suffered multiple injuries and is 100 percent disabled. Together he and his wife have five children and the youngest has significant special needs. They will receive a houseful of furniture and the Las Vegas Rescue Mission gives food and other items to recipients if needed, as well as support in many other areas.

Other recipients alphabetically include: Mark Bland, Kenneth Hall, Robert Leonard, Millford (Mel) Little, Randy Martinez, Jodie Pokakaa, James Smith, Javier Suarez and Greg Whalen.

The selection is made by letters received by Walker Furniture, which are then reviewed and evaluated by an independent panel headed by Commander Tim Gomez of the American Legion Paradise Post 149. The post commander and members personally visit each prospective recipient to evaluate their individual needs.

After the presentation, John Mulls  Road Kill Grill, another Help for Heroes partner with Walker Furniture provided lunch for the veterans, their families and volunteers.

We need to remember and acknowledge what these men and women have sacrificed and done for us, Alterwitz said. The Veterans Administration helps them but is limited in what they can do beyond their medical needs. This is a chance to help a veteran and to say Thank You.
The conference on the National Action Plan to reach Vietnam's national SDGs

"The National Action Plan on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development was signed by the prime minister in May 2017. This is the legal foundation for Vietnam to realise its international commitments and contribute to global sustainable development," said Nguyen The Phuong, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment.

The Action Plan includes 17 SDGs with 115 targets covering all three dimensions of sustainability-socio-economics, and environment and will prove a challenge. Key tasks will be implemented during two periods, 2017-2020 and 2021-2030.

Addressing the event, Kamal Malhotra, United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, said that the message of "leaving no one behind"the focus in the action plan cannot be achieved without collective action from the government, development partners, political-social organisations, and other stakeholders.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam emphasised that ensuring sustainable development is the task of the government, ministries, businesses, and the people alike. The implementation requires responsibilities assigned to each ministry, agencies, and close cooperation among ministries, between the government and the people, and between Vietnam and other countries and international organisations.

"The government will mobilise all resources and prioritise the implementation of social-economic tasks towards sustainable development. Vietnam wishes to get support from international organisations in realising its SDGs," he added.

In September 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the SDGs. The Agenda 2030 contains a set of 17 goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved by 2030.

In Vietnam, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) is responsible for the coordination of the implementation, monitoring, and reporting on the Agenda 2030.

In the framework of the programme "Initiating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda" of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, GIZ will provide support to the Vietnamese government in strengthening their capacities in monitoring and reporting on Agenda 2030.
In Voxs video, Chinas panda diplomacy, explained, I was surprised to learn how pandas are used as a political tool in China for diplomatic strategies. Most all of the pandas in zoos worldwide belong to China and are just on loan.

China started out giving pandas internationally as gifts, much like governments like to give native animals to their allies. When pandas started becoming endangered, they put fees on the loan of pandas to zoos.

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Receiving zoos will pay $US100 million per panda each year in fees. If this panda has a cub, the zoo pays a $US400,000 cub tax per panda.

If your country or zoo has the cash, it does not guarantee you a panda  China selects which zoos get their pandas. Researchers at the University of Oxford noticed the correlation between panda loans and Chinas international trade deals.

If we look at a case in 2010, Chinas normal trade partner for salmon was Norway  yet Norway had awarded the Nobel peace prize that year to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. China did not want to reward that behavior, so China went to Scotland for salmon.

They also had Landrovers that Chinas wealthy were interested in, so a trade agreement was made and Edinburgh Zoo was sent a panda. Just as China gives pandas, it will take away or delay them if it isnt happy with what that country supports.

Such was the case of a panda called Tai Shan on loan to the Atlanta Zoo in the U.S. Tai Shans lease renewal was rejected by China shortly after President Obama met with the Dalai Lama  an advocate for the Independence of Tibet, which the CCP denies.

Dara Lind Vox, writer/presenter:

It [China] considers pandas kind of as another arm of diplomacy in the same way that in the event of a diplomatic spat, one country might recall its ambassador or pose economic sanctions.

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The problem with immortality, as many stories have told us, is that the struggle to achieve it invariably comes with a disregard for the sanctity of life. That irony, of course, is why villains consumed by the search for the Fountain of Youth are compelling: In struggling to live forever, they sure do kill a lot of people!

This is the central focus of this weeks episode: Whether P.T. Westmoreland is a person or an ideology dominating several bodies over the years, he will stop at nothing to achieve greatness via everlasting life. His motives have always clashed: He insists hes pursuing the betterment of mankind, even acting offended when Rachel wonders why he doesnt simply kill his test subject (Because this mutation is important to me? Because life, long or short, is never perfect?!  a Chekhovs gun outburst, as we discover later). Is this meant to demonstrate internal conflict? Im more inclined to think hell say anything to absolve himself of ethical scientific responsibility. He claims to be curing death, and isnt the inevitability of death what gives life meaning? If you really believe life is never perfect, why would you spend two centuries (or, if youre lying, why assume a 170-year-old identity) attempting to perfect the human race?

Whatever he may say, now we know Westmoreland would rather kill a subject  his morlock, who we finally learn was a Latvian orphan named Yannis  than be embarrassed by one (Cosima).

Siobhan, of course, doesnt buy Westmorelands Great and Powerful Oz act for a second. Consulting the impressive timeline our boy-geeks have compiled (did you find yourself wishing you had a copy as a guide to what the Hell Wizard is going on right now?), she reveals her master plan. She wants to identify all benefactors, associates, and romantic links to key Neolution players  in addition to following the money  to determine whether or not the Westmoreland who disappeared into the jungle in 1898 is the same Westmoreland who reemerged at Cambridge in the 70s and is now holding Cosima hostage in an elaborate, Wellsian RPG.

This guy is a master manipulator, as I suppose you must be, whether youre a con man or a 170-year-old mad scientist or both. Hes been playing Rachel like a harp, plying her with Champagne and Cosimas treatments and telling her how very good and special she is compared to her garbage sisters. Rachel is essentially vying to be the model minority: She needs to be singular, exceptional, good enough for both non-clones and these world-bending scientists. Its what makes her actively dominate both Susan and Delphine (observations like You look so windblown! and Remarkable recovery youve made for a woman your age! border on, dare I say, shade?), and its what drives her Neolution overachievements, procuring not only hella patents but also 1,300 (!) test subjects into which they intend to implant Kiras eggs. Its a stunning display of unethical scientific practice, but, lest we forget, not an uncommon one.

Speaking of ownership, Delphine returns from Sardinia, which, as Casey Griffin and Nina Nesseth over at the Mary Sue point out, is home to a population boasting unusually long lifespans, as well as one of the oldest and largest collections of genetic samples. In this universe, it turns out Westmoreland owns that biobank. Her return with the samples is again framed as a test of loyalty, but we finally dispense of that suspicion by episodes end, when she reminds Cosima of her promise to protect her always, and the pair accept that their relationship will always involve Delphine acting without Cosimas consent and Cosima taking everything to 11. (Since when do we equate constantly lying by omission with acting on ones principles? Whatever.)

Cosima is on tooth patrol, sequencing Yanniss (also patented?) genome and comparing it to Ayeshas, a study which gets her into one of the weirdest dinner parties in history. Westmoreland has invited his Science Harem for dinner  even if you believe that Westmoreland is in fact 170 years old, asking 21st-century women to wear Victorian petticoats at your dinner table is a Paul RyanonPCP degree of gross, not to mention kinky as hell  to which he insists on arriving with Delphine on his arm. Its a petty yet deeply disturbing display of dominance over Cosima, reminding her that Delphine is just one more object he owns. In between bites of nothing (exactly one stalk of asparagus was consumed on camera by Susan), Cosima comments on the number of dead things in the house, is asked to talk about her parents, and finally confronts Westmoreland about Neolutions work: Theyre manipulating the expression of LIN28a, the gene that regulates the regeneration of stem cells.

Let me explain: In Ayeshas tumor, theyre administering gene therapy instead of chemo (Cosima notices low promoter methylation, which in Earth language means theyre chemically encouraging that gene to let its little light shine). But in Kira, theyve found that the gene is naturally mutated and is self-replicating without going overboard and becoming cancerous (so, more like a self-contained bonfire than a little light). Theyd hoped that, when they synthesized Yanniss LIN28a to make the Leda clones, itd self-replicate in them, but thanks to evolution, it only started appearing naturally as a mistake  in a second-generation child who wasnt supposed to exist. Now they want to effectively scrape Kiras womb clean to see if her eggs can produce more mutant babies. Cosima is, of course, horrified.

What a delicate balance you have between the clinical and the humane, Westmoreland observes, as though those two things are mutually exclusive.

Meanwhile, our bear in the woods has killed a Revivalist, so a hunting party assembles to end him. Mud, who let him out in the first place, is forced to join. but Yannis recognizes her after killing the guy shooting at him (fair enough) and spares her. Eventually he charges back up to Westmorelands nightmare dungeon, where Cosima again confronts a now-armed P.T. whos dying and using Yannis, who was a healthy kid before he dismantled him, presumably for his own gene therapy, to cure his own death. It isnt until she accuses him of being a normally aging impostor, however, that he snaps, giving her the gun and telling her to put Yannis out of his misery if shes so principled. She refuses, so as she attempts to speak to Yannis  effectively her family member  P.T. shoots him. Thats eugenics for you: When imperfect life is no longer useful to you, that life is not worth keeping around. Besides, now hes got a new pet in Cosima, whos now trapped in the same cage  and whose parents wont come looking for her, or so she effectively told him at dinner.

Too bad hes underestimating her sisters.

Scattered Notes

 Westmoreland or Westmorland? BBC America and the show itself have spelled it both ways.

 Helenas advice re: Kira worked. She agrees to tell her mom about Sestra ESP (Extra-Sestra Perception?) in exchange for the full, grown-up truth. Sarah, being Sarah, decides that also means teaching Kira how to hustle Rachel. Questionable parenting, maybe, but truth can only protect you if you know what youre doing with it!

 Screaming at the credits music. Tatiana Maslany and Kristian Bruuns Aint No Mountain cover was great, but this childrens song adapted from that Neolution nursery rhyme is nothing short of chilling.

 Ira is glitching. Susan is regretting her decision more by the second. Will either find redemption in the end?

 Cosimas tux! Did it just get really hot in here? I need a minute.
Veteran producer Al Berman calls Earth Live the most ambitious project Ive ever been involved in, and indeed it sounds like quite the undertaking: National Geographics Sunday night spectacular will air live for two hours, capturing life in the wild across 16 countries as it happens, trying to juggle footage in real time for the creation of a veritable safari. (Oh, and Jane Lynch co-hosts with The Amazing Races Phil Keoghan.) The trailers for the special make some promises that probably cannot be kept  animal dance parties where even the elephants get in on the action?  although, to be fair, a bunch of wild animals are making their live-TV debuts, and they might be feeling the pressure to put on a show. One things for sure: If even one deer gets word that theyre competing in the same time-slot as Twin Peaks, expect the subjects of Earth Live to really up the ante.

Earth Live premieres Sunday, July 9 at 9 p.m.
The aging Austin Arms apartment complex at 13th Street and Austin Avenue is starting its evolution into a downtown asset under the leadership of brothers Shane and Cody Turner.

The five-story, 44-unit property now stands vacant except for construction crews that should complete the transformation by next spring.

The Turners have announced they will give each floor and unit a fresh look and feel, with touches that includes a new elevator; central heat and air conditioning; washers and dryers in each apartment; gated and secure parking; controlled access to the building; and well-designed floor plans, Shane Turner said in an email response to questions as he traveled.

We are targeting people who want to live downtown, Shane Turner said. Cody and I have found that that can be just about any age group.

The brothers and their Lucra Real Estate have become a force in downtowns renaissance, investing more than $50 million in multifamily, commercial and office developments with more progressing. They spent $2.6 million to renovate the historic Waco Hippodrome Theatre and recently started work to add three screens, install more comfortable seating, rework the restaurant and add other features.

They have created loft apartments and town homes at sites around the central city while announcing in 2014 their vision for the 90-year-old Austin Arms that had seen better days, but not for decades. They vowed to market a refurbished property to urban hipsters.

We are still finalizing design and layout, Turner said in an email, adding the rental rate will start at $750 a month.

When the Turners announced their plan for Austin Arms in 2014, rents ranged from $350 to $600, depending on size and position.

Since then, the handful of residents who still lived in the complex have vacated the premises as their payment agreements expired. The property has been valued at $200,000 for tax purposes by the McLennan County Appraisal District, and Turner said that is about what they paid for it. They have yet to say how much they will spend on remodeling.

The Waco City Council has granted the property a historic landmark designation, which freezes city property taxes over several years. The complex is first listed in the 1923-24 city directory as the Hardin Apartments, which included a drugstore on the first floor.

Turner said he intends to place retail space at ground level, refinish the oak floors, retexture the walls and ceilings, and replace countertops, light fixtures and window-cooling units. The L-shaped building, which affords an impressive view of downtown Waco, McLane Stadium and Baylor University, had balconies that overlooked a courtyard that the Turners have indicated they will landscape.

Holly Harris, co-owner with Martha Sanders of the shop at 1509 Austin Ave. known as Sironia, said she applauds the Turners and their contribution to linking downtown with uptown, which we consider ourselves. We think what they are doing with Austin Arms is incredible.

Harris said she and Sanders are celebrating their 13th year of owning and operating Sironia, and they remain busier than ever. She said it is exciting to watch development move along Austin Avenue from the heart of downtown, near Waco City Hall, to beyond North 10th Street, where boutique retail shops are clamoring for space.

We love all the growth downtown, and Martha and I are big fans of the Turner brothers and what they have accomplished, she said.

Connecting the dots

Mary Helen George, who five years ago opened Papillon Antiques at 1025 Austin Ave., said transforming Austin Arms into something positive for the area continues the trend of connecting the dots and filling in spaces in the blocks that need something good and interesting.

A refurbished Austin Arms, with a gift shop or ice cream parlor on the first floor, will provide tourists on foot another break from the summer heat.

Ive seen some pretty hot and tired ones, tourists who come to town and try to walk up and down Austin Avenue, George said. From the very beginning weve been well received. We get a lot of traffic from Magnolia, but were totally different, offering authentic antiques as opposed to the home decor and novelty items you will find at the Silos.

George said she attributes much of the downtown Waco explosion to the opening of Baylor Universitys new McLane Stadium in 2013 on the banks of Lake Brazos, near the campus and inner city.

Once alums started seeing change in the stadium situation, they began looking downtown, buying or leasing loft apartments and watching restaurants pop up, George said. Magnolia has been operating only 18 months, but Ive seen new shops opening since Ive been here.

Work is also progressing on another of the Turners major developments called Franklin Square. It stretches from South Seventh to South Eighth streets on Franklin Avenue and included the gutting of the old Waco Labor Temple and adjacent buildings. Retail space and lofts are planned for the development.

We do have retailers lined up for a lot of the space at our Franklin Square project, Turner wrote in his email. One of the retailers is The Running Company, which is currently located inside of Bicycle World. I have not been given permission to release any of the others at this time.
Police say a man suspected of drunken driving smashed his car through the front of a Fixer Upper home in North Waco early Saturday morning, capping more than a year of frustration for its owners, who feel their complaints about neighborhood crime have gone unheard.

The owners, Ken and Kelly Downs, sleeping in an interior bedroom at the time of the crash, werent hurt, but their house nicknamed the Three Little Pigs house and featured on Season 3, Episode 12 of HGTVs Fixer Upper, sustained considerable damage. The car broke through an exterior wall and a parallel interior wall of a front room office.

Police and fire crews were called to 1902 Alexander Ave. about 1:20 a.m., after a car crashed into the home, Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said. Swanton said the driver, Allen Wayne Miller, 31, was found in a Hyundai Accent wedged inside the home.

Authorities said Miller tried to get out of the car and leave the house. Waco Assistant Fire Chief Don Yeager said firefighters helped detain the man before police arrived and arrested Miller on a driving while intoxicated charge.

The Downses house is at the end of North 19th Streets T intersection with Alexander, and Kelly Downs said it isnt the first time the neighborhood has had issues with drivers failing to stop.

Tires left grooves in the sloped front lawn but didnt leave any apparent damage on the front porch, seeming to indicate the car went over the porch, crashing through a railing and two walls, Yeager said.

The yard is built up several feet, and he hit the embankment of the yard, apparently went airborne, and like a lot of older homes, this house was built up off the ground, so he cleared the rest of the yard, Yeager said. He didnt hurt the hedges, but he took out the railing on the porch and went right into the window of the front room and hit an interior wall that might be a load-bearing wall.

Swanton said the driver was taken to Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Medical Center for minor injuries before he was taken to jail.

Ralph Strother, 19th State District Court judge, signed a search warrant for a blood draw for Miller about 3:30 a.m. The judge said the search warrant affidavit states Miller was aggressive with authorities.

Miller had been released from McLennan County Jail by Saturday evening.

Veronia Perez, who lives two houses down on Alexander Avenue, said the early morning wreck didnt wake her family, but she noticed the damage when taking her daughter to work Saturday morning.

By Saturday afternoon, plywood sheets covered the hole in the exterior wall. Inside, Ken Downs picked through a floor covered with rubble, broken ceramics and electronics, books and splintered shiplap for anything salvageable from his home office. Nearby, at a dining room table built by Clint Harp, a weary Kelly Downs considered how serious the wreck could have been.

In the home renovation by Fixer Uppers Chip and Joanna Gaines, a brick fireplace had been relocated in the office and likely was what stopped the car. The next room the car would have hit, was the bedroom where they were sleeping when the crash happened, Kelly Downs said.

Security cameras mounted on the front porch may have caught the wreck as it happened, and the Downses intend to forward any footage to police and city officials.

Like the Wild West

Its like the Wild West here. Theres been a lot of commotion coming from the bars and the store across the street, she said. Its been a problem from the beginning. Weve lived here a year and a half and we feel deceived by the city of Waco and Magnolia Realty.

Ken, a digital design engineer, and Kelly, an occupational therapist, met in Dallas a few years ago and married. His place, however, was too small.

We had to get out of his small bachelors pad, Kelly Downs said.

What they were seeing on the first season of Fixer Upper was intriguing, and they followed it up by house hunting in Waco with Magnolia Realty. The house on Alexander Avenue appealed to them with its first-floor layout, its ample square footage and, Kelly smiled ruefully, shiplap.

The homes front bedrooms were converted into his-and-hers office spaces, the room on the left front with touches by Joanna for Kelly, the one on the right with Chips input for Ken.

It was a really nice concept, Kelly Downs said.

While the Downses encountered some problems with their home after moving in, the neighborhood had issues they did not expect: late-night noise from nearby bars, suspicious activity and push-back, some of it anti-Fixer Upper, from local residents when they complained to police.

We have been intimidated and harassed, Kelly Downs said. People have complained about their taxes going up because we moved here. Store owners have complained about taxes.

She recently polled neighbors for interest in creating a Neighborhood Watch group and found that, while half expressed an interest, others wanted no change in the status quo.

After the wreck Saturday she said she wonders why Magnolia Realty showed them a property in such an area and why the city hasnt done more to reply to their complaints.

This is what weve been saying. Theres a big problem here. Its not safe, Kelly Downs said. This is a Fixer Upper gone bad.

Efforts to reach Magnolia spokesman Brock Murphy on Saturday evening were unsuccessful.

In the hours after the early morning crash, the Downses still were recovering from the surprise and not sure what their next step would be, whether to repair or move to another place.
Last week: Hamiltons Eugene Clary decided to enlist for an additional six years in the Army, and eventually wound up in Japan during the Korean War, working in the 279th General Hospital in Osaka.

There was a saying during World War II: If you cant do anything else, they make a medic out of you, Clary joked.

Japan was a lively place, with plenty of work to do. Clary kept busy in the X-ray department, and, because he had corpsman training, he also bandaged wounds and performed other necessary medical tasks.

Clary, now 87, enjoyed the job. It was the most satisfying career, he said, because I had the most appreciative patients.

There were occasions when they had no one to tend to as a result of tropical storms that prevented travel from Korea. But there were usually patients. Clary usually tended between 50 and 100 patients at a time and sometimes as many as 150.

It was occassionally harrowing. One patient died from shrapnel lodged in his aorta. Another guy coming back from patrol smarted off instead of giving the correct password and was shot dead.

In 1953, something happened in Clarys life that changed him forever: he met a special woman.

Married in Japan

Her name was Mineko Kosaka, a local girl who worked in service to the military. Clary met her when the USO invited the Japanese staffers to the service club for a dance. Most were ready and willing for female companionship, he said.

They married in Japan in March 1953 and moved into their first apartment. A son was born in 1954 in the Osaka Army Hospital. Mineko later changed her name to Judy when she was living in the United States.

His stay in Japan over, Clary and his family sailed for the States on the USNS Gen. Simon B. Buckner. There were five or six women on board who stayed in the stateroom. The men could visit their families during the day, but not at night.

Clary next served three years at The Presidio of San Francisco before moving to San Antonio to take advanced X-ray training at Fort Sam Houston. After graduation, he stayed on for a time as an instructor.

He was attending night school, majoring in personnel management when he received a telegram asking him to change to laboratory technology, which included phlebotomy. Beginning in 1961 he was a student at Trinity University, followed by medical laboratory school in Fort Sam. He eventually became certified as a lab tech.

In 1964, the entire family went to Bangkok, where Clary was assigned to the SEATO Medical Research Laboratory. A daughter would be born in the States.

It was a most interesting tour, Clary said. There were diverse types of pathologies, including the life cycles of parasites. They also studied the effects of malaria on kidney function and much, much more.

Back home in the U.S.

He spent three years in Thailand before returning to an assignment at Fort Sam Houston as a lab instructor of advanced hematology. One year later, Clary resigned from the service as a sergeant (E-7) and found that his work at the Thailand Stat Lab prepared me perfectly for my job in a little Nevada hospital.

When his mother became ill in Cranfills Gap, he came home to care for her. He worked at the Hamilton Hospital for nine years, before the company closed it. The citizens rallied and reopened the facility a year later. By this time, Clary was working for the Texas Department of Corrections in Gatesville.

Clary worked there 10 years and was ready to retire in 1998, but they asked him to stay on part time. He also worked at the Hamilton Hospital. I retired from the Army, the TDC and twice from the Hamilton Hospital.

Clary retired for good when his sight began to fail.

Judy died five days before their 63rd anniversary in 2016. She took good care of me and the kids, Clary said.

Today, he keeps busy with the Lions Club and other activities. He has grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The service now is a different world since I was in, Clary said. There are so many modalities today.

Still, its clear that he enjoyed his time in the military.
Bob's first trip was by train and steamer from his birthplace, Duncan Oklahoma, with his family to Burma, where his mother was raised and his father worked as an oil driller. After three years the family returned stateside and Bob spent his youth in Oklahoma and Texas. As a teen during WWII, Bob ran off to work on tugs along the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf Coast. After high school Bob was accepted into the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point New York and spent a year there before catching a service flight home on a B-25. That flight changed his career path to the Air Force. After completing cadet training Bob was stationed in Weisbaden Germany flying for Special Air Missions, SAM Squadron. He flew diplomatic and other missions to Moscow, North Africa and all over Europe. On at least one of these missions his future wife, Dorothy Kasel, an Air Force secretary, accompanied him to Spain and Italy. They both returned to the States after four years in Europe and married in Kingsville Texas in 1952. Bob completed a degree in meteorology at Texas A&M and began flying for United airlines in 1955. For United, Bob flew DC-4s, Convair 340s, DC-6s, DC-8s, 727s, 737s (his favorite commercial aircraft), and DC-10s. Up until 1975 Bob continued serving his country in the Air Force Reserve, working at McCord Air Force Base and flying MAC missions to Saigon during the Viet Nam war. After retiring in 1988, Bob's love of boats, never quenched, re-surfaced with more frequent trips in the "Burma Belle" and the "Barcarole" to the San Juan Islands and beyond with his brother Bill and family and friends. He also worked for many years as a docent at The Museum of Flight during his retirement years and continued a lifelong love of travelling the world with Dottie.
Carol Holder

Oct. 6, 1945 - July 6, 2017

Carol Holder, 71, of Waco, passed away Thursday, July 6, 2017 at Providence Hospice Place. Visitation will be held at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 11, at Waco Memorial Park Mausoleum, followed by funeral services at 11:00 a.m., with Wayne Blackshear officiating.

Carol was born October 6, 1945 in LaMarque, Texas, to Joe Steve and Annie Dlabay. She graduated from LaMarque High School in 1963.She married Jimmy L. Holder on February 20, 1970 in Waco, TX. They had 47 happy years together. They lived in Waco most of their married life.

Carol loved to travel to Branson and Colorado, as well as going out to eat together with Jim. She also loved her many dogs and country western music. There was Laddy Jr., Beau, Sandy, Lucky, and their latest Freckles.

She worked for the Social Security Office for 34 years and enjoyed helping many people thru the years. Carol was also a member of the Robinson Drive Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by her parents; sister, Rose Johnson; and brother Daniel Dlabay.

Carol is survived by her husband, Jim Holder; sister-in-law, Linda Sandhoff and husband, Ross; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Special thanks to the staff and caregivers at Providence Hospice Place for their love and care of Carol. Memorials may be made to The Humane Society of Central Texas, 2032 Circle Road, Waco, TX. 76706 or a charity of your choice.
Till well into my 17th year, I was a hardcore, remember-the-Alamo, redneck kid. Hispanic and Anglo cultures scraped and ground against each other along a fault line called the Carlsbad Highway, sending shockwaves of distrust through the little town I grew up in: Pecos, Texas. Anglos lived west of the highway; Hispanics east. Except to go to school or work, few had the courage to cross the wall the Carlsbad Highway represented.

I recall all manner of run-ins and scuffles with Hispanic kids in high school simply because their culture was a little different or they were more comfortable speaking Spanish when together with their friends. When somebody laughed anytime I was around, I just knew it had to be about me. Id often turn around and make it about me. I also remember the first time I realized those kids were not so different from me. It took the loneliness and windswept desolation of an abandoned graveyard to knock down that particular wall.

I met her at church in the winter of 1971 after traveling up Carlsbad Highway to New Mexico. It was an old adobe chapel with most of the roof collapsed and a couple of walls beaten down by harsh New Mexico winds. I was hunting deer when I happened upon the humble structure that seemed, from my initial vantage point on a nearby mountain, to be little more than a mound of dirt. As I approached, the earthen walls piqued my curiosity and, with something of the air of an archeologist, I began to poke around, looking for old bottles and whatever else was worth carting off. I hadnt seen but one deer all day anyway.

Then I noticed the graveyard to the side of the chapel. I figured they must have been poor people, the folks who had erected this church; only one gravestone was still legible, just barely. I bent down and tried to read the lettering and couldnt. Yet by tracing the remains of lettering on the old slate tombstone with my fingers, I could make out the simple inscription below an equally simple cross:

Margarita Maez

1902-1918

My God! She had been only 16 when she died. The stone didnt say what happened, but 1918 was the first year of the Great Flu Epidemic. I figured Margaritas life had been cut short by that wide sweep of the Grim Reapers indifferent blade. To this day, I dont know why it happened, but I stood outside an old adobe chapel, nearly gnawed to the ground by New Mexicos bitter winds and rain, and I mourned a girl I never knew. I pictured her in my mind as a beautiful, dark-eyed teenager almost ready to test her wings. I thought of all the things she must have dreamed of doing, just as I dreamed of so many things then too. Out there alone with Margarita, she didnt seem so different from me. It seemed so sad natures hand would soon finish erasing her name from even that piece of cold, unfeeling stone, and no one, even if he happened onto that patch of forgotten, sacred ground, would know her. Her last name and the language she spoke seemed utterly irrelevant.

The teenager who traveled back down Carlsbad Highway to Pecos the next day was not the same kid who had looked forward to a hunting trip in New Mexico. I didnt suddenly become a civil-rights activist by any means, but I had taken my first step down the road toward accepting other people. Some 53 years after her death, Margarita Maez, the beautiful Hispanic girl, spoke to me, a 17-year-old redneck kid, from the grave. God help me, I still hear her.

Walls come in many forms. Ive already had a couple of walls inspired by fear and distrust knocked down. Ill never stand for another.
Perhaps no aspect of the American founding is as politicized today as the role of religion. Be they atheists or deeply devout, liberals tend to see religious pluralism and equality as definitive American values, while the right wing (Vice President Mike Pence and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, for example) insists the United States was founded as a Christian nation and that fostering the countrys Christian, or Judeo-Christian, identity is essential.

Those with a secular mind-set, Sessions argued in opposing Sonia Sotomayors nomination to the Supreme Court, do not understand who we are and advance a worldview directly contrary to the founding of our republic.

Its an old debate, as old as the United States itself, as we were reminded last week during Independence Day celebrations. Yet, contrary to Pence, Sessions and other Christian nationalists, the range of views on what the role of religion in American life should be has actually grown narrower, and shallower, since the Revolutionary generation debated the matter. There are many reasons not to want to return to the politics of the 18th century, but they did hold a richer discussion about religion and society.

When todays Christian nationalists look back at the past two centuries of history, they see secular ideologies at the root of conflict and war. For Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, however, religion lay as the root cause of bloodshed and tyranny. They stood, in profound ways, closer to Martin Luther and Galileo than we do to them.

Jefferson described his and Madisons attempts in the 1780s to establish religious freedom in Virginia as the severest contests in which I have ever been engaged. Neither the Declaration of Independence nor the U.S. Constitution  our countrys charter documents  are partial to Christianity. The Declaration acknowledges the authority of the Laws of Nature and the deists beloved Natures God.

Of the 27 grievances against the British Crown that the Declaration puts forward, not one concerns religion. Likewise, the Constitution merely recognizes freedom of religion; it doesnt endorse Christianity  it doesnt even mention it.

These omissions present todays Christian nationalists with a real awkwardness. It has forced advocates of the Christian nation or Judeo-Christian nation into strained textual exegeses attributing immense significance to the use of the Christian calendar, for example, or elaborate justifications as to why a generation of men and women who said everything somehow left this important thing unsaid.

There was even prevalent, open hostility to Christianity, in the form of anti-Catholicism, in Revolutionary-era America. The American Colonies were deeply, profoundly anti-Catholic. Anti-Catholicism was one of the few things the diverse colonies shared. Colonists were horrified when Britain, with the 1774 Quebec Act, recognized Quebecs Catholics as deserving equal protection of the law. The Continental Congress protested, claiming Catholicism as a religion had deluged Britain in blood and dispersed impiety, bigotry, persecution, murder and rebellion through every part of the world.

Then, as now, most Christians in the world were Catholics. Claiming that people moved by deep prejudice against most of worlds Christians wanted to form a Christian nation makes no sense. The problem cannot be solved by simply devolving to Protestant nation. Britain was known as the sword and shield of Protestantism, set against a hostile Catholic Continent. In what form of Protestantism, exactly, did the United States rise up in rebellion against the 18th-century worlds standard-bearer of Protestantism? Possible answers quickly begin to look rather sectarian, rendering any understanding of Christian nation into something very narrow, perhaps some kind of provincial country denomination.

So there are insuperable obstacles to the Christian nationalist position. But there is also a neglected and fascinating history, key to American independence. Quite simply, Americas first patriots were acutely Christian and did envision, at least, an acutely Christian, which to them meant Protestant, nation. They issued the first calls for American independence.

More specifically, Americas first nationalist movement was a small group of young New England writers at Yale College who were fiercely Christian. Timothy Dwight and John Trumbull were the groups founding members, and by 1769, at the Yale College commencement, they publicly protested for American independence. Noah Webster, of dictionary fame, would later come into the group, too.

Connecticut Wits

These young writers, who called themselves the Connecticut Wits, were terrible poets but visionary American nationalists. Dwights epic poem, The Conquest of Canaan, portrayed an independent America as the new Holy Land. He began it in 1771. Most Americans, by contrast, supported reconciliation with Britain well into 1776. Years later, Dwight would complain that for their early, open advocacy of American independence they had suffered years of ridicule and contempt.

John Trumbulls 1773 poem An Elegy of the Times is a clear, repeated call, steeped in New England Protestantism, for nationalist revolution. Though Ive never met anyone today who has read it, Trumbulls 1775 poem MFingal was the best-selling poem of the American Revolution. It went through 30 editions, a feat no other American poet managed till Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1847. MFingal is a lampoon of the Scottish Enlightenment and a sclerotic Great Britain in the name of enlightened and vital independent, Protestant America.

Here we have bona fide, as well as forthright and prescient, 18th-century American Christian nationalists. Of course, you wont see them invoked by todays Christian nationalists  for a couple of telling reasons.

One, ironically, is that the Wits wrote too much, in too much detail, about how Christian America should look. As a result, its obvious that their vision does not easily fit with that of todays Christian nationalists. Americas 18th-century Christian nationalists, for example, were interested in God and theologizing. Todays Christian nationalists prefer Jesus and evangelizing. Americas 18th-century Christian nationalists wanted the state to regulate almost every aspect of life, from education to commerce to religion. Todays Christian nationalists depend politically on an alliance with anti-statist capitalists; indeed, this in some ways odd alliance forms the basis of modern conservatism.

Lost battle

Second, in the story of American national history, Americas 18th-century Christian nationalists are losers. They lost a battle for political control of the United States to the deists Jefferson and Madison, and to the rest of the Southern planters, whom they despised. In December 1814 and January 1815, during the War of 1812, these early Christian nationalists alienation culminated in the Hartford Convention, in which a group of their close allies, state and federal officeholders from Connecticut and Massachusetts, met and issued a series of demands.

Their most radical demand? They wanted the three-fifths clause, which in effect gave Southern planters 66 votes for every 100 slaves they owned, banished from the U.S. Constitution. If their demands were not met, the Hartford Convention threatened to secede from the United States.

Misjudged

This threat misjudged the political climate, however, and helped destroy the Federalist Party that served as their political vehicle.

Jefferson exulted at the Hartford Conventions miscalculation  their mortification, he called it. Under any other government, he wrote, their treasons would have been punished by the halter  that is, by execution. Hartford, to Jefferson, illustrated the New Englanders religious and political tyranny. He compared them to prostitutes, bawds, who found in religion a refuge from the despair of their loathsome vices. Strong words, from one of Americas founders, against the first American patriots and the countrys original Christian nationalists.

The history of religion and the American national founding does not offer simple support to either todays Christian nationalists or the liberal secularists, who also tend to claim some kind of consensus existed among the Revolutionary generation. Its impossible not to notice that much has been lost from the Connecticut Wits 18th-century Christian nationalism. They thought deeply about Christianity, governance and the broad social responsibilities of a truly Christian state. If the deists were preoccupied with freedom, the Christian nationalists were as preoccupied with how society must facilitate grace.

Stark debate

By comparison, todays debate is rather stark, with Christian nationalists such as Pence and Sessions, or Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse, committed to an evangelical Protestant vision that comes down to little more than pro-life politics, home schooling and rote patriotism. Anti-religious liberals, such as comedian Bill Maher, on the other hand, dont know much about religion at all.

Why has such a vibrant debate dimmed to a litany of talking points? Partially, the answer is that American Christianity has changed. But more important, rather than a historical disagreement or a philosophical one, todays argument about whether America was founded as a Christian nation is a political one. Arguing whether the United States was founded as a Christian nation is usually just a coded way of asserting about what kind of nation we want America to be. Thats a discussion worth having, and having it directly, without bad historical justifications  an endeavor Americas Founders could have respected.
For many years, weve watched our state lawmakers indulge locally elected officials by hearing out the latters concerns and complaints at least once or twice a biennium. Topping the list of grievances: unfunded mandates by the Texas Legislature  laws requiring that cities, counties and school districts undertake some particular course of action without the Legislatures providing the money to fund it. This means local taxpayers get stuck with the bills. And, to add insult to injury, the more poorly informed of taxpayers promptly blame the local governing entities for subsequent tax hikes while then re-electing the very state officials responsible for this bit of chicanery. Worse, theres little indication that state officials who loudly claim to be principled conservatives actually grasp the unprincipled demands they make of local entities. Why should they? They can pretty well count on the public not figuring all this out.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is offering a prime example of this by including in his lengthy agenda for a special session of the Texas Legislature this month a proposal giving $1,000 pay raises to Texas teachers, possibly over three years. Only problem: He doesnt quite specify where the money to pay for all this will come from. If the past session of the Legislature is any indication, little will come from state coffers. The expectation is local school boards will come up with all or at least much of the money  and at the same time that Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Republican lawmakers are making political hay by blaming local governing entities for recklessly raising property-tax rates. Even more outrageous, the state of Texas has been quietly reducing its own share of public-education funding, as Texas Tribune reporter Ross Ramsey has outlined in a series of excellent pieces.

Abbotts surprising proposal to add pay raises for teachers to his special-session agenda no doubt seeks to obscure the heavily punitive tone conjured up as he, Lt. Gov. Patrick and state senators press schemes to publicly finance vouchers for private schooling, further complicating ebbing state funding of public education. Matters might be different had lawmakers  including the pair who listened to then-Waco Independent School District Superintendent Bonny Cain during a forum on local priorities in Waco last fall  fixed the states wildly inequitable and inadequate school finance system before trying to commit public dollars to any private schooling ventures. However, the Texas Senate torpedoed a House plan to do just that in May. Nobody won.

Few people would argue most teachers dont deserve $1,000 pay raises. But no one should be fooled by Abbotts gesture. And his suggestion that school districts should be able to fund teacher pay raises through better fiscal management must insult any school trustees who already do this. If Abbott and lawmakers are not willing to commit state dollars to his idea, then his gesture must be branded hollow. If any of the governors agenda items rate serious consideration, its his proposal that a special commission be assembled to craft serious reforms for our obsolete school finance system. We only hope this, too, is not some political shell game to advance school vouchers before state financing of public schools is sufficiently overhauled.
So whos biased?

Regarding new Trib contributor Blake Burlesons July 2 column, Watchdog media serve our free society: I very much agree with his basic premises. He points out that journalists play an important role in preserving our democracy by playing a watchdog role over government. However, I vehemently disagree with some of his conclusions regarding the current state of unbiased political reporting by certain media outlets.

Mr. Burleson cites a Pew survey poll (March 13-17) that found nine in 10 Democrats believe that the news media keep politicians in line by serving in a watchdog role. Only four in 10 Republicans can affirm this. The inference is that Democrats believe the media keep politicians in line more so than Republicans do.

I submit since Democrats tend to get their information from the major established news outlets and spurn any other information sources such as Fox News, they feel the media are doing their jobs just fine, but most Republicans would disagree. For many years, the major media outlets have had a left-leaning bias and conservative Republicans have recognized it, leading to skepticism of reports by those journalists and agencies, leading to a lack of faith in the ability of the media to perform their watchdog roles. The bias has become worse in recent years, to the point that some major media are trying to save face by reporting (quietly) that retractions and reporter firings have occurred.

I agree that Democracy is dependent upon an informed citizenry. But the major media that he cites as best sources now either fail to report on actual occurrences or give it leftist spin in small articles or on-air mentions. So if major media outlets regularly report in this fashion, can there be government by the people?

I likewise agree government can and is held in check by a responsible, fact-seeking, non-partisan media. But todays major media have not so performed. For the last eight years, in particular, corruption, scandals and abuse by our federal government have gone under-reported, unreported or spun by major media to cover up what is every bit as big or bigger than Watergate. Think IRS corruption, Benghazi, ClintonLynch obstruction, Clinton emails and Clinton Foundation corruption, inaction in Middle East turmoil (disappearing red line), etcetera ad infinitum.

Last, I agree that When governments or businesses are able to control all information regarding their actions, they will escape accountability. Thats what has taken place the last two presidential administrations and the media (Fox News and right-wing talk radio) that Mr. Burleson dismisses are merely doing what he wants them to do: uncover and publish and air facts. Cant hear them screaming at the top of their lungs? Uncover your eyes and ears and look and listen to what is being documented by other outlets, including Judicial Watch online.

Rick Charlton, Waco

Think Silent Cal

Political observer, journalist and American wit H.L. Mencken said, It is better to remain silent and be considered a fool than to open your mouth and confirm the fact.

Time for a Coolidge moment.

John Kamenec, Waco

And grace to all

I write to comment on two sections of the article, No courthouse weddings for same-sex couples in Waco, which appeared on the Tribs front page on Sunday, June 25.

In the article, Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley is quoted as saying that while she has begun performing traditional weddings, as a Bible-believing Christian her conscience prohibits her from doing same-sex weddings. Regarding Hensleys stance on same-sex marriage, Waco attorney David Schleicher is quoted as saying, Its an embarrassment to religion to use it as an excuse for bigotry. In my opinion, calling Ms. Hensley a bigot because she is practicing her religious belief is a form of bigotry itself.

My second observation regards Carmen Saenzs indignant comment of condemnation upon learning that Ms. Hensley would not perform a wedding for her because Ms. Saenz is a lesbian. In my opinion, the best response to Ms. Saenzs outrage would be that of Chuck Smith, CEO of the LGBT group Equality Texas. Smith is quoted as saying: Personally, I would not want to be married by someone who didnt support my marriage in the first place.

This statement makes perfect sense to me. What doesnt make sense to me is why any same-sex couple who wants to marry in Central Texas would not simply contact a person from a list provided by the JPs office of locals who will officiate a same-sex wedding. This includes the Rev. Charley Garrison, pastor of Metropolitan Community Church; other local ministers; and, finally, Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace David Pareya, who is based in nearby West.

The correct Christian response to those who condemn us for our faithful testimony to Gods word is to hold such persons in grace. Grace and peace to all, with malice toward none.

Ruth Rose, Waco

Decline of America

Our country began as a rebellion against the oppression of a corporation (East India Tea Company) and a religion (the Church of England). For the past 40 years our great country and grand experiment has suffered a concerted and coordinated attack from within. Voter suppression, gerrymandering and unlimited dark money in our elections have ensured that corporations and the mega-rich can monopolize our media, monopolize our elections and monopolize our future.

Our freedoms were paid for by the lives and blood of those who came before us. Let us not continue the slide into autocratic rule because it benefits corporations and the 400 richest people in our country. The mortar of our country needs to be shored up brick by brick, vote by vote, till we are once again a country of We the People.

Sandra Blankenship, Killeen

Equal but separate

A recent article in the Trib states that the Texas Supreme Court reversed itself in a ruling concerning government-subsidized benefits for same-sex couples after enormous pressure from Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton. In spite of the fact the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the U.S. Constitution grants gay couples who want to marry equal dignity in the eyes of the law, our Texas leaders now insist there is no fundamental right to the same benefits enjoyed by heterosexual couples.

In other words, same-sex couples are eligible only for a separate, different set of benefits, if any...

Hmmm, equal but separate . . . Why does that phrase ring a bell?

William Howard, McGregor

Moving forward

Lets move America forward. Congress and the news media send out their aides and reporters to see how they can negatively slant anything our president has an idea about. Late-night talk-show hosts spend 23 hours a day trying to find a way to make fun of the president.

So where are we going with this attitude? America voted for the things he promised us. But the government is standing in the way of everything and anything he does.

Im getting so tired of this obstruction-type government. This Congress of the people is not following the two other parts of the reason we put them in there. What happen to by the people and for the people?

Lets start building America instead of trying to break it into pieces. Weve done that for the past eight years. God blessed this land to be as great as it can be.

Ivan Pruett, Hewitt

Case for term limits

On NBC the other day someone noted that when the Republicans were successful in their vote on the health-care issue in the House of Representatives, it was because 20 Republicans changed their votes on the measure from no to yes  and because of that they would most likely lose their seats in the next election.

Thats exactly why there should be term limits! If this were indeed the case, just maybe they would vote for whats best for our country rather than whether or not they might lose their seat in the next election.

Bill Smyers, Waco

More heartbreak

Heartbreak, Texas, a monthly, continuous tale spun by David Mosley in Waco Today magazine, is a breath of fresh air. It always offers a laugh and lots of common sense, Texas-style.

If youre missing out on Mr. Mosleys revelations, climb on board for a really enjoyable read. Youll look forward to Heartbreak every month. I do.

Beth Branch, Waco

Off to Mars

Looking forward to the repaving of Mars Drive. With school traffic and truck traffic, its a heavily used road that connects to other parts of the city. I await a better driving experience on Mars Drive. Thanks!

Jan Gentry, Waco
Blake Burleson: 2 views

Regarding Tribune-Herald contributor Blake Burlesons column, Watchdog media serves our free society: First, he declares we should all honor liberal journalists as patriots and that they should be in the same category of freedom fighters alongside other non-military sorts such as law enforcement, firefighters, etc. He states they are necessary to the health and well-being of our civil society and should therefore be thanked for the paramount role they play in our society.

Are you kidding me? Theres a reason why most of us who value wisdom and a well-governed society will never give these accolades to this group of irresponsible, hate-mongering, blatantly biased people who do everything they can in their professional field to spew rhetoric and spread well-spun lies wherever, whenever possible. They keep our country torn apart instead of being the healers who are greatly needed right now.

Example, the investigations into Russians trying to influence our elections: Why dont they look into why President Obama didnt try to tackle the problem? Trump wasnt even elected yet! They are vicious dogs (not watchdogs!) ready to leap with well-sharpened fangs at any probability that we as U.S. citizens all try to pull together for the good of all.

Mr. Burleson states a responsible and independent media keep democracy in balance. Exactly where do we find media like that? Certainly not CNN, CBS, etc. They are not guardians of the public interest. They guard only their own agendas. They do not uncover and publish facts. They spin unsupported drama constantly. They do not promote peace and justice. Mr. Burlesons assessments are unsubstantiated and are a great example of fake and fraud news!

Baylor Nation, is this a person who represents Christian conservative principles as are purported by your university? Is this what the department of religion is teaching? God help you and God help those students and parents who are exposed to this type of theology.

Denise Kinnison, Woodway

EDITORS NOTE: For the record, Mr. Burlesons column represents his thoughts and views, just as your letter represents yours. His personal views do not necessarily reflect those of Baylor University, whose faculty occasionally contributes to the Trib with opinions representing a wide spectrum of thought. Finally, the Washington Posts searing June 23 story, Obamas secret struggle to punish Russia for Putins election assault, may answer some of your other questions.

* * *

Amen and thanks to new Trib contributor Blake Burleson for his articulate July 2 column, Watchdog media serves our free society. We all need to remember that our journalists are indeed necessary to a free society.

Maurine Frost, Hewitt
London: More lives could have been saved in the Grenfell Tower blaze in London that killed at least 80 people, firefighters say, but a lack of equipment, particularly fire engines with ladders high enough to reach the top floors of the 24-storey building, impeded the rescue effort.

"We just think it's almost criminal that an international city like London, the 13th-richest in the world, and our highest ladder only goes up 30 metres, where some Third World countries have 90-metre ladders," said Lucy Masoud, a London firefighter and an official with the Fire Brigades Union.

The London Fire Brigade's 30-metre ladder reached only to the building's 10th floor, and was not called to the scene until nearly half an hour after other units when the blaze broke out in June, Masoud said Saturday.

Firefighters rescued 65 people from the blaze, but at least 80 more people died.
New Ross mourns tragic death of Anthony Rochford (47): We will remember him for all the great times
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 09/07/2017 (1951 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For the first time in its 101-year history, the Winkler Police Service is hiring female police officers.

Two Manitoba women, Kendra Derksen of Winkler and Megan Fallis of Warren, will join the force in December. Winkler police Chief Rick Hiebert considers the addition of female officers long overdue.

He said the force has been actively searching for female officers for the past 15 years. While some women applied, they either didnt pass the written exam, physical test, or interview stage, Hiebert said.

He didnt know the number of females applicants, but said it wasnt many.

In the most recent hiring process, Winkler had more than 40 applications and a handful were females. The force hired three candidates: Derksen and Fallis and one man.

The Altona Police Service, which has never had a woman as one of its eight officers, has also had few female applicants. The only woman on the team is Ev Kehler, a special constable who was sworn in by the city but doesnt carry a gun or Taser. She does administrative duties and basic police work.

Even with Winklers addition of two female officers, the rate of women in rural police forces (excluding RCMP) falls short of Winnipegs, which is still low. Women make up about 13 per cent of the municipal police services in Rivers, St. Anne, Morden, Winkler and Altona.

In Winnipeg, 228 women serve on a force of 1,438, about 16 per cent.

Derksen and Fallis arent slated to begin field work right away. They start recruit training at the Saskatchewan Police College in Regina July 31. After 4/12 months, they will return to Winkler for field training before theyll be scheduled for regular shiftwork.

The two women say they arent concerned about being the only females in a male-dominated station. Instead, they say theyre excited to be making history.

They have met some of their future colleagues and both say they expect to settle right in.

Hiebert speculated itll be easier for two women to work at the station together than one by herself.

Neither the women nor Hiebert have any theories about why fewer women get into policing.

Derksen said she has always been interested in police work.

About two and a half years ago, I started doing some fitness training to prepare for when they were going to be hiring. Ive lived here all my life so its a nice way to give back to the community,

Fallis, a social worker, explored policing because she felt something was missing in her job.

Im an active person, so having a more active job, plus not exactly knowing what Im walking into each day, was really appealing to me, she said.

stefanie.lasuik@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 09/07/2017 (1951 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HALLETTSVILLE, Texas  Ronald Ridgeway was killed in Vietnam on Feb. 25, 1968.

The 18-year-old Marine Corps private first class fell with a bullet to the shoulder during a savage firefight with the enemy outside Khe Sanh.

Dozens of Marines, from what came to be called the ghost patrol, perished there.

Matthew Busch / Washington Post Retired Marine Ronald Ridgeway was 18 in 1968 when his patrol was attacked in Vietnam. He was captured and held prisoner for five years. At left, Ridgeway addresses the public in 1973 on his return from captivity.

At first, Ridgeway was listed as missing in action. Back home in Texas, his old school, Sam Houston High, made an announcement over the intercom.

But his mother, Mildred, had a letter from his commanding officer saying there was little hope. And that August, she received a deeply regret telegram from the Marines saying he was dead.

On Sept. 10, he was buried in a national cemetery in St. Louis. A tombstone bearing his name and the names of eight others missing from the battle was erected over the grave. His mother went home with a folded American flag.

But as his comrades and family mourned, Ridgeway sat in harsh North Vietnamese prisons for five years, often in solitary confinement, mentally at war with his captors and fighting for a life that was technically over.

Last month, almost 50 years after his supposed demise, Ridgeway, 68, a retired supervisor with Veterans Affairs, sat in his home here and recounted for the first time in detail one of the most remarkable stories of the Vietnam War.

As the United States marks a half-century since the height of the war in 1967 and 68, his back-from-the-dead saga is that of a young mans perseverance through combat, imprisonment and abuse.

He was 17 when he signed up with the Marines in 1967. He was 18 when he was captured, 19 when his funeral was held and 23 when he was released from prison in 1973.

You have to be willing to take it a day at a time, he said. You have to set in your mind that youre going to survive. You have to believe that they are not going to defeat you, that youre going to win.

  

About 9:30 on the morning of Feb. 25, Pfc. Ridgeways four-man fireteam charged an enemy trench line.

The curving trench seemed empty when they got there. But as Ridgeway and the others made their way along it, suddenly an enemy grenade dropped in.

We back around the curve, he recalled. It blows up.

We throw a couple grenades, he said. We backed off Then we realized the firing (from Marines) behind us had almost died down to nothing.

When they stood up to look around, they saw North Vietnamese soldiers walking through the underbrush toward them. I guess they thought we were all dead, he said.

We cut loose on them, he recalled. They were easy targets.

Ridgeway had been part of a platoon of about 45 men sent out from the besieged Khe Sanh combat base, in what was then northern South Vietnam, to find enemy positions, and perhaps capture a prisoner.

The enemys noose around the Marine base had been tightening, with heavy mortar and artillery fire, and the patrol was hazardous. Six thousand Americans were surrounded by 20,000 to 40,000 North Vietnamese soldiers.

On that foggy morning, the patrols leader, 2nd Lt. Donald Jacques, 20, strayed off course and was drawn into a deadly ambush, Jacquess company commander, Capt. Kenneth Pipes, said.

More than two dozen Marines, including Jacques, were killed. One of the Marines in the trench with Ridgeway, James Bruder, 18, of Allentown, Pa., was cut down as the enemy returned fire, according to author Ray Stubbes book about Khe Sanh, Battalion of Kings.

Stitched him across the chest and killed him, Ridgeway remembered.

The fire team leader, Charles Geller, 20, of East St. Louis, Ill., took a peek, and a bullet creased his forehead, knocking him down.

Everybodys dead, Geller said, according to Stubbes book. Everybody behind us is dead What are we going to do?

They had to retreat. Geller left first, running back across the field where they had charged, followed by Ridgeway.

The son of a Southern Pacific railroad worker, Ridgeway came from a working-class neighbourhood of Houston. He had a younger brother.

All we could do was lay there and play dead Retired Marine Ronald Ridgeway, on the events leading up to his capture

His parents were divorced. He had left high school and joined the Marines because I wanted to get away, he recalled.

As he and Geller ran to the rear, they came upon Willie Ruff, 20, of Columbia, S.C., who was lying on his back with a broken arm.

We were in a hurry, Ridgeway said. But we stopped. He was wounded.

As Geller knelt beside Ruff, a bullet hit Geller in the face, leaving a terrible wound. Then Ridgeway was struck by a round that went through his shoulder. All three men were now down.

All we could do was lay there and play dead, he said. We were in the wide open.

Ridgeway said he drifted in and out of consciousness. When Geller, who was delirious, got to his knees, the enemy threw a grenade, killing him.

Ridgeway said the North Vietnamese then began shooting at Marines who had fallen in front of their trenches. Theyre popping the bodies to make sure theyre dead, he said.

One bullet hit the dirt near him. A second glanced off his helmet and struck him in the buttock, he said.

When that hit, it jarred the body, he said. They figured they got me. Left me for dead and kept working their way down past me.

Ridgeway passed out again. When he woke up, it was dark and American artillery was pounding the area.

Ruff said he had been hit again and begged Ridgeway not to leave him. Ridgeway said he wouldnt. At some point that night, Ruff died.

Ridgeway was awakened the following morning by someone pulling on his arm. He thought at first it was fellow Marines.

But when he looked up, he realized it was a young North Vietnamese soldier trying to pull off his wristwatch.

  

After the firefight, the shattered survivors of the patrol made it back to the combat base and the dead were left on the battlefield.

A rescue mission was deemed unwise by higher-ups, who feared losing even more men and depleting the bases defences, according to Pipes, who is now retired and lives in California.

In a telephone interview, he said that with binoculars, he could see Marines bodies strewn on the battlefield. It was worse than agony, he said. No further patrols outside the combat base were immediately permitted.

We couldnt go get them, he said. They laid out there for six weeks.

On March 17, he wrote to Ridgeways mother: I am sorry that I can offer no tangible basis for hope concerning Ronalds welfare.

  

As he sat alone in his windowless cell beside a wooden bed and the bucket he used for waste, Ridgeway went about creating a make-believe life.

There was no one to talk to and he was only allowed out once a day to empty the bucket.

So he imagined that he was somewhere else, that he owned a pickup truck, that he had a wife and children, that he would go fishing.

It was a mental exercise, he said, and he found that spending three days in his make-believe world would take up a whole day in solitary.

Family photo Ronald Ridgeway addresses the public in 1973, shortly after his release from POW camps in Vietnam.

Ridgeway said that by then, his captors considered him a die-hard reactionary and all Marines animals.

He hadnt co-operated with his guards. He had lied to interrogators, pretended he was a green kid who had never fired his rifle and gave them bogus military information.

The startled North Vietnamese soldier had locked and loaded his rifle when he realized Ridgeway was alive that morning.

Ridgeway expected to be killed. You didnt hear about prisoners being taken, he said. But he was bandaged, fed and marched away, through Laos and into North Vietnam.

He spent time in several jungle camps, held in wooden leg stocks, and he eventually wound up in enemy prisons.

He got lice, malaria and dysentery and lost 50 pounds. He wore pink-and-gray-striped POW pyjamas and rubber sandals, all of which he brought home with him when he was freed.

He was beaten with bamboo canes and tied up during interrogations. One interrogator the Americans named Cheese  because he seemed to be the big cheese  was especially cruel.

He spoke English and sat up on a high chair as he questioned POWs tied on the floor. When he nodded his head, a guard would strike the prisoner with the bamboo cane.

He had a face like a rat, Ridgeway recalled, and was a mean sadistical son of a bitch.

Ridgeway said he didnt dwell on the notion that people back home might think he was dead. They would be fine. His job was to survive.

In January 1973, he was in North Vietnams notorious Hanoi Hilton prison when his captors abruptly announced that the POWs were to be freed as part of a peace agreement before the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam.

When the list of POWs being released became public, Ridgeways name was on it.

Back in Houston, his mother banged on a neighbours door and said, Ronnies alive!

  

Ridgeway was released on March 16, 1973. He came home, got married and went to college.

I came back in basically one piece, he said. I came back able to live my life We went over with a job to do. We did it to the best of our ability. We were lucky enough to come back.

Several months after his return, he and his wife, Marie, went to Jefferson Barracks to see his tombstone, which was later replaced.

It brought back memories, he said. The loss of life of those that I knew. It was a solemn experience.

Carved in the surface were the words Ambushed Patrol Died in Vietnam Feb. 25, 1968.

Eight names from the top: Ronald L. Ridgeway.

 Washington Post
North Korea has now demonstrated its ability to reach parts of the United States with an intercontinental ballistic missile, and the most powerful response President Donald Trump could muster was a tweet. North Koreas mercurial 33-year-old leader, Kim Jong Un, has escalated the nuclear threat to alarming proportions. The stakes are too high for Trump to trivialize it with a Twitter takedown.

An already nervous world has even more reason to be worried when Americas president responds with: North Korea has just launched another missile. Does this guy have anything better to do with his life? Hard to believe that South Korea  and Japan will put up with this much longer. Perhaps China will put a heavy move on North Korea and end this nonsense once and for all!

Trump demonstrated repeatedly on the campaign trail that he had little interest or depth of knowledge about international affairs. As president, Trump seems reluctant to deliver a bold, authoritative response to his most urgent national security threat. The world is looking for U.S. leadership regarding North Korea, not a buck-passing tweet.

Resolving such issues requires the American president to exercise deft personal diplomacy. Trump must rally friends and foes alike toward a common goal of blocking or delaying North Koreas nuclear program. China has its own geostrategic agenda, which doesnt necessarily coincide with Americas. Russia might well seek to exploit the situation to further embarrass Washington and drive a wedge between the United States and its regional allies.

There are growing indications that China might be exploiting North Koreas nuclear advances to pressure Washington into withdrawing its nuclear forces from the region. China also seeks recognition of its sovereignty over a group of man-made islands in the South China Sea, where Beijing is constructing military bases. Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam, among other regional powers, have reason to be worried about any U.S.-China grand bargain negotiated at their expense.

These are just a few of the major considerations that make Korea such a complex issue  far more so than the domestic health care debate that left Trump flummoxed when he declared in February, Nobody knew that health care could be so complicated. North Korean nukes make health care look like a cakewalk by comparison.

Precious little room exists for misunderstanding. Yet, given the list of other items on Trumps recent Twitter agenda, Pyongyang and Beijing could easily get the impression that he ranks North Koreas missile test up there with his tweets about an MSNBC critics plastic surgery or his posting of a doctored video designed to make it appear as if Trump had delivered a professional-wrestling takedown of CNN.

Trump must give this situation the gravity and seriousness it deserves. Twitter is not a nuclear deterrent.
My husband is a fishermen. Like a serious fishermen. It might be the biggest reason he loves living in Winona.

We live in a fishermans paradise with the Mississippi River, several lakes and streams within county lines. We took our older daughter on the river in our boat quite often last year when she was almost two and I was pregnant.

My husband was anxious to having a fishing buddy so he wanted to introduce fishing to her early. He would have her reel in a fish with him but mostly she just enjoyed the fish crackers (Goldfish) and sitting by Mom. Boating this summer is more difficult with a baby so we have opted to fish off the shore with the girls.

About a month ago when the weather was warm and we had a little free time on an afternoon, we decided to take our almost-three-year-old daughter out fishing for the first time this year. We parked at the big lake in the parking lot near River Hills Dental. We walked west along the shore until we reached the tree line and plopped down into the grassy area. This shoreline is groomed well so its easy to sit and cast. My husband barely had the fishing line in the water and it was received by a hungry sunfish. My two-year-old grabbed the pole and reeled it in!

Ya-hoo she started yelling while hopping on one foot.

Dad, I want to pet it! she said, but gave a girly yuck right after and refused to touch another one of the some dozen or more they caught that beautiful afternoon. She is definitely more engaged in fishing this year and my husband may have a life-long fishing buddy.

While it might seem fishing can be a big ordeal and a bit expensive, really you need only two things. One, a fishing license for the adult; two, a decent fishing pole with appropriate bait. Fishing is very family friendly and fun and Winona is full of fishing opportunities.

Another way to have family fun this weekcheck out the Winona County Fair that starts July 12. Its the 159th annual which means this event started in 1858! Head to Saint Charles to enjoy this week long event celebrating our beautiful County. http://www.winonacountyfair.com/

Family Friendly Activities for July 9July 16

July 11

10:3011:30 a.m.: Grace Place Morning Music Program, located downtown Winona, pre-school aged children, donation of $2/family

10:30 a.m.: Picnic & Play at the Park, Sobieski Park

10:30-Noon: Toddler Tuesdays at Minnesota Marine Art Museum, $2/toddler, offers art projects, play & snacks

4:30-5:30 p.m. (July 11August 1): Begin for Kids 4-week event at Hy-Vee, $99/family, must register at customer service, learn about healthy eating and living

July 12July 16

Winona County Fair in Saint Charles http://www.winonacountyfair.com/

July 12

10:30-11:30 a.m.: Preschool in the Park at Sinclair Park

July 13

10:30 a.m.: Picnic & Play at the Park, Sinclair Park

July 14

10:30-11:30 a.m.: Preschool in the Park at Sobieski Park

Noon6 p.m.: Pool Party Concert at Bob Welch Aquatic Center, free admission, $1 hotdog lunch from noon2

45 p.m.: Kids in the Kitchen at Hy-Vee Winona, ages 6-12, $5/child, register at Hy-Vee

July 15

7:30Noon: Winona Farmers Market, Midtown Foods parking lot

10:3011:30 a.m.: Kids Cook! At Bluff Country Co-op, making berry sauce, kids under 12, register at melissa@bluff.coop

12:30 p.m.: Summer Art Venture at Minnesota Marine Art Museum, ages 6+, $2/non-member, register by calling (507) 474-6626

July 16

Noon7 p.m.: Dollar Day at Bob Welch Aquatic Center, admission $1
It is empowering, said Pat Kneser one of more than 100 people participating in Blue Zones Project Walking Moais which began April 29. Traffic stops and waits for our group wearing our Blue Zones Project T-shirts.

Empowering individuals is only one benefit to joining a moai. Moai is a term from Okinawa, Japan, one of the original Blue Zones, that roughly means meeting for a common purpose. Blue Zones Project asks community members to commit to meeting once a week for 10 weeks. This time commitment allows people to build new social connections and begin new habits focused on well-being.

Caroline Kulka joined a walking moai group through an invitation from a friend who is part of the Blue Babes Walking Moai that meets at various locations around Beaver Dam. The group has met at parks and cemeteries in Beaver Dam and when the weather is unfavorable, they bring their walk indoors by walking laps around The Watermark.

By changing the scenery for every walk, lifelong Beaver Dam residents are exploring areas of the community they had never seen before. Kulka appreciates the social benefits as well as the physical benefits.

Its fun because you get to meet new people and I enjoy walking and talking, Kulka said. It makes the time go faster. I didnt feel like getting up and walking on my own. I was just too dang lazy.

Kulka has some added motivation to get moving. With a trip planned to Austria this fall, she wants to make sure she can keep up with the tour group.

Each Moai group creates its own dynamic. Some groups add to their Moai through neighbors inviting neighbors or friends inviting friends. Another group in Beaver Dam meets once a week in various city parks.

Sometimes people bring their children, dogs, or a favorite beverage. While they walk, they talk about work, life, and everything in between. Walking together makes it a social event instead of a chore and everyone leaves smiling.

Employers have also seen benefits of encouraging the formation of Walking Moais at their worksite. Beaver Dam Community Hospital and Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center have employee Moai groups that meet to walk together during breaks. Employees have reported greater focus and productivity following their walking breaks as well as improved social well-being between colleagues.

The next Moai launch event is being held at Horicon Marsh Education and Visitors Center, N7725 Highway 28, Horicon at 6:45 p.m., July 10. At the launch event, the large group gathers for some information and interaction. Then, Blue Zones Project team members and volunteers help participants form groups of five to eight people that become a new Walking Moai. From there, Moai group decides when and where is the best place to meet in the coming ten weeks.

For more information about this event or Blue Zones Project Dodge County, visit dodgecounty.bluezonesproject.com or call 920- 212-8511.




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Wrexham Glyndwr University to House 850,000 Honey Bees in New Flintshire Hive Partnership

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Jul 9th, 2017

Hundreds of thousands of honey bees have made their home in North East Wales after a University threw its support behind a campaign to halt a decline in the population of the insect.



Wrexham Glyndwr University and Coleg Cambria have supplied Flint and District Beekeepers Association with land for 14 hives, housing up to 850,000 bees in Northop.

As well as preserving the species, students will also have the opportunity to work with the group to study the bees and the pollination process.

University spokeswoman Pip Francis said the Northop campus is already home to many types of wildlife, adding that they were happy to help the Association.

We are delighted to support Flint and District Beekeepers Association in their battle to save the honey bee, said Pip.

As well as being a fantastic opportunity for our students to learn more about them, it means we are helping with conservation and the environment, which is a major role of this campus.

Each hive could contain up to 60,000 bees, particularly during the summer months when numbers contract in the warmer weather.

Satya Schofield, treasurer of the Association, thanked the University for supporting the project.

We are so grateful to Wrexham Glyndwr University and the college for hosting the beehives, said Satya.

Bees play a major role in the survival of our ecosystem  fertilising trees and plants and produce  so they are of massive importance to farmers and food suppliers.

The Flintshare orchard at Northop is an example of this; they said their produce has improved because of the bees we now have on site. The number of beekeepers in the UK is on the increase, so we are thrilled to have secured this partnership.

Wrexham Glyndwr University currently has three known feral colonies of honey bee on the Plas Coch campus and whilst not on the endangered species register as yet, they are at serious risk of decline within the UK.

By having these beehives put in place it will enable opportunities for teaching and learning resources for students and staff through activities such as observations and lectures, outdoor learning and curriculum development and an opportunity to engage with the local community.

For more information and to join Flint and District Beekeepers Association, visit the website: www.flintbeekeepers.co.uk
Pro-Palestinian activists waved flags and banners protesting Radiohead's arrival in Israel on July 19th and called for a cultural boycott of the Jewish state during a performance at the Transmight Festival in Glasgow, Scotland.

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Activists from Glasgow Palestine Action, Glasgow Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and Radiohead Fans for Palestine demonstrated outside the festival prior to the bands performance.

Palestinian flags waving in protest of the concert

Once the band the took the stage, they were met by a sea of Palestinian flags and signs.

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke appeared angered by the protestors, according to fans in the audience.

Prior to the bands performance of Myxomatosis, Yorke reportedly exclaimed, Some fucking people! while staring out into the crowd. He was also caught giving the middle finger to the flag wavers.

Thom Yorke (Photo: Lior Keter)

Yorke has expressed his agitation with the BDS before in an interview with American magazine Rolling Stone, addressing the boycott movement's attempts to prevent their scheduled concert in Israel by calling it "divisive" and "patronizing."

"I'll be totally honest with you: this has been extremely upsetting," said Yorke to the Rolling Stone interviewer. "There's an awful lot of people who don't agree with the BDS movement, including us. I don't agree with the cultural ban at all, along with J.K. Rowling, Noam Chomsky and a long list of others."

"The kind of dialogue that they want to engage in is one that's black or white. I have a problem with that," Yorke explained. "It's deeply distressing that they choose to, rather than engage with us personally, throw shit at us in public.

"It's deeply disrespectful to assume that we're either being misinformed or that we're so retarded we can't make these decisions ourselves. I thought it was patronizing in the extreme. It's offensivem and I just can't understand why going to play a rock show or going to lecture at a university (is a problem to them)."
An Arab ambassador of a country that does not have diplomatic ties has apologized to his Israeli counterpart Carmel Shama-Hacohen for not being able to vote against the UNESCO resolution declaring Hebron's Old Cityand with it the Cave of the Patriarchsas a Palestinian World Heritage Site.

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The Arab ambassador conditioned his support to Israel in a secret ballot vote at UNESCO. But when the vote was held out in the open rather than at a private voting booth, the ambassador had no choice but to go back on his promise.

The resolution passed on Friday with 12 member states voting in favor, three voting against and six abstaining.

"Sorry for today, it was too heated, it is difficult to say it was a secret vote..." the ambassador told Shama-Hacohen in a message, later adding: "No choice..."

"I know my friend. For me, it is like you did it," Shama-Hacohen responded.

The resolution, which recognizes the Cave of the Patriarchs as a Palestinian World Heritage Site in danger, does not recognize Jewish or Christian ties to the place, where key Biblical figures Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their wives Sara, Rebecca and Leahthe patriarchs and matriarchs of the people of Israelare buried.

This resolution serves to cement international views that see the Cave of the Patriarchs as a Muslim, Palestinian site. In a broader sense, such recognition also impacts the question of sovereignty and historical rights over other sites the Palestinians are claiming.

Such recognition also puts limitations on Israeli construction, preservation and development of the site and the area around it. For any security checkpoint set up or works done by Israel at the site, it will now be accused of the destruction of a World Heritage Site.

The resolution was met with much condemnation from Israel and from the United States

In response to the resolution, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to cut another $1 million from the membership fees Israel pays the UN and use that money instead to build a museum of Jewish heritage in Kiryat Arba and Hebron, as well as promote other heritage projects in the city.

This is the fourth time the State of Israel has reduced its funding to the UN in protest of anti-Israeli decisions.

Israeli officials estimated there would be further response, with possible options including Israel leaving UNESCO or announcing construction in Hebron and Kiryat Arba.
A deal Poland is expected to sign with the United States to buy the Patriot missile system includes interceptor missiles from Israel's David Sling system.

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The deal with US firm Raytheon, worth up to $7.6 billion, will see Poland buy eight Patriot missile defense systems by the end of the year.

Poland's Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz announced the deal on Thursday morning, during US President Donald Trump's visit to Warsaw.

An illustration of the system in action (Photo: Raytheon)

"A memorandum was signed tonight that the US government has agreed to sell Poland Patriot missiles in the most modern configuration," Macierewicz said in a news conference broadcast on public television on Thursday morning.

The deal is expected to be finalized in November of this year.

Poland demanded the Israeli interceptor missile, which was developed with Raytheon and is marketed in the world under the name "SkyCeptor," because of its better performance compared to the American Patriot interceptor and its considerably lower price, which stands at only 10 percent of the price of the American counterpart$450,000 compared to $4.5 million.

With the approval of the Israeli Defense Ministry and the American Department of Defense, Raytheon agreed to another Polish demand to have the missiles manufactured on its soil.

David's Sling test launch (:  ""  )

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Warsaw will also buy a small amount of American interceptors to allow for an earlier deployment of the Patriot missile defense system, while work is being done to integrate the Israeli missile to the American system.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the Israeli company that developed David's Sling, is expected to make some $1 billion from this deal, which makes it one of the biggest in the company's history. Poland, meanwhile, will become the first export client of David Sling's interceptor missile.

The European Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS), offered to the Poles by the American Lockheed Martin, lost the bid to the Patriot.

And while David's Sling interceptor missiles will be included in the deal, the missile defense system itself, as well as the Israel Aerospace Industries' (IAI) Arrow system, were barred by Washington from bidding in the Polish tender. The American administration, which funded the development of both Israeli-made systems, did not approve their export to Warsaw.

An illustration of the system in action (Photo: Raytheon)

Poland, a member of the NATO defense alliance, has been looking to upgrade and modernize its armed forces in response to the annexation of Crimea by Russia, fearing Moscow will set its sights to Warsaw next.

With the SkyCeptor missile, the Patriot system could intercept planes, helicopters, heavy rockets and ballistic missiles in a range of up to 300 km.

Pending Israeli deals with Poland, India

According to foreign reports, the Polish Defense Ministry is also in talks with IAI on the purchase of two Ofek intelligence satellites. Such a deal could reach hundreds of millions of dollars.

Rafael has also reportedly reached a deal to sell anti-tank Spike missiles to the Indian army, according to reports in the country.

At the moment, New Delhi is planning to buy some 8,000 missiles and some 300 launchers, but the Indians have long-term intentions to buy some 40,000 missiles. In its initial stage, the deal is worth at least $500 million.

The Spike missiles deal, along with another $400 million deal to purchase 10 Heron TP drones from IAI, is awaiting the approval of the Indian cabinet. The Israeli defense companies are hoping the successful visit of Indian Prime Minister Modi to Israel will expedite the process.

Meanwhile, Raytheon and Rafael are also working on a version for export of the Iron Dome system, under the name "SkyHunter."
From an Israeli perspective, the ceasefire agreement in southwestern Syria , which goes into effect at noon Sunday, is a positive developmentbut not positive enough.

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The agreement freezes the situation in the areas controlled by the Syrian regime, the areas controlled by militias operating on behalf of Iran and Hezbollah, and of course the areas controlled by the rebels, preventing the Iranian-backed militias and Hezbollah from advancing towards the Iraqi border. For now, as a result, the Iranians and their proxies are unable to create a land corridor connecting Tehran and Beirut and flanking Jordan and Israel.

An IDF border base as seen from Syria (Photo: Reuters)

Furthermore, the ceasefire will stop the spillover fire into the Golan Heights and Jordan from the battles between the Syrian army and the rebels. Both Israel and Jordan respond to any spillover incident, and a continuation of this situation could lead to a general flare-up in the region. A ceasefire will end the spillover fire and reduce the risk of escalation.

The third advantage of the ceasefire reached between Russia and the United States is easing the humanitarian situation in the Syrian Golan and the situation of refugees on the Jordanian-Syrian border.

Free Syrian Army fighters in Quneitra, Saturday (Photo: Reuters)

The agreement does have a serious disadvantage from an Israeli perspective: It halts the advance of Iranian militias and Hezbollah, but fails to completely remove them from the area, as Israel likely demanded behind the scenes. This means that if and when the ceasefire is violated, the forces supported by Iran and Hezbollah would be able to continue their advance towards the Syrian-Jordanian border and the Syrian-Iraqi border, which will make it possible for them to create a strategic corridor to the Mediterranean Sea. Even worse is the fact that they would be able to advance and establish a stronghold in the Golan Heights.

A picture of Syrian President Assad riddled with bullet holes in the Quneitra area, not far from Israel (Photo: Reuters)

Another disadvantage of the ceasefire deal is that the Assad army and the Russians, which both have an interest in keeping Assad and his people in power, will be responsible for the agreements implementation on the ground. If Assad stays in power in Syria, Iran and Hezbollah will stay there too. The agreement gives the Assad regime legitimization to control Syria, and the Americans are okay with that despite the Israeli governments demand that the butcher from Damascus wont stay there under any agreement ending the war.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (R) and Syrian President Bashar Assad. Creating a land corridor to Lebanon (Photos: AP, EPA)

The ceasefire agreement in southwestern Syria was reached in direct talks between the US and Russia and was finalized between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in their meeting Friday. At the same time, negotiations initiated by Russia with Iran and Turkey in Astana, Kazakhstan, led to de-escalation zones across Syrian. There is still fighting going on in those areas, but its low-key, and if a ceasefire is reached there based on the Russian plan, they will turn into security zones that would draw refugees from the battle zones and serve as a basis for the diplomatic arrangement in Syria that could end the civil war there.

US President Donald Trump (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin. A shared interest in a ceasefire (Photo: AP)

The negotiations in Astana are still far from being over, just like the UN-sponsored negotiations in Geneva for a political arrangement in Syria. The latest ceasefire in southwestern Syria is unique, as this is the first time the US and Russia are cooperating on something related to areas of influence in Syria. The ceasefire model taking effect Sunday may point to how the US and Russia plan to divide past and the present ISIS-controlled areas between them.

The parties interests

The US has officially announced that it has no other interest in Syria and in Iraq apart from getting rid of the Islamic State organization, although defeating ISIS and removing it from its strongholds in Iraq and Syria wont destroy its existence as a violent Islamist idea, which will keep producing terror attacks almost all over the world. The Iraqi army was expected to announce Sunday that it has completed the occupation of Mosul, and the US-sponsored Kurdish and Arab forces are quickly advancing towards taking over al-Raqqah, the Syrian capital of ISIS.

Free Syrian Army fighters in al-Raqqah, Saturday (Photo: MCT)

The agreement reached between Putin and Trump offers an idea on what the political and military agreement in Syria would look like after ISIS is uprooted:

The two world powers agree that Assad would remain Syria's legitimate and recognized leader, at least for now, in complete contradiction of the Israeli stance, which has been reiterated time and again by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including in the past weekend.



The Iranian forces, their militias and Hezbollah would be allowed to keep operating in Syria, but wouldn't be allowed to approach the border with Israel in the Golan Heights. They would likely remain where they are now, 40 kilometers from the Purple Line in the Golan Heights.



The Iranian forces and their militias wouldn't be allowed to hold onto border crossings between Syria and Iraq, to prevent a strategic corridor from Tehran to the Mediterranean Sea.



The ceasefire agreements would be implemented through remote-piloted vehicles, satellites, Russian forces and the Syrian army, which Israel sees as insufficient. It would like to have American forces on the ground, supervising the agreements implementation in the areas bordering the Golan Heights.



There is still the question of why this agreement was accepted by Russia, the US and Jordan, which were open partners in the negotiations, and by Israel and Syria, which were involved behind the scenes, according to the Associated Press.

The answer is that the agreement serves the interests of all parties. Russia wants to prevent an escalation in the region, which would force it to boost its military involvement and maybe create a conflict with Jordan, Israel and even the US. Russia has no interest in clashing with the US at the moment, and regulating the explosive situation in southwestern Syria serves Putins goal.

Photo: MCT

The American interest is similar. The US is taking care of its clientsIsrael and Jordanwhich might escalate their military responses in light of the spillover of fire and the humanitarian situation in southwest Syria. The US isnt interested in solving the problem temporarily to help its clients, because that might force it to clash with Syria and Iraq. Israel and Jordan have a shared interest to prevent an escalation and stop Iran from approaching their border.

Photo: MCT

The Syrian regime, Hezbollah and Iran have a totally different interest in a ceasefire: Assad and the Iranians have realized that they are incapable of conquering the city of Daraa on the Jordanian border and that the rebelsto ease the pressure on Daraaare successfully attacking them near new Quneitra in the Golan Heights, where the spillovers that Israel responded originated. The Syrian army is pressed in the Quneitra area. Its failing to advance in Daraa despite help from Iran, Hezbollah and Russia, and therefore has no other choice but to agree to a ceasefire.

Kurdish fighters in the al-Raqqah area (Photo: MCT)

This is also why this ceasefire may not last very long. The moment the Syrian regime and the Iranians reach the conclusion they are strong enough to reoccupy Daraa and the border crossings between Syrian and Iraq, they will do it without any hesitation.

While Israel is not directly involved in the talks between Russia and the US, foreign sources report our influence there goes beyond the Netanyahu-Trump level and is also apparent in lower working levels with representatives of the American administration dealing with the Syrian situation. On the other hand, Israel is not involved in the negotiations in Astana because of Irans participation, and therefore wont recognize its results, at least according to a very senior Israeli security source.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman rejected a report on deal in the making with Hamas to bring home three Israeli citizens and the bodies of two IDF soldiers being held in Gaza.

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"There are no contacts with Hamas; there is an ongoing effort to achieve the release of our soldiers and civilians held in captivity by Hamas. There is no breakthrough," Lieberman told an Israeli radio station.

"We do not negotiate with terrorist organizations, there are various parties that are negotiating with them such as Egypt and others, but we have no intention of ever holding direct negotiations with the murderers in Hamas," he added.

Goldin and Shaul, believed to be dead, and Mengistu, believed to be alive

The deal is reported to include the bodies of Lt. Hadar Goldin and Sgt. Oron Shaul, believed by Israel to have been killed during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, and three living Israelis who had entered Gaza over the past few years: Abera Mengistu, Hisham al-Sayed and Juma Ibrahim Abu Ganima.

According to a reporter for the Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar, the first of a two-part deal will resemble the Israel-Hamas deal for IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, from 2009, in which a video of Shalit was first released by Hamas, in exchange for the release of 25 female Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas is demanding as an initial stage that all Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, who were released as part of the Gilad Shalit deal and then arrested once more by Israel, be freed. Further, the terror group is also demanding that women, teenagers and Palestinian parliamentarians imprisoned in Israel be released as well.

In exchange, Hamas said it would be willing to release information on the fate of Israelis held in Gaza.

Two government ministers has already expressed their opposition to the reported deal.

"We must not release living terrorists for the bodies of our soldiers," Education Minister Naftali Bennett determined. "We must increase the pressure and hurt Hamas so it's not beneficial for it to keep holding the bodies. A kidnapping needs to be a burden, not an asset."

Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi said of the report, "These are Palestinian reports, so one should assume they might not reflect reality."

He echoed Bennett's assertions, saying "We must not release terroristsnot for information, bodies, or infiltrators who entered Gaza of their own volition."

"The Israeli interest is to put as much pressure on Hamas prisoners in our jails in a way that leverages the (Hamas) leadership's desire to return those who need to be returned according to international treaties. Pressure, rather than be pressed," he added.

A source in the Prime Minister's Office declined to comment on the matter, while other inside sources denied the report. According to those inside sources, there has been progress in talks recently, but it was not a significant one and negotiations are still far from a breakthrough. The sources added that a deal would not include the release of prisoners for information only.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cautiously welcomed a ceasefire in southwestern Syria agreed upon by the United States and Russia, which went into effect midday on Sunday.

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"Israel will welcome a genuine ceasefire in Syria but this ceasefire must not enable the establishment of a military presence by Iran and its proxies in Syria in general and in southern Syria in particular," Netanyahu said Sunday at the outset of the weekly government meeting.

He said he discussed the matter last week with US Secretary of State Tillerson and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Both told me that they understand Israel's position and will take our demands into account," Netanyahu added.

Prime Minister Netanyahu (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

"For our part we will continue to monitor developments beyond our borders while strongly upholding our red lines: Prevent the strengthening of Hezbollah via Syria, with emphasis on the acquisition of precision weapons, prevent Hezbollahor Iranian forcesfrom establishing a ground presence along our border, and prevent the establishment of an Iranian military presence in Syria as a whole," the prime minister went on to say.

So far, there have been no air strikes or clashes in the area since the ceasefire took effect, according to Syrian rebel and opposition representatives. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said "calm was prevailing" in the area. A rebel official in Deraa city also said there had been no significant fighting.

Since the beginning of the civil in Syria, there have been repeated spillovers of mortar fire and other forms of ammunition from Syria into Israel, as recent as last week, with Israel then retaliating.

The ceasefire, announced after a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hamburg last week, is the first initiative by the Trump administration in collaboration with Russia to bring some stability to war-torn Syria.

The ceasefire is based on Syrian President Bashar Assad staying in power on the one hand, and preventing further advances by forces backed by Iran, including Lebanon's Hezbollah militia.

According to the Associated Press, both Jordan and Israel were involved behind-the-scenes in talks on the agreement.

Several ceasefires have crumbled since the onset of the conflict and it was not clear how much the combatantsSyrian government forces and the main rebels in the southwestwere committed to this latest effort.

Fighting in Deraa (Photo: Reuters)

With the help of Russian air power and Iranian-backed militias, Syrian President Bashar Assad's government has put rebels on the back foot over the last year. The wide array of mostly Sunni rebels include jihadist factions and other groups supported by Turkey, the United States and Gulf monarchies.

Earlier talks between the US and Russia about a "de-escalation zone" in southwest Syria covered Deraa province on the border with Jordan and Quneitra, which borders the Israeli Golan Heights.

A senior State Department official involved in the talks said further discussions would be necessary to decide crucial aspects of the agreement, including who will monitor its enforcement.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the deal includes "securing humanitarian access and setting up contacts between the opposition in the region and a monitoring centre that is being established in Jordan's capital."

The multi-sided Syrian conflict, which grew out of popular protests against Assad's rule in 2011, has killed hundreds of thousands of people and created the world's worst refugee crisis
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu protested Sunday with scripture a UNESCO resolution declaring the Cave of the Patriarchs as a Palestinian World Heritage Site.

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Putting on a kippah, Netanyahu read the story of the purchase of the cave by Abraham.

"And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the hearing of the children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant ... And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (Hebron) in the land of Canaan. And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying-place by the children of Heth" (Genesis 23:16-19).

Prime Minister Netanyahu reading from Genesis (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

"The connection between the Jewish People and Hebron and the Tomb of the Patriarchs is one of purchase and of history which may be without parallel in the history of peoples," he said after reading the Biblical passage.

"Oh course this did not prevent the UNESCO World Heritage Committee last Friday from passing yet another delusional resolution which determined that the Tomb of the Patriarchs, the same Cave of Machpelah, is a Palestinian heritage site."

Prime Minister Netanyahu reading from Genesis (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

In response to the resolution, Netanyahu decided to cut an additional $1 million from Israel's membership fees to the UN and allocate the funds instead to the construction of The Museum of the Heritage of the Jewish People in Kiryat Arba and Hebron, as well as additional heritage projects in Hebron.

"Against UNESCO's denial, Israel will present to the world the historical truth and the Jewish People's deep connectionof thousands of yearsto Hebron just as we did with UNESCO's other delusional decision regarding the absence of a connection to Jerusalem," the prime minister added.
US President Donald Trump said Sunday a cease-fire in southern Syria brokered by the US and Russia "will save lives" and is calling for further cooperation with Moscow.

In a tweet published shortly after the truce came into effect at midday local time, Trump wrote: "We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!"

The cease-fire between the Syrian government and the rebels was brokered by Russia, the US and Jordan. Both Jordan and Israel fear that Iranian-backed forces allied with the Syrian government will establish a lasting presence along their borders.

Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on the cease-fire on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg last week.

Several cease-fires have been declared over the course of Syria's six-year-old civil war. None have lasted very long.
The Defense Ministry's Procurement and Production Directorate is set to purchase weapons systems from the Israeli defense industry to protect the offshore natural gas rigs in Israel's territorial waters to the tune of NIS 1.5 billion, the ministry said Sunday.

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The procurement deals will be finalized by the end of 2017 and include a variety of systems for interception, cyber warfare, control and command, communications, navigations, and more. These systems will be installed on the four patrol ships purchased from Germany.

The Defense Ministry said the goal is to have all of the systems ready for installation by the time the first ships are delivered to Israel in 2019.

Natural gas rig off the coast of Ashdod (Photo: Reuters)

This acquisition constitutes half of the budget approved by the government for the defense of Israel's economic zone.

Two initial tenders for this project have recently concluded.

The Petah Tikva-based Astronautics won a bid to develop and supply a navigation data distribution system for the Sa'ar 6-class corvettes. The system will gather the different navigational data using sensors installed on the ship and provide the best data to the different units aboard the ship using advanced and unique sensor fusion software.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, meanwhile, won a bid to develop an internal and external communication system for the ships.

Commenting on the deal, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that the deal would see vast sums of money pour into the coffers of both the state and families.

The Defense Ministry and the defense industries are among the main engines of growth in Israel. These procurement transactions are for the good of the economic water projectthe project in which the IDF will protect the gas rigs, and it is extremely significant for the state's defense and security, Lieberman said.

Thats why there is tremendous importance in continuing investment in defense industries, which provides a living for tens of thousands of families and brings in billions of dollars for the states economy every year.
An IDF soldier died on Sunday shortly after taking part in activities in a water park in the city of Holon during a military social outing, it was cleared for publication by the IDF Spokespersons Unit.

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According to a statement issued by the unit, the soldier, Sgt. Mikhail Pesach, 20 from Migdal HaEmek in northern Israel, collapsed during the activities in the coastal city at the Yamit 2000 Water Park and was evacuated to hospital in serious condition where doctors were forced to declare his death.

Yamit 2000 Water Park (Photo: Matan Turkya)

The Military Police have opened an investigation into the incident. His family has been informed.

According to witnesses, the soldier, who served in an air force maintenance squadron at the Ramon base, complained that he was experiencing chest pains after going on one of the water slides. Shortly after visiting the sites medical facilities, he collapsed and was taken to hospital while medics attempted to perform life-saving treatment on him.

The IDF is currently attempting to discern whether the soldiers death was caused by a heart attack or as a result of the hot temperatures.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during a meeting in Cairo that it was essential to bring about a solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict which will include the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with a capital in Jerusalem.

Al-Sisi also said that a solution was of paramount importance in the reestablishment of stability and security to the Middle East as a whole.
Cairo: At least two policemen were killed and nine others wounded in an explosion in Egypt's North Sinai province, a media report said.

A senior security official said that an improvised explosive device targeted the police's armoured vehicle at Al-Safa district of Arish city in North Sinai on Saturday, a place that borders Israel and the Gaza Strip, Xinhua reported citing the MENA news agency.

"Security measures have been intensified around the explosion while a bomb disposal team is combing the area to make sure it is free of explosive devices," MENA quoted the security official as saying.

The explosion came a day after a car bomber attacked a checkpoint in North Sinai's nearby Rafah city, causing at least 66 deaths and injuries, according to the Egyptian military spokesman.

Also on Saturday, the Egyptian police killed 14 terrorists in a desert area in the Suez Canal province of Ismailia, for their alleged involvement in attacks against security forces in North Sinai.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi called a meeting on Saturday with the country's top officials including the ministers of defence, interior affairs and justice as well as the head of general intelligence over Friday's attack.

"The forces of extremism attempt to undermine stability and security of the country," said the Egyptian president.

Egypt has been facing a rising wave of terrorist activities following the military removal of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday expressed his happiness as Ahmedabad becomes India's first World Heritage city. Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister said, "A matter of immense joy for India!"

A matter of immense joy for India! https://t.co/qtCOxm8Kga July 9, 2017

The 41st session of UNESCO's world heritage committee being held at Krakow in Poland made the announcement. The secular co-existence of Islamic, Hindu and Jain communities along with exemplary architecture of wooden havelis got unanimous support.

The walled city has 26 ASI-protected structures, hundreds of 'pols' that capture the essence of community living and numerous sites associated with Mahatma Gandhi who lived here from 1915 to 1930. Now, Ahmedabad will join the world heritage cities like Paris, Cairo and Edinburgh.

Out of total 287 world heritage cities across the globe, there were only two cities in the Indian subcontinent- Bhaktpur in Nepal and Galle in Sri Lanka. The UNESCO tag will add immense value to Ahmedabad city which will also boost tourism.

(With inputs from ANI)
Hamburg: US President Donald Trump took a conciliatory tone on Saturday at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping where the leaders agreed to keep working on two pressing issues: the nuclear threat posed by North Korea and bilateral trade irritants.

Trump campaigned in last year's presidential election on cracking down on China for its trade practices, but he softened his rhetoric after taking office, saying he wanted to work with China on the nuclear issue.

When the two leaders first met in April at Trump's Florida resort, they appeared to hit it off.

Trump called Xi a "good man" as he urged him to use Beijing's economic clout to force North Korea to curb its nuclear weapons program.

Lately, Trump has expressed some impatience on China's role in North Korea - particularly after Pyongyang launched an intercontinental ballistic missile that some experts believe could have the range to reach Alaska, and parts of the US West Coast.

His administration made new arms sales to Taiwan, imposed sanctions on two Chinese citizens and a shipping company and put China on a global human trafficking list.

It also accused a Chinese bank of laundering money for Pyongyang.

The White House is also debating trade actions against Beijing, including tariffs on its steel exports and a few days before the G20 talks, Trump complained that trade between China and North Korea had grown.

But he showed none of that impatience on Saturday, when the leaders met at the invitation of Xi at the tail end of the G20 in Germany.

"It's an honor to have you as a friend," Trump told Xi, telling him he appreciated actions he had already taken on North Korea.

"As far as North Korea is concerned, we will have, eventually, success. It may take longer than I'd like. It may take longer than you`d like. But there will be success in the end one way or the other," Trump said.

'CONTROL THE SITUATION'

For his part, Xi told Trump that stronger China-US ties were conducive to stability and prosperity amid global conflicts, and had made "new progress" in some areas "despite some sensitive issues," Xi said, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Xi stressed the importance of talks with North Korea, and said China's navy will join will join next year's US-led Pacific Rim military exercises.

Xinhua said Xi stressed to Trump China's position that it adheres to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and maintaining peace and stability there.

While China has been angered by North Korea's repeated nuclear and missile tests, it also blames the United States and South Korea for worsening tension with their military exercises.

"China has many times talked about its principled position, namely that at the same time as the international community making necessary responses to North Korean acts that go against UN Security Council resolutions, they must step up efforts to promote talks and manage and control the situation," Xinhua said, citing Xi.

Xi also reiterated China's opposition to the US deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system in South Korea, Xinhua said.

China says THAAD threatens its security, despite US and South Korean assurances it is aimed only at defending against North Korea.

Both leaders agreed to maintain close communication and coordination on the Korean peninsula nuclear issue, Xinhua said.

Trump also mentioned trade imbalances in his meeting with Xi, calling it a "very, very big issue" that he would address.

"I know that China in particular, which is a great trading partner, we will be able to do something that will be equitable and reciprocal," Trump said.

Senior officials from both countries will meet in Washington on July 19 to discuss economic and trade issues.
United Nations: More than 120 countries approved the first-ever treaty to ban nuclear weapons on Saturday at a UN meeting boycotted by all nuclear-armed nations.

To loud applause, Elayne Whyte Gomez, president of the UN conference that has been negotiating the legally binding treaty, announced the results of the "historic" vote - 122 nations in favour, the Netherlands opposed, and Singapore abstaining.

"We have managed to sow the first seeds of a world free of nuclear weapons," Whyte Gomez said. "We (are) saying to our children that, yes, it is possible to inherit a world free from nuclear weapons."

"The world has been waiting for this legal norm for 70 years," since atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 at the end of World War II, she said.

Setsuko Thurlow, who was a 13-year-old student in Hiroshima when a US nuclear bomb destroyed the city, said survivors "have worked all our lives to make sure that no other human beings should ever again be subjected to such an atrocity."

None of the nine countries known or believed to possess nuclear weapons - the United States, Russia, Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel - is supporting the treaty.

Many of their allies also did not attend the meeting.

In a joint statement, the UN ambassadors from the United States, Britain and France said their countries don't intend to ever become party to the treaty.

They said it "clearly disregards the realities of the international security environment" and "is incompatible with the policy of nuclear deterrence, which has been essential to keeping the peace in Europe and North Asia for over 70 years."

The treaty offers no solution to "the grave threat posed by North Korea's nuclear program, nor does it address other security challenges that make nuclear deterrence necessary," the three ambassadors said.

A ban that doesn't address these concerns "cannot result in the elimination of a single nuclear weapon and will not enhance any country's security," they said.

"It will do the exact opposite by creating even more divisions at a time when the world needs to remain united in the face of growing threats."

The US, Britain and France along with other nuclear powers instead want to strengthen the nearly half-century-old Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, considered the cornerstone of global nonproliferation efforts.

That pact sought to prevent the spread of atomic arms beyond the five original weapons powers - the US, Russia, Britain, France and China.

It requires non-nuclear signatory nations to not pursue atomic weapons in exchange for a commitment by the five powers to move toward nuclear disarmament and to guarantee non-nuclear states' access to peaceful nuclear technology for producing energy.

All NATO members boycotted the treaty negotiations except for the Netherlands, which has US nuclear weapons on its territory and was urged by its parliament to send a delegation.

The Netherlands deputy UN ambassador Lise Gregoire-Van-Haaren told delegates her country couldn't vote for a treaty that went against its NATO obligations, had inadequate verification provisions or that undermined the NPT - and "this draft does not meet our criteria."
Karachi: Pakistan on Sunday released 78 Indian fishermen held for trespassing into its territorial waters, officials said.

"The fishermen were released from Karachi's Landhi jail," an official of the provincial home department of Sindh, Naseem Siddiqui told AFP.

The freed fishermen are expected to cross over into India tomorrow.

Siddiqui said "298 Indian fishermen are still imprisoned and will be released on completion of the verification of their nationalities by India."

Indian and Pakistani fishermen are frequently detained for illegal fishing since the Arabian Sea border is not clearly defined and many boats lack the technology to fix their precise location.

The fishermen often languish in jail, even after serving their terms, as poor diplomatic ties between the two neighbours mean fulfilling bureaucratic requirements can take a long time.

Relations between India and Pakistan have plummeted since a deadly attack on an Indian army base in the disputed region of Kashmir in September, that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan- based Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in full and have fought two wars over the mountainous region.
New Delhi: Concerned over the grim flood condition in Assam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday spoke to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and took stock of the prevailing situation in the state besides assuring him of all central help.

During the telephonic conversation, the prime minister enquired about measures taken by the Assam government to provide succour to the marooned people, damage caused by flood waters and status of relief and rescue operations.

The chief minister informed the prime minister of the state government's effective and expeditious measures to reach out to the affected people.

"The prime minister is very concerned about the flood situation in Assam. He said the central government is taking the flood situation in the state very seriously and assured all support for mitigating the problem," Sonowal told PTI over phone from Guwahati.

The chief minister said he has informed the prime minister that ministers and MLAs were directed to rush to the affected areas to take stock of the flood situation and step up relief and rescue operations ensuring proper arrangement for flood-affected people.

Sonowal said relief camps have been opened for marooned people and relief materials have been distributed.

The chief minister informed the prime minister that ex- gratia relief of Rs five lakh to the next of kin of those killed in the current spate of floods have been disbursed within 48 hours.

Sonowal also conveyed to the prime minister about the state government's decision to procure dredger for excavation of Brahmaputra riverbed apart from preparing plan for anti- erosion measures adopting latest technology.

As many as 15 districts of Assam were affected by the current floods which marooned 4.86 lakh people.

So far 26 people have lost their lives due to the floods, which also hit 41,239 hectares of crops.

The state government has set up 90 relief camps where 17,740 people have taken shelter.
Melbourne: A top Vatican official charged in his native Australia with historical sex crimes is on his way home where he is due in court, Australia's Channel 9 reported, as it broadcast video of the adviser to Pope Francis on a stop-off in Singapore.

Australian police charged Cardinal George Pell late last month, making the Vatican economy minister the highest-ranking Church official to face such accusations.

Pell has declared his innocence and said he would return to Australia to clear his name.

Channel 9 broadcast video taken by a tourist of Pell in casual attire with a companion outside an ice cream shop in Singapore.

The tourist told Pell his mother wanted to know if he was innocent

"Tell her that I am," Pell said.

Channel 9 published the video on its Facebook page late on Saturday and said it had been taken earlier in the day.

Pell is on leave of absence to defend himself and the video marks the first time he has been seen in public outside Rome since police charged him.

He is due to appear in a Melbourne court on July 26.

Pell`s Australian lawyer could not be reached by telephone and did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
New Delhi: Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) leader and Madhepura MP Pappu Yadav on Sunday said that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav is paying a price for a crime he has committed, for which his family has also been dragged in.

"These politicians have been corrupt since 70 years. I think that no one is clean but Lalu Yadav definitely did something wrong for which his family is paying now. He dragged his children in this corrupt sector and put an end to their future," Pappu Yadav told ANI.

"I want to know how this eight thousand crore property is developed in a politician's family. I think the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should probe each and every politician who has looted. If Misa Bharti is a culprit then a probe should be done as we have to follow the rules and regulations of law and order and respect it," Yadav asserted.

He further said that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is silent because he knows that Lalu Yadav has done something wrong.

"Lalu Yadav has betrayed the public and put his family forward as the culprit. He should accept his fault and this question arises on entire Bihar and its politicians," he added.

The Bihar Government on Saturday denied reports stating that they were intimated about the raids conducted on RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family in prior.

A press release by the Bihar Government stated that the reports circulating about information of the raids being given to the senior officials of the state government, Bihar Chief Secretary and Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) are 'baseless'.

"The information regarding the same was given to the Bihar Director General of Police after the CBI raids has begun, following which necessary arrangements were made," the press release stated.

Earlier on Friday, the CBI registered a corruption case against Lalu Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejaswi Yadav; former Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Managing Director P.K. Goyal; and the wife of Lalu's confidante Prem Chand Gupta, Sujata on allegations of awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2006.

The CBI later questioned Rabri Devi and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav.

The case was registered on the allegations of awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of Hotels at Ranchi and Puri to a Private Company dealing with Hotels in the year 2006.

The investigative agency also conducted searches at 12 locations across Patna, Delhi, Gurugram and other places.

The RJD supremo, however, refuted the allegations against him and called it a political conspiracy hatched by the BJP.

While conducting raids at Lalu Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti's premises yesterday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) recovered and seized various incriminating documents, electronic devices including mobile phones.
Patna: At least 16 persons were killed and half a dozen others injured in lightning strikes in different parts of Bihar on Sunday, officials said.

According to officials of the Bihar State Disaster Department, five persons were killed in Vaishali district, followed by three in Bhojpur district and two each in Buxar and Samastipur districts.

Besides, one person each died in Saran, Araria, Patna and Aurangabad districts.

The state government has announced compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the families of each victim.

Lightning strikes during the June-September monsoon season are common, with villagers housed in bamboo and grass huts more at risk.

A large part of Bihar, including Patna, received heavy rainfall on Sunday.
New Delhi: Foreign nationals visiting the posh Haus Khas Village here may be the target of terrorist groups, the Delhi Police have warned.

This village, in the heart of the capital and dotted with swaky restaurants and upmarket designer shops, is a popular destination among the tourists.

Reportedly, Delhi police have tightened the security deployment in the area. Also, the eateries have been asked to keep a constant vigilance on the monitoring of the CCTV cameras installed.

Specially trained teams have been engaged to oversee the movements of the people hanging around at Hauz Khas Village. The police is about to install metal detectors at the parking zones, the entry and exit points.

"Police have stepped up security measures at Hauz Khas Village in view of recent incidents of terror attacks on foreign tourists in various European countries. The Hauz Khas Village welcomes a large number of foreigners every day who visit for fine dining and arts/craft experience," India Today quoted Ishwar Singh, DCP (South), as saying.

Meanwhile, the police is likely to ban the ladies' night parties at various bars and pubs in Hauz Khas Village as, according to them, those disturb the law and order situation in the city.
New Delhi: Foreign investors have pumped in nearly USD 23 billion into the Indian capital markets in January-June 2017 on several factors, including expectations of accelerated pace of reforms.

In comparison, FPIs had invested about USD 1.2 billion (Rs 7,600 crore) in the first half of 2016.

"The most prominent reason for FPIs' net inflow is expectation from the government that it would speed up development and economic reforms in their last two years in office before going for elections in 2019.

"Goods and Services Tax (GST) and forecast of normal monsoon also led to positive sentiment," said Himanshu Srivastava, Senior Analyst Manager Research at Morningstar India.

FPIs invested a net Rs 53,354 crore (USD 8.2 billion) in equities during January-June 2017, while they poured Rs 94,199 crore (USD 14.5 billion) in the debt markets during the period under review, translating into a net inflow of Rs 147,553 crore (USD 22.66 billion), as per latest depository data.

The higher inflows in debt could be attributed to differential spread between 10-year bond yields in the US and India and stable Indian currency, said Hemang Jani, Head- Advisory, Sharekhan.

FPIs had started the year on a negative note and pulled out Rs 3,495 crore from the capital markets in January on concerned about "lower prospects" of economic growth compared to other emerging markets. Impact of change in policies by US President Donald Trump and demonetisation back home were the other contributing factors.

They had, however, reversed the outflow trend in February and the infusion continued till June, enthused by clarity on FPI taxation, GST roll-out and expectations of a good monsoon.

In fact in March, foreign investors poured in a record Rs 57,000 crore on expectations that BJP's victory in assembly polls will be a precursor to more "bold, reformist policies".

The BJP had formed governments in four of the five states that went to polls. It had formed governments in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa while in Punjab, the Congress came to power.

Going forward, there are a few challenges but they are not strong enough to disrupt the current trend. Markets and the rupee are surging higher, which offer a good profit booking opportunity for FPIs.

"The flow is largely driven by expectation, and for the flows to sustain, the government has to meet those expectations," Srivastava added.
Hamburg: Russian President Vladimir Putin said after meeting his US counterpart Donald Trump, he believes an improvement in relations with Washington is in the works.

Putin also said again that Moscow never interfered in US presidential election in November 2016.

"It seems to me that if we build our relations the same way our conversation went, there's every reason to believe we can re-establish, however partially, the kind of interaction we need," Putin said on Saturday, Efe news reported.

With regard to the US President, he said: "Trump on television is very different from the real person," and explained that "he well understands his the person he's talking to, analyzes quickly, answers questions and responds to whatever comes up in the discussion".

As for his personal relations with Trump, the Russian President considers them "established".

Putin also said Trump brought up, not with one question but with several, the issue of Russia's interference in US elections.

"Our position is well known. I repeat, there is no reason to think that Russia interfered in the electoral process," Putin said, adding that Trump was apparently "satisfied with the answers".

To a reporter's question about whether Moscow plans to meddle in Germany's general elections on September 24, Putin answered that, if Russia didn't do that in the US, why would they do it in Germany.

Instead he spoke of the "good relations" with Germany, Russia's main trade partner in Europe, with which it shares big projects like the new natural gas pipeline Nord Stream II.

Moscow has no need to interfere in the elections of other countries, unlike some of the European media, which constantly talk about Russia's internal matters, he said.

Putin also referred to Trump's offer to Poland and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe to supply them with liquefied gas to reduce their energy dependence on Russia, and emphasized Moscow's defence of free markets and free competition, as long as they are not politicised.

In that context, he noted that Russia has a "clear comparative advantage" because its gas is cheaper.
Hamburg: Hundreds of hooded anti-capitalist militants scuffled with German police on the fringes of a largely peaceful march on Saturday against a G20 summit of global leaders in Hamburg, after two days of violent clashes which marred the G20 summit.

In the late evening, after leaders had left Hamburg, police turned on water cannon to disperse remaining protestors, many drunk, who started throwing bottles and other objects.

Emergency services said they were treating injured people but gave no numbers.

Tensions had been high all day after riots on Friday night when radicals looted shops, torched cars and hurled objects.

The city centre was in lock down with luxury shops along the main streets barricaded up and many protected by security guards.

More than 50,000 people gathered for a "G20 - not welcome" demonstration in the port city in the afternoon.

At one point a group of about 120 people, some masked, kicked police and attacked them with flagpoles before running away.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, facing an election in September, had sought to underscore her commitment to free speech by holding the summit in central Hamburg, a trading hub with a long tradition of leftist radicalism.

Images of smoke rising over parts of the city, burning cars, wrecked shops and streets awash with debris have, however, raised questions about her strategy, and police reinforcements from across Germany had to be dispatched to help.

Merkel, who met police and security force after the summit to thank them, condemned the violence but also said the majority were peaceful and legitimate protesters.

"I condemn in the strongest terms the extreme violence and unbridled brutality that police were repeatedly confronted with," she said at the end of a summit which exposed differences with the United States on climate change.

"There is no justification for plundering, arson and brutal attacks on the lives of police officers, anyone who acts in this way, places himself outside our democratic community."

The head of Hamburg police earlier expressed shock at the "wave of destructive anger", rioting and arson since Thursday.

However, on Saturday mostly young protestors, some holding balloons, others pushing prams, wanted to keep the demonstration peaceful as hip-hop and Turkish music blasted out of speakers.

"The message is G20 - never again and certainly not in Hamburg," Oskar Zach, 16, told Reuters.

"We aim to remain peaceful. We want to show we can demonstrate without violence."

ATTAC coordinator Thomas Eberhardt-Koester said the movement wanted to "bring our criticism of the G20 and our alternatives for fair global policies onto the streets".

In the last three days, more than 200 police officers have been injured. Some 143 people have been arrested and 122 taken into custody.

On Friday night, special armed police were deployed with assault rifles after militants, described as the Black Bloc because of their trademark black hoods and masks, hurled objects, including paving slabs, and set barricades alight.

Ministers decried the violent protestors and said they would face the full force of the law.

"These are not demonstrators, they are criminals," said Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere.

But some other politicians criticised the choice of venue.

"We should ask whether the state, with its monopoly of the right to uphold security and order, was well advised to choose Hamburg," Hans-Peter Uhl, a senior member of Bavaria's CSU conservatives, sister party of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) told Handelsblatt business daily.

Merkel defended her choice of Hamburg, saying similar summits had been held in big cities such as London and it was unacceptable to say some places were ruled out as venues.

Hamburg residents, who Merkel said would receive compensation for damage, were also angry at the destruction.

"Merkel underestimated the protests. The least she can do now is come visit (the district of) Sternschanze and see the damage for herself," said Kai Mertens, a 50-year-old programmer.
New Delhi: A day after Haryana Railway Police nabbed the man, who had stabbed a 16-year-old on-board a train in Ballabhgarh, from Maharastra's Dhule area, the father of deceased Junaid Khan has reportedly demanded death penalty for the accused. According to the reports, the accused has confessed his crime and he will be produced before a Dhule magistrate for a transit remand today and later handed over to the police in Delhi.

#Ballabhgarh train lynching victim Junaid's father demands death penalty for the accused.  ANI (@ANI_news) July 9, 2017

Earlier while talking to a national channel, Junaid's father Jalaluddin had urged the government bring anti-lynching law saying it was my son this time. It could be anybody's son next.

The identity of the accused has not been revealed yet, however the GRP officials yesterday said that after completing the legal formalities they would disclose his details.

A statement released by the GRP on Saurday said that a team was sent to Dhule following on a tip-off information that the accused person was hiding there. Earlier, the Haryana Police had arrested four people, including two Delhi government staffers in connection with the lynching.

Haryana police had earlier announced reward of Rs 2 lakh for information on identity of those involved in the killing of Junaid Khan.

Junaid was stabbed to death while his brothers, Hashim and Sakir, were injured by a mob which also allegedly hurled slurs against them. His brothers said the attackers had taunted and repeatedly called them anti-nationals and beef eaters.
New Delhi: Weeks after the Army rejected an indigenously-built assault rifle, the government has decided to speed up the procurement procedure for over 1.85 lakh high calibre guns to replace ageing INSAS rifles.

The Army has been pressing for fast tracking the supply of the 7.62x51 mm guns and particularly sought immediate procurement of at least 65,000 rifles to enhance its fire power in border areas and in counter-terror operations.

Already nearly 20 gun manufacturers including a number of foreign entities have responded to the request for information (RFI) for the assault guns and steps are being taken to move the procurement process speedily, official sources said.

Last month, the Army had rejected the 7.62x51 mm guns built by the state-run Rifle Factory, Ichapore, citing poor quality and ineffective fire power.

The Army is badly in need of the assault rifles and the contract for the guns is likely to be finalised in the next few months.

Official sources said there were "excessive number of faults" in the guns manufactured by the rifle factory and "complete redesigning of the magazine" was needed to consider the guns to be used by the Army.

The Army last year had rejected another indigenously- built assault rifle called the 5.56 mm Excalibur guns as it did not meet the required standards.

In its RFI, the Army had specified effective range of the 7.62x51 mm guns at 500 metres, adding they should be as light as possible in weight.

It had also mentioned that the guns should be capable of "fitting and firing" under barrel grenade launcher manufactured by Ordnance Factory, Trichy.
Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday slammed Pakistan for glorifying terrorist Burhan Wani and said Islamabad's support to terror needed to be condemned.

"First Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson read from banned LeT's script. Now Pakistan's COAS glorifies Burhan Wani," MEA spokesperson G Baglay tweeted.

In another tweet, the MEA said, "Pakistan's terror support and sponsorship needs to be condemned by one and all."

First @ForeignOfficePk read frm banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS glorfs Burhan Wani. Pak's terror suprt&spnsr'p need 2b condmnd by 1 & all  Gopal Baglay (@MEAIndia) July 9, 2017

        .        .          Gopal Baglay (@MEAIndia) July 9, 2017

Baglay's comments came a day after Pakistan Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa praised Wani, Hizbul Mujahideen commander who was killed in an encounter with Indian security forces last year.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif yesterday paid tributes to Wani, saying his death "infused a new spirit in the struggle for freedom" in the Kashmir Valley.

Meanwhile, authorities today restored mobile and broadband Internet services in Kashmir, two days after the facilities were snapped in view of apprehensions of law and order problems on the death anniversary of Hizbul 'commander' Wani.

While mobile Internet services were restored during the night, BSNL's broadband service resumed this morning.

"Both mobile as well as broadband Internet services have been restored in Kashmir," an official said.

The official, however, said only 2G services were working on mobile networks.

"The high speed network is still suspended," he said, as per PTI.

He said the decision to restore the high speed Internet services would be taken after assessing the situation today.

Internet services across the Valley were snapped on Thursday night as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order in view of Wani's first death anniversary yesterday.

Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on 8 July last year.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: A day after attacking Army jawan's convoy in Bandipora district, terrorists hurled grenade on a temporary police post at Tral's Aripal in Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir. According to the reports of ANI, one Special Police Officer has suffered minor injuries.

J&K: Terrorists hurled grenade on a temporary police post at Tral's Aripal in Pulwama district, last night. One SPO suffered minor injuries. pic.twitter.com/qCEaBqjlPV  ANI (@ANI_news) July 9, 2017

Talking to PTI, a police official said, "The ultras fired a UBGL grenade at a joint camp of CRPF and police at Aribal in Tral town at 10.30 pm yesterday." The attack left one of the officers injured. He was taken to a hospital where the doctors said his condition was stable. However, no militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack as yet.

Earlier on Friday, three Army jawans were left injured after terrorists attacked their convoy in Bandipora. As per the reports terrorists targeted the convoy in Hajin area of the district.

On July 3, terrorists opened fire on a Police patrol party in South Kashmir's Anantnag , in which one cop was injured.

Apparently, security was beefed up in valley in the wake of the first death anniversary of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. An definite curfew was also imposed in Pulwama's Tral town, the hometown of Wani who was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Kokernag area of Anantnag district on July 8 last year.
New Delhi: As many as 12,000 people have lost their lives in Maoist violence over the last two decades and of these, 2,700 were personnel of security forces.

According to a statistics prepared by the Home Ministry, those killed include 9,300 innocent civilians who were either killed by the Naxals, labelling them as 'police informers', or were victims in crossfire.

However, the violence perpetrated by the Naxals has declined by 25 per cent in last three years, notwithstanding occasional reverses suffered by the security forces.

There has been a decline of 25 per cent in left wing extremism-related violence and casualties to security forces dropped by as much as 42 per cent during May 2014-April 2017 as compared to May 2011-April 2014, a home ministry official said.

The April 24 assault on a CRPF road opening party that claimed lives of 25 personnel was the deadliest since the April 2010 attack in Dantewada, also in Chhattisgarh, in which 76 personnel were killed.

The elimination of Naxal cadres rose by a sharp 65 per cent and the surrenders by the extremists recorded 185 per cent increase, the official said.

The home ministry officials said currently 90 per cent of Maoist activities were limited to 35 districts, though they have a hold over pockets in 68 districts in 10 states.

To tackle the menace of left wing extremism, the central government has launched the 'National Policy and Action Plan' comprising of security, development and ensuring rights and entitlements of the local communities.

Under this plan, as many as 307 fortified police stations were constructed in Naxal-hit areas in last three years.

Besides, 1,391 km roads were constructed in some of the most difficult areas under the road requirement plan phase-I. A total of 5,412 km of additional roads were approved for construction in nine Naxal-hit areas at a cost of Rs 11,725 crore.

While 2,187 mobile towers were installed for improving telephone connectivity in remote areas, 2,882 more are in the process of installation.

Altogether 358 new banks were opened, 752 ATMs were installed and 1,789 post offices were approved for opening in these Maoist affected states as part of the government's plans to improve financial inclusion in 35 worst hit districts.

The home ministry has already approached the finance ministry for additional funds for extension of several development schemes which were executed in Naxal-hit states.

The security related expenditure (SRE) scheme, special infrastructure scheme (SIS), integrated action plan (IAP) and a few other schemes will be extended for a few more years if the finance ministry's approval is received, the official said.

Under the SRE scheme, funds are provided for meeting the recurring expenditure relating to insurance, training and operational needs of the security forces, rehabilitation of left wing extremist cadres who surrender in accordance with the surrender and rehabilitation policy, security related infrastructure for village defence committees.

The SIS in left wing extremism affected states was commenced in 11th five-year plan (2008-09 to 2011-12) with an outlay of Rs 500 crore to cater to critical infrastructure gaps of security forces which could not be covered under any other scheme.

During the period, under the scheme, another amount of Rs 460 crore was allocated of which Rs 445.82 crore was released to the nine left wing extremism affected states for meeting the objects related to requirements of mobility of the police, security forces by upgrading existing roads/tracks in inaccessible areas, measures to enhance security in respect of police stations/outposts located in vulnerable areas.

The scheme was extended to the 12th five year plan period on April 4, 2013 with an outlay of Rs 373 crore, comprising Rs 280 crore (75 per cent) as central share and Rs 93 crore (25 per cent) as state share.

Rs 122.13 crore were released to the Naxal-hit states during 2013-14 and 2014-15 for upgradation of training infrastructure, weaponry, equipments and fill up critical infrastructure gap of special forces of the states.

The scheme has been discontinued from central assistance from 2015-16 as per recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission.

The IAP or additional central assistance (ACA) for left wing extremism affected districts was commenced by the Planning Commission (now NITI Aayog) in 2010-11 covering 60 tribal and backward districts for accelerated development by providing public infrastructure and services.

During 2010-11, Rs 25 crore per district were provided to 60 districts which enhanced to Rs 30 crore per district per year from 2011-12. The scheme was extended to 82 districts in 2012.

From 2012-13, the scheme was renamed as additional central assistance (ACA) for left wing affected districts and extended to 88 districts covering 76 LWE affected districts.

The major works/projects included under IAP/ACA relate to construction of school building, anganwadi centers, drinking water facilities, construction of rural roads, panchayat bhawans, livelihood activities, skill development etc.

This scheme of ACA was under implementation up to 2014-15 and discontinued from the central assistance from the financial year 2015-16.

Upto January 7, 2016 an amount of Rs 9,059 crore has been released under IAP/ACA scheme of which Rs 8,711.90 crore has been incurred. Out of the total 1,64,859 projects taken up, 1,39,729 projects have been completed by January 7.
New Delhi: After concluding his two-nation tour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reached the national capital. Modi started his tour on July 4 from Israel, where he signed seven agreements. He also met the business community, where the CEOs of Indian and Israeli businesses signed MoUs worth over USD 5 billion on the sidelines of the visit.

The Forum also set up six Joint Committees covering startups, pharma and life sciences, homeland security, agriculture, energy and water sectors.He later headed to Germanys Hamburg to attend the G-20 summit. Modi, in the G-20 summit, called on for a debate in dealing with forced migration and pressed for a comprehensive and cooperative policy framework to distinguish legal migration.

Addressing a session at the G-20 meet on India's Partnership with Africa, Migration and Health on the second day, the PM said the meet must walk the talk to facilitate technological and financial infusion in Africa.He also held the bilateral talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni of Italy on the sidelines of the G-20 summit and talked about several issues of mutual interests and cooperation.

Later, he also met with his British counterpart Theresa May on the sidelines of the summit, urging for a greater cooperation for extradition of absconding Indian economic offenders.On Friday, the first day of the summit, Modi met top leaders of the world- including U.S.

President Donald Trump, his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and also with Chinese President Xi Jinping.On Day 1, counter-terrorism and its funding dominated the discussions amongst the leaders of the world`s 20 largest economies at the G-20 Summit in Germany. On Friday, the Prime Minister had a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, and also, with his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau.

(With inputs from PTI)
New Delhi: In yet another incident of apathy towards the poor, a bereaved family in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh was forced to carry dead body of their relative in an open rickshaw as ambulance was denied to them. As per the local Police, a body was found on the railway track near Atra Station.

The deceased has been identified as Ramasare. As per the reports of ANI, the Government Railway Police (GRP) had called few hospitals for ambulance service but no one was ready to carry the corpse to the hospital.

Following which the relatives had to carry the body to the city hospital in rickshaw for postmortem. What highlights the severity of the terrible condition is that the a Government Railway Police (GRP) constable followed the family in an e-rickshaw, as there was no other means of transportation.

Moreover, on the way, they passed Superintendent of Police's (SP) House, Deputy inspector general of police (DIG) Office, Housing, Commissioner House, Police Line, Commissioner and many VIP areas, but no one paid any attention to this grieving family and their plight.

GRP, Sepak Diwakar Singh said, "After getting no response from any of the hospital, we advised the family to take the body for post mortem in a rickshaw.
New Delhi: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to hold parliamentary board meeting on Sunday to discuss its nominee for the upcoming vice-presidential elections 2017, scheduled for August 5. If reports are to be believed, the meeting will be attended by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.

The meeting was earlier delayed due to PM Modi's two nation-tour.

Neither the ruling NDA nor the opposition has so far announced their respective candidates for the post, but few prominent names like Sushma Swaraj, Veteran leader Kalraj Mishra, former Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and M Venkaiah Naidu are doing rounds.

The ruling NDA, which has a majority in the Lok Sabha and received support of parties such as AIADMK and BJD in the Presidential polls, will find it easy to place its candidate as the next vice president. The term of present incumbent Hamid Ansari, who has held the post for two consecutive terms, comes to an end on August 10.

Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi had earlier said nominations can be submitted by July 18. The scrutiny will take place on July 19 and the last date for withdrawing from the electoral battle is July 21.

In the vice president election, a candidate requires 20 proposers and 20 seconders who should be members of Parliament. Members of Parliament will use special pens for marking their choice.
Mumbai: The Mumbai Police on Sunday arrested a 20-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh's Pharenda, in case of rape of a minor girl, who is deaf and mute since her birth.

The girl, 14-year-old was found four and half months pregnant on December 6, 2016 when she complained about stomach ache.

A case of rape was registered in Boriwali Police Station but it was difficult to find out the culprit, as the girl was unable to give description of the accused.

The police then took help of various NGOs and experts who can communicate with deaf and mute people.

With this, the police were able to establish that the culprit was a laborer on some construction site near the victim's house.

After a lot of effort the police was able to make a list of suspects and finally zeroed on the accused, who fled to his home town after committing the crime.

A team of Mumbai Police was sent to Pharenda which brought him to Mumbai and where he was arrested on July 7, almost a year after committing the crime.
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday assured the Sikkim government that the Centre will ensure the security of national highway 10, the lifeline of the landlocked state, which is facing crisis of essential commodities in the wake of protests and counter-protests over the demand for Gorkhaland in neighbouring West Bengal.

During a telephonic conversation with Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling, the home minister discussed the security situation in the state and areas neighbouring West Bengal.

"I assured him that the Centre will ensure the safety & security of NH 10 and do everything possible to save people of the state from any misery," he tweeted.

Singh also directed Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi to coordinate with the West Bengal administration and ensure the safety, security and smooth traffic on NH 10, which connects Siliguri in West Bengal with Sikkim capital Gangtok.

Reports said traffic between Siliguri and Gangtok was affected as drivers of West Bengal-registered vehicles stopped plying to Sikkim.

There have been several incidents reported in the past week when Sikkim-registered trucks were vandalised and looted by unidentified miscreants in Siliguri.

There have also been reports of Sikkim-bound taxis, buses and private vehicles being targeted by anti-social elements in Siliguri.

The incidents of violence started after the Sikkim chief minister supported the demand of Gorkhaland and also wrote to the home minister saying it was a justified and long pending demand of the people of the Darjeeling hills.

Chamling had 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".

Sikkim transporters are on an indefinite strike demanding the immediate arrest of the miscreants who carried out attacks against Sikkim vehicles at Siliguri.

They are also demanding that West Bengal give assurance of providing safety to Sikkim-registered vehicles.

Expressing concern over vandalism of Sikkim-registered vehicles in West Bengal, Chamling had said he is planning to move the Supreme Court in this regard.

"I am in regular contact with the Union government on the issue and thinking of approaching the Supreme Court to settle the issue at the earliest," he told a meeting in Chisopani in South Sikkim district on Wednesday.
Delhi: Ace comedian Kapil Sharma is blessed with a heart of gold. The 36-year-old star has time and again stepped forward to support issues which promote a better society. This time, the 'Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon' hunk is reportedly lending a helping hand to visually challenged.

It is being said that Kapil will be donating 100 cycles to an NGO named Gyanam Ganga. According to a Bollywood Life report, originally attributed to Hindustan Times, he said, Its a small gesture for the people from Gyanam Ganga who are putting efforts day in and out to achieve their goal. It was wonderful having them on our show. Im always up for supporting causes that help fellow human beings.

His act will definitely inspire many to do good.

On the cinema front, Kapil is working on his upcoming film 'Firangi'. It will star Ishita Dutta and Kapil in the lead and will be a comedy drama reportedly. The film is helmed by Punjabi filmmaker Rajiv Dhingra. dfgsdfg
New Delhi: Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya has said the bill which seeks to double the tax-free gratuity ceiling to Rs 20 lakh is likely to be pushed for passage in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, beginning July 17.

Besides, the bill to amend the Payment of Gratuity Act also seeks to enable the central government to change the ceiling for tax-free gratuity after factoring in rise in income levels by an executive order bypassing Parliament route to amend the law.

The draft bill, however, is yet to be scrutinised and approved by the Union Cabinet.

"This is on our agenda. It may come in this session (monsoon). It will soon go to the Cabinet for approval," Dattatreya told PTI when asked about the status of Payment of Gratuity Amendment Bill.

After the amendment in the Act, formal sector workers would be eligible for up to Rs 20 lakh tax-free gratuity. Earlier in February, the central trade unions had agreed on the proposal in a tripartite consultation with the labour ministry.

However, the unions had demanded the removal of conditions asking to have at least 10 employees in an establishment and minimum five years of service for payment of gratuity.

At present, as per the Payment of Gratuity Act, an employee is required to do minimum service of five years to become eligible for gratuity amount. Moreover, the Act applies to those establishments where the number of employees is not less than 10.

Trade unions had demanded that the amended provision regarding maximum amount should be made effective from January 1, 2016, as done in the case of central government employees.

Besides, that rate of 15 days wages for each completed year of service be raised to 30 days wages, the unions had said during the tripartite meeting.

The proposed amendment to the Payment of Gratuity Act as circulated by the government only deals with enhancing the ceiling of maximum amount under Section 4(3) of the Act from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh.

The proposed amendment is being brought to bring the maximum ceiling amount to Rs 20 lakh in line with the 7th Central Pay Commission's recommendations as accepted by the government.

The relevant amendment for central government employees was notified on July 25, 2016 and the enhanced amount ceiling was made effective from January 1, 2016.

The unions were of the view that the delay of eight months for employees covered under the Payment of Gratuity Act should not result in adversely affecting the interest of the concerned employees.

The employers as well as state representatives had also agreed to the proposal of raising the amount of gratuity to Rs 20 lakh in the tripartite meeting held last month.
New Delhi: Ever since its smooth transit from Earth into its destined orbit around Jupiter, NASA's Juno spacecraft has been beaming back some amazing data on the planet as well as giving space enthusiasts spectacular visual treats from time to time.

With many turning points marking its one-year-long journey in Jupiter's orbit, Juno is all set to make another important manoeuvre today.

The spacecraft will fly directly over Jupiter's Great Red Spot, the gas giant's iconic, 10,000-mile-wide (16,000-kilometer-wide) storm.

One of the biggest mysteries related to Jupiter is the planet's Great Red Spot and NASA says that this will be humanity's first up-close and personal view of the gigantic feature  a storm monitored since 1830 and possibly existing for more than 350 years.

This mission will be a part of Juno's sixth science flyby of the gas giant's mysterious cloud tops.

According to the space agency, perijove (the point at which an orbit comes closest to Jupiter's center) will be on Monday, July 10, at 6:55 pm PDT (9:55 pm EDT). At the time of perijove, Juno will be about 2,200 miles (3,500 kilometers) above the planet's cloud tops. Eleven minutes and 33 seconds later, Juno will have covered another 24,713 miles (39,771 kilometers) and will be directly above the coiling crimson cloud tops of Jupiter's Great Red Spot. The spacecraft will pass about 5,600 miles (9,000 kilometers) above the Giant Red Spot clouds. All eight of the spacecraft's instruments as well as its imager, JunoCam, will be on during the flyby.

"Jupiter's mysterious Great Red Spot is probably the best-known feature of Jupiter," said Scott Bolton, principal investigator of Juno from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. "This monumental storm has raged on the solar system's biggest planet for centuries. Now, Juno and her cloud-penetrating science instruments will dive in to see how deep the roots of this storm go, and help us understand how this giant storm works and what makes it so special," NASA reported.
The Sanskrit verse  Mata Pitah Guru Daivam  clearly positions the role of a teacher before that of the God. In India, the teacher is referred to as the Guru (the one who sows seeds of knowledge and eliminates darkness).

Interestingly, the Sanskrit word Guru itself means one who removes ignorance (Gu meaning ignorance and Ru means remover). The auspicious day is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Ashadha according to the Hindu calendar. This year, the day falls on July 9.

Guru Purnima is a day to pay ode to the selfless contributions of a Guru.

On this day, students thank their teachers for nurturing values, morals and instilling the sense of right and wrong besides imparting education.

In ancient India, parents entrusted the responsibility of their children to the Guru because they knew only a teacher could help a child evolve holistically. The Guru Shishya Parampara which was wonderfully woven in the social fabric witnessed a beautiful bond between the teacher and a student.

Moreover, the importance of significance of a Guru has also been clearly established in our great Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.

The bond shared by Sage Vishwamitra and Lord Rama or Arjuna and Dronacharya are classic specimens of the Guru Shishiya parampara.

Other significant features of the Guru Purnima day:

The author of the Maharbharata was born on this day and hence it is also celebrated as Vyasa Purnima.

This day, is also celebrated as Buddha Purnima by followers of Gautama Buddha. It is on this very day the founder of Buddhism gave his first sermon at Sarnath.

Guru Purnima is of great significance for the Jains too. On this day, the 24th Tirthankara  Mahavira  made Gautam Swami (earlier known as Indrabhuti Gautam) his first disciple. He thus became a Guru and hence the day is observed as Guru Purnima.

Guru Purnima is of great significance for the Jains too. On this day, the 24th Tirthankara  Mahavira  made Gautam Swami (earlier known as Indrabhuti Gautam) his first disciple. He thus became a Guru and hence the day is observed as Guru Purnima.
Tamil Nadu: Three Indian fishermen with one boat were detained on Saturday night by the Sri Lankan Navy, for allegedly engaging in illegal fishing practices at Palk Strait.

The arrest was made by a Fast Attack Craft (FAC) belonging to the Northern Naval Command yesterday.

The FAC attached to the Northern Naval Command was on a routine patrol when they arrested the Indian fishing poachers while they were practicing bottom trawling in Sri Lankan territorial waters.

The fishing trawler was brought to SLNS Elara in Kareinagar and the fishermen to SLNS Uththara in Kankesanthurei.

They were later due to be handed over to the Jaffna Assistant Director of Fisheries for further legal action.
Varanasi: A Dalit professor at the Banaras Hindu University has lodged an FIR against the dean of the Arts faculty for allegedly misbehaving with her and making derogatory remarks, police said on Sunday.

The FIR has been lodged under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and also for misbehaviour and issuing threats, said Devendra Singh, Station Officer of Lanka Police Station here.

He said BHU Journalism and Mass Communication professor S Nerlikar lodged a complaint alleging that Arts faculty dean Pankaj Kumar allegedly misbehaved and made derogatory remarks against her.

An investigation has been launched and action will be taken after a thorough probe, he said.

However, Kumar rubbished the allegations saying the professor was absent on the very first day of the new academic session.

Kumar alleged that Nerlikar was irked as he marked her absent in the register, prompting her to make such "baseless allegations".

He said presence of all professors on the commencement of the new academic session is compulsory in the BHU and the professor was allegedly absent without any valid reason.

The Dalit professor had firstly given a written complaint to BHU's chief proctor against Kumar but when the chief proctor did not take any action, she approached the Lanka Police Station yesterday.
Lucknow: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has got into election mode to take on rival parties in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, with party chief Mayawati sounding cadres and prospective candidates to prepare for the election.

Even the process of screening of names of prospective candidates has started and some names which have been shortlisted asked to move out among the people with the aim of contesting elections.

"The preparations for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls are on, party cadres and leaders have been given clear cut task to move to their respective areas and go all out to prepare," a party leader told PTI.

The BSP has always been making preparations well in advance in all the elections instructing its cadres and finalising names even when other parties had not got into the groove.

"The performance and acceptance among the public of those who have been sounded to contest elections will be under scrutiny and screened from time to time and there will not be any relaxation at any level," he pointed out.

The party chief will take feedback from office bearers and party loyalists from time to time regarding winnability of the candidates and further decision, if needed, on their candidature will be taken as per these reports, he said.

There has been speculation ever since the dismal showing of all non BJP parties, first in the Lok Sabha elections and then in the recent Vidhan Sabha polls, that they might come together to check the growth of the saffron party in the Hindi heartland.

The speculation gained ground in the recent past after both the BSP and the SP, arch-rivals in state politics, supported the candidature of Meira Kumar as president.

SP leader Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati are also likely to share platform at a rally organised by the Lalu Prasad-led RJD in Patna on August 27.

"The party supremo has directed the party leaders to start preparation and almost all the names are likely to be finalised by the year end, about one and a half year ahead of elections," he said.

This has been the way the party has been going about in all elections and this time too it is no different, he said, adding that BSP being part of any alliance or group is a thing that concerns the future and will be decided by the party chief when she feels it right and appropriate.

The SP and the the BSP together make a formidable alliance with the consolidation of Dalit and backward votes which could effectively checkmate the BJP and both are aware that they need some strong ground to face the BJP challenge.

The BSP could win only 19 seats in 2017 assembly in the 403-member House, down from 80 in 2012. This is its lowest tally since 1991, when the party won 12 seats.

The SP won 47, its lowest tally since the party?s inception in 1992.

The BJP cornered 40 per cent of the votes polled, an increase of 25 per cent since the last time, bagging along with its NDA partners 325 seats.

As the BJP's unprecedented tally dwarfed the opposition, which has together been reduced to less than 75 seats, there was a move specially by RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav for an alliance between the SP and the BSP.
Azamgarh: Batch of toxic spurious liquor killed at least seven people taking the toll up to 18 and sickened many more in Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh city.

The District Magistrate has ordered a Magistracy probe in to the matter.

Meanwhile, the police has raided various dubious locations and arrested nine liquor traders in the connection.

The police has constituted of five teams to nab the culprits. The Excise department is also making relentless efforts to bring guilty to book.

Probe is on and further details are awaited.
Islamabad: China and Pakistan have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation on science and technology under the Belt and Road Initiative.

The agreement was made on Saturday during a meeting between Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain and visiting Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang who is here for the 18th Session of the Pakistan-China Joint Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation, reports Xinhua news agency.

Wan said China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and bilateral ties enjoy a smooth development with the steady construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, adding that cooperation on science and technology is an important content in the bilateral relations.

Wan, also vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, said the two sides have carried out a series of pragmatic cooperation such as joint laboratory construction and young scientists' exchanges.

He added that China is willing to strengthen cooperation on scientific and technological innovation with Pakistan under the Belt and Road Initiative and provide support to build a community of innovation.

Hussain said Pakistan cherishes the friendship with China and expressed gratitude for Beijing's long-time support, adding that Pakistan is willing to carry out substantial cooperation on scientific and technological innovation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

He said both sides should develop more channels on people-to-people exchanges and joint research and development so as to boost socio-economic development.

Also on Saturday, Wan and his Pakistani counterpart Rana Tanveer Hussain attended the inauguration ceremony of Pakistani Subcentre of China-South Asia Technology Transfer Centre and signed two agreements on cooperation.

Proposed by China in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aiming at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of Silk Road.
Washington: President Donald Trump believes Russia was not alone in interfering with the US elections and other countries such as China and North Korea too have meddled in American polls over the years, one of his top aides said on Sunday.

"(Trump) said they (Russians) probably meddled in the election. They did meddle in the election. The one thing that he also says, which drives the media crazy, but it's an absolute fact, is that others have as well, and that's true. China has, North Korea has, and they have consistently over many, many years," White House Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus, told Fox News.

"He believes that Russia probably committed all of these acts that we've been told of, but he also believes that other countries also participated in this," Priebus said.

His stance was in contrast to the US president who has appeared hesitant to blame Russia but has acknowledged others may be involved, saying "nobody really knows for sure."

He has tweeted that Putin "vehemently denied" interfering in the presidential election during their first face-to-face encounter at the G20 Summit on Friday.

Priebus, however, said Trump "absolutely did not believe" Putin's denial. Russia, he asserted, is not off the hook on the issue, but the Trump administration is not going to forgo progress on other issues simply because they differ on this.

"What it means is that we need to move forward with things like a ceasefire in Syria, which is going to save a lot of lives," he said. "It means we need to move forward with working together with ISIS. We need to move forward with working together in resolving the conflict in Ukraine."

Responding to a question whether the US was isolated at the G20 Summit in Germany on the issue of climate change, Priebus said Trump defended America's interest.

"Does the president have any trouble when he's one against 19?" the White House chief of staff was asked.

"The president has made it very clear that he doesn't believe the Paris agreement is fair. Now, you say it's a disagreement. It's really not a disagreement on the environment. It's a disagreement on the Paris agreement itself, and the fact that we don't want to be hamstrung by an agreement that's going to hurt the American worker across the country that the president has pledged to support," he said.
Asakura: Japanese rescuers continued their search for victims of freak rains that have triggered floods and landslides in southwest Japan and left at least 18 people dead and hundreds of others displaced, public broadcaster NHK reported on Sunday.

About 1,900 policemen and soldiers, using heavy machinery, braved the rain and grappled with debris of driftwood and mud that have cut off roads and clogged flooded homes.

Authorities warned of more heavy rains later in the evening and potential landslides. The downpour has been caused by a low pressure over the Pacific that has sent warm, moist air into Japan`s seasonal rainy front.

In Fukuoka and neighbouring Oita, the hardest hit areas, 18 people have been killed and 14 have been injured, while roughly 570 have been left in the state of isolation and more than 20 still unaccounted for, NHK said.

"Considering the feelings of those whose families are missing, I want to rescue as soon as possible," Kiyoharu Kawano of the Ground Self-Defense Force said.

Local residents tackled cleanup efforts with a struggle.

"It`s tough, it`s tough," said an elderly man, who was pushing a wheelbarrow in the heavy rain, carrying mud out of an old wooden "ramen" noodle restaurant.

The city of Asakura was hit by more than 600 mm (24 inches) of rain since it started pouring on Wednesday, and Hita was pounded by nearly 450 mm of rain during the same period, the meteorological agency said, warning of yielding ground.

The meteorological agency said the rainy front was forecast to bring 120 mm of rain in the northern Kyushu region by Monday noon, and 100 mm of rain in the neighbouring Chugoku region, western Japan.
Washington: US President Donald Trump on Sunday ruled out lifting sanctions against Russia unless the Syrian and Ukrainian issues are resolved, even though he favoured to work "constructively" with Moscow.

Describing his two-hour-long meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Hamburg on the sidelines of the G20 Summit on Friday as successful, Trump, in a series of tweets on his return from Hamburg, said he discussed a series of issues with Putin.

This was the first meeting between the two leaders.

Trump said he discussed with Putin alleged meddling of Russia in 2016 American elections, cyber security and negotiated a successful ceasefire in Syria.

However, sanctions were not part of the discussion, the US president said.

"Sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin. Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian and Syrian problems are solved!," Trump said in one of the seven tweets to his more than 33 million followers.

Trump said the G20 Summit, which among others was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was a success.

"The G20 Summit was a great success for the US - Explained that the US must fix the many bad trade deals it has made. Will get done!," he said.

The rest of his tweets were about his discussion with Putin.

"I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion.

"We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!," said the US president, adding that they also discussed cyber security.

In another tweet, Trump said, "Putin and I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, and many other negative things, will be guarded and safe".

"Questions were asked about why the CIA and FBI had to ask the DNC 13 times for their SERVER, and were rejected, still don't have it.

"Fake News said 17 intel agencies when actually 4 (had to apologise). Why did Obama do NOTHING when he had info before election?," Trump said in separate tweets.

Russia has been supporting Syrian President Bashar al- Assad who has come under sharp criticism from the US and its western allies over Syrian forces' alleged use of chemical weapons on civilians.

The US has been criticising Russia after it annexed Crimea during a 2014 political upheaval in Ukraine. The Russian takeover of Crimea has resulted in clashes in some parts of eastern Ukraine.
YEREVAN, JULY 7, ARMENPRESS. Tofig Zulfugarov, the former foreign minister of Azerbaijan who served under Heydar Aliyev admitted that by comparing the foreign policies of Armenia and Azerbaijan it is clearly visible what mistakes and obvious failures the Azerbaijani side has in building its relations with the international community.

Zulfugarov made the comments in an interview to an Azerbaijani media outlet, which operates closely with Azerbaijans authorities.

Speaking about the recent developments and escalation in the border, he said that Azerbaijan is making several mistakes when communicating with international structures, unlike the effective foreign policy of Armenia.

The main stimulus of this efficiency is the accurate combination of Armenias active foreign policy, military strategy and political strategy. I think that Azerbaijan must carry out immediate reforms in its foreign political strategy, otherwise it will continue to fail in foreign policy. This cannot go on like this anymore, he said.

The OSCE Minsk Group made a statement regarding the July 4 escalation, urging to immediately stop military operations.
"Stop throwing the spoon and bowl and climb out of the high chair!" That's what I'd tell NC Policy Watch crybabies who continue to assert the policies of Republican legislators don't support public education It's a baseless claim. It's hard to see a Republican war on education when state appropriations for K-12 public education have increased for the seventh consecutive year.[i] When funding increases from $7.15 billion in 2010-11 to $9.42 billion in 2018-19, it's difficult to substantiate the claim.Indeed, the current budget adds $701 million in new spending over the next two years; of that total, $669 million is targeted for pay raises and bonuses for teachers, administrators and staff. In fact, teachers will receive an average salary increase of 3.3 percent next year and an average 9.6 percent raise over two years, the fourth consecutive year teachers have received a raise. But I thought Republicans hate those evil teachers!Not only do progressives think Republicans don't spend enough money on the public schools, they don't like how the money is spent. Take the Opportunity Scholarship Program. The program provides eligible recipients up to $4,200 per year for tuition at a private school.The major progressive mouthpieces in North Carolina are united in their opposition to vouchers. According to critics, vouchers take money from the public schools and are they claim voucher schools are unregulated.There is significant research on this topic that says otherwise. See here here and here NC Policy Watch and others respond by saying voucher programs are not accountable. The accusation implies a progressive view of accountability, one that says government needs to ensure that schools and organizations that receive support from the government are using the money wisely. The progressive view of accountability is narrow and top-down.Of course voucher programs should be accountable, but who defines accountability? The government? Parents? Who? Progressives have historically been dismissive of the views of many parents as unenlightened and in need of change ... at the hands of bureaucrats.A massive state bureaucracy of self-interested experts is the legacy of progressivism. Truth be told, it's all around us in state government and in local education associations.The left cries for more accountability. Accountability looks to results. So, we need to ask: Have progressivism and the bureaucracy produced an educational system that provides a quality education to all?Some basic measures say no. The well-respected National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reveals that in 2015 only 44 percent of 4th-graders and 33 percent of 8th-graders who took NAEP math exam tested at or above proficient.[ii] Results of state tests in North Carolina reveal similarly discouraging results. In 2015, only 45 percent of students in grades 3 through 8 who took End-of-Grade EOG tests were grade level proficient in reading and math. Regarding high school, less than half of all students who took End -of-Course tests in English II and mathematics achieved the college readiness standards in their respective subjects.[iii]The failure rate is large. However, has anyone been held accountable for such poor performance? Has anyone lost a job over this? Yes, there are good public schools, but too many schools are struggling and solutions aren't working. Yet who is accountable? Still, the Left continues to bark that voucher schools must be held accountable. Under the progressive model, failing schools receive additional resources to redress problems. In too many cases however resources continue to be spent with no significant improvements. Schools continue to fail despite spending millions. Yet who is held accountable? No schools are closed.Voucher schools are accountable to taxpayers and parents in a variety of ways. Private schools are already required to comply with various, safety, health and nondiscrimination regulations. Academic quality in many schools is maintained and monitored via membership in accrediting associations and by having students participate in national recognized standardized tests. State statutes also require certain schools administer a financial audit and report test scores to parents and the legislature. Moreover, if parents aren't satisfied with a child's progress they hold the ultimate accountability, and may choose to leave the school altogether. Regrettably, it's a form of accountability that doesn't exist for families in most public schools.With the passage of legislation to create Personal Education Savings Accounts (PESAs) for up to $9,000 for North Carolina parents, the screeching from the left has been turned up to full volume. Critics like Chris Fitzsimon of NC Policy Watch say PESAs are unregulated, open to fraud and unpopular in other states.Strong claims. Are they true? No.PESAs, patterned after the highly popular Education Savings Accounts or ESAs, allow parents to determine how and where their child will be educated. Those might be the major reasons why parental support for ESAs is strong.An April 2017 Civitas Poll found that 57 percent of respondents supported or strongly supported Education Savings Accounts, 25 percent opposed them and 18 percent were undecided or did not reply.[iv] Civitas has been polling on ESAs since 2012. Support for ESAs has never dropped below 50 percent. In fact, ESAs seem to be the one issue that Democrats and Republicans can agree on Of course, all this runs counter to the claim by progressives that ESAs are unpopular. If so, why have five states approved ESA programs and, thirty more states are considering or have considered such programs?ESA programs in Florida and Arizona have grown significantly since their original legislation was passed. Florida passed the second ESA program in the country in 2015. Enrollment has expanded quickly from 1,600 to approximately 7,500 this year. The average value of a Florida Special Needs ESA Scholarship is $8,840.[v]The first ESA program was passed in Arizona in 2011. The original legislation limited eligibility to special-needs students as well as dependents of active duty military personnel.The first year of the program saw 153 students enrolled. In recent years, the program has expended to include, besides special needs students, children in failing schools, foster children, and children who reside on Native American lands. In 2017 enrollment in the Arizona ESA program was approximately 3,300 students, with an average scholarship value of $11,500.[vi] Earlier this year, the Arizona legislature voted to expand eligibility to all students and will phase in the changes in the coming years.Critics also charge that ESAs are unregulated and open to fraud.It's not so. Let's talk first about the Opportunity Scholarship Program. Schools that accept Opportunity Scholarship students must comply with a variety of regulations including nondiscrimination statutes laid out in U.S. statutes.[vii] Schools must provide a criminal background check for the school leader, and provide parents with an annual report of a student's academic progress, including the student's scores on standardized achievement tests - which the school is required to administer at least once a year. The chosen test must measure achievement in the areas of English grammar, reading, spelling, and mathematics.Test results and graduation rates must be reported to parents and submitted to the State Education Assistance Authority (SEAA), the agency that administers the Opportunity Scholarship Program. In addition, if the school receives $300,000 or more in Opportunity Scholarship funding, an audit must be conducted by a certified public accountant. Schools that enroll 25 students or more who receive primarily Opportunity Scholarship funding are required to report aggregate test scores to the SEAA.[viii]The new PESA program also has several regulations. SEAA is required to perform an annual audit of PESAs to ensure compliance with regulations. Parents who receive a PESA will be required to submit quarterly expenditure reports to the NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI). Parents will have to sign an agreement to use scholarship funds for only designated items, and violations can result in the loss of funds. SEAA is also required to report to the legislature data regarding enrollment funding and the impact on public schools, as well as the number of cases of substantiated fraud.[ix]Critics of North Carolina's program assert that because PESA will provide parents with the use of a debit card to pay for education expenses, the program is an open invitation to fraud and abuse. This is not true.This claim fails to consider that safeguards can be added to programs to limit education expenses to approved online vendors only. Nor do critics realize that debit cards can be configured to be usable only for certain vendors or products.Much has been made of the audit of the Arizona ESA program . The report largely said the state should continue to strengthen oversight and continue its efforts to improve eligibility. It should be noted that, despite the publicity, the Arizona Department of Public Education (ADE) said it was pleased with the results of the audit.[x]ADE had no previous experience to draw upon when drawing up plans for the program. As such, the audit results largely endorse much of ADE's work. Finally, we must remember that the amount of fraud ($102,000) uncovered in the audit is less than 1 percent of total ESA distributions.[xi]The recently approved state budget includes a provision for an independent audit of DPI. NC taxpayers should be very happy if the percentages of fraud and misspent funds found by the audit are anywhere near those of the Arizona audit.These facts will probably not change minds of progressives. I wish they did, but that's OK. I'm writing for parents, educators, and taxpayers of North Carolina who want to know about public education and school choice.In the meantime, the caterwauling and hyperbole from progressives will continue. Attention from results will be diverted, the obsession over the lack of resources will continue, and anyone who dares to question the public schools will be branded an extremist.Are Republicans engaged in dismantling public education? That charge is nothing but a ruse to rally the progressive base. The math doesn't add up and the charges largely unfounded. Adding over $700 million to the K-12 budget over two years isn't enough to the critics; in fact, to them no amount of funds is ever enough. And that's the lesson.Let's ignore the noise and stay the course.[i] Highlights of the North Carolina Public School Budget, February 2017, page 2. Published by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Available online at: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/fbs/resources/data/highlights/2017highlights.pdf [ii]Institute for Educational Sciences: National Assessment for Educational Progress, State Profiles, North Carolina. Available online at: https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/ [iii] 2015-16 Performance and Growth of North Carolina Public Schools, Executive Summary, Statistical Summary of Results, published by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, September 1,2016. Available online at: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/accountability/reporting/exsumm16.pdf [iv] North Carolina Statewide April 2017, Poll available online at: https://1ttd918ylvt17775r1u6ng1adc-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/NC-April-2017.pdf [v] The ABCs of School Choice: The Comprehensive Guide to Every School Choice Program in America, 2017 Edition, published by EdChoice. 2017. Available online at: www.edchoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/The-ABCs-of-School-Choice-1.pdf [vi] The ABCs of School Choice: The Comprehensive Guide to Every School Choice Program in America, 2017 Edition, published by EdChoice. 2017. Available online at: www.edchoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/The-ABCs-of-School-Choice-1.pdf [vii] See U.S.C. Chapter 200d, as statute read on January 1, 2014.[viii] North Carolina State General Statutes, Chapter 115C.562.1-562.7. Available online at: http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/statutes/Statutes.asp [ix] Senate Bill 257, State Budget Bill, North Carolina General Assembly. Available online at: http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2017/Bills/Senate/PDF/S257v8.pdf [x] Arizona ESA Program Receives Good Grade from State Audit, Heartland Institute, August 3, 2016. Available online at: https://www.heartland.org/news-opinion/news/arizona-esa-program-receives-good-grade-from-state-audit [xi]Arizona ESA Program Receives Good Grade from State Audit, Heartland Institute, August 3, 2016. Available online at: https://www.heartland.org/news-opinion/news/arizona-esa-program-receives-good-grade-from-state-audit
Not everyone would enjoy getting a package with an insect the length of a smartphone in it as a gift, but that's what Tommy St-Laurent was eagerly awaiting for his recent birthday.

"When you are an entomologist, the best that we can give to you is to have a really big [bug] species," said St-Laurent, who studies insects and runs the Labyrinthe des insectes in Amos, Que., about 600 kilometres northwest of Montreal.

St-Laurent was waiting for Herculito, the name he gave a rhinoceros beetle about 12 centimetres long that his friend Gabriela in Costa Rica had sent him. But when the package arrived Thursday, something was amiss.

It appeared to have been opened and Herculito was nowhere to be found.

Now, he's desperate to find the missing beetle he says needs special care, is rare and hard to spot in the tropical forests that make up its natural habitat.

The food St-Laurent's friend had sent with the beetle was gone, too, so he suspects Herculito disappeared sometime after it got to Canada.

"They're really scary, but they're innocent," St-Laurent told CBC News. "When people see them, it's a special experience and they want to see more."

'This is not a money question'

He says it's one of the biggest beetles in the world and one of the strongest animals out there. Also called a Hercules beetle, it's worth between $300 and $400.

But it's not about the money, he insisted. If the beetle isn't in a proper environment and isn't given the right food, it will die, he says. The Labyrinthe des insectes is asking whoever took it to bring it back and it won't pursue legal action.

"We have a legal permit to do this and a lot of people want to see this species," St-Laurent said. "It's very sad for our visitors because they won't see them because someone with bad intentions took [it]."

With a distinguishing spiky horn, the "really impressive" black beetle can carry up to 900 times its own weight. Plus, it can fly, he says.

Story continues

St-Laurent is worried the name of his small insectarium on the package piqued someone's curiosity.

"[They may have] seen that we were the Labyrinthe des insectes and said, 'Oh my god, it's scratching inside,' and they wanted to look and saw that it's a marvellous special species," he said.

More than 100 live species

He says he's reached out to Canada Post, which took over the package's handling from the Costa Rican delivery company it was shipped with.

Canada Post told him it's looking into his case, and has to contact those who may have managed it on both sides.

In a statement to Radio-Canada, a spokesperson for the postal service said it doesn't open any mail, but that packages coming from outside the country first go through other services, such as customs.

A (renewable) licence is required to import live bugs and some plants, and to get one, you have to prove you have the proper infrastructure to accommodate them, which St-Laurent says he has.

St-Laurent has more than 100 species of live insects at the Labyrinthe, including spiders, scorpions, butterflies and moths.

Most of them live separately in vivariums, while about 2,000 more are what he calls "naturalized," preserved dead insects for show. They come from all around the world, he says.

His goal is to educate people about insects and change negative perceptions of them.

"This is my life, I live for them."
By Neha Dasgupta NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India is in talks with Canada's Teck Resources Ltd , the largest North American producer of coking coal used to make steel, for long-term purchase agreements after a cyclonic disruption in Australia cut supplies earlier this year. India has joined top buyers China and Japan to scour new markets after a powerful cyclone hit Australia that knocked out rail lines carrying coking coal to ports for export, causing a surge in prices. Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh will be in Canada on Sunday along with executives of Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) for talks with Vancouver-based Teck over long-term, formula-based price deals, a top official in the steel ministry said, declining to be identified as the talks have not been made public. "Coking coal prices went haywire because of the natural calamity in Australia. There is every reason for India to not depend on only one source for coking coal," the official said, adding the Canadian government had called upon the Indian minister to visit the country's mines. SAIL and Teck may explore signing a preliminary agreement, the official said. At present, SAIL meets a little over three-fourths of its needs from BHP Billiton , , the world's biggest shipper of coking coal, according to a second government official. India needs about 56 million to 57 million tonnes of coking coal every year, of which about 85 percent is imported. According to the government's newly-drafted National Steel Policy, India's coking coal requirements will more than double by the fiscal year ending in 2031. Executives from Teck Resources had visited India last month for preliminary discussions, said the two government officials. "Diversification is essential otherwise we are dependent on Australia and their supply sometimes becomes very volatile because of cyclones," said Seshagiri Rao, joint managing director at India's biggest steel producer, JSW Steel . JSW sources 60 percent of its coking coal supplies from Australia and the rest from Mozambique, the United States and Canada. The steel minister's office and SAIL did not respond to Reuters' queries for comment. Steel plants use coking, or metallurgical, coal to fire blast furnaces and any shortfall can potentially close down production and risk damaging the furnaces. In 2016, India imported 46.7 million tonnes of coking coal, higher than China's 35.7 million tonnes but lower than Japan's imports of 53.4 million tonnes, according to Clarksons Research. India's steel policy, which aims to nearly triple the country's production capacity by fiscal year 2031, has also recommended measures to reduce the dependence on imported coking coal and develop domestic washeries. (Reporting by Neha Dasgupta; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
By Saad Sayeed ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's oil and gas regulator on Friday ordered a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell to pay about 257 million rupees ($2.4 million) in damages and compensation for a tanker explosion that killed more than 200 people. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has held Shell Pakistan Ltd (SPL) responsible for the blast in Punjab province on June 25 after the tanker carrying gasoline for the company rolled over, and villagers rushed to collect leaking fuel. The road accident was caused by "non-professional driving/vehicle being lesser than required specs", the authority said in a report seen by Reuters. "The report shows that they have completely ignored the safety standards of the vehicles procured from the contractors," OGRA spokesman Imran Ghaznavi told Reuters, referring to Shell Pakistan. Shell Pakistan said in an email the company was reviewing the report, adding "we respect the role of the regulator and will consider the report as we cooperate with investigations by authorities and as we conduct our own investigation". Shell Pakistan has said the tanker was owned by a contractor it hired to transport its fuel. At least 217 people were killed in the explosion and 61 were injured, according to Amir Mehmood, spokesman for Victoria Hospital in nearby Bahawalpur city. The energy regulator ordered Shell Pakistan to pay a penalty of 10 million rupees ($95,000). In addition, the regulator ordered the company to pay one million rupees ($9,400) in compensation to the families of each of those killed and half a million ($4,700) for each person injured. The regulator also ordered the company to upgrade its "infrastructure" in line with its standards. The company has the right to appeal against the fine and compensation demand, he said. The regulator also criticised police and highway authorities for failing to cordon off the accident site. A separate government inquiry into police conduct was being carried out, said Punjab provincial government spokesman Malik Muhammed Ahmed Khan. The chairwoman of the OGRA, Uzma Adil Khan, said many fuel companies were not meeting safety requirements introduced in 2009, and the regulatory body had been slow to enforce them. "This incident is certainly a wake-up call for all of us," she said. The vice chairman of the Pakistan's oil tankers association, Zaman Khan, said the accident last month was an anomaly. "Tankers meet international standards," he said. (This version of the story corrects currency conversion in pagaraph 9) (Additional reporting by Mubasher Bukhari; Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Robert Birsel)
By Alexandra Ulmer and Andreina Aponte CARACAS (Reuters) - With many Venezuelans angry at the government and planning to sit out a July 30 vote for a new superbody assembly, President Nicolas Maduro has ordered all state workers to take part, seeking to avoid an embarrassingly low turnout. After three months of anti-government unrest that has killed at least 90 people, Maduro has called for the Constituent Assembly, with powers to reform the national charter and supersede other institutions, in an election he says will bring peace. Opponents plan a rival, unofficial referendum on July 16 to give Venezuelans a say on what they view as a sham poll by the leftist president, accusing him of trying to formalize a dictatorship in the South American OPEC nation. Maduro has been trying to drum up his base, mostly state workers and poorer Venezuelans. "If there are 15,000 workers, all 15,000 workers must vote without any excuses," he told red-shirted supporters in the jungle and savannah state of Bolivar on Thursday night. "Company by company, ministry by ministry, governorship by governorship, city hall by city hall, we're all going to vote for the Constituent Assembly. Do you understand? Do you agree," he said to a chorus of "Yes!". Roughly 2.8 million state employees, a sizeable part of Venezuela's population of around 30 million, are often obliged to attend government rallies. Some have said they have already come under pressure to vote on July 30. "This is crazy. (They're saying), workers who don't go to vote will be sacked," said one employee of state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A.[PDVSA.UL], asking to remain anonymous because he is not authorized to speak to media. "I'll vote, but null. I'm not going to vote for any of these nuts running for the assembly," he added. A second PDVSA worker, who supports the opposition, said company auditoriums were being used to give presentations about the constituent assembly. "I'm worried ... but I'm committed to the cause and I won't vote," he said. CHURCH OBJECTS Many familiar faces of the ruling Socialist Party are vying for a seat, including former Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez and powerful party No. 2 Diosdado Cabello. Maduro's wife and son are also running. The opposition has said Maduro's pressure on workers is another sign he is violating democracy. Opponents are calling on him to agree to elections to replace him amid a brutal economic recession that has Venezuelans unable to afford basic food and medicine. According to a recent survey by pollster Datanalisis, 67 percent of Venezuelans oppose the new assembly to rewrite the constitution, which was reformed by late leader Hugo Chavez in 1999. The Catholic church has also come out against the plan. "This congress has been pushed forward by force and its result will be to render constitutional a military, socialist, Marxist and communist dictatorship," Archbishop Diego Padron, who heads the main church authority Venezuela's Episcopal Conference, said on Friday. The opposition coalition is hoping to further delegitimize Maduro's plans with their own vote, which will ask Venezuelans their views on rewriting the constitution, the opposition's alternative push for an election, and the military's responsibility for "recovering constitutional order." Should Venezuelans overwhelmingly vote against Maduro, lawmaker Freddy Guevara said the opposition would call for a national strike to pressure the president. Voting for the referendum will take place in some 1,766 sites and Venezuelans abroad, many of whom have fled Venezuela's meltdown, can participate, opposition lawmakers announced on Friday. University deans will oversee the process. "This is a civic rebellion," Guevara said during the press conference. "We're at a historic moment, I'm sure there will be a before and after July 16." State prosecutor Luisa Ortega has also broken ranks with Maduro over the constituent assembly. Amid an apparent bid to oust her, the Supreme Court named a deputy prosecutor, whom Ortega has rejected as illegitimate. On Friday, the court-appointed deputy prosecutor entered the headquarters of the state prosecutor by hiding in the trunk of a car but was expelled by security personnel, a source at the prosecutor's office told Reuters. (This story corrects spelling to Nicolas from Nicholas in first paragraph) (Additional reporting by Andreina Aponte, Eyanir Chinea, Diego Ore and Deisy Buitrago; Writing by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne, Frances Kerry and Diane Craft and David Gregorio)
A look at Jamie-Lee Cormier's brightly coloured leather earrings and bracelets reveals something unexpected: the leather has scales.

That's because it's made with Newfoundland cod leather.

"Everyone's always really amazed when they see it," said the crafts producer who sells her products online. .

Though it may seem weird to Cormier's Canadian customers, fish leather has been making a splash on international runways for a few years.

Christian Dior, Prada and Nike have all been experimenting with fish leather products, from shoes to handbags. It's part of a growing worldwide movement to reduce waste in commercial fisheries and to make more money using less fish.

For those following innovation in sustainable fisheries development, it probably comes as no surprise that these fashion houses are getting their fish leather from Iceland.

'Doing more with less'

"[Iceland] is focused on value from the entire fish," said Carey Bonnell, head of the School of Fisheries at the Marine Institute in St. John's.

"They have a strategy right now in Iceland to get more value from the traditional waste stream than from the fillet. That's a paradigm shift for them and for the industry as a whole," he said in an interview.

"They plan to get more from the oils from the skins, from the heads from the livers, to go into pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and biomedical type applications, skincare products, you name it."

Using more of the fish byproducts -- the parts of the fish that normally go in the garbage  is all part of Iceland's efforts to make more money with less fish, particularly with cod.

It's a strategy Bonnell hopes will adopted in Newfoundland and Labrador as the cod slowly comes back.

"As we get critical mass, as we get scale, as our stocks continue to rebound  we hope  that's the kind of model we need to look at in terms of full utilization, maximizing production, maximizing value per kilo of catch. Doing more with less."

Story continues

Bonnell says the real driving force behind Iceland's innovation with byproducts is the Iceland Ocean Cluster Centre, in Reykjavik's old harbour. It's a home to researchers and an incubator for seafood companies who are working to get more value from each fish pulled from the water.

What about the other two thirds of the fish?

"A fillet is just 30 or 35 per cent of the fish," said Wade Murphy, who runs the Marine Institute's Bioprocessing Facility on Mount Scio Road in St. John's.

"If all our product is sold as fillet, well, what are you doing with the rest of it?"

Murphy and his team of researchers work with harvesters and processors to look at extending shelf life, improving packaging and developing entirely new products from the unused parts of the fish.

They take a byproduct  like cod livers  and start by looking for a food application. Lately, they've been looking at whether there's a viable market for fresh Newfoundland cod livers and cod roe.

If that fails, they move up the value chain to explore possible pharmaceutical, nutraceutical or medical uses.

In the case of cod livers, they've been looking at the concentration of omega-3 fats in cod liver oil.

They're also trying to determine whether they can extract collagen from sea cucumber shells.

Turning shrimp into gold

So far, their most successful projects have been with shrimp.

Astaxanthin is the pigment that gives shrimps its red colour. It's also a powerful antioxidant. The researchers have been extracting and analyzing the astaxanthin from N.L. shrimp to see if it measures up.

They've also been turning shrimp shells into medical-grade chitosan, a fine white powder which has anti-inflammatory properties.

It's used in bandages for burn victims and for other biomedical uses such as helping in bone repair. It can also be used in cosmetics as a wrinkle filler, and it can be sprayed onto food to extend its shelf life.

Carefully emptying a box of petri dishes filled with ground shells, Julia Pohling, a biotechnologist at the lab, refers to the chitosan as "the gold" because it nets such high profits on the market.

Lower quotas affecting research

Though they see a lot of potential in these products, plummeting shellfish quotas have affected their raw material supply and their shellfish projects are temporarily on hold.

Murphy thinks that's exactly the wrong response to lower quotas  that now is the ideal time for industry to start shifting its focus toward by-products.

"With shrimp, they're only taking 30 per cent of the fish. Seventy per cent of it is being tossed," he said.

"What a time now to go back and say, hey, let's give you a way to utilize that shell, and extract value from what you're throwing away."

Cormier thinks fish leather has a lot of potential. It's tough stuff, she said, and it can by dyed with bright, vibrant colours.

"The back is really grainy and has a lot of fibrous pieces, but the front is really smooth and pretty and almost resembles snakeskin even. I think they put some sort of glaze in the tanning process to keep the scales down."

She's almost out of her supply  she got it years ago from a woman in Corner Brook who bought it from a small tannery in Nova Scotia.

She's hoping that by the time she needs to find more, she'll be able to order it from an entrepreneur who's set up shop in Newfoundland.
At the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show opening July 11 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Drew Estate will release a new limited production blend in the Pappy Van Winkle line called the Pappy Van Winkle Tradition. Unlike the first blend, this one is going to be offered to the companys Drew Diplomat (preferred) retailers.

The Pappy Van Winkle brand was inspired by Pappy Van Winkles bourbon and rye products. In 2015, the company launched the small batch project, the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Barrel Fermented. That cigar featured Kentucky Fire Cured tobacco and was only distributed through Pappy & Co.

The new Pappy Van Winkle Tradition is a more conventional blend featuring an Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper, Indonesian binder, and a combination of aged fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. The blend started out as a gift by Drew Estate co-founder Jonathan Drew to Julian Van Winkle, President of Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery. As Van Winkle explained, I was invited to Cigar Aficionados A Night to Remember by Jonathan Drew in 2016 and was presented with a non-banded, wooden box of cigars with white bands on it that just read Exclusively for my Friend Julian by Willy Herrera, Sincerely Jonathan Drew. I loved this blend because of its balance. Shortly thereafter, my family and I visited La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate in Nicaragua and I smoked the same blend most of the trip. By the end, I knew this would be the Pappy Van Winkle Tradition.

There is more to the story of this blend. It turns out this was a blend made by Master Blender Willy Herrera when he was in discussions with Drew Estate about joining the company. Herrera commented I remember it like yesterday. In 2010 when JD and I talked about me joining Drew Estate, we flew down to La Gran Fabrica to test my blending style in two days of non-stop creating. I ultimately produced 3 blends, one of which eventually became the Herrera Esteli. When I heard the news that Julian Van Winkle had selected one of my three original blends from my first trip to Nicaragua, I was humbled to say the least.

The Pappy Van Winkle Tradition will be available to Drew Diplomat retailers in the following sizes: Coronita, Robusto Grande, Toro, and Belicoso Fino. In addition, a Churchill size will be made available to Drew Diplomat Spirits Retailers. There also be will be two Not for Sale sizes in the form of Lonsdale and Corona. The Lonsdale will be an event only cigar for Drew Diplomat Rewards Events in October, November and December 2017. The Corona will only be available personally from Jonathan Drew and Julian Van Winkle.

The Pappy Van Winkle Tradition will begin shipping in October.

At a glance, here is a look at the Pappy Van Winkle Tradition:

Blend Profile

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro

Binder: Indonesian

Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican

Country of Origin: Nicaragua (La Gran Fabrica)

Vitolas Available

Each size is packaged in 10 count boxes. Pricing is based on box price.

Coronita: 4 x 46 (SRP $146.00)

Robusto Grande: 5 1/2 x 54 (SRP $216.00)

Toro: 6 x 50 (SRP $236.00)

Belicoso Fino: 5 x 50 (SRP $246.00)

Churchill: 7 x 48 (SRP $236.00  Drew Diplomat Spirits Retailers Only)

Lonsdale: 6 1/2 x 44 (Not for Sale  Drew Diplomat Rewards Events in October  December 2017)

Corona: 5 1/2 x 44 (Not for Sale  Only available from Jonathan Drew and Julian Van Winkle)

Photo Credits: Drew Estate
Ronald Phillips

Condemned child killer Ronald Phillips has a date slated with the death chamber





Ronald Phillips, age 43, has his third date with death. He is, now, scheduled for execution by lethal injection on July 26.





On Wednesday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit gave the state of Ohio thumbs-up for its lethal injection protocol.





The state can resume executing inmates on death row with a 3-drug injection mixture. Phillips is slated to die for having raped and murdered his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter in 1993 in Akron, OH.





The court's July 5 opinion - an 8-6 conservative-liberal split - overrides the preliminary injunction that was rendered in January by Judge Michael Merz. As well, the decision reverses an April 3-judge appellate panel determination that upheld the injunction.





Prior death injection drug cocktail stirred court challenges





Using midazolam in the recipe for delivering death led to the higher court's decision-making and eventual opinion early this week. Judge Merz, in Dayton, opined that the drug, only 1 of 3, poses the substantial risk of "serious harm."





In countering the lower court's contention, Judge Raymond Kethledge penned the majority opinion for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. He states that "some" risk of pain goes hand-in-hand with "any" execution protocol, regardless of how humane. He additionally noted that the anti-death penalty advocate-plaintiffs did not definitely meet the criterion whether the drug cocktail does or is "very likely" to cause serious pain.





Not since January 2014 has Ohio delivered death to condemned inmates on the state's death row.





The last to die when the death sentence was carried out was Dennis McGuire. Witnesses alleged that McGuire snorted, gasped, and seemed to make snorting sounds when the midazolam cocktail was administered.





The effect of McGuire's execution reportedly going haywire led to a legal challenge presented on Phillips' behalf, as well as for death row inmates Raymond Tibbetts and Gary Otte. In response, the state ceased performing executions, like McGuire's, that were administered with a previously "unused" drug cocktail protocol.





Ohio introduced new lethal combo to overcome court setbacks





Not to be dissuaded from exacting the death sentence on the condemned, Ohio created a new drug recipe which it proposed in response to legal challenges. The new and, it is hoped, improved protocol delivers a heart-stopping, paralytic combination: midazolam along with potassium chloride.





With the higher court's ruling this week, Ohio is going over its mandated checklist in preparation for Phillips' upcoming death date.





While the state declined to release checklist documents to The Associated Press, it did verify that the state is compliant with all the required steps for the execution protocol.





Inmate uses age appealing for mercy





July 26 will mark Phillips' 3rd time in 2017 that he received an appointment with the death chamber. He received previous reprieves while legal arguments central to the injection protocol were decided In the lower courts.





Most probably, attorneys will appeal Wednesday's court opinion to the U.S. Supreme Court for its determination that will affect life or death in Ohio for Phillips, Tibbetts, and Otte. Apart from the additional duo of death row inmates, Phillips has an appeal pending that draws his age into the picture for the court to consider.





Though now age 43, he endeavors to have his age at the time of his crime weighed on whether his life should be spared. His appeal states that he should be a candidate for mercy since he was 19-years-old when he murdered his, then, girlfriend's toddler. Previously, the nation's highest court has banned executions of people under age 18.





Ohio's Department of Rehabilitation and Correction is steadfast in its resolve to carry out court-mandated executions in a "dignified manner," according to its spokeswoman.





Ohio preparing for 1st execution in more than 3 years

Ohio is following a mandatory checklist for putting inmates to death as it prepares for the state's 1st execution in more than 3 years, a prisons agency official said.





The state wouldn't release documents related to those checkups to The Associated Press, saying open records law shields such information.





"We can confirm, however, that to date all steps of Ohio's execution protocol have been complied with in preparation of the execution scheduled later this month," JoEllen Smith, prisons department spokeswoman, said in a statement.





Ronald Phillips, who was convicted of raping and killing his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter in 1993 in Akron, is scheduled to die July 26. It's his 3rd execution date of the year following earlier reprieves to allow legal arguments over the drugs Ohio plans to use.





In a significant ruling, a federal appeals court last month opened the door to Phillips' execution and others by permitting Ohio's use of a contested sedative.





That drug, midazolam, was used previously in problematic executions in Ohio, Arizona and Arkansas in which inmates didn't appear fully sedated before other drugs kicked in.





Attorneys for death row inmates fell short in attempts to prove that "Ohio's protocol is 'sure or very likely' to cause serious pain," the appeals court said in an 8-6 ruling.





An appeal of that decision to the U.S. Supreme Court is expected.





Phillips, 43, also has separate federal appeals pending that argue his age at the time - he was 19 - should be a consideration for mercy. The nation's high court already has banned the execution of people under 18.





"We're going to continue to fight as vigorously as we can to see that this execution does not go forward," said Tim Sweeney, an attorney representing Phillips.





Executions have been on hold in Ohio since January 2014 when death row inmate Dennis McGuire gasped and snorted during the 26 minutes it took him to die, the longest execution in the state to date. The state used midazolam and a painkiller on McGuire in a method that's since been abandoned.





What Ohio's protocols require:





30 days before the execution:





-- The warden of the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, where executions are carried out, determines whether the state has sufficient execution drugs and reports his findings to the prisons agency director. The state has said in court filings it has enough drugs to carry out at least 4 executions.





--The execution team begins weekly training sessions.





21 days beforehand:





-- Prison medical staff evaluates an inmate's veins and plans for the insertion of the IV lines.





-- A member of the prison system's mental health staff evaluates the inmate's stability and mental health in light of the scheduled execution.





14 days beforehand:





The warden of Chillicothe Correctional Institution, where death row is housed, verifies the inmate's pre-execution visitors, his spiritual adviser, execution witnesses and funeral arrangements.





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: blastingnews.com, July 8, 2017: Associated Press, July 7, 2017
Last execution in Lebanon, coastal town of Tabarja, 1998

The murder of 24-year-old university student Roy Hamoush on his birthday on June 7 sparked a new wave of calls from politicians and Lebanese to reinstate the death penalty. 3 days later, 17 families of murder victims in Lebanon that made headlines in local media took to Martyrs' Square in Downtown Beirut to demand justice for their lost relatives; some were adamant about bringing back the death penalty.





Among the most vocal was the family of George al-Rif, who was beaten and stabbed in Beirut's Gemmayzeh neighborhood in broad daylight 2 years ago. During a demonstration in July 2015, his wife and children demanded that the man who killed him, Tarek Yatim, be sentenced to death.





Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk has been the most senior politician to voice support for the death penalty following the murder of Hamoush. He told Hamoush's father after paying his respects to his family that he hopes "that the death penalty is implemented again and that it becomes a lesson to all others."





Machnouk told the media following the visit that he would discuss the matter with President Michel Aoun, and that he knows Prime Minister Saad Hariri's view on the matter.





Nicholas Sehnaoui, a former telecommunications minister and current vice president of the Free Patriotic Movement, echoed Machnouk's words on his Twitter account.





"In light of all the crimes happening around us, we must ask the judiciary to speed prosecutions and intensify punishments, leading to returning the implementation of the death penalty," he said.





The death penalty, while legal in Lebanon, has been under a moratorium since 2004.





Aoun and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, also of the Free Patriotic Movement, have not expressed their views on the matter.





Other Lebanese politicians have looked to the death penalty as a way to deter crime.





"I think it [the death penalty] is a deterrent," Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya MP Imad Hout told The Daily Star. "I am all for it, but with lots of regulations and conditions to make sure it is [effective] as a deterrent."





Future Movement MP Ammar Houri refused to comment on the matter when The Daily Star reached out to him.





However, an adviser to MP Bahia Hariri said that the Sidon MP does support the death penalty, though the Future Movement as a whole does not have a position on the issue yet.





"Bahia Hariri considers restoring the death penalty as a deterrent [to crime] ... to only be implemented in exceptional conditions," the adviser said, explaining that these cases must be "extreme" and that "the [nature of the] crimes should be taken into consideration."





"We want to solve the problems from the root," he added. "We don't want this to become a regularly implemented policy."





However, the adviser said that once the Future Movement takes an official stance on the matter, Hariri will endorse the party's position.





The last public execution that took place in Lebanon was in 1998 in the public square of the coastal town of Tabarja, north of Beirut. Wisam al-Nabhan and Hasan Abu Jabal were hung for the murder of 2 siblings.









The executioner tried to push both men off the platform simultaneously - 1 with each hand - only to lose control of 1 man who stumbled, choking before he was finally pushed from the platform.





A sister of the 2 murder victims told Death Penalty Lebanon in the video, "Believe me, I was disturbed the way I was disturbed before, when they [her siblings] [died]."





"The way my siblings [died], I saw it again with my own eyes," she said. "I saw how they were in pain, and felt the same feelings [watching the execution]."





Some politicians remain firm on their opposition to the death penalty, despite the surge in reported crimes, including the head of Parliament's Human Rights Committee, MP Michel Musa.





"There is a security problem - there are many murders - and the general public sees this as a huge issue," the Liberation and Development bloc MP said. "All studies show worldwide that execution has not prevented murder.





"There is information that needs to be revisited in schools, politics and the community," he said. "The judiciary needs to provide a harsh punishment for those who murder - for example a life sentence, as it's within the law."





Musa added that his position on the death penalty is his personal view, and does not represent Parliament's Human Rights Committee or the Liberation and Development bloc, which is headed by Speaker Nabih Berri.





"Nobody on the Human Rights Committee should be supportive of the death penalty," Musa said.





Lebanese Forces MP Antoine Zahra also expressed his disdain for the death penalty.





"God gives life, and he takes it," Zahra said. "It's not up to us, regardless of the crime."





"People react quickly [to crimes] and call for hanging the perpetrators, but who said that hanging people will deter crime?" he added.





Zahra said that his position, along with that of the Lebanese Forces, is to "prevent crime through implementing the law and mobilizing the judiciary."





"We can't talk about how modern we [Lebanese] are if we take steps back like reinstating the death penalty," he said. "Perhaps security forces and the Lebanese Army are prioritizing counterterrorism - and rightly so - but this is perhaps a sign that we need to also focus on organized crime, drug dealing and so on."





Human rights organizations in Lebanon have been outspoken in expressing their concern over calls to reinstate the death penalty, especially from Machnouk.





George Ghali, programs manager of local human rights organization Alef, said that calls for the death penalty are tied to the public's frustration due to "corruption and lack of the rule of law."





"If the death penalty would really solve the issue of crime, then crime would have ended in ancient Mesopotamia under Hammurabi," he said.





Ghali said that "proper investigations need to take place after a crime" and that crime prevention will happen once people see a proactive security apparatus that holds both criminals and law enforcement personnel accountable for their actions under the law."





He also called on prosecutors to be more proactive, adding that he takes politicians' positions with a grain of salt because they have an agenda based on their respective constituencies and political parties.





Human Rights Watch Lebanon researcher Bassam Khawaja urged Lebanon to not "tarnish" its human rights record by reinstating the death penalty.





"It's understandable that people may feel that the death penalty could be a magical solution to end crime, but evidence proves otherwise," Khawaja said.





"If people don't trust the government and courts to hold people accountable, then why would we trust the same body to accurately decide who should live and who should die?"





"In a more sophisticated court system, such as in the United States, [there are] over 150 cases of people sentenced to death [who were] then later found not guilty and removed from death row," he added. "There are suspicions that innocent people have been executed."





In June, Machnouk said that he expects backlash from opponents of the death penalty, but is not fazed by the criticism.





"I know we would have European, Western or even international opposition," the interior minister said. "But we have a situation of deranged people carrying weapons."

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: The Daily Star, July 8, 2017
B. Rames Batumalai (left) and Suthar Batumalai

The family of brothers Rames Batumalai, 45, and Suthar Batumalai, 40, alleged that Suthar's body was found to have strangulation marks around his neck area, the neck was not broken (the neck is broken clean in a proper hanging), and his face was swelled up.





"We are not contented with the death and how they were executed. Suthar's face was swollen. He showed signs of strangulation.





"His face was swollen, there were marks on the neck and his eyes were bulging," sister-in-law B. Devi told a press conference this morning.





Both brothers were hanged to death on March 15 for their 2010 murder conviction despite the family filing for a clemency petition in late February. The brothers were charged with murdering a man named Krishnan Raman.





The siblings were also executed on a Wednesday instead of Friday, when hangings in Malaysia are usually conducted, which raised more questions on whether their execution was botched.





The family's lawyer, N. Surendran, demanded that the prison authorities and Home Ministry give a detailed explanation to the family on the way the execution was conducted and also on why it was done before the clemency petition's result was known.





"From a legal point of view, both of them were executed without exhausting all legal processes.





"A prisoner who has been convicted, has the legal right for his clemency to be considered under constituency. If you don't allow [the] process to finish, you have breached the law," he said.





The Padang Serai MP also demanded authorities to have an inquiry on the brothers' execution and answers to be given immediately to the family.





"We are also asking explanation on manner hanging carried out and explanation on why the neck of Suthar was in that condition. We are entitled to these explanations as family members.





"We want an inquiry by authorities. I hope the home minister and authorities respond to this as soon as possible as it is a case of public interest," Surendran added.





Amnesty International executive director Shamini Darshini said the brothers' hanging raised questions on the transparency of the death penalty in Malaysia.





"Legal processes around death penalty is not completely clear. This is clear indication, it is not (transparent).





"When a person is hanged, there is a science to it. In this case, there are questions whether execution was correctly done. This seems to indicate a botched execution," she said today.





She also urged Putrajaya to declare a moratorium to prevent such incidences from happening in other death penalty cases in the future.





"The death penalty in Malaysia needs to be abolished. We need the government to put in place a moratorium to prevent this from happening again. That's what we calling for an immediate moratorium," Shamini said, adding that Malaysia has over 1,068 people on death row as of March this year.





In the application of clemency previously sighted by Malay Mail Online, the family had obtained a statutory declaration from the deceased's wife to forgive the brothers.





Rames and Suthar were sentenced to death in April 2010 under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, after being convicted for the February 4, 2006 murder.

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: themalaymailonline.com, July 4, 2017
At present, 25 of 27 prisons in Punjab are significantly over capacity and the highest number of executions take place in the most overcrowded prisons.





Pakistan's use of the death penalty has failed to deter crime, is not being used to curb terrorism and is exceedingly used as a political tool, even sometimes as an overcrowding solution, a report by the Justice Project Pakistan finds.





The research finds that until May this year, a total of 465 prisoners have been sent to the gallows since Pakistan lifted the moratorium on executions in December 2014. This makes Pakistan the 5th most prolific executioner in the world, following China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.





Punjab has emerged as the overwhelming practitioner of the death penalty, accounting for 83 % of executions, and 89 % of death sentences in Pakistan. However, it has also witnessed only a 9.7 % drop in murder rates from 2015-2016. Sindh, on the other hand, has viewed a drop of nearly 25 % in the same time period - even though it carried out only 18 executions compared to Punjab's 382. In fact, murder rates in Pakistan were already in decline before the moratorium was lifted, casting even more doubt on the already dubious relationship between the death penalty and reducing crime.





A closer look at the yearly trends of executions shows that anti-terrorism courts (ATC) accounted for only 16 % of executions. In 2015, 65 people tried by ATCs were hanged but only 8 from Jan 2016 to May 2017. The majority of death sentences that have been carried out in that time have come from district and sessions courts, which do not have jurisdiction over terrorism cases.





The government has sought to justify lifting the moratorium for all 27 death-eligible crimes by claiming it is necessary to deter terrorist attacks in Pakistan. But the data indicates that the government is mostly hanging terrorists through military courts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and through ATCs in Sindh.





Another trend that has emerged is that the number of executions spike in the wake of a terrorist attack (in Punjab) that kills over 5 people. This indicates that the use of executions, like the lifting of the moratorium, are often a reactionary step.





In Punjab, there is another worrying trend that indicates that executions are being used as a means to make room in prisons that are facing overcrowding. Currently, 25 of the 27 prisons in the province are significantly over capacity and the highest number of executions take place in the most overcrowded prisons.





Pakistan heads for its 1st UN review under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) on July 11, that obligates it to uphold and respect the right to life for all its citizens. Pakistan's return to an executing state has been taken up in the list of issues framed by the Human Rights Council committee.





In just 1 year after the moratorium was lifted, Pakistan became the 3rd most prolific executioner in the world. During that time, execution warrants for the mentally ill, physically disabled and juvenile offenders have been issued. More and more cases of wrongful executions have come to light since then. In October last year, the Supreme Court acquitted 2 brothers in Bahawalpur after they spent 11 years on death row, only to find they had already been executed the year before. Another prisoner was found innocent a year after he had been found dead in his cell. There are likely many more cases like this, considering a condemned prisoner will spend an average of 11.41 years on death row.





JPP Executive Director Sarah Belal, adds: "Pakistan's troubling and continued use of the death penalty has continuously fallen short of meeting its international human rights commitments and fair trial standards, as well as our own domestic laws. The death penalty is not an effective tool to curb militancy and crime, as the data clearly shows, yet has been increasingly used for political gain. It is time for the stakeholders to commit to genuine reform in our criminal justice system, and until it does, to restore the moratorium on the death penalty."





JPP, a human rights organisation established in December 2009, provides pro-bono legal representation to the most vulnerable Pakistani prisoners facing the harshest punishments.





Source: Reuters, July 7, 2017



Pakistan: Child molester, killer hanged





Qaiser Shah of Walghan Sakhian village who was convicted for killing a 7-year-old boy Hussain Haider after abducting and committing sodomy with him about 11 years ago has been hanged in the Central Jail Gujranwala.





He was convicted by the District and Sessions Judge Hafizabad Ashtar Abbas and after rejection of his mercy appeal by the President of Pakistan, the convict has been hanged to death in the Central Jail Gujranwala.





Sukheki police have registered the case against him. He was awarded death penalty by session court while his appeal was rejected by the Lahore High Court and the Supreme Court and his mercy petition was also rejected by the president. Dead body of the executed convict was handed over to his heirs after legal formalities.





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: The Nation, July 7, 2017
Authorities Should Release all in Arbitrary Detention, Drop Charges





Sudanese authorities have been unjustly holding Dr. Mudawi Ibrahim Adam, Hafiz Idris, and Mobarak Adam Abdalla, 3 human rights defenders, and have charged them with crimes against the state which carry the death penalty, 25 human rights groups said today. Dr. Mudawi Ibahim Adam and Hafiz Idris have been held for approximately 7 months, and Mobarak Adam Abdalla for over 3 months. Authorities should immediately release the men and drop the bogus charges against them, the groups said.





Authorities are also holding seven other human rights activists in detention, some apparently solely because they are alleged to have had contacts with international human rights organizations. These individuals also face criminal charges in a related case. A trial date has not yet been set. Sudanese authorities should also immediately drop all criminal charges related to their legitimate human rights work and release the group.





Sudanese national security officials arrested Mudawi and Hafiz on December 7 and November 24, respectively, and held both men in detention in Khartoum for over 5 months without charging them with any offence. Mobarak, a student at El Fashir University who participated in the 15th Creative Student Festival in Khartoum, was arrested on 25 March 2017. Credible sources report that Hafiz and Mobarak were severely beaten, and that Hafiz was given electric shocks and forced to make a confession. Dr. Mudawi has been denied essential medication. All three men are currently being held in Kober prison. The next court session for Mudawi, Hafiz and Mobarak will take place on July 20.





On March 26, the prosecutor called for Mudawi and Hafiz's release on bail, but the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) refused to release them. Instead, on May 11 the Attorney General charged both men with crimes under the 1991 Criminal Act: article 21 (Joint acts in execution of criminal conspiracy), article 50 (Undermining the constitutional system), article 51 (Waging war against the State), article 53 (Espionage against the country), article 64 (Provoking hatred against or amongst sects), article 65 (Criminal and terrorist organizations), and article 66 (Publication of false news). 2 of the charges carry the death penalty.





Mobarak was only added to the case at an unknown date in late May. Authorities alleged that Mudawi, Hafiz, and Mobarak assisted in the production of the Amnesty International report "Scorched Earth, Poisoned Air: Sudanese Government Forces Ravage Jebel Marra, Darfur", which alleges the Sudanese Government used chemical weapons in Jebel Marra. This attempt to implicate them in Amnesty's work on chemical weapons is another cynical ploy to punish them for their legitimate work. The charges are baseless, and should be dropped.





Our organizations are concerned that Sudanese authorities cannot guarantee a fair trial. In a recent example, employees of TRACKs who faced similar trumped-up charges were sentenced to a year in prison and a fine after 24 court sessions. They were detained 86 days without charge. The trial proceedings did not comply with international fair trial standards including the right to a public hearing. The defendants were not given a written list of the charges they faced, or copies of the evidence for the alleged crimes in order to prepare a defence for court. We are also concerned about Sudan's long record of abuse of detainees. Our organisations have reported on patterns and cases of torture and ill-treatment in state custody, including sexual violence.





We call on the Government of Sudan to guarantee the safety and physical and psychological well-bring of all detainees, and to immediately release Mudawi, Hafiz, and Mobarak and all other human rights defenders detained on trumped up political charges. In the event that the authorities fail to drop the bogus charges against them, we also affirm the rights of Mudawi, Hafiz and Mobarak to a fair trial before an impartial, independent, and competent tribunal.





Background





International organizations have repeatedly called for release of Mudawi and Hafiz and expressed concern about the conditions of detention. The European Union and the United Nations Independent Expert on the human rights situation in Sudan, Aristide Nononsi, have both issued statements concerning Hafiz and Dr. Mudawi's ongoing detention.





Hafiz Idris, a human rights defender from North Darfur, was arrested by the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) from Dr. Mudawi's home in Khartoum on 24 November 2016. Dr Mudawi, winner of the 2005 Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk, was arrested by the NISS from the University of Khartoum, where he is a professor in Mechanical Engineering, on 7 December 2016 alongside his driver, Adam El-Sheikh Mukhtar. Both men's families were not officially alerted to their arrest by the NISS until 1 week later.





Mobarak Adam Abdalla was arrested by the NISS in Khartoum on 25 March 2017 after participating inthe 15th Creative Student Festival in Khartoum. He was held incommunicado at Kober prison without access to his family or lawyers from 25 March - 20 June 2017, and subjected to daily interrogations at the NISS offices in Shande. He was added to Mudawi and Hafiz' case at an unknown date in late May. Very little is known about his case, other than that he is alleged to have provided information to Hafiz.





Adam El Sheikh Mukhtar was released without charge on 13 March 2017 after being detained for over 4 months, though his present legal situation remains unclear, alongside a number of other individuals detained and subsequently released because of their alleged links to Dr. Mudawi. 7 others are currently facing criminal charges in a related case which does not yet have a trial date, including Abu Bakar Omar Ishag, Abdelhamid Abdelkareem Abdalla, Mukhtar Ishag Abakar, Naser Aldeen Oshar Adam, Musa Ahmed Siraj, Adam Ahmed Al Bashir Abdel Bahri, and Sidig Ahmed Abdallah. It is believed that Hafiz will also stand trial in this case.





Both Mudawi and Hafiz were held incommunicado without charge or access to their lawyers until 15 February, when they were transferred from a NISS detention facility near Shandi Bus Station to a wing of Kober prison. Their transfer came shortly after Dr. Mudawi went on a hunger strike in late January and February protesting his continued detention without charge.





Family members who were allowed to see Dr. Mudawi at the NISS facility on 27 January reported that Dr. Mudawi appeared to be in poor health with visible weight loss, and that the NISS had prevented him from receiving essential medication for a pre-existing heart condition. Between 7 December and 15 February, Dr. Mudawi was allowed 3 brief visits from family members, all of which were supervised by the NISS. Hafiz was not allowed visits by his family until after his transfer to the Office of the State Prosecutor on 15 February.





Hafiz was also detained at the NISS facility then transferred to Kober. On 15 February 2017 Hafiz told his lawyer that he had been severely tortured, including by beatings and electrical shocks, and forced to make a confession, in which he falsely stated that he and Dr. Mudawi had received funds from the American embassy in Khartoum. Hafiz also reported that he was repeatedly kicked in the testicles until he urinated blood. Hurriyat newspaper also reported that Hafiz was taken to the hospital in late December for treatment following beatings received in NISS custody.





A British journalist held by the NISS for 2 months, Phil Cox, reported in April on Channel 4 that he was detained next to Dr. Mudawi, and saw NISS officials force him to sit in the sun for long periods and stated that Dr. Mudawi was held in an overcrowded cell.





Since October 2016, international organisations have documented dozens of arrests of political opposition members, trade union members, activists and human rights defenders.





The NISS enjoys broad powers of arrest and detention under the National Security Act 2010 (NSA), which provides that suspects can be detained for up to 4 1/2 months without judicial review. NISS officials often use these powers to arbitrarily arrest and detain individuals, many of whom have been tortured or subjected to other forms of ill-treatment. Under the same Act, NISS agents are provided with protection from prosecution for any act committed in the course of their work, which has resulted in a pervasive culture of impunity.





Signatories





Organizations





Act for Sudan





African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies





Al Khatim Adlan Centre for Enlightenment and Human Development (KACE)





Alkarama Foundation





Amnesty International





Arab Coalition for Sudan





Darfur Bar Association





DefendDefenders





Face Past for Future





FIDH, within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders





Horn of Africa Civil Society Forum





HUDO Centre





Human Rights Watch





International Justice Project





International Refugee Rights Initiative





Investors against Genocide





Journalists for Human Rights





Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur





Never Again Coalition





Sudan Consortium





Sudan Democracy First Group





Sudan Social Development Organisation UK (SUDO UK)





Sudan Unlimited





Sudanese Rights Group (Huqooq)





World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders





Individuals





Mark van Dorp, the Netherlands





Asha Khalil Elkarib, Sudan





Najlaa Ahmed, human rights defender





Dr A. M. Girshab: Human Rights Consultant - MENA Region





Hajooj Kuku, Sudanese filmmaker

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: Human Rights Watch, July 8, 2017
The lead singer of US punk rock band Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong, has issued a statement on Instagram in the wake of the death of an acrobat at the Mad Cool festival in the Spanish capital on Friday night. Pedro Aunion died after falling from a cage suspended 30 meters in the air by a crane during a performance which took place just before the US band was due to come on stage.

If we had known prior to our performance we most likely would not have played at all. We are not heartless people, said the singer in the statement. The band had been criticized in some quarters for their decision to play after the fatal accident on the second day of the three-day festival, now in its second year.

We didn't even know there was an acrobat performance at all. These festivals are huge, the statement continued. We were warming up ready to go at 11.25pm. Fifteen minutes prior our tour management was told by local authorities to wait to go on stage because there was some sort of security issue. Security issues are a normal occurrence and procedure at any show. We were NOT told why which is also normal, Armstrong added.

Spanish acrobat Pedro Aunion died during a performance before Green Day went on stage at the Mad Cool music festival in Madrid.

The veteran band, one of the headliners at the huge Mad Cool festival, was not informed of the death of the acrobat until after their show. We got off stage and drove back to our artist compound. It was there when we were told the shocking news about Pedro. All of us were in disbelief. I dont know why the authorities chose not to tell us about the accident before our concert, Armstrong said on Instagram.

The singer also said the band was heartbroken for the friends and family of the acrobat and that they were also shocked and heartbroken for anyone that had to witness this tragedy.

We didn't even know there was an acrobat performance at all Billie Joe Armstrong, Green Day lead singer

The accident on Friday left behind it sadness, confusion, criticism, indignation and a police investigation. Officers from the Judicial Police have already begun to analyze videos of the incident that ended the life of Pedro Aunion, who was from Madrid, and are trying to establish the causes behind the failure of the safety harness he was wearing.

After the accident, police attended the scene where the incident took place, just a few meters from the main stage at the Caja Magica site, and interviewed members of the festivals organization team and the members of the crew who were on the stage when Aunion fell to his death. One of the main points of the investigation will be to establish whether the safety equipment failed or whether the acrobat had not properly fastened his harness.

The organizers of Mad Cool released a brief statement in the early hours of July 8, more than four hours after the performer had died. It read: Mad Cool Festival regrets the terrible accident that the aerial dancer suffered during the second day of the festival. For reasons of safety, the festival decided to continue with its program. We send our sincere condolences to all of his family. Tomorrow, on Saturday 8, during the festival, we will pay a heartfelt homage to the artist.

The organizers told EL PAIS that they were working 100% with the police to establish what had happened, and that they were due to meet to decide how to approach the last day of the festival, on Saturday. Later that day they released a longer press statement, explaining, among other things, that they decided not to cancel the event in order not to cause panic among attendees.

As a protest at the festivals decision to continue with the event, a state union representing musicians, performers and composers called a demonstration at the main entrance to the festival in Madrid, as a tribute to Pedro Aunion. No more mortal accidents. Security and dignified conditions now, was the message of the protest, which attracted 50 or so people, who shouted: The price of your ticket is not worth a life.

Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong in a 2012 promotional photo.

David Garcia, one of the union representatives at the protest, said that while there would always be accidents, Mad Cool should have released more information earlier to the bands playing at the event and the public. We hope that they will give us information about how the investigation is progressing, added Luis Ventin, from an actors union. Our precarious [working conditions] means that we have a dangerous job.

Pedro Aunion had arrived from the United Kingdom, where he was living, on June 26 to rehearse for his performances at Mad Cool. He was living in Brighton, in the south of the country, and was due to return on July 11. As well as being an acrobat, he had also studied Spanish dance, dramatic arts and contemporary dance. Since 2003, he had run his own company, Ciadehecho, an experimental group combining theatre, dance and acrobatics.

Many of the victims friends expressed their devastation about his death via social networks, in particular after seeing one of his last messages on Facebook, where he expressed his happiness to return to his native Madrid, and also stating that he was looking forward to seeing his boyfriend, who was in the UK.

Those who knew Aunion doubted that the accident was due to a mistake made by the acrobat, given that he was particularly vigilant when it came to safety, and would check several times that everything was working correctly and that there was no risk for the participants.

English version by Simon Hunter and George Mills.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 9

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Azerbaijan and Turkey must bring the facts of Armenian aggression to the world communitys attention, columnist of the Turkish Turkiye Gazetesi newspaper and co-author of the book titled "Facts of Armenian atrocities in Agri" Cem Kucuk told Trend.

He added that unfortunately, the world community is indifferent to the Armenian aggression and as a result Azerbaijan suffers.

Unfortunately, the interests of Armenia are promoted in some countries, he said, adding that it was Armenia that carried out the genocide against Azerbaijani and Turkish civilians.

On July 4 at about 20:40 (GMT+4 hours), the Armenian armed forces, using 82-mm and 120-mm mortars and grenade launchers, shelled the Alkhanly village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli district.

As a result of this provocation, the residents of the village Sahiba Allahverdiyeva, 50, and Zahra Guliyeva, 2, were killed. Salminaz Guliyeva, 52, who got wounded, was taken to the hospital and was operated on.

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.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 9

By Seba Aghayeva  Trend:

Leading Italian L'Opinione newspaper has published an article about another provocation of Armenian troops against civilians of Alkhanli village of Azerbaijans Fizuli district.

According to the article, a two-year-old girl and her grandmother were killed, another villager was injured as a result of Armenias provocation.

In his article, journalist researcher Domenico Letizia wrote about crimes committed by Armenians against civilians of the Azerbaijani village.

Terrible news is disseminated daily about the killings of Azerbaijani civilians during the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, in particular, on the line of contact of the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the journalist said.

This act of vandalism once again testifies Armenias terrorist nature, he added.

Letizia also stressed that representatives of various Italian political parties and parliamentarians condemned Armenias provocation against Azerbaijani civilians and expressed their solidarity with Azerbaijan.

The representatives of Italian political parties and parliamentarians called on the OSCE Minsk Group to urge Armenia to withdraw its troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories and begin substantive negotiations to resolve the conflict, he said.

They also called on the Italian government to take maximum efforts during the countrys chairmanship in the OSCE next year to resolve this conflict, the author said.

On July 4 at about 20:40 (GMT+4 hours), the Armenian armed forces, using 82-mm and 120-mm mortars and grenade launchers, shelled the Alkhanly village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli district.

As a result of this provocation, the residents of the village Sahiba Allahverdiyeva, 50, and Zahra Guliyeva, 2, were killed. Salminaz Guliyeva, 52, who got wounded, was taken to the hospital and was operated on.

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.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 9

Trend:

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopted Minsk declaration and resolutions at the twenty-sixth annual session.

According to the declaration, OSCE PA expresses its deep regret over the lack of progress towards the settlement of the NagornoKarabakh conflict and calls on the parties to engage without further delay in substantive negotiations with a view to finding the earliest possible sustainable solution to the conflict.

OSCE PA also urges the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group to redouble their efforts to that end.

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.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 9

By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:

The resolution on the situation in Eastern Europe authored by Swedish MP Christian Holm Barenfeld was rejected at a meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Minsk, Belarus without voting, Vice-Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Bahar Muradova told Trend July 9.

Muradova, who is also the head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the OSCE PA, said that although the name of the draft resolution was about the situation in Eastern Europe, it did not correspond to its essence.

"When the draft resolution was put for discussion and during the work with the author, we tried to bring to the authors attention that although the name of the draft resolution concerns the situation in Eastern Europe, it does not correspond to its essence, she said. That is, the draft resolution does not cover Eastern Europe as a whole. The draft resolution provides information on three countries, namely, Russia, Azerbaijan and Belarus.

It should be taken into account that Azerbaijan was mentioned only in the beginning and at the end of the draft resolution, she said. Azerbaijan does not belong to this region at all. If the issue is Eastern Europe, the situation in all countries of Eastern Europe should have been reflected. First of all, this moment was brought to the Swedish MPs attention during discussions and personal conversations and it was stressed that it is wrong."

Muradova added that the members of the majority of delegations informed the author that the resolution is one-sided, unprofessional, biased and the name of the draft resolution does not correspond to its essence.

"Although the author continued to insist on his own opinion, none of his initiatives was supported," she said. When discussing this issue in the Human Rights Committee, the resolution was also criticized."

She said that the resolution was put to the vote three times and it was declared biased.

Muradova added that according to the OSCE PA procedure, at the plenary session all documents are put to the vote in the form of a general declaration, in this case as the Minsk Declaration.

According to the procedure, it is possible to demand to put some part of the declaration to the vote again, she said.

This requirement was put forward, the draft resolution was put to the vote entirely, that is, as the "Resolution on the situation in Eastern Europe", she said.

Muradova added that the resolution did not pass as a result of 43 votes in favor and against, 18 abstentions.

"According to the procedure, two-thirds of the votes were required, she said. As the required number of votes was not collected, the resolution was completely rejected. That is, there are no documents on the situation in Eastern Europe in the text of the Minsk Declaration."

The deterioration of democratic development, the continuing and growing violations of human rights, the plight of political opposition, civil society, journalists and other defenders of freedom in Russia, Belarus and Azerbaijan were reflected in the draft resolution on the situation in Eastern Europe.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 9

Trend:

The murder of Azerbaijani civilians, namely, a two-year-old girl and her grandmother by Armenias armed forces, must not remain unpunished, Azerbaijani businessman, president of Palmali Group of Companies, Mubariz Mansimov said.

Mansimov was commenting on another Armenian provocation in Alkhanli village of Azerbaijans Fizuli district.

He added that two-year-old Zahra and her grandmother were brutally killed by the Armenian army.

"This is terror and fascism, he said. The attacks on civilians are absolutely unacceptable. The whole world must know about it and must not remain silent."

On July 4 at about 20:40 (GMT+4 hours), the Armenian armed forces, using 82-mm and 120-mm mortars and grenade launchers, shelled the Alkhanly village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli district.

As a result of this provocation, the residents of the village Sahiba Allahverdiyeva, 50, and Zahra Guliyeva, 2, were killed. Salminaz Guliyeva, 52, who got wounded, was taken to the hospital and was operated on.

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.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 9

Trend:

A protest rally was held in the Brandenburg Gate square organized by the Azerbaijan House in Berlin in connection with Armenias military provocation in Alkhanly village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli district, the Azerbaijani State Committee on Work with the Diaspora said.

The rally participants urged the international community to take actions to end Armenias aggressive policy.

The murder of Azerbaijani civilians, namely, a two-year-old girl and her grandmother by Armenias armed forces, is a crime against humanity, the rally participants added.

The rally participants also stressed that the Azerbaijanis worldwide support all the actions taken by Azerbaijan to liberate the territories from Armenian occupation.

The liberation of Azerbaijani lands from Armenian occupation is the only way to ensure sustainable peace and stability in the region, the rally participants said.

At the end of the rally, an appeal was made to the world community on behalf of the participants.

On July 4 at about 20:40 (GMT+4 hours), the Armenian armed forces, using 82-mm and 120-mm mortars and grenade launchers, shelled the Alkhanly village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli district.

As a result of this provocation, the residents of the village Sahiba Allahverdiyeva, 50, and Zahra Guliyeva, 2, were killed. Salminaz Guliyeva, 52, who got wounded, was taken to the hospital and was operated on.

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.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 9

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

The methanol plant of Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR produced 100,850 tons of methanol in January-June 2017, SOCAR Methanol LLC said in a message posted on its official website.

"In total, the plant plans to produce 250,000 tons of methanol in 2017," the message said.

Taking into account the stable growth of demand for methanol in the world market, one of SOCAR Methanols main goals is to bring the production up to 500,000 tons per year.

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.

The annual capacity of the methanol plant is 720,000 tons.

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).

The methanol plant acquired by SOCAR costs 810 million manat.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 9

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

Since early 2017, Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR has invested 140 million manats for financing of the Southern Gas Corridor project, according to the SOCARs consolidated financial statements for 2016 audited by the London-based Ernst & Young company.

The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority energy projects for the EU. It envisages the transportation of gas from the Caspian region to the European countries through Georgia and Turkey.

At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage.

As part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz development, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline and Trans Adriatic Pipeline.

This is while since early 2017, SOCAR invested 19 million manats in the Azerbaijan Rigs LLC (a joint venture between the SOCAR and the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan), which was created for the construction of a new semi-submersible drilling rig named after Azerbaijans national leader Heydar Aliyev, according to the financial statements.

Also, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Company (BTC Co.), an operator of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, paid dividends worth 72 million manats ($42 million) to SOCAR since the beginning of 2017.

SOCAR includes Azneft (a production association of enterprises that produce oil and gas on land and sea), Azerikimya (a production association of chemical industry enterprises) and Azerigaz (deals with distribution of gas in the country).

SOCAR is the sole petroleum products producer in Azerbaijan owning over 370 filling stations in Georgia, Ukraine, Romania and Switzerland. It is also a co-owner of the largest Turkish petrochemical complex Petkim.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 9

Trend:

Turkey is one of the key countries participating in energy projects in the region, the Turkish Energy Minister Berat Albayrak said Sunday at the 22nd World Petroleum Congress in Istanbul, Anadolu reported.

He noted that Turkey will continue to support investment in energy security.

"A clear example of this are the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline (BTC) and Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP)," Albayrak said.

TANAP project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field to the western borders of Turkey. The gas will be delivered to Turkey in 2018 and after completion of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline's construction the gas will be delivered to Europe in early 2020.

The length of TANAP is 1,850 kilometers with an initial capacity of 16 billion cubic meters of gas. Around six billion cubic meters of this gas is meant to be delivered to Turkey, with the remaining volume to be supplied to Europe.

TANAP shareholders are Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR (58 percent), BOTAS (30 percent) and BP (12 percent).

The total cost of the project is $8.5 billion.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 6



By Fatih Karimov Trend:



Turkish companies will build power plants with capacity of up to 5,000 MW in Iran, Jamshid Sajdei, an official with the countrys Thermal Power Plants Holding Company (TPPH), said.



Two sites in Saveh and Zahedan cities of Iran have been already handed over to a Turkish firm for construction of power plants with 2,000 MW of capacity, Sajdei said, IRNA news agency reported July 6.



It was earlier announced that Turkish energy company Unit International, has reached a $4.2 billion deal with Irans energy ministry to build seven natural gas power plants there with capacity of more that 6,000 MW each.



Construction of the seven plants was planned to begin in the first quarter of 2017.



Sajdei further said that Iran has signed memorandums of understanding with three companies from South Korea, Japan and France for construction of power plants with capacity of 3,500 MW each.



Talks are underway with the companies to hammer out the final agreements, he added.



Irans electricity generation stood at 286 billion kilowatts hour (kWh) over the last fiscal year (ended March 20).



The countrys nominal power generation capacity stands at 76,832 MW.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 9

By Fatih Karimov Trend:

Iran will import first rice consignment from Thailand after 10 years, Secretary of Iran Rice Association Jamil Alizadeh Shayeq said.

He said that the deal for importing the aforementioned cargo was actually signed before sanctions, but Thailand stopped export to Iran, after the Islamic Republic failed to pay the money due to sanctions, Alizadeh Shayeq said, Tasnim news agency reported July 9.

He further said that Iran needs to import about 800,000 to 1 million tons of rice per year from abroad.

International sanctions against Iran removed in January 2016, after the country signed a historic nuclear deal with the six world powers.

In the past, Iran used to import 700,000 to 1 million tons from foreign countries, about 300,000-500,000 tons of which came from Thailand.

With the easing situation in Iran, Thailand and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in early 2016 to resume sales of 300,000 tons of rice worth 4.3 billion baht ($120 million).

The Iranian government bans rice import annually with only a few months of break to support domestic products.

The annual consumption of rice in Iran is 3 million tons. India, Pakistan and Uruguay are main supplier of rice to Iran.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 9

By Fatih Karimov Trend:

Irans security forces arrested 6 people affiliated with the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) terrorist group in Razavi Khorasan province, Hassan Heidari, deputy prosecutor of Mashhad city, said.

So far 27 people linked with the Islamic State terrorist group have been arrested in various cities of the province, Heidari said, ISNA news agency reported July 9.

Earlier this week Heidari said that 21 people including Iranian and Afghan citizens, affiliated with the terrorist group have been arrested in Mashhad city, adding that the detainees were preparing to carry out suicide terror operations.

He said that these people have entered the country after passing combat and suicide bombing trainings with forged documents.

Iranian security forces have arrested dozens of suspects over the past weeks following the terror attacks on Irans capital Tehran.

Two separate attacks rocked the capital city of Tehran on June 7, leaving at least 17 dead and 54 injured.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 9

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Armenia continues the policy of terror and occupation against Azerbaijan, moderator and presenter of Degisen Turkiye program at the Turkish TRT Haber TV channel, Betul Soisal Bozdogan, told Trend.

She said that Armenias recent aggression, in which Azerbaijani civilians were killed, testifies to terror.

Bozdogan added that the world community is obliged to condemn Armenias actions, which led to the death of Azerbaijani civilians.

On July 4 at about 20:40 (GMT+4 hours), the Armenian armed forces, using 82-mm and 120-mm mortars and grenade launchers, shelled the Alkhanly village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli district.

As a result of this provocation, the residents of the village Sahiba Allahverdiyeva, 50, and Zahra Guliyeva, 2, were killed. Salminaz Guliyeva, 52, who got wounded, was taken to the hospital and was operated on.

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.
On Wednesday, Haftar said that the army had fully liberated the countrys second most populous city from extremist militias, Sputnik reported.

AL Nahyan met with Haftar on Saturday in Abu Dhabi congratulating the commander on the victory in Benghazi and wishing further success for the Libyan forces in their struggle with terrorists, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

The crown prince also expresses his hope that Libya would manage to reach national unity.

During the meeting the parties also discussed the ways to boost the bilateral cooperation focusing on the issue of fighting terrorism.

Libya has been in turmoil since the 2011 civil war that resulted in the overthrow of countrys longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. Different territories of the African nation are controlled by various authorities.

The eastern part of the crisis-torn state is governed by its parliament, with headquarters in the city of Tobruk. The parliament is backed by the Libyan National Army. At the same time, the Government of National Accord operates in the country's west and is headquartered in Tripoli.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi arrived in Mosul on Sunday to celebrate victory over the Daesh terrorist group, Reuters reported.

State television said Abadi arrived in the city "to congratulate the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people for the great victory".

The Iraqi premier is expected to announce the liberation of the northern city from Daesh during his visit.

Mosul was captured by Daesh along vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq in 2014.

Earlier Sunday, Iraqi forces battling Daesh militants reached the Tigris riverbanks in the Old City of Mosul.

Since October, the Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led air coalition, have been trying to dislodge Daesh from Mosul, the terrorist group's last stronghold in northern Iraq.
At least two policemen were killed and nine were injured in a blast that occurred on Saturday in the north of Egypts Sinai Peninsula, Sputnik reported citing local media.

According to the MENA news agency, an armored vehicle carrying the law enforcers exploded while driving along a street in the El Safaa district of the city of Arish.

Security measures have been reportedly enhanced in the district, while mine clearance specialists were inspecting the nearby areas.

The attack came the next day after militants exploded two car bombs and launched a suicide raid on a military checkpoint in northern Sinai that resulted in death of at least 23 servicemen. Security forces managed to kill over 40 terrorists in clashes.

Egypt has been fighting a jihadist insurgency in the Sinai desert after the army overthrew then Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Police and security forces have since been the target of deadly attacks by Islamists in the area.
Iraqi security forces on Saturday killed 35 Daesh militants and arrested six others while they were trying to flee their last redoubt in the Old City on the western side of Mosul, the Iraqi military said.

The militants were killed while they were trying to infiltrate from the western side, across Tigris River that bisects Mosul, to the liberated eastern side, the Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement.

Meanwhile, JOC spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasul told reporters that the Iraqi forces are in full control of the Old City, despite sporadic clashes in some pockets in parts of neighborhoods stretching on the bank of the Tigris River.

"Our forces are continuing their advance to free the last parts of the Old City," Rasoul said.

The fighting in the Old City is becoming heavier as Iraqi forces push the extremist Daesh militants in the strip of land along the bank of the Tigris River. The desperate militants have been increasingly resorting to suicide attacks and showing stiff resistance that slowed the troops' progress in the recent days.

And there were a large number of roadside bombs and booby-trapped buildings, in addition to Daesh snipers taking positions in the buildings and narrow alleys of heavily-populated neighborhoods, where thousands of civilians still live under Daesh rule.

Mosul, 400 km north of Iraq's capital Baghdad, came under the militant group's control in June 2014, when government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling Daesh to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) does not currently maintain any contacts with the North Korean military amid escalation of crisis on Korean peninsula, Sputnik reported citing local media reported.

North Korea has carried out a number of missile launches and nuclear tests in recent months, all of which are considered to be in violation with the UN Security Council resolution. Pyongyang's provocations are also seen as a threat by its neighbors, Japan and South Korea, and their allies.

"No, currently we do not have any contact or ties with the DPRK militarily. In the past we did, we had a lot of contact and exchanges. I think this reflect a kind of change in our relationship for the reasons known to all. China is right now united with the international community to seriously honour UN resolutions, and we hope we eventually may find a solution to these problems," Sen. Col. Zhou Bo, director of the Center for International Security Cooperation of the Chinese Defense Ministry, said in an interview with Channel News Asia.

He also noted that the North Korea wanted direct talks with the United States, adding China is helping this dialogue.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 9

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The world must not turn a blind eye to the Armenian terror and aggression against Azerbaijani civilians, columnist of the Turkish Yeni Akit newspaper, member of Akil Insanlar Heyeti group under the Turkish presidential administration, Abdurrahman Dilipak told Trend.

He added that the policy of aggression and terror carried out by Armenians in the Caucasus is unacceptable.

Dilipak added that the world community is indifferent to these actions of Armenians and those countries which conduct ethnic cleansing against Muslims.

"The world community simply turns a blind eye to provocative actions of Armenia or any other non-Muslim country, he said. Armenias recent aggression against Azerbaijani civilians testifies to it.

Dilipak said that unfortunately, the Islamic world also keeps silent about this aggression.

"Turkey, as before, will support Azerbaijani people and government in this issue," he said.

On July 4 at about 20:40 (GMT+4 hours), the Armenian armed forces, using 82-mm and 120-mm mortars and grenade launchers, shelled the Alkhanly village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli district.

As a result of this provocation, the residents of the village Sahiba Allahverdiyeva, 50, and Zahra Guliyeva, 2, were killed. Salminaz Guliyeva, 52, who got wounded, was taken to the hospital and was operated on.

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.
Two soldiers were martyred Sunday by a roadside bomb laid by the PKK terror group in the eastern Bitlis province, said security sources who spoke to the media, Anadolu reported.

A civilian was also wounded when the improvised explosive device was detonated along the Tatvan-Hizan highway, according to the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Authorities have lunched a wide-scale operation in the region.

The PKK that is listed as a terror group by Turkey, the U.S., and EU -- resumed its armed campaign against Turkey in July 2015 and has been since responsible for the deaths of approximately 1,200 security personnel and civilians, including women and children.
Security forces killed seven PKK terrorists in southeastern Hakkari and Sirnak provinces, the Turkish General Staff said Sunday, Anadolu reported.

Three of them were killed in a counterterrorism operation in Sirnak, according to the Turkish General Staff.

Four others were killed in a gunbattle with security forces in the Yuksekova district of Hakkari province, the army said.

Forces also seized ammunition including rocket launchers, kalashnikovs, improvised explosives as well as material to fabricate the latter.

More than 1,200 people, including security personnel and civilians, have lost their lives since the PKK - listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU - resumed its decades-long armed campaign in July 2015.
Whole Foods wfm first approached Amazon amzn to do a deal, Amazon was militant about leaks, and the e-commerce giant beat out two industry players and four private equity firms in its pursuit of Whole Foods.

These are just some of the juicy details revealed in a proxy that Whole Foods filed with the SEC Friday morning. In the filing Whole Foods provides a thorough timeline of the deal, which gives the most comprehensive view yet of how the acquisition went down. Highlights below:

April 10, 2017: Activist investor Jana Partners discloses that it has acquired 8.8% of the companys stock. A week later Whole Foods retains Evercore as its financial advisor.

April 18: CEO John Mackey and then-chairman John Elstrott receive a letter from an industry participant that the filing calls Company X. Company X expresses interest in exploring strategic opportunities and a partnership. (Reuters has reported that Albertsons is Company X. Albertsons declined to comment on the matter to Fortune.)

April 21: Earlier in the week, Mackey, EVP of operations Ken Meyer, and an outside consultant talk about recent media reports that say Amazon may have previously considered buying Whole Foods. The consultant offers to make an introductory phone call and connects with Amazon SVP of corporate affairs Jay Carney to see if the company would be interested in a meeting.

April 20-May 4: Whole Foods receives inquiries from four private equity firms that say that if the company wants to do a leveraged buy-out or other transaction, they might be interested.

April 24: The Whole Foods board meets to discuss the letter from Company X and an upcoming meeting with Jana. The same day the consultant talks with Amazons VP of worldwide corporate development Peter Krawiec.

April 26: Jana meets with Mackey and other members of the management team at Whole Foods headquarters. Jana demands changes to the board of directors.

April 27: Whole Foods and Amazon enter into a non-disclosure agreement.

Story continues

April 28: Whole Foods Meyer and Amazons Krawiec have a phone call to discuss a meeting between the two companies. The same day, the Whole Foods board meets in person at its headquarters in Austin to discuss, among other matters, Jana and Company X. Mackey also tells the board that he and members of the executive team are planning to meet with Amazon during the coming weekend.

April 30: Mackey, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and other senior management meet in Seattle. No proposal for a transaction is made.

May 1-May 8: The board meets several times with its law firm and Evercore to discuss Janas demands, Company X, and attempts to recruit new board members. Members of the board talk with a search firm to talk about board candidates.

May 4: Executives from Whole Foods and Amazon meet in Austin for a due diligence session. On May 7 they sign more NDAs and more due diligence is provided to Amazon.

May 8: Elstrott receives an email from a second industry player, what the proxy calls Company Y, inquiring whether theyre interested in a business relationship.

May 9: Jana says it is not interested in the terms presented by Whole Foods.

May 18: Sulzberger, Mackey, and Evercore meet with Company X, which suggests a merger that would price the company at $35-40 per share. The same day Meyer and EVP of operations David Lannon have a phone call with Company Y.

May 23: Whole Foods receives a written offer from Amazon to acquire the grocer at $41 a share. In its letter, Amazon says it has the right to terminate talks if there are any leaks or rumors. The board meets the next day to discuss.

May 25: Goldman Sachs, which is advising Amazon, calls Evercore to stress that Amazon was very sensitive with respect to confidentiality, not willing to engage in a multiparty sale process and had submitted what they believed to be a very strong proposal.

May 30: The board meets in New York and discusses Amazon, Company X, Company Y, and the four private equity firms. Amazons concern about leaks is stressed. The board decides to counter-propose a $45/share offer to Amazon, which is conveyed to Goldman. Goldman expresses its disappointment at the counter-offer.

June 1: Evercore and Goldman talk about the counter-offer and Goldman says Amazon was considering other opportunities instead of acquiring the Company and had been considering whether to respond to the Companys $45.00 counter proposal at all or to pursue other opportunities. Goldman says that $42/ share is Amazons best and final offer and wants a prompt response. The board meets to discuss and decides to move forward at $42/share. Over the next week and a half due diligence continues.

June 12: Sulzberger, Mackey, and director and Panera CEO Ron Shaich have a call with Amazon and both companies legal teams to discuss the major open issues, which included the amount and triggers for the termination fee. Later in the day Whole Foods executives meet in Seattle to talk operations.

June 15: The board has a call with Evercore and its law firm to discuss the drafted agreement. The board unanimously agrees to the merger. The next day the deal is announced.
Screen Shot 2017 07 07 at 3.23.14 PM

In the housing bubble, just about anyone who could apply for a mortgage was able to get one.

A decade after the crash, the largest lenders are loosening their standards again to make housing more accessible to first-time buyers.

Fannie Mae, the largest source of US mortgages, is making it a little easier for people with all kinds of existing debt  including student loans  to qualify for mortgages. The change will kick in on July 29 when the debt-to-income ratio (DTI), a measure of a borrower's capacity to make payments, rises to 50% from the current 45%.

To understand what that looks like, let's say a household earns $5,000 a month and makes monthly debt payments totaling $2,250. Its DTI, debt payments divided by income and expressed as a percentage, is 45%. That's right at the current ceiling, and a lower DTI would be better.

But when the ceiling is raised, a second household with the same income that spends $2,500 on debt payments would have a DTI of 50% and be just as qualified. The $250 extra spent monthly on paying down debt would be less of a drag on their application.

Student loans are the largest source of debt in the US apart from mortgages. And so, this eased requirement could benefit millennials who are looking to buy their first homes. Amid accusations of overspending on avocado toast and, more plausibly, escalating home prices, the homeownership rate for Americans under 35  and the rest of the population, in fact  is at the lowest level in several decades.

'Policy is catching up with practice'

Whether this change actually makes a dent on the homeownership rate is still unknown.

"There is data to support the fact that many people are already getting loans at the highest threshold," said Mark Fleming, the chief economist at the title-insurer First American.

Story continues

The American Enterprise Institute has noted that several lenders are already raising the share of borrowers they approve with DTIs above 43%. That's the threshold recommended by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, though lenders can breach it if they can reasonably show that the borrower won't default.

"Policy is catching up with practice," Fleming told Business Insider.

Screen Shot 2017 07 07 at 2.53.05 PM

Furthermore, the bigger issue with millennials' ability to purchase their first home is not access to credit, but making the down-payment, Fleming said.

For existing homeowners who are likely older and further into their careers, the higher DTI ratio is "a moot point," according to Fleming. Most housing transactions in the US are made on homes that already exist.

Additionally, lenders examine more than just the DTI ratio to make decisions on who to approve. A prospective homeowner would still need good credit and a steady income, among other considerations.

And while these looser standards may bring flashbacks of the housing bubble, Fleming says the current market environment is not quite the same. At least lenders bother to verify income, demand a downpayment, and check the DTI ratio.

"There's a big difference between asking the maximum standard for ability to pay and basically not measuring one's ability to pay at all," Fleming said.

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FILE PHOTO: The Apple logo is seen on the facade of the new Apple Store in Paris, France, January 5, 2017. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo

By Stephen Nellis

(Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) on Friday disputed the timeline of events leading up the disclosure by Imagination Technologies Group Plc (IMG.L) that Apple plans to drop the graphics chip supplier, a loss of the UK company's largest customer that sent shares plummeting.

Imagination Chief Executive Officer Andrew Heath said Apple told Imagination "at the end of March" that it would no longer need its technology, according to an investor call on Tuesday. But Apple said it told Imagination about its plans on Feb. 9.

Imagination ultimately notified shareholders of Apple's decision on April 3, which sent its shares down 70 percent and eventually forced it to put itself up for sale.

Apple's claims that Imagination sat on the news for weeks without telling shareholders heaps more trouble on the company and could spur regulators to examine whether Imagination improperly withheld information from shareholders, according to one legal expert.

Imagination's Heath told investors that Apple told Imagination at the end of March that Apple's new products "at some point in 2018 or early 2019 would not contain our IP and therefore, they were not required to pay us royalties on it."

Apple contested that timeline and said it warned Imagination that it would "stop accepting new IP from them" as early as 2015 and gave a final warning a month before Imagination's CEO claims.

"After lengthy discussions, we advised them on February 9 that we expected to wind down our licensing agreement since we need unique and differentiating IP for our products," Apple said in the statement.

Imagination did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of normal UK business hours. Heath has said he does not believe Apple can replace Imagination's technology without using some of Imagination's patents that would require royalties.

Jonathan Parry, an attorney with UK law firm White & Case who is not involved in the dispute, said European financial regulators were likely to examine the timing of Apple's discussions with Imagination to see whether Imagination's leaders failed to disclose material information to shareholders.

Story continues

Regulators would likely focus on when Imagination's leaders decided it was "likely" that Apple would draw down its business with the company, which Imagination would then be required to disclose to shareholders. The legal bar for "likely" is different from the word's common usage, he said.

"The wording used in judgments is 'a realistic prospect' that something might happen," Parry said. "The judge did not assign a percentage, but he made it clear that something doesn't have to be 'more likely than not'" to trigger public disclosure requirements.

(Adds missing word "to" in paragraph 4)

(Reporting by Stephen Nellis; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Amazon (AMZN)'s offer to acquire Whole Foods (WFM) for $42 per share wasn't Jeff Bezos ' first, according to new details revealed in a proxy statement filed by the grocery chain with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday.

In fact, it was more than what Amazon wanted to pay.

Whole Foods said it received an initial written offer on May 23 from Amazon to acquire the supermarket company for $41 per share. Amazon told Whole Foods its offer represented "compelling" value for shareholders, and it viewed this proposed transaction as a "strategic investment" for Amazon.com.

The grocery chain, meanwhile, was already fielding other potential deals, including approaches by four private equity firms and two unnamed companies identified only as "Company X" and "Company Y."

U.S. supermarket chain Albertsons (:ABS) is reportedly Company X, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters later on Friday. Albertsons declined to comment.

Back to dealing with Amazon, Whole Foods wasn't satisfied with the internet giant's initial offer.

After discussing potential responses to Amazon at a board meeting on May 30, Whole Foods directors decided to make a counterproposal at a higher price  $45 per share. This offer was communicated later that day to Goldman Sachs, which was acting as Amazon's financial advisor. The bankers didn't like it.

"The Goldman Sachs representatives expressed their disappointment at the price specified in [Whole Foods'] counterproposal as they had previously informed ... that Amazon.com believed that it had made a very strong bid," according to the chain of events described in Friday's SEC filing.

Then there was a bit of brinksmanship. Goldman Sachs, acting as Amazon's go-between, told Whole Foods the e-commerce giant was "considering other opportunities instead of acquiring" Whole Foods and was debating whether or not to respond to their counterproposal at all.

Nonetheless, "as a last stretch," Amazon was willing to offer Whole Foods $42 per share, the proxy statement revealed. This was Amazon's "best and final offer."

Story continues

Since the announcement of the Amazon-Whole Foods deal on June 16, shares of Whole Foods have trimmed back their initial gains, falling for the first time Wednesday below Amazon's $42 bid price.

Whole Foods' stock surged past Amazon's offer price almost immediately after the deal was announced because investors speculated that a sweeter offer would be made . In recent weeks, the gap between Whole Foods' stock price and Amazon's offer has narrowed, with a rival bid yet to surface.

Friday's filing revealed that Amazon wasn't the first to talk to Whole Foods. On April 18, the board received a letter from Company X, an "industry participant," asking if it would like to explore strategic opportunities. Then, in early May, it was approached by a second company.

In between, and around the time it had begun to talk to Amazon, Whole Foods received inquiries from four private equity firms.

The filing also reveals that it was Whole Foods that approached Amazon, after a board member, an executive, and an outside consultant discussed a news report that Amazon might have been interested in a deal. The consultant put in a call to Amazon and eventually set up an exploratory meeting.

A week before Amazon sent its first written offer, Whole Foods said it arranged a meeting with Company X, and representatives from both parties met in person two days later. At that meeting, Company X suggested a merger of equals that would potentially be valued around $35 to $40 a share.

Meeting on May 30 to discuss their options, Whole Foods directors were told by their financial advisors at Evercore that Amazon's price likely exceeded what a private equity buyer could pay.

By June 1, Whole Foods said it was "willing to move forward to negotiate" a deal with Amazon at the $42-per-share price tag.

Whole Foods said its company's board unanimously recommends that shareholders vote "for" the proposal to approve a deal with Amazon, according to Friday's filing with the SEC.

"The Whole Foods Market board of directors concluded that entering into the merger agreement with Amazon.com was more favorable to Whole Foods Market shareholders than the other alternatives reasonably available," Whole Foods wrote.



The board also assessed Whole Foods' "competitive position and historical and projected financial performance," also considering the "nature of the grocery industry and potential changes and developments in that industry, including the growing and intensifying challenges faced by industry participants and the attendant risks attributable to continuing as an independent public company."

A separate SEC filing from Whole Foods a few weeks ago revealed how CEO John Mackey personally felt about the deal with Amazon panning out.

Mackey told a room full of excited employees at a town hall meeting about his first 2 hour meeting with Amazon  what he calls a "blind date"  and called the grocer's deal with the e-commerce giant a "historical moment."

"Mutual friends set us up on a blind date," he said about flying out to Seattle a little over a month ago. "It was truly love at first sight."

Mackey told employees that his company and Amazon are "engaged," like a couple, but still waiting until their transaction gets regulatory approval. The $13.7 billion deal is expected to be completed in the second half of 2017.

WATCH: Whole Foods centers to get a boost from Amazon deal





More From CNBC






Donald Trump Jr.

Less than a week after President Donald Trump posted a video on Twitter edited to show the president body slamming the CNN logo, Donald Trump Jr. is continuing the anti-media meme war.

On Saturday, Donald Trump Jr. posted a video on Instagram that shows footage from "Top Gun" edited to appear as if Donald Trump is shooting a missile at a jet covered with the CNN logo. The CNN jet explodes after being hit by a missile from the Trump jet (the president's face is superimposed over that of Tom Cruise's "Maverick" character).

According to the Daily Caller, a far right news site, the video was originally posted on Twitter by the website's chief video editor, Richard McGinnis.

Trump Jr. reposted the video from Old Row Sports, a website owned by Barstool Sports.

One of he best I've seen.  #Repost @oldrowofficial  Hey @cnn we heard you like memes  s p i c y b o i A post shared by Donald Trump Jr. (@donaldjtrumpjr) on Jul 8, 2017 at 10:24am PDT on

Jul 8, 2017 at 10:24am PDT

President Trump has been extensively criticized for threatening the media by posting the video that appeared to portray him assaulting "CNN."

"It is a sad day when the President of the United States encourages violence against reporters," CNN said in a statement released Sunday after Trump's tweet went out.

However, supporters argued that Trump was merely attempting to communicate his views to the country, as he believes the media has treated him unfairly.

"There's a lot of cable news shows that reach directly into hundreds of thousands of viewers, and they're really not always very fair to the president," homeland security adviser, Thomas Bossert, told ABC's "This Week." "So I'm pretty proud of the president for developing a Twitter and a social-media platform where he can talk directly to the American people."

Story continues

Trump's body slam video is still up on Twitter, despite arguments that it and other tweets from the president could violate the social network's abuse and harassment policy. Instagram, on the other hand, is known for more actively enforcing its anti-harassment policy, so Trump Jr.'s meme may not be up for long.

Related:

NOW WATCH: A Harvard mathematician reveals how algorithms are making police and the courts more biased



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The first Model 3 is expected to roll off the assembly line Friday, turning CEO Elon Musks long-held dreams of producing an affordable electric car into a reality. But even if Musk may be celebrating this weekend, the wait is far from over for many of those awaiting delivery of their shiny new sedan.

Nearly 400,000 Tesla customers have pre-ordered the Model 3. But most wont get them soon. Following a handover party for the first 30 buyers later this month, Tesla says production for the $35,000-and-up vehicle will reach 100 vehicles per month by August, above 1,500 per month by September, and then a hefty 20,000 per month by December. However, given Musks history of missing his own ambitious deadlines, some experts question whether Tesla will actually reach those figures without hitting speed bumps along the way.

It seems improbable, doesnt it? said Mark Mills, a technology forecaster and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a New York City-based think tank. In this case, past performance is certainly indicative of the future.

Those targets do seem a bit steep, added Jeremy Acevedo, a senior analyst at automotive site Edmunds. Growing pains are going to be expected.

Those growing pains may take the form of production issues as Tesla seeks to dramatically ramp up its output without a sacrifice in quality. Supply chain problems have long plagued Tesla, which began selling high-end niche electric sportscars in 2008 and is now on the cusp of launching what it hopes will be a mainstream electric car revolution. The Model X SUV in particular has suffered from production issues. Some observers have offered grim predictions of similar problems for the Model 3, though Fridays rollout is slightly ahead of schedule. (It was a Twitter users recent plea for Musk to have mercy and stop the speculation on [the] Model 3 final release date that seemingly prompted Musk to tease an update on the new vehicle.)

Story continues

News on Sunday  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 30, 2017

Just this week, Bloomberg reported that a decline in shipment deliveries due to a battery pack shortage has left industry analysts concerned about the company. Theyre wondering whether Tesla will be able to hit its Model 3 production goals, particularly since it has typically taken Tesla three months to make the number of cars it hopes to build this December alone. Producing a few dozen cars is one thing -- producing tens of thousands is something entirely different.

"While it is nice to see Tesla finally hit a stated target on time, we question whether 30 vehicle deliveries essentially built by hand count as 'mass production,'" Cowen and Co. managing director and senior research analyst Jeffrey Osbourne wrote in note to clients Wednesday, Bloomberg reported. "We also are surprised that this 'mass market' vehicle does not have official photos, options, pricing or really any details available."

In the face of growing deadline pressure, Mills said that Tesla might rush to meet its targets, resulting in a decline of quality. But he added that Teslas brand prestige and fan following put it in a unique position that could help it survive setbacks.

It will be unsurprising if we see six months from now reports about recalls. But people buying Teslas are more tolerant of recalls then the typical automobile, Mills said. They like the story and Elon handles it very well.

Mills said the real challenge for Tesla is whether it can navigate what he described as a reverse route. Tesla is taking an unusual path by establishing itself as a premium, expensive manufacturer first, before shifting to more affordable vehicles. The nature of how you manufacture and sell things that cost $100,000 is radically different from manufacturing things that cost three times less. Its a different process with different metrics and a different customer base, Mills said.

Chevrolet makes the Corvette, which is undeniably a nice car, Mills added. But their expertise in making consumer cars was already among the best of the world. Im skeptical that Musk can integrate that market.

Still, others see a sensible plan in Teslas strategy. I think its a successful Model that [Musk] has laid out,Acevedo said. You look at what Tesla has done, these vehicles with unprecedented demand -- Tesla has become an aspirational brand. Now you reduce the price tag and the entry fees and you see things like those nearly 400,000 [Model 3] preorders.

See original article on Fortune.com

More from Fortune.com
Facebook willow campus

Billions of people spend a lot of time living their lives on Facebook's social network. Now Facebook wants to try its hand at creating a community in the real world.

The internet giant wants to build housing, retail stores, a hotel and more at its corporate headquarters  in short, Facebook wants to build its own town.

Facebook unveiled plans on Thursday for the massive new construction project at its Menlo Park, California corporate campus, which is part of Facebook's plans to expand its home base. The 56-acre site, which Facebook bought in 2015 for about $400 million, is located directly across the street from Facebook's headquarters. It will offer 1.6 million square feet of housing, or 1,500 units.

In a blog post announcing the plans, Facebook described the future development as a "mixed-use village" that will provide residents, many of which will be Facebook employees, with housing, transportation services and other amenities.

"We plan to build 125,000 square feet of new retail space, including a grocery store, pharmacy and additional community-facing retail," Facebook said.

Here's a picture that Facebook provided showing what it might be like to live in Facebook-ville.

Facebook willow campus

The new development will also include a hotel, according to the Silicon Valley Business Journal.

It will take roughly a decade to build, according to a person familiar with the plans. The initial phase of the project, which will include the housing and grocery store, will be wrapped up in the first half of 2021. The subsequent phases will be completed every two years, according to a blog post on Facebook's website.

Facebook willow campus

While most of the housing will likely go to Facebook employees, Facebook is opening up the housing to the community at large. The housing will be a mix of market rate and affordable housing units, with 225 units, or 15%, priced below market rate.

"Part of our vision is to create a neighborhood center that provides long-needed community services," Facebook wrote.

Story continues

One benefit of having employees live so close to campus is a reduction in the amount of traffic in the area, according to the blog post.

While Facebook has presented the plans to the City of Menlo Park, they have not yet been approved. The company expects the approval process to take about two years.

Here's a video that Facebook created about its plans:

NOW WATCH: How to supercharge your iPhone in 5 minutes





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Fred's, Inc. FRED, which has been struggling to recover from the blow of a failed merger between Rite Aid Corporation RAD and Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. WBA, recently announced soft June comparable store sales (comps). This extinguished hopes of a comeback, dampening investor spirits which is evident from the 13.2% decline in the stocks value.

We observed that Freds shares have underperformed the Zacks categorized Retail-Discount & Variety industry over the past three months. During the said time frame, shares of this Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) company plunged 58.7% compared with the industrys decline of 6.4%.You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here.

Dismal Comps Performance

Total comparable store sales (comps) for June declined 1.6% compared with a 1.3% decrease recorded in the year-ago period. The decline came after posting an increase of 0.8% and 1.2% in May and April, respectively. Freds has not been able to continue with the positive comps trend for the reported month. Lower sales led to discontinuation of inventory productivity and adversely impacted comps for the month under review by approximately 0.9%.

Freds, which shares space with CVS Health Corporation CVS, hinted that comps for the month of June were lower than what they had previously anticipated. Sustained headwinds in consumables categories impacted Front Store sales. The same was also affected by lower seasonal sales during summer, primarily due to cooler than average temperatures. The favorable results in Retail and Specialty Pharmacy businesses, which delivered an increase of 3.5%, raised investors confidence. The company remains optimistic about the recent introduction of beer and wine in select stores, based on their early results.

Freds reported a year-over-year decline of 2.7%, 3% and 3.1% in net sales during March, April and May, respectively. The companys total sales for June declined 5.3% to $197.5 million. The fall in sales can be attributed to the closure of 39 underperforming stores in the first quarter of 2017. Continued challenges in the Front Store business also impacted sales.

Story continues

Bottom Line

Going forward, management stated that it no longer expects sequential improvement from the first quarter. Current headwinds combined with lower-than-expected sales in June would impact the second quarter results. Nevertheless, the management would continue to execute their transformation strategies, which includes optimizing supply chain and store fleet and improving their pharmacy business, to drive scripts.

Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars?

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With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research.

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melania trump putin

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said President Donald Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit took so long that First Lady Melania Trump was sent into the meeting "to see if she could get us out of there."

"It is a very complicated relationship today because there are so many issues on the table," Tillerson said, according to a White House statement. "And one of the reasons it took a long time, I think, is because ... there was so much to talk about."

"And I think there was just such a level of engagement and exchange, and neither one of them wanted to stop," Tillerson continued. "Several times I had to remind the President, and people were sticking their heads in the door."

Although Melania was sent to break up the meeting, her efforts appeared to be ineffective.

"Well, we went another hour after she came in to see us," Tillerson. "So clearly she failed."

The meeting, held in Hamburg, Germany, was the first bilateral meeting between the two presidents. Trump reportedly "pressed" Putin on a variety of subjects, including the ongoing civil war in Syria and Russia's meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. They also discussed a cease-fire agreement in Syria and efforts to establish ties between the two country's cybersecurity assets.

"It was an extraordinarily important meeting," Tillerson said. "I mean, there's just  there's so much for us to talk about. And it was a good start."

NOW WATCH: Comey shreds Trump administration: 'Those were lies, plain and simple'





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Putin Trump

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are fresh off the heels of their first meeting as international leaders on the sidelines of this week's G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. The meeting, which was scheduled for 30 minutes, went 2 hours and 16 minutes long, even after Melania Trump was sent in to check on the leaders.

Putin and Trump discussed a slew of topics during their bilateral sit-down, according to a briefing from US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Chief among them was the issue of Russia's interference in the 2016 election, which was done in an effort to tilt the election in Trump's favor, according to the US intelligence community's conclusions.

Tillerson said Trump and Putin had a "robust and lengthy exchange" on the subject, and that while Trump "pressed" Putin on it, Putin denied all charges against Russia, as he has done in the past. Tillerson also added that continued focus on Russia's interference posed a "substantial hindrance" to the US' ability to build stronger ties with Russia.

The administration's strategy of broaching the subject points to an effort to do two things at once: address the lingering question of Russia's interference, and also make it clear that Trump has no intentions of continuing to litigate the issue, Axios' Jonathan Swan wrote in a post-meeting analysis.

Sources close to the president told Swan that the president's advisers knew that if Trump didn't raise the issue to Putin, his refusal to do so would dominate the news cycle, so Trump instead pursued the middle ground.

But experts say in trying to take the middle ground, Trump may have ceded all territory to Putin and allowed him to control the narrative.

Trump has so far been slow to address Russia's election hack. As recently as Thursday, Trump questioned the intelligence community's findings and argued, during a press conference in Poland, that Russia may not have been the only country that intervened.

Story continues

"Nobody really knows for sure," Trump said.

The Kremlin seized on Trump's characterization following his speech. Spokesman Dmitry Petrov told Bloomberg News that Trump had highlighted "equally the possibility that it could have been other countries."

"Please note the nuances," he said.

Putin also commented on his and Trump's conversation about Russia's election meddling, though his account vastly differed from Tillerson's. "He asked many questions on the subject, I tried to answer them all," Putin said of Trump during a press conference Saturday. "It seems to me that he has taken note of that and agreed, but it's better to ask him about his attitude."

Trump has not yet held a press conference or commented publicly on his meeting with Putin.

"He let them off the hook," Glenn Carle, a CIA veteran and former spy, said of Trump's reluctance to properly address Russia's meddling.

The president has drawn sharp scrutiny for his apparent unwillingness to forcefully push back against Russia's meddling, which experts say is tantamount to a casus belli  an act that justifies a war.

Robert Deitz, a former top lawyer at the National Security Agency and the CIA, said before Trump's meeting with Putin that it would be "truly awful" if he did not raise the topic of Russia's election interference.

He added that it was likely Trump would have a "hard time" addressing it "other than through a perfunctory 'don't do it.'"

And Trump's reticence on the subject during and after the meeting, which stands in contrast to Putin's statements to the public which make it appear as though Trump took Putin's word over the US intelligence community's, further points to the US' "strategic surrenders and shifts in favor of Russia," Carle said.

NOW WATCH: 'I did not say that': Trump fires back after Comeys testimony and says he will '100%' speak under oath





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A Whole Foods Market is pictured in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S. June 16, 2017. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri (Reuters)

By Carl O'Donnell and Lauren Hirsch

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc <AMZN.O> told Whole Foods Market Inc <WFM.O> it would not engage in a sale process for the U.S. grocer that involved other bidders, a regulatory filing showed on Friday, shedding new light on the $13.7 billion acquisition.

The previously undisclosed details on the negotiations show how Amazon used its deep pockets and brand as leverage to convince Whole Foods to accept a sale process that would not result in a bidding war.

Whole Food shares traded above Amazon's $42-per-share deal price for the first few days after the agreement was announced on June 16, on investor expectations of a higher bid. They have since traded slightly below that price, as such hopes dampened.

The regulatory filing shows that Whole Foods agreed to forgo an auction process after it received expressions of interest from two other companies and four private equity firms.

None of these parties are identified by name. The filing refers to a 'company X,' which proposed a merger of equals that valued Whole Foods at between $35 and $40 per share. U.S. supermarket chain owner Albertsons LLC is company X, a source familiar with the matter said. Albertsons did not respond to a request for comment.

Nevertheless, Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods agreed not to pursue this, or solicit any other bids, in part because Amazon was "very sensitive with respect to confidentiality" and did not want to compete in a broader sale process, the filing said.

Whole Foods said in the filing it sought $45 per share from Amazon but settled for $42 per share, which the ecommerce giant called its "best and final offer." Amazon had offered $41 in May, according to the filing.

Amazon had also told Whole Foods it was considering other opportunities in case its final offer was turned down. The filing added that Amazon reserved the right to terminate the talks if there was any leak or rumor of its interest in Whole Foods.

Story continues

The other company that expressed interest in Whole Foods, referred to in the filing as 'company Y,' had an interest in exploring a commercial relationship, such as a supply arrangement, and did not discuss any merger or acquisition, according to the filing.

Whole Foods' management, under pressure from activist hedge fund Jana Partners LLC to explore a sale of the company, decided not to solicit proposals from the four private equity firms as the price proposed by Amazon likely exceeded the amount a private equity buyer could be expected to pay, according to the filing.

(Reporting by Carl O'Donnell and Laurne Hirsch in New York; Additional reporting by Sruthi Ramakrishnan in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Steve Orlofsky)
Brazilian guy improving score from 620 to 710 (V30 to V41) [ #permalink

3 Kudos 2 Bookmarks

Hi,



I retook the GMAT recently and I got a considerable improvement. As while I was studying I read some texts to help me get through, I decided to share my experience.



I am a Brazilian Engineer and work for the biggest Brazilian consulting company. The first time that I decided to take my GMAT was in 2014 and I was 29 years old (a little bit older than the average for the Top schools, but still acceptable). At that time, I just got a big promotion to senior level and the company transferred me to a project in Spain where I stayed for 5 months. The project there was not complicated and I was able to study and by the end of the project my average at the practice exams were between 680 and 720 - not bad in my opinion. I needed to improve a little bit my pace and get more consistent and then I would be good to go.



The problem is that right at that moment, my company transferred me to a very strategic project in the USA, in which I was working 16 to 18 hours a day plus weekends. I got exhausted and was not able to study more. It took me one year so I could restart my studies and after two months only they sent me again to another strategic project in the USA. As I was about to give up and was getting older, I decided to take the exam and see what would happen. I took 620 (Q47 and V30).



As I received another promotion and was going well on my career, I decided to forget about the MBA and move on. I friend of mine told me about a Master degree in Business by Harvard Extension School and I started to take this course. I was really enjoying it, but I had a meeting with the president of my company and he asked me to try the GMAT once because he thinks that a MBA would be more beneficial to my career.



So, in January of this year I started to study again. In January I was able to study the whole basic points of the gmat but... Feb and March I got another tough project and had to hold my studies again. When I finalized this short project, I decided to put all my energy on the GMAT once for all. So I took a vacation and studied 8 hours a day. Only stopped when I realized that I was not absorbing more content. When I did my first practice I got a 690, what got me excited. I did another 7 or 8 practice exams and by the end of it I was getting 740/750. When I got the first 740 I decided to schedule the exam because I didn't know for how long I would be able to hold my study pace.



Then, I took the exam and got 710 (Q46 and V41). To be honest, when I left the room I got a little bit frustrated because my practice score was consistent higher than that (Q50 or Q51). One point that is important to emphasize is that, as I am Brazilian Consultant, I believe that my pool is not as competitive as that of others as Indian IT or White American Consulting and Banking. So my score is good enough to apply to a good school. Besides that, guest what? I got another extremely tough project and I am not being to study.



So now, I will have to focus on my essays. As I am a little bit older now (32 years old) I decided that I will apply only for shorter courses and courses where I will find people with a similar level of experience. So INSEAD, LBS, MIT (Fellows), Stanford (MSx), etc.



1- Verbal

- : SC was definitely my weakest point. helped me a lot to go through that. Although in the beginning I thought it slow (I was in a high level of anxiety) it gave me consistent to know deeply all the rules. Besides that, the price was very good and I didn't have to buy all the courses as other prep schools. I didn't have the chance to see the content of other topics but I believe that the level of quality is probably similar. I deeply recommend that.

- Reading: I believe that I was able to improve a lot my reading during the Harvard Extension School course that I took (Business of economics). If you have time to take a MBA, I believe that this kind of course is a great experience. Besides that, get used to read complicated texts, especially topics out of your comfort zone (I hate biology).



2- Quantitative:

- Improve pacing: Don't think that you will dominate all the content, it is too long and extremely complicated questions don't show up often. Instead of that, my suggestion is to focus on pacing. One thing that I belive was good was to use the online version of , where I could filter only the difficult questions (that are too many very easy questions on ).

- Prioritize: I prioritized verbal and it worked for me. I got sad that my Quantitative didnt improve, but I honestly believe that it was a matter of luck (bad luck).



3- Practice exams:

- Do as many as you can: GMAC are the best ones. Take all the 6 (2 free + 4 paid- very good investment), but try princeton and manhattan - Although the scores that you will get at those two are not 100% accurate, it will help you to see different kind of questions.

- Do the full simulation: Spend all the 4 hours taking the practice exam - don't skip to quant and verb. One of the most difficult things about GMAT is the mental resistance. Only taking the full exam you will get prepared for that.



4- Focus and discipline: my studies were very affected by the fact that I didn't prioritized the exam and started to work as crazy. Learn on how to say NO to your company and focus on studying (you don't have to quit, but it is hard to study when you work more than 10 hours a day). You don't need more than 4 monhts of HARD study to get there (maybe even less). One other mistake that I committed was when I was in Spain, where I had time to study but preferred to walk around and see places during my weekends. Should have FOCUSED more...



5- Exercises

- Don't stop exercising: it helps with the mental resistance and help you to break a little bit the studies.



That is it! wish you guys good look!
seekmba wrote:

Mr. Janeck: I dont believe Stevenson will win the election for governor. Few voters are willing to elect a businessman with no political experience to such a responsible public office.

Ms. Siuzdak: Youre wrong. The experience of running a major corporation is a valuable preparation for the task of running a state government.



M. Siuzdaks response shows that she has interpreted Mr. Janecks remark to imply which of the following?

(A) Mr. Janeck considers Stevenson unqualified for the office of governor.

(B) No candidate without political experience has ever been elected governor of a state.

(C) Mr. Janeck believes that political leadership and business leadership are closely analogous.

(D) A career spent in the pursuit of profit can be an impediment to ones ability to run a state government fairly.

(E) Voters generally overestimate the value of political experience when selecting a candidate

Voters understand that



Owner of Angles and Arguments





Check out my Blog Posts here: Blog

For Individual GMAT Study Modules, check

For Private Tutoring, check KarishmaOwner of Angles and ArgumentsFor Individual GMAT Study Modules, check Study Modules For Private Tutoring, check Private Tutoring Signature Read More

It is a good idea to first read the question stem. It prepares you to analyze the stimulus according to the question. Plus, in a complicated question, you don't have to go back and read the entire stimulus again.Here I first read the question: Ms. Siuzdaks response shows that she has interpreted Mr. Janecks remark to imply which of the following?I see there are two speakers. I know that Ms. Siuzdak interprets Mr. Janecks remark to imply something. Great, lets go ahead and read the stimulus.Mr Janeck talks about the unwillingness of voters to elect a businessman without political experience to such a position.Ms Siuzdak says, "You are wrong." and goes on to elaborate how experience of running a business prepares one to run the government.When I read Ms. Siuzdak's response, I think, "She is interpreting an implication in Mr Janeck's remark. What is it?"It does strike me as odd that he only mentioned how voters feel. He did not say that Stevenson was unsuitable for office while Ms. Siuzdak tries to convince him why Stevenson is suitable. She doesn't say something like, "You are wrong.the experience of running a major corporation is a valuable preparation for the task of running a state government."Now I look at the options. It is pretty clear that she interpreted that Mr Janeck believes Stevenson is not suitable for office. (A) is the correct answer.(D) is incorrect. The issue is experience here. Not how profit chasing affects the character of a person and makes him unsuitable for government office.(E) is incorrect because she overlooked voters completely and responded to Mr Janeck as if he had said the following: "A businessman with no political experience should not be elected to such a responsible public office."_________________
pqhai wrote:

The Acts of Trade and Navigation, passed by Parliament to protect British trade with their colonies, required that all trade between England and its colonies be carried on British ships, that all imports to the colonies come from England , and that certain colonial exports be shipped only to England.



A .passed by Parliament to protect British trade with their colonies, required that all trade between England and its colonies be carried on British ships, that all imports to the colonies come from England

Wrong. "their" is incorrect. ==> British trade is singular ==> "its colonies" is correct.



B. which Parliament passed to protect its trade with its colonies, required that all trade between England and its colonies be carried on British ships, all imports to the colonies come from England

Wrong. the meaning is distorted. It's like "Parliament passed the acts to protect Parliament's trade".



C. which Parliament passed to protect Britains trade with its colonies, required that all trade between England and its colonies was carried on British ships, all imports to the colonies come from England

Wrong.

(1) "The acts which Parliament passed" is wrong, because "the acts" is subject, "which" modifies "The acts" ==> After "which" should be verb. For example: The Acts which were passed by Parliaments.

(2) Idiom: require that X do Y ==> the "infinitive without TO" form of the verb to be is always just be , not is, are, was ,...



D. passed by Parliament to protect Britains trade with its colonies , required that all trade between England and its colonies be carried on British ships, that all imports to the colonies come from England,

Correct.

(1) "passed by Parliament....colonies" modifies "the Acts"

(2) Correct idiom: required that X be carried ......



E. which were passed by Parliament to protect British trade with its colonies, made it a requirement that all trade between England and its colonies be carried on British ships, that all imports to the colonies come from England

Wrong. "made it a requirement" sounds awkward.



Waiting for the OA.

Thanks pqhai for pointing out the error in E, but still i feel that there is no antecedent of its in British and even if made it a requirement sounds awkward, still due to no antecedent of its in D, i find E a better option.Can you please clear my doubt..._________________
President Muhammadu Buhari's only son Yusuf has reportedly bagged his Master's Degree from a university in the United Kingdom.

Legit.ng recalls that Zahra and Yusuf graduated from the University of Surrey, Guildford, England, United Kingdom in July 2016.

READ ALSO: Fayose's daughter graduates, wins VC award in University of Nottingham

The president's family friend, Anas Mu'azu disclosed this new update in a post on his Facebook page, congratulating Yusuf in Hausa.

Yusuf Buhari graduates his Master's degree: Source: Facebook: Ana's Muazu

He captioned; "We congratulate the president and country. Yusuf Muhammad Buhari celebrate after graduating from his Masters Degree."

God made Grace.

Congratulations to the president and his family.

Watch this video and learn some of the things you should do before travelling abroad:

Source: Legit.ng
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Editors Note: This story is part of a continuing series about international student life at colleges and universities across the United States. Please join us over the next several weeks as we bring you stories about international students and the American higher education system as a whole.

There were many things Miranda Rojas had never done in her life.

Born and raised in San Jose, Costa Rica, the 19-year-old had never been to neighboring countries in South America, let alone North America. She had never met a Muslim person. She had never even used public transportation.

All of that would change once Rojas completed high school and came to study at a university in the U.S. in 2016.

Rojas says when she was younger her parents were a little strict. But when it came to higher education, her parents wanted her to have as much freedom and independence as possible. They encouraged her to study at a university outside of Costa Rica, she says.

Both of her parents were international students. Her mother earned a masters degree at Marymount University in the U.S. state of Virginia. Her father earned an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and earned his masters from the University of Pennsylvania.

They wanted Rojas and her sister to see what the world outside their country might offer them, she says. But it was her father who pushed her to follow their path.

"He loved his experience, and he learned a lot. He says it changed him. So he wanted that for us too. And they always, like, encouraged us to apply to universities, to take the SAT, take the TOEFL, go look at universities."

At first, Rojas wanted to attend a large school for her undergraduate studies. She says she believed only a big school would have international students and American students of different races and backgrounds. So her first choice was Syracuse University in New York, a school of almost 22,000 students.

But her high school guidance counselor asked Rojas to consider the more personal experience a smaller college or university might provide. In the end, she listened to this advice and chose to study psychology at Roger Williams University.

Formed in 1956, Roger Williams is a private liberal arts school in Bristol, Rhode Island. The university has about 4,800 students. And the campus sits on the coast of Mt. Hope Bay, about an hour southeast of the city of Providence. In fact, beautiful water surrounds the town of Bristol on three sides.

Rojas was a little worried about how white the student population at Roger Williams was when she first arrived. The U.S Department of Educations College Scorecard states that about 73 percent of the students there are white. And Rojas thought that as a foreigner and a Latina, people would treat her like an outsider.

However, Rojas quickly found friends among the international students she met through the Intercultural Center at Roger Williams. The Intercultural Center is an office at the school that helps international students with their academic and social lives. It offers study help and hosts special events. It is also a place for international students to relax with each other and their friends.

Rojas says that through the Intercultural Center, she has made friends from all over the world. This includes people from countries whose people she never thought she would meet, like Rwanda and Saudi Arabia.

And while she first thought her race or nationality would separate her from American students, she could not have been more wrong, Rojas says. She says that Americans are much less open to meeting strangers than people are in Costa Rica. Yet once her classmates started to learn she is an international student, they all were happy to meet her and had many questions about her life back home.

However, for Qiming Li the main difficulty as an international student was not just making friends with Americans. He says he also struggled with being treated equally.

Li is from Guangzhou, China. He came to the U.S. in 2009 to finish his last two years of high school at the private Darrow School in New York.

Even though he had been living in the U.S. for three years, Li says his English still was not as strong as it could have been when he started at Roger Williams in 2012.

Li says the students treated him differently because of this. Once, while working on a group project, the other members of his group tried to do his share of the work for him, he says. He believes they did so because they did not believe he understood his responsibilities.

Li did not let this anger him. He simply told his group members that he was actually able to do the work himself. And ever since, he has seen the challenges of living in a foreign country and studying in a different language as a way of proving himself.

In fact, Li completed his undergraduate degree in history in spring 2016. He then chose to start a masters degree program in historical preservation at Roger Williams the following fall.

Like Rojas, Li also says he owes a lot to the support he received from the Intercultural Center. He says the students and staff he has met through the center never judge him. And while he has faced some difficulties dealing with American students, he still has learned a lot from them.

"If I did not came here  I think my views on a lot of things would be different. In this school you have students from everywhere, people from U.K., from South Africa. And you have people from the southern part, the west coast of the U.S. You kind of get an opinion of how everyone feels about different things."

Im Dorothy Gundy

And I'm Pete Musto.

Pete Musto reported this story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. Richard Hindman and Lucija Milonig produced the video. We want to hear from you. How do you deal with being in a situation where everyone is totally different from you? What ways do universities in your country support international students? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

strict  adj. demanding that people obey rules or behave in a certain way

encourage(d)  v. to make someone more likely to do something

masters degree  n. a degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after one or two years of additional study following a bachelor's or 4-year undergraduate degree

undergraduate degree  n. a degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after four years of study

apply  v. to ask formally for something, such as a job, admission to a school, or a loan, usually in writing

background(s)  n. the experiences, knowledge, and education in a person's past

guidance counselor  n. a person whose job is to give help and advice to students about educational and personal decisions

campus  n. the area and buildings around a university, college, or school

academic  adj. of or relating to schools and education

nationality  n. the fact or status of being a member or citizen of a particular nation

challenge(s)  n. a difficult task or problem
WeThinkCode is a two-year programming and coding course aimed at addressing the scarcity of programmers and developers in South Africa.

The course comprises of a peer-to-peer learning system and applications are open to anyone between 17-35, regardless of previous education.

Students enrolled at WeThinkCode do not pay any fees and are given a regular stipend for the duration of the course.

The initiative recently partnered with BCX, allowing it to expand its campus in Johannesburg and open a new campus in Cape Town.

WeThinkCode cofounder Arlene Mulder told MyBroadband that they are not done yet, and plan to grow the course going forward.

Cape Town and beyond

WeThinkCodes first campus was established in central Johannesburg, with its Cape Town campus also located in the central city. The Cape Town premises is expected to be operational by the end of the year.

Mulder said the organisation is also looking at creating student accommodation for its Cape Town branch, and is considering a number of locations.

There are currently no confirmed plans for WeThinkCode to open more campuses other than in Johannesburg and Cape Town, but Mulder said the organisation is interested in expanding its reach across sub-Saharan Africa.

Mulder said if the organisation was to open more campuses, it would look at other African countries or at creating a large central hub in South Africa  allowing residents of African countries to attend the programme.

We are very interested in expanding into other places, and the opening of our Cape Town campus will be a great learning experience for future expansion, she said.

WeThinkCode also recently opened its first student accommodation in Johannesburg, within walking distance of its campus.

More students

Mulder said the number of students enrolled in the WeThinkCode course is expected to increase substantially in the future.

The Cape Town campus will host 200 new students and the Johannesburg campus will accommodate 400 students in 2018.

She said WeThinkCode students placed in internships have performed exceptionally well so far, with partner businesses commending their self-motivation and problem-solving skills.

Mulder said the aim of the WeThinkCode programme is to address the shortage of developers in South Africa by introducing intelligent students to the world of programming, regardless of their educational background or financial situation.
Van Gogh's painting sold for a record $117 million

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Several dozen activists detained at protest rally in Baku: They chant slogans 'Freedom!', 'Resign!'

Princess Haya seeks asylum in Wales

Pashinyan: Iran is concerned about the presence of other actors in our region, which are not in the territory of Armenia

Pashinyan: Presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan listened to presented proposals

Volvo reveals its flagship EX90 electric crossover

Pashinyan: Yerevan supports Russia's proposals for Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement

Pashinyan: Russia cannot withdraw from Karabakh unless it creates additional guarantees for peacekeeping mission

Pashinyan: We will do everything to Armenia-Azerbaijan sign peace treaty by end of year

Russia bans entry of Biden's family and White House press secretary

Pashinyan: We believe there should be a dialogue between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh

Pashinyan says positions voiced by some member countries of CSTO are unacceptable

19 countries that use euro currency will slide into recession over winter

Pashinyan to Baku: If 1991 border is mutually recognized, what are your troops doing near Jermuk?

Pashinyan: If the Karabakh issue is solved, why is Azerbaijani Armed Forces shooting at Karabakh residents?

Pashinyan: Russia should say whether their version of peace settlement is still circulating?

Pashinyan: Maybe Azerbaijan doesn't want Armenia to receive revenues?

Pashinyan: Azerbaijan must withdraw its troops from Armenia

Pashinyan: My yesterday's speech served its purpose, Azerbaijani MFA no longer uses 'corridor' term

Microsoft founder Paul Allen's collection of world masterpieces sold for $1.6 billion

Public TV of Armenia hosts Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan

China shows drone killer

Armenian FM meets his French counterpart

Rishi Sunak decides to close hole in British budget through austerity

Delegation of Russian MPs visits Jermuk resort town

Lavrov and Mirzoyan discuss regional agenda

Harut Sasunyan: The best way to achieve peace is to be prepared for war

Turkish prosecutor demands court to ban Istanbul mayor from political activities

German business leaders warn against leaving China

Sasunyan: Russia and US pursue their own interests in South Caucasus

British economy shrinks in three months, foretelling prolonged recession

Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan summoned to Foreign Ministry

Euro rises above dollar for first time in long time

Hungarian Foreign Affairs Minister calls Council of Turkic States 'forum of peace' and praises Turkey

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Armenia defense minister receives China ambassador, military attache

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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

China reveals new giant drone that could point to the future of air warfare

US embassy in Armenia closed today

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Israel and U.S. counter threat of hypersonic missiles together

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Armenia ombudsperson meets with Belgium colleagues

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U.S. will no longer consider Russia a country with a market economy

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Aliyev, Erdogan discuss results of tripartite meeting in Russias Sochi

Azerbaijan army fires at Armenia positions, uses mortars as well

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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

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U.S. to send Ukraine another $400 million in military aid

Ursula von der Leyen announces EUR 250 million support package for Moldova

Biden and Jinping meet on sidelines of G20 summit in Bali to be held on November 14

Riches of world get poorer suddenly

State Duma deputy: Interparliamentary format Yerevan-Baku-Moscow will be included soon to solve issues

IMF sees growing risk of economic fragmentation

Armen Gevorgyan to visit Strasbourg, Brussels and Paris

State Duma deputy: Upper Lars border crossing capacity has increased fivefold

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

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One year has passed since the murder of the four members of Armenian Kachotyan family of Georgias Vachiani village.

Even though the only person charged with the murder had committed suicide several months after being arrested, Georgian law enforcement agencies still continue the murder investigation, the respective criminal case has not been dropped, and others also may be involved in this murder.

Vaghinak Kachotyan, who lost his wife and three children in the murder, is not in the village and has gone to Russia. But he continues the fight to find those guilty in the murder of his wife and three children.

Nodar Akopov, who was charged with these murders, had committed suicide in prison, on August 27 of the year past.

The Kachotyans relatives, however, claim that Akopov could not have committed these murders all by himself, there were others with him, but they are not yet revealed.

Four members of the Kachotyan familythe 37-year-old mother as well as her 5-, 13-, and 18-year-old childrenwere found dead in their home in the aforesaid village in Javakhetia predominantly-Armenian-populated part of Georgias southeastern Samtskhe-Javakheti Province, by their relatives, on July 10, 2016.

According to preliminary information, the assailant had killed the mother and her daughters with a blunt instrument, whereas strangled the boy to death.

The table and chairs of the house were lying on the floor, and the house was sooty with smoke.

The father of the family, Vaghinak Kachotyan, was in Russia at the time, as a migrant worker.

To note, a Turkish-Georgian border checkpoint is nearby the said primarily-Armenian-populated village.
Editor's note: This is one in a Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service series of 15 pieces about the Milwaukee Open Housing marches, which took place 50 years ago beginning on Aug. 28, 1967. Watch for the stories on Milwaukee NNS every Monday and Thursday through the end of July.

Prentice McKinney is the son of parents born in the Deep South. His mother was used to people discriminating against her family because of the color of their skin. But to 16-year-old Prentice, it came as quite a shock.

"I grew up in the city," McKinney said. "I had never seen discrimination."

McKinney was born in Chicago and raised in Milwaukee. He says that, as a child, he was like a lot of the kids he saw around him.

"I was into devilment like most kids in the ghetto with nothing to do, skipping school and that kind of thing," McKinney said.

But at the age of 16, McKinney said things started to change. He credits his involvement in the NAACP Youth Council to the fact that Freedom House, where the group met, was one block away from his home. The Rev. James Groppi led the group in fighting for civil rights in Milwaukee during the late 1960s.

"Groppi was one of the smoothest cats I ever met," McKinney said.

Groppi and the NAACP Youth Council spurred a protest to change the law to prohibit housing discrimination. For 200 nights, they marched across the 16th Street Viaduct, also known as the "Mason-Dixon line" of Milwaukee because it marked the border between the predominantly black North Side and predominantly white South Side.

McKinney was no stranger to housing discrimination. After his family was told they could not purchase a home on the South Side, the young McKinney was motivated by anger to learn about the issues facing his people.

"I started to find out about something called land title covenants," McKinney said. The deeds made it legal for owners to sell their property only to whites. "That infuriated me," he said

McKinney rose through the ranks at Freedom House, becoming a member of the Commandos, a group of 10-15 young black men whose role was to protect Groppi and the marchers from violent counter-protestors.

As a Commando, McKinneys job was to keep the lines intact as the marchers walked across the bridge each night. The Commandos did not believe in violence, but they also did not believe in letting people take advantage of them.

"We demanded respect," McKinney said. "We werent violent, but we werent nonviolent."

The marchers were met with strong opposition whenever they crossed the bridge onto the South Side. Each night, crowds of angry whites would throw bricks and scream racist, vulgar remarks at the protestors.

"The police, in most cases, were aggressive towards us, not aggressive towards the counter-protestors," McKinney said.

When police had to intervene, they would face the white crowd with tear gas. But when they pulled the pin to release the tear gas, it would slip out of their hands and fall backwards on the marchers, McKinney recalled. This forced the marchers to run from the tear gas and into the white mob.

"It was 200 nights of getting arrested, fighting with the police, trying to protect the marchers, and, on occasion, going to jail," McKinney said.

Anger kept him going all those nights, and still keeps him going today, he said. Participating in the open housing marches gave him an experience that would guide him for the rest of his life. Today, McKinney remains a political activist in the community and always asks himself what he can do to make a difference.

"Its kind of been the story of my life," McKinney said. "To be involved, to fight injustice, and to inspire others."
An Arctic battle between the European Union and Norway about snow crabs around Svalbard is really about claiming access to oil, experts say

On the face of it, a relentless battle between the European Union and Norway in a remote part of the Arctic is about snow crabs.

But the real fight may go beyond who gets to catch the modest crustaceans around Svalbard, a unique Norwegian archipelago in the Barents Sea.

What is really at stake is oil, some experts say, and a coming race for the commodity of which there is a lot in the polar region.

"No country wants to give up resources without receiving anything in return. That is the principle here too," Norwegian Fisheries Minister Per Sandberg tells AFP.

Norway, which is not a member of the EU, has slammed Brussels for authorising European vessels from mainly Baltic nations to fish for crabs in the Svalbard area, saying it violates its national sovereignty.

A Latvian ship has already paid the price. In January, a ship called "The Senator" was intercepted by Norwegian coast guards while crab fishing around Svalbard, and recently received a hefty fine.

"What happened is totally new," says Sandberg. "The EU is unabashed to make this kind of a decision without consulting us."

The EU and Norway's conflicting interpretations of the 1920 Svalbard Treaty signed in Paris are at the heart of the problem.

The treaty recognises Norway's "full and absolute sovereignty," but gives the signatory nations an equal right to economic activities on Svalbard and its territorial waters.

The core issue is to agree on the geographical scope of the treaty and how far all signatory states benefit from an equal access to resources.

With a strict interpretation of the treaty, Oslo says the agreement applies only to the 12-mile limits of the territorial waters surrounding Svalbard and not any further.

But Brussels has a more loose interpretation of the treaty and says it covers 200 miles around Svalbard, in line with the concept of an economic zone that did not exist when the treaty was signed.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate in April doubled its estimates of hydrocarbon reserves in the Norwegian part of the Barents Sea, with much of it believed to lie in southeast Svalbard

Oil in the line of sight

The snow crab, first recorded in the Barents Sea in 1996, is an invasive, and more importantly, a sedentary species as it lives in permanent contact with the seabed.

This means that the rules that apply to snow crabs are more similar to oil than to fishing.

The crab dispute could create a "precedent" that "would have implications for oil and gas," warns Harald Sakarias Brovig Hansen, a researcher at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute.

"We fear a domino effect. If an actor is recognised as having the right to fish for snow crabs in accordance with the treaty, then numerous others, will probably come and claim a share of the cake," he says, referring to oil.

The cake could prove to be very appetising as the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate in April doubled its estimates of hydrocarbon reserves in the Norwegian part of the Barents Sea.

A large amount of the 17.7 billion barrels in the region could be in southeastern Svalbard, according to the directorate.

Oil companies are lurking. Norway has already granted exploration licences that extend in the contentious area and the national energy giant Statoil, always pushing further north, plans to drill in the area this summer.

This drilling in the Korpfjell prospect, considered highly promising, could irritate the other signatories of the Svalbard Treaty and lead them to claim an equal access to oil.

"I think snow crab is a trial balloon," says Per Arne Totland, an author and expert on Svalbard issues.

"In this case, Russia, the United States, the EU and China share a common interest in obtaining the widest access to the resources that the treaty could give them."

In a gesture of conciliation to the EU, Oslo has proposed reserving some of its snow crab quota500 tonnes out of a total of 4,000 tonnes to other European countries in return for fish quotas. But the EU has refused the proposal because accepting the deal would strengthen the Norwegian take on the treaty.

Brussels wants "a practical arrangement with Norway that would allow the continuation of fishing activities for snow crab, without giving up the EU's interpretation of the 1920 (treaty)," European Commission spokesman Enrico Brivio told AFP.

 2017 AFP
More than a month since the start of the diplomatic crisis gripping the Gulf, hopes of a swift resolution seem as remote as a summer downpour in the desert. Both sides -- the group of Saudi-led allies against Qatar -- seem as entrenched in their positions as ever and as unlikely to find a face-saving solution for all as at any time since the conflict erupted on June 5. "I think that this crisis has a way to go still," said Kristian Ulrichsen, a Gulf analyst with the Baker Institute at the US-based Rice University. He is not alone. A weary US State Department this week signalled its belief that the row -- which has seen Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt sever ties with Qatar over claims it supports Islamist extremists -- will rumble on, at best, for some time. "We believe that this could potentially drag on for weeks. It could drag on for months," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on July 6. The first days of July had offered a tiny, hopeful glimpse of a resolution as the region awaited Qatar's response to the list of 13 onerous demands placed on Doha by the Saudi-led bloc. But a defiant Qatar, which denies the charges of supporting extremism, then called the demands -- such as closing broadcaster Al-Jazeera and the Turkish military base in Doha -- "unrealistic". In return, Saudi and its allies threatened further sanctions, while Qatar hit back, labelling the four Arab states "siege countries". "There will be no lifting of the sanctions any time soon, I can't see that happening," said Andreas Krieg of the Defence Studies Department at King's College London. The crisis seems to be in deadlock. - Long, drawn-out row - "It appears that Saudi Arabia and the UAE underestimated Qatar's ability to very quickly bring on board major regional powers such as Turkey and Iran," Christopher Davidson, an expert on Middle East politics at Britain's Durham University, told AFP. "In this context, pushing forward with any form of cross-border intervention seems unlikely, with instead a long drawn out slow-bleed of Qatar's economy probably being the preferred Saudi-UAE strategy." So what happens next? On the diplomatic front, the push is coming from the West with the visit of British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson to the region this weekend, followed by the scheduled arrival of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in regional mediator Kuwait on July 10. In Nauert's statement she also warned the conflict "could possibly even intensify". This could manifest itself in two ways. On the sanctions front, attention appears to be turning to regional political organisations and, more tentatively, trade. There has been much speculation that Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain will seek to push Qatar out of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council either through suspension or expulsion. Reports in the Saudi media have suggested this could be the next step in Qatar's isolation though it is unclear if there would be enough votes to carry this through. Krieg speculated that Saudi Arabia instead might manoeuvre to penalise Qatar through its membership of the Arab League. On trade there has been suggestions that Saudi Arabia and the UAE may present international companies with a choice of doing business with them or Qatar, not both. That though is far from a risk-free strategy, Ulrichsen said. "Such a move may rebound on Riyadh and Abu Dhabi if it calls into question the vulnerability of commercial decisions to political interference," he said. Krieg added that such a move could ultimately backfire on Saudi Arabia's own attempts to restructure its economy, in any post-oil world. It is also unlikely that international companies would cave in to such orders. Following a decision on July 4 by Qatar Petroleum to expand gas production by 30 percent, using joint ventures with international businesses, companies were reportedly already forming an orderly queue for contracts. One Saudi-based commentator, Abdulrahman Al-Rashed, though insisted recently that Qatar will "fold" but make concessions beyond the "spotlight". It is unclear, however, what those might be. "There are no apparent areas of concession. This looks like it will go down to the wire," said Davidson.
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday Turkey would not watch passively as weapons are sent to Kurdish fighters on its southern border, saying his country would respond to any threats to national security. The United States has been arming Kurdish YPG fighters taking part in the battle to recapture the Syrian city of Raqqa from Islamic State, angering its NATO ally Turkey. Ankara views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdish PKK group that has waged a long insurgency in southeast Turkey. Turkey, Washington and the European Union have all designated the PKK as a terrorist organisation. "We will definitely not remain silent and unresponsive to the support and arming of terror organizations next to our borders and the forming of terror islands in the region," Hurriyet Daily News website quoted Erdogan as saying. "We will not hesitate to use our right to self defence against formations threatening the security of our country," Erdogan told a news conference at the G20 summit in Hamburg, according to the web site. Erdogan expressed Turkey's alarm at the U.S. decision to arm the YPG at a White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in May. The two men also met at the G20 summit. Syrian rebels said on Friday they were preparing to join the Turkish military in a major new offensive against Kurdish forces in northwestern Syria, raising the prospect of yet another front in an increasingly complex conflict. Turkish officials have not commented on any military preparations in northern Syria. Turkish troops launched an incursion across the border last August in support of Syrian rebel fighters, targeting both Islamic State and the YPG. (Reporting by Dominic Evans; Editing by Helen Popper)
Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited Mosul on Sunday, hailing his forces for securing "victory" over the Islamic State group, their biggest yet against the jihadists. Abadi's office said he was visiting "liberated" Mosul to congratulate his "heroic fighters", but the premier later indicated he would only declare victory once final pockets of resistance were cleared. "Victory is certain, and what remains of Daesh is surrounded... and it is just a matter of time for us to announce the great victory to our people," Abadi said in a statement, using an Arabic acronym for IS. The delay "comes out of my respect and appreciation for our... forces that are continuing the clearing operation," he said. "There are just one or two pockets of Daesh remnants left," and "the major victory is in hand," the premier added. That victory comes at an enormous cost: much of Iraq's second city in ruins, thousands dead and wounded, and nearly a million people forced from their homes. Enormous challenges lie ahead, not just in rebuilding Mosul but in tackling the continued presence elsewhere of IS. Photographs showed Abadi dressed in a black military uniform and cap, shaking hands with police and army officers. His office said Abadi met commanders in Mosul and issued a series of orders on "sustaining victories and eliminating the defeated remnants" of IS, as well as "establishing security and stability in the liberated city." - 'Victory for all Iraqis' - Iraqi forces waved flags and flashed victory signs after Abadi arrived in the city. "This victory is for all Iraqis, not just for us," Mohanned Jassem, a member of the elite Counter-Terrorism Service, told AFP at the police base where Abadi met commanders. Jassem, who fought in most of the other main battles of the war against IS, said Mosul was the toughest. "I took part in fighting in Ramadi and Tikrit and Salaheddin and Baiji and Al-Qayyarah... but the fighting here in (IS's) stronghold was the most violent," he said, an Iraqi flag draped over his shoulders. IS swept across much of Iraq's Sunni Arab heartland in a lightning offensive in mid-2014, proclaiming a "caliphate" straddling Iraq and neighbouring Syria. Imposing its brutal interpretation of Islamic law, the group committed widespread atrocities and organised or inspired deadly attacks in Iraq, Syria and abroad. A US-led coalition launched military operations against IS in Syria and Iraq in mid-2014, carrying out a campaign of air strikes against the jihadists and sending advisers to work with local ground forces. French President Emmanuel Macron was among the first world leaders to offer his congratulations. "Mosul liberated from Daesh," he tweeted. "Homage from France to all those, with our troops, who contributed to this victory." - 'Decisive step' - British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon congratulated Abadi and the "Iraqi forces who have been fighting on the ground with great bravery". The European Union called the victory "a decisive step in the campaign to eliminate terrorist control in parts of Iraq". IS has lost most of the territory it once controlled, and the coalition is aiming to oust the jihadists from their Syrian stronghold Raqa, which is under assault by US-backed Arab and Kurdish forces. Iraqi forces launched their campaign to recapture Mosul in October, seizing its eastern side in January and launching the battle for its western part the next month. But the fight grew tougher when security forces entered the densely populated Old City on the western bank of the Tigris River, which divides the city. In recent days, security forces have killed jihadists trying to flee their dwindling foothold in Mosul, as Iraqi units fought to retake the last IS-held territory near the Tigris. Earlier Sunday, Iraq's Joint Operations Command said security forces had killed "30 terrorists" trying to escape across the river. Even in the final days of the battle, thousands of civilians remained trapped inside the Old City and some of those who fled arrived grief-stricken after losing relatives in jihadist sniper fire and bombardments. - Not yet 'the death knell' - The United Nations said Sunday that 920,000 civilians have fled their homes since the battle for Mosul began last autumn. "It's a relief to know that the military campaign in Mosul is ending. The fighting may be over, but the humanitarian crisis is not, Lise Grande, the UN's humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, said in a statement. The recapture of Mosul will also not mark the end of the threat posed by IS, which controls territory elsewhere in Iraq and is able to carry out frequent bombings in government-held areas. In Iraq it holds towns including Tal Afar and Hawijah in the north, as well as territory in western Anbar province. It also continues to hold significant territory in Syria, including in Raqa, where the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are battling to oust the jihadist group after penetrating its fortified historic centre. While the loss of Mosul is a major blow to the jihadists, it is not a fatal one. "We should not view the recapture of Mosul as the death knell for IS," said Patrick Martin, Iraq analyst at the Institute for the Study of War. "If security forces do not take steps to ensure that gains against IS are sustained for the long-term, then IS could theoretically resurge and recapture urban terrain," he said.
Kuwait Airways said Sunday that a ban on laptops and tablets in the cabins of its US-bound flights had been lifted by Washington. "Now our passengers flying from Kuwait International Airport to #JFK in #NY will be able to use all of their personal electronic devices," the emirate's flag carrier said on Twitter. The United States in March barred all electronic devices larger than a mobile phone in the cabins of direct flights to the US from 10 airports in Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa, only allowing them in hold luggage. The ban was brought in after intelligence officials learned of efforts by jihadists from the Islamic State group to produce a bomb that could be hidden inside such devices. For the same reason, Britain also banned similar-sized electronics from the cabins of direct flights from six countries. Etihad Airways on Sunday became the first airline to benefit from the lifting of the ban, with flights from the airline's base in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi no longer affected. Dubai-based Emirates, Turkish Airways, Qatar Airways and Saudi Arabia's national airline have all said their passengers are now allowed to bring personal electronics on board direct flights to the US.
A Marshall Islands-based military expert has cast further doubt on claims that a blurry photograph shows famed US aviatrix Amelia Earhart alive in the territory in 1937. The fate of the legendary American and her navigator Fred Noonan during their round-the-world flight is one of aviation's greatest mysteries, and has fascinated historians for decades. Earhart and Noonan vanished on July 2, 1937 after taking off from Lae, Papua New Guinea, and the prevailing belief is that they ran out of fuel and ditched their twin-engine Lockheed Electra in the Pacific Ocean near remote Howland Island. But a documentary being aired on the History Channel -- "Amelia Earhart: The Lost Evidence" -- claims to have unearthed a beguiling new clue about what happened to the pair. The program suggests that Earhart, who was seeking to become the first woman flier to circumnavigate the globe, and Noonan may have survived and been taken prisoner by Japanese forces. It cites a blurry black-and-white photograph discovered in the National Archives in Washington, purportedly showing the pair in the Marshall Islands after their capture. But military expert Matthew B. Holly told AFP the photo appeared to have been taken about a decade earlier. "From the Marshallese visual background, lack of Japanese flags flying on any vessels but one, and the age configuration of the steam-driven steel vessels, the photo is closer to the late 1920s or early 1930s, not anywhere near 1937," he told AFP. Holly, an American living in Majuro, has spent decades identifying the locations of lost US aircraft and the identities of American servicemen killed in action in the western Pacific nation. He added that by January 1937 the Japanese had closed most of Micronesia to foreign vessels, "including Marshallese commerce, which is obviously flourishing in this photo. "Additionally, there are no Japanese sailors to be seen." - 'Laughable' - There is no dispute that the photo shows the dock at Jabor Island in Jaluit Atoll, which was the headquarters for Japan's administration of the Marshall Islands between World War I and World War II. During the 1920s and early 1930s, Japanese businesses flourished on Jaluit, purchasing copra -- dried coconut flesh used to make coconut oil -- from Marshall Islanders. But The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR), which has spent decades trying to figure out what happened to Earhart and Noonan, also disputes that they are the pair in the photo. Executive director Richard Gillespie previously told AFP the photo was "laughable" as a piece of evidence. "This is just a picture of some people on Jaluit wharf," he said. "Where are the Japanese? Where are the soldiers?" Marshall Islanders have also claimed over the years that Earhart and Noonan survived an emergency landing and were captured by the Japanese. Two years ago, American investigators additionally said they had located parts of Earhart's plane on Mili Atoll in the Marshall Islands. But Holly maintained it was unlikely the photo was taken in 1937. "Generally, there would be a series of photos in the same folder which could have also time-dated the photo," Holly said. "There is no date of 1937 associated with this photo."
United States President Donald J. Trump has a very busy schedule at the Group of 20 (G-20) Summit taking place at Humburg, Germany. He has back-to-back meetings scheduled with various heads of state, including Singapore Prime Minster Lee Hsien Loong (PM Lee) and Indonesia President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

Trump shared his full schedule on his Facebook:

President Donald J. Trumps schedule for Saturday, July 8th (beginning 9:00AM LOCAL/3:00AM EDT):

Expanded meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May of the United Kingdom

Womens Entrepreneurship Finance Event

G-20 Summit Leaders Working Session III

Expanded meeting with President Joko Widodo of Indonesia

Expanded meeting with the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore

G-20 Summit Working Lunch

Expanded meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan

G-20 Summit Closing Session

Expanded meeting with President Xi Jinping of the Peoples Republic of China

Returns to Washington, D.C.

As you can see, he had a meeting with Jokowi, right after our dear PM Lee who will be meeting Trump for the first time. Maybe its because all Asians look alike to Trump and his staffer or more likely so, they are just too overwhelmed with the busy schedule, a wrong post went out on Trumps official Instagram account, captioning his meeting with PM Lee as a meeting with Jokowi:

The post has since been corrected:

President Trump speaking with Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong. Before the start of their bilateral meeting. Remarks prior to bilateral meeting- cut & pastehttps://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/07/08/remarks-president-trump-and-prime-minister-lee-hsien-singapore-bilateral A post shared by President Donald J. Trump (@realdonaldtrump) on Jul 8, 2017 at 8:12am PDT



Trump has 7.1 million followers on his Instagram and it didnt take long for many eagle-eyed netizens to spot the mistake. The mistake was quickly covered across Indonesia media from the like of CNN Indonesia and Detik.com:

Story continues

Trump met with Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and China President Xi Jinping after meeting the two Southeast Asian leaders. Its a good thing he didnt mix up these other two. The two countries have a combined GDP of over 15 trillion USD, close to United States 17 trillion (versus the 1 trillion plus USD for Singapore and Indonesia combined).

Jokes aside, the meeting was a significant one for Singapore, given it is PM Lees first ever meeting with Trump. Heres their full exchange, released by the White House press office:

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much, everybody. The Prime Minister of Singapore  were very close, the relationship is very close, and we expect to do some excellent things together in many ways. And we have a very big relationship now. It will probably get much bigger. And I thank you very much. Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER LEE: Well, thank you, Mr. President. We have many things going on with the U.S. and we hope to do more under your administration.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Very good. Im sure we will.

PRIME MINISTER LEE: Thank you.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you.

The full video of the encounter via Channel NewsAsia:

If you were wondering about Trump and PM Lees handshake, it went well. PM Lee shook Trumps hand for a grand total of 4 seconds (and it looks like a firm and steady one).

It is good to see that our dear prime minister has regained his usual composure and confidence after the recent public fallout with his two younger siblings on social media.

UPDATE: Looks like President Trump and is team is on a roll. Although they didnt mix up President Xi and Prime Minister Abe, they did manage to misrepresent Xi as the President of Taiwan.

The post We get it President Donald Trump, all Asians look alike, including our heads of state appeared first on Alvinology.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Russia Sunday to take the "first step" to ease the bloody separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, which Kiev and the West believe is being fuelled by Moscow. Tillerson said sanctions will remain in place against Russia "until Moscow reverses their actions". "It is necessary for Russia to take the first step to de-escalate the situation in the east part of Ukraine," Tillerson said as he made his first visit as Washington's top diplomat to Kiev. "We are disappointed by the lack of progress under the Minsk agreement," he added at a joint briefing with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko after they held talks. Tillerson's visit to Ukraine followed a first face-to-face meeting between President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin on Friday at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. The conflict as well as Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 have pushed ties between Moscow and the West to their lowest point since the Cold War. "We do call on Russia to honour its commitments," Tillerson said Sunday, referring to a peace deal aimed at halting the conflict between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russia rebels. Tillerson urged the Kremlin "to respect the ceasefire, by pulling back the heavy weapons and (allowing) the OSCE (pan-European security body) tocarry out their responsibilities" under the deal struck in February 2015. More than 10,000 people have been killed since the pro-Russian insurgency began in April 2014, which Kiev and the West accuse Moscow of orchestrating. The US and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Russia, though Moscow has denied backing the rebels. - Sanctions to remain - "The US and EU sanctions on Russia will remain in place until Moscow reverses their actions," Tillerson stressed. Efforts to secure a peace deal have foundered as the fighting has dragged on, and neither side appears prepared to make concessions. Tillerson said he had appointed a special envoy to allow Washington to be more involved in a peace process overseen by Germany and France. Poroshenko hailed US involvement and reiterated his commitment to seeking a negotiated peace deal. "Most of all we want peace in Ukraine. We firmly adhere to our commitments," Ukrainian leader said. Tillerson also commented on another key bone of contention between Trump and Putin at the G20: allegations of Russian interference in US election campaign, in favour of the Republican candidate. On Friday Trump broached the issue with the Russian leader in Hamburg, and Putin denied it. "In all candidness we did not expect an answer other than the one we received," Tillerson told reporters Sunday in Kiev. "What we agreed on the cyber front is to explore a framework ... on how to deal with these very complex issues of cyber threats, cyber security, cyber intrusions," he added.
By Ellen Francis BEIRUT (Reuters) - A U.S.-Russian brokered ceasefire for southwest Syria was holding more than nine hours after it took effect on Sunday, a monitor and rebels said, in the latest international attempt at peace-making in the six-year war. The United States, Russia and Jordan reached the ceasefire and "de-escalation agreement" this week with the aim of paving the way for a broader, more robust truce. The announcement came after a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit of major economies in Germany. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitoring group, said "calm was prevailing" with no air strikes or clashes in the southwest since the truce began at noon (0900 GMT) on Sunday. "The situation is relatively calm," said Suhaib al-Ruhail, a spokesman for the Alwiyat al-Furqan rebel faction in the Quneitra area. Major Issam al Rayes, spokesman of the Southern Front coalition of Western-backed rebel groups, said "a cautious calm" continued into the evening. Another rebel official, in Deraa city, said there had been no significant fighting. It was quiet on the main Manshiya front near the border with Jordan, which he said had been the site of some of the heaviest army bombing in recent weeks. A Syrian official indicated that Damascus approved of the ceasefire deal, describing the government's silence over it as a "sign of satisfaction". "We welcome any step that would cease the fire and pave the way for peaceful solutions," the government official told Reuters. A witness in Deraa said he had not seen warplanes in the sky or heard any fighting since noon. CRUMBLED However, several ceasefires have crumbled since the onset of the conflict. With the help of Russian air power and Iranian-backed militias, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government has put rebels on the back foot over the last year. The wide array of mostly Sunni rebels include jihadist factions and other groups supported by Turkey, the United States and Gulf monarchies. Earlier talks between the United States and Russia about a "de-escalation zone" in southwest Syria covered Deraa province on the border with Jordan, nearby Sweida and Quneitra which borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. "We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives," Trump said on Twitter on Sunday. "Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!" The deal marks the first peace-making effort in the Syrian war by the U.S. government under Trump, appearing to give him a diplomatic achievement at his first meeting with Putin. A senior U.S. State Department official involved in the talks said further discussions would be necessary to decide crucial aspects of the agreement, including who will monitor its enforcement. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the deal included "securing humanitarian access and setting up contacts between the opposition in the region and a monitoring centre that is being established in Jordan's capital." The U.N. Deputy Special Envoy for Syria said on Saturday the deal was a "positive development" ahead of the latest round of U.N.-sponsored peace talks to begin in Geneva on Monday. Deraa and Quneitra are home to tens of thousands of people and form a centre of the insurgency south of the Syrian capital Damascus. Rebels said intense air strikes had pounded Deraa's opposition territory in recent weeks. The multi-sided Syrian conflict, which grew out of popular protests against Assad's rule in 2011, has killed hundreds of thousands of people and created the world's worst refugee crisis. (Additional reporting by Suleiman al-Khalidi and Laila Bassam; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
Venezuela hit its 100th day of anti-government protests Sunday, amid uncertainty over whether the release from prison a day earlier of prominent political prisoner Leopoldo Lopez might open the way to negotiations to defuse the profound crisis gripping the country. Lopez was placed under house arrest immediately after his surprise release from a military prison. Still, the gesture -- the most visible sign of conciliation since protests erupted April 1 -- triggered speculation over the prospect of talks between the opposition and the embattled leftist government of Nicolas Maduro. Three months of destructive street protests have left at least 91 dead. On Sunday demonstrations continued as 2,000 people marched in eastern Caracas, wearing T-shirts with Lopez's face and carrying banners that read: "One hundred days and I continue to rebel against tyranny." Meanwhile, thousands of government supporters marched in the city center. Maduro on Facebook voiced support for his controversial plans to form an assembly tasked with rewriting the constitution, which he said had "the hope to build a solid peace among all." Voting for members of the assembly -- which the opposition has rejected as Maduro's bid to maintain power -- is scheduled for July 30. Lopez's release was welcomed -- sometimes with calls on Caracas to do more -- by several other Latin American countries, Spain and the United States. Lopez, leader of the Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) party and a leading symbol of anti-Maduro resistance, emerged after his release from prison looking fit and happy -- though wearing an ankle bracelet to allow authorities to monitor his movements, his family said. "I maintain my firm opposition to this regime," Lopez said in a statement read by a leader of his party. "I reiterate my commitment to fighting until Venezuela's freedom is won." President Maduro, in televised remarks Saturday, called for a message of "peace and rectification" from Lopez. - Opposition credits protests - Lopez's wife, Lilian Tintori, underscored that no deal was negotiated for her husband's release. "You don't cut a deal on freedom, on human rights, on dignity. Never," Tintori said. "It was a unilateral decision by the Nicolas Maduro government." She said Lopez suffered cruel treatment and serious stomach troubles, having shed six kilos (13 pounds). Analysts said it seemed significant the government had agreed to release a man it once termed "a monster," while Lopez had accepted house arrest after insisting he would leave prison only with full freedom and once all opposition members were free. One analyst, Luis Vicente Leon, said the government hoped to lower tensions in the face of a serious risk of destabilization, while the moderate opposition wanted to avoid "suicide in a lose-lose situation." While negotiations now appear possible, he added, they would require concessions sure to be unpopular with extremists on either side. "No one voluntarily offers to sacrifice their head," he said. - Release called 'humanitarian' - Lopez -- a 46-year-old Harvard-educated politician and former mayor of a Caracas municipality -- was imprisoned for more than three-and-a-half years for allegedly inciting violence by calling for anti-government protests. His release has been a key demand of Venezuela's opposition and the international community, amid an intensifying political confrontation aimed at forcing the unpopular Maduro to hold early elections. The Supreme Court said it had ordered Lopez's move to house arrest for health reasons, calling it a "humanitarian measure." In Madrid, Javier Cremades, Lopez's Spanish lawyer, underscored that "all of Leopoldo Lopez's civil and political rights must still be restored" and all political prisoners must be freed. Foro Penal, an NGO, puts the number of political prisoners at 433. The government insists they are in jail for acts of violence. The US State Department called Lopez's release "a significant step in the right direction," but said more such steps are needed as the crisis deepens. On Wednesday, pro-government militants wielding sticks and pipes stormed the opposition-held National Assembly and beat lawmakers, injuring at least five. Maduro condemned the violence and said he had ordered an investigation. In T-shirts emblazoned with Lopez's face, marcher Maria Esther Pinto, 46, called his release "a step forward for his family and all of us who are seeking (political) change." "His release will help keep us in the street demanding freedom for all the political prisoners," she said, marching alongside her daughters. burs-bbk/mdl-mdo/mtp
The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation provides a range of financial products and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Securities Services, Market and Wealth Services, Investment and Wealth Management, and Other segments. The Securities Services segment offers custody, trust and depositary, accounting, exchange-traded funds, middle-office solutions, transfer agency, services for private equity and real estate funds, foreign exchange, securities lending, liquidity/lending services, prime brokerage, and data analytics. This segment also provides trustee, paying agency, fiduciary, escrow and other financial, issuer, and support services for brokers and investors. The Market and Wealth Services segment offers clearing and custody, investment, wealth and retirement solutions, technology and enterprise data management, trading, and prime brokerage services; and clearance and collateral management services. This segment also provides integrated cash management solutions, including payments, foreign exchange, liquidity management, receivables processing and payables management, and trade finance and processing services. The Investment and Wealth Management segment offers investment management strategies and distribution of investment products, investment management, custody, wealth and estate planning, private banking, investment, and information management services. The Other segment engages in the provision of leasing, corporate treasury, derivative and other trading, corporate and bank-owned life insurance, renewable energy investment, and business exit services. It serves central banks and sovereigns, financial institutions, asset managers, insurance companies, corporations, local authorities and high net-worth individuals, and family offices. The company was founded in 1784 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
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The Boeing Company is the worlds largest manufacturer of airplanes and commands more than 50% of the market in some channels and categories. The company and its family of subsidiaries design, develops, manufacture, sell, service, and supports commercial jetliners, military aircraft, satellites, missile defense, human space flight, and related services worldwide. The company operates through four segments including Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space & Security; Global Services; and Boeing Capital providing products and services to end-users in 150 countries.

Boeing got its start in 1910 when William E. Boeing developed a love for aircraft. Soon after he takes his first plane ride which leads him to build a hangar and begin construction of his first plane. The onset of WWI helped spur the companys growth but business was cut drastically in its wake. The start of WWII was another milestone for the company and one that led to its current position of dominance. The company was incorporated in 1916 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. Boeing employs over 140,000 people in 65 countries making it one of the most diverse employers on the planet.

The Commercial Airplanes segment is built around the iconic 7-series which includes the 737, 747, and 787. The segment provides commercial jet aircraft for passenger and cargo requirements, as well as fleet support services for regional, national, and international air carriers and logistics and freight companies. In terms of global volume, the company estimates about 90% of all air freight is carried aboard one of its jets. This segment also includes the Dreamliner family of planes. The Dreamliner is a game-changing airplane for many carriers as it opens up the potential for new one-stop destinations because of its capacity and range.

The Defense, Space & Security segment develops and manufactures a range of systems including manned and unmanned aircraft, missiles, missile defense systems, satellites, communications equipment, and intelligence systems for governments. Among the many iconic brands within this segment are the AH-64 Apache, Air Force One, B-52, C-17 Globemaster, Chinook, F/A-18, and the V-22 Osprey VTOL aircraft used by the Marines.

The Global Services segment offers a range of products and services that include supply chain and logistics management, engineering, maintenance, upgrades, conversions, spare parts, pilot and maintenance training, technical and maintenance documents, and data analytics to its commercial and defense customers.

Boeing is also a leader in innovation, leveraging its many decades and avenues of experience to further aerospace and defense technology. Among the many innovations is the MQ-25 Stingray which will be the worlds first autonomous aircraft. The Stingray is only one of many areas of research that also include drones and undersea vehicles.
Todays castle hosts an exhibition of toys.

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More information about travelling in Slovakia

Please see our Please see our Spectacular Slovakia travel guide

The Modry Kamen Castle consists of upper Gothic-Renaissance ruins up on rock and a lower Baroque manor house. The first written mention of the castle is from the second part of the 13th century. The Hungarian noble family of Balassi built the castle and were owners of the castle until the half of 19th century.

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The castle was defeated by Turks in the 16th century, and stayed there for more than 20 years. When leaving, they blew it up. After 15 years of decay, it was renewed by the Balassi family again.

After the castle burned down during the uprisings in the 17th century, the castle was not reconstructed again. Gabriel Balassis widow built the baroque manor house in 1730, and Count Pavol Balassi built the Chapel of Saint Anna later.

Today the castle houses exhibitions including the Museum of Puppet Culture and Toys. The museum offers a unique insight into Slovak childhood of all eras and all social classes.

While children of the 20th century aristocracy could serve tea in china cups to their extravagantly clothed dolls, the more prosaic and authentically battered hand-carved wooden toys are far more charming.

There is a wide selection of rocking horses, corn dolls, childrens shoes, chunky guns, and bows and arrows, constructed sturdily enough to be passed through multiple generations. The collection of puppets and marionettes is equally diverse, bringing together exhibits from various Slovak and international puppet troupes.

Completing the juxtaposition of exhibitions at Modry Kamen is a small ethnographic museum, with the usual collection of farm implements, cottage furniture and traditional Slovak dress, as well as two rooms commemorating the life and work of Balint Balassi (1554- 1594), notable Hungarian poet and author, whose family owned the castle.

Watch a video about Modry kamen castle, 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.
One of the aims of the visit was a mutual exchange of experiences in educating nurses.

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A group of American students from Wisconsin University, focusing on nursing care and gender studies, visited the Hospital of Dr Vojtech Alexander in Kezmarok and Roma communities in this eastern Slovak district in early August 2016.

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The aim of the visit was a mutual exchange of experiences in educating nurses, their placement in the labour market and the offer of the nursing care professors from the Wisconsin University to participate in the preparation and implementation of the project that will focus on community nursing care, and comparing education and qualifications of nurses in Slovakia and the US, said Lorant Paugsch from the Kezmarok hospital, as quoted by the SITA newswire.

According to the agreements, the US students should visit the hospital every even-numbered year. The next visit will thus take place in 2018.

The US students learned more about providing health and nursing care in a small town hospital. They focused particularly on the Roma community and their treatment during hospitalisation.

During the visit, we showed them the conditions for providing health treatment in our hospital, said Janka Bartkova from the Kezmarok hospital, as quoted by SITA, adding the students were interested mostly in Slovakias system of educating nurses, their social status, qualifications, working conditions and salaries.

The students also visited the marginalised Roma communities where they could learn more from field workers. They were accompanied by coordinators of the national project Healthy Communities, SITA reported.

Apart from the hospital, the US students also visited the hospice in Lubica and the Institute of Christ the High Priest in Zakovce.
President Andrej Kiska attended one of the discussions.

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Pohoda, one of the biggest festivals in Slovakia, ended its 21st show at the Trencin airport on July 8. The main act of the evening was British indie-rock band Alt-J, whose music and visual show confirmed the role of a headliner, the SITA newswire reported.

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Earlier that day, interprets like Jake Bugg, Idles, Black Box Revelation, Slobodna Europa, Future Islands, Les Amazones dAfrique, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Machinedrum, Ho99o9, Boys Noize, Egopusher, Dillon, La Mambanegra and The Jesus and Mary Chain performed.

Performers who attended the first year of the festival in 1997 performed on the Budis stage. This special programme consisted mainly of Czech and Slovak bands.

Part of the July 8 programme were also various accompanying activities, including a discussion with President Andrej Kiska, who spoke with Editor-in-Chief of the Tyzden weekly Stefan Hrib about his newborn son, politics and his life as president, SITA wrote.

Read also:
This map shows the country's three primary power gridsthe Eastern Interconnection, the Western Interconnection and the Electric Reliability Council of Texasand the seven small connections between the eastern and western grids. Credit: NREL

The nearly 4,000 wind turbines all over the Iowa countryside, totaling more than 6,900 megawatts, provided almost 37 percent of all in-state electricity production in 2016. That's enough to power about 1.8 million homes.

But, on cool, windy days, when production is high and local demand is low, the market for any excess production is limited to the central and eastern states. No matter if western states are heating up and demand for power is peaking.

That's because the country has three primary power grids  the Eastern Interconnection, the Western Interconnection and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas  and very little electricity moves among them. The eastern and western grids are separated by a seam that generally runs north and south of the Nebraska-Wyoming border.

As part of a $220 million Grid Modernization Initiative announced in January 2016 by the U.S. Department of Energy, Iowa State University's James McCalley is working with researchers from national laboratories and the utility industry to study ways to tie the big eastern and western grids together.

The two-year, $1.5 million project is led by Aaron Bloom of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory based in Golden, Colorado.

"In Iowa, about 35 percent of our electricity is renewable energy," said McCalley, an Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering and the Jack London Chair in Power Systems Engineering in the department of electrical and computer engineering. "If we want the rest of the country to be at 35 percent renewable energy, this is what you want to do."

Independent grids

McCalley said the three major parts of the country's grid developed independently over time. Each now operates out of sync with the others. That makes it very difficult to send power across the seams using conventional high voltage alternating current (HVAC) transmission. The only alternative is to use high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission with power converters at either terminal.

With most of the country's demand for power on the coasts, there was never a strong economic motivation to build transmission capacity across the grids, McCalley said. But, with today's production of wind energy in the prairie states and solar energy in the desert states, there's now strong economic motivation to move power among the grids.

Seven small HVDC connections have been built in the U.S. between the eastern and western grids with an eighth in Alberta, Canada  the transmission is made possible by back-to-back stations that convert HVAC from one grid to HVDC that can cross the seam and then back to HVAC for the other grid.

McCalley called the connections "very small threads"  they can carry nearly 1.5 gigawatts, in comparison to the country's installed generation capacity of more than 1,000 gigawatts.

"We can use these threads for the economic exchange of energy across the seams, but not for much of that, relative to potential," McCalley said.

Models and models

McCalley and his Iowa State research team  postdoctoral research associates Ali Jahanbani (now of the University of Calgary in Canada) and Hussam Nosair; and graduate students Armando Figueroa and Abhinav Venkatraman  have built computer models simulating 15 years of grid improvements and operations to study the best ways to generate power and transmit it to and from the eastern and western grids.

They've looked at four designs, all with the idea of boosting the nation's use of renewable electricity:

Maintaining existing cross-seam capacity;

Increasing the capacity of the current system of back-to-back conversion stations along the grid seam;

Building major east-west transmission lines from the middle of one grid to the middle of the other, thus avoiding system bottlenecks close to the seam;

And building a "macrogrid" of major transmission lines that loop around the West and Midwest, with branches filling in the middle and connecting to the Southeast. This design connects the West Coast to the Midwest, allowing more wind and solar energy to move across the grids. It spans time zones, allowing different regions to transmit power back and forth, helping each other meet daily demand peaks. It also allows regions to help each other meet annual demand peaks by sharing excess capacity, thus growing capacity without building additional power plants.

Additional studies by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, are analyzing production costs and power flows.

The studies are new territory for the researchers.

"Nobody has studied interconnecting the Eastern and Western grids at this level before," McCalley said. "It takes computer runs of six to eight hours to account for operation of and investment in both grids, spanning almost the entire nation over 15 years. And these runs must be repeated numerous times to address all four designs with various sensitivities on those designs."

Those models indicate there are good reasons to connect and modernize the country's biggest energy grids.

"There are two main drivers for benefits of cross-seams transmission," McCalley said. "That's wind energy moving from the middle of the U.S. to the coasts, and sharing of capacity between regions for reliability purposes."
KB Kookmin Cambodia headquarters in the Doun Penh District, Phnom Penh / Courtesy of KB Kookmin Bank



This is the fourth of a series highlighting Korean banks' operations in Southeast Asian countries. _ ED.



KB unit plans to open 2 new branches every year





By Nam Hyun-woo





Park Yong-jin, president of KB Cambodia

Domestic banks are trying to make their presences felt in Southeast Asia, and KB Kookmin Bank's battlefield is Cambodia, which is the lender's "test bed" for expansion in the region.



KB Kookmin Bank Cambodia opened in 2009 through the launch of its headquarters in the Doun Penh District of the capital Phnom Penh. After seeing the growth potential, the bank set up two branches in the city, one in the Toul Kork District in 2013 and another in the Toul Tompong District this February.



According to Park Yong-jin, president of KB Cambodia, the bank is at a "tipping point of explosive growth" as its business is picking up notable momentum.



"KB Cambodia competes mostly with medium-sized banks here and we got ahead of them last year as our assets grew significantly," Park said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.



In 2016, KB Cambodia saw its assets rise 77 percent to $130 million from the previous year. This was the third-highest growth rate among 123 financial firms in Cambodia.



"A huge growth potential lies in the Cambodian economy, while its system is less developed than that of Korea. It is natural that Korean firms should focus on the Cambodian market," Park said.



As of July 2016, Cambodia's population stood at 16 million, and its per capita gross domestic product (GDP) had reached $1,200.



Like the economic size of the country, its financial market is relatively small, with the assets of 52 commercial banks and 71 micro finance firms in the country totaling $27.7 billion.



According to Park, Cambodia's financial system is also underdeveloped, as transfers between different banks are still unavailable while only 17 percent of Cambodians use banks.



"The economy uses the U.S. dollar mostly, so the exchange risks are relatively small," Park said. "The local authorities' regulations on foreign direct investments or foreign currency are relatively soft, allowing the ratio of foreign capital in its financial firms to reach 65 percent."



Park also agreed that the economy is not big enough for big firms like KB Financial Group or KB Kookmin Bank to seek huge profits through big investments.



"But the country's economy has been growing 7.7 percent every year for the past two decades," he said. "Plus, the country has friendly policies toward foreign investment, giving us opportunities to run pilot projects. This makes the country a good test bed in achieving our attempts to tap into Southeast Asian countries."



Following the recent growth, the bank will open another branch in the second half of this year and add two more next year in Phnom Penh.



After that, the bank plans to expand its network outside of the capital city, opening two branches every year until 2020.





'Liiv KB Cambodia'



Also encouraging KB's business in Cambodia is the country's rising smartphone penetration.



According to a 2016 study by the Asia Foundation, 96 percent of Cambodians own mobile phones and 48 percent have smartphones.



The country's mobile environment is growing fast and the government is striving to accelerate the growth, coming up with the Master Plan 2020 to set up the infrastructure for better access to the internet through smartphones.



Even though Cambodians are not familiar with transactions without cash, they are savvy at installing apps and surfing the internet through their smartphones. This offers an opportunity for the bank to introduce its mobile banking platform Liiv KB Cambodia, Park said.



The application is based on a system similar to an electronic wallet. Clients can transfer money with the recipient's name and mobile phone number through the app.



Cambodians love it because their banks do not provide inter-bank transactions.



Since the app features cross-border remittance, Cambodians in Korea can send money to their home without visiting bank outlets in person.



"The app already has 18,000 users. It's a huge number given the Cambodian culture of relying on transactions through cash," Park said.
MILAN (Reuters) - Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said he would ask the European Union for less stringent deficit requirements for five years in exchange for a commitment to improve the country's debt pile if re-elected. Renzi said he would keep the national deficit at 2.9 percent, just a notch under a EU ceiling of 3 percent, but would use an estimated 30 billion euros to cut taxes and push growth, in excerpts of a new book which were released by daily Il Sole 24 Ore on Sunday. The 42-year old resigned as prime minister in December after a crushing defeat in a national referendum over constitutional reforms aimed at streamlining the country's lawmaking process. He was replaced by his foreign minister, Paolo Gentiloni, but kept his position as head of the ruling Democratic Party (PD) and has been working on a political comeback since stepping down. "A strong agreement in which Italy commits to reducing its debt to GDP ratio through stronger growth.... in exchange for a return for at least five years... with deficit at 2.9 percent," he wrote, adding this would be the PD's agenda for the next general election, due by May 2018. Italy has an official 2017 target of bringing the deficit down to 2.1 percent of GDP, from 2.4 percent in 2016. But the European Commission says Italy needs faster deficit reduction to bring down its overall debt pile which is the highest in the euro zone after Greece's. "I do not accept that Italy is treated like an undisciplined scholar that must be told to behave. This is an attitude that hurts Europe... which becomes an unpleasant watchman," Renzi writes. Italy's economy has been the most sluggish in the euro zone for more than a decade, and the government's 1.1 percent growth forecast for this year would be only about half the average expected for the region as a whole. Renzi's PD party fared badly in local elections last month, but polls show his party is still one of Italy's most popular nationally, just behind the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement. But with internal party rifts and Renzi's confrontational style, there is no guarantee that he would be named prime minister of a future coalition government even if the PD were to win the most votes during the election. (Reporting by Giulia Segreti; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - The U.N. cultural organisation added an ancient temple site in Cambodia to its world heritage list, the government said on Sunday, bringing the number of heritage sites in the Southeast Asian country to three. Sambor Prei Kuk, or "temple in the richness of the forest" in the Khmer language, located 206 km (128 miles) north of the capital Phnom Penh, is home to numerous temples, ten of which are octagonal. "Some of these elements, including lintels, pediments and colonnades, are true masterpieces," UNESCO said on its website. UNESCO said the area had been identified as Ishanapura, the capital of the ancient Chenla Empire, a Khmer civilization that flourished in the late 6th and 7th centuries and preceded the Khmer Empire. Its remains cover an area of 25 square kilometres. The site has become increasingly popular with foreign tourists. "The decision of the UNESCO's World Heritage Committee is another massive pride for the nation," the Ministry of Culture of Fine Arts said in a statement on Sunday. Tourist arrivals in Cambodia rose 5 percent to five million last year. About 5.5 million tourists are expected to visit the country this year. Two other sites in Cambodia already have heritage status, including the popular Angkor Wat in Siem Reap province where parts of the "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" film were shot. Angkor Wat and Preah Vihear, an 11th century temple on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, were listed as World Heritage Sites in 2004 and 2008, respectively. Sambor Prei Kuk was added to the list on Saturday along with other sites in China and India. Tibetan rights groups criticized UNESCO's decision to extend world heritage status to an extensive plateau area in a heavily Tibetan area, saying it reinforces Chinese control of the region. (Reporting by Prak Chan Thul, Editing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Himani Sarkar)
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 31F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 31F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
A Cornish terror group has claimed responsibility for firebombing a restaurant owned by Rick Stein, claiming it is part of a campaign for Cornish independence.

The Cornish Republican Army (CRA), dubbed the Ooh R A, says it carried out the attack in June as part of a renewed campaign to prevent the ethnic cleansing of the people of Kernow and also said it has a member who is prepared to pay the ultimate price in the battle for Kernow.

Rick Steins restaurant in Porthleven was badly damaged in the early hours of June 12 after a lean-to bin store housing three gas cylinders was set alight. Firefighters said the blaze was just 15 minutes from destroying the restaurant.

Investigations into the cause of the blaze are ongoing and arson has not yet been ruled out.

Blaze  the Cornish Republican Army has claimed responsibility for the fire at Rick Steins Porthleven restaurant (Pictures: SWNS)

The group that has claimed responsibility was formerly known as the Cornish National Liberation Army (CNLA), but has been dormant for over a decade and was believed to have been disbanded.

In an official blog it announced a name change and made a series of chilling threats, saying: Our organisation has grown and we now have one member who is prepared to pay the ultimate price in the battle for Kernow. She is prepared to sacrifice herself although we shall not ask for this lightly  only as a last measure.

MORE: Mother and three children die in house fire as father desperately tries to save them

MORE: Melania Trump trapped in hotel by G20 riots in Germany

The group also claimed it had started two other recent fires in Truro and Penryn and said it now has 30 volunteers who are operating in Active Service Units (ASU) to bring about Cornish independence.

It claimed that activities against Stein and Jamie Oliver  who also has a restaurant in Cornwall  have now ceased but vowed to target the second homes of wealthy English people and the authorities of what it calls the English Imperial System or EIS.

Statement  the group published a statement on its website announcing its name change and a series of chilling threats

The statement said: We have ceased activities against Stein and Oliver, but our activities against second and expensive English owned homes will continue.

Story continues

We also intend to target those authorities including the EIS police who victimise Cornish people. What have we to fear or lose  nothing.

The English have never allowed freedom to any peoples without a fight and although we understand those who believe that freedom can be won through democracy or political means, we do not accept this.

What has really been won this past 50 years?  nothing other than an ethnic cleansing of the people of Kernow.
The number of migrants crossing from North Africa to Spain has doubled in 2017.

The increase in migrant boats arriving on Spanish shores is already stretching the country's insufficient structures, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said.

More than 360,000 refugees and migrants escaping poverty and conflicts reached Europe across the Mediterranean last year according to the UNHCR and more than 85,000 have reached Italy so far this year.

The Italian sea route is still the most popular overall with 59,000 migrants between January and May, up 32% from last year, but the Spanish route further west saw 6,800 migrants using it in the same period, a 75% increase from 2016.

The trend was even more pronounced in June as 1,900 migrants - who were mostly young men from Guinea, Ivory Coast, Gambia and Cameroon - reached the southern region of Andalusia, four times more than registered the same month last year.

About 88 migrants from Morocco were rescued off the Strait of Gibraltar in June, including 20 children.

Further south, there was a fall in the number of migrants spotted in the Agadez region of Niger which is a key stop on the way to Libya from West Africa.

Buba Fubareh, a 27-year-old mason from Banjul, Gambia, who tried and failed to get to Europe via Libya earlier this year said: "People are talking about going to Spain. It seems like it is safer to go through Morocco to Spain than through Libya.

"The difference is that Libya doesn't have a president and Morocco does - there are not guns like in Libya."

A number of African migrants who passed through Libya have been beaten up, detained in camps with no food or water and even traded as slaves before being held for ransom, forced labour or sexual exploitation.

Migrant arrivals on the Spanish coastline averaged just under 5,000 a year between 2010 and 2016, according to government data.

This was down from peak of 39,180 in 2006. It is on track to top 11,000 this year.

Story continues

The UNHCR said Spain was not prepared to handle vulnerable groups, such as victims of trafficking or unaccompanied minors and refugees who should be channelled through asylum procedures.

Spokeswoman for the UNHCR in Spain, Maria Jesus Vega said: "What is clear is that, they (Spain's government) have to get ready.

"They can't be caught unprepared. What started happening elsewhere in Europe in 2015 can't be allowed to happen here.

"It's not yet an emergency, but you have to take into account that there are no structures here to deal with more arrivals."
TROYES, France  Sports highest court has rejected Peter Sagans appeal to be allowed back into the Tour de France.

The world champion was sent home from the race for elbowing British rival Mark Cavendish during Stage 4 on Tuesday.

His Bora-Hansgrohe team appealed to the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.

In a short statement Thursday, the court said it rejected the appeal and that Sagan remains disqualified from the 2017 Tour de France.

The team insisted that Sagan did not cause, let alone deliberately, the fall of Mark Cavendish.

It said Sagan stayed on his line and could not see Cavendish on the right side.

The crash forced Cavendish to abandon the race with a broken shoulder.
Dark skies and dark tales and some serious Jurassic magic combine to make Clayton an experience unto its own.

Tucked into the northeastern corner of New Mexico, Clayton is not a convenient place to visit, but thats also part of its charm.

Clayton Lake State Park is recognized as an International Dark Sky Park and has an on-site observatory that not only is the site for star parties, but with a few phone calls can be opened for interested visitors, park manager Joe Blan said.

The observatory boasts an 11-inch, computer-assisted telescope.

You can identify constellations, and the computer will rotate to them, Blan said. On moonless nights, we allow visitors to call the (Clayton) astronomers club. Theyve been coming out real regularly. We have a good relationship, so on a moments notice, somebody will come out and open the observatory. They know more about the stars than the rangers.

The rangers, however, know plenty about the rest of the park, which not only includes the recreational opportunities surrounding Clayton Lake, but also some of the finest dinosaur tracks that can be found anywhere, he said.

Right now, were rated in the top six in the nation for having the best variety of dinosaur tracks, Blan said. Whats making us worldly known is theres two distinct tail drags. Dinosaurs did not use tails expect for balance. But it was so slippery in the mud, they had to use their tail.

That left a distinctive mark in the ground, similar to a snake slithering through the dirt, he said.

It leaves a big S shape with a footprint alongside, Blan said. Weve had a lot of folks come and research from places like Japan, Australia, England, just to see the tail drags because theyre so unique.

There are about 500 dinosaur footprints, most dating to about 100 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period, he said.

As for the lake, its levels have been down of late, so only boats that can be carried into the water are permitted. But theres still plenty of good fishing, with walleyes, bass and trout being the primary lake inhabitants.

Clayton also is on the threshold of the Kiowa and Rita Blanca National Grasslands, covering 230,000 acres.

While the grasslands are largely road-free, there is access to the historically interesting and geologically intriguing Mills Canyon portion of the Canadian River Valley, said Mike Atkinson, district ranger for the Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands.

Named for the entrepreneur Melvin Mills, who tried to create an orchard business along the river bottom, the area is considered probably one of the main scenic areas in the northeast part of the state, he said.

Theres a campground on the rim and another on the bottom.

Its similar to Palo Duro Canyon (Texas) with the red rock, Atkinson said. It does have steep canyon walls. There are cliffs. If you fall off the top, you will be seriously injured, but its not like the Grand Canyon.

The remnants of Mills ranch make for an explorers haven.

Claytons Herzstein Museum is a hidden gem, director Victoria Baker said, especially for those who like to feel the hair on the back of their necks slowly rise for no reason.

Originally a church built almost 100 years ago, the building retains the original stained-glass windows, not to mention a few spirits who seem to be of the benign variety.

Members of Ghost Investigations New Mexico say that at the very least, a spirit of a young boy prowls the grounds.

Several people with psychic powers or feelings have told me this was a church and sometimes people do not feel as if they are ready to leave and they will attach themselves to personal items or even buildings, Baker said. So if you think of the items we have in this museum, there could still be energy from these items of the owners. I have had a shoe not only fall off the shelf (but) it was in the middle of the room. A wedding dress fell off a large hook. This is what the Ghost Investigators could not explain.

There are also displays of items found along the nearby Santa Fe Trail, a Herzstein family history of the states Jewish merchants, and the states largest 1930s-era Works Progress Administration display, including pottery, wooden furniture, rugs, quilts, ironworks and famous artwork, Baker said.

We have people that travel here from all over the United States and the world to see the museum, she said. The museum is absolutely amazing. People can get up close and really see things.
Carla Fernandezs clothing blends the sleek lines of modern runways with Native traditions, all under the watchful eye of the jaguar.

The Mexico City-based designer will be taking her striking clothing to Santa Fes 14th Annual International Folk Art Market, the largest and most diverse of its kind, from July 14 to 16. Fernandez is one of 160 artists from 53 countries gathering atop the citys Museum Hill inviting visitors to see the world in a weekend. Fifty-four are first-timers, with four new countries added to the markets global gallery: Argentina, Jordan, Tajikistan and Tanzania. About 20,000 visitors are expected to gather in this high-desert setting, experiencing world music and foods, buying and browsing everything from textiles, jewelry, beadwork, basketry, woodcarving, ceramics, rugs, glass and metalwork, sculpture mixed-media, toys and more.

This years version incorporates the category Innovation Inspiration, a separate exhibition area featuring works by 30 artists reinterpreting ancient materials and techniques into creative designs for a modern age.

Its been something we have talked about for more than five years, said Keith Recker, creative director and board member of the International Folk Art Alliance. We realized it always came back to the three Ms: material, method and motif. We realized the work we were interested in had these things firmly rooted in culture and community.

Until recently, organizers had shunned designers or any thoughts of runways.

Designers have begun to embrace a responsibility to preserving techniques and traditions, and thats where Carla comes in, Recker said. I see the care she takes to engage with people respectfully. She includes them in the production, too, so theyre partners.

The clothing of indigenous people inspired Fernandez to showcase its contemporary possibilities in design.

Her sophisticated motifs gestated during her childhood travels across Mexico with her father, then the director of the National Institute of Anthropology and History. Of course, her fathers career threaded her a path from the designs she absorbed to creating her own in wool, cotton, linen and silk.

I think I had it in my blood because my father was a museum designer, she said in a telephone interview from her Mexico City studio.

She started cutting and stitching fabric at the age of 10.

I started cutting all my clothing, she said. My mom used to give me old clothes, and Id stitch on top of them.

She attended a Mexican design school at 19. Her teacher had worked at the prestigious Balenciga, a luxury design house, in Spain. Fernandez studied art history and Native styles on her own.

We work a lot with a geometric silhouette, because thats the way of indigenous clothing in Mexico, she said. Theres a lot of playfulness. We like the women to play around; you can tie it on differently. In the end, youre also part of the design process. We believe that every design is like a sculpture.

Circles spiral across many of her designs like multiple bulls-eyes.

That is the spot of the jaguar, she said. The jaguars give you strength, and they keep you safe.

Traditional Mexican clothing involves complex systems of pleats, folds and stitching. She trims her geometrically shaped tunics and dresses in rebozo (shawl) fabrics. Poncho pockets and trims boast applied leather fretwork. She adorns her blouses in frontal beadwork or embroidery. She says these transitional shapes and embellishments stem from working with the small communities that ask her to develop new designs in collaboration.

Fernandezs mobile fashion design lab travels to indigenous communities for textile workshops. Both groups exchange ideas and develop new products, drawing the designer acclaim for sustaining ancestral and indigenous textile techniques and providing livelihoods for the artists.

You sit down and you see what they do, how they do it magnificently and beautifully, Fernandez said. Most of the time, we simplify it.

Many of the artisans use backstrap looms, she said.

Fernandez travels across 10 to 12 Mexican states to visit her artisans. One group may have dwindled to a single person; others to 50.

The Mexican craft is vanishing, she said. People dont want to pay for the value of it. They dont know how its made.
PRATT, Kan.  A man suspected of killing and wounding people in Mississippi, New Mexico and Kansas in February has pleaded guilty to charges arising from the Kansas case.

Alex Bridges Deaton, of Philadelphia, Miss., pleaded guilty Friday to attempted first-degree murder and aggravated robbery stemming from the shooting of a convenience store clerk in Pratt in March. Two other charges were dropped. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 16.

Deaton is charged in Rankin County, Miss., with first-degree murder, auto theft, and drive-by shooting. Hes accused of strangling his girlfriend, stealing her car, and shooting a jogger in February.

Hes also suspected in the killing of a woman cleaning a church in Neshoba County, Miss.

He also allegedly carjacked a couple in New Mexico before fleeing to Kansas and shooting the clerk.

In the New Mexico incident, Deaton allegedly jumped from some bushes near La Luz trailhead near Albuquerque and forced a couple into the trunk of a car the night of Feb. 28, according to a previous Journal story. The couple, a 19-year-old man and 18-year-old woman, managed to escape, but Deaton shot and wounded the man and chased down the woman, recapturing her. Authorities said Deaton took her to a home where he stole another vehicle from the homeowner at gunpoint. The woman was able to escape again.

Deaton got back to the automobile he initially carjacked and fled before turning up in Kansas the following morning, authorities said.
(NOTE: All statistics are after Fridays games.)

Mitch Garver, catcher

Drafted: 2013 Minnesota Twins, ninth round

Current team: Rochester (N.Y.) Red Wings (International League)

Update: The Albuquerque native and former La Cueva Bear has steadily climbed the

Twins organizational ladder and is a member of the big league clubs 40-man roster. He was promoted to Triple-A in August of 2016 and is having a strong 2017 season in Rochester.

Garver has appeared in 57 games (43 at catcher, five first base, nine outfield) and is hitting .284 with nine homers and 31 RBIs. Hes also walked 35 times and carries a .390 on-base percentage.

Austin House, right-handed pitcher

Drafted: 2012 Oakland Athletics, 14th round

Current team: Albuquerque Isotopes (Pacific Coast League)

Update: House was traded to the Colorado Rockies organization in 2014 and it proved to be a positive move for the Albuquerque native and former La Cueva Bear. House got his feet wet in Triple-A last season but has spent all of 2017 with the Isotopes and put himself on the Rockies radar. House has pitched well in various roles out of the Isotopes bullpen. Hes 4-1 with a 2.38 ERA in 33 games (41 innings), allowing 33 hits with 39 strikeouts and 16 walks. He earned his first Triple-A save Friday.

Sam Wolff, right-handed pitcher

Drafted: 2013 Texas Rangers, sixth round

Current team: Round Rock (Texas) Express (Pacific Coast League)

Update: Wolffs career track was slowed when he missed the entire 2015 season with a ruptured left Achilles tendon, but hes back on a fast track now. A Rapid City, S.D., native, he made his Double-A debut with 10 games at Frisco last season and started the 2017 season with the RoughRiders. He was promoted to Triple-A Round Rock on May 31 and has excelled. Wolff has appeared in 11 games (12 innings) and has allowed just two earned runs. Hes 1-1 with a 1.42 ERA, nine hits allowed, 17 strikeouts and five walks.

D.J. Peterson, third baseman

Drafted: 2013 Seattle Mariners, 1st round

Current team: Tacoma Rainiers (Pacific Coast League)

Update: Peterson, who shared Mountain West Player of the Year honors with Garver

in 2012, has taken a similar, steady path through the minor leagues. He was promoted to Triple-A full time in June 2016 and is playing well in his first full season at Tacoma. Appearing in 83 games, Peterson has shaken off a slow start and is hitting .271 with 10 homers and 49 RBIs. Strikeouts held the Gilbert, Ariz., native back (119 in 455 at-bats last season) but hes made more consistent contact (60 strikeouts in 310 at-bats) in 2017.

Gera Sanchez, right-handed pitcher

Undrafted: Signed in 2012 as free agent by Houston Astros

Current team: Bravos de Leon (Mexican League)

Update: Sanchez, a Las Cruces native and former Mayfield Trojan, played two

seasons with the Houston Astros organization before being released. He signed with Toros de Tijuana as a free agent in 2015 and has put together a solid career in the Mexican League. Sanchez is in his third season as a member of the Toros de Tijuana, but hes been pitching on loan with the Bravos de Leon since May 13. The reliever has appeared in 16 games and is 2-0 with a 5.28 ERA in 20 innings and 4-for-4 in save opportunities.

Gabe Aguilar, left-handed pitcher

Undrafted: 2013 signed as free agent with independent Winnipeg Goldeyes

Current team: Rieleros (Railroad Workers) de Aguascaliente

Update: Aguilar, an El Paso native who pitched at UNM from 2009-13, moved from Independent League ball to Mexico this summer. Its been a good move. Aguilar has appeared in 29 games in relief (19 innings) and has a 3.66 ERA with nine walks and 12 strikeouts. Aguilar has seen the continent in his pro career. He pitched for Winnipeg from 2013-15 and then for the independent Joplin (Mo.) Blasters before signing in Mexico.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

Giovanni Guzman wants to be a doctor, but first she needs to pick the right college.

A soon-to-be senior at Las Cruces Mayfield High School, Guzman has a working short list that includes University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University and a small Catholic school in Ohio.

UNM has the edge at the moment. Guzman said Albuquerques crime rate gives her pause, but the schools BA/MD degree program appeals to her.

They have more opportunities here, Guzman said as she, her mom, aunt and cousins prepared to explore UNM as part of an organized campus family tour last week.

Case Newberry is considering UNM, too. The Class of 2018 teen from Dallas also visited the Albuquerque campus last week. Heading into the tour, he ranked UNM lower than many of his home-state options, including University of Texas and Baylor. But the aspiring dentists afternoon stroll through UNMs Zimmerman Library and past the campus duck pond might have helped bump it up.

Its a lot prettier than I thought it would be because of all of the trees, he said, adding that he liked how accommodating UNM seemed to be for its students.

UNM needs about 3,300 Giovannis and Cases to commit every year to build its typical freshman class.

But the states largest university actually needs a total 9,000-student infusion  from freshmen through graduate level  annually to replace those who graduated or dropped out.

It doesnt come easily.

The number of full-time equivalent students has dipped 3 percent at UNM since its late-recession peak, while total head count slipped 7 percent.

This operation is so complicated; its not one population, one answer (to maintaining enrollment), said UNM interim President Chaouki Abdallah. There are so many different things that have to come together in order to get (students) in, in order to keep them in.

Total enrollment at New Mexicos public postsecondary institutions has fallen each of the past six years, dropping nearly 14 percent in that span, according to state Higher Education Department data. The number of full-time equivalent students  considered by enrollment officials as the more important measure  has decreased for five straight years.

In this, at least, New Mexico is not alone.

Postsecondary enrollment surged nationally during the recession as people rushed campuses with the hopes of improving their job prospects. The gains were not sustained; U.S. undergraduate enrollment slid 6 percent between 2010 and 2015, federal data show.

But the line might soon start moving upward again. The National Center for Education Statistics latest forecast predicts 14 percent enrollment growth from 2015 to 2026.

Just how New Mexico will compare remains to be seen.

Lottery downturn

The plummeting value of the states Legislative Lottery Scholarship will impact thousands of New Mexicans who attend in-state institutions. The scholarship will cover just 60 percent of tuition in 2017-18, down from 90 percent last year. Approximately 26,000 students benefit from the program annually, including about one-third of undergraduate students at UNM and NMSU.

UNM officials anticipate enrollment declining 2 to 2.5 percent this year, with the lottery accounting for about half the loss.

But school leaders point to something else as their chief concern: a constricting student pipeline.

Our demographics are not good in New Mexico, said Garrey Carruthers, NMSU chancellor and former state governor.

New Mexico has experienced population stagnation unlike any time in its history, growing just 1.1 percent between 2010 and 2016, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. About 38,000 more people left the state than moved here.

Despite a rising graduation rate, the states public high schools produced nearly 4 percent fewer graduates in 2016 than in 2008, according to Public Education Department data. And having one of the nations lowest graduation rates of 71 percent doesnt help grow the pipeline.

Those are serious problems since the universities generally get most students from within a 200-mile radius, according to Terry Babbitt, UNMs associate vice president in charge of enrollment.

Demographics are the No. 1 driver of our enrollment.  And our demographics are stuck in the water, he said.

Fewer students means less tuition money at a time tuition has become an increasingly important revenue source.

New Mexicos budget crisis has meant fewer dollars for higher education, with appropriations to colleges and universities falling by 8 percent in the past two years.

At UNM, tuition now funds about 43 percent of the academic enterprise, while the state appropriation covers 57 percent. A decade ago, tuition covered 31 percent compared with 69 percent from the state.

With declining funding and students, many New Mexico institutions have used tuition hikes to cover the shortfalls, which are made worse by the rising cost of doing business.

Our expenses keep going up, Abdallah said, so enrollment, or something, has to keep going up.

UNMs base tuition for in-state students has increased by $460 since the schools 2012-13 population peak, according to university figures. Tuition and fees for a resident full-time student will cost an estimated $7,146 this year.

If schools cannot find revenue to match the rising expenses, Abdallah said they start to cut. Its an often painful and emotional process, he added, citing the uproar that accompanied UNMs recent decision to cut its ski team. (Private contributions have since prompted the school to keep the team around for at least one more year.)

Reforms begun

New Mexico Higher Education Department Secretary Barbara Damron has funneled much of her energy into a series of reforms intended to improve student outcomes, like common course numbering across all institutions to help aid the transfer process. And she said those measures could ultimately help flatten out what has been a downward-moving enrollment line.

We have to be attractive enough to get them in the door, she said.

Carruthers said he considers boosting enrollment his chief priority.

For us to do our business, we need students, so it will always be No. 1, he said, expressing optimism about this fall. He said early signs  including attendance at new student orientations  indicate the upcoming freshman class will be larger than 2016s. And that one was bigger than in 2015.

NMSU has significantly bolstered its marketing budget and now dedicates about $1.5 million annually, spreading its message around New Mexico but also in Arizona, Texas and Southern California.

UNM last year initiated a $1 million advertising blitz to establish the schools brand and aid enrollment. UNM also spends about $250,000 annually on special web-based recruiting technology.

NMSU has turned increasing attention to the Mexico market. Its new Descubre program specifically will target students south of the border by allowing Mexicans to attend at just 1 times in-state tuition rates. The first participants will arrive this fall, and Carruthers said he sees NMSU as a natural fit for Mexican students.

At UNM, Babbitt said nontraditional adult students are the only real growth opportunity.

New Mexico State and UNM have both increased their online courses. NMSU now offers about 30 programs on a distance basis. UNM has several of its own and this fall will launch an internet-based degree in psychology, its most popular major. Offered in eight-week formats, the program targets part-time adult students.

Were not trying to replace face-to-face, Abdallah said. Were trying to (create) a safety net of x thousands of credit hours, so we can grow.

UNM has about 2,000 online-only students already.

The school is also working to attract more veterans plus people who started college but never finished.

About 15 percent of working-age New Mexicans (25-64) have some college but never earned a degree or certificate, according to the Lumina Foundation. That equates to about 157,000 people, according to U.S. Census population estimates.

Older students

At Santa Fe Community College, students age 18-24 represent the largest demographic group, but the 55-plus set is a very close second. And President Randy Grissom noted that older students interests arent dramatically different than their younger counterparts.

Theyre coming back for lifelong learning, but (also) for careering, he said.

SFCCs headcount has slipped since its peak about seven years ago but has seemingly reset at a level higher than the recession. Budget tightening has forced the school to eliminate some programs, but SFCC also has added others intended to address specific community employment needs.

That includes a 2-year-old automotive program that helped fill the void for such education in Northern New Mexico. The program boasts 80 students, students who might not otherwise have been attracted to SFCC, Grissom said.

It also has responded to growing demand for information technology know-how, allowing even students who dont pursue degrees to emerge with the certifications that employers value. In response to the smashing success of Santa Fe-based arts collective Meow Wolf, the school is now working to offer business-related courses to aid artists.

Weve taken a lot of pride in being able to make changes to meet the needs of the future, Grissom said.

Central New Mexico Community College also is seeking new ways to capture students, like its information technology apprenticeship program and noncredit coding boot camps. The latter do not count toward enrollment numbers but they do generate some revenue.

CNM sustained a 15 percent drop in students between 2011 and 2016, but President Kathie Winograd said in a written statement that enrollment challenges have given CNM the opportunity to adapt our education and business models while remaining steadfast to CNMs mission: creating the skilled workforce of the future.

Retention is key

School leaders say that keeping students on campus is as important as wooing new ones. They look for avenues to improve retention, whether its boosting the adviser ranks or doing advanced data analysis to identify which students might be struggling.

UNM also allocates about $1 million in grants annually to students whose only barrier to staying in school might be an outstanding campus balance of a few hundred dollars, Babbitt said.

Freshman retention has been climbing at both UNM and NMSU.

Once we get the students into the university, Abdallah said, its so much more efficient to keep them.
WASHINGTON  New Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson  a former U.S. representative from New Mexico  stood in front of a room of airmen in the Pentagon recently and presented an unconventional proposal. What, she asked, if she eliminated every single one of the Air Forces regulations and required service members to ask for the ones they need back?

Wilson paused for a moment, and dozens of airmen in the room laughed. It was a bad idea, she acknowledged, but then she pressed her point. The Air Force has too much bureaucracy, too many regulations and too many people stuck doing busywork, she said, as several senior officers sat listening.

Now, we all still want to drive on the right side of the street and so on, but some of these things are not only not written in the English language, but if something goes wrong were going to say, Oh, you didnt follow Air Force instruction 210-dash-2.1, subparagraph X, and were going to hold you accountable,' she said, according to a video viewed by The Washington Post. Its like, are you kidding me? And you know, theres a whole bookshelf of these.

Wilson concluded: Lets not try to tell them how to do everything. Lets tell them what to do, and let them surprise us with their ingenuity.

Wilsons approach  folksy at times, but with a background as a Rhodes Scholar  is a shift in a service that has 660,000 airmen and a $132 billion budget but is struggling to keep up with its demands. While the Trump administration has promised to bolster the military, the Air Force is currently coping with an aging fleet of jets that have been used heavily in the air war against the Islamic State and what senior service officials have called a crisis-level shortage in fighter pilots.

Wilson has said repeatedly that the Air Force is too small for what the nation expects of it, advocated adding additional aircraft and people. She also has called for the service to do more to take undue bureaucratic and training requirements off airmen, something that critics say has driven many Air Force pilots out of the military and into a more financially lucrative career in commercial aviation.

When Wilson touches on those points, she is fond of mentioning the service of her Scottish grandfather, George Scotty Wilson, who flew planes for the British Royal Flying Corps in World War I and the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II. He and his wife, Annie, played an integral role in her life, especially after a car accident changed her family forever.

My father was actually killed when I was 6 years old, and my mother remarried to someone who had his own set of problems with alcoholism, Wilson said in an interview. I didnt much like that, and so at 17 years old, I left. My life arched towards my fathers family, and my grandparents were still alive and very much involved in my life.

Wilson, a native of Keene, N.H., was recruited for the job by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, a science and engineering university where she had served as president since 2013. She and Mattis did not know each other well, but she appealed to him because her experience was wide-ranging and included time as a Republican congresswoman from New Mexico, he said.

Heather Wilson is a leader for all seasons, Mattis said in a statement. She distinguished herself as an active-duty Air Force officer and as the president of a university. Her experience in Congress and the private sector made her the ideal choice to lead the Air Force.

Wilson, 56, could have gone to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she said. But after spending her childhood hearing aviation stories from both her grandfather and father, a commercial pilot and former airman who flew out of Boston, she sought her grandfathers blessing to join one of the first Air Force Academy classes to allow women.

Wilson graduated in 1982 from the Air Force Academys mountainside campus in Colorado Springs, where she was classmates with Gen. David L. Goldfein, now the Air Forces top officer. She was faced with a dilemma there: She had secured a slot in flight school, but was surprised to learn she also had been accepted as a Rhodes Scholar. She strongly debated declining the scholarship before others convinced her that it would open new doors in her life, she said.

Wilson considered pursuing a career as a pilot again after earning a doctoral degree at Oxford University but said she decided against it in part because of a prohibition on women flying combat aircraft that did not fall until 1993. Instead, she worked as a planning officer at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and at the Pentagon.

Wilson, speaking aboard a military aircraft on June 26 as she returned to Washington from a day on Colorado military installations with Vice President Pence, said that Mattis first approached her about the job with a phone call before the Jan. 20 inauguration. She had misgivings about leaving the best job in the world as a university president and about moving back to the East Coast following many years in the Midwest, but Mattis persisted with several more calls, she said.

He told me, Youre my first choice, and theres a big gap between you and my second choice. And Im not going to talk to anyone else until you tell me whether you will do this if asked,' he said. Its one of those moments where you know your draft number has come up, and youre supposed to serve.

Asked if she had any concerns about joining the Trump administration given some of the presidents controversial statements and actions, she deflected.

To me, I work for General Mattis and the United States Air Force, and I am here to serve the Air Force and organize, train and equip the Air Force and make sure it sustains combat operations in air and space, she said. My role is to focus on securing that, and thats what General Mattis has asked me to do. Thats a mission that I can and am happy to do.

Wilson acknowledged that the confirmation process was difficult at times and believes that it can discourage good people from wanting to serve. In her case, her ethics were questioned regarding work she did for Sandia Corp., a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin that specializes in nuclear weapons, beginning days after her term as a congresswoman ended in 2009.

The Energy Department Inspector General found that the deal was irregular, but that she did not break any laws. She ultimately was confirmed by the Senate with a 76-22 vote.

Wilson said she was pleasantly surprised by interactions with some lawmakers, including Democrats. She cited Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a frequent Trump opponent and target, as one example. Wilson was not looking forward to meeting her initially because they are so different politically, she said, but came away from their encounter feeling good about it.

Really interesting, and I think it was in part because she was a university professor. We connected on that, Wilson said. Of all the folks that I met, she was the one where if I had to list the top four that I wanted to sit down and have a cup of coffee, shes on the list.

A spokesperson for Warren, Lacey J. Rose, said that Warren also appreciated the meeting and despite disagreeing on some issues, found common ground with Wilson on the importance of research in the Defense Departments future. Warren looks forward to hosting Wilson at laboratories in Massachusetts in the future.
Noel Cuevas didnt care much for his debut season with the Albuquerque Isotopes.

The sequel has been a dramatic improvement.

Cuevas, a 25-year-old outfielder, will wrap up an outstanding first half today when the Topes conclude a three-game series against the visiting Las Vegas 51s. Then hell be off to Tacoma for Wednesdays Triple-A All-Star Game, pitting the Pacific Coast League against the International League.

Theres no denying that Cuevas has earned the trip. Cuevas went 1-for-4 in the Isotopes 4-1 win over visiting Las Vegas on Saturday night, and hes hitting .314 with 11 home runs and a team-best 57 RBIs. He has a team-leading 96 hits and has stolen 15 bases in 18 tries.

And Cuevas wont pretend that Wednesdays nationally televised all-star contest is just another game.

Its a difficult all-star game to make, Cuevas said. With two leagues represented, its an honor to be there, man. Im really looking forward to the Triple-A game.

Cuevas, who came to the Colorado Rockies organization as a player to be named later in a 2014 trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Juan Nicasio, did not look much like an all-star in 44 games with the Isotopes last season.

He hit .234 with one homer and eight RBIs before being sent to Double-A Hartford on July 4.

Turns out Cuevas was not 100-percent healthy. He was recovering from a hamstring injury that sapped his speed and eventually his confidence.

Cuevas returned to Albuquerque healthy this year, and hes put on a show. Few episodes were more all-star worthy than Fridays 6-4 win over Las Vegas, in which Cuevas blistered a go-ahead three-run homer and made a racing grab in left-center field that ended with a full-speed somersault.

He made it look good, rolling to his feet without even slowing down.

I havent practiced that one, Cuevas said with a laugh. Im glad it came out all right  and that I held onto the ball.

Isotopes manager Glenallen Hill enjoyed watching Cuevas catch but liked his ensuing tape-measure home run even more. That line shot to left was still carrying when it bounced off a large billboard beyond the Isotopes Park picnic area.

He needed that like we all did, Hill said. I dont think he was thinking about the all-star game as much as he just liked the feeling of hitting a ball that far. That was a shot. I hope it carries over past the all-star game.

Wednesdays game will be Cuevas second all-star appearance. He played in the (Class A-advanced) California League All-Star Game in 2013.

But Cuevas realizes this sequel is considerably more meaningful.

The next level is the big leagues, he said. (And) I actually got to tell my family (in Camuy, Puerto Rico) that Im going to be on MLB Network, so thats going to be pretty cool.

NOTE: While Cuevas plans to play in todays series finale, Topes infielder Ryan McMahon has missed the entire Las Vegas series. McMahon is set to play in todays All-Star Futures Game in Miami.

McMahon is hitting .380 with eight homers and 28 RBIs in 32 games with Albuquerque this season.
MOSUL, Iraq  Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi congratulated Iraqi troops Sunday in the streets of Mosul for driving Islamic State militants out of most of the city. But airstrikes and sniper fire continued amid the revelry, and the extremists stubbornly held small patches of ground west of the Tigris River.

Over the nearly nine-month campaign, Iraqi forces  backed by airstrikes from the U.S.-led coalition  reduced the IS hold on Iraqs second-largest city to less than a square kilometer (less than a mile) of territory.

Still, al-Abadi and Iraqi commanders stopped short Sunday of declaring an outright victory against the extremists, who have occupied Mosul for three years. Losing Mosul would be a major defeat for the Islamic State, which has suffered major setbacks in the past year.

We are glad to see normal life return for the citizens, al-Abadi said, according to a statement from his office. This is the result of the sacrifices of the (countrys) heroic fighters.

Dressed in a black military uniform, the prime minister met field commanders, kissed babies and toured a reopened market in western Mosul. At one point, he briefly draped an Iraqi flag on his shoulders.

A few kilometers away, special forces commanders climbed over mounds of rubble on the edge of Mosuls Old City to plant an Iraqi flag on the western bank of the Tigris, marking weeks of hard-fought gains in the heart of the congested district.

Suddenly, two shots from an IS sniper rang out, sending the men scrambling for cover. The flag was retrieved and planted farther upriver behind a wall that protected it from a cluster of IS-held buildings nearby.

Weve been fighting this terrorist group for 3 1/2 years now, said Lt. Gen. Abdul Wahab al-Saadi of the special forces. Now we are in Mosul, the east part was liberated, and theres only a small part left in the west.

Al-Saadi emphasized that despite the flag-raising, the operation to clear Mosul of the militants was ongoing. Behind him, a group of soldiers and local journalists recording the scene sang a traditional Iraqi victory ballad.

Lt. Gen. Jassim Nizal of the armys 9th Division said his forces achieved victory in their sector, after a similar announcement a day earlier by the militarized Federal Police.

Soldiers danced atop tanks to patriotic music even as airstrikes sent up plumes of smoke nearby.

But the backdrop to the moments of revelry was a grinding conflict and widespread devastation.

Inside the Old City  home to buildings that date back centuries  the path carved by Iraqi forces leveled homes, shattered priceless architecture and littered the narrow alleys with corpses decomposing in the summer heat.

Less than an hour after the flag-raising, special forces Lt. Col. Muhanad al-Timimi was told that two of his men were shot by an IS sniper, and one of them had died.

He was one of our best, al-Timimi said. He just got married six months ago.

Blocks from the army celebrations, a line of weary civilians walked out of the Old City, past the shells of destroyed apartment blocks lining roads cratered by airstrikes.

Heba Walid held her sister-in-laws baby, which was born into war. The parents of the 6-month-old, along with 15 other family members, were killed last month when an airstrike hit their home. When Walid ran out of formula, she fed the baby a paste of crushed biscuits mixed with water.

Inside IS-held territory, the extremists are using human shields, suicide bombers and snipers in a fight to the death that has slowed recent Iraqi gains to a crawl.

Islamic State militants seized Mosul in the summer of 2014 when they swept across northern and central Iraq. That summer, the groups leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, appeared at Mosuls al-Nuri Mosque and declared a caliphate on territory it seized in Iraq and Syria.

Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul in October. The fierce battle has killed thousands and displaced more than 897,000 people.

Last month, as Iraqi troops closed in on the Old City, the militants destroyed the al-Nuri Mosque and its famous leaning minaret to deny the forces a symbolic triumph.

U.S.-backed Syrian forces have encircled and pushed into the Islamic States de facto capital of Raqqa in neighboring Syria after a month of fighting, although a long battle lies ahead.

More than 2,000 militants are holed up with their families and tens of thousands of civilians in Raqqas center, the citys most densely populated districts.

The extremists still hold several smaller towns and villages across Iraq and Syria.

___

Salaheddin reported from Baghdad. Associated Press writer Salar Salim in Mosul contributed.
Just outside of Cincinnati, in a long flat house, a family gathered Saturday to learn the sex of their newest member.

They learned it, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported; the baby was a boy. The family celebrated and stayed up late into the night in that home in Colerain Township  until someone came in from outside.

There were two gunmen dressed in black, the Associated Press reported. Or maybe colored hoodies, a woman would scream to a 911 dispatcher in the chaos afterward.

They were acting sneaky, said the woman, who was outside the house and audibly distressed, in the 911 call posted by WCPO. Then they ran in the house and started shooting.

They shot all of us, a man told a dispatcher from inside the house, just before midnight, as children screamed in the background.

The gunmen were gone and a woman was dead when help arrived, police told reporters.

Three children and five adults were wounded: so many victims that nearby jurisdictions had to lend ambulances, according to Fox 19.

It would seem, by what I was told, it was just random shooting, police spokesman Jim Love told reporters. It didnt seem like they were purposely shooting for a child  but Im not even sure of that.

No one involved has been identified, and no arrests were reported Sunday.

As investigators moved through the house the next day, a WCPO reporter saw a downcast woman on crutches outside.

She was the mother-to-be, the woman told the reporter  the reason for the party.

She said shed been shot in the leg and lost the baby.

These are the nights you look back on and you regret they ever happened, Love told WKRC-TV. Police werent immediately reachable by The Washington Post.

In 911 calls from Saturday, dispatchers try again and again to figure out how many in the house were shot.

Between sobbing, screaming and victims in shock, they never get a clear answer.

A whole lot, says a man who reported he was bleeding himself  maybe from the stomach; he wasnt sure.

I just seen two people walk by, I looked outside, the next thing I know they just ran in and just started shooting, he said.

A woman sobbed uncontrollably into the phone.

Please stop screaming so I can help you, the dispatcher said.

I want an ambulance please, said the woman. My husbands dying.

And when the police spokesman addressed reporters hour later, he said the responding officer had no more success counting the victims.

He just said it was horrific, Love said. He just said it was something that unimaginable. When he started calling for help, he just said: What can I say? Ive got a lot of people that are shot. I need ambulances.'

The township fire department ran out, according to Fox 19, so neighboring agencies sent more.

By Sunday, WLWT reported, an unnamed woman was dead, seven victims appear likely to pull through, and one was still in very, very serious condition.

The pregnant woman had lived in the house, according to a Fox 19 reporter, but police have not yet confirmed if the unborn child died in the aftermath.

The Enquirer reported that the family had been watching Spiderman just before the gunfire rang out.
The desktop client for Google Allo, the search giants instant messaging app, will be rolled out in a few more weeks, according to the companys head of product for Allo and Duo. Googles Amit Fulay confirmed via his Twitter account that the Allo messaging service will soon come to desktop computers in the coming weeks, though he fell short of providing an exact date, or even a less ambiguous timeframe, for the web clients release. Fulay also revealed in his Tweet that the Mountain View-based companys work on Allo is continuing. However, it remains unclear whether Fulays team is adding a few more features to the web/desktop client and, if so, what those features are. Fulays Twitter post received a number of responses, with some asking whether Allo and Hangouts would be combined or will the service be integrated with Gmail or Inbox  a possibility that is hard to rule out at the moment.

Google officially launched Allo in September last year that kicked off in the U.S., though its popularity on the Play Store seems to have slightly dropped a month later partly due to its lack of many important features, including a desktop client. The app received a cold reception from critics and users as a result since a desktop client is considered a significant companion to a mobile app.

Then in February of this year, Nick Fox, Googles vice president of communications products, shared via his Twitter account a screenshot of a desktop client for Allo, boasting many essential features such as the integration with Google Assistant. Approximately four months after teasing the Allo desktop client, Fox took to Twitter again to announce that the web and desktop version for Allo wont be released until after two months at most. He made the announcement after the Allo desktop client was a no show during Googles I/O 2017 developer conference in May of this year. With Fulay now confirming that it is only a matter of a few weeks before users can get their hands on the apps web client, it is increasingly becoming clear that Google has been rolling up its sleeves to polish Allo into a product that should come close to perfection for its users. More updates about Allos desktop client could be available in the coming days.
Google will participate in the upcoming Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality thats scheduled to be held next Wednesday, July 12, The Alphabet-owned company confirmed in a statement given to Inverse. The event is formally organized by nonprofit advocacy group Fight for the Future, though its supported by a wide variety of other organizations active in the realm of digital rights. The Day of Action aims to draw the attention of the general public to the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) thats currently in the process of repealing the net neutrality rules originally put into place by the former Obama administration. The websites, organizations, companies, and individuals supporting the initiative will be active on a wide variety of online fronts and pursue several goals, from advocating the advantages of the open Internet to pointing out how the current FCC chairman Ajit Pai formerly worked as Associate General Counsel at Verizon, the largest mobile service provider in the country thats openly against the rules that Pai is now working to eliminate.

Apart from Google, the upcoming Day of Action will also be supported by Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Reddit, and a number of other massive online platforms that are seeking to maintain the current regulatory framework preventing ISPs from treating data from certain sources in a favorable or unfavorable manner, essentially discouraging users from accessing certain websites or making them pay extra for the privilege of doing so unthrottled. The Mountain View, California-based tech giant said its still determining what specific course of action will it take next Wednesday in an effort to support the ongoing fight for net neutrality but will presumably publicly disclose its decision before Wednesday. While the company has yet to decide on the level and nature of its involvement in the initiative, it always planned to be supportive of the endeavor, according to its spokesperson Riva Sciuto.

Some industry watchers believe that the recently repealed privacy rules pertaining to U.S. ISPs were a precursor to the FCCs plan to eliminate the so-called Title II classification thats essentially keeping net neutrality in place by classifying Internet providers as public utilities. If successful in its efforts, the FCC may repeal the rules by the end of the year.
VIROQUA  Craig and Connie Minowa of the band Cloud Cult had been living in Minneapolis and were looking to settle in a small, progressive town with a thriving food culture  a place to get back to the land.

They found Viroqua.

This small town about two hours northwest of Madison is helping put Wisconsin on the culinary map.

Organic Valley, a farming cooperative with 500 farmer members, started in 1988 in nearby La Farge and has been a foundation for the food landscape in Viroqua, which now boasts a James Beard-nominated restaurant to attract food tourists.

One big livability indicator for the Minowas was the quality of a towns food co-op, and when they toured Viroqua, they found a huge, thriving grocery cooperative. That sealed the deal.

Elevated above Main Street, the Viroqua Food Co-op, established in 1995, is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. It has 4,400 square feet of retail space and is undergoing an expansion that will double its size, said Charlene Elderkin, the co-ops marketing manager.

In a town of 4,300, the co-op has more than 3,500 members.

The people here, they are educated about food. They want to have that connection with their local farms and with clean food, she said.

More than 30 percent of the co-ops sales are local products, defined as coming from within 100 miles. And thats not just produce. Its also meat and cheese, and items like Wisco Pop natural soda and Kickapoo Coffee, two Viroqua companies with fans in Madison and beyond.

Sustainable lifestyle hub

Jamie Lamonde worked for Organic Valley for 11 years before leaving to stay home with her children. Shes now editor and publisher of Edible Madison, a 7-year-old magazine focused on food and agriculture in Southern Wisconsin.

While Lamonde has a P.O. box in Viroqua, she lives about 30 minutes away in La Farge. The magazines writers and photographers live in Madison and all over Southwest Wisconsin.

She picked the name Edible Madison because of Madisons foodie credentials, but admits that Viroquas food culture is pretty amazing.

Its just really been a pioneer in organic, sustainable farming practices and Vernon County and Viroqua are hubs of the lifestyle that goes with it, Lamonde said.

That ethic is reflected in everything from the areas alternative schooling options, to its outdoor recreation, its musical life and its farm-to-table local food focus.

And its drawing like-minded residents, such as the Minowas, from bigger cities.

There are so many transplants from all over the place, Craig Minowa said.

A big honor

These days, Driftless Cafe is the heart and soul of Viroqua, tucked just off Main Street at 118 Court St. Its busy day and night, particularly since its chef and co-owner, Luke Zahm, became a 2017 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Midwest.

That recognition, considered one of the highest honors in the restaurant business, has brought in a lot of customers from outside Viroqua, and Zahm is happy to expose them to the town that he loves.

Zahm, 37, grew up in La Farge, and, his wife, Ruthie, 38, in Viroqua. After many years living in Madison, they moved back to Vernon County to raise their three children and have operated Driftless since 2013.

Ruthie Zahm said before they moved back, they would hit a certain point on their drive to Vernon County, and Luke would feel the call of home.

We love camping as a family, we love canoeing. Although you can do that in Madison  it just wasnt the same home feeling, she said. Paired with knowing that he could get really great ingredients here and always wanting to kind of come back home, was quite a big push.

Beyond beer and cheese

Luke Zahm, who worked in the kitchen at Epic Systems in Verona and at Lombardinos in Madison, said he has no idea how the Beard judges knew about him, but guesses it could have come through the advocacy work hes been part of in Washington, D.C.

Hes traveled to the nations capital to lobby for truthful labeling, specifically in regard to GMO products.

Zahm likes to take the opportunity to tell the story of whats happening in Vernon County, which he says with 220 certified organic farms has the highest concentration of organic farms of any county in Wisconsin. Zahm gives that statistic not just as a restaurant owner who uses organic ingredients, but also as president of Viroquas Chamber of Commerce.

That is a big, big driver economically, Zahm said about the farming community.

Hes pleased that organic farmers from the area are starting to branch out.

When recruiting other chefs at the Culinary Institute of America in 2011 in Hyde Park, New York, he cooked at the campus in the evening. His team was sandwiched between Bobby Flays people and Mario Batalis people and he said he was overwhelmed by the perceptions of Wisconsin that he heard.

They really only knew about beer, cheese and the Packers, he said. In trying to establish credibility and luring soon-to-be graduates to the Midwest to cook, Zahm kept emphasizing that this is the area where food comes from. This is the bread basket.

The CIAs star students prepared a meal one night and on a list of their sources were four ingredients from the Driftless Region.

And that for me was the light bulb, Zahm said.

Its called the Driftless Region because of its unglaciated geography. The area doesnt lend itself to industrial farming and one of the reasons Organic Valley started was to find a way for small family farms to make it and not have to go big or go broke, said the co-ops Elderkin. The landscape really lent itself to smaller farms, she said.

Drawing in food tourists

Joe Rogan-Nordstorm runs Cowboy Davids Coffee & Bake Shoppe on Main Street in Viroqua, selling vegan, low-sugar and gluten-free bakery items.

The bakery developed out of the popular La Farge lodging property Rogan-Nordstorm co-owns with his husband, David, where they leave one of their signature double chocolate chip-walnut cookies for each guest.

Joe Rogan-Nordstorm said food tourists will drive from Illinois or from Madison on a Saturday to get two dozen of their cookies or their famous cashew, ginger carrot cakes, shop at the towns farmers market and then eat at Driftless Cafe.

As Driftless Zahm spoke with a reporter one Thursday in early June, Viroquas most famous son, Garbage co-founder and music producer Butch Vig, walked into the artfully designed, two-room cafe with his brother.

And Vig, who lives in Los Angeles, was happy to discuss the amazing food culture that is shaping his hometown.

Viroqua has had a complete 180-degree transformation in the last 20 years, he said. When I left here in the 70s and went to UW, it was a dying community and people were moving out.

The Vig brothers were in Viroqua that day to visit their father, who is 94. Every time they come to town, they eat at Driftless Cafe for lunch and dinner, Butch Vig said.

Back in the early 90s, Vig said his father told him, the hippies are saving Viroqua.

In a way, hes right because its a little left-wing counterculture thats come in here. Its not what people consider traditional farming. Theyve transformed this area, and now to have a restaurant like Driftless here is incredible.

A completely different town

A self-described foodie who loves dining out, Vig said hes been lucky to travel with his band Garbage and eat in some of the worlds best restaurants.

And hes noticed that when he eats out in Madison, or visits the Dane County Farmers Market, that a portion of the produce is coming from Viroqua.

Sarah Elliott, market manager for the Dane County Farmers Market, said the market has five members from Vernon County, three of which are from Viroqua proper. Western Wisconsin as a whole is well represented at the market, with a total of 23 vendors from a group made up of Vernon, Crawford, Richland, La Crosse and Monroe counties.

Eddy Nix, who owns Driftless Books and Music in Viroqua, likens his slow media business  getting away from technology and smartphone addiction  to the slow food movement.

The food scene is part of what brings people to Viroqua, but good food cant exist without the people who buy it, Nix said. He credits Zahm with pulling off something amazing.

It wouldnt have worked in most other towns. And if it wasnt for (Driftless Cafe), it would be a completely different town.

The food culture in Viroqua is far different now than when he was a kid in La Farge High Schools graduating class of 1998, Zahm said.
If it werent for a class schedule mix-up, Roger Stanford might never have become an educator.

The U.S. Air Force veteran became president of Western Technical College on July 1, replacing Lee Rasch, who retired after nearly 30 years at the helm of the two-year college. Stanford, who attended Stanley-Boyd High School in Wisconsin, has had a 25-year career in secondary and higher education, as a teacher and an administrator known for innovative curriculum.

But as an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in the early 1990s, Stanford hadnt thought about becoming a teacher until he signed up for one of education professor Carol Mooneys classes, thinking it was part of the marketing and business program.

After the first lecture, Stanford said, he approached Mooney and told her he had signed up for the wrong class. She disagreed, asking Stanford to stick things out for the semester, igniting a passion for education Stanford.

I just found that right person who got me motivated as a teacher, he said. It was totally an accident. I thought it was just another marketing class.

That class led to a degree in marketing education for Stanford, a nine-year career as a teacher at Eau Claire Memorial High School, and five years of teaching at Chippewa Valley Technical College, where Stanford originally received his associates degree in marketing management in 1986. He also taught graduate level courses at UW-La Crosse and UW-River Falls, where Rasch first met Stanford after being invited to be a guest speaker during one of the lessons.

I thought, This guy really knows his stuff and is engaged with the students, Rasch said.

Stanford became an associate dean in 2006 and then a dean at CVTC before working his way up to vice president of instruction in 2012. When she first met him, Mooney said, she could tell that Stanford had an enthusiasm and desire to learn, as well as a respect for the power of education to create opportunities for students. She saw that again when she was on his dissertation panel when Stanford got a doctoral degree at Capella University.

I once heard Roger say, We are all in this together to help people grow and achieve things they never thought possible, Mooney said.

Another of Stanfords mentors, CVTC President Bruce Barker, helped Stanford make the move to La Crosse in 2015. Stanford and his wife, Julie, love to ride motorcycles, and in their journeys up and down the Mississippi, both of them fell in love with the beauty of La Crosse.

At the same time, Western was looking for a new vice president of academics. When Barker made a casual comment about the quality of the college, Stanford said, he decided to apply. During his more than two years at Western, Stanford said he has focused on academic planning and built on what the college was already doing.

He helped the college adapt to a new trimester system and apply strategic planning to curriculum and teacher development. The Wisconsin Technical College System recognized Western for its curriculum work last year.

Stanford has also worked closed with Viterbo University President Glena Temple on a four-year engineering partnership he hopes hopes will start in fall of 2018.

This kind of program will be able to serve the region for the next 50 years or so, he said.

Stanford competed against applicants from all over the country for the top Western post.

He just had a lot of good experience that we liked, said Dennis Treu, chairman of the Western board of directors. Plus there was his passion.

A self-described data buff, Stanford said he will bring his talents for strategic planning and analysis to his new post. He wants to continue the work of the Vision 2020 program, a $79.8 million referendum voters approved that has upgraded buildings on campus as part of a plan to modernize Western and prepare for enrollment growth.

Stanford also said he would be doing a lot of visiting and listening to constituents during his first 100 days, especially local business leaders and CEOs. He also hopes to build a focus on using data to improve student outcomes and planning for the college.

He has this big picture view, Rasch said. The world we are in is complex. The short-term solution to a problem might not be the best.
First Production Model 3 pic.twitter.com/TCa2NSUNI3  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 9, 2017

Production unit 1 of Model 3 is now built and going through final checkout. Pics soon.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 9, 2017

Ira Ehrenpreis had rights to 1st car as he was 1st to place a full deposit, but gave those rights to me as my 46th bday present. Tks Ira!  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 9, 2017

The first Model 3 production car A post shared by Tesla (@teslamotors) on Jul 8, 2017 at 9:58pm PDT

A black-painted example equipped with neat-looking alloy wheels, the Model 3 in question is referred to as SN1 (i.e. serial number 1). But as it happens, the car was originally reserved by Tesla board member Ira Ehrenpreis. The question is, how did Iras car become Elons pride and joy?Through Twitter, chief executive officer Elon Musk explains that Ira was the first to place a full deposit on the Model 3, so he had the rights to SN1. Bearing in mind Musk turned 46 years old last month, Ira thought that it would be a nice idea to give up his reservation as a belated birthday present.Elon, in response to a follower on Twitter, then opens up on other Tesla SN1 models he owns. And funnily enough, the Musk Man has the keys to the first-ever Roadster and Model X, though not the first Tesla Model S Despite the fact production has started, the Tesla website doesnt list the juicy details and configuration options for the Model 3 weve been all expecting for a long while now. Its best to wait out until July 28, the day the EV -maker will hold a grand handover party for the first 30 Model 3 vehicles.Musk expects Tesla to be able to manufacture approximately 100 units of the newcomer in August, with production expected to ramp up to more than 1,500 in September. By years end, Model 3 production should hit 20,000 vehicles per month. On that note, the automaker's website continues to list the all-new Model 3 as a $35,000 vehicle before government grant and incentives, with a range of more than 215 miles per charge.
The U.K. and Norway say theyll soon lift a 17-month ban on the use of two models of Airbus Super Puma helicopters to service offshore oil operations. The H225LP and AS332L2 helicopters were taken off that kind of duty after a crash in April of 2016 in which the rotor blades separated from a Super Puma heading to a rig off Norway. The crash killed 13 workers and crew on the helicopter. Even though the government bans will be lifted, there might not be much work for the helicopters. Norways biggest oil company, Statoil, says it wont use them anymore, and a survey of rig workers suggests most workers are opposed to the bans being lifted and more than half say theyll never get on a Super Puma again. CHC, the worlds largest helicopter company, has stopped using them.

The helicopters were actually cleared for flight by the European Aviation Safety Agency last October but the U.K. and Norway instituted their own ban on offshore flights. The ban is to be lifted after Airbus introduced new maintenance and inspection protocols for the big helicopters. The safety of those who travel on offshore helicopter flights is a key priority for both the U.K. and Norwegian aviation authorities, said John McColl, head of the U.K.s Civil Aviation Agency. We would not have made this decision unless we were convinced that the changes to the helicopters and their maintenance restore the required airworthiness standards.
9 July 2017 16:33 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has arrived in the Republic of Turkey for a working visit to attend the 22nd World Petroleum Congress held in Istanbul.

A guard of honor was lined up for President Ilham Aliyev at the Ataturk International Airport decorated with the national flags of Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The chief of the guard of honor reported to President Ilham Aliyev.

The head of state saluted the guard of honor.

President Ilham Aliyev was welcomed by Governor of Istanbul Vasip Sahin and other officials of Turkey.

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9 July 2017 10:10 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump Saturday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, Anadolu reported.

The two leaders held a nearly half hour meeting before the closing session of the G20 summit, Turkish officials have said without giving more details.

Erdogan also had a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday morning; the two leaders discussed the conflict in Syria and other regional issues.

The two-day summit of worlds 20 major economies (G20) will end later on Saturday. President Erdogan is expected to hold a news conference at the end of the summit.

The summit hosted by Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel had focused on global economy, climate change and the fight against terrorism.

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9 July 2017 10:50 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Iran's deputy minister of Petroleum Amir-Hossein Zamaninia says the contract for development of phase 11 of South Pars is sign of overcoming the sanctions barrier, IRNA reported.

Zamaninia said signing such a deal, Total showed that the risk of return of sanctions is minor and unlikely and such a feeling motivated it to invest in Iran.

He said after the JCPOA, Iran is following international engagement under normal conditions.

Conclusion of the deal with Total and CNPCI proved the fact that we are under normal conditions and recourse of sanctions is unlikely, he added.

He said, Under present circumstances, Iran should compete with other countries to attract investment. Foreign capital is limited and Iran is among countries having the highest advantage of huge oil and gas reserves.

Naturally, Iran can compete with other countries in terms of attraction of investment.

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9 July 2017 11:15 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday emphasized the need for global action against terrorism saying that no region was safe from terror threats, Anadolu reported.

Speaking after the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, Erdogan said the international community needed to share the burden in the fight against terrorism.

[At the G20 summit] We have emphasized on showing a principled, consistent and stable stance in the fight against globalized terrorism, Erdogan said.

"I hope that this meeting will be a breaking point for our position of accepting [to deisgnate] terror targets without regards for religion, ethnicity or language," he added.

He also spoke against the U.S. arming PYD/YPG terror groups in Syria in order to combat Daesh in Raqqah.

We will never keep silent when support and arms are provided to terrorist organizations near our borders, Erdogan said.

The PKK/PYD is part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) involved in the plan to capture Raqqah and has been supplied with U.S. arms.

Iraq unity

Ankara views the PKK/PYD, which is the Syrian branch of the PKK, as a terrorist group and fears weapons supplied to the PKK/PYD for the operation to oust Daesh from Syria's Raqqah will end up in the hands of PKK terrorists fighting Turkish security forces.

More than 1,200 people, including security force personnel and civilians, have lost their lives since the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU -- resumed its decades-long armed campaign in July 2015.

Erdogan also vowed that Turkey would not tolerate a Kurdish state in northern Syria and said he supported the unity of both Iraq and Syria.

Iraq will be a strong country as long as it protects its unity, Erdogan added.

He also addressed the western countries' stance regarding the Fetullah terrorist Organization (FETO), an illegal network accused of orchestrating last years coup attempt in Turkey.

"Militants of the terror group who organized a deadly coup attempt on July 15 last year in my country and martyred 250 of my citizen and left 2,193 other wounded are seeing the Western countries as a safe harbor," he added.

According to the government, the coup on July 15, 2016, was organized by followers of U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, who is accused of pursuing a long-running campaign to overthrow the government through supporters within the Turkish state, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

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9 July 2017 12:05 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The visits of US President Donald Trump to Poland and the Group of 20 (G20) international summit in Germany were very "productive," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Saturday, Sputnik reported.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Trump visited Poland where he discussed with the country's leadership a number of security and economic issues. The US leader also took part in the Three Seas Conference.

"@POTUS and @FLOTUS head back to @WhiteHouse after a very productive trip to Poland & #G20Summit," Spicer said in a Twitter message.

On Friday, Trump took part in the two-day G20 summit in Hamburg, which gathered world leaders for discussion of the world economy challenges, global trade, climate change and fight against terrorism. US president held a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the event, including a first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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Moncks Corner, SC (29461)

Today

A shower is possible early. Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 63F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A shower is possible early. Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 63F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
WINONA, Minn.  Seen from the sidewalk on West Third Street, the facade of the Islamic Center of Winona is plain and simple. Glass windows are fully draped with light-brown curtains on the inside, and the centers sign is a piece of wood near the door that reads Islamic Center of Winona.

Step inside and it is reminiscent of the fitness center that used to occupy the building  walls that once had mirrors everywhere are mostly bare, carpet covers what used to be padded mats and exercise equipment, leaving the interior layout pretty open. Theres an area in the back for sermons, a closed-off room to the left for prayer, and some supplies and storage to the right.

A late-night fire in September 2013 burned the original Islamic Center  across the street and barely a block to the east  to the ground and left Winonas Muslim community without a place for worship.

After the purchase of the lower level of 71 W. Third St. in December 2015, the center had a new home, but the building needed work, and a lot of it.

If you look above youll see we dont have a sprinkler system yet, so we have to get one of those, Ahmed El-Afandi said, who founded the center more than 20 years ago.

Finding a new building proved difficult because of zoning restrictions, parking, fire regulations and a need to be close to Winona States campus, since many members are college students.

But purchasing a new place to gather and worship was only the start.

El-Afandi said they had to gut the entire building and start from the ground up. There was water damage and outdated pipes above and below the building, all the mirrors on the wall had to come down, holes in the floor needed repair, and electrical wiring replaced.

We were told the facade of the building is not consistent with the look (the city requires), he said.

Winonas current zoning code requires downtown buildings maintain the historic look of the building. After getting through three false ceilings El-Afandi said they discovered the ornate ceiling of the 100-year-old building. That also needs work or it might flood and collapse, he added.

Funding has been difficult to come by. Grants are available, but most require matching funds. In addition, most of the centers members are college students and young families, and most arent in a financial position to contribute, he said.

Winona is a small community and theres limited resources, El-Afandi said. Most of our funds have come from out of town fundraisers  People heard about our story and wanted to help.

The center recently received a small grant from the Minnesota Historical Society for a building assessment to determine what needs immediate attention, and what can wait.

Theres still a lot that needs to be done, El-Afandi said. We have a lot of financial needs to get (the center) where we want it.

After the original center burned down, the greater Winona community opened their doors to help ease the loss.

The day after the fire, Central Lutheran Church opened its doors to Winonas Muslim community and prayed. First Congressional Church has been the site of fundraisers. The center had a temporary home near Winona Mall to gather, and an interfaith group grew from the ashes.

Hamid Quraishi, religious affairs director, or imam, of the center, said seeing an interfaith group form after the fire was great, and the group still meets. Though the building still needs work, it is open and operational.

We have opened this center to all different religions, he said. This is not just a place of worship for Muslims, its a community center.

Quraishi said the continued support from the community helped make the rebuild possible, and they want to continue building relationships with Winonas community.

The continued emotional and moral support is greatly appreciated, El-Afandi said, and compared to some Minnesota communities Winona is very supportive of its Muslim population.
Photo: File photo Al-Shabab extremists from neighbouring Somalia beheaded nine civilians in an early-morning attack on a village in southeast Kenyan.

Al-Shabab extremists from neighbouring Somalia beheaded nine civilians in an early-morning attack on a village in the southeast, Kenyan officials said Saturday, as concerns grew that the group had taken up a bloody new strategy.

The attack occurred in Jima village in Lamu County, said James Ole Serian, who leads a task force of security agencies combating al-Shabab.

Beheadings by al-Shabab have been rare in Kenya, where the extremist group has carried out dozens of deadly attacks over the years. The East African country has seen an increase in attacks claimed by al-Shabab in recent weeks, posing a security threat ahead of next month's presidential election.

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab has vowed retribution on Kenya for sending troops in 2011 to Somalia to fight the group, which last year became the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa.

Saturday's attack occurred in the Pandaguo area, where al-Shabab fighters engaged security agencies in a day-long battle three days ago.

A police report says about 15 al-Shabab fighters on Saturday attacked Jima village and seized men, killing them with knives.

Beheadings by al-Shabab are not uncommon in Somalia, where the extremists carry them out on people who are believed to be enemies. The tactic also is used to terrorize local populations.

Al-Shabab in recent months also has increased attacks in Kenya with homemade bombs, killing at least 46 in Lamu and Mandera counties.

The increase in attacks presents a huge problem for Kenya's security agencies ahead of the Aug. 8 presidential election, said security analyst and former U.S. Marine Andrew Franklin. On election day security agencies will be strained while attempting stop any possible violence and al-Shabab could take advantage, he said.

There was no immediate government comment Saturday on the latest attack. President Uhuru Kenyatta has not issued any statement on the recent surge in al-Shabab attacks.

Kenya is among five countries contributing troops to an African Union force that is bolstering Somalia's fragile central government against al-Shabab's insurgency. Of the troop-contributing countries, Kenya has borne the brunt of retaliatory attacks from al-Shabab.
UPDATE: 7:15 p.m.

Close to 40 firefighters fought the massive condo blaze on Truswell Road for most of Saturday, with three of them ending up in the hospital.

Deputy Fire Chief Lou Wilde says one of the four firefighters who were trapped on a balcony before being rescued with a ladder suffered burns to his hands, and will be spending the night at Kelowna General Hospital.

Two other firefighters were taken to KGH for heat exhaustion, but were later released.

"The ambulance has been here doing a great job helping our members rehab between their shifts in and out of the fire, cooling them down and getting them hydrated and whatnot," Wilde said.

UPDATE: 6:25 p.m.

An evacuation order has been issued for 176 units on Truswell and Capozzi Roads due to the building fires in Kelowna's Mission district.

The order will remain in place overnight tonight as power and gas have been turned off for the area, which also means residential fire smoke alarms and suppression systems may be non-operational.

The evacuation order impacts The Water's Edge (65 units), Walnut Grove Motel (37 units), Charles M. Suites (11 units), Mission Shores (54 units) and nine single-family waterfront homes.

Fire suppression work will be ongoing tonight and possibly longer, the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre said in a press release.

Evacuees are being directed to the Salvation Army on Sutherland Ave, where Emergency Support Services are set up with food and shelter options for displaced residents.

UPDATE: 5:15 p.m.

A fire boat is helping fight the fire at Water's Edge.

The Kelowna Fire Department's marine unit is pumping water from Mission Creek onto the building from near the mouth of the creek.

UPDATE: 4:53 p.m.

Residents evacuated from a neighbouring building in the Water's Edge condo fire say they saw the devastating blaze begin.

The neighbours, who didn't want to give their names, said they saw a workman at the construction site using a torch on what they believed to be roofing type material.

The worker was at the site all morning, and all of sudden the neighbours noticed flames getting away from him.

He apparently tried tearing away at the material to halt the spread of the flames and burned his hands in the process.

Castanet witnessed a man who appeared to be in work clothes in the back of an ambulance with his hands bandaged.

UPDATE: 4:40 p.m.

The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre says all residents on Truswell Road have been evacuated, along with those at the Mission Shores Lakeside Resort.

The six-storey Water's Edge North building collapsed after being completely engulfed in flames after fire broke out about 11:30 a.m.

The fire spread to the adjacent Water's Edge and Walnut Grove buildings, where firefighters are currently focusing their attention.

Fire there appears to be limited to the northeast corner of the top floor, and at least four fire hoses are trained on the building, along with crews working from an adjacent balcony.

People are being asked to stay clear of the area as it remains under restricted access.

UPDATE 3:25 p.m.

While the large fire caused the collapse of the Water's Edge North building, it also spread to the roof of the adjacent Water's Edge condo and several units at the Walnut Grove Motel.

Residents of these nearby occupied buildings have been evacuated.

Central Okanagan Emergency Operations has set up an Emergency Support Services centre for evacuees at the Salvation Army at 1480 Sutherland Avenue.

The RCMP has asked the public to stay clear of the fire area, while emergency crews put out the blaze.

UPDATE: 1:20 p.m.

The Waters Edge North condo building has collapsed in a pile of burning rubble.

The highrise under construction on Truswell Road in Kelownas Mission district erupted in flames Saturday.

A huge firefighter response is on scene, and the public is being kept back from the site as huge plumes of smoke tower over the city.

Ash is falling all around the neighbourhood, and police are going door to door at homes on the other side of Mission Creek, presumably evacuating residents.

The fire also has jumped to an adjacent building, where firefighters are focusing their attention.

All nearby buildings are being evacuated, and people are milling about in a chaotic scene.

Waters Edge was unoccupied, as the building was not yet complete, but Cpl. Tania Carroll of the Kelowna RCMP says the second building that is now burning is occupied. RCMP are currently evacuating the second condo building.

All that remains of the first building is flaming rubble.

Four firefighters had to be rescued from a balcony on the fourth floor during the earlier stages of the firefight, before the building was completely lost to flames.

Cpl. Carroll says at this time, the cause of the fire is unknown, but she is urging members of the public to avoid the area to allow emergency crews to do their jobs.

ORIGINAL: 12:04 p.m.

Four firefighters have been rescued from the fourth floor of a burning building on the 3600 block of Truswell Road in Kelowna's Mission district.

A Castanet reporter on the scene says the firefighters suddenly found themselves surrounded by thick black smoke in the apartment building which is under construction and headed for a balcony.

The trapped crew called to firefighters on the ground who then crawled up ladders to get to their colleagues.

Crews were called out around 11:30 a.m. but the fire took off around 11:55 a.m.

One of the firefighters was taken from the scene by ambulance.

Flames were still shooting from the structure 45 minutes after firefighters were called while smoke billowed into the sky. Windows could be heard shattering and ash fell on the surrounding buildings.
To paraphrase Dr. Seuss: A persons a person no matter how closely they associate with a Kardashian.

So Blac Chyna  the target of ex-fiance Rob Kardashians social media antics  deserves no less privacy and humanity than the rest of us.

Kardashian posted multiple nude photos of Chyna (with whom he has a daughter) on Instagram on last week, along with a bunch of accusations about elective surgeries and jewelry he paid for and other men she slept with.

Instagram took down the images shortly after noon, at which point Kardashian directed his followers to Twitter, where he re-posted them. Those have been taken down too.

This is, in many ways, exactly what the revenge porn law talks about, Louis Shapiro, a criminal defense attorney, told the Los Angeles Times. A prosecutor here could choose to make an example of him even if she doesnt want to cooperate.

California passed a law against non-consensual pornography in 2013. Violating it is a misdemeanor resulting in up to six months in jail.

Illinois passed a similar revenge porn law in 2014, making it a felony to post sexually explicit videos and photos of another person online without his or her permission.

Nowhere in the laws is there a clause saying, Unless the subject slept with other people, in which case: bring it. Nowhere do they state, Unless the subject used to be a stripper, in which case: her body is no longer her own.

Chyna used to be a dancer at a gentlemens club in Miami before she became famous dancing in music videos. (Im unclear why the patrons get to be gentleman, while the entertainers get to be treated as sub-human.) Her past job was mentioned repeatedly in social media posts Wednesday as justification for helping Kardashians temper tantrum go viral, as though taking ones clothes off to make a living means you forever surrender agency over your body.

Nope.

Chyna  or anyone for that matter  can choose when, where and with whom to share her assets and when, where and with whom not to. Always. Forever. That never expires. Its pretty basic.

If I donate $100 to a nonprofit, that doesnt mean Im OK with someone walking up and stealing $100 from me the next day. But you were giving it away yesterday ...

Same thing with your body. (I have no idea, at this point, whether Rob Kardashian counts as a nonprofit. Last I checked he designs socks.)

Anyway, its unseemly, at best, and misogynistic, at worst, to pretend the way Chynas being exposed and pilloried is OK.

Spending capital  emotional and financial  on a person and having that person cheat on you is no fun, but it doesnt give you carte blanche to violate that persons privacy and agency.

Its hard to look at this saga and not detect an element of cultural disgust at a sexual woman. She likes it? She flaunts it? Take her down. She deserves it.

Nathaniel Hawthorne couldnt have dreamed up Instagram when he penned The Scarlet Letter in 1850, but he sure had our number when it comes to shame.

We love to dole it out, and we reserve the bulk of it for women.
Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. operates as a branded consumer products company worldwide. It operates through three segments: Home and Personal Care; Global Pet Care; and Home and Garden. The Home and Personal Care segment provides home appliances under the Black & Decker, Russell Hobbs, George Foreman, Toastmaster, Juiceman, Farberware, and Breadman brands; and personal care products under the Remington and LumaBella brands. The Global Pet Care segment provides rawhide chewing, dog and cat clean-up and food, training, health and grooming, small animal food and care, and rawhide-free products under the 8IN1 (8-in-1), Dingo, Nature's Miracle, Wild Harvest, Littermaid, Jungle, Excel, FURminator, IAMS, Eukanuba, Healthy-Hide, DreamBone, SmartBones, ProSense, Perfect Coat, eCOTRITION, Birdola, Good Boy, Meowee!, Wildbird, and Wafcol brands. This segment also offers aquarium kits, stand-alone tanks, and aquatics equipment and consumables under the Tetra, Marineland, Whisper, Instant Ocean, GloFish, OmegaOne, and OmegaSea brands. The Home and Garden segment provides outdoor insect and weed control solutions, and animal repellents under the Spectracide, Garden Safe, Liquid Fence, and EcoLogic brands; household pest control solutions under the Hot Shot, Black Flag, Real-Kill, Ultra Kill, The Ant Trap, and Rid-A-Bug brand names; household surface cleaning, maintenance, and restoration products, including bottled liquids, mops, wipes, and markers under the Rejuvenate brand name; and personal-use pesticides and insect repellent products under the Cutter and Repel brands. The company sells its products through retailers, e-commerce and online retailers, wholesalers, and distributors. Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 2009 and is headquartered in Middleton, Wisconsin.
Last month, I had the opportunity to attend the Citizens Climate Lobby national conference in Washington, D.C.

Ive been involved with CCL for about five years as a La Crosse chapter co-leader. The seventh annual conference attracted 1,300 attendees from almost every state and several other countries. With more than 400 active chapters in the United States, Canada and other countries and more than 60,000 members, CCL is a rapidly growing organization.

Citizens Climate Lobby, founded 10 years ago, has one objective, to get federal revenue-neutral carbon fee and dividend legislation passed as soon as possible.

This legislation would put a fee on fossil fuels that would rise incrementally over a period of years. The fee would be on oil, coal and natural gas charged at their source whether it is at the coal mine, oil or natural gas well, or being imported into the country.

The money collected would be returned to American families to offset the rising cost of the gasoline, natural gas and other fossil fuels they use. By finally putting a cost on carbon pollution, the use of clean renewable energies including solar, wind and geothermal become more economical allowing the transition away from carbon-based fuels. It is CCLs very focused approach to dealing with global warming and climate change that attracted me to the organization and its mission.

The national conference began June 11th with several rousing gospel songs performed by the very enthusiastic Howard Gospel Choir from Howard University. The energy in the expansive conference space was contagious with people singing, dancing and clapping. Attendees were excited to come together to make things happen.

Over the first two days of the conference I attended workshops and seminars on chapter leadership, how climate change is affecting our oceans, working effectively with the staffers of members of Congress, how to find climate change common ground across party and religious lines, and more.

We heard keynote presentations from climate change experts including one from Lou Helmuth with Our Childrens Trust. He told us about a group of 21 young people who filed a constitutional climate lawsuit in 2015 called Juliana v. U.S. It asserts that the U.S. government has violated the youngest generations constitutional rights to life, liberty and property, as well as failed to protect essential public trust resources. When Mr. Helmuth was finished, the crowd gave him and his young clients a standing ovation. The historic lawsuit is making steady headway in the courts.

On my last day in Washington, more than 900 CCL members visited the offices of more than 500 representatives and senators for meetings. Some of these meetings were with staffers, but a number were face-to-face meetings with a representative or senator.

My second meeting of the day was with Congressman Ron Kind and his legislative assistant, Alex Eveland. Our lobbying team consisted of three of Congressman Kinds constituents and two other Wisconsin residents. Congressman Kind took time to discuss the work CCL is doing, our concerns about climate change, and our hope that he will join the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus with a fellow representative from across the aisle. While I had met with Congressman Kind or his aides in his La Crosse office several times, it is something quite different to meet with him in Washington.

CCL chapters work over time to build respectful, nonpartisan and cooperative relationships with their members of Congress by appreciating the work they do in their districts and offering to be a climate change resource when possible.

As I returned to La Crosse, I couldnt help but feel that the partisan gridlock in Congress is such a disservice to Americans and our democracy. There are so many monumental issues facing our country  climate change, health care, wars abroad, education, the economy  that need immediate action yet they remain in political limbo because Republicans and Democrats will not find the common ground necessary to cooperate and work together.

This cannot go on without dire consequences for us and future generations. Big money and a powerful few should not dictate our future.

Only when the American people forcefully say to their members of Congress, Enough is enough! via their letters, phone calls, emails and votes will we move forward as a nation with a renewed sense of optimism and unity.

We all want a livable world for ourselves and those who come after us. So, what are we waiting for?
Australian census shows dramatic decline for Christianity, sharp rise of the 'non religious'

The latest census in Australia has shown a dramatic fall in those who identify as Christian, and a significant rise in those with 'no religion'.

For the first time in its history, the proportion of Australians who say they have 'no religion' (29.6 per cent) overtook the number who identify as Catholic (22.6 per cent), according to analysis of Australia's 2016 census by The Guardian.

In 1996, just 0.6 per cent of the population marked 'no religion' on their census, but has seen a dramatic shift in the following decades. In 2001 the figure was 16 per cent, which nearly doubled for the 2016 result (29.6 per cent).

In the same period, since 1966, the proportion of the population that describes itself as 'Christian', which includes all Christian denominations, has plummeted from 88.2 per cent to 52.1 per cent. More specifically, Anglicanism has declined from representing 17.1 per cent of Australians in 2011 to 13 per cent in 2016.

Islam, Sikhism and Hinduism have all significantly increased their share of the population, though Buddhism has declined.

The census also covered data on age, ethnicity, and social factors like marriage and home ownership. The number of same-sex relationships has grown significantly, with number of same sex couples (now 46,800) increasing by 39 per cent from 2011.

The census was surrounded by a degree of controversy after the online system crashed last year, meaning citizens were unable to log their data, prompting the hashtag #censusfail. However, census officials said the new results, following a more successful survey, could be fully trusted.
Bishop of Oxford: I want to meet with abused priest Matthew Ineson

One of the bishops accused by a Church of England priest of ignoring cries for help over his abuse by another priest as a young man has said he is willing to meet him and discuss the issue.

Interviewed this morning on the BBC's Sunday programme, the Bishop of Oxford, Steven Croft, said he was sorry Rev Matt Ineson 'feels he wasn't heard' and wanted to meet him to discuss the situation.

Ineson was abused three decades ago while he was a teenager and living at the home of Rev Trevor Devamanikkam following a family breakdown. Devamanikkam committed suicide earlier this year before police were due to arrest him.

Ineson has lodged complaints of misconduct against the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, and four serving bishops including Croft, claiming that they had failed to act on his disclosures of rape. The complaints, made under the C of E's clergy disciplinary measure, were dismissed because they were filed outside the one-year limit required by the Church.

Croft said this morning: 'I'm sorry he feels he wasn't heard and I'm sorry for the suffering that's caused him. I would genuinely value an opportunity to meet with Matthew, I have absolutely nothing to hide.'

He said he was 'cautious' about confirming Ineson's account of telling him of his experience in two telephone conversations, saying their memory of the calls was 'very different'. A letter Ineson sent did not contain enough information for him to believe he should report it to the police, he said.

Croft stressed that an independent adjudicator had said there was not a case for allowing the complaint to go forward.

He said he was anxious to meet Ineson, adding: 'Until we've had that face-to-face conversation and compared different accounts of what happened, and how all the "not listening" Matthew feels has taken place occurred, it's really difficult to reach firm conclusions.'
Cardinal George Pell: Key facts that we know about him

Cardinal George Pell, one of Pope Francis's most senior advisers, was charged with multiple historical sex offences on Thursday.

An Australian, the Vatican's treasurer, and the most senior figure in the Catholic Church to face charges of committing sexual offences, Pell strenuously denies the charges.

He is charged to appear before a Melbourne court on July 18.

Here are some key facts about him:

- Pell was born on June 8, 1941, in the country town of Ballarat in the state of Victoria in south Australia.

- Pell was ordained as a priest in 1966 and served in his home state from 1971 to 1983, including 10 years in Ballarat.

- In 1996 he became the Archbishop of Melbourne, a role in which he helped establish the 'Melbourne Response', the Catholic Church's first formal system of handling abuse complaints in Australia.

- He was appointed Archbishop of Sydney, Australia's most senior Catholic role, in 2001.

- The following year, Pell stepped aside to face a closed hearing over abuse allegations dating back to the 1960s. The Church committee hearing the allegations found insufficient evidence to justify further action and Pell resumed his role.

- In 2003, Pell was made a cardinal.

- With the death of Pope John II in 2005, Australian media identify Pell as a contender to succeed him.

- Pell's work at the Vatican increased by 2012 and he was asked by Pope Benedict XVI to join a high-ranking papal assembly. In 2013, Pope Francis appointed him to an eight-member group to advise on reforming the Church.

- In 2014 he was appointed Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, the Vatican's first financial controller.

- Pell appeared at an Australian government inquiry into institutional child abuse in 2016, testifying via videolink from Rome because he was too sick to fly home. He said the Church made 'catastrophic' choices by minimising its response to, and covering up, abuse complaints.

- Australian police travelled to Rome later that year to interview Pell about the abuse complaints.

Additional reporting by Reuters.
Cardinal Pell leaves Vatican to face abuse charges in native Australia

A top Vatican official charged in his native Australia with historical sex crimes is on his way home where he is due in court, Australia's Channel 9 reported, as it broadcast video of the adviser to Pope Francis on a stop-off in Singapore.

police charged Cardinal George Pell late last month, making the Vatican economy minister the highest-ranking Church official to face such accusations. Pell has declared his innocence and said he would return to Australia to clear his name.

Channel 9 broadcast video taken by a tourist of Pell in casual attire with a companion outside an ice cream shop in Singapore. The tourist told Pell his mother wanted to know if he was innocent

'Tell her that I am,' Pell said.

Channel 9 published the video on its Facebook page late on Saturday and said it had been taken earlier in the day.

Pell is on leave of absence to defend himself and the video marks the first time he has been seen in public outside Rome since police charged him.

He is due to appear in a Melbourne court on July 26.

Pell's Australian lawyer could not be reached by telephone and did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Church of England backs special services marking new identities for transgender people

Church of England bishops are to consider preparing service materials for transgender people following a vote by its General Synod this afternoon.

A motion from the Blackburn diocese proposed by the Rev Chris Newlands called on the House of Bishops to 'consider whether some nationally commended liturgical materials might be prepared to mark a person's gender transition'.

He referred in a briefing paper to a man he calls 'George', who had transitioned from being female and felt the need to 'reintroduce himself to God, with his new name and gender identity'. Speaking to the Synod he said this case was 'the spark which turned my desire to speak out for trans people into a flame'. He also spoke of another case in which parents with a transgender child in an evangelical Church of England parish had received support from 'many if not all' church families. They hoped the Church would 'soon learn to offer them not just grudging acceptance but full acceptance and support'.

'Our welcome has to be Christlike, our arms outsretched in love,' Newlands said. 'The welcome we offer is the mark of our ministry in Jesus name.'

While he acknowledge worship material was available, he said: 'For a service of welcome and affirmation for transgender people, we can do better than adapting something already there. They deserve better than that.'

An amendment proposed by Dr Nick Land calling on the Synod to 'acknowledge different understandings around gender dysphoria and the field of gender identity more widely' and urging further theological reflection did not pass. Land said that while it was right that the Church should be welcoming transgender people who were often vulnerable, marginalised and bullied, liturgy needed to follow theology and that serious theological thinking was required. He also queried whether the Church had adequately addressed pastoral, sociological and practical issues.

While some speakers expressed similar reservations, others stressed the need to make the Church's welcome unequivocal. The Bishop of Worcester, John Inge, said: 'Passing this motion today will have a very powerful effect in terms of the signals it sends out.'

The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, said the motion had been carefully crafted to urge the bishops to consider the creation of materials for transgender people. He urged the Synod to support it.

The Gender Identity Research and Education Service estimated in 2009 that up to half a million people in the UK have 'experienced some degree of gender variance', with between 60,000 and 90,000 desiring 'complete role adaptation'. There are thought to be around 6,000 'presenting' trans people in the UK.

Many conservatives argue that gender is fixed at birth and cannot be changed, and resist surgical and other therapies aimed at gender reassignment. However, while the bishops have acknowledged opposing views can be conscientiously held on the question, it already allows priests to marry transgender people if they wish.
Episcopal Church priest arrested for pulling out gun in road rage incident

An Episcopal Church priest has been arrested after allegedly pulling a gun in a road rage incident.

William Rian Adams, 35, a priest at Calvary Episcopal Church in Fletcher, North Carolina, was involved in an incident near Palm City in Florida, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Its statement said Adams pointed his Glock 22 at a blue pick-up that attempted to overtake his red Corvette.

'As the victim attempted to pass the Corvette, the driver (Adams) pointed a semi-automatic handgun at them,' read the report.

However, Adams said the pick-up drew alongside him and the passenger screamed and him and threw a soda at his car. He said the gun remained under the passenger seat the whole time, with the magazine in the glove compartment.

He was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and held at the Martin County Jail under a $15,000 bond.

Adams has been a rector of the church since September 2016.

According to the Spartanburg Herald Journal, Adams spent 10 years in the military as a chaplain. He was involved in a helicopter crash that forced him to retire.

His church has so far declined to comment on the incident.
Iraq's Prime Minister congratulates troops for 'great victory' over IS in Mosul

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Mosul on Sunday and congratulated the armed forces for their 'victory' over Islamic State after eight months of urban warfare, bringing an end to three years of jihadist rule in the city.

The battle has left large parts of Mosul in ruins, killed thousands of civilians and displaced nearly 1 million people.

'The commander in chief of the armed forces (Prime Minister) Haider al-Abadi arrived in the liberated city of Mosul and congratulated the heroic fighters and Iraqi people for the great victory,' his office said in a statement.

The decaying corpses of militants lay in the narrow streets of the Old City where Islamic State has staged a last stand against Iraqi forces backed by a US-led coalition.

The group vowed to 'fight to the death' in Mosul, but Iraqi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasool told state TV earlier on Sunday that 30 militants had been killed attempting to escape by swimming across the River Tigris that bisects the city.

Cornered in a shrinking area, the militants have resorted to sending women suicide bombers among the thousands of civilians who are emerging from the battlefield wounded, malnourished and fearful.

The battle has also exacted a heavy toll on Iraq's security forces.

The Iraqi government does not reveal casualty figures, but a funding request from the US Department of Defense said the elite Counter Terrorism Service, which has spearheaded the fight in Mosul, had suffered 40 percent losses.

The United States leads an international coalition that is backing the campaign against Islamic State in Mosul by conducting airstrikes against the militants and assisting troops on the ground.

The Department of Defense has requested $1.269 billion in US budget funds for 2018 to continue supporting Iraqi forces.

Without Mosul  by far the largest city to fall under militant control  Islamic State's dominion in Iraq will be reduced to mainly rural, desert areas west and south of the city where tens of thousands of people live.

It is almost exactly three years since the ultra-hardline group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a 'caliphate' spanning Syria and Iraq from the pulpit of the medieval Grand al-Nuri mosque.

Abadi declared the end of Islamic State's 'state of falsehood' a week ago, after security forces retook the mosque  although only after retreating militants blew it up.

The United Nations predicts it will cost more than $1 billion to repair basic infrastructure in Mosul. In some of the worst affected areas, almost no buildings appear to have escaped damage and Mosul's dense construction means the extent of the devastation might be underestimated, UN officials said.

The militants are expected to revert to insurgent tactics as they lose territory.

The fall of Mosul also exposes ethnic and sectarian fractures between Arabs and Kurds over disputed territories or between Sunnis and the Shi'ite majority that have plagued Iraq for more than a decade.
Trump leaves US isolated on climate change, trade at G20

Leaders from the world's leading economies broke with US President Donald Trump on climate policy at a G20 summit on Saturday, in a rare public admission of disagreement and blow to multilateral cooperation.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, keen to show off her skills as a mediator two months before a German election, achieved her primary goal at the meeting in Hamburg, convincing her fellow leaders to support a single communique with pledges on trade, finance, energy and Africa.

But the divide between Trump, elected on a pledge to put 'America First', and the 19 other members of the club, including countries as diverse as Japan, Saudi Arabia and Argentina, was stark.

Last month Trump announced he was pulling the United States out of a landmark international climate accord clinched two years ago in Paris.

'In the end, the negotiations on climate reflect dissent  all against the United States of America,' Merkel told reporters at the end of the meeting.

'And the fact that negotiations on trade were extraordinarily difficult is due to specific positions that the United States has taken.'

The summit, marred by violent protests that left the streets of Hamburg littered with burning cars and broken shop windows, brought together a volatile mix of leaders at a time of major change in the global geo-political landscape.

Trump's shift to a more unilateral, transactional diplomacy has left a void in global leadership, unsettling traditional allies in Europe and opening the door to rising powers like China to assume a bigger role.

Tensions between Washington and Beijing dominated the run-up to the meeting, with the Trump administration ratcheting up pressure on President Xi Jinping to rein in North Korea and threatening punitive trade measures on steel.

Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time in Hamburg, a hotly anticipated encounter after the former real estate mogul promised a rapprochement with Moscow during his campaign, only to be thwarted by accusations of Russian meddling in the vote and investigations into the Russia ties of Trump associates.

Putin said at the conclusion of the summit on Saturday that Trump had quizzed him on the alleged meddling in a meeting that lasted over two hours but seemed to have been satisfied with the Kremlin leader's denials of interference.

Trump had accused Russia of destabilising behaviour in Ukraine and Syria before the summit. But in Hamburg he struck a conciliatory tone, describing it as an honour to meet Putin and signalling, through Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, that he preferred to focus on future ties and not dwell on the past.

'It was an extraordinarily important meeting,' Tillerson said, describing a 'very clear positive chemistry' between Trump and the former KGB agent.

In the final communique, the 19 other leaders took note of the US decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord and declared it 'irreversible'.

For its part, the United States injected a contentious line saying that it would 'endeavour to work closely with other countries to help them access and use fossil fuels more cleanly and efficiently.'

French President Emmanuel Macron led a push to soften the US language.

'There is a clear consensus absent the United States,' said Thomas Bernes, a distinguished fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. 'But that is a problem. Without the largest economy in the world how far can you go?'

Jennifer Morgan, executive director at Greenpeace, said the G19 had 'held the line' against Trump's 'backward decision' to withdraw from Paris.

On trade, another sticking point, the leaders agreed they would 'fight protectionism including all unfair trade practices and recognise the role of legitimate trade defence instruments in this regard.'

The leaders also pledged to work together to foster economic development in Africa, a priority project for Merkel.

Merkel chose to host the summit in Hamburg, the port city where she was born, to send a signal about Germany's openness to the world, including its tolerance of peaceful protests.

It was held only a few hundred metres from one of Germany's most potent symbols of left-wing resistance, a former theatre called the 'Rote Flora' which was taken over by anti-capitalist squatters nearly three decades ago.

Over the three days of the summit, radicals looted shops, torched cars and lorries. More than 200 police were injured and some 143 people have been arrested and 122 taken into custody.

Some of the worst damage was done as Merkel hosted other leaders at for a concert and lavish dinner at the Elbphilharmonie, a modernist glass concert hall overlooking the Elbe River.

Merkel met police and security force after the summit to thank them, and condemned the 'unbridled brutality' of some of the protesters, but she was forced to answer tough questions about hosting the summit in Hamburg during her closing press conference.
No matter how much politicians promise to protect us, technology and globalization will continue to transform the American workplace, driving the U.S. economy to abandon simpler, labor-intensive production processes, turn increasingly toward more mechanized, digitized, high-value efforts, and, accordingly, demand an ever-better-trained workforce. Though these trends should generally create prosperity, they will also bring significant social disruptions. Indeed, they already have: income disparities between rich and poor have widened, with the skilled and educated seeing enhanced earning opportunities and the less skilled and less educated finding their options constrained. Less and less is left of the old, stable middle class, the product of an era when the semiskilled could maintain security in a job for life. Unless we can better prepare workers for this dramatic economic shift, social decline will worsen.

One popular response, obviously given prominent voice in the 2016 election, would seek to block globalization and otherwise search for ways to force up wages for the less skilled. Its an understandable reaction, but whatever Washington thinks of its powers, it can neither turn back the clock nor repeal economic laws. Trade protections and legislated wage supports will not only fail to protect the vulnerable; they will also inflict broader economic harm. Policymakers would do better to accommodate the impact of globalization and technological innovation, refocus the economy accordingly, alter the nature of the workplace, and train (and retrain) the labor force. Only in this way can the United States ease social frictions and ensure a healthy new middle class for the twenty-first century.

In many respects, the disruption that the American economy is experiencing is an old story. Technological advancements have pressured economies in one way or another since the Industrial Revolution. Each innovation and each advance in world trade have more thoroughly mechanized production processes and moved them to cheaper, more efficient venues. And each economic development has demanded more of workers. The first spinning machines and power looms required training for people with no experience operating equipment beyond driving a horse-drawn reaper or working a hand loom. No doubt a search of commentary from the period would reveal a familiar anxiety over the fate of workers who either would not or could not learn the new techniquesand perhaps also about growing income disparities between those who could adapt to these new challenges and those who could not.

The pace of change has quickened since the end of World War II. Even as American manufacturing enjoyed its heyday during the 1950s and 1960s, technological advances helped managers produce more with fewer workers, slashing costs. Rudimentary computerization enabled offices and other service industries to follow suit. Industrial output exploded, rising almost 4 percent a year, on average, but the creation of well-paying jobs lagged, expanding at a mere 0.8 percent annual rate. Meantime, Europe and Japan leveraged their then-lower wage scales to compete increasingly with American production and American workers.

Though the middle class was doing well at the time, the 1950s film The Desk Set reflected popular fears of how computerization would vaporize formerly secure, well-paying office jobs. The film ended happily for all, but computers really would supplant workers. Foreign competition, even at this early stage of globalization, cost jobs, too. By the 1960s, American trade representative Michael Blumenthal was warning that, for every car that Detroit sold abroad, Americans were buying three foreign imports. President John F. Kennedy, noting the effects of both import competition and automation, warned of the dark menace of industrial dislocation, increasing unemployment, and deepening poverty. By the 1970s, AFL-CIO president George Meany was complaining loudly about the rising market share of imports. Describing free trade as a joke and a myth, he demanded tighter restraints on imports.

By the 1980s, Japanese gains had trade hawks riveted. Lost market share, especially in autos and steel, meant layoffs in Detroit and Pittsburgh. Elsewhere, manufacturing kept using technology to shed workers. While industrial production rose some 20 percent over the course of that decade, manufacturing employment fell 7.4 percent. In services, computerization and automation advanced to the point where the fears expressed in The Desk Set started to become reality. Answering machines replaced thousands of telephone operators across the country. Word processing made many typists redundant. Automatic teller machines, even as they gave millions of people access to their own money outside bankers hours, put others out of work. Most found alternative employment. The country increased jobs overall during this time18 million over the course of the decade. But the new jobs, not as secure as the old ones, often paid less.

As the twentieth century drew to a close, the rise of emerging economies, mostly in Asia, presented more aggressive wage competition than ever: workers in these economies get paid as little as one-hundredth of what Americans earn, a much greater gap than ever existed with Europe and Japan. Because these economies have focused their production on simpler, labor-intensive processes, where their relatively low literacy rates and skill levels matter less, the impact on semiskilled and unskilled American workers was profound. Once-reliable sectors for low-skilled American workerstextiles, clothing, shoes, the assembly of retail electronics, retail call centersall but vanished from the U.S. economy. Those finding alternative employment have suffered wage declines of between 15 percent and 40 percent.

The relentless advance of computer technology has disrupted entire industries in the twenty-first century. By making it possible to prepare and send documents electronically, computer technology has eliminated countless office and retail clerical positions, for instance, as well as messenger and delivery jobs. By enabling the just-in-time monitoring and maintenance of warehouse inventories, computerization has eliminated scores of positions in retail and wholesale operations. Robots, long used in auto assembly and other heavy manufacturing to eliminate thousands of assembly-line jobs for the semiskilled, now enhanced with artificial intelligence, will soon threaten jobs in myriad fields.

Businesses are doing more with fewer and fewer workers. Since 1990, the economy has increased its production of real goods and services some 85 percent, but weve seen overall job growth of only 31 percent. Many have gained spectacularly from these advances, but that is cold comfort to displaced workers.

All this change was certain to cause social frictions. But by offering enhanced benefits to top earners, the new economy has intensified the frictions. Productivity advances from labor-saving innovations have accrued to this classworkers with the training to run the new systems and equipment and the managers and shareholders of the more efficient and more profitable operations. But in addition to this pattern, which held in previous technological periods as well, globalization now offers the added boon of easier access to global markets and command of greater productive resourcesnatural, capital, and laborespecially overseas. Instead of dividing revenues with relatively expensive American labor, those at the top can now accrue a huge surplus by producing in the cheapest place and selling to the world.

National income and tax statistics capture the cumulative effect. The richest tenth of the population has seen its income grow five times faster over the last two decades than the bottom fifth. The earnings of the top 20th during this time have risen some 9 percent a year, while the bottom 20th has suffered a 2.5 percent rate of decline. The top quarter of earners has gone from making ten times the pay of the bottom quarter in the 1970s to some 15 times today. The IRS notes that the wealthiest 1 percent of income-tax payers commands some 22 percent of the total income subject to tax, while the bottom 50 percent commands less than 13 percentboth greater extremes than ever before recorded.

Yes, many analyses have called into question the precise import of these statistical comparisons. Some point out how such figures fail to account for much more generous public benefits than existed 20 years ago. These data also fail to account for mobility between income cohorts; those at the bottom seldom stay there but instead often rise through the income distribution over time. Others argue that what matters most is whether most people are better off than they were, not how much richer the rich get. These contrary points are valid and warrant attention. Still, they cannot change the picture of a much less equal workplace and one in which the old middle class, with its once-large component of semiskilled workers, seems on the way to extinction.

As these pressures increase, a broad constituency has formed to demand, usually of government, an end to the pain. Merchants and local governments in the regions most affected have joined the outcry as they have lost business and tax revenues to factory closures and layoffs. Their representatives in Washington have tallied the votes in favor of relief and picked up the call, as has the media. The backlash has focused more on one cause of the woeglobalizationthan on anothertechnologyprobably because Americans are culturally disposed to cheer technological advancement. The emerging robotics may test that inclination.

Donald Trump, of course, has been the most prominent voice of antiglobalization, promising to protect American jobs with an average 20 percent tariff on all imported goods and a 45 percent tariff on Chinese imports. He also touted a 35 percent levy on goods entering the country from the Mexican operations of U.S.-based firms. Some of his Republican rivals for the nomination spoke out against free trade, too. On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders bragged that he had voted against every major trade agreement since he entered Congress and promised to resist all efforts at trade promotion. During her campaign, Hillary Clinton turned against the two pending trade agreements, the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. She also reprised her positions from her 2008 run for the Democratic nomination, when she sharply criticized the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico and otherwise called for a time out on trade deals.

Other efforts to address the problem have focused more on symptoms than on presumed causes. The widening use of food stamps, for instance, aims at restoring a living standard that many less skilled workers can no longer secure with their paychecks. Renewed efforts to increase the minimum wage would, advocates claim, boost incomes for the less skilled. Alternatively, government has tried to protect jobs and push up incomes artificially through subsidies to struggling industries. Direct cash transfers are less popular in the U.S. than in Europe. Here, both federal and state governments prefer special tax breaks to accomplish the same ends.

All these notions, however well-intentioned and emotionally understandable, constitute a cure worse than the disease. Certainly, minimum-wage hikes can do little to bolster the beleaguered middle class. Politicians and even some policymakers might believe that ordering management to pay a regulated wage will raise incomes; but no business, large or small, can pay people more than they produce, at least not for long. Complying with such laws would force marginal firms out of business, costing jobs. Others would defray the increased wage cost by installing robots and other labor-saving devices. The few workers left to manage the equipment would do better, but most others would lose out entirely.

Subsidies or tax breaks to affected industries are another long-term dead end. Taxpayers wind up footing the bill, either funding the amount handed over or making up for the taxes not paid by those getting the breaks. Such burdens would then impede general economic progress by shortchanging other worthy government projects, such as making infrastructure improvements or bringing the unemployed back to work through retraining or using a general tax cut to promote economic dynamism and encourage hiring. Worse, by making others pay, subsidies not only strip from the favored few the incentive to adapt but also rob the unfavored of the means to do so. And for all this cost, history shows that subsidies rarely protect jobs or boost worker incomes. The industries receiving them seldom pass the benefit on to their employees, whom they often replace with labor-saving technologies, anyway. Management, not the broader workforce, tends to gain from such policies.

Full-scale antiglobalization measures would be extremely damaging. Protected firms and their workers might benefit, but other firms, denied access to inexpensive imports, would be less profitable, and production cutbacks and layoffs would follow. If these firms instead were to pass on the increased cost of inputs through higher prices, consumers would take the hit. Price comparisons between imports and domestically produced goods and services during the last 20 years show that, were it not for relatively free trade, the cost of living in the U.S. would have risen half again faster than it has. The Peter G. Peterson Institute for International Economics estimates that trades downward pressure on living costs over this time has cumulatively given every man, woman, and child in the United States as much as $3,300 a year in additional buying power. These benefits would disappear under a protectionist regime.

Businesses and unions are well aware of these issues. All would love subsidies and protection from foreign competition, but none seems willing to pay the price for others to receive them, as two brief anecdotes illustrate. When, some years ago, the AFL-CIO advocated trade restraint, the carpenters and teamsters unions dissented. Though happy to relieve others from foreign competition, they were unwilling, they made clear, to force higher living costs on their own members. And when, in 2002, President George W. Bush placed tariffs on imported steel, he immediately faced opposition from domestic steel usersthe makers of appliances, autos, and the like. All objected strenuously to the need to pay more for a vital input. Even the United Auto Workers complained, seeing the threat to its members jobs. The president eventually bowed to the pressure.

Avoiding the onerous costs of protectionism should not mean ignoring the plight of displaced workers, passively watching the destruction of the middle class, or suffering social instability. On the contrary, with will and thought, the United States can prosper by retooling the skills and orientation of its workforce.

The first step would be to acknowledge that the labor-intensive industries on which the lower middle class once depended will not return, at least in their old form. Wage competition from emerging economies is simply too intense for domestic operations to compete in the labor-heavy production of shoes, toys, textiles, and the like. Robotics and other technological applications may render domestic operations in these areas viable again, but they will not bring a massive number of low-skilled jobs with them.

The economy we need would instead embrace the turn toward digitized, mechanized processes and focus more on the production of sophisticated, high-value-added products. Only these can support jobs at middle-class wages. The U.S., which enjoys a comparative advantage in these areas, should be able to make the transition. (See box, page 28.) The average American worker, for instance, has 20 times the productive equipment and computing power at his or her disposal than workers in Chinaand more still than workers in India, Brazil, Vietnam, or Indonesia. And American workers have other advantages. Adult literacy in the United States exceeds 99 percent, compared with 91 percent in China, 90 percent in Indonesia and Vietnam, 89 percent in Brazil, and only 61 percent in India. For all we hear about impressive engineers and other professionals from China, India, and other emerging economies, the average worker has just 6.4 years of formal education in China, 5.1 years in India, and 4.9 years in Brazilcompared with 13 years for workers in the U.S.

Market forces already have been transforming the American economy along these lines for a while. The American chemical industry, for instance, has moved the production of standardized products overseas but has kept more complex, high-value, and customized activities at home. IBM decided as early as 2004 that the production of personal computers had become standardized and sold that division to the Chinese producer Lenovo. In announcing the sale, IBM also mentioned its domestic shift to sophisticated consulting services. General Electric has divided its massive power-equipment division, sending its routine, low-value assembly and parts manufacturing to emerging economies, while reserving for its costlier but better-trained American workforce the more demanding areas of power-plant design, construction, and installation. Even the clothing and textiles industry, while sending conventional woolen and cotton spinning, weaving, cutting, and assembly work abroad, still makes expensive specialty products in the U.S., including the highly mechanized production of synthetic industrial fabrics.

The nature of the workplace has also begun to reflect the new realities. The emphasis on higher-value product is shifting managements focus from standardized mass production to quality control, planning, and design. Because so much high-value product is customized, at least to a degree, employee communication skills, both internally and with customers, are increasingly prized by management. The growing preponderance of better-trained workers, with responsibilities for sophisticated equipment, systems, and client communication, has begun to create different management styles. Hierarchies have become less rigid. Labor Department surveys of how firms apportion employee functions capture these changes. The proportion of positions in straight supervision has dropped 5.5 percent over the past decade, even as the proportion of those involved in planning, design, quality control, and related areas has risen some 22 percent. These shifts are happening even in such seemingly traditional industries as paper, autos, aircraft, and railroad equipment.

America clearly will need a workforce trained to meet future needs. Education at the university level will have a role in that effort, as ever, but the crucial step will be vocational training to upgrade the skill set of new entrants to the job force as well as those displaced from old industries or old jobs. So far, Washington has missed the point. President Obama and the Beltway bureaucracy focused almost exclusively on higher education, particularly the study of science, technology, engineering, and mathematicsthe so-called STEM subjects. STEM graduates will undoubtedly play a big role in the economy of the future, but they will have less to do with rebuilding the middle class. To do that, Washington needs to end its obsession with advanced degrees and instead help those who want to become machinists, robot-repair technicians, installation specialists, client-liaison managers, and other occupations that tend to require a posthigh school education but not a four-year university diploma. Helping these kinds of aspirants would surely constitute a better use of the $50 billion a year that the country presently spends on benefits to displaced workers, mostly to warehouse them. As the National Bureau of Economic Research has documented, workers with marketable education and training are no less secure than their counterparts four decades ago.

Community colleges have made strides reorienting their curriculums toward vocational training. In North Carolinaparticularly in counties devastated by the loss of the textile industrycommunity colleges have reached out to firms across the country and around the world, promising them that, if they relocate nearby, they can help write the schools curriculum. The response has been remarkably positive. Some states have moved in this direction, as well. Michigan has had success retraining autoworkers, for example, while South Carolinas retraining program reportedly boosts the earning power of its participants. The forging of a new middle class depends on many more such efforts, including training partnerships between government, community colleges, business, and private vocational schools.

The Trump administration and other policymakers would be wise to take a serious look at the German approach to equipping citizens with the skills theyll need in tomorrows economy. There, vocational education is serious business, with robust programs designed for both the young and for displaced workers. Todays German workforce boasts higher average skill levels than are found in most countries, and Germany has one of the flattest income distributions in the developed worldand one of the lowest unemployment rates.

For the young, Germany offers a well-established apprenticeship program, allowing bright young men and women to pursue vocational training while on the payroll of participating companies. Candidates in these programs are assigned mentors, who first teach so-called soft skillsthe need, for example, to report ready to work and on time every day. The training then progresses to simple job skills and ultimately the high-level skills that can command good pay. Many apprentices become lifelong friends with their mentors and repay the training with strong company loyalty.

The two-decade-old Hartz reformsnamed after Peter Hartz, head of a German commission on labor-market reformshave created a number of vocational retraining initiatives for the unemployed. Participants unemployment benefits remain contingent on their active involvement in the plan and are limited to between six and 12 months overall. After exhausting unemployment relief, those who have still not found work see their benefits decline to the level of the countrys means-tested welfare system. Those who decline training or refuse to relocate to take advantage of suitable work likewise lose some of their benefits.

The system also holds social-safety-net bureaucrats accountable to quantitative goals. It helps them meet their targets by authorizing unemployment offices to serve as temporary work agencies. If the unemployment office fails to place a person within six weeks, it must give him a voucher to pay the fees of a private placement agency. The system successfully moves the unemployed to higher-skilled jobs that, like the countrys apprenticeship program, benefit the worker, businesses, and the German economy.

Even if the U.S. chose to emulate the German model in some fashion, another problem would remain: how to make arrangements for those cognitively or emotionally incapable of reentering the workforce. Too many displaced workers seem unwilling to seek out training opportunities. Perhaps despondent or bitter or both, they often remain on government relief and make little effort to get back into the job market. Older workers, especially, have trouble relocating to find work.

In some cases, technology can substitute for individual inadequaciesas supermarket scanners, for instance, have reduced the need for numerate checkout clerks. Some in this cohort will find work in these or other remaining low-skilled positionsthough many of these jobs are being fully automated. Perhaps, as the new economys winners grow richer, more opportunities for the less skilled will open in service positions, though the salaries may fall short of a middle-class standard. If such positions are still too few, society will have to see to the needs of this unfortunate group. Whenever possible, government aid should be connected to work of some kind. Even if not viable in a strict market sense, this work could serve a public need and, importantly, give these people a sense of self-worth that handouts cannot provide.

Adapting to our emerging economic reality is unavoidable. The question is not whether the country will make the changes but whether it can do so with significant amelioration of pain and avoidance of social stress. Even at its smoothest, the effort presents serious obstacles. Experimentation, tolerance for failure, and attention to the experiences of others will all be required. Still, we should take heart in the fact that businesses, workers, and even governments have already begun the process, and in time, their efforts are likely to become more effective. If Washington could think outside the Beltway, for a change, it would help a lot. It would be foolish to be complacent about the countrys ability to meet the challenges of work in the twenty-first century. At the same time, the evidence argues strongly against despair.

Top Photo: The United States can learn from German apprenticeship programs, which have improved the skills of both new and displaced workers. (DANIEL KARMANN/PICTURE-ALLIANCE/DPA/AP IMAGES)
WASHINGTON  It is sometimes argued that the media should spend less time on President Trumps transgressive tweets in order to devote more attention to real issues such as North Korea. In fact, it is necessary to focus on Trumps tweets precisely because they shed light on the mind that is doing the deciding on North Korea. It is a distasteful exercise. But we cannot look away. We need to know the state of mind were dealing with.

Trumps tweets reveal a leader who is compulsive, abusive and easily triggered. Trump describes all this as modern day presidential. Lincoln had his Gettysburg Address. Franklin Roosevelt had his Four Freedoms. But modern schoolchildren will learn the Mika bloody facelift tweet.

What we are witnessing is not a new age in presidential communications. It is an ongoing, public breakdown. And the question naturally arises: Is this the result of mental dysfunction?

Most psychiatrists are (understandably) uncomfortable with diagnosis from a distance. And the particular diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder requires significant impairment  which is a hard case to make of a figure at the pinnacle of American politics.

And yet. There are judgments that must be made about the fitness of the leaders. Citizens are under no ethical obligation to be silent when they see serious dysfunction. The challenge here is not merely the trashing of political norms. The main problem is the possibility that America has an unbalanced president during a period of high-stakes global testing. This is not a clinical diagnosis. It is a civic and political judgment, made necessary by the presidents own words and acts. Trump holds a job that requires, above all else, the ability to unite and steady the nation in a time of crisis. There is no reason to believe he can play that role.

Much of the prudence and courage required to confront this problem will need to come from Republicans and conservatives. Where to start? How about refusing to downplay revolting lunacy?

It is not merely an occasional ad hominem for a president to employ the tremendous power of his office to target individual American citizens who oppose him. It is an abuse of power.

It is not merely uncouth for a president to tolerate, even to hint support for, violence against political opponents (Id like to punch him in the face). It creates an atmosphere of intimidation.

It is not merely exaggeration for a president to issue a series of eye-stretching lies, including that his predecessor spied on him and that a popular vote victory was denied to him by widespread electoral fraud. It indicates either a deep cynicism or a tenuous connection to reality.

It is not being coarse for a president to engage in consistent misogyny. It is a sign of a disturbing and deep-seated dehumanization of women.

Many conservatives would respond to this critique by saying, At least he fights! The question is: For what? Trump evinces no strong or consistent policy views. He fights for himself  for admiration and adulation  which is the only cause his extreme narcissism allows.

Many conservatives would also respond by saying, At least he does conservative things! But if health care is any indication, Trump lacks conviction, knowledge and the ability to persuade. Other than that, he is Ronald Reagan incarnate.

Trumps conservative defenders are attempting something extraordinary: to politically normalize abnormal psychology. Their sycophancy enables a sickness.

What next? Applying the 25th Amendment (containing the procedure to remove an unfit president from office) is a practical impossibility, since it involves the Cabinet turning against the president. But House and Senate Republicans should be prepared to aggressively challenge unbalanced or unhinged presidential language and decisions, rather than trying to dismiss them as simply a distraction.

And responsible officials in the executive branch  particularly at the State Department, Department of Defense, Justice Department and in the various intelligence services  may also need to provide an internal check on foolish, precipitous orders. The option here is to refuse, to defy, to resign (or be fired) and then to publicly provide the reasons.

No one really knows how to deal with this situation, which still feels more like an unnerving political novel than our political reality. Trump has led our country into unexplored territory. If this is modern day presidential, all progress moves toward the past.
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One can learn a great deal by looking at the history of a word.

Take, for example, the word blowback.

The term initially referred to pressure created from exploding gunpowder.

The earliest printed use I can find appears in 1895 in a report by the Secretary of War on tests of the Seabury six-pounder rapid-fire gun at Sandy Hook Proving Ground.

In the 1950s, the CIA began using the term to describe unintended consequences resulting from foreign operations. An example is how U.S. support of the Shah of Iran bolstered the Iranian Revolution and led to the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini.

But the term blowback acquired new life after 2000 when it began being applied to a wide range of domestic political situations. Today the word appears in print more than twice as often as it did two decades ago.

Why is that?

I believe it is because we are searching for ways to explain the predictable irrationality of contemporary political life, and blowback  an automatic, mechanical reaction opposite to the direction of an intended action  serves that purpose.

To anyone who wonders how we got into the current healthcare morass, blowback offers a serviceable explanation. In 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law after two years of contentious debate and a largely party-line vote in both the House and the Senate.

Most Democrats seemed to believe that the chief struggle was in getting the law passed, not winning popular support for it. But by 2013, only 40 percent of Americans supported the law, and pledges to repeal Obamacare became a key factor in the Republican dominance of recent legislative and executive races.

The thing to remember about blowback, however, is that it is not a reflective response to bad policy; it is an automatic, emotional response to how something is done. Democrats used political coercion and manipulation to push the law through; voters resented it, and Republicans capitalized on that resentment to give momentum to their campaigns.

But those who seek to repeal the ACA have no shared vision regarding what the future of health care should look like. That is what makes this a classic case of blowback. The energy to repeal does not come out of a shared desire for a future good; all the energy comes from a shared reaction to an event in the past.

This means there is little opportunity in the present day political debate for those who wish to talk about meaningful health-care reform, which is unfortunate, because we have more data, more experience, more tools than ever before to design a system that could provide better health outcomes at lower cost for the entire population. In controversial political issues, blowback occurs because of pressure from voters, but pressure does not mean agreement on anything substantial. There is no focused direction to blowback except away. It is a non-rational response.

Somehow both politicians and voters conveniently forget about this whenever they are temporarily on the winning side of an issue.

Accomplishing long-lasting political change takes moral persuasion  convincing a substantial majority of voters that some law or policy is good or right.

Conversely, using coercion, manipulation or deception to force a political outcome results in blowback as surely and inevitably as the firing of an explosive charge produces back pressure.

Understanding this is what distinguishes great leaders from short-sighted leaders.

When people are asked to name the leaders they admire most, surveys conducted all over the world reveal three names consistently appearing at the top of the list: Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.

All three of them consistently rejected short-term means to achieve their goals. They understood that political coercion, manipulation and deception would eventually produce anger and resentment, so they instead relied upon moral persuasion.

Mandela expressed this through his commitment to nonviolent means: Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

Gandhi expressed it through his efforts to transform society by appealing directly to the masses: A nations culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.

King expressed it in his willingness to take unpopular positions and endure criticism even from his supporters: A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.

It is tempting for politicians to capitalize on blowback from voters to achieve their goals, but it is a bargain with the devil. No lasting good can come of it.

We need political leaders who understand this, leaders who are willing to undertake the hard work of molding consensus through persistent efforts of moral persuasion, leaders who can provide a vision for the future, not just responses to past mistakes.

Such leadership goes well beyond the strategies required to pass a law.
Thomas Jefferson is famous for writing publicly that if given the choice between government without newspapers or newspapers without government, he would choose newspapers.

Less known is that later when problems with the press arose, he wrote privately: Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper.

So Donald Trump was not the first president to despair with fake news in the media. The problem now is that media include Internet news moderated by such Internet giants as Facebook and Google, who narrow choices so that news seekers are given only a preferred news choices. TV and radio news often seem to be more interested in market share than in the Truth, and now there is Twitter.

As we celebrate independence it is fair to ask: Can this media environment provide accurate and trustworthy news? Trump says no and controls news releases from his press conferences and manipulates the press with his tweets. And while Trumps approval is only about 37 percent, approval of the media is even lower at about 30 percent. This is especially true in states including Wisconsin that voted for Trump.

A healthy democracy benefits from well-researched news sources that are truly free and truthful. Media sources will do well to police their own colleagues for truthfulness and neutrality rather than bias and made-up facts.

Fact-checking websites are a good start, but not enough. Rather than competing for the most sensational news, seek to present accurate news that is trustworthy and builds public confidence.
In the Sunday Times Inside The City column this week, John Collingridge looks at oil giant BP , describing their annual energy outlook to 2035 as containing more than a touch of self-denial as the company predicted both hybrid and pure battery electric card would make up a rather small 6% of the global fleet by that time.

It is indeed a low prediction, with both the old guard and new faces in the automaking industry angling for greener vehicles as fuel prices remain stubbornly high and consumers come around to the idea of plugging in their family wagon overnight.

Volvo committed to manufacturing only electric vehicles within the next three years recently, something Collingridge described as a seminal moment.

The Swedish carmaker wants to be sell a million electric cars each year by 2025, five full years after new-kid-on-the-block, Elon Musks slick American brand Tesla, wants to do the same.

Indeed, BP was warned in May by lobby group Client Earth that it was misleading investors by not fully addressing these downside risks to demand for stick black ex-fossils.

Collingridge did point that that BP did recognise the world is changing, however, and was responding by selling more than $500bn in assets and moving away from the capital-intensive end of oil production.

At the moment, it is considering selling is Canadian tar sands to pivot its focus to exploiting existing assets - something the companys accountants would no doubt be grateful for as well.

And at the other end, chief executive Bob Dudley is putting his money on the downstream end - selling motorists more flat whites and sausage rolls at motorway services - with the company expanding its partnerships with retailers like Marks & Spencer.

Its focus on gas was also not a bad play, Collingridge said, with the power for electric cars needing to be generated by something, and coal on the way out as a fuel of favour for power companies.

In those senses, BP was moving faster than its peers such as ExxonMobil in modernising in the face of some serious risks to demand for oil.

But is it moving fast enough to keep pace with the seismic shifts in the world of power? Its reluctance to admit to the scale of change suggests not. Avoid.

Over in the Mail on Sunday, Midas spoke of Wincanton delivering for shareholders despite the recent dip in the share price, after the column recommended the shares last November at 208p.

They managed to get above 300p in June, before taking a dive at the end of the month, though they still stand above 242p - making for a capital gain of 17%, alongside a 6.1p final dividend announced in May since the recommendation.

The companys timeline since November hadnt exactly been plain sailing, however, with the firm losing its large Tesco warehousing contract, but picking up retailers Ikea and Wilko along the way.

And while revenue did drop 2.6%, with headline profits also softening, Midas put this down to a one-off gain from the sale of a non-core operation in the prior year, noting underlying profits were still 18% higher.

The firm had also made progress with its pensions deficit, bringing it down to 78m from 105m, and Wincanton had also brought down debt thanks to that one-off sale.

The dividend and share price rise at Wincanton, despite the recent dip, represent an excellent return of well over 20 per cent in roughly eight months.

Please note: Digital Look provides a round-up of news, tips and information that is impacting share prices and the market. Digital Look cannot take any responsibility for information provided by third parties. This is for your general information only and not intended to be relied upon by users in making an investment decision or any other decision. Please obtain a copy of the relevant publication and carry out your own research before considering acting on any of this information.
By Martha Rosenberg

Recently, Organic Consumers Association, along with Friends of the Earth and Center for Food Safety filed suit against chicken giant Sanderson Farms for falsely marketing its products as 100% Natural even though they contain many unnatural and even prohibited substances.

Specifically, Sanderson chicken products tested positive for the antibiotic chloramphenical, banned in food animals, and amoxicillin, not approved for use in poultry production. Sanderson Farms products also tested positive for residues of steroids, hormones, anti-inflammatory drugseven ketamine, a drug with hallucinogenic effects.

This is far from the first time unlabeled human drugs have been found in U.S. meat. The New York Times reported that most chicken feather-meal samples examined in one study contained Tylenol, one-third contained the antihistamine Benadryl, and samples from China actually contained Prozac. The FDA has caught hatcheries injecting antibiotics directly into chicken eggs. Tyson Foods was caught injecting eggs with the dangerous human antibiotic gentamicin.

The Natural Resources Defense Council has reported the presence of the potentially dangerous herbs fo ti, lobelia, kava kava and black cohosh in the U.S. food supply as well as strong the antihistamine hydroxyzine. Most of the ingredients are from suppliers in China.

Animal Pharma still mostly under the radar

Many people have heard of Elanco, Eli Lillys animal drug division, and Bayer HealthCare Animal Health. But most big Pharma companies, including Pfizer, Merck, Boehringer Ingolheim, Sanofi and Novartis operate similar lucrative animal divisions. Unlike people Pharma, Animal Pharma largely exists under the publics radar: drug ads do not appear on TV nor do safety or marketing scandals reach Capitol Hill.

Still, conflicts of interest abound. No regulation currently exists that would prevent or restrict a veterinarian from owning their own animals and/or feed mill, says the Center for Food Safety. If a licensed veterinarian also owns a licensed medicated feed mill, they stand to profit by diagnosing a flock or herd and prescribing their own medicated feed blend.

Because the activities of Animal Pharma are so underreported, few Americans realize that most of the meat they eat is banned in other industrialized countries. One example is ractopamine, a controversial growth-promoting asthma-like drug marketed as Optaflexx for cattle, Paylean for pigs, and Topmax for turkeys and banned in the European Union, China and more than 100 other countries. Also used in U.S. meat production is Zilmax, a Merck drug similar to ractopamine that the FDA linked to 285 cattle deaths during six years of administration. Seventy-five animals lost hooves, 94 developed pneumonia and 41 developed bloat in just two years, Reuters reported.

The European Union boycotts the U.S.s hormone-grown beef. The routinely used synthetic hormones zeranol, trenbolone acetate and melengestrol acetate pose increased risks of breast cancer and prostate cancer, says the European Commissions Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures. Consumption of beef derived from Zeranol-implanted cattle may be a risk factor for breast cancer, according to an article in the journal Anticancer Research.

The European Union has also traditionally boycotted U.S. chickens because they are dipped in chlorine baths. In the U.S. its perfectly legal to wash butchered chicken in strongly chlorinated water, according to a report in the Guardian:

These practices arent allowed in the EU, and the dominant European view has been that, far from reducing contamination, they could increase it because dirty abattoirs with sloppy standards would rely on it [chlorine] as a decontaminant rather than making sure their basic hygiene protocols were up to scratch.

Other germ-killing or germ-retarding chemicals routinely used in U.S. food production include nitrites and nitrates in processed meat (declared carcinogens by the World Health Organization in 2016), the parasiticide formalin legally used in shrimp production, and carbon monoxide to keep meat looking red in the grocery store no matter how old it really is. Many thought public revulsion at the ammonia puffs used to discourage E. Coli growth in the notorious beef-derived pink slime in 2012 forced the product into retirement. But the manufacturer is fighting back aggressively.

Antibioticsthe least of the unlabeled animal drugs

According to the Center for Food Safety, Animal Pharma uses more than 450 animal drugs, drug combinations and other feed additives to promote growth of the animals and to suppress the negative effects that heavily-concentrated confinement has on farm animals.

The revelations about Sanderson Farms should come as no surprise given that despite new antibiotic regulations rolled out in 2013, and even more recently, antibiotic use in farm operations is on the rise. Sanderson Farms revelations are no surprise.

Last year I asked Senior Staff Scientist at Consumers Union Michael Hansen how the 2013 FDA guidance asking Pharma to voluntarily restrict livestock antibiotics by changing the approved uses language on labels was working out. Dr. Hansen told me growth production had been removed from labels but the drugs are still routinely used for the new indication of disease prevention.

After the guidance was published, a Reuters investigation found Tyson Foods, Pilgrims Pride, Perdue Farms, Georges and Koch Foods using antibiotics more pervasively than regulators realize. Pilgrims Prides feed mill records show the antibiotics bacitracin and monensin are added to every ration fed to a flock grown early this year. (Pilgrims Pride threatened legal action against Reuters for its finding.) Also caught red-handed using antibiotics, despite denying it on their website, was Koch Foods, a supplier to Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants. Kochs Chief Finanical Officer, Mark Kaminsky, reportedly said that he regretted the wording on the website.

But antibiotics are the least of the unlabeled drugs and chemicals lurking in meat. According to the Associated Press, U.S. chickens continue to be fed with inorganic arsenic to produce quicker weight gain with less food (the same reason antibiotics are given) despite some public outcry a few years ago. Arsenic is also given to turkeys, hogs and chickens for enhanced color. Such use contribute[s] to arsenic exposure in the U.S. population, says according to research in Environmental Health Perspectives.

The appealing pink color of farmed salmon is also achieved with the chemicals astaxanthin and canthaxanthin. In the wild, salmon eat crustaceans and algae which make them pink; on farms they are an unappetizing and unmarketable gray.

There are legitimate reasons to use drugs, primarily to treat disease. Cattle host stomach-churning liver flukes, eyeworms, lungworms, stomach worms, thin-necked intestinal worms and whipworms, all of which are treated with parasiticides. Turkeys suffer from aspergillosis (brooder pneumonia), avian influenza, avian leucosis, histomoniasis, coccidiosis, coronavirus, erysipelas, typhoid, fowl cholera, mites, lice, herpes, clostridial dermatitis, cellulitis and more for which they are also treated with unlabeled drugs. (The Federal Register says the anti-coccidial drug halofuginone used in turkeys is toxic to fish and aquatic life and an irritant to eyes and skin. Users should take care to Keep [it] out of lakes, ponds, and streams.) The endocrine disrupter Bisphenol A (BPA) has even been found in fresh turkey meat.

Food animals are also routinely given antifungal drugs and vaccines. Porcine epidemic diarrhea, which killed millions of animals in recent years, is treated with a vaccine. And a vaccine for the flock-killing bird flu is in the works. In fact, Big Food is working with Big Pharma to replace the widely assailed antibiotics with vaccines.

Drug use in food animals will get worse, not better

There are two reasons drug residues in food animals will soon grow worse, not better. In exchange for China agreeing to accept U.S. beef after a long hiatus, the U.S. agreed to import cooked chickens from China. Chinas food safety record is abysmal, including rat meat sold as lamb, gutter oil sold as cooking oil, baby formula contaminated with melamine and frequent bird flu epidemics. Globalization dangers already exist with seafood, most of which comes from countries that use chemicals and drugs banned in the U.S.

The second reason is the U.S. meat industrys increasing move toward privatization and corporate self-policingphasing out U.S. meat inspectors in favor of the honor system. USDAs New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS) shamelessly allows poultry producers to switch to a voluntary program that allows for non-government poultry inspections. Such privatization deals are the wave of the future as federal meat inspectors are ignored and phased out by the government.

After all, we are living with an administration that sees regulations as nothing more than an impediment to Big Ags cheap meat agenda.
Environmental activist Erin Brockovich is helping Oklahomas Pawnee Nation take on several fracking companies in a lawsuit alleging that damages to its tribal buildings and reservation property was the result of man-made, or induced, earthquakes.

National Geographic reports that the Native American tribe has retained the law firm Weitz & Luxenberg, with the aid of Brockovich, to sue Eagle Road Oil LLC, Cummings Oil Company, and 25 other oil and gas companies.

In September 2016, a magnitude 5.8 earthquakethe states largest ever recordedstruck near the town of Pawnee. The tribe alleges that wastewater injected into wells operated by the defendants caused the record-breaking quake and is seeking damages to real and personal property, market value losses, as well as punitive damages.

The lawsuit accuses the defendants of knowingly causing the tremors and that their actions constitute wanton or reckless disregard for public or private safety.

The case will be heard in tribal court. The Nation wanted this to be an assertion of their sovereignty, Curt Marshall, counsel for Weitz & Luxenberg representing the Pawnee, told National Geographic. After all, they are a nation, a sovereign nation: they have jurisdiction, even over non-Indians, on their land.

A growing body of research has linked Oklahomas alarming spate of earthquakes to wastewater disposal deep underground. These fluids can cause pressure changes to faults and make them more likely to move. Scientists have dubbed this phenomenon as induced earthquakes as they are triggered by human activities as opposed to natural seismicity.

The Midwestern state is not previously known for seismic activity. Before 2009, Oklahoma felt two earthquakes per year. But in 2014, the numbers jumped to about 2,500 in 2014, 4,000 in 2015 and 2,500 in 2016.

The U.S. Geological Survey said that the decline in 2016 quakes could be due to injection restrictions implemented by the state officials.

Although there were fewer tremors last year, Oklahoma felt more 4.0+ quakes in 2016 than in any other year. Another damaging quake struck the state in Novembera 5.0 near Cushing, one of the largest oil hubs in the world.

Earlier this year, Brockovich and lawyers from Weitz & Luxenberg traveled to the state to speak with residents about the earthquake swarm.

The communities definitely [are] feeling frustrated and voiceless and helpless and not sure where to turn Brockovich said after a Pawnee meeting in January.

Brockovich, who currently lives in Los Angeles, recounted to National Geographic about her summers in Oklahoma as a child.

The only thing Id worry about growing up there was tornadoes, Brockovich said. Now Id be afraid not of a tornado, but an earthquake? Thats just bizarre.

Its difficult, she added, to go back to Oklahoma, to see how on edge [the Pawnee people] are. The question they keep asking is, When will it end?'
Scientists reveal, for the first time, the role of the cellular prion protein in the development of neurofibromatosis 2 tumors -- with potential impact on other cancers, too

New research published today, 10th July 2017, online in the journal Oncogene could offer hope to the thousands of, mainly young, people affected by the hereditary condition Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2). This condition is characterised by the development of multiple tumours of the nervous system such as schwannomas, meningiomas and ependymomas, each associated with mutations in a gene coding for a tumour suppressor called Merlin.

In addition to NF2 disease there could be potential benefit for other cancers with the same mutations, including mesothelioma (usually linked to exposure to asbestos), breast cancer, colorectal carcinoma, melanoma, glioblastoma and spontaneous schwannomas and meningiomas occurring independently of NF2.

Scientists from the University of Plymouth and Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, supported by The Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust and Brain Tumour Research, have revealed the role of the normal, cellular form of prion protein (PrPC) in the development of NF2-related tumours.

PrPC is normally present in the nervous system of healthy individuals and is absent in Creutzfeldt-Jakob prion disease patients who have a pathological form of prion protein called scrapie prion protein (PrPSc). While physiological levels of PrPC are important during embryogenesis (the process by which the embryo develops and forms), and are neuro-protective in adults, highly increased concentrations were found in several cancers such as glioblastoma, breast cancer, prostate and gastric cancer.

Since all NF2 patients develop multiple schwannomas, the scientists have developed a human cell culture model for schwannoma, comprising of human schwannoma cells isolated from both patients and control normal healthy Schwann cells (which form the sheath that protects nerves). Using this model, the research team found for the first time that PrPC is over-produced in schwannoma compared with healthy Schwann cells. This overproduction is due to Merlin deficiency and strongly contributes to tumour growth and patient prognosis.

The research team have already identified a range of existing drugs which could manage this protein overproduction and that are used currently for other non-NF2-related conditions, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, multiple myeloma (a type of bone marrow cancer) and Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML). By repurposing existing drugs, an effective therapy could be made available to NF2 patients, based on the failure of Merlin tumour suppressor expression, relatively quickly. The safety testing process for human use has already taken place for the original purpose of these drugs, which means they could be fast-tracked into clinical studies for NF2.

Director of the study was Dr Sylwia Ammoun, Senior Research Fellow in Clinical Neurobiology, who had crucial support from PhD student Lucy Provenzano. Both are members of Professor Oliver Hanemann's internationally-recognised brain and nervous system cancer research team at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry.

Dr Ammoun commented: "By understanding the relationship between overproduction of PrPC and Merlin deficiency in the development of schwannoma and meningioma, we have made a significant stride forward in the search for a drug treatment for NF2. This is a life-changing condition usually striking the young. That our discovery could also lead to hope for thousands of patients affected by other Merlin-deficient tumours, adds yet more to the significance and excitement of our findings."

Pam Thornes, Trust Manager at The Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust, said: "We are extremely proud to have funded such pioneering cancer research as carried out by Dr Ammoun and PhD student Lucy Provenzano and collaborators in the Professor Hanemann laboratory. Their fantastic work is going to make a life-changing difference to the lives of so many young cancer patients and that their discovery could also lead to hope for thousands of patients affected by other Merlin-deficient tumours adds yet more to the significance and excitement of their finding. The Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust is delighted to have been able to play a part in making this research a reality."

Dr Kieran Breen, Director of Research at Brain Tumour Research said: "Identifying a range of existing drugs which could be repurposed is an exciting approach by which we can speed up the progress of scientific discovery from the lab to the clinic, without compromising safety. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, but lack of research funding over decades has meant that current treatments lag well behind those of leukaemia and many other cancers. We are having to play catch up to improve outcomes for patients and this study will bring us closer to identifying new and effective therapies".

###

DOI: 10.1038/onc.2017.200

Cellular prion protein (PrPC) in the development of Merlindeficient tumours

L Provenzano , Y Ryan , DA Hilton , J Lyons-Rimmer , F Dave , EA Maze , CL Adams , R Rigby-Jones , S Ammoun and CO Hanemann

Notes to editors

About NF2:

NF2 affects one in 33,000 people. Symptoms (including hearing loss, tinnitus, problems with balance, facial paralysis, paralysis due to spinal tumours and life-threatening complications due to tumour locations adjacent to vital parts of the nervous system) typically appear in the late teens and early 20s, although they can occur at any age. NF2 tumours are generally benign yet they develop in large numbers and it is often their mass which causes potentially debilitating symptoms.

Currently treatment is limited to surgery and/or radiotherapy, both of which carry risks and are only partially effective. This new research may well be the first to bring a drug therapy to the range of treatments available.

About the University of Plymouth

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 top 50 research university with clusters of world class research across a wide range of disciplines including marine science and engineering, medicine, robotics and psychology. A twice winner of the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher Education, the University of Plymouth continues to grow in stature and reputation.

It has a strong track record for teaching and learning excellence, and has one of the highest numbers of National Teaching Fellows of any UK university. With 21,000 students, and a further 17,000 studying for a Plymouth degree at partner institutions in the UK and around the world, and over 100,000 alumni pursuing their chosen careers globally, it has a growing global presence. http://www.plymouth.ac.uk

Research Fortnight Research Power League Table 2014

About Brain Tumour Research:

Brain Tumour Research is the only national charity in the UK focused on funding sustainable research to find a cure for brain tumours. We are building a game-changing network of world-class Research Centres of Excellence in the UK. Embracing passionate member charities nationwide, 5.5 million was raised towards research and support during 2016.

We are campaigning to see the national spend on research into brain tumours increased to 30 - 35 million a year, in line with breast cancer and leukaemia. The charity is celebrating a year of high-profile campaigning on this issue following the unprecedented success of its petition in 2016. Following that, Brain Tumour Research is now taking a leading role in the Government's Task and Finish Working Group convened to tackle the historic underfunding for research.

Key statistics on brain tumours:

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer

They kill more children than leukaemia

They kill more men under 45 than prostate cancer

They kill more women under 35 than breast cancer

Just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease

In the UK 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour

Less than 20% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers

Incidences of, and deaths from, brain tumours are increasing.

Please quote Brain Tumour Research as the source when using this information. Additional facts and statistics are available from our website including our latest Report on National Research Funding. We can also provide case-studies and research expertise for media.
More and more we are hearing about drug busts here in La Crosse. In addition to three people arrested in a hotel room for selling drugs, a repeat offender recently released from prison was arrested yet again in another raid.

Drugs are invading our city and this invasion needs to be stopped cold.

The La Crosse Police Department deserves high praise for the efforts of the officers who put themselves in harm's way going after these drug dealers who are usually habitual criminals. It often takes months of hard and dangerous work to build cases against these offenders. Our police officers deserve our help and support in apprehending these criminals.

Unfortunately, our judges are not paying attention to what the police are doing.

While the police strive to collar these individuals, our judges give them a slap on the wrist and turn them out on the street to sell their poison all over again, adding frustration to the police.

The drug trade in this area is exploding and our judges are not part of the solution but instead are part of the problem. We simply must incarcerate these repeat offenders with heavy prison sentences or they will just continue to spread their poison.

Drug dealers belong in prison, not on our streets.
The government has moved to dampen fears in the medicine and veterinary industries by saying they will continue to 'work closely' with the the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Business Secretary Greg Clark has said that the UK is fully committed to continuing a close working relationship with the EU, in particular the EMA, post-Brexit.

The EMA currently licenses all medicines that manufacturers want to sell in the 28 EU states and some other countries in the European Economic Area.

The National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) has welcomed the statement.

In a letter published in the Financial Times on 6 July, NOAH Chief Executive Dawn Howard said that NOAH agrees access to medicines for human patients is vitally important, but explained that the UK must also ensure that farm animals have continued access to the best veterinary medicines to protect their health and welfare.

'Stringent controls'

Animal medicines are equally subject to the stringent regulatory controls of their human counterparts, based on EU legislation, using the EMA, she said.

Animals need medicines for the high standards of animal health essential for public health and food safety: the UK veterinary medicines sector is also essential for the wellbeing of the pets sharing 12 million UK households, as well as nearly 10,000 assistance animals and 1500 working dogs.

As we leave the EU, our priority is a vibrant and innovative animal medicines sector, supporting the health and welfare of the UKs livestock. Our future regulatory model and relationship with both the EU and international partners will be critical to this success, she said.

'Healthy animals'

Miss Howard said the responsible use of medicines 'underpins' so much that is valued in British society.

She said: The production of food from healthy animals on UK farms; our relationship with the pets that share 44% of British homes  in everything we and our members do at NOAH, we aim to improve the lives of animals through encouraging responsible farming and pet ownership and promoting the safe and responsible use of medicines.

As we leave the EU, it is so important that Government ensures that what our sector needs to continue to provide the tools to allow our sector to thrive in the UK is included in Brexit negotiations.

All of our animals  whether pets or farm animals  have a right to the most appropriate treatment if they become sick, to reduce their suffering, to protect their health and welfare and to ensure they can continue to provide companionship or produce safe, nutritious food.

Vets are critical

A report has said that non-British EU veterinary surgeons are critical to the UK veterinary workforce.

Around 50% of veterinary surgeons registering to practise in the UK each year come from overseas, with the vast majority of these coming from the rest of the EU.

Yet one-fifth of vets are already reporting that it has become harder to recruit since the EU Referendum.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) Brexit and the veterinary profession report outlines the 'essential' role that the UK veterinary workforce plays in not only caring for farm animals, but in enabling trade, ensuring food hygiene and safety, and undertaking cutting-edge research.
Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A 2.49%) (BRK.B 2.15%) recently announced that it had agreed to acquire Oncor Electric Delivery in a $9 billion transaction, which represents a massive discount over the company's reported enterprise value, as well as what another energy giant was willing to pay for it. Here are the details, as well as why this is just the latest in a long series of attractive deals Warren Buffett and his team have been able to deliver for shareholders over the years.

Berkshire is adding Oncor to its portfolio of utilities

Berkshire Hathaway Energy, the utility-owning subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, announced that it intends to acquire Oncor Electric Delivery Company, a Texas-based power transmission company that serves roughly 10 million customers.

Berkshire Hathaway Energy already owns several utilities that serve the electric and/or natural gas needs of 11.6 million customers, so this deal will nearly double the number of utility customers of Berkshire's subsidiaries. In a nutshell, Buffett loves utilities because of their recession-resistant revenue streams and profits that they provide for Berkshire.

Oncor is 80% owned by Energy Future Holdings, which Berkshire has agreed to pay $9 billion to acquire. This values the company at $11.25 billion.

Interestingly, NextEra Energy had previously agreed to acquire Oncor for $18.7 billion, although that deal was shut down by Texas regulators. So, if Berkshire is successful in achieving regulatory approval, it will acquire the utility giant for about $7.5 billion less than another major player in the industry was willing to pay. In addition, Kirkland & Ellis, a law firm representing Energy Future Holdings, has said that the enterprise value of the transaction was about $18.1 billion, which further indicates that Buffett and company are getting an attractive discount.

Just the latest in a long history of savvy Buffett moves

Buffett and his team have a long history of finding attractive deals like this, and not only when it comes to acquiring businesses at a discount.

Buffett's deal-making skills extend to Berkshire's stock investments as well, as the Oracle of Omaha has a history of obtaining deals that the average investor simply couldn't get.

An excellent example is Berkshire's Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) investment, where Buffett agreed to buy $5 billion worth of the bank's preferred stock at a 6% dividend yield. So far, nothing out of the ordinary. Everyday investors can buy high-yielding Bank of America preferred stock.

However, here's the part that was especially savvy, and that you and I can't do. With the investment, Buffett received warrants to purchase 700 million shares of Bank of America for $7.14 per share at any time before September 2021. At the time, the warrants had no intrinsic value. However, Buffett felt that Bank of America's stock was undervalued, so it made the deal much more attractive. Now he had a combination of steady income and potential long-term upside. Fast-forward to 2017, Bank of America's stock price is just under $25. The value of the warrants that were given to Buffett as a freebie with his preferred stock investment? About $12.5 billion.

I'm often asked by friends how to pick stocks like Buffett, and my response is typically "You can't." While anyone can go out and purchase the stocks in Berkshire's portfolio, some of the company's positions originated with deals that the average investor simply couldn't get.

Would Buffett have purchased 700 million shares of Bank of America if the preferred stock and warrant deal hadn't been an option? We don't know for sure, but I seriously doubt it.

Another reason Berkshire shareholders should be happy

As a Berkshire shareholder myself, I'm thrilled to see that the company has been actively putting its mountain of cash to work, which was nearly $100 billion at the end of the first quarter. About a week before the Oncor acquisition was announced, it was revealed that Berkshire had made a $377 million investment in net-lease real estate investment trust Store Capital.

As far as the Oncor deal goes, consider that the company generated a profit of $431 million last year and similar profits in other recent years. Based on Berkshire's $11.25 billion valuation of Oncor, this translates to an annual cash-on-cash return of just over 3.8%. This may not sound too high, but I'll bet it's much more than Berkshire would earn by leaving $11.25 billion in cash in the bank. Furthermore, Oncor brings a revenue stream that has the potential to grow over time.

The Foolish bottom line

My top two reasons to invest in Berkshire Hathaway are the diversification of the company's revenue stream and Buffett's ability to buy companies and other investments for far less than their intrinsic value. The Oncor deal is an excellent example of both, and also puts billions of Berkshire's unused cash to use, which should be music to the ears of shareholders.
It's a mistake to think that once you retire, you no longer need to invest. During retirement, investing is even more important, because it typically provides a huge part of your overall income. If you want to make sure your portfolio won't run out of cash, you need to look at investments that will provide not only consistent income but also the potential for long-term growth. The seven ETFs below fit the bill, with low expenses, diversified exposure, and risk levels that you can manage to fit with your own particular tolerance.

Exchange-Traded Fund Expense Ratio 3-Year Average Annual Return iShares Core S&P 500 (IVV 0.96%) 0.04% 10.3% Schwab U.S. Broad Market (SCHB 0.95%) 0.03% 9.6% Vanguard Total International Stock (VXUS 1.99%) 0.11% 1.4% iShares Edge MSCI Minimum Volatility USA (USMV -0.55%) 0.15% 12.1% Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity (SCHD 0.26%) 0.07% 9.3% Vanguard High Yield Dividend (VYM 0.24%) 0.08% 9% Schwab U.S. REIT ETF (SCHH -0.15%) 0.06% 2.1%

Beginning with a core portfolio

Many retirement investors like to keep things simple, preferring to spend their time doing other things than watching their investments. If you're one of them, simple index-tracking funds can be the best bet. The iShares Core S&P 500 fund focuses only on the largest companies in the U.S. market as represented by the S&P 500 index. It lets retirement investors exclude smaller stocks that can be more volatile and less reliable than the tried-and-true companies in the upper ranks of the American stock market.

Schwab's U.S. Broad Market ETF takes a different approach. Rather than simply taking the top stocks, it includes the entire U.S. stock market, but with a market capitalization weighted process that still gives predominant weight to the larger companies in the market. The Schwab ETF is the pinnacle of the financial company's efforts to become the low-cost provider of the industry, sporting an expense ratio that's second to none.

Many retirement investors end up focusing solely on the U.S., but that can leave you missing a wide range of other promising alternatives. The Vanguard Total International Stock ETF includes stocks from countries around the world except for the U.S., making it a good complement to a portfolio that already has U.S. stock exposure.

Controlling your risk

Many retirement investors aren't entirely comfortable taking on the full risk of the stock market. Minimum volatility ETFs like the iShares fund listed above aim to tackle that risk, choosing stocks that tend to have a less dramatic response to changes in the overall market. What that generally means is that while the fund should underperform in bull markets, it should outperform in bear markets, giving investors a smoother overall ride.

The iShares fund provides a well-diversified portfolio of almost 200 stocks, with investments from the healthcare, information technology, and consumer staples sectors making up more than half of the fund's total assets. One concern that some have for minimum volatility funds in general is that they haven't shown the usual lagging performance during the current bull market, and that increases the likelihood that they might not provide the same protective element going forward. Still, the fund owns solid stocks that offer good exposure for retirement investors.

Focusing on income

Once you've taken care of your portfolio's core growth needs, the other priority that most retirement investors have is to generate enough income to cover living expenses. That's where the final few ETFs on the list can come in handy. As you can see, there are two dividend ETFs on the list, as well as another that specializes in real estate investment trusts.

Different dividend ETFs choose a variety of investing strategies. The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF focuses on high-yield stocks that have a consistent record of dividend payments. That weeds out some of the higher-yielding dividend stocks that don't necessarily have a past history of reliable dividends, and that in turn can avoid some unforeseen problems if it prevents the fund from buying stocks that subsequently reduce or eliminate their quarterly payments to shareholders.

The Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF instead focuses first on the highest dividend yields in the market. Yet there is one concession to forward thinking, as the methodology of the underlying index uses projections of future dividend yield rather than just relying on past payouts. Both ETFs have dividend yields of about 3% right now, showing that a balanced approach to dividend stocks can be equally rewarding.

Finally, dividend stocks aren't the only way to generate income. Real estate investment trusts pay out most of their income in dividends, and their yields are often higher than those of ordinary stocks. Yet many indexes exclude REITs, meaning that if you want to own them, you have to specifically look beyond general dividend ETFs in order to get them. The Schwab REIT ETF is a solid, low-cost fund, and with a current SEC-calculated yield of 3.3%, it offers some payout advantages as well.

Be smart about investing in retirement

Stocks aren't appropriate for all of the money that retirees have squirreled away. Most retirement investors find that they're underinvested in stocks, and that makes the ETFs listed above look particularly attractive for those looking for simple investment choices after they retire.
There's no other retirement account quite like the Roth IRA. With the opportunity to earn tax-free income on your investments for your entire career, no other tax break comes close to the potential savings that the Roth IRA delivers. If you want to use Roth IRAs effectively, you have to know how they work and what pitfalls you can inadvertently fall into along the way. By avoiding bad moves like the ones below, you can take full advantage of Roth IRAs without losing any of the advantages they offer to retirement savers.

1. Paying more taxes on Roth conversions than you should

Those with extensive assets in traditional retirement accounts often look at converting all or a portion of their holdings to a Roth IRA. That gives them the benefits of tax-free treatment going forward, but it comes at a cost: paying taxes on the amount you convert from the traditional retirement account. That cost is well worth it for many, but what many people miss out on is the ability to cut taxes on the Roth conversion by using the strategy known as recharacterization.

Recharacterizing a Roth conversion essentially involves getting a do-over on the whole process. Working with your financial provider, you arrange to put the converted money back into its original traditional retirement account. For tax purposes, the IRS treats you as never having made a Roth conversion at all. You have until the extended tax deadline for the tax year in which you made the conversion to complete the recharacterization process.

If the value of your Roth investments goes down in the period immediately after you convert, then doing a recharacterization can save you on your taxes. As a simple example, if you convert a $100,000 regular IRA to a Roth and then the value of the Roth assets falls to $80,000, then you'd have to pay taxes on the full $100,000 amount. If you recharacterize, then the $80,000 goes back into the regular IRA, and you pay no taxes at all. After a short waiting period, you can then do a Roth conversion again, but this time you'll just have to pay taxes on the new $80,000 amount. Reducing your taxable income by $20,000 will save you thousands on your return.

2. Misunderstanding key Roth IRA rules

Tax-free income in a Roth is great, but you have to follow the rules to get it. One particular pair of Roth IRA rules is especially confusing because they both apply to a five-year period but have different implications.

To comply with the first rule, you have to keep your money in a Roth IRA for five years before you can take earnings on the IRA's investments out of the account on a tax-free basis. What's confusing is that this rule applies even if you reach the normal IRA retirement age of 59 1/2. As an example, if you opened your first Roth IRA in 2017 at age 58, then you'd have to wait to make tax-free withdrawals of Roth IRA earnings until 2022 -- even though you'd turn 63 that year. Keep in mind that you can still take out the amount you initially contributed on a tax- and penalty-free basis; it's just the income on those contributions that is subject to the rule.

If you converted a retirement account to a Roth, then another rule takes effect. You can't withdraw money from a converted Roth within the first five years without paying a 10% penalty, unless you qualify for various exceptions to the IRA penalty provisions. This rule applies to each conversion separately, so it's important to keep track if you do repeated conversion transactions in an effort to manage their tax impact.

3. Incurring unnecessary excess contribution penalties

Only those who meet the maximum income requirements can make Roth IRA contributions. For single filers in 2017, those with adjusted gross income above $118,000 lose a portion of their maximum annual Roth contribution, while those making more than $133,000 can't contribute at all. The corresponding figures for joint filers are $186,000 and $196,000, respectively.

Where things get complicated is that you won't always know when you make a Roth IRA contribution what your full-year earnings will be. If you get a raise or bonus late in the year after you've already made contributions, then you can run afoul of the rules retroactively and seem to be stuck. If you don't take action, you'll owe a 6% penalty on the amount of excess contributions each year until you fix the problem.

There's an easy solution to this problem. The IRS lets you take out the excess contribution without penalty as long as you do so before the extended due date for the tax return in the tax year for which you made the Roth contribution. That gives you plenty of time to remedy the situation, but it's important not to forget about it entirely.

Be smart with your Roth IRA

Making sure you avoid mistakes with Roth IRAs is essential to unlock their full value. By knowing about these potential problems, you can avoid them in advance and take care of any issues that might arise with your retirement accounts.
2016 USB issues

2016 XLT, basic Sync, nothing fancy. Had an ipod in truck since week I bought it--running it through USB plug (not bluetooth). Worked like a charm. Son borrowed truck, ran iphone through system, when I got it back, refused to play ipod. Recognizes it, indexes it, pulls up the song and info, just won't play it. So, I swapped ipods, worked great until son borrowed truck again (moving) and same thing! So now I have 2 ipods that won't play through USB. I tried my ipad and it works great. I didn't realize what had happened until they borrowed the truck the 2nd time. I've tried everything I know to reset it. Even took both battery cables off for about 3 hours.....pulled fuses (obviously not the right ones), done the usb reset, master reset......dealer is clueless and really doesn't want to take time to fool with it..... Purchased truck new in November 16, so everything is still under warranty! What do I do????
Water management experts have urged the government to help reduce the risk to farmland from flooding.

The Association of Drainage Authorities (ADA) made the call on the 10th anniversary of the 2007 floods that caused widespread damage across the country.

Summer 2007 was the wettest on record, with 414.1mm of rain falling across England and Wales in May, June and July  more than at any time since records began in 1766.

See also: Allow more farmers to maintain rivers, says NFU

ADA chief executive Innes Thomson said the government must give more attention to water management and flood risk.

To date, the government has ducked the issue of sustainable drainage in England and now is the time to put in place robust plans to help future development in the long term.

Collaborative approach

Mr Thomson said ADA was calling on government ministers to take a collaborative approach to flood management  working with farmers and other stakeholders.

It was also important to take a catchment-wide approach to managing water from the highest point in the uplands down to lowland areas and estuaries.

Closer co-operation was needed between public bodies and farmers, who increasingly wanted to maintain waterways to mitigate flood risk more efficiently.

South Lincolnshire farmer and ADA vice-chairman Robert Caudwell grows arable crops and fieldscale vegetables around the market town of Boston.

A decade on from the 2007 floods, Mr Caudwell said he continued to receive regular phone calls from rural residents who had seen their property inundated with water.

People are still traumatised, said Mr Caudwell. I still receive phone calls on an almost weekly basis.

The Environment Agency recently announced five pilot catchment areas where farmers are being allowed to maintain local watercourses in a bid to reduce the risk of flooding.

If all goes to plan, responsibility for maintenance in these catchments could be transferred from the agency to internal drainage boards, including farmers.

The NFU has long argued that farmers could look after catchments more effectively than the agency  and many farmers want the pilot project expanded.
The Republican challenger to House Speaker Paul Ryan didnt cooperate with a police investigation into his ballot selfie last year, according to the Walworth County district attorney.

The town of Delavan police investigation determined Delavan businessman Paul Nehlen broke the law when he tweeted a photo of his ballot last August, but the Walworth County District Attorneys Office declined to press charges.

This conduct is technically a violation, Assistant District Attorney Haley Johnson wrote in a letter obtained by the Wisconsin State Journal. However, the State does not believe Mr. Nehlens conduct warrants a criminal charge. It does not appear that Mr. Nehlen was attempting to trade his vote for compensation. Rather, he ignorantly posted the image to draw attention to his candidacy.

Johnson added the matter could have been resolved much more quickly if Mr. Nehlen had cooperated with the investigation.

Instead, he chose to delay the investigation by factory resetting his phone and removing the SIM card, Johnson wrote.

Nehlen, a political newcomer, mounted a spirited challenge to Ryan, even getting a shout-out from Donald Trump, who was feuding at the time with Ryan. The House Speaker from Janesville won the August primary by a margin of 84 percent to 16 percent.

Nehlen has announced he plans to challenge Ryan again next year. He didnt respond to a request for comment.

After the primary, news media reported Nehlen had posted a photograph of his ballot on social media, which is illegal under state law. In response, the Town of Delevan Police Department conducted an investigation and obtained several subpoenas.

Asked last week for an update on the case, Police Chief Raymond Clark said the department referred charges against Nehlen on Sept. 23 to the Walworth County District Attorneys Office for allegedly violating a law that prohibits showing a marked ballot to any person. His office received Johnsons letter on Jan. 12.

Violators of the statute can be charged with a class I felony, which is punishable by up to a $10,000 fine and up to three years and six months in prison.

According to the state Elections Commission, Wisconsin banned photographing ballots long ago to prevent the practice of voters being paid to vote a certain way and then using a photograph of the ballot as evidence.

Other states also prohibit so-called ballot selfies, though recently courts have struck down such laws in Indiana and New Hampshire on First Amendment grounds.
G Suite update delayed to make improvements to the Backup and Sync feature News oi -Chandrika The Back and Sync feature will be launched in the next few weeks.

Google has decided to push back the release of its new Backup and Sync app in order to make improvements to the product. However, the company has assured that it will be launched in a few weeks. "We're planning to launch in the next several weeks, but please monitor the G Suite Release Calendar for the specific date".

The Backup and Sync app is intended to help users back up files and photos from their computers so that can be accessible from anywhere. Backup and Sync will be available in the latest version of Google Drive for Mac/PC, and it is now integrated with the Google Photos desktop uploader. As such, it will respect any current Drive for Mac/PC settings in the Admin console.

Backup and Sync is mainly aimed at consumer users. While for businesses, Google plans to launch a service called Drive File System by the end of 2017.

Having said that, the G Suite customers are recommended to use Drive for Mac/PC until Google's new Drive File Stream makes its way to all G Suite Basic, Business, Enterprise, Education, and Nonprofit domains later this year.

Drive File Stream will let users access huge corporate data sets without taking up the equivalent space on their hard drives.

However, Google will not automatically upgrade G Suite users from Drive for Mac/PC to Backup and Sync initially. So G Suite users would have the option to download and use Backup and Sync when it launches.

If interested, users can also try out the Drive File Stream by signing up for the Early Adopter Program (EAP).

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Pre-GST sale is over!

As mentioned above, the pre-GST sales is already over but the WhatsApp message claims that Amazon India is still having the sale and that the electronic products can be bought at extremely cheap prices during the sale.

The scam targets Mi fans

The WhatsApp message that has been circulating among the users claims that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 can be bought at a very cheap price. The 32GB Redmi Note 4 is claimed to be priced at Rs. 1,099 and the 64GB is said to be priced at Rs. 1,299 respectively as a part of the sale.

There are other products too

The WhatsApp message not only shows the Redmi Note 4 but also a few other products. Going by the same, the HP 16GB pen drives can be purchased at just Re. 1, JBL Bluetooth speaker is priced at Rs. 59 and Philips trimmers are priced at Rs. 6.

The actual scam

Wondering how this message can trick you? Well, the scamsters have included a link in the message. Once you click on the link, it will take you to the phishing site named Amazon-gst-sale with the amazon logo. Clicking on the sale photo will take you a website with ads all over it. Here, you will be asked to choose the product and give your personal details such as phone number, name, email id and address. It will ask you to send the message to eight WhatsApp groups to confirm the order. Eventually, you have spread the scam.

After sharing with eight groups on WhatsApp, it will show you an order ID and inform that you need to download UC News App on the smartphone and it will show a cash on delivery option. Your personal details will be sold to the -marketing companies and the scamster will receive money from them. Finally, you will be the victim of this scam.
India on Sunday hit out at Pakistan for glorifying terrorist Burhan Wani, saying the countrys terror support and sponsorship needed to be condemned by one and all.

Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif paid tribute to Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani saying his death infused a new spirit in the struggle for freedom in the Valley. Wani was killed by Indian forces in an encounter on July 8 in 2016.

According to Dunya News, Sharif reiterated that Pakistan remains shoulder to shoulder with their Kashmiri brethren and will continue their political, diplomatic and moral support in their right to self-determination.

Last year, India had criticised Sharif calling Wani a martyr.

Sharif had also announced at the time that Pakistan will observe July 19 as Black Day to express their solidarity with the people of Kashmir.

Source : DNA
Fortune Names Aflac to 100 Best Workplaces for Millennials List Company Lands on List for 3rd Consecutive Year

Posted by Press Releases on Sunday, 07-09-2017 4:47 am

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Aflac, the leader in voluntary insurance sales at the worksite in the United States, announced today that the company has been named one of the 100 Best Workplaces for Millennials by Fortune Magazine. This is the third year that Fortune has published this list and the third time that Aflac has held a coveted spot. Aflac placed No. 82 in the inaugural year of 2015 and landed at No. 53 in 2017."Just as we are pleased to be among Fortune's 100 Best Places to Work for the past 19 years, we are very happy to be held in such high esteem by millennials, who now make up the largest segment of our nation's workforce," Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. "Competition for the best and brightest minds is always steep, so it is a great advantage to have this validation of our company as a great place for millennials to consider for a rewarding career."According to Fortune, to compile this list of the Best Workplaces for Millennials, Great Place to Work surveyed more than 398,0...

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Most of the time, a filmmaker chases a story. Rarely, the story comes chasing him. For Paul Harris, it was the latter. He discovered a small town called McCluskiegunj while researching for a long term project on Anglo Indians. Thus emerged his documentary aDreams of a Homelanda. Shoma A. Chatterji reports

McCluskiegunj, a small town in Jharkhand, is setting for Konkona Sen Sharmas well-appreciated debut directorial feature, A Death in the Gunj. The place is also the focus for Australia- based filmmaker Paul Harris who almost accidentally came across it while researching for a project for his documentary End of the Raj. Fascinated by this tiny little world of old Anglo-Indians who settled down here many years ago, he decided to make another film, Dreams of a Homeland.





Harris himself is an Anglo-Indian now settled in Down Under. He became a documentary filmmaker by choice. In 2010, while I was researching for End of the Raj  A History of Anglo-Indians, a long documentary, I visited McCluskiegunj, around 70 kms away from Ranchi, capital of Jharkhand. I was curious about the history of a section of my community that had migrated to this place. I decided to make a film about the Gunj as it is fondly called by the locals, says Paul.



McCluskiegunj was the brainchild of Ernest Timothy McCluskie who created this homeland for members of the Anglo Indian community. Between 1930s and 40s, scores of Anglo-Indians from all parts of the Indian sub-continent came to settle in this remote location once called Lapra, now in Jharkhand. Harriss film explores the historical context for the creation, development and eventual failure of the town now almost bereft of the community. It no longer throbs with the exclusive lifestyle, noise and music of the Anglo Indians who gradually shifted to discover fresher pastures leaving a handful of senior citizens behind who have no wish to go elsewhere. It is now almost a ghost town.



Harris chanced upon fantastic archival material from The Colonization Observer, an old journal. I wanted to make a film which is part travelogue and part history to document what the town is like today, Harris says.





It is an honest film stripped of glamour, or cultural pretensions. The camera wanders around an old brick kiln that has now been reduced to a public toilet for passers by. Paul wanders across old homes, captures a construction in total decay, and stands against a backdrop of hoardings inviting boarders to the many of the boys hostels in the town. Surprisingly, the small town boasts of a good number of boys hostels. Students from Ranchi, Kolkata and other nearby towns come here to study in the Don Bosco Academy and several schools dotting the place.



The Colonization Observer published by the Colonization Society of India was a historical treasure trove and an excellent record for the period 1934 - 1944 and all that happened in the colony. I spoke to locals, read some more books, and then cross-referenced them to material from the magazine, explains Harris.



Harris had heard about McCluskiegunj from his parents and elders. He grew up in Gomoh, a town about 100 miles from McCluskiegunj.



Filming on a shoe-string budget made Harris decide to be anchor, commentator and interviewer himself. He trained a friend to operate a camera, drove from Patna to McCluskiegunj to shoot the film. It was difficult to locate specific places, like an old bungalow too deep into the forest. It was physically challenging because there was a lot of walking and hiking involved. I had to practice my narration in front of the camera, then review it and then go for a final take sometimes doing the same shot nine times to get it right, says Harris.





Another big stumbling block was the heat. Shooting at the height of the Indian summer was almost impossible. The temperature varied between 40 and 44 degrees Celsius during the day. We would rise early and shoot between 7 O clock to 11 O clock in the morning, rest in the afternoon to review the footage, and then resume shooting in the afternoon till it got dark. There were other interruptions such as the traffic of both people and animals and road traffic we had to contend with. But all this made the work extremely challenging, Harris recalls.



The film offers an insight through three talking heads. One of them is Mrs. Goss, then 83, straightforward and forthright, who has lived here for many years. She lives alone with her pet dog, her only friend. Another gutsy lady is Kitty Kitty Texeira. Many have negative perceptions about Kitty. They feel that making a living by selling fruits at the railway station is something Anglo Indians should not be doing. But I understood her plight. She had never ever gone to school and yet had to earn a living. Selling fruits is the only way she could survive. Her children live with her and she invited me into her home, centered in a vast tract of land that hardly has any selling value today, Harris elaborates. He also met Joshy T.D., Principal of the Don Bosco School who spoke of the students taking their public schools examinations.

For me, documentary filmmaking is about learning something and then sharing it with others. I was fortunate to visit McCluskiegunj and more fortunate to make a film about its history and get access to some fantastic archival material, says Harris.



Harris was struck by the mystery of what made a group of Anglo Indians set up their home in the middle of a dense forest and even made it work for some time. I have dedicated my film to the spirit of those settlers who dared to dream of a homeland, he sums up.
Researchers in University of Missouri in USA and India's Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore are working together to design lighter, more portable and cheaper solar cells to power the lives of people in some of the worldas poorest, most remote places. Deepayan Sinha, Cullen Ecoffey, Erdenetungalag Erdenekhuyag and TomAs Orihuela report from both the countries

Farmer Jatin Kumar relies on kerosene to light his house in Fateh Nagla, India, a small village 200 miles southeast of New Delhi. Hes one of more than 300 million people without access to electricity in the Asian nation  a number equivalent to the entire population of the United States.

Half a world away, University of Missouri grad student Alec Pickett is among researchers working to ease the struggles of people such as Kumar by studying ways to improve solar technology, using parts made in India. If all goes well, their research could someday lead to lighter, more portable and cheaper solar cells to power the lives of people in some of the worlds poorest, most remote places.

Say that you have someone living in a tent, Pickett (in image below) said. You can have roll-up sheets of the solar cells, put them on top of your roof, secure them down, and generate your electricity that way.

Picketts work comes amid growing interest in solar energy in both the United States and India. Americas solar industry, which promoters say provided one in 50 new jobs last year, aims to generate 100 gigawatts of installed solar capacity  enough energy to power almost 17 million homes. India intends to generate the same amount of power, which studies show could create a million jobs there by 2022.

Besides sparking the economy, environmentalists say these efforts could slow climate change by reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

Mike Hornitschek, director of strategic development at an 11-year-old environmental company in St. Louis called StraightUp Solar, said energy from the sun had many advantages.

Solar energy is better because its renewable, and you can use existing distribution systems, he said. Itll continue to improve and get cheaper.

But the path toward a solar-powered future is not without obstacles. Theres business uncertainty, such as the bankruptcy of Maryland Heights-based SunEdison, the largest U.S. bankruptcy filing of 2016, which rippled through the world.

And there are changing environmental policies. Whereas former President Barack Obama wholeheartedly supported renewable energy, President Donald Trump has expressed far more support for coal, oil and gas.

There are people that are now in charge of a regulatory structure that are ignoring the science, and thats troubling, said Bret Fanshaw, solar program coordinator for Environment America, an organization that raises awareness of environmental issues in the U.S. I hope states wont bend to the will of some powerful forces that are trying to keep us hooked on old and dirty sources of power.

Investing in a solar future

In Missouri and across the United States, solar energy capacity is projected to triple over the next five years, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

One of the trade groups sister organizations, The Solar Foundation, said jobs in the solar field had grown 25 percent in 2016, reaching the 1-in-50 figure last year.

Solar power is now the cheapest renewable form of energy in the world, surpassing wind, Fanshaw said.

Solar powers increasing popularity can be largely attributed to net metering, which is the way utilities credit solar power users for all the leftover energy their solar panels create but dont use.

(Net metering) helps people save money on their bill by earning that extra credit back, Fanshaw said. Theres also tax credits for solar. There is a federal tax credit that I think is 30 percent of the cost of your system that you can write off.

Against this backdrop, U.S. solar installations have climbed from 1,000 to 7,000 a year in five years, the solar trade group said. The increasing visibility of solar panels encourages more people to install them  and support renewable energy.

The more people who go solar and see it around their communities, Fanshaw said, the more people are invested in the clean energy future that we need.

Picketts investment in that future grew from an interest in basic science. At first, his research stemmed from a desire to understand the behavior of polymers, the chain of molecules in charge of absorbing light and turning it into current. He works 40 hours a week in his lab with synthesized organic polymers sent from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.

The cool thing about organics is that they are cheap, light and flexible, Pickett said. Apart from roll-up panels, you can have windows made out of transparent solar cells.

Theyre low-cost and easy to distribute, he said, and could potentially benefit people across the world  when engineers transform the raw technology into consumer goods.

Organics are being used, but there arent optimized yet, he said. After the research and the written publications are done, the job of the engineers would be to apply that system to a product, and that could take over a decade.

Indias high expectations

Such products would fill a huge need in India.

Already, growing numbers of families have started using solar energy to heat their homes, cook their meals and study at night. But lightweight panels could really help them. Most live in houses that cant support the weight of traditional, inorganic panels made of heavier material.

We are still using kerosene lamps to see something in the dark, said Nagla, the farmer. After sunset, kids in the village start studying (by the light of) kerosene lamps, because they dont have any other option. Its our only source of light inside our houses, and for outside needs, theres just moonlight.

Scientists in India, like those in America, are looking toward the future by working on lighter, smaller, more efficient solar panels and cells.

These include floating solar panels, said Gon Chaudhuri, chairman of Renewable Energy College in Kolkata, India. India  has a lot of water bodies. Even if we capture just 5 percent of them, we can generate 300 gigawatts of solar power.

Indian scientists are also working on devices called micro-solar domes, which capture light from the sun but dont need electricity.

This micro solar dome can concentrate that daylight in a dark room, which is useful for rural areas which lack electricity supply, Chaudhuri (in image above) said.

While there are no guarantees that all the research will pan out  or that political or business realities wont interfere  many solar advocates are optimistic that people without electricity may soon get the power they need from the sun.

With strong worldwide support for renewable energy, Hornitschek said, theres no reason why we shouldnt go solar.




Kolkata, July 9 (IBNS): Days after Baduria, a town in Basirhat sub-division in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, barely 60 km. from Kolkata, and its adjoining areas were rocked by a communal violence over a controversial social media post, superintendent of the district police, Bhaskar Mukherjee, was replaced by senior IPS officer C. Sudhakar, who was serving as the DC (HQs) of Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, on Saturday, reports said.

According to reports, Bhaskar Mukherjee has been transferred as DC-Zone II (Airport Division) of Bidhannagar City Police, replacing IPS officer K. Sabari Raj Kumar.

Publishing an order on Saturday, West Bengal government has directed Tanmoy Ray Chaudhuri, deputy director of Directorate of Economics Offences (in the rank of DIG), to supervise the work of North 24 Parganas district's SP.

Meanwhile, Santosh Pandey, who was serving as the DC-Zone I of Bidhannagar City Police, has been replaced by K. Sabari Raj Kumar and got transferred as DC (HQs) of the same police commissionerate.

Situation at riot-hit areas in Basirhat sub-division is becoming normal slowly as no fresh clash has been reported. Besides local police and RAF, central paramilitary force personnel are carrying out route march at the violence-hit areas.

Since last Sunday night, clashes had erupted between two communities over a Facebook post at Baduria and its adjacent areas, including Basirhat, Deganga and Swarupnagar, and the violence lasted for next few days, damaging normal life and properties worth crores.

Besides a heavy force from state police, the Centre had to deploy nearly 400 BSF personnel to bring the situation under control.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
Nainital, July 9 (IBNS): Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Jitendra Singh has said that GST has a special significance for Jammu & Kashmir and the eight States of the North-East Region.

The same also applies to States like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, he said.

Briefing the media in Nainital on Sunday, Jitendra Singh said the GST promises to provide a level-playing field to all the States of the Indian Union.

"This equitable fair deal has been worked out to such an extent that several of the developed and manufacturing States will be contributing to the economy of the lesser developed or predominantly consumer States," he said.

During the process of GST rollout, Singh said, he realized that there were certain local products in Northeast which had apparently become taxable after GST implementation, though these were tax-free before GST rollout.

However, he said, it was explained to the local household traders that earlier the price of these products also included certain embedded taxes on raw material, etc. which were not visible, but now the only difference was that GST was a visible tax, although the final cost of the product would almost be the same.

"A single decision of GST implementation has made a huge long-lasting impact of value addition to the self-esteem and participation of these States in the economic and social growth of India as a whole," said he.

He gave full credit to the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for working out an amicable formula wherein the manufacturing States would be compensated from the Central share of funds and thus, would not have the chance to hold any grudge against non-manufacturing States being brought at par with them.

Singh said that GST is important in the global world of today, no single country or State can hope to operate in isolation and yet progress economically.
New Delhi, July 8 (IBNS): Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to the Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling regarding the security situation in Sikkim and areas neighbouring West Bengal.

In a telephonic conversation, Pawan Kumar Chamling has apprised Union Home Minister that Sikkim is facing an acute shortage of supplies specially essential commodities such as medicines, baby milk powder, vegetables and petrol/diesel due to closure of the national highway, the critical road link to Sikkim.

The Home Minister assured him that the Centre will ensure the safety & security of NH 10 and do everything possible to save people of the state from any misery and ensure essential supplies to the State of Sikkim, read a statement issued by the government.

Rajnath Singh has asked the Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi to coordinate with West Bengal administration and ensure the safety, security and smooth traffic on NH 10.

The West Bengal Govt is being requested to ensure that the road link to Sikkim remains open.
New Delhi, July 9 (IBNS): India's Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday rebuked Pakistan for glorifying slain Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani, whose first death anniversary witnessed a shutdown and clashes in Kashmir.

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The Ministry said Pakistan should be condemned by all for supporting and sponsorship given by it to terrorism.

"First @ForeignOfficePk read frm banned LeT's script. Now Pak COAS glorfs Burhan Wani. Pak's terror suprt&spnsr'p need 2b condmnd by 1 & all," MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay tweeted.

The comments were made by the Indian Ministry after Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa praised the slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Wani.

Wani was killed during encounter with Indian security forces last year.

According to media reports, Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif also paid tributes to Wani on his first death anniversary.

As per Dunya News report, in his statement, Nawaz Sharif professed while letting it be known that Burhan Wani is the start of a new chapter in Kashmir s struggle for freedom as his martyrdom infused a new spirit in the freedom movement.


New Delhi, July 9 (IBNS): President Pranab Mukherjee attended the launch of SWAYAM, 32 SWAYAM Prabha DTH Channels and National Academic Depository at the National Convention on Digital Initiatives organized by Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India on Sunday in New Delhi.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the spread of technology, telecom penetration and internet has offered an opportunity to quell the divide in terms of access and quality.

"And, we should seize this opportunity with both our hands. Digital technology enables good teachers to directly teach large number of students who are not physically present in classes. ICT solutions offer an interactive learning experience through which students in remote parts of the country can benefit from lectures of the top teachers. The digital modes are cheaper, more easily accessible, interactive, and offer flexibility for people to learn at their own pace. We need to work together to ensure that they are widely adopted for teaching," he said.

The President said that he was happy that the SWAYAM portal has become fully functional which enables one to take courses offered by the best teachers, remaining where they are. SWAYAM should be a call to the pioneers amongst teachers to put new courses in the upcoming areas on this platform in the MOOCs format. It is also a call to the other teachers to use this material and improve their own teaching capacity. Ultimately, it should lead to better attainment levels in the students.

The President said that the use of satellite technology to reach the unreached is time-tested.

He was happy to note that the scale and reach of this technology has been raised manifold through the 32 SWAYAM Prabha DTH channels. These channels will help students in the rural areas and in the remote areas where IT infrastructure have not penetrated so well.

The President said that the National Academic Depository would help in easy authentication of the credentials issued by the institutions. This would also help in increasing transparency and ease of operation.

The several other digital initiatives taken up under the National Mission on Education through ICT (NMEICT) being showcased today should help all in going the digital way in order to improve the quality of teaching.

The President said that during the last five years, he had been emphasizing on improving the quality of education whenever he met Vice Chancellors of central universities, Directors of IITs, NITs and IISc/ IISERs.

The conferences at Rashtrapati Bhavan have also acted as platforms for nurturing ideas. Many initiatives and ideas like the GIAN, IMPRINT and GRIN have taken root here.

He called upon participants present there to ensure that these initiatives are taken to their logical conclusion for the benefit of the nation.
Mumbai, July 9 (IBNS): aSave Bengala is a campaign that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been running since last year when they staged protest against the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in Kolkata. In the wake of communal clashes, has decided to repeat the exercise in major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru et al.

Targeting the Bengali community outside Bengal may have little bearing on the partys fate in West Bengal, but there were hundreds from the community alongside few local people staged a Mamata Hatao, Bangaal Bachao protest just outside the Churchgate Railway Station on Saturday evening.

The recent incidents in Baduria and Basirhat areas have triggered this public shows by Bengalis living in the western metropolis.

However, not a single BJP flag was witnessed at the venue. The posters and banners with slogans were put up as a mark of peaceful protest against the violence that took place n districts of West Bengal.

One of the protesters Soumen Mukherji , who is associated with the party, said that communal violence in West Bengal has really given them an issue ahead of the next years Panchayat Polls.

Apart from bad governance and corruption, Mamata Banerjee should be solely blamed for the communal violence in BengalThis will surely be the highlight going into the Panchayat election next year, Mukherji said.

The protesters demanded that Banerjee should behave like a secular state head and not fuel these religious fights.

What happened in Bengal in the last few days is shocking. Minority appeasement has reached such a level that you get your own people killedIt should not be tolerated and that is why we are here to protest, another Bengali businessman Radhanath Modak said.

The programme which was scheduled to start at 4:30 pm was delayed almost by an hour as the protestors hailing from different parts of greater Mumbai were still to reach. The gathering could have been more had the organisers not changed the venue with few hours to the start.



(Reporting by Sanjib Guha)
Guwahati, July 9 (IBNS): Nagaland Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu on Sunday sacked its four ministers including state Home minister and 11 parliamentary secretaries following a demand for his removal during the political crisis within the ruling Naga Peopleas Front (NPF) deepened.

Chief Minister Liezietsu recommended Nagaland governor P B Acharya to remove Home minister Y Patton, National Highway minister G Kaito Aye, Forest, Environment and Climate Change minister Imkong L Imchen and Power minister C Kipili Sangtam.

Liezietsu also sacked 11 parliamentary secretaries of the Nagaland government including S Chuba Longkumer, Naiba Konyak, B S Nganglang, Deo Nukhu, Shetoyi, Amenba Yaden, Picto Shohe, Y M Yolow, Levi Rengma, Toyang Changkong Chang.

Apart from it, the Nagaland CM had also taken stern action against T R Zeliang as terminated him from the post of Advisor (Finance) in the Nagaland government.

The Nagaland CM had also terminated the appointment of Nuklutoshi as Advisor to the CM.

On the other hand, the Commissioner and Secretary to the Nagaland CM had issued order to withdraw the security escorts of all sacked ministers, parliamentary secretaries and Advisors.

Earlier, former Chief Minister T R Zeliang wrote to the governor and staking claim to form a new government as claiming he has the support of 41 legislators including 34 NPF MLAs (including him) and 7 Independent MLAs.

Zeliang said in his letter sent to the governor that, at a meeting of the legislature party of Naga Peoples Front (NPF) held on July 4 at his residence at Dimapur, 34 NPF MLAs (including him) out of 47, supportedhim to continue as the leader of the legislature party of the NPF and also authorized him to stake claim before the governor to form a new NPF led DAN government in Nagaland.

The MLAs also urged the present Chief Minister, who is a non-MLA, to resign and pave way for me to take over as the Chief Minister, Zeliang said in the letter.

Zeliang also claimed that, apart from 34 MLAs, 7 independent MLAs also supported him.

Zeliang requested the Nagaland governor to invite him to form a new NPF led DAN government in Nagaland.

Meanwhile, 30 legislators of NPF are still camping at a resort in Assams Kaziranga National Park, who moved into the resort on Saturday morning.

On the other hand, a top source of Raj Bhawan said that, following the turmoil in Nagaland politics, the governor would likely to call Chief Minister Liezietsu to prove majority in the Nagaland assembly in this week.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)


Guwahati, July 9 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal over phone from New Delhi on Sunday and took stock of the prevailing flood situation in the state.

The Prime Minister enquired about measures taken by Government of Assam to provide succour to the marooned people, damages caused by flood and status of relief and rescue operations.

While talking to the Prime Minister, Chief Minister Sonowal informed about Governments effective and expeditious measures to reach out to the affected people.

Sonowal informed that already ministers of his cabinet have been directed to rush to affected areas to take stock of flood situation and step up relief and rescue operations ensuring proper arrangement of facilities for flood affected and relief camp inmates.

He also apprised that MPs and MLAs of concerned areas have also been asked to remain in their constituencies and supervise rescue and relief operations.

Informing the Prime Minister that all district administrations have been alerted to fully prepare themselves for tackling the current wave of flood, the Chief Minister also spoke about regular review meetings held by him to monitor the situation.

Sonowal also said that relief camps have been opened for marooned people and relief materials have been distributed to the inmates.

Further saying that relief materials have been distributed through flood relief centres also, the chief minister explained the Prime Minister about availability of safe drinking water, baby food, medical facilities at relief camps and flood hit areas.

The Assam CM also informed that ex-gratia relief to the next of the family members of those killed in the current spate of flood have been disbursed within 48 hours.

Sonowal said that Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department along with SDRF have been carrying out joint operations to rescue the marooned animals and fodder for cattle has been made adequately available at flood hit areas.

Sonowal also informed that Agriculture Department is taking measures to ensure supply of superior quality seeds to the farmers whose crops have been devastated in the flood.

He also explained the prime minister about steps taken by the state PWD department to repair the roads damaged by flood and all necessary steps taken by state water resources department to tackle erosion including ensuring availability of anti-erosion materials for prompt action at affected sites.

The Chief Minister also conveyed the Prime Minister about state governments decision to procure dredger for excavation of river bed apart from preparing plan for anti-erosion adopting latest technology.



The Prime Minister while talking to the Chief Minister said that central government is taking flood and erosion in Assam very seriously and assured him that union government would extend all support to state government for mitigating the situation.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)




New Delhi, July 9 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with Chief Secretaries of all States/UTs in the National Conference of Chief Secretaries being organized by the NITI Aayog to further the spirit of cooperative and competitive federalism on Monday.

Chief Secretaries from 30 States/UTs along with Planning Secretaries, Finance Secretaries, Health Secretaries, Agriculture Secretaries and Industry Secretaries will attend the Conference, read a government statement.

The deliberations will cover a wide range of issues. The focus will be on best practices in social and economic sectors across States.

Various developmental indicators developed by NITI Aayog, in the areas of health, education, water management and digital transformation will be discussed to measure performance and progress of States and rank them appropriately to instill healthy competition among them.

In addition interactive sessions on Agricultural Reforms, Health &Nutrition and Developmental issues have also been planned. Discussions on the financial position of the States/UTs post Fourteenth Finance Commission, Outcome based monitoring, DBT implementation and its progress, ease of doing business figure as key element of the agenda of the daylong National Conference.
New York, July 7(Just Earth News): Secretary-General AntAnio Guterres says that he is adeeply sorrya that, despite very strong commitments and the engagement of all delegations, the United Nations-facilitated Conference on Cyprus concluded without reaching an agreement.

Unfortunately [] an agreement was not possible and the conference was closed without the possibility to bring a solution to this dramatically long-lasting problem, Guterres told the press in the early hours of Friday in the Swiss town of Crans-Montana, where the talks took place.

However, he noted that, in spite of the closure of the Conference, initiatives can still be pursued and developed in order to address the issues that were being discussed.

The UN role is the role of a facilitator and we will always be at the disposal of the parties willing to come to an agreement, if that would be the case, he added.

The Conference had begun on 28 June in the hopes of reaching a comprehensive settlement to the conflict that has divided the Mediterranean island for more than four decades.

In his remarks, Guterres also expressed his appreciation to the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders as well as to the representatives of the guarantors  Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom  and the European Union, which served as an observer.

He also thanked the UN team, led by Espen Barth Eide, the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Cyprus, for doing everything possible to bring closer together the positions of the different delegations.

Photo: UN Photo/ Jean-Marc Ferre

Source: www.justearthnews.com
Hamburg, July 9 (IBNS): US President Donald Trump has met Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Both the leaders met at Hamburg where they were visiting to attend the G20 Summit.

The issue of North Korea was discussed by the two leaders.

Trump tweeted:"Leaving Hamburg for Washington, D.C. and the WH. Just left Chinas President Xi where we had an excellent meeting on trade & North Korea."

Triggering tension, North Korea has been test firing several missiles in recent times.

Image: Donald Trump Instagram page


A 35-year-old Tomah man faces child abuse charges after an incident of corporal punishment was captured on video.

Police were provided with a video allegedly showing Jeremy John Cory striking a 14-year-old child with a belt and his hand.

According to the report, police obtained a cell phone video of Cory becoming enraged over the childs messy bedroom. The video reportedly shows Cory striking the child in the leg once with a belt, grabbing his t-shirt and spanking him in the buttocks in a forceful manner. The report says the child began screaming, and Cory allegedly told him, Stop screaming  I hope it  hurt your ass.

Cory was referred to the Monroe County District attorney for physical abuse to a child, battery against a juvenile and disorderly conduct.

In other Tomah Police Department news:

Lukas William DuBord, 18, Tomah, was referred to the district attorney for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia after a June 19 traffic stop.

Police pulled over a Dodge Ram without a front license plate and working license plate lamps heading north on Butts Avenue shortly after 11:30 a.m. The report says police became suspicious when a passenger in the vehicle asked to leave immediately and walk to her residence.

Police used a K-9 to conduct an exterior sniff of the vehicle, and the dog reportedly signaled the presence of an illegal substance. The report says DuBord directed police to a red bag that allegedly contained a glass jar with marijuana odor, three packs of rolling papers, a wooden dugout, a metal tool with marijuana odor, a plastic with container with material that smelled of marijuana and three glass pipes that smelled of marijuana.

Robert Allen Smith, 40, Beach City, Texas, was referred to the district attorney for second-offense drunk driving after a June 21 traffic stop.

Police pulled over a Dodge truck shortly after 10:30 p.m. for traveling 45 mph in a 30 mph zone on Superior Avenue. The driver, identified as Smith, told police he was driving from the tractor pull to his motel. When asked how many alcoholic beverages he had consumed, Smith replied two or three. After reportedly failing a field sobriety, the report says he amended the answer to four or five.

A preliminary breath test registered a blood-alcohol count of .159, nearly twice the legal limit of .08.

Ashley N. Williams, 19, Black River Falls, and a 17-year-old girl were referred to the district attorney after an employee of Fantastic Sams reported that her personal cell phone had been stolen while the two were inside the store. Williams was referred for theft, and the girl was referred for being party to a crime.

Andre James Williams, 60, Tomah, was referred to the district attorney for bail jumping. He is accused of violating a bond condition that prohibits him from consuming alcohol. A preliminary breath test registered a blood-alcohol count of .109.

Tonya Marie Pittman, 33, and Bradley Lloyd Smith, 33, both Tomah, were referred to the district attorney for allegedly violating a court order in a child custody case.

A Centralia, Washington, woman went to the Tomah Police Department June 21 and said that Pittman and Smith illegally took her one-year-old grandson from her residence after a Washington court had awarded her custody. She said the couple briefly took the child to Mississippi before coming to Tomah.

Police discovered the couple was living at the Lark Inn and retrieved the boy without incident. Pittman and Smith were both referred for violating a court order and child abuse. Pittman is also accused of threatening the woman who was awarded custody, which triggered a bail jumping referral.

Tiffany Marie Kuehl, 24, Tomah, and Chase Michael Christman, 28, Necedah, were referred to the district attorney on multiple charges after a June 23 traffic stop.

Police pulled over a silver Buick for a defective headlamp shortly after 2:10 a.m. The report says Christman, a passenger, allegedly identified himself as Logan Myhre. The report says Christman didnt look at the officer during the conversation and kept his hood pulled up over his head. Kuehl also allegedly identified Christman as Myhre. The report says a piece of paper in Christmans pocket ultimately provided correct identification.

Christman was confirmed to have an outstanding warrant and was arrested. He was referred for bail jumping, identity theft and obstructing an officer. Kuehl was referred for bail jumping pursuant to a curfew violation and obstructing an officer.

Stanchell Lashone Hankins, 34, La Crosse, was referred to the district attorney for bail jumping and obstructing an officer after a June 23 traffic stop.

Police pulled over Oldsmobile Alero shortly before 7:30 a.m. for a defective stop lamp. During the stop, Hankins reportedly identified herself as Latoria L. Hankins. She later told police she attempted to conceal her identity because she had a suspended drivers license.

A 17-year-old boy was referred to the district attorney for bail jumping after testing positive for marijuana and amphetamines. He has a bond condition that prohibits him from taking illegal substances.

Wayne Robert Whittington, 48, Tomah, was referred to the district attorney after allegedly driving after a drunk-driving conviction.

A vehicle driven by Whittington June 23 was followed by police to Gordys. The report says Whittington acknowledged he wasnt supposed to be driving. He was referred for bail jumping, operation after revocation/alcohol-related and failure to install an interlock ignition device.

Brittany Renee Herrera, 27, and Jay Allen Perry, 33, were referred to the district attorney after a June 24 disturbance.

Police were called to a Williams Street residence, where a visibly upset Herrera answered the door. She told police she and Perry got into a really big fight. I smashed all my dishes. The report says she acknowledged slapping Perry twice in the face.

As Perry was being interviewed, police noticed the smell of marijuana in the residence. Police allegedly found a glass pipe, rolling papers and a bag of marijuana under a mattress. Police determined the items belonged to Herrera.

Herrera told police the argument started when Perry became upset about her speaking to a friend the night before without informing him. She said the two yelled at each other and that Perry got in her face. She admitted to flipping out and throwing a cell phone and pulling clothes from a closet and scattering them throughout the room.

Herrera was referred for battery, disorderly conduct, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Perry was referred for disorderly conduct. He was also referred for bail jumping. He allegedly violated bond conditions that prohibit him from consuming alcohol and being in the presence of known drug users.

Bradley Z. Dahm, 37, Oakdale, was referred to the district attorney after a June 25 disturbance.

Police were called to a Woodard Avenue residence, where a woman said Dahm was acting erratically and making threatening statements. He later stood outside the residence, yelled and pulled his pants down. He was referred for disorderly conduct and lewd and lascivious behavior.

Joshua J. Perrigo, 24, Tomah, was referred to the district attorney for multiple charges after being accused of suffocating a woman.

According to the report, a woman said she and Perrigo got into an argument and that Perrigo placed his hand over her mouth and nose. The woman said she felt light-headed and believed she was going to faint.

Perrigo confirmed the two argued. He said the woman struck him in the face and made no reference to putting his hand over her mouth. During the interview, police detected the odor of marijuana, and a search of the residence allegedly found marijuana, two glass marijuana smoking pipes and two hair pins used to scrape residue.

Perrigo was referred for disorderly conduct, battery, suffocation/strangulation, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts of bail jumping.

Matthew Harold Hage, 34, Oakdale, was referred to the district attorney for bail jumping. He is accused of violating several bond conditions including a pair of no-contact orders, a curfew and a no-drink provision.
French-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) Chairman David-Pierre Jalicon, left, and Vallourec Management Board Chairman Philippe Crouzet speak at an annual meeting at the Grand Hyatt Seoul on July 6. / Courtesy of FKCCI



By Rachel Lee

French-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) Chairman David-Pierre Jalicon unveiled the organization's visions for 2017-18 at its annual meeting at the Grand Hyatt Seoul on July 6.

The FKCCI, set up in 1986, has seen a big jump in membership  348 companies, including most French companies in Korea and Korean companies that have business relationships with France, were members in 2016. There were 212 members in 2011.

At the meeting, FKCCI members were brought up to date on the chamber's achievements last year and the outlook for this year and beyond.

Jalicon said the chamber plans to capitalize on last year's dynamic generated by the cross-cultural exchanges that celebrated the 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France and adapt itself to an uncertain world in terms of the global economic power balance.

The organization will "reinforce its recognition as an interlocutor and as an institution for both Korean and French organizations, media and governments," the chairman said.

"The FKCCI will organize a door-knocking session, both in Korea and France, in order to be well identified by new administrations."

It will continue to multiply points of contact within Korean society, including "Bus France" to mark the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, he added.

Other activities planned include a career and education forum and a thematic committee like the "Gourmet Club."

"But most important, we believe that our French-Korean business community can enjoy a window of new opportunities thanks to the momentum created by the new president in France," Jalicon said.

A changing world order has also created room for new economic areas and communities such as Francophonie Economic.

"We shall then look for our next level of relationship and push for developing strategic partnerships with Korea," the chairman said. "Indeed, France can offer what's needed in Korea in the future with cooperation on IOT (the internet of things), aerospace, health, the food industry and energy  strong power houses of the French economy."

He also mentioned the completion of the chamber's 30th anniversary project launched last year: "France in Korea 21.com."

It consists of a geolocalization platform introducing all the French activities and entities on Korean territory.

"It reinforces our visibility and renews and updates the Korean perception of French companies in Korea," he said.

Vallourec Management Board Chairman Philippe Crouzet delivered a keynote speech at the event under the topic "Meeting the increasing energy demand while reducing CO2 emissions  for a successful global energy transition." Vallourec is a leading company in tubular solutions for the energy market and other industries.

The chamber aims to promote bilateral exchanges, investment and trade relations between France and Korea.
By Rachel Lee



Chile, a big supplier to Korea's wine market, is bringing its fine, fresh food products to the Grand Hyatt Seoul on Wednesday.



At "Foods from Chile," organized by Chilean government trade and export organization Prochile, importers, buyers and media will have an opportunity to taste foods including salmon, mussels, various meat and dried fruits.



"Chile is a country with great natural and human potential located in a place of amazing geographical and climatic contrasts," said Patricio Parragues, trade commission & agricultural affairs director at the Embassy of Chile.



"Chile has the most transparent skies on Earth and possesses some of the world's most significant freshwater reserves. Natural barriers at all four compass points protect Chile, converting it into a true phyto-sanitary island, thereby reducing the incidence of pests and diseases."



Chile's food exports to Korea reached over $390 million last year, accounting for 2.6 percent of Chile's total global food shipments, according to the organization.



Pork was the most important Chilean product shipped to Korea, with an export value of more than $99.5 million (25.4 percent share). Other notable exports were fresh grapes, salmon and trout, giant squid and bottled red wine.



In the past seven years, average annual growth in food exports to Korea exceeded growth in Chile's total global food shipments, reaching 7.5 percent.



Chile and Korea signed a free trade agreement in 2004 and since then 6,900 Chilean products have entered the Korean market duty free, Prochile said.



Chile is the world's longest country (4,300 kilometers) and is recognized as South America's safest. It boasts five great historical places that UNESCO has declared World Heritage sites: the city and port of Valparaiso; Easter Island, with the Rapa Nui ethnicity; the saltpeter mines of Humberstone and Santa Laura; the Sewell Mining Camp, and the Churches of Chiloe, according to the organization.








By Rachel Lee

The Embassy of Turkey introduced the drama film "Winter Sleep" (2014) at the CGV Cine Library in Seoul Saturday as part of its celebrations for the 2017 Turkey-Korea Culture Year.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Turkish-Korean diplomatic relations and is designated as the "Turkey-Korea Culture Year," the embassy said.

"Winter Sleep' is a 2014 Turkish drama film directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan that was awarded at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival," said Seyla Saglik, third secretary at the embassy.

The movie is about Aydin, a former actor who runs a small hotel in central Anatolia with his young wife Nihal, with whom he has a stormy relationship, and his sister Necla, who is suffering after a recent divorce. In winter, as the snow begins to fall, the hotel turns into a shelter but also is an inescapable place that fuels their animosities.
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27 (4) Feb 26 (1) Feb 25 (1) Feb 24 (2) Feb 23 (2) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (2) Feb 20 (2) Feb 19 (2) Feb 18 (2) Feb 17 (2) Feb 16 (2) Feb 15 (1) Feb 14 (1) Feb 13 (1) Feb 12 (2) Feb 11 (1) Feb 10 (2) Feb 09 (1) Feb 08 (1) Feb 07 (1) Feb 06 (1) Feb 05 (5) Feb 03 (1) Feb 02 (1) Feb 01 (1) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (2) Jan 27 (5) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (3) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (4) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (2) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (5) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (5) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (4) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (1) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (5) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (4) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (6) Dec 14 (4) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (5) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (4) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (5) Dec 05 (4) Dec 04 (4) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (4) Nov 29 (4) Nov 28 (5) Nov 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28 (3) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (4) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (3) Aug 20 (5) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (5) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (3) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (3) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (2) Aug 07 (2) Aug 06 (2) Aug 05 (2) Aug 04 (2) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (2) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (3) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (6) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (4) Jul 22 (4) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (4) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (5) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (2) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (2) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (2) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (2) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (3) Jun 17 (1) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (2) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (2) Jun 06 (2) Jun 05 (2) Jun 04 (2) Jun 03 (2) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (3) May 31 (4) May 30 (5) May 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29 (3) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (4) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (3) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (4) Aug 21 (4) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (2) Aug 16 (2) Aug 15 (5) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (10) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (5) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (5) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (5) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (3) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (5) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (7) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (5) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (3) Jul 12 (2) Jul 11 (2) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (2) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (2) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (3) Jul 02 (2) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (6) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (6) Jun 27 (6) Jun 26 (6) Jun 25 (6) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (5) Jun 18 (8) Jun 17 (6) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (4) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (5) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (3) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (4) May 31 (2) 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(3) Sep 30 (4) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (4) Sep 26 (3) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (3) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (3) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (4) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (3) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (4) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (5) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (3) Aug 20 (3) Aug 19 (3) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (3) Aug 12 (3) Aug 11 (4) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (3) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (4) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (3) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (5) Jul 11 (4) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (3) Jul 01 (6) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (5) Jun 24 (4) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (5) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (3) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (3) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (5) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (4) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (5) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (5) Jun 01 (3) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (3) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (4) May 23 (4) May 22 (3) May 21 (3) May 20 (4) May 19 (3) May 18 (3) May 17 (4) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (1) May 11 (3) May 10 (3) May 09 (3) May 08 (3) May 07 (4) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (4) May 03 (3) May 02 (3) May 01 (6) Apr 30 (3) Apr 29 (3) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (5) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (3) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (3) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (4) Apr 16 (3) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (3) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (3) Apr 04 (3) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (3) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (3) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (3) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (3) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (3) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (3) Mar 18 (3) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (3) Mar 14 (3) Mar 13 (3) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (3) Mar 07 (3) Mar 06 (4) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (3) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (3) Mar 01 (3) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (3) Feb 25 (3) Feb 24 (2) Feb 23 (3) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (3) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (3) Feb 16 (3) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (3) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (3) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (4) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (4) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (3) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (3) Jan 21 (4) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (5) Jan 17 (4) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (5) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (4) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (3) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (3) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (3) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (4) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (4) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (2) Nov 05 (2) Nov 04 (3) Nov 03 (2) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (2) Oct 30 (6) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (5) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (5) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (4) Oct 18 (4) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (2) Oct 15 (3) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (2) Oct 11 (2) Oct 10 (3) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (2) Oct 07 (2) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (3) Oct 04 (2) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (4) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (2) Sep 26 (2) Sep 25 (2) Sep 24 (1) Sep 23 (1) Sep 22 (2) Sep 21 (2) Sep 20 (1) Sep 19 (1) Sep 18 (1) Sep 17 (2) Sep 16 (1) Sep 15 (2) Sep 14 (2) Sep 13 (1) Sep 12 (1) Sep 11 (2) Sep 10 (2) Sep 09 (1) Sep 08 (1) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (1) Sep 05 (1) Sep 04 (2) Sep 03 (1) Sep 02 (1) Sep 01 (1) Aug 31 (2) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (1) Aug 28 (1) Aug 27 (1) Aug 26 (1) Aug 25 (1) Aug 24 (1) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (1) Aug 21 (1) Aug 20 (2) Aug 19 (1) Aug 18 (1) Aug 17 (2) Aug 16 (2) Aug 15 (1) Aug 14 (1) Aug 12 (1) Aug 09 (1) Aug 08 (1) Aug 07 (1) Aug 05 (1) Aug 04 (1) Jul 31 (1) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (5) Jul 28 (2) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (3) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (4) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (4) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (4) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (6) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (6) Jun 18 (5) Jun 17 (5) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (4) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (4) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (5) Jun 03 (5) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (4) May 30 (4) May 29 (4) May 28 (5) May 27 (5) May 26 (5) May 25 (4) May 24 (5) May 23 (4) May 22 (4) May 21 (3) May 20 (6) May 19 (4) May 18 (4) May 17 (4) May 16 (5) May 15 (3) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (3) May 11 (3) May 10 (3) May 09 (3) May 08 (3) May 07 (3) May 06 (3) May 05 (3) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (3) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (3) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (3) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (4) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (3) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (6) Apr 12 (4) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (5) Apr 09 (7) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (4) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (4) Apr 04 (6) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (5) Mar 29 (5) Mar 28 (6) Mar 27 (5) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (4) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (4) Mar 17 (5) Mar 16 (5) Mar 15 (3) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (7) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (4) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (4) Feb 28 (4) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (4) Feb 24 (5) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (7) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (8) Feb 10 (4) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (3) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (6) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (6) Jan 26 (6) Jan 25 (4) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (5) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (5) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (3) Jan 12 (4) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (5) Jan 05 (6) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (7) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (6) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (4) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (5) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (4) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (5) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (4) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (5) Nov 19 (5) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (4) Nov 14 (4) Nov 13 (4) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (3) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (4) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (5) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (3) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (5) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (2) Oct 19 (4) Oct 18 (2) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (4) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (4) Oct 11 (4) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (6) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (4) Sep 26 (4) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (2) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (4) Sep 17 (4) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (3) Sep 09 (3) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (6) Sep 04 (5) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (4) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (2) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (2) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (3) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (2) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (4) Aug 12 (3) Aug 11 (4) Aug 10 (3) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (4) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (2) Jul 20 (3) Jul 19 (4) Jul 18 (3) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (3) Jul 15 (5) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (5) Jul 11 (4) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (8) Jul 08 (6) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (3) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (3) Jul 02 (4) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (3) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (3) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (2) Jun 21 (1) Jun 20 (2) Jun 19 (2) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (3) Jun 15 (7) Jun 14 (3) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (5) Jun 11 (4) Jun 10 (3) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (5) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (4) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (4) May 31 (3) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (3) May 26 (3) May 25 (4) May 24 (2) May 23 (4) May 22 (3) May 21 (2) May 20 (3) May 19 (2) May 18 (4) May 17 (4) May 16 (3) May 15 (2) May 14 (6) May 13 (4) May 12 (2) May 11 (3) May 10 (2) May 09 (3) May 08 (4) May 07 (4) May 06 (3) May 05 (3) May 04 (4) May 03 (3) May 02 (4) May 01 (3) Apr 30 (2) Apr 29 (5) Apr 28 (2) Apr 27 (2) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (3) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (2) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (2) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (4) Apr 16 (3) Apr 15 (2) Apr 14 (4) Apr 13 (5) Apr 12 (3) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (5) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (4) Apr 04 (4) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (6) Mar 31 (2) Mar 30 (5) Mar 29 (4) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (4) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (3) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (3) Mar 17 (5) Mar 16 (2) Mar 15 (4) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (2) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (4) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (4) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (4) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (4) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (6) Feb 25 (4) Feb 24 (5) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (2) Feb 16 (4) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (4) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (4) Feb 11 (3) Feb 10 (4) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (2) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (4) Feb 03 (3) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (3) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (3) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (2) Jan 22 (3) Jan 21 (4) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (4) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (3) Jan 16 (2) Jan 15 (2) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (2) Jan 12 (3) Jan 11 (3) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (2) Jan 07 (2) Jan 06 (2) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (3) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (1) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (2) Dec 29 (2) Dec 28 (2) Dec 27 (2) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (1) Dec 24 (2) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (2) Dec 20 (1) Dec 19 (2) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (2) Dec 16 (2) Dec 15 (4) Dec 14 (2) Dec 13 (1) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (2) Dec 10 (2) Dec 09 (2) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (2) Dec 06 (1) Dec 05 (2) Dec 04 (1) Dec 03 (2) Dec 02 (2) Dec 01 (2) Nov 30 (2) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (2) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (1) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (1) Nov 23 (3) Nov 22 (1) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (2) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (1) Nov 16 (1) Nov 15 (1) Nov 14 (1) Nov 13 (2) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (2) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (1) Nov 08 (2) Nov 07 (1) Nov 06 (2) Nov 05 (2) Nov 04 (1) Nov 03 (1) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (2) Oct 31 (2) Oct 30 (2) Oct 29 (4) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (2) Oct 25 (2) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (2) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (3) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (1) Oct 18 (3) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (2) Oct 15 (1) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (2) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (1) Oct 03 (2) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (1) Sep 29 (2) Sep 28 (1) Sep 27 (3) Sep 26 (3) Sep 25 (2) Sep 24 (1) Sep 23 (2) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (1) Sep 20 (1) Sep 19 (2) Sep 17 (2) Sep 16 (2) Sep 15 (1) Sep 14 (1) Sep 13 (1) Sep 12 (3) Sep 11 (1) Sep 10 (2) Sep 09 (2) Sep 08 (2) Sep 07 (1) Sep 06 (1) Sep 05 (3) Sep 04 (2) Sep 03 (1) Sep 02 (1) Sep 01 (2) Aug 31 (2) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (2) Aug 26 (1) Aug 25 (1) Aug 24 (2) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (1) Aug 21 (1) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (1) Aug 18 (1) Aug 17 (2) Aug 16 (1) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (1) Aug 13 (1) Aug 12 (3) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (2) Aug 09 (1) Aug 08 (2) Aug 07 (1) Aug 06 (1) Aug 05 (1) Aug 04 (1) Aug 03 (2) Aug 01 (1) Jul 31 (2) Jul 30 (1) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (2) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (1) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (2) Jul 23 (2) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (1) Jul 20 (3) Jul 19 (2) Jul 18 (2) Jul 16 (3) Jul 15 (1) Jul 13 (2) Jul 12 (1) Jul 11 (2) Jul 09 (5) Jul 08 (1) Jul 07 (1) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (1) Jul 03 (2) Jul 01 (1) Jun 30 (1) Jun 29 (2) Jun 28 (2) Jun 27 (2) Jun 25 (2) Jun 24 (1) Jun 23 (2) Jun 22 (2) Jun 20 (1) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (1) Jun 15 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AbbVie Inc. discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells pharmaceuticals in the worldwide. The company offers HUMIRA, a therapy administered as an injection for autoimmune and intestinal Behcet's diseases; SKYRIZI to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults; RINVOQ, a JAK inhibitor for the treatment of moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis in adult patients; IMBRUVICA to treat adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), and VENCLEXTA, a BCL-2 inhibitor used to treat adults with CLL or SLL; and MAVYRET to treat patients with chronic HCV genotype 1-6 infection. It also provides CREON, a pancreatic enzyme therapy for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency; Synthroid used in the treatment of hypothyroidism; Linzess/Constella to treat irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and chronic idiopathic constipation; Lupron for the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer, endometriosis and central precocious puberty, and patients with anemia caused by uterine fibroids; and Botox therapeutic. In addition, the company offers ORILISSA, a nonpeptide small molecule gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist for women with moderate to severe endometriosis pain; Duopa and Duodopa, a levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel to treat Parkinson's disease; Lumigan/Ganfort, a bimatoprost ophthalmic solution for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open angle glaucoma (OAG) or ocular hypertension; Ubrelvy to treat migraine with or without aura in adults; Alphagan/ Combigan, an alpha-adrenergic receptor agonist for the reduction of IOP in patients with OAG; and Restasis, a calcineurin inhibitor immunosuppressant to increase tear production, as well as other eye care products. AbbVie Inc. has a research collaboration with Dragonfly Therapeutics, Inc. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in North Chicago, Illinois.
NextEra Energy, Inc. is the largest electric utility holding company in the US. It operates a network of power generation and distribution facilities that include fossil-fuel-generated and green energy. As of mid-2022, the company was capable of generating 58 GW of electricity with nearly 60% of the load produced by green sources including wind and solar. In their view, going green isnt an option, its the solution. NextEra Energy has been recognized multiple times as a leader in clean energy and ESG practices and was ranked the #1 electric and gas utility on the Forbes list of Most Admired Companies.

The company is the result of several mergers that begin with FPL Group. FPL Group is now a subsidiary of NextEra Energy and the third-largest provider of electricity in the US servicing nearly half of Florida. FPL and its affiliates are the single largest provider of renewable energy generated from wind and sun. The group changed its name in 2010 following a decision to shift focus onto renewable energy sources.

Today, NextEra Energy, Inc through its subsidiary FPL serves about 12 million people in eastern and southwestern Florida. The company employs nearly 14,900 people who service 5.8 million accounts. The company is in business to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity to retail and wholesale clients. Electricity is generated through wind, solar, nuclear, natural gas, and coal-fired facilities.

The company is also engaged in the construction and operation of new facilities, specifically renewable power generation, storage, and delivery facilities, and can offer custom solutions tailored to any need. Offerings include tailored services to assist businesses with their transition to clean energy.

NextEra Energy also owns and operates 7 nuclear power stations in Florida, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin generating power for the wholesale market.

Unlike other companies that are targeting net-zero emissions, NextEra Energy has a plan to reach real zero and is investing heavily to reach that goal by 2045. The company had invested nearly $50 billion in green energy infrastructure and initiatives by mid-2022. The plan is to first work on reducing its own emissions and then take its knowledge and expertise to the world.
The following companies are subsidiares of DaVita: Aberdeen Dialysis LLC, Accountable Kidney Care LLC, Adair Dialysis LLC, American Fork Dialysis LLC, American Medical Insurance Inc., Animas Dialysis LLC, Arcadia Gardens Dialysis LLC, Ashdow Dialysis LLC, Atlantic Dialysis LLC, Austin Dialysis Centers L.P., Barnell Dialysis LLC, Barrons Dialysis LLC, Barton Dialysis LLC, Bastrop Dialysis LLC, Beachside Dialysis LLC, Beck Dialysis LLC, Bellevue Dialysis LLC, Bemity Dialysis LLC, Beverly Hills Dialysis Partnership, Birch Dialysis LLC, Bladon Dialysis LLC, Bliss Dialysis LLC, Bohama Dialysis LLC, Bowan Dialysis LLC, Braddock Dialysis LLC, Bridges Dialysis LLC, Brimfield Dialysis LLC, Brook Dialysis LLC, Brownsville Kidney Center Ltd., Brownwood Dialysis LLC, Bruno Dialysis LLC, Buckhorn Dialysis LLC, Buford Dialysis LLC, Bullards Dialysis LLC, Bullock Dialysis LLC, Calante Dialysis LLC, Campton Dialysis LLC, Canyon Springs Dialysis LLC, Capes Dialysis LLC, Capital Dialysis Partnership, Capron Dialysis LLC, Carlton Dialysis LLC, Carroll County Dialysis Facility Inc., Carroll County Dialysis Facility Limited Partnership, Cascades Dialysis LLC, Caverns Dialysis LLC, Cedar Dialysis LLC, Centennial LV LLC, Central Carolina Dialysis Centers LLC, Central Georgia Dialysis LLC, Central Iowa Dialysis Partners LLC, Central Kentucky Dialysis Centers LLC, Channel Dialysis LLC, Cheraw Dialysis LLC, Chicago Heights Dialysis LLC, Chipeta Dialysis LLC, Churchill Dialysis LLC, Cinco Rios Dialysis LLC, Clark Dialysis LLC, Clayton Dialysis LLC, Cleburne Dialysis LLC, Clinica Central do Bonfim S.A., Clinton Township Dialysis LLC, Clyfee Dialysis LLC, Columbus-RNA-DaVita LLC, Conconully Dialysis LLC, Continental Dialysis Center Inc., Couer Dialysis LLC, Court Dialysis LLC, Cowell Dialysis LLC, Cowesett Dialysis LLC, Crossings Dialysis LLC, Crystals Dialysis LLC, Cuivre Dialysis LLC, Culbert Dialysis LLC, DC Healthcare International Inc., DNP Management Company LLC, DPS CKD LLC, DV Care Netherlands B.V., DV Care Netherlands C.V., DVA Healthcare - Southwest Ohio LLC, DVA Healthcare Renal Care Inc., DVA Healthcare of Maryland LLC, DVA Healthcare of Massachusetts Inc., DVA Healthcare of New London LLC, DVA Healthcare of Norwich LLC, DVA Healthcare of Pennsylvania LLC, DVA Healthcare of Tuscaloosa LLC, DVA Holdings Pte. Ltd., DVA Laboratory Services Inc., DVA Renal Healthcare Inc., DVA of New York Inc., DaVita - Riverside II LLC, DaVita - Riverside LLC, DaVita - West LLC, DaVita APAC Holding B.V., DaVita Brasil Participacoes e Servicos de Nefrologia Ltda., DaVita Care (Saudi Arabia), DaVita Dakota Dialysis Center LLC, DaVita Deutschland AG, DaVita Deutschland Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG, DaVita El Paso East L.P., DaVita Germany GmbH, DaVita HK Holdings Limited, DaVita HealthCare Brasil Servicos Medicos Ltda., DaVita International Limited, DaVita Nefromed Servicos de Nefrologia Ltda., DaVita Nephron Care Servicos de Nefrologia Ltda., DaVita Rien Servicos de Nefrologia Ltda., DaVita S.A.S., DaVita Servicos de Nefrologia Asa Sul Ltda., DaVita Servicos de Nefrologia Distrito Federal Ltda., DaVita Servicos de Nefrologia Guarulhos Ltda., DaVita Servicos de Nefrologia Jardim das Imbuias Ltda., DaVita Servicos de Nefrologia Taubate Ltda., DaVita Servicos de Nefrologia de Araraquara Ltda., DaVita Sp. z o.o., DaVita Sud-Niedersachsen GmbH, DaVita Transrim Servicos de Nefrologia Ltda., DaVita UTR Servicos de Nefrologia Ltda., DaVita VillageHealth Inc., DaVita of New York Inc., Dallas-Fort Worth Nephrology L.P., Damon Dialysis LLC, Dialysis Holdings Inc., Dialysis of Des Moines LLC, Dialysis of Northern Illinois LLC, Dierks Dialysis LLC, Dolores Dialysis LLC, Dome Dialysis LLC, Doves Dialysis LLC, Downriver Centers Inc., EURODIAL - Centro de Nefrologia e Dialise de Leiria S.A., East End Dialysis Center Inc., East Ft. Lauderdale LLC, Ebrea Dialysis LLC, Edisto Dialysis LLC, Eldrist Dialysis LLC, Elgin Dialysis LLC, Elk Grove Dialysis Center LLC, Empire State DC Inc., Etowah Dialysis LLC, Ettleton Dialysis LLC, Eufaula Dialysis LLC, Falcon LLC, Family Health Care of Central Florida, Fanthorp Dialysis LLC, Federal Way Assurance Inc., Fields Dialysis LLC, Five Star Dialysis LLC, Fjords Dialysis LLC, Flagler Dialysis LLC, Flamingo Park Kidney Center Inc., Forester Dialysis LLC, Freehold Artificial Kidney Center L.L.C., Fremont Dialysis LLC, Frontier Dialysis LLC, Fullerton Dialysis Center LLC, GDC International LLC, Gambro Healthcare, Ganois Dialysis LLC, Garner Dialysis LLC, Garrett Dialysis LLC, Gaviota Dialysis LLC, Gebhard Dialysis LLC, Genesis KC Development LLC, GiveLife Dialysis LLC, Glassland Dialysis LLC, Glosser Dialysis LLC, Goliad Dialysis LLC, Grand Home Dialysis LLC, Greater Las Vegas Dialysis LLC, Greater Los Angeles Dialysis Centers LLC, Green Country Dialysis LLC, Green Desert Dialysis LLC, Griffin Dialysis LLC, Groten Dialysis LLC, Harmony Dialysis LLC, Hart Dialysis LLC, Hawn Dialysis LLC, Healthcare Partners, Helmer Dialysis LLC, Hennepin Dialysis LLC, Hewett Dialysis LLC, Hilgards Dialysis LLC, Hochatown Dialysis LLC, Home Kidney Care LLC, Honeyman Dialysis LLC, Houston Kidney Center/Total Renal Care Integrated Service Network Limited Partnership, Hummer Dialysis LLC, Hunter Dialysis LLC, Huntington Artificial Kidney Center Ltd., Hyde Dialysis LLC, IDC -International Dialysis Centers Lda, ISD Bartlett LLC, ISD Corpus Christi LLC, ISD I Holding Company Inc., ISD II Holding Company Inc., ISD Las Vegas LLC, ISD Lees Summit LLC, ISD Renal Inc., ISD Schaumburg LLC, ISD Spring Valley LLC, ISD Summit Renal Care LLC, Iroquois Dialysis LLC, Jacinto Dialysis LLC, Jenness Dialysis LLC, Kamiah Dialysis LLC, Kanika Dialysis LLC, Kavett Dialysis LLC, Kenai Dialysis LLC, Kershaw Dialysis LLC, Kidney Home Center LLC, Kimball Dialysis LLC, Kingston Dialysis LLC, Kinnick Dialysis LLC, Kinter Dialysis LLC, Kiowa Dialysis LLC, Knickerbocker Dialysis Inc., Lakeshore Dialysis LLC, Landing Dialysis LLC, Landor Dialysis LLC, Lassen Dialysis LLC, Leasburg Dialysis LLC, Leawood Dialysis LLC, Lees Dialysis LLC, Legare Development LLC, Liberty RC Inc., Lifeline Pensacola LLC, Lifeline Vascular Center-Albany LLC, Lincoln Park Dialysis Services Inc., Livingston Dialysis LLC, Llano Dialysis LLC, Lofield Dialysis LLC, Logoley Dialysis LLC, Lone Dialysis LLC, Long Beach Dialysis Center LLC, Lord Baltimore Dialysis LLC, Lory Dialysis LLC, Lourdes Dialysis LLC, Lyndale Dialysis LLC, MVZ DaVita Alzey GmbH, MVZ DaVita Aurich GmbH, MVZ DaVita Bad Aibling GmbH, MVZ DaVita Bad Duben GmbH, MVZ DaVita Cardio Centrum Dusseldorf GmbH, MVZ DaVita Dillenburg GmbH, MVZ DaVita Dinkelsbuhl GmbH, MVZ DaVita Dormagen GmbH, MVZ DaVita Duisburg GmbH, MVZ DaVita Elsterland GmbH, MVZ DaVita Emden GmbH, MVZ DaVita Falkensee GmbH, MVZ DaVita Geilenkirchen GmbH, MVZ DaVita Gera GmbH, MVZ DaVita Iserlohn GmbH, MVZ DaVita Monchengladbach GmbH, MVZ DaVita Neuss GmbH, MVZ DaVita Niederrhein GmbH, MVZ DaVita Nierenzentrum Aachen Alsdorf GmbH, MVZ DaVita Nierenzentrum Berlin-Britz GmbH, MVZ DaVita Nierenzentrum Hamm-Ahlen GmbH, MVZ DaVita Prenzlau-Pasewalk GmbH, MVZ DaVita Rhein-Ahr GmbH, MVZ DaVita Rhein-Ruhr GmbH, MVZ DaVita Schwalm-Eder GmbH, MVZ DaVita Viersen GmbH, Madigan Dialysis LLC, Magney Dialysis LLC, Magoffin Dialysis LLC, Makonee Dialysis LLC, Marlton Dialysis Center LLC, Marseille Dialysis LLC, Mason-Dixon Dialysis Facilities Inc., Mazonia Dialysis LLC, Mellen Dialysis LLC, Melnea Dialysis LLC, Memorial Dialysis Center L.P., Meridian Dialysis LLC, Mermet Dialysis LLC, Milltown Dialysis LLC, Minam Dialysis LLC, Minneopa Dialysis LLC, Mountain West Dialysis Services LLC, Mulgee Dialysis LLC, Nansen Dialysis LLC, Natomas Dialysis LLC, Nauvue Dialysis LLC, Navarro Dialysis LLC, Nephrology Medical Associates of Georgia LLC, Nephrology Practice Solutions LLC, New Bay Dialysis LLC, Nicona Dialysis LLC, Norbert Dialysis LLC, Norte Dialysis LLC, North Austin Dialysis LLC, Northwest Physicians Network, Oasis Dialysis LLC, Ohio River Dialysis LLC, Okanogan Dialysis LLC, Olive Dialysis LLC, Ordust Dialysis LLC, Owyhee Dialysis LLC, Palo Dialysis LLC, Palomar Dialysis LLC, Panther Dialysis LLC, Parkside Dialysis LLC, Pattison Dialysis LLC, Patuk Dialysis LLC, Pearl Dialysis LLC, Pendster Dialysis LLC, Percha Dialysis LLC, Pershing Dialysis LLC, Pfeiffer Dialysis LLC, Philadelphia-Camden Integrated Kidney Care LLC, Physicians Choice Dialysis LLC, Physicians Choice Dialysis Of Alabama LLC, Physicians Dialysis Acquisitions Inc., Physicians Dialysis Ventures LLC, Physicians Dialysis of Lancaster LLC, Physicians Management LLC, Pible Dialysis LLC, Pinson Dialysis LLC, Pittsburgh Dialysis Partners LLC, Piute Dialysis LLC, Plaine Dialysis LLC, Platte Dialysis LLC, Pluribus Dialise - Benfica S.A., Pluribus Dialise - Cascais S.A., Pluribus Dialise S.A., Prairie Dialysis LLC, Prineville Dialysis LLC, Purity Dialysis, RMS Lifeline Inc., RNA - DaVita Dialysis LLC, RV Academy LLC, Ramsey Dialysis LLC, Rayburn Dialysis LLC, Red Willow Dialysis LLC, Redcliff Dialysis LLC, Refuge Dialysis LLC, Renal Center of Beaumont LLC, Renal Center of Fort Dodge LLC, Renal Center of Lewisville LLC, Renal Center of Morristown LLC, Renal Center of Newton LLC, Renal Center of Port Arthur LLC, Renal Center of Tyler L.P.L.L.L.P., Renal Center of West Beaumont LLC, Renal Center of the Hills LLC, Renal Life Link Inc., Renal Treatment Centers - California Inc., Renal Treatment Centers - Illinois Inc., Renal Treatment Centers - Mid-Atlantic Inc., Renal Treatment Centers - Northeast Inc., Renal Treatment Centers - Southeast LP, Renal Treatment Centers - West Inc., Renal Treatment Centers Inc., Renal Ventures Management LLC, RenalServ LLC, Riddle Dialysis LLC, River Valley Dialysis LLC, Rocky Mountain Dialysis Services LLC, Rollins Dialysis LLC, Roose Dialysis LLC, Rophets Dialysis LLC, Roushe Dialysis LLC, Routt Dialysis LLC, Royale Dialysis LLC, Rusk Dialysis LLC, Rutland Dialysis LLC, SAKDC-DaVita Dialysis Partners L.P., Saddleback Dialysis LLC, Sahara Dialysis LLC, San Marcos Dialysis LLC, Santiam Dialysis LLC, Sapelo Dialysis LLC, Saunders Dialysis LLC, Seabay Dialysis LLC, Secour Dialysis LLC, Sensiba Dialysis LLC, Shadow Dialysis LLC, Shayano Dialysis LLC, Shelling Dialysis LLC, Sherman Dialysis LLC, Shetek Dialysis LLC, Shining Star Dialysis Inc., Siena Dialysis Center LLC, Simeon Dialysis LLC, Skagit Dialysis LLC, Soledad Dialysis Center LLC, Somerville Dialysis Center LLC, South Central Florida Dialysis Partners LLC, South Fork Dialysis LLC, Southern Hills Dialysis Center LLC, Southlake Dialysis LLC, Southwest Atlanta Dialysis Centers LLC, Sprague Dialysis LLC, Springpond Dialysis LLC, Star Dialysis LLC, Stevenson Dialysis LLC, Stewart Dialysis LLC, Stines Dialysis LLC, Storrie Dialysis LLC, Sugarloaf Dialysis LLC, Sun City Dialysis Center L.L.C., Sunapee Dialysis LLC, Sunset Dialysis LLC, TRC - Indiana LLC, TRC El Paso Limited Partnership, TRC West Inc., TRC of New York Inc., TRC-Georgetown Regional Dialysis LLC, Talimena Dialysis LLC, Terre Dialysis LLC, The Woodlands Dialysis Center LP, Tortugas Dialysis LLC, Total Renal Care Inc., Total Renal Care Texas Limited Partnership, Total Renal Care of North Carolina LLC, Total Renal Laboratories Inc., Total Renal Research Inc., Toulouse Dialysis LLC, Transmountain Dialysis L.P., Tross Dialysis LLC, Tugman Dialysis LLC, Tunnel Dialysis LLC, Turlock Dialysis Center LLC, Tustin Dialysis Center LLC, Twain Dialysis LLC, Tyler Dialysis LLC, USC-DaVita Dialysis Center LLC, Unicoi Dialysis LLC, University Dialysis Center LLC, Upper Valley Dialysis L.P., Valley Springs Dialysis LLC, Victory Dialysis LLC, VillageHealth DM LLC, Villanueva Dialysis LLC, Vively Health LLC, Vogel Dialysis LLC, Volo Dialysis LLC, Waddell Dialysis LLC, Wakoni Dialysis LLC, Walker Dialysis LLC, Walton Dialysis LLC, Watkins Dialysis LLC, Weldon Dialysis LLC, West Elk Grove Dialysis LLC, West Sacramento Dialysis LLC, Weston Dialysis Center LLC, Whitney Dialysis LLC, Willowbrook Dialysis Center L.P., Winds Dialysis LLC, Wood Dialysis LLC, Woodford Dialysis LLC, Wyandotte Central Dialysis LLC, Yards Dialysis LLC, Ybor City Dialysis LLC, Yucaipa Dialysis LLC, and Zephyrhills Dialysis Center LLC.

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First Commonwealth Financial Corporation, a financial holding company, provides various consumer and commercial banking services in the United States. Its consumer services include personal checking accounts, interest-earning checking accounts, savings and health savings accounts, insured money market accounts, debit cards, investment certificates, fixed and variable rate certificates of deposit, mortgage loans, secured and unsecured installment loans, construction and real estate loans, safe deposit facilities, credit cards, credit lines with overdraft checking protection, IRA accounts, and automated teller machine (atm) services, as well as internet, mobile, and telephone banking services. The company's commercial banking services comprise commercial lending, business checking accounts, online account management services, payroll direct deposits, commercial cash management services, and repurchase agreements, as well as ACH origination services. It also offers various trust and asset management services; auto, home, and business insurance, as well as term life insurance; and annuities, mutual funds, and stock and bond brokerage services through a broker-dealer and insurance brokers. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated 118 community banking offices in western and central Pennsylvania, as well as northeastern, central, and southwestern Ohio; corporate banking centers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as well as Columbus, Canton, and Cleveland, Ohio; and mortgage banking offices in Wexford, Pennsylvania, and Hudson, Westlake, as well as Lewis Center, Ohio. It also operates 136 automated teller machines. First Commonwealth Financial Corporation was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Indiana, Pennsylvania.
Regions Financial Corporation, a financial holding company, provides banking and bank-related services to individual and corporate customers. It operates through three segments: Corporate Bank, Consumer Bank, and Wealth Management. The Corporate Bank segment offers commercial banking services, such as commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, and investor real estate lending; equipment lease financing; deposit products; and securities underwriting and placement, loan syndication and placement, foreign exchange, derivatives, merger and acquisition, and other advisory services. It serves corporate, middle market, and commercial real estate developers and investors. The Consumer Bank segment provides consumer banking products and services related to residential first mortgages, home equity lines and loans, consumer credit cards, and other consumer loans, as well as deposits. The Wealth Management segment offers credit related products, and retirement and savings solutions; and trust and investment management, asset management, and estate planning services to individuals, businesses, governmental institutions, and non-profit entities. The company also provides investment and insurance products; low-income housing tax credit corporate fund syndication services; and other specialty financing services. As of March 01, 2022, it operated through a network of 1,300 banking offices and 2,000 automated teller machines across the South, Midwest, and Texas. Regions Financial Corporation was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.
Tidewater Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides offshore marine support and transportation services to the offshore energy industry through the operation of a fleet of marine service vessels worldwide. It provides services in support of offshore oil and natural gas exploration, field development, and production, as well as windfarm development and maintenance, including towing of and anchor handling for mobile offshore drilling units; transporting supplies and personnel necessary to sustain drilling, workover, and production activities; offshore construction, and seismic and subsea support; geotechnical survey support for windfarm construction; and various specialized services, such as pipe and cable laying. The company operates and charters deepwater vessels, including platform supply and horsepower anchor handling tug supply vessels for use in transporting supplies and equipment from shore bases to deepwater and intermediate water depth offshore drilling rigs and production platforms; towing-supply vessels for use in intermediate and shallow waters; and crew boats, utility vessels, and offshore tugs to transport personnel and supplies from shore bases to offshore drilling rigs, platforms, and other installations. It also operates offshore tugs for use in tow floating drilling rigs and barges; and assisting in the docking of tankers, as well as in pipe and cable laying, and construction barges. The company serves oil and natural gas exploration, field development, and production companies; mid-sized and smaller independent exploration and production companies; foreign government-owned or government-controlled organizations, and other related companies; drilling contractors; and other companies, such as offshore construction, windfarm development, diving, and well stimulation companies. As of December 31, 2021, it owned 135 vessels. Tidewater Inc. was incorporated in 1956 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
General Manager of Chocolate City Music, one of Nigerias biggest music record labels, Ibukun Abidoye has stated that, Ice Princes decision to exit the record label was inevitable.

According to her, it wasnt due to any misunderstanding as speculated on social media.

She revealed this to Ghanaian journalist Pamela Boateng during a music conference held at Tulip Inn in Accra recently.

When asked about the reaction of the record label in the wake of Ice Prince's decision to exit, Ibukun, affectionately called Aibee, responded; I think its inevitable. Its a growth pattern. Its still love. In fact, we still do a lot of music with him. Five Music, which is another arm of Chocolate City, just released his last single so its not hard feelings at all. Hes been with the brand for a long time; he had invested with the brand, and I think its only normal to want to go places all by himself.

She continued, I dont think we took it anyway. We are still very supportive of his brand and hes still supportive of everybody on the platform. M.I and I talk to him; he can call me and ask legal questions and things like that. I think its only normal and is expected. Any label that expects their artiste to stay and die there is not realistic. The ones that do, thats great; but if they (artists) feel theyve outgrown you, that is ok. Thats what you want; you want them to outgrow you.

On May 19, 2016, Nigerias Cool FM tweeted Ice Princes exit from Chocolate City Music which he confirmed later on the same station.

During the interview, Ice Prince made it clear that his contract with the label expired two years ago and due to his personal relationship with the label owners, decided not to make it public.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
09.07.2017 LISTEN

Ghana's reggae/dancehall export Charles Nii Armah Mensah known by stage name Shattawale was yesterday 8th July, 2017 honoured with the "Key To The City" of Worcester, Massachusetts in the United States of America.

The African "Dancehall King" after an implausible stage performance at the 2300 capacity "auditorium dubbed the Hanover Theater" was honoured by the Mayor of the city; Joseph M Petty who handed over the "Key " to the Ghanaian dancehall artiste.

The Key to the City of Worcester is conferred to individuals by the sitting Mayor; Joseph Petty for the recognition of one's huge contribution to the betterment of Worcester or to a well respected visitor.

The citations written on the plague clearly states that Shattawale is being recognized and honoured by Worcester for his relentless contribution to the arts industry and for honouring the city with such a successful event and great performance.

Shattawale is currently in the USA to embark on his "After The Storm" tour.
At last 19 persons, including one woman, have been charged by the state over the murder of Major Maxwell Adam Mahama at Denkyira-Obuase in the Central Region.

They are among 32 suspected persons initially dragged before the Accra Central District Court for allegedly playing various roles in the gruesome murder of the 5 Battalion of Infantry soldier on May 29, 2017.

Major Mahama was the commander of a military detachment stationed at Diaso in the Upper Denkyira West District of the Central Region that was to check the activities of illegal miners (galamseyers).

They were provisionally charged with conspiracy to murder and murder.

Accused Persons

The accused persons are William Baah aka Misky, teacher/assemblyman of the area; Yaw Annor aka Agbahowa, mason; Akwasi Baah aka Baya, farmer; Kwame Tuffour aka Asowonan, driver; Akwasi Asante, farmer; Joseph Appiah Kubi aka Kum Dede, driver; Kwadwo Animah, mason; Philip Badu, prisons assistant; Kofi Nyame aka Abortion, farmer and Michael Anim aka Nana Anim.

The rest are Bernard Asamoah aka Daddy, driver's mate; Ebenezer Appiah aka Akwesi Adjei; Charles Quainin aka Kwesi Boah, vulcanizer; Anthony Amoah aka Kwaku Manu/Amis, Okada operator; Bismark Donkor aka Dada, farmer; Kwame Agyei, farmer; Solomon Sackey, carpenter; John Bosie aka Abodie, driver's mate and Vivian Sahene aka Mafia, unemployed.

According to the prosecutor, DSP George Amegah, the accused persons and 13 others currently at large acted together with a common purpose to murder the soldier.

The police are currently on the heels of Yaw Amankwah, Kwadjo Fordjour, Kwabena Kenkeba, Tikwa, Yaw Boadu, Fuseini, Madam Deedikor, Eric Asante aka Yaw Agade, Nana Kwadjo aka Naa Ajo, Kweku Diesel, Kofi Ahenkora, Solo, Rasta and Wiser.

Hearing

At yesterday's hearing, DSP George Amegah informed the court that 19 out of the 32 suspects earlier arraigned before the court could be tried.

He explained that the prosecution was going to use the remaining 13 as witnesses for which reason the court must discharge them.

He claimed that further investigations into the case cleared the 13 persons.

DSP Amegah told the court, presided over by Ebenezer Kweku Ansah, that it had at its previous sitting ordered the prosecution to conduct further investigations into the background of Bernard Asamoah  one of the accused persons.

The accused had sought to create the impression that he is a minor.

On that, the prosecution said the investigators visited New Obuase Catholic School  the school Bernard attended  and spoke with one Sylvester Owusu who in turn directed them (police) to the Circuit Education Officer.

DSP Amegah stated that the officer revealed that Bernard completed junior high school (JHS) education in 2015.

The prosecutor said the date Bernard was sent to the school indicated that he was born in April 1995, bringing his age to 22 years.

The accused person is 22 years per his educational records and that was also confirmed by his father who is also in this case, the senior police officer indicated.

He added The young boy only wanted to throw dust into the eyes of the court to be given preferential treatment; his juvenile days are long gone.

Remand

DSP Amegah urged the court to remand the accused persons into police custody as further investigations into the case continued.

He said the accused persons had been very helpful to the prosecution because they had been forthcoming with information which culminated in the discharge of the 13.

George Benard Shaw, lawyer for six of the accused persons, said he would not apply for bail because it was in the best interest of his clients to be in police custody.

He said the prosecution must provide them (defence team) with a copy of the amended charge sheet.

Lawyer's Jabs

In a rather very strange twist, Charles Owusu Juanah, who is among the lawyers for the six persons and is expected to make a submission on behalf of his clients, vented his spleen on journalists in the court.

He stated that the media had been very unreasonable in the reportage of the case.

Although he failed to cite a single instance when journalists had been unreasonable, he urged the court to make specific orders directed at the media that are covering the matter.

He cautioned the media to be circumspect in their reportage.

Hearing continues on July 19.

Background

On Monday, May 29, 2017, at about 8am, Major (the Captain) Maxwell Mahama left the detachment base for a 20-kilometer jogging.

At about 9:25 am, he got to the outskirts of Denkyira-Obuasi where a number of women were selling food items by the roadside.

The soldier reportedly stopped to interact with the women and even bought some snails which he left with the women with intent to collect them on his return from the exercise.

While the military man was taking the money from his pocket to pay for the snails, the woman from whom he bought them and a few others saw his sidearm tucked on his waist and soon after he had left, one of the women telephoned the assemblyman of the area, William Baah, to report what she had seen.

Without verifying the information, William Baah reportedly mobilized the town folks to attack a suspected armed robber who had been sighted by the traders on the outskirt of the town.

The accused persons met Major Mahama near the Denkyira-Obuase cemetery, and without giving him the opportunity to identify himself, attacked him with clubs, concrete blocks and machetes, killed and burned part of his body.

Suspects in the Major Mahama case

By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson

[email protected]
09.07.2017 LISTEN

Togo's largest opposition party, Parti National Panafricain (PNP), has vow to unseat the ruling Union Pour La Republique (UNIR).

The party issued this strong statement at a briefing in the capital Lome while addressing party faithful of the need to unseat Togos longest serving party.

Addressing thousands of supporters, founder and leader of the PNP, Lawyer Tikpi Achadam, stated that the country lacks many development infrastructures and social amenities, which according to him have made life unbearable for the citizenry.

He added that poverty has engulfed the people of Togo for so long and that time has come for the Togolese to fight for their right as citizens.

He pledged that the PNP would rule Togo with the law and as well initiate policies that would ensure that the country would be a better place.

Togo, he said, is currently under the dictatorship of President Faure Gnyassingbe which is unconstitutional and against the rights of the citizens.

He added that the people of Togo are currently under slavery and that his party has come to redeem Togolese from total slavery hence his call for revolution to unseat the UNIR.

According to him, the PNP would not involve in any form of tribal politics but would serve the interests of the nation Togo.

This, he said, would help unite and build a conducive environment for all.

He appealed to Togolese to come out in their numbers and support the PNP to take over leadership from the selfish unpatriotic UNIR government.

Special advisor to the founder and leader of PNP, Koli Salam Youchaou, revealed that Togo has never had a free and fair elections hence the need to use other alternative means to unseat the ruling government.

He called on the security agencies to discharge their duties without fear or favour and as well protect and defend the citizens and not to allow themselves to be used to intimidate the good people of Togo by the ruling government.

The security agencies, he said, have been victims of radicalization in the fight for freedom in Togo, adding that the ruling government uses their services to intimidate citizens anytime attempts are made to oppose the ruling government.

This, he said, has resulted in fear and panic for the people of Togo.

According to him, the security agencies have a role to play in promoting freedom in the country but have failed to do so due to instructions from the ruling government.

He added that the future and development of Togo lies in the hands of the security agencies and that posterity will not forgive them if they allow themselves to be used to prevent people from fighting for their rights and freedom.
Kokrobite (Ghana) (AFP) - Brett Davies paced up and down the sloping sands of Kokrobite beach in Ghana, organising surfers from 20 different countries at his annual international competition.

Along the beach, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) west of Accra, dotted with dug-out fishing boats, Rastafarians were selling T-shirts and small children were playing in the sand.

Davies, 42, is leading the push to bring surfers to the West African nation as a way to help boost the country's under-developed tourism sector.

The British national already runs a surf school at Kokrobite and has helped to bring surfing to Busua, near the border with Ivory Coast.

"The greatest thing about surfing in Ghana is that we have uncrowded world-class waves that appeal to the beginner and intermediate market," he told AFP.

"Most well-known destinations are very localised and very intimidating to the average surfer."

At the competition, which was held last month, local reggae boomed from the speakers stacked in the corner of a car-park.

In the water, Emmanuel Ansah cut across the breaks, deftly manoeuvring his board, trying to catch the eye of the judges sitting on a wooden platform, looking out to sea.

The 19-year-old from Busua started surfing five years ago and described his first time on the waves as "like having a new girlfriend".

"I was so happy," he said. Now he, too, wants to see Ghana become a surfing destination in its own right -- and one day represent the West African nation at overseas competitions.

Untapped potential

According to the World Bank, 897,000 international tourists visited Ghana in 2015. In comparison, just over 1.1 million went to Kenya and 8.9 million travelled to South Africa.

But the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates numbers for Ghana could jump to nearly 1.3 million this year and more than 2.0 million by 2027.

Teenage Ghanaian surfer Emmanuel Ansah, who competed in the event to mark International Surfing Day last month, says he hopes Ghana can become a major surfing destination which he might represent in international competitions

In the last few years travel and tourism have directly contributed $1.3 billion to Ghana's economy -- the equivalent of about 3.0 percent of gross domestic product.

Tourism generally focuses on natural attractions like waterfalls and national parks, historic slave forts and cultural activities.

But with some 550 kilometres of unspoiled coastline, watersports on the Atlantic Ocean, off the palm tree-lined golden sands, are being seen as a major draw.

"Surfing has a huge potential," said Ghana tourism specialist Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey. "We have not developed our beaches.

"We have not done anything, it's a raw opportunity for anyone who wants to come."

Attracting surfers is seen as a good way to bring in middle-income earners to Ghana, plugging a growing gap between budget travellers, volunteers and those on business.

"The gap between the low end and the high end is very huge, it's an untapped market," said Aggrey.

"It is because people aim at making profit so they hike the price or rate looking for the high-end travellers."

Development plan

The high cost of flights and accommodation in Ghana has been blamed for deterring tourists.

Much of Ghana's coastline is undeveloped but the government sees tourism as a means of boosting faltering growth to create jobs and a project is already afoot to develop some 100 hectares (250 acres) of shoreline with hotels, malls, theme parks and a casino

A stay at a standard three-star hotel in the capital can set travellers back $100 (88 euros) a night, while flights even within West Africa can be eye-wateringly expensive.

The head of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Kwesi Agyemang, said there are plans to start targeting different interest groups and improve regulation.

The authority's work includes targeting other countries for visitors.

The government's National Tourism Development Plan in 2012 noted there were "completely virgin" beaches in Ghana's Western Region because of lack of access.

They showed "great potential for development", it added.

Ghana's new government, in power since January this year, has put a fresh emphasis on tourism and wants to develop Accra's under-developed and impoverished beach front.

The Marine Drive Tourism Investment Project aims to develop nearly 100 hectares (250 acres) of the shoreline with hotels, shopping malls, theme parks, an office and casino.

In the 2017 budget, Ghana's finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta said tourism could help address soaring levels of debt and high unemployment.

Ghana, once celebrated for its rapidly growing economy, saw rates of growth slow to some 3.6 percent in 2016 -- the lowest in two decades and well down on 14 percent in 2011.

Davies accepted that government help was needed but, whatever happens, he will be encouraging people to ride the waves.

"Ghana is just about to explode due to surfing tourism and it's very exciting times for surfing in Ghana," he added.
09.07.2017 LISTEN

Just as all the good things which the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the LORD will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God has given you, if you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, Joshua 23: 15-16

America has done everything in recent times to provoke the anger of God. From legitimizing abortion, same-sex marriage to removing prayer from schools, erecting satanic statues, immorality, Satanism, etc. And the latest on this shameful list is that the Pentagon is considering recruiting transgender individuals into the military. In fact, the policy is about taking off.

And it is shocking that a government that pretend to acknowledge God is going to implement this. Today, it is hard to believe that this is the same country that was totally founded on the word of God. Some of the founding fathers of this great nation were very strong bible-believing, praying and tongue-speaking Christians. True.

Or was it by accident that its currency bears the inscription In God we trust and its presidents are sworn in with the Holy Bible? Now, why is this highly blessed country deliberately, steadily sliding into total ungodliness? What happened to those godly principles in which it was established? And also what will be the consequences of all these?

I think America is taking Gods grace and favor for granted. Instead of remaining hooked to their source, we are today seeing a boastful, proud and backslidden nation. It has not just lived and supported ungodliness, but preached and imposed it on others. You remember how the past leader went about coercing other nations to start legitimizing same-sex marriages.

In fact, he went to the extent of promising aids for same-sex. What a shame! Thank God that some of these countries, especially in Africa pushed him away with his dirty, debased and demonic values. I still remember that the Nigerian senate told him to perish with his ungodly aids. The Kenyans, Ghanians and others also rebuked him.

Now, do you think that God will forever watch the backslidden America disgrace and desecrate His name and His agreement with their founding fathers? No. Like the Americans love saying, there would be consequences. Look at that text at the beginning again.

It says that as God faithfully fulfilled all His promises to His people, so will He also faithfully forsake and punish them if they decide to turn away from His commandments. If America does not repent quickly and return back to God; her source of prosperity and strength, she will suffer defeats, disasters, diseases and disgrace. That is the word of God. We will continue.

Gabriel Agbo is the author of the books: Power of Midnight Prayer, Power of Sacrifice and others. Website: www.authorsden.com/pastorgabrielnagbo Email: [email protected] Tel: +234-8037113283
I was really planning to caption this article: Open Letter from Judas Iscariot to Bishop Opana, based on an email I received from one of my discerning readers in somewhere Nigeria. Koo Nimo, kindly spare yourself from a breathless curiosity as I disclose the details of the message from my cherish reader! Before that happens, let me talk about the current heading.

Speaking during a 30-day prayer and fasting event at Cedar Mountain Chapel Assemblies of God Church, East Legon, Rev. Sam KorankyeAnkrah pronounced no youth will go past 33 years in the town (DenkyiraObuasi),the age of MajorMahama when he was murdered in cold blood (Source: peacefmonline.com, July 5, 2017).

If Socrates of classical Greece fame in spite of his lofty philosophical erudition was accused of corrupting the minds of the people and had to face execution eventually, I could imagine what would have happened to some of the modern preachers in Ghana if they were to live in that era or inquisition period.

Pastors and churches are agents and agencies of socialization respectively. Pastors proclivity to peddle lies in the podium extirpate the image of the living God into an abyss of decomposition. And they will blasphemously and arrogantly coerce their followers to defend their lies and stop criticizing them so as to avert the wrath of God. Perhaps, they want to offer God of Israel a semblance of African politician and insinuate that God defends liars because they call themselves bishops, pastors, prophets and the numerous titles go on and on.Some pastors always knew with perfect certainties that what they told the innocent church members were nothing but lies but the lies continue to go on ad infinitum. To be frank, I personally have no fondness for preachers who punctuate their sermons with naked lies.

Any pastor who stands in the podium is believed to be assisted by the Holy Spirit and lies in the pulpit are egregiously inimical to the spirit of the living God. The story of Ananias and Sapphira unfolded in Acts of the Apostle chapter 5 must goad pastors from their veritable podium deception. For the sake of 10 righteous people and courtesy an adept plea of Abraham, Elohim did not destroy the entire inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah on the grounds of unnatural carnal knowledge (Genesis 18:32). With all due respect, Rev.Mr. Sam KorankyeAnkrah, I suggest to you to leave God of Israel out of this DenkyiraObuasi prophesy, for you spoke from your intuition.

The whole of DenkyiraObuasi residents cannot not be guilty of the gory murder of Major Maxwell Mahama. The intelligent and omnipresent God knows this! Uncle SamAnkrah, you did not hear foko! Enough of religious gibberish and hocus pocus in Ghana. Residents of DenkyiraObuasi rather need psychological and sociological interventions for the amelioration, if not the arrest of phenomenological and existential aspects of their social isolation. If we do not stop this divine, divine mantra in Africa, confronting the challenges of the 21st century will be a snipe hunt. Africans must at timeslive above metaphysical nonsense and embrace positivism.

Martin from Ondo state in Nigeria was enthused by my article entitled: Witchcraft Accusation and Pastoral Training published on modernghana.com on June 24, 2017. He sent a congratulatory email and also shared an amazing dream with Judas Iscariot with me. He accepted my request to publish an article about the dream.In the dream, Martin was walking in a desolate landscape lonely! He saw a group of famous bishops from Africa! He resolved to go there and interact with them! Then he met a man on his way who claimed to be Judas Iscariot! Judas Iscariot told him to avoid interacting with those people and that he (Judas) was on his way for an appeal from Gods court. Judas as usual sounded insufferably agitated and livid wanted God to pardon him because of the conducts of the latter day Pharisees masquerading as bishops, pastors, prophets on the continent of Africa.

Judas lamented over his continuous stay in hell. I only betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and repented after that so God ought to have mercy on me! Today, those bishops standing there are not only remorselessly betraying Jesus with material things, but equally looting from the down trodden. Dear Martin, how I wish the impartial God will not quash the plea of Judas and save other African souls from the clutches of modern African religious Jacobinists. Black Africans are under a serious religious colonization.

In his work entitled: A contribution to the critique of Hegels philosophy of rights, published in 1844, Karl Max opined that religion is the opium of the masses. In the view of Max, the greedy capitalists travel on the wheels of religion to prevent labor unrest and to defend their injustices. The bourgeoisies (capitalist class) admonish the working class conceptualized as proletariat to eschew this material world and prepare for unadulterated everlasting happiness in the life-here-after while they (Capitalist) busily appropriate for themselves material benefits in this world through proceeds from their factories. Today, church members in Africa are motivated to pay more for Gods blessings, must leave their works to be in church always and shout for long hours (African definition of serving God)!

A young lady commented: God I always worship you but things are still difficult. I told her not to question God because God cannot be wrong. The problem is gross mis-education onscriptures espoused by some pastors. The writings of Max Weber in 1905, caused industrial revolution in Europe. Believers were encouraged to see every job they did as a divine call. Thus, nurses, teachers, engineers, medical doctors, drivers, farmers and politicians are all serving God in diverse capacities. It is weird and phony to think that those serving God are those seen in church.

Government must begin to censor sermons and prophesies that promote laziness, fear and stereotyping in society. Bible is a very difficult book and those who have not been taught do not understand it. Uncle Sam KorankyeAnkrah, how can this statement be a voice of God? There are teachers, health workers, police officers, women, children and pastors in DenkyiraObuasi and all of them definitely did not take part in the killing of the army officer!God of the poor I have read and experienced will not curse all of them.
The Managing Director of the state-owned National Investment Bank (NIB) John Kweku Asamoah, for the sake of ethical customer confidentiality in Banking wouldnt say much but has confirmed that the controversial Black Stars Support Fund probed by EOCO and other state agencies recently really does exist.

This was revealed when our team of investigators caught up with the NIB MD recently to probe among other things, the role the NIB played in the deals since this happened during the time of its Former MD Ernest Mawuli Agbesi who later headed GCB Bank as well.

Documents at EOCO, had earlier this year revealed, that the Black Stars Support Fund was an unsecured investment since it is exposed to unlimited risks.

The Black Stars Support Fund is one of many ghost accounts created into which large sums of money were diverted by some powerful persons under the former National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.

The account in question had a chunk GHC600 Million and brokered deals with Unibank; Capital Bank; Firstbanc; First Allied Savings & Loans; and others at the time.

Other suspicious monies running into tens of millions of Ghana Cedis were subsequently, withdrawn from the account.

What is worrying is that this dubious investment account which was created under former President John Dramani Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government is still running with millions of Ghana cedis, every day with little known in terms of the sources of the fund.

The Salis newspaper can exclusively reveal that the account is believed to have been created by some heavyweights in the banking sector but the purpose for which it was created continues to remain clandestine.

The NIB MD has also dropped big names who happen to be the key show runners and this paper would in subsequent editions publish those names.

But for now, what we can reveal is that the NIB MD says it is alleged the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli state of the Volta Region, Togbe Afede XIV, is a signatory to the Black Stars Support Fund.

This newspaper in the coming weeks would serialize names of the big faces in the banking sector that have been mentioned as being behind the account.
09.07.2017 LISTEN

An educationist has called for a paradigm shift in Ghana's education system.

According to Mrs. Susanne Prince-Boateng, who is also the Managing Director of Corwn Academy, the education system from basic to the tertiary level needs a complete overhaul in order for the youth to be part of the global digital economy.

She made the call at the school 14th graduation ceremony in Accra over the weekend.

Mrs. Prince-Boateng maintained that, there must room for creativity, innovation and skill acquisition for graduates to be ready for the job market.

She bemoaned how students are not being trained for life but rather for examination purposes, a situation she said has affected the development of the country.

The educationist there called for eminent educationists to review the education curriculum in the country to make students have enough time to learn.

Story by Ghana/Myjoyonline.com
09.07.2017 LISTEN

I read a Ghanaweb.com news report yesterday, which alleged that a daughter of President Akufo-Addo, had been "fingered" in the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) substandard fuel sale scandal, with great skepticism. One got the distinct impression that it was most probably fake news. And how monstrous and abominable that is.

However, be that as it may, it is important that those in charge of communications at the presidency, swifly issue a public statement dispelling that potentially ruinous rumour - if the story is actually false that is. The question I posed to myself after reading that improbable story was: Why would a well-brought-up daughter of a president who loves her father dearly, embroil herself in the dubious and scandalous activities at BOST - especially when she is aware that her father won the 2016 presidential election largely because a majority of voters believed the promise he made during the election campaign that he would end high-level corruption in Ghana if elected Ghana's leader?

Which brings one to the anger and frustration of anti-corruption and good governance activist, Sidney Casely-Hayford, one of the leading lights of OccupyGhana - the well-regarded Ghanaian pressure group dedicated to ensuring accountability in our country. So fed up with Parliament's duplicity, toothlessness and impotence is Mr. Casely-Hayford that he apparently wants Parliament to be scrapped altogether and replaced instead with regional assemblies. Heavens. Ebeeii. Perhaps it escapes Mr. Sidney Casely-Hayford that that most alarming prospect, would play right into the hands of the small number of poweful tribal-supremacists in our country, who dearly want Ghana to become a federal state consisting of the pre-colonial tribal entities.

Perhaps our Sidney also forgets that District Assemblies are indeed debating chambers for a number of elected and government appointed Assemblymen and women who speak for people at the grassroots level? Instead of Sidney's throwing-the-baby-with-the-bathwater-proposal to scrap Parliament because of its many deficiencies, perhaps what we ought to do - instead of incurring yet more recurrent expenditure funding 10 regional parliaments - is to ensure that we separate the executive and the legislative branches of government permanently: by ending the incomprehensible practise of parliamentarians being appointed to serve in the executive branch of government as ministers.

And lest one forgets - before one ends this reflective piece - it needs pointing out to those who now govern our nation that if they want the Bureau for National Investgations (BNI), to be as dedicated to serving and securing the national interest as well as promoting the welfare of all Ghanaians, just as the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) of the U.S., serves the best interests of the U.S.A. and the American people, then this blog's humble advice to the powers that be is to quickly appoint retired Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah to head the BNI, for the good of our country. The BNI definitely needs someone of integrity who is as independent-minded and fearless as he is to head it - and restore its credibility, tattered image and battered reputation.

Finally, one needs to make the point that it is totally unacceptable in this day and age, for the authorities in our country to look on practically unconcerned, as a shanty town of kiosks selling vehicle spare parts, a small army of concrete products makers, sundry environmentally irresponsible welders and vehicle repair workshops, steadly grows along the perimeter of the Weija water reservior. Haaba.

Are those officials of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) in charge of securing the integrity of the Weija water resevior going to continue looking on until waste vehicle oil and toxic chemicals from the ever-growing numbers of squatters bordering the shoreline of the Weija Dam poison it permanently? Hmm, Oman Ghana - eyeasem o. Asem kesie bi ebeba debi ankasa.
HAMBURG, Germany, July 8, 2017On the occasion of the G20 leaders summit, the World Bank Group today announced the creation of an innovative new facility that aims to enable more than $1 billion to advance womens entrepreneurship and help women in developing countries gain increased access to the finance, markets, and networks necessary to start and grow a business.

The United States initiated the idea for the facility and will serve as a founding member along with other donor countries.

This incredible facility will have a significant impact on women's economic development around the world, United States President Donald Trump said. It will help increase opportunities and economic growth while addressing unique barriers women entrepreneurs face. I am proud the United States is helping to lead support of this unprecedented initiative."

Womens economic empowerment is critical to achieve the inclusive economic growth required to end extreme poverty, which is why it has been such a longstanding priority for us, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said. This new facility offers an unprecedented opportunity to harness both the public and private sectors to open new doors of opportunity for women entrepreneurs and women-owned firms in developing countries around the globe.

"Everyone benefits when women have the resources they need to participate fully in our economies and societies, CanadianPrime Minister Justin Trudeau said. Our Government is determined to help women gain the tools they need to be successful entrepreneurs and leaders. This important investment will help women in developing countries to create jobs, build economies that work for everyone, and have a real and fair chance at success.

I am happy that this initiative for women presents real added value. I want to sincerely thank everyone who worked on it especially the President of the World Bank Jim Yong Kim and Ivanka Trump and others. We can see from the example of this Womens Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative that the G20 is not just a two-day Summit, but that the G20 is a processChancellor Merkel of Germany said. And I dont have the slightest doubt that under the leadership of Jim Kim that these will be truly valuable and productive investments.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said: Womens active participation in society is one of the pillars of Abenomics. Womens empowerment and leadership will diversify and revitalize organization and societies. This facility embodies such belief in developing countries, and is promising initiative to achieve society where women shine.

The Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), the first World Bank-led facility to advance womens entrepreneurship at this scale, will work to enable more than $1 billion of financing to improve access to capital, provide technical assistance, and invest in other projects and programs that support women and women-led SMEs in World Bank Group client countries. The goal of the facility is to leverage donor grant funding  currently over US$325 million  to unlock more than $1 billion in IFI and commercial financing by working with financial intermediaries, funds, and other market actors.

The World Bank Group was invited to create the facility by the United States and Germany, given the Bank Groups deep experience, track record, and strong learning and innovation agenda. The initiative received strong donor support Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States, enabling the Bank Group to take the facility from concept to Board endorsement within the year of the German G20 presidency.

Its remarkable how quickly the international community has mobilized support for this new initiative, which has exceeded our target by nearly $100 million, Kim said. This demonstrates not only the importance of increasing womens economic empowerment, but it scales up our efforts to help women open and grow businesses. Were grateful to President Trump, Chancellor Merkel, and Ivanka Trump for being such strong champions of this facility and the broader cause of womens entrepreneurship.

We-Fi builds on the success of past and current Bank Group programs while reaching into new areas, supporting women-led businesses at earlier stages of growth, and unlocking access to equity and insurance services. At the same time, the facility aims to support complementary public sector interventions that strengthen the enabling environment and enhance market opportunities for women-owned businesses.

We-Fi differs from current efforts in that it represents a platform to align country-level reforms and private investment, build on and implement lessons learned about what works for starting and growing female owned/led firms, collect key data from the public and private sector on female entrepreneurs and their firms, and support innovation and learning for results at scale.

Women entrepreneurs face numerous challenges to financing, owning, and growing a business, including limited access to capital and technology, a lack of networks and knowledge resources, and legal and policy obstacles to business ownership and development.

We-Fi will work to break down barriers to financial access and provide complementary services such as capacity building, access to networks and mentors, and opportunities to link with domestic and global markets as well as improve the business environment for women-owned or women-led SMEs in supply chains across the developing world.

One of the major constraints limiting female-led enterprises is access to financial services. Nearly 70 percent of women-owned SMEs in developing countries are either shut out by financial institutions or are unable to receive financial services on adequate terms to meet their needs.

Women Entrepreneurs Face Many Challenges

 It is estimated that women-owned entities represent just over 30 percent of formal, registered businesses worldwide.

 Yet, seventy percent of women-owned SMEs in developing countries are either shut out by financial institutions or are unable to receive financial services on adequate terms to meet their needs. This results in a nearly $300 billion annual credit deficit to formal women-owned SMEs.

 Lack of networks, knowledge, and links to high value markets further constrain female entrepreneurship.

 Moreover, unfavorable business and regulatory environments are among the barriers that still impede women entrepreneurs from accessing finance.

 The fact that many emerging markets financial institutions have yet to develop a sustainable strategy to address this significant market gap represents a missed opportunity and constrains private sector development

 The facility will be established as a Financial Intermediary Fund (FIF) at the Bank, drawing on the Banks extensive experience housing such Funds.

 The Bank and IFC will be Implementing Partners, as well as other Multilateral Development Banks that would propose private and public sector activities to be supported by the We-Fi facility.

 While she helped initiate the idea for the facility and has been a strong advocate for the issue of womens entrepreneurship, Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump will play no operational or fundraising role in the facility.
09.07.2017 LISTEN

Farming without carcinogenic agrochemicals is vital - for public health reasons - and must be encouraged in Ghana. That is why organisations such as GhanaVeg and Food Sovereignty Ghana deserve to be commended for promoting organic farming in Ghana. Indeed, the demand for organic agricultural produce has grown in leaps and bounds, right across the globe.

Alas, if those in charge of Ghana's cocoa sector continue to serve the interests of the mafiosi that imports and distributes agrochemicals, instead of meeting the healthy-lifestyle-needs of the rest of the planet Earth's consumers of cocoa products, such as chocolate, it will destroy Ghana's cocoa industry as sure as day follows night - in the not too distant future.

With the greatest respect, for the information of the ministerial team in charge of food and agricultre in our country, Ghanaians are definitely deserving of eating organically grown fruits and vegetables - instead of being forced to eat fruits and vegetables full of pesticide residue. It is said that health is wealth. If we want to have a healthy population, as a wise people, should we not permanently ban the use of agrochemicals in Ghana? Ebeeii. Hmm, Oman Ghana - eyeasem o.

Enti yeweiye paa enei? Finally, because there are suitable and better natural substitutes, a complete ban of agrochemicals is feasible in Ghana, today, as we speak - and desirable from the viewpoint of consumers.The question is: Are the powers that be not aware that natural alternatives - such as the folair fertilisers and growth-enhancers made by BioDeposit that have dramatically increased yields of coffee farmers in Rwanda and elsewhere in East Africa - are available right here in Ghana, too? Haaba.

Such a ban on the use of synthetic agrochemicals would make a great deal of sense to the health-conscious Ghanaians who are currently reluctantly eating fruits and vegetables with pesticide residue on them, because of the dearth of organic agricultural produce in Ghana.

To protect the health of all Ghanaians, and secure the future of the all-important cocoa-farming sector, let us ban the use of all carcinogenic agrochemicals in our homeland Ghana, and promote the use of natural substitutes instead.
09.07.2017 LISTEN

The Jackson College of Education, the premier private College of Education accredited to run programs in basic education by distance learning and a subsidiary of the Jackson Educational Complex, would hold its fifth graduation in Kumasi on Saturday, July 15, 2017.

The College which is affiliated to the University of Education, Winneba and accredited by the National Accreditation Board is expected to successfully graduate two thousand three hundred and thirty four students during this year's congregation.

The Jackson Educational Complex, which focuses on the training and supply of professional teachers in Ghana, was jointly established by Mrs. Theodosia W. Jackson and Prof. Ebenezer A. Jackson in 2009.

Its principal objective is to help curb the perennial lack of trained teachers in the Ghanaian basic schools, especially, at the rural communities by providing the needed opportunities to prospective teachers to access professional training.

The Minister of Education, Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, who is also the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South constituency in Kumasi is expected to address the graduands at the gathering.

In attendance would be Oheneba Owusu Afriyie IV-Apagyahene of Kumasi, and the Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Mrs. Elizabeth Agyeman.
With the signing of agreements with the four air carriers approved by the Federal Government for the airlift of Nigerian pilgrims to 2017 Hajj, the coast is clear and the intending pilgrims are assured of security of their means of transportation to and from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is imperative to re-echo the fact that the airlift of pilgrims and their belongings which constitute about 70 percent of the entire Hajj operations are the most difficult.

This component of the operations used to witness great challenges in the past to the extent that pilgrims would not be sure of the journey until they found themselves in Saudi Arabia. Even when they found themselves, sometimes miraculously in Saudi Arabia, there would be no assurance of returning back home on schedule and with their luggage and personal effects.

This year, only the four air carriers: Medview Airline, Max Air, Azman Air and Flynas applied and were screened, prequalified and approved by the government. It is good news that out of the four air carriers, three are Nigerians. Out of the three Nigerian-based carriers, two have made credible records in Hajj operations while one carrier which is debuting this year has harnessed great experiences from Umrah operations, ready for the 2017 Hajj with agility and enthusiasm. The expectations that the air carriers will perform maximally are high. And the 2017 Hajj pilgrims expect nothing less than well-coordinated, hitch-free and luxurious transportation from Nigeria to the Kingdom and back home on schedule.

It is heartwarming that Nigerians are investing in Hajj in the area of boosting local capacities. This has been the dream of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to advance the Nigerian local content. In the absence of a national air carrier which in the past seemed to have had the monopoly in Hajj airlift operations characterized by that time with some regretful experiences, the investments by individual citizens and organizations in air travel service business is commendable. With steady development and forbearance, those who have owned aircrafts for the operations have grown from strength to strength, though there is no venture without challenges.

Just recently at the end of a two day conference of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for Hajj and Umrah stakeholders to mark the 10thAnniversary of the establishment of the Commission, an event that was chaired by the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar, and supported by the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and immediate past Chairman/CEO of NAHCON, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello, it was observed with great satisfaction the participation of Nigerian businessmen in the ownership of aircrafts to enhance airlift operations of pilgrims. Such bold step by Nigerian businessmen has heightened the capacities of the local content in Hajj operations.

It is also significant to state that the conditions set out by NAHCON in screening airlines are so tough that many air service providers would not want to partake. Some foreign air lines have tried in the past and failed. Just last year, nine airlines applied to transport Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, but six were qualified by the screening committee after thorough examination. The processes include receiving of applications and other necessary documents from interested carriers who would face the NAHCON high-powered screening committee made up of members from the FAAN, NCAA, NAMA, EFCC, ICPC, Ministry of Aviation and other relevant agencies and organizations. After all these, the President grants the final approval. But all processes must be in conformity with the guidelines and regulations by the civil aviation authorities of Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

Time gyrates, indeed. Some airlines that participated in Hajj operations in the past have gone into extinction due to mismanagement or stringent requirements presently demanded for prequalification. There was a period the one-time great Kabo Air was in control. It used to be an undefeatable authority and it did fantastically well in the operations. Also Chanchangi, Tradecraft, Meridian and Bellview were common names to recall in the Nigerian Hajj airlift exercises. They have all gone. As for Max Air and Medview, they have built a career in the Hajj system and have shown the capacity to remain in business for a very long time to come, God willing. Both have maintained a level of excellence. They have come to assist Nigerian pilgrims go to Hajj and come back home with ease and under safety and schedule.

As the name implies, viewing the Madinah of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is a blessing and a recommended holy trip. Three Mosques a Muslim is recommended to travel to visit are: Haram in Makkah, Prophets Mosque in Madinah and Aqsa Mosque. Medview tends to represent the spiritual view of the holy city. Chief operating officer and manager of Medview Airline, Engineer Lookman Animashaun described his company as a fast growing domestic carrier which has the capacity to airlift a minimum of 25,000 Muslim pilgrims to Makkah this year. He recently told the press that three aircraft types, including Boeing 747; Boeing 777 and the Boeing 767 would be deployed specially for 2017 Hajj operations, expressing the full preparedness of the company for a successful outing. He assured all intending pilgrims that their airlift this year will be smooth and full of comfort. According to him, Hajj operation is still one of the huge points for Medview Airline which takes it so seriously. We will continue to do that and also continue to improve on what we have done in the previous years to make sure that we give the best services to the pilgrims. That, we will continue to maintain and that has always been our standard, he averred.

He opted for the allocation of adequate pilgrims to domestic carriers by the government, urged support for development of the local carriers and advised the aviation agencies, to provide adequate facilities at the airports because since operation is about people, all facilities that are not up to date should be put in order to serve the air travelers.

Recently at the Senate committee parley with NAHCON over the high cost of 2017 Hajj, Medview managing director, Alhaji Muneer Bankole took time to explain to the lawmakers the nitty-gritty of the fare and how it was fair. He cleared NAHCON of any blame and hoped for a successful 2017 Hajj.

Max Air was initially Mangal Airlines named after its founder, Alhaji Dahiru Mangal. It rebranded in 2008. On record as at today, Max Air has operated a fleet of Boeing 747 aircraft on various charter missions across the globe. The carrier has specialist experiences in Hajj and Umrah for over a decade. Its fleet is made up of two Boeing -300, three Boeing-400 and a VIP Embraer ERJ-135 with registration numbers: 5N-BMG, 5N-DBM, 5N-DBK, 5N-HMB, 5N-HMM and M-ANGA respectively.

Azman Air Services Limited is a Kano based domestic airline company established in 2010 by Alhaji Abdulmunaf Yunusa Sarina. The airline operates scheduled domestic passenger services as well as international trips to Saudi Arabia. It successfully operated 2017 Umrah services. However, Azman was one of the three airlines that were disqualified by the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) alongside Dornier Aviation Nigeria AEP Ltd and Top Brass. Hopes are high that its participation in the 2017 Hajj will open up more ways for its development and general enhancement of the local content.

Flynas is the Saudi designated air carrier which entered into the Nigerian airspace in 2015. Since its debut, there have been controversies over the allocation of pilgrims it demands. Investigations show that the Nigerian Hajj air fare is attractive to the Saudi Arabian authorities who have capitalized on the bilateral air service agreement (BASA) backed by a Saudi Royal decree which the GACA signs with every participating nation in Hajj to insist on sharing the air traffic by 50/50 with Saudi designated carrier. It is, therefore, a task on the Nigerian carriers to see how air fare for Hajj can be made unattractive.

The insistence of the Saudi authorities on 50/50 sharing of conventional pilgrims with their own carrier dates back to 2009 when Nigeria stopped payment of royalty to the Saudi Airlines for just nothing. This year, the controversy raged to the extent that state governors called for a rearrangement of existing air carrier contracts for Hajj on the basis that the selection of a foreign airline is harmful to Nigerian local content.

After a meeting with NAHCON, chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara state, said they appreciated the advice from NAHCON on the problems and future prospects of Hajj and pledged members resolve to collaborate with the Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure renegotiation with the airlines along with the states as key stakeholders.

Besides, with the airlift operations expected to commence on July 30, noting less than success is expected from all the stakeholders especially the four airlines which are fully ready to do Nigeria proud. For Medview Airlines, there is no second in Hajj airlift programming, organization and perfection. For Max Air, improvement is a continuous process and assurance is its success base.

For Flynas Air, the air is free and for Azman, the young shall grow with the support geared towards development of the local content. It is of significance that the federal government considers rolling over the contract for the local air carriers for at least two years for proper planning and fare control.

Muhammad Ajah is an advocate of humanity, peace and good governance in Abuja. E-mail [email protected]
In its quest to complement governments effort, the Juvenile Reform Foundation- (JRF-Ghana) has launched its charity concert to support released juvenile offenders and incarcerated juvenile inmates in the various correctional centers in Ghana.

The event which attracted hundreds of patrons took place on Saturday in Kumasi. The concert dubbed OUR FUTURE will take off during the last quarter of the year and will be held 3 times every year in three different regions.

The funds that will be generated from the concert will cater specifically for the technical and vocational training, formal education and the general welfare of juvenile offendersboth released and incarcerated as well as vulnerable children in society.

The concert will be used to sensitise the public on consequences associated with juvenile crimes.

Gospel musician and JRF-Ghana Brand Ambassador Mary Agyemang, Philip Acheampong, Asiedu Brobbey Charles a.k.a ABC and other musicians thrilled patrons with electrifying performances.

The Executive Director of JRF-Ghana Geoffrey Chaucer Ofori said majority of the young offenders pick up habits such as smoking, bullying and homosexuality from these facilities which have the tendency to waste their lives away.

Geoffrey Chaucer Ofori advised Ghanaians to embrace young offenders when they are released from correctional facilities, saying discriminating against them will only lead to reoffending.

He suggested to judges to tamper justice with mercy when dealing with juvenile offenders, arguing that majority of them are ignorant of their actions.

Geoffrey Chaucer Ofori called on religious organizations, corporate bodies, individuals and philanthropists to support JRF-Ghana turn the lives of these young offenders around.

On her part, the JRF-Ghana Brand Ambassador called on Ghanaians to help the foundation fight against juvenile crime and violence in the country.

Rev Emmanuel Forson Head Pastor of Refreshing Pastures who was the keynote speaker at the event indicated that juveniles who enter correctional facilities could be prevented if parents act responsibly.

Children will not fall into wrong hands outside their homes if parents spend quality with their wards, he advised.

JRF-Ghana is an independent, non-governmental organisation that is concerned with tackling and further stemming juvenile crime and violence in Ghana.
The current parliament which came into being under the 1992 constitution is the house of representatives for the entire people of Ghana. Like modern day parliaments the world over,it has three main functions that include representing the electorates; making laws and overseeing the government through hearing and enquiries.

The work of Ghanas parliament goes deeper to the extent of having investigative and judicial powers being exercised on their behalf by the judiciary. A careful look at the performance of our parliament since its inception shows that we have made progress as a nation and it can safely be said that we need to encourage our legislators instead of running them all down.

We can talk of committees of parliament whose works have led to the discovery of misappropriation of funds in government agencies working with the private sector. The duties of some of the committees have led to social and economic development of the nation.

In spite of the progress they are making there may be some slips in their duties, parliament being a human institution.

But It is alleged that the entire parliament has become a den of crooks only good at extorting monies before they perform their duties. To aid them in their duties the legislators must have gone in for some cash from government agencies civil society bodies and international donor agencies. This does not mean the entire house could be accused of bribe taking.

The assertion by a Financial Analyst and Social commentator Casely Hayford which represent the views of some Ghanaians that the MPs are a bunch of persons who just sit in parliament to make stupid decisions and pass stupid laws is not right. His statement that These people are sitting there, spending money like crazy, making stupid decisions, and passing stupid laws is also not right.

At least, he is working together with lawyers on the Occupy Ghana and must know that before the allegations made against the MPs are established, it is wrong for the honorable men to be taken to the cleaners. If nothing at all some civil society bodies have called for a probe into the allegations against the MPs. As a result of that,the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Ocquaye has tasked the leadership of the House to, within one week, come up with a cogent approach towards dealing with alleged bribery claims against Parliament Committees sittings outside the capital, Accra.

The directive follows recent allegations that National Lottery Authority (NLA) paid over GHc150, 000 to facilitate a meeting over the Lotteries Bill that failed to pass last year; a revelation that has called the integrity of Parliament into question once again coming after the bribery allegation by Honorable Ayariga MP for Bawku South.

Following agitations from some Members of Parliament (MPs) on the floor on Friday over the matter, the Speaker indicated that this is an opportunity for Parliament to take a holistic look at the relationship between the committees of Parliament and parastatals and other bodies that have legislative concerns. Some members of parliament who fear that their reputations could be ruined by the allegations against them are asking for reforms including restricting parliament to hold all committee meetings in Accra.

The order by the leadership of parliament to go into the allegation of bribery against the MPs is the way to go. All those interested in this matter must wait for the outcome of the probe into it. If the MPs know they have done nothing wrong the allegations made against them must not discourage them.

They must continue to perform their duties in and outside parliament for God and country. With my experience working with MPs I have learnt that MPs are the most troubled by the electorates who demand cash from them for school fees, funeral donations and other activities unrelated to their work. The demand on them by parliament is so huge that they require sympathy from us.The MPs are a group of people whose families hardly get them at home especially at the weekends due to numerous assignments in and out of town.

The amounts of money paid to them as per diem might not be enough to meet their huge expenditures as they work for the entire nation and the world at large. While not holding brief for the MPs its my desire that we should wait for the report on the allegations on them otherwise whatever we say now about the MPs in CONNECTION WITH bribery could be prejudicial. They are known as honorable men due to the responsibilities on them. If care is not taken, we might do things that would discourage them from their duties. I dont think that is what we are bargaining for.

Executive Director eanfoworld for sustainable development
The University of Nottingham, a public research university based in Nottingham, UK, is partnering a Ghanaian based human rights media advocacy organisation, Global Media Foundation to promote human rights in mining affected communities.

The 6,000 pounds project title: Change from Below: Building the Capacity of Local Communities to Advocate for their rights has a one-year lifespan.

The project was necessitated following a research conducted by Dr. Samuel Okyere, a Lecturer at the University in 2012 title: Re-Examining the Education-Child Labour Nexus: The Case of Child Miners at Kenyassi

The article was to contributes to the debate on the linkages between education and child labour. It draws on evidence from ethnographic fieldwork conducted with 57 children working at an artisanal gold mining site at Kenyasi,

The Founder/CEO of Global Media Foundation, Raphael Godlove Ahenu Jnr announced this at a news conference in Sunyani.

The main goal of the project, he said is to build the capacity of residents in the mining affected communities to be able to participate in policy debates and public discourse on mining, land dispossession and social justice in Ghana and internationally in order to advocate for their own rights.

The CEO said the project will further create deeper and more informed awareness of the debilitating social, cultural and environmental effects of gold mining activities in Kenyasi and surrounding areas where the underlying research was carried out.

According to Mr. Ahenu Jnr, the project will identify and build the capacity of 120 community based change agents in the beneficiary communities through workshops.

The communities in the Newmont Ahafo Mines to benefit from the project are Kenyasi Number one, Kenyansi Number two, Ntotroso, Gyedu and Manu Shell

Mr. Ahenu Jnr said the project will enhance the knowledge, skills and information necessary to enable the trained change agents participate in and shape policy and public debates on mining.

The project, Mr. Ahenu Jnr noted will further empowered the residents to effectively campaign for action against the ongoing environmental and socio-economic rights violation in their own communities and beyond.

It will also provide a platform for the research findings to be fed into the programmes and policies of Global Media Foundation.
It is a foundamentail right of any human being in a democratic environment to be politically represented and such representative must be clear to the represented at any point in time. In ensuring that all society conform to this political obligation to its citizen, the Greek philosopher Aristotle, was quoted saying "Man is a political animal", implying every rational man is inclined to being represented and interested in knowing who is representing him.

I strongly believe the Greek philosopher meant "every man" without excluding the black man whose political behaviour on representation tends to be at odd with political norm of the modern world where ever only the black race make up an exclusive political group.

The black only society tend to approach political issues in such odd manner that result in wrong outcome. This in turn makes it very difficult for any serious society to take the black group serious. This spectacle tend to be obvious anytime the G20 Summit is taking place.The Humburg G20 Summit 2017 confirm what has been the norm in any forum where nations are represented, outside the shoddy close doors of the Unoted Nation in New York. The blacks representation at this yerar's G20 Summit was only there to make up the racial colours, in a summit where decisions taken are going to be binding on every political entity in the world.

The G20 Summit is actually another version of a global meeting away from the bureaucracy of the UN, where all the world political leaders meet to discuss global issues and take decisions to be binding on all nations. So since the modern world is driven by the forces of political markets and industrial interdependencies, the G20 forum provide the atmosphere for serious groups to advance their political interest. This therefore mean any political group attending the G20 Summit is there to seriously push in its political agenda and no intentional mechanism is in place to marginalise anyone.

The reality is, the manner by which the nation's of the African continent go about their business make them vulnerable and therefore the victims of global organizations. According to the Express www.co.uk, the G20 is nineteen officially listed countries plus the European Union. This definition of the G20 then allowed the representations of the 19 plus the EU, the official opportunity of representing their people while such people in turn clearly identify with those representing them.

It however unfortunate the representation of the ECOWAS (ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES) and the AU (AFRICA UNION) are clearly discriminated against by the G20 system and any other human organizations of the world. The right of the West African and the citizen of the AU, to be represented and his duty to know who is representing him, as political animals of Ghana, ECOWAS and the AU, are technically denied.

I am a Ghanaian, a citizen of ECOWAS and an Africa Union citizen. It is therefore my right to be represented as a Ghanaian, an ECOWAS citizen and as an AU citizen in a decision that will be politically binding on me. It is equally my duty to be able to identify with anyone representing me from Ghana, ECOWAS and the AU. Like the EU, the AU and the ECOWAS were all formed to allow their representatives to be key actors in any gathering of powerful nations, where binding decisions on citizens are made for the world.

The fact is, how were the AU and ECOWAS represented at the G20 Summit, and why is the EU representation of 27 political nations different from the AU representation of 54 political nations and the ECOWAS representation of the 15 different political nation? Were the AU and ECOWAS effectively represented as key stakeholders in the decision making of the world enough for the citizens of these bodies to clearly identify their representatives among the lot?

The only way to make sense to this question is to take a look at the capacity in which the EU was representing it's 27 member states at the Humburg G20 Summit, in comparison to how the AU and ECOWAS were representing their people and states.

In going by the list of nations that were officially invited to participate at the G20 Summit, South African President Jacob Zuma was there representing South Africa like the British, Indian, USA and Russian leaders represented their countries. Makie Sur of Senegal was there to represent NEPAD (New ECONOMIC Partnership for Africa Development) and Alpha Conde who is the Chairman of the AU as well as the president of Guinea, was also invited. The only way an average person will identify with Zumah, Conde and Surr is, they are all blacks from the African continent representing black people.

What cause some of us to raise our eye brow is, if the gathering is about countries, why is Jean Claude Jounka officially invited to represent the EU as the President of the EU Authority of 27 member states? Is the EU now a country? Could that not have justify why Moussa Faki of the AU authority of 54 member states or President Marcel de Suezie of the ECOWAS Authority be invited for the 15 ECOWAS member states? How helpful is it for the Africans to attend a meeting of decision making that will be binding on their people and only go to such meeting as mere on lookers?

The next question is, why are the Africans incapable of commanding the respect of their fellow humans in the global affairs while the Europeans are easily able to do this? The simplest answer to this is, the Europeans are proving to the rest of the world that they democratically believe in their citizens enough to trust each person enough to be electing his or her regional parliamentarian directly, empowering 90% of their people into those responsible for determining their course of their future.

The African on continent are poorly informed on the representations within the continent, for any meaningful direct representations outside their respective countries. This lact of connectivity between the political actor representing the individual Ghanaian in ECOWAS or the AU, makes it impossible for identification between the represented and the representer to be effectively establish.

So unlike Jean Claude Jeaunka who is connected to the EU citizen through the EU Parliament whose members are elected directly by the EU citizens, the ECOWAS and the AU indirect parliamentary representations technically exclude the citizens from those representing them beyond their local borders.

It is without doubt that the Ghanaian, like his European counterparts, is politically sensitive to any socio economic issue to be represented and interest in his representation at the G20 Summit, if given the chance. The answer to this then lie in awakening the Ghanaian by empowering him to be participating in electing his representations beyond the Ghana president and members of parliament within the colonially defined national borders of Ghana, to have Ghanaians directly electing members of their ECOWAS parliament to Abuja.

This in turn is the key to having the attention of more Ghanaians to forums like G20 Summit. The act of having the Ghanaian to directly elect his or her ECOWAS MP is therefore the key to creating the condition in West Africa to make the world take ECOWAS serious as a respectable regional body which could be extended to the AU in due course.

So far, we are yet to win this tough battle. The G20 Summit Humburg 2017 is over now and decisions have been taken that will be binding on West Africans. In fact the EU 27 actively took part in the decision making with the interest of their common citizens of 580 million people, high on the agenda.

We are well aware individuals from the ECOWAS were present at the G20 Summit but not in an official capacity enough to participate in defending the interest of the 377 million citizens of ECOWAS.

This is not the last of such Summit where human fate are determine as we look on. Probably we shall be changing the way we go about doing things by the time the next G20 Summit is held, so we shall be officially invited to take our rightful place to defend the interest of our citizens.

Kofi Ali Abdul-Yekin

Chairman ECRA.
09.07.2017 LISTEN

One of Sierra Leone's prominent politicians once remarked that the 'plasas' or source of politics is lies.Politics cannot be eaten and enjoyed if it is not spiced with lies,the politician said. I will not fault him because, Sierra is entering the challenging process of learning and properly experiencing the challenges and exigencies of democracy.

Recent elections on the continent produced shocking results, almost all the incumbents were defeated. Some African countries are also going to have their elections soon and as usual,parties are vigrously campaigning to explain their policies to the electorates.

There is a lot we can learn from the advanced countries who have become veterans in maintaining democratic values and one of such values is vigilance on the part of the electorates. Lies, propaganda and deceit have become the potent weapon of politicians on the continent.They capitalise on the peoples vulnerability to perpetuate their tricks on them.

This can be seen in the manner in which various innuendos and false allegations have been peddled as truth in an attempt to tarnish the other party's image.But in this clearly desperate manner of maligning each other, African politicians might as well be dragging the name of their countries into the mud and thereby making it impossible for positive development to be achieved.

Practical examples are Ghana, Nigeria and Malawi. Ghanaians went to the polls last December and the result still remains a shocking news to many journalists and world leaders especially,those who visited the West African country before the elections. The country saw massive transformation in terms of infrastructure and human development index under the administration and became a shining example for most African countries.

Journalists from other African countries used Ghana's model of socio-economic transformation as yardstick in measuring performance of their governments. It was therefore surprising when voters kicked out the government in the December election.As at the time that most African countries are struggling to provide electricity to their people, Ghana under the last administration had covered about 80% of the country and rated second to South Africa.

The Ghanaian leader became the toast of many journalists on the continent who mobbed him wherever they met him for interview.Ghanaians have started complaining of hardship. Policies outlined by the new administration are almost the same policies it condemned in opposition, the security situation in the country is deteriorating, payment of workers salary has become a problem, the country's power crisis which was solved by the last administration has returned affecting businesses.

Reuters and other renowned international groups have predicted doom for the country if the current administration sticks to its outmoded economic policies and lack of interest in rural development. The case of Nigeria is no different. Africa's most populous state is experiencing serious economic challenges under the current administration. Joyce Banda initiated austerity measures that won approval from the international community but were not popular at home.

The opposition peddled falsehoods and half truth to confuse the people of Malawi. Her policies were somewhat effective as donors resumed a flow of funding to Malawi and the country's economic growth rate more than doubled during her first two years Attempts were made to assassinate Paul Mphwiyo who was appointed by Banda to investigate government corruption. The "cash gate" scandal became an albatross on her government and the opposition used that as its main propaganda message to incite the public against the regime. Malawians are today asking for the return of Joyce Banda.

The focus is now on Kenya. The country will soon go the polls to elect a new leader, or retain the incumbent. The East African country has seem massive transformation under the current administration, over 800 housing units constructed at Kibera Soweto East alongside construction of classrooms,offices and sanitary facilities at Mukhaweli school in Bungoma county, the teachers service commission has so far digitized over 6,000 teachers, while the ministry of lands, Housing and Urban development is currently digitizing and developing the national land information management systems, the government through the ministry of devolution has established eleven centres to take services closer to the people,some 325 megawatts of power have been injected into the national grid.About 280MW of this energy was generated from Olkaria,25MW from geothermal well heads and 20MW of wind at Ngong Hill. As at Dec 2014, Kengena TMs installed capacity was at 1,575 MW. The government has embarked on an ambitious plan to connect 22,000 primary schools to the national grid and solar energy

The President signed an agreement worth Sh38billion that will see 98 county hospitals equipped with cancer and dialysis machines,the Jomo Kenyatta international airport terminal 2 has been upgraded raising the number of passengers from 2.5 million to 7.5 million, a 200% increase.Government has embarked on slum upgrading in Kibra,Korogocho,Mathera and Nyalenda in Kisumu.The Programme has employed over 3,000 community youth on casual basis and established 15 village committees to spearhead the programme.

These interventions are what the people need but which were denied them because of the type of governance system and policies practiced over the years. Kenyans are likely to experience sharp reverses if the people change the status quo. Militarism has affected many African countries in the past and the new cancer is reckless change of regimes in the name of change. As other African countries prepare to go to the polls,I pray they are not misled by the Dutch disease.

The current situation in Ghana and Nigeria must be guide as voters in other sister African countries jack up to exercise their franchise. Africa needs visionary leaders to lead its socio economic liberation fight. That notwithstanding, African leaders must know that power can be elusive for those who have lost it, there is a need to brood over what has apparently been a spilt like milk and equally so,there is no need to be reculcitrant in accepting defeat where it is unnecessary.

In the midst of underdevelopment and poverty, only a unified nation can succeed. African leaders must learn from the Mahama of Ghana, Goodluck of Nigeria, Banda and others before them who exhibited same maturity and decency.
The letter signed by 35 US Congressmen on the 31st of June, asking President Trump to delay lifting of US sanctions against Sudan for one year, not only holds no water, but also lacks the necessary reliability and credibility, and at best could be described as a pack of lies, juxtaposition of empty rhetoric and deliberate bending and twisting of truth.

The timing of this letter was by no means innocent, it should be construed as yet another last-ditch attempt by anti-Sudan circles, implacably opposed to any rapprochement or cooperation between Sudan and the US, frantically racing against time nowadays, in order to pre-empt and torpedo the evolving prospects of a towards the complete lifting of sanctions by July 12th.

Old lies cannot become new truth, as I already mentioned, the letter by and large, plays fast and loose with the facts and purposefully spreads misinformation at this very crucial time frame, when repealing the sanctions is just around the corner, as we approach the deadline of July 12th. Such premediated misinformation and despicable slanders, warrant in my perspective, a point-by-point rebuttal and refutation.

First and foremost, the claim that there has been substantial fighting in Darfur in recent month is at the end of the day, a desperate attempt to capitalize on the momentum of suicidal attacks by remnants of the insurgency in Libya and South Sudan, aimed to bring about a media pang, however and the world have seen they were mauled and devastated in no time.

More importantly this claim is simply refuted and utterly discredited by the historical Security Council's decision last week, to downsize the UN-AU peacekeeping Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), in conformity with African Union decision earlier this month, which is by all means, an explicit international recognition of the realization of considerable peace and security in Darfur, mandating the gradual reduction of the mission.

By the same token, on 15th May 2017, The 15 members of the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) have ended a five-day visit to Sudan, which took them to Darfur, where they hailed the significant improvement in the overall situation in Darfur as well as the cooperation between the government and the council.

Again the letter falsely claims that evidence is unavailable or inconclusive in particular on the two tracks that most affect the Sudanese people, namely unimpeded humanitarian access and cessation of hostilities.

However, the letter tends to ignore the stunning fact, that it is the SPLA-N's  not the government of the Sudan-through its typical elusiveness, procrastination and other buying time tactics, is the one and the only impediment, hitherto blocking the delivery of life-saving assistance to innocent civilians in the two areas.

As a matter of fact, despite the repeated and the ongoing appeals by the members of the Troika, the African Unions AUHIP and the international community, for the SPLA-N to follow the footsteps of the government of Sudan, and accept the American compromising proposal, the SPLA-N's position till this very moment however, is still marred by confusion and elusiveness.

The typical SPLA-N's evasiveness was met with a reciprocal resentment worldwide; in yet the sternest criticism ever of the rebel movement, the former U.S. envoy to Sudan Donald Booth has castigated SPLA-N's tactical moves, criticizing their unwarranted refusal of the humanitarian proposal saying that, they should put their people first not their political ambitions.

The letter should have been courageous and objective enough, not to conceal the fact that, the current leadership feuds and discord amongst the SPLA-N, is what is actually impeding the resumption of the peace process, and thereby exacerbates the suffering of civilians in the two areas. In fact, due to the splits and the explosion of conditions within the armed movement, the SPLM-N has unilaterally asked the AUs chief mediator, Thabo Mbeki, to postpone peace talks with Khartoum till this July.

In contrast, history shall authenticate how that Khartoum continued undeterred, to approach the European Troika and the international community to practice pressure on the remnant armed holdouts to commit themselves to the peace track. Manifesting good faith, Khartoum kept offering initiatives for an immediate and unilateral cessation of hostilities, the last of which has been promulgated early this month until October 2017.

Ironically, these respected Congress members should have been instead, currently aligning with the Troika and the EU and rest of the international community, strongly condemning the rebels recent military escalation in North and East Darfur, crossing borders into the Sudan from both South Sudan and Libya, as a barefaced breach to the cessation of hostilities and destabilization of peace and security in Darfur and the region.

With the respect to human rights, the U.S. Charge dAffaires to Khartoum, Steven Koutsis, has brushing aside such (hypocritical and politically-motivated) calls to delay the removal of economic sanctions on Sudan next July purportedly till the improvement in the record of peace human rights and reforms. Ambassador Koutsis made it clear, human rights issue was not essentially one of the five sets of criteria for the assessment of the performance of the Sudanese government concerning a permanent revocation of the sanctions in July, therefore, it should not be linked to the lifting of sanctions.

Nevertheless, despite all such hue and cry, facts remain facts, compared with all the countries of the region to say the least, Sudan is a pioneer in the region in making giant advances in jurisprudence; in terms of political, civil and moral rights, rights of children, women to name a few. Besides, Sudan still enjoys one of the best human rights records. free press, free media, freedom of speech, without fear or intimidation.

On the other hand, to strengthen its weak argument and incapacitated logic, this letter in question, wickedly and with endless malignance, tries to summon and revisit some old terrorist accidents; namely, the bombing of USS Cole in 2000 and the US Embassy bombing in Kenya and Tanzania.

Beside the fact that, it has not been hitherto proven, that Sudan has any connection of whatsoever, with both terrorist acts, which Sudan promptly condemned, however, it makes it incumbent to draw the truth-seekings attention that, it is no longer a secret, that since early 1990s the CIA has had to burn, discard and dispose of with thousands of similar fabricated reports of Sudanese purported involvement in terrorist activities against the US.

As a matter of fact, in his landmark testimony before the Congress in 2009, of General J Scott Gration, the US's former presidential envoy to Sudan, was more revealing. Early that time, General Gration courageously, called upon his Administration to remove Sudan from the US state department's state sponsor of terrorism list. The General noted unequivocally, that there was "no evidence" for Sudan's inclusion on the list, which he called a "political" (rather than a national security-related) decision; reminding the Congress that, the CIA has already, referred to Sudan's strong record on counterterrorism co-operation as having "saved American lives".

On the other hand, charging Sudan with supporting illegal armed groups in Africa sounds ridiculous. Its utterly refuted by contradicting facts on the ground; last April for instance, Sudan was invited to attend for the first time, US Africa Command (AFRICOM) in Germany. Since this unit of combat forces run by the US Department of Defence is responsible for military operations and military relations with 53 African nations, Sudan is thereby expected to contribute troops to the command group to support the fight against terror groups in the region.

In fact, since the announcement of the planned lifting of US sanctions, Sudan has been reconsidered as worthy for participating in its meetings. some intelligence officials disclosing that Sudan will allow the opening of the largest Central Intelligence Agency office in Khartoum to boost American investments in the oil and agriculture sectors.

In fact, premised on the fact that cooperation with Khartoum is crucial for American strategic interests, sources in Washington say the main security agencies; the CIA, the FBI and the US Army strongly back the complete repeal of sanctions. The resumption of military cooperation between Sudan and the US, with the military attaches of both countries returning to their respective embassies in Khartoum and Washington reinforces and substantiates this perspective.

In fact, these allegations could be construed as a backlash to Sudans gradual however confident regaining and reinstating of its political and diplomatic role and status in the region. To name but a few examples; Sudan today is not only in the heart of the Decisive Storm Operation for reinstatement of the legitimacy in Yemen, Sudan today is also, part and parcel of the regional consultations on reconciliation in Libya. Besides, Sudan has proved to be the unique expert-home, for the prospects of peace and stability in South Sudan. Last not least, experience has shown and proven that Sudan is inescapable, in serious and genuine regional efforts, of combating both terrorism and human trafficking.

Recently praising Sudans role in mitigating the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan, Secretary-general of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, thanked Sudan for opening three humanitarian corridors to transport relief to South Sudan. Mr. Guterres stressed that he is counting heavily on the Sudanese government to support regional and international efforts to pressure the conflicting parties in South Sudan to stop the fighting.

This role was further validated, when the U.S. Charge dAffaires to Khartoum Steven Koutsis, in his Independence Day remarks early this month in Khartoum, confirming that Sudan has shown it is a willing partner in resolving regional issues and has taken credible steps toward peace.

According to Peter Pham the director of the Atlantic Council's Africa Centre, sanctions has also exacted a heavy toll on some very vulnerable groups unfortunate enough to be caught in the middle of the crossfire of its economic war. Since then, additional evidence from a number of international agencies and other organizations has not only confirmed the negative impact of the sanctions on the Sudanese population, but also how the embargo has adversely affected key U.S. foreign policy objectives with regard to human development.

Likewise, in his historical report, the United Nations Human Rights Council's special rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures, Ambassador Idriss Jazairy, made a long critique of the sanctions regime against the Sudan, stating that The reality on the ground has proved that these measures do not have a negative impact on officials or on any elite group. Their full impact is on innocent citizens and on a deepening of the gap in income distribution within the Sudanese society and between provinces. It also resulted in broadening the black market and breaking away from the control of financial transactions.

Again and again, it is worth mentioning in this regard that the Security Council now avoids resorting to comprehensive sanctions in view of their negative unintended impact on important segments of the innocent populations of the targeted countries.

It goes without saying, that in almost in all American administrations, American experts, ambassadors and presidential envoys inter alia, are normally sought and listened for shaping US foreign policy. Thus, there is no moral justification for the Sudanese case today to be an exception to this rule

Having stating the above, its quite important to redraw the attention of the Trump administration that this letter It in question, in a way or another contradicts, and in an apparent dichotomy - in both letter and spirit- with the joint letter sent recently to the members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs at the House of Representatives, by the supposedly, the most qualified experts on Sudanese issue, namely former American envoys to Sudan.

In their joint letter on the 30th of June 2017, Princeton Lyman, Ambassador Donald Booth, along with the former U.S. Charge dAffaires to Sudan Jerry Lanier, call on the Congress to support the five-track engagement plan with the Sudanese government and urging legislatures to not take actions that could undermine the plan.

The former American presidential envoys to Sudan have sternly warned that any delay in the implementation of the five-track process would damage U.S. credibility and squander the opportunity now before the U.S.

The trio further urged caution in rushing any new legislative action that might undermine progress on the strategy. They stressed that progress on the agreed tracks, in this first phase of engagement, and lifting the agreed sanctions, shall move the U.S and Sudan to the next phase of engagement, which include more steps toward respect for human rights, sustained humanitarian access, and a lasting peace.

By the same token, testifying couple of weeks ago before a Congressional Committee Ambassador Lyman, called for objective engagement with the Sudan. He put it clearly that sanctions are no longer the optimum pressure card on the Sudanese government; as according to him, the government of Sudan, is and shall continue to be the biggest actor, in shaping the political scene in Sudan, at least for the near future.

To conclude this argument, let me ascertain that and despite the (despicable thought expected) such campaigns of misinformation and facts-twisting, the bottom line is that Sudan has made the required progress to all the tracks agreed with the American side.

According to Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary Abdel-Ghani al-Naim, Sudan has made the required progress to all the tracks agreed with the American side, confirming that the government and Sudanese citizens, do not constitute a threat to the national security of the U.S.

The undersecretary added that the government of Sudan is hoping that this decision should not affect the lifting of sanctions. Sudan looks forward to co-operation with the US in regional peace and security and all issues discussed in the five tracks.

Less than three days to go, on July 12th, the Trumps government is on the threshold of yet another important and historical opportunity. Trump administration has a golden opportunity to proof that diplomacy can also work and deliver, even with adversaries. The long awaited repealing Sudans sanctions, would be good not only for the people of the Sudan, who had enough of two decades long of unwarranted suffering and deprivation, it would be good for a region that has known too much conflicts. It would be good for the world.
09.07.2017 LISTEN

The executive producer of the popular TV series, Mama Taxi, Martin Aboagye has descended heavily on TV stations in Ghana saying, they are major contributors of the decline in filming in Ghana.

He indicated that the insatiable appetite of local TV stations for foreign programmes and telenovelas is an indictment on Ghanaians saying; "it clearly shows that we are incapable of entertaining ourselves as a nation".

He however calls on TV viewers to boycott such programmes because it is an imaginary slavery and a calculated act of undermining what we can do as Ghanaians to develop our country and the filming industry.

"What is the need if we destroy the very foundation we are building for our future generation for your parochial interest? Rome was not built in a day. All these countries our local TV stations are glorifying their movies did not achieve what they have on a silver platter; it took the support and sacrifices of the entire stakeholders in their respective countries to reach where they are now, So how a key stakeholder like TV stations cannot do same for the betterment of our own? Can someone also tell me if the TV stations collaborate with local producers and promote our works the way they are doing it foreign productions whether we will fail.

One unfortunate development is how these local companies who are making millions of profit in Ghana are rather sponsoring foreign programmes which put monies in the pocket of these foreign producers who have never bought their products or paid tax for the Government to use it to undertake developmental programmes.

I believe that the nation will wake up one day to appreciate how some TV stations bought our conscience with some pseudo productions which had no reflection on ourculture or heritage but twisted in a way because of their own financial gains."
Sonora, CA  Caltrans plans this week begin Sunday in some spots. Plan for ten-minute delays within most of the cone zones in the works throughout the week.

Heads up, too, regarding what may well be significant impacts coming in the midweek if PG&E proceeds with plans to replace power poles along Rawhide Road. Clarke Broadcasting is still awaiting word from the utility as to the details of what exactly will be involved, traffic and service interruption-wise. In the meantime, Caltrans has posted electronic signboards signaling that it will be providing one-way traffic control Wednesday along Highway 49/108 between Rawhide and Mormon Creek roads from 6:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.

Crews will be back Sunday for more overnight work all week along Highway 26 in Valley Springs, where a $1.4 million improvement project ongoing through sometime in August includes installing a signal light. The chores concentrate between Gee Lane and County View Drive from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m.

Too, in Tuolumne County, Sunday in the overnight through Friday morning, the guardrail improvements continue on Highway 108 between Highway 49 and Old Wards Ferry Road from 9 p.m. until 7 a.m. and between east of Plainview Drive and Twain Harte Drive from 9 p.m. until 8 a.m.

Other Calaveras Cone Zones

Every weekday more construction is in store along Highway 4 between Upper Moran Road and Calaveras Big Trees State Park entrance from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. This is part of a $7.3 million improvement project near the park scheduled to finish sometime in the fall.

Two other cone zones on Highway 4 will also be set up every weekday. These are between Ottawa Drive near Dorrington and Cabbage Patch Road for pavement work from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m.; also between Willow Street and the Arnold Byway for utility work from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, shoulder work on the sidewalks between Pennsylvania Gulch and Apple Blossom Dam Road from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. should not create any traffic impacts.

Along Highway 49 in San Andreas, utility work is slated every weekday between Treat Avenue and Gold Oak Road from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Other Tuolumne Traffic Waits

Daytime work on Highway 108 this week includes daily drainage work between Middle Camp Sugar Pine and Lyons Dam roads from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.; also utility work Wednesday between west of Via Este and Via Este from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. Both are only expected to bring momentary delays.

At the Highway 120 James E Roberts Bridge by Lake Don Pedro ten-minute traffic stops under automated one-way traffic controls continue, probably through November, as crews labor on the nearly $21 million bridge span renovation there. As reported here, Caltrans provided an update on the project a few days ago. In it, spokesperson Rick Estrada explained the reason for the perceived absence of personnel on the bridge is that workers are presently painting underneath it, effectively out of motorists eyesight.
- Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God has decided to lay curses on cultists like the Badoo in Lagos as well as other criminals

- Pastor Adeboye came hard on the criminals troubling Nigerians at a service organised by his church

Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God has laid curses on all cultists and criminals making life difficult for the people of Nigeria.

Speaking at the churchs monthly Holy Ghost Service at the new Arena, Pastor Adeboye reportedly asked members of the church to pray for God to root out every kidnapper in Nigeria.

My Father, send down your fire on all every society or cult groups shedding blood of innocent Nigerians.

Send down Your fire upon every person or organisation that are making life difficult for the common people people of the nation. Father expose them and dislodge them, Vanguard quoted him as saying.

Adeboye also slammed some prosperity preachers in Christiandom saying they go to the extreme and twist Gods message to fit what they want the people to hear.

READ ALSO: Police react to alleged disappearance of kidnapper Evans from detention

The reasons pastors are categorized like this is because that is the area they focus on, but atimes they go to extreme.

Prosperity preachers preach prosperity in such a manner that atimes they have to twist the word of God to fit their message.

Faith preachers do same. Theres nothing wrong with faith. Without faith you cannot please God.

I am a man of faith, I live by faith but I am not a faith preacher. It takes faith to come and live in this jungle with my family when it the den of highway robbers and pytons. It takes faith.

There are grace preachers who talk about grace to such an extent that it becomes ridiculous. I know that it is by grace we are saved.

I know that I am what I am today by the grace of God but I am not a grace preacher because they preach grace in such a manner that they say once you are born again you can continue committing adultery and grace will still take you to heaven. That is a lie.

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I am holiness preacher. Cut me to a thousand pieces, each of the pieces will still shout be holy. And you would say; you too, dont you go to extremes sometimes? Extreme?

All that the Angels are crying from eternity to eternity is: Holy Holy Holy is the Lord. I am a holiness preacher because I discover long ago that holiness is the master key, he said.

Legit.ng had earlier reported that for Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos, traditional rulers in parts of the state must brace up to end the incessant ritual killings, by the Badoo cult group.

Currently, scores of residents including entire families have been wiped off by the cultists, whose major weapons are grinding stones and pestles.

The state, in conjunction with law enforcement agencies, has begun massive manhunt for members of the group while some arrested by communities in the state have either been lynched or handed over to the police.

Watch this video of kidnapper Evans' home in Magodo, Lagos:

Source: Legit.ng
Legit.ng brought you the news about the grand wedding between Governor Amosun's daughter and Abike Dabiri's son yesterday July 8 in Abeokuta, Ogun state.

This wedding can be considered as the wedding of the year as it had the high and mighty of Nigeria like senate president Bukola Saraki, Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun among others in attendance.

Also in attendance were President Buharis children Yusuf Buhari, Halima, Zahra and her husband Ahmed Indimi.

The Buhari's at Governor Amosun's daughter and Abike Dabiri's son photo credit: social media

The Buhari's at Governor Amosun's daughter and Abike Dabiri's son photo credit: social media

The Buhari's at Governor Amosun's daughter and Abike Dabiri's son photo credit: social media

READ ALSO: Beautiful photos from the wedding of Abike Dabiri's son to Ogun state governor's daughter

Check out more beautiful photos from the event below:

Governor Amosun's daughter and Abike Dabiri's son weds Photo Credit: Facebook/Ibikunle Amosun

Governor Amosun's daughter and Abike Dabiri's son weds Photo Credit: Facebook/Ibikunle Amosun

Governor Amosun's daughter and Abike Dabiri's son weds Photo Credit: Facebook/Ibikunle Amosun

Governor Amosun's daughter and Abike Dabiri's son weds Photo Credit: Facebook/Ibikunle Amosun

Governor Amosun's daughter and Abike Dabiri's son weds Photo Credit: Facebook/Ibikunle Amosun

WANT MORE? Download Legit.ng Wedding app for android to get the latest posts

Governor Amosun's daughter and Abike Dabiri's son weds Photo Credit: Facebook/Ibikunle Amosun

Governor Amosun's daughter and Abike Dabiri's son weds Photo Credit: Facebook/Ibikunle Amosun

Governor Amosun's daughter and Abike Dabiri's son weds Photo Credit: Facebook/Ibikunle Amosun

Governor Amosun's daughter and Abike Dabiri's son weds Photo Credit: Facebook/Ibikunle Amosun

Check out the beautiful dance moments from the wedding:

Watch the Legit.ng TV video below to see how some Nigerians responded when asked if they could marry people who are not from their tribe:

Source: Legit.ng
- A member of the National Executive Council of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Mohammed Abdulrahman has stated that governor El-Rufai lacks understanding of the nations pulse

- He questioned the governors motives, noting that El-Rufai also harbored ambitions for the presidency

- Abdulrahman stressed that restructuring the nation will bring lasting peace and a sense of equity to the federating units

A comment made by the Kaduna state governor Nasir El-Rufai, concerning the issue of restructuring, has been described as irresponsible by a member of the National Executive Council of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Mohammed Abdulrahman.

The governor reportedly referred to those calling for restructuring of Nigeria as opportunists.

However, in an interview with Punch, Abdulrahman chided the governor for uttering such a comment.

According to Abdulrahman, El-Rufai lacks understanding of the pulse of the nation.

Legit.ng gathers that the Arewa chieftain stressed that the country will be peaceful when it is restructured.

READ ALSO: Nnamdi Kanu is being sponsored by south-east elite - Arewa chieftain claims

He stated: Let me state categorically that the statement of Governor Nasir el-Rufai is irresponsible. I do not think he has spoken as someone who understands the pulse of the nation.

How can he say those who are calling for more powers to be given to each of the federating units of the federation are opportunists?

What about him? We know about his ambition; he wants to be president of this country. We know what he did as the Federal Capital Territory minister under the regime of Olusegun Obasanjo.

His tainted records are there for all to see. Who is he? We know who he is. People need to understand that the call for restructuring is not about some individuals interests.

It is what will bring lasting peace and sense of equity to the federating units.

Is he saying that other prominent and respected Nigerians who have thrown their weight behind restructuring are opportunists?

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Recall that Legit.ng previously reported that the governor of Kaduna state governor Nasir El-Rufai stated that those calling for the restructuring of Nigeria are political opportunists and irresponsible.

While speaking on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, El-Rufai said that president Muhammadu Buhari's administration in two years has done better than the past administration.

He said the Buhari-led administration has taken some practical steps towards restructuring the country through various means.

Watch this Legit.ng TV video on Nigeria's unity

Source: Legit.ng
Reports reaching Legit.ng this moment claims that Ooni of Ife, his best friend Jide Fadairo and 4 other governors had their phones stolen at the wedding of Abike Dabiri and Governor Amosun's children.

According to journalist, Azuka Ogujiuba who shared the experience on her social media page, the phones were stolen even with the amount of security details being attached to the governors.

READ ALSO: More lovely photos from wedding of Governor Amosun's daughter and Abike Dabiri's son

She also narrated how her friend's phone was also stolen along with N30,000 from her purse.

Governor Amosun's daughter and Abike Dabiri's son weds Photo Credit: Facebook/Ibikunle Amosun

Sharing a video of the Ooni and his entourage, Azuka captioned her post; "the royal fathers were in the building at the Dabiri and Amosu's wedding in Abeokuta

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I am still in awe of how the Ooni's phone, his best friend Jide Fadairo's phone and four governors phone was stolen at the wedding? I mean what about their security details, were they dozing or what? Even on our table my friend @winolive iphone and 30k was nicked from her purse and immediately l mounted more security on my iPhone 7, because it is just 2 weeks old, l know l will faint in that hall if my own joins the missing ones or the thief will steal me along o"!

Na wa o!

Watch the Legit.ng TV video below to see how some Nigerians responded when asked if they could marry people who are not from their tribe:

Source: Legit.ng
- Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma has cautioned IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu to take Biafra agitation a bit more calmly

- The cleric said Kanu is not an Igbo leader as he is being called and did not even witness the civil war

- Archbishop Chukwuma said Kanu has not visited him and other elders who fought for him while he was in jail

Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma has warned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) members to tread carefully in their agitation for Biafra, lest they lose relevance.

Legit.ng gathered that Archbishop Chukwuma, who is the Head of the Enugu Province of the Anglican Communion, challenged Kanu over his claim that South East people are Jewish.

The cleric, in an interview with The Sun newspaper, said Kanu has refused to visit him and other elders who fought for his release from jail.

He said: IPOB should know that if they want to get the blessings of the elders and some of us, they should be cautioned in the way they act. Otherwise, if we back out from them, they will lose relevance.

Since Kanu came out, has he come to see me? But we fought and talked about him. All he does is to be talking about Judaism. Where do we have Judaism in the East? He shouldnt be a religious bast*rd. Has he come to see me?

READ ALSO: The north is enemy of progress for being against restructuring

And many of us fought for him and he came out. Look, Kanu is not an Igbo leader. So he should cool down otherwise he will lose his relevance. He is not an Igbo leader.

He did not see the civil war, so Im not happy with him. I am bitter with Kanu because those who fought for him and those who spoke out on his behalf. He has not even visited some of us. Rather he is talking rubbish somewhere else.

We dont want anybody to put us into war. We must come to discuss and he must be cautioned to mind what he is saying sometimes. Because as far as I am concerned most of us are talking on his behalf but he has not come. Rather he is going to profess himself to be a Jew or whatever. Was it Judaism that saved him?

We prayed for him. We talked about him. Many of us were given bad names but up till now he hasnt even come to pay homage and for us to advise him.

So whatever he is saying he is saying it on his own. It is his followers and all these people who are now listening to him, particularly even some of the Igbo in the Diaspora that may be sponsoring him. They should be careful and stop disrupting our peace here and giving us a bad name.

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These youths are becoming, somehow, very much unscrupulous. Our youths are also not controlling their own temper. And they are people of today.

We dont throw away what the youths are saying but we must caution them, because if you hear what the people on Radio Biafra are saying, they are insulting even the elders in the East, which is not good.

They should control their statements and they should respect elders. I have said it before, even among our people that we have to respect ourselves.

We must also have a political and economic base before we can begin to take off. Put our home in order and love ourselves; we should shun arrogance and pomposity among our people.

The politicians must know that they also have a duty to perform to serve their constituencies."

Meanwhile, the IPOB said the federal government and the judiciary are playing politics with the trail of its leader and three others detained in Kuje Prison.

A statement signed by the IPOB's media and publicity secretary Emma Powerful said it discovered that the federal government has postponed the hearing of the matter scheduled for Tuesday, July 11 at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Watch video of Nnamdi Kanu addressing followers in Isiama Afara, Abia state:

Source: Legit.ng
- Four police officers discharged from their jobs over bribery allegation

- They reportedly extorted the sum of N50,000 from a man

- The victim reported the incident to Rapid Respond Unit and the officers were arrested

The Nigeria Police Force has approved the dismissal from service of four police officers attached to Ijebu-Ode Area Command in Ogun state for alleged bribery scandal.

Legit.ng gathered that the affected officers are:

(1) AP. No 122800 Inspector Mufutau Olaosun

(2) F/No. 366127 Sergeant Adebayo Temitope

(3) F/No. 455593 Corporal Bakare Taiwo

(4) F/No. 455554 Corporal Adesoye Ayokunlehin.

They were charged, tried and found guilty in an Orderly Room conducted at the Area Command Headquarters, Ijebu-Ode for two offences against discipline as provided for in Paragraphs E (iii) Discreditable Conduct and C (ii) Corrupt Practice under the First Schedule of Police Act and Regulations Cap. P19. Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

The dismissed officer during their Orderly Room trial Photo credits: Aso Rock Villa Facebook page

READ ALSO: Obasanjo reveals how he survived Abacha's killer squad

The officers were arraigned after the Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit (PCRRU) received a complaint via Whatsapp number 0805 700 0003 about their misconduct.

The complaint lodged against them reads: Good morning sir, My name is (Withheld), living in Ijebu ode, on Wednesday afternoon I went to withdraw money from the bank and am been sent by my boss when going back to the office some policeman car just double cross me and collect my phone telling I stole the phone I should follow them to the station and the took me to Igbeba police station here in Ijebu asked me to do frog jump from outside to a room, which I did to afford being beating.

"After gotten there they started calling a internet fraudster which I told them am not that am an (withheld) and they started beating slapping me and forcing me to write a statement which they are the one telling me what to write and after that they collected 50,000 from me (from my boss money which I went to withdraw before arresting me.

"Sir thats my story. All this are not good and policeman are meant to protect us but this nowadays police officer have turn this to another thing by using their power to ride civilians, maltreating and harassing civilian.

"The officers name who headed the squad are been called which I overhead are name: one is Omo Alaja while the second is called AY but dont know the name of the other 2 officer. Please sir you have to stop this kind of officer because they are taking this to far.

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The complaint was immediately registered, the policemen were identified and it was discovered that they apprehended the complainant on 7th June, 2017 without any reasonable cause and extorted the sum of Fifty Thousand Naira (N50,000) Bail Money despite the Bail is Free campaign before he was eventually released same day.

The extorted N50,000 was subsequently recovered from these unethical policemen who were armed in plain clothes on the day of the incident. Their action is contrary to the directives of the Inspector-General of Police and unacceptable.

Necessary disciplinary measures were initiated against the erring policemen, they were found guilty as charged in an Orderly Room trial after the presentation of witnesses and exhibits. Punishment of dismissal from service was recommended by the Adjudicating officer and proceedings reviewed by the relevant Nigeria Police Force (NPF) authorities.

The punishment of dismissal from service has been upheld with immediate effect and all NPF uniforms and accoutrements including warrant cards (ID cards) issued to the men have been retrieved with all dismissal procedures completed.

The complainant was also handed back his N50,000 with an apology a day after he lodged the complaint.

Members of the public are advised not to resort to self-help when faced with case of police misconduct, but are enjoined to report such to the PCRRU for resolution. PCRRU is available 24/7 via the following channels; Phone Calls Only: 08057000001, 08057000002, SMS/WhatsApp Only: 08057000003, Twitter: @PoliceNG_PCRRU, Facebook: www.facebook.com/PolicePCRRU, Email: complaint@npf.gov.ng OR PolicePCRRU@gmail.com.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that two traffic wardens, Musa Muktar with force number 394120 GDI and Shuaibu Suleman with number 10627 have been sacked for alleged extortion.

The announcement was made by ACP Abayomi Shogunle, the assistant commissioner of police in charge of the Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit (PCRRU), in Abuja on June 20, 2017.

The statement obtained by Legit.ng showed that the sacked officers were attached to the Wuse Police Division in the Federal Capital Territory command.

Watch video of what Nigerians think about the police:

Source: Legit.ng
- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is in Singapore for his third medical treatment this year

- Mugabe was last in Singapore in May for eye problem according to his spokesman, George Charamba

- But Zimbabwean Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Chris Mushohwe declined reveal the reason for the visit

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is in Singapore for medical treatment, in his third such visit this year, a newspaper reported on Sunday July 9.

Africas oldest ruler at 93, Mugabe was last in Singapore in May for what his spokesman George Charamba said then was treatment for eye problems, Reuters has reported.

Legit.ng gathered that the Standard said he had left again for Singapore on Friday for more medical treatment.

READ ALSO: Afe Babalola drops bombshell about Obasanjo, describes ex-president as stubborn person

Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Chris Mushohwe told the newspaper Mugabe was in Singapore but declined to confirm the reason for the visit.

The ruling ZANU-PF party said on Saturday it had cancelled a youth rally scheduled for July 14 due to be attended by the president because he would be out of the country.

Charamba and Mushohwe did not respond to calls and messages to their phones for comment.

Despite growing concerns about his health, Mugabe has taken more than ten trips abroad this year and wants to seek another five-year term in office in 2018.

He has ruled the southern African nation since independence from Britain in 1980.

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The government has denied he falls asleep in meetings, saying in response to television footage appearing to show him doing so that he is resting his eyes.

Mugabe has racked up more than 200,000 air miles since the start of 2016. He spent $53 million on foreign trips last year, more than double the initial budget of $23 million, according to government data.

Legit.ng had previously reported that Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari departed for London, UK for medical treatment shortly after he received the 82 released Chibok girls.

In the video below, Legit.ng TV asked some Nigerian have to say about President Buharis absence:

Source: Legit.ng
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WASHINGTON  Hark!

What light from yonder West Wing window breaks. A bright idea has somehow emerged from the dysfunctional, dystopian Trump White House.

And from the Grim Reaper, no less.

Steve Bannon has not been partying in the Hamptons with Jared, Ivanka and Kellyanne. He has instead been lurking in his lair, scheming about a plan to raise taxes on the richest people in America and give tax cuts to the people who need them.

As Jonathan Swan wrote when he broke the story in Axios, Its classic Bannon  pushing a maximalist position thats reviled by the Republican establishment.

Conservative craniums are exploding all over town. Mitch McConnell had already been worried that Donald Trump might revert to the pragmatist who gave Chuck Schumer and Hillary donations and triangulate with Democrats.
In 2011, when asked by a City Council member what benefit the new Apple headquarters would have for Cupertino, Steve Jobs responded that itd get to keep the company there. And thats about the extent of what it got. A project like the new Norman Foster-designed Apple Park shows a blatant disregard not only for the citizens of Cupertino but also for the functionality of the region.

Every modern building is at some point described as looking like a spaceship. This building actually succeeds at it, but theres too much that makes it incredibly backward thinking (and not just its lack of child-care facilities). The circular structure has not only nearly three million square feet of office space but also about three million square feet devoted to parking spaces. For a company investing no small amount of its significant capital on driverless cars, thats incongruous. There is much to emulate at Apple  but not that almost 1:1 ratio of office to parking.

What could they have done differently?

Making the commute less car-dependent, for starters. But to do so would have necessitated a change in existing zoning requirements that forced Apple to provide about 11,000 spaces for 12,000 workers. Apple could have pushed harder to press for fewer spaces; Cupertino should re-examine policies that make driving the easiest option. It seems obvious to build a large corporate office near a transit stop, but very few Bay Area jobs (only 21 percent) are within a half-mile of a regional rail station. If you take San Francisco out of the equation, that percentage drops to 5 percent.

This situation isnt getting better. Because of the Bay Areas chronic underinvestment in housing and transit, home prices escalate and congestion worsens. In 2015, for example, the amount of time San Franciscans spent commuting amounted to more than $5.3 million in lost productivity, a 55 percent increase over 2011. The median home price in San Francisco is now a jaw-dropping $1,194,300; in Cupertino, its $1,847,800.

Nimby-ism exacerbates an already terrible situation. Zoning makes building near transit difficult if not illegal and makes a mix of uses (like housing, retail and work) nearly impossible. Most agree the region needs more housing; no one wants it in their town. Some cities, like Palo Alto, tired of the traffic and avocado toast, have proclaimed they are leery of adding new jobs. All this is happening within a culture that claims to have a fix for everything. Not incidentally, a recent report found that fully 90 percent of philanthropic dollars from local donors leave the region.

The research Ive done with my Rethinking the Corporate Campus: The Next Bay Area Workplace colleagues at the urban-planning think tank SPUR explores in depth the history and context of the regions surprisingly counterproductive landscape  and opportunities for reshaping it.

This includes encouraging local governments to allow growth in downtowns (as Seattle has done with Amazon) and in areas next to rail stations (the cloud content management company Box did it in Redwood City); identifying suburban locations that can be retrofitted with not just big office parks but also housing, stores and restaurants (Google has been trying to do this in Mountain View and is reportedly looking to install 300 units of modular housing there); and reducing the number of people driving alone in their cars to work and improving other transportation options. The goal should be reducing congestion and carbon emissions while increasing competitiveness and quality of life.
During his presidential campaign, he embraced the favor of groups and people who trafficked in white supremacy. He re-tweeted material from proudly anti-Semitic Twitter feeds, and prompted a furor by promoting an image that placed Hillary Clintons face atop a pile of cash and beside a six-pointed star on which most corrupt candidate ever was written.

The website PolitiFact concluded that it was unlikely that the Trump campaign intended to put out a Star of David image. In fact, the campaign moved to replace the star with a circle when the image gained attention. Even so, PolitiFact noted, Trump had an unusual habit of using social media to broadcast material that comes from sources with a history of spreading racism, anti-Semitism or white supremacy.

Im not convinced that Trump is much of an anti-Semite, any more than Im convinced that hes much of a homophobe. (Racism and sexism are another matter.) But I think hes so thirsty for, and intoxicated by, whatever love comes his way that hes loath to rebuff the sources of it.

A prominent Jewish Republican put it well. I think Trump is such a pathological narcissist that the act of telling people who love you that you reject them  he cant get around that, he told me, interpreting Trumps reasoning this way: What can be wrong with them? Theyre for me!

Trump is disinclined to denounce any constituency or tactics that elevate him to the throne, where hes sure that he belongs. The outcome validates even the ugliest and most divisive ascent.

I dont think hes goading these people or associating with them because he shares their views, the Republican added. I do think that hes so insensitive about the presidency  about the responsibilities of the leader of the free world  that he doesnt realize its not enough to say, once or twice, I dont agree with them. He doesnt realize that you have to be very clear. And he doesnt realize  or care  that hes validating and encouraging them.
MAGAZINE

An article this weekend about a collection of essays by Durga Chew-Bose misstates the title. The book is Too Much and Not the Mood, not Too Much and Not in the Mood. The article also misstates the publisher of the book. It is FSG Originals, not FSB Originals.



An article this weekend about Marine recruits at Parris Island misspells the name of the town where Jake Weaver, a former Marine, grew up. It is Interlachen, Fla., not Interlaken.



An article on July 2 about Bridge International Academies, a chain of international schools, referred incorrectly to a comment that Shan-non May, a founder of the chain, made about notifying the police about unescorted visits to Bridge schools. She said Bridge staff members acted responsibly in contacting the police; she was not referring to her own actions.

BOOK REVIEW

A review last Sunday about The Imagineers of War: The Untold History of DARPA, the Pentagon Agency That Changed the World included outdated information about the books author, Sharon Weinberger, relying in part on her website. While she was indeed the national security editor for The Intercept in March, when the book was published, she subsequently left that position and is now an executive editor at Foreign Policy.
In all the explanations of voter behavior that have been floated over the past few months, the one that I cant quite get out of my mind is a recent comment from Tony Travers, a professor of government at the London School of Economics, who told The New York Times that people are switching loyalties, not tribally, but like consumers.

He was talking about the British election last month and the defection of so many presumed Conservative voters to the rumpled promise of Jeremy Corbyn, but he could just as easily have been talking about the French election and rise of that shiny new brand otherwise known as Emmanuel Macron. Or even the 2016 election in the United States. After all, on each occasion, voters shopped around before committing  or deciding to stay home.

In the United States, both Republicans and Democrats saw their historic marques (Bush, Clinton) eschewed in favor of the candidate who ran on the clarion call of ending the establishment. President Trump may nominally be a Republican, but he is his own brand  complete with shiny gold logo  above all.

Consider the following statement: Peoples allegiance to traditional brands has been deteriorating, so now we see the rise of new brands  and consider that it is not from a retail consultant but from Bennet Ratcliff, founder of Thaw Strategies and a former international political consultant.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.  Members of the Ku Klux Klan rallied here on Saturday afternoon in a protest meant to assail the citys decision to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general.

For about a half-hour, around 50 members of the Klan  some wearing hooded white robes  shouted white power at Justice Park as more than 1,000 people protested their presence by hurling insults, water bottles and apple cores.

By about 4:25 p.m., the Klan members, who said they came from North Carolina, began to leave and return to their cars. It was then when the trouble intensified.

City officials said a large group of counterprotesters followed the Klan members back to their vehicles and stopped them from leaving. Asked to step aside, the counterprotesters refused, a city spokeswoman said. The police declared an unlawful assembly, and officers began moving the protesters back so the Klan members could leave.
Ivanka Trump briefly sat in for her father, President Trump, during a session on Saturday at the Group of 20 summit meeting in Hamburg, Germany, prompting an outcry on social media and a swift defense from her brother Donald Trump Jr.

Ms. Trump, who had been sitting in the back of the room during a discussion of topics that were relevant to her, joined the main table when Mr. Trump had to step out, a White House official said.

When other leaders left the table, their seats were also filled by others in their delegations, the official added.
BOLOGNA, Italy  The artist Christian Boltanski sat on a bench in a Bologna museum facing one of the 20 works he had allocated throughout this city and mused on a favorite theme: mortality.

He offered what he smilingly said was a very pretentious thought.

I hope that when I shall be dead, somebody that I dont know in Australia is going to be sad for two minutes, Mr. Boltanski, who is 72, said. It would be something marvelous because it means youve touched people youve never seen and that is something incredible.

The installation before him included a video with dozens of bells on long metal wires set in a blustery snowscape in northern Quebec, the gray sky blurring into the snow so that at times the two were indistinguishable. The suggestion of looming hypothermia was strong. A neon sign next to the installation announced Arrivee (the end) while another sign at the gallery entrance established Depart (the beginning).
HAMBURG, Germany  Littered streets were lined by police officers outside the Elbphilharmonie concert hall here on Friday evening after a concert put on for world leaders attending the Group of 20 summit meeting.

Inside the security bubble: Beethoven. As the conferences host, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany had corralled the participating leaders for a performance of his Ninth Symphony, with its choral Ode to Joy finale invoking a utopian world in which all men become brothers. According to a government spokesman, the piece represented a hymn to humanity, peace and international understanding.

Inside the glittering new waterfront hall, President Trump lightly bobbed his head along to the boisterous scherzo. Next to him, President Emmanuel Macron of France leaned forward, on the edge of his seat. Canadas first couple snuggled close, holding hands. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who arrived late and slipped into an aisle seat, sat perfectly still, arms crossed.
Before the uproar over Shakespeare in the Parks Julius Caesar and Kathy Griffins photo with a bloody mask resembling President Trumps severed head; before theater producers banked on politics for the success of shows like 1984 and Building the Wall; before debate raged anew over funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, there was The Cradle Will Rock.

This 1937 breakthrough opera by Marc Blitzstein  a savage, politically charged allegory about a rich man who uses his money to boss around the people of Steeltown, U.S.A.  courted controversy by taking bold stances on economic inequality, corruption and the working class when unions were a divisive topic and front-page news. The piece was a product of the New Deal-era Federal Theater Project, but was shut down by the government shortly before opening night. (Its eventual opening is the stuff of theater legend; well get to that.)

And now, 80 years later, Opera Saratoga is staging The Cradle Will Rock as part of its summer festival, in a year when political messages onstage are under acute scrutiny, and when the shows themes are as present in the news as ever. A case about unions rights has once again arrived at the Supreme Court. The latest woes of a Pennsylvania steel town were recently on the front page of The New York Times. Cradle even has a song about fake news.
Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine get the star treatment from HBO, while Alec Baldwin gets his own from Spike. And a recently discovered photograph may solve the mystery of what happened to the aviator Amelia Earhart as she tried to circumnavigate the globe in 1937.

Whats on TV

THE DEFIANT ONES 9 p.m. on HBO. Dr. Dre, the mastermind behind gangster rap, who introduced Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent to the world; and Jimmy Iovine, a record producer for Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Nicks, who became one of the premier music executives of the 1990s and 2000s, get the biographical treatment, both individually and together. (They make headphones.) This glossy, rapidly paced, ambitious and often fun four-part documentary, Jon Caramanica wrote in The New York Times, has a sufficient amount of awe at their history  which embodies the tremendous potential of American popular music and culture  but not an overwhelming, suffocating, corporate-endorsement amount. Instead, the mood is intimate, trusting, a little slick, making what could have been hagiography something more invigorating and frank.
As a girl in Brighton, England, the historian and novelist Rebecca Stott knew her upbringing was strict and different, but it was only later in life that she would say she was raised in a cult. Her father, Roger, had been an officer in the Exclusive Brethren, a radical Protestant sect that closely controlled the lives of its members.

My family hadnt belonged to the Brethren, Ms. Stott writes in her new book, wed been caught up in them. Caught up like a coat catching on thorns. Caught up in a scandal. Caught up in the arms of the Lord. Whichever way you phrased it, it meant you didnt get to choose, and that there was no getting away.

Her father eventually left the group, and expressed great regrets at the end of his life about his role in enforcing the sects codes of behavior. With the help of rare pamphlets, diaries and other documents her father left her, Ms. Stott wrote a memoir and history, In the Days of Rain: A Daughter, a Father, a Cult. Below, she talks about the emotional drain of writing it, the collective PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, that she found, and more.

When did you first get the idea to write this book?

When my father lay dying, he struggled to try to explain to me why in the 60s things got so bad in the extreme religious group into which I had been born and he had been born before me. It was terribly sad, and I tried, with a tape recorder, to get him to explain what happened and why it was so distressing for him on his deathbed. He died before he could explain. I promised him, two or three days before he disappeared into the morphine, that I would do my best. The main question was: How had a good, decent group of people gotten caught up in a cult? How did they become compliant?
Oreo is branching out, using social media to collect new flavor ideas. Some taste like a jelly doughnut. Others, like a slice of pie or even waffles and syrup.

Not everyone is thrilled. One critic said, We lost the platonic ideal of what an Oreo cookie is.

Have a great week.

Photographs may appear out of order for some readers. Viewing this version of the briefing should help.

Your Weekend Briefing is published Sundays at 6 a.m. Eastern.

And dont miss Your Morning Briefing, weekdays at 6 a.m. Eastern, and Your Evening Briefing, weeknights at 6 p.m. Eastern.

Want to look back? Heres Fridays Evening Briefing.

What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes.com.
On Wednesday, Lena Dunham was at home in Brooklyn with her memories. The time she wept through Hillary Clintons defeat at what she had thought would be her victory party at the Javits Center, on Nov. 8, 2016. The time she found herself embroiled in a controversy over a detail in her memoir. The first time she had her picture taken with her boyfriend of five years, the musician and producer Jack Antonoff. The time she became the first woman to win the Directors Guild of America award for directing a TV comedy.

For Ms. Dunham, all of these memories have an outfit. She is keeping the memories, but the outfits are for sale.

On Monday, 169 pieces from her wardrobe will arrive on the RealReal, a website for fashion consignment. She will donate the entirety of her 70 percent commission from the sales to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, one of her favorite organizations.
Amy Elizabeth Goldfeder and Daniel Steven Severson were married July 8 at the Hay-Adams Hotel in Washington. Judge Allyson Kay Duncan of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, in Richmond, Va., performed the ceremony.

The couple met in Cambridge, Mass., in July 2016 through a dating app.

Mrs. Severson, 33, is developing an app that will help patients track their mental-health analytics. She graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received a masters degree in industrial design from the Rhode Island School of Design.

The bride is a daughter of Nancy Plain Goldfeder and Dr. Alan W. Goldfeder of Short Hills, N.J. The brides father, an ophthalmologist, is a partner in the Eye Clinic, a group medical practice with offices in Newark and in Union, N.J. Her mother, writing under the name Nancy Plain, is the author of This Strange Wilderness: The Life and Art of John James Audubon (University of Nebraska Press, 2015) and other nonfiction books for young adults. The bride is a granddaughter of the late Belva Plain, the author of Evergreen and other novels.

Mr. Severson, 30, is a law clerk for Judge Duncan, whose chambers are in Raleigh, N.C. He graduated from Bard College with a bachelors degree in political studies and another bachelors degree in French horn performance, and received a law degree, cum laude, and a masters degree in public policy from Harvard. He performed in the 2016-17 season with the Durham Symphony Orchestra in North Carolina. In 2011-12, he was a Fulbright scholar in Yilan City, Taiwan, where he studied Chinese, taught English and assisted with the music program at Xinsheng Elementary School.
Katherine Rose Doehring and Matthew Bjarne Ullsvik were married July 8. Nicholas J. Giles, a friend of the couple who is a Universal Life minister, officiated at the home of the grooms parents in Watertown, Wis.

Mrs. Ullsvik, 32, received an M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin in May, and is to begin as a marketing manager in August at Intuit, the business and financial software company in Mountain View, Calif. She graduated from Northwestern.

The bride is the daughter of Richard K. Doehring of Santa Barbara, Calif., and the late Roseanna L. Purzycki. The brides father is an artist whose work is exhibited at the 10 West Gallery in Santa Barbara, and is a screenwriter whose credits include Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! Her mother was a tax partner at Gursey Schneider, an accounting firm in Los Angeles.

Mr. Ullsvik, 34, was until June 30 the executive director of the State Senate Democratic Committee in Madison, Wis. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin.
Neda Khalid and Omar Farhan Karar were married July 3 at Vibiana, an event space in Los Angeles. Imam Jihad M. Turk, the president of Bayan Claremont, an Islamic graduate school at the Claremont School of Theology in Claremont, Calif., officiated.

Mrs. Karar, 31, is to begin in September as a senior associate for strategy in the consulting division in New York of PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accounting and consulting company. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, and received an M.B.A. from Columbia in May.

She is a daughter of Humera Khalid and Mohammad Khalid of West Hills, Calif. Her father is the president of Jarrow Industries, a supplement manufacturing business in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. The brides previous marriage ended in divorce.

Mr. Karar, 34, is the vice president for alternative energy mergers and acquisitions at Moelis & Company, an investment banking firm in New York. He graduated from the University of Michigan.
Ruth Jeannine Brillman, a daughter of Dr. Judith C. Brillman and a stepdaughter of Lt. Col. Barton H. Wohl, retired, of Albuquerque, was married July 7 to Chris Patrick Davis, a son of Maureen A. Davis and Thomas A. Davis of Plum, Pa. Brian Pepe-Mooney, a friend of the couple who received a one-day solemnization certificate from the State of Massachusetts, officiated at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston.

Ms. Brillman, 27, is a research scientist focusing on natural-language processing at Spotify in Somerville, Mass., and is pursuing a doctorate in linguistics at M.I.T. She graduated magna cum laude from N.Y.U.

The brides mother retired as an emergency physician at Lovelace Medical Center in Alburquerque, and as an associate dean of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Alburquerque. Her stepfather is a weapons systems engineer at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque. He retired from the Air Force as a branch chief in the Air Force Studies and Analyses Agency in Rosslyn, Va.

The groom, 28, is pursuing a doctorate in genetics and genomics at Harvard. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh.
Stephanie Michelle Baker and Jared Lionel Roebuck were married July 8 at the Farmhouse, an event space in Wilmington, Del. Tyron Perryman, a friend of the couple who became a minister with American Marriage Ministries for the occasion, officiated.

The bride, 28, is a sixth-grade English teacher at Lyons Community School in Brooklyn. She graduated from N.Y.U. and received a masters degree in special education from Long Island University.

She is a daughter of Marilynn Baker and Firosey F. Baker of Wilmington. The brides father retired as an information systems manager for DuPont there. Her mother retired as a fifth-grade teacher for Claymont Elementary in Claymont, Del.

The groom, 32, is the founding high school principal of the Dream Charter school in Manhattan. He graduated from Empire State College in Manhattan and received a masters in educational leadership from N.Y.U.
The gallery Marlena Vaccaro runs in Chelsea has the usual white walls and the usual nice light. What it does not have is artists under 60.

Talented 20-, 30- and 40-somethings need not apply. Ms. Vaccaro will not show them. They can send her JPEG after JPEG, the digital equivalent of slide after slide from an artists portfolio, but Ms. Vaccaros reply will remain: Wait. She will not lower the age threshold at the Carter Burden Gallery, at 548 West 28th Street, near Eleventh Avenue. And the artists on her roster could not be happier.

This gallery has made age very hip, said Angela Valeria, who is 76 and has a mixed-media painting on unstretched canvas on display in Summer in the City, a group show that runs through July 20.

The gallery began several years ago when Ms. Vaccaro decided that someone should counter an art world problem: Older, lesser-known artists were being passed by just because they were, yes, older. She had heard stories. Ms. Vaccaro was a painter and printmaker who also worked in mixed media. She had owned a gallery in TriBeCa.
To the Editor:

Red States and Blue Cities: A Partisan Battle Intensifies (front page, July 6) mentions the flawed argument by the industry-backed American Legislative Exchange Council that local laws create a patchwork of regulations for business. But when the coalitions in our network, which include many business partners, work to pass statewide paid-sick-day laws, these same opponents complain about one-size-fits-all solutions.

Now conservative legislators are working on a federal pre-emption bill, which would allow big companies that meet a voluntary threshold to flout local and state paid-sick-day laws. We cannot let them succeed.

ELLEN BRAVO, MILWAUKEE

The writer is co-director of Family Values @ Work, a network of state and local coalitions working for family-friendly policies.
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From February through May, the number of undocumented immigrants stopped or caught along the southwest border of the United States did what from the same period last year?
Norwegian Players Hit Huge Yggdrasil Progressive Jackpot, Becomes Overnight Millionaire

Published July 9, 2017 by Elana K

One lucky slot player won nearly 5.2 million last week playing Yggdrasils progressive jackpot slot, Empire Fortune, on his mobile device.

Dreams really do come true - one lucky slot player won nearly 5.2 million last week playing Yggdrasils progressive jackpot slot, Empire Fortune.



The Norwegian player hit the jackpot while playing the slot on Betssons NorgesAutomaten mobile gaming site, of which he was a member for nine years. His is the latest in a series of recent big wins that have occurred while playing on a mobile device.



This is the new record for the popular jackpot, surpassing the old one - 3.3 million - by nearly 2 million. This is also a record win for NorgesAutomaten.



CEO of Yggdrasil Gaming, Fredrik Elmqvist, commented:

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Empire Fortune was launched in 2015 and it shares a jackpot pool with another Yggdrasil slot, Joker Millions. Combining a jackpot from two games allows it to reach higher and higher amounts. There are actually three separate jackpots up for grabs in Empire Fortune, which are available in the jackpot bonus game.



The bonus game is a 3D Wheel of Fortune, which offers a wide range of various wins, including coins, free spins, and mystery prizes. A fireworks feature sends rockets shooting to different wedges of the wheel, and players accumulate prizes depending on where the rockets land.



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Vladimir Putin met with President of Iran Hassan Rouhani -- Uncle Sam's Regime Change Targets

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'It has been a splendid little war, begun with the highest motives, carried on with magnificent intelligence and spirit, favored by that Fortune which loves the brave.' US Secretary of State John Hay, referencing the Spanish-American War of 1898, in a letter to Teddy Roosevelt, July 27 of that year, the war ushering in America's Imperial epoch and unambiguously heralding its hegemonic ambitions.

'I've seen that we do not intend to free, but to subjugate [people]. We've gone there to conquer, not to redeem. It should be our pleasure and duty to make people free, and let them deal with their own domestic questions in their own way. [I] am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land.' Comments by Mark Twain, anti-imperialist, reflecting on the real objectives of America's war with Spain.

'War is the continuation of politics by other means.' Carl von Clausewitz, Prussian general, military theorist.

'Politics is the continuation of war by other means.' Michel Foucault, French philosopher, social theorist.

'And the circle goes round and round'. Anon



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-- When You're on a Good Thing (Stick to the Knitting) --

Notwithstanding the blowback from the 1953 Iran coup and the later blowback from the removal of the Shah over a quarter century later, little has changed in the realm of regime renovation in the history of United States.

The disastrous Bay of Pigs operation in 1961 and the subsequent, near catastrophic Cuban Missile Crisis the following year deriving from the failure of even that monumentally inept regime change maneuver evidently provided few lessons for the Renovators then or their political progeny since. At the same time it underscored in effect what had become the bedrock principle of American foreign policy and Great Power Projection. Which is to say, for its part the U.S. still engages in this tried and true, one-size-fits-all foreign policy gambit, bringing to mind that old adage 'when you're on a good thing, stick to it!'

Whilst the motivations for the Iranian coup were nominally economic (the government of the time were making noises about nationalizing the Iranian oil industry), there was also the strategic geopolitical considerations in the U.S. that Iran might come within the sphere of Soviet influence. This would've severely limiting the West's hegemony in the region, such an outcome one imagines delivering an unacceptable blow to America's incipient imperial id. There was also a certain amount of fear that Iranian Communists might gain control of the political situation, or even that the Soviets might overtake the country, either the stuff of American and British nightmares or over-egged paranoia.

Certainly, the Americans were never too keen on the Soviets crashing their party anywhere, especially so in this region. Like the British before them, the U.S. has always been quite territorial about other people's territory, especially when said "territory" involved oil, or any other strategic commodity or geopolitical consideration. Whether this fear was rational given the reality at the time and the available intelligence is a subject many still debate.

As we've seen with this and so many others, the reasons for the coup were fuelled less by the ostensibly lofty ideological concerns related to the Cold War (freedom versus tyranny anyone?) than they were to less lofty considerations such as greed, self-preservation and national pride and one or three other Deadly Imperial Sins.

To be sure it seems reasonable to assume that the Soviets -- cunning devils that they were -- were 'geeing' the Iranians up to nationalize their oil industry in order to 'put the wind up' the British and the Americans in turn. It's clear now that the CIA and the British, along with their fellow travelers in the then (Harry) Truman administration in the years leading up the coup, were leveraging the Cold War sentiment of the time in order to camouflage the real reasons for seeking regime change in Iran...'shades of things to come'.

At all events, then president Truman evidently saw the Iranian plot coming from the bottom of the 'too-risky' basket and didn't 'drag the chain' on rejecting it. Whatever his achievements, for his part the former Missouri haberdasher was always going to be known as the man who nodded the dropping of the Big Ones on Japan, even though the decision was effectively taken for him beforehand, and he rarely demurred in claiming the bragging rights. Whether he was right or wrong in doing this is a 'what-if' moment for another time.

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(Article originally published here on October 22, 2005)

I'm re-publishing an article I wrote in 2005. Outside of the candidates in New Jersey, not much has changed. I'm adding some comments in italics.

As usual, the right wing extremists have taken charge of the language, the words that describe who WE are. They've perverted the word LIBERAL and have turned it into a nasty aspersion. But the response on the left has been VERY healthy and unlike in the past, the new generation of lefties is not extreme, not far left. We are reasonable, responsible, patriotic and more concerned than ever that the true extremists--the Republicans who have been taken over by far right religious zealots and self-centered, destructive lobbyists and corporate lobbyists who are doing irreparable damage to our nation.





The right wing is no longer conservative-- seeking to maintain the old order, seeking fiscal stability and balance. The right wing is regressive, self-centered and destructive, aiming to move backwards, seeking to produce the same kind of states of imbalance that existed over 100 years ago, or even 500 years ago, when children worked as laborers, when women were not allowed to vote, when feudal lords ran communities where serfs had few rights or privileges and were always on the verge of financial collapse, at the mercy of the lords of the manor.



The right wing has become so extreme that the current "middle" has been skewed so far to the right that "centrists" are now, really, right wingers. That doesn't leave room for moderates in the Republican party. It doesn't leave room for centrists in the Democratic party, since today's centrists are really espousing Republicans policies and values. The most natural home, at the beginning of the 21st century is with progressives.





We have to start hitting back when right wing extremists use their mindless, getting too-old, catch phrases. And we should have ready answers for them. Liberal tax and spend is their way of describing responsible, budget balancing, job building, people protecting and supporting policies that Bill Clinton proved were good for Americans rich and poor.



The DLC centrists are also getting more desperate, churning out anti-left, anti-liberal, anti-progressive propaganda, labeled as think tank reports, claiming that liberals and progressives hurt the chances of Democratic party success. Like Mark Twain observed about statistics--"lies and more damn lies."



A great word to use to describe and argue for the moderate nature of progressive policies and positions is RESPONSIBLE. Tough progressive policies will advocate a responsible leadership--responsible to constituents, responsible to the needs of America, not the interests of lobbyists and transnational corporations. These include:

-responsible dealings with national security and terrorism threats

--pulling out of wars that were started and that are being maintained for bad reasons.

-responsible appointment of highly competent, deserving, based on merit and experience, leaders to positions of high power and responsibility in government agencies, departments and posts, rather than partisan maggots politically engineered without the interests of the nation, of justice or democratic principles in mind.



-balanced budget financial responsibility,

-visionary energy science, technology and management, responsibly looking to a future where fossil fuels are saved for non-energy purposes, like drugs, plastics, etc.

-taking responsibility for health care for all, like the rest of the first world, taking the burden of exploding health care costs off of corporations who are losing their competitive capabilities in the world markets because of congressional pandering to health care insurers and big pharma,

-responsible, future-looking ecological and environmental husbandry

-rehabilitation of our diplomatic reputation by responsible international citizenship

-responsible management of our trade, including protection of our industries and workers-- rather than the un-natural totally open, un-obstructed trade policies we now engage in.

-responsible compassionate caring for the have-nots, the people real Christians know, deep in their hearts, we should not be forsaking, as the Bush Republicans have so shamefully, even sinfully, done.

-re-instate regulations that were terminated for the benefit of corporations. Make laws that are responsible to humans, not the monster mega-corporations that show no loyalty to the USA, betraying workers and industries, every day, exporting jobs, technology investments, sourcing.

-rescue education by demanding responsible teaching strategies and a school work ethic that creates learning environments that produce students who can compete in a world market where the US's students are trailing woefully behind. Instead of making students memorize, teach them to think, to learn, to ask questions to engage in dialogue, to challenge everything.





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You can watch the video HERE or just read what follows.

When a completely new idea comes around, predictably there is misunderstanding and apprehension. The more unique and original the idea, the greater is the reluctance to see it for what it is and recognize it's potential. Call it the shock of the new.

Baffling as I find it -- since I'm intimately familiar with the candidate contracts, including their legal implications and their implementation in an electoral setting -- it's come to my attention that some of those who would most benefit from and are least threatened by my game-changing proposal, have been beset with a bad case of the jitters, mostly knee-jerk fear-and-trembling associated with anything "legal" or related to "signing a contract".

Of course and unfortunately, I refer to the populist/progressive candidates for whom the strategy was specifically designed -- the good folks for whom it is the sole purpose of the strategy to faithfully serve, serve by getting them elected to office, empowered to act on and implement the enlightened progressive agenda now totally ignored by our current legislators, and be widely acclaimed as the saviors of our democracy.

This particular article is meant to clear any misconceptions and dispel related fears about the candidate contract strategy. I will be addressing the populist-progressive candidates themselves -- the only ones worthy of the strategy, the only ones worthy in my opinion of holding public office.

So . . .

What kind of candidate would sign the candidate contract?

A candidate who wants to win the election in November 2018!

The solutions for every single one of the issues offered on the contract templates are supported by no less than 62% of American citizens. Most are in the high 70% range, some up in the 80% range. These are the things people want done. They're sick of the excuses and delays. If they're convinced a candidate can deliver on any of those items, they most certainly will vote for that candidate.

What kind of candidate would not sign this contract?

Establishment candidates -- I call them centrist/neoliberal candidates -- can't and won't sign the contract. While they don't embrace the populist agenda of the contract, that's not the main reason. They'd sign away their own grandmothers if they thought it would help their political careers. The main reason is that if they sign the contract, they will alienate their campaign donors -- corporations, banks, Wall Street, the ruling elite -- and lose the support of their major parties. Those two things have assured victory in the past. Why mess with a good thing? They'll play it safe . . . and hopefully be sorry.

Having written off the establishment types who are in the pockets of the ruling elite, the rest of this goes out to you non-establishment, non-centrist, non-neoliberal candidates -- you folks on the fringes, you guys who aren't getting invited to the party, because you want to run a good, solid, transparent campaign, then go to Washington DC to represent the needs and desires of everyday Americans, not be lapdogs for the rich and powerful.

There are two extremely important things, right at the outset, to keep in mind here in appreciating why you as a candidate should sign this contract.

First, your strict legal obligations ONLY embrace what's in the contract. Yes, the contract delineates your activities in relation to those issues listed. But in the entire range of other activities and legislation that you will deal with in office, you as a legislator will exercise your own discretion and judgment.

We of course assume that true to the intent and spirit of the contract, you will always defer to the majority wishes of your constituents, always doing your best to determine what your constituents want you to do, as their elected representative.

Second, you will determine what goes into the contract. We're offering a valuable and powerful template, listing those causes which have the overwhelming popular approval of voters across the nation. But circumstances and conditions vary from district to district. If a particular issue is not relevant to your district, leave it off. An effective campaign is built around three to eight decisive wedge issues. You really only need one, but having a few more clearly adds punching power to your campaign. You will tailor this contract to the specific conditions and requirements of your campaign and your local district. Focus on those issues which are popular with your constituents but opposed in fact or by the voting record of your opponent. You want your contract to be about the stands on issues that set you apart, make you look good vis-a-vis your sellout opponent, that will get you elected -- not make you or your campaign staff feel good, or your family and friends proud of you. Stay focused. Make this contract work for you. Having said that, we assume that you are a true progressive -- not a faux progressive or a lip-service liberal -- and therefore your final candidate contract will be consistent with the agenda reflected across the entire host of issued in the template offered here.

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The cliche of the abused spouse or lover who cannot see the truth of their abusers and keep going back to them and insisting that they are just misunderstood and really love the people they abuse; or the cliche of the fast talking salesman who can swindle the same person over and over again with promises that never materialize "this car is not a lemon I swear on my mother's grave;" both are good examples of people who time and time again give consent or support to politicians even though those politicians have repeatedly abused and swindled them.

And so it goes with the people who over and over get suckered by Republican politicians and more often than not Democrats as well. What a lot of people do not seem to understand is that first and foremost a successful politician is a successful salesman or saleswoman. Most have that special charisma unique to people who become successful salesman. Not all politicians have that, some gain their position through special circumstances of various types where they pander to certain select constituencies that care less about salesmanship and more about certain ideals - like religion for example. Another circumstance is where you have an especially gullible constituency and you are able to overcome your lack of salesmanship with a lot of advertising, which explains the likes of a Mitch McConnell who was elected to the senate in Kentucky even though he lacks any charisma or salesmanship. He won on advertising alone.

The gullibility or as Paul Craig Roberts terms the insouciance or indifference of so many people in America, allows the abusive and swindling politicians cum salesmen to repeatedly gain the support or at least the consent to lead the American government at all levels regardless of how much of a liar, or a failure and screwup they have shown themselves to be in the past. Take for example the recent ongoing debacle over repealing "Obamacare." The GOP painted themselves into a corner for years and years by selling the public on seeing Obamacare as the devil incarnate by demonizing the Affordable Care Act as the single greatest sin in America. It was said by GOP members to be the cause of the downfall of the economy and anything else they could think of. Now that they are in a position to repeal it they find themselves confronted by blowback from their previous salesmanship because the people expect something better instead of something worse. The problem for them is they have no intention of giving something better just like the abuser or swindler has no intention of giving up violence or going down the straight and narrow path. But because they are able to sell themselves to their gullible voters as the true saviors of America, to be trusted over the irreligious left, they are more than likely to prevail in that battle to a great degree if not completely.

And now we see that sad cliche of the beaten spouse or lover, or of the gullible sap who keeps buying the swindlers promise, manifest in the forms of journalists and politicians and even it seems world leaders, who have written or spoken in bright and hopeful ways about the Trump Tillerson swindle being perpetrated at the G20 meeting in Hamburg. No Dorothy, you are not back home in Kansas.

"The Trump we see on TV is very much different from the real person."

That was spoken by Vladimir Putin today after getting to speak with Trump for a few hours. And it really is no surprise he would say such a thing about Trump. Before the election we would hear often from famous people who said the same type of thing about Trump. "He's really charming" they said. "He's very polite" they said. "He's very different from his public persona" they said. "He really didn't mean to punch me in the eye" she said. "He didn't know the car was a lemon" she said. "He really likes me and is really nice to me" they both said.

From what we can parse from what has come of the meetings between Trump, Tillerson, and Putin, is this:

There is some agreement involving America, Russia, Syria, Jordan, and Israel to bring some law and order to the parts of Syria bordering the Golan Heights and the Jordanian border with Syria, and to bring in aid and so on. On the rebel side are the Al-Qaeda linked forces being openly supported by Israel, and covertly by Jordan and America as well. This appears to me to be more of the same as we saw in previous ceasefires that failed within a few days due to the supposed American military rejection of the political agreement in place. Even though the political agreement made by John Kerry was just put in place, American forces than "accidentally" bombed a Syrian base at Deir ez-Zor, a large city in the Euphrates river basin (which is to Syria what the Nile basin is to Egypt). Deir ez-Zor was the lone Syrian military outpost protecting the large city and governorate of Deir ez-Zor, a huge section of the Euphrates river basin, from ISIL. Scores of soldiers were killed and injured, and urgently needed heavy armaments were destroyed - ISIL has been a bigger problem there ever since. The media speculated that the US military leaders did it on purpose because they didn't want to work with Russia, that they defied Obama and Kerry. But there was nothing that came from that, no resumption of peace, and no military leaders were fired. That tells us it was planned from the top.

In the end the previous ceasefires have been about one thing - allowing time and space for the rebel forces to regroup and re-arm without fear of attack. Why would anyone think this time it will be any different in the face of past repeated fake ceasefires when the rebels were being defeated? Tillerson just said a day or two ago that "Assad and his family" must be removed from power in order for America to go along with the peace process. So nothing has changed. America still demands regime change.

And of course Syrian leadership and the military will not tolerate Syrian capitulation on that point because what "Assad and his family" stand for is another way of saying "we want an end to an Alawite led Syria." That is because the Alawite community has a pact with the Shi'a world, with mullahs in Lebanon and in Iran who give them spiritual blessings as legitimate Muslims when most all Muslims say otherwise since they are a secretive and syncretic sect. And in return the Alawites in Syria and Lebanon support the Shi'a leadership politically and economically. The Alawite community spent decades gradually gaining power through gradual dominance of the military at all levels, seeing that as the only way to keep themselves from a long history of being persecuted as Kafir (heathen) in a Sunni dominated Syria. Any peace in Syria will not be without an Alawite regime in control because they will not give up. There is no way the Shi'a leadership in Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon will tolerate a Middle East with the loss of Syria to a non-Alawite regime without a fight to the bitter end as well. Clearly the Trump teams sole purpose with Putin is to offer him something in return for backing off of support for the Alawite regime.

Any sensible person can see the Alawite regimes of Assad and his father have transformed Syrian society by teaching in schools and in general a non-denominational form of Islam, which is alien to Muslims elsewhere, but has brought peace and stability to the varied Muslim communities of Syria and created a young generation of non-denominational Muslims who strongly support Assad and hate the idea of a Wahhabist or similar extremist form of harsh sectarian Islam taking away their freedoms. But because they have politically and economically aligned with the Iran dominated Shi'a world, they have been targeted by America and Israeli leadership, and also by the Wahhabist oil soaked royals of the Gulf - for complete removal from power. Which means there can be no peace. American leaders know this. So for Tillerson to demand the ouster of Assad and his family from power, while proclaiming he is trying to broker a peace deal - that is a swindle, a hustle, nothing more. The Trump administration is not serious about peace. They don't "really love you," they haven't "really changed this time." They are not "honest salesmen," this time won't be any "different" than the previous swindles.
See original here

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, Allow me to skip any statements and monologues. You have seen and heard everything, a great deal. Let us get straight to questions.

Go ahead, please.

Question: Mr President, both experts and ordinary people, some of whom are rampaging near this building now, are known to have different opinions on the usefulness of G20 summits. At this summit, for example, there was more talk about your meeting with Mr Trump. And yet which of the issues discussed by the G20 is most relevant for Russia? Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: G20 is primarily an economic forum, even though many political and similar issues emerge. Nevertheless, the main issue is the development of the global economy, and this is what received the greatest attention.

We agreed on determining global economy sustainability principles, and this is vitally important for working along the same standards.

Then we continued with the issue which in fact had been launched in St Petersburg: money laundering and everything connected with tax havens and tax evasion. It is a crucial matter with practical implications.

Next, no less important and also connected with the economy, a related but very important issue -- the fight against terror, tracking money flows to prevent the funding of terrorism.

Finally, a very big and very sensitive issue is climate change. I think in this respect the Federal Republic of Germany chairing the G20 has managed to reach the best compromise in a difficult situation the chairing nation has found itself in, namely due to the US quitting the Paris Climate Agreement. An agreement was reached, a compromise, when all the countries have recorded that the United States pulled out of the agreement but they are ready to continue cooperating in certain areas and with certain countries on addressing climate change challenges. I think this is a positive result in itself, which can be credited to Chancellor Merkel.

There are other issues we looked into. For example, digital economy. Here we proposed adopting common rules in the area of digital economy, defining cyber security and designing a comprehensive system of behaviour rules in this sphere.

We said today -- the President of the South African Republic spoke very convincingly about it; in fact, this issue was touched upon in practically everyone's speech and in some way it is reflected in the final documents -- that we must be ready for the release of the labour force, we must make joint efforts, we must figure out what should be done with the workers who have lost their jobs, how to arrange retraining, what the deadlines are and what rules should be put in place.

Among other things I drew attention to the fact that trade unions will have to be engaged because they will protect not only the workers but also the self-employed individuals operating in the digital economy, and the number of such jobs is increasing. This is connected in one way or another with women's rights and education for girls. This is being discussed at many forums but we talked about it today in the context of digital economy.

Overall, this forum is definitely effective, and I believe it will play a role in stabilising the global economy in general.

Question: Mr President, I would like to follow up on my colleague's topic. Even though there were many political issues at the summit, they keep on surfacing at the G20 summits more and more often, yet you listed economic issues, which remain the priority anyway. Many speakers, ministers from different countries responsible for the economy, said that 2017 could become the year of global economic growth. How feasible is that and will this growth be seen in Russia in view of the current unfavourable trends -- sanctions, restrictions and other factors?

Vladimir Putin: We have not seen any unfavourable trends so far, or they have almost disappeared at any rate. Certain factors are having a negative impact on economic development, including in the global economy, the economy in the Euro zone and in Russia, those same illegitimate restrictions you have mentioned. We call for lifting any restrictions, for free trade, for working within the World Trade Organisation, in line the WTO rules. By the way, one of the topics discussed here was free trade and countering protectionism. This is also one of the crucial areas that should be mentioned.

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One ginormous banyan tree.

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About a hundred miles north of Bangalore, India, in the village of Thimmamma Marrimanu grows an eponymous banyan tree. There are all kinds of records for trees: the tallest, the stoutest, the oldest, and so on, but the record for the largest canopy, at an astounding five acres, is held by this banyan. And it also holds the key to the Korean enigma.



Relations with North Korea could not be worse:



Every so often it fires off a test missile or more, the latest an ICBM, and while President Donald Trump is delivering vague threats at the moment, he could eventually erupt. The resulting Far East chaos could be catastrophic.







The North is a militarized economy, the South a successful commercial one. Beginning in 1980, South Korea has surged in research. No longer an imitator of mature products, it is now (latest data 2015) among the top three countries granted U.S. patents, behind only the U.S. and Japan, and far surpassing Italy (17,924 vs. 2,645) for example . Its GDP is almost on a par with Canada and ahead of Russia; in 2016 its relatively new Hyundai (4.38% share) and sister Kia (3.69%) branded cars held over four times the market share of long-established Volkswagen (1.84%); and its Samsung cell phones, along with Apple, dominate the market. In comparison, North Korea is a commercial pygmy.



Still the inexorable consequences of weaving an economic tapestry hold out hope. Is there then an answer to the Korean enigma?

In India, the banyan tree is revered and, dating from 1433, Thimmamma Marrimanu especially so. Shielded from the hot sun under its forest-like canopy is a temple. Monkeys, also revered in local mythology, roam freely enjoying the figs -- the banyan is a fig tree.

The fig seeds settle in the branches of adjacent trees. A seed sprouts sending down a tendril to the earth below. When it reaches the soil it roots. Dozens of these roots and coiling leaves eventually entangle the host and the tree's canopy enlarges. Economic tendrils into North Korea can take many forms and in a similar manner intertwine with the host.



The South has already had the Kaesong Industrial Park six miles across the border in the North. Up to 124 S outh Korean companies ran factories and businesses there making shoes and clothes primarily. Although diminished by the time it was shut down in 2016, it still employed 55,000 North Koreans. T he China model is another example . Training North Korean workers and setting up assembly and eventual manufacture of higher end products will profit both North and South economically; the North in growing a commercial economy and the South in increased profits and more competitive products due to cheaper labor and other costs.
From Sputnik

At a later press conference in Hamburg, where the G20 summit was held, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he believed there was a chance for restoring the badly frayed US-Russia relations. He praised Trump for being thoughtful and rational. "The TV Trump is quite different from the real life one," quipped Putin.

Meanwhile, the White House issued a statement hailing the two-hour discussion (four times longer than originally scheduled) between the two leaders as a good start to working together on major world problems.

"No problems were solved. Nobody expected any problems to be solved in that meeting. But it was a beginning of a dialogue on some tough problem sets that we'll begin now to work on together," said HR McMaster, Trump's top national security adviser.

Trump deserves credit for the way he conducted himself. He met Putin on equal terms and with respect. "It's an honor to meet you," said the American president as he extended a handshake.

The much-anticipated encounter comes nearly seven months after Trump was inaugurated in the White House. Over that period, large sections of the US media have run an unrelenting campaign accusing Trump of being a Russian stooge and alleging that Putin ordered an interference operation in last year's US election to benefit Trump.

Apart from innuendo and anonymous US intelligence claims, recycled endlessly by dutiful news organizations, there is no evidence of either Trump-Russia collusion or Putin-sanctioned cyber hacking. Trump has dismissed the claims as "fake news," while Moscow has consistently rejected the allegations as baseless Russophobia.

Against this toxic background of anti-Russian propaganda, President Trump met Putin at the weekend. The two men were due to talk face-to-face for 30 minutes. As it turned out, their discussions went on for two hours. They reportedly exchanged views on pressing matters of Syria, Ukraine and North Korea among other things. Trump brought up the issue of alleged Russian meddling in the US elections, and Putin responded in detail to assure his American counterpart it was a fabricated brouhaha in which Russia had nothing to do with it.

Only days before the big meeting, US media editorialists and pundits were warning Trump to confront Putin in an aggressive manner. The Washington Post, one of the leading anti-Russia voices, exhorted Trump to rap Putin on "US election meddling" as if the claim was a proven fact. It also urged the president to give notice to Putin that Russia had to accede to regime change in Syria. It was a get-tough order.

To his credit, Trump did not allow the Russophobia in the US media to influence his manner with Putin. He was cordial, respectful and open to listening to the Russian viewpoint on a range of issues. So much so that it appears both leaders have agreed to work together going forward.

The question now is: what next? Trump and Putin have evidently got off to a good start despite the inordinate delay and toxic background. But what does Trump's willingness to engage positively with Moscow actually mean in practice?

Under immense pressure, Trump has at times appeared to buckle to the US political establishment with regard to projecting hostility towards Russia, as seen in the prosecution of the covert war in Syria and renewed sanctions on Moscow.

The US Deep State comprising the military-intelligence nexus and their political, media machine in Washington does not want to normalize relations with Russia. Russian independence as a powerful foreign state under President Putin is a problem that rankles US global ambitions. That's why the Deep State wanted anti-Russia hawk Hillary Clinton to win the election. Trump's victory upset their calculations.

The day before he met Putin in Germany, Trump was in Poland where he delivered a barnstorming speech in Warsaw in which he accused Russia of "destabilizing countries," among other topics. The American president also inferred that Russia was undermining "Western civilization." It was a provocative speech bordering on hackneyed Russophobia. It did not bode well for his imminent meeting with Putin. A clash seemed to be coming, just as the US media had been cajoling.

However, the meeting the next day with Putin was surprisingly congenial. And the substance of discussions indicates a genuine desire from both sides to cooperate.

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Goose Creek, SC (29445)

Today

A shower is possible early. Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 64F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A shower is possible early. Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 64F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.
It appears some Ghanaians are not willing to stop trolling the Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo, for claiming a school built in her constituency was through her personal efforts as they have taken it to another level.



Hon. Adwoa Safo in a video that has gone went viral on social media claimed that she lobbied the World Bank to fund the construction of the Kwabenya Senior High School (SHS).



The Deputy Majority Leader added, it is absurd for the erstwhile NDC administration to claim ownership of the project when all the schools they built were in their strongholds.



It is absurd for the NDC [National Democratic Congress] administration to claim ownership of the Kwabenya SHS project, when they are aware that, all the Community Day SHSs built by the former President Mahama were situated only in their strongholds, she said while addressing her constituents.



After Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, former Deputy Minister of Education under the Mahama-led administration, described the claim as outright falsehood, the World Bank has denied dealing with individuals for any development project.



The international financial institution says it deals with governments and does not play any role in the internal politics of the day in any of the countries it operates in.



What started as a social media troll has certainly taken a different twist, as some people have released artworks with fictitious quotes attributing it to the legislator while others are in a question and answer format.

Source: Ghanaweb.com









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Controversial lawmaker for Assin Central Constituency, Kennedy Agyapong is worried that officials in the party demand for certificates from hardworking party youth as a prerequisite for employment into the various sectors.



He questioned whether the party asked for the certificates of the same youth who fought their hearts out in order to bring it back to power.



Those days when they were campaigning and you were working for the party, did they ask you for certificates? Today after the election, when you go for a job they will be demanding for your certificate. So do they want to tell me that when you want to work at Zoomlion you must present a certificate? They are always asking for certificates before they give the youth employment. At the airport, Oti Bless of the NDC has a company that is cleaning the place, so do you need certificates to be cleaners? There are some jobs you dont need certificates so why should you ask for certificates when you didnt do same when they were working to bring the party to power, he asked.



We are in our seventh month and there are cleaners at the airport who are workers of the company belonging to an NDC functionary. Does it mean that our members need certificates to also work as cleaners there, he asked.



He said there are certain jobs members of the NPP can also do without necessarily producing certificates because they are Ghanaians.



I am speaking now because I promised the youth of this country jobs. Today NDC people are doing the work more than our party members. We did a lot of work under the erstwhile Kufuor administration but because of big grammar and rule of law we went into opposition. Since the party came to power but they are still asking for certificates before they employ the youth. He empathized.

Source: mynewsgh.com









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Harrison Gimbel Completes Poker Triple Crown with First WSOP Bracelet

July 09, 2017 Anthony Charter

Poker has a new triple crown winner. The name, Harrison Gimbel. After a near 14-hour grind on Day 3 of Event #68: $3,000 No-Limit Holdem where Gimbel returned as the second shortest stack out of 37 players, Gimbel defeated Chance Kornuth heads-up to claim his first World Series of Poker bracelet and the last missing piece of pokers triple crown.

Gimbel earned a score of $645,922 but most importantly, he won his first WSOP gold bracelet. Kornuth received $399,132, just missing out on his second WSOP title.

Final Table Results

Place Name Country Prize 1 Harrison Gimbel United States $645,922 2 Chance Kornuth United States $399,132 3 Ryan Van Sanford United States $285,148 4 John Griffin United States $206,119 5 Christopher Farmer United States $150,772 6 Enio Bozzano Brazil $111,619 7 Vinicius De Silva Brazil $83,644 8 Kris Homerding United States $63,457 9 James Gilbert United States $48,745

"It was a swingy day," Gimbel said when asked about Day 3. "I was anywhere from chip leader to down to four bigs maybe 12 times I felt like in this tournament. Its nice to get a win, its my first at the World Series. Im happy. Chance is a hell of a player. It was a really fast heads up, I wasnt expecting that.

With the win, Gimbel more than triples his career WSOP earnings. Currently sitting at $207,606, the best of Gimbels 19 cashes came with his deepest run when he finished fourth in a $1,500 Ante Only event back in 2012.

Entering the day at the very bottom of the leaderboard, Gimbel found aces early to double through Konstaninos Nanos and a little while after came from behind to double through Matt Salsberg finding a jack with king-jack against Salsbergs ace-ten. Gimbel then leaped up the board with a massive pot against Jia Liu. Gimbel four-bet jammed all-in with ace-eight and Liu put him at risk with ace-queen. Gimbel made a miracle straight on the turn and took over the chip lead.

Many notables fell as the field thinned before the final table. Ryan Laplante (32nd - $15,806) went out early, as did Daniel Negreanu (29th - $15,806) and Kevin Saul (28th - $15,806). Nanos (15th - $29,878) and Salsberg (13th - $29,878) made it a bit deeper but ultimately fizzled out.

Action at the final table got underway quickly. Before the official final table could even be set two players were busted on the same hand. Falling to John Griffin, both Florentino Coalla and James Gilbert were removed when they ran into Griffins pocket kings.

On just the second hand of the final table, Kris Homerding fell to Chris Farmer. Twelve hands later the first of the two Brazilians were eliminated as Vinicius De Silva was busted by Griffin. Quite a while passed before the second Brazilian, Enio Bozzano departed, becoming Gimbels first casualty.

Gimbel went right back to work taking out Farmer in fifth. One-time chip leader Griffin was the next to go; he made a move on the river after flopping a pair of aces but Kornuth flopped a set and Griffin was snuffed. Ryan Van Sanford was the last player to be eliminated before the heads-up battle began. Van Sanford got his chips in good with ace-queen but Kornuth flopped a pair with ace-jack and his run came to an end.

The heads up battle only lasted seven hands. Gimbel doubled up on the third hand to draw even and a few hands later a sick cooler ended it all. Kornuth ran pocket tens into Gimbel's pocket queens and Gimbel had Kornuth out chipped by a single ante to claim the win.

Sharelines [email protected]_Gimbel adds a WSOP title to his major wins on the WPT and EPT.
Two B-1B supersonic bomber aircraft launched from Andersen Air Force Base on July 7 and flew alongside South Korean and Japanese fighter jets in a show of force following North Koreas latest missile test.

The B-1Bs that took off from Andersen conducted a 10-hour sequenced mission as part of the continuing demonstration of the ironclad U.S. commitment to our allies agains the growing threat from North Koreas ballistic missile and nuclear programs, according to the U.S. Pacific Air Force Command.

North Koreas actions are a threat to our allies, partners and homeland, said Gen. Terrence O Shaughnessy, Pacific Air Force commander. Let me be clear: If called upon, we are trained, equipped and ready to unleash the full lethal capability of our allied air forces.

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North Koreas missile test launches have been increasingly escalating, with the July 3 test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, according to the Air Force.

The B-1Bs flew to the Korean Peninsula where they were joined by South Korean F-15 fighter jets and U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jets. The B-1Bs practiced attack capabilities by releasing inert weapons at the Pilsung Range.

U.S. bombers and Republic of Korea fighters are just two of many lethal military options at our disposal, said Lt. Gen. Thomas Bergeson, U.S. Forces Korea deputy commander. This mission clearly demonstrates the U.S.-ROK alliance remains prepared to use the full range of capabilities to defend and to preserve the security of the Korean Peninsula and region.

The display of airpower took a side trip over the South China Sea.

En route back to Guam, the B-1Bs flew with Japanese F-2 fighter jets over the East China Sea.

The U.S.-Japan alliance and the relationship between our militaries are stronger than they have ever been, said Lt. Gen. Jerry P. Martinez, U.S. Forces Japan commander. We continue to train with our Japanese allies to ensure we are ready to defend ourselves from attack.

The U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers are assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, and are temporarily stationed at Andersen Air Force Base.
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.




Mission education team has launched its first documentary video which has in-depth information about the functions, features and explains how they are going to help underprivileged children.

By: Manav Utthan Sewa Samiti

Contact

Mission Education

***@manavdharam.org Mission Education

End

-- Manav utthan sewa samiti, a socio-spritual and charitable trust which is famous for its initiative MISSION EDUCATION has launched its first ever documentary today on their youtube channel manav dharam.The grand premiere took place at satlok ashram, muradnagar, uttar pradesh. Mission Education documentary has given an insight on the mission, the whole idea behind it and a lot more.WHAT IS MISSION EDUCATION?As the name suggests the mission is to provide education. They are targeting that section of the society where students are not able to acquire necessary stationery items and often dropout even from free schooling because their parents couldn't afford the recurring expenditure on stationery.As we know there are two sections of the society  privileged and underprivileged.They are trying to fill the gap by building a bridge between have and have-nots.This mission is running successfully in India and five other countries including Nepal, Kenya, Mauritius, Bhutan and South Africa.HOW ARE THEY GOING TO DO THIS?The Members of M.U.S.S. approach privileged schools and with the permission of the Principal, they place a donation box there. Then they ask the students to donate any extra stationery items that they have (preferably fresh items) in that box and when the donation box fills up they collect the stationery and donate it to the students of underprivileged schools.No Cash, No Cheque:The mission aims at collecting donations for Stationery items like books, pencil, erasers and other helpful items that might help other students who cannot afford these items due to recurring expenditure. This way numerous hands can lend their support by donating smaller items without taking much burden on themselves.CURRENT STATUS OF THE INITIATIVEThis initiative was started in November 2015 and till November 2016 they were able to install 850 boxes all over India and 1,48,665 underprivileged students were benefitted from this.On November 2016, mission education has started school on wheels at four centres in Delhi.You can watch the documentary here https://youtube.com/ watch?v=lSvEiyk18HU Mission Education  An initiative by: MANAV UTTHAN SEWA SAMITI (Regd.)Contact:Head Office Address:Manav Utthan Sewa Samiti2/12East Punjabi Bagh,New DelhiFor more information on Manav Utthan Sewa Samiti and Mission Education you can check out the following links:Website: www.manavdharam.orgBlog: www.missioneducationblog.orgsubscribe youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCSQ4EcsdtS3YxG2oHLF6heg https://www.facebook.com/ManavDharamOfficial/https://www.facebook.com/TheMissionEducation/?ref=br_rs-------News Editor: Ritul SharmaNews Publisher: Vipin Nirwal




Particularly during my sojourns in South Africa, it may not be possible for me to perform the moderation function speedily. I regret the necessity of moderation but it has been rendered inevitable by the behaviour of a particular commentator whose contributions will always and without exception be rejected.





No correspondence will be entered into regarding moderation decisions.

Readers are invited to comment on blog posts. All comments require to be pre-moderated by me, and I shall reject all (a) that are not related to the Lockerbie disaster or (b) that fail to meet my -- perhaps idiosyncratic -- standards of courtesy towards other contributors. Comments will not be rejected simply because I disagree with them or because I, or other contributors, find them irritating. But comments will be rejected if they distort or misrepresent the evidence; are defamatory; or if they risk embroiling me, as publisher, in defamation proceedings. I am perfectly relaxed about being sued in respect of material which I personally have posted -- but not in respect of material that others wish to post as comments and which, in any case, I often strongly disagree with.
 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced that its new semiconductor fabrication line in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, has begun mass production and shipping its first product to customers.

By: samsung

Contact

traccs

***@traccs.net traccs

End

-- Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced that its new semiconductor fabrication line in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, has begun mass production and shipping its first product to customers. The new facility will focus on the production of Samsung's fourth-generation V-NAND (64 layers), adding to the company's leading capacity for cutting-edge memory products."With the dedication and support of our employees, customers and partners, our new Pyeongtaek campus represents a new chapter in Samsung's semiconductor operations,"said Oh-Hyun Kwon, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Samsung Electronics.With two years of construction since it broke ground in May, 2015, the fabrication line at the Pyeongtaek campus is currently the largest single Fab in the industry.Recent emerging IT trends such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), big data and automotive technologies has sharply increased demand for next-generation components. In response to these market needs, Samsung, across both Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display, plans to reinforce its manufacturing capabilities by investing more than KRW 37 trillion in investments to its global production facilities.l By 2021, Samsung will invest a total of KRW 30 trillion into its current Pyeongtaek line to expand its semiconductor fabrication capacityl Samsung also plans to invest KRW 6 trillion in its Hwaseong, South Korea, site for a semiconductor fabrication line optimized to install state-of-the-art infrastructure including Extreme Ultra Violet (EUV) equipmentl Samsung Display is reviewing plans to establish a new OLED manufacturing site in Asan, South Korea, by 2018In addition, Samsung's plans to construct a second semiconductor fabrication line in Xi'an, China, site are also under review. Samsung's first semiconductor fabrication line in Xi'an was constructed in 2014 and is presently in full operation.With the new investments, Samsung aims to strengthen its global fabrication network and accelerate the overall development of the IT industry.
Contact

RTC Finance

***@rtcfinance.com RTC Finance

End

--RTC Finance, while a new name in the world of online forex and CFD trading, is quickly becoming a player in the forex marketplace. RTC is building a reputation as a fair broker for forex and CFD traders, with a focus on customer service and rapid transactions. In a move to improve on its good position as a CFD and forex broker, RTC Finance is now offering services in additional languages. The move will make it easier for customers in emerging markets to trade with RTC, and enter the global financial system.RTC's website has been translated into Spanish and Arabic. While the site's homepage defaults to English, a simple drop-down menu in the upper left corner gives instant access to both additional languages, opening up the Spanish or Arabic homepage at the trader's choice. The site language can be toggled from any page at RTC Finance, at any time.Customer service is also available in all three languages. RTC Finance's service department can answer customer questions in Spanish and Arabic by email, and can also assist Spanish and Arabic speakers with account verification and banking procedures. All of this makes RTC more accessible, especially in the growing markets of Latin American and the Middle East, where forex trading is popular and expanding.RTC Finance aims to build a solid name among online brokerages, as it becomes a leader in online CFD and forex trading. Expanding the brokerage's range of services into additional languages is one step in the process, and makes RTC the right choice for forex traders  in any language! See more at https://www.rtcfinance.com/
For two weeks only, Spains Movistar+ and Disney Pixar are to deliver a pay-TV and video-on-demand (VOD) channel focused on Disney content.





As a pop-up advertising initiative launched at the same time as the Cars 3 movie premieres, Movistar+ will release the Movistar DisneyPixar channel for all its subscribers.Between 14-30 July, the linear network will broadcast Disney titles including A bugs live, Brave, Finding Nemo, Cars, Monsters Inc., Ratatouille, Toy Story and Wall-e. In addition, some of Pixars iconic short movies will also be shown, including the Academy-awarded Piper, Tin Toy and Sanjays Super Team.Most of the content will be also temporarily available through Movistar+s VOD platform This is not the first time Spains leading pay-TV provider has reached such an agreement with Disney. When the production house premiered Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, in December 2015, a similar pop-up channel was launched on Movistar+ with 24/7 Star Wars-related content.
Colombias Movistar has become the first Latin American operator to add RTVEs international kids signal.





Thus, the international feed of Clan, RTVEs children-focused channel in Spain, secures its first partner after a delayed launch.The pay-TV network was due to premiere in January 2017 , but has not been available for operators until last month. In fact, the channels launch was already announced at NATPE last January to be then re-launched during Colombias Andina Link in March.As in the Spanish version of the channel, Clans line-up focuses on kids up to 12, though 82% of the content targets kids between 4-7. Besides, most of its programming has been produced in Spain or by European independent content houses.Under the terms of the agreement with Colombias pay-TV player, Clan will be added to Movistars Diamante package, which includes 128 linear networks and a comprehensive array of kids signals, including Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and Boomerang.RTVEs fourth international network (the second exclusive for the Americas) aims to boost distribution across the region. The *** Spanish broadcasting corporation *** claims to be nearing different deals in both Latin America and the US Hispanics.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he did not discuss sanctions during a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, at the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Hamburg earlier this week.

"Sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin," Trump tweeted on July 9.

"Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian & Syrian problems are solved! he added in the tweet.

Putin and Trump met face-to-face for the first time in the German port city on the sidelines of the summit.

Originally scheduled to last 35 minutes, the talks lasted for two hours and 15 minutes as the two leaders discussed the wars in Syria and Ukraine, the crisis over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, cybersecurity, and Russia's alleged election meddling.

While Trump has repeatedly called for improving ties with Moscow, his administration has continued to publicly maintain pressure on Russia -- including with sanctions -- over its seizure of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and backing of armed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Those punitive measures were introduced under Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, who had a visibly icy rapport with Putin and whose administration was loathed by the Kremlin.

Trump's administration has also been dogged by the U.S. intelligence conclusion that Russia meddled in the U.S. election.

Both the U.S. Congress and the FBI are investigating the hacking and contacts between associates of the U.S. president and Russian officials, and any serious push for detente with Moscow would almost certainly face stiff resistance from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Washington.

Putin and Trump discussed the issue during their meeting, but appeared to come away with different impressions of the talks.

Putin said after the meeting that Trump seemed to agree with Russia's position that there were "no grounds" for accusations of meddling.

Trump tweeted on July 9 that it was "time to move forward in working constructively with Russia," while on the topic of Russian interference in the November U.S. presidential election, he wrote "I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it."

Trump added in the tweet that hes already given his opinion on the topic, a likely reference to his statement at a July 6 news conference in Warsaw ahead of the G20 summit when he said that "nobody really knows for sure" who interfered in the election.

"I think it was Russia and I think it could have been other people in other countries," he said in the Polish capital when asked about the issue.

However, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who was present during the Putin meeting in Hamburg, has given a differing account of what transpired, saying on July 8 that the issue was "something that may be an intractable disagreement at this point."

He added that Trump pressed Putin "on more than one occasion" about Moscow's involvement in the U.S. election, and that Putin had denied any interference by the Kremlin in the election.


Russia's Novaya Gazeta newspaper, citing two unidentified sources, has reported that security forces in Chechnya summarily executed 27 people on the night of January 26.

The paper reported on July 9 that the purported victims were detained in regions across the North Caucasus republic during a series of raids that began in mid-December 2016.

According to the report, the detainees were never formally arrested and no paperwork was filled out on them before they were summarily executed.

A source within the Interior Ministry reportedly provided the newspaper with the names of the victims and the journalists were unable to locate any of them.

"All attempts to learn anything about these people were met with incredible fear from everyone we questioned," the newspaper wrote.

In April, Novaya Gazeta reported that dozens of homosexual men had been rounded up, imprisoned, and abused in Chechnya.

Security forces controlled by Kremlin-installed Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov have been accused of gross human-rights abuses for many years, including abductions, torture, and killings.


Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy declared that Kherson is "ours after his special forces entered the strategic southern city following the retreat of Russian troops, marking another dramatic battlefield victory in Kyivs drive to recapture territory occupied by Russia since the start of its unprovoked invasion.

The Ukrainian military also said on November 11 that its troops had advanced all the way to the western bank of the Dnieper River in some areas of the Kherson region as Moscow said its forces had completed their withdrawal to the eastern bank in the face of Ukraines powerful counteroffensive.

"Our people -- Ours. Kherson," Zelenskiy wrote in a Telegram post that also included what appeared to be a video of Ukrainian troops celebrating with local residents.

Today is a historic day, Zelenskiy said in the post. We are returning Kherson. As of now, our defenders are on the approaches to the city. But special units are already in the city.

Various videos on social media from Kherson showed resident cheering and waving flags as the first Ukrainian troops reached the center of the city, the only provincial capital captured by Russian forces following their February 24 invasion.

"Kherson is returning to the control of Ukraine," the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said earlier in the day. "Units of the armed forces of Ukraine are entering the city."

WATCH: Local residents welcomed Ukrainian soldiers into Snihurivka on November 10, as advance forces of the Ukrainian military recaptured the town in the southern Mykolayiv region. Other footage from the village of Blahodatne in the Kherson region shows a massive cache of abandoned weapons left by the Russian troops after their retreat.

"The Russian occupiers' routes of retreat are under the direct fire of the Ukrainian Army," the statement added. "Any Russian soldier who resists will be killed."

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a tweet that "Ukraine is gaining another important victory right now and proves that whatever Russia says or does, Ukraine will win." The tweet included a video purporting to show Kherson residents removing a billboard that proclaimed "Russia is here forever."

Serhiy Khlan, a deputy for the Kherson Regional Council, said a Ukrainian flag had been raised in Kherson, as multiple videos circulating on social media purportedly showed Ukrainian soldiers planting their yellow-and-blue flag on administrative buildings in the city and local residents celebrating.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it had finished the pullout from Kherson city and the region at 5 a.m. on November 11 and that no military equipment had been left behind, in an another embarrassing blow to Moscow's war effort, which it refers to as a "special military operation."



"In total, more than 30,000 Russian servicemen, about 5,000 pieces of hardware, and military equipment and materiel have been withdrawn," the ministry said. "Not a single piece of military equipment or weaponry was left on the right (western) bank," he added, although the report could not immediately be confirmed.

Khlan said some Russian soldiers had been unable to leave the city and had changed into civilian clothing and urged local residents to stay at home while Ukrainian troops cleared the city.

"The number of these people is not known," he told a news briefing, without citing evidence for the claim.

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.

Khlan also said, without citing evidence, that many Russian troops had drowned attempting to flee across the river.

The head of the joint coordination press center of the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine, Natalya Humenyuk, said Russian troops "have been changing into civilian clothes for two weeks."

"This should focus our forces as it means saboteur operations cannot be ruled out," Humenyuk told a separate briefing.

"Because of this, we are not rushing to announce our successes in other directions and in other towns."

Russia did not immediately comment on Khlan's or Humenyuk's remarks.

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.

Kherson controls both the only land route to Ukraine's Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula and the mouth of the Dnieper, which bisects Ukraine.

Recapturing the city could provide Ukraine with a launching pad for supplies and troops to try to win back other lost territory in the south.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's public broadcaster quoted local residents as saying on November 11 that the Antonivskiy Bridge, the only nearby road crossing from Kherson city to the Russian-controlled eastern bank of the Dnieper, had 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 kilometers from Kherson city.

It was not immediately clear what had caused the 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.

The Ukrainian 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.

Elsewhere, 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 Mykolayiv 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 had been liberated.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and dpa
The Canadian prime minister defended the government's apology and multimillion-dollar payment to a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner who pleaded guilty to killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.

Justin Trudeau on July 8 said the deal was not about the merits of the case against Canadian-born Omar Khadr but the charter of rights and freedoms that protects all Canadians, even when it is uncomfortable.

The deal with Khadr was based on a 2010 Canadian Supreme Court ruling that the countrys officials violated his rights at the U.S. base on Cuba.

A person familiar with the payment said it was for 10.5 million Canadian dollars ($8 million), although details were not officially released.

Khadr was 15 when he was captured by U.S. troops following a battle in which a U.S. soldier was killed at an Al-Qaida compound in Afghanistan.

Khadr, who was suspected of throwing a grenade that killed the soldier, was taken to Guantanamo and charged with war crimes. He pleaded guilty in 2010 and was sentenced to eight years.

He was returned to Canada and was released in 2015 pending an appeal of his guilty plea, which he claims was made under duress.

The Supreme Court ruled that Canadian intelligence officials obtained evidence from Khadr under "oppressive circumstances," including sleep deprivation, during interrogations at Guantanamo and then shared the evidence with U.S officials.

Many Canadians reacted angrily to the government apology and payout to Khadr, saying he is a terrorist.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
MOSCOW -- Sporting a Lenin pin and extolling Marx over a latte in a bustling downtown cafe, Andrei is every bit the modern-day Russian communist. And don't expect the 19-year-old to get teary-eyed about the demise of the Soviet Union.



An aspiring university student, he has lived most of his life under President Vladimir Putin and his views have nothing to do with an abstract "nostalgia" for a country he never knew. He admits the Soviet Union "made mistakes" but insists horrors like the Gulag or the Great Terror don't discredit communist ideals.



Flanked by two fellow activists who occasionally chip in to cite Engels, Andrei recounts how he was just 13 when he set out to join the Komsomol, the Communist Party youth group whose earthy, leather-booted, pistol-toting partisans fought in the Russian Civil War that raged after the Bolshevik Revolution and claimed up to 12 million lives.

In a white hoodie and jeans, Andrei, who asks that we not use his full name, says he was drawn to the Komsomol by anger over how his liberal-minded mother and father subsisted -- working blue-collar jobs as a house painter and a driver -- in the capital of one of the most socially unequal major economies in the world. He himself worked summers in a crane-making factory from the age of 14 to save up for college.

"I've seen how the state deals with common people," says Andrei, who recently finished compulsory military service and hopes to start university this fall. "I was at the bottom of our society. The injustice we have in this country -- tiny salaries and pensions -- of course it makes you ask why this is the case."

As he rattles off grievances, one could mistake him for a liberal opposition activist: He rails against the "persecution of dissidents," condemns state propaganda's "militarization of society," and abhors colossal sums spent on national defense rather than a collapsing education system.

One hundred years after the Bolshevik Revolution, Andrei's views speak to the new generation of communists and leftists coming of age in modern Russia at a time when a resurgent left in the West is producing figures like Jeremy Corbyn, Bernie Sanders, and Jean-Luc Melanchot.

Russia's tightly controlled politics has no comparable figure -- although leftist thinkers and activists see gaping space opening up for leftist political forces, with the country sputtering out of its longest recession of Putin's tenure and two nationwide opposition protests suggesting that public politics has awakened from a deep slumber.

Boris Kagarlitsky, a sociologist and Marxist, says there is a widening disconnect between an electorate yearning for left-wing policies and a ruling elite that is, if anything, "moving to the right" and weighing further privatizations and huge constructions projects seen as self-serving.

"This creates a tremendous gap between what people want and what the government is doing," Kagarlitsky says. "I think there is going to be much more space for radical leftist politics in this country, probably already by this autumn and in the next year."

Old-New Guard

It is unclear who could occupy this space. The Communist Party (KPRF) has a strong foothold in official politics but is widely seen as a cog in the Kremlin-controlled system. Although it has used its sprawling nationwide infrastructure to support labor protests across the country, many voters perceive the top brass of the party as co-opted or cowed by the authorities, and its lawmakers regularly back Kremlin legislation.

The Communist Party has been led by 73-year-old Gennady Zyuganov for 24 years, including four failed presidential bids, each with fewer votes than the last.

Even youth activists inside the party tell RFE/RL on condition of anonymity that they hope Zyuganov -- "with full respect to him" -- does not run for the presidency in March 2018, potentially setting up another ballot-box encounter with Putin and the other usual suspects, liberal Grigory Yavlinsky and ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky.

"It's like groundhog day," Kagarlitsky says. "At some point, you have to wake up."

The Communist Party has nonetheless maintained a loyal following in a country where the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 for many seemed to usher in primarily economic hardship and a wave of white-collar and street crime. Since then, some have pined for the old safety net and resentment has grown at the rise of wealthy tycoons seen to have robbed the country in dodgy privatization deals under the stewardship of even-more-resented liberals.

Today, the party manifesto proposes nationalizing natural resources and "strategic" areas of the economy, strengthening defense capabilities, and replacing Putin's 13-percent flat tax with a progressive rate that would target the wealthy and ease the burden on the poor.

Ahead of parliamentary polls last year, the Communists tried to woo younger voters, circulating campaign posters and leaflets portraying old Soviet icons jazzed up for the modern era. A casual "hipster" Lenin was depicted on campaign paraphernalia, in jeans and a T-Shirt with a red laptop under his arm, while Karl Marx appeared in a leather jacket with Das Kapital, while Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin was shown puffing an e-cigarette.

But despite such overtures, the longtime symbiosis between the Kremlin and the party has driven young activists like 30-year-old Vladislav Ryazantsev to form their own radical-left street groups.

"The leadership of the Communist Party fights for cozy seats in the State Duma and regional legislatures, has good financing from the state budget, and effectively is built into the system of power," says Ryazantsev, a Rostov-based activist for Left Bloc, a new grouping of socialists, communists, and anarchists founded in late 2015.

"I want to see a fundamentally new politician at the head of the KPRF who has never been in power," Ryazantsev says.

The left's radical street opposition has been in disarray since the crackdown on the so-called Bolotnaya antigovernment protests in 2011 and 2012. Sergei Udaltsov, the buzz-cut Stalinist who as leader of the Left Front became the figurehead of Bolotnaya's left wing, was jailed for 4 1/2 years. He is due for release in August but seems largely forgotten as a political force.

Udaltsov's Left Front gained a strong following during the 2011-12 protests in a tactical alliance with liberal leaders like an ascendant Aleksei Navalny and Yeltsin-era Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead near the Kremlin in 2015. When the authorities cracked down on the movement with a string of arrests that became known as the Bolotnaya Affair, the Left Front was hit especially hard, with three of its organizers jailed.

Ryazantsev says he quit a Left Front group that was already unraveling under state pressure in part because of Udaltsov's subsequent praise for Russia's annexation of Crimea. That bold 2014 occupation and land grab from Ukraine unleashed patriotic zeal across Russia, dividing leftist and nationalist forces, and effectively wiped already beleaguered opposition politics off the landscape.

Navalny The...Leftist Populist?



Three years later, sociologists say the "Crimea effect" has worn off and street politics have jolted to life as opposition politician and anticorruption crusader Navalny has mobilized tens of thousands of protesters, first on March 26 and then on June 12.

The contours of a protest movement are emerging. But unlike Bolotnaya five years ago, there is no obvious leftist force alongside Navalny; leftist activists say the trained corporate lawyer has simply latched onto left-wing talking points to broaden his popular appeal.

"Navalny was a typical right-wing populist who criticizes corruption and migration, attending Russian Marches and ultraright mobilizations," says Aleksei Sakhnin, a 35-year-old Left Front activist who fled Russia in 2013 fearing arrest and claimed political asylum in Sweden. "Now the main accent of his rhetoric is the demand for social equality, raising the population's incomes, pensions, and the living standard, and fighting the oligarchy."

Among other things, Navalny proposes substantially raising the minimum wage, doubling health-care spending, and imposing a large one-off tax on oligarchs to "compensate for the injustice of the privatizations." He has locked horns in a surreal online video duel with Kremlin-connected tycoon Alisher Usmanov, who has rounded off his videos attacks on Navalny with the catchphrase "I spit on you."

Sakhnin says he sees both a threat in "unaccountable populism" in a country "without institutions," and grounds for encouragement in Navalny's program. "This is a huge democratic breakthrough, because an agenda that really worries millions of people in the country is beginning to be discussed," he says. "In 2012, it took huge effort to push this agenda, but the right-wing blocked it with all its force. Liberals like Navalny and Nemtsov said social demands should not be made. This is what led to the defeat of the movement and the reason it remained within the middle class in Moscow."

It is still hard to gauge the political stripes of Navalny's seemingly youthful new following, since both his 2017 rallies were held without official authorization and, as such, have been chaotic affairs marred by hundreds of arrests. "I think that many people following Navalny are much more radical than he is. I think they are much further left of Navalny," Kagarlitsky says. "If you follow what he is saying, he is attacking the oligarchs."

Ryazantsev says Left Bloc activists took part in Navalny's June 12 rallies in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Rostov, and one of them was among the more than 1,100 people detained. "We understand that rallies on the fringes won't convince the authorities to put an end to corruption because corruption is an integral part of the current system, and that means we need to change the system and not specific people."

Populist Revolt

Sakhnin casts the rise of populists -- both left and right-wing -- as a revolt in the West against the neoliberal economic model introduced under U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and U.S. President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. "There is a demand for a left turn, not just in Russia, but across the world," Sakhnin says.

Prominent world economists like Christine Lagarde from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have highlighted issues such as rising social inequality as key underlying factors in the string of political upsets and populist insurrections in the West.

"Sooner or later, the trend will definitely repeat in Russia; only, in my opinion, it will be nonparliamentary 'street' politics," says Ryazantsev, who says there's no space for the rise of new forces inside the Kremlin-controlled State Duma.

A poll by the Pew Research Center in June found that more than half of Russians believe the gap between rich and poor is a major domestic problem, ranking behind rising prices and corruption and alongside a job shortage and terrorism.

Russia is one of the most unequal major economies in the world. A report by Credit Suisse published in 2016 estimated that the top 10 percent of wealth holders controls 87 percent of all household wealth in Russia. It said the figure was "significantly higher than any other major developed economy."

"Our country is a monster swallowing up not just the savings of its citizens, but the lives of it citizens," Communist activist Andrei says. "Some people give their whole lives to working in heavy industry and enterprise for kopecks.

A Bid For Unity



The groups RFE/RL spoke to all see roles for themselves as opposition politics reawakens. Sakhnin says the Left Front intends to restart activities soon to coincide with Udaltsov's release from prison. The Left Bloc's Ryazantsev says his group hopes it can unite left-wing street forces.

The Komsomol activists meanwhile see their role -- rather improbably -- as uniting society. The Komsomol was founded in 1918 as the youth wing of the Communist Party, with Russia's civil war raging after the Bolshevik Revolution. But today, they are not preaching revolution but see their role as battling the authorities from inside the system. They intend to continue their activism, engaging voters and relaying their concerns up the chain of command to lawmakers.

With Navalny campaigning for the presidency despite a likely ban on participation in next year's election, Andrei can't help drawing a historical parallel with 1917, when the February Revolution toppled the tsar and only the October revolution saw the Bolsheviks sweep to power.

He muses that if Navalny were to somehow rise to power, he would be unable to hold on for long, putting Russia's leftists and communists in a strong position to follow up.

"Let's just remember 1917. Who carried out the revolution? The liberals and the nationalists -- well, right-wing people. And then what happened? The left's socialist revolution: The Communists came to power."


The Bolshoi Theater has called off the world premiere of Nureyev, a ballet about a famous Russian dancer, just days before it was to take place.



The premiere of the biographical show about Rudolf Nureyev, one of the first Soviet artists to defect to the West, was due to be held on July 11.



The theater gave no reason for the delay, but said it would hold a briefing about the move at noon in Moscow on July 10. It added that a production of Don Quixote would be performed on the dates Nureyev was to run.



The Guardian newspaper said that the theater's general director, Vladimir Urin, said that the ballet was pulled because it was "not ready.



The postponement of the ballet comes just after director Kirill Serebrennikov was questioned as a witness in a fraud investigation.



Serebrennikov said the move was the theater's decision, but declined to comment on the reasons for the delay, according to the business daily Vedomosti.



In 1958-1961 Nureyev was a principal dancer of the Kirov Ballet in Saint Petersburg. He asked for political asylum in France while on tour in Paris in 1961.



Nureyev died in 1993 of an AIDS-related illness at the age of 54.

With reporting by Reuters and The Guardian
In Srebrenica, July 11 is a day devoted to the absentees: 8,000 of them.

As head of the Women Of Srebrenica organization, Hajra Catic's job will be to greet official guests at a burial ceremony for dozens of newly identified victims of the 1995 massacre. Twenty-two years after a genocide that took more than 8,000 lives, the search continues for the bodies of victims.

The 71 new coffins will join the 6,504 white gravestones of Srebrenica men and boys already buried at the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial. For the relatives of those victims, that moment will represent some kind of closure.

But not for Hajra. The remains of her son, Nino, are not among the recent arrivals.

As the city was about to fall into Bosnian Serb hands in July 1995, Nino was the "Voice of Srebrenica" -- the name of the radio station he ran. His final on-air words were a cry of desperation: "Srebrenica is becoming a giant slaughterhouse.... Will anyone in the world come and witness the tragedy that is befalling Srebrenica and its people?"

Two years ago, marking the 20th anniversary of those events, Nino's mother told RFE/RL that she would continue to search for him for the rest of her life, if that's what it takes.

In the run-up to this year's anniversary, Hajra, who keeps the crackly recording of her son's last report on her mobile phone, said it was becoming harder with each passing day to find new information about the location of individual or mass graves.

"Those who know either don't want to or are afraid to speak about the mass graves," she said, adding that she has received hundreds of possible leads over the years about where her son may have been killed. But none has brought resolution.

Apart from the silence of those who might have information, Hajra and others still searching for the remains of loved ones must contend with the legacy of the systematic destruction of evidence by the Bosnian Serb Army. Bodies were exhumed and reburied so haphazardly, in fact, that the remains of single victims are routinely found in dozens of scattered mass graves.

New remains are located and identified every year, and the July 11 Potocari ceremony is both a way of keeping track of freshly identified victims and a reminder of those yet to be found.

Parallel Universe

Yet, in what might seem like a parallel universe, a festival scheduled for Srebrenica on July 6-12 was slated to include the launch of a book by an author regarded by many as a genocide denier, Ljiljana Bulatovic, titled Srebrenica: A Lie And Deception Against The Serb Nation (Srebrenica - Laz I Podvala Srpskom Narodu). Under pressure from some local NGOs, Srebrenica's mayor canceled the book promotion.

Bosnian media have cited Bulatovic's purportedly close relations with indicted war-crimes suspect General Ratko Mladic and war criminal Radovan Karadzic, as well as her frequent dismissal of Srebrenica as genocide.

But a Republika Srpska branch of the ultranationalist group Oath Keepers is organizing a protest rally in Banja Luka under the banner "Support for Ratko Mladic -- stop the lies about Srebrenica."

Meanwhile, writer and commentator Nedad Memic tweeted that "#Srebrenica must be the world's only place of #genocide where genocide deniers can fully spread their ideology and insult victims."

'Most Important Topic Of Our Time'

At the center of this dispute is the conclusion -- as, for instance, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has done -- that the mass killings of unarmed Bosniak men and boys at Srebrenica constituted genocide.

Neither Serbia nor Bosnian entity Republika Srpska has officially acknowledged that what took place there in July 1995 was an act of genocide.

ICTY chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz recently expressed hope that such recognition might be forthcoming. Brammertz told the Sarajevan daily Oslobodjenje recently that "it takes integrity and courage to admit the truth."

Journalist Ivica Djikic has studied the Srebrenica genocide from the perspective of the perpetrators, rather than the victims, and published a book on Srebrenica in 2016 titled Beara.

"In my opinion and according to my understanding of the world and life, Srebrenica is the most important topic of our time, particularly for those of us who live here," he said.

'What Ordinary People Are Capable Of'

Beara borrows its title from the surname of one of the chief perpetrators of the Srebrenica atrocities, the biggest mass killing in Europe since World War II. The book's protagonist, Ljubisa Beara, was the head of security at the Bosnian Serb Army's HQ. He received a life sentence for the crimes of genocide and murder, and died in prison earlier this year at the age of 77. Djikic told BIRN in an interview that he decided to write the book to try to determine the motives of people, like Beara, who "ordered and committed the genocide" of Srebrenica's Bosniaks.

"The genocide against Bosniaks will haunt this region forever as a warning about what ordinary people are capable of under certain political, ideological, and social conditions," Djikic said.

He said he worked on his book for nearly a decade and found most of his material in the archives of the Hague tribunal. The rest of the documents appeared in books or newspaper articles, or arose in conversations with people who knew Beara before the war.

Genocide denial, Djikic said, is "wrong and infantile."

"The truth will not disappear if you cover your eyes. The political and intellectual elites should know by now that denial or relativization of genocide and war crimes only leads to long-term misery, primarily for their own people, and a future filled with hatred," he said.

While some Serbian politicians are planning to come to the Srebrenica memorial in connection with the tragedy's anniversary, many will stay away.

The leader of the Belgrade-based Movement of Free Citizens, Sasa Jankovic, has said that by denying or downplaying the Srebrenica genocide Serbian politicians are "deliberately preventing [Serbian citizens] from confronting and leaving the past behind."

"There will be no genuine reckoning with and moving on from the war as long as our countries are led by the same people who started it, or their political heirs."

Jankovic added that he would be in Srebrenica for the ceremony.

"This is the first time that I have been invited, and I will be there."

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL.
U.S. President Donald Trumps security adviser says a cease-fire about to take effect in southwest Syria is an "important step" toward eventual peace throughout the country.

National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster on July 8 said that "at noon local time tomorrow, a de-escalation zone in southwest Syria will begin to take effect."

He called the cease-fire "a priority" for the United States and that the Trump administration is "encouraged by the progress made to reach this agreement."

"The United States remains committed to defeating [Islamic State], helping to end the conflict in Syria, reducing suffering, and enabling people to return to their homes. This agreement is an important step toward these common goals," he said.

The decision to impose a cease-fire zone was announced July 7 at the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Hamburg, Germany, and involves the United States, Russia, and Jordan.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the cease-fire would be supervised by Russian military police "in coordination with the Jordanians and Americans."

Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 8 told a news conference in Hamburg that the cease-fire deal was the result of the United States altering its stance and becoming more pragmatic about the situation there.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the agreement "is our first indication of the U.S. and Russia being able to work together in Syria."

The cease-fire is to cover the provinces of Daraa, Sweida, and Quneitra in the southwest along the border with Jordan.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a day ahead of the start of the cease-fire that the areas involved were relatively calm except for sporadic shelling by Syrian government forces on two villages in the Daraa region.

Separately, Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the countrys six-year civil war, has been in talks with Turkey and Iran over four so-called "de-escalation zones" in Syria. A decision on the exact makeup of the zones and on which forces will monitor them has yet to be finalized.

Similar cease-fires between the government and rebel forces have broken down in the past.

Along with Russia, Iran also backs Assad, while the United States and Turkey support differing rebel groups fighting Assads government.

The civil war in Syria broke out in 2011 when Assad cracked down on antigovernment protesters.

More than 310,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the conflict and millions have been displaced.

With reporting by AFP, TASS, dpa, and ABC
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, arriving in Istanbul after a trip to Ukraine, praised the courage of the Turkish people who defended their democracy" by standing up against coup plotters a year ago.

Tillerson, speaking on July 9 at the opening of an oil conference in Istanbul, did not mention the crackdown undertaken by the government of Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan that followed the failed coup of July 15, 2016.

"We're all here in Istanbul at a momentous time. Nearly a year ago, the Turkish people -- brave men and women -- stood up against coup plotters and defended their democracy," the secretary of state said.

"I take this moment to recognize their courage and honor the victims of the events of July 15, 2016," said Tillerson, who received an award recognizing his decades of work in the oil industry, most recently as chief of Exxon Mobil Corp.

The coup, attempted by a group of rogue soldiers in tanks, helicopters, planes, failed when thousands of Turks took to the streets in protest after a call from Erdogan to resist the plotters.

Since then, more than 100,000 people have been fired from their jobs in the civil service, police, military, and private sector. Some 40,000 people have been jailed.

Some Western governments have criticized the government crackdown, with rights groups saying it was used as pretext to eliminate dissent.

As Tillerson spoke, hundreds of thousands of people attended an opposition rally on the streets of Istanbul.

The chief U.S. diplomat met his counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, upon arrival in Turkey and was scheduled to meet with Erdogan later in the day. Neither Tillerson nor Erdogan spoke to reporters before the meeting.

Tillerson is scheduled to meet with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on July 10 in Istanbul, then travel to Kuwait to meet with leaders in the Gulf nation.

Earlier on July 9, Tillerson delivered a blunt message to Russia during a trip to Kyiv, saying the Kremlin must take the first step to ease tensions in Ukraine and that sanctions against Moscow will remain until it does so.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called Tillersons visit to Kyiv a "powerful" signal of U.S. support for his country since it came right after this weeks Group of 20 summit in Hamburg.

At a joint press conference in the Ukrainian capital following their talks, the two men announced that the newly named U.S. special envoy for the war in eastern Ukraine, Kurt Volker, will stay on in Kyiv for several days to push for implementation of the Minsk agreements on ending the conflict.

Tillerson said the United States was disappointed with the lack of progress in implementing the 2-year-old Minsk agreements and placed the lion's share of the blame on Russia.

"It is necessary for Russia to take the first step to de-escalate the situation in the east part of Ukraine," Tillerson said.

He said that when U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on July 7 on the sidelines of the summit in Germany, they discussed "what is to be done about the Russian behavior of nonadherence to the Minsk agreements and nonimplementation of clear and straightforward steps as to the deoccupation of Ukraine."

The war in Ukraine, Tillerson said, was "planned and launched from Moscow."

"We do call on Russia to honor its commitments that were made under the Minsk accords and to exercise influence over the separatists whom they do hold complete control over. And we call on [Russia] again to immediately call on their proxies to cease the violence that is ongoing in east Ukraine."

He also reaffirmed that Washington would not lift sanctions against Russia until Ukraine's territorial integrity is restored. He emphasized that the restoration of Ukrainian territorial integrity and sovereignty was "the primary U.S. goal."

In a post on Twitter at nearly the same time, Trump said that "sanctions were not discussed" at his meeting with Putin and that "nothing will be done until the Ukrainian & Syrian problems are solved."

Tillerson also urged Kyiv to "continue economic and anticorruption reforms."

The war in eastern Ukraine between Kyiv and separatists receiving political, economic, and military support from Russia has taken more than 10,000 lives since it began in early 2014.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP
NASA will decide in the next two months whether to keep Dawn in orbit around the dwarf planet Ceres or send it to another asteroid.

WASHINGTON  NASA expects to make a decision within the next two months whether to keep the Dawn spacecraft in orbit around the largest body in the main asteroid belt or have it fly past another asteroid.

Dawn completed a one-year extended mission in orbit around Ceres at the end of June, but NASA did not announce whether the spacecraft's mission would be extended again. NASA spokesperson Laurie Cantillo said July 5 that the agency's planetary science division is still reviewing an independent report on the science the mission has achieved at Ceres.

"NASA's Planetary Science Division has received and is now reviewing a report from an independent science review panel with regard to Dawn's completion of Level 1 science requirements at Ceres," Cantillo told SpaceNews. [Photos: Dwarf Planet Ceres, the Solar System's Largest Asteroid]

That review is required before NASA makes a decision on Dawn's future. The spacecraft could remain in orbit around Ceres or "use its remaining fuel to travel to another asteroid," she said.

Cantillo said that "points of clarification" about the report are currently being discussed are part of the overall science review of the mission. "Once completed, a decision will be made, most likely in the next 30-60 days," she said. Spacecraft operations will continue during the review process.

A project scientist said last month that the mission was considering a flyby. "It's an option," Carol Raymond, deputy principal investigator for Dawn at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said at a June 13 meeting of NASA's Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG). She said then that the mission was "in the process of discussing with NASA options for a second extended mission" but declined to give additional details about those options.

Project officials proposed an asteroid flyby last year as part of the biannual senior review of planetary science missions seeking extensions. That proposal called for leaving orbit around Ceres in July 2016 and making a "slow" flyby of the asteroid Adeona in May 2019.

The NASA report that reviewed those extended mission proposals criticized the Dawn proposal for "discrepancies," including a lack of specifics and scientific justification, which it blamed on being submitted late in the process. NASA decided instead on a one-year extended mission that remained in orbit around Ceres, in part to ensure that the mission's Level 1 science requirements were met.

Dawn, developed as part of NASA's Discovery program of low-cost planetary science missions, launched in 2007. It entered orbit around the main belt asteroid Vesta in July 2011, remaining in orbit there for more than one year. Dawn used its ion propulsion system to leave orbit in September 2012 and travel to Ceres, a body designated by the International Astronomical Union as a "dwarf planet," entering orbit in March 2015.

The spacecraft has continued operations despite problems with its reaction wheels, used for attitude control. After suffering the loss of two of its four reaction wheels earlier in the mission, a third wheel malfunctioned in April. The spacecraft went into safe mode briefly, but controllers resumed operations with hydrazine thrusters taking over for the failed wheel.

That failure will eventually lead to the end of the mission when the spacecraft runs out of hydrazine. "It does reduce our lifetime, because we have to use hydrazine at a faster rate," Raymond said at the SBAG meeting in June.

That lifetime, she said, is dependent on the spacecraft's orbital altitude. Dawn has spiraled out to a higher orbit during its extended mission, which reduces the amount of hydrazine needed for attitude control. "The lifetime is now highly dependent on orbital altitude because we need to use the jets to fight the gravity gradient torques," she said.

In its current high orbit, Raymond said that Dawn has sufficient hydrazine, as well as xenon propellant used for the ion engine, to operate at least through the end of 2018. In a lower orbit, like that used by Dawn earlier in the mission for high-resolution mapping of Ceres, the spacecraft's lifetime "would likely be limited to weeks."

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.
It's a hard-knock life for Saturn's moon Epimetheus.

The pale-gray moon, which NASA's website describes as "potato-shaped," is covered in craters from eons of merciless collisions with space debris. Several of these craters are larger than than one-quarter the diameter of the moon itself, according to NASA.

In a newly released, high-resolution image of Epimetheus captured by the Cassini space probe on Feb. 21, this little moon gets a moment in the spotlight. In the photograph, Epimetheus emerges from deep, inky blackness, its surface decorated with gray polka-dots.

Epimetheus is about 70 miles (113 kilometers) across. Several craters on its surface are larger than 19 miles wide (30 km). The image shows the side of Epimetheus facing away from Saturn, at a distance of approximately 9,300 miles (15,000 km). The moon is too small to have an atmosphere, which must be held in place by gravity; nor does it have internal geologic activity. Without those factors, there is nothing to erase the craters that speckle the moon's surface.

A map of Saturn's moons and its ring system. (Image credit: NASA/JPL)

Epimetheus' orbit around Saturn is unique in the solar system. This small moon shares an orbit with another moon of Saturn, called Janus. One moon orbits 31 miles (50 km) closer to Saturn than the other. When the two moons catch up to each other in their orbit, the gravitational interaction causes the moons to switch places. This do-si-do takes place about every four Earth years, according to NASA, although the closest the moons ever get to each other is about 6,200 miles (10,000 km). There is no other similar arrangement know in the solar system.

The Cassini probe has already begun a series of maneuvers that will eventually send it hurtling straight down through Saturn's atmosphere. This death plunge will give scientists a close look at parts of the ringed planet that orbiting spacecraft cannot reach.

Follow @callacofield on Twitter. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
H arry Redknapp has revealed he needed urgent surgery after a pre-season cancer scare left him fearing for his life.

The Birmingham City boss, 70, was rushed to hospital to remove a tumour from his bladder and now requires check-ups every three months.

He went to his GP after wife Sandra urged him to get it checked out.

I could feel it in my body  I knew it wasnt right, he told the Sun on Sunday.

In Pictures: Harry Redknapp's managerial career 1 /13 In Pictures: Harry Redknapp's managerial career Harry Redknapp's managerial career in pictures Jordan Pix/ Getty Images 19831992 | Bournemouth Allsport UK 19942001 | West Ham United Ben Radford/ALLSPORT 20022004 | Portsmouth Mike Hewitt/Getty Images 20042005 | Southampton Richard Heathcote/Getty Images 20052008 | Portsmouth Shaun Botterill/Getty Images 20082012 | Tottenham Hotspur Shaun Botterill/Getty Images 20122015 | QPR Ben Hoskins/Getty Images 2016 | Jordan national team KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP/Getty Images 2017 | Birmingham City Getty Images

This is the first time Ive been properly worried.

I knew I didnt feel good, you know when something isnt right, but it was Sandra who pushed me to the doctor in the end.

The former West Ham and Tottenham manager has now been given the all-clear and will begin Birminghams pre-season training after tests showed the tumour was benign.

He added: I am lucky, I know that because it could have been malignant.

They cut it out, there was no other option.

Once they did that I was up and about after a couple of days.

I am relaxed about it now because what can you do?

Mr Redknapp, a former Standard Sport columnist, said he recognises that health issues are part of getting old and added: I know I am fortunate.

He has had health issues in the past and in 2011 required a heart operation to widen his arteries with metal stents.
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The Battle for Belorussia: The Red Army's Forgotten Campaign of October 1943 - April 1944, by David M. Glantz, with Mary Elizabeth Glantz Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2016. Pp. xxvi, 760. Illus., maps, tables, appends, notes, biblio., index. $39.95. ISBN: 0700623299. Unsuccessful Soviet Attempts to Liberate Belorussia The author of Kharkov 1942, Red Storm Over the Balkans, and many other works, Glantz, the foremost American authority on the Red Army, aided by his daughter, also a specialist in Soviet history, takes a look at repeated unsuccessful Soviet attempts to liberate Belorussia from the autumn of 1943 through to the spring of 1944, drawing upon extensive research in both German and Russia archives. They open with a discussion of the general situation on the Russian Front in mid-1943, and the respective resources, plans, and preparations. The Glantzs then give us detailed accounts of some 30 Soviet offensives, none of which attained decisive results, albeit often at great cost. These are organized into operations conducted in from October through December of 1943 and those carried out from late December of 43 through April of 44. For each operation, they give us a some general background on its origins, the commanders, the forces engaged, and the events, supporting their coverage with an impressive number of maps. We also get a look into command politics, so we learn about the Polish born Konstantin Rokossovsky, a successful commander, but generally slighted due to his ancestry, in this campaign, who was a Pole, and the less effective Russian-born Vasily Sokolovsky, who nevertheless ended up as chief-of-the-General Staff. The Glantzs concluded that Soviet failure was due largely to hasty peparation, poor training, inadequate coordination, and excellent German responses. The end with a discussion of the resulting political infighting in the highest Soviet military circles, which caused the effort to be buried by Russian historians, particularly given the enormous success just a few weeks later of Operation Bagration that saw the destruction of the German Army Group Center. A volume in the Kansas series Modern War Studies, The Battle for Belorussia is a major addition to the literature on the Russian Front, and an essential work for the serious student of the subject, but would likely be heavy going for the casual reader. ---///--- Reviewer: A. A. Nofi, Review Editor



Buy It At Amazon.com




Japan has decided that it does not need the more expensive THAAD anti-missile system and is instead negotiating to buy two land base Aegis anti-aircraft/missile systems equipped with the SM-3A anti-missile missile. These two systems would be sufficient to protect the Japanese main islands and Japan is confident they would work. In part thats because Japan also has six Aegis equipped destroyers equipped with SM-3 missiles. In addition Japan has 24 Patriot antiaircraft missile batteries that can also fire the PAC-3 anti-missile missile. The PAC-3 has one drawback, it only has an effective range of 30 kilometers against incoming missiles.

The first Aegis Ashore system became operational in 2015 in East Europe and appears to be as reliable as the original ship-based systems. This was what was expected because the East European Aegis had never been to sea. In early 2014 the only land-based Aegis system in existence (in New Jersey) was taken apart, packed into 60 large (40 foot) shipping containers and sent to Romania where it was put back together and in 2015 was an operational anti-missile system. The U.S. already had orders for two more ground-based Aegis systems; one in Poland and one in Hawaii. All three, including new Aegis components for two of them and needed missiles (24 per location) and launching hardware for all of them came out costing $767 million each. The Japanese Aegis Ashore installations will cost closer to $355 million each. Now Japan joins the growing list of customers.

Back in 2010 Romania agreed to base American anti-missile systems on its territory. It was assumed this would include a land based Aegis system. At that time Israel also expressed an interest in buying a land based version Aegis, but that deal fell through. Since the land based Aegis in Romania will belong to the United States it was decided to use the land based development version of AEGIS for this since this New Jersey facility was still operational. With so many ships equipped with Aegis, development work can be done using one of those from now on.

The U.S. has long sought to put anti-missile systems in Eastern Europe to protect against ballistic missile attacks from Iran. Russia has opposed this and sees it as a subterfuge to weaken the effect of Russian ballistic missiles attacking European targets. Most Europeans dont know what to make of that, but East European countries (like Romania) that spent 1945-89 as involuntary Russian vassal (or satellite) states, do see a need for protection from Russian missiles.

So far, Aegis has achieved an 83 percent success rate during live test firings. So now many countries want Aegis ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile) ships for protection from local ballistic missile threats. The Aegis system was designed to operate aboard warships. These are usually cruisers and destroyers that have been equipped with the special software that enables the AEGIS radar system to detect and track incoming ballistic missiles. Currently, the U.S. Navy has about 40 ships with the Aegis anti-missile system. There are over 100 American and foreign warships equipped with Aegis, but less than half of them had the software mods and anti-missile missiles that enable them to shoot down ballistic missiles and low-orbit satellites. Converting an Aegis ship to Aegis ABM costs about $20 million, mainly for new software and a few new hardware items. This is seen as a safe investment and the U.S. expects to see most Aegis equipped ships to be upgraded to ABM versions in the 2020s.

To knock down ballistic missiles Aegis uses two similar models of the U.S. Navy Standard anti-aircraft missile, in addition to a modified version of the Aegis radar system, which can now track incoming ballistic missiles. The anti-missile missile is the RIM-161A, also known as the Standard Missile 3 (or SM-3). It has a range of over 500 kilometers and max altitude of over 160 kilometers. The Standard 3 is based on the anti-missile version of the Standard 2 (SM-2 Block IV). This SM-2 missile turned out to be effective against ballistic missile warheads that are closer to their target. One test saw a SM-2 Block IV missile destroy a warhead that was only 19 kilometers up. An SM-3 missile can destroy a warhead that is more than 200 kilometers up. But the SM-3 is only good for anti-missile work, while the SM-2 Block IV can be used against both ballistic missiles and aircraft. The SM-2 Block IV also costs less than half what an SM-3 costs.

The SM-3 has four stages. The first two boost the interceptor out of the atmosphere. The third stage fires twice to boost the interceptor farther beyond the earth's atmosphere. Prior to each motor firing it takes a GPS reading to correct course for approaching the target. The fourth stage is the nine kg (20 pound) LEAP kill vehicle, which uses infrared sensors to close on the target and ram it.
AUTO LAB RADIO SATURDAY MORNING ARCHIVE! - Auto Lab Call-In Radio Worldwide From New York City LIVE 7-9 AM Saturdays-Now Listen Anytime







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Auto Lab is a 28 year old interactive automotive-focused New York area radio call-in show hosted by Professor Harold Wolchok. Each week a cadre of experienced hands-on automotive experts are in-studio with advice for the New York area's 12 million people, providing listeners with honest, practical and street-smart car repair and buying advice.

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Auto Lab Correspondent Interviews: Featuring Auto Safety News, New Car Reviews, Technology and Latest Auto World Information That Will Effect You!

Broadcast Date: July 8, 2017

Robert Erskine, Senior European Correspondent, Suffolk England

SCOTT KRUGGER - HEAD OF ALFA ROMEO DESIGN

Russ Rader, Vice President Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

LANE MAINTENACE SYSTEMS STILL A TURNOFF FOR MANY DRIVERS

Robert Sinclair Jr.- AAA Northeast

NEW VEHICLE -ORIENTED LAWS PASSED NY NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE

John Russell Senior Correspondent

Impressions Of The 2017 2017 TOYOTA COROLLA IM
Nutson's Weekly Automotive News Digest July 3-9, 2017: Tesla Toast?, EV Road Tax?; France Sans Gasoline; MB PU; NACOTY; Volvo Gets HyEV's; June US New Auto Sales Down







AUTO CENTRAL CHICAGO, July 9, 2017; Every Sunday Larry Nutson, Senior Editor and Chicago Car Guy along with fellow senior editors Steve Purdy and Thom Cannell from The Auto Channel Michigan Bureau, give you TACH's "take" on this past week's automotive news in easy to digest mega-tweet sized nuggets.

If you are a car and driving fan like we all are here at The Auto Channel, you can easily "catch up" or put these stories in context by searching the past 25 year's millions of (Google Total Indexed: 5,583,389) pages of automotive news, automotive stories, articles, reviews, archived news, video, audio, rants and raves accessible from The Auto Channel's Automotive News Archive.

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Nutson's Nuggets: July 9, 2017

* Total industry sales fell 3% in June and 2.1% over the first six months of the year, according to Autodata. That equates to a seasonally adjusted, annualized selling rate of 16.5 million. It's the industry's weakest first half of the year since 2014. June sales fell 4.7% for General Motors, 5.1% for Ford and 7% for Fiat Chrysler while sales increased 2.1% for Toyota, 2.0% for Nissan, 0.8% for Honda. Sales fell steeply for both Korean automakers  10.8% at Kia and 19% for Hyundai.

* CNBC reports that for "drivers of electric cars, going green is starting to take more green. A growing number of states are imposing new fees on electric vehicles as officials scrounge for ways to pay for infrastructure projects they say are long overdue. At least five states, including California, passed bills targeting the cars this year, bringing the total number with fees on the books to 13. The charges generally range from $100 to $200 a year. Also facing extinction: a $7,500 federal tax credit for buying an electric car. The credit expires once manufacturers sell 200,000 vehicles, and major automakers such as Tesla, General Motors and Nissan are on track to hit that limit within the next few years. But advocates are concerned that the credit could wind up on the chopping block even sooner amid sweeping efforts to simplify the tax code."

* A few years ago Volvo announced that in spite of being a luxury brand they would no longer build engines bigger than four cylinders. Now theyve gone a step further by announcing that by 2019 they will no longer build anything exclusively powered by gasoline or diesel. That is, every vehicle in their lineup from then on will be either full electric or hybrid. They promise five new fully electric models between 2019 and 2021, including some Polestar-developed high-performance models. A historic move, Volvo will be the first traditional automaker to forgo the combustion engine as the sole motive power.

* Though it seems a long way into the future its really just over 20 years - Frances Energy Minister, Nicolas Hulot, said his country will end sales of gasoline and diesel automobiles by 2040. That leaves just electrics. He said, France wants to become the No. 1 green economy. France will also move away from coal-fired power plants entirely by 2022 and end oil and gas exploration. French President Macron says they will eliminate net carbon emissions by 2050. The target is less ambitious than ones set by countries like Norway and India. (SEE The Auto Channel Called For An End To New Gasoline Vehicles by 2014 - We Beat France By 26 Years!

* As all these electrified vehicles come into the real world it's interesting to envision how reduced traffic noise will be as a result of quieter engine operation.

* Bloomberg reports that as aging motorcycle riders hang up their leathers, Harley-Davidson and Honda as well as Ducati and BMW are pinning their hopes on smaller, affordable bikes for a new generation. Aimed at millennials, a new breed of small bikes, priced in the $5,000 to $7,000 range, has quickly become the most promising part of the business. Between 2011 and 2016, sales of motorcycles with engines smaller than 600cc increased by 11.8 percent, while bigger, more powerful bikes managed only a 7.4 percent gain.

* The vehicles eligible for the 2018 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year were announced. There's a total of 35 candidates--12 cars, 20 utilities and 3 trucks. For the first time in the awards 25 years, theres not a single eligible passenger car from a Detroit-based brand. It's also curious that two of the three "truck" candidates are actually SUVs--built using a body on frame truck platform. The 2018 Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year will be announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in mid-January 2018.

* The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute's latest report from Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle says the average fuel economy (window-sticker value) of new vehicles sold in the U.S. in June was 25.1 mpgdown 0.2 mpg from May. This drop likely reflects the decreased price of gasoline in June, and the consequent increased proportion of pickup trucks, SUVs, and crossovers in the sales mix. The value for June is up 5.0 mpg since October 2007 (the first month of their monitoring), but down 0.4 mpg from the peak of 25.5 mpg reached in August 2014.

* Mercedes-Benz posted a teaser on Youtube this week with hints of the new X-Class, a midsize pickup (M-Bs first) expected to be on a ladder-type frame. It will feature locking differentials at each end powered by a diesel V6 with a 4Matic all-wheel drive system. A concept truck was shown just last year. We expect to see the real thing soon as they plan to debut it on July 18th. X-Class will not be available in the U.S.

* After lots of skepticism from the automotive media it appears Tesla is ready to begin delivery of the new Model 3, a few weeks ahead of schedule. Deliveries will begin as a trickle as Tesla begins to satisfy over 300,000 enthusiasts who have put down deposits to get a car. As weve reported here before, the Federal subsidies that can bring the price of the Model 3 under $30,000 may run out long before these hand-raisers all get their cars since the government program is limited to the first 200,000 cars by a manufacturer. Tesla owners have already tapped into more than half those subsidies with Models S and X. Federal subsidies will be cut in half after the first round, then half again later. (According to a story in The WSJ no new Tesla was registered in Hong Kong in April after the tax break was discontinued)

* The Great Race, a long-distance competition for old cars (1972 and older) according to a time-speed-distance rally format starting in Jacksonville, Florida, finished this week in Traverse City, Michigan in the midst of the annual Cherry Festival. The race covered 2,600 miles and took nine days covering six states and is sponsored by Coker Tires, Hagerty and Hemmings Motor News. Of the 107 finishers the winners were Jody Knowles with his Aunt Beth as navigator in Knowles' grandfathers 1932 Ford Cabriolet. They scored an error of just under 45 seconds.

* Introduced to the motoring press in July 1957, Fiats Nuova 500 was intended to bridge the gap from scooters and microcars to larger, more expensive automobiles. Not only did this iteration of the 500 bring affordable family transportation to the masses in Europe, it went on to become a symbol of mid-century style, and a worldwide ambassador for Italy. Recognizing its cultural and design significance, the New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) announced the addition of a 1968 Fiat 500F Berlina to its permanent collection. A MoMA spokesperson wrote that the 500F, embodies many of the principles that typified mid-century modernist design and connects it to themes explored in works throughout the Museums collection.
Dril-Quip, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, sells, and services engineered drilling and production equipment for use in deepwater, harsh environment, and severe service applications worldwide. The company's principal products include subsea and surface wellheads, subsea and surface production trees, mudline hanger systems, specialty connectors and associated pipes, drilling and production riser systems, liner hangers, wellhead connectors, diverters, and safety valves, as well as downhole tools. It also provides technical advisory services, and rework and reconditioning services, as well as rental and purchase of running tools for use in the installation and retrieval of its products; and downhole tools comprise of liner hangers, production packers, safety valves, and specialty downhole tools that are used to hang-off and seal casing into a previously installed casing string in the well bore. The company's products are used to explore for oil and gas from offshore drilling rigs, such as floating rigs and jack-up rigs; and for drilling and production of oil and gas wells on offshore platforms, tension leg platforms, and Spars, as well as moored vessels, such as floating production, storage, and offloading monohull moored vessels. It sells its products directly through its sales personnel, independent sales agents, and representatives to integrated, independent, and foreign national oil and gas companies, as well as drilling contractors, and engineering and construction companies. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
COLUMBIA, S.C.  A South Carolina inmate broke out of a maximum-security prison using wire cutters apparently flown in by drone, officials said Friday, describing a new and devilishly hard-to-stop means of escape.

Convicted kidnapper Jimmy Causey, 46, was recaptured at a Texas motel before daybreak, more than two days after bolting to freedom in a plot worthy of a Hollywood script. It was the second time in 12 years that he escaped.

This time, he used a smuggled-in cellphone to coordinate the delivery of the breakout tools, investigators said. Then, with dusk approaching on the Fourth of July, he cut through four fences and left a dummy in his bed that fooled his guards. He got an 18-hour head start.

When he was caught, he had about $47,000 in cash, an ID card and two guns, authorities said.

"We believe a drone was used to fly in the tools that allowed him to escape," South Carolina Corrections Director Bryan Stirling said. He said investigators were still trying to confirm that, and he didn't elaborate on why they believe a drone was involved.

But an official aerial photo of the prison shows rings of tall fences and an expanse of more than 50 yards between the prison perimeter and the cellblocks, making it unlikely someone could have thrown or catapulted tools to him.

Kevin Tamez, a 30-year law enforcement veteran who consults on prison security as managing partner of the New Jersey-based MPM Group, said he wasn't aware of any other U.S. prison escapes aided by drones.

Tamez said that delivering something heavy such as wire or bolt cutters via drone would require a sophisticated plan and a powerful machine.

"They have to land for you to get the contraband off of them," he said. "They can't drop it like a bomb."

Tamez said there is no easy way for prisons to protect against the use of small, unmanned aircraft, other than hiring more guards to watch the fences.

Stirling said the state is spending millions to install netting at prisons to prevent people from throwing things over, but confessed that won't stop drones.

"Now they're going to fly over the nets," he said. "So what do we do next?"

A tip led Texas Rangers to a motel room in Austin where Causey was found sleeping around 4 a.m. Friday, authorities said. Texas officials released a photo of a handgun, shotgun, four cellphones and stacks of cash found with Causey about 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) from the Lieber Correctional Institution prison near Charleston.

Prison officials are investigating how his 8 p.m. disappearance Tuesday went unnoticed until 2 p.m. the next day.

"Everyone who assisted him  we intend on bringing them to justice as well," State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel said.

Later Friday, Corrections officials said one Lieber employee had been fired in connection with Causey's disappearance, providing no other details.

Causey was sentenced to life behind bars 13 years ago for holding a lawyer at gunpoint. Authorities said he believed the defense attorney did not do enough to keep him out of prison in the 1990s.

In his first escape, from a different South Carolina prison in 2005, he and another inmate hid in a garbage truck that was leaving the maximum-security institution. They were arrested three days later after a woman delivering pizza to a motel called police.

Drones have been used to deliver contraband such as drugs and cellphones to prisons across the U.S., including two cases in recent years from South Carolina. In May, two men were arrested for trying to fly knives, marijuana and phones into a medium-security state prison. Another man is serving a 15-year sentence after officials found a crashed drone outside a maximum-security institution in 2014.

Authorities in Britain said two inmates there escaped from prison last year by cutting through window bars using a saw and wire cutters that were believed to have been flown in via drone.

Advanced technology and highly motivated prisoners can be a dangerous combination.

"You have nothing to do but sit on the edge of your bunk and figure out ways to get past the system," Tamez said. "You can't get complacent with them. These guys aren't stupid."
An enormous iceberg, over 2,000 square miles in areaor nearly the size of Delawareis poised to detach from one of the largest floating ice shelves in Antarctica and float off in the Weddell Sea, south of the tip of South America.

Scientists have been expecting the break from the Larsen C ice shelf, monitoring the progress of a crack which extended to over 100 miles long in recent months. The latest update from scientists with NASA and the University of California, Irvine found that only 3 remaining miles of ice continue to connect the impending iceberg to the larger shelf.

Those parts of the iceberg that have already detached have begun to move rapidly seaward, widening the rift in recent days and leaving the remaining ice strained near to breaking point, according to Adrian Luckman, a scientist monitoring Larsen C at Swansea University in Wales.

The expected calving eventon its ownwill not affect global sea level, because the ice that has detached was already afloat in the ocean. But some scientists fear that it could hasten the destabilization of the larger Larsen C ice shelf.

The iceberg itself will be enormousone of the most massive ever seen from Antarctica. It will be over 600 feet thick and contain roughly 1 trillion tons of ice, according to an analysis by the European Space Agency and Noel Gourmelen, a scientist at the University of Edinburgh.

Scientists are divided about the impact of climate change on this particular break in Antarcticas ice shelf.

Some have contended theres little proof that the break, which will reduce the size of the Larsen C more than scientists have observed previously, reflects the advance of climate change. Ice shelves do, after all, break off sometimes.

We do not need to press the panic button for Larsen C. Large calving events such as this are normal processes of a healthy ice sheet, ones that have occurred for decades, centuries, millenniaon cycles that are much longer than a human or satellite lifetime, Helen Amana Fricker, an Antarctic scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, wrote recently.

But others disagree.

Of course this is due to climate warming in the peninsula, Eric Rignot, a NASA and University of California Irvine expert on Antarctica, said in an email.

Antarctica has seen an increase in breaks in its ice shelves in recent years.

The Larsen A ice shelf, far closer to the northern tip of the Antarctic peninsulaand therefore, warmer latitudescollapsed in 1995. In 2002, the same thing happened with Larsen B, its southern cousin, situated slightly closer to the South Pole.

Now, Larsen C, still further toward the south pole and subject to somewhat cooler temperatures, has seen a major break.

But there are big gaps in scientists knowledge about what might have disturbed the Larsen C ice shelf.

Recent studies have suggested that the ice of Larsen C has begun to flow more quickly to the sea through the shelf in recent years. The ice shelf has also been thinning and its surface has been getting lower in the water, suggesting that it might be melting from below.

But Fricker presented data to suggest that the ice shelf has since begun to thicken again.

Yes, I agree Larsen C is next in line southwards after Larsen A and B, Fricker said by email. However, there is actually no research showing that Larsen C is getting thinner and flowing faster. In fact, in recent years, it is the opposite.

There is a similar debate over whether this individual break will destabilize the ice shelf and lead to further disintegration.

According to Rignot, Larsen C holds back around 1 centimeter of global sea level rise in the form of glaciers feeding into the remaining ice shelf. If the ice shelf were to continue to disintegrate, this ice might flow more rapidly into the sea.

An even larger fear is the southward and poleward progression of ice shelf collapse, Rignot said, pointing out that farther south there are ice shelves that, by stabilizing glaciers, are currently preventing vastly more sea level rise than Larsen C does.

Larsen C is among Antarcticas largest ice shelves but still pales in comparison to the Ross Ice Shelf and Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf. Earlier this month, scientists reported a major melt event that occurred several years ago atop the surface of the Ross Ice Shelf accompanied by at least some rainfall, which also gave them concern.

Scientists will be watching the break closely and trying to glean lessons about what to expect from other potentially vulnerable ice shelves in Antarctica.

While it might not be caused by global warming, its at least a natural laboratory to study how breakups will occur at other ice shelves to improve the theoretical basis for our projections of future sea level rise, said NASAs Tom Wagner, who directs the agencys polar programs.
A massive and intense heat dome has spread over the northern Plains and mountain West, sucking moisture out of the soil, and may persist for weeks. The scorching heat and absence of rain have spurred a rapidly intensifying drought that is decimating the regions wheat crop.

Temperatures in Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas surged into the 90s and 100s on Wednesday, about 15 to 20 degrees above normal. Forecast models predict the same general weather pattern that supported this heat to persist up to two more weeks.

The pattern is characterized by a sprawling heat dome or area of high pressure at high altitudes over the western third of the nationresulting in simmering conditions not just in the Dakotas but all over the West. On Wednesday, Salt Lake City hit 105 degrees, its seventh-hottest reading recorded. It is expanding into the desert Southwest, resulting in searing 120-plus-degree heat in Death Valley and prolonging a 21-day streak of temperatures of at least 105 degrees in Las Vegas.

The sinking air underneath this heat dome has suppressed the formation of rain storms and rapidly dried out the land surface in the northern Plains and mountain West.

The dry pattern commenced in the spring but intensified in recent weeks as the western heat dome settled in. Glasgow, Montana, had its record-driest April-through-June period.

The suddenness of the droughts onset and expansion has been remarkable.

In early May, the U.S. Drought Monitor classified neither the Dakotas nor Montana in a drought. Eight weeks later, drought covered 47 percent of North Dakota, 34 percent of South Dakota and much of the eastern third of Montanaand its intensity is severe to extreme in many areas.

In northwestern South Dakota, South Dakota State University Extension staff reported poor pasture and range conditions as well as deteriorating crop conditions (corn), the Drought Monitor said. In eastern Montana, hot and dry weather continued to deteriorate pasture, rangeland, and crop conditions as temperatures soared above 90 degrees.

In late June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture declared 15 North Dakota counties as agricultural disaster areas.

This week it rated two-thirds of the wheat crop in South Dakota as poor or very poor.

Wheat conditions are at some of the lowest ratings in over a decade, James Cordier, president and head trader at Optionsellers.com in Tampa, told CNBC.

Spring wheat crop conditions have dropped about 40 percent in the last four weeks, added Ted Seifried, chief marketing strategist with the Zaner Group in Chicago. The crop is burning up, and its not going to produce anywhere near what we were expecting.

This hit on the wheat crop means higher prices for high-protein breads, bagels and pizza crusts according to Bloomberg News.

Although prospects for rain in the region are grim in the next two weeks, the Climate Prediction Center does predict drought improvement as the summer wears on.
Sears Holding, the Sears and Kmart parent company, announced late this week that it would be shuttering eight namesake Sears stores and another 35 Kmart stores, adding to the already listed 236 stores that it announced it is planning to close before the end of 2017.

With the latest round of store closings, Sears Holdings will be closing down approximately 20% of its overall locations. The company announced in a post on its blog that the store closings are just part of its ongoing effort of focusing on its best stores and its return to profitability.

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CEO of Sears Eddie Lampert said that it was part of the companys strategy for addressing both losses from stores that are unprofitable and to lower the overall square footage of stores due to many being just too large for the companys current needs.

Sears said it had been focusing on increasing its online sales and is testing out a new concept store that is small and specialized that offers bestselling items from Sears.

Streamlining the overall retail footprint of the company is part of Sears effort to restore the confidence of vendors in Sears, said the company.

Some vendors have lowered their support for Sears during the last 12 months, thereby putting additional pressure on our business, said the blog post.

Once the largest retailer in the U.S., the company has been struggling to remain afloat, as its customers turn away from traditional shopping at brick and mortar stores to make their purchases online. Sears in March warned that it had substantial doubt in the ability to remain as a business entity.

Losses have passed the $10 billion mark since 2010, which was the last time the company was able to turn a profit. In 2012, Sears Canada was spun off, and last month had to file bankruptcy.

Sears shuttered more than 240 stores in 2016 and 53 the previous year. It is not the only retailer that is experiencing major problems.

Other department stores such as J.C. Penney and Macys made announcements over the last few months of store closures and layoffs. There have been close to 5,300 stores closings thus far during 2017, according to an industry think tank.

Retail is expected to continue taking it on the chin for the remainder of this year and into 2018 say industry analysts due to the continuance by consumers of shopping online for more of their needs.
Grange Park, a downtown Toronto park that had its official re-opening Saturday, is a new model for how parks should be built and operated, Councillor Joe Cressy said during the ceremony.

Its a park for everybody, he said. The AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario), the city, the community, we all came together to design what I think is the coolest and best park in town.

About 200 people stood together armed with safety scissors to cut a bright yellow ribbon that stretched from the east end of the park to the west side on Beverly St.

The park reopened after 15 months of construction. The fences came down early Saturday and by noon the place was packed with people. Dogs ran around in the grass, children jumped in the brand new splash pad and on the custom designed playground.

Passers-by stopped to admire Henry Moores sculpture, Two Large Forms, which had been moved near the centre of the park from its previous location near the art gallery.

According to Cressy, the area surrounding the park has 150,000 residents, and a study found that before construction began in 2015, an average of 6,000 people passed through it on a daily basis.

Cressy hopes that number will increase now.

Ceta Ramkhalawansingh, the honorary president of the Grange Community Association, and a resident of the neighbourhood since 1971, said shes been involved with every single discussion about the developments in the area.

This is really the end of one process and the start of another, she said. In about three months, once we figure out what works, what needs to be tweaked, well then move into a more formal community management process, she said.

I think neighbourhoods have to be more involved in the management of their parks.

Liberal MP Adam Vaughan, also on hand Saturday, said the park was an achievement that was over a decade in the making. As a city councillor, he helped pushed for funding, including $5 million from the city, $5 million from AGO donors, and another $2.5 million from an AGO endowment fund.

I grew up swimming here as a little kid, I used to live across the street, said Vaughan.

When I walked in here today and saw it chockablock with kids, and the laughter, and smiles, and the parents sitting around on benches, it was beyond beautiful.

This is a model for the next generation of parks, both in terms of how it was built and how it's being operated after, he continued. This park shows what happens when you collaborate rather than argue.

The park will have a full-time maintenance worker on site every day, paid for by the AGOs endowment fund.

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Hundreds of people gathered Sunday at a Toronto church to celebrate the life of longtime city councillor Pam McConnell, pledging to honour her legacy by continuing her work to help those in need.

McConnell, a city councillor since 1994 and a champion of Torontos poverty-reduction strategy, died last week from health problems with her lungs. She was 71.

Rev. Brent Hawkes told the crowd of dignitaries, family and constituents filling the pews of the Metropolitan Community Church that they must carry on McConnells fight for social justice.

Look around this city and see who is in need, to see who doesnt have enough, and do what we can to make sure they do have enough, Hawkes said in a communion address memorializing McConnell.

Let us also be committed to what she worked for, what she lived for.

Hawkes read aloud an email McConnell had sent him on June 23, notifying him that she would not be able to make his sermon at Torontos Pride celebrations because of health problems. She wrote the letter from her hospital bed, hooked to an oxygen mask, he said.

If I could write a letter back, I would say . . . Pam, look around you and the city you helped build. You built it with your love, your tenacity and your strategic brilliance. But it is your love for us, our love for you, our love for each other, our love for this city, that will inspire us to continue,  Hawkes said.

Mayor John Tory attended the church service, as did several city councillors and former Toronto mayor Barbara Hall.

Her real legacy will be the work she did to help other people, Tory said after the service. He appointed McConnell a deputy mayor in 2014.

Well have to move forward and I think it will be an extra impetus behind this knowing she would want us to implement (the poverty reduction strategy) as quickly and to do as much for people who are struggling as we can.

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ZAHLE, LEBANONFar from the front lines of the battle against Daesh in Iraq and Syria, a Canadian-funded initiative to counter the jihadist group in the Middle East is quietly playing out deep in the rugged countryside of Lebanons Bekaa Valley.

So quietly, some experts question whether its impact is even measurable.

Carrying infants and herding young children, 20 Syrian men and women file into a six-metre-by-six-metre plastic-covered tent in a refugee camp on a wet, grey morning. A facilitator from a local aid group, a young woman in her early 30s, greets them as they sit.

What is communication? she asks.

Linking words together, says a young woman wearing a head scarf and a long-sleeved green dress. She cradles a baby in one arm. Sharing ideas, a bearded middle-aged man offers.

Theyre here for a Canadian government-funded workshop aimed at helping them get along better with their Lebanese neighbours. Canadian fighter jets are no longer pounding Daesh targets in Iraq, but some of the resources from Canadas cancelled bombing mission have been reallocated toward international aid projects aimed at fostering social cohesion between Syrian refugees and their hosts. For the Canadian government, these projects are a new weapon against Daesh.

It is a subtle weapon; social cohesion improvements lack the immediate impact of a bomb. But can good intentions, friendly smiles and linking words be an effective response to terrorism?

In the early years of the Syrian civil war, Lebanon welcomed Syrians with open arms. But now, seven years in, some aid groups say fear and mistrust between Syrian refugees and Lebanese locals threatens push the most vulnerable into the arms of extremist groups. Tension has risen as Syrian refugees share of Lebanons population has climbed to 25 per cent.

Some local governments have imposed dusk-to-dawn curfews on refugees. In some towns, officials have ordered the shutdown of all businesses run by Syrians, while others ban local businesses from hiring refugees.

Economic woes compound the tension. Experts say refugees and less well-off Lebanese are increasingly competing for jobs and services; research from the American University of Beirut suggests 90 per cent of Lebanese nationals view Syrian refugees as a threat to their ability to earn a living. The World Bank estimates that the Syrian crisis has pushed 200,000 Lebanese into poverty and left 300,000 more unemployed.

To help ease the strain, Canada announced last year military and development aid to Lebanon as part of a three-year, $1.6-billion stabilization package for the region. Then-foreign affairs minister Stephane Dion deemed Lebanon to be at a tipping point from the pressures of hosting refugees and keeping Daesh at bay on its northeastern border. The group has been linked to several attacks in Lebanon, including five suicide bombings at a refugee camp near the Syrian border on June 30.

So far, $187 million of that total has been allocated to programming in Lebanon that aims to reduce social tensions, Global Affairs Canada spokesperson Brittany Venhola-Fletcher said in an email.

When people are having positive experiences, theyre interacting with people in their communities, and theyre not necessarily getting the messages of violent extremism, said Michelle Cameron, Canadas ambassador, in an interview at the Canadian Embassy in Beirut.

At the refugee workshop in Bekaa Valley, Daesh (also known as ISIS) is not discussed. Talk turns to how customary greetings and everyday social interactions differ in Syria and Lebanon.

I learned a lot I didnt know before, says Loay, 21, a clean-cut young man from Deir Izzor, in eastern Syria, who has lived at this camp for three years. Theyve helped me communicate with the Lebanese community here.

But as a casual labourer at farms and constructions sites, he rarely works the same job for more than a few days. He frankly acknowledges that building relationships with Lebanese locals remains difficult.

Loays story highlights the limits of Canadas strategy. It was set during the successful Liberal election campaign, with the partys slogans calling for evidence-based policy on issues like climate change and health care. We are for what will be effective, not for what will make us feel good to say at any given moment, Justin Trudeau declared while unveiling Canadas new anti-Daesh plan in February 2016.

But some question whether teaching social cohesion and sharing ideas is truly evidence-based.

The (humanitarian) sector as a whole struggles to measure the impact of any humanitarian intervention, social cohesion or not, said Joseph Guay, who wrote a World Vision report evaluating how international aid groups have handled refugee-related tension in Lebanon and Jordan.

He was surprised by the lack of academic rigour on matters related to social cohesion.

You can tangibly measure toilets built  thats one thing  but with social phenomena like social cohesion, then thats way harder, Guay said.

Canada has also been criticized for potentially playing a role in aggravating tensions in Lebanon.

Most of the 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon are Sunni Muslims  as are Daesh members, at least nominally. For many Lebanese Christians thats a source of deep unease.

If we accept this number of refugees currently here, you can wave bye-bye to the Christians in Lebanon, says Sejaan Azzi, a Christian and, until late last year, Lebanons minister of employment.

Lebanon is unique among Middle Eastern countries in that a large Christian minority wields significant political power. Azzi says the staggering number of Sunni refugees threatens that privileged position by shrinking the Christian share of the total population. He predicts increased violence, even a potential war, if Syrians are allowed to stay.

Canadas effort to ease Lebanons burden has upset some Lebanese Christians. Documents obtained from Global Affairs Canada using access to information laws show Gebran Bassil, Lebanons powerful foreign minister and son-in-law to the president, questioned whether Canada was targeting Christian refugees for resettlement while leaving Sunni refugees in Lebanon.

The document, a briefing note prepared for Stephane Dion in 2016, states that the large number of Sunni refugees remaining in Lebanon is of great concern for most Christian political leaders.

Cameron, the Canadian ambassador, downplays Christian resentment, arguing that because the Lebanese government has said it wont grant refugees citizenship or voting rights, such fears are an overreaction.

Aid groups have scrambled to try to contain the tension. Early studies point to the benefits of bringing Syrians and Lebanese together in schools and employment programs. Ensuring that needy Lebanese also benefit from international aid has also been prioritized.

Canada now requires that all projects aimed at helping Syrian refugees also be open to needy Lebanese.

At a bustling medical clinic on a busy street in nearby Qabelias, these strategies are being put to the test. Syrian refugees and Lebanese nationals sit side-by-side, cramming the hallways as they wait to be seen. The centres chief doctor, Darwish Khan, says that 35 per cent of the hundreds of patients treated each month are Syrian refugees. International donors, including Canada, fund the clinic.

An hours drive south, it is recess at Sohmor Mixed Intermediate Public School. When the bell rings, boys and girls in neat blue uniforms line up and playfully file inside. After falling into disrepair, the 50-year-old building was largely renovated with Canadian money in 2016 to serve Lebanese and Syrian children.

With 26 of its 96 students Syrian refugees, the school is considered a success.

Cameron says ensuring Syrian refugee children receive an education is crucial to start insulating a population from Daesh-type messages or recruitment.

But Sohmor is a drop in the bucket. Human Rights Watch estimates that 250,000 Syrian children are not in school in Lebanon. The UN dispatches volunteers across the country  refugees themselves  to spread the word about free health care and education. But with limited funds and 1.5 million refugees to reach, progress is slow.

Despite the warning of possible war from Azzi, the former minister, no significant violence has occurred. Some take this as a sign that social cohesion programming is working, despite the difficulty measuring it.

Whatever the reason, Cameron warns the current stability wont hold endlessly This cant be the steady state forever. There needs to be a solution in Syria.

Its a frank acknowledgement that without an end to the Syrian civil war, no amount of aid can contain rising social tensions indefinitely.

Says Cameron: We need to allow people to go home.

Corbett Hancey is a Gordon Sinclair Foundation Reporting Fellow.

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Two weeks after Donald Trump clinched the Republican presidential nomination last year, his eldest son arranged a meeting at Trump Tower in Manhattan with a Russian lawyer who has connections to the Kremlin, according to confidential government records described to The New York Times.

The previously undisclosed meeting was also attended by Trumps campaign chairman at the time, Paul Manafort, as well as the presidents son-in-law, Jared Kushner, according to interviews and the documents, which were outlined by people familiar with them.

While Trump has been dogged by revelations of undisclosed meetings between his associates and Russians, this episode at Trump Tower on June 9, 2016, is the first confirmed private meeting between a Russian national and members of Trumps inner circle during the campaign. It is also the first time that his son Donald Trump Jr. is known to have been involved in such a meeting.

Representatives of Trump Jr. and Kushner confirmed the meeting after the Times approached them with information about it. In a statement, Trump Jr. described the meeting as primarily about an adoption program.

The Russian lawyer invited to the Trump Tower meeting, Natalia Veselnitskaya, is best known for mounting a multipronged attack against the Magnitsky Act, a U.S. law that blacklists suspected Russian human rights abusers. The law so enraged Putin that he retaliated by halting American adoptions of Russian children.

The adoption impasse is a frequently used talking point for opponents of the Magnitsky Act. Veselnitskayas campaign against the law has also included attempts to discredit its namesake, Sergei L. Magnitsky, a lawyer and auditor who died under mysterious circumstances in a Russian prison in 2009 after exposing one of the biggest corruption scandals during Putins rule.

Veselnitskaya was formerly married to a former deputy transportation minister of the Moscow region, and her clients include state-owned businesses and a senior government officials son, whose company was under investigation in the United States at the time of the meeting. Her activities and associations had previously drawn the attention of the FBI, according to a former senior law enforcement official.

In his statement, Trump Jr. said: It was a short introductory meeting. I asked Jared and Paul to stop by. We primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children that was active and popular with American families years ago and was since ended by the Russian government, but it was not a campaign issue at the time and there was no follow up.

Late Saturday, Mark Corallo, a spokesperson for the presidents lawyer, issued a statement implying that the meeting was a setup. Veselnitskaya and the translator who accompanied her to the meeting misrepresented who they were, it said.

Veselnitskaya said the meeting lasted about 30 minutes and focused on the Magnitsky Act and the adoption issue. Nothing at all was discussed about the presidential campaign, she said.

The Trump Tower meeting was not disclosed to government officials until recently, when Kushner, who is also a senior White House aide, filed a revised version of a form required to obtain a security clearance.

Manafort, the former campaign chairman, also recently disclosed the meeting to congressional investigators who had questions about his foreign contacts, according to people familiar with the events.

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WASHINGTONDonald Trump is hiding in plain sight.

Trump is everywhere, dominating the news cycle and the public conversation. And Trump is nowhere, establishing this omnipresence from the safety of a protective bubble.

The president is communicating almost exclusively through daily blasts on Twitter and sporadic interviews with fawning hosts on Fox News. In neither forum does he have to deal with difficult questions.

He has abandoned the tradition of taking questions while appearing with visiting foreign leaders and at foreign conferences such as this weeks G20. He has done far fewer solo news conferences  just one  than his three predecessors: Barack Obama six as of late June, George W. Bush three, Bill Clinton seven.

As of Wednesday, he had done just over half as many interviews (44) as Obama (78) at the same point, according to CBS News journalist Mark Knoller. And Trumps pace is slowing over time: He did no interviews at all over a 41-day stretch that ended with a late June lovefest on Fox & Friends.

When Trump does speak, whether he is on a trip abroad or on his iPhone, his focus is the very media he is shunning. According to a late June count by CNN, the network he derides as fake news, he had spent 85 tweets attacking the press; 67 mention jobs.

Much of his communicating appears more impulsive than strategic. To the extent he is thinking before he speaks, he is executing a strategy that Republican communicators say is aimed entirely at his own voter base.

Matters like transparency and accountability aside, there are clear advantages to his approach.

By speaking solely through Twitter and Fox, he gets his deceitful messages to his supporters without the inconvenience of fact-checking. By submitting to conversations with only conservatives, he avoids gaffes even when he is unprepared, as is so often the case.

And by picking fights with outlets many Republicans distrust, he creates a useful enemy, distracting from his governing struggles and undermining future scoops while firing up supporters who see him as a fighter taking aim at liberal elites.

I think one of the things they like about him is he doesnt let the press walk all over him, he doesnt let bygones be bygones, he kind of continues to fight. And right or wrong, agree or disagree, he is turning the tables a bit, said Jason Killian Meath, a Republican media strategist.

He has thrown the rule book on how to engage with the press out the window. Its done. Hes doing this to a media who largely are hostile to him, and its driving them crazy.

Trumps attacks have produced periodic bouts of hand-wringing among reporters and editors. The self-criticism hit another crescendo this past week, after some outlets devoted heavy coverage to Trumps decision to tweet an image of him as a pro wrestler body-slamming CNN.

Washington Post journalist Dave Weigel wrote on Twitter: Unpopular take: We in media need to ignore some of these Trump attacks on the press. The strategy is to start dumb fights, not ban us. Wrote Kyle Pope, editor of the Columbia Journalism Review: We have reached the point at which the media response has become counterproductive and even beneficial to the president and his lackeys in the White House.

Yet there is far from a consensus, even among Republicans unsympathetic to the media, that Trumps strategy is helping him on the whole.

Trumps base is solid, but it is small: His approval rating is hovering just below 40 per cent, a dreadful plateau. Terry Holt, a former spokesperson for George W. Bushs campaigns and former House speaker John Boehner, said Trump is impeding his own agenda by shunning the news outlets and the policy messages that might allow him to widen his support.

Those 35 to 38 per cent of the American people who support Donald Trump are going to support him almost under any circumstances . . . but the Congress has to work with a broader range of people, Holt said. And so even though Trump sees the power of the media only in communicating his base, that still leaves him 12 or 13 points short of a majority. That weakens his presidency. And it weakens the ability of his policy partners to go along with what he wants to do, or to pass legislation that is more popular than the president.

Matt Mackowiak, a Texas-based Republican strategist, said Trump will harm Republican candidates in the 2018 congressional elections if he maintains his insufficient strategy of speaking to just a third of the public rather than trying to put a coalition together that is certainly in the mid-40s and ideally is a majority.

Media-bashing, he said, doesnt necessarily convince people that youre delivering on your promises, that youre making their life better.

The thing that concerns me, even though I probably agree strongly with 80 per cent of what theyre trying to accomplish, is I dont see them going out and trying to persuade the country, Mackowiak said.

Indeed, the popular theory that Trump uses media criticism to take attention away from harmful subjects ignores the frequent effect of the criticism: drawing attention to other harmful subjects at the expense of whatever substantive matter his aides are trying to rope him into discussing.

Trump attacked MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski last week for her intelligence and appearance, spurring another discussion of his history of sexism, during what was supposed to be the White Houses Energy Week  and on a day he could have been crowing about his travel ban going into effect or the House voting to get tougher on illegal immigrants.

There have been examples in this administration where legitimate news was made, but then the anger or outrage over certain reports by media overshadowed that news, Holt said. Rule No. 1: never step on your own story. And thats happened quite a lot.

Polls do not support the notion that Trump is a communications mastermind. In a Fox News poll last week, 71 per cent said his tweets hurt his agenda; just 21 per cent of Republicans said they approve of his tweeting. In a Politico poll, Trumps mockery of Brzezinski was endorsed by just 28 per cent of Republicans and 16 per cent overall.

Meath dismissed the argument that Trump should stick to policy messages and give his time to traditional news outlets. An anti-Trump press corps, he said, is never going to devote substantial, impartial coverage to his energy plans.

But Meath was not willing to go so far as to proclaim Trumps actual strategy a good idea.

I think were writing a new rule book, and we dont know the answer to that question yet, he said. I think were watching history get rewritten.

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MOSUL, IRAQIraqi troops celebrated after driving Daesh militants from some of their last strongholds in Mosul on Sunday, but heavy fighting continued just a few blocks away.

Lt. Gen. Jassim Nizal of the armys 9th Division said his forces achieved victory in their sector, after a similar announcement by the militarized Federal Police. His soldiers danced to patriotic music atop tanks even as airstrikes sent plumes of smoke into the air nearby.

Iraqi state TV reported, meanwhile, that Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in the city to declare victory over Daesh, also known as ISIS, in the more than eight-month old operation to drive the militants out of the city.

State TV quoted al-Abadi as saying that he congratulates the fighters and the people on the big victory in the key city, even as fighting continued in a small sliver of territory in the city.

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Iraqi forces say Daesh militants using children as shields

Hundreds flee as Iraqi forces attack last pockets of Daesh resistance in Mosul

Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul in October. Daesh now controls less than a square kilometre of territory in Mosuls Old City, but is using human shields, suicide bombers and snipers in a fight to the death.

The militants captured Mosul, Iraqs second largest city, in a matter of days in the summer of 2014. Nizal acknowledged that many of his men were among those who fled the city at that time in a humiliating defeat for the countrys armed forces.

Some things happened here, thats true, he said. But we have come back.

Much of Mosuls Old City and surrounding areas have been devastated by months of gruelling urban combat. On Sunday, a line of tired civilians filed out of the Old City on foot, past the carcasses of destroyed apartment blocks lining the cratered roads.

Heba Walid held her sister-in-laws baby, which was born into war. The parents of the six-month-old, along with 15 other family members, were killed last month when an airstrike hit their home. When Walid ran out of formula, she fed the baby a paste of crushed biscuits mixed with water.

Now they are among more than 897,000 people displaced by the fighting in Mosul.

The loss of the city would mark a major defeat for Daesh, which has suffered a series of major setbacks over the past year.

U.S.-backed Syrian forces have pushed into the groups de facto capital, the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, but a final victory there could be months away, and the extremists still hold several smaller towns and villages across Iraq and Syria.

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WASHINGTONPresident Donald Trump said Sunday that it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia after his lengthy meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Germany. But he is still avoiding the question of whether he accepts Putins denial that Russia was responsible for meddling in the 2016 election.

Speaking in a series of tweets the morning after returning from a world leaders summit in Germany, Trump said he strongly pressed Putin twice over Russian meddling during their meeting Friday.

Trump said that Putin vehemently denied the conclusions of American intelligence agencies that Russian hackers and propagandists tried to sway the election in Trumps favour. But Trump would not say whether he believed Putin, tweeting only that hes already given my opinion.

Trump has said he believes that Russia probably hacked the emails of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton staffers, but that other countries were likely involved as well.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov first told reporters in Germany on Friday that Trump had accepted Putins assurances that Russia hadnt meddled  an assertion Putin repeated Saturday after the Group of 20 summit. Putin said he left the meeting thinking that Trump believed his in-person denials following their discussion, which lasted more than two hours.

He asked questions, I replied. It seemed to me that he was satisfied with the answers, Putin said.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did not answer directly when asked Sunday if Trump had accepted Putins denial. Tillerson was the only other American official in the room when Trump and Putin met on Friday.

But White House chief of staff Reince Preibus took issue with Putins characterization. The president absolutely didnt believe the denial of President Putin, Priebus said on Fox News Sunday.

Priebus and other administration officials said Trump did not want Russian interference in last years election to prevent working with Putins government on other issues, including the civil war in Syria.

You know, the past, I dont know if we will ever come to an agreement, obviously with our Russian counterparts on that. I think the important thing is how do we assure that this doesnt happen again, Tillerson told reporters in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Tillerson said that, In all candidness, we did not expect an answer other than the one we received from Russia.

But in a show of U.S.-Russian co-operation, officials announced during the trip that the two sides had brokered a ceasefire in southern Syria that went into effect Sunday. Trump tweeted that the deal will save lives.

The two sides also agreed to create a cybersecurity task force to ensure that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded, Trump tweeted.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was among critics of the task force on Twitter and Sunday morning news shows.

Its not the dumbest idea Ive ever heard, but its pretty close, Graham said on NBCs Meet the Press.

Another Senate Republican, Marco Rubio of Florida, said on Twitter that partnering with Putin on a Cyber Security Unit is akin to partnering with Assad on a Chemical Weapons Unit. Rubio was referring to Syrian President Bashar Assad and his regimes use of chemical weapons against its own citizens.

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Trumps media-bashing keeps base happy but small: Daniel Dale

Trump isolates U.S. on G20 climate change action

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Amid the sesquicentennial celebration in Ottawa earlier this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau directed Canadians to turn toward the future and think about the next one hundred and fifty years before introducing the Canadian Space Agencys newest astronauts, Jennifer Sidey and Joshua Kutryk.

Lost amid the ensuing fanfare is the fact that Canadas spacefarers remain an exclusively white group, a disappointing and disturbing pattern for a country that advertises diversity as a core value, and presents astronauts as the future, and as science and technology role-models for all Canadians.

To be clear, both Sidey and Kutryk appear to be highly-qualified and very solid choices for roles in space. Kutryk, an engineer and military test pilot from Alberta, is cut from the same cloth as NASAs original Mercury Seven, and is basically Chris Hadfield 2.0. He attended the same university and U.S. Air Force test pilot school as Hadfield and even flew in the same RCAF squadron. Sidey, also from Alberta, has a PhD in mechanical engineering from Cambridge, and was also a lecturer there specializing in combustion and the physics of fire.

Problems appear with some historical perspective. In 1983, the National Research Council (NRC) put out Canadas first-ever call for astronauts (the Canadian Space Agency was established in 1987). It was open to all Canadians, and sought candidates with engineering or medical degrees to conduct experiments in orbit as payload specialists in NASAs space shuttle program.

Back then, nearly 5,000 Canadians applied, and a government committee chose 20 finalists based on questionnaires, interviews, medical screenings, and stressful physical and mental tests (the model still used today). A recent dig through the NRCs archives as part of my research into the history of astronauts turned up photographs and biographical information of the 20 Canadian astronaut finalists from 1983  19 men, and one woman, and only one visible minority. Compare that to this years 17 finalists, which included five women but no visible minorities  uneven progress at best.

Ultimately, in 1983, the NRC selected six astronauts including engineer and military pilot Marc Garneau (now the federal transport minister), who became the first Canadian in space in 1984, and Roberta Bondar, a medical doctor and neurologist, who became the first Canadian woman in space in 1992. Since then, in similar open calls to all Canadians, the CSA recruited four additional astronauts in 1992 (including Hadfield, and engineer Julie Payette), and, after a 17-year gap, military pilot Jeremey Hansen, and medical doctor and astrophysicist David Saint-Jacques in 2009  neither of whom has been to space yet.

Add Sidey and Kutryk in 2017, and Canadas astronaut selectees remain exclusively white, and skewed male, problematic trends out-of-step with national demographics. Its part of a wider diversity problem thats existed in astronaut selection since the dawn of the space age that leaves many feeling disconnected, or at worst, not welcome in this vision of the future.

Out of the 14 Canadians weve selected as astronauts since 1983, none have been visible minorities. Compare this with recent census data from Statistics Canada which state 20 per cent of Canadians self-identify as visible minorities (and this designation doesnt even include the nearly 1.5 million Indigenous people). The selection of Sidey brings the number of women selected to three out of 14, 21 per cent, compared to 50.4 per cent in the general population.

The CSA states that our astronauts also function as ambassadors for science and technology travelling the country encouraging young Canadians to pursue their education in STEM fields (and with the duo selected back in 2009 still waiting for their first flights, these newest recruits could be stuck in this mode for a decade or longer). Besides the moral imperative to extend human diversity to space, finally separating the right stuff from the white stuff would make the science and tech pitch more effective, and the lofty, inclusive, future-oriented rhetoric more convincing.

When it comes to diversity in astronauts, America  which began flying minorities in the early 80s  sadly has us beat. NASAs latest batch of astronaut-candidates, announced just last month, includes names like Rubio, Kim, Moghbeli, and Chari. Sidey and Kutryk will surely make Canadians proud, but officials in charge of our selection need to explain why, with 3,772 applications this time, our astronauts still fail to show anywhere near the same diversity as, say, the Trudeau cabinet. After all, to paraphrase the PM, its 2017.

Jordan Bimm is a PhD candidate in Science & Technology Studies at York University. In 2014-2015 he was a NASA Research Fellow, and in 2015-2016 he was a visiting student at Cambridge in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science.

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On June 21, National Aboriginal Day, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the federal government will change the name of Langevin Block, the building across from Parliament Hill, to the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council.

The building was named after Father of Confederation Sir Hector-Louis Langevin. Recently, people have requested that it be renamed on the grounds that Langevin was the architect of Canadas Indian Residential School system. Earlier this year, Calgarys city council used similar rhetoric when it announced the Langevin Bridge would be renamed Reconciliation Bridge as part of the citys commitment to strengthening Indigenous-settler relations.

Many have debated the merits of name-changing in the era of so-called reconciliation. Less attention has been paid, however, to the singling out of Langevin as the primary player in the creation of residential schools. In fact, while Langevin was certainly a proponent of the system, he was not the architect. That distinction belongs to a figure that many Canadians hold in much higher regard: John A. Macdonald.

Indeed, Macdonald, as Canadas founding prime minister, played the instrumental role of initiating, supporting, and defending the residential school system in the late 19th century. It was Macdonald, not Langevin, who served as the Superintendent General of Indian Affairs and was responsible for overseeing the establishment of residential schooling. It seems, though, that Langevin, as a lesser-known figure, is taking the fall.

To be sure, Langevin is an easier target than Macdonald, as is a figure like Egerton Ryerson  another name incorrectly linked to the architect label. But if Canadians are serious about reconciliation it is important that they understand the truth about residential schools, as the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission made clear. Facing the truth must include reckoning with the uncomfortable fact that Canadas Father of Confederation was also the architect of Canadas Indigenous genocide.

Langevin, as the Minister of Public Works in Macdonalds cabinet, played an important role in advocating for residential schools. In 1883, Langevin spoke in favour of the schools: The fact is if you wish to educate these children you must separate them from their parents during the time that they are being educated. If you leave them in the family they may know how to read and write, but they still remain savages, whereas by separating them in the way proposed, they acquire the habits and tastes  it is to be hoped only the good tastes  of civilized people.

There is no way to sidestep such a comment or the role that Langevin, as a high-ranking government official, played in supporting the nascent residential school system. Yet, as others have asked, aside from one quote, what evidence is there that Langevin should be identified as the architect? As a historian of residential schooling in Canada, I see little evidence to support such a claim.

Rather, the person ultimately responsible for planning and bringing about the system  its architect  is Macdonald. In the late 1870s, Macdonald dreamed of creating an organized system of federal schools for Indigenous children that could be used to disrupt Indigenous lifeways and control over the land to accelerate successful settler colonialism.

As such, he appointed a friend, Nicholas Flood Davin, to investigate the success of boarding schools for Indigenous peoples in the United States and determine how it could be replicated in Canada. Impressed by American policies of aggressive assimilation through residential schooling, Davin published his report in 1879. Beginning shortly thereafter, Macdonald adopted Davins recommendation to create residential schools to help eradicate Canadas so-called Indian problem.

In May 1883, two weeks before Langevin delivered his infamous speech, Macdonald laid out the aim of the schools in the House of Commons. He argued, When the school is on the reserve the child lives with its parents, who are savages; he is surrounded by savages, and though he may learn to read and write his habits, and training and mode of thought are Indian. He is simply a savage who can read and write  [T]he Indian children should be withdrawn as much as possible from the parental influence, and the only way to do that would be to put them in central training industrial schools where they will acquire the habits and modes of thought of white men.

Macdonald backed up his talk by defending the expansion of the residential school system to all parts of the country, despite many problems with the first schools, including a high number of student deaths, truancy, and inadequate housing and poor educational conditions.

While Langevin and other government officials, civil servants, church officials and staff, and Canadians generally deserve their share of the blame for the genocidal system of Indian Residential Schools and its ongoing intergenerational effects, Macdonald must be understood as its architect. This is likely to be an uncomfortable and unsettling truth, but it is one that Canadians must confront and convert to common knowledge in the current era of truth and reconciliation.

Sean Carleton is an Assistant Professor in the Department of General Education at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta, Treaty 7. He studies and has published articles on the history of colonialism, capitalism, and schooling, including Indian Residential Schools, in Western Canada.

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Ensuring that pregnant women receive the care they need should be a priority of any health care system.

But some of the most vulnerable pregnant women in Toronto, those who are homeless, do not disclose the extent of their challenges because of stigma and fear of losing custody. The result is that births by homeless women are vastly underestimated in the provincial health ministrys official data.

The Stars Ainslie Cruickshank reported this past week that an estimated 300 babies were born to homeless mothers in the city of Toronto each year between 2012 and 2014, according to experts.

By comparison, the numbers collected by the Canadian Institute for Health Information for Ontarios Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, which are based on self-reporting of homelessness in hospital births only, show fewer than eight such births each year.

The size of this discrepancy is enough to sound the alarm. Dr. Ashley Vandermorris, one of the authors of a journal commentary calling for better statistics on homeless births, told Cruickshank that understanding the magnitude of this issue is the first step toward finding solutions.

Vandermorris is right. The health ministry cannot hope to provide adequate supports and services to pregnant, homeless women while using data that reaches only a very small portion of this group to inform their efforts.

A ministry spokesperson even acknowledged that the data is flawed due to bias in self-reporting on homelessness, but still defended using the numbers. It is unacceptable for the province to remain willfully ignorant of the extent of this issue, especially when external agencies have offered such divergent numbers.

Part of the solution is for the ministry to pursue more thorough data collection. It should include reports of births by women in shelters, detention facilities and residences  not just hospitals.

But the governments flawed information on homeless births is not only a problem of inadequate data collection. It is also a symptom of a greater issue: the stigma attached to homelessness which impedes pregnant, homeless women from disclosing their status and seeking support.

Joyce Bernstein, an epidemiologist, told the Star that its common for homeless people to attempt to hide their status due to stigma. The fear of losing custody makes the prospect of disclosure even more daunting for pregnant women.

To address the root of this issue the province should make access to housing support more readily available to pregnant women and integrate such services within the health care system to encourage women to reach out rather than conceal their challenges.

There is reason to believe such a strategy will yield good results. One woman who was homeless throughout her first pregnancy told Cruickshank it was her housing worker who made all the difference in her efforts to find housing. She was able to find her an apartment of her own a few months after she gave birth.

The province may also look to other programs for vulnerable parents as models for how different kinds of services can be integrated. Programs are available in Toronto and Hamilton, for instance, to expectant parents who are drug users.

A recent series of articles in the Hamilton Spectator found that combining medical appointments related to pregnancy with treatment for addiction made it more likely that the pregnant women would access the right care.

Such programs seem to benefit parents and babies alike. Babies with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, which results from exposure to drugs during pregnancy, tend to do well with the right medical attention. A Hamilton hospital with a program for substance using moms reported that about 60 per cent of NAS babies went home with their birth parents in 2014.

The province should aim to better support all vulnerable parents-to-be. To do that, it must first understand the true extent of the issues they face.

Correction: July 11, 2017: This article was edited from a previous version that stated that a homeless woman was able to find housing before her child was born through the help of a housing worker. In fact, that woman did not find housing until several months after the birth of her child.

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SPOKANE, Wash.  Northwest Farm Credit Services has awarded 84 students from its five-state territory a total of $168,000 in scholarships. The 2017 Scholarship Program winners from Magic Valley, who will each receive a $2,000 college scholarship, include:

Buhl: Jim Elkin is the son of Ron and Inga Elkin. He is a recent graduate of Buhl High school and plans to attend the University of Idaho in the fall. Ella Machado is the daughter of Mal and Sandy Machado. Machado is a recent graduate of Castleford High School and will be attending Carroll College in the fall.

Hazelton: Brinley Reed is the daughter of John and Darlene Reed. Reed graduated from Valley High School and plans to continue her education at The College of Idaho.

Jerome: Gretchen Hansten is the daughter of Alan and Sheri Hansten. Hansten is a freshman at the University of Idaho where she is studying Agricultural Education, Animal Science and Agribusiness.

Idaho Minority Scholarship Award Winners

The Northwest FCS Minority scholarship supports academic achievement and the advancement of diversity by awarding $2,000 scholarships to students pursuing degrees in agriculture/finance/ business in the Northwest.

Burley: Jaime Mojarra is the son of Jaime Mojarra and Veronica Robles. He is double majoring in Agricultural Business and Agricultural Systems Management at the University of Idaho. He is the VP of Organizacion de Estudiantes Latino Americanos, Director of Fundraising for Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity, Inc. and a member of Association of Latino Professionals for America. He also serves as a UNITY Representative on campus. Following graduation, Mojarra plans to work in Agricultural Sales or Operations Management.

Northwest FCS Employee Scholarship Recipients

This scholarship is awarded to sons and daughters of Northwest FCS employees.

Declo: McKinley Payne is the daughter of Mark and Megan Payne. She is a recent graduate of Declo High School and plans to continue her education at Brigham Young University.

Northwest FCS is an $11 billion financial cooperative providing financing and related services to farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses, commercial fishermen, timber producers, rural homeowners and crop insurance customers in Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Alaska.
Staff Reporter  The Zimbabwe Daily

Masvingo, Zimbabwe  According to the MDC Alliance Youth league, MDC Alliance Youth Assembly National Organizer Clr Godfrey Kurauone was today arrested for giving food to the underprivileged during the national day of fasting a couple of days ago.

The courageous Kurauone recently defied Emmerson Mnangagwas call for Command Fasting by feeding the underprivileged at Mucheke Bus terminus in Masvingo.

It is very clear that our National Organizer is being punished for refusing to yield to the dictates of an illegitimate President.

Moreso, it is very clear that the illegitimate Emmerson Mnangagwa is abusing courts through persecution by prosecution of MDC Alliance supporters.

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The courts have become a new centre of the struggle and we are ready to challenge Mnangagwas authoritarianism with tenacity anytime anywhere.

The state is preferring the same charge to one levelled against Macrad Director, Ephraim Mutombeni who languished in prison for more than one week only to be granted bail today after deafening public outcry from human rights defenders, said Stephen Chuma, MDC Alliances national spokesperson.

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Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes. The company provides Alimta for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and malignant pleural mesothelioma; Cyramza for metastatic gastric cancer, gastro-esophageal junction adenocarcinoma, metastatic NSCLC, metastatic colorectal cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma; Erbitux for colorectal cancers, and various head and neck cancers; Retevmo for metastatic NSCLC, medullary thyroid cancer, and thyroid cancer; Tyvyt for relapsed or refractory classic Hodgkin's lymph and non-squamous NSCLC; and Verzenio for HR+, HER2- metastatic breast cancer, node positive, and early breast cancer. It offers Olumiant for rheumatoid arthritis; and Taltz for plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and non-radiographic axial spondylarthritis. The company offers Cymbalta for depressive disorder, diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, generalized anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia, and chronic musculoskeletal pain; Emgality for migraine prevention and episodic cluster headache; and Zyprexa for schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder, and bipolar maintenance. Its Bamlanivimab and etesevimab, and Bebtelovimab for COVID-19; Cialis for erectile dysfunction and benign prostatic hyperplasia; and Forteo for osteoporosis. The company has collaborations with Incyte Corporation; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; AbCellera Biologics Inc.; Junshi Biosciences; Regor Therapeutics Group; Lycia Therapeutics, Inc.; Kumquat Biosciences Inc.; Entos Pharmaceuticals Inc.; and Foghorn Therapeutics Inc. Eli Lilly and Company was founded in 1876 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
2007

July 16: After thousands of lightning strikes, fire starts near the Twin Falls-Owyhee county line.

July 18: Murphy Hot Springs is ordered evacuated due to the Rowland Fire, one of the larger fires that will later merge into the Murphy Complex.

July 19: Jarbidge, Nev., is ordered evacuated. The Duck Valley Indian Reservation loses power when utility poles burn.

July 21-22: Eight large wildfires near the Idaho-Nevada border merge over the weekend, forming the larger fire that will be called Murphy Complex.

July 23: Twin Falls County commissioners pass an emergency ordinance prohibiting open burning. Gov. C.L. Butch Otter declares a state of disaster emergency in five Idaho counties being ravaged by wildfires, including Twin Falls, Cassia and Owyhee.

July 24: The Jarbidge evacuation order is the last such order to be lifted.

July 25: After growing by almost 100,000 acres in the previous two days, largely in Nevada, the fire appears to have halted about 10 miles east of Mountain City, Nev.

July 26: The fire is 37 percent contained.

July 30: The fire is 98 percent contained.

Aug. 2: The fire is contained.

Aug. 9: U.S. Interior Secretary and former Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne visits Three Creek.

Aug. 18: Jarbidge holds its summer history festival, which was planned for July but postponed due to the fire.

Sept. 13: Idaho Department of Fish and Game announces a shorter-than-usual sage grouse season, partially due to the fires destruction.

After the fire: Restoration efforts start. By 2009, Bureau of Land Management teams will have drill-seeded 82,779 acres and seeded 294,098 acres aerially. In the first year after the fire, 80,000 sagebrush, 20,000 bitterbrush and 1,600 willows are planted.

Later

September 2008: Bureau of Land Management, University of Idaho and other researchers release a report saying extreme temperatures and weather were a far bigger factor in the fire than grazing or lack thereof. However, the study also suggests looking into targeted grazing as a fire management option under less extreme conditions.

February 2009: U.S. District Judge Lynn B. Winmill rules that, due to the fire, grazing in the area cannot be allowed to continue at previous levels, while stopping short of a total ban and rejecting most of the other requests in Western Watersheds Projects lawsuit.

March 2011: Winmill reasserts a 2005 ruling which stemmed from a lawsuit brought by Western Watersheds and banned grazing on 17 allotments southwest of Twin Falls. The cattle producers appeal.

July 2011: Winmill overturns the ban on grazing on those 17 allotments.

2012: Mountain Home ranchers create the states first Rangeland Fire Protection Association. Before this, the BLM didnt allow ranchers to help fight fires due to safety and liability concerns.

2013: The Idaho Legislature passes a bill authorizing creation of nonprofit RFPAs and appropriates $400,000 to help with startup costs.

2017: About 330 ranchers, farmers and their employees are members of nine RFPAs.

Sources: Times-News archives; Bureau of Land Management, Idaho Department of Lands, Idaho legislative reports.
The Saudi British Bank (SABB), a leading trade bank in Saudi Arabia, is partnering with Bolero International, a top trade finance digitisation solution provider, to offer electronic trade document solutions to corporate clients.



Adoption of Bolero solutions by SABB puts the bank at the forefront of innovation, making it the first bank in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to enable clients to initiate transactions electronically, eradicating the time-consuming inefficiencies associated with paper documents.



The partnership will initially provide Boleros electronic guarantees solution, as a first step towards the provision of a wider range of digitised trade documentation solutions via the Bolero platform, in accordance with the requirements of SABBs corporate clients.



We are extremely pleased to enter this partnership with Bolero which puts SABB at the cutting edge of trade innovation, giving our clients all the far-reaching advantages of transaction-speed and security that flow from the Bolero digital trade solutions, said David Dew, managing director, SABB.



As the pre-eminent trade bank in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia we see this partnership with Bolero as an essential part of our commitment to excellence and innovation in the service of our highly-valued corporate clients.



Ian Kerr, CEO of Bolero International added: It is very exciting to forge a partnership with such a genuinely forward-looking and highly respected institution as SABB. Bolero is dedicated to improving corporate efficiency by opening up world trade to the advantages of digitisation. We have a strong history of working with banks and we very much look forward to developing our partnership with SABB.  TradeArabia News Service
This appeared in Saturdays Washington Post. Its an honor to be with you, President Donald Trump told Russian President Vladimir PutinFriday as they met for the first time. No. Wrong. It is not an honor to sit down with the leader of a regime that invades peaceable neighbors, covertly interferes in the elections of democratic nations, and orchestrates and tolerates the assassination of domestic political opponents and journalists.

That doesnt mean its wrong to meet. As Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said after the leaders ended two-plus hours of conversation, it is crucial for the worlds two major nuclear powers to engage with each other, as they did during the Cold War. How do we live with one another? How do we work with one another? Tillerson said. He said the two leaders spent much time on two specific areas where, at least in theory, cooperation could be mutually beneficial: the war in Syria and non- interference in future U.S. elections.

Whether cooperation with the Putin regime is possible in practice, in those or other areas, is less clear.

On the elections, Trump entered the talks in a weak position of his own devising. In a news conference Thursday, the U.S. president once again cast doubt on the fact of Russian meddling in the 2016 election, which U.S. intelligence agencies, and other politicians of both parties who have seen the evidence, do not doubt. He muddied the waters further on Friday morning with a bizarre tweet about John Podesta, campaign chairman for Trumps 2016 Democratic presidential rival, Hillary Clinton. According to Tillerson, the U.S. president then raised with Putin the concerns of the American people about Russias interference; lets hope he made clear that they are his concerns as well, and that there will be consequences for that meddling.

It would be useful if the two nations could begin work on cyberwar rules of the road, as they once talked about ways to lessen the danger of nuclear conflict. (In fact, it would be useful if they resumed talking about nuclear weapons, too.) Such rules could include pledges of non-interference in future elections and ways to test those pledges. But such forward-looking endeavors, which Tillerson emphasized, cant override the ongoing investigations by Congress and the FBI into Russias past actions and the importance of making clear how unacceptable the interference was.

It would be positive, too, if the two countries could work together toward a peaceful future for the ravaged nation of Syria. Tillerson said the two leaders discussed a de-escalation agreement, with Jordan also participating, for a region in Syrias southwest. He held out hope for larger-scale cooperation. By and large, our objectives are exactly the same, Tillerson asserted. If thats so, one nation or the other has changed its objectives. Putin has long been interested in shoring up the murderous regime of Bashar Assad and has worked with Iran to do so; the U.S. position has been that lasting peace will be impossible as long as Assad is in power. Although neither President Barack Obama nor the current administration was willing to back up that assessment with sufficient aid to Assads opponents, the assessment was, and remains, accurate.
- Interior CS Joseph Nkaissery died suddenly after a busy day in the public

- It is not clear what killed Nkaissery who his family says was healthy

- TUKO.co.ke looks at past deaths similar to Nkaissery's and why Kenyans shouldn't expect answers any time soon

Kenyans were left devastated by the untimely demise of Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery on the night of Saturday, July 9, after falling ill suddenly.

Conflicting theories have already been advanced towards establishing what really led to the sudden death of a man who was healthy even at the time he retired to bed.

While at it, TUKO.co.ke looks at some past incidents related to the Nkaissery tragedy which bitterly kill any hope of getting to the bottom of the death.

READ ALSO: Meet Helen, the woman behind the glittering career of late CS Joseph Nkaissery (photos, video)

1. George Saitoti and Orwa Ojode plane crash

George Saitoti (right) shares a chat with Joseph Nkaissery. The two are dead Photo: Twitter/Kenya West

George Saitoti was holding the same position as Nkaissery when he met his untimely death, together with his assistant, former Ndhiwa MP Orwa Ojode, when their helicopter crashed at the Kibiko forest in Ngong.

On June 10, 2012, the two, together with their bodyguards and two pilots, were on their way to Ndhiwa when they died. The chopper caught fire and they were burned.

Saitoti was Kenya's longest serving vice president in retired President Daniel Moi's government.

Investigations into what caused the crash commenced and five years down the line, nothing has ever been discovered. The mystery in Saitoti's death is yet to be unravelled despite some reports indicating they may have been poisoned before the crash.

READ ALSO: The two emotional photos that will always remind Kidero of the late Nkaissery

2. Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo

Former Makueni Senator the late Mutula Kilonzo Photo: Buzz kenya

Just a month after being elected Makueni Senator, the country was taken aback by the sudden death of vocal Wiper member Mutula Kilonzo.

He was former Education minister in the Mwai Kibaki government and a very vocal member of the then CORD coalition.

Mutula was found dead at his Maanzoni Ranch and investigations commenced on what might have killed him.

His family complained of efforts by the government to tamper with blood samples that were being shipped abroad for investigation.

A recent report indicated he may have died from blood pressure that caused bleeding. But his family has continued to refute the government claims.

READ ALSO: The chilling coincidence between Nkaiserry and Saitoti's deaths

3. Homa Bay senator Otieno Kajwang

Former Homa Bay Senator the late Otieno Kajwang Photo: All Africa

On November 19, 2014, Kenyans were taken aback to learn of the sudden death of Homa Bay Senator Gerald Otieno Kajwang.

Kajwang was one of the most dramatic members of the opposition and could move masses with his humour coupled with song and dance.

The senator was said to have died from a heart attack at the Marter Hospital in Nairobi but his family disputed the claims and demanded answers to what might have killed him.

Just like the rest, nothing has ever come out of the investigations into the untimely demise of Kajwang.

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4. Raila Odinga's son, Fidel Castro Odinga

The late Fidel Castro Photo: Mpasho

January 4, 2015 and the country is shocked with hard-to-swallow news that the eldest son of Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga, Fidel Castro Odinga, is dead.

Fidel was found dead at his house in Karen after a night out with friends. The body was discovered by his wife who later alerted his parents, Raila and Mama Ida.

It was not clear what killed Fidel and therefore investigations commenced into the same.

Two and half years down the line, nothing is yet to come out about the death of a man who was believed to be the heir of his father's political dynasty.

Wavinya Ndeti finally explains the "Yaliyo Ndwele Sipite" proverb

Have something to add to this article or suggestions? Send to news@tuko.co.ke

Source: TUKO.co.ke
- In the past two regimes, over 15 sitting politicians have died in various circumstances

- Some have died in accidents while others's cause of death remains unknown to date

- TUKO.co.ke has compiled the names and circumstances of 15 politicians who've died in office during the Kibaki and Kenyatta regimes

In the past few years, a number of politicians from across the political divide and in different regimes have passed on in yet to be understood circumstances to date.

The latest death, the late Joseph Nkaissery's, continues to baffle Kenyans over how sudden his death came despite being fit as a fiddle at a previous national event he attended on Friday, July 7, a day before he passed on.

As we continue mourning the late Interior cabinet secretary, below are some politicians who have passed on while still in office:

READ ALSO: Matiangi makes major security announcement hours after replacing late Nkaiserry

The late Kipkalya Kones. Source: Nation.

READ ALSO: Popular Nollywood actor now demands to meet newly appointed acting Interior CS Fred Matiangi

1. Bonaya Godana

The late Godana passed away on April 10, 2006, while on a peace keeping mission to reconcile warring communities in Marsabit. He passed away in a plane crash in Marsabit.

2. Ahmad Mohammed Khalif

Khalif passed on in a plane crash when the plane carrying senior members from Mwai Kibaki's government snagged power lines after take off and crashed into houses in Busia county.

The crash occurred on January 24, 2003.

3. Kipkalya Kones

The late Kones passed away on June 10, 2008, when a plane he was traveling in crashed near Maasai Mara. He was the roads minister then and there were no survivors in the crash.

READ ALSO: 5 things you probably did not know about Helen, wife to late CS Joseph

The lates Joseph Nkaissery and George Saitoti. Source: Nation.

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4. Lorna Laboso

The late Laboso also passed away in the same crash that claimed the life of Kipkalya Kones. She was the assistant home affairs minister then.

5 George Saitoti

He passed away on June 10, 2012, when the plane he was travelling in crashed in Ngong Forest. All passengers on board died on the spot. To date, the circumstances behind the crash remain unknown after Saitoti intimated that there had been previous attempts to assassinate him for political secrets he knew about.

6. Orwa Ojode

Ojode, the then Ndhiwa MP and deputy Internal Security minister passed away in the same crash that claimed the life of Saitoti.

READ ALSO: Nkaiserry's best friend narrates how the CS died

The late Mutula Kilonzo. Source: Citizen TV.

READ ALSO: Wily M Tuva sends beautiful message on daughters birthday

7. Mutula Kilonzo

The late Kilonzo passed away on April 27, 2013, under suspicious circumstances. He died of massive bleeding caused by high blood pressure.

At the time of his death, speculation was rife that he'd been poisoned following reports of him being found foaming at the mouth and that he'd vomited.

8. Otieno Kajwang

The late Homa Bay senator passed away on November 18, 2014, following a heart attack. He developed breathing complications and was rushed to Mater Hospital. He died at age 55.

9. George Thuo

The late Juja parliamentarian died under suspicious circumstances after having drinks with friends at a Kiambu club.

He complained of rising body temperatures and wanted to remove his clothes. 15 minutes later, he collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. Claims, at the time of his death, were rife that he'd been poisoned too.

READ ALSO: 30-year-old man paid his best friend salary to impregnate his wife, what followed next is LAUGHABLE!

The late Nderitu Gachagua was the first governor to die in office.

READ ALSO: Kenyan girl trips on her high-heels and falls into an open sewer (photos)

10. Abdi Sasura (Saku), Titus Ngoyoni (Laisamis) and Guracha Galgallo (Moyale)

They passed away in the same accident that claimed Bonaya Godana's life. They had been enroute on a peace keeping mission to reconcile warring communities at the time.

11. Boy Juma Boy

The late Kwale senator (ODM) passed away on February 12, 2017, while receiving treatment at the Aga Khan hospital. He had been admitted for a week before he succumbing to high blood pressure complications.

12. GG Kariuki

The late Laikipia senator passed away on June 30, 2017, at age 78.

According to his family, he'd beein ailing for some time and had not been active in politics for a while.

READ ALSO: This is the KSh 13 million car that KTN's Betty Kyallo drives (photo)

The late Nderitu Gachagua. Source: Capital FM

READ ALSO: Meet young woman who lives WITHOUT face all her life (photos)

13. Joseph Nkaissery

The late Nkaissery passed away suddenly on Saturday, July 8. He had been as fit as a fiddle before he collapsed at his Karen home and was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

His last steps continue being retraced as a lounge at the Bomas of Kenya remains cordoned off to the public. He is said to have had a meal there before heading home.

14. David Mwiraria

The former finance minister passed away on April 13, 2017, at the Karen Hospital.

He had been receiving treatment for acute respiratory infection and cancer.

15. Nderitu Gachagua

The late Nderitu Gachagua passed away on February 24, 217, at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London.

He had been battling pancreatic cancer for about two years. He passed away aged 64.

Have something to add to this article? Send to news@tuko.co.ke

Watch what people think will happen if Uhuru Kenyatta does not win the election:

Source: TUKO.co.ke
The economy of Ukraine demonstrates stable growth, and the task of international financial organizations, which are partners of the state, is to help accelerate this process.

This opinion was expressed by representatives of the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank and the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation at the Ukraine Reform Conference, organised by the UKs Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Government portal reports.

"We are now moving towards stability and economic growth, we see rapid reforms in the banking and energy sectors, public procurement and corporate governance. What should be done next? [Ukraine should] remove economic barriers, restore respect for property and tackle corruption," President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Suma Chakrabarti said.

At the same time, he stressed that competent land reform and successful privatization would attract investors and serious funds to various sectors of the economy, particularly to the agricultural area.

In turn, World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia Cyril Muller also stressed the need for the balanced land reform.

"However, there is another challenge  the fight against poverty and the improvement of living standards," he said, adding that the World Bank shares the Government's desire to modernize Ukraine's social assistance system.

The representatives of the European Investment Bank and the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation also spoke about the need for development of Ukrainian economy.

"The EIB is ready to continue supporting export-oriented enterprises and developing projects for Ukraine's technological renewal, support for innovation and science. In turn, the OECD will cooperate in the investment area and creation of business climate, fight against corruption, institutional development and the rule of law," the press service of the Government of Ukraine reports.

More than three dozen diplomats and representatives of international financial organizations participated in the Ukraine Reform Conference, which was chaired by Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman and British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Boris Johnson.

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The Affordable Care Act has widely been held aloft as one of the leading drivers of the deepening polarization of American political lifeit has been bitterly fought over for years and has loomed as a great embodiment of all that ideologically divides the two parties. Yet in a strange twist, the GOP debate over repeal has actually revealed that there is a surprising amount of hidden consensus on health care.

In a nutshell, what the debate has really shown is that the passage and implementation of the ACA has given rise to a latent majority in Congressor at least one in the Senatethat has more or less made peace with the ACAs spending and regulatory architecture and its fundamental ideological goals, either for political or principled reasons, or for some combination of the two. The debate has forced this basic reality out into the open. And this, I think, is one key reason it is proving so hard for the GOP to repeal it.

The Posts David Weigel has an extraordinary report on a town-hall meeting held by GOP Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas that neatly illustrates the point. Moran is a GOP loyalist who previously headed the GOP Senate campaign arm and sits firmly in the mainstream of todays GOP. Yet even he is having trouble supporting the GOP bill. At the town-hall meeting, there was no sign of his previous calls for repeal:

He did not describe the task facing Republicans as repeal; it was repair, replace, whatever language people are using.

Pressed by activists and voters, Moran said that he did not want to cut back Medicaid. I have concern about people with disabilities, the frail and elderly, Moran said. I also know that if we want health care in rural places and across Kansas, Medicare and Medicaid need to compensate for the services they provide.

After the town hall meeting, Moran told reporters the version of the GOPs bill that he opposed put too much of Medicaid at risk.

Medicaid, except for the extension part of Medicaid, is not really a part of fixing the Affordable Care Act, he said. So weve coupled two things, both of which are very difficult. Kansas is a place thats treated Medicaid payments very conservative. If there are people receiving those payments who dont deserve them, deal with that issue.

Moran appears to mean that the GOP bill would not only phase out the ACAs Medicaid expansion; it would also cut Medicaid funding far beyond the expansion (to the tune of $776 billion over 10 years, leaving 15 million fewer covered by the program). Moran is saying this would hurt untold numbers of people, including the disabled and sick, and suggesting that such deep Medicaid cuts would threaten to close rural hospitals. He is suggesting that, while able-bodied adults might allegedly be scamming their way onto the Medicaid expansion, this issue should not be taken to justify the deeper cuts to Medicaid. And this, as Weigel notes, unfolded in one of the reddest parts of a deep red state.

The bottom line is that Republicans who currently oppose the Senate bill object to it because it would roll back federal spending in a way that would hurt millions and millions of people. This includes Moran and moderates such as Dean Heller of Nevada, Susan Collins of Maine, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, and Rob Portman of Ohio, all of whom have made variations of this argument. Some, such as Collins and Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, have even objected on the grounds that this would finance a massive tax cut for the wealthy, and that this is indefensible.

All of this is dramatically at odds with the ludicrous spin coming from GOP leaders such as John Cornyn of Texas and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, who argue that the millions left uncovered under the GOP bill will be choosing that plight, because they will have been liberated from the hated ACA mandate. To summarize, Republicans are arguing both that (1) millions wont actually be hurt by these Medicaid cuts, either because they arent really cuts, or because everyone will have access to health care later; and that (2) if many millions of people go without coverage who would otherwise have been covered, they did so by choice.

It is true that scrapping the mandate would be a partial cause of the rise in the uninsured. But how many of the 15 million fewer covered by Medicaid would be choosing that outcome, as opposed to not being able to afford coverage on their own? The point here is that, while it is of course possible to make a principled argument against the mandate, Republicans are doing something else entirely: They are hiding behind their arguments against the mandate to evade acknowledging the true human toll their proposed Medicaid cuts would inflict. What this really means is that they are basically fine with rolling back the ACAs massive coverage expansion to facilitate a massive tax cut for the rich, but just wont say so out loud.

But all indications are that moderate Republican senatorsand even senators such as Moranare not fine with this outcome. And this also applies to the ACAs provisions barring discrimination against people with preexisting conditions. As Philip Klein in the Washington Examiner points out, Republicans are badly hung up on thisthey are struggling to find some other way of realizing that goal while also repealing the mandate, which means they still want government to act to accomplish the same thing.

Now, these objecting senators may still end up supporting a revised GOP bill in the end, due to party pressures and other factors.

But if they do, they will only justify it by pretending that a few additional last-minute dollars (in relative terms) added to the bill would put a meaningful dent in the enormous coverage loss the bill would produce, which that money would not actually do.

This would mean their current objections were insincere. But right now, if we take those objections at face value, we have learned that theyand a majority of the Senate, when taken along with all Democratsjust arent willing to be associated with rolling back the large coverage expansion that the ACA has achieved.

* McCONNELL SEES POSSIBILITY THAT HEALTH BILL COULD FAIL: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is now saying that if the GOP bill fails, Republicans will have to act to shore up the insurance markets. But as The Posts Juliet Eilperin and Amy Goldstein point out:

His suggestion that he and his colleagues might instead try to bolster the insurance exchanges created under the ACA is at odds with Republican talking points that they are beyond repair . . . Until now, both congressional Republicans and the Trump administration have contended that the collapse of the ACA marketplaces is a main reason to erase much of the 2010 law.

Exactly! McConnells concession blows up one of the biggest and most mendacious stories President Trump and Republicans have been telling about Obamacare for months.

* NO END TO THE GOP LYING ABOUT HEALTH CARE: Paul Krugman runs through multiple lies and deceptions that Republicans are telling about their health-care bill, including this one:

Senior Republicans like Paul Ryan dismiss declines in the number of people with coverage as no big deal, because they would represent voluntary choices not to buy insurance. How is this supposed to apply to the 15 million people the C.B.O. predicts would lose Medicaid? Wouldnt many people drop coverage, not as an exercise in personal freedom, but in response to what the Kaiser Family Foundation estimates would be an average 74 percent increase in after-tax premiums?

Republicans like to say the coverage loss would be the result of peoples choices once the hated mandate is scrapped. But if this is about the mandate, why the huge cuts in taxes for the rich and Medicaid?

* AND TRUMP KEEPS UP ASSAULT ON MEDIAFROM ABROAD: While Trump was preparing early Friday morning for meetings with world leaders, including Putin, he found time to tweet this:

I will represent our country well and fight for its interests! Fake News Media will never cover me accurately but who cares! We will #MAGA!

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 7, 2017

Trump appears to be instructing his supporters in advance to tune out any accurate media coverage of his handling of these meetings if that coverage proves unflattering for him.
125 YEARS AGO

From 1892: A thousand dollars was spent on the celebrations over the 4th and 5th of July and all was paid up on time. Sheep Shearing and Tying and Roping were the features that attracted the most interest by our visitors.

In 1857 Lt. Beale and his surveying party were camped here at this place while on their surveying trip of the Beale Road from Colorado to California. In celebration of the 4th of July they cut the limbs from a straight pine tree and from this standard flew their flag of the United States of America. Lt. Beale noted in his log that they were 343 miles from Albuquerque on this day.

The grade on the Santa Fe, Prescott, Phoenix Railroad has been finished into Bingharts. The rock cut is 2,000 feet long and 50 feet deep and is the most expensive part of the grade.

100 YEARS AGO

From 1917: State Auto Licenses will have to be secured in order to avoid the penalty of the law. There are a number of autos around the county with last year's numbers on them. These will be taken up unless proper application has been made. If you purchase a new vehicle make sure you post a notice on it that the new plates have been properly applied for. Sheriff Dickenson.

F. H. Patton, who operates the Santa Fe Ranch is now the proud possessor of patent papers for a new simple Aerial Torpedo for use on aero planes. It only weighs about 250 pounds and will cost less than $150 to be built in small lots. It is about 18 inches in diameter and 4 feet long. It contains receptacles for 280 steel bullets and any quantity of explosives. Its firing pin is in its nose. When it strikes and goes off it will blow up anything in a half-mile radius.

The National Council of Defense calls attention to the necessity for full cooperation between all interests to be sure in the end that full efficiency of transportation units (this means freight cars) may be obtained. It is to be noted that during the past year a serious shortage of freight cars and other railroad facilities, with the need well beyond capacity. Scheduling for prompt loading and unloading will help this situation.

75 YEARS AGO

From 1942: The Air Craft Metal class is calling for new enrollees. All members of the previous class are now employed. Please note a Birth Certificate is no longer required for war work employment.

Merchants must now file a list of ceiling prices for their goods. It is noted that most of the filling stations have not done so.

The Navajo Marines are proving to be great riflemen. The first all Navajo platoon scored the highest of any platoon ever before.

The Rubber Drive came to a conclusion at midnight Friday with members of the committee having gone house to house in their search for unused rubber. Fred Paine, Chairman.

In June 44,000 bluegill and bass were planted in Upper Lake Mary by the Arizona Fish and Game Department according to Fern Chiappetti President of the Flagstaff Game Protective Association. Currently the lake is not closed but this possibility is under discussion.

At The Orpheum Shirley Temple in Miss Annie Rooney.

Our summer heat wave reached its peak with 92 degrees on Monday. L. 43 Fri. Rain Tues. & Sat. 0.37

50 YEARS AGO

From 1967: In an unprecedented decision the City Council has approved the supplying of water for a business located outside the City Limits. 100,000 gallons of water per day has been OK'd for the Ponderosa Paper Products Co. at a special inside city rate.

In a new policy at City Park, Commercial Grand Stand events will be charged $50 and charitable events $20 to cover the costs of cleaning up afterwards and the use of utilities.

On Thursday about 4 p.m. approximately 50,000 gallons of water were lost when hydrants on W. Cherry Ave., Riordan Rd, N. Beaver and Ellery were opened by unknown persons.

Flagstaff Inn Keepers are protesting the rezoning change and the development of the Country Club interchange property requested by a Phoenix developer in an effort to keep Flagstaff healthy for business in a hard fight to void the plan drawn by the Bureau of Roads.

The City Tax Rate holds at $2.90 per $100 assessed valuation.

A brief deluge in East Flagstaff created a traffic hazard in front of the Lumber Jack Cafe Tuesday afternoon and general water use was down due to the rainfall.

H. 81 Sun. &. Wed. L.52 Fri.  Light showers then Rain Wed. 0.03

25 YEARS AGO

From 1992: The escaped convict who has eluded capture while hiding in the Grand Canyon for the past 7 weeks stepped out at Desert View Point and pulled his gun on two British women visitors in a rental car. He then drove them out through the exit without being identified and drove on south on Route 64. Just north of the Red Lake Trading Post he stopped, ordered them out of the car and tied them to a tree then sped on south. The women managed to untie themselves and walked to the Trading Post and called the Sheriffs Office.

He was spotted by a DPS Officer on I-17 a half-hour later and pursued to Rocky Park exit, where gunfire was exchanged. He then rammed the car against some trees and rocks then fled into the forest.

Deputies and helicopters searched the steep crevassed forest below for several hours then later that day he was noticed by a couple in Sedona drinking from their hose tap and called the Sheriff, who then brought in dog teams who soon located him crouched in the forest not far away. He was taken into custody about 2 a.m. and to the Jail in Flagstaff.

H.87 Thurs. L. Fri. 43. No rain. The Weather Service says the monsoon may arrive next week.
For leaders as well as friends, spouses and colleagues, grace is a precious characteristic. Whatever one thinks of Donald Trumps policy choices, our nation has never had a president more lacking in grace.

Whether or not Abraham Lincoln was the greatest American president, he was certainly its most gracious. Heres the close of his brief Second Inaugural, delivered toward the end of the Civil War, when the nation was a house divided:

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nations wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

On the eve of victory, Lincoln avoided triumphalism or crowing. Instead he rejected malice and called for charity. He backed his firmness with both humility (as God gives us to see the right) and tenderness (to care for him who shall have borne the battle).

Ronald Reagan was usually a model of grace, with a strong preference for gentle humor and a touch of indirection. Asked at 73 if he was too old to be president, Reagan responded: I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponents youth and inexperience.

At critical moments, Reagan chose understatement and humility, which are part and parcel of grace. A former Democrat, he liked to say, I didnt leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left me. In his final speech at a Republican convention, in 1988, he began: [B]eing only human, theres a part of me that would like to take credit for what weve achieved. But tonight, before we do anything else, let us remember that tribute really belongs to the 245 million citizens who make up the greatest  and the first  three words in our Constitution: We the People. 

In any competitive activity, gracious losers are easy to identify: They give credit to their opponent and never make excuses or blame referees. Because vanquished opponents (and their supporters) often feel horrible, its even more important to be a gracious winner, showing respect and admiration after victory, and emphasizing that things could have gone the other way.

The philosopher Avishai Margalit explores the idea of a decent society, which avoids one thing above all: humiliating people. Gracious leaders are unfailingly decent. They make people feel large rather than small. In conflicts, they challenge peoples opinions and actions, rather than their identities or their deepest commitments. They enable people to save face. They acknowledge their own errors. They never go for the jugular.

Grace breeds reciprocity. If a friend, a colleague or a spouse is gracious to you, you feel like a creep if you dont respond in kind. Thats one reason that Reagan was such an effective debater: He disarmed his opponents. Reagans grace also helped him to work with committed political adversaries, most notably House Speaker Tip ONeill.

Gracelessness shows bad character, but it is also an obstacle to success and often a recipe for failure. Humiliating people is a terrific way to reduce the likelihood of cooperation. Graceless leaders produce graceless followers and graceless opponents. Gracelessness is stupid, because those who lack grace inflame their adversaries  and turn potential friends into enemies.

Actually, its worse than that. We already have disturbing evidence that the election of Trump has produced an increase in xenophobia, stemming from an erosion of social norms that counteract public expression of dislike or hatred of foreigners. It is not unreasonable to speculate that insofar as the president uses violent images or language against members of the press, or against political opponents, he will end up fueling actual violence.

Gracelessness is an absence of grace, but the English language lacks a word for the opposite of grace. One candidate is ugliness; another is cruelty. Every human heart is drawn, on occasion, to what is ugly and cruel, and even rejoices in them. Prominent Democrats are fully capable of displaying both. Of course, politics is a dirty business, and, as both Lincoln and Reagan knew, you sometimes have to hit back.

But in modern history, no White House has ever been more graceless. Put political differences to one side. Thats a betrayal of our nations heritage, and an insult to our deepest traditions.
In the past five years, terrorist attacks have killed nearly 20,000 people across Africa. Two groups, Boko Haram and al-Shabab, accounted for 71 percent of reported incidents and 91 percent of fatalities.

But, while these and other militant groups remain active, fatal terrorist attacks across the continent are on pace to fall for a second straight year, and the total number of attacks is running far below 2012 highs.

These findings are part of VOAs original analysis of data from ACLED, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. ACLED tracks political violence, protests and terrorist events across Africa. Their reports include attacks since 1997 based on data collected from local news media, government statements, non-governmental organizations and published research.

Review of incidents

To conduct its review, VOA analyzed a portion of the full ACLED dataset by comparing the primary perpetrator of each attack to a list of 34 terrorist organizations. Those groups are named on the U.S. State Departments Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Terrorist Exclusion lists, or in a separate analysis conducted by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. All known aliases were included, accounting for more than 100 group names.

Since ACLED doesnt identify terrorist attacks or groups, this step was necessary to remove other kinds of violence from the analysis.

According to the data, the number of terrorism deaths in Africa reached an all-time high in 2015, when Boko Haram killed more than 8,000 people across Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

No group has inflicted more death and destruction on the continent than Boko Haram, which has accounted for one-third of terrorism deaths in Africa in the past 20 years.

Since 2015, the number of terrorism deaths has dropped, in no small part because of military campaigns to weaken the radical Islamist group carried out by the Nigerian army and a multinational task force.

In 2016, the fewest number of terrorism-related deaths in nine years was recorded, and 2017 is on pace to continue that trend, with 893 deaths reported as of June 24.

Attacks peaked in 2012

The number of terrorist attacks peaked in 2012, not only because of Boko Haram and al-Shabab, but also because of militant groups in Mali, where al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and allied groups briefly took control of the north.

Since then, attacks have gradually declined. However, if current trends hold, overall attacks in 2017 will pass last years total, but will still fall far short of the 2012 high.

Twenty-three African countries have not experienced a terrorism-related death since 2013, and 17 countries have not had a terrorism attack at all. Another six countries have experienced fewer than 10 deaths each.

But even in countries without reported attacks, terrorist groups can still gain a foothold, said Hussein Solomon, a political science professor at the University of the Free State in South Africa.

All 54 African countries [are] at risk, especially when we see linkages between groups, he said, citing reports that Boko Haram and al-Shabab have shared terrorist tactics. There is not a single country which is unaffected by this, including my own.
A pair of Santa Barbara County wildfires quickly spread Saturday, threatening hundreds of homes and forcing evacuations at a popular lakeside campground and a summer camp, where flames temporarily trapped children and counselors, a fire official said.



The fire started in the early afternoon, spread to both sides of Highway 154 and was completely out of control, county fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni said. About 90 children and 50 counselors were struck at the Circle V Ranch and had to take shelter there until they could be safely evacuated.



The fire was one of three in the state that grew quickly as much of California baked in heat that broke records in parts of Southern California.

Record temperatures

A record that stood 131 years in Los Angeles was snapped when the temperature spiked at 98 degrees downtown. The previous record of 95 degrees was set in 1886, the National Weather Service said.



Excessive heat sent Southern Californians flocking to beaches and in search of water, shade and air conditioning to escape the heat.



Forecasters warned that temperatures up to 110 degrees would be common in some inland areas and could be deadly for the elderly, children and outdoor workers. Air quality reached unhealthy and very unhealthy in areas inland from Los Angeles.

High temps and dry gusts tripled the size of another Santa Barbara wildfire to nearly 30 square miles (about 77 square kilometers) over eight hours and forced evacuations of about 200 homes in a rural area east of Santa Maria, fire spokesman Kirk Sturm said.



After five years of severe drought, California got a big break with record rainfall and snowpack in parts of the state this year that has delayed the start of fire season in some places, but has also led to explosive vegetation growth that could fuel future fires.

Homes destroyed



In Northern California, a Butte County wildfire swept through grassy foothills and destroyed 10 structures, including homes, and led to several minor injuries.



Burned-out trucks were left in ashes, surrounded by charred, leafless trees. The metal frame of a mobile home and a vintage stove were left standing in scorched debris at one site.



The blaze about 60 miles north of Sacramento grew rapidly to more than 4 square miles (nearly 11 square kilometers) and was 20 percent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.



The area burning was about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of Oroville, where spillways in the nations tallest dam began crumbling from heavy rains this winter and led to temporary evacuation orders for 200,000 residents downstream. On Saturday, authorities issued an evacuation for about 250 homes threatened by the fire.

In the middle of the afternoon, Santa Barbara officials sent out alerts to residents and campers near Cachuma Lake to evacuate as the fire started near Whittier Camp, Zaniboni said.



The lake, which was nearly bone dry last summer after the severe drought, is popular for camping, boating and fishing. Residents were also ordered to leave cabins in the Los Padres National Forest.



The fire burned at least 4.7 square miles (12 square kilometers), including a portion of the Cachuma Lake campground, and was not contained.

Other fires in the West

In Colorado, residents of nearly 500 homes outside the ski town of Breckenridge were allowed to return home Friday night. On Saturday, authorities lifted an evacuation order in Landusky, Montana, in the Little Rocky Mountains south of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation.



The grass fire in northwestern Colorado had burned 18 square miles (47 square kilometers) and was spreading in several directions at once thanks to wind from passing thunderstorms, fire information officer Chris Barth said.



A wildfire in southern Wyoming grew to 3 square miles (8 square kilometers). An unknown number of cabins remained under evacuation orders.


A U.S.-Russian brokered cease-fire for southwest Syria was holding hours after it took effect on Sunday, a monitor and two rebel officials said, in the latest international attempt at peace-making in the six-year war.

The United States, Russia and Jordan reached a cease-fire and "de-escalation agreement" this week with the aim of paving the way for a broader, more robust truce.

The announcement came after a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 summit of major economies in Germany.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitoring group, said "calm was prevailing" with no air strikes or clashes in the southwest since the truce began at noon (0900 GMT) on Sunday.

"The situation is relatively calm," said Suhaib al-Ruhail, a spokesman for the Alwiyat al-Furqan rebel group in the Quneitra area.

Another rebel official, in Deraa city, said there had been no significant fighting. It was quiet on the main Manshiya front near the border with Jordan, which he said had been the site of some of the heaviest army bombing in recent weeks.

A Syrian official indicated that Damascus approved of the cease-fire deal, describing the government's silence over it as a "sign of satisfaction."

"We welcome any step that would cease the fire and pave the way for peaceful solutions," the government official told Reuters.

A witness in Deraa said he had not seen warplanes in the sky or heard any fighting since noon.

Crumbled

However, several cease-fires have crumbled since the onset of the conflict.

With the help of Russian air power and Iranian-backed militias, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government has put rebels on the back foot over the last year. The wide array of mostly Sunni rebels include jihadist factions and other groups supported by Turkey, the United States and Gulf monarchies.

Earlier talks between the United States and Russia about a "de-escalation zone" in southwest Syria covered Deraa province on the border with Jordan, nearby Sweida and Quneitra which borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

"We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives," Trump said on Twitter on Sunday. "Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!"

The deal marks the first peace-making effort in the Syrian war by the U.S. government under Trump, appearing to give him a diplomatic achievement at his first meeting with Putin.

A senior State Department official involved in the talks said further discussions would be necessary to decide crucial aspects of the agreement, including who will monitor its enforcement.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the deal includes "securing humanitarian access and setting up contacts between the opposition in the region and a monitoring center that is being established in Jordan's capital."

The U.N. Deputy Special Envoy for Syria said on Saturday the deal was a "positive development" ahead of the latest round of U.N.-sponsored peace talks to begin in Geneva on Monday.

Western-backed rebels control swathes of Deraa and Quneitra, which are home to tens of thousands of people and form a center of the insurgency south of the Syrian capital Damascus. Rebels said intense air strikes had pounded Deraa's opposition territory in recent weeks.

The multi-sided Syrian conflict, which grew out of popular protests against Assad's rule in 2011, has killed hundreds of thousands of people and created the world's worst refugee crisis.
Former Polish President Lech Walesa, a democracy hero, has been hospitalized with heart problems in his Baltic coast home city of Gdansk, his son said Saturday.

Jaroslaw Walesa told The Associated Press via text message that his father was feeling "unfortunately weak." It was not immediately known when he could be discharged from the heart diseases ward of the Gdansk University Clinic.

Lech Walesa, 73, on Thursday attended a speech by President Donald Trump in Warsaw. He was booed by many in a crowd that supported the current government, which criticizes Walesa's role in Poland's politics.

Walesa strongly criticizes the government, saying its policies threaten democracy and hurt Poland's ties with the European Union's leading nations.

He had been expected to lead a demonstration Monday against monthly observances that the ruling populist party holds in memory of President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others killed in a 2010 plane crash in Russia. The head of the ruling party is Kaczynski's twin brother, Jaroslaw, who is Poland's most powerful politician.

Walesa says the monthly observances are used to rally support for the ruling party.

The protest planned for downtown Warsaw will proceed even if Walesa cannot attend, said another pro-democracy activist, Wladyslaw Frasyniuk.

Walesa in 1980 led a massive strike against Poland's communist authorities, giving rise to the Solidarity freedom movement. Solidarity peacefully ousted the communists from power in 1989, ushering in democracy.

But Kaczynski claims that the transition included a secret deal that allowed the communists to retain some influence and wealth.
In 28 years in Indias pharmaceuticals sector, Rajiv Desai has never been busier.

Most of the last six months on his desk calendar is marked green, indicating visits to the 12 plants of Lupin, Indias No. 2 drugmaker, where Desai is a senior quality control executive. Only one day is red  a day off.

Thats what is needed these days to satisfy the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that standards are being met.

In this sector, youre only as good as your last inspection, Desai said in his office in suburban Mumbai.

Often dubbed the pharmacy of the world, India is home to the most FDA-approved plants outside of the United States and supplies about 40 percent of the $70 billion worth of generic drugs sold in the country.

Damaged reputation

But sanctions and bans have badly damaged Indias reputation and slowed growth in the $16 billion sector. Drug exports fell in the fiscal year ending in March 2017.

More than 40 plants have been banned by the FDA for issues ranging from data fraud to hygiene since Indias then-largest drugmaker Ranbaxy was pulled up for serious violations in 2008.

Drug companies have spent millions of dollars on training, new equipment and foreign consultants. Yet the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance of the top 20 firms says its members still need at least five more years to get manufacturing standards and data reliability up to scratch.

The case of Lupin shows why.

In the next few months, the FDA is expected to clear Lupins Goa plant of problems found in 2015, Desai said.

However, the agency also published a notice last week citing issues with data storage at its plant in Pithampur, central India.

If companies want to continue to sell into the worlds biggest health care market, they must keep constant vigilance.

Asked about Lupins case, the FDA said in a statement it did not comment on compliance matters, but said generally: Indias regulatory infrastructure must keep pace to ensure that relevant quality and safety standards are met.

Form 483

India has its own standards body, the Central Drug Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), which maintains that its quality controls are stringent enough to ensure drugs are safe.

The FDA has taken matters into its own hands and gradually expanded in India to more than a dozen full-time staff.

Inspections are frequent and increasingly unannounced. If the agency finds problems, it issues a Form 483, a notice outlining the violations, which if not resolved can lead to a warning letter and in worst case, a ban.

Violations range from hygiene, such as rat traps and dirty laboratories, to inadequate controls on systems that store data, leaving it open to tampering.

None of the violations the FDA has cited in India have explicitly said the drugs are unsafe, and when companies are banned by the FDA they can sell into other markets, including in the developing world, until the bans are lifted.

There are also no studies showing that the drugs have harmed anyone in the world. But by definition, the notices are issued when the FDA finds conditions that might harm public health.

Don't tell anyone

Industry watchers say Lupin, which specializes in oral contraceptives and drugs for diabetes and hypertension, is doing better than most. So far none of its infractions have extended to a ban.

On a recent visit by Reuters to its Goa plant, blue-uniformed employees could be seen working on giant machines, then making notes in hardbound registers. These are being phased out as Lupin transitions to more secure e-files.

Employees are often videotaped to ensure they follow standard operating procedure. Manufacturers have cut back to focus on quality over quantity: five years ago, Lupin was making 1 billion pills a month at one of its Goa plants. Now it makes 450 million.

Both the company and employees needed to be willing to acknowledge errors, Desai said. The first impulse in the past was often dont tell anyone, he said.

Were humans after all, not robots. We make mistakes, said Amol Kolatkar, a production head at the Goa site.

As recently as three years ago, training was a formality, Desai said. Now, when an error is traced to an employee, the entire team undergoes fresh training.

I have worked at a pharma company before, but this is the first time I went through such a training, said another Lupin quality control officer, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The quality control role is key.

They (Lupin) have had a practice where company quality heads report directly to Nilesh Gupta (the managing director), said Amey Chalke, an analyst at HDFC Securities. Some other companies have also started doing that now.

The companies also have to be willing to spend big. Lachman, PwC and Boston Consulting conduct mock audits at the Goa plant every three to six months, at a cost of up to $400 an hour.

These days the FDA is giving us 483 on small, small things, a third quality control officer said. So we are always auditing.
Tens of thousands of people massed in Istanbul Sunday to protest Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's crackdown on critics of his government in the wake of last year's failed military coup.

The demonstrators chanted "Rights, Law, Justice" in support of the main opposition leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who was completing a 450-kilometer walk from the capital Ankara after a lawmaker from his party was imprisoned in June.

It was the biggest protest in several years against Erdogan, whose government has arrested more than 50,000 people and dismissed at least 100,000 civil servants he has characterized as supporters of the aborted coup. Turkey claims the coup was led by a cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who has been living in self-imposed exile in the United States for nearly two decades. Gulen denies any involvement.

The 68-year-old Kilicdaroglu's 25-day march at first drew modest support, about 1,000 people who walked alongside him. But the crowds swelled in recent days as he neared Istanbul.

Kilicdaroglu, the head of the secularist Republican People's Party, said that his march "cast off a shirt of fear" of Erdogan's rule. "If only there was no need for this march and there was democracy, media freedoms, if civic society groups could freely express their opinions."

Erdogan criticized Kilicdaroglu when he embarked on the march, saying justice should be sought in parliament, not on the streets.

The Turkish opposition says that Erdogan's government has been moving toward authoritarianism, while the Turkish leader says that the crackdown on rights is necessary to thwart security threats to the ruling government.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is in Singapore for medical treatment, in his third such visit this year, a newspaper reported Sunday.

Africas oldest ruler at 93, Mugabe was last in Singapore in May for what his spokesman George Charamba said then was treatment for eye problems.

The Standard said he had left again for Singapore Friday for more medical treatment. Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Chris Mushohwe told the newspaper Mugabe was in Singapore but declined to confirm the reason for the visit.

The ruling ZANU-PF party said Saturday it had canceled a youth rally scheduled for July 14 and to be attended by the president because he would be out of the country.

Charamba and Mushohwe did not respond to calls and messages to their phones for comment.

Despite growing concerns about his health, Mugabe has taken more than 10 trips abroad this year and wants to seek another five-year term in office in 2018.

He has ruled the southern African nation since independence from Britain in 1980.

The government has denied he falls asleep in meetings, saying in response to television footage appearing to show him doing so that he is resting his eyes.

Mugabe has racked up more than 200,000 air miles since the start of 2016. He spent $53 million on foreign trips last year, more than double the initial budget of $23 million, according to government data.
At least 6,000 people and 2,000 cattle fleeing conflict in Nigeria's Taraba state have been trapped under difficult humanitarian conditions in Cameroonian border villages. Dozens of the refugees are reported to have died and Cameroon medical staff are calling for assistance to care for the survivors.

Twenty refugees have just arrived at the Atta Catholic health center. They look tired, hungry and thirsty after travelling long distances on foot from Nigeria's Taraba state. Their spokesman, 53-year old Bello Dewa Oumarou, said they are fleeing violent conflicts between the Mambilas and Fulani Muslim herdsmen.

"Most of my people have ran off to Cameroon. The Mambila people wanted to wipe out the Fulani in the whole of Jos plateau. We tried to calm our people. We didn't think this thing would escalate to this extent. We didn't think Mambila people, people that we have stayed with for hundred years, we don't think these people would hurt us to that extent and say they will wipe us out completely," he said.

A majority of those arriving are women and children. Jean Marie Koue, medical officer of the health center, said they no longer have enough space and medication to treat the wounded.

He said many of the refugees come in with wounds inflicted during fighting while others suffer memory loss because they saw entire families being killed. He says many women delivered babies while escaping from Nigeria and some others delivered the same day they arrived in Cameroon and need urgent medical attention.

The Cameroon Red Cross has deployed its local staff to the border area. Moise Noursam Lemy is its representative in Atta.

He said the Cameroon Red Cross is doing a head count of the refugees from Nigeria and educating the local population and traditional rulers not to be hostile towards them. He said the refugees need help because many of them have lost their parents, their houses and their cattle. He said they do not have the means to reach out to the 3,847 refugees in Atta and surrounding villages who need help.

Justin Mounchili, the most senior Cameroon government official in the area, said while waiting for support from humanitarian agencies and the government of Cameroon, he has taken steps to assure the people's safety.

He said he has given instructions for schools at the border regions to be opened for the refugees and asked all traditional rulers to welcome them for humanitarian purposes. He said he has asked all hospitals and health centers to treat the sick and inoculate children against polio. He said he has asked livestock officials to make sure that the two thousand three hundred and twelve cattle the refugees came with are vaccinated and kept in secure environments where they cannot destroy crops.

Nigeria's Taraba state has more than 80 ethnic groups, both Muslim and Christian. It is a permanent hotspot of ethno-religious conflict characterized by genocidal attacks, maiming and killings.

The government of Nigeria said the attacks had nothing to do with religious conflicts, but tensions between farmers and cattle ranchers over land.
By all accounts, hate crimes are rising in the United States. From an increase in the number of attacks on hijab-wearing Muslim women to threats made against Jewish community centers earlier this year, all indications suggest hate-motivated offenses are on the rise.

But their true extent remains a puzzle, in part because of poor data collection.

Now, policymakers, worried that hate crimes are woefully underreported, are mulling prescriptions to improve the quality of crime reporting.

Legislative action

In March, two Democratic lawmakers, Senator Richard Blumenthal and Representative Don Beyer, introduced legislation that aims to aid the FBI in its transition to a more comprehensive crime reporting system known as the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS).

In May, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on combating religious hate crimes, with several Democratic members pledging support for making hate crime reporting mandatory.

And last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions told a hate crimes summit in Washington that hed tasked a newly formed subcommittee on hate crimes with finding ways to improve training, community outreach and data collection.

There are very real consequences to this lack of comprehensive reporting, Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, told the Senate panel. It is well documented that victims are far more likely to report a hate crime if they know a special reporting system is in place, if they believe the police are ready and able to respond effectively.

Recent surge

The FBI defines a hate crime as a criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offenders bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender or gender identity.

Between the Nov. 8 presidential election and March 31 this year, the Southern Poverty Law Center recorded 1,863 bias incidents and hate crimes. And police department data compiled by California State University show double-digit increases in several cities this year.

Historically, though, many hate crimes have gone unreported. Take the FBIs Uniform Crime Report (UCR), the bible of crime statistics since 1930. The bureau started including extensive hate crime data in the annual report after Congress mandated it with the passage of the 1990 Hate Crime Statistics Act.

But participation in the program was made voluntary, and thousands of the nations 18,000 law enforcement agencies have chosen either to not participate or not to report hate crimes. The result is serious undercounting of hate crimes.

While the FBIs most recent report, released in November, showed 5,850 bias-motivated offenses in 2015, a national survey conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, another arm of the Justice Department, estimated that 250,000 hate crimes took place in 2015.

The gap between the two sets of figures underlines the magnitude of underreporting, said Brian Levin, director of the center for the study of hate and extremism at California State University at San Bernardino.

This is not only because of an absence of trainings, model policies, executive leadership, outreach and coordination, but also because the reporting system itself is not mandatory, Levin said.

Last weeks hate crimes summit focused in part on data collection, said Levin, who presented his latest data to the attendees. The advocacy community is very much in favor of mandatory reporting, he said.

Crime reporting

The FBI has touted Tennessee as a leader on crime reporting, the only state that requires all law enforcement agencies to report hate crimes to the states bureau of investigations.

We have a 100 percent participation rate, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesman Josh DeVine said. All agencies in Tennessee are currently in compliance with the states crime reporting system.

To ensure participation, the agency provides regular outreach and training to the states more than 550 law enforcement agencies, DeVine said.

What were trying to do in talking about hate crime statistics in Tennessee is to create a culture and a climate where people realize that even one of these is a problem and its not something we stand for as Tennesseans, DeVine said.

The FBI has long acknowledged the limitations of its voluntary UCR reporting system.

There are jurisdictions that fail to report hate crime statistics, then-FBI Director James Comey said in a speech at the Anti-Defamation League in 2014. Others claim there were no hate crimes in their community, a fact that would be welcome if true.

In 2015, while nearly 15,000 law enforcement agencies participated in the data collection, 12 percent actively reported on hate crimes, Greenblatt said. Among nonreporting jurisdictions: 66 cities each with a population of more than 100,000.

It is absolutely clear that the ... data we have now significantly understates the true number of hate crimes committed in our nation, Greenblatt said.

Democrats, Republicans

While Democrats have voiced support for a mandatory crime reporting system, Republicans remain skeptical.

If law enforcement is unwilling to call a crime a hate crime, I dont see how a change in the law to require reporting of hate crime will change the current situation of spotty data and missed opportunities, Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley said.

The FBI plans to replace its UCR crime reporting systems with the NIBRS by 2021.The NIBRS is a more comprehensive system, but 28 years into its launch, participation in it remains low, with just 15 states submitting all their crime data via the NIBRS.

Moving to an incident-based collection provides richer data and the ability to really dig in and understand the characteristics of incidents and victims to a greater degree, Lynn Langton of the Bureau of Justice Statistics said.
Al-Shabab extremists from neighboring Somalia beheaded nine civilians in an attack on a village in Kenya's southeast early Saturday, officials said, adding to growing concerns the Islamic militant group has taken up a bloody new strategy.

The attack occurred in Jima village in Lamu County, said James Ole Serian, who leads a task force of security agencies combating the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab.

Beheadings by al-Shabab have been rare in Kenya, even as the group has carried out dozens of deadly attacks over the years. Beheadings are not uncommon in Somalia, where the extremists carry them out on people who are believed to be enemies and to terrorize local populations.

This East Africa country has seen an increase in attacks claimed by al-Shabab in recent weeks, posing a security threat ahead of next month's presidential election.

Al-Shabab has vowed retribution on Kenya for sending troops in 2011 to Somalia to fight the group, which last year became the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa.

Saturday's attack occurred in the Pandaguo area, where al-Shabab fighters engaged security agencies in a daylong battle three days earlier. A police report said about 15 al-Shabab fighters attacked Jima village and seized men, killing them with knives.

Al-Shabab in recent months has increased attacks in Kenya with homemade bombs, killing at least 46 people in Lamu and Mandera counties.

The increase in attacks presents a huge problem for Kenya's security agencies ahead of the August 8 presidential election, said Andrew Franklin, a former U.S. Marine who is a security analyst. On election day, security agencies will be strained while attempting to stop any possible violence, and al-Shabab could take advantage, he said.

There was no immediate government comment on the latest attack.

Acting Interior Minister Fred Matiangi issued a dusk-to-dawn curfew for parts of Garissa, Tana River and Lamu counties. Mandera County already was under a curfew following earlier al-Shabab attacks. All are close to the Somali border.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has not issued any statement on the recent surge in al-Shabab attacks.

Kenya is among five countries contributing troops to an African Union force that is bolstering Somalia's fragile central government against al-Shabab's insurgency. Of the troop-contributing countries, Kenya has borne the brunt of retaliatory attacks from al-Shabab.
Julian Assange has had it with CNN. Since July 4, the founder of WikiLeaks has tweeted 14 times in support of Donald Trump's latest battle with the media: Gif-Gate.

Like many controversies in Washington these days, this one involves a tweet. Last week Trump tweeted a gif that portrayed him putting fake wrestling moves on a body with the CNN logo for its head.

Assange's interest in this is all about CNN's response. On July 5, the network's master internet sleuth, Andrew Kaczynski, tracked down the Reddit user who came up with the Trump-CNN wrestling video. But because the maker apologized on the forum, CNN decided not to name him. That said, "CNN reserves the right to publish his identity should any of that change."

That last sentence has inspired some pearl clutching among Trump's supporters. The alt-right has accused CNN of blackmailing some poor Reddit user who just likes trolling the media.

Now it should go without saying that this is a very thin reed. According to CNN, the Reddit user voluntarily apologized for the gif and other memes that were racist and anti-Semitic. Also, CNN never threatened to disclose reams of private information on the Reddit user, just his name. But such is the nature of these social media kerfuffles in the age of Trump. Both sides try to maximize grievance. CNN accuses the president of inciting violence. Trump's supporters accuse CNN of mafia tactics.

What's interesting here is how Assange responded. "When Trump goes low CNN goes lower: threatens to dox artist behind 'CNN head' video if he makes fun of them again," he tweeted, referring to the online tactic of posting someone's personal details on the web. For two days, Assange continued along these lines, speculating that CNN may have even violated the law in "censoring" this "artist."

Doxxing, as it's known, usually applies to an online persona who wishes to remain anonymous. But the concept is closely related to the kind of thing Assange himself has been doing since he founded WikiLeaks, publishing the private communications of public figures.

Methinks the WikiLeaker doth protest too much. After all, Assange's organization posted the personal emails of John Podesta, Neera Tanden and other Democrats. And while some of those emails had legitimate news value, most of them didn't. Did the public really have a right to know Podesta's risotto recipe?

The hacked emails WikiLeaks disclosed last year are different from the State Department cables provided to the organization by Chelsea Manning. While some of those cables endangered U.S. government sources in dangerous places, government documents in our republic belong to the people. The same cannot be said for the personal emails of Democratic operatives, who are exercising their right to political participation.

Assange is hardly alone as a participant in this new threat to online privacy. I wrote articles based on the hacked emails WikiLeaks published, as have many other journalists. Anonymous, the online hacker group, has doxxed people before as well. But Assange, as an advocate for radical transparency, has done much to usher in this new era.

And this new era should trouble us. In the 20th century, the state was the greatest threat to the individual's privacy. But in the internet era, where so much of our lives is online, this threat has democratized. Individuals today pose a threat to privacy in a way we used to think was the sole province of the NSA and FBI. At any moment, an email, text or browsing history could be hacked and posted on the web for all to see. In an instant, our private lives can become public.

More recently, foreign governments have become threats to our privacy. Four U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Russia orchestrated a campaign to advantage Trump in the election through hacking and leaking the emails of leading Democrats. The Russians used this tactic in 2014 in combination with their special forces, when RT, the Kremlin-funded network, would post audio recordings of U.S. diplomats.

We are already starting to see imitators. Wall Street Journal reporter Jay Solomon lost his job because emails and texts were leaked to the Associated Press that made it appear that he sought a business relationship with one of his sources. Solomon has said he never entered into such a relationship. On the eve of the Gulf crisis over Qatar, the Emirati ambassador to Washington had his Hotmail account hacked and his emails posted on the web.

None of this is to say that there is not news value to some of these disclosures. It's always a balance. The problem is that people like Assange never cared about this balance until now. For years he believed the public's right to know outweighed the privacy rights of his victims. Today he argues the privacy of an online troll outweighs the public's right to know who exactly is making the memes the president tweets in his war against CNN.
State election officials voiced doubt Saturday about whether adequate security measures could be adopted before 2018 elections to safeguard against the possibility of foreign government interference.

That's according to attendees at a weekend gathering of the National Association of Secretaries of State, whose conference was held amid an uproar over a White House commission investigating President Donald Trump's allegations of voter fraud and heightened concern about Russian attempts to interfere in U.S. elections.

The Department of Homeland Security said last fall that hackers believed to be Russian agents targeted voter registration systems in more than 20 states. And a leaked National Security Agency document from May said Russian military intelligence had attempted to hack into voter registration software used in eight states.

But both Republican and Democratic secretaries of state, who are responsible for carrying out elections in many states, said they had been frustrated in recent months by a lack of information from federal intelligence officials on allegations of Russian meddling with the vote. They said that despite the best efforts by federal officials, it might be too late in to make substantive changes.

"I'm doubtful," said Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap, a Democrat. "We shouldn't feel like we've been tied to a chair and blindfolded. ... It's very hard to help further instill public confidence that you know what you're doing if you don't have any information."

The conference in Indianapolis, which began Friday, is being attended by officials from 37 states. The FBI and Homeland Security attempted to allay fears by holding a series of closed-door meetings Saturday on voting security.

'It will get better'

"This is a new thing and it takes a while to get things running and everybody talking," said Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, a Republican. "I think this is something we will build on and it will get better over time."

There is no indication so far that voting or ballot counting was affected in the November election, but officials are concerned that the Russians may have gained knowledge that could help them disrupt future elections.

The gathering took place while Trump was in Germany for the Group of 20 summit, which included a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said Saturday that he thought Trump accepted his assurances that Russia didn't meddle in the U.S. presidential election.

Request for data

It also came one week after the commission investigating Trump's allegations of election fraud requested voter information from all 50 states, drawing bipartisan objections. The request seeks dates of birth, partial Social Security numbers, addresses, voting histories, military service and other information about every voter in the country.

Trump has repeatedly stated without proof that he believes millions of fraudulent ballots were cast in the November election, when he carried the Electoral College but lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The commission was launched to investigate those claims and is being chaired by Vice President Mike Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who sent the information requests.

"I do think that this is an odd time to be forming a national database of some kind if we're so concerned about security," said Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill, a Democrat.

The U.S. does not have a federalized voting system, relying instead on 9,000 different voting jurisdictions and more than 185,000 individual precincts. Officials believe that makes it difficult for hackers to have any major effect on the vote. If Kobach succeeds in obtaining the information he seeks, it could gather voter data for the entire U.S. in one centralized place.

Democrats' doubts

Kobach was not in attendance at the weekend event and could not be reached for comment, prompting Democrats to reiterate their skepticism of the commission's intent. They expressed concern that the information could be used to justify stringent new voter security procedures making it more difficult for people to cast ballots.

Dunlap, who is a member of Trump's commission, said Kobach's push for the voter data "spooked" people because it would affect "how individual citizens feel about their sovereign right to democratic self-governance."

That includes some of Kobach's fellow Republicans.

"We still have some questions that need to be answered that only Kris Kobach can answer," said Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, a Republican who has yet to determine whether his office will release the data. "I don't think he made a good decision in this effort because of the way he chose to go through with it."

Plans for data unclear

It remains unclear exactly how the data will be used for. Pence spokesman Marc Lotter said the commission would look for potential irregularities in voter registrations and advise states on how they can improve their practices.

But many secretaries of state say all or parts of the requested data are not public in their states. Some Democrats have said the commission is merely trying to provide cover for Trump's unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have said they will refuse to provide the information sought by the commission. The other states are undecided or will provide some of the data, according to a tally of every state by The Associated Press.
U.S. President Donald Trumps security adviser says a cease-fire that has taken effect in southwest Syria is an important step toward eventual peace throughout the country.

National security adviser H.R. McMaster said Saturday that at noon local time Sunday, "a de-escalation zone in southwest Syria will begin to take effect."

McMasater called the cease-fire a priority for the United States and said the Trump administration was encouraged by the progress made to reach this agreement."

"The United States remains committed to defeating [Islamic State], helping to end the conflict in Syria, reducing suffering and enabling people to return to their homes. This agreement is an important step toward these common goals," he said.

The decision to impose a cease-fire zone was announced Friday at the Group of 20 (G-20) summit in Hamburg, Germany, and involves the United States, Russia and Jordan.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the cease-fire would be supervised by Russian military police "in coordination with the Jordanians and Americans."

Russian President Vladimir Putin told a news conference on Saturday in Hamburg that the cease-fire deal was the result of the United States' altering its stance and becoming more pragmatic about the situation there.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the agreement "is our first indication of the U.S. and Russia being able to work together in Syria."

The cease-fire is to cover the provinces of Daraa, Sweida and Quneitra in the southwest along the border with Jordan.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a day ahead of the start of the cease-fire that the areas involved were relatively calm except for sporadic shelling by Syrian government forces on two villages in the Daraa region.

Separately, Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the countrys six-year civil war, has been in talks with Turkey and Iran over four de-escalation zones in Syria. A decision on the exact makeup of the zones and on which forces will monitor them has yet to be finalized.

Similar cease-fires between the government and rebel forces have broken down in the past.

Along with Russia, Iran also backs Assad, while the United States and Turkey support different rebel groups fighting Assads government.

The civil war in Syria broke out in 2011 when Assad cracked down on anti-government protesters.

More than 310,000 people are estimated to have been killed and millions have been displaced.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has marked the anniversary this week of last year's failed coup coup in Turkey, praising the courage of the Turkish people in defending democracy but failing to mention the widespread government crackdown that has followed since.

Speaking Sunday at an oil conference in Istanbul, Tillerson recalled the brief, unsuccessful attempt last July 15 to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He also said the United States sees Turkey as a partner in its push for greater energy security in the region, and "looks forward to engaging with Turkey on projects that will increase global energy security."

"We're all here in Istanbul at a momentous time," Tillerson said. "Nearly a year ago, the Turkish people - brave men and women - stood up against coup plotters and defended their democracy. ... The Turkish people exercised their rights under the Turkish constitution, defended their place in a prosperous Turkey, and we remember those who were injured or died in that event."

The coup failed when thousands of Turks took to the streets, answering President Erdogan's call to resist the attempt to topple him, which was led by renegade members of the military. More than 240 people, many of them civilians, died that night, which was marked by pitched battles in Ankara between branches of the police and army.

Since last July, more than 100,000 people have been fired or suspended from their jobs in Turkey's civil and private sectors, and the Erdogan government has jailed more than 40,000 others on a variety of charges alleging they were involved in anti-government activities. Many of the prisoners have not yet been brought to court to answer the accusations against them; many also have complained of abuse and ill-treatment during the time in custody.

The Turkish government justified the moves as necessary to preserve order. Human-rights groups have said the president and his supporters used the coup as a pretext to quash dissent, and that prison authorities have denied medical care and adequate food and resorted to torturing detainees in some instances.

Even as Tillerson spoke Sunday at the opening ceremony of an oil conference, tens of thousands of Turks were in the streets of Istanbul for an opposition rally.

Tillerson, the former chief executive officer of ExxonMobil Corporation, received an award from the congress of the World Petroleum Council recognizing his work in the industry for more than four decades.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson travels to Kuwait Monday to try to help broker a deal between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors.

Kuwait has tried to mediate a resolution between the small monarchy on the Arabian Peninsula and its neighbors, but has been unsuccessful so far.

Tillerson met with top Qatari and Kuwaiti officials late last month in an effort to end the escalating standoff, but he is apparently taking a more hands-on role in the negotiations with his trip to Kuwait. The secretary of state has emphasized the need for all parties to exercise restraint to allow for productive diplomatic discussions.

Gulf neighbors cut ties

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt have imposed trade and diplomatic embargoes on Qatar. The Saudi-led group has suspended all relations with Qatar and has accused the oil-rich nation of supporting extremist groups and destabilizing the region, claims Qatar has denied.

The Gulf states have also shown no willingness to ease their 13-point list of demands, which includes calls for Qatar to downgrade its relations with Iran and close the Qatari-state-funded Al-Jazeera news network.

We believe that this could potentially drag on for weeks. It could drag on for months, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said last week, about the row among the Gulf states.

Trump weighed in

After his first trip abroad to Saudi Arabia, U.S. President Donald Trump, weighed in on the Qatar crisis, albeit in a way that contrasted his views with those of his secretary of state.

The nation of Qatar unfortunately has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level, Trump said last month, and in the wake of that GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] nations came together and spoke to me about confronting Qatar over its behavior.

After the Saudis and their neighbors instituted a land, air and sea blockade of Qatar, Iran and Turkey promised to help the Qataris weather the diplomatic crisis.

US bases

Tillerson said in a statement: 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.

Qatar hosts the largest U.S. military base in the region, Al Udeid Air Base, while Bahrain, which is allied with Saudi Arabia in its anti-Qatar stance, is home port for the U.S. Fifth Fleet.
During his first official visit to Kyiv Sunday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that the U.S. has told Russia it must take the first steps to de-escalate violence in Eastern Ukraine.

Ive been very clear in my discussions with Russian leadership on more than one occasion, that it is necessary for Russia to take the first steps to de-escalate the situation in the east part of Ukraine, in particular by respecting the cease-fire by pulling back the heavy weapons and allowing the OSCE observers to carry out their responsibilities," Tillerson said, speaking alongside Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko after the two met to discuss ways to help end the conflict in eastern Ukraine and support its ongoing reform efforts.



As long as the parties commit themselves to these goals Im confident we can make progress," Tillerson said, referring to the Minsk agreements - a cease-fire deal that Moscow and Kyiv agreed to in 2015.

Ukraine negotiations

Tillerson has named former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker to serve as Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations.

Volker, who was traveling with Tillerson to Ukraine, will also engage regularly with all parties handling the Ukraine negotiations under the so-called Normandy Format  Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine.



In an interview with VOAs Ukraine service recently, Volker laid out his vision on Ukraine: We need to have Ukraine, which is a sustainable, resilient, prosperous, strong democracy, so that it would be attractive to the regions in the East, and [be the place]where disinformation and propaganda attacks dont really have much traction.

Although Tillerson is seeking to rebuild trust with the Russians, Washington dismissed speculation that it will cut a deal with Moscow over Kyiv.

There certainly is no intent or desire to work exclusively with Russia, a senior State Department official said earlier this week. "This is a multiparty issue, resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine. 



State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the U.S. would not be backing away from concerns of Russias support of rebels in eastern Ukraine.



We believe that the so-called rebels are Russian-backed, Russian-financed, and are responsible for the deaths of Ukrainians, Nauert said Thursday in a briefing. "We continue to call upon the Russians and the Ukrainians to come together.

Make clear support for sovereignty



Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst told VOA on Friday that Tillerson should make it clear of U.S. strong support for Ukraine sovereignty and territorial integrity, U.S. recognition that Russia is conducting a war in Ukraine, and U.S. willingness to provide necessary support.



Herbst said he expects Poroshenko to bring up the massive Russian cyberattack against Ukraine during Sundays meeting with Tillerson, and the U.S. has a great deal to learn for what Ukraine has done to counteract these Russia attacks.



I suspect we will see more cooperation in the future, Herbst added.



Tillerson had told U.S. lawmakers that the United States should not be "handcuffed" to the 2015 Minsk agreement in case the parties decide to reach their goals through a different deal.



Senior officials later clarified that Washington would not exclude looking at other options as the U.S. is still fully supportive of the Minsk agreements.



The Minsk agreements are the existing framework, a senior State Department official said. "There is no better option out there.

The so-called Minsk II agreement is a package of measures to alleviate the ongoing conflicts, including a cease-fire, between Moscow-backed rebels and government forces in eastern Ukraine. It was agreed to by Ukraine, Russia and separatists in February of 2015.
Donald Trump's eldest son, son-in-law and then-campaign chairman met with a Russian lawyer shortly after Trump won the Republican nomination, in what appears to be the earliest known private meeting between key aides to the president and a Russian.

Representatives of Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner confirmed the June 2016 meeting to The Associated Press after The New York Times reported Saturday on the gathering of the men and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower. Then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended, according to the statement from Donald Trump Jr.

He described it as a "short introductory meeting" during which the three discussed a disbanded program that used to allow U.S. citizens to adopt Russian children. Russia ended the adoptions in response to American sanctions brought against the nation following the 2009 death of an imprisoned lawyer who spoke about a corruption scandal. Trump Jr. said he invited the other two Americans, was asked to attend by an acquaintance not named in the statement, and was not told beforehand with whom he would meet.

"It was not a campaign issue at that time and there was no follow-up," he said.

Kushner lawyer Jamie Gorelick said her client had already disclosed the meeting in a revised filing of a form that requires him to list meetings with foreign agents.

"Mr. Kushner has submitted additional updates and included, out of an abundance of caution, this meeting with a Russian person, which he briefly attended at the request of his brother-in-law, Donald Trump Jr. As Mr. Kushner has consistently stated, he is eager to cooperate and share what he knows," she said.

No requirement for Trump Jr.

Unlike Kushner, Trump Jr. does not serve in the administration and is not required to disclose his foreign contacts. The newspaper reported Saturday, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, that Manafort disclosed the meeting to congressional investigators questioning his foreign contacts.

Manafort led Trump's campaign for about five months until August and resigned from the campaign immediately after the AP reported on his firm's covert Washington lobbying operation on behalf of Ukraine's ruling political party. He is one of several people linked to the Trump campaign who are under scrutiny by a special counsel and congressional committees investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign and potential coordination with Trump associates.

Manafort has denied any coordination with Russia and has said his work in Ukraine was not related to the campaign.

The newspaper said Veselnitskaya is known for her attempts to undercut the sanctions against Russian human rights abusers. The Times also said her clients include state-owned businesses and the son of a senior government official whose company was under investigation in the United States at the time of the meeting.
The United States on Saturday announced more than $630 million in aid for Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria, where conflict has helped to cause what the United Nations calls the worlds largest humanitarian crisis in more than 70 years.

This is truly a life-saving gift, said David Beasley, the new American director of the U.N.s World Food Program.

While the United States is the worlds largest humanitarian donor, U.S. President Donald Trumps proposed deep cuts to foreign aid  more than 30 percent  have caused widespread concern. The announcement came as he attended the Group of 20 summit in Germany.

Millions of people at risk

We welcome President Trumps attention to the global humanitarian crisis, but he was announcing aid that Congress approved months ago and that his administration has delayed, Rev. David Beckmann, president of the Washington-based Christian organization Bread for the World, said in a statement.

The total U.S. humanitarian assistance to the four countries is now more than $1.8 billion this fiscal year, the U.S. Agency for International Development said.

Tens of millions of people in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria face hunger amid conflict. Yemen has the worlds largest cholera outbreak, while half of drought-hit Somalias 12 million people need aid. South Sudans civil war and Nigerias Boko Haram insurgency have contributed to severe hunger.

The WFP said via Twitter that the new U.S. donation comes just as families face the time of year when food stocks run out. The U.N. agency earlier this year warned that food aid could be cut for more than a million hungry Nigerians if promised funding from the international community didnt arrive.

In May, Trump announced $329 million in anti-famine aid to the four countries.

Trump budget ends program

While the Trump administrations 2018 spending plan does not eliminate money for emergency food aid, it ends a critical program by consolidating it into a broader account that covers all international disaster assistance. Doing so reduces the amount of money the U.S. dedicates to fighting famine to $1.5 billion next year, from $2.6 billion in 2016.

Trump officials say the proposed changes will streamline U.S. aid programs, eliminate redundancies and increase efficiency. Relief organizations fear less U.S. money will mean an increase in famine and hunger-related deaths, particularly in Africa, if Congress approves the budget.
The U.S. State Department has declared Syed Salahuddin, the Pakistan-based chief of Hizbul Mujahideen, as a "global terrorist," and imposed new sanctions aimed at suppressing his organization, one of the major militant groups fighting against Indian rule in Kashmir.

The State Department said the militant leader poses "a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals, or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States."

The U.S. acted just hours before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had his first face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump at the Oval Office in late June.

Here's what is known about Salahuddin and his militant group, Hizbul Mujahideen.

Who is Syed Salahuddin?

A native of Indian-administered Kashmir, Syed Muhammad Yusuf Shah, known as Syed Salahuddin, is the current chief of Hizbul Mujahideen (HuM) and operates from Pakistan.

Salahuddin, 71, joined the decades-long militancy in Kashmir after losing a legislative assembly election in 1987. In 1989, he moved to the Pakistani side of Kashmir, joined Hizbul Mujahideen and soon took over as chief of the militant group. A year later, he framed the constitution of HuM and since then has been leading the largest Kashmiri separatist movement.

Salahuddin also heads an alliance of over a dozen militant groups in Kashmir called the United Jihad Council (UJC), which says it fights for the right of self-determination for the residents of Kashmir.

According to the India Express, Salahuddin has played a key hand in fueling militancy in Kashmir over the last 27 years. He is known for supplying arms and training young recruits and sending them to Kashmir for militant activities, the Mumbai-based newspaper added.

Why a 'global terrorist'?

The State Department said sanctions against Salahuddin were justified because he is, and has been, a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States.

In September 2016, Salahuddin vowed to block any peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict, U.S. diplomats said.

HuM is one of the major militant groups fighting Indian troops in Kashmir and also is blamed for attacks on Indian Army targets outsiode the Vale of Kashmir.



Pakistan has criticized the U.S. for declaring Syed Salahuddin a terrorist, contending the State Departments decision is an effort to please India and to undermine the efforts of Kashmiri people fighting for their legitimate rights.

Pakistan defends 'legitimate struggle'

Islamabad maintains that the militants fighting New Delhis rule in Kashmir are involved in a legitimate struggle for freedom and self-determination.

Over the past year, the world has witnessed an intensification of the brutal policies of repression being pursued by the Indian occupation forces," said Pakistani foreign office spokesman Nafees Zakaria. "Despite this relentless state terror, the Kashmiris remain undeterred and unbowed."

This decision has not been taken by the United Nations. We are not bound to implement U.S. decisions," said Sartaj Aziz, the Pakistani prime minister's adviser on foreign affairs.

"We will continue moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiris, Aziz said last week at a forum for Kashmiri journalists in Islamabad.

History of Kashmir Dispute

The Kashmir conflict emerged right after Pakistan and India gained Independence from British rule in 1947.

India controls a larger portion of the Himalayan region of Kashmir than Pakistan. Both neighbors claim Kashmir in its entirety as an integral part of their territory.

Militants operate on both sides of the conflict, and India and Pakistan consistently blame each other for allowing terrorists to use their territory to plot and carry out cross-border attacks.

The two South Asian powers have gone to war over Kashmir three times: at the time of partition, in 1947, and later in 1965 and 1999. Since both India and Pakistan now have nuclear weapons, the element of risk in such conflicts has now risen exponentially.

What is Hizbul Mujahideen?

Founded in 1989 in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, Hizbul Mujahideen - 'the Party of Holy Warriors' - is considered to be the largest militant group in Kashmir. It has been been branded a terrorist organization by India, the European Union and the United States.

Hizbul Mujahideen reportedly was established to counter the separatist group Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, which advocated for complete independence of Kashmir rather than unification with Pakistan.

HuM has always advocated for merger of all of Kashmir, including the portion now under India's control, with Pakistan.

The militant group still has a large number of operatives on both sides of Kashmir, but its numbers have been shrinking. Hizbul Mujahideen was estimated to have around 10,000 members in 1990, but that figure had declined to 1,500 by 2011.

The group has a women's wing, Banat-ul-Islam. It also operates the partisan media outlet Kashmir Press International.

Many other active militant groups

Over a dozen militant separatist groups are fighting in Indian-held Kashmir. Most of them are based in the Pakistani-administered portion of the Kashmir Valley. India has repeatedly blamed the groups for inciting violence in Kashmir, and the issue has kept the relationship between India and Pakistan tense for decades.

Last year, at least 17 Indian army personnel were killed and over two dozen injured in militant attacks on an Indian army headquarters near the national border with Pakistan. New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad, one of the UJC groups, for carrying out the attack.

Indian security forces in Kashmir have been accused by rights groups for widespread violations of human rights, including indiscriminate arrests and torture.
Venezuelan jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, transferred from a military prison to house arrest in a surprise move early Saturday, pledged to continue pressuring the country's leftist government to restore democratic norms  and urged his supporters to do the same.

"Today, I am a prisoner in my house, but so are the Venezuelan people," he said in a statement read outside his house by National Assembly lawmaker Freddy Guevara, a leader of the Popular Will party that Lopez founded. "What kept me going in the toughest days was knowing that whatever suffering I endured was nothing compared to our people."

His statement called for Venezuelans to continue street demonstrations against the administration of President Nicolas Maduro and to vote in an unofficial referendum July 16 on whether they support the socialist leader's call to rewrite the country's constitution.

Intense street demonstrations have roiled Venezuela's capital and other cities almost daily since early April, with protesters demanding that Maduro release political prisoners, schedule long-overdue elections and open access to humanitarian aid to offset severe shortages of food, medicine and other basic goods. At least 90 people have died in clashes among anti-government demonstrators, security forces and Maduro supporters.

More demonstrations were expected Sunday.

Released on humanitarian grounds

Lopez, 46, was released from Ramo Verde military prison before dawn Saturday and transferred to house arrest, Lopez's attorney and Venezuela's Supreme Court said.

A court statement said Lopez was granted the "humanitarian measure" for health reasons. On its Twitter account, the court said the move was granted Friday by the court's president, Maikel Moreno.

Lopez was detained in February 2014 for allegedly inciting violence during anti-government protests in which three people died and dozens were wounded. A year later, he was sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison.

On Saturday, scores of Lopez's supporters thronged to his house in Caracas, many sporting T-shirts or waving banners with his likeness. They cheered when the opposition leader appeared on the rooftop balcony, waving a Venezuelan flag.

Julio Alberto Vivas, one of the supporters, told VOA he believes Lopez "represents democracy and this government represents the dictatorship."

Journalists at the scene also sought information about rumors that the move was part of a larger deal between the Maduro government and his political opposition.

The Lopez family released a photo to social media showing Lopez inside the home, embracing his young son and daughter.

Lopez's father, Leopoldo Lopez Gil, told a radio station in Spain that he was able to speak with his son "over the phone for over 40 minutes" Saturday. The elder Lopez said his son, now wearing an electronic ankle bracelet, had been isolated in recent days and kept in solitary confinement.

He credited his son's transfer to "considerable international pressure" on the Maduro regime.

International pressure

The United Nations, various foreign governments and human rights advocates have criticized Lopez's detention as politically motivated.

In February, U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Lopez's wife, Lilian Tintori, to the White House and then tweeted a photo of their Oval Office meeting, calling for the opposition leader's immediate release.

On Saturday, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert called Lopez's transfer to house arrest "a significant step in the right direction." She reiterated the "call for the full restoration of Mr. Lopez's freedom and his political rights."

CNN reported Maduro as saying Saturday that he supported the court's decision to transfer Lopez, despite his "absolute and profound differences" with the opposition leader.

Lopez's lawyer, Javier Cremades said the move was a sign of the Maduro government's weakness and "a step forward" for Lopez.

But, he said, Lopez's house arrest didn't indicate a modified or reduced sentence. He said the "perverse" justice system "still has its claws on him."

VOA correspondents Alvaro Algarra and Carolina Alcalde contributed to this report from Caracas, Venezuela.
Voice of America's Somali service hosted a town hall Saturday in Minnesota, home to a large Somali-American population, to discuss a recent outbreak of measles in the state, and address rumors in the community surrounding childhood vaccines and autism.

The northern U.S. state of Minnesota is struggling with the biggest outbreak of measles in the state since 1990. Seventy-eight people caught the disease, mostly Somali-Americans, and nearly a third were hospitalized.

The panel, gathered to address concerns of parents, consisted of four Minnesota health officials, two of whom have children who have been diagnosed with autism. The town hall event, called Vaccine and Autism: Myths and Facts, was broadcast from the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs. It could be watched on VOA Somali's Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Three audience members who addressed the panel raised questions regarding what they saw as a link between having their children vaccinated and those children later being diagnosed as autistic.

'Powerful coincidence'

Panelist Dr. Mark Schleiss, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School, addressed one parent's concerns by saying the link is a "powerful coincidence."

"One of the challenges we have faced for many, many years is one of these disorders [autism] becomes apparent to parents about the time we give the vaccine to children," Schleiss said.

He called it a "powerful coincidence" that the signs of autism start to appear about the same age as when children receive some of their vaccinations. And "parents say there must be some timing to this," he added.

One Somali father said he took his child, whom he described as developing normally for his age, to receive his childhood vaccinations in 2004. He said the child had a seizure after the vaccination and months later was diagnosed with autism.

"It was the first time I heard the word," the father said.

Panelist Deeqa-Ifrah Hussein, the mother of an autistic child, is the founder of Parent's Autism Educational Resources. She said both of her children have received vaccinations. It was when she took her younger child, a son, for an 18-month checkup that she began to see the signs of autistic behavior. She told the audience that she did not relate the developmental signs to the child's vaccinations.

WATCH: Deeqa-Ifrah Hussein, founder of Parents Autism Educational Resources, discusses autism

At one time, Minnesota's Somali-American community  about 25,000 who live in Minneapolis and St. Paul and other surrounding cities  had the highest rates of vaccinations against measles, more than any other group in the state.

Patsy Stinchfield, a nurse in Minnesota, said she blamed the states measles outbreak on anti-vaccination groups.

Anti-vaccination groups believe that vaccines expose children to health risks and can cause harm, and have said that autism is caused by vaccinating children younger than 3.

I would say almost exclusively the whole responsibility lands on the anti-vaccine movement, she said to VOA via Skype, and the reason is misinformation and myths spread about a link between MMR and autism, of which there is none, and science has proven that not to be true."

So while Somali-American parents continued getting their children vaccinated for other diseases, officials said the rates for receiving the MMR vaccine dropped dramatically.

Public outreach, community involvement

Once the outbreak began, the Minnesota Department of Health began working with members of the Somali community, such as imams, and began an outreach program to inform parents of the benefits of vaccinations and also to educate about the importance of early detection of the signs of autism.

Panelist Kristen Ehresmann, director of infectious diseases with the Minnesota Department of Health, said Somali-American parents quickly complied with public health requests, such as keeping children exposed to the measles virus from public interactions.

Ehresmann, who also has a son diagnosed with autism, said other communities have asked questions about the safety of vaccines, but the Somali-American community interaction has been more intense because of concerns about autism.

WATCH: Minnesota Dr. Afgarshe on research on vaccines, autism

Panelist Dr. Mohamud Dahir Afgarshe, director of the Gargar Clinic and Urgent Care in Minneapolis, said, "Somalis are coming from an entirely different culture. Coming to America and having kids with autism is a double burden for them. It is very hard for them to cope with it [autism]. It is very hard for them to learn how to cope with it. And it is very hard for them to get all the resources they need to cope with it."

Afgarshe said as a doctor, he reads research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as in the New England Journal of Medicine. In all the studies he has read, "they have found no correlation between vaccination and autism," he said.

Research needed

At the start of the town hall forum, Victor Makori, host of the VOA news program Africa 54, showed a video that discussed new autism research. He asked panelists for their views of the video.

Schleiss, the medical school professor, said, "We need more research on the causes of autism spectrum disorders. We need to understand why this is happening.

"One thing we worry about when we talk about vaccines  all of the resources and efforts and time and money that goes into proving what we already know to be true  that vaccines don't cause autism  those are dollars and resources that could be used for these kinds of studies that give us novel, new information," he said.

WATCH: Dr. Mark Schleiss on no correlation between vaccines, autism

Since Minnesota public health officials began their outreach into the Somali-American community, officials noted, more parents have been attending clinics to get their children vaccinated.

Stinchfield, the Minnesota nurse, said measles took the Somali-Americas by surprise.

They did not think that measles would be in the United States, she said, and so the level of fear was greater for autism. This has now shifted, because the level of fear ... for measles is great because these families know measles. Theyve had loved ones die of measles in Somalia.

Measles was wiped out in the U.S. 17 years ago, but outbreaks still happen when someone carries the virus back from a country where measles still circulates.

Fortunately, no one who caught measles in Minnesota has had any serious complications, and state officials are hoping to declare the outbreak over by the end of July.
The White House is making a final push to overhaul the U.S. health care law championed by former President Barack Obama, but opposition to the changes Senate Republicans are proposing has grown in recent days, leaving the repeal effort in doubt.

One key lawmaker, Senator John McCain, told CBS on Sunday, "My view is that it's probably going to be dead."

Republicans have campaigned for seven years to overturn the 2010 law, commonly known in the U.S. as Obamacare. But even with Republicans controlling the White House and both houses of Congress, the party's lawmakers have so far been unable to agree on how to change it, with some conservative senators calling for repealing major parts of the law and more moderate Republicans looking to keep popular provisions.

The House of Representatives narrowly approved repeal of the legislation in May. President Donald Trump initially cheered the passage of that bill at a White House rally, but since has called it "mean" and lobbied the Senate to approve an overhaul with "heart." Key Trump administration officials have been lobbying lawmakers who have been holding out against the repeal.

Republicans have a 52-48 majority in the Senate, giving them little room for dissenters to oppose the repeal, since all Democrats say they will vote against the overhaul. If the vote on it ends in a 50-50 tie, Vice President Mike Pence is set to cast the deciding vote in favor of the repeal.

But several Republican lawmakers have voiced doubts about their party's proposals, with some worried it could cut health care insurance for millions of people, especially narrowing coverage under the government's health care program for poorer Americans.

One independent assessment of the Senate plan, by the Congressional Budget Office, said 22 million people would lose insurance to help pay their medical bills during the next decade, compared to coverage under Obamacare. The CBO is assessing several other Republican proposals to determine how they might affect the number of people covered and how much they would have to pay for insurance in the coming years.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said last week that if his party is unable to pass repeal legislation, then Republicans would have to join Democrats in revamping Obamacare to shore up faltering insurance coverage in some states, a bipartisan effort they so far have been unwilling to undertake.

No vote on the Republican repeal effort is expected this week, but could occur the following week as Congress moves toward its annual month-long vacation during August.
These are edgy times in Zambia, once considered one of Africa's most stable democracies.



President Edgar Lungu this week announced extra police powers to deal with what he says are growing security challenges, including a fire that destroyed the biggest market in the capital, Lusaka.



The cause of the fire has not been determined, leading critics to accuse Lungu of intensifying a purported crackdown on legitimate political opposition. Lungu says he is not targeting political players.



Hakainde Hichilema, the main opposition leader, has been charged with treason after he was accused of obstructing Lungu's motorcade with his own convoy earlier this year.

A spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says problems in the southern African nation should be addressed through dialogue among all stakeholders, including with the opposition.
Employees take part in a boot camp-style fitness class on the lawn of 1 Discovery Place in Silver Spring. (Evy Mages/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)

During a doctors appointment last year, Sal Alvarez got some discouraging news. His cholesterol had ticked up, his blood pressure was higher, and his physician wanted to put him on more medicine to control those conditions.

Those results made Alvarez newly determined to get his health on a better track. And so he turned to a wellness program offered by his employer, Discovery Communications.

Each year, the Silver Spring-based company holds a voluntary, 16-week competition in which participants divide into teams and vie to walk the most steps. They use an online platform called Global Corporate Challenge to log their progress and compare it to their rivals numbers. If competitors do other workouts, such as swimming or biking, the system will calculate how many steps those activities are worth.

Alvarez, a service desk analyst, said he quickly found the format to be highly motivating.

Theres sort of like a peer pressure and a competitive edge to it, Alvarez said.

Sal Alvarez, a service desk analyst at Discovery Communications, began attending a boot camp-style fitness class, at left, as part of the companys 16-week fitness competition. Even though the competition ended five months ago, he continues going to the classes. To date, hes lost 42 pounds. (Evy Mages/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)

Discovery is one of an increasing number of companies that are turning to competitions and socially-based activities as a way to compel their workers to get fit, a trend that has been facilitated by a burst of online platforms that make it easy to track ones performance and see how it stacks up against a co-workers.

This approach, often called the gamification of wellness, has become a central component of many corporate wellness strategies and marks yet another attempt to curb employers rising health care costs.

Discoverys most recent challenge drew 369 teams comprised of nearly 2,600 workers, according to Adria Alpert Romm, the companys senior executive vice president of human resources.

Throughout the program, the cable television programming giant tried to keep the competitive spirit running high by providing employees with teasing, pre-written e-cards that they could send one other.

16 weeks too much of a commitment? What are you, a Kardashian? one such e-mail chided.

The company said participants lost an average of eight pounds each.

Now, about five months after the challenge has ended, Alvarez continues to attend the boot camp-style fitness classes at Discovery that he started as part of the competition.

Hes so committed to the classes, he says, Ive had to push my wifes birthday [celebration] to another day or later in the evening, because its that important.

Last Wednesday, he and his colleagues braved the cold evening air and gusty wind for an hour of running, weight lifting, abdominal exercises and stretching. Alvarez said the teachers military-esque toughness doesnt leave much room for slacking off.

It isnt something that you dread. I look forward to it because the guy keeps you motivated, Alvarez said.

His legs were sore by Thursday afternoonmost likely, Alvarez said, from 50 repetitions of squat thrustsbut that wont stop him from going back to class this week.

To date, Alvarez has lost 42 pounds and says his cholesterol has dropped significantly. His employers wellness competition, he said, was the perfect launching pad for his transformation.

Accountability element

Capital One, the McLean-based financial giant, is another firm that has incorporated a competition into a broader wellness strategy.

When the company first decided to try this format in 2011, its wellness offerings were already relatively robust. It allowed employees to receive medical care at on-site health clinics and doled out subsidies for healthy meals in corporate cafeterias.

We just wanted something that we thought was a little more leading-edge, said Rob Paczkowski, the companys director of benefits.

For the eight-week challenge, employees assemble into teams of five to 11 people. Those who choose to participate are given a pedometer to log their steps and access to an online platform provided by Providence, R.I.-based company ShapeUp.

ShapeUps tool introduces a Facebook-like social element to the challenge. Workers can virtually high-five a team member who has done great work, or they can issue direct challenges to rival teams for mini contests within the larger competition. For example, one team might challenge another team to walk around the office campus during lunch time.

Teams can compete on three different criteria: Number of steps taken, number of exercise minutes logged or percentage of weight lost. The winning team in each category gets a $50 gift card for each of its members.

This set-up creates that very social element, that accountability element, Paczkowski said.

One-third of the companys global staff participated in last years challenge and logged 7.8 million minutes of exercise. Staffers shed a combined 14,000 pounds, and the average participant lost 7 pounds.

New twist to wellness

In addition to the cost benefits, employers have been motivated to invest in employee wellness because experts say a healthy workforce has lower absenteeism and higher levels of productivity.

In their pursuit of improved employee health, companies have for years been using wellness programs to incentivize good habits. In many cases, they offer cash or other rewards to workers who get a physical, undergo a biometric screening or engage in other preventive measures.

But the gamification approach is a relatively new twist that is growing increasingly common.

A survey by the National Business Group on Health and Towers Watson found that 45 percent of companies used competitions as part of their approach to wellness in 2012, up from 33 percent the previous year. An additional 15 percent of firms plan to add competitions in 2013. The survey also found that 19 percent of companies incorporate social media tools into their wellness initiatives, an increase from 12 percent in 2011. Another 17 percent said they are slated to add social media tools this year.

The gamification approach is effective in two key ways, according to workplaces that have adopted such programs and the makers of the technology platforms that support them.

Gamification plays to an employees desire to be on top. This type of mind-set, employers notice, is in part what drives a salesperson to rack up deals or a consultant to fight for new clients. They figure it could be channeled to help employees meet health goals.

Also, because these competitions are typically team-based, they inherently provide a built-in support system that encourages employees to stick with the program.

Corporations are networks of people, said Chris Boyce, the chief executive of Virgin HealthMiles, a company that provides socially-focused corporate wellness programs. And we find that networks of people actually move and change together.

Business opportunities

The increased corporate interest in competition-based and socially-oriented wellness programs has resulted in more opportunities for firms who build and manage the online platforms that facilitate them.

Companies such as RallyOn, Keas, Hubbub Health, ShapeUp and Global Corporate Challenge have models that are rooted in these ideas. Virgin Group, Richard Bransons venture capital organization, has moved into this area with its Virgin HealthMiles company. Aetna offers its members free access to games and apps from Mindbloom, and is in certain cases working with employers to help promote these tools to their employees.

At least one local start-up, District-based Cor, has entered the market. The firm, known until November as FitFeud, originally planned to market its Web-based, competition-focused platform directly to consumers. But the companys chief executive, Nicholas Tolson, said they quickly realized that wasnt the right approach.

Because many people receive health insurance through their employers and because they spend so much time at their offices, they felt it made sense to sell to companies, not individuals.

Plus, they determined that consumers might not want to shell out money to partake in a fitness challenge, but employers often have set budgets for wellness initiatives.

We would go after the places that sort of have a pot of money set aside and see if we can get a piece of that, Tolson said.

They also decided that competitions alone werent enough to make the platform fully engaging, so they added more communication tools and more education resources to make the product more comprehensive.

Currently, Tolson said his firm has five clients that represent 40,000 employees, and plans to try to grow its user base and its offerings further.

Weve all joined a gym and bought a workout DVD and its gathered dust, Tolson said. With the social strategy, weve identified the motivation piece.
The Pentagon is taking initial steps to more closely enforce so-called Buy American laws, elevating a series of Depression-era statutes that require manufacturers to rely on U.S. materials when they make guns, equipment, uniforms and food for the nations military.

A June 30 memo from the Office of Management and Budget provides new guidance on how federal agencies should enforce such laws, asking them to limit exemptions and calling for them to draft policies to maximize the procurement of U.S. products, specifically mentioning steel, iron, aluminum and cement.

An earlier memo from the Pentagons top acquisitions office instructs federal contractors to put in place a training program on how to comply with the 80-year-old laws.

The documents come as President Trump has vowed to put American interests first as he rewrites the nations trade agenda. The White House published an April 18 Buy American executive order focused on limiting the use of waivers and ending what it considers to be unfair trade practices. It is also weighing broader restrictions on steel and aluminum imports.

At a time when the presidents other major initiatives are held up in Congress and in the courts, changes to Defense Department acquisition policy might be seen as an easier path to enact change.

This is an area where the presidents hand is very strong and he has a lot of authority to make policy, said Andrew Hunter, a procurement expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The two laws in question are the 1933 Buy American Act, which requires the Pentagon to purchase domestically-produced products for purchases over a $3,500 threshold, and the more-restrictive 1941 Berry Amendment, which applies mainly to clothing and food products purchased by the military.

Together, these laws ostensibly require that the U.S. militarys entire supply chain be sourced from inside the country, down to the textile factories that churn out soldiers uniforms and the metalworkers that help make tanks and ammunition.

But in practice a sprawling hodgepodge of free trade agreements means American defense manufacturers can draw heavily on foreign materials. In fiscal year 2013, for example, approximately $19.7 billion, or about 6.4 percent of all U.S. military spending, went to foreign entities, according to a May 2014 report from the Defense Department Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.

The largest portion of that money is spent on raw materials like fuel and construction supplies. But the Pentagon also pays foreign firms to manufacture airframes, ship components, combat vehicles, weapons and medical supplies. Also, defense products that are built by U.S. firms generally have deep supply chains incorporating products from allies like Canada and numerous foreign raw materials.

Even when no exemptions exist, those laws are not always enforced. Out of a sample of 33 Air Force contracts reviewed last year by the Defense Departments Inspector General, about a third didnt enforce the Buy American Act, often due to administrative error or a lack of familiarity with the law on the part of procurement officials.

U.S. weapons manufacturers generally want to see those exemptions stay in place because it gives them more flexibility over their supply chains. Industry representatives are also worried that all the talk around domestic sourcing laws could spook the government officials who oversee specific contracts, leading them to turn down legitimate exceptions to the law.

Waivers are there for a reason, said Ronald J. Youngs, assistant vice president for national security policy at the Aerospace Industry Association, which lobbies on behalf of defense contractors. I think [government] contracting officers are going to be much more reluctant to step out and do a waiver even when it makes sense.

Others are worried that closer enforcement of Buy American laws could drive up prices for taxpayers by reducing competition.

Were now involved in a global supply chain, said Chris Taylor, chief executive of government contracting market research firm Govini. In the 1930s, when the Buy American Act was passed, we werent at all.

Bill Greenwalt, a former Defense Department procurement secretary who is now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, suggested closer enforcement of Buy American laws could even bring retaliation from other countries, hurting U.S. sales.

Foreign governments now have a lot more foreign alternatives in [aerospace and defense] than they once did, Greenwalt said. This renewed focus on Buy American will not be good for U.S. manufacturing jobs if our allies begin to look elsewhere.

Theres little evidence of a backlash so far. But the Buy American push is becoming a subject of conversation in international defense policy circles, as President Trumps brash leadership style and unconventional encounters with foreign leaders add a wrinkle to established international relationships.

Mr. Trump said, and hes right, I work for Americans so I want the Buy American Act. Why not? So Europe should say I work for Europe so we want also the Buy European Act,  Eric Trappier, chief executive of French aerospace firm Dassault Aviation, told the trade journal Defense & Aerospace Report last month at the Paris Air Show. We need reciprocity.
Anatol and Douglas Schwartz, 10-year-old twins from Gaithersburg, Maryland, visited Niagara Falls, in Ontario, Canada, last month. They took a boat ride and saw Horseshoe Falls from a tunnel during a Journey Behind the Falls tour. This month, Canada celebrates its 150th anniversary, so the boys posed near a huge sign marking the occasion. (Family photo)

KidsPost readers are just getting started on their summer adventures. This week were featuring two sets of brothers who traveled north and south and took KidsPost along for the ride.

Oliver and Leo Homan of Bethesda, Maryland, headed south to Bolivia this month. They traveled from the capital of La Paz to the hillside town of Coroico. Along the way, they spotted llamas.

Twins Douglas and Anatol Schwartz of Gaithersburg, Maryland, headed north to Canada just before that countrys 150th birthday celebration. They visited Niagara Falls, which is in the province of Ontario. The spectacular falls were formed about 12,000 years ago when glaciers melted.

Would you like to see pictures of your summer adventures featured in KidsPost?

Leo Homan, age 6, and brother Oliver, 8, of Bethesda, Maryland, visited the South American country of Bolivia this month and took KidsPost along. They enjoyed hiking in the Andes Mountains, seeing a waterfall, visiting relatives and walking on the Worlds Most Dangerous Road. (Family photo)

Heres what youll need to do:

 Go on a trip (anywhere!) and take along a recent copy of KidsPost.

Get someone to take a photo or two of you  and siblings or other family members  holding KidsPost. Easy, right? Just make sure at least one person in the photo is between the ages of 5 and 13.

Then fill out the submission form at wapo.st/summerofkidspost17 and attach your photo or photos. Or mail it to KidsPost, The Washington Post, 1301 K St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. Include the full name, age and home town of everyone in the photo. We also need your parents phone number and email address. We would love to hear from you about what made the trip memorable.

Families can submit only once, and the photos must have been taken after May 22, 2017. Entries are due by August 30.

At the end of the summer, three randomly selected families who have sent in photos will receive books and KidsPost goodies.


A statue honoring miners stands in front of the Boone County Courthouse in Madison, W.Va. The memorial flame stays lit for the duration of the towns week-long Coal Festival. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

Boone County claims to be the birthplace of Americas coal industry, the rich and abundant black rock discovered in these verdant hills almost three centuries ago. Coal gives name to nearly everything in these parts  the Big and Little Coal rivers, the weekly Coal Valley News, the wondrous Bituminous Coal Heritage Foundation Museum and the West Virginia Coal Festival, celebrating, as we arrive in town, its 24th year.

The festival is more state fair than true celebration of coal. Theres a carnival, a talent competition, seven beauty queens (from Little Miss Coal Festival to Forever West Virginia Coal Queen).

Late in the afternoon of the second day, high on a hill graced with the statue of a miner, theres a small memorial service for the West Virginia men who died on the job over the previous year. The most recent was 32-year-old Rodney Osborne, pinned by mining equipment on June 14. The total deaths are five, fewer than the number of Miss Coal Festivals who wilt in the heat on the steps of the neoclassical courthouse, draped in charcoal-black sashes. No coal executives bother to show up, nor any reps from the once-robust union.

Coal mining, celebrated with rhinestones and pageantry, is an enduring legacy rather than a thriving enterprise. Which is coal countrys problem, and the challenge for its boosters. Were stuck on the idea of coal, its potent history and Walker Evans imagery, although much of the world has moved on.

But not Boone County. Not yet.

Were keeping our heritage alive. We dont want it to be a dying industry, says Delores W. Cook, titularly the festivals vice president/treasurer/assistant director but in fact its true sovereign. This has been a way of life for people in West Virginia, keeping the lights on for all of the United States, for many, many years.



Delores Cook is vice president of the coal festival. Her late husband, Dennis, worked in the mines for more than 42 years. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

Jayla Cottrell, 14, left, the festivals Forever Queen and Miah Brown, 16, the Teen Queen, at the Bituminous Coal Heritage Foundation Museum. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

Cook adjusts her meringue of hair. Shes a coal miners daughter, a distinction residents declare in introductions, akin to being the child of a veteran with a proud chest of medals.

Her late husband, Dennis De Cook  every miner seems to sport a diminutive  worked coal 42 and a half years, she says, making sure every last month is honored. Des hard hat, plastered with union and company stickers, adorns a cross at the courthouse event, removed from its customary place atop a museum mannequin.

Boones fortunes rose and subsequently plummeted along with the industry. But coals grip holds hard, a source of revenue that the state has been slow to replace. Fewer than 700 county residents worked the mines last year. The school district is Boones largest employer, but it was forced to lay off 150 workers when income from the severance tax on coal extraction last year dropped to a fifth of what it was less than a decade ago.

(Jorge Ribas and Julio Negron/The Washington Post)

Decades past its heyday, and despite the availability of cleaner and more widely used energy resources, coal is enjoying its moment in politics, culture and the environmental debate. It has assumed a prominence in our national conversation far greater than its current consumption: 15 percent of Americas energy resources, producing about a third of all electricity. Its as though we had revived a discussion about locomotives. Fracking, recently a constant in the news, has been relegated to the back burner. Oil, too.

Coal dominated the energy debate during the presidential campaign, embraced by Donald Trump and dismissed as obsolete by Hillary Clinton.

Weve got to move away from coal and all the other fossil fuels, said the Democratic candidate, promptly rendering her a pariah here.

Coal is an idea some Americans cant quit, although it employed fewer than 66,000 miners in 2015. The Kohls department store chain has more than twice as many workers.

But retail doesnt play as powerfully in the American imagination, launching stories, inspiring music, forging identity. Entire communities were formed to mine coal, says Barbara Freese, author of Coal: A Human History. Coal created its own geographical area and culture.

The mountainous sweep of Appalachia seized the spotlight, mined for gold by journalists who had miscalculated Trumps ascendancy and the regions pivotal role in his election. J.D. Vances memoir Hillbilly Elegy, viewed as a decoder of Appalachian culture, has spent nearly a year crowning the bestseller list.

I happen to love the coal miners, declared President Trump in June, announcing the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate accord. Trump has welcomed coal miners and executives to the White House for a photo op, the first in ages, and declared an end to the war on coal  a term minted by an industry association  at a time when even the Kentucky Coal Museum is switching to solar energy.

1 of 22 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  A look at the pulse of life in West Virginias coal country View Photos Mining operations have shuttered, but their footprint remains. Caption Mining operations have shuttered, but their footprint remains. The Mount Storm coal-fired power station sits on a man-made lake created as a cooling pond near Mount Storm, W.Va. The power stations three massive generating units can burn more than 15,000 tons of coal per day. Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

Southern West Virginia is a place of both startling beauty and hardship, a juxtaposition that became all the more pronounced when companies started blowing off mountaintops to harvest fuel using fewer men, wrecking the states grand scenery in the quest for coal.

Were learning we cant have all our eggs in one basket. We need to grow and diversify, says state Sen. Ron Stollings (D) at the festival opening, reading from Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin IIIs address.

But in this region, coal is a tradition that continues to haunt.

Its not only an industry thats lost, but a way of life, one filled with terrible hardships, says composer Julia Wolfe, whose Pulitzer Prize-winning oratorio, Anthracite Fields, commemorates Pennsylvanias miners. The trick is not to romanticize the life. There are very beautiful things about the communitys dependence on each other, but theres also terrible abuse and negligence.

The industry was long marked by excessive volatility: all in during boom times  then neglect, with companies decamping under the cloak of bankruptcy, threatening pensions, wrecking the security of proud men. Jobs evaporated. But the mountains remained.

Theres still a lot of coal in these hills, says Cook, a former state representative and the steward of perpetual optimism. The fuel never dried up, only its viability, which profoundly affected the community.

The companies often cared less about the men than the commodity, a story the museum subtly reveals through its artifacts, without rancor or editorializing.

Miners were required to purchase work tools from company stores. Security was an afterthought. We didnt have reflective gear when I worked in the mines, says former miner (fourth-generation) Tim Spratt, visiting the museum with his grandson, gesturing toward a vitrine. That was only for supervisors.

Spratt, who sang at the memorial service, once worked low coal in a hole less than three feet high. Which is a hard job for a fat man, he says.

I liked the camaraderie with my fellow miners, adds resident Rickey Woodrum, who spent a decade underground before he turned to operating auto-body shops. I liked the money. It was tough. It will make you tough. But it put your kids through college.

So they wouldnt ever have to work the mines.

Mining is, was, the rare job where a man  invariably, a man  could provide for his family, making $80,000 or $90,000 in a good year, with just a high school degree, often less, rising up by working below.

The industrys declining fortunes contributed to the death of opportunity for many men to be their families top wage-earner, another conversation of our times.

Coals been going downhill since World War II, says former miner Jim Chaney. In Boone County, it used to be you mined the coal or you moved the coal.

Now, he believes, it will come back, but never the way that it was. Its a coda you hear constantly in coal country.



The Upper Big Branch Miners Memorial near Whitesville, W.Va., honors 29 miners who were killed in a mine accident in 2010. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

Ex-coal miner Johnny Bishop sells miner gear and other apparel in Welch, one of the poorest towns in West Virginia. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

West Virginia, seceding from Confederate Virginia in 1863, is the only state created by the Civil War. (Yet plenty of Confederate flags are on display, including several affixed to a carnival stand.) Instead of battlefields, the state produced a landscape of mining conflicts and disasters: Matewan, the Battle of Blair Mountain (the town is now little more than a commemorative plaque), Upper Big Branch.

The industrys dirty, dramatic and violent history was dominated by outsize union leaders and predatory companies that removed the coal and the wealth and left behind towns that resemble Depression-era movie sets and became visual catnip for documentary filmmakers and photographers.

Six decades ago, McDowell was a county of 100,000. Today, its a fifth the size, and West Virginias poorest county. In 2015, it garnered national attention for all the wrong reasons: as home to the nations highest rate of opioid-induced deaths.

Outside Welch, one of McDowells many poor towns, Johnny Bishop, 65, his skin tanned oak, is folded inside a white van on an empty road selling apparel, including mining gear with bands of reflective tape.

Bishop labored for 16 years in the mines, two years picking on his knees in holes 28 inches high. On his worst day, he was shocked by 480 volts from a live wire. Fourth-generation in the mines, he returned to work two days later.

If youre a miner, your crew is like your brothers in the mines, he says.

But business got bad. Bishops health got worse. Prescribed opioids for the pain, he took them but says he never got hooked, then quit them cold.

Ultimately, he left the holler, worked construction in Virginia, urged his five children not to become fifth-generation, and ultimately moved back to where the living was less taxing.

The coal companies and the nations leaders didnt pay attention to us, he says. We used to have so much here. We got coal. We got natural gas. We got timber. There used to be no poor people in McDowell County.

Now, thats almost all McDowell has.

How much for the miners shirt? Two dollars. We tip him three.



Pro-coal signage is found all over West Virginia, where the coal industry has been a way of life for more than a century. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

Wednesday is mariachi night at the Hacienda restaurant, where three employees were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in May for having improper papers. Everyone was thrilled when two of them came back.

While the beauty queens hold court at the festival memorial service, miners coming off their most recent shift choose to relax here with fajitas and beer.

Trains used to pass through Boone County eight times a day, sometimes more. Residents in housing yards from the tracks cursed the constant racket, others the frustration of driving behind a slow coal truck on two-lane roads over the hills.

No more. Those trains and trucks are now like Christmas.

At 7 p.m., as the carnival lights brighten narrow Main Street, a train plows through Madison, scores of cars loaded with peaks of coal.

Yoo-hoo! Hear that? gasps Cook. The coal train! She almost breaks into a jig.
These are times that try a White House reporters soul. Jim Acosta hasnt kept quiet about whats been troubling his.

CNNs senior White House reporter has been frustrated by many things: the curtailment of live broadcasts of the press secretarys daily briefings; the lack of substantive answers from the administration; the alleged blackballing of CNN (or maybe just of Acosta), by all of the presidents spokespeople, among others.

Other reporters share some of Acostas irritation. The difference is, Acosta has been outspoken about his. At a time when CNN is under attack by President Trump and his supporters, Acosta has been fighting back.

He has said on the air that White House press secretary Sean Spicers unresponsive answers were rendering him just kind of useless as a credible source; that the ever-briefer briefings have become basically pointless; that covering this White House has at times been like covering bad reality television.

The other day, after Trump once again denounced CNN as fake news during brief remarks to the media in Poland, Acosta tweeted that the event was a fake news conference because the presidents response was prompted by a reporter who had interviewed for a White House job.

Acosta is CNNs senior White House reporter. (Edward M. Pio Roda/CNN)

He has repeatedly needled Spicer on Twitter, too: I cant show you a picture of Sean, he tweeted, over a photo of his ankles, during a blacked-out briefing on June 19. So here is a look at some new socks I bought over the wknd.

Another, on June 12: As he often does, [Spicer] avoided taking questions from CNN today. This included a sarcastic hashtag: #courage.

Acostas remarks arent just blunt; theyre unusual. Reporters are supposed to report, not opine. Yet Acostas disdain has flowed openly, raising a question about how far a reporter  supposedly a neutral arbiter of facts, not a commenter on them  can and should go.

I think Im just covering a story, honestly, Acosta said in a call from Germany, where he was covering the president. When the president of the United States calls the press fake news and the enemy of the American people,  he added, I think thats when you have to get tough and ask the hard questions.

Of course, Trump and Spicer havent held back, either. In an interview, Spicer denounced Acosta in some of the harshest terms a press secretary has used  at least in public  to refer to a reporter. If Jim Acosta reported on Jim Acosta the way he reports on us, hed say he hasnt been very honest, Spicer said. I think hes gone well beyond the role of reporter and steered into the role of advocate. Hes the prime example of a [reporter in a] competitive, YouTube, click-driven industry, Spicer added. Hes recognized that if you make a spectacle on the air then youll get more airtime and more clicks. . . . If I were a mainstream, veteran reporter, Id be advocating for him to knock it off. Its hurting the profession.

Acosta, 46, has been a prominent face at CNN for the past decade, covering the last three presidential campaigns, President Obamas two terms and other major stories. He was a reporter at CBS News before joining CNN, and worked for TV stations in Chicago, Dallas and Knoxville before that. He started his broadcasting career as a radio reporter for WMAL-AM in Washington.

Despite his run-ins with Spicer and constant jeering from Trump supporters, Acosta seems to be relishing the fight. Im having the time of my life right now, he said. This is the biggest story of my life. Im like a kid in a candy store.

Acostas clashes with the administration have such a relatively long history that its difficult to sort cause from effect these days. Spicer effectively blames Acosta, without mentioning him by name, when he suggests that live audio and video coverage of the briefings was curtailed because of grandstanding by some reporters. The restrictive policy, in turn, prompted Acosta to pepper Spicer with questions about it: Why not turn the cameras on, Sean? he asked repeatedly on June 27. This, in turn, led to more criticism of Acosta.

Trump first mixed it up with the CNN reporter during the presidential campaign last year. Pressed by Acosta to account for his unfulfilled promise to donate money to veterans organizations, the then-Republican candidate replied acidly, Ive seen you on TV. Youre a real beauty.

President-elect Trump tangled with him again in a tense exchange in January that concluded with Trump branding Acosta as rude and CNN, once more, as fake news.

A curious sidelight to all this has been the relatively tepid support Acosta has received from his fellow White House journalists. Only a few have publicly spoken out in support of him. There have been no walkouts or calls for boycotting the briefings (although Acosta has suggested collective action to get the cameras back). The White House Correspondents Association has confined its agitation to behind-the-scenes negotiations with Spicer and several short, general statements.

In fact, the pushback against Acosta from some quarters of the media has been more striking. On a recent Fox News segment, for example, former Fox News White House reporter Ed Henry said Acostas on-air commentary had crossed the line into opinion.

Hes overdoing this, Henry said, crossing the line into opinion himself. If youre going to be a reporter and going to be a correspondent, his opinions are now no longer coming from pundits. Its coming from White House correspondents.

CNN, understandably, sees things a bit differently. Jim Acosta is a fantastic reporter, a great White House reporter, said Acostas boss, CNN Washington bureau chief Sam Feist.

Feist likens Acosta to Sam Donaldson, the legendarily feisty former ABC newsman, and makes no excuses for Acostas pointed comments. Jim is as tenacious now with Donald Trump as president as he was when Barack Obama was president, Feist said. If you look at the reporting he did in the Obama White House, youll find hes the same Jim Acosta.

In fact, Acosta didnt go easy on Trump and Spicers predecessors; his questioning of Obama press secretary Josh Earnest and Obama himself was often highlighted in conservative media accounts and in Republican National Committee emails. During the IRS scandal, for instance, he asked Earnest whether the White Houses claim that it had lost important emails was like saying the dog ate my homework. He also pressed Obama on his characterization of the Islamic State as the J.V. team and the presidents contention that he hadnt underestimated the terror organization. Why cant we take out these bastards? Acosta asked.

Acosta said that today the president and the issues have changed but that he hasnt. This is not a crusade, he said. This is not partisan. This is journalism. Were trying to hold them to account.


Gayan Peart runs Bethany House, a shelter for victims of domestic violence. Until a few years ago, she had blocked out the darkest period of her own life  when she and her mother lived with her abusive stepfather. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

The women who show up at Gayan Pearts domestic abuse shelter come with trembling hands and tears streaming down their faces. They come with suitcases or just the clothes they were wearing when they walked out the door. They come with crying, confused children who want to go home, even though home is where their mommy gets hurt. They come with no money for a hotel room, no family to turn to, no support system to trust.

They come with one eye fixed on the door, sure that theyre not yet safe, that hes going to burst in at any second, angrier than ever because she tried to leave.

Gayan understands the fear and the pain. She lived it  though it has taken her a long time to admit that, even to herself.

Gayans parents separated before she was born. When she was growing up in Jamaica, she and her mom were a cozy duo, sometimes even commuting together to the elementary school where Gayan was a pupil and her mom was a teacher. She was a great, loving parent, says Gayan, and she tried really hard to give me a great life.

Gayan was happy when her mom started dating a well-liked man from their church. The pair got engaged and Gayan, then 14, thought, Oh, I have two parents  yay! I have this little family.

Soon there was a wedding and a new house in a different community, 30 minutes from family and friends. For a while things were great. But it slowly became apparent that Gayans mom was no longer in charge. Her new stepdad made all the decisions about who could visit, how money was spent and what Gayan should do after school. He quickly was the one in control  of everything, really, she says.

Gayan chafed at the new rules and detected her moms growing disillusionment. She was just so sad. She would go in the shower and shed be crying. Shed have the water running and shed be in there for a really long time and Id go to the bathroom with my ear to the door and I could just hear her in there sobbing and sobbing, Gayan recalls. But then she would come out, dry her face, act like it was fine.

One day a fight erupted as her mother sat sewing. Her stepfather tried to throw her moms sewing machine out on the lawn, then stormed out of the house. Gayan and her mother locked the door, but soon he was back, demanding to be let in. The women blocked the door as he pounded on it; Gayan was in front when her stepdads fist crashed through the door and hit her in the chest.

She screamed and ran to a nearby police station. By the time she returned with the officers, her stepfather was nowhere to be found. But he returned eventually and didnt even pretend to be the nice guy Gayans mom thought shed married.

I felt like one moment I was living in a home that was a little strange, to living in this nightmare, Gayan recalls. It became ugly very, very quickly.

Gayan started sleeping in her moms bed, with a knife under the pillow. They would stay with friends for a few weeks at a time, but Gayans mom had no financial resources to make a clean break. So they always ended up back under the same roof with Gayans stepdad.

I remember looking at her and I said, You know, I never want to get married. Because if this is what marriage is, I dont want it,  Gayan recalls. She said, Dont say that. This is not what marriage is supposed to be. 

[This Life: The cashier who serves love on Capitol Hill]

After Gayan graduated from high school, her mother left for England to visit an elderly aunt  and decided not to return to Jamaica. Soon Gayan joined her. Living far from home, she locked away the painful previous chapter of their lives.

My body suppressed a lot of these things. My mom would try to talk about it and Id be like, La la la la. I dont want to hear his name. I dont want to talk about him,  Gayan says. Sometimes shed be like, Do you remember? And I really couldnt. Its almost like it was wiped away from my memory.

Gayan made her way to the United States to finish college and ended up getting a job as a social worker in Boston. After a few years she became a program manager with Bethany House, a domestic violence shelter in Alexandria, Va. Bethany House owns two homes in Northern Virginia that can house 10 families at a time for four to six months. It was Gayans mission to help abused women get on their feet  find jobs, cars, permanent housing and emotional independence.

Gayan loved her job but didnt feel a personal connection to the work. It was just, Im a social worker and Im helping these women, she says.

Then after a couple of years with Bethany House, her pastor interviewed her for a church newsletter and asked if anything in her past had led her to pursue this line of work. I was like, Me? Domestic violence? Oh no, pastor,  she recalls. But as he pressed further, something broke open. And then there it was, playing out in front of me. Yes, this span of your life did happen. It did exist. It was ugly. It was messy. And you suppressed it all these years, pretended it didnt happen.

Suddenly, she related differently to the woman who was stranded at a gas station with a newborn and no diapers or formula  because she didnt want her abuser to suspect that she was leaving for good. She understood the preteen gripped by embarrassment to be living in a shelter.

[This Life: He never imagined being a priest. But then he heard the call.]

Your mind processes so differently when you can see yourself in that child or that mother, says Gayan, now 35 and the executive director of Bethany House. Today, when she tells women its not their fault, I can say it, not because I went through some training or because I have a degree, but because Ive walked a mile in their shoes. Now I have a mental and a heart connection to these women.

She can also understand the emotional and financial ties that lead some women to return to their abusers.

As much as some of our women dont want to go back, they doubt themselves. Theyre like, Am I doing the right thing? Can I provide for my family? This is so hard,  she says. Thats why Bethany House offers such long stays, to give women time to build up the financial and psychological resources to go it alone.

On a sunny Friday morning in June, Gayan greeted a 30-something woman carrying a suitcase at the door of the shelter. The woman accepted Gayans hug and began to cry. She was just so happy we had a room available, Gayan says later.

These moments, in all their intensity, are some of Gayans favorites. Because its like, You made it out!  she says, waving away tears. Because we didnt have a Bethany House in Jamaica. I wish. I go through the house sometimes and look at the empty rooms and say, I wish wed had this. 
Sleep reboots our brains, banishing our cares. Or, as William Shakespeare put it in A Midsummer Nights Dream:

And sleep, that sometimes shuts up sorrows eye,

Steal me awhile from mine own company.

Alas, sometimes is the key word here. Sometimes, sorrows eye remains wide open. Sometimes were stuck with our own company.

Or limited liability company, as the case may be. Sometimes we dream about work.

Recently, I described one of my work dreams  the simple task of printing out a document made Sisyphean by my subconscious  and asked readers to share theirs. These dreams tend to fall into two main categories: You keep doing the thing you did during the day or you cant do the thing you did during the day.

[It doesnt seem fair that when Im not at work, I dream about  work]

When most of us have the latter, it involves school: Theres a big test and we havent studied. Teachers have their own variation on that dream.

Jim Gray of Charlotte Hall, Md., taught middle and high school for 32 years. Even though Ive been retired for seven years now, I still have a recurring dream (nightmare?), Jim wrote. The bell has just rung and students are coming in my classroom door, and I realize I have absolutely no lesson plans for them at all. How to fill the next 50 minutes with no plans and no ideas?

Gail Schmitt of Rockville, Md., is a retired Montgomery College professor. Her dream? Id show up to class without a plan or materials or missing some important item such as the text or test, she wrote. Ill be interested to see what physicians or accountants dream.

Well, I didnt hear from any doctors, but Ann Shields has been a registered nurse for 42 years, working in emergency rooms, intensive care units, and labor and delivery units.

In spite of my high-stress specialties, my recurring nightmare goes back to my first job on a medical/surgical unit in Cody, Wyo., wrote Ann, of Lorton, Va. The little hospital close to Yellowstone Park was wild in the summer, with international tourists, bear attacks, heart attacks, car wrecks  you name it and it happened there. The pace was unrelenting and I was frequently overwhelmed.

Anns dream begins at the start of her shift. I head down the long hall for a visual check on all 14 patients, she wrote. No big deal, a quick meet and greet. But every single patient needs something: the bathroom, a barf basin, a pain med, a dressing reinforced, a blanket, a drink of water. In the dream I work faster and faster but  yikes  its noon and I still havent gotten to that last room.

You can guess the rest: When I finally get to the end of the hall hours later, the patient is deader than a door nail!

Joellen Waldenmaier of Ashland, Va., has a less dramatic but no less stressful dream. She was a secretary for the federal government in Washington, and after spending most of her workday typing up projects for her boss, she would spend the night dreaming she was doing the same thing.

Wrote Joellen: When I woke up to get ready to go to work the next day, I felt as though I had never really been asleep.

Equally frustrating was the dream Kay Stephens of University Park, Md., would sometimes have. She worked as a cashier in a local hardware store back in the 1970s, long before scanners.

The cash registers back then had multiple columns of buttons numbered 0 through 9 that you used to enter the price, plus numerous other buttons, Kay wrote. Even four or five years after I had left retail, I would have a nightmare that all the buttons were in the wrong place on the cash register, so I couldnt ring up the customers items.

John White of Sterling, Va., had a long career as a firefighter. His most common dream would find him heading out on a call, reaching a point where he could see the incident  a fire, accident, plane crash  but be unable to reach it.

I was on a parallel street with no connecting road, or there was a railroad track with no crossing, or a drainage ditch, John wrote. It varied, but always seemed to revolve around some obstacle that (even in the dream) I knew wasnt supposed to be there, but somehow was. Sometimes the situation would be resolved, but usually I woke up without ever having made it to the call.

Tomorrow: More dreams.

Water works

In an item last week about the search for a replica Liberty Bell that once stood in front of the District Building, I mentioned some statues that were once stored at the Blue Plains water treatment facility. Vince Morris of D.C. Water pointed out that Blue Plains is a wastewater treatment plant, not a water treatment plant.

By the way, Vince used to do communications for Pepco. Hes gone from electricity to water. I hope hes well grounded.

Twitter: @johnkelly

For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly.
The Capital Beltway in Montgomery County not only turned into the proverbial parking lot Saturday evening, but it also became an impromptu picnic area and recreation center, as traffic backed up for miles following a vehicle fire.

No injuries were reported in the propane-fueled fire in an RV on the inner loop just beyond River Road, said state police Sgt. Ryan Shaffer. The fire was allowed to burn itself out, Shaffer said. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

The fire was reported about 5:20 p.m. Soon after, traffic shutdowns began to create long lines of cars on either side of the scene. At one point, all lanes were reported shut in both directions.

Wrong day to eat an under 100 calorie lunch, said motorist Nicki Hicks, who joked that she was getting hungry and about to crawl under the seat to find an old french fry.

After about 50 minutes of traffic standstill, we noticed people starting to get out of their cars, said Joseph Otero, who was on his way to Northern Virginia.

Children played cards on the roadway, he said. In the empty inner loop lanes, Otero saw people throwing softballs.

Behind him was a car with people headed to a party, he said. They had cupcakes, and in the spirit of the evenings impromptu amity, started handing them out to other stalled motorists and their passengers.

After about an hour and 40 minutes, Otero said, traffic began moving. After driving slowly past the scene of the fire, he saw the line of stalled cars that had been headed in the other direction.

The line seemed to extend all the way back to Tysons Corner in Fairfax County, he said, and they werent moving at all.
An American flag flaps in the wind at Barry Farm, a dilapidated public housing complex in the poorest part of Washington that D.C. officials hope to rebuild as a bigger and more modern development. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

Over the years, at community meetings on the Districts plan to tear down Barry Farm, a dilapidated public housing complex in the poorest part of Washington, Paulette Matthews has never hesitated to share her concerns about the redevelopment.

The night of June 28 was no exception.

With demolition work finally set to begin this summer at the aged, half-vacant dwellings, Matthews and other residents joined developers and D.C. officials for a meeting about Barry Farm that quickly unraveled into a verbal free-for-all.

The evenings agenda had envisioned a polite gathering in the multipurpose room of an Anacostia school, followed by breakout sessions at which tenants would be updated on the relocation and reentry process for 513 residents who, the city says, will be temporarily displaced during months of construction.

But as frustration and worry among tenants boiled over  mainly about the impending forced move  the carefully drafted agenda was abruptly discarded and residents united in peppering officials with queries and challenges.

A man cleans a basketball court at Barry Farm. Despite assurances from the District that they will be allowed to move back, some residents fear that once they leave their apartments, they will be kept out for many years or permanently because of construction slowdowns or stricter residency screenings. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

The disorderly meeting at the Excel Academy Public Charter School seemed a metaphor for the Districts ambitious but troubled New Communities Initiative, a neighborhood revitalization effort targeting four areas of the city that has progressed at a glacial pace, and sometimes languished, for more than a decade.

A major element of the plan involves razing and replacing Barry Farm, a complex dating to World War II that has long been an eyesore in Ward 8, the Districts most impoverished precinct.

I have some questions! Matthews, 58, shouted from the back of the room as moderators tried to organize about 40 people into breakout groups to discuss the move, the design of the new project and the menu of social services available to residents.

Despite assurances from the city that they will be allowed to move back, Matthews and others fear that once they leave their Barry Farm apartments, they will be kept out for many years or permanently because of construction slowdowns or stricter residency screenings at the new, much larger mixed-income complex.

Let her finish! someone yelled, after Denise Robinson, a project manager for one of the developers, had interrupted Matthews, asking her to hold her inquiries until later.

Weve got to keep control of the meeting, Robinson warned, standing near a stage. Now, Im not being disrespectful, but 

You are! a loud voice cried. You need to let her speak!

Unacceptable! another declared.

Unreasonable expectations

The New Communities Initiative was born in 2005 and grew up on drawing boards over the next three years. Planners reasoned that by eliminating concentrated pockets of poverty, centered on public housing, they could ease crime, joblessness and other socioeconomic ills.

By 2008, the plan called for razing four tumbledown apartment complexes in the city and building bigger, modern developments in line with the New Urbanism concept, featuring open, walkable green spaces and an array of amenities. The complexes would include not only replacement public housing but also other types of affordable apartments as well as market-rate rental units and condos for sale.

But more than a decade after the initiative was conceived, none of the projects is even close to being finished.

One of the initiatives early, much-touted principles was build first, meaning that existing public housing tenants would not suffer the profound disruption of being temporarily relocated far from home. Instead, they would live on or close to the redevelopment sites while the new communities were built around them. But build-first was easier said than done.

A consultants study in 2014 found that the New Communities Initiative was hampered from the start because officials had failed to fully consider potential issues involving financing gaps and unpredictable changes in the real estate market. The build-first idea also was a drag on the initiative, as was the post-2007 global economic crisis.

Starting off with really unreasonable expectations just set us up for a lot of problems, like failed timelines, said Kimberly Black King, chief development officer for the D.C. Housing Authority, which oversees public housing.

Nevertheless, another housing official said, the initiative has gained momentum in recent years and is nearing a milestone with the impending demolition of Barry Farm, once notorious as an epicenter of violence during the citys worst periods of crime.

For the first time in New Communities history, we actually have significant development movement at all four of our sites, said Angie Rodgers, who manages the initiative in the office of the deputy mayor for planning and economic development.

A developer was recently chosen to raze the Park Morton public housing complex, in the Park View section of Northwest Washington, and construct a larger, mixed-income replacement, Rodgers said in an interview.

Because the build-first model will be used there, she said, the project is set to be the first full-scale public housing redevelopment in the country that well do without displacing any of the residents from the neighborhood. The complex now houses about 140 families, she said.

She said the build-first concept also will be employed at the Lincoln Heights and Richardson Dwellings public housing site, near the citys eastern tip. About 230 families live there now.Rodgers said the city is on track to issue a request for proposal this summer, seeking a developer to handle that project.

The original New Communities mixed-income project, largely still in the paperwork stage since 2005, is slated for land once occupied by the crime-ridden Temple Courts and Golden Rule housing complexes , close to what is now the gentrified NoMa neighborhood, near Union Station. A full build-first model hasnt been used at this site, known as Northwest One. Before the 250 old apartments were demolished, the low-income residents were given vouchers to help pay for affordable private housing elsewhere in the city, while the redevelopment plan languished.

Development stalled partly because of a land-use restriction, but that problem was resolved in 2013. The city last year sought proposals from would-be developers. Rodgers said officials hope to make a decision this summer.

The city announced last September that the build-first approach would be too expensive and time-consuming for Barry Farm, and that residents would be either temporarily moved to public housing units scattered around the District or would be given rent-subsidy vouchers to help pay for nonpublic affordable housing.

We came to this decision almost a year ago, and our communication with residents about it has been very clear ever since, Rodgers said.

But not much about the New Communities Initiative tends to go as planned.

Just more excuses

As the dialogue grew loud and testy in the school multipurpose room, D.C. Council member Trayon White Sr. (D-Ward 8) took the microphone, trying to restore order.

After scuttling the breakout sessions  residents insisted on staying together  White said calmly, Go ahead, Ms. Matthews, finish what you were saying.

I have a question and I have a statement, declared Matthews, who has lived in Barry Farm for 21 years. To begin with, she said, she fears that the project will grind to a halt, for financial or other reasons, while residents are living in far-flung places across the city, waiting to return.

Robinson, the project manager, seemed mildly exasperated.

We came out to a meeting of Barry Farm residents on September 14  so all the way back in September  to let them know the results of our inquiry into whether a build-first option was possible, she reminded the audience. We told residents at that time that it was not possible, and that everybody was going to have to temporarily relocate from the site. And weve been saying 

Matthews cut her off, and the two began talking over each other, their voices rising as Robinson pleaded: Wait a minute! Let me 

Then White stepped in again to lower the volume.

Thats just more excuses! another woman yelled, dismissing the idea that the build-first concept is not feasible.

We cannot accept this! We want you to know, as residents, we want to stay here in Barry Farm!

Rodgers said that based on conversations with numerous Barry Farm tenants, the residents opposed to the plan at the meeting are in the minority.

Management of the new complex will be overseen by one or both of the developers that have partnered with the Housing Authority. To dispel concern that the new manager might impose a tighter screening process for returning residents, in terms of their credit and rent-paying histories and any past legal problems, the authority has enacted a rule that the process cannot be any stricter than the current one for public housing.

There are 444 apartments at the site, about 200 of which are occupied by 513 people, according to the Housing Authority. The other units are vacant because in recent years, in anticipation of the redevelopment, the authority has not accepted new tenants.

King, the authoritys development officer, said the rebuilt complex will have 1,400 units, including 344 for public housing tenants. An additional 100 public housing apartments already have opened, and are occupied, at two new complexes nearby. The rest of the redevelopment, more than 1,000 residences, will be a mix of nonpublic apartments for low-income tenants and market-rate rental and ownership units.

The relocation process, set to begin this summer, is expected to take about 18 months, King said. As the tenants start leaving, construction will commence, she said. If all goes as planned, she said, the first phase of the project  about 550 housing units at a cost of about $150 million  will open in 2020 and be completed in 2022.

In that two-year span, King said, the relocated tenants will be allowed back in.

Any time people are being moved out of their homes, not certain if theyre going to come back, theres going to be distrust, White said after the meeting. Trust is earned. Youve got to say what youre going to do, and then make a practice of doing what you say.

So Matthews will have to wait and see.

Promises, promises, she said. We all know anything can change.
Metros inspector general is investigating the agencys handling of complaints alleging racial and sexual harassment by a top MetroAccess official, the IGs office has confirmed.

The probe was initiated after complaints from individuals outraged over Metros response to the harassment allegations reached the office of the newly appointed inspector general in recent weeks, the IGs office confirmed.

Geoffrey Cherrington, a renowned federal investigator, took over as inspector general on April 17.

The woman who alleged harassment was fired months after complaining about her treatment, according to a lawsuit she later filed. The man she alleged harassed her remains in his role as director of MetroAccess Service.

The details of how the harassment complaints were allegedly handled came to light in a lawsuit, Kim v. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, that was filed in April 2015 and settled this past September. According to the suit, Minkyung Kim said she endured racial and sexual harassment as well as hostility from MetroAccess Director Omari June after being hired as a MetroAccess service monitor in March 2013, culminating in her termination a year later.

[Metros new watchdog: Where theres money, theres often fraud, and if it exists, we want to find it]

Cherrington confirmed that there is an ongoing probe into the agencys handling of the allegations but said he could not comment on open investigations. Details of the settlement, which court records show was reached in September, have not been made public, although court documents indicate that Metro was to make payments to Kim.

The lawsuit alleged that June routinely talked about sex  including the size of his genitalia  simulated a sexual act with a water bottle and at one point assigned Kim weekend homework to figure out what color her skin was and report back to him the next Monday, when he followed up with her. Kim is of Asian descent; June is black.

The lawsuit also alleged that June sent sexually suggestive photos and videos to Kim.

Kim repeatedly complained of Junes behavior to her immediate supervisor, her complaint says, but the supervisor replied, Im sorry . . . I cant control him. Kim said supervisors became more hostile toward her once her discomfort became clear, according to the lawsuit, and she was falsely accused of insubordination and being too direct in her tone.

Metro denied the harassment charges after an internal investigation, which accused Kim of acting inappropriately and led to her firing after the transit agency said it could not find any witnesses to corroborate her story.

Kim had complained to another Metro supervisor and filed a union grievance, according to the suit. She also filed a complaint with an internal Equal Opportunity and Employee Relations employee, according to her lawsuit, and later the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Findings of EEOC investigations are confidential, and the results could not be determined.

Instead of thoroughly examining the harassment allegations, the suit says, Metro conducted a sham investigation with a focus on getting Kim fired.

June did not respond to emails seeking comment on the allegations, the lawsuit and the inspector generals investigation, and could not be reached by phone. Kim and her attorney, Susan E. Huhta, declined to comment.

Metro spokesman Dan Stessel declined to answer questions about the settlement or the inspector generals probe.

The court filings, however, shed light on Metros reaction to Kims complaints. The agency denied the racial and sexual harassment allegations  as well as the charge that it conducted a fraudulent investigation aimed at terminating Kims employment.

Stessel confirmed that April 14, 2014, was Kims last day of employment but declined to say whether she was fired. But in the lawsuit, the transit agency said Kim was, in fact, terminated  with cause.

Any employment decisions by [the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority] were made for valid, nondiscriminatory reasons, the agency said in its response to the suit. Kim, a probationary employee, was discharged for just cause.

According to Metros response, an employee conducted an investigation of Kims complaints  using documents provided by Kim and interviewing employees who worked with her. Kim alleged that at least one of the employees interviewed corroborated her story.

But four days before she left Metro, the lawsuit stated, Metros Office of Equal Opportunity and Employee Relations sent Kim a letter that said her allegations were not supported by evidence and that people interviewed did not support her claims against June. Metro alleged that Kim had acted inappropriately in the workplace, including touching others and making sexual remarks, according to the lawsuit. Kim denied the allegations, stating in the lawsuit that they were made in retaliation for her earlier complaints.

These allegations were false, and known to be false by [Metro] at the time it made them, Kims complaint reads. They were retaliatory and trumped up to serve as a rationale for firing Ms. Kim four days later.

Kim was otherwise regarded as an exemplary employee, according to the lawsuit, but she alleges that Metros response to her complaints was to give her an unwarranted negative performance review, accuse her of shirking equal employment opportunity policies and fire her  actions that she contends violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In its response, Metro denied that it failed to thoroughly investigate the alleged harassment.

Metro promptly and effectively investigated and responded to Plaintiffs claims, and exercised reasonable and appropriate care in all respects related thereto, reads the June 2015 response, asking a judge to dismiss the suit.

MetroAccess is the transit agencys door-to-door paratransit service for the elderly and people with disabilities. It has an annual budget of more than $100 million and serves an estimated 43,000 customers. It is the agencys fastest-growing and most expensive service.
Concrete blocks serve as security at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne, Australia. They have been installed across Melbourne and Sydney to block vehicle access and prevent terrorist attacks. Several U.S. cities, including Las Vegas and New York, are considering similar measures. (Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

Last month, attackers using a vehicle and knives killed eight people and wounded dozens more on London Bridge. A few weeks later in an incident nearby, a man drove into people leaving mosques after Ramadan services, killing one and injuring 10.

And in May, a man driving in New Yorks Times Square plowed into a crowd during lunchtime, killing one person and injuring 22. While authorities said the incident was not terrorism, the Islamic State, inspired by the crash, used it to warn that more attacks on the nations largest city and popular tourist destinations would follow.

As terrorists overseas increasingly turn to vehicles as weapons, cities across the United States, concerned such attacks could happen here, are ramping up security in public spaces to protect areas with heavy pedestrian traffic.

Theres unfortunately almost no end to the number of times these things happen by accident and, unfortunately, it is increasing the number of times these things are happening on purpose, said Rob Reiter, a pedestrian safety expert and chief security consultant at Calpipe Security Bollards, one of the nations top bollard manufacturers.

Bollards and security barriers, as well as increased police presence at events, are among some of the strategies that cities are using to guard against such attacks. Seven hundred bollards are being installed along the Las Vegas Strip this year at a cost of $5 million in what has been called a matter of life and death to protect people from those who would use vehicles as weapons. Although there is no specific threat, authorities said that recent terrorist propaganda featuring snapshots of the Las Vegas Strip cannot be overlooked. Each barrier is designed to resist a 15,000-pound, 30-foot vehicle, officials said.

Security concrete blocks at Southern Cross Station in central Melbourne. (Melanie Burton/Reuters)

In New York, officials have been calling for the installation of more bollards, citing the ones that stopped the speeding sedan in the May incident. The Los Angeles City Council, meanwhile, is to vote this summer on whether to direct the police department and other agencies to issue a report on mitigation methods for vehicle attacks.

Transportation planners are exploring innovative ways to use landscaping to create buffers between roadways and sidewalks. Security companies say they are being consulted on how to protect main streets.

Big cities are realizing that they could have a mass casualty event on all four sides of an intersection at any time, Reiter said.

Attacks with vehicles used as improvised weapons became the single most lethal form of attack in Western countries for the first time last year, according to the London-based Risk Advisory Group, which keeps track of every terrorist attack worldwide. Just over half of the terrorism-related deaths in the West were the result of vehicle-ramming attacks, the data shows.

In the most deadly one, in Nice, France, a truck mowed down dozens of people celebrating Bastille Day last July, killing 87 and injuring 434. On Dec. 19, 12 people were killed and 56 injured when a man drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin.

In the United States, a man inspired by the Islamic State drove into students at Ohio State University last fall, then emerged with a knife, injuring 11 people.

Experts say Europe will probably continue to experience such attacks because of the ease with which they can be carried out. As countries have stepped up security and counterterrorism efforts, terrorists have found it more difficult to strike using traditional means. It is easier to rent a truck than to acquire explosives or firearms without raising suspicion.

Concrete blocks at Southern Cross Station. Cities in Europe, Australia and North America are making new investments, from barriers along bridges to retractable bollards in areas frequented by tourists. (Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

It is much more nebulous. It is much more spontaneous, said Henry Wilkinson, director of intelligence analysis for the Risk Advisory Group, which keeps track of terrorist attacks and provides security assessments for large events.

Views are mixed on the risk of such attacks in the United States..

Obviously, the United States has invested huge sums of money and time and resources into its counterterrorism program and the scale of intelligence collection and training and other things reduces the threat significantly, Wilkinson said.

The availability of firearms in the United States makes it more likely that they would be the weapon of choice, he said.

A Canadian man who yelled the Arabic phrase Allahu akbar before allegedly stabbing an airport police officer in Flint, Mich., last month was indicted Wednesday on charges of committing an act of violence at an international airport and interfering with airport security, in what authorities say was a possible act of terrorism. But most acts of terror on U.S. soil, including several domestic terrorist attacks, have involved firearms and explosives. The 2015 San Bernardino, Calif., terrorist attack, which killed 14 people and injured more than 20, was a mass shooting.

If someone was inclined to go and carry out a terrorist attack, it seems more logical that one would use the effective way of carrying out that attack, and if given choice between using a car and a machine gun, you will probably use a machine gun, Wilkinson said.

Still, U.S. law enforcement officials say the threat of such attacks is real. In an advisory issued in May, the Transportation Security Administration alerted the nations trucking companies about the rising risk of rental trucks and hijackings and thefts for purposes of such an attack. The agency urged vigilance as terrorist groups continue to employ the less sophisticated tactics, which can be carried out with minimal planning and training, but have potential to inflict mass casualties.

No community, large or small, rural or urban, is immune to attacks of this kind by organized or lone wolf terrorists, the TSA report said.

From 2014 through April of this year, terrorists carried out 17 vehicle ramming attacks, killing 173 people and injuring 667, the report said. While the statistics represent only a fraction of all casualties from terrorist attacks worldwide, the potential for mass casualties and difficulty for law enforcement in planning for or preventing such attacks makes them attractive for would-be terrorists.

In the 1990s, barriers were designed to protect from car bombs after the 1998 vehicle bombings at U.S. embassies in East Africa. The use of barriers such as bollards skyrocketed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as officials sought to protect federal buildings and increase security at potential targets, such as airports and stadiums.

The latest threat has cities in Europe, Australia and North America making new investments, from barriers along a number of bridges across the River Thames in London to retractable bollards in the tourist area of Surfers Paradise in eastern Australia. Vehicle barriers along roads around the All England club were among the enhanced security measures surrounding Wimbledon this week .

In Washington, which is filled with high-profile targets as the nations capital, law enforcement officials would not discuss specific tactics, but they acknowledged that they are pursuing various means to protect pedestrians, including the installation of more bollards on city streets.

We are always trying to stay a step ahead of these terrorists, said Jeffery Carroll, the assistant D.C. police chief
The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy will begin offering training to prepare prospective workers for the medical marijuana industry.

The move puts the Baltimore school in league with few other established universities and colleges, including the University of Vermont College of Medicines Department of Pharmacology, seeking to bring educational standards to a growing national industry that grapples with evolving science and uncertain legal standing.

We wanted to be there as a resource, said Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner, a pharmacy professor and executive director of the schools Center for Innovative Pharmacy Solutions, which began signing up potential workers for training last month.

If youre going to be dispensing, she said, lets make sure your staff is trained in best practices to do it safely and effectively.

The pharmacy school will offer classes through its online platform toward certifications required under the states medical marijuana law for those involved in the business. It is partnering with the advocacy group Americans for Safe Access on the certification program. That organization will provide the instructors and the curriculum, which the school vetted and adjusted.

Training doesnt mean an endorsement of using marijuana by the school, a well-regarded institution founded in 1841, Rodriguez de Bittner said. Medical marijuana is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

The school had an online platform to offer the training and a mission to provide education to health-care providers, even if the science and government regulation has yet to catch up with demand, she said.

Few universities even support research into medical uses for cannabis, largely because accessing the plant is restricted by federal law that categorizes it the same as heroin and LSD. And though Maryland, 28 other states and the District have made medical marijuana legal, the Trump administration has signaled that it could increase enforcement efforts.

Some large health systems in Maryland are concerned enough to ask their doctors not to recommend the drug, including LifeBridge Health and MedStar Health. Johns Hopkins Medicine and the University of Maryland Medical System are formulating policies.

Marylands medical marijuana rules dont obligate doctors to get specific training before prescribing cannabis, but like other states it does require growers, processors, dispensaries and laboratories to be certified, said Patrick Jameson, executive director of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission.

The burden will be on businesses to ensure that there is training relevant to a persons position, and there will be inspections, he said. The focus will be on safety, security and record keeping, but workers in each type of operation have more specific requirements.

There are numerous training requirements for those people working in the industry, Jameson said. Grower agents, processor agents and dispensary agents have specific training requirements as listed in state law, he said. Dispensary agents have even more requirements.

The commission doesnt endorse a particular certification program, though the agency website for a time included a link to one but subsequently removed it.

The pharmacy schools partnership with Americans for Safe Access gives the nonprofit advocacy group immediate legitimacy for its courses, said Shad Ewart, a professor at Anne Arundel Community College who teaches a course about the marijuana industry for credit but not yet industry certification.

He said the school also benefits because officials there had to do little legwork in developing a curriculum that could have taken months or years to produce on their own. (University officials said they reviewed the content and made it conform to educational norms.)

Still, Ewart understands that many colleges and universities dont want to jeopardize federal funding for research, student loans or other programs by wading into the medical marijuana arena. He said there was a need and, in his case, demand particularly from students who wanted to launch their own businesses. He said he steers students to focus on ancillary operations such as security, marketing, accounting and retail.

If the legislation says you must have fencing with video surveillance, well, thats good for the fencing and video industries, he said.

Jahan Marcu, chief science officer for Americans for Safe Access, said the group has been offering training since 2002 when there were approximately 11 dispensaries around the country. Instruction initially focused only on survival, which meant how to handle law enforcement.

Now that there are several thousand businesses, the training has evolved to match whats required by states that allow medical marijuana for each type of operation, from growing and processing to retailing and laboratory testing, he said. Courses offer instruction about laws and regulations; the latest evidence on uses for medical marijuana; plant and product consistency; pesticides; sanitation; operating procedures; labeling, inventory control and record keeping; and other relevant information.

On the Maryland site, 30-hour certification courses are being offered for $450 to $750.

Marcu said his group is not the largest marijuana educator, though its not clear anyone is keeping track. Among others offering instruction are Cannabis Training Institute, THC University and Green Cultured. In addition to such new universities dedicated to medical marijuana certification, there are some medical societies and health departments offering training.

The university affiliation, Marcu hopes, will bring some accountability and possibly standards that others could adopt.

Rodriguez de Bittner said that since launch of the training site, there has been interest from potential workers in Maryland, West Virginia, California and the District.

There is so much out there, she said. Were trying to partner and provide courses based on the best evidence  as it develops.


Christine Homan and Zach Homan eat ice cream with their sons at Wild Scoops in downtown Anchorage. (Ash Adams/for The Washington Post)

There have been times in Alaskas history when people have had deep anxiety about foreign threats. The state was bombed and two of its islands were occupied by the Japanese in World War II. And it is, after all, the closest anyone can get to Russia and still be on American soil.

But nobody here seems all that worried right now.

With North Koreas test of an intercontinental ballistic missile last week, the news has been filled with speculation that a nuclear warhead could reach the Last Frontier and that Anchorage could be the most realistic U.S. target for destruction. But people here have been talking about the possibility of missile strikes for decades, and Alaskans tend to focus on more tangible hazards, like avalanches covering the highway, bear maulings at campgrounds, boating accidents and earthquakes.

Im worried about moose, not missiles, quipped Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz. Bears, not bombs.

Besides, its summertime. The residents of this far-flung outpost are obsessed with the outdoors. The days are long. The salmon are running.

They have other things on their minds.

Its not something that keeps me up at night, said Christine Homan, an elementary school teacher sitting at the counter at Wild Scoops ice cream shop with her husband, Zach, and sons, Leland, 4, and Colton, 6.

[How isolated North Korea managed to build an ICBM that could reach Alaska]

Between bites of salmonberry ice cream, Todd Sherwood, an attorney who served in the Air Force for 15 years, said that if North Korea were to do anything serious, the U.S. military reaction would probably be disproportionate and severe. He doubts the threats are legitimate.



Some of the civil defense guides in Michael Carey's collection. (Ash Adams/for The Washington Post)

Im more worried about whether Im going to fall off my paddleboard on an Alaska glacier lake this summer, he said. And Im not all that worried about that.

Part of Alaskans dismissive attitude about North Korea might have something to do with the states history of serious threats from foreign powers, said Michael Carey, a journalist and historian who grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska.

During World War II  on June 3, 1942  the Alaskan town of Dutch Harbor was bombed by the Japanese, and days later two Aleutian islands, Attu and Kiska, were occupied. Lots of people who lived in Alaska in the 1950s and 1960s remember civil defense drills, siren tests, blackout curtains and radioactive isotopes in milk because of atmospheric nuclear testing. There are still homes in Anchorage with Cold War-era fallout shelters. The proximity to Russia made the fear real, Carey said.

We knew, if the balloon went up, as they said it, that Fairbanks would be a smoking irradiated ruin, Carey said. The Russians were a really serious adversary we feared and respected. Just the hairdo of our friend Kim, hes just a sendup. Were supposed to think the fate of Earth is determined by North Korea? It might be, but its just so easily laughed at.

Ben Clayton, 65, a retired Anchorage fire captain, said hes not afraid.

Heres the deal, Clayton said, as he got a haircut at Bunns Barbershop downtown . Weve always been within reach of nuclear weapons, weve got some proximity to some fairly well-known bad actors.



Cipriana Williams fishes with her niece Yukari at Ship Creek. (Ash Adams/for The Washington Post)

Alaska has a number of military bases with the primary mission of fending off these kinds of threats, Clayton said, noting that the bases are strategic, their soldiers and airmen well-practiced. As he spoke, the sharp triangles of two military fighter jets from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson thundered overhead.

What is uncharted territory, he said, is the diplomatic style of the nations current leadership in Washington.

There was a period of time when I thought the State Department and the professional diplomats and, God help us, the president, could keep it even, he said. This is a true political black swan event.

Adak, at the end of the Aleutian chain, is Alaskas westernmost town, so far from Anchorage its in another time zone. It was once a Navy base, home to thousands of people and specialized radar that was part of the countrys missile defense system. The base closed in the 1990s, and about 100 people live there now. Locals are worked up about a schedule change in the islands twice-weekly jet service. North Korea doesnt figure.

Youd have to be pretty crazy to pick Adak as a target, said Adak resident Elaine Smiloff. Whats the reward for that?



Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, as seen from Arctic Valley. (Ash Adams/Ash Adams for The Washington Post)

On Thursday evening, Cipriana Williams, 32, cast her line into Ship Creek near downtown Anchorage, looking for sockeye salmon. Her niece Yukari Williams, 5, sat next to her, playing games on an iPad.

She said she went fishing to get away from the ugliness of the news. There are all kinds of risks in life, she said, especially living in Alaska. Anchorage had a catastrophic earthquake in 1964, for example.

You live here and you love it, but you know at any moment it could be like 64, and were out, she said. Its just like a shake of the dice, I guess.

Anchorage, like many cities, has a response plan for both man-made and natural disasters, said Berkowitz, the mayor. Chances are, if that plan gets activated, it wont be North Korea that prompts it.

Im worried about Juneaus ability to come up with a fiscal plan. Im worried about Washingtons ability to come up with a solution on health care, he said. Those are things that have more impact on people here.
CALIFORNIA

Wildfires trap children at summer camp

A pair of Santa Barbara County wildfires quickly spread Saturday, threatening hundreds of homes and forcing evacuations at a summer camp where flames temporarily trapped children and counselors, a fire official said.

The fire that started in the afternoon had spread completely out of control, county fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni said. About 90 children and 50 counselors were stuck at the Circle V Ranch until they could be safely evacuated.

The fire was one of three in the state that grew quickly as much of California baked in scorching heat. A record in Los Angeles was snapped when the temperature spiked at 98 degrees downtown. The previous record of 95 degrees was set in 1886, the National Weather Service said.

Heat and dry gusts tripled the size of another Santa Barbara wildfire to nearly 30 square miles and forced evacuations of about 200 homes, a fire spokesman said.

In Northern California, a Butte County wildfire destroyed 10 structures, including homes, and led to several minor injuries.

 Associated Press

NORTH CAROLINA

Woman shot as police stop for I-40 crash

The North Carolina Highway Patrol said a trooper and a deputy shot a woman on the side of the interstate Saturday after she fired at them first.

Highway Patrol Sgt. Michael Baker said Tina Medlin, 50, was in critical condition Saturday.

Baker said Trooper J.L. Taylor and Johnston County deputy Taylor Davis were investigating an SUV crash on Interstate 40 near Benson around 6:30 a.m. and found Medlin lying on the highway with a gun.

Baker said Medlin fired at the officers, who shot back. The officers were not injured and are on administrative leave, he said.

 Associated Press

Actor is charged with public drunkenness: Actor Shia LaBeouf was released from a Georgia jail Saturday after posting $7,000 bond on charges of public drunkenness. The Chatham County Sheriffs Office said the actor was arrested in a hotel lobby at 4 a.m. by Savannah police. He also faces charges of obstruction and disorderly conduct. Police said LaBeouf, 31, asked a bystander for a cigarette and when he was refused became disorderly, using profanities and vulgar language in front of the women and children present. Police said he also became aggressive toward an officer.

Groom arrested over fireworks: Guests were watching a fireworks display after a New York wedding and cheering the newlyweds when police arrived and arrested the groom. Nassau County police were called to a Massapequa home early Saturday and found a party with professional-level pyrotechnics in the back yard. Police said Thomas Giglio, 39, said he was setting them off to celebrate his wedding. Giglio was arraigned Saturday on a fireworks possession charge.

 From news reports
Ammar Mohammed cries while standing next to the body of his daughter, not seen, who died during fighting between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, Saturday, July 8, 2017. (Felipe Dana/Associated Press)

IRAQ

Mosul victory is just tens of meters away

Iraqi commanders said Saturday their forces are tens of meters away from defeating the Islamic State group in Mosul, a day after a major counterattack by the militants.

The Joint Operations Command said our units are still continuing to advance. . . . Not much is left before our forces reach the river.

Iraqi officials have made similar pronouncements over the past week as security forces have bottled the militants up in a sliver of the Old City along the Tigris River. But the troops progress has slowed.

The militants hold less than one square kilometer (mile) of territory but are using civilians as human shields, making it nearly impossible for U.S.-led warplanes to flush them out.

On Saturday the militarized federal police announced that they had cleared their assigned sector, while the regular army and special forces continued to battle the extremists. Some units remain as much as 150 meters from the river.

 Associated Press

CANADA

Trudeau defends payment to prisoner

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday defended his governments apology and multimillion-dollar payment to a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner who pleaded guilty to killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.

The deal with Omar Khadrs lawyers was based on a 2010 Supreme Court of Canada ruling that Canadian officials violated his rights at the U.S. base on Cuba, and Trudeau said that when the government violates anyones constitutional rights it has to pay. The charter of rights and freedoms protects all Canadians, every one of us, even when it is uncomfortable, Trudeau told reporters at the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg. When the government violates any Canadians charter rights, we all end up paying for it.

Khadr pleaded guilty in 2010 to murder and other charges and was sentenced to eight years, but the Supreme Court ruled that intelligence officials obtained evidence from Khadr under oppressive circumstances.

 Associated Press

Former judo star looks to be Mongolias next president: A populist business tycoon and former judo star is poised to take down the Mongolian ruling partys candidate in a runoff election for president. Preliminary results Saturday after most of the polling stations were counted showed Khaltmaa Battulga of the Democratic Party was leading with 50.6 percent of the vote. The Mongolian Peoples Partys Miyegombo Enkhbold secured 41.2 percent. Enkhbold, whose party won parliamentary elections last year by a landslide, had been widely seen as representing stability at a time when Mongolia is showing tentative signs of recovery from an economic crisis brought about by a dramatic drop in global commodity prices.

Wildfires in western Canada force thousands from homes: Canadas federal government is offering to help British Columbia in response to fast-spreading wildfires that forced thousands to evacuate their homes as hot, dry weather prevented firefighters from controlling the blazes. Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan said in a tweet Saturday that the government was closely monitoring the wildfires in the western Canadian province. As of midday, more than 180 wildfires were burning across the province, according to the BC Wildfire Service. About 7,000 people have been forced from their homes.

Lech Walesa hospitalized in weak condition: Polands former president Lech Walesa, a democracy hero, has been hospitalized with heart problems in his Baltic coast home city of Gdansk, his son said Saturday. Jaroslaw Walesa told the Associated Press via text message that his father was feeling unfortunately weak. It was not immediately known when he could be discharged from the heart diseases ward of the Gdansk University Clinic. The 73-year-old Walesa on Thursday attended a speech by President Trump in Warsaw.

 From news services
Linda Sarsour is an activist and a co-chair of the Womens March on Washington.

(The Washington Post)

This week, conservative media outlets took a speech I gave to the largest gathering of Muslims in America out of context and alleged that I had called for a violent jihad against the president. I did not. Sadly, this is not a new experience for me. Since the Womens March on Washington, which I had the privilege of co-chairing with inspirational women from across the country, my family and I have received countless threats of physical violence. These ugly threats come from people who also spout anti-Muslim, xenophobic and white-supremacist beliefs. Their sole agenda is to silence and discredit me because I am an effective leader for progress, a Palestinian American and Brooklyn-born Muslim woman. In short, I am their worst nightmare.

I began my work as director of the Arab American Association of New York in the wake of the horrific attacks of 9/11. As crisis after crisis struck Arab and Muslim communities, from the backlash to the Ground Zero mosque to the anti-Muslim hearings held by Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) to the rampant surveillance of New York Citys Muslim communities, I became more vocal about Islamophobias terrible impact on my community, city and country. Because of that, I become a target of the Islamophobia industry, a well-funded group of organizations and spokesmen who fuel anti-Muslim sentiment through misleading narratives, propaganda, local policies and the vilification of Muslim activists and public figures.

But the post-9/11 environment did not prepare me for the onslaught of vitriol that has come my way since January. First came a campaign to remove me as the commencement speaker at City University of New Yorks School of Public Health and Health Policy. With hired security at my side, I gave a speech that focused on the rise of hate crimes and xenophobia and the importance of choosing to never be bystanders in the face of injustice. I honored Ricky John Best, Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche and Micah Fletcher, who saved two young African American women, one of them Muslim, in Portland when they were attacked by a white supremacist. Both Best and Namkai-Meche lost their lives that day.

Now comes the malicious twisting of the speech I gave at the Islamic Society of North Americas 54th annual convention.

In my speech  you can watch the unedited version here  I sent not a call to violence, but a call to speak truth to power and to commit to the struggle for racial and economic justice. I was speaking to an all-Muslim audience; as an American, I should be free to share and discuss scripture and teachings of my beloved Prophet. My statements were clear, and my activism track record is even clearer: My work has always been rooted in nonviolence as espoused by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Most disturbing about this recent defamation campaign is how it is focused on demonizing the legitimate yet widely misunderstood Islamic term I used, jihad, which to majority of Muslims and according to religious scholars means struggle or to strive for. This term has been hijacked by Muslim extremists and right-wing extremists alike, leaving ordinary Muslims to defend our faith and in some cases silenced. It sets a dangerous precedent when people of faith are policed and when practicing their religion peacefully comes with consequences.

Nevertheless, the attacks from xenophobes and the conservative media have continued. It saddens me deeply that my three children are frightened. It angers me that I have to think about securing my physical safety even while walking through the neighborhoods of Brooklyn.

Every day, I speak about womens issues, indigenous rights, the necessity to fight for black lives and against the Muslim and refugee bans. I believe wholeheartedly that we must fight injustice and inequality  through marches and direct actions, through policy changes, and through our own voices permeating media spaces. My views are not unique or special, and many activists around the country express them as well. The reasons I am subjected to such particularly public vitriol are simple: I am a Palestinian American woman in a hijab who has become a familiar presence and name in American living rooms when it comes to nonviolent resistance and activism. Indeed, those targeting me have an even broader agenda: to silence and discredit racial-justice activists altogether because we are awakening the masses.

But I refuse to be intimidated. I will not walk away from the people and communities whom I love deeply. I will to continue to raise my voice for justice and equality for all, organize communities who want to defend the rights of black people, stand against policies that target and marginalize Muslims, and advocate for health care for all people. Dissent is the highest form of patriotism, and I intend to continue to push my country to respect the rights of all its citizens. I will not be silenced.
PRESIDENT TRUMP took a few questions from reporters as he traveled through Europe over the past week, responding to one about Moscows meddling in the 2016 election with this confounding statement: I think it was Russia, but I think it was probably other people and/or countries, he said. Nobody really knows. Nobody really knows for sure.

Mark this as yet another moment in which Mr. Trump has made a bizarre declaration on a crucial national issue, leaving the press and public baffled about where he stands. Yet when reporter Hallie Jackson tried to ask a follow-up question, a moderator shut her down and ended the news conference.

Whether intentionally or not, the Trump administration fosters confusion and opacity. The president almost never holds wide-ranging news conferences in which a diverse group of reporters has the opportunity to question him and pose follow-ups. He sometimes takes questions in joint appearances with world leaders, but only a handful, and sometimes not. Though President Obama also conducted too few news conferences, he submitted himself to substantive questioning from citizens at town hall meetings in the early months of his presidency.

And when journalists could not ask Mr. Obama directly, they could turn to White House spokes-people for clarification. Mr. Trumps surrogates, by contrast, are of little use. Their evasions insult the intelligence of anyone listening. When questioned about Mr. Trumps perplexing Twitter statements, they insist that presidential tweets speak for themselves. On simple questions such as whether the president accepts that humans are warming the planet, they say they have not asked Mr. Trump. On a staggering assortment of issues, they say they will get back to reporters later and never do so.

Though it is the journalists job to press those in power on behalf of the public, reporters are not the only ones who can pose good questions. We asked readers what they would like to ask Mr. Trump, and many of you shared your questions. David Drabold from Athens, Ohio, wants to know what the president is doing to prepare the American workforce for a new wave of automation. Rebecca Flietstra from San Diego wonders what, specifically, can be done to reduce the U.S. prison population. Adam Bloom from Los Angeles asks what Mr. Trump is doing to minimize civilian casualties in the bombing of Raqqa, Syria. Submit your own here .

We would add one more for the president: What do you have to fear in taking fair questions such as these, more than a handful at a time?
Ivanka Trump was deputized to fill in for her father at a table of world leaders at the Group of 20 summit on Saturday, reigniting questions about the unorthodox mixing of family and government in President Trumps White House.

The moment, captured in a pixelated photo by a member of Russias delegation, seemed to perfectly capture the scope of the first daughters expansive influence in Trumps administration. But it drew sharp criticism by some who say that the move demonstrates Trumps flouting of democratic norms against such familial arrangements as well-established diplomatic protocols.

Former NATO ambassador Nicholas Burns, who served as a diplomat under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, said the incident was a breach of protocols for such summits. Those traditions are intended to send a clear message to world leaders about who has power in the government.

Burns said in his experience at summits, the secretary of state would take the presidents place at the table.

This is a group of the 20 most powerful leaders in the world in the 20 most powerful countries in the world, Burns said. It conveys that impression and we are a democracy and thats also important here.

Authority is not conferred upon family members because of the presidents position, he added.

[Unelected, unqualified: The Internets reaction to Ivanka Trump taking her dads seat at G-20]

Trump and other world leaders of the G-20 sat around a massive table for a working session on Partnership With Africa, Migration and Health when Ivanka relieved her father, who had to leave the room for additional meetings. The move placed her squarely between British Prime Minister Theresa May and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Yes, it stuck out, said a senior European official who took part in the G-20 talks and who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly. The very fact that his daughter is senior adviser smacks of the kind of nepotism not seen since John F. Kennedy named Robert F. Kennedy as attorney general.

(Meg Kelly/The Washington Post)

Some critics online compared Ivanka Trumps presence at the table to a banana republic and argued that she is both unelected and unqualified to step into a role usually filled by officials with policy expertise.

A White House official said that the topic of conversation at that point in the meeting had shifted into one area of focus for Ivanka Trump: supporting female entrepreneurs in Africa.

Ivanka was sitting in the back and then briefly joined the main table when the president had to step out, the official said, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the meeting. When other leaders stepped out, their seats were also briefly filled by others.

Trumps presence was unusual given that government ministers or senior officials are typically the ones called to stand in for heads of state at such sessions.

Trump, on the other hand, is both the presidents daughter and a White House aide with the title of assistant to the president. She has focused on issues of women's empowerment and workplace development but maintains broad influence in the administration.

[When Dads the president  a look inside Ivanka Trumps complicated world]

Earlier on Saturday, Trump and her father announced the United States $50 million commitment to a new World Bank fund dedicated to supporting female entrepreneurs in developing countries.

This was not the first summit meeting that she has participated in. On Thursday, she and her husband, Jared Kushner, another Trump adviser, joined the president at a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a White House official confirmed. Kushner also participated in Trumps bilateral meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Friday.

Asked at a news conference about Ivanka Trumps presence at the table Saturday, Merkel did not weigh in on whether it was appropriate: The delegations themselves decide, should the president not be present for a meeting, who will take the chair, and Ivanka Trump was part of the American delegation.

Michael Birnbaum contributed to this report.
The presidents eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., acknowledged attending a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer tied to the Kremlin, one of the first confirmed encounters between President Trumps inner circle and a Russian national during the presidential campaign.

In a statement distributed Saturday evening, Trump Jr. confirmed he had participated in a short introductory meeting, which, per his request, was also attended by Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law, and the chair of the Trump campaign, Paul Manafort.

We primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children that was active and popular with American families years ago and was since ended by the Russian government, but it was not a campaign issue at that time and there was no follow-up, Trump Jr. said in the statement. I was asked to attend the meeting by an acquaintance, but was not told the name of the person I would be meeting with beforehand.

The meeting was reported Saturday by the New York Times.

[Trump leaves leaders fearing the future as G-20 summit closes]

(Thomas Johnson/The Washington Post)

Kushners lawyer said in a statement that the presidents son-in-law had disclosed the session previously on his security clearance forms. But the new public report adds to the roster of curious private meetings between Trump allies and Russians during and after the campaign.

The meeting between the Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and the presidents inner circle became public the day after President Trump met in Germany with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time. Trump questioned Putin about Russian meddling during the 2016 election; the Russian leader denied any such interference.

Veselnitskaya is well known to advocates of sanctions against Russia, particularly the Magnitsky Act, which prohibits U.S. interaction with Russians alleged to have committed human rights violations. Congresss passage of the law in 2012 angered Putin and led him to retaliate by halting American adoptions of Russian children.

[Putin denies election hacking after Trump pressed him, Tillerson says]

The adoption issue is frequently used as a talking point by opponents of the Magnitsky Act, said William Browder, an American financier who worked in Russia and lobbied for the sanctions, which are named after an auditor Browder employed, Sergei L. Magnitsky. Magnitsky died in a Russian prison under mysterious circumstances in 2009 after exposing a corruption scandal.

The act lists the names of individuals in Russia, including judges and other public officials, effectively blacklisting them from doing business in the United States.

I cant imagine that she brought up anything during the Trump Tower meeting other than the Magnitsky Act, said Browder, who recalled Veselnitskaya defending her Russian clients against money-laundering allegations made by the U.S. government connected to a tax fraud that Magnitsky uncovered. The case was settled in May.

1 of 45 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  See President Trump as he travels abroad for the G-20 economic summit View Photos He is stopping in Poland before traveling on to Germany for the meeting of world leaders. Caption The president made his way to Germany for the meeting of world leaders after a stop in Poland. July 8, 2017 President Trump waves as he and first lady Melania Trump arrive at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland after the G-20 economic summit. Evan Vucci/AP Wait 1 second to continue.

Veselnitskaya also had a major role in a public-relations campaign to repeal the Magnitsky Act that included a documentary film shown in Washington last year, Browder said.

Veselnitskaya did not return requests for comment from The Washington Post on Saturday.

Veselnitskaya told the New York Times that the participants in the meeting discussed the Magnitsky Act and the adoption issue. Nothing at all was discussed about the presidential campaign, she said, according to the Times. I have never acted on behalf of the Russian government and have never discussed any of these matters with any representative of the Russian government.

Manaforts lawyer declined to comment on the Times report.

An attorney for Kushner, Jamie Gorelick, issued a statement emphasizing that the meeting had been disclosed earlier by Kushner.

As we have previously stated, Mr. Kushners SF-86 was prematurely submitted and, among other errors, did not list any contacts with foreign government officials. The next day, Mr. Kushner submitted supplemental information stating that he had had numerous contacts with foreign officials about which he would be happy to provide additional information, the statement said.   Mr. Kushner has submitted additional updates and included, out of an abundance of caution, this meeting with a Russian person, which he briefly attended at the request of his brother-in-law, Donald Trump Jr. As Mr. Kushner has consistently stated, he is eager to cooperate and share what he knows.
Senate Republicans returned to Washington from a holiday recess with new and deepening disagreements about their health-care bill, with key Republicans differing Sunday not merely on how to amend the bill, but also on whether a bill could pass at all.

I would probably put that as 50-50, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said in a Fox News Sunday interview.

They will get a repeal and replace bill done, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said on the same show.

My view is its probably going to be dead, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said on CBSs Face the Nation.

President Trump on Monday added to the friction within the GOP. In a tweet, Trump effectively warned Republican senators not to leave on their summer break without moving ahead on a health-care plan.

I cannot imagine that Congress would dare to leave Washington without a beautiful new HealthCare bill fully approved and ready to go! Trump wrote.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells decision to push debate on the Better Care Reconciliation Act past the Independence Day recess was supposed to create space for dealmaking. Legislation of this complexity almost always takes longer than anybody else would hope, McConnell (Ky.) said at a June 27 news conference announcing the delay.

Instead, Republicans have run in different directions, proposing everything from a bipartisan deal to pay for insurance subsidies to a repeal and delay plan that would give them a few years before the Affordable Care Act would be fully gutted.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), the author of a Consumer Freedom Option amendment designed to bring conservatives on board with the bill, spent part of Sunday insisting that its critics were wrong. His amendment, also supported by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), would allow insurers to once again offer cheaper plans that did not include the Affordable Care Acts essential health benefits.

You have millions of people who are winners straight off: young people, said Cruz in a Face the Nation interview. Young people get hammered by Obamacare. Millions of young people suddenly have much lower premiums.

Over the recess, however, key Republicans told local media outlets that the amendment weakened protections that the party had promised to keep in place.

I think that reopens an issue that I cant support, that it would make it too difficult for people with preexisting conditions to get coverage, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) told the Charleston Gazette-Mail on Friday.

Theres a real feeling that thats subterfuge to get around preexisting conditions, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) told Iowa Public Radio on Wednesday. If it is, in fact, subterfuge, and it has the effect of annihilating the preexisting conditions requirement that we have in the existing bill, then obviously I would object to that.

On ABCs This Week, Cruz said that colleagues such as Grassley were simply being misled. Whats being repeated there is what [Senate Minority Leader Charles E.] Schumer said this week, which is that he called it a hoax, he said. Chuck Schumer and Barack Obama know a lot about health-care hoaxes.

Schumers Democrats, meanwhile, have continued campaigning against the BCRA, saying that they will come to the table on health care only if Republicans give up on repeal. Throughout the recess, progressive activists, urged on by Democrats, protested and occupied the offices of Republican senators. On Friday, 16 protesters were arrested at the Columbus office of Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), joining dozens arrested in civil disobedience around the country.

We arent going to allow a handful of Socialists, many of whom are from New York, to disrupt our ability to serve the needs of the Ohio constituents who contact us in need of vital services every day, Portmans office said in a statement.

Still, opponents of the health-care bill were far more visible than its supporters. The pro-Trump organization America First Policies floated then abandoned a plan to organize pro-BCRA rallies. While no prominent Senate Democrats appeared on Sundays talk shows, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) spent the day rallying voters in West Virginia and Kentucky against the bill.

Mitch McConnell is now trying to make side deals in order to win votes, Sanders said in West Virginia. I say to Senator Capito: Please do not fall for that old trick. This legislation is fatally flawed, and no small tweak here or there will undo the massive damage that it will cause to West Virginia and the entire country.

Republicans, meanwhile, were openly talking about next steps if they could not amend the BCRA to win 50 votes. (Vice President Pence, who has signaled that the White House would sign off on any repeal bill, would cast the tiebreaking vote.) On Fox News Sunday, Cassidy suggested that his own bipartisan legislation to continue much of the Affordable Care Act could get a second look, and that in the meantime, Republicans could work with Democrats to provide more subsidies for private plans.

I do think we have to do something for market stabilization, said Cassidy. Otherwise, people who are paying premiums of $20,000, $30,000 and $40,000 will pay even that much more.

Other Republicans, including McConnell, had warned that the BCRAs failure would lead to a deal on subsidies. Yet conservatives, not ruling out the bills passage, spent the weekend talking up another backup plan. At a Republican fundraising dinner in Iowa, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) suggested that Republicans could repeal most of the ACA, forcing Democrats to the table to work on a replacement.

If we cant replace and repeal at the same time, then repeal the law and stay and work on replace full time, said Sasse.

On Fox, Cassidy  one of the Senates few physicians  said the repeal-and-delay plan was a fantasy.

It gives all the power to people who actually dont believe in President Trumps campaign pledges, who actually dont want to continue to cover and care for preexisting conditions and to lower premiums, Cassidy said. It gives them the stronger hand. I think its wrong.

Brian Murphy contributed to this report.

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Free Syrian Army fighters rest Saturday in Quneitra, Syria, the day before the new cease-fire went into effect. (Alaa Al-Faqir/Reuters)

The first attempt by the Trump administration to cooperate with Russia on an international crisis got underway on Sunday with the implementation of a cease-fire in southwestern Syria that appeared to be widely holding.

If the truce can be maintained, it could open the door to deeper collaboration between the United States and Russia on ways to quell the violence and to progress on other cease-fire deals being pressed elsewhere in Syria.

The guns fell silent well ahead of a noon deadline, residents in the cease-fire zone said, lending hope that it would stop the violence for at least a while and save lives.

The agreement to work on a cease-fire in Syria was the first publicized achievement of the meeting on Friday between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Details remain vague, however, and it is unclear whether the agreement will lead to cooperation toward an enduring solution to Syrias six-year-old war.

The cease-fire is being referred to by the two powers as a de-escalation, reflecting the modest expectations for success after several previous failed attempts by President Obama to work with Russia to end the fighting.

What makes this effort different, however, is that the peace push is now being driven by Russia, which took the lead in international diplomacy after the defeat of the Syrian rebels in their Aleppo stronghold in December.

The cease-fire signals U.S. acquiescence to a broader Russian plan to end the violence by creating a series of de-escalation zones around the country, to be sponsored by the regional or international powers with influence in each area. An attempt to consolidate a similar de-escalation zone in the north in collaboration with Turkey, Syrias northern neighbor, has already somewhat reduced the violence there.

This accord creates a separate mechanism for the United States and Jordan to use their influence with allied rebels in southwestern Syria to halt the fighting while Russia exerts pressure on its ally, the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad.

The area affected by the cease-fire includes Daraa, the city where the revolt against Assad first flared in 2011 and where intensified fighting occurred in recent months, with the government launching an offensive aimed at recapturing the city. Also covered is the neighboring province of Quneitra, which has been a flash point in recent months between Israel and government forces, including the Iranian-backed militias whose advances toward the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights have alarmed Israel.

Iran, President Bashar al-Assads other main ally, is not a party to this deal. Iran also holds considerable sway over the area through its network of militias, including the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, and there are concerns that Iran, along with the Syrian government, may work to scuttle a deal that might significantly increase U.S. influence over this part of Syria.

Many details remain to be worked out, including an enforcement mechanism. The expectation is that Russian military police will eventually be deployed in the area, according to a senior U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations.

But it is unclear whether Israel will accept Russian enforcers along its border because of concerns that Russia would be unable or unwilling to contain the expansion of Iran and its allies in that section, the Israeli Haaretz daily reported.

(The Washington Post)

A bigger question mark remains over a long-standing challenge to peace efforts in Syria, which is whether Russia exerts enough influence over the Syrian government and Iran to convince them to abide by the truce.

The deal, if implemented fully, would pose a threat to Irans goal of carving out a zone of influence along the Israeli and Jordanian borders and to Assads goal of restoring his control over all of Syria, said Faysal Itani of the Washington-based Atlantic Council.

Both of these parties will go along with a cease-fire only until it stops serving their purpose, he said. Who is going to stop them when they resume the offensive? Russia is either on the regimes side or unable to enforce its will anyway.

So many questions remain over how the cease-fire will work that residents arent sure whether they should be hopeful or not, said Ahmed al-Masalma, a businessman and activist who lives in a rebel-controlled area of Daraa province.

Some people are pessimistic because we have experience of the regime and Russia and Iran using truces to regroup their forces and advance, he said, speaking by Skype. On the other hand, there is some optimism because people need stability to go back to their lives, and we hope this will lead to a political solution.

Zakaria Zakaria in Istanbul contributed to this report.

Read more

U.S., Russia agree to collaborate on backing cease-fire in southwest Syria

Syria deal draws Iran into alliance with Russia and Turkey

How two U.S. Marxists wound up on the front lines against ISIS

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(Sarah Parnass,Jesse Mesner-Hage/The Washington Post)

Iraqs prime minister entered the city of Mosul on Sunday to declare victory in the nine-month battle for control of the Islamic States former stronghold, signaling the near end of the most grueling campaign against the group to date and dealing a near-fatal blow to the survival of its self-declared caliphate.

On a walk through the citys eastern districts, Haider al-Abadi was thronged by men holding cameraphones as music blared and others danced in the streets.

The world did not imagine that Iraqis could eliminate Daesh, he said, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. This is all a result of the sacrifices of the heroic fighters who impressed the world with their courage.

But in a sign of how tenaciously the Islamic State has fought, even as Abadi was touring the town, the sound of airstrikes echoed through the skies and smoke rose from the last pocket of territory the militants control, thought to be no more than 200 yards long and 50 yards wide.

The confusion of that moment came as a reminder that even though a complete victory now seems assured, it has come at a tremendous price. On a walk through Mosuls oldest quarters on Sunday, the stench of bodies filled the air. Between the rubble and rebar were the arms of a young child, still wrapped in pale pink sleeves.

As he toured the city, Abadi met commanders in west Mosul who led the battle but did not make a formal speech declaring the city free of militants, though one had been expected.

The battle has been the toughest yet in the Islamic State war, and one that lasted far longer than anticipated. When the offensive was launched in October, U.S. officials were privately predicting a two-month fight, expressing hope that mass civilian displacement and widespread destruction could be avoided.

Instead, the fight lasted for nine months, longer than the siege of Stalingrad and longer than the final Allied push into Germany in World War II. It has cost thousands of lives, uprooted hundreds of thousands of people and shattered vast stretches of the city.

1 of 48 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  The battle for Mosul View Photos Iraqi forces continue their most ambitious fight against the Islamic State. Caption Iraqi forces continue their most ambitious fight against the Islamic State. Iraqi Federal police celebrate in West Mosul. Alaa Al-Marjani/Reuters Wait 1 second to continue.

And the declaration of victory does not end the war. The Islamic State cannot now roll back the array of forces ranged against it. It is on a path to defeat in the Syrian city of Raqqa, the original capital of the militants so-called state, where an offensive launched by U.S.-backed Kurdish and Arab forces is making progress. But that battle is just getting started.

Over the past three years since the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the existence of a caliphate in Mosul, his group has been driven out of 60 percent of the territory it once controlled in both Iraq and Syria, according to the U.S. military.

But that still leaves it in control of an extensive chunk of land spanning the border of the two countries and several other pockets, including key towns such as Hawija, Tal Afar and Qaim in Iraq and most of the entire province of Deir al-Zour in Syria.

As the battle for Mosul has demonstrated, the Islamic State is prepared to fight for every inch it holds, even as the neighborhoods its cadres lived in are destroyed around them. U.S. officials wont put a timeline on how much longer the war will last, but most analysts predict it will continue throughout this year and perhaps much of 2018.

And even after that there is the question of how and when the defeated militants will seek to regroup in the shadows of the ruined cities they have lost, to wage the kind of insurgency that fueled their rise in the decade before their conquests.

Talk about complete military defeat is one thing. What ISIS devolves into is another discussion. Will they revert back into a terrorist organization? said Col. Ryan Dillon, the U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, using another acronym for the Islamic State.

The loss of Mosul means ISIS is no longer the same, for better or worse. Its no longer the quasi-state that it projected itself to be. But everything achieved against the group is fragile. The ideology is still there, the appeal is still there, and so are the divisions that helped them take power, said Hassan Hassan, a resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.

There is also the question of rebuilding Mosul. Many of the hundreds of thousands of people who fled the fighting to refugee camps nearby will find their homes destroyed. The scale of the misery is vast, and far from being adequately addressed.

Thousands of civilians had poured out of the Islamic States shrinking redoubt in recent weeks, many of them in tears as they stumbled to safety. Stuck between the militants and the U.S.-led coalition airstrikes propelling the campaign to save them, many said they had spent weeks with barely any food or water. Without medical care, the wounded had died in or under their homes.

Mosul was the largest city to fall to Islamic State control. Three years after the caliphate was declared here at a medieval mosque, that building lies in ruins, after the Islamist militants blew it up as Iraqi forces moved in.

The United Nations predicts that at least $1 billion will be required to rebuild Mosuls basic infrastructure. More extensive reconstruction could cost billions more.

In parts of western Mosul, streets have been leveled. Debris and twisted metal are piled high through the alleyways, burying mattresses, flip-flops and other remnants of the lives Islamic State fighters built there. No one here knows how many civilians also remain under the rubble of their homes.

In the final days of the battle, commanders said militants had sent suicide bombers out among fleeing civilians and used children as human shields in the winding alleyways of the Old City.

Standing amid the ruins, Staff Sgt. Rasoul Saeed said the fight had been incomparable.

It is the hardest battle we have ever fought. At the end we are bogged down in alleyways, without vehicles, alone against the enemy, he said.

In Mosuls eastern districts, the first to be recaptured from the Islamic State, a relative lack of damage has seen life return to some kind of normalcy. The sidewalks were bustling Sunday night with fast food shops running a roaring trade.

But residents said the legacy of three years of Islamic State rule would be hard to forget. They tortured me in their prison without mercy because I once served as a police officer, said Karam Abu Taif, his voice wavering on the verge of tears.

Everyone here has a story now, he said. I cannot forget. We will not forget.

Sly contributed to this report from Beirut.

Read more

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Russian government hackers were behind recent cyber-intrusions into the business systems of U.S. nuclear power and other energy companies in what appears to be an effort to assess their networks, according to U.S. government officials.

The U.S. officials said there is no evidence the hackers breached or disrupted the core systems controlling operations at the plants, so the public was not at risk. Rather, they said, the hackers broke into systems dealing with business and administrative tasks, such as personnel.

At the end of June, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security sent a joint alert to the energy sector stating that advanced, persistent threat actors  a euphemism for sophisticated foreign hackers  were stealing network log-in and password information to gain a foothold in company networks. The agencies did not name Russia.

The campaign marks the first time Russian government hackers are known to have wormed their way into the networks of American nuclear power companies, several U.S. and industry officials said. And the penetration could be a sign that Russia is seeking to lay the groundwork for more damaging hacks.

The National Security Agency has detected specific activity by the Russian spy agency, the FSB, targeting the energy firms, according to two officials. The NSA declined to comment. The intrusions have been previously reported but not the attribution to Russia by U.S. officials.

1 of 45 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  See President Trump in Europe for the G-20 economic summit View Photos The president made his way to Germany for the meeting of world leaders after a stop in Poland. Caption The president made his way to Germany for the meeting of world leaders after a stop in Poland. July 8, 2017 President Trump waves as he and first lady Melania Trump arrive at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland after the G-20 economic summit. Evan Vucci/AP Wait 1 second to continue.

The joint alert from the FBI and DHS, first reported by Reuters on June 30, said the hackers have been targeting the industry since at least May. Several days earlier, E & E News, an energy trade publication, had reported that U.S. authorities were investigating cyber-intrusions affecting multiple nuclear-power-generation sites.

[Ukraines ransomware attack was a ruse to hide culprits identity, researchers say]

The malicious activity comes as President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday acknowledged the challenges of cyberthreats and agreed to explore creating a framework to better deal with them, including those that harm critical infrastructure such as nuclear energy, according to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in remarks to reporters. On Saturday, Putin told reporters that he and Trump agreed to set up a working group on the subject of jointly controlling security in cyberspace.

The Russian government, which is the United States top adversary in cyberspace, targeted U.S. infrastructure in a wide-ranging campaign in 2014.

Moscow has demonstrated how much damage it can do in other countries when it goes after energy systems.

In December 2015, Russian hackers disrupted the electric system in Ukraine, plunging 225,000 customers into darkness. Last December, they tested a new cyberweapon in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, capable of disrupting power grids around the world.

The recent activity follows the U.S. intelligence communitys conclusion that the Kremlin was behind a campaign to interfere with the 2016 election through hacking and information warfare. Putin has denied such meddling.

(Sarah Parnass,Dani Player/The Washington Post)

The working group that is being set up will also address how to prevent interference in the domestic affairs of foreign states, primarily in Russia and the U.S., Putin said.

The U.S. officials all stressed that the latest intrusions did not affect systems that control the production of nuclear or electric power.

There is no indication of a threat to public safety, as any potential impact appears to be limited to administrative and business networks, the DHS and FBI said in a joint statement Friday.

One nuclear power company that was penetrated, Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp. in Kansas, issued a statement saying that there has been absolutely no operational impact to Wolf Creek. The reason is that the plants operational computer systems are completely separate from the corporate network, spokeswoman Jenny Hageman said. The safety and control systems for the nuclear reactor and other vital plant components are not connected to business networks or the Internet, she said.

In general, the nations 100 or so commercial nuclear power plants are safer from cyberattack than other energy plants because they isolate their control systems from the open Internet, said Bill Gross, director of incident preparedness at the Nuclear Energy Institute.

According to U.S. officials, fewer than a dozen energy companies, including several nuclear energy firms, were affected by the latest Russian cyber-reconnaissance campaign.

[Companies struggle to recover after massive cyberattack with ransom demands]

While nuclear-power companies are fairly well protected, electric-power plants are less so, experts said.

Its a plausible scenario that the adversaries in electric power business networks could pivot to the industrial networks, said Robert M. Lee, founder and chief executive of Dragos, a cyberfirm that focuses on industrial control systems. But its still not a trivial matter to compromise the industrial systems.

Dragos last month issued a report analyzing a new Russian cyberweapon that can disrupt electric power grids. Dubbed CrashOverride, the malware is known to have affected only one energy system  in Ukraine in December. But with modifications, it could be deployed against U.S. electric grids, Dragos concluded.

While the current campaign shows no signs  at least not yet  of disrupting the companies operations, it is not clear what the adversarys true motive is, officials said.

In some sense, this could be significant if this is precursor planning, said one U.S. official, who like others interviewed spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. Thats what all cyber bad guys do. They do reconnaissance and they try to establish a presence and maintain access. This in my mind was a reconnaissance effort  to scope things out and figure out points of entry.

The same actor has also targeted energy and other critical sector firms in Turkey and Ireland, said John Hultquist, director of intelligence analysis at FireEye, a cyberthreat-intelligence firm. He added that the firm has found evidence that the adversary has been hacking into global energy firms since at least 2015.

In their alert, the DHS and FBI stated that the hackers are using spearphishing emails and watering hole techniques to ensnare victims. A spearphish targets a user with an authentic-looking email that contains attachments or links embedded with malware. In this case, the hackers often used Microsoft Word attachments that appeared to be legitimate resumes from job applicants, the agencies said. In a watering-hole attack, an unsuspecting victim navigates to a website laced with malware, infecting his or her computer. In both cases, the adversary sought to collect victims log-in and password data so that they could sneak into the network and poke around.

Galina Antova, co-founder of the cyberfirm Claroty, said: Theres no need for hype and hysteria, but this is an issue that should be taken seriously because of the state of the industrial networks  in particular the non-nuclear systems.

The current cyber-campaign, dubbed Palmetto Fusion by the government, is significant as a warning, officials said. It signals an ability to get into a system and potentially have a continued presence there, which at a future date, at someone elses determination, might be exploited to have an effect that could be particularly disruptive.

David Filipov and Damian Paletta in Hamburg contributed to this report.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday that Russia must make the first moves to rein in separatists and remove its weaponry from eastern Ukraine. He also vowed that sanctions would remain in place until Moscow reverses its actions and respects the border between the two countries.

After an hour-long meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Tillerson told reporters that relations between Moscow and Washington will not improve until Ukraine gets back full control of its territory from separatists he characterized as Russias proxies in two breakaway provinces.

I have been very clear in my discussions with Russian leadership, on more than one occasion, that it is necessary for Russia to take the first steps to de-escalate the situation in the eastern part of Ukraine, he said in a joint news conference with Poroshenko in which he called for Russia to use its influence on the separatists to enforce a cease-fire and allow international observers to do their work safely.

Poroshenko said that during their talks, Tillerson assured him that the United States is also committed to the return of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014 after a hasty referendum that took place after Russian troops had seized the peninsula.

Tillerson did not mention the word Crimea but suggested that Russias annexation of the peninsula remains a major sticking point, saying that the U.S. and E.U. sanctions on Russia will remain in place until Moscow reverses the actions that triggered these particular sanctions.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is asserting himself in a more conventional manner for the top U.S. diplomat by throwing himself into an intensive round of diplomatic forays abroad. (Cliff Owen/AP)

Tillerson was in Kiev with his new special envoy, Kurt Volker, as part of a U.S. push to resuscitate stalled negotiations over ending three years of war.

During his visit of barely three hours, Tillerson also squeezed in a meeting with young reformers who are pushing for the government to be more responsible and attractive to foreign investment. Then he left for Turkey to talk with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the fast-moving offensive against the Islamic State militant group in Syria, before heading to the Persian Gulf for four days of shuttle diplomacy to mediate a dispute between Qatar and its neighbors.

The multipronged trip represents something of a pivot for the former Exxon Mobil chief executive, who came to the State Department job with no diplomatic experience. After months of complaints that the department is being sidelined, Tillerson is asserting himself in a more conventional manner for the top U.S. diplomat by throwing himself into an intensive round of diplomatic forays abroad.

He came to Ukraine at a time when the Trump administration is trying simultaneously to improve relations with Russian President Vladimir Putins government and break the logjam in peacemaking efforts in a conflict that has brought punishing sanctions for Russia.

Many Ukrainians are encouraged by the greater U.S. involvement and the appointment of Volker, a seasoned diplomat who has backed sending lethal arms to Kiev to defend itself.

It is welcomed, since the guy is a hawk, said Konstantin Batozsky, a political analyst in Kiev.

The Ukrainian government has been fighting separatists since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and began providing munitions and sending troops to fight alongside Ukrainian rebels in the breakaway provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk, known collectively as Donbas. In 2015, Germany and France helped broker agreements that provide a road map to peace that requires Russia to withdraw its support for the separatists and Ukraine to give Donbas a measure of autonomy.

But the road map enshrined in the Minsk accords, after the city in Belarus where they were negotiated, has faltered over each sides reluctance to compromise. The Ukrainians insist they will amend the constitution to provide the desired autonomy only after Russia backs off. The Russians demand that political guarantees come first.

Volkers appointment mollifies Ukrainians who have been concerned that President Trump might make a deal with the Russians unfavorable to Ukraine.

Kurt has been very strong on Russia, said Taras Berezovets, a political analyst in Kiev who talked with Volker during a visit to Washington last month. Germany and France have played a crucial role. But it is understood that if the United States gets involved, the chances of getting a peace agreement will be much higher.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine has killed more than 10,000 people. But in the capital, Kiev, there are few signs of a nation at war, apart from the occasional military recruiting poster and young men on the streets in uniform. Sidewalk cafes are thronged, and fountains in the heart of the city, where protesters encamped for months in 2013 to oust the Russia-friendly government, now bubble to music at night.

However, progress on reforms that can restore confidence in the government is slow. Some improvements are notable, such as a U.S.-funded program to train, equip and adequately pay police patrol officers so they dont take bribes from motorists. But corruption is still so endemic that people routinely make small payoffs to university professors to pass an exam, or to doctors to get appointments.

Iryna Gerashchenko, the deputy speaker of parliament, noted that 120 Ukrainian soldiers and 70 civilians have been killed in the war this year. She also cited 132 hostages, the Ukrainian term for prisoners held by separatists.

By keeping sanctions against Russia in place and possibly adding new ones, as many in Congress want, she said, the United States can help restore Ukrainian sovereignty in the east and in Crimea.

Putin wants to restore the empire and determine his borders, said Gerashchenko, who was assigned by Poroshenko to find a peaceful settlement. Its Putins calculus that Donbas and Crimea will be forgotten because the world is facing new threats. But for the United States, principles are important.

Others worry that the conditions that contributed to the failure of the Minsk agreements have not changed.

It looks like a dead end, said Mikhail Pogrebinsky, who heads the Center on Political Research and Conflict Studies, citing divergent expectations among Ukrainians. In the west of the country, the majority of the population wants a military victory over Russia with the help of the United States. In eastern Ukraine, even in territory controlled by Kiev, the majority want negotiations with the separatists leading to autonomy. People are tired of war, especially in the east and south. But the government of Ukraine is not tired.

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General Mills, Inc. manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide. The company operates in five segments: North America Retail; Convenience Stores & Foodservice; Europe & Australia; Asia & Latin America; and Pet. It offers ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated yogurt, soup, meal kits, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, bakery flour, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, snack bars, fruit and salty snacks, ice cream, nutrition bars, wellness beverages, and savory and grain snacks, as well as various organic products, including frozen and shelf-stable vegetables. It also supplies branded and unbranded food products to the North American foodservice and commercial baking industries; and manufactures and markets pet food products, including dog and cat food. The company markets its products under the Annie's, Betty Crocker, Bisquick, Blue Buffalo, Blue Basics, Blue Freedom, Bugles, Cascadian Farm, Cheerios, Chex, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp, EPIC, Fiber One, Food Should Taste Good, Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Gushers, Fruit Roll-Ups, Gardetto's, Go-Gurt, Gold Medal, Golden Grahams, Haagen-Dazs, Helpers, Jus-Rol, Kitano, Kix, Larabar, Latina, Liberte, Lucky Charms, Muir Glen, Nature Valley, Oatmeal Crisp, Old El Paso, Oui, Pillsbury, Progresso, Raisin Nut Bran, Total, Totino's, Trix, Wanchai Ferry, Wheaties, Wilderness, Yoki, and Yoplait trademarks. It sells its products directly, as well as through broker and distribution arrangements to grocery stores, mass merchandisers, membership stores, natural food chains, e-commerce retailers, commercial and noncommercial foodservice distributors and operators, restaurants, convenience stores, and pet specialty stores, as well as drug, dollar, and discount chains. The company operates 466 leased and 392 franchise ice cream parlors. General Mills, Inc. was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Invesco Ltd. is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm provides its services to retail clients, institutional clients, high-net worth clients, public entities, corporations, unions, non-profit organizations, endowments, foundations, pension funds, financial institutions, and sovereign wealth funds. It manages separate client-focused equity and fixed income portfolios. The firm also launches equity, fixed income, commodity, multi-asset, and balanced mutual funds for its clients. It launches equity, fixed income, multi-asset, and balanced exchange-traded funds. The firm also launches and manages private funds. It invests in the public equity and fixed income markets across the globe. The firm also invests in alternative markets, such as commodities and currencies. For the equity portion of its portfolio, it invests in growth and value stocks of large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap companies. For the fixed income portion of its portfolio, the firm invests in convertibles, government bonds, municipal bonds, treasury securities, and cash. It also invests in short term and intermediate term bonds, investment grade and high yield bonds, taxable and tax-free bonds, senior secured loans, and structured securities such as asset-backed securities, mortgage-backed securities, and commercial mortgage-backed securities. The firm employs absolute return, global macro, and long/short strategies. It employs quantitative analysis to make its investments. The firm was formerly known as Invesco Plc, AMVESCAP plc, Amvesco plc, Invesco PLC, Invesco MIM, and H. Lotery & Co. Ltd. Invesco Ltd. was founded in December 1935 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia with an additional office in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Frost Bank that offers commercial and consumer banking services in Texas. It operates in two segments, Banking and Frost Wealth Advisors. The company offers commercial banking services to corporations and other business clients, including financing for industrial and commercial properties, interim construction related to industrial and commercial properties, equipment, inventories and accounts receivables, and acquisitions; commercial leasing; and treasury management services. It also provides consumer banking services, such as checking accounts, savings programs, automated-teller machines (ATMs), overdraft facilities, installment and real estate loans, home equity loans and lines of credit, drive-in and night deposit services, safe deposit facilities, and brokerage services. In addition, the company offers international banking services comprising deposits, loans, letters of credit, foreign collections, funds, and foreign exchange services. Further, it acts as a correspondent for approximately 171 financial institutions; offers trust, investment, agency, and custodial services for individual and corporate clients; provides capital market services that include sales and trading, new issue underwriting, money market trading, advisory, and securities safekeeping and clearance; and supports international business activities. Additionally, the company offers insurance and securities brokerage services; and holds securities for investment purposes, as well as investment management services to Frost-managed mutual funds, institutions, and individuals. It operates approximately 157 financial centers and 1,650 ATMs. The company serves energy, manufacturing, services, construction, retail, telecommunications, healthcare, military, and transportation industries. Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. was founded in 1868 and is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas.
AmerisourceBergen Corporation sources and distributes pharmaceutical products in the United States and internationally. Its Pharmaceutical Distribution segment distributes brand-name and generic pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter healthcare products, home healthcare supplies and equipment, and related services to various healthcare providers, including acute care hospitals and health systems, independent and chain retail pharmacies, mail order pharmacies, medical clinics, long-term care and alternate site pharmacies, and other customers. It also provides pharmacy management, staffing, and other consulting services; supply management software to retail and institutional healthcare providers; and packaging solutions to various institutional and retail healthcare providers. In addition, this segment distributes plasma and other blood products, injectable pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and other specialty products; provides other services primarily to physicians who specialize in various disease states, primarily oncology, as well as to other healthcare providers, including hospitals and dialysis clinics; and offers data analytics, outcomes research, and additional services for biotechnology and pharmaceutical manufacturers. The company's Other segment provides integrated manufacturer services, such as clinical trial support, product post-approval, and commercialization support; specialty transportation and logistics services for the biopharmaceutical industry; and sells pharmaceuticals, vaccines, parasiticides, diagnostics, micro feed ingredients, and various other products to customers in the companion animal and production animal markets, as well as demand-creating sales force services to manufacturers. AmerisourceBergen Corporation was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.
FLEETCOR Technologies, Inc. provides digital payment solutions for businesses to control purchases and make payments. It offers corporate payments solutions, such as accounts payable automation; Virtual Card, which provides a single-use card number for a specific amount usable within a defined timeframe; Cross-Border that is used by its customers to pay international vendors, foreign office and personnel expenses, capital expenditures, and profit repatriation and dividends; and purchasing cards and travel and entertainment cards for its customers to analyze and manage their corporate spending. The company also provides employee expense management solutions, including fuel solutions to businesses and government entities that operate vehicle fleets, as well as to oil and leasing companies, and fuel marketers; lodging solutions to businesses that have employees who travel overnight for work purposes, as well as to airlines and cruise lines to accommodate traveling crews and stranded passengers; and electronic toll payments solutions to businesses and consumers in the form of radio frequency identification tags affixed to vehicles' windshields. In addition, it offers gift card program management and processing services in plastic and digital forms that include card design, production and packaging, delivery and fulfillment, card and account management, transaction processing, promotion development and management, website design and hosting, program analytics, and card distribution channel management. Further, it provides other products consisting of payroll cards, vehicle maintenance service solution, long-haul transportation solution, prepaid food vouchers or cards, and prepaid transportation cards and vouchers. The company serves business, merchant, consumer, and payment network customers in North America, Brazil, and Internationally. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
(UNITED NATIONS)  More than 120 countries approved the first-ever treaty to ban nuclear weapons Friday at a U.N. meeting boycotted by all nuclear-armed nations.

To loud applause and cheers, Elayne Whyte Gomez, president of the U.N. conference that has been negotiating the legally binding treaty, announced the results of the historic vote  122 nations in favor, the Netherlands opposed, and Singapore abstaining.

The world has been waiting for this legal norm for 70 years, since the use of the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 at the end of World War II, she said.

The treaty is the first multilateral nuclear disarmament treaty to be concluded in more than 20 years, Whyte Gomez said.

It will be opened for signatures in September and come into force when 50 countries have ratified it, she said.

In December, U.N. member states overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling for negotiations on a treaty that would outlaw nuclear weapons, despite strong opposition from nuclear-armed nations and their allies who refused to participate in the talks.

Whyte Gomez said 129 countries signed up to take part in drafting the treaty, which represents two-thirds of the 193 member states. But all nuclear states and NATO members have boycotted the negotiations except for the Netherlands, which has U.S. nuclear weapons on its territory and was urged by its parliament to send a delegation to the negotiations.

The treaty requires of all ratifying countries never under any circumstances to develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.

It also bans any transfer or use of nuclear weapons or nuclear explosive devices  and the threat to use such weapons.

Retired British Royal Navy Cmdr. Rob Green, who flew nuclear strike aircraft and is now co-director of the Peace Foundations Disarmament and Security Center, said earlier this week that the heart of this treaty is the prohibition on threatening to use nuclear weapons.

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Richard Moyes, managing director of Article 36, a British-based organization that works to prevent harm from nuclear and other weapons, said it isnt plausible to think the world can maintain security based on mutually threatening to incinerate hundreds of thousands of people with nuclear weapons when we know there have been near-misses, errors of judgment  theres been accidents  and theres a degree of instability in the political leadership in the world.

None of the nine countries known or believed to possess nuclear weapons  the United States, Russia, Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel  is supporting the treaty.

The United States and other nuclear powers instead want to strengthen and reaffirm the nearly half-century-old Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, considered the cornerstone of global nonproliferation efforts.

That pact sought to prevent the spread of atomic arms beyond the five original weapons powers  the U.S., Russia, Britain, France and China. It requires non-nuclear signatory nations to not pursue atomic weapons in exchange for a commitment by the five powers to move toward nuclear disarmament and to guarantee non-nuclear states access to peaceful nuclear technology for producing energy.

North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile tests, including its July 3 launch, have become a timely argument for proponents and opponents of the treaty to ban atomic weapons.

Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, said 15,000 nuclear weapons around the world have not managed to deter Pyongyangs nuclear ambitions and a new approach is needed starting with prohibition as the first step to eliminate nuclear arms.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said March 27 when talks began on the nuclear weapons ban treaty that there is nothing I want more for my family than a world with no nuclear weapons, but we have to be realistic.

She asked if anyone thought North Korea would give up its nuclear weapons, stressing that North Koreans would be cheering a nuclear ban treaty  and Americans and others would be at risk.
This Pennsylvania family says they have a light bulb in their basement that has been working for nearly 37 years  and counting.

Read: Alarm Clock Finally Removed After It Beeped Every Day While Stuck in Wall - for 13 Years

Becky Travaglini, who lives outside Pittsburgh, says the bulb was already in its socket when they bought the house in 1980.

"We moved in October 1980, we bought the house and the light bulb was in the house when we moved in," she told Inside Edition. "Its the same light bulb and it still works."

She alerted Inside Edition about her light bulb, after seeing Thursday's story about another Pennsylvania family who had an alarm clock stuck in their wall that continued beeping nightly for 13 years.

Recently, the alarm clock was removed from the wall. Inside were two Rayovac batteries.

Read: Woman Rigs Alarm Clock With Rubber Hand That Smacks Her in the Face

Rayovac, an American battery company based in Wisconsin, told Inside Edition they were happy to hear their batteries still functioned inside the clock.

We are thrilled, Michele Woolever, the companys senior product manager, told Inside Edition. Its a testament to our long-lasting batteries.

Watch: Extravagant or Annoying? Some Christmas Light Displays Driving Neighbors Bonkers

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Amazon had previously said it would roll out a notifications feature for Alexa, and now you can get the virtual assistant to tell you when your Amazon package is on its way.

Amazons notification feature on Alexa is now running, which means youll be able to get notifications if you have the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show or a compatible Alexa-enabled device.

You can opt-in for what features you want Alexa to notify you about, but as of now Alexa can only tell you about packages are out for delivery, according to Amazon Fire TV & Fire TV Stick News.

To hear your notifications you can say phrases like Alexa, read my notifications or Alexa, what did I miss? Youll be able to go back and forth through your alerts by saying Alexa, next or Alexa, previous. You can clear all notifications by saying Alexa, delete all of my notifications.

For notifications, Alexa devices will beep once and give a visual alert as well. For the Amazon Echo Show, which has a built-in display, a banner will be shown on the top of the screen and a notification card will be displayed on the home screen rotation, AFTNews said. For the devices that dont have a display, like the Echo and Echo Dot, the light ring will pulse in yellow.

Read: Amazon Whole Foods Acquisition: Will People Actually Buy Groceries Online?

Heres how to turn on notifications from Alexa:

Open the Alexa app, go to the menu and select Settings. Go to the Accounts section and select Notifications. Select a feature to view notification options. Turn notifications On or Off using the toggle.

The shipping notification could be useful for those who plan on participating in Prime Day next week. Amazon Prime Day, the companys self-proclaimed holiday, will be held on July 11, but deals will start at 9 P.M. EST on July 10.

Amazon announced exclusive deals for Alexa Prime users. The company is offering a $10 new customer credit for those who use its virtual assistant to order select items on Prime Day. Amazon is also offering a $20 discount on its Prime membership when a person signs up using Alexa. Telling the voice assistant: Alexa, sign me up for Prime, will allow users to sign up for the one-year membership for $79.

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Read: Amazon Prime Day: Offers, Expectations For Company Holiday

Users will also get Alexa notifications from the Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. The publication announced in May it would send breaking news alerts on Alexa-enabled devices.

We always want our readers to be informed, so were excited to bring breaking news notifications to Alexa, Joseph Price, senior product manager at the Post said in May. Most importantly, were being selective of the news we surface, and well continue to learn how users want to receive information using a voice service.

We can also expect notifications for AccuWeather, and with the upcoming Just Eat and Life360 skills.

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HAMBURG (Reuters) - The head of Amnesty International urged world leaders on Saturday to stand up to "hyper-nationalist" democratically elected leaders in countries including Turkey, where authorities have detained the local director and chair of the rights group. Amnesty Secretary General Salil Shetty was in Hamburg to lobby G20 leaders to help secure the release of the pair, who are among thousands detained in a crackdown that followed a failed coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last year. "The country is in a serious human rights crisis," Shetty said. "It is impossible for the G20 on the one hand to say it upholds values of democracy and free speech and on the other ignore blatant violations of human rights." Shetty said Erdogan, who is attending the summit of the world's 20 largest economies, was one of a new breed of "hyper-nationalist" democratically elected authoritarians who use repressive measures to boost their popularity at home. "We've had dictatorships before, but in the case of Turkey, (Prime Minister Viktor) Orban in Hungary or (President Rodrigo) Duterte in the Philippines, these are legitimately elected leaders, so we are in a different space now." All three leaders, who have won national elections in polls that independent observers have judged as flawed but broadly fair, have vehemently denied widespread accusations of authoritarianism. "There are hyper-nationalist countries where they take measures and the domestic support increases," he said. "The global system is challenged by this: free press, rule of law, the things we've taken for granted for 50 years." Idil Eser, Amnesty's Turkey director, was arrested on Wednesday along with several other activists. His detention came less than a month after a court ordered the arrest of the chairman of the branch, Taner Kilic. They are accused of links to the "terrorist organization" on which Ankara blames the July 2016 coup attempt. Most western countries have criticized Turkey's crackdown, with many saying Erdogan is using it as an excuse to rid himself of domestic opponents wholesale. But responses have been muted, since Turkey plays a crucial buffer role preventing a destabilizing flood of Syrian refugees from reaching Europe. "The Syrian refugee situation has really compromised EU leaders," Shetty said. "He's getting away with it." Erdogan was himself the subject of an Amnesty human rights campaign when, as mayor of Istanbul in 1998, he upset authorities by publicly reading a poem and was detained. Amnesty campaigned for his release. (Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Helen Popper)
President Trump declared his trip to the G-20 summit a great success. Chris Uhlmann, the political editor for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, saw it a bit differently.

We learned that Donald Trump has pressed fast-forward on the decline of the United States as a global leader, Uhlmann said on air in a segment that has gone viral. He managed to isolate his nation, to confuse and alienate his allies, and to diminish America.

Uhlmann described Trump as an uneasy, lonely, awkward figure at the gathering of world leaders in Hamburg, Germany.

And you got the strong sense that some of the leaders are trying to find the best way to work around him, Uhlmann said.

The U.S. president has a particular skill set, Uhlmann said. Hes identified an illness in Western democracies, but he has no cure for it and seems intent on exploiting it.

He has no desire and no capacity to lead the free world, Uhlmann continued.

The president had an opportunity to put pressure on Russia and China by delivering a G-20 statement condemning North Koreas nuclear provocations, he said.

Other leaders expected it, Uhlmann said. They were prepared to back it, but it never came.

Uhlmann acknowledged that Trumps speech in Poland ahead of the G-20 summit was well received, but argued that it didnt reveal Trumps true feelings about the world because it was written for him.

Theres a tendency among some hopeful souls to confuse the speeches written for Trump with the thoughts of the man himself  he did make some interesting, scripted observations in Poland about defending the values of the West, Uhlmann said. And hes in a unique position. Hes the one man who has the power to do something about it. But its the unscripted Trump thats real.

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Uhlmann pointed to Trumps tweets as the real window into the presidents unvarnished self.

[He is] a man who barks out bile in 140 characters, who wastes his precious days as president at war with the Wests institutions  like the judiciary, independent government agencies and the free press, Uhlmann said.

Chris Uhlmann (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Donald Trumps a man who craves power because it burnishes his celebrity, Uhlmann added. To be constantly talking and talked about is all that really matters, and there is no value placed on the meaning of words  so whats said one day can be discarded the next.

Some will cheer the decline of America on the world stage, Uhlmann concluded, but I think well miss it when its gone.

Earlier Sunday, Trump declared the G-20 was a great success, saying he strongly pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin on Moscows meddling in the U.S. election, that Putin vehemently denied involvement by the Kremlin, and that it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!

Trump also shared a video of highlights of his meetings with various world leaders  as well as those of his daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump.

The G 20 Summit was a great success for the U.S.  Explained that the U.S. must fix the many bad trade deals it has made. Will get done!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/NVDVRrWLs4  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

Read more from Yahoo News:
Bella Thorne thoroughly documented a wildly pink night out on the town this weekend via her social media channels. (Photo: Bella Thorne via Instagram)

Dressed head-to-toe in pink, Bella Thorne tore up the streets of Manhattan on Saturday night. The 19-year-old actress stepped out with friends to enjoy a night of dancing to the tunes of hip-hop artist Blackbear.

Photo: Bella Thorne via Snapchat

Thorne wore a lace bustier that showcased her figure and left little to the imagination. Over the see-through top, she wore a pink bomber jacket. She paired the look with velvet blush-colored shorts over fishnets and completed the ensemble with pink Timberland boots.

Bella Thorne with a friend. (Photo: Bella Thorne via Snapchat)

The Florida native accessorized her pink stylings with colorful bangles, adding a tiara to complement her fuchsia hair. When applying blue body glitter all over her chest, she was not stingy in the least.

Thornes makeup accentuated her perfect lips with a vibrant red lip color, her eyes were lined with a metallic blue eyeliner. Yahoo Style recently spoke with Thorne, and she shared that she does all of her makeup herself.

Photo: Bella Thorne via Snapchat

Thorne documented her fun-filled night on Snapchat, where she is seen canoodling with fans, wildly dancing, and enjoying her night.

Photo: Bella Thorne via Snapchat

Photo: Bella Thorne via Snapchat

Thorne recently released a single called Just Call with Prince Fox, which has over half-a-million plays on Spotify. She thanked her fans via Instagram Story for making the song a hit. With her newly acquired musical success, its no wonder Thorne went all out and celebrated.

Photo: Bella Thorne via Snapchat

The pink look was a contrast to the more grounded outfit she sported earlier that day.

Photo: Bella Thorne via Instagram

Read more from Yahoo Style + Beauty:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyle and@YahooBeauty.




Fans of Donald Glover may be disappointed with the size of the Atlanta creators role in Spider-Man: Homecoming. The actor and rapper  who was once championed for the role of Spider-Man  plays a petty criminal who offers Peter Parker (Tom Holland) a clue as to where he can track down Vultures (Michael Keaton) team. But heres the good news: Glovers scene in Homecoming sets up a world in which he might play a bigger role in a future film.

Glover plays Aaron Davis, a character pulled straight from the Spider-Man comic books. In the comics, Davis is a burglar and criminal who goes by the Prowler. He pulls off petty crimes, including at one point breaking into Osborn Industries (yes, the birth place of the radioactive spider that bit Peter Parker). There, a radioactive spider sneaks into Davis bag, eventually crawling out and biting his nephew, Miles Morales.

MORE: 20 Easter Eggs You Probably Didnt Notice in Spider-Man: Homecoming

Fans of the comics may know Morales as the new Spider-Man. Even younger than Parker, Morales took over the role of Spidey after Parker appears to have died in the comics. (There is a parallel universe in which Parker lives. Its complicated!) Glover also voices Morales in the animated Spider-Man. A few years ago, when Sony first announced they were rebooting Spider-Man again, fans lobbied for Glover to play a live-action version of Morales. Instead, Sony decided to stick with Peter Parker and cast 21-year-old British actor Tom Holland to play him.

In Homecoming, Glovers character says that he doesnt want dangerous weapons in the neighborhood because he has a young nephew who lives in the area. That means that Morales almost certainly exists in this Spider-Man cinematic universe, as is Glovers Prowler.

MORE: Explaining Those Two Post-Credit Scenes in Spider-Man: Homecoming

We dont know when Morales could turn up or how big a role he will play. The current Spidey actor, Tom Holland, has said that Homecoming is the first in a trilogy. Its possible that Miles shows up in this trilogy as a second Spider-Man. However, Marvel and Sony might also be planting the seeds for yet another Spider-Man series after Holland outgrows the role and fulfills his contract. (There have already been three Spider-Man movie series in 15 years.) The fourth Spider-Man series could star yet another actor as the Miles Morales Spider-Man.

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Yet another option involves Sonys ever-expanding Spidey universe. Sony has announced plans for spinoff films for several other characters from the Spider-Man comics, including a Venom movie starring Tom Hardy and a Black Cat and Silver Sable film. Perhaps Sony could somehow engineer a Miles Morales film while Peter Parker still exists.

MORE: How the Venom Spinoff Could Change the Spider-Man Universe

Whatever the outcome, Glovers subtle hint about his nephew was no accident. Miles Morales is coming.
Analysis: During trip likely to cheer his base and frustrate critics, president focused on domestic concerns and gravitated toward non-democratic states

Donald Trump remained some way off looking like a global statesman at the G20 summit. Photograph: Canadian Press/REX/Shutterstock

Donald Trump was returning to his comfort zone  home  on Saturday night having finished a second foreign trip on which domestic concerns took priority over building bridges with a sceptical international community.

The US president committed no significant gaffes but Trump seemed so out of step with the rest of the world that it was a case of the G1 versus the G19, against a backdrop of violent anti-capitalist protests in Hamburg, Germany.

This stark division will delight his populist base, who share his contempt for trade agreements and the Paris climate deal, and dismay his critics. In short, Trump was Trump and the exercise did little to move the needle one way or another.

How the trip would play at home was evidently never far from the presidents mind. Unlike during his first foreign adventure in the Middle East and Europe, this time he was active on Twitter, and his most bizarre tweet read: Everyone here is talking about why John Podesta refused to give the DNC server to the FBI and the CIA. Disgraceful!

As well as stretching credulity, this provoked a fiery response from Podesta, the former Hillary Clinton campaign chairman: Get a grip man, the Russians committed a crime when they stole my emails to help get you elected President.

Trump also managed to continue his war on the media from afar. During a press conference he railed against CNN and, before his much anticipated meeting with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, destined to overshadow the summit, he tweeted: I will represent our country well and fight for its interests! Fake News Media will never cover me accurately but who cares! We will #MAGA [make America great again]!

Then, as reporters were ushered from the room, the Russian president quipped: These are the ones who insulted you? Trump replied: These are the ones, seemingly not knowing or not caring that journalists who cross Putin can end up dead.

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And in a parting shot, Trump replied to a tweet from the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, who denied media reports that his wife had failed to shake hands with the US president, as video evidence seemed to suggest, summoning the spirit of Trump by tweeting: Lets FIGHT FAKE NEWS.

The US president wrote in response: We will fight the #FakeNews with you!

The episodes implied that Trumps gut instinct and deepest enthusiasm is to side with the socially conservative, Eurosceptic and nationalist Duda and the authoritarian, illiberal Putin on issues such as fake news rather than with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron on crises such as climate change.

This fits a pattern in which he seems to gravitate toward non-democratic states such as China, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia while showing rather less affection for members of the EU.

The prime example remains Putin, who appeared to confirm fears that he would run rings around his frenemy, a diplomatic novice. Perhaps again mindful of his domestic audience, Trump felt compelled to bring up Russias meddling in last years US presidential election.

But just how hard Trump pushed the issue remains disputed, and it is a sign of the times that even Americans are not sure whether to take the word of a former KGB spymaster over their own commander-in-chief. Even by the US secretary of state Rex Tillersons own account, the two sides seemed to agree to disagree and to move on, meaning that Moscow will get off scot-free for having pulled off an audacious political attack.

Trump described it as a tremendous meeting that lasted two hours and 16 minutes and struck a deal for a partial ceasefire in Syria, due to begin on Sunday, but there have been many false dawns there in the past. Democratic Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer called the meeting with Putin the lowest moment of all and an embarrassment to our country and our ideals.

As for the highest moment, that, in the eyes of the White House, came before the G20 got started. In a speech in Warsaw, Poland, the president was greeted by crowds  bused in from rural areas, an old trick in authoritarian regimes  chanting his name and even waving a Confederate battle flag. He appeared much more comfortable in this atmosphere than with the lukewarm handshakes of elected leaders.

The Trump script went from America first to civilisation first, rechanneling the fire and brimstone of his inaugural address into a promise that the west will never, ever be broken. Again, the response broke down along predictable partisan lines. The conservative Wall Street Journal hailed it as Trumps Defining Speech, whereas Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capeharts review was headlined Trumps white-nationalist dog whistles in Warsaw.

It marked an improvement, of sorts, on the previous weeks tweets referring to TV host Mika Brzezinskis bleeding face. But Trump was still some way off looking and sounding like a global statesman and the final statement of the G20 leaders spelled out Americas utter isolation. Trump seems likely to breathe a sigh of relief when he gets back to the White House and maybe paraphrase Sunset Boulevard, one of his favourite movies: I am big. Its the world that got small.
US President Donald Trump gives a speech in front of the Warsaw Uprising Monument on Krasinski Square on the sidelines of the Three Seas Initiative Summit in Warsaw, Poland: JANEK SKARZYNSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump described to Poles an America that does not exist  one where everyone is getting richer except himself.

Despite his claims at an energy meeting with European leaders, in a Warsaw speech and at a news conference, the stock market is not lifting all boats, his stated commitment to NATO has not been tested by action, and the pipeline he said was approved on his first day in office was not.

A look at some of his points Thursday:

TRUMP: "When I say that the stock market is at an all-time high, we've picked up in market value almost $4 trillion since Nov. 8, which was the election. Four trillion dollars  it's a lot of money. Personally, I picked up nothing, but that's all right. Everyone else is getting rich. That's OK. I'm very happy. "  Energy meeting

THE FACTS: First, everyone else is not getting rich. Most Americans lack meaningful stock market investments. Research by New York University economist Edward Wolff found that just 10 percent of the U.S. population owns 80 percent of stock market wealth. A sizable chunk is concentrated with the top 1 percent of earners. The stock market has indeed climbed during Trump's time in office, as it did for most of Barack Obama's presidency after the Great Recession bottomed out in March 2009.

Second, his suggestion that he has not benefited from a rising stock market is dubious.

Financial disclosures show the president has multiple brokerage accounts and extensive stock holdings. He owns shares in Apple Inc. (up 23 percent year-to-date), Caterpillar Inc. (up 15 percent) and Microsoft Corp. (up 10 percent) among other companies. Even if Trump didn't buy into the recent stock market gains, his existing shares probably received a boost.

As for his own businesses, Trump gave his two adult sons and a senior executive control of his global real estate, property management and marketing empire when he took office in January. But Trump did not divest his businesses. Instead he placed his financial assets in a trust that he can seize control of at any time.

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And there are signs that Trump's businesses are making money off his presidency. The Trump International Hotel hosted a major-donor event in late June. His annual financial disclosure shows that Mar-a-Lago, the Florida resort he owns and routinely visits, saw its revenues increase to $37 million from $30 million during the period covered in his previous filing.



TRUMP: "To those who would criticize our tough stance, I would point out that the United States has demonstrated not merely with words but with its actions that we stand firmly behind Article 5, the mutual defense commitment."  Public speech in Warsaw

THE FACTS: Rather than showing a commitment with his actions, Trump has sown confusion with his words. Article 5 has only been used once  by other NATO members, to come to the defense of the U.S. after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Trump suggested during the campaign that NATO members lagging on their own military spending might not be able to count on the U.S. to come to their aid if attacked. And he pointedly did not endorse Article 5 at a NATO meeting in May, unnerving some allies. In June, though, he said: "I'm committing the United States to Article 5." Those words won't be tested with action until or unless a NATO member is attacked.



TRUMP: "We just approved a big pipeline also  the Keystone pipeline. It was under consideration for many, many years, and it was dead, and I approved it in my first day of office."  Energy meeting

THE FACTS: He did not approve it on his first day in office. During his first week, on Jan. 24, Trump signed an order asking TransCanada to re-submit its application to build Keystone XL, which had been blocked by President Barack Obama. Trump suggested at the time that more negotiations would be required with TransCanada before he would approve the project. The project actually got the go-ahead in late March.



TRUMP: "Americans know that a strong alliance of free, sovereign and independent nations is the best defense for our freedoms and for our interests. That is why my administration has demanded that all members of NATO finally meet their full and fair financial obligation. As a result of this insistence, billions of dollars more have begun to pour into NATO. In fact, people are shocked. But billions and billions of dollars more coming in from countries that, in my opinion, would not have been paying so quickly." Warsaw speech

THE FACTS: The notion of money pouring into NATO because of his tough talk is one of Trump's most frequent fictions. The actual issue is how much NATO countries spend on their own military budgets. They agreed in 2014, well before he became president, to stop cutting military spending, and have honored that. They also agreed then to a goal of moving "toward" spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on their own defense by 2024. Most are short of that and the target is not ironclad. His tough talk is aimed at nudging them toward that goal.

Associated Press
US president says Vladimir Putin vehemently denied interfering in 2016 US election during G20 meeting, adding: Ive already given my opinion

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump meet at the G20 in Hamburg on Friday. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

Donald Trump said on Sunday that it was time to move forward in working constructively with Russia after his meeting at the G20 with Vladimir Putin.

After returning from the summit of the worlds leading economies in Germany on Saturday night, Trump began Sunday with a series of tweets defending himself against criticism that he had been too soft on the Russian leader at their first face-to-face meeting.

Trump said that he had strongly pressed Putin twice over Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election during their lengthy sit-down, adding: He vehemently denied it. Ive already given my opinion.

US intelligence agencies have stated that Moscow tried to interfere with the election in order to help Trump. But the president himself has equivocated on whether he believes this, stating on Thursday: I think it could very well have been Russia. I think it could well have been other countries ... Nobody really knows for sure.

After Fridays meeting  attended only by the two presidents, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson and interpreters  Lavrov claimed Trump had told Putin he accepted the Russian leaders denials of involvement in attempting to sway last years American election, and Putin said on Saturday he thought Trump believed those denials.

[Trump] asked a lot of questions on this subject, Putin said. I, inasmuch as I was able, answered these questions. It seems to me that he took these [answers] on board and agreed with them, but in actual fact, its best to ask him how he views this.

But Reince Priebus, the White House chief of staff, took issue with that on Sunday. The president absolutely didnt believe the denial of President Putin, he told Fox News.

In his tweets on Sunday, Trump went on to hail a ceasefire in south-west Syria brokered by the US, Russia and Jordan, which began at noon local time. We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives, the US president said. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!

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US intelligence agencies have warned that Russia will keep up its efforts to interfere in US and other elections. Ash Carter, the US defence secretary under Barack Obama, told CNN that that worried him. There are state elections, municipal elections, as well as national elections, he said. There are elections in other countries. Its important that there be consequences for the Russians in regard to this.

At their meeting in Hamburg on Friday, Trump and Putin also announced they would set up a working group on non-interference in future elections.

Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded ... and safe, Trump tweeted.

This is like the guy who robbed your house proposing a working group on burglary, Carter said. Its they who did this.

Trump also said he had not discussed sanctions with Russia. The US imposes a number of different sanctions on Russia, relating to Moscows backing of separatists in Ukraine, its weapons sales, its human rights violations and its interference in the 2016 election. Nothing will be done until the Ukraine & Syrian problems are solved! Trump tweeted.

Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, which is conducting one of the current congressional investigations into Russias interference in the election and its possible links to the Trump team, criticised the presidents comments on CNN on Sunday morning.

How can we really believe that the president pressed Putin hard when only the day before he was denying whether we really knew Russia was responsible? the California Democrat asked. Were, I guess, meant to believe that hes much stronger in private than hes willing to be publicly, but why does that make any rational sense?

On the contrary, if he was really determined to press Putin, he would have gone into that meeting and said unequivocally, This is what Russia did. Even by an account from the secretary of state, apparently the president asked Putin whether he did it, he didnt go in there and confront him and say  We know you did this, you have to stop.

John Brennan, former director of the CIA under Obama, agreed, telling NBC News: I seriously question whether or not Mr Putin heard from Mr Trump what he needed to about the assault on our democratic institutions of the election.

Schiff went on to condemn Trumps suggestion that it was now time to move forward.

Its not the dumbest idea Ive ever heard, but its pretty close. Republican senator Lindsey Graham

To say: OK, its been resolved, now we can move on  I dont think we can move on. I dont think we can expect the Russians to be any kind of a credible partner in some kind of cybersecurity unit. I think that would be dangerously naive for this country. If thats our best election defence, we might as well just mail our ballot boxes to Moscow. I dont think thats an answer at all.

He called the idea of working with Russia on cybersecurity dangerously naive, adding: The president just went into a meeting with a man who ordered hacking of our democratic institutions. So Putin wasnt just a tangential player here, he wasnt just a disinterested party.

Putin could be of enormous assistance

On NBC News, Republican senator Lindsey Graham, a frequent critic of Trumps, said of the cyber-security working group: Its not the dumbest idea Ive ever heard, but its pretty close.



Another GOP senator frequently at odds with Trump, former presidential candidate John McCain, joked: Im sure that Vladimir Putin could be of enormous assistance in that effort, since he is doing the hacking.

Schiff also said his committee was willing to call Trumps son Donald Trump Jr, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and his former campaign manager Paul Manafort, following a New York Times story revealing that the three held a meeting with a Russian lawyer with links to the Russian state shortly after Trump won the Republican nomination, in what appears to have been the earliest known private meeting between key aides to the future president and a Russian.

It certainly raises questions for a variety of reasons, said Schiff. Of course the presidents son had denied having any kind of meetings like this. They claim that this meeting had nothing to do with the campaign and yet the Trump campaign manager is invited to come to the meeting, and there is no reason for this Russian government advocate to be meeting with Paul Manafort, or with Mr Kushner, or with the presidents son if it wasnt about the campaign and Russia policy.

He added: Obviously they were trying to influence one of the candidates, the leading candidate at that time on the Republican ticket.

Donald Trump Jr has said the meeting was about a program that used to allow US citizens to adopt Russian children, which was ended by Russia in response to American sanctions, known as the Magnitsky Act.

What it sounds like the meeting may have really been about ... is the Magnitsky Act, and that is legislation, very powerful sanctions legislation, that goes against Russian human rights abusers, Schiff said. So if this was an effort to do away with that sanctions policy, that is obviously very significant. If theyre talking to the presidents team, then candidate Trumps team, that contradicts, of course, what the president and his people have said about whether they were meeting with any representatives of the Russian government.

Why did Obama do NOTHING?

In his Sunday tweets, Trump also renewed his criticism of Obama, who has come under fire for an alleged lack of forcefulness in his response to the cyber-attack. The Washington Post has reported that the Obama team was worried about triggering an escalation from Putin that might threaten the credibility of the election result, and also about being seen to be weighing in on the side of Trumps Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.

Why did Obama do NOTHING when he had info before election? Trump tweeted.

Brennan, the former CIA director, defended the former administration. I dont believe that the Obama administration choked, he said.

I think we can look at the actions that were taken prior to the election and after the election. I confronted my main Russian counterpart, and  on 4 August  and told him: If you go down this road, its going to have serious consequences, not only for the bilateral relationship, but for our ability to work with Russia on any issue, because it is an assault on our democracy.

He added: And President Obama confronted President Putin in September. Jim Clapper [former director of national intelligence] and Jeh Johnson [former homeland security secretary] announced publicly in October about Russian efforts. So, after we did that, I wonder whether or not the Russians then took a step back and said: Wait a minute now, were not gonna be as aggressive as we may have been otherwise.

But Carter, Obamas defence secretary, admitted: I think its quite clear that that was not sufficient.

He added: Thats why its so important to press the Russians now. If it were sufficient, Vladimir Putins answer to our president wouldnt have been to say  cast doubt upon it or ask for further intelligence from the United States.
Aleppo (Syria) (AFP) - Taline Menassian still trembles when she steps into the Aleppo Armenian Society's open-air cafe, shaken by memories of the rockets that once rained down on the Syrian city's front line.

The eatery in Midan, Aleppo's main Armenian district, was shuttered for four years after violence reached the city in 2012.

But it reopened in June, six months after the government recaptured all of the city.

Relaxed laughter and giggling children have replaced the boom of explosions in the restaurant, nestled between the Armenian Society and the St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic church.

"It's like a dream to be here," said Menassian, 50, looking around at the dozens of customers in the restaurant.

Menassian is a member of the Armenian Society, which kept its doors open although the affiliated eatery was boarded up.

"Every time I come in, I can't believe it," she told AFP, gazing in amazement at dozens of customers smoking water pipes and sipping arak, the Levant's popular aniseed spirit.

The cafe opened in 2007, and quickly became a favoured haunt for residents of Midan because of its family atmosphere and leafy terrace, where plastic chairs and tables are illuminated by hanging lanterns.

"We told ourselves that if this cafe reopened, the people would come back," said Menassian, whose red hair is cut into a bob.

"We're all one family here," she said emotionally.

Second city Aleppo was home to the largest contingent of Syria's Armenian community: 150,000 out of 350,000 across the country, according to Syria specialist and geographer Fabrice Balanche.

Now, no more than 10,000 are left in Aleppo, after thousands fled to Armenia, neighbouring Lebanon or even further afield to the United States, Canada, and Europe.

- 'Beautiful days are back' -

Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011 but struck Aleppo the following year, when rebels overran much of the eastern parts of city.

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Army troops dropped barrel bombs and launched air strikes across the front line on rebel groups, who fired rockets back in return.

Midan was caught in the middle.

The neighbourhood remained in government hands but was regularly pummelled by missiles from the neighbouring opposition-held district of Bustan al-Basha.

"I still remember the day that about 40 rockets hit this very spot," Menassian recalled.

"Midan was almost deserted. Many families left," she said, including her daughter, who fled to the Armenian capital Yerevan where her son-in-law worked as a jeweller.

Menassian's family home was also destroyed in the fighting, which halted in December, when Syria's army announced it was in full control of the city.

Now, Menassian's husband is re-opening his tyre shop in Midan, and their daughter and son-in-law are moving back to Syria, too.

But so far, just a handful of families and businesses have returned to the neighbourhood, though residents see the cafe's reopening as a positive sign.

"It's the return of the beautiful days," said Haroutioun Kahvedjian, a 57-year-old dentist.

Although his family fled to neighbouring Lebanon, he decided to stay in Aleppo and continued to frequent the Society.

During some of the city's bloodiest days, he even treated wounded people inside the Armenian community centre's halls.

Now he is hoping his family will return.

"I sent a picture of the cafe to my daughter to encourage her to come back," he said with teary eyes.

"The cafe is the symbol of our resistance in Aleppo."

- 'Indescribable joy' -

Other historic districts of the city are seeing a revival, too.

The celebrated citadel, a jewel of medieval architecture, was heavily damaged by a massive blast in July 2015 and remains a military position.

But a small coffeehouse that has spent decades at the foot of the fortress re-opened last week for the first time since 2012.

"When I used to see the pictures of the citadel on television, I had tears in my eyes," said owner Bashir Azmouz, standing opposite buildings in ruins.

"Today, my joy is indescribable," he told AFP.

Children frolicked nearby in the Saadallah al-Jabriri square, once a favourite gathering place for families but now another victim of Syria's violence.

Its historic fountains once gushed streams of water, but they are all dry now.

Electricity was restored to the area where the square is located just a week ago, drawing residents back again.

"No one dared step into the square during the war," said Mohammad Daouk, 37, who was visiting with his family.

"This place was a symbol. All Aleppans used to come here."
Cairo (AFP) - Egyptian police said they killed 14 alleged Islamic State group members Saturday in a raid on a training camp, a day after the jihadists conducted a deadly attack on soldiers.

Funerals were held across the country for at least 21 soldiers killed in Friday's attack in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, one of deadliest against the military in years.

The interior ministry said police officers raided a desert training camp in the eastern province of Ismailiya, killing the 14 alleged militants.

At least five of them had been wanted on charges of joining IS, it said in a statement.

IS has been leading a deadly insurgency that has killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the army overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 and cracked down on his supporters.

The jihadists had attacked on Friday several Sinai checkpoints with car bombs and heavy gunfire in a coordinated assault, for which IS later claimed responsibility in a statement.

The military said it killed 40 of the assailants and that the attack killed or wounded 26 soldiers, without providing a death toll.

Provincial and security officials said funerals were held for at least 21 soldiers.

Groups other than IS have also carried out attacks in Egypt targeting policemen and judges.

Gunmen on Friday shot dead a National Security Service officer as he was leaving his home north of Cairo.

The militant group Hasam claimed responsibility.

On Saturday, the interior ministry said police killed two senior Hasam members in a shoot out near Cairo.
Hamburg (AFP) - Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday accused recently detained rights activists of trying to implement the aims of those who failed to oust him in a coup last year.

Idil Eser, director of Amnesty International Turkey, was held on Wednesday along with activists and trainers on Buyukada, an island south of Istanbul.

Amnesty International said those arrested are accused of membership of a terror group.

Erdogan, when asked about the activists at a news conference at the closing session of G20 in Hamburg, referred back to the attempt to topple him.

"They gathered for a meeting which was a continuation of July 15," he said, referring to the date when his rule was threatened, noting that any action regarding the activists rests with the judiciary.

Turkish police detained 10 people: eight human rights defenders and two foreign trainers -- a German and a Swedish national. They were subsequently taken to various police stations.

Amnesty said those arrested were attending a "digital security and information management workshop".

The detentions come less than a month after Amnesty's Turkey chair, Taner Kilic, was remanded in custody on what the group described as "baseless charges" of links to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric and alleged mastermind of the coup.

Turkey remains under a state of emergency, which critics say has been used to round up not just the alleged plotters but anyone who dares to oppose the president.
Hamburg (AFP) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said Turkey would never allow a Kurdish state in Syria near its border, and warned that if threatened, Ankara would not hesitate to use its right to self-defence.

"We will never remain silent or unresponsive to the backing and arming of terrorist groups, and the formation of terror islets right next to our border," Erdogan said in a speech at the closing session of the G20 summit in Hamburg.

"We will not hesitate to use our legitimate right to defence against formations that threaten our country's security."

Ankara considers the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) fighting in Syria to be a terrorist group and the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.

But the United States sees the YPG as the most effective group on the ground in the fight against Islamic State jihadists, and is openly arming the militia force to the dismay of its NATO ally.

Ankara fears the creation of a Kurdish state in northern Syria could encourage separatism amongst its own Kurds.

Erdogan said Turkey would "never allow" a Kurdish state in northern Syria.

Turkish troops and YPG forces have repeatedly exchanged cross-border fire in recent days, and there is speculation Ankara may be planning an assault on the group in the northern Syrian town of Afrin.

Tens of thousands of people protested against Turkey in Afrin on Wednesday, chanting: "No to Turkish intervention."

Erdogan said the issue of Afrin was a "threat" for Turkey.

"As long as this threat continues, we will activate our rules of engagement and will continue to give the necessary answer to those in Afrin," he said.

The Turkish leader also hit back at the Iraqi Kurdistan region's plan to hold a referendum on independence.

"It is a troubling step for Iraq's future," he said in Hamburg.

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He said Turkish concerns were conveyed to Iraqi Kurdish leader Messud Barzani, an ally of Ankara.

"We said 'this is a wrong path. Give up on this, otherwise it will be difficult for you to pay a price tomorrow.' I dont know at what stage they are right now," Erdogan said.

"I hope that they will give up holding a referendum."
If you fly your drone as a hobby and paid a fee to register it with the Federal Aviation Administration, you can now get a refund.

In 2015, the FAA placed a rule that required owners who operated their drones for fun to register their small aircraft. In May, a U.S. Appeals Court in the D.C. circuit said the FAA drone registration violated a 2012 law passed by Congress. Section 336 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act says the administration may not promulgate any rule or regulation regarding a model aircraft.

Read: Inmate In South Carolina Prison Escapes Using Tools Dropped Off By Drone, Cell Phone

Because the ruling in May, the FAA announced this week it will refund the $5 people paid to register their drones.

The FAA said in May over 820,000 operators registered their aircraft. Since the applications are $5 each, that means the administration received more than $4 million in fees. However, some drone operators still have to be certified, if theyre used for commercial purposes.

How To Get A Refund From The FAA

To get a refund, you must meet the requirements in section 336 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act. If you do, fill out the registration deletion and self-certification form, which can be found online, print the application and mail it to the FAA Civil Aviation Registry.

If you registered your drone during the initial grace period when the $5 registration fee was waived, you wont be able to get a refund, the FAA said.

Read: A Real RoboCop? Dubai Police Will Deploy Mini Self-Driving Patrols Equipped With 360-Degree Cameras, Drones

However, the FAA still wants you to register your drone.

The FAA continues to encourage voluntary registration for all owners of small unmanned aircraft, it said in its announcement.

The administration also said it is working on a final rule with respect to registration and marking that will implement the court's decision.

Last month, the FAA held its first meeting of the UAS Identification and Tracking Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC). Those involved in the meeting were stakeholders, including Amazon and Ford, the aviation community and industry member organizations, manufacturers, researchers, standards groups, local law enforcement and other officials. In the meeting, the parties discussed drone identification and tracking, as well as air traffic management for drones and other concerns.

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The Aviation Rulemaking Committee considered issues such as existing regulations applicable to drone identification and tracking, air traffic management for drones, concerns and authorities of local law enforcement, and potential legal considerations," FAA stated in a press release after the meeting. "The group developed some preliminary questions and identification parameters, and reviewed a sample of existing identification technologies.

The FAA committee is scheduled to meet again July 18-19 and is expected to make formal recommendations this September.

Meanwhile, Drone maker DJI proposed an electronic identification system in which drones could transmit communication details, including its location and registration number.

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Acapulco (Mexico) (AFP) - Shell-shocked relatives of Mexican inmates who had been decapitated and mutilated by their rivals behind bars condemned on Friday what they called a reign of terror inflicted by gangs that extort and torture fellow prisoners.

Twenty-eight inmates were killed as rioters beheaded and hacked their rivals to death Thursday at the Las Cruces prison in Acapulco, the latest explosion of violence in Mexico's often lawless jails.

Brenda Lopez, a 23-year-old psychology student, waited with her 80-year-old grandmother outside the hulking concrete structure for news of her uncle.

"They won't tell us anything," she said on the verge of tears. "We don't know how he is, where he is."

Overnight, dozens of grieving relatives gathered outside the Pacific coast resort town's morgue, waiting to be called in to identify their loved ones' bodies.

As they stood in agony, with red and blue police lights flashing across their faces, they spoke in hushed tones about what they described as the abysmal conditions inside the jail, which holds nearly 2,200 inmates -- 65 percent over capacity, according to official figures.

"He didn't have to tell me how badly they treated him inside. You could see it a mile away," one 25-year-old woman said of her dead relative, fearful of giving her name.

"The mafia ruled in there. The others lived in fear."

One man waiting outside, himself a former prisoner, told AFP the jail was effectively governed by gangs -- like many in Mexico, where corruption abounds in the penitentiary system and the multi-billion-dollar narcotics business has fueled an explosion of powerful, ultra-violent drug cartels.

"It's a time bomb," said the man, puffing nervously on a cigarette and asking to be identified only as Aviles for fear of reprisals by cartel lookouts he said were hovering nearby.

He described a facility in which the jailers were on the payroll of the main prison gang, members of a drug cartel called the Independent Acapulco Cartel.

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The gang smuggled in guns and drugs with impunity, extorting and torturing other inmates, said Aviles, who served five years at Las Cruces, three of them in the maximum-security wing where the riot erupted.

"I was tortured, too. The guards were all on the take. The prison director, too," he said.

Prisoners at Las Cruces "are criminals and all, but they shouldn't have to pay for it like that," he said.

Authorities have announced that all staff at the prison are under investigation over the riot, including its director, Miguel Gomez Garduno.

Aviles called the gangs' de facto rule "a plague."

"It's impossible to end it," he said.

"You kill 10, another 20 are born."

- 'Bodies piled like trash' -

A morgue worker taking a cigarette break described a grisly scene at the prison.

"As soon as you went inside, you could smell the blood," he said.

"There were four beheaded bodies at the entrance. The rest were piled up on top of each other in the laundry area, like trash. It was manic in there."

Forensic investigators found five bullet casings inside -- apparently fired by prisoners, he said.

The rest of the inmates were beaten and stabbed to death, he said.

Three guards and 11 inmates are being investigated for possible involvement in the violence, the governor of the violent southern state of Guerrero, Hector Astudillo, said Friday.

Mexico's prisons are frequently hit by riots, killings and jailbreaks.

This was the country's deadliest prison violence since 49 inmates were killed in February 2016 in a riot at the Topo Chico prison in Monterrey, in the northeast.

"We're mad. We're furious... This can't keep happening," said Luciano Pelaez, a 66-year-old construction worker who was waiting to find out whether a loved one was dead or alive.

But Hilario Salas, a lawyer who represented inmates at Las Cruces, was bleak on the prospects for change.

"This is our daily bread in Mexican jails," he said.
Paris (AFP) - A 42-year-old French national appeared in court Sunday on suspicion of plotting an attack with multiple weapons alongside two Belgian brothers who were charged in Brussels this week, judicial sources said.

According to a source close to the enquiry, the man -- whose name was not given but who was known to the authorities for being radicalised -- was arrested near the northern city of Lille.

Paris prosecutors have opened an inquiry on grounds of terrorist conspiracy.

The suspect is believed to be connected to Akim and Khalid Saouti, two brothers who were charged in Brussels on Wednesday with belonging to a "terrorist group" and were believed to be planning an attack with a large stash of weapons including Kalashnikov rifles.

The pair, who were arrested the previous night in the Brussels suburb of Anderlecht, are brothers of convicted jihadist Said Saouti, a member of the Kamikaze Riders, a notorious bikers' club based in Brussels.

Last year, Saouti was jailed for six years for recruiting people to jihadist organisations and supporting the Islamic State (IS) group on social media.

The French suspect has been jailed four times for acts of violence and theft and was put under surveillance after leaving prison in May 2015 where he was believed to have been radicalised.

He was then observed making several trips to Belgium, where he met the Saouti brothers with all of them seen handling bags at a garage in Anderlecht.

"The fear of an imminent attack in France or Belgium led to a wave of arrests," a source close to the probe said, referring to last week's raids.

Inside the garage, they found a box containing three Kalashnikov rifles, a pump-action shotgun, three handguns, four detonators and ammunition as well as uniforms from the police, the security forces and the emergency services.

One of the bags they were seen handling was found at the French suspect's home, containing several kilos of jewels, the source said. Investigators also found jihadist propaganda and footage of suicide attacks on his computer.

Investigators from a joint Franco-Belgian operation had on Wednesday confirmed arresting a 42-year-old man just outside Lille on suspicion of links to the Kamikaze Riders who was planning a "violent attack".
Mr Putin said he believed Mr Trump believed his denials: AP

Vladimir Putin has said he thought Donald Trump believed his personal denials of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

In his first televised remarks since the two men held a meeting lasting two hours and 15 minutes, Mr Putin said the US President had asked him a number of questions about Russias alleged interference.

Mr Putin said he believed that the journalists would do better to seek Mr Trumps opinion as to whether he believed his denials. But he added: He asked questions, I replied. It seemed to me that he was satisfied with the answers.

Pres Putin asked by @NBCNews what 'exactly' Pres Trump said in response to Pres Putin's denials of election interference... refuses to say.  Keir Simmons (@KeirSimmons) July 8, 2017

Mr Putins comments at the G20 in Hamburg on Saturday came after the two countries offered different accounts of what happened during the first meeting between the two men.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had claimed that from the very start of their meeting Mr Trump had pressed Mr Putin on the issue. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov then told reporters that Mr Trump had accepted his denials, which a US official subsequently disputed.

The President opened the meeting raising the concerns of the American about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, said Mr Tillerson. They had a very lengthy and robust conversation on this

He said Mr Trump pushed him on the issue and that Mr Putin stood firm in his denial.

I think the President is rightly focused on how do we move forward from something that may be an intractable disagreement at this point, Mr Tillerson said.

On Saturday, Mr Putin appeared at ease when he faced reporters, even joking that Moscow would not hack Germanys election in September.

Later, pressed about the issue, Mr Putin said of Mr Trump: He started to ask pointed questions, he was really interested in particular details. I, as much as I could, answered him in a fairly detailed way.

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I believe it would not be entirely appropriate on my part to disclose details of my discussion with Mr Trump. He asked, I answered him. He asked pointed questions, I answered them. It seemed to me that he was satisfied with those answers.

Putin says Trump is very, very different in person than on TV https://t.co/OIgoeXRN9o pic.twitter.com/Oyws5nUjCG  BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) July 8, 2017

Mr Putin cited a Syria ceasefire agreement the two countries had announced the day before, saying he believed the US had now reached a more pragmatic stance in its view on Russia.

I believe that we have established personal relations already, he said on his meeting with Mr Trump, according to Reuters.

The TV Trump is very different from the person in reality. He is absolutely precise, he reacts as you would expect to his interlocutor, he analyses fairly quickly, answers questions that are put to him.

"It seems to me that if we build our relations the way that our conversation went yesterday, then we all have grounds to believe that we can, at least in part, restore the level of cooperation that we need.
Hamburg (AFP) - G20 nations launched an unprecedented initiative Saturday at the group's summit in Germany to fight poverty in Africa, but critics called the plan half-hearted.

Under German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "Investment Compacts", an initial seven African countries would pledge reforms and receive technical support in order to attract new private investment.

More than half of Africans are under 25 years old and the population is set to double by mid-century, making economic growth and jobs essential for the young to stop them from leaving, Merkel has said.

Germany's partner nations are Ghana, Ivory Coast and Tunisia, while Ethiopia, Morocco, Rwanda and Senegal are also taking part. Far poorer nations such as Niger or Somalia are so far not on the list.

"We are ready to help interested African countries and call on other partners to join the initiative," said the G20 in their final communique.

The plan, as well as multinational initiatives on helping girls, rural youths and promoting renewable energy, would help "to address poverty and inequality as root causes of migration".

Some 100,000 people, most of them sub-Saharan Africans, have made the dangerous journey to Europe across the Mediterranean in rickety boats this year as the migration crisis shows no sign of abating.

Anti-poverty group ONE said that the investment compacts "promised much, but too many G20 partners missed the memo and failed to contribute.

"The flimsy foundations must now be firmed up, follow through and improved, especially for Africa's more fragile states."

The group's Jamie Drummond said that "this will be the African century and Chancellor Merkel wanted the G20 to get on the right side of history, but internal strife and division scattered the G20 away from this visionary path."

Oxfam judged that the plan "rests on the dangerously naive assumption that boosting private investment will automatically help the poorest in the continent.

"If left unchecked, the Compact might simply line the pockets of wealthy foreign investors."
Trump disagreed on trade and climate change: Reuters

Donald Trump paused briefly as he and the First Lady reached the top of the steps of Air Force One, gave a quick wave, and was on his way. At 6.05pm, he was on his way back to the US, leaving the other members of the G20 disgruntled and defiant, but almost certainly glad he was out of there.

Until recently, the world looked to the US for leadership at such international forums. But in the six months since Trump entered the White House, that has all changed.

Now, on issues ranging from trade to climate change, on how to deal with problems such as Ukraine, the US has turned its back on the considered consensus. Even on subjects such as Article Five of Natos charter - the part that relates to mutual defence - Trump looks nothing less than wobbly.

A perfect metaphor of the United States right now. pic.twitter.com/hyotCHn4Zu  shauna (@goldengateblond) July 7, 2017

The headlines at the end of the G20 were bad enough. The US was utterly alone on the issue of climate change, where the 19 other members agreed to push ahead with the Paris Accord to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the US refused. The USs position was noted in the official communique issued at the conclusion of the meeting.

Wherever there is no consensus that can be achieved, disagreement has to be made clear, said Angela Merkel, the German host, not hiding her disappointment. Unfortunately, and I deplore this, the United States of America left the climate agreement.

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On trade, language was reinserted to commit the members to condemn protectionism, something that had been done after Trump had raised the prospects of tariffs, especially for steel.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who vowed to host another climate summit in December and to continue to push Trump to join, was quoted by the Washington Post as saying: Our world has never been so divided.

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Yet that was just the official, written record of what happened. Observers in Hamburg said people were struck by the US delegations unwillingness to take a leadership role.

During a meeting on climate change, Trump left for his bilateral with Vladimir Putin, while if a picture was worth a thousand words, the photograph of Ivanka Trump sitting in for her father at a meeting with world leaders, was that image.

The two major issues for the meeting were trade and climate change. It was recognised the US was not going to change its position, Thomas Bernes of Ontarios Centre for International Governance and a former IMF official, told The Independent, speaking from Hamburg.

[The countries] will not be looking to the US for leadership - they will be looking to Trudeau, Macron and Merkel. From everyone, Ive been speaking to, they dont think this is going to change.

Trump may seek to claim some success, namely the ceasefire he and Vladimir Putin discussed during their two hour meeting, though there are already questions being asked about how that ceasefire will be enforced and how long it will stick.

Likewise, before he left, Trump spoke with the leaders of China and Japan and said that something had to be done about the threat of North Korea, which recently test-fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile. There were no details on what that something might be.

We shouldnt be surprised by anyone of this. Trump famously said he was elected to represent Pittsburgh, not Paris. There will be others nations that like the idea of a less forward-leading, isolationist America. It will allow them to advance their ideas, their influence.

But at a time when there are so many pressing facing the planet, the indifference, and sometimes hostility, of the worlds only superpower, is not positive. Unfortunately, we'd better get used to it.
By Andrea Shalal HAMBURG (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday promised $639 million in aid to feed people left starving because of drought and conflict in Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria and Yemen. Trump's pledge came during a working session of the G20 summit of world leaders in Hamburg, providing a "godsend" to the United Nations' World Food Programme, the group's executive director, David Beasley, told Reuters on the sidelines of the meeting. "We're facing the worst humanitarian crisis since World War Two," said Beasley, a Republican and former South Carolina governor who was nominated by Trump to head the U.N. agency fighting hunger worldwide. The new funding brings to over $1.8 billion aid promised by the United States for fiscal year 2017 for the crises in the four countries, where the United Nations has estimated more than 30 million people need urgent food assistance. "With this new assistance, the United States is providing additional emergency food and nutrition assistance, life-saving medical care, improved sanitation, emergency shelter and protection for those who have been affected by conflict," USAID said in a statement. Rob Jenkins, acting head of the USAID's bureau of democracy, conflict and humanitarian assistance, said of the funding, over $191 million would go to Yemen, $199 million to South Sudan, $121 million to Nigeria and almost $126 million for Somalia. Conflict in all four countries had made it difficult to reach some communities in need of food, he noted. "We're in a dire situation right now," said Jenkins, adding that USAID was also concerned with the situation in southern Ethiopia. "The situation in southern Ethiopia fortunately does not rise to the dire situation of the other four, but the situation is deteriorating and might very well be catastrophic without additional interventions," he said, adding that Washington had already provided some $252 million this year to Ethiopia, "but the needs continue to grow." Beasley said the U.S. funding was about a third of what the WFP estimated was required this year to deal with urgent food needs in the four countries in crisis as well as in other areas. The WFP estimates that 109 million people around the world will need food assistance this year, up from 80 million last year, with 10 of the 13 worst-affected zones stemming from wars and "man-made" crises, Beasley said. "We estimated that if we didn't receive the funding we needed immediately that 400,000 to 600,000 children would be dying in the next four months," he said. Trump's announcement came after his administration proposed sharp cuts in funding for the U.S. State Department and other humanitarian missions as part of his "America First" policy. Beasley said the agency had worked hard with the White House and the U.S. government to secure the funding, but Trump would insist that other countries contributed more as well. A WFP spokesman said Germany recently pledged an additional 200 million euros for food relief. (Additional reporting by Lesley Wroughton in Washington; editing by John Stonestreet)
(Reuters) - Two gunmen killed a woman at an Ohio maternity party and wounded eight others, including children and a pregnant woman who lost her fetus in the melee, local media reported on Sunday.

The gunmen, who have not been identified, burst into the house in Colerain Township, outside Cincinnati, on Saturday evening, not long after the pregnant woman revealed she would soon give birth to a boy, according to the Cincinnati Inquirer.

The woman was shot in the thigh and was receiving treatment for her injuries, the paper said, citing local police.

Another woman at the party was killed, the newspaper reported, and eight people were injured, one of them seriously, the newspaper said. The victims were not identified.

Witnesses told police they saw the two gunmen run out before driving away in a car.

The Colerain Police Department did not immediately respond to queries.

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen; Editing by James Dalgleish)
An inmate escaped a South Carolina maximum-security prison with the help of a drone. The individual, Jimmy Causey, was captured Friday after escaping on the 4th of July, officials said.

Causey, 46, escaped in the evening of July 4 from the Lieber Correctional Institution, which is located in Ridgevilee, SC. However, officials didnt notice he was gone until the next day in the afternoon because he had used a dummy to fool guards.

Read: A Real RoboCop? Dubai Police Will Deploy Mini Self-Driving Patrols Equipped With 360-Degree Cameras, Drones

Causey managed to break free by using a cell phone, wire cutters and other tools that were dropped off by a drone, officials said according to the New York Times. The inmate used the wire cutter to break through four fences to escape.

We 100 percent know a cellphone was used or multiple cellphones were used while he was incarcerated, and we believe a drone was used to fly in the tools that allowed him to escape, the director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections, Bryan Stirling, said.

Causey was apprehended by Texas Department of Public Safety in Austin, more than a thousand miles away from the prison he was held at. Authorities received a tip which led to the motel where the inmate was staying. Officials found Causey sleeping in the room and said he did not resist the apprehension. Causey was found with a semiautomatic pistol, a pump shotgun, extra ammunition, four cellphones, and $47,654 in cash.

Stirling criticized federal authorities for not granting state prison officials authority to block cell phone signals at their facilities.

No longer are people stopped from continuing their criminal ways from behind bars. They are physically incarcerated, but they are no longer virtually incarcerated, Stirling said in a press conference.

Read: Drones Can Aid Those Suffering A Cardiac Arrest Before Ambulance Arrives, Researchers Say

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The inmate was serving a life sentence at the South Carolina prison for kidnapping an attorney. He had also committed other multiple offenses since the early 1990s.

This isnt the first time Causey escaped. The inmate was on the run for three days in 2005 after he escaped with another inmate. For that time, he didnt need a mobile phone to escape, but he did use a dummy. The pair hid in a trash bin which was picked by a truck when they escaped. They were caught because they ordered pizza and acted bizarrely towards the delivery woman, who then told her husband. Her spouse then alerted authorities.

Drones have been used for unlawful purposes before. In 2015, two individuals were caught for trying to drop off illicit drugs, including K2 spice and porn to the Western Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Md. The men were caught after authorities saw a suspicious vehicle near the prison. Officials found a drone, handgun, as well as contraband and arrested the individuals.

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Jerusalem (AFP) - Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Sunday denied reports of a "breakthrough" in talks with Hamas over returning Israeli citizens and bodies of soldiers held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

According to Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, Israel and Hamas were on the brink of an initial deal in which the Islamist Gaza rulers would provide information over the missing Israelis in return for the release of groups of prisoners.

Two Israeli soldiers, Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, are believed to have been killed in the 2014 war in Gaza and their remains held by Hamas.

Three Israeli civilians, all said to be mentally unstable, are also believed to have entered Gaza and to be held by Hamas.

They include Avera Mengistu, an Israeli Jew of Ethiopian descent, and two Muslim Bedouins, Hisham Al-Sayed and Juma Abu Ghanima.

"We have no contact with Hamas. There's an ongoing effort to release our soldiers and civilians held in Hamas captivity," Lieberman said in an interview with Galey Israel radio.

"And there's no breakthrough."

While Israel says it does not speak directly with Hamas, indirect negotiations with the Islamist movement lead to the 2011 deal which saw it release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held for five years.

"We don't negotiate with terror organisations," Lieberman said, calling the Saturday report "psychological warfare" by Hamas.

A source close to Hamas told AFP that "negotiations are underway with Western parties to reach a partial deal involving a swap of information about the fate of prisoners of (Hamas armed wing) Al Qassam Brigades for the release of prisoners from occupation prisons," or Israel.

"The deal would be for prisoners released in the Shalit deal who were rearrested since," the source said, noting that "the final points have not yet been crystallised."

Following the Shalit deal, Israel commissioned a number of experts to set forth binding principles in negotiations on abducted soldiers which stipulated that lower numbers of prisoners could be released, and there should be no negotiations over remains.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett meanwhile spoke out against releasing "live terrorists for the bodies of our soldiers," calling instead to "increase the pressure and hurt Hamas so holding the bodies is no longer worth it."
PHOENIX -- Public officials can't hide evidence of their official activities through texts and social media posts made from their personal cell phones, Attorney General Mark Brnovich has concluded.

In a formal legal opinion issued late Friday, Brnovich said there is a "duty'' of those who conduct official business on their own devices to record them for preservation. Ditto, he said, of messages sent through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

But Brnovich provides what could be an escape clause for elected officials and others seeking to hide what they do.

"If the electronic message is solely on a private electronic device or through a social media account that an agency has not established as a system for conducting government business, then ... the electronic message is not a public record,'' he wrote. And Brnovich said a 2000 change to the law expanding it to cover electronic records includes only those on "agency-maintained system.''

"That's wrong,'' said attorney Dan Barr of the First Amendment Coalition. He said a 2007 Arizona Supreme Court ruling spells out that it is the content of the communication that determines whether something is a public record, not where it is stored or from what device it was sent.

Potentially more significant, Barr said he fears that public officials seeking to hide activity will use the wording of Brnovich's opinion as a reason to refuse to disclose their communications.

"The mischief that will happen for somebody who doesn't want to turn over records in the first place, they will seize upon the language ... and say, 'Aha, here's a reason I can withhold this. And the attorney general says so,' '' Barr said.

But Brnovich said his 11-page opinion should not be taken as an excuse or a road map for elected officials and other government employees as a way to conduct business outside of public scrutiny. He said if they do use personal devices there still is an "affirmative duty to reasonably account for official activity.''

"This duty encompasses official activity engaged in through private devices or accounts,'' the attorney general wrote. "In other words public officials cannot use private devices and accounts for the purpose of concealing official conduct,'' he said.

Brnovich said that even with no law covering those texts and postings, he said public officials and public bodies have "independent obligations to record their work and otherwise maintain records.'' What that means, he said, is that if some official activity does occur through a text on a personal phone or a Facebook or Twitter post, "it is the duty of the public official to record the activity.''

But with his opinion that these private devices and posting are not public records, Brnovich essentially makes that self-policing.

And even in that obligation to separately record public activity, Brnovich does not spell out how that "duty'' must be performed.

Brnovich conceded his view of what is -- and is not -- a public record is based solely on his reading of existing Arizona law. He said no Arizona court has ever addressed texts on private phones or messages on non-government social media accounts.

But he said the "plain text'' of the public records statutes convinces him they were meant to apply solely to records on government-controlled systems.

"An agency does not have control of private electronic devices or social media accounts,'' Brnovich wrote. "Deeming all communications on such electronic devices or services to be public records subject to mandatory retention requirements under Arizona law would impose a duty on an agency that may be impossible to meet.''

Brnovich said there is an option for those who want to expand the Public Records Law to include those private postings: Take their case to the legislature. He said it is up to lawmakers -- and not him or the courts -- to balance the privacy rights of public employees and officials with the need for government transparency and accountability.

He said there's another reason he won't conclude that social media postings and texts from private cell phones are not public.

Brnovich pointed out Arizona law makes it a felony to destroy or tamper with official records. Brnovich said if he concluded that those messages are records, it could make criminals out of public officials and employees who routinely delete messages -- all without letting them know ahead of time that those actions could land them in state prison.
First daughter Ivanka Trump took a seat reserved for the U.S. President during a Saturday meeting at the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, when President Donald Trump stepped away from the proceedings.

A photograph of her sitting next to British Prime Minister Theresa May, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, Turkish President Recip Tayyip Erdogan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel was tweeted by a Russian attendee Svetlana Lukash but then promptly deleted. However, the picture went viral and the photo was posted by various news sources.

Ivanka Trump fills in for Donald at G20 summit table https://t.co/MByFzvIxkQ  AnySource (@SourceAny) July 8, 2017

A White House official confirmed to CBS News that Ivanka Trump sat in for her father when the president of the World Bank Jim Yong Kim addressed the meeting.

"Ivanka was sitting in the back and then briefly joined the main table when the president had to step out," the official told CBS News, noting that other leaders made similar maneuvers. "When other leaders stepped out, their seats were also briefly filled by others."

READ: Donald Trump Approval Ratings: What Polls Say Entering G20 And Amid Russia Investigation

The picture of Ivanka Trump at the table surrounded by world leaders went viral on Twitter, with users reacted with outrage at the unusual decision by the White House and President. The outrage stemmed from the fact that the 35-year-old was not an elected official and not decided by voters to represent the country.

What qualified Ivanka to represent THE PRESIDENT? what sand box was her dad playing in? Grown ppl like Merkel was at WORK!  Shawne (@Shawne1203) July 8, 2017

By installing Ivanka at the G20 to take his place, Trump has shown he is NOT capable of carrying out presidential duties.  Overly Dramatic Kat (@TheatreChick76) July 8, 2017

Ivanka Trump sitting at the G-20 table in place of her father should scare everyone. Last I checked she wasn't on the ballot in any state.  Jacob Gil (@jacob4kids) July 8, 2017

Other users focused on the fact that it was a Russian official that originally posted the picture. The concern comes as Trump is currently being investigated for his dealings and potential collusion with the Russian government during the 2016 presidential election.

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Seriously the fact that it was the Russians that shared this is more important than Ivanka sitting in her father's seat. https://t.co/a2knfYYDfo  Yashar Ali (@yashar) July 8, 2017

Telling that pic of Ivanka at G-20 table was posted by Russian staff. Russians knew would: 1. be deemed controversial; 2. get us going in US  Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) July 8, 2017

READ: How Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner Spent 4th Of July Weekend

The picture of Ivanka at the table with world leaders comes as President Trump made the comment that his daughter's life would be much easier if he weren't her father.

"I'm very proud of my daughter Ivanka, always have been from day one. I have to tell you that. If she weren't my daughter it would be so much easier for her," Trump said at the launch of a new women's economic empowerment event Saturday.

"It might be the only bad thing she has going," he added.

President Trump praises daughter Ivanka at G-20 Summit: "If she weren't my daughter, it would be so much easier for her" pic.twitter.com/Q8F9C0MNUF  NBC News (@NBCNews) July 8, 2017

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Lena Dunhams boyfriend defended her amid her ongoing spat with a New York animal shelter over a dog the couple adopted from them.

Jack Antonoff, a music producer and Dunhams longtime partner, took to Twitter Friday to share his side of the story involving their former rescue dog, Lamby.

The Girls creator has fielded criticism after detailing the behavioral issues that led to her finding a new home for Lamby in a lengthy Instagram post earlier this week. The Brooklyn Animal Rescue Coalition (BARC) disputed her claims that the dog exhibited aggression  which Dunham later addressed in a second Instagram post.

Antonoff tweeted that nobody on earth cares for or loved Lamby more than Lena.

The musician also said that the dog bit Dunhams father twice and that they found a trainer who specifically works with aggressive dogs to care for Lamby.

nobody on earth cares for or loved lamby more than lena. after her bit her father and her twice we found a trainer who deals with aggressive  jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) July 7, 2017

dogs who he now lives happily with. was a deeply hard decision.  jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) July 7, 2017

shoutout to everyone who has an opinion on this and didn't live with us the past 4 years!  jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) July 7, 2017

Dunham delved into her connection with and love for Lamby despite his aggression and Antonoffs allergies in a Vogue spread and in an essay for the New Yorker.
Benghazi (Libya) (AFP) - Jihadists are still battling Libyan forces in Benghazi days after strongman Khalifa Haftar and his self-styled army declared victory in the eastern city, his forces said Sunday.

Colonel Miloud Zwei, spokesman for Haftar's Libyan National Army, said the fighting persisted in the district of Soug al-Jarid, located between the central neighbourhoods of Soug al-Hout and Al-Sabri, the jihadists' last strongholds.

Zwei said 20 LNA soldiers have been killed by "terrorists" who had been hiding in houses since Haftar on Wednesday announced the "total liberation" of Benghazi.

Three others were killed Sunday in mine blasts as soldiers carried out search operations in Al-Sabri and Soug al-Hout, he added.

Zwei said LNA forces had killed several jihadists and arrested 17 since Wednesday.

Field Marshal Haftar declared war on jihadists in Benghazi three years after the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

Code-named Operation Dignity, the offensive targeted several jihadists groups which had overrun Benghazi after the uprising.

These include the Revolutionary Shura Council of Benghazi, an alliance of Islamist militias among them suspected members of the Islamic state group and the Al-Qaeda-linked Ansar al-Sharia.

On Sunday, he was in the United Arab Emirates for talks with top UAE leaders on military cooperation, state media in Abu Dhabi reported.

Haftar does not recognise the authority of the UN-backed Government of National Accord based in the capital Tripoli, instead backing an alternate government set up in the country's east.

After he announced that jihadist forces were driven from Benghazi, thousands of residents took to the streets of Libya's second city to celebrate.

But on Sunday the LNA urged residents to avoid entering the "liberated areas" of the city, where they said mines were still being cleared.
By Cathal McNaughton SRINAGAR (Reuters) - Security forces using pellet guns to disperse crowds of stone-throwing young protesters in the Indian-ruled region of Himalayan Kashmir have killed more than 100 people, blinding hundreds and maiming thousands over the past year. The protests have unleashed a political crisis in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, governed for the first time by a regional party in coalition with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, which draws support from India's Hindu majority. The clashes, sparked by the killing of separatist militant Burhan Wani by security forces on July 8 last year, have recently spread to college campuses and schools. They are drawing a new generation into a decades-old struggle for 'azaadi', or independence, for India's only Muslim-majority region, which is also claimed by neighboring Pakistan. "If I get a weapon, I am ready to join the militancy  but for the time being, the stone is our weapon," said one 23-year-old student, who asked not to be identified. He is one among many young men in the state's summer capital of Srinagar who find themselves fighting street battles, slinging stones at pellet gun-wielding police officers from their own communities, and even their own families. "My father is in the police, posted in Srinagar," the protester added. "He used to tell me to join the police, but now he does not insist." Slender employment prospects prompt many residents of Srinagar to join the police force. "I am the son of a farmer and joined the police as I had no job," said one 25-year-old officer. "We are part of the same society, and using force against children is very difficult for us. We try to exercise maximum restraint  that is why we get injured." Pellet guns are intended not to be lethal, but their use by India's security forces has caused severe injuries and the deaths of several bystanders, women and children among them. Human rights groups have urged India to renounce their use, calling it a violation of United Nations' principles of restraint. Militant gunmen have killed police officers in their own homes in a wave of fatal attacks in recent months. Some protesters rebel not only against Indian rule, but also against their parents. Each wave of street protests  the last were in 2008 and 2010  radicalizes a new wave of young people. "I was hit by pellets during stone pelting," said one 20-year-old student. "I have 80 percent vision in my right eye now, but if I get a chance, I can pick up a gun." India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over Kashmir, which each claims in full but rules only in part. Click here for a photo essay http://reut.rs/2uxWh11 that portrays the protesters and police officers that have taken part in some of the clashes in Kashmir over the last year. (Writing by Doug Busvine, Editing by Karishma Singh and Clarence Fernandez)
(Reuters) - A few dozen Ku Klux Klan members and supporters shouted "white power" at a rally on Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia where they protested against a city council decision to remove a statute honoring Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The group was guarded by scores of police and outnumbered by hundreds of counter-protesters who waved signs denouncing racism. The anti-KKK protesters raised their voices in chants and shouts, drowning out speeches from the white supremacists, live video feeds on social media showed. There were no initial reports of violence at the rally that lasted less than an hour. The Klan group that brandished Confederate flags and signs with anti-Semitic messages was separated from crowds by a ring of fencing and a heavy police presence. In February, the Charlottesville City Council voted 3-2 to remove the statue from the park once named for Lee and make plans for a new memorial to remember the southern city's enslaved population, The Daily Progress, the local newspaper reported. At least one person who participated in the Klan rally against the statute removal could be seen with a holstered pistol. Confederacy statues and flags have been removed from public spaces across the United States since 2015, after a white supremacist murdered nine black parishioners at a South Carolina church. Critics of the monuments say they foster racism by celebrating leaders of the Confederacy in the pro-slavery South during the U.S. Civil War. Supporters say they represent an indelible part of U.S. history and part of regional heritage. The bronze figures of Lee and his horse, Traveller, atop an oval-shaped granite pedestal has been in the park for nearly a century, the city of Charlottesville said. Torch-wielding white nationalists rallied in the college town that is home to the University of Virginia's flagship campus in May to protest the move. A legal battle is going on over the stature's removal and no date has been set. (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Alistair Bell)
Mr Macron jumped through world leaders to stand next to Mr Trump: AFP/Getty Images

Like a shark, French President Emmanuel Macron has closed in on his prey during a group photo at the G20 meeting in Hamburg.

After the world leaders assembled on a three-tiered riser for a class photo, the young French president could be seen pushing through the crowd to stand next to Donald Trump.

Protocol states that the most recently elected leaders must stand furthest from the host member in the middle  in this case Angela Merkel  yet Macron appeared to take this as an opportunity to zone in on Trump like a cruise missile. Not only did he stand by the US President, but reached out and grabbed him, before cornering him afterwards.

This came after an apparently awkward handshake between the leaders. According to reports, before the photo shoot Macron came over as Trump was talking to Merkel. The two men proceeded to engage in an aggressive "tug-of-war"-style handshake, in which Trump was able to pull Macron's hand towards his chest "in more of a hand clasp".

Mr Macrons public interactions with the American president have been picked apart by internet commenters since they first met at a NATO summit meeting in Brussels in May. Apparently aware of Mr Trumps famed handshake style  he often pulls the other individuals hand toward his body  Mr Macron held firm with his American counterpart, and forced the interaction to last longer than strictly speaking necessary.

My handshake with him wasnt innocent, he told the media afterward. It wasnt the Alpha and the Omega of politics, but a moment of truth.

In the video of the meeting, the two men seems to be clenching their jaws during a vigorous, white-knuckled handshake. Mr Macron held firm until Mr Trump pulled away first.

Macron explained why he decided to take Trump on in such a way. We must show that we wont make small concessions, even symbolic ones, but not to over publicise it either, he said. I dont believe in the diplomacy of public invectives but in my bilateral talks, I dont let anything pass, its how one gets respected.
Kim Jong Un is a smart cookie, President Donald Trump said recently of North Koreas leader.

Hes 27 years old, Trump mused. His father dies, [he] took over a regime. So say what you want but that is not easy.

Kim, who has assassinated his internal rivals using anti-aircraft guns and chemical weapons, seeks to develop a nuclear missile that can reach the United States. These actions may provoke a major, major conflict with the U.S., Trump has said: I hope hes rational.

In my research on political leaders, Ive found that different people have different definitions of rationality. The core question  What is my best move?  is often answered by a leaders idiosyncratic beliefs, rather than by an immediately obvious logic of the situation as seen by external observers.

The history of dealing with inscrutable foreign leaders is instructive: From Hitler to Saddam to Khrushchev, understanding the other is the most urgent challenge of national security decision-making for the U.S.

To influence Kims behavior, we must ask: What is his particular vantage point?

Lessons of the past

In the spring of 1943, the director of the first centralized U.S. intelligence agency, Colonel William Wild Bill Donovan, sought help in understanding Hitler. Donovan wanted to give President Franklin D. Roosevelt a sense of the things that make him tick.

Donovan called Walter C. Langer, a psychoanalyst helping with the war effort, in for a meeting: What do you make of Hitler? If Hitler is running the show, what kind of a person is he? What are his ambitions?

Langer combined the scant intelligence on Hitler with insights from Freudian psychoanalysis into a study on Hitler. He accurately predicted that Hitler would commit suicide rather than be captured by Allied forces. But his insight was largely irrelevant to the military strategy for defeating Germany. The report took so long to produce that the war was nearly over by the time it was delivered to Donovan.

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More recently, the former top U.N. weapons inspector Charles Duelfer and I studied what made former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein tick. For several years, Duelfer was the senior point of contact between Iraq and the U.S. After the regime fell, he produced the definitive report on its weapons programs.

Looking for logic in Saddams decisions, we found instead a morass of idiosyncratic thinking. Most astonishing was his misreading of President George W. Bushs June 2002 speech to the West Point Military Academy. Intending to warn Saddam that he must comply with U.N. demands or face war, Bush struck a stern tone. The gravest danger to freedom, he said, was unbalanced dictators with weapons of mass destruction. Later in the speech, Bush praised President Ronald Reagan for standing up to the brutality of tyrants.

What Bush said and what Saddam heard were two very different things.

Saddam did not see himself as unbalanced, and he knew that he did not have weapons of mass destruction. And U.S.-Iraq relations had been excellent under President Reagan, Saddam recalled. The United States had tilted toward his side during the Iran-Iraq war. Things started to deteriorate only under the Bushes, in his view.

Our analysis showed that Saddam believed Bush could not have been talking about him. Instead, Saddam concluded he must have been threatening North Korea, not Iraq. Kim Jong Il, father of Kim Jong Un, possessed the nuclear weapons that the Iraqi president desired but did not have.

Bush was dumbfounded by the lack of Saddams response to his threats. Later he asked, How much clearer could I have been?

Duelfer and I had the academic luxury of malleable deadlines in studying Saddam. Langer spent many months on his Hitler study. Scholarship on Kim Jong Un may be too slow for the current crisis. Major decision-makers may instead need to rely on their intuition.

Empathize with your enemy

Former Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara spoke about intuition in a 2003 documentary about his role in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. McNamara revealed crucial new details about the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev had smuggled nuclear missiles into Cuba, threatening 90 million Americans. President John F. Kennedys first reaction was that he must destroy them with a massive air strike. This would have courted war with the USSR.

Seeking the widest possible range of advice, Kennedy asked Llewellyn Tommy Thompson, former U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union, to supplement his foreign policy team during the crisis. Thompson had come to know Khrushchev well and had stayed at his house in Moscow.

Mr. President, youre wrong, McNamara recalls Thompson saying of the air strike plans. I think Khrushchevs gotten himself in one hell of a fix. The former ambassador knew that Khrushchev could be impulsive and later regretful. He imagined a terrified Khrushchev, in awe of the events he had set in motion. Thompson suggested that Kennedy help the Soviet leader find his way out of the crisis. Kennedy decided on a naval blockade rather than an air strike, and Khrushchev backed down.

The lesson McNamara drew? Empathize with your enemy, and intuit how the world looks to them. We must try to put ourselves in their skin, and look at ourselves through their eyes, he said.

History tells us that to influence Kim, we must empathize (note: not sympathize) with him. To figure out what makes him tick, Trump and his advisers must first understand how we look to the North Korean leader, peering at us from his very particular vantage point.

Stephen Benedict Dyson, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Connecticut

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

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In an otter-ly adorable moment, a man proposed to his long-term girlfriend with the help of some furry friends.

Journalist Kelly Sommariva didnt think much of it when her bosses sent her on assignment to capture video footage of otters at the Denver Aquarium, but it turned into a day shed never forget.

Read: Sea Otter Parents Teach 5 Newborn Pups to Swim by Throwing Them Into Pond

In a video shared by Caters News, Sommariva is shooting footage of the adorable animals before she notices them flipping over a sign with a special message from her beau Mike Jensen.

Say yes to marrying your man, the last line of the sign read.

And when Sommariva turned around, Jensen, her boyfriend of three years, was down on one knee.

He knows I love animals. Since I work at a news station, he called my boss who set up the guise that I had to head to the aquarium for a 'shoot' with the otters little did I know it was actually a proposal, Sommariva told InsideEdition.com.

The aquarium put treats for the otters underneath Jensens sign so it was no hard work to get them to flip it for the big moment, Sommariva said.

Read: Elephants, Otters and Other Animals Enjoy Snow Day as Zoo Closes Due to Weather

"I felt so overwhelmed with happiness when I saw Kelly read that sign, Raquel Villanueva, Kelly's co-worker, said of the 2013 moment. "I knew it would be a moment that she could tell people about for years, with the exact same excitement she had that day."

Jensen and Sommariva are now happily married and made sure to pay tribute to the special moment on their wedding day with an otter cake topper. They have also visited the otters at the aquarium.

Watch: 7-Year-Old Girl With Life-Threatening Illness Swims With Sea Otters for Therapy

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Hamburg (AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday that "deep differences" remain between her and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after they met on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

She stressed however that Erdogan had engaged in the talks and that the gathering "honoured" Turkey's role in managing the migrant crisis driven by Syria's civil war and other conflicts.

Turkey's sweeping arrests of alleged state enemies after last year's coup attempt and a dispute centred on a NATO base "are developments which I of course raised that show deep differences," Merkel said.

"And we didn't sweep those under the table."

Berlin-Ankara relations have been fraught, deteriorating sharply over Turkey's mass crackdown after the failed putsch against Erdogan last year and a host of other civil rights controversies.

Another dispute centres on Deniz Yucel, a German-Turkish journalist with the newspaper Die Welt who was imprisoned by Turkey on terror charges earlier this year.

And last month Germany decided to withdraw its troops who support the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria from NATO partner Turkey's Incirlik base and move them to Jordan after German lawmakers were prohibited from visiting the base.

Erdogan lashed out on the eve of the summit, warning Germany it was "committing political suicide", by refusing to let him address members of the large ethnic Turkish community in a rally during the G20.

"Germany must correct this error," Erdogan said in an interview with weekly magazine Die Zeit, arguing that "he could not be silenced".
HAMBURG (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday she was pleased that all Group of 20 members besides the United States had agreed in a communique that the Paris climate accord was irreversible. "I think it's very clear that we could not reach consensus, but the differences were not papered over, they were clearly stated," Merkel told reporters at the end of the two-day meeting. She said she did not share the view of British Prime Minister Theresa May who said on Friday that she thought Washington could decide to return to the climate agreement. Merkel sharply condemned what she described as the "unbridled brutality" exhibited by some protesters in the northern city of Hamburg after violent clashes injured hundreds of police officers. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Noah Barkin)
HAMBURG (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday that her bilateral meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan revealed deep differences between the two NATO allies. "The many arrests, the overall actions in Turkey, and the failure to allow visits to Incirlik (air base) - those are all developments that show deep differences and we did not sweep them under the table," Merkel told reporters after the end of the two-day G20 summit in Hamburg. Merkel said Erdogan and Turkey were very engaged in the summit and G20 members did acknowledge Turkey's contribution in caring for millions of migrants from Syria and Iraq. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Noah Barkin)
The Vice President got in on the joke after a picture of him touching a piece of Nasa equipment went viral: Mike Brown/Reuters

Vice President Mike Pence has let his inner child-at-a-museum out during a tour of Nasas Kennedy Space Centre.

In a photo that has gone viral online, Mr Pence is seen palming a giant metal object with a sign that says, unequivocally, not to do what the Vice President was doing.

Critical Space Flight Hardware, the sign taped to the giant metal object read. DO NOT TOUCH.

Touching the item doesnt appear to pose a significant risk to the technology, however. The Verge notes that it looks like it is the covering of the Orion capsule, which the space agency is building to bring humans into deep space.

Mr Pence was quickly ridiculed online, but joined in on the joke in saying that Senator Marco Rubio, who had accompanied him to his home states space centre, had encouraged him to break the rules.

Sorry @NASA @MarcoRubio dared me to do it! he tweeted.

Pence:....Shiny

Rubio:The sign says "Do Not Touch" Mike!

Pence:....Shiny pic.twitter.com/vyBqZBiBZd  St Peter (@stpeteyontweety) July 7, 2017

Sign on fragile space equipment: DO NOT TOUCH



Mike Pence: *slowly touches it* "oh...my...GOD, MOTHER, I'VE NEVER FELT SO ALIVE!" pic.twitter.com/uzorGVS5FK  Donald Trump Toupee (@TrumpeeToupee) July 7, 2017

Mike Pence only violated the "Do Not Touch" sign to reassure Republicans that he's just as competent as Trump. #NASA pic.twitter.com/jM78hmFf3s  Podcaster Tim in NYC (@TJBeauregard) July 7, 2017

Mr Rubio replied quickly.

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In fairness, I warned @VP that you break it, you own it, Mr Rubio wrote, using the Vice Presidents Twitter handle to tag him.

Mr Pence was in Florida to promote the Trump administrations push to get American astronauts onto the surface of Mars and for the US to return to the Moon.

The United States is at the dawn of a new era of space exploration, Mr Pence said. We will put American boots on the face of Mars.

During a 25-minute long speech in the Kennedy Space Centres cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building, Donald Trumps right hand man stopped short of providing any sort of time frame for either of those goals, and didnt say how the US would do it.

He repeatedly called for the re-establishment of US space leadership, but didnt discuss future international partnerships or collaborations.
Good morning. These are todays top stories:

Trump shakes hands with Putin at G20 Summit

President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time Friday at the G20 Summit in Germany, where leaders from more than a dozen nations are convening. Trump, who shook hands with Putin, previously wrote on Twitter that there was much to discuss with the Russian president. Meanwhile, there have been several clashes between police and people protesting the summit.

Pentagon: North Korea war would be catastrophic

A U.S. war against North Korea would be catastrophic even though America would come out on top, said U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, according to the Associated Press. Trump said he is considering some pretty severe things in how the U.S. might confront North Koreas growing nuclear threats, although he did not offer further details.

France plans to ban sales of gas cars by 2040

France announced its plan to stop selling gas and diesel vehicles by 2040. The ambitious move is an attempt to curb pollution and highlights Frances commitments to the Paris climate accord.

Also:

More than 120 countries are expected to adopt the first U.N. treaty banning nuclear weapons.

South Australia has picked Tesla to install the worlds largest grid-scale battery.

Joan Lee, the wife of comics legend Stan Lee, has died at 93.

A puppy was abandoned at an airport with a heartbreaking note.

Pokemon Go was launched a year ago. Heres why the game matters.

The Morning Brief is published Mondays through Fridays. Email Morning Brief writer Melissa Chan at melissa.chan@time.com.
U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley contradicted President Donald Trump on the question of whether or not Russia meddled in the 2016 election Saturday. Haley's answer comes after Trump refused to say definitively whether or not Russia interfered in the election.

"Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections," Haley told CNN's Dana Bash in a pre-taped interview for "State of the Union," which airs Sunday morning. "They're doing this across multiple continents, and they're doing this in a way that they're trying to cause chaos within the countries."

During a joint press conference Thursday in Warsaw with Polish President Andrzej Duda, Trump was hesitant to confirm whether or not he thinks that the Russian meddled in the election. "Nobody really knows," he said. "Nobody really knows for sure."

Trump has also repeatedly asserted that the Russian involvement during the election  and the subsequent allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian hackers  as a "phony story" and a "witch hunt."

They made up a phony collusion with the Russians story, found zero proof, so now they go for obstruction of justice on the phony story. Nice  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 15, 2017

You are witnessing the single greatest WITCH HUNT in American political history - led by some very bad and conflicted people! #MAGA  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 15, 2017

READ: Is Russia Going To War With US? Russian MP Slams Nikki Haleys Comments On Removing Assad From Power In Syria

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Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that the president discussed the allegations at length Friday with Russia's Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany.

"The president opened the meeting by raising the concerns of the American people regarding Russian interference in 2016 election. Putin denied such involvement, as he has done in the past," Tillerson said during an off-camera briefing Friday.

Haley insisted on CBS News' "Face The Nation" that both Trump and Putin knew that Russians interfered in the election, but that Putin would not admit it.

"President Trump still knows that they meddled," she told CBS News' John Dickerson in a pre-taped interview. "President Putin knows that they meddled, but he is never going to admit to it. And thats all that happened."

READ: Will Russia US Relations Improve? Nikki Haley Says Trump White House Will 'Call Out Russia If We See Something Wrong'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Trump accepted that Russia had not meddled in the election after the Friday meeting, which lasted for over two hours.

"U.S. President Trump said that he heard firm assertions from Russian President Putin that it is not true and that Russian authorities have not meddled in the elections," Lavrov said at the G20 summit, according to a Saturday report by Reuters.

"[Trump] said that he accepts these assertions. That's it," Lavrov continued.

Putin said in a press conference Saturday that he believed that the two world leaders were in agreement that Russia did not interfere in the election.

"I repeat, he asked a lot of questions on this matter," Putin said. "I answered as many as I could answer. I think he took it into consideration and agreed with it. But you should ask him what his opinion is on that."

GettyImages-802649978

Photo: (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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Tatiana Maslany as Rachel Duncan and Stephen McHattie as P.T. Westmorland in BBC Americas Orphan Black. (Photo Credit: Ken Woroner/BBC America)

Warning: This post contains spoilers for the Ease of Idle Millionaires episode of Orphan Black.

Alas, poor Januz! We knew you, albeit briefly. The ancestor of the Leda and Castor clones was once an innocent Latvian orphan, who was found by Neolutions founder, P.T. Westmoreland, and transformed into the feral man-beast thats been haunting the woods on Neolution Island. That is, until his dying creator puts a bullet in his brain, a sudden (perhaps too sudden) end for a character wed only just met. But as Delphine herself reminded us through Cosima, were rapidly working toward Orphan Blacks endgame, so side players like Januz and poor M.K. (RIP) are inevitably going to be the first on the chopping block. Lets not forget, though, that Boris Karloffs Frankensteins monster  an obvious model for Januz  cheated death and returned to bedevil his maker in Bride of Frankenstein. It would be all too appropriate for Dr. Westmoreland to be confronted by his son one more time before the series finale.

The spirit of those classic Universal monster movies is felt elsewhere in Ease of Idle Millionaires, most notably in the episodes centerpiece sequence: an extended dinner party for which Cosima shows up rocking a tuxedo. No, this isnt another fancy clone feast; save for Cosima, the guest list is strictly Neolution only, which means shes breaking bread with P.T., Susan Duncan, Rachel, Ira, and Delphine, whose status as Mrs. Ss informant is still unknown to her employers. The 30s-era decor and fashions add to the feeling that weve somehow stepped into a colorized version of James Whales Frankenstein. As appetizers give way to the main course, and the secret history of Neolution is laid bare, Cosima comes to realize that the true monsters arent out there in the woods  theyre sitting with her at the table.

Certainly, the knowledge of what P.T. and Susan knowingly did to Januz makes it all the more imperative that the clone sisters get Kira out of Neolutions clutches pronto. Rachels kind words to the contrary, they only want Sarahs daughter for the healing factor that was supposed to be in the supposedly infertile Leda line, but instead skipped a generation. And if Westmoreland and his disciples are able to rationalize transforming an adorable Latvian orphan into a hulking creature in pursuit of a genetic fountain of youth, they wont have any compunction about setting a curly-haired Canadian moppet on a path to a similar fate.

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Maslany as Sarah Manning and Skyler Wexler as Kira in Orphan Black. (Photo Credit: Ken Woroner/BBC America)

Speaking of Kira, how great was it to see Sarah playing with her daughter instead of yelling at her? Clearly, last weeks road trip/con game with her own mom reminded her that the best way to connect with a kid is to do something you mutually enjoy. In Kiras case, that means hauling out the stuffed animals, cranking up some tunes, and inventing fun codenames for her aunties as they plot out how the Clone Club is going to bring down Rachel. Kira wants to be in on the action, Sarah explains to Siobhan. Im going to be a hustler, too! the girl then proclaims proudly. We smell serious spin-off potential  Kira Manning: Queen of the Con.

Onto the clone power rankings for another clone-lite episode! Never fear, though: based on the trailers for next week, Krystal is finally coming back, and you can bet that shell be bringing her personal brand of crazy with her.

1. Rachel

Its not everyday that you reunite with the adopted mother you recently tried to kill, but Rachel doesnt blanch during her meeting with Susan. She also doesnt give the scientist an inch, making it resolutely clear shes not about to surrender the power shes amassed at Neolution. Susans content to play along for now, but dont think shes not mentally filing away maternal grievances.

2. Sarah

Mending fences with Kira continues Sarahs steps back toward mental and physical health after last seasons emotional breakdown, followed by a brutal beat-down at Rachels hands. Rather than acting out, shes wisely conserving her energy for the inevitable rematch. It may not be an easy move for her, but its the smart one.

Maslany as Cosima and Jenessa Grant as Mud in Orphan Black. (Photo Credit: Ken Woroner/BBC America)

3. Cosima

Cosimas science-sleuthing skills are second to none, which is probably why shes Westmorelands favorite daughter. (Shhhh dont tell Rachel.) Unfortunately, that affection doesnt prevent him from locking her in Januzs cage after she witnesses the poor man-creatures murder. Think of it as Papa P.T.s extreme version of grounding.

Non-Clone MVP: Januz

Andrew Musselman didnt get a lot of screentime as Januz, but he made the most of what amounts to his showcase episode, revealing the frightened little boy inside of the supposed monster. While wed like to think hell be Westmorelands last victim, that doesnt seem likely.

Orphan Black airs Saturdays at 10 p.m. on BBC America.

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MILAN (Reuters) - Pope Francis warned leaders of the world's top 20 economies meeting in Hamburg against forming dangerous and distorting alliances that could harm the poor and migrants, in an article in Italian daily la Repubblica on Saturday. "The G20 worries me, it hits migrants in countries in half of the world and it hits them even more as time goes by," the Pope was quoted as saying in a conversation with the paper's founder Eugenio Scalfari. Francis, the first non-European pope in 1,300 years, said he was afraid of "very dangerous alliances among (foreign) powers that have a distorted vision of the world: America and Russia, China and North Korea, (Vladimir) Putin and (Bashar al-)Assad in the war in Syria." He said the greatest danger concerned immigration, with "the poor, the weak, the excluded and the marginalised" juxtaposed with "those who... fear the invasion of migrants". European Union states are at odds over how to cope with a huge influx of migrants, many fleeing war and poverty in countries Syria, Afghanistan and other countries. On top of resolving the differences over trade and climate change Angela Merkel, chancellor of G20 host nation Germany, is expected to lead discussions on this issue. Pope Francis was also quoted as saying Europe should adopt a federal structure as soon as possible or "it won't count for anything in the world" In May the 79-year old Argentine urged Europe not to see migrants as criminals. (Reporting by Giulia Segreti; editing by John Stonestreet)
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Power supplies have taken a fresh hit in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, with authorities Saturday accusing the rival Palestinian Authority of blocking fuel payments to Egypt from going through banks.

The electricity authority said two of the three generators at Gaza's only power plant were offline because "the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah stopped all the financial transactions through Palestinian banks to Egypt to buy fuel."

"This led to the stopping of fuel (deliveries) two days ago from Egypt."

A spokesman for the Palestinian Authority government in Ramallah, Tarek Rishmawi, told AFP that "the main reason for the worsening situation in Gaza is Hamas as they rejected the initiative of (Palestinian president) Mahmud Abbas to end the split" between Palestinian factions.

He did not confirm or deny the allegations of blocking fuel payments.

The electricity distribution company confirmed only one generator was operating, producing 23 megawatts of power -- which added to other sources means Gaza currently has a total of 93 megawatts a day.

More than 500 megawatts are required to serve the Palestinian enclave's population.

Abbas, who runs the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, has recently sought to squeeze his longtime rivals Hamas, who control Gaza.

His government recently stopped paying for energy to Gaza, leading Israel to start reducing it.

The cut left the impoverished territory of more than two million people with as little as two hours of mains electricity a day.

As an interim measure Egypt stepped in to deliver fuel to Gaza's sole power plant, but that has now been threatened.

The Egyptian deliveries came as part of improving relations between Cairo and Hamas.

The Energy Authority in Gaza is paying Egypt for the fuel but must make transfers through Palestinian banks, which are based in the West Bank and under Palestinian Authority laws.
President Donald Trump has nothing but pride for his eldest daughter, Ivanka  and he confessed that he thought he made her life harder.

Shortly after Ivanka debuted a new womens entrepreneurship fund in conjunction with the World Bank, the President made the surprisingly candid admission.

If she werent my daughter it would be so much easier for her, he said while speaking in Hamburg, Germany. That might be the only bad thing she has going, if you want to know the truth.

Trump also noted that he has been proud of his oldest daughter since day one.

Ivanka is not just the First Daughter, she is also an adviser to the President, as is her husband, Jared Kushner. She has taken on a slew of issues including paid family leave and womens empowerment.

She joined President Trump on his trip to Germany for the G20 Summit this week  and temporarily stood in for him at a meeting Saturday about Partnership with Africa, Migration and Health, according to The Washington Post. She was seen seated between Britains Prime Minister Theresa May and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
A group of Ku Klux Klan members were outnumbered by counter-protesters at a rally in Charlottesville, Va. Saturday, which was part of a larger protest against the citys decision to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a public park earlier this year.

At around 3 p.m. E.T. Saturday, approximately 30 members of the Loyal White Knights chapter of the KKK gathered at the rally in Justice Park  waving Confederate flags and shouting White power, according to Daily Beast journalist Gideon Resnick, who attended the event. The group had previously warned that they would be armed and were prepared to defend themselves if attacked by counter-protesters.

[The KKK] are far outnumbered by protesters, Resnick tweeted. Standing inside barricade near the statue.

He estimated that there were hundreds of counter-protesters present. Virginia state police, some of whom were armed in riot gear, formed a wall against counter-protesters, Resnick said.

The rally ended around 4:30 p.m. due to an expiring permit, Resnick tweeted. No reports of violence between the KKK members and counter-protestors were reported.

This man is being taken away pic.twitter.com/yiIftEDQ26  Gideon Resnick (@GideonResnick) July 8, 2017

Displaying a banner near the statue. Some yell "white power." pic.twitter.com/58mIOXvA80  Gideon Resnick (@GideonResnick) July 8, 2017

The Loyal White Knights, based in Pelham, N.C. near the Virginia border, have a series of grievances surrounding the proposed removal of Gen. Lees statue, which a court injunction has halted until a November hearing. The group is also opposed to the renaming of the park where the statue was, which was formally changed from Lee Park to Emancipation Park following the Charlottesville City Councils unanimous vote in June.

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The liberals are taking away our heritage, Loyal White Knights member James Moore told the Washington Post Friday. By taking these monuments away, thats what theyre working on. Theyre trying to erase the white culture right out of the history books.

Charlottesville leaders took precautionary steps ahead of the rally, with police installing barricades surrounding the park while city officials urged people to avoid direct confrontation with the group.

Police have put up barricades around the statue pic.twitter.com/nfjuecsOVs  Gideon Resnick (@GideonResnick) July 8, 2017

Our approach all the way through, from our police chief on down, has been to urge people not to take this totally discredited fringe organizations putrid bait at all, Mayor Michael Signer told the Post. The only thing they seem to want is division and confrontation and a twisted kind of celebrity. The most successful defiance will be to refuse to take their bait and continue to tell our story.
Beirut (AFP) - A ceasefire brokered by the United States, Russia and Jordan brought quiet Sunday to frontlines in southern Syria ahead of fresh UN-sponsored peace talks on the country's six-year conflict.

A monitor said clashes and shelling had halted in the three southern provinces covered by the truce, Daraa, Quneitra, and Sweida, as it went into effect at noon local time.

The ceasefire deal was announced Friday by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and comes as Syrian government and opposition delegations are due to attend a new round of talks in Geneva from Monday.

"The main fronts in the three provinces between regime forces and opposition factions have seen a cessation of hostilities and shelling since this morning, with the exception of a few scattered shells fired on Daraa city before noon," said Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The monitor said the ceasefire was holding by early Sunday evening. In Washington, US President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter Sunday that he was pleased fighting had not resumed.

"Syrian ceasefire seems to be holding. Many lives can be saved. Came out of meeting. Good!" he tweeted.

The Syrian regime had announced its own unilateral ceasefire on Monday but fighting had continued on front lines in the three provinces.

The ceasefire deal comes after regime allies Russia and Iran and rebel backer Turkey agreed during talks in May in the Kazakh capital Astana to set up four "de-escalation" zones in Syria.

Implementation of that deal has been delayed as the three sides try to agree who will monitor the zones, one of which is located in southern Syria.

- Rebels concerned -

There has been no official comment from Syria's government on the announcement, and there was no mention of the ceasefire on state television's noon news bulletin.

The Al-Watan newspaper, which is close to the regime, quoted the head of Syria's parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee suggesting the agreement was negotiated in consultation with Damascus.

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"No details on the agreement were presented, but the Syrian state has background on it," Boutros Marjana told the newspaper.

"The final word on adding southern Syria to the 'de-escalation' zones belongs to the Syrian state, and there is coordination with Russia on that," he added.

On Friday, before the ceasefire deal was announced, a delegation of rebel factions that attended talks in Astana expressed opposition to any ceasefire for just one part of the country.

In a statement, the factions said they were concerned about "secret meetings and understandings between Russia, Jordan and America on a deal for the south of Syria, separate from the north."

Such an agreement "would divide Syria, as well as the delegation and the opposition, in two."

- 'Suitable atmosphere for talks' -

The United States has largely stepped back from involvement in the diplomatic process to resolve the Syrian conflict since President Donald Trump took office in January.

Trump said he had discussed the conflict with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in a series of tweets on Sunday, two days after they met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

"We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives," he wrote on Twitter.

"Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!"

Earlier on Saturday, Trump's national security adviser HR McMaster had described ceasefire zones as "a priority for the United States".

Washington's involvement in the agreement has been interpreted as a sign it may be cautiously re-engaging with efforts to end the war, which has killed more than 320,000 people since it began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.

Jordan borders the southern area covered by the truce and is a key supporter of the main moderate rebel faction there.

Israel, which has occasionally launched what it describes as retaliatory fire against government positions in Quneitra province, said it would "welcome a genuine ceasefire in Syria".

"But this ceasefire must not enable the establishment of a military presence by Iran and its proxies in Syria in general and in southern Syria in particular," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

A UN official on Saturday said the deal created positive momentum ahead of the Geneva talks resuming.

"It helps create a suitable atmosphere for the talks, and we will see that on Monday," said Ramzi Ezzedine Ramzi, deputy to UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura.

Expectations for the seventh round of UN-sponsored talks remain low however, with little prospect of a major breakthrough.
By Valerie Volcovici and Yasmeen Abutaleb WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he and Russia's president had discussed forming a cyber security unit, an idea harshly criticized by Republicans who said Moscow could not be trusted after its alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election. Tweeting after his first meeting with President Vladimir Putin on Friday, Trump said now was the time to work constructively with Moscow, pointing to a ceasefire deal in southwest Syria that came into effect on Sunday. "Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded and safe," he said following their talks at a summit of the Group of 20 nations in Hamburg, Germany. Three Republican senators - Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, John McCain of Arizona and Mario Rubio of Florida - blasted the idea. "It's not the dumbest idea I have ever heard but it's pretty close," Graham told NBC's "Meet the Press" program, saying that Trump's apparent willingness to "forgive and forget" stiffened his resolve to pass legislation imposing sanctions on Russia. "There has been no penalty," McCain, who chairs the Senate armed services committee, told CBS' "Face the Nation" program according to a CBS transcript. "Vladimir Putin ... got away with literally trying to change the outcome ... of our election." "Yes, it's time to move forward. But there has to be a price to pay," he added. Rubio, on Twitter, said: "Partnering with Putin on a 'Cyber Security Unit' is akin to partnering with (Syrian President Bashar al) Assad on a 'Chemical Weapons Unit'." Trump argued for rapprochement with Moscow in his campaign but has been unable to deliver because his administration has been dogged by investigations into the allegations of Russian interference in the election and ties with his campaign. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating the matter, including whether there may have been any collusion on the part of Trump campaign officials, as are congressional committees including both the House and Senate intelligence panels. Those probes are focused almost exclusively on Moscows actions, lawmakers and intelligence officials say, and no evidence has surfaced publicly implicating other countries despite Trump's suggestion that others could have been involved. Moscow has denied any interference, and Trump says his campaign did not collude with Russia. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN's "State of the Union" program Russia could not be a credible partner in a cyber security unit. "If thats our best election defense, we might as well just mail our ballot boxes to Moscow," Schiff added. Separately, U.S. government officials said that a recent hack into business systems of U.S. nuclear power and other energy companies was carried out by Russian government hackers, the Washington Post reported on Saturday. 'TIME TO MOVE FORWARD' WITH RUSSIA Trump said he "strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it." He added: "We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!" In Trump's first attempt at ending the six-year Syrian civil war, the United States, Russia and Jordan on Friday reached a ceasefire and "de-escalation agreement" for southwestern Syria. The ceasefire was holding hours after it took effect on Sunday, a monitor and two rebel officials said. In another tweet, Trump contradicted his Secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, by saying "sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin. Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian & Syrian problems are solved!" The United States has imposed sanctions on Russia for its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Tillerson on Friday told reporters Trump had told Putin U.S. lawmakers were pushing for additional sanctions against Russia. The Senate has passed legislation which would put into law sanctions, including on mining and other industries, previously established via former President Barack Obama's executive orders. The bill must pass the House of Representatives before it could go to the White House for Trump's signature or veto. McCain criticized Tillerson for having said about Syria, "by and large, our (U.S. and Russian) objectives are exactly the same. How we get there, we each have a view. Maybe they have got the right approach and we have got the wrong approach." Russia, and Iran, have backed keeping Assad in power. Trump, like his predecessor Barack Obama, has focused on fighting Islamic State, leaving for later the question of Assad's fate. "The Russians knew that Bashar al-Assad was going to use chemical weapons. And to say that maybe we have got the wrong approach?" McCain said. Asked if he regretted voting for Tillerson as secretary of state, he replied: "Sometimes I do." (Writing by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by James Dalgleish)
MADRID-The number of migrants arriving on Spains southern coast has more than doubled in 2017 from last year as they avoid passing through conflict-wracked Libya on their way to Europe.

Eight boats carrying 380 people have been rescued since Wednesday in the Alboran Sea, which connects northeastern Morocco and southeastern Spain, in the Western Mediterranean.

We are worried because we are seeing numbers which we have not seen in years. And its a dangerous area, where the currents are very strong, said the spokesman for the Spanish branch of rights group SOS Racisme, Mikel Araguas.

Last week, an inflatable dinghy that had apparently set out from Morocco with 52 people aboard was flipped over after being hit by a strong wave. Only three survivors were rescued by the Spanish coastguard.

The United Nations Refugee Agency called it the worst tragedy in the last decade in the Spanish Mediterranean involving migrants.

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The Italian sea route remains the most popular for migrants. Italy has accepted around 85,000 of the 100,000 people who have arrived in Europe by sea this year according to the International Organization for Migration.

But the Spanish route further west is gathering pace. Between January and June, more than 6,400 people were rescued at sea between Morocco and Algeria and Spain, according to the IOM, compared to 8,100 during all of 2016.

The figure is close to the more than 9,000 migrants who arrived in Greece during the period.

The vast majority of migrants who come to Europe are sub-Saharan Africans fleeing poverty or conflict in their home countries.

Most leave nations such as Guinea, Gambia or the Ivory Coast and make their way to Libya where they hope to cross over by boat to Italy.

But the word is getting out that this route is becoming more risky, with ever harder controls, said Helena Maleno Garzon of migrant aid agency Caminando Fronteras.

Many migrants passing through Libya, wracked by chaos since the 2011 toppling of dictator Moamer Kadhafi with rival militias and administrations seeking to control the oil-rich country, have reported dramatic tales of abuse in the country.

Migrants have reported being sold on a slave market, according to the IOM. Amnesty International has complained of migrants being tortured and jailed while the UNHCR has published reports by migrants of appalling conditions at Libyas migrant detention centers.

As a result some migrants prefer to make their way to Morocco or Algeria and from there cross the Mediterranean to Spain.

Adding to the appeal of this route is the fact that the sea crossing is shorter and it costs less.

Prices charged by people smugglers have fallen to around 900 euros ($1,000) per person, compared to 1,500-2,000 euros in 2016, said Andres Garcia Lorca, the Spanish central governments deputy delegate in the southern province of Almeria.

Morocco also appears to have softened its controls, said Araguas. European Union border agency Frontex for its part says it has not noticed any change in border vigilance on the part of Morocco.

Recent social unrest in northern Moroccos Rif region also appears to have added to the migratory pressure.

There were numerous migrants from the Rif region in the month of June, there had not been so many Moroccans since the 1990s, said Maleno.

The risk of dying does not deter migrants. Over 2,200 people have lost their lives this year trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa, according to UN figures.

It is urgent and necessary to be aware of the seriousness of the situation. They cant continue to close doors, said the president of migrant charity Andalucia Acoge, Elena Tajuelo.

UNHCR spokeswoman in Spain, Maria Jesus Vega, said if Europe does not give the migrants a solution, the solution will be given to them by mafia networks that take advantage of their desperation.

Spains interior ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

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San Salvador (AFP) - A court in El Salvador sentenced a teenage rape victim whose baby died at birth to 30 years' jail for murder, an abortion rights group said Friday.

Evelyn Hernandez gave birth in April last year in the makeshift bathroom of her home in the central Cuscatlan region. She was 18 years old and eight months pregnant.

She said her son was stillborn but a court in the city of Cojutepeque convicted her on Wednesday of murdering him, abortion rights group ACDATEE said.

A spokeswoman for the group, Morena Herrera, said Hernandez was convicted "with no direct proof" and that the court failed to take into account key forensic evidence.

ACDATEE cited a pathologist's report which it said indicated the baby had choked to death while still in the womb.

Prosecutors argued Hernandez was culpable for not having sought prenatal care, ACDATEE said.

It said Hernandez had not known she was pregnant and gave birth on the toilet after feeling abdominal pains.

Hernandez got pregnant as the result of a rape which she did not report out of fear because her family had been threatened.

"The conviction is unjust and we are going to appeal," Herrera told AFP.

"This case is evidence that the judicial system acts with prejudice."

Abortion under any circumstances is illegal in El Salvador, where it is classed as aggravated homicide.

Even women who abort due to birth defects or health complications risk jail sentences of up to 40 years. Campaigners say some have been jailed after suffering miscarriages.

The country's abortion law made international headlines in 2013 when a sick woman was forbidden from aborting a fetus that did not have a head.

Under a ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the Salvadoran state eventually authorized that woman to undergo a Cesarean section. The baby died a few hours after the procedure.

Lawmakers presented a bill in the Salvadoran legislature in October last year proposing to decriminalize abortion. The bill has been blocked by conservative parties.
There are 33 senators up for reelection in the 2018 midterms, with 23 of the senators being Democrats and the remaining 10 seats being Republicans. The current makeup of the Senate includes 52 Republicans and 46 Democrats, with two independents that are considered liberals.

Chances that Democrats would win back control of the Senate are slim. The party would need to win three of the 10 Republicans seats and defend all 23 states Democratically controlled states in order to take back the majority. Ten of the Democratic senators up for reelection are in states that voted for President Trump during the 2016 presidential election.

Five of the Democratic senators up for reelection are in extreme danger based on the way their state voted in the 2016 election: Sen. Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Sen. Jon Tester of Montana. In those five states, Trump beat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton by at least 20 percent.

READ: When Is The Next Election? US Will Vote Again In Midterm Elections Halfway Through Trump's 4-Year Presidency

However, as FiveThirtyEight's Harry Enten noted in his analysis of the upcoming midterms, that "opposition senators" tend to survive the midterms.

"But while a lot of Democrats are up for re-election in red states, theres also a Republican in the White House, and incumbent senators in the opposition party  for simplicity, lets call them 'opposition senators'  tend to survive in those situations," Enten wrote, pointing to evidence from midterm elections from 1982 to 2014.

By contrast, only two of the 10 Republican senators up for reelection in states that were close races. Those two senators are Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada. In Arizona, Trump beat Clinton 49 percent to 45 percent, and in Nevada, Trump lost to Clinton by a two-point margin, 47 percent to 45 percent.

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READ: Election 2018: Is Removing Nancy Pelosi The Key To Democrats' Victory Over Republicans?

In both cases, the incumbents, Flake and Heller are receiving challenges from both sides of the aisle, with challenges from Republicans during the primary and Democrats lining up to challenge them in the midterm. In response, they have distanced themselves from President Trump, particularly the unpopular American Health Care Act proposed by Republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

"I cannot support a bill that takes insurance away from tens of millions of Americans," Sen. Heller said at a press conference June 24 with Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval.

Sen. Flake has been a long time critic of President Trump but has yet to rescind his support for the proposed health care bill, despite protests at his office.

In 2010, Republicans took control of the Senate after fPresident Obama won in the 2008 election, and before that, Democrats took control of the Senate in the 2006 midterm election.

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Photo: (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

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Sharon Stone looks incredible in a blue bikini. (Photo: Instagram/Sharon Stone)

At almost 60 years old, Sharon Stone is still giving us #BikiniBodyGoals.

Summer attitude. (: @pricearana) A post shared by Sharon Stone (@sharonstone) on Jul 5, 2017 at 1:57pm PDT

The 58-year-old shared a photo sporting a blue bikini laying down poolside. The relaxed snap quickly gained 17,000 likes. She captioned the photo, Summer attitude. and has over 400 comments.

Wow, you put the youngsters to shame, A commenter wrote. Incredibly beautiful!! wrote another.

Her fans seem to know that ever since she broke into stardom with her infamous role in Basic Instinct in 1992, Stone doesnt seem to have aged a day  25 years later.

Thanks to #MichaelDouglas and everyone who made it possible. 25 years later and I still have great memories. #BasicInstinct (photog. SNAP/@rexfeatures) A post shared by Sharon Stone (@sharonstone) on Mar 20, 2017 at 6:47pm PDT

Stone is not the only beauty over 50 that is putting many 20-somethings to shame. British actress Elizabeth Hurley also recently shared a flawless bikini snap showing that women of all ages can still rock a bikini.

Stars like Hurley and Stone definitely know the secret to staying forever young.

Have a great weekend. SS. Bikini: #Fendi Hat: #Ravenclaw; Harry Potter A post shared by Sharon Stone (@sharonstone) on Apr 8, 2017 at 10:23am PDT

Read more from Yahoo Style + Beauty:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleand@YahooBeauty.




World leaders made concessions on trade and climate language to Donald Trump Saturday at the end of the most fractious and riot-hit G20 summit ever, in exchange for preserving a fragile unity of the club of major industrialised and emerging economies.

But the gesture opened the door for others, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warning that Ankara was now leaning towards not ratifying the landmark Paris climate accord.

Erdogan's threat brought further disarray to a summit that was marred by bilateral quarrels and strife over climate protection and trade.

And in one of the weekend's more bizarre scenes, Trump raised eyebrows by leaving a discussion and letting his daughter Ivanka take his place.

In a departure from final summit declarations that tend to outline consensus on issues that range from fighting terrorism to financial governance, the extraordinary conclusion this year spelt out differences on core issues.

It acknowledged Trump's decision to take the United States out of the 2015 Paris deal and clearly stated Washington's wish to continue using and selling fossil fuels that are a main driver of global warming.

The declaration also stated for the first time the right of countries to protect their markets with "legitimate trade defence instruments" -- wording that essentially gives Trump wiggle room to push on with his "America First" policy.

The nationalistic stance has set him on collision course with many of America's allies, who warned Trump against an isolationist path and starting a trade war.

"Where there is no consensus, the communique spelt out the discord," said host Chancellor Angela Merkel.

- 'Problem' with Paris deal -

But with Trump determinedly leading the US out of the climate accord ratified by 153 countries, Erdogan said he was leaning towards not completing the ratification process.

"After that step taken by America, the position that we adopt is in the direction of not passing it in parliament," Erdogan said.

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He also suggested some other, unidentified G20 countries had a "problem" with the agreement.

Thomas Bernes from the think-tank Centre for International Governance Innovation described the final declaration as a "masquerade".

"When compared to the G20 dynamic since the London summit in 2009, it's a step back: a clear signal against protectionism to fight the financial crisis becomes a mixed signal."

- Trail of destruction -

If the meetings within the tightly secured venue were anything but harmonious, outside chaos and violence gripped Germany's second city.

Ten minutes' walk from the summit, charred road barricades, trashed shops, debris and shattered glass bore testimony to an anarchic Friday night of street clashes between protesters and police, when commandos chased militants who hurled rocks from rooftops.

The clashes blocked US First Lady Melania Trump at her residence on Friday, forcing G20 organisers to completely alter a programme for spouses of visiting leaders.

On Saturday, thousands of anti-riot cops were again on guard, as helicopters hovered overhead, with tens of thousands of demonstrators on the march.

Fresh clashes erupted early Sunday in the streets of Hamburg following the end of the G20 summit, with protesters setting fire to a number of vehicles and police reporting more officers injured and more arrests.

- Trump vs. Putin -

Within the summit walls, world leaders were dancing a delicate diplomatic waltz, with discord not only dogging the main G20 conferences, but also adding tension to bilateral asides.

Host Merkel herself admitted that "deep differences" remain with Erdogan after they met on the sidelines of the summit.

But it was Trump's first head-to-head with Russia's leader President Vladimir Putin that stole the show.

A day after Trump slammed Moscow's actions in Ukraine and Syria, the two men had a "robust and lengthy exchange" about allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said.

But Tillerson, who was present at the meeting that ran for two hours and 15 minutes, also said the two alpha-male leaders "connected very quickly" with "very clear positive chemistry".

Trump said Saturday that the tete-a-tete was "tremendous" while Putin gave an upbeat assessment of what it meant for future ties.

"There is every reason to believe that we will be able to at least partially re-establish the level of cooperation that we need," Putin said.

After scoring at his Russian encounter, Trump turned to another thorny meeting, this time with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

North Korea's first intercontinental ballistic missile test announced this week was the key issue, with Trump warning Thursday that Pyongyang's military sabre-rattling would bear "consequences".

Entering into talks, Trump told his Chinese counterpart that "something has to be done" on North Korea.

In a summit with its fair share of odd and awkward moments, it was Ivanka's appearance at one discussion alongside Xi, Merkel and Erdogan that caused the biggest stir.

Historian Anne Applebaum took to Twitter to denounce what she described "an unelected, unqualified, unprepared New York socialite" being seen as "the best person to represent American national interests."

Merkel though sought to play down the case, saying that it is "in line with what other delegations do".
Something important is missing from the Supreme Courts per curiam decision granting the U.S. governments petition for certiorari in the travel ban case and staying in part the relevant injunctions. Or, rather, someone is missing: Donald Trump.

Thats not to say the order doesnt mention the president, of course. After all, the case is titled Trump v. International Refugee Assistance Project, or IRAP for short, and, by necessity, the order references the fact of his presidency and the details of his administrations actions. But the person of Donald Trump  Trump as an individual, distinct from his official role  is notably absent from both the per curiam ruling and Justice Clarence Thomass partial dissent, in which Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch joined.

This absence contrasts sharply with Trumps starring role in the opinions of the lower courts, which relied heavily on Trumps off-the-cuff comments in ruling against the revised executive order. These opinions featured Trump  who is, as he always reminds us, good for ratings  often to the point of including pages of descriptions of Trumps pre- and post-inauguration statements. The Supreme Courts decision, on the other hand, does not mention Trumps comments at all.

All presidencies are shaped by the particular individual occupying the office, but Trumps atypical behavior and his stream of unfiltered statements on Twitter and elsewhere have offered an unusually intimate look into the psyche of the sitting president. As a result, it has become difficult to separate the office of the presidency from Trump himself; the barrier we typically maintain between the human frailties of the individual serving as the chief executive and the august office itself begins to crumble when the person so ostentatiously displays those frailties and makes them central to his public performance of his job. Trumps tweets have become a leading example of this crumbling distinction: The president posts from @realDonaldTrump both to announce his selection for a new FBI director and to harass cable news hosts and networks that he dislikes.

While weve seen the effects of this blurring of man and institution in Trumps interactions with numerous entities across various realms, it is most striking in his relationship with the judiciary. Benjamin Wittes and I have argued that this dynamic is behind the aggressive posture of the lower courts toward the administration on the travel ban cases: Judges are not just ruling against the president, but against this president.

In a Lawfare piece last week, Jack Goldsmith argued that the justices recent order in IRAP represents an effort to turn down the temperature on civic discourse with a more sober, reasonable legal analysis. Much has been written about the atypical conduct of the lower court judges who have handed down decisions against the travel ban, many of whom lurched well ahead of settled law in an area in which the judiciary usually affords the executive a great degree of deference.

Goldsmith argues that in many cases, Trump seems to have pulled components of public life and civic institutions into a downward spiral of Tit-For-Tat norm violations. Trump behaves aggressively, and the courts behave aggressively in return. A study of these rulings suggests that this behavior is very much in conversation with Trump: The more aggressive and rhetorically assertive a travel ban ruling is, the more present Trump himself tends to be in the opinion  in the form of the courts reliance on Trumps offhand statements. In contrast, the more sober in tone and restrained in substantive outcome an opinion is, the less it tends to focus on Trumps comments and behavior. The Supreme Courts ruling is at the far end of that spectrum  a piece of jurisprudence that Goldsmith regards as level-headed and statesmanlike and that, not coincidentally, excludes the person of the president altogether.

How strong is the inverse correlation between Trumps presence in an opinion and its aggressiveness? Nearly perfect  at least if you confine the discussion to court rulings against the revised travel ban. There are several relevant decisions here: from the U.S. District Courts for Hawaii and Maryland and, on appeal from both district courts, from the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 9th and 4th Circuits.

The rulings by the 4th Circuit and Judge Derrick Watson of the Hawaii District Court are particularly strident in tone. Dismissing the governments argument that the executive order affects only a small proportion of the worlds Muslim population, Judge Watson writes sharply  in a paragraph preceding several pages worth of statements by Trump and his associates as to the nature of the travel ban  The illogic of the Governments contentions is palpable. Then, in a separate ruling converting his temporary restraining order against the travel ban into a preliminary injunction, the judge insists that its appropriate for the court to consider Trumps statements as evidence of impermissible religious animus under the plaintiffs Establishment Clause claim, proclaiming: The Court will not crawl into a corner, pull the shutters closed, and pretend it has not seen what it has. Excluding references to the titles of court cases and other citations, Trumps name appears 23 times over a 43-page opinion.

Similarly, the 4th Circuits ruling upholding the Maryland judges preliminary injunction opens with a thundering declaration of the constitutional responsibilities of the courts before running through eight pages worth of statements by Trump and his aides on the travel ban both pre- and post-inauguration:

The question for this Court, distilled to its essential form, is whether the Constitution, as the Supreme Court declared in Ex parte Milligan, 71 U.S. (4 Wall.) 2, 120 (1866), remains a law for rulers and people, equally in war and in peace. And if so, whether it protects Plaintiffs right to challenge an Executive Order that in text speaks with vague words of national security, but in context drips with religious intolerance, animus, and discrimination. Surely the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment yet stands as an untiring sentinel for the protection of one of our most cherished founding principlesthat government shall not establish any religious orthodoxy, or favor or disfavor one religion over another. Congress granted the President broad power to deny entry to aliens, but that power is not absolute. It cannot go unchecked when, as here, the President wields it through an executive edict that stands to cause irreparable harm to individuals across this nation.

As Andrew Kent wrote, To the extent judges see themselves as part of the resistance to the lamentable President we are now saddled with, Milligans words must sing an invigorating kind of defiance. Trumps name appears in the majority opinion 45 times over 68 pages.

Both courts jump quickly to an Establishment Clause analysis, essentially skipping over the statutory questions normally treated first for reasons of constitutional avoidance  a move that underlines the aggressiveness of their rulings.

In contrast, Judge Theodore Chuang of the Maryland District Court takes a more measured approach, beginning his analysis of the orders legality with a study of the plaintiffs statutory claim under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) before moving to the Establishment Clause issue. His opinion is also notably absent the strident rhetoric or the citation of blockbuster cases like Milligan. But Judge Chuang does incorporate seven pages of pre- and post-inauguration statements by Trump and his associates, on which he relies to ultimately conclude that the executive order likely violates the Establishment Clause. Trumps name appears in the opinion 43 times over 43 pages.

The 9th Circuit opinion, which upheld Judge Watsons preliminary injunction, is generally more measured and careful in tone. To be sure, the ruling has its flashes of excitement. The court makes the eyebrow-raising decision to cite Justice Frank Murphys dissent in Korematsu v. United States and declares, National security is not a talismanic incantation that, once invoked, can support any and all exercise of executive power under  1182(f). But generally speaking, it thunders much less than the others.

Substantively, the court confines itself to the statutory questions alone, holding back from Establishment Clause analysis entirely to find that the revised order overstretched the authority delegated to the president under the INA. Notably, the judges cite Trumps statements only once, pointing to a tweeted assertion that we need a TRAVEL BAN for certain DANGEROUS countries. The court uses that tweet as supporting evidence that the ban relies on nationality alone as a marker for national security risk yet fails to make any finding that nationality and security risk are linked  meaning that the order does not meet the statutory requirements set out in Section 1182(f) of the INA.

The court, in other words, cites Trump to make the point not that the ban targets Muslims but that it targets a handful of select nationalities  itself an argument by the Solicitor Generals Office approached by the other courts with skepticism. Notably, the judges take care to justify their citation of Trumps tweet as within the bounds of appropriate judicial behavior, flagging a statement by Press Secretary Sean Spicer that the presidents tweets constitute official statements and pointing to the Federal Rules of Evidence regarding judicial notice of adjudicative facts. Trump is certainly present in the opinion but far less so than in the other rulings. While the court uses the presidents words to rule against the ban, it does so by accepting at face value his own stated rationale for the executive order, rather than using his language to divine his hidden purpose. The judges also take pains to make clear that their citation of his tweet does not stem from a controversial legal rationale, such as the other courts rely on in order to read Trumps statements into their Establishment Clause analysis.

Trumps name appears in the opinion four times over 77 pages (excluding the opinions cover page and list of counsel at the end).

My point here is that when the lower courts have ruled against the travel ban, they have effectively done so in conversation with Trump: not President Donald Trump in his official capacity, but the person of Trump himself, pointing extensively to the many comments that seem to display his innermost thoughts on the issue of the travel ban. Its for this reason, I think, that the judges are so willing to consider statements by Trump from before his inauguration: The courts are reading Trumps statements in both his official and unofficial capacity as equally representative of his personal thoughts. While the Justice Department has argued that Trumps swearing of the oath represents a profound transition from his role as a private individual to his official role as the chief executive, the courts seem not to be concerned with this distinction. (Judge Stephanie Thackers concurrence in the 4th Circuit ruling, which would uphold the preliminary injunction based on an Establishment Clause analysis of only post-inauguration statements by Trump, is an exception.) Because Trump has eroded the boundary between the personal and official activities of the individual who holds the office of the presidency, its the man himself  not the office  with whom the courts find themselves confronted and to whom they have responded in whatever form he appears, from the campaign trail to the Oval Office.

Goldsmith writes, Trump has taken everyone (well, many of us) down a bit toward his screaming, exaggerating, temperature-raising, disrespectful, uncharitable, un-self-aware, norm-defying level. In the lower court decisions, Trump is a loud voice in the room; the more aggressive the courts opinion, the more loudly his screaming and exaggerating echoes through it. Its as if Trump and the judges are engaged in heated argument with one another. I suspect there is a particular pattern at work here: The more willing a court is to open its ears to the presidents utterances, the more it feels the need to respond directly to him, which manifests both in the form of strident rhetoric and an aggressive reading of precedent to allow the court to incorporate Trumps comments into its analysis in the first place.

The Supreme Court solves this problem by removing Donald Trump from the room entirely and dealing with the presidency devoid of him. In its opinion, Trump the man is totally silent. There are zero quotations from his public comments or tweets. Substantive policy of the travel ban aside, the court could have been writing in response to any administration; its ruling engages with the institution of the presidency but holds back from interacting with the foibles of this particular president. Trumps name appears in the opinion just three times over 13 pages. (Interestingly, his name does not appear in the dissent at all.)

This is, I suspect, the key element that allows the court to take an approach that is sober and reasonable in substance and temperate in tone, to use Goldsmiths phrasing. Its easier to interject a better model of behavior into our corroded institutions and discourteous civil discourse, as he writes, when youve thrown the screaming person out of the room.

The Supreme Court, of course, had an unfair advantage over the lower courts in getting to this statesmanship: It was not ruling on the merits but rather on a petition for certiorari and a petition for a stay of the two preliminary injunctions against the executive order. The justices therefore had the luxury of stepping back a bit  at least in this go-round  from the most heated points of contention and from those components of the plaintiffs constitutional and statutory claims to which Trumps intemperate comments are relevant.

The problem, however, is that its very unlikely that the justices will be able to remain at such a dignified distance from Trump in the long term.

The moment of reckoning will not necessarily come when the justices rule on IRAP (oral argument is currently scheduled for October). Under the expiration dates established by the executive order, as many commentators have noted, both the travel ban and the halt on refugee admissions are set to lapse before the court takes up the case, so the justices may simply moot out IRAP without engaging on the merits.

But this administration has a way of making its peculiarities felt. If the president keeps behaving as he has  and there is no indication that he intends to stop anytime soon  sooner or later the Supreme Court will surely confront the questions the lower courts have faced in the travel ban cases: To what extent should courts consider extemporaneous comments by the president, both before and after he has been sworn into office? What if the presidents comments directly contradict the solicitor general (as when Trump insisted on Twitter that the executive order was a travel ban targeting Muslims, which the acting solicitor general had strenuously denied)? Can an otherwise acceptable policy be rendered unacceptable by the presidents words and conduct? The near-constant stream of outrageous statements from the White House and Trumps Twitter feed practically ensures that these questions will come before the court in some form or other. Will the court be able to maintain quite the air of sober statesmanship when it cant exclude the screaming person from the conversation?

The basic problem is that the president makes the worst of himself very hard to ignore  and when courts are faced with that ugliness, they have found it difficult to focus as they normally would on the legal and institutional questions at stake, rather than on the brute fact of Donald Trumps presence. He has a striking ability to take up space, crowding out other ideas and styles of discourse other than the inflammatory mode to which he himself is partial. I suspect the Supreme Court may not prove as immune from this in the long run as it showed itself to be last week.

Photo credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Kiev (AFP) - US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Russia Sunday to take the "first step" to ease the bloody separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, which Kiev and the West believe is being fuelled by Moscow.

Tillerson said sanctions will remain in place against Russia "until Moscow reverses their actions".

"It is necessary for Russia to take the first step to de-escalate the situation in the east part of Ukraine," Tillerson said as he made his first visit as Washington's top diplomat to Kiev.

"We are disappointed by the lack of progress under the Minsk agreement," he added at a joint briefing with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko after they held talks.

Tillerson's visit to Ukraine followed a first face-to-face meeting between President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin on Friday at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

The conflict as well as Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 have pushed ties between Moscow and the West to their lowest point since the Cold War.

"We do call on Russia to honour its commitments," Tillerson said Sunday, referring to a peace deal aimed at halting the conflict between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russia rebels.

Tillerson urged the Kremlin "to respect the ceasefire, by pulling back the heavy weapons and (allowing) the OSCE (pan-European security body) tocarry out their responsibilities" under the deal struck in February 2015.

More than 10,000 people have been killed since the pro-Russian insurgency began in April 2014, which Kiev and the West accuse Moscow of orchestrating.

The US and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Russia, though Moscow has denied backing the rebels.

- Sanctions to remain -

"The US and EU sanctions on Russia will remain in place until Moscow reverses their actions," Tillerson stressed.

Efforts to secure a peace deal have foundered as the fighting has dragged on, and neither side appears prepared to make concessions.

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Tillerson said he had appointed a special envoy to allow Washington to be more involved in a peace process overseen by Germany and France.

Poroshenko hailed US involvement and reiterated his commitment to seeking a negotiated peace deal.

"Most of all we want peace in Ukraine. We firmly adhere to our commitments," Ukrainian leader said.

Tillerson also commented on another key bone of contention between Trump and Putin at the G20: allegations of Russian interference in US election campaign, in favour of the Republican candidate.

On Friday Trump broached the issue with the Russian leader in Hamburg, and Putin denied it.

"In all candidness we did not expect an answer other than the one we received," Tillerson told reporters Sunday in Kiev.

"What we agreed on the cyber front is to explore a framework ... on how to deal with these very complex issues of cyber threats, cyber security, cyber intrusions," he added.
Ms Haley said it was important for Mr Trump to look Mr Putin in the eye and press him on hacking: Getty

One of Americas most senior diplomats has said everybody knows Russia meddled in the election in the US - and in others around the world.

Speaking in Warsaw, a day before his much-anticipated meeting with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump had appeared somewhat uncertain on the issue.

I think it very well could be Russia but I think it could very well have been other countries, he said, speaking at a press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

But Mr Trumps UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, has offered a much more forceful view, saying the US President raised the issue early on in his meeting with Mr Putin and asked him to cut it out.

[Mr Trump] wanted him to basically look him in the eye, let him know that yes, we know you meddled in our elections. Yes we know you did it, cut it out, Ms Haley said, in an interview to be broadcast on CNN.

And I think President Putin did exactly what we thought he would do, which is deny it. This is Russia trying to save face. And they cant. They cant.

She added: Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections. Everybody knows that theyre not just meddling in the United States election. Theyre doing this across multiple continents, and theyre doing this in a way that theyre trying to cause chaos within the countries.

Both Mr Putin and Mr Trump have said the US President pressed his Russian counterpart on the issue, during their two hour meeting in Hamburg on Friday.

On Saturday, Mr Putin said he believed that Mr Trump had accepted his answers, which included a strong denial.

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He started to ask pointed questions, he was really interested in particular details. I, as much as I could, answered him in a fairly detailed way, he told reporters.

I believe it would not be entirely appropriate on my part to disclose details of my discussion with Mr Trump. He asked, I answered him. He asked pointed questions, I answered them. It seemed to me that he was satisfied with those answers.

In another interview, Ms Haley declined to comment on what sort of consequences Russia may face for its interference in the election.

She told CBS: I think you're going to have to ask the president.

You had two men walk into the room. You had two men who knew the exact same thing, which is Russia did meddle in the elections, she added.

I think President Trump wanted to make sure that President Putin was aware that he was acknowledging it, that he knew it. I think President Putin did what we all expected him to do, which was deny it.

And I think that is what it is. President Trump still knows that they meddled. President Putin knows that they meddled, but he is never going to admit to it. And that's all that happened.
In the week leading up to the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, with a much-anticipated meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin casting a shadow over an investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election, President Donald Trump finds himself mired by historically low approval numbers.

Trumps approval numbers have been hovering around or just below 40 percent after they dipped into the mid-30s last month following the firing and subsequent testimony of FBI Director James Comey. Those numbers had climbed back to around 40 percent but have dipped just below that after a series of insulting tweets towards MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski last week.

In the last week, Trump's approval numbers had been just below 40 percent amid the continuing investigations by Congress, the Senate, and Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who are investigating Trump for obstruction of justice for firing Comey and Trump's campaign dealings with the Russian government during the 2016 presidential election.

READ: Trump Approval Ratings: Low Support Amid Controversial Tweets And Senate Delaying Healthcare Vote

Three polls of Trump's approval rating were taken this week: Rasmussen, Gallup and SurveyMonkey. All three showed the presidents disapproval marks outweighing his approval marks, while his approval stays around the high 30s or low 40s.

In the Rasmussen Report, a historically right-leaning tracking poll, the president got his highest approval rating, 45 percent, between July 4 and July 6, falling one point from last week. The FiveThirtyEight tracking aggregator, which weighs the polls by historic leanings, adjusted that percentage down to 40 percent. By contrast, the approval tracker showed a 55 percent disapproval rating.

In a Gallup Poll taken between July 3 and July 6, Trump's approval rating was in the high 30s, receiving a 37 percent approval and 57 percent disapproval rating. These numbers continue the downturn in support from the prior week that showed the president at 38 percent approval. The Gallup Poll was adjusted to 38 percent approval and 56 percent disapproval rating.

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A SurveyMonkey poll taken between June 30 and July 5 was in between the Gallup poll and Rassmussen poll, with 43 percent approval and 55 percent disapproval, adjusted to 41 percent approval and 54 percent disapproval. This is a slight uptick in approval from last week's numbers.

The FiveThirtyEight aggregator averages 39.0 percent approval and 55.1 percent disapproval, which has shown the president's approval maintaining similar support numbers going into the G20 summit, Trump's controversial Twitter postings and the lingering Russian investigation.

READ: Trump's Approval Rating Hits 36 Percent Low In New Poll Amid Russia Investigation

On RealClearPolitics poll aggregator for "Trump's Favorability" and "Direction of the Country," there has been a similarly low level of support for the president. His favorability is at 40.4 percent and his unfavorability is at 53.6 percent. An average of only 33 percent of Americans thinks the country is going in the right direction, while 59 percent think the country is going in the wrong direction.

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As the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, wrapped up, Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping to talk trade and about North Korea. It was the second time the two leaders have met in person, the first being the citrus summit earlier this year at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Something has to be done about it, Trump said Saturday, also referring to Pyongyang as the problem and menace.

Trump has become increasingly frustrated with Chinas role in negotiating an end to North Koreas missile and nuclear programs. Despite international sanctions placed on Pyongyang, China still trades heavily with North Korea. It was a main issue at the Florida meeting in April, in which Trump called Xi a good man and the two appeared to hit it off. After that meeting Trumps rhetoric toward China calmed, but as North Korea has fired more missiles, most recently an intercontinental ballistic missile that some experts say could reach Alaska and parts of the U.S. West Coast, Trumps angry tone has returned.

Recommended: Merkel's Impossible Role at the G20

Late last month, Trump said efforts to get China to negotiate with North Korea had not worked out and that trade between the Pyongyang and Beijing had increased. So much for China working with us,  the President tweeted. He has also alluded to possible military action.

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!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 20, 2017

Trade between China and North Korea grew almost 40% in the first quarter. So much for China working with us - but we had to give it a try!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 5, 2017

Indeed, Trumps tone and actions toward China have vacillated wildly. His administration has made arms deals with Taiwan, put China on a global human trafficking list, and accused a Chinese bank of laundering money for Pyongyang. Prior to winning the election, Trump harangued China as a currency manipulator, a remark he later retracted. Except, shortly after he met with Xi in Florida, Trump tweeted a message insinuating he might hold the label of currency manipulator over Chinas head if it didnt do more to intervene with North Korea.

At the meeting with Xi Saturday, the last day of the G20 summit, Trump was cordial and friendly. "It's an honor to have you as a friend," Trump told Xi. It was not clear if the meeting had brought any change in policy toward North Korea, or if any breakthroughs with China had been reached. Japan and South Korea are pushing for a new United Nations Security Council resolution against Pyongyang with additional sanctions meant to starve the country of funds. But bringing China on board is key to this plan. Xi on Saturday said the U.S. and China had made new progress in some areas of their relationship, and that hed built a close contact in Trump. Xi also said Chinas navy would join next year in the U.S.-led Pacific Rim military exercises.

After the meeting, Trump also appeared much more optimistic about Chinas help, saying, "As far as North Korea is concerned, we will have, eventually, success. It may take longer than Id like. It may take longer than you'd like. But there will be success in the end one way or the other.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Donald Trumps first trip to Europe as president, back in May, was an unmitigated disaster. He scolded allies, publicly and privately, and shocked his own aides by refusing to affirm NATOs Article V mutual-defense provision. The best thing that can be said about his return is that at least this time he did voice support for Article V. So give this trip a D rather than the F he earned the first time around.

Why not a higher grade? Because President Trump cant help being himself, wherever he is. His nutty behavior is bad enough at home; its even worse abroad when he is supposed to be representing not just his rabid base of deplorables but, rather, the whole country. That is something Trump simply does not know how to do.

Thus, in the course of this trip, he trashed his predecessor, the U.S. intelligence community, and the fake news media. Can you imagine Ronald Reagan in 1981 going abroad and attacking Jimmy Carter for not doing more to stand up to Soviet aggression? Or attacking the press for being hostile to him in the 1980 campaign (as they were) and the intelligence community for not predicting the Iranian revolution (as they did not)? Its unimaginable, yet Trump somehow thinks that its appropriate.

Just as he thought it was appropriate to tweet a bizarre attack on former Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta right before his meeting with Vladimir Putin. And to give up his seat at the G-20 meeting to his daughter Ivanka, as if he were presiding over a hereditary monarchy like Saudi Arabia. Or to dissent from the consensus of the other 19 nations in favor of the Paris climate accord. If this is modern-day presidential, as Trump claims, then please bring back pre-modern presidential  you know, the ancient, long-forgotten standards of decorum that prevailed until January 19.

Trump is not entirely devoid of any knowledge of the expectations that await him. He knew enough, at least, to raise the issue of Russian interference in our election with Putin, realizing he would be pilloried if he did not. There is no agreement about what Trump said, because, being paranoid about deep state leaks, he refused to have a note-taker in the room. Both Putin and his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, claimed that Trump accepted Putins assurances that Russia was not behind the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign. A U.S. official anonymously denied this, while Secretary of State Rex Tillerson claimed that Trump pressed President Putin on more than one occasion regarding Russian involvement.

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Trump himself could clear up this disagreement in an instant if he would simply tweet that he did not accept Putins duplicitous denials of Russian involvement. Instead his tweet on the subject gave every indication that he had accepted Putins position  hardly surprising, when just the day before in Warsaw he had questioned Russian responsibility for this blatant interference in the U.S. election.

Of course, even if one accepts the Tillerson readout, the meeting was a big win for Putin because Trump did not threaten any punishment for Russias involvement in the 2016 election. Instead, according to Tillerson, the two presidents, I think rightly, focused on is how do we move forward; how do we move forward from here. Imagine FDR and Tojo meeting in 1942 and agreeing to move on from that little unpleasantry at Pearl Harbor.

Trump and Putin apparently agreed on a principle of non-interference in the affairs of other countries, something that Putin has long been seeking because he is paranoid about the United States aiding the democrats and dissidents who oppose him. Naturally, Putin has no intention of following this principle of non-interference when it comes to U.S. politics  now that Trump isnt retaliating for the 2016 hack-attack, expect more of the same in 2018 and 2020  but Trump will undoubtedly prevent the U.S. government from helping the embattled Russian opposition.

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The final absurdity was Putin and Trumps discussion of, as Trump tweeted, forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded. Whats next  forming a human-rights unit with Bashar al-Assad and a nuclear non-proliferation unit with Kim Jong-un?

Even some of those who were critical of Trumps cave-in to Putin were complimentary of his speech in Warsaw. There were a few good moments, primarily Trumps tributes to Polish fortitude in fighting Nazi and Soviet oppression. For Americas part, we have never given up on freedom and independence as the right and destiny of the Polish people, and we never, ever will, he said. For a moment he almost sounded Reaganesque. But just as quickly he transitioned to sounding Bannonesque  as in Stephen Bannon, his counselor and former chairman of the far-right website Breitbart.

Americans, Poles, and the nations of Europe value individual freedom and sovereignty, Trump said. We must work together to confront forces, whether they come from inside or out, from the South or the East, that threaten over time to undermine these values and to erase the bonds of culture, faith, and tradition that make us who we are. Later, he demanded: Do we have the desire and the courage to preserve our civilization in the face of those who would subvert and destroy it?

Coming from another leader, these sentiments might seem unobjectionable. But coming from Trump, with his long history of Mexican- and Muslim-bashing, its hard not to hear this as a coded appeal for the kind of ultra-nationalist populism that is Bannons bread-and-butter. While the Declaration of Independence (which Trump did not mention two days after the Fourth of July) holds that all men are created equal, Trump seems to be insinuating that freedom is only a product of American and European culture, and that it is threatened by hordes of newcomers who supposedly dont share our values. These are the internal subversives to whom he referred.

This message resonated with Polands illiberal Law and Justice Party, which trucked in supporters to hear the president speak and shares Trumps aversion to fake (i.e., critical) news, but it further divided Trump from the majority of Americas European allies. They are committed, just as America once was, to a more expansive vision of multicultural societies bound together by a shared devotion to the rule of law and individual rights.

The United States has long led the way in showing how newcomers of all different backgrounds and ethnicities can be integrated into our democracy. But Trump is walking away from that vision  he did not mention the word democracy once in Warsaw and the only time he mentioned an election was when he bragged about all of the Polish-American votes he won in 2016. Trump seems to think that the only thing that unites Poland and America is bonds of culture, faith, and tradition, but Russians could just as plausibly claim to share those bonds as well.

Indeed, there is every reason to suspect that Trump himself, in spite of a few mildly critical remarks about Russias destabilizing activities (a nice way to describe the invasion of Ukraine, the subversion of the U.S. election, and the war crimes in Syria), shares this rosy view of Russian-American affinity peddled by Putin. As Rex Tillerson said, there was a very clear positive chemistry between the two men, so much so that they refused to break up their tete-a-tete even when it ran long over-schedule. There was no such warmth evident in Trumps meetings with European leaders such as Angela Merkel. After his return home, Trump tweeted, Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia! No mention of working constructively with Germany or France.

In the end, Trumps second trip to Europe confirms the message of the first one: For the first time ever, the United States has a president who is more sympathetic to our enemies in Russia than to our friends in Europe.

Photo credit Handout / Handout / Getty Images
Head of Suez Canal authority Friday indicated that it would be illegal to ban Qatari ships from using the canal passage but that Egypt can deny ships docking as part of its sovereignty over its territorial waters.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt have severed diplomatic ties with Qatar over accusations of terrorism funding. The bloc has also imposed sea, air and land blockades against the tiny gulf country.

Mohab Mamish, chairman of the Suez Canal authority, told the media that Egypts ban on the ships is being imposed on all ports within the zone based on Egyptian sovereignty over its territorial waters.

The decision, however, does not include a ban on passing through the canal, as under the Constantinople 1869 agreement it is illegal to ban ships coming from any country from passing through, he said.

The Suez Canal linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean is one of the worlds most used sea corridors and accounts for 10 per cent of worlds sea trade operations.

Banning Qatari ships from docking at ports along the corridor will not affect Egypts economy, Mamish noted pointedly adding that only few Qatari ships already use the passage.
By Roberta Rampton and Jeff Mason HAMBURG (Reuters) - In a meeting that ran longer than either side had planned, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin discussed alleged Russian meddling in the U.S. election on Friday but agreed to focus on better ties rather than litigating the past. Trump, a Republican who called it an "honor" to meet with the Russian president, drew swift criticism from Democrats at home, who accused him of dismissing U.S. intelligence and giving Putin's denial, reiterated on Friday, of Russian interference too much weight. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters at a summit of leaders of the Group of 20 major economies in Hamburg that Trump had "positive chemistry" with Putin during the meeting, which lasted some two hours and 15 minutes. He opened their discussion by pressing Putin about "the concerns of the American people regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election" and had a robust exchange, Tillerson said. The Russian president has denied any meddling in the U.S. democratic process last year and Moscow has asked for proof that it took place. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Trump accepted Putin's assertions that the allegations, backed by U.S. intelligence agencies, were false. Tillerson said they both sought to move on. "The presidents rightly focused on how do we move forward from what may be simply an intractable disagreement at this point," Tillerson said. That explanation did not sit well with Democrats. Working to compromise the integrity of our election process cannot and should not be an area where agree to disagree is an acceptable conclusion," said U.S. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer in a statement. On Thursday in Poland Trump gave lukewarm support to the view that Moscow interfered in the 2016 U.S. political process. Trump promised a rapprochement with Moscow during his campaign but has been unable to deliver because his administration has been dogged by investigations into the allegations of Russian interference in the election and ties with his campaign. Trump says his team did not collude with Russia. Tillerson said they agreed to work on commitments of "non-interference in the affairs of the United States and our democratic process as well as those in other countries." Andrew Weiss, a former National Security Council official responsible for Russia, said Trump had sent the wrong signal with upbeat body language and by not pushing Putin harder on alleged Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election. "The atmospherics were chummy," said Weiss, who is now at Washington's Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank in Washington. "The clear push from Trump to normalize U.S.-Russian relations was on display in the meeting." "GOING VERY WELL" The two leaders spent a lot of time discussing Syria, and after their meeting an agreement between the United States, Russia and Jordan on a ceasefire in southwestern Syria was announced. The face-to-face encounter was one of the most eagerly anticipated meetings between two leaders in years. Trump and Putin spoke through translators with their respective foreign ministers present for six minutes before reporters were allowed into the room for their statements. Afterwards the reporters were ushered out and the meeting continued. "President Putin and I have been discussing various things, and I think it's going very well," Trump told reporters, sitting alongside the Russian leader. "We've had some very, very good talks. ... We look forward to a lot of very positive things happening for Russia, for the United States and for everybody concerned. And it's an honor to be with you." Putin, through a translator, said: "We spoke over the phone with you several times," adding: "A phone conversation is never enough." "I am delighted to be able to meet you personally, Mr. President," he said, noting that he hoped the meeting would yield results. Both men sat with legs splayed. Trump listened intently as Putin spoke. The encounter went longer than expected, and first lady Melania Trump came in at one point to urge them to conclude, Tillerson said. The two men later joined other G20 leaders at a concert. Mrs. Trump sat next to Putin at dinner. Before the get-together, some feared the U.S. president, a political novice whose team is still developing its Russia policy, would be less prepared for the talks than Putin, a former KGB agent who has dealt with previous U.S. presidents and scores of other world leaders. Amid criticism of Russia's actions in Ukraine and Syria and the investigations into its role in the U.S. campaign, Trump has come under growing pressure to take a hard line against the Kremlin. On Thursday, Trump delivered some of his sharpest remarks about Moscow since becoming president, urging Russia to stop its "destabilizing activities" and end its support for Syria and Iran. But Trump stopped short on Thursday of any personal criticism of Putin and declined to say definitively whether he believed U.S. intelligence officials' assertion that Russia had interfered in the 2016 U.S. election. "I think it was Russia but I think it was probably other people and/or countries, and I see nothing wrong with that statement. Nobody really knows. Nobody really knows for sure, Trump said on a visit to Poland. (Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu and Arshad Mohammed in Washington and Andrea Shalal and Denis Dyomkin in Hamburg; Writing by Jeff Mason and Noah Barkin; Editing by James Dalgleish)
President Trump says that he strongly pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin on Moscows alleged meddling in the U.S. election during their highly anticipated meeting at the G-20 summit over the weekend  and that Putin vehemently denied it.

I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election, Trump tweeted early Sunday, hours after returning to Washington from the summit in Hamburg, Germany. He vehemently denied it. Ive already given my opinion..

I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

In Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday, Trump said Russia could have interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election  which was the conclusion of the four U.S. intelligence agencies that investigated it  but that nobody really knows for sure.

I think it very well could be Russia, but I think it could very well have been other countries, Trump said during a news conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda. I think a lot of people interfere.

Trump also tweeted Sunday that he and Putin negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria, and that the two discussed forming an impenetrable cybersecurity unit to prevent future election-related hacking.

We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

The president asserted that U.S. sanctions against Russia were not discussed during his sit-down with Putin, adding that nothing will be done until the Ukrainian & Syrian problems are solved!

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Sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin. Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian & Syrian problems are solved!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

On Friday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson  the only other senior U.S. official present during Trumps talks with Putin, told reporters that the president pressed the Russian leaders, only to be rebuffed.

At a separate briefing, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Trump described the multiple investigations into Moscows interference as strange and bizarre because thus far, not a single fact has been presented to prove the charge. Lavrov added that Trump accepted Putins denial that Russia was involved.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Trump talk at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, on Friday. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

Tillerson said that Trump is ready to move forward from the seemingly intractable dispute.

Back at the White House, Trump revived his questionable claim that the Democratic National Committees refusal to turn over its email server to federal investigators was a hot topic among G-20 attendees.

and safe. Questions were asked about why the CIA & FBI had to ask the DNC 13 times for their SERVER, and were rejected, still don't.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

Trump declared the G-20 summit a great success for U.S. trade policy, and shared a video of highlights of his meetings  as well as those of his daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump.

The G 20 Summit was a great success for the U.S.  Explained that the U.S. must fix the many bad trade deals it has made. Will get done!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/NVDVRrWLs4  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

On NBCs Meet The Press, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., sharply criticized Trumps decision to work with Russia on cybersecurity.

Its not the dumbest idea Ive ever heard, Graham said. But its pretty close.

The South Carolina Republican also said that doing a good job of managing the conflicts in Afghanistan and North Korea and the fight against ISIS, but when it comes to Russia, hes got a blind spot.

WATCH: Sen. @LindseyGrahamSC responds to Trump's call to work with Russia, saying it's not the dumbest idea "but it's pretty close." #MTP pic.twitter.com/8eK1y7A25a  Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) July 9, 2017

To forgive and forget when it comes to Putin regarding cyberattacks is to empower Putin, Graham said. And thats exactly what hes doing.

Also on Meet The Press, former CIA Director John Brennan was critical of Trumps cordial greeting of Putin.

He said its an honor to meet President Putin, Brennan said. An honor to meet the individual who carried out the assault against our election? To me, it was a dishonorable thing to say.

Read more from Yahoo News:
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Sunday that "it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia" after his lengthy meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Germany. But he is still avoiding the question of whether he accepts Putin's denial that Russia was responsible for meddling in the 2016 election.

Speaking in a series of tweets the morning after returning from a world leaders' summit in Germany, Trump said he "strongly pressed" Putin twice over Russian meddling during their meeting Friday.

Trump said that Putin "vehemently denied" the conclusions of American intelligence agencies that Russian hackers and propagandists tried to sway the election in Trump's favor. But Trump would not say whether he believed Putin, tweeting only that he's "already given my opinion."

Trump has said he thinks Russia probably hacked the emails of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton staffers, but that "other people and/or countries" were likely involved as well. He said ahead of the meeting that, "Nobody knows for sure."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov first told reporters in Germany on Friday that Trump had accepted Putin's assurances that Russia hadn't meddled  an assertion Putin repeated Saturday after the Group of 20 summit. Putin said he left the meeting thinking that Trump had believed his in-person denials.

"He asked questions, I replied. It seemed to me that he was satisfied with the answers," Putin said.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did not answer directly when asked Sunday if Trump had accepted Putin's denial, but told reporters in Ukraine that Trump's conversation with Putin on election interference went "about the way we expected." Tillerson was the only other American official in the room.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also declined to say whether Trump accepted Putin's denial. "Why would President Trump broadcast exactly what he said in the meeting? Strategically that makes no sense," Mnuchin said. "He's made it very clear how he feels. He's made it very clear that he addressed it straight on."

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But White House chief of staff Reince Priebus took issue with Putin's characterization.

"The president absolutely didn't believe the denial of President Putin," Priebus said. He said Trump had spent a "large part of the meeting on the subject," but wanted to move onto other subjects.

He and other administration officials said Trump did not want Russian interference in last year's election to prevent him from working with Putin's government on other issues, including the civil war in Syria.

"You know, the past, I don't know if we will ever come to an agreement, obviously with our Russian counterparts on that. I think the important thing is how do we assure that this doesn't happen again," Tillerson said.

Tillerson said that, "In all candidness, we did not expect an answer other than the one we received" from Russia.

"Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections," added Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. "This is Russia trying to save face."

But in a show of U.S.-Russian cooperation, officials announced during the trip that the two sides had brokered a cease-fire in southern Syria that went into effect Sunday. Trump tweeted that the deal "will save lives."

The two sides also agreed to create what Trump described in a tweet as "an impenetrable Cyber Security unit" to ensure that "election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded."

However, the idea drew widespread ridicule and Trump sent out another tweet Sunday night in which he seemed to back off: "The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesn't mean I think it can happen. It can't-but a ceasefire can,& did!"

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was among critics of the task force on Twitter and Sunday morning news shows.

"It's not the dumbest idea I've ever heard, but it's pretty close," Graham said, adding that, when it comes to Russia, the president has "a blind spot."

"And to forgive and forget when it comes to Putin regarding cyberattacks is to empower Putin and that's exactly what he's doing," he added.

Another Senate Republican, Marco Rubio of Florida, said on Twitter that "partnering with Putin on a 'Cyber Security Unit' is akin to partnering with Assad on a 'Chemical Weapons Unit.'" Rubio was referring to Syrian President Bashar Assad and his regime's use of chemical weapons against its own citizens."

Former Defense Secretary Ash Carter equated the move to "like the guy who robbed your house proposing a working group on burglary."

And Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said that expecting Russia to be a credible partner in any cybersecurity initiative "would be dangerously naive for this country."

"If that's our best election defense, we might as well just mail our ballot boxes to Moscow," he said.

Haley, however, defended the move, arguing that working with Russia on cybersecurity "doesn't mean we ever trust Russia. We can't trust Russia and we won't ever trust Russia. But you keep those that you don't trust closer so that you can always keep an eye on 'em and keep them in check."

Trump also tweeted Sunday that sanctions against Russia were not discussed at his meeting with Putin, seemingly contradicting comments made by Tillerson in Germany. Tillerson told reporters that the president had taken "note of actions that have been discussed by the Congress" in the meeting. Congress has been pushing to increase sanctions on Russia and make them harder for Trump to lift.

Haley and Schiff spoke on CNN's "State of the Union," Mnuchin on ABC's "The Week," Priebus on "Fox News Sunday," and Graham on NBC's "Meet the Press."

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Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report from Kiev, Ukraine.

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Follow Colvin on Twitter at https://twitter.com/colvinj
Istanbul (AFP) - Thousands of people joined Turkey's main opposition party in Istanbul on Friday on a "march for justice," begun three weeks ago to protest the jailing of one of its lawmakers, as it wound its way into the city.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the People's Republican Party (CHP), has been walking since June 15 without party insignia, carrying a sign bearing the word "justice" in Turkish.

Some analysts have said Kilicdaroglu's 450-kilometre (280 mile) trek from Ankara to Istanbul is a significant challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan but the Turkish strongman has regarded it with disdain.

Kilicdaroglu began the march after Enis Berberoglu, a former journalist turned CHP lawmaker, was sentenced to 25 years in jail on charges of leaking classified information to a newspaper.

"Today we enter Istanbul and we are extremely happy," Kilicdaroglu said. "I am at peace because without anyone being injured, we have accomplished walking a long road".

"Together on July 9, our search for justice will continue."

Every day, more people have joined the CHP leader, including women's rights groups, on the march, which is due to end on July 9 with a mass rally outside Berberoglu's prison in the Istanbul district of Maltepe.

"This march has three important goals: firstly, Kilicdaroglu marks his status as a leader. Secondly, the CHP is connecting with the people again... and finally it unites the Turkish people," marcher Issa Agacik told AFP.

Kilicdaroglu's spokesman said some 45,000 people followed the CHP leader on Friday with chants of "rights, law, justice".

Most marchers carried signs with the word "justice" or wore red or white T-shirts and hats emblazoned with the word.

Onlookers praised the march and those walking, some coming out of factories to show support.

In a statement to AFP, Kilicdaroglu said he was walking "for all Turkish victims of injustice".

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About 50,000 people have been arrested under Turkey's state of emergency, imposed after last July's failed coup, and another 100,000 have lost their jobs, including teachers, judges, soldiers and police officers.

But Erdogan has accused Kilicdaroglu's party of siding with terrorism. However authorities have not impeded the walk's progress, with police providing security for the march every day.

Kilicdaroglu has claimed that Erdogan is the "July 20 coup plotter", referring to the date when the president declared a state of emergency, and said Berberoglu's arrest was "the last straw".

But in June, Erdogan appeared to warn Kilicdaroglu he could face legal troubles over the march, telling the CHP leader he "must respect the judiciary's decisions".
By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States plans to carry out a new test of its THAAD missile defense system against an intermediate-range ballistic missile in the coming days, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday, as tensions with North Korea climb. Despite being planned months ago, the U.S. missile defense test will gain significance in the wake of North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on July 4 that has heightened concerns about the threat from Pyongyang. The test will be the first of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) to defend against a simulated attack by an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), one of the officials said. The THAAD interceptors will be fired from Alaska. The United States has THAAD interceptors in Guam that are meant to help guard against a missile attack from a country such as North Korea. The officials who disclosed to Reuters the precise nature and timing of the upcoming test spoke on condition of anonymity. Asked by Reuters, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) confirmed that it aimed to carry out a THAAD flight test "in early July." Chris Johnson, an MDA spokesman, said the THAAD weapon system at the Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska in Kodiak, Alaska, would "detect, track and engage a target with a THAAD interceptor." "The test is designated as Flight Test THAAD (FTT)-18," Johnson said. He did not elaborate. Still, in recent testimony to Congress, Vice Admiral James Syring, then the director of the Missile Defense Agency, said FTT-18 would aim to demonstrate THAAD's ability to intercept a separating IRBM target. MDA said THAAD had a 100 percent successful track record in its 13 flight tests since 2006. After previous tests, the U.S. military has publicly disclosed the results. SOUTH KOREAN DEPLOYMENT THAAD is a ground-based missile defense system designed to shoot down short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. Lockheed Martin Corp, the prime contractor for the THAAD system, said it has the ability to intercept incoming missiles both inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere. This year's U.S. deployment of THAAD in South Korea to guard against North Korea's shorter-range missiles has also drawn fierce criticism from China, which says the system's powerful radar can probe deep into its territory. Earlier this month Moscow and Beijing, in a joint statement, called on Washington to immediately halt deployment of THAAD in South Korea. The statement said Washington was using North Korea as a pretext to expand its military infrastructure in Asia and risked upsetting the strategic balance of power in the region. THAAD's success rate in testing is far higher than the one for America's Ground-based Midcourse Defense system (GMD), the system specifically designed to shoot down an ICBM headed for the U.S. mainland. That GMD system has only a 55 percent success rate over the life of the program. But advocates note that the technology has improved dramatically in recent years. In a key development, the GMD system successfully shot down an incoming, simulated North Korean ICBM in a test in May. That led the Pentagon to upgrade its assessment of America's ability to defend against a small number of ICBMs, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters. MDA told Congress in June that it plans to deliver 52 more THAAD interceptors to the U.S. Army between October 2017 and September 2018, for a total of 210 since May 2011. In a sign of U.S. congressional concern about missile defense, several lawmakers filed amendments to a sweeping defense policy bill on Friday that addressed North Korea. Republican Representative Don Young, whose home state Alaska is seen as especially vulnerable to the North Korea threat, asked for more ground-based interceptors for his state, and a study of potential additional sites on the East Coast or Midwest. Democratic Representatives John Conyers and Sheila Jackson Lee, along with Republican Walter Jones, filed an amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act saying that nothing in the bill should be construed as authorizing the use of force against North Korea. The full House of Representatives is due to consider the bill, and its amendments, next week. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and James Dalgleish)
Kuwait City (AFP) - British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday urged Arab states to end their Qatar boycott, downplaying the odds of a military escalation in the worst crisis to grip the Gulf in years.

Johnson met with his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah on Saturday and was scheduled to visit Qatar later in the day.

"What people need to see is de-escalation and progress towards tackling the funding of terrorism in the region, and progress toward an end to this blockade," Johnson said, voicing support for Kuwait as a mediator in the crisis.

Johnson, who also held talks in Saudi Arabia on Friday, said it was "highly unlikely" that the current standoff would descend into military conflict.

"Everybody I have talked to said the opposite. No possibility of a military confrontation," he said.

"The blockade is unwelcome and we hope there will be a de-escalation," he added.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain last month announced the severing of all diplomatic ties with Qatar over allegations the emirate bankrolled Islamist extremists and had close ties to Saudi's arch-rival Iran.

On June 22, they issued a 13-point list of demands, including downgrading ties with Iran and shutting down broadcaster Al-Jazeera, as a prerequisite to lift the sanctions, which include the closure of Qatar's only land border and suspension of all flights to and from the country.

Doha has refused to comply with the demands and denies accusations of ties to Islamist groups.

Kuwait has been leading mediation efforts to resolve the crisis that is threatening the existence of the 36-year-old Gulf Cooperation Council.

Kuwaiti officials have held talks with the foreign ministers of Germany and fellow Gulf Cooperation Council member Oman, which has not joined the Qatar boycott.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is scheduled to arrive in Kuwait on Monday for talks on the Gulf crisis.
Washington (AFP) - In a goof gone viral, Vice President Mike Pence touched something he should not have as he visited NASA headquarters, and his defense smacked of something his boss might do: blame somebody else.

Pence was at Cape Canaveral in Florida Thursday for a speech to employees and also took a tour.

At one point Pence was guided to piece of gear with a sign that identified it as "critical space flight hardware" and a warning in bright, red capital letters: do not touch.

Pence placed his left palm flat on it, anyway, as cameras clicked away. One of the people in the picture is Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

The rest is meme and tweet history.

Pence sent out a tweet Friday in which he said he was sorry -- a blurb with a President Donald Trump-esque exclamation point at the end -- and joked that he, Pence, was not really to blame for ignoring the sign, which his hand almost touches.

"Sorry @NASA ... @MarcoRubio dared me to do it!," Pence wrote.

NASA put out a tweet saying it was no big deal, that the hardware -- a big piece of metal roughly the shape of a nuclear reactor cooling tower and part of a spacecraft-in-the-making called the Orion -- needed to be cleaned, anyway.

Pence put out another light-hearted tweet saying it was the not the first this happened: it featured his photo of NASA ignominy but with a porcupine -- not the space gear -- graced by his hand.

Of course, the original photo went viral and many social media users were scathing in their criticism of Pence. Pence supporters said the former were making a big deal out of nothing.

"Good to know our vice president has the self control of a sugar charged 3rd grader on a field trip," wrote someone with the handle @KentoTFH.

"Again administration blaming someone else," wrote @PatStevens2, referring to Pence's fingering of Rubio.

To wit, some of the things Trump has blamed others for: Barack Obama for not acting more forcefully against Russia's election meddling, which Trump has even not fully acknowledged; "the generals" who he said ordered a US raid in Yemen in February in which a US Navy SEAL was killed.

In the NASA flap, others recalled Pence's reputation as being famously straight-laced and conservative, to the point where he has said he would never dine alone with a woman who is not his wife.

"This is an example of why you don't eat with women, correct?," wrote @squidlace.
Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela's Catholic Church raised pressure on the leftist government Friday in a deadly political crisis, warning that its drive for constitutional reforms is turning the country into a "military dictatorship."

The plan "will be imposed by force and its result will be that constitutional status will be given to a military, socialist, Marxist and communist dictatorship," the head of the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference, Diego Padron, told a news conference.

An influential voice in Venezuela, the church has long had strained relations with President Nicolas Maduro, who is under mounting opposition and international pressure to hold early elections.

The center-right opposition accuses Maduro of maneuvering to cling to power against its demands for a vote on removing him.

It blames him for an economic crisis that has caused shortages of food and medicine. He says the crisis is a US-backed conspiracy.

- Pope's concern -

Catholic leaders tried last year to mediate negotiations between the government and opposition. The talks collapsed with the sides accusing each other of bad faith.

Pope Francis called this month for "an end to violence and a peaceful and democratic solution to the crisis."

At least 91 people have died over the past three months in clashes with police during anti-government demonstrations, prosecutors say.

On Thursday, police chased protesters into a shopping mall and fired tear gas, leaving dozens injured.

The previous day, a pro-government mob wielding clubs burst into the grounds of the National Assembly legislature and beat lawmakers, leaving several bleeding.

Maduro has meanwhile infuriated his opponents by launching a plan to form an assembly tasked with rewriting the constitution.

Opponents say he will pack this "constituent assembly" with allies in a bid to cling to power.

Voting for members of the assembly is scheduled for July 30.

The opposition MUD coalition plans to hold its own popular vote against the plan on July 16. Padron said the church would make some of its premises available to carry out that vote.

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Maduro retains the public backing of the military high command -- a key factor in keeping him in power, according to analysts.

But the president last month said he was replacing four senior commanders of the armed forces.

- Catholic country -

The highest official to defy Maduro is chief prosecutor Luisa Ortega.

She has launched legal challenges against the constitutional plan but the authorities responded by charging her with misconduct.

The Supreme Court, which the opposition says is stacked with Maduro's allies, is due to rule in the coming days whether to suspend Ortega from office and put her on trial.

A study by private polling firm Datanalysis indicated that 80 percent of Venezuelans disapproved of Maduro's leadership and 70 percent opposed his constitutional reform plan.

According to the latest data by polling group Latinobarometro, 79 percent of Venezuelans described themselves as Roman Catholic in 2013.

"There is no longer a conflict between left and right" in Venezuela, Padron said.

"There is a struggle between a government that has turned into a dictatorship and a whole people calling for liberty."
Caracas (AFP) - Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was released from prison early Saturday and placed under house arrest amid intensifying pressure on the embattled leftist government of Nicolas Maduro.

"Leopoldo Lopez is at his home in Caracas with (wife) Lilian and his children," Lopez's Spanish lawyer Javier Cremades said in Madrid. "He is not yet free but under house arrest. He was released at dawn."

Lopez, leader of the Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) party, had been held for three and a half years at a military prison for allegedly "inciting violence" during anti-government protests in 2014.

His release from prison has been a key demand of Venezuela's opposition and the international community, amid an intensifying political confrontation aimed at forcing Maduro to hold early elections.

The Supreme Court on its twitter account cited "health reasons" for the order moving Lopez to house arrest, which was signed on Friday by court president Maikel Moreno.

It said the move was "a humanitarian measure in keeping with law".

Lopez' wife had Friday night been able to spend an hour visiting her husband in his cell at Ramo Verde prison just outside Caracas.

Lopez, 46, the former mayor of a Caracas municipality, has emerged as a symbol of resistance to the government as Venezuela has spiralled into a severe economic and political crisis.

At least 91 people have died in three months of street clashes between protesters and police, troops and government loyalists.

On Wednesday, pro-government militants wielding sticks and pipes stormed the grounds of the opposition-held National Assembly and beat lawmakers, injuring at least five at the only state institution that the opposition nominally controls.

Maduro condemned the violence and said he had ordered an investigation.
Forces loyal to Libyas strongman, Renegade General Khalifa Haftar, vanquished Islamist militants in Libyas second largest city, Benghazi after three years of sporadic combat.

After a continuous struggle against terrorism and its agents that lasted more than three yearswe announce to you the liberation of Benghazi from terrorism, Haftar said earlier this week in a televised address.

Today Benghazi enters a new era of peace, security, reconciliation  and reconstruction, he said, paying homage to a caravan of martyrs who fell in the battle for the city.

The Libyan National Army (LNA) commanded by Haftar has been battling several Islamist groups in Benghazi for three years since the launch of Opration Dignity. LNA forces suffered heavy losses in clashes with their opponents including former anti-Gaddafi rebels who were resisting Haftars military rule over the city.

Certainly, the Benghazi victory would mark a major advance for Haftar who has slowly gained ground in eastern and southern Libya in defiance of a United Nations-backed government in the west in the capital Tripoli that is struggling to extend its influence. Haftar now is poised to move beyond Benghazi and take to the national stage.

At loggerheads with the authority of the UN-backed Government of National Accord in Tripoli, Libyas strong man has openly expressed his intentions to move west to take the capital and topple the Islamist militias in the capital. He has already grabbed oil facilities in the central Sirte Basin and recently seized southern airfields from his opponents.

Haftars victories in Libyas internal strife have also been facilitated by military and diplomatic backing from foreign powers including Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

The LNA has gradually grown bigger and better equipped but is still heavily dependent on alliances with local brigades and tribes.
Since they first began meeting in 2008 under the banner of the G20, the leaders of the worlds wealthiest nations have mostly used the forum to talk about finance, trade and the global economy. But on occasion, the group would set aside these issues and try to enforce some rules of common decency. Its members did this not by exacting any price or punishment for misbehavior  the G20 has no mandate to do that  but through the method you probably remember from grade school: peer pressure. That, at least, is how the club of nations used to work.

Among the more famous examples involved Russias decision in the spring of 2014 to seize the territory of its neighbor, Ukraine, and redraw the borders of Europe by force. By the time the next G20 summit rolled around that November, nearly half of its members  including Europes largest economies, as well as the U.S., Canada, Japan and Australia  had imposed sanctions on Russia in response, and they made sure to emphasize their disgust over Ukraines dismemberment by making Russian President Vladimir Putin feel like an outcast.

I guess Ill shake your hand, Stephen Harper, then the Prime Minister of Canada, told the Russian leader at that years G20 summit in Brisbane, Australia. But Ive only got one thing to say to you, he added. You need to get out of Ukraine. Later that day, Putin was filmed sitting apart from his peers during a formal luncheon, picking silently at his food with empty chairs on either side of him. He then decided to leave the summit early, citing his need to get some rest.

Skip ahead a few years to the current meeting of the G20, which began on Friday in the German city of Hamburg, and it seems hard to imagine that kind of ostracism taking place within the group. The conditions for it have evaporated. Even when it comes to the most fundamental rules of political conduct and international law, the leaders of the G20 have splintered into rival factions. None of them appears to have the moral authority  or the political will  to chide the others for breaking the rules.

That much was clear when the host of this years summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, gave her introductory remarks on Friday morning. Though she touched on the need to empower women and increase aid to Africa, she did not mention free speech, democracy, civil rights or the other ideals to which most of the groups members have typically aspired. Solutions can often only be found if we are willing to compromise, if we are flexible, she said, while also urging her peers not to bend too much.

The message did not exactly ring with confidence and fortitude. But thats not entirely Merkels fault. While she has recently been pegged as the new moral backbone of the Western world, the Chancellor does not have the clout to play that role in a venue like the G20. Not even the U.S. would have that kind of muscle on its own. Strength in such chambers does not exist in isolation, and when Canadas Harper decided to confront Putin so forcefully three years ago, he could feel sure that the U.S., Europe, Japan and others had his back.

That would no longer be true today. As Merkel noted in her opening remarks, the best way to achieve consensus among the G20 is by accommodating its members rather than pressuring them. This hinted at a shift within the group toward a kind of moral relativism: You do you, and if anything, well just agree to disagree.

At no time was that more clear than during Fridays much-anticipated meeting between Putin and his new American counterpart, President Donald Trump. Though U.S. and European intelligence services have concluded that Russia muscled into the American presidential elections last year with an elaborate campaign of hacking, misinformation and other dirty tricks  a campaign that has allegedly spread across Europe and intensified since those elections  President Trump appears to have told Putin that they should let bygones be bygones.

There was not a lot of re-litigating of the past, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters after the two-hour meeting, which he attended. The Presidents rightly focused on how do we move forward from what may simply be an intractable disagreement at this point.

Broader issues of human rights and the rule of law do not appear to have been mentioned at the meeting. And how could they have been? After Trumps recent attacks against journalists, migrants and religious minorities, The U.S. is no longer an ally on these issues, Barbara Unmussig, one of Germanys leading activists for civil rights, told me before the G20 summit. On the contrary, it is undermining the credibility of industrialized democracies.

The only institutions that still seemed capable of exerting moral pressure on G20 leaders this year were the media and civil society. The latter at least managed to inconvenience the statesmen in attendance. With a wave of coordinated and often violent demonstrations, protestors paralyzed Hamburg in their effort to denounce what they see as the injustice of unfettered capitalism. They even forced Trumps cortege to take a long detour to the conference venue on Friday morning, while his wife Melania remained stuck in a German government guesthouse as protestors blocked roads and set cars on fire. She was prevented from participating in todays spousal program, the First Ladys spokesman told reporters.

The wagging fingers of the media, by contrast, did not do much to trip up the delegates. During an interview a few days before the summit with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, German newspaper Die Zeit grilled him about Turkeys ongoing campaign of persecution against journalists, dissidents and just about anyone else Erdogan accuses of supporting terrorism, including the dozens of German citizens who are currently locked up in Turkish prisons. Erdogan, clearly in no mood to defend his authoritarian tendencies, brushed the criticism away: Well, this here isnt Germany, he said. Turkey has its own imperatives and rules.

And German Chancellor Merkel was in no position this week to question the rules Erdogan plays by. She was too busy scraping together enough common ground to fill the summits final declaration. Even before it was published on Saturday, it seemed clear that the only leader facing isolation at the summit would be Trump, especially when it came to the issue of global warming.

Indeed, Trumps decision last month to pull out of the Paris climate accords has put the U.S. in a league with Nicaragua and Syria, the only two countries in the world that did not sign up to the agreement in 2015. (Nicaragua decided not to sign because it said the deal would not do enough to reduce the emission of planet-warming gases.) In drafting their statement on this issue on Friday, the G20 delegates decided to remove a reference to a global approach to dealing with climate change.

It was a relatively minor tweak, but it pointed to a lesson that did not appear in the G20s communique: No global approach is possible without agreement between the U.S. and its traditional allies, not even on issues and principles that seemed to be settled long ago. That reality may feel liberating for the leaders who have felt constrained or isolated due to the pressure of their peers, like Putin and Erdogan. But for the leaders who used to apply this pressure, it signals a new era of moral flexibility, one in which they should prepare to bend when their rules are broken.

Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly described the countries that did not sign the Paris climate accords. They are Nicaragua and Syria.
By Dennis Owen KAMLOOPS, BRITISH COLUMBIA (Reuters) - Canada's federal government on Saturday offered to help British Columbia in response to fast-spreading wildfires that forced thousands to evacuate their homes as hot, dry weather conditions prevented firefighters from controlling the blazes. Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan said in a Tweet on Saturday that the government was closely monitoring the wildfires in the Western Canadian province. "Fed. government is ready to respond if we receive a request for assistance from the province," Sajjan said some 12 hours after Western Canada's British Columbia declared its first state of emergency in 14 years. As of midday, more than 180 wildfires were burning across the province, according to the BC Wildfire Service. They covered a large interior portion of the province, extending hundreds of kilometers south from Williams Lake in the North, where a regional airport was shut down, to Princeton. About 7,000 people were forced from their homes as of midday Saturday, CBC News reported. Some evacuees made their way to emergency facilities in Kamloops, a city about 250 kilometers (155 miles) northeast of Vancouver. Some cars were covered with chalky red fire retardant that had splashed on the vehicles as it was dropped from "water bomber" planes used to extinguish the fire. Evacuees exchanged stories about efforts to protect their homes before fleeing spreading fires at the center where they were offered food, shelter and medical assistance. Dogs and other pets were taken to another shelter where they were fed and sheltered from the hot summer sun. No deaths or injuries were reported, though Canadian media said that homes and other buildings were destroyed and that some evacuees were forced to abandon farm animals. "Emergency response teams are doing everything possible to meet your needs," incoming Premier, John Horgan, said in a statement to province residents. "I am being updated on the efforts to fight the fire and assure your safety." The province is home to farmers, energy firms, miners and recreational facilities including ski resorts. "Fires are being reported faster than they can be written down - all over the Cariboo," the Cariboo Regional District Emergency Operations Centre said late Friday on its Facebook page. "If you are told to evacuate from your property, please leave immediately. These fires are extremely volatile." British Columbia last declared a state of emergency in August 2003, which was also to deal with wildfires. (Reporting by Dennis Owen in Kamloops; Writing by Jim Finkle in Toronto; editing by Diane Craft)
Its not exactly a surprise that children from low-income families are at a disadvantage. The government-funded Head Start program in the United States attempts to reduce some of the inequalities when it comes to education, but how do children in poverty fare physiologically? And what can be done to ensure their health and wellbeing?

Researcher Ying Sun, a visiting academic at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Australia, detailed a study she conducted looking at how income affected puberty rates in children in The Conversation. Using the countrys Growing Up in Australia study, the team asked 3,700 parents about signs of puberty observed in their children between the ages of eight and nine and 10 to 11. In girls, signs include developing breasts, pubic and armpit hair, menstruation and acne. Boys typically exhibit cues like increased facial and pubic hair, growth spurt, muscle growth and acne.

Researchers then compared the socioeconomic status, based on families annual income, education and occupations, of children who started puberty early versus those who didnt. They found that roughly 19 percent of boys and 21 percent of girls started developing early, when they were 10 to 11 years old. The poorest males were four times as likely to hit puberty early as their advantaged counterparts. For females, the likelihood was double.

Sun theorizes several reasons for the difference. One idea is that poverty makes the body anticipate stress frequently, which could change how the brain functions, impacting how reproductive hormones are regulated. Another thought is that fewer resources might actually change your genetics, triggering your reproductive hormones. Or, Sun believes that environmental or economic hardships could signal your body to start the reproductive process to ensure genes are passed on before they have the chance to die out.

Those who experience early puberty can have health problems later in life including emotional and behavioral problems as well as increased risk of obesity and heart disease.

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While scientists still dont understand how wealth can impact puberty, this new piece of research comes at a time when the debate about access to healthcare grows more divided. Last month, President Donald Trumps proposed budget cut $616 billion, in the next 10 years, from Medicaid and the Childrens Health Insurance program, which offers healthcare to lower income families, reports the Associated Press.

It is an attack of unimaginable cruelty on the most vulnerable among us, the youngest, the oldest, the poorest, and hardworking people who need a little help to gain or hang on to a decent middle class life, former presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton said in her commencement speech at Wellesley. It grossly underfunds public education, mental health, and efforts even to combat the opioid epidemic.

However, the White House believes slashing the budget is necessary, stating that more spending doesn't necessarily equal more enhancements.

Were not going to measure compassion by the amount of money that we spend, but by the number of people that we help, said White House budget director Mick Mulvaney, according to the AP.

In the Los Angeles Times, Michael Hiltzik reports that over the past two decades, the number of uninsured children fell from 14 percent to less than five percent, however he says the proposed budget cuts would cause rates to hike once again.

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As President Trump mulled pulling the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement on climate change earlier this year, supporters of bold policies to address global warming around the world feared that the U.S. withdrawal would hinder action on the issue.

But on Saturday, with the exception of Trump, the leaders of the worlds largest economies gathered at the G20 reaffirmed their commitment to fostering clean energy development and implementing the Paris Agreement on climate change. Instead of attracting other laggards, Trumps decision freed the rest of the world to issue a strong Climate and Energy Action Plan for Growth Saturday that aims to address global warming  and measures aimed at appeasing Trump were mostly absent.

In the end, the negotiations on climate reflect dissent  all against the United States of America, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters following the summit, according to a Reuters report.

Drafters of the climate action plana joint statement on the path forward to address global warmingneeded the support of all of its signatories, typically all the G20 countries. With that in mind, the U.S. had been pushing to weaken the document for months prior to Trumps decision to leave the Paris accord, according to a report in Climate Home. And German officials who coordinated drafting the documents had adjusted some points in response, including removing references to pricing carbon emissions and ending fossil fuel subsidies.

U.S. withdraw from the Paris Agreement minimized pressure to address U.S. concerns, allowing the other countries to draft a more robust statement. The document notes that the U.S. is currently in the process of reviewing many of its policies related to climate change and continues to reserve its position on this document and its contents.

Still, a stronger climate action plan does not make up for the U.S. leaving the Paris Agreement. The U.S.  the worlds largest economy and second-largest emitter  played a key role in shaping the 2015 climate deal brokered under former President Barack Obamas administration. Trumps decision to withdraw will make it more difficult for a future U.S. administration to regain that leadership position.

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Paris withdrawal meant they didnt have to haggle with the U.S. That was good, said Andrew Light, an Obama administration climate adviser who is now a senior fellow at the World Resources Institute. Would I rather be in a world where the U.S. stayed in? Yes.

The rift over climate change strained diplomatic discussions at the G20, even as U.S. withdrawal simplified discussions on the climate action plan. The joint communique covering the entire summit  which the U.S. joined after heated negotiations  addresses many different issues including climate change. In the statement, the U.S. forced recognition of the fossil fuel industry over objections from others.

The United States of America states it will endeavor to work closely with other countries to help them access and use fossil fuels more cleanly and efficiently and help deploy renewable and other clean energy sources, the statement reads.

Nonetheless, policy experts say the strong statements on global warming that emerged from the G20 were far from a foregone conclusion going into the conference. But, hoping to show that the rest of the world maintained committed to addressing climate change, Merkel prioritized a strong statement on the issue and pushed otherwise-reluctant countries like Saudi Arabia to get on board.

Merkel really wanted a strong outcome on climate and energy even if she couldnt bring Trump along, and she delivered in full, Steve Herz of the Sierra Clubs International Climate Program told TIME in an e-mail. Even traditional laggards like Saudi Arabia did not see it in their interests to cross the Germans and the other champions of the agreement to back Trump.

Trumps election last fall disrupted global efforts to address climate change  perhaps more than any other geopolitical event could have. As a candidate, Trump had repeatedly denied the scientific consensus on climate change and promised to cancel the Paris Agreement. But upon taking office, Trump initially delayed a decision to withdraw the U.S. amid a heated debate on the topic within his administration and outside lobbying on both sides.

And, while most environmental groups argued that the U.S. should stay in, with Trump in office, many people who support addressing climate change argued that U.S. withdrawal would be the best path forward to avoid America undermining its implementation.

There is a danger remaining in could muddy the waters and allow U.S. citizens [to] believe they are contributing to resolving a global problem, when the opposite is the case, Joseph Curtin, a member of the Irish Governments Climate Change Advisory Council, wrote in an op-ed. Continued policy pretense leads to a place where nothing is real and nothing can be believed.
Terri Lynn Rote said she didn't know what came over her: Polk County Jail

An Iowa woman charged with voting twice for Donald Trump last fall has pleaded guilty to election misconduct.

Court records show Terri Lynn Rote entered a plea on 27 June to the felony charge and a district court judge in Des Moines accepted the plea. Sentencing is set for 15 August.

Rote, who is 56 and lives in Des Moines, told police she turned in two absentee ballots before the November election because she believed Trump's unsubstantiated claims that the election was rigged and that her first ballot would be changed to a vote for Hillary Clinton.

She was arrested on 21 October at a satellite voting station in Des Moines attempting to vote the second ballot.

Rote hadnt planned on voting twice but said it was a spur-of-the-moment thing when she walked by the satellite voting location, she told The Washington Post after she was charged.

I dont know what came over me, she said.

She added she has been a supporter of Donald Trump since early in his campaign, after Republican candidate Mike Huckabee dropped out of the primary race.

Court documents show attorneys are recommending two years of probation and community service.

In addition to Rote, the Polk County Auditors Office reported two other people to police on suspicions of voter fraud, the Des Moines Register reported.

In the other two cases, those people cast mail-in ballots and also voted in person at one of the states early-voting locations, according to the paper.
Brad Keselowski would like to see NASCAR make some significant changes to the Cup Series cars.

Keselowski expressed his displeasure with the current specifications of cars at NASCARs top level following an accident during Saturday nights race at Kentucky. Keselowskis car got loose in turn 3 of the first lap of the second stage and collected Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson.

Keselowski was under Bowyer as his car got loose.

[Related: Martin Truex Jr. wins at Kentucky]

I just got in an aero wake and it pulled me around, Keselowski said. I knew I was in a bad spot. I was trying to lay up but there is only so much you can lay up here because you get ran over from behind. The air pulled me around.

Judging from Keselowskis ensuing comments, that aero wake has a lot to do with the way that the cars are designed.

They made a good effort, Keselowski said when asked about Kentuckys efforts to put rubber down in the racing groove in the corners to help with the racing quality. It was better than nothing but there are limitations.The way this car is,it needs a lot more help than a Tire Dragon. It is a poorly designed race car and it makes racing on tracks like this very difficult to put on the show we want to put on for our fans.

You do what you can to gouge and claw on the restarts and get everything you can get. You have to put yourself in bad situations to do that and that is where we were. If you dont make those moves on the restarts, then you run in the back. Or you have a bad day.

And then he said this.

It is time for the sport to design a new car that is worthy of where this sport deserves to be and the show it deserves to put on for its fans, Keselowski said.

We then asked him on Twitter about what he would suggest to change on the cars.

We need the cars to be difficult to drive by themselves but not undrivable in traffic. This was key back in the day for best drivers 2 shine  Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) July 9, 2017

NASCAR has chopped downforce off the cars in each of the last two seasons in an effort to promote better racing, especially at intermediate tracks. But the tweaks that NASCAR has made can only go so far. As the sanctioning body changes the rules, teams and their incredibly smart engineers figure out ways to get downforce back into the cars.

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In our view, Keselowski is referencing wholesale changes to Cup cars to remove the importance of front downforce. With cars engineered to have the front bumper as close to the track as possible, turbulent air ahead creates massive problems. A car in dirty air behind another car has a tough time going as fast as it would with no traffic ahead.

That dirty air then forces drivers to either drive more conservatively in traffic. And drivers dont make too many passes by being conservative. Its a conundrum likely only solved by massive changes in the way cars are built.

Keselowski subsequently pre-emptively apologized for the way some may view his comments, though it was clear that his comments were borne of a combination of frustration and a desire to see NASCAR make improvements and not a diss of the sport.

https://twitter.com/keselowski/status/883879211013984256/photo/1

The wreck dropped Keselowski three spots in the points standings to eighth. But with two wins to his credit in 2017, his season isnt about the points standings nearly as much as it as about amassing as many playoff points as possible.

Brad Keselowskis crashed car after he collided with Jimmie Johnson and the wall. (Getty)

      

Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
A 19-year-old rape victim in El Salvador is being sent to prison because she delivered a stillborn

In El Salvador, 19-year-old Evelyn Beatriz Hernandez Cruz, a high school student and survivor of multiple rapes, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for delivering a stillborn baby. She was arrested at a hospital in April 2016 on suspicion of having an abortion  a procedure thats been totally illegal in El Salvador for the last 20 years  after giving birth in an outhouse at her home, then fainting from massive blood loss.

After an investigation, it was determined that Hernandez had not attempted to procure an abortion  but she wasnt freed. Instead, the charges against her were changed to aggravated homicide, with prosecutors arguing that her failure to seek out medical care during her pregnancy amounted to murder.

Hernandez, though, said she didnt know she was pregnant until after shed given birth and awoke in the hospital; shed had intermittent bleeding throughout the pregnancy, and thought only that she was experiencing intense stomach pain during contractions.

A Teenage Rape Victim, Evelyn Beatriz Hernandez Cruz Sentence to 30-Years Imprisonment https://t.co/CQvyvGcWvhpic.twitter.com/YeAXmQXWnR  Diamond Fountain (@Fountainmedia) July 7, 2017

Hernandez had been in a forced sexual relationship with a suspected gang member, subjected to repeated rapes she never reported to authorities because she was afraid of the consequences. She became pregnant as a result of these rapes.

The judge who presided over the case sided with prosecutors, agreeing with the claim that Hernandez had thrown the baby in the toilet after giving birth with the intention to kill him. Doctors, meanwhile, were unable to determine whether or not the baby died in utero or in the moments after he was delivered.

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According to a report from the BBC, Hernandez said in court, I did not want to kill my son.

Evelyn was sentenced 30 yrs for an obstetric emergency today. This is Justice in #ElSalvador When will it end? #Las17pic.twitter.com/AK4xLhfJkC  Kristen Thompson (@herequeer) July 5, 2017

Womens reproduction is heavily policed in El Salvador, one of only six countries in the world with a total ban on abortion. Under El Salvadors anti-abortion law, women can be charged with murder for having miscarriages and suffering stillbirths. Between 2000 and 2014, 147 women were charged with crimes under the anti-abortion law, according to the El Salvador-based group Alliance for Womens Health and Life.

El Salvadors anti-abortion law is causing nothing but pain and suffering to countless women and girls and their families, said Amnestys Americas director, Erika Guevara-Rosas, in a statement. It goes against human rights and it has no place in the country or anywhere.

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The Pretenders will arrive on September 23 to perform at the Menorah Mivtachim Hall in Tel Aviv.

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The Pretenders, an English-American rock band formed in March 1978, are known for hits such as "Back On The Chain Gang," "I'll Stand By You," "Middle Of The Road" and "I'm Not In Love."

The Pretenders lead vocalist Chrissie Hynde (Photo: Gettyimages)

Like many successful ensembles in the 1980s, The Pretenders suffered many hurdles over the years, including lineup changes due to the deaths of two band members. However, the band scored a major achievement in 2005 when they entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Their latest album, Alone, was released last year after eight years of hiatus and received critical acclaim.

Their concert in Israel will include songs from their latest album, along with many of their well known classics.

Ticket prices range from NIS 295-695.
Hundreds of demonstrators protested on Saturday in Petah Tikva near the home of Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, for his hesitant and slow conduct, according to their claims, in the investigations of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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This is the 32nd demonstration in a row on this issue, with protestors gathering every Saturday near the AG's home. Similar demonstrations are being held this evening in several locations around the country.

Photo: Yuval Hen

The demonstrators were heard shouting "government of the corrupt" and "Netanyahu resign!," waving posters reading "free us from corruption," "Family Advisor to the Government," and "Netanyahu is a disaster."

One of the demonstrators, Aliza Hershkowitz, said, "I am a grandmother and I decided that I would not sit still as long as I see the corruption around us. I work in education and think that this is not the education I want to convey to my children and grandchildren.

"If there is such corruption, then you have to go out into the streets and educate everyone on democracy. The number of demonstrators has grown and we feel that we are doing something instead of sitting at home and complaining.

"Netanyahu divides our country and the wonderful people, and now everyone has is fighting each other. That's how the worst leaders in history acted."

Photo: Yuval Hen

Another demonstrator, Yehezkel Baghdadi, said, "I have been demonstrating here since day one, driving around with a sign on my car that says 'Bibi (Netanyahu) the Prime Minister of Thieves'.

"If (Opposition leader Isaac) Herzog did what Bibi did, a million people would have come out to the streets. Bibi would call on the people and they would kick Herzog out, but here the left is filled with bleeding heart liberals.

"Bibi destroyed this country, destroyed the pensions. The cost of housing and food is too expensive. We will slowly bring the people out (to the streets), we will multiply and become thousands."

At first the demonstrations against Mandelblit took place in front of the AG's house, but the protesters were removed from the vicinity by police and in recent weeks they demonstrated in Goren Square.

The demonstration took place without a permit from police, but the police allowed it to take place as long as the peace was maintained, sending officers to ensure it on each and every Saturday.

Photo: Yuval Hen

Last week, Mandelblit spoke about the PM's investigations and said that the police should be allowed to carry out their work.

"I am aware of the importance of completing the investigation within a short period of time, but alongside the importance of acting quickly, it is important to clarify the suspicions in the best possible manner and to collect evidence in a proper and professional manner," Mandelblit said.

The AG noted that "the investigation is proceeding with great vigor," adding that "as soon as the investigation is over, we will make a decision."
BUILDING THE LA RAZA 'The Race' WELFARE STATE ON MIDDLE AMERICAS' BACKS: Months ago, the Biden administration publicly defended their proposal to begin providing federal identification cards to border crossers and illegal aliens who they plan to release into American communities. The goal of the proposal is to make securing public benefits easier.
Rabbi Shlomo Erez Helbrans, 55, leader of the "Lev Tahor" ("Pure Heart") ultra-Orthodox sect, was found drowned in a river in the Mexican state of Chiapas on Friday, according to local media.

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying the reports were being looked into by the Israeli embassy in Mexico.

Sect leader Rabbi Shlomo Helbrans

According to local media, Helbrans' body was pulled from the river by rescue forces on Friday afternoon after the rabbi was swept away by strong currents while swimming before Shabbat.

Rabbi Helbrans was the head of a group of forty ultra-Orthodox families who entered the state of Chiapas about three weeks ago, after crossing the border from Guatemala.

From Israel to the US, Canada, Guatemala and finally Mexico

Helbrans was born Shlomo Elbarnes into a secular family in Jerusalem, only becoming religious as a young man. He studied at the Itri Yeshiva in Jerusalem before founding the Lev Tahor sect in the 1980s.

Lev Tahor is an ultra-Orthodox sect comprised of predominantly Israeli Haredi extremists who leave their families behind in Israel as part of a wider boycott of Zionism. The group is widely considered to be a cult for its extreme conduct which adheres to the strict word of Jewish scripture.

Lev Tahor in Guatemala

In the 1990s, the movement was under investigation by Israeli authorities for allegedly collaborating with Islamist elements against state security. Helbrans fled to the United States along with several students who were smuggled out of Israel with fake passports. As such, an additional investigation into Helbrans for kidnapping was launched.

Whilst in the United States, Helbrans was arrested and served two years in prison for kidnapping after assisting a 13-year-old boy go into hiding from his secular mother.

After his release from prison in the US, Helbrans was to be deported to Israel, but instead fled to Canada where he was granted refugee status after claiming persecution in Israel for his religious and political beliefs.

Underage marriage, beatings and psychiatric drugs

According to estimates, the sect numbers about 230 people, of whom about 150 are children.

About three and a half years ago, Canadian authorities blocked the group from transferring underage members to Guatemala after Canadian courts issued a decree requiring some children to be transferred to foster families after being found to have been severely abused.

Welfare officials in Ontario and Quebec claimed that they had evidence of abuse involving beatings, underage marriage, and illegal education. However, the sect succeeded in transferring a number of the children to Guatemala giving rise to a legal battle over the last few years to expel them back to Canada.

In September 2016, at the request of Israeli authorities, Guatemalan law enforcement raided the Lev Tahor compound and arrested its leaders on suspicion of child abuse. The raid prompted its members to leave the site to a new location in eastern Guatemala, and complain that they were being persecuted due of their faith.

Helbrans and the group had crossed the Guatemalan border into the Mexican state of Chiapas several weeks ago.
- The message was delivered to the team through the ministry of Communications

- The president expressed hope that benefits would accrue from this feat

- He lauded the team for their efforts

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The space laboratory team of the All Nations University (ANU) has received a special congratulatory message from the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo

The ANU team

In a message sent by the Chief Director of the ministry of Communications, on behalf of the minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the president, on behalf of the government and the people of Ghana, conveyed gratitude to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Birds Project Management Team, for their efforts in assisting Ghana to be a player in the space programme.

READ ALSO: Ghana launches satellite into space

The statement further stated that the Ghanasat  1 was released into space and monitored by officials of the ANU, led by the ambassador of Ghana to Japan, Sylvester Parker Allotey.

The entire flight session was viewed on JAXA TV, in Japan.

The president further added that there could be important socio  economic benefits Ghana could derive from this exercise.

He went ahead to laud the team, Benjamin Bonsu (Project Manager), Ernest Matey and Joseph Quansah for their efforts.

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Many young Ghanaians have achieved huge financial success that has made them the envy of the young and old alike in the country.

These young folks are not keeping quiet about their success. They have been flaunting their wealth and way of life on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Click here to get the latest news on entertainment.

Here are extremely wealthy young Ghanaians that you should know about.

1. Nana Wan

Here is said to be the CEO of the Wiafe Group of Companies.

He drives several luxurious cars, including a Range Rover.

2. Ibrah One

Reports say he is a forex trader and a real estate developer.

He owns several posh cars, including a Mercedez Benz G-Wagen.

He also lives in a lavish mansion.

He was recently in the news for giving free iPhones to people in a trotro (commercial bus).

3. Jibril (Baron Cash)

He boasts cars such as Range Rover and a Bentley.

He also owns a Toyota Tundra.

Click here to get YEN.com.gh news on the go with our mobile app.

4. Baron Wan

He is said to be a businessman based in Accra.

He owns several luxury cars and a mansion.

READ ALSO: I have $2 million in my account but my life is a living hell  Sakawa boy confesses

5. Slyper

Slyper is another young and wealthy Ghanian.

There are several luxury cars in his fleet.

6. Alien

He is very rich and owns a number of customised luxury vehicles.

READ ALSO: Enter the world of Nana Ama McBrown.See her luxurious cars, costly mansion and high-class fashion

7. Foster

He is said to be involved in real estate development.

He lives in a mansion and has several posh cars, including a Bentley.

READ ALSO: KABA's funeral poster has just been released and it's heartbreaking

What do you think? Share your views on this with us in the comments section below.

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- Tamale MCE says he'll be meeting with Mark Zuckerberg in his trip to the USA

- He says the trip is part of an initiative to garner investments for the Tamale metropolis

- Says he'll be visiting three major US cities

Mr. Iddrisu Musah Superior, Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) of the City of Tamale Metropolitan Area, has given certain details regarding his current trip to the USA.

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President Akufo Addo and Tamale MCE, Mr. Iddrisu Musah Superior

READ ALSO: Black Starlets skipper apprehensive over USA threat at U17 World Cup

According to Mr. Iddrisu Musah Superior, his visit to the United States of America (USA) is to enable him to undertake "business discussions" in order to entice potential investors to invest in Ghana's Northern metropolis.

The Tamale Mayor revealed that among potential investors he's scheduled to hold discussions with is the founder of Facebook, Mr. Mark Zuckerberg, and other "key strategic private institutions".

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Furthermore, Mr. Iddrisu Musah stated that the his US trip will take to three major US cities, namely Washington DC, Virginia, and Louisville. He added that he move is part of a project aimed at galvanizing investment "around the world" for Tamale.

By the Grace of Almighty Allah, I will this evening, depart for the US for a five day official visit. I will visit three major cities; Washington, Virginia and Louisville. This tour is part of my investment project around world to make a strong case for our city (Tamale)", said the Tamale MCE in a post on his Facebook profile.

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See full post below:

READ ALSO: Asantehene urges gov't to rethink IGF remittance policy on universities

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Hong Kong has got to be one of my favorite big cities in the world.

And this is coming from someone who doesnt like big cities, you know, as a general rule.

But now that Ive hidden myself away in a tiny little town at the edge of the world in New Zealand, a place so small we dont even have traffic lights, I find that I enjoy the occasional getaway to the big smoke.

And Hong Kong is no exception.

About a month ago I was flying back to New Zealand from Europe after taking my parents to Ireland then going on holiday back to my beloved Spain. I thought I would do a stopover in Hong Kong.

Flying between New Zealand and Europe is a long trip guys, usually involving back to back long haul flights. Nowadays to preserve my sanity, I try and stopover in the middle somewhere for a night to sleep, like Singapore, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, China, or now, Hong Kong.

Cathay Pacifics hub is Hong Kong, and they have new flights between Europe and Hong Kong and then to Auckland. Now I had my perfect excuse to go back to Hong Kong.

I first visited a couple of years ago when I was flying to Mongolia for my horseback riding adventure; even then I always tried to build in overnight stops to break up long flights. I cant really sleep on planes, even after all these years.

Luckily Cathay Pacific has an affordable Premium Economy section on these routes, and I take any extra comforts I can get my hands on!

I was so excited to return and properly explore Hong Kong a few years later with new eyes and an empty stomach. But more on that in a minute.

My flight to Hong Kong started off with a bang with me nearly missing the flight from Madrid. Honestly guys, it was the closest Ive come to missing a long international flight.

Two and half hours before my flight was going to depart, I sauntered downstairs to check out of my hotel in Madrid and to order a taxi only to be informed that SURPRISE taxi strike day.

Just when I thought I was missing Spain.

Cue me sprinting through the cobbled streets of Madrid with two suitcases (I had shopped the day before  on Premium Economy you get more luggage) dressed in nice business casual to the Atocha train station to grab the one commuter train to the airport.

Barely made it. Barely checked in (PE has its own short line, thank you Cathay!) Barely made it to the gate on time. Thank god I always pack a change of clothes in my carry on for the flight because I sweated through everything.

It was a good reminder that Ive gotten a bit complacent with my travels. Thanks for the reminder, Madrid.

Anywho, it all worked out in the end and 12 hours-ish later I was landing in Hong Kong in the early morning and making my way to my very nice hotel  the Four Seasons Hong Kong.

I had 36 hours to explore Hong Kong. Here is what I got up to. You know, after my big nap.

Smack in the middle of the Finance Center of Hong Kong, the Four Seasons couldnt have better views or be in a better location to base yourself on a short stopover. Its business meets luxury, and exactly the kind of place Ill splurge on an shorter trip where I need to be comfortable and to spoil myself.

Also, itd be a serious shame to come to Hong Kong and not get a taste of its famous views.

For me, Hong Kong is intense and complex, filled with layers that keeps you coming back for just one more bite. Its the Pringles of Asia, once you pop, you just cant stop.

Hong Kong is a place that for me sometimes I cant tell if Ive stepped 50 years into the future or somehow wandered back into the 80s.

Any city that is that interesting is obviously going to appeal to me.

From a Nespresso machine to a bathtub with a TV to dope views of the Hong Kong harbor to fresh fruit delivered throughout the day, my room at the Four Seasons Hong Kong did not disappoint.

And if you only do one thing at the Four Seasons in Hong Kong, its eat at their restaurant  Lung King Hee, the first Chinese restaurant in the world to receive three Michelin stars.

Obviously fine dining, you should try and book ahead, but let me tell you its worth every penny. Its absolutely the best Cantonese food Ive ever eaten. Lobster dim sum? Ruined for life guys.

I valiantly tried to eat jellyfish and failed. There are some cultural divides so wide that 3 Michelin stars cant even breach, and nomming on jellyfish is one of them.

The more and more I travel, the less I try to tick the top things to do in a new place off a bucketlist, instead trying to wander and just enjoy being there, if that makes any sense.

I enjoy getting lost, wandering around, following the locals. Im much more interested now in chatting with people and trying to understand what makes a place tick, what makes it special. And holy shit is doing that in Hong Kong opening a can of worms, guys.

Complicated and beautiful, Hong Kong is fascinating.

Probably me being a peak tourist in Hong Kong on this trip was taking the Aqua Luna boat around the harbor at sunset. A cheap and classic way to experience the iconic urban skyline, you cruise up and down Victoria Harbor in a classic Chinese junk boat.

Something else that surprised me about Hong Kong is how mountainous it is. For the first time I took the Peak tram which carries tourists and locals up to the higher areas of the city.

Often covered in cloud, I took the tram up at night (thanks jetlag) only to be clouded in at the very top on the observation deck. But I persevered, sticking around til closing hours, and got enough breaks in the cloud for some moody shots of the city below.

I was also lucky enough to have one of the friendly girls from the Four Seasons spend the whole morning showing me the real foodie side of the city. Oh, and unless youve been living under a rock, Hong Kong is a foodies paradise.

Skipping my usual western breakfast, I jumped off the deep end with a local brekkie of something noodle related at Lan Fong Yeun, and coffee tea milk, yes all together. It wasnt bad and it was cheap as chips.

Also you cant come to Hong Kong and not eat an egg tart from one of the many local bakeries.

I hit up my friend Tara Milk Tea for all the foodie tips for Hong Kong, a place I knew she knew well, and man, she didnt disappoint!

I planned most of my meals around her suggestions, an my absolute favorite was a late dinner at Little Bao after hopping off the Aqua Luna. Im obsessed with Bao already so when I heard there is a hipster Hong Kong restaurant, a modern Chinese diner based around Bao burgers, well, you didnt have to tell me twice. It was absolutely fabulous.

Top it off with desert from Oddies Foodies, iconic HK egg waffles meets gelato, and well oh well did Hong Kong suddenly jump to the tippy top of my favorite places to dine around the world.

And before I knew it, I had no more room in my tummy and it was time to head to the airport. Which, by the way, I just have to mention, Hong Kong has the absolute best way of getting there. You can drop your bags at the Central train station in town and check them all the way to your final destination.

So if you have to check out during the day but dont fly til night, like me, you can ditch your bags early and keep exploring the city. Boom. Then you can take the easy direct train to the airport, where the Cathay Lounge has its own noodle bar. Ok, theres always room for noodles.

All I could think about as I was flying out to Auckland was Hong Kong, Im not done with you yet.

Have you been to Hong Kong before? What are your thoughts about this colorful tasty city? Spill!

Many thanks to Cathay Pacific and the Four Seasons for hosting me in Hong Kong  like always Im keeping it real, all opinions are my own, like you could expect less from me.
For picture posts from 2010 and earlier, see the Earlier Picture Posts Page
BUTTE  Butte will soon be home to Sweetgrass Rods, a bamboo-rod manufacturer owned by master craftsman and Butte resident Glenn Brackett.

The business opened in 2006 in Twin Bridges, but come July the rod shop will have new digs at 121 W. Galena St. in Uptown Butte.

Brackett, who hopes to host a grand opening by Sept. 1., said he decided to relocate the business to spend more time with family and cut down on his commute. Much like its former Sweetgrass location, the Galena Street facility will be primarily a manufacturing site and showroom.

Brackett has been in the bamboo rod business since the 1970s, but the Butte resident said the practice of building the rods goes back much further than that. Its a craft that has a 150-year history, he said, and involves splitting canes of bamboo and binding the pieces together to form fishing rods.

The idea sounds simple enough, but according to Brackett the process involves 120 separate steps and about 15 to 20 hours of labor.

Bracketts first encounter with bamboo rod making took place in San Francisco.

He grew up in the Bay Area, where he would often visit the very first R.L. Winston Rod Co., which was then located in downtown San Francisco.

One of the most interesting parts of visiting the shop, Brackett said, was watching the stores craftsmen manufacture the rods by hand.

It was fun to go back and watch the guys, said Brackett. It must have gotten into my blood.

When Brackett was in his mid-30s the rod shop went up for sale. Having a love for fishing and an interest in the bamboo rods the company produced, Brackett jumped at the chance to buy into the business. He partnered with friend and Montana native Tom Morgan, and together they purchased the business.

At Winston Brackett learned to make the bamboo rods from some of the masters, he said.

One of his teachers was a well-known rod craftsman named Gary Howells, whom Brackett said he used to bombard with questions on the technical aspects of rod making.

At one point he said Glenn, I can tell you everything you need to know but you wont know what the heck Im talking about until you build 100 of these rods on your own, on your own terms,' " said Brackett.

Brackett said the San Francisco of his youth was very different from the high rent prices and the tech startups the city boasts today.

He remembers living in an apartment on Grand Avenue, where he would fish from the beach behind his apartment and later take a trolley into the city to work at the rod shop, which was then located off Market Street.

It was really a great business, said Brackett A lot of interesting people came through the door, one of which was Bing Crosby. He was a customer, a long-time customer of Winston, way before Tom and I got involved in the business. So when he came in, you know, Im short. Hes shorter. So me, Im looking down (and say), Hi Mr. Crosby.

In the 1970s Brackett and Morgan moved the business to Twin Bridges, where they eventually grew the company to about 20 or 30 employees and crafted thousands of rods each year. In the 90s they sold the Winston, but Brackett stayed behind and continued to work at the rod shop until 2006 when he and others started Sweetgrass.

You grow a company just so far and then you reach a plateau, said Brackett explaining the decision to sell and ultimately leave Winston. We had no interest in taking it to the next step.

The next step, he said, would have meant becoming more of an industrial operation, getting into large production numbers and outsourcing labor to contractors, among other things

In the end, he said, the move was about keeping a business culture alive that he and his fellow rod makers had created over the years, a culture that focused on craftsmanship.

It was very much a lifestyle choice, said Brackett.

Brackett's longtime business partner and friend Morgan died June 14.

Half a century ago we met on the banks of the Clearwater River in Idaho, said Brackett. We bounced around from coast to coast. We stood on a lot of stream banks through those 50 some odd years.

For Brackett, one of the things that makes bamboo rods special is the uniqueness of the material.

It has a spirit, a life to it that other materials lack, he said.

Hes learned a lot over the many years hes spent building the bamboo rods, including a good portion of patience. The craft is a tenuous process, he explained, and even the smallest detail left unobserved can cause things to go wrong  even for a master craftsmen.

Its very humbling, he said.
PHOENIX (AP)  A forecast of monsoons coming this weekend has left Arizona firefighters with one more thing to worry about as they battle hot dry conditions around the state.

Fire officials said Friday fire crews are bracing for potential floods and dry lightning as thunderstorms develop around active wildfires.

The risk of wildfires throughout the state will remain high until the weather moves fully into Arizona's traditional summer rainy season, Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management Spokesman Bill Boyd said.

The shift in weather patterns usually runs from mid-June to the end of September and is characterized by thunderstorms that stir up dust storms, rain and lightning throughout Arizona.

Boyd said low humidity is a major factor in sparking wildfires and crews are keeping an eye out for lightning without accompanying rain.

"When we hit our monsoon season in Arizona the relative humidity is higher and it affects the moisture in the fuel and that's the main thing that helps us out," Boyd said.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Jessica Nolte said there is currently enough moisture in the atmosphere to catalyze storms but not necessarily any rain. Nolte said those storms create the potential for dry lighting.

"Any of the winds from those dry thunderstorms could cause challenges for those working to contain the fires," Nolte said.

Spokeswoman Tiffany Davila said the upcoming storms are giving officials dealing with two different wildfires burning in communities in north-central and southern Arizona concerns regarding possible flooding because of the expansive loss of vegetation caused by the blazes.

The wildfire burning in mountains overlooking Tucson scorched through 39.6 square miles (102.5 sq. kilometers) since starting last week. Fire officials said Friday it was contained around 19 percent of its perimeter as nearly 700 firefighters and other personnel were assigned to battle the blaze.

There are typically fire crews on standby during summer storms to take care of any sudden dry lightning while other firefighters battle the wildfires themselves, Davila said.
Though Susie Lindbergh Miller doesnt speak the same language as one of her Hmong friends in Missoula, she understands the language of textiles, and the power of symbols.

When Millers friend created a green and white flower cloth using a tedious and precise reverse applique technique, Miller used a translator to understand what the design meant to her friend.

The geometric, symmetrical zigzags represent mountains and valleys, she said. A small cross in the center represents home. In the Hmong tradition, the center post of the house is the most important part. The border represents the greater Missoula area, and the center represents her home. Not in Laos, but in Missoula. Miller was overcome with emotion.

You think about all theyve given up in their lives, and then they come here, Miller said, standing beside the flower cloth Saturday at the Missoula Art Museum. Its pretty amazing to have people of other cultures in Missoula. They share so much.

Miller's presentation marked the the opening of the museum's most recent exhibit, From Flower Cloth to Story Cloth, which displays traditional, embroidered Hmong textiles to showcase the intricate techniques and symbolism in traditional patterns.

This is the museums third time presenting an exhibition of Hmong textiles, though the current collection showcases more personal, home-oriented items in addition to larger story cloths, which express legends and true stories by embroidering a sequence of events.

Traditional embroidered baby carriers, shirts, hats, collars, and large textiles demonstrate the techniques the Hmong have used for generations to create clothing and tell stories. The flower cloth, a green and white textile with geometric, symmetrical zigzags, represents mountains and valleys, with the home in the middle.

During Saturday's presentation of the different textiles on display, Miller, who worked for many years with the Hmong community and donated her textile collection for the exhibition, explained the importance of the household in Hmong culture.

When a baby boy is born, Miller said, the placenta is buried at the center post of the house to symbolize his role as the center of the family.

It is believed that when a man dies, he is reincarnated into his former family. When a woman dies, she is reincarnated into her husbands family as well.

Death and rebirth are the most important transitions in Hmong tradition, Miller said, and many of the textiles on display are connected to that, either through symbolism or ceremonial function.

Intricately patterned baby carriers hung on display, demonstrating both embroidery technique and traditional Hmong lifestyle. Because the Hmong were farmers, women tied their babies to their backs while they worked. The baby carriers almost always have red, Miller said, because it is a protective color. It deters malevolent spirits who might prey on vulnerable infants.

The exhibition is composed of textiles donated by different Missoulians who helped Hmong families adjust to the United States. Miller donated 239 textiles in 2011, which she gathered through purchases and commissions from Hmong elders, and as gifts from close friends.

More than 60 other Hmong textiles have been donated to the museum since then.

Author and historian Gayle Morrison co-presented the exhibit with Miller, telling how thousands of Hmong came to the United States and Missoula in the 1970s, after being persecuted by communist forces in Laos for their loyalty to the anti-communist U.S. government. Today, about 200 Hmong still live in Missoula, she said.

One of the story cloths on display chronicles their experience fleeing persecution and war from China through Burma and Laos, across the Mekong River and into refugee camps in Thailand.

After teaching English to Hmong refugees in southern California, Morrison began working for refugee resettlement agencies, and later visited Hmong refugee camps in Thailand. When she realized how little information there was about the Hmong, she began conducting oral histories. She has published two books that compile those stories.

Morrison said she and Miller met about 15 years ago after writing letters to each other for 20 years. They are both trained weavers, which drew them to the Hmong textile techniques and styles. Morrison said its becoming more rare to see traditional textiles at markets, and these exhibits help to preserve that culture.

This is just part of the wealth that any and every refugee community brings to its new home, Morrison said. This is part of the wealth and the tradition that the Hmong have brought, but thats true for every refugee group. So I think that would be a wonderful reminder. A reminder of how our own lives can be expanded by interacting with new and different cultures.

The artist statement at the exhibits entrance connects Missoulas history with Hmong refugees to more recent local refugee resettlement and world conflict.

The exhibition is a timely reminder of the value of art and creativity to the human experience, and coincides with the recent arrival of Eritrean, Congolese, and Syrian refugee families to Missoula through the help of the International Rescue Committee and Soft Landing. The topic of refugee resettlement is relevant in light of rising nationalism and a recent proliferation of hate speech nationwide. MAM firmly stands in support of these new members of our community and is committed to being a free, accessible institution to everyone.

Entry to the Missoula Art Museum is free, and the museum accepts donations. From Flower Cloth to Story Cloth will be on display until Sept. 20. On July 19, Gayle Morrison will discuss her most recent book, Hogs Exit: Jerry Daniels, the Hmong, and the CIA, at the MAM at 6 p.m. On July 26, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., the museum will hold a family-friendly celebration of Hmong culture, with traditional Hmong dancing and food, and a Hmong elder demonstrating embroidery techniques.
Too many of Montanas lawmakers are also routine law-breakers. And too few recognize that as the glaring problem it is.

Publicly elected state legislators are ignoring ethics laws and the legal system designed to keep them accountable to the people who put them in office. As explored in a series of statewide reports on Ethics in the Montana Legislature, published in the Missoulian this past week, the rules guiding legislative ethics are so loose they are nearly worthless.

Montanas bare-bones disclosure requirements call for close attention from members of the public, so that those lawbreakers who fall through the cracks of official accountability may still be held accountable  at the ballot box.

State legislators are in session for only 90 days every two years. The rest of the time, most of these elected officials earn their incomes working in some other profession, and bring that experience to bear when crafting state law.

Thats only a problem when they fail to disclose any direct conflict of interest or stand to gain an exclusive personal benefit. Yet legislators often fail to document conflicts, and this failure is seldom, if ever, met with any kind of punishment. If a complaint is filed, which happens rarely, the process does not result in swift, meaningful consequences.

These are among the reasons why, in its most recent report ranking the states, the Center for Public Integrity gave Montana an overall grade of F for Ethics Enforcement (it fared marginally better, with a C grade, in the areas of Electoral Oversight, Legislative Accountability and Internal Auditing).

Its also why so few Montanans bother to file ethics complaints, even as they heap criticism on legislators for perceived ethical lapses. For example, Rep. Peggy Webb and Sen. Roger Webb, both Billings Republicans who together own rental property, pushed more than a dozen bills that sought to change tenant-landlord regulations. And Republican Sen. Ed Buttrey, who owns a bar in Great Falls, targeted a brewery bill with an amendment that would have hamstrung craft brewers.

These legislators caught a great deal of criticism from outside the halls of the Capitol from Montanans who accused them of using their elected office for personal gain. Their efforts were, for the most part, ultimately defeated either in the Legislature or by veto.

Yet despite the apparent public outrage directed toward some Montana legislators, only two unrelated complaints were filed during the entire 2017 session  and both were dismissed. In the prior session, only one complaint was filed; it was also dismissed.

Perhaps thats to be expected when legislators are essentially relied on to police themselves. The Commissioner of Political Practices, who is tasked with enforcing laws concerning campaign practices and ethical standards, does not handle complaints alleging ethical violations by legislators. Those concerns are the purview of legislative ethics committees.

Its worth noting that the most recent such committee last convened in 2001, when a representative was accused of sponsoring a bill to personally benefit himself. The legislator admitted the bill would do exactly that  but because it would also benefit others, the complaint was dismissed.

Clearly, much is riding on legislators publically disclosing any potential conflicts of interest. Unfortunately, Montana lacks any oversight for ensuring that they do so. Legislative candidates are given forms to fill out, but if they fill them out incompletely, inaccurately  or not at all  there is no oversight and consequently, no corrective measures. Despite ample evidence of financial disclosures forms filled out in error, no sanctions have been handed down for decades.

That means the public is routinely being left in the dark about critical information concerning a legislators motivations, and that is unacceptable. It is not too much to ask that candidates report any financial interests that could influence their actions in the Legislature, or to require such information as a condition of holding public office.

Further, Montanans shouldnt have go hunting for this information. If legislative ethics committees are not going to enforce disclosure requirements, the Commissioner of Political Practices, which collects disclosure forms, should also have the authority to review them and hold candidates accountable for their accuracy. Its part of the publics right to know, a right enshrined in strong provisions in Montanas Constitution. And its high time our legislators started living up to these expectations.

These relatively quiet months between legislative sessions are a good time for Montanans to take stock of our legislators performance, both as individuals and a members of a larger state system. It is painfully obvious, and growing more painful each passing year, that the system has sizeable gaps, despite Montanas deep history of encouraging public involvement in state government through strong public information laws.

To close the gaps, Montana needs to identify an authority to monitor and enforce the ethics laws already on the books. It makes the most sense to invest that authority outside the Legislature itself, and the Commissioner of Political Practices would be a sensible place. Of course, legislators would not only have to agree to provide that office with the authority but also the resources to handle these duties, and they have seemed to prefer to starve the office into irrelevance instead.

Its up to Montana voters, in every corner of the state, to pay close attention to their chosen state senators and representatives. Ultimately, our votes hold the most power to impress upon legislators that ethical behavior is expected and ethical lapses will be not be tolerated.
Recently U.S. Sen. Steve Daines argued that politically run public health clinics are adequate for all women's health needs (but apparently not mens). He is wrong. He also argued against a woman's right to decide whether to have a baby. Again, he is wrong.

The medical journal Lancet, in the current issue, editorialized, "Last week, the USA rejected part of a UN resolution designed to help female victims of violence  particularly those in conflict zones, who are at increased risk of sexual assault and rape  because it included a statement that women should be given the option of a safe abortion. US representative Jason Mack told the UN Human Rights Council that President Donald Trump's administration 'does not recognise abortion as a method of family planning, nor do we support abortion in our reproductive health assistance'. It is one thing to contest the role of abortion in family planning, and another to deny that women are often unable to negotiate when or with whom they have sex or choose when and by whom they get pregnant."
I appreciated Lawrence L. White Jr.'s thought-provoking, factual guest column (June 30) regarding the importance of Medicaid funding for our aging population. Medicaid pays nursing home costs (averaging nearly $90,000 per year) for approximately two-thirds of patients unable to remain in their homes. In addition, it provides less costly in-home care for thousands more, saving taxpayers billions of dollars each year.

Montana's U.S. Sen. Steve Daines expressed different concerns (Missoulian, June 29). He focused on the cost of Medicaid: "The state of Montana is having a difficult time affording the amount of spending created because we are blowing out the projections." Nowhere did the article state concern for the people, for the higher-than-expected number of Montanans that qualified for, and now stand to lose, affordable health care. He mentioned too the costs of insurance premiums and the "collapse" of healthcare markets.
SUNDAY, JULY 9

MONTANA FOLK FESTIVAL

The Montana Folk Festival concludes today in Uptown Butte. Admission is free to all performances, although organizers suggest that patrons make a contribution. Visit www.montanafolkfestival.com.

LECTURE ON WOLVERINES

The Friends of the Sheridan Public Library will host "Wolverines I Have Known" with wildlife artist and naturalist Kalon Baughan at 7 p.m. at the Sheridan Library. Admission is free.

GOOSETOWN SOFTBALL

Nicknamed the Woodstock of Softball, the 44th annual Goosetown Softball Tournament concludes at Washoe Park and other ball fields as scheduled. Call 406-560-1197 or email at gouscgousc@msn.com.
It is summertime in Montana. Drive down the road, and you will see Montanans pulling their campers to their favorite campsite, hauling their mountain bikes to their favorite trails, or dragging their boats in search of fish. In the fall, they are likely to be adorned with hunters orange in pursuit of Montanas ample wild game. All of these pursuits rely upon public lands and Montanans ability to access those private lands.

Unfortunately, as any hunter can tell you, there are two ways to privatize our public lands - you can sell them, or you can block established, legal public access to those lands. In either case, the public is left on the outside of their lands. It seems to me that lands the public cannot access are, for all practical purposes, private lands even if the public does derive some income from those lands.

Recently, the Forest Service removed district ranger Alex Sienkiewicz from his position in the Yellowstone Ranger District pending an internal investigation into his efforts to defend historical Forest Service trails and easements along the Crazy Mountains. Alex is a Montanan who is raising his family in Livingston. He is an important part of our community. In addition to being an assault on the publics right to legally access its lands, this re-assignment threatens Alexs familys well being and instills fear in our public employees who work for all of the public.

Sienkiewicz is being investigated for doing his job. Dont we expect our Forest Service employees to manage our lands for multiple use? Dont we expect the Forest Service to defend our legal public access to those lands? I believe we do.

Public lands without public access will not be accessible until the Forest Service, or other public agencies, can negotiate an access with willing surrounding landowners. If negotiations are not successful, or landowners are simply not interested in reaching an access agreement, then the public lands will remain inaccessible. Nobody is trying to force open access to these lands.

When legal access to public land does exist, I believe Montanans fully expect the Forest Service to defend and maintain that access for Montanans.

A look behind the curtain reveals a very troubling story. According to media reports. Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Pete Sessions, from Texas, both contacted Agriculture Secretary, Sonny Perdue regarding Sienkiewiczs efforts to protect legal, established accesses to landlocked public lands. According to Mary Erickson, Forest Supervisor,  the reassignment was made after allegations from an assortment of landowners in the Big Timber area were raised to the level of the Secretary of Agriculture , Sonny Perdue, and Sen. Steve Daines.

If Daines and Perdue support public ownership of public lands, then they should also support access to those public lands. By pressuring the Forest Service to re-assign a forest service employee who is defending legal public access, Daines and Perdue are betraying their pledge to keep public lands in public hands. I urge Montanans to contact Daines. Let him know that support of public lands includes access to public lands.

I also urge Montanans to contact the Forest Service and ask them to resist political pressure and to re-instate Alex Sienkiewicz as district ranger for the Livingston district. Intimidation of public employees by powerful interests hurts all of us. In this case, it is hurting a great Montanan and his family, too.

-- Dan Vermillion, of Livingston, chairs the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission. The opinions expressed in this column are his own, not necessarily those of the commission.
Butte-Silver Bows top official has put the brakes on a proposed $90 fee on all property owners to fill a $500,000 shortfall in road maintenance costs and raise $1.4 million per year in new money for street work.

Just two days after a county official proposed a schedule for getting the changes enacted by September, Chief Executive Dave Palmer decided more time is needed to vet them and get feedback from taxpayers.

The plan would scrap four road maintenance districts that charge many taxpayers various amounts for street work and replace them with a flat, county-wide rate of $89 and change assessed on every parcel. Some residents dont pay any separate road fees now.

The timeline that was sent out was too rushed, and I think we need more public input, so I told them (other county officials) to slow it down, Palmer said Friday. I said keep working on it, and in January or later this year, I would like to see a proposal go to council for (taking effect) the following November.

But even before the slowdown, the plan was in trouble with commissioners needed to put it in play, especially with a 45-percent hike in water rates on the table and possible increases in property taxes, too.

Commissioner Dan Foley has long said that streets here need major fixes and the council should raise enough revenue to make significant progress, even though it would mean increasing taxes or fees.

But even Foley thinks the earlier timeline was too rushed and says commissioners were gun shy, in part because taxpayers are looking at other hits on their pocketbooks.

If we want better roads, we are going to have to pay for them, Foley said. We continue, every year, to sort of avoid that.

But, he said, It probably wouldnt be a good, strong sell to do it at this time.

Council Chairman John Morgan noted that most major changes proposed by local officials in Butte require lots of time for debate and possible changes. Folks in Butte, he said, always need time to chew on a plan.

The earlier timeline, he said, did not have enough time built into it.

We have learned from past experience that presentation is key, and if we dont hit the mark on delivering that to taxpayers, then shame on us and we will have black eyes, Morgan said. Its not that I disagree with the plan, but the schedule was too tight.

The plan and costs detailed

Palmer started floating the proposal a few weeks ago along with Public Works Director Dave Schultz and Budget Director Danette Gleason.

It would eliminate four maintenance districts and replace them with one covering the entire county. It would include rural areas and some parts of south Butte that are plowed in the winter and have other work done but currently pay no district fees.

The proposal would also scrap the system of assessing fees based on linear footage of streets outside of homes and other property. People who live on corner lots now pay more in fees because their homes border two streets.

Rates also vary for each of the maintenance districts that cover much of urban Butte, and collectively, the cost of plowing, paving, and other road work exceeds revenue from the fees by $500,000, officials say.

Under the proposal, owners of 21,592 parcels in the county would pay a flat fee of about $90 per year per parcel. A portion of property tax money also goes toward roads, but about 3,200 parcels are not assessed the extra fees.

The change would mean higher fees for some and lower ones for others, Palmer says, but everyone would pay the same. No matter where people live, they all drive on roads maintained by the county, he says.

The proposal would not only fill the $500,000 annual hole in maintenance costs, it would raise $1.4 million in new annual revenue. The county did increase road funding the past two years, in part by tapping into surplus funds from Buttes industrial tax-increment district, but it wasnt ongoing revenue.

Public Works officials say the additional $1.4 million would, indeed, make a big difference. For about that amount or a little more, the county  with help from contractors  could mill and pave an additional 3.5 miles of roads and streets each year, they say.

Over four years, it would mean milling and paving 34 miles of streets instead of 20 that can be done under current revenues.

Wary commissioners

But the plan, even in its infancy, got a cool reception from some commissioners.

One of them, Jim Fisher, said he wanted to see precise plans for how new revenue from the countywide $90 fee would be spent, including what streets would be fixed and how.

I want something in writing that says, If we increase this, this is what we are going to do, Fisher said. I want it put in plain English, including which streets and firm details on what they are going to do.

Fisher noted that commissioners steered more money to roads in the past two county budgets, But I dont think Ive seen much improvement.

Commissioner Dan Callahan, whose district covers lots of rural areas, said he understands the rationale of saying everyone uses county roads and streets, so everyone should pay the same.

But it cuts both ways, he said.

If they (county officials) want to go equally across the board with fees, we want equal (maintenance) service across the board, and Im not so sure how all that will pan out, Callahan said.

Foley noted that road funding comes up almost every year around this time, when plans are presented for the next annual budget and commissioners start weighing in on it.

But Palmer and other county officials waited too long to get the current proposal before commissioners if they wanted it passed in the next few months, Foley said.

The delay was understandable, he said, because local officials were waiting to see if the Montana Legislature would increase the gasoline tax and steer some of the new revenue to counties and cities.

Lawmakers did raise the tax by 4.5 cents per gallon for the next two fiscal years, ramping up to 6 cents per gallon after four years. It will provide Butte-Silver Bow County with more than $200,000 for local roads this year and more in future years.

Even so, Foley said, Its not enough to truly address many of the issues we have.

County officials say an increase in water rates is needed because of a growing deficit in operating costs and more than $600,000 in new, annual expenses now that the Basin Creek water treatment plant is up and running.

But the timing of that is largely the fault of commissioners, Foley said. They agreed in 2011 to raise water rates by 10 percent per year for five years but did not implement the final two years of that.

Nobody said anything, so we just let it ride, he said. Now it has come back to hurt us. So we have nobody but ourselves to blame for that.

Regardless, Foley said, the timetable for the road proposal was too short.

If we would have rushed that through, people would be upset, he said.

Morgan agrees, saying thats especially a dicey way to go in Butte.

If you look like youre trying to rush things through, you get negative opinions, and they start going around the community real fast, he said.
Whats the difference between the U.S. Senate and the Flagstaff City Council?

Both may fashion themselves as great deliberative bodies, but at least the council (unlike the Senate and health care reform) does it in public  and again and again.

Thats one of the takeaways from yet a third meeting this past week on the low-income housing project proposed for Schultz Pass and Fort Valley roads.

Another is that despite some deep disagreements, the council and most of the rest of the crowd managed to keep it civil. When youre in the same room and using first names and probably know each other from some other social or work setting, its hard to start calling names.

That was also the case Thursday at U.S. Rep. Tom OHallerans first town hall in Flagstaff since being elected. He ran as a Democrat, so its not as if he was expecting to be shouted out of the room. But Flagstaff Democrats, as they showed with Ann Kirkpatrick, can be tough on even moderate party members.

But the questioners, mostly from Flagstaff, seemed to stick to the issues and OHalleran wasnt giving straight party-line answers. Thats not surprising, seeing as how he represents one of the few swing districts left in Congress.

DIFFERENT VIBES

Would the vibes have been different if Republican Bob Thorpe had been at the front of the room? Definitely less friendly, mainly because Thorpe has gone out of his way to take extreme positions on locally important issues like college student voting rights, curriculum independence and public lands. But more important, Thorpe dismisses critics as either socialists or tools of a news media conspiracy against him. Its a sure way to cut off the conversation before it starts, even though Thorpe lives right in Flagstaff.

Weve seen that same tendency to label and dismiss in other politicians, and not just President Trump. The presidents problem is that he is limited to 141 characters per tweet, so nuance is not an option if he wants attention. But when he goes for the jugular, he is often wrong  when he isnt simply vulgar or rude.

Republican U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, formerly of Flagstaff, was the last elected official to experience a really rude Flagstaff reception  although he is known for dishing it out as good as he gets. Gosar is a member of the free-market, no-compromise House Freedom Caucus, whose style is not only to attack government regulations as useless but also the bureaucrats who propose and enforce them as lawless and corrupt. Heres a sample from recent press releases:

FROM THE GOSAR FILE

--On low-wake rules on Lake Havasu: We will not stand for lawless, unilateral actions by rogue bureaucrats.

--On the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Act: This overreaching mandate is an attempt to extort communities into giving up control of local zoning decisions and reengineer the makeup of our neighborhoods.

--On Obamacare: Every key promise of Obamacare turned out to be a lie.

--On environmental regulations: Obama has selfishly put his own legacy ahead of the well-being of hard-working Americans.

--On Obama generally: His perpetually inept judgment and disastrous ignorance that has plagued his failed presidency.

--On bison at the Grand Canyon: The Park Service has been twiddling their thumbs for more than three years (and) has continuously pushed out half-cocked and costly management suggestions a day late and more than a few dollars short.

--On religion vs. the rights of minorities: This uniquely American principal (sic) was attacked during the Obama Administration by partisan ideologues looking to advance a far-left, secular agenda.

The list goes on, but the extreme language doesnt change much. Theres little room to debate issues that are the product of lawless government mandates produced by political hacks.

NO TRACTION LOCALLY

We cant imagine any of Gosars stigmatized targets having much confidence that theyd even be listened to if summoned before one of this subcommittees. But were also pretty sure hed get no traction if he tried out any of these phrases at a Flagstaff City Council hearing.

How do we know? Fridays hearing on the Schultz Pass housing project is a good example. Neighbors and others who opposed the plan were facing a meeting run by a mayor who clearly supported affordable housing at that site and even more across the city. But Coral Evans gave the public so much time to make their points  four hours worth  that it cost her side a key vote when Eva Putzova had to leave early. Then, to make sure that at least some low-income housing had a chance to be funded, Evans (joined by Scott Overton) agreed to compromise and pull the Schultz Pass project in favor of another less controversial site.

If Gosar, Thorpe and Trump have ever used the word compromise, we havent heard or seen it. But beyond living in a black-and-white world that doesnt exist, these are politicians ready to belittle and attack without evidence the motives of people with whom they disagree. Is it really that tough to stick to the issues?

We dont have a cure for that kind of debasement of civility and mutual respect that must underlie any politics at any level. But wed suggest a visit to a Flagstaff City Council meeting  or even just livestreaming a session  might be a good first step (if you can stay awake). The Legislature, Congress and the White House could do worse than import some Main Street-style politics into what has become partisan name-calling. And Flagstaff and cities like it might also get a little more respect for the heavy lifting they are doing on behalf of democracy, no matter how many roadblocks are thrown in their way.
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Mugshots.com Writing Staff. Clark County, NV  DeMarlo Berry has been exonerated of murder. He was convicted in 1995 and sentenced to life in prison.

On April 24, 1994, 32-year old Charles Burkes, manager of a Carls Jr. restaurant, was shot to death by a robber. Employees spotted the murderer fleeing the restaurant and getting into a waiting black Cadillac.

Investigators focused on 18-year old DeMarlo Berry, who admitted to police that he was in the area selling drugs and went inside the Carls Jr. to get something to eat. He reportedly recognized the man fleeing the restaurant as Steven Sindog Jackson, who was the leader of the Crips street gang in San Bernardino, California, but Berry didnt tell the police that at the time in fear of retaliation.

Berry was picked out of a photo lineup by one of the employees. Three other witnesses said that he resembled the murderer but couldnt positively identify him.

He was charged with first-degree murder, burglary, and robbery. At trial, the employee identified Berry, but so did the other witnesses who earlier told investigators that they couldnt positively identify him. A jailhouse informant testified at trial that Berry confessed to the crime in jail. The witness admitted that he was receiving probation in return for his testimony. The murder weapon was never recovered. Police pulled 32 fingerprints from the crime scene; none of them belonged to Berry.

Berry testified in his own defense, denying that he was involved with the crime. He also denied ever confessing to the jailhouse informant. He told the jury he didnt tell investigators about Jackson because he feared for his life.

On May 24, 1995, he was convicted of all charges and sentenced to life in prison. His appeals and post-conviction motions were all denied.

In 2011, the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center took on Berry case and got sworn admissions from Jackson that he committed the murder and from the jailhouse informant that Berry never confessed to him. The informant also disclosed several other benefits that he received for his testimony that were never revealed at trial.

In 2016, the Clark County District Attorneys conviction review unit investigated Berry case and concluded that the charges should be dismissed. On June 27, 2017, the prosecution filed a motion to vacate the convictions. The next day, the charges were dismissed.
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Twenty-two years ago today, Memory Lane debuted in the Napa Valley Register. It has been a pleasure sharing Napa Countys past with you, and I look forward to continuing this joint exploration of our heritage. Also, I thank you for all of your comments, contributions and support.

With this being such an auspicious occasion, an equally as joyful historical subject of this column is a must. That topic will be dancing, circa 1920s1940s.

Although dancing has always been a part of the local lifestyle, the dance events of the 1920s1940s far outpaced any time before or after it. This dance obsessed era was fueled by significant American political and social upheavals. Authors Marjorie Midge Lund and Paul Kiki Chiotti delved into this point within their book, The MusiciansA Chronicle of Vallejos Bands, 19201949, as well as documented the Napa County music and dance scene of that era.

They wrote, Prohibitions impact on the social functions of the decade (1920s) was a determining factor in where the music was played. Dancing became important as a sign of social acceptance. They added, When women ... bobbed their hair and shortened their dresses, dancing and music changed to satisfy the new freedom of expression. According to the authors, local 1920s hot-spots included the East Napa Pavilionnow part of the Napa Valley Expo, the Mt. Veeder areas Lokoya Lodge, Vichy Springsonce located near Silverado Country Club, Palisades in Calistoga and Pope Valleys Aetna Springs.

Prior to the Repeal of Prohibition, the Great Depression began in 1929. In hope of alleviating the despair, Hollywood began producing musicals with what would eventually become known as glamour dancing. Icons of this style were Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Lund and Chiotti added, These pictures helped keep music in the forefront even in the worst of times. Music and dancing became a major means of escape from the Depression.

By 1935, a new musical beat was resonating in local dance halls. Swing made its Napa County debut later that year when the King of Swing, Benny Goodman, and his orchestra performed from 9 p.m.1 a.m. at Vichy Springs and East Napa Pavilion. According to a promotional flyer, the admission was 50 cents for women and $1 for men. Those concerts inspired jitterbug dance contests throughout Napa County.

As the 30s turned into the 1940s, more uncertainties confronted Napa County residents and the world. Lund and Chiotti continued, The war brought an era of musical activity that has no parallel in post-war times. By 1941, locals had two new dance venues. Upvalley, there was Paradise Park, now Bothe State Park, which boasted having the longest bar in California.

The second new dance hall was the Dream Bowl. It still stands along North Kelley Road south of Napa. Lund and Chiotti continued, Originally anticipated to draw a crowd of 500 couples, its popularity exceeded all expectations. And before long, over 2000 people jammed the building on a single night. A record crowd of 3200 showed up for two smash-hit performers, clogging Highway 29 for miles with a line of cars waiting to get in. Some of those performers included Cab Calloway, Tommy Dorsey and Frank Sinatra.

With the end of World War II, Americans priorities changed to white-picket-fenced houses, family living and pursuing the American Dream. Lund and Chiotti continued, All the responsibilities of that...(made) a night out a special event instead (of) routine. They added, In 1947, a new infant television was born, which soon made homebodies out of the populace.

Since the post-war years, the once popular Napa County dance halls eventually disappeared and became just a memory.
It felt like I was heading out with a preschooler. I had to remind her to put on her socks and coat. I carried tissues for her perpetually runny nose, and when she fidgeted during a long drive, I passed her the only thing I could reach: a bag of lozenges. She worked the individually wrapped discs like rosary beads, instantly soothed.

But she's my mom, not my child.

They say that we revert to childhood as we age, and in many ways I see that with my mom. For a while it seemed like Parkinson's was carrying her from capable adult to forgetful child to helpless baby. That is where we stand now: I don't remind her of things anymore, I just do them for her. I slide her shoes onto her feet, push her wheelchair, load a fork with pasta and ease it into her mouth - all gestures so familiar from my son's early childhood.

Except that Mom doesn't only remind me of the sweetly helpless baby he used to be; she also evokes the moody, laconic teenager he is now.

It occurs to me first at the dinner table where I urge her to eat. This never works with my kids and it doesn't work now, but she's withering away so I can't help myself. She doesn't say anything if she doesn't want the bite; she just closes her mouth and shoots me a look, the same one I get from my 15-year-old when I suggest he try the beans. His bugs me, but from Mom it's a reassuring sign of her personality shining through.

I used to get that look from her when I was a teenager; I kind of miss it. These days, she has to trust me to pick her wardrobe, and I channel what I've learned from my son: loose-fitting knits, with a minimum of buttons, snaps or zippers. Mom can't dress herself, and we want to make life easier for her caregivers. Comfort matters more than fashion for her, just like my son. Neither one has ever much cared how they look.

They don't really care what anyone thinks, either, especially if they're expected to join a group by participating in organized activities. I always think this makes life easier, but this is not their style. Mom's residence packs the calendar with flower arranging, bead making, chair yoga, singalongs and scenic drives. When she moved in, she rejected them all with a frowning wave, preferring to read in her apartment and then, when reading became impossible, to just sit. When she moved to the memory care unit, we tried letting her dip in for an hour or so before retreating to her apartment, but that's never the best way to enter the pool. I remembered how the preschool teacher would lead my reluctant son away gently by the hand, saying, "Wave goodbye, Mom!" Now I hear those words from the memory care director: "I'll take Mom," she says gaily. "Wave goodbye!" Now Mom hardly resists activities, and while this makes my life easier, I miss how feisty she used to be in dismissing the other residents as "just . . . hoi polloi."

My son isn't as scornful, but from the time he could crawl, he's made it clear that group activities are not his thing. It frustrated me when he was little, but once he got to school and I saw him resisting the first-grade Pokemon craze, I admired how he didn't sway to peer pressure. Still, I find myself worrying that he's isolated and lonely, so I dig for details about his day: Who'd you eat lunch with? What cracked you up? He mostly shrugs or, if I'm lucky, mutters something unintelligible.

I try the same tactic, learned from a guidebook on parenting teens, with my mom. I avoid yes/no questions in favor of "What made you smile today?" or "What surprised you?" But the strategy is no more effective with her. I can't tell whether she struggles more to summon the memory or to articulate the sentiment, but all I get is a shrug.

I'm alert for signs of depression, so common in both of their age groups, but have a hard time seeing through the murky filters between us. They are both in challenging, transitional stages of life. Some of this behavior goes with the territory, some is core personality and some is due to their relationship with me. I have to acknowledge that, as the one who wants and asks the most from them, I am likely to get the least. So I try to back off, but still I wonder, do they feel this gap - between the open and expressive people they once were and the more remote people they are now - as keenly as I do?

Every once in a while, Mom emerges. Once it's at the doctor who asks, as she always does, if Mom has fallen, and I answer, as I always do, "No, thank goodness, no falls." But this time Mom, somehow remembering that I fell recently, points an accusatory finger at me and smiles, "But SHE did!" Another time, I walk into the room and say breezily, "Howzit?" "Hazelnut?" she asks. I'm caught short for a moment, worried, before realizing she's needling me for my lazy enunciation and we both giggle.

My son, too, resurfaces occasionally, unpredictably. It's like I've touched a magic button and suddenly a story from science class pours out: "Yeah, the biosphere project was a disaster! We added a snail and a fish and the snail ate the fish! The meal worm crawled into the pool and drowned!" He's breathless as a toddler for a moment, but then his self-consciousness reasserts itself. Still, I had a moment.

Mostly these days my son and my mom are ciphers, giving me blank looks and dismissive waves. I'm surrounded by photos reminding me of the people they used to be. I look up from my desk and there's my son at 9, unguarded, laughing at a joke; Mom beaming at my wedding. These days when I ask them to smile for the camera, she sits a bit shrunken in her wheelchair, while he affects a stony stare.

It is an odd feeling, how the people in these pictures, in my memory, bump up against who they are now. Every relationship shifts as people age, of course, but the sharp pang of missing someone who is here and not here is never more poignant than now, as my mom disappears into dementia and my son into adolescence.

I'm confident he will circle back and reestablish contact with me, so until then I hang on to our small points of connection: Joe Biden memes, vegan baking, funny animal GIFs. Mom is on a different trajectory. We lurch awkwardly together toward each new plateau, hoping that it is wide enough for us to take a breath before resuming the journey.
Although a key funding deadline has passed, county officials say they still have a chance to build an expanded hiking park south of Napa.

The Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District already owns 411 acres near Highway 12, which it bought in 2015 from Suscol Mountain Vineyards, LLC for $900,000 to become Suscol Headwaters Preserve.

The district had until July 1 of this year to come up with another $2.6 million to buy an additional 298 acres, with the higher price due to county approvals for potential vineyards on part of the land. A month ago, funding for this phase two purchase remained in doubt.

But July 1 has come and gone. The owners gave the district an extension until Oct. 31. Chris Cahill of the Open Space District last week expressed optimism that a bigger park is on its way.

We have a bead on the funding we need, Cahill said

Suscol Headwaters is to be a major natural park close to the population centers of the city of Napa and American Canyon. Users will be able to park near Highway 12 and North Kelly Road and take a five-mile trail to a ridge with distant views ranging from Bay Area marshlands to Central Valley wind turbines.

If the bigger version of the park becomes a reality, as Cahill expects, the small California red-legged frog will be a key reason. California in 2014 named this rare frog as the state amphibian.

The state Department of Transportation under the federal Endangered Species Act must compensate for frog habitat lost to the 2014 Highway 12 widening in nearby Jameson Canyon. Local officials see this requirement as an opportunity.

The Open Space District, Napa Valley Transportation Authority and Caltrans have worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make phase two of Suscol Headwaters the frog habitat compensation site. That would provide $2.1 million toward the purchase price.

Research done at Suscol Headwaters has yet to turn up any red-legged frogs. The deal taking shape calls for construction of a pond with the goal of creating a frog paradise. Fish and Wildlife could bring frogs to the pond.

By building a new pond on the north side of the ridgeline, were away from the spots where the bullfrogs are living now, Cahill said.

Thats important. The bigger bullfrogs, which are an invasive species, eat native red-legged frogs.

Hammering out the details with the Fish and Wildlife Service has taken months. Only last May, Open Space District General Manager John Woodbury said the outcome  and the phase two purchasewas in doubt. Possible steps to protect the red-legged frog suggested by Fish and Wildlife threatened to divert too much money away from the land purchase.

Cahill said potential barriers to receiving the red-legged frog mitigation funding appear to have been removed.

Its almost a sure thing now, he said.

Steps to benefit the red-legged frog will push the overall phase two project price to $3 million. Besides securing transportation funding, the Open Space District expects the state Coastal Conservancy to provide money.

Securing phase two of Suscol Headwaters would allow the parks main trail to extend to a trail on the Tuteur property that in turn extends to Skyline Wilderness Park. Otherwise, a 50-foot gap of private property would exist between phase one and the Tuteur trail.

With phase two, were going to have that connection, Cahill said.

Cahill said the new park could be open in a couple of years. A looming financial challenge will be finding money to build a parking lot and trails.

Plus, the proposed park must receive the blessings of the Napa County Planning Commission. Cahill said the parks district, like most rural property owners with a project to pitch, will need a county use permit.
Proposed Napa County wineries that would produce no more than 30,000 gallons annually and meet other criteria may end up with a slightly shorter pathway to approval.

County officials are proposing to create a faster track for what it considers to be small wineries. A key feature is a public hearing before the county Zoning Administrator rather than the Planning Commission.

This new pathway, if it becomes reality, could save an applicant four weeks to eight weeks, Planning, Building and Environmental Services Director David Morrison said. He and his staff are crafting a law for consideration by the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors.

But Kathy Felch of Napa Vision 2050 said streamlining may come with a price. The grassroots group has been in the thick of county growth debates.

We advocate for more transparency in the government, more public involvement in decision-making, Felch said.

She is concerned about having a Zoning Administrator hearing rather than Planning Commission hearing.

Its not as visible, Felch said. We should be moving in the direction of encouraging participating in government, rather than discouraging it.

The Zoning Administrator is Morrison or another planning staff member designated by him and meetings are usually held in a conference room. The atmosphere is often informal, as compared to the strict structure of Planning Commission meetings.

Issues going currently to the Zoning Administrator range from turning a garage into second dwelling to allowing a reduction in lot size for a second building. The administrator has held seven hearings this year.

Morrison said small winery applicants would still have to follow such steps as filing applications and doing environmental work. Neighbors would still be notified of hearings. The Zoning Administrators decisions could be appealed to the Board of Supervisors.

Same process, he said.

Having the Zoning Administrator handle the small wineries that meet certain criteria would free up the Planning Commission to focus on the more complicated issues, Morrison said.

The streamlined method as it now stands would apply to proposed wineries producing 30,000 gallons or less annually that also meet the following criteria:

- At least 85 percent of the wine must be made from vineyards owned or leased by the winery and within the same American Viticultural Area, where applicable.

- Total building and cave area cannot exceed 12,000 square feet.

- No more than 20 roundtrips can be generated daily the winery, with the exception of marketing events.

- No more than 10 marketing events can be held annually, with no more than 30 people attending. The exception is one event can be a charitable event with up to 100 people attending.

- The winery must be located at least 1,000 feet from a city or town.

Proposed wineries producing 30,000 gallons or less that want to vary from these standards would have to go before the Planning Commission, as they do now.

The idea of streamlining the approval process for small wineries is mentioned in the 2008 general plan. The countys Agricultural Protection Advisory Committee in 2015 endorsed the concept by a 15-2 vote.

In October 2015, the Planning Commission endorsed the concept. Commissioner Terry Scott said the fast-track could help small farmers.

It becomes almost a war of attrition as to when do people run out of patience or out of money, Scott said.

In March 2016, the Board of Supervisors directed staff to pursue the small winery streamlining idea.

Now details are emerging. The county has yet to announce dates for public hearings on the still-evolving streamlining law.
For leaders as well as friends, spouses and colleagues, grace is a precious characteristic. Whatever one thinks of Donald Trumps policy choices, our nation has never had a president more lacking in grace.

Whether or not Abraham Lincoln was the greatest American president, he was certainly its most gracious. Heres the close of his brief Second Inaugural, delivered toward the end of the Civil War, when the nation was a house divided:

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nations wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

On the eve of victory, Lincoln avoided triumphalism or crowing. Instead he rejected malice and called for charity. He backed his firmness with both humility (as God gives us to see the right) and tenderness (to care for him who shall have borne the battle).

Ronald Reagan was usually a model of grace, with a strong preference for gentle humor and a touch of indirection. Asked at 73 if he was too old to be president, Reagan responded: I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponents youth and inexperience.

At critical moments, Reagan chose understatement and humility, which are part and parcel of grace. A former Democrat, he liked to say, I didnt leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left me. In his final speech at a Republican convention, in 1988, he began: [B]eing only human, theres a part of me that would like to take credit for what weve achieved. But tonight, before we do anything else, let us remember that tribute really belongs to the 245 million citizens who make up the greatest  and the first  three words in our Constitution: We the People.

In any competitive activity, gracious losers are easy to identify: They give credit to their opponent and never make excuses or blame referees. Because vanquished opponents (and their supporters) often feel horrible, its even more important to be a gracious winner, showing respect and admiration after victory, and emphasizing that things could have gone the other way.

The philosopher Avishai Margalit explores the idea of a decent society, which avoids one thing above all: humiliating people. Gracious leaders are unfailingly decent. They make people feel large rather than small. In conflicts, they challenge peoples opinions and actions, rather than their identities or their deepest commitments. They enable people to save face. They acknowledge their own errors. They never go for the jugular.

Grace breeds reciprocity. If a friend, a colleague or a spouse is gracious to you, you feel like a creep if you dont respond in kind. Thats one reason that Reagan was such an effective debater: He disarmed his opponents. Reagans grace also helped him to work with committed political adversaries, most notably House Speaker Tip ONeill.

Gracelessness shows bad character, but it is also an obstacle to success and often a recipe for failure. Humiliating people is a terrific way to reduce the likelihood of cooperation. Graceless leaders produce graceless followers and graceless opponents. Gracelessness is stupid, because those who lack grace inflame their adversaries  and turn potential friends into enemies.

Actually, its worse than that. We already have disturbing evidence that the election of Trump has produced an increase in xenophobia, stemming from an erosion of social norms that counteract public expression of dislike or hatred of foreigners. It is not unreasonable to speculate that insofar as the president uses violent images or language against members of the press, or against political opponents, he will end up fueling actual violence.

Gracelessness is an absence of grace, but the English language lacks a word for the opposite of grace. One candidate is ugliness; another is cruelty. Every human heart is drawn, on occasion, to what is ugly and cruel, and even rejoices in them. Prominent Democrats are fully capable of displaying both. Of course, politics is a dirty business, and, as both Lincoln and Reagan knew, you sometimes have to hit back.

But in modern history, no White House has ever been more graceless. Put political differences to one side. Thats a betrayal of our nations heritage, and an insult to our deepest traditions.
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Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue M S Golwalkar's views on nationalism have been 'misunderstood and maligned' and need to be put in 'correct' perspective, according to a body affiliated to the HRD ministry.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to Golwalkar, the second RSS chief, as 'Poojniya Guru Ji' in his book -- Jyotipunj -- in which he tells the life stories of 16 men who inspired him.



The Indian Council for Philosophical Research, setup by the HRD ministry to promote research in philosophy and assist projects in the field, believes that Golwalkar's views on nationalism have been misunderstood and maligned by his adversaries.



A seminar titled The Concepts of Nation and Nationalism in the thoughts of MS Golwalkar will be organised probably next month.



The council has invited entries from scholars till July 27 following which a date for the seminar will be decided.



"The seminar aims at putting the views of Golwalkar incorrect perspective since he has been much misunderstood and maligned by his adversaries. He was a champion of robust nationalism.



"His views on nation and nationalism are to be understood in proper context in a holistic way and in the light of present day Indian and global scenario," a concept note for the seminar says.



According to an ICPR member, "Golwalkar's conception can be regarded as enlightened nationalism when he talks of 'Hindu Rashtra'. It is not theocracy. Rather it it can be branded as dharmocracy."



"He emphasised on 'dharma-centricity' of Indian cultural ethos. Dharma is a very comprehensive concept enriched by several ideas and ideals, customs, traditions and practices which are beneficial to individual, society and world at large," he added.



"One of the major thrust of his views was rejection of communist-socialist-capitalist ideology and revival of ancient Indian ideas and ideals which are not antagonistic to universal well-being, though they are full of patriotic fervour," the ICPR member said.



"There has been a fierce debate in the West as to what is nation and nationalism. These concepts were understood narrowly and still such views prevail there. But in India these concepts do not have only territorial confinements but also cultural overtones," he added.



Golwalkar, the ideological guru of the RSS, was the successor of RSS founder K B Hedgewar. He has written two books Bunch of Thoughts and We or Our Nationhood Defined. -- PTI
Egyptians carry the coffin of a soldier, who was killed a day earlier in the restive Sinai Peninsula in an attack by the Islamic State group, during a funeral ceremony in the 10th of Ramadan city, about 60 kms north of Cairo, on July 8, 2017. (AFP Photo)

CAIRO, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian police killed 14 terrorists in a fire exchange in a desert area in the Suez Canal province of Ismailia, the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

The statement said that the gunmen were among the terrorist elements wanted over involvement in terror operations targeting policemen and soldiers in North Sinai province bordering Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

"After getting the prosecution permission, the police on July 8 targeted the desert area in Ismailia that they took as a training camp. Once they felt the forces were approaching they opened fire heavily and the forces dealt with the source of the gunfire, killing 14 terrorist elements," said the police statement.

The security raid came one day after a car-bomb terrorist attack in North Sinai.

The attack on a checkpoint in North Sinai's Rafah killed and wounded 26 soldiers, while the security forces killed at least 40 of the terrorists, said the Egyptian military spokesman.

Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi held a meeting on Saturday with the country's top officials including the ministers of defense, interior affairs and justice as well as the head of the country's general intelligence over Friday's anti-security terrorist attack.

"The forces of extremism attempt to undermine stability and security of the country," said the Egyptian president, offering condolences to the families of the army's victims.

Egypt has been facing a rising wave of terrorist activities following the military removal of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Terror attacks had been centered in restive North Sinai before they prevailed nationwide, killing hundreds of policemen and soldiers over the past few years.

They have recently started to target the Coptic minority and their churches across the country via bombings that killed dozens of them since late December 2016.

Most of the terrorist operations were claimed by a Sinai-based group loyal to the regional Islamic State (IS) militant group.
On July 7, 2017 UNESCO declared in a secret ballot the Old City of Hebron in the occupied West Bank a protected heritage site. (AFP Photo)

CAIRO, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The Arab League (AL) on Saturday hailed a decision by the United Nations to register the Old City of Hebron as a World Heritage site under the State of Palestine.

The decision, made by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), recognizes Hebron's Old City, including the site known as the Al-Ibrhimi Mosque by the Palestinians and the Tomb of Patriarchs by the Jews, as a Palestinian site and in need of protection.

AL Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit saluted the Arab group for its efforts to win the vote by the UNESCO's World Heritage Committee, Gheit's spokesman Mahmoud Afify was quoted by Egypt's official news agency MENA as saying.

Gheit also credited the Palestinian leadership and its diplomacy with the success, Afify said.

Meanwhile, Meshaal al Salmi, head of the Arab Parliament, on Saturday also praised the UNESCO decision on Hebron, calling it reflects international support to the Palestinians' right in their territories and sanctuaries.

The decision refuted the Israeli allegations claiming that the city is Jewish, he was quoted by the MENA as saying.

Hebron's Old City is the fourth site registered under the State of Palestine since the UNESCO recognized it as a member state in 2011.

Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Riad Malki said in a statement Friday that it serves to refute Israeli lies about the history of Hebron city, calling it a "diplomatic victory."

But the UNESCO decision drew angry reaction from Israel, as Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon dismissed in a Friday tweet the move as "a moral blot," while accusing UNESCO of promoting "fake history."

Hebron, thought to be 6,000 years old, is considered by Muslims to be the fourth holiest site for nearly 1,000 years. It is home to some 200,000 Palestinians and a few hundred Jewish settlers who live there in a heavily guarded enclave.

Israel seized Hebron, together with the rest of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, during the 1967 Middle East War, and has controlled these territories ever since despite international criticism.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 02:09:24|Editor: yan

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ROME, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Ex-premier Matteo Renzi came under fire from leftist opposition parties after he suggested Italy cap the number of asylum seekers it takes in, local media reported Saturday.

Critics charged Renzi -- who is the leader of the ruling center-left Democratic Party and its candidate for the premier's post -- is courting rightwing voters ahead of the next national election, due in spring 2018.

Italy's current policy is to take in tens of thousands of people fleeing war and famine in Africa and the Middle East, after they get rescued off unseaworthy boats along the so-called Central Mediterranean route from Libya to Sicily.

"Cap on migrant numbers. Renzi under fire: he's like Salvini," La Stampa national daily titled in reference to comments that Renzi is chasing supporters of Matteo Salvini, the leader of the rightwing, anti-immigrant Northern League party.

Salvini's party made strong gains in local elections across Italy last month, which saw the Democratic Party lose key strongholds.

"Let's help migrants in their own homes. Controversy over Renzi's phrase, which resembles a League slogan," wrote La Repubblica daily paper.

"Let's help migrants in their own homes, Renzi's new slogan sets internet alight," Corriere della Sera daily similarly titled.

"Renzi chases the right on xenophobic grounds in hopes of picking up votes," Senator Loredana De Petris from the small opposition Italian Left (SI) party tweeted on Friday.

Her comment and others like it came soon after the former premier published an article in which he said Italy must get rid of its "do-gooder mentality" and its "guilt over those less fortunate than ourselves".

"If someone is at risk of drowning, obviously we have a duty to save him," wrote Renzi. "But we do not have a moral duty to take him in," the ex-premier wrote in Democratica, the party's online magazine.

Letting everyone in indiscriminately "would be an ethical, political, social and ultimately economic disaster," Renzi wrote.

Italy has no moral duty to take everyone in, but it does have a moral duty to help those in need in their own countries, Renzi added. "Clearly we need to establish a cap on migrants, a closed number," the former premier said, adding that the responsibility for taking asylum seekers in must be spread out equally with other European countries.

"An excess of immigration doesn't do anyone any good," Renzi wrote.

On Thursday, the former premier also suggested Italy should withhold EU payments if partner countries don't do their part on migrants.

"Let us cut financing to countries who don't respect accords on migrants. They shut down European ports? We block European funds," Renzi tweeted on July 6.

Renzi's article was an excerpt from his book Avanti! (Italian for Forward!), due out next week.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 02:14:28|Editor: Zhou Xin

People march during the 22nd Budapest Pride Parade in Budapest, Hungary, on July 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Csaba Domotor)

BUDAPEST, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Several thousands of people gathered in Budapest on Saturday afternoon to march in the 22nd colourful pride parade of Hungary.

The themes of the speeches revolved around equality of rights. Members of the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) community in Hungary have no right to marry one another, however, the Hungarian government recognizes a concubine partnership.

A few dozen counter-demonstrators were also present at the parade that started at the massive neo-gothic building of the Hungarian parliament, with signs saying "God sends homosexuals to hell!" or "Marriage only exists between a man and a woman".

"Do not fear marriage from us, we only want equal rights," one of the organizers, Kriszta Szekely told the cheering crowd.

Another speaker, theatre director Arpad Schilling said that the equality of rights would be difficult to achieve, because the majority of Hungarian deputies were homophobic.

The speech of transgender Vay Blanka was focused on the importance of unity within the LGBTQ community. "The totally gay often discredit the bisexuals, the masculine lesbians look down on feminine lesbians whereas lesbian feminists criticize hetero feminists for sleeping with their oppressors, and many times gay men show real hatred for women," she deplored.

"Until the different groups of gay people compete against each other, the conservative politicians have nothing to do but sit back," she warned.

"On the occasion of the 22nd Budapest Pride Festival, we hereby grant our support for the LGBTQ community, and their right to show themselves in a peaceful and lawful manner," they wrote in a joint statement.

The loud march passed through main streets of the Hungarian capital city until it reached the shore of the Danube.

The march was led by a techno truck, with shiny happy people dancing on platforms; several thousands of small rainbow flags were also distributed in the event.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 03:14:37|Editor: MJ

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HAMBURG, Germany, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday urged the Group of 20 (G20) major economies to step up efforts in supporting Africa's development and building a digital economy.

He made the remarks at the two-day G20 summit in the German port city of Hamburg, which concluded in the afternoon.

Supporting Africa's development is conducive to promoting balanced and inclusive world economic growth, he said, calling on the G20 members to jointly implement the initiative agreed at last year's summit in Hangzhou, China, on supporting the industrialization of Africa and the least developed countries.

China is a sincere partner of Africa and adheres to the principles of sincerity, practical results, affinity and good faith in dealing with relations with Africa, Xi said, adding that China supports Africa's development through concrete projects with no political strings attached.

China, he said, always maintains that African affairs should be decided independently by the African people, and that Africa's path of development should be determined independently by the African people.

Xi stressed that cooperation with Africa should be proposed, agreed and led by Africa, and be aligned with Africa's own development plans.

Also on Saturday at the summit, Xi said the G20 members should build a digital economy that is friendly to growth and employment.

"We should actively adapt ourselves to digital evolution, foster new economic drives, advance structural reforms and promote integrated development of digital and real economy," said Xi.

To this end, he proposed to implement the G20 Digital Economy Development and Cooperation Initiative and the New Industrial Revolution Action Plan, both adopted at the Hangzhou summit.

The Chinese leader urged all members to cope with risks and challenges so as to steer digital economy toward openness and inclusiveness, adding that the G20 bloc needs to expand access to digital economy and reduce the digital divide between the North and the South.

"We need to pay attention to digitized production and the impact of artificial intelligence on employment in various nations, and to take active employment policies," he added.

The Chinese president also called on all parties to create an international environment favorable to the development of digital economy, better integrate their respective development strategies, and jointly improve the level of digital application.

"We should push for the construction of a peaceful, secure, open and cooperative cyberspace, and explore ways to build multilateral, transparent and inclusive international trade rules in digital sectors," he added.

The summit adopted a communique stressing the G20's common goals of tackling challenges of the times and building an interconnected world.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 07:01:05|Editor: MJ

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SAN FRANCISCO, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Facebook, Inc., as the biggest employer of a city in Northern California, said it is planning to turn a former park into an integrated, mixed-use village that will provide services, notably housing and transit solutions.

John Tenanes, a vice president of the online social media and social networking service, posted a message Friday on its website, syaing that "we are now planning to redevelop the former Menlo Science & Technology Park which we intend to call Willow Campus."

Facebook moved in late 2011, more than seven years after its initial founding in Cambridge, Massachusetts, its headquarters to Menlo Park, a city 32 miles (51 km) south of San Francisco.

Aside from its newly-built headquarters across the street of the old ones that formerly housed Sun Microsystems, Inc., Facebook is filing its plan for the Willow Campus with city of Menlo Park this month.

"We hope to contribute significantly to the housing supply by building 1,500 units of housing on the campus, 15 percent of which will be offered at below market rates. This added on-site housing should also mitigate traffic impacts from growth," Tenanes wrote.

"These efforts complement our ongoing work to address the issue, including the Catalyst Housing Fund for affordable housing we established in partnership with community groups to fund affordable housing for our local area. The fund was initiated last year with an initial investment of 18.5 million dollars that we hope will grow," he added.

At time of its move to Menlo Park, Facebook hired 6,600 people at the site. However, the city's 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report listed Facebook as having 7,091 employees at its headquarters; and the company had a total of more than 17,000 employees at the end of 2016.

The influx of people hired by technology companies in Silican Valley, where the supply of housing is limited, has made rent increasingly less affordable and traffic ever worse for local residents.

As part of Facebook's solution, the Willow Campus is designed to be a neighborhood center with 125,000 square feet, or 11,600 square meters, of retail space, including a grocery store, pharmacy and other community-facing retail.

"We envision construction will follow in phases, with the first to include the grocery, retail, housing and office completed in early 2021, and subsequent phases will take two years each to complete," Tenanes wrote.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 08:11:24|Editor: Zhou Xin

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DHAKA, July 9 (Xinhua) -- A devastating fire broke out at an eight-story ready-made garment factory building in Savar on the outskirts of Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Saturday night, a firefighter said.

The blaze at the building of Medlar Apperals Ltd started at around 9:15 p.m. (local time), Fire Service Control Room official Mahmudul Haque told Xinhua.

He said the fire that originated at the store room on the first floor of the building engulfed the whole floor swiftly.

A total of 12 fire firefighting units brought the flames under control at around 11:54 p.m. (local time), he said, adding the firemen arrived in a prompt and timely manner.

The cause of the fire at the factory could not be known immediately.

Dozens of workers were reportedly injured in a stampede of hundreds of workers fleeing the fire.

In Bangladesh, poorly constructed buildings have long been the source of successive accidents, resulting in the death of workers.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 08:36:53|Editor: Zhou Xin

A fire fighter tries to extinguish a fire at a burning factory in Savar on the outskirts of capital Dhaka, Bangladesh, on July 9, 2017. A devastating fire that broke out Saturday night at an eight- story ready-made garment factory building in Savar on the outskirts of Bangladesh capital Dhaka was brought under control early Sunday; there were no casualties. (Xinhua/Salim Reza)

DHAKA, July 9 (Xinhua) -- A devastating fire that broke out Saturday night at an eight- story ready-made garment factory building in Savar on the outskirts of Bangladesh capital Dhaka was brought under control early Sunday; there were no casualties.

Fire Service Official Shafiqul Islam told journalists that the fire broke out on the first floor of the factory and gutted the first and second floor by that time they arrived at the scene.

There were no casualties, he said, adding no one was trapped inside the building.

"About half an hour before the fire started, the factory was closed for the day at about 8:30 p.m. (local time) on Saturday. So there was no one inside the building."

Officials also said the country was lucky enough to avoid a big fire accident this time as the firefighters reached there timely.

The blaze at the building of Medlar Apperals Ltd started at around 9:15 p.m. (local time), Fire Service Control Room official Mahmudul Haque told Xinhua.

He said the fire that originated at the store room on the first floor of the building engulfed the whole floor swiftly.

A total of 12 fire firefighting units brought the flames under control at around 11: 54 p.m. (local time), he said, adding the firemen arrived in a prompt and timely manner.

The cause of the fire at the factory could not be known immediately.

But dozens of workers were reportedly injured in a stampede of hundreds of workers fleeing the fire.

In Bangladesh, poorly constructed buildings have long been the source of successive accidents, resulting in the death of workers.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 11:12:31|Editor: Zhou Xin

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HANOI, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Police and market control forces of Vietnam's central Thanh Hoa found a truck transporting over 2.7 tons of elephant tusks without proper documents, the provincial authorities said on Sunday.

After being stopped by the forces in Thanh Hoa on Saturday, the truck driver from the central highlands of Dak Lak confessed that he was hired to transport the elephant tusks from southern Dong Nai province to Hanoi capital city.

Thanh Hoa police are investigating the elephant tusk case, the biggest of its kind in the province.

In April and May, Vietnamese customs officers detected several cases of smuggling elephant tusks, rhino horns and pangolin scales worth nearly 450,000 U.S. dollars from Africa to Ho Chi Minh City.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 11:22:35|Editor: MJ

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BERLIN, July 9 (Xinhua) -- German media and scholars have spoken highly of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the country for promoting bilateral ties and global cooperation.

Xi paid a state visit to Germany at the invitation of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin and attended the 12th G20 summit in Hamburg on July 4-8.

Leading German newspapers and magazines have reported the talks between Xi and Merkel, and Xi's speech at the summit with front-page headlines and cover stories.

Merkel referred to "the times of world turmoil" and said that Germany and China could contribute to its appeasement, said Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

The German government sees China as a reliable partner, said Frankfurt Rundschau.

While the influence of some countries has decreased, Germany and China together have the biggest playing field to push forward global goals under G20. The more both speak with one voice, the higher is the possibility for the summit to be successful, said Handelsblatt.

Professor Thomas Heberer, a well-known China watcher from Germany's Duisburg-Essen University, said Xi took up "the major role" to promote a cooperative and open world economy.

German journalist and publisher Magrit Manz who had worked in China, called China "a reliable and sober partner under G20", saying the country's economic image worldwide has improved through its "Belt and Road Initiative" and the synergy of "Made in China 2025" and "Industry 4.0" strategies.

Professor Dennis Snower, president of Germany's Kiel Institute for the World Economy, said Xi's proposals on G20 members' cooperation in digital economy and the new industrial revolution are "of great importance", which require the joint action of developed and developing countries under the multilateral framework.

Fan Xuan, editor-in-chief of Europe Times based in Hamburg, said that the two popular pandas arriving in Berlin ahead of Xi's visit made the two countries more connected and culturally integrated.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 12:42:48|Editor: Zhou Xin

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BRASILIA, July 8 (Xinhua) -- China's participation in the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Germany cemented its role as a world leader that advocates globalization and multilateralism, Brazilian expert Ronnie Lins told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on the world's leading economies to promote multilateral trade and inclusive global economy during his speech at the G20 summit, said Ronnie Lins, director of the China-Brazil Center for Research and Business.

China reaffirmed its willingness to work with other countries to jointly tackle major global issues, he said.

Countries can barely resolve issues, such as global warming, the refugee crisis and environmental degradation, successfully on their own, Lins said.

"So, the key to success will be multilateralism, as the Chinese president proposed. All countries need to jointly resolve these problems," he added.

Meanwhile, the Belt and Road Initiative which China underlined at the G20 summit will help promote the development of the world's leading economies in the future, he said.

The Belt and Road Initiative, which comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was brought up by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, with an aim to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes.

"Within the framework of the initiative, China is strengthening cross-border trade and bolstering ties with its neighbors, which will benefit both sides," Lins said.

"The initiative which helps establish such relations involves large infrastructure projects, in which China has more experience than any other countries in the world," he said.

In addition, close bilateral ties "strategically create a very powerful relationship that makes it easier to protect sovereignty and regional stability," he added.

China is increasing investment in technological innovation which is key to solving major concerns of countries participating in the G20 summit, such as global economic recovery and climate change, he said.

Establishing win-win cooperation will promote inclusive world economic growth, Lins said.

"Today, we are witnessing rising protectionism in many countries, which may spread to more countries. So it is important for countries to have open trade and closer ties," he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 13:57:55|Editor: Zhou Xin

A bullet train leaves the Baoji South Railway Station in Baoji, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, July 9, 2017. The high speed railway line linking Baoji and Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, was officially put into operation on Saturday. It will cut travel time from Lanzhou to Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi, from 6 to 3 hours. (Xinhua/Tang Zhenjiang)

LANZHOU, July 9 (Xinhua) -- A new high speed railway linking Baoji city in northwest China's Shaanxi Province with Lanzhou, capital of neighboring Gansu Province, started operation Sunday.

Thanks to the new route, northwest China's Gansu and Qinghai provinces as well as Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been connected to the national high-speed rail network.

The Baoji-Lanzhou high-speed rail is 401 kilometers long with an operation speed of 250 km per hour. Construction began in 2012. The rail line slashes the travel time between Xi'an and Lanzhou to three hours from the previous six hours, according local rail authorities.

The 1,776-km Lanzhou-Xinjiang high-speed rail was operational at the end of 2014, but was unable to reach central and eastern China as the Baoji-Lanzhou line was still under construction.

The new rail line will boost outbound passenger flow from the northwest and improve transport capacity on the Eurasian rail corridor.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 14:13:05|Editor: MJ

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NANCHANG, July 9 (Xinhua) -- A new China-Europe freight train running between eastern China's Jiangxi Province and Uzbekistan has been launched.

The train loaded with steel coils, garments and daily items, valued at 1.8 million U.S. dollars, departed from Ganzhou city Friday and is expected to leave China through Horgos in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, arriving in Tashkent 12 days later.

More than 4,000 freight train journeys have been made between Chinese and European and central Asian cities since August 2011, with the opening of the Chongqing-Duisburg Line, according to China Railway Corporation.

The trains currently operate between 28 Chinese cities and 29 cities in 11 European countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 14:23:08|Editor: MJ

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BEIJING, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese mainland travelers are a major driving force for global tourism, according to a report released by China's leading online travel agency Ctrip and a Chinese think tank, the Center for China and Globalization.

As the world's biggest spenders, Chinese mainland tourists spent 261 billion U.S. dollars in 2016, accounting for nearly 21 percent of the world's tourist consumption.

The report also said that Chinese mainland's outbound tourism has enjoyed double-digit growth for 12 consecutive years.

Countries, including the United States, Canada and Singapore, now issue 10-year visas to mainland tourists, helping China's tourism market.

In addition, China opened 260 international airlines from January to November last year, stimulating demand.

According to the report, Chinese mainland travelers made more than 120 million outbound trips in 2015, 313 percent more than 2005.

Figures released by the World Economic Forum in 2017 show that tourism last year stimulated the economy by generating over 7.6 trillion U.S. dollars globally, supporting over 292 million jobs, or one in ten jobs worldwide.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 14:23:10|Editor: ZD

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NEW DELHI, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday returned home after concluding his two-nation tour of Israel and Germany.

Modi began his tour on July 4, his first stop being Israel, and it is also the first-ever visit by an Indian prime minister to the country.

The two countries inked a series of pacts during Modi's visit.

The visit was made on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Following the Israeli tour, Modi travelled to Germany to attend the G20 summit in Hamburg from July 7 to 8.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 14:33:07|Editor: MJ

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KABUL, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Afghan National Army personnel found and defused 24 landmines across the country as the security forces continue to press militants, the Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

"The engineering teams of ANA uncovered and defused 24 rounds of landmines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in different places within the last 24 hours," the ministry said in a statement.

The Taliban militant group uses the simple but difficult to be detected IEDs to target security forces but the lethal weapons also inflict casualties on civilians.

Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of armed conflicts as 715 civilians were killed and over 1,460 others injured in conflict-related incidents in the first three months of the year, according to figures released by the United Nations mission in the country.

Out of the casualties, 86 civilians were killed and 132 others wounded in IED attacks across the country over the period.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 14:48:15|Editor: Zhou Xin

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LOS ANGELES, July 8 (Xinhua) -- An excessive heat hit southern California this weekend, with the high temperature in some areas reaching 107 Fahrenheit degrees (about 42 degrees centigrade).

This is also a tough weekend for 2,300 firefighters battling wildfires which have raged in much of the state and whose size exceeds records over past years.

The latest reported huge fire on the Chinese Wall Road, Butte County, erupted at 3 p.m. local time (2200 GMT) on Friday, burning about 2,000 acres (about 8.09 square km).

An immediate evacuation order was lifted by Butte County Fire Department. The Chinese Wall Road to Bangor Highway was closed during the evacuation, and the road was reopened on Saturday.

The fire in the area destroyed 10 homes, injuring six people, including five residents and a crew member, according to the report of the Cal Fire Department website.

Most of the lawns in California were nourished by abundant rain and snow last winter, and have now become fuel for wildfires. California Fire Department reported 2,135 wildland fires by June 25, which burned more than 20,000 acres (about 80.9 square km), according to the report of Sacramento Bee, a local newspaper.

The fire in Yolo County started at 10 a.m. local time (1700 GMT) on Thursday, which burned about 2,035 acres (about 8.2 square km). To control the fire, 509 firefighters were sent to the scene, along with 55 fire engines, 12 bulldozers and four helicopters.

In addition, two engines from Sacramento Metro fire and three from the Sacramento Fire Department were dispatched to help combat the fire, which injured a person and caused Highway 128 to be partly closed.

"In California, we've got about 2,300 firefighters out on the lines right now, we are going into triple digits and it's tough on the firefighters to deal with the heat, but they are all doing really well." Lynne Tolmachoff, a spokeswoman of California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection told Sacramento Bee.

The blaze of Alamo Fire burning between Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County spread rapidly since Thursday afternoon. By Friday afternoon, the fire size grew from 500 acres (about 2 square km) to more than 3,000 acres (about 12.1 square km). The size doubled again overnight to nearly 6,000 acres (about 24.2 square km), according to the information updated on the Cal Fire Website.

Fire department officials pointed out that as Alamo Fire would reach up to 100 Fahrenheit degrees (about 37.7 degrees centigrade) during the weekend and the humidity there is just about 20 percent, the fire size could be doubled to 12,000 acres (about 48.4 square km) on Saturday.

The location of Alamo Fire was on northbound Highway 166. The crews were trying to protect Tepusquet Canyon, while the extreme heat, low humidity and winds from the northeast hindered their efforts, officials said.

Nearly 200 homes got mandatory evacuation orders Friday, including the residents living on White Rock Lane, Tepusquet Road, south of Blazing Saddle Drive. The evacuation order was still effective on Saturday, while some people chose to stay. Six people went to the Red Cross Shelter Friday night in the Minami Community Center in Santa Maria. Six large animals were also sheltered at the Elks Rodeo. The area along Highway 166 was closed, Los Angeles Times reported.

Two wildfires erupted in Kern County on Friday, scorching 2,940 acres (about 11.8 square km) and 1,626 acres (about 6.5 square km) were quickly burned out. In the fire danger season, state firefighters usually are continually dispatched to put out fires.

According to a report of National Interagency Fire Center, more than 32,000 fires have been reported over 3.2 million acres (about 12,950 square km) so far this year, an increase of about 800,000 acres (about 3,237 square km) over last year at this point.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 16:48:55|Editor: Mengjie

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BEIJING, July 9 (Xinhua) -- A senior cultural official said Sunday that China should shoulder more responsibility for world heritage protection and promoting international cooperation.

With more inscriptions, comes greater responsibility and more duties, said Liu Yuzhu, head of China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

Liu's remark came after the country's Gulangyu historic international settlement was put on the UNESCO's world heritage list Saturday.

China will work closely with international organizations, promote the protection of world heritage and share its experiences, according to Liu.

In the meantime, China will continue its participation in the practices of world heritage protection, including international protection of Cambodia's Angkor Wat and helping Nepal restore a temple in Kathmandu's Durbar Square.

Liu also pledged further coordination and cooperation in protecting heritage sites with countries along the ancient Silk Road, the south Asia silk road and the ancient Maritime Silk Road.

In addition, Liu called for calm among Chinese regarding successful inscriptions, as the country still faces many problems in supervising, protecting and managing the heritage.

We should focus on improving our management, protection and preservation work, Liu said.

Gulangyu is the 52nd Chinese site inscribed on the list.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 17:54:08|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, July 9 (Xinhua) -- China's online catering sector is continuing to expand quickly as more than 300 million meals are expected to be ordered online this year, according a recent industry forecast.

The country's take-out business will account for more than 10 percent of the catering industry's total retail revenue by 2020, said Jiang Junxian, head of the China Cuisine Association.

In 2016, a total of 256 million meals were ordered online, up 22.5 percent from 2015, he revealed at an industry conference on online catering.

The market size of China's take-out business exceeded 160 billion yuan (about 23.49 billion U.S. dollars) in 2016, up 33 percent year on year, Jiang said.

Besides regular meals, the Chinese are increasingly interested in other types of online catering services such as late-night snacks and afternoon tea.

Last year, transaction volumes for these two types of services jumped more than three-fold on Ele.me, one of the country's largest online catering platforms, much higher than the growth in lunch and dinner orders.

The thriving online business has also brought vitality to the country's traditional catering sector. For Jinbaiwan, a chain restaurant famous for Peking duck and Chinese cuisine in Beijing, take-out business is now contributing a daily revenue of nearly 800,000 yuan, or 40 percent of its total turnover.

Facing the brisk growth of the online catering sector, Jiang said food safety was always of top priority, which required close cooperation between caterers and delivery providers.

He also called for more smart technology and fine arrangements for delivery service to ensure healthy and sustained development in the sector.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 17:54:09|Editor: Liangyu

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HAMBURG, Germany, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Russia has promoted bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination and pragmatic cooperation to a higher level, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Saturday.

During the visit, the two sides pledged to strengthen and deepen the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, Wang said.

China and Russia are good neighbors, good friends and good partners, and bilateral ties are currently in their best time in history, which sets a model of relations between major countries as well as between neighboring countries, he said.

Xi's visit to Russia contributed to maintaining the momentum of high-level exchange between the two countries and injected new impetus into the development of bilateral ties, he added.

During his 26-hour compact visit that kicked off on Monday, Xi met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. The leaders had in-depth discussions on deepening bilateral ties and promoting cooperation in various fields.

They reached consensus on a series of major issues, spelling out new strategic guidance to China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, Wang said.

During the visit, Xi was awarded by Putin the highest order of Russia, known as the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called.

The Chinese president stressed that the two countries should continue to deepen political and strategic mutual trust, while Putin pointed out that the high-level mutual trust and complete cooperation mechanisms are enormous advantages in Russia-China relations, Wang recalled.

During the visit, the two countries agreed to strengthen support to each other in issues concerning each other's core interests.

The two heads of state signed a joint statement on further deepening the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination and ratified the 2017-2020 implementation guideline for the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation, which made an overall planning for the development of bilateral relations, Wang said.

The Russian leaders stressed on many occasions that Russia would exert all efforts to support the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, and expressed willingness to promote the development and prosperity of Eurasia, Wang said.

Proposed by Xi in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa on and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes. It comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

The two sides will continue to practically promote the alignment of the Belt and Road construction with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union, accelerate negotiations between China and the Euraasian Economic Union on economic and trade cooperation, actively explore cooperation on the Northern Sea Route and jointly build a "Silk Road on Ice."

The two sides agreed to deepen pragmatic cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, investment, energy, aerospace, inter-connectivity, regional development and agriculture, and carry out a number of major cooperation projects.

Meanwhile, the two sides agreed to give priority to communication, coordination and strategic cooperation in dealing with major, important or difficult issues, Wang said.

The two sides will join other countries in safeguarding international balance and strategic stability, jointly responding to terrorist threats, promoting political solutions to regional hotspot issues, building an inclusive global economy and making complete the global governance system, he added.

In the development of bilateral relations, China and Russia have kept deepening their comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination on the basis of non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting third countries, which is becoming a paradigm for new-type relations between major countries, and which demonstrates powerful vigor and vitality as well as enormous development potential, Wang said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 17:59:11|Editor: Liangyu

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WASHINGTON, July 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence apologized to NASA on Twitter on Friday after a photo showing him touching a piece of hardware with an apparent "DO NOT TOUCH" sign went viral on social media.

Pence was visiting the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday when the photo was taken, and he put his hand on what was labelled as a "critical space flight hardware."

He later said "sorry" to NASA on Twitter, joking that Florida Senator Marco Rubio dared him to do it, highlighting Rubio with a red circle mark in the accompanying photo.

NASA then replied with wit and humor, saying that "It was OK to touch the surface. Those are just day-to-day reminder signs. We are going to clean it anyway," adding that it was an honor to host the vice president.

The photo had gone viral shortly after it was posted, with some social media users criticizing the vice president for not following the sign. Some mocked Pence by adding hilarious captions or photo-shopping the image, altering the object he was touching.

Pence later joined the mocking crowd, posting a tweet that reads "Okay... so this isn't exactly the first time this has happened", replacing the NASA hardware in the photo with a porcupine.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 18:14:16|Editor: Liangyu

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DAMASCUS, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The ceasefire agreement reached between the United States and Russia went into effect on Sunday in southern Syria, local media reported.

The ceasefire covers the provinces of Sweida, Daraa, and Qunaitera, according to the media.

On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States and Russia had reached ceasefire agreement to quell fighting in southwest Syria.

He said the agreement, if it holds, may be a blueprint for other parts of the country. "This area in the south is our first show of success. We hope we can replicate that elsewhere," he said.

The ceasefire is part of the de-escalation zones' deal, which went into force last May in four Syrian areas including the southern part of Syria, where battles flared up again, prompting the United States and Russia to agree to a ceasefire.
United Nations Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy talks to press in Damascus, Syria July 8, 2017. (Reuters photo)

DAMASCUS, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The ceasefire agreement reached between the United States and Russia went into effect on Sunday in southern Syria, local media reported.

The ceasefire covers the provinces of Sweida, Daraa, and Qunaitera, according to the media.

On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States and Russia had reached ceasefire agreement to quell fighting in southwest Syria.

He said the agreement, if it holds, may be a blueprint for other parts of the country. "This area in the south is our first show of success. We hope we can replicate that elsewhere," he said.

The ceasefire is part of the de-escalation zones' deal, which went into force last May in four Syrian areas including the southern part of Syria, where battles flared up again, prompting the United States and Russia to agree to a ceasefire.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 19:04:35|Editor: Liangyu

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MOSUL, Iraq, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi forces battling Islamic State (IS) militants on Sunday recaptured a new area and pushed the remaining extremist militants into last pocket in the Old City in the western side of Mosul, the Iraqi military said.

The commandos of the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) liberated al-Maidan area in the heavily-populated Old City center and reached the bank of the Tigris River, Abdul-Amir Yarallah from the Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement.

The CTS and the army's 9th Armored Division are still fighting heavy house-to-house clashes against IS militants into the narrow alleys in the last two pockets in the neighborhoods of al-Qlei'at and al-Shahwan in the Old City, a security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The fighting in the Old City is becoming heavier as Iraqi forces push the extremist IS militants into the strip of land along the bank of the Tigris River.

The desperate militants have been increasingly resorting to suicide attacks and showing stiff resistance that slowed the troops' progress in recent days.

And there were a large number of roadside bombs and booby-trapped buildings, in addition to IS snipers taking positions in the buildings and narrow alleys of heavily-populated neighborhoods, where thousands of civilians still live under IS rule.

Mosul, 400 km north of Iraq's capital Baghdad, came under IS control since June 2014, when government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.
A picture taken on July 9, 2017, shows Iraqi forces walking amidst the destruction in Mosul's Old City. Iraq will announce imminently a final victory in the nearly nine-month offensive to retake Mosul from jihadists, a US general said Saturday, as celebrations broke out among police forces in the city. (AFP Photo)

MOSUL, Iraq, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi forces battling Islamic State (IS) militants on Sunday recaptured a new area and pushed the remaining extremist militants into last pocket in the Old City in the western side of Mosul, the Iraqi military said.

The commandos of the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) liberated al-Maidan area in the heavily-populated Old City center and reached the bank of the Tigris River, Abdul-Amir Yarallah from the Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement.

The CTS and the army's 9th Armored Division are still fighting heavy house-to-house clashes against IS militants into the narrow alleys in the last two pockets in the neighborhoods of al-Qlei'at and al-Shahwan in the Old City, a security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The fighting in the Old City is becoming heavier as Iraqi forces push the extremist IS militants into the strip of land along the bank of the Tigris River.

The desperate militants have been increasingly resorting to suicide attacks and showing stiff resistance that slowed the troops' progress in recent days.

And there were a large number of roadside bombs and booby-trapped buildings, in addition to IS snipers taking positions in the buildings and narrow alleys of heavily-populated neighborhoods, where thousands of civilians still live under IS rule.

Mosul, 400 km north of Iraq's capital Baghdad, came under IS control since June 2014, when government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 19:54:59|Editor: Liangyu

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TEHRAN, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Turkey are mulling a plan to achieve free trade between the two countries based on an earlier agreement to remove preferential tariffs, Press TV reported on Sunday.

The announcement was made by Mahmoud Vaezi, Iran's Minister of Communications and Information Technology, after his meeting with the visiting Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci.

Tehran and Ankara had already taken measures to realize the mutual trade objectives that they had agreed on during the earlier meetings between the presidents of both countries, said Vaezi.

Both sides need to enhance their banking cooperation to facilitate the expansion of their mutual trade, he stressed.

To this end, Iran and Turkey had agreed to study the mechanisms needed for using their own currencies in trade transactions between the two countries, he said, adding that the issue will be discussed in more precise details during an upcoming visit to Tehran by the governor of Turkish central bank.

During Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara in April 2016, both sides agreed to strengthen economic ties and cooperate in the fight against terrorism.

Energy-hungry Turkey imports large amounts of natural gas from Iran and the two countries are looking to boost banking and trade ties.

Iran and Turkey have stressed the boost of mutual trade value tripling it to 30 billion U.S. dollars annually.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 19:59:58|Editor: Liangyu

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ADEN, Yemen, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Warships of the Saudi-led Arab coalition launched an intensified bombing on a number of positions held by fighters of the Shiite Houthi group in war-torn Yemeni province of Taiz on Sunday, a military official told Xinhua.

According to the military source, "the Saudi-led warships based near the Mocha seaport bombed several positions held by Houthi fighters in Hamli and Khaled Bin-Walid military bases in the western part of Taiz province."

Arms depots and military vehicles belonging to the Houthi militias were completely destroyed in the Saudi-led bombing in Taiz's western area, the source said.

Medical sources in the area confirmed to Xinhua that the shelling that targeted the Houthi-controlled sites resulted in killing 15 Houthi gunmen and injuring more than 20 others.

Airstrikes launched by fighter jets of the Saudi-led Arab coalition targeted on Sunday military positions used for firing missiles by Houthis in Taiz.

Meanwhile, intense fighting continued between the Saudi-backed government forces and the Shiite Houthi fighters in different northern provinces, causing casualties from both warring sides.

Taiz province has for long been under total blockade and witnessed indiscriminate shelling by the Shiite Houthis who control most parts of Taiz province.

Yemen has been suffering from a civil war and a Saudi-led military intervention for around two years.

The civil war began after the Houthi militants with support from forces loyal to the former president ousted the UN-backed transitional government and occupied capital Sanaa militarily in September 2014.

The legitimate government controls the south and some eastern parts, while the Houthi /Saleh alliance controls the other parts including the capital Sanaa.

The UN has sponsored peace talks between the warring factions several times, but the factions failed to reach common ground.

The civil war, ground battles and airstrikes have already killed more than 10,000 people, half of them civilians, injured more than 35,000 others and displaced over two millions, according to humanitarian agencies.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 20:05:00|Editor: Liangyu

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CAPE TOWN, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The just-concluded G20 Summit managed to discuss and agree on various developmental matters that would be of advantage to South Africa and the African continent, South African President Jacob Zuma said Sunday.

These included the launch of the G20 Africa Partnership, Zuma said upon return from Hamburg, Germany where the summit was held on July 7-8.

This program was launched in recognition of the opportunities and challenges in Africa as well as the goals of the United Nations Social Development Agenda 2030, said Zuma.

"It was agreed that this initiative would be based on equal partnerships and will be in line with the African Union Agenda 2063," the president said.

The partnership will serve South Africa's national interest as it will generate a sustainable and inclusive economic growth, help create decent employment and economic advancement for women and youth as well as alleviate poverty and inequality, according to Zuma.

The partnership will include developmental projects such as G20 Initiative for Rural Youth Employment in developing countries with a focus on Africa, aiming to creat 1.1 million new jobs by 2022 and provide innovative skills development program for at least 5 million young people over the next five years.

The G20 Africa Partnership program will also include projects such as the Women Entrepreneurs Financing Initiative housed at the World Bank, and establishment of the Business Women's Leaders Task Force to work with the G20's Women20 and Business20 initiatives as well as the launch of the eSkills4Girls Initiative to promote opportunities and equal participation for women and girls in digital economy, in particular in low-income and developing countries.

Such developmental programs, Zuma said, were necessary to address the growing discontent by citizens, which is a bigger issue confronting the world.

"We are confronted by rising inequality within countries and a lack of quality jobs. It can not be 'business as usual' where we simply take an approach to better explain the benefits of trade," Zuma said.

South Africa is one of the 19 member countries of the G20 which, in addition to the European Union (EU), has been meeting regularly since 1999 to discuss global economic policy coordination.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (C) walks with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, (L), the deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) during his visit to Mosul. (Reuters Photo)

MOSUL, Iraq, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared here on Sunday victory in battles to liberate Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (C) declares victory of Mosul battles against IS group on July 9. (Reuters Photo)

MOSUL, Iraq, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Mosul on Sunday and congratulated the armed forces for their victory over Islamic State after 266 days of battles, liberating Mosul from IS after its three years of rule in the city.

Liberating Mosul from the occupation of Islamic State (IS) is a great victory for Iraq's anti-terror war, but the war-torn country will face grave challenges of national reconstruction and reconciliation, experts said.

Iraqi forces have liberated Mosul, the capital city of Iraq's northern province of Nineveh and the second largest Iraqi city, after a nine-month fierce battle to drive out IS, which had used the city as its de facto capital.

It was in Mosul that IS leader Sheikh Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared in 2014 the establishment of Islamic State (IS), a caliphate in Iraq and Syria. The fall of Mosul symbolizes the total collapse of IS in Iraq.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 21:15:25|Editor: Mengjie

The bullet train D2685 leaves Xi'an North Railway Station in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, July 9, 2017. A new high speed railway linking Baoji city in northwest China's Shaanxi Province with Lanzhou, capital of neighboring Gansu Province, started operation Sunday. Thanks to the new route, northwest China's Gansu and Qinghai provinces as well as Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been connected to the national high-speed rail network. (Xinhua/Zhang Bowen)

LANZHOU, July 9 (Xinhua) -- A new high speed railway linking Baoji city in northwest China's Shaanxi Province with Lanzhou, capital of neighboring Gansu Province, started operation Sunday.

Thanks to the new route, northwest China's Gansu and Qinghai provinces as well as Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been connected to the national high-speed rail network.

It also marks the expansion of a high-speed rail line along the ancient Silk Road, a trade route which connected China and Eurasia two thousand years ago but used to take months for people to travel on camelback.

The Baoji-Lanzhou high-speed rail is 401 kilometers long with an operation speed of 250 km per hour. Construction began in 2012. The rail line slashes the travel time between Xi'an and Lanzhou to three hours from the previous six hours, according local rail authorities.

The 1,776-km Lanzhou-Xinjiang high-speed rail was operational at the end of 2014, but was unable to reach central and eastern China as the Baoji-Lanzhou line was still under construction.

The new rail line is part of China's efforts to boost connectivity along the Belt and Road, where transportation demand is surging as regional ties and cooperation keep strengthening.

By linking key cities along the ancient silk road such as Xi'an, Lanzhou, Xining and Urumqi, the new route is expected to boost outbound passenger flow from the northwest and improve transport capacity on the Eurasian rail corridor.

In less than two hours, train tickets for the newly-opened Baoji-Lanzhou were sold out after pre-sale started Thursday afternoon.

"Now that the railway has opened, my wife and daughter can come and visit me more often," said a Kazakhstani student in Xi'an who adopted the Chinese name of Mi De.

He said he used to fly from his hometown to Urumqi and then spend more than 30 hours on train to travel from Urumqi to Xi'an.

As part of the national network, the new route also makes it easier to visit the ancient silk road, home to countless natural scenery and historical sites such as snow-capped mountains, forests, deserts and the Maiji Mountain Grottoes.

Train travel into the northwest region is no longer tedious, and it is now only a nine-hour trip from Shanghai in the east to Lanzhou city, down from the previous 23 hours.

China had built more than 22,000 km of high-speed rail lines by the end of last year. The mileage will increase to 45,000 km by 2030.

Ma Tao, an official with the local railway bureau of Lanzhou, said he expected fresh tourism opportunities for the regions along the new rail route.

To promote regional tourism, photos and brochures are now distributed on trains between Lanzhou and the eastern Xuzhou city, while visitors can enjoy discounts on local tours and accommodation with high-speed railway tickets.

Meanwhile, as more tourists are attracted to high-speed rail, freight transport on slower railways such as the Lianyungang-Lanzhou Railway will receive a boost.

Cutting one pair of passenger trains on the Lianyungang-Lanzhou Railway will help add two to three freight trains on the same line, each with a capacity of 1 million tonnes, according to Xu Jiangen, deputy chief engineer with Xi'an railway bureau.

For the less developed northwest region, enhanced transport means increased investment, more jobs and development opportunities.

In Tongwei, one of the most impoverished counties in Gansu, the Baoji-Lanzhou high-speed rail has for the first time connected the area with many of China's major cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou and Wuhan.

Each year, locals from Tongwei make more than 100,000 trips to leave home to find jobs as migrant workers, and now the trip will be much more easier, said Wang Xiangxiong, a local poverty relief official.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 21:45:34|Editor: Mengjie

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HEFEI, July 9 (Xinhua) -- In China, lifeguards might soon join a growing list of professionals who will be replaced by robots or at least working with them on their jobs.

The Institute of Intelligent Machines under the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced this week that it has launched the country's first unmanned speedboat to save people from drowning.

The speedboat is equipped with cameras and infrared sensors to detect "moving targets" in the water, said Yu Yangdao, who led the craft's development. Once a swimmer crosses the danger line, the speedboat will locate him/her, calculate the risk of drowning, and send a signal to the command center. The rescue team will then be alerted to take action.

Yu said the unmanned lifeguard speedboat marked a breakthrough in China, whose unmanned vessels have been technologically inferior to the ones manufactured in the United Stated and Israel and its use has largely been restricted to environmental surveillance and data collection.

The craft made its debut recently in Hefei City, capital of east China's Anhui Province to monitor swimmers and tourists at the popular Swan Lake, where drownings often occur.

Yu said the speedboat will be used to patrol rivers, reservoirs, lakes, and seas in the future.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 21:50:48|Editor: Liangyu

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CAIRO/MOSUL, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Sunday arrived in Mosul and congratulated the Iraqi army on the victory against Islamic State (IS) in the nine-month battles to liberate Mosul.

Here is the timeline of the major events in the battle to recapture Mosul from IS since October, 2016.

The major offensive to recapture Mosul, the capital of Nineveh Province and second largest city in Iraq, from the IS started on Oct. 17, 2016, as announced by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces.

"Today I declare the launch of the operation of liberating Nineveh province. The time of victory has come, and the moment of the great victory is approaching," Abadi said in his brief address aired on Al Iraqiya.

On Oct. 31, Iraqi security forces entered Gogjali district, marking the first time it had reached the edge of Mosul after two weeks of the massive offensive to dislodge IS militants from their last major stronghold in Iraq.

On Nov. 1, Iraqi security forces seized Gogjali district and took control of the state television building, the first important building it captured in the IS-held city.

On Nov. 5, the Iraqi army and federal police entered Hammam al-Alil, capturing the last and largest town south of Mosul, as battles against IS militants in the eastern part of the city continued.

On Nov. 16, Iraqi paramilitary units, known as Hashd Shaabi, announced the liberation of strategic Tal Afar air base west of Mosul, saying the recapture of the air base would cut off the supply routes between Mosul and the IS-held town of Tal Afar.

On Nov. 23, Iraqi security forces completely encircled Mosul, cutting off the IS supply routes from the west side of the city and preventing IS militants from escaping outside Mosul.

In December, the advances on Mosul were slowed amid grueling fighting inside Mosul with IS militants, who used civilians as human shields and resorted to suicide bombings, in addition to mortar and sniper attacks.

On Dec. 29, Iraq security forces launched the second phase of the major offensive to free IS-held Mosul, especially the eastern part of the city.

On Jan. 6, 2017, Iraqi government forces freed al-Mazari neighborhood and the residential compound of Hadbaa neighborhood in northern Mosul, marking the first significant progress in the renewed push.

On Jan. 8, Iraqi security forces reached the eastern bank of Tigris River for the first time, after recapturing several new areas from IS militants in the city of Mosul.

On Jan. 13, Iraqi government forces seized back the complex of Mosul University, including its technical institute and dormitories, allowing students to return for education at the one of the largest educational and research centers in the Middle East.

On Jan. 24, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared full liberation of the eastern part of Mosul after more than 100 days of fighting against IS militants.

On Feb. 19, Iraqi security forces announced the commencement of a new push to drive IS militants out of the western part of Mosul, or the right bank of Tigris.

On Feb. 23, Iraqi security forces retook control of Mosul International Airport after four hours of heavy clashes with IS militants.

On Feb. 26, Iraqi forces seized back al-Mamoun neighborhood, the first neighborhood completely freed from IS militants since the battle to liberate western Mosul began.

On Feb. 27, Iraqi forces captured strategic 4th Bridge across the Tigris River, which is crucial for Iraqi forces to bring in reinforcements and supplies directly from eastern Mosul.

On March 5, Iraqi security forces launched a new push toward Mosul's Old City on the western bank of Tigris River.

On May 16, Iraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool said at a news conference that Iraqi forces had recaptured 89.5 percent of west Mosul from IS militants since the launch of a major offensive to free the city, and the terror group only had 12 square km of land left.

On May 29, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Iraqi forces entered the last stages of defeating IS militants in western Mosul, as about 95 percent of the city had been freed.

On June 15, Iraqi government forces recaptured Bab Sinjar neighborhood, marking the first penetration for security forces into the northern edge of Mosul's Old City.

On June 18, Iraqi government forces started decisive battles against the last IS stronghold of the Old City in western Mosul.

On June 21, Iraqi military said IS militants blew up Mosul's historic al-Nuri Mosque and its leaning minaret, where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the cross-border caliphate in Iraq and Syria in his sole public appearance in July 2014. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi called the bombing "an official declaration of defeat by the Islamic State."

On June 25, Iraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool said in a statement that IS only had about one percent of the city of Mosul in hand.

On June 29, Iraqi government forces retook control of the Grand al-Nuri mosque and the adjacent Sarijkhanah neighborhood, a victory described by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi as marking the end of the self-styled IS caliphate in Iraq.

On July 4, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider congratulated Iraqis on "big victories" for the battle against the IS in Mosul, while Maj. Gen. Najim al-Jubouri, commander of Nineveh's Operations Command, said earlier in a press release that the full liberation of Mosul from IS would be declared within two days.

Mosul, 400 kilometers north of Iraq's capital Baghdad, came under IS control in June 2014, when government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 22:00:54|Editor: Mengjie

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CHANGSHA, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Eight-year-old Xiaohai (pseudonym) will soon leave his home - the Butterfly Children's Hospice in central China's Hunan Province - where he has been living for five years.

Xiaohai was abandoned at the age of three when he was diagnosed with periventricular leukomalacia, which can lead to serious diseases, including cerebral palsy.

"His condition improves almost every day," said Lyn Gould, founder of Butterfly Children's Hospice. When Gould first came to China, palliative care for children was almost nowhere to be found in the country.

After many years of independent charity work, in April 2010 she opened China's first children's hospice in Changsha, capital of Hunan, in cooperation with the city's No.1 social welfare institute and a British philanthropic foundation.

Any child under 14 years old with a life expectancy of less than six months can be admitted. At least four nurses will be assigned to each child. Treatment and food are also personalized.

A total of 176 orphaned, abandoned and very sick babies and children have received care in the home since it opened.

"Our survival rate has topped 45 percent," said Guo Yongying, a manager at the Butterfly home. Guo said many children broke the curse of their six-month living limit and were transferred to hospitals or rehabilitation organizations for further treatment.

A boy nicknamed Xiaobin was one of them. Diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy in June 2012, under the care of Butterfly home, he was able to talk, run, ride a horse and swim, before being adopted in Feb. 2014.

So far 22 children are in much better conditions and have been adopted for a new life.

However, the lucky ones are rare when compared to the large number of children with incurable diseases from remote and poor regions. According to the national cancer registration authority, about 30,000 to 40,000 children are diagnosed with cancer every year in China, leukemia, lymphoma and solid tumors being the most frequent.

"On average, four children are diagnosed with malignant tumor diseases every hour in China," said Zhou Xuan with Beijing Children's Hospital. "Though medical advances can cure 80 percent of leukemia patients, the remaining 20 percent face a dim future."

Zhou said parents normally choose to bring their child home when they know treatment cannot be continued. Without professional care or medical support, both parents and children live in fear and pain for the remaining time.

"When all treatment plans fail, hospices play a key role," said Liu Jitong, health policy and management professor at Peking University. Liu said hospice care has been expanded to children from their previous focus on the adults, particularly the elderly, in recent years.

In 2013, Butterfly home founded another hospice in eastern China's Nanjing and carried out training for Chinese medical and nursing professionals. No. 454 Hospital in Nanjing also established a hospice ward open to children.

In 2014, Shanghai Children's Medical Center opened a hospice ward, the first of its kind in China. So far, every district in Shanghai has set up at least one hospice.

Beijing also set up a hospice for children in 2015, covering the capital and its surrounding areas. The team consists of doctors, psychiatrists, volunteers and community workers providing care for nearly 100 child patients and their parents..

More hospices have been set up across China, with the help of leading hospitals and charity organizations.

In Butterfly Children's Hospice Friday, British Princess Anne witnessed the signing of cooperation agreement between the hospice, Xiangya hospital and Hunan provincial children's hospital. Later she attended a forum to discuss improved palliative care for children in China.

"The Butterfly Children's Hospice has made a big contribution to the development of palliative care services for children in China, and much has been achieved by the government too," the princess said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 22:06:02|Editor: Liangyu

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ULAN BATOR, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's president-elect Khaltmaa Battulga will be inaugurated on July 10, authorities said Sunday.

Miyegombyn Enkhbold, Mongolia's parliament speaker, has issued an order to hold an extraordinary parliament meeting to prepare for the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected president on Monday morning.

Battulga will receive the seal from outgoing President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj.

Battulga of the opposition Democratic Party earned 610,451 votes in the presidential run-off on Friday, while Miyegombyn Enkhbold, the rival candidate from the Mongolian People's Party, garnered 496,765 votes.

The Mongolian president serves a four-year term and can be re-elected only once.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 22:31:07|Editor: Liangyu

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CAIRO, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's exports to the U.S. reached 10.6 billion Egyptian pounds (about 592.5 million U.S. dollars) in 2016, marking a 12.3 percent year-on-year increase, said Egypt's statistics authority on Sunday.

"Egypt's exports to the United States in 2016 represent 4.7 percent of the country's annual exports to the world," said the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) in its report on Egypt's economic relations with the United States.

The readymade clothes ranked top of the Egyptian exports to the United States, reaching a total 5.9 billion pounds (about 329.8 million dollars) and representing 56.1 percent of Egypt's total annual exports to the United States in 2016, according to the report.

As for Egypt's annual imports from the United States, they increased by 8.9 percent from 33.5 billion pounds (about 1.87 billion dollars) in 2015 to 36.5 billion pounds (about 2 billion dollars) in 2016.

"U.S. investments in Egypt reached 27 million pounds (about 1.5 million dollars) in 2016 compared to 13.2 million pounds (about 738,000 dollars) in 2015, an increase of 104.9 percent," said the CAPMAS report.

Egypt's ties with the United States greatly improved under the leadership of presidents Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Donald Trump compared to the time of former U.S. President Barack Obama, whose administration suspended the annual 1.3-billion-dollar military aid to Egypt after the military removal of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. and the later.
European Council President Donald Tusk (R) shakes hands with visiting Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan after a joint press statement at EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Feb. 27, 2017. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

YEREVAN, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Armenia is ready to further develop cooperation with the European Union (EU) in all areas of mutual interest, Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan said on Friday.

Karapetyan made the remarks when receiving ambassadors of EU member states to Armenia led by Piotr Switalski, said the press office of the Armenian government.

During the meeting, the prime minister presented the priorities of the 2017-2022 government program to the European diplomats.

Armenia plans major reforms and actions in areas of state governance, human rights, judicial and legal matters as well as in the fight against corruption.

Calling the Armenian government program as impressive and ambitious, the head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Switalski, reiterated the willingness of the EU to work jointly with Armenia to expand and strengthen the bilateral relations.

The EU has particularly welcomed the Armenian government's initiatives in its fight against corruption, organization of electoral processes, creating a business-friendly environment in the country and other areas.

In 2013, Armenia abruptly refused to sign the Association Agreement with the EU following nearly four years of negotiations and instead opted to join the Russia-led Customs Union.

In February this year, Armenia finalized its negotiations with the EU on a new agreement to deepen political and economic ties between the two.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 22:51:22|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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JERUSALEM, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Ministry of Defense announced Sunday that it will purchase 1.5 billion shekels (about 424 million U.S. dollars) worth of weaponry to protect its offshore natural gas fields.

"The Procurement Administration at the Ministry of Defense signed a deal worth of 1.5 billion shekels for the procurement of combat systems for the defense of economic water," the ministry said in a statement.

The purchases would be made by the end of 2017 and include interceptors, electronic warfare, command and control systems, communications, and navigation systems, according to the statement.

Most of the systems are planned to be bought from local Israeli companies, said the ministry.

The new weaponry would be installed on four Sa'ar-6 warships that Israel bought from Germany in 2015 to secure the gas fields.

Minister of Defense Avigdor Liberman said in the statement that the deals are part of the Israeli army's project to protect the gas fields, which "have significant meaning for the economy of the state and its security, and the deals are further proof of that."

"The Defense Ministry aims to deepen its purchases from Israel as much as possible, even in a situation where there's a highly competitive market with extensive international supply and a budget in shekels," said Col. Avi Dadon, the head of the ministry's procurement administration.

Two large natural gas fields and two smaller fields were discovered in the Mediterranean Sea off Israel's northern shore in a series of discoveries beginning in 2009.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 22:56:25|Editor: MJ

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TRIPOLI, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Colonel Abdurrazzag E'mesh, security chief of the Libyan city Gharian, was assassinated by unknown gunmen on Sunday.

"Gharian's security chief, Col. Abdurrazzag E'mesh, has been assassinated earlier on Sunday, as an armed man fired at him and killed him instantly," a security source told Xinhua.

"E'mesh was killed in front of his home. The identity the attacker has not been known," the source added.

Libya is suffering a security vacuum since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011. Such assassinations happen frequently in the north African country.

Gharian, located some 80 kilometers south to the capital Tripoli, is relatively more stable and secure than many other Libyan cities due to the tribal and social reasons.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 23:21:29|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (C front) attends the 12th Summit of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies in Hamburg, Germany, July 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

HAMBURG, Germany, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's attendance of the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Hamburg on July 7-8 contributed to maintaining and advancing the group's cooperation, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Saturday.

Working together with the other participants, Xi made efforts to promote positive progress at the Hamburg summit on the basis of the G20's summit held last year in Hangzhou, China, and made new contributions to strengthening cooperation within the G20, promoting global economic growth and improving global economic governance, Wang said.

Xi made it clear that the G20 should adhere to taking the path of open development and mutual benefit leading to all-win results, support a multilateral trade mechanism, and promote international trade and investment, Wang said.

Facing such problems as unbalanced development of the world economy, Xi proposed proper handling of contradictions between fairness and efficiency, between capital and labor and between technology and employment, and also exchange and cooperation in terms of education and training, employment and business startups, distribution mechanisms, etc, in line with an idea of inclusive growth, Wang said.

In order to strengthen global economic governance toward achievement of a sound performance of the world economy, Xi proposed continued reenforcement of macro policy coordination, restructuring of international financial institutions and improvement of global financial supervision, etc.

To maintain sound development of the G20, Xi emphasized the importance of upholding the spirit of partnership among G20 members, and called for seeking common ground while reserving differences in order to step up cooperation, which prompted the Hamburg summit to reach consensus, and which maintained the international community's confidence in the group.

At the Hamburg summit, Xi participated in various discussions on the world economic situation, trade, finance, digital economy, energy, climate change, development, Africa, public health, refugee and migration issues, the fight against terrorism and others, elaborating China's concepts and solutions and vigorously pushing forward international cooperation.

Xi reiterated that the concepts such as openness, cooperation, all-win results, joint consultation, joint construction and sharing advocated in the Belt and Road Initiative are compatible with the G20's partnership spirit, and that they are complementary to one another and can jointly boost world economic development, Wang said.

On the sidelines of the Hamburg summit, Xi also launched a series of activities of summit diplomacy, Wang said.

Xi hosted an informal meeting of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) leaders to prepare for the BRICS summit to be held in September in southeast China's Xiamen city.

Xi met with U.S. President Donald Trump to deepen cooperation based on mutual benefit between China and the United States, and the two sides agreed to well manage their differences. They also exchanged views on major hot-spot issues such as the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, affirming a peaceful solution to it.

During his first meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Xi stressed South Korea should value and properly handle China's justifiable concerns. The two leaders agreed to work together to improve bilateral relations and maintain regional stability.

Xi urged Japan to make efforts to improve bilateral ties during his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Xi also reached new consensuses on building political mutual trust and deepening bilateral and multilateral cooperation with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Theresa May at separate meetings on the sidelines of the summit.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 23:26:35|Editor: MJ

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) meets with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo, Egypt on July 9, 2017. (Xinhua/MENA)

CAIRO, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday reaffirmed Egypt's constant support for a fair and comprehensive settlement for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Sisi promised to guarantee the rights of the Palestinians to build their own independent state in the conflict between Palestine and Israel, the Egyptian presidential spokesman said in a statement following Sisi's meeting with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo.

"President Sisi asserted that the Palestinian cause always comes on top of Egypt's priorities and reaching a solution for it is a key pillar for restoring security and stability in the Middle East region," the president's spokesman Alaa Youssef added.

The Egyptian president also vowed to continue efforts to resume negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis to come to a resolution for their conflict.

For his part, Abbas offered his condolences to Sisi over the Egyptian army's loss in the recent deadly attack in the checkpoints of North Sinai province bordering Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

"President Abbas reiterated Palestine's solidarity with Egypt in its war against terrorism and against those who try to undermine its security and stability," said the Egyptian spokesman.

Abbas also updated the Egyptian president with the recent Palestinian efforts to mobilize international support for a two-state solution and with the U.S. efforts to revive the idle Middle East peace process between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

The meeting came on the second day of Abbas' visit to Cairo which started on Saturday evening with holding separate talks with Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

Abbas and his ruling Fatah movement are facing rebellion from Hamas movement that controls Gaza.

He is seeking Egyptian-brokered inter-Palestinian unity particularly after relations between Egypt and Hamas have relatively improved this year through high-profile meetings and further security coordination.

A U.S.-sponsored peace treaty was reached between Egypt and Israel in 1979, after which Egypt has been working on reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process as well as mediating between rival Palestinian factions for reconciliation and national unity.

Israel is blamed by the international community for the deadlock of the peace process due to its settlement expansion which is rejected even by its strongest ally, the United States.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-09 23:51:39|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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WASHINGTON, July 9 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and eight others, including three kids, were wounded after a shooting at a baby gender-reveal party in southwestern Ohio on late Saturday night, authorities said on Sunday.

The police department of Colerain Township said the shooting occurred around 11:20 p.m.(0420GMT) at a residence in the 9900 block of Capstan Drive, near Colerain Avenue.

Police said the three children, whose injuries are not considered life-threatening, are being treated in Cincinnati Children's Hospital.

The adult victims were transported to University of Cincinnati Medical Center. One of them was in critical condition, a second is considered serious but stable, and others are in fair condition.

Among them is a pregnant woman. Reports said the party was for her but she lost her baby after being shot in the leg.

Police said the person who was killed is an adult, who is reportedly the woman's cousin. The victims were watching a movie together when gunfire rang out.

Other details relating to the victims' identities had yet to be released, and one or two gunmen are on the loose, according to police. An investigation is underway for a motive for the bloodshed.

At a gender-reveal party, expectant parents announce the sex of their baby.
A Billings-based company is using technology developed on the battlefield to help civilian first responders monitor deadly clouds of hazardous materials.

Diamond B Companies, whose headquarters are in the TransTech Center on Billings West End, signed a licensing deal June 12 with the U.S. Army to produce commercially the Local-Rapid Evaluation of Atmospheric Conditions, or L-REAC.

The system uses 3-D modeling, sensors, real-time maps and cloud technology to pinpoint chemical plumes. The market is huge for a company that has a hand in oil and gas development and other technologies.

We thought this was a natural fit for us, said Scott Roller, vice president of Diamond Bs technology division.

Monitoring plume fields is not new technology, but the L-REAC builds on other systems to increase the amount of available data, according to Army officials.

Along with modeling the plume, the L-REAC also incorporates data from the terrain and nearby buildings to create a picture of where deadly gases could go  crucial information for first responders seeking to clear people out of harms way, Roller said.

The system uses 3-D modeling and real-time mapping to deliver immediate information to safety personnel, he said.

Its very similar to looking at a rock in a stream. The waters going to push around it, and maybe swirl around that rock, Roller described.

The technology was developed by Army research meteorologist Gail Vaucher, who was motivated to improve chemical monitoring by observing the damage wrought by chemical burn pits in Iraq.

Vaucher is based in the Army Research Laboratory in White Sands, N.M. She developed the L-REAC to help protect soldiers, but she thinks it has many applications in the civilian world.

Its important to us to keep our soldiers and their working conditions safe. This technology was designed based on need, she told TechLink, a Montana State University department that markets and facilitates Department of Defense licensing contracts.

Its through TechLink, funded by the Department of Defense, that Diamond B discovered this new opportunity.

TechLink was marketing the system to companies in the weather sensor space but also posted the license application on its Web site, said Dan Swanson, the agencys senior technology manager.

TechLink arranged site visits for Roller and other Diamond B officials in New Mexico to see the system in action, and the agency helped walk them through the application, Swanson said. Army developers will also work with the company in testing and evaluating the end product for sale, he said.

Roller said he envisions the system operating in refineries, programmed to detect plumes of specific chemicals. This would allow operators to constantly monitor the air and possibly head off contaminants before they disperse, he said.

Diamond B is also seeking to develop a mobile system to more easily monitor train derailments of hazardous cargo, he said. Other customers could include state and local fire departments and hazmat response teams, Roller said.

Diamond B paid $4,000 for the license and must pay the military an annual royalty of at least $1,000 and up to 4 percent of gross sales, according to Roller.

The company has not determined the price for the system, though Roller noted that sensors alone cost about $10,000.

Roller said hes aiming to sell the system commercially in three to six months.

The new license is a chance for Diamond B to diversify its tech sector, which is heavily invested in oil and gas, said Jim Kelly, vice president of business development.

Oil has had a rough first-half of the year as a worldwide supply glut keeps forcing prices below $50 a barrel. Bakken region production has slowly picked up but remains well below the peak years early in the decade.

Its been tough, Kelly, who is based in Billings, said.

A Wednesday explosion at the Eglin Air Force Base in Florida underscored the value of L-REAC, Kelly said. According to news reports, smoke from the blast was suspected to contain methyl chloride, and a 1,000-foot cordon was established around the site.

Its a situation where the L-REAC could be used to exactly where these plumes were going and aid in the evacuation, according to Kelly.

Diamond B Companies is the parent organization that oversees operations of the late Don Bottrell and his family. Bottrell, who died in 2012, was a self-made entrepreneur who dabbled in real estate, oil and gas development, retail and other sectors.

Diamond B owns the TransTech Center at 32nd Street West and Gabel Road, where its headquarters reside. The company has holdings in the tech sector, agriculture, manufacturing and construction. Its hospitality holdings include the Windmill restaurant and the Boothill Inn & Suites, both in Billings.

Kelly said hes looking forward to working with the Army to develop the L-REAC system.

Well be working hand in hand as we develop this technology, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-10 00:41:52|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Gaza, July 9 (Xinhua) -- An acute power shortage has caused deterioration of the environmental situation in the Gaza Strip since last April, the Hamas movement warned Sunday.

The Environment Quality Authority (EQA), run by the Islamic Hamas movement that rules Gaza Strip, said that directly pumping sewage into the sea due to long-time power outage has made 50 percent of the offshore sea polluted with waste water.

The polluted water may expand up to 70 percent in the foreseeable future, Baha'eddine Al-Agha, head of Hamas' Environment Protection Department, told a news conference.

There are five water sanitation plants in Gaza, with four pumping sewage into the sea and the fifth pumping into local reservoirs, causing pollution problems.

The EQA also called for end of the siege of Gaza by Israel to provide Gaza citizens with basic needs.

The coastal enclave needs 500 megawatts (MW) of power supply a day, but is receiving only 93 MW now.

The authority said that 70 MW out of the 93 MW are supplied by Israel, while 23 MW are generated by local plants. Egyptian power lines are disrupted due to technical problems, leaving Gaza with barely four hours of power a day.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-10 00:56:58|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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HANGZHOU, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese science ship "Xiangyanghong 10" Sunday returned to China after a voyage to the southwest Indian Ocean that lasted more than 200 days.

The ship docked at a port in Zhoushan, east China's Zhejiang Province.

The voyage was to explore the polymetallic sulphide at a seabed ore covering 30,000 square meters, under a contract signed between China and the International Seabed Authority, said Li Huaiming, a scientist involved in the project.

Scientists used China-developed unmanned submersible Qianlong 2 to conduct eight dives, reaching maximum 3,320 meters at depth. Qianlong 2 spent 170 hours, traveling 456 km for the research, proving that it was able to work on complicated terrains underwater, Li said.

Other advanced Chinese technologies in exploring polymetallic sulphide were also used, Li said.

Xiangyanghong 10 is the first Chinese ocean science survey ship built with the participation of a private company.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-10 01:01:56|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CAIRO/MOSUL, July 9 (Xinhua) -- With countless casualties and around 1 million displaced, Mosul finally heard the long-awaited word "victory" from Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi after 266 days of battles like hell.

Abadi arrived in the scarred city on Sunday, and congratulated the army on the win of liberating Mosul from the IS, nearly nine months after he announced on Oct. 17, 2016 the start of battles to retake the second largest city of war-torn Iraq.

No one, even Abadi himself, would have thought the victory came so late and cost so much, let alone huge cost in reconstruction and future fighting against terrorism.

HARW-WON TRIUMPH

With the vow on Saturday "fight to death," the IS never wanted to give up the city.

The desperate militants have been increasingly resorting to suicide attacks and showing stiff resistance that slowed the troops' progress in recent days.

Even as the victory was declared, sporadic gunfire could be heard in Mosul.

This depicts a short episode of the 266-long cruel Mosul fighting process, which composed of two major parts in eastern and western Mosul.

The Iraqi armed forces first targeted eastern Mosul.

On Oct. 31, 2016, Iraqi security forces entered Gogjali district, marking the first time it had reached the edge of Mosul after the city was taken since June 2014.

But in last December, the advances on Mosul were slowed amid grueling fighting inside Mosul with IS militants, who used civilians as human shields and resorted to suicide bombings, in addition to mortar and sniper attacks.

On Jan. 8, 2017, Iraqi security forces reached the eastern bank of Tigris River for the first time, after recapturing several new areas from IS militants in the city of Mosul.

Then on Jan. 24, Abadi declared full liberation of the eastern part of Mosul after more than 100 days of fighting against IS militants.

After nearly a month of rest and reorganization, the armed forces on Feb. 19 announced new operation to drive IS militants out of the western part of Mosul.

It turned out to be a harsher mission with longer time and more bloodshed.

Then after over three months of fierce battles, on May 29, Abadi said Iraqi forces entered the last stages of defeating IS militants in western Mosul, as about 95 percent of the city had been freed.

On June 21, Iraqi military said IS militants blew up Mosul's historic al-Nuri Mosque and its leaning minaret, where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the cross-border caliphate in Iraq and Syria in his sole public appearance in July 2014.

Abadi called the bombing "an official declaration of defeat by the Islamic State." After one week, Iraqi government forces retook control of the mosque, a victory described by the PM as the end of the self-styled IS caliphate in Iraq.

NO.1 FIASCO OF IS

Losing Mosul means the once rampant extremist group has lost nearly 90 percent of its controlled area in Iraq. The peak in 2014 saw nearly 40 percent of Iraq under IS hands.

Numerous weapons were seized or destroyed, and thousands of IS militants were killed, including senior IS leaders. Even Baghdadi was reportedly killed by an airstrike in June, which has not been confirmed.

The defeat in Mosul marks the biggest fiasco of IS since its founding, as well as an new era of post-IS in Iraq.

"(Iraqi army's) recapturing Mosul would be a complete reversal of IS sweep, and would push the extremist militants regroup in a few and isolated pockets of territories in Iraq, and would depend more on sleeper cells across the Iraq's urban areas," Major Abdullah al-Jubouri, an Iraqi army officer, told Xinhua.

"The loss of IS caliphate land in Mosul will push the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group to find an alternative land as the way forward for Jihad (holy war) against what they name apostates," Jubouri said, indicating threats of terrorist attacks like what happened in Britain, Belgium and other countries in the West.

Palestinian political analyst of international issues Hossam El Dajny believed international cooperation crucial in tackling conflicts and fighting terrorism.

"Regional conflicts, whether the Gulf conflict or the conflict of major powers, had impact on one way or another," he said. "To solve the conflicts, support of international and regional parties are needed. And use it, and employ it to serve their (terror groups) objectives and geopolitical interests in the region."

FAR FROM END OF IS

The defeat in Mosul is far from uprooting IS and terrorism from Iraq and the world.

Ilter Turan, professor of international relations at Istanbul Bilgi University, warned of further terror actions in different ways.

"We have seen that when other terrorist movements are on decline, they tend to conduct dramatic actions in order to remind everyone that they are alive and well," he noted.

Turan also believed conducting terror attacks in other places are what most terror movements would do and there is no reason to think that the IS and its supporters will constitute an exception.

"The Western societies have been taken as targets and these targets in fact may be expanded," he further warned.

Iraqi local political analyst Ibrahim al-Ameri also agreed that the Mosul victory won't put an end to the IS.

"Obviously, terrorism will continue on the ground in Iraq and Syria. And even more significantly, it will have rapidly extended its global reach," he worried.

Ameri estimated that IS will incite attacks or help organize attacks in both in Europe and the Middle East, as part of its strategy to prove Iraq and Syria are not its only goals, and fighting for governance by Islamic law is more important for them.

During the past few weeks, IS has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in Britain in an attempt to prove that the group is still active.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi shakes hands with army officers in Mosul, Iraq, on July 9, 2017. Mosul came under IS control in June 2014. In October 2016, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the start of the battle to liberate Mosul. Eastern Mosul was liberated late January this year. On June 18, Iraqi army launched the offensive to liberate the Old City, the last district still held by IS militants in western Mosul. (Xinhua/Office of Iraqi Prime Minister)

BAGHDAD/CAIRO, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Liberating Mosul from the rule of Islamic State (IS) is a great victory for Iraq's anti-terror war, but the war-torn country still faces huge challenges of national reconstruction and reconciliation, experts said.

Mosul, the capital city of Iraq's northern province of Nineveh and the second largest Iraqi city, was liberated by Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition after a nine-month fierce battle to drive out IS, which used the city as its de facto capital.

It was in Mosul that IS leader Sheikh Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared in 2014 the establishment of Islamic State (IS), a caliphate in Iraq and Syria. The fall of Mosul symbolizes the collapse of IS in Iraq.

No doubt, the victory in Mosul opened doors for national reconstruction and reconciliation, as desired by most Iraqis after suffering from years of violence, war and destruction.

However, due to competing influence of many regional and foreign powers, as well as tribal and ethic rifts, the country faces huge challenges in its long road to reconciliation.

A GREAT VICTORY IN IRAQ'S ANTI-TERROR WAR

"The recapture of the city was a great victory in the anti-terrorism war. It broke the back of the terrorist group, demolishing its self-declared state of Islamic 'caliphate' in Iraq and Syria," Abdullah al-Jubouri, an Iraqi army officer, told Xinhua.

He said that the victory is "a complete reversal of IS sweep" and would leave the militant group only a few and isolated pockets of territories in Iraq.

Hossam El Dajny, a Palestinian political analyst, told Xinhua that the loss of Mosul dealt "a severe blow" to IS, as it is a symbol of the Islamic caliphate it wants to create.

Adam Hoffman, researcher at the Moshe Danyan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University in Israel, told Xinhua that Mosul has been the hallmark of the IS caliphate, so its liberation is "hugely symbolic and important" for Iraq because it is a very serious blow to the caliphate.

Experts also said that Mosul's liberation will pave the way for national reconstruction and reconciliation in the post-IS era.

"The defeat of the extremist Sunni IS group would be very helpful for the country's national reconciliation, as the defeat of the group means the defeat of the violent option for all conflicting parties," Ibrahim al-Ameri, an Iraqi political analyst, told Xinhua.

IS' THREAT TO REMAIN FOR TIME TO COME

Despite the IS defeat in Mosul, experts warned that IS as a terror threat will not be over for a while, as it could seek to regroup or launch massive revenge attacks around the world.

Al-Jubouri said the loss of Mosul will push IS to find an alternative land to continue its Jihad, or holy war, against the Iraqi government.

IS militants could be forced to flee to a few and isolated pockets of territories in Iraq, and depend more on "sleeper cells" across the urban areas to launch attacks in future, he said.

Netanel Avneri, an expert on Middle East and Islam at Israel's Bar Ilan University, told Xinhua that IS could resume behaving like a guerrilla organization hiding in the desert area in western Iraq, riding on pickups, and launching sudden raids against targets before quickly escaping back to their bases.

Most experts agreed that the defeat on battlefields in the Middle East would motivate IS to launch revenge attacks, particularly in the West.

Itler Turan, professor of international relations at Istanbul Bilgi University in Turkey, told Xinhua that IS, like other terror groups in decline, will take dramatic actions "in order to remind everyone that they are alive and well."

Muhammad Hijazzi, a Palestinian political analyst, said IS has a plan called "The Waiting Wolves," under which some of its members have emigrated to Western countries, waiting for the order to launch attacks at any time.

These IS members could start suicide operations and bombings not only in Europe but other places as well in retaliation, he said.

Hoffman said Mosul's fall doesn't mean the end of IS yet, citing the group is still capable of launching guerrilla attacks, sometimes even sending suicide bombers, to attack Iraqi security forces.

He added that he will not be surprised if IS carries out terror attacks around the world, particularly in the West, for retaliation. "It is not a new phenomena. This has been a trend that has been going on for two or three years, probably even longer than that," he said.

CHALLENGES IN POST-WAR RECONSTRUCTION AND RECONCILIATION

After defeating IS, Iraq is to enter the post-IS era of national reconstruction and reconciliation. However, experts predicted that Iraq faces big challenges in the process as it is a complex mosaic of tribes, ethic and religious groups and factions influenced by different foreign powers.

It is estimated that the reconstruction in the war-torn Iraq needs at least 1 billion U.S. dollars, a financial burden that the country apparently cannot shoulder by itself.

Experts said the international community, especially the U.S.-led Western powers, need to provide urgent aid to Iraq to help it heal the wounds from the war. Otherwise, the gains in the battle to defeat IS could be lost very quickly and lead to renewed conflicts and resurgence of terror groups like IS.

"Iraq was the victim of United States' unilateralism, and now Iraq is fighting terrorism on behalf of the world, and my country needs the world's cooperation to end terrorism, bring back stability, and help rebuild the cities and towns which were destroyed by the anti-IS offensive," al-Ameri said.

Hijazzi suggested that the U.S. should lead an international project to help Iraq with its post-war reconstruction. "I think that Iraq needs a Marshall project..., which is the responsibility of the U.S.," he said.

He was referring to the four-year 13-billion-dollar project initiated by the U.S. to help Western European countries rebuild their economies in the post-World War II era.

For many experts, they are more worried about the post-war reconciliation, which could prove to be a harder job than rebuilding the economy.

Al-Ameri said the situation in Mosul and other Iraqi areas will be very complicated, as various ethic and religious factions and groups will jostle for sharing of power.

First, IS rule of cities like Mosul has sowed seeds of hatred and division, and the defeat of IS could lead to chaos and reprisal killings that could bring some cities back to civil strife.

Second, each party or faction in Iraq will use any possible means to reshape the political landscape for their own interests in the post-IS period.

Al-Ameri noted that the liberation of Mosul involved a number of regional and foreign forces. Different armed groups fighting IS militants sometimes also fight with each other as they are usually rivals with different ethic and religious backgrounds.

"The power struggle among the central government, the Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite factions, will be more intense," Al-Ameri said.

Turan said that the conditions that created IS still exist in Iraq after the defeat of IS. The Iraqi government continues to be mainly a sectarian Shiite government and the Sunnis in the country will have difficulty in accepting such a regime.

He also expressed concern about the future relations between Iraqi government and the Kurdish regional government, as tensions have increased between them over the the latter's intention to seek independence, a step also opposed by even Turkey and Iran.

The tensions between Kurds and Arabs "will create ethnic problems that may be as serious as the sectarian ones between the Sunnis and Shiites," Al-Ameri said.

He said the post-IS strategy in Iraq will need increased efforts in terms of effective power-sharing, including greater decentralization for the Kurdish region as well as for the provinces.

Sabah al-Sheikh, a teacher of politics at Baghdad University, told Xinhua that the U.S. or Iran's involvement in the post-IS Iraqi politics could complicate the political situation.

"The United States wants to be part of redrawing the map of influence in Iraq, in order to decrease the Iranian role in the country," al-Sheikh said.

Since the U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq in December 2011, Iran and its Iraqi Shiite parties and militias have gained greater influence in Iraq, even more powerful than the government's institutions, he said.

"If the moderate politicians, such as Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, are weakened in Iraq by these Iranian parties, Iraq will slide slowly into a civil war again and Daesh (IS) or its successor will fill this vacuum," al-Sheikh warned.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-10 03:28:02|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan government has imposed a 12-hour curfew in three months following increased Al-Shabaab terror attacks in the restive regions which are near the Somalia border.

Acting Interior Cabinet Secretary Fed Matiangi said the three-month dusk to dawn curfew, which runs until Oct. 9, in Lamu, Tana River and Garissa counties is aimed at addressing terror related incidents.

"This order shall apply during the hours of darkness between the period of 6.30 p.m. in the evening and 6.30 a.m. in the morning," Matiang'i said in a Gazette notice dated July 8.

At least ten people were beheaded by the Islamist militants in Pandanguo in Lamu County barely a week after they ambushed a local police camp, killing three police officers and injuring several others.

The victims, all men, were slaughtered using knives. Police said the militants had ransacked farms at Jima looking for 'non-Muslims' but did not find them since majority had fled following the Wednesday attack in Pandanguo.

Matiang'i, who has been appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta to take over the security docket following sudden death of the late Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery on Saturday, said the curfew will apply in several parts of the counties and surrounding environs which have been gazetted as disturbed and dangerous areas.

The areas are Sangailu, Masalani, Holugho Border Point, Galmagala, Bodehei, Milimani, Baure, Basuba, Mangai and Maralani. Other areas include Garsen, Kipini, Kiunga Ijara, Hola, and Ishakani/ Dar-es-Salaam Border Point.

Matiang'i however said the curfew excludes tourism resort regions of Pate, Islands of Lamu and Manda and Pate.

"Every person who resides within these sub-counties shall except under and in accordance with the terms and conditions of a written permit granted by the respective Deputy County Commissioner of the affected areas, remain indoors in the premises at which they reside or at such other premises as may be authorized," he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-10 03:58:08|Editor: MJ

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MOGADISHU, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The UN top envoy in Somalia on Sunday called on lawmakers to meet numerous expectations of the Somalis by passing key legislations to strengthen the rule of law and promote democracy.

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Michael Keating, who welcomed the opening of the Somali Parliament said the real sovereignty for Somalia depends upon the country reducing its dependency upon others.

"The Somali parliament can make a decisive contribution to progress by passing key legislation, including the electoral law, legislation enabling a constitutional review and revenue generating laws," Keating said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.

He said the current parliament has stronger credentials than its predecessors and is fundamentally important to Somalia's future success.

He added that real sovereignty for Somalia depends upon the country its ability to raise revenues and shapes its own agenda, particularly to strengthen security and the rule of law, advance peace and reconciliation and engage Somalia's amazing entrepreneurial spirit and private sector to create jobs.

"The expectations of it by the Somali people are high. This is a unique moment. The big question is whether this parliament will be able to seize the political opportunity Somalia now faces, whether in terms of the legitimacy of the Federal Government, its own credibility including 25 percent women, and in terms of high levels of international support for Somalia," said Keating.

He said the international community and UN system remain committed to working with the parliament to achieve concrete results for the benefit of the people of Somalia.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia's President VladimirPutin hold a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7, 2017. (AFP PHOTO/SAUL LOEB)

WASHINGTON, July 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin forming a cyber security unit in their first meeting amid speculation about his acceptance of Putin's denial of Russian meddling in the U.S. election.

"Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded and safe," Trump tweeted on Sunday.

"...Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!" Trump wrote on another tweet.

The first face-to-face encounter between Trump and Putin came on Friday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

After the meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Friday that Trump had accepted Putin's denial of Russian meddling in the U.S. election.

Putin himself also said on Saturday that he left the meeting with the impression that Trump had accepted his denial.

"He asked questions, I replied. It seemed to me that he was satisfied with the answers," Putin told reporters on Saturday.

During his visit to Ukraine on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the only other U.S. official in the Trump-Putin meeting, did not answer directly when asked whether Trump had accepted Putin's denial.

On another tweeter on Sunday, Trump said that he "strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election."

"...He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion..." Trump said.

The idea of forming a cyber security unit with Russia was soon met with criticism within Trump's own Republican Party.

Speaking at a TV interview aired on Sunday, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called the idea "pretty close" to the dumbest idea he'd ever heard.

"He (Trump) is literally the only person I know of who doesn't believe Russia attacked our election in 2016," said Graham.

"This whole idea about moving forward without punishing Russia is undermining his entire presidency," he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-10 05:09:33|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TRIPOLI, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Violent clashes broke out on Sunday between rival militias in northern Libya, some 50 km east of the capital Tripoli, according to local media.

The clashes erupted in Garabulli city between militias loyal to Tripoli's UN-backed government of national accord, and militias loyal to the deposed government of national salvation.

Garabulli mayor called on residents to stay at home and avoid conflict areas.

Violent fighting broke out between the rival militias late in May, eventually ended by expelling the militias loyal the former government. The clashes killed and injured dozens of people.

Witnessed said that the militias loyal to the unity government blocked the coastal road in the eastern suburb of Tajoura leading to Tripoli.

Libya suffers escalating violence and insecurity, as well as political division despite signing a UN-sponsored peace agreement and appointing the unity government.
A man suspected to have pointed a rifle at someone during a confrontation in a Billings neighborhood was arrested on Friday, according to the Billings Police Department.

Shortly before 3 p.m. on Friday, police arrived on the 1700 block of Alderson Avenue. A man had a wound to his forearm that may have been caused by a screwdriver, and said a man living across the street had pointed a rifle at him, said Sgt. Clyde Reid.

The 37-year-old suspect is currently being held in the Yellowstone County Detention Facility on suspicion of felony assault with a weapon.

The suspect is believed to have been involved in a physical altercation with a woman outside a residence in the neighborhood. There was a physical struggle and the man also pulled parts out of a car and disabled it, Reid said.

Police were told that when at least three people from across the street came over to stop the altercation, the suspect became physical with them and gouged one person in the arm with either car parts or a screwdriver. Witnesses said the suspect then got a rifle from inside the house, Reid said. Statements taken by police describe the suspect chambering a round in the rifle and laying it down. Words continued to be exchanged and the suspect then picked up the rifle and pointed it at a person, causing them to dive for cover, Reid said.

Initially none involved wanted to press charge, but they later changed their mind, Reid said. Police arrested the suspect later in the day as he was taking a walk, according to Reid.
Nikki Crosby robbed, two men arrested

Crosby was among a group of shoppers who were held up and robbed at gunpoint at Arties Meats, Four Road, Diego Martin, shortly after midday. Reports are at about 2.30 pm, Crosby was at the shop when two men with guns approached shoppers and announced a hold-up. The robbers stole cellular phones, jewelry and other personal items, she said.

Saying she felt traumatised and violated after the incident, Crosby recounted the ordeal.

Thank God for life. Gerry (her husband) and I were shopping at Arties and gunmen ran in and put everyone on the floor, she said.

Crosby said the men then robbed her and the other shoppers.

They feel me and another woman up, she said. The actress said Western Division and Four Roads Police chased the men after they left the shop. They were later caught in the La Puerta area with most of the stolen items. A gun was also seized.

Crosby said she was grateful for the quick action by police.

They gave chase and the Western Task Force got involved. They were all over the La Puerta area looking for them. So, I really want to give them kudos because in about a half an hour they got the guys. Crosby said one can never really prepare for a robbery.

We always imagined what would happen if you ever experienced this and I went dumb for a moment, she said.
Half a million in jewellery stolen

Steve Ram, owner of Yolisam Jewellers, posted the video of the robbery on Facebook.

Ram told Sunday Newsday that at 6pm, four people including two women entered the store. The women and one of the men distracted employees while the other man forced a showcase open and took out a tray of 71 male diamond rings valued at $518,000, put them in a bag and walked away.

Ram said the theft was discovered 20 minutes later when a customer came to look at something in the showcase. He said the police were called and they were there all evening on Friday and most of the day yesterday interviewing staff and checking the surveillance camera footage.

Ram said they have been robbed many times and last year there were two instances of people breaking the glass and stealing items. He said in the last two years there has been a downturn in the sale of luxury items.

To come and get a loss of this magnitude, we really considering if to continue. Is it worth it to continue? He said staff are traumatised and feel guilty although it is not their fault. He and his wife have had to console the employees include one that has been employed for the 25 years they have been located at Trincity Mall.

It is very unfair to them. Ram employs over 100 people and has eight stores throughout Trinidad. He is also the owner of Zinas Jewellery.

He said that the robbery was very well planned and for it to occur, there must be a market for it.

Somebody receiving this.

If the market is not there, you cannot wear 71 rings. Somebody is receiving these things and that is why it is encouraged.

Someone is benefiting, not only the person doing the crime. Arouca CID and WPC Waldrop are investigating.
Archbishop Barbara Gray- Burke takes the reins of IRO

She said the IRO, formed in 1970, never had a female president before .

You feel happy in your soul .

Various barriers have been moved, she said .

Like (former US presidential candidate) Hillary Clinton that glass ceiling (we ) mash it up. Now other women can aspire to reach the top. She said for years Shouters had been marginalised and debarred from many things up to the time when they received the Shouter Baptist Liberation Day holiday in 1996 by prime minister Basdeo Panday. She recalled Panday had asked Archbishop Anthony Pantin if he would accept the Baptists into the IRO but it did not materialise initially. The Baptist community would eventually join around 1997/1998 together with the Church of Latter Day Saints .

Gray-Burke recalled the first position she held was trustee. She said her members continued to support her in that position because they saw the results she achieved including the acquisition of land, schools and a holiday for the faith .

They ent moving me for thy kingdom come, she quipped .

She said out of the 19 students at St Barbaras Spiritual Shouter Baptist Primary School, there were only three repeaters in this years Secondary Entrance Assessment examination. She said she will be asking government for a secondary school as well .

Asked what her areas of focus will be as IRO president, Gray- Burke said she will be meeting with the officers tomorrow and she would be laying out her plans then .

She revealed, however, she told the outgoing president she wants the IRO to have a home and she would like to have land secured before the end of her tenure .

She said while she planned to have them continue traveling around the country and visiting with different faiths, she wants a building with an office from which they can function .

MARRIAGE BILL AND GAY MARRIAGE Gray-Burkes predecessor Bro Harrypersad Maharaj stirred up controversy on the so-called child marriage bill when, in 2016, he announced the IRO members unanimously agreed that no law should interfere with their custom. RC Archbishop Joseph Harris had shot back that there was no consensus and described forcing children into wedlock as legalised rape. The Marriage Bill would eventually be passed making the legal age of marriage 18 much to the ire of some leaders in the Hindu and Muslim communities .

Gray-Burke described the issue as a red herring. She said in the Hindu faith the 13 to 15 year-olds who would get married would remain with their parents until a time they would be put together in a house. She said she attended one such marriage out of curiosity. She said, conversely among the African community, some of their daughters were going to shack up. We had to fix our house first before we fix other people business. She said she decided to stay out of the issue and let them fight .

Moving away from child marriage, she said we have to train people and give them more access to religious bodies from preschool right up. Then we will be able to transform the society. If we dont do that we will have crime, incest. She said we are a country of copy cats and we want to follow America .

Sooner or later we will give consent to gay marriages. Gray-Burke is not in support of it and said as a Justice of the Peace, she will not do any registration for gay marriages .

Put me in jail, she declared .

THE IRO AND CRIME On crime she said the IRO does its work behind the scenes and recalled when crime was at its peak in Enterprise, Chaguanas, the then president organised a march. And for one month straight there was not one murder. She said they are often invited by organisations to have prayers including for the opening of the law term, for the police and at Petrotrin .

She stressed the IRO is not static but they are very occupied and if they are not careful they would not be able to officiate at their own churches. She said, however, that it is exciting to be working with the different faiths .

Asked about the high murder rate despite a number of churches, mosques, temples and other places of worship Gray-Burke responded, The police have to do their job .

The IRO is not to do the police job. She said the IRO would gather in communities and pray for the country as they did in Enterprise .

She said many churches were having prayer services for the country and it was not that we are not praying. She added, however, that parents need to pray too for their children and, if they were not taught how to pray before, they should find a church. She lamented while churches would be putting on crusades, people would be passing in their cars with their hard pong music .

They have no room for God. She added some people did not learn about loving God because no one taught them and this also happens when you have children making children .

On religion in the schools she said denominational schools were doing a fantastic job but she would like to see religious instruction in all government schools .

Asked if she planned to work with the State, Gray-Burke said, If the State needs us, sure I will work with them. But if the State does not need us you cannot force the State to work with you. Our country have politics and as you all are aware I am a UNC to the bone. The other people didnt look at us. So they build our school, they did everything for us. Gray-Burke, who has criticised the PNM over the years for neglecting the Baptist community said, I dont know where our Prime Minister (Dr Keith Rowley) head is now. She recalled she wrote and congratulated him when he became prime minister and requested an interview but did not get it .

She said she accepted the invitation to be a part of the tripartite committee with government and the unions but rejected an invitation to a Shouter Baptist dinner because she was only allowed to carry one guest when she has a number of different churches under her .

I dont know if they want to work with me (as IRO President). Asked about people who are concerned that her support for the UNC, including serving as a UNC senator on a number of occasions starting back in 1995, would affect her decisions as
GREAT FALLS  Police in Great Falls are searching for man who allegedly threatened to attack officers if they didn't investigate crimes the man reported.

The Great Falls Tribune reported Saturday the man allegedly made the threats in a phone call to a police sergeant on Wednesday.

Prosecutors filed a charge of threats and other improper influence in official and political matters against Casey Lee Asher.

Asher had no listed phone number and could not be reached for comment.

A court document claims Asher threatened to arrest officers, smash their faces with a hammer and conduct public executions.

The threats and influence charge is a felony. Conviction could bring a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine
Anglican Church wants out

Asked about what Government was doing to protect the boys who were placed there by the State, Rowley told the media on Friday at the Piarco International Airport on his return from the Caricom Heads of Government meeting in Grenada, Right now, the State is facing some of those claims, or, is exposed to serious payments for liabilities. When St Michaels was designated an area to house the boys, he said, it was done prematurely.

The law which put certain things in place required conditions which have not been met.

The attorney general who created the law during the previous administration, he said, knowing that the conditions were not met, proclaimed the law into force. The former attorney general as an attorney at law now, he said, has moved to the courts and has started filing claims against the State.

During a recent dinner with Anglican Bishop Claude Berkley, Rowley said, the subject of the home formed the major part of their conversation.

The Office of the Prime Minister, under whose portfolio the protection of minors comes under, he said, is doing all it can to protect the boys who would have come from backgrounds with troubling circumstances.

Apart from the legal issues, he said, there are difficulties which are causing the Anglican Synod to come to the conclusion that they want to get out of this bit of public service. The recent escape of 11 and the subsequent recapture of some, he said, is one such case.

Rowley said the management of the young males at the home is now a matter of great concern to the Anglican Church and it wants to get out if it.

Giving a background to the problems, he said the Anglican Diocese started out by providing a church/humanitarian service to the community.

Sometime later, in order to provide a pension to the staff working at the home, a decision was taken to enable them to fall under the aegis of the Statutory Authorities Services Commission (SASC).

That was the beginning of sorrow. In order to solve that problem, they created another, he said.

With the staff coming under the SASC, he said, The Church lost control of the staff, and the staff basically took the position that the church could not tell them nothing, and it became a general free for all. The management of the staff fell down, and the church, he said, could not provide the quality of staffing that the circumstances required.
Drivers say too early to tell what will happen

We just have to wait and see what will happen. I really dont know much about the changes, but the passengers seem to be well aware, said a taxi driver. From Tuesday we would know what is taking place. The driver, who plies the Marabella to San Fernando route, spoke with Sunday Newsday at the taxi stand at Mucurapo Street, San Fernando. He said there is an association but he is not a member.

As such, he was unable to say what influence, if any, taxi drivers had in the proposed plans.

I am not sure how this will work or even where the (taxi) stand would be. I had no input in this but I dont know if the association had. On June 28, San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello during a statutory meeting of the San Fernando City Council announced traffic will flow in different directions on some streets. Some taxi stands will also be relocated. The plan will be in effect for two weeks to allow officials to test its feasibility. If successful, it will continue, Regrello said.

Another driver said Marabella drivers will be hardest hit.

We would have to take a longer route. It is too much driving whereas we could have just gone straight ahead to Pointe-a-Pierre Road. Although the stand will remain on this location, it will be facing the opposite direction so we have to go up Lord Street and make the rounds, he said.

As part of the plan, there will be a reversal of traffic on Mucurapo, Lord and Library Streets.

The mayor said the plan was a collaboration between police, the traffic management unit, traffic wardens and various taxi associations.
Woodbrook residents express concern about proposed hotel

Developer Amery Ward told residents the proposal is for a hotel possibly under the Wyndham brand with 110 rooms and 240 car parking spaces, plus a Hard Rock Cafe, spa and gym. The facility would provide 500 jobs over several shifts.

Ward said the Town and Country Planning Division had granted its approval for the project, but residents said the Port-of- Spain City Corporations nod is requisite, especially given restrictions on the construction of tall buildings in that locale. By such reasoning, resident Lynette Dolly did not think a seven-storey building would get corporation approval. She expressed the a view that Number One Woodbrook Place should never have been built. She said before that structure had been built, residents attended public consultations and were given assurances but to no avail as construction still proceeded.
Years of haphazard development coming home to roost

And, with fears that flooding could re-occur if heavy rainfall persists, one wonders if measures can be put in place to minimise concerns about the impact of such natural phenomena on the lives of many citizens.

Last month, Government announced the establishment of a $25 million relief fund to help families adversely affected by the effects of Bret.

And while some may argue that a price tag can never be placed on the huge losses many residents have suffered as a result of this perennial occurrence, the absence of a workable solution, it appears, remains elusive.

Some theorists suggest that flooding is a man-made phenomenon while others blame a lack of political will for the absence of a meaningful, long-term strategy to combat the problem.

Urban planner Dr James Armstrong believes the problem is multi-faceted and studies undertaken on ways to curb the problem over the years have yielded little fruit.

In a recent Sunday Newsday interview, Armstrong said the countrys existing drainage infrastructure is inadequate to accommodate the volume of flood water which has ravaged many communities after consistent rainfall.

This problem, he said, was identified in the Caroni River Basin Study of 1975/76 and the1984 National Physical Development Plan which also highlighted the floodprone areas in the country at that time.

Saying there have been other more recent studies awaiting consideration, Armstrong said if one were to do an overlay of the development that has taken place since the surveys, it would be realised that while there has been significant progress in some of the floodprone areas, much of the development was unauthorised.

At the time, the various developments recommended restrictions in the areas where development did not as yet take place. This was not done, he said.

Armstrong recalled the situation raised debate about the inadequacy of land for development at that time.

He said land degradation and development also contributed to the problem of flooding as there was a significant increase in the volume of water.

Coupled with unregulated quarrying, this water drains into the flood plains where a significant amount of debris is carried along, thereby often clogging the already limited carrying capacity of the rivers.

Similarly, the volume of water run-off along the urban corridors is now in excess of the capacity of the aging infrastructure. Armstrong, who holds a first degree in environmental design and a doctorate in developmental planning from the University of Nairobi, said the State must take a serious stance on haphazard developments including the problem of squatting. He said since it is quite unlikely that much could be done to scale back the spread of development, further hydrological analyses will be required to contain upstream backwater, while also instituting a regular programme of maintenance of the drainage system, including significant investments in improved infrastructure that is informed by proper technical analysis.

Asked what measures could be undertaken by the authorities in dealing comprehensively with flooding as it relates to Government housing and private developers, Armstrong observed this country has a very high level of non-compliance in dealing with development regulations in the Caribbean.

He said the Town and Country Planning Division needs to be strengthened to enforce measures for proper development.

It is anticipated that the strengthening of the local authorities and the devolution of some planning and development control measures to that level will assist in this connection, Armstrong said, adding there was need for an integrated development plan to address the peculiarities of the countrys physical space.

Noting than an updated spatial development strategy was required, Armstrong said it might be prudent to consider some form of land-for-shelter swaps so that the density of shelter is increased and land is preserved and used effectively.

He made it clear that no further consideration should be given to any land for landless policy. Squatting must be curtailed and rolled back in some areas, he said.

Armstrong, a former independent senator, said some related infrastructure such as roadways also impede the run-off of water.

He said water harvesting could also assist in slowing the incidence of flooding but this will require careful
I am the best candidate

The election was originally scheduled to take place today, but it has been postponed after a threat of legal action from COP member Kirt Francis was brought to the fore in relation to the candidacy of Nicole Dyer-Griffith, former leader of the Alliance of Independents.

The leadership poll has been postponed pending the outcome of the partys assembly on July 23, which will allow for the election of a new national executive.

After that meeting, a new date for the leadership election will be set.

Former COP chairman and San Fernando West MP Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan is also vying for the partys leadership.

Gopaul-Mc Nicol said she was ready, willing and able to contest the election whenever the new date is announced.

She said her first priority, if elected, will be to form a new national executive, comprising people whom she feels are committed to building the internal structures of the party and reinforcing its values and vision.

I believe the COP still has the best policies in education, social transformation and energy. There is no luxury in dismissing the COP as a third party, she said in a Sunday Newsday interview.

No stranger to politics, Gopaul-McNicol is a former COP deputy political leader who bought in to the partys philosophy when it was first conceptualised by founder Winston Dookeran in 2006.

Gopaul-McNicol believes, however, the COP quickly shifted from its moorings and became more in line with the dictates of the United National Congress- led Peoples Partnership government after the 2010 general election, a development for which it is yet to recover.

It was supposed to have been ground support which would have been 50 per cent and media, the other 50 per cent. But it ended up 80 per cent media and 20 per cent on the ground. She said by the time attorney Prakash Ramadhar assumed the leadership of the party after Dookerans departure in 2011, it was more of the same.

Saying the situation did not augur well for permanency in membership, Gopaul-Mc Nicol said a re-configured COP, under her stewardship, will forge intimate ties with the people.

You have to go door to door, know the constituents by their first name. The St Josephs Convent, St Joseph, alumnus believes it is up to her to reverse the fortunes of the COP at a time when the country is crying out for a fresh, bottom-up to governance.

I have to make it happen now and then, once I become the leader of the COP, what is going to happen is that the nation is going to be transfixed into how we change this country to address the problem. We have four years to do it. But dont expect to hear Gopaul-Mc Nicol bad-mouthing the ruling the Peoples National Movement government at every turn.

She said there was simply too much work to be done.

We dont have the luxury to play opposition politics with our country. I have to work along with my new executive with our Government to help because you cant say youre in opposition and want to see your country go down, so let the PNM lose.

It eh no PNM I am dealing with. It is the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Gopaul-McNicol, who fought unsuccessfully the St Joseph seat for the PNM in the 2002 general election, is advocating a transformational approach to governance as opposed to the transactional model, she believes, has been standard fare for decades.

Transactional politics says you give me this and I will give you some contracts.

You give me votes and I will give you contracts, she said.

But we need people who are going beyond the politics. The politics is wrong. It has been top-down for so long that people are not even looking at our communities and seeing what is happening. For example, she observed the policies have been fuelling criminal tendencies in many of the countrys young people, focussing, it appeared, on those proficient in academia.

However, she says, The genius of the artiste, sportsman, musician, are no different than the genius of the academic. They are equally intelligent, just manifested differently
The South Korean government has released rare video footage of Korean women forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II, the first time moving images have been shown of the "comfort women."

A government-funded research team from Seoul National University found the footage, which was filmed in 1944 by an American soldier, in the United States National Archives after a two-year hunt.

The 18-second black-and-white clip shows seven women lined up outside a brick house, being questioned by Chinese soldiers. The women were found by U.S.-China allied forces in China's Yunnan province, the team said.

The women were registered by U.S. soldiers, the research team said.
Two of the largest marinas in central Wyoming have new ownership and management and have big changes in store for boaters, fishermen and those interested in the good life, even if only for a day or a weekend.

The marina at Alcova is rebranding itself as Alcova Resort. Casper surgeon Razi Saydjari took sole ownership of the 5-acre property in July 2016, and general manager Patrick Munsell has overseen day-to-day operations there since May 2016.

With Razi buying out the other partners last July, that gave me the winter to find people who are strong, and we have done that, Munsell said. We have an older team, a seasoned team.

In Platte County, Casperites Rick and Dawn Bodily, along with business partners Gooch and Tammy Klassen of Lafayette, Colorado, purchased the Glendo marina in March and have rebranded everything there as Roochs Marina, a combination of the mens first names.

Alcova

With the closure of the Wonder Bar in Casper in January, Munsell brought the trio of chef Corey Boettcher, front of house manager Jimmy Beck and wait staff manager Kelsey Yeaman from the Wonder Bar to the lake.

One huge change for Alcova is that it is now in the boat-selling business. It offers live demonstrations on boats that are for sale, and boat rental fees go toward the down payment of a boat purchase.

Alcovas theme is now Family. Friends. Fun, and Munsell said, if were going to sell beer, why not sell Kool-Aid too? There is a game area set up for kids just off the bar, so they have something to do while their parents enjoy a beverage within sight.

The old, crumbling deck structure off the restaurant has been replaced with grass and picnic tables and stand-up bistro tables made from the salvageable, repurposed decking.

The restaurant features separate menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner and will bring back the popular Mexican food nights about once a month, Yeaman said. On a recent visit for lunch, diners ordered the green chili burger and Cuban sandwich, both with French fries. Both sandwiches were rated above average and very plentiful. The bill for two lunches with non-alcoholic beverages was $27.

Sandwiched between the Casper Boat Club and the Casper Water Ski Club on a thin strip of reservoir shoreline, the marina/resort is the only public facility of the three.

In addition to the marina building itself, which houses the restaurant, bar and convenience store, the property also includes cabin and RV rentals, as well as 29 RV spots and 190 boat docks, all of which are full.

We havent seen them full in years, Munsell said.

Munsell must work with three levels of oversight  the Bureau of Reclamation, Natrona County and the Natrona County Parks Department.

We are the only one in the state that has all three, Munsell said.

Summer events planned for the resort at Alcova are a paddleboard festival and a retooled Jimmy Buffett Days celebration, both this month.

A film crew from New Zealand will be at the resort in August, filming Wyomings adventure race for Japanese television.

We get people from all over the world out here, Munsell said. Its been unbelievable who comes out here.

Asked how he liked working at the marina instead of the Wonder Bar, Beck pointed to the wall of windows facing the reservoir and said, I didnt have this looking out of the Wonder Bar.

Glendo

Inside Glendo State Park at the beginning of a holiday weekend, Dawn Bodily wondered how she was running a marina after a lifetime in the construction business.

Pointing to her husband, she said, He tells me this is retirement. I think he hates me.

Bodilys own the successful Ramshorn Construction Company in Casper, which their son is now managing. They have permanently moved to Glendo, along with their partners, to learn as they go in the marina business.

He has wanted to own a marina forever, and last fall it happened very quickly, Dawn said.

The couple spent 41 straight 18-hour days cleaning and preparing the marina for its late April opening. A formal grand opening and party will be coupled with the annual Glendo EMT Auction from 6 to 10 p.m. July 29.

With a population of 205, Glendo does not have a huge work force from which to draw, so Dawn has relied on connections in Glenrock, Douglas and Casper, as well as Glendo, to find her primarily teenaged work force.

The hardest obstacles are definitely the employee part of it, she said. But weve had friends of friends with full-time jobs come down just to lend a hand on the weekends.

In the cafe, chef Diane Collins offers a down-home menu that changes nearly every day, with three or four items on the menu at a time. For breakfast recently, visitors chose a frittata with bacon, shredded hash browns, mushrooms and cheese, and a breakfast burrito with spicy green chili, eggs, hash browns, sausage and bacon. Both were rated as delicious and the two meals, with unending coffee refills, were $21.

The marina and convenience store are open seven days a week, but the cafe is closed Tuesday and Wednesday as the owners figure out staffing flow and demand.

On a recent morning, the convenience store sold an air pump that Bodily said had probably been on the shelves for 15 years, seven bags of charcoal and every package of hot dogs in the convenience store.

Even when the cafe is closed, Bodily has a supply of hot dogs on a roller and other quick foods in the convenience store.

While all of the duties overlap as needed, Bodily said the four have found niches. Gooch and Tammy come from the corporate field, so Tammy has taken on the computer work, Gooch spends his time in the shop and boat area, Rick is a floater and loves the cafe, and Dawn has been hiring, merchandising the convenience store and working as cashier.

The new owners have immersed themselves in the town, and Dawn has been attending meetings in preparation for the solar eclipse in August.

Bodily admits to being nervous about how many people it may bring.

Glendo is the closest town on the path of totality to Denver, and shes heard some startling figures from folks in town.

I cant have 300 people in my store at one time, she said of the tiny area. So we are worried.

One welcome visitor recently was Gov. Matt Mead, who purchased two brown and gold Wyoming coolers while he was there.

He was very gracious and congratulated us on all of the changes, Dawn said.

And as for Rick and his retirement plan?

Much like Beck at Alcova, he said to his wife, Look out your window, honey. My God, we love it.
Never send a cop to do a man's job
The European Investment Bank has granted a loan of 70 million to the Fez-based Euromed University for the construction and the equipment of a campus.

An agreement was signed by officials from the Bank and the University last week to bolster the finances of the Euro-Mediterranean Institute, whose honorary Chairman is King Mohammed VI.

Over 6600 students from across Europe, the Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa will pursue their studies at the Euromed University with 80% students taking international exchange programs.

Officially inaugurated in 2015, the University aims to offer a new regional center of excellence, contributing to regional stability and integration through the promotion of dialogue, intercultural exchange, sharing of knowledge and cooperation in the fields of higher education, research, innovation and mobility.

As a flagship project of the Union for the Mediterranean, the University aspires to respond to the strategic goal of promoting youth employability and inclusive growth in the region.

It adopts a unique regional approach reflected in the diversity of nationalities of the students and staff as well as in the curriculum contents, which focus on key topics relating to the integrated development of the Mediterranean region.
Would-be migrants are increasingly avoiding passing through conflict-wracked Libya on their treacherous sea journey to Europe in favor of the more peaceful and closer western Mediterranean route between Morocco and Spain.

The UN Refugee Agency has warned Spain to prepare for an upcoming surge in migrant arrivals as the number of mostly sub-Saharans who made it to Spanish coasts has more than doubled in 2017 from last year, outpacing the Libya-Italy route as the fastest growing entry point to Europe.

While the Italian sea route remains the most popular overall with 59,000 migrants between January and May, up 32 percent from last year, the Spanish route further west has gathered steam with 6,800 migrants using it in the same period, a 75 percent increase from 2016.

However hundreds of migrants die in the perilous journey on overcrowded boats between Morocco and Spain. Last week, an inflatable dinghy that had apparently set out from Morocco was flipped over after being hit by a strong wave. Only three survivors were rescued by the Spanish coastguard.

The UNHCR called, therefore, on the Spanish government to be ready and prepare structures for the management of an upcoming increase in illegal migration attempts.

The proliferation of migration attempts from the North African coasts is largely due to the closure of the Balkan route through Turkey after the latter signed a deal with the EU to tighten border control and also due to the increasing security risks and human rights abuses facing Sub-Saharans in Libya.

More than 360,000 refugees and migrants escaping poverty and conflicts reached Europe across the Mediterranean last year according to the UNHCR and more than 85,000 have reached Italy so far this year.

As it continues to bear the brunt of most arrivals in the Mediterranean, Italy requested the EU for Help. In this respect, EU Interior Ministers gathered in the Estonian capital Tallinn to discuss a European Parliament plan to urge the Libyan authorities to set up a joint rescue coordination center with Italy.

They also discussed a European Commission plan, which earmarks 35 million ($40 million) in aid for Rome as well as proposals for working with Libya and other countries to stem the flow of migrants at source.

The European response seems to have shifted from an emphasis on the search-and-rescue efforts that resulted in a significant decline in drownings in late 2015 to working with the Libyan coastguard to try stop the flow altogether. The move drew criticism from Human Rights Agencies including Amnesty International, which recently slammed as reckless Europes strategy of training the Libyan coast guard to rescue migrants.

Amnesty International raised concerns over human rights abuses facing migrants in Libya. Moreover, UN agencies have on multiple occasions complained of the Libyan coastguard cooperation with smugglers, selling boats it seizes on to other smugglers and returning migrants to appalling detention facilities.

The migration issue in the Mediterranean reveals the unreadiness of the EU member states to share the burden as they continue to shun the idea of equitable resettlement quotas.
This guy. Photo: John Sommers II/Getty Images

Many figures in Donald Trumps orbit have been caught denying contacts with Russia that have later surfaced. Whats unusual about the lies that Donald Trump Jr. tells is that they arent even exculpatory. His denials are closer to confessions.

After the New York Times reported Saturday that Donald Jr. had met with Russian officials during the campaign, contradicting his previous statement, he explained that the meeting concerned nothing more serious than the issue of adoptions. It was a short introductory meeting. I asked Jared and Paul to stop by. We primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children that was active and popular with American families years ago and was since ended by the Russian government, but it was not a campaign issue at the time and there was no follow up.

Of course, as the Times story explains, the adoption issue is hardly a nonpolitical question. One of the Russian governments highest priorities is to repeal an American law, named after a murdered Russian dissident who exposed corruption at the hands of Vladimir Putin, which allows financial penalties for Russian human-rights violators. Natalia Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer who met with the Trump campaign, is spearheading this effort. Russia retaliated for the hated law by suspending American adoptions of Russian children: A discussion of adoption inherently implies a discussion of favors to be granted to Putins regime.

By Sunday, even this explanation had collapsed, as the Times reported that the Russians had offered damaging information on the Clinton campaign. In a new statement to the Times, Donald Jr. says that the dangled information was merely a ruse:

After pleasantries were exchanged, he said, the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms. Clinton. Her statements were vague, ambiguous and made no sense. No details or supporting information was provided or even offered. It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information.

So the Trump campaign took a meeting with Russians who promised to supply them with damaging information on their opponent. This is the defense. Given that Trump is fervently denying that his campaign colluded with Russia to steal and disseminate Democratic emails, it is not a very strong one.

Trump Jr.s latest defense is that while he sought damaging information from Veselnitskaya, she failed to deliver any. However, the timing of events around this meeting is instructive. The hacker Guccifer announced the theft of Clinton emails the month before, and Guccifers only publicly known connection to Russia was his use of Russian proxy servers. But three days after the meeting with the Trump campaign, Julian Assange, Putins pass-through publishing source for email hacks, announced, We have upcoming leaks in relation to Hillary Clinton  We have emails pending publication, that is correct.

The most interesting follow-up question is, what was the nature of the damaging information that Veselnitskaya promised? Stolen emails, perhaps?

Update: Trump Jr.s statement not only implicates him in the potential crime of requesting an electronic break-in, it apparently implicates him in a already-proven one. As Rick Hasen and Bob Bauer point out, federal law prohibits a campaign from soliciting anything of value from foreign entities. (No person shall knowingly solicit, accept, or receive from a foreign national any contribution or donation prohibited by paragraphs (b) through (d) of this section.) Trump Jr.s own statement presents him as soliciting something of value.
Trump spoke in Warsaw but could not make time to visit the monument to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Photo: Celestino Arce/NurPhoto via Getty Images

President Donald Trumps visit to Warsaw prior to the G20 summit in Hamburg was a whirlwind affair, tightly scheduled and lasting less than a day. It was so tight, in fact, that he was unable to squeeze in a stop at the monument to the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, sending his daughter Ivanka to lay flowers there instead.

With that decision, Trump became the first U.S. president in nearly 30 years not to pay his respects at the monument on his first state visit to Poland. Leaders of the Jewish community there expressed disappointment in his decision to skip it.

Coming just days after the president retweeted a video of himself beating up CNN from an account that turns out to have also trafficked in vicious anti-Semitism (once again), the omission was bound to draw notice and criticism from Jews in Poland as well as the U.S. It was also suspiciously convenient to the political agenda of Polands ruling party, Politicos Annie Karni notes, as the right-wing nationalist Law and Justice Party has worked to refocus Polands historical memory of the Holocaust on its Polish victims and heroes (of which there were indeed very many) and away from the virtual eradication of the countrys millennium-old Jewish community  much less any Polish complicity in that atrocity, the mere mention of which the ruling party has sought to criminalize.

This is not to suggest that Trumps travel itineraries reveal anti-Semitic intentions. But its part of a pattern of participating in situations and categories of political rhetoric with anti-Jewish undercurrents.

In his Warsaw speech, Trump referred frequently to the West and to our civilization, going so far as to state grandiosely: The fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive. This claim, Peter Beinart observes at The Atlantic, only makes sense as a statement of racial and religious paranoia:

The south and east only threaten the Wests survival if you see non-white, non-Christian immigrants as invaders. They only threaten the Wests survival if by West you mean white, Christian hegemony. [  ] So when Trump says being Western is the essence of Americas identity, hes in part defining America in opposition to some of its own people. Hes not speaking as the president of the entire United States. Hes speaking as the head of a tribe.

What makes this language particularly notable in this context is that the crowd Polands government bussed in to cheer Trump on may have an even more circumscribed view of who does and does not belong in the West. While the Law and Justice Party is not overtly anti-Semitic, the same cannot be said for all of its supporters, and its perspective on history betrays a certain resentment of the prominence given to the Jewish experience in the Holocaust. Bolstered by the governments right-wing populism and xenophobia, anti-Semitism has come into vogue again in the home of Auschwitz and Sobibor in recent years, just as it has in other European countries.

Hungarys right-wing prime minister, Viktor Orban, for instance, may insist that his latest campaign of posters depicting George Soros as a sinister caricature of the laughing Jew is just about Soros, the individual  but its not convincing. Not incidentally, the Orban and Trump administrations are disturbingly friendly. Orban welcomed Trumps inauguration as the end of multilateralism and has praised Trumps heavy-handed approach to controlling immigration; Trumps Islamophobic counterterrorism advisor Sebastian Gorka was also once an advisor to Orban.

Trump may be drawn to European nationalists like Orban by nothing more than their shared suspicion of Islam, but he is apparently blind to the anti-Semitism that tends to co-exist with that variety of Islamophobia.

In the same vein, he either doesnt understand or doesnt care that his diatribes against liberal internationalism and his attacks on the press have origins in old school anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and serve as dog whistles to Jew-haters, even as his supporters repurpose the Nazi slur lugenpresse and alt-righters gleefully tweet about an impending journocaust. To be sure, the new anti-Semitism is by no means exclusive to the right  just ask those G20 protesters in Hamburg what they think of Jews. But its no accident that anti-Semitic incidents spiked 86 percent in the first few months of the Trump administration, as the alt-right celebrated what they saw as their victory.

Yet whether out of ego, ignorance, or cognitive dissonance, Trump is unwilling or unable to grapple with the possibility that he might be enabling that spike. Indeed, he seems not to even understand the connection. That makes him no less unsettling.
A former KGB agent (L) and a former reality-television star (R) discussed geopolitics at the G20 summit on Friday. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump has finally released his official version of what happened in the long meeting he had with Russian president Vladimir Putin at the G20 on Friday, firing off a Sunday morning tweetstorm after having skipped out of Hamburg the day before without holding a press conference. On the key issue of Russias meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Trump announced that he strongly pressed Putin on the issue twice and Putin vehemently denied it. Then Trump said that he has already given my opinion on the matter, which as of last week was that he still doubted Russia was solely responsible for the election hacking  a conclusion which the U.S. intelligence community does not share. After hailing his and Putins agreement to a pre-agreed ceasefire in Syria, Trump then wrote that now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia! To that end, Trump said that he and Putin discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, [and] many other negative things, will be guarded and safe.

So, in other words, Trumps response to the Russian governments interference in last years presidential election, with the adversarial intent of helping Trump get elected, was to consider working together on election cybersecurity in the future.

In his other tweets, Trump moved into obfuscation mode, suggesting, again, that the Russians (or others at the G20, or somewhere) asked why the Democratic National Committee, which U.S. intelligence officials believe was hacked by the Russians, did not turn over their servers to U.S. intelligence officials. This was before Trump suggested again that the Russian election-attack story was fake news and implied again that President Obama was somehow complicit in the alleged attack by failing to prevent it. Trump also said that U.S. sanctions were not discussed at the meeting, adding that, Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian [and] Syrian problems are solved!

While little of what President Trump said on Sunday morning makes much sense, he did seem to clear up some of the confusion surrounding the official Russian and less-official U.S. versions of what happened at the meeting.

The official Russian version, offered by both Putin and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov in press conferences, is that President Trump had asked Putin whether or not Russia had interfered in the U.S. election, Putin had denied it, and Trump had accepted that denial. Lavrov said that Trump had not been confrontational and had assured them that many in the U.S. had been exaggerating the Russian meddling without proof. Putin said on Saturday that Trump had asked many questions about the election interference, but that he thought Trump seemed satisfied with his answers and denial. Putin also encouraged reporters to ask Trump himself about what he thought, and when told that the White House hadnt released any information about the meeting, Putin joked that he would instruct the Trump administration to fix that.

(The Russian president also said, in what he may or may not have meant as a compliment, that The television Trump is very different from the real man, explaining that Trump is absolutely specific, adequately perceives his interlocutor, analyzes quickly, answers the questions he is asked and whatever subjects arise during a discussion  a bar which Putin seems to have thought Trump might not be able to clear.)

In the absence of an official White House account of Fridays big meeting, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who was the only other U.S. official to attend it, claimed that Trump had repeatedly pressed Putin on the election hacking. The New York Times reports that Tillerson told an associate that Trump even opened the meeting by confronting Putin about the election hack, saying, Im going to get this out of the way: Did you do this?  despite the fact that U.S. intelligence officials have already concluded that Russia had. According to Tillerson, the two leaders then had a very robust and lengthy exchange on the subject, but that they were rightly focused on how they could move forward, beyond the intractable disagreement over the election hacking. Tillerson also said that sanctions were discussed in the meeting, referring to the current congressional push to pass new sanctions on Russia in retaliation for the election hacks. That bill, which the White House has been trying to water down or block, is currently being held up in the House of Representatives. On Sunday, Trump contradicted Tillerson, tweeting that sanctions were not discussed at the meeting.

White House officials disputed Lavrovs account of the meeting on Friday, but the question lingered into the weekend: Did Trump actually indicate that he accepted Putins denial  essentially choosing to believe the Russian president over the U.S. intelligence community? Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One after the end of the summit, national security adviser H.R. McMaster and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin both declined to deny that Trump had accepted Russias profession of innocence. I think President Trump handled it brilliantly, Mnuchin answered instead. Neither of them was at the meeting. In a television appearance on Saturday, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski  who is apparently still regularly consulted by Trump  went another direction, insisting that Putins denial of responsibility meant that the Russian election-meddling issue was now officially dead.

The next day, White House chief of staff Reince Priebus offered the more explicit denial that McMaster and Mnuchin wouldnt. Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Priebus, who also didnt attend the Putin meeting, declared that The president absolutely did not believe the denial of President Putin, though he hedged a bit as well, adding that Yes, [President Trump] believes that Russia probably committed all of these acts that weve been told of, but he also believes that other countries also participated in this activity. Pressed on whether or not Trump was letting Putin off the hook by wanting to now move forward constructively with Russia, Priebus replied that the president means that were not going to forgo progress simply because we have a disagreement in regards to this meddling in the United States election.

Ultimately, after looking at Trumps comments on Sunday morning, as well as the spectrum of comments from his cabinet members, it seems reasonable to assume that the Russian version of the meeting  that Trump accepted Putins assurances that he had nothing to do with the U.S. election hacks  may be credible. Thats particularly apparent if Trumps takeaway from the conversation was that it would somehow make sense for the U.S. and Russia to work together on election cybersecurity, or that Putins vehement denial was in any way sufficient. He certainly didnt deny that he had accepted Putins denial, which, even in a sloppy tweetstorm, would have been easy to do. At best, Trumps baseless conclusion remains that nobody knows for sure what happened with the election interference and so its time to move on, which is conveniently obtuse for a president who directly benefited from that interference and whose inner circle is under investigation for possible collusion regarding the matter.

In the meantime, it appears that the Trump administration is taking the cybersecurity team-up seriously  even as objections to the plan are being quickly raised within the GOP. Secretary of State Tillerson, speaking with reporters on Sunday, explained that the U.S. and Russia have agreed to explore a framework under which we might begin to have agreement on how to deal with these very complex issues of cyberthreats, cybersecurity, cyber intrusions. On ABCs This Week on Sunday, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin went further in describing the cybersecurity partnership, which he oddly suggested would be like one the U.S. undertakes with its allies (Russia is not a U.S. ally):

I think this is a very important step forward that what we want to make sure is that we coordinate with Russia, that were focused on cybersecurity together, that we make sure that they never interfere in any democratic elections or conduct any cybersecurity. And this is like any other strategic alliance, whether were doing military exercises with our allies or anything else. This is about having capabilities to make sure that we both fight cyber together, which I think is a very significant accomplishment for President Trump.

It is definitely not much of an accomplishment, however, if Russia is still launching cyberattacks on the U.S. On Saturday, a Washington Post report indicated that U.S. intelligence officials have now concluded that Russian hackers have successfully penetrated the computer networks of nuclear power and other energy companies in the U.S.

Update: Its also not much of an accomplishment if the president, after less than a day of criticism and ridicule, hastily admits that the impenetrable Russo-American cybersecurity alliance cant actually happen, as Trump did on Sunday night.
Lets partner with the guy who hacked our country! Super smart.

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It's like asking someone who robbed you to fix your security system.

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But nobody knows it if was Russer Russia. It could've been anyone!!! Nobody knows. Once it's happened, you can't find out who did it!

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literally the plot of ocean's 13 tho

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If people don't think that Kobach is going to hand over every piece of voter information he receives to the Russians then they are stupid. Our entire citizenry is about to be fleeced.

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Let's let Casey Anthony organize a national childcare effort

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No no no, you see, there was no hacking. Fake news by the librul conspiracy.

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Dumbest fucking president ever. When you're dumber than Bush thats a problem.

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You gotta be kidding me.



Also vas it even legal for Ivanka to fill in for her father? I'm confused about that one.

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Probably, but it's Tr*mp. So nothing will happen about it. Republicans love it.

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i'm not particularly interested in vhat Americans think about it, tbh. More concerned that the vorld leaders let that shit fly for some reason.

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It reminded me of Arrested Development's episode of 'bring your daughter to work'.

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breaking the protocol rarely is illegal but the second hand embarrassment should be

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Okay, so it wasn't against G20 rules (she was a registered member of the delegation, that's all that matters to them apparently)



but



it was a major breach of US protocol but because as an "unpaid Whitehouse aide" she technically works under Reince Prebus... it's complicated. Filling in for Trump at international conferences is literally in Rex Tillerson's job description (check the "Duties of the Secretary of State" page, too tired to link), and all established political norms point to him (or his undersecretaries) being the rightful substitute(s). But it's also not unheard of for the President to use White House staffers in roles that should be done by members of the Cabinet. It's annoying, but ever since the White House staff was first formed (I think it was FDR's administration), their interference in government has been greatly increasing.



Still extremely inappropriate and I've been raging on r/Politics for most of the night.

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Legal yes, because evidently she is "officiall White House staff," but still fucking stupid and a prime example of nepotism.



Can you imagine the shitstorm from the right if Obama had let Michelle sit in on the G20?

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I give up



Wake me up when Bob Mueller comes thru or like satan idk

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i didn't think there was anything he could do to surprise me, but this really does. Jesus fuck.

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marco rubio is literally the definition of twitter fingers

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*writes angry tweets*

*sees Trump in person*

"An anti-hacking unit with Russia was an ingenious idea, sir!"

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I would literally fight Rubio if i saw him in person.

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marco needs to shove those words up his ass since he'll still bow down to trump, same with lindsay graham and mccain

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remember when he wasn't going to run for reelection but then the Pulse shootings happened and it ~INSPIRED~ him to run again? because you know, he cares so much about the gays and gun control



no one hates Rubio like a Floridian hates Rubio

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I can't believe this dysstopian nightmare we're living in. It's not like Russia has been hacking into our energy and nuclear facilities AS WE SPEAK. OMG.



Everyone in his admin is complicit and dirty as hell! But the delicious NYT story yesterday (and their pathetic excuse) was another nail in their coffin. How long until we start hearing about indictments, for god's sake? I can't believe this dysstopian nightmare we're living in. It's not like Russia has been hacking into our energy and nuclear facilities AS WE SPEAK. OMG.Everyone in his admin is complicit and dirty as hell! But the delicious NYT story yesterday (and their pathetic excuse) was another nail in their coffin. How long until we start hearing about indictments, for god's sake?

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The investigation is still ongoing so we won't hear anything anytime soon. Mueller turned in his budget to the DOJ so I'm assuming he's done with staffing as well.

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Their official response is that the Russians lied to them. Who would have thought?!







Edited at 2017-07-09 05:43 pm (UTC)

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Jr wants to be Ivanka but hes so dumb. At least Eric understands its better to keep a low profile

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Jr is dying for daddy's love and affection.

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Reminder in light of Trump's tweets: US officials say Russian gov't hackers penetrated energy, nuclear co. networks.https://t.co/Vtr9W7mAU4  Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 9, 2017

they literally stuck their fingers in everything

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Fake news!!!!

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Flynn: Met w/Russians; lied

Page: Met w/Russians; lied

Sessions: Met w/Russians; lied

Kushner: Met w/Russians; lied

Donald Trump Jr: Me too.  Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) July 8, 2017

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They can get baron to help since "his son is good with computers"

Idiots

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Republicans are cowards

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GOP was targeted, they just didn't release it.

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Party uber alles.

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i have been originally avoiding FB all day (been up since 6 am ugh) and then went on for like 5 minutes and there were a bunch of statuses about 45 not saluting marines or something and literally every news source i follow had something about from the g-20 summit.



i've been watching SAG-AFTRA interviews and THR round table interviews all morning on youtube. :-D

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UP

Cowboy recovery. College bull rider Bradie Gray walked out of the Casper, Wyoming, hospital on Thursday with an oxygen tank  three weeks after he arrived critically injured with no pulse. Gray, who was competing in the College National Rodeo Finals in Casper, suffered chest injuries when a bull stepped on him. The Australian cowboy is on the Odessa (Texas) College team and said he hoped to be competing again within a year.

DOWN

Wildfire season. Suddenly, summer heat, fireworks, wind and thunderstorms combined to unleash wildfires across Montana. One of the largest last week threatened the tiny town of Zortman in the states drought-stricken northeast region. Fire restrictions are in force for the counties of Yellowstone, Big Horn, Musselshell and Stillwater, among others.

DOWN

Playground damage. Vandals burned playground equipment at Optimist Park in Billings last week, forcing the closure of that neighborhood park until the equipment can be repaired.

DOWN

River risk. The Yellowstone County Sheriffs Office rescued two women who were stranded on an Yellowstone River island after their inner tube deflated. It was at least the third river rescue for the office this season as the Yellowstone continues running higher than usual for early July. Floaters should exercise caution and wear life vests.
Arctic drilling may become unprofitable for Norway if oil prices continue to fall, says a new report looking into the best and worst scenarios for this new frontier in the context of the new normal for international prices. The report comes on the heels of a tender that saw a record-high number of Arctic exploration licenses102the vast majority of them in the Barents Sea.

The reports authors, Mads Greaker and Knut Einar Rosendahl, revise significantly downward previous government estimates for the profitability of Arctic exploration, which were made back in 2012 and 2013 when the price of a barrel of crude was much higher than the US$49 for Brent today.

At todays prices, the studys authors argue, Norways Arctic exploration could actually lead to a loss of US$240 million (2 billion crowns), under the worst-case scenario. Under the best-case scenario, profits would be US$4.92 billion (41 billion crowns). This compares to the 2012-2013 estimate of US$6-33.6 billion (50-280 billion crowns) in profits.

It makes sense that estimated economic benefits of major projects bear revisions every once in a while, especially after such a substantial change in the oil price environment over the last couple of years. But its certainly worth noting that the report was commissioned by Greenpeace and Nature and Youth  groups that are currently suing the Norwegian government precisely because of its Arctic oil and gas exploration plans, which, they claim, violate the Paris Agreement and the peoples constitutional right to a healthy and safe environment for future generations. Related: U.S. Rig Count Must Drop 150 For Oil Markets To Balance

The government has not commented on the report, saying it will be presented as evidence in court when the trial starts this November. Yet the latest news from Norways oil and gas industry suggests the push into the Arctic is moving quickly along.

Over the last two weeks, Statoil announced an oil find in the Kolje formation in the Barents Sea, as well as the launch of drilling at another location there, and a greenlight from the Petroleum Safety Authority for a third drilling project, also in the Barents Sea.

This sea is estimated to contain more than half of Norways undiscovered offshore reserves, and climate change has made the weather there a little less harsh, opening it up for hydrocarbon exploration.

Arctic ecosystems are extremely fragile, which is the basis for Greenpeaces case against the oil and gas industry, and the fight is likely to be severe. Yet, with 65 percent of Norways undiscovered oil and gas reserves located in the Barents Sea, it is certainly an attractive destination for Statoil and its partners, among them Exxon, Eni, Total, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips, as well as Russias Rosneft. Related: U.S. Shale Gas Booming Despite Global Glut

The price argument, unlike the environmental one, doesnt sound strong enough to convince anyone theres no future in Arctic exploration. Back in February, Bloomberg reported that drilling in Norways Arctic shelf is set for a record this year, and back in February oil prices were not that much higher than today. Statoil, for one, is among the global leaders in efficiency gains and production cost cuts, and it also has a pretty good track record with safety: Greenpeace called a 0.1 point increase in serious incidents between 2015 and 2016 a surge, with the actual figures at 0.2 and 0.3 incidents per million worked hours for each respective year.

The oil and gas industry accounts for a sizeable portion of Norways GDP. Most of the oil and gas the country produces is export-bound, as Oslo pushes one of the greenest agendas in the world that led New York Times Somini Sengupta to call it a Norwegian Paradox. Paradox or not, Norway needs the oil and gas in the Arctic, and is actively working on ways to tap it in a way that would ensure profitability.

The energy industry knows about production costs, and it continues to focus on lowering them. The environmental costs are a different matter  a matter that is bound to get a lot of spotlight and inevitably turn into a priority for Statoil and its partners in the harsh waters of the Barents Sea.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The four Arab states that are leading the boycott against Qatar vowed on Friday to take new measures against their tiny gas-rich neighbor after Doha rejected in full the list of ultimatums.

Despite the public threats of new measures, Qatars Finance Minister, Ali Sharif al-Emadi, told The Times today that Qatar is too rich to worry about what Saudi Arabia thinks, and that their huge financial resources would provide the small gas-rich nation the resources necessary to weather the sanctions.

We have sovereign wealth funds of 250 per cent of gross domestic product, we have Qatar Central Bank reserves, and we have a ministry of finance strategic reserve, al-Emadi told The Times. Bahrain and Egypt, they are at junk bond level. If you look at Saudi Arabia, they are having genuine issues with their finances, the minister said.

In a joint statement posted on Saudi Press Agency, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates expressed their deep surprise over the unjustified refusal by the Qatari government to the legitimate list and logical demands aimed at fighting terrorism, preventing embracing and financing it, combating extremism in all its forms and manifestations for the sake of world peace, and safeguarding Arab and international security.



On Friday, the Saudi-led coalition added that All political, economic and legal measures and procedures shall be taken in the form deemed appropriate and timely in a manner that preserves their rights, security and stability towards a hostile Qatari government policy, without specifying what these measures might entail. Related: Are Hedge Funds Falling Into An Oil Market Bear Trap?

Two weeks ago, the four countries issued a list of 13 demands to Qatar, giving their isolated neighbor just 10 days to meet those demands, which included severing ties with Saudi archrival Iran, and closing the Al-Jazeera TV network. At the end of the 10-day deadline, the four countries that had cut ties with Qatar gave their neighbor another 48 hours to meet those demands. Qatar did not.

Mohab Mamish, chairman of the Suez Canal Authorityone of the busiest waterways in the worldsaid on Friday that the canal authorities cannot ban Qatari ships from passing through the canal because of international treaties. But Qatari ships will be barred from using Egyptian ports and the economic zone in the canal, the AP quoted Mamish as saying.

The U.S. Department of State said on Thursday that at the invitation of the Emir of Kuwaitwhich is not part of the boycotting states and is mediating between the partiesU.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will travel to Kuwait on July 10 where he will meet with senior Kuwaiti officials to discuss ongoing efforts to resolve the Gulf dispute.



By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
*T*his is yet another example of the corruption of the mainstream media. If you like this blog's content please subscribe to our mailing at upper right c...
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Die Kitties Die! screamed the headline in the New York Daily News when, in 2013, former Metropolitan Transportation Authority chief Joe Lhota criticized a decision to pause trains in a Brooklyn subway station to rescue a pair of kittens lost on the tracks.These days, New York so badly needs to get the trains to run on time that Lhota, whose unfortunate anti-cat comments caused a minor scandal, has been brought back as chairman of the transit agency.Extreme measures are in order to fix the 112-year-old subway system, and nothing  not budget cuts, political infighting, or cats  can stand in the way.Delays have doubled over the last five years, and accidents are on the rise. A subway derailed last week, crashing into a wall and igniting a trash fire after hitting equipment left on a track near 125Street in Harlem. Nobody was seriously injured, but hundreds of terrified passengers had to evacuate through a smoky underground passage lighted only by their cellphones....... To Read More....
This is the latest in a series of posts about the suffrage movement in Warren, Washington and Saratoga counties.

A delegation of women from Warren County would march in the womans suffrage parade on Fifth Avenue in New York City on Oct. 27, 1917, The Post-Star reported.

The local group would be among an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 marchers from around the state.

The party will leave here Friday night in order to be in New York City early Saturday morning, The Post-Star reported in an Oct. 24, 1917 article on file at the New York State Historical Newspapers website, a project of public libraries.

The following women from Warren County planned to march:

Mrs. C. J. Nordstrom, Mrs. S. Carter Hall, Miss Mila Fish, Miss Myrtle Merrill, Mrs. A.M. Wilkie, Mrs. Martin L. C. Wilmarth, Miss Clara Griffin, Mrs. Elmer J. West, Mrs. D.E. Van Wirt, Miss Kerstin Taube.

Click here to read the most recent previous report in the series.
On June 8, you published an editorial by retired Montana Supreme Court Justice James Nelson that was a call to action to the people of Montana to address climate change, specifically in response to the presidents withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. To date, over 200 cities, large and small, as well as at least 10 states have adopted the goals of the Paris Climate Accord. In fact, even here in Montana, Bozeman, Helena, Missoula and Whitefish have affirmed the principles of the accord.
UAlbany lauds local students

ALBANY  The University at Albany named more than 150 students who have received the Deans Letter of Commendation for the spring 2017 semester. Students who receive this commendation earned at least a 3.5 grade point average in six graduation credits this semester. Local students include:

Zachary Iuliucci of Hudson Falls; and

Joshua James of Brant Lake.

UAlbany sets

its Deans List

ALBANY  The University at Albany announced more than 3,400 students who were named to the spring 2017 Deans List. Students named to the Deans List earned at least a 3.5 grade point average. Local students include:

Zackary Ward of Argyle;

Nathaniel Burke of Brant Lake;

Hunter Peters of Cambridge;

Lyndsey Brainerd of Cambridge;

Amanda Braynack of Chestertown;

Jacob Russell of Diamond Point;

Steven Nall of Fort Edward;

Aliceanne Comar of Fort Edward;

Ethan Saville of Fort Edward;

Abeer Awawdeh of Fort Edward;

Ethan Webster of Fort Edward;

Lindsey Johnson of Fort Edward;

Reese Johnson of Fort Edward;

Madleen Awawdeh of Fort Edward;

Krists Eiduks of Gansevoort;

Kaitlin Sesselman of Gansevoort;

Sarah Macintosh of Gansevoort;

Theresa Ferrotti of Gansevoort;

Benjamin Caivano of Gansevoort;

Dania Siddiqui of Gansevoort;

Kassandra Milligan of Glens Falls;

Megan Sheehy of Hudson Falls;

Sabrina Ziegler of Lake Luzerne;

Terence Allard of North Creek;

Charles Peltz of Queensbury;

Glenn Ryan Tapawan of Queensbury;

Haley Pogonowski of Queensbury;

Kristina Kingsley of Queensbury;

Melanie Murphy of Queensbury;

Mahrukh Naqvi of Queensbury;

Nicholas Rizzo of Queensbury;

Alanna Belanger of Queensbury;

Mara Bureau of Queensbury;

Stephanie Carte of Queensbury;

Tessa Fox-Kondas of Schuylerville;

Brandon Weed of Schuylerville;

Krista Bennett of South Glens Falls;

Kenneth Peters of South Glens Falls;

Andrew McMahon of South Glens Falls;

Caitlin Kortokrax of Victory Mills; and

Heather Sabo of Victory Mills.

St. Lawrence sets Deans List

CANTON  Students have been selected for inclusion on the Deans List for academic achievement during the spring 2017 semester at St. Lawrence University. To be eligible for the Deans List, a student must have completed at least four courses and have an academic average of 3.6 based on a 4.0 scale for the semester. Local students include:

Kerrianne Belline of Brant Lake;

Kathleen C. Bruen of Glens Falls;

Catherine E. Buck of Argyle;

Shelby L. Burkhardt of Warrensburg;

Wesley J. Hills of Gansevoort;

Megan R. Kellogg of Queensbury;

Remi W. LeBlanc of Salem;

Alycia M. Nicholson of Corinth;

Hunter T. Scott of Queensbury;

Gregory C. Wetmore of Queensbury; and

Isabella S. Winston of Queensbury.

Buffalo State sets its Deans List

BUFFALO  Students who have completed at least 12 credit hours and who have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher qualify for the Deans List at Buffalo State. Local students include:

Peter Pofahl of Lake George; and

Emily Ziegler of Queensbury.

Billings makes list at Cortland

CORTLAND  Sara Billings of Gansevoort, a biology major, has been named to the Deans List at SUNY Cortland for the spring 2017 semester.

GFCT gives $2K in scholarships

GLENS FALLS  The Glens Falls Community Theatre, formerly known as the Glens Falls Operetta Club, awarded $2,000 in scholarships to four area high school students who are attending college and will pursue a degree in music, music education, theater, dance or technical theater.

Scholarships were presented to students at their schools award ceremony or graduation.

Nancy Armstrong, chairman of the Scholarship Committee, announced that four $500 scholarships would be presented to the following students:

Tyler Talmage, from Glens Falls High School, will attend AMDA for musical theater;

Tom Socolof, from Queensbury High School, will attend Ithaca College for a dual degree in music education and vocal performance;

Jordan Santisteban, from Warrensburg High School, will attend SUNY Purchase for technical theater; and

Arianna Toby Barker, from South Glens Falls High School, will attend SUNY Adirondack for music education.

The Glens Falls Community Theatre has donated more than $100,000 in scholarships to talented area students over the past 81 years.

Students in 25 school districts in Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties were invited to apply for the Glens Falls Community Theatre scholarships. To apply, applicants needed to be area high school graduates who have been accepted to a four-year college or university and will be pursuing a degree in music, music education, theater, dance or technical theater.

Each applicant was required to audition for and be interviewed by a panel of judges. Auditions could be a vocal or instrumental solo, a dance performance, a brief dramatic excerpt, reading or monologue. Students receive their scholarships after they have completed their first semester of college. For more information, visit www.gfcommunitytheatre.org.
QUEENSBURY -- A Vermont man is headed to prison for up to 3 years for possessing crack cocaine with intent to sell in Queensbury.

Michael S. Jackson, 35, pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony, for having more than an ounce of crack during a traffic stop March 11 on Route 149.

Police said he was en route to Vermont with drugs after picking them up in an unspecified city, and State Police found the drugs after a vehicle he was in was stopped for a traffic violation.

Warren County Judge John Hall sentenced him to 3 years in state prison to be followed by 2 years on parole.
GREENWICH  A Hartford man was arrested early Saturday on drunken driving charges in the town of Greenwich, according to the New York State Police.

Ryan Hall, 33, was allegedly driving drunk with a child in his vehicle, police reported.

Hall was charged with felony aggravated DWI with a child; and endangering the welfare of a child and DWI, both misdemeanors.

A hearing has been set for a later date.
HUDSON FALLS  A Glens Falls woman was arrested early Saturday in the village of Hudson Falls on drunken driving-related charges, according to the New York State Police.

Brianna N. Stenken, 25, was charged with two felonies: one count of DWI with a previous conviction in the past 10 years, and aggravated DWI with a prior conviction, police reported.

Stenken was given an appearance ticket for a hearing at a later date.
QUEENSBURY -- A Glens Falls man who sold heroin and smashed a car window to steal a purse inside is headed to prison for up to 3 years.

Jacob D. Welch, 26, pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance for a heroin sale in Glens Falls earlier this year.

He also pleaded guilty to fourth-degree grand larceny, a felony, in connection with a March incident on Broad Street in Glens Falls. A witness who saw Welch commit the crime called police, and the purse was recovered by Glens Falls Police at Welch's home minutes later.

Welch was sentenced to 3 years in state prison by Warren County Judge John Hall.
MOREAU  The local microbrewery industry might get a boost from a proposed project in Moreau.

Rachel Czub, whose family has farmed on a leased parcel in Moreau for many years, wants to turn that parcel into a small grains hub for breweries and distilleries.

Her family grows some small grains at their farm, West Wind Ag in Schagticoke. But in Moreau, Cuzb wants to buy, not grow.

She envisions building a series of grain silos in which she would clean and separate different grains by grade, type and variety. She would then sell custom orders to breweries and distilleries, in addition to selling top-quality seeds for farmers to use to grow the best small grains.

The Moreau Town Board is so supportive of her idea that it is sponsoring a state economic development grant application to fund her project.

Czub created the plan after helping her family research ways to sell small grains. She was an investment banker in New York City, but came home to help her family diversify the family farm. When the family had the opportunity to buy land it had long leased in Moreau, she decided it could help her create what she thinks the industry, and the region, needs: a grain hub.

Ive noticed all these supply chain issues, she said.

Among them: Farmers dont have space to store their small grains for a year, selling it in small amounts as customers want it for their brews. But the malt houses and breweries dont have the space to buy a years supply at once, either.

The small grains are harvested in the summer and generally must be sold by fall, when farmers need the storage for their corn harvest. Breweries, of course, want to be able to buy the grains all year long so they can brew year-round.

Somebody has to store these grains, she said.

Small farmers also generally dont have the ability to buy the machines needed to sort and clean the different grains, much less the space to separate each type.

Theres brewery grade and distillery grade. You need to be able to separate them, she said. Then you separate by color, size, variety. Each customer needs a consistent product. Thats what we hear from them: its not consistent.

There are also many side lines needed, from buckwheat to rye. Rye is used for rye whiskey, while buckwheat is used to create a gluten-free beer.

Building the grain hub and buying the equipment will cost more than $1 million, Czub said. In addition to a state grant, she is evaluating loans, particularly a USDA loan.

If she gets the project off the ground, she plans to buy lots of small grains from local farmers during harvest season  general July and August  and then sell them year-round to breweries. She is also working with Cornell Cooperative and others to determine the right seeds to sell to farmers.

Grain Hub would source seed, and the right type of seed, for every micro-climate in New York state, she said.

She can be reached at rachel.a.czub@gmail.com.
BOLTON LANDING  While gem-like glints sparkled across the late-morning peaks and splashes of Lake George, beckoning even the timid into her depths and shallows, several hundred lake enthusiasts packed into a conference room at The Sagamore resort on Saturday morning to hear about the health of the lake they love.

Perhaps buoyed by the recent news that higher than acceptable e-coli levels pushed the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to close the popular Million Dollar Beach on Lake George numerous times, those attending discovered that things are pretty good for the 32-mile near-pristine lake.

The lake appears to be in better shape and is more resilient that we thought, said Dr. John E. Kelly III, a senior vice president at IBM who is a member of the board of directors for The FUND for Lake George.

Kelly, one of many who spoke at The FUND for Lake George annual meeting, presented the science of the Jefferson Project at Lake George and shared what their network of lake sensors has been tracking.

The deep water is OK, he said. But salt levels in the shallows are high.

The Jefferson Project team is made up of scientists, meteorologists, technologists, engineers and environmentalists from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, IBM Research and The FUND for Lake George.

The way Kelly explained it, the salt that comes from winter salt trucks washes into the streams.

Fish spawn in the streams and if we dont take care of that, it will kill the lake, Kelly said after the presentation, talking about several dangers to the lake, including e-coli, chlorophyll and salt. The e-coli is a danger to humans, increased chlorophyll leads to algae blooms and salt means the death of organisms and eventually the ecosystem of Lake George.

Kelly said they are now adding more sensors in the shallows to gather more information. The sensors, which are dropped into the water from various locations, track chemical, physical and biological processes and send the data to scientists.

In the past two years, the sensor network has transmitted more than 100 million measurements to supercomputers.

According to the data, the salt levels in the streams can be nearly 100 times greater in the shallows than in the deep water, and thats why they are now concentrating on streams.

During his presentation, Kelly outlined the threats and the current initiatives to make sure the lake remains clear and viable for generations to come.

The primary issues The FUND and The Jefferson Project, along with partners, local government and associations, have been tackling include wastewater and storm runoff, salt and invasive species.

According to the Jefferson Project, surveys found 20 non-native species in Lake George  11 fish, seven invertebrate animals and two plants  and five are considered invasive or harmful to the environment.

But starting in 2014, mandatory boat inspections have stopped thousands of invasive hitchhikers from entering the lake on algae trapped on the side of a boat. Since 2015, there have been 112,000 boat inspections at 71 locations. Of those inspections, 3,700 boats were intercepted and 1,300 decontaminated at 17 decontamination stations.

Lake George Waterkeeper Chris Navitsky said they are committed to safely reducing road salt, and Lake George Town Supervisor Dennis Dickinson agreed.

To this end, several communities have added what they call live-edge plows that use brine to keep roadways free from snow and ice. Additionally, high-tech trucks  equipped with black boxes that measure salt application rates and cameras that can take pictures of the roadways  give them data to help reduce salt and keep drivers safe.

Speakers addressed stormwater runoff and wastewater, labeling them as the biggest threats to the lake.

And thats why hundreds of thousands of grant dollars have been allocated for new septic systems and improvements to the wastewater treatment plants in hopes of reducing their influence on the lake.

During the meeting, The FUND awarded more than $400,000 in grants: $250,000 to The Jefferson Project for smart sensor web and targeted research; $90,000 to the Lake George Park Commission for Lake George aquatic invasive species prevention and milfoil removal; $10,000 to the town of Bolton for improved de-icing practices and equipment; $10,000 to the Adirondack Watershed Institute at Paul Smiths College for a salt groundwater study; $7,000 to the Adirondack Watershed Institute at Paul Smiths College for aquatic invasive species prevention and preemption; $55,000 to North Queensbury Wastewater Management District for priority septic system upgrades; and $10,000 Rockhurst Wastewater Initiative for the establishment of a wastewater management district.

The meeting ended with several personal awards and a lifetime achievement award to Lake George Mayor Robert Blais.

FUND Board Chairman Jeff Killeen closed by saying they all do this to protect the lake.

We do this because Lake George is in our souls, he said. She has cast a sweet spell on all of us.
You might say Glens Falls Mayor Jack Diamond is biting the hand that feeds him.

Or that his refusal to pay a $1,200 bill to Warren County SPCA will come back to bite one of his police officers.

Either way, this is one of those time-wasting controversies that should have been cleared up with a short phone call or brief face-to-face meeting. Instead, Mayor Diamond and Jim Fitzgerald, president of Warren County SPCA, have been trading letters  people still write letters  over the legitimacy of a $1,200 fee for services rendered.

This stems from a June 8 incident in Glens Falls when a pit bull in a city apartment turned aggressive, bit one of its owners and left the people cornered in a bedroom.

The city has a contract with SPCA of Upstate New York in Kingsbury, and police said they made three phone calls that were not answered. The dogs owners also said they made two phone calls that were not answered.

According to Fitzgerald, Glens Falls Police then called him to help with the situation. Fitzgerald said he was reluctant because his organization has been contacted in the past to provide services without compensation. He feared this would turn into another dispute.

What was I supposed to do, Fitzgerald said. These guys were pleading with me to come help them.

So Fitzgerald did.

But this time Fitzgerald sent the city a bill for $1,200.

Billing the city seems fair to me. As soon as the Glens Falls Police reached out to the Warren County SPCA, it entered into a verbal contract for services. If Diamond had a problem with that, he should take it up up with his police officers and discipline them if they did not follow city protocol. But it seems like they did the right thing to me.

If a city employee called an exterminator or plumber, wouldnt the city be on the hook for the bill, even if it had a previous arrangement with another business?

This may also be part of the ongoing feud between Glens Falls and Warren County and whether Glens Falls should be paying for police protection from the Warren County Sheriffs Office.

Diamond wrote Fitzgerald that he should bill Warren County for the services since he has a contract with them, and Glens Falls is part of Warren County.

Diamond seemed to be making a political point, except it is unfair to put Fitzgerald and his organization in the middle of that dispute, and Fitzgeralds contract with Warren County only relates to cats.

I dont know if $1,200 is a fair price for the services rendered, but the city should pay Warren County SPCA something. It is the right thing to do.

Diamond might also throw in a thank you for helping defuse a dangerous situation involving his officers.

The Common Council might also use this incident as a jumping off point for a discussion on which SPCA will best fit the needs of the city.

One that answers its phone would be a good start.
This is the frustrating point we have reached, even in Queensbury: If youre a politician, you cant join a friend in celebrating his daughters graduation without people trying to use the happy occasion to score political points against you.

Republican Assemblyman Dan Stec, a resident of Queensbury, recently attended the high school graduation party thrown by his friend Tony Metivier for his daughter. At the party, Metiviers wife snapped a photo of Stec with his arms around Tony on one side and Dave Strainer on the other.

All three men are smiling widely. All you need to know about the photo is that the men are longtime friends, enjoying a moment outside on a beautiful day.

Unfortunately, certain people in Queensbury  some of them hiding behind an anonymous Facebook page  are reading much more into this innocent photograph. For them, its important that you know these other things:

Dave Strainer is a Democrat who is running in November for one of the four at-large Queensbury seats on the Warren County Board of Supervisors.

Tony Metivier is a Republican and a Town Board member who alienated Republican officials by refusing to go along with switching the towns law firm to one with Republican Party connections. The town Republican Committee ended up endorsing someone else, who will run against Metivier in a primary. Meanwhile, the Democrats have endorsed Metivier.

So, for certain Queensbury Republicans, Stecs moment of spontaneous friendship, captured in a photograph and posted by Tony Metiviers wife to her Facebook page, was a betrayal of party loyalties.

Doug Irish spoke out against Stec, saying he staged the photo to send a message critical of the Republican Partys choices.

Irish is a Republican member of the Town Board and chairman of the town Republican Committee who is working on Rachel Seebers campaign as she runs against John Strough, a Democrat, for town supervisor.

If youre that politically astute, you know what that looks like, Irish said of the photo.

We know what it looks like. It looks like three men who have been friends for a long time, enjoying each others company.

It looks like three men who understand that politics has a place, and that place is secondary to more important things like family, friends and community.

It looks like three men who are smiling and laughing without having their pleasure soured by the intrusion of partisanship.

Doug Irish says Stec should not be posing for photos with his old friend Dave Strainer during election season, since Strainer is a Democrat. We say friendship is not restricted to certain seasons, and even if the election were the next day, Stec would be right to attend the Metiviers party and put his arms around his friends.

Whoever is pushing this wrongheaded narrative may be having second thoughts, now that this paper has run a front-page story about the photo and the reaction to it. When we try now to visit the Facebook page that previously contained angry criticisms of Stec, we get the following message: This content isnt available right now.

We hope it never is.
We as Americans must ask ourselves why we continue to support the ongoing assault led by Saudi Arabia against the people of Yemen. President Donald Trump's recent weapons deal with the Saudi's is only the latest example of our uncritical support for their bloody regime. We restock Saudi weapons stockpiles and fuel their planes, sending the message that the U.S. supports a deadly, counterproductive war that has killed over 10,000 Yemeni civilians and left 17 million Yemenis hungry.

Our representatives in Congress can stop this carnage. A simple call, email or letter to our Montana senators and the new Montana representative can show that we care. Ask them to sign on to the Murphy-Paul-Franken bill in the Senate, or the Amash-Pocan bill in the house, both bipartisan, to block the arms sale. Its up to us to show some humanity in the face of this atrocity.
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So now we have politicians and political appointees jumping into the Montana public access picture. This happened after Sen. Steve Daines and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue met with representatives of Montana Stockgrowers, Montana Farm Bureau and Montana Outfitters and Guides who were unhappy with the actions of a forest ranger in the process of confirming the public nature of a long-established trail leading to National Forest on the east side of the Crazy Mountains.

These two experts concluded that the ranger had to be punished for his actions and set in motion the process to having him removed.

The problem with all of this is that Ranger Alex Sienkiewiecz was taking action that had been established at a higher level of the Forest Service and confirmed by the Office of General Council.

The kind of decision made by these two good old boy experts should never be allowed just because politically connected special interests groups are not pleased with a decision or action taken that is not to their liking.

Imagine the chilling message this sends to all other professionals working for government agencies : Dont make a decision that will make us unhappy or we will have the good old boy come and have you removed and probably ruin your career.

Senator Daines, I hope you realize that over 70 percent of Montana voters support better access to our National Forests . Better look at your hole card.

John Gibson

Billings
Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg
If you want to see an average family film, then Despicable Me 3" should be your destination.

The franchise is wearing thin. Your children and grandchildren might not notice, because theyll be too busy chuckling at the little yellow Minions who provide some of the comedy in this loud, boisterous romp that has its moments but ends up being just OK.

First, theres a villain. Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker of South Park fame) is an 80s fanatic who decides to steal a diamond and destroy Hollywood.

In the meantime, Gru (Steve Carell) who has transitioned from a villain to a good guy  and a family man at that  loses his standing with the Anti-Villain League after he fails to bring in Bratt. Gru has a surprise: He has a twin brother named Dru (also Carell.) With his posh lifestyle and flowing locks, Dru seems to be quite different from Gru. Eventually, Dru tries to lure Gru back to being a villain.

Elsewhere, Grus wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig) joins Agnes, the youngest of the couples three daughter, in a quest to find a unicorn. Lucy longs to bond with her new daughters and feel like a real mother, which lends a sweet note to the story.

The Minions get up to all sorts of shenanigans. They sing on an American Idol-type show (this is one of the funniest parts of the movie  they render in their own Minion language "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General" from The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan.) Additionally, they end up in prison.

I like Bratt (his very name made me giggle) the most out of all the characters. He has an interesting background as a former child star who played a naughty kid in a 1980s sitcom, then lost his job when he hit puberty. He has a mullet, and wears a track suit with shoulder pads. And of course he listens to nothing but 80s music.

Not all of this works. Theres a seconds-long sequence in which a clown fish, a nod to Finding Nemo, is destroyed  its mean, not funny. And flatulence jokes, although standard family fare, are easy to write and completely unnecessary.

On the other hand, some of the family-focused themes are touching. I particularly enjoyed the idea of pursuing a unicorn that turns out not to be quite what Agnes thinks it is.

Theres no shame in this serviceable movie. But its time for Gru and the Minions to retire. To milk it longer just as a money grab would be ... despicable.
Two girls, both juveniles, were taken into custody about 2 a.m. Sunday in connection with the discovery of a Morrison, Illinois, woman's body.

Formal charges are pending, according to Morrison police, in connection with the body that was found during a house fire Saturday in Morrison.

Morrison Police, along with the Whiteside County Sheriffs Office and Morrison firefighters, responded about 1:06 p.m. June 8 to a house fire at 805 W. Park St. While firefighters entered the home, they discovered the body of Peggy S. Schroeder, 53. She was pronounced dead at the scene by Whiteside County Coroners Office.

The incident remains under investigation by Morrison police and Whiteside County Sheriffs Office, with the assistance of other agencies.
As Americans celebrated the Fourth of July with rockets glaring red, so too did Kim Jong-uns regime in North Korea.

On Tuesday, North Korea test fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that experts believe could reach Hawaii or Alaska, putting American cities at risk for the first time. The test stood as a clear threat to the United States, and U.S. officials vowed a strong reaction.

Despite the increased nuclear threat, commodity markets didnt react. Crude oil and gold typically rally in times of trouble, but both markets dropped this week. Oil slid beneath $44 per barrel on Friday, while gold dropped to $1207 per ounce, the lowest price in almost four months.

Commodities muted response likely signals a strong belief that the U.S. response will be diplomatic or economic, rather than a military operation. Global leaders are meeting this weekend in Germany for the G-20 summit, where North Korea will certainly be a pressing topic.

Soy Soars to New High

Soybean prices exploded to a three-month high this week, nearing $10 per bushel on Friday morning. The market already had momentum from a USDA report showing that fewer soybean acres were planted this spring than previously thought, and weather forecasts helped boost prices further.

Hot and dry weather over the next two weeks could hurt the growing bean crop, which has led analysts to expect this years crop yields to be nearly 8 percent lower than last years record-breaking 52.1 bushels per acre.

Despite these bullish-sounding factors, this years U.S. crop could still be one of the largest on record, while South America is harvesting a large crop itself. Meanwhile, Chinese demand has shown signs of slowing down, all of which could eventually sink the soy market.

Fearing a pullback, many farmers are taking advantage of the current rally by using put option contracts, which lock in a price floor but allow for upside profit potential if the market keeps rallying.

Alongside the soybean rally, wheat prices continued exploding this week, touching new multiyear highs on drought concerns.
Since the founding of this republic, the citizenry has grappled with those in responsible positions who lie. How can we address this today?

Truthout.org has reprinted an article by Gleb Tsipursky of Speakoutnow.org detailing one idea based on research suggesting that for public figures "transparent, clear information about who is truthful and reputational rewards for socially beneficial behavior such as honesty, and penalties for dishonesty are the most vital interventions."

Launched in March, the Pro-Truth Pledge project at ProTruthPledge.org simply asks those holding responsible positions to sign a voluntary pledge to commit to a set of truth-oriented behaviors. Whenever such individuals issue a written statement, they are encouraged to add a sentence that they took the pledge and verify that the article was fact-checked. Furthermore, the signees are requested to ask others to hold them accountable for statements that they make. There are other details that encourage individuals to enroll, but this is the basic idea.

The campaign has over 1,000 signees. They include politicians, talk show hosts, academics and public commentators. Michael W. Smith, a congressional candidate in Idaho, posted a screenshot of a tweet attributed to Donald Trump. When challenged, his search could not verify it. He retracted it, saying he could not find the original tweet and that, "Due to a Truth Pledge I have taken, I have to say I have not been able to verify this post."

Whether it succeeds depends on how many people decide to sign in the future. The early results are promising.

Dawn Chapman

Billings
PIERRE | Today we consider South Dakotas legislative redistricting laws. First we should look in the rear-view mirror.

There were 237,809 Republicans registered to vote in South Dakota for the November 2010 general election. For comparison, there were 194,204 Democrats, and 85,932 independents and others.

Now lets look at the present. As of July 5, 2017, there were 254,568 Republicans. That appears to be a record high, for any political party, in the history of South Dakota.

For comparison, on that same day of July 5, there were 169,094 Democrats. Thats certainly not a record low, but it is one of the lowest numbers in recent years.

Meanwhile there were 124,260 independents and no-party-affiliation (NPA) voters registered as of July 5. There also were 1,693 Libertarians, 489 Constitutionalists and 837 others.

Now lets look a little further into the distance in the rear-view mirror.

Democratic voter registration in South Dakota reached a high, albeit temporary, of 204,463 for the November 2008 general election.

As you might remember, South Dakota with its status as one of the states with its June primaries was somewhat prominent as the Clinton-Obama battle for the presidential nomination drew to a finish.

Democrats actually continued to rise in the months after, peaking at 206,086 in July 2009. Then the stumbling began.

The Democrats lost South Dakotas seat in the 2010 election for the U.S. House of Representatives. The Democratic incumbent, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, fell to Republican challenger Kristi Noem after serving more than six years in the House.

Three years later, Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson surrendered his seat, announcing that he would retire, rather than seek re-election in 2014.

Johnson effectively left the field months before knowing for certain the winner of the June 2014 Republican primary. The victor, former Gov. Mike Rounds, went on to win the U.S. Senate seat.

Noem could have run for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 2014 but didnt.

Instead she is one of at least four candidates for the Republican nomination for governor that will be decided in 2018. A woman has never been governor of South Dakota.

Come 2018, South Dakota might have a ballot measure asking voters to change legislative redistricting. Currently the Legislature is in charge. The ballot measure would put responsibility with a special commission.

Voters might indeed make the change. Whats unclear is whether establishing a redistricting commission would sufficiently change boundaries of the 35 legislative districts.

For example, we have two Republicans, Elizabeth May of Kyle and Steve Livermont of Martin, holding the House seats for the Pine Ridge area. Yet District 27, as drawn in 2011, was strongly skewed to Democrats and still is.

District 27s current registration is 7,559 Democrats; 3,491 Republicans; 2,602 independents and NPAs; and 100 Libertarians, Constitutionalists and others.

There are many reasons Democrats dont have more than six senators and 10 representatives among the 105 seats in the Legislature.

The biggest is turnout. Democrats dont show up. The second is candidates. Democrats leave more seats open than Republicans do.

But redistricting? Thats a false narrative.
Let's clean up one mess before making another.

That was the message from members of two local groups opposed to uranium mining on Saturday, when volunteers gathered at the Outdoor Campus West in Rapid City to set up public information and outreach booths to speak to visitors about the importance of clean water and the impact of uranium mining.

In the wake of Azarga Uranium proposing a uranium mine in South Dakota, the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance and Dakota Rural Action have opposed the idea, saying that uranium mining would bring only short-term economical benefits while harming tourism and land, water and cultural resources.

"The vast majority of the mines have not been cleaned up. They put radioactive materials into the rivers and into the soil sediment," Lilias Jarding said. "The main thing we want is to clean up the old uranium mines and not start any new uranium mines in the Black Hills."

Jarding, a volunteer with the Clean Water Alliance, gave hands-on demonstrations to children about water testing. She hopes the booth can help teach people the importance of clean water.

Dakota Rural Action volunteers showed visitors how to use a Geiger counter to measure radiation of objects such as an antique plate, alarm clock and rocks.

The day's events were part of Outdoor Campus West's "Outdoor University," which encourages families to try outdoor skills and learn about the state's outdoors resources. Booths, activities and a food truck were on hand.

For the anti-mining volunteers, Saturday's work was part of the Cross-Border Anti-Nuclear Action movement that is holding events in several states to mark the anniversary of the first successful atomic bomb test on July 16, 1945, in New Mexico, and of the July 16, 1979, Church Rock Spill in New Mexico. That spill dumped more than 1,000 tons of solid radioactive waste and approximately 93 million gallons of radioactive liquid into the Puerco River.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported that there are 169 old uranium mines and prospects in the southern Black Hills. In 1962, a dam break at a mine released 200 tons of radioactive uranium into the Cheyenne River.

The Edgemont area still contains a large number of unreclaimed mines, buried radioactive waste and lingering health concerns from the uranium boom of more than four decades ago. Three miles outside Edgemont, 4 million tons of radioactive waste are buried under a field. Organizers fear that another Black Hills town will have a similar fate if a new uranium mine is allowed to open.

Powertech, a U.S.-based division of the global Azarga Uranium Corp., wants to receive two permits from the EPA that would be another step forward for the company to begin its Dewey Burdock in situ uranium mining project near Edgemont.

Supporters of the project say it would provide a much-needed economic boost for the small town. But opponents fear it would contaminate groundwater and that Azarga's faraway investors dont have the best interests of the Black Hills in mind.

If they cleaned up the mines and used adequate safety measures, it wouldnt be as big a problem. But based on what weve seen, that isnt the case, said Dakota Rural Action volunteer Jarry Meyer.
RAPID CITY - A deployment ceremony will be held for the South Dakota Army National Guard's 216th Engineer Detachment (Firefighting Team) at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial amphitheater at 10 a.m. on July 17.

The public is welcome to attend the event as the unit departs for a nine-month deployment to Romania.

The Rapid City-based 216th is a three-member headquarters team with a mission to provide command and control of assigned or attached firefighting teams to provide fire protection of aviation assets, facilities and installations in the European Command area of operation.

Planned speakers for the ceremony include Gov. Dennis Daugaard, Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender, and Maj. Gen. Tim Reisch, SDNG adjutant general.

The unit will report to Fort Bliss, Texas, to complete several weeks of theater-specific training prior to deployment overseas.

Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, this will be the second mobilization for the 216th, which deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from December 2003-June 2005.
With a decision forthcoming on proposed protections for a rare species of woodpecker found in the Black Hills, a new population estimate for the bird has provoked warring reactions from opposing sides of the debate.

A masters thesis presented in May by Elizabeth Matseur of the University of Columbia-Missouri estimated a population of 2,920 black-backed woodpeckers in the Black Hills in 2015, and 3,439 in 2016.

Those numbers are about three to four times higher than the estimate included in a still-pending 2012 petition to list the birds as a threatened or endangered species.

The petition was submitted by four environmental and conservation groups. A decision is required by Sept. 30 from the director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in cooperation with the secretary of the Department of the Interior.

A Black Hills timber industry group opposes the listing because it could result in more protected habitat for the birds, and therefore reduced logging, in the Black Hills National Forest.

Ben Wudtke, forest programs manager for the Black Hills Forest Resource Association, said the new research disproves the case for listing the birds as threatened or endangered.

This study should put the final nail in the coffin and show that black-backed woodpeckers are doing very well in the Black Hills, Wudtke said.

Chad Hanson, a representative from one of the groups that submitted the petition, said that simply is not true because the student researcher's findings are fundamentally flawed.

Hanson is an ecologist for the John Muir Project of Earth Island Institute in Big Bear City, Calif. He said the new research has one major flaw  a buffer area of 500 meters between sites where birds were counted, rather than 1,500 meters, which Hanson said is the appropriate standard.

To avoid overcounting, you have to take that into account, Hanson said. They wouldve counted some birds not just twice, but with a 500-meter buffer, they very likely wouldve counted some birds three times or more.

In other words, Hanson thinks the population estimates in the new research might be inflated by a factor of three. But even if the new estimates are accurate, he said, they still fall below the threshold of 4,000 individual birds that the petition cites as necessary to avoid a risk of extinction.

Matseur, the author of the thesis, said she and her collaborators accounted for the likelihood of individual birds being counted more than once.

We feel this is an accurate model and population estimate, Matseur said.

The research was sought by the U.S. Forest Services Rocky Mountain Research Station, which provided support for the work along with partners including state government agencies in South Dakota and Wyoming, Matseur said.

Matseur and a crew of up to five helpers spent the summers of 2015 and 2016 doing a combined 1,800 miles of off-trail hiking in the Black Hills. They followed predetermined routes and stopped for five minutes apiece at predetermined points to watch and listen for black-backed woodpeckers. Each detection point was visited three times per summer.

In all, the team made 7,110 stops at the detection points and logged 362 detections of black-backed woodpeckers.

Sometimes we would go a week without detecting a woodpecker, Matseur said, but that made it more exciting when we got one.

Matseur and her team put their data into a statistical model that included additional factors, such as forest conditions, to produce estimates of the total black-backed woodpecker population in the Black Hills.

The birds are about the size of a robin and are adapted to peck insect larvae from trees in burned areas of the forest. The black-backed woodpeckers in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming are said to be a genetically distinct subspecies, as are another population of black-backed woodpeckers in Oregon and California. The two groups are the only ones covered by the petition for threatened or endangered status.

The petition groups say that decades of firefighting, fire prevention and post-fire logging have destroyed much of the charred and snag-filled habitat  full of dead and dying trees  that black-backed woodpeckers need for long-term viability.

A mountain pine beetle epidemic in the Black Hills that lasted from the 1990s through last year created some additional habitat for the birds, which is a factor that could account for increased numbers. But researchers say the snag-filled areas created by mountain pine beetles are not as conducive to a thriving black-backed woodpecker population as the snags created by fires.

Managers of the Black Hills National Forest already strive to preserve some black-backed woodpecker habitat. If the birds are listed as threatened or endangered, forest managers could be required to protect more areas for the birds.

The result is, there would be less logging, said Hanson, of the John Muir Project. Thats almost certainly true. And there should be. Ecologically, that is whats called for here.

In national forests, the U.S. Forest Service selects areas to open for logging and sells logging rights to private companies through a competitive bidding process. For timber that was cut during the 2016 fiscal year in the Black Hills National Forest, the Forest Service received $2.17 million, according to the agency's quarterly reports.
Chelsey Chapeau found a good deed in her daughter's craft box last fall.

It came in the form of a letter to the Spearfish family from Wiley Cress, a member of the United States Submarine Veterans, who had read an article in 2014 about Chapeau's son, Grayson. Inspired by Grayson's battle with an inoperable brain tumor, Cress wanted to make him an honorary submariner.

Two years after the letter arrived, got misplaced and then discovered, Chapeau responded and asked if the now 7-year-old Grayson could still get a certificate. Cress said yes.

Theyre amazing men and we appreciate all theyve done for us as a nation and all that theyve done for us as a family," Chapeau said of Polaris Base, the Black Hills sector of the United States Submarine Veterans.

On May 20 in Rapid City, Grayson became an honorary submariner. Cress and about nine USSV members presented him with a certificate, a cap and a photo.

Kaps(SS) 4 Kid(SS), a branch of USSV, works "to bring comfort and joy to children with challenging medical conditions anywhere they are being treated," according to Cress. Doing a ceremony for Grayson was just that.

He is just full of energy, optimism, just a neat kid. If youre with him for just a few minutes, youre just amazed," Cress said.

Chapeau published a children's book in June inspired by her son's journey called "You Are Brave." She says things like the ceremony are the "little push" Grayson needs to keep going.

Grayson has inspired us as his parents. Has inspired his siblings. Has inspired his school," Chapeau said.

Piedmont residents get help with rent, utilities

Some folks in the Piedmont area who are struggling to make ends meet will get a helping hand, thanks to a grant from a charitable Catholic organization.

The National Council of the U.S. Society of St. Vincent de Paul recently awarded a $2,500 grant for the people of Piedmont, according to a news release. The money will be disbursed by the society's Our Lady of the Black Hills Conference, or chapter.

Patrick Suiter, of Our Lady of the Hills Conference, said the money will provide funding for 25 families or individuals and will be used to provide temporary relief for rent and utility expenses.

Our Lady of the Black Hills Conference is part of the Rapid City District Council in Piedmont.

"The rural poor have been the most hard-hit by an increase in property taxes. Therefore, they are discouraged from home ownership, leading to expensive rent payments and no opportunities to save money," the release says. "Locals have a hard time accessing basic services and other projects that would help improve their quality of life."

Piedmont's grant was one of 26 distributed throughout the country.
The South Dakota Army National Guards 216th Engineer Detachment (firefighting team) will soon be deployed to Romania for a nine-month deployment. A deployment ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. July 17 in the Mount Rushmore National Memorial amphitheater.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard, Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender and Major Gen. Tim Reisch, the South Dakota National Guard adjutant general, will speak at the event. The public is encouraged to attend.

The Rapid City-based 216th is a three-member headquarters team that provides command and control of assigned or attached firefighting teams and provides fire protection of aviation assets, facilities and installations in the European Command area of operation.

Prior to their deployment, the unit will complete several weeks of training in Fort Bliss, Texas. This will be the second mobilization for the 216th since Sept. 11, 2001. They were previously deployed to Iraq from December 2003 to June 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
I have long believed that Donald Trump has a special knack, a particular gift for making his most dedicated fans look foolish.

These are people like Sean Spicer and Kellyanne Conway and the conservative media loyalists who defend the president even when he's saying things that aren't true; or who earnestly represent his latest position only to have him come up with a completely different position 10 minutes later.

They're also people like Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who shamelessly defends the president's vicious and needlessly personal tweets, as she did after Trump fired off an ugly barrage against two MSNBC morning show hosts who have been vicious and personal themselves, calling the president everything from demented to unpatriotic, a man who doesn't love his country. But Mika and Joe are just two TV talking heads who have figured out that bashing Donald Trump is good for business. Donald Trump on the other hand is the president of the United States of America  and that makes his sin worse.

I almost feel sorry for these people who defend the president no matter what, but no one is forcing them to stick around and be humiliated. There's no law that says they have to be the president's sycophants.

But Donald Trump has another special knack. He also makes his most passionate enemies look foolish. He induces in these people the dreaded Trump Derangement Syndrome, which results in them looking worse than him.

For instance, Trump-hating liberals will proudly tell you they're part of the "resistance" which means that if Donald Trump is for it, they're against it. That's bad enough, but I'll bet if you injected Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi with sodium pentothal (truth serum) they'd tell you that resistance is only the appetizer. The main course is termination of the Trump presidency.

Collusion with the Russians to throw the presidential election would be grounds for bringing him down, but so far there's not a shred of evidence to support that theory or any other that would warrant Congresswoman Maxine Water's favorite word  impeachment.

Trump Derangement Syndrome is no laughing matter, except when it is. When the president decided to leave the Paris Climate Accord, a progressive writer in the Nation magazine called it a "crime against humanity." But if that's so, what name should we attach to the use of poison gas against civilians, including children, in Syria?

President Trump's nonstop promise during the campaign to uproot Obamacare is tantamount to murder in Trump Derangement land. Bernie Sanders says if the Trump-backed GOP bill passes "thousands of people will die"  a strangely precise 217,000 over the next decade, according to the left-wing Center for American Progress. Hillary Clinton tweeted, "If Republicans pass this bill, they're the death party."

Campus intellectuals, of course, have long had an aversion to Republicans, but nothing like the animus they've shown to Donald Trump who they've routinely compared to Hitler. Moshik Temkin, a Harvard associate professor of history, recently wrote in The New York Times that, "similarities abound" between Hitler, Mussolini and Donald Trump "like their jingoism and contempt for democratic institutions."

And yet, "Compared to Hitler, Mr. Trump looks less threatening then he actually is. Unlike Mr. Trump, European fascists were deeply ideological and would have despised his decadence. ... And the story of Hitler and Mussolini is flattering to most Americans: We defeated them."

In other words, let's not compare Donald Trump to Hitler. Not because it's unfair to Donald Trump but because in some ways it's unfair to Hitler. Hitler may have been a mass murderer but still he would despise Trump's "decadence." Besides, the Hitler story "is flattering to most Americans." I'm glad he lost and we won, but "flattering" is a word "most Americans," I'm pretty sure, would not associate with the story of Adolf Hitler.

For the record, I'm no fan of Donald Trump. I don't like his desperate need for adulation or his thin skin or the vindictiveness that goes with it. I don't like the needless scraps he gets into. I don't like his many (let's just call them) untruths.

But there's something I'm starting to dislike more than all of that: his enemies. Not just the unhinged variety like Madonna, who wants to blow up the White House, or Kathy Griffin, who would like to behead him, but also the more mainstream liberals in Congress who won't stop resisting until they terminate his presidency.

It's a rare talent this president possesses. It's not easy making both your most passionate fans and your most passionate antagonists look foolish. But Donald Trump has managed to do just that.
PLYMOUTH NOTCH, Vermont | When was the last time you heard a member of one political party praise a member of the other party?

Here in this hamlet nestled among the Green Mountains, former Baltimore Democratic Mayor Kurt Schmoke rose to speak well of our 30th president, Calvin Coolidge, a Republican. The occasion was the annual celebration of Coolidge's birthday on July 4, the only president born on the day we celebrate America's birth.

Perhaps it takes the death of one and the absence from public office of another (Schmoke is now president of the University of Baltimore) to cool political passions, but the former mayor's respect for Coolidge's commitment to civil rights for African Americans and full voting rights for women long before both movements got moving was, itself, moving.

Schmoke quoted from a commencement address Coolidge delivered on June 6, 1924 at Howard University, a historically black college founded in 1867. The previous year, 29 black people were lynched in the U.S., according to Historical Statistics of the United States. In 1924, there would be 16 more.

Coolidge was vehemently opposed to inequality. He said, "The nation has need of all that can be contributed to it through the best efforts of all its citizens. The colored people have repeatedly proved their devotion to the high ideals of our country. ... The propaganda of prejudice and hatred which sought to keep the colored men from supporting the national cause (WWI) completely failed. The black man showed himself the same kind of citizen, moved by the same kind of patriotism as the white man."

The Howard speech wasn't a one-off. Coolidge made a similar pronouncement in his first State of the Union address on Dec. 6, 1923: "Numbered among our population are some 12 million colored people. Under our Constitution, their rights are just as sacred as those of any other citizen. It is both a public and a private duty to protect those rights."

Coolidge lost every Southern state in the 1924 election, but won all the rest, save Wisconsin, taking 54 percent of the popular vote and 72 percent of the electoral vote.

It would be 40 years before President Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat, signed civil rights legislation recognizing rights that Coolidge (and Thomas Jefferson) believed were endowed to all human beings by their Creator, but Coolidge showed the way.

In his autobiography, Coolidge wrote of an America that is mostly forgotten, but which cries out to be reclaimed: "The neighborhood around the Notch was made up of people of exemplary habits. Their speech was clean, and their lives were above reproach. They had no mortgages on their farms. If any debts were contracted they were promptly paid. Credit was good and there was money in the savings bank."

He learned from his father what he called "the practical side of government." He said he, "understood that it consisted of restraints which the people had imposed upon themselves in order to promote the common welfare."

About taxes he said he learned that when "taxes were laid, someone had to work to earn the money to pay them. I saw that a public debt was a burden on all the people in a community and while it was necessary to meet the needs of a disaster it cost much in interest and ought to be retired as soon as possible."

Doesn't all of this  from Schmoke's kind words about a member of the opposite political party, to Coolidge's innate decency and fairness toward all, seem like another country?

It wasn't. With notable exceptions, it was largely practiced  and expected  in an America not that long ago. Today's America is in desperate need of rediscovering what Vermonters then saw as self-evident truths.
Candidate appreciates voter support

I am very grateful for all the support that I received throughout my lengthy campaign for Rapid City council. My wife, family, and friends all fought the good fight. I also appreciated the words of encouragement I received after the election did not turn out as we had hoped.

It was disappointing that the Journal chose not print an endorsement letter for me from Tony DeMaro (who finished a close third in the original race with 27 percent) after initially approving it for publication.

I ran a positive campaign and focused on the issues and a plan for the future. I believe the only way to improve economic development is through ordinance changes that will reduce the excessive and unnecessary red tape. That will ultimately generate more money for infrastructure.

I believe Tony DeMaro has a very bright future in Rapid City politics. He is a man of integrity and character and I look forward to seeing him in city politics.

I wish the entire city council the best. Never lose sight of what is important  the citizens.

I sincerely thank the citizens for your support and for previously allowing me to be part of our government. God bless you.

Ron Sasso

Rapid City

Liberals not being fair to Trump

It's amazing how many Democrats are staunch enemies of Trump now that he is in office. Why, just a short time ago before he was in office all the elite Democrats had no problem accepting his money and praising him. Now that he has pulled off the biggest upset in political history you are seeing the liberal logic that has consumed the uninformed for decades.

Anything they say about Trump is believed by their liberal followers. Nobody does their own research anymore into the true facts and with the liberal mainstream media slanting everything it's harder to find the truth. Even Google has been caught tampering with the facts. I was taught that if I couldn't prove something about someone then I shouldn't believe or assume it.

Many labels have been placed on Trump merely because the liberals know it will stick long enough to do damage to his success. They have vowed to block everything he does regardless of their own position which is actually the same in some cases but they are just too much a group of sore losers to admit he can get the job done. The problem with Washington is too much political experience.

David Riewe

Box Elder

Some in the Legislature resented the fact that voters had 10 ballot issues to consider in the 2016 election. Several bills were introduced to control or stifle citizen's voices. In fact, they even went so far as to create a task force to consider ways to reduce the public's right to initiate and refer issues. They fail to recognize that their inaction on important issues facing our state caused many of those issues to end up on the ballot.

lf the legislature had set up its own system for enforcing ethics rules, IM 22 would not have been necessary. The Legislature did a miserable job explaining our existing victims rights laws, so Marsys law passed. lf the Republicans were smart they would have opened their primaries to independent voters, but they weren't so Amendment V came along. The Legislature had numerous chances to deal with the payday loan sharks and didn't, so the people did it for them.

We don't have a problem with initiative and referendum in South Dakota, we have a problem with enmeshed politicians who are unwilling to take on the tough issues, and who then get upset when the people do it for them.

Rick Knobe

Sioux Falls
Last week my wife and I toured The Southsiders exhibit at the Western Heritage Center, which was still the library when, as an 8-year-old, I would walk from our home on South 38th Street to exchange books every week.

We quite enjoyed the exhibit, which illustrated things I never knew about the South Side, and we're the richer for having seen it. I think it it right that minorities who contributed to Billings history should be brought out of the shadows and take a place center-stage for once.

However, the exhibit suggests that the South Side was populated only by Hispanics, African Americans, Chinese and Russian-Germans. This is false. In fact most residents were northern Europeans, many of them recent immigrants from Scandinavia and Germany. In my time at Orchard School and Garfield School, pupils were mostly from these families. Perhaps the exhibit should be revised to include mention of all the nationalities who lived on the South Side. They include, by the way, Willard Fraser, former Billings mayor, as well as the Gazette's own Addison Bragg, whose desk abutted mine at the old newsroom on 27th Street near Montana Avenue in the early '60s.
Conspicuous from a distance, a pride flag flaps in the wind from one corner of a complex campsite. Tapestries and tie-dyed sheets shade three girls sitting around a small foldout table and applying makeup for their day at the Adventure Crew Music Festival at Lost Trail Powder Mountain.

Holli Loeffeholz, Alexis Baker and Alex Godbout drove down from Missoula for the Adventure Crew Music Festival on Friday night. Veteran festivalgoers, the three attend a number of events throughout the summer and set up what they call the Cuddle Camp, a safe-space for those who have overindulged.

I bring extra blankets, pillows and food for people in case theyre having a bad time, Godbout said. They can come into my tent and cuddle their bad trip away.

This is the Cuddle Camps first non-EDM festival and the environment is a little different than what theyre used to. EDM stands for electronic dance music, a wide range of bass-heavy styles of music made largely for nightclubs, raves and festivals.

Theres an older and more chill vibe here, Baker said. Less drunk 20-year-olds running around.

The girls said the setting of the Adventure Crew Music Festival was a major selling point.



Were here for all aspects of the festival, but really excited to be camping out in the woods, Godbout said. Also, the giant slip and slide sounds incredible.

The Adventure Crew Festival is the first music festival hosted at Lost Trail Powder Mountain. The festival combines a lineup of popular Missoula-based bands with a general outdoorsy attitude and a stewardship message. The festivals organizers plan to donate 10 percent of the proceeds of the festival to one of three hand-picked local organizations.

One of those organizations is the Salmon Valley Stewardship. The Salmon Valley Stewardship and the OHara Commons and Sustainability Center shared a tent and a message near the main stage Saturday afternoon.

The two organizations have partnered together to connect the people who live along the highway 93 corridor between Salmon, Idaho and Missoula, Montana.

Susanne Lewis-Meikel and Aimee Kelley represented the OHara Commons and Sustainability Center at the festival. Lewis-Meikel said their main goal for the weekend was to raise awareness of what they do in the Bitterroot.

We want to find out what the people along highway 93 need so that we can narrow our focus, Lewis-Meikel said.

Dan Hobbes is the community outreach coordinator for the Salmon Valley Stewardship. Hobbes said the goal is to bring people together to work on creating sustainable economies and working landscapes.

Our outreach is informal now, we hope to formalize it over time, Hobbes said. The folks who put this on are real big into community development and taking responsibility for the area they live in.

According to Hobbes, if the festival attendees voted to support Salmon Valley Stewardship it would be huge for the organization.

We just want to help people to coordinate resources to create actionable projects for sustainable food systems and energy systems, Hobbes said.

While stewardship and responsibility were the message under the tents, a party raged around the stage and slip and slide.



Are you in charge of the booze?! Ethan Meersman yelled out as he walked from the parking lot to the main festival area.

Meersman heard about the festival from a buddy who saw an ad on a bus. Another regular festivalgoer, Meersman came down from Missoula with a group of friends from the University of Montana.

Meersman said he was familiar with a few of the bands from seeing them in Missoula, but the environment of the festival was unbeatable.

Look at where we are, Meersman said. This is like, in the middle of nature.
Bitterroot Valley resident Norma Gilmore, 93, was honored and selected as the Distinguished Alumna Marshall for the inauguration ceremony of President Lara Tiedens, of Scripps College for Women in Claremont, California, in June.

Gilmore led the processional with the faculty marshall, escorting more than 800 faculty, reunion alumni, dignitaries and guests to their seats. Gilmore wore a Scripps cap and gown hemmed to fit her diminutive height of 4 feet 8 inches.

She was surprised when Tiedens mentioned her in the inaugural address.

Everyone on stage and the audience saw how surprised I was, she said.

Gilmore also attended other inauguration activities including lectures and workshops, and met with alumni groups.

Gilmore attended Scripps College for Women in 1943-44, but said she is called the Class of 47.

I have been class scribe for years for them, Gilmore said.

Scripps College is a top-ranked, private, women's liberal arts college, which was founded in 1926 by newspaper publisher and philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps. The mission is to educate women to develop their intellects and talents,"to contribute to society "through public and private lives of leadership, service, integrity, and creativity.

Gilmore's classes at Scripps were humanities, physical education, art, foreign language and music.

It was WWII - all we could think about was the boys in the service, she said. ... colleges, attitudes of girls, servicemen, etc. were different. You got engaged and then when he came home from overseas, you got married. He would go to school on the G. I. Bill. You went with him. A lot of my class left and got married.

She majored in psychology at Scripps, eventually earning advanced degrees in special education and administration.

Gilmore married her fiance when he was discharged, and they had four children. She stayed in touch with Scripps throughout the years and wrote a few alumni magazine articles for them.

In the Bitterroot Valley. she supervised student teachers for the University of Montana, and 11 years ago started the Cranial Sacral Therapy program in Victor.

Gilmore said the Scripps campus is as beautiful as ever, and her visit was a great treat.

I had a wonderful time," she said. "For an elderly person, it is wonderful that I have these memories and I will not forget them.

Gilder said that from her freshman class of 106 students, only 19 are left.

When I got home I called and found most are in nursing homes or long-term care facilities, she said.
And while President Trump has been dogged by revelations of undisclosed meetings between his associates and the Russians, the episode at Trump Tower is the first such confirmed private meeting involving members of his inner circle during the campaign  as well as the first one known to have included his eldest son. It came at an inflection point in the campaign, when Donald Trump Jr., who served as an adviser and a surrogate, was ascendant and Mr. Manafort was consolidating power.

It is unclear whether the Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, actually produced the promised compromising information about Mrs. Clinton. But the people interviewed by The Times about the meeting said the expectation was that she would do so.

In a statement on Sunday, Donald Trump Jr. said he had met with the Russian lawyer at the request of an acquaintance. After pleasantries were exchanged, he said, the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms. Clinton. Her statements were vague, ambiguous and made no sense. No details or supporting information was provided or even offered. It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information.

He said she then turned the conversation to adoption of Russian children and the Magnitsky Act, an American law that blacklists suspected Russian human rights abusers. The law so enraged Mr. Putin that he retaliated by halting American adoptions of Russian children.

It became clear to me that this was the true agenda all along and that the claims of potentially helpful information were a pretext for the meeting. Mr. Trump said.

When he was first asked about the meeting on Saturday, he said only that it was primarily about adoptions and mentioned nothing about Mrs. Clinton.

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Mark Corallo, a spokesman for the presidents lawyer, said on Sunday that the president was not aware of and did not attend the meeting.

Lawyers and spokesmen for Mr. Kushner and Mr. Manafort did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In his statement, Donald Trump Jr. said he asked Mr. Manafort and Mr. Kushner to attend, but did not tell them what the meeting was about.

American intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian hackers and propagandists worked to tip the election toward Mr. Trump, in part by stealing and then providing to WikiLeaks internal Democratic Party and Clinton campaign emails that were embarrassing to Mrs. Clinton. WikiLeaks began releasing the material on July 22.

A special prosecutor and congressional committees are now investigating the Trump campaigns possible collusion with the Russians. Mr. Trump has disputed that, but the investigation has cast a shadow over his administration.

Mr. Trump has also equivocated on whether the Russians were solely responsible for the hacking. On Sunday, two days after his first meeting as president with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, Mr. Trump said in a Twitter post: I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. Ive already given my opinion .....  He also tweeted that they had discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded ...

On Sunday morning on Fox News, the White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus, described the Trump Tower meeting as a big nothing burger.

Talking about issues of foreign policy, issues related to our place in the world, issues important to the American people is not unusual, he said.

But Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, the leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, one of the panels investigating Russian election interference, said he wanted to question everyone that was at that meeting.

Theres no reason for this Russian government advocate to be meeting with Paul Manafort or with Mr. Kushner or the presidents son if it wasnt about the campaign and Russia policy, Mr. Schiff said after the initial Times report.

Ms. Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer invited to the Trump Tower meeting, is best known for mounting a multipronged attack against the Magnitsky Act.

The adoption impasse is a frequently used talking point for opponents of the Magnitsky Act. Ms. Veselnitskayas campaign against the law has also included attempts to discredit the man after whom it was named, Sergei L. Magnitsky, a lawyer and auditor who died in mysterious circumstances in a Russian prison in 2009 after exposing one of the biggest corruption scandals during Mr. Putins rule.

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Ms. Veselnitskayas clients include state-owned businesses and a senior government officials son, whose company was under investigation in the United States at the time of the meeting. Her activities and associations had previously drawn the attention of the F.B.I., according to a former senior law enforcement official.

Ms. Veselnitskaya said in a statement Saturday that nothing at all about the presidential campaign was discussed. She recalled that after about 10 minutes, either Mr. Kushner or Mr. Manafort walked out.

She said she had never acted on behalf of the Russian government and never discussed any of these matters with any representative of the Russian government.

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The fact of the Trump Tower meeting was disclosed to government officials in recent days, when Mr. Kushner, who is also a senior White House aide, filed a revised version of a form required to obtain a security clearance.

The Times reported in April that he had failed to disclose any foreign contacts, including meetings with the Russian ambassador to the United States and the head of a Russian state bank. Failure to report such contacts can result in a loss of access to classified information and even, if information is knowingly falsified or concealed, in imprisonment.

Mr. Kushners advisers said at the time that the omissions were an error, and that he had immediately notified the F.B.I. that he would be revising the filing.

In a statement on Saturday, Mr. Kushners lawyer, Jamie Gorelick, said: He has since submitted this information, including that during the campaign and transition, he had over 100 calls or meetings with representatives of more than 20 countries, most of which were during transition. Mr. Kushner has submitted additional updates and included, out of an abundance of caution, this meeting with a Russian person, which he briefly attended at the request of his brother-in-law Donald Trump Jr. As Mr. Kushner has consistently stated, he is eager to cooperate and share what he knows.

Mr. Manafort, the former campaign chairman, also recently disclosed the meeting, and Donald Trump Jr.s role in organizing it, to congressional investigators who had questions about his foreign contacts, according to people familiar with the events. Neither Mr. Manafort nor Mr. Kushner was required to disclose the content of the meeting.

A spokesman for Mr. Manafort declined to comment.

Since the president took office, Donald Trump Jr. and his brother Eric have assumed day-to-day control of their fathers real estate empire. Because he does not serve in the administration and does not have a security clearance, Donald Trump Jr. was not required to disclose his foreign contacts. Federal and congressional investigators have not publicly asked for any records that would require his disclosure of Russian contacts.

Ms. Veselnitskaya is a formidable operator with a history of pushing the Kremlins agenda. Most notable is her campaign against the Magnitsky Act, which provoked a Cold War-style, tit-for-tat dispute with the Kremlin when President Barack Obama signed it into law in 2012.

Under the law, some 44 Russian citizens have been put on a list that allows the United States to seize their American assets and deny them visas. The United States asserts that many of them are connected to the fraud exposed by Mr. Magnitsky, who after being jailed for more than a year was found dead in his cell. A Russian human rights panel found that he had been assaulted. To critics of Mr. Putin, Mr. Magnitsky, in death, became a symbol of corruption and brutality in the Russian state.

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An infuriated Mr. Putin has called the law an outrageous act, and, in addition to banning American adoptions, he compiled what became known as an anti-Magnitsky blacklist of United States citizens.

Among those blacklisted was Preet Bharara, then the United States attorney in Manhattan, who led notable convictions of Russian arms and drug dealers. Mr. Bharara was abruptly fired in March, after previously being asked to stay on by Mr. Trump.

One of Ms. Veselnitskayas clients is Denis Katsyv, the Russian owner of Prevezon Holdings, an investment company based in Cyprus. He is the son of Petr Katsyv, the vice president of the state-owned Russian Railways and a former deputy governor of the Moscow region. In a civil forfeiture case prosecuted by Mr. Bhararas office, the Justice Department alleged that Prevezon had helped launder money tied to the $230 million corruption scheme exposed by Mr. Magnitsky by putting it in New York real estate and bank accounts. Prevezon recently settled the case for $6 million without admitting wrongdoing.

Ms. Veselnitskaya and her client also hired a team of political and legal operatives to press the case for repeal. They also tried but failed to keep Mr. Magnitskys name off a new law that takes aim at human-rights abusers across the globe. The team included Rinat Akhmetshin, an emigre to the United States who once served as a Soviet military officer and who has been called a Russian political gun for hire. Fusion GPS, a consulting firm that produced an intelligence dossier that contained unverified allegations about President Trump, was also hired to do research for Prevezon.

Ms. Veselnitskaya was also deeply involved in the making of a film that disputes the widely accepted version of Mr. Magnitskys life and death. In the film and in her statement, she said the true culprit of the fraud was William F. Browder, an American-born financier who hired Mr. Magnitsky to investigate the fraud after three of his investment funds companies in Russia were seized.

Mr. Browder called the film a state-sponsored smear campaign.

Shes not just some private lawyer, Mr. Browder said of Ms. Veselnitskaya. She is a tool of the Russian government.

John O. Brennan, the former C.I.A. director, testified in May that he had been concerned last year by Russian government efforts to contact and manipulate members of Mr. Trumps campaign. Russian intelligence agencies do not hesitate at all to use private companies and Russian persons who are unaffiliated with the Russian government to support their objectives, he said.

The F.B.I. began a counterintelligence investigation last year into Russian contacts with any Trump associates. Agents focused on Mr. Manafort and a pair of advisers, Carter Page and Roger J. Stone.

Among those now under investigation is Michael T. Flynn, who was forced to resign as Mr. Trumps national security adviser after it became known that he had falsely denied speaking to the Russian ambassador about sanctions imposed by the Obama administration over the election hacking.

Congress later discovered that Mr. Flynn had been paid more than $65,000 by companies linked to Russia, and that he had failed to disclose those payments when he renewed his security clearance and underwent an additional background check to join the White House staff.

In May, the president fired the F.B.I. director , James B. Comey, who days later provided information about a meeting with Mr. Trump at the White House. According to Mr. Comey, the president asked him to end the bureaus investigation into Mr. Flynn; Mr. Trump has repeatedly denied making such a request. Robert S. Mueller III, a former F.B.I. director, was then appointed as special counsel

The status of Mr. Muellers investigation is not clear, but he has assembled a veteran team of prosecutors and agents to dig into any possible collusion.
Members of the Emergency Response Division celebrate in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq/ Reuters.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Mosul on Sunday and congratulated the armed forces for their "victory" over Islamic State after eight months of urban warfare, bringing an end to three years of jihadist rule in the city.

The battle has left large parts of Mosul in ruins, killed thousands of civilians and displaced nearly one million people.

"The commander in chief of the armed forces (Prime Minister) Haider al-Abadi arrived in the liberated city of Mosul and congratulated the heroic fighters and Iraqi people for the great victory," his office said in a statement.

The decaying corpses of militants lay in the narrow streets of the Old City where Islamic State has staged a last stand against Iraqi forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition.

The group vowed to "fight to the death" in Mosul, but Iraqi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasool told state TV earlier on Sunday that 30 militants had been killed attempting to escape by swimming across the River Tigris that bisects the city.

Cornered in a shrinking area, the militants have resorted to sending women suicide bombers among the thousands of civilians who are emerging from the battlefield wounded, malnourished and fearful.

The battle has also exacted a heavy toll on Iraq's security forces.

The Iraqi government does not reveal casualty figures, but a funding request from the U.S. Department of Defense said the elite Counter Terrorism Service, which has spearheaded the fight in Mosul, had suffered 40 percent losses.

The United States leads an international coalition that is backing the campaign against Islamic State in Mosul by conducting airstrikes against the militants and assisting troops on the ground.

The Department of Defense has requested $1.269 billion in U.S. budget funds for 2018 to continue supporting Iraqi forces.

Without Mosul - by far the largest city to fall under militant control - Islamic State's dominion in Iraq will be reduced to mainly rural, desert areas west and south of the city where tens of thousands of people live.

It is almost exactly three years since the ultra-hardline group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a "caliphate" spanning Syria and Iraq from the pulpit of the medieval Grand al-Nuri mosque.

Abadi declared the end of Islamic State's "state of falsehood" a week ago, after security forces retook the mosque - although only after retreating militants blew it up.

The United Nations predicts it will cost more than $1 billion to repair basic infrastructure in Mosul. In some of the worst affected areas, almost no buildings appear to have escaped damage and Mosul's dense construction means the extent of the devastation might be underestimated, U.N. officials said.

The militants are expected to revert to insurgent tactics as they lose territory.

The fall of Mosul also exposes ethnic and sectarian fractures between Arabs and Kurds over disputed territories or between Sunnis and the Shiite majority that have plagued Iraq for more than a decade.
Guwahati : New twist added in Nagaland politics after former Chief Minister TR Zeliang on Saturday sent a letter to the Nagaland governor and claimed to form a new NPF-led Dan government in his leadership with support of 41 legislotors.

Zeliang said in his letter sent to the governor that, at a meeting of the legislature party of Naga People's Front (NPF) held on July 4 at his residence at Dimapur, 34 NPF MLAs (including him) out of 47, supportedhim to continue as the leader of the legislature party of the NPF and also authorized him to stake claim before the governor to form a new NPF led DAN government in Nagaland.

The MLAs also urged the present Chief Minister, who is a non-MLA, to resign and pave way for me to take over as the Chief Minister,'A Zeliang said in the letter.

Zeliang also claimed that, apart from 34 MLAs, 7 independent MLAs also supported him.

Zeliang requested the Nagaland governor to invite him to form a new NPF

led DAN government in Nagaland.

Earlier, 30 legislators of the Naga People's Front (NPF), the dominant partner of a coalition government in Nagaland had spirited out the north eastern Indian state and camping at a resort in Assam's Kaziranga National Park to prepare blueprint against present Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu.

Four months after TR Zeliang was forced to step down as Chief Minister, his successor Liezietsu is now facing rebellion from his colleague ministers and MLAs.

A top source of NPF said that, at least 30 of the 47 NPF legislators had moved into a resort near Kaziranga National Park on Saturday morning in a bid to help Zeliang become the top post again.

The top source said that, the NPF MLAs had arrived at Borgos resort at around 3 am on Saturday and already booked 30 rooms of the resort.

Zeliang was forced to step down in February last and Liezietsu took charge the top post with support from maximum NPF legislators.

Meanwhile, the top source claimed that, 33 MLAs including few senior ministers of the present government and three BJP legislators have already decided to support Zeliang.

'The MLAs, who supported Zeliang are Y Patton, Kejong Chang, Kipili sangtam, Hukavi Zhimomi, Pukhyi, S I Jamir, Nuklutoshi, Merentoshi, Imkong L Imchen, Shetoyi, Khumo Khiam, Imtiwapang, Isak Konyak, Naiba Konyak, Torechu, Longrineken, Dr Benjongliba Aier, Imtikumzuk, Tovihoto, C Apok Jamir, Deo Nukhu, Imtilemba Sangtam, Dr T M Lotha, E E Pangteng, B S Nganlang, Er Levi Rengma, Er Picto Shohe, Amenba Yaden, Toyang Changkong Chang, S Chuba Longkumer, Torechu, Neiba Kronu and Mmhonlumo Kikon,' the source said.

On the other hand, Nagaland CM Liezietsu said that, the recent disturbing developments affecting the normal functioning of the state government.

In a press release, Liezietsu said that, the NPF led DAN government will complete its full term.

I appeal to the people of the state to remain calm. The normal government functioning should be smooth and the benefits of the government programmes at the grassroot level especially in rural areas should not be hampered in any manner. The current issue is within the NPF party and will be resolved at the earliest to bring about normalacy in the state. The mandate of the people will be respected and the present crisis will be resolved in the larger interest of the people of the state, 'Liezietsu said.

On the other hand, Liezietsu on Saturday had terminated the appointment of TR Zeliang as Advisor (Finance) in the state government.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati: The Nagaland Press Association (NPA) expressed worries over the formation of a State chapter of Newspapers Association of India (NAI) and submission of a memorandum to the State Governor PB Acharya recently at Raj Bhawan without engaging the local journalists of Nagaland based newspapers.

'The memorandum to Governor Acharya was forwarded by one Monojit Singha, introduced as the convener of NAI's northeast zonal committee.

He was accompanied by Thungchamo Humtsoe claiming to be the Nagaland State coordinator of the NAI,A said a statement issued by the NPA.

It may be noted that the memorandum was personally received by Governor Acharya on 18 April 2017. Moreover, the Nagaland chief secretary has directed the concerned department to look into the matter and take necessary actions.

'We are shocked that the so called NAI has formed its Nagaland chapter and met the head of State without even bothering to inform and coordinate with the existing newspapers published from Nagaland. None of the functional newspapers in the State are aware of this initiative. Moreover, it is verified that the office bearers of the forum are not affiliated to any local newspaper,'A added the statement.

The NPA asserted that no matter the concern or good intention it may have, it cannot accept the manner in which the NAI has taken such a step to connect with the Nagaland government through the backdoor and more disturbingly engaging with local youths, who have no credibility or authority to represent the existing newspapers.

'One youth by the name C. Atsaba Sangtam is the State president of the NAI's Nagaland chapter while Chichamo Humtsoe has been authorized as the State vice-president and Thungchamo Humtsoe as the State general secretary,' revealed the statement adding that they are not recognized working journalists.

The NPA expressed utter dismay that the office of the State Governor, State chief secretary and DIPR did not find it worthwhile to cross-check and verify with the working editors and publishers of newspapers in Nagaland. Instead, the government in Kohima has gone to the extent of entertaining such organizations who come through the backdoor and whose representatives have no connection at all with the

local media, it maintained.

Finally the association urged the State government to carefully scrutinize the genuineness and credibility of any organization like the one in question before it entertains officially and clarify the matter in order to protect the image and credentials of the genuine media persons in the State.
Guwahati, July 9 : Nagaland Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu on Sunday sacked its four ministers including state Home minister and 11 parliamentary secretaries following a demand for his removal during the political crisis within the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) deepened.

Chief Minister Liezietsu recommended Nagaland governor P B Acharya to remove Home minister Y Patton, National Highway minister G Kaito Aye, Forest, Environment and Climate Change minister Imkong L Imchen and Power minister C Kipili Sangtam.

Liezietsu also sacked 11 parliamentary secretaries of the Nagaland government including S Chuba Longkumer, Naiba Konyak, B S Nganglang, Deo Nukhu, Shetoyi, Amenba Yaden, Picto Shohe, Y M Yolow, Levi Rengma, Toyang Changkong Chang.

Apart from it, the Nagaland CM had also taken stern action against T R Zeliang as terminated him from the post of Advisor (Finance) in the Nagaland government.

The Nagaland CM had also terminated the appointment of Nuklutoshi as Advisor to the CM.

On the other hand, the Commissioner and Secretary to the Nagaland CM had issued order to withdraw the security escorts of all sacked ministers, parliamentary secretaries and Advisors.

Earlier, former Chief Minister T R Zeliang wrote to the governor and staking claim to form a new government as claiming he has the support of 41 legislators including 34 NPF MLAs (including him) and 7 Independent MLAs.

Zeliang said in his letter sent to the governor that, at a meeting of the legislature party of Naga Peopleas Front (NPF) held on July 4 at his residence at Dimapur, 34 NPF MLAs (including him) out of 47, supportedhim to continue as the leader of the legislature party of the NPF and also authorized him to stake claim before the governor to form a new NPF led DAN government in Nagaland

'The MLAs also urged the present Chief Minister, who is a non-MLA, to resign and pave way for me to take over as the Chief Minister, 'Zeliang said in the letter.

Zeliang also claimed that, apart from 34 MLAs, 7 independent MLAs also supported him.

Zeliang requested the Nagaland governor to invite him to form a new NPF led DAN government in Nagaland.

Meanwhile, 30 legislators of NPF are still camping at a resort in Assam's Kaziranga National Park, who moved into the resort on Saturday morning.

On the other hand, a top source of Raj Bhawan said that, following the turmoil in Nagaland politics, the governor would likely to call Chief Minister Liezietsu to prove majority in the Nagaland assembly in this week.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati, July 9 : Wing Commander Mandeep Singh Dhillon, who saved many people in Arunachal Pradesh had died in a helicopter crash in the north eastern Indian state bordering with China last week, while on a rescue mission.

Friends of the Wing Commander said that, he was one of the best helicopter pilot and now mourned after lost their best friend.

Kohima based Defence PRO Colonel Chiranjeet Konwer said that, India lost one of its best helicopter pilots.

Wing Commander Mandeep Singh Dhillon, along with the co-pilot Flight Lieutenant PK Singh, and another crew member from the Indian Air Force lost their lives in this tragic air crash, apart from one police person who was being ferried.

The helicopter was on a flood rescue mission in Arunachal Pradesh and had already made five sorties when it went down in the last and sixth sortie shortly after taking off at 3:50 pm from Pilputu helipad near Sagalee for the heliport at Naharlagun, about 13 kms from Itanagar.

It was being piloted by Wing Commander Mandeep Singh Dhillon, who was the Commanding Officer of the 115 Helicopter Unit at Tezpur.

The helicopter was evacuating people stranded due to massive landslides caused by heavy rainfall, and being led by the Commanding Officer himself.

In a tweet the next day, Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu said until it went missing the IAF chopper evacuated 169 people from Sagalee and Dambuk areas. Dambuk in Lower Dibang Valley district is 350 km east of the state capital Itanagar.

Unpredictable weather often makes helicopter operations very risky in Arunachal Pradesh. It is further compounded by poor visibility in air and lack of suitable emergency landing spots on ground due to thick jungles. Even Search and Rescue (SAR) missions are fraught with uncertainty, as it happened in this case.

After the SAR aircrafts were unable to spot the helicopter, a number of search patrols were launched by the Army and the paramilitary forces, with assistance of the Arunachal Pradesh police and local guides.

One of these patrol found the wreckage of the helicopter in an inaccessible deep gorge at Sopo Yuha, following which extraction and retrieval of the mortal remains took place on July 7.

On July 8, Wing Commander Mandeep Singh Dhillon was given a tearful farewell at Tezpur by the Indian Air Force, Army officials, family members and a number of his friends and course-mates.

"He had over 18 years of flying experience in varied terrain, from icy mountains of Ladakh to the jungles of the North East India. Wing Commander Dhillon belonged to Patiala and came from an Air Force family, with his father having retired as a Squadron Leader. He had completed his schooling from RIMC Dehradun, whose alumni are called Rimcollians, and later joined the National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla, Pune as an Air Force cadet," Colonel Konwer said.

"Apart from being an excellent pilot and a flying instructor, Wing Commander Dhillon was an excellent cross-country runner who won almost every long distance race in which he participated. His calm personality and humbleness made him a role model to a generation of younger officers and to the cadets of NDA, where he was once posted as an instructor in Foxtrot Squadron. He also led from front in all difficult situations, and July 4 was no different. They flew out on a short notice, rescued 169 people, and on the last sortie did not carry any civilians back in spite of nine of

them waiting at at Sagalee as the weather was expected to turn uncertain. He went down, doing what he loved most, flying and helping people," Konwer said.

The Defence PRO said that, his untimely demise has left the Rimcollian and the IAF community in shock, and all his course mates and friends shattered.

He is survived by a wife, and two young children.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati: Dr Chandramouli B, a senior consultant on joint replacement & trauma surgery from Fortis Hospital Bangalore conducted the last Saturday evening OPD (outpatient department) clinic at Guwahati Press Club of northeast India.

Nearly 20 media persons participated in the camp, where they were offered free consultations by the attending doctor, who has the credit to perform more than 3700 joint replacement of knee, hip, elbow & shoulders and 12000 trauma surgeries of various fractures, ligament injuries & joint reconstructions till date.

The weekly health camp, organized under the series of 'Evening with a Doctor' programs at the press club premises for the benefit of media persons, has been attended by a number of physicians representing various health institutes of India.

Till date, practicing doctors from Apollo Chennai Hospital, Medanta-the Medicity Hospital, Manipal Bangalore Hospital, GNRC Hospitals, Down Town Hospitals, Nemcare Hospitals, Dispur Hospitals, Narayana Super-Specialty Hospitals, Swagat Super-Surgical Institute, Wintrobe Hospital, Barthakur Clinic, Sight First Eye Clinic,

Government Ayurvedic College, MMC Panbazar etc have attended the camps.
KATHMANDU: Lawmakers speaking at the Legislature-Parliament meeting on Tuesday demanded that the government take concrete measures to minimise the damages caused by floods and landslides in the country.

They made aware the government and the parliament that the landslides, flooding, downpour and scanty rainfall occurred in various districts including Saptari, Sindhupalchowk, Dhading and Kaski creating havoc among people.

Even the embankment created by India on border was inundating the bordering region in the southern plains.

The families affected should be compensated, they added.

The government was also urged to solve the problem of inundation in the border area by holding talks with India through the diplomatic channel.

NCs Mohan Bahadur Basnet, and Tejulal Chaudhari, CPN-UMLs Krishna Bhakta Pokhrel, NWPPs Prem Bahadur Suwal and Dilli Bahadur Nepali voiced their concern about the issues.
I listened to Senator Dainess tele-town hall on June 28. He argued that politically run public health clinics are adequate for all women's health needs (but apparently not mens). He is wrong. He also argued against a woman's right to decide whether or not to have a baby. Again, he is wrong.

The medical journal Lancet in the current issue editorialized, "The U.N. Population Fund's mission is to deliver 'a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled'. Last week, the USA rejected part of a UN resolution designed to help female victims of violence particularly those in conflict zones, who are at increased risk of sexual assault and rape  because it included a statement that women should be given the option of a safe abortion. U.S. representative Jason Mack told the U.N. Human Rights Council that President Donald Trump's administration 'does not recognise abortion as a method of family planning, nor do we support abortion in our reproductive health assistance'. It is one thing to contest the role of abortion in family planning, and another to deny that women are often unable to negotiate when or with whom they have sex or choose when and by whom they get pregnant."
Kathmandu, Nepal: Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun has reached in China leading a Nepali delegates to take part in the 23rd China  Lanzhou Investment and Trade Fair.

Representing to the Nepal, Vice President Pun is scheduled to address the high level Forum for Development and Cooperation on July 6.

Likewise, he will also deliver a keynote speech on the theme Nepal- China (Gansu) Economic and Trade Cooperation Exchange Conference on July 7.

It is said that Vice President Pun will is also scheduled to hold meetings with the top Chinese leaders there. He is scheduled to return home on July 10.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Speaker Onsari Gharti, ministers, chiefs of constitutional bodies and representatives of the foreign diplomatic missions had reached at the Tribhuvan International Airport to see off Pun this morning.
The Diplomat

This exercise is the first to involve a carrier from each of the navies.

Beginning on July 6, India, Japan, and the United States began the 2017 iteration of the Malabar naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal. This years exercise will last for eight days and have a heavy anti-submarine warfare (ASW) focus. The exercise is the second since the three countries decided that Japan would become a permanent member of what used to be a U.S.-India bilateral exercise, with other participants occasionally invited to participate or observe.

This years Malabar exercise is notable on several fronts. First, its the first naval exercise between the three countries to involve carriers from each navy. The Indian Navy has dispatched INS Vikramaditya , its modified Russian-made Kiev -class carrier that was commissioned in 2013. The United States has sent the USS Nimitz supercarrier to the exercises. Meanwhile, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force sent JS Izumo , which left Japan earlier this spring for a multiple-month-long deployment to Southeast Asia before arriving in the Indian Ocean for Malabar 2017.

The Izumo is one of two Japanese warships that are among the largest the country has operated since the end of the Second World War. Japan describes the Izumo -class vessels as helicopter destroyers and not aircraft carriers; the warships are not equipped to launch fighter aircraft, but could likely be retrofitted for short-take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variants of the F-35B. The Izumo is joined at Malabar 2017 by JS Sazanami ; both vessels recently joined U.S . Nimitz -class supercarrier USS Ronald Reagan for bilateral exercises in the South China Sea.

Excluding the three carriers from each nation, at least fourteen other warships and submarines from the three nations are participating in this years exercise. Additionally, the Indian Navy has sent P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft to this exercise, underlining the anti-submarine warfare focus this year. The United States has also sent a P-8A Poseidon aircraft to the exercise.

Notably, Australia, a former Malabar participant, is not participating in Malabar 2017, despite interest from Canberra earlier this year. India and Australia held a separate bilateral naval exercise in June and the United States and Australia just concluded the latest iteration of their major bilateral exercise, Talisman Saber 2017 . Australia had joined India, the United States, Japan, and Singapore for the 2007 iteration of the Malabar exercise, drawing a sharp reaction from China, which perceived the multilateral drill that year as a threatening signal of oncoming containment of its ambitions by like-minded democracies.

Malabar 2017 consists of both ashore and at-sea activities. The activities ashore, which are being held in Chennai, include subject matter expert and professional exchanges on carrier strike group operations, maritime patrol and reconnaissance operations, surface and anti-submarine warfare, medical operations, damage control, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), helicopter operations, and visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) operations, according to a statement by the U.S. Navy

The at-sea activities include liaison officer professional exchanges and embarks; a photo exercise; submarine familiarization; high-value unit defense; air defense exercises; medical evacuation drills; surface warfare exercises; communications exercises; search and rescue exercises; helicopter cross-deck evolutions; underway replenishments; gunnery exercises; VBSS exercises; and anti-submarine warfare.

This year, in the weeks leading up to the Malabar drill, India and China have been locked in what has been described by the Chinese side as their most serious border incident in more than 30 years. Indian and Chinese soldiers have been involved in a tense stand-off in a piece of territory disputed between Bhutan and China to which India ascribes strategic importance.

The anti-submarine warfare focus of this years Malabar also carries subtext given the ever-increasing and regular operation of Chinese Peoples Liberation Army-Navy submarines in the Indian Ocean. Since 2015, at least, Chinese Shang -class and Song -class submarines have been deployed in the Indian Ocean, raising concerns for India. China has, in the meantime, also broken ground on its first overseas naval base in Djibouti.
Shirley Contreras lives in Orcutt and writes for the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society. She can be contacted at 623-8193 or at shirleycontreras2@yahoo.com. Her book, The Good Years, a selection of stories shes written for the Santa Maria Times since 1991, is on sale at the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society, 616 S. Broadway.
The Alamo fire doubled in size during Friday night and is now sharing attention from area firefighters with the Whittier fire burning in the S

Fanned by hot, dry winds the Alamo fire burning near Highway 166 east of Santa Maria has exploded to 3,000 acres, growing out of control Frida

The Alamo fire broke out at Highway 166 east of Santa Maria near Twitchell Dam late Thursday afternoon, burning hundreds of acres of wildland.

Emergency information

Evacuation orders: Issued for Blazing Saddle Drive, Buckhorn Ridge, White Rock Lane and Tepusquet Road, south of Blazing Saddle Drive to Santa Maria Mesa Road.

Animal evacuation: For those who need assistance evacuating small and large animals, contact Santa Barbara County Animal Services at 681-4332. Large livestock should be taken to the Unocal Event Center and Rodeo Grounds, Gate 3, 4040 Highway 101, Santa Maria, and small animals can be taken to the Santa Maria Animal Center, 548 W. Foster Road.

Shelter: The American Red Cross has opened a shelter at the Minami Community Center, 600 W. Enos Drive in Santa Maria, for residents affected by the fire.

Road closures: Highway 166 at Highway 101 through the Cuyama Valley will remain closed indefinitely. Tepusquet at Santa Maria Mesa Road remains closed to travelers except for emergency traffic. The Highway 166 closure stretches to New Cuyama on the east side of the fire.

Air quality: The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department and Air Pollution Control District has issued an Air Quality Watch for northern Santa Barbara County.

Additional fire information: www.countyofsb.org/
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After nearly two weeks of glorious sunshine and fantastic cinema in the beautiful Swiss town of Neuchatel, the heavens opened and the skies turned grey for their festivals final day.

The Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF) ended with a presentation of its prestigious awards at a sold-out Closing Ceremony, before a screening of Edgar Wrights Baby Driver. Winners included director Kevin Phillips who walked away with the nights biggest prize for his stunning debut feature Super Dark Times. Back in Neuchatel for the third time in their careers, festival favorites Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead were present to receive the two awards they won in person. The directing partners took both the NIFFF International Critics Award and the Imaging the Future Award (for Best Production Design) for their latest feature, The Endless. The award for Best European feature went to Alex De La Iglesia for his inventive comedy thriller, El Bar.

Takashi Miike was the guest of honour at this years festival and his fans came out to support the veteran director resulting in his latest feature, Jojos Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable taking the Audience Award.

Here is the full list of award winners:

H.R. Giger Narcisse Award For Best Film: Super Dark Times

Dir. Kevin Phillips

Imaging the Future Award: The Endless

Dir. Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead

Silver Melies For Best European Feature: El Bar

Dir. Alex De La Iglesia

Special Mention: Mon Ange, dir. Harry Cleven

NIFFF International Critics Award: The Endless

Dir. Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead

Denis-De-Rougemont Youth Award: Hostile

Dir. Mathieu Turi

RTS Audience Award: Jojos Bizarre Adventure: Diamonds Are Unbreakable

Dir. Miike Takashi

Best Asian Film Award: Trapped

Dir. Vikramaditya Motwane

Taurus Studio Innovation Award: Sons of Bitches

Dir. Arnaud Bauer

H.R. Giger Narcisse Award For Best Swiss Short Film and Silver Melies For Best European Short Award: Die Brucke Uber Den Fluss

Dir. Jadwiga Kowalski
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Two hired at BND

Tiffany Kapla and Sara Jiras have been hired by the Bank of North Dakota.

Kapla is a loan operations specialist in operations. She earned a bachelors degree in accounting and business administration from Dickinson State University.

Jiras is a bank operations processing technician. She most recently was a customer service representative with the North Dakota Department of Human Services.

New employees

Dan Walter and Justin Kaster have joined the staff of Kraus-Anderson Construction Co. in Bismarck.

Walter is a project manager, and Kaster is a project superintendent.

Walter previously was a senior estimator for Construction Engineers, Mandan. He holds a bachelor's degree in construction management from North Dakota State University.

Kaster had been superintendent at Ebert Construction, Corcoran, Minn. He attended NDSU and received an associates degree in construction supervision from South Central College, Mankato, Minn.

Rausch at NDAREC

Krista Rausch has been hired as a communications specialist at the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives.

Rausch has more than seven years of experience in the communications field, most recently as a program coordinator for Mandan.

Two join staff

Darren Fenster and Doug Armstrong are new on the staff of Consolidated Construction Co. Inc. in Bismarck.

Fenster is a project manager with design-build experience, having managed projects in Minnesota. Fenster studied construction quality management for contractors with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is certified by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Armstrong, who is a site superintendent, has more than 39 years of experience in construction, especially in northwest North Dakota. Armstrong is also OSHA certified.
ESTHERVILLE, Iowa -- Iowa Lakes Community College President Valerie Newhouse will receive the 2017 Chief Administrator award from the Iowa Association of Community College Trustees this month.

Newhouse was selected based on her outstanding leadership.

The award is selected by the IACCT, the Iowa Association of Community College Presidents, College Board Secretaries and the Assistants to the Presidents of Iowas Community Colleges.

Newhouse just completed a two-year term as the chair of the statewide Iowa Community College Presidents group, is on the Governors STEM Advisory Council and has also served as the chair of the Iowa Energy Center, as well as multiple area economic development organizations.

She was nominated for this award by Janice Lund, the president of the trustees for Iowa Lakes.

The formal ceremony for the award will take place in late July at the annual meeting of Iowas community college trustees.
SIOUX CITY  Despite the uneven weather patterns Siouxland has experienced this summer, local pool vendors say things are going swimmingly at their stores.

From April on, everybody is thinking of swimming pools and all the outdoor patio stuff and making their backyard a staycation (destination) I guess you would call it, said Cory Davis, manager of Splash City at 409 Singing Hills Blvd.

Davis has managed Splash Citys Sioux City location since 2005. The Sioux Falls-based family-owned chain of recreational specialty stores has had a presence in western Iowas largest city for more than 20 years.

Summer weather in Siouxland started out hot, with temperatures soaring into the 90s in late May and early June. Unseasonably cool weather prevailed in the final weeks of the month, with daytime highs mostly in the 70s, and nighttime lows dipping into the 40s.

Last week, the heat returned, with highs in the 90s, and a triple-digit heat index.

No matter the reading on the thermometer, Davis said its been business as usual at Splash City, which sells the Doughboy brand of above ground pools.

April until about now, its a 100 miles an hour; it just keeps going and going all summer long, Davis said. People need supplies, chemicals, well do water testing.

Davis seems passionate about his job and noted its more than just pools and spas  the company's biggest seller  being sold there. Brunswick pool tables, other recreation games, decorations, patio furniture and more are sold at Splash City, allowing it to be more than just a summertime business.

Between the two Splash City stores in Sioux Falls and the one in Sioux City, Davis estimated they sell a couple hundred pools during the summer.

Amy Traver, manager of Combined Pool & Spa, 4444 S York St., also noted the cool start to summer hasn't impacted her business either. Combined Pool & Spa sells both above ground and in-ground pools.

Most of the pool projects the company is working on this year were booked in the prior year, Traver said.

"We were already busy from the get-go and it definitely helps for sure after the Fourth of July," she said. "Usually, people that put in a pool are thinking about it for next year and they are trying to get on the books for next year."

Dating back more than 40 years, Professional Pool & Spa, 325 W. 23rd St., also deals above ground and in-ground pools. The staff there said things have been as hectic for them as it has been for their competitors.

"You think the cold weather would kind of keep people away, but, no, we've been busy," said Nikki Vakulskas, who works in the store's accounts receivable department.

According to the latest data from Association of Pool and Spa Professionals (APSP), a national industry trade group, 162,000 above ground pools and 58,000 in-ground pools were sold/installed nationwide in 2014.

Other factors that could have contributed to the steady business for local pool suppliers are a strong local economy and the changing dynamic of local public pool scene.

The city of Sioux City closed the former Cook and Leeds pools last year, for example. Three city pools remain open -- Lewis, Leif Erickson and Riverside.

Although part of the early summer was a bit cooler than normal, temperatures are projected to be above 80-degrees and higher throughout July, according to AccuWeather.

With the mercury set to keep rising  Thursday's high was 99  customers are likely to keep pouring into area pool stores.

"For sure, the weather always helps our business, but we pretty fortunate this year that we were busy from the get-go," Traver said. "We do a lot of business with contractors and I've heard it from just everybody  they're busy."
SERGEANT BLUFF -- Sergeant Bluff Dental is hosting an open house Tuesday to welcome a new staff member and bid farewell to an experienced staffer.

Dr. Richard Bokemper is retiring from the practice after more than 30 years of dentistry. He will continue his duties as president of the Iowa Dental Association and as a clinical professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry.

Joining the practice will Dr. Scott Wilmes, a 2017 UNMC graduate. Wilmes is from Allen, Nebraska, and will make his home in Sergeant Bluff alongside his wife, Kylie.

The open house takes place from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Sergeant Bluff Dental, 703 First St.
The Sioux City native has an extensive background in accounting and project management. After earning a legal associate's degree from Western Iowa Tech Community College, Kelly began a 16-year career with Metz Baking Company, which included the corporate transitions to Earthgrains and Sara Lee.

She joined IAMS in North Sioux City in 2001 as a project manager and was a financial controller when she left what is now Royal Canin in 2012. For the past five years Kelly has been the business manager for Jerry Bruch Farms.
A film like Fate of the Furious shouldnt clock in at more than two hours.

Yet, there it is  one bloated chase scene held together by a slim storyline that somehow includes Charlize Theron.

Jumping buildings, defeating armies and ruining more cars than a lifetime of drivers ed students, the ragtag street racing team is now a steely SEAL-level squad, able to take out the most heinous criminals in the world.

Thats fine, but the shift certainly changes the mood of the franchise and makes the eighth installment, look like one of Tom Cruises impossible missions.

Although it starts with an old-school street race (in Cuba, no less), the film quickly escalates when a hacker named Cipher (Theron) takes Dom (Vin Diesel) hostage and forces him to play on another team. That arouses interest from the family and brings its members together to fight the supervillain and return their friend to his lady love, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). Before the obvious happens, theres enough mayhem to fuel several Avengers films.

Jason Statham returns to taunt Dwayne Johnson. Tyrese Gibson hangs in to toy with Ludacris. For good measure, theres a cameo by Helen Mirren and a walk-through by Kurt Russell that serves to goad the regulars and introduce Scott Eastwood.

Looking a lot like his dad, Eastwood is a butt of the Furious squads jokes and given more screen time than those who have been with this since Day One.

Director F. Gary Gray tries too hard to make this another car chase/action film. He covers more ground than Jason Bourne and toys with the idea of Russians as potential enemies.

Cipher, though, is the real threat. Theron, with long dread-like hair extensions, shows one emotion  anger  and never veers.

We dont learn why she has gotten to this position of power but she has so many toys (and minions) at her disposal its likely she owns a lair, too.

To keep Dom in tow, she brings back an old character (no, its not Paul Walkers Brian, although hes referenced). Its a good twist, but one that even a guy with a Speak and Spell could have figured out.

In addition to tearing up the streets of New York, the gang drives on ice and takes on nuclear submarines. Jumping the shark is definitely a hallmark and a way for Gray to stretch what should have been a 90-minute film into a two-hour-plus epic.
CLEGHORN, Iowa | A short standoff occurred after a Cleghorn man confronted law enforcement with a rifle Friday night.

The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office said they received a call of a fight in the street at 10:40 p.m. Friday in the 200 block of West Grace Street in Cleghorn.

Upon arrival, Todd Michael Brown, 42, allegedly confronted officers with an AR-15 rifle.

The department said Brown refused their commands to drop the weapon and made several threatening statements towards the officers. He then retreated to the backyard of his home and continued refusing orders from authorities.

A perimeter was established around the residence and a short standoff ensued with multiple agencies involved at the scene. Brown eventually surrendered his weapon about 12:30 a.m. Saturday, according to a press release.

Brown was charged with two felony counts of assaulting a peace officer, assault causing bodily injury, assault while displaying a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The sheriff's office was assisted by the Iowa State Patrol, Aurelia Police Department, Plymouth County Sheriff's Office, Ida County Sheriff's Office, Cherokee Police Department, Cherokee Regional Medical Center Ambulance, Cleghorn and Meriden Fire Department and Cherokee County Emergency Management.

Cleghorn is located 16 miles northwest of Cherokee in Cherokee County.
HINTON, Iowa | A new report links a Northwest Iowan to the intrigue over Russia's alleged meddling in last year's U.S. presidential campaign.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that a veteran Republican opposition researcher tried to enlist several Donald Trump campaign officials, including Sam Clovis of rural Hinton, in a scheme to obtain emails the operative believed were stolen from Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's email server.

In addition to Clovis, the GOP operative, Peter W. Smith, named top Trump staffers Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn and Kellyanne Conway, in a recruitment document for his effort, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Smith, 81, died in April, about 1 1/2 weeks after he gave the interview to the Journal, the newspaper reported.

Clovis, a top policy advisor for the Trump campaign who now serves as senior White House advisor at the Department of Agriculture, was not immediately available for comment last week. Bannon, now chief strategist in the White House, and Conway, a White House counsel, have publicly denied any involvement with Smith.

Flynn, who was fired as Trump's national security adviser after admitting he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and other White House officials about a phone call he had with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. weeks before Trump's inauguration, is now a key figure in investigations into Russia election interference and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

Russian operatives have been blamed for stealing emails from the Democratic National Committee and Clintons campaign chairman, John Podesta.

The Wall Street Journal report said Smith and his team of computer experts focused on about 33,000 emails that Clinton said she had deleted from her private email server because they were personal and not related to a FBI investigation into the emails and server. Smith believed, without proof, the deleted emails had been acquired by hackers, the newspaper said.

Looking to find the emails and potentially harm Clinton's campaign, Smith and those he recruited said they communicated with several hackers, including two from Russia they suspected were tied to the Kremlin, according to the Wall Street Journal report.

Smith told the newspaper that he could not confirm the authenticity of emails the hackers eventually sent him. He told them to pass them along to WikiLeaks, the international group that leaked emails stolen from Podesta and the DNC, according to the Wall Street Journal report.

Clovis, who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in the Republican primary in June 2014 and then as the GOP nominee for state treasurer that fall, is a former Morningside College economics professor and Sioux City radio talk show host. In August 2015, less than five months before Iowa's first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, he joined the Trump campaign as national co-chairman and chief policy adviser.

Clovis often served as a surrogate for Trump during the campaign. The day of the inaugration, Clovis was sworn in as senior White House advisor to the USDA. More recently, he has been mentioned as a possible candidate for undersecretary for the department's Research, Education and Economics division.
The Germans from Russia Heritage Society, hosting its 47th annual convention in Bismarck Wednesday through Sunday, is expected to attract more than 300 participants.

The international organization is dedicated to maintaining and advancing the history of Germans from Russia.

During the convention, attendees will learn about the heritage of Germans from Russia through events such as cooking demonstrations and genealogy workshops.

The event is at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center. For more information, visit www.grhs.org.
Todays top picks from our online calendar. Find more events at siouxcityjournal.com/calendar.

Bruguier Cabin

The cabin will be open from 11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on the second Sunday of the month from June through October. Admission is $15 per person. Bruguier Cabin is located in Riverside Park, 1301 Riverside Blvd.

Acoustic folk music from Norway and Sweden

Vidar Skrede and Patrick Ahlberg will bring acoustic folk music from Norway and Sweden to the Betty Strong Encounter Center at 2 p.m. this afternoon. Admission will be free; a reception will follow. The musicians will use violin, hardingfele (a traditional Norwegian stringed instrument) guitar and voice to perform music brought by immigrants to the United States.

Municipal Band Concert

Enjoy a free concert at the Grandview Park Bandshell, 24th Street and Grandview Boulevard, 7:30-8:30 p.m. Sundays through July 25. Tonight's concert will feature tuba soloist Josh Calkin. playing Largo al Factotum from Rossinis Barber of Seville. Other music for this concert will include a medley of songs from the Broadway musical "Les Miserables."
In our minds, making sure the Woodbury County Courthouse is as safe as possible for everyone shouldn't be the mess it is today.

Reason and common sense demand the courthouse be free of guns for the protection of those who work inside the building and for the public who conducts business there.

This goal was met in 2014 when the Board of Supervisors banned guns in the courthouse and restricted access to one door staffed by security officers and equipment.

With passage of a package of gun-related proposals by the Legislature this year, however, the future of Woodbury County Courthouse security was thrown into question.

As we predicted, a provision of the legislation stating an Iowan can sue any city, county or township that passes a firearm ban if the individual believes he or she is adversely affected by it is having a chilling impact in Woodbury County. On June 27, the county board rescinded the courthouse gun ban in response to the bill. On June 19, however, the Iowa Supreme Court issued an order that banned weapons in "courtrooms, court-controlled spaces, and public areas of courthouses and other justice centers occupied by the court system."

In a letter to the county board, Woodbury County Sheriff Dave Drew said he will enforce the court order. At the June 27 board meeting, Supervisor Jeremy Taylor said the court "overreached." At the same meeting, County Attorney P.J. Jennings urged the board to retain the ban on guns in the courthouse for the safety of county employees who receive threats. "This is no joke ...," Jennings said. "We receive these (threats) nearly every day."

Today, courthouse security questions abound, here in Woodbury County and elsewhere. They include: Will the Woodbury County board defund the security system the 2014 board put in place? If it does, how will Drew enforce the court order? Should he enforce the court order? How can counties who don't have the money to put a security system in place for their courthouse enforce the court order? Did the court, in fact, overstep its bounds? (We praised the court for its order in a June 22 editorial because we support courthouse security, but we do not reject entirely the concern raised by some since the order was signed that the court is attempting to make law.)

The biggest question, though, is this one: Aside from law enforcement officers, should anyone bring a gun into a courthouse? Due to the nature of the public business conducted within these buildings, the answer is "no," in our view.

Only the Legislature can clean up the mess it created for Woodbury County and the confusion it likely created elsewhere - and it should.

Here's our recommended solution: Pass a bill that gives local government bodies the legal right under state law to adopt a ban on weapons in local public buildings.

If local control is allowed for the discharge of fireworks, it should be allowed for the discharge of guns.
Gravitational Lens NASA

Hubble Pushed Beyond Limits to Spot Clumps of New Stars in Distant Galaxy

Teasing out finer details requires clever thinking and a little help from a cosmic alignment with a gravitational lens.

By applying a new computational analysis to a galaxy magnified by a gravitational lens, astronomers have obtained images 10 times sharper than what Hubble could achieve on its own. The results show an edge-on disk galaxy studded with brilliant patches of newly formed stars.

When we saw the reconstructed image we said, Wow, it looks like fireworks are going off everywhere,' said astronomer Jane Rigby of NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

The galaxy in question is so far away that we see it as it appeared 11 billion years ago, only 2.7 billion years after the big bang. It is one of more than 70 strongly lensed galaxies studied by the Hubble Space Telescope, following up targets selected by the Sloan Giant Arcs Survey, which discovered hundreds of strongly lensed galaxies by searching Sloan Digital Sky Survey imaging data covering one-fourth of the sky.

The gravity of a giant cluster of galaxies between the target galaxy and Earth distorts the more distant galaxys light, stretching it into an arc and also magnifying it almost 30 times. The team had to develop special computer code to remove the distortions caused by the gravitational lens, and reveal the disk galaxy as it would normally appear.

The resulting reconstructed image revealed two dozen clumps of newborn stars, each spanning about 200 to 300 light-years. This contradicted theories suggesting that star-forming regions in the distant, early universe were much larger, 3,000 light-years or more in size.

There are star-forming knots as far down in size as we can see, said doctoral student Traci Johnson of the University of Michigan, lead author of two of the three papers describing the research.

Without the magnification boost of the gravitational lens, Johnson added, the disk galaxy would appear perfectly smooth and unremarkable to Hubble. This would give astronomers a very different picture of where stars are forming.

While Hubble highlighted new stars within the lensed galaxy, NASAs James Webb Space Telescope will uncover older, redder stars that formed even earlier in the galaxys history. It will also peer through any obscuring dust within the galaxy.

With the Webb Telescope, well be able to tell you what happened in this galaxy in the past, and what we missed with Hubble because of dust, said Rigby.

These findings appear in a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters and two additional papers published in The Astrophysical Journal.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy in Washington, D.C.
Driver Stephen Byron and trainer John Bax teamed up for one win and one second in the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots opener for the two-year-old trotting colts at Georgian Downs on Saturday evening (July 8).

The pair captured the second $18,450 Grassroots division with Delcrest Holiday, who toured the Innisfil oval in 2:03.1. Starting from post four, Byron eased the novice trotter off the gate and settled in fourth as Smart Pick took the field to a :31 quarter. Heading for the 1:03.2 half, Delcrest Holiday was challenging for the lead and once he reached the front, Byron was able to set the cruise control, reaching the three-quarters in 1:33.3 and sailing home a three and one-half length winner. Smart Pick settled for second and Audacious closed to be third.

It was his first start, said Byron of Delcrest Holiday. They really like the colt, hed qualified real well, and he did everything right again tonight, so hopefully he keeps going.

Hes got some natural speed, he should get better, the Thornton, Ont. resident added.

Trainer Bax shares ownership of Delcrest Holiday with Gaelic Stable of Sharon and Ken Bax of Cavan Monaghan, Ont. The trio acquired the son of Holiday Road and Northern Kitti from the 2016 Canadian Yearling Sale for a modest $9,000 after the colt impressed Bax in the paddock at breeder Doug Delaneys Acton, Ont. farm last summer.

I went out to Doug Delaneys farm and he turned him out  and Dougs on a pretty hilly property  and he just trotted up and down the hill and I said, wow Ive got to have him, recalled Bax. And actually, I raced the second dam (Northern Fuchsia). Anyway, I didnt mind the family, I knew the family, and I dont mind Holiday Road -- Ive had a little success with them -- and I just liked the way he carried himself. I was shocked that I got him for $9,000.

Doug was here tonight too, Bax continued. It was really good to see him, his wife (Betty) just passed away a few weeks ago, and so it was a nice thing for him.

Both breeder and owners will be hoping Delcrest Holiday can replicate Saturdays solid effort when the two-year-old trotting colts head to Mohawk Racetrack for their second Grassroots event on July 18.

Bax and Byron will also be hoping for another solid effort from Chief Justice, who stayed on task as two-thirds of the first division field self-destructed and trotted home to the runner-ups share of the $18,100 purse. Jula Downton took the victors spoils, reaching the wire 10 lengths ahead of Chief Justice in 2:02.4. Spin the Vinyl recovered from a break near the mid-way point to finish third.

He stayed trotting so he picked up a second. It was a good night, said Campbellville, Ont. resident Bax about Chief Justice, who is owned by Midnight Sun Partners Inc. of Delray Beach, Florida.

Like Delcrest Holiday, Jula Downton was making his first lifetime start after a single qualifier and the son of Kadabra and $225,757 winner Abbey Craig was flawless for trainer/driver Per Henriksen of Norwood, Ont.. Henriksen conditions the colt for Jula Racing Inc. of Delray Beach, Florida, who offered up $30,000 for the trotter at last falls Harrisburg Yearling Sale.

Ontario Sires Stakes action continues at Georgian Downs on Sunday, July 9 as the Innisfil oval hosts the Gold Series debut for both the two-year-old trotting colts and the two-year-old pacing fillies. The trotting colts will test their skills in Races 5 and 9, while the fillies compete in Race 7. Post time for Sundays program is 6 p.m.

To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Georgian Downs.

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Lewis and Clark Riverboat and Harvest Brazilian Grill are teaming up to raise funds for the Central Dakota Humane Society during Paddle for Paws. The event will be held on the Lewis and Clark Riverboat in Bismarck from 7 to 9 p.m. July 26.

All proceeds will go toward the care of the animals at the CDHS shelter.

Tickets are $70 per person and include food provided by Harvest Brazilian Grill, two drinks and a riverboat cruise along the Missouri River. To purchase tickets, visit www.cdhs.net or call 702-667-2020.
The six Ohio Sires Stakes (OHSS) for freshman trotting colts provided the generous Northfield Park crowd with thrills, unexpected triumphs and bitter disappointments on an unseasonably cool Saturday evening, July 8.

Each OHSS contest carried a purse of $40,000 in the first of four legs for two-year-old trotters. The first division was a raced marred by numerous breaking youngsters, including 1-5 favourite and New Jersey invader, Wolfgang, who broke at the start and again in the third turn.

Taking advantage of all his rivals miscues was the Steve Carter-trained Countthebenjamins. Sent off at odds of 8-1, the son of Dejarmbro returned $18.40 to win as he scored his first career victory, timed in 1:59 with Chris Page at the lines. Bred by Darwin and Ann Shaver, Countthebenjamins was awarded the victory when the 24-1 longshot Lottafightleftinme (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) ran at the wire after leading throughout most of the mile. QB Kemp (Peter Wrenn) notched show honours at 11-1.

Countthebenjamins is the 10th foal out of the Veeba Rova mare Benns Riverdance, 4, 1;57.f ($455,145) and is a full brother to: Stormy Kromer 3, 1:56.4s ($101,603), and a half-brother to: Dancehall Mistress (by Angus Hall) 4, 1:52.3s ($445,020); Blazing Benny (by Angus Hall) 7, 1:55.2h ($312,004); Party On The River (by Kadabra) 4, 1:56.3 ($134,291); and Little River Dance (by Angus Hall) 4, 1:56.1m ($83,421).

Lima Son made an impressive showing in his first start in the United States by storming to a two and three-quarter length victory in the second OHSS division for driver/trainer Anthony MacDonald. The bay son of My MVP used a three-wide move around the final turn to wear down the leading Dance Withsomebody (Robin Miller) at the wire. Twilight Twist (Ryan Stahl) was third, seven and a half lengths behind, in a mile timed in 1:59.1. Bred by Ohios Steiner Stock farm, Lima Son is owned by Thestable Lima Son Group of Guelph, Ont. He is the fifth foal out of the Angus Hall mare Spirit Of The Law, and is a half-brother to Lima Skye (by Cantab Hall) 2, 1:59.1f ($33,119).

Trainer Herb LeVan harnessed Manny L to capture the third OHSS test in 1:59.2 with Kayne Kauffman at the lines in a wire-to-wire performance. The son of Manofmanymission captured his third event in five starts and pushed his career earnings to $24,590 for owners LeVan Stables and Louis LeVan of Woodstock, Ohio. Rival Haul N Dash (Kurt Sugg) was second, while Sand Cash (Ryan Stahl) was third.

Manny L, who was sent off at 9-2 odds, returned $11.20 to win. He is the first foal out of the Kadabra mare Eagle Canada 2, 1:57.3s ($341,138) and was bred by the Dettore Farms of Ohio.

The fourth OHSS division was one of the most exciting races of the evening, as it took a photo finish to determine the winner in a nail-biting finish. The Scott Mogan-trained Icingon De Cupcake (9-5) was named the winner in his career debut, timed in 2:00.4 for driver Chris Page. Owned by Jeff Johnson of Newark, Ohio and Doug Millard of Woodstock, Ont., the son of Dejarmbro scored a neck decision over 18-1 Zeppelin BI (Anthony MacDonald), with 2-1 Mission Accepted (Ryan Stahl) grabbing third.

Icingon De Cupcake is the first foal out of the ML Cupcake, who was Ohios Two-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year in 2010 for these same connections. Owner Jeff Johnson, a marketing manager for AT&T, said he and his wife Shelley, a professional photographer, have been involved in the harness business as owners for the past 13 years.

Were so excited for this colt as this was his first start and his first win and hes Cupcakes first foal, explained Johnson. This colt has some chips in his ankles earlier and we had those removed, gave him some time off, and he trained down super. He never missed a beat.

Icingon De Cupcakes dam, ML Cupcake, took a mark of 5, 1:56.f and earned $179,896. The daughter of Master Lavec is out of the Pine Chip mare CC Cupcake 2, Q2:04.2s, who, interestingly enough, is the dam of CC Bank, a colt who raced in the second OHSS division won by Lima Son.

Ronnie Wrenn Jr. gave Sultan Of Cash a perfect drive to win the fifth OHSS test in 1:59.3. The son of Cash HallAnything But LoveConway Hall is owned and trained by Roger Hughes Jr. of Jamestown, Ohio and was a 3-1 choice on the board. He finished a length in front of the hard-trying Count On Cody (Dan Noble) with 6-5 favourite Mr Jubilant (Chris Page) close behind in third. Sultan Of Cash is the seventh foal out of his unraced dam and is a full brother to Catch The Dream, a winner of 34 races with a mark of 7, 1:52s and $545,240; My Future Ex 6, 1:55.4s ($100,990); and Moneydontbuyulove 3, 1:56.4f ($10,200).

Favourite (1-5) Get The Cash didnt disappoint his backers as he trotted impressively for Dave Palone to a 1:57.3 clocking. The son of Cash Hall, who is trained by Kelly ODonnell, easily bested 25-1 rival Win Chaser (Anthony MacDonald) and 8-1 Dontforgetmaster (Josh Sutton). It was the youngsters second career victory in as many tries and upped his earnings to $24,750 for Mark Maynard of Fairview Park, Ohio, Joe Palatas of Hudson, Ohio, and K O Racing Stables of Sagamore Heights, Ohio. Get The Cash is the fifth and only foal to race out of the unraced Tom Ridge mare Chatterly Hall.

Ohio Sires Stakes return to Northfield Park on July 10, with three-year-old trotting colts slugging it out.

(With files from OSDF)
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has reduced the United Nations (UN) membership fees that his country contributes by $10m (7.75m).

His decision comes after the United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization (UNESCO) decided to list the Old City of Hebron in the West Bank as an endangered Palestinian world heritage site - a move that prompted anger in Israel.

As a result the country will now pay will pay $1.7m (1.3m) to the UN out of a planned commitment of $11.7m (9.07m) , according to the Times of Israel .

Instead, the money will go to heritage projects slated for Hebron and Kiryat Arba.

The decision was taken after a Unesco vote designated the West Bank city of Hebron an endangered Palestinian world heritage site. A resolution was passed to put them on a register of sites believed in danger.

Praising the decision, the Palestinian foreign ministry said Hebron was celebrated "as part of world heritage, a value that transcends geography, religion, politics, and ideology."

It added: "This vote celebrated facts and rejected the shameless high-profile political bullying and attempts at extortion."

Israel reacted with anger at Unescos decision, saying the prime minister was "determined to present to the whole world the historical truth and the thousands of years of deep Jewish roots in Hebron."

Mr Netanyahu himself, said the motion to declare the Old City of Hebron, home to the Tomb of the Patriarchs and revered as the biblical burial place of the Jewish patriarchs and matriarchs, was delusional. He vowed to protect the site.

0:00 / 0:24 Trump: Israelis and Palestinians are 'reaching for peace'

Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who heads Israel's Unesco committee, said: "The Jewish connection to Hebron goes back thousands of years. Hebron, the birthplace of King David's kingdom, and the Tomb of the Patriarchs, the first Jewish purchase in Israel and resting place of our forefathers - are our people's oldest heritage sites."

Mr Bennett also called the UN agency a political tool.

World news in picture

The Tomb of the Patriarchs , also known as the Ibrahimi Mosque is a sacred place for Christians, Muslims and Jews. Many believe it is the burial place of Jacob, Abraham and Isaac. Its considered the second holiest place in Judaism and the fourth in Islam.

This is the latest development in Israels ongoing rocky relationship with the UN. A security council resolution had demanded an end to Israeli settlement building on land Palestinians were proposing for an independent state, according to Reuters

This is the fourth cut in funds, withdrawing $10 million since December 2016. In March, the Human Rights Council passed five anti-Israel resolutions. Mr Netanyahu responded by pledging to prune another $2 million.

Donald Trumps administration is also at odds with the United Nations. The US president, who has called the UN an underperformer, is proposing to cut nearly 14.7bn in contributions.
Local teacher aides will be voting on a new collective employment agreement over the next few weeks that will kick-start pay equity talks in the school support sector.

The New Zealand Educational Institute has been in negotiations with the Ministry of Education over school support staff pay for six months.

Last month more than 500 school principals from throughout New Zealand, including many from the Western Bay of Plenty, signed an open letter to the government asking for better pay for teacher aides.

A draft collective agreement was signed with the MoE on June 16 to start pay equity talks for teacher aides, which will be voted on by NZEI members over the next few weeks.

The news has been welcomed by Greerton Village School teacher assistants Gloria Balzer and Pam Stamp. Having been in the job for 30 years and 18 years respectively, they love their work but would also like to be fairly paid.

Greerton Village School employs 20 teacher assistants to work alongside 23 special needs students. It pays them an above-average wage and does so by tapping into its operations grant  last year to the tune of $170,000.

Support staff team leader Sandra Williams says teacher assistants are the backbone of the school.

The school wouldnt be able to operate without us yet we are competing with power, water and school maintenance and we shouldnt be.

Gloria and Pams hours are tagged to the students they work with, so if those students move to another school their funding goes with them.

The women make teaching resources and attend after-hours school events in their own time to support the students they work with.

Their work has also changed considerably over the years and they now work alongside a myriad of health professionals as well as teachers.

We have yearly appraisals and are expected to help meet the learning objectives of the students we work with, says Sandra.

One of the children Pam works with is in a wheelchair and has to be fed and toileted.

I have to make sure she is included in the class as much as I can. Thats really important.

The women work for the love of the job. The pay is terrible but the rewards are great, says Gloria.
Less than a week after giving birth to her third child, Heather Holmack had to put on her restaurant uniform and return to work. She had been released from the hospital just the day before. Her newborn daughter Zoey, only a few days old, went to daycare with her other two young children. Still in pain from her pregnancy, Holmack struggled with being on her feet eight hours a day managing a crew of workers.

She tried to use a breast pump in the bathroom and then in her car, but after her boss gave her a hard time for taking so many breaks, she stopped.

This wasnt how the single mom had planned to spend the first few weeks of her daughters life. But shortly before giving birth in March 2010, an acquaintance drained Holmacks bank account, robbing her of the $5,500 she had saved to support herself and her three children for a few months.

Life would have been different for Holmack had a new state law been in place guaranteeing 12 weeks of paid family medical leave for workers. Gov. Jay Inslee signed the bill, which goes into effect January 2020, into law last week. With no financial cushion or support from family members, Holmack had no other options. A one-time $1,500 grant from a public emergency assistance program wasnt enough to cover her bills. And while her fast-food employer was required to hold her job, she didnt have access to regular income or paid maternity leave.

God, it was crazy. I knew if I didnt go back to work, then I wouldnt have money to pay the bills the next month, so I had to work, recalled Holmack, 31, who now works for a different fast food company. And of course I grappled with the guilt of leaving my less-than-week-old daughter at daycare while I went to work, instead of being with her.

Washingtons bill earned bipartisan support following months of closed-door negotiations. It was largely seen as a compromise between business and labor and passed swiftly through the Legislature a day after it was introduced.

Many local businesses say the law isnt overly burdensome because it will only require a few dollars every week per employee, and small businesses can opt out of the program.

Opponents, however, say the new law is just adding another expense on top of the new rising minimum wage and mandated paid sick leave that goes into effect next year.

This is another cost, another mandate on small business owners who are already struggling to cope with substantial costs, said Patrick Connor, Washington director for the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

How it works

After the new law goes into effect, employees can take as much as 18 weeks of time off from work after a qualifying event, and be paid a portion of their salary. Qualifying events include: pregnancy, an employees own serious illness, having a new child, adopting or fostering a new child, taking care of a sick family member or military deployment or related activities.

Workers get a percentage of their usual salaries. Low-income workers can get up to 90 percent, whereas higher-income workers will get a lower percentage. Employees will get a maximum of $1,000 a week or a minimum of $100 a week. Anyone who worked at least 820 hours within the previous year can access the benefit.

Employers must hold a job for a worker on leave as long as the business has more than 50 employees and that worker logged at least 1,250 hours worked at that employer in the previous year. Small businesses (with under 150 employees) who opt into the program can get a $3,000 grant from the state to help pay for a temporary worker.

To fund this paid time off, the new law establishes an insurance program administered by the state but funded by employee and employer contributions. (Employers cover about 37 percent of the programs cost while employees cover 63 percent.) The state will start collecting 0.4 percent of wages as premiums starting in January 2019.

Every week, the program will deduct a few dollars from employees paychecks, similar to unemployment insurance or social security. For someone making Cowlitz Countys average salary of about $43,000 annually, that employee would pay about $2 a week, and the employer would pay about $1 week.

Small businesses with under 50 employees dont have to contribute, but their employees will still pay into the system so they can access the benefits. Businesses can also chose to set up their own private paid family medical leave insurance programs instead, as long as the program is equivalent to or better than the state-run program.

Benefits of paid family leave

For decades, the U.S. has lagged behind other industrialized nations in offering paid family medical leave. While most workers can get unpaid leave under federal law, only 14 percent of civilian workers had access to paid family medical leave in 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Low-income workers often skip taking unpaid time off altogether so they dont miss out on a paycheck.

Researchers from Rutgers University found that women with access to paid maternity leave were 39 percent less likely to draw on public assistance programs and 40 percent less likely to use food stamps in the year after giving birth as compared to those who did not take any leave. New moms with paid leave in the study were far more likely to be working 9 to 12 months after giving birth and reported higher earnings. And mothers are more likely to begin and continue breastfeeding when they have access to paid family medical leave, research suggests, unlocking a number of health benefits for newborns.

Acoya Windsor-Moran, 22, of Longview said she regrets not breastfeeding her son for six months after his birth a year ago. She had no paid leave, and her fiances illness prevented him from working. She returned to her job as an in-home caregiver six weeks after giving birth. She stopped breastfeeding at the time.

I was able to provide for my kids, but I really wanted to be able to stay home as long as I could and help my son develop and have a strong relationship with his family and not to have to start learning at such a young age how to be away from his mom for so long, Windsor-Moran said.

New moms arent the only ones who access medical leave. The law allows employees to take time off for a seriously ill family member, which advocates say will help adults caring for aging or ailing parents.

Kelsee Guizzotti, 29, of Vancouver said that could have helped tremendously in fall 2015 as she cared for her mother who was dying of pancreatic cancer. After using all of her paid vacation, Guizzotti was forced to take more than a month of unpaid time off from a heavy construction company that does work in Cowlitz County. Even after her leave was complete, her employer ended up letting her go on Dec. 18, 2015  the day after her mother died. Grief prevented her from challenging the firing. But with the new law in place, the single mom said she could have focused more on her mother without having to worry about pay or her employment.

I would have had more time with my mom (in her final days), with a little less stress of still having to make ends meet. Partial pay would have been better than absolutely nothing, Guizzotti said. I had to do side janitorial/housekeeping jobs, and with that law that wouldnt have been necessary for me to do that.

A compromise

Many Cowlitz County businesses expressed acceptance or tepid support for the new law.

Any time you add (labor) costs, its a bit of a challenge because you have to fit into the budget. Somebody is going have to pay that, said Dale Lemmons, owner of Signature Transport in Kelso. But Lemmons appreciated the fact that both employees and employers are contributing to the new insurance program.

I support the measure as a great compromise between business and labor. It gives employees a good benefit, and well figure out how to put it in the budget, Lemmons said.

He and many other local businesses preferred the Legislatures passage of a more moderate version of the law rather than risking a voter initiative in the fall, which they feared could have had higher costs for businesses.

It would have been very burdensome, so my support (of the new family medical leave law) is that we want a good law rather than bad initiative that would have been ugly, said Doug Kalberg, owner of The Dog Zone in Kelso.

Polling from the Association of Washington Businesses suggested that 68 percent of Washingtonians surveyed supported a law that would require employers to provide some paid family medical leave  even more support than the minimum wage hike received.

There was a sense among much of the business community that some kind of new paid family medical leave was inevitable. That motivated business lobby groups to negotiate with labor, and helped the bill earn support from the Association of Washington Business and Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce. (Other business groups did oppose the measure though.)

Across the country minimum wage (laws) are being passed all over the place, and paid family medical leave laws are starting to happen. Whether you like it or not, its kind of the wave of the future, said Sen. Dean Takko (D-Longview), who co-sponsored the bill.

While Sen. John Braun (R-Centralia) supported the bill, local Representatives Richard DeBolt (R-Chehalis), Ed Orcutt (R-Kalama) and Jim Walsh (R- Aberdeen) voted against it.

When I have employers already complaining about (Labor & Industries) and unemployment regulations, about the new minimum wage and all those other things  how do I support adding another cost for them when were struggling with jobs in this area? Orcutt said.

For Walsh, voting against the measure was a close call because he likes the paid family medical leave and appreciated the compromises with business. Yet he didnt like how the bill was negotiated behind closed doors and thought it didnt guarantee enough protections for small business and low-wage workers.

Its one small cut that cuts against business growth and small business development, Walsh said.

Other opponents criticized the measure for mandating employees pay into the program. Given the choice, many workers likely would not want another line item deduction from their paychecks, said Connor of the National Federation of Independent Business.

The bottom line is people still ought to be able to make the decisions that are best for their family without the government taking that choice away from them, Connor said.

For labor advocates, mandatory contributions were key for guaranteeing that all workers had access to paid leave.

Theres a social value to this whole program that goes above and beyond individual choice, said Marilyn Watkins, policy director at Economic Opportunity Institute, which backed the bill. For example, babies who bond with their mothers may have a better start to life to set them up for success in society, she said. And workers with access to paid medical leave put less of a burden on the entire health care system, Watkins added.

That economic security would have been welcome relief for Kelin Ray, 30, of Longview while he recovered from a leg injury after he was accidentally shot in January.

Ray was barbecuing in his backyard when a friend was cleaning a gun and it accidentally discharged, injuring his hand and striking Rays leg. His muscles were damaged from the bullets entry and exit, and it took about four months to fully recover, he said.

As a Department of Corrections worker, Ray used all of his paid sick and vacation time before he tapped into unpaid medical leave. He was forced to open a new credit card, drain his savings and skip paying rent and other bills. He estimates he lost $11,000 between missed pay and cashing out for paid time off during his four-month leave. The lost income came when he owed $4,500 for his own medical expenses.

Im a single guy that lives pretty cheaply. If I would have had a kid or anything, I would have had a lot harder time, he said.

For Holmack, the Kelso fast food worker, receiving a portion of her wages would have been a life-changer.

I would have been able to make it. I would have been able to stay at home. It would have been easier to go to doctor appointments, Holmack said. I could have been a mom.
We can all agree that one of the most important gifts a society can give its children is a good education. Providing that education requires time, money and perseverance. Last week, the Legislature rolled out the budget for K-12 schools, and some have questioned whether it provides the means to accomplish that important task. At $8.2 billion, it is an increase of 11 percent over the current biennium. And even though that sounds like it should be an adequate amount, it may still mean that many districts will not be able to lower class sizes or implement programs that keep kids in school. School districts have been urging us to reach $8.4 billion in order to at least maintain the current level of service.

Its important for everyone to understand that education consumes 75 percent of the general fund budget. This reflects the cost shifts created by Ballot Measure 5 in 1995, which transferred the majority of education funding to the state from local property taxes. Nevertheless, we can be proud that over the last decade we have stretched to provide more with less, including full day kindergarten. I am hopeful that, in the waning days of the session, our Ways and Means Committee will find some additional funds for education as the final re-balance is completed before adjournment. Maybe we will come closer to the $8.4 billion that will make our school districts whole.

On a district level, I am thrilled that the Oregon Manufacturing Center (OMIC) in Scappoose has announced the signing of a formal agreement between OMIC and Oregon Institute of Technology, Oregon State University and Portland State University, to further the progress of this world-class research and development facility. They will be joined by many well known companies including Boeing, Daimler Trucks, ATI and Vigor. This is an exciting collaboration between industry, the unions, higher education and government to provide high-skill, high-wage manufacturing jobs in Oregon. In addition, PCC will be building a facility nearby to facilitate earn and learn training programs. The implications of these agreements are far-reaching and will end up benefiting all areas of District 31.

Finally, the Columbia County Roads Department has informed us that construction and repair projects in the Shiloh Basin area will affect Anliker, Meissner, Bishop Creek and Nicolai Roads beginning July 17 and continuing through September. Winter storms played havoc with these roads, so I know that area residents will be glad to see the improvements.
IANS

A fight between two men that started on Facebook Messenger has allegedly led to the unfortunate death of a 14-year-old girl in the US, the media reported. Mackenna Kronenberger was inside the bedroom of her home in Dayton, Ohio, when she was killed on 5 July, Sky News reported on 9 July citing a court document.

The two men involved in the fight - Jason Tidwell and Dylan Angel - have been charged with murder. The two 18-year-old men started a fight on the Facebook app and agreed to fight outside Tidwell's home. According to witnesses accounts to police, they fought and Tidwell then got a gun from inside his home and began firing at Angel. Angel then took a gun from his car and fired several rounds towards Tidwell's home. At least one stray bullet used in the fight hit Kronenberger, killing her in the process, it was alleged.

Angel and Tidwell appeared in Dayton Municipal Court on 7 July and are next due in court on 14 July, the report said.

Recently US citizen live broadcast-ed murder on Facebook that got nationwide attention. The 37-year-old guy identified as Steve Stephens randomly shot his 74-year-old grandfather Robert Godwin in Cleveland, Ohio.

With inputs from IANS
IANS

For India to consistently grow at nine to 10 percent over a three decade period, there is a need for "technological leap-frogging" which can happen only if an ecosystem is created to promote start-ups, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said on Saturday.

Such an ecosystem can be created only by taking risks and by acceptance of "culture of failure" by parents and institutions, he noted. During a Facebook live interaction, the NITI Aayog CEO said that double-digit growth is possible only if India converts its young generation from job seekers to job creators. "Large companies do not create jobs; young companies create jobs," Kant said quoting a study.

"Hence we need a huge amount of technology, innovation and disruption in India which can only come through creating an ecosystem of start-ups." In a step to create that ecosystem, the premier government policy think-tank is going to support various universities and research institutions in installing Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) at their campuses.

These incubators are aimed at nurturing innovative start-up businesses in their pursuit to become scalable and sustainable enterprises. The NITI Aayog CEO said that one needs to accept the fact that in their attempt to create successful start-ups, a lot of people are going to fail and the "culture of failure must be accepted by parents and institutions". "Out of 100 people, many will fail. But some who succeed would make the major breakthrough and will be the real path-breakers," he said.

Kant said out of some 150 incubation centres in India, most are working below their performance ability. "We found it very difficult to support existing incubators as these need to be hand-held to be taken to another level." Kant said India needs thousands of incubation centres and not just in the field of technology but also for manufacturing, agriculture and other sectors. "We need incubators which are able to ensure that our farmers are able to get seeds and fertilizers depending on soil and weather conditions. So we need major technological breakthroughs in social innovation, in agriculture and in manufacturing.

"My view is that we need to take the risk and support thousands and thousands of incubations. Many of them will fail. It's a risk-oriented business. But many will succeed and they will be the real path-breakers," he said.
tech2 News Staff

Tesla CEO and founder Elon Musk has revealed that the company is in discussion with the Government of India for a Tesla launch in the country. Musk replied to a query on Twitter detailing that the company is discussing a temporary relief from the import penalties. According to the tweet, this arrangement will be a temporary one until the company builds a local factory to manufacture Tesla products (cars, batteries solar panels etc.) in India.

In discussions with the government of India requesting temporary relief on import penalties/restrictions until a local factory is built  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 14, 2017

Earlier, the government clarified that Tesla will not have to source local components if it plans to set up a manufacturing unit in India. The government responded to apprehensions expressed by Musk that the company would have to source a certain percentage of local components to set up a plant here.

This comes months after Musk said that Tesla will launch in India in the summer of 2017. In April last year, at the time of the unveiling of the Model 3, Elon Musk had indicated that the pre-orders for the new semi-autonomous electric vehicle would be available in new markets for the company including India, Brazil, South Africa, Singapore and Ireland. The vehicle is expected to be an electric vehicle, with the road conditions not suitable for semi-autonomous capabilities of Tesla vehicles.
hidden

Volvo Cars and Swedish car safety supplier Autoliv have signed a deal with U.S. firm Nvidia Corp, best known for its graphics technology in computer games, to develop software systems for self-driving cars. A joint venture between Volvo, owned by China's Zhejiang Geely Holdings, and Autoliv will work with NVIDIA to develop systems that use artificial intelligence to recognize objects around vehicles, anticipate threats and navigate safely.

The venture set up last year, called Zenuity, will provide Volvo Cars with self-driving software which Autoliv will also be able to sell to other carmakers. Volvo said it aims to have almost fully autonomous cars for sale by 2021. Volvo has been using Nvidia's artificial intelligence systems in a pilot of semi-autonomous vehicles in its hometown Gothenburg in southern Sweden since the start of the year.

Nvidia, which also has partnerships with carmakers Toyota, Audi and Mercedes, is among the more popular technology partners in the self-driving car race. German carmaker BMW has joined forces with U.S. chipmaker Intel and Mobileye, the Israeli vision system and mapping expert, to develop a self-driving platform, which is targeted for production in 2021.

U.S. parts maker Delphi Automotive and tyremaker Continental has since joined the tie-up. In April, Germany's Daimler formed a similar alliance with supplier Robert Bosch to speed development of self-driving vehicles.

Reuters
The leader of a fringe haredi Orthodox sect suspected of abusing children has drowned in a river in Mexico, local media are reporting.



Israeli-born Rabbi Shlomo Helbrans reportedly was found drowned in a river in the Mexican state of Chiapas on Friday.



Israels Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement issued Saturday night that it is looking into the reports of Helbrans death to determine if they are accurate.

According to local media, rescue services found Halberantz's body on Frirday afternoon, after it had been swept away in the current. The report also said that Halberantz had drowned in front of his followers and family, while immersing in the river prior to Shabbat.

The Islamized Haredi cult that's been running around trying to evade authorities for child abuse and other acts of oppression apparently moved to Mexico a few weeks ago, but only now are we finding out. However, we're also finding out that their leading mastermind, Shlomo Helbrans, appears to have met punishment and is now appearing before the highest court:Let's hope so, because that man was asking to be punished for his repellent, abusive customs that harmed and damaged the lives of quite a few children, along with adults. This article says:And I guess he didn't care about his personal safety any more than that of his subjects, did he? Not that it matters when somebody so vile committed child abuse, right down to marrying some of the young girls to much older men, and even forced them to wear Islamic-style veils.But will this bring about the downfall of the clan? He may have relatives who collaborated in his evil, and they could continue where he left off, unless authorities get on the ball and do whatever possible to shut down the cult for good.

Labels: Canada, haredi corruption, islam, Israel, Latin America, misogyny, Moonbattery, United States
UK Foreign Minister urges Arab states to end Qatar boycott

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled al-Sabah A shakes hands with his British counterpart Boris Johnson in Kuwait City.

AFP, Kuwait City :

British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday urged Arab states to end their Qatar boycott, downplaying the odds of a military escalation in the worst crisis to grip the Gulf in years.

Johnson met with his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah on Saturday and was scheduled to visit Qatar later in the day.

"What people need to see is de-escalation and progress towards tackling the funding of terrorism in the region, and progress toward an end to this blockade," Johnson said, voicing support for Kuwait as a mediator in the crisis.

Johnson, who also held talks in Saudi Arabia on Friday, said it was "highly unlikely" that the current standoff would descend into military conflict.

"Everybody I have talked to said the opposite. No possibility of a military confrontation," he said.

"The blockade is unwelcome and we hope there will be a de-escalation," he added. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain last month announced the severing of all diplomatic ties with Qatar over allegations the emirate bankrolled Islamist extremists and had close ties to Saudi's arch-rival Iran.

On June 22, they issued a 13-point list of demands, including downgrading ties with Iran and shutting down broadcaster Al-Jazeera, as a prerequisite to lift the sanctions, which include the closure of Qatar's only land border and suspension of all flights to and from the country.

Doha has refused to comply with the demands and denies accusations of ties to Islamist groups.

Kuwait has been leading mediation efforts to resolve the crisis that is threatening the existence of the 36-year-old Gulf Cooperation Council.

Kuwaiti officials have held talks with the foreign ministers of Germany and fellow Gulf Cooperation Council member Oman, which has not joined the Qatar boycott.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is scheduled to arrive in Kuwait on Monday for talks on the Gulf crisis.
Quiet as ceasefire begins in south Syria

Free Syrian Army fighter stand near an anti-aircraft machine gun in Quneitra, Syria

AFP, Beirut :

A ceasefire in southern Syria brokered by the United States, Russia and Jordan began at noon local time on Sunday, with a monitor reporting quiet in three southern provinces.

The ceasefire was announced on Friday by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and covers Daraa, Quneitra and Sweida provinces.

"The main fronts in the three provinces between regime forces and opposition factions have seen a cessation of hostilities and shelling since this morning, with the exception of a few scattered shells fired on Daraa city before noon," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.

The Syrian regime had already announced its own unilateral ceasefire on Monday but fighting had continued on frontlines in the three provinces.

There has been no official comment from Syria's government on the announcement, and there was no mention of the ceasefire on state television's noon news bulletin.

The Al-Watan newspaper, which is close to the regime, quoted the head of Syria's parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee suggesting that the agreement was negotiated in consultation with Damascus.

"No details on the agreement were presented, but the Syrian state has background on it," the newspaper quoted Boutros Marjana as saying.

"The final word on adding southern Syria to the 'de-escalation' zones belongs to the Syrian state, and there is coordination with Russia on that," he added.

The ceasefire in southern Syria comes in the wake of a deal inked in the Kazakh capital Astana in May between regime allies Russia and Iran and rebel backer Turkey to set up four "de-escalation" zones.

One of the mooted zones was in southern Syria, but the agreement has yet to go into effect as the three sides try to agree how the zones will be monitored.

On Friday, before the ceasefire deal was announced, a delegation of opposition factions that has attended talks in Astana expressed opposition to any ceasefire for just one part of the country.

In a statement, the factions said they were concerned about "secret meetings and understandings between Russia, Jordan and America on a deal for the south of Syria, separate from the north." Such an agreement "would divide Syria, as well as the delegation and the opposition, in two."

The ceasefire begins on the eve of fresh peace talks in Geneva scheduled to begin on Monday.

Expectations for the seventh round of UN-sponsored talks are low, but a UN official said Saturday that the ceasefire deal created positive momentum.
RANGPUR: Rezaul Islam Liton, President, Rangpur Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry addressing a meeting of the organisation at its Auditorium on Saturday.
School student killed in road accident

Mrs Hasina Mohiuddin, President, Chittagong City Mahila Awami League speaking at an Eid re-union programme as Chief Guest recently.

Chittagong Bureau :

One school student was killed in a road accident on Saturday at Banshbaria in Chittagong. The victim was identified as Mohammad Junaied, a student of class eight of Banshbaria High School. He was the son of Badiul Alam of Haradhonpara under Banshbaria.

Sources said, after ending the school, Junaied was crossing the Dhaka Chittagong highway to go home. But at that time, a Dhaka bound speedy truck ran over him causing his death on the spot.

The students of the Banshbaria High School blocked the Dhaka Chittagong highway protesting the killing of Junaied at around 12 pm. Badiul Alam, the father of the victim told the journalists that his son could not return home like every day.

Sitakunda thana police said that the police team rushed to the spot and recovered the body of the victim. Later, they ensured the students to nab the truck driver immediately. However, after getting assurance from police, the agitated students withdrew the blockade from the road at around 12.30 pm.
Stormy G20 ends with opt-outs for Trump on climate, trade

AFP, Hamburg :

World leaders made concessions on trade and climate language to Donald Trump Saturday at the end of the most fractious and riot-hit G20 summit ever, in exchange for preserving a fragile unity of the club of major industrialised and emerging economies.

But the gesture opened the door for others, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warning that Ankara was now leaning towards not ratifying the landmark Paris climate accord.

Erdogan's threat brought further disarray to a summit that was marred by bilateral quarrels and strife over climate protection and trade.

And in one of the weekend's more bizarre scenes, Trump raised eyebrows by leaving a discussion and letting his daughter Ivanka take his place.

In a departure from final summit declarations that tend to outline consensus on issues that range from fighting terrorism to financial governance, the extraordinary conclusion this year spelt out differences on core issues.

It acknowledged Trump's decision to take the United States out of the 2015 Paris deal and clearly stated Washington's wish to continue using and selling fossil fuels that are a main driver of global warming.

The declaration also stated for the first time the right of countries to protect their markets with "legitimate trade defence instruments"-wording that essentially gives Trump wiggle room to push on with his "America First" policy.
MtGox CEO heads to trial in Japan over missing Bitcoins

AFP, Tokyo :

The former CEO of collapsed Bitcoin exchange MtGox heads to trial in Tokyo next week on charges stemming from the disappearance of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the virtual currency from its digital vaults.

Frenchman Mark Karpeles-once the high-flying head of the world's busiest Bitcoin trading platform, who reportedly lived in an $11,000-a-month penthouse and spent money lavishly, including on prostitutes is facing embezzlement and data manipulation charges.

"He is keeping calm as the trial gets underway," his lawyer Kiichi Iino told AFP, adding that Karpeles plans to plead his innocence.

The 32-year-old was first arrested in August 2015 and released on bail nearly a year later over allegations he fraudulently manipulated data and pocketed millions worth of Bitcoins.

MtGox, which claimed it once hosted around 80 percent of global Bitcoin trading, shuttered in 2014 after admitting that 850,000 coins-worth around $480 million at the time-had disappeared from its vaults.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina exchanging pleasantries with the high officials of Bangladesh Army at Army Headquarters Selection Board-2017 in the Conference Hall of Army Headquarters, Dhaka Cantonment on Sunday. Photo: BSS
35 migrants feared drowned off Libya

Migrants rescued by Libya\'s coastguard off the town of Garabulli on July 8, 2017 walk towards a detention center.

AFP :

Thirty-five migrants, including seven children, were feared drowned after their inflatable boat sank on Saturday off the Libyan coast, the coastguard said.

Eighty-five migrants, including 18 women, were rescued with the help of fishermen who alerted the coastguard, said Issa al-Zarrouk, a coastguard official in Garabulli, 60km east of Tripoli. Navy spokesperson Ayoub Kacem said the boat sank

six nautical miles northwest of Garabulli, and 10 fishing boats took part in the rescue.

The rescued migrants were from countries including Nigeria, Senegal, Cameroon, the Ivory Coast and Ghana, Kacem said. Nigerian hairdresser Vivian Effoussa described watching, horrified as fellow passengers fell into the sea. "The boat we entered was leaking," said Effoussa, who attempted the crossing to Europe after struggling to support two children back home. "All of a sudden... the water was (coming) inside. Everybody started shouting," she said, speaking in English. "Gradually, gradually, we see ourselves inside the sea. Everybody, we're falling inside, dragging each other. They even pulled my hair, dragging me."

"Really, I didn't think the sea was big like this," Effousa said, adding that, had she known, she would not have come. Human traffickers have exploited years of chaos in Libya since the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moammar Gaddafi to boost their lucrative but deadly trade.

Tens of thousands of migrants have resorted to paying smugglers to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya to what they hope will be a better life in Europe.


The Syrian cease-fire should aim at achieving bigger success

THE partial cease-fire in Syria worked out by Russia, USA and locally to be participated by Jordan, announced in the sideline of G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany is a welcomed move but many remains highly skeptical whether it will work and pave the way to bigger cease-fire all over Syria. It is scheduled to come into effect from Monday noon Damascus time.



The cease-fire seems to have been worked out in the wake of Trump-Putin face-to-face meeting at G20 summit as a success of the meeting. The US President Donald Trump appeared totally isolated from other Western big powers in the summit and was courting on Putin's favours to make his presence noticeable. It is the first joint U.S-Russian effort under Trump's Presidency to stem Syria's six-year long bloody civil war but evidently with the USA surrendering its stance to remove President Bashar al-Assad from power toeing the Russian line.



Though it is not clear if the new cease-fire is the first attempt to compartmentalize the war-torn country in various influence zones under US-Russian protection; what many fear is that the new Syria that will merge from the war may not be as united and harmonious as before. Moreover the fate of Assad will remain hanging when peace will never come to the country keeping him in power in any form. But it appears all sides are already weary of the civil war and believe that there must be new breakthrough to end it. The reconciliation negotiation by warring parties in Kazakhstan's capital Asthana; which is closing to find a way is expected to make bigger contribution to ending the war.



For years, the former Cold War foes USA and Russia have been backing opposing sides in Syria's war. Moscow has staunchly backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad supporting Syrian forces since 2015 and Washington backed rebels groups fighting the Assad regime. Involvement of Iran along with the Russians in the war significantly turned the tide against Washington backed rebels. At one point before arrival of the Russians, Assad's forces were on the brink of defeat but Putin saved Assad as Washington lacked any effective strategy to deal with Russian.



It is not clear whether the latest deal may be or may not be separate one from the previous agreement that Russia, Turkey and Iran had jointly struck earlier this year trying to establish "de-escalation zones" in Syria to reduce bloodshed. Now that both the USA and Russia have decided to act jointly as the ISIS is on the way of defeat in Iraq and Syria, a new commitment on the part of major players in the war may be able to bring peace.

The biggest implication of the cease-fire deal may carry considerable diplomatic achievement for the US under Trump administration with Russian President as the ultimate winner. But it would essentially serve the US purpose - restore peace and stability in Syria with Russia without compromising with ISIS that both USA and Russian fought to end their menace.
HC stays Gazipur Mayor's suspension

Court Correspondent :

The High Court Division of the Supreme Court yesterday stayed the suspension order of Gazipur City Corporation Mayor MA Mannan for three months.

A High Court Bench of Justice Syed Mohammad Dastagir Hossain and Justice Mohammad Ataur Rahman Khan passed the stay order a day after the Local Government Division suspended the Mayor for the third time. After two and a half years, Mayor Mannan resumed office on June 18. Earlier, on May 31, the Appellate Division paved the war for Mannan to discharge his duty as a Mayor.

Defence lawyer Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon said, from now, there is no legal bar for his client Mannan to sit in the office again. The court passed the verdict after the Gazipur Mayor filed a writ petition on Sunday challenging his dismissal.

A letter suspending mayor Mannan issued by the Local Government Division reached the Gazipur City Corporation office at around 3:30 pm half an hour after Mannan left the office on Saturday. Half an hour after, the authorities appointed pro-Awami League Ward Councillor Asadur Rahman Kiron as acting Mayor.

Earlier on June 12, last year, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed a case against Mayor Mannan with Joydebpur Police Station on the charge of misappropriating over Tk 4.9 million of the City Corporation, through unsigned fake vouchers. Later, the ACC submitted the charge sheet of the case to a Special Judge Court of Gazipur on January12, this year. Later on January 18, the court took cognizance of the charge sheet.

Mannan, an adviser to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was elected GCC mayor on July 6, 2013 beating an Awami League candidate by around one and a half lakh votes. He assumed office on August 18 the same year.

On February 11, 2015, police arrested Mannan for his alleged involvement in an arson attack on a bus in Gazipur on February 4. The next month, local Awami League leader Asadur Rahman Kiron, an ward councilor, was made acting mayor upon a court directive.
Missing BNP leader Ilias Ali's wife 'barred' from leaving country

Immigration officers at the Dhaka airport have allegedly barred missing BNP leader Ilias Ali's wife from leaving for the UK to attend her son's graduation ceremony.The former MP has been missing since 2012.

One of the BNP's then organising secretaries, Ilias Ali and his driver Ansar Ali went missing on April 18 of that year. Police found his car abandoned in Mohakhali.

Family members and the BNP alleged that he had been picked up from Banani by men in plainclothes.

The BNP blames the government for his disappearance, but the government denies it.

Ali's wife Tahsina Rushdir Luna said she was supposed to leave for London with her two other children on a Biman Bangladesh flight on Sunday.

"After keeping us waiting for one and a half hours at the immigration, I was told that the children can go, but not me," she said.

Luna said, her eldest son Abrar Ilias graduated from the University of West England, Bristol. She was on her way to join the graduation ceremony scheduled for next week.

No comments were available from immigration officials at Shahjalal International Airport.


Mamata ready for talks with Gorkhas

NDTV :

Kolkata: As fresh violence erupted in Darjeeling on Saturday, prompting the West Bengal government to call out the Army, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she was ready for talks with protesting Gorkha leaders if they "eschew violence". The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) - which has been spearheading protests - promptly rejected that offer, saying doors for talks with the state government are "closed forever". Three people have died in the violence since Friday. The Chief Minister also lashed out at the BJP, accusing it of conspiring with Gorkha leaders and "foreign forces" to keep the popular hill-town on a boil. Here are the 10 developments in this story

Saturday's violent protests were triggered by the death of a 30-year-old man Yashi Bhutia. Locals allege he was shot dead by the police on Friday night in Sonada, 15 kilometres from Darjeeling. Protesters came out on the streets, marching with Yashi Bhutia's body. They threw stones at the Sonada police station and faced police batons. Later, the Darjeeling Himayalan Railway toy train station was torched.

Ms Banerjee blamed the Centre for its "deliberate and total non-cooperation", saying that the Centre's refusal to send 10 companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) - about 1,000 personnel - demanded by her government last month had led to the crisis.

The Union Home Ministry rejected the charge, saying 1,100 personnel including 100 women personnel had been deployed in Darjeeling. Besides, Home Ministry officials also asked why the state hadn't deployed its armed police instead of blaming the Centre. While rejecting talks with the state government, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha said they would only talk to the BJP-led government at the Centre.

Gorkha leaders have met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh over the last month but the Home Ministry may not independently hold formal discussions on an issue relating to a state government. Darjeeling has been simmering after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Bengali-must policy. Morcha chief Bimal Gurung led the protests last month which soon snowballed into a demand for carving the hill areas into a separate state, to be called Gorkhaland.

Around 2,425 square km of Darjeeling district is governed by the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), a partly-autonomous body created under a 2011 pact between the GJM, West Bengal government and the central government to give local residents the power to have their own local government.

The Morcha members in the body have already quit the GTA. Fresh elections are due in August but the Morcha says hill parties won't participate in the election.

Darjeeling had seen a violent movement for a separate Gorkhaland in the mid-1980s under Subhash Ghisingh. The movement ended with the establishment of a semi-autonomous administrative body in 1988 called Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council.
UNESCO gives conditional nod: Tawfiq

Staff Reporter :

Prime Minister's Energy Adviser Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury said on Sunday, UNESCO has given its nod to Rampal coal-fired power plant near the Sundarbans after getting consent from 12 countries without vote in this regard.

The UN organisation has also moved away from its previous direction of halting the project work requesting the government to start the project work after environmental assessments, said the adviser at a press briefing at Bidyut Bhaban in the city.

He, however, said that UNESCO gave the government some conditions to fulfil those for constructing the power plant. "The achievement become possible under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," the adviser said.

The Energy Ministry arranged the press briefing to clearly communicate the UNESCO decision and the government's measures for protecting the Sundarbans.

Earlier on Thursday, a Foreign Ministry statement claimed that the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO had withdrawn its earlier objection to the construction of Rampal Power Plant Project at its current location.

The decision was taken at the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee being held in Krakow, Poland, the Foreign Ministry added.

A high-level inter-ministerial delegation, led by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Affairs Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury took part in the meeting to defend Bangladesh's position.

But the National Committee to Protect Oil-Gas, Mineral Resources and Power-Port rejected the Foreign Ministry's claim and reacted sharply and announced a fresh action programme reiterating its call to roll back the Rampal Power Project.

Other environmental groups, including the National Committee to Protect Sundarbans and Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan, contradicted the government's statement saying that UNESCO`s withdrawal of objection to the Rampal Power Plant was not correct.

Meanwhile, State Minister Nasrul Hamid said the government would fulfil the conditions set by UNESCO for implementing the Rampal Power Plant Project near the Sundarbans.

He also claimed that UNESCO retreated from its earlier position that the plant cannot be built at Rampal, but gave Bangladesh some conditions regarding its construction.
Not to be above law must mean not to suffer abuse of law

When two former Chief Justices namely Mr Justice A.B.M. Khairul Haque and Mr Justice Md. Tafazzul Islam have reminded us that nobody including a judge is above law with reference to a circular said to have been issued by the Registrar's Office of the Supreme Court to the effect that no corruption case against a sitting judge should be initiated without consultation with the Supreme Court, the matter raises some questions for clarification.



We can readily agree when there is the rule of law, the principle that nobody is above law is non-violable. But where abuse of law is the order of the day and submissiveness exists as a bad addiction among many we have to think twice.



The problem is not the law and its proper use but the abuse of law and its unjust use. We need to be sure that we have a system where abuse of law is not a prerogative of the power that be to have the confidence that the law is not abused to victimise anybody with an ulterior motive.



The judiciary is the institution that is vested with the power of protecting the constitutional supremacy and determine what is law and what is not. But the judiciary is under threat to make the will of the government the law. Law has to be the wish of the people.



Mr Justice A.B.M. Khairul Haque is presently the Chairman of the Law Commission. His opinion deserves special consideration for the very reason that for him to protect the independence of the judiciary must be one of his very important areas of concern to make the Law Commission worth having.



Any fair application of law depends on how strong and independent is the judiciary. The independence of the judiciary means the judges should be able to act without fear.



In countries where the judiciary is independent, the judges enjoy absolute immunity for civil liability even if their judgements cause losses to others unless malice can be defected. So some form of consultation with the Supreme Court is necessary for the court to know why a judge cannot be sued for damages. Such consultation should be seen as proper and rightly warranted.



The next but the most important question is the question of public trust in the judiciary. Freedom for a judge is not a loose cannon. But he must be allowed, in public interest, to do justice without fear or favour. If the judges have to worry about abuse of power and false court case against them the independence of the judiciary will be denied the other way.



To find a sitting judge facing corruption cases is a serious matter as it affects public trust in the honesty of the judicial process. So it is a legitimate concern of the Supreme Court to ascertain if the allegations justify corruption cases or not. This is not to say a judge is above law.



We are, somehow, proving to be a thoughtless nation most eager to serve self-interest. Thinking constructively for the greater interest of the country is a lonely and risky exercise for the few.



If criminal proceedings can be freely initiated against a sitting judge without the safety of consulting the Supreme Court first it is quite possible that the judiciary will be non-functional. There will be free abuse of law against the judges.



The Anti-Corruption Commission should be a very responsible body not to start corruption cases without weighing the damage done to the persons in terms of honour and social standing. Let them secretly convince themselves about the existence of a serious corruption case before publicly humiliating one.



The fact is after filing an FIR and making known about the corruption case, the authority takes few years to complete the investigation. Thereafter, there is no certainty when the case will be heard. When the trial begins, nobody can say where it will be finished. So the public humiliation and personal sufferings go on. Our aim should be to build an honourable society.



In our view corruption is best fought by not dishonouring anybody unnecessarily. They (ACC) should not be interested in filing hundreds of corruption cases. The best way to fight corruption is to begin at the top. Corruption of the powerful ones must be dealt with bravely to put fear in the minds of others. Nobody is above law should mean no powerful man is above law. When corruption is not an easy game of the powerful ones, others will not be easily tempted.



In our country the tendency is to pass laws giving the authority arbitrary powers. Under the dominance of bureaucracy, the rights and liberty of the citizens are no consideration. The Anti-Corruption Law gives the authority the power of arresting for investigation before filing an FIR. The question is if fundamental rights have any value?



The Anti-Corruption Commission enjoys jurisdiction over wide number of offences. To deal with offences other bodies such as Board of Revenue, Income-tax authority or Customs people and RAJUK have become redundant. Any and every illegality should not be treated as corruption. But that is what is possible under the Anti-Corruption Law.



Our laws are passed so whimsically that for a person to be law abiding is almost impossible. Our laws are good for lawlessness.



Arrogance of power is such among some that they do not care to know that we belong to a free country and our liberty is guaranteed as a fundamental right. Some authorities behave and act as if we are living in a police state.



The requirement of a sitting judge to be free from fear of Anti-Corruption Commission is essential. But that does not mean the criminal cases will not lie against a sitting judge; only need is to consult the Supreme Court.



Once investigation into an allegation of corruption is initiated the Chief Justice has no option but to withdraw the judge from hearing cases. The need of the Supreme Court to be satisfied about the justification of a criminal case against any of its judges must be seen as imperative for the protection of independence of the judiciary.



One simple sentence that nobody is above law is not so simple. The consultation with the Supreme Court can be seen as some immunity for the judges but it is not impunity against the law.



If we are aware of the situation in our country then it should not be unknown to anybody that the main problem in our country is how to protect oneself from the abuse of law and live with one's dignity.



Our selfless educated ones must be bold and active to show the world that we are capable of protecting justice and fair play for all like any other free country. We know a person does not become a criminal as soon as an FIR is filed. His fundamental rights must mean protection of his liberty till he is found guilty by a court of law.


During the last few sessions of the Legislature, we have seen an increasing interest in teaching civics to the upcoming generation. Now North Dakota has an upcoming civics lesson for everyone.

Whether we are interested in civics lessons or not, and most people are not, we can learn something about separation of powers when the Legislature goes to the Supreme Court to challenge Gov. Doug Burgum's vetoes of six or seven bills passed in the 2017 session.

Whether the governor is sustained by the court or not, his effort is commendable and will make a substantial contribution to the preservation of the doctrine of separation of powers. He is letting the Legislature know that there are four branches of government in North Dakota and each must fight encroachment by the others.

Actually, the breadth of the governor's constitutional power to line-item portions of bills has been not been tested. With both branches of government in the hands of the same party for decades, governors have shied away from rocking the boat. This court case may draw a definitive line in the sand.

The case is really one of the pot calling the kettle black. The legislative branch has spent most of its existence unchallenged in its reach for more authority in the governmental system.

Every session the assembly has come up with proposals to expand its involvement in administration by creating committees in the executive branch on which it claims seats for its own members. Between sessions, legislators have used the interim "research" committees to intimidate agencies.

The Legislature has constantly challenged the jurisdiction of the Board of Higher Education by proposing or passing legislation that is clearly within the constitutional authority of the board. In that regard, legislators could use a little civics lesson.

In the 2009 session, a senator complained because the board was claiming its authority.

"We cannot let this system grow into a fourth branch," he asserted.

Well, the Board of Higher Education is a fourth branch under the North Dakota Constitution and it was intended to be so. This fourth branch was created in the 1930s to save higher education from politics.

But that has not dissuaded the Legislature from usurping authority that belongs to the board. Look at the record.

Since the 2009 session, the Legislature has been trying to dictate gun policy on campuses, among other things. In the 2011 session, the Legislature got into an extended fight over the use of Fighting Sioux logo. Another issue that was none of its business.

In 2015, the Legislature entertained a bill pertaining to the availability of student names for political purposes.

In that session, among other measures, it had bills to determine whether or not the names of applicants for higher education positions should be confidential. None of its business.

Then appeared a bill to guarantee legal representation for students. Next, a bill proposed to take the authority to set tuition away for the board and give it to the Legislature. Another bill would have required performance reviews of presidents, vice presidents and vice chancellors. None of its business.

The 2017 session was a rerun of previous sessions. There isn't space to list all of the attempts of the Legislature to appropriate board authority.

Most of this encroachment on the higher education branch has gone unnoticed because higher education has been too reluctant to fight legislative encroachment. It has quietly rolled over too often.

It seems to be in the nature of political animals and their institutions to thirst for more and more power. That's why the Founding Fathers created three branches to check each other. And that's why North Dakota has four branches.

That is Civics 101.
WILLISTON, N.D.  A Virginia-based construction company is facing alleged violations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in connection with the death of a worker in Williston earlier this year.

Nitz Development and Construction LLC was issued citations for a training violation and a struck by hazard on June 12, Eric Brooks, director of Bismarcks OSHA office, said.

Melvin Lyons, an employee of the company, died Feb. 22 after being hit by a dump truck that was backing up in a construction site off 26th Street West.

Lyons, 70, died of injuries to his legs, an autopsy report from the state medical examiner said.

His death resulted in an OSHA investigation that included an examination of the work site and interviews with employers and employees.

The alleged struck by hazard holds the construction company accountable for providing enough guidance to employees to safely operate large pieces of machinery in an area where others are working.

What we would expect on a construction site is lots of traffic coming and going people have to be trained in recognition and avoidance of serious hazards that moving equipment can pose, Brooks said.

Nitz Development is facing a potential fine of $12,675, but has until July 11 to respond to the allegations by either filing a formal notice to contest the violations in court, pay the fine, or set up a meeting to discuss the findings with OSHA.

Everything is alleged up to this point, Brooks said, adding that so far theres been no word on what action the company plans to take. As of yet we have not been contacted by the employer.

No one from Nitz was available for comment on Friday.

The truck that hit Lyons was moving slowing while backing up in a muddy lot at the site of an expansion project for LifeChurch Assembly of God, police said. He died a short time after being taken to the hospital in Williston.
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Germany will now join Ireland, France, Spain and other nations in extending full marital rights to same-sex couples, including the right to adopt children. The lower house of the German Parliament voted on Friday morning to legalize same-sex marriage but in order to become a bill the measure must receive the approval by the upper house of Parliament and the signature of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. That signature should come sometime after July 7.



Ms. Merkel voted against the measure on Friday, but many of her party colleagues voted in favor, including her chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, and the defense minister, Ursula von der Leyen. That happened because Ms. Merkel relaxed her partys opposition to same-sex marriage and allowed lawmakers to vote on the issue according to their consciences. Despite the fact that she had come to support the right of same-sex couples to adopt, Ms. Merkel still believes that marriage ought to remain a union between a man and a woman. I hope that with todays vote, not only that mutual respect is there between the individual positions, but also that an amount of social peace and togetherness can be created, Ms. Merkel said after the vote.



Same-sex couples in Germany have been able to register life partnerships since 2001, and opinion polls have shown for years that most Germans favor legalizing same-sex marriage. Conservatives had consistently prevented the issue from coming to a vote in Parliament until now. Hundreds of gay activists, some with painted faces, celebrated outside the Bundestag lower house of parliament after the vote, waving rainbow flags and placards that read "Marriage for all - make love for all".



If gay marriage is decided, then many will receive something, but nobody will have something taken away, Thomas Oppermann, the parliamentary leader of the Social Democrats, said in opening the floor debate. Christine Luders, the director of Germanys anti-discrimination agency, hit back against the fundamentalist Christian groups and others who opposed the vote. She said it is not about special rights for anyone, but about equal rights. She said: I am certain that just a few years from now, as a society, we will look back on this decision on marriage equality and ask ourselves, Why on earth did it take us so long?



For some institutions, it should have taken much longer. The Catholic Church said it regretted the decision. "An appreciation of same-sex cohabitation can also be expressed by a different institutional design," said Archbishop Heiner Kochof of Berlin. Volker Kauder, the leader of the conservative bloc in Parliament, said: To me, it remains clear that same-sex partnership is not the same thing as a marriage. In our cultural circles, marriage has for centuries been a union between man and woman.



Centuries are coming and passing and in the 21st century some things need to be changed to make the human race progress.
MILLSTADT  At least one beekeeper believes the publicity about problems with honeybee populations is a good thing.

On the positive side, this has created a huge awareness about pollinator habitat, said Mike Wuerffel. Its caused a bull market in honey.

Wuerffel produces vegetables and beef at his farm near here in St. Clair County. He also markets honey from on-farm hives, so he has a double reason to be concerned about the health of bees.

Farmers, entomologists and environmentalists across the country have for years expressed concern about so-called colony collapse disorder, or a sharp reduction in the number of honeybees in the United States.

Preliminary results of a nationwide study indicate beekeepers across the country lost 33 percent of their colonies over the past year.

As bad as that sounds, there is some good news in that statistic: It shows a slowing in the population decline. Winter losses this past year were the lowest recorded since the survey began in 2006-07.

Reasons for the problem vary. Hive-invading mites and insecticides used in agriculture are often considered major contributors. While neonicotinoids used in production agriculture may play a role, farmers arent the only ones to blame, according to Jerry Hayes of Monsanto.

Everybody points fingers at production agriculture, said Hayes, who heads up Monsantos bee efforts. But there are 40 million acres of suburban lawns in the United States, taking 18 million pounds of chemicals to make them look like the 18th hole at Augusta.

But a recent Purdue University report not only shows a link between some insecticide seed treatments and colony collapse, but indicates the treatments may not even boost yields.

The ag industry has been working for years to address the problem because a third of agricultural output is dependent on pollinators. Monsanto  which recently sponsored a pollinator field day in Millstadt in southern Illinois  is among companies closing in on a solution to stop the losses.

Scientists agree the Varroa mite is one of the biggest threats facing honeybee sustainability. The tiny parasite spreads disease, causes disfigurement in larvae and ultimately kills bees.

The struggle is not new.

Since we started producing crops there has always been a battle between the farmer and the bug. Bugs love the same things we love, Monsanto entomologist Preston Schrader said.

Farmers have been trapped in this cosmic struggle between producing food and protecting that food from the insects that also love to eat their food.

The St. Louis-based company is seeking a solution through a gene-suppressing technology known as RNA interference, or RNAI. Other ag companies are also engaged in research aimed at slowing honeybee losses.

Beekeepers have to put pesticide in a honeybee colony to kill a little bug on a big bug, Hayes said. Monsanto has some technology that we hope is in development that will control the growth of mites without the use of pesticides, bringing sustainability back to the beekeeping industry, health back to the beekeeping industry and health back to the environment.

The largest beekeeper in the U.S. has 100,000 colonies, and many others have tens of thousands of hives. Mega beekeeping operations may cause stress, Wuerffel said.

Loaning hives to farmers has become a huge industry in itself, especially in Western states, where pollination is even more critical to agriculture than in the Corn Belt. The California almond industry, for instance, is virtually 100 percent dependent on honeybees.

The pollinator industry is where the moneys at in bees, Wuerffel said. Honey production is in hundreds of millions of dollars. Income from pollination is in the billions.

The USDA recently awarded a grant to introduce a certification program in which farmers can inform consumers they are farming in ways that benefit bees. The Bee Better Certified program is one means of raising awareness.

This relationship between an insect and a flowering plant is an amazing thing, Hayes said. We have to support those insects and those plants in the environment so that we can all benefit.
FARGO  Even after many decades, Denise Peterson could vividly remember the auto accident she saw when she was about 12 during a family road trip along U.S. Highway 81.

There was blood, and I still could see grandma with her white hair in a bun on the back of her head, holding her broken false teeth in her lap, Peterson said. The womans car had apparently been hit by another car that was trying to pass a farm implement on the two-lane road, she said.

It was probably around the late 1960s, said Peterson, a Fargo resident who grew up near Valley City. She was old enough, she said, to understand from her parents conversation that this was a very busy and dangerous road.

U.S. 81 was then the Red River Valleys main north-south route but, like many U.S. highways of the time, had not kept up with the growing number of vehicles. Peterson doesnt remember it, but the solution to that traffic problem was under construction not far west. Like nearly all other superhighways, Interstate 29 was designed for high-speed travel with four lanes and no at-grade crossings.

Its safe versus not so sure, Peterson said comparing I-29 to the U.S. 81 of her memories.

This year is the 40th anniversary of the completion of the Interstate Highway System in North Dakota. The last section to be built was on I-29 between Pembina and Drayton in 1977. The first section was on I-94 between Jamestown and Valley City in 1956. Here, as in many places around the country, the interstate system was layered on top of other road networks that had come before, including the prototype for the highways cobbled together from rude country roads by early automobile enthusiasts.

The first interstates

Many stories about the interstate system begin in 1919 when 28-year-old Lt. Col. Dwight Eisenhower joined an army convoy crossing the country to find out how long it would take for the military to deploy by road. It took two months and 6,000 repairs. The memory of that epic failure made President Eisenhower a champion of the interstate system that future generations would remember him for.

But in 1919, there were already many interstate roads called auto trails. These were routes mapped out by early automobile enthusiasts based on whatever roads existed as a way to focus efforts either on improving these roads themselves or encouraging local governments to do so to help local businesses benefit from auto tourists.

As Eisenhower found out though, many auto trails, especially in the sparsely populated West, were very rough despite being on the maps.

In North Dakota, many roads werent much better than dirt paths where prairie grass had been scraped away, according to the State Historical Society. The mud was thick in wet weather, and choking dust blew in dry.

Ralph Ehlers, an old-timer from Edmunds that the Society interviewed in 1975, recalled the enormous potholes in the Red Trail, the precursor to I-94. Youd always follow the one looked like the most traffic and that was the bad one. And probably two, three guys would get stuck in hole before they finally found a route around it. And youd get ropes out and pull the doggone cars out.

Still, the auto trails were very popular being the only cross-country routes that were actually mapped out at the time. The Forum boasted in 1922 that, with 11 highways  11 of the best automobile dirt trails to be found in the country  crossing it, North Dakota  awaits the biggest tourist season of its annals. Fargo, like many cities along the trails, set up a big campsite for tourists at Oak Grove Park to take advantage of the traffic.

A 1924 Rand McNally map actually showed eight interstate auto trails going through Fargo-Moorhead. A major population center thanks to its position at the intersection of two transcontinental railroads, the area was a natural place for the trails to meet. Its interesting to note that this was a geographical accident as the Northern Pacific, the first railroad on the scene, had favored a route close to Georgetown but had to choose the higher ground in Moorhead to reduce flooding risk, according to an 1883 company history.

Two of the trails would prove to be the most enduring.

The National Parks Trail, the precursor to I-94 in North Dakota, connected New York, Seattle and San Diego with stops in several western national parks, according to maps and newspaper stories from the era. In North Dakota, the trail followed the earlier Red Trail linking all the cities that grew up along the Northern Pacific, including Fargo-Moorhead.

The precursor to I-29 was the Meridian Road, which roughly followed the Sixth Principal Meridian, a reference line used in legal descriptions of properties. In North Dakota, the road linked cities along the Great Northern railroad north of Fargo and those along the Milwaukee railroad to the south.

Paved roads arrive

The turning point for interstate travel happened in 1921 when Congress set aside money for improving roads and insisted that some of them should be part of an interstate system.

One snag was that lawmakers didnt insist on signs to show drivers which roads were improved, so drivers kept on using auto trails even if it meant using bad roads. By now, the trails were out of control with hundreds of trail associations promoting many overlapping trails some of which were based not on efficient routes but on towns that would pay dues, according to a Federal Highway Administration history.

State highway departments, which owned the highways despite federal funding, agreed to a system of numbered U.S. highways with the aim of efficiently connecting major population centers. To the displeasure of the trail associations, the numbered highways didnt attempt to follow any of the trails such that one trail might be known by many numbers throughout its route.

In North Dakota, where many of the trails ran fairly straight, much of the Meridian Road was renumbered as U.S. 81 and much of the National Parks Highway was renumbered as U.S. 10.

The superhighways

But while the U.S. highways were an improvement over the trails because of paving, their routes werent much different. They went through the middle of towns and often made sharp turns to get around terrain or to follow existing grid roads. Many had just two lanes.

Denise Peterson and her family found that was a problem when car ownership exploded in the post-war years.

There had been talk at the federal level of superhighways like Germanys autobahns since the 1930s and 1940s, but the volume of traffic didnt justify them until the 1950s. In 1956, Congress agreed to fund the Interstate Highway System, made up of roads designed for high speeds. This often meant the highways would go around cities and cut new straighter paths to avoid sharp turns. Major cities did, however, get highways going through them to fight congestion but at terrible cost to neighborhoods that were in the way.

In North Dakota, many towns saw their highway traffic taken away, including Fargo. Instead of going through downtown along Main Avenue as U.S. 10 did, I-94 was built on farmland south of town. Instead of following University Drive as U.S. 81 did, the north-south interstate would join I-94 two miles outside of West Fargos then city limits, where the Main Avenue ramp is now. This interstate, called I-31, was originally going to end there and I-29 would end in Sioux Falls, S.D., leaving a 240-mile gap. Congress later set aside more funds to fill in the gap, which forced engineers to move the intersection to its present location where there was more room for an interchange structure.

Fargo-Moorhead eventually grew to encompass I-29 and I-94, and the cities have benefitted from being at the crossroads of the superhighways.

Its literally one of the top components of our overall growth over the last several decades, said James Gartin, president of the Greater Fargo-Moorhead Economic Development Corp. Many manufacturers and distribution companies depend on interstate trucking, he said, and theyve come here to be at the crossroads.

But many smaller towns shrank after the interstates came, perhaps for economic reasons as well as the loss of highway traffic.

Barry Nelson, a friend of Petersons who grew up in a neighboring town, said he remembered his parents predicting the interstates would kill small towns and it seems they werent wrong. I remember being sad about that.

As a child, he recalled how family road trips were made livelier by frequent stops at small towns along the way where today a car can go hundreds of miles on the interstate without pause. One favorite stop was the gas station at Crystal Springs on U.S. 10 where there was a lake to cool off in, he said. A few years ago we drove off the road just to see if anything remained, he said. We found everything was overgrown.

But Nelson admitted he wouldnt really want to go back to the old days.

A few years ago he took his family on a road trip in upstate New York, he said, and they opted to take the U.S. highways to avoid the tolls on the interstates there. After getting stuck behind slow-moving farm implements and stopping at red lights in too many towns, he said he vowed to use the toll roads on the way back. We figured out what was probably a three-hour trip took us close to a day.
CHRISTOPHER  News of a new, independent brewery opening in Southern Illinois has almost become commonplace  as the new wave of the independent beer movement pours its way into a second decade, its no longer cause for tremendous buzz to hear about yet another brewery making its way to market. However, local beer enthusiasts are seeing a new, exciting development within locally produced beer  the return of the neighborhood tavern.

Shawn Connelly, a beer expert who has worked in every portion of the beer industry locally, said before prohibition, the United States was not unlike parts of Europe when it came to its beer brewing and drinking habits. He explained that most towns had their own brewery and taproom serving beers made fresh on site for the bars customers. There was almost town pride in their local watering hole.

However, Connelly said after alcohol was outlawed in the early part of the last century this culture was lost  until recently.

We are now seeing the largest number of independent, small breweries in the U.S. since prohibition days, Connelly said. He said obviously a big part of this decline was the result of the 13 years between 1920 and 1933 when alcohol production was, by and large, illegal. This forced these local taverns to close and not everyone was able or interested in reopening. However, Connelly said that technological advances also made it easier to ship beer and keep it fresh. Because of refrigerated rail cars and the like, it was no longer entirely necessary to have a brewery in every town to drink decent beer.

This mindset is starting to change, however, and in the last year, several local taprooms have opened with this same idea in mind.

One might think there is almost market saturation for new beer production facilities both locally and nationally and Connelly said he tends to agree.

I truly believe we are not at the point of saturation for that, but we are pretty close, Connelly said of breweries that hope to become part of the regional market place, putting products in liquor stores and at local bars. In order to put your product in, somebody elses has to come out, he said.

However, he said there is room for a lot more taprooms that are not as interested in putting their product on the shelves of every local liquor store.

I see a huge potential for growth there because its not taxing the retail tier, but its serving a need oftentimes thats not met in a community, Connelly said.

Hes not the only one with this belief.

Tucked into a quiet block of Christophers old downtown, between dark windows and empty storefronts sits a quiet sign  The Hop Brewery coming soon, it reads. Inside, on the 200 block of West Market Street are the beginnings of Adam and Jennifer Porters brainchild. For the past decade they played with the idea of opening a local brewery but until recently werent sure how ready the region was, and how ready they were, for the commitment.

We will be the only one in Franklin County, Adam Porter said of their venture.

Adam has been a student of well-crafted beer for over a decade and looks forward to sharing that love with his community of family and friends. He and Jennifer Porter both said they anticipated local enthusiasm but what they got goes well beyond that.

They have really rallied around this idea, Jennifer said. Adam Porter added that they have strangers coming into the still-in-the-works taproom almost daily wanting to see how things are coming along and to express their support.

These new establishments, White Rooster Farmhouse Brewery in Sparta, Mollys Pint in Murphysboro and the soon-to-be The Hop Brewery, are all nestled into neighborhoods, looking like they have belonged there for ages. Nick Blew, who, with his wife Molly Blew, opened Mollys Pint earlier this year, said this was the whole idea.

Mollys Pint operates in the old Margies Bar location. It previously was home to the townie bar known for cheap beer and pool. It had its own local regulars that loved its feisty owner as much as the bar itself. Blew is continuing with this idea but also expanding it. He said everything he makes is made with his customers in mind.

Its made just for our neighborhood, basically. Its made just for our community members, he said. He said the idea of the, public house, is one he returned to often when building the business.

We welcome the public in here not just to hang out and drink a beer  thats whats keeping us in business  but to have a place for them to come that they feel comfortable, that they feel like is theirs.

Connelly said this business model can have a positive impact on the communities they move into.

I think that a lot of times small breweries see the opportunity to move into or start in a neighborhood that might be sort of ripe for revitalization, he said. Connelly added that this business model also just makes sense for the brewers. He said selling directly this way is where they make the biggest profit margin. He said once beer is kegged or bottled and leaves a brewery, they lose money.

Adam and Jennifer Porter said they did extensive market research before deciding to move ahead with the brewery, which they hope to open this October, admitting this may be an ambitious goal. They saw the number of breweries popping up in the region and wanted to make sure they werent going to continue to dilute the market.

As part of their market research, the Porters looked at how many wineries there were within 50 miles of Christopher and found there were at least 30 established with new ones cropping up all the time. This gave them hope that, as beer increases in popularity, that there would still be room for them.

Hoping to have between five and eight taps, the Porters plans are modest  brew beer to primarily be served in house, glasses handed to customers face-to-face. The Porters are not out to take over beer in Southern Illinois, but instead they have set out to become a neighborhood establishment and they think theres room for that in every town, not just Christopher. In fact, they said they would welcome more taprooms like their opening up in the surrounding towns. They see it as a return to the classical idea of what most towns need  a green grocer, a butcher, a baker and a brewery.

I think every town should have a brewery, Adam Porter said.
"Tracy and I can't thank the people of Southern Illinois enough for their support and their prayers. Our victory tonight sends a powerful message to out-of-touch politicians everywhere that we're unified and unyielding in the fight for our conservative values. Joe Biden's going to be held accountable for destroying the economy, ignoring the border crisis, and taking us from America First to America Last in two years flat. But none of this would be possible without the trust of voters from across our vast 12th District. Serving you is truly the honor of a lifetime."
FARGO  A year ago, there were no clinics in North Dakota offering methadone treatment for people trying to kick addictions to opioids, such as heroin and fentanyl. Now there are three, and patient numbers continue to grow.

Community Medical Services (CMS) opened the states first methadone clinic in Minot in August, and a second location in Fargo in April. The Heartview Foundation in Bismarck began offering methadone treatment in March.

Mark Schaefer, the regional manager of CMS, said the number of clients at the Fargo clinic has grown faster than he expected. The clinic currently serves about 60 patients, a number that took about two months to reach, Schaefer said.

At the Minot location, it took six to seven months to attain that same number. Even with the difference in size (of towns), thats still faster than youd expect to see, he said.

There are now 75 patients being treated in Minot, Schaefer said. At the Heartview Foundation, 30 people are undergoing methadone treatment, said Executive Director Kurt Snyder.

All three clinics run similarly, with morning hours that allow patients to come in before work for their daily doses of methadone. Because methadone can be sold on the street and used illegally, nurses watch patients take the drug, which can alleviate withdrawal symptoms and help combat cravings.

After three to five days of using methadone, clients with withdrawal symptoms experience reduced cravings, better sleep and less sickness, Schaefer said. For someone who was using heavily up until treatment, it takes several weeks for the dose to be considered therapeutic.

Schaefer said it typically takes one to two years of methadone treatment for someone to completely recover from an opioid addiction. However, theres a small set of people who take five years or longer.

Regardless of the time span, Schaefer and Snyder agree that medication-assisted treatment is the best route for opioid users. When methadone is taken, patients are able to function well enough to look for jobs, attend counseling and focus on family, Schaefer said.

They no longer deal with withdrawal and cravings, and can return to very productive lives, Snyder said.

Snyder noted that the medication is combined with addiction counseling. At the Heartview Foundation, the cost of methadone treatment is $65 per week, but does not include counseling services, Snyder said.

At CMS, patients must attend counseling at least once a month, although most start off going weekly, Schaefer said. Counseling, physician and nurse services, along with the methadone, costs $85 per week at CMS.

In North Dakota, methadone treatment is only available at the three clinics, which accept state substance use disorder vouchers. Other clinics can prescribe similar medications used to treat opioid addiction, such as buprenorphine, but not methadone.

Pamela Sagness, director of North Dakotas Behavioral Health Division, said the process of opening a methadone clinic involves significant oversight from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the state. Right now, there are no applications under review for additional methadone clinics in North Dakota, she said.

As for the existing centers, it appears they havent had any problems in the communities where theyre located. Fargo Deputy Police Chief Joe Anderson said there have been no calls to the Fargo clinics address since April, and that call was not related to the clinic.
Changes in S.C. regulations

COLUMBIA  The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs has announced the update of various regulations during this past legislative session. The following changes were passed affecting the designated industries:

Motor club services. The amendment clarifies the registration process for clubs and their representatives, allowing the registrants to use SCDCAs new online licensing database when it becomes live. It also deletes duplicative language that already appears in the statute.

Continuing care retirement communities. Amended the renewal date to be Aug. 1 instead of a rolling renewal. Also deleted language that was inconsistent with the statute.

Discount medical plan organizations. The regulation clarifies the registration requirements as well as the procedure for notifying the cepartment of changes in representatives or marketers. It also clarifies requirements for membership cancellation and reimbursement.

Professional employer organizations. The regulation deleted language that was contradictory to the statute and unduly burdensome to the industry. The timeframe in which application deficiencies need to be corrected was also updated.

Prepaid legal. The amendment edits regulatory language to provide for licensing applications to be filed using the Departments online licensing system.

The legislative session also saw the passage of Senate bill 359 removing SCDCA as an enforcer of the law on below-cost motor fuel. This statute prohibits the sale of motor fuel for a price below what the seller paid for it. Effective May 10, the Attorney Generals Office is the sole enforcer of the law.

For more information on the industries regulated by SCDCA, including applicable laws and application information, visit www.consumer.sc.gov and click Business/ Industry Information.

Chick-fil-As cow day

Chick-fil-A is issuing its annual cattle call. The restaurant company, known for its iconic Eat Mor Chikin cows, will celebrate the 13th annual Cow Appreciation Day on July 11.

On that day, Chick-fil-A restaurants nationwide will offer a free entre to any customer who visits a restaurant dressed as a cow.

Local Chick-fil-A Orangeburg will feature cow mascot appearances and activities throughout the day.

Cow Appreciation Day celebrates the restaurant companys award- winning marketing campaign that is marking its 22nd anniversary.

SRR gets national safety awards

AIKEN  Savannah River Remediation was recently recognized for its exemplary safety culture and performance with four national awards.

The awards were presented by the National Safety Council to SRR and SRR Construction for safety statistics recorded in 2016 as well as ongoing performance.

The Occupational Excellence Achievement Award was given to the organizations for achieving lost workday case incident rates better than or equal to 50 percent of the Bureau of Labor Statistics rating in their respective industries.

NSC also recognized SRR, in addition to its construction workforce, with Million Work Hours Awards, which is given to organizations that have completed at least 1 million consecutive work hours without an occupational injury or illness resulting in a day away from work.

SRR has completed more than 3 million safe hours since the last such injury that occurred in August 2016.

SRR Construction workforce has exceeded more than 29 million hours without a lost day, and counting, since 1998 under legacy companies.
The Smooth Steppers of Edisto Drive, a local soul line group will celebrate its second anniversary July 7-9.

The beat speaks through the feet, says founder Deloris Frazier. "With almost 40 members and growing, everyone is welcome."

Deloris indicated that members support each other, and have built a common bond. Its just wholesome fun. The dance floor is the great equalizer: It does not matter where you are from, how much you earn, how old or young you are, or if you know the steps or not.

What is soul line dancing? The easiest answer is that it is dancing in a line to R&B, hip-hop and gospel music and The Smooth Steppers of Edisto Drive is a soul line dance group.

Its a great form of exercise, a way to relieve stress, and most of all have fun," says line dancer Chris Evans.

Nancy Canady, another line dancer says that she loves to dance. She twists her body, slides to the right and then the left, moving in unison with more than a dozen others.

Edward Glover, a retiree drives to the class from St. Matthews with Eleanor Darby and Sarah Keyessays, "When dancing, hes aware that their steps trace back to their African American ancestors. African Americans also maintained a tradition of dances with callers, he said, where a leader announces what to do next. In addition, that evolved into traditions like the Soul Train line and soul line dancing

Betty Cokely, a line dancer joined the group to stay fit, socially connected and to stay current with the latest dance steps.

Yvonne Southerland who began dancing in April saidIm pretty much a newbie, but its good exercise and it challenges the mind because theres a lot of memorization to all of the steps, with the rule being, if you mess up, catch up.Her fellow dancers have become family, many of whom are retired or moved to Orangeburg from variousplaces.

Bridget Gardner instructs the class. Bridget moved to Orangeburg from New York. She attended other line dance classes but found a home with the Smooth Steppers. She loves to dance and enjoys working with the group. Line dancing is her secret to staying healthy. On any day of the week, you may find Bridget practicing or watching videos of her favorite new dances. She collaborates with her assistants Sharon Stevens and Linda Brown.

Line dancing has become a trend in South Carolina. The Smooth Steppers have traveled to various events and provided community services in the area. The dance group can be seen at festivals performing, as well as other social activities.

In todays world, line dancing is a place to find a community of friends. Soul line dancing tends to be multigenerational and is made up of both middle aged and seniors.

A workshop is being held on July 8, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Clark Middle school featuring Mr. Franklin Jones from Columbia, SC. A celebration will helf from 2 to 6 p.m. at the same location featuring a fellow line dancer, Vernessa Pendergrass from the Big DM radio station. Many groups from around South Carolina will be in attendance. Each event is $5. A banquet will be held on Sunday from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Premiere in Orangeburg. The price is $15 per person for the banquet.

For more details or class information contact Linda Brown 803-614-9461; Betty Cokely 803-535- 8636 or Sharon Stevens 803-664-2122.
Warren Harley has come back home.

The Bowman native, who left the area for about a decade to pursue other career opportunities, is now at the helm of Orangeburgs Department of Public Utilities.

He could not be more happy.

"I am extremely proud of this community and the people that I work with," Harley said. "City Council, I really appreciate their trust in me and getting an opportunity to work with my mentor (City Administrator) John Yow again is a great opportunity. I can't stress that enough."

Harley was hired as the new DPU manager at the June 20 meeting of Orangeburg City Council. He will be making $170,000 a year.

He served as interim manager of the utility for about seven months.

Harley says he wants to create an environment at the utility where employees can be successful, which in turn will make the utility a success.

Harley says he will focus on five goals as manager:

 Continue providing reliable service.

"We need to make sure our infrastructure is in place and that we are maintaining it," Harley said. "We need to make sure we are operating in terms of our process in a way that we are able to not just identity problems, but find a way to improve."

 Maintain a safe and healthy work environment for employees and customers.

"Our approach will be systematic on how we put policies and procedures in place," Harley said.

A system is in place to identify the utilities opportunities and weaknesses, he said.

Noting the importance of communication, Harley said he has an open-door policy. Hes also created a system for employees to have their voices heard.

"Not just their complaints," Harley said. "That was not the goal. The goal was to hear their thoughts, their input on the organization and to get a feel for how they felt about where they worked."

"What I learned is that they love their jobs, they love their community," Harley continued. "They love the idea of being able to contribute to the community and making it a better place."

 Ensure customers and stakeholders have a great customer experience.

 Continue DPU's role as the economic engine for the community.

"It is very important for us to be healthy financially, healthy in terms of our workforce and the people we have as a professional staff," Harley said. "We need to continue to be attractive to those economic development opportunities."

DPU consistently has some of the lowest utility rates in the state, which can make it attractive to industries, he said.

Through May 2017, a DPU residential monthly bill based on 1,000 kilowatt-hours usage was $100.50. DPU has lower rates than 21 of 23 other utility providers in the state.

The estimated natural gas bill for residential customers in June 2017, based on 100 therms, is $88.17. Thats the lowest of 17 other utility providers of similar size in the Carolinas. The average is $104.86.

He says he has already met with industrial prospects and existing industries.

Also, the utility transferred about $5.1 million from its earnings to the city's budget last year.

 Continue to develop the utility's workforce.

"We have a tremendous amount of talent here," Harley said. He said hes looked at the people at all levels of the utility and "they are really good at what they do."

Harley believes that focusing on the five goals will ensure the utility will remain at the top of its game.

"DPU is known for the reliable provision of service," he said. "My goal is to not lose ground on that."

Harley will be moving back to the Orangeburg area.

His home is still in Columbia, where he was Richland Countys assistant county administrator.

"The plan is to put down roots here now," he said. "It is home. I still have the majority of my family here, so it is not a stretch for me. Of course, my wife has family here as well."

Harley says he is hoping to move within the next six months.

"It is a must," he said. "I have to be here. I need to have a presence here and to know intimately the experiences of the people and you do that best by living in the community."

Harley worked for the City of Orangeburg for about eight years. He began as director of special projects and annexation and, two years later, was promoted to assistant city administrator.

He worked as assistant administrator until 2006, when he went to work with the Municipal Association of South Carolina as the government affairs liaison. He worked with legislative issues and provided technical assistance to municipalities across the state.

Harley has a bachelors degree in criminal justice from the University of South Carolina and a masters degree in management from Webster University.

Harley is married to Denyke and they have two children, Brandon, 18, and Lauren, 22.
Trend:

A protest rally was held in the Brandenburg Gate square organized by the Azerbaijan House in Berlin in connection with Armenias military provocation in Alkhanly village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli district, the Azerbaijani State Committee on Work with the Diaspora said.

The rally participants urged the international community to take actions to end Armenias aggressive policy.

The murder of Azerbaijani civilians, namely, a two-year-old girl and her grandmother by Armenias armed forces, is a crime against humanity, the rally participants added.

The rally participants also stressed that the Azerbaijanis worldwide support all the actions taken by Azerbaijan to liberate the territories from Armenian occupation.

The liberation of Azerbaijani lands from Armenian occupation is the only way to ensure sustainable peace and stability in the region, the rally participants said.

At the end of the rally, an appeal was made to the world community on behalf of the participants.

On July 4 at about 20:40 (GMT+4 hours), the Armenian armed forces, using 82-mm and 120-mm mortars and grenade launchers, shelled the Alkhanly village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli district.

As a result of this provocation, the residents of the village Sahiba Allahverdiyeva, 50, and Zahra Guliyeva, 2, were killed. Salminaz Guliyeva, 52, who got wounded, was taken to the hospital and was operated on.

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.




The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) has signed an agreement with Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX) and DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre) to create a collaboration on a unified clearing house in the UAE.



The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Rashed Al Blooshi, chief executive, ADX; Gautam Sashittal, chief executive officer, DMCC and member of the DGCX Board of Directors; and Gaurang Desai, chief executive officer, DGCX and Dubai Commodities Clearing Corporation (DCCC).



Commenting on the initiative, Ahmed Bin Sulayem, executive chairman, DMCC, said: This is a unique collaboration which we expect will lead to the creation of a national clearing house with the size, scale and capability to clear all asset classes."



Additionally, this collaboration aims to promote a stronger cooperation across a number of areas, including clearing and settlement of equities, commodities, currencies, OTC instruments and derivatives products, as well as support with the listing of respective products and securities.



Al Blooshi said: This memorandum will provide a framework for understanding and collaboration between ADX and DGCX. As a home-grown entity just like the DGCX and DMCC, we are deeply committed to accelerating the growth and development of the UAE financial markets and raising the bar in terms of trading and clearing standards. We see this as the beginning of a long and prosperous relationship that will open up new opportunities to mutually benefit both exchanges.



Moreover, the signing of this MoU comes in accordance with ADXs strategic goals to increase market cap and product range as well as attract and activate a wider range of investors. In accordance with Abu Dhabi Plan, ADX is committed to creating a business environment that is both competitive and flexible in the framework of enhancing the competitive environment for doing business and attracting investment into the Emirate, added Al Blooshi.



Gaurang Desai said: We are delighted to partner with ADX. We believe that this will build a strong market connect within the UAE, especially in the areas of clearing and settlement. As the largest and the only multi-asset CCP in the region that is globally recognized, DGCX and its wholly owned CCP, DCCC, has a pioneering role to play in ensuring that it extends itself as a strong clearing base for partner exchanges, not only in the UAE, but also in the wider region.  TradeArabia News Service
The Special Economic Zone Authority at Duqm (Sezad) has granted Oman Tank Terminal Company (Ottco) a usufruct right to construct a crude oil storage terminal at Ras Markaz, about 70 km south of Duqm region of the sultanate.



Ottco is one of Oman Oil Companys subsidiaries and the investment arm for the sultanate in the energy sector.



As per the agreement, Ottco will have exclusive rights for the storage of crude oil and its derivatives in the Ras Markaz area for a period of 20 years and for five years in Sezad as a whole, provided that no other company will be permitted to establish or carry on any similar activity, that is the storage of crude oil and its derivatives during these periods and locations, it stated.



The agreement which will last for 40 years stipulates the development of the Ras Markaz area under a five-year plan to cover the construction of tanks for the storage of crude oil and its derivatives, establishment of floating platforms and piers for the import and export of crude oil and its derivatives, and a pier for tug boats under water pipelines to receive and export oil with lengths ranging from 5 to 7 km.



The plan will also cover the establishment of a plant for pumping oil to the tanks, said Yahia bin Said bin Abdullah Al Jabri, the chairman of Sezad board, after signing the agreement with Isam bin Saud Al Zadjali, the CEO of Oman Oil Company and Said bin Hamoud Al Maawali, the director of Ottco.



The establishment of Ras Markaz Crude Oil Storage Terminal is in line with the sultanate's economic diversification plan and will help Oman become an international centre for the storage of crude oil and its derivatives leveragingits particular geographic location alongside the Indian Ocean.

Moreover, the newly established terminal will give Oman an additional port for the export of crude oil, he stated.



According to Sezad, the total investment for the development of Phase One of the new terminal is likely to reach $1.7 billion, inclusive of $815 million invested to cover the costs for the crude oil tanks and $941 million covering the costs for the construction of the marine and other infrastructure facilities.



It will cover the construction of crude oil storage tanks with capacity of 26 million barrels.

Also during this phase, Ottco will execute marine facilities for importing and exporting crude oil with a handling capacity of 100 barrels per hour apart from the onshore pumping plant and the basic internal infrastructure within the boundaries of the area, it stated.



According to Sezad, the massive storage facility will come up on a 12.5-million-sq-m area.



The volume of investments for Phase Two tanks are likely to be around $700 million, of which $225 million will be spent on basic infrastructure facilities, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
The University of Manchester Middle East Centre will host two free public MBA Masterclasses in the UAE in July, delivered by a senior business faculty member who teaches on the universitys Global Part-time MBA programme.



The Masterclasses, covering strategic management, are being hosted in Abu Dhabi and Dubai as part of a regular series of events, in which visiting university faculty present sessions offering insights into business and management, and an introductory taste of the Manchester Global MBA programme.



Professor Kevin Jagiello, strategic management director, Faculty of Strategic Management  The University of Manchester, will take the classes in Dubai on July 11 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at Sapphire Level 2, Meeting Suite 1, Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel.



The classes will be held in Abu Dhabi on July 18 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at Baniyas Meeting Room, Hilton Abu Dhabi, Corniche Rd W Al Khubeirah.



The Masterclass will outline the main components of a classic business strategy including two powerful concepts - overviewing a strategic position and assessing the structural attractiveness of a business.



Prior registration is required and can be done at http://manchester.ac.ae/Events



Randa Bessiso, Middle East director at The University of Manchester, commented:  Faculty actively share their knowledge and experience with the community through these public MBA Masterclasses, with the aim of providing practical tools that attendees can use at their own workplaces. These sessions by experts in their disciplines and covering leadership, management and strategy, also offer a taster of the Manchester Global Part-time MBA programme and the quality of teaching and fellow peers that our students enjoy.



The Middle East Centre has supported more than 2,000 part-time MBA students based in the region and has graduated more than 1,000 students since opening in Dubai Knowledge Park in 2006, making it the largest and fastest growing centre in the Universitys international network. The part-time study option leads to the award of the internationally recognised Manchester MBA degree awarded by the University of Manchester.



The Manchester two-year Global Part-time MBA programme is now structured around four practical themes - Management in Practice; Value Creation in Business; Tailoring Your Journey; Professional Skills for Business. Students can also further personalise the MBA programme with a range of electives to suit specific goals and interests, and there are further options to accelerate the programme to 18 months. The MBS part-time programme provides as much face to face time with faculty as most full-time MBA programmes, with workshops hosted in Dubai. - TradeArabia News Service
Italy-based Eusider, a leading steel service centre and trader company, has signed a long-term agency agreement with Iran Ferroalloys Industries Company, the biggest ferrosilicon producer in Iran.



The exclusive distribution agreement will give Eusider the right to market Iranian ferroalloys, said an Iran Daily report.



Iran Ferroalloys Industries Company, based in Azna in Lorestan Province, is the first and the biggest Iranian ferrosilicon producer founded in 1987. Ferrosilicons main application is in steel production.



According to its website, the company has three furnaces with an annual capacity to produce 60,000 million tons of 75 per cent ferrosilicon.
Panasonic, a global leader in the development of diverse electronics technologies, has announced the availability of its new camera Lumix FZ80 from the popular FZ series in the region.



The feature filled 18.1-megapixel camera comes with manual operation and a whopping 60X wide to super-telephoto enabling users to shoot everything from expansive vistas to distant landscapes and wildlife images, said a statement from the company.



The DC-FZ80 is feature-packed for great appeal and versatility for photography enthusiasts and travellers, as the powerful lens features 20mm-1200mm zoom providing impressive wide angle shooting and homing in on distant subjects.



The Lumix DC VARIO 20mm ultra wide-angle lens in the camera can capture 40 per cent wider angle of view compared to a 24mm lens.



The Lumix FZ80 boasts a high-speed, high-precision AF with DFD (depth from defocus) technology, which shortens the focusing time.



The camera and the lens exchange the digital signal at max 240fps, allowing the camera to achieve an autofocusing speed of approx. 0.09 second. This capability is particularly impressive when paired with the DC-FZ80s super telephoto focal length lens.



The camera offers high-speed burst shooting at 10 fps (AFS) / 6 fps (AFC) in 18.1-megapixel full resolution with a mechanical shutter, to capture fast-moving subjects in crisp focus.



Other important features include 4k photo and video, as well as post focus option. 4K Live Cropping provides video shooters with amazing flexibility  for example, cropping to create smooth, slow zooms or stable pans  while maintaining Full HD picture quality in the final footage.



Whereas, 4K Photo with 4K Pre-burst mode shoots 30 frames per second before and after the shutter is released to capture the defining shot. Batch Save stores an entire burst sequence of up to 150 frames at just one press of a button. Users can enjoy 4K photo shots and a variety of derivative functions, such as the new focus stacking, post focus, light composition, and 4K live cropping. For more creative freedom, creative control and creative panorama options are available.



Hitesh Ojha, deputy general manager  imaging and AV, Panasonic Marketing Middle East and Africa (PMMAF), said: Panasonic offers the best-in-class digital imaging products addressing customers with diverse backgrounds and demands.



The FZ80 is designed to suit travellers or anyone who wants a camera that is easy to use, and offers high quality images with super zoom capability. A perfect camera to shoot your excursions into nature, FZ80 provides smooth 4K video capturing as well, he said.



Moreover, features like the built-in Wi-Fi enables users to share and download pictures in a hassle free manner making it an ideal choice for any discerning socially-active photographer, he added.



Other advanced functions include live view finder (LVF) with a magnification ratio of approx 0.46x (35mm camera equivalent in 4:3). The high 60-fps frame rate minimises image lag to shoot fast-moving subjects. A 3-inch 1040K-dot touch control rear monitor provides quick focusing and shutter release and supports after-shooting operations including selecting 4K Photo shots or setting post focus.



Full manual control and P/A/S/M mode allow advanced users to enjoy more creative photography. The grip design has been re-engineered for stability during extended shooting. Moreover, the Power OIS (Optical Image Stabiliser) with Active Mode suppresses blur in video and still image recording.



The camera integrates Wi-Fi connectivity (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n) to provide a more flexible shooting experience and enables users to upload images to a variety of social media services right on the spot.



The Lumix FZ80 is available in the UAE at Dh1,549 ($421.7), it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi declared the liberation of Mosul from Islamic State (IS) militants as he arrived in Mosul to congratulate Iraqi forces for their victory.



Islamic State militants had occupied Iraqs second largest city for three years.



Al-Abadis media office said he congratulated the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people for the great victory. State TV aired scenes of the prime ministers arrival at the operations commands office in the city in preparation for a press conference.



Iraqi forces, backed by US-led air strikes, have been battling to retake Mosul since October 17 last year. Islamic State militants seized it in June 2014 before taking much of Iraq's Sunni Arab heartland and proclaiming a "caliphate" straddling Iraq and Syria.



Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, Sunni Arab tribesmen and Shia militiamen have also been involved in the battle.



Iraqi forces have been battling the remaining pockets of jihadists desperately holding out in a tiny area near the Old City.
UAEs Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), in cooperation with telecom providers Etisalat and du, has announced today the provision of data and calls packages to UAE senior citizens.



This initiatives objectives are in line with Masarra Card initiative, launched by Ministry of Community Development to meet the needs and requirements of senior citizens, in recognition of their exemplary role in the community being advocates of preserving traditions and heritage.



As part of this initiative, Masarra cardholders will enjoy a range of quality features in terms of prices, speed of service and quality of transaction. They will receive a 50 per cent discount on Etisalat postpaid and prepaid data packages ranging from 1GB to 100 GB.



Moreover, they will have exclusive customer service facilities, such as having priority access to Etisalat Business Centers, prioritized response to their incoming calls to Etisalat Call Centers as their calls will automatically be routed to the express service lines Emarati Gold to be answered by full-time and qualified staff to provide prompt and effective attention according to their individual requirements.



This initiative will also allow senior citizens to receive du discounts of up to 50 per cent of the approved rates for postpaid customers, and 100 per cent additional balance for prepaid customers, which du customers can use in immediate manner. The range of packages varies in this initiative, including the Smart Pack 150, which includes 6 GB of local data and 300 flexible minutes for internal and external calls at a price of Dh75 ($20.4) instead of Dh150. Nevertheless, the price of the Smart Pack 1000, which includes 100 GB of local data, and 2500 flexible minutes that allow internal and external calls for Dh500 instead of Dh1000.







Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, TRA director general, said: In the Year of Giving launched by our wise leadership, this initiative reflects the social responsibility of both the TRA and telecom service providers in the country. It also expresses the partnership and joint efforts to contribute in achieving happiness. We consider this initiative as a simple but meaningful gesture as it concerns the senior citizens whom we respect and appreciate, based on a long tradition of solidarity and consideration to senior citizens.



Saleh Al Abdooli, CEO of Etisalat Group, said: Senior citizens are valued and respected in society. They have acquired a wealth of experience over the decades. They have witnessed the emergence of the Union as well as the countrys path of development, and they contributed to raising young generations that have been the source of UAE proud in various fields.



Osman Sultan, CEO of du, said: The objectives of this generous initiative are fully in line with the Year of Giving initiative, announced by our wise leadership in the UAE. As a responsible UAE Company that has committed itself since beginning to support all segments of local community, our collaboration today with TRA to launch data and call packages for senior citizens demonstrates our commitment to this inspirational category for all segments of society.  TradeArabia News Service


Golden Sands Hotel Apartments, part of A A Al Moosa Enterprises, was awarded Best Brand Hotel Apartment in the recently concluded Arabian Travel Awards.

Organised by Durga Das Publications, the inaugural Arabian Travel Awards recognised and honoured the best in the travel, tourism and hospitality industries in the Middle East.

Mohammed Khoori, general manager of Golden Sands Hotel Apartments, accepted the award at a glitzy ceremony attended by key stakeholders of the industry.

He said: The Arabian Travel Awards is a major achievement for Golden Sands Hotel Apartments because it recognises and rewards excellent performance in the hospitality industry. We are truly grateful for being selected as the Best Brand Hotel Apartment in the UAE and this award will encourage and motivate us to continue delivering outstanding standards to ensure guests are happy and satisfied.

Golden Sands Hotel Apartments continues to upgrade its services to ensure guest satisfaction to provide that a home away from home experience, he said.

It has recently completed renovations of Golden Sands Hotel Apartments 3 and 10 to offer spacious rooms and suites that are designed and furnished to meet the expectations of its leisure and business guests. It offers a wide range of facilities and holidaymakers can benefit from its favourable location, being close to the citys exhibition center and attractions.  TradeArabia News Service
The electronic devices ban has been lifted for Royal Jordanians flights from Ammans Queen Alia International Airport to the US effective today (July 9).



RJ president/CEO Stefan Pichler said: Enhanced security measures are now implemented to meet the requirements of the US Department of Homeland Securitys new security guidelines for all US bound flights.



He added: We are glad that our guests can now fly onboard RJ and use their electronic devices. We highly appreciate our passengers patience and understanding during the time of the ban.



On March 24 this year, passengers flying from Amman directly to the US were banned from carrying electronic and electrical devices in the aircraft cabin.



Royal Jordanian operates 16 weekly non-stop flights to three US cities: daily flights to Chicago and New York, and two weekly flights to Detroit. -TradeArabia News Service




Sunday support meetings

Alcoholics Anonymous: 10 a.m., 500 S. Wolcott, Ste. 200; 10:15 a.m., 917 N. Beech; noon, 500 S. Wolcott, Ste. 200; 6:30 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott; 6:30 p.m., 328 E. A; 8 p.m., 917 N. Beech; 8 p.m., 328 1/2 E. A. Douglas: 1 p.m, Douglas, 628 E. Richards (upstairs in back), womens meeting; 7:30 p.m., 628 E. Richards (upstairs in back). Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are open. Casper info: 266-9578; Douglas info: (307) 351-1688.

Narcotics Anonymous: Noon, 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club; 6:30 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club; 8 p.m., 15th & Melrose at the church. Web site: http://www.urmrna.org.

Nicotine Anonymous: 5 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club. Info: Pam M., 577-0518.

Pioneer camp

at trails

The Mormon migration will come to life as living historians set up an authentic pioneer camp at the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center. The living history weekend will feature a recreated trail encampment complete with tents and associated equipment found on the Mormon Trail. Visitors will have the opportunity to join Mormon pioneer children playing trail games, pull a handcart and enlist in the Mormon Brigade. The living historians will be on duty from 8 a.m. to midday. The event is free and open to the public.

Yoga on the circle

Weekly yoga classes have returned to the Bart Rea Learning Circle in Amoco Park. All except the SolAbration on Aug. 21 are free, although nonperishable food items for Wyoming Food for Thought and donations to cover program costs are always welcome. Sunday, 10 a.m., Yoga on the Labyrinth.

Learn about

Hiram Scott

Investigate myth and legend at the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center at 1 p.m. during the free interpretive program, The Legend of Hiram Scott. The short program is free.

Beyond being active in the fur trade, rendezvous and the western exploration, little is known about Hiram Scott with any certainty. Today, Scotts Bluff National Monument derives its name from him, and various perspectives and stories abound regarding his death. Join retired park ranger Jerry Lucas, as he looks back at the lore surrounding Hiram Scott, and shares some insight and thoughts into his demise.

For more information, please contact Jason Vlcan at the NHTIC by calling 261-7783.

Jam session

at Eagles

Jam session at the Eagles Hall, 306 N. Durbin St., 4 to 8 p.m. Burgers are prepared by the Eagle Riders group. No admission, all welcome.
We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some July 9 papers in history. With a subscription to newspapers.com you can search the Arizona Daily Star and many other newspapers using keywords or dates, and download articles or pages.
A foiled gun-smuggling attempt in Nogales, Arizona, and a daring raid at an airstrip in Sinaloa, Mexico, led U.S. authorities to a gun shop on Tucsons northwest side.

Along the way, federal agents encountered rifles powerful enough to take down a helicopter, two phony home invasions, dozens of fraudulent gun sale records, and a former Tucson police officer accused of stealing the identities of people he arrested as part of a scheme to smuggle guns across the border.

Joe Santiago Valles, a Tucson police officer from 2012 to 2014, was sentenced July 6 in U.S. District Court in Tucson to 6 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to 30 counts of falsifying federal firearm records, identity theft and witness tampering. The prosecution of alleged co-conspirator Timothy Veninga, who was a federally licensed firearms dealer, is ongoing.

The investigation of Valles, 34, and Veninga, 48, began in March 2016 when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Nogales caught a man trying to smuggle a Kel-Tec PMR-30 pistol into Mexico, according to court documents and testimony at the July 6 sentencing hearing.

Although the pistols serial number was obliterated and painted over, federal authorities were able to recover the number and trace the gun back to a sale the day before at Ballistic Firearms, which Veninga ran out of his house in the 3400 block of West Marlene Street. Valles ran a gun-painting business out of the same house.

When federal agents checked records at the shop, they found something odd: The names of Valles relatives appeared repeatedly in the forms required for gun sales by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Every family member had a .50 cal, ATF Special Agent Chris Bort testified at the Thursday sentencing hearing, which he called a huge red flag indicating gun smuggling.

One Barrett .50-caliber rifle  a model Bort said was favored by drug cartels and had been used to shoot down law enforcement helicopters in Mexico  traced to Ballistic Firearms was seized by the Mexican military in September at an airstrip in Culiacan, Sinaloa.

The raid at the airstrip was set in motion by the arrest of a man with three guns earlier that day in the border town of Mexicali, according to Rio Doce, a Culiacan-based newspaper. The Mexican military discovered a delivery was to be made and headed to the airstrip.

The pilot of the Cessna saw the military approach and tried to take off, but the driver of a Mexican military truck drove into one of the planes wings to disable it, the newspaper reported. In addition to the .50-caliber rifle, the military seized four AK-47 rifles.

As was the case with the Nogales bust, the serial number of the Barrett .50-caliber rifle seized at the airstrip was destroyed and painted over, Bort said. But an ATF attache in Mexico took photos of the rifle, which were used to trace it back to a Tucson man who supposedly bought the gun at Ballistic Firearms.

The ATF routinely traces guns seized in Mexico to sellers in the United States, including 120,000 from 2007-2015, according to annual reports from the ATFs International Firearms Tracing System.

However, the only connection the Tucson man had with Ballistic Firearms was that Valles had arrested him in late 2014 for a DUI violation, according to court records. ATF agents found records from the DUI arrest, which contained the mans date of birth and other information required for ATF forms, when they searched Valles house.

When authorities tracked down the man, who was not charged in the smuggling scheme, he burst out laughing at the idea he could afford an $8,000 rifle, court records show. He told agents he pays his bills by selling plasma and receiving child-support payments.

Another man whose name appeared on more than two-dozen sales records was arrested by Valles, who kept the mans personal information. Arizona courts declared him mentally incompetent, federal prosecutor Serra Tsethlikai said at the sentencing hearing. He lives with his mother and is allowed to carry only enough money to cover his bus fare.

Bort testified Valles brother told authorities the money to buy the guns came from an unknown individual Valles met on more than one occasion in a parking lot.

Only one of the firearms was recovered by U.S. authorities, and Judge James A. Soto ordered Valles to pay $62,000 as part of a forfeiture complaint for 31 firearms.

Those guns, which were sold from October 2015 to March 2016, are the tip of the iceberg, Tsethlikai said. We can only guess how many firearms made it to Mexico.

Soon after the ATF inquired about gun sales, the defendants staged two fake home invasions and destroyed the rest of the sales records, she said. Not only did investigators lose valuable information, but two people who matched the phony description Valles and Veninga gave to sheriffs deputies ended up facing deputies with drawn guns, she said. They were on their way to a Sonic restaurant.

However, agents were so shocked during their visit to the gun shop they took covert photos of records, Bort said. Agents determined Valles recruited his brother, sister, and sisters boyfriend to sign ATF forms saying they bought the guns. Valles paid them a few hundred dollars for each form they signed.

After ATF agents interviewed the family members, who were not charged, one of them agreed to wear an electronic listening device and meet with Valles, court records show.

During the recorded meeting at a Tucson apartment complex, Valles told them to not cooperate with law enforcement and said the guns were out of the country. He also said he got rid of all the paperwork, court records show.

Assistant public defender James Smith claimed prosecutors were trying to elicit the boogeyman of cartel violence in Mexico but could not prove Valles was involved in gun smuggling.

Smith also questioned the validity of the recorded conversation, which was made months after the Nogales bust. Valles had no way of knowing where the guns went, Smith said.

Smith referenced a recent gun-smuggling case in which four residents of Sahuarita and Green Valley were indicted in 2015 for smuggling guns disguised as metal artwork to Hong Kong. One of them was sentenced in April to 8 years in prison.

That case included charges of gun smuggling and money laundering, which Smith noted were not filed against Valles. Instead, Smith argued his client only violated laws regarding ATF forms.

So, youre telling me this is a forms case and not a guns case? Judge Soto asked Smith. Youre going to have a hard time convincing me of that.

However, Soto denied Tsethlikais request for an increase in sentencing due to a connection with gun trafficking, saying the prosecution had shown Valles knew the guns were headed to Mexico but had not presented enough evidence to show he knew the guns were going to cartels.

Valles resigned from TPD in December 2014 after two accusations of lying on police reports, according to records from the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board. He did not admit guilt, but he permanently relinquished his certification as a peace officer in Arizona in May 2015.
Gov. Doug Ducey has asked the EPA to revise federal rules to give states the power to decide which streams will be protected as Waters of the U.S.

That power can have huge impacts over how strictly development along those streams is regulated, such as subdivisions and mines whose construction requires dredging and filling of water bodies.

In a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, Ducey also argues that ephemeral streams and washes  those that carry water only after storms  shouldnt be protected under that rule. Those are the overwhelming majority of watercourses in Arizona and Pima County.

Only year-round and intermittent streams, which carry water part of the year, should be protected, Ducey wrote.

Duceys definition would protect streams in the Tucson area such as Sabino Creek and Cienega Creek, which have perennial and intermittent stretches, and Davidson Canyon, which is intermittent.

Left out would be the ephemeral Rillito River, Pantano Wash and a host of washes near the proposed Rosemont Mine site southeast of Tucson, including Barrel Canyon and McCleary Canyon.

Under current federal jurisdiction, those ephemeral streams all require developers to get Clean Water Act permits before dredging or filling. Developers say the permits are costly and time-consuming to obtain. Environmentalists counter theyre essential for preventing pollution and preserving key wildlife habitat and endangered species.

If Duceys request is granted, the potential long-term impact on the Santa Cruz River is unclear. The Santa Cruz, which has both year-round and ephemeral stretches, is formally designated as protected, but developers are challenging its designation in court.

Trump administrations plan

Waters of the U.S. are the rivers, streams, washes, lakes and wetlands where residential, commercial and industrial development are regulated under the Clean Water Act.

The governors view on the hotly disputed topic is largely in line with that of many business groups, homebuilders, property-rights activists, the EPAs Pruitt and the Trump administration.

Pruitt and President Trump are seeking to limit which water bodies are covered. Pruitt recently proposed to repeal the Obama administrations 2015 rule that does consider streams that are dry except after storms as protected Waters of the U.S. under certain circumstances.

Their view is at odds with those of many environmentalists and academic researchers  that the Clean Water Act applies to ephemeral streams as well as those running year-round.

Duceys June 16 letter was one of many that governors and Indian tribes around the country sent to EPAs Pruitt, in response to his request for their input on how to rewrite the Waters of the U.S. rule. Thats what Pruitt has said hell do after he finishes his current effort to repeal the 2015 rule.

The governors letter hasnt been formally released to the public by the EPA; the Arizona Daily Star obtained a copy from other sources. Environmentalists in Washington, D.C., asked the EPA last month to release all the governors and tribal letters. The agency refused. An EPA spokesman said the agency will provide summaries of all the letters at a later date, as it continues considering the proposed rule.

For many years, developers, mining companies and other private interests wishing to build near many or most streams have had to get Clean Water Act permits allowing them to dredge and fill dirt lying within the washes.

The permits often require extensive mitigation measures, such as those costing $48 million that the proposed Rosemont Mine has put forth for its plans to extract over 200 million pounds of copper annually from the Santa Rita Mountains. Rosemont and the proposed 28,000-home Villages at Vigneto development in Benson have been tied up for years in part because of unresolved Clean Water Act issues.

Now, Duceys letter raises an equally complicated issue about who makes these key decisions.

The revised rule should ... clearly identify that states have authority to determine waters regulated under the (act), except those on tribal lands and those crossing state lines or international boundaries, Ducey wrote.

State already plays

an informal role

In response to questions from the Star, Duceys press secretary, Patrick Ptak, said Friday that the governor is simply asking the EPA to grant states formal authority that Arizona is already informally exercising.

Typically, the power to designate Waters of the U.S. has gone to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with the EPA having final say in determining which rivers are navigable. Navigable streams are always protected under the law and whether other streams, wetlands and waters are protected often depends on their relationship to navigable waters.

But Ptak said the agencies exercise that authority only when deciding on permits for individual projects. That leaves it for states to interpret whether or not the Clean Water Act applies for the vast majority of waters within their boundaries, Ptak said.

As examples, he said the state makes decisions about what water bodies are protected when it issues a Clean Water Act permit to discharge pollutants into them or decides whats the maximum daily load of pollution that goes into a water body.

Differing legal views

Vermont Law School professor Patrick Parenteau, a conservationist critic of Pruitts efforts to rewrite the rule, said last week that he doesnt think Arizona will get the sole right to designate Waters of the U.S.

While the EPA can give states the power to issue Clean Water Act permits to developers, sewage plant operators and industries, Parenteau said he knows of no provision allowing states to take over the power to say which waters will be covered by such permits.

You cant have 50 states deciding for themselves what are Waters of the United States, said Parenteau.

Responding, Ptak said the states have the authority to determine protected waters when they issue discharge permits for various industries and sewage plants to discharge pollutants and other substances into rivers.

If only the waters designated by the Army Corps were legally regulated, only a tiny fraction of waters would be protected, he said.

Reed Hopper of the Pacific Legal Foundation and research associate Daren Bakst of the Heritage Foundation, two politically conservative groups that advocate for property rights, said they believe states either do or should have more power to designate protected waters.

The Supreme Court has said that regulating local lands and waters is a traditional state power, Hopper said.

He said Ducey is not really suggesting that the state needs to have the EPAs OK  Hes saying its the states that have the power and the federal government is intruding on that in violation of the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which says powers not expressly designated to the federal government are reserved for the states.

State Program

would be needed

Even if Arizona had the power to designate the protected waters, thats not going to help much, said Colorado environmentalist Melinda Kassen of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.

Arizona currently has no program to regulate the dredging and filling of protected streams, she said. It only has a program to permit industrial discharges into streams under a different provision of the Clean Water Act.

The question is, are you going to enforce Waters of the U.S. in all its glory and how are you going to do that since you dont have a program? said Kassen.

Michigan is one of two states that have taken over permitting of dredging and filling of streams from the federal government. It pays about $4 million a year to do that, in a state with about 3 million more people than Arizona.

Montana, whose Legislature declined this year to seek takeover of the federal permitting program, would have had to pay $1 million to run it in a state with less than a million people.

As part of Michigans program, it chooses which streams it protects. But it uses definitions that are equivalent to federal definitions, said Kim Fish, an assistant director for the Michigan Department of Environmental Protection.

The requirement is that the state laws have to be at least as stringent as the federal laws, Fish said.

Aquifer protection

is an issue

Environmentalist Christina McVie of the Tucson Audubon Society said that without federal Clean Water Act protection, dumping into ephemeral stretches of the Santa Cruz River would be unregulated, leaving no protection for the underlying aquifer.

Having states control the selection of protected waters creates a slippery slope, leaving an unequal playing ground of regulation from state to state, she said. If we could do air quality state by state, wed be in a terrible state with that.

In response, Ducey spokesman Ptak said discharges to ephemeral streams that have the potential to impact groundwater are currently, and will continue to be, regulated by the states existing Aquifer Protection Program.

State law also gives Arizona the authority to adopt, by rule, water-quality standards for waters of the state beyond those designated by the feds, he said.
A federal appeals court has upheld a jurys decision to award a Tucson couple more than $1 million in damages after they were wrongfully detained by sheriffs deputies during a raid executed after a fake 911 call.

In April 2016, a U.S. District Court jury ordered the Pima County Sheriffs Department to pay Rob and Jill Larson $1.25 million in damages and more than $200,000 in attorneys fees after deciding deputies violated the couples constitutional rights, according to Arizona Daily Star archives.

The Pima County Attorneys Office appealed the judgment on behalf of the Sheriffs Department, which didnt contest that deputies violated the couples rights, according to court documents.

The panel ruled the District Court made no errors in the case and affirmed the jurys ruling.

The lawsuit stemmed from a May 23, 2013, incident in which the Sheriffs Department received a 911 call from a person reporting an altercation with gunfire across the street from his house, according to Star archives.

The Larsons were awakened by deputies banging and screaming at the door, and when they answered, the two were placed in handcuffs and escorted to a squad car outside the home.

Deputies began searching the home but stopped after the 911 caller approached a deputy to say they had the wrong home. The deputies moved to a nearby home, but the Larsons were detained during the search.

With nothing of evidentiary value found in the second home, the raid was halted when deputies searched a database of 911 calls and discovered the caller had previously made multiple false reports and had numerous other law enforcement contacts.

Two weeks before the raid, the caller, identified as William Warfe Jr., had been taken by deputies to a mental health crisis center and had dealt with law enforcement numerous times regarding baseless 911 calls, according to court documents.

The manager of the trailer park where Warfe lived spoke to deputies several days later, saying Warfe was terrorizing the trailer park, court documents show.

The deputy who responded made a note in her report and told the oncoming shift she was working with the Community Response Center to try to get Warfe hospitalized. All of the departments encounters with Warfe were entered into the department database.

At trial, the Larsons were able to prove that general practice for the Sheriffs Department is to check the database of 911 callers previous calls on the way to a potential crime scene and that despite the fact that at least two sergeants rode together to the Larson home, no check was made, according to the appellate court memo.

Were in the process of trying to digest what steps we need to take and should be taking as far as evaluating the court decision, said sheriffs Corrections Chief Byron Gwaltney. Obviously were disappointed in the outcome of the court decision. We went into the process with a strong belief that our deputies on that night were acting within what we believe to be the emergency exception to a warrant requirement.

Department officials are coordinating with its training staff and the County Attorneys Office to decide how deputies should proceed in these types of situations, in which theres a strong belief that a person or persons could be in serious danger, Gwaltney said.

On the night in question, deputies believed they were going into domestic violence situation involving gunfire.

Its always been our culture that we expect our deputy sheriffs to make their decisions at these calls based on case law, constitutional law and the current case law decisions that are out there, Gwaltney said. One of the things that came out of this decision is that we have a policy that is problematic, and thats a challenge for us because we dont actually have a policy that covers this situation.

It would be impractical to have a policy that covered every possible nuance, since every situation is slightly different than the one before, he said.

Were looking at doing some continuing refresher training as it relates to Fourth Amendment issues, and thats nothing new for us; we do these a few times a year, Gwaltney said. As part of the training, well debrief this case and the particular circumstances of that night so they have a point of reference to understand.

The occupants of the second home, Eva and Amber Jackson, are also suing the Sheriffs Department in federal court, saying they were arrested, interrogated at gunpoint and humiliated by six deputies, who are also named in the complaint.

The Jacksons are asking for $5 million in damages. On June 12, the court issued a stay in the case, pending the outcome of Pima Countys appeal in the Larson case.

Attorney Michael Garth Moore, who is representing the Larsons and Jacksons, did not respond to the Stars request for comment.
Twitter/VJReports3 (CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.) -- Members of the Ku Klux Klan who gathered for a protest in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday were met by more than 1,000 counter-protesters, sparking confrontations and leading to at least 23 arrests, according to the Charlottesville Police Department.

The KKK members were protesting the removal of a Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee statue from Emancipation Park, formerly known as Lee Park, ABC affiliate WJLA-TV reports. Police said about 50 Klansmen were in attendance, and KKK officials said before the rally that some would be armed.

Counter-protesters from several activist groups met the KKK in Justice Park, which used to be named after Gen. Thomas "Stonewall Jackson" and is home to a statue of the Confederate general. Police said the KKK demonstrated for under an hour and when they escorted the Klansmen back to where their vehicles were parked, a large crowd tried to block them from exiting.

Charlottesville Police said they used pepper spray to disperse crowds as they moved back toward Justice Park and after they released three canisters of tear gas, the crowd began to leave.

Three individuals were transported to hospitals, two for heat-related issues and one person for an alcohol-related issue, police said.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Genres : Horror

Starring : Haruhiko Kato, Kunmiko Aso, Kuyuki

Director : Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Plot Synopsis

Award-winning filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa delivered one of the finest entries in the "J-Horror" cycle of films with this moody and spiritually terrifying film that delivers existential dread along with its frights. Setting his story in the burgeoning internet and social media scene in Japan, Kurosawa's dark and apocalyptic film foretells how technology will only serve to isolate us as it grows more important to our lives.

A group of young people in Tokyo begin to experience strange phenomena involving missing co-workers and friends, technological breakdown, and a mysterious website which asks the compelling question, "Do you want to meet a ghost?" After the unexpected suicides of several friends, three strangers set out to explore a city which is growing more empty by the day, and to solve the mystery of what lies within a forbidden room in an abandoned construction site, mysteriously sealed shut with red packing tape.

Featuring haunting cinematography by Junichiro Hayashi (Ring, Dark Water), a dark and unsettling tone which lingers long after the movie is over, and an ahead-of-its-time story which anticipates 21st century disconnection and social media malaise, Pulse is one of the greatest and most terrifying achievements in modern Japanese horror, and a dark mirror for our contemporary digital world.
When sisters Tani and Derri Sanchez were let out of school, theyd walk to their grandmothers house, an old elegant home on the edge of the Presidio barrio. There they would do their chores: wipe and wax the dark wood dining table, dust other furniture pieces and do whatever else their grandmother asked. And they would listen to her stories.

Their maternal grandma Mary Louise Wright Euell would retell the familys history, about the migration from Louisiana to Southern Arizona on a rail boxcar, and the hard work that their grandfather Curley L. Euell did to sustain the family, first as a lumberjack in McNary, on the Fort Apache Reservation, and later in Tucson at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The sisters learned about their grandparents dedication to family, their diligence in planting their roots, their insistence on getting an education, and they heard stories of other local families who had experienced similar challenges and shared the same values.

This was routine, said Tani Sanchez.

For the sisters, the results of that routine are years of exploring their deep roots, creating quilts and other artistic endeavors that help tell the family stories, and compiling books about the family history and that of Tucsons all-too-ignored black community.

If you dont know (the history of black Tucsonans) then you will have assumptions that black people were not part of the community, said Tani Sanchez. So much history has been hidden.

For more than four decades, the sisters have unearthed that hidden history.

Their collection of their family stories and those of other Tucson black families include photographs, census and Civil War records, family documents, minutes from meetings of community groups, individuals oral histories, and Tanis and Derris genetic testing.

Much of the trove of hard-to-find documents came from their grandmother and their mother, Marguerite Euell Sanchez, who lives with her daughter Derri in the house that Curley and Mary Louise bought in 1938 on West Sixth Street. Its on the edge of Snob Hollow, which then was mainly inhabited by upper-crust white families, and across the street from Anita and Dunbar Spring neighborhoods where black, Mexican, Chinese and Native-American families made their homes.

This is really about my grandmother. She saved everything, said Tani, an associate professor of Africana studies in the College of Humanities at the University of Arizona and a dedicated genealogist.

The first publication was in 1994, Meals and Memoirs  Recipes and Reflections of African Americans in Tucson, edited by Tani for the Tucson Chapter of the African American Historical and Genealogical Society as a fundraising project. The 65-page spiral booklet is sprinkled with recipes and brief memories from local contributors.

That was followed by 1999s Unsung Memories: A Scrapbook of the African American Community in Tucson, Arizona, From 1900 to 1950, co-authored by Derri and her mother, Marguerite, who taught at Dunbar School when it was segregated, and later was the librarian at Tucson High School and Safford Junior High School before retiring.

Another publication is Traditions of Uplift: A History of the Arizona Association of Colored Womens Clubs, published in 2007, in collaboration with the National Association of Colored Womens Clubs, an organization born in 1896 to support black women. It was edited by Tani and La Monica Everett-Haynes. And this year, Tani published the familys rich history, Didnt Come From Nothing: An African-American Story of Life, which she sells on Amazon.com and is currently updating.

In addition to the books, Derri is an accomplished quilter. She has created quilts with images that reflect her familys history.

Documenting this history and collecting it is critical to our understanding of Tucson today, said Tani, who teaches a class on hip-hop cinema.

You get a better perspective, she said. The past explains today, although people dont want to believe that.

To understand racial inequality, to understand race relations, to understand the successes and aspirations of black Tucsonans, Tani suggests that we read the history of her family and other families who were part of the great migration of black families from the South.

If you want to know it, its there, she said.
BELGRADE, Serbia  Serbia says six of its citizens have been arrested in Greece in the investigation into the beating death of a 22-year-old University of Arizona graduate on the island of Zakynthos (ZAH'-keen-thos).

Serbia's foreign ministry said Saturday that the detained Serbs were to appear before a judge.

The family of Bakari (buh-KAR'-ee) Henderson of Austin, Texas, identified him as the victim. His family said Henderson was in Greece working on a photo shoot to launch a clothing line. Bakari graduated from the University of Arizona in May with a business degree from The Eller College of Management.

"Bakari loved spending time with family and friends, traveling and meeting new people," a family statement said, according to the Austin American-Statesman. "He was a big thinker and enjoyed coming up with new business ventures."

Greek police say the victim was beaten to death early Friday at a bar in Lagana. Officials haven't released a possible motive for the attack.

Greek police said Friday that a 34-year-old Greek and a 32-year-old British man of Serbian origin were arrested.

The Eller College of Management at the UA on a full academic scholarship and graduated in May with a bachelors degree in business finance and entrepreneurship.

Greece police said in a statement that he was beaten to death early Friday by a group of people at a bar in Lagana, an area of the island of Zakinthos known for frequently rowdy behavior by young foreign tourists.

Police said a 34-year-old Greek and a 32-year-old British man of Serbian origin were arrested and were to appear before a prosecutor on murder charges. They said an investigation to identify other people involved is ongoing.

It was not immediately clear why the fight broke out.

University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins issued a statement to the UA community, saying:

All of us at the University of Arizona are shocked and saddened by the loss of our recent graduate, Bakari Henderson.

Our hearts and prayers are with his friends and family. I can only imagine the deep sense of loss they must be feeling at his untimely death. It is always a tragedy when a young life ends before it has really yet to begin.

Our staff in the Dean of Students office are reaching out to the faculty and staff across campus. We also are working with his student organizations and the affiliations he had on campus to offer support to those who knew Bakari.

I know I speak for the university community as I express deepest condolences to Bakaris family and friends.
WASHINGTON  Congress is still trying to send President Trump his first unqualified legislative triumph, nearly six months after Republicans grabbed full control of Washington. Now, lawmakers are returning from their July 4 recess with an added objective  averting some full-blown political disasters.

The GOP campaign to repeal Democrat Barack Obamas health-care law is bogged down in the Senate and flirting with collapse. Efforts to pass a budget are stuck, theres no tax code overhaul package, spending bills are in limbo and its unclear how leaders will find the votes to avert a federal default.

The difficulties flow from Republican divisions. Collectively, the problems are threatening to sink top GOP priorities and undermine the partys ability to show it can govern effectively.

Lawmakers have three weeks of work before an August recess. Some Republicans are making noise about shortening that respite, but doing so would be a step shy of sacrilege on Capitol Hill.

HEALTH CARE NAIL-BITER II

It took the House several tries to pass its bill aiming to annul much of Obamas health-care law. Now, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is struggling to find GOP votes for a similar package replacing that 2010 statute with one easing insurance coverage requirements, cutting Medicaid, erasing penalties on people not buying insurance and repealing tax increases on the well-off.

McConnell, R-Ky., unexpectedly called off a pre-recess vote on the measure  which hed written privately  as it became clear it would lose. With Democrats arrayed unanimously against him, McConnell needs at least 50 of the 52 GOP senators to vote yes or witness the mortifying crumpling of his partys high-decibel pledge to uproot Obamas law.

McConnell has been calibrating changes that might win over worried Republicans, but theres no sign hes made progress. Two GOP senators, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and John McCain of Arizona, issued dire forecasts on Sunday, saying the initial bill is probably dead.

A BUDGET MORASS

Republicans are stuck on a fiscal blueprint for the coming budget year, with disputes between conservatives and moderates over how deeply to cut programs like food stamps. None of the 12 annual spending bills financing federal agencies is finished.

Disagreements have slowed work on a tax overhaul. And no one knows what bargains will be needed to assure autumn passage of a bill extending government borrowing authority and avoiding a crushing federal default.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters Friday that hed prefer to pass the budget in July, suggesting it might linger until fall, adding to Congress late-year mountain of work.

Some conservatives in Congress, meanwhile, want to include measures to cut spending as part of any extension of the governments borrowing authority.

But Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin reiterated Sunday on ABCs This Week that the administration prefers a straightforward extension, without including contentious agreements on spending cuts.

TAX REFORM

Mnuchin also knocked down a report last week that Trump administration adviser Steve Bannon has floated a tax increase on the wealthiest households as a way to pay for tax cuts for middle-income Americans.

Ive never heard Steve mention that, Mnuchin said on This Week. He added that the increase is not part of the administrations tax plan.

Bannons proposal to raise the tax rate for Americans earning nearly $420,000 to 40 percent or higher was reported July 2 by the website Axios.

The administration is aiming to release its full tax plan by September, Mnuchin said, and hopes to pass it into law by the end of the year. So far, the administration has issued a one-page summary of broad principles for tax reform, but few details.

The GOP congressional leadership and the Trump administration have struggled with the issue of how to offset the cost of tax cuts.

Mnuchin said the administrations plan would pay for itself, if about $2 trillion in increased revenue resulting from faster economic growth is included.

Yet congressional budget scorekeepers may not agree that tax cuts would produce such growth.

Under congressional budget rules, tax cuts can be passed by the Senate with a simple majority, but only if they dont increase the deficit after 10 years. That would allow Republicans, who have 52 Senate seats, to pass the bill without any Democratic votes.

BILLIONS MORE FOR MILITARY

Defense hawks scoffed at Trumps proposed 2018 military budget as insufficient. Theyre adding billions more.

The House is slated to vote this week on a sweeping policy bill that takes issue with Trumps proposed trim to missile-defense spending as North Korea pushes its development of weapons capable of striking the United States.
Although he went on to win Best Director at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival, Robert Bresson faced a group of befuddled journalists who struggled to grasp his film L'argent during a testy press conference at Cannes that is included on this Criterion Blu-ray. The press corps were curious about a wide range of things, such as why Bresson always cast non-professionals and why he frequently portrayed youth in his films. Bresson seemed to either answer each question with a contradictory response or gave the opposite reaction to what a member of the press hoped he would give. The discussion turned to the state of film and Bresson was quite adamant that it had not ascended to an art form yet nor should it be considered a synthesis of the arts.

The area in which local critics really struggled with L'argent, I think, is Bresson's very uncommon narrative style. The movie's premise appears deceptively simple but contains deep layers that warrant several viewings. Based on Tolstoy's novella The Forged Coupon, L'argent follows the trail of a counterfeit bill as it's passed on from one character to another. The young student Norbert (Marc Ernest Fourneau) takes a forged 500-franc note to a photographer's shop where it's given to Yvon Targe (Christian Patey), an oil deliveryman, along with two other notes. Yvon doesn't fully realize that it's counterfeit and, when he uses it in a cafe, he's alleged with circulating the forgeries. The photographer has been supplying his assistant, Lucien (Vincent Risterucci), with hush money and Norbert's mother (Claude Cler) has also been paying to prevent her son from getting arrested. Yvon goes to trial and although acquitted, he loses his job. Desperate to provide for his wife and daughter, Yvon becomes a getaway driver for an ill-fated bank robbery. He's caught and sentenced to three years in prison.

Bresson and his two cinematographers employ few direct close-ups or tracking shots. The camera is mostly static with a medium level framing that sometimes in part crops faces and feet. Bresson tends to focus on a character's mid-section or the back of someone. He goes completely against convention by refusing to show a facial reaction when a confrontation takes place or an accident occurs. Instead, he fixates the lens on one's hands or the object integral to the causal chain of events. The framing is occasionally canted and the editing ellipitcal but the narrative flows like a visual fugue. There isn't a frame of film wasted.

The characters in L'argent are cold and expressionless, demonstrating the corrosive effect money has on the soul. Female characters wail but noise is almost infinitesimal. L'argent is not necessarily a heartless film, however, as I felt for Yvon when he learned of his daughter's affliction. Bresson's rigidity and formalism may be frustrating for viewers but L'argent tells such a mesmerizing tale of greed and corruption that it demands to be seen. It necessities repeat viewings because spectators can become so engrossed in the plot that they miss the beautiful subtleties of Bresson's filmmaking.
PHOENIX  Public officials cant hide evidence of their official activities through texts and social-media posts made from their personal cellphones, Attorney General Mark Brnovich has concluded.

In a formal legal opinion issued late Friday, Brnovich said there is a duty of those who conduct official business on their own devices to record them for preservation. Ditto, he said, of messages sent through social-media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

But Brnovich provides what could be an escape clause for elected officials and others seeking to hide what they do.

If the electronic message is solely on a private electronic device or through a social media account that an agency has not established as a system for conducting government business, then ... the electronic message is not a public record, he wrote. And Brnovich said a 2000 change to the law expanding it to cover electronic records includes only those on agency-maintained system.

Thats wrong, said attorney Dan Barr of the First Amendment Coalition. He said a 2007 Arizona Supreme Court ruling spells out that it is the content of the communication that determines whether something is a public record, not where it is stored or from what device it was sent.

Barr said he worries that public officials seeking to hide activity will use the wording of Brnovichs opinion as a reason to refuse to disclose their communications.

The mischief that will happen for somebody who doesnt want to turn over records in the first place, they will seize upon the language ... and say, Aha, heres a reason I can withhold this. And the attorney general says so, Barr said.

But Brnovich said his 11-page opinion should not be taken as an excuse or a road map for elected officials and other government employees as a way to conduct business outside public scrutiny. He said if they do use personal devices there still is an affirmative duty to reasonably account for official activity.

This duty encompasses official activity engaged in through private devices or accounts, the attorney general wrote. In other words public officials cannot use private devices and accounts for the purpose of concealing official conduct, he said.

Brnovich said that even with no law covering those texts and postings, public officials and public bodies have independent obligations to record their work and otherwise maintain records. What that means, he said, is that if some official activity does occur through a text on a personal phone or a Facebook or Twitter post, It is the duty of the public official to record the activity.

But with his opinion that these private devices and posting are not public records, Brnovich essentially makes that self-policing.

The opinion comes amid controversy  and an ongoing investigation by Brnovichs office  over whether Pima County Supervisor Ally Miller has used private emails to conduct public business.

Jeanne Davis, who had been Millers chief of staff, said Miller communicated through personal email and her personal Facebook account.

Often, Supervisor Miller didnt want the county to know what her plans were so she used personal email and her personal devices to keep hidden, said Davis who was fired by Miller in 2015.

Documents obtained by the Arizona Daily Star include a 2013 email to another former staffer.

I realized we communicated by the pima county email, she wrote. And I am positive they are reading our emails.

A 2014 document showed Miller was worried about county employees spying on her.

We also cant save things on cmputer (sic) at work or they will be ahead of us, she wrote, saying we have to be more secretive.

Brnovich conceded his view of what is  and is not  a public record is based solely on his reading of existing Arizona law. He said no Arizona court has ever addressed texts on private phones or messages on non-government social media accounts.

But he said the plain text of the public-records statutes convinces him they were meant to apply solely to records on government-controlled systems.

An agency does not have control of private electronic devices or social media accounts, Brnovich wrote. Deeming all communications on such electronic devices or services to be public records subject to mandatory retention requirements under Arizona law would impose a duty on an agency that may be impossible to meet.

Brnovich said there is an option for those who want to expand the Public Records Law to include those private postings: Take their case to the Legislature. He said it is up to lawmakers  not him or the courts  to balance the privacy rights of public employees and officials with the need for government transparency and accountability.

He said theres another reason he wont conclude that social-media postings and texts from private cellphones are not public.
In the late 1950s, writer-director Samuel Fuller wanted to make a film about reverse racism as seen through the eyes of an Asian protagonist. Not exactly the most marketable idea (especially given the conservative timbre of the times), but Fuller was a champion of socially conscious movies and was determined to get his independent, sure-to-be controversial film financed. So in an inspired move, he concocted a film noir plot to pique the interest of Columbia Pictures chief executive Harry Cohn, who took the bait and bankrolled what became The Crimson Kimono, a nifty B movie that cleverly uses a noir framework to mask its more serious and thought-provoking agenda.

Shot with a mixture of sensationalism and sensitivity, The Crimson Kimono gives us the best of both cinematic worlds. Its rough-and-tumble detective story draws us in, but about halfway through the narrative, Fuller shifts gears and turns his laser focus on an interracial romance and the deep-seeded feelings of resentment and perceived prejudice it provokes. The hot-button themes hijack the picture - so much so, in fact, noir aficionados might feel somewhat cheated. It's difficult to merge hard-edged noir with softer romance and personal introspection, and the marriage here doesn't always work, but it's a fascinating approach, and Fuller tries his damnedest to pull it off.

The film begins in a formulaic fashion, opening with the murder of Sugar Torch (Gloria Pall), a notorious stripper who's gunned down in the middle of a busy Los Angeles street following one of her provocative performances. Two tough cops who fought side-by-side in the Korean War - Charlie Bancroft (Glenn Corbett) and his Japanese-American best friend, Joe Kojaku (James Shigeta) - take the case and are struck by a portrait of Sugar in a crimson kimono that hangs in her dressing room. They learn the salacious entertainer planned to produce a Japanese-themed act, and their resulting investigation takes them into the seedy Asian neighborhoods of L.A., where the pieces of the twisted puzzle begin to fall into place.

One of their leads is Christine Downes (Victoria Shaw), an art student who supplies a sketch of a potential suspect. The macho Charlie takes a shine to her, and she seems to return his affection. But when Christine spends an unexpected evening alone with Joe, she taps into Joe's spiritual side and realizes they share a mutual regard for art and music. The two fall in love, yet when Joe breaks the news to Charlie, he mistakes Charlie's pain for racism. Years of suppressed anger and hurt bubble to the surface and a rift ensues, jeopardizing both their long-standing friendship and the outcome of the murder case.

Fuller was a writer long before he became a director, and his script crackles with colorful dialogue and showcases an array of offbeat characters. (Anna Lee is particularly delightful playing against type as a boozy middle-aged broad who pals around with Charlie and Joe.) Yet when the story turns serious, so does Fuller, and Joe's speeches about the discrimination he has experienced and the indelible, inescapable pain that still eats away at his soul are beautifully constructed. Shigeta, whom most moviegoers will remember as Joseph Takagi in Die Hard, passionately delivers them, and his emotional performance elevates the film. The rugged Corbett in his film debut asserts himself well, exuding a square-jawed toughness that suits the movie's noir portions well, and Shaw is good, too, but is often overly cool and aloof.

The Crimson Kimono was shot on a shoestring budget, but Fuller makes every penny count, crafting a lively, important drama that was years ahead of its time. You've got to hand it to a committed, fearless filmmaker willing to take on a taboo topic and tackle it in an uncompromising fashion. Eight years before Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?, Fuller depicted interracial romance with insight and grace, and though The Crimson Kimono lacks gloss and polish, its rough-around-the-edges style lends its message an authenticity more carefully constructed movies lack. And that keeps this B movie relevant almost 60 years later.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray

The Crimson Kimono arrives on Blu-ray in a limited to 3,000 edition packaged in a standard case. An eight-page booklet featuring an essay by film writer Julie Kirgo, three black-and-white scene stills, and a full-color reproduction of the movie's poster art is tucked inside the front cover. Video codec is 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 and audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. Once the disc is inserted into the player, the static menu without music immediately pops up; no previews or promos precede it.
Help India!

By Naved Masood

What was apprehended for the last couple of days came to pass last evening; Mehmood ur Rehman Sahib (1942- 2017) completed the journey of his life which was marked by constant struggles and a never-say-die attitude.

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He had his University education in Allahabad, where briefly taught in the Department of Persian followed by few months stints in the Life Insurance Corporation and the Provincial Civil Service before joining the Indian Administrative Service in 1966 and being assigned Jammu and Kashmir cadre. In J&K he served in various capacities till 1995 before moving over to the Aligarh Muslim University as Vice Chancellor, a position he held till July 2000. He retired as Secretary Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs in the Government of India and retired from that position in March 2002 only to continue his active engagement with public affairs as Chairman (first Executive and then non Executive) of the Bombay Mercantile Cooperative Bank (BMC) till fairly recently.

His tenures in important positions be it as Principal Secretary ( later Additional Chief Secretary), Home Department in J&K or VC AMU or with the BMC were marked by crises which he dealt with determination and generally on his own terms. His contributions (and failures) were many but no one can deny that in success and adversity he remained in command and did not lose his aplomb. His signal contribution in the AMU was the relentless determination with which he worked towards freeing University land under unauthorised occupation and in that respect he succeeded where most Vice Chancellors in most of the older Universities had very limited success. His innings with the BMC could be regarded as a mixed bag given the murky, almost sectarian atmosphere of the organisation, but there is no doubt that if he had not come at the helm of its affairs when he did, it would have been liquidated by the Reserve Bank.

For the most part my contacts with Mehmood Sahib were professional as during the first three years of his tenure in the AMU I headed the University and Higher Education Bureau in the Ministry of HRD and was the Central Governments major contact point with the University till I moved over to the state of J&K on deputation. As it happened, in three months or so that he spent with the state government during his tenures with the AMU and the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs he was attached with the organisation of the Resident Commissioner of the State in Delhi which happened to be within the remit of my responsibilities as Commissioner cum Secretary, General Administration Department.

During these periods I had occasion to watch his professional side and personality to the extent it reflected in performance of his duties. The abiding impression of this fairly intense association is of a person who was clear headed about his objectives, who could tire down the opposition with his persistence without being rude or boorish. His capacity for hard work and putting in long hours was phenomenal. His one disarming quality was to avoid unnecessary arguments by deflecting the opponent with anecdotes and digressions in a tactful manner which would not give offence to the other side.

He enjoyed power and liked a few people to hang around which is not uncommon among people who control, or are near, the levers of powers. However, unlike many with these traits he did not lose his sense of proportion and would be fairly objective in assessment of his acolytes when called upon to judge them. We had our differences of opinion, a few fairly significant, but if this did not affect mutual cordiality, I will give him the larger share for the spirit of amity.

He had a major neurological deficit last year and was on ventilatory support for a few days. The tenacious fighter that he was, he bounced back against heavy odds and in several conversations over the phone though his voice was weak, he was his ebullient self. It was during the wedding of my colleague Asif Ibrahims daughter a few months back that I came face to face with him and realised that though the spirit was high the body was not keeping pace. To my regret this was our last meeting though one could have met him during frequent visits to Mumbai. Possibly, he needed company of people with whom he could recount old campaigns valiantly waged unmindful of the outcomes.

This short tribute could be rounded off by the perceptive observation of one of his old associates from Kashmir who spoke to me earlier today. He said there are many people who turn out to be larger than life, most in that category act the role for effect and clearly come out as humbugs; there are a few to whom this is a natural modus vivendi  they are natural when acting thus and are likeable for this reason. That was Mehmood Sahib for you.
The north korean dictator Kim Yong-un has just authorized the launch of an ICBM. The missile reached a height of 1741 miles and traveled a distance of over 900 miles before falling into the Sea of Japan. Strictly it can be classified as an IRBM. However as per the Laws of Motion enunciated by Sir Isaac Newton in case the angle of firing is changed i.e. lowered, the missile could cover a distance of almost 4000 miles. This makes the present launch an ICBM a matter of concern for the USA.

Despite this concern, the USA has not been able to do much.

The reason is that the biggest backers of the North Korean regime are China and Russia. The leaders of these two nations, President Xi and Putin met in Moscow and issued a Joint declaration terming the North Korean missile test "unacceptable". On the face of it, such a statement should please the USA, but if one reads the fine lines of the statement it holds the USA and South Korea equally responsible, according to Al Jazeera.

Joint statement

The joint statement issued in Moscow calls on the USA and the South to suspend their military exercises. It calls on the North to declare a moratorium on further missile tests. The statement shows its true colors when in a veiled reference to the USA, it says that other nations should not vitiate the atmosphere in North East Asia.

The statement also calls on the USA to dismantle its missile defense (THAAD system) as it is a threat to China and Russia and other nations. The joint statement has called for negotiations between the USA and the North to make the Korean peninsula a nuclear-free zone.

Backing the North

Russia and China have always backed the Korean communist regime.

China, in particular, holds tremendous leverage over Pyongyang as 90 percent of North Korean trade is with China. If the Chinese wanted to, they could have easily nipped the nuclear ambitions of North Korea decades back. For reasons best known to them, they did not do it. Maybe they used the North as a proxy to create trouble for the USA as a part of their grand strategic design.

An eye wash

The statement issued from Moscow by Putin and Xi can be termed an eye wash. China itself is facing intense pressure with U.S. warships moving close to Chinese islands as part of freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea. In addition, Indian and Chinese troops are in a face-off at Dhokla at the trijunction between Tibet, Sikkim, and Bhutan. China claims this is because of the encouragement given by Trump to Modi during his last visit to the USA. The two leaders have tried to show that they support the Security Council resolutions on North Korea. The reality is different. America will have to factor in Chinese and Russian support for the North.
Politics this week has seen continued unrest from the public over Grenfell Tower, the power-sharing talks deadline passed for northern ireland, the debate on tuition fees has continued with the man, Andrew Adonis, who was Tony Blairs head of policy when they were introduced and convinced Blair to set the cap at 3,000, admitted that they need to be scrapped. The G20 has been going on throughout the weekend and The Sun buried a huge story about housing.

Globally, North Korea have been busy, Emmanuel Macron has been outlining his plans for France, Donald Trump visited to Poland prior the G20, trouble continues in Venezuela, Italy created more codes of conducts for NGOs in response to the refugee crisis and ISIL are facing significant losses.

UK politics

The government have sent in a task force to take control of Kensington and Chelsea council after its dire response to the Grenfell Tower fire. This was after they had already relieved them of their duty to support the victims and the leader had resigned. However, residents are still unhappy with some refusing the alternative accommodation offered because they have been either worse conditions than before or further away in different parts of the country. There has also been uproar over the appointment of a former retired judge to head the inquiry, with residents angered over the lack of consultation with them.

Northern Irelands problems continue after talks between Sinn Fein and the DUP broke down and the deadline passing yet again.

The leader of Sinn Fein, Michelle ONeill, placing the blame squarely at Theresa Mays confidence and supply deal with the DUP to prop up her failing government.

This week it was revealed by the housing and homelessness charity Shelter, that approximately 320,000 homes remain unbuilt despite receiving residential planning permission.

These phantom homes contribute to artificially high prices in the housing market. Developers sit on vacant land to keep the supply low, which maintains the high prices. The Home Builders Federation blame the slow progression of planning permission and claimed Shelters analysis was ideological driven. In fact, Shelter analysed information from the Department of Communities and Local Government, along with other data and allowed a one-year gap between the go-ahead and build completion.

The G20 summit 2017

Global leaders met at the annual G20 summit that has been fraught protests, with the fewer turning violent after cars were burned and shops ransacked. There was a lot of talk before of the decreased role the US would be playing in the summit because of Donald Trump pulling them out of the Paris Climate Agreement, which has been central in talks with 19 of the 20 countries reaffirming their commitment to tackling climate change and 18 prioritising it.

The two nations who have been left behind are the US and the UK, this was after Theresa May decided to not include it in her four key objectives. Further highlighting the UKs dwindling global influence. Much less has been made of the actual talks within the G20 but expect more highlights to be reported within the next week as the G20 ends and commentators can digest all the information.

A lot of the focus has been on Donald Trump, who even stepped out for a moment and allowed Ivanka Trump to take his seat for a while, this garnered much outrage but world leaders welcomed Ivankas presence. The G20 has the potential to do much good in the world, unfortunately, the system we live in doesnt allow them to stray much further from the path itself and we are largely governed by those who dont want radical change.

World news in brief

Emmanuel Macron set out his priorities with amendments to the constitution, notably bringing in a form of proportional representation. With prime minister, Edouard Philippe, focusing on expenditure cuts and stated planned tax cuts would be delayed, however, he did also announce a costly plan to improve and overhaul Frances infrastructure.

Donald Trumps visit to Poland was widely welcomed by supporters of the countys ruling party. They see him as kindred spirit as the Law and Justice party (PiS) are a right-populist party who oppose the EUs refugee policy.

Venezuelas political unrest intensified after supporters of the president stormed the National Assembly and assaulted opposition lawmakers. North Korea tested a ballistic missile that appeared to have a long enough range to reach Alaska, despite Trump insisting they would never be allowed to develop such technology this year. Finally, ISILs power in the Middle-East is dwindling with Iraqs government poised to take control of Mosul, 3 years after the caliphate seized it and in Syria, American backed forces entered Raqqa, the caliphates capital.
Irene Regeni, the sister of the Cambridge Ph.D. student Giulio tortured and killed in Egypt while he was doing his research, protested last week in front of the prestigious Girton College of Cambridge calling on a stance from the Institute.

Giulio was found dead in Egypt on the 3rd of February, 2016, with his body tormented, after a week without information of him. The identity of the killers is still unknown.

The doubts on the investigation

He was in Cairo on behalf of the University doing a study on a thorny subject: Egyptian independent trade unions, a matter problematic for the government of the President Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi.

A link between the subject of the research and his death is hypothesised because it seems that a specialised commando (not common criminals) tortured and killed him.

Also, the Egyptian investigations into the death are supposed to be defective: The Italian prosecutors couldn't question a lot of witnesses, they weren't able to access phone records and the videos from the cameras located in the zone where Giulio disappeared. The Egyptian investigators refused to give them to Italian authorities, saying it would be a violation of the constitution.

The role of Noura Wahbi

Analysing the calls available, the role of the Egyptian friend of Giulio (and colleague in Cambridge), Noura Wahbi, is not very clear.

According to the Italian weekly publication "L'Espresso", she helped him to find a house but she called a person a few times who spoke with the intelligence. In fact, after some red herrings, it was discovered that secret services followed Giulio for some days before his disappearance.

Apparently, they thought he was related to MI6.

The conjecture is false. Giulio was there working for a British University, so the United Kingdom could play an important part by asking for more openness. On the 20th of September, 2016, the British ambassador in Italy announced that the government of Theresa May would do everything is possible to help the authorities.

Claim for transparency

At the moment there is not enough transparency. In the United Kingdom, the transparency of intelligence is a pressing issue: the British secret services could be forced to disclose their activities as they are facing legal action in a case taken by the groups "Reprieve" and "Privacy International". A year ago the EU Parliament, said it was closely watching Egypts work on the case.
Renewable Energy could get a boost before years end as Tesla prepares to build a 100-megawatt lithium-ion battery in South Australia. The region has been wracked with blackouts since weaning itself from coal three years ago. The project will serve as an emergency backup. The state hopes to become energy independent from the country.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbulls government is investing some $1.5 billion to expand hydropower in the region. The planned Snowy Hydro expansion 2,000-megawatt increase could power the equivalent of 500,000 homes, he said.

The scheme is subject to a feasibility study. The government also plans to build a $420 million 250,000-MW gas-fired power plant.

Elon Musk is promising to build the world's largest lithium ion battery within 100 days - or he'll do it for free https://t.co/YP5ksVHGA1  BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) July 7, 2017

$50 million gamble

Teslas renewable energy project would not be of that scale, but it would either be completed within 100 days of the contract being signed or free. If the company fails to meet the deadline CEO Elon Musk set, Tesla eats $50 million. The completed project would power 30,000 homes. Tesla will build the project on a wind farm owned by Frances Neoen, which is still under construction, according to Reuters.

The battery will store energy from Neoen's Hornsdale Wind Farm. It will deliver energy during peak usage hours to help maintain the state's supply. The theory is to charge the battery packs when you have excess power and where the cost is very low, and it discharges when the cost of production is high  this lowers the average cost per hour to the customer, according to Musk.

Renewable portfolio

Australia is a major exporter of coal and the rest of the country's energy portfolio includes coal. Australia will soon become the world's largest exporter of liquid natural gas. This has added to the state's embarrassment at coming up short on the energy front. A massive storm hit South Australia in September 2016.

Some 1.7 million residents were left without power when the grid collapsed. Between the rain, 80,000 lightning strikes and winds of more than 60 mph, the state was left in the dark for days. Conservatives were quick to blast liberals for compiling an energy portfolio with no coal. Liberals countered the storm was a weather event, not a renewable energy problem.

South Australia is a clean energy leader. It relies on wind, solar and gas for electricity. In particular, it has raced ahead of the rest of the country in turning to wind power, which supplies 40 percent of its energy. The move has been supported by environmentalists but left the state prone to outages since there is no way to store enough energy when the wind doesn't blow.

What happens when the wind doesnt blow or blows too hard? If the Tesla test is successful, everyone must take note. Even though some environmentalists complain the batteries will have no measurable impact on global atmospheric CO2 or climate, the energy efficiency could revolutionize the renewable energy market.
When you have an actor with an iconic name such as John Wayne, you naturally go into every movie they're in with a certain set of expectations. For starters, Wayne was always an assured presence; someone who didn't make second guesses. If his character made a mistake, Wayne would stand for that mistake and make things right with upright assurance and grit. Wayne rarely deviated from those character basics, but every now and again he tried to stretch where he could put those attributes. In 1955 Wayne starred in a pair of seafaring adventures Blood Alley and The Sea Chase. For Blood Alley, Wayne stars as an American merchant captain charged with taking refugees out of Red China and into the free waters of Hong Kong with the help of a headstrong woman played by Lauren Bacall.

With his ship seized by the Communists in Red China, Captain Tom Wilder (John Wayne) wastes away in a prison cell. To help maintain his sanity he frequently talks to an imaginary friend called "Baby." One day his luck changes when a care package arrives enabling his escape and passage to safety. However, for the bargain of safety, Tom may have been better off staying locked up. Under the guidance of Mr. Tso (Paul Fix) and the daughter of an important doctor named Cathy (Lauren Bacall), Tom is asked to help ferry an entire village of people out of communist-held China and into the safe harbors of Hong Kong. The only problem with the plan is 300 miles of dangerous river called "Blood Alley" filled with uncharted wrecks, rocks, rapids and numerous patrol boats.

Blood Alley sees your typical John Wayne character splash onto the screen. A hero through and through, Wayne's Tom Wilder is a man of decisive action. He may think the mission is crazy, he may think it's impossible to move an entire village of people and sneak them out of China, but he's not weak. He's been challenged to do the right thing and help these people because only he knows the river and the challenges along the route. Not being a coward, Tom steps up to the challenge even if it potentially means his death. Like I said, it's your typical John Wayne action epic only on water.

Under the direction of William Wellman, Blood Alley is a solid action/adventure movie with a decidedly political anti-communist agenda. Without overstating things, the movie wears its blood on its sleeves. Originally set to star Robert Mitchum in the lead, Wayne was only intending to produce the film. When Mitchum was fired and no other lead actor available to replace him on short notice and salary constraints, Wayne had to step in. Likewise, when Wellman fell ill and couldn't finish the film, Wayne sat in the director's chair. Additionally, the film is populated with John Wayne stalwart costars like his longtime pal Paul Fix, Lowell Gilmore, and Mike Mazurki.

At the end of the day, Blood Alley is a decent flick. Not amazing. Not terrible. It provides ample entertainment value for what you get out of it. Given their vast personality differences it's actually a bit surprising that Wayne and Bacall have such great chemistry. It's this chemistry that actually saves the film. Admittedly there is some off color humor, some slightly off casting choices (keep your eye out for Swedish actress Anita Ekberg as one of the refugees!), but at its core, Blood Alley is an enjoyable ride. It's a product of its time and place in world history and politics. If if you can forgive its inherent proclivities you should have a good time with this action adventure yarn.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray

Blood Alley drifts onto Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Archive and is pressed onto a Region Free BD-50 disc. The disc is housed in a standard Blu-ray case. The disc opens to a static image main menu with traditional navigation options.
Less than 24 hours after James Comey testified in Congress in regards to his meetings with Donald Trump and the Russian investigation, the president finally broke his silence. In yet another rant on social media, Trump decided to rip the former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director during an early morning tweetstorm.

Trump on Twitter

When Donald Trump kicked off his presidential campaign back in June 2015, it didn't take long before he was accused of having various ties back to Russia. Trump didn't help himself by refusing to release his tax returns, while praising Russian President Vladimir Putin on more than one occasion.

Over the next two years, various advisers and associates would be linked back to the Kremlin, including retired Gen. Michael Flynn who would eventually be forced to resign as National Security Advisers just weeks after taking the job. Over the last month, the pressure has only increased on Trump and his team to explain away the growing list of allegations and evidence that has been released. After firing James Comey last month, speculation grew due to the fact that the former FBI head was leading the investigation into Russia. On Thursday, a surprisingly quiet Trump avoided commenting on Comey's testimony in Congress, but that silence came to an end during a tweet on June 9.

Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication...and WOW, Comey is a leaker!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2017

Taking to his Twitter account on Friday morning, Donald Trump hit back at James Comey and accused him of being a leaker.

"Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication...and WOW, Comey is a leaker!" Trump tweeted out.

Great reporting by @foxandfriends and so many others. Thank you!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2017

Not stopping there, Donald Trump posted a follow-up message on Twitter where he praised Fox News over their administration-friendly reporting.

"Great reporting by @foxandfriends and so many others," he tweeted, while adding, "Thank you!" Trump's tweets come after his legal team handled the initial response, while administration officials like Kellyanne Conway appeared on Fox News but didn't give much insight into what the president was thinking when it came to the James Comey testimony.

Junior's take

While Donald Trump was quiet during the actual testimony, it didn't stop one of his sons from speaking out on social media. In the hours leading up to James Comey arriving in Congress, and through the entire process, Donald Trump Jr. was glued to his Twitter account where he sent out dozens of tweets in defense of his father.
The incident happened at a home in Capstan Drive in Colerain Township near Cincinnati, Ohio shortly before 11:20 p.m. on Saturday when a group of people was gathered for a Gender Reveal party. A gender reveal party is reportedly a type of baby shower. Two intruders entered the home and shot nine people, killing one woman and leading to three children being hospitalized.

Police receive several panicked 911 calls from the home

As reported by WCPO Cincinnati, police arrived on the scene after receiving several panicked and confusing 911 calls. That report contains several of the calls in which operators are struggling to get crucial information from the callers, among the crying, screaming, and panic.

One caller was sitting in a car outside the home when she saw the two hooded intruders enter the house, after which she heard gunfire. While she couldnt give a clear description of the intruders, she described one as wearing a green hoodie, while the other was in a blue hoodie. The woman then told emergency dispatch that there were children hurt in the home. She also said there was a pregnant woman in the house.

NEW: 1 dead, 8 injured in shooting at "gender reveal" party in Cincinnati-area home; 3 of the injured are children https://t.co/47ypSr6tEi pic.twitter.com/abNrbaewFo  ABC News (@ABC) July 9, 2017

One woman is dead from the Shooting, while nine people were injured, including three children.

One victim is in a critical condition while a woman, who was pregnant, reportedly lost her baby after being shot in the leg.

Police arrive to find one dead woman and eight injured people

When Colerain police arrived at the home, they found one woman dead on the floor. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the wounded children were taken to a hospital nearby but had suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Reportedly none of the other victims of the shooting was in a serious condition. A witness told police that she saw the two hooded intruders fleeing from the scene following the shooting.

9 shot, 1 killed at gender reveal party in Ohiohttps://t.co/e2Ib68AW3U pic.twitter.com/dFgXksWnLG  WAFB (@WAFB) July 9, 2017

Colerain Police detectives have some leads

While no one has yet been taken into custody, the Colerain Police public information officer, Jim Love said detectives do have a couple of leads they are following up on.

Homicide detectives from the Cincinnati Police are assisting and other police departments, including Green Township and North College Hill, sent officers to the scene that night. Love continued by saying that at the present moment, police do not know what instigated the shooting or how it got started.

While police have not released the identities of the victims in the shooting, all were family and friends who were gathered for the gender reveal party.
According to a report by The Voyage Report, Delta Air Lines flight 99, traveling from Paris to Detroit, arrived almost an hour and a half late on Friday, arriving at the airport at 2:39 p.m. On arrival at Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials boarded the Delta plane, taking a male flight attendant into custody. Officials reportedly had an active warrant against the flight attendant for third-degree Grand Theft out of Orange County, Florida.

Delta flight travels from Paris to Detroit

According to The Voyage Report, the Delta flight left from Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris at 11:22 a.m.

local time, arriving at Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport at 2:39 p.m. EDT and parked at gate A60 in the McNamara Terminal at the airport.

As reported by ABC News, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said in a statement that CBP officers at the Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport had arrested the flight attendant and that he had been handed over to the Wayne County Sheriffs Office where the Delta Air Lines employee will await extradition to Florida on charges of grand theft.

Delta Flight Attendant Reportedly Arrested After Working Paris  Detroit Flight Today:https://t.co/uIIo22zpSN#Aviation #Airline  SpeedBird (@SpeedBird_NCL) July 7, 2017

Spokeswoman says no indication of threat to safety or security on flight

In a statement by the airline, Delta spokeswoman Kate Modolo said there is no indication the action by the CBP officials was related in any way to passenger, crew or aircraft safety or the security of the flight.

Delta Air Lines reportedly declined to name the employee who had been arrested.

Flight forum user writes about the incident on Delta flight 99

The Voyage Report quotes a forum entry on Flyer Talk on Friday, where user Jmr007 said two of his family members were on Delta flight 99 from Paris. His relatives told the forum user that on arrival at the gate at the Detroit airport, two CBP officers told a flight attendant to ask everyone to take their seats again.

The captain reportedly then asked the CBP officers what was happening  there is no indication that he received a response to his question.

Members of the planes cabin crew were apparently arguing among themselves when the CBP officers told one of the male flight attendants on the plane to get his bag. Officials then handcuffed the flight attendant, walking him off the plane.

As noted by The Voyage Report, the details in the forum post could not immediately be verified and an inquiry made with CBP officials did not receive a response.
The arts-and-crafts retailer Hobby Lobby is agreeing to pay $3 million and hand over thousands of ancient Iraqi artifacts that were said to be bought without proper documents, in a settlement of the complaint filed by the Department of Justice. ancient artifacts are said to be included of one of the earliest systems of writing, tablets, and bricks that were written in cuneiform, as well as other artifacts that were shipped without enough legal documents.

Hobby Lobby: Ignored numerous "risks" about the artifacts

According to The Hill, Hobby Lobby made an agreement to acquire over 5,500 artifacts in December 2010 for an all-in deal of $1.6 million.

DOJ said that the retailer had been consistently "warned" by many experts that buying such items contained a risk that items may have been taken from Iraqi archaeological sites without undergoing legal process.

There have been many instances that the company should have detected that the artifacts they have bought are suspicious but wilfully ignored them. One instance is that when the company received conflicting information wherein the artifacts had been stored prior to the inspection in the United Arabe of Emirates. There was also once when the Iraqi crafts were presented for inspection to companys consultant and president and discovered that the packaging was labeled misleadingly.

Hobby Lobby: Agreed to adopt internal policies for importing cultural property

With the recent incident, Hobby Lobby President Steve Green admits their fault in the case and said:  they should have carefully questioned how the acquisitions were handled and exercised more oversight in acquiring it. Steve also said that the company has been an active participant with the governments investigation and fully supports its efforts to preserve the worlds ancient heritage.

And with the announcement of the recent settlement agreement, Steve is pleased to say that the issue has been resolved.

The crafts retailer started acquiring historic religious artifacts for them to protect for the next generations and to provide access to historians and scholars. The company admits that they are new in acquiring these ancient crafts and do not fully know the complexities in acquiring them legally.

They said that they just negligently relied on dealers and shippers who, in hindsight did not fully understand the legal way to document and ship the said items. According to Steve, "the recent incident resulted to them to regrettable mistakes that they will never forget."
Ivana Trump had been sitting in the back of the room at the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany on Saturday when President Donald Trump stepped out of the room briefly. Rather than leaving his seat vacant, his daughter filled it. The 35-year-old top White House aide found nothing wrong with sitting at the table among world leaders.

This has been done before when others leaders vacated their seats for a short period of time. However, knowledge of this did not stop some people from criticizing Ivanka. A White House official confirmed that Ivanka had stepped in for her father while he went to attend another meeting.

He also gave the reason for it but did not suggest that it was inappropriate.

The discussion

The discussion at the time Ivanka took the seat was about an issue she is attached to. The World Bank president was speaking about African development, which is an initiative Ivanka Trump has spearheaded to fund women entrepreneurs.

Because of her interest in that particular topic, she moved from the back of the room to the main table. It was reported that she only listened and did not offer any contribution to the discussion in her father's absence. After President Trump's brief meeting with the Indonesian leader was over, he returned and reclaimed his seat between the British prime minister and the Chinese president.

Criticisms

After a photo was posted of the first daughter sitting next to Chinese President Xi Jinping, British Prime Minister Theresa May, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the backlash began.

Some folks immediately took to social media to voice their opinion about the situation. Historian Anne Applebaum tweeted that it was an unelected, unqualified, unprepared New York socialite there to represent American national interests.

It has been reported that in similar cases, the delegation takes over and since Ivanka was part of the United States delegation, there was nothing wrong with it. Ivanka has not commented or addressed the many mean tweets on her Twitter page. Other than saying the movement was strange, some of the comments were very harsh.

Some people lashed out at the president.

Some lashed out at his daughter, and others lashed out at both of them. However, a few thought there was nothing wrong with it. What do you think? Do you think Ivanka Trump sitting at the head table with world leaders was acceptable or inappropriate?
Ivanka Trump is stirring outrage after filling in for her father at a meeting among Heads Of State in Hamburg, Germany on Saturday. Ivanka accompanied the president to the G-20 Summit and took over his seat when he had to leave the room. The Washington Post reports that this is "unusual" since government ministers are typically the ones to sit-in for world leaders.

Ivanka sits at main table

According to the report, Ivanka Trump briefly sat in her father's place "briefly" when he had to leave during the "Partnership with Africa, Migration and Health" session.

The first daughter was placed right next to Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and was one seat down from Russian President Vladimir Putin. A photo of Ivanka seated at the main table among the world leaders is seen in a tweeted image below.

Ivanka Trump briefly takes father's seat at G-20 summit session https://t.co/ItKXTiCUbg pic.twitter.com/Ux0NDEinzB  The Hill (@thehill) July 8, 2017

Outrage follows

The hundreds of comments on the article illustrate the frustration people are feeling about Ivanka Trump sitting in for her father at the summit. Many say they didn't realize Donald Trump voters were also voting for Ivanka. Several ranted how wrong it was and that Trump isn't acting like he's the people's president.

One joked that maybe next Trump will have one of his grandchildren sit in for him. Someone else remarked that it wouldn't be a surprise to see Barron Trump take his place at some point.

Prior to the summit, Ivanka went with her father to the World Bank session on women's entrepreneurship, one of the platforms that she's working on in Washington, D.C.

At the meeting, the president praised Ivanka and told the leaders that she's a "great champion." He also mentioned that he doesn't make her life easy. It doesn't sound like she's getting much sympathy on that front, however.

First daughter in the thick of politics

It wasn't long ago Ivanka Trump said in an interview with "Fox and Friends" that she tries to stay out of politics.

She explained that she likes to "lean on the issues" she cares most about. Her comments drew swift criticism because they made little sense coming from someone who has the U.S. president's ear.

Prior to her latest interview, Ivanka told "Fox and Friends" that she didn't expect the "level of viciousness" from the media that she encountered in Washington. She explained that it was a real eye-opener to experience firsthand the personal attacks that came her way. All anyone has to do is take a look at her social media accounts and see what she's talking about.

Are you furious to hear that Ivanka Trump sat in her father's place at the G-20 Summit in Germany?
According to a report by the New York Times, the Head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Scott Pruitt has rolled back environmental regulations at a historic pace. This news comes only days after a statement was released in the scientific journal Nature that humanity may only have three years to get climate change under control.

Pruitt's historic rollback of environmental regulations

In the almost five months since Scott Pruitt became the Head of the EPA, he has proceeded to either undo, block or delay more than 30 environmental regulations.

That is more rollbacks than any EPA administrator ever over such a small span of time in the almost 50-year history of the agency. Many of these rollbacks include regulations that were put in place by the Obama administration to deal with climate change.

Pruitt filed a proposal of intent to undo or at least weaken the Clean Power Plan, a cornerstone of the Obama-era climate change regulations. He has also filed proposals to rescind legal plans to repeal pollution in America's waterways and deferred rules that mandate fossil fuel corporations to limit leaks of methane and greenhouse gases from wells. He has even reversed a ban on chlorpyrifos, a controversial pesticide that the EPA has said is hazardous to the health of children.

How Pruitt runs the EPA

Veteran environmental advocates both inside the EPA and of outside organizations have argued that the way Scott Pruitt has been running the agency is tantamount to corporate takeover. They have pointed to his custom of hiring deputies from large lobbying groups or corporations. They have also said that he will meet with a number of corporate lobbyists before making a decision but does not really take into account the input from the 15,000 employees of the EPA.

Pruitt and the Paris Climate Agreement

The most high-profile and contentious of these rollbacks has been the decision by President Trump's administration to have America withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. According to the New York Times, Scott Pruitt is now going to have a leading role in navigating America's withdrawal from the agreement.

This is notable since high-profile lawyers from the State Department are usually in charge of mapping out a legal path for these kinds of issues. Pruitt has said that the priority of the EPA will be to continue dealing with "tangible" pollution, like cleaning up Superfund sites that require a long-term response.
President Trump landed Wednesday evening in Warsaw, the opening of a major visit to Europe where he will attend the G20 summit in Hamburg and will meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Donald Trump plays big

Trump's first European trip in May had revealed the depth of distrust between the two shores of the Atlantic. The second is supposed to change it. Donald Trump, followed by his wife Melania, his daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, was welcomed by Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski and President Andrzej Duda's Chief of Staff Krzysztof Szczerski.

Donald Trump begins with a pro-American country, his four-day tour where sensitive topics will not neglect, between transoceanic tensions and North Korean nuclear threat. The climate of this previously-pitched tour is heightened by the testing of a North Korean intercontinental missile capable of reaching Alaska and the resulting US-China tensions.

Trump's high-tension meetings

Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will have a delicate discussion in Hamburg, their views being opposed on North Korea. After urged China to end "this nonsense situation" on social networks, in a new tweet Wednesday, Donald Trump accused Beijing of undermining the efforts of the United States by strengthening its trade with Pyongyang.

Meanwhile, the United States announced on Wednesday that they would, with the support of France, table a draft resolution at the United Nations, introducing new sanctions against North Korea. However, Russia has already warned Wednesday that such sanctions will be opposed. Donald Trump's first-ever bilateral meeting with Vladimir Putin on Friday in the boundaries of the G20 does not look promising.

A meeting that will be watched closely by their rivals, but also in the United States against a backdrop of an investigation into the Russian influence in the surroundings of Donald Trump.

Finally, it is a safe bet that Donald Trump might have a surprise in his mind, so dont be disturbed if he ends up visiting Afghanistan or Iraq (or both) throughout this trip.

The reality is that Donald Trump's Polish choice does not meet any particular strategic vision, beyond the concern to show his constituents, in Iowa or Ohio, that he also has crowds ready cheering on the Old Continent, not just hostile protestors.

Why Poland?

Part of the answer lies in the date of this announcement. If Donald Trump had never paid attention to Poland's invitation, there was suddenly an interest in its disastrous first travel in Europe in late May, at the summit of the NATO and the G7.
Former FBI Director James Comey appeared in Congress on Thursday to give his much-anticipated testimony regarding his conversations with Donald Trump prior to his termination. While the story has dominated the news cycle over the last 24 hours, Stephen Colbert decided to take a much more lighthearted approach.

Colbert on Comey

James Comey has been one of the most polarizing figures in American politics over the last year, dating back to the middle of the 2016 presidential election. Initially, Donald Trump was a fan of Comey after the then FBI director decided to highlight potentially damaging information about Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton pertaining to her use of a private email server while serving as Secretary of State.

When all was said and done, the drama surrounding Clinton proved to be over nothing, but it cast enough doubt in the minds of the American people that Trump would go on to pick up the general election win last November. Trump's love of Comey proved to be short lived, however, as the ex FBI head would go on to lead the investigation into Russian election interference, which included looking into whether or not the Kremlin were in cahoots with the president. After being fired last month for allegedly not taking a "loyalty" oath, Comey ripped into the president while giving a tense testimony on Thursday. In response, Stephen Colbert decided to give his thoughts laced with humor during the June 8 edition of "The Late Show" on CBS.

Tonight: everyone celebrated #ComeyDay in their own way. Stephen watched it on TV and wrote jokes for tonight's Late Show! #LSSC pic.twitter.com/V1sFZlMa3o  The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) June 9, 2017

During the Thursday night edition of "The Late Show," host Stephen Colbert poked fun at the James Comey hearing, while taking a jab at Donald Trump on the process.

"Happy Saint Comey's Day!," Colbert said. "Everybody celebrates Comey day in their own," he said, before explaining "we celebrated by watching TV and writing jokes as fast as we can."

The 8 most important quotes from James Comey's hearings https://t.co/t239LUpLzW pic.twitter.com/jMgOY72W3A  Business Insider (@businessinsider) June 8, 2017

Stephen Colbert expressed his enthusiasm to hear James Comey's testimony because the former FBI director made sure to detail every meeting he had with Donald Trump.

After trolling how the start of the testimony was handled, Colbert then mimicked Comey's voice in explaining why he thought he was fired, saying, "And then I read the Russian dossier and saw what gave the president pleasure, and thought 'oh no.'" Colbert's joke was in reference to the unconfirmed allegations that the billionaire real estate mogul took part in a "golden shower" sex act with Russian prostitutes.

Colbert's questions

Later on in "The Late Show," a skit was played where Stephen Colbert was edited into the testimony to ask his own questions to James Comey. Colbert had his questions cut into Comey's real answers, while going as far as asking if Donald Trump had colluded with Russia.

Moving forward

While comedians are having fun with James Comey and the drama surrounding the White House, questions remain as to how the president will handle the fallout. To the surprise of many, Donald Trump stayed quiet on Twitter during the testimony, leaving only his lawyer to publicly dismiss what went down.
On Thursday, former FBI Director James Comey testified in front of Congress, revealing information about his private meetings with Donald Trump, as well as other info pertaining to the investigation into Russia. In the 24 hours since the testimony, Trump has lashed out in a major way, resulting in interesting feedback from his critics.

Trump's blow-back

Over the last month, Donald Trump has faced increased pressure over the growing Russian investigation after he surprised many by abruptly firing James Comey as head of the FBI. Trump's decision was even more of a shock considering that Comey was leading the investigation into Russia at he time, which was looking into whether or not the Kremlin was in cahoots with the president's campaign.

In the weeks that have followed, many wondered what would happen if Comey would be called to reveal information under oath, which occurred on Thursday in Congress. Comey labeled the president a lair, accusing him of "defaming" him and the entire FBI by how he handled the aftermath of his firing, and also noted that he felt he needed to quickly document his meetings with Trump because he thought he would be lied to. Trump didn't immediately respond to the testimony, but lashed out on Twitter on Friday morning, before elaborating further during a speech at the White House later that day. In response, two high-profiled critics of the president decided to sound off in a series of June 9 tweets.

After listening to Comey today and Trump for last 4 and a half months, I have a clear opinion on which one is the actual "nut job."  Stephen King (@StephenKing) June 8, 2017

Can we have Obama back? Please?  Stephen King (@StephenKing) June 9, 2017

Taking to their Twitter accounts on Friday, both actor George Takei and author Stephen King ripped into Donald Trump over his reaction to James Comey's testimony.

"After listening to Comey today and Trump for last 4 and a half months, I have a clear opinion on which one is the actual 'nut job,' King tweeted. In a follow-up tweet, the famous horror author wrote, "Can we have Obama back? Please?"

Calling James Comey a liar, President Trump says he will testify under oath https://t.co/Rb7sJ7GY1c  The New York Times (@nytimes) June 9, 2017

Takei's take

As Stephen King ripped into Donald Trump, George Takei doubled down in his own way.

"Trump just tweeted calling Comey's testimony 'false statements and lies.' Yes, the president is accusing the former FBI Director of perjury," Takei tweeted out.

Trump just tweeted calling Comey's testimony "false statements and lies." Yes, the president is accusing the former FBI Director of perjury.  George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) June 9, 2017

You know what? @realDonaldTrump, you're too scared to actually testify under oath. You'll never #TakeTheStand Because you? You're chicken.  George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) June 9, 2017

"Trump says he would testify under oath that Comey lied in his testimony yesterday.

I call bullshit, but please, Donald. #TakeTheStand," George Takei went on to tweet. "The reason Trump thinks he can #takethestand and testify is that he is someone who actually believes his own lies if he repeats them enough," he added in another social media post.

Trump says he would testify under oath that Comey lied in his testimony yesterday. I call bullshit, but please, Donald. #TakeTheStand  George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) June 9, 2017

You know what? @realDonaldTrump, you're too scared to actually testify under oath. You'll never #TakeTheStand Because you? You're chicken.  George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) June 9, 2017

"You know what? @realDonaldTrump, you're too scared to actually testify under oath. You'll never #TakeTheStand Because you? You're chicken," George Takei stated. The criticism continued as those who oppose Donald Trump don't look to be backing off the president anytime soon.
This blog is looking for wisdom, to have and to share. It is also looking for other rare character traits like good humor, courage, and honor. It is not an easy road, because all of us fall short. But God is love, forgiveness and grace. Those who believe in Him and repent of their sins have the promise of His Holy Spirit to guide us and show us the Way.
Jennifer Aniston and Chelsea Handler used to be famous Hollywood friends. However, the pair has recently put an end to their friendship. The former "Friends" star has shared why she dropped Handler. Aniston became aware that Chelsea Handler was talking about her behind her back. There has been no proof as to whether these claims are true.

Aniston and Handler were best friends

Over the years, Jennifer and Handler were extremely close. They were photographed together on many occasions. According to Celebrity Dirty Laundry, they constantly talked each other up in interviews.

Handler even had Aniston's back when rumors of a feud between Jennifer and her ex-husband Brad Pitt surfaced. When Angelina Jolie got involved in the situation, Handler launched some comments at Brad Pitts then partner in Jennifer's defense.

Fans were shocked to hear that the celebrity pair are no longer friends. It has emerged that Aniston got word her BFF was talking about her behind her back. The star reportedly freaked out and instantly dropped Chelsea as her friend. The feelings between the pair have turned sour and Handler has also hinted at their friendship's end.

Aniston ordered publicist to drop Handler

According to Fansided, Jennifer Aniston has taken the rumors of Handlers betrayal to heart.

Both celebrities share the same publicist. Aniston has asked Steven Huvane to drop Chelsea Handler as a client. There has been no formal comment as to whether or not Huvane has agreed to Aniston's conditions. However, in a report by Celebrity Dirty Laundry, the publicist appears to have sided with Aniston.

The nature of the request is highly questionable and fans are wondering if Aniston is taking things to far with former friend Chelsea Handler.

Aniston appears to have acted instinctively rather than addressing Handler directly. However, there is certainly more going on behind the scenes that fans are not aware of. The pair has moved on from their friendship and one can only hope that they do not start an ongoing feud with one another.

Neither Aniston or Handler have made comment about their friendship in the last while.

Before news of the split broke the pair had not been seen together in some time. There has been no comment from their representatives. Handler continues to work on her series "Chelsea" which airs on Netflix every Friday. Aniston, likewise, continues to work hard. Fans will have to wait for more news about the pair's falling out.
"Married at First Sight: Second Chances" finale was on Thursday, July 6. David Norton decided not to choose Isabella or Tara. Therefore, he is not engaged after his second chance. Vanessa Nelson's final two suitors were Shannon and Andre. In the end, Andre proposed and Vanessa said, "Yes." They are happily engaged.

Proposal to no one

According to social media, David is a hated man because he took a page out of Brad Womack's playbook. Womack was on Season 11 of "The Bachelor" and shocked the nation on November 20, 2007, when he did not propose to anyone.

Some people called Norton a fake, a hypocrite, a pathological liar, deceptive and dirty. They complimented Tara for calling him out when he rejected her. One person suggested that the show not to give David a third chance after he has blown it twice. They concluded that viewers don't need to see David go through this again only to end up with no one. They added that he should mess up on his own time and spare viewers the agony of watching him do so.

David's explanation

David received so many criticisms that he wrote a long and detailed explanation on his blog defending himself. He talked mostly about his decision to dump Tara than he did about dumping Isabella. Perhaps it was because the critics were expecting him to choose Tara.

However, David said he could not give viewers the fairytale ending they expected. While he would explain what happened and how he felt, he would not apologize for his final decision.

The 31-year-old bachelor said he was not going to fake being in love for the sake of a television show. He indicated if he had done that, he would not be in the relationship today.

He said he was honest about his feelings at the time, and he still stands by them today.

While David is quite aware of viewers' frustration and has seen the mean things people have said about him, he says he had to be true to himself. He believes that if he had chosen either woman, it would have blocked the happiness he knows is out there for him.

He concludes that his happy ending is coming, but it has been delayed for now.

The software account executive told the people who are against him that he is glad to see how invested they are in his life, but he can't make major decisions based on what people think about him, especially with people he will never meet. He added that he had to make decisions for himself since he is the one who has to live with them.

Even though Tara said some harsh words to David when he rejected her, David believes that was better than proposing on television and breaking up with her later. He wants Tara to know that breaking up with her was a blessing in disguise.

David wants viewers to know that he did not go on a reality show twice for 15 minutes of fame or to become popular or to make money.

He said he used that opportunity to find love which he didn't. He admitted it was hard for him to watch the finale and he understands why fans turned against him.

Watch next week's Reunion Special on Lifetime when David and Vanessa come face to face with all those they dated. While it will be good for television, it wasn't comfortable for David or Vanessa because they both were attacked while in the hot seat.
Elon Musk will build the biggest lithium-ion battery system in Australia. His company Tesla, teamed up with the Australian government and a French renewable energy firm for the said project.

The battery system will be paired with a wind farm in South Australia. Once done, his lithium-ion battery system will be thrice the power compared to the next biggest in the world. The Tesla CEO announced the project during a press conference in Adelaide last Friday, June 30.

"If South Australia's willing to take a big risk, then so are we," Elon Musk said in the conference.

World's Largest Lithium-ion battery

Musk is known for responding to challenges thrown at him and his company. For instance, the announcement was linked to the statement given by billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes last March. He asked whether or not Tesla can end electricity problems like blackouts in South Australia. Musk's response is apparently building the biggest of this kind in the world.

Musk also declared earlier this year that he can install and make it operational within 100 days from contract signing. The CEO added that if Tesla fails to deliver within 100 days the new battery system will be for free. Musk even asked Cannon-Brookes if that was serious enough.

Power cuts in Australia

In total, there were 1.7 million residents who constantly suffer from power shortage in South Australia.

There were instances when most of the state suffered from power loss due to faulty lines. The demand also increased due to the heat wave. Tesla's renewable power plant will provide a stable energy source for South Australia.

The project will benefit the residents of South Australia thus it is fitting for the South Australian government to fund it.

Initially, it costs about $AU 550 million ($417 million). The lithium-ion battery system will be linked to Neoen's Hornsdale Wind Farm, an energy company located near Jamestown, South Australia.

Musk is confident that the project will push through and that Tesla can deliver within the deadline. He reiterated that they need to make sure that it's working properly and that they will get it done even under 100 days.

The Australian government also announced the collaboration. They stated that battery storage is vital for the future of Australia's national energy market. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the project will sustain 100 megawatts of energy and store 129-megawatt hours. In total, the calculated power will be able to power 30,000 homes.
BEIJING - Liu Mengping has been arrested in late June for taking bribes, 17 years after first being listed as wanted, Beijing police confirmed Saturday.

Liu, a former accountant with a subsidiary of the China International Water and Electric Corporation, was put under investigation on June 2, 2000 for allegedly taking bribes. She had fled to Southeast Asia via Hong Kong.

Following unswerving search and investigation, and on learning of her recent whereabouts, police arrested her on June 29.

Police give no further details.

The anti-graft authority in Beijing said that Liu's arrest proved again that overseas was no paradise for fugitives and giving themselves up was the only way to go.
Any time a trader at Enstar Capital's new London Soho offices fancies sushi and Champagne delivered to their desk, they can press a dedicated "Champagne" button that's being installed at each workplace, as a kind of grotesque, guillotine-inspiring homage to Amazon's Dash button, which lets mere mortals order laundry detergent.

Champagne and other perks are delivered via a network of dumbwaiters, sparing the traders the indignity of interacting with poor people.





The offices  a former police station  will also have floor-to-ceiling gold murals in the toilets, which are to be "spa style washrooms." Other perks include uniformed valet staff. The project is "built to last 100 years."



Michael Stiff, director at architects Stiff + Trevillion says: "The design of 40 Beak Street is steeped in the heritage of Soho. Everything from the glazed brick elevation to the door handles will be unique to this building. We know Enstar Capital want their developments to be exemplary: 40 Beak Street is no exception, set in the heart of Soho. We have sought to produce a piece of architecture that celebrates this unique location. Enstar Capital have commissioned sculptor Lee Simmons to create a site-specific cast aluminum frieze and window surround for the new building."

London hedge fund workers to be given 'champagne buttons' for their desks

[Joanna Bourke and Jonathan Prynn/The Evening Standard]
Long An  Long An Province will direct relevant agencies to remove bottlenecks for businesses, including those from Taiwan, Tran Van Can, Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee said at a dialogue with Taiwanese enterprises last week.

During the meeting, a representative from Tainan Enterprises Co Ltd, a garment manufacturer in Kien Tuong towns border economic zone, expressed concerns over complicated and time-consuming administrative procedures for foreign workers.

A Wu Feng Viet Nam representative said her company was yet to occupy the entire area it had leased at the zone and asked for help from local authorities. The company makes bathroom products at the Hoang Gia Industrial Complex in uc Hoa District.

Taiwan is taking the lead among 37 countries and territories investing in Long An, with 180 projects worth over US$980 million, mostly in outsourcing, garment and footwear, and plastics. -VNS
HCM CITY  The Phuong Nam Book Company has republished a collection of eight books called Tuoi Hoa (Childhood), which was very popular among teenagers in the south before 1975.

The collection is divided into three labels of red, purple and blue.

The red-label books feature thrilling adventurous stories, including Tieng Chuong Duoi ay Bien (Bell Ring Sound under the Sea) by Nguyen Truong Son, Nguc That Giua Rung Sau (Prison in the Forest) by Minh Quan and My Lan, and Pho Tuong Rong Vang (Golden Dragon Statue) and Mat Lenh U o (Red Command) by Hoang ang Cap.

The purple-label works tell love stories among schoolboys and schoolgirls. They are Con uong La Me (Road Covered by Tamarind Leaves) by Thuy An and Ngay Thang Nao (Memorial Date) by Ton Nu Thuy Dung.

The two remaining books, Long Me (Mothers Love) by Nhat Le Giang va Chiec La Thuoc Bai (Magical Leaf) by Nguyen Thai Hai, highlight love to family, friends and people.

The collection is part of the Tuoi Hoa bookshelf consisting of stories published in the Tuoi Hoa monthly magazine.

The magazine was first introduced in June 1962 and had been published for nearly 30 years.

Im a fan of Tuoi Hoa books. They contain lessons about life, love and humanity. Im excited that my grandson has a chance to read and enjoy these books, said Nguyen Van Hung, a grandfather of a grandson aged 9.

Huynh Nhu Phuong, lecturer of the HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanities, said, Tuoi Hoa books are my childhood friends. Im happy to see my old friends.

We aim to provide more titles for teenagers this summer, a representative of the Phuong Nam Book Company said.

The company plans to release more books from the Tuoi Hoa catalog to serve Vietnamese teenagers who are turning to foreign books.

Hung said that he saw hundreds of foreign books for teenagers in bookstores, but books by Vietnamese writers were rare. Most of them were Nguyen Nhat Anhs works.

Anh is one of the countrys very few writers involved in writing books for teenagers with series such as Chuyen Xu Lang Biang (Tales of Lang Biang) and Kinh Van Hoa (Kaleidoscope).

Its necessary to reintroduce classic books such as Tuoi Hoa. Foreign books can bring general knowledge for both children and parents, but they may not be suitable to Vietnamese tradition and culture, Hung said.  VNS
HAMBURG  Leaders of the European Union told Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc they would speed up review of the blocs free trade agreement with Viet Nam with a view to signing it as soon as possible.

The PM met European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg on Saturday.

Phuc also met with country leaders attending the summit, among them Indonesian President Joko Widodo, whom he asked to deal with fishery issues in a humanitarian spirit and in line with the bilateral strategic partnership between their two countries. He suggested accelerating the conclusion of negotiations on demarcation of exclusive economic zones between the two countries. Widodo agreed with the suggestions.

At a meeting with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, the Vietnamese PM urged India to clear trade barriers towards increasing two-way trade to US$15 billion by 2020. The Vietnamese Government is ready to offer all possible support for Indian firms to do business in Viet Nam, he said, adding that Viet Nam backs Indias Act East policy and will continue strengthening the ASEAN-India strategic partnership.

Modi vowed to increase the exchange of visits at all levels on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of the two countries strategic partnership. He spoke highly of Viet Nams coordinating role in ASEAN-India ties and described Viet Nam as an important pillar in Indias Act East policy.

East Sea issue

At his meeting with the EU heads, Phuc also asked them to provide technical support for Viet Nam to effectively realise the free trade deal and to continue with specific projects to help Viet Nam deliver on commitments of the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

On the East Sea (South China Sea) issue, leaders from Indonesia, India and the EU agreed with Viet Nams stance on the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, maritime and aviation safety and freedom in the disputed waters, settling disputes by peaceful means in line with international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

At a meeting with World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the PM asked for further bilateral cooperation to fulfill the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The WHO Director praised Viet Nam as a successful example of health care.

Trade with RoK, Australia

Phuc earlier had official meetings with President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Moon Jae-in, and the Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull.

He praised the RoK President for sending a special envoy to Viet Nam shortly after he was sworn into office, saying the move showed that President Moon attached importance to the two countries strategic partnership.

The two sides agreed to increase high-ranking visits and meetings amid celebrations of the 25th founding anniversary of their diplomatic ties this year. The countries will bolster cultural exchanges and economic, trade and investment cooperation in order to raise bilateral trade to US$100 billion in 2020.

Highlighting the RoKs role as the biggest investor and the third largest trade partner of Viet Nam, PM Phuc asked the RoK to import more agro-forestry-fishery products and work closely with his country to effectively implement the Viet Nam-RoK Free Trade Agreement.

For his part, President Moon pledged to order relevant agencies promote the implementation of Viet Nams cooperation suggestions. He also accepted Viet Nams request to improve the treatment of Vietnamese women marrying RoK citizens so that they can integrate into local society more easily and become part of his countrys cultural diversity.

At another meeting, PM Phuc and his Australia counterpart Malcolm Turnbull expressed their delight at the strong progress in their countries relations. Turnbull invited the Vietnamese PM to attend the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in 2018 and visit Australia on this occasion.

The PM praised Australias assistance to his country in such fields as climate change response, reform-innovation, startup support, and improvement of the private sectors capacity. He said the potential for bilateral economic-trade cooperation remains huge, asking Australia to facilitate the entry of Vietnamese products into the country, especially tropical fruits and aquatic products.

PM Turnbull noted that the more than 200,000 Vietnamese-Australians and 25,000 Vietnamese students in Australia provide a very important foundation for bilateral ties.

Also on Saturday, PM Phuc had brief talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Senegalese President Macky Sall, Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau.

Womens empowerment

In his speech to the G20 Summit session on Saturday, PM Phuc hailed the event for discussing employment and womens empowerment amid the fourth industrial revolution.

He urged the G20 to build a new global framework on further liberalisation of cyber infrastructure development, information technology and digital application, as well as open a global forum on start-ups to share information and experience.

The PM also reported that Viet Nam will hold the APEC High-Level Policy Dialogue on women and the economy in September 2017 to facilitate Vietnamese womens access to business opportunities and contribute to the digital economy.

During his visit to Germany from July 5 to 8, the PM held talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the German Federal Council and Minister-President of Rheinland-Pfalz state, Malu Dreyer. He also met several federal and local leaders and co-chaired the Viet Nam-Germany Business Forum.

The PM and his entourage left Hamburg on Saturday and flew to the Netherlands at the invitation of his Dutch counterpart, Mark Rutte.  VNS
HA NOI  Heavy rain and flooding over the weekend in the northern regions killed seven people, including a family of four, and one person is missing.

According to the latest report of the Office of the Central Committee for Disaster Prevention, the downpour that started July 7 caused severe flooding in Thai Nguyen Province, washing away a family with two children aged four and eight. The family was driving a car across a bridge in Linh Thong Commune when the water rose quickly and swept away the vehicle.

The body of a 17-year-old boy was found yesterday after he was washed away by the rising water the previous day when swimming across the Nam Rom River in Thanh Chan Commune, ien Bien Province.

Meanwhile in Ha Giang Province, rescuers yesterday found the bodies of two youngsters aged 13 and seven buried in a landslide hours earlier. They were residents of Zone 5 in Vinh Quang Township, Hoang Su Phi District.

A resident of Quang Binh District was also washed away by the flood and remains missing. The landslide triggered by the heavy rain also injured another resident of Bac Quang District and damaged at least 70 houses across Quang Binh, Xin Man and Hoang Su Phi districts.

Authorities reported that more than 1,375 cubic metres of soil and rocks fell during the rain, blocking 26 roads connecting villages and communes in the province. The landslide also broke two irrigation facilities in Yen Minh District while two schools were buried under the rocks in Hoang Su Phi.

So far, 13 of 20 households living in Na Lau village, susceptible to landslides, have been evacuated. Evacuation efforts are still underway given that more rain was forecast in the northern region until Tuesday.

Landslides in neighbouring Lao Cai Province affected three houses in Muong Khuong and Bac Ha Districts, while at least 17,000 cubic metres of soil fell over 23 roads. Traffic resumed yesterday, the disaster prevention committee reported.

The downpour wrecked nearly 100 ha of paddy and vegetable fields across the three mountainous provinces over the weekend, while hundreds of pigs and poultry were washed away.

Damages in Ha Giang and Lao Cai were estimated at around VN3 billion (US$124,400) and VN2 billion, respectively.

The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting yesterday warned that heavy rain is expected until Tuesday in the northern region and Thanh Hoa Province. The average rainfall will range from 70 to 120 mm, reaching over 200mm in particular areas.  VNS
Just 34, a Vietnamese professor who has received 10 patents and won many technological and medical awards in the US, is motivated by a desire to create things useful for people, especially children. Quang Loc reports.

Dr Vu Ngoc Tam has scripted an American Dream that has few peers among the Vietnamese diaspora worldwide.

Just 34 years old, he has already received 10 patents and won many technological and medical awards in the US, where he has been based for a decade or so now.

Tam graduated from the Hanoi University of Science and Technology in 2006. He went to study in the US and received a Ph.D in computer science from Rutgers University in 2013.

After graduation, he was the director of the Mobile and Network Systems Laboratory at Colorado Denver University. Now, Prof Tam teaches at the University of Colorado Denver.

Tam said the desire to create things that are very useful for human beings was the reason he concentrated his research in the medical field. He wanted to contribute to a smart healthcare system that can improve peoples health, especially that of children.

I applied the theories and advanced technologies of the wireless system into application of biosensors (example: smart devices to monitor respiration, brain waves and record muscle movement, and to measure the quality of sleep).

This causes less discomfort for users and cost less than traditional products available in the market, Tam said.

Tam and his colleagues have also successfully developed a respiratory monitor named WiSpiro and a brain wave measuring device called LIBS.

Many awards

WiSpiro won an award at the Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking (ACM MobiCom  S3) in October 2016, and LIBS won an award at the ACM Forum on Embedded Networked Sensor Systems (ACM SENSYS) in November 2016 at Stanford University, the US.

Tam said his idea for WiSpiro germinated four years ago when he was working at the Laboratory of Sleep Research at the university, where patients with sleep disorders were being monitored and diagnosed by a large device placed on the patients face and chest, requiring the direct supervision of doctors.

I asked myself: Why does a patient have to use such a large device that costs US$40,000-50,000 each? Why cant we work on a device that can monitor respiration from far distance? That is the reason that motivated me and my colleagues to start the research.

The result of their research, WiSpiro, enables the monitoring of respiratory volume from afar using wireless signals. WiSpiro drew widespread attention from the scientific community and Tam received a sponsorship of US$575,000 from the US Government.

Prof Tam is also the leader (main researcher) of three projects supported by the prestigious National Science Foundation and two sponsored by the Colorado State University Foundation. One of his projects won an award and sponsorship from Google. Together his projects have received funding of $1.7 million.

For his outstanding research work, Prof Tam received the Google Faculty Research Award in 2014 and a sponsorship of $55,000 for his Ring of Security project.

His research has been published in famous journals and world forums including ACM MobiCom, ACM MobiSys, ACM SENSYS, ACM CCS, IEEE Infocom, ACM UbiComp, and Mobile Computing (TMC).

His work has won the SENSYS 2016, MobiCom S3 2016, MobiCom 2012 and MobiCom 2011 awards.

Tams inventions have been tested on patients and proven to have high accuracy. They have also been featured on several television channels and newspapers such as CNN TV, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and many others.

Prof Ann Halbower, director of the Pediatrics Sleep Research Centre at the Colorado Denver University, said that years ago, Prof Tam had visited her Sleep Research Centre and gathered information about the limitation of devices that they were using to diagnose and treat child patients.

A few months after the visit, Tam and his colleagues and students designed and assembled the WiSpiro, Ann said, adding that with Tams device, her centre immediately received sponsorship from the National Institutes of Health.

Currently, he has 10 US patents and more than 40 articles published in prestigious journals and other publications.

Vietnamese wish

Tam is interested in having more students from Viet Nam study and train in the US to help them become senior researchers and academics in the shortest possible time.

He has visited many universities in Viet Nam including the National University of Science and Technology, the HCM City University of Science and many others to find students with good academic results and passion for research. He helps such students by finding scholarships for higher studies in the US.

Tam has also worked to build an integrated programme between the Ha Noi University of Science and Technology and the University of Colorado Denver. Under the  3+2 programme, after three years of learning English in Viet Nam, students can choose to continue for two years in the US and get a certificate from Colorado University.

This programme will benefit Vietnamese students, not only in saving time, because applying to famous universities in the US is very difficult, costing them at least one-two years, but also in saving money, compared to undergoing the entire course in the US, Tam said.

To date, he has taken seven students with hi-tech research potential to the US, including four who work directly with him. The other students work with other US professors.

Tam said that a researcher should always raise questions, and change suppositions to find new ideas, keep an open mind and not accept any standards but his/her own.

Presenting his own motto as well as message for Vietnamese students interested in scientific research, Tam said: Dont ever regret your own decisions. Dont choose the easy road. Choose the road that is most meaningful to you. VNS
Business / Companies

by Staff reporter

Bus manufacturer AVM Africa is on the verge of clinching a US$100 million deal with BAIC Automotive Group of China in a development that could create thousands of jobs after Government banned importation of buses in the 2017 budget to give opportunity for the motor industry to grow.The deal between AVM and BAIC was signed in December 2015 and was witnessed by Presidents Mugabe and Xi Jinping during the Chinese leader's visit to Harare.AVM Africa, which has a pedigree on the continent for supplying quality vehicles, is angling to get back to its former glory as the company used to manufacture buses for export markets in several countries across the continent.A delegation of top officials from BAIC is expected in Zimbabwe this week to seal the deal.Under the joint venture agreement, BAIC will bring equipment, machinery and technology. The Chinese company will also provide funds for re-tooling, assembly kits and plant rehabilitation.Currently, AVM Africa is producing two buses a month but its partnership with the BAIC is set to increase production to 30 buses monthly, with prospects for growth.Furthermore, the company will manufacture tractors with a targeted production of between 200 to 1 000 units per year.In an interview with this paper after touring the AVM Africa plant last Thursday, Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa said the fiscal intervention to ban importation of buses should spur local industry to grow."In the 2017 budget, I made a fiscal intervention to allow the local bus industry to grow by banning the importation of buses. The ball is now in the local producers to benefit from this fiscal intervention. My tour of this plant has enabled me to have a greater appreciation of the challenges that the company faces."Our measures are aimed at protecting local industries and we are encouraged that the company has the capacity to produce and export and also earn the much needed foreign currency for the country."AVM Africa executive chair Mr Kenneth Musanhi said the company could assemble buses at a lower price than imports."Our buses sell for about US$120 000 and these are products that are custom made for our roads. Imported buses cost about US$150 000 and they are of a lower quality than what we produce. Our operations have been affected by cheap imports yet our company has the capacity to produce better than the buses that we have been importing."Mr Musanhi said more than 2 000 direct jobs are expected to be created via the joint venture."Currently we have 74 employees, but if this joint venture succeeds, we will create more than 2 000 jobs excluding the upstream and downstream industry"
Dr Nguyen Minh Quan has brought advanced technologies normally used at city, or central-level hospitals, to an outlying district, Thu uc, in HCM City. He has also initiated measures to improve services at ward-level health centres and at other district-level hospitals, helping to increase patients trust and ease overcrowding at city-level hospitals. He was one of 113 people recently honoured by the municipal administration for his contributions to the City. He spoke to Gia Loc about his work.

Inner Sanctum: Could you tell us how you improved services at some of the citys health facilities?

The way to serve patients best is to consider them as the centre of healthcare service. With this mindset, I have developed initiatives to improve services. The initiatives have included the use of electronic medical records and a satellite emergency station with global positioning systems (GPS) at the Thu uc District Hospital.

The hospital was the first in the country to use electronic medical records and open a general health clinic at ward-based health centres, which lack doctors and offer few examinations or treatment services.

Last year, the citys Department of Health honoured the hospitals initiatives. The citys administration has also commended the Thu uc Hospital for excellent achievements in improving quality, which has resulted in higher patient satisfaction over the last four years.

The hospital has been honoured along with city- and central-level hospitals, including the Tu Du Hospital, the Paediatrics Hospital 1, the Cho Ray Hospital, the Binh Dan Hospital and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

Inner Sanctum: Why did you set up a general health clinic at health centres in district wards?

The hospital has set up three general health clinics at health centres in district wards to improve services and help residents in outlying areas. With these centres, patients dont have to go to the inner city for basic services.

Now is the time to build a general health clinic in wards and communes. But it was not as difficult as I originally thought. The clinics help increase the number of doctors at ward- or commune-based health centres, many of which have only one doctor. The health clinics are equipped with advanced medical equipment for diagnosis and treatment.

Hospitals with qualified doctors and advanced techniques should invest in general health clinics at ward- or commune-based health centres to increase patient trust. Doctors also can rotate by taking turns at these clinics.

Thanks to the reputation of the Thu uc Hospitals doctors, the clinic at the centre has attracted many patients. For instance, the general health clinic at the health centre in Thu uc Districts Nhi Linh Xuan Ward now treats 500 patients every day.

Doctors at the centre can work for the clinic beyond just providing preventive health services, which the citys health authority has assigned. While working with the clinics doctors, they can improve their skills and professional capacity. Moreover, their income can increase as the salary of medical workers at centres in wards and communes is low.

Besides general health clinics, doctors at the health centre can develop a model of family medicine devoted to comprehensive health care for people of all ages in the locality.

By the year end, the hospital will expand the number of general health clinics to the remaining nine ward-level health centres in the district. I believe the services in wards and communes will attract a large number of patients in the next three years.

The clinics that attract many patients will help reduce patient overcrowding at the Thu uc District Hospital. This overloading affects quality and can damage the brand name that took years to build. Hospital-acquired infections can also more easily occur because of overcrowding.

Inner Sanctum: Why do you want to help other district-level hospitals, especially those in the citys outlying areas?

I experienced a shortage of medical equipment and difficulty in attracting patients in the beginning. So I am now ready to provide assistance and share experiences with other district-level hospitals that need my help.

That is a social responsibility of the hospital. I send the hospitals doctors to other hospitals, such as general hospitals in districts 11, Cu Chi, and Binh Chanh, for training. As district-level hospitals develop, local residents will benefit from primary health care. Late detection and treatment, which increases the rate of mortality, will also no longer occur in the country.

Inner Sanctum: What steps have you taken at the Thu uc District Hospital, which had only 100 to 200 patients in the beginning?

In 2007, the Thu uc Hospital opened and I was chosen to become its director. At that time, the hospital had only 17 doctors and one X-ray machine, a portable ultrasound machine, and simple testing machines.

I met with enterprises in the health sector, including those in medical equipment, to seek co-operation. I also visited city-level hospitals to invite qualified doctors who were working there, but were not paid a salary. I ensured that they would have a good working environment to prove their ability and have a stable income. I used my money to rent houses with all mod cons for them to live near the hospital. Now, the hospital has more than 500 medical workers.

The next thing which I did was try to attract more patients. My staff and I visited all industrial parks and export processing zones in the district to hand out leaflets to workers there every afternoon for many months after their shifts ended. I also took advantage of the time when I visited companies to talk about health issues and introduce the hospital. And I took part in meetings of residents to talk about the hospital.

Many people gradually got to know the hospital. When they come for examination and treatment many times, they find that doctors and medical equipment are good. So they return to the hospital for treatment.

The number of patients after one year of operation increased to nearly 400 per day, and now we have 5,000 per day. The number of insured patients who designate the hospital to be the first health facility on their health insurance cards also rose from 5,000 in the beginning to 300,000 now.

Inner Sanctum: Which advanced technologies are your hospitals doctors using?

District-level hospitals find it difficult to keep qualified doctors. Applying high-tech and advanced technology helps to create a brand name. When the hospital has a good reputation, its qualified doctors do not want to leave to work for other hospitals. This creates an environment that helps doctors develop their professional skills.

Hospitals have to create a good working environment. This means that managers have to take thorough care of their staffs work and daily life. They allow the staff to prove their capacity, and the staff works in solidarity.

Applying advanced techniques also helps change the mindset of society toward district hospitals. I have proven that the mindset is wrong. People can benefit from comprehensive healthcare services at a district hospital in their locality.

Our hospital has applied most high-tech procedures that the city- or central-level hospitals perform, such as cardiovascular intervention and surgery on brain tumours. VNS
Habitat ReStore expands hours

WATERLOO  Open for a year and half, the Habitat for Humanity ReStore is ready to expand business hours to accommodate for more donation drop-offs and shopping time.

The ReStore, located on Hammond Avenue in Waterloo, opened in November 2015 and will now be open Tuesdays beginning this week. Hours will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

The store is open to the public and sells used furnishings and building materials in good condition. Several local businesses also donate new products. Proceeds from the store help build affordable homes locally.

Bossard opens

in California

CEDAR FALLS  Bossard Americas has opened the first location of its kind in Milpitas, Calif.

The Bossard Design Center is a space built to meet the needs of leading design engineers in the Silicon Valley.

Bossard Americas is based in Cedar Falls and is part of the Bossard Group which is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland.

C.F. Schools earns honors

CEDAR FALLS  Cedar Falls Community School District is among 19 schools and districts being recognized by the District Administration magazine for math instruction and makerspace initiatives as part of the new Schools of TechXcellence program.

TechXcellence was created by the magazine, in conjunction with HP and Intel, to recognize schools that have implemented innovative, effective and replicable technology programs.

Cedar Falls Schools is being recognized for its Makerspace Labs program, which puts 3D printers, robots, video cameras and manufacturing equipment in schools, allowing students to create, experiment and innovate on their own terms.

For more information, go to www.districtadministration.com/techx.
AMES  Its no secret the role of the Extension service is changing across the nation. At Iowa State University, the change is too obvious to miss.

John Lawrence, who has held several jobs over the years at ISU, is now the interim vice president for Extension and Outreach, where he succeeds Cathann Kress.

Iowa State, which is in the midst of a search for a new university president, also is preparing to search for a permanent head of the Extension service. Meanwhile, Lawrence is the man in charge and is filling the gap as he has so often done at ISU.

Lawrence, who began his career as an Extension agricultural economist at the University of Minnesota, came to ISU as an Extension livestock economist in 1991.

He later became director of the Iowa Beef Center, assistant director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, interim director of the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, interim director of the Iowa State Beginning Farmer Center and interim director of the Iowa State University Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation.

Im kind of a utility infielder, he says.

But Lawrence knows how to keep the ship moving forward for Extension at a time of change in agriculture, government and education policies.

Were always changing, Lawrence says of the Extension service. I always felt I was pretty knowledgeable about agriculture, but times change.

When the Extension service first started about 100 years ago, it was aimed at providing science and expertise for a very rural and uneducated population. Just as land-grant colleges were aimed at providing education for the masses, the Extension service was aimed at taking university research to the countryside.

For much of that time, Extension meant county offices and local representatives who were usually agricultural experts. But as technology changed, Extension began to use more remote educational tools through the internet.

And as the rural population changes and agriculture evolves, the service has taken different approaches in different states.

We have a public responsibility, Lawrence says. But, he adds, there are always questions about how best to meet that responsibility.

In Iowa, the Extension service still maintains an office in every county  100 offices around the state. But county officials now provide some of the funding and make some of the decisions about staffing in those offices. Not every office has an agricultural specialist and some specialize in urban education efforts.

Some critics say Extension has outlived its importance as ever larger farm operations start to get more and more of their information from private contractors and companies. The argument goes: If the farmers are paying for professional help, do they really need the Extension service?

But Lawrence says the answer is surprising to many.

He says many of those private companies, such as crop scouts, still depend heavily on the Extension service for information, meaning at times, Extension experts are educating the companies instead of directly educating the farmers. And those farmers often look toward university sources to verify advice they may be getting online or from advisers.

Were farmers first second opinion, he says.

Still, there are challenges on the horizon.

As is the case for many businesses, Extension employs many people from the baby boomer generation, which means there will be staff turnover in the near future. And government funding of research and education is under pressure on both the state and national level, meaning money will be an issue.

The funding streams for Extension are flat right now, and in an organization where personnel costs make up 71 percent of the budget, this can be a problem.

Most states face similar issues, and each approaches it differently from a staffing and budget standpoint. In Iowa, there are offices in every county and regional specialists. Minnesota has regional offices, while Kansas takes a county approach. Missouri uses what Lawrence calls a cluster system where clusters of counties host a variety of specialists for that area.

The proposed federal budget from the new presidential administration includes deep cuts in agricultural research, which would hurt Extension. Congress isnt likely to pass that proposed budget as is, and there is some support for Extension. State lawmakers have not targeted the program specifically for cuts.

But to keep that support, the Extension service will need to continue to evolve and change, Lawrence says.

That may mean more online programs and fewer employees, a different informational approach or even a different audience  targeting urban areas more because that is where the population is or becoming more of a part of an effort to boost rural areas. It will clearly mean adapting for a new generation.

Weve heard young people say that Extension is Google for old people, Lawrence says. But it is a place where people come to find out what the research is behind a subject.

Meanwhile, ISU officials hope to have a new university president in place this fall, and it is likely there will not be a permanent Extension head until after that happens. Until then, the utility infielder is on the job.
DES MOINES -- Iowa students took top honors and special awards at the 2017 National History Day Contest at the University of Maryland in June.

Morgan Kapping of NashuaPlainfield High School came in fourth in the country for a senior individual exhibit: "Taking a Stand With An Armband: Tinker v. Des Moines."

Students from Council Bluffs, Cedar Rapids, Johnston, North Scott-Eldridge also earned top honors in various categories.

National History Day is a year-long academic enrichment program that challenges students to research, develop and present papers, exhibits, documentaries, websites and performances about historical issues, ideas, people and events related to an annual theme. This years theme is Taking a Stand in History.
CEDAR FALLS  The Iowa Board of Regents tuition task force will hold a public forum in August to hear from area residents and students about the University of Northern Iowas long-term budget plans and students share in their education.

It is one of a series of public meetings being held around the state and particularly at the three public higher education institutions.

The forum will begin at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 7 on the UNI campus in the Commons Slife Ballroom.

It will begin with a UNI presentation on its five-year tuition outlook, with a public listening session following from noon to 1 p.m.

Its going to be an open dialogue, and were not pushing toward any particular result, but we know that we have to discuss this in an open format, because whatever were doing needs to be a little different. It needs to be fixed. We want to hear from people, Michael Richards, regents board president, said during last months meeting announcing the task force.

There will be opportunities for public comments during the meetings on the campuses. The meetings will also be live streamed, with a link posted on the home page of the Iowa Board of Regents websites.

Comments may also be emailed to the tuition task force at www.iowaregents.edu/plans-and-policies/tuition-task-force.

The task force was formed because appropriations have not kept up with the cost of higher education and after regents approved post-legislative session tuition increases two years in a row.

During the most recent effort to raise tuition  students will see a 5 percent increase this fall  students had called for more certainty in their costs and for the regents to do more realistic budgeting.

The task force will hold four meetings. The other meetings are as follows:

9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, July 27, at the John and Mary Pappajohn Education Center, 1200 Grand Ave., in Des Moines. The task force will hear from legislators and hear economic development and business representatives.

10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 9, at Iowa State University Scheman Building Room 240. The task force will hear a five-year tuition presentation from Iowa State administrators.

10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Aug. 14, at University of Iowa Biology Building East in the Kollros Auditorium. The task force will hear a five-year tuition presentation from University of Iowa administrations.

The task force was announced at the regents June meeting  though talks had been held earlier in the spring  with the intention to have a public discussion about issues and strategies central to the process of setting tuition at the public universities.

It is made up of regents Larry McKibben, chairman, Milt Dakovich of Waterloo, vice chairman, Sherry Bates and Nancy Boettger.

The task force will provide a summary of its meetings to the full board during its September meeting.
WATERLOO  The Board of Education will seek bids for the demolition of the abandoned Devonshire School at Mondays meeting, since no buyers have come forward to purchase it.

The board plans to hold a public hearing on the matter, then seek bids for the demolition of the school  which closed in 1987.

Devonshire, at 515 Devonshire Drive, would be the latest in a string of abandoned schools that have been demolished in recent years, including the old Kittrell Elementary in 2009; Black Hawk Elementary in 2010; the old Expo High, originally Hawthorne elementary school on Franklin Street in 2013; the old Irving Elementary at 728 Hawthorne Ave, in 2014; Logan Middle School at 1515 Logan Ave., in 2015; Edison Elementary at 740 Magnolia Parkway in 2016; and the old Orange Elementary at 6028 Kimball Ave. in March.

Longfellow Elementary School at 233 Edwards St. is also likely to meet the same fate in the near future, school officials have said.

The schools have been replaced by new buildings either nearby or on the same plot of land, like Kittrell and Logan (now Carver Academy), partially by using a voter-approved 1 percent sales tax.

The school board also plans to discuss a new sharing agreement with Cedar Falls to begin this fall. If approved, Waterloo School students will be able to enroll in Cedar Falls Center for Advanced Professional Studies programs, while Cedar Falls Schools students will be able to enroll in Waterloos Career and Technical Education program.

Ten Cedar Falls students have enrolled in Waterloos nursing program, while five Waterloo students will attend the CAPS engineering program this fall, said Crystal Buzza, executive director of professional technical education for Waterloo Community Schools.

The meeting will be 5 p.m. at the Education Service Center, 1516 Washington St.
EVANSDALE  The city is staking its claim to the last weekend of July for its annual Community Days celebration July 28-30.

Weve got a full weekend planned, Mayor Doug Faas said.

Events include:

July 28, free firemens dance at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Response Center, 911 S. Evans Road, and fireworks.

July 29, parade at 9:30 a.m. downtown, with free kids events from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and a barbecue cookoff hosted by Teds Hardware on Lafayette Road.

July 29, a mud volleyball tournament adjacent to the Evansdale Fire Department, traditionally a big part of the celebration. Competition begins 11 a.m. July 29.

July 30, a community musical praise event is at 11 a.m. at Angels Park Memorial; a 12:15 p.m. fun run will be at Meyers Lake and H2O fights are planned for 1:30 p.m. at the Fire Department.

The parade was moved from Friday evening to Saturday in recent years to accommodate organizers and firefighters.

It was very well received, Faas said. Nothing but very positive comments. So I think from now on thats what well do. Makes for a very full day.

The mud volleyball tournament has been part of festival for many years. It was once held on a different weekend, but often conflicted with other events, like Iowa Irish Fest in Waterloo.

We knew August was just booked. End of July seems to be kind of an open weekend, Faas said. We hope, going forward, that becomes known as Evansdales weekend. If you want something to do in the Cedar Valley, it doesnt take long to find something to do.

More information may be obtained on the Evansdale Community Days Facebook page.

Correction (July 10): this article was corrected to reflect the correct dates for the parad, kids events and barbecue, and that mud volleyball is July 29 only.
WATERLOO  Chronic violators of city fireworks rules could get more than a slap on the wrist under a proposal the City Council will consider Monday night.

Safety services director and Police Chief Dan Trelka is recommending the council change a city ordinance to allow repeated fireworks complaints to be designated as a chronic nuisance.

It adds an additional penalty and allows us to bill for police services, Trelka said.

Trelka said his department has handled 784 complaints since June 1, issuing six citations.

Legislation signed May 9 by Gov. Terry Branstad legalized the sale and use of fireworks statewide from June 1 through July 8 and from Dec. 10 through Jan. 3 but allows cities to institute further restrictions.

Waterloo allowed fireworks to be set off from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. June 30 and July 3 and from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on July 1, 2 and 4. Mayor Quentin Hart said the city is tracking all fireworks complaints for future City Council deliberation. But Trelka is unsure if the City Council will make any other changes.

Waterloo has not yet decided whether they will allow usage in the future, Trelka has stressed. As per council action taken, usage after 11 p.m on July 4 is prohibited in the city of Waterloo.

The council meeting is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall.
Business / Local

by Staff Reporter

BUSINESS mogul and Econet Wireless founder Strive Masiyiwa has revealed that he is planning an international investors conference to help revive Bulawayo.Masiyiwa said he would be in the city soon for the conference, but did not give specific dates for the international indaba.The businessman, who is based in London, the United Kingdom, posted this on his Facebook Timeline yesterday.He was responding to questions from Zimbabweans after he announced that he would address a Town Hall meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania next Thursday.One Facebook user asked him to hold a similar meeting at the City Hall in Bulawayo and he responded that he was planning something bigger for the city."I would love that very much but we would need a bigger venue because I have so many friends in that city, some of whom I have not seen for 17 years. I fast and pray for Zimbabwe one full day every week. It shall surely come to pass that I will visit you one day because God is faithful to those who diligently seek after Him. So let's continue to pray together for a huge Entrepreneurship Summit which will bring entrepreneurs from all over the world to help restore your great city. God bless you!" wrote Masiyiwa.The business mogul will be in Tanzania next week where he is scheduled to speak at a meeting of Mobile Network Operators in Africa.He will take the opportunity to hold a Town Hall meeting on entrepreneurship at the Aga Khan Diamond Jubilee Hall in Dar es Salaam.Recently, Masiyiwa had another Town Hall meeting in Rwanda and last year he held some events in Kenya.Last December, he dismissed speculation that he would run for president in next year's polls."Not interested in politics, not in the past, not now, and not in the future," Mr Masiyiwa said then.
I grew up in the United Kingdom and emigrated when I was 26, so unlike most Americans I have experienced a single-payer health system. The United Kingdoms National Health Service has been in existence for around 70 years. In my youth one couldnt make an appointment to see a doctor. You had to show during the four surgery hours, first-come, first served. That usually meant waiting for at least one or two hours. Very inconvenient.

Scott Cawelti wrote (July 2) the few problems with universal Medicare seem like minor inconveniences. Well, here are some of the minor inconveniences the NHS has foisted on the UK public over the last few years.

1. Two years ago doctors were instructed to be be more careful in deciding treatment for patients approaching the end of their lives. Translation: Weigh the cost of treatment against the probability the patient will die soon anyway. Death panels anyone?

2. Last year young doctors went on strike against the NHS over pay, certainly causing more than a minor inconvenience. Remember the vast majority of doctors in the UK work almost entirely with NHS patients.

3. This year, for the first time in its history, the number of nurses working for the NHS declined from the previous year because they couldnt recruit enough at prevailing rates of pay. Another not-so-minor inconvenience.

4. If you dont have supplementary insurance, which everyone in the UK who can afford it does, elective surgery, i.e. any surgery that isnt to keep you from dying imminently, requires a wait of at least nine months. Good luck if you need a hip replacement and cant sleep because of the pain. And lets hear it for the VA medical system, where veterans die waiting for care.

Cawelti proposes universal Medicare. Iowans are fortunate almost all doctors in Iowa take Medicare insurance. Not so in New York City (we live in nearby Connecticut and summer here). Almost no specialist will accept Medicare or at least will require a large additional payment. Im sure that is true in most large cities.

The notion the government will be able to negotiate much better prices is a fallacy. There are only a few health insurance companies, and they are big companies. They certainly negotiate prices with drug companies, and hospitals and are driven by the profit motive to keep clients by giving good care at good prices. Government bureaucrats are, as Dennis Clayson pointed out in his article, process driven, and have no personal interest in getting the best prices or giving the best service.

I can only hope California decides to try a single-payer system so Americans can see for themselves what a disaster it will be. It is amazing anyone can imagine that if anyone can get any treatment they want at no cost somehow it will save money. Hypochondriac heaven. My wife and I are both on Medicare and every six months I see a podiatrist, something I should have done but never did when I had to pay for it. What will end up happening is the system cost will be much higher than anyone expects, and now it needs to save money somehow  see above.
How stupid are the people of Iowa? Donald Trump asked when Iowa polls showed him down. American presidents are judged by the words they say or write. Presidents lives become American history subjects under scrutiny. The person who fills the position of the president of the United States is the most publicly visible person in our country and around the world.

Constitutionalists will tell you how important words are. Upon taking the oath for president, Trump positioned himself to be compared to his 44 extraordinary predecessors in what they said and did. Below is a comparison.

On harmony

George Washington: Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony for all.

John Kennedy:  a future in which our country will match its military strength with moral restraint, its wealth with our wisdom, its power with our purpose.

George W. Bush: America can be a lawful society and a welcoming society at the same time.

Barack Obama: If we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.

Trump: I am going to bomb the (expletive deleted) out of them!

Trump: When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best.  Theyre sending people that have lots of problems.  Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists.

Trump: The other thing about the terrorists. You have to take out their families, when you get those terrorists, you have to take out their families.

Trump: We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital and in every hall of power. From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, its going to be only America first, America first.

On heroes

Barack Obama: Ive said it before, and Ill say it again  Senator McCain has served this country with honor, and he deserves our thanks for that.

Trump: John McCain is not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured? I like people who werent captured.

On the press

Thomas Jefferson: Our liberty depends upon the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.

Theodore Roosevelt: To announce that there must be no criticism of the president  is morally treasonable to the American public.

Trump: Any polls are fake news.

Trump: You know it really doesnt matter what they write about you as long as youve got a young and beautiful piece of a_ _.

Trump: The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!

On honesty

Ronald Reagan: Democracy is worth dying for, because its the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man.

Dwight Eisenhower: The supreme quality of leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible.

Thomas Jefferson: Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.

John Adams: Facts are stubborn things, and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.

Trump: You know Im automatically attracted to beautiful. I just start kissing them. Its like a magnet. Just kiss. I dont even wait. And when youre a star they let you do it. You can do anythingGrab them by the (expletive deleted). You can do anything.

There are too many quotes that have been proven as lies from Trump to list here. A Trump spokesperson even coined the term alternative facts when covering for the dishonesty of Trumps statements. Presently the ultimate fact-checker  Politifact.com  finds Trumps statements as 75 percent untruthful with only 25 percent bearing some truth. Politifacts research found 50 percent of what Trump says or writes is absolute lies and only 5 percent is fully truthful.

The best advice I can offer Donald Trump at this point was said by Honest Abe.

Abraham Lincoln: Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.

In respect to Iowans who voted for and still support Trump, he once asked, How stupid are the people of Iowa?
Six months may have passed since readers last got their say in this space, but nothing during that time has mellowed their views of this effort, the words they use to explain those views and some of their more colorful suggestions on where they think I should store my ink pens.

For example, a March column outlining how Congress first effort to reform the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, would impact rural America wasnt well received by Kevin B. Just got done reading your rubbish on rural health care. Your left-leaning ignorance is shining thru again! his email began.

His solution to my (and, later, the Congressional Budget Offices) deep concerns about the first House rewrite was as simple as it was straightforward: Dont you worry your little pouty head off; the adults, the Republicans  are running the Country now.

Another late winter column, this one on the proposed (now approved) merger between three upper Midwest Farm Credit lenders, brought emails, editorials and telephone calls from Delaware to Nebraska. Many began like one letter to the editor published in the March 21 Delmarva Farmer:

I am writing in response to Alan Gueberts poorly researched column regarding Farm Credit, wrote a boss at MidAtlantic Farm Credit. Guebert, he claimed, has gotten all his facts from two people who are paid to propagate false facts about the Farm Credit System to eliminate us as a competitor in local markets.

If true, those two paid propagators are even worse at their jobs than I am at mine because the Farm Credit System  despite all our false propagating  is one of the fastest-growing lenders in the world. In 2013, FCS reported $247.5 billion in assets. In 2016, its listed assets were $320.1 billion, a $72.5 billion jump in just three years.

Another published letter to the editor in another newspaper not only offered me two cents worth of professional advice, it also offered my oldest brother and me some career advice.

Maybe its time the Guebert Boys retired, noted the letter writer, taking me to task for a late January column and, coincidentally, a missive that my brother, a state farm group officeholder, had written that was published the same week in the same newspaper.

Two brothers publishing separate columns in the same newspaper the same week get one letter that objects to both them and their columns has to be some sort of record, right?

A mid-June column that took exception to President Donald J. Trumps withdrawal from the Paris climate accord brought more than a few warmly worded emails from readers. One opened with Mr. Guebert, are you so foolish to buy into the biggest sham in all of history? and ended, Surely you are smarter than to be taken in by this.

Another, in part, read, Id like to tell you what I really think of your (Paris) column  but I cannot without my blood pressure rising.

At least not all the mail was written with one eye on the woodshed. Most arrived carrying kind praise and warm compliments.

One letter, written in print so small and so perfect that, at first glance, it appeared mechanical, begins Dear Alan, and quickly adds, I hope it is OK to say Dear Alan instead of Mr. Guebert  I feel like you are a neighbor after reading many of your writings in our newspaper.

Sure, its OK, neighbor; and its an honor.

One Nebraska emailer, like many others over the years, wondered how a member of the LCMS  Lutheran Church Missouri Synod  can have the political views that you express in your columns. I was wondering, are you still a member of the LCMS?

Yes, of course, brother; and, oh, go in peace.

Before you go, though, keep those cards, letters and emails coming.
Democrats are upset. The last legislative session was a total nightmare. Even more unhappily, the next one promises to be worse. But hope, which is all the ammunition they have left, faces the grim reality their political opponents are far better armed.

The General Assembly contest of 2018 is going to be the equivalent of a battle between the cavalry of the Civil War against the tanks of World War II.

There are a variety of reasons the GOP might not only retain control of both the House and the Senate when legislators gather in Des Moines next year, but actually increase their margins.

A few factors that help us reach this conclusion are evident to all who follow closely the political landscape. First, to say it mildly, the Iowa Democratic Party is in disarray. It has been unable to reconcile the anger Bernie Sanders supporters felt towards anyone who supported Hillary Clinton. For Bernies bros, if you were for Clinton then you are a neo-liberal, a corruption apologist and should be driven from any leadership position, if not from the party entirely.

Further, the party is broke and is unlikely to gather the resources to financially compete with the Republicans in 2018.

But the biggest reason a change of legislative leadership is unlikely is none of the above. The answer is a new law called election reform, to which too little attention has been paid. This is the effort to drive purported voter fraud out of our elections by decreasing and complicating access to the polls.

While proponents of the act can claim they wanted to insure the integrity of the results of our ballots, the real reason is much more sophisticated. For years, Sen. Tom Harkin held the key for a Democrat to prevail statewide was to carry an identified thirty-three counties. A few of these you will recognize right away: Johnson (Iowa City), Linn (Cedar Rapids), Polk and Warren, Story (Ames), Woodbury (Sioux City) and Wapello (Ottumwa).

What these counties and the others, like Dubuque, have in common are a heavy concentration of lower-income people and college students. The harder is it is vote, the less likely lower-income individuals will vote. For college students, the law change is more astute.

The new voter ID cards will be issued automatically to the individual based on the address listed on their drivers license. Unless you change the registration within the time limits allowed, you can only cast a vote back in your home county. Suddenly, eligible college voters will find themselves casting their ballots back home if they vote at all. A Democrat ballot in western Iowa, were the GOPs margins are overwhelming, means one vote in a legislative race is almost meaningless.

Sure, you can go to the polls, and if another individual will attest you are a resident of your college town, you can vote. Here is the catch. An individual can only attest for one other voter. So, each student will be required to take a different individual who will certify they live in the area.

For Republicans, these reforms have worked remarkably well. Make voting more complex, shorten the voting period, anchor votes to where the individual lived when they got their drivers license or were renting an apartment, and votes for Democrats go down.

This is particularly true where the impact is the greatest, those 33 counties.

There is a reason Kris Kobach, secretary of state in Kansas, has been appointed vice chairman on the presidents commission in search of voter fraud. Thanks to the secretarys voter reform effort in Kansas, 30,000 Democrats lost their right to vote.

Nationally, you can expect Kobachs commission to recommend the changes Iowa and Kansas have already completed.

I am reminded of the call to the racers to start the Indy 500: Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. Thats the one, come next year, the GOP is going to hear. For the Democrats it will be, Ladies and gentlemen, mount your horses.

Of course, that assumes the Republican Legislature doesnt take away their saddles.
Why are Republicans on Capitol Hill having so much trouble repealing and replacing Obamacare? There are reasons all over the place: subsidies, tax credits, tax cuts, Medicaid, essential health benefits and many others. But there is one fundamental obstacle to getting rid of Obamacare, and it is very simple: Once the government starts giving away, it cant take back.

Go back to October 2013, when Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz was leading an effort to defund Obamacare. It was an impossible goal; the GOP was in the minority in the Senate, and a Democrat was in the White House. Under those circumstances, defunding President Obamas signature achievement simply wasnt going to happen. Establishment Republicans were angry at Cruz for raising the hopes of the partys base before certain disappointment.

But there was one sense in which Cruz was right  and the words he spoke four years ago are resonating today in the GOPs struggle to repeal, or, more accurately, rewrite Obamacare.

Cruz based the defunding effort on his contention once Obamacare was fully in place and subsidies began to flow  that was scheduled to begin on Jan. 1, 2014  there would be no stopping it.

The Obama strategy, I believe, is that on Jan. 1, subsidies kick in, Cruz told a meeting of the Kingwood, Texas, tea party in August 2013. And his strategy is very simple: He knows that in modern times no major entitlement has ever gone into effect and been unwound. Never been done. His strategy is to get as many Americans as possible hooked on the subsidies, addicted to the sugar.

I think if were going to stop Obamacare, we have to do it now, Cruz continued. If we get to Jan. 1, this thing is here forever.

Of course Republicans did not defund Obamacare  there was never any chance they could  and the subsidies began. And now, exactly as Cruz (and others) predicted, the entitlement program is proving extremely difficult to repeal. That is because, as Obama and the Democrats who passed it knew, Republicans trying to repeal Obamacare would be taking back something the government had already given to millions of Americans. Once the giving started, Cruz knew, theres no taking back.

And thats where Republicans are now. Theyve come up with a different way to provide subsidies, but regardless of name, they are trying to reduce those subsidies and make them available to fewer people. They are trying to cut back on the subsidized benefits insurance companies are required to provide to customers. They are trying to reduce the predicted number of people on Medicaid. They are trying to take back, not give. And it is proving very, very hard.

Other Republicans said similar things during the defunding battle back in 2013. Sen. Mike Lee said, Before this law kicks in in full force on Jan. 1, 2014, we have one last shot. Sen. Marco Rubio said, This is our last chance and our last best chance to do something about this. Sen. David Vitter said, Once (Obamacare) gets into law and starts to put down roots, its going to be difficult to disrupt.

And now it is.

What the 2013 fight showed, and what the current fight is showing again, is the Republicans actual last chance to get rid of Obamacare was the 2012 election. That was before the health care law went into effect, before it touched millions of American lives, and when it could still be repealed without great disruption. But when Barack Obama won re-election and could safeguard (and prop up) Obamacare through its early years, the Republican chance to repeal was gone.

Now Republicans are fighting among themselves over a bill that would make substantial changes in Obamacare but leave the structure of the law intact. And several GOP lawmakers  enough to scuttle any final agreement  are still afraid of cuts in subsidies, in coverage and in the Medicaid expansion.

Maybe Republicans will succeed. But whatever they do, it wont resemble the root-and-branch repeal they attempted when Obama was president  when they knew he would veto any repeal effort that got to his desk. The Republican effort that passes Congress today will be a much-scaled-back measure that could more accurately be called an Obamacare fix.

It all shows that Cruz was right back in 2013. Once Obamacares subsidies and benefits began to flow, he reminded us, this thing is here forever.
Several people in my life are mad at me. Not my liberal friends, but my conservative ones. They are mad because I said I would keep my comments regarding President Trump within open-minded parameters. There was no pretense that I ever liked him, but I preached keeping criticism as Panglossian as possible.

At that time I had hoped Trumps rhetoric would find a more moderate tone once he took office. My Democratic friends were never as optimistic, but I am hardwired toward getting things done, and that makes me hopeful by nature.

But that optimism quickly faded. No, it was obliterated. It didnt even take a week. On day one, President Trump laid out his plans, and they were true to the rhetoric that ignited cheers for walls, the banning of Muslims and chest-beating nationalism. And when nearly 3 million people around the globe marched for womens rights and to demonstrate they arent going to overlook the objectifying insults to Carly Fiorini, Megyn Kelly or any woman who was mashed up against a wall by his immoral perception of celebrity entitlement, my conscience dictated I join them.

I had actually thought once in office, Donald Trump would be better served by showing some progressivism; that he would want to align with women and minorities and bask in the glow of accolades from all sides. He knew he had the support of tea partiers no matter what he said or did. He knew he had Wall Street even if he exposed his friends laughing all the way to the bank. He knew most evangelicals will support him even if his behavior contradicts everything they believe in. So why not give us bleeding hearts a nod?

I was foolish. His immediate actions were budgets that would slash the NEA, NEH, womens health protection and education. He signed away regulations protecting our amber waves of grain in order to amp up production of dirty fossil fuels. He followed with an immigration ban that slapped Lady Liberty across the face.

That is now months ago, and my consternation about policy misalignments is practically cliche. Today, it is about the man, Donald Trump. He continues to reveal himself as a childish bully who uses world attention to tweet like a scorned sixth-grader. The repudiation of that behavior should cross party lines; being presidential is important when you are ostensibly the leader of the free world.

I love the promise of American freedom, equality and justice, and I will challenge anyone or anything I feel compromises our nations great destiny. We should all be willing to join a discordant chorus (when peaceful) to secure our checks and balances. Our Constitution, with the right to petition our government, is what keeps us strong. It is how America will survive no matter who is in charge.

Freedom of speech was put into our pre-eminent amendment for a reason, and that was not simply to be read and admired but to be exercised.
The city of Waterloo is on the cusp of a great opportunity should it decide to sell the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center. Its the type of opportunity that doesnt present itself very often.

Proposed development agreements with Omaha, Neb.-based Leslie Hospitality appear to show the deal would turn long-standing taxpayer subsidies for the downtown facility into a new revenue stream.

Leslie Hospitality also plans to buy the Ramada hotel and renovate it into a Hotel RL.

One sticking point for some had been the fact Leslie would change the name to the Waterloo Convention Center  dropping the iconic Sullivan name from the title.

I really strongly suggest you rethink the renaming, Councilman Steve Schmitt told Leslie Hospitality officials at a City Council meeting last month. That is a unique part of American history, and I think if you dont understand that youre probably missing a great marketing opportunity.

That was apparently resolved Friday when Mayor Quentin Hart, Leslie Hospitality representatives and Sullivan family members met and came up with a proposal to rename the entire block where the convention center is located Sullivan Brothers Plaza and incorporate it into the convention centers new name: Waterloo Convention Center at Sullivan Brothers Plaza.

Edwin Leslie, president and chief executive officer of Leslie Hospitality, has spoken of a possible new memorial in front of the convention center to honor the five brothers who died when their U.S. Navy ship was sunk by a Japanese torpedo during World War II.

I believe that we can do a very strong memorial setting to honor them and their service and what theyve done for the community and the country and not impact the name of the facility itself, Leslie said. We feel Waterloo Convention Center is critical to bringing in people to the Waterloo community.

The city has been struggling for years to maintain the convention center with limited public funds and keep up with newer competition in other communities. Meanwhile, the Ramada has seen its ratings plummet in recent online travel guides.

The development agreements were detailed in Courier stories over the past couple of weeks. Here are some general pluses for the city and its taxpayers:

The building, now owned by the city, generates no property taxes. Should this deal go through, the center will eventually pay $750,000 a year (the city will give back 50 percent for 10 years as part of the agreement.)

The city puts $250,000 of hotel-motel taxes annually into convention center operations. That money could be used elsewhere. The city spends $700,000 per year in bond funds repaid by local property taxpayers to maintain the building. That also could go to other uses.

There also would be expanded tourism possibilities with a modernized convention center and a refurbished hotel.

The deal would be a great positive step for the city in terms of finances and local tourism.

John Maloney, whose firm handles marketing for Leslie Hospitality properties, said the name change is necessary to overcome the centers poor standing in the convention and events market due to its age, current lack of amenities and poor service level.

This is an opportunity to show the marketplace this is a new product; this is different, he said. This is not a revamped, spruced-up version of the old product.

As exciting at the centers new look will be, we believe retaining the Sullivan name is an essential step to ensuring the centers success. Not only are the Sullivan brothers a major part of this citys history, the convention center, like Sullivan Brothers Memorial Park and the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum, provides a permanent physical link between this city and its heritage.

Thats not only important for the citizens of Waterloo but for visitors to our city, including many veterans who come to the center because of the history of the Sullivans.

The council has scheduled a July 17 public hearing on the development agreement. We hope that agreement ensures the continued revitalization of downtown Waterloo, renewed convention business  and makes sure the Sullivan brothers name and legacy remain part of the convention center.

We want a convention center the Cedar Valley can be proud of. That pride should include a permanent memorial to the legacy of five Waterloo brothers and the many others who sacrificed for their community, country and the cause of freedom.
Sidewalk issue

CRAIG HUNDLEY

WATERLOO  I want this letter for reference when the city wants me to replace my broken sidewalk again. About three years ago, I received a letter from the city that one section of my sidewalk needed to be replaced. I looked at it and it had a mark spray painted on it. A couple small cracks but nothing compared to that chunk of pipe that sticks up in the middle of the sidewalk just north of Black Hawk Road on Ansborough. OK, fine they replaced it, and hit me with a bill for a few hundred dollars.

Whoever the city contracted to do the work, drove a backhoe over my sidewalk, to use the jackhammer attachment. They busted five sections of perfectly good sidewalk. It must have been OK as the city just inspected it. I called the city engineer. They said theyd send someone out. This went on three times that summer. No response. Last summer, I followed up. No response. This year I called the mayors office and spoke with a lady. I told her the whole story. She agreed it wasnt right and would have someone call me. Im still waiting. Real nice. Someone should be fired!

Editors note: We contacted the city on this matter and got a lengthy response, too lengthy to print. The citys official statement: A review of Engineering Department records found Mr. Hundley contacted this department Oct. 25, 2013, in regards to this matter, and after department review a follow-up conversation was had with him Oct. 28, 2013, wherein the city stated no action would be taken.

Sullivan center

JUDY CIESIELSKI

WATERLOO  The city of Waterloo should not change the name of the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center to Waterloo Convention Center. In the development agreement with the Omaha-based company that wants to own the center, it should have read the name does not change. Yes, the company is investing money to renovate the building, but the city is giving it away for a dollar, 50 percent tax break for 10 years and a cash grant for $1.06 million.

I think the whole development agreement is still on the table with more incentives. A miscommunication? I dont think so, when the Sullivan family was not invited to the work session June 26 or reached out to with a telephone call or a personal visit. Why wasnt the convention center kept up to standards with capital improvement dollars that were allocated to keep the center in good condition in past years?

I think we could name the center Waterloo Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center as a compromise. I wish I had thought of that personally, but was given to me by a friend in a phone conversation.

Come to the Waterloo City Council meeting July 17 in support of the Five Sullivan Brothers name.

Thomas column

DONAVON SCHMOLL

CEDAR FALLS  Responding to a June 7 Cal Thomas column: Back up your assertion climate scientists who disagree with a consensus have been shut out and their papers blocked from mainstream scientific journals. Lets see the names and their affiliations, or are you just mouthing another Trump fakery? Your citation of Richard Lindzen is inadequate. Syria, Nicaragua and Donald Trump  indeed a distinguished trio that have rejected the Paris accord.

Your suggestion Trump should convene a White House conference on climate is a joke.

World view

DAVE SMITH

WATERLOO  While the world views of people vary greatly, the general ideologies can be reduced to two positions: Christian versus humanistic. In short, a biblical Christian world view has been the source of liberty in history, while a humanistic, man-centered world view has promoted tyranny. Those who oppose God and freedom of worship oppose true liberty.

Our states were colonized by people who desired to freely worship the God of the Bible; our schools were begun so everyone would be able to read and understand the Bible for themselves; our laws and Constitution were written based on biblical ideas; our Founding Fathers overwhelmingly had a biblical world view.

If the forces of humanism prevail, the fruit will be loss of liberty, increased crime, more broken homes and less prosperity.

Vast majority

TOM HOAG

CEDAR FALLS  An editorial in The Courier June 16 described the crackpot who opened fire on our congressional people as an outlier. In the last 10 years I have watched this country divide itself on so many fronts, pitting rich vs. poor, black vs. white, Muslim vs. non-Muslim, liberal vs. conservative, gay vs. straight, to name a few, into an almost civil war-like atmosphere.

Add to the mayhem a national media and internet that seemingly have forsaken factual news for programmed opinion, presenting inflammatory, unproven diatribes from unnamed sources on a variety of emotionally sensitive issues, repeated incessantly until the listener is motivated to believe they must be true.

This all leads me back to the editorials comments. While the majority of us would not personally commit a violent act, is it possible we foment so much animosity, turmoil and rage we entice and even urge the outliers into action? Has social media turned us into a mob of sorts, where the emotions of a large group precipitates a few into despicable behavior and then stands back in shocked moral indignation and condemnation?

Please, do not let the malicious blather obscure the founding principles of this country.

Sullivan name

ELDA WATSON

WATERLOO  It would be unconscionable to obliterate the Sullivan Brothers name from that downtown structure. Ive been in Waterloo about 55 years, having been reared in the southern Iowa hamlet of Humeston. Im nearly 85 years old and still remember the Sullivan Brothers disaster during World War II. Their parents continued supporting the war effort, promoting the sale of war bonds.

I understand the need to make that facility profitable. The new owners must be required to continue the use of the Sullivan Brothers name.
Q. What exactly is corned beef?

A. It's beef that's been cured in a salt brine, often with other spices added as well. It used to be done with big "corns" of salt; that's where the term came from.

Q. In the parade in Cedar Falls on Saturday there was a van featuring atheism. Where is their meeting place; how can I contact them?

A. The group was the Eastern Iowa Atheists; you can send a message through their Facebook page.

Q. With the recent windstorm causing widespread power outages does Cedar Falls Utilities plan to move any more of its infrastructure underground?

A. Cedar Falls Utilities spokespeson Mollie Strouse replies: "Approximately 60 percent of CFUs urban electric distribution system is currently underground. CFU will continue to steadily move lower voltage electric lines underground, focused on older parts of the distribution system. This year, CFU plans to move lines underground in the neighborhood around Boulder Drive."

Q. An Evansdale city employee, while on duty, lost control of his vehicle and took down a stop sign. He received no ticket and didnt have to pay for any of the damages. Will all residents of Evansdale receive that same courtesy if that happens to them?

A. Evansdale Mayor Doug Faas replies: "A city employee did nudge a stop sign on a side street that had been previously knocked over by persons unknown. We had temporarily repaired the small metal pole with a bracket after the first incident, and the employee hit the pole hard enough to damage the temporary repair which caused the pole to fail. The pole was replaced with a new pole, and there was no damage to the city vehicle. The employee was not executing an illegal U-turn; he was just momentary distracted. The employee was not ticketed or charged."

Q. Are meadowlarks on the endangered species list? I don't hear or see them anymore.

A. An answer from the Prairie Rapids Audubon Society: "Eastern meadowlarks are not endangered; in fact their conservation state is listed as a species of least concern, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. The meadlowlarks' habitat, namely farm fields, grasslands and wet fields, would be a good place to find them."

Q. What happened to the inspirational channel on Mediacom?

A. According to Mediacom, "We do have a channel called the 'Inspirational Channel'; it is abbreviated to 'INSP' and it is on Channel 93."

Q. Which way should a ceiling fan in the bedroom run in warm weather?

A. In the summer, ceiling fans should rotate counterclockwise to push cool air down to the floor. In the winter, they should spin clockwise at a low speed to pull cool air up and push warm air down along the walls and back to the floor.

Q. What exact years and what networks in the 1950s-'60s did these shows run on: Sky King, Fury and My Friend Flicka?

A. "Sky King" was on originally from 1951-59, and "Fury" was on from 1955-60. "Flicka" was broadcast from 1956-57.

Questions are taken on a special Courier phone line at 234-3566. Questions are answered by Courier staff and staff at the Waterloo Public Library.
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.
Entertainment / Movies

by Rocque Pictures

The controversial article "You Lazy (Intellectual) African Scum!" that went viral on social media has been adapted into a 15-minute film by Rocque Pictures of Nairobi, Kenya. Written by USA-based Zambian author Field Ruwe, the award winning "Intellectual Scum" can be viewed, rented, or purchased at aruwebooks.com for a minimal fee. The film stars Jason Corder as Walter, Patrick Okech as Field Ruwe, and is directed by Kevin Njue.The plot has been changed to suit the needs of local production. On board a commercial airplane, an African Intellectual (Field Ruwe) sits next to a white man (Walter). In their conversation, which is utterly brutal, honest and to some racist, Walter blames African intellectuals for the deplorable state Africa is in. He declares; "The Bwana has spoken. As long as you are dependent on my plane, I shall feel superior and you my friend shall remain inferior, how about that? The Chinese, Japanese, Indians, even Latinos are a notch better. You Africans are at the bottom of the totem pole."Poor and uneducated Africans are the most hardworking people on earth. I saw them in the Lusaka markets and on the street selling merchandise. I saw them in villages toiling away. I saw women on Kafue Road crushing stones for sell and I wept. I said to myself where are the Zambian intellectuals? Are the Zambian engineers so imperceptive they cannot invent a simple stone crusher, or a simple water filter to purify well water for those poor villagers? Are you telling me that after thirty-seven years of independence your university school of engineering has not produced a scientist or an engineer who can make simple small machines for mass use? What is the school there for?Watching the film, acclaimed film critic Maureen Shelmith writes: "I found myself quite agitated by the fact that the African intellectual could not defend Africa from the harsh statements that came from Walter. From this perspective, the director has won hearts in keeping the audience emotionally moved by the dialogue between Walter and Ruwe. The film creates some thought provoking statements, which will make the viewer think about how we view ourselves. Hopefully it will awaken people to rise up and change our countries, and show the West we can make it without their manipulation and donor funds. The punch line we need to do something about it' says it all."Intellectual Scum has been met with widespread critical acclaim. Screening in three continents across the globe at the Silicon Valley African film festival in California, USA, Film Africa in the UK, Cork Africa Film Festival in Ireland, Africa Film Festival "Out of Europe" in Cologne, Germany, Afrika Film Festival in Belgium, Golden Diana Awards in Austria, Luxor African Film Festival in Egypt, Cameroon International Film Festival, and in Kenya at the Zanzibar International Film Festival, Out of Africa Film Festival, the Slum Film Festival, and the Kalasha Film and Television Awards.Critics around the world deem it as one of the most important short films in the history of film in Africa. Watch the teaser here.
The first Financial Profiling tool targeting kids measures 3 important areas of a child's Financial Intelligence makeup : Financial Knowledge, Money Habitudes & Peer Pressure Defence

SINGAPORE, July 09, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- MoneyTree Asia Pacific Pte Ltd has announced the launching of its Financial Aptitude & Success Traits (FAST) Index. FAST, which is arguably the first Financial Profiling tool targeting kids measures 3 important areas of a child's Financial Intelligence makeup : Financial Knowledge, Money Habitudes & Peer Pressure Defence (One's ability to resist peer pressure).



FAST measures all these through a series of fun and quick assessments alongside activities that are designed to capture a child's first and natural response.



MoneyTree, which is based out of Singapore, will provide the first access to FAST through its network of academic partners, territory licensees in Malaysia, Cambodia, Philippines, Australia, Vietnam and Kenya and financial institutions.



Currently, MoneyTree's financial programmes which has gained international recognition, has been conducted in schools in Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam.



Recently, MoneyTree partnered United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Bhd (UOB Malaysia) to launch UOB Malaysia's financial literacy programme aimed at instilling financial awareness and better savings and investment habits among Malaysian consumers. The programme which was designed an age group between 9 and 50. use FAST to help students and parents identify their level of financial competency and understanding. The programme will also adopt MoneyTree's "learn through play" workshops.



MoneyTree, which also runs the Award Winning cartoon series "Cashville Kidz" (in partnership with Maybank & Maybank Foundation across South East Asia), aims to make FAST a standard for measuring the effectiveness of all Financial Literacy Programmes.



"We aim to launch more online tools and products that would form the next level in Financial Education - combining online channels, gamification and psychological profiling to create the most comprehensive Financial Literacy programme available," Michael Reyes, CEO of MoneyTree Asia Pacific Pte Ltd adds during a recent interview.



FAST is expected to launched in the different markets carrying the local language (where relevant) from the 3rd week of July till the end of August 2017.



About MoneyTree Asia Pacific Pte Ltd

MONEYTREE ASIA PACIFIC (MoneyTree) has been promoting, delivering and implementing proprietary Financial Literacy & Entrepreneurship programs to schools, enrichment centers and institutions of higher learning via a face-to- face approach since 2009.



Currently the leading Financial Education Provider in Asia, MoneyTree has been developing a series of online products and tools.



MoneyTree provides content, programs, games & teaching tools to help kids and youth aged 6-22 acquire Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship knowledge to better plan their future.



About FAST:

FAST is a proprietary Assessment & Profiling Tool, which has been named The FAST Index (short for Financial Aptitude & Success Traits Index), designed to provide parents and teachers with an effective means of measuring the progress of a child's Financial Intelligence. FAST, is currently the only assessment that measures the three key components that make up the Total Financial Intelligence composition a child would need.



About MaybankCashvilleKidz (CVK) for Cambodia

The Maybank CashvilleKidz Financial Literacy Program is a flagship program under Maybank Foundation.In Cambodia, the Maybank CashvilleKidzFinancial Literacy Program is a joint initiative of Maybank Foundation, Maybank Cambodia and MoneyTree Asia Pacific to promote and raise the financial literacy level of students in Cambodian schools.



# # #
By C.J. Polychroniou in Truthout:

Noam, are globalization and capitalism different?

Noam Chomsky: If by "globalization" we mean international integration, then it long pre-dates capitalism. The silk roads dating back to the pre-Christian era were an extensive form of globalization. The rise of industrial state capitalism has changed the scale and character of globalization, and there have been further changes along the way as the global economy has been reshaped by those whom Adam Smith called "the masters of mankind," pursuing their "vile maxim": "All for ourselves, and nothing for other people."

There have been quite substantial changes during the recent period of neoliberal globalization, since the late 1970s, with Reagan and Thatcher the iconic figures  though the policies vary only slightly as administrations change. Transnational corporations are the driving force, and their political power largely shapes state policy in their interests.

During these years, supported by the policies of the states they largely dominate, transnational corporations have increasingly constructed global value chains (GVCs) in which the "lead firm" outsources production through intricate global networks that it establishes and controls. A standard illustration is Apple, the world's biggest company. Its iPhone is designed in the US. Parts from many suppliers in the US and East Asia are assembled mostly in China in factories owned by the huge Taiwanese firm Foxconn. Apple's profit is estimated to be about 10 times that of Foxconn, while value added and profit in China, where workers toil under miserable conditions, is slight. Apple then sets up an office in Ireland so as to evade US taxes  and has recently been fined $14 billion by the EU in back taxes.

More here.
Simon Wren-Lewis over at his site Mainly Macro:

In June 2017 a member of the hard left of the Labour party, reviled by the right and centre for his association with left wing leaders and movements around the world and for his anti-nuclear views, in a few short weeks went from one of the most unpopular party leaders ever to achieving the highest vote share for his party since Tony Blair was leader. While this unexpected turn of events was in part the result of mistakes by, and inadequacies of, the Conservative Prime Minister, there is no doubt that many Labour voters were attracted by a programme that unashamedly increased the size of the state.

Contrast this with the United States. A Republican congress seems intent on passing into law a bill that combines taking away health insurance from a large number of citizens with tax cuts for the very rich. Let me quote a series of tweets from Paul Krugman:

The thing I keep returning to on the Senate bill is the contrast between the intense hardship it imposes and the triviality of the gains. Losing health insurance  especially if you're older, low-income, and unhealthy, which are precisely the people hit  is a nightmare. And more than 20 million would face that nightmare. Meanwhile, the top 1% gets a tax cut. That cut is a lot of money, but because the 1% are already rich, it raises their after-tax income only 2 percent  hardly life-changing. So vast suffering imposed to hand the rich a favor they'll barely even notice. How do we make sense of this, politically or morally?

Or to put it another way, 200,000 more deaths over the next ten years for a marginal increase in the after tax income of the 1%. This is no anachronism created by a Trump presidency, but an inevitable consequence of Republican control of Congress and the White House.

Although these two events appear to be in complete contrast, I think they are part of (in the US) and a consequence of (in the UK) a common process, which I will call neoliberal overreach. Why neoliberal? Why overreach?
I called my friend Rajeev and informed him that I was travelling from Paris to Geneva by train running at 320km/hr. At first he couldnt believe the speed and told me that if such a train were available in India, Mumbai-Pune distance would have been covered in less than 30 minutes. While I was talking to Rajeev, I noticed that a fair lady, most likely in early thirties, sitting next to me was paying attention to our conversation. I could easily guess from her deep blue eyes, very fair complexion and slender body that she must be a France citizen. Curious to know her interest in my conversation, I decided to end the call quickly. As soon as I ended the call, she turned towards me and said, Namaste. How are you? I replied, Astonished

Later, she informed me that she is associated with an NGO that works for the betterment of underprivileged children in rural areas of India and has visited the country five times; her maiden voyage to India was in 1995. She went on to say, I visited your country recently when Prime Minister Narendra Modi scrapped the currency notes overnight! , her tone was not as gentle as it was before. I asked if she had to face any intricacy. She told that her Jet Airways flight landed at midnight  just four hours after the big announcement which she was not aware of. By the time she could finish immigration formalities and attempt to get Indian currency at the airport, legal currency bills were out of stock. It was the period of absolute uncertainty. Further she added that demonetization was more a shock than a surprise for her but fortunately she had some Indian friends who lent her money just enough to buy food. Trying to defend my countrys decision and not to upset the French beauty I said, I think it was a good decision with a bad implementation. She didnt react. I changed the topic.

Even with other casual topics of our discussion she seemed quite outspoken and proactive. More importantly she was the first French national I met who has seen the sparking skyline of Mumbai and visited un-electrified villages. I wanted to know her opinion about Indias development.

After breakfast, I initiated a conversation with her. This time expecting a positive reply, I asked if she noticed striking differences in India in terms of development since her first visit. She thought for a while and said, Well, I consider it as growth and not as development. Baffled, I requested her to elaborate what she meant. She explained that with the advent of internet, IT companies, state of the art Airports and highways, skyscrapers, etc India has changed dramatically in last couple of decades. However, all those changes were not well planned, well monitored or well controlled. A selected few cities are still growing beyond their capacities. On the other side, there has not been much development or growth in villages. Her NGO and even the government use free meal as a tactic to lure some kids to attend schools. Hence, she would use the term growth  just like a tree growing branches only towards sunlight! India has not yet embraced the policy of dispersed development and is short of at least 100 well planned cities and about thrice as many villages to cater the needs of growing middle class. Had that been implemented already, demonetization could have been a right decision with a very good implementation.

Like many other Indians, I knew that some of our cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, etc. are growing beyond their capacities. But I never realized that demonetization made the necessity of dispersed development quite evident. I dont know how the French lady estimated the count of planned cities and villages India is lacking. But her opinion made sense and prompted me to share our conversation.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
US President Donald Trump took a conciliatory tone on Saturday at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping where the leaders agreed to keep working on two pressing issues: the nuclear threat posed by North Korea and bilateral trade irritants.

Trump campaigned in last years presidential election on cracking down on China for its trade practices, but he softened his rhetoric after taking office, saying he wanted to work with China on the nuclear issue.

When the two leaders first met in April at Trumps Florida resort, they appeared to hit it off.

Trump called Xi a good man as he urged him to use Beijings economic clout to force North Korea to curb its nuclear weapons program.

Lately, Trump has expressed some impatience on Chinas role in North Korea  particularly after Pyongyang launched an intercontinental ballistic missile that some experts believe could have the range to reach Alaska, and parts of the US West Coast.

His administration made new arms sales to Taiwan, imposed sanctions on two Chinese citizens and a shipping company and put China on a global human trafficking list.

It also accused a Chinese bank of laundering money for Pyongyang.

The White House is also debating trade actions against Beijing, including tariffs on its steel exports and a few days before the G20 talks, Trump complained that trade between China and North Korea had grown.

But he showed none of that impatience on Saturday, when the leaders met at the invitation of Xi at the tail end of the G20 in Germany.

Its an honor to have you as a friend, Trump told Xi, telling him he appreciated actions he had already taken on North Korea.

As far as North Korea is concerned, we will have, eventually, success. It may take longer than Id like. It may take longer than you`d like. But there will be success in the end one way or the other, Trump said.
Entertainment / Music

by Nomusa Garikai

"The US's Centre for Preventive Action (CPA) warned that political instability, violence, and further economic decline in Zimbabwe could see xenophobic violence directed against the country's migrants in South Africa becoming worse if large numbers of refugees began fleeing the country," reported Daily News.This is the kind of report that should set church bell size alarm bells ringing nonstop in every thinking Zimbabwean out there.If we have yet another rigged election, it is easy to see how the prospect of yet another five years of economic and politics chaos under this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship can easily be the last straw to trig the instability.What makes this tragic situation even worse is that we have seen it coming but have done nothing to stop it. SADC leaders tried they best to get MDC leaders to implement the democratic reforms designed to stop the vote rigging and for five year they were ignored. They warned Tsvangirai and company not to contest the 2013 elections with no reforms but again they were ignored."This also comes as the National Electoral Reform Agenda (Nera) - the opposition umbrella group formed out of an uneasy alliance between former vice president Joice Mujuru and perennial opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai - is failing to gain traction," commented the Daily News.It is true that the opposition camp has lost political credibility, there is no rational reason - discounting greed - why they are contesting next year's election when it is clear they will be rigged. NERA has failed to get even one token reform implemented.Tsvangirai, with the clandestine help from Zanu PF agents, has been trying to sell the notion that a united opposition will defeat Zanu PF, even with no reforms in place. No one has ever explained how because there is no logical explanation to a piece of wishful nonsense. The fact that no opposition coalition has materialised after four years has only made the opposition look really weak and stupid.There is absolutely no excuse for contesting next year's flawed election and send the nation over the edge. It is madness.CPA's report is based on facts and its predictions are backed by historic events. CAP is a think tank worthy of the name unlike some dodgy ones like Afribarometer.There are individuals, independent media houses, NGOs and civic societies, especially those housing the ringing bells, who have supported the erroneous notion that next year's elections can go ahead by supporting various voter mobilisations, election monitoring and some such activities. It is imperative that they all abandon their stance and join those calling for the implementation of the democratic reforms before it is too late. For Pete's sake do not be counted amongst those who failed to hear the church alarm bell ringing warning of the folly of contesting yet another flawed election.We can prevent the nation being plunged into a political and economic nightmare by demanding the implementation of the reforms BEFORE the 2018 election.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday slammed Pakistan for glorifying slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, whose death in an encounter in Anantnag on July 8 last year sparked deadly unreast all across Jammu and Kashmir. Strengthening the attack further, the MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay said that the Pakistan government was reading from Lashkar-e-Taibas terror script in hailing Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani.

First @ForeignOfficePk read frm banned LeTs script. Now Pak COAS (Pakistan army chief) glorifies Burhan Wani. Paks terror support and sponsorship need to be condemned by one and all, MEA Spokesman Gopal Baglay said in a strongly worded tweet.

He was referring to Pakistan army chief Qamar Javed Bajwas remarks that Wanis sacrifice was a testimony of his and his generations resolve against Indian atrocities.

Sacrifices of #BurhanWani & generations against Indian atrocities are a testimony of their resolve, Pakistan army spokesperson Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor had on Saturday quoted Gen Bajwa as saying on Twitter.

Wani was killed in a gunfight with security forces in south Kashmir on July 8, 2016. His death triggered months of violent street protests in Kashmir that left 100 people, most of them civilians, dead.

The blood rendered by Burhan Muzaffar Wani has infused a new spirit in the freedom movement. The Kashmiri people are steadfast to take their movement to logical conclusion, Sharif had said.

According to Dunya News, Sharif reiterated that Pakistan remains shoulder to shoulder with their Kashmiri brethren and will continue their political, diplomatic and moral support in their right to self-determination.

Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa also praised Wani.

Last year, India had criticised Sharif calling Wani a martyr.

Sharif had also announced at the time that Pakistan will observe July 19 as Black Day to express their solidarity with the people of Kashmir.
The state government has taken a decision to refrain VIPs from using private helicopters. The decision comes after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had a narrow escape when he was trying board a helicopter at Alibaug in Raigad district. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will be tightening the security of VIPs in the aftermath of CMs helicopter snag incidents.

According to sources, A probe has already been ordered to ascertain the cause of Raigad chopper incident. Officials will be investigating whether there were any security lapses which resulted into the accident.

This has been the third incident in two months when Fadnavis has had a helicopter scare. In the first incident, the CMs helicopter had witnessed a technical problem at Gadchiroli on 12th May. He also escaped from another accident when a helicopter that carried him crashed at Latur on May 25. Thus henceforth Fadnavis will have to travel in a government plane. At locations where planes cant land the CM can commute in a car.

Fadnavis had gone to Alibaug for celebrating Jayant Patils birthday and inauguration of a theatre. When the CM tried to enter inside the helicopter it began to take off. He was seated below the fan which was running fast and there was a possibility of it hitting his head. A high-power committee headed by chief secretary Sumit Mullick decided to suspend helicopter travel. Later senior security guard and police officials rescued Fadnavis. The helicopter later on was landed and its fans were examined. Later on Fadnavis once again boarded the helicopter and left for Mumbai.

The state governments civil aviation department and home officials will investigate for ascertaining the cause of the accident. If they need help, the director general of civil aviation will step in, said sources.

Meanwhile the Chief Ministers Office had denied about occurrence of any incident involving his chopper in which he was said to have escaped unhurt.

Rumours are being spread that the CMs helicopter was involved in an accident. There was no such accident. People should not believe rumours, it said.

Meanwhile union minister of state for social justice and empowerment Ramdas Athawale sought a probe into the two incidents involving Fadnaviss chopper, in which he escaped unhurt.

The chief minister got involved in accidents twice within a span of two months. There should be an in-depth inquiry to ascertain if there was an deliberate attempt made to harm him or if it was a lapse in his security, said Athawale .
Amid the ongoing tension in West Bengals Baduria and Basirhat districts, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA H Raja Singh waded in controversy by appealing to the Hindu community in the state to respond the way Hindus in Gujarat reacted in 2002.

Today, Hindus are not safe in the West Bengal state. Hindus in Bengal should respond to people involved in communal violence as Hindus in Gujarat did. Otherwise, soon Bengal will turn into Bangladesh. Singh said.

He also blamed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Government for ongoing tensions in the states by alleging that the latter is supporting those who are spreading communalism.

The state government is supporting those who are spreading communalism. I want to appeal to those who are secular that if you want Bengals Hindus to be safe and secure then you have to be more aware. If you failed to attain security in the state then you will also face the consequences like Hindus in Kashmir faced, will also be banished like Kashmiri Hindus, he added.

Yesterday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she will ask for judicial inquiry into incidents at Baduria and Basirhat area.

For over a month there has been unrest in the hills. Centre is not cooperating to maintain law and order in Darjeeling, she said.

Violent clashes erupted in Basirhat area of the district after a Class X student updated a controversial picture on Facebook.

The boy was later detained by police, but the violence hasnt abated.

Fresh tension was reported in Basirhat area days after too forcing the police to lob tear gas shells and resort to baton charge even as the state government decided to ban some organisations for allegedly instigating people.
Over an obnoxious Facebook post, communal clashes broke out on 4 July in West Bengals North 24 Parganas district. The entire saga twisted into Hindu-Muslim riots. Since Hindus are minority in certain areas of West Bengal hence they always become victims of communal violence. The situation in communal strife-torn Baduria in North 24 Parganas district remained tense even as the spat over the clashes continued between Governor KN Tripathi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The situation is yet to come under control. People are dying, but politics is at its peak. Meanwhile, BJP MLA Raja Singh asks Hindus to respond like they did in Gujarat.

In a video message posted on Twitter, the MLA from Hyderabad appealed to people saying, Today, Hindus are not safe in the West Bengal state. Hindus in Bengal should respond to people involved in communal violence as Hindus in Gujarat did. Otherwise, soon Bengal will turn into Bangladesh. He also asks Bengal Tigers to awake and unite in order to protect themselves. Raja Singh also blamed the West Bengal government for failing to control the tense situation in the state and alleged that they are supporting those who are spreading communalism. Whatever incidents are happening in Bengal is not good but that does not mean elected politicians incite violence. That means BJP silently agrees that the killing in Gujarat was a deliberate act?

The 2002 Gujarat riots, was inter-communal violence, following the initial incident, there were further outbreaks of violence in Ahmedabad for three months; statewide, there were further outbreaks of communal riots against the minority Muslim population for next one year. The burning of a train in Godhra on 27 February 2002, which caused the deaths of 58 Hindu pilgrims karsevaks returning from Ayodhya, is noted to have resulted in violence.

In the aftermath of the violence, it became clear that many attacks were focused not only on Muslim populations, but on Muslim women and children. Organizations such as Human Rights Watch criticised the Indian government and the Gujarat state administration for failure to address the resulting humanitarian condition of the people, the overwhelming majority of them Muslim, who fled their homes for relief camps in the aftermath of the events.

It is estimated that at least 250 girls and women had been gang raped and then burned to death. Seventy six children were killed after being burnt alive and those digging mass graves described the bodies as burned and butchered beyond recognition. Children were force fed petrol and then set on fire, pregnant women were gutted and their unborn childs body then shown to the women. In the Naroda Patiya mass grave of 96 bodies 46 were women. The murderers also flooded homes and electrocuted entire families inside. Violence against women also included them being stripped naked, objects being forced into their bodies and later they being killed. According to Kalpana Kannabiran the rapes were part of a well-organized, deliberate and pre-planned strategy, and that this puts the violence in the area of a political pogrom and genocide.

Other acts of violence against women were acid attacks, beatings and the killing of women who were pregnant. Children were also killed in front of their parents. George Fernandes in a discussion in parliament on the violence caused widespread furore in his defence of the state government, saying that this was not the first time that women had been violated and raped in India.

Children and infants were speared and held aloft before being thrown into fires. Describing the sexual violence perpetrated against Muslim women and girls, the survivors reported that sexual violence consisted of forced nudity, mass rapes, gang-rapes, mutilation, insertion of objects into bodies, cutting of breasts, slitting the stomach and reproductive organs, and carving of Hindu religious symbols on womens body parts. A chilling technique, absent in pogroms unleashed hitherto but very much in evidence this time in a large number of cases, was the deliberate destruction of evidence. Barring a few, in most instances of sexual violence, the women victims were stripped and paraded naked, then gang-raped, and thereafter quartered and burnt beyond recognition. The leaders of the mobs even raped young girls, some as young as 11 years old before burning them alive. Even a 20-day-old infant, or a fetus in the womb of its mother, was not spared.

Many Muslims were killed for avenging the Godhra train burning incident. Hindu organizations and administration all stood against one community and tried finishing them to ground zero, today after 14 years BJP MLA is asking Hindu groups to go Gujarat way, rape woman, kill Muslims, burn their houses and do all that has been done in 2002. This type of provocation will kill many innocent people who have got nothing to do with communal riots or politics. These elected representatives should learn to respect the lives of common man.

In the meantime, Mamata Banerjee government ordered a judicial probe into the communal violence and has been making attempts to bring the law and order situation under control. She also accused the Centre of non-cooperation in dealing with the crisis in Darjeeling, and alleged that the Central government and BJP were trying to disturb peace in the communally sensitive area.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)








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A resident of Connecticut claims being abducted by aliens multiple times by the age of 6. He even claims to have built a rapport with the alien entities. This report has been obtained from a testimony included in the database of Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) published on 3 June, 2017.

The witness begins the report by describing his first alien abduction and says that he was sleeping at night when a tall being along with another being knocked on his door.

"The first time I remember was sleeping at night and woke up to a knock on my bedroom door. Somehow, I knew it wasn't my parents but a very tall person, along with another that was the same size as me."

He says that he was not scared and did as they wanted even though he had never seen hem before.

"I had this mental image as I walked to open my door. I saw exactly what I was imaging and was not scared at all. I never had seen these people before, but I did as they wanted."

He then says that the alien beings spoke to him telepathically and he followed them to a closet.

"No one spoke, but I could hear them talk to me in my head. I followed them to the hall closet. There was an access panel to the attic."

The witness then describes how he and the small alien entity went through the roof as the aliens demonstrated their ability to manipulate matter.

"I said I could not climb up. the tall man said, 'just try' it was as I floated up in the air and easily went through the hole. I was so excited, it was fun. then the small person went through the roof like it wasn't even there."

He then talks about getting scared as he went through the roof and that the small alien being was badly hurt.

"As I started to go through, I got really scared and grabbed the ground wire that ran across the house. The wire broke and I fell back into the house. something bad happened to the small man. I didn't realize that he was badly hurt."

The witness says that he still went through the roof after being reassured by the tall being and describes the experience as swimming through water.

"I found out later it was the ground wire that caused a problem. the tall man reassured me and I went through the roof. it was like swimming through water."

He further tells us that they started going straight up as the tall being pushed some lights and then he felt scared as they went up high.

"There was lights that I could see on this sleeve. red, green, blue, they were flashing. The tall man pushed the lights and we suddenly started going straight up. we got so high up that I was scared to death."

He says that he held on to the tall being's legs, who made him feel safe like a father.

" I grabbed and held tightly on to the tall man's leg just liked a son does to his dad's. he did not say a word and let me hold on to him. he knew how scared I was. I started to feel safe with him."

The witness then says that the incident occurred either in 1965 or 1966 and it made him realize that he was abducted many other times as well.

"This was 1965, maybe 1966.That was what triggered my recall of events that had been suppressed in my sub-conscious for all most 50 years. I have many bits of memory of things that happened. That's when I realized I had been taken many times before and after."

The above quotes were edited for clarity.

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